Ver. 36.-Present service, promised sleep. This allusion to the known devotion of David during his life, and to his "rest from his labours" in the II sleep" that hid him awhile from life, has been introduced in connection with Paul's vindication of the resurrection of "the Man" Jesus-that cardinal fact of Christianity and con- spicuous topstone of the multiform Christian edifice. This, foretold in the shape of a shadowy typical promise made to David, to lie like seed long buried, had of late sprung up aad shown surprising blossom, and indeed had already borne glorious fruit, even in him who "rose from the dead" and "became the firstfruits of them that slept in him.n The allusion in itself meanwhile is grateful and instructive. And when the sun goes down brightly and purely then does this lesser light spark.le. It covers five practical suggestions. I. TIIE PLAIN DUTY OF THE SERVANT OF CHRIST-THIS, TO "SERVE." This is a great word, a greater thing-to serve. Long time it was not so considered, till Jesus rose on the world, and, with ever-illustrious career of self-sacrifice, was among us as "'he that served," and said it as well, " Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." He who bare our sins, who carried our sorrows, who suffered our 1tripes, who murmured not beneath our infirmities, who staunched so many a bleeding 421 THE AOTB OF THE APOSTLl!JBi [os. :am. 1-12.
wound orhum~nity, nor refused to etoop to W1tsb and to wipe its hot and dusty feet,- he gnlft.ed th~e _heavenly shoot on the wild, selfish, unpromising stock of human nature. . And 1t 1s t~e memory of him, his obedience and his service and his devotion, that Bltllln and agam reproduoes the like, the vital motive of the hum blost service and gladdest obedience of each true inmate of his Church, If any man would know the real secret of real position in the Church of Christ, let him learn: 1. To serve. 2. To ~erve Chn_st. 8. To serve him faithfully and closely and continuingly. This man will find his way to serve his fellow-men and "generation " without fail-the poor, the humble, the untaught, the sinful, and those who already 'With himself wait on one Lord. Il. THE BULB AOOOBDING TO WBIOH OUR SERVING YUST BE ORDERED-" BT 'l'BE WILL OF Gem." If we do really serve our generation, there can be no doubt that we are in the patL of duty, and accordingly in harmony with " the will of God." At the same time, it is too possible to spend a large amount of time, of energy, of property, thinking yo~ do God service, when you are doing no such thing. The safer way is to begin by seeing !'° i~ that the work is aocording to the will of God. This should be the very first thing m work, greater or less (~ Cor. x. 31). So sang the quaint George Herbert, wh01e earthly song merged so well m the heavenly song, these two centuries ago- • Teach me, my God and King. In all things thee to see, And what I do in anything, To do it as for thee. • All may of thee partake: Nothing can be so mean But with this tincture-• for thy sake, Will not grow bright and clean. • A servant with this clause Makes drudgery divine; Who sweeps a room as for thy Jaws. Makes that and ihe action fine. • This is the famous !!tone That tnrneth a.11 to gold ; For the.t which God doth touoh and own Cannot for less be told." It D most 1mportant to remember that very much in our serving depends on : L Our 'J'11,~ to serve God's \Vi.lL For God whose power to overrule is so often and so strikingly seen all-coextensive with his power to rule, often employs men to further his purposes, and to serve their generation, who never consecrated a single intelligent purpose or energy consciously to him. Far from such unconscious, ungrateful, even unwilling doers of his work should we be. The generation of such is indeed served, in one sense, according to God's will; but it is no thanks to them. 2. Our care to do the thing best approved as God's wilL Right purpose and good intention have too often been the cover of a certain non-performance of the things that would be most true to the wi:l of God. 'J.'he will of God is to be consulted, not merely in the spring of our work, but carefully, humbly, nll the way down tli,e accomplishment of the purpose his grace may have originated in the heart. III. TIIE IW.IULITY WITH WIDOB WE SHOULD SERVE, We are to serve "our own generation." A faithful memory of this will save: 1. Waste aspirations, Pride ia often at the root of great desires, personal feeling the motive of great schemes, lack of humility the direct cause of idle disappaintment. 2. Seeking the unattainable distant, instead of that which we may most certainly touch because it is close by us. Tl-. yresmt time, the yreaent place, the present task are ~he_ ~ime, the sphere, the toil. for the servant of Christ. Between dreams of the past ana v1S1ons of the future, the pnce- less opportunity of practical duty has too often irrevocably slipped past. 3. Sighing for more strength, or more knowledge, or more wealth, instead of using at once our available strength, and improving soberly _our given ~lents, ~lDe, two,.or ten. Th~re ~ man7 who wait for a show1 opportwut1 of servmg Chr111t awl his Church, Wl~ OH, XDL 1-62.] THE'. AOTS OF THE APOSTLES. 427