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their difficulties, it is a flood of light on many a dark passage of their history. No wonder that they view with gratitude, and an enthusiasm bordering on veneration, the messenger of this blessedness. And no wonder that the truth thus taught becomes at last the chief, almost the sole, truth proclaimed by him. First, because every man has but one mind, and must, therefore, repeat himself. And, secondly, because that which has won attachment from his congregation can scarcely be made subordinate in subsequent teaching without losing that attachment; so that, partly for the sake of apparent consistency, partly to avoid offense, and partly from that conservatism of mental habits which makes it so difficult to break through systems, ministers and congregations often narrow into a party, and hold one truth especially. And so far they do well; but if they should go on to hold that truth to the exclusion of all other truths, so far as they do that, it is not well; and nothing is more remarkable than the bitter and jealous antagonism with which party-men who have reached this point watch all other religious factions but their own. And then the sectarian work is done: the minister is at once the idol and the slave of the party, which he rules by flattering its bigotry, and stimulating its religious antipathies.

Now St. Paul meets this with his usual delicacy: "These things I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men more highly than it is written, and that no one of you may be puffed up for one against another." And not for Corinth only, but for all who were, or should be, his brethren in Christ, did St. Paul transfer these things to Apollos and himself— for have I not given you a home history?-the exact and likeliest history of many an English party, which began with a truth, and then called it the truth; flattering one another, and being "puffed up for one against another," and manifesting that, with all their high professions, they were "carnal, and walked as men." But here let us observe the glorious unselfishness of this noble apostle. Think you there was no fire of ambition in his heart-that ardent, fiery heart? An apostle, yes-but not exempt from temptation: with the feelings and passions of a man! Do you imagine he did not perceive, what is so evident to us, the opportunity within his grasp of being the great leader in the Corinthian Church? Think you that he knew nothing of that which is so dear to many a priest and minister in our day-the power of gaining the confidence of his people, the power of having his every word accepted as infallible?

Yet hear this sublime teacher: I am a minister, a steward only. Who is Paul? I dare not be a party-leader, for I am the servant of Him who came to make all one. He that watereth and he that planteth are all one-they, even those Judaizing teachers who named themselves after Peter, are all servants with me of Christ.

Secondly. There is another mode of undue glorification of the ministry by attributing supernatural powers and imaginary gifts to the office. This mode was quite different, apparently, from the other: so much so, as plainly to mark a party in the opposite extreme: and it was far more necessary to warn some men against this view; for many who would have refused submission to a man would have readily yielded it to an office. Many will refuse obedience to one standing on his personal gifts, or party views; but when one claiming the power of the keys, and pretending to the power of miraculous conveyance of the Eternal Spirit in baptism, or pretending, in shrouded words of mystery, to transform the elements of bread and wine into the very body and blood of Christ; or, declaring that he has an especial power to receive confession, and a miraculous right to forgive sins, therefore claims homage from the congregation; then, grave men, who would turn contemptuously from the tricks of the mere preacher, are sometimes subdued before those of the priest. And yet this is but the same thing in another form, against which St. Paul contended in Corinth; for pride and vanity can assume different forms, and sometimes appear in the very guise of humility. Power is dear to man, and for the substance, who would not sacrifice the shadow? Who would not depreciate himself, if by magnifying his office he obtained the power he loved?

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We have heard of Bernard, who, professing to be unsecular, yet ruled the secular affairs of the world. We have heard of men who, cut off from human affections, and crushing them relentlessly, have resigned every endearment in life, yet have nevertheless reigned in their sackcloth with a power which the imperial purple never gave. Affecting to live apart from human policy and human business, they spread their influence through every department of human thought, and life, and government. To appear more than human, to seem a spiritual being, above their fellow-men; for this men formerly, as well as now, have parted with all that is best in our humanity, its tenderest affections, its most innocent relaxations, and its most sacred and kindliest enjoyments. History affords innumerable examples of this.

II. The depreciation of the office.

There is a way common enough, but not specially alluded to here, in which the minister of the Church of Christ is viewed simply in connection with an establishment as a very useful regulation, on a par with the institutions of the magistracy and the police. In this light the minister's chief duty is to lecture the poor, and, of all the thousand texts which bear on political existence, to preach from only two, "Render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's," and "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers;" to be the treasurer and regulator of the different charitable institutions in the town and village, and to bless the rich man's banquet. Thus the office is simply considered a profession, and the common term "living" is the truest exposition of the dignity in which it is held. It is a "living " for the younger branches of noble houses, and an advance for the sons of those of a lower grade who manifest any extraordinary aptness for learning, and who, through the ministry, may rise to a higher position in social life.

In this view a degrading compact is made between the minister and society. If he will not interfere with abuses, but leave things as they are; if he will lash only the vices of an age that is gone by, and the heresies of other churches; if he will teach, not the truth that is welling up in his own soul, but that which the conventionalism of the world pronounces to be the Truth-then shall there be shown to him a certain consideration; not the awful reverence accorded to the priest, nor the affectionate gratitude yielded to the Christian minister, but the half-respectful, condescending patronage which comes from men who stand by the Church as they would stand by any other old time-honored institution; who would think it extremely ill-bred to take God's name in vain in the presence of a clergyman, and extremely unmanly to insult a man whose profession prevents his resenting indignities.

Now it is enough to quote the apostle's view, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ," and at once you are in a different atmosphere of thought.

These things are not essential to the position, for that may cease to be respectable. Society may annihilate a church establishment, but yet that which is essential in the office remains the minister is still a minister of Christ, a steward of the mysteries of God, whose chief glory consists not in that he is respectable, or well-off, or honored, but in that he serves, like Him, "Who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister."

Lastly, the office may be depreciated by such a view as these Corinthians were tempted to take. The Corinthians measured their teachers by their gifts, and in proportion to their acceptability to them. So now, men seem to look on the ministry as an institution intended for their comfort, for their gratification, nay, even for their pastime. In this way the preaching of the Gospel seems to be something like a lecture, professorial or popular; a thing to be freely found fault with, if it has not given comfort, or shown ability, or been striking or original-a free arena for light discussion and flippant criticism; for, of course, if a man had a right to be an admirer of Paul, he had, also, to be a blamer of Apollos. Now see how St. Paul meets this. "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment." He simply refuses to submit his authority to any judgment; and this you will say, perchance, was priestly pride, a characteristic haughtiness. Exactly the reverse, it was profound humility. Not because he was above judg ment, not because he was infallible, or teaching truths too grand for them, but because he was to be judged before a tribunal far more awful than Corinthian society. Not by man would he be judged, because fidelity is the chief excellence in a steward, and fidelity is precisely that which men can not judge. They can only judge of gifts, whereas the true dignity of their minister consists not in gifts, nor in popularity, nor in success, but simply in having faithfully used his powers, and boldly spoken the truth which was in him.

St. Paul refuses even to pass judgment on himself. He says, "I know nothing by myself." In the common reading this passage would seem to mean, Whatever I know is not by myself, but by a Higher Power; but what the translator meant, and as it would even now be understood by our northcountrymen, is this, "I know nothing against myself." "I am not conscious of untruth, or lack of fidelity."

"Yet," he goes on to say," am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord." Here, then, is what St. Paul appeals to, for another eye had seen, and He could tell how far the sentence was framed for man's applause; how far the unpleasant truth was softened, not for love's sake, but simply from cowardice. Even the bold unpopularity, that cares not whom it offends, may be, and often is, merely the result of a contentious, warlike spirit, defiant of all around, and proud in a fancied superiority. But God discerns through all this, and sees how far independence is only another name for stubbornness; how even that beautiful avoidance of sectarianism is merely, in many cases, a love of

standing alone; a proud resolve not to interfere with any other man's ministry, or to allow any man to interfere with his.

In applying this to our daily life, we must, then,

1. Learn not to judge, for we do not know the secrets of the heart. We judge men by gifts, or by a correspondence with our own peculiarities; but God judges by fidelity.

Many a dull sermon is the result of humble powers, honestly cultivated, whilst many a brilliant discourse arises merely from a love of display. Many a diligent and active ministry proceeds from the love of power.

2. Learn to be neither depressed unduly by blame, nor, on the other side, to be too much exalted by praise. Life's experience should teach us this. Even in war, honors fall as by chance, with cruel and ludicrous injustice; often the hero whom the populace worship is only made so by accident. Often the coronet falls on brows that least deserve it.

And our own individual experience should teach us how little men know us! How often, when we have been most praised and loved, have we been conscious of another motive actuating us than that which the world has given us credit for; and we have been blamed, perhaps disgraced, when, if all the circumstances were known, we should have been covered with honor. Therefore, let us strive, as much as possible, to be tranquil; smile when men sneer; be humble when they praise; patient when they blame. Their judgment will not last; "man's judgment," literally "man's day," is only for a time, but God's is for eternity. So, would you be secure alike when the world pours its censure or its applause upon you? feel hourly that God will judge. That will be your safeguard under both. It will be a small thing to you to be judged of any man's judgment, for your cause will be pleaded before the Judge and the Discerner of all secrets.

LECTURE X.

1 CORINTHIANS iv. 7-21. November 23, 1851.

THE former part of this chapter is addressed to congregations, in order that a right estimate may be formed by them of the ministerial office, which neither, on the one hand, ought to be depreciated, nor, on the other, to be unduly valued. We have explained how St. Paul's view was in opposition to all tendencies to worship the man, or to represent the office

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