in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in businessnot listless in the performance of duty, but fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Verse 10-Relates to the warmer love which is due to our brethren in the faith. "Christian benevolence," says Taylor, "far exceeds the measure of ordinary humanity; if we be followers of Christ we ought to be like our master, gentle to others, severe only to ourselves, striving to go before our brother in nothing, except in doing honour to God and to him, waiting for our glory until it shall please God, in the day of recompences, to reflect light from his face, and admit us to behold his glory" (2 Pet. i. 7; Gal. vi. 10).

Verses 11 to 13.-Whatever we desire we should work for with diligence, if it be a matter of duty, or to be attained by industry, for God loves to bless labour and reward it, but not to support idleness (Eccl. ix. 10). Our spirit should be fervent, and mount like flame to heaven, carrying the soul above itself it should feel that in whatsoever duty it is engaged, it is serving the Lord, and must promote his glory; such a spirit will not despond in affliction or persecution, but will endure patiently, cheered with the hope of a glorious immortality (Col. iii. 23, 24; chap. v. 2, 3; xv. 13). "Our prayers," says Taylor, "should be earnest, fervent, importunate, when we pray for things of high concernment and necessity; and thus we must always pray for the pardon of our sins-for the assistance of God's grace -for charity-for life eternal, never giving over till we die; and thus, also, we must pray for great temporal needs in their several proportions; but we must be careful to ask nothing of God that is sinful, or that ministers to sin, for that would be to ask God to dishonour himself, and undo us. Before our prayer returns to us in blessings, it must be joined with Christ's intercession, and presented to God; thus we are sure to obtain our desire, if it be holy or innocent and safe; or, if not,

13 Ministering to the wants of the saints-of your Christian brethren-given to hospitality.

14 Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them. that weep.

what we desire, we are sure to obtain something that will be more to our advantage." While we pray for blessings on ourselves, we must not neglect to do what in us lies to relieve the wants of those who need our aid, especially of our poor and suffering brethren in the faith; in the days of the apostle, when converts were frequently obliged to flee from persecution and to seek for safety in a foreign land (Acts viii. 1-4), the duty of hospitality was peculiarly incumbent on all who could in anywise afford it (Heb. xiii. 2; 1 Tim. iii. 2; 1 Pet. iv. 9); it is this kindness to the poor stranger that is here inculcated, and not that liberality in entertaining friends and acquaintances, which the term now commonly signifies.

Verse 14.-To secure the sincerity of our charity towards our enemies, we are required to express it in blessing themin hearty prayers to God for them-to God who knoweth the heart, and before whom it is both impious and dangerous to dissemble, and from whom we can expect no mercy for ourselves if it be with feigned lips that we beg it of him for others. precept is introduced here probably with a view to repress the spirit of hatred and revenge, which a sense of the stranger's wrongs was likely to engender (compare Matt. v. 44).

The

Verse 15.-" Our joys are multiplied, our sorrows lightened by the sympathy of friends it is the tendency and business of religion to procure, as much as may be, universal goodwill and friendship among mankind-if each man enjoyed the innocent happiness of others, as every one does that of a friend, and looked upon the prosperity of his neighbour as every one does upon that of his children or family, it is obvious how much the enjoyments of life would be increased; there would be

16 Be of the same mind -have a fellow-feeling—one towards another; set not your affections upon grandeur, but condescend to sympathise with them that are of low estate;

17 Be not wise in your own conceits; recompense to no man evil for evil; provide things

so much happiness introduced into the world, without any deduction or inconvenience from it, in proportion as men rejoiced with those who rejoice. Our Saviour has owned this good affection as belonging to our nature, in the parable of the lost sheep, and does not think it to the disadvantage of a perfect state to represent its happiness as capable of increase from reflection upon that of others; but if it be our duty to rejoice at the joy of others, it is still more so to sympathise in their sorrows, and to weep with those who weep; our nature the voice of God within us carries us to the exercise of benevolence, in the way of compassion or mercy, preferably to any other way; and we plainly discern much more misery annihilated, and happiness created by it. Our divine Lord, who was the example of all perfection in human nature, mourned tenderly over the distresses of his creatures, though contemplated at a distance; and did not think it beneath him to share the sorrows of his weeping friends, and mingle his tears with theirs."— Bishop Butler. (1 Cor. xii. 26.)

Verse 16. The apostle, in this verse, inculcates a spirit of charity, concord, and humility, that each should feel towards others as he would have others feel towards himself in a like case (1 Peter iii. 8, 9).

Verse 17.- Virtue possesses such intrinsic beauty, and is so great and manifest a blessing to the world, as to extort the admiration and praise even of the wicked, insomuch that the apostle has not scrupled here, and in other passages of his writings, to appeal to the universal sentiment of what is beautiful and honourable, as a rule of conduct (2 Cor. viii. 21; Phil. iv. 8).

honourable in the sight of all

men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath-submit to injurious treatment-for it is written, "Vengeance is mine;

Verse 18. "As if sensible how very hard it is to abstain from retaliation of injury, St. Paul advises, in the next words, to prevent, if it be possible, the occasions of revenge-if you can avoid it, have no enmity with any man; and that for two reasons: first, because it is so hard to behave towards enemies as we ought to behave, because it requires such great wisdom, self-command, and humility of mind to bring down the swellings of anger to the controul of reason; and, secondly, because enemies will come of themselves, let a man do what he can to prevent it. Friendship needs to be cultivated with care; but enmity, like an ill weed, will spring up without any care or pains on our part, the seeds of enmity are so abundant, and so plentifully scattered by an ill-natured world.". Tillotson. (Heb. xii. 14.)

Verse 19.-"Avenge not yourselves." "It is commonly said that revenge is sweet, but, to a calm and considerate mind, patience and forgiveness are sweeter, and afford a much more rational, solid, and durable pleasure than revenge; the monuments of our mercy and goodness are a far more pleasing and delightful spectacle than those of our rage and cruelty, and no thought haunts men with more terror than reflection on what they have done in the way of revenge; one act of revenge provokes another, so as to produce an endless circulation of injuries, revenges, and miseries; but there is no torment in love; to bear no grudge or malice is the most pleasant state of mind, so that, even for our own sakes, we should cultivate charity and kindness. If anything will reconcile an enemy, love and kindness will; it is hardly in the nature of man to withstand them, especially when they

I will repay, saith the Lord" | (Deut. xxxii. 35).

20 Therefore "if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, if he thirst,

come from an injured person; they can scarcely fail to gain upon the worst disposition, and to melt down the hardest temper. Love for love is but justice and gratitude; love for no love is kindness and favour; but love for enmity and hatred is a most divine temper, an immutable goodness; for if hatred and enmity do not extinguish love, what can? so that to return good for evil, and love for hatred, is one of the greatest proofs of a great mind, and of deep wisdom and consideration; for naturally our first inclinations towards our enemies are full of anger and revenge, but our second and wiser thoughts will tell us that forgiveness is much more generous than revenge; a more glorious victory cannot be gained over a man than this, that when the injury begun on his part, the kindness should begin on ours; if both ways were equally in our power, it is a much more desirable conquest to overcome evil with good, than with evil; by the latter, we can only conquer our enemy, and may fail even in that; by the former, we shall certainly conquer ourselves, and probably our enemy too; whereas the angry man loses all government of himself, and lays the reins on the neck of brutish passion, which hurries him on, first to revenge and then to repentance for the folly he has committed; to enforce this duty the Scriptures remind us of the mercy we experience from our heavenly Father, who, though oft provoked, is slow to anger and ready to forgive; and what comes yet nearer to us, the example of the Son of God, our blessed Saviour, who prayed for his enemies, and that not upon cool consideration after the injury was done, and the pain of his sufferings was over, but whilst the sense and smart of them was upon him, in the very bitterness and agony of death -in the height of all his anguish he poured out his soul an offering for the sins of men, and his blood a sacrifice to God for the expiation of the very guilt by which they shed it; pleading the only excuse that could possibly be made for their malice, that is, their ignorance-spending his last breath in that most charitable prayer,

give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head" (Prov. xxv. 21, 22).

'Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.' With what conscience can we pretend to share the benefits of this example without imitating the virtues of it? It may be said, what more can we do for our best friends than to love and bless them, to do good to, and pray for them? and are we to make no difference between our enemies and our friends? Surely we are to make a difference between them, and so we may, notwithstanding this precept, for there are degrees of love and proportions of kindness; we may abstain from revenge, yea, and love our enemy, and wish and do him good, and yet not take him to our bosom, and treat and trust him as our intimate friend; for every one that is not our enemy is not fit to be our friend; much less one who has been our enemy, and, perhaps, is so still; there must be a great change in him before it will be fit, ever it be so, to take him to our friendship."-Tillotson. There is a vast difference between pity, benevolence, forgiveness, and affection founded on esteem; it is not possible to feel such an affection towards a depraved nature, neither is it commanded (Luke xvii. 3, 4; 1 John v. 3, 4).

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Verse 20.-Instead of returning evil for evil, render to your enemy whatever service his wants may require, and you may have it in your power to bestow; by such truly generous conduct you will awaken in him sentiments of shame and remorse, and thus subject him to sharper anguish, and gain for yourself a nobler triumph, than if you should heap coals of fire upon his head. "If we are bound," 1," says Tillotson, to regard our enemies with good will, it is almost superfluous to remark how great should our kindness be to those who have done us no injury, and especially to our natural kindred, to our spiritual brethren, and to our benefactors; for these are so many special ties and endearments founded either in nature or religion, or in common justice and gratitude, and between these and our enemies we ought to make a wide and sensible difference in our carriage and kindness towards them;

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

CHAP. XIII.

1 LET every soul submit itself to the supreme authorities, for there is no authority but

if we do not, we represent our Saviour as an unreasonable lawgiver, and misinterpret his precept, contrary to the reasonable and equitable meaning it; for nothing is more certain than that our blessed Lord never intended, by any precept of his religion, to cancel any real obligation of nature or justice or gratitude, or to offer violence in the least to the common reason of mankind."

Verse 21. Such is the excellence of Christianity, that what were formerly considered, and that only by a few of the wiser sort, as heroical instances of virtue and goodness, and above the common rate of humanity, are by it made the indispensable duties of all mankind. It is too true that the practice of even the best Christians falls far short of the perfection of those precepts; but the fault is not in Christianity, but in its professors; men do not cast away the art of medicine because physicians do not live up to their own rules, nor follow the prescriptions they give to others-not because their rules are not good, but because their appetites are unruly and too headstrong for their reason--as little should that which heals the maladies of the soul be slighted, because of the inconsistencies of those whose duty it is to recommend it by example as well as by precept.

CHAP. XIII.

Having so admirably instructed his brethren in the principles they should cultivate, and the conduct they should practise towards individuals, whether friends or enemies (chap. xii. 9-21), the apostle now proceeds to exhort them to the observance of another class of duties, which, although no less necessary than the former, seldom receive the consideration that is due to them the duties we owe to the government under which we live. Many circumstances rendered it very appropriate to address those exhortations to the Christian

from God, and the existing authorities are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the authority, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves condemnation.

community at that time; a large proportion of its members consisted of Jewish converts, and the Jews were noted for their stubborn antipathy to heathen rule; and Gentile, as well as Jewish converts would naturally feel impatient of submission to rulers whose knowledge of God and of his laws was so much inferior to their own; moreover, their divine master had been put to death as the enemy of Cæsar (Mark xv. 26; Luke xxiii. 2; John xix. 12), and themselves, if not yet subjected to open persecution, were at all events regarded by the magistrates with suspicion and dislike; all these circumstances, aided probably by vague expectations that the kingdoms of the world would soon be superseded by the kingdom of Christ, tended to foster a spirit of disaffection towards the existing government. To guard his brethren against so fatal an error, the apostle reminds them that civil government is of divine institution, and that to resist it, is to resist an ordinance of God. Man has an innate inclination to society-there only can his wants be supplied, and his faculties find suitable exercise there only can virtue be cultivated, and God be glorified; but society cannot subsist without the maintenance of order, nor order be maintained without law and government; God, therefore, requires every citizen's willing obedience to the government which divine providence has set over him, provided its edicts be not contrary to that law which he has revealed by his prophets, or written in man's heart; but if those edicts be opposed to the principles of truth and justice, we must obey God rather than man, and refuse to comply with any ordinance that is sinful, submitting patiently to the penalties of disobedience, as did the prophets and apostles of our Lord (Dan. iii. 16, &c.; vi. 10; Acts iv. 19; v. 29). The benefits derived, even from tyrannical governments, vastly outweigh the injuries they inflict; even in them the magistrate,

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil; wilt thou then not be afraid of the authority? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

except in rare instances, is a terror, not to the good, but to the wicked; the happiness of the community is largely promoted, and the abuses of the sovereign power form but a small evil when compared with the anarchy and misery which would ensue if every man were to resist, with violence, what he conceived to be unjust to himself, or offensive to God. But the language of the apostle, in this place, cannot, with any fairness, be alleged to prove that a nation may not, under any circumstances, resist the oppression of a tyrannical ruler; his design was, not to discuss questions of political right, but to inculcate principles of Christian duty; he teaches his brethren that in becoming Christians, they were not released from the obligation of rendering obedience and reverence to the civil magistrates whom providence had set over them; but he does not intimate that they had forfeited any of the rights that had belonged to them as men and as citizens; and it is deserving of observation, that the word used by him to designate the ruling power properly denotes legitimate authority, as contradistinguished from mere force, and is repeated five times within the compass of three verses, which is the more remarkable, as St. Paul usually avoided repetition of the same word, if he could do so without injury to his argument.

Verse 1." Let every soul submit itself to the supreme authorities," i.e., to the sovereign and to those whom he has commissioned to act in his name. We see that St. Paul claims no exemption from the control of the civil magistrate for any soul within the church, not even for the apostles; but, as if framing his language expressly to guard against ecclesiastical usurpations, says, emphatically, that it is the duty of every soul to submit to the supreme governor of the state. St. Peter is equally explicit in commanding obedience to the magistrate (see 1 Pet. ii. 11-16); the monstrous pretensions, first put forward in his name, in ages of dark

4 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 a minister of God, an avenger to

ness, and still wickedly adhered to, were altogether unknown to the apostles. "Our blessed Lord," says Hooker, "knew that his apostles were to build up his church, even in the bosom of kingdoms, whose rulers would be open enemies to it, for the space of many years; wherefore, he gave them only such commission as they might anywhere execute in quiet and peaceable manner, the subjects of no commonwealth being touched in goods or in person, by virtue of that spiritual regimen to which they became subject, by embracing Christianity."

"The existing authorities are ordained of God." God has rendered society necessary to the well-being of man, and civil government necessary to the well-being of society, and it is by the appointment of his providence that our existing rulers have been placed in authority over us.

Verse 2.-"Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the authority, resisteth the ordinance of God." The statement of the apostle relates only to an established government, such as then existed at Rome; it affords no direction to guide us in the case of a disputed succession, or of a civil war; in such cases we are left to the guidance of our own conscience.

"They that resist shall receive to themselves condemnation "-shall be condemned and punished by the magistrate; which punishment, however, may be ascribed to God's moral government of the world.

Verse 3.-" For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil." Such is the beneficent purpose for which civil government was ordained of God, to punish wickedness and vice, and to maintain true religion and virtue; and it is obviously the interest of rulers to encourage virtue, and to suppress vice.

Verses 4, 5.-"For he beareth not the sword in vain," &c. In ancient as in modern times, a sword was borne by or before the supreme magistrate, as a sym