with good" when we soften and disarm those passions in others by the practical exercise of the contrary; when we tame ferocity by gentleness; when we conciliate enmity by kindness; when by the pouring on of oil we smooth the surge which we should have lashed and rebuked in vain; when by the power of forbearance and of practical love we open the secret spring of tenderness, and quench the fire of the flashing eye in the tear of penitential affection. This is true heroism.* To "render evil for evil is human; to render evil for good is devilish; to render good for evil is divine.”+ The spirit inculcated in the passage before us is exemplified, and by the force of example recommended:-" And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."-" And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him." These very instances show us, however, especially the latter, that the effect ascribed to kindness is not always to be counted on;—that there is a malignity which *Prov. xvi. 32; xix. 11. Matt. v. 43-48. no means of conciliation may soften. When this is the case, the blame is not ours. We may suffer from the untamed fury of our inveterate enemy; but we have delivered our souls in the sight of the God with whom we have to do. Let the guilt be with our adversaries if all our kindness fail. God approves; and we shall have no regret when we stand before His tribunal at last. Can we look back, my brethren, on the contents of this chapter, without exclaiming what a happy world would this be, were Christians what they ought to be, and all men Christians! What a lovely combination of principles and affections and practical virtues is here! How astonished would any impartial reader be, if, after having perused it, he were told by one of the enemies of the Gospel, how much mischief the religion of which these are the precepts, and of which "the mercies of God" constitute the moving spring, had produced in human society,—what desolations it had wrought in the earth,—how many streams of blood might be traced to it as their fountain! Would he not (I suppose the man to read this chapter for the first time and in ignorance of the doctrines of Christianity)-would he not instantly suspect or conclude that there must be some mistake? Would he not see and feel this to be the most unlikely thing in the world? Let the man who can impute such effects to Christianity read this description of its practical character, and blush for his ignorance or his enmity. Christianity in principle is the glorious manifestation of the light and love, the holiness and the grace of God in a scheme for the restoration of his fallen creatures to His own lost favour and image:-and as for Christianity in practice, here it is. When professing believers of the Gospel act (as, alas! they too often and too flagrantly have done to admit of concealment or palliation) inconsistently with any part of these divine admonitions, they so far act an unchristian not a Christian part. They "lie against the truth." Let them by all means be condemned, as severely as the cases may deserve. What we wish of unbelievers is, that they would study the Gospel here-in the life of its Author and the writings of his Apostles. The various corruptions of Christianity and sad departures, under the profession even of its true principles, from its practical spirit and preceptive injunctions, are only so many native consequences from the truth of the view given in its records of the character and state of man as a fallen and depraved creature, subject to all the perverting influences of endlessly various lusts and temptations. But here, I repeat, is practical Christianity, and the man is a Christian just in proportion as he bears these features of character, and no further. Profession is not principle; and true principle will show itself in practice. Without this all is vain—“a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal"-mere empty noise-unprofitable to the man himself and pernicious to others. Study, then, this chapter, ye who name the name of Christ. If you study it aright, it will humble you. You will be sensible of deficiencies that will "lay you low and keep you there." Let this consciousness render both the work of Christ and the work of the Spirit the more precious to you; the former for taking away the guilt of all your conscious failures; and the latter for giving efficiency to your sincere desires (desires inspired too by himself) in "striving against sin." And keep in mind that all the graces here enumerated must be cultivated together. You must not think, if you find one in some measure of lively operation, that this is to be a cover for the want or the deficiency of others. You must have them all. You must cherish them all. And they must all appear in your daily character, in the family, in the church, and in the world. Thus you will "hold forth the word of life," and glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 66 *It may be mentioned, that besides these Lectures on the twelfth chapter of this Epistle, there is a series of twenty-five Sermons on its great practical lessons. They were written at an early period of the Author's ministry, and recomposed with much care within a few years of his death. Their introduction here would have been out of place, and would have extended the volume beyond due limits.-ED. LECTURE LIX. ROMANS XII. 1-7. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." *THE subject to which these verses demand our attention is the duty which Christians owe to the civil government of the country in which they live. And that we may have at once before us a full view of the Scripture requirements on this important subject, we shall take one or two other passages in *This lecture was in substance delivered as early as the year 1820, and afterwards published. The author re-delivered it in 1832, prefacing it with the following remarks:-" Nearly twelve years ago, I had occasion to call your attention to this subject, at a time when our country was in a state of great political ferment, and in some parts of it especially, in which our own city and neighbourhood were included; of no small alarm. Subsequently to that period, divine providence was gracious to our land, in bringing about a greater degree of public satisfaction and harmony than had for a long time before existed. Recently there has been excitement of a somewhat different description, and in which the population of the country is more generally of one mind. connexion with that which has just been read:-" Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work." "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."* It is not my province, brethren, to address you as politicians, but as Christians;-as persons professing subjection to Jesus, as King in Zion, and Lord of the conscience. The high spirit that is abroad, and which corresponds with the ardent tone of popular feeling which pervades Europe, needs not to be stimulated, but rather to be regulated and controlled: and it is well that Christians should be kept in remembrance, that, while they have a part to act as members of civil society-their Christian profession not destroying their earthly relations, nor obliterating the interests and the duties thence arising-that this part, as well as every other, must be acted on Christian principles, and in harmony with the paramount authority and claims of the King of Zion, and the kingdom which is not of this world.' "The subject has come again in our way at a period when it may not be unseasonable for believers to be reminded of those principles and of those claims, that they may be enabled, while cherishing the feelings and desires of loyal and patriotic freemen, to keep these feelings and desires from leading them into any courses that are unbecoming their obligations as subjects of Jesus, and their condition and prospects as 'strangers and pilgrims on the earth.' "It would be puerile affectation, and a useless and therefore unwarrantable waste of time and labour, to throw what was then delivered and afterwards given to the public in another form, into new arrangement and new expression:-and therefore what I am now to say must be substantially the same, only with such occasional alterations and additions as subsequent consideration may have suggested." * See Titus iii. 1; 1 Tim. ii. 1—4; and 1 Pet. ii. 13-15. |