thine be done." 1 He was persuaded that both HE and his righteous cause, the cause of the divine glory, and the salvation of man, were safe, perfectly safe, in the hands of "him who judges righteously:" He believed and he did not make haste. His own deliverance and glorious exaltation, the salvation of the millions for whom he was pouring out his soul unto death, and the merited punishment of the obstinate opposers of truth and righteousness, he was persuaded were as certain as if they had already taken place. They would all take place at the time, and in the manner, that seemed best to infinite wisdom, and holiness, and benignity; and he was willing to suffer as severely and as long as was requisite, to the gaining of these grand objects, according to the arrangements of Him who alone has wisdom. His temper is strikingly described in the words of one of his servants, who had much of the mind that was in him: "Lord, what thou wilt when thou wilt: how thou wilt." 2 These are the facts, then, with regard to our Lord stated in the text: He suffered; his sufferings were undeserved; these undeserved sufferings were borne with patience; this patience originated in submission to the will of God.

Let us now turn our attention a little to the general principles here laid down. These are two. In thus patiently enduring undeserved suffering from a regard to the divine will, our Lord set an example to his people; and to the imitation of this example Christians are expressly called.

The first of these principles is stated in these words: "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps." 'Ye servants, who have froward masters, are suffering; but remember ye are not the only sufferers, Christ also suffered; suffered undeservedly, suffered patiently, suffered piously, leaving you an example that ye should follow in his steps; he did all this with the intention of showing you what you might expect, and how you should behave.' It is quite plain, that within certain clearly definable limits, our Lord's character and conduct is the great exemplar after which his followers are to fashion theirs. They are commanded to have the mind in them that was in him. They are to think as he thought: they are to feel as he felt they are to "walk as he also walked." They are to be "in the world as he was in the world." "To follow him," is the comprehensive term which describes all the varied duties of discipleship. In running the christian race, we are constantly to "look to him" as the "exemplar as well as the rewarder."

Whatever in qualification or function belonged to him as a person invested with an office altogether peculiar, that of Mediator between God and man, the Saviour of sinners, and possessed of supernatural powers, fitting him to accomplish the great ends for which he was invested with that office, is obviously not to be considered as exemplary. Within that circle none must attempt to walk but he. It would be folly and impiety to attempt to expiate sin, either our own or other men's; or, without a divine commission, to work miracles, or to do what, when done by our Lord, obviously went on the supposi

1 John xviii. 11; xii. 27, 28.

Baxter.

* Phil. ii. 5. 1 John ii. 6; iv. 17. John xii. 26. Heb. xii. 2.

tion of his possessing a species of authority and knowledge which do not, which cannot, belong to his followers, to forgive sins, or to pronounce on the spiritual state and eternal destiny of individual men.

But in the great leading principles of our Lord's conduct, supreme love to God, disinterested love to man, there can be no doubt that he is our exemplar; and, supposing him placed in our circumstances, we are always to think, and feel, and act, as he would have thought, and felt, and acted. There may be some difficulty in certain cases, though they are of rare occurrence, in saying, whether a particular action of our Lord, recorded in the evangelical history, is to be, to the letter, imitated by us but there can be no difficulty in the case before us; for the mode of conduct referred to is just the natural expression of those great principles of love to God, and love to man, by which, in common with Christ, all Christians should be animated and guided; and we have the express declaration of an inspired writer, that in submitting to undeserved suffering, and in enduring it patiently and piously, it was the intention of our Lord to exhibit to his people a picture of the trials which they might expect to meet with, and a pattern of the manner in which they ought to sustain these trials. fact, of itself, then, sufficiently shows that Christians are bound not only to admire, but to imitate, their Lord, in meekly and piously submitting to undeserved suffering.

This

This is made still more evident by the second general principle laid down in the text. To this meek, pious submission to suffering, in imitation of Christ, Christians are expressly called. "Hereunto,"

If

to this, are ye called;" that is, when you were called to be Christians, you were distinctly told that you should meet with suffering, with undeserved suffering, and that you would be expected to bear it in a meek, pious spirit. What says our Lord? "If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word which I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord; if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you: if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. In the world ye shall have tribulation. These things have I spoken to you, that ye should not be offended," stumbled, when they come to pass; thinking it strange, as if some strange thing had happened to you. Behold I tell you before."1 what say the apostles? They assure Christians that it is "through much tribulation that they are to enter into the kingdom;" and that "all who will," who are determined to, "live godly in this world, must suffer persecution." They bid them "count it all joy when they are brought into manifold trials;" tell them that is needful that they "for a season be in heaviness through these manifold trials;" caution them against counting fiery trials strange things, and exhort them when they meet with these to "rejoice that they are partakers of Christ's sufferings." And as to the manner in which these afflictions are to be borne, this is their calling: "Let patience have its perfect work."

1 John xv. 18-20; xvi. 33.

And

"

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God." "Be patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

Having thus shortly illustrated the facts stated, 'Christ suffered, he suffered undeservedly, he suffered patiently, he suffered piously;' and the general principles stated, In thus meekly and piously enduring undeserved suffering, Christ has set an example to his followers which they should imitate; and, To this imitation of Christ's example in meek, pious endurance of undeserved suffering, they are expressly called; we proceed to show the bearing that the two, taken in connection, have on the enforcement of the duty which the apostle is here enjoining on christian servants in peculiar circumstances. As there is nothing either in the duty enjoined, or in the motives enforcing it, peculiar to the situation of servants, as both are equally applicable to all Christians when exposed to undeserved suffering from their fellow-men, it may serve a good purpose, in the succeeding observations, to treat the subject in this more extended view.

It clearly follows, from the facts stated, and the principles laid down, that Christians need not wonder, and ought not to be discouraged, when they meet with undeserved suffering from the world; that they should be careful that all the sufferings they are exposed to from the world be indeed undeserved sufferings; and that they ought to submit to these undeserved sufferings in a spirit of meek forgiveness towards those who inflict them, and of humble, hopeful resignation to HIM by whose appointment they are subjected to them.

I observe, then, in the first place, that Christians need not wonder, and ought not to be discouraged, when they meet with undeserved sufferings from the world. Christ suffered-suffered without deserving suffering-suffered from those from whom kindness, not injury, had been merited by him. If Christ thus suffered, is it strange that Christians should thus suffer? So far as they deserve the name, they are like Christ; they have his Spirit; they speak like him; they act like him. The world in the midst of which they live is substantially the same as the world in the midst of which he lived. How can they expect, then, to be otherwise treated in it, or by it, than he was? Can they deserve ill usage less than he did? Can they merit kindness more than he did? What is the unreasonableness and unkindness implied in treating even the best of them ill, compared with that implied in treating him ill? This ill treatment by the world, without a good reason, is one of the proofs that we belong to Christ. If the world love us out and out, it is a proof that we are its own; for the world thus loves none but its own. "Can the Christian choose but to have the same common friends and enemies with his Lord? Could he be gratified with the friendship of that world which hated and murdered his Master, and, if he were here, would hate and murder him over again? Would he have nothing but kindness and ease, where Christ had nothing but enmity and trouble? Would he not rather refuse and disdain to be so unlike the Lord ?"

"There is a family on earth
Whose Father fills a throne;

Acts xiv. 22. 2 Tim. iii. 12. 1 Pet. i. 6; iv. 12, 18. James i. 4. 1 Pet. v. 6.

But, though a seed of heavenly birth,
On earth they're little known.
Where'er they meet the public eye,
They feel the public scorn;
For men their fairest claims deny,
And count them basely born.

"But 'tis the King who reigns above
That claims them for his own-
The favored objects of his love,
And destin'd to a throne.

Were honors evident to sense

Their portion here below,

The world would do them reverence,
And all their claims allow.

"But, when the King himself was here,
His claims were set at naught;—
Would they another lot prefer?
Rejected be the thought.

No; they will tread, while here below,
The path their Master trod-

Content all honor to forego

But that which comes from God."1

I remark, in the second place, that Christians should be careful that all the sufferings they are exposed to from the world be indeed undeserved sufferings. Christ suffered for us, not for himself: "He did no sin, no guile was found in his mouth." His sufferings were, in the sense we have already explained, undeserved sufferings; and in thus suffering, he set us an example, that we should follow his steps. Every sufferer has not fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. He who brings suffering on himself by his folly and sin, manifests not likeness, but unlikeness to the Saviour. He does not follow in his steps. He travels in a different, in an opposite, path from that in which he travelled. A Christian has fellowship with Christ in his sufferings, "fills up what is behind of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus," only when his sufferings are like Christ's, "sufferings for righteousness' sake," or at any rate sufferings unprovoked, undeserved. All suffering, as coming from God, is deserved. The holiest man on earth, though he should be the most afflicted, is punished less than his iniquities deserve. But Christians must take care that, so far as men are concerned, their sufferings are undeserved sufferings. Christian servants, who have froward masters, are to take care that, if buffeted, they be not buffeted for their faults. Christians must take care that, however much evil their enemies may do them, they may have no evil thing to say truly of them. They must so conduct themselves, as that their enemies, like Daniel's, shall not be able to find anything against them, "except concerning the law of their God." None of them must " suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil-doer, or even as a busybody in other men's matters." When they suffer, let it be as Christians, innocently, undeservedly. Then shall they have no cause to be ashamed, but rather to "glorify God on this behalf.” Being "partakers of Christ's sufferings they may well rejoice, for when his glory is revealed, they shall be glad also with exceeding joy."

1 Kelly.

* Col. i. 24.

3 Dan. vi. 5.

4.1 Pet. iv. 13.

I observe, in the third place, that Christians should submit to the undeserved sufferings to which they are exposed in a meek, patient, forgiving spirit. When Christ suffered, not on his own account, when he suffered undeservedly, having done no sin, no guile having been found in his mouth, "when reviled, he did not revile again, when he suffered, he threatened not," and in this he hath "set us an example, that we should follow his steps." We do not act like Christians, for we do not act like Christ, when we make the fact that our sufferings are undeserved an excuse for impatience under them, or revengeful thoughts and wishes in reference to their authors. Christians can be said to have fellowship with Christ in their undeserved sufferings, only when they endure them, as he endured his, and requires them to endure theirs; when they "love their enemies, do good to them that hate them, bless them that curse them, and pray for them who persecute them and despitefully use them;" when they do not seek to avenge themselves, when they are not "overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.' Such is the course Christians should follow, for such is the law, such the example of their Lord. And there is an additional reason, very touchingly urged by the apostle, in his Epistle to Titus. why they should thus be "gentle, showing all meekness to all men," even those who are most unreasonably unjust and wicked to them; for they themselves were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." 2

I observe in the last place, Christians should patiently endure the unmerited sufferings to which they are exposed, in a spirit of pious resignation. Christ, when he personally submitted to undeserved sufferings, "committed himself to Him who judgeth righteously," and in this too he hath "set us an example that we should follow his steps." In his sufferings he saw the appointment of his Father. However unjust these sufferings were as coming from man, they were just as coming from Him. They were the expression of holy displeasure at the sins of men, whose place he, by his own most voluntary consent, occupied. In number and severity they were just what He willed them to be; he believed He would sustain him under them, deliver him from them, and make them the means of fully accomplishing him as the Captain of Salvation, and he committed himself unreservedly into His hands, persuaded that He would do all things well.

In like manner Christians are to see in the men of the world who treat them unjustly and unkindly, "the hand," "the staff," "the rod" of Jehovah; and of all the afflictions produced by their instrumentality to say, "This cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, wonderful in counsel, excellent in working." They are to recollect that though they have not deserved this, though they may have deserved the very reverse, from those who maltreat them, they deserve this, far more than this, at the hand of God: "It is of his mercies that they are not consumed." They are to remember that both as creatures and redeemed creatures, he has an undoubted right entirely to manage their affairs. They are to believe that he orders all things well and wisely; that he "will not suffer them to be tried above what they are able to Matt. v. 44. Rom. xii. 21. • Tit. iii. 2.