involved, distorted, perplexed, difficult, in them. And this gives check to a double folly among men, contrary the one to the other, but both agreeing in mistaking and wronging the word of God. The one is, of those who despise the word, and that doctrine and preaching which is according to it, for its plainness and simplicity; the other, of those who complain of its difficulty and darkness. As for the first, they certainly do not apprehend the true end for which the word is designed, that is, to be the law of our life; and that it is mainly requisite in laws that they be both brief and clear. It is our guide to light and happiness; and, if that which ought to be our light were darkness, how great would that darkness be! It is true that there be dark and deep passages in Scripture for the exercise, yea for the humbling, yea for the amazing and astonishing, of the sharpest-sighted readers. But it argues much the pride and vanity of men's minds, when they busy themselves only in these, and throw aside altogether the most necessary, which are therefore the easiest and plainest truths in it, evidencing that they had rather be learned than holy, wise than good,' and have still more mind to 'the tree of knowledge' than to the tree of life.' In hearing the word, too many are still gaping after new notions, something to add to the stock of their speculative and discoursing knowledge, loathing the daily manna of such profitable exhortations, and requiring meat for their lust.' There is an intemperance of the mind as well as of the mouth. You would think it, and may be not spare to call it, a poor cold sermon, that was made up of such plain precepts as these: 'Honour all men: love the brotherhood: fear God: honour the king:' and yet this is the language of God. It is his way, this foolish despicable way, by which he guides and brings to heaven them that believe.""

As to those who complain of the difficulties of Scripture, let them but believe and do what is perfectly level to the apprehension of the simplest mind, and they will thus take the most probable means of arriving at just views of what is obscure; for he is faithful who has promised. "If any

man will do—that is, be willing to do-the will of my Father in heaven, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God;"1 and, at all events, he will soon and certainly find his way to that region where all difficulties are removed, all mysteries are unveiled, all obscurities are explained. There, in God's light, he shall see light; no longer seeing as through a glass darkly, but face to face; no longer knowing in part only, but knowing even as he is known. But to return to the illustration of the Apostle's four comprehensive precepts.

I. CHRISTIANS ARE TO "HONOUR ALL MEN."

The first particular duty which he calls on Christians to perform "as free, and yet as the servants of God," is the honouring of all men. "Honour all men." To bring out the true and the full meaning of this important and very comprehensive precept of the Christian law, it is necessary to remark, that "all men" is here used in contrast with some men, and to inquire who are these some men referred to. In looking into the immediate context, we find two classes of men mentioned, to either, or to both of whom, the apostle may be considered as referring. These are "the brotherhood"—that is, true Christians, "the chosen generation, the kingdom of priests, the holy nation, the peculiar people, the dwellers in light, the people of God." If the reference is to them, the sentiment contained in the words before us is While "the saints, the excellent ones of the earth," ought to be the objects of your highest respect and honour, as well as affection, yet you are not warranted to regard unbelieving men with contempt because they do not belong to the Holy Society, are not "partakers of the benefit;" but, on the contrary, wherever from civil or natural relation, or from intellectual endowments, or moral dispositions, they are the proper objects of respect, you are bound to render honour to whom honour is due.

John vii. 17.

The brotherhood is not, however, the only class of men mentioned in the context. There are also "the men ordained for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well: the king as supreme, and the governors who are sent by him." These are to be honoured, all of them honoured, by being obeyed and submitted to. If the reference is to them, then the sentiment conveyed is: While magistrates are to be honoured in a manner suited to the nature and design of the office which they fill, no human being is to be despised. There is a respect due to every man, just because he is a man; there is an honour due to the king, but there is also an honour due to all men. As the language of the Apostle, without using undue violence, may be considered as suggesting both these important and closely connected sentiments, I shall endeavour briefly to illustrate and enforce them in their order.

§ 1. Honour not to be confined to the brotherhood, but rendered to all to whom it is due.

The first principle which we consider, as suggested by the Apostle's words, is, that the respectful regards of Christians are not to be confined "to the brotherhood," but are to be extended to unbelieving men, according to the claims which, from civil or natural relation, from intellectual endowments or moral dispositions, they may have on them. Honour is to be yielded to all to whom honour is due, though "aliens from the commonwealth of spiritual Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise."

The injunction viewed in this light, like the strikingly similar one," Use not your liberty as a cloak of wickedness," seems, from the peculiar circumstances and previous habits of thought of many of the primitive Christians, to have been far from unnecessary. It seems plain that a very large proportion, at least of those to whom this epistle was addressed, consisted of Jewish converts. The Jews were accustomed to consider their own nation as the chosen people of Jehovah, and on this account as worthy of the highest honour; while they

regarded the Gentiles, the nations as they termed them, all the rest of mankind, with a malignant contempt, which its objects, in most instances, repaid with liberal interest. They very generally considered all authority exercised by Gentiles over Jews as impious usurpation; and if they submitted to it, they did so " for wrath sake," not "for conscience sake;" not because obedience was in their estimation right, but because disobedience was found in their experience unsafe; not from a sense of duty, but from a fear of punishment. There was some hazard that these habits of thought and feeling, modified by their new circumstances and relations, might influence the Jewish converts; that they might regard the spiritual nation, of which they had become a part, by believing with sentiments similar to those with which they used to contemplate "Israel according to the flesh;" and unbelievers, whether Jews or heathens, in a light corresponding to that in which they looked on the Gentiles in the days of their Judaism; and indeed, from various passages in the apostolic writings, it seems, to say the least, highly probable that this hazard was, to some extent, realized.

It was of importance, then, for the apostles distinctly to assert, that the new religious relations and duties of Christians by no means unhinged their existing natural and civil relations, or interfered with the duties rising out of them, except by furnishing clearer directions for, and stronger motives to, their performance. Christian subjects are bound to honour heathen or Jewish magistrates. The command, when there were no magistrates even professing Christianity, was, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. The powers that be are ordained by God." "Submit to every human institution for the punishment of evil-doers, and the praise of them who do well." Christian servants were to regard with the honour which finds its expression in cheerful, conscientious, uncomplaining obedience, their heathen

1 Rom. xiii. 1.

masters. "Servants," says the Apostle in the next verse, "be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." And the Apostle Paul, speaking of masters not believing, says, "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed." Christian wives were bound to The relation was not dis

honour their heathen husbands. solved, nor its duties changed. "If the woman hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him ;" and it is plainly to Christian wives in these circumstances, that the commandment in the beginning of the 3d chapter of this Epistle is addressed: "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear." Christian children were bound to honour heathen parents by providing for their support when necessary, and by " obeying them in the Lord"—that is, so far as their commands did not interfere with those of their Master in heaven.

On the same principle, wherever a Christian met with distinguished intellectual endowment or acquirement, extensive knowledge, remarkable wisdom, or with manifestations of integrity, public spirit, patriotism, benevolence, in unbelieving Jews or heathens, he was not to shut his mind. against the admission that such intellectual and moral excellencies did exist, nor his heart against the feeling of respect and honour which they are naturally fitted to awaken, because their owners did not belong to the Christian community. In such cases, though so far as the display of moral qualities was concerned, they were, we believe, of very rare occurrence in the primitive age, Christians were to do full justice, and "render honour to whom honour was due." In yielding honour to heathens, corresponding to the natural

1 1 Pet. ii. 18. 1 Tim. vi. 1.

21 Cor. vii. 13.