October 3

Ecclesiastes viii.—2. I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

4. Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say unto him, What does thou?

5. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

Romans xiii.—1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2. Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou, then, not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But, if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he heareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

The early Christians were charged with hostility to the civil government. Even Christ was arraigned before Pilate for perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar; and Paul was often accused of stirring up sedition. But Christianity, in its principles and spirit, tends to reform abuses in government, to abolish privileged classes, and to further the rights of the people. It does not violently assail the existing order of things, nor propose revolution as the standing remedy for civil oppression: on the contrary, it teaches that government, as government, without respect to its form, exists by the appointment of God, for the well-being of society, the safeguard against unarchy and chaos. Hence, as a rule, and so far as this can be done without violating conscience, the Christian is to set an example of obedience to

6. For for this cause pay ye tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

7. Render therefore, to all, their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

8. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

9. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness; Thou shalt not covet: and, if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying; namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12. The night is far spent; the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

13. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying:

14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof.

law, even though the law seem unjust and oppressive. He is to uphold the laws, not through fear of penalties, but as a matter of conscience. This instruction Paul gave to the Romans who were then living under the tyrant Nero. Christianity inculcates respect for office, and for the proprieties of condition: in the private relations of life it enjoins honesty, honor, courtesy, good-will, fidelity, and all the social virtues, to be practised, not through constraint of law, but in the spirit of love, which is the fulfilling of all law. Better far than socialistic theories and experiments in communism is the spread of the gospel for the realization of that practical equality, through the spirit of justice, of order, of mutual good-will, of peaceful co-operation, which is the true brotherhood of humanity.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 70, 129, 165.

Blessed be God, the Father of all mercies, for the daily comforts of his providence and grace. Thy mercies, O Lord! are new every morning. Grant us grace daily to live unto thee, to do thy holy will, and to glorify thee in our bodies and spirits, which are thine. Suffer not the cares of life to distract our minds from thee; but may we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness!

Give us, this day, our daily bread; and feed our souls with that living bread which came down from heaven. May Christ be in us the hope of glory, and the power of an endless life! O Lord, the Maker and Ruler of all! we bless thee for all thy marvellous works and for thy ways unto the children of men. Thou givest us rain from heaven,

and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Bless the earth, we pray thee, with abundant harvests, that there may be seed for the sower, and bread for the eater. And, O most merciful Father! do thou visit our land with plenteous showers of grace, making thy Word fruitful, reviving thy Church, and causing righteousness to flourish and abound. Rule in the hearts of our rulers, and turn the people unto the things of thy kingdom. We commend unto thee all dear to us. We commit our souls unto thee for this day; beseeching thee for Christ's sake to forgive our sins, to keep us unspotted from the world, and pure in thy sight. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be glory forever. Amen.