treatment of enemies, sympathy a Ma. v. 44; 1 Pe. ii. 23; Lu. xxiii. 34; Ac. vii. 60; 1 Co. iv. 12. ceaseless praise in the loftiness and sacredness of the habit; 6. Is in harmony with God's present method of government. Application:-(1) Pray; (2) Pray earnestly; (3) Pray continuously. The uses of adversity.—All birds, when they are first caught and put into the cage, fly wildly up and down and beat themselves against their little prisons; but within two or three days sit quietly upon their perch, and sing their usual notes with their usual melody. So it fares with us, when God first brings us into a strait, we wildly flutter up and down, and beat and tire ourselves with striving to get free; but at length custom and experience will make our narrow confinement spacious enough for us; and though our feet should be in the stocks, yet shall we, with the Apostles, be able even there to sing praises to our God.i 66 14, 15. bless.. you,a do good to them by word and deed. bless.. not, not only refrain fr. evil, but do good, and unmixed good. rejoice.. rejoice, thus express sympathy, show love, and absence of envy at another's good fortune. weep.. weep, we lighten another's affliction by sharing his tears." d Compassion.-I. What compassion is: 1. It must not be conb1 Co. xii. 26, 27. founded with mere natural pity. Christian compassion rises as c Jo. xi. 33-35; far above this, as Christianity rises above the world; 2. It deems 2 Co. xi. 29. "Divide each no kind of distress beneath its notice. II. The reasons for the others' troubles, development of practical compassion. Christ felt compassion for and double each us; should we not do so for others? III. Its effects: 1. It takes this world of us out of ourselves, and makes us partakers of all that is most mingled troubles affecting in Divine mercy, thus becoming the superior form of and delights.". pity; 2. It imparts to us the greatest moral power for doing d Robinson. good to man, opens our hearts, and is the most effective method "Paul's writings, of conveying truth.-Pressensé. though diffuse in the doctrinal, are others' joys, in Baxter. was necessary to en Practical sympathy.-A very hard thing to do, because it reconcise in the quires such an unenvious spirit. I remember hearing of a little preceptive parts. girl who went to her Sabbath-school, and when she came home, On the former it her mother asked her what she had done at school; and she, in absolutely the simplicity of her little soul, said, "Oh, dear mother, I am large; on the lat- afraid I have done nothing; for you know there was little Mary ter it is always Curtis, whose baby brother was buried this week, and she was so judicious to be sorry, and she cried so that I cried with her; and I took her short. The cele- hands in mine, and kissed her; but it quite took all the lessons Horace, Quic- out of my head; and poor Sarah Miles, who is always behind quid præcipies, with her lessons, had them this morning quite perfect; and she esto brevis,' was was so happy, that, although she got more tickets than I did, I actly observed, was quite glad, and I told her so, and kissed her too." My nor more finely dear," said the happy mother, "you have not said so many exemplified, than lessons, perhaps, but you have fulfilled the Apostle's injunction: by our Apostolic author."-J. Her-you have wept with those that wept, and rejoiced with those who rejoiced.""-Paxton Hood. brated rule of never more ex vey. impartiality, pride, revenge, honesty a Ro. xv. 5, 6; 1 Co.i. 10; Phi. i. 27; ii. 2; iv. 2; 1 Pe. iii. 8. b Ma. xx. 26-28; 16, 17. same mind,a the same hospitable, kind, sympathising mind; even in temper, impartial in treatment. mind.. things, do not seek especial favour of rich alone. Be not proud, ambitious. condescend, come down in conduct, speech. men estate, to the poor or illiterate, that you may lift them up. be.. conceits, those who are puffed up with an opinion of their own wisdom are apt to despise instruction. recompense . evil, guard against spirit of retaliation. provide.. honest," Gk., premeditate things comely. in.. men, to encourage the good, and silence gainsayers. 4. Phi.ii. 3–7; Je xlv. 5; Ps. cxxxi' 1, 2; Ja. ii. 1—5.* c Pr. iii. 7; xxvi. 12; Is. v. 21; 1 Co. viii. 2; iii. 18 e "The meaning of the precept is, that we should, by proper con sideration, take care night. "-Mack Be not wise in your own conceits.-I. As to rational wisdom or knowledge. Knowledge of-1. Natural causes; 2. Future events; 3. God's providences; 4. The intrigues of State; 5. The spiritual estate of others; 6. The interpretation of Scripture. II. As to -20. practical wisdom. We must not conceit ourselves-1. To bed 1 Ti. v. 14; 1 saints; 2. To be holier than others; 3. That we perform duties Pe. ii. 12, 15. aright; 4. That we exercise graces aright. Application: (1) Have low thoughts of your own knowledge; (2) Oft consult your own hearts; (3) Compare your actions with God's laws; Labour to know more of God and of Christ. Retaliation. During the revolutionary war lived Peter Miller, the leading member of a humble community of Baptists located in the state of Pennsylvania. In this community lived a man who distinguished himself for very base conduct towards the society to which Mr. Miller belonged, and treason to his country. On the latter charge he was sentenced to death. No sooner was f Bp. Beveridge. the sentence pronounced than Peter Miller set out on foot to visit "It is not possible General Washington, at Philadelphia, to intercede for the man's life. But he was told his prayer could not be granted" for his cannot do it withunfortunate friend." "My friend!" exclaimed Miller, "I have out offending not a worse enemy living than that same man." "What," re- God, and wounding conscience. joined Washington, "you have walked sixty miles to save the Peace without life of your enemy? That in my judgment puts the matter in a purity is the different light; I will grant you his pardon." The pardon was peace of the made out, and, without losing a moment's delay, Miller proceeded devil's palace."on foot to a place fifteen miles distant, where the execution was to take place on the afternoon of the same day. He arrived just as the man was being conducted to the scaffold, who, seeing Miller in the crowd, remarked, "There is old Peter Miller; he has walked all the way from Ephrata to have his revenge gratified to-day by seeing me hung." These words had scarcely been spoken, when he was made acquainted with the very different nature of Miller's visit, and that his life was spared. preserve peace, when we Henry. "To be deprived of the person we love is a happiness in compari son of living with one we hate." La Bruyère. g Fam. Treas. ness a Vaughan. Ro. xiv. 19; 2 iii. 17; Jude ii. 3. Co. xiii. 11; Ja. since at no time 18. possible, an implied difficulty. as.. you, Gk., so far peaceableas depends on you. "On your part at any rate."a live.. men b [i. 23, 73], as peace-livers, and peace-makers. Charity beareth all things.-I. The preface. As-1. Limiting; 2. Strengthening, the duty. II. The command: 1. Give offence to none; 2. Forgive the trespasses of others; 3. Attribute the "Neither ought best possible motives to men; 4. Give up some of your own a man to return rights; 5. Watch against passions that cause strife. III. Its evil for evil, as extent. In-1. Business relations; 2. Families; 3. The Church; many think; 4. The world.-Live peaceably with all men.-I. The true import ought we to do of this precept. II. How it can be obeyed. By-1. Cultivating an injury to our a peaceable spirit; 2. Aiming to promote that spirit in others. neighbours."III. Some motives to induce this obedience to it: 1. The security of our own peace; 2. A regard for the welfare of others; 3. AcW. W. Wythe. desire to be useful; 4. The intrinsic excellence and Divine beauty d Dr M. Tucker. of peace; 5. The genius of Christianity; 6. The example of "It is easy to be Christ and His Apostles; 7. The hope of eternal blessedness.< humble, where Making peace.-Aristippus and Eschines having quarrelled, humility is a conAristippus came to his opponent, and said, "Eschines, shall we to concede where be friends?" "Yes," he replied, "with all my heart." "But we know remember," said Aristippus, "that I, being older than you, do selves wronged; Plato. descension; easy our is in our power." e Ruskin. "Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us, viz., avarice, ambition, envy easy to forgive make the first motion." "Yes," replied Eschines, "and, where vengeance therefore, I conclude that you are the worthiest man; for I began Mrs. Jameson. the strife, and you began the peace."—Seeking peace.-Peace may be sought two ways. One way is as Gideon sought it when he built his altar in Ophrah, naming it "God send peace," yet sought this peace that he loved as he was ordered to seek it, and the peace was sent, in God's way: "The country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon." And the other way of seeking peace is as Menahem sought it, when he gave the King of anger, and pride; and, if these ene- Assyria a thousand talents of silver, that "his hand might be mies were to be with him." That is, you may either win your peace or buy itbanished, we win it by resistance to evil; buy it by compromise with evil. should infallibly You may buy your peace with silenced consciences; you may buy enjoy perpetual peace."Pe it with broken vows: buy it with lying words; buy it with base connivances; buy it with the blood of the slain, and the cry of the captive, and the silence of lost souls.e trarch. overcome Evil with good a Le. xix. 18; Pr. xxiv. 29; Ge.xlix. 5-7; Lu. ix. 54, 55; Ma. vi. 15. b Macknight. c De. xxxii. 35. Is. xiii. 7. e Pr. xvi. 32. 19-21. avenge.. yourselves," he who avenges himself makes himself accuser, judge, and executioner. but.. wrath, i.e., the wrath of God. Leave your case in His hands. written, an O. T. warrant for N. T. precept. coals.. head,d melt his animosity with the warmth of love. Yet be not ostentatious in forgiving. Some have the habit of making the coals too hot and heaping on too many. overcome, the evil is not to be let alone, but conquered. good, the evil to be conquered with kindness. e Retaliation.-I. This precept considered in contrast with the vi. 35, 36; Ex. prohibition-" Be not overcome of evil": 1. Its bearing upon xxiii. 4; 1 S.xxiv. warring nations; 2. Upon the discords of private life. II. Evil 17, 18; xxvi. 8-must be conquered by good. The victory over evil is never won 10; Ps. cxx. 3, 4; by negatives. It is won by the antagonism of good. View this saying in reference to-1. Truth and error; 2. Sin and holiness -True moral conquests.-Introduction: these words imply—(1) fDr.C.J.Vaughan. That good and evil are in this world; (2) That evil must be over"We have taken come; (3) That the way to overcome evil is by the force of good. a blessed re- In considering our text we remark that this method is-I. The enemies, if our only effective one. In overcoming evil: 1. Directed against ourcharitably apply. selves from society; 2. As it is found existing everywhere in the ing ourselves to world; 3. As existing in our own hearts. II. The Divinely-practhem may bring tised one. them to apply God overcomes the evil of-1. Intellectual error by themselves to the good of intellectual truth; 2. Enmity towards Him by the God, and to glori- good of His love towards it; 3. Corrupt life by the good of a fy Him." Dr. perfect life. venge upon our Donne. g Dr. Thomas. "The law is persecutes ano ther with vexa Treatment of enemies.-It is recorded of a Chinese emperor, that, on being apprised of his enemies having raised an insurrecmade the instru- tion in one of the distant provinces, he said to his officers, "Come, ment of wrong, follow me; and we will quickly destroy them." He marched forwhen one man ward; and the rebels submitted upon his approach. All now thought that he would take the most signal revenge, but were tious suits."-Dr. surprised to see the captives treated with mildness and humanity. "How!" cried the first minister, "is this the manner in which fight the devil you fulfil your promise? Your royal word was given that your enemies should be destroyed; and, behold! you have pardoned weapon must not them all, and even caressed some of them." "I promised," rewonder if he plied the emperor with a generous air, "to destroy my enemies. I have fulfilled my word; for, see, they are enemies no longer: I have made friends of them." Lucas. "He who will with his own finds him an over match." South CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH. ii. 13; Ma. xxii. 21; Ac. v. 29. 1, 2. every soul, without exemption of clergy. higher subjection powers, civil authorities of all orders. there.. God, perto civil authority mitted by, answerable to Him. ordained, placed under, see Gk., a military term. resisteth, by opposing wise and wholesome a Tit. iii. 1; 1 Pe. laws. power, rule, authority. damnation, punishment. Humility.-I. Some of the high thoughts which we are apt to entertain concerning ourselves: 1. Their character; 2. Their cure. II. The exhortation contained in the text. III. The sober thoughts which we should entertain, according as God has dealt the treasure of faith. The Pr. viii. 15, 16; "Distinction of economy of the barbarians and Rowe. tested,and miserable is the life of him who wishes rather to be feared than to Condescension.-The following simple story illustrates a trait in rank is highly the character of our Queen which explains much of the feeling of necessary for the fond regard entertained for her by all classes of her subjects. world, and was One year, when the court was at Balmoral, Her Majesty made a never called in promise to Jenny the daughter of a humble Balmoral neigh-question but by bour, but who was an especial favourite with Her Majesty, saying, enthusiasts." "I'll bring a pretty toy for you when we come back next year.' The Court went, and the promise was thought little more of, at "He who too least on one side. Her Majesty went that year to Paris to much fears havisit the Emperor of the French. Amid all the pomp and style of tred, is unfit to royalty and imperiality, there was enough in the events of the reign."-Seneca. year generally to drive many others besides the present child from "Power is dethe thoughts of the Sovereign of Great Britain. Well, next season came, and with it the Court returned to Balmoral. Queen, in making her rounds, soon called on her little protégée, and with a "Now, I haven't forgot you," exhibited the promised present. While Queen Victoria was in the French capital, amid all the din and distraction of French state pageantry, she found time to think of the little Highland girl on the banks of the Dee, and then and there bought an article to please and gratify the little child.d-Royal courtesy.-Frederic II., King of Prussia, made it a point to return every mark of respect or civility shown to him in the street by those who met him. He one day observed at table, that whenever he rode through the streets of Berlin, his hat was always in his hand. Baron Polintz, who was present, said "That his Majesty had no occasion to notice the civility of every one who pulled his hat off to him in the streets." "And why not?" said the king, in a lively tone, "are they not all human beings as well as myself?" be loved."-Nepos. d The Times. you more court than he is accus- deceive ruler the men to main 3, 4. rulers.. evil, for this purpose are they appointed. the purpose wilt. power? do you desire to live without fear of punish- of the civil ment? praise," protection, favour. minister, servant; being himself under authority. good, unless you are evil. afraid, of a 1 Pe. ii. 14. detection and punishment. beareth.. vain, for use, not "For those are mere empty show. revenger, exacting the claims of justice. tain themselves Relative duties.-I. Of rulers-to protect the good-to restrain with credit in the the evil-to reward merit. II. Of subjects-to respect authority world, who never -to do good and thereby to merit praise.-The necessity of law. suffer -I. Its design is good. II. Its violation evil. III. Its execu- them, who show tion just.-The functions of the ruler.-I. To maintain law and proper respect to order as the minister of God-for the benefit of man. II. To their superiors, their equals to insult and act with punish crime: for this purpose he is invested with the power of thoughtful kind- life and death-must use it righteously-as responsible to God feriors."-Thucy--for the suppression of evil. ness to their in dides. b Dr. Lyth. c Davenant. "All my own ex perience of life teaches me the contempt of cunning, not the fear."-Addison. on payment of tribute a Ecc. viii. 2. b Wordsworth. ε λειτουργοι, from laos, people, and epyov, work. A word that, with its kindred forms, occurs 140 and 15 in N.T. Craftiness of criminals.-Be law-makers as able as nature or experience (which is the best art) can make them, yet, though I will not yield the wicked to be wiser than the virtuous, I may say offences are too hard for the laws, as some beasts are too wily for their hunters; and that vice overgrows virtue as much as weeds grow faster than medicinal herbs; or rather, that sin, like the fruitful slime of Nilus, doth increase with so many various shapes of serpents (whose walks and retreats are winding and unknown), that even justice, the painful pursuer of mischief, is become weary and amazed." 5, 6. wherefore, for these reasons. needs.. subject, it is necessary to submit. not. . wrath, for fear of punishment. but.. sake,a "we must obey man for the sake of God: not disobey God for the sake of man." for.. cause, for the sake of conscience also. tribute, public dues and taxes of all kinds. ministers, officers of the people: servants of God for the public good. attending . . thing, “collecting the taxes :”d “whole extent of magisterial duty."e Pay ye tribute also.-I. A simple, but comprehensive; II. A times in LXX., natural, but needful; III. A difficult, but blessed injunction. Learn:-This is the fundamental law of God's kingdom, determining-(1) On one hand the relation of the Christian to the world: (2) On the other, his vocation for heaven.ƒ d Brown. e De Wette. f Lange. "Wherefore we rules for himself, Satire on government.-One having reconciled the Emperor and the Pope, and placed them on majestic thrones, brought the several states and conditions of the world before them. First came a counsellor of state, with the motto, "I advise you two;" to rule by reason, then a courtier, with, "I flatter you three;" then a husbandman, because man "I feed you four;" then a merchant, "I cozen you five;" then and becomes a a lawyer, "I rob you six;" then a soldier, "I fight for you seven;" tyrant. A ruler then a physician, "I kill you eight;" lastly a priest, "I absolve is the protector you nine."-New experiments in government.—It is a dangerous of the just, and, if of the just, then thing to try new experiments in a government; men do not foresee also, of what is the ill consequences that must happen when they go about to equitable to all." alter the essential parts of it upon which the whole frame depends; -Aristotle. for all governments are artificial things, and every part of them "Sin unpunished has a dependence one upon another. And it is with them as breach than sin with clocks and watches, if you should put great wheels in place of committed." little ones, and little ones in the place of great ones, all the movement would stand still: so that we cannot alter any part of a government without prejudicing the motions of the whole." makes a greater Farindon. h Buckingham. owe nothing but love to any a Ma. xxii. 21. 7, 8. render,a pay, as a debt to be discharged. tribute, Gk., tax levied on person, house, land. custom, Gk., levied on merchandise. fear.. honour, discriminate betw. the degrees b Macknight, of respect due to dif. classes of public officials. owe.. anyStuart. "A fixed thing, either of proper respect, or of anything due to him. love, tax."-Boothroyd. of wh., feel that you owe so much that you cannot pay all at -Cobbin. "Land once; be always paying, as one who is always owing. for.. law," tax."-Brown. i.e., the law respecting his neighbour. "Direct taxes." C Teλos: the publi- Duties. What we owe to-I. God: 1. Adoration; 2. Love; 3. cans were TEA- Desires; 4. Trust; 5. Thankfulness; 6. Obedience. II. Men: Good-1. Will; 2. Words; 3. Deeds. Application:-(1) God's vai,i.e., collectors of customs. |