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dom is not of this world. No allegiance to the in
stituted powers of the world, such as human gov
ernments, is in the least impaired by the setting
lip of his kingdom. Nor has the legitimate ad
ministration of the governments of the nations of
the earth anything to do with his kingdom. To
those who are called by grace to enter, by the new
birth, and duo allegiance to the King of Zion, the
spiritual kingdom, the King has, by his apostle,
officially proclaimed, “ Art thou called being a ser
vant, care not for it; but if thou may eat be made
fee, choose it rather. For he that is called in the
Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s free man :
likewise also he that is calleJ, being free, is Christ’s
servant. Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the
servants of men.” 1 Cor. vii. 21-23. It is evident
that their calling to be servants of Christ did not
annul their relationship ; but if thou mayest be
made free, choose it rather: nor does the apostle
mean that they are not to bo servants to their mas
ters as formerly ; but in this redemption with a
price they are redeemed unto God ; and religiously
or in spiritual things, the disciples are to call no
man on earth master, but to serve their Master in
heaven with singleness of heart. That this is clear
ly the meaning of the apostle, he adds in the next
verse, “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is
called, therein abide with God.” Nothing can be
more plain than the instructions which this same
apostle has given to servants; and as we have many
thousands of our brethren in the United States, who
are called being servants, under the yoke, and many
of them who take our paper, as we recognize such
in a spiritual relation as brethren in our common
Lord, and heirs together with us of the grace o's
life, as we regard your spiritual welfare, we charge
you before God to read carefully what he has ad
dressed to you in 1 Tim. vi. I—s : “ Let as many
servants as are under the yoke count their own
roasters worthy ol all honor, that the name of God
and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they
that have believing masters, let them not despise
them,” (or be any the less dutiful, respectful, or obe
dient to them,) “because they are brethren ; but
rather do them service,” (the more service, or serve
them the more cheerfully and faithfully,) “because
they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the ben
efit.” “ These things,” (Paul directs Timothy to)
“teach and exhort,” (and the writer of this article
is under the same command, and so are all the true
ministers of our Lord Jesus Christ.) “It any man
teach otherwise,” (alas! what multitudes at this
day do,) “ and consent not to wholesome words,
even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (as Paul
was inspired by the Holy Ghost, these words are
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ,) “ and to ihe
doctrine which is according to godliness; he is
proud, knowing nothing, but doting about ques
tions and strifes of words, whereof ccmeth envy,
strife, railings, evil surmising?, perverse disputings
of men of corrupt minds, and destitute oi tne truth,
supposing gain to be godliness. From such with
draw thyself.” Have we not seen the truth of the
apostle’s words exemplified, and do we not see it
to an alarming extent, in the strife, contention,
envy, railings, perverse disputing? of the same de-
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
scription of proud know nothings , who are contin
ually doting about words, whereof all this clamor
and fanaticism proceeds.
Here the duty of servants under the yoke, or
called by grace, being servants, is plainly laid
down.
There were many servants which were under the
yoke in the church in the apostle’s days. Under
the Roman laws, the captives taken in war, wheth
er black or white, were frequently sold into slave
ry, and in a slavery to which nothing in our coun
try can compare; for the masters and owners of
servants were allowed to abuse and torture, and even
to put them to death. But still the apostles con
stantly exhorted the servants to patiently submit,
and to count their masters worthy of all honor. —
/
In giving Titus instruction to speak the things
which become sound doctrine, Paul says: “Exhort
servants to be obedient to their own masters, and
to please them we 11 in all things, not answering
again, not purloining, hut showing all good fidelity,
that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Sa
vior in all things.” Titus ii. 9, 10. Again, in wri
ting to Colossians, Paul, after exhorting wives and
husbands, parents and children, to a faithful obser
vance of all their relative duties, says: “Servants,
obey, in all things, your masters, according to the
flesh, not with eye service.” That is, not requiring
to be watched ; but let your masters see that you,
as Christians, are just as conscientiously honest,
dutiful, diligent and obedient in their absence, as
though you were all the time in their sight—“ not
with eye service as men pleasers,”—(you have a
higher, holier ca’ling ; your business is to please
God, by doing your duty faithfully to your mas
ters, according to the flesh,) —“ but with single
ness of heart, fearing God,” (knowing that he re
quires this of you.) “ And whatsoever you do, do
it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men.” That
is, you do it heartily, because God in his holy prov
idence has assigned to you, in this world, the po
sition and duties of a servant, for his glory and for
your own good, and therefore as you love and fear
God, faithfully serve your masters after the flesh,
“ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance ; for ye serve the Lord
Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for
the wronor which he bath done, and there is no re
spect of persons.” Col. iii. 22—25. No respect
of persons —the wife, the husband, the parent or
child, and the master and servant alike are ac
countable to God, and all shall receive of his hand
for the wrong which they do.
The same exhortation is also given in Eph. v. and
vi. chaps, to the saints in all the various conditions
and positions of life. “ Servants, be obedient to
them that are your masters, according to the flesh
with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as
unto Ohirst.” The fear and trembling here evi
dently means, in reference to Christ, as those who
fear the Lord tremble at his word, and render their
obedience to him with fear and trembling, lest
through the deceitfulness of our corrupt nature we
may fail to honor him as our Lord. The servant
may have all confidence in his master, love him and
respect him, but is not required ter dread him, if
obedient to the apostle’s admonition, “ Not with
eye service as men pleasers,”—(or as those who
vainly suppose that if they can make their masters
believe they are diligent and faithful, that that is
all they need care for; but remember when the eye
of your earthly master is not watching, the eye of
God is upon you : “ Thou, God, seest me;”) —“but
as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart.”—Eph. vi. 5, G.
Peter, also, by the same apostolic authority com
mands, “ Servants, be subject to your roasters with
all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward ; for this is thank-worthy, if a man
for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffeiing
wrongfully; for what glory is it, if, when ye be
buffeted for your faults, ye take it patiently ? But
if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it pa
tiently, that is acceptable with God.” 1 Peter ii.
18 —20. There are some masters who are not
good and gentle, as there are some servants who
are unruly. But tecause a Christian, who is a ser
vant, has even a froward, hard, severe, or wicked
master, still he is, by the law of Christ, bound to
respect, honor and obey him nevertheless, and for
their encouragement they ate assured that with
their patient submission, God is well pleased. What
higher, holier or more desirable incentive can a
child of God, whether bond or free,have than this?
0, to know that God is pleased, we can well afford
to breast the fiercest storm and endure the sharp
est affliction.
We have presented some of the duties which the
gospel enjoins on servants that are under the yoke.
We feel an assurance that such of our African
brethren and sisters who are under the yoke will
appreciate our candor and faithfulness in calling
their attention to what God has said upon the sub
ject. While hypocrites may flounce, and specu
lating demagogues, who care not the snap of the
finger for their welfare, but wish to stir up strife,
to sow the seeds of discontent among them, may
rave and blaspheme, we know our African breth
ren of the Old School Baptist communion at the
South too well to apprehend that they will, wil
lingly or knowingly, disregard the admonitions
which their Lord and Master Las given them
through bis inspired apostles.
One word further to those who are under the
yoke. Dear brethren in Christ, the writer of this
article has traveled extensively in twenty-three of
the States of our blessed Union, and speaks that
which he does know, and testifies that which he
has seen, when he assures you that your condition,
as God in his all-wise providence has placed you, is
far preferable to the condition of any of your race
in any of the Northern States, or in the Canadas;
and you are far more happy, free from care, from
suffering and want, and enjoy religious as well as
temporal privileges to a far greater extent than you
could have anywhere else than where God, in his
hcly providence, has placed you. Remember, then,
that godliness with contentment is great gain.
Our third and last division of the subject calls on
us to show, from the holy Scriptures, what is the
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