EQUALITY OF THE APOSTLES. 51 service of their Lord, with mutual condescension and compliance; which was the best way of recommending themselves to his accept-. ance, and obtaining from him answerable reward.1 Such was the drift of our Lord's discourse; whereunto, as in the other case, he annexed the prohibition of exercising dominion. " Ye know," says he, Matt. xx. 25-27, " that the princes of nations exercise do- minion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be first among you, let him be yourservant." 'Os My 501)."Whoever among you has a mind to special grandeur and pre- eminence, let him understand that there is no other to be attained beside that which results from the humble performance of charitable offices to his brethren; the which whoever shall best discharge, he alone will become greatest and highest in the eye of God." Again, at another time (Matt. xviii. 1; Mark ix. 34; Luke ix. 46), the apostles, dreaming of a secular kingdom to be erected by our Lord, " disputed among themselveswho should be the greatest," and for satisfaction presumed to inquire of our Lord about it; when, as they surely were very ignorant of St Peter's being their head, so there was a fair occasion as could be of our Lord's instructing them in that point, and enjoiningtheir duty towards him ;but he didnot so, but rather taught him, together with the rest, not to pretend to any such thing as preferment above the rest: "He sitting down, called the twelve, and said unto them, If any one desire to be first, the same shall be last ofall, and servant of all," Mark ix. 35. How could he, considering the occasion and circumstances of that speech, in plainer terms establish equality, or discountenance any claim to superiority among them? Had St Peter then advanced such a plea as they now affirm of right belonged to him, would he not thereby have depressedand debased himself to the lowest degree? To impress this rule, our Lord then " calling a little child, set him in the midst of them," telling them that " except they were converted" (from such ambitious pretences), "and became like little children" (wholly void of such conceits), "they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven,"2 that is, could not in effect be so much as ordinary good. Christians; adjoining, that "whosoever shouldhumble himself as did that little child" (not affecting or assuming more than suchan innocent did), "shouldbe greatest in the kingdom of heaven," ' Tirs si ivrirraoía ;is si m ssí áx)á 7reóYO a rmv ápxouíssss, &C.Chrys. in Act. i. 6. " Then the government was not an honour, but a provident care of the governed," &c. 2 Kai 404 asp; spaaníav lis)aveaesir, yvwpíaar> pcará áa)á4nr,g ?is lvág,Pra vrapsyyaá, )áyav ¿ç 'ris aaslía airog ysvéslae Isis.Clem. Alex., Strom. v. p. 660 [663.] "And to those familiar friends striving for the pre-eminence, he commends equality together with simplicity, saying that they ought to become as little children."
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