great thin~ he must suffer for my Name's sake." So to hie early disciples Christ spoke of persecution and suffering as pa.rt of his disciples' necessary lot, Oompare hie tea.oh- ings in the sermon on the mount (Mntt. v. 10-12) with John xv, 18--21, 1. As an historical fact, t!Je earlier apostles found suffering attend on fulfilling Christ's mission ; end the Apostle Paul he.d a life full of peril and of pain. 2. As a fact of present obser- vation, suffering is very largely the Christian's lot. It comes partly by reason of hie conflict with evil in himself e.nd in the world, and partly as a Divine arrangement for his moral testing and training. 3. As a doctrine of the Divine Word, sufferina is (1) a means of sanctifying to the believer," Tribulation worketh patience," eto.; (2) e. means of witnessing to the world the power of God's sustaining grace and the beauty of the Christian ,•irtues. God has such witnesses in his great sufferers, in every a.ere 0 end in every sphere of life. II. CHRIST'S CALL TO A vorn SUFFERING. See his instructions as given to the apostles end the "seventy," when he sent tbem on their trial mission. If persecuted iii one city, they were to flee to another. Nay, in this avoidance of suffering, our Lord set us his own example; for, on more than one occasion he went away from e. neighbour- hood which had become perilous, and escaped from those who would cast him from the hill-top. So St. Paul, in connection with our text, felt justified in avoiding and resisting suffering. The practical difficulty we find is to know when we should bear and when we should resist; and the following suggestions may be fully illustrated :-1. When we can recognize an immediate good in our sufferings, either a blessing of men or the glory of God, we should be prepared cheerfully to bear. 2. When the suffering plninly comes in the orderings of God's providence, we ought to bear it. 3. When we find that we can, by patient suffering, make a needed witness for the Christian truth or the Christian spirit, we should be willing to suffer. 4. When we find ourselves among strangers and enemies we may use our influence to avoid suffering. 6. And when our suffering plainly comes from the mere wilfulness or the pure ignorance of men, we do right to resist. It may also be urged that we must always follow along the line of "conscience" and "duty," whatever consequences may follow. 'l'herefore the " three Hebrew youths" dare not shrink from the fiery furnace, nor Daniel from the den of lions. Impress that we have an inward leading of God's Spirit, even as St. Paul bad; and that, if we will follow the lead in all simplicity, we shall be able to decide, in the circumstances of life that arise, whether it is our duty to suffer or to avoid suffering. Whether we bear or whether we refuse to bear, we must seek to glorify Christ, and do all things as part of·our loving life-service rendered to him,-R. T, Ver. 28.-Nat'IIIT'ally and spiritually free born. Rights of citizenship were obtained in various ways and on various grounds. Some men had it by birth, others by gift, others by purchase, others as the pnblic recognition of heroic deeds. These may be illustrated in connection with the citizenship of London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other large citie& Boman citizenship we.s once sold e.t e. very high rate, but in later times its value was lowered, and it was bartered for a trifle. It is not known how St. Paul's parents obtained their citizen rights, but the apostle held his as an inheritance, St. Paul was not a citizen by virtue of his having been born in Tarsus. "That city, in consideration of its sufferings under Caseins, and because of its adherence to Julius c-r, we.e admitted by .Antony t.o many privileges; but it was not a colony, only a. free city, and that did not confer citizenship. Some of the apostle's ancestors, it may be assumed, had been admitted. to citizenship in acknowledgment of good service, civil or military." A distinction is me.de, which men still recognize, between acquired rights and natural rights ; but a. far higher value is set on the rights of birth than on those which can be obtained in any other way. We fix a.ttention on the fact that St. Paul was twice free born. He held right of birth into Roman citizenship, and right of the new Divine birth into the kingdom of Christ and of heaven. L THE PRIVILEGES OF HUIIA.N BIBTH, 1. Illustrate what positions their birth puts some men in, and what consequent trusts and responsibilities come upon them, 2. Show that such privileges are not t.o be despised by Christian people, because they may givo them noble opportunities of serving Christ. 3. Point out that any envy of those bona to high station is unvorthy of all who feel aright the honour of having any kind or degree of trUBt from God. 4. And impress that the greater the trust of position und on. xxm. 1-86.] THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 211
privilege whioh a man may h11ve, the heavier will be his jucl!rnlent if he misuses bis powers 11nd privileges. " 0( him that hath much will be requ~ed." II. THE PRIVILEGES OIi' DIVINE BIRTH. Explain the Scripture figures of" new birth," "being born again," and "rogeneration.n Illustrate that no man can acquire a place in Christ's kingdom by 11ny (1) wealth, (2) merit, (3) or effort. The only entrance i, by e. Divine birth: "Ye must be born again;" the only possible right of the Christian is his birthright, '!'his kind of right excludes all pride and self-satisfaction. "We are saved by grace.'' It gives to God all the glory; for we are" born of God." It changes all the aspects and relations of our lives, so that we seem to have wakened up into a new world with new powers. It lays us under serious obligations, appoints for us high and holy duties, and holds out before us a glorious future. If the Roman citizen was bound to walk worthily of his citizenship, and honour the Roman name wherever he might go, much more should those who are born of God "walk as childrcm of )iaht," "walk worthy of the vocation by which they are called." See St. Paul's state'- m~nt, "Our citizenship is in hea.ven.''-R. T.