thi8 attribute of lii8 in !he Lord Je8U8 (Jlirist. For this side-light on the trutb 1 we ure indebted to a scribe, an uninspired man, who, possibly indeed in flattery but wo rather think oth~rwise, intimates that this attribute of impartial e1111ity: which his lawgiver a_ttributed to th~. Divine Being, was manifest conspicuously in the Lord Jesus Chnst (see Mark xn. 14). However he may have meant it he certuinly uttered a profound and glorious truth. For who, on earth, ever so cle;rly showed himself no respecter of persons, as our Divine Lord and Master? 5. Precisely the wmc feature of God's government will mark the final Judgment (Rom. ii. 11, 16). 'l'licrc will be one rulo of righteousness, which will be inflexibly adhered to then, and which not even the glorious grace manifested in the gospel _will deflect or obscure. Not from the most hidden souls, nor from the most prominent, will any impeachment of tho Divine righteousness ever rise up. 'l'he great system of mcdiatorial adminis- tration may then reveal a plan of larger grace than ever entered into the heart of man to conceive, but most assuredly there will be no flaw in its equitable impar- tiality, for "there is no respect of persons with God." That very impartiality will bring about many startling changes, for" many that are first shall be last, and the last first." II. To WHOM ARE THESE WORDS APPLIED JN SCRIPTURE, AS A DIRECTORY OF DUTY ? 1. They are applied to the querufous. This absolute righteousness being revealed as an attribute of God, should teach men to be cautious, who are too ready to pass judgment on the ways of God when they are past finding out. Such is the use to which Elihu applies the doctrine. He did not understand Job's case, perhaps, any better than Eliphaz, Bildad, or Zophar; bnt in this point he is undoubtedly correct. We know God is righteous, therefore we must not impeach what he does. 2. They are applied to magistrates and Judges (see 2 Chron. xix. 6, 7). The like equity to that which marks the Supreme Judge should characterize all who have to administer justice in any nation. 3. They are applied by Paul, as a guide in religious cun!roversy (Gal. ii. G). "God accepteth no man's person, therefore," says Paul, "neither might I. Truth with me must be supreme, and even if James, Cephas, or John, who seemed to be pillars, were to utter aught inconsistent with the gospel or grace of God, whosoever they are, it matters not." The truth, not the person,commands our homage. \Veil would it have been if in all ages this had been a guiding principle i:a the controversies of tho Church. vVell would it be, if it were men's guide now. 4. The words we applied to individual treatment and judgment of others in the varied relations ofprivate life (Col. iii. 25). A man, however lordly, or however lowly, will receive from God a reward or penalty according to what he hath done, and not according to his station in life. An<l we, like God, must apply like moral rules all round, and never justify a ba.,l act because done by a rich man, nor dep:eciate a good act because done by a poor one. 5. They are applied to masters with regard to their treatment of servants (Eph. vi. 9). \Ve must not forget that the" servants" here referred to were" slaves." Neither JesL1s Christ nor his apostles, any more than Moses had done, made any open attack 011 slavery. But by teaching this principle of the equality of men in God's sight, they dropped a truth which, when it had time to grow, would cause slavery to Jail, by uplifting the people to so high a standard of moral virtue that it would no longer be tolerated by them. And even cow there is need for the continued reiteration of the same truth, that mastors on the one hand may feel their responsibility to God for dealing justly with their servants, and that servants may feel their responsibility for doing justice to their masters. 6. They are applied to Church members, in refei·ence to their treatment of the poorer members (see Jas. ii. 1-9). Church life is social life gathered round the cross. "Life's poor di~tinctions vanish here." "'lhe rich and the poor meet togeLher, and the Lord is the Maker of them all." Each one is at liberty to form his own private circle of friendship, ace,ording to taste, culture, etc. But in Church life, work, and worship, all ranks meet on one comma~ platform, acknowledging "one Lord, one -faith, one baptism," E>nd recounting in song one comm-Jn salvation. 'l'he artificial distinction~ set up by men are nothing in the eye of God. 'l'o reproduce them in the Church is an o~ence in his sight. If her11 we havtl respect of persons, we commit sin, and are con- victed of the Law as transgre:iliors. 7. The principle implied in the ii-ords is taught by tlie evungelist fo its most impr11ssive foi·m in tlie cross of Christ. Such, surely, is the .1onclusion to be drnwn from the weighty words of the Apostle Paul, "Wherefore, 186 'l'llE DOOi( OF DEUTl.;;RONOMY.
limccf,,rlh know we no man after the flesh" (2 Cor. v. 16). "Wherefore;" becn11~e Christ dird for all. "Henceforth; " from the time that we undcrstnnd the world- C'm bmcing purpose of his death, do we know no mnn nfter the flesh. The little distinc- tions men make so much of here, all vanish in the light of the cross. We nsk not "·hctll('r men nre rich or poor; we ask not their name, nationality, or rank. "Christ died for all." That stamps on e,·ery rn:m's brow the inscription, "Dear to Christ.. " "'herefore he will h~ dear to us for Christ.'s sake, the wide world over, whatever bis caste, country, colour, or clime. If Christ died for all, we preach to all. So tlll\t the very principle which under the old co,·enant is enforced by Law, is under the new created by lo'l'e. Tlrnt selfsame impartiality disclosed from Horeb in the methods of La,v, is a_gnin re\'Caled from Calvary in the methoils of God's j!face. And thns, throu"h Olil and New Testaments the appeal is the same, though made first through thund~r, and aften1·ards through tears. "Be ye imitators of God." Plant your feet firmly on the rc,·enled doctrine of the impartial equity of God. Accepting that, acquiesce wit.h loving submission in the mysteries of his ways, even when they are in the deep waters, nnd when his footst<-ps are not. known. Then seek in your sphere to follow God in his. Let the judge an<l magistrate in his decisions, the disputant in his arguments, the prirnte inrlh·irlual in his home sphere, the master in ruling, the servant in obeying, tbe Church member in his worship and fellowship with his brethren, tho evangelist in ernngelizing,-all remember that as there is no respect of persons with Goil, there must be none with them. And kt all strive to be like God, who in his Law encircles all men with one bond of duty, while in his gospel he holds them nil under one dispensation of grace!