1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order. It may seem to you at first sight that the observing of order in the various occupations and concerns of life is not a matter of such consequence as to deserve to be much insisted on. It did not seem so to the great apostle, who thought it not below the dignity of his sacred ministry to recommend it to the Corinthians in the words of my text. Nor can it ever seem so in the eye of prudence and rational discernment. I say considered in a religious light; for although the observance of order hold not the highest rank among the injunctions of the Christian religion, though it claim not equal dignity with the commandment of Divine love, and the exercises of faith, hope, and repentance; yet it possesses its separate importance by contributing not a little towards punctuality and facility in the discharge of those higher and more essential duties, and therefore justly demands a share of a Christian's attention. As in every well-connected piece of mechanism the subordinate springs or wheels, though apparently insignificant, are each of them necessary to the carrying on of its operations; so in the variety of moral and religious precepts one reflects light upon another, one facilitates the observance of another, and all jointly contribute to that perfection of character to which every Christian is bound to aspire. Indeed, if you look abroad into the world you may discover, even at the first glance, that the life of the wicked and of the libertine is always a life of confusion. 1. First, then, as to the duties of your state of life. Every man, in every department of society — the king, the statesman, the soldier, the artisan, the master, the servant — has certain particular duties to comply with, either public, domestic, or private, which successively require his attention. We in particular, who live in the midst of the agitations of the world, are called upon by Almighty God to exert ourselves in our respective stations, that we may promote His honour and glory, at the same time that we become useful to ourselves and our fellow-creatures. In proportion as the multiplicity and variety of your affairs increase, the observance of order becomes more indispensably necessary for you; and let your train of life be ever so simple and uniform, however little you may be engaged in the hurry and bustle of life, yet you cannot fail to lose something, and a great deal too, by the neglect of regularity. For the orderly conduct of your temporal affairs forms a very material part of your duty as Christians. All your employments are properly religious exercises. Who has allotted you these employments? Doubtless it was that God whom your religion honours and serves. In discharging them, therefore, you do Him homage. Oh! what a train of heroic virtues might you display in the very meanest of your employments, if you were always careful to do them well, with an upright intention, actuated by a wish to approve yourselves to Heaven! The sanctity we aspire to does not consist in doing extraordinary actions, says a great prelate, but in doing our ordinary actions extraordinary well. But will they, can they be done without regularity? Will not hurry, perplexity, and confusion take off much from their perfection? You well know that for want of your having traced out for yourselves an orderly plan of life, many of your duties have been very ill done; perhaps not done at all. By conducting your affairs with method and order you will be enabled to give to each duty a becoming share of attention. This regard to order will likewise insure you an interior peace of mind and constant cheerfulness of temper; for you will find that a peevish and fretful disposition is ever the characteristic of such as are negligent of it. The hurry and confusion in which they live, the difficulties they have to struggle with for their dispositions. But if order must be maintained in your affairs, it will be necessary that you attend to order in the distribution of your time. 2. That portion of time which Providence hath allotted for the measure of your life is intended partly for the concerns of this world, partly for those of the next; yet so that the interests of the earth be made ever subordinate to those of eternity. In the distribution of your time give to each of these concerns that space which properly belongs to it. Be ever impressed with a just sense of the value of time. Remember that by a fatal neglect and loss of it, you store up for yourselves many future pains and miseries. 3. Introduce order into the management of your fortune. Whatever be the extent of your possessions, whether great or small, let the administration of them proceed with method and economy. Provide what is necessary before you indulge yourselves in anything superfluous. Never, perhaps, was admonition more necessary than this is to the age in which we live; an age manifestly distinguished by a propensity to thoughtless extravagance. But prodigality does not only sink men to contempt and misery; it frequently impels them to open crimes. When they have begun with ostentation and vanity they often end in infamy and guilt. Be assured, then, that order, frugality, and economy are the necessary supports of Christian virtue, and will deliver you from the assaults of many very dangerous temptations. How humble and trifling soever these qualities may appear to some people, they are the guardians of innocence. 4. Observe order in your amusements; that is, allow them no more than their proper place; study to keep them within due bounds; mingle them so prudently with your serious duties that they may relieve the mind and be a preparation for acting with more vigour in the discharge of your obligations. 5. Preserve order likewise in the choice of your society. Select with prudence those with whom you choose to associate, and let virtue be the object which determines your choice. Endeavour in the first place to make yourselves happy at home. By this fondness for home it is past conception how much evil you may avoid. (J. Archer.). Parallel Verses KJV: Let all things be done decently and in order. |
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