Comments on the Epistles, as Appointed to be Read at the Communion Table ...

THE RESTORATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.-MAY 29.

THE EPISTLE. 1 St. Peter ii., 11 to 17.

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may, by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether it be to the king as supreme;

14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15 For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.

The day on which this portion of Scripture is appointed to be used', is a record of God's past mercies to these kingdoms. Then was it that the ancient royal line, the ancient form of government, the ancient Church service and priesthood, so long in disuse, set aside, and under a cloud, were restored; and then was it proved, that, however sinful men, under the garb of religion or any other pretence, may combine for the destruction of established institutions, the providence of God will not suffer their designs to succeed, but, in due time, bring back to their former footing the things that had to all appearance perished. "The Great Rebellion," which for a time seemed to prosper, was thus brought to a close; the crimes committed in it were held up to public execration and punished; and the usurpers and fanatics who had so long seemed to enjoy the pleasant fruits of their own devices, were despoiled of their illgotten dignities, and sent into exile.

Greatly, indeed, had the plotters of those days appeared to flourish. Years passed away, and all was well with them. The Church of England was in adversity, and her ministers dared not speak. The friends of royalty wept in secret, and could afford no help. A sort of monarchy, or rule of a single individual, was substituted for the old monarchy, which governed the consciences as well as persons of men with a rod of iron, and while it professed to remedy former abuses, gave currency

It is also appointed to be read on the Third Sunday after Easter, and on the day of the Accession. See the Comments for those days.

to far worse. And well might the depressed people of the land exclaim with the Prophet, "The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces, they have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a solemn feast. Her gates are sunk into the ground, he hath destroyed and broken her bars, her king and her princes are among the Gentiles, the law is no more, her prophets also find no visions from the Lord'." But this state of things was, happily for the land, not suffered to continue, and the Lord brought back to these kingdoms, as on this day, in peace and triumph, the son of him whom his enemies treated as a criminal. And as in those days the immediate recipients of God's manifest blessing thought it meet, in token of their joy, to ordain a solemn day of thanksgiving, and to establish it by an ordinance for ever, so may we who participate in the results of the event thus solemnly consecrated, do well to honour it with our lips, and spiritualize it to our souls' service. And how shall we do so?

The

First, I would suggest that we examine ourselves whether we are in the habit of giving way to any of the sins, or of transgressing any of the commandments herein specified, setting out with the startling fact, that if we are, we may be helping to bring about, in our measure, some of those national calamities, from which, at the present time, we are happily exempt2. sins of a whole world—the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah,—the sins of Nineveh-the sins of Israel and Judah-brought upon the guilty sinners the divine vengeance3. In particular, it is not unreasonable to suppose, that the sins of the nation were visited upon the nation at the time of "the Great Rebellion."

Let us "examine ourselves, then, whether we are in the faith, let us prove our own selves." Notwithstanding our formal profession of faith in Christ, notwithstanding even our frequent experimental enjoyment and practical manifestation of it, we may not, at the present time, abstain from every "fleshly lust which wars against the soul." And the fleshly lust, be it remembered, may be as much the parent of one evil thing as of another. Whether it be pride, or envy, or covetousness, or anger, or ambition, or malice, it not only prompts men to sin against

1 Lam. ii., 7, 9.

2 It will be very profitable, on this head, to read at leisure the whole of Rev. xviii.

3 Gen. vi., 7; vii., 21; xix., 24. Nahum iii. 2 Kings xxiii., 26. 42 Cor. xiii., 5.

themselves and against individuals, but against society; to foment insubordination, sedition, conspiracy, opposition to constituted authority, revolutionary combinations, and rebellion, in a word, all things directly or indirectly tending to unsettle existing institutions, gratify selfish aims, and bring contempt and dishonour on kings and magistrates. And let us remember with fear and trembling, while we thus examine ourselves, not only that a fleshly lust, if habitually gratified, may disorder society, but ruin the soul. "When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death'.'

But, finally, I would suggest that we pray often in private that our political opinions and feelings may never tempt us to sin against the commandments of the Lord. How shall we be kept in any good way, how shall we be preserved from any evil way, except by the governance of God's Holy Spirit? In these then, and all our prayers, in these and all our meditations, may that blessed Spirit ever be with us, teach us better whereinsoever hitherto we have offended, and eventually "guide us into all truth."

THE ACCESSION.-JUNE 20.

THE EPISTLE. 1 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

St. Peter ii., 11 to 17.

14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15 For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.

As the day of "the Restoration" is a record of God's past mercies to these kingdoms, so is the day of "the Accession" a record both of the continuance of past, and of the prolongation of present mercies. Never since "the Great Rebellion,"

1 James i., 15.

though commotions have occasionally arisen and plotters have from time to time formed their combinations, has it pleased God so completely to prostrate the nation, as it pleased him to do in that the sorest season of its abasement and humiliation. And may the vengeance of our good and merciful but fearfully powerful God be still and for ever turned away from us; yea, and may his mercy and goodness be poured forth upon our beloved land, (little, indeed, as we deserve it,) in streams of the richest fulness. Above all, 'may we be constrained, severally and collectively, with the help of God's Spirit, to show how much we value his love by conforming ourselves unceasingly to his will, and particularly by setting forth in our lives, public documents, and formularies, those prominent truths of his religion, which his crucified Son has made known to us. So shall we be a Christian people;—so shall we be a beloved people;—so shall we be “ "a peculiar people, zealous of good works'."

Let it be our business to consider on this occasion, and to consider with a due attention to their importance, each of the concluding admonitions of the Apostle in the Epistle for this day, "Honour all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king." And first, we must "honour all men." And by this it is most probably meant, that we show them all personal respect, and treat them with all outward courtesy. Civility, both in word and manner-the general regulation of the whole demeanour and deportment-affability in the ordinary intercourse-good humour and kindness in the daily dealings— these are all implied and much more, in the commandment to "honour all men." And it is a fruit of that prominent article of our holy religion, faith, thus to "honour all men;" for faith, if it be true faith, must enter into every thing and regulate every thing, even the common-place habits and manners of every-day life. And if a Christian man be thus faithful, he will never suffer political or any other excitement to make him deviate from what is mannerly and courteous. Party feeling will not tempt him to handle a neighbour roughly, to speak or act with rudeness towards him, or otherwise in his intercourse with him to offend against the laws of good breeding. Yea, party feeling itself will be greatly softened, and perchance, at last, even wholly extinguished beneath the influence of the divine light of the Gospel, and ridicule and sarcasm, harshness and bitterness, evil speaking and evil thinking, will subside and vanish away.

1 1 Tit. ii., 14.

We must also "love the brotherhood." If honour is to be rendered to all men indiscriminately, be they friends or strangers, relatives or enemies, higher or lower, saints or sinners, so love must regulate our intercourse with "the brotherhood." "The brotherhood" comprehends all whom the family tie of sisters and brothers in Christ unites in one holy bond of worship and churchmanship, of communion and fellowship, of harmony in faith and practice. And the great aim of the right-minded churchman will be, to regard this relation in its true light, and to esteem all within its range as brothers. If this be done, or attempted to be done, which it ought, the outward class or condition of a neighbour will be no bar to kindly feeling or friendly intercourse on the part of a fellow disciple, but rather the guiding principle by which he regulates his work of love in his behalf, and while there will be no undue familiarity on the part of the superior, or of impertinence on that of the inferior, there will be that Christian understanding between them, which shall most beautifully exemplify the Gospel'. The believing churchman, then, will "love the brotherhood," that is, love all "who have obtained with him like precious faith"," be they who they may-love whatsoever appertaineth to them, but especially their souls, and, above all, love those, who are caring for their souls. And while he thus shows his chief benevolence towards that branch of "the brotherhood" to which he belongs, he will not forget to show it to the members of other Christian communities, but "provoke them," by his brotherly kindness and charity, as he has opportunity, "to love and to do good works3.” He will "do good unto all men, but especially unto them that are of the household of faith."

fear

And will the Christian churchman ever forget to God?" Oh, no. The fear of God will be one of the leading principles of his life, and "in that fear will he be all the day long." The power as well as the love of God, the reverence of as well as the rejoicing in him, will constrain him to do nothing contrary to his name, but every thing for it, and so guide and move him, that he shall as much dread to offend, as delight to serve him.

And the true churchman will "honour the king." And this he will the more readily do, when he "fears God." He will remember that the Sovereign is God's minister and repre

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