so.  Outward institutions are necessary partly to make a perfect Christian character; and thus Christianity works from what is internal to what is external.  It gave to the slave the feeling of his dignity as a man, at the same time it gave to the Christian master a new view of his relation to his slave, and taught him to regard him “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.”  And so by degrees slavery passed into freed servitude, and freed servitude, under God’s blessing, may pass into something else.

There are two mistakes which are often made upon this subject; one is, the error of supposing that outward institutions are unnecessary for the formation of character, and the other, that of supposing that they are all that is required to form the human soul.  If we understand rightly the duty of a Christian man, it is this:  to make his brethren free inwardly and outwardly; first inwardly, so that they may become masters of themselves, rulers of their passions, having the power of self-rule and self-control; and then outwardly, so that there may be every power and opportunity of developing the inward life; in the language of the prophet, “To break the rod of the oppressor and let the oppressed go free.”

 XIV.

 Preached January II, 1852.

 MARRIAGE AND CELIBACY.

“But this I say, brethren, the time is short:  it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep as though they wept not; and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world as not abusing it:  for the fashion of this world passeth away.”—­1 Corinthians vii. 29-31.

The subject of our exposition last Sunday was an essential portion of this chapter.  It is our duty to examine now the former and the latter portions of it.  These portions are occupied entirely with the inspired apostolic decision upon this one question—­the comparative advantages and merits of celibacy and marriage.  One preliminary question, however, is to be discussed.  How came it that such a question should be put at all to the apostle?

In the church at Corinth there were two different sections of society; first there were those who had been introduced into the church through Judaism, and afterwards those who had been converted from different forms of heathenism.  Now it is well known, that it was the tendency of Judaism highly to venerate the marriage state, and just in the same proportion to disparage that of celibacy, and to place those who led a single life under a stigma and disgrace.  Those converts therefore, entered into the Church of Christ carrying with them their old Jewish prejudices.  On the other hand, many who had entered into the Christian Church had been converted to Christianity from different forms of heathenism.  Among these prevailed a