The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 206

that he was called by a higher will. But, whatever the position intended for ns, we a1e to accept of it ns an expression of the will of God; and, if we see the same will in the stations which others occupy, that will keep us right in the mirlst of Inequalities. It has been remarked "that a great part of tbe duties of life are based, and must be, on the fact that men are unequal; some inferior, some superior; some elected to power and leadership, and some to homage and trust. Everything here will depend on bow much of personal quality and soul-force different men may have for their endowments; how much reason, conscience, love, will, vision, music, science, and worship they bave room for; and then it will be seen what precedences they are to yield, what deferences to pay or what patronages to assume, what forward conditions to support. Thus far the tru: beauty of life.will consist in a due observance of inequalities; every man consentin"0 to be himself, and let everybody else be himself too, in his own tru,, measure." There are duties founded upon our equality as Christians. "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily, I say unto you, he shall in· no wise lose his reward." One might perform the same little act from considerations of humanity, but it is the performing it from considerations of discipleship that receives the commendation of Christ. There is a whole tier of virtues rising up here, for which there is required the greatest delicacy, and which are really of the finest mould. They are such as will be suggested by the names, Christian courtesy, Christian consideration, and the like. Here is culture, accomplishment, for any Chris- tian lady or Christian gentleman. There have none of us learned enough to show con- sideration all round the Christian circle because of sonship and equality in Christ. Some have a long, hard lesson to learn here, who, perhaps, little imagine it. The inequalities of Providence form their peculiar temptation. They naturally like to associate with persons of their own ta.ste8 and manners, and, perhaps, they are so accus- tomed to regard men becaus.e they are rich, because they are influential, that they cannot bring their minds to respect a man simply because he is a Christian. No1v, h,,w becoming it is that those who are une<,iually placed in providence should meet freely together on the, ground of an equality ID the Divine covenant I It would let the rich feel more potently that wealth and station and culture are on the outside; and it would let t\Je poor see that honesty and piety are not confined to them. Whatever opportunities for meeting may be enjoyed in the common walks of life, there is a special meeting- ground afforded for all classes in the Church. Here the rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them a.11. The Church is the place where most of all we should be helped to understand and to feel the levelling influence of Christian love, and to value and to honour the Christian under all distinctions. There is an equalizing process going on under Ohristian influences. If we take the Jew and the Greek as bringing before us national distinctions, there is better feeling between nations than there once was . . A Christian in a nation sees and feels that in Christ all nations are one, that there is a common salvation for them, and that t),ie loss of one is really the loss of all. If there is a considerable body of Christians in each nation, especially known, in some degree, to one another, that will be the strongest counteractive to hostile feeling; and it will only be in seasons of great national excitement that these will be borne down, and, perhaps, themselves carried away, by the national impulse. Certainly, in calm moments there is a growing conviction that the true and best condition to be sought after is that which Christianity puts before us, and gives us reason to hope for-a brotherhood of nations, free from selfishness and intrigue, in which nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war-any wore. The second distinction between bond and free in that pa1·ticular form is very nearly obliterated. Although C!iristianity did not preach revolution, did not incite to a rising of the slaves against their masters, yet it has led indirectly to the abolition of slavery. When it represented ev:en slaves as ,some of them invested with the privileges of sonship in Christ, in the logic _of events the conclusion was sure to follow, that their rights as men could not justly be withheld from,. them. rho poor African race has been the last to know the elevating, equalizing power of Christianity·; and some think that they may be gradually matured to be the equals of Europeans in civilization, having great capacities of vision, of song, and of worship. There will be an equalizing even in that which communists have an eye to-material condition. Only this is to be got at, not by any flashy com- munistic schome, but by Christianity having more the moul,ling of the conditions of  179 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALA'l'IANB, [OB. m. 1-29,