But here again we are bound to keep in mind man's inability to judge of the Divine plans, or to pretend that he can measure the attributes of God. There are in fact two ways in which God reveals Himself to us, showing Himself to us in different aspects, both of which we know must be true, and yet which we cannot always reconcile with each other. There is God as He reveals Himself in the study of physical nature, One working by fixed laws which will make no allowance for ignorance or oversight, but will exact their penalty to the full if they are violated; One who places His creatures in positions of unequal advantage, and permits the weaker to be crushed out by the stronger; whose rule is reward for the obedient, punishment for the disobedient, without any allowance for circumstances which might seem to make disobedience excusable. And there is God as He reveals Himself to our moral nature; for we cannot imagine that He who has given us that nature should Himself be without the qualities which he Has taught us to approve and love. He must then be One who hates injustice, who does not willingly afflict, One who if experience did not teach us to the contrary we might imagine would be too loving ever to inflict punishment. We shall certainly be misled ourselves, and shall mislead others, if we allow our minds to dwell on

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one of these aspects of God to the exclusion of the other. Painful as it is to us to inflict suffering ourselves, or to see others suffering, we shall find ourselves preaching peace when there is no peace if we venture to contradict the experience of the wise man, "Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him: but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not God." The whole experience of the world cries out against us if we venture to comfort the sinner with the assurance that if he continues in his sin God will be too merciful to punish him, and it must be well with him at the last. Our belief in the mercy of God teaches us a different exhortation. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live therefore turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; therefore turn yourselves, and live ye."

XIII

SLAVERY1

"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men ; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”—Colossians iii. 23, 24.

THE circumstances of this pulpit suggest to the preacher, and sometimes impose on him, a treatment of his subject different from that which would elsewhere be suitable. In congregations, scarcely any of whose members has been disquieted by difficulties as to the authority of Revelation, and who have had little occasion to consider objections, either for the purpose of satisfying their own doubts or those of others, the preacher finds sufficient employment in interpreting Scripture, in eliciting from it the doctrines which Christians ought to believe, and in enforcing on them the duties which they ought to practise. In this place, however, one cannot always shut one's ears to the noise of controversy. In addressing an

1 In deference to the opinion of a friend, this sermon is included in this collection, though preached so long ago as 1864.

audience, many of whom must expect hereafter to be called on to reply to objections which assailants of our faith have raised, the preacher's duty is not always completely discharged by the exposition of a text, and the drawing from it its practical lessons. Where the moral teaching of part of Scripture has been censured as erroneous or inadequate, it becomes necessary to notice such objections, and to examine their validity. The passage chosen for my text conveys teaching to which it might be imagined that no objection could be made. Few parts of the Bible are more thoroughly imbued with the practical spirit of Christianity—— a religion which worships God less by pompous rite or solemn sacrifice than by the constant recognition of His presence. The religions of old might be dissevered from the business of daily life. By costly offerings and the payment of other honours to the gods, the reputation of great piety could be acquired, though the character was disfigured by dishonesty, deceit, impurity. Christianity has instituted a worship of God, performed not in occasional rite, but in the discharge of daily recurring duties; it has instituted a sacrifice nobler than that of costly hecatombs, the sacrifice of self. In the text, and other passages of Scripture, the Christian's daily work is consecrated. Every task which men impose is to be done heartily, not

in order to please men, but to gain the commendation of a greater Master, who promises a higher reward than any earthly prize. The work of one whose religion is of this practical character will not be eye service; it will not be performed showily and ostentatiously,-done well when praise can be earned by it, and slurred over when shortcomings are likely to be unnoticed; but all will be discharged conscientiously as in the sight of Him before whom all things are naked and open. And the reward of his work depends not on the construction which men put on it, is not liable to be lost by their neglect and injustice, not even by his own want of ability to bring to a successful issue labours to which he has earnestly devoted such powers as God has endowed him with, but will be given him by One who knows his strength and his weakness, and who will graciously accept imperfect services if heartily rendered in obedience to His command. The rule of conduct then given in the text, if considered as a general rule for Christians, must commend itself to the approval of all as one which, if followed, must increase both the usefulness and the happiness of those who act by it.

But it is objected that this rule, however excellent in general, was not the advice which the Apostle ought to have given to the particular class