THE BEHAVIOUR OF MINISTERS.
No CLASS of men are under such sacred obligation to behave with circumspection in all their conduct, as the ministers of Christ. The eye of the world is upon them, to discover whether their lives indicate that the truths which they preach are to them a reality. The eye of the church is upon them, to see how the truth should be lived out; for they are commanded to be examples to the flock, and their lives are to exemplify the truth which they preach. The eye of Satan is upon them, to watch for their haltings. The eye of God is upon them, to see whether they do, with faithfulness, serve him in their sacred calling; and his angels preserve a faithful record of their conduct. Wherever they may be, they stand as the representatives of the Saviour. They are ambassadors of Christ, and unless they are willing to put their Master to shame, their conduct must be such as shall be worthy of their high calling. Virtue, integrity, and piety, no one, perhaps, will deny, are absolutely indispensable in those who are called of God and of his people to act in this sacred work. But there is, connected with this, something else which must not, for any consideration, be left out of the account. Ministers of Christ must not only possess true moral excellence; they must also be men of prudent behaviour, especially toward women. I do not now speak at all of such ministers as are corrupt at heart. Such men are the servants of Satan, who, if they ever behaved with prudence and reserve, do it that they may the better deceive the unwary. But it is with reference to truly upright and worthy men, who, from lack of caution, or wise discretion, are liable to act in such a manner as to create suspicion, or, at least, to give anxiety and pain to those who have the cause of God at heart. Brethren, be circumspect. Better be too reserved toward such persons than too forward. You know not always with whom you are conversing. Others, looking on, may know evil of them, and suspect evil of you. Be so much upon your guard that you shall, if possible, wholly avoid the appearance of evil. It is not enough that you have no evil intent. You must be careful that your good be not evil spoken of. Many ungodly men have crept into the ranks of the Christian ministry. These persons have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness. They have made their sacred office the means of committing abomination. The office itself is dishonored, and those who fill it are justly watched, to see whether they are men of God, or wolves in sheep's clothing. There is such a thing as so walking in the fear of God, and with such propriety of conduct, that even the tongue of malice and slander shall be disarmed. If every minister of Christ, who is such in reality, would thus act with strict propriety of deportment, it would be far more difficult for evil-minded persons to act their part of ruin and of death. Let the sad lesson, so recently taught us, put both ministers and people upon their guard.