worship and honor, and to obey him, sanctifying in his church such days as these, though but two or three be then gathered together in his name to meet us there. It rests with ourselves, who do come, to take care that this our good custom (for I will boldly call it so, being as it is, in strict obedience to the prayer book), be not idle and without fruit. It depends on ourselves, serriously to improve the memory of every saint as it occurs, by honoring God for him, and practising his good example; instead of indulging mere wonder, that so few are found to care for this part of God's service, or mere complaint of the decay of church rules in our days. As we go about our daily tasks, we may see many chances of doing good, each in his own little way, and not a few, wherein we may set on others to do that, which is out of our line or beyond our power. We may quietly notice those occasions, which if we mark them will continually arise, causing us to attend to something in our own conduct, which hitherto, by comparison at least, we have neglected: and thus we may become, not in outward show, but in inward reality, more strict and particular, in other words better and happier, every day that we live in this world. In short, we may make it our rule, never to think anything beneath notice, which is ordered by God's Providence, and for which immortal souls may be the better or the worse: ever remembering that the apostle's rule holds alike for good or evil : "Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth."

SERMON XXXI.

GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT.

1 TIM. vi. 6.

"Godliness, with contentment, is great gain."

THE apostle St. Paul, having in the course of this his first letter to the bishop of the Ephesian church, given various directions suited to the difficult circumstances in which his "beloved son" (as he calls him), Timothy, was placed, proceeds now, in the latter part of the Epistle, to impress on the bishop, and, through him, on the church generally, some very solemn cautions relative to an evil which, it seems, was then springing up among Christians, and threatening to produce the worst effects.

To understand the force of the apostolic warnings, we must call to mind one or two circumstances relating to the state of society in those times.

Among all the nations of antiquity, not only among the Greeks and Romans, but also with God's chosen people the Jews, it was, we know, common for persons to have slaves in their houses; whether taken captives in war, or purchased for money, or born in the house. And the condition of these slaves was, of course, very varied, according to the principle or temper of their masters-some being treated as if they were relatives (like the centurion's servant, "who was dear unto him," mentioned in the seventh of St. Luke), others again experiencing much harshness, cruelty, and oppression, such as we here of in the accounts of modern slavery.

Now, then, when the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was first preached and made known to the people of these countries-a gospel in which God showed himself VOL. I.-26

to be "no respecter of persons," but which was offered to all indiscriminately, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free-then trials and difficulties would arise, such as would put very strongly to the test the sincerity of the new converts. We can easily imagine that masters would be very unwilling to acknowledge the spiritual rank (if one may so call it) of their slaves as fully equal to their own-all, in God's sight, miserable offenders, and needing redemption from the slavery of sin. And, on the other hand, there was plainly a danger lest slaves on becoming Christians, and learning that as Christians they were in a spiritual sense and manner, exalted to the same rank with the highest of the sons of men-there was danger, I say, lest, in thus mistaking the meaning of Christian liberty, they should neglect the primary Christian rules of humility and obedience, and so forfeit the blessed privileges placed within their reach.

Accordingly the apostle, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, thus delivers his solemn caution to the bishop, with reference to this subject-a subject which was of course one of touching importance, and affecting the condition of almost or quite every Christian family, or every family in which there were Christians, in the diocese of Ephesus.

"Let as many slaves (says he, ver. 1) as are under the yoke"—that is, as are converted to the gospel, and are become Christians by profession-"let them count their own masters worthy of all honor," even though those masters should be Jews or heathens, having no faith in the sacred name of Jesus Christ; still the Christian slaves must treat them with honor, respect, and obedience, as before; otherwise these masters will wish their slaves had never become Christians, will think that the gospel encourages pride and disobedience-and so (says St. Paul) "the name of God, and the doctrine of the gospel, will be blasphemed," maligned, and evilspoken of without reason.

This was the advice in the case of Christian slaves having Jewish or heathen masters.

But in the next verse he speaks of a different case, viz. that of Christian slaves having Christian masters. Here the danger to the slave was, that he should become conceited, imagine that his Christianity altered in some way his worldly rank, put all orders of society on a level. No, says St. Paul, nothing of this kind is true— "Those who have believing (that is, Christian) masters, must not despise them," treat them with less respect "because (as Christians) they are brethren; but, quite the contrary, do them service all the rather," in consideration of their blessed Christian unity, of their being "faithful and beloved, and partakers with them of the common benefit"-God's everlasting mercy in Christ Jesus.

"These are the things" (continues the apostle, addressing the bishop), these are the practical truths which I require you to "teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness"-such an one (whatever he may think of himself, or whatever he may profess), such an one is "proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words."

He then specifies some of the evil results which had followed from these questions and strifes of words, viz. "envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings or suspicions, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that gain is godliness," or, as the original might perhaps be not less faithfully translated, "who suppose that religion is a sort of trade or business"—that is, to make people better off in this world. From such teachers or persons (says the apostle) "withdraw thyself;" that is, be cautious of giving any sanction to such opinions. They will tell you that "gain is godliness," that religion is a good thing if it helps you on in this world, not otherwise-rather I tell you, that "godliness with contentment is great gain;" that a contented life of pure religion, however the world may think meanly of it, "is great gain," will in the end turn out to be the best of all schemes, the most profitable of

all speculations. Everything else will fail, but that will stand any shock or trial.

Such being in some degree the apparent force of the apostle's reasoning in this most remarkable place, let us, under the aid of God's Holy Spirit, endeavor to derive from it some practical hints which may be of service to us under the difficult circumstances in which (surely) we are now placed, whether as individual Christians, or as members of the church called of England.

"Godliness with contentment," says the apostle, is the best business a man can follow, be his station in life what it may.

"Godliness with contentment"- -as much as to say, not Godliness without contentment." There were, it seems, when St. Paul wrote this, and perhaps have been at all times since in the Christian church, persons who, though impressed with a sense of the importance of religion, yet forgot that, in respect of themselves, the proof and trial of it lay in its effect on their hearts and tempers.

A religious discontented person is a sort of contradiction; that is to say, the godliness and holiness of heart which is essential to the true Christian character, cannot consist with a peevish and discontented temper, any more than with habitual impurity or dishonesty.

This is a rule of much importance to be attended to. For, in some shape or other, the temptation to be discontented with our lot assails most persons, at least occasionally, and at some period of their lives. And some are almost always murmuring and complaining.

Now we ought to remember, when we are thus unhappily inclined, the apostle's rule of "Godliness with contentment." We ought not to flatter ourselves, that because we are in a certain sense, and in some respects, religious, and, as we think, "godly;" I say we ought not to be so certain that therefore we have those tempers and dispositions which imply what the apostle calls "the power of godliness," as distinct from "the form" of it.

Especially, it greatly concerns us to ascertain whether what we call our religion, is of sufficient strength to