Ye:-,. 13-1 i.-77ie Christian's dufy to the state. We might regard vers. 11 and 12 as ibe text of which the rest of the E1,istle is the sermon. Tho apostle first writes at kngt h on their possession of personal redemption, and then says, "Now for the life that brcomes it." And he begins with tbat citizenship which becomes t,he Christian. Very striking is it that the heavenly and the earthly citizenship shut.Id lie brought here into such close connection; it is when the apostle has the highest conct,ption of our relation to the spiritual kingdom (as in vers. 9, 10) that he proceeds to speak of the lofty position we are to take as ritizens of earth. Probably there was. s1 erial reason for emphasis on this; he was writing to Jews, who had rather lax ideas of thl'ir obligations to human institutions in the Gentile world, and were charued by the empire with bting "bad subjects;" that, for example, was the ostensible rea~on for the persecution by Nero. The subject is timely. Christians are often in doubt as to the part they should take in public affairs. Here we have Divine teaching respecting this. I. 'l'nE DUTY OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP. "Submit yourselves to every human ins:itu!ion, . . . whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well "-that includes all human institutions for the well-being of the nation at large, whether in the wider circle of imperial, or the narrower circle of local, matters, and, ~ap the apostle, "Submit yourselves to that." 1. What, then, is the submission which the Gl,ristian owes to the state 1 The only submission possiLle to those to whom Peter wrote was that of tribute and obedience; under the despotic policy of the empire they could do no more; they had no power to ameliorate the laws nor to choose their rulers. \\'ith us it is not so. If we only pay the taxes and obey the .authorities, we do not submit ourselves. "Submit yourselves unto God" means" give yourselves." So read the word "submit" here. 'l'he Christian is bound to give not only his substance and doings to these, but himself. .As Christians, nothing ought to be alien to us which concerns the world our Lord loved and died for. 2. What are the limits of tMs sub- mission 1 We must read this with the limitation everywhere implied. "Fearing God" comes before "honouring the king." Peter was himself an illustration of that, when he told the rulers "We must obey God rather than man." But the text refers to submission of ourselves; we must do that as far as we are to do all else that .is right-that is, as far as our opportunities and talents permit. Opportunity and talent are the limit of duty. Health, home-claims, higher claims, natural aptitude, etc.,- tbese show us where and how far we may go. God's barriers are always plain to him who fears God. 3. What, then, is the objection to this submission1 We are told that Christians are citizens of another world, and should have no part in this. But it is mean to get all the good out of the world we can, and refuse to do it all the good we can. We are told that Christ lived in the midst of political corruption, and did not raise his voice against it. But he was ever propagating those principles which undermine corruption, and his healing miracles show that his heart was set on a.meliorating physical woe. \Ve are told that we should come out of the world, and be. iseparate. But that cannot mean that the Christian-the Christian physician, say-is to refuse to help the world. If the world chooses to help me to do a good work, I know no command which, because of their co-operation, bids me stand aloot . II. TEE LOFTY PIIINCIPLES ON WHICH THIS DUTY IS TO BE FULFILLED, What is wanted is, not so much that Christians should take these things up, as that they slwuld do so from sacred conviction, and "as becomes the gospel of Christ." 1. This must be done "for the Lord's sake." "Tb.e earth is the Lord's . . . the world and they tbat dwell therein." How much does be care for men, who for them became incarnate, and endured the death of the cross! Then everything that tends to their development and enfranchisement is dear to him. 2. This must be done that "with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." If the world come to rccrard Christianity as having to do mo~tly with beliefs and emotions, they will look upon it as unreal and worthless. It is not by fighting "more or less extinct Sataus" that we secure the world's respect for Christ, but by earnestly grappling, for his sake, with the real evils of the day. 3. This must be done "as seroants of God." This duty is not without peril to personal spiritual life; it often calls the Christian to associate wiLh those who have no fear of God, and work accordingly, and exposes him to the danger of falling to their level. The political at'mosphere is often morally deadening cu. 11, 1-25.J 'l'HE FlRST El'lSTLE GENI<;ItAL O1~ PETirn. 111
Our snfety is in going into this deliberately as Goel'~ servants, to clo his will, and ttat at any cost, wearing heaven's livery, and making heavenly influences tell upon our fellows. Ill. 'fllE DIVINE WARNING AGAINST THE DA:S-GER IN TFIE FULFILME)IT OF THIS DUTY, 11 As free, and not using your Ii berty for a cloak of evil [ Ka,da, equivalent to 'evil of any kind']." 'l'he Christian public man needs anx:iously to look beneath his activity, and see if any evil thing is concealed and fostered there. 1. There i~ the evil of self- seeking. Of doing this uncon~ciously, not for Christ, but for personal ends. 2. And there is the evil rf love of the world. Public life has a terrible tendency to foster a splrit of worldliness, and to counteract this we need plenty of heart and closet work. '!'here is no peril in this if we put "fear of God" before the "honour of the king "-if, whilst we "render to Cresar the things that are Cresar's,'' we" rern-ler to Gn<l the thin;,:s that are God's;" if, whilst submitting ourselves "to every human institution," etc., we maintain the lofty feeling and character of" the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the people peculiarly God's own."-C. N.