God. 2. Som~ are servants of tM «we <if dress. Even in our Lord's t.ime, he found· It l1ecesAAry to wa.rn his hearers against thinking too much about their dress. Even Cliristi~n people, who profess t.o be the servants of Christ, are too frequently the servants of fashion. There is sometimes more attention given to the dress of our neighbours or of ourselves in the house of God than there is t.o the voice of our Creator and our Saviour, or than there is to the quest.ion whether we have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, or the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness. It is said thnt St. Bernard of Cla.ir.-aux, who rebuked princes, and fired all Europe with a ne1v crusade, all the while living himself in utter poverty, used t.o ask himself every day the stern question, "Bernarda, ad quid venisti? "-" Berna,-d, wMt'ifore art thou here 1" So it would be well if we would ask ourselves more frequently what is the purpose of our lives. 3. Others, again, are tM servant.s of ambitwn. To be higher than their fellow-men, to be fawned upon and flattered, to receive the homage of the poor and the favour of the rich, to be talked about in the gossip of society,-that is the object for which many persons live. Yet, when attained, it brings no lasting peace or contentment to the mind. The praise of men, moreover, is a very fickle and uncertain thing. The hero of to-day will be forgotten to-morrow. Earthly fame has ever been- " Like a snow-flake on the river, A moment seen, then lost for ever." Such are some of the services to which men devote their thoughts, their time, their energies. How vain and profitless are they all ! Wben the hour of death draws nigh, let any one who has spent his life in the service of any of these masters ask them to help him in the death-struggle, to give him hope for the future: will they be able to give him any assistance? They cannot even keep his poor mortal body from the dust; much less can they give life to the soul They have already helped to produce death in the soul They have dragged him downwards to the earth. And eo it is that, when the soul must go from this world into the unseen, it is earthly still. There is no fitness for heaven in it at all The pleasures and possessions of the world, innocent in themselves, become positively harmful to many. 'l'hey become sinful to them, because they keep the soul away from God. II. THE SERVICE OF SIN AND ITS RESULTS. Even what we call the more innocent service of the world results in death at last. The death of the body is accompanied by the death of the soul Much more is this true of all kinds of positive sin. The apostle seeks to point out here the result of being the servant of sin. " His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of Bin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness" (ver, 16); "The end of those things is death" (ver. 21); "The wages of sin is death" (ver. 23). Even in this life there is a clear connection between sin and death. The Eervice of sin is a fatal service. Take, for instance, those who are the servants of the craving for intoxicating drink. A special committee of the British Medical Associa- tion brought in a report at the meeting of 1887 on the relation of alcohol to disease, which stated that, after careful and prolonged examination of the subject from a scientific point of view, they came to the conclusion that every man who indulged in alcohol beyond the most moderate a.mounts shortened his life by at least ten years. The President of the United States, General Harrison, has testified that of a class of sixteen young men who graduated with him, almost all had gone to early graves through intemperate ha.bits. Even in this world the sin of intemperance leads to death. But it brings a more lasting and more terrible death than this. The besotted mind, the darkened intellect, is but a beginniDg of blackness of darkness in the future. •• No drunkard shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." When drink becomes the master, how terrible are the results for time and for eternity I In like manner it is true of all other linful service8, that they lead to death. "He that soweth to the flesh, shall of.the flesh reap co1TUption;" "The wages of sin is death." IIL T.u SERVICE OF CBRIBT. "Being then made free from sin, ye beoame the 5enantB of righteowmea" (ver. 18); "But now, being made free from sin, and become i;ervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holineHe, o.nd the end everlasting life" (ver. 2~)- Thia is the only service that leads to enrla.'iting lifo. It is the only service wltich ii, T,<,t sui,very. It is t!,e only ser'Uic$ wldcl, men •never regret entering into. It is the cuJy 11erviee which can be called an unmixed good, tLe only service tl.t.at brings perfect oil. vi.1-23,] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 171
peace to heart and mind and coneclence. It is an easy 118l'Vice, for it is a service of love. Instead of growing weaker by our efforts in the eervice of Christ, ae we do by our efforts to serve sin, we grow stronger; for the true C,'hristian is a better man, a stronger man spiritually, every day _he lives. It fB ~he o:n-Zy 11ervir.JJ that has a ~ beyond the grave. It was because Christ saw us penshmg m the service of Bin, guilty, lost, and helpless, that he came to eave us. He calls us now to believe on him to follow him, and he promises to all who do so the gift of everlasting life. "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." " How long t.o streams of false delight Will ye in crowds repair? How long yonr strength and substance waste On trifles light as air?" Over the triple doorways or the Cathedral of Milan there are three inscriptions spanning the beautiful arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath is the legend, "All that which pleases is but for a momer,t." Over the other is sculptured a cross, and there are the words, "All that which troubles us is but for a. moment." But undernea.th the grea.t central entrance to the main aisle is the inscrip- tion, " That only is importa.nt which is eternal." If we would only realize these three truths, we should not let the world or its pleasures keep us from Christ, we should not let trifles trouble us, we should not hesitate long about making our choice. " (Jhooae ye this day whom ye will serve."-C. H. I.