rebuking vice," notwithstanding for this conduct he was called "patiently to suffer for the truth's sake." It is hard for flesh and blood to do well and suffer for it, and take it patiently. Divine grace is needful to enable us to submit to this. But the apostle Peter says, This is acceptable with God; for even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps.85 And He Himself said to them that followed Him, The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord; it is enough for the disciple that the be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebuḥ, how much more shall they call them of His household ?86 Believers in Christ must expect to meet with the same kind of treatment from the world as their Lord and Master received.

Bring forth

St. John the Baptist preached the most solemn and awful truths. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? therefore fruits meet for repentance. not of your outward privileges, for are is laid unto the root of the trees, ready to be made use of; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the

And boast now also the

85 1 Peter ii. 20, 21.

86 Matt. x. 24, 25.

fire. But he also exhorted the people to behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin

88

of the world, that by believing in Him they might obtain pardon and salvation. In these two

leading points of Divine truth, warning men of their danger as transgressors of the holy law of God, and teaching89 them the way of reconciliation with God, it is required in the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God, that every man be found faithful.

The Epistle for this day seems to be an appeal made by the apostle Paul from the judgment of man to that of the great day of God. He appears to have been accused, by some persons who fomented divisions in the church at Corinth, of a want of faithfulness in the discharge of his office. He therefore commences with explaining the nature of his office, and insists upon the necessity of its being executed with fidelity. He says, It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. Having declared this, he replies to his accusers, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. To be judged or condemned by the opposers of the gospel of Christ was a matter of very little concern to him, since he was acquitted by his own conscience, which did not condemn him of un

87 Matt. iii. 7, 8, 10.

88 John i. 29. 89 Col. i. 28.

faithfulness in the exercise of his ministerial duties; for on the contrary he could declare to his hearers, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but testified both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ; wherefore I take you to record, that I am pure from the blood of all men; for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God, or to testify the gospel of the grace of God.90 Such being the appeal which he could make before God and man, he might well say, I know nothing by myself; or, I am not conscious of having acted unfaithfully. At the same time he adds, yet am I not hereby justified. For such is the deceitfulness of the human heart that we are prone to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.91 And therefore not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.92 To Him the apostle appeals, He that judgeth me is the Lord. And he exhorts those whom he addressed, Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. They were not lightly to condemn the ministers of Christ, but to be assured that in the day when God shall judge the

90 Acts xx. 20, 21, 26, 27. 91 Rom xii. 3. 92 2 Cor. x. 18.

secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel,93 His faithful servants shall be owned and commended, and blessed by their Lord and Master. Happy are they who can, in the midst of opposition and reproach, if they are called to meet it, appeal to the Searcher of hearts, and have a consciousness in their own minds that, while they feel their utter insufficiency of themselves for the office committed to them, their great anxiety is not to corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God to speak in Christ; for to them it shall one day be said, Thou hast been faithful over a few things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.95 This will be to them a full recompence for all that they may be called to endure for His name's sake, on account of their fidelity in His service.

Let us now consider more particularly, First, The nature of the ministerial office, as it is described in the text. Secondly, The design of the apostle's exhortation.

And,

May the Spirit of God seal instruction upon our minds, that we may profit by what He has recorded in His holy word for this purpose.

First, The nature of the office of the ministry of the gospel may be ascertained from the titles given to the persons who sustain it. They are

93 Rom. ii. 16.

94 2 Cor. ii. 17.

95 Matt. xxv. 21.

called, first, ministers of Christ. A minister is only another word for a servant. A servant is one whose duty it is to obey the commands and to promote the interests of another, who is usually termed his master. The servants of Christ are under obligation to obey His command; which, to His ministers, who have a charge committed them, as the word here used denotes, is to preach the gospel; to teach, and baptise in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; to teach men to observe all things whatsoever their Lord and Master has commanded.96 It was as

His servants in this respect, that the apostles served the Lord Christ. They thus obeyed His commands, that they might please Him well in all things. And as it was His object in coming into the world that sinners through Him might be saved, by the knowledge of His gospel; the promotion of this object was that which they continually kept in view. The language of the apostles was, We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.97 At the same time the apostle Paul declared, I endure all things for the elects' sake, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.98 Thus he acted as a servant of Christ; and while he proposed his own example for the imitation of Timothy,

96 Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. 97 2 Cor. iv. 5. 98 2 Tim. ii. 10.