God's richest mercy an occasion of your more aggravated condemnation !]
2. Believers —
[You see in the latter part of the text how infinitely you are indebted to your God: once you were in darkness ; now you are i( brought into the marvellous light" of his Gospel: " once you were not the people of God; now you are: once you had not obtained mercy; now you have obtained mercy." And for what end has God vouchsafed to make this altera- tion in your state, and to distinguish you thus from millions, who are still left in the very condition in which you so lately were ? Was it not " that you should shew forth the praises, yea the virtues11 too, of Him that called you?" Entertain then a becoming sense of your obligations: and endeavour to " render unto the Lord according to the benefits" conferred upon you. Shew forth his praises by frequent and devout acknowledgments ; and shew forth his virtues by following his steps and obeying his commandments.]
11 (l()ET«C.
1 Pet. ii. 13 — 17. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme ; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him fur the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the ser- vants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
THE great duty of a Christian minister is, to exalt the Saviour, and to call men to submit to his govern- ment. But we must not imagine that this is neg- lected, when our minds are led to the consideration of human governments, and the duties we owe to them : for there is a manifest connexion between the two subjects ; the latter being, in reality, a branch of the former. We cannot trulv submit to Christ, unless we yield obedience to all his laws — to those which relate to our conduct in civil life, as well as