any eminent person, did manifest their intention by throwing down, breaking, trampling upon, or doing some other like disgrace to their statues or pictures. And Solomon, in sundry places, interpreteth all acts of oppressing, mocking, or otherwise despising our neighbours, not without a strong reflection upon God himself; as leading to the contempt and dishonour of their Maker. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth HIM hath mercy on the poor.' 'Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;' and surely there is much force in this interrogation, 'Why settest thou at nought, not only thine own brother, but the brother of the Lord of glory?' Why despiseth thou him for whom Christ died ?1" There is indeed something revoltingly unnatural, something inconceivably mean and base, something grotesquely absurd, in a human being regarding with contempt any other human being. Surely, the man who treats any man as a mean contemptible creature, should in a double sense be ashamed of himself, for what is HE but a man? How insignificant the distinction which elevates one man above another, in comparison of the distinction which elevates all men above the brutal tribes? How little does wealth, or rank, or even human learning, bulk in the eye of angels? How highly do they estimate reason, conscience, affection, capacity for being like God, immortality? The man who contemns any man, shows that he does not so much value himself because he is a man, but rather, whatever respect he has for human nature, flows from his being a partaker of it. How mean, how absurd, how thoroughly contemptible, is pride! Surely, 'pride was not made for man, nor haughtiness of heart for him who is born of a woman." The sentiment of honour for man, as man, which we have been illustrating and recommending, should manifest itself in the whole of our conduct to our fellow men, especially to 1 Prov. xiv. 31; xvii. 5. Rom. xiv. 10, 15. those who in any respect may be our inferiors, whether in intellect, or talent, or acquirement, or moral worth, or rank, or wealth, leading us to "condescend to them that are of low estate:" but it takes its best form, when it leads us to use all the means in our power to raise our fellow men in the scale of true honour and excellence; to rescue them from the influence of ignorance, and error, and superstition; to put down slavery, oppression, war, and misgovernment, in all its endlessly varied forms; to make men free, intelligent, industrious, moral, religious, and happy, to the greatest attainable degree on earth; to save them. from the shame and everlasting contempt which awaits unimproved advantages and unanswered responsibilities in eternity; and to secure to them that "glory, honour, and immortality," which, while "the gift of God through Jesus Christ," is to be sought for and obtained "in a constant continuance in well-doing."1 Few things are better fitted at once to stimulate and to guide in such noble enterprises, than enlightened, impressive views of the true grandeur of human nature. While humbled to the very dust with the overwhelming evidence, without us and within us, of the fearful degradation of human nature by sin, let us never forget what it was when God made it, what it is still capable of, what it still is when God makes it anew on earth, what it will be when he completes the work of transformation in heaven. Human nature was a stately beautiful fabric as God reared it. It is majestic even in ruins, exciting in every right constituted mind awe as well as sorrow. As its desolations are repaired by the plastic powers of the Divine Spirit, symmetry and beauty are seen developing themselves; and when, in the heaven of heavens, man stands forth, nearest of all created beings to Him who sits on the right hand of the Divine Majesty, bearing the image of the Second Adam, the Lord from heaven, then will it be felt by all intelligent beings, that 1 Rom. vi. 23 11, 7. See Note A. human nature is indeed one of the most wonderful results of Divine wisdom, and power, and love. Right views, equally of man's meanness and his greatness, are to be obtained only by studying the representations which are contained in the Divine word, an impressive abstract of which is contained in the following plain but striking stanzas : "Lord! what is man? extremes how wide In his mysterious nature join:- The soul immortal and divine. Divine at first—a holy flame, Kindled by the Almighty's breath- The seat of darkness, strife, and death. "But Jesus-Oh! amazing love!- Despises earth, and walks with God. "And what, in yonder realms above, No seraph more adorn'd than he. Man shall his hallelujahs raise; While wond'ring angels round him throng, And swell the chorus of his praise."1 He who believes this, he alone who believes this, will "honour all men." II. CHRISTIANS ARE TO "LOVE THE BROTHERHOOD." THE "BROTHERHOOD," and OUR DUTY AS CHRISTIANS TOWARDS THE BROTHERHOOD: these are the two interesting topics to which our attention is now to be successively directed. 1 Olney Hymn. § 1.-Of "the brotherhood." A brotherhood is an association of brothers. Now, who are the brethren that are here referred to, and what is that association of them which is termed "the brotherhood?" It is scarcely necessary to say, that the language is not here used in its strictly literal signification: the signification in which John was the brother of James, and Andrew of Peter. In its analogical or figurative employment, which is manifold, it entirely overlooks the distinction of sex, and far overleaps the boundaries of families. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, male nor female," here. It is usual in Scripture to speak of all the descendants of Jacob as brethren, and it is no uncommon thing to represent all human beings as brethren. The reason of this is obvious. With regard to their animal frames, they are all the descendants of the original pair; for "God has made of one blood all the nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth;" and, with regard to their immortal minds, they are all "the offspring of God." He is "the Father of spirits." "In him we live, and move, and have our being." "We have one Father, one God hath created us." From our common human, and our common Divine paternity, we are all members of the same family; we are all brethren. 1 On the footing of this common relation, mankind form a great variety of associations for a corresponding variety of objects, all of which, from what lies at their foundation, may be called brotherhoods. A nation is a great brotherhood. Municipal bodies, societies for promoting science, for diffusing knowledge, for relieving distress; all these are so many minor brotherhoods. To all mankind, as brethren, we owe a duty, and that duty is love; and to all the brotherhoods, all the associations, of our human brethren, to which we belong, we likewise owe a duty, the fulfilment of which also is ex 1 Gal, iii. 28. Col. iii. 11. Acts xvii. 26, 28. Mal. ii. 10. pressed in that all-comprehensive word love; and the manner in which this principle of love should manifest itself towards all our brethren of mankind individually, and towards all the particular brotherhoods with which we may be connected, and the motives which urge to the cultivation and exercise of this principle in all these various ways, would afford abundant materials for interesting and useful discussion. But it cannot be reasonably doubted, that "the brotherhood" spoken of in our text, is an association of men, not as men, but as Christians. "The brotherhood" to be loved, is placed in contrast with the "all men" who are to be honoured; and therefore our appropriate employment, in this part of our discourse, is to inquire in what peculiar sense Christians are brethren, and what we are to understand by that brotherhood, that association of brethren, which ought to be the object of the love of all individual Christians. 99 It is obvious, from the Acts of the Apostles and the Apostolical Epistles, that "brethren" was the first name used to express the mutual relation of Christians to each other, as "disciples was that employed to express their common relation to their Lord. It was indeed the name given them by their Lord: "One," said he, "is your Master, and all ye are brethren."1 The giving of this figurative appellation to Christians, rests on a wide and varied foundation. They are spiritual brethren, for they have all a common origin. They are all "the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus." They have all "received the adoption of sons;" they have entered into the kingdom of God, by being "born again, born of the Spirit, born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God;" born, "not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." They have all Abraham for their father. "Being Christ's, they are Abraham's seed, and Matt. xxiii. 8. |