were lights, and bright shining lights. And they stood forth too; for "chiefly" of all the saints' salutation, were those of the saints that were of Cæsar's household!" In the family of the fiercest of men, · yet they stood forward, and sent their love to these Philippians.

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My dear hearers, these are great and encouraging instances; and ye saints of God, remember that every saint is to be a witness for God. Wherever he is, in whatever position he may be, he is to be as a witness for God. Remember, God has commanded you to be that witness; remember, it is for His glory that ye are to stand forth as witnesses to exhibit principle-not merely to talk about principle, but to exhibit principle, and to show whose ye are, and whom ye serve. And especially with great moral integrity; oh! be ye followers of Christ! Set the Lord "always before you.' Remember, though your master may be absent, though your mistress may be absent, yet that makes no difference. They may be absent, but He is present; His eye is upon you, His strength is enough, His grace is sufficient, and His beauteous example is your pattern.

Ah! what shall I say to those masters and mistresses and servants that are yet in the world? Whose servants are they? Ah! my brother, my brother, if thou didst but look a little forward, and see this body, see this frame in the grave, thy soul away, thine everlasting state determined, and that to all eternity! Oh! could ye but realise only one moment after death-oh! could ye but realise the service wherein ye have hitherto been serving, the slavery in which ye have hitherto been enthralled, it would indeed be as a message of God to you! You cannot even be a means of good to others, because you stand not before God in Christ Jesus. Oh! that this day may be the day of your repentance, the day of your humiliation, and the day of your lying low before God-a day of solemn inquiry, and of real turning to God.

May God bless the word, and make it an effectual blessing to my own soul, and to your souls, for Christ Jesus' sake.

Amen.

A SERMON,

BY THE REV. J. H. EVANS, M.A.

PREACHED AT JOHN STREET CHAPEL, KING'S ROAD, BEDFORD ROW, ON SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 2, 1845.

"And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him."-Ephesiaus vi. 9.

HERE are two points for our consideration in this verse: the first is, that the masters here addressed, are addressed as Christ's servants; and then, secondly, there is the precept, the acting out the principles which belong to them as servants of Christ. "Ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him."

I. The first point, beloved, which is to be noted as worthy of our especial and prayerful consideration is, that in all the relations here brought before us, wives, husbands, parents, servants, and masters, all are addressed as the servants of Christ. These masters are especially reminded that they had a Master; and speaking of the servant, he is to be a servant of Christ.

I would remark, upon this point, that it is equally true of all the rest of the believers in Christ, they are servants of Christ. This is the especial appointment of God the Father, the fruit of His electing love. They are the servants of Christ by His redeeming blood; "bought with a price," bought out of the band of the enemy. Though nothing but home-born slaves, "children of wrath even as others" in themselves, they are the gift of God to Christ, before the foundation of the world. And they are His servants by the effectual call of His Holy Spirit, and by their own deliberate choice. For the believer chooses Christ for his Master, as one chosen of Christ, and given to Christ before the world was. What a dignity is that now before us—a servant of Christ! Yet a simple worm; a simple worm! Joining pure, blessed, holy and happy Standing too, in a higher relation to God in that service than angels themselves stand. Because, although angels are the sons of God, yet they are not the high and exalted sense as the believer is. VOL. XI. -No. 377.-March 20, 1845.

angels in that service.

sons of God in the same You ask why? Because

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Jesus never took their nature. This has so elevated the human race above the angelic, that no power of language can describe. "He laid not hold on angels," though angels were, of their own right, sons of God; but the believer is a son of God in Jesus, and standing in the closest relationship to God, in the Son of His love. They are filial servants; servants, yet children; children, yet servants. But, oh! what a servant, to be a servant of Christ Jesus!

My dear hearers, there were vast numbers in our Lord's day that professed to be His servants; and there are greater numbers in these our days that profess to be His servants; and yet, it is no breach of love, and it is no spirit of harshness and severity, that leads me to say, I fear vast numbers there are to be found that are merely His servants by profession. Even amongst the twelve, there was one. It shows to us, that it is not rank, nor situation, nor office. I wish those who contend for apostolical succession, would remember Judas was one of them theirs must be a most unhappy succession indeed. There were multitudes, that for a time, followed our Lord, and then "walked no more with Him." And as it was so while He sojourned in the flesh, so he declares it would be in a future day. Speaking of the Gospel feast, He says, "Many are called," invited, truly invited, really invited, positively invited; the word is invited ;'" many are invited,' but few are chosen." He says, many shall say, Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have done many wonderful works;" and then He shall say unto them, “Depart, I never knew you." And He tells us, that "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold"-many.

My dear hearers, there are numbers who make a profession of following Christ nothing but a cloak for their hypocrisy. There are many too, like Joash, who worshipped God, and walked with God for a time, because of Jehoiada the priest. The influence of example is great. There seems to be that mighty influence on their minds. Joash walked well for a time, because of Jehoiada the priest. So, many make a profession of following Christ because their fathers did so, or because their mothers did so, or because some influential spirit makes them for a time to walk in this way. With some, it is the mere cloak of self-righteousness; they content themselves with duties, ceremonies, and forms, without substance in religion. How solemn and important it is, then, to inquire, what is a servant of Christ!

Who is a servant of Christ? He is one that the world thinks but little of; in himself, poor, weak and helpless. So weak, that there are times, beloved, when he so feels it, that he seems almost ready to say, I have no strength at all. He is one who not only

feels himself to be poor, weak and helpless; but equally one who in himself is vile and unworthy. And there are times too, when he has such a sight of God's holiness, and God's justice, that looking more to himself than to Christ, he wonders whether he ever can be saved. These men are they, who often feel their hearts departing from God; they find that they cannot love God as they wish to love Him, and they cannot serve Him as they wish to serve Him; even when the flesh is most mortified, most subdued, and most lived down, yet there it is still. And when, through the grace of God their flight is at the highest, yet there still are chains that keep them down; and when they would run the swiftest, there is still a drag upon them. When their feet would run in the ways of God's commands, yet there is still the weight; and when they "would do good," yet oftentimes, "evil is present with them." But they are the only servants God has in this world; and they serve Him uprightly and sincerely, and the grief of their hearts is, that they serve Him so little.

The true principle of the natural man, is self. It is the grand end of his life; self-righteousness, self-complacency, self-conceit, selfdependence, self-seeking-this forms his whole life. I do not mean to say by this, that the man may be remarkably selfish in his principles; if I was constantly with him I might not detect it; but there is in him this great prevailing principle, he lives on himself. Now this is not so with the child of God. In the natural man self is the centre of his service, it is the sun of his firmament, it is the king that sits on the throne of his heart. But in the child of God, this is not so. The Lord Jesus Christ has taken possession of his heart by His own blessed Spirit.

My dear hearers, this forms one great and especial end of redemption; it is the one great object, involving the Divine glory, that our Lord had before Him, when He did hang for them on the accursed tree. Observe, in the fifth chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians. "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again." It was the one especial object for which our Lord died, that "they which live should not live unto themselves." What forms the great motive? Look at the fourteenth verse-"the love of Christ constraineth us." My dear hearers, they have been brought as poor sinners, to know Christ; they have been brought to know Himself for themselves; to know Him by precious faith, and to know Him in

the experience of their own hearts; and as they know Him, they love Him; for all who know Christ love Him. Ye who love Him not, oh! ye do not know Him; and ye do not know yourselves, for did ye know yourselves, ye would cry out, "God be merciful to me a sinner," this moment. Never could you suffer your eyes to close in sleep without crying out, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" But these have been brought to know Him, and knowing Him, they love Him; and loving Him, they obey Him. It is by the constrainings of His love; it is not fear that works upon them. It is the drawing of His love, as the magnet is drawn by the magnetic pole. True, it is spoken of as constraint, yet it is not an oppressive constraint; for a man is never so free, as when he loves God, and walks with God; never does he know what freedom is till then. "Draw me, and I will run after Thee:"'—as the soul is drawn, it runs; and its grief is, that it runs no faster. Observe, how this is beautifully unfolded in the seventh chapter of the Romans; it is the true character of the servants of Christ. "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." Once bound in legal bondage, once servants on legal motives, once having the idea of dreading God, and purchasing heaven; now, "dead" to it, brought out of it, delivered from it. And do not imagine that this belongs to the Jew only. It is not an epistle to the Jew only. This law is not a mere ceremonial law ; the great precept here is not a ceremonial precept, it is a moral precept. Study that seventh chapter of the Romans-may God give you an eye to "dead to the law," dead to it as a covenant, no more to do see it-" with it as a covenant, than if it had no existence; delivered from it, brought into liberty, married to Christ. And for what end? "to serve Him in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." Delighting in the precept; while there is no longer any condemnation, for they have received from the hand and from the heart of Jesus, who has given to them liberty; and there is no liberty so great as that of walking in the precept.

The servant of Christ is one who has a new nature, or a new principle. I will not contend about such distinctions-he is wrought upon by the "free Spirit" who hath delivered him from his bondage principle. Now, not only his aim, not only his purpose, not only his will, and his desire, but in the main, the end of his life is to walk with God as a justified one, as a pardoned one; not merely as a pardoned servant, but as an adopted and beloved child. Ah! you that hear me, that know nothing of this holy liberty; ye who