The Shrine of Mammon by J. A. James. Mark chapter 10, verses 21 and 22. You lack only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. At this the man's face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions. you see what the defect was in this young man.

He did not possess the faith which overcomes the world. He wished to unite two utterly irreconcilable things, the love of God and the love of money. He wanted to serve two masters, God and Mammon. It was not open vice and profligacy that kept him from salvation. It was the more decent and reputable sin of supreme attachment to worldly things.

He could give up many sins, but he could not give up his besetting sin, supreme regard for wealth. He could do many things, but he could not give up all to follow Jesus. He could give up open vice, but he could not deny himself and take up his cross. He had many good qualities, but he lacked one thing. If open vice has slain its thousands, then worldliness has slain its tens of thousands.

Of all the false gods, the shrine of Mammon is most resorted to. It is from that idolatrous temple that the broadest and most beaten path to the bottomless pit will be found. Included in the crowd which press along that broad road that leads to destruction are not only the blasphemous, the murderers, the liars and cheats, the proud and the immoral, but also those who follow things which are just and honest and true and reputable. Yet they rise no higher than to be the worshipers of this sordid deity, money. Yes, even mammon can boast of devotees who hate all that is vile, dishonorable, and unjust.

In the broad road which leads to destruction, there is a path for the lovers of money, as well as for the lovers of heinous sins. No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.