ill. Told me that he was conscious that his feelings and conduct had

not been towards me what they ought to have been for years. I told him that whenever there was a quarrel there were sure to be faults on both sides, and that there must be no question as to the more or less, but the forgiveness must be mutual. I kissed his hand, and we wept and prayed together. O God, have mercy on him and me for Jesu's sake! I have had a taste of heaven where part of our joy will surely consist in our reconciliations.

+Lessons.+--1. _Religion governs the whole man._ 2. _True religion is intensely practical._ 3. _Religion gives a nameless charm to the commonest duties._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 25. _Truth between Man and Man._

+I. The duty of veracity here recommended.+--1. Truth is to be observed in common conversation. People have more special need, in some respects, to be admonished of their obligations inviolably to maintain truth here; for many are more ready to allow themselves to transgress in what they account trivial instances than upon solemn occasions; and yet by such beginnings way is made for the disregard of truth, in the most considerable matters, in process of time. 2. Truth should be maintained in bearing testimony. A conscientious regard to truth will engage us to be very careful that we spread nothing to the lessening or reproach of our neighbour of which we have not good assurance; that we publish not a defamation upon hearsay, nor take up, without sufficient grounds, "a report against our neighbour." If we are called to give public testimony between man and man, a sincere respect to truth will engage us to a careful recollection, before we give our testimony, as to what we can say upon the matter. It will dispose to lay aside affection on one hand and prejudice on the other, and impartially to relate the true state of things as far as we can bear witness to them, nakedly to represent facts as they have come within our notice. 3. Truth must be exercised in our promises and engagements, and veracity requires two things in relation to them: (1) That we really intend to perform them when they are made; (2) That we are careful of performance after they are made.

+II. The reason the apostle gives for the inviolable maintenance of truth: because we are members one of another.+--1. This argument is applicable to mankind in general. We are members one of another, as we partake of the same human nature, and in that respect are upon a level. We are members of society in common, entitled to the same rights, claims, and expectations one from another as men, and are mutually helpful and subservient as the members of the body are to each other; and the principal link that holds us together is mutual confidence, founded upon the hope of common fidelity. Now, lying makes void and useless the great instrument of society, the faculty of speech or writing. The power of speech was given us by our Creator, and the art of writing, since found out, on purpose that we might be able so to convey our sense to others, that they may discern it, where we pretend to express it, just as if they were so far privy to what passed in our minds. And unless truth be inviolably observed in everything, the bonds of human society cannot fail to be weakened. 2. This argument may be particularly applicable to Christians. We are members one of another in a more distinguishing sense, as we belong to the body of Christ. And this lays additional engagements upon all the visible members of that body to put away lying and to speak the truth one to the other,--in conformity to the common Father, to whom we belong, who is eminently styled "a God of truth"; in conformity to our head the Lord Jesus, there should be a strict observation of truth among Christians; in conformity to the Spirit that animates us, who is eminently described by this attribute, "the Spirit of truth."

+Inferences.+--1. This is one remarkable evidence how much Christianity is calculated for the benefit of mankind and the good of society at present, as well as for our everlasting welfare, in that it so strictly enjoins and enforces the exacted regard of truth. 2. We see thence upon how good reason the Christian religion strictly forbids common swearing. 3. All that name the name of Christ are concerned to see that they comply with the exhortation. 4. Christians should do all they can to promote truth among others, both for the honour of God, and the spiritual and eternal good of their neighbours, and the general interest of society.--_Jeremiah Seed._

_The Sin of Falsehood._

+I. There are cases in which one may speak that which is not true and yet not be chargeable with lying, for he may have no intention to deceive.+

+II. The grossest kind of lying, or speaking a known falsehood under the awful solemnity of an oath.+--Men violate truth when they affix to words an arbitrary meaning or make in their own minds certain secret reservations with a design to disguise facts and deceive the hearers. When we express doubtful matters in terms and with an air of assurance, we may materially injure as well as grossly deceive our neighbour. Men are guilty of malicious falsehood when they repeat with romantic additions and fictitious embellishments the stories they have heard of a neighbour that they may excite against him severer ridicule or cast on his character a darker stain. Men may utter a falsehood by the tone of their voice, while their words are literally true.

+III. We are bound to speak truth in our common and familiar conversation.+--We must speak truth in our commerce with one another. In giving public testimony we must be careful to say nothing but truth, and conceal no part of the truth. We must adhere to truth when we speak of men's actions or characters. We must observe truth in our promises.

+IV. A regard to truth is a necessary part of the Christian character.+--Deceitfulness is contrary, not only to the express commands of the Gospel, but to the dictates of natural conscience.

+V. The argument the apostle urges for the maintenance of truth.+--"We are members one of another." As men we are members one of another. As Christians we are children of the same God, the God of truth; we are disciples of the same Lord, the faithful and true Witness. If we walk in guile and deceit, if we practise vile arts of dishonesty, we contradict our human and our Christian character. We see the danger of profane language, as it leads to the grossest kind of falsehood, even to perjury in public testimony. We see how dangerous it is to practise those diversions which are attended with temptations to fraud.--_Lathrop._

_College Life._ "For we are members one of another."

+I. It is for us who govern and teach to remember how great is our responsibility in those respects.+--We are not merely instructors but educators of youth. The question of what books we use or what vehicles of teaching we employ sinks into insignificance compared with the question what end it is we design in our teaching. Are we prepared to abdicate our higher functions of educators and to sink down to the lower one of teachers? Must we not, if we are are true to our calling, strive to instil into you that manliness which springs from the fear of God, that truthfulness which is seen in the frank look and unshrinking eye, that obedience which is rendered in no spirit of servility as unto the Lord and not as unto men, that self-mastery which is the foundation of all wisdom and all power? If the soul is of more value than the body, if the life to come is of more importance than the life that now is, if the knowledge of God and His Christ is infinitely more precious than all the knowledge of this world and all the distinction to which it leads--then there can be no question that education is infinitely before instruction, that principles are higher than knowledge, that knowledge is only of value in proportion as it is pervaded and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. But precept without example is powerless. A man whose life is pure and high may not open his lips, yet his very silence shall be eloquent for God. Day by day a virtue is going out of him; day by day he is giving strength to one who is wrestling with doubt or temptation; day by day he is a beacon to those who are tossed on the waves of irresolution and uncertainty. The teacher, if he is to produce a powerful moral effect, if he is to mould character, if he is to leave an impress upon the minds and hearts of those whom he teaches, must be what he teaches, must live what he inculcates.

+II. And now I would place before you your duties.+--1. Keep distinctly before you the end and aim of your coming here--the ministry of Christ's Church. 2. You are members of a community. You are all united to one another. You have all common pursuits, common ends, common interests. You may all help greatly to make or to mar the lives and characters of those with whom you are in such constant and daily intercourse. Let this consideration have its full weight with you. Be but true to yourselves, and to the God who has called you to the knowledge of Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, and by you this college shall grow and prosper. If principles and aims such as those I have endeavoured to indicate prevail in a college, there will be a real and substantial harmony between those who govern and those who are governed. Let us strive one and all, teachers and taught, to make this our college a college of which none can be ashamed.--_J. J. Stewart Perowne (preached on the forty-sixth anniversary of St. David's College, Lampeter)._

Vers. 26, 27. _Sinful Anger._

+I. These words are not an injunction to be angry, but a caution not to sin when we are angry.+--As there is in our nature a principle of resentment against injury, so there is in us a virtuous temper, a holy displeasure against moral evil.

+II. Anger is sinful when it rises without cause.+--Rash anger is sinful. Anger is sinful when it breaks out into indecent, reviling, and reproachful language; when it promotes to designs or acts of revenge; when it settles into malice.

+III. Neither give place to the devil.+--See that you subdue your lusts and rule your spirits. Arm yourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Take time to consider whether any motive suggested in favour of sin is so powerful as the arguments the Scriptures offer against it. Our greatest danger is from ourselves.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 26. _Anger and Meekness._

+I. In what cases our anger may be innocently indulged.+--1. On the approach of any injurious aggressor threatening our destruction, or using any act of violence that may endanger our safety. 2. How far soever the harsh gratings of anger may seem to be removed from the soft motions of benevolence, yet these sometimes, as oil does to steel, give an edge to our resentment; where it will be found not only innocent and excusable, but even commendable and generous. As in the natural system of the world there are some repelling qualities, which yet must conspire to aid the grand power of attraction; so even those passions which, considered in a simple view, have but an unfriendly and unsociable aspect, are yet, in their general comprehension, aiding and assisting to preserve inviolable the bonds of the great community. 3. Our anger is apt to kindle at the apprehension of a slight or an affront, a contempt or reproach thrown upon us; on which occasions, if the apprehension be well grounded, our resentment, to a certain degree, must be allowed to be excusable, and so not sinful. Our tameness in these instances would be construed into stupidity, and be treated as such by the pert and petulant. 4. We may not only be angry without sinning in the instances alleged, as we sometimes may sin in not being angry. God, who designed human society, designed the good of it; and that good to be promoted by every individual to the utmost of his power. Hereby there is tacitly committed to every man a kind of trust and guardianship of virtue whose rights he is obliged to support and maintain in proportion to his abilities; not only by example, by advice and exhortation, but even by reproof and resentment, suitable to the circumstances of the offender and the offence.

+II. When our anger becomes intemperate and unlawful.+--1. When it breaks out into outrageous actions; for then, like a boisterous wind, it quite puts out that light which should guide our feet in the way of peace; it dethrones our reason, and suspends its exercise. An extravagance of this kind is the more dangerous, and therefore the more sinful, because, though the impulse of passion should meet with no opposition to inflame it--which, however, is generally the case--yet, when it has worked the blood into so violent a ferment, it is apt of itself to redouble its force. And no one can tell what fury, wound up to the highest pitch, may produce. 2. Anger becomes unlawful when it vents itself in unseemly and reviling language. It were to be wished that those who have such a peculiar delicacy of feeling when they are affronted would abstain from all appearance of an affrontive and disrespectful behaviour to others; that they who are so quick to receive would be as slow to give an affront. On the contrary it often happens that they only feel for themselves; they are not the least sensible of the indignities offered to others. How frequently do those who are highly enraged pass a general and undistinguishing censure upon a man's character? 3. We are not always to judge of the sinfulness of anger from the open and undignified appearance of it, either in our words or actions; it may be concealed and treasured up in our thoughts, and yet retain as much malignity as when it immediately breaks out and discovers itself in contumelious language or acts of violence. For by brooding in the mind it becomes the parent of a very untoward issue, malice, and hatred. Malice is a cool and deliberate resentment; but sometimes more keen and malevolent than that which is rash and precipitate. It is like a massive stone, slowly raised, but threatening the greater danger to him on whom it shall fall. Anger is yet sinful when encouraged in our thoughts to the degree of hatred.

+III. Consider its opposite virtue, meekness.+--Meekness, is, as Aristotle long ago defined it, a due mean between tameness and stupidity on the one hand, and rage and fury on the other. It is not absolute freedom from passion, but such a command over it as to prevent our being transported beyond the bounds of humanity and good sense. It is this virtue which, if it does not give a man such a glaring and shining figure as some other good qualities, yet constitutes the most lovely, beautiful, and agreeable character, and gains unenvied praise. 1. A meek man will have sense enough to know when he is injured, and spirit enough to resent it; but then he will consider whether he can do more good by openly resenting the offence and punishing the offender than by overlooking it and passing it by. 2. A man of meek temper will distinguish between a man's general standing sentiments when he is perfectly calm and undisturbed and his occasional sentiments when his spirits are ruffled and overheated. 3. A meek man will never be angry with a person for telling him what he imagines to be a fault in him, provided it be done in a private manner, and the advice be conveyed in the most palatable vehicle. 4. A man of a meek spirit is glad to be reconciled to the person who has offended or injured him, and therefore is ready to hearken to all overtures of accommodation. A meek man will show such an inclination and readiness to forgive the offences of others as if he had perpetual need of the same indulgence, but will so carefully avoid giving the least offence as if it might be thought he would forgive nobody.

+Lessons.+--1. Let us endeavour to acquire a greatness of mind: by this I do not mean arrogance, for that bespeaks a little mind--a mind that can reflect on nothing within itself that looks great except arrogance; but a true greatness of mind arises from a true judgment of things, and a noble ascendency of the soul inclining us to act above what is barely our duty. It is rising to the sublime in virtue. This will create a reverence for ourselves, and will set us as far above the mean gratification of giving any real occasion of passion to others, as of being susceptible of it when an occasion may be given to us. 2. One of the ancients said that he had gained one advantage from philosophy: that it had brought him to wonder at nothing. But it looks as if we, the generality of us, were strangers in the world; we are ever expressing our surprise and wonder at everything; and thus surprise prepares the way for passion. We wonder that we should meet with such a behaviour, such a treatment, such an affront; whereas the greatest wonder is that we should wonder at it. 3. Nothing can have so prevalent a power to still all the undue agitations of passion so apt to arise from the various connections we have with the prejudices and passions of others, nothing so fit to induce a smooth and easy flow of temper, as a frequent application to the throne of grace, to beseech Him, who is the God of Peace, that His peace may rule in our heats, that it may be the fixed and predominant principle there.--_Jeremiah Seed._

Ver. 28. _A Warning against Theft._

+I. Here is a general prohibition of theft.+--This supposes distinct rights and separate properties. Stealing is taking and carrying away another's goods in a secret manner and without his consent. The prohibition relates to every unfair, indirect, dishonest way by which one may transfer to himself the property of another.

+II. This prohibition of theft is a virtual injunction of labour.+--If a man may not live at the expense of others, he must live at his own; and if he has not the means of subsistence, he must labour to acquire them. No man has a right to live on charity so long as he can live by labour. The obligation to labour is not confined to the poor; it extends to all according to their several capacities.

+III. Every man must choose for himself an honest calling, and must work that which is good.+--A work in which a man makes gain by the expense and enriches himself by the loss of others is theft embellished and refined. Gaming, when it is used as an art to get money, is criminal, because it is unprofitable, and what one gains by it another must lose.

+IV. In all our labours we should have regard to the good of others.+--The man who is poor should aim to mend his circumstances and to provide not only for his immediate support but for his future necessities. The condition which subjects us to labour does not exempt us from obligations to beneficence. We must confine ourselves within our own proper sphere, for here we can do more good than elsewhere. In all our works, secular or spiritual, charity must direct us. Love is an essential principle in religion, and as essential in one man as another.--_Lathrop._

_St. Paul's Exaltation of Labour._

+I. St. Paul often recurs to the plain and quiet work of humble life.+--He enforces not only the duty of it, but how high the duty ranks; and if it is well done, how it raises those who do it. Having worked with his own hands, he appreciated the sterling test of honest attention to work. He knew what temptations there were to relax and to give in to the sense of tediousness day by day and hour by hour. St. Paul, who honours the industry of a slave, will not allow it to be dishonoured by the slave himself thinking himself superior to it, and discourages all high flights which set him at enmity with his work and draw him away from the sterling Christian yoke of humble labour to which he has been called in God's providence.

II. At the same time the apostle +does not honour all industry;+ far from it. He always reprobates the covetous, money-getting spirit. He admires industry, but it must be industry which is consecrated by the motive; and the motive which he requires for it is that of duty--when a man fulfils in the fear of God the task which is allotted to him. Men form their religious standard by two distinct tests: one the law of conscience and obedience to God, the other what is striking to man. St. Paul's standard is seen in his sympathy with the work of the ruler of a household, with the work of a father or mother of a family, the work of hospitality and attention to strangers, the work of common trades and callings, the work even of the slave in doing his assigned daily tasks.

III. We see the spirit of this great apostle--how +it embraced the whole appointed lot of man,+ from his highest to his most humble field of employment. He rejected nothing as mean or low that came by God's appointment; all was good, all was excellent, all was appropriate that He had commanded. The heathen valued all labour by which men became eloquent or became able soldiers or statesmen; but they had not the slightest respect for the ordinary work of mankind. They thought this world made for the rich. How different is St. Paul's view! No work allotted to man is servile work in his eyes, because he has an insight into what faithful labour is--what strength of conscience it requires, what resistance to temptations and snares it demands. The Word of God consecrates the ordinary work of man--it converts it into every one's trial, and as his special trial his special access to a reward also.--_J. B. Mozley._

Ver. 29. _The Government of the Tongue._

I. The apostle +cautions us against all loose and licentious language.+

+II. Enticing language is forbidden.+

+III. Corrupt communication includes all kinds of vain discourse;+ all such language as offends Christian sobriety, seriousness, and gravity, savours of profaneness and impiety, or borders on obscenity and lewdness.

+IV. Instruction is useful to edifying.+

+V. Reproof conducted with prudence is useful to edifying.+

+VI. Exhortation is good for the use of edifying.+

+VII. Christians may edify one another by communicating things they have experienced in the course of the religious life.+

+VIII. Conversing on religious subjects in general is good for the use of edifying.+--_Lathrop._

Ver. 30. _The Benefit conferred by the Spirit on Believers._

+I. That believers are sealed by the Spirit implies that they are recognised and set apart and in a peculiar sense the Divine property.+--1. A seal is often a distinguishing mark or token by which a claim to property may be shown and established (Rev. iii. 2, 3). 2. That believers are thus sealed proves that they are His in a peculiar manner. 3. The sense in which they are His is clearly brought out (1 Cor. iii. 23). They are Christ's by gift, by purchase, by conquest, by surrender. Christ is God's, and His people in Him. 4. They who are sealed are thus a peculiar people, separated to God's worship, service, and glory. 5. Have you recognised practically that you are God's?

+II. That believers are sealed implies that attempts will be made to alienate them from God's possession.+--1. A mark or token is affixed to that which is in danger of being taken away. 2. We are distinctly taught that believers are exposed to efforts to separate them from God (John x. 7-10, 27-29). 3. The activity of the wicked one seems in a great measure directed to this point. 4. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints does not lead him to indolence. 5. Your safety is not merely to get into the place of safety, but to continue there.

+III. That believers are sealed implies that they have received the impress of the Divine image.+--1. The sealing is the work of the Spirit, whose office it is to regenerate and sanctify. 2. The seal is that which distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever, and the true distinguishing mark is regeneration. 3. We therefore conclude that the seal has engraven on it the image of God, which it leaves. 4. The confidence of no one should outrun his sanctification. 5. Can you discern the outline of the image? There are counterfeits.

+IV. That believers are sealed implies that, though associated and mixed up with others, they are not confounded with them.+--1. A distinguishing mark is necessary when things which are again to be separated and classified are mingled with each other. 2. The seal leads to recognition. Hence the believer is known by himself, fellow-believers, the world, the devil, angels, Christ, the Father. 3. This recognition takes place in time, at the judgment, in eternity.

+V. That believers are sealed implies that God will visit the earth with distinguishing judgments.+--In proof and illustration (Exek. ix.; Rev. vii., ix.). The Passover. The destruction of Jerusalem. Now. The judgment day. Are you prepared for such a season?

+VI. That believers are sealed implies that they are in a state of reservation.+--A seal is a pledge, a signature. An engagement presently fulfilled needs no pledge.--_Stewart._

_The Office of the Holy Spirit and the Danger of grieving Him._

+I. His office is to seal us unto the day of redemption.+--That day in which the people of God will be put into complete possession of the blessings purchased for them by Christ. To seal us to this day is to prepare us and to set us apart from it, to fix such a mark on us as in that day shall distinguish us from others and make it fully appear to whom we belong. When a man sets his seal to a paper, he thereby declares his approbation of it and acknowledges it to be his own deed. Those who bear the seal of the Spirit will be approved by Christ and acknowledged for His own in the day of resurrection. A seal stamps its own image on the wax. The Spirit stamps on the soul the image of Himself. This seal is said to be the earnest of our inheritance. An earnest is a pledge of something to be bestowed and enjoyed hereafter--a part of it is already bestowed to assure us that in due time we shall receive the whole.

+II. He is not to be grieved.+--1. Beware of doing anything which your conscience, enlightened by the Word of God, forbids you to do. 2. Beware of running into temptation. 3. Beware of indulging fleshly lusts. 4. Beware of practising deceit and falsehood. 5. Beware of profaning the Lord's Day. 6. Beware of cherishing evil and malignant tempers.--_E. Cooper._

_On Grieving the Holy Spirit._

+I. Our duty is to render to the Holy Spirit cheerful and universal obedience.+

+II. The Spirit is the great Sanctifier.+

+III. We must co-operate diligently in the production of the fruits of the Spirit.+

+IV. Our danger is in quenching the Spirit.+--Our light grows dim, and we gradually adopt evil habits. We neither see nor heed spiritual dangers. Religious sensibilities are blunted. How far any of us have gone in resisting the Spirit God alone knows. Many who resist great light and strong impressions seem never to feel again.--_Olin._

_Grieving the Spirit._

+I. Indifference and carelessness in religion+ is opposition to the grace of God.

+II. Spiritual pride+ grieves the Divine Spirit.

III. The Spirit is grieved +when we neglect the means appointed for obtaining His influence.+

+IV. Opposition+ to the strivings of the Spirit is another way in which He is often grieved.

V. There are +particular sins+ which are opposite to the work of the Spirit. Impurity, intemperance, dissipation, and all the vices of sensuality. The indulgence of malignant passions grieves the Spirit. Contentions among Christians are opposite to the Spirit. Men grieve the Spirit when they ascribe to Him those motions and actions which are contrary to His nature. If they blindly follow every impulse of a heated imagination, every suggestion of the common deceiver, every motion of their own vanity and pride, they profane and blaspheme His sacred name.--_Lathrop._

_Grieve not the Spirit._--But wherewith can we so grieve Him? Alas! that one must rather ask, "Wherein may he not?" I fear that one of the things which will most amaze us when we open our eyes upon eternity will be the multitude of our own rudenesses to Divine grace, that is, to God the Holy Ghost whose motions grace is. Oh, let not that His seal upon you, the gift of His Spirit, mark you as a deserter! O Holy Creator Spirit, come down once more into our souls in Thine own thrilling fire of life and light and heat, kindling our senses with Thy light, our hearts with Thy love! wash away our stains, bedew our dryness, heal our wounds, bend our stubbornness, guide our wanderings, that Thou, being the inmate of our hearts, the instructor of our reason, the strength of our will, we may see by Thy light whom as yet we see not and know Him who passeth knowledge, and through God may love God now as wayfarers, and, in the day of perfect redemption, in the beatific vision of our God!--_E. B. Pusey._

_The Sealing of the Spirit._--1. The seal is used in conveying and assuring to any person a title to his estate, in delivering which a part is put into the hands of the new proprietor. We are sealed as an assurance of our title to our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. 2. In sealing any person, the contra-part of the seal is impressed on that which is sealed. We are thus sealed by the Spirit, stamped with the image of God. 3. Sealing is used for preservation. It is by this we are to be preserved until that day. By grieving the Spirit we break this seal.--_E. Hare._

Vers. 31, 32. _Vices to be renounced and Virtues to be cherished._

+I. Put away all bitterness.+--All such passions, behaviour, and language as are disgusting and offensive to others, wound their tender feelings, and embitter their spirits. No temper is more inconsistent with the felicity of social life than peevishness.

+II. Put away wrath and anger.+--The former signifies heat of temper, the latter this heat wrought into a flame. Though anger, as a sense and feeling of the wrongs done us, is innocent and natural, all the irregular and excessive operations of it are sinful and dangerous.

+III. Put away all malice.+--This is a degree of passion beyond simple anger. It is a fixed, settled hatred, accompanied with a disposition to revenge. It is anger resting in the bosom and studying to do mischief. Malice is a temper which every one condemns in others, but few discern in themselves.

+IV. Put away all clamour and evil speaking.+--Clamour is noisy, complaining, and contentious language in opposition to that which is soft, gentle, and courteous. Never believe, much less propagate, an ill report of your neighbour without good evidence of its truth. Never speak ill of a man when your speaking may probably do much hurt, but cannot possibly do any good.

+V. Christians are to be kind one to another.+--Such kindness as renders us useful. Kindness wishes well to all men, prays for their happiness, and studies to promote their interest. It will reprove vice and lend its aid to promote knowledge and virtue.

+VI. Christians should be tenderhearted.+--They should not be guided by a blind, instinctive pity; but by habitual goodness of heart, cultivated with reason, improved by religion, and operating with discretion. While they commiserate all who appear to be in affliction, they should regard among them the difference of characters and circumstances.

+VII. We are to forgive one another.+--Forgiveness does not oblige us tamely to submit to every insult and silently bear every injury. To those who have injured us we should maintain goodwill and exercise forbearance. God's forgiveness of our sins is urged as a motive to mutual forgiveness. "Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." He who forgives not an offending brother will not be forgiven of his heavenly Father.--_Lathrop._

_Malice incompatible with the Christian Character._

I. +That we may be convinced of the hatefulness of a malignant temper look to the source whence it proceeds.+--From the bitterness of the fountain we may judge of the character of the water which it sends forth. From the corruptness of the tree we may estimate the character of the fruit. The author of malice is the devil.

II. Let us after the same manner +proceed to appreciate the loveliness of the opposite quality,+ the quality of mercy and lovingkindness, by a reference to its Author. Malice is gratified by murder. In God we live and move and have our being. Malice is envious. God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Malice is false and calumnious. God sent His Son into the world to give light to them that sit in darkness. Malice is resentful and vindictive, impatient of offence, and intemperate in requiring satisfaction. God is love.

III. Let us turn for a +further motive to the character and conduct of the Son of God.+--He has given us an example of the most profound humility, a temper in which malice has no portion, and which cannot exist independently of lovingkindness and tenderness of heart.

IV. +To the example of our blessed Redeemer let us add His commandments; and there arises another forcible motive to put away all malice and to be kind one to another.+--"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another."

V. +If we would avoid a malicious and cultivate a charitable temper, we must renounce the devil and all his works.+--We must triumph over those passions which he plants and propagates in the heart of man.--_R. Mant._

Ver. 32. _Errors respecting Forgiveness of Sin._

+I. That forgiveness of sin is unnecessary.+--Every sin is punished on the spot. This natural punishment is felt as long as the sin is indulged, and it ceases as soon as the sin is abandoned. This error may be exposed by a reference to the philosophy of human nature, to experience, and to Scripture.

+II. That forgiveness of sin is impossible.+--The consequences of every sin stretch out into infinity, and they cannot be annihilated without a supernatural interposition; but it would derogate from the supremacy of law to allow that a miracle is possible. The possibility of miracle is contrary neither to intuition nor to experience. A supernatural Being is the Author of a supernatural system: creation, incarnation, the Bible, spiritual influence.

+III. That forgiveness of sin might be dispensed without an atonement.+--"If a man suffer insult or injury from his fellow-man, he ought to forgive him freely; why should not God?" Because He is God, and not man. He is the moral Governor of the universe, and must consult for the majesty of His law and the interests of His responsible creatures. Forgiveness without atonement would not satisfy the conscience of the awakened sinner.

+IV. That forgiveness of sin will not be bestowed till the day of judgment.+--Pardon through Christ is immediate. It is enjoyed as soon as we believe.

+V. That forgiveness of sin as freely offered in the Gospel is inimical to morality.+--"Pay a workman before he begins his work, and he will be indolent; pay him when he has finished his work, and he will be diligent." Not if he were an honest man, and no one is forgiven who is not sanctified. A sense of unpardoned guilt is the greatest hindrance to obedience. A sense of redeeming love the most powerful incentive.--_G. Brooks._

_Christian Forgiveness._

I. +The reality of forgiveness, or the grace of a forgiving spirit in us, lies not so much in our ability to let go or to be persuaded to let go the remembrance of our injuries, as in what we are able to do,+ what volunteer sacrifices to make, what painstaking to undergo, that we may get our adversary softened to want or gently accept our forgiveness.

II. In all that you distinguish of a nobler and Diviner life, in Christ's bearing of His enemies and their sins, He is simply showing +what belongs in righteousness to every moral nature from the uncreated Lord down to the humblest created intelligence.+ Forgiveness, this same Christly forgiveness, belongs to all--to you, to me, to every lowest mortal that bears God's image.

III. +Christ wants you to be with Him in His own forgiveness.+ He wants such a feeling struggling in your bosom that you cannot bear to have an adversary, cannot rest from your prayers and sacrifices and the lifelong suit of your concern, till you have gained him away from his wrong and brought him into peace. This in fact _is_ salvation: to be with Christ in all the travail of His forgiveness. As Christ was simply fulfilling the right in His blessed ways of forgiveness, so we may conceive that He is simply fulfilling the eternal love. For what is right coincides with love, and love with what is right.

IV. When a true Christian goes after his adversary in such a temper as he ought--tender, assiduous, proving himself in his love by the most faithful sacrifices--+he is not like to stay by his enmity long.+ As the heat of a warm day will make even a wilful man take off his overcoat, so the silent melting of forgiveness at the heart will compel it, even before it is aware, to let the grudges go. A really good man may have enemies all his life long, even as Christ had, and the real blame may be chargeable not against him, but against them.

V. +Have then Christian brethren under Christ's own Gospel nothing better left than to take themselves out of sight of each other just to get rid of forgiveness,+ going to carry the rankling with them, live in the bitterness, die in the grudges of their untamable passion? What is our Gospel but a reconciling power even for sin itself, and what is it good for, if it cannot reconcile? No, there is a better way. Christ laid it on them by His own dear passion when He gave Himself for them, by His bloody sweat, His pierced hands, and open side, to go about the matter of forgiving one another even as He went about forgiving them.--_Bushnell._

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER V.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Followers of God.+--R.V. _imitators._ St. Paul gathers up all duties into one expression, "imitation of God," and urges them on his readers by a reminder of their high birth laying them under obligation, and rendering their copying easier.

Ver. 2. +Walk in love.+--"Love must fulfil all righteousness; it must suffer law to mark out its path of obedience, or it remans an effusive, ineffectual sentiment, helpless to bless and save."

Ver. 3. +Let it not be once named.+--After the things themselves are dead let their names never be heard.

Ver. 4. +Nor jesting.+--"Chastened insolence," as Aristotle's description of it has been happily rendered. "Graceless grace" [of style], as Chrysostom called it. It is the oozing out of the essential badness of a man for whom polish and a versatile nature have done all they can.

Vers. 5, 6. +Because of these things cometh the wrath of God, etc.+--Look down beneath the pleasing manners to the nature. If such terms as are used in ver. 5 describe the man, he is simply one of Disobedience's children, and all his versatility will not avert the descending wrath of God.

Ver. 7. +Be not ye therefore partakers with them.+--Do not wish to share the frivolity and impiety of their life, as you would shun the wrath that inevitably awaits it. How could they so partake and continue to be what ch. iii. 6 calls them?

Ver. 8. +Ye were . . . ye are . . . be.+--The lesson must be learnt, and therefore reiteration is necessary.

Ver. 9. +For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.+--Neither here nor at Gal. v. 22 does St. Paul intend a complete list of the fruits of the Spirit. St. John's tree of life bore "_twelve_ manner of fruits" (Rev. xxii. 2). All Christian morality lies in the good, the right, and the true.

Ver 10. +Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.+--Each is to be an assayer--rejecting all base alloys. Nothing must be accepted because it looks like an angel of light--"the spirits" must be put to the proof (1 John iv. 1).

Ver. 11. +Rather reprove them.+--It may be with a voice as firm as the Baptist's; it may be by gentle and yet unflinching "showing up" of certain proceedings (cf. St. John iii. 20). "This chastening reproof is an _oral_ one," says Meyer.

Ver. 12. +It is a shame even to speak of.+--Though the only sign of their shame having touched them is that they seek the cover of secrecy, and our own cheeks burn _as we speak_ of what _they do,_ we must convict.

Ver. 13. +Made manifest by the light.+--Whatever the light falls upon is no longer of the darkness, but belongs to the light. Shame is one of the influences by which the light conquers a soul from darkness.

Ver. 14. +Wherefore He saith.+--What follows is "a free paraphrase from the Old Testament formed by weaving together Messianic passages--belonging to such a hymn as might be sung at baptisms in the Pauline Churches" (_Findlay_). The thought is that of the change from darkness to light--a change produced by the opening of the eyes to the light shining in the face of Jesus Christ.

Ver. 15. +See then that ye walk circumspectly.+--R.V. "Look then carefully how ye walk." The way of life must be one of exactitude; and that it may be so the steps must not be haphazard, but carefully taken.

Ver. 16. +Redeeming the time.+--R.V. margin, "buying up the opportunity." Seizing the crucial moment as eagerly as men bid for a desirable article at an auction sale. +Because the days are evil.+--A man in Paul's circumstances and with his consuming earnestness of spirit may be forgiven if he does not see everything rose-coloured.

Ver. 18. +Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.+--The word for "excess" is found again in Tit. i. 6 as "riot," and in 1 Pet. iv. 4. In all three texts the warning against intoxication is near the word. In Luke xv. 13 we have the adverbial form--"riotously."

Ver. 19. +Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.+--When the spirit is elevated so that ordinary prose conversation is inadequate to express the feelings let it find vent in sacred music. St. James's advice to the "merry" heart is, "Sing psalms" (James v. 13). The "psalm" is properly a song with accompaniment of a stringed instrument; "a 'hymn' must always be more or less of a _Magnificat,_ a direct address of praise and glory to God." "Spiritual songs" were "such as were composed by spiritual men and moved in the sphere of spiritual things" (_Trench_). No spiritual excitement, however highly wrought, can be injurious that flows between the banks of thanksgiving and mutual submission in the fear of God.

Ver. 20. +Giving thanks always for all things.+--If one who speaks as a philosopher merely can praise the "sweet uses of adversity" and discern the "soul of goodness in things evil," how much more should one believing Rom. viii. 28!

Ver. 21. +Submitting yourselves one to another.+--In another Church the endeavour to take precedence of each other had produced what a stranger might have taken for a madhouse (1 Cor. xiv. 23). St. Paul's word for "submitting" means "ranging yourselves beneath," and finds its illustration in the Lord's words, "Go and sit down in the lowest place" (Luke xiv. 10).

Ver. 22. +Submit yourselves.+--Same word as in previous verse; neither here nor there does it involve any loss of self-respect. The wife's tribute to her husband's worth is submission--the grace of childhood to _both parents_ equally is obedience.

Ver. 23. +Christ is the head of the Church.+--Defending her at His own peril ("If ye seek Me, let these go their way," John xviii. 8); serving her in utmost forgetfulness of self ("I am amongst you as he that serveth," Luke xxii. 27); "Giving Himself up for her," (ver. 25).

Ver. 25. +Husbands, love your wives.+--This will prevent the submission of the wife from ever becoming degrading--as submission to a tyrant must be.

Ver. 26. +That He might sanctify and cleanse.+--There is no "and" between "sanctify" and "cleanse" in what St. Paul wrote. "Sanctify it, having cleansed it" (R.V.). "I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified" (John xvii. 19).

Ver. 27. +Spot or wrinkle.+--"Spot," a visible blemish, used in the plural, figuratively, in 2 Pet. ii. 13, of men who disfigure Christian assemblies. "Wrinkle"--"a wrinkled bride" is an incongruity, just as the mourning which produces wrinkles is out of place in the bridechamber (Matt. ix. 15).

Ver. 28. +As their own bodies.+--Not "as _they love_ their own bodies" merely, but "as _being_ their own." See ver. 31, "one flesh."

Ver. 31. +For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife.+--We must regard these words, not as a continuation of Adam's in Gen. ii. 23, but as the words of the narrator, who regards what our first father said as a mystical hint of the origin of marriage.

Ver. 32. +This is a great mystery.+--The meaning of which is known only to the initiated. Something having a significance beyond what appears on the surface. +But I speak.+--The "I" is emphatic: "_I_ give _my_ interpretation." _My_ chief interest in this mystery is as it relates to Christ and to the Church.

Ver. 33. +Nevertheless.+--"I pursue the matter no further"; and though this mystical turn is given to the words, still in actual life let the husband love (ver. 25) and the wife show reverence (ver. 22). Let all the married among you apply the mystery to their own case, so that the husband may love the wife and the wife fear the husband.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses 1, 2.

_The Life of Love_--

+I. Is an imitating of the Divine life.+--"Be followers of God: . . . walk in love" (vers. 1, 2). Though God is infinitely beyond us, and lifted above all heights, we are to aspire towards Him. When we contemplate His glorious perfections we are more deeply conscious of our limitations and sins, bend before Him in lowly awe, and seem to despair of ever being able to approach to anything within ourselves, that can be like Him. Nevertheless God is the pattern of all excellence, and we can attain excellence ourselves only by imitating Him. The ideal character is ever above and beyond the seeker, growing more beautiful, but seeming as distant as ever. The life of God is the life of love--love is the essence of His nature and the crowning glory of all His perfections. The chief way in which He is imitable by us is in that direction: to love God is to be like Him. Our life, in all its impulses, outgoings, and accomplishments, must be suffused and penetrated with love. As the soul opens to the inflow of God's love and is filled with it, it becomes like God. Loving God is allowing God to love us. The love of God is the most transcendent revelation of the Gospel. In Paris, a little girl, seven years old, was observed to read the New Testament continually. Being asked what pleasure she found in doing so, she said, "It makes me wise, and teaches how to love God." She had been reading the history of Martha and Mary. "What is the one thing needful?" asked her friend. "It is the love of God," she earnestly replied.

+II. Is befitting the relation in which the believer is Divinely regarded.+--"Followers of God, as dear children" (ver. 1). God is our Father, and He loves us. That is enough; but how much is implied in that, who can tell? To realise the Divine Fatherhood is to become acquainted with the love of God. When we discover we are dear to Him our hearts melt, our rebellion is conquered, we seek His forgiveness, we revel in His favour, we exult in His service. When we discover He has always loved us we are overwhelmed. A mother, whose daughter had behaved badly and at length ran away from home, thought of a singular plan to find the wanderer and bring her back. She had her own portrait fixed on a large handbill and posted on the walls of the town where she supposed her daughter was concealed. The portrait, without name, had these words painted underneath: "I love thee always." Crowds stopped before the strange handbill, trying to guess its meaning. Days elapsed, when a young girl at last passed by, and lifted her eyes to the singular placard. She understood: this was a message for her. Her mother loved her--pardoned her. Those words transformed her. Never had she felt her sin and ingratitude so deeply. She was unworthy of such love. She set out for home, and crossing the threshold was soon in her mother's arms. "My child!" cried the mother, as she pressed her repentant daughter to her heart, "I have never ceased to love thee!"

+III. Is a love of Christ-like sacrifice.+--"As Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us" (ver. 2). The offering of Christ as a sacrifice for the sins of men was acceptable to God, and came up before Him as a sweet-smelling savour, because it was the offering and sacrifice of love. The life of love is the life of obedience; it is eager to serve, and it shrinks not from suffering. Nothing can be love to God which does not shape itself into obedience. We remember the anecdote of the Roman commander who forbade an engagement with the enemy, and the first transgressor against whose prohibition was his own son. He accepted the challenge of the leader of the other host, met, slew, spoiled him, and then with triumphant feeling carried the spoils to his father's tent. But the Roman father refused to recognise the instinct which prompted this as deserving of the name of love. Disobedience contradicted it and deserved death. Weak sentiment--what was it worth? It was the dictate of ambition and self-will overriding obedience and discipline; it was not love. A self-sacrificing life is prompted, sustained, and ennobled by love. The trials which love cheerfully undergoes in its ministry of love to others and in obedience to the will of God are often transformed into blessings. There is a legend that Nimrod took Abraham and cast him into a furnace of fire because he would not worship idols; but God changed the coals into a bed of roses. So it will ever be. The obedience that leads to the furnace of fire will find in the end that it is a bed of roses. The life of loving sacrifice will issue in eternal blessedness.

+Lessons.+--_The life of love is_--1. _The highest life._ 2. _The happiest life._ 3. _The life most fruitful in usefulness to others._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 1, 2. _St. Paul's Doctrine of Christian Ethics._

+I. The fundamental truth of the Fatherhood of God.+--Man's life has its law, for it has its source in the nature of the Eternal. Behind our race instincts and the laws imposed on us in the long struggle for existence, behind those imperatives of practical reason involved in the structure of our intelligence, is the presence and active will of Almighty God our heavenly Father. Institutional morals bear witness to the God of creation, experimental morals to the God of providence and history. The Divine Fatherhood is the keystone of the arch in which they meet. The command to be imitators of God makes _personality_ the sovereign element in life. If consciousness is a finite and passing phenomenon, if God be but a name for the sum of the impersonal laws that regulate the universe, for the "stream of tendency" in the worlds, _Father_ and _love_ are meaningless terms applied to the Supreme, and religion dissolves into an impalpable mist. Love, thought, will in us raise our being above the realm of the impersonal; and these faculties point us upward to Him from whom they came, the Father of the spirits of all flesh. It is not the loss of strength for human service nor the dying out of joy which unbelief entails that is its chief calamity. The sun in the soul's heaven is put out. The personal relationship to the Supreme which gave dignity and worth to our individual being, which imparted sacredness and enduring power to all other ties, is destroyed. The heart is orphaned, the temple of the Spirit desolate. The mainspring of life is broken.

+II. The solidarity of mankind in Christ+ furnishes the apostle with a powerful lever for raising the ethical standard of his readers. The thought that we are "members one of another" forbids deceit. Self is so merged in the community that in dealing censure or forgiveness to an offending brother the Christian man feels as though he were dealing with himself--as though it were the hand that forgave the foot for tripping, or the ear that pardoned some blunder of the eye. The Christ loved and gave; for love that does not give, that prompts to no effort and puts itself to no sacrifice, is but a luxury of the heart--useless and even selfish. The Church is the centre of humanity. The love born and nourished in the household of faith goes out into the world with a universal mission. The solidarity of moral interests that is realised there embraces all the kindreds of the earth. The incarnation of Christ knits all flesh into one redeemed family. The continents and races of mankind are members one of another, with Jesus Christ for Head.

+III. Another ruling idea lying at the basis of Christian ethics is St. Paul's conception of man's future destiny.+--There is disclosed a world beyond the world, a life growing out of life, an eternal and invisible kingdom of whose possession the Spirit that lives in Christian men is the earnest and firstfruits. Human reason had guessed and hope had dreamed of the soul's immortality. Christianity gives this hope certainty, and adds to it the assurance of the resurrection of the body. Man's entire nature is thus redeemed. Our bodily dress is one with the spirit that it unfolds. We shall lay it aside only to resume it--transfigured, but with a form and impress continuous with its present being.

+IV. The atonement of the cross stamps its own character and spirit on the entire ethics of Christianity.+--The Fatherhood of God, the unity and solidarity of mankind, the issues of eternal life or death awaiting us in the unseen world--all the great factors and fundamentals of revealed religion gather about the cross of Christ; they lend to it their august significance, and gain from it new import and impressiveness. The fact that Christ "gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God" throws an awful light upon the nature of human transgression. All that inspired men had taught, that good men had believed and felt, and penitent men confessed in regard to the evil of human sin, is more than verified by the sacrifice which the Holy One of God has undergone in order to put it away. What tears of contrition, what cleansing fires of hate against our own sins, what scorn of their baseness, what stern resolves against them, are awakened by the sight of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! The sacrifice of Christ demands from us devotion to Christ Himself. Our first duty as Christians is to love Christ, to serve and follow Christ. There is no conflict between the claims of Christ and those of philanthropy, between the needs of His worship and the needs of the destitute and suffering in our streets. Every new subject won to the kingdom of Christ is another helper won for His poor. Every act of love rendered to Him deepens the channel of sympathy by which relief and blessing come to sorrowful humanity.--_Findlay._

_Christ's Sacrifice of Himself explained, and Man's Duty to offer Spiritual Sacrifice inferred and recommended._

+I. Our Lord's unexampled sacrifice.+--1. _The Priest._ As a prophet or an apostle properly is an ambassador from God to treat with men, so a priest is an agent or solicitor in behalf of men to treat with God.

2. _The sacrifice._--Our Lord was both offering and sacrifice. Every sacrifice is an offering to God, but every offering to God is not a sacrifice. Perfect innocence and consummate virtue, both in doing and suffering, were not only the flower and perfection but the very form and essence of our Lord's sacrifice. These were the sacrifice of sweet odour, acceptable to Him who alone could judge perfectly of the infinite worth and merit of it.

3. _The altar._--From the third century to this time the cross whereon our Lord suffered has been called the altar. There is another altar, a spiritual altar--the eternal Spirit, the Divine nature of our Lord. The sacrifice of our Lord is an undoubted Scripture truth; but as to a proper altar for that sacrifice, it is a more disputable point, about which wise and good men may be allowed to judge as they see cause.

4. _The Divine Lawgiver._--To whom the sacrifice was made, and by whom it was graciously accepted. God the Father is Lawgiver-in-chief, and to Him our Lord paid the price of our redemption. Thus the glory of God and the felicity of men are both served in this dispensation.

+II. Our own sacrifice of ourselves.+--As Christ give Himself for us, so we ought to give up ourselves to God in all holy obedience, and particularly in the offices of love towards our brethren, as these are the most acceptable sacrifices we can offer to God. We cannot do greater honour to our Lord's sacrifice than by thus copying it in the best manner we are able--a sacrifice of love to God and love to our neighbours.--_Waterland._

_The Imitation of God._--No argument is so frequently urged as the example of Christ to persuade us to mutual love, because none is so well adapted to influence the mind of a Christian. God's approbation of Christian charity is expressed in the same terms as His acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ; for charity to our fellow-Christians, flowing from a sense of Christ's dying love, is a virtue of distinguished excellence. As the death of Christ is called "a sacrifice for a sweet-smelling savour," so Christian charity is called "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." Let it be our care to follow Christ in His goodness and love, and to learn of Him humility, condescension, mercy, and forgiveness. Religion is an imitation of the moral character of God, brought down to human view and familiarised to human apprehension in the life of Christ. The sacrifice of Christ is of great use, not only as an atonement for guilt, but also as an example of love.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 1, _The Duty and Object of a Christian's Imitation._

+I. The duty enjoined.+--1. Remove the hindrances to imitation. (1) Spiritual pride and self-conceit. (2) This self-conceit works in us a prejudiced opinion, and makes us undervalue and detract from the worth of our brother. (3) Spiritual drowsiness. 2. Observe the rules of imitation. (1) We must not take our pattern upon trust; no, not St. Paul himself. He brings it in indeed as a duty--"Be ye followers of me"; but he adds this direction, "as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. xi. 1). "For in imitation, besides the persons, there is also to be considered," saith Quintilian, "what it is we must imitate in the persons. We must no further follow them than they follow the rules of art." "Some there were," said Seneca, "who imitated nothing but that which was bad in the best." It is so in our Christian profession: we must view, and try, and understand what we are to imitate. We must not make use of all eyes, but of those only which look upon the Lord. (2) That we strive to imitate the best. Saith Pliny: "It is great folly not to propose always the best pattern"; and saith Seneca, "Choose a Cato," a prime, eminent man, by whose authority thy secret thoughts may be more holy, the very memory of whom may compose thy manners; whom not only to see, but to think of, will be a help to the reformation of thy life. Dost thou live with any in whom the good gifts and graces of God are shining and resplendent, who are strict and exact, and so retain the precepts of God in memory that they forget them not in their works? Give men the instructive examples of these good men: let them always be before my eyes; let them be a second rule by which I may correct my life and manners; let me not lose this help, which God hath granted me, of imitation.

+II. The object of imitation.+--We must make God the rule of goodness in all our actions: we must be just, to observe the law; valiant, to keep down our passions; temperate, to conform our wills to the rule of reason; and wise, to our salvation. But there is no virtue which makes us more resemble God than this which the apostle here exhorts the Ephesians to; and that is mercy. For although all virtues are in the highest degree, nay, above all degrees, most perfect in Him; yet, in respect of His creatures, none is so resplendent as mercy. Mercy is the queen and empress of God's virtues; it is the bond and knot which unites heaven and earth, that by which we hold all our titles--our title to be men, out title to the name of Christian, our title to the profession of Christianity, our title to earth, our title to heaven. 1. As God forgiveth us, so we must forgive our enemies. 2. As we must forgive, so God's mercy must be the motive: we must do it "out of a desire to imitate God." 3. We must conform our imitation to the Pattern. He with one act of mercy wipes out all scores; so must we. When He forgives our sins, He is said to cast them behind Him, never to think of them, so to forget them as if they never had been; so must we. He doth it too without respect of persons; and so we ought to do. We must forgive all, for ever; and so far must we be from respect of persons that we must acknowledge no title but that of Christian.--_Farindon._

_Likeness to God._

+I. Likeness to God belongs to man's higher or spiritual nature.+--It has its foundation in the original and essential capacities of the mind. In proportion as these are unfolded by right and vigorous exertion, it is extended and brightened. In proportion as these lie dormant it is obscured. Likeness to God is the supreme gift. He can communicate nothing so precious, glorious, blessed as Himself. To hold intellectual and moral affinity with the supreme Being, to partake His Spirit, to be His children by derivations of kindred excellence, to bear a growing conformity to the perfection which we adore--this is a felicity which obscures and annihilates all other good. It is only in proportion to this likeness that we can enjoy either God or the universe. To understand a great and good being we must have the seeds of the same excellence.

+II. That man has a kindred nature with God,+ and may bear most important and ennobling relations to Him, seems to me to be established by a striking proof. Whence do we derive our knowledge of the attributes and perfections which constitute the supreme Being? I answer, We derive them from our own souls. The Divine attributes are first developed in ourselves, and thence transferred to our Creator. The idea of God, sublime and awful as it is, is the idea of our own spiritual nature, purified and enlarged to infinity. It is the resemblance of a parent to a child, the likeness of a kindred nature.

+III. God is made known to us as a Father.+--And what is it to be a father? It is to communicate one's own nature, to give life to kindred beings; and the highest function of a father is to educate the mind of the child, and to impart to it what is noblest and happiest in his own mind. God is our Father, not merely because He created us, or because He gives us enjoyment: for He created the flower and the insect, yet we call Him not their Father. This bond is a spiritual one. This name belongs to God, because He frames spirits like Himself, and delights to give them what is most glorious and blessed in His own nature. Accordingly Christianity is said with special propriety to reveal God as the Father, because it reveals Him as sending His Son to cleanse the mind from every stain, and to replenish it for ever with the spirit and moral attributes of its Author.

+IV. The promise of the Holy Spirit+ is among the most precious aids of influence which God imparts. It is a Divine assistance adapted to our moral freedom, an aid which silently mingles and conspires with all other helps and means of goodness, and by which we are strengthened to understand and apply the resources derived from our munificent Creator. This aid we cannot prize too much, or pray for too earnestly.--_Channing._

Ver. 2. "And walk in love." _The Nature, Properties, and Acts of Charity._

+I. The nature of charity.+--1. Loving our neighbour implies we value and esteem him. 2. Implies a sincere and earnest desire for his welfare and good of all kinds in due proportion. 3. A complacence or delightful satisfaction in the good of our neighbour. 4. Condolence and commiseration in the evils befalling him.

+II. Properties of charity.+--1. Love appropriates its object in apprehension and affection, embracing it, possessing and enjoying it as its own. 2. It desires reciprocal affection. 3. Disposes to please our neighbour, not only by inoffensive but by an obliging demeanour. 4. Makes a man deny himself--despising all selfish regards--for the benefit of his neighbour. 5. To be condescending and willing to perform the meanest offices needful or useful to his friend.

+III. Acts of charity.+--1. To forbear anger on provocation. 2. To remit offences, suppressing revenge. 3. To maintain concord and peace. 4. To be candid in opinion and mild in censure. 5. Abstain from doing anything which may occasion our neighbour to commit sin, or disaffect him towards religion, or discourage him in the practice of duty.--_Barrow._

_The Sacrifice of Christ._

+I. A Divine person was absolutely necessary.+--1. _He who atones must be in possession of infinite worth._ Nothing less than the glory of infinity and eternity can atone for transgression. The individual must also be possessed of humanity for this obvious reason: that man hath transgressed, and man must atone. In the person of the Messiah we behold everything God could possibly desire. A Divine person, comprising Deity and humanity in Himself, atones for sin.

2. _It was absolutely necessary that the individual who atoned should be wholly at his own disposal._--Now, no finite being is at his own disposal; no finite being can say, "I will do as I please;" but Messiah speaks of Himself in language that finite being could not adopt without insulting God. The doctrine of the Trinity is opposed; but when we peruse Scripture we shall find the absolute necessity of a plurality of persons. A Divine person to present a sacrifice; and if so, a Divine person to receive that sacrifice.

+II. Christ's love in giving Himself.+--And here we behold the love of God in all its glory. Christ hath saved us, and given Himself for us. Here we behold the love of Christ; the love of a Divine person embracing God, embracing the law of God, and embracing the sinner in all his shame. Two of the attributes of this love never unfolded their glories before. The intenseness and the holiness of it were never before manifested. Behold God as well as man, a Divine person suffering for us. Here for once, and once only, behold the sovereignty of God in all its glory, in all its lowliness, connected with the justice of God in all its terrors. Messiah is punished, that the transgressor may live for ever.

+III. God's pleasure in the sacrifice of His Son.+--1. _God is infinitely delighted with His Son,_ as He is one in essence with Him. The pious Baptist gives his disciples a volume of Divinity in a few words. He traces everything to its source. "The Father loveth the Son." Surely, then, we must anticipate God's pleasure in everything the Saviour does. 2. _The resurrection and ascension of Christ_ prove God's acceptance of the sacrifice. 3. _The success of the Gospel another proof._

+Lessons.+--1. _See the evil and danger of unbelief._ 2. _All spiritual good comes from God; all spiritual evil flows from the creature._ 3. _Learn the work of faith--to accept Christ.--Howels._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 3-14.

_The Children of Darkness and of Light._

+I. The children of darkness are known by their deeds+ (vers. 3-5).--A loathsome and unsightly list! Sin marks its victims. Deeds done in darkness do not escape detection and exposure. The revolting sins of the heathen reveal the depth of wickedness to which man may sink when he abandons God and is abandoned of God. Every single sin, voluntarily indulged, weakens the power of self-control, and there is no deed of darkness a reckless sinner may not commit. Sensuality is a devil-fish--a vampire of the sea--preying upon and devouring the best powers of mind and body.

1. _Their deeds exclude them from the inheritance of the good._--They have no "inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (ver. 5). The children of darkness can have no company and no place with the children of light; the two cannot co-exist or blend together. The sinner excludes himself, and unfits himself for fellowship with the good. Their purity is a constant reproof of his vileness; he shrinks from their society, and hates them because they are so good. We may well be on our guard against sins that shut us out of the kingdom of grace on earth, and out of heaven hereafter.

2. _Their deeds expose them to the Divine wrath._--"Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (ver. 6). The wrath of God is already upon them (Rom. i. 18), and shall remain so long as they are disobedient. Deeds such as theirs carry their own punishment; but there is also the righteous vengeance of God to reckon with. For sin God can have nothing but wrath; but yet that is mercifully restrained to afford every opportunity for repentance. The Roman magistrates, when they gave sentence upon any one to be scourged, had a bundle of rods tied hard with many knots laid before them. The reason was this: whilst the beadle was untying the knots, which he was to do by order and not in any other or sudden way, the magistrates might see the deportment and carriage of the delinquent, whether he was sorry for his fault and showed any hope of amendment, that then they might recall his sentence or mitigate his punishment; otherwise he was corrected so much the more severely. Thus God in the punishment of sinners. How patient is He! How loth to strike! How slow to anger!

+II. The children of light are Divinely illumined.+--1. _They were once in darkness._ "Ye were sometimes darkness" (ver. 8). Their present condition as children of the light should remind them by contrast of their former state, and should excite their gratitude to God for the change He had wrought in them. They were not to be deceived by specious arguments (ver. 6) that they could return to their old sins and yet retain their new inheritance. To go back to the old life is to go back to darkness.

2. _Their possession of Divine light is evident._--"But now are ye light in the Lord. . . . For the fruit of the Spirit [_the fruit of light_] is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (vers. 8, 9). True virtue is of the light and cannot be hid. Genuine religion manifests itself in goodness of heart, in righteousness of life, and in truthfulness of character and speech--in a holy reality that is both experienced and expressed. On Herder's grave at Weimar there was placed by royal authority a cast-iron tablet with the words, "Light, Love, Life." The life illumined by the Spirit is its own bright witness.

3. _Their conduct aims at discovering what is acceptable to God._--"Walk as children of the light, . . . proving what is acceptable unto the Lord" (vers. 8, 10). Their outward life must be in harmony with the new nature they have received. They were adopted as children of the light, and they must think, speak, and act in the light and with the light they had received. The light will show what it is that God approves; and striving in all things to please Him our light will increase. We may sometimes be mistaken, but we shall get light from our mistakes, as well as from our success, as to the will of God. Life is a trial, and our conduct will be the test as to how we are using the light God has given us. The light we shed will be a help and guide to others. There is a kind of diamond which, if exposed for some minutes to the light of the sun and then taken into a dark room, will emit light for some time. The marvellous property of retaining light and thereby becoming the source of light on a small scale shows how analogous to light its very nature must be. Those who touched the Saviour became sources of virtue to others. As Moses' face shown when he came from the mount, so converse with spiritual things makes Christians the light which shines in the dark places of the earth. "Let your light so shine before men" (Matt. v. 16).

+III. The children of light cannot participate in deeds of darkness.+--1. _They are to shun them._ "Be not partakers with them . . . Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (vers. 7, 11). We may not actually commit certain sins; but if we tolerate or encourage them, we are partakers with the transgressors. The safest place is that which is farthest from evil. It is a perilous experiment to try how near we can approach and how far daily with sin without committing ourselves. The easiest way to resist temptation is to run away. It is beneath the dignity of the children of light to patronise or trifle with sin.

2. _They were not even to speak of them._--"It is a shame even to speak of those things" (ver. 12). There are some subjects about which silence is not only the highest prudence but a sacred duty. The foolish talking and jesting of ver. 4 belonged to the period when they were the children of darkness. Sparkling humour refreshes; the ribald jest pollutes. The best way to forget sayings that suggest evil is never to speak of them.

3. _They are to expose them by bringing the light of truth to bear upon them._--"But rather reprove them. . . . All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light," etc. (vers. 11, 13, 14). Silent absence or abstinence is not enough. Where sin is open to rebuke it should at all hazards be rebuked. On the other hand, St. Paul does not warrant Christians in prying into the hidden sins of the world around them and playing the moral detective. Publicity is not a remedy for all evils, but a great aggravation of some, and the surest means of disseminating them. It is a shame--a disgrace to our common nature, and a grievous peril to the young and innocent--to fill the public prints with the nauseous details of crime, and to taint the air with its putridities. The fruit of the light convicts the unfruitful works of darkness. The light of the Gospel disclosed and then dispelled the darkness of the former time. So will it be with the night of sin that is spread over the world. The light which shines upon sin-laden and sorrowful hearts shines on them to change them into its own nature. The manifested is light; in other words, if men can be made to see the true nature of their sin, they will forsake it. If the light can but penetrate their conscience, it will save them. "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest." With this song on her lips the Church went forth, clad in the armour of light, strong in the joy of salvation; and darkness and the works of darkness fled before her (_Findlay_).

+Lessons.+--_The Children of darkness and of light differ_--1. _In their conduct._ 2. _In their spirit and aims._ 3. _In the way in which they are Divinely regarded._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 3-6. _Christian Sobriety inculcated._

+I. The vices condemned.+--1. _Impurity._ Fornication is sometimes used in Scripture to comprehend the grosser forms of uncleanness, as incest, adultery, and prostitution; but in common speech it is appropriated to intimacy between unmarried persons. If acts of uncleanness are criminal, so are impure thoughts and desires. The Gospel forbids filthy communication, which indicates a vicious disposition and corrupts others. Christians must abstain from everything that tends to suggest wanton ideas, to excite impure desire, and to strengthen the power of temptation.

2. _Covetousness._--An immoderate desire of riches.

3. _Foolish talking and jesting._--The Gospel is not so rigid and austere as to debar us from innocent pleasures and harmless amusements. Jesting is not foolish when used to expose the absurdity of error and the folly of vice. The apostle condemns lewd and obscene jesting, profane jesting, and reviling and defamatory jesting. Evil-speaking never wounds so deeply nor infuses in the wound such fatal poison as when it is sharpened by wit and urged home by ridicule.

+II. The arguments subjoined.+--1. Impurity, covetousness, and foolish talking are unbecoming in saints. 2. Foolish talking and jesting are not convenient, as the heathen imagined them to be, but are criminal in their nature and fatal in their tendency. 3. The indulgence of these sins is inconsistent with a title to heaven. 4. These sins not only exclude from heaven, but bring upon the sinners the wrath of God.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 4. _Against Foolish Talking and jesting._

+I. In what foolish talking and jesting may be allowed.+--1. Facetiousness is not unreasonable which ministers harmless delight to conversation. 2. When it exposes things base and evil. 3. When it is a defence against unjust reproach. 4. When it may be used so as not to defile the mind of the speaker or do wrong to the hearer.

+II. In what should it be condemned.+--1. All profane jesting or speaking loosely about holy things. 2. Abusive and scurrilous jesting which tends to damage our neighbour. 3. It is very culpable to be facetious in obscene and smutty matters. 4. To affect to value this way of speaking in comparison to the serious and plain way of speaking. 5. All vainglorious ostentation. 6. When it impairs the habitual seriousness that becomes the Christian.--_Barrow._

Ver. 6. _The Dissipation of Large Cities._

+I. The origin of a life of dissipation.+--Young men on their entrance into the business of the world have not been enough fortified against its seducing influences by their previous education at home. Ye parents who, in placing your children on some road to gainful employment, have placed them without a sigh in the midst of depravity, so near and so surrounding that without a miracle they must perish, you have done an act of idolatry to the god of this world, you have commanded your household after you to worship him as the great divinity of their lives, and you have caused your children to make their approaches to his presence, and in so doing to pass through the fire of such temptations as have destroyed them.

+II. The progress of a life of dissipation.+--The vast majority of our young, on their way to manhood, are initiated into all the practices and describe the full career of dissipation. Those who have imbibed from their fathers the spirit of this world's morality are not sensibly arrested in this career, either by the opposition of their friends or by the voice of their own conscience. Those who have imbibed an opposite spirit, and have brought it into competition with an evil world, and have at length yielded with many a sigh and many a struggle, are troubled with the upbraidings of conscience. The youthful votary of pleasure determines to be more guarded: but the entanglements of companionship have got hold of him, the inveteracy of habit tyrannises over all his purposes, the stated opportunity again comes round, and the loud laugh of his partners chases all his despondency away. The infatuation gathers upon him every month, a hardening process goes on, the deceitfulness of sin grows apace, and he at length becomes one of the sturdiest and most unrelenting of her votaries. He in his turn strengthens the conspiracy that is formed against the morals of a new generation, and all the ingenuous delicacies of other days are obliterated. He contracts a temperament of knowing, hackneyed, unfeeling depravity, and thus the mischief is transmitted from one year to another, and keeps up the guilty history of every place of crowded population.

+III. The effects of a life of dissipation.+--We speak not at present of the coming death and of the coming judgment, but of the change which takes place on many a votary of licentiousness when he becomes what the world calls a reformed man. He bids adieu to the pursuits and profligacies of youth, not because he has repented them, but because he has outlived them. It is a common and easy transition to pass from one kind of disobedience to another; but it is not so easy to give up that rebelliousness of heart which lies at the root of all disobedience. The man has withdrawn from the scenes of dissipation, and has betaken himself to another way; but it is his own way. He may bid adieu to profligacy in his own person, but he lifts up the light of his countenance on the profligacy of others. He gives it the whole weight and authority of his connivance. Oh for an arm of strength to demolish the firm and far-spread compact of iniquity, and for the power of some such piercing and prophetic voice as might convince our reformed men of the baleful influence they cast behind them on the morals of the succeeding generation! What is the likeliest way of setting up a barrier against this desolating torrent of corruption? The mischief will never be combatted effectually by any expedient separate from the growth and the transmission of personal Christianity throughout the land.--_T. Chalmers._

Vers. 7-12. _Fellowship in Wickedness and its Condemnation._

+I. Illustrate this fellowship in wickedness.+--1. Not to oppose, in many cases, is to embolden transgressors, and to be partakers with them. 2. We have more direct fellowship with the wicked when we encourage them by our example. 3. They who incite and provoke others to evil works have fellowship with them. 4. They who explicitly consent to and actually join with sinners in their evil works have fellowship with them. 5. To comfort and uphold sinners in their wickedness is to have fellowship with them. 6. There are some who rejoice in iniquity when they have lent no hand to accomplish it.

+II. Apply the arguments the apostle urges against it.+--1. One argument is taken from the superior light which Christians enjoy. 2. Another is taken from the grace of the Holy Spirit, of which believers are the subjects. 3. The works of darkness are unfruitful. 4. This is a shameful fellowship. 5. If we have fellowship with sinners in their works, we must share with them in their punishment.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 8. _Light in Darkness._--I was in a darkened room that I might observe the effect produced by the use of what is called luminous paint. A neat card on which the words "Trust in the Lord" were printed rested upon the bookcase and shone out clearly in the darkness. The effect startled me. How remarkable that if from any cause the light of sun or day failed to rest upon the card its luminousness gradually declined, but returned when the sun's action infused fresh light! Truly we also, if hidden from the face of our Lord, cease to shine. "Are ye light in the Lord? walk as children of light."--_H. Varley._

Ver. 9. _Fruit of the Spirit._--As oftentimes when walking in a wood near sunset, though the sun himself be hid by the height and bushiness of the trees around, yet we know that he is still above the horizon from seeing his beams in the open glades before us illuminating a thousand leaves, the several brightnesses of which are so many evidences of his presence. Thus it is with the Holy Spirit: He works in secret, but His work is manifest in the lives of all true Christians. Lamps so heavenly must have been lit from on high.--_J. C. Hare._

Ver. 10. _The Rule of Christian Conduct._--1. We cannot conform ourselves to what is acceptable to the Lord and walk as children of light except we make serious search into the rule of duty revealed in the Word and do our utmost to come up to that rule. We walk not acceptably when we do things rashly without deliberation, or doubtingly after deliberation, nor when the thing done is in itself right, but we do it not from that ground, but to gratify ourselves. 2. It is not sufficient to make this inquiry in order to some few and weighty actions, but in order to all, whether greater or less, whether advantage or loss may follow our conforming to the rule. 3. The finding out of what is acceptable to the Lord, especially in some intricate cases, is not easily attained. There must be an accurate search, together with an exercising ourselves in those things we already know to be acceptable, that so we may experimentally know them to be such, and get our knowledge bettered in those things of which we are ignorant.--_Fergusson._

Vers. 11, 12. _Works of Darkness._--1. Though we are not in all cases to abstain from the fellowship of wicked men, but may converse with them as we are bound by necessity, or by any civil, religious, or natural bond, yet no tie of that kind can warrant us to partake with them in their sins. 2. Though the command to reprove the sins of others is an affirmative precept, and not binding at all times and in all cases, yet not reproving when occasion offers is a partaking with them in their sins. 3. There should be such a holy bashfulness in Christians as to think shame to utter in speech, at least without detestation, those things godless sinners are not ashamed to practise. Ministers in their public preachings should be modest and sparing in deciphering filthy sins, lest they teach others how to commit the sin they reprove. 4. When men do not seek the veil of secrecy to cover their sins, but glory in their shame, they are more corrupt than the grossest of pagans.--_Fergusson._

Vers. 13, 14. _Slumbering Souls and their Awakening._

+I. The character of the persons addressed.+--They are in a state of sleep. 1. If you allow yourselves in the practice of known wickedness, your conscience is asleep. 2. If you live in the customary neglect of self-examination, you are in a state of slumber. 3. If you have never been in any degree affected with a sense of your guilt and your dependence on the mercy of God in Christ, you are among those who are asleep. 4. If you have no conflicts with sin and temptation, you are in a state of slumber. 5. The prevalence of a sensual and carnal disposition is a sign of spiritual death. 6. Stupidity under the warnings of God's Word and providence indicates such a state of soul as the Scripture compares to sleep. 7. The soul in which the temper of the Gospel is formed hungers and thirsts after righteousness, desires spiritual growth, and reaches after perfection.

+II. The awakening call.+--1. This awakening must suppose and imply a conviction of your sin and a sense of your danger. 2. This awakening from sleep and arising from the dead imply a real repentance of sin and turning to God. 3. They who have awoke from their sleep and risen from the dead will experience the properties and maintain the exercises of a holy and spiritual life.

+III. The encouragement to attend to the awakening call.+--"Christ shall give thee light." 1. This may be understood as a promise of pardon and eternal life on your repentance. 2. The words import God's gracious attention to awakened souls when they frame their doings to turn to Him.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 13. _The Light of God._

+I. Light comes from God.+--God is light, and He wishes to give light to His children. "Whatsoever doth make manifest is light"--that which is made manifest is light. There has been a steady progress in the mind of the Christian race, and this progress has been in the direction of light. Has it not been so in our notions of God?--a gradual discovery that when God is manifested, behold, God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all--a gradual vindication of His character from those dark and horrid notions of the Deity which were borrowed from the pagans and the Jewish rabbis--a gradual return to the perfect good news of a good God which was preached by St. John and by St. Paul. The day shall come when all shall be light in the Lord--when all mankind shall know God from the least unto the greatest, and, lifting up free foreheads to Him who made them and redeemed them by His Son, shall in spirit and in truth worship the Father.

+II. In the case of our fellow-men whatsoever is made manifest is light.+--How easy it was to have dark thoughts about our fellow-men simply because we did not know them,--easy to condemn the Negro to perpetual slavery, when we knew nothing of him but his black face; or to hang by hundreds the ragged street boys, while we disdained to inquire into the circumstances which had degraded them; or to treat madmen as wild beasts, instead of taming them by wise and gentle sympathy. But with a closer knowledge of our fellow-creatures has come toleration, pity, sympathy. Man, in proportion as he becomes manifest to man, is seen, in spite of all defects and sins, to be hallowed with a light from God who made him.

+III. It has been equally so in the case of the physical world.+--Nature, being made manifest, is light. Science has taught men to admire where they used to dread, to rule where they used to obey, to employ for harmless uses what they were once afraid to touch, and where they once saw only fiends to see the orderly and beneficent laws of the All-good and Almighty God. Everywhere, as the work of nature is unfolded to our eyes, we see beauty, order, mutual use, the offspring of perfect love as well as perfect wisdom. Let us teach these things to our children. Tell them to go to the light and see their heavenly Father's works manifested, and know that they are, as He is, light.--_C. Kingsley._

Ver. 14. _Moral Stupidity._--How many scarcely think of God from day to day! It cannot therefore be uncharitable to consider the mass of the people, compared with the wakefulness their infinite interests require, as sunk in a profound slumber. Unless this slumber is soon broken they must sleep the sleep of eternal death.

+I. Search for the cause of this stupidity.+--The proximate cause may be comprehended in these two words--ignorance and unbelief. The remote cause is opposition to God and truth. Were not the heart opposed, no man with the Bible in his hand could remain ignorant of truths which claim to have so important a bearing on his eternal destiny. Fortified by sevenfold ignorance, men can no more be awakened to contemplate their condition with alarm than the pagans of the wilderness. It is perfectly in character for them to slumber. But there are men who are respectable for their knowledge of Christian truth who yet are asleep. The cause with them is unbelief--the want of a realising sense. Their understanding assents to the awful verities of religion, but they do not realisingly believe them.

+II. Apply some arguments to remove the evil.+--Consider that these awful truths are as much realities as though you were now overwhelmed with a sense of their importance. Neither the ignorance nor the unbelief of man can change eternal truth. God is as holy, as awful in majesty, He is as much your Creator, Preserver, and Master, He as much holds your destinies in His hands, as though you were now lying at His feet beseeching Him not to cast you down to hell. What would it avail if all the people should disbelieve that the sun will ever rise again, or that spring-time and harvest will ever return? Can the soldier annihilate the enemy by marching up to the battery with his eyes and ears closed? You have the same means with others: why should you remain ignorant while they are informed? If your knowledge is competent and it is unbelief that excludes conviction, then call into action the powers of a rational soul and cast yourselves for help on God. If you ever mean to awake, awake now. The longer you sleep the sounder you sleep. The longer you live without religion the less likely that you will ever possess it. You are sleeping in the presence of an offended God. In His hands you lie, and if He but turn them you slide to rise no more.--_E. D. Griffin._

_The Call of the Gospel to Sinners._

+I. The state in which the Gospel finds mankind.+--A state of sleep and of death.

1. _It is a state of insensibility and unconcern with respect to the concerns of another world._--Busied about trifles, men overlook the great concerns of eternity. Having their minds darkened, they see no world but the present, they live as if they were to live here for ever. And if at any time this false peace is shaken, they try all means to prevent it from being destroyed, and to lull themselves again to rest.

2. _How indisposed and unwilling men are to set about the work of true religion._--Nothing but this religion of which men are so ignorant, about which they care so little, against which they have conceived such a dislike, can in the end deliver them from everlasting shame, sorrow, and punishment. Here is their extreme misery and danger. They are unconcerned about an object which of all others ought to concern them most, and are set against the only remedy which can be of any real service to them. They are every moment liable to fall into utter perdition; but they are not aware of their danger, and reject the only hand which is stretched out to save them.

+II. The duty the Gospel calls on them to discharge.+--To awake out of sleep and arise from the dead. 1. _Their duty is to consider their state and danger._ 2. _To break off their sins by repentance._ 3. _To seek the knowledge and favour of God._

+III. The encouragement the Gospel affords.+--1. _Christ will give thee knowledge._ He will enlighten thy darkened mind, He will teach thee by His good Spirit, and will effectually lead thee into all saving truth.

2. _Christ will give thee peace._--Whatever peace thou mayest have arising from not knowing and not feeling that thou art a sinner and daily exposed to the wrath of God, the peace which Christ offers thee is a peace which will arise from a consciousness that thy sins are forgiven, and that, although though art a sinner, thou art yet reconciled to God.

3. _Christ will give thee holiness._--Holiness is our meetness for heaven. It is that state and disposition of heart which alone can fit us for seeing and serving God.--_E. Cooper._

_A Summons to Spiritual Light._

+I. A lamentable moral condition.+--_Sleep_ implies a state of inactivity and security. Men are busily employed about their worldly concerns; but a lamentable supineness prevails with respect to spiritual things. The generality do not apprehend their souls to be in any danger--death, judgment, heaven, and hell do not seem worthy their notice. God's threatenings against them are denounced without effect--they are like Jonah, sleeping in the midst of a storm. _Death_ includes the ideas of impotence and corruption. An inanimate body cannot perform any of the functions of life. It has within itself the seeds and the principles of corruption. The soul also, till quickened from the dead, is in a state of impotence, it is incapable of spiritual action or discernment. Yet, notwithstanding this state appears so desperate, we must address to every one that is under it the command, "Awake." Your inactivity and security involve you in the deepest guilt; your corruption of heart and life provokes the majesty of God. Nor is your impotence any excuse for your disobedience. They who exert their feeble powers may expect Divine assistance. To convince us that none shall fail who use the appointed means God enforces His command with--

+II. A promise.+--Sleep and death are states of intellectual darkness: hence light is promised to those who obey the Divine mandate. Light in Scripture imparts knowledge (Isa. viii. 20), holiness (1 John i. 7), comfort (Ps. xcvii. 11), and glory (Col. i. 12). And all these blessings shall they receive from Christ, the fountain of light (Mal. iv. 2; John i. 9).

+Lessons.+--1. _Let each one consider the command addressed to himself--"Awake thou."_ 2. _Let all our powers be called into action._ 3. _In exerting ourselves let us expect the promised aid.--Theological Sketch Book._

_The Gospel Call and Promise._

+I. Many of mankind are in a state of deadly sleep.+--In sleep the animal spirits retire to their source, the nerves are collapsed or embraced; and as the nerves are the medium of sensation and motion, the whole system is in a state of insensibility and inactivity. How exactly resembling this is your spiritual state.

1. _You are insensible._--Your eyes and ears are closed; and you have no proper sense of pleasure or of pain.

2. _You are in a state of security._--You have no fear of evil, no apprehension of danger, and consequently no concern for your safety.

3. _You are in a state of inactivity._--You are not inquiring, labouring, wrestling. When the body is locked in slumber, thought roves at random and produces gay dreams of fancied happiness. Thus many are dreaming their lives away. (1) In this sleep many are as void of sense and motion as if they were actually dead. (2) In common sleep a person after due repose spontaneously awakes, renewed in vigour. But from this sleep, unless God should awake you, you will never awake till the heavens be no more. (3) It is a sleep unto death. Like one who has taken a large quantity of opium, unless you are awakened by some external cause, you will insensibly sink into the second death, the death which never dies.

+II. God is using means to awaken them.+--While you are asleep, light, however bright and clear, shines upon you in vain. Till warning has waked attention, instruction and illumination will be lost upon you. 1. _God calls you to awake_ from your dreams of fancied happiness, and reflect upon the vanity of the objects by which you are deluded. 2. _Struggle to shake off the dull slumber_ which weighs you down. 3. _Consider your misery and danger._ 4. _Rouse all that is within you to activity._ God calls you--(1) By the language of His law. (2) By the severe dispensations of His providence. (3) By the strivings of His Spirit. (4) By the voice of the Gospel.

+III. God will give light to all who awake at His call.+--It is the peculiar property of light to make manifest (ver. 13). Christ will give you light. 1. He shall make manifest to yourself your character and your situation. 2. You shall behold the light of life. 3. He shall reveal to you the God of pardoning love. 4. He shall chase the darkness of sin from your soul, and you shall walk in the light of holiness. 5. He shall put an end to your mourning.

+Learn.+--1. _The deceitfulness and destructive character of sin._ 2. _How fully God provides for your salvation._ 3. _Hear the voice of God.--E. Hare._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 15-18.

_Christian Wisdom_--

+I. Cautiously regulates the outward life.+--"See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise" (ver. 15). The Christian needs not only spiritual fervour and enthusiasm, but also prudence--sanctified common sense. It is possible to do a right thing in a wrong way, or in such a way as to cause more mischief than benefit. There is a severity of virtue that repels, and rouses resentment; and there is a parade of Christian liberty that shocks the sensitive. The truth lies between two extremes, and Christian wisdom is seen in maintaining the truth and avoiding extremes. "I wisdom dwell with prudence." Mr. Edward Everett Hale is generally credited as the author of the following motto for Christian workers:

"Look up, and not down; Look out, and not in; Look forward, and not back; Lend a hand."

Success in soul-winning is only given to skill, earnestness, sympathy, perseverance, tact. Men are saved, not in masses, but by careful study and well-directed effort. It is said that such is the eccentric flight of the snipe when they rise from the earth that it completely puzzles the sportsman, and some who are capital shots at other birds are utterly baffled here. Eccentricity seems to be their special quality, and this can only be mastered by incessant practice with the gun. But the eccentricity of souls is beyond this, and he had need be a very spiritual Nimrod--a mighty hunter before the Lord--who would capture them for Christ. "He that winneth souls is wise."

+II. Teaches how to make the best use of present opportunity.+--1. _Observing the value of time amid the prevalence of evil._ "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (ver. 16). Time is a section cut out of the great circle of eternity, and defines for us the limits in which the work of life must be done. It is a precious gift bestowed by the beneficent hand of God--a gift involving grave responsibility; and we must render a strict account of the use we make of every swing of the pendulum. It is doled out to us in minute fragments. One single year is made up of 31,536,000 seconds. Every tick of the clock records the ever-lessening opportunities of life. Time is in perpetual motion. Like a strong, ever-flowing river, it is bearing away everything into the boundless ocean of eternity. We never know the value of time till we know the value of the fragments into which it is broken up. To make the most of a single hour we must make the most of every minute of which it is composed. The most dangerous moments of a man's life are those when time hangs heavily on his hands. He who has nothing to do but kill time is in danger of being killed himself. It is a miracle of Divine goodness if he is preserved from serious folly, or something worse; and such miracles rarely occur. The man who has learnt the value of time can learn any lesson this world may have to teach him. Time is the opportunity for the exercise of Christian wisdom, and should be the more sedulously used "when the days are evil"--when evil is in power. Oh for wisdom to number our days, to grasp the meaning of present opportunity! Here come the moments that can never be had again; some few may yet be filled with imperishable good. Let us apply our hearts--all our powers--unto wisdom.

2. _Having the good sense to recognise the Divine will._--"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (ver. 17). We must read and interpret the signs of the times in the light of God's purpose. A close and deep study of the Divine mind will reveal to us the significance of the passing opportunity, and aid us in making the wisest use of it. Our biggest schemes are doomed to failure if they are not in accordance with the will of God. The noblest tasks are reserved for those who have the keenest spiritual insight and are most in harmony with the Divine purpose.

+III. Avoids the folly and waste of intemperance.+--"Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess" (ver. 18). The Asian Christians were a social, light-hearted people, fond of convivial feasts. Wine was their danger; and even in the celebration of the Lord's Supper they ran into excess, and degraded the holy ordinance. There were doubtless converted drunkards among them; and the warning of the text was specially needed. Intemperance is not only a folly and a waste; it is a degradation and a sin. It is the excessive indulgence of a craving that at bottom may be in itself good, if wisely regulated--a craving for an intenser life. "One finds traces," says Monod, "of the primitive greatness of our nature even in its most deplorable errors. Just as impurity proceeds at the bottom from an abuse of the craving for love, so drunkenness betrays a certain demand for ardour and enthusiasm which in itself is natural and even noble. Man loves to feel himself alive; he would fain live twice his life at once; and he would rather draw excitement from horrible things than have no excitement at all." When the physicians told Theotimus that except he abstained from drunkenness and licentiousness he would lose his eyes, his heart was so wedded to his sins that he answered, "Then farewell, sweet light."

+IV. Seeks to be under the complete control of the Divine Spirit.+--"But be filled with the Spirit" (ver. 18). The excitement of drunkenness must be supplanted by a holier and more elevating stimulus: the cup that intoxicates exchanged for the new wine of the Spirit. The general adoption of this principle will be the grandest triumph of temperance. The cure of drunkenness will not be accomplished simply by the removal of temptation, unless a relish for higher things is created and springs of holier pleasure are opened in the hearts of men. A lower impulse is conquered and expelled by the introduction of a higher. Anachonis, the philosopher, being asked by what means a man might best guard against the vice of drunkenness, answered, "By bearing constantly in his view the loathsome, indecent behaviour of such as are intoxicated." Upon this principle was founded the custom of the Lacedæmonians of exposing their drunken slaves to their children, who by that means conceived an early aversion to a vice which makes men appear so monstrous and irrational. There is no excess in drinking copious draughts of the Spirit. Christian wisdom opens the soul to the ever-flowing tide of His influence, and strives to be animated and filled with His all-controlling power.

+Lessons.+--1. _Wisdom is the best use of knowledge._ 2. _Christianity opens the purest sources of knowledge._ 3. _"Get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding"_ (Prov. iv. 7).

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 15-17. _Walking circumspectly._

+I. The duty recommended.+--1. _Walk circumspectly that you may keep within the line of your duty._ Your course often lies in a medium between two extremes. If from this course you deviate, you step into the territory of vice. Be circumspect that you may not mistake your duty. Be watchful that you may retain a sense of virtue and rectitude. Be attentive that you may conform to the Spirit of God's commands.

2. _Walk circumspectly that you may escape the snares in your way._--Often look forward to descry your dangers. Attend to your particular situation and condition in life. Often review your past life, and reflect on former temptations. Be circumspect that you may detect your enemies when they approach you in disguise. Never neglect your duty under pretence of shunning a temptation.

3. _Walk circumspectly that you may wisely comport with the aspects of Providence._

4. _Be circumspect that you may do every duty in its time and place._--Attend on the daily worship of God in your families and closets. Be kind and beneficent to the poor. Neglect not the care of your body. Attend on the instituted ordinances of the Gospel.

5. _Walk circumspectly that your good may not be evil spoken of._

+II. The argument by which the apostle urges the duty.+--"The days are evil." The argument was not peculiar to those early times, but is pertinent to all times. 1. _The days are evil because the Christian finds in himself much disorder and corruption._ 2. _The days are evil as he is exposed to various afflictions._ 3. _There are many adversaries._ 4. _Iniquity abounds.--Lathrop._

Ver. 15. _The Wise Conduct of Life._--1. The more light and knowledge a man receives from God he ought to take the more diligent heed that in all things he practises according to his light. 2. Those only are most fit to reprove sin in others who walk most circumspectly and live so as they cannot be justly blamed themselves. Even the righteous walking of such is a forcible reproof of sin in others, though they speak nothing. 3. As those are only truly wise in God's account who labour to walk most exactly by the rule of God's Word, so where this sanctified wisdom is it will render itself evident by making the person endowed with it walk circumspectly. 4. The less circumspect and exact men be in walking by the rule of God's Word the greater fools they are in God's esteem.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 16. _Redeeming the Time._--To redeem time is to regain what is lost and to save what is left.

+I. Enter on your work speedily.+--Do you ask what is your work? It is time you knew. Consult God's Word; that will tell you.

+II. Attend to your work with diligence.+--A sense of past slothfulness must excite you to severer industry. Be not only fervent but steady in your work.

+III. Guard against the things which rob you of your time.+--An indolent habit is inconsistent with laudable actions. A versatile humour is active, but wants patience. An excessive fondness for company and amusement is the cause of much waste of time.

+IV. Do every work in its season.+--Youth is the most promising season. The time of health is more favourable than a time of sickness. There are seasons friendly to particular duties. In doing works of charity observe opportunities.

+V. Wisely divide your time among your various duties.+--_Lathrop._

_The Redemption of Time._

+I. The subject of the exhortation.+--1. _Time sometime signifies the whole duration assigned to the present world._

2. _The period of human life._--The time we occupy in the present state is that which God allots for our personal probation and trial. All God's dispensations in respect to us refer to this period and have their limits fixed by it.

3. _Time means season or opportunity._--In this sense the apostle uses it here. We are to redeem all the opportunity God bestows on us for getting and doing good, for acquainting ourselves with Him and being at peace.

+II. The duty enjoined on us.+--"Redeeming the time"--the opportunity.

1. _We redeem time by consideration._

2. _When we turn everything we have to do, in the common concerns of life, into a religious channel._

3. _By living in a devotional spirit._--(1) This will cast out everything trifling, much more everything sinful, from our leisure hours. (2) Its preservation and exercise are perfectly compatible with the affairs of life.

4. The principal way by which time is to be redeemed is not merely by making efforts to promote our final blessedness, but _by actually securing our present salvation._

+III. The motives by which the exhortation is enforced.+--"Because the days are evil."

1. _The days are evil in a general sense._--This age, as well as the age of the apostles, is a wicked one.

2. _Because they are days of distress._

3. _The days are evil individually._--In the sense of affliction to a number of individuals.

4. _It is an evil day that we are ever exposed to enemies and temptations._

5. _Every day opportunities of improvement are wasted is an evil day._

6. _The time will come when, as to many unhappy spirits, the opportunity of salvation will be lost for ever.--R. Watson._

_The Redemption of Time._--The more the days are beset by things that grievously invade them, disturb them, waste them, the more careful and zealous should we be to save and improve all that we can. To this end--

+I. It is of the highest importance that time should be a reality in our perception and estimate;+ that we should verify it as an actual something, like a substance to which we can attach a positive value, and see it as wasting or as improved as palpably as the contents of a granary or as the precious metals. The unfortunate case with us is, that time is apprehended but like air, or rather like empty space, so that in wasting it we do not see that we are destroying or misusing a reality. Time is equivalent to what could be done or gained in it.

+II. Keep established in the mind, and often present to view, certain important purposes or objects that absolutely must be attained.+--For example: that there is some considerable discipline and improvement of the mind, some attainment of Divine knowledge, some measure of the practice of religious exercises, and there is the one thing needful in its whole comprehensive magnitude.

+III. That time be regarded in an inseparable connection with eternity is the grand principle for redeeming it;+ to feel solemnly that it is really for eternity, and has all the importance of this sublime and awful relation. It might be a striking and alarming reflection suggested to a man who has wasted his time--now the time has gone backward into the irrevocable past, but the effect of it, from the quality you have given it, is gone forward into eternity, and since you are going thither, how will you meet and feel the effect there?

+IV. Nothing short of the redemption of the soul is the true and effectual redemption of time.+--And this object gives the supreme rule for the redeeming of time. How melancholy to have made so admirable a use of time for all purposes but the supreme one!--_John Foster._

Ver. 17, 18. _Sensual and Spiritual Excitement._--There is the antithesis between drunkenness and spiritual fulness. The propriety of this opposition lies in the intensity of feeling produced in both cases. There is one intensity of feeling produced by stimulating the senses, another by vivifying the spiritual life within. The one commences with impulses from without, the other is guarded by forces from within. Here, then, is the similarity and here the dissimilarity which constitutes the propriety of the contrast. One is ruin, the other salvation. One degrades, the other exalts.

+I. The effects are similar.+--On the day of Pentecost, when the first influences of the Spirit descended on the early Church, the effects resembled intoxication. It is this very resemblance which deceives the drunkard; he is led on by his feelings as well as by his imagination. Another point of resemblance is the necessity of intense feeling. We have fulness--it may be produced by outward stimulus or by an inpouring of the Spirit. The proper and natural outlet for this feeling is the life of the Spirit. What is religion but fuller life?

+II. The dissimilarity or contrast in St. Paul's idea.+--The one fulness begins from without, the other from within. The one proceeds from the flesh, and then influences the emotions; the other reverses this order. Stimulants like wine inflame the senses, and through them set the imaginations and feelings on fire; and the law of our spiritual being is, that that which begins with the flesh sensualises the spirit; whereas that which commences in the region of the spirit spiritualises the senses, in which it subsequently stirs emotion. That which begins in the heart ennobles the whole animal being; but that which begins in the inferior departments of our being is the most entire degradation and sensualising of the soul. The other point of difference is one of effect. Fulness of the Spirit calms; fulness produced by excitement satiates and exhausts. The crime of sense is avenged by sense which wears with time--the terrific punishment attached to the habitual indulgence of the senses is that the incitements to enjoyment increase in proportion as the power of enjoyment fades. We want the Spirit of the life of Christ, simple, natural, with power to calm and soothe the feelings which it rouses; the fulness of the Spirit which can never intoxicate!--_F. W. Robertson._

_Christian Mirth versus Drunken Mirth._--Carnal men seek the joys of life in revelry, but Christians must seek them in a higher inspiration--that of the Holy Ghost, whose fulness is the source of the blithest and most joyous life.

+I. The mirth begotten of wine is the mother of all kinds of profligacy.+

+II. The mirth begotten of wine destroys men body and soul.+

+III. The fulness of the Holy Spirit produces a truly blithe and merry life.+--In this life, with its many causes of depression, men need exhilaration, and the text points us to the only place where it is to be found without any alloy.--_G. A. Bennetts, B.A._

_What is your Heart filled with?_

+I. The heart of man must be full of something.+

+II. Those who are full of wine cannot be filled with the Spirit.+

+III. Those who are filled with the Spirit will not be full of wine.+

+IV. The joy that is kindled by fulness of wine is degrading while it lasts, and will soon expire.+

+V. The joy that is kindled by the fulness of the Spirit makes us like the angels, and it will never end.+--_Lay Preacher._

_The Vice of Drunkenness._

+I. The nature and extent of the sin.+--The use of meat and drink is to support and comfort the body. Whatever is more than these is excess. The highest degree of intemperance is such an indulgence as suspends the exercise of the mental and bodily powers. If by the indulgence of your appetite you unfit your body for the service of your mind, or your mind for the service of God, you waste your substance as to defraud your family of a maintenance or your creditors of their dues, become enslaved to a sensual habit and fascinated to dissolute company, stupefy your conscience, extinguish the sentiments of honour and banish the thoughts of futurity, you are chargeable with criminal excess.

+II. The guilt and danger which attend the vice.+--1. _It is an ungrateful abuse of God's bounty._ 2. _It divests the man of his native dignity and sinks him below the brutal herds._ 3. _Is injurious to the body as well as mind._ 4. _Consumes men's substance._ 5. _Wastes a man's conscience as well as his substance._ 6. _Intemperance generates other vices--impure lustings, angry passions, profane language, insolent manners, obstinacy of heart, and contempt of reproof._ 7. _Has most lamentable effects on families._ 8. _The Scripture abounds in solemn warnings against this sin._ 9. _This sin must be renounced, or the end of it will be death.--Lathrop._

_Being filled with the Spirit._--1. It supposes a sufficiency and fulness in the Spirit and His influences every way to fill our souls, to supply all our spiritual wants, and to help our infirmities. 2. It imparts an actual participation of His influences and fruits in a large and plentiful measure. (1) As men come to have every power and faculty of their souls more subject to the Spirit's authority and under the influence proper to it. (2) As they grow to experience His operations in all the several kinds of them. (3) As His agency comes to be more stated and constant in them. (4) As His grace becomes more mighty and operative in them, so as actually to produce its proper and genuine effects. (5) As they taste such a sweetness and delight in the measure of participation attained that they reach forward with greater ardour toward perfection. 3. That every one should esteem the fulness of the Spirit a desirable thing. (1) It puts us into a fit posture of mind for daily communion with God. (2) Would settle our minds in the truest pleasure and peace. 4. That we should look upon it as an attainable good. (1) From the Spirit's own gracious benignity and His declared inclination to fill our souls. (2) From the purchase and intercession of Christ. (3) From the nature of the Spirit's work in consequence of redemption (4) From the Gospel being described as the ministration of the Spirit. (5) From the declarations of God concerning the Spirit. (6) From the instances of His grace already made in others. (7) From the beginnings of His saving grace in themselves, good men may conclude the greatest heights attainable by them, if they be not wanting to themselves.--_John Evans._

_On being filled with the Spirit_--

+I. Implies that the Spirit has been largely given to the Church.+

+II. That as God has given the Spirit largely so He has been abundantly received.+

+III. Is to be possessed by His graces in all their variety.+

+IV. Is to be wholly guided by His influence and subject to His control.+

+V. Is to be the instrument of fulfilling His mission on earth.+

+VI. Is to have God as the only portion of the soul.+--1. The Spirit is God on the earth. 2. To be filled with the Spirit is to be fully occupied with God.--_Stewart._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 19-21.

_Spiritual Enjoyment_--

+I. Expressed in heartfelt praise to God.+--"Speaking . . . in spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (ver. 19). Men filled with wine seek their enjoyment in singing bacchanalian odes and songs; but the men of the Spirit find a higher and more satisfying joy in chanting psalms and hymns of praise to God. The holiest excitement seeks expression in music and song. In the praise meetings of the Ephesians we have the beginnings of Christian psalmody. The psalms of the Old Testament were sung, accompanied by musical instruments. "Singing and making melody" means singing and playing, voice and instrument blending in joyous strains of praise. Then would follow hymns expressing the great ideas of the Gospel. Regarding the early Christians Pliny wrote: "They are wont on a fixed day to meet before daylight--to avoid persecution--and to recite a hymn among themselves by turns to Christ, as being God." There might not be much artistic taste in the music, either of voice or instrument; but the sincerity of the heart was the true harmony. The contrast of the verse is between the heathen and the Christian practice. Let your songs be not the drinking songs of heathen feasts, but psalms and hymns; and their accompaniment, not the music of the lyre, but the melody of the heart. Is any merry, let him sing, not light and frivolous songs, breathing questionable morality, but psalms. The glad heart is eager first to acknowledge God.

+II. Largely consists in thanksgiving.+--"Giving thanks always for all things unto God" (ver. 20). God is the active Source of all blessings in creation, providence, and grace, and should be constantly acknowledged in grateful adoration. The thankful heart is the happiest; and it is the happy who sing. Thanksgiving is the predominating element in praise; and praise is the essence of true worship. Prayer is not the essence of worship, though it is an important help. Prayer becomes worship when it merges into praise. The reading and exposition of God's Word are not worship. Preaching accomplishes one of its loftiest functions when it incites to praise. Music is not worship but it may become a valuable accessory. Christianity has taken hold of music and consecrated and elevated it to the highest uses of worship. It has produced the greatest musicians and the grandest music. All true music is the outward and melodious expression of our dearest and most sacred thoughts and feelings. The musical artist touches what is deepest and best in us. Nature has no false notes. When we praise God aright, worship becomes an act of the highest intelligence, calling forth and exercising our noblest powers. We are to sing with the Spirit, and we are to sing with the understanding also. Worship is acceptable to God as it is the joyous expression of the soul, brimming over with thankfulness and reverence. We are then brought under the spiritually transforming power of the Being we worship; the worshipper becomes like the object worshipped.

+III. Soberly recognises the relation in which we stand to each other and to Christ.+--"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (ver. 21). _In the fear of Christ_--so read all the old MSS, and authorities. The believer passes from under the bondage of the law to be the servant of Christ, which through the instinct of love to Him is really to be the Lord's freeman, for he is under the law to Christ. Thus reverential fear of displeasing Him is the motive for discharging our relative duties as Christians. The Church should be a pattern and an example of harmony and peace, and this can only be by the members submitting themselves one to another "in the fear of Christ." The man with the most distinguished gifts must not be above submitting himself to the judgment and will of his fellow-members. Preacher, organist, choir, and congregation must vie with each other in harmonious rivalry in the service and worship of God.

+Lessons.+--1. _Spiritual enjoyment is not dependent on fictitious excitement._ 2. _Expresses itself in holiest song._ 3. _Is unselfish._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 19. _Singing in the Worship of God._

+I. The singing of psalms is here enjoined as a sacred branch of social worship.+--We are to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits. To Him we are to consecrate the use of all our powers. And there is the same reason why the musical as any other faculty should be employed in His service. Praise is the most excellent part of Divine worship.

+II. The matter or subject of our singing.+--In psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. By psalms is intended that collection of sacred poems which passes under this name and is one of the canonical books of Scripture. By hymns may be designed other poetical compositions of Scripture as the songs of Moses, Hannah, Zechariah, Simeon, and others. By spiritual songs may be meant those pious and devout songs which in that age were composed by prophets and holy men in the Church under the immediate influence of the Spirit. The matter we sing should be accommodated to the occasion of the worship. If in the days of David it was thought necessary that on extraordinary occasions a new song should be sung, surely now we may sing some new songs on the glorious occasion of the Gospel.

+III. We are to sing, making melody.+--The use of music in social worship is to assist and enliven the devotion of the heart. When music is performed with melody of sound, exactness of time, and harmony of voices, it greatly contributes to this end. Singing cannot be performed to edification and comfort without skill. The singers in the Jewish Temple were carefully instructed, and this branch of worship conducted with great order and solemnity.

+IV. In singing we must make melody in our hearts to the Lord.+--Singing as part of religious worship must be directed to God. We sing in obedience to His command, with a sense of His presence, with hearts disposed for His service, with affections corresponding to the matter of the psalm. The man who can hear holy anthems sung to the universal Parent, with voices sweetly mingling and harmonising together, and not feel himself softened into benevolence and love and moulded into condescension and peace, must have a soul rugged as the rocks and stubborn as an oak.

+Lessons.+--1. _If singing is an instituted part of Divine worship, all should take a share in it._ 2. _Every one according to his ability is bound to promote the psalmody of the Church._ 3. _Psalmody as a branch of Divine worship should be regarded, not as a theatrical exhibition, but as a religious solemnity.--Lathrop._

Ver. 20. _The Duty of Thanksgiving._

+I. The duty to which we are exhorted.+--1. Implies a right apprehension and considerate attention to benefits conferred. 2. Requires a faithful retention of benefits in memory and frequent reflections on them. 3. A due esteem and valuation of benefits. 4. That benefits be received with a willing mind, a hearty sense, a vehement affection. 5. Always attended with the esteem, veneration, and love of the benefactor.

+II. The time allotted to the performance of the duty.+--"Always." 1. Hereby is required a frequent performance thereof. 2. Appointing and punctually observing convenient times for the purpose. 3. A vigilant attendance on the duty such as men bestow on their employments. 4. Implies a ready disposition to give thanks ever permanent in us. 5. That we embrace every opportunity of actually expressing our thankfulness.

+III. The matter of this duty.+--"For all things." 1. We are to give thanks not only for great but the least favours of God. 2. Not only for new and present benefits, but for all we have formerly or may hereafter receive. 3. Not only for pleasant occurrences of providence, but also those which are adverse. 4. Not only for temporal but for spiritual and eternal blessings.--_Barrow._

_Thanksgiving._

+I. The duty here enjoined is to give thanks.+

+II. Consider the character of that Being to whom our thanks must be supremely directed.+--"To God, even the Father."

+III. We are required to give thanks always to God.+

+IV. The matters for which we are to give thanks.+--"For all things."

+V. Consider the medium of our access to God in this duty.+--"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."--_Lathrop._

Ver. 21. _Mutual Submission._

+I. A degree of submission is due to superiors.+--Superiors in age, in knowledge and wisdom, in authority. Honour a virtuous character wherever you see it.

+II. Mutual submission as it respects equals.+--All men have the same immutable right to an equitable treatment from all with whom they have intercourse. Mutual subjection ought to be seen in families.

+III. There is a submission due to those who on some accounts may be deemed inferiors.+--Superiors owe respect to those below them. They should be easy of access, gentle in language, and condescending in deportment.

+IV. This mutual submission ought to appear in Christian Churches.+--_Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 22-33.

_Duties of Wives and Husbands._

+I. The duty of the wife is submission to her husband.+--"Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands."

1. _A submission defined by religious obligation._--"As unto the Lord" (ver. 22). This submission implies no inferiority. Husband and wife are equal before God, and each is separately responsible to Him. The husband cannot love and serve God for the wife, nor the wife for the husband; each stands related to Him as a distinct personality, with distinct duties and responsibilities for each. God has the first claim upon them both, and their relation and duties to each other must be in harmony with that supreme claim. The submission demanded is not the subjection of an inferior to a superior, but the voluntary, sympathetic obedience that can be gracefully and appropriately rendered only by an equal to an equal. "It is here that Christianity, in contrast with paganism and notably with Mahometanism, raises the weaker sex to honour. In soul and destiny it declares the woman to be man, endowed with all rights and powers inherent in humanity. It is one of the glories of our faith that it has enfranchised our sisters, and raises them in spiritual calling to the full level of their brothers and husbands."

2. _A submission recognising the headship of the husband._--(1) Analogous to the headship of Christ to His Church. "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church" (ver. 23). (2) Unlike that headship inasmuch as Christ is not only the head but also the Saviour of the Church. "And He is the Saviour of the body" (ver. 23). As the Saviour His headship is unrivalled and must be acknowledged by every member alike. The wife must not think too much of her husband: there is One who is superior to him, and who must be all in all to them both.

3. _A submission after the pattern of that of the Church to Christ._--"As the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything" (ver. 24; cf. ver. 33). Religion sanctifies all relationships and makes duty a joy. As the wife obeys Christ in spiritual things, so she will obey her husband in all things righteous. Mary, wife of Prince William of Orange and the heir-apparent to the English throne, was asked what her husband the prince should be if she became queen. She called in her husband and promised him he should always bear rule; and asked only that he would obey the command, "Husbands, love your wives," as she should do that, "Wives, be obedient to your husbands in all things."

+II. The duty of the husband is to love his wife.+--1. _A love that seeks to promote the highest spiritual interests of the wife_ (vers. 25-29). It must be a Christ-like, self-sacrificing, all-devoted love. It is greatly within the power of the husband to help or hinder the spiritual life of the wife. The man is apt to become so self-absorbed and forgetful that he needs reminding of his duty to love and cherish the one who should be dearer to him than any other. Assured of the reality and unselfishness of her husband's love, there is no sacrifice she will hesitate to make, nor will she spare any effort to attain the Christ-likeness of character to which he may wish to lead her. "One with Christ. This is the ideal Christian state. We have a faint reflection of this in that which should be flesh. They are to be as nearly as possible one person. Their thoughts, their interests, their hopes, their aims are one. Marriage was given that it might be a representation of the spiritual union between Christ and His Church. The union of each separate soul with Christ is a fragment of His union with the whole Church, and must partake of the same character. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."

2. _A love arising from the intimacy and sacredness of the marriage bond_ (vers. 30-32).--Marriage is a union for life between one man and one woman; consequently bigamy, polygamy, and voluntary divorce are all inconsistent with its nature. It must be entered into freely and cordially by the parties, with the conviction that one is suited to the other, and to take the positions involved in the natural and scriptural view of the relation. "Marriage," said Jeremy Taylor, "is a school and exercise of virtue. Here is the proper sense of piety and patience, of the duty of parents, and the charity of relatives; here kindness is spread abroad and love is united and made firm as a centre. Marriage is the nursery of heaven, hath in it the labours of love and the delicacies of friendship, the blessing of society and the union of hands and hearts. Like the useful bee, marriage builds a house, unites into societies and republics, exercises many virtues, promotes the interest of mankind, and is that state of good things to which God has designed the present constitution of the world."

3. _A love strengthened by the observance of mutual duties_ (ver. 33).--Love manifested begets love, and strengthens with exercise. The loving reverence of the wife follows on the frank and genuine love of the husband. This was an epitaph in a churchyard inscribed by a husband after sixty years of married life: "She always made home happy." The Christian conception of love and marriage began a new era in the world, and has exalted woman to her true place.

+Lessons.+--1. _Marriage is not to be lightly entered into._ 2. _Is dignified as a symbol of the union between Christ and His Church._ 3. _Binds the contracting parties to fidelity in observing the most sacred vows._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 22-33. _Wives and Husbands._

+I. There are duties which are common to both the correlates.+--The husband and wife are in some respects equals. As they are one and have one common interest they ought to act with an undivided concern for the happiness of the family. They are alike bound to mutual fidelity and a chaste conversation. They are under equal obligations to study each other's peace and comfort.

+II. There are some duties particularly incumbent on the wife.+--These the apostle expresses by the terms submission, reverence, obedience, and subjection. Since the Church is subject to Christ, the woman ought to be subject to her husband, who, by Christ's authority, is constituted her head. A family should resemble a Church in union, peace, and subordination. The honour and interest of religion require that wives, by a cheerful subordination, co-operate with their husbands in all the important concerns of the household, and in the nurture, education, and government of the dependent members.

+III. There are duties particularly incumbent on the husband towards his wife.+--These the apostle expresses by the word "love," which here stands opposed to sharpness and severity. One argument for this love is the example of Christ in His love and devotion to the Church. Another reason is, the intimacy of the relationship--"Whoso loveth his wife loveth himself." Where the spirit of religion reigns in both, the union will be easy and their joint government in the family have efficacy. The maintenance of family religion depends on nothing more than the union of the heads. For how can they unite in prayers and praises who unite in nothing else.--_Lathrop._

Vers. 23-32. _Christ and His Bride._

+I. Christ's love to the Church+ (vers. 25-27). We must value and joyfully assert our individual part in the redeeming love of the Son of God; but we must equally admit the sovereign rights of the Church in the Redeemer's passion. There is in some an absorption in the work of grace within their own hearts, an individualistic salvation-seeking that like all selfishness defeats its end, for it narrows and impoverishes the inner life thus sedulously cherished. The Church does not exist simply for the benefit of individual souls; it is an eternal institution, with an affiance to Christ, a calling and destiny of its own; within that universal sphere our personal destiny holds its particular place. The Christ is worthy and she must be made worthy. From eternity He set His love upon her; on the cross He won her back from her infidelity at the price of His blood. Through the ages He has been wooing her to Himself, and schooling her in wise and manifold ways that she may be fit for her heavenly calling. Through what cleansing fires, through what baptisms, even of blood, she has still to pass ere the consummation is reached, He only knows who loved her and gave Himself for her. He will spare to His Church nothing, either of bounty or of trial, that her perfection needs.

+II. Christ's authority over the Church+ (vers. 23, 24).--The Church is no democracy, any more than she is an aristocracy or a sacerdotal absolutism: she is a _Christocracy._ The people are not rulers in the house of God; they are the ruled, laity and ministers alike. We acknowledge this in theory; but our language and spirit would oftentimes be other than they are, if we were penetrated with the sense of the continual presence and majesty of the Lord Jesus in our assemblies. The Church's protection from human tyranny, from schemes of ambition, from the intrusion of political methods and designs, lies in her sense of the splendour and reality of Christ's dominion and of her own eternal life in Him.

+III. The mystery of the Church's origin in Christ+ (vers. 30-32).--God chose us in Christ before the world's foundation. We are created in the Son of God's love antecedently to our redemption by Him. Christ recovers through the cross that which pertains inherently to Him, which belonged to Him by nature, and is as a part of Himself. The derivation of Eve from the body of Adam, as that is affirmed in the mysterious words of Genesis, is analogous to the derivation of the Church from Christ. The latter relationship existed in the ideal, and as conceived in the purpose of God, prior to the appearance of the human race. In St. Paul's theory, the origin of the woman in man, which forms the basis of marriage in Scripture, looked farther back to the origin of humanity in Christ Himself. In some mystical but real sense marriage is a _reunion,_ the reincorporation of what had been sundered. Seeking his other self, the complement of his nature, the man breaks the ties of birth and founds a new home. So the inspired author of the passage in Genesis (Gen. ii. 21-24) explains the origin of marriage, and the instinct which draws the bridegroom to his bride. But our apostle sees within this declaration a deeper truth, kept secret from the foundation of the world. When he speaks of this great mystery, he means thereby not marriage itself, but _the saying of Adam about it._ This text was a standing problem to the Jewish interpreters. "But for my part," says the apostle, "I refer it to Christ and to the Church." St. Paul, who has so often before drawn the parallel between Adam and Christ, by the light of this analogy perceives a new and rich meaning in the old dark sentence. It helps him to see how believers in Christ, forming collectively His body, are not only grafted into Him, but were derived from Him and formed in the very mould of His nature. In our union through grace and faith with Christ crucified we realise again the original design of our being. Christ has purchased by His blood no new or foreign bride, but her who was His from eternity--the child who had wandered from the Father's house, the betrothed who had left her Lord and spouse.--_Findlay._

Vers. 25-33. _The Christian Law of Marriage_--

+I. Demands self-sacrificing love.+

+II. Recognises the sacredness of the union between the contracting parties.+

+III. Is ennobled in being a type of the union between Christ and the Church.+

+IV. Involves mutual fidelity on the part of both husband and wife.+

Vers. 25-27. _Christ's Love for the Church._

+I. Christ's love of His Church.+--It was--1. Ancient. 2. Self-moved. 3. Active. 4. Effective.

+II. Christ's sacrifice of Himself as an exhibition of His love.+--1. Himself. His life. What a life! 2. As a sacrifice. The essence of it is vicarious suffering. 3. To all the suffering which justice demanded.

+III. Christ's more immediate object in what He has done.+--1. Sanctification. As essential as pardon. 2. By the agency of the Holy Spirit. Signified by the washing of water. 3. Through the instrumentality of the Word.

+IV. Christ's ultimate aim.+--1. To present His Church to Himself. A nuptial figure. 2. Free from all imperfections. 3. Adorned with all excellencies. (1) Our obligations to Christ. (2) The real value of holiness. (3) The high destiny of believers.--_G. Brooks._

_The Future Glory of the Church._

+I. The future state of the Church.+--In describing the future condition of the Church, the apostle has evidently in his mind two previous states: her original state when lying dead in trespasses and sins, and her subsequent earthly state when separated from the mass of the ungodly and partially redeemed. We have the people of Christ before us in three distinct points of view:--

1. _As wholly defiled._--Speaking of "sanctifying and cleansing" the Church intimates her complete defilement.

2. _As in some measure cleansed._--Though sanctified and cleansed, we read of spots still left on the Church.

3. _As altogether pure._--Faultless in God's presence and estimation.

+II. The causes to which this state is to be ascribed.+--1. _The love of Christ._ 2. _Love revealed in sacrifice_ as another step towards final purity. 3. _The work of the Holy Spirit_ (ver. 26). 4. _The Word of God_ (ver. 26). A right understanding of its testimony and a heartfelt belief in its truth.

+III. The great end for which all these means of holiness are brought into operation.+--"That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church" (ver. 27). The likeness of God will be put on her, the image of God shine in her; that attribute of Divinity--holiness--which is the perfection of Divinity will be her crown.--_C. Bradley._

_The Divine Ideal of the Church._

+I. We have an array of stupendous facts concerning the Church.+--1. _The Divine prevision._ Before the eternal Son of God could give Himself for the Church, He must have had it in His mind. 2. _The Redeemer's actual love for the Church._ 3. _The Redeemer's amazing self-sacrifice on behalf of the Church._ 4. _That the Redeemer has a very definite purpose concerning His Church._

+II. The distinguishing marks or signs of the members of the Church.+--They are personal and experimental. 1. _The casting out of natural impurities._ Improvement is not enough. Nothing but a thorough re-creation can effect what is required. 2. _The instrument of this change is the truth._ 3. _This change, this introduction into the Church, is a thing complete in itself, becomes historical, and ought never to need repeating._ 4. _The way is open for the appearance of the other personal and experimental sign--sanctification_ (ver. 26). 5. _Christ's idea of the Church given in these verses is not abstract, impracticable, and untrue to the possibilities of ordinary human nature._

+III. Here we catch a glimpse of the future and eternal glory of the Church.+--How stupendous an event it will be when, at the consummation of all things, the whole Church will be presented to the Lord Jesus! What can secure Church membership? Neither early training, nor baptism, nor the holding of an orthodox creed, nor associating with a religious and devout assembly, nor the filling of ecclesiastical office, nor even intelligent approach to the table of the Lord. Such things are means to an end. That end is true membership in the Church of Christ. And that membership is attained and secured by Divine renewal of the heart, and by that conformity to the mind of Christ which is expressive of the new life. The true unity of the Church of Christ is that spiritual oneness which has its expression in identity of Christian life.--_W. Hudson._

Ver. 25. _A Noble Self-sacrifice._--Caius Gracchus, who was the idol of the Roman people, having carried his regard for the lower orders so far as to draw upon himself the resentment of the nobility, an open rupture ensued; and the two extremities of Rome resembled two camps--Opimius the consul on one side, and Gracchus and his friend Fulvius on the other. A battle ensued in which the consul, meeting with more vigorous resistance than he expected, proclaimed an amnesty for all those who should lay down their arms, and at the same time promised to pay for the heads of Gracchus and Fulvius their weight in gold. This proclamation had the desired effect. The populace deserted their leaders. Fulvius was taken and beheaded, and Gracchus, at the advice of his two friends, Licinius Crassus and Pomponius, determined to flee the city, and reached the bridge Sublicius, where his enemies, who pursued him close, would have overtaken and seized him if his two friends had not opposed their fury; but they saw the danger he was in and determined to save his life at the expense of their own. They defended the bridge against all the consular troops till Gracchus was out of their reach; but at length, being overpowered by numbers, and covered with wounds, they both expired on the bridge they had so valiantly defended.--_Biblical Treasury._

Ver. 30. _Members of the Body of Christ._

+I. The doctrine.+--The apostle is speaking of believers only; of believers as believing; of all believers. His language implies:--

1. _Union._--Real, intimate, indissoluble.

2. _Dependence._--Of the members on the heart. Of the members on the head.

3. _Sympathy._--Sincere, entire, uninterrupted. Value of human sympathy. Its rarity. Its necessary imperfection. The superiority of Christ's.

+II. The duty.+--1. _Love._ A special affection arising out of a special relation.

2. _Reverence._--There should be no unholy familiarity.

3. _Obedience._--Responsive to His will as a part of Himself.--_G. Brooks._

Ver. 33. _The Sanctity of Home Life._--The Christian home is the corner-stone of modern civilisation--the best fruit Christianity has yielded the earth. The Anglo-Saxon home is the crowning glory of the race. Contrast it with French home life, or the miserable home life in Utah! National self-preservation demands a vigorous uprooting of Mormon polygamy and Western divorce lawlessness. That which is punished as a crime in the best and purest Christian lands must be punished as a crime wherever it is found. Garfield kissing his mother and his wife at his Inauguration was a sweet revelation of holy family life.--_Homiletic Monthly._

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER VI.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Children, obey.+--Until the days of discretion arrive this is the grace of childhood. If through obedience the child errs, the responsibility of that is with those who have commanded. It is only a "surrendered soul" that can sing:

"I would be treated as a child, And guided where I go."

Ver. 2. +Honour thy father and mother.+--As long as they are so.

Ver. 3. +That it may be well with thee.+--If ever "that it may be" could mean "and so it shall be," we should strenuously plead for that meaning here. For it would be a pitiable thing indeed to find a man showing filial piety as a profitable course.

Ver. 4. +Nurture and admonition.+--The former word is more general than the latter, including everything that goes to the instruction of the child. "Admonition" is reproof, either of word or punishment, or yet again, warning.

Ver. 5. +Servants, be obedient.+--R.V. margin, "bond-servants." There was One who had "become obedient even unto death," having "taken the form of a bond-servant" (Phil. ii. 7). +With fear and trembling.+--"With that zeal which is ever keenly apprehensive of not doing enough" (_Meyer_). The same phrase is used of the way in which our personal salvation is to be worked out (Phil. ii. 12).

Ver. 6. +Not with eyeservice.+--A word used only by St. Paul. The thing it describes is easily recognised to-day.

Ver. 7. +With good will doing service.+--If a philosopher-slave like Epictetus could rise superior to his condition, surely Christianity could do as much for the humblest believer.

Ver. 8. +Knowing that whatsoever good . . . bond or free.+

"This is the famous stone That turneth all to gold, For that which God doth touch and own Cannot for less be told"--_George Herbert._

Ver. 9. +Do the same things unto them.+--The utmost application of the "golden rule." +Forbearing threatening+ "may either mean abating or giving up."

Ver. 10. +Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.+--In ch. i. 19 the phrase "power of His might" is reversed. See note there.

Ver. 11. +The whole armour.+--"The panoply." "A complete suit of armour." +The wiles of the devil.+--A craftily designed plan of attack.

Ver. 12. +For we wrestle.+--We need not suppose a transference of the metaphor. It may describe the hand-to-hand fight in which equally matched opponents refuse to back an inch. +Not against flesh and blood.+--With "vulnerable crests" (_Macbeth_). When ghostly combatants appear, unassailable, and with powers of injury against which we are helpless, we may well say:

"Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves Shall never tremble."

Ver. 13. +In the evil day.+--Compare ch. v. 16. A day of great peril. +And having done all, to stand.+--"When the hurly-burly's done" to find oneself unvanquished.

Ver. 14. +Stand therefore.+--The words ring short and sharp as a bugle-call. +Loins girt about with truth.+--"To speak of a well-equipped warrior without a girdle is a _contradictio in adjecto,_ for it was just the girdle which produced the free bearing and movement and the necessary attitude of the warrior" (_Meyer_). "+Truth+ is a subjective conception corresponding with the eternal realities" (_Beet_). +Breastplate of righteousness.+--"As the actual warrior has protected the breast when he laced the corslet over his chest, so with you righteousness . . . renders your breast (heart and will) inaccessible to the hostile influence of the demons" (_Meyer_).

"He is but naked though locked up in steel Whose conscience with _injustice_ is corrupted."

Ver. 15. +Feet shod.+--Ensuring agility and a firm foothold. +Preparation of the gospel of peace.+--"Preparation" might perhaps give way to "preparedness." St. Paul does not mind a paradox. "What hast thou to do with peace?" said one soldier to another; but the herald was a soldier too.

Ver. 16. +Above all, taking the shield.+--Large enough to block the entrance to a doorway--being about four feet by two and a half. The lighter missiles were harmless against a roof of these shields over-lapped. They were of wood, thickly coated with leather. +Quench the fiery darts.+--"Arrows tipped with inflammable material, and shot off after having been kindled" (_Meyer_).

Ver. 17. +Take the helmet of salvation.+--For the large shield might leave the head exposed to the archer's aim. +The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.+--How effectual in fence and thrust it was in the hands of the Captain of our salvation, the "world-ruler" had experienced.

Ver. 18. +Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.+--Here we have the recognition of a directing Superior. The true soldier fights under the direction of his ἀρχηγός. The "sounds of strife" are dying away in this verse.

Ver. 20. +An ambassador in bonds.+--R.V. "in chains." Sustaining the honour of Christ under personal indignity. +That I may speak boldly.+--It needed not only the apostle's own, but his readers' prayers to enable him to speak freely within stroke of the "lion's paw" (2 Tim. iv. 17).

Ver. 21. +Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister.+--If all servants were "brethren" first, the troubles of our modern commercial life would be few.

Ver. 23. +Peace, love and faith.+--A worthy triad, and the greatest of _these_ is love.

Ver. 24. +Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.+--Paul's favourite word "grace" comes in as "epilogue"--as it was "prologue" (ch. i. 2). Sincerity means incorruptly--to love in a spirit corruption cannot touch.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1-4.

_Duties of Children and Parents._

+I. The duty of children to parents is to obey.+--1. _This obedience has the Divine sanction._ "In the Lord" (ver. 1). Both the command and the obedience must be in harmony with the relation in which both parents and children stand towards God. The parent who has not himself learnt to respect and obey the law of God is ill prepared for the grave responsibilities of family government. Natural affection and the instincts of common sense will guide the parents in the ordinary affairs of home-life, and the sense of dependence and respect should induce instinctive obedience in the child. No parent has any right to enforce an obedience which is not in harmony with the supreme claims of God. The child who submits to the will of his parents is taught at the same time to obey the higher law of God. If he defies parental authority and persists in disobedience, he is sure to be treated in the same way if he ever has children of his own. To be able to govern we must first learn to obey.

2. _This obedience is in harmony with natural order and the eternal principles of justice._--"For this is right" (ver. 1). Obedience is the law of the universe, and without it everything would rush into anarchy and chaos. Law is so all-pervasive as to cover every department and relationship of life, and its breach in any sphere carries with it its own punishment. Disobedience is not only a wrong to the person who commits it, but it is an injustice to somebody else. Obedience to parents in things lawful is no hardship. It is becoming and commendable because it is right. It is the perversity of our nature, when it becomes difficult to do right. Disobedience is a wilful divergence from the straight line of rectitude, and is the essence of all sin.

3. _This obedience ensures the Divine blessing_ (vers. 2, 3).--It is our duty to obey irrespective of any advantage to be secured. The loyal heart looks, not to the reward, but to the duty. It is no merit to do what it is our duty to do. Yet such is the condescension and goodness of God that He attaches a special blessing to every act of unselfish obedience. Filial obedience should not be dilatory and reluctant, but prompt, cheerful, self-denying, and uniform. Obedience is the path of safety. A pointsman in Prussia was at the junction of two lines of railway, lever in hand, for a train that was signalled. The engine was within a few seconds of reaching the embankment when the man, turning his head, perceived his little boy playing between the rails on which the train was running. He stuck to his lever, but shouted to the child, "Lie down! lie down!" The train passed, and the father rushed forward to pick up what he feared would be the mangled body of his child; but what was his joy to find the boy had at once obeyed his order, had lain down, and the train passed over him without injuring him. His prompt obedience saved his life. Dutiful children secure the blessing of God. Filial obedience practised in the Christian home forms habits of promptitude, self-control, and self-respect which are important conditions of success and prosperity.

+II. The duty of parents to children is to exercise discipline.+--1. _Not by enforcing commands that tend to irritate._ "Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath" (ver. 4). Children are a sacred trust and solemn responsibility; not to be weakly fondled or foolishly spoilt, but to be wisely, kindly, and strictly disciplined into obedience and duty. The Chinese have a proverb, when a son is born into a family a bow and arrow are hung before the gate. In Eastern books sons are spoken of as arrows of their fathers. "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth" (Ps. cxxvii. 4). As the bowman straightens and polishes his arrow, giving it a sharp and solid point, and wings it with feathers, so parents must train and equip their children that they may go straight to the point of duty and hit the mark. The arrows that are not prepared and directed when in the hand may, when they are gone abroad into the world, and all parental training is too late, prove arrows in the heart that will rankle with unspeakable pain. The training of children is also a training of the parent. Many a hint is unconsciously given as to "training up a _parent_ in the way he should go." While there should be firm discipline, there should not be exasperating and tantalising severity. Rousing a child's anger is not the best way of subduing it. A sullen submission gained, by provoking and then crushing an angry opposition, is rendered with a sense of injustice and wrong that will breed future mischief. Monod says: "Correction and instruction should proceed from the Lord, and be directed by the Spirit of the Lord in such a way that it is not so much the father who corrects his children and teaches them, as the Lord through him." The father who chastises in wrath provokes the child to wrath and rebellion.

2. _But by judicious religious culture._--"But bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (ver. 4). Children are the gifts of God to be trained for God. They are susceptible of genuine religious experience, and are often nearer the truth than grown-up people. Christ recognised the spiritual faculty in children, and gave them a conspicuous place in His kingdom. When He wished to show the type of true greatness, He did not point to stars or mountains or earthly dignities, but "called a little child unto Him and, set him in the midst" (Matt. xviii. 2-4). Children are capable of useful religious service, and in many ways may be little missionaries for Christ. Dr. W. L. Breckenridge once said to his mother: "Mother, I think you ruled us with too rigid a rod in our boyhood. It would have been better had you used gentler methods." The old lady straightened up and said: "Well, William, when you have raised up three as good preachers as I have then you can talk." The smaller magnets have proportionately much the greater power, and children have a remarkable spiritual force with which the Christian parent has to deal.

+Lessons.+--1. _Personal discipline should be in harmony with the law of God._ 2. _The rigour of parental discipline should be tempered with love._ 3. _Respect and obedience to parents will be Divinely rewarded._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 1-4. _The Mutual Duties of Children and Parents._

+I. Children are to obey and honour their parents.+--1. _Children owe to their parents an inward affection and regard._ Their obedience should flow from love, gratitude, and esteem. The love parents bear to their children entitles them to reciprocal affection. 2. _They are to honour their parents by external tokens of respect._ 3. _They are to obey the just commands of their parents._ 4. _They are to receive with decent and humble regard the instructions, counsels, and reproofs of their parents._ 5. _They should remunerate the favours received from their parents._ 6. _They are encouraged in their obedience by the Divine promise._

+II. The duties of parents to children.+--1. _To instruct their children in the doctrines and duties of religion._ 2. _To endeavour by arguments, exhortations, and reproofs to form their lives according to those instructions._ 3. _To regulate the diversions of their children._ 4. _To maintain the worship of God in their houses._ 5. _To let their conversation be exemplary._ 6. _To train up their children with diligence in some honest business._ 7. _To commend their children to God and the word of His grace.--Lathrop._

Vers. 1, 2. _Obedience._--The dutiful obedience of children is declared by God in the fifth commandment to be the foundation of all social happiness and of every social virtue.

+I. The behaviour of a child to its parents is no such trifle as too many perverse children and too many foolish parents are prone to fancy it.+--How often we hear mothers saying, "It is only the poor child's way; it is a little pettish and fractious at times, but it means no harm by it. To be sure it does not mind me quite so well as it ought to do; but children will be children." So the child goes on uncorrected, and grows up disobedient and undutiful--with habits and dispositions so evil that God has classed them with the very worst crimes, with false swearing, theft, adultery, and ever murder. If undutifulness in children had been a mere trifle, would God have put it into this black list?

+II. Observe the reasonableness and justice of the duty of children to obey their parents.+--The child is helpless and entirely dependent on its parents' care and kindness. So strong and lasting is a mother's love that, while other animals drive their young away as soon as they can feed themselves, the love of human parents descends and prolongs itself even to their offspring's offspring. Think of their fears, their wishes, their prayers for your souls' welfare. Your love to them should be dutiful love, showing itself in acts of gentleness, respect, and kindness, and in the strictest and readiest obedience. Children are bound to obey, not from constraint, nor from fear of blows, but readily, willingly, cheerfully. The obedience paid for fear of stripes is the obedience of a mule, not of a son. What can a child know save what its parents teach it? Its parents for a time stand in the place of God to it; as such, it must believe them and obey them. You may be the better for their experience, you may profit by their warnings, you may learn from their lessons.

+III. Observe the use and benefit of obedience in forming the character of the child.+--It is in the school of home, amid the little hardships, restraints, crosses, and disappointments which every child must needs meet with, that the great lesson of obedience is best learnt. There is a root of self-will born in every man, and out of this root grow two evil and misshapen stems--pride and disobedience. You may as well expect water to burn and fire to wet, you may as well expect a barren common that has never been ploughed and sown to produce a crop of wheat, as that a child, which has gone on year after year in pride, self-will, and disobedience to its parents, will readily or easily tear off its habits and its nature, to walk humbly and obediently before God. We must cultivate obedience in the child that it may outgrow, overtop, and stifle, or at least keep under, the evil stem of disobedience. We must cultivate humility in him, that it may keep under the evil of pride. We must train and accustom him to habits of steady self-denial, which our Lord has recommended to us as the best yokes for our headstrong and else unmanageable self-will. Thus the fifth commandment is a kind of practical school where the child, in obeying its parents, learns to obey all to whom it owes obedience.--_A. W. Hare._

Ver. 4. _A Father's Charge._

+I. The duties parents owe to their children.+--1. _Children are weak and helpless and totally incapable of caring for themselves_--hence arises the first duty which parents owe them, that of feeding and clothing them. 2. _Are ignorant and without understanding_--hence they should not only be fed but taught. 3. _Are unruly, and therefore must be governed._ 4. _Are prone to evil, and therefore must be restrained._

+II. The obligations parents are under to practise these duties.+--1. _They should do it for their own sakes._ 2. _For their children's sake._ 3. _For society's sake._ 4. _For God's sake._

+Learn.+--1. _The practicability of a religious education._ 2. _How awful is the responsibility of parents--of fathers especially.--Sketches._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 5-9.

_The Duties of Servants and Masters._

+I. The duty of the servant to the master is to obey.+--1. _This obedience is to be rendered with conscientious solicitude._ "With fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart; . . . not with eyeservice, as menpleasers" (vers. 5, 6). There must be a _genuine care for our work._ "Be obedient, with fear and trembling." The fear enjoined is no dread of human displeasure, of the master's whip or tongue. It is the same fear and trembling with which we are bidden to work out our own salvation (Phil. ii. 12). The inward work of the soul's salvation and the outward work of the busy hands labouring in the mine, or at the loom, or in the lowliest domestic duties--all alike are to be performed under a solemn responsibility to God and in the presence of Christ, the Lord of nature and of men. No man, whether he be a minister of state or a stable-groom, will dare to do heedless work who lives and acts in that august Presence. The sense of Christ's Lordship ensures _honesty in work._ "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers." It is the common fault and temptation of servants in all degrees to observe the master's eye, and to work busily or slackly as they are watched or not. Such workmen act as they do because they look to men and not to God. Their work is without conscience and self-respect. Let us all adopt St. Paul's maxim; it will be an immense economy. What armies of overlookers and inspectors we shall be able to dismiss when every servant works as well behind his master's back as to his face, when every manufacturer and shopkeeper puts himself in the purchaser's place and deals as he would have others deal with him (_Findlay_).

2. _This obedience should be cheerful and hearty as rendered unto a higher than an earthly master._--"As unto Christ; . . . doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (vers. 5-7). Obedience should be not only careful and honest, but hearty. The heart is the source of our greatest power. Nothing can be translated into an act that has not first been conceived and set in motion by the heart. As the stroke of the piston sets in motion the most complicated machinery and produces certain results, so the throb of the heart brings all our activities into play and gives direction and character to our work. The worth of our work as a whole will be decided by the heartiness we throw into every single duty. Workmanship counts for much. I have read of a chain, weighing two ounces, costing £170, being 163,000 times more than the value of the original bit of iron from which it was made. The work of the artist made all the difference; he put into it his best self, his heart, his genius. So in the works of the divine Creator. The symmetry, the beauty, the perfect balance and shining magnificence of the world are the result of the patient work and hearty enthusiasm with which the great Architect has put together and finished the most minute parts of the planet.

3. _Genuine obedience is always rewarded._--"Whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord" (ver. 8). Even in this world conscientious work is not without reward. "In all labour there is profit. The diligent hand maketh rich." A stationer settling a large account with a paper-manufacturer said: "I owe all my success in business to you; but let me ask you how a man of your caution came to give credit so readily to a beginner of my slender means?" "Because," said the paper-maker, "at whatever hour in the mourning I passed to my business, I always observed you at yours with your coat off." Work gives character, and is the pathway to success and wealth. But in the world to come, when servant and master stand before the bar of Christ, reward will be equitably meted out according to the work of each.

+II. The duty of the master is to act towards his servant on the same principles as obedience to himself is regulated.+--"And, ye masters, do the same things unto them" (ver. 9). The master is to put himself in the place of his servant, and act towards him as he would desire to be treated if their positions were reversed. It is a practical application of the great rule, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them"--a rule we are in danger of interpreting on one side only: our own side.

1. _To avoid irritating severity._--"Forbearing threatening" (ver. 9). The slave in early times was treated as scarcely human, and was ruled by the fear of punishment. Christianity in the beginning did not interfere with domestic slavery; but it introduced principles which, wherever adopted, utterly abolished slavery. The Christian master cannot act on the policy of cruelty, but treats his servants with justice and kindness.

2. _To remember that both are servants of a higher and impartial Master._--"Knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him" (ver. 9). A party of friends setting out together upon a journey soon find it to be the best for all sides that while they are upon the road one of the company should wait upon the rest, another ride forward to seek out lodging and entertainment, a third carry the portmanteau, a fourth take charge of the horses, a fifth bear the purse, conduct, and direct the route; not forgetting, however, that as they were equal and independent when they set out, so they are all to return to a level again at their journey's end. The same regard and respect, the same forbearance, lenity, and reserve in using their service, the same mildness in delivering commands, the same study to make their journey comfortable and pleasant which he whose lot it was to direct the rest would in common decency think himself bound to observe towards them, ought we to show to those who, in the casting of the parts of human society, happen to be placed within our power or to depend upon us (_Paley_). Master and man must give an account to Him who will judge every act according to its merit.

+Lessons.+--1. _Masters and servants are amenable to Divine law._ 2. _Neither master nor servant gains any advantage by tactics that violate Divine law._ 3. _Where the Christian spirit predominates trade disputes will soon be satisfactorily settled._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 5-9. _The Duties of Servants and Masters._

+I. The duties of servants.+--1. _To be obedient to their masters._ This must be understood with the same limitation as all other commands enjoining relative duties. We are to obey God rather than men. Servants no further obey their masters according to the will of God than they make His will the rule and measure of their obedience to their masters. 2. _Servants owe their masters reverence as well as obedience._ 3. _There is an honour, as well as fear, due to their masters._ 4. _Cheerfulness in their obedience is recommended by the apostle._ 5. _Diligence of faithfulness is another duty which they owe to their masters._ 6. _They are to be patient and submissive,_ though they meet with usage more severe than they think reasonable, not breaking their own obligations, or deserting their master's service for trivial causes, but bearing his smaller indiscretions without complaint, and in cases of real injury seeking relief in a prudent manner and by lawful means. 7. _In all their service they should act with an aim to please God and to obtain His approbation._

+II. The duties of masters to their servants.+--1. _Their government is to be mild and prudent, not passionate and severe._ 2. _With respect to apprentices, the contract binds the master not only to give them comfortable support, but to instruct them in his business and profession._ 3. _With respect to labourers, justice obliges us to give them the stipulated wages when they have faithfully performed the promised service._ 4. _With respect to all servants, equity requires that we treat them with humanity and kindness,_ and contribute all proper assistance to render them useful, virtuous, and happy.--_Lathrop._

Vers. 6-8. _Christian Servitude._--1. To propose to ourselves the pleasing of men as our great design is inconsistent with the work of grace in the heart and with that subjection we owe to Christ. The meanest service is service done to Christ, and will be accepted by Him as such. 2. So ingrate is man, and so slow to reward those from whom he receives favour, that a man can never heartily do service to the most of men, except he look to God, whom to serve in the meanest employment is a reward in itself. 3. The Lord in dispensing rewards looks not to the external beauty, splendour, or greatness of the work, but to the honesty and sincerity of it.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 9. _Masters accountable to God._--1. There is no power among men so absolute--not that of kings and supreme rulers--but implies an obligation, through virtue of God's ordinance, on those invested with it to make conscience of duties towards their inferiors and subjects. 2. As it is usual for powers on earth sinfully to oversee and not to punish the cruel and unjust dealings of masters towards servants, so those sins most connived at by men are most severely taken notice of by God. 3. It is too ordinary for men in place and authority to carry themselves as if they had none above them to be accountable to, or to dream that the Lord will not take such strict account of them as of their underlings and servants.--_Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 10-12.

_The Christian Warfare_--

+I. Can be fought only with Divine help.+--"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" (ver. 10). The apostle has dwelt like one enraptured on the sublime constitution and glorious destiny of the Church; now he deals with the formidable foes with which the Church will have to contend. He sees the evil forces gathering, and hears the clash of arms among the approaching enemies. He warns believers that unaided they will be powerless in the strife and must suffer defeat. They are secure and will be victorious only as they make the strength of God their own. The strength of the general, in other hosts, lies in his troops; he flies, as a great commander once said, upon their wings; if their feathers be clipped, their power broken, he is lost. But in the Christian army the strength of every saint lies in the Lord of hosts. God can overcome His enemies without their hands; but they cannot even defend themselves without His arm. Man is impotent without the strength of God. If the ship, launched, rigged, and with her sails spread, cannot stir till the wind fills them, much less can the timber in the carpenter's yard hew and frame itself into a ship. Power to contend with the spiritual foes must come from God.

+II. Involves a fierce conflict with the powers of evil.+--1. _A conflict, not with men, but with unseen spiritual enemies._ "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities" (ver. 12). The apostle brings out in bold relief the terrible foes they are summoned to encounter. (1) _As to their position._ They are no subalterns, but foes of mighty rank, the nobility and chieftains of the spirit world. (2) _Their office._ Their domain is this darkness in which they exercise imperial sway. (3) _Their essence._ They are not encumbered with an animal frame, but are spirits. (4) _Their character._ They are evil--their appetite for evil only exceeds their capacity for producing it (_Eadie_). The Church is engaged in a double conflict--of the flesh and of the spirit. We are assailed with the temptations of the world of sense, and with seductions of error that attack us in the world of the mind; and in both spheres we have to contend with the subtle influences set in motion by the rulers of the darkness of this world. Our foes invade "the high places" of our faith and hope, and would rob us of our heaven.

2. _A conflict with unseen spiritual enemies led by an astute and subtle commander._--"That ye may be able to withstand against the wiles of the devil" (ver. 11). The New Testament assumes the personality of Satan. This belief runs counter to modern thought, governed as it is by the tendency to depersonalise existence. The conception of evil spirits given us in the Bible is treated as an obsolete superstition; and the name of the evil one with multitudes serves only to point a profane and careless jest. To Jesus Christ, Satan was no figure of speech, but a thinking and active being, of whose presence and influence He saw tokens everywhere in this evil world. Satan's empire is ruled with a settled policy, and his warfare carried on with a system of strategy which takes advantage of every opening for attack. The manifold combinations of error, the various arts of seduction and temptation, and ten thousand forms of the deceit of unrighteousness constitute "the wiles of the devil." Satan is no longer the God of this world since Christianity rose to its ascendant. The manifestations of demonism are, at least in Christian lands, vastly less conspicuous than in the first age of the Church. But they are more bold than wise who deny their existence, and who profess to explain all occult phenomena and phrenetic moral aberrations by physical causes (_Findlay_).

+III. Is victorious only as the warrior is armed with the Divine panoply.+--"Put on the whole armour of God" (ver. 11). They who put on Christ are well clothed; they are armed from head to foot, and are proof against the darts of the devil. The Christless man is defenceless; his own understanding and gifts do not sufficiently arm him. The soldier comes into the field with no arms but what his general commands: it is not left to every one's fancy to bring what weapons he pleases; this would breed confusion. So the Christian soldier must put on the armour God provides, and be completely clothed with it. To leave one part unguarded will bring disaster. In one of the famous battles between the English and French, that which lost France the day was a shower of English arrows which so galled the horses that they became unmanageable, put the whole army into disorder, and trod down their own men. So if there be the least loophole in our armour the wily adversary will quickly discover it and shoot through his fiery darts which will effect confusion and defeat.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian life is a conflict between good and evil._ 2. _God is always on the side of the good._ 3. _The Christian warrior must fight with weapons Divinely provided._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 10-12. _A Call to Christian Fortitude._

+I. Here is an exhortation to Christian fortitude.+--"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." It is not bodily but mental strength which is here intended. True fortitude or courage is a temper of mind by which we steadily follow the calls of duty, without being deterred by danger or diverted by difficulty. It is a virtue founded in a regard to God and supported by faith in Him. It is cool and deliberate, not rash and impetuous; it is kind and compassionate, not cruel and revengeful; it is steady and patient, not fickle and inconstant; it continues in well-doing, persuaded that its labour is not in vain.

+II. A warning against the enemies to be opposed.+--The apostle mentions two sorts of enemies.

1. _The first he calls flesh and blood._--The motions of our animal nature. The phrase may further intend those sensible objects which are suited to gratify fleshly desires; or it may intend mankind, who are partakers of flesh and blood.

2. _The other kind of enemies with whom we are to contend are evil spirits._--These spirits are enemies to mankind. Their number is great, and the terms used denote a subordination among them. They are not divided against themselves, but act in concert under the direction of one leading spirit, who is called the devil and Satan. They have great power over such as submit to their dominion. Their chief influence is over the ignorant and superstitious. They most successfully carry on their designs in the dark. When the Gospel began to shine, Satan began to fall. Among those who reject the Gospel he recovers his full dominion.--_Lathrop._

Vers. 11, 12. _The Christian Warfare._

+I. Consider the danger to which we are exposed.+--As in other cases so it is in this: our greatest danger lies in not feeling our danger, and so not being prepared to meet it.

1. _View the enemy we have to contend with._--He is one who bears an inveterate hatred against us, and seeks nothing less than our destruction or eternal overthrow. . . . He hates us as God's creatures, but especially as those who have been rescued from his power and taken up arms against him; nothing now will satisfy him but our eternal ruin. . . . It is therefore a struggle of life for life; if we do not overcome him, he will overcome us. It is in vain to think of being neuter, or making peace with him.

2. _He is mightier than we are;_ and unless we have help from above, we are no match for him. . . . We know but little of the power of wicked spirits, abstractly considered; but viewed as the god of this world, Satan has all its temptations in alliance with him.

3. _He is an artful enemy_. . . . We are told of the "wiles of the devil," hiding his designs, and falling upon us when we least expect it. We are in his net before we are aware, and when Providence seems to smile upon us (Deut. viii. 11-14). . . . He studies our propensities, and suits his temptations to them (Eph. iv. 14).

4. _He is invisible_. . . . If he were "flesh and blood," like ourselves, we might beware; but his influence is like the mighty pestilence, which walks in darkness. . . . When least suspected, danger is nigh.

5. _He is near us,_ as it were, within our gates. The safety of a nation menaced by an enemy often depends on his being kept at a distance, by walls or seas, or fortresses of defence. But here it is supposed that the enemy has entered into our borders, and that we have no other resource left but to struggle as it were for life. . . .

6. _What is still worse, he has a strong party within us._

7. _On the issue of this warfare depend all our hopes._--If we "stand" not in this, our loss when defeated can never be retrieved.

+II. The armour provided for us.+--1. _In general, this armour is the grace of the Gospel believed and trusted in._ In common warfare it is usual for the commanders to persuade their enemies to think highly of their strength; but in this it is quite the reverse. We must go as Israel was always taught to do, as having no might of our own, but deriving all our strength from the Lord.

2. _It is described as a whole or perfect armour._--Sufficient to defend us in every part. . . . "Truth" is the girdle to strengthen us; "righteousness" a breastplate; the "gospel" of peace as shoes, by which we shall be able to trample upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon; "faith" is a shield; "salvation," or the hope of eternal life, a helmet. . . . All this armour is to be drawn from the truths of the everlasting Gospel.

3. _The use to be made of it is,_ that we may be able to "withstand," and to face the enemy. There is no armour for the back; he that fleeth is wholly defenceless, and must inevitably fall.

+III. The necessity of putting on this armour.+--Armour is of no avail, unless it is used. The application of the Gospel is that which proves our security.

+IV. The inducement to put on this armour.+--"That we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (ver. 11). Many neglecting this armour have been foiled in the day of battle.--_Theological Sketch Book._

Ver. 11. _The Wiles of the Devil._

+I. Some of those artifices by which the devil entices men to sin.+--1. _He often presents to man the pleasing advantages of sin, while its judicial consequences are kept in the background._ Sin is often presented to man under the form of virtue or religion. The names of sins are changed in order that their natures may seem changed. Sin is thus recommended to the more tender conscience. The vileness and criminality of sin are often extenuated to man by plausible excuses. They need an apology--youth, old age, strong temptation, a desire to please, to prevent loss of place, provision for a family, etc. The inconsistencies of the acknowledged people of God are often pleaded as an apology for sin. The falls of God's people have been recorded for good; but the record has been perverted to evil. A legitimate use of the record is to prevent despair on the part of God's people who have fallen. But, by Satan, the beacon has been converted into a decoy.

2. _The sinner is often freed from his difficulties in sinning by false views of God's character and of the design of Christ's work._--God is regarded as a Being of mere mercy. Christ is thought of as saving from sin's consequences, rather than from sin itself. The individual is often persuaded to expose himself to temptation, under the impression that he will resist it.

+II. Some of the artifices by which he entices men from the performance of positive duty.+--1. _Many are restrained from duties by a consideration of their hardness in themselves_ (Matt. x. 34-39). 2. _Many are persuaded to let duty alone, on account of the sacrifices which a performance of it involves._ 3. _Argument against a full devotedness to the service of God may sometimes be drawn from the fewness and meanness of those who are engaged in it_ (John vii. 48). 4. _An argument against the necessity of duty is drawn from the doctrines of grace_ (Rom. vi. 2, 3; Jas. ii. 17). 5. _The worth and value of all performances are taken away by the trust in them for righteousness to which Satan prompts the heart.--Stewart._

Ver. 12. _The Invisible Enemies of Man._

+I. Spiritual forces are much greater, much more efficient, much more formidable than any mere material forces.+--A strong will is a more formidable thing than the most highly developed muscle. An idea which appeals to the intelligence and heart of the multitude is likely to do more work and to wield a greater sway in the end than any number of batteries and parks of artillery. It is in the encounter, not of brute force with conscience and with thought, but in the encounter of ideas with ideas, in the encounter of wills with wills, that the destiny of the world is ultimately decided. St. Paul knew that the Church had to contend with the thought and the reason of paganism much more truly than with its proconsuls and its legions; and as he wrote to the Ephesians, he did not mean merely human principalities and powers, since he contrasts the beings of whom he is speaking with mere flesh and blood.

+II. Behind all that met the eye in daily life the apostle discovered another world that did not meet the eye.+--He discerned other forms hovering, guiding, marshalling, arranging, inspiring that which met the eye. "Do not let us deceive ourselves," he cries, "as if we had only to encounter so many social or political forces, so many human minds and wills, so many human errors, human prejudices, human traditions, human passions; our real enemies are not human, they lie in ambush behind the manifold activities of man; they are really supersensuous. Two great departments of moral life among men are watched over, each one of them beyond the sphere of human life, by beings of greater power, greater intelligence, greater intensity of purpose than man in the world of spirits. These spiritual beings, good and evil, act upon humanity as clearly, as certainly, and as constantly as man himself acts upon the lower creatures around. It is not any mere disposition, inseparable from the conditions of human thought, to personify, to externalise passion, which has peopled the imagination of Christendom with demons. It is within ourselves that we meet now, as the first Christians met, the onset of the principalities and powers. It is in resisting them, in driving from us in the name of Christ the spirits of untruthfulness, of sloth, of anger, and of impure desire, that we really contribute our little share to the issue of the great battle that rages still."

+III. To love truth and righteousness is to hate their contraries.+--Hatred of evil is distinct from any hatred of those who do evil, and who are objects of sincere sorrow, and have claims on Christian charity. The easy tolerance of moral evil is one of the most alarming features of our day. Only when the struggle with evil is a matter of personal experience do we hate it, and enter even remotely into the apostle's stern language about its agents and its champions.--_H. P. Liddon._

_The Enemies of Believers._

+I. The enemies referred to are here described as numerous.+--1. _They are here spoken of in the plural number,_ as they are also in other passages: "The angels which kept not their first estate." "The devil and his angels." The names here employed are collective, and imply numbers. We read of a single person being possessed with many devils. 2. _Hence the whole world has been filled with their worship and studded with their temples._ 3. _Hence the strength of the temptations with which each one is tried._ 4. _Hence the intensity of human wickedness._ 5. _Hence the need of watchfulness._

+II. The enemies here spoken of are represented as being in a kind of subordination the one to the other--there are "principalities."+--1. _There may be remains among them of that diversity of rank which originally existed._ 2. _It may be a submission called for by difference of intellectual and innate power._ 3. _It may be made conducive to the more successful waging of the war in which they are engaged_--giving unity of aim, of plan, of co-operation. They leave no point neglected; turn all their strength to account. All unity is not of God.

+III. The enemies here described are singly and as detached mighty for evil.+--They are "powers." 1. _Power intellectual._ 2. _Power physical._ 3. _Power directed._ 4. _Collective power._

+IV. The apostle characterises these adversaries as the rulers of the darkness of this world.+--1. _Here a limitation of Satan's dominion is expressed._--"Rulers of the darkness of this world"--of the hiding and blinding errors which abound--of those deceived and misled. 2. _It is as the prince of darkness that he contends,_ using falsehood and the wicked as his instruments.

+V. The enemies are spiritual in their nature.+--1. _They are intelligent and crafty._ 2. _Invisible._ 3. _Active and unwearied._

+VI. They are wicked spirits.+--1. _They are in themselves wicked._ 2. _They would make others wicked._ 3. _They employ the most wicked means._

+Lessons.+--1. _Watch._ 2. _Pray._ 3. _Resist._ 4. _Stand fast.--Stewart._

_Evil Angels._

+I. The nature and properties of evil angels.+--1. _Their original properties were the same as those of the holy angels._ 2. _We do not know either the occasion of their apostasy or what effect it immediately produced upon them._ 3. _From the time they shook off their allegiance to God, they shook off all goodness, and contracted those tempers which are most hateful to Him and most opposite to His nature._ 4. _In the prosecution of their infernal designs they are diligent in the highest degree._ 5. _They do not wander at large, but are all united under one common head._

Transcriber's Note: With respect to point 5 below, the Transcriber asserts that man is perfectly capable of doing evil without any help. Please see Jer. xvii. 9 and James i. 13-15.

+II. The employment of evil angels.+--1. _They are, as far as God permits, the governors of the world._ 2. _Satan and all his angels are continually warring against us, and watching over every child of man._ 3. _By them the foolish hearts of those who know not God are darkened._ 4. _They hinder every good word and work._ 5. _There is no evil done, spoke, or thought without the assistance of the devil._ 6. _Such is the malice of the wicked one that he will torment whom he cannot destroy._ In all these instances we say "the devil," as if there was only one, because these spirits, innumerable as they are, all act in concert, and because we know not whether one or more are concerned in this or that work of darkness.--_Wesley._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 13-17.

_The Christian Warrior equipped._

+I. He is clothed from head to foot with defensive armour.+--1. _The girdle of truth._ "Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (ver. 14). The military girdle was the belt or cincture with which the warrior braced himself round the waist, to tighten and keep every part of his armour in its true place, that there might not be anything loose and trailing about him to encumber his movements. Everything about him must be tense and firm, that he may be prepared to receive the attack of the enemy, however suddenly and powerfully made, and to act with decision and concentrated energy. So the Christian warrior must be strengthened and sustained with the girdle of truth. The truth of the Gospel must be known and conscientiously embraced, so that we may detect the numerous foes that error is constantly letting loose upon us, and be able to attack and conquer them. To cast away our girdle is to incapacitate ourselves for the combat, and to expose ourselves to wounds and defeat. Conscious integrity inspires the spiritual warrior with confidence and bravery. "Let this be my brazen wall, that no man can reproach me with a crime, and that I am conscious of my own integrity." On the truth we take our stand, and by the truth we stand. If we keep the truth, the truth will keep us, and we shall not be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine." "The luxury of agnosticism, the languors of doubt, the vague sympathies and hesitant eclecticism in which delicate and cultured minds are apt to indulge; the lofty critical attitude as of some intellectual god sitting above the strife of creeds, which others find congenial--these are conditions of mind unfit for the soldier of Christ Jesus. He must have sure knowledge, definite and decided purposes--a soul girdled with truth."

2. _The breastplate of righteousness._--"And having on the breastplate of righteousness" (ver. 14). The military breastplate or cuirass was the chief piece of defensive armour. It consisted of two parts or wings; one covered the whole region of the thorax and protected the vital organs of the body, and the other covered the back as far down as the front part extended. As the breastplate guarded the vital functions contained within the region of the thorax, so righteousness--the life of God in the soul of man--defends everything on which the spiritual existence and triumph of the Christian warrior depend. Righteousness--conscious integrity of character--is an impenetrable mail from which the missiles of the enemy fall pointless. Rectitude of life is an invulnerable defence against the most furious attacks of calumny and oppression: it is an immovable rock that breaks up the dark billows of opposition into clouds of helpless spray.

3. _The greaves, or feet-guards._--"Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (ver. 15). The military greaves or brazen boots covered the shin or front of the leg. A kind of _solen_ was often used which covered the sole and laced about the instep, preventing the foot from being wounded by thorns or rugged ways, and giving firmness and security to the foothold. Thus shod, the warrior would take his stand with safety, or move with alertness over all sorts of ground. Being "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" indicates that the Christian soldier is ever ready to move with expedition and willingness in publishing the good tidings of peace. The Israelites were commanded to eat the passover with their feet shod to show that they were ready for their journey. Christ commanded His messengers to be shod with sandals, that they might be ready to go and proclaim the Gospel wherever they were sent. The Christian warrior is on his way through a strange and hostile country, and should be every moment not only prepared to proceed, but be every moment in actual progress, proclaiming peace on his way to the land of eternal peace. Progress in truth is made by being firmly established in its principles; every advancing step is taken with confidence and with the air of one who is assured of the ground on which he is treading. The Gospel of peace establishes peace between God and man, and proclaims goodwill and peace to the universe. "The objection that the apostle is addressing the faithful at large who are not all of them called to preach the Gospel is mistaken. Every believer should be prepared to witness for Christ so often as opportunity affords and needs a readiness thereto. The knowledge of Christ's peace qualifies him to convey its message. He brings it with him into the strife of the world. And it is the consciousness that he possesses himself such peace, and has it to communicate to others, which enables him to walk firmly and with sure step in the way of faith" (_Von Hofman_). We preserve the truth by spreading it; and the best defence against the enemies of the truth is to persuade them to accept the Gospel of peace. The Christian warrior is not a fighter, but a peacemaker.

4. _The shield of faith._--"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (ver. 16). The shield signified is not the small round buckler or targe of the light-armed man, but the oblong, doorlike shield, measuring four feet by two and a half, and curved to the shape of the body, that the Greek hoplite and the Roman legionary carried. Joined together, these large shields formed a wall, behind which a body of troops could hide themselves from the rain of the enemy's missiles. These military shields were made of wood, covered on the outside with thick leather, which not only deadened the shock of the missile, but protected the frame of the shield from the fire-tipped darts used in the artillery of the ancients. So faith is the shield of the Christian soldier, defending him from the fierce attacks of the foe, from within and without. By "the fiery darts of the wicked" the apostle may allude to the darts called _falarica,_ which were headed with lead, in or about which some combustible stuff was placed that took fire in the passage of the arrow through the air, and often burnt up the enemies' ships and engines, or stuck in the shields and set them on fire. The shield of faith cannot be pierced or destroyed by the fiercest fires of hatred or malice. The arrows of the wicked, flaming with cruelty, are caught on this shield, blunted, and extinguished.

5. _The helmet of salvation._--"And take the helmet of salvation" (ver. 17). The helmet was the armour for the head, was of various forms, and embossed with a great variety of figures. On the top of the helmet was the crest or ridge, adorned with several emblematic figures, either for ornament or to strike terror. The apostle may refer to a helmet which had an emblematic representation of hope--that the person who wore it should be safe, should be prosperous in all his engagements, and escape unhurt from battle. So the hope of conquering every adversary, and surmounting every difficulty by the salvation of the Gospel, is a helmet that protects the head, and is of such impenetrable texture as the blow of the battle-axe cannot cleave. The hope of continual safety and protection, built on the promises of the Gospel, protects the understanding from being confused by the subtle attacks of Satan or the sophisms of unbelief. Salvation guards the whole man, the head and heart, and is both helmet and shield.

+II. He is armed with an all-potent offensive weapon.+--"And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (ver. 17). The military swords were in various sizes, and in the earliest times were made of brass. The swords of Homer's heroes were all of this metal. Great dexterity was acquired in the use of the sword, and an expert swordsman was an antagonist greatly dreaded. The Word of God is the offensive weapon wielded by the Christian combatant. It is called the sword of the Spirit, because it comes from the Holy Spirit, and receives its fulfilment in the soul through the operations of the Spirit, who alone can teach its potent use. Facility in quoting the Word in times of temptation and trial enables the spiritual warrior to cut in pieces the snares of the adversary. The shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit are the principal armour of the soul. The enemies of the cross of Christ fall humiliated and defeated under the powerful strokes of the Spirit's sword. There are times when the Christian soldier must not only stand on the defensive, but must lead the attack with unflinching bravery on the forces of evil. He is safe only by slaying the enemy.

+III. He is fully prepared to resist and conquer his terrible opponents.+--"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (ver. 13). _Stand_ is the spiritual battle-cry. Being armed, defend your liberties, maintain your rights, discomfort your spiritual foes, hold your ground against them, never put off your armour, but be ever standing ready to repel any new attack. The defence is necessary, for the evil day is at hand, is already dawning. The early Church had its evil day of persecution and defection, and the Church of to-day is threatened by an evil day of subtlest error. The unwary and supine will go down before the forces of evil, and only the brave and steadfast will survive.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian armour is invulnerable._ 2. _The Christian warrior must attack as well as defend._ 3. _The Christian warrior can conquer only as he uses the armour provided._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 13-17. _The Christian's Armour._--St. Paul lay in prison at Rome, bound with a chain to the Roman trooper who watched him day and night. He employed his prison hours in writing. It was very natural that his language, like his thoughts, should be coloured here and there by the objects around him; and we find that whilst writing this circular epistle to the Ephesians his eye had actually been resting on the soldier to whom he was chained. In the outfit of the Roman legionary he saw the symbol of the supernatural dress which befits the Christian. The ornamented girdle or _balteus,_ bound around the loins, to which the sword was commonly attached, seemed to the apostle to recall the inward practical acknowledgment of truth, which is the first necessity in the Christian character. The metal breastplate suggests the moral rectitude or righteousness which enables a man to confront the world. The strong military sandals spoke of the readiness to march in the cause of that Gospel whose sum and substance was not war, but spiritual even more than social peace. And then the large oblong, oval, wooden shield, clothed with hides, covering well-nigh the whole body of the bearer, reminded him of Christian faith, upon which the temptations of the evil one, like the ancient arrows, tipped as they often were with inflammable substances, would light harmlessly and lose their deadly point; and then the soldier's helmet, pointing upwards to the skies, was a natural figure of Christian hope directed towards a higher and better world; and then he sword at his side, by which he won safety and victory in the day of battle, and which you will observe is the one aggressive weapon mentioned in this whole catalogue--what was it but the emblem of that Word of God which wins such victories on the battle-fields of conscience, because it pierces, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth? Thus girded, thus clad, thus shod, thus guarded, thus covered, thus armed, the Christian might well meet his foes. He was indeed more than a match for them, and might calmly await their onset.--_H. P. Liddon._

_The Whole Armour of God._

+I. Truth.+--"Having your loins girt about with truth." By truth is intended sincerity in our Christian profession, or a firm belief of and full consent to the Gospel of Christ. A rational conviction of its truth, joined with a sense of its importance is our best security against apostasy in the evil day.

+II. Righteousness.+--"And having on the breastplate of righteousness." A holy and inoffensive life will prevent many injuries. It will command the reverence of bad and the compassion of good men. It will obtain the protection of God's providence and the supports of His grace. It will preserve peace and serenity of conscience under the reproaches of a malignant world.

+III. Peace.+--"Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." This peaceable disposition is a preparation for the trials of an evil day, and an excellent defence against the asperities of our Christian path. This will go on before us to smooth the rough passages of life, or attend us to guard our feet against the sticks and traps which our enemies cast in our way. Possessed of this disposition we shall give no offence and provoke no injuries by an insolent, overbearing behaviour.

+IV. Faith.+--"Above all, taking the shield of faith." Faith is a grace of universal influence. It is the basis of all Christian graces. It is the ground-work of all religion in the heart. Faith is a more effectual defence against the temptations of Satan and the world than the shields of the mighty against the darts and spears of their enemies.

+V. Hope.+--"And take the helmet of salvation." The hope of salvation. God brings salvation. We appropriate it by hope. We must fight the good fight of faith in hope that the Captain of salvation will support us in the conflict and lead us to victory.

+VI. Knowledge.+--"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The Divine Word is called the sword of the Spirit because it is rendered effectual by the Spirit in slaying the fleshly lusts and repelling the outward temptations which war against the soul.

+Reflections.+--1. _We see of what importance it is that we have the power of religion in our hearts._ 2. _It concerns us to live much in the exercise of faith._ 3. _Let us exercise our courage according to the various exigencies of the Christian life.--Lathrop._

_The Duty of Believers in the Evil Day._

+I. The time to which the exhortation refers--the evil day.+--1. _By the evil day we are clearly to understand the season of temptation._ When "we wrestle."

2. _The evil day may be understood of life itself._--"Few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage." Man is tempted till his death.

3. _The evil day may refer to seasons during which temptation is peculiarly strong._--With our first parents whilst they listened to Satan. With Christ in the wilderness--near death (John xiv. 30).

4. _Of such seasons we have many examples in Scripture._--The lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Job, Lot, Samson, David, Asa, Hezekiah, Peter, Demas.

5. _Such seasons each believer can mark in his history._--They are generally turning points. They are attended by every variety of outward circumstances, prosperity, adversity, society, solitude, health, sickness.

6. _With the wicked such days are evil._--Days of suffering, of danger, of backsliding, of apostasy, of dishonour to Christ, and triumph to the world and to all the enemies of Christ.

7. _This season of temptation is short._--A day. We should not grow weary.

8. _Though it be short it is important._--The day of battle is generally most important in its results. So in spiritual warfare. The temptation in Eden, etc.

+II. The duty which falls to be performed in the evil day.+--1. _To withstand._ (1) This has reference to Satan as an assailant. (2) It binds us to resistance, _i.e.,_ to perform the duty from which Satan dissuades, to refuse the sin which he recommends, to hold fast that which we have, and to reject that which he offers in exchange (Rev. iii. 2).

2. _To proceed from the defensive to the offensive._--"Having done all," or "conquered all." (1) The believer, as "the good soldier of Christ," is, like his Master, to be an assailant. (2) By attacking, Satan discovers himself; and the believer, having resisted, may gain an advantage. When his stronghold in the heart is found out, it may be pulled down. Is it pride? (2 Cor. x. 4, 5). (3) Satan can be contended against only by carrying on an offensive warfare--in the heart, in the world. The Romans could be conquered only in Italy.

3. _That having resisted and conquered, we still stand._--(1) Though repulsed, Satan is not slain, his resources are not exhausted, "his wrath" continues. (2) We must therefore "stand" after victory. Our armour must be kept on. We must be vigilant. We must be in an attitude for the fight.

+III. The preparation necessary to the performance of the peculiar duties of the evil day.+--1. _The evil day is a day of war,_ and hence its duties and the kind of preparation called for.

2. _There are three things to be noticed in the account of the believer's preparation._--(1) He must be armed--Divine grace. An unarmed soldier a contradiction; he is useless for duty, exposed to death. (2) _He must be completely armed._ For defence and for offence. (3) _His armour must be that "of God."_ Human virtues will not do. Human energies will not do.--_Stewart._

Ver. 14. _The Girdle of Truth._

+I. Honesty and truthfulness of character.+--Love of truth as being from God, hatred of lies as being from the devil--this is a primary condition of being strong in the Lord. Nothing can be more injurious to the character of the Christian religion than the suspicion that it shuns examination, that its claims are in antagonism with demonstrated truth. There is a kind of false liberalism concerning religious truth. It is easy for a man to fancy his loins are girt about with truth when the fact is they are girt about with indifference; and a person so armed may assume an attitude of impartiality with regard to religious questions because he cares nothing concerning the issue; and sometimes it seems to be assumed that a writer possesses a virtue, compensating for all vices, if he is apparently free from all bias either for or against revealed truth. The true path is taken by him who, strong in his own faith and love, fears no honest investigation, and shrinks from adopting in matters of religion any tone of thought or line of argument which he cannot justify upon the broadest grounds of calm judgment and sober reason.

+II. But the words of the apostle refer not only to truthfulness, but to truth itself, to that which we know to be true.+--It would be unworthy of an apostle if he should include under the title of truth, necessary for the protection of a Christian champion, all human knowledge which is rightly so called. Do not consider that the progress you make in human knowledge lies beside your path as Christians. As members of Christ, as His soldiers and servants, take a nobler view of your work than that. Christ has taken the elements of this world and sanctified them for Himself; there is nothing really secular but what is evil, and all that is not evil ought to be used on the side of truth.

+III. The apostle has in mind that definite form of revealed truth which in Scripture is described as emphatically the truth.+--The great doctrine of godliness, the incarnation of the eternal Son, and all those truths which flow from this one mysterious spring. While there is no antagonism between Scriptural and human knowledge, there is a wide difference between the sources from which they are derived the evidences by which they are established, and the conditions of their being rightly apprehended. Whereas other knowledge is the slow accumulation of the experience of ages, and the result of the guesses and labours of gifted men, and is consequently an ever-growing and changing body of truth, Christian truth admits of no change and no growth. It admits of application to new circumstances; it admits too of growth, between the limits of a mustard seed and a full-grown tree, in its subjective apprehension by each believing heart; but objectively it knows neither diminution nor expansion, it is ever one and indivisible, because it resolves itself ultimately into the one great mysterious fact, the manifestation of God in human flesh. No amount of argument would ever turn religious belief into religious life, if the articles of the creed did not attest their Divinity by filling up the void of the human heart and by their constraining influence on human conduct; and, on the other hand, no religion could maintain its ground and command the assent of thinking men, unless its historical claims and its objective truth would stand the test of the severest scrutiny. The truth of Christ rests upon both grounds; and because this is so we are bound to gird it about our loins as our only sure support in our conflict with the spiritual wickedness of this world, our support in the hour of death, our support in the day of judgment.--_Harvey Goodwin._

_Truth the Girdle of the Christian._

+I. The particular grace which is here mentioned--truth.+--1. _By this exhortation we might understand that we must in all things act according to truth or what is truth._ This implies the knowledge of truth, the yielding up of ourselves to truth, so as to embody it.

2. _By the truth we may understand sincerity._--Being in appearance what we are in reality, seeming to follow what we do follow, expressing the real thoughts and feelings of the heart. This sincerity is displayed towards God, towards our fellow-men, and towards ourselves.

+II. The uses or purposes of truth in the Christian life: it is a girdle.+--By comparing truth to a girdle the apostle suggests the purposes which it serves: 1. _The ancient girdle was meant to give firmness and strength._ 2. _To fit for activity, by binding up the loose, flowing garments._ 3. _To the girdle arms were attached.--Stewart._

Ver. 15. _The Gospel of Peace._

+I. The nature of this peace.+--1. _It is peace with God._--A mutual reconciliation following a mutual estrangement.

2. _It is a peace with ourselves._--This includes both the silencing of the accusations of conscience and the restoration of the internal harmony of our nature.

3. _It is peace with our fellow-men._--Between nations and classes, and families and individuals.

4. _It is peace with our fellow-Christians._

+II. The relation of the Gospel to this peace.+--1. _In the Gospel it is proclaimed._ 2. _In the Gospel its grounds are unfolded._ 3. _By the belief of the Gospel it is conveyed.--G. Brooks._

Ver. 17. _The Bible the Sword of the Spirit._

+I. The Bible is a sword.+--1. _Like a sword, it is of no use till it is unsheathed._ The Bible must not lie idle in the library or in the intellect. Must be used.

2. _Like a sword, when it is unsheathed it cuts deeply._--Makes deep gashes in the heart and conscience.

3. _Like a sword, it is a weapon of defence as well as of offence._--"It is written."

+II. The Bible is the sword of the Spirit.+--1. _Because He inspired it._ Those whom we call the sacred writers were its penmen; He alone was its Author.

2. _Because He interprets it._--Its Author is also its interpreter. Wherever it is carried He is, and in answer to the prayer of faith He expounds its true meaning as far as saving truth is concerned.

3. _Because He wields it as the instrument of His victories._--Refer to some of the remarkable revivals, to individual conversions.

+III. Our duty with regard to the Bible as the sword of the Spirit.+--1. _Take it and study it._ Sword exercise.

2. _Take it and bind it to your heart._--Delight in it.

3. _Take it and employ it vigorously till your life's end._--"His sword was in His hand." "There is none like it."--_Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 18-20.

_The Programme of Prayer._

+I. Prayer should be constant and varied in its methods.+--"Praying always with all prayer and supplication" (ver. 18). The Christian warrior is armed from head to foot with the girdle, the breastplate, the greaves, the shield, the helmet, and the sword; no weapon of defence or offence is wanting; it would seem as if nothing was needed to complete the equipment. The one essential now is the spirit and courage to fight, to use the spiritual weapons with dexterity and effect; and the power to do this is secured by prayer. Prayer should be constant; the soul should be ever in a praying mood; and supplication, earnest entreaty, should be used in the special emergencies that occur in the battle of life. "Praying always with all prayer": all kinds and methods of prayer should be employed--prayer in public aided by the sympathy and inspiration of numbers, in private when alone with God, in the family, in the whirl of business, in the stress of battle, in the intervals of recreation, in the heart without a voice and with the voice from the heart. The earnest and needy soul will find its own way of keeping up a prayerful intercourse with God. "Some there are," said Wesley, "who use only mental prayer or ejaculations, and think they are in a state of grace and use a way of worship far superior to any other; but such only fancy themselves to be above what is really above them, it requiring far more grace to be enabled to pour out a fervent and continued prayer than to offer up mental aspirations."

"Warrior, that from battle won, Breathest now at set of sun; Woman, o'er the lowly slain, Weeping on his burial plain! Ye that triumph, ye that sigh, Kindred by one holy tie: Heaven's first star alike ye see-- Lift the heart and bend the knee."--_Hemans._

+II. Prayer is prompted and sustained by the Divine Spirit.+--"Praying . . . in the Spirit" (ver. 18). The Spirit is the author and element of the believer's life in Christ. It is He who gives the grace and power to pray; He helps our infirmities, and intercedes for us and in us. Prayer is one of the highest exercises of the soul, and achieves its loftiest triumphs under the inspiration and help of the Spirit. He suggests topics for prayer, proper times and seasons, imparts urgency and perseverance in supplication, and He alone makes prayer effectual.

+III. Prayer should be accompanied with persevering vigilance.+--"Watching [keeping awake] thereunto with all perseverance and supplication" (ver. 18). We must not only watch and pray, but watch while we pray. Watch against wandering thoughts, against meaningless and insincere petitions, against the seductive suggestions of the tempter, and against the tendency to trust in our prayers or in our earnestness rather than in God, whose help we supplicate. "With all perseverance" means a sustained, unsleeping, and unresting vigilance. The word implies stretching out the neck and looking about in order to discern an enemy at a distance. Without watchfulness prayer and all the spiritual armour will be unavailing. The best-appointed army, over-confident in its strength, has suffered inglorious defeat by neglecting to watch. The wakeful and earnest suppliant must persist in prayer, undaunted by opposition and unwearied by delay.

+IV. Prayer should be offered on behalf of the Church in general.+--"For all saints" (ver. 18). Prayer that in its nature is generous and comprehensive is apt to become selfish and narrowed down into despicable limits. The man prays best for himself who prays most earnestly for others. "Prayer for ourselves must broaden out into a catholic intercession for all the servants of our Master, for all the children of the household of faith. By the bands of prayer we are knit together--a vast multitude of saints throughout the earth, unknown by face or name to our fellows, but one in the love of Christ and in our heavenly calling and all engaged in the same perilous conflict. All the saints were interested in the faith of the Asian believers; they were called with 'all the saints' to share in the comprehension of the immense designs of God's kingdom. The dangers and temptations of the Church are equally far-reaching; they have a common origin and character in all Christian communities. Let our prayers at least be catholic. At the throne of grace, let us forget our sectarian divisions. Having access in one Spirit to the Father, let us realise in His presence our communion with all His children" (_Findlay_).

"The saints in prayer appear as one, In word and deed and mind; While with the Father and the Son Sweet fellowship they find.

"Nor prayer on earth is made alone-- The Holy Spirit pleads; And Jesus on the eternal throne For sinners intercedes."--_J. Montgomery._

+V. Prayer should be definite and special in its petitions.+--1. _For the preacher of the Gospel in unfavourable circumstances._ "And for me . . . an ambassador in bonds" (vers. 19, 20). An ambassador, being the representative of his king, his person was in all civilised countries held sacred, and it was regarded as the greatest indignity and breach of faith to imprison or injure him. Contrary to the rights of nations, this ambassador of the King of heaven was put in chains. Even Paul, with all his magnificent endowments, felt the need for the prayers of God's people and craved for them. The fortunes of the Gospel were bound up with his life, and he was now suffering for his courageous defence of the truth. It was of immense importance to the early Church that he should be true and faithful in this crisis, and he asks for the prayers of God's people that he may be sustained and the Gospel victorious. Here was a definite and special theme for prayer. Occasions of great peril evoke the spirit of earnest supplication. It is an aid to devotion to have some one specially pray for.

2. _For courage and facility in unfolding the mystery of the Gospel he feels constrained to declare._--"That utterance may be given unto me, that I may . . . make known the mystery of the gospel, . . . that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak [_as I must needs speak_]" (vers. 19, 20). The apostolic prisoner was more concerned about his message than his own fate. He hailed the occasion of His defence before the civil authorities as an opportunity for unfolding and enforcing the Gospel, for preaching which he was now in chains. He feels the gravity of the crisis, and he is nervously anxious to do justice to his grand theme. Clear as was his insight and firm as was his grasp of the leading truths of the Gospel, he invokes the prayers of the Ephesian saints that God may give him liberty and power in their exposition, and that he may win converts to the truth from the midst of his enemies. The pulpit will become a greater power if the people of God pray fervently and unitedly for the ambassadors of Christ. Prayer is more potent in winning souls than the logic and eloquence of the preacher.

+Lessons.+--1. _The topics for prayer are abundant and ever present._ 2. _Prayer nerves the soul with Divine power._ 3. _Earnest and believing prayer will prevail._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 18-20. _Praying with all Prayer._

+I. The apostle supposes our obligation to prayer to be so plain that every rational mind will see it, and so important that every pious heart will feel it.+--Our obligation to prayer naturally results from our weakness and dependence and God's all-sufficiency and goodness. Desires directed to Him are prayers. To clothe our desires in language is not essential. God hears the desire of the humble. There is the same reason for daily prayer as for daily labour. Prayer is a means of enlivening our pious sentiments and exciting us to the practice of duty and thus preparing us for Divine favours.

+II. Prayer is of several kinds.+--Social and secret, public and domestic, stated and occasional; and consists of several parts--confession, supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving. The apostle points out no part or kind of prayer in distinction from all others, but exhorts in general to pray with all prayer.

+III. The manner in which our prayers should be offered.+--The spirit and temper of the heart in our prayers is the main thing necessary to qualify them for God's acceptance. The first thing necessary in prayer is faith. Our desires must be good and reasonable. Attention of mind, collection of thought, and warmth of affection are qualifications required in prayer. Our prayers must be accompanied with justice to men. Charity is an essential qualification in prayer. Our prayers must be joined with a sense of and sorrow for sin, and submission to the Divine will. We are to continue in prayer, and watch thereunto with all perseverance.

+IV. The apostle here teaches the duty of intercession for others.+--If God is good to others as well as to us, there is the same ground on which to offer our social intercessions as our personal petitions. We are commanded to pray for all men, and especially for all saints; this is to pray for the general virtue and happiness of the human race in this and all succeeding ages. Christians ought to pray for their minister. There was something special in Paul's case--he was an ambassador in bonds.

+V. The apostle points out the manner in which he aimed and all ministers ought to preach the Gospel.+--The apostle desired to make known the mystery of the Gospel, and to speak boldly. In a minster boldness is necessary; not that impudent boldness which assumes an unmerited superiority, but that pious fortitude that dares to utter the important things of religion without reserve and without fear of personal inconvenience. He must persevere in the faithful execution of his office, whatever discouragements may arise from the opposition of the world, the frowns of the great, the contempt of the proud, the want of concurrence, or the smallness of his success.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 18. _Praying in the Spirit._

+I. The time.+--"Always." 1. _The frequent practice of prayer._ 2. _The constant cultivation of the spirit of prayer._

+II. The manner.+--"With all prayer and supplication." 1. _The prayer of the closet._ Secret. 2. _The prayer of the family._ Domestic. 3. _The prayer of the social circle._ United. 4. _The prayer of the sanctuary._ Public.

+III. The manner.+--"With all prayer and supplication." 1. _There are thanksgivings to be rendered._ 2. _There are confessions to be made._ 3. _There are petitions to be offered._ 4. _There are intercessions to be presented._

+IV. Spirituality.+--"In the Spirit." 1. _With our own heart._ Not formal or mechanical. 2. _In dependence on the aid of the Holy Ghost._

+V. The continuance.+--"With all perseverance." 1. _In the general habit._ Prayer never to be given up. 2. _In special objects._ No fainting in prayer.

+VI. The intercession.+--"And supplication for all saints." 1. _For the whole Church._ 2. _For any part of the Church that is in danger of distress._ 3. _For our own section of the Church._ 4. _For our Christian friends.--G. Brooks._

_The Duty of Prayer._--Prayer is the communion of the soul with God, and the casting of itself upon Him for help and guidance.

+I. God has implanted prayer as an instinct in the hearts of men.+--In times of danger the soul instinctively cries out for God or some unseen power to interpose and save.

+II. God desires that men should pray regularly and constantly.+--Blessings are promised in answer to prayer which the soul can obtain in no other way.

+III. God commands men to pray.+--To abound in prayer and to pray without weariness and fainting.

+IV. God teaches how to pray and what to pray for.+--The Spirit helps our infirmities.

+V. There is no religious life apart from prayer.+--The Bible saints were men of prayer. At the very beginning of human history men began to call upon God. And in the visions of heaven which St. John has recorded, when the Lamb had taken the book to open its seals, the twenty-four elders fell down before Him, "having every one of them harps and golden phials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang a new song" (Rev. v. 8, 9). Prayer leads to praise.

+VI. How can we make the duty a privilege and the privilege a pleasure?+--If Christ was comforted and strengthened by prayer, can we as Christians live without it? Is not a prayerless Christian in danger of being no Christian at all?--_Homiletic Monthly._

Vers. 19, 20. _A Picture of Moral Bravery._

+I. An ambassador charged with a message of world-wide significance and importance.+--"To make known the mystery of the gospel" (ver. 19).

+II. An ambassador, contrary to the law of nations, imprisoned because of his message.+--"For which I am an ambassador in bonds" (ver. 20).

+III. An ambassador irresistibly constrained to declare the message for which he suffers.+--"That therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak" (ver. 20).

+IV. An ambassador imploring, not the sanction of civil authorities, but the prayers of God's people that he may be emboldened to discharge his high commission.+--"And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly" (ver. 19).

Ver. 19. _The Gospel a Mystery._

+I. Because it is known only by Divine revelation.+--Such a secret it is that the wit of man could never have found out. As none but God could lay the plot, so none but Himself could make it known.

+II. Because when revealed its truths exceed the grasp of human understanding.+--They are to the eye of our reason as the sun to the eye of our body, that dazzles and overpowers. They disdain to be discussed and tried by human reason that there are three subsistences in the Godhead and but one Divine essence. We believe, because they are revealed. God and man united in Christ's person is undeniably demonstrable from the Gospel, but the cordage of our understanding is too short to fathom this great deep. "Would'st thou see a reason," said Augustine, "for all that God says? Look into thine own understanding, and thou wilt find a reason why thou seest not a reason."

+III. The Gospel is a mystery in regard of the kind of knowledge the saints themselves have of it.+--1. _Their knowledge is but in part, and imperfect._ The most of what they know is the least of what they do not know. The Gospel is a rich piece of arras rolled up: this God has been unfolding ever since the first promise was made to Adam, opening it every age wider than the other.

2. _It is mysterious and dark._ Gospel truths are not known in their native beauty and glory, but in shadows. Our apprehension of things are mainly compared with those under the law, but childish compared with the knowledge of glorified saints.

Transcriber's Note: In this next paragraph, the word "faggot" is used in its original literal meaning, a bundle of sticks used to kindle a fire, or metaphorically, execution by burning at the stake.

+IV. The Gospel is a mystery in regard to the rare and strange effects it has upon the godly.+--It enables them to believe strange mysteries--to believe that which they understand not, and hope for that which they do not see. It enables them to do as strange things as they believe--to live by another's spirit, to act from another's strength, to live by another's will, and aim at another's glory. It makes them so meek and gentle that a child may lead them to anything good, yet so stout that fire and faggot shall not fright them into sin. They are taught that all things are theirs, yet they dare not take a penny, a pin, from the wicked by force and rapine. They can pray for life, and at the same time desire to die.--_Gurnall._

Ver. 20. _Boldness a Duty in a Minister._

+I. The nature of the boldness desired.+--1. _To speak all he has in command from God to deliver._ 2. _To speak with liberty and freedom of spirit, without fear or bondage to any._ Speaking openly and plainly.

+II. Boldness to be shown in preaching the Gospel.+--1. _In asserting the truth of the Gospel._ 2. _In reproving sin and denouncing judgment against impenitent sinners._

+III. The kind of boldness a minister should cultivate.+--1. _A convincing boldness._ 2. _A meek boldness._ 3. _A zealous boldness._

+IV. The means of procuring ministerial boldness.+--1. _A holy fear of God._ 2. _Castle thyself within the power and promise of God for assistance and protection._ 3. _Keep a clear conscience._ 4. _Consider that which thou most fearest is best prevented by freedom and boldness in thy ministry._ 5. _Consider how bold Christ was in His ministry._ What greater incentive to valour can the soldier have than to see his general stand with undaunted courage where the bullets fly thickest! Such valiant captains do not breed white-livered soldiers. It is impossible we should be dastardly, if instructed by Him and actuated by his Spirit.--_Ibid._

Ver. 20. _The Gospel Ambassador._

+I. The dignity of his office.+--Seen: 1. _In the majesty of the Prince from whom he comes._ 2. _In the greatness of the Person whose place he supplies._ 3. _In the excellency of the message he brings._

+II. How the duty of his office should be discharged.+--1. _Stain not the dignity of thy office by any base, unworthy practices._ 2. _Keep close to thy instructions._ 3. _Think it not enough that thou deliverest thy message from God, but show a zeal for thy Master whose cause thou negotiatest._ 4. _Let not any person or thing in the world bribe or scare thee from a faithful discharge of thy trust._ 5. _Be kind to and tenderly careful of thy fellow-subjects.--Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 21, 22.

_A Trusted Messenger_--

+I. Commended for his acknowledged Christian character.+--"Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord" (ver. 21). These are high and honourable designations, and indicate the genuine esteem in which he was held by the apostle. He had become endeared to Paul by the many valuable services he had rendered to him, and by the marked fidelity of his ministerial work. He appears to have joined St. Paul's staff, and remained with him from the time he accompanied him to Jerusalem in the year 59. He was sent to Ephesus to relieve Timothy when Paul desired the presence of the latter at Rome. He was well known to the Asian Church, and every way qualified to discharge the mission with which he was entrusted. He was "the beloved brother" in his relation to the Church in general, and the "faithful minister in the Lord" in his special relation to the apostle. It is better to be loved than to be simply popular. Genuine piety forms character, and commands the confidence and respect of all lovers of the truth.

+II. Entrusted with personal details of special interest.+--"Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs" (ver. 22). There were probably some details about St. Paul's imprisonment that could be communicated better in person than by letter, and certain allusions in the letter that could be more fully explained in a personal interview. Every item about Paul was of intense interest to the Asian Churches. Many of the members had been brought to Christ through his instrumentality. They were alarmed as to his fate and as to the future of the Gospel. They were anxious to know if there was any prospect of his release and of his return to his missionary labours. Tychicus, enjoying the full confidence of the apostle and the affection of the people, was just the man to give them the information they so eagerly desired, and would be cordially welcomed everywhere. The trusted messenger of a great and good man is regarded for the time being with the reverence and respect cherished towards the man he represents and of those whose affairs he is empowered to speak.

+III. Competent to minister encouragement.+--"That he might comfort your hearts" (ver. 22). Tychicus was not only a newsman and letter-carrier, but also a minister of Christ. He knew how to present his message so as to allay the fears of his hearers, to comfort their hearts, and to encourage their faith in the power and triumph of the Gospel, notwithstanding the sufferings of its preachers. The Gospel is full of consolation, and it should be the constant aim of the minister to make it known and apply it to the circumstances of his people. A diligent pastor in his visitations comes in contact with much suffering and sorrow, and has many opportunities of administering the balm of Gospel comfort. Great tact and sympathy are necessary, especially in visiting the sick. Referring to this, a godly and experienced minister said, "Tenderness is essential. Enter the chamber gently. Tread noiselessly. Get near to the sufferer. Speak as softly as may be. Remember his nerves; noise is often torture. Sympathise with his weakness, restlessness, and pain. True you are not come to minister to his body; but enter into his sufferings and symptoms. Ask what his doctor has said. Avoid a professional, official, conventional air. The case may be too grave for cheerful words; but if otherwise, let your face carry a little sunshine into the sick-room. Avoid fussiness. Go with a brother's heart. Be brief--brief in your talk, brief in your readings, brief in your prayers--your whole visit brief. Take up one point. A sick man's brain is soon overtasked, his nerves soon jar, his strength soon fails. Let your good-by be 'God bless you.' Let your last look be one of tenderness and love. Whatever you are in the pulpit, Barnabas, not Boanerges, is your pattern by the sick-bed." It is the privilege and mission of every minister and believer to be a messenger of comfort and strength to those in trouble. We shall be remembered for our kindness when many of our sermons are forgotten.

+Lessons.+--1. _The character of the good is self-evident._ 2. _A good man should be trusted and honoured._ 3. _The value of a good man is recognised in times of stress and difficulty._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 21, 22. _Apostolical Care for the Church._

+I. Paul was careful to keep up an intercourse and communion with the Churches of Christ.+--There ought to be fellowship and correspondence among the Churches. They should all unite their endeavours for the common edification and comfort. The Church of Christ is one. We should seek the counsel of sister Churches under our difficulties, and be ready when requested to afford them our counsel under theirs.

+II. Paul was solicitous that the Christians among whom he had preached should know of his condition and doings.+--He was a prisoner, but suffered not his time to pass in restless impatience or useless indolence. He received all who came to him and preached to them the kingdom of God. He instructed his fellow-prisoners. He spent much of his time in prayer. Several of his epistles were written when he was in bonds. Paul's example teaches us that we should do good in every condition.

+III. When Paul sends Tychicus he gives him written testimonials that he might be received in the character of a minister.+--This precaution was taken that the Churches might not be imposed upon by ignorant pretenders or artful deceivers. The Church is a regular, organised community. We are to receive none as ambassadors of Christ but those who come to us according to the order He has settled. Ministers ought to act in concert and unite their labours in building up the kingdom of Christ. Tychicus co-operated with Paul.

+IV. Fidelity is an essential part of the ministerial character.+--Paul calls Tychicus "a faithful minister." Such a minister undertakes his work with pure intentions and abides in it with constancy, even though he may meet with worldly discouragements. Tychicus was sent to comfort the Ephesians under their grief for Paul's imprisonment, and to guard them against any discouraging apprehensions. Ministers are to strengthen new converts and young professors to constancy and perseverance in religion by laying before them the comforting and animating motives of the Gospel.--_Lathrop._

_A Faithful Minister._--1. It concerns Christians to inform themselves of the life and way of eminent men in the Church, and chiefly of those who have been sufferers for truth, that they may be incited to sympathise with them, to follow their example and bless the Lord on their behalf. 2. It is in a singular manner required of a minister that he be faithful--diligent in his work, sincere in his aims and endeavours, neither adding nor paring what God has committed unto him to speak. 3. We should labour so to inform ourselves of the case and carriage of others and how it goes with the affairs of Christ's kingdom elsewhere as to draw spiritual edification thence. 4. To know God's gracious providence towards his suffering servants, together with their undaunted courage under sufferings and the use God makes of their sufferings to advance His truth, is sufficient ground of comfort and encouragement to God's people.--_Fergusson._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 23, 24.

_A Suggestive Benediction_--

+I. Recognises the Divine source of all blessing.+--"From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. 23). All our blessings are Divine, and flow from the inexhaustible fountain of the Divine beneficence. "God the Father," in the eternal counsels of His wisdom and love, "and the Lord Jesus Christ," who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself as an atonement for human sin--the glorious Trinity of Persons in the Godhead--contribute from their combined perfections, the spiritual good that encircles every believing soul. "The God of Christians," says Pascal, "is not barely the Author of geometrical truths, or of the order of the elements--this is the Divinity of the heathen; nor barely the providential Disposer of the lives and fortunes of men, so as to crown His worshippers with a happy series of years--this is the portion of the Jews. But the God of Abraham and of Jacob, the God of Christians, is a God of love and of consolation; a God who fills the heart and the soul where He resides; a God who gives them a deep and inward feeling of their own misery and of His infinite mercy, unites Himself to their spirit, replenishes it with humility and joy, with affiance and love, and renders them incapable of any end but Himself." The religious character of the Lancashire people was illustrated by an incident that happened towards the close of the cotton famine. The mills in one village had been stopped for months, and the first waggon-load of cotton that arrived seemed to them like the olive branch that told of the abating waters of the deluge. The waggon was met by the women, who hysterically laughed and cried and hugged the cotton bales as if they were dear old friends, and then ended by singing that grand old hymn, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."

+II. Implores specific blessings upon Christian brethren.+--"Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith" (ver. 23). Where there is no love there is no peace, and peace and love without faith, are capricious and worthless. Love is the strength of the forbearance and self-suppression so essential to the maintenance of peace. As faith grows and intensifies it opens up new channels in which love can flow. We are to contend for the faith, not that peace may be disturbed, but that it may rest on a firmer and more permanent basis. What greater boon can we desiderate for our brethren than that they may abound in "peace and love with faith"?

+III. Greets with expansive generosity all genuine lovers of Christ.+--"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen" (ver. 24). The overflow of Divine grace submerges the barriers of sects and effaces the distinctions of a selfish and pretentious bigotry. Sincere love to Christ opens the heart to the richest endowments of grace, and blends all hearts that glow with a kindred affection. If we love Christ, we love one another, we love His work, His Word, and are eager to obey Him in all things He commands. We may not agree in a uniformity of creeds, but we reach a higher union when our hearts are mingled in the capacious alembic of a Christ-like love. The benediction of grace to all who love Jesus is answered and confirmed by an appropriate _Amen._ "Amen" under the law was answered to the curses, but not to the blessings (Deut. xxvii. 15-26). Every particular curse must have an "Amen." But in the next chapter, where the blessings follow, there is no "Amen" affixed to them (Deut. xxviii. 2-12). But it is otherwise in the Gospel. To the blessings there is an "Amen," but not to the curses. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. xvi. 22)--a fearful curse; but there is no "Amen" to that. "Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity": there is an "Amen" to that.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christianity is freighted with blessings for the race._ 2. _It has special blessings for present need._ 3. _It points men to God as the true source of all blessing._

_GERM NOTES OF THE VERSES._

Ver. 23. _Elements of Religious Comfort._--The apostle prays that, with faith, there may be peace and love.

+I. Faith captivates the soul into obedience to the Gospel+ by giving efficacy to its precepts, examples, and doctrines. Where faith operates, love will appear, and peace will follow.

+II. Love produces peace.+--1. _Inward peace._ It extinguishes malice, envy, hatred, wrath, revenge, every unfriendly passion.

2. _Social peace._--Christians will be careful not to give offence, either by real injuries or unnecessary differences. They will be slow to take offence.

+III. Love brings religious comfort.+--Love is comfortable in its immediate feelings and in its pacific influence. It brings comfort to the soul as it is an evidence of godly sincerity. If we would enjoy the comfort, we must maintain the comfort of religion.--_Lathrop._

Ver. 24. _The Christian's Truest Test and Excellence._--Other things may be required to complete the character of the Christian; but without love to Christ there can be no Christian at all. It is the Master-spirit which must animate and enliven the whole combination; and in whomsoever this Spirit prevails we are entitled and enjoined to welcome that person as a disciple.

+I. Consider the love of Christ as a duty we owe to Himself.+--1. _Bring to your remembrance His personal excellences._ 2. _Consider the great and glorious object of all He did and endured--the everlasting happiness of human souls._

+II. Consider the love of Christ as a principle which works in ourselves.+--1. _It does not destroy natural affections, but teaches us to fix them on proper objects and to give a right direction to their fullest energies._ 2. _A due sense of the Saviour's love makes us feel at once that He merits all our best affections in return._ 3. _It gives delight in meditating on the precepts and promises of God's Word._ 4. _It helps in all the duties we owe to our fellow-creatures._ 5. _It animates the soul in the hour of death and the prospect of eternity.--J. Brewster._

_Loving Christ in Sincerity._

+I. On what account Christ is entitled to our love.+--1. _He is a Divine person._ 2. _He was manifest in the flesh._ In the man Christ Jesus appeared every virtuous quality which can dignify and adorn human nature. 3. _His mediatorial offices entitle Him to our love._ 4. _He is an object of our love because of His kindness to us._

+II. An essential qualification of love to Christ is sincerity.+--1. _Our love to Christ must be real, not pretended._ 2. _Must be universal._ It must respect His whole character. 3. _Sincere love to Christ is supreme._ It gives Him the preference to all earthly interest and connections. 4. _It is persevering._ 5. _It is active._

+III. How sincere love to Christ will discover itself.+--1. _It will make us careful to please Him._ 2. _Will be accompanied with humility._ 3. _We shall be fond of imitating Him._ 4. _We shall promote His interest and oppose His enemies._ 5. _We shall do good to His needy brethren and friends._

+IV. The benediction connected with this temper.+--It is called grace. It comprehends all the blessings the Gospel reveals and promises. 1. _Justification before God._ 2. _The presence of the Divine Spirit._ 3. _Free access to the throne of grace._ 4. _The gift of a happy immortality.--Lathrop._

_Love to Christ._--What is it that constitutes Christ's claim to love and respect? What is it that is to be loved in Christ? Why are we to hold Him dear? There is but one ground for virtuous affection in the universe, but one object worthy of cherished and enduring love in heaven and in earth, and that is--moral goodness. My principle applies to all beings, to the Creator as well as to His creatures. The claim of God to the love of His rational offspring rests on the rectitude and benevolence of His will. It is the moral beauty and grandeur of His character to which alone we are bound to pay homage. The only power which can and ought to be loved is a beneficent and righteous power. The ground of love to Christ is, His spotless purity, His moral perfection, His unrivalled goodness. It is the spirit of His religion, which is the Spirit of God, dwelling in Him without measure. Of consequence, to love Christ is to love the perfection of virtue, of righteousness, of benevolence; and the great excellence of this love is, that by cherishing it we imbibe, we strengthen in our own souls the most illustrious virtue, and through Jesus become like God. I call you to love Jesus that you may bring yourselves into contact and communion with perfect virtue, and may become what you love. I know no sincere, enduring good but the moral excellence which shines forth in Jesus Christ.--_Channing._

_The Apostolic Benediction._

+I. The subjects of the benediction.+--"All them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity."

1. _The object of their love._--"The Lord Jesus Christ."

2. _The character of their love._--They love in sincerity. This proved by the effects it produces. (1) Love to God's Word. (2) Prompt obedience to Christ's precepts. (3) Brotherly love. (4) Zeal for God's house.

+II. The nature of the benediction.+--1. _The prayer embraces the communication of Divine grace._ 2. _All Christians need the grace of God._ (1) In all trials peculiar to the age in which they live. (2) In time of temptation and spiritual darkness. (3) In the discharge of Christian duties. (4) To sanctify, refine, and make them meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.

+Lessons.+--1. _Imitate the catholicity of the apostle._ 2. _Sectarian bigotry and hostility should cease._ 3. _How perilous the state of those who love not Christ.--Pulpit Themes._

* * * * * * * *

+Transcriber's Notes.+

- Page 123, Introduction, "Readers" paragraph, change "i. 1" to "ch. i. 1." "Certain expressions" paragraph, change "i. 15" to "ch. i. 15."

- Page 124, "Again" paragraph, change "in iii." to "in ch. iii" and "ii. 6-9" to "Gal. ii. 6-9," for concreteness. Analysis, chapter i. 3-14, apply RC to "Divine will." Chapter ii. 1-10, apply RC to "Divine grace." Chapter ii. 14-19, apply RC to "love Divine."

- Page 126, Notes for chapter i., verse 3, apply RC to "Divine blessing"; remove comma from "heaven, and." Verse 4, apply RC to "Divine goodness." Verse 5, apply RC to "Love Divine" and "Divine Graciousness." Verse 7, change "ix. 22" to "Heb. ix. 22" for concreteness.

- Page 127, verse 8, apply RC to "Divine aims." Verse 11, add "Deut. xxxiii. 9" reference.

= Page 128, top of page, apply RC to "Divine power." Verse 20, tag Latin phrase as Latin and set it in Italic. Lesson "Apostolic Salutation," point I, apply RC to "Divine source"; remove commas from "care, and" and "God, and"; apply RC to "Divine will," "the Gospel," "Divine authority," and "Divine will."

- Page 129, same lesson, point II, remove comma from "God, and" and apply RC to "in Him." Point III, apply RC to "Divine source." "Paul's Introduction" note, apply RC to "that Gospel" and "the Gospel."

- Page 130, same note, point I 2, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine Spirit."

- Page 131, lesson "Praise," introduction, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel."; change "in Him" to "in him," referring to a new convert; remove comma from "Him, and." Point I 2, apply RC to "Divine grace." Point I 3, apply RC to "Divine Father" and "Divine family." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 132, same lesson, point II 2, apply RC to "Divine will" and "Divine counsels." Point II 3, apply RC to "Gospel age" and "Divine purpose." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III 1, apply RC to "the Word," "the Gospel," and "the Word" (twice). Point III 2, apply RC to "Divine attestation." Application ("Lessons"), each points 1, 2, and 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 133, same lesson, "Mystery" note, remove comma from "salvation, if." "Spiritual Blessings" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine operation." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 134, same lesson, "Nature, Source" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine nature"; remove comma from "will, and"; apply RC to "Gospel holiness." Point VI, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Glory" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine will."

- Page 135, same lesson, "Redemption" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Harmony" note, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine justice."

- Page 136, same lesson, same note, point III, apply RC to "Divine grace." Point VII, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point XII, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Mystery" note, point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice); remove comma from "reason, and"; apply RC to "Divine revelation" and "the Gospel." Point I 2, add comma to "us yet."

- Page 137, same lesson, same note, point II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "the Word." Point II 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Christ" note, apply RC to "Divine purpose."

- Page 138, same lesson, "Gospel" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel"; change subpoint indicators from parenthesised Arabic numerals to Arabic numerals with periods, for consistency. "Truth" note, point I, change subpoint indicators from parenthesised Arabic numerals to Arabic numerals with periods, for consistency; point I 4, apply RC to "Divine majesty." Point II, apply RC to "Divine revelation."

- Page 139, same lesson, "Faith" note, point I, apply RC to "the Word," "the Gospel," "the Word," "own Divinity," and "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "the Word" and "the Gospel." Point III 1, add comma to "So the"; apply RC to "the Word," "Divine likeness," "the Gospel," and "the Word." Point III, apply RC to "Divine influence." Point III 1, add comma to "So the"; apply RC to "Divine image," "the Word," "Divine likeness," "the Gospel," and "the Word." Point III 2, add comma to "So the."

- Page 140, lesson "Prayer," point II, apply RC to "the Word"; remove comma from "suffice, unless." Point III, apply RC to "Divine inheritance" and "Divine blessings."

- Page 141, same lesson, "Clearer" note, point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point I 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice) and "Divine qualities"; remove comma from "sanctuary, but." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point IV, remove comma from "knowledge, but." Point V, apply RC to "Divine calling" and "Divine preparation."

- Page 142, same lesson, "Apprehension" note, point II, add "1 John iv. 10" reference. Point III, apply RC to "Divine nature"; add comma to "Thus these." "Spiritual enlightenment" note, apply RC to "Divine mysteries."

- Page 143, lesson "Church Complete," point I, apply RC to "Divine power," "a Divine," and "Divine Spirit." Point II, apply RC to "Divine power"; change "instals" to "installs"; add "Heb. i. 6" and "Ps. xxiv. 7-10" references.

- Page 144, same lesson, point III, see in-line note about "quicksilver." Apply RC to "Divine fulness"; add comma to "Thus God"; apply RC to "Divine fulness." Application ("Lessons"), point I, apply RC to "Divine creation." "Dignity and Dominion" note, point II, remove comma from "respect, and."

- Page 145, same lesson, "Future life" note, end of point II, add double quotes around what those already in heaven are said to say to us.

- Page 146, same lesson, "Headship" note, point I 6, apply RC to "Divine attributes." Point II 1, apply RC to "Mediator." Point II 3, apply RC to "Divine government."

- Page 147, notes on chapter ii., verse 5, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 6, change "i. 3" to "ch. i. 3." Verse 10, apply RC to "Divine thought." Verse 13, tag "Lo-ammi" as Hebrew and set it in Italic type.

- The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word "consequently": con|sequently.

- Page 148, notes on verse 17, change "lvii. 19" to "Isa. lvii. 19" for concreteness. Verse 21, change "iv. 16" to "ch. iv. 16." Lesson "Children of Wrath," point I, remove comma from "life, and"; apply RC to "Divine wrath."

- Page 149, same lesson, point III, remove comma from "appetite, but." Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 150, same lesson, "State of Sin" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine power." "State of Men" note, point I 2, apply RC to "the Word" (twice); remove comma from "song, and."

- Page 151, same lesson, "State of Nature" note, point I, apply RC to "thing Divine."

- Page 152, same lesson, same note, point II, apply RC to "the Spirit." Point III, apply RC to "the Spirit." "Worst" note, point I 1, add comma to "created and." Point II, see in-line note on baptism.

- Page 153, lesson "Salvation," point I, apply RC to "Divine beneficence," "Divine nature," "Divine favour" and "Divine goodness." Point II, apply RC to "Divine power"; remove comma from "precede, and."

- Page 154, same lesson, point III, apply RC to "Divine grace" (twice) and "the Word." Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice) and "Divine act." Point V, apply RC to "Divine grace"; change "ever new" to "ever-new"; apply RC to "Divine grace." "Great Change" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 155, same lesson, same note, point I 1 (4), remove comma from "Christ, and." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel dispensation." "State" note, point 3, add comma to "Therefore God."

- Page 157, same lesson, "Salvation by Faith" note, point I 5, apply RC to "whole Gospel." "Our Salvation" note, point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." "True Justifying Faith" note, remove comma from "creature, and"; apply RC to "Divine work."

- Page 158, lesson "Christian Life," point I, apply RC to "Divine handiwork" and "Divine power"; remove comma from "nature, and"; apply RC to "Divine handiwork," "Divine character," and "Divine worker." Point III, apply RC to "Divinely provided." Application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "Divine origin." Point 3, apply RC to "Divine mind."

- Page 160, lesson "Forlorn State," application ("Lessons"), point 3, apply RC to "Divine mercy." "Condition" note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- The break between pages 160 and 161 is in a unit that style indicates should be kept together "Christ.--|To." The whole unit was moved to the earlier page.

- Page 161, same lesson, same note, point V, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Helpless" note, point 3, add comma to "sought and."

- Page 162, same lesson, same note, point 3 (5), remove comma from "other, and"; add sentence-ending period after "powerless"; add comma to "Thus faith."

- Page 164, lesson "Peacemaker," point I, remove comma from "complied, and."

- Page 165, same lesson, poem between points IV and V, change "there" to "then" and "losers" to "loser" after referring to collection of Shakespeare. Point V, change "#eads us" to "leads us." "Nearness" note, point I, remove comma from "God, and." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point VI, apply RC to "His Word."

- Page 166, same lesson, "Power" note, point 1, apply RC to "His Word."

- Page 167, same lesson, same note, point 2, remove comma from "grace, and"; add "Ezek. xxxiii. 11" and "Isa. xlv. 22" references. Point 3, add comma to "is that."

- Page 168, same lesson, "Privilege" note, point I 3, apply RC to "His Own Son." Point II, remove comma from "mercy-seat, and."

- Page 169, same lesson, "Access to God" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine Creator," "into Divinity," "God is Divine," "by Word," "the Divinity" (twice) and "the Divine"; add comma to "souls others"; apply RC to "a Divine end." Point II, apply RC to "the Divinity" and "the Gospels"; add comma to "firm bright" and "confident golden"; apply RC to "and Divine" and "the Gospel."

- Page 170, same lesson, same note, apply RC to "Divine side," "the Divinity," "was Divine," and "is Divine." Point III, add comma to "so when"; apply RC to "Divine End" and "Divine Power."

- Page 171, same lesson, top of page, apply RC to "is Divine." "Christian Law" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine Justice." Lesson "Church the Temple," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine kingdom"; remove commas from "privileges, and" and "ages, and."

- Page 172, same lesson, point II, remove commas from "Church, and" and "broad, and." Point III, apply RC to "Divine purpose."

- Page 173, same lesson, "Spiritual Building" note, point V, apply RC to "His Word" (twice). "Christian Prayer" note, point I 1, apply RC to "Divine light." Point II 2, add comma to "still and."

- Page 174, same lesson, "Communion" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine Presence." Point III, apply RC to "Divinely true." Point IV, apply RC to "Diviner love."

- The break between pages 174 and 175 is in a unit that style indicates should not be broken: "saints.--|1. They." The whole unit was moved to the earlier page.

- Page 175, same lesson, "Characteristics" note, point III 4, remove comma from "privileges, and."

- Page 176, notes for chapter iii., verse 2, change "iv. 21" to "ch. iv. 21"; apply RC to "Divine Taskmaster." Verse 9, change "iii. 1" to "Gal. iii. 1" for concreteness. Verse 12, change "ii. 13" to "ch. ii. 13."

- Page 177, notes for chapter iii., verse 15, change "ii. 19" to "ch. ii. 19." Verse 17, apply RC to "things Divine." Verse 20, change "i. 19-23" to "ch. i. 19-23." Lesson "Enlarged Gospel," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel," "Divine revelation," "Divine favour," and "Divine mind."

- Page 178, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice). Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel," "enlarged Gospel," and "the Gospel." Point IV, apply RC to "Divine grace," "the Gospel," "Divinely prepared," "the Gospel," and "Divine Spirit."

- Page 179, same lesson, top of page, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "ever-enlarging Gospel." Application ("Lessons"), point 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Calling" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine Goodness." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" (four times). Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 180, "Knowledge" note, between lists, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Exalted," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 181, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice), and "Divine dealings." Point II 2, apply RC to "Divine mystery," "Divine purpose" (twice), and "the Gospel." Point II 3, apply RC to "Divine idea" and "the Gospel" (thrice). Point III, apply RC to "Divine grace." Point III 1, apply RC to "Divine grace," "Divine power," "the Gospel" (twice) and "Divine power" (twice). Point III 2, apply RC to "Divine grace."

- Page 182, same lesson, application ("Lessons"), point 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Apostle's View" note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 183, same lesson, "Christian Humility" note, point I, change "self-righteous ness" to "self-righteousness."

- Page 184, same lesson, same note, top of page, change period after "management" to a question mark.

- Page 185, same lesson, "Unsearchable Riches" note, apply RC to "Christ's Divinity." "Fellowship" note, point I, apply RC to "His Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 186, lesson "Manifold Wisdom," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel," "Divinely freighted," and "the Divine." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- The break between pages 186 and 187 is in the word "knowledge": know|ledge.

- Page 187, same lesson, point III, top of page, apply RC to "Divine treatment" and "the Gospel." Application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "Divine wisdom." "Manifold Wisdom" note, point I 2, apply RC to "Divine will." Point II, apply RC to "Gospel redemption."

- The break between pages 187 and 188 is in the word "expression": expres|sion.

- Page 188, same lesson, same note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point V, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine grace." Change "He who preached" to "he," referring to Paul. "Access" note, point II, add sentence-ending period.

- Page 189, same lesson, "Courage" note, point 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Sublime," point I 1, see in-line note regarding Christ's abiding presence.

- Page 190, same lesson, point I 1, top of page, apply RC to "Divine power." Point II, change "thirsty manna drink" to "thirsty man a drink." Point III, apply RC to "Divine fulness" and "Divine grace."

- Page 192, "Church a Family" note, point II 1, apply RC to "common Father."

- Page 193, "Family" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine message." Point II, apply RC to "Divinest wisdom."

- Page 195, "Paul's Prayer" note, point V, apply RC to "Divine influence." "Love of Christ" note, point I 1, change "as He says" to "as Paul says." Point I 5, apply RC to "Divine nature" and "is Divine."

- Page 196, "Transcendent" note, point I 1, apply RC to "is Divine." Point II, apply RC to "Divine infinitude." Point III 3, apply RC to "supreme Divinity."

- The break between pages 196 and 197 is in the word "increase": in|crease.

- Page 198, notes on chapter iv., verse 7, apply RC to "His endowment." Verse 13, apply RC to "Divine Archetype."

- Page 199, verse 17, change "ii. 2, 3" to "ch. ii. 2, 3." Verse 19, change right single quote after "covetousness" to right double quote and "sin's" to "sins." Verse 30, change "i. 13" to "ch. i. 13." Verse 31, change "_I.e._" to "_i.e._"

- Page 200, verse 32, apply RC to "Divine forgiveness." Lesson "Dignity," point I, apply RC to "Divine nature."

- Page 203, lesson "Sevenfold Unity," point I, add em-dash before poem. Point II, apply RC to "Divine commands" and "one Gospel"; change "initiatory right" to "initiatory rite."

- Page 204, same lesson, point III, apply RC to "Divine Mind." "Unity" note, point III, apply RC to "same Word." Point V, apply RC to "same Gospel" and "the Word."

- Page 205, "Oneness" note, point 2, apply RC to "the Gospel." "One Body" note, point I, apply RC to "the Word."

- Page 206, same note, point II 1, apply RC to "Divine essence."

- Page 208, lesson "Gifts of Christ," point I, after poem, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "Divine Conqueror."

- Page 209, same lesson, point IV, apply RC to "Divine Architect." "Mark" note, first paragraph, apply RC to "four Gospels," "Mark's Gospel," "first Gospel."

- Page 210, same note, point II, apply RC to "his Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "Divine Mind."

- Page 211, same note, apply RC to "his Gospel"; change "three gospels" to "four Gospels"; apply RC to "that Life" and "the Gospel."

- The break between pages 211 and 212 is in the word "summoned": sum|moned.

- Page 212, "Humiliation and Exaltation" note, point I 2, apply RC to "Divine temple." Point II 4, apply RC to "Divine conduct." Point III, apply RC to "Divine perfections."

- Page 213, "Ascension" note, point I, apply RC to "His Word," "the Gospel," and "a Gospel."

- Page 214, "Work" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 215, same note, same point, apply RC to "His Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). Lesson "Manhood," point I 1, apply RC to "a Person." Point I 2, change "in Him" to "him," referring to a human.

- Page 216, same lesson, point III, change "ant" to "bee" because ant nests are not particularly geometrical; capitalise "Rubicon"; apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine truth."

- Page 217, "Growth" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine revelation."

- Page 218, "Manhood" note, point I 3, apply RC to "Divinely appointed." "Maturity" note, point I 4, apply RC to "the Gospel"; change "repre senting" to "representing."

- The break between pages 218 and 219 is in the word "knowledge": know|ledge.

- Page 219, same note, point II 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). "Deceivers" note, point I 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 221, "Growth" note, point II, add right double quote at end of sentence. Point II 2, apply RC to "real Divine." Point III, add "Mark x. 17-22; Luke xviii. 17-23" references.

- Page 223, lesson "Thorough," point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 224, same lesson, point IV, apply RC to "Divinely created" and "Divine character." Change reference for "Gentile Life" note from "17, 19" to "17-19." Point II, apply RC to "Divine truths." Point V, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 225, same note, application ("Reflections"), apply RC to "the Gospel." "Life" note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 226, "Putting Off" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine things."

- Page 227, same note, point IV, apply RC to "Divine nature" and "the Deity." Point V, apply RC to "the Gospel," "Divine grace," and "the Word."

- Page 228, "Christian Spirit" note, point I 3, apply RC to "the Gospel"; change "alternation" to "alteration." Point II 3, apply RC to "the Word." Point II 4, apply RC to "to Him."

- Page 230, lesson "Christian Principles," point VII, apply RC to "Divine grace."

- Page 231, "Truth" note, point I 1, remove Italic formatting from first sentence for consistency with other subpoints.

- Page 232, "Falsehood" note, point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- The break between pages 232 and 233 is in the word "uncertainty": uncer|tainty.

- Page 233, "Sinful Anger" note, point III, apply RC to "the Word." "Anger and Meekness" note, point I 4, at the end of the page, there is blank space after the word "rights" which the Transcriber filled with "he is" before "obliged" on the next page, giving ". . . whose rights [he is] obliged . . . ."

- The break between pages 234 and 235 is in the word "bespeaks": be|speaks.

- Page 236, "Exaltation" note, point III, apply RC to "the Word." "Benefit Conferred" note, point I, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 237, same note, point III, apply RC to "the Divine." "Office" note, point II, apply RC to "the Word." "Grieving" note, point II, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 238, "Grieve not" note, put double quotes around the rhetorical question; apply RC to "Divine grace." "Vices" note, point IV, change "Never believe, much less propagate an ill report, of" to "Never believe, much less propagate, an ill report of."

- Page 239, "Errors" note, point II, apply RC to "the Author."

- Page 240, same note, point V, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Christian Forgiveness," point II, apply RC to "Diviner life." Point V, apply RC to "own Gospel" and "our Gospel."

- Page 241, notes on chapter v., verse 7, change "iii. 6" to "ch. iii. 6." Verse 9, add "Rev. xxii. 1" reference. Verse 19, add "James v. 13" reference; change the right double quote after "hymn" to a right single quote.

- Page 242, verse 23, add add "John xviii. 8", Luke xxii. 27, and "ver. 25" references. Lesson "Life," point I, apply RC to "Divine life" and "the Gospel." Change "In Paris a little girl seven years old was observed" to "In Paris, a little girl, seven years old, was observed."

- Page 243, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "Divinely regarded" and "Divine Fatherhood."

- Page 244, "Doctrine" note, point I, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 245, "Sacrifice" note, point I 3, apply RC to "the Divine." Point I 4, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 247, "Likeness" note, point II, apply RC to "the Divine." Point IV, apply RC to "a Divine." "Sacrifice" note, point I 1, apply RC to "a Divine" (twice) and "in Himself." Point I 2, add double quotes around "I will do as I please."

- Page 248, same note, same point, apply RC to "a Divine" (twice). Point II, apply RC to "a Divine" (twice). Point III 1, apply RC to "Divinity." Point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Children," point I 2, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 249, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "Divinely illuminated." Point II 2, apply RC to "Divine light." Point II 3, add "Matt. v. 16" reference.

- Page 250, same lesson, point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." Application ("Lessons"), point 3, apply RC to "Divinely regarded." "Sobriety" note, point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point I 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 252, "Rule" note, apply RC to "the Word."

- Page 253, "Slumbering" note, point I 6, apply RC to "God's Word." Point I 7, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Light of God" note, point II, capitalise "the Negro."

- Page 254, "Call" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 255, same note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Summons" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine assistance"; add an em-dash to the end of the paragraph without punctuation. Point II, apply RC to "Divine mandate."

- The break between pages 255 and 256 is in a unit that style indicates should not be broken: "inactivity.--|You." The whole unit was moved to the earlier page.

- Page 256, "Gospel Call" note, point II 4 (4), apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 257, lesson "Christian Wisdom," point II 1, apply RC to "Divine goodness." Point II 2, apply RC to "the Divine" (thrice). Point IV, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 258, same lesson, application ("Lessons"), point 3, add "Prov. iv. 7" reference. "Walking" note, point I 4, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Wise Conduct" note, each of points 3 and 4, apply RC to "God's Word."

- Page 259, "Redeeming" note, point I, apply RC to "God's Word."

- Page 260, "Redemption" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine knowledge."

- Page 261, "Being Filled" note, point 4 (4), apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 262, lesson "Spiritual Enjoyment," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "God's Word."

- Page 263, "Singing" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine worship." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Application ("Lessons"), each of points 1 and 3, apply RC to "Divine worship."

- Page 266, "Duties" lesson, point II 3, add a colon after "married life."

- Page 267, "Christ" note, point III, add "Gen. ii. 21-24" reference.

- Page 268, "Christ's Love" note, point III 3, apply RC to "the Word." "Future Glory" note, point II 4, apply RC to "the Word." Point III, apply RC to "Divinity" (twice). "Divine Ideal" note, point I 1, apply RC to "the Divine." Point III, apply RC to "Divine renewal."

- Page 270, notes on chapter vi., verse 10, change "i. 19" to "ch. i. 19." Verse 13, change "v. 16" to "ch. v. 16."

- Page 271, notes on verse 24, change "i. 2" to "ch. i. 2." Lesson "Duties," each of points I 1 and I 3, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 272, same lesson, application ("Lessons"), point 3, apply RC to "Divinely rewarded."

- Page 273, "Mutual Duties" note, point I 6, apply RC to "Divine promise."

- Page 275, lesson "Duties," point II 1, change "it introduced principles which, wherever, adopted utterly" to "it introduced principles which, wherever adopted, utterly." Application ("Lessons"), each of points 1 and 2, apply RC to "Divine law."

- Page 276, lesson "Christian Warfare," point I, apply RC to "Divine help."

- Page 277, same lesson, point III, apply RC to "Divine panoply."

- Page 278, same lesson, application ("Lessons") point 3, apply RC to "Divinely provided." "Call" note, point II 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). "Warfare" note, point I 3, change "Deut. viii. 12" to "Deut. viii. 11-14."

- Page 279, same note, point II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II 2, apply RC to "everlasting Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 281, "Evil Angels" note, see inline note about human depravity. "Christian Warrior" lesson, point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 282, same lesson, point I 3, apply RC to "the Gospel" (four times).

- Page 283, same lesson, point I 5, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). Point II, apply RC to "the Word" (twice).

- Page 284, "Christian's Armour" note, apply RC to "that Gospel"; change "even more tnan" to "even more than"; apply RC to "that Word." "Whole Armour" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 285, same note, point VI apply RC to "the Divine Word."

- Page 286, "Duty" note, point III 2, apply RC to "Divine grace." "Girdle of Truth" note, point III, apply RC to "their Divinity."

- Page 287, "Gospel of Peace" note, each of points II, II 1, II 2, and II 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 288, lesson "Programme of Prayer," point II, apply RC to "Divine Spirit."

- Page 289, same lesson, point V 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice). Point V 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice). Application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "Divine power."

- Page 290, "Praying" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine favours." Point III, apply RC to "Divine will." Point V, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 291, "Duty of Prayer" note, point V, add "Rev. v. 8, 9" reference. "Gospel a Mystery" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine revelation." Point II, apply RC to "Divine essence" and "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice); add a colon after "rolled up." Point IV, see inline note defining "faggot"; apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 292, "Boldness" note, in each of points II and II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 293, lesson "Trusted Messenger," point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice) and "Gospel comfort."

- Page 294, "Apostolical Care" note, point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Benediction," point I, apply RC to "the Divine," "are Divine," "the Divine," and "Divinity."

- Page 295, same lesson, point III, apply RC to "Divine grace," "His Word," and "the Gospel." "Elements" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 296, "Truest Test" note, introduction, apply RC to "Master-spirit" and "Spirit." Point II 3, apply RC to "God's Word." "Loving Christ" note, point I 1, apply RC to "Divine person." Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point IV 2, apply RC to "the Divine Spirit."

- Page 297, "Apostolic Benediction" note, point I 2 (1), apply RC to "God's Word." Point II, apply RC to "Divine grace."

+THE+

+EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.+

+INTRODUCTION.+

+Philippi and the Philippians.+--It was a moment fraught with very far reaching issues when at Alexandria Troas St. Paul seemed to see, in a night-vision, a man standing on the beach over the head of the Ægean Sea eagerly calling for help, as a herald might summon a general to the relief of a hard-pressed garrison.

There may be cold psychological explanations of the vision which leave little scope for any Divine call to evangelise them of Macedonia; but the event proved the indication of the will of God in the visionary call. In the prompt and undoubting obedience of St. Paul and his co-workers our own continent first received the glad tidings of great joy. Gliding out of the harbour of Troas, their little vessel ran before the wind as far as the island of Samothracia, and next day, rounding the island of Thasos, dropped anchor at Neapolis, the port of Philippi. But Philippi itself is still three leagues distant, on the other side of a mountain range, over which the great highway between the two continents passes. Following this great road--the Via Egnatia--the colony founded by Cæsar Augustus, and named Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis, was the first city reached. The place had been recognised by Philip of Macedon as a gateway to be watched and strongly guarded, and when St. Paul visited it he found it bearing all the marks of a strong military centre--a sort of ganglion in the great system of which Rome was the brain. To remember this is to receive light on certain expressions in the epistle; for even though "not many mighty are called," they may serve to illustrate a service whose weapons are "not carnal but spiritual."

If we follow the R.V. in Acts xvi. 13--we suppose there was a place of prayer--the inference is that the Jews were not numerous in Philippi, and that it was only by a knowledge of the ancestral custom which led them to place their oratory by the water-side that St. Paul discovered the obscure company. Even when discovered there is no evidence of that virulent Judaism which so greatly embittered the apostle's life and frustrated his missionary endeavours; and it may be that its absence explains the cordial relations between the Philippians and St. Paul.

Bishop Lightfoot notes the heterogeneous character of the first converts at Philippi. As to race, an Asiatic, a Greek, and a Roman. As to everyday life, the first is engaged in an important and lucrative branch of traffic; the second is employed to trade on the credulity of the ignorant; the third is an under-official of the government. As to religious training, one represents the speculative mystic temper of Oriental devotion; the second a low form of an artistic and imaginative religion; whilst the third represents a type of worship essentially political in tone.

It is noteworthy and prophetic that women should be so closely connected with the introduction of the Gospel to Europe; and this may account for the fact that in Philippi whole families were gathered into the fold of the Church.

Thus humbly began the work of the evangelisation of a new continent, amidst brutal bodily assaults and indignities heaped upon its heralds. Here commenced, some ten years before the date of our epistle, a friendship, unbroken through those years, with Timothy, a youth of exemplary ability and piety.

+Place and time of writing the epistle.+--Though Cæsarea has found favour with some scholars as the _place_ from which the epistle originated, by far the greater number accept Rome. Indeed, we may almost say we are shut up to this by ancient and modern opinions. Even though we may admit that the subscription of the epistle in the A.V., as in general, is not worthy of any special consideration as being authoritative, yet it agrees in this case with the preponderant opinion.

It is the most natural interpretation of the expression in ch. iv. 32, "they of Cæsar's household," which is decisive of Rome. The phrase in ch. i. 13, "throughout the whole prætorian guard" (R.V.), is not absolutely conclusive for Rome, for the word "prætorium" is used of Herod's palace at Cæsarea, and is "the standing appellation for the palaces of the chief governors of _provinces_" (Meyer). Still, as Lightfoot argues, to apply it to Cæsarea in this case does not suit the context.

As to the _time_ of the writing, there is nothing like the same consent of opinion. But the difference of opinion is limited to the confinement of the apostle at Rome (on which see Acts xxviii. 30). The discussion is as to whether it was early or late in that two years' captivity that the letter was written.

For the later date the arguments are: 1. That it must have taken some considerable time before St. Paul's religion could be so widely known as this letter indicates it was. 2. That Luke and Aristarchus are not mentioned here, as in Colossians and Philemon, the inference being that they had left the apostle. 3. That the communications between Rome and Philippi would necessitate a considerable interval after St. Paul's arrival in Rome. 4. That the tone of the apostle agrees better with a prolonged captivity.

Amongst English scholars, Ellicott, Alford, and others favour the later date. On the other side are Lightfoot and Beet.

+Occasion and contents of the epistle.+--Godet remarks that, as Philemon shows us the apostle's way of requesting a favour; Philippians is a specimen of how he returned thanks. The Church which was the "crown and joy" of the apostle had sent into his captivity a token of their loving remembrance by the hand of Epaphroditus. The messenger had been overtaken by alarming illness, and after hearing that his friends in Philippi were anxious about him, he was despatched homewards bearing the apostle's expressions of gratitude--not so much for the money gift as the genuine attachment which prompted it.

No epistle is so truly a letter, of all we have from St. Paul's pen, as this to the Philippians. The arrangement is less formal; we miss the chains of reasoning and quotation from the Old Testament. As Meyer says: "Not one [of his epistles] is so eminently an epistle of the feelings, an outburst of the moment, springing from the deepest inward need of loving fellowship amidst outward abandonment and tribulation; a model, withal, of the union of tender love and at times an almost elegiac impress of courageous resignation in the prospect of death, with high apostolic dignity and unbroken holy joy, hope, and victory over the world."

A brief synopsis of the letter may be shown thus:--

i. 1-11. Greeting of, thanksgiving, and prayer for the Philippians.

12-26. Personal affairs of the apostle (so ch. ii. 19-30).

i. 27--ii. 1-11. Exhortation to humility after the supreme Example.

ii. 12-18. _Omitted._

iii. 1-21. Warning against the vain work-righteousness of Judaism.

iv. 1-9. Exhortations to unity, to Christian joy, and Christian graces.

10-19. Renewed thanksgiving for the generosity shown.

20-23. Doxology and salutations.

+CHAPTER I.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ.+--There is no necessity for Paul to mention his apostolate, inasmuch as the Philippians had never even thought of calling it in question. "Paul an apostle and Timothy a servant" was a distinction too invidious for Paul to make. There is a fine aroma of courtesy in what is not said as well as in what is said here. +Bishops and deacons.+--"It is incredible that St. Paul should recognise only the bishops and deacons (if 'presbyters' were a different order from 'bishops'). It seems therefore to follow of necessity that the 'bishops' were identical with the 'presbyters'" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 3. +I thank my God.+--The keynote of the whole epistle. As the apostle's strains of praise had been heard by the prisoners in the Philippian gaol, so now from another captivity the Church hears a song of sweet contentment. "_My_ God." The personal appropriation and the quiet contentment of the apostle both speak in this emphatic phrase.

Ver. 4. +Always in every prayer of mine for you all.+--Notice the comprehensive "always," "every," "all," indicating special attachment to the Philippians. +With joy.+--The sum of the epistle is, "I rejoice. . . . Rejoice ye." "He recalls to our minds the runner who at the supreme moment of Grecian history brought to Athens the news of Marathon. Worn, panting, exhausted with the effort to be the herald of deliverance, he sank in death on the threshold of the first house which he reached with the tidings of victory, and sighed forth his gallant soul in one great sob, almost in the very same words as those used by the apostle, 'Rejoice ye; we rejoice'" (_Farrar,_ after Lightfoot).

Ver. 5. "+Fellowship+ here denotes co-operation in the widest sense, their participation with the apostle, whether in sympathy or in suffering, or in active labour, or in any other way. At the same time, their almsgiving was a signal instance of this co-operation and seems to have been foremost in the apostle's mind" (_Lightfoot_). +He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it.+--"The observation of the ebb and flow of the tide for so many days and months and ages together, as it has been observed by mankind, gives us a full assurance that it will ebb and flow again to-morrow" (_Bishop Butler_). Another sort of assurance comes in here. It is an offence to every worthy thought of God that He should begin and not be able to finish (Isa. xxvi. 12).

Ver. 7. +Meet for me to think this.+--"To form this opinion." That the apostle cherished a warm affection for these Philippians would have been, if alone, a very flimsy foundation for hopes so substantial. Was not Judas cherished in a warmer heart than Paul's? But their sympathy and active co-operation made such an opinion not a pious hope, but a reasonable likelihood. +Defence and confirmation.+--The "defence" (ἀπολγία) is the clearing away of objections--the preparation of the ground; the "confirmation" is the positive settlement on the ground so prepared. "The two together will thus comprise all modes of preaching and extending the truth" (_Lightfoot_). +Partakers of my grace.+--The _grace_ whether of preaching or of suffering for the Gospel. See ver. 29, where "given" requires the addition "as a favour." "You are privileged . . . to suffer."

Ver. 8. +God is my record.+--As in Rom. i. 9. When we feel language too weak to bear our impassioned feeling, it may be well to remember the "Yea, yea" of the Master rather than copy this oath. +In the bowels of Jesus Christ.+--R.V. "in the tender mercies." This is quite an Eastern form of expression. Among the Malays a term of endearment is "my liver"; we choose the heart as the seat of the affections. For the figure, cf. Gal. ii. 20.

Ver. 9. +In knowledge and in all judgment.+--"Perfect knowledge (as in Eph. i. 17, iv. 13) and universal discernment." "The one deals with general principles, the other is concerned with practical applications" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 10. +That ye may approve things that are excellent.+--St. Paul would have his dear Philippians to be connoisseurs of whatever is morally and spiritually excellent. +That ye may be sincere.+--Bearing a close scrutiny, in the strongest light, or according to another derivation of the word, perhaps more true if less beautiful, made pure by sifting. +And without offence.+--Might be either "without stumbling," as Acts xxiv. 16, or "not causing offence." Lightfoot prefers the former, Meyer the latter. Beet unites the two.

Ver. 11. +Fruits of righteousness.+--"A harvest of righteousness." +Which are through Jesus Christ.+--A more precise definition of "fruits."

Ver. 12. +The things which happened unto me.+--Precisely the same phrase as in Eph. vi. 21; is translated "my affairs" (so Col. iv. 17). These circumstances were such as naturally would fill the friends of the apostle with concern for him personally. As to the effect on the spread of the Gospel--ever St. Paul's chief solicitude--they had been apprehensive. +Rather unto the furtherance.+--Not to the _hindrance,_ as to your fears seemed likely. It is the same triumphant note which rises, in a later imprisonment, above personal indignity and suffering. "_I_ may be bound, but the message I bear is at liberty" (2 Tim. ii. 9).

Ver. 13. +Bonds in Christ are manifest.+--R.V. "bonds became manifest in Christ." It is not simply as a private prisoner that he is bound; it is a matter of public note that he is bound for Christ's sake. +In all the palace.+--R.V. text, "throughout the whole prætorian guard." R.V. margin, "in the whole prætorium." "The best supported meaning of 'prætorium' is--_the soldiers_ composing the imperial regiments" (_Lightfoot_). "_The barracks_ of the imperial body-guard to whose 'colonel' Paul was given in charge on his arrival in Rome (Acts xxviii. 16)" (_Meyer_). "As the soldiers would relieve guard in constant succession, the prætorians one by one were brought into communication with 'the prisoner of Jesus Christ'" (_Lightfoot_). +In all other places.+--The italicised places of the A.V. text must be dropped; the margin is better. A loose way of saying "to others besides the military."

Ver. 14. +Confident by my bonds.+--The bonds might have been thought to be sufficient to intimidate the brethren; but the policy of stamping out has oftener resulted in spreading the Gospel.

Ver. 15. +Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife.+--Not some of the brethren emboldened by the apostle's chain, perhaps, although one sees no reason why the Judaisers would not, with redoubled energy, spread their views when he whom they so violently opposed was for the time being silenced, as they imagined. _"Of envy."_ Lightfoot refers to the saying of the comic poet Philemon with its play on the word, "Thou teachest me many things ungrudgingly because of a grudge" (on account of envy). This glaring inconsistency of preaching a Gospel of goodwill from such a motive as envy, the worst form of ill-will, must be closely observed here.

Vers. 16, 17.--These verses are transposed in R.V.; the order of the A.V. is against decisive testimony (_Meyer_).

Ver. 16. +To add affliction to my bonds.+--"To make my chains gall me," Lightfoot strikingly translates. One can almost imagine St. Paul starting up, and straining at the wrist of the soldier to whom he was chained as he hears of the intrigues of a party whose one object it was to impose an effete ritual on men called to liberty in Christ.

Ver. 17. +For the defence of the gospel.+--Many a man in the apostle's place would have found himself absorbed by the question how best to make a good defence of himself.

Ver. 18. +Whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached.+--St. Paul evidently thinks the imperfect knowledge of Christ preferable to heathen ignorance of Him. The truth is mighty enough to take care of itself, without any hand that shakes with nervous apprehension to steady its ark. St. Paul is beforehand with our method of keeping a subject before the notice of the public. The policy of "never mentioning" was what St. Paul regarded as fatal.

Ver. 19. +This shall turn to my salvation.+--"_Salvation_ in the highest sense. These trials will develop the spiritual life in the apostle, will be a pathway to the glories of heaven" (_Lightfoot_). Meyer prefers to render "will be _salutary_ for me," without any more precise modal definition. +Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.+--"The Spirit of Jesus is both the giver and the gift" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 20. +Earnest expectation.+--Same word again in Rom. viii. 19 (not again in New Testament). "It is the waiting expectation that continues on the strain till the goal is attained" (_Meyer_). The intensive in the compound word implies abstraction from other things through intentness on one. +Put to shame.+--As a man might be who felt his cause not worth pleading, or as one overawed by an august presence. +With all boldness,+ _i.e._ of speech. A man overpowered by shame loses the power of speech (see Matt. xxii. 12).

Ver. 21. +For me to live is Christ.+--The word of emphasis is _to me,_ whatever it may be to others. If this be not the finest specimen of a surrendered soul, one may seek long for that which excels it. That life should be intolerable, nay inconceivable, except as the ego merges into Christ's; this is the sanest and most blessed _unio mystica_ (Gal. ii. 20). +And to die is gain.+--It is the purely personal view--"to me"--which the apostle has before him. "The spirit that denies" says, that when all that a man hath has been bartered for life, he will think himself gainer. "More life and fuller" is what St. Paul sees through the sombre corridor. It is not simply the oblivious repose where "the wicked cease from troubling" that he yearns for. Nor is it a philosophical Nirvâna.

"For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey This pleasing, anxious being e'er resigned?"

Ver. 22. +But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour+ (see R.V.).--"The grammar of the passage reflects the conflict of feeling in the apostle's mind. He is tossed to and fro between the desire to labour for Christ in life and the desire to be united with Christ by death. The abrupt and disjointed sentences express this hesitation" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 23. +I am in a strait betwixt two.+--I am laid hold of by two forces drawing in opposite directions. "Desire" draws me away from earth; your "necessity" would keep me in it. As in the old mythology everything bowed before Necessity (ἀνάγκη), so here the apostle's desire is held in check by the needs of his converts. +To depart.+--As a ship weighs anchor and glides out with set sails, or as a tent is struck by the Arabs as they noiselessly steal away. +To be with Christ.+--St. Paul regards the soul, whilst in the body, as a "settler" in a land of which he is not a native, an "emigrant" from other shores. But he would rather emigrate from the land of his sojourn and settle with the Lord (2 Cor. v. 6, 8). "We come from God who is our home." "As soon as I shall have taken the poison I shall stay no longer with you, but shall part from hence, and go to enjoy the felicity of the blessed" (_Socrates_ to Crito). +Which is far better.+--R.V. "very far." How far from uncertainty is the eager estimate of the life with Christ! It is one thing to extol the superiority of the life away from the flesh in a Christian hymn, whilst health is robust; it is quite a different matter to covet it with the sword of martyrdom hanging over one's head.

Ver. 25. +I know that I shall abide.+--Not a prophetic inspiration, but a personal conviction (Acts xx. 25).

Ver. 27. +Your conversation.+--R.V. "manner of life." Margin, "behave as citizens." Perform your duties as citizens. St. Paul in Philippi, by the assertion of his Roman citizenship, had brought the prætors to their knees (Acts xvi. 37, 38), and is addressing men who could fully appreciate the honour of the _jus Italicum_ conferred by Cæsar Augustus on their city. He would have them be mindful of their place in the kingdom which "cometh not with observation." +Whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear.+--The question arises whether St. Paul meant to say if he visited them, they themselves would inform him of the condition of the Church; or whether he meant he would see for himself if he went, and if not at least he would hear. As he is actually distant, the idea of hearing is uppermost, and so we have "I may hear" where we might have expected "I shall learn."

Ver. 28. +In nothing terrified.+--The phrase is a continuation of the idea of the amphitheatre in ver. 27 ("striving together"). We must, it seems, recognise a double metaphor--behaving in the arena, before antagonists and spectators, like a horse that takes fright and bolts. The warning against such unworthy conduct might be rendered--

"In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, Be not like dumb driven cattle, Be a hero in the strife."

+Which is to them an evident token of perdition.+--When once they have discovered that all their artifices have not the least power to alarm you, will not this be a clear indication that they fight on behalf of a failing cause? +But to you of salvation, and that of God.+--The Christian gladiator does not anxiously await the signal of life or death from the fickle crowd. The great President of the contest Himself has given him a sure token of deliverance (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 29. +It is given in the behalf of Christ.+--God has granted you the high privilege of suffering for Christ; this is the surest sign that He looks upon you with favour (_Ibid._). The veterans in Philippi would understand well enough that a position involving personal danger might be a mark of favour from the prefect to the private soldier.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1, 2.

_Christian Greeting_--

+I. Addressed to a fully organised Church.+--"To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons" (ver. 1). Christianity, which began with the quiet meetings in the humble Jewish proseucha, or oratory, by the river-side, had so far spread in Philippi as to settle down into a stable and permanent Church organisation. This is the first instance in which bishops and deacons are mentioned, and specially addressed in the apostolic salutation. The former are sometimes called elders, presbyters, rulers, or presidents, and were empowered to take the oversight of the whole Church, to instruct, exhort, and rule the members; the latter were chosen to take care of the poor, and to manage the finances of the Church. The bishops attended to the internal, the deacons to the external affairs of the Christian community. The title presbyter implied the rank, the bishop the duties of the office. As the apostles by their frequent absence were unable to take the personal oversight of the Churches they founded, they appointed officers in each Church. As the Churches multiplied, and the Church-life developed, the organisation became more compact and complete. It is noticeable in this instance that the apostle addresses the whole Church more than its presiding ministers. It should be ever remembered that the minister exists for the Church, not the Church for the minister. The clergy are not the Church, but, under God, the servants and religious guides of the people. The Christian Church is the glory and stability of a nation. When at Brussels Lord Chesterfield was invited by Voltaire to sup with him and Madame C----. The conversation happening to turn upon the affairs of England, "I think, my lord," said Madame C----, "that the Parliament of England consists of five or six hundred of the best-informed men of the kingdom." "True, madame, they are generally supposed to be so." "What, then, can be the reason they tolerate so great an absurdity as the Christian religion?" "I suppose, madame," replied his lordship, "it is because they have not been able to substitute anything better in its stead; when they can, I do not doubt but in their wisdom they will readily adopt it."

+II. Valued as emanating from distinguished Christian pioneers.+--"Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ" (ver. 1). The significance and worth of a salutation depend upon the character and reputation of those from whom it comes. Paul was honoured by the Philippians as their father in the Gospel, and as one who had won a high distinction by his conspicuous abilities and labours in other spheres; and Timothy was well known to them as a devoted minister and fellow-helper of the apostle. Words coming from such a source would be gratefully welcomed and fondly cherished. Paul does not give prominence to his apostleship, as in the inscriptions to other epistles. The Philippians had already sufficient proof of his apostolic authority and power. Paul and his colleagues were reverenced as "the servants of Jesus Christ." They acknowledged subjection, not to the man, but to Christ; they lived to advance His interests and honour, and found their highest joy in His service, though attended with hard toil, unreasoning persecution, and unparalleled suffering. The Baptist Missionary Society adopted for its motto a device found upon an ancient medal representing a bullock standing between a plough and an altar, with the inscription "Ready for either, for toil or for sacrifice." The service of Christ is a life of self-sacrifice; but that is the pathway of duty, of blessing, of reward, of glory.

+III. Invokes the bestowment of great blessings.+--"Grace be unto you, and peace" (ver. 2). Grace and peace are Divine gifts, proceeding from "God the Father," as the original and active Source of all blessings, and from "the Lord Jesus Christ" who is now exalted to the right hand of the Divine majesty to bestow those blessings upon His people. Grace, the unmerited favour of God, is the exhaustless fountain of all other blessings, and includes the ever-flowing stream of the Holy Spirit's influences; peace, the result of grace, is the tranquillity and joy of heart realised on reconciliation with God. The very form of this salutation implies the union of Jew, Greek, and Gentile. The Greek salutation was "joy," akin to the word for grace. The Roman was "health," the intermediate term between grace and peace. The Hebrew was "peace," including both temporal and spiritual prosperity. The great mission of the Gospel is to spread peace on earth, peace with men, following on peace with God. The believer enjoys peace even in the midst of trial and suffering. One of the martyrs, exposed to public derision in an iron cage, is reported to have said to a bystander, who expressed surprise at the cheerfulness he manifested, "You can see these bars, but you cannot hear the music in my conscience."

+Lessons.+--1. _Religion teaches the truest courtesy._ 2. _The unselfish heart wishes well to all._ 3. _That greeting is the most genuine that recognises the claims of God._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 1, 2. _The Apostolic Greeting._--1. Unity and concord amongst ministers in giving joint testimony to the same truths and weight to what they preach. Preachers are in a special manner the servants of Christ as being wholly and perpetually dedicated to His service. 2. As to make a man internally and spiritually holy it is necessary he be in Christ by faith, so to make him externally holy requires a visible and external union with Christ in professing truths relating to Him. 3. The dignity of a minister or of any Church officer does not exempt him from the necessity of being taught, exhorted, reproved, and comforted. 4. God's grace is the fountain from which peace with God, with our own conscience, and all sanctified prosperity and peace among ourselves do flow. In seeking things from God we look to Him, not as standing disaffected to us and at a distance, but as our Father.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 1. _The Commencement of the Gospel at Philippi._

+I. To secure the widest diffusion of the Gospel great centres should be the first places chosen for the concentration of its forces.+

+II. The Gospel of universal adaptation has a world-wide mission.+--The first three converts embraced different nationalities, employments, social grades,--Lydia, the oriental trader, the Grecian female slave and soothsayer, the Roman keeper of the prison. Christ has demolished all barriers to the exercise of Divine mercy.

+III. The duty and privilege of Christian parents to consecrate their children and home to Christ+ (Acts xvi. 15, 33, 34, 40).

+IV. Civic distinctions subordinated to Christ will further the Gospel and adorn the Christian name.+--Paul's Roman citizenship gained his freedom and silenced his enemies. His chain connects the history of Rome and Philippi. The Christian's spirit can defy the inner prison to suppress its praise or prayer (Acts xvi. 25).

Ver. 2. _God our Father._--Christ aimed at raising men from the bondage of mere servants into the freedom of sons. He taught that God our Father was henceforth to be--

+I. The sole Model of perfection.+ (Matt. vi. 48).

+II. The sole Rewarder of almsgiving.+ (Matt. vi. 4).

+III The sole Hearer of prayer+ (Matt. vi. 6).

+IV. The sole Observer of fastings+ (Matt. vi. 18).

+V. The sole Provider of daily wants+ (Matt. vi. 26-33).--_Lay Preacher._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 3-8.

_Eulogy of Christian Excellence_--

+I. Prompted by pleasant memories of faithful co-operation in Christian work.+--"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, . . . for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, . . . inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace" (vers. 3, 5, 7). The apostle remembers with joy the way in which the Philippians first received the Gospel, the effect it produced upon their lives, the eagerness with which they entered into his plans for its wider propagation, the liberality, though not themselves a rich people, they showed to their needy brethren in other Churches, the affectionate attachment they displayed towards himself, the help they afforded him when in imprisonment, and the many ways in which they cheerfully co-operated with him in the defence and establishment of the truth. They had laboured, suffered, triumphed, and rejoiced together. The apostle's eulogy of their character was not flattery, but sober and just commendation of tried and sterling excellencies. Our happiest memories--memories that become more vivid as life advances--are of those days in which we laboured most earnestly in the service of God.

+II. Springs from a loving appreciation and tender Christian solicitude.+--"Even as it is meet for me to think thus of you all, because I have you in my heart. . . . For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ" (vers. 7, 8). There was something about the Philippians that captivated the heart of the apostle. He loved them because they loved his Master, and because they sought to spread the Gospel he preached. Love begets love, and there is no power in uniting hearts like the love of Christ. The love of the apostle was manifested in a yearning desire for their advancement in personal godliness. "All real spiritual love," says Alford, "is but a portion of Christ's love which yearns in all who are united to Him." Christian love is not mere self-indulgence of a personal feeling; its unselfishness is evident in seeking to advance the highest spiritual interests of the person loved. It is something more than a refined and noble sentiment. The finest feeling may be very superficial. Some friends were drinking tea one evening at the home of Mr. Mackenzie, the author of _The Man of Feeling,_ and waited for some time for his arrival. At length he came in heated and excited, and exclaimed: "What a glorious evening I have had!" They thought he spoke of the weather, which was singularly beautiful; but he went on to detail the intense enjoyment he had had in witnessing a cock-fight. Mrs. Mackenzie listened some time in silence; then, looking up in his face, she remarked in her gentle voice, "Oh, Harry, Harry, your feeling is all on paper!"

+III. Strengthened by the assurance of increasing Christian devotion.+--"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (ver. 6). Even man, fickle as he is, does not begin work at random and without purpose; some time or other he hopes to finish it. But God, who begins the work of the new spiritual creation in the soul, is constantly striving to finish it, until it shall be presented perfect at the day of Christ. The apostle had no doubt about the Divine working, and he rejoiced in the evidence he had that his converts were increasing in spiritual fervour and devotion. Faithfulness to God strengthens fidelity in every duty of life. On board the flag-ship of a celebrated commander a complaint was made by the captain against a number of the crew for disturbing the ship's company by frequent noises. The admiral ordered an inquiry to be made. The accusation was that these men were Methodists, and that when their watch was below they were in the constant habit of reading the Bible to each other aloud, of frequently joining in social prayer and singing of psalms and hymns. After the statement had been proved, the admiral asked, "What is the general conduct of these men on deck--orderly or disobedient, cleanly or the contrary?" "Always orderly, obedient, and cleanly," was the reply. "When the watch is called, do they linger, or are they ready?" "Always ready at the first call." "You have seen these men in battle, sir; do they stand to their guns or shrink?" "They are the most intrepid men in the ship, my lord, and will die at their post." "Let them alone, then," was the decisive answer of this magnanimous commander; "if Methodists are such men, I wish that all my crew were Methodists."

+IV. Expressed in thanksgiving and joyous prayer.+--"I thank my God . . . always in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy" (vers. 3, 4). Joy is the characteristic feature in this epistle, as love is in that to the Ephesians. Love and joy are the two firstfruits of the Spirit. Joy gives especial animation to prayers. It marked the apostle's high opinion of them, that there was almost everything in them to give him joy, and almost nothing to give him pain (_Fausset_). The labour of prayer is sure, if persisted in, to merge into the joy of prayer. Prayer is a blessing to others as well as to ourselves. The father of Sir Philip Sydney enjoined upon his son, when he went to school, never to neglect thoughtful prayer. It was golden advice, and doubtless his faithful obedience to the precept helped to make Philip Sydney the peerless flower of knighthood, and the stainless man that he was--a man for whom, months after his death, every gentleman in England wore mourning.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christian excellence is a reflection of the character of Christ._ 2. _Christian excellence is acquired by praying and working._ 3. _Genuine Christianity is its own best eulogy._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 3. _Happy Memories._

+I. Those that are prompted by the Spirit of God.+

+II. Those that recall the past joy of harvest.+

+III. Those that still link us in association with distant but kindred spirits.+

+IV. Those that evoke perennial gratitude to God.+

+V. Those that enrich our own moral worth.+--_Lay Preacher._

Vers. 4, 5. _Fellowship in the Gospel._

+I. Christian ministers have a claim to maintenance from the people.+

+II. Fellowship is making another a fellow-partaker of what belongs to us.+

+III. The apostle Paul while claiming his privilege was cautious in using it.+

+IV. The voluntary system has advantages, but greater disadvantages.+--_Archbishop Whately._

Ver. 4. "Making request with joy." _Pure Joy_--

+I. Springs from Divine communications.+

+II. Succeeds a previous sorrow.+

+III. Is superior to human surroundings.+

+IV. Is sustained by answered prayer.+--_Lay Preacher._

Ver. 5. _True Gospel Fellowship._

+I. Lives which adorn it.+

+II. Hearts which beat for it.+

+III. Lips which testify for it.+

+IV. Hands which work for it.+

+V. Gifts which extend it.+--_Ibid._

Ver. 6. _Grounds of Confidence in the Believer's Salvation._

+I. That the Philippians persevered in the midst of great difficulties, opposition, and persecution.+

+II. That their persevering fellowship in the Gospel had been characterised by great purity and consistency of Christian life.+

+III. That they gave evidences of zeal for the propagation of religion and of liberality in contributing of their worldly substance to this end.+

+Lessons.+--1. _This doctrine affords comfort and hope to struggling Christians._ 2. _The grounds of assurance forbid presumptuous confidence and stimulate to watchfulness and effort.--Homiletic Monthly._

_The Perseverance of the Saints._

+I. I shall adduce some of the principal arguments in support of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.+--1. The decree of election. 2. The merit of Christ's sufferings and death. 3. The intercession of Christ. 4. The promises of God. 5. The constitution of the covenant of grace. 6. The statements of Scripture in regard to the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers.

+II. I shall consider some of the most plausible objections which have been urged against this doctrine.+--1. That some of the most eminent saints have fallen into very grievous sins. They did not fall totally and finally. 2. That many who were long regarded as true Christians do in point of fact finally apostatise. They never were true Christians. 3. That there are in Scripture many earnest exhortations to watchfulness, and many awful warnings against apostasy. God works by means and motives. 4. That believers being assured of their ultimate recovery will be encouraged to sin. The perseverance of the saints is perseverance in holiness. (1) Has a good work begun in you? (2) If so, remember that while the perseverance of the saints is promised as a privilege, it is also enjoined as a duty.--_G. Brooks._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_A Prayer for Christian Love_--

+I. That it may be regulated by knowledge and discretion.+--"And this I pray, that your love may abound . . . in knowledge and in all judgment" (ver. 9).

1. _So as to test what is best._--"That ye may approve things that are excellent" (ver. 10)--test things that differ. Two faculties of the mind are to be brought into exercise--knowledge, the acquisitive faculty; and judgment, the perceptive faculty. Love is not a wild, ignorant enthusiasm, but the warm affection of a heart, guided by extensive and accurate knowledge, and by a clear, spiritual perception. From a number of good things we select and utilise the best.

2. _So as to maintain a blameless life._--"That ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (ver. 10). Be so transparent in heart and life as neither to give or take offence, and when examined in the light of the day of Christ to be adjudged blameless. To live a useful and holy life we must both think and feel aright. Love will ever prompt us to the holiest conduct and to the best work. "I once asked a distinguished artist," said Boree, "what place he gave to labour in art. 'Labour is the beginning, the middle, and the end of art,' was the answer. I turned to another and inquired, 'What do you consider as the great force in art?' 'Love,' was the reply. In these two answers I found but one truth."

+II. That it may stimulate the growth of a high Christian character.+--1. _A high Christian character is the outcome of righteous principles._ "Being filled with the fruits--the fruit--of righteousness." All Christian virtues are from the one common root of the Spirit. It is He who plants them in the heart, fosters their growth, brings them to perfection, and fills the soul with them as the trees are laden with ripened fruit. The apostle prays for more love, because love impels us to act righteously in all things, even in the minor affairs of life. "Just as the quality of life," says Maclaren, "may be as perfect in the minutest animalculæ, of which there may be millions in a cubic inch and generations may die in an hour--just as perfect in the smallest insect as in behemoth, biggest born of earth, so righteousness may be as completely embodied, as perfectly set forth, as fully operative in the tiniest action that I can do, as in the largest that an immortal spirit can be set to perform. The circle that is in a gnat's eye is as true as circle as the one that holds within its sweep all the stars, and the sphere that a dewdrop makes is as perfect a sphere as that of the world. All duties are the same which are done from the same motives; all actions which are not so done are all alike sins."

2. _A High Christian character honours God._--"Which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (ver. 11). The righteousness which exalts man honours God. It is a practical manifestation of the grace communicated through Jesus Christ, and adorns the doctrine which is according to godliness. There are those who live soberly and righteously in this present world; but what about their duty to God? God is not in all their thoughts. That there has been no acceptance into their lives of Christ--without which acceptance God is a stranger to us and we strangers to God, no consecration to Christ, no referring to His will, no love to His person, and no zeal for His glory--of all this they are perfectly aware. And the thought of their heart is, that the omission is of no great consequence, and so long as they live soberly and righteously, it matters little or nothing whether they do or do not live godly. The power lacking is that for which the apostle prays--the power of love, whole-hearted love to Christ.

+III. That it may be enjoyed in ever-increasing measure.+--"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more" (ver. 9). Some time ago the public mind was filled with uneasiness in expectation of a high tide which was to visit our shores, and which it was feared would work great mischief. As the time drew near, the anxiety increased. At length the tide flowed in, rose to its highest point, and then retired, bearing with it the fears that had agitated the public mind. Why this alarm? Because all know the unmanageable, destructive power of water, when it once bursts its bounds. Love, unlike water, the more it abounds and overflows the greater the benefits it bestows. There is no fear that we shall love God too much; it is our shame and loss that we love Him so little. Love chafes against all limitations.

+Lessons.+--1. _Love is the essence of Christianity._ 2. _Love should govern every part of the Christian life._ 3. _Love may be augmented by earnest prayer._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9, 10. _The Apostle's Prayer for Abounding Love_--

+I. In its application to the affections.+--"That your love may abound yet more and more" (ver. 9).

1. _Love to God._--(1) Because of the supreme excellence of His character. (2) Because of His generous interposition in the work of human redemption. (3) Because of the benefits He is constantly bestowing.

2. _Love to one another._--Love promotes brotherly unity--oneness of feeling, of aim, of effort. Unity promotes strength. To strength in its combined action victory is given.

3. _Love to the unsaved._--The law of Moses insisted, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour"; to which the Pharisees made this addition, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." Christ interprets the law of love in the command, "I say unto you, Love your enemies."

+II. In its application to the intellect.+--"In knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent" (vers. 9, 10). Knowledge, the faculty to acquire information; judgment, the faculty to discern its value and use; the one leads to the sources of truth and appropriates its stores, the other selects and uses what is acquired. These two faculties necessary--1. _In judging revealed truth._ 2. _In judging Christian experience._ 3. _In selecting what is best in all truths._

+III. In its application to the conduct.+--"That ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (ver. 10).

1. _An inward state._--Sincerity, transparency of character.

2. _An outward walk._--Inoffensiveness of conduct. Not designedly giving offence; sacrificing everything but principle rather than grieve or mislead a weak brother.

3. _Perseverance in an upright life._--"Till the day of Christ." This is the scorner's day; the good are hated and despised; but the day of Christ is coming, and will rectify all wrongs. A day of blessing and honour to the good, of confusion and punishment to the wicked; of approval to the one, of condemnation to the other.

Ver. 9. "And this I pray." _Definiteness in Prayer_--

+I. Implies a deep consciousness of an intelligently apprehended need.+

+II. Becoming, when an intelligent being addresses the Divine Intelligence.+

+III. Essential from the very nature of prayer.+

+IV. Affords a fixed ground from the exercise of faith.+

+V. Emboldens supplication.+

+VI. Inspires hope of a definite response.+--_Lay Preacher._

Ver. 10. "That ye may approve things that are excellent." _Spiritual Discrimination_--

+I. Demands the exercise of the most intelligent and sensitive charity.+

+II. Commands a wide field of effort--the bad, the good, the better, the best--in character, life, doctrine, practice, enjoyment, attainment.+

+III. Implies the admission and use of a noble liberty of thought, judgment, and action.+

+IV. Involves a weighty and far-reaching responsibility.+

+V. Is essential to a pure and blameless life.+--_Ibid._

"That ye may be sincere." _The Value of Sincerity in Youth._

There is a false sincerity which is a compound of ignorance and obstinacy. The heathen may be devout and sincere in his idolatry, but he is a heathen still. The Mahometan may be devout and sincere in his worship of the one God, but he rejects the Christ who is the source and substance of all true religion. The sceptic may be devout and earnest in his investigation of the facts of the universe; but he ignores the great moral truths on which he stumbles in the course of his inquiries, and refuses to accept and be influenced by them. There is no craze of the wildest fanatic that may not be adopted as an article of faith, if apparent sincerity is to be the test of its genuineness. The fact is, a man may be sincere, but grossly mistaken. A sincere heart is that through which the light of God shines, unimpeded by duplicity and sin, and is a condition of heart obtained only by living much in the presence and light of God.

+I. Be sincere in the search after truth.+--Truth must be sought for its own sake, and is revealed only to the humble and sincere seeker. It is of supreme importance to you to find the truth. Truth has but one direction and one goal--it terminates in the radiant presence of a living personality. When you come into the presence of truth, you come into the presence of God. Truth has a living embodiment in Christ Jesus. If you desire a solution of the perplexing riddles of life, if you would understand the principles on which God governs the universe, if you wish to dissipate the doubts that becloud and harass the mind, if you desire rest and peace of conscience, and to obtain strength and inspiration to live a happy, useful, and noble life--then seek the truth as it is in Jesus; and if you are really sincere, you shall not seek in vain.

+II. Be sincere in your social intercourse with one another.+--1. _In your friendships._ 2. _In your promises._

+III. Be sincere in the service of God.+

+IV. Be sincere in the cultivation of your own personal piety.+

_Christian Rectitude_--

+I. Consists in internal sincerity.+--1. _This involves a concentratedness of heart upon one object._ 2. _A thoroughness of life's uniformity to that one object._ 3. _An unostentatious but manifest integrity._ 4. _The completeness of that manifestation should be proportionate to the brightness of the testing light._

+II. Consists in external blamelessness.+--1. _Without being found guilty of offence._ 2. _Without giving offence._ 3. _Without taking offence._

+III. Consists in a present state of life, with a glorious future destination.+--"That ye may be without offence till the day of Christ." 1. _Then life shall be judged._ 2. _Life shall be made manifest._ 3. _Rectitude of life shall be approved._ 4. _Rectitude of life shall be rewarded.--Lay Preacher._

Ver. 11. _Fruits of Righteousness._

+I. The nature of righteousness.+--1. _Sometimes the term refers to the Divine Being, and signifies the purity of His nature and the perfection of His works._ 2. _Here it signifies personal holiness._

+II. The fruits of righteousness.+--1. _Christian righteousness is productive of gracious fruits._ These fruits are internal in the heart, and external in the life.

2. _The fruits of righteousness are abundant and progressive._--"Being filled with the fruits."

+III. The Author of righteousness.+--"Which are by Jesus Christ." 1. _Righteousness is purchased by Christ as our Redeemer._ 2. _Is derived from Him as our Saviour._

+IV. The results of righteousness.+--"Unto the glory and praise of God." 1. _Righteousness is to the glory and praise of God in the scheme of redemption._ 2. _In the subjects of redemption._

+Lessons.+--1. _This subject should stimulate our desires._ 2. _Promote our devotion._ 3. _Inspire us with praise.--Theological Sketch Book._

_Spiritual Attainment._

+I. Righteousness of heart precedes righteousness of life.+

+II. Righteousness of heart is self-disseminating.+--1. _Its fruit is living._ 2. _Of harmonious unity._ 3. _Luxuriant._

+III. Righteousness of heart is the only thing that can fill the capacities of man.+

+IV. Fulness of righteousness is all Divine.+--1. _In its source._ 2. _In its medium of communication._ "By Jesus Christ." 3. _In its end._ "Unto the glory and praise of God." Glory before men: praise among men.--_Lay Preacher._

_Divine Culture._

+I. The field.+--The loving heart.

+II. The seed.+--Righteousness.

+III. The fruit.+--Abundant.

+IV. The Husbandman.+--Jesus Christ.

+V. The end.+--The glory and praise of God.--_Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12-18.

_The Gospel Irrepressible_--

+I. Notwithstanding the circumscribed opportunities of its agents.+--1. _Their sufferings for the Gospel call attention to its claims._ "The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather into the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places" (vers. 12, 13). It might seem to the Philippians that the imprisonment of Paul would be unfavourable to the Gospel and prevent its spread. He shows there was no ground for that fear; but that the Gospel was becoming known in quarters which, but for his imprisonment, it was not likely to gain access. The palace referred to was the prætorium, or barrack of the prætorian guards attached to the palace of Nero on the Palatine Hill in Rome. The regular changes of guards was constantly furnishing new auditors for the irrepressible preacher, and he did not fail to zealously improve his opportunities. Thus the Gospel, which the malice and bigotry of the Jews sought to suppress, found its way into Cæsar's household, and ultimately captured the Roman empire for Christ. The persecutions of the Gospel have been the best helpers of its success.

2. _Their sufferings for the Gospel stimulate the zeal of its propagators._--"Many of the brethren, . . . waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear" (ver. 14). The fortitude of the apostle in suffering, and his unwearied efforts to preach the Gospel, increased the courage of his fellow-helpers in the same good work. The sufferings of the Gospel pioneers contributed to the spread and triumph of the truth. The blood of Scotland's proto-martyr, the noble Patrick Hamilton, and the memory of his dying prayer, "How long, O Lord, shall darkness cover this realm?" fomented the young Reformation life over a comparatively silent germinating period of more than twenty years. Knox, and with him Scotland, kindled at the pile of George Wishart. Andrew Melville caught the falling mantle of Knox. When Richard Cameron fell at Aird's Moss--as if in answer to his own prayers as the action began, "Lord, spare the green and take the ripe!"--all the more strenuously strove Cargill, till he too, in the following year, sealed the truth with his blood. And more followed, and yet more, through that last and worst decade of the pitiless storm known as, by emphasis, the _killing time._ Through those terrible years Peden dragged out a living death, and as he thought of Cameron, now at rest, often exclaimed, "Oh to be with Ritchie!" Young Renwick too caught up the torn flag, nobly saying, "They are but standard-bearers who have fallen; the Master lives." Thus one after another on blood-stained scaffold, or on blood-soaked field, fell the precious seed-grain, to rise in harvests manifold, till just at the darkest hour before the dawn of Renwick's martyrdom closed the red roll in 1688--the year of the revolution--and the seed so long sown in tears was reaped in joy.

+II. It is preached from a variety of motives.+--1. _Some preach the Gospel from the love of controversy._ "Some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife . . . of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds" (vers. 15, 16). The Judaising teachers, taking advantage of the absence of the apostle, sought to propagate their erroneous theories of the Gospel, and to annoy the apostle by depreciating his authority and his preaching. They aimed not so much at winning souls for Christ, as at exalting themselves, and gaining credence to their corrupt opinions. They argued that Jesus of Nazareth was the King of Israel, hoping thereby to exasperate the Roman government against Paul, who preached the same truth, though in a different sense, and to cause increased pain to the apostle by insisting upon the obligation of obedience to the law in order to salvation. Yet in opposing the Gospel they stated some of its leading truths, if only to refute them. Controversy is often a waste of strength. They are small, insignificant beings who quarrel oftenest. There's a magnificent breed of cattle in the Vale of Clwyd, the most beautiful vale in Wales. They have scarcely any horns but abundance of meat; yet if you ascend the hills on every side, there on the heights you find a breed which grows scarcely anything but horns, and from morning to night all you hear is the constant din of clashing weapons. So there are many Christians who live on the heights, the cold and barren heights of controversy. Everything they eat grows into horns, the strength of which they are constantly testing.

2. _Some preach the Gospel from the highest regard for its lofty message._--"Some also of goodwill . . . of love, knowing that I am set [appointed of God] for the defence of the gospel" (vers. 15, 17). An intense love of the Gospel and of the Christ of the Gospel is the best preparation for preaching it. Preaching to be effectual must be various as nature. The sun warms at the same moment that it enlightens; and unless religious truth be addressed at once to the reason and to the affections, unless it kindles while it guides, it is a useless splendour, it leaves the heart barren, it produces no fruits of godliness. Preaching should help us to a higher life. A man once heard an affecting sermon, and while highly commending it was asked what he remembered of it. "Truly," he replied, "I remember nothing at all; but it made me resolve to live better, and by God's grace I will."

+III. The propagation of the Gospel by any means is matter of fervent joy.+--"What then? notwithstanding, . . . Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice" (ver. 18). The false teachers gloated over Paul's misfortune, and thought to trouble him by their way of presenting the Gospel. But the proclamation of Christ, however done, roused attention, and could not but be of service. The apostle rejoiced in the good result of their bad intentions. The success of the Gospel in any place and by any means, when that success is real, is always a cause of rejoicing to the good.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Gospel has a message for all classes._ 2. _Its faithful proclamation involves difficulty and suffering._ 3. _Its interests are often promoted from mixed motives._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 12-14. _Christian Boldness._

+I. Distinguish Christian boldness from its counterfeits, and set forth some of its leading attributes.+--There is a false and hurtful boldness arising from--1. _Ignorance._ 2. _A bad judgment._ 3. _Native rashness._ 4. _The pride of courage which scorns to fear the face of man._ 5. _Mere natural resolution._ 6. _A wilful obstinacy._ 7. _A domineering spirit._ The boldness which God approves must be chiefly drawn from other sources and possess higher and more ethereal attributes. 1. _It must be bottomed on holy love_--love to God and love to man. 2. _It must be humble._ 3. _Must be delicate and regardful of all the rules of decorum._ 4. _Must be wise, discreet, and prudent._ 5. _Must be faithful._ 6. _Must be grounded not merely on self-denial and submission to the will of God, but on humble confidence in Him._

+II. Some motives to rouse us to this holy and elevated frame and to a corresponding course of conduct.+--1. _This Christian heroism is absolutely necessary to clear up the evidences of our own piety._ 2. _Without rising up to this heroic and active zeal we cannot be faithful to God and our generation._ 3. _Estimate the importance of this duty by considering what would be the effect if all professing Christians were thus intrepid and faithful._ 4. _In many instances fear is altogether groundless, and is the mere suggestion of indolence._ 5. _For want of faithful admonition and entreaty many may have perished.--E. D. Griffin._

Ver. 12. _The Development of Events in a Consecrated Life_--

+I. Is the work of an over-ruling Providence.+

+II. Produces startling results, disappointing alike to the hopes of the enemy and the fears of friends.+

+III. Whatever may be its starting-point attains its end in the furtherance of the Gospel.+

+IV. Illustrates how moral principles when tried in suffering become mightier forces in the world's evangelisation.+

+V. A pledge that fellowship of suffering with Christ shall be followed by a fellowship of glory.+--_Lay Preacher._

Ver. 13. _Moral Influence._

+I. Paul's moral influence exerted a mighty power under the most disadvantageous circumstances+--in bonds.

+II. With a very limited opportunity+--one soldier daily.

+III. Upon a class of mind and heart not easily impressed+--the guard which had charge of him.

+IV. Throughout the city+--notwithstanding the restraints of his own hired house.

+V. Reaching the further field by first fully cultivating the one at hand.+--_Ibid._

Ver. 14. _The Ministry of Paul's Bonds._

+I. It was loyal to his Roman citizenship+ (Acts xxvi. 31, 32).

+II. Christ-like, it was silent amid provocation, self-sacrificing, persuasive.+

+III. It was fruitful in the furtherance of the Gospel.+--1. _By preaching it under the shadow of Nero's palace._ 2. _By intensifying the love of it and zeal for it in the hearts of the brethren._

+IV. It illustrates+ _how Christ can erect a pulpit for Himself in the very camp of the enemy, and put a voice for His glory even into chains.--Lay Preacher._

Ver. 15. _A Spurious Ministry._

+I. The elements formative of it.+--1. _An imperfect apprehension of Christ's mission._ 2. _A total absence of Christ's spirit._ 3. _Thought and sympathy narrowed by early prejudice and preconceived ideas._ 4. _Christ made subservient to the doctrines, ritual, and history of a system._

+II. The results inseparable from it.+--1. _The cross degraded into a rallying point for party strife._ 2. _The basest spirit indulged under the pretence of fulfilling a sacred office._ (1) Envy--displeasure at another's good. (2) Strife--selfish rivalry which seeks to gain the good belonging to another. 3. _Christ preached merely to advance a party._ 4. _Zeal for propagating a creed greater than to save a lost world.--Ibid._

Ver. 16. _The Germ of a Spurious Ministry_--

+I. May exist in those who zealously preach Christ.+

+II. Consists in a moral contradiction between the heart of the preacher and the theme of his discourse--contentiousness and Christ.+

+III. Produces impurity of motive in Christian work+--"not sincerely."

+IV. Biases the judgment to expect results which are never realised+--"supposing."

+V. Inspires aims which are un-Christian+--"to add affliction to my bonds."

Ver. 17. _The Real and the Counterfeit in the Christian Ministry._

+I. They correspond.+--1. _Both adopt the Christian name._ 2. _Both utter the same shibboleth._ 3. _Both active in preaching Christ._

+II. They differ.+--1. _In heart._ Contention rules the one; love reigns in the other.

2. _In spirit._--Envy and strife moves the one; goodwill actuates the other.

3. _In source of strength._--Love of party animates the one; waxing confident in the Lord emboldens the other.

4. _In aim._--That of the one is to advance, it may be, a lifeless Church; that of the other to propel the Gospel of Christ.

5. _In the depth and accuracy of conviction._--The one "supposing to add affliction to my bonds"; the other "knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel."--_Lay Preacher._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 19-26.

_The Noble Attitude of a Sufferer for the Truth._

+I. The hostility of false brethren tends to the enlargement of the truth, whatever may be the fate of the sufferer.+--1. _He is assured of personal blessing from the Spirit through prayer._ "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (ver. 19). The apostle already sees how his troubles and suffering may develop his own spiritual life and be a pathway to the glories of heaven. By the prayers of God's people he looks for an abundant supply of the Spirit, by whose agency his salvation will be perfected. The enemies of the good man cannot rob him of his interest in Christ, and suffering only adds new lustre to every Christian grace. The Port Royalist exclaimed, "Let us labour and suffer; we have all eternity to rest in." Paul, who, fighting with wild beasts, was a spectacle to angels and men, could reckon that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."

2. _The greatness of Christ is set forth by the courage given to the sufferer, though uncertain of what awaits him._--"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but . . . Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death" (ver. 20). With the earnest expectation and hope of future glory, the apostle had no need to be ashamed of his work for God or of God's work in him; but he regarded his sufferings, not as a setting forth of his own goodness, but of the glory of Jesus, who gave him strength and fortitude to endure. It is in tribulation that the grace of Christ is most conspicuous. The Redeemer was perfected through suffering; so are His followers.

+II. The alternative of life or death presents a problem the sufferer is unable to solve.+--"What I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two" (vers. 22, 23).

1. _Life has great attractions._--(1) Christ may be further exalted. "For to me to live is Christ" (ver. 21). Life is an opportunity for setting forth Christ, and this is done by carefully copying His example. "As I stood beside one of the wonderful Aubusson tapestries," says Eugene Stock, "I said to the gentleman in charge, 'How is this done?' He showed me a small loom with a partly finished web upon it, and said that the weaver stands behind his work, with his materials by his side, and above him the picture he is to copy, exactly thread for thread and colour for colour. He cannot vary a thread or a shade without marring his picture." It is a glorious thing for us to have a perfect life for example by which to form our lives. And we cannot vary a hair-breadth from that example without injuring our lives. (2) More results of Christian work may be gathered. "But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour" (ver. 22). The best use of life is to employ it in working for God. Work done for Him will remain when the worker is forgotten. In ministerial work we may garner the most precious fruits. (3) Help may be afforded to others. "Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you" (ver. 24). Paul was the pioneer and founder of Christianity among the Gentiles, and the young Churches looked to him for leadership and counsel. It seemed every way desirable that for their sakes his life should be continued. No one felt this more keenly than himself, though he was assured that if that life was prematurely terminated the cause of the Gospel was safe in the hands of God.

2. _Death admits to superior advantages._--"To die is gain" (ver. 21). Even by his death Christ would be glorified, and the apostle admitted not to shame or loss, as his enemies supposed, but to a state of blessed reward.

"Sorrow vanquished, labour ended, Jordan past."

"Why should I fear death?" said Sir Henry Vane, as he awaited his "execution; I find it rather shrinks from me than I from it."

"Death wounds to heal; I sink, I rise, I reign; Spring from my fetters, fasten in the skies, Where blooming Eden withers in my sight, Death gives us more than we in Eden lost."--_Young._

+III. The undaunted sufferer is confident of continued opportunities of advancing the joy of believers in the truth.+--"And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant" (vers. 25, 26). This assurance was verified by the apostle's return to Philippi on his release from his first captivity. "Man is immortal till his work is done." Life is short, and every moment of its duration should be spent for God and the good of others. Shall we repine at our trials which are but for a moment? "We are nearing home day by day," wrote General Gordon. "No dark river, but divided waters are before us, and then let the world take its portion. Dust it is, and dust we will leave it. It is a long, weary journey, but we are well on the way of it. The yearly milestones quickly slip by, and as our days so will our strength be. The sand is flowing out of the glass, day and night, night and day; shake it not. You have a work to do here, to suffer even as Christ suffered."

+Lessons.+--1. _The highest virtues are not gained without suffering._ 2. _Suffering for the truth strengthens our attachment to it._ 3. _Suffering for the truth is often a means of spreading it._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 20. _Christ the Christian's Life._

+I. Christ was the recognised Source of the apostle's life.+

+II. Christ was the supreme Object of the apostle's contemplation.+

+III. The glory of Christ was the great end of the apostle's endeavours.+--_H. Simon._

Ver. 21. _The Christian's Life and Death._

+I. The Christian's life.+--1. _It is a life in Christ._ (1) Begun in regeneration. (2) Realised by faith. (3) Sustained and increased by Divine knowledge.

2. _It is a life for Christ._--(1) The example of Christ is its model. (2) The will of Christ is its laws. (3) The glory of Christ is its end.

+II. The Christian's death.+--1. _The Christian's death is a gain by being deprived of something._ (1) Deprived of the sinful body. (2) Freed from temptation. (3) From his enemies. (4) From suffering. (5) From death.

2. _The Christian's death is a gain by acquiring something._--(1) Accelerated liberty to worship God. (2) The ultimate addition of the glorified body with its exalted form and powers. (3) The blessed reunion and fellowship with departed friends. (4) The presence and companionship of Christ for ever.

_Christian Life and Death._

+I. The apostle's language exhibits the proper scope and character of all truly Christian life.+--The end and substance of the Christian life is Christ.

+II. What Christian death is and how it ought to be regarded.+--Death is not simply altered life. It is life elevated and ennobled. It is gain compared with life in the flesh. Death raises the saint to be with Christ.

+III. The text puts Christian life and death before us regarded as an alternative.+--Whether life be more or less desirable, less or more desired, it should be spent under the strong and penetrating assurance that to die is gain. Be death ever so desirable, it is our own fault if the happiness of life does not more than counterbalance the trial of it.--_J. D. Geden._

"For me to live is Christ." _Enthusiasm for Christ._

+I. Enthusiasm for Christ in the home-life.+

"The highest duties oft are found Lying upon the lowest ground; In hidden and unnoticed ways, In household work on common days, Whate'er is done for God alone Thy God acceptable will own."

+II. Enthusiasm for Christ in public life.+

"Trust no future, howe'er pleasant, Let the dead past bury its dead; Act, act in the living present, Heart within and God o'erhead."

+III. Enthusiasm for Christ in Church-life.+

"Come, labour on, No time for rest till glows the western sky, While the long shadows o'er our pathway lie, And a glad sound comes with the setting sun, Servants, well done!"

--_J. M. Forson._

_The Christian's estimate of living and dying._

+I. The Christian's estimate of living should be a life in Christ.+--1. _A life of which Christ is the Source._ 2. _A life of which Christ is the Sustainer._ 3. _A life of which Christ is the Sphere._

+II. The Christian's estimate of living should be a life for Christ.+--1. _A life spent in labouring for Him alone._ 2. _A life of continued suffering for Him._ 3. _A life of daring everything for Him._

+III. The Christian's estimate of dying should be that it is gain.+--1. _Because death leads to closer and more uninterrupted union with Christ._ 2. _Because death lands the true believer in absolute security._

+Lessons.+--1. _In some sense the utterance of the apostle is true of every Christian._ 2. _In its full sense it is only true of preeminent Christians._ 3. _The more it is true of any, the happier and more useful Christians they are.--Homiletic Quarterly._

_The Believer's Portion in both Worlds._

+I. The believer's life.+--1. _Is originated by Christ._ 2. _Is sustained by Christ._ 3. _Is spent to the glory of Christ._

+II. The believer's end.+--1. _The gain of sorrows escaped._ 2. _The gain of joys secured._

+Lessons.+--1. _Improve life._ 2. _Prepare for death.--C. Clayton, M.A._

Vers. 23, 24. _Willing to wait, but ready to go._

+I. The two desires.+--1. _To depart and be with Christ._ (1) The exodus from this life by dissolution of the body--"to depart." (2) Christ's presence the immediate portion of His people, when their life on earth is done--"to be with Christ."

2. _To abide in the flesh._--It is a natural and lawful desire. The love of life--it is not necessary, it is not lawful to destroy it. Let it alone to the last. The way to deal with it is not to tear it violently out, so as to have, or say that you have, no desire to remain; but to get, through the grace of the Spirit, such a blessed hope of Christ's presence as will gradually balance and at last overbalance the love of life, and make it at the appointed time come easily and gently away.

+II. A Christian balanced evenly between these two desires.+--"I am in a strait betwixt two." The desire to be with Christ does not make life unhappy, because it is balanced by the pleasure of working for Christ in the world; the desire to work for Christ in the world does not make the approach of dissolution painful, because it is balanced by the expectation of being soon, of being ever with the Lord.

+III. Practical Lessons.+--1. _This one text is sufficient to destroy the whole fabric of Romish prayer to departed saints._ 2. _The chief use of a Christian in the world is to do good._ 3. _You cannot be effectively useful to those who are in need on earth unless you hold by faith and hope to Christ on high._ 4. _Living hope of going to be with Christ is the only anodyne which has power to neutralise the pain of parting with those dear to us.--W. Arnot._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 27-30.

_Exhortation to Christian Bravery._

+I. To act as becometh Christian citizens.+--"Only let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ" (ver. 27). Whether the apostle is able to visit them again or not, he exhorts the Philippians to attend diligently to present duties, and act in all things with the dignity and fidelity becoming members of the heavenly commonwealth. The Christian finding himself living for a time in this world as in a dark place, where other gods are worshipped, where men sell themselves for gain, where he is tempted to do as others do, and is asked to coquette with the world, to mind earthly things, should at once take his stand and say: "I cannot; I am a citizen of heaven, my affections are set on things above; I cannot come down to your level, I have come out from the world and may not touch the unclean thing; I have formed other tastes, have other pleasures; other rules regulate my conduct; I cannot live as you live, nor do as you do."

1. _Be united in spiritual steadfastness._--"That ye stand fast in one spirit" (ver. 27). The Spirit inspires the highest courage, and helps all who partake of His influence to stand fast in their integrity. "For God hath given us not the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

2. _Earnestly and unitedly maintain the faith._--"With one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (ver. 27). With one soul, penetrated by the same Spirit, unitedly strive to maintain the Gospel in its purity, as it was committed unto them. Every true believer should be a valiant champion for the truth. Men who have no settled faith are like those birds that frequent the Golden Horn, and are to be seen from Constantinople, of which it is said they are always on the wing and never rest. No one ever saw them alight on the water or on the land; they are for ever poised in mid-air. The natives call them lost souls, seeking rest and finding none. To lose our hold of the Gospel is to be doomed to unrest and misery. To attempt to stand alone is to court defeat. Union is strength.

3. _Remember the interest of your religious teachers in your endeavours._--"That whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs" (ver. 27). That anxious minister is ever deeply concerned in the welfare of his people. He rejoices in their faithfulness and progress; he mourns over their laxity and defeat; he encourages them in their labours and struggles in the spread of the truth. Our defection from the Gospel is not only a loss to ourselves, but a disappointment and sorrow to others.

+II. To act with fearlessness in the midst of oppression.+--"And in nothing terrified by your adversaries" (ver. 28). Opposition should nerve to more resolute resistance. The enemies of the good are the enemies of God, and the good man, with God on his side, need not fear either their numbers or their ferocity. One of their ancient kings said, "The Lacedæmonians seldom inquire the number of their enemies, but the place where they could be found." When a certain captain rushed in haste to his general and said, "The enemy is coming in such vast numbers, it will be useless to resist," the general replied, "Our duty is not to count our enemies, but to conquer them." And conquer them they did.

1. _This fearlessness a proof of the inevitable punishment of their opponents._--"Which is to them an evident token of perdition" (ver. 28). In contending hopelessly against you they are only rushing on to their own destruction. Your bravery in the contest, and their own consciousness of the weakness of their own cause, will strike terror into their hearts, so that they will be easily routed.

2. _This fearlessness a proof of the salvation of the steadfast._--"But to you of salvation, and that of God" (ver. 28). God who gives courage to the steadfast and helps them in the conflict, ensures to them the victory. We are not saved because we are brave for God and truth, but the courageous soul will not fail of salvation.

+III. To accept suffering for the truth as a privilege and a discipline.+--1. _It is suffering for Christ._ "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (ver. 29). Suffering is no evidence of the Divine displeasure, but is often a signal proof of the Divine regard. There is no virtue in the mere endurance of suffering, but in the Christ-like spirit with which it is borne. There lived in a village near Burnley a girl who was persecuted in her own home because she was a Christian. She struggled on bravely, seeking strength from God, and rejoicing that she was a partaker of Christ's sufferings. The struggle was too much for her; but He willed it so, and at length her sufferings were ended. When they came to take off the clothes from her poor dead body, they found a piece of paper sewn inside her dress, and on it was written, "He opened not His mouth."

2. _It is suffering which the best of men have endured._--"Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me" (ver. 30). Suffering for the truth links us with Paul and his contemporaries, and with the noble army of martyrs in all ages. Christ has taught us how to suffer, and for His sake we can bear pain and calumny without complaining and without retaliation. Mrs. Sherwood relates that, pained at seeing Henry Martyn completely prostrate by his tormentor, Sabat, the apostate, she exclaimed, "Why subject yourself to all this? Rid yourself of this Sabat at once." He replied, "Not if his spirit was ten times more acrimonious and exasperating." Then smiling in his gentle, winning manner, he pointed upwards and whispered in low and earnest tones, "For Him!"

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian spirit inspires loftiest heroism._ 2. _To strive to be good excites the opposition of the wicked._ 3. _One true Christian hero is an encouragement to many._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 27. _Christian Consistency._

+I. The apostle pleaded for a consistent Christian Church.+--1. _The Christian life must be characterised by truthfulness._ 2. _By love._ 3. _By purity._

+II. The apostle pleaded for a united Christian Church.+--1. _This union was necessary to resist their common adversaries._ 2. _To develop their Christian graces._ 3. _To establish the true faith._

+III. The apostle pleaded for a zealous Christian Church.+--1. _This zeal demanded for a noble object._ "The faith of the gospel." 2. _To be exercised in a commendable manner._ "Striving together."--_J. T. Woodhouse._

_Evangelical Consistency._

+I. What that conduct is which becomes the Gospel.+--1. _It must be the genuine result of Gospel dispositions._ 2. _It must be maintained under the influence of Gospel principles and in the use of Gospel ordinances._ 3. _It must resemble Gospel patterns._ 4. _It must be conformable to Gospel precepts._

+II. What obligations are we under to maintain this conduct.+--1. _God requires us to conduct ourselves according to the Gospel._ 2. _Consistency requires it._ 3. _Our personal comfort requires it._ 4. _Our connection with society requires it._ 5. _Our final salvation requires it._

+Lessons.+--1. _How excellent is the Christian religion._ 2. _How illiberal and unreasonable is the conduct of those who censure Christianity on account of the unworthy actions of its inconsistent professors.--R. Treffry._

_The Effects of the Gospel upon those who receive it._

+I. Illustrate the exhortation of the apostle.+--1. _The Gospel of Christ is a system which assumes and proceeds upon the invaluable value of the soul._ 2. _Which assumes and depicts the danger and guilt of the soul, and provides a plan for its immediate restoration to the Divine favour._ 3. _Is a system of peculiar and authoritative truth._ 4. _Is a system of godliness._ 5. _Of morals._ 6. _Of universal charity._

+II. The sources of the apostle's anxiety.+--1. _He desired the Philippians thus to act from a regard of the honour of the Gospel and its Author._ 2. _Out of a regard for the Philippians themselves._ 3. _From a regard to the Gentiles._ 4. _From a regard to himself, his own peace and his own joy.--T. Binney._

Vers. 28, 29. _Conflict and Suffering._--1. Faith in Christ must go before suffering for Christ, so that to suffer for Him is of greater importance, and in some respects more honourable, than simply to believe in Him. 2. Then are sufferings truly Christian and an evidence of salvation, when as the sufferer is first a believer, so his sufferings are for Christ's sake--for His truth. 3. Christian courage under suffering will not be kept up without conflict. 4. In suffering for truth nothing befalls us but what is common to men.--_Fergusson._

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER II.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Consolation in Christ.+--_Exhortation_ would be better, inasmuch as consolation anticipates the comfort of the next phrase. +Comfort of love.+--Encouragement which love gives. +Fellowship of the Spirit.+--"Participation in the Spirit." _Meyer's_ remark is, "This is to be explained of the Holy Spirit." _Beet_ intimates a widening of the idea--"brotherliness prompted by the Holy Spirit." +Bowels and mercies.+--On the former term see ch. i. 8. The word for mercies denotes the yearning of the heart, though, it may be, there is no ability to help.

Ver. 2. +Fulfil ye my joy.+--"Fill up" my cup of joy. See ch. i. 4. +Likeminded.+--"General harmony, . . . identity of sentiment" (_Meyer_). On this verse, with its accumulations, Chrysostom exclaims, "Bless me! how often he says the same thing!"

Ver. 3. +Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory.+--The verb is suppressed in the Greek, a construction more natural and more forcible than to connect the nothing with the preceding clause. "Partisanship and pomposity." For the ruin of how many Churches are this pair responsible! +In lowliness of mind.+--A rare flower, scattering its fragrance unseen. "It was one great result of the life of Christ (on which St. Paul dwells here) to raise humility to its proper level; and, if not fresh coined for this purpose, the word (for 'lowliness of mind') now first became current through the influence of Christian ethics" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 5. +Let this mind be in you.+--The apostle's word reminds us that he had already counselled his readers to be likeminded amongst themselves. "Each to each, and all to Christ," this verse seems to say. What follows--to ver. 11--is the very marrow of the Gospel.

Ver. 6. +Who, being in the form of God.+--R.V. margin, "being originally." Form here implies not the external accidents, but the essential attributes. Similar to this, but not so decisive, are the expressions used elsewhere of the Divinity of the Son (2 Cor. iv. 4; Col. i. 15; Heb. i. 3). Similar is the term "The Word." +Thought it not robbery.+--"Did not deem His being on an equality with God a thing to be seized on--and retained as a prize" (_Ellicott_). "Yet did not regard it as a prize, a treasure to be clutched and retained at all hazards" (_Lightfoot_). This interpretation of the two eminent bishops is accepted by the R.V., the _Speaker's Commentary,_ and is the common and indeed almost universal interpretation of the Greek Fathers (_Lightfoot,_ flatly contradicted by _Beet_). _Meyer_ (followed by _Beet_), _Cremer_ and _Hofmann_ contend for the active meaning--"robbing." +To be equal with God.+--The Jews considered Christ's peculiar claim of Sonship as a "making Himself equal with God" (John v. 18).

Ver. 7. +But made Himself of no reputation.+--R.V. "emptied Himself." The emphasis is upon _Himself._ In contrast to the idea lying in "robbery"--that of emptying the treasures of some one else--it was Himself whom He made bare. +And took upon Him the form of a servant.+--By taking the form of a slave. Note the antitheses in these verses (6, 7), "being in the form of God," "took the form of a servant," "equality with God," "emptied Himself." +And was made in the likeness of men.+--Lit. "becoming in similitude of men." The word "likeness" (A.V. margin, "habit") differs from "form" and "fashion." There is, of course, no support for the Docetic teaching that Christ was only seemingly a man.

Ver. 8. +In fashion.+--The entire outwardly perceptible mode and form. Men saw in Christ a human form, bearing, language, action, mode of life, wants and their satisfaction, in general, the state and relations of a human being so that He was recognised "as a man" (_Meyer_). "Form" in (vers. 6, 7) is that which is intrinsic and essential. "Fashion" is that which is outward and accidental. +Became obedient unto death.+--Does not mean that He humbled Himself so as to become a cringing slave to the King of Terrors; but that His obedience to God went to the uttermost limit--as far as death--even the death of the cross. That is, the death of the accursed, the death reserved for malefactors. Jewish hatred still speaks of Christ as, "The man who was hung."

Ver. 9. +Highly exalted.+--A word much stronger than those, _e.g.,_ in the Acts, which describe the raising up of the murdered Lord of life. We trace the descent step by step to the last rung of the ladder; by one stupendous act (Rom. i. 4) God graced His Son with unique honour and dignity (Eph. i. 21).

Ver. 10. +That at the name of Jesus.+--Not at the mention of the name Jesus, but _in_ the name of Jesus. For illustration of the phrase see Christ's own words, "in My name" (John xiv. 13, 14, etc.). +Every knee should bow.+--The outward symbol of an inward submission or recognition of superiority. By what language could the apostle express the exaltation above creaturely needs if not by this? If used of a creature, it would be blasphemous. The jealous God does not allow bowing down in worship to any but Himself. As Pliny said, _Quasi Deo._

Ver. 11. +Should confess.+--"Proclaim with thanksgiving" (_Lightfoot_). It is the word which describes the frank admission [of wrong, Matt. iii. 6]. +That Jesus Christ is Lord.+--The emphasis is on "Lord." The specific Christian profession of faith is "Jesus is Lord"; its opposite "Anathema Jesus" (1 Cor. xii. 3 and Rom. x. 9).

Ver. 12. +Ye have always obeyed.+--Obedience describes the attitude of the mind of these Philippians in presence of the commanding truths of the Gospel; "Obedience" or "obedience of faith" is found several times in the epistle to the Romans; and in 2 Cor. vii. 15 stands in close connection with "fear and trembling," as here. +Fear and trembling.+--Such an apprehensive desire to be right with God as is figured by bodily tremor.

Ver. 13. +For it is God which worketh in you.+--This sentence removes all merit from the most punctilious diligence, whilst it as effectually takes away the paralysing fear of failure to which "workers together with God" need never give place.

Ver. 14. +Do all things without murmurings.+--Without mutterings, as men who in cowardice dare not speak plainly what they think. We must consider the warning as against God on account of what He imposed on them both to do and to suffer. +And disputings.+--The word goes much deeper than the restricted meaning of "disputings." It seems here to mean without first entering upon scrupulous considerings as to whether you are under any obligation thereto, whether it is not too difficult, whether prudent, and the like (_Meyer_).

Ver. 15. +That ye may be blameless.+--Sons of God they are already; they are now to become worthy sons. In the word "blameless" we have the idea of a character in which no grace is defective (Heb. viii. 7 is a good illustration. If the first covenant had been _faultless,_ a second would have been superfluous). +And harmless.+--Christ's own counsel. "Be harmless as doves." Lit. the word means unmixed, unadulterated, and figuratively, artless. Of sophistries and the deep things of Satan he would rather they were in happy ignorance (Matt. x. 16; Rom. xvi. 19). +Without rebuke.+--Vulgate, _"immaculatum."_ The word is originally a sacrificial term. It describes the victim in which the keen inquisitorial eye of the official inspector has found no fault. So (1 Pet. i. 19) of the Lamb of God, in the whiteness of spotless innocency.

Ver. 16. +Holding forth the word of life.+--"If we are to look for any metaphor it would most naturally be that of offering food or wine" (_Lightfoot_). Why it should be at all events wholly unconnected with the preceding image in "lights in the world" one does not quite see. There is nothing objectionable in the thought of a star holding forth its beam to the mariner, or the benighted wayfarer, and it has the advantage of continuity of the metaphor in the verse previous. +That I may rejoice in the day of Christ.+--As good news of his convert's fidelity was like a new lease of life to the worn apostle (1 Thess. iii. 8), so his sweetest hope was to be able to stand before his Lord with his children by his side. +Have not run . . . laboured.+--Athletic terms familiar to St. Paul's readers.

Ver. 17. +If I be offered upon the sacrifice.+--R.V. margin, "poured out as a drink-offering." Whether the reference is the the cup of wine poured over the heathen sacrifice or the drink-offering of the Jewish is doubted, and is of little consequence, since in either case his meaning would be clear enough. +And service.+--Priestly function (Luke i. 23).

Ver. 20. +No man likeminded.+--A.V. margin, "so dear unto me," evidently because the same word is used in Ps. lv. 13. "Likeminded" with whom? "With me," says Meyer, that is, "having the same tender feeling towards you as I have." +Who will naturally care.+--Not of necessity, nor grudgingly.

Ver. 21. +All seek their own.+--Interpret how we will, this is a bitter sentence. We are apt to be severe on those who have other engagements when we feel our need of friends.

Ver. 22. +Ye know the proof.+--The character that shows itself under strain or testing (Acts xvi. 1 and xvii. 14, xix. 22, xx. 3, 4). +As a son with the father.+--R.V. "as a child serveth." The older man and the younger had slaved for the Gospel; as for some dear object of desire a father and his son may be seen at work together.

Ver. 24. +I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.+--The apostle, in personal matters, is on the same footing with the most obscure Christian. When his friends forsake him he must bear it with what fortitude he can. When darkness surrounds him he must wait God's time--no prophecy lifts the veil.

Ver. 25. +Epaphroditus.+--Brother, work-mate, comrade-in-arms, Church-messenger, and serving-man. What a designation! St. Paul thinks him worthy of all the honour (ver. 29) that the Church can give, and he himself immortalises him by this unusual estimate of his personal character and worth.

Ver. 26. +Was full of heaviness.+--The same word is used of our Lord when in Gethsemane--"He began to be very heavy." Its etymology is an open question, Grimm, following Buttmann, says it means "the uncomfortable feeling of one who is not at home." If this, the almost universally accepted derivation be the correct one, it is a beautiful idyll we have presented to us. A convalescent, far from home, as his strength returns feels the pangs of home-sickness strengthen and eagerly returns to dispel the misgivings of those made anxious by tidings of his critical illness.

Ver. 27. +Nigh unto death.+--Or as we say colloquially, "next door to death." +God had mercy on him.+--St. Paul speaks after the manner of men, as we could not have dared to say anything else if Epaphroditus had died. The cry of woe so often heard by Christ was "have mercy." +Sorrow upon sorrow.+--"He does not parade the apathy of the Stoics, as though he were iron and far removed from human affections" (_Calvin_).

"When sorrows come they come not single spies, But in battalions."

Ver. 28. +The more carefully.+--R.V. "diligently." "With increased eagerness" (_Lightfoot_). How difficult it must have been for St. Paul to relinquish the company of so worthy a man we do not realise; but he who gives up is worthy of the friend he gives up, for neither of them is consulting his own wishes. "Love seeketh not her own." What a contrast to sordid Hedonism--old or new! +Ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.+--A variation on the theme of the letter--the sum of which is, as Bengel says, "I rejoice; rejoice ye." What an exquisitely chosen form of expression! "A prior sorrow will still remain unremoved," says Lightfoot; "but if he cannot go so far as to say he will rejoice, the alleviation of the loss of such a friend's society is the fact that they have him again."

Ver. 29. +Hold such in honour.+--Learn to know the value of such--"grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel."

Ver. 30. +For the work of Christ.+--What noble self-oblivion the apostle manifests! He thinks more of the cause dear to his heart than of his own comfort or even life. +Not regarding his life.+--R.V. "hazarding his life." There is the difference of a single letter in the long word of the R.V. The word of the R.V. means "having gambled with his life." Just as to-day a visitor to Rome in the autumn must run the risk of malarial fever, so Epaphroditus, for the work of Christ, had faced that, and other dangers as great, probably. The A.V. would mean "as far as his life was concerned he followed an ill-advised course of action." +To supply your lack of service toward me.+--Does not mean that they had been remiss in their attention. They did not lack the will, but the opportunity.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1-4.

_Christian Unity an Occasion of Joy._

+I. Christian unity is a striving after the Spirit of Christ.+--"That ye be likeminded" (ver. 2).

1. _Manifested in loving consolation to those in distress._--"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love" (ver. 1). If the pagan expressed unity by those who dwelt in one village and drank of one fountain, how much more real is the union of those who drink of the same Spirit and practise the lovingkindness of the one Christ. A striking evidence of the unity of Christianity is seen in its sympathy everywhere for the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate. It is Christ-like to comfort and help the distressed.

2. _Manifested in spiritual fellowship._--"If any fellowship of the Spirit" (ver. 1). Christians are one by their communion together, flowing from their joint participation in the same Spirit. The union of hearts is more real and stable than the external union expressed by creeds and contracts. The Spirit is the unifying power of Christendom.

3. _Manifested in compassion for the suffering._--"If any bowels and mercies" (ver. 1). Christianity is a mission to the suffering. Before the Christian era there were no hospitals and infirmaries, no care for the afflicted poor. Unselfish benevolence was almost unknown. Nothing is more remarkable than the spirit of tender compassion that Christianity has breathed into social and national life.

+II. Christianity is opposed to a spirit of faction and empty boasting.+--"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory" (ver. 3). The message of the Gospel is one of peace and goodwill to all men. It is foreign to its spirit to exalt the interests of party or of self; it seeks to promote a universal and all-pervasive charity. The Germans have a legend connected with the terrific battle of Chalons between the Visigoths and the Romans against Attila. The bloody work of the sword was done, the plain was strewn with heaps of the slain; but for three nights following--so ran the story--the spirits of the slain hovered over the scene and continued the strife in the air. The like has been done again and again in the party strifes and controversies of the Church. Unity is impossible where contention and vanity have sway.

+III. Christian unity is strengthened by the maintenance of a humble spirit.+--1. _In comparing oneself with others._ "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (ver. 3). The man who walks humbly with God, realising his complete dependence on Him, will not unduly exalt himself, and will highly esteem others, as knowing that they are equally with himself dependent on God for their abilities. Instead of fixing your eyes on those points in which you may excel, fix them on those in which your neighbour excels you: to do this is true humility. The excellencies of others are better known than their defects, and our own defects are better known to ourselves than to others. A sense of personal short-coming will keep us humble. Humility is a special product of Christianity. The whole Roman language, with all the improvements of the Augustan age, does not afford so much as a name for humility; nor was one found in all the copious language of the Greeks, till it was made by the great apostle.

2. _In considering other people's interests as well as your own._--"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (ver. 4). The truly humble are thoroughly disinterested. The work of the meek and lowly Jesus is the loftiest example of disinterestedness. He looked to the things of others rather than to His own. In unselfishly seeking the good of others we promote our own. When Augustine was asked, "What is the first thing in religion?" he answered, "Humility." "What is the second?" "Humility." "And what is the third?" "Humility." Speaking of pride, Augustine truly said, "That which first overcame man is the last thing he overcomes." Humility is a strong bond of Christian unity.

+IV. Christian unity is an occasion of great joy.+--"Fulfil ye my joy" (ver. 2). The weak spot in the disposition of the Philippians was a tendency to quarrelsomeness; hence he insists upon unity. They had given him joy in the other Christian excellencies they possessed; he asks them to complete his joy in cherishing the grace of unity. "Behold," exclaimed the rejoicing Psalmist, as he contemplated the union of the Jewish tribes, "how good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. cxxxiii. 1). The bundle of arrows cannot be broken while it remains a bundle. Tacitus, an ancient Latin historian, says of the Germans, what sceptics and others find true of Christians, "Whilst fighting separately, all are conquered together." The strength of the Christian Church lies in its consolidation.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christian unity is of supreme importance._ 2. _Is absolutely necessary to represent the Spirit of Christ._ 3. _Is the cause of much joy to the anxious minister._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 1, 2. _Unity and Concord in the Church._--1. As unity and concord is necessary in itself and at all times, so is it most necessary in suffering times: the enjoyment of Christ's presence, the reaping of any spiritual advantage by the communion and love of the saints, fellowship with God through the operation of the Spirit, depend upon it. 2. The success of the Gospel will be matter of joy to a public-spirited Christian, even in the midst of his own crosses and sufferings. 3. That unity and concord among the Churches may be solid and lasting, there should be unity of will and affections, of designs and endeavours, and in opinion and matters of judgment.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 3. _Humility an Antidote to Contention._--1. The lust of vainglory, whereby a man pursues more after the applause of men than to be approved of God, is the mother of contention and strife, and unfriendly to union and peace. 2. The grace of humility does not consist in an affected strain of words and gestures, but, being seated in the heart, makes a man think meanly of himself and of anything that is his. 3. So conscious should we be of our own infirmities, so modest in the esteem of our own graces and virtues, so prone to charity, that we ought to esteem any other, for what we know of him, to be better than ourselves.--_Ibid._

Ver. 4. _Looking on the Things of Others._

+I. One school in which we learn the lesson of unselfishness is the home circle.+

+II. Another way in which God teaches us the same lesson is through the experience we gain in the intercourse of daily work.+--We divide men into the selfish and the unselfish--those who work for self and think of self, and those whose labours are for other men.

+III. We are taught to consider other men by the perplexities and confusion which arise when we think only of ourselves.+--The modern philosophy is true so far when it says that man is nothing in himself, but only a bundle of relations, the meeting-point of many influences. Those who fix their attention upon the meeting-point forget what makes the man. Probably there is no more confused or miserable man than the self-analyst.--_A. R. MacEwen._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 5-8.

_The Humiliation of Christ a Pattern of Supreme Unselfishness._

+I. The humiliation of Christ was no violation of His Divine essence.+--"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (ver. 6). Thought it not a prey to be seized upon. As He was in Himself truly and properly God, it could be no object of desire or ambition to claim equality with God. Being God He could not undeify Himself. His Divinity remained with Him through the whole course of His self-imposed humiliation. It was this that constituted both the mystery and the greatness of the humiliation.

+II. The humiliation of Christ was a voluntary incarnation in human form.+--"But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (ver. 7). He emptied Himself, not of His Divinity--that was impossible--but of the outward and self-manifesting glories of the Godhead. He took the form of a servant by being made in the likeness of man. He remained full of Divinity, yet He bore Himself as if He were empty. A native preacher among the Oneidas, addressing his fellow-converts, said: "What are the views you form of the character of Jesus? You will answer, perhaps, that He was a man of singular benevolence. You will tell me that He proved this to be His character by the nature of the miracles He wrought. He created bread to feed thousands who were ready to perish. He raised to life the son of a poor woman who was a widow, and to whom his labours were necessary for her support in old age. Are these then your only views of the Saviour? I will tell you they are lame. When Jesus came into the world He threw His blanket around Him, but the God was within."

+III. The humiliation of Christ reached its climax in a career of obedience even unto death.+--"He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (ver. 8). He fulfilled all the demands of law and of God. He shrank not from death--death in its most shameful and ignoble form, the death of the cross. He was numbered with the transgressors--not an honourable death, but like the degrading execution of criminals. He went to the realm of the dead and revolutionised it. Hitherto death had reigned supreme, an unbroken power. The prison-house of the dead was fast locked. None returned. Now One comes there who has the keys of Hades and of death. He opens the door and sets the captives free. "Meekness in suffering, prayer for His murderers, a faithful resignation of His soul into the hands of His heavenly Father, the sun eclipsed, the heavens darkened, and earth trembling, the graves open, the rocks rent, the veil of the Temple torn--who could say less than this, 'Truly, this was the Son of God'? He suffers patiently; this is through the power of grace; many good men have done so through His enabling. The frame of nature suffers with Him; this is proper to the God of Nature, the Son of God" (_Bishop Hall_).

+IV. The humiliation of Christ is an example of unselfishness to all His followers.+--"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (ver. 5). The apostle does not put forth himself as an example, but Christ. Christ gave His all for us, and we should give our all to Him, and our best service for the good of others. No one can follow Christ until he has first found Christ. Some try to imitate Christ before they have savingly found Him. To look at Christ as our Example only, and not as our Redeemer, is not to see Him as He is. Without faith in Christ as our Redeemer we cannot really follow His example. Without the grace of Christ there can be no imitation of Christ. A little girl once presented to a celebrated statesman a small bouquet of ordinary flowers, the only one she could procure at the season. He inquired why she gave him the bouquet. "Because I love you," the child answered. "Do you bring any little gifts to Jesus?" he asked. "Oh," said the child, "I give myself to Him."

+Lessons.+--1. _The unselfish are always humble._ 2. _The humble are patient in doing and suffering._ 3. _Humility is the pathway to exaltation._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 5-8. _The Incarnate Deity._

+I. That Christ did not seek to retain an appearance of Divine glory and co-equality.+

+II. He divested Himself actually of His appropriate and descriptive ensigns of Divine nature and government.+

+III. He entered upon a course of responsible subordination.+

+IV. He united Himself to human nature by a perfect incarnation.+

+V. He stooped to the most extreme depression of state.+

+VI. He reduced Himself to the necessity of death.+

+VII. He yielded to death in a peculiar form.+

+Lessons.+--1. _How admirable is the expedient of the Redeemer's incarnation!_ 2. _What a sublime example does the conduct of the Saviour afford.--R. W. Hamilton._

Ver. 5. _The Christian Temper the Same Mind which was in Christ._

+I. Some things in which we cannot consider Christ as an example.+--All those graces in us which suppose our guilt and fallen state could not be exemplified to us by our Saviour.

+II. Some things related of Christ we must not pretend to imitate.+--What He did under the character of Messiah was peculiar to Himself, and not designed to put us on doing likewise.

+III. Why Christians should copy the mind and temper of Christ.+--1. _It was the design of God to set His Son before us as the model of the Christian temper._ 2. _He was a pattern admirably fitted to be proposed to our imitation._ (1) He was an example in our own nature. (2) His circumstances and conduct in our nature adapted His example to the most general use. (3) His example was perfect, so that it has the force of a rule. 3. _The relations in which we stand to Christ and the concern we have with Him lay us under the strongest engagements to endeavour a resemblance._ He is our friend, our Lord and Master, our Head, our Judge, the model of our final happiness.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christianity in its main design is a practical thing._ 2. _We see the advantages we have by the Gospel beyond any other dispensation for true goodness._ 3. _How inexcusable must they be who are not recovered to a God-like temper and conversation by this most excellent dispensation!_ 4. _With what care and attention should we study the life of Christ!--J. Evans, D.D._

_Christ our Pattern._

+I. The mind of Christ was a pure mind.+

+II. A self-sacrificing mind.+

+III. A lowly mind.+

+IV. A forbearing mind.+

+V. A constant mind.+

+VI. A prayerful mind.+--_Preacher's Magazine._

Vers. 6, 7. _Christ the Redeemer._--This which the Son of God did and underwent is the one fact of heaven and earth, with which none in creation, none in history, none in your own personal being, can for a moment be compared, but in the presence and in the light of which all these ought to be contemplated and concluded--that it is the great object of faith and practice. Of faith--for upon the personal and hearty reception of it as the foundation of your life before God, that life itself, and all its prospects, depend; of practice--for high above all other examples, shining over and blessing while it surpasses them, is this mighty example of the Son of God. Oh, brethren, how the selfish man and the selfish woman and the selfish family ought to depart from such a theme as this, downcast for very shame, and abased at their unlikeness to the pattern which they profess to be imitating! Oh that this question might be fixed and rankle like a dart in their bosoms, even till it will take no answer but the surrender of the life to Him, and, by the daily grace of His Spirit, living as He lived!--_Alford._

Ver. 8. _Christ's Crucifixion._--

+I. As an historical fact.+--It is quite certain.

+II. As displaying in its circumstances every variety of human character.+

+III. As accompanied by striking prodigies.+--The darkened sun, the quaking earth, the cleft rocks, the rent veil, the opened graves.

+IV. As furnishing an illustrious example of the passive virtues.+--Taught us how to suffer and to die.

+V. As being the brightest manifestation of self-denying and self-devoting love.+

+VI. As constituting the sole meritorious cause of human salvation.+--Who is the sufferer? The Son of God. Why does He suffer? As a prophet, as a martyr, as an example? Yes; but chiefly as a sacrifice for sin.

+VII. As producing the most wonderful moral transformations.+--On individuals, on communities, and on Christendom.--_G. Brooks._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_The Exaltation of Christ_--

+I. Was a Divine act.+--"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him" (ver. 9). As a recognition of the humiliation and obedience of Christ, God exalted Him to the throne of mediatorial sovereignty. As Bengel puts it, "Christ emptied Christ; God exalted Christ as man to equality with God" (Compare Ps. viii. 5, 6, cx. 1, 7; Matt. xxviii. 18; Luke xxiv. 26; John v. 27, x. 17; Rom. xiv. 9; Eph. i. 20-22; Heb. ii. 9).

+II. Was the acquisition of a name of pre-eminent dignity and significance.+--"And given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus" (vers. 9, 10). Jesus is the same as Joshua, or Jehoshua, only framed to the Greek pronunciation and termination. Joshua, who brought the hosts of Israel into the rest of Canaan, was originally called Hoshea, but it was changed into Joshua or Jehoshua, by an addition of the first syllable in the Divine name Jehovah, perhaps to intimate that not Joshua of himself, but Jehovah by Him, would complete the deliverance and rest of Israel. The name Jesus means Jehovah-Saviour, or Jehovah-Salvation, and Jesus is so called because He saves His people from their sins. The name cannot be given to any other being; it belongs solely and absolutely to the one Jesus. "Here we should probably look," says Lightfoot, "to a common Hebrew sense of name, not meaning a definite appellation, but denoting office, rank, dignity. In this case the use of the name of God in the Old Testament to denote the Divine Presence or the Divine Majesty, more especially as the object of adoration and praise, will suggest the true meaning; since the context dwells on the honour and worship henceforth offered to Him on whom _the_ name has been conferred. To praise _the name,_ to bless _the name,_ to fear _the name_ of God, are frequent expressions in the Old Testament." The name of Jesus marks the pre-eminence of Jesus--it is the "name above every name." That name wields the mightiest power in the world to-day. A modern writer of reputation has said: "There is a wave--I believe it is only a wave--passing over the cultivated thought of Europe at present, which will make short work of all belief in a God that does not grip fast to Jesus Christ. As far as I can read the signs of the times and the tendency of modern thinking, it is this--either an absolute silence, a heaven stretching above us, blue and clear and cold, and far away and dumb; or else a Christ that speaks--He or none. The theism that has shaken itself loose from Him will be crushed, I am sure, in the encounter with the agnosticism and materialism of this day." The name of the exalted Jesus is the salvation of the world in more senses than one.

+III. Entitles Him to universal homage.+--"Every knee shall bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (vers. 10, 11). Beings above, below, and on the earth shall acknowledge the supremacy and deity of Jesus, and unite in a universal and consentaneous act of praise and worship of His Divine majesty. On the door of the old mosque in Damascus, once a Christian church, but now ranked among the holiest of Mahometan sanctuaries, are inscribed these remarkable words: "Thy kingdom, O Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." For more than twelve hundred years the inscription has remained unimpaired by time and undisturbed by man. What is it waiting for? Already a Christian Church has been founded in that ancient city, and the Gospel is preached there every Sabbath. The world's submission to Jesus is drawing near.

+Lessons.+--_The name of Jesus_--1. _Is unique in its reputation._ 2. _In its moral influence among the nations._ 3. _In its saving power._ 4. _In the homage paid to it._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9-11. _The Name of Jesus: its Exaltation and Power._

+I. The Saviour's exaltation+ (ver. 9).--He was exalted by His resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His glorious session at the right hand of God, whence He now discharges the high functions of Prophet, Priest, and King.

+II. The Saviour's name.+--"That at the name of Jesus" (ver. 10). Jehovah, the Saviour.

1. _The supreme eminence of the name._--"A name which is above every name."

2. _Pre-eminent because no other being could receive the title._

3. _Pre-eminent because there is no other name that has the mysterious virtue of saving as this._

+III. The power of the Saviour's name.+--1. _In saving the sinner._ 2. _In commanding the homage and worship of all, and in eliciting the universal acknowledgement of His deity_ (vers. 10, 11).

+We learn a lesson of humility.+--1. _Because Christ humbled Himself for us._ 2. _We should humble ourselves on account of past sins._ 3. _Humility leads to exaltation._

_Christ Worthy of Universal Homage._--1. The Lord Christ, having abased Himself for our redemption, was exalted by the Father to the highest pitch of glory. 2. The name which is above every name is said to be given to Christ, because His Divine majesty, before hid, was now manifested and the human nature so highly honoured that that person who is man is true God, and is to be acknowledged as such. 3. However small a part of the world acknowledge Christ to be the Lord, His glory will grow till all reasonable creatures in heaven, earth, and hell subject themselves to Him, and the giving of Divine honour to Him does in no way impair the glory of God the Father.--_Fergusson._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12, 13.

_Salvation--God's Work and Man's Care._

+I. Salvation is a personal blessing.+--"Your own salvation" (ver. 12). If Christ died for all, then he died for me and I may be saved. It matters little if others are being saved unless I am saved myself. It is impossible to be genuinely interested in the salvation of others unless we are saved ourselves. Salvation deals with the individual; it gathers its trophies one by one. "I have read of some seas," writes Bunyan, "so pure and clear that a man may see the bottom, though they be forty feet deep. I know this river is a deep river, but it is not said that we can see no bottom." The comparison implies that a man with good eyes may see the bottom. So, then, we shall look down through these crystal streams and see what be at the bottom of all. The bottom of all is that we might be saved. "These things I say," saith Christ, "that ye might be saved." What a good, sound bottom is here! This salvation admits man to a wealth of blessings impossible to estimate. Salvation should therefore be sought by every man earnestly, believingly, promptly.

+II. Salvation needs constant personal care.+--"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (ver. 12).

1. _The Christian worker is surrounded with spiritual perils._--The apostle has referred to these perils in warning the Philippians against pride, selfishness, faction, and vain boasting (vers. 3, 4). To secure his salvation the believer must not only work, but work with circumspection, with vigilance, with fear and trembling. "God does not give the flower and the fruit of salvation, but the seed, the sunshine, and the rain. He does not give houses, nor yet beams and squared stones, but trees, rocks, and limestone, and says, 'Now build thyself a house.' Regard not God's work within thee as an anchor to hold thy bark firmly to the shore, but as a sail which shall carry it to its port. Fear thy depression and faint-heartedness, but take courage at thy humility before God" (_Lange_).

2. _Personal care the more necessary when deprived of the oversight of a loved teacher._--"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence" (ver. 12). The Philippians had shown a spirit of ready obedience both to the apostle and to God, and they are urged to increased diligence. The apostle's "absence did not make the obligation less imperative, but it demanded more earnestness and vigilance from them in the discharge of the duty. His voice and person were a guide and stimulant and excited them to assiduous labour, so that his presence among them wrought like a charm. And now that he was not with them, and they were left to themselves, they were so much the more to double their diligence and work out salvation with fear and trembling--with distrust of themselves, earnest solicitude in every duty, humble reliance on Divine aid, with the abiding consciousness that after all they come far short of meeting obligation" (_Eadie_).

+III. Salvation is a Divine work.+--1. _God is pleased to work in us to create a right disposition._--"It is God that worketh in you to will . . . of His good pleasure" (ver. 13). The desire for salvation and the disposition and the to seek it come from God. As the sun warms the earth and helps the flower to grow and bloom, so the Spirit of God warms the heart and calls for the growth and blossom of Christian graces. God does not take out mental and moral apparati and put in a new set, like the works of a clock; but He encourages us to use the powers already within and breathes upon us the vitalising influence of His Spirit, so that we produce results in harmony with His will.

2. _God is pleased to work in us to confer the moral ability to work._--"God worketh in you . . . to do of His good pleasure" (ver. 13). Some men have ability to do great things, but have not the disposition; others may have the disposition, but not the ability. In the work of our salvation God gives both the disposition and the power. Because God works in us we may work; because He works in us we must work out our own salvation. The means of salvation are within our reach; it is our part to use them. How does the miner get out of the pit? There is a string at the bottom; he pulls it; a bell at the top rings; a rope, worked by a steam-engine, is let down, and in this way he ascends to the top. A man gets down into the pit of trouble; he cannot get up himself; he must ring the bell of prayer; God will hear it and send down the rope that is to lift him out. Man can do nothing without God, and God will do nothing without the willing co-operation of man.

+Lessons.+--1. _Salvation is possible for every man._ 2. _Salvation may be secured by man yielding to the Divine influences working within him._ 3. _If man is not saved, it is his own fault._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 12, 13. _Divine and Human Co-operation in Man's Salvation._

+I. The salvation to be wrought out.+--Salvation simply means deliverance. It may be either temporal or spiritual, or both. The process of salvation is to be continuous.

+II. In the work of our salvation Divine and human co-operation is necessary.+--Illustrated in the products of nature, in works of art and skill. 1. _God works in us by the light of His truth._ 2. _By appealing to us with the influence of powerful motives._ 3. _Works in us by the influences of His Spirit._

+III. Seek to ascertain to what extent we are indebted for our personal salvation to God working in us.+--Our salvation from first to last is from God; that we are saved by grace, yet not so as to destroy our own effort. He produces in us the will and power. We are to exercise the will and power by repenting, believing, and living a life of holiness.

+IV. Why we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.+--Because of the possibility of our unfaithfulness. May be too sure of salvation, and too doubtful.--_J. C. Symons._

_The Active Exertion of Man in working out his Salvation harmonises with the Free Grace of God as being the Sole Author of it._--There are two facts connected with the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt--their preservation in the wilderness, and their settlement in the land of Canaan--to which I would solicit your attention.

+I. That all was done for them by God, and is to be ascribed solely, from first to last, to His almighty power and grace.+--1. The means by which the establishment of the Israelites in the Promised Land was effected were evidently beyond the reach of human agency. 2. Even in those particular cases in which the active exertions of the Israelites were employed as the means of their deliverance or success the whole is ascribed to God. (1) He gave them courage to fight against their enemies; (2) He gave them success by sending terror into the hearts of their enemies.

+II. That although God thus did everything for them, He did it in such a way as to bring every power of their minds and bodies into exercise, and to render their own activity absolutely necessary to their preservation and success.+--Illustrated in the passage of the Red Sea, and in the first battle of the Israelites with the Amalekites (Exod. xvii. 8).

+Lessons.+--1. _As the deliverance of the Israelites and their establishment in Canaan was wholly of God, so the salvation of every sinner is to be ascribed solely and entirely to His mercy and power._ 2. _As God required the Israelites to be active, watchful, diligent, ardent, and strenuous in their exertions to overcome difficulties and to defeat their enemies, so He requires His people to make their calling and election sure, to work out their salvation with fear and trembling._--Although God does all for us in the matter of our salvation, yet He places us in situations where we must exert ourselves or perish.--_Anonymous._

_The Co-operation of Human and Divine Agency in our Salvation._

+I. This co-operation of Divine and human energies has place in all the most important facts and pursuits that make up the history of man.+--1. _It is true of the commencement of our being._ 2. _Our growth and education are the result of the same joint agency._ 3. _This fundamental law reigns over all the works of man._

+II. What does God accomplish and what does He demand of us in the joint working out of our salvation?+--1 _God works in us by the light of His truth._ 2. _By the power of motives._ 3. _By the energy of His Spirit._

+III. What is the intent and object of these Divine operations?+--1. _They are not designed to transform the character as, when after conversion, they are media of sanctification._ 2. _Human co-operation is the indispensable condition of progress._ 3. _Will and do._ These describe the duty of the unconverted man.--_S. Olin, D.D._

_Man's Work and God's Work._

+I. This salvation is begun when we believe in Christ, but it requires to be worked out.+

+II. The fact that God works in us renders our working possible.+

+III. The fact that God works in us should make us fear and tremble.+--_R. Abercrombie, M.A._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 14-18.

_The Lustre of a Blameless Life_--

+I. Suppresses all murmuring and doubt as unworthy of the children of God.+--"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke" (vers. 14, 15). As the sons of God, distinguished by so high and holy a calling, believers should be blameless and pure. Their spiritual integrity should lift them above the cause of blame. To be pure and blameless they must not yield to the spirit of dissatisfaction and doubt. "No matter what may tend to excite this spirit, it must not be indulged, whether the temptation to it be the Divine command, the nature of the duty, the self-denial it involves, or the opposition occasionally encountered. There was neither grudge nor reluctance with Him whose example is described in the preceding verses, no murmur at the depth of His condescension, or doubt as to the amount or severity of the sufferings which for others He so willingly endured" (_Eadie_).

+II. Sheds a guiding light in the midst of a dark world.+--"In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life" (vers. 15, 16). The Philippians were to be a light and guide to their fellow-citizens, a people made up of Jew and pagan, moved by tortuous and perverse impulses. Nothing would please them: give them one argument, they cry for another; tell them of the simplicity of the Gospel, they prefer you should dwell on its mysteries; speak of its power, they ask you to expound its charity. The children of God are to society everywhere what the heavenly luminaries are to the world--they are to diffuse light, and guide the way to a better life. The star which led the wise men to Christ, the pillar of fire which led the children of Israel into Canaan, did not only shine, but went before them. Believers shine by the light of the Word which they hold forth, and that light is the guide to others. Virtue should shine in cities, not in solitudes. The Christian's duty is here among men; and the nearer he draws to his fellow-men, so that his religion be real and true, the more good he is likely to do them. On the north coast of Cornwall and Devon is a lighthouse, which first of all was placed high upon the cliffs, where the mists and fogs often obscured and hid its brightness from the passing mariner in hours of the sorest need. So they took it down and built it afresh on the rock out at sea, amid the waves of that dangerous coast, there to shine where it was most necessary.

+III. Supplies a prolific theme of ministerial joy.+--1. _A joy complete when his work is finally appraised._ "That I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain" (ver. 16). The apostle had run with the eagerness of a racer in the Isthmian games--the prizes he sought, the souls of men; he had laboured with strenuous and persevering diligence--the wages he sought, the souls of men; and now looking by anticipation at the results of his apostolic toil, in the light of the great day of Christ, his greatest joy will be that his efforts have not been in vain. His joy then will be, not in the number and wealth of the Churches he founded, but in the spiritual progress and advancement of the members. The results of work for Christ are often in this world obscured and confused; but in the day of Christ all will be clear and the work seen in all its beauty and dimensions. The joy of success is often checkered and interrupted in this life; but yonder the joy will be complete and full. We shall share the joy of the conquering Christ.

2. _A joy not diminished though life is prematurely sacrificed._--"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all" (ver. 17). The apostle's image is that of an altar, on which the faith of the Philippians is laid by him as priest, while his own blood is being poured out as the usual drink-offering or libation. In the near prospect of martyrdom he has no gloomy anticipations. Death will not terminate his joy, but accelerate it, as it will admit him to realms where all is calm and joy and peace. Such is the triumph of the Christian spirit; it can rejoice in tribulation and in the very presence of death.

3. _A joy in which his converts may share._--"For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me" (ver. 18). So far from being dispirited by the prospect of his martyrdom, the apostle calls upon them to share his joy on account of the success of the Gospel. How often in the changeful experiences of life are joy and sorrow mingled together. "Joy lives in the midst of the sorrow; the sorrow springs from the same root as the gladness. The two do not clash against each other, or reduce the emotion to a neutral indifference, but they blend into one another, just as in the Arctic regions, deep down beneath the cold snow with its white desolation and its barren death, you shall find the budding of the early spring flowers and the fresh green grass; just as some kinds of fire burn below the water; just as in the midst of the barren and undrinkable sea there may be welling up some little fountain of fresh water that comes from a deeper depth than the great ocean around it and pours its sweet streams along the surface of the salt waste" (_Maclaren_).

+Lessons.+--1. _A blameless life is the product of the grace of God._ 2. _Is a rebuke to the wavering and inconsistent._ 3. _Evokes the congratulations of the good in both worlds._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 15, 16. _Christians Example to the World._--1. Divisions and strife grieve the Spirit and darken those evidences of sonship which believers in a calm and peaceful temper of spirit used to see most clearly. 2. We stop the mouths of enemies when our conversation is such as may discover to others their failings, and point out that good way wherein they ought to walk. 3. _Suitable_ practice joined with profession puts such a majesty and splendour on truth that every Christian is to profane men as the sun and moon are in the firmament. 4. The glory put on gracious souls at the day of judgment will add to the glory and joy of faithful ministers.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 16. _The Word of Life: a Living Ministry and a Living Church._

+I. To apprehend the life of the Church we must apprehend the life of its Head.+

+II. A living ministry.+--1. _Requires confidence in the office and work itself._ 2. _Distinctness of purpose._ 3. _A quick and profound sense of the nature and dignity of the soul._ 4. _One that preaches more than moral decency:_ preaches piety, regeneration, and faith. 5. _Must not be afraid to assert what passes its own reason._

+III. A living Church.+--1. _A safeguard against dogmatism._ 2. _Formalism._ 3. _Partisanship._ 4. _Is a body whose life is the life of Christ in the soul.--F. D. Huntington, D.D._

Vers. 16-18. _The Joy of Ministerial Success_--

+I. Sustained by the assurance of the final approval of his heavenly Master.+--"That I may rejoice in the day of Christ" (ver. 16).

+II. Cheerfully sacrifices life itself in the successful prosecution of his work.+--"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all" (ver. 17).

+III. Shared by those who profit by his ministry.+--"For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me" (ver. 18).

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 19-24.

_A Projected Christian Mission_--

+I. Prompted by anxiety to promote the spiritual welfare of the Church.+--"But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state" (ver. 19). We have already gathered, from our study of the epistle thus far, that the apostle was solicitous about the spiritual state of the Philippian Church; and this visit of Timothy was preparatory to his own coming to see them. He turns from the sadder side of his own likely martyrdom to the more hopeful prospect of once more being in their midst. The true minister of Christ can never forget his people, whether present among them or absent; and his principal anxiety is to know that they are growing in grace and Christian usefulness. He seeks to keep in touch with them by letters or personal messengers, and the theme of his communications will be based on their mutual interest in the cause of Christ. His movements and wishes concerning them are all based on the will of Christ.

+II. Committed to a trustworthy messenger.+--1. _A messenger in genuine sympathy with the anxiety of the sender._ "For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state" (ver. 20). Timothy is of such a nature, has a soul so like my own, that when he comes among you he will manifest a true regard for your best interests. This choice evangelist was a native of Lycaonia, in the centre of Asia Minor. Faithfully and lovingly taught by his mother, a pious Jewess, to long and look for the Messiah promised to the fathers, he was led, on Paul's first visit to these regions, to recognise in Jesus of Nazareth the great Deliverer and to accept Him as his Saviour. On the apostle's second visit, four or five years afterwards, finding Timothy highly commended by the Christians of the district, he took him as his companion, to give such aid in missionary work as a young man could, and to be trained for full efficiency as a preacher of the cross. From that time onward we find him in constant connection with the apostle, either as his companion or as carrying on some special ministerial work which Paul had entrusted to him. His close fellowship with the apostle gave him opportunities of becoming familiar with the great reading themes of the Gospel, and with the high aims and motives with which his teacher was constantly animated.

2. _A messenger free from a self-seeking spirit._--"For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (ver. 21). Among the other members of the Church likely to be entrusted with such a mission there was no one like Timothy--so devoted, so whole-hearted, so unselfish. The early Church was not less free from imperfections than the modern Church; the self-seeking spirit is as permanent as human nature. When a certain bishop was asked by an acquaintance what was the best body of Divinity, he did not scruple to answer, "That which can help a man to keep a coach and six horses."

3. _A messenger whose fidelity has been tested._--"But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel" (ver. 22). Paul does not say that Timothy served him--though that was true--but served with him in the Gospel, showing filial affection and willing obedience. The simplicity and unselfishness, the mellow Christian wisdom, the patience and gentleness of the apostle, fitted in with a charming meekness, unselfishness, and affectionateness in his young friend. The apostle watched with joy the maturing grace of his beloved companion and fellow-labourer; and Timothy was thankful to God for giving him such a friend. The courage and fidelity of the young evangelist had been tried in times of difficulty, and of this the apostle and the Philippians had had many proofs. The Church was therefore ready to welcome him with confidence and respect. The minister should be faithful to the Gospel at all times. Oliver Millard, an earnest and popular preacher of the reign of Louis XI., attacked the vices of the court in his sermons, and did not spare the king himself, who, taking offence, sent the priest word that if he did not change his tone he would have him thrown into the Seine. "The king," replied Oliver, "is the master to do what he pleases; but tell him that I shall reach paradise by water sooner than he will by post-horses." This bold answer at once amused and intimidated the king, for he let the preacher continue to preach as he pleased and what he pleased.

+III. To be followed by a hoped-for personal visit.+--"Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly" (vers. 23, 24). Until his own fate is determined, the apostle seems desirous to keep Timothy with him; but as soon as he learned the issue, he would despatch his trusty messenger to Philippi, and cherished the hope of coming himself. Whatever the result may be, martyrdom or liberty, the apostle calmly and firmly trusts in the Lord.

+Lessons.+--1. _The good are ever devising plans for the benefit of others._ 2. _An earnest spirit inspires others to holy toil._ 3. _The best virtues are strengthened by Christian work._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 19-24. _Ministerial Anxiety for the Welfare of the Church._--1. The crosses and comforts of a Christian, endued with a truly public spirit, depend not so much upon those things which concern himself, as those which are of public concern to Jesus Christ and His Church. 2. A minister imitates the apostles in watching over their flock when the state of souls is the object of his care, and when the care arises, not from constraint, but from love to the party cared for. 3. Our own things and the things of Christ are often in two contrary balances. 4. The calling of the ministry is a service, and ministers are servants of Christ, for the Church, and not lords over their faith.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 21. _The Life of Christ the only True Idea of Self-devotion._--A refined selfishness is one of the worst antagonists of the Church of Christ.

+I. It may consist with all the Church requires as a condition to communion in her fullest privileges.+

+II. But it extinguishes all that ever produced any great work in Christ's service.+

+III. The secret of that stupendous self-devotion which saints in all ages have manifested is--they set up the life of Christ before them.+

+IV. The customs of life and all the current maxims and unwritten laws of society maintain so tyrannous a hold even over good minds that high and generous tempers are chilled into inaction.+--_H. E. Manning._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 25-30.

_A Devoted Christian Minister_--

+I. A valued associate of good men.+--"Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants" (ver. 25). Epaphroditus had been sent by the Philippian Church with a gift to Paul, and, pending the proposed visit of himself or Timothy, he employs him as his messenger. The commendation of Epaphroditus indicates the apostle's high estimate of the character of the man--a Christian brother, a colleague in toil, a fellow-soldier in scenes of danger and conflict. The work of the Christian minister brings him into contact with the noblest spirits of the times.

+II. Full of sympathy for the anxieties of his people.+--"For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick" (ver. 26). It may be that Epaphroditus was the more anxious to return to his people lest the rumour of his sickness should have disastrous consequences on the state of his Church, that some parties between whom he had mediated should take advantage of his prostration and fall again into animosity, or it may be that he might dispel the distress and sorrow of his people on his own account. This longing to see his people reveals a womanly tenderness that some men might call weakness. Paul did not so regard it. He knew the manly robustness of spirit, the decision, energy, and devotedness that had made Epaphroditus his honoured companion in labour and fellow-soldier; and to him the element of softness and sweetness brought out in the languor of the recovery exhibited a new charm. "The best men often show a union of opposite virtues; for example, Epaphroditus. The finest delicacy of soul which, if alone, might seem excessive and effeminate, allies itself to a manly courage, which sets at naught life itself. The deepest love of the Church does not exclude a most faithful attachment to its great apostle, nor anxiety for the present moment forbid sympathy for a distant community. One may reverence and acknowledge superior men, and yet give all the glory to God alone; may be anxious for his own soul, and yet give himself to the welfare of the Church and the common service of its membership" (_Lange_).

+III. Exposed himself to great risk in the eager discharge of duty.+--"For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; . . . I sent him therefore . . . that when ye see him again ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful" (vers. 27, 28). The sickness of Epaphroditus was probably brought on by the risks and exposures of his journey from Philippi to Rome. It was no easy task for a Christian, one of a sect everywhere spoken against, hated and oppressed, having no protection from either Jewish or Roman rule, to undertake such a mission, carrying aid to a man in prison, who was bitterly hated by many, and over whose approaching execution they were gloating with a fiendish satisfaction. But Epaphroditus braved all the privations and sufferings of the perilous enterprise, and would not hesitate to acknowledge publicly before the world that the prisoner he sought to help was his friend. Paul fully understood all the perils of the adventure and that it had nearly cost a valuable life; he thus specially acknowledges the mercy of God both to himself and the Philippians and the mitigation of their mutual sorrow in the recovery of Epaphroditus. "Life, especially the life of a faithful servant of Christ, possesses great value. For such a life we ought to pray; and it is an act of God's grace when it is preserved to the Church" (_Heubner_). "It is a fine thing," wrote Sailer, "if you can say a man lived and never lifted a stone against his neighbour; but it is a finer far if you can say also he took out of the path the stones that would have caught his neighbour's feet. So did Feneberg, and this his doing was his life."

+IV. Highly commended for his character and work's sake.+--"Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service towards me" (vers. 29, 30). Words of highest eulogy, coming from such a source, and uttered under such circumstances. How tender, unreserved and unselfish are the apostle's commendations of Timothy and Epaphroditus, and how large and loving the heart from which they came! Even with these friends, so dear and needful to him, the aged servant of Christ, worn with labour and suffering, is willing, for the work of Christ, to part, and to be left alone. And this man was notorious, a few years before, as Saul the persecutor. What wrought the change? The glorious Gospel of the blessed God. The faithful, conscientious, self-denying minister of the Word cannot fail to win the esteem and love of his people.

+Lessons.+--1. _A Christian minister has many opportunities of usefulness._ 2. _Should cultivate a generous and sympathetic nature._ 3. _Should be faithful in all things._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 25-28. _Anxieties of Ministerial Life._--1. Ministerial employment is a painful, laborious work, and faithful ministers who are standard-bearers or sentinels, and march in the front, before the Lord's people, have a peculiar battle of their own for truth and piety. 2. The Lord sometimes suffers His servants to fall into desperate dangers, that His mercy may be the more seen in their delivery. 3. Courage under sufferings for Christ, and rejoicing in God, may consist with moderate sorrow and heaviness. 4. The weights and griefs of the godly do prove an occasion of rejoicing afterwards, so the grief which the Philippians had because of their pastor's sickness and apprehended death ended in joy when they saw him in health again.--_Fergusson._

Vers. 29, 30. _Heroic Devotion to Christ_--

+I. Is wholly absorbed in the work of Christ.+

+II. Risks life in serving the cause of God.+

+III. Should be held in highest esteem.+

+IV. Should be joyfully acknowledged in whomsoever manifested.+

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER III.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Finally.+--Lit. "as to the rest." The apostle had intended to bring his letter to a close, but something of which we have no information leads him to warn his readers against Judaizers and their methods. He resumes his farewell at ch. iv. 8, yet lingers there. +To write the same things.+--Whatever they may have been, they concerned the security of his readers. His hand had so often written up in bold letters the _Cave canem_ to warn his unsuspecting children, that we may be allowed to think that is what he means to do again.

Ver. 2. +Beware of dogs.+--Who would "turn again and rend you." If the term is a retort on "Gentile dogs," and looks like "railing for railing," we may explain it by the directness of the metaphor. Dogs and Judaizers have this in common--that they tear flesh. The savage delight of having inflicted a wound is shown in Gal. vi. 13. +Beware of the concision.+--A bitter play on the name by which the Jews thought themselves distinguished (Eph. ii. 11). St. Paul changes the prefix, and stigmatises them as "the mutilation party." Lightfoot gives illustrations of this toying with words, _e.g.,_ in the complaint of an ambassador that he had been sent, not to Spain, but to Pain.

Ver. 3. +For we are the circumcision.+--How completely Paul had sloughed his Rabbinic literalism this verse clearly shows (Rom. ii. 28, 29). +Which worship God in the Spirit.+--See our Lord's words to the woman of Samaria, prophetic of the day when worship shall be set free from its trammels and cerements (John iv. 23, 24).

Ver. 4. +Though I might also have confidence in the flesh.+--They will never be able to say he "speaks evil of that which he knows not." "If there is any profit in that direction," he might say, "I will set my foot as far as who goes farthest." An _argumentum ad hominem._

Ver. 5. +Circumcised the eighth day.+--Beginning with this he works his way, though this and the following verses, to the climax of the straitest sect. The items of this verse have to do with the birth and education of the apostle.

Ver. 6. +Concerning zeal.+--"An expression of intense irony, condemning while he seems to exalt his former self" (_Lightfoot_). +Righteousness which is in the law.+--Legal righteousness. Exact attention to all its manifold commands and prohibitions.

Ver. 7. +What things were gain.+--The various points in which I had considered myself fortunate, giving me an advantage over others. +Those I counted loss for Christ.+--The tense of the verb "counted" denotes an action the result of which continues. It leaves no place for after-regrets, like those of the woman who stopped to look back on Sodom. St. Paul counts his Judaism, with its emoluments, well lost. "Having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it" (Matt. xiii. 46).

Ver. 8. +Yea, doubtless, and I count, etc.+--A more explicit statement of the abiding satisfaction with the chosen lot. "I still do count." +All things.+--Whatever they may be--not simply those named above. +For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.+--"The eminent quality of a possession attained is the ground for estimating other possessions according to their relation to that one" (_Meyer_). +For whom I have suffered the loss of all things.+--The words "gain" and "loss" are the same in these verses as in our Lord's memorable saying "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" [R.V., "soul" A.V.] (Mark viii. 36). +And do count them but dung.+--So R.V. text, "refuse," margin. If we accept the meaning "that which is thrown to the dogs," we have an apt interpretation, but we need to guard against attributing to the apostle subtleties of expression born in a lexicographer's brain.

Ver. 9. +Through the faith of Christ.+--Better without the article as R.V. Faith is the medium by which righteousness comes. +The righteousness which is of God.+--Which originates from God as the fount of all righteousness. +By faith.+--R.V. margin, "upon"; that is, resting upon faith as its condition; above it was the medium.

Ver. 10. +The power of His resurrection.+--The wide-reaching and conquering force and efficacy which render death inert (2 Tim. 1. 10) and draw "the sting of death" (1 Cor. xv.). +And the fellowship of His sufferings.+--The apostle has no desire to go by any other way to his glory than that by which his Lord went--_per crucem ad lucem._ +Being made conformable unto His death.+--R.V. "becoming conformed." The original is one word where we have three, "being made conformable," taking that lowly guise which will agree with the bearing of Him who "took the form of a servant." "The agony of Gethsemane, not less than the agony of Calvary, will be reproduced, however faintly, in the faithful servant of Christ" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 11. +If by any means I might attain.+--How little is there here of the spirit of those who profess themselves "as sure of heaven as though they were there." Meyer thinks the expression excludes moral security, but not the _certitudo salutis_ in itself. +Unto the resurrection of the dead.+--By a very slight change "from the dead" instead of "of the dead" the R.V. indicates rather too feebly the only use of the term in the New Testament. "From amongst" would have been more likely to arrest attention. Whilst Meyer says the compound word for resurretion in no way differs from the ordinary one, LIghtfoot thinks the form of expression implies and the context requires the meaning "the final resurrection of the righteous to a new and glorified life."

Ver. 12. +Not as though I had already attained.+--The word for "attained" may possibly refer to the turning-point in St. Paul's history, and so the phrase would mean, "not as though by my conversion I did at once attain." This interpretation, which is Bishop Lightfoot's, is challenged by Dr. Beet. It seems preferable, on other than grammatical grounds, because the following phrase, if we refer the former to conversion, is an advance of thought. +Either were already perfect.+--Describing a present state which is the consequence of past processes. He has not reached the condition where nothing else can be added. He is most blessed who, as he mounts ever higher, sees perfection, like Abraham's mount of sacrifice, "afar off."

Ver. 13. +Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.+--Some think a reference to the opinion of others lies in the words; but St. Paul seems to be denying of himself what others asserted (in various ways) of themselves. +But this one thing I do.+--Lit. "but one thing"; the words "I do" in A.V. and R.V. are a supplement. Meyer thinks it better to supply "think." It does not seem necessary to supply anything. "One thing" the apostle never loses sight of; all the threads of life are gathered up into it. +Forgetting the things that are behind.+--The thought of how much of the course had been covered, and how it was done, sinks in the consideration of what has yet to be achieved. +And reaching forth.+--"Like one of those eager charioteers . . . of the Circus Maximus . . . leaning forward in his flying car, bending over the shaken rein and the goaded steed" (_Farrar_). St. Paul usually employs the figure of the foot-race; and the "not looking back, which showed a right temper in a runner, would be fatal to the charioteer" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 14. +I press toward the mark.+--"I hasten towards the goal" where the adjudicators stand. +For the prize of the high calling.+--If the "hollow wraith of dying fame" could lead the athletes to put forth almost superhuman effort, how much more worthy was "the amaranthine crown of glory" (1 Pet. v. 4).

Ver. 15. +As many as be perfect.+--No longer novices, but having been initiated fully into the most secret mysteries of the faith--"that Christian maturity in which one is no longer a babe in Christ." The reproachful irony which some detect hardly comports with the general tone of the letter.

Ver. 16. +Let us walk by the same rule.+--That which had been to them the means of such distinct progress had thus approved itself as the safe and prudent course to follow.

Ver. 17. +Followers together of me.+--He does not, as some ungracious pastors do, show the steep road to perfection whilst himself staying at the wicket-gate. Like the Good Shepherd, he leadeth his sheep.

Ver. 18. +For many walk . . . the enemies of the cross of Christ.+--Christians in name only, whose loose interpretations of the perfect law of liberty make it possible to live an animal life. The cross of Christ, symbol of His self-renunciation, should be the place of execution for all fleshly desires of His followers; and, instead of that, these men over whom an apostle laments have made it an opportunity of sensual gratification. They say, "We cannot help Him; He does not heed our help; it is of little consequence how we live."

Ver. 19. +Whose end is destruction.+--Beet argues from this that Universalism cannot be true. It must be admitted that St. Paul is speaking of sins of the body, and perhaps is thinking of the ruinous effects of fleshly indulgence. +Whose god is their belly.+--Against the dominion of appetite all the teachers of mankind are at one. All agree in repudiating the doctrine of the savage:

"I bow to ne'er a god except myself And to my Belly, first of deities."--_Seeley._

"The self-indulgence which wounds the tender conscience and turns liberty into licence is here condemned" (_Lightfoot_). +Whose glory is in their shame.+--Their natures are so utterly perverted that they count that which is their degradation as matter for pride. Like the man whom our Lord describes, such men not only "fear not God, nor regard man," but can lightly vaunt the fact. +Who mind earthly things.+--The peculiar form of expression is noteworthy. At these men, "of the earth, earthy," the apostle stands looking in amazement. His expression reminds us of St. James: "Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways" (so the R.V.).

Ver. 20. +For our conversation is in heaven.+--"Our" is emphatic, contrasting with the "earthly things" just named. "Conversation" is that to which we most readily turn, as the needle trembles to the pole. Our hearts are with our treasure, and that is far away from earthly things. "They that say such things declare plainly that they seek a city;" it is the soul's _"Heimweh,"_ the yearning for the homeland. We must not understand the words to mean "Our mode of speech is like that in heaven," nor "Our habit of life is heavenly." The word for "conversation" means "the commonwealth," "the greater assembly and Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven" (Heb. xii. 23). +From whence also we look for the Saviour.+--From that heaven, "whither the Forerunner is for us entered," "He shall come in like manner." Meanwhile we stand in readiness to receive Him. The word for "look for" (R.V. "wait for") graphically depicts the attitude of waiting.

Ver. 21. +Who shall change our vile body.+--R.V. much better, "Who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation." We are not to consider the body as the cause of sin, as something outside the redemption wrought by Christ, "the Saviour of the body." The fashioning anew will not lose any essential part of the body. As the colours in a kaleidoscope change form at each movement, but are yet always the same, so in the change of the body there will be "transition but no absolute solution of continuity." The body of our humiliation is the frail tenement in which the exile spirit sojourns (2 Cor. v. 1-8); it is the soon-wearied companion of an eager spirit (Matt. xxvi. 41); it "returns to the dust as it was" (Eccles. xii. 7). +That it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.+--R.V. "that it may be conformed to the body of His glory," as contrasted with the body of His humiliation (Phil. ii. 8), the body in which He tabernacled amongst us (John i. 14). +The power whereby He is able to subdue all things.+--He has power, not only to raise and glorify the body, but to subdue and renovate all things.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verse_ 1-3.

_The False and the True in Religion._

+I. The false in religion evident in the character of its advocates.+--"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision" (ver 2.). "Dogs" was an epithet expressive of great contempt, and indicative of impurity and profanity. It was a term applied to the Judaizers, or, as Chrysostom calls them, "base and contemptible Jews, greedy of filthy lucre and fond of power, who, desiring to draw away numbers of believers, preached at the same time both Christianity and Judaism, corrupting the Gospel." They were "evil workers" causing much spiritual mischief. They were of "the concision"--mere cutters or slashers of the flesh. "The same men are described in each clause as impure and profane, as working spiritual mischief, and as taken up with a puerile faith in flesh-cutting. In this first clause you have their character, in the second their conduct, and in the third their destructive creed. Men who insisted on circumcision as essential to salvation made the rite ridiculous--Judaized ere they Christianised. To circumcise a Gentile was not only to subject him to a rite which God never intended for him, but it was to invest him with a false character. Circumcision to him was a forgery, and he carried a lie in his person. Not a Jew, and yet marked as one, having the token without the lineage, a seal of descent and not a drop of Abraham's blood in his veins. To hinge salvation, especially in the case of a Gentile, on circumcision was such a spurious proselytism, such a total misappreciation of the Jewish covenant, such a miserable subversion of the liberty of the Gospel, such a perverse and superstitious reliance on a manual rite, that its advocates might well be caricatured and branded as the concision" (_Eadie_). The false in religion stands exposed and condemned by the character and methods of its propagators.

+II. The true in religion has definite characteristics.+--1. _In the spirituality of its worship._ "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit" (ver. 3). There is a great difference between the derisive use of the term "concision" and the use of the circumcision in this verse. There is a Christian circumcision, which is a "putting off the body of the sins of the flesh"; and this is not a manual but a spiritual act. All that the old circumcision typified the Christian enjoys. "The spiritual offspring of Abraham have nobler gifts by far than his natural seed--blessing not wrapped up in civil franchise, or dependent upon time, or restricted to territory." The Christian has learnt that true religion consists, not in forms and ceremonies and temporal privileges, but in a right state of heart towards God, in a loftier worship, and a more intense spiritual life.

2. _In making Christ the basis of confident exultation._--"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord . . . rejoice in Christ Jesus" (vers. 1, 3). Christ, and Christ only, is the Christian's plea, and the joyous theme of his unending song: Christ, the Divine, all-glorious Son of God. Theodosius, in the fourth century, at one time so far favoured the Arians as to let them open their place of worship and labour to undermine the Divinity of Christ. Soon after this he made his son Arcadius, a youth of sixteen, an equal partner with him in his throne; and the noblemen and bishops were invited to come on an appointed day to congratulate him. Among the number was Amphilocus, a famous old bishop who had bitterly suffered in the Arian persecution. He made a very handsome address to the emperor, and was about to take his leave, when Theodosius exclaimed: "What, do you take no notice of my son? Do you not know that I have made him partner with me in the empire?" Upon this the good old bishop went up to young Arcadius, and, putting his hand upon his head, said, "The Lord bless thee, my son." The emperor, roused into rage by this apparent neglect, exclaimed: "What, is this all the respect you pay to a prince that I have made of equal dignity with myself?" Upon this the bishop, with the grandeur of an angel and the zeal of an apostle, looking the emperor full in the face, indignantly said: "Sire, do you so highly resent my apparent neglect of your son because I do not give him equal honours with yourself? And what must the eternal God think of you who have given leave to have His co-equal and co-eternal Son degraded in His proper Divinity in every part of your empire?"

3. _In distrusting the supposed virtue of outward rites._--"And have no confidence in the flesh" (ver. 3). No confidence in the supposed good conferred by externals. Birth and lineage, family, tribe, and nationality on the one hand, and the moral character determined by them on the other, Paul reckons together as excellencies and gifts of the same kind, and holds them in slight esteem compared with what he has in Christ. The morality of men belongs to the province of the natural life; it depends on birth, family, position, culture, time, and circumstances, and gives reason, as does every favour, for humble thankfulness, but not for proud boasting. Such, as contrasted with the concision, is the circumcision; the children of believing Abraham and blessed with him; serving God by His Spirit in a higher and more elastic worship; glorying in Him who has won such privileges and blessings for them, and having no trust in any externals or formalities on which the Judaizer laid such stress as securing salvation or as bringing it within an available reach (_Lange, Eadie_).

+III. Against the false in religion it is necessary to faithfully warn.+--"Beware . . . beware . . . beware!" (ver. 2) Like three peals of a trumpet giving a certain blast do the three clauses sound, and the repetition reveals the intense anxiety and earnestness of the alarmed apostle. It is the duty of the minister to warn his people of whatever endangers their spiritual life and eternal welfare. News came to a certain town, once and again, that the enemy was approaching; but he did not then approach. Hereupon in anger the inhabitants enacted a law that no man on pain of death should bring again such rumours as the news of an enemy. Not long after the enemy came indeed, and besieged, assaulted, and sacked the town, of the ruins of which nothing remained but this proverbial epitaph--"Here once stood a town that was destroyed by silence."

+Lessons.+--1. _Genuine religion is self-evident._ 2. _Falseness in the garb of religion works serious mischief._ 3. _True religion demands constant watchfulness._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 1. _Safeguards against Error._--1. To rejoice in Christ--to be constantly and with delight making recourse to Him--is a choice guard against any error contrary to the truths relating to Him. 2. Often repeating and inculcating truths that are most for edification ought neither to be burdensome to a minister nor yet wearied of by the people. 3. Temptations to error are covered over with such pious pretences and lively baits that there is need of many guards and frequent warnings.--_Fergusson._

Ver. 2. _Emphatic Warnings against False Teachers_--

+I. Because of their snarling methods and insatiable greed.+--"Beware of dogs."

+II. Because of their wicked and destructive policy.+--"Beware of evil workers."

+III. Because their zeal is wholly misdirected and injurious.+--"Beware of the concision."

Ver. 3. _Spiritual Circumcision_--

+I. Is an inward and conscious spiritual change.+--"For we are the circumcision."

+II. While reverently using outward forms of worship is superior to them.+--"Which worship God in the Spirit."

+III. Finds its joy in living union with Christ.+--"And rejoice in Christ Jesus."

+IV. Repudiates all ordinances that divert from Christ.+--"And have no confidence in the flesh."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 4-8.

_External Religionism incomparable with the True Knowledge of Christ._

+I. The highest example of external religionism affords no ground for confident boasting+ (vers. 4-6).--External religionism had its most complete embodiment in Paul. He was its most zealous devotee, its ablest champion. These verses describe the best eulogy that can be given of the observer of external rites. By birth, lineage, training, ability, consistency of character, and sincerity of aim, Paul was an ideal Jew, a model all his countrymen might aspire to copy. If there was ground for boasting, no one had a greater right than he. He needed no Christ, no Saviour; he was well able to look after himself. But one day the discovery came that all this glorying was vain; instead of gaining salvation he was farther from it than ever, and in danger of losing everything. Religious progress is often more apparent than real. When Captain Parry and his party were in search of the North Pole, after travelling several days with sledges over a vast field of ice, on taking a careful observation of the pole-star, the painful discovery was made that, while they were apparently advancing towards the pole, the ice-field on which they were travelling was drifting to the south, and bringing them nearer to the verge, not of the pole, but of destruction.

+II. The supposed gains of external religionism are for Christ's sake esteemed as loss.+--"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (ver. 7). Not losses, compared with the plural of gains; but all the supposed gains are treated as one great loss, and this after the most careful scrutiny and calculation. "I counted loss." The swelling sum of fancied virtues, painfully gathered and fondly and proudly contemplated, vanishes into nothing at one stroke of the discriminating pen. All that was prized as valuable, and as the all of personal possession, is regarded as dross, because of Christ. They did not help him to win Christ, but to lose Him; the more he gained in self-righteousness the more he lost of Christ. It was not only profitless, but productive of positive loss.

+III. The surpassing excellency of the knowledge of Christ renders external religionism utterly worthless.+--"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; . . . and do count them but dung [refuse], that I may win Christ" (ver. 8). The gains were: circumcision performed without any deviation from legal time or method; membership in the house of Israel, and connection with one of its most honoured tribes; descent from a long line of pure-blood ancestry; adherence to a sect whose prominent distinction was the observance of the old statutes; earnest and uncompromising hostility to a community accused of undermining the authority of the Mosaic code, and a merit based on blameless obedience to the law. These once gloried and confided in were counted as a loss, for the sake of a superior gain in the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. He was no loser by the loss he had willingly made, for the object of knowledge was the Divine Saviour. Is it not super-eminent knowledge to know Him as the Christ; to know Him as Jesus, not because he wears our nature, but because we feel His human heart throbbing in unison with ours under trial and sorrow; to know Him as Lord, not simply because He wears a crown and wields a sceptre, but because we bow to His loving rule and gather the spoils of the victory which He has won and secured? The apostle made a just calculation, for neither ritualism, nor Israelitism, nor Pharasaism, nor zealotism, nor legalism could bring him those blessing with which the knowledge of Christ was connected; nay, until they were held as loss this gain of gains could not be acquired (_Eadie_). As with the two scales of a balance, writes Rieger, when one rises the other falls, and what I add to one diminishes the relative weight of the other; so as one adds to himself he takes away from the pre-eminence which the knowledge of Christ should have. What he concedes to Christ makes him willing to abase himself, to resign all confidence in His own works. Therefore the sharp expressions, "to count as loss, as dung," become in experience not too severe; for to reject the grace of Christ, to regard the great plan of God in sending His Son as fruitless, were indeed far more terrible.

+Lessons.+--1. _The highest kind and supreme end of all knowledge is the knowledge of Christ._ 2. _True religion is the spiritual knowledge of Christ._ 3. _Religion without Christ is an empty form._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 4-7. _Formalism tested and found wanting_

+I. The best that formalism can do for man, in religious lineage, reputation, zeal, and strictest outward observances, has been experimentally exemplified+ (vers. 5, 6).

+II. The most distinguished champion of formalism has confessed its utter inadequacy to satisfy the soul+ (ver. 4).

+III. The highest advantages of formalism are worthless compared with Christ+ (ver. 7).

Ver. 8. _The Excellent Knowledge of Christ_--

+I. Is extensive.+--Apprehends Him in all those notions and respects wherein the Gospel principally discovers Him.

+II. Appropriating.+--Christ Jesus _my_ Lord.

+III. Effectual.+--Has a powerful efficacy both upon heart and life, both upon judgment, affection, and practice.

+IV. Fiducial.+--It brings the soul to rest upon Christ and His righteousness alone for pardon, acceptance, salvation.

+V. Useful.+--He that has it studies to improve Christ, to make use of Him for those blessed and glorious purposes for which he knows Christ is given.

+VI. Christ Himself is most excellent.+--1. There is nothing in Him but what is excellent. 2. All excellencies in the creatures are eminently to be found in Christ. 3. All these excellencies are in Him in a more excellent manner; perfectly, without any shadow of imperfection; infinitely, without any bounds or limits; eternally and unchangeably, they ebb not, they wane not, they are always there in the full, they alter not, they decay not. 4. Not only all that are in the creatures, but innumerable more excellencies than are in all the creatures together, are in Christ alone.

+VII. Those that have attained the excellent knowledge of Christ will not think much to lose all things to gain Christ.+--1. All outward enjoyments and earthly possessions. 2. Personal righteousness as a means of justification.--_David Clarkson._

_The Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ._

+I. To know Christ in the Divinity of His person is excellent knowledge.+

+II. To know Christ in the glory of His redemption is excellent knowledge.+

+III. The comparative worthlessness of all else.+--1. _Wealth._ 2. _Worldly honour._ 3. _Human learning._ 4. _Mere morality._

_The Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ._

+I. Is pre-eminent excellence is to be found in its certainty.+--Proved by--1. _Prophecy._ 2. _Miracles._ 3. _Experience._

+II. In its majesty and grandeur.+

+III. It its suitableness and adaptation.+

+IV. In its comprehensiveness.+

+V. The knowledge of Christ is sanctifying.+--_R. Watson._

_Christ the Only Gain._

+I. To count Him gain.+

+II. To covet and seek Him as gain.+

+III. To appropriate Him as gain.+

+IV. To enjoy Him as gain.+--_R. S. Candlish._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_Features of the Believer's Life in Christ._

+I. The believer's life has its home and stronghold in Christ.+--"And be found in Him" (ver. 9). Once lost, now found: found by Christ; found in Him by others. Once homeless, now safely sheltered. One day Charles Wesley was sitting by an open window looking over the bright and beautiful fields in summertime. Presently a little bird, flitting about in the sunshine, attracted his attention. Just then a hawk came swooping down towards the little bird. The frightened thing was darting here and there, trying to find some place of refuge. In the bright sunny air, in the leafy trees or green fields, there was no hiding-place from the fierce grasp of the hawk. But seeing the open window and a man sitting by it, the bird, in its extreme terror, flew towards it, and with a beating heart and quivering wing found refuge in Wesley's bosom. He sheltered it from the threatening danger, and saved it from a cruel death. Wesley was at that time suffering from severe trials, and was feeling the need of a refuge as much as the trembling bird that nestled safely in his bosom. So he took up his pen and wrote the well-known hymn--

"Jesu, Lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly."

To be found in Christ means more than mere shelter, more than external fellowship. It means a union as close and vital and abiding as between the members of the body and the head; a union effected by the Spirit, and being the very Spirit of Christ dwelling in us.

+II. The believing life consists of righteousness, not self-acquired, but Divinely inspired through faith.+--"Not having mine own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ" (ver. 9). The apostle now touches upon a theme--justification by faith--which he has argued out with a clearness and fulness unequalled by any other New Testament writer. The righteousness which was his own was out of the law, or originated by the law, and was acquired by his own effort; but the righteousness which he finds in Christ is not his own, but God's, and is acquired, not by his merits or efforts, but by faith in Christ. "This righteousness, Divine in its origin, awful in its medium, and fraught with such results, was the essential element of Paul's religion, and the distinctive tenet of his theology." When a friend happening to say to the Rev. John Brown, of Haddington, "I suppose you make not your labours for the good of the Church the ground of your comfort," he, with uncommon earnestness, replied, "No, no no! it is the finished righteousness of Christ which is the only foundation of my hope; I have no more dependence on my labours than on my sins. I rather reckon it a wonder of mercy that God took any of my labours of my hand. Righteousness belongeth unto Him, but unto me shame and confusion of face."

+III. The believer's life is the creation of Divine power.+--1. _It is a life communicated by the exercise of the Divine power that raised Christ from the dead._ "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection" (ver. 10). The power exerted by Christ's resurrection is exerted in raising the Divine life in the believing soul, and raising it to still higher developments of power and enjoyment. The aspirations of the soul after Christ are aspirations to know more and more the power of His resurrection.

2. _It is a life that will be consummated by the ultimate resurrection of the body._--"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (ver. 11). Towards this consummation the apostle yearns with intense desire. All his hopes, all his soul longed for, seem gathered up in this: perfect freedom for ever from sin and sorrow; knowledge of Christ up to the fullest measure of his capacity of knowledge; perfect experimental acquaintance with the power of His resurrection, through perfect fellowship of life with Him; the ineffable and everlasting blessedness of being with Him and like Him; to rise out of the ashes of the tomb and assume the glorious body of the resurrection. We can never forget a corridor in the Vatican Museum, exhibiting on the one side epitaphs and emblems of departed heathens and their gods, and on the other side mementoes of departed Christians. Face to face they stand, engaged, as it were, in conflict, the two armies clinging to their respective standards; hope against despair--death swallowed up in victory. Opposite to lions seizing on horses, emblems of destruction, are charming sculptures of the Good Shepherd bearing home the lost lamb--a sign of salvation.

+IV. The believer's life is in sympathetic fellowship with the suffering Christ+--"And to know the fellowship of His sufferings" (ver. 10). The sufferings of Christ are not ended--they are prolonged in the sufferings of His people--and of these the apostle desired to know the fellowship. He longed so to suffer, for such fellowship gave him assimilation to his Lord, as he drank of His cup and was baptised with His baptism. It brought him into communion with Christ, purer, closer, and tenderer than simple service for Him would have achieved. It gave him such solace as Christ Himself enjoyed. To suffer together creates a dearer fellow-feeling than to labour together. Christ indeed cannot be known unless there be this fellowship in His sufferings (_Eadie_). An intimate friend of Handel's called upon him just as he was in the middle of setting the words to music, "He was despised," and found the great composer sobbing with tears, so greatly had this passage and the rest of the morning's work affected the master.

+Lessons.+--1. _The soul finds its highest life in Christ._ 2. _Life in Christ is secured by the co-operation of man's faith with Divine power._ 3. _To live in Christ is to share the fruits of His mysterious passion._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 10. _Knowledge of the Power of Christ's Resurrection._

+I. To know Christ includes a clearly defined conception and familiar acquaintance with the special characteristics and unrivalled excellencies of His person.+

+II. To know the power of His resurrection.+--1. _As it is a public and universal vindication of the proper dignity of His person._ 2. _As it seals the doom of human sin._ 3. _As it ensures the destruction of pain and death, and provides for the perpetuation of the believer in a state of immortal felicity._

_The Power of Christ's Resurrection_--

+I. As a miracle attesting His Divine mission.+

+II. As an evidence of His Divinity.+--Resurrection does not always prove Divinity, but in these circumstances (Rom. i. 3, 4).

+III. As an indication of the acceptance of His sacrifice.+

+IV. As an incentive to the pursuit of holiness.+--Risen with Christ; risen in Him, sharing His life.

+V. As an instrument of social amelioration.+--The Gospel has civilised where it has not Christianised, has repressed and refined where it has not renewed or regenerated.

+VI. As a pledge and preassurance of the glorious resurrection of His people.+--_G. Brooks._

_The Fellowship of Christ's Sufferings._

+I. We have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings in the pain caused by coming in contact with sin.+

+II. In having our motives misinterpreted and our conduct misjudged.+

+III. In the purifying influence of suffering.+

Ver. 11. _The Resurrection of the Dead as an Object to aim at._

+I. The object which Paul contemplated.+--1. _The resurrection as the proof of final escape from all evil._ 2. _The resurrection as the occasion of public recognition by the Saviour-Judge._ 3. _The resurrection as the pledge of eternal happiness in heaven._

+II. His desire for that object.+--_It supplies_--1. _A high appreciation of its value._ 2. _A deep sense of its difficulty._ 3. _A persuasion that it may be attained in various degrees._ 4. _A submission to all the Divine arrangements in reference to it.--G. Brooks._

_The Resurrection of the Just._

+I. What is that entire satisfaction and climax for which we are to long and labour?+

+II. What are the scriptural representations of its accompaniments and consequences?+--1. _The power of recognising all those whom they have known in holy fellowship on earth._ 2. _The resemblance of our nature to Christ._ 3. _High honour is destined for Christians._

+III. What are the determinations by which it is to be won?+--1. _The relation which the present happy spiritualism of deceased saints bears to the resurrection._ 2. _The representation of the intermediate state._ It is a relic and disadvantageous condition of death, though of death as far as possible mitigated. It shall be overthrown, not only as a state, but as a separate power, in the destruction of death.--_R. W. Hamilton._

_The Attainment of the Resurrection._

+I. Paul's aim.+--"The resurrection of the dead." 1. _The risen Christ is the pledge of a risen life for man._ 2. _The rising of Christ is a power to elevate life._ 3. _Hence arises the gradual attainment of the resurrection._

+II. Paul's endeavour.+--"If by any means." The necessity for this agonising endeavour arises from--1. _The difficulty of accomplishing it._ 2. _The glory of its attainment.--E. L. Hull._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12-16.

_The Highest Type of Christian Experience._

+I. The highest type of Christian experience is Divinely outlined in Christ.+--"That for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (ver. 12). "The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (ver. 14). The prize is not definitely described, but God through the Gospel calls upon the soul to take hold of some great, dimly portrayed good, some rich spiritual blessing, some fulness and splendour of character to be secured by a fuller knowledge of Christ. If we say the prize is heaven or the kingdom of God, what is the heavenly kingdom but the fulness of Christ? Though not explained in detail, the prize is sufficiently outlined in Christ, by the master-hand of the Divine Artist, as to make it an object of intense longing and strenuous effort to possess. The soul yearns to attain a moral and spiritual perfection found only in Christ, and which the unending development of the beauties of His character are constantly disclosing in ever-growing splendour, and which closer union with Him alone can seize and appropriate.

+II. The effort to attain the highest type of Christian experience is stimulated by conscious defect.+--"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend" (ver. 12). The more clearly the apostle saw his privilege in Christ, the more conscious was he of his shortcomings. There is no progress possible to the man who does not see and mourn over his defects. "The soul of all improvement is the improvement of the soul;" and it is only a keen sense of need that stimulates the soul to continuous and repeated efforts. The ideal is ever ahead of the actual, revealing its defects and exciting to fresh and more earnest endeavours.

+III. The highest type of Christian experience is attained only by strenuous and continuous effort.+--"But this one thing I do, . . . I press toward the mark" (vers. 13, 14). The racer, fixing his eye upon the goal, leans forward, and turning his back upon things behind, presses with all speed towards the prize he covets. If he turns aside, he misses the mark and loses the garland. The great prizes of life are gained only by persevering labour. However prodigious may be the gifts of genius they can only be developed and brought to perfection by toil and study. Think of Michelangelo working for a week without taking off his clothes, of Handel hollowing every key of his harpsichord like a spoon by incessant practice, and of the sculptor polishing his statue with unwearied repetitions because he said, "the image in my head is not yet in my hands." The prize of the Christian race--the crown of eternal life and blessedness--is worthy of the most laborious and self-denying efforts. When at times the heart grows weary in the struggle, a glimpse of the diadem of beauty obtained by faith revives the flagging energies.

+IV. Those who do not see the obligation of striving after the highest type of Christian experience shall be aided with Divine light.+--"If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you" (ver. 15). The difference of view was not some wilful and wicked conception, or some wretched prejudice adhered to with inveterate or malignant obstinacy. It was rather some truth not fully seen in all its bearings, some principle not so perceived as to be carried out in all its details and consequences, some department of duty which they might apprehend rather than appreciate, or some state of mind which they might admire in the apostle, but did not really covet for themselves. The apostle throws his own teaching into the shade, and ascribes the coming enlightenment to God (_Eadie_). The man who is honestly in pursuit of the highest good, though led away for a time by erroneous views, shall not lack the light he sincerely seeks. The light which will help him most must be light from God.

+V. All progress towards the highest Christian experience must be on the lines of real progress already made.+--"Whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing" (ver. 16). Every victory over self and sin is a stepping-stone to further triumphs. The struggle of to-day will be the victory of to-morrow. Our most helpful lessons are gathered from our failures. Our present blessings were obtained through faith and labour; our next must be gained in the same way. God will give more light to the man who rightfully uses what he has. "When the morning bursts suddenly on one awakened out of sleep, it dazzles and pains him; but to him who, on his journey, has blessed the dawn and walked by its glimmer, the solar radiance brings with it a gradual and cheering influence."

+Lessons.+--1. _Christ is the sum and pattern of the highest good._ 2. _Progress in religious experience is a growing likeness to Christ._ 3. _The soul retains its highest enjoyment and power only in Christ._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 13. _The Happy Day and its Sequel._

+I. St. Paul did not forget the circumstances of his arrest by Jesus.+

+II. St. Paul's remembrance of his arrest led to a practical inquiry as to its purpose.+

+III. The purpose of his arrest by Christ Jesus is before and not behind him, even in his old age.+

+IV. What is the mark to which he presses onward?+--1. _A perfect likeness to Christ._ 2. _A perfect service._ 3. _The reward in heaven.--W. Hawkins._

Vers. 13, 14. _Pressing toward the Mark._

+I. The apostle's sense of his own shortcomings.+--1. _It argued a high estimate of a Christian's duty._ Perfection is his aim, although not his attainment.

2. _It argued a humble estimate of himself._--Though the most eminent Christian on earth, he was fully conscious of his own imperfection.

+II. The apostle's method of Christian progress.+--1. _The concentration of his energies._ Many things he did, and he did them wholly. But he made them all subservient to his one idea, which thus unified them all. Decision of character.

2. _Oblivion of the past._--A wonderful past was his, but he forgot it, except as it might supply a stimulus to his future advances--past times, past pleasures, past sins, past labours, past attainments. The past must have dwelt in his memory, but it did not satisfy him. "Onward" was his motto, and every day he began his race afresh.

3. _Untiring activity._--He had the goal ever in his eye; he often measured the distance between him and the goal; he stretched every nerve to reach the goal. (1) Do we resemble Paul in his aim? (2) Do we resemble Paul in his efforts?--_G. Brooks._

_Aim High_--

+I. In pursuit of moral excellence.+

+II. Intellectual character.+

+III. Active usefulness.+

+Lessons.+--1. _God Himself has commanded it._ 2. _Society expects it of you._ 3. _The age in which you live demands it.--E. D. Griffin._

Vers. 15, 16. _The Temper to be cultivated by Christians of Different Denominations toward each other._

+I. Those who adhere to this rule.+--1. _Seek and cultivate their society._ 2. _Use means to promote the mutual improvement of these persons and of ourselves._ 3. _Do all we can to render our mutual reciprocal union more perfect and our usefulness more extensive._

+II. Those who differ from us in matters of great importance.+--1. _Give consideration to the way in which their_ _religious characters have been formed._ 2. _Pay regard to the difficulties and misapprehensions which lie in the use of words._ 3. _Reflect what would probably have been the effects upon our minds had we been placed in their circumstances._ 4. _Act towards them with justice and kindness._

+III. Those who differ from us in matters of smaller moment.+--1. _Show them sincere and honest respect and kindness._ 2. _Cultivate friendly intercourse with them as far as they are disposed to reciprocate such intercourse._ 3. _Show that we esteem the essential principle of the Gospel more than controversial preciseness and ecclesiastical form.--J. P. Smith._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 17-19.

_Good and Bad Examples._

+I. A good example should be attentively studied.+--"Mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample" (ver. 17). We cannot imitate what we do not see and know. It will help us to be good if we carefully watch and meditate on the conduct of the truly good. The best example of uprightness and consistency is worthy of the most painstaking study. "Wherever they found the life of the apostle imitated and displayed the Philippians were to mark it and make it their pattern. Any excellence which they thus discovered they might by God's grace attain to. It was not some distant spectacle they were to gaze at and admire, but an embodiment of earnest faith, walking on the same platform with them., and speaking, acting, praying, suffering, and weeping among them. What had been possible to others was surely not impossible to them" (_Eadie_). A Polish prince was accustomed to carry the picture of his father always in his bosom, and on particular occasions used to take it out and view it, saying, "Let me do nothing unbecoming so excellent a father."

+II. A good example should be faithfully imitated.+--"Brethren, be followers together of me" (ver. 17). Paul had studied profoundly the character of Christ, and was earnestly striving to follow Him. He therefore exhorts the Philippians to imitate him as he sought to imitate Christ; or rather, as Bengel puts it, he invites them to be "fellow-imitators of Christ." To imitate Christ is not copying Him in every particular. We cannot follow Him as Saviour, Mediator, Redeemer. What is meant is, that we are to do our work in the Spirit of Christ, as He would do it. He who follows Christ never misses the right way, and is always led on to victory. When in the Mexican war the troops were wavering, a general rose in his stirrups and dashed into the enemies' lines, shouting, "Men, follow me!" They, inspired by his courageous example, dashed on after him and gained the victory. What men want to rally them for God is an example to lead them.

+III. A bad example is in antagonism to the highest truth.+--"Many walk, of whom I have told you, . . . they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (ver. 18). Professed friends, dubious in their attachment and promises, are enemies of Christ, and of the great movement in human redemption represented by His cross. While professing to maintain the doctrines of the cross, by their wicked lives they are depreciating them.

1. _A bad example is set by those who concentrate their chief thought on the material._--"Who mind earthly things" (ver. 19). The world has many attractions, but it has also many dangers. To be wholly absorbed in its pursuits weans the soul from God and holiness and heaven. Gosse tells us, in his _Romance of Natural History,_ of certain animals which inhabit the coral reefs. So long as they keep the passage to the surface clear they are safe; but, this neglected, the animal finds the coral has grown around it and enclosed it in a living tomb. And so it is with the life of the soul on earth. The world is around us everywhere; the danger is when we allow it to grow between our souls and God.

2. _A bad example is set by those who are supremely controlled by their sensual appetites._--"Whose God is their belly" (ver. 19). The desires of the flesh invite to self-indulgence--to gluttony, revelling, drunkenness; to gaudiness, extravagance, and immodesty of dress; to impurity of speech and conduct. A sensual man looks as if lust had drawn her foul fingers over his features and wiped out the man. The philosopher Antisthenes, who had a contempt for all sensual enjoyment, used to say, "I would rather be mad than sensual."

3. _A bad example is set by those who gloat in their degradation._--"Whose glory is in their shame" (ver. 19). Man has reached the lowest depth of vice when he boasts in what is really his shame. The last rag of modesty is thrown aside. "These enemies of the cross were not hypocrites, but open and avowed sensualists, conscious of no inconsistency, but rather justifying their vices, and thus perverting the Gospel formally for such detestable conduct."

4. _The end of a bad example is ruin._--"Whose end is destruction" (ver. 19). Evil is the broad way that leadeth to destruction. Sin must be inevitably punished; it works its own fate--"sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." Judge Buller, speaking to a young gentleman of sixteen, cautioned him against being led astray by the example or persuasion of others, and said, "If I had listened to the advice of some of those who called themselves my friends, when I was young, instead of being a judge of the King's Bench, I should have died long ago a prisoner in the King's prison."

+IV. Professed members of the Church who set a bad example are the occasion of constant solicitude and sorrow to the truly good.+--"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping" (ver. 18). Even when denouncing the worst sins, the apostle does it, not with harshness and imperious superiority, but with the greatest tenderness and grief. The anxious minister may well weep over the folly and delusion of half-hearted adherents, over their false and distorted conceptions of the Gospel, over the reproach brought against the truth by their inconsistent and licentious lives, and over their lamentable end. The conduct of sinners is more a matter of heart-breaking sorrow than of wrathful indignation.

+Lessons.+--1. _Example is more potent than precept._ 2. _A bad example should be carefully shunned._ 3. _A good example should be diligently imitated._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 17. _Imitation of the Good_--

+I. Possible only where there is a sympathetic resemblance to and admiration of the character sought to be copied.+--"Brethren."

+II. Is easier when joined with those who have similar aims.+--"Be followers together of me."

+III. Is aided by careful observation and study.+--"Mark them."

+IV. Every good man is an example for others to imitate.+--"So as ye have us for an ensample."

Vers. 18, 19. _Enemies of the Cross_--

+I. Deny the efficacy and purpose of Christ's sufferings.+

+II. Are incompetent to appreciate the spiritual significance of the cross.+--"Who mind earthly things."

+III. Are the victims of sensuality.+--"Whose god is their belly."

+IV. Are degraded beyond all bounds of modesty.+--"Whose glory is in their shame."

+V. Will be inevitably punished.+--"Whose end is destruction."

+VI. Are the cause of much grief to those who must constantly expose them.+--"Of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 20, 21.

_Christian Citizenship_--

+I. Has its centre of life and privileges in heaven.+--"For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven" (ver. 20). To show the contrast between the earthly things which absorb the thought of the worldly, and the things of heaven, the apostle proceeds to indicate that the life of the believer, even on earth, is associated with the privileges and blessings of the heavenly commonwealth, of which he is a member. In this world the Christian is but a stranger--living in temporary exile. His city, his home, is in heaven. Longing to enter into possession of all the privileges of the heavenly franchise, earthly things have no attraction for him, and he seeks to act in harmony with his high destiny.

+II. Is assured of the deliverance of its members from the perils and hardships of earth.+--"From whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. 20). The apostle characterises Jesus as Saviour, or as expected in the character of Saviour, and thus suggests an awful contrast, in point of destiny, between himself and those like-minded with him, and the party reprobated by him in the two preceding verses. Their end is destruction, but ours is salvation; to the one He descends as Judge, but to us as Saviour. If there be such visible difference in present character, there is a more awful contrast in ultimate destiny--the two poles of humanity--everlasting punishment; eternal life (_Eadie_). The great Deliverer will emancipate us from the thraldom, suffering, and sorrow of the present world, and complete in its fulness the salvation which is now in process.

+III. Has the confident hope of future dignity and blessedness.+--1. _The body of humiliation shall be transformed into the likeness of Christ's glorified body._ "Who shall change our vile body, that it may fashioned like unto His glorious body" (ver. 21). The body of our humiliation connects us with the soil, out of which it was formed, and by the products of which it is supported, on which it walks, and into which it falls at death. It keeps us in constant physical connection with earth, whatever be the progress of the spirit towards its high destiny--its commonwealth in heaven. It limits intellectual power and development, impedes spiritual growth and enjoyment, and is soon fatigued with the soul's activity. In it are the seeds of disease and pain, from functional disorder and organic malady. It is an animal nature which, in spite of a careful and vigilant government, is prone to rebellious outbreaks. But this body is reserved to a high destiny: it shall be like Christ's heavenly body. The brightness of heaven does not oppress Him, neither shall it dazzle us. Our humanity dies indeed, and is decomposed; but when He appears, it shall be raised and beautified. These bodies shall cease to be animal without ceasing to be human bodies, and they shall become spiritual bodies--etherealised vehicles for the pure spirit that shall be lodged within them (_Eadie, passim_).

2. _This transformation shall be effected by the Divine power that controls the universe._--"According to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (ver. 21). While omniscience is the actual possession or exercise of all knowledge, omnipotence is universal ability, which may or may not yet have put forth all its energies, for what is possible to it may not have been effected by it. But Christ shall put forth His power, as we know from other sources, and death itself shall be swallowed up in victory--that which has swallowed up all humanity shall be surrounded by a wider vortex and be itself engulfed. This body of our humiliation has some surviving element, or some indissoluble link, which warrants the notion and shall secure the consciousness of identity, in whatever that identity may consist (_Eadie_). If man's art and device can produce so pure and white a fabric as paper from filthy rags, what shall hinder God by His mighty power to raise the vile body from the grave and refine and fashion it like unto the glorious body of Christ? "Not a resurrection," says Neander, "as a restoration merely of the same earthly body in the same earthly form; but a glorious transformation, proceeding from the Divine, the all-subduing power of Christ; so that believers, free from all the defects of the earthly existence, released from all its barriers, may reflect the full image of the heavenly Christ in their whole glorified personality, in the soul pervaded by the Divine life and its now perfectly assimilated glorified organ."

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian citizen is but a sojourner on earth._ 2. _His conduct on earth is regulated by a heavenly life._ 3. _He looks for his highest honours and enjoyments in the future._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 20. _Christian Citizenship._

+I. The heavenly citizenship of Christians.+--1. _The city to which they belong_--heaven. 2. _When are true Christians made citizens of this heavenly state?_ When they are pardoned. 3. _What are the privileges connected with this state of relation to the heavenly city?_ (1) _Freedom._ (2) _Admits to honourable employment and office._ (3) _Fellowship and communion with the whole body of Israel._ 4. _A right to the common property_--the inheritance of the saints in light.

+II. The conduct manifested by true Christians, and corresponding with their privilege.+--1. _Holiness._ 2. _Boast of the institutions of the heavenly city._ 3. _Are bold and courageous._ 4. _It will be seen in our spirit._ 5. _Our affections are in heaven.--R. Watson._

Ver. 21. _The Resurrection of the Human Body._

+I. We must be reminded of our sinful condition.+--1. _Our body is called a body of humiliation, because it, as well as the spirit, is the seat of sin._ 2. _If we consider the immense labour necessary to provide for its wants._ 3. _If we consider it as a clog to our devotion._ 4. _It must be still further humbled by death._

+II. The transformation of this humbled body.+--1. _There can be no deformity._ 2. _The excessive care necessary for the support of the body shall exist no more._ 3. _It shall be an assistant and no longer a hindrance to the operations of the deathless spirit._

+III. The means by which the transformation will be effected.+--The power of God answers all objections, removes all difficulties.

+Lessons.+--1. _It becomes us to aspire to as much of the glory of the future state as can be attained._ 2. _This subject affords encouragement to us on the loss of our friends._ 3. _Ought to fortify our minds against the fear of death.--Ibid._

_The Glorious Destiny of the Human Body._--If we are in Christ, He will gather up what is left, He will transfigure it with the splendour of a new life, He will change our body of humiliation that it may be fashioned like unto the body of His glory. Sown in the very extreme of physical weakness, it will be raised in a strictly superhuman power; sown a natural body controlled on every side by physical law, it will be a true body still, but a body that belongs to the sphere of spirit. Most difficult indeed it is even to the imagination to understand how this poor body, our companion for so many years--part of our very selves--is to be first wrenched from us at death and then restored to us if we will, transfigured by the majestic glory of the Son of God. Little can we understand this inaccessibility to disease, the radiant beauty, the superiority to material obstacles in moving through space, the spirituality, in short, which awaits without destroying it.

"Heavy and dull this frame of limbs and heart. Whether slow creeping on cold earth, or borne On lofty steed Or loftier prow, we dart O'er wave or field, Yet breezes laugh to scorn Our puny speed, And birds, and clouds in heaven, And fish like living shafts that pierce the main, And stars that shoot through freezing air at even. Who would not follow, might he break his chain? And thou shalt break it soon. The grovelling worm Shall find his wings, and soar as fast and free As his transfigured Lord, with lightning form And snowy vest. Such grace He won for thee When from the grave He sprang at dawn of morn, And led, through bondless air, thy conquering road, Leaving a glorious track where saints new-born Might fearless follow to their blest abode."--_H. P. Liddon._

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER IV.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Brethren beloved and longed for . . . beloved.+--By these caressing titles, which, however, are not words of flattery but of sincere love, he works his way into their hearts. The "beloved" repeated at the close of the verse is like the clinging embrace of affection. +My joy.+--The most delectable joy of St. John was to hear that his children walked in truth. So St. Paul says of his Philippian converts, as he had said of their neighbours of the Thessalonian Church, that they are his joy. +And crown.+--"The word must be carefully distinguished from 'diadem.' It means a chaplet or wreath, and the idea it conveys may be either (1) victory, or (2) merriment, as the wreath was worn equally by the conqueror and by the holiday-maker" (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 3. +And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow.+--It is doubtful whom the apostle addresses. On the whole, however, it seems most probable that Epaphroditus, the bearer of the epistle, is intended (so Lightfoot, following Hofmann). Meyer says: "Laying aside arbitrariness and seeing that the address is surrounded by proper names, we can only find in the word for 'yokefellow' a proper name, . . . genuine Syzygus, _i.e._ thou who art in reality and substantially that which thy name expresses: '_fellow-in-yoke,_ fellow-labourer.'" +Whose names are in the book of life.+--St. Paul had before said the polity of the Christians was a heavenly one. Here he says there is a "burgess list" from which no name of a true citizen is ever by accident omitted--though by any chance he might have omitted to mention his co-workers in his epistle.

Ver. 4. +Rejoice in the Lord.+--R.V. margin, "Farewell." The word is neither "farewell" alone, nor "rejoice" alone (_Lightfoot_). That the A.V. and R.V. texts are justified in so translating seems clear from the "always" which follows.

Ver. 5. +Let your moderation be known.+--This moderation or forbearance is the very opposite of the spirit which will "cavil on the ninth part of a hair" in the way of asserting personal rights.

Ver. 6. +Be careful for nothing.+--R.V. "in nothing be anxious." The word suggests the idea of a poor distraught mind on which concerns have fastened themselves, which drag, one in one direction, another in the opposite. Well says Bengel, "Care and prayer are more opposed than water and fire." In all things, prayer--in nothing, care. +By prayer.+--The general idea of an expression of dependence. +Supplication.+--The specific request--the word hinting too at the attitude of the petitioner, _e.g._ clasping the feet of the person from whom the favour is asked. +With thanksgiving.+--The preservative against any possible defiance which might otherwise find its way into the tone of the prayer, or on the other hand against a despair which creeps over those who think God "bears long" and forgets to answer.

Ver. 7. +And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.+--If we say the peace of God is so profound that the human mind cannot comprehend it, no doubt that is an admissible interpretation of these words; but it seems better far to say, the peace of God excels all that the mere reason of man can do. The νοῦς, the highest faculty of man as such, intended to be the guide of life, oftener brings anxiety than a calm heart. +Shall keep your+ +hearts.+--As a watchman keeps a city. Lightfoot says we have a verbal paradox, for "to keep" is a warrior's duty; God's peace shall stand sentry, shall keep guard over your hearts. +And minds.+--R.V. much better, "and thoughts," for it is not the mind which thinks, but the products of thinking which the word indicates. The sentry questions all suspicious characters (cf. Prov. iv. 23, and Matt. xv. 19).

Ver. 8. +Whatsoever things are true.+--The apostle recognises the ability of the renewed mind to discern truth under any guise. "Ye have an unction from the Holy One and know all things" (1 John ii. 20). +Honest.+--A.V. margin, "venerable." R.V. text, "honourable." R.V. margin, "reverend." This variety shows the difficulty of finding an exact equivalent for the word of St. Paul, in which the sense of gravity and dignity, and of these as inviting reverence, is combined. +Just.+--Answering to that which is normally right (_Cremer_). +Pure.+--As there is no impurity like fleshly impurity, defiling body and spirit, so the word "pure" expresses freedom from these (_Trench_). It denotes chastity in every part of life (_Calvin_). +Lovely.+--Christian morality as that which is ethically beautiful is pre-eminently worthy to be loved. _"Nihil est amabilius virtute,"_ says Cicero. +Of good report.+--R.V. margin, "gracious." Lightfoot says _"fair-speaking"_ and so "winning, attractive." Meyer says, "that which, when named, sounds significant of happiness, _e.g._ brave, honest, honourable." +If there be any virtue.+--The New Testament is frugal of the word which is in such constant use in the heathen moralists. If they sought to make man self-confident, it seeks to shatter that confidence. The noblest manliness is godliness. +Think on these things.+--They are things to be reckoned with by every man sooner or later--occupy the thoughts with them now.

Ver. 9. +Those things . . . do.+--Here speaks the same man, with a mind conscious of its own rectitude, who could say, "I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day." He had not only "allured" his Philippian converts "to brighter worlds," but had "led the way." +The God of peace shall be with you.+--Note the phrase in connection with "the peace of God shall mount guard" (ver. 7).

Ver. 10. +Hath flourished again.+--R.V. "ye have revived your thought for me." The active generosity of the Philippians towards St. Paul had never died, any more than a tree does when it sheds its leaves and stands bare all through the winter. The winter of their disability was past, and the return of the sun of prosperity made the kindly remembrance of the apostle sprout into a generous gift to him.

Ver. 11. +Not that I speak, etc.+--"Do not mistake me; I am not moved thus by the good of my own need." The apostle does not leave it possible for one to say with the melancholy Jaques, "When a man thanks me heartily, methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me the beggarly thanks." +I have learned . . . to be content.+--"Self-sufficiency," said Socrates, "is nature's wealth." St. Paul is only self-sufficient so far as Christ dwells in him and assures him, "My grace is sufficient for thee" (cf. Heb. xiii. 5).

Ver. 12. +I know how to be abased.+--To be "in reduced circumstances." +I know how to abound.+--To be in affluence. By this it does not appear that St. Paul meant, "I have chewed the bitter cud of penury, and tasted the sweets of prosperity." Many a man has had to do that--everything lies in how it is done. It is as much beneath the Christian philosopher to make a wry face at the one, as to clap the hands in childish glee at the other. +I am instructed, etc.+--Lit. "I have been initiated." The pass-word is in the apostle's possession--no novice is he. +To be full and to be hungry.+--As if we said "to pasture and to pine." It is the psalmist's "green pastures and still waters. . . . The valley of the shadow of death" (Ps. xxiii.).

Ver. 13. +I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.+--A fresh general statement of the self-sufficiency of ver. 11. "In the grand brevity how marked is the assurance, and at the same time humility" (_Meyer_).

Ver. 15. +No Church communicated with me.+--The lofty independence of the apostle had not unbent to any other Church as to this. There are men from whom one could never receive a gift without sacrifice of self-respect. St. Paul was not the man to be patronised.

Ver. 18. +An odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.+--The last word transfers their deed to another sphere entirely. "Ye did it unto _Me,_" says Christ (Matt. xxv. 40).

Ver. 19. +My God shall supply all your need.+--Did I say, "I am filled"? (ver. 18). I can make you no return, but my God will. He will fulfil every need of yours. +According to His riches in glory.+--According to the abundant power and glorious omnipotence whereby as Lord of heaven and earth He can bestow what He will.

Ver. 22. +The saints . . . of Cæsar's household.+--This expression does not oblige us to think that any relatives of Cæsar had embraced Christianity. It comprises all who in any way were connected with the imperial service.

Ver. 23. +Be with you all.+--The oldest MSS. read, "Be with your spirit."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verse_ 1.

_A Plea for Steadfastness_--

+I. After the pattern of those worthy of imitation.+--"So stand fast in the Lord." Having pointed out the dignity of Christian citizenship and the exalted conduct befitting those possessing its privileges, the apostle exhorts them to steadfastness in imitating those who, through evil and good report and in the midst of opposition and suffering, had bravely maintained their loyalty to Christ. "_So_ stand fast"--be sincere and earnest in devotion to God, as they were; be faithful and unflinching, as they were; triumph over the world, the flesh, and the devil, as they did. "Behold, we count them worthy who endure;" and the same distinction of character is attainable by every follower of Christ, attainable by patient continuance in well-doing. The ideal of a steadfast character is embodied in the Lord, who was Himself a supreme example of unfaltering obedience and love. Follow Him; being united to Him by faith, deriving continual inspiration and strength from His Spirit, stand fast in Him. Riding up to a regiment that was hard pressed at Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington cried to the men, "Stand fast, Ninety-fifth! What will they say in England?" History records how successfully the appeal was obeyed. Stand fast, Christians! What will they say in the heavenly city to which you belong, and for whose interests you are fighting? William of Orange said he learnt a word while crossing the English Channel which he would never forget. When in a great storm the captain was all night crying out to the man at the helm, "Steady! steady! steady!"

+II. Addressed to those who have given evidence of willingness to be instructed.+--"My joy and crown." The Philippians who had embraced the Gospel he preached, and whose lives had been changed by its power, were the joy and crown of the devoted apostle. The crown was not the diadem of royalty, but the garland of victory. He has in his mind the famous athletic games of the Greeks, which in the diligent training and the strenuous effort to gain the laurel coronet, and the intensity of joy felt by the victors, were a significant illustration of the Christian life, whether as regards the spiritual progress of the believer himself, or his work for the salvation of others. He believed the Lord would place around his brow an imperishable garland of honour, of which each soul that had been quickened, comforted, and strengthened by him would be a spray or leaf. In Nero's prison, aged, worn with trouble, manacled, uncertain of life, he rejoiced in being a successful minister of Christ--a conqueror wreathed with amaranth. The emperor in his palace was in heart weary and wretched; the prisoner was restful and happy, invested with a glory that should shine on undimmed, when the glitter of Nero's power and grandeur should vanish as a dream. The satisfaction enjoyed by those who first led us to Christ and who have helped us in our spiritual struggles, is another reason for continued steadfastness and fidelity.

+III. Urged with affectionate solicitude.+--"My brethren deeply beloved and longed for, . . . my dearly beloved." The terms employed are the outflow of a jubilant spirit, and are full of tender endearment and loving appreciation. Love delights to exaggerate; yet there is no exaggeration here. The Philippians were to the apostle "brethren beloved--dearly beloved"--children of the same spiritual Father, members of the one family of God, united together in a happy Christian brotherhood. He recalls the first introduction of the Gospel into Philippi, the preaching of the Word, the impression made, the converts won, the formation of the Church, and its growth and prosperity, amid labours and suffering. Attachments were then formed that deepened and strengthened with the years. Christian friendships call forth the finest feelings of the soul, and form a strong bond of union in the love of a common Saviour. Christ will have no forced selection of men, no soldiers by compulsion, no timorous slaves, but children, brethren, friends.

+Lessons.+--1. _Steadfastness is a test of genuine devotedness._ 2. _Instability is a loss of advantages often won at great cost._ 3. _They who endure will finally conquer._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 2, 3.

_Glimpses of Life in the Early Church._

+I. The early planting of the Gospel involved arduous and united toil.+--"Which laboured with me in the gospel" (ver. 3). Prodigious as were the labours of Paul, he could never have accomplished the work he did but for the willing co-operation of others. There is great art in evoking the sympathy and help of those who can help forward the work of God. Christian work finds scope for all kinds of talents and agencies. Pioneer work is rough work and tests all our powers and resources. The difficulties of the work unite its propagators in heart and hand. There is little good done without strenuous labour, though the results of our toil are not always immediately apparent. Dr. Judson laboured diligently for six years in Burmah before he baptised a convert. At the end of three years he was asked what evidence he had of ultimate success. He replied, "As much as there is a God who will fulfil all His promises." A hundred churches and thousands of converts already answer his faith.

+II. The names of Gospel pioneers are not forgotten.+--"With Clement also, and with other my fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life" (ver. 3). Some of these names are recorded in the pages of history and handed down to our day; the rest, though unknown on earth, are registered in the imperishable pages of "the book of life." Clement, though unknown to fame and unidentified with any other of the same name mentioned in history, is referred to here as recognising the apostle's cordial recollection of his valuable work. But the unknown on earth are not forgotten in heaven. The work we do for God will live for ever. When Columbus was homeward bound after his brilliant discovery of a new world he was overtaken by a terrible storm. In his indescribable agony that not only his life and that of his crew, but his magnificent discovery must all go down and be lost in the abyss, and that, too, not far from land, he committed to the deep hurried entries of that discovery sealed up in bottles, in the hope that some day they might reach land. We need not be unduly anxious about either our work or our fame; God will take care of both.

+III. From the earliest times women have rendered valuable help in the propagation of the Gospel.+--"Euodias, Syntyche, . . . women which laboured with me in the gospel" (vers. 2, 3). In the Temple worship the Jewish women were fenced off in a court by themselves. The woman occupied an inferior religious position in Rabbinical teaching. It was a shock to public feeling to see a rabbi talking to a female. Even the disciples were surprised that their Master should be found conversing with a woman on the brink of the Samaritan well. Jesus Christ broke down this middle wall of partition as He had broken down the other. Here, again, He made both one. If in Christ there is no distinction of Jew and Gentile, neither is there of male or female. Women were His faithful and constant attendants; women were the favoured witnesses of His resurrection; women were among the most helpful fellow-workers of the apostles. There was an organised ministry of women deaconesses and widows in the Apostolic Church. "What women those Christians have," exclaimed the heathen rhetorician, on learning about Anthusa, the mother of Chrysostom. Anthusa at the early age of twenty lost her husband, and thenceforward devoted herself wholly to the education of her son, refusing all offers of further marriage. Her intelligence and piety moulded the boy's character and shaped the destiny of the man, who in his subsequent eminence never forgot what he owed to maternal influence. It is no exaggeration to say that we owe those rich homilies of Chrysostom, of which interpreters of Scripture still make great use, to the mind and heart of Anthusa.

+IV. We learn the apostolic method of reconciling two eminent women in serious disagreement.+--1. _He addresses to each an earnest and pointed exhortation to unity._ "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord" (ver. 2). He repeats the entreaty to show that he placed the like obligation on each of them. He does not exhort the one to be reconciled to the other, for they might have doubted who should take the initiative, and they might wonder, from the position of their names and construction of the sentence, to which of them the apostle attached the more blame. But he exhorts them both, the one and the other, to think the same thing--not only to come to a mutual understanding, but to preserve it. The cause of quarrel might be some unworthy question about priority or privilege, even in the prosecution of the good work--vainglory leading to strife. It does not seem to have been any difference in creed or practice (_Eadie_).

2. _He recognises their devoted and impartial labours._--"Those women which laboured with me in the gospel" (ver. 3). Their work does not appear to have been done from personal friendship, as is often the case; they treated all and helped all alike. They were deeply interested in the spread of the Gospel and the increase of the Church, and toiled with such self-sacrificing devotion as to elicit the special commendation of the apostle.

3. _He entreated that help might be rendered them in the adjustment of their quarrel._--"And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women" (ver. 3). A third party is appealed to, to interpose his good offices--an evidence that Paul regarded the harmony of these two women a matter of no small importance. Mediation between two persons at variance is delicate and difficult work, but if judiciously done may help to a reconciliation. Women were the first to receive the Gospel at Philippi, and from the first used their influence and opportunities in commending it to their sex. The unseemly misunderstanding between these two women whose labours had been so blessed made it the more necessary that something should be done to heal the breach.

+Lessons.+--1. _Pioneer work has special hardships and temptations._ 2. _The best of women may quarrel._ 3. _It is the wise policy of the Christian statesman to compose and strive to prevent discord and disunion._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 2. _Feminine Disagreement_--

+I. May occasion much mischief in a Church.+

+II. All the more dangerous where the parties are eminent in gifts and labours+ (ver. 3).

+III. Reconciled when truly possessing one mind in Christ.+--"Be of the same mind in the Lord."

+IV. The most earnest entreaty should be employed to rectify.+--"I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche."

Ver. 3. _Names in the Book._

+I. Some observations.+--1. _It is a great thing to have a name in the New Testament._--Think of the roll-call in Rom. xvi. and Heb. xi.

2. _It is a great thing now to have a name in the family Bible,_ for that generally signifies Christian training and parental prayers.

3. _It is a great thing to have a name upon the pages of a church register._--How affecting are these old manuals, with their lists of pious men and women, many of whom have passed into the skies.

4. _It is the greatest thing of all to have a name in the Lamb's Book of Life._--Beyond all fame (Matt. xi. 11). Beyond all power (Luke x. 20).

+II. Some questions.+--1. _In how many books is your name written now?_ 2. _How can a human name be written securely in the Lamb's Book of Life?_ 3. _To backsliders: are you going to return to your name, or do you want it to come back to you?_ 4. _To Christian workers: how many names have you helped to write in the Book of Life?_ 5. _Is there any cheer in thinking how our names will sound when the books are opened in the white light of the throne?--Homiletic Monthly._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verse_ 4.

_Christian Joy_--

+I. Is in the Lord.+--"Rejoice in the Lord." The joy of the Christian is not in his own achievements, still less is it in himself or in his own experiences. A glance at ourselves and the imperfections of our work for God fills us with shame and sadness. Pure, lasting joy is found nowhere but "in the Lord." When Möhler, the eminent Roman Catholic symbolist, asserted that "in the neighbourhood of a man who, without any restriction, declared himself sure of his salvation, he should be in a high degree uneasy, and that he could not repel the thought that there was something diabolical beneath this," he only afforded a deep glance into the comfortlessness of a heart which seeks the ultimate ground of its hope in self-righteousness, and in making assurance of salvation to depend on attainment in holiness instead of in simple faith in Christ. The friends of Haller congratulated him on the honour of having received a visit in his last hours from the emperor Joseph II.; but the dying man simply answered, "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven." The more we realise Christ, not as a dim abstraction or a mere historic personage, but as a living and loving personal reality, the more truly can we rejoice in Him.

+II. Is constant.+--"Always." Christian joy is not a capricious sentiment, a fitful rapture, but a steady, uniform, and continued emotion. The direction of the apostle to rejoice always sounds like a paradox. How can we continually rejoice when we are continually in the midst of sin, suffering, and sorrow? Still, when we think of the change Divine grace has wrought in us, when we think of the ample provisions of the Gospel every moment available to us, when we contemplate the bright prospects before us which even present distresses cannot dim, and when we remember the infinite ability of our Lord to accomplish all He had promised us, our joy may well be perennial. Airay, the earliest English expositor of this epistle, has well said: "When Satan, that old dragon, casts out many flouds of persecutions against us; when wicked men cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully speake against us; when lying, slandering, and deceitful mouthes are opened upon us; when we are mocked and jested at and had in derision of all them that are about us; when we are afflicted, tormented, and made the world's wonder; when the sorrowes of death compasse us and the flouds of wickednesse make us afraid, and the paines of hell come even unto our soule; what is it that holds up our heads that we sinke not, how is it that we stand either not shaken, or, if shaken, yet not cast downe? Is it not by our rejoycing which we have in Christ Jesus?"

+III. Is recommended by experience.+--"And again I say rejoice." Paul recommended what he himself enjoyed. If he, in the midst of disappointment, imprisonment, and suffering, would rejoice and did rejoice, so may others. It might be that, as he wrote these words, a temporary depression crept over him, as he thought of himself as a prisoner in the immediate prospect of a cruel death. It was but a passing feeling. In a moment Divine grace triumphed, and with heightened elation and emphasis he repeated, "And again I _will_ say, rejoice." We have already remarked that joy is the predominating feature of this epistle, and to the last the apostle maintains the exalted strain.

+Lessons.+--1. _Great joy is found in working for God._ 2. _Joy is found not so much in the work as in the Lord._ 3. _It is the Christian's privilege to rejoice always._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

Ver. 4. _Rejoicing in the Lord._

+I. The text involves the fact that believers may and should rejoice.+--1. _The world holds that believers have no enjoyment._ 2. _There are believers who all but teach this;_ for--(1) they use not the language of joy themselves; (2) they discourage it in others. 3. _But that believers may and should rejoice is evident_ for--(1) joy is commanded as a duty; (2) it is mentioned as a fruit of the Holy Ghost; (3) it is a feature of the Christian, portrayed in the Scriptures (Acts ii. 46, 47). 4. _The spiritually-minded, if not warped by some defective system of doctrine, rejoice._ 5. _Joy is quite consistent with those states of mind which are thought to be inconsistent with it._ "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 6. _Joy is the natural result of peace with God._

+II. The text exhibits the nature of the joy peculiar to the believer.+--He rejoices "in the Lord." 1. _The world rejoices in the creature and shuts out God._ 2. _The believer rejoices only in God._ 3. _This joy has several elements._ (1) The believer rejoices that God is--"I am." (2) He rejoices that He is what He is. (3) He rejoices in the manifestations of His glory, which He has made in His Word, works, and ways. (4) He rejoices in his own relation to Him in Christ--"boasting himself in God." (5) He rejoices in the hope of the glory of God. 4. _Every element of pure and elevated pleasure is found in His joy._ 5. _It is fellowship with God Himself in His joy._

+III. The text renders it binding upon the believer at all times to seek this privilege and to cherish this feeling+--"always."--This command is reasonable, for: 1. _God is always the same._ 2. _The believer's relation to Him is unalterable._ 3. _The way to God is always open._ 4. _The mind may always keep before it the views which cause joy_--by the indwelling Spirit.

+IV. The manner in which the commandment of the text is pressed teaches us the importance of the duty it inculcates.+--Its importance is manifest, for: 1. _It is the mainspring of worship and obedience._ 2. _It prevents a return to sinful pleasures._ 3. _It renders us superior to temporal suffering_--fits for enduring for Jesus Christ. 4. _It presents to the world_ (1) True religion. (2) Connected with enjoyment.

+V. The manner in which the commandment of the text is expressed implies that there are obstacles in the way of obedience.+--What are some of the obstacles? 1. _A habit, natural and strong, of drawing our satisfaction from the creature._ 2. _Not keeping "a conscience void of offence towards God and man."_ 3. _Not having the heart in a state to have sympathy with God's character._ 4. _Not proportioning aright the amount of attention given to self and Christ._ 5. _Not making sure of our interest in Christ.--Stewart._

_Joy in the Lord_--

+I. Is intellectual.+

+II. Moral.+

+III. Spiritual.+

+Lessons.+--1. _Our power of rejoicing in the Lord is a fair test of our moral and spiritual condition._ 2. _Is a Christian's main support under the trials of life._ 3. _Is one of the great motive forces of the Christian life.--H. P. Liddon._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verse_ 5.

_Christian Equity_--

+I. Does not exact all the claims of legal justice.+--"Let your moderation [forbearance] be known." Human laws, however carefully devised, may sometimes, if rigidly enforced, act unjustly and cruelly. We should guide ourselves at all times by the broad principles of equity in the sight of God. We should not urge our own rights to the uttermost, but be wiling to waive a part, and thus rectify the injustice of justice. "The archetype of this grace is God, who presses not the strictness of His law against us as we deserve, though having exacted the fullest payment for us from our Divine Surety" (_Fausset_). It is not gentleness as an innate feeling, but as the result of self-restraint. It does not insist on what is its due, it does not stand on etiquette or right, but it descends and complies. It is opposed to that rigour which never bends nor deviates, and which, as it gives the last farthing, uniformly exacts it. It is not facile pliability--a reed in a breeze--but that generous and indulgent feeling that knows what is its right, but recedes from it; is conscious of what is merited, but does not contend for strict proportion. It is that grace which was defective in one or other, or both, of the women who are charged by the apostle to be of one mind in the Lord. For, slow to take offence, it is swift to forgive it. Let a misunderstanding arise, and no false delicacy will prevent it from taking the first step towards reconciliation or adjustment of opinion (_Eadie_).

+II. Should be evident in dealing with all classes.+--"Be known unto all men." We are to practise forbearance, not only towards our Christian brethren, but towards the world, even towards the enemies of the Gospel. It is a rebuke to the Christian spirit to be austere, unbending, and scrupulously exacting. If we are always rejoicing in the Lord, we cannot cherish hard feelings towards any. The Christian should be notorious for gentleness and forbearance; all with whom we come in contact should be made to know it and feel it. We should be prepared for yielding up what may be our own rights, and to endure wrong rather than dishonour Christ, or give a false representation of the heavenly life which He exemplified and recommended, and which is becoming in all His professed followers. "This gentleness manifests itself at one time as equanimity and patience under all circumstances, among all men and in manifold experiences; at another as integrity in business relations; as justice, forbearance, and goodness in exercising power; as impartiality and mercy in judging; as noble yielding, joyful giving, and patent enduring and forgiving" (_Passavant_).

+III. Should be practised as conscious of the near advent of Christ.+--"The Lord is at hand." The early Church had a vivid sense of the immediateness of the second coming of Christ, and were taught to do and bear everything as in His sight. We lose much in spiritual power, and in the realisation of eternal things, when we consign that advent to the remote and indistinct future. After all, the second coming of Christ, and not our own death, is the goal on which our eye should be fixed, as the period which will furnish us with the true and final value of our life-work. In the first ages it would have been deemed a kind of apostasy not have sighed after the day of the Lord. The coming of the Lord is a motive to show moderation and clemency towards all men, even towards our enemies, for the great Judge is near, who will rectify all inequalities and redress all wrongs.

+Lessons.+--1. _Equity is superior to legal enactments._ 2. _It is a sorry spectacle when Christians appeal to the civil courts to settle their differences._ 3. _The Christian spirit is the highest equity._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 6, 7.

_The Cure of Care._

+I. That all anxious care is needless.+--"Be careful for nothing" (ver. 6). It is not forethought that is here condemned, but anxious, distracting care. Care is a kill-joy and is the great enemy of Christian peace. The future is not ours; why be anxious about it? The past is done with, and regrets about it are unavailing. The future is provided for, for God, the great Provider, is ahead of every step we take towards that future. The ancient custom of distracting a criminal by tying him to the wheels of two chariots which were then driven in opposite directions well illustrates how cares may be allowed to distract the mind. We put ourselves on the rack when we ought to cast our care on God, not in part, nor occasionally, but in all things and at all times. Care depreciates the value of all our past blessings and dims our vision of the blessings we now actually possess. After the great military victories of Marlborough in 1704, he one day said: "I have for these last ten days been so troubled by the many disappointments I have had, that I think if it were possible to vex me so for a fortnight longer, it would make the end of me. In short, I am weary of my life."

+II. That all anxious care should be taken to God in thankful prayer.+--"But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God" (ver. 6). The best system of heathen philosophy regarded equability of mind, undisturbed alike by the troubles and allurements of the world, as the most perfect state of the soul; but it did not provide any adequate motive for attaining this desirable equipoise. It could only state the theory and insist on its importance; but refractory human nature had its own way, in spite of philosophy. The apostle supplies in these words a nobler and more workable philosophy. He not only exhorts us to tranquillity of mind but shows us how it may be attained and kept. In all kinds of anxieties and especially in the struggles of religious doubt, prayer is the truest philosophy. Our difficulties vanish when we take them to God.

"By caring and by fretting, By agony and fear, There is of God no getting; But prayer He will hear."

We should cast our care on God because He is our Father. A father's office is to provide for his family. It is out of place for a child to be anxiously making provision for emergencies--asking where to-morrow's food and clothing are to come from, and how the bills are to be paid. We should rebuke such precocity, and send the child to school or to play, and leave all such matters to the ordained caretaker. The birds of the air are taken care of; so shall we be, even though our faith is small. "Our prayers run along one road, and God's answers by another, and by-and-by they meet. God answers all true prayer, either in kind or in kindness" (_Judson_).

+III. That the peace of God in the heart will effectually banish all care.+--"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (ver. 7). The enemies of peace are: melancholy, to which the apostle opposed joy in the Lord (ver. 4); want of self-restraint or intemperance of feeling or conduct, to which he opposes moderation (ver. 5); care and anxiety, or unthankfulness and unbelief, to which he opposes grateful and earnest prayer (ver. 6); the final result is peace (ver. 7). The peace that God gives "passeth all understanding"; it is deep, precious, immeasurable. God alone fully understands the grandeur of His own gift. It is an impenetrable shield to the believing soul; it guards the fortress in peace though the shafts of care are constantly hurled against it.

+Lessons.+--1. _Our sins breed our cares._ 2. _God is ever willing to take up the burden of our cares._ 3. _Only as we commit our cares to God have we peace._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 6, 7. _The Remedy for Worldly Care._

I. A caution or warning.+--"Be careful for nothing."

1. _This does not respect duty._--We must have a care for our Lord's interests.

2. _But having performed duty, we are not to be careful as to consequences._--(1) Because unnecessary. Christ cares. (2) Because useless. It cannot ward off the evil. The evil only in imagination. The evil often a good. Itself the greatest evil.

3. _Because positively sinful._--(1) It breaks a commandment. (2) It sets aside promises. (3) It undervalues experience. (4) It distrusts God's wisdom and goodness. (5) It is rebellion against God's arrangements. (6) It is an intrusion into God's province.

4. _Because hurtful and injurious._--(1) It often deters from duty. (2) It destroys the comforts of duty.

+II. Counsel or advice as to the manner in which the evil is to be avoided.+--"But in everything by prayer and supplication." 1. _The correction is not a needless and reckless indifference._ 2. _The emphatic word here is "everything."_ This describes the range of prayer. This precept is generally neglected. 3. _The performance of this duty would correct carefulness._ It places everything under God's government, and leaves it there. It leads to a study of the Divine will in secular affairs. Our prospects and plans are thus tested. It gives to every event the character of an answer to prayer--evil as well as good. Prayer, _i.e._ direct entreaty or petition. Supplication, _i.e._ deprecation. Thanksgiving for all past and present.

+III. A promise as to the results of following this counsel or advice.+--"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds."

1. _The mind and the heart are the seat of care._--The mind calculates, imagines. The heart feels fear, grief, despair.

2. _The mind and heart are made the seat of peace._--"The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." The peace which God has flows from unity, from omnipotence. This is the peace of God, because He gives it.

3. _This peace comes through Jesus Christ._--He produces the unity. He encircles with omnipotence.--_Stewart._

Vers. 6, 7. _Anxious Care._

+I. The evil to be avoided.+--1. _Care is excessive when it is inconsistent with peace and quietness._ 2. _When it induces loss of temper._ 3. _When it makes us distrustful of Providence._ 4. _When it hurries us into any improper course of conduct._ (1) Anxiety is useless. (2) Is positively injurious. (3) Exerts a mischievous influence on others. (4) Is criminal.

+II. The proper course to be pursued.+--1. _Prayer._ 2. _Supplication._ 3. _Thanksgiving._

+III. The happiness to be enjoyed.+--"The peace of God, which passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ."--_Dr. Robt. Newton._

Ver. 6. _Subjects of Prayer._

+I. For temporal blessings.+--1. _Our health._ Value of health. Dependence on God. 2. _Our studies._ Not to supersede diligence. Communicates a right impulse. Secures a right direction. 3. _Our undertakings._ Agricultural, commercial.

+II. For spiritual blessings.+--1. _For pardon._ Of our daily sins in thought, word, and deed. Of all our sins. 2. _For holiness in heart and life._ Regeneration, faith, love, hope, meekness, zeal, resignation, obedience. 3. _For usefulness and happiness._

+III. For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.+--1. _On ourselves._ 2. _On our relatives and friends._ 3. _On the Church._ 4._On the world._

+IV. For the spread of the Gospel.+--1. _For the multiplication of the necessary means._ 2. _For the removal of obstacles._ 3. _For the success of labourers._ 4. _For the conversion of sinners.--G. Brooks._

_True Prayer._

+I. True prayer is specific as well as earnest.+--Nothing is too little to be made the subject of prayer. The very act of confidence is pleasing to God and tranquillising to the supplicant. God is not only willing to hear the details, but He desires that we should tell Him.

+II. True prayer consists of confession, supplication, and thanksgiving.+--We are to confess our sins, ask forgiveness, and do it with gratitude and thankfulness. God will not answer the requests of unthankful beggars. Without thanksgiving what we call prayer is presumption.--_Homiletic Monthly._

Ver. 7. _The Peace of God keeping the Heart._

+I. The nature of this defending principle.+--It has as its basis forgiving mercy.

+II. Its author.+--"The peace of God." It is called His peace, because that work of mercy on which it rests is His work, and He Himself communicates the peace.

+III. Its property.+--"Passeth all understanding." 1. _The understanding of such as are strangers to it._ 2. _They who enjoy it the most cannot fully comprehend it._

+IV. Its effects.+--"Shall keep your hearts and minds." 1. _In temptation it secures the heart by satisfying the heart._ 2. _It keeps the heart in affliction._ 3. _It keeps the mind by settling the judgment, and keeping doubts and errors out of the mind._

+V. Its source and the instrumentality by which it works.+--"Through Christ Jesus."--_C. Bradley._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 8, 9.

_The Science of Christian Ethics_--

+I. Demands the study of every genuine virtue.+--"Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, . . . think on these things" (ver. 8). In regard to what is honourable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, there is a true and a false standard, and for this reason the apostle here places the true at the beginning, that when the following exhortations are presented, this fact which our experience so often discloses may at once occur to the Christian, and he may be led to examine himself and see whether he also is everywhere seeking for the true (_Schleiermacher_). Genuine virtue has its root in genuine religion. The modern school of ethics, which professes to teach morality as something apart from spiritual Christianity, is a return to the exploded theories of pagan moralists, an attempt to dress up pre-Christian philosophy in a nineteenth-century garb. The morality that is lovely and of good report is Christian morality--the practical, liveable ethics of the New Testament. The ethical terms used in this verse are closely united. The true, the becoming, the right, and the pure are elements of virtue or moral excellence, and when exhibited in practical life are lovely and worthy of all praise. The charm of the Christian character is not the cultivation of one virtue that overshadows all the rest, but the harmonious blending of all the virtues in the unity of the Christian life. Christian ethics should be earnestly studied, not as matters of pure speculation, but because of their supreme importance and utility in the moral conduct of every-day life.

+II. Requires the translation of high moral principles into practical life.+--"Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do" (ver. 9). It is one thing to ponder, admire, and applaud morality; it is another thing to practise it. The apostle not only taught Christian ethics, but practised them, and could point to his own example as worthy of imitation; it was not, "Do as I say," but "Do as I do." Christian morality is of little value as a mere creed of ethics; its true power is seen in changing, elevating, and refining the life. We have all to lament there is such a wide chasm between theory and practice. Theory may be learned in a brief period; practice is the work of a lifetime. The theory of music may be rapidly apprehended, but the mastery of any one instrument, such as the violin or organ, demands patient and incessant practice. It means detail-work, plod, perseverance, genius. So is it with every virtue of Christian ethics. Theory and practice should go together; the one helps the other; practice more clearly defines theory, and theory more fully apprehended stimulates practice. It is the practice of Christian morality that preaches to the world a Gospel that it cannot fail to understand and that is doing so much to renovate it. Lord Bolingbroke, an avowed infidel, declared: "No religion ever appeared in the world whose tendency was so much directed to promote the peace and happiness of mankind as the Christian religion. The Gospel of Christ is one continued lesson of the strictest morality, of justice, benevolence, and universal charity. Supposing Christianity to be a human invention, it is the most amiable and successful invention that ever was imposed on mankind for their good."

+III. Links practical morality with the promise of Divine blessing.+--"And the God of peace shall be with you" (ver. 9). The upright man--the man who is striving to shape and mould his life on the ethics of the New Testament--shall not only enjoy peace, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, but the God of peace shall be with him and in him. True religion, in healthy activity, gives, and can alone give, a restfulness of spirit such as the troubles of life are impotent to disturb. The two vital elements of true religion are communion with God and the diligent cultivation of practical holiness--conformity to the will of God in all things. Pray and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and the God of peace shall be with you, preserving you from unrest and harm. The peace of God is also an active principle, gentle and noiseless in its activity, which will help the soul to grow in ethical symmetry and beauty.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Gospel is the foundation of the highest ethics._ 2. _No system of morality is trustworthy that does not lead to holy practice._ 3. _God helps the man who is honestly striving to live up to his light._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 8. _Mercantile Virtues without Christianity._

+I. What a man of mercantile honour has.+--He has an attribute of character which is in itself pure, lovely, honourable, and of good report. He has a natural principle of integrity, and under its impulse he may be carried forward to such fine exhibitions of himself as are worthy of all admiration. It is very noble when the simple utterance of his word carries as much security along with it, as if he had accompanied that utterance by the signatures, the securities, and the legal obligations which are required of other men. All the glories of British policy and British valour are far eclipsed by the moral splendour which British faith has thrown over the name and the character of our nation. There is no denying the extended prevalence of a principle of integrity in the commercial world.

+II. What a man of mercantile honour has not.+--He may not have one duteous feeling of reverence which points upward to God. He may not have one wish or one anticipation which points forward to eternity. He may not have any sense of dependence on the Being who sustains Him, and who gave him his very principle of honour as part of that interior furniture which He has put into his bosom. He is a man of integrity, and yet he is a man of ungodliness. This natural virtue, when disjoined from a sense of God, is of no religious estimation whatever; nor will it lead to any religious blessing, either in time or in eternity.--_T. Chalmers._

Ver. 9. _Paul as an Example to Believers._

+I. He was distinguished by his decision of character in all that relates to religion.+--Constitutionally ardent; zealous as a Pharisee. From the day of his conversion he never faltered, notwithstanding his privations, his dangers, his sufferings. Be decided.

+II. By his care about the culture of the Divine life in his own soul.+--The student may desire to know the truth rather than to feel its power. The preacher may be more solicitous about the power of the truth over others than over himself. He never lost sight of the interests of his own soul.

+III. By his devotional habits.+--One would rather be the author of his prayers than of his sermons. The difference between his prayers as a Pharisee and as a Christian. The subject, the spirit, the style of his prayers as a Christian. Be careful. Be not soon shaken in mind or troubled by speculations about the philosophy of prayer.

+IV. By his spirituality and heavenly-mindedness.+--He did not show any interest in the class of worldly objects that might have been expected to interest a man of his order of mind. He was absorbed in "spiritual things." The second coming of Christ had a prominent place in his thoughts. "That day." Cultivates a habitual superiority to the things of time and sense. Seek the things that are above.

+V. By his patient submission to the dispensations of Divine providence.+--Rare amount of suffering. Strong feeling, unmurmuring submission. Patient, meek, contented. All from Christian principle. Be resigned.

+VI. By his laborious usefulness.+--Sketch his career. Be useful.--_G. Brooks._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 10-14.

_The Joy of a Good Man in Extremity_--

+I. Stimulated by the practical evidence of the growth in his converts of Christian thoughtfulness.+--"Your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity" (ver. 10). The Philippians were a hospitable people, as was shown both by Lydia and the gaoler, who insisted on the privilege of ministering to the wants of the apostles in the beginning of their ministry at Philippi. The Church in that city had already sent a liberal contribution to the apostle to help him in the missionary work; and he now rejoices over another practical evidence of their generous thoughtfulness in the timely help they had sent him by the hands of Epaphroditus. Paul and his mission were much in their thoughts, and they were often devising how they might minister to his wants and further the work of the Gospel. They were eager to help him more frequently but lacked opportunity. They valued the Gospel so as to be willing to pay for it. It is a gratifying and unmistakable proof of religious growth when we are anxious to contribute of our means, according to our ability, for the spread of the Gospel. Liberality in money-giving is a crucial test of genuine godliness. When the commission of excise wrote Wesley, "We cannot doubt you have plate for which you have hitherto neglected to make an entry," his laconic reply was, "I have two silver teaspoons at London, and two at Bristol; this is all the plate which I have at present, and I shall not buy any more at present while so many around me want bread." It is estimated that he gave away more than £30,000.

+II. Maintained by having mastered the secret of Christian contentment.+--1. _A contentment gained by actual experience of the ups and downs of life._ "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (vers. 11, 12). The checkered and eventful life of the apostle had taught him many lessons, and not the least useful and important was the art of contentment. A man with his varied experience is not easily inconvenienced by fluctuating fortunes. Contentment is gained, not by the abundance of what we possess, but by discovering how much we can do without. "That which we miscall poverty is indeed nature," writes Jeremy Taylor; "and its proportions are the just measures of a man, and the best instruments of content. But when we create needs that God or nature never made, we have erected to ourselves an infinite stock of trouble that can have no period." Most desires are first aroused by comparison with others. Sempronius complained of want of clothes and was much troubled for a new suit, being ashamed to appear in the theatre with his gown a little threadbare; but when he got it, and gave his old clothes to Codrus, the poor man was ravished with joy and went and gave God thanks for his new purchase; and Codrus was made richly fine and cheerfully warm by that which Sempronius was ashamed to wear; and yet their natural needs were both alike.

2. _A contentment inspired by Divine strength._--"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (ver. 13). The apostle's contentment was not self-sufficiency, but self-sufficingness; and this was acquired, not only by the experiences of life, but the help of Divine grace. He could conceive no circumstances in which that grace was not sufficient. His contented mind he regarded as a gift of God. "I have learnt from Thee, O God," writes Augustine, "to distinguish between the gift and the fruit. The gift is the thing itself, which is given by one who supplies what is needed, as money or raiment; but the fruit is the good and well-ordered will of the giver. It is a gift to receive a prophet and to give a cup of cold water; but it is fruit to do those acts in the name of a prophet and in the name of a disciple. The raven brought a gift to Elias when it brought him bread and flesh, but the widow fruit, because she fed him as a man of God."

+III. Gratefully commends the generosity of those who alleviate his extremity.+--"Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction" (ver. 14). Though the apostle had learned contentment in every situation, and his mind could accommodate itself to every change of circumstances; though he had fresh and inexhaustible sources of consolation within himself, and had been so disciplined as to acquire the mastery over his external condition and to achieve anything in Christ; yet he felt thankful for the sympathy of the Philippian Church, and praised them for it. His humanity was not absorbed in his apostleship, and his heart, though self-sufficed, was deeply moved by such tokens of affection. Though he was contented, he yet felt there was affliction--loss of liberty, jealous surveillance, inability to fulfil the great end of his apostolic mission. This sympathy on the part of the Philippians with the suffering representative of Christ and His cause is the very trait of character which the Judge selects for eulogy at last (Matt. xxv. 35) (_Eadie_).

+IV. Had a Divine source.+--"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly" (ver. 10). He regarded the gift as coming from the Lord, and his joy in its reception was from the same source. He rejoiced the more in this practical evidence of the love and gratitude of his converts. Every kindness shown to us by others when it is recognised as coming from God, will augment our joy in Him.

+Lessons.+--1. _God does not forget His servants in distress._ 2. _A contented spirit is a fruit of Divine grace._ 3. _It is a joy to be remembered by those we love._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 10. _Practical Christian Benevolence_--

+I. Is quick to see the needs of God's servants and of the cause in which they faithfully labour.+

+II. Eagerly watches every opportunity for supplying those needs.+

+III. Is a matter of exalted joy to those who fully appreciate both the supply and the motive that prompted it.+

Vers. 11, 12. _Tendency of Christian Principles to produce True Contentment._

+I. Christianity takes away the natural causes of discontent.+--1. _Pride._ 2. _Self-preference._ 3. _Covetousness._

+II. Christianity furnishes powerful motives for the exercise of a contented mind.+--1. _The disciples of Christ are under the strongest obligations to walk in the footsteps of their Divine Master._ 2. _True Christians are firmly convinced that their lot is chosen for them by their blessed Lord and Master._ 3. _It is chosen for them in infinite love and mercy to their souls.--E. Cooper._

Ver. 11. _Contentment._

+I. That a man be content with his own estate without coveting that which is another's.+

+II. That a man be content with his present estate.+--1. _Because that only is properly his own._ 2. _All looking beyond that disquiets the mind._ 3. _The present is ever best._

+III. That a man be content with any estate.+

+IV. The art of contentment.+--1. _Is not learned from nature._ 2. _Or outward things._ 3. _But is taught us by God's Spirit._ 4. _By His promises._ 5. _By the rod of discipline._ 6. _Proficiency in contentment gained_--(1) By despising unjust gain. (2) By moderating worldly desires and care. (3) By carefully using and charitably dispensing what we have. (4) By bearing want and loss with patience.--_R. Sanderson._

_Christian Contentment._

+I. What it is.+--1. _That our desires of worldly good are low and moderate._ 2. _That in all our views of bettering our worldly condition we indulge not immoderate cares._ 3. _That whatever our present condition be, we cheerfully submit to the providence of God in it._ 4. _That we are so easy with our own lot as not to envy others who may be in more prosperous circumstances._ 5. _That we will not use any unlawful means to better our present condition._ 6. _That we make the best of our condition whatever it be._

+II. How it may be learned.+--1. _Christianity sets in view the most solid principles of contentment and the strongest motives to it._ 2. _Furnishes us with the brightest patterns of contentment to enforce its precepts and prevent our despair of attaining it._

+Lessons.+--1. _The present state should be considered as a state of learning._ 2. _More depends on our spirits than upon our outward condition in order to contentment._ 3. _Labour to have our minds so formed that they may be content and tolerably easy in any state of life._

Ver. 13. _The Source of the Christian's Power._

+I. The extent of a Christian's ability.+--1. _He is able to discharge every duty._ 2. _He is able to endure every trial._ 3. _He is able to brave every suffering._ 4. _He is able to overcome every temptation._

+II. The source of the Christian's ability.+--1. _Christ strengthens us by His teachings._ 2. _Christ strengthens us by His example._ 3. _Christ strengthens us by the moral influence of His death as a sacrifice for our sin._ 4. _Christ strengthens us by uniting us to Himself, and bestowing on us, in answer to the prayer of faith, the influences of the Holy Spirit._ Christ is the fountain of spiritual strength.--_G. Brooks._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 15-19.

_A Generous Church_--

+I. Spontaneously contributing to the earliest efforts in the propagation of the Gospel.+--1. _Its generosity conspicuous by its solitary example._ "No Church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only" (ver. 15). In the account between us, the giving was on your part, the receiving on mine. The Philippians had followed Paul with their bounty when he left Macedonia and came to Corinth. We are not to wait for others in a good work, saying, "I will do when others do it." We must go forward though alone (_Fausset_). Their liberality followed him on distant missionary tours, and when no longer in their own province. One single example of generosity is an inspiration and a hint to others. Any Church will wither into narrowing dimensions when it confines its benefactions to itself.

2. _Its generosity was repeated._--"For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity" (ver. 16). Even in Thessalonica, still in their own province and not far from Philippi, they more than once contributed to his help, and thus rendered him less dependent on those among whom he was breaking new ground. Help in time of need is a pleasant memory; and the apostle delights in reminding the Philippians of their timely and thoughtful generosity. Repeated kindnesses should increase our gratitude.

+II. The gifts of a generous Church are appreciated as indicating growth in practical religion.+--"Not because I desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account" (ver. 17). It is not the gift he covets, but that rich spiritual blessing which the gift secures to its donors. The apostle wished them to reap the growing spiritual interest of their generous expenditure. Not for his own sake but theirs does he desire the gift. He knew that the state of mind which devised and contributed such a gift was blessed in itself, that it must attract Divine blessing, for it indicated the depth and amount of spiritual good which the apostle had done to them, and for which they thus expressed their gratitude; and it showed their sympathy with the cause of Christ, when they had sought to enable their spiritual founder in former days to give his whole time, without distraction or physical exhaustion, to the work of his apostleship. This was a spiritual condition which could not but meet with the Divine approbation and secure the Divine reward (_Eadie_).

+III. The gifts of a generous Church are accepted as a sacrifice well pleasing to God.+--"Having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God" (ver. 18). It was a gift in which God delighted, fragrant as the sweet-smelling incense which burned in the censer. It was felt that God is supreme Benefactor and that all possessions are His gracious gift, that these have an end beyond the mere personal enjoyment of them, that they may and ought to be employed in God's service, and that the spirit of such employment is the entire dedication of these to Him. The money, while contributed to the apostle, was offered to God. They discharged a spiritual function in doing a secular act--"the altar sanctified the gift" (_Ibid._). Giving to the cause of Christ is worship, acceptable and well-pleasing to God. It belongs to the same class of acts as the presentation of sacrifices under the old economy, which was the central act of worship. For the proper use of no talent is self-denial more needed than for that of money.

+IV. The gifts of a generous Church will be recompensed with abundant spiritual blessing.+--"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (ver. 19). The money we give to God's cause is well invested and will yield a rich return: spiritual blessing in return for material gifts; this is beyond the power of arithmetic to compute. This was no rash and unwarrantable promise on the part of Paul. He knew something of the riches of the Divine generosity, and was justified in assuring his kind benefactors of God's perfect supply of every want of body and soul, bestowed not grudgingly but with royal beneficence.

+Lessons.+--1. _Gratitude for blessings received should prompt generosity._ 2. _Money is never more wisely employed than in forwarding the cause of God._ 3. _Our gifts to God are handsomely rewarded._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 15, 16. _Christian Generosity_--

+I. Indicates a genuine interest in the work of God and love for its ministers.+

+II. Is especially valuable in prosecuting pioneer mission work.+

+III. Should not be conspicuous by one solitary example, but be continuous and commensurate with the pressing needs of the work of God.+

Vers. 17, 18. _Liberality a Fruit of the Christian Life._

+I. It is not a gift, but the discharge of a just claim.+

+II. Paul did not desire a gift only to benefit himself, because he wanted nothing.+

+III. Liberality is a fruit of the Christian life by discharging a debt to which we stood engaged.+

+IV. Liberality is an advantage in the exercise of our patience before the day of trial come upon us.+

+V. As God will punish the neglect of this duty, so if we perform it He will count Himself in debt to us.+--_Farindon._

Ver. 19. _Man's Need supplied from God's Riches._

+I. Look at man's necessity.+

+II. God's wealth.+--Its abundance; its excellence.

+III. The supply the apostle anticipates for this necessity out of this wealth.+

+Learn.+--1. _Contentment with our present lot._ 2. _Confidence for the future.--C. Bradley._

_Our Need and our Supply._

+I. Examine the scope of the promise.+--There is danger of fanaticism in the interpretation of truth. God promises to supply our need, but not to gratify our wishes or whims. Some of us God sees cannot bear wealth, and so it is not given us; but as our day is so is our strength.

+II. The supply.+--The supply is not according to our deserts, but according to the riches of His glory. The resources of the Trinity are drawn upon. His wealth is unbounded. He is not a cistern, but a fountain.

+III. The Medium.+--This supply comes through Christ. We can claim it in no other name. But God ordains means and puts us under conditions. As in agriculture, so here, we are to work in harmony with God's established methods if we would secure fruits.--_Homiletic Monthly._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 20-23.

_Last Words._

+I. A glowing ascription of praise to the Divine Giver of every blessing.+--"Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (ver. 20). To God, even our Father, the kind and liberal Supplier of every want to every child, be eternal glory ascribed. The ascription of praise is the language of spiritual instinct which cannot be repressed. Let the child realise its relation to the Father who feeds it, clothes it, and keeps it in life, who enlightens and guides it, pardons and purifies it, strengthens and upholds it, and all this in Christ Jesus, and it cannot but in its glowing consciousness cry out, "Now to God and our Father be glory for ever." The "Amen" is a fitting conclusion. As the lips shut themselves, the heart surveys again the facts and the grounds of praise, and adds, "So be it" (_Eadie_).

+II. Christian salutations.+--"Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. All the saints salute you, chiefly those that are of Cæsar's household" (vers. 21, 22). Salutations are tokens of personal interest and living fellowship which should not be lightly esteemed. The apostolic salutations teach that the Christian religion does not make men unfriendly and stubborn, but courteous and friendly (_Lange_). The reference to the saints in Cæsar's household may mean either kinsfolk of Nero or servants in the palace. It is improbable that so many near relatives of the emperor should have yielded themselves to Christ as to be designated by this phrase, and it is not likely to suppose that a combination of these two classes would be grouped under the one head. In all likelihood the reference is to servants holding more or less important positions in the imperial household--some, no doubt, slaves; and it is a suggestive testimony to the unwearied diligence and influence of the apostle in using every opportunity to make known the saving grace of the Gospel. To explain to any the reason for his imprisonment was an occasion for preaching Christ. "O Rome, Rome!" exclaims Starke, "how greatly hast thou changed! Formerly thou hadst true saints even in the household of a pagan and tyrannical emperor; but now hast thou false saints, especially in and around the so-called chair of Peter and at the court of his supposed successor."

+III. Final benediction.+--"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (ver. 23). The oldest MSS. read, "Be with your spirit." It is important that the grace of God should be not only around us, but with us and in us. The benediction is a prayer that the Divine favour may be conferred upon them, enriching the noblest elements of their nature with choicest blessings, making them to grow in spiritual wisdom, beauty, and felicity, that grace may ultimately merge into glory.

+Lessons.+--1. _Praise should be offered to God in all things._ 2. _The Christian spirit is full of kindly courtesy._ 3. _It is a comprehensive prayer that invokes the blessing of Divine grace._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 20. _Eternal Praise should be offered unto God_--

+I. For mercies enjoyed in the past.+

+II. For mercies which as our Father He holds for us and bestows on us in the present.+

+III. That the glory of His character may become increasingly conspicuous in His works of creation, providence, and grace.+

Vers. 21, 22. _Christian Courtesy_--

+I. Elevates and sanctifies the amenities of social life.+

+II. Awakens and strengthens mutual sympathy and help in the Christian life.+

+III. Should be exercised by Christians of all ranks and conditions.+

Ver. 23. _The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ_--

+I. Is the sum of all we can need for ourselves or desire for others.+

+II. Is a revelation of His own character and of His regard for us.+

+III. May be sought with the utmost confidence and enjoyed in ever-increasing measure.+

* * * * * * * *

+Transcriber's Notes+

- Page 299, Introduction, second paragraph, apply RC to "Divine call."

- Page 300, second new paragraph, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Place and time" section, second paragraph, change "iv. 32" to "ch. iv. 32" and "i. 13" to "ch. i. 13." Fifth paragraph, add sentence-ending period after "later date."

- Page 301, in the synopsis, change "ii. 19-30" to "ch. ii. 19-30"; add a row to indicate that no information is presented for chapter ii. verses 12 through 18.

- Page 302, notes on chapter i., verse 7, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 10, add right double quotes after "not causing offence."

- Page 303, notes on verse 12, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 13, remove right double quotes after "body-guard"; correct "colouel" to "colonel" and change double quotes to single quotes around it. Verse 14, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 15, apply RC to "a Gospel." Verse 19, add right double quote after "for me."

- Page 305, lesson "Christian Greeting," point I, change question mark after "kingdom" to period. Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "Divine gifts," "the Divine majesty," and "the Gospel."

- Page 306, "Commencement" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "Divine mercy." Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Eulogy," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 307, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 308, "Making Request" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine communications." "Grounds of Confidence" note, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 311, lesson "Prayer," "Definiteness" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine intelligence."

- The break between pages 311 and 312 is in a unit that style indicates should not be broken "destination.--That." The entire unit was moved to the earlier page.

- Page 312, "Fruits" note, point I 1, apply RC to "Divine Being." "Spiritual Attainment" note, point IV, apply RC to "all Divine." "Divine Culture" note, point IV, apply RC to "the Husbandman." Lesson "Gospel Irrepressible," point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" (five times). Point I 2, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 313, same point, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). Point II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice). Point II 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice).

- Page 314, point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" (thrice). Application ("Lessons"), point 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Development" note, point III, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 315, "Ministry of Bonds" note, point III, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Germ" note, point V, change "afflictions" to "affliction." "Real" note, point II 4, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 316, lesson "Noble Attitude," point II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 317, "Life and Death" note, point I 1 (3), apply RC to "Divine knowledge."

- Page 319, lesson "Exhortation," point I 2, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). Point I 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Divine" (twice).

- Page 320, "Evangelical Consistency," each of points I, I 1, I 2 (twice), I 3, I 4, and II 1, apply RC to "Gospel." "Effects" note, point I 1, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point I 2, apply RC to "the Divine." Point II 1, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "its Author."

- Page 321, notes on chapter ii., verse 1, change "i. 8" to "ch. i. 8." Verse 2, change "i. 4" to "ch. i. 4." Verse 5, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 6, apply RC to "the Divinity."

- Page 322, verse 12, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 15, tag "immaculatum" as Latin and set it in Italic.

- Page 323, verse 22, apply RC to "the Gospel." Verse 29, change "#alue" to "value."

- Page 324, lesson "Christian Union," point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III 2, add sentence ending period after "(ver. 4)." Point IV, add "Ps. cxxxiii. 1" reference.

- Page 325, "Unity" note, point 2, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Looking" note, point III, change "th#" to "the." Lesson "Humiliation," point I, apply RC to "His Divine" and "Divinity."

- Page 326, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "Divinity" (twice). "Incarnate" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine glory." Point II, apply RC to "Divine nature."

- Page 327, "Christian Temper" note, application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point 3, apply RC to "God-like."

- Page 328, lesson "Exaltation," point I, apply RC to "Divine act"; add left parenthesis before "ver. 9." Point II, apply RC to "the Divine" (thrice). Point III, apply RC to "Him"; change quote from "and every tongue confess" to "and that every tongue should confess" to match KJV; apply RC to "His Divine majesty."

- Page 329, same lesson, same point, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Worthy" note, point 2, apply RC to "His Divine majesty." Point 3, apply RC to "Divine honour."

- Page 330, lesson "Salvation," point II 2, apply RC to "Divine aid." Point III, apply RC to "Divine work." Application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "Divine influences."

- Page 331, "Divine and Human" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine." "Active Exertion" note, point I, capitalise "Promised Land." "Co-operation" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine."

- Page 332, same note, point III, apply RC to "Divine operations." Lesson "Lustre," point I, apply RC to "Divine command." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "the Word."

- Page 333, same lesson, point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 334, lesson "Projected," point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II 2, apply RC to "Divinity."

- Page 335, same lesson, point II 3, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 337, lesson "Devoted," point IV, apply RC to "glorious Gospel" and "the Word." "Anxieties" note, insert point "2" at the beginning of the second sentence.

- Page 338, notes on chapter iii., verse 1, change "iv. 8" to "ch. iv. 8." Verse 8, insert "[R.V., 'soul' A.V.]."

- Page 339, verse 14, change "gaol" to "goal." Verse 17, apply RC to "Good Shepherd."

- Page 340, lesson "False and True," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 341, same lesson, point II 2, apply RC to "the Divine" and "the Divinity"; change period after "yourself" to a question mark; apply RC to "Divinity."

- Page 343, lesson "External," point III, apply RC to "the Divine." "Excellent" note, point I, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 344, same note, renumber second point "VI" to "VII." First "Excellency" note, point I, apply RC to "the Divinity." Lesson "Features," point II, apply RC to "Divinely."

- Page 345, same lesson, same point, apply RC to "Divine." Point III, apply RC to "Divine power"; insert point "1" before first sentence in Italic; point III 1, apply RC to "Divine power" and "Divine life." Point III 2, apply RC to "Good Shepherd."

- Page 346, "Power" note, point I, apply RC to "Divine mission." Point II, apply RC to "Divinity" (twice). Point V, apply RC to "the Gospel." "Resurrection" note, point II 4, apply RC to "the Divine."

- Page 347, lesson "Highest," point I, apply RC to "Divinely" "the Gospel," and "the Divine." Point III, change "Michael Angelo" to "Michelangelo"; add comma between "he said" and quotation. Point IV, apply RC to "Divine light."

- Page 348, "Pressing" note, point II 3 (2), change period to question mark.

- Page 349, "Temper" note, point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 350, lesson "Examples," point III 3, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 351, lesson "Citizenship," point I, add sentence-ending period to last sentence. Point III 2, apply RC to "Divine power."

- Page 352, same lesson, same point, apply RC to "the Divine" (twice).

- Page 353, notes on chapter iv., verse 3, change double quotes around "fellow-in-yoke, fellow labourer" to single quotes and add closing double quotes.

- Page 354, notes on verse 8, identify the Cicero quotation as Latin and set it in Italic. Verse 11, add em-dash after "etc." Verse 12, add em-dash after "etc." and "Ps. xxiii." reference. Verse 18, add "Matt. xxv. 40" reference.

- Page 355, lesson "Plea," point II, apply RC to "the Gospel"; change "strengthened by Him" to "him," speaking of Paul. Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "the Word."

- Page 356, lesson "Glimpses," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 357, same lesson, point IV 2, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point IV 3, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- Page 358, lesson "Joy," point II, apply RC to "Divine grace" and "the Gospel."

- Page 359, same lesson, point III, apply RC to "Divine grace." "Rejoicing" note, point I 2, add em-dash after "for." Point II 3 (3), apply RC to "His Word."

- Page 360, lesson "Equity," point I, apply RC to "Divine Surety." Point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" and "His professed followers."

- Page 361, lesson "Cure," point I, remove commas from "kill-joy, and" and "blessings, and." Point II, remove commas from "mind, but" and "anxieties, and."

- Page 362, "Remedy" note, point II 3, apply RC to "Divine will."

- Page 363, "Subjects" note, point IV, apply RC to "the Gospel." Lesson "Science," point I, change "livable" to "liveable."

- Page 364, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice). Point III, apply RC to "Divine blessing." Application ("Lessons"), point 1, apply RC to "the Gospel."

- The break between pages 364 and 365 is in the word "upward": up|ward.

- Page 365, "Paul" note, point II, apply RC to "Divine life." Point V, apply RC to "Divine providence." Lesson "Joy," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel"; remove comma from "frequently, but"; apply RC to "the Gospel" (twice).

- Page 366, same lesson, point II 2, apply RC to "Divine strength" and "Divine grace." Point IV, apply RC to "Divine source."

- Page 367, same lesson, application ("Lessons"), point 2, apply RC to "Divine grace." "Tendency" note, point II 1, apply RC to "Divine Master."

- Page 368, lesson "Generous," point I, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point II, apply RC to "Divine blessing," "Divine approbation," and "Divine reward."

- Page 369, same lesson, point IV, remove comma from "invested, and"; apply RC to "Divine generosity." Lesson "Last Words," point I, apply RC to "Divine Giver."

- Page 370, same lesson, point II, apply RC to "the Gospel." Point III, apply RC to "Divine favour." Application ("Lessons"), point 3, apply RC to "Divine grace."

+THE+

+EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.+

* * * * * * * *

+INTRODUCTION.+

+Colossæ and its people.+--In Asia Minor, a few days' journey to the east of Ephesus, is a district which for natural beauty, as described by many travellers, is hardly to be surpassed. At the foot of Mount Cadmus--now known as Baba Dagh, or "the Father of Mountains"--near the stream of the Lycus, a tributary of the Mæander, stood the town of Colossæ. Within a day's journey stood Hierapolis and Laodicea, the latter the home of a Church in the later years where a poor, half-hearted religion was a constant offence to God. Owing to its political significance, it quite eclipsed Colossæ, as Hierapolis also did, owing to its natural advantages as a health-resort or watering-place. Though at one time Colossæ was a flourishing town, where the vast forces of Xerxes or those of Cyrus could halt, in this country it was only with difficulty and some uncertainty that its exact site was discovered. Chronos (so called from the funnel-shaped holes into which the river drops) is its modern substitute, though from two to three miles south of the site of Colossæ.

The inhabitants of Colossæ were largely of Phrygian derivation, highly religious, if dread of the supernatural in every form constitutes religion, but ready to yield themselves up to the wildest orgies and the most degradingly sensual types of worship. But there were also many Jews in the town, as we learn not only from the indications in this letter, but from other sources. It was not the only occasion in history when travelled Jews had learnt to blend with their ancestral religion the philosophical or theosophical opinions of the neighbourhood where they had settled. The result was an amalgam very hard to catalogue. The Hellenism of these Phrygian Jews did as little for them as in later days it did for Heine, the German Jew. So, because its results were pernicious, the uncompromising opponent of Pharisaic dead works and herald of one God set himself to make known to the Colossians the sufficiency of Christian doctrine without admixture of heathen wisdom (ch. ii. 8, 9) or the administration of Jewish rites (ch. ii. 11).

+Occasion, aim, time, and place of composition.+--Epaphras, a member of the Colossian Church, and to whom the whole neighbourhood was indebted as the bringer of Gospel tidings, had given St. Paul an account of the state of the Church to which he ministered, with intimations of the perils threatening it. This it was which led the apostle to send Tychicus with this letter. The runaway slave Onesimus accompanied him, sent back to Philemon his master in Colossæ by St. Paul.

The aim of the apostle in writing the letter was chiefly to warn the Colossians against the specious errors of certain teachers who had tried to unite Christianity with Judaism, and these to theosophical notions. The results of this blend could only be regarded with a pitiful smile. It was pernicious, and, with all its semblance of humility, immoral. Its main offence to the apostle was that it dishonoured his Lord, "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

Lightfoot thinks this letter, with those to Ephesus and Philemon, was sent by Tychicus "towards the close of the apostle's captivity in Rome, about the year 63." Meyer, who contends that it was sent, not from Rome, but from Cæsarea, thinks 60 or 61 was the date. The ancient tradition was that the letter emanated from a Roman prison, and the reasons given against this are too slender to set it aside in favour of Cæsarea.

+Style of the epistle.+--"The style of the epistle is somewhat laboured. It lacks the spontaneity, the fire, the passion, the tender emotion which mark most of St. Paul's letters. The reason for this is twofold. It is partly because he is addressing strangers, the members of Churches which he had not directly founded, and to whom his expressions did not flow forth from the same full spring of intimate affection. It is still more because he is refuting errors with which he was not familiar, and which he had not witnessed in their direct workings. . . . When he was a little more familiar with the theme (in writing Ephesians) he writes with more fervency and ease. . . . In the close similarity between these two, and yet in the strongly marked individuality of each, we have one of the most indisputable proofs of the genuineness of both. . . . If Colossians has less of the attractive personal element and the winning pathos of other letters of St. Paul, it is still living, terse, solid, manly, vigorous; and brief though it be, it still, as Calvin says, contains the nucleus of the Gospel" (_Farrar_).

+Outline of the epistle.+

Introduction. i. 1, 2, greeting. 3-8, thanksgiving. 9-14, prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

i. 15-23. Main theme of the epistle. Christ's personal supremacy and the universal efficacy of His mediatorial work.

24-29. The apostle's personal explanation of his motive in addressing them.

ii. 1-7. His interest in the highest welfare of Christians unknown to him.

8-15. Warning against a philosophy born of earth, able only to deal externally with outbursts of sin as contrasted with the complete putting away of it by Christ's death and resurrection.

16-23. A protest against the attempt to foist precepts and prohibitions on those who in Christ have passed beyond the stage of legalism.

iii. 1-17. The sufficiency, for conduct, of living consistently with the life hid with Christ in God, which is fatal, as it grows, to every form and manifestation of the old and corrupt life.

18-22. Duties of wives (18), husbands (19), children (20), fathers (21), servants (22).

23-25. Motives, incentives, and deterrents in service.

iv. 1. Duties of masters, and motive of conduct.

2-18. Sundry exhortations, commendations, and greetings. The latter concludes with the apostle's autograph signature, a touching reference to his "bonds," and a benediction.

+CHAPTER I.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.+--Here, as in the Ephesian epistle, St. Paul traces his apostolate to the will of God. It does not seem as if any reason could be given why in these two epistles he uses the phrase and omits it in the Philippians. +Timotheus our brother.+--If Philemon, who was a Colossian Christian, had met St. Paul at Ephesus, probably he had seen Timothy, too, and would no doubt say to the Church how the apostle valued him (Phil. ii. 19).

Ver. 2. +To the saints and faithful brethren.+--We may observe that such a phrase is characteristic of St. Paul's later epistles; in the earlier it was "to the Church." It seems better thus to translate than to give the meaning "to the holy and believing brethren" (see on Eph. i. 1). +Grace . . . and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.+--Not "grace" from the Father and "peace" from the Lord Jesus Christ, as the usual benediction shows--"The grace of our Lord Jesus." "Whatsoever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son" (John v. 19).

Ver. 3. +We give thanks to God.+--The apostle here, as usual, gives credit for all that is worthy in his readers, though the tidings from Colossæ had been disquieting.

Ver. 4. +Having heard of your faith.+--This last word might possibly mean "fidelity," the steadiness of an unwavering loyalty. But it is better to take it as the act of personal trust. +Love to all the saints.+--This was the distinguishing trait of all Christians--love one for another (John xiii. 35). How often have we heard the irony, "How these Christians love one another!" We are not warranted in withholding love until men are paragons of spiritual perfection--all in Christ are "saints."

Ver. 5. +For the hope.+--This word completes the triad, though the order is changed, and hope here is the object--the thing hoped for. +Laid up for you in heaven.+--It is the same word in Luke xix. 20, "laid up in a napkin"; in 2 Tim. iv. 8, "henceforth there is laid up"; and in Heb. ix. 27, "it is appointed unto [laid up for] men once to die." +The word of the truth of the gospel.+--Not to be interpreted into "the truly evangelic word." There is an imposing sound in the phrase meant to agree with the thing denoted.

Ver. 6. +In all the world.+--A hyperbolic expression, by which the apostle at the world's centre, Rome, seems to say the messengers of the Gospel, go forth to the utmost bounds of the empire. The faith you have received is no local cult, nor is it an ephemeral excitement. +And bringeth forth fruit.+--The R.V. adds to "bearing fruit," "and increasing." It is not a Gospel that is decadent, on which a few fruits may be found, but with too evident traces that soon fruitfulness will be past.

Ver. 7. +As ye learned of Epaphras.+--Short for Epaphroditus, but not he of Phil. ii. 25. He is one of the Colossians; beyond that and his prayerful zeal for them we know nothing of the only one whom St. Paul calls "a fellow-servant."

Ver. 9. +Do not cease to pray for you, and to desire.+--R.V. "pray and make request." The general notion comes first, then, the particulars; so in Mark xi. 24. In the Lord's Prayer there are several "petitions" or "requests." +Knowledge.+--Here represents the advanced knowledge of the initiated. "Spiritual understanding" is the use in the realm of things spiritual of the faculty which, as employed in physical research, makes the difference between the man of scientific method and the empiric. Compare the union of "wisdom" and "spiritual understanding" with our Lord's words, "Thou hast hid these things from the _wise_ and _prudent._"

Ver. 10. +Walk worthy.+--"The end of all knowledge, the apostle would say, is conduct" (_Lightfoot_). The previous verse taken with this gives the "theory and practice" of religion. +Unto all pleasing.+--With the end ever before you of being approved by God. For the same combination, see 1 Thess. iv. 1. +Being fruitful . . . and increasing.+--Like the Gospel itself (see ver. 6).

Ver. 11. +Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.+--Lit. "with all power made powerful," etc. The two words representing "might" and "power" have become familiar in "dynamite" and the termination of "auto-_crat_"; the one indicating stored-up energy; the other victorious or ruling force. +Patience and longsuffering.+--the first word indicates the attitude of an unfainting mind when things go wrong; the second the quiet endurance under irritation from others, the being "not soon angry."

Ver. 12. +Made us meet.+--Duly qualified us, gave us competence. Just as a man needs to be a qualified practitioner of medicine or the law, so these Colossians are recognised as fit and proper persons for participation in the kingdom of light.

Ver. 13. +Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.+--The metaphor commenced in the previous verse is carried on here. The settlement in the land flowing with milk and honey is preceded by deliverance with a high hand from the house of bondage--the land of thick darkness. +And hath translated us.+--The same word by which the Jewish historian describes the carrying over of the Israelites to Assyria by Tiglath-Pileser. The apostle regards the deliverance, so far as the Deliverer is concerned, as a thing accomplished. +His dear Son.+--The A.V. margin has become the R.V. text, "The Son of His love." We do not again find this expression; but as there is "no darkness at all" in God, who "is love," so His Son, into whose kingdom we come, reveals the love of the Father.

Ver. 14. +In whom we have redemption.+--A release effected in consideration of a ransom. See on the verse Eph. i. 7. The forgiveness of our sins--lit. "the dismissal of our sins."

Ver. 15. +Who is the image of the invisible God.+--In 2 Cor. iv. 4 St. Paul had so named Christ. "Beyond the very obvious notion of _likeness,_ the word for image involves the idea of _representation_ and _manifestation_" (_Lightfoot_). Man is said to be the image of God (1 Cor. xi. 7), and to have been created in the image of God, as an image on a coin may represent Cæsar, even though unrecognisable almost. Christ is "the very image" (Heb. i. 3) of God, able to say, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." +Firstborn of every creature.+--"Not that He is included as part of the creation, but that the relation of the whole creation to Him is determined by the fact that He is the 'firstborn of all creation' (R.V.), so that without Him creation could not be" (_Cremer_). The main ideas involved in the word are (1) priority to all creation; (2) sovereignty over all creation (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 16. +Thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.+--That Paul believed in a heavenly hierarchy can scarcely be doubted; but this letter shows that in Colossæ it had become an elaborate superstition.

Ver. 18. +And He is the head of the body, the Church.+--As He held priority of all creation, so also His is the name above every name in the new creation. +The firstborn from the dead.+--The cardinal point of the apostle's faith.

Ver. 19. +For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.+--The great question on this verse is--seeing that "the Father" has been added--what is the nominative to the word rendered "it pleased"? At least three are possible: (1) "the Father," as A.V., R.V., and many commentators; (2) "all the fulness," etc.; and (3) "the Son was pleased." Lightfoot urges that, as (2) would be an anachronism, and (3) a hopeless confusion of the theology, "the Father was well pleased" seems to be the best rendering.

Ver. 20. +To reconcile all things unto Himself.+--The word "reconcile" is meant to indicate the restoration of a lost friendship; and re-establishment of peaceful relations. It is a good specimen of the care with which St. Paul's advanced expressions are selected.

Ver. 21. +You, that were sometime alienated.+--Does not mean, of course, occasionally alienated, but as the R.V. gives it, "being in time past alienated"--up to the time of the reconciliation _always_ estranged. +Enemies in your mind by wicked works.+--The most interesting question here is whether God is reconciled to the sinner or only the sinner to God. Is "enemies" to mean "hostile" or "hateful"? Lightfoot says, "It is the mind of man, not the mind of God, which must undergo a change that a reunion may be effected."

Ver. 22. +In the body of His flesh through death.+--When a teacher has to be explicit it may seem to those familiar with the subject as if he were verbose or tautological. So here the body is no phantasm, but fleshy and mortal. +To present you holy.+--They were professedly holy "saints" (ver. 2), and the final purpose of their reconciliation is reproachless saintship (on this word, and "unblameable," see Eph. i. 4). +Unreproveable in His sight.+--It is a lofty eminence to which the holy apostle invites us to look in this word. The light in which we walk--fierce indeed towards sin--reveals no evil, so that the most captious critic has no objection (Tit. ii. 8).

Ver. 23. +Grounded and settled, and not moved away.+--In that land of volcanic agency the readers would perceive only too readily the graphic force of this metaphor. Where stone buildings tumbled over like a house of cards, the figure of a faith, proof against all shocks, was effective (see Heb. xii. 28). +Every creature under heaven.+--The same rhetorical form of expression as in ver. 6, affirming the universal fitness of the Gospel as well as its wide dissemination. +Whereof I Paul am made a minister.+--Wonder that increases and unceasing gratitude are in these words--that the persecutor should serve the faith he once destroyed.

Ver. 24. +Fill up that which is behind in the afflictions of Christ.+--R.V., "and fill up on my part that which is lacking." How we seem to hear through these words the cry of the head of the Church, "Why persecutest thou Me?" And now the persecutor shares the pain of Christ and those to whom it is granted as a favour to suffer for His sake (Phil. i. 29).

Vers. 25-27. See notes on Eph. iii. 7 ff.

Ver. 28. +Whom we preach.+--What a glorious comprehensiveness there is in preaching Him in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead! Here is nothing narrow. +Warning every man.+--R.V. "admonishing." It is a direction of the reflective faculty--a reproof administered with intent to amend the conduct. It corresponds to "Repent ye!" +And teaching every man.+--The positive side of which the warning is the negative. It is not enough to tell a man he is wrong--the right must be indicated; so the heralds of the Gospel followed up "Repent ye" with "Believe the Gospel." Note the repeated "every man." Exclusiveness which shuts the door in the face of any "weak brother for whom Christ died" is utterly strange to the teaching of St. Paul. +That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.+--St. Paul, and every true successor, labours for this end; and, as ver. 22 shows, in so doing all are "workers together with God." We have the idea of presentation elsewhere in St. Paul, as where he speaks of presenting his converts as a chaste virgin to Christ. The risk of offering a tainted animal for sacrifice is as nothing in comparison of offering a hypocrite as a trophy of the Gospel.

Ver. 29. +I also labour.+--The word implies strenuous effort. "The racer who takes care to slack his speed whenever he is in danger of breaking into a perspiration will not win the prize" (_Maclaren_). +Striving.+--Lit. "agonising," as in Luke xiii. 24. Like a stripped gymnast, every encumbrance cast off. The same word in 1 Tim. vi. 12. "Fight the good fight."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 1.

_Apostolic Salutation._

In this verse we have _a description of the office and character_ of the persons from whom the salutation emanates.

+I. An exalted and important office.+--"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." An apostle is one _sent._ Paul was commissioned to declare the grandest truths--truths destined to illumine and upraise mankind. His sphere was the world, his audience the generations of every age. The work of the apostle lives to-day--its vigour is perennial. His was no empty, unmeaning title. It involved incredible thought, overburdening care, incessant toil, unparalleled suffering. It was an office created by the circumstances of the time. That period was the beginning of a gigantic campaign against the consolidated errors and sins of ages. An ordinary officer can keep and govern a garrison; but it requires a gifted general to marshal and direct the militant host in the daring manœuvres of war. In the Divine government of the world the occasion calls forth the man.

+II. The authority that designates and qualifies.+--"By the will of God." The will of God is the great originating and dynamic moral force of the universe. That will raised Paul to the apostleship, and invested him with all essential qualifications. The miraculous incidents of the journey to Damascus (Acts ix.) formed a crisis in his career. The startling discovery as to the character of the Being he had madly opposed evoked the utterance of a changed and willing heart: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" That was the sublime moment of his _sending._ In undertaking the highest work for God, it is not enough that we possess learning, gifts, piety, unless with all there be a consciously Divine commission. There are crises when we can gain fresh inspiration for the exigencies of the work only by falling back on the clearest call and appointment of the Divine will.

+III. A familiar Christian relationship.+--"Timotheus, our brother." Paul was the means of Timothy's conversion; and in another place he calls him his "own son in the faith." Here he recognises him on the more equal footing of a brother. Christianity is a brotherhood. Not a low, debasing communism that drags down all to its own common level, but a holy confederacy in which men of all ranks, ages, and talents unite. The equality of Christian brotherhood is based on a moral and spiritual foundation. The minister whose reputation is won, and position assured loses nothing by honouring his younger brethren.

+IV. Union of sympathy and desire.+--"Paul . . . _and_ Timothy." The greatest intimacy existed between the two, notwithstanding the disparity in rank and abilities. There were qualities in Timothy that elicited the admiration and love of the great apostle. They were constant companions in travel; and Timothy was often a source of comfort to Paul in captivity. They had a common sympathy in the propagation of the Gospel, and with the changing fortunes of the newly founded Churches and joined in prayer for their welfare. The union of Timothy with himself also strengthened the testimony of the apostle regarding the supernatural character of the truths declared.

+Lessons.+--_Christian salutation_--1. _Takes its value from the character of the sender._ 2. _Should be pervaded with genuine sympathy._ 3. _Implies a mutual interest in the success of Christian work._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 2.

_Apostolic Estimate of Christian Character._

+I. Suggestive phases of Christian character.+--"Saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossæ."

1. _Saints._--This implies union with God and a personal participation in His righteousness. This is the root of the saintly life. Faith in Christ is the point and means of junction. Canonisation cannot make a saint. Must be saintly experience to produce saintly conduct. A holy reputation excites to action consistent with itself. Nehemiah refused to hide from threatened assassination as an act beneath his well-known character for high integrity and bravery (Neh. vi. 11).

2. _Faithful brethren which are at Colossæ._--Implies union with each other. They embraced a common faith and held steadfastly together amid the agitations of false teachers and the defections of the wavering. Christianity blends the strangest elements. It is a foe to all national enmities and prejudices. Paul, a Jew, Timothy, a Grecian, and the Colossians, a mixture of several races, are here united in a holy and faithful brotherhood. "Here the Gentile met the Jew whom he had been accustomed to regard as an enemy of the human race; the Romans met the lying Greek sophist, the Syrian slave, the gladiator born beside the Danube. In brotherhood they met, the natural birth and kindred of each forgotten, the baptism alone remembered in which they had been born again to God and to each other" (_Ecce Homo_).

3. _The sublime origin of the Christian character._--"_In_ Christ." Character is the development and crystallisation of a _life._ The character of the blossom and fruit is decided by the vital energy in the tree. Christ is the unfathomable fount of all spiritual life; the ideal pattern and formative force of a perfect character. He is the centre and bond of all true brotherhood.

+II. The salutation supplicates the bestowment of highest Divine blessings.+--1. _Grace._ A term of vast significance, inclusive of all the blessings that can flow from the superabundant and free favour of God. Grace is the source of all _temporal_ good--life, health, preservation, success, felicity; and of all _spiritual_ benefactions--pardon, soul-rest, guidance, strength, deliverance, purity, final triumph. The generosity of God is illimitable.

2. _Peace._--Grace expresses the spirit and fulness in which Divine manifestations come to us; peace the result they accomplish in us. _Peace with God._ Sin has thrown human nature into a state of discord and enmity. The reception of grace must ever precede the enjoyment of peace. The universal mistake is, in first seeking, through many avenues, the happiness which peace with God alone can bring, instead of accepting humbly, penitently, believingly, the grace of God in Christ. _Peace with each other_--peace in the Church. How great a blessing is this! One turbulent spirit can ruffle the tranquillity of thousands.

3. _The source of the blessings desired._--"From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The Father's love and the Son's work are the sole source and cause of every blessing to humanity, while the Holy Spirit is the agent of their communication. The Trinity is ever harmonious in acts of beneficence; the Divine fountain is inexhaustible.

+Learn.+--1. _The broad, deep charity of the apostolic spirit._ 2. _The scope and temper of the prayers we should offer for the race._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 3-5.

_The Causes of Ministerial Thanksgiving._

It is customary with the apostle to begin his epistles with the ardent expression of thanksgiving. This showed the devout habit of his mind, his constant and emphatic recognition of the grand source of good, and his deep interest in the spiritual condition of those to whom he wrote.

+I. Thanksgiving an essential element in prayer.+--"We give thanks, . . . praying always for you" (ver. 3). The participle marks the thanksgiving as part of the prayer, and the adverb makes it prominent, indicating that when they _prayed for them they always gave thanks._ There is no true prayer without thanksgiving. Gratitude intensifies the soul's sense of dependence on God and prompts the cry for the needed help; and, on the other hand, earnest prayer naturally glides into fervent thankfulness. As one sin is interlinked with and produced by another, so the use of one grace begets another. The more temporal things are used, the more they wear and waste; but spiritual things are strengthened and increased with exercise. Every spiritual grace has in it the seed of an endless reproductiveness. Underlying every thanksgiving for others is a spirit of tender, disinterested love. Moved by this passion, the apostle, from the midst of imprisonment and sorrow, could soar on the wings of gratitude and prayer to heaven. "Thanksgiving will be the bliss of eternity."

+II. The Being to whom all thanksgiving is due.+--"To God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. 3). God is the Father of Jesus Christ, not only as God, by an eternal generation and communication of His whole essence unto Him in a method to us mysterious and ineffable, but also as man by virtue of the personal union of the two natures in Christ, and in a special sense exceeding every other way in which He is Father to man or angels. Thus, God and the Father of our Lord Jesus are one; the particle "and" being exegetic of the same thing, not copulative of something different. All our blessings have their source in the bosom of the Divine Father. Christ is the only revealer of the Father, and the active agent in bestowing the paternal benefits on humanity. The paternal aspect of the Divine character as unfolded by Jesus Christ is most fascinating and assuring; and the loving heart delights to trace its blessings up to the Parent of all good and to render Him devout and grateful praise.

+III. This thanksgiving was grounded on the reputation of their faith in the Author of Christianity.+--"Since we heard of your faith in Christ" (ver. 4).

1. _Christ is the object and foundation of all true faith._--He is so as the Divinely consecrated Deliverer of the race. The grandeur of His redeeming work and the dignity and glory of His character are suggested by the titles here given to Him. Man must believe in Christ, not as an abstract truth, not as a poetic conception, not as a dim impersonal force acting in the sphere of ideality, but as a Divine-human _person_--the anointed Saviour.

2. _True faith is the root principle of the Christian life._--Without it neither love nor hope could exist. All the graces that strengthen and beautify the Christian character must grow out of faith.

3. _True faith is ever manifest._--"Since we heard." It is seen in the changed disposition and conduct of the individual believer. It is marked by the anxious Christian worker and becomes known to a wide circle of both friends and foes. Epaphras rejoiced to bear tidings of the fact; and the soul of the apostle, since he heard, glowed with grateful praise. Happy the people whose highest reputation is their faith in Jesus!

+IV. This thanksgiving was grounded on their possession of an expansive Christian love.+--"And of the love which ye have to all the saints" (ver. 4). Love to Christ is necessarily involved, for love to the saints is really a generous, unselfish affection for Christ's image in them. Love is all-embracing. Peculiarities, defects, differences of opinion, distance, are no barriers to its penetrating ardour. It is the unanswerable evidence of moral transformation (1 John iii. 14). It is the grandest triumph over the natural enmity of the human heart. It is the indissoluble bond of choicest fellowship.

"While we walk with God in light, God our hearts doth still unite; Dearest fellowship we prove, Fellowship in Jesu's love."

+V. This thanksgiving was further grounded on their enjoyment of a well-sustained hope.+--The grace of hope naturally springs out of and is properly associated with the preceding two. Not one member of the holy triad can be divorced from the other without irreparable damage; without, in fact, the loss of that which is the resultant of the three--viz. active religious life. "Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the future. They may be regarded as the efficient, material, and final causes respectively of the spiritual life" (_Lightfoot_).

1. _The character of this hope._--"The hope which is laid up for you in heaven" (ver. 5). It is the prospect of future heavenly felicity. Hope is put for the object hoped for--the hope of possessing a spiritual inheritance whose wealth never diminishes, whose splendours never fade; the hope of seeing Christ in all His regal glory; of being like Him; of dwelling with Him for ever. A prospect like this lifts the soul above the meannesses, disappointments, and sufferings of the present limited life.

2. _The security of this hope._--"Laid up." This priceless inheritance is safely deposited as a precious jewel in God's secret coffer. There no pilfering hands can touch it, no breath can tarnish, no rust corrode, no moth corrupt. Earthly treasures vanish, and sometimes, to God's people, nothing but the treasure of hope remains. The saint's enduring riches are in the future, locked up in the heavenly casket. Where the treasure is there the heart should ever be.

3. _The source and foundation of this hope._--"Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (ver. 5). The Gospel is based on unchangeable truth and is therefore worthy of universal credence. It alone unfolds the mysteries and glories of the future. The hope of heaven rests, not on the discoveries of human philosophy, but on the revelations of the true Gospel. In vain do men seek it elsewhere. By the preaching of the Gospel this hope is made known to man. How dismal the outlook where hope is unknown!

+Lessons.+--1. _We should thank God for others more on account of their spiritual than temporal welfare._ 2. _Learn what are the essential elements of the Christian character--faith, love, hope._ 3. _The proclamation of the Gospel should be welcomed, and its message pondered._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 3-5. _Good News and its Good Effects._

+I. The good news, what it was.+--That certain at Colossæ had not only the Gospel, but had known the grace of God in truth, and were now joined to Christ by faith and to His people by love.

+II. What were the results.+--1. _Abundant thanksgiving to the God of redemption._ 2. _Constant prayer._ 3. _This epistle._

+III. Application.+--1. _It is well that ministers should be informed of the success of the Gospel, both for their own encouragement and to secure their sympathy, prayers, and counsel for the young converts._ 2. _Established Christians and especially ministers should assure young converts of the gratitude, joy, and sympathy they feel and the prayers they present on their behalf._ 3. _If our hearts are right, we shall rejoice at the success of the Gospel.--Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 5. _Hope a Stimulus to Christian Perseverance_--

+I. In gaining the heavenly reward.+

+II. Because the heavenly reward is secure.+--"Laid up for you."

+III. Is based on truth already known.+--"Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 6-8.

_The True Gospel universally the Same._

Wherever the Gospel comes it carries with it the ineffaceable impress of its Divine origin, and of its universal adaptability to the condition of humanity. There are certain truths that are self-evident to the understanding and are not susceptible of proof. They are axiomatic and must be admitted as such before any satisfactory system can be constructed upon them. Of this character are the fundamental truths of the Gospel. Their authority is supreme, and their evidential force irresistible. But a truth may be universally self-evident, and not be universally adopted. It is at this point the guilt of the unbeliever is incurred. The Gospel comes to mankind with ever-accumulating evidences of its Divine truthfulness; but men resist it. This is the condemnation. "He that believeth on the Son is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already" (John iii. 18). The false teachers, against whom the apostle warns the Colossians, sought to spoil the Gospel by the intermixture of ideas from Jew and Gentile.

+I. The true Gospel is universally the same in its adaptation and enterprise.+--"Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world" (ver. 6). The Gospel, though first proclaimed to the Jews, was not confined to them. It reached, penetrated, and changed the Colossians. In them all races were represented. Their conversion was typical of the possibilities of the Gospel for all. The world's greatest blessings are not indigenous, are not even sought; they are sent from above. There is not a human being the Gospel cannot benefit; it adapts itself to the wants of all. The Gospel started from Judea with a world-wide mission and was eager to fulfil it. Its enterprise was irresistible. It soon spread throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa--the regions embracing the Roman empire, which was then virtually the whole world. Its marvellous propagation proved its universal adaptability. The celebrated systems of philosophy among the Grecians lived only in the soil that produced them. Heresies are at best ethnic; truth is essentially catholic. In less than a quarter of a century Christianity was diffused through the entire world. The success of Mahometanism was of a different character and effected by different means. It depended more on the scimitar than the Koran. Alexander, Sesostris, and others achieved similar conquests, and as rapidly, by the force of arms. The victories of the Gospel were won by moral weapons. It is the greatest privilege of any nation to possess the Gospel, and its most solemn duty to make it known to the world.

+II. The true Gospel is universally the same in its results.+--"Bringeth forth fruit, and _increaseth_" (as the most valuable MSS. read) "as it doth also in you" (ver. 6). The effects produced on the Colossians by their reception of the Gospel were a sample of the results in other parts of the world. The fruit-bearing denotes its inward and subjective influence on the soul and life; the increasing refers to its outward and diffusive influence as it makes progress in the world. The metaphor used by the apostle suggests that the Gospel, as a tree, not only bears fruit, but grows, sending forth its roots more firmly and widely, and extending its branches in the air. Thus, it bears fruit and makes advancement (_Spence_). There are some plants which exhaust themselves in bearing fruit and then wither. The Gospel is a plant whose seed is in itself, and its external growth keeps pace with its reproductive energy. We cannot monopolise the benefits of the Gospel to ourselves; it is intended for the world, and wherever it comes it brings forth fruit. It is intensely practical, and aims at results, corresponding with its character, purpose, and power.

+III. The true Gospel is universally the same in the manner of its reception.+--"Since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth" (ver. 6). Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The mode of receiving the Gospel is the same to all. It is apprehended by the understanding, approved by the judgment, and embraced by the affections. It is not enough that it falls on the ear like the strain of a seraphic melody, not enough that it enters the understanding as a clearly conceived, full-orbed truth, not enough that it ripples through the sphere of the emotions as an unspeakable ecstasy, unless, aided by the Divine Spirit, it be cordially embraced by the heart and conscience as the whole truth--the only truth that saves and regenerates. It is in the Gospel only that we "hear of the grace of God"--the good news that He has provided redemption and restoration for the race. Nature, with all her revelations of beauty, wisdom, and power, is dumb on this subject. Providence, with its vast repertory of mingled mystery and bounty, unfolds it not. It is only by believing the Gospel that, like the Colossians, we can "know the grace of God in truth."

+IV. The true Gospel is universally the same in the method of its propagation.+--1. _It is propagated by preaching._ "As ye also learned" (ver. 7)--more correctly, "Even as ye were instructed" in the truth mentioned in the preceding verse. It is believed Epaphras first preached the Gospel at Colossæ, and, under the direction of Paul, he was probably also evangelist to the neighbouring cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea. Preaching is the Divinely instituted means of disseminating the Gospel. It cannot be superseded by any other agency. Its success has been marvellous.

2. _It is propagated by men thoroughly qualified for the work._--(1) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a co-labourer with himself._ "Our dear fellow-servant" (ver. 7). The preacher must labour as belonging to Christ, as entirely dependent on Him, and as deeply attached to Him. He is not a servant _of_ the Church; he is a servant _for_ the Church, in doctrine, supplication to God, and varied endeavours among men. With all frankness, affection, and modesty, the great apostle acknowledges Epaphras as "a dear fellow-labourer." Envy and jealousy of the gifts and reputation of others are pernicious and unjustifiable. (2) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a faithful minister of Christ._ It was a great honour to be a fellow-servant with Paul, but greater still to be a minister of Christ, the Lord of glory, the Head of the Church, the Monarch of men and angels; commissioned by Him to proclaim the most vital truths and promote the best interests of the people. Moreover, he is called a _faithful_ minister; the appellation of minister he had in common with many others; the praise of faithfulness is confined to few. "The great secret lies in these three things--Christ, immortal souls, self-humiliation" (_Bishop Wilson_). (3) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a man of deep spiritual insight._ "Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit" (ver. 8). Love is the leading characteristic of the Gospel. It is announced as a message of God's love to man, and its object is to produce love in every believing heart. Epaphras apprehended this prominent feature in the message itself, discerned its origin in the work of the Spirit, and rejoiced in declaring its exercise towards the apostle, towards God, and towards all men.

+Lessons.+--1. _The universality of the Gospel a strong evidence of its Divine authorship._ 2. _Though all the world were to reject the Gospel it would still be true._ 3. _To whomsoever the Gospel comes the imperative duty is to believe it._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 6. _The Gospel manifests Itself._

+I. It spreads its good news in all possible places.+--"Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world."

+II. Produces unmistakable spiritual results.+--"And bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you."

+III. Is a revelation of Divine grace.+--"The grace of God in truth."

+IV. To be an evident blessing it must be heard and thoroughly believed as the only truth.+--"Since the day ye heard of and knew."

Vers. 7, 8. _A Successful Preacher_--

+I. Is affectionately recognised as a faithful minister of Christ+ (ver. 7).

+II. Attributes his success to the work of the Spirit+ (ver. 8).

+III. Regards the exercise of love in his hearers as a prominent feature of success+ (ver. 8).

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_A Comprehensive Apostolic Prayer._

+I. It was a prayer expressive of deep spiritual interest.+--1. _It was suggested by the report of their active Christian virtues._ "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray" (ver. 9). They had believed in Christ, they had shown a genuine love to the brethren, they hoped for the glory of the future, they brought forth the fruits of the Spirit. All this excites the grateful heart of the apostle to pray that they may enjoy yet higher spiritual blessings, may increase in knowledge and wisdom, and rise to the highest standard of moral perfection. We best show our love to others by praying for them. Prayer is always needed, since the most excellent Christian graces are imperfect, liable to decay, and may be abused.

2. _It was constant and fervent._--"Do not cease to pray for you and to desire" (ver. 9). The apostle had unbounded faith in the efficacy of prayer. Many in these days limit the advantage of prayer to its reflex influence on the individual who prays--expanding the thoughts, spiritualising the mind, and sanctifying the heart; and maintain that it is powerless to affect God, whose purposes must advance by the irresistible operation of unchanging law, irrespective of human supplication. Above this partial philosophy of the modern scientist we have the authority and practice of an inspired apostle. If God did not hear and answer prayer--answer it, not in violation of, but in harmony with, the highest law--then the frequent intercessions of the apostle are reduced to a solemn mockery, are unjustifiable and inexplicable. The apostle prayed with the utmost assiduity--night and day, as opportunity permitted--and with the utmost ardency, desiring that the blessings sought might be liberally and at once bestowed. As Augustine puts it, our desires being prayers, these are continual when our desires are continual.

+II. It was a prayer for amplest knowledge.+--1. _The main subject of the knowledge desired._ "The knowledge of His will" (ver. 9). Man thirsts for knowledge. He is eager to become acquainted with himself and the wonders around him. In his unwearied search after knowledge he has conquered colossal difficulties; has penetrated the starry spaces with the telescope; revealed the smallest visual atom with the microscope; and, with the deep-sea dredge, has made us familiar with the long-hidden treasures of the ocean. But the highest knowledge is the knowledge of God--not simply of His nature, majesty, perfections, works, but the knowledge of His _will._ So far as we are concerned, that will comprehends all that God wishes us to be, believe, and do. We must know His will in order to salvation, and as the supreme rule and guide of every action. Man may be ignorant of many things; but he cannot be ignorant of God's will and be saved. The knowledge of that will is the first great urgent duty of life.

2. _The measure in which the knowledge may be possessed._--"Filled with knowledge." The word "knowledge" is full and emphatic, indicating a living, comprehensive, complete knowledge of the Divine will. They already possessed some knowledge of that will; and the apostle prays that it may be deeper, clearer, and increasingly potent within them, that they may be _filled._ The soul is not only to possess this knowledge, but it is to possess the soul--informing, animating, and impelling it onwards to higher attainments in the things of God. Knowledge is a power for good only as it acquaints with the Divine will, and as it pervades and actuates the whole spiritual being. We may seek great things from God. He gives largely, according to His infinite bounty. There is no limit to our increase in Divine knowledge but our own capacity, diligence, and faith.

3. _The practical form in which the knowledge should be exercised._--"In all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (ver. 9). The word "spiritual" applies to both wisdom and understanding. The false teachers offered a _wisdom_ which they highly extolled, but it had only a show of wisdom; it was an empty counterfeit, calling itself philosophy; the offspring of vanity, nurtured by the flesh; it was unspiritual. The true Gospel is spiritual in its origin, characteristics, and effects. The wisdom and understanding it imparts are the work of the Holy Spirit. Without His presence and operation in the soul both the knowledge of the Divine will and advancement in it would be impossible. The two terms are similar in meaning, but there is a distinction. _Wisdom_ refers to the God-given organ by which truth is selected and stored up; _understanding_ to the faculty by which truth is practically and prudently used; the one is comprehensive and accumulative, the other discriminative and practical. True spiritual insight is the work of the Holy Spirit. No amount of mental or moral culture, of human wisdom and sagacity, can supply it. This was the power lacked by the Galatians when they were so soon seduced from the Gospel; and to prevent a similar result among the Colossians the apostle prays they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in _all_ spiritual wisdom and understanding, that they may discern between the false and the true, the carnal and spiritual, the human and the Divine.

+III. It was a prayer for the loftiest Christian career.+--1. _The standard of Christian conduct._ "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord" (ver. 10). Life is a journey; death is the common goal and resting-place where all meet. Our conduct is the pathway on which we travel. The _walk_ therefore describes the general course of life, the actions, habits, and deportment of the man in his relations to God and to the race. This walk is to "be worthy of the Lord"--worthy of His holy and dignified character; worthy of His law, of His kingdom, of His glory, of the high destiny He has designed for us. When a certain prince, on being captured, was asked how he should be treated, his prompt reply was, "As a king." We should ever remember the high vocation wherewith we are called, and the exalted pattern after which our behaviour should be modelled (Eph. iv. 1; 1 Thess. ii. 12). Our life is to be worthy of the Lord--in its spirit, motive, active outgoing, development, scope, and aim. For this purpose, we are filled with the knowledge of His will. The end of knowledge is practice; its value consists in what it enables us to do. He is not an architect who simply theorises about buildings, but he who has the art to erect them. To speak eloquently of war does not constitute a general; he only deserves that distinction who can skilfully manage an army in the field, whether in attacking or defending.

2. _The rule by which that standard is maintained._--"Unto all pleasing" (ver. 10). We are to please the Lord in all things; to attempt and sanction nothing that will not be acceptable to Him. We are not to please ourselves--we are not to please others--as the ultimate object of life. If our conduct please others--our parents, our friends, our country--it is well; but though all others are displeased and estranged, we must strive in all things to please God. This is the simplest as well as the highest and grandest rule of life. Attention to this will settle many perplexing questions concerning human duty. The will of God must be studied as our supreme rule, and to it all our throughs, words, and actions must be conformed. Thus, the life on earth becomes a preparation and discipline for heaven and blends the present with a future of immortal blessedness. It is well with us when we obey the Lord (Jer. xlii. 6).

3. _The productiveness of Christian consistency._--"Being fruitful in every good work" (ver. 10). One result of a worthy walk is fertility in Christian activity. In order to fruitfulness there must be life. The believer's life is hid with Christ in God, and the existence of the hidden life is manifest in the fruits. Fruitfulness also involves culture. Neglect the vine, and instead of the pendent clusters of glossy, luscious fruit there will be barrenness and decay--withered branches fit only for the consuming fire. God disciplines His people for fruitful and abundant service by painful but loving exercises of His providence (John xv. 2). It is not enough to bear one kind of fruit; there must be fertility "in every good work." The Christian is in sympathy with every good enterprise that aims at the physical, social, or moral welfare of man, and will heartily contribute his influence and effort in its promotion.

4. _Progress in Divine knowledge._--"And increasing in the knowledge of God" (ver. 10). The knowledge of God is the real instrument of enlargement, in soul and life, of the believer (_Alford_). We can reach no stage in Christian experience and practice in which additional knowledge is unnecessary. Activity in goodness sharpens the knowing faculty and adds to the stores of wisdom. On the other hand, increased knowledge reacts and stimulates the worker (John vii. 17; Matt. xxv. 29). _Divine_ knowledge is the great necessity of the soul, and the real means of fruitfulness and growth in goodness. It appeals to, elevates, and expands the whole man.

+IV. It was a prayer for supernatural strength.+--1. _The appropriateness and fulness of the blessing desired._ "Strengthened with all might" (ver. 11). Man is morally weak. Sin has enfeebled and debased the soul; it has tyrannised over humanity for ages. "When we were yet without strength" Christ came and introduced another force which counteracts sin and will ultimately effect its overthrow. All who believe in Christ receive strength to struggle against and conquer sin. This imparted strength is especially necessary in realising the blessings for which the apostle prays--complete knowledge of the Divine will; a life worthy of the Lord; spiritual fertility and advancement in heavenly wisdom. "Strengthened with _all_ might." Our enemies are numerous, violent, and obstinate, and our infirmities are many. We therefore need strength of every kind. As it is necessary to overcome _all_ our enemies, so it is necessary to be endued with _all_ might--might to endure the most furious assault, might to resist the most bewitching solicitation to evil.

2. _The supernatural source of the blessing._--"According to His glorious power" (ver. 11)--or, more correctly, "according to the power of His glory." Moral power is not native to the Christian; it has its source in God. He imparts it to the believing heart. The motive and measure of our strength is in the might of His glory. Power is an essential attribute of the Divine glory; it is manifested in the splendid works of creation, in the inscrutable ways of Providence, and pre-eminently in the marvels of human redemption. God's revelation of Himself to us, in whatever form, is the one source of our highest strength. The power of His glory reveals itself more and more to him who walks worthy of the Lord. Armed with this supernatural energy, the weakest saint becomes invincible.

3. _The great practical purpose contemplated by the blessing._--"Unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (ver. 11). _Patience_ is the temper which does not easily succumb under trial; _longsuffering,_ or longmindedness, is the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. Patience respects the weight of the affliction, longsuffering its duration. The former is exercised in relation to God, in the endurance of trial, or in waiting for promised blessing; the latter in relation to man, in long-continued forbearance under irritating wrongs. The true strength of the believer consists, not so much in what he can do, as in what he can endure (Isa. xxx. 15). The quiet, uncomplaining sufferer is greater than the most vigorous athlete. The characteristic of both patience and long-suffering is expressed in the phrase _"with joyfulness."_ To suffer with joyfulness is the great distinction and triumph of the Christian spirit. The endurance of the Stoic was often the effect of pride or insensibility. But the Christian, though keenly sensitive to pain, is enabled by the Holy Spirit to rejoice in the assurance of God's presence, in the certain victory of His cause, and in the prospect of reward both here and hereafter.

+Lessons.+--1. _How sublime are the topics of genuine prayer._ 2. _Deep experimental acquaintance with the things of God is essential to a lofty and useful career._ 3. _Knowledge, wisdom, spiritual fertility, and strength are the gifts of God._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9-11. _Paul's Prayer for the Colossians_--

+I. For knowledge.+--Fulness of knowledge both extensively and intensively is the burden of his desire. "In all wisdom"--as a practical guide, not as mere theory. "And spiritual understanding"--the spirit of the believer receiving the Spirit of God to lead him inwardly to understand, realise, and delight in the Divine will.

+II. For fruitfulness.+---1. _A life worthy of the Christian as it is well pleasing unto his Lord._ 2. _Good works of every kind._ 3. _Substantial growth._

+III. For strength.+--In order to this fruitfulness all might is required of body, mind, and spirit, but especially that of the Spirit within. The measure--"according to His glorious power"; so as to suffer patiently the constant trials of the Christian life and exercise all longsuffering towards persecutors and enemies of the truth, and this with _joyfulness._ It is not what we can do, but what He can do in us, and we through Him.--_Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 11. _Divine Strength_--

+I. Is spiritual strength, the source and sustenance of all might.+

+II. May be realised in increasing measure.+

+III. Arms the soul with invincible power.+--Power to endure with patience the trials of life; power to bear with the opposition and cruelty of others.

+IV. Enables the soul to rejoice in the midst of suffering.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 12.

_Meetness for Saintly Inheritance._

The epistle has been hitherto occupied with prefatory observations. In this verse the writer enters upon his principal theme relating to the person and redemption of Jesus Christ. He offers _thanks to God the Father as the primal source of that grace which constitutes the meetness for the saintly heritage._ Observe:--

+I. The opulent inheritance provided for the good.+--1. _It is a present and prospective possession._ "The inheritance of the saints in light." _Light_ is symbolic of knowledge, purity, and joy. The saints even now are called out of darkness into God's kingdom of marvellous light. "They walk in the light as He is in the light." They have a measure of knowledge, but it is dimmed by many earthly obscurities; of purity, but it is surrounded with imperfections; of joy, but it is moderated by life's sorrows. In the prospective heavenly inheritance, of which the earthly portion is a preparation and pledge, knowledge shall be unclouded and complete, purity unsullied, joy uninterrupted. "The life for eternity is _already_ begun: we are at and from the very hour of our regeneration introduced into the spiritual world--a world which, though mysterious and invisible, is as real as the world of sense around us: the Christian's life of heavenliness is the first stage of heaven itself! There is a power now within the believer in the germ, of which his celestial immortality shall be the proper fruit. The dawn of heaven hath already begun in all who are yet to rejoice in its noontide glory" (_Archer Butler_).

2. _It is a possession provided for the good._--"The saints." Not for the unholy, the impenitent, the unbelieving, the worldly. It is an inheritance where only the pure in heart can dwell. There is a world of significance in that pithy saying of an old Divine: "Every one will get to heaven who could live there." Only the saints who have made the Lord their light and their salvation can bear the splendour of His presence.

3. _It is a possession freely given._--The legal heir has no need to work for his inheritance; he enters in possession by right of succession or testatorial bequest. The saint enters upon his inheritance of righteousness, not by natural descent or by any self-constituted right, but on the ground of a free, Divine gift. The believer has a _title_ to the inheritance; but it is not earned by his own efforts: it is bestowed by Christ who won the inheritance by suffering and dying. Thus, all idea of merit is excluded; we can do nothing to deserve such a heritage of blessing. The word "inheritance" really means "the parcel of the lot"--an expression borrowed from the Old Testament (Ps. xvi. 5). The promised Canaan suggests an analogy between it and the higher hopes and wealthier possessions of the new dispensation. As each Israelite, through the grace of God, obtained his allotment, so the Christian obtains his portion in the kingdom of God. The present and future possession of the saints infinitely surpasses the earthly inheritance.

+II. The special meetness necessary to a participation in the inheritance.+--"Hath made us meet to be partakers."

1. _This meetness is absolutely necessary._--Naturally we are unmeet. A monarch may raise the basest slave to a dukedom, but he cannot give him fitness to discharge the duties of the exalted position; he may change his state, but he cannot change his nature. To obtain a moral fitness for the saintly inheritance our nature must be changed. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

2. _This meetness consists in the loving conformity of the human will to the Divine._--The future life of heaven is the object and pattern of our present heavenly life: "there is the mighty model on which we are to reconstruct our nature; there dwells that central form of moral and spiritual beauty of which our life is to be the transcript." The celestial spirits find their highest glory and blessedness in the complete submission of their whole nature to God; in cheerful, willing, loving obedience to His will. The heavenly life is the test and standard of our life on earth--of every motive, word, and deed. The Church of Christ is a training school for a more exalted career. An ancient sage once said, "Boys ought most to learn what most they shall need when they become men." So, men ought to learn in this life what they shall need most as glorified beings in the future. Only as our whole soul is conformed in loving obedience to the will of God are we "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." We are thus brought into sympathy with the good in all realms and fitted to participate in the most exalted fellowships of the future!

3. _This meetness is a Divine work._--It is God "the Father who hath made us meet." He provides the inheritance; He gives the title to it; He confers the moral fitness by which the soul enters into its possession and enjoyment. None but God, the fountain of holiness, goodness, and power, could accomplish this work. "He worketh in us to will and to do." In the meetening process He hath dealt with us as a FATHER, instructing our ignorance, correcting and chastising our faults, and comforting and strengthening us in trouble.

+III. The great duty we owe to the generous donor of the inheritance.+--"Giving thanks." Gratitude is the easiest and commonest duty of a dependent creature; yet is the duty most frequently and grossly neglected. Our hearts should ever glow with an unquenchable flame of grateful praise to the bountiful Author of all our blessings.

+Lessons.+--1. _We owe thanks to God as the Provider of the inheritance._ 2. _We owe thanks to God as the active Agent in producing the special meetness to participate in the enjoyments of the inheritance._ 3. _Our thanks to God should be expressed in active obedience to His will._ 4. _Our thanks to God should be joyful, fervent, and constant._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

Ver. 12. _Qualification for Heaven._

+I. The state contemplated.+--It is "an inheritance"; not a purchased property, but the common heritage of the children of God. "Of the saints," holy persons. "In light," knowledge, holiness, happiness.

+II. The meetness required.+--Adaptations in the natural world. In social arrangement. In regard to the heavenly state. A change of heart is necessary. Without it heaven would not be heaven to us. It must be sought and obtained in the present world. It is here ascribed to the Father.

+III. The thanks to be rendered.+--We thank our fellow-men for their gifts. We thank God for His other gifts. We should thank Him for meetness for heaven. This thanksgiving prepares us for heaven.--_G. Brooks._

_Meetness for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light._--Life for eternity is already begun. The business and the beatitude of heaven must consist in conformity of the will to the will of God: this is equally the law of earth.

+I. Faith is the realising power of this meetness.+

+II. Hope is the consoling and fortifying power.+

+III. Love is the uniting power, the consummation, and the perfection of all.+--_A. Butler._

_The Inheritance of the Saints._

+I. An interesting view of the future world as it is inherited by believers.+--1. _The saints are in light in respect to the place._ 2. _As it respects purity._ 3. _In respect of the permanency of their felicity._ 4. _As it respects knowledge._

+II. The meetness which is wrought by God in the hearts of all who are raised to the enjoyment of this inheritance.+--1. _The relative meetness is expressed by the word "inheritance."_ It is assigned to heirs. 2. _The personal meetness is indicated by the term "saints."_

+Lessons.+--1. _Give thanks to God for those who are made meet._ 2. _Give thanks to God if the work be begun in yourselves.--R. Watson._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 13, 14.

_The Great Moral Translation._

These words amplify the truth unfolded in the preceding verse, and describe the great change that must take place in order to obtain a meetness for the saintly inheritance--_the translation of the soul from the powerful dominion of darkness into the glorious kingdom of the Son of God._

+I. This translation involves our enfranchisement from a state of dark captivity.+--"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness" (ver. 13).

1. _The unrenewed are in a realm of moral darkness._--This was the condition of the Colossians and of the whole Gentile world before the times of the Gospel. "Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." Darkness denotes _ignorance,_ moral blindness. Man is in darkness about the great mysteries of being, the mystery of sin and suffering, the deep significance of life, the distressing question of human duty, the destiny of the universe, the character and operations of God, and His relation to the race. It is possible to know much _about_ religion, to hold religious ideas at second-hand as a group of poetic conceptions--fancy pictures from the book of Revelation, like the pictures of the poets from the book of Nature--and yet be totally in the dark as to the religious experience of those ideas. May be intellectually light, and spiritually dark. Darkness denotes _danger_ and _misery._ Like a traveller in a strange country overtaken by the night, stumbling along in uncertainty and fear, until one fatal step--and he lies helpless in the rocky abyss, into the bottom of which he falls.

2. _In this realm of moral darkness the unrenewed are held in captivity._--They are slaves in the land of darkness, tyrannised over by an arbitrary and capricious ruler. Slavery distorts and defaces the illustrious image in which man was originally created, darkens the understanding, paralyses the intellect, and stunts the growth of intelligence; it robs him of his self-respect, poisons nature, and brands him with unutterable infamy. The "power of darkness" is that tyranny which sin exercises over its captives, filling their minds with deadly errors or brutish ignorance, their consciences with terror of indifference, and dragging them onwards under its dismal yoke into all the horrors of eternal darkness. The tyrant of this gloomy realm is Satan; and his domination is founded and conducted on imposture, error, ignorance, and cruelty. He is the arch-deceiver.

3. _From this realm of moral darkness God graciously liberates._--"Who hath delivered us." For the slaves of sin there is no help but in God. It is the nature of sin to incapacitate its victim for making efforts after self-enfranchisement. He is unwilling to be free. To snap the fetters from a nation of slaves yearning for liberty is a great and noble act. Our deliverance is mightier than that. The word "deliver" in the text means to snatch or rescue from danger, even though the person seized may at first be unwilling to escape, as Lot from Sodom. God does not force the human will. The method of deliverance was devised and executed independent of our will; its personal benefits cannot be enjoyed without our will.

+II. This translation places us in a condition of highest moral freedom and privilege.+--1. _We are transferred to a kingdom._ "Hath translated us into the kingdom" (ver. 13). _Power_ detains captives; a kingdom fosters willing citizens. Tyranny has no law but the capricious will of a despot; a kingdom implies good government, based on universally recognised and authoritative law. "The image is presented of the wholesale transportation of a conquered people, of which the history of Oriental monarchies furnishes many examples" (Josephus, _Ant.,_ IX. xi.). They were translated from a bad to a better ruling power. So, the believer is moved from the realm and power of darkness and bondage to the kingdom of light and freedom. The laws of this kingdom are prescribed by Christ, its honours and privileges granted by Him, and its future history and triumphs will ever be identified with His own transcendent glory.

2. _We are placed under the rule of a beneficent and glorious King._--"The kingdom of God's dear Son," more accurately "the Son of His love." As love is the essence of the Father, so is it also of the Son. The manifestation of the Son to the world is manifestation by Him of Divine love (1 John iv. 9). The kingdom into which believers are translated is founded on love; its entire government is carried on under the same beneficent principle. The acts of suffering and death, by which Christ won His kingly dignity and power, were revelations of love in its most heroic and self-sacrificing forms. When we believe in Christ, we are translated from the tyranny and darkness of sin into the kingdom of which the Son of God--the Son infinitely beloved of the Father--is King. As willing subjects, we share with Him the Father's love, and are being prepared for more exalted service and sublimer experiences in the endless kingdom of the future.

+III. The Divine method by which translation is effected.+--It is effected by redemption.

1. _The means of redemption._--"Through His blood" (ver. 14). The image of a captive and enslaved people is still continued. But the metaphor is changed from the victor who rescues the captive by force of arms to the philanthropist who releases him by the payment of a ransom (_Lightfoot_). All men are under the condemnation of a violated law and sink in the bondage of sin. There is no release but by paying a ransom; this is involved in the idea of redemption. The ransom-price paid for the enfranchisement of enslaved humanity was "not corruptible things, as silver and gold, but the precious blood of Christ." The _mode_ of redemption is to us a deep mystery; the reasons influencing the Divine Mind in its adoption we cannot fathom. But the fact is plainly revealed (1 Pet. iii. 18, ii. 24; Gal. iii. 13). This was God's method of translating from bondage to liberty.

2. _The effect of redemption._--"Even the forgiveness of sins" (ver. 14). The ransom-price is paid, and the slave is free. The first blessing of redemption is pardon. It is this the penitent soul most urgently needs; it does not exclude all other redemptive blessings but opens and prepares the soul for their reception. Sin is the great obstacle between the soul and God; the monster sluice that shuts off the flow of Divine blessing. Redemption lifts the sluice, and the stream of Divine goodness pours its tide of benediction into the enraptured soul. An earthly king may forgive the felon, but he cannot give him a better disposition. God never forgives without at the same time giving a new heart. Pardon involves every other blessing--peace, purity, glory; it is the pledge and foundation for the bestowal of all we can need in time or in eternity.

3. _The Author of redemption._--"In whom we have redemption" (ver. 14). Christ, the Son of God's love, by the sacrifice of Himself, accomplished our redemption; and it is only as we are _in_ Him by faith that we actually partake of the freedom He purchased for us. His blood is not merely the ransom paid for our deliverance, but He is Himself the personal, living source of redemption. The deliverance of humanity is not simply in the work of Christ, through what He did and suffered, but in Himself--"the strong Son of God," the crucified, risen, and living Saviour. It is not only a rescue from condemnation and punishment, but a deliverance from the power and bondage of evil. The words "in whom we have redemption" teach much and imply more. They describe a continuous gift enjoyed, a continuous process realised by all who have been translated into the kingdom of the Saviour. In them the power of redemption is being carried on, so that they die unto sin, and live unto God, and experience a growing meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light (_Spence_). Christ only could be the Redeemer of men; He combined in one person the Divine and human natures: He could therefore meet the demands of God and the necessities of man.

+Lessons.+--1. _Sin is a dark, enslaving power._ 2. _The kingdom of the Redeemer is one of light and freedom._ 3. _Moral translation by redemption is a Divine work._ 4. _The forgiveness of sin can be obtained only by faith in the Son of God._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 13. _From Darkness to Light._

+I. Man is naturally in a state of darkness, held captive by sin and Satan.+

+II. A kingdom of freedom and light is provided by the intervention of the Son of God.+

+III. The translation from darkness to light is a Divine act.+

Ver. 14. _The Great Blessing of Redemption_--

+I. Is the forgiveness of sins.+

+II. The blessing of forgiveness is through the agency of Christ.+

+III. Redemption is purchased at a great cost and sacrifice.+--"Through His blood."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_15-17.

_The Relation of Christ to God and to all Created Things._

Having spoken of our redemption, the apostle, in terms of the highest significance and grandeur, dwells upon the dignity and absolute supremacy of the Redeemer.

+I. The relation of Christ to God.+--"Who is the image of the invisible God" (ver. 15). God is an infinite and eternal Spirit, incomprehensible and invisible. "No man hath seen God at any time;" yet humanity yearns for some visible embodiment of Deity. Christ reflects and reveals the Father. "He is the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person." It is believed that the idea of the _Logos_ underlies the whole of this passage, though the term is not mentioned. The heretical teachers at Colossæ had introduced a perverted view as to the nature of the _mediation_ between God and creation, and the apostle aims to rectify it. The word λόγος, denoting both reason and speech, was a philosophical term adopted by Alexandrian Judaism to express the manifestation of the unseen God--the absolute Being--in the creation and government of the world. It included all modes by which God makes himself known to man. As His _reason,_ it denoted His purpose or design; as His _speech,_ it implied His revelation. When Christian teachers adopted this term, they exalted and fixed its meaning by attaching it to two precise and definite ideas--that the Word is a Divine person, and that the Word became incarnate in Jesus Christ (_Lightfoot_). Christ as the eternal Word is the perfect image, the visible representation, of the unseen God. In addition to the idea of _similitude,_ which is capable of a wide and general use, the word "image" involves two others.

1. _Representation._--It implies an archetype of which the image is a copy. Man is said to be in the image of God; but there is a difference between the image of God in man and the image of God in Christ. In Christ it is as Cæsar's image in his son; in man it is as Cæsar's image on his coin. In the God-man Christ Jesus we have a visible, living, perfect, and reliable representation of the invisible God.

2. _Manifestation._--The general idea of the _Logos_ is the manifestation of the hidden. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John i. 18, compared with xiv. 9, 10, vi. 46). The incarnate Word, in His nature, attributes, and actions, is the true _epiphany_ of the unseen Deity, setting forth, like distinct rays of one and the same glorious light, His infinite wisdom, mercy, righteousness, and power. Our obligations to Christ for His wondrous revelations are unspeakably great.

+II. The relation of Christ to all created things.+--1. _Christ existed prior to the creation._ He is "the firstborn of every creature" (ver. 15). It is not said He was the first formed or first created of every creature, but the firstborn--the first begotten. It is plainly intimated that Christ, the Son of God's love, was begotten before any created thing existed. There is therefore no ground in this passage for the Arians and Socinians to build up their theory of the creatureship of Christ. In relation to all created things, intelligent or unintelligent, terrene or celestial, Christ was the firstborn. In an ineffably mysterious sense _He_ was begotten; _they_ were created. The two ideas involved in the phrase are: (1) _Priority to all creation_--the absolute pre-existence of the Son. The term "first begotten" was frequently used among the Jews as a term of precedence and dignity. As applied to the Son of God, it implies priority in rank in relation to all created things. Time is an accident of the _creature._ Therefore, the origin of the Son of God precedes all time. (2) _Sovereignty over all creation._ God's firstborn is the natural Ruler, the acknowledged Head of God's household. He is "Heir of all things." He is creation's supreme and absolute Lord. He brought all creatures out of nothing, and by His own will graduated the degree of being each should possess; and it is fitting He should have unlimited empire over all. As if to prevent the possibility of any misconception regarding the relation of Christ to the universe, and to show that He could not be a part of creation however exalted in degree, but was essentially distinct from it, the apostle _sets forth the Son of God as the First Cause, the Active Agent, and the Grand End of all created things._

2. _Christ is Himself the Creator of all things._--(1) _The conception of creation originated in Christ._ "For by Him [or _in_ Him] were all things created" (ver. 16). He was the great First Cause; the being, forms, limitations, energies of all things to be were bound up in Him. It rested with Himself to create or not to create. It is thought by some the Platonic idea is here shadowed forth; that the archetypes, the original patterns of all things, were in Christ before they were created outwardly. This is simply a philosophic speculation and is readily suggested by the universal method of the mind first forming a mental conception within itself of any object it desires to body-forth to the outward eye. It is in Christ we trace the great work of creation in its beginning, progress, and end. (2) _The powers of creation were distributed by Christ._ "All things that are in heaven, and that are in earth" (ver. 16). He created the heavens also; but those things which are in the heavens are rather named because the inhabitants are more noble than their dwellings. "Visible," things that are evident to the outward senses; and "invisible," things that may be conceived by the understanding. "With a view to meet some peculiar doctrine of the false teachers at Colossæ, who seem to have alleged that Christ was but one of the heavenly powers, St. Paul breaks up the things _invisible,_ and distributes them by the words 'thrones,' 'dominions,' 'principalities,' or 'powers.' It may be difficult, and indeed impossible, for us now fully to know what the terms severally convey in connection with the several hierarchies of official glory. Yet all these invisible beings, so illustrious as to be seated on _thrones,_ so great as to be styled _dominions,_ so elevated as to be considered _principalities,_ so mighty as to merit the designation of _powers,_ were created by the Son of God; and they all acknowledge His supremacy and glory. The highest position in creation is infinitely below Him, and there is neither majesty nor renown that equals His. All created beings occupying the loftiest thrones throughout the vastness of immensity and amidst the mystery of life do homage and service to Christ Jesus as the firstborn, the only begotten Son of God" (_Spence_). (3) _Christ is Himself the Great End of creation._ "All things were created _for_ Him" (ver. 16). As all creation emanated from Him, so does it all converge again towards Him. "The eternal Word is the goal of the universe, as He was the starting-point. It must end in unity, as it proceeded from unity; and the centre of this unity is Christ." The most elaborate and majestic machinery of the universe and the most highly gifted intelligence alike exist only to serve the ultimate purpose of creation's Lord. All created things gather their significance, dignity, and glory by their connection with Him. Christ must be more than a creature, as the loftiest creature could not be the end of all created things. It is a narrow philosophy that teaches that all things were made for man. The grand end of all our endeavours should ever be the glory of Christ.

3. _The unchanging eternity of Christ._--"He is before all things" (ver. 17). Not only is He before Moses and before Abraham, as He declared to the Jews (John viii.), but He is before all things. The words refer not so much to His eminence in rank as to duration. The terms HE IS, in the Greek, are most emphatic, the one declaring His _personality,_ the other that His _pre-existence is absolute existence._ Christ existed before any created thing--even before time itself; therefore, from eternity. Knowing the tendency of men to entertain inferior notions of the person of Christ, and of the redemption He has provided, the apostle multiplies conceptions to represent His Divine worth and excellency. He should be preferred before all.

4. _The continued existence of creation depends on Christ._--"And by [rather _in_] Him all things consist" (ver. 17)--_hold together, cohere._ He is the principle of cohesion in the universe. He impresses upon creation that unity and solidarity which makes it a cosmos instead of a chaos. Thus, to take one instance, the action of gravitation, which keeps in their places things fixed and regulates the motion of things moving, is an expression of His mind (_Lightfoot_). The universe found its completion in Him and is sustained and preserved every moment by the continuous exercise of His almighty power. All things hang on Christ; in Him they live and move and have their being. If He withdrew His upholding hand, everything would run into confusion and ruin. "Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust." In Him all things consist. He is the centre of life, force, motion, and rest; round Him all things revolve. He imposes their limits, gives to them their law, strikes the keynote of their harmonies, blends and controls their diverse operations. He is the All-perfect in the midst of imperfection, the Unchanged in the midst of change. He is the Author of human redemption; became incarnate, suffered, died, and rose again, and now reigns with the Father in glory everlasting. He is worthy of our loftiest adoration, our humblest submission, our strongest confidence, our most ardent love.

+Lessons.+--1. _The supremacy of the Creator and Preserver of all things is absolute and universal_ 2. _Human redemption is grounded on the divinity of the Son of God._ 3. _Personal trust in the Redeemer brings the soul into direct personal relation to the Father._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 15. _Christ a Revelation because He is the Equal of the Father_--

+I. In His nature.+--The incarnation.

+II. In His attributes.+

+III. In His will.+--The character of Christ and His moral system.

+IV. In His works.+--His miracles, His death as a sacrifice for sin, His resurrection. 1. How ungrateful and unbelieving have we been! 2. How zealous and devoted should we be!--_G. Brooks._

Ver. 16. _Christ the Author and the End of Creation._

+I. The Author.+--1. _The extent._ "All things." The universe, natural and moral.

2. _The variety._--"Visible and invisible." The near and the distant, the vast and the minute, the material and the spiritual.

3. _The orders._--"Whether they be." Scale of being. Gradations in all classes.

+II. The end.+--1. _Heaven was created for Him._ As the place of His special residence and as the home of His people.

2. _Angels were created for Him._--Messengers of His mercy, executioners of His vengeance.

3. _Hell was created for Him._--The prison of His justice.

4. _The earth was created for Him._--The scene of His incarnation and atoning death. His mediatorial kingdom.

5. _The human race was created for Him._--Man created, preserved, redeemed. (1) How exalted should be our ideas of Christ! (2) How carefully should we learn to view everything in connection with Christ! 3. What ground for confidence, gratitude, and fear.--_Ibid._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 18.

_The Relation of Christ to the Moral Creation._

After showing that Christ holds the position of absolute priority and sovereignty over the whole universe, the apostle now proceeds to point out His relation to the principal part of that whole--the Church, as the symbol and embodiment of the new, moral creation. From this verse we learn that _Christ is the supreme Head, and primal life-giving Source of the Church, and as such is invested with universal pre-eminence._

+I. Christ is the supreme Head of the Church--the new moral creation.+--1. _The Church is the body of Christ._ "The body, the Church." Much controversy has prevailed as to what constitutes the Church; and the more worldly the Church became, the more confused the definition, the more bitter the controversy. The New Testament idea of the Church is easily comprehended. It is the whole body of the faithful in Christ Jesus, who are redeemed and regenerated by His grace--the aggregate multitude of those in heaven and on earth who love, adore, and serve the Son of God as their Redeemer and Lord. The word ἐκκλησία constitutes two leading ideas: the ordained _unity,_ and the _calling_ or separating out from the world. Three grand features ever distinguish the true Church--unbroken unity, essential purity, and genuine catholicity. (Cf. Eph. i. 22, 23, iv. 15, 16; 1 Cor. xii. 12-27).

2. _Christ is the Head of the Church._--"And He is the Head of the body, the Church." That the world might not be considered this body, the word "Church" is added; and the materialistic conception of a Church organism thus refuted. As the Head of the Church--(1) Christ inspires it with spiritual life and activity. (2) He impresses and moulds its character. (3) He prescribes and enforces its laws. (4) He governs and controls its destinies. (5) He is the centre of its unity.

+II. Christ is the originating, fontal Source of the organic life of the Church.+--In respect to the state of grace, _He is the beginning_; in respect to the state of glory, He is _the firstborn from the dead._ He gives to the Church its entity, form, history, and glory; except in and through Him, the Church could have no existence.

1. _He is the Author of the moral creation._--"The beginning." Christ has been before described as the Author of the old material creation. Here He is announced as the beginning of the new spiritual creation. The moral creation supplies the basis and constituent elements of the Church. In the production, progress, and final triumph of the new creation, He will redress all the wreck and ruin occasioned by the wrong-doing of the old creation. Of this new moral creation Christ is the source, the principle, the beginning; the fountain of life, purity, goodness, and joy to the souls of men.

2. _He is the Author of the moral creation as the Conqueror of Death._--"The firstborn from the dead." Sin introduced death into the old creation, and the insatiable monster still revels and riots amid the corruptions he perpetually generates. The Son of God, in fulfilment of the Divine plan of redemption, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He descended into Hades and placed Himself among the dead. On the third day He rose again, "the firstfruits of them that slept." He was "the firstborn from the dead"; the first who had risen by His own power; the first who had risen to die no more. By dying He conquered death for Himself and all His followers. He can therefore give life to all that constitute that Church of which He is fittingly the Head, assure them of a resurrection from the dead, of which His own was a pattern and pledge, and of transcendent and unfading glory with Himself in the endless future.

+III. The relation of Christ to the Church invests Him with absolute pre-eminence.+--"That in all things He might have the pre-eminence."

1. _He is pre-eminent in His relation to the Father._--He is "the image of the invisible God"; the Son of His love, joined by a bond to us mysterious and ineffable, and related in a sense in which no other can be. He is the first and the last; the only Divine Son.

2. _He is pre-eminent in the universe of created things._--He existed _before_ any being was created, and was Himself the omnipotent Author of all created things. The whole hierarchy of heaven obey and adore Him. He is alone in His complex nature as our Emmanuel. Mystery of mysteries; in Him Deity and humanity unite!

3. _He is pre-eminent in His rule over the realm of the dead._--He entered the gloomy territory of the grave, wrestled with and vanquished the King of Terrors, rose triumphantly from the dismal battle-field, and is now Lord both of the dead and of the living. "I am He that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore; and have the keys of Hades and of death" (Rev. i. 18).

4. _He is pre-eminent in His relation to the Church._--The Church from beginning to end is purely His own creation. He sketched its first rough outline, projected its design, constructed its organism, informed it with life, dowered it with spiritual riches; and He will continue to watch over and direct its future until He shall "present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing"!

5. _He is pre-eminent in the estimation and homage of a ransomed world._--He is the central figure of all history; around Him all events group themselves, and by Him are stamped with their true character, significance, and worth. The dream of the ages, the teaching of figures and symbols, the shadows and forecastings of coming events, are all dismissed in the effulgent presence of Him to whom they all point, like so many quivering index-fingers. Christ has to-day the strongest hold upon the heart of humanity. His perplexed enemies admire while they reject Him; the ever-increasing multitude of His friends reverence and adore Him; and the era is rapidly advancing when to Him a universe of worshippers shall bow the knee and acknowledge that "in all things He has the pre-eminence."

+Lessons.+--1. _The pre-eminence of Christ entitles Him to universal obedience._ 2. _The highest blessedness is found in union with the Church of Christ._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

Ver. 18. _The Church the Body of Christ._

+I. As the body of Christ the Church is one with Him.+--1. _One in covenant dealing with God._ 2. _One in respect of the principle of life._ 3. _One in history._ 4. _How Christ may be served or persecuted._

+II. As the body of Christ the Church is one in itself.+--1. _Identity of principle._ 2. _Substantial agreement in faith._ 3. _A visible association through sympathy._

+III. As the body of Christ the Church has many co-operating and mutually dependent members.+--1. _The members are as numerous as are believers or as are offices._ 2. _Their mutual dependence and co-operation illustrated in the work of spreading the Gospel._ 3. _Let each one know his own place and duties._

+IV. As the body of Christ the Church must grow up to completeness and maturity.+--1. _Each believer is first a babe in Christ and advances to the measure of the stature of a man in Christ._ 2. _As a whole the Church is gradually augmented and increased_--from Abel onwards. 3. _To gather in and perfect the elect is the peculiar work of time._

+V. As the body of Christ the Church must be restored to perfect soundness and health.+--1. _Christ receives the Church--dead._ 2. _The first step towards perfect soundness is a resurrection._ 3. _Hence each believer is quickened with Christ in order to be healed._ 4. _The bodies of the saints shall likewise be perfect._--The Physician. 5. _In heaven no one shall say, "I am sick."_

+VI. As the body of Christ the Church is the object of His unremitting care.+--1. _To provide for the wants of his body is man's unceasing care._ 2. _Christ has made ample provision._ 3. _He now ministers to His Church's wants_--clothing, food, defence, habitation.

+VII. As the body of Christ the Church is the instrument through which He accomplishes His purposes.+--1. _The body the instrument of the heart or soul._ 2. _The Church the instrument of Christ._ 3. _The Church but the instrument.--Stewart._

_Christ the Firstborn from the Dead_--

+I. In the dignity of His person.+

+II. Because He rose by His own power.+

+III. Because He is the only one who rose never to die again.+

+IV Because He has taken precedence of His people who all shall rise from their graves to glory.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 19, 20.

_The Reconciling Work of the Great Mediator._

After showing the grand pre-eminency of Christ in both the natural and moral creation, and thus declaring the inferior and subordinate position of those angelic powers whose nature and office the false teachers in Colossæ unduly extolled, the apostle here proceeds to point out _the special fitness of the great Mediator for that lofty relationship._ It is grounded on the fact that in Him all fulness dwells. Observe--

+I. The unique qualification of the great Mediator.+--1. _In Him all fulness dwells._ The heretical teachers would reduce Christ to the level of an angelic mediator, a simple evolution from the Divine nature, and one of the links that bind the finite to the infinite. They admitted there was the manifestation of Divine power and glory, but that this was only occasional, and not inherent. The apostle, in refuting this, asserts that the plenitude--the grand totality of Deity--resided in Christ, not as a transient guest, but as a permanent and abiding presence. "All fulness." Well might the profound and devout Bengel exclaim, "Who can fathom the depth of this subject?" In the marvellous person of Jesus there is combined all the fulness of humanity as well as the fulness of Divinity--all the beauty, dignity, and excellency that replenish heaven and earth, and adorn the nature of God and of men. It is a fulness that stands related to all the interests of the universe and can supply the moral necessities of all. There is a fulness of wisdom to keep us from error, fulness of grace to preserve from apostasy, fulness of joy to keep us from despair, and fulness of power to protect from all evil. It penetrates and fills the vast universe of intelligent beings and girds it with a radiant circle of glory and felicity.

2. _It is the good pleasure of the Father that this fulness should reside in the Son._--"For it pleased the Father" (ver. 19). It was the will and purpose of God the Father that Christ, as the Mediator, should, in order to accomplish the great work of reconciliation, be filled with the plenitude of all Divine and human excellencies; that He should be the grand, living, unfailing reservoir of blessing to the whole intelligent universe. The Father is not only in harmony with the reconciling work of the Son, but the whole merciful arrangement was from the first suggested, planned, and appointed by Him. The moving cause and foundation of all saving grace through the Son is the good pleasure of the Father. It is not His good pleasure that any other than Christ should be the Mediator of the universe. We should never seek or acknowledge any other.

+II. The reconciling work of the great Mediator.+--1. _The nature of the reconciliation._ "To reconcile unto Himself" (ver. 20). The word "reconcile" imports to restore one to a state of amity and friendship, to change the relations of two parties separated either by one-sided or mutual enmity. Sin places man at enmity with God, and exposes him to the Divine opposition and anger. The cross of Christ, by removing the cause of estrangement, opens the way of reconciliation; and the penitent, believing soul is thus restored to the Divine favour and friendship. But the word "reconcile" does not always presuppose the existence of open enmity; and, from the general drift of the verse, the term should be interpreted in the most liberal sense, yet with the utmost caution and reverence.

2. _The extent of the reconciliation._--"To reconcile all things unto Himself, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven" (ver. 20). It was on the earth where the enmities first arose; therefore, it is put first. The humanity of Christ bringing all creatures around it unites them to God in a bond which never before existed--a bond which has its origin in the mystery of redemption. Thus all things in heaven and earth feel the effect of man's renovation. In Christ, the great Reconciler, meet and merge the discordant elements which sin had introduced (see _Bengel_ and _Eadie_). The false teachers aimed at effecting a partial reconciliation between God and man, through the interposition of angelic mediators. The apostle speaks of an absolute and complete reconciliation of universal nature to God, effected through the mediation of the incarnate Word. Their mediators were ineffective because they were neither human nor Divine. The true Mediator must be both human and Divine. The whole universe of things material, as well as spiritual, shall be restored to harmony with God. How far this restoration of universal nature may be subjective, as involved in the changed perceptions of man thus brought into harmony with God, and how far it may have an objective and independent existence, it were vain to speculate (_Lightfoot_). With regard to this reconciliation, we may safely say it includes, with much more that is too high for us to understand, the following truths: (1) Sinful creatures on earth are reconciled to God in Christ. For the degenerate and guilty children of men there is a Reconciler and a way of reconciliation, so that wrath is turned aside, and friendship restored. (2) Sinful and sinless or unfallen creatures are reconciled to each other and brought together again in Christ. Bengel says: "It is certain that the angels, the friends of God, were the enemies of men when they were in a state of hostility against God." The discord and disunion introduced into the moral universe by sin are overcome by the Lord Jesus. (3) Sinless and unfallen creatures are brought nearer to God in Christ, and, through His reconciling work and His infinite fulness of grace, are confirmed for ever in their loyalty and love. In Christ, the Redeemer and Reconciler, they have views of the Divine nature, character, and glory they never had before, and which they can nowhere else obtain (_Spence_). It needed such a Mediator as Jesus, gifted with the highest Divine and human powers, to restore the tone and harmony of a discordant universe, and tune every created spirit to the keynote of sweetest celestial music. The true melody of acceptable praise is learned only in the ardent, loving adoration of the Son of God.

+III. The means by which the reconciliation is effected.+--"And having made peace through the blood of His cross" (ver. 20). To make peace is the same thing as to reconcile; and the death of Christ--the shedding of His blood on the cross--was the method by which, in the infinite wisdom of God, the peace-producing reconciliation is secured. It was the voluntary self-sacrifice of Himself on the cross that constituted Jesus the grand reconciling Mediator of the universe. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. v. 18). Only by suffering could suffering be assuaged; only by dying could death itself be conquered. The cross is therefore the symbol of peace, of power, of triumph. There the law was fulfilled and magnified, the integrity of the Divine perfections vindicated, justice was satisfied, mercy found its most bounteous outlet, and love its crowning joy. The cross is the source of every blessing to the fallen; the centre round which a disordered universe again revolves in beauteous order and rejoicing harmony; the loadstone that draws the trembling sinner to the needed and unutterable repose.

+Lessons.+--1. _The great Mediator has every qualification for His stupendous work._ 2. _The reconciliation of a disorganised universe is beyond the power of any subordinate agent._ 3. _Rebellious man can be restored to peace with God only as he yields himself up to the great Mediator._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 19. _The Fulness of Christ_--

+I. Endowed with all Divine and human excellencies.+

+II. Necessary to accomplish His reconciling work.+

+III. Was required and approved by God the Father.+

Ver. 20. _Christ the Reconciler_--

+I. Restored the friendship between God and man broken by sin.+

+II. Accomplished His work by the voluntary sacrifice of His life.+

+III. Introduces harmony into a disrupted universe.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 21, 22.

_The Personal Blessings of Reconciliation._

Having shown the relation of Christ to God, to the whole creation, and to the Church, and His connection with all moral beings, the writer now proceeds to point out the relation of Christ to individual man in delivering him from the fetters of sin and opening up the way of reconciliation with an outraged but loving Deity. In this passage we have a description of _the attitude of sinful man towards God and the method of his restoration._ We learn that:--

+I. Sin has placed man in antagonism to God.+--1. _Man is estranged from God._ "And you that were sometime alienated" (ver. 21). Sin severs the soul from God. The principle of cohesion--the consciousness of rectitude which God implanted in man in his sinless state--is weakened, and the sinner, breaking away from the centre of all goodness, drifts into an ever-widening and ever-darkening wilderness of alienation and evil. Sin places man at an infinite distance from God, leads him to shun the Divine presence and disregard the Divine overtures. A state of alienation is a state of danger; it is a state of spiritual death; and yet it is painful to observe how few in this state are conscious of their awful peril.

2. _Man is hostile to God._--"Enemies in your mind" (ver. 21). The enmity follows from the estrangement, and both have their seat in the mind--"in the original and inmost _force of the mind_ which draws after it the other faculties." The mind of man opposes the mind of God, sets up a rival kingdom, and organises an active rebellion against the Divine Ruler. "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. viii. 7). If the hostility is not always flagrantly open, it is in the mind; the fountain of all sin is there. To be a stranger to God is to be an enemy of God: "He that is not with Me is against Me." The sinner is his own greatest enemy. It is a vain thing to fight against God; terrible will be the vengeance He will ere long wreak upon His enemies.

3. _Man's estrangement and hostility are evident in his actions._--"By wicked works" (ver. 21). Man is stimulated by his sinful mind to perpetrate the most outrageous acts of rebellion against God, and to indulge in the most fiendish cruelty towards his fellow-man. But there are "wicked works" that may not figure in the criminal columns of the newspapers, nor be detected by the most vigilant watcher. To cherish envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness is equally heinous in the sight of God, and an unmistakable evidence of hostility towards Him. Sin conceived in the mind will, sooner or later, manifest itself in action.

+II. Man is reconciled to God in Christ.+--1. _The distinguished blessing._ "Yet now hath He reconciled" (ver. 21). To effect this all that is necessary is to persuade the sinner to cease his rebellion and submit to God. In Christ God is reconciled to the sinner; there is no need to persuade Him. He is love; the sinner is enmity. He is light; the sinner is darkness. He is nigh unto the sinner, but the sinner is afar off. The great object is to destroy the sinner's enmity, that he may have Divine love; bring him from darkness into Divine light; bring him from his evil works nigh unto God, and reconciliation is the result (_Biblical Museum_). The amity existing between the soul and God, and which sin had interrupted, is now restored. Dear as are the friendships of earth, none can equal friendship with God.

"The calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God; And He shall save me to the end Through Jesu's blood."

The loftiest communion of the soul with God is renewed. In this the soul finds its strength, consolation, life, rapture. How much does that man lose whose heart is not reconciled to God?

2. _The gracious medium of the blessing._--"In the body of His flesh through death" (ver. 22). The apostle here refers in the most explicit terms to the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ and shows that the great work of reconciliation was effected in His body, and through death, for that body was crucified and actually died. The apostle perhaps aimed at correcting certain pseudo-spiritualistic notions regarding the person of Christ, busily propagated by the false teachers; some of whom held that Christ was an angelic emanation which animated the man Jesus for a time and withdrew from Him before He suffered. While maintaining the proper deity and glory of Christ's nature, the apostle plainly indicates that the Divine method of reconciliation was by the incarnation and sacrificial death of Christ. He thus exalts the significance and value of the death of Christ. Reconciliation was not accomplished by the faultless example of Christ's life or the supernal wisdom of His teaching, but by His crucifixion and death. The cross, with its unfathomable mystery, is to them that perish foolishness; but to them that believe it is still the power and wisdom of God.

+III. The Divine purpose in reconciliation is to promote man's highest blessedness.+--The magnificence of the believer's future career will be in marked contrast with the obscurity and imperfection of the present; but even in this life he is lifted by the reconciling grace of God to a high standard of moral excellence. The terms here employed, while referring to the same spiritual state, delineate its different aspects.

1. _The highest blessedness of man consists in his moral purity._--"To present you holy" (ver. 22). This shows the condition of the soul in relation to God; it is freely offered to Him as a living sacrifice; the inward consciousness is wholly consecrated to the permanent indwelling of the Holy One; every thought, affection, and aspiration of the soul is hallowed; the whole man is enriched, ennobled, and radiant with a holy character.

2. _The highest blessedness of man consists in his personal blamelessness._--"Unblameable" (ver. 22). This aspect of character has reference to one's self; it is the development in the outward life of the purity and consecration of the heart; it is a sacrificial term and means without blemish. The soul is inspired with a sense of integrity, and of always acting for the best. When Socrates was asked, just before his trial, why he did not prepare himself for his defence, he calmly answered, "I have been doing nothing else all my life." A noble, blameless life is its own defence.

3. _The highest blessedness of man consists in his freedom from censure._--"Unreproveable in His sight" (ver. 22). This feature of a holy character has reference to others. If man thus purified and blessed can bear the piercing glance of Him whose scrutiny no defect can escape, his character is unchallengeable. To be accepted and approved of God places him beyond the accusations of man or demon; the subtle insinuations of the Great Accuser are powerless to hurt. "It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth?" To be holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in the sight of God is to enjoy the highest honour and completest bliss. This is the ultimate result of reconciliation in Christ.

+Lessons.+--1. _Sin is the great foe of God and man._ 2. _The death of Christ is the means of reconciling sinful man to God._ 3. _The aim of reconciliation is to produce an irreproachable character._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 21. _Reconciliation by Christ._

+I. Estrangement.+--1. _The cause_--by wicked works. 2. _The result_--not merely that God is angry, but we have become enemies to God.

+II. Reconciliation.+--1. _Christ has reconciled man to God._ 2. _He hath reconciled man to man._ 3. _He hath reconciled man to Himself._ 4. _He hath reconciled man to duty.--Robertson._

Ver. 22. _Holiness the Supreme End of Reconciliation._

+I. Holiness an inward state and an outward result.+--"Holy, unblameable and unreproveable."

+II. Holiness alone can satisfy God.+--"In His sight."

+III. Holiness is the final completion of the soul.+--"To present you."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 23.

_The Condition of Man's Final Blessedness._

The ripest fruits can only be produced and gathered by careful and unremitting culture; so, the enjoyment of the final blessings of reconciliation is conditioned upon continued allegiance to the Gospel and the diligent practice of its precepts. We are taught in this verse that _the ultimate presentation to God of a perfectly holy and blameless character depends upon the believer's firm and persevering attachment to the Gospel._ Observe--

+I. Man's final blessedness depends upon his unswerving continuance in the faith.+--The _faith_ is a comprehensive term; it is inclusive of all the great saving truths of the Gospel, and of man's many-sided relation to them. There is implied:

1. _A continuance in the doctrines of the faith._--What a man believes has a powerful influence in moulding his character. The truths submitted to our faith shed light upon matters of transcendent import and worth. The baffled and inquiring mind, straining with painful eagerness after light, finds its satisfaction and rest amid the soothing radiance of revealed truth. "In returning and rest shall ye be saved" (Isa. xxx. 15). Unbelief lures the soul from its restful confidence, sets it adrift amidst the cross currents of bewilderment and doubt, and exposes it to moral shipwreck and irrevocable loss. The soul's eternal safety is ensured, not by an infatuated devotion to mere _opinions_ about certain dogmas, but by an intelligent, firm, and constant faith in Divine verities.

2. _A continuance in the profession of the faith._--The believer is a witness for the truth; and it is an imperative duty to bear testimony for Christ before the world (Rom. x. 9, 10). This is done when we unite in fellowship and service with the external Church of Christ on earth. The Church, as the representative of Christ, witnesses for Him in the life and conduct of its individual members. There is nothing binding as to the special form this witness-bearing should take in each particular case; nor is any man compelled, for the sake of profession, to wed himself to any particular branch of the Church catholic. There may be reasons that render it justifiable, and even necessary, for a man to sever himself from any given religious community and join another; but on no conceivable ground can he be liberated from the duty of an open profession of his faith in Christ; his future acceptability to God hinges on his fidelity in this duty (Matt. x. 32).

3. _A continuance in the practice of the faith._--Faith supplies the motive and rule of all right conduct. The test of all preceptive enactment and profession is in the life. The Christian character is developed and perfected, not by believing or professing, but by _doing_ the will of God. The rewards of the future will be distributed according to our deeds (Rom. ii. 6-10).

4. _Continuance in the faith must be permanent._--"Grounded and settled." The edifice, to be durable, must be well founded, that it may settle into a state of firmness and solidity; so faith, in order to survive the storms and temptations of this world, and participate in the promised good of the future, must be securely grounded and settled in the truth. In order to permanency in the faith, the truth must be--(1) _Apprehended intelligently._ (2) _Embraced cordially._ (3) _Maintained courageously._

+II. Man's final blessedness depends upon his unchanging adherence to the Gospel hope.+--1. _The Gospel reveals a bright future._ It inspires the hope of the resurrection of the body, and of the glorification of it and the soul together in the eternal life of the future. Faith and hope are inseparably linked together; they mutually succour and sustain each other; they rise or fall together. Hope is the unquestioning expectation of the fruition of those things which we steadily believe. It is compared to an anchor, which, cast within the veil, fastened and grounded in heaven, holds our vessel firm and steady amid the agitations and storms of life's tempestuous sea. The Gospel is the only source of genuine, deathless hope; all hopes grounded elsewhere wither and perish.

2. _The Gospel to be effectual must come in contact with the individual mind._--"Which ye have heard." Epaphras had declared to them the Divine message. It had been brought to them; they had not sought it. Having heard and received the Gospel, to relinquish its blessings would be inexcusable and ungrateful. In some way, either by direct preaching or otherwise, the Gospel must come to man. There is no power of moral reformation in the human heart itself; the germinant principle of a better life must come from without; it is conveyed in the Gospel word.

3. _The Gospel is adapted to universal man._--"Which was preached to every creature which is under heaven." Already it had spread into every part of the then known world, and its power was felt in every province of the Roman empire. The fine prophetic instinct of the apostle saw the universal tendency of the Gospel, and, in spirit, anticipated the fulfilment of its generous mission. His motive is to emphasise the universality of the unchangeable Gospel which is offered without reserve to all alike, and to appeal to its publicity and progress as the credential and guarantee of its truth. It is adapted to all men; it proclaims its message in all lands and is destined to win the world to Christ. The faith and hope of the believer are based, not upon the uncertain declarations of false teachers, but upon that Gospel, which is unchangeable in its character and universal in its appeal and adaptability to humanity; a strong reason is thus furnished for personal steadfastness.

4. _The Gospel invested the apostle with an office of high authority._--"Whereof I Paul am made a minister." Paul participated in the blessings of the Gospel; he had felt its transforming power, and from his personal experience of its preciousness could, with the greater assurance and force, exhort the Colossians to continue in the faith. But in addition to this the Gospel was committed to the apostle as a sacred trust and for faithful ministration; and while dwelling on the broad charity of the Gospel as involving the offer of grace to the Gentiles, he is impressed with the dignity and responsibility of his office as he interjects, somewhat abruptly, but with exquisite modesty, the words, "Whereof I Paul am made a minister." It has been said of man that he is the priest and interpreter of nature; that it is his function to observe and test phenomena and interpret the laws that govern the material world. Another writer has said that "man is the organ of revelation for the Godhead." God can find no adequate form of revelation for Himself in the impersonal forces of nature; only through a being in His own image can He unfold to the universe His adorable character. But the highest office to which man can be elevated is to be a ministrant of Gospel light and grace to his fellow-man.

5. _There is an implied possibility of relinquishing our hold of the Gospel hope._--"Be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel." The words do not necessarily imply doubt, but suggest the necessity for constant circumspection, vigilance, and care. The multiplicity and fulness of our blessing may prove a snare to us; prosperity tempts us to relax watchfulness, and we are in danger of becoming a prey to the wiles of the wicked one. Our retention of the Gospel hope is rendered immovable by constant waiting upon God in fervent prayer, by a growing acquaintance with the Word of promise, by continually anticipating in thought the bliss of the future.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Gospel provides the surest basis for faith and hope._ 2. _Man's ultimate blessedness depends on his continued fidelity._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 24.

_The Joy of Suffering for the Church._

A stolid indifference to suffering and a heroic endurance of the same were not unknown to the ancient pagans; but it is Christianity alone that has taught us to rejoice in afflictions; it supplies an ecstasy of emotion that renders us oblivious for the time being of encompassing trials. The apostle, as he pondered over the mighty work of reconciliation, and as he caught a glimpse of the amazing extent of Divine mercy, could not but rejoice even in his sufferings. In this verse he _expresses his joy that, in suffering for the Church, he supplements that which was lacking in the afflictions of Christ._ Observe--

+I. The representative character of the apostle's sufferings.+--1. _The apostle represented the suffering Saviour._ "The afflictions of Christ." We are not to suppose that the sufferings of Christ were incomplete in themselves or in their value as constituting a sufficient atonement. The passion of Christ was the one full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. In this sense there could be no deficiency in Christ's sufferings, for Christ's sufferings being different in kind from those of His servants, the two are incommensurable. Neither the apostle nor any other could represent the expiatory and sacrificial aspect of the Redeemer's sufferings. But while His personal sufferings are over, His afflictions in His people still continue. He so thoroughly identifies Himself with them that their trials, sorrows, persecutions, and afflictions become His own. The apostle represented the suffering Saviour in what he endured for Christ and the Church. Thus, he declared to the Corinthians, "The sufferings of Christ abound in us." The Church to-day is the representative of the suffering Saviour, and so completely is He identified with His people that He endures in them the pangs of hunger and thirst, shares their sickness and imprisonment, and reckons every act of kindness done to them as done to Himself (Matt. xxv.).

2. _The sufferings of the apostle supplemented what was lacking in the afflictions of Christ._--"And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh." In harmony with the representative character of the Church, we can understand how the afflictions of every saint and martyr do supplement the afflictions of Christ. Every age of the Church has its measure of suffering. The Church is built up by repeated acts of self-denial in successive individuals and successive generations. They continue the work which Christ began. They bear their part, and supplement what is deficient in the sufferings of Christ (2 Cor. i. 7; Phil. iii. 10). As an apostle, Paul was a representative man, and his share in filling up what was wanting in these afflictions was considerable. In his own flesh he bore unexampled hardship, indignities, and distress. "In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prison more frequent, in deaths oft." The great Head of the Church was made perfect through suffering; so must the body be in all its relations and development. Through tribulation, more or less evident and intense, we must enter the kingdom. Suffering in itself has no virtue to elevate moral character; it is effective to this end only as it tends to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, only as it is borne for Christ, and in the Spirit of Christ. The great Mediator suffered to effect our salvation; and His people, on their part, fill up the suffering needed for the perfection of their spiritual life and for the full display of the Divine glory.

+II. The vicarious character of the apostle's sufferings.+--"For His body's sake, which is the Church." The greater part of the suffering of the believer in this world is vicarious--is endured on behalf of others. It is thus we most nearly approach the spirit and example of Christ. St. Paul, as the pioneer missionary, the wise and edifying instructor, the diligent and anxious overseer, occupied a prominent and important position among the Churches, and his sufferings on their behalf would benefit them in many ways.

1. _The apostle's sufferings for the Church confirmed the faith of her converts._--Thousands are shy in embracing Christianity, because they shrink from the suffering it seems to involve; thousands more retire from the Christian profession for the same reason. An example like that of Paul's--a man profoundly sincere, intensely earnest, calm and unmoved by the stoutest opposition, and triumphant amid acutest sufferings--encourages the timid and strengthens and confirms the tempted and wavering.

2. _The apostle's sufferings were for the consolation of the Church._--Writing to the Corinthians, he says: "Whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation." Suffering makes us more capable of sympathising with others. "Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper and makes more room for the water of consolation." The richest anointing of Divine comfort is bestowed in the moment of severest suffering, and the consolation of one is the consolation of many. When Mr. James Bainham, who suffered under the reign of Henry VIII., was in the midst of the flames which had half consumed his arms and legs, he said aloud: "Oh, ye Papists, ye look for miracles, and here now you may see a miracle; for in this fire I feel no more pain than if I were in a bed of down, but it is to me a bed of roses!"

3. _The apostle's sufferings for the Church tended to promote her increase._--The more the Egyptians afflicted the Hebrews the more they multiplied and grew. The devil's way of extinguishing goodness is God's way of advancing it. The apostle could testify, in the midst of his sufferings, that "the things which have happened to me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." Suffering seals the word spoken with a sacred and impressive significance. Many a convert has been won to the truth by the irresistible example of a suffering life.

+III. The high-toned spirit of the apostle's sufferings.+--"Who now rejoice in my suffering for you." Nature shrinks from suffering. It is altogether above nature to triumph in suffering. It is Christianity alone that lifts the spirit into the tranquil region of patient endurance and inspires us with joy in tribulation. It is not a love of suffering for its own sake--not a mad, morbid craving for the ghastly honours of a self-sought martyrdom; but there is a nameless charm about the truths of Christianity that exalts the mind, thrills the soul, and transmutes sorrow into joy. Paul was imprisoned at Rome, bound in a chain for the Gospel, when he wrote this epistle; but as the thoughts suggested by his theme grew in full-orbed magnificence before his mental vision--as he contemplated the lavish wealth of God's mercy in the call of the Gentiles who constituted the greater portion of the world's population--and as he saw all the glory of being allowed to share, and even to supplement, the sufferings of Christ, he rose above the consideration of his own personal trials, and in a sudden outburst of thanksgiving could exclaim, "_Now_ I rejoice in my sufferings for you." Let us not repine at our afflictions. Not only is our own soul chastened and purified; but every pang, every tear, every trial in our lot, is a contribution to the filling up of that which is still behind in the afflictions of Christ. It baptises suffering with a new meaning, and arrays it in a new dignity, when it is viewed as a grand means of promoting the perfection, the purity, and unfading glory of the whole Church.

+Lessons.+--1. _It is an unspeakable honour to suffer for the Church of Christ._ 2. _The personal experience of the grace of Christ renders suffering for Him a joy._ 3. _The glory of the future will outweigh all we have suffered for the Church below._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 25-27.

_The Pre-eminent Honour and Sublime Theme of the Christian Ministry._

The highest dignity and most solemn responsibility are conferred on man when he is entrusted with the ministration of God's Word. It is the infinite condescension of God that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. He who, in the exercise of His unchallengeable wisdom, calls man to this work, can alone inspire and endow him with the necessary intellectual and moral fitness for the awful charge. In these verses we learn that the apostle was appointed a minister of the Church--a steward in God's household--charged to preach without reserve the whole Gospel of God, to dispense to the Gentiles the stores which His bountiful grace provided. Note:--

+I. The Christian ministry is a Divine institution.+--1. _The true minister is Divinely commissioned._ "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you" (ver. 25). The word "dispensation" involves the idea of stewardship. God governs His Church, not as a tyrant, who rules what is not his own; not as a monarch, who knows not a thousandth part of his subjects; but as a father, who knows, loves, and provides for his own children. The apostle was entrusted with a stewardship in God's household; he was "a steward of the mysteries of God." He received the office from God. This invested it with the highest dignity; yet he was the minister of the Church, and it was his joy to serve it, whatever might be the labour, sacrifice, or suffering entailed. The Christian ministry is not a lordship, but a stewardship; the minister is solemnly commissioned of God to maintain, defend, and dispense the truth that saves and edifies. There are moments when the minister can derive stimulus and courage for his work only by falling back upon the irrefutable fact of his Divine call.

2. _The true minster is charged with the most complete proclamation of the Divine Word._--"To fulfil the word of God" (ver. 25)--_to preach fully, to give its most complete development to._ The apostle had declared the Gospel in all its depth and breadth of meaning, its wealth of blessing, and amplitude of revelation. He had proclaimed it in every direction, in harmony with his insight into its universal fitness and sufficiency. _Fulfil_ implies the figure of a measure to be filled. The true minister is empowered to preach the Word of God in all the fulness of its internal import, and in accord with the universality of its outward purpose. Whether palatable or unpalatable, he must not shun to declare everywhere the whole counsel of God. The fulness there is in Christ and the urgent needs of humanity alike demand this.

+II. The Christian ministry deals with a theme of profound significance and ineffable worth.+--1. _It is designated a mystery._ "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations" (ver. 26). Mystery in the Scripture sense does not mean something actually incomprehensible, but something concealed or unknown until it please God to reveal it; something beyond the human mind to discover for itself, and which can only be attained by Divine aid. The mystery comprehended two leading features--the Divine purpose in saving man through a suffering and crucified Saviour, and the free admission of the Gentiles on equal terms with the Jews to the privileges of the covenant. Unlike the heathen mysteries, which were confined to a narrow circle, the Christian mystery is freely communicated to all. The mystery was concealed _from the ages,_ which may be referred to the angels; and _from the generations,_ which may be referred to men. Though faintly shadowed in types and figures, the truth would never have been discovered by man. In the revelation of the mystery the apostle applauded the lavish wealth of the Divine goodness. The Gospel is still a mystery to the unconverted.

2. _It is a mystery unveiled to those who are morally fitted to understand it._--"But now is made manifest to His saints" (ver. 26). God chose His own time for making known the mystery of the Gospel. Like all the Divine procedures, the development was gradual, increasing in clearness and completeness as the fulness of time approached; that time embraced the advent of the incarnate Son of God, His ascension and enthronement in heaven, and the descent of the revealing Spirit. It is an axiom in optics that the eye only sees what it brings with it the power to see; and it is equally true in spiritual things that the soul comprehends the revelation of God only as it is prepared and fitted by the good Spirit. The holier the organ of Divine revelation, the clearer the vision. It was not to the dignitaries of imperial Rome or the ruling powers of Judea, but to humble shepherds that the tidings of the Saviour's advent were first announced; not to the aristocracy of Pharisaic or Sadducean intellect, but to the plain, unlettered, believing fishermen of Galilee that the full glory of salvation by Christ was disclosed. Augustine has said, "Illiterate men rise and seize heaven, while we, with all our learning, are rolling in the filth of sin."

3. _The revelation of the mystery was an act of the Divine will._--"To whom God would make known" (ver. 27). There was nothing impelling Him to unfold this mystery but His own good pleasure. It was His sovereign will to disclose to the humble and devout, rather than to the proud and self-sufficient, the wondrous praise and glory of the Gospel. The most sincere seeker after holiness could not of himself discover the mystery. But though made known in its richer spiritual developments only to the good, the good pleasure of God has put the knowledge of it within the reach of all.

4. _The revelation of the mystery endowed humanity with a vast inheritance of moral wealth._--"What is the riches of the glory of this mystery" (ver. 27). The terms employed seem inadequate to convey the meaning intended. It is impossible fully to explain or illustrate the sublime truths they indicate. The Gospel is a mystery full of glory--a glory unique, resplendent, unsurpassable; and this glory is dowered with riches, abundant, inexhaustible, and Divine. The riches of the glory appear in the manifestation of the nature and attributes of God which the mystery supplies, and also in the moral wealth that has descended upon man. Here is the most lavish provision for the salvation of sinful and perishing humanity--an inheritance of imperishable bliss. (1) _This inheritance enriched the most needy._ It was exhibited "among the Gentiles" (ver. 27). The Jews were the children of promise and possessed every religious privilege; the Gentiles were the children of mercy, and never dared to dream of enjoying the blessings of the Gospel. In the revelation of the mystery to them, the dispensation of grace achieved its greatest triumphs and displayed its transcendent glory. Here, too, was its wealth, for it overflowed all barriers of caste or race. Judaism was "beggarly" in comparison, since its treasures sufficed only for a few. The glory of the Gospel was never so brilliant as in the moral transformations it effected among the degraded Gentiles. (2) _This inheritance includes the hope inspired by the indwelling Christ._ "Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (ver. 27). The mystery of the Gospel begins and ends in Christ, and Christ is in every believer the hope of glory. Only in Christ can we hope for the highest glory, and in Him we infallibly find all the blessedness we can enjoy in this world or expect in the future. In Him we have here as seed what we shall have in Him there as harvest. "Even now we sit there in Him and shall sit with Him in the end."

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian ministry involves solemn responsibilities._ 2. _The transcendent theme of the Christian ministry is Divinely revealed._ 3. _Personal experience of the grace of God endows man with the clearest insight into its mystery, and the most satisfying possession of its spiritual riches._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 25-27. _The Glory of the Gospel_--

+I. A mystery once hidden, but now revealed+ (vers. 26, 27).

+II. Enriches all nations with moral blessings.+

+III. Is entrusted to Divinely authorised messengers to make known+ (vers. 25, 27).

Ver. 27. _Christ in you the Hope of Glory._

+I. What it implies of present experience.+--1. _Generally--Christ among you._ 2. _Personally--Christ in you._

+II. What is presages.+--"The hope of glory."

1. _Personal glory_--in the perfection of being where the servant is like his Lord.

2. _Relative glory_--sharing the throne with Jesus, and sharing in His triumph and glory.--_Preacher's Magazine._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 28, 29.

_The Secret of Effective Preaching._

Much has been written concerning the inefficiency of the modern pulpit; and it has been argued that the press is now the great and successful rival of the preacher and must ere long render his office nugatory. This prediction might possibly be fulfilled if the preaching of the Gospel was simply a human institution and depended only on man for its permanency. But when we remember that preaching is a Divine ordinance, and is adapted to reach and stir the heart as no other agency can, the preacher's function can never cease while human nature remains what it is, or while God honours His own institution with His blessing. Only as the pulpit is faithful to its grand theme and lofty mission will it be effective. The deepest want of the age is Christ; and that preaching will be irresistibly potent that most adequately represents Him. These verses reveal to us _the secret of effective preaching._

+I. In order to effectiveness in preaching Christ must be the changeless theme.+--"_Whom_ we preach" (ver. 28).

1. _Preach Christ as to the special characteristic and unrivalled excellencies of His person._--The greatest men who ever lived, however brilliant and capacious their genius or stupendous their labours, never made so profound and widespread an impression upon humanity as Christ has done and is now doing. Their influence operated for only a limited period; His pervades all time--past, present, and future; theirs was confined to a narrow locality, His is diffused through the universe. The person of Christ is unique in this--that it combines two natures, the Divine and the human. It was necessary He should be both God and man in order to fully accomplish the work He voluntarily undertook. As God, He met and satisfied all the requirements of Deity; and as man--putting Himself in our place--He realised and reached the extremities of our need, and thus fairly laying hold of us, gathering up and grasping the roots of our corrupt nature, He raised from sin to holiness, from earth to heaven. He is Emmanuel--God with us.

2. _Preach Christ in His mediatorial character._--As the Prophet who testified of the truth of God; as the Priest, who, by His one offering of Himself on the cross, has atoned for sin and made reconciliation possible; and as the King who has vanquished all our spiritual enemies and demands our absolute allegiance to His rule.

3. _Preach Christ as the Saviour of every man, and as the only Saviour._--The threefold repetition of the phrase "every man" has a special significance, and emphasises the _universality_ of the Gospel. This great truth, a truth which the apostle sacrificed his life in establishing, had been endangered by the doctrine of a ceremonial exclusiveness taught by the Judaizers in several places, and was now endangered by the doctrine of an intellectual exclusiveness taught by the Gnosticizers at Colossæ. Christ must be proclaimed as the Saviour of men of every class, community, and country. He is the only Saviour, for "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts iv. 12). The preaching of Christ is no narrow theme but stands essentially related to all the noblest truths of the universe.

+II. In order to effectiveness variety of method must be adopted.+--The declaration of the truth must be:--

1. _Authoritative._--"Whom we preach" (ver. 28). The New Testament idea of preaching involves three elements--the announcement of joyful tidings; the proclamation of truth as by a herald, urgently and authoritatively; and the conviction and persuasion of men to belief by means of arguments. The preacher is the ambassador of God, and the message must be delivered as coming from Him, in His name, and by His authority.

2. _Admonitory._--"Warning every man" (ver. 28). Sin has placed man in imminent peril, and its tendency is to deaden his sensibilities and render him oblivious of his danger. Hence, he must be roused to concern and repentance by faithful remonstrance, by earnest exhortation, by solemn admonition, by impassioned appeal.

3. _Instructive._--"Teaching every man" (ver. 28). Not only must the emotions be swayed, but the understanding enlightened. It is not enough to convince the unbeliever of his error, not enough to bring home to the lover of sin the vileness and enormity of his transgressions, but by clear and forcible exposition and persuasion the fill of the individual offender must be seized, and with firm, yet loving pressure biassed to seek after the light, truth, and purity that once were shunned.

4. _With shrewd insight as to its adaptability._--"In all wisdom" (ver. 28). The ancients spoke of a blind faith in their mysteries which belonged to the many, and of a higher knowledge that was confined to the few. The apostle, while declaring that in the Gospel the fullest wisdom was offered to all alike, without restriction, exercised discretion as to the method in which he presented it to the individual. The style of his address at Athens would be different from that adopted at Jerusalem. This involves a study of character, and of what goes to make it--habits, customs, opinions, sympathies, and the general circumstances of life-culture.

+III. In order to effectiveness man must be aided in realising the highest ideal of the Christian character.+--"That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (ver. 28). The Gospel is a mirror in which is glassed the portrait of the character after which each believer is to model his own. That character is not simply a development of one's own natural manhood, so much as it is something added to and thrown around that manhood, lifting it into dignity and transfiguring it with a glorious beauty. The Gospel reveals the ideal of the Christian character after which the soul is continually to aspire. That ideal, in all its loveliness and witchery, is projected before the soul's inmost vision in the Spirit and life of the man Christ Jesus. He who approximates nearest to the Christly character attains the highest moral perfection. It is the sublime mission of the preacher not to gratify the intellect, charm the imagination, or expand the mind by propagating the ideas of a transcendental philosophy; but to strengthen the soul in the great contest with evil, to supply it with holiest motives, to promote its spiritual progress, to present it "perfect in Christ Jesus."

+IV. In order to effectiveness there must be self-denying toil and the vigorous forth-putting of Divinely inspired energy.+--"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working which worketh in me mightily" (ver. 29). All great ideas have cost the solitary and individual thinker unspeakable labour, and not a little suffering in the endeavour to elaborate and make them known and set them in their due relation before the world. The world is ruled by ideas; but the revolution they occasion is a slow and painful process. The apostle was the custodian of a great idea--that the Gospel was intended for all and must be fully preached to all. The idea is familiar to us; but it was new to that age and revolutionised the whole realm of human thought. If the apostle had been content to preach an exclusive Gospel, he might have saved himself more than half the troubles of his life. But he saw the magnitude of the issues at stake; he espoused the God-given truth with all the strength of his great nature; he confronted the colossal prejudices of the ages; he trained himself in the discipline of self-denying toil; he suffered as only the true martyr-soul can suffer; he strove with an agony of earnestness to make known the whole truth; and, aided by the mighty working of the Divine power within him, he triumphed signally. Preaching is always effective when it is the consentaneous outworking of the Divinely imparted energy within the man. The preacher alone, however strenuous his efforts, is powerless; but inspired and strengthened by the Divine Spirit, and acting in harmony with His promptness and help, he is mighty to prevail.

+Lessons.+--1. _Every sermon should be full of Christ._ 2. _The preacher should be master of every method that will ensure success._ 3. _That sermon will be most effective that is prepared and preached under the most direct influence of the Divine Spirit._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 28. _Apostolic Preaching._

+I. They preached Christ as the only foundation of a sinner's hope of salvation.+

+II. As the object of supreme love.+

+III. As the source of our supplies.+

+IV. As the model of our lives.+--_W. Antiff, D.D._

Ver. 29. _The Christian Ministry_--

+I. Involves strenuous labour and patient suffering.+

+II. Is dependent on Divine help.+

+III. Ascribes all its success to God.+

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER II.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +What great conflict.+--R.V. "how greatly I strive." It is a repetition of the thought of the previous verse expressed in terms of the arena. +For them at Laodicea.+--About a dozen miles distant from Colossæ.

Ver. 2. +The mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.+--The R.V. has greatly simplified this perplexing phrase: "The mystery of God, even Christ." Of the eleven various readings extant (given by Lightfoot) that of our A.V. is to all appearance the latest and worst.

Ver. 3. +In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.+--When we have "laid our reasonings at His feet," He does not stultify us. Neither pure reason nor practical reason is to "fust in us unused," if they seek their answers in Him.

Ver. 4. +Should beguile you with enticing words.+--The word for "beguile" is only again found in the New Testament at Jas. i. 22. It means to lead into error by sophistical reasoning. Enticing words, or persuasive speech, plausible but false.

Ver. 5. +The stedfastness of your faith in Christ.+--Some think "stedfastness" (as well as "order" preceding) may have a military significance. If so, it would mean the compact firmness of the phalanx. Others say that meaning is not inherent, but derived from its context, which here does not suggest it. The word is used in the LXX. for firmament--a solid vault, as it was thought.

Ver. 7. +Rooted and built up.+--St. Paul passes over rapidly from one conception to another of quite a different kind. We cannot call it mixed metaphor. We commonly speak of a new town planted or a house planted.

Ver. 8. +Beware lest any man spoil you.+--R.V. "maketh spoil of you." The word for "spoil" means "to lead away as booty," as the Sabeans swooped down on the oxen and asses of Job and carried them away as their own property. +Through philosophy and vain deceit.+--We are reminded of the saying, "It is the privilege of a philosopher to depreciate philosophy." And then men say, "How well he's read to reason against reading!" St. Paul speaks here of philosophy "falsely so called." The love of wisdom can never be a dangerous thing to men whose Master said, "Be wise as serpents"; only it must be the "wisdom which cometh from above." St. Paul's _alias_ for what they call philosophy is "empty fallacy," a hollow pretence; or what George Herbert might name "nothing between two dishes." +After the tradition of men.+--Something passed over from one to another, as the deep secrets of the esoteric religions were whispered into the ears of the perfect. That a matter has been believed always, everywhere, and by all is no guarantee of its truth, as Galileo knew.

Ver. 9. +In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.+--There is no minimising the significance of this statement. It is either true or it is the wildest raving of blasphemy. "Dwelleth"--has its settled abode. A change of prefix would give us the word in Luke xxiv. 18. "Dost thou alone _sojourn_?" etc. Dualism separates God from matter as far as possible; the Incarnation unites Him for ever with it. "Great is the mystery." "Godhead." Though twice before in our A.V. (Acts xvii. 29; Rom. i. 23), the word here differs from both.

Ver. 10. +And ye are complete in Him.+--These minor powers of whom you have heard are all subordinate to Him in whom directly you have all you need. There is no need to go _viâ_ Philip and Andrew, Mary or Michael, when "we would see Jesus."

Ver. 11. +In whom also ye are circumcised . . . by the circumcision of Christ.+--What to the Jew was a bodily act, at best symbolical and of no value otherwise, was to the Colossian disciple a spiritual renovation, so complete as to render the old symbol of it inadequate.

Ver. 12. +Buried . . . risen.+--Referring to the definite acts when, as Christian converts, they went beneath the baptismal waters and emerged to live the faith thus publicly confessed. +Through the faith of the operation of God.+--An obscure phrase. The R.V. is clear: "Through faith _in_ the working of God."

Ver. 14. +Blotting out the handwriting.+--"Wiping out the old score," as we might say. All that bond which was valid against them Christ had for ever rendered nugatory whilst they confided in His salvation. +Against us, which was contrary to us.+--We have here the author of those hot protests against work-righteousness. The threatening aspect of the law is expressed in this reiteration. The law not only menaces wrong-doers; it proceeds against them with punishment. +Nailing it to His cross.+--The bond is discharged and may be filed. We are reminded of St. Peter's equally bold expression: "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body [_to,_ and] on the tree" (1 Pet. ii. 24).

Ver. 15. +Having spoiled principalities.+--R.V. "having put off from Himself." The authorities are divided between the A.V. and the R.V. The English reader must not conclude that he has again the word and idea of ver. 8. The apostle says that Christ had flung off from Himself the powers of wickedness. As these Colossians needed no intercessions of good angels, so, on the other hand, they need fear nothing from the maleficent powers of darkness, now vanquished.

Ver. 16. +Let no man therefore judge you.+--They could not well prevent an adverse judgment being given on their disregard of what the ritualists thought to be of supreme moment, but they could refuse to argue about such trifles.

Ver. 17. +Shadow . . . body.+--The relationship is indicated here of the old ceremonial worship to the worship of the Spirit. To confound shadow and substance, or mistake the shadow for the substance, has ever been the fatal error of ritualism.

Ver. 18. +Let no man beguile you of your reward.+--R.V. "let no man rob you of your prize." There seems to be implied some such thoughts as this: Do not allow these heretical teachers to lay down for you the conditions on which the prize shall be yours; for when they pronounce in your favour, "the Lord, the righteous Judge," pronounces against you. +In a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels.+--In acts of self-imposed abasement in the presence of invisible beings. St. John tells us of the rebuke administered by the angel before whom he prostrated himself: "See thou do it not: . . . worship God." But there are men who would say, "Nay, my Lord," and continue their forbidden worship. +Intruding into those things which he hath not seen.+--The change in the R.V. is considerable: "dwelling in the things which he hath seen." The apostle is apparently speaking ironically of the boasted manifestations made to the Gnostic teachers.

Ver. 20. +Dead . . . from the rudiments of the world.+--Such as are given in ver. 21. +Subject to ordinances.+--Why do you consent to receive these "burdens grievous to be borne?"

Ver. 21. +Touch not; taste not; handle not.+--"These three prohibitions apply probably (1) to marriage, (2) to the use of certain foods, (3) to contact with material objects" (_Godet_). The rigour of the prohibitions is greatest in the last of the three. Note the change in R.V.: "handle not, nor _taste,_ nor TOUCH."

Ver. 23. +Neglecting of the body.+--A.V. margin, "punishing or not sparing." R.V. text, "severity to the body." No doubt the apostle felt that on this subject he would need to tread cautiously, for he himself had beaten his body into subjection (1 Cor. ix. 27). +Not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.+--The R.V. gives light on this obscurity: "not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh." This is the evidence which for ever disqualifies asceticism in its many forms. We can understand how a Lenten fast or a hair-shirt may make a man irritable. If they are of any value _in themselves,_ monastic annals need revision and expurgation, and the Christian finds himself far outdone by the dervish.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1-4.

_Ministerial Anxiety._

The more clearly we apprehend truth in its many-sided aspects and in its complex and vital relations, the more grievous and calamitous does error appear. Error cannot come into collision with truth without creating confusion of ideas and much mental distraction, and as a consequence robbing the soul of the peace and solace it enjoyed. The apostle saw the dangerous tendency of the doctrines advocated by the false teachers against whom his epistle was directed, and he was deeply concerned lest the pure and simple Gospel embraced by the new converts should be contaminated. As one drop of ink pollutes the whole vessel of water, as one stroke of the hammer diverts the rod from a straight line and spoils it throughout its whole length, so one single error obscures and warps the holiest truth.

+I. This anxiety was intense.+--"For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have" (ver. 1). In the closing words of the preceding chapter the apostle referred to his stern self-discipline in training himself for his arduous and self-denying labours as an apostle; and in this verse he expands the same thought and would have the converts know the magnitude of the struggle which his anxiety for their welfare cost him. This conflict refers not only to his external labours on behalf of the Churches, in journeys, perils, privations, persecutions, and imprisonments, but more especially to his fervent wrestling with God in prayer, like Jacob of old; his importunity, like the widow with the unjust judge; his inward soul struggles in earnest intercession for their stability in the faith. The danger must have been serious that produced in such a man so great an agony of anxiety: great souls are not affected by trifles. People little know what their pastors pass through: when they think them the most at leisure, then are they the least so--the fervent conflict of prayer is going on in secret. A knowledge of the minister's anxiety is sometimes necessary to create a responsive sympathy, and to teach the people the care and anxiety they should feel for their own salvation.

+II. This anxiety was disinterested.+--"For you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh" (ver. 1). The solicitude of the apostle was not restricted to the Colossians, as though they were more liable than others to defection from the truth but embraced the converts in the neighbouring city of Laodicea. In this populous and thriving city, celebrated at that time for its immense commercial wealth and for the high intellectual attainments of its philosophers, the heretic leaven had begun to work; and the subsequent history of the Church there showed that it spread only too surely and disastrously (Rev. iii. 14-18). The apostle also extended his anxious regard to "as many as had not seen his face in the flesh." The bulk of our troubles in this life we endure on behalf of others. The Christian spirit, in its broad, comprehensive charity, gives us a deep interest in all who have any connection with Christ. Fervent prayer on behalf of others, notwithstanding the sneers of some modern scientists, is efficacious, irrespective of locality or of actual personal intercourse. Prayers offered in private are often answered in a strange, unlooked-for manner in public. God has a sovereign right to select the _mode_ in which He answers the prayers of the faithful. An old Divine has said: "If we would reap openly in the conversion of souls and their steady walk, we must plough in secret with prayers and tears." Our anxiety about the welfare of others is a strong evidence of our possessing the genuine love of the truth. It was a trenchant aphorism of Coleridge that, "He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or Church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all."

+III. This anxiety had special reference to the highest spiritual attainments of believers.+--1. _The apostle was solicitous for the confirmation of their faith._ "That their hearts might be comforted" (ver. 2).--_i.e. encouraged, confirmed._ The apostle knew the subtle power of error in disintegrating the heart's confidence, producing trouble, dejection, doubt, and perplexity. Hence, he was anxious so to present the truth as it is in Jesus, as to restore and cheer the bewildered mind and settle it on the firm basis of an intelligent and cordial faith. No man can reach the high attainments of the Christian life whose heart is not at rest in God.

2. _The apostle was solicitous for their union in love._--"Being knit together in love" (ver. 2). The heart can never enjoy solid comfort till it is united in the love, as well as in the faith, of the truth. Error divides as well as distresses; it snaps the bond of love, splits the Christian Church into parties, rends what ought to be the seamless robe of Christ. Where there is discord in the understanding about fundamental truths, there cannot be concord in the will and affections. The stability of believers depends upon their being knit together in a mutual love, as the timbers of a building are joined and compacted by a carpenter--such is the original signification of the word--each part being fitted in with the rest, and all subserving the firmness and safety of the whole. "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him."

3. _The apostle was solicitous they should be enriched with the unspeakable wealth of the Divine mystery._--(1) _The Divine mystery is explained in the unique person and endowments of Christ._ "The mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (vers. 2, 3). Christ embraced in His own person the Divine and human natures. As God, He is equal with the Father, and possesses in Himself all the essentials of Deity; but as man He is dowered with moral treasures surpassing the endowments of the highest angel. The mystery is not so much Christ, as Christ containing in Himself "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." There is in Christ an all-sufficiency for every possible want of man--copious and inexhaustive riches of eternal and saving wisdom. These riches are hid in Christ as treasure in a field--concealed from the gaze of mere passers-by, the careless, indolent, and proud; but revealed to and enjoyed by the humble, diligent, and persevering seeker. "He who is not content with Christ, but goes out of Him to philosophy or tradition, forsakes the treasures for the miserable beggary of human counterfeits." It is still a mystery to the world how Christ can be the grand depositary of all wisdom; and the mystery is dispelled only as the soul becomes savingly acquainted with Him. (2) _The believer is privileged to gain the full knowledge of the Divine mystery._--"To the acknowledgment of the mystery" (ver. 2). The word implies that the knowledge of God and of Christ is the perfection of knowledge. The ancient sage declared: "If thou criest after knowledge, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." And the apostle prayed for the Ephesians that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ might give unto them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." This knowledge is to be not a simple perception of the truths continued in the Divine mystery, but a full, firm, and distinct knowledge as the result of careful sifting, and the actual experience of their soul-transforming power. We know nothing to purpose until it is strongly grasped by the heart as well as by the understanding. (3) _A clear and profound understanding of the Divine mystery is the true enrichment of the mind._--"Unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding" (ver. 2). The vast store of moral riches here indicated is opposed to the poverty of the mind, which has only a few confused, unconnected truths about the Gospel laid up in its treasury. By _the full assurance of understanding_ is meant an unclouded perception and firm conviction of the truth revealed in the Gospel. This is obtained only by diligent study and the inner illumination of the Spirit; the understanding is cleared up, the judgment settled, and the individual believer enabled to apprehend each part of the Gospel in its essential relation to the grand whole, and thus to grasp with a firm hold the salient features of the Divine mystery. In this assured knowledge of the greatest truths the mind of man finds it true enrichment; its abiding rest and felicity. "Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her" (Prov. viii. 11). Every other kind of knowledge, however rare and extensive, is in itself poor and unsatisfying.

+IV. This anxiety prompted the apostle faithfully to warn the Church.+--"And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words" (ver. 4). Error assumes the most seductive forms: it charms with its eloquence, bewilders with its subtle reasoning, misleads with its bold, assured statements of half-truths. The soul is fascinated as by the gaze of a basilisk, and morally poisoned by its breath. "Men are easily persuaded to believe that which flatters their own vanity, and dilutes or modifies the Gospel, so as to accommodate it to their own degenerate tastes." It is needful to maintain a vigilant outlook and be on our guard against every phase of false teaching. Some contend that words have little to do with religion; that true religion is a sentiment in the soul independent of words. The apostle thought differently when he exhorted to hold fast "the form of sound words"; and in this verse he distinctly avers that enticing words may beguile. He solemnly warns the Ephesians, who were assailed with a similar class of errors: "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (Eph. v. 6). The most effectual antidote to any heresy is the faithful, simple proclamation of the doctrine of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. This is the clue that leads us out of all the mazes of error.

+Lessons.+--1. _The true minister is anxious to promote the highest good of the people._ 2. _All truth finds its explanation and all error its refutation in Christ, the Source of eternal wisdom._ 3. _False doctrine should be fearlessly and faithfully exposed._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 3.

_The Hidden Treasures of Wisdom in Christ._

Wisdom does not consist in the possession of varied and extensive knowledge. The student may be deeply read in ancient and long-forgotten lore, be versed in the entire circle of the arts, sciences, and philosophies, be intelligibly familiar with the best literature of the day, be a walking encyclopædia, a literary fountain gushing in a perennial stream of information, and yet be far from being a wise man. Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge, the attainment of the highest moral results by the use of the best and simplest means. The cry of the human intellect in all ages has been, "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" The greatest souls have toiled painfully in search of the coveted treasure but failed to discover it. Their mightiest endeavours have terminated in disappointment and despair. True wisdom is a Divine revelation. The world by wisdom knew not God; and one of the profoundest philosophers of any age, and who approached as near the threshold of the grand discovery as the unaided human mind was perhaps ever permitted to do, had to confess with a sigh, "If ever man is destined to know the good and the true, it must be by a revelation of the Deity." That wisdom which all need, and of which all are in quest, is found only in Christ. This verse declares that _Christ is the unfathomable depositary of the highest wisdom._ Observe:--

+I. That Christ is the inexhaustible Source of the truest wisdom.+--"In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The false teachers at Colossæ, like certain pretentious philosophers of modern times, boasted of the vast range of their wisdom and knowledge. They discussed questions, some of which, strange to say, are reproduced and advocated to-day--questions on the nature of the world, the eternity or non-eternity of matter, the chief good of man, the orders and ranks of the angelic hierarchies and their relation to the mediatorial work of Christ, the necessity of observing the ceremonies and austerities of the law, and of the beauty and grandeur of the theories of Plato and Pythagoras, the ruling philosophers of the time. But all this is simply "the wisdom of this world and of the princes of this world, which come to nought." It is only in Christ we find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge to furnish and enrich the mind and to guide into the way of salvation. He is "to us who are saved the power of God and the wisdom of God." If, for the sake of illustration, we classify the principal sources of human knowledge into poetry, history, philosophy, and theology, we may assert that only in Christ does each department find its fullest explication, and from Him derive its significance and worth.

1. _Christ is the loftiest ideal and purest inspiration of the poet._--Poetry occupies an important place in contributing to the sum of human knowledge, and to the culture, development, and happiness of man. It was the language of the world's infancy, as it is of the infancy of man; the spontaneous outflow of the soul, on its first acquaintance with the marvels of the present life, expresses itself in strains of poetic music. It is true this great gift has been abused, and often made the instrument of debasing instead of elevating the mind. Hence Plato, in constructing his ideal republic, would exclude the poets because of the evil tendency of some of their productions, though he accords them all honour on account of their learning and genius. The genuine poet pants after the noblest expression of the beautiful and the good. Christ is the glorious ideal and embodiment of the pure and beautiful; the poet drinks in his most ravishing inspiration from Him and exhausts all the resources of his genius in attempting to portray the exquisite lineaments of His matchless character.

2. _Christ is the grandest hero of the historian._--History furnishes us with the knowledge of man and his doings in all ages--in his individual, social, and national aspects. It traces the development of the race from the first solitary man to the peopling of the world with the varied nationalities which now swarm upon its surface. But the history of the world and man would be a dark, unsolvable enigma if the name of Christ could be struck out. The story of redemption unites Christ with the destiny of man in all ages--past, present, and future; and "no history of the world, political or moral, can be either just or accurate that does not find in Christ foretold to come, or in Christ come and crucified, its centre and its key." The world was created by Christ; it exists for Him; and, without interfering with individual freedom, it may be said that He makes its history: His name and influence are traceable everywhere and are everywhere potent. The devout historian finds in Him the hero in whom all excellencies combine, and whose exploits he loves to chronicle.

3. _Christ is prominent among the sublimest themes of the philosopher._--A philosophy that does not recognise the Divine plunges its votaries into labyrinthine darkness; its legitimate office is to conduct to God. Coleridge has well said: "In wonder all philosophy began; in wonder it ends; and admiration fills up the interspace. But the first wonder is the offspring of ignorance; the last is the parent of adoration." In every sphere where philosophy penetrates it is confronted with ineffaceable evidences of the power and presence of Christ. Among the splendid phenomena of the natural creation--the forces that move, and the laws that control its vast machinery--Christ is acknowledged as the creating and ruling spirit; and only as the material world is regarded as the theatre of redemption, and of moral conflict and discipline, does the philosopher reach its highest meaning: in the realm of mind, the true dignity, preciousness, and immortal endowments of the soul are understood only as we apprehend that the life of the great Redeemer was sacrificed to effect its ransom; and, in the sphere of morals, we decipher the relation of man to man, and to society at large, learn the duties and obligations we owe to each other and to God, discover the standard of right actions, and are aided in explaining and harmonising the inequalities that exist, when we gain an insight into the moral relation of Christ to the whole race.

4. _Christ is the all-comprehensive subject of the theologian._--God is inscrutable to the unchristianised reason. "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know?" Men have sought God in all ages with tears, sacrifices, and sufferings indescribable; but in vain. Christ is the only way to the Father; in Himself He reveals and illustrates the Godhead. All our saving and renewing knowledge of God, and of our manifold relations to Him, we owe entirely to Christ. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." In the domain of theology "Christ is all in all." But for Him the office of the theologian would be an impossibility.

+II. That the treasures of Divine wisdom are discoverable by the sincere and earnest seeker.+--They are _hid_; but not so hid as to be beyond our reach. They are intended for discovery and appropriation. Their brilliancy sparkles even in their hiding-place. They are like a mine, whose riches, though faintly indicated on the surface, are concealed in the depths of the earth. The more diligently the mine is worked, the more precious and abundant the ore appears. So, in Christ there are treasures of wisdom unseen by the superficial and careless observer; but to the humble and believing student new and deeper veins are perpetually opening up, until, still pursuing his search, he is dazzled by the splendour and inexhaustible fulness of wealth, surpassing all finite comprehension, and filling him with admiration and awe.

+Lessons.+--1. _Man universally covets wisdom._ 2. _The highest wisdom is treasured up in Christ for man._ 3. _If man finds it not, it is his own fault._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 1-3. _Christian Unity._

+I. We cannot but lament the divisions and scandals of the professed disciples of Jesus, which have more than anything else prevented the universal diffusion of the Gospel.+

+II. We should make it manifest, by acknowledging the truth in whomsoever found, that we are not bigoted sectarians.+

+III. As regards those with whom we are united in fellowship, let us prove by our humble, modest, and kind disposition that we are lovers of peace and concord.+

+IV. Christian unity is promoted by mutual efforts to edify one another in faith and love.+--_W. France._

Ver. 3. _Christ the Treasury of Wisdom and Knowledge._--The revelation of Christ not merely teaches us a series of truths of inexpressible importance, and without it wholly unattainable, but it also, as a great central discovery, harmonises all our beliefs, sacred and secular, binds them together as its own servants, gives them a new interest, position, and colouring, and dignifies the pursuit of them as a labour in the very cause of God Himself, begun and prosecuted with a view to His glory--for to know the beauty of the temple is to know the glory of the Architect.--_Archer Butler._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 5.

_Apostolic Praise of Order and Stability._

It is an impressive spectacle to see a well-armed body of troops drawn up in compact military order, resisting with calm, unflinching courage the terrible charge of the enemy. Every point of attack is strongly guarded, every vacancy occurring in the exposed front line is instantly supplied, and the broad, deep phalanx remains impenetrable and invincible. The enforced companionship of the apostle with the soldiers of the prætorian guard, in his imprisonment in Rome, where he would be a daily witness of their exercises, might suggest some such metaphor as this to the mind. And as he foresaw the confusion and ruin that would be introduced into the Colossian Church if the fatal errors of the false teachers were triumphant, in this verse he _expresses his joyous satisfaction in being assured of the orderly array and firmly set stability which their faith in Christ presented against the assaults of the foe._ Note:--

+I. The apostle commended the external order of the members of the Church.+--"Beholding your order." This is mentioned first, because it first meets the eye, though all external discipline and order must necessarily spring out of and accompany a genuine faith. There is no form of ecclesiastical government that can claim an exclusively Divine sanction. The New Testament lays down broad, general principles; and the Christian Church has been left to shape itself according to circumstances and in harmony with the indications of Divine Providence. True order depends, not upon the form of Church polity we adopt--whether prelacy, presbytery, or congregationalism--as upon the consistency, fidelity, and union of the individual members of the Church. Order that is not based on a vigorous Church-life, and regulated by it, is empty and powerless; it is like the ice of the Polar regions, which sometimes assumes forms of exquisite and wondrous beauty, but is cold, heartless, dead. The Scriptural directions on this subject are brief but pregnant with meaning: "Let all things be done decently and in order"; "God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the Churches of the saints"; "Let all things be done with charity"; "The rest will I set in order when I come" (1 Cor. xiv. 40, xiv. 33, xvi. 14, xi. 34). While organisation that is not instinct with a moving, pervasive and aggressive life is cumbersome, vapid, and useless; on the other hand, Christian steadfastness is imperilled where order is disregarded.

+II. The apostle commended their stability in the faith.+--"And the steadfastness of your faith in Christ." These words describe the internal condition of the Church; and the picture of a firm, confident reliance on Christ which he beheld delighted the soul of the anxious apostle. Order is the fence and guard, steadfastness the end in view, order is the garb and ornament, steadfastness the substance of the Christian character. Faith girds and strengthens the soul with its unchanging and invincible verities; the shafts of error and profanity assail it in vain. When the Roman proconsul, from his judgment-seat, urged the holy Polycarp to save his life by cursing the name of Jesus Christ, the venerable martyr calmly answered: "For eighty-six years I have served Him; He has never yet done me harm. How can I blaspheme my King, who has saved me?" Man is great and noble, not by what he possesses, not by what he says, not by what he gives, not by what he does, but by what he _believes._ The most magnanimous outward conduct may be, after all, a very imperfect representation of the soul's deepest faith. What a man believes is not therefore a matter of comparative indifference, but a question of supreme importance; he must have a clear, definite creed. True a creed is but the visible, expressive mould of the inward conception of the truth believed; but as the tendency of all life is to assume form and can be understood by us only as it does so, so faith, as a vital and irresistibly active principle, must inevitably shape itself into some outward expression. Where there is no creed, there is no faith; a creedless man believes in nothing, and he is himself that nothing. He has no more cohesion in him than the separate particles of sand in the hour-glass. All true faith takes its rise "in Christ," and gathers its stability by continuing in Him.

+III. The apostle cherished a deep, personal interest in their welfare.+--1. _In spirit he was present with them._ "For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit." We have no satisfactory evidence that the apostle had as yet personally visited Colossæ. Epaphras, the faithful and anxious evangelist, sought him out in Rome, perhaps for the purpose of laying before him the state of Colossæ and of the neighbouring Churches on the banks of the Lycus. The apostle's interest in Colossæ was further excited at this time by meeting with Onesimus, a runaway slave, belonging to the household of Philemon, a Colossian. The apostle was the means of bringing the runaway to repentance and to the enjoyment of the liberty of the spiritually free. These circumstances deepened St. Paul's concern in the affairs of the Colossian Christians; he grasped all the points of the situation, was keenly alive to the gravity of the dangers with which they were threatened, and, as though he were personally present in their midst, expressed his sincere sympathy with them in their trials, and his profound satisfaction on hearing of their steady adherence to the truth. It is not necessary to be locally near in order to hold spiritual intercourse; oceans may roll between individuals whose souls participate in the highest communion. The soul is where it loves: thither it directs its affections, wishes, and hopes.

2. _He rejoiced in their fidelity._--"Joying and beholding." As though an actual spectator of their order and steadfastness, his soul is filled with joy. The expression of his hearty interest in their state, and his praise of their fidelity, prepared them to give heed to his cautions against the seductions of false teachers, and to his exhortations to perseverance. No disappointment is so poignant as that arising from the failure of Christian toil, and no joy so exquisite as the joy of success. The spectacle of a Christian Church poised in beauteous order and strengthened with the might of an unfalteringly aggressive faith, is a subject of unspeakable joy to God, to His angels, and to all true ministers.

+Lessons.+--1. _Attention must be paid to the outward as well as the inward state of the Church._ 2. _While the Church preserves its order and stability it is invulnerable._ 3. _It is cause of rejoicing when the Church faithfully maintains the conquests already won._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 6, 7.

_Suggestive Features of the Christian Life._

The Christian life is essentially progressive. The law that governs its existence involves perpetual, active increase; if it did not grow, it would cease to live. Unlike the principle of growth in the natural world, we cannot conceive a point in the religious life where it necessarily becomes stationary, and then begins to decline, on the other hand, every provision is made for its unceasing expansion in the highest moral excellencies.

+I. The Christian life begins in a personal reception of Christ.+--"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord" (ver. 6). Religion is not a self-development of innate human goodness, as many in the present day believe and teach. The soul of man is infected with the virulent poison of sin; no part has escaped the destructive moral taint. The utmost exercise of the unsanctified powers of the soul can therefore tend only towards the development of its own inborn corruption. As the vinegar plant reproduces itself with great rapidity and impregnates every branch and fibre with its own essential acid, so the evil reigning in man reproduces itself with marvellous rapidity and permeates the whole soul with its debasing poison. Religion is a receiving--the receiving of a gift, and that a Divine gift. It is the growth and development of the supernatural in man. "Christ in you the hope of glory."

1. _Christ is received as_ THE CHRIST.--The Colossian heresy aimed at subverting the true idea of the Christ, the _Anointed One,_ commissioned by the Father to effect the reconciliation of the world to Himself; it interposed a graduated series of angelic mediators, and thus thought to discredit the sole and absolute mediatorship of Christ. To receive the Son of God effectually is to receive Him in all that He claimed to be, and all that He came to do, as the Divine, specially anointed Son, who alone and fully manifested the Father, and who is the only mediator between sinful man and God. It is of unspeakable importance to catch the true idea of the character and office of Christ at the beginning of the Christian life.

2. _Christ is received as Jesus the Lord._--Jesus is the name by which He was known among men, and points out how completely He has identified Himself with humanity as the Saviour. "It behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." He is also Lord, the supreme Governor in all spheres, in nature, providence, and grace. To receive Jesus aright, He must be trusted as the Saviour, able to save to the uttermost, acknowledged as the Sovereign and universal Ruler, and homage and obedience rendered to His rightful authority. Our reception of Christ does not place us beyond the reach of law but creates in us the capacity for rendering an intelligent and cheerful obedience to its holy requirements.

3. _Christ is received by an act of faith._--To receive Christ is to believe in Him; and faith in Christ is simply the reception of Christ: the only way of receiving Him into the soul is by faith. The soul accepts, not only the testimony concerning Christ, whether furnished by Himself or by His witnesses, but accepts Christ Himself. The great, final object of faith that saves is Christ, and all testimony is valuable only as it brings us to Him. The sin-tossed spirit finds rest and peace only as it reposes, not in an abstract truth, but in a person--not in love as the law of the moral universe, but in a person who is Himself love.

+II. The Christian life is governed by the law of Christ.+--"So walk ye in Him" (ver. 6). The word "walk" expresses the general conduct of man and the process of progression in the formation of individual character. The will of Christ, as indicated in His character, words, spirit, and example, is the ruling principle in the life of the believer.

1. _To walk in Christ implies a recognition of Him in all things._--In everything that constitutes our daily life--business, domestic relations, social engagements, friendships, pleasures, cares, and trials--we may trace the presence of Christ and recognise His rule. Everywhere, on road, or rail, or sea--in all seasons of distress or joy, of poverty or wealth, of disturbance or rest--we may be conscious of the encompassing and regulating presence of Christ Jesus the Lord.

2. _To walk in Christ implies a complete consecration to Him._--He has the supreme claim upon our devotion and service: "We are not our own; we are bought with a price." Our life consists in serving Him: "Whether we live, we live unto the Lord." The best of everything we possess should be cheerfully offered to Him. Carpeaux, the celebrated French sculptor, was kept in comparative retirement for some time before his death by a long and painful illness. One Sunday, as he was being drawn to church, he was accosted by a certain prince, who exclaimed, "Carpeaux, I have good news for you! You have been advanced in the Legion of Honour. Here is the _rosette d'officier._" The emaciated sculptor smiled and replied, "Thank you, my dear friend. It is the good God who shall first have the noble gift." Saying which, he approached the altar, put the _rosette_ in his button-hole, and reverentially knelt down to pray.

3. _To walk in Christ implies a continual approximation to the highest life in Him._--The Christian can rise no higher than to be most like Christ. The highest ambition of the apostle was to be "found in Him." Life in Him is a perpetual progress in personal purity and ever-deepening felicity. Our interest in the vast future is intensified by the Christ-inspired hope that we shall be for ever virtually united to Him, that we shall delight in ever-changing visions of His matchless glory, that we shall be like Him, and reflect and illustrate the splendour of His all-perfect character. Every triumph over sin is a substantial advance towards this glorious future destiny.

+III. The Christian life is supported and established by faith in fully declared truth.+--1. _There is the idea of stability._ The believer is rooted in Christ, as a tree planted in firm, immovable soil; he is built up in Christ, as an edifice on a sure foundation; and in both senses, as a tree and as a building, he must be established in the truth which has been demonstrated to him as Divine and all-authoritative. It is not enough to preserve the appearance of an external walk in Christ; but the roots of our faith must be worked into Him, and the superstructure of holiness rest on Him as the only foundation laid in Zion. The soul thus firmly established will survive the heaviest storms of adversity and the most furious assaults of error.

2. _There is the idea of progress._--Walking implies a continual advance to a given destination; a tree is planted in order to grow; the building, after the foundation is laid, rises to completion. The word "built" is in the present tense and describes a work in actual process. So the believer, having become attached to the only foundation that is laid, which is Christ Jesus, is ever rising in conformity with the foundation and with the outlines of that grand spiritual edifice of which Christ is the pattern and glory. Faith is the cement that fastens one part of the building to the other; but faith as a living, active principle, also admits of increase. With respect to every individual effort after a higher spiritual life, according to our faith it is done unto us.

+IV. The Christian life has its most appropriate outflow in thanksgiving.+--"Abounding therein with thanksgiving" (ver. 7). The end of all human conduct is thanksgiving. It should be expressed in every word and appear in every action. Life should be a ceaseless, ever-abounding outflow of gratitude. We should never forget the magnitude of the blessings we have received, the wealth of mercies now offered to us, and the source whence they all issue. A thankful remembrance of past benefits cheers and strengthens the heart under difficulties and disposes the bounteous Donor to confer further benefits. There is nothing in which Christians are more deficient than in a devout and heartily expressed gratitude. Gratitude expands our sympathies for the race. What a triumph of disinterested thankfulness was that of the invalid who, though confined to his room, "thanked God for the sunshine for others to enjoy"! The spirit of Christian progress is one of unceasing thanksgiving.

+Lessons.+--1. _The Christian life is Divinely bestowed._ 2. _The Christian life is Divinely sustained._ 3. _The reality of the Christian life is evidenced by effusive and practical gratitude._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 6, 7. _Retrospection the Basis of Progress._

+I. The Christian consciousness in its apprehension of Christ.+--1. _There are two opposing theories prevalent on the person of Christ--the rationalistic and the revealed._ The one rules out His Godhead; the other is the basis of the Christian faith. 2. _Two systems of theology, widely distinct from each other, are dependent on these theories._ The one puts man at its centre, and is wholly human; the other enthrones God, and is essentially Divine. 3. _There is only one Christ, one faith, one salvation._ 4. _It is within the one or the other of these two systems that we must posit our decisions._

+II. The Christian consciousness in its reception of Christ.+--1. _Faith receives the whole Christ._ 2. _Christ asks and gets the whole man._ 3. _The life of faith, as embodied in the moralities of Christian living, is thus provided for and follows this consecrating act._

+III. The Christian consciousness in its subjection to Christ.+--1. _The sphere of the lordship of Christ is the human mind._ 2. _The claim of this lordship is absolute._ 3. _The mind is free and unconstrained in its surrender to the authority of Christ.--John Burton._

Ver. 6. _Moral Imitation._

+I. The text assumes that man possesses the faculty of imitation.+

+II. He requires an example to imitate and that example is Christ.+

+III. A model must be seen to be imitated, so Christ has presented Himself to us for that purpose.+--_W. Frazer._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 8.

_The Marks of a False Philosophy._

Philosophy plays an important part in the investigation and discovery of truth. The use of the word arose out of the humility of Pythagoras, who called himself a lover of wisdom. The noblest intellects of all ages have been devoted to the pursuit of the same coveted prize. Philosophy represents the highest effort of the human intellect in its search after knowledge. It explores and tests phenomena in the realm of physics and of morals and discovers the subtle laws by which those phenomena are governed. It elevates man to his true rank in creation, and teaches that he must be estimated, not by his physical relation to the outward world, but by the sublime endowments of his mind, into which it is the special function of philosophy to inquire. The philosophic mood never reaches its highest development till it is Christianised. The apostle does not stigmatise all philosophy as in vain; he knew the value of a true philosophy, and in his estimation the Christian religion was the embodiment of the highest philosophy. But he warned the Colossians against a false philosophy that was deceptive in its pretensions and deadly in its influence.

+I. A false philosophy is known by its profitless speculations.+--The absence of both preposition and article in the second clause shows that "vain deceit" describes and qualifies philosophy. A celebrated Roman sophist summed up his deliberate judgment on the efforts of the learned in the painful search after wisdom in these words: "The human mind wanders in a diseased delirium, and it is therefore not surprising that there is no possible folly which philosophers, at one time or another, have propounded as a lesson of wisdom." When the most highly cultured intellects have been gravely occupied with tricks of magic, the casting of nativities, the random guesses of soothsaying, and the pretended marvels of a mystic astrology; when the best of life has been spent in discussing transcendental questions as to the eternity of matter, fate, the mortality of the soul, the worship of angels, and their mature endowments and habits, and in definitional hair-splitting as to what constitutes the chief good of man; when the truest and best discoveries of human reason are used to disparage Divine revelation and discredit the absolute authority of saving truth--then philosophy falsifies its name, frustrates its lofty mission, and degenerates into vain, empty, profitless speculations. The student of the theories and contradictions of certain philosophic schools may begin with extravagant expectations, only to end in chagrin and despondency. The errors which assailed the Colossian Church were a mixture of the Oriental system of Zoroaster with Judaism, and with the crude, half-comprehended truths of Christianity. It was a mongrel system of philosophy, containing the germs of what afterwards developed into an advanced Gnosticism and became the prolific source of many forms of heresy. Its abettors became "vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; professing themselves wise, they became fools" (Rom. i. 21, 22).

+II. A false philosophy is known by its purely human origin.+--"After the tradition of men."

1. _The human mind is limited._--The stream can never rise higher than its source; so the wisdom that comes from man is necessarily bounded by the range of his mental powers. The human mind cannot penetrate far into any subject without discovering there is a point beyond which all is darkness and uncertainty. It is impossible for the circumscribed and unaided mind of man to construct a philosophy that shall be universally true and beneficial. Tillotson has said: "Philosophy has given us several plausible rules for attaining peace and tranquillity of mind, but they fall very much short in bringing men to it."

2. _All human knowledge is imperfect._--"If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." The _traditions_ of men are the accumulation of mere human theories transmitted from age to age until they have assumed the pretensions of a philosophy, imposing a number of uninspired and unauthorised observances and austerities. The imperfection of human knowledge is not obliterated but aggravated by its antiquity. A philosophy that builds solely on man is baseless and full of danger.

+III. A false philosophy is known by its undue exaltation of elementary principles.+--"After the rudiments of the world." The source of the false teaching against which the apostle warned was found in human tradition, and its subject-matter was made up of "the rudiments of the world"--the most elementary instruction conveyed by external and material objects, suited only to man's infancy in the world. The legal rights and ceremonies instituted by Moses are evidently referred to here; they were the first rough elements of an introductory religion fit only for children--shadows at best of great and deeper truths to which they were intended to lead, and yet, by the tendency of the soul to cling to the outward, gendering to bondage. "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements [rudiments] of the world. But now, after that ye have known God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements?" (Gal. iv. 3-10). The apostle shows the Colossians that, in Christ, they had been exalted into the sphere of the Spirit, and that it would be a sad retrogression to plunge again into the midst of the sensuous and ceremonial. A true philosophy, while starting necessarily with elementary principles, conducts its votaries into a pathway of increasing knowledge and of spiritual exaltation and liberty. A false philosophy fetters the mind by exaggerating the importance of first principles and insisting on their eternal obligation.

+IV. A false philosophy is known by its Christlessness.+--"And not after Christ." Christ is neither the author nor the substance of its teaching; not the author, for its advocates rely on human traditions; not the substance, for they ignore Christ by the substitution of external ceremonies and angelic mediators. Such a method of philosophising may be after the Jewish fanatics, after the Pythagoreans or Platonists, after Moses and his abrogated legalism; but is it _not after Christ._ There is no affinity between Christ and their inventions; the substances cannot amalgamate. As it is impossible, by any process, to convert a baser metal into gold, so it is impossible to elevate a vain philosophy into Christianity. All true saving knowledge must be after--_i.e._ according to--Christ. It is in Him alone the deepest wants of man's nature can be met and satisfied. Any philosophy, though championed by the most brilliant intellects, that tends to lure the soul from Christ, that puts anything in the place of Him, or depreciates in any way our estimate of His glorious character, is false and full of peril.

+V. A false philosophy is known by its destructive influence.+--"Lest any man spoil you." The meaning of the word "spoil" is very full and significant: it is not simply to despoil--to strip off--but to carry away as spoil, just as the four kings, after the battle in the vale of Siddim, plundered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and bore away as spoil the people and all their property and victuals (Gen. xiv. 12-16). The Colossians had been rescued from the bondage of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of light; they were settled there as free and happy citizens; and now there was danger lest they should be tampered with by some crafty marauder, seized and carried away as booty, and fall into a worse state than their former slavery. There are worse losses than loss of property, or even of children: man is never so grievously spoiled as when his soul is debased and robbed by the errors of wicked seducers. Men who have contemptuously given up the Bible as a book of fables, lost their peace of mind, wrecked their moral character, and blasted their prospects for ever, began their downward career by embracing the apparently harmless ideas of a false philosophy. "The thief cometh not," saith Jesus, "but to steal, to kill, and to destroy; I"--the infallible Teacher, the incorruptible Guardian, the inexhaustible Life-giver--"am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John x. 10).

+VI. Against a false philosophy the Church must be faithfully warned.+--"Beware."

1. _Because it is seductive in its pretensions._--It seeks to refine and elevate the plain Gospel by a show of lofty intellectualism; it dignifies some particular religious rite into an unjustifiable importance; it elaborates a ritual marvellous for spectacular display and musical effect; it flatters the pride and ministers to the corruption of the human heart; and, stealing through the avenue of the charmed senses, gains an imperious mastery over the whole man.

2. _Because it is baneful in its effect._--It not only misrepresents and distorts the truth, but injures the faculties of the soul by which truth is obtained and kept. It darkens the understanding, pollutes the conscience, and weakens the will. It robs man of his dearest treasure, and offers in exchange a beggarly system of crude, unsatisfying speculations. The soul is goaded into a restless search after rest and cursed with its non-attainment.

+Lessons.+--1. _Human philosophy is essentially defective._ 2. _The true philosophy is the highest knowledge of Christ._ 3. _All philosophy that weans the soul from Christ is false and should be shunned._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9, 10.

_The Divine Fulness of Christ a Pledge of the Believer's Perfection._

Christianity is the true philosophy. Here are its profoundest depths, its loftiest themes, its most substantial discoveries. The philosophy that is not after Christ is vain and misleading. It was a false conception of the Colossian heresy that the Divine energy was dispersed among several spiritual agencies. The apostle boldly declares that in Christ dwells the whole πλήρωμα the entire fulness of the Deity, and that it is in vain to seek for spiritual life in communion with inferior creatures.

+I. The Divine fulness of Christ.+--1. _In Christ is the fulness of the Deity._ "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead" (ver. 9). A small text, but a great subject. These words contain the sublimest truth in the narrowest compass. Fulness is a term used to signify all that anything contains. Hence, we read of the fulness of the earth, the fulness of the sea, and that the Church is Christ's body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. In Christ inhere all the perfections, attributes, and qualities that essentially constitute the Divine nature--power, wisdom, eternity, self-existence, omnipresence, truth, love, holiness. The deities of the heathen never pretended to possess more than a few Divine attributes, some portion of Divinity. But Christ contains in Himself the totality of Divine powers and excellencies.

2. _The fulness of the Deity in Christ is present and permanent._--"Dwelleth." The present tense is used. It is not as a transient gleam or as a brilliant display to serve a temporary purpose, but as an ever-present and unchanging reality. Mystery of mysteries! the body that hungered and thirsted, that bled and died, that rose and ascended on high, is still the temple of illimitable Deity! The manifestations of God through angels and prophets were brief and partial. The Shekinah, or visible glory, that hovered over the ark of the covenant was a symbol only of a present deity and disappeared as mysteriously as it came. But in Christ, the transcendent fulness of the Godhead finds its permanent home, never to depart, never to vanish.

3. _The fulness of the Deity in Christ has a visible embodiment._--"Bodily." In the person of Christ every moral perfection of the Godhead was enshrined and brought within the range of human vision. He presented and proved the fact of the Divine existence. He embodied and declared the Divine spirituality. He delineated the Divine disposition, and character in the days of His flesh. Gleams of the Divine nature occasionally broke forth. "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten Son of God" (John i. 14). And now, from that subtle, glorified human form of our exalted Mediator, the splendour of the Deity rays forth, filling the universe with light and glory and joy. In Christ the Godhead is revealed, not as a changing, shadowy phantasm, but as a positive, substantial reality.

+II. The supreme authority of Christ.+--"Which is the Head of all principality and power" (ver. 10).

1. _Angels are the principalities and powers of the universe._--They are called _spirits_ to express their nature, and _angels_ to designate their office as messengers sent by God. They are called _sons of God,_ to indicate their lofty relationship; _cherubim,_ because of their composite nature, and because they are placed under the presence of Jehovah, whose moving throne they appear to draw; _seraphim,_ because of their burning ardour in executing the commands of God; _stars of the morning,_ to set forth their brightness; _a flaming fire,_ because of the fierceness and celerity with which they carry out the vengeance of Heaven; and they are called _principalities_ and _powers_ on account of their exalted rank and superior endowments.

2. _Among the principalities and powers of the universe Christ has supreme authority._--He is the Head of all angelic hierarchies. He called them into being. He endows them with vast intelligence. He designates their rank. He controls their beneficent ministries. He fills the circle of their bliss. To worship angels, or to seek their mediation in the affairs of the soul, is not only gross idolatry, but an insufferable insult to the fulness of the Deity in Christ.

+III. The believer's fulness in Christ.+--"And ye are complete in Him" (ver. 10).

1. _In Christ is the inspiration of the believer's life._--The soul finds its true life by believing on the Son of God. "He that hath the Son hath life" (1 John v. 12). In ourselves we are like empty vessels; but in Christ we are filled up to the brim. As there is an original and Divine fulness of the Godhead in Christ, so there is a derived fulness communicated to us. Every advance in Christian experience, every aspiration after a more exalted spiritual tone, every yearning of the soul after clearer light, every struggle for victory over self and sin, is prompted and accelerated by the impetuous inflow of the Divine life.

2. _In Christ is the perfect ideal of the believer's character._--Christ has exalted human nature. He took not on Him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham. He has shown what human nature can become, and what it can do. In Him we have the illustrious pattern after which our souls are to be fashioned and rounded off into a full-orbed completeness. "Christ is the mirror that glasses God's image before us, and the Spirit is the plastic force within that transfers and photographs that image; and so, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

3. _In Christ is the interminable bliss of the believer's future._--The present life is a training for the future. The more it is in harmony with the will of Christ the happier will it be. Every attempt, amid the multiform relations of life, to do our duty in a Christly spirit, is bringing us into closer sympathy with Christ, and preparing us for a joyous life with Him hereafter. The apostle expressed the condition of the highest conceivable bliss to the believer in the words, "And so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 17).

+Lessons.+--1. _Christ is essentially Divine._ 2. _There is an ineffable fulness of salvation in Christ._ 3. _All secondary mediators between God and man are superfluous._ 4. _The soul is complete in Christ only as it believes in Him._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9, 10. _A Presentation of Two Great Truths._

+I. That all Christianity centres in Christ.+

+II. That union to Christ makes the soul independent of others.+--_Dykes._

Ver. 9. _The Fulness of Christ._

+I. Christ is full of the power of God.+

+II. The love of God.+

+III. The grace of God.+

+IV. The faithfulness of God.+

+V. The purpose of God to punish sin.+--_Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 10. _The Completing of the Soul._

+I. We are made complete in Christ by inspirations.+

+II. We have ideas and ideals in Christ.+

+III. We are set in a various scheme of relations that we may have a training in virtues equally various and be perfected in them and by means of them.+--_Bushnell._

_The Believer Complete in Christ._

+I. Complete in Him with respect to the work which He hath already performed.+--1. _His obedience and atonement were precisely what God Himself had prescribed._ 2. _That He obeyed and atoned, we have the perfect evidence of observation and testimony._ He Himself declared, "I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." "It is finished." To this the Father and the Spirit have expressly borne testimony: by signs and wonders; His resurrection; His ascension; the descent of the Spirit; conversions; the glorification of His people. 3. _Into His righteousness thus perfect the believer is admitted._

+II. Complete in Him with respect to the work which He is now performing.+--1. _Interceding in heaven._ 2. _Ruling on earth,_ and thus giving grace and affording protection.

+III. Complete in Him with respect to the work which He is hereafter to perform.+--1. _As the Resurrection._ 2. _As the Judge._ 3. _As the Glorifier._ 4. _As the Consummation and Communicator of eternal blessedness.--Stewart._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 11, 12.

_Christian Circumcision._

There were two principal errors lying at the root of the heresy that was doing so much damage at Colossæ. One was the theological error of substituting inferior and created angelic mediators for the Divine Head Himself. The other was a practical error, in insisting upon ritual and ascetic observances as the foundation of moral teaching. Thus, their theological speculations and ethical code alike were at fault. Both errors flowed from a common source--the false conception that evil resides in matter, a fruitful source of many fatal heresies. Some contended the Colossians could not be complete in Christ without submitting to the Jewish rite of circumcision; but the apostle showed that they were the subjects of a superior circumcision.

+I. Christian circumcision is inward and spiritual.+--"Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands" (ver. 11). The hand-wrought circumcision of the Jews was simply an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. This is abundantly clear in the language of the Old Testament: "No stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary." "The Lord Thy God will circumcise thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and all thy soul" (Ezek. xliv. 9; Deut. xxx. 6). The argument of the apostle is that the Colossians had secured all the spiritual results aimed at in the ancient rite, and that by a better circumcision, even that made without hands, by the spiritual and almighty power of Christ, so that it was unnecessary for them or any other Gentiles to submit to the abrogated Hebraic ordinance. The true circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter (Rom. ii. 28, 29).

+II. Christian circumcision is complete.+--"In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh" (ver. 11); or, as Bengel translates, _putting off the body of the sins_--that is to say, _the flesh._ Manual circumcision, according to the law of Moses, was the cutting away of only a small part of the flesh. But the true spiritual circumcision consists in putting off, renouncing, and casting away with disgust the _whole body_ of our corrupt nature--the entire fleshly principle. The whole bulk of sin is fitly compared to a _body,_ because of the weight of guilt there is in it (Rom. vii. 24), and the soul is completely compassed by it, as it is with our natural body (Gen. vi. 5). When the heart is circumcised, the total mass of sin is put off, as the porter puts off his burden, the beggar his rages, the master his false servant, and the serpent its skin. Old things pass away; all things become new.

+III. Christian circumcision is Divine.+--"By the circumcision of Christ" (ver. 11). It is wrought, without hands, by the inward, invisible power of the Divine Spirit of Christ. It supersedes the external form of the circumcision of the law and fulfils all its spiritual designs in a far more perfect manner than even the spiritually-minded Jew could adequately conceive. What can never be effected by the moral law, by external, ascetic ceremonies, or by philosophic speculations, is accomplished by the circumcision of Christ. The whole body of sin is mortified, the soul is quickened and renewed, and brought into the possession of the highest moral perfection.

+IV. Christian circumcision is realised by the thorough identification of the believer with Christ in His death and resurrection.+--"Buried with Him, wherein also ye are risen with Him" (ver. 12). Burial implies previous death; and to secure the true circumcision we must be spiritually identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is the familiar teaching of the New Testament that he who believes in Christ is said to die with Him, to be buried with Him, and to rise with Him (ver. 13; Rom. vi. 11; Eph. ii. 5). A circumcised heart, a new nature, cannot be obtained by mere human effort, by stern resolutions, painful processes of self-mortification, or by the most advanced and rigorous mental culture. It is secured only by a complete, vital union and incorporation with Christ, and a sympathetic participation with Him in all He has done and suffered. With Christ the believer enters the grave where the vast body of sin dies and is buried; and with Christ he emerges into a new and heavenlier life that transforms the soul into a Diviner beauty, and fills it with unutterable rapture and melodious praise.

+V. Christian circumcision is wrought in the soul by a spiritual baptism.+--"Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him" (ver. 12). Baptism by water, like legal circumcision, is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. But it does not appear that there is any allusion here to the ordinance of baptism. The leading ideas and figures used in these two verses refer to spiritual realities: the death, burial, and resurrection, the circumcision without hands, and the putting off of the body of the flesh, are all spiritual; and the baptism is evidently of the same character. It is by the baptism of the Spirit--the quickening and renewing power of the Holy Ghost--that the soul is so united to and identified with Christ that the believer may be said to be buried and to rise with Him. It is possible to die with Christ and to rise with Him without being baptised with water; but it is impossible to do either without the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Spiritual baptism is the grave of the old man and the birth of the new. As he sinks beneath the baptismal waters, the believer buries there all his corrupt affections and past sins; ans he emerges thence, he rises regenerate, quickened to new hopes and a new life.

+VI. Christian circumcision is received by faith.+--"Through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead" (ver. 12). Faith is not a natural production of the human heart. It is a Divine gift and is bestowed on man by a Divine operation. Man _can_ believe because God has given him the power to believe. No unbeliever can receive the baptism that effects the spiritual resurrection. The faith specially referred to is to be fixed on the power of God as exerted and displayed in the resurrection of Christ from the tomb. The same power is employed in that mysterious baptismal process by which the soul throws off its mass of moral vileness and rises into newness of life. Faith opens every gateway of the soul, so that it gratefully welcomes and exults in the transforming operations of the Divine energy.

+Lessons.+--1. _All external ordinances are powerless to change the heart._ 2. _The true circumcision is accomplished by the baptism of the Holy Ghost._ 3. _To realise the renewing power of God faith is indispensable._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 11. _The True Circumcision._

+I. Is not an outward rite, but an inward change.+

+II. Is an excision of the body of sin by our union with Christ, who has conquered sin.+

+III. Is not an external observance, but a spiritual experience and a holy life.+

Ver. 12. _The True Baptism_--

+I. Is spiritual regeneration.+

+II. Is being buried and raised again with Christ.+

+III. Is secured by an active, realising faith in the power of God.+

+IV. Renders circumcision and all outward rites valueless as means of salvation.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 13, 14.

_The Transition from Death to Life._

In relation to man, the physical order is a descent from life to death, the spiritual order an ascent from death to life. The soul of man is held captive in the dark and dismal prison-house of sin, and the Divine law--at once its judge and gaoler--has declared its condemnation to death. The great Mediator offers Himself a ransom for human sin. He is accepted. The sentence of condemnation is cancelled, and spiritual liberty proclaimed.

+I. That the natural condition of humanity is one of moral and spiritual death.+--1. _Man is in a condition of spiritual insensibility._ "You, being dead in your sins" (ver. 13). The dead know not anything. They are as unconscious as the dust in the midst of which they slumber. The sweetest sounds or the brightest scenes appeal in vain to the locked-up senses. This figure strikingly depicts the moral condition of man. The soul may be keenly alive to the relations and interests of the outer world, and at the same time dead to the grandest spiritual realities. He is insensible to the character and claims of God, to the sublimest truths, to the most ravishing prospects. With faculties to appreciate all that is lovely in nature and wonderful in art, he is insensible and unresponsive to the highest moral beauty.

2. _Man is in a condition of moral corruption._--"And the uncircumcision of your flesh" (ver. 13). Death unbinds the forces that brace up the body in life and health and leaves it a prey to the ever-active power of corruption. The _flesh_ is the carnal principle--the old corrupt nature; and its uncircumcision indicates that it has not been cut off, mortified, or conquered. It is the loathsome, putrid fruit of a nature spiritually dead--the outworkings of a wicked, unrenewed heart, through all the channels of unchecked appetites and passions--moral putrescence fattening on itself. No description of sin can surpass the revolting spectacle of its own self-registered results.

3. _Man is in a condition of condemnation._--(1) The Divine ordinances record an indictment against the transgressor. "The handwriting of ordinances that was against us" (ver. 14). A _handwriting_ imports what any one writes with his own hand, and is usually applied to a note of hand, a bond, or obligation, as having the signature of the debtor or contracting party. The primary reference in the terms used is to the Jews, who might be said to have signed the contract when they bound themselves, by a curse, to observe all the enactments of the law (Deut. xxvii. 14-26). _Ordinances,_ though referring primarily to the Mosaic ordinances, includes all forms of positive decrees (ordinances) in which moral or social principles are embodied or religious duties defined. Man everywhere is under law, written or unwritten; and he is morally obligated to obey it. That law has been universally violated, and its ordinances and sanctions are against us. We are involved in legal condemnation; we owe to God what we can never pay. (2) The Divine ordinances are hostile towards the transgressor. "Which was contrary to us" (ver. 14). We are often painfully reminded of our broken bond, as the debtor is often distressingly reminded of his undischarged obligation. Our peace is disturbed, our conscience troubled, our prospects darkened. The sense of condemnation pursues us in every part of life and haunts us with visions of terrible vengeance to come.

+II. That the believer is raised into a condition of spiritual life.+--1. _Spiritual life begins in the consciousness of liberty._ "Having forgiven you all trespasses" (ver. 13). Sin enthrals the soul in an intolerable bondage and smites it with a deathly blow. There is no return to life until liberty is bestowed. Forgiveness confers that liberty. Pardon is the point at which spiritual life begins. The sense of liberty is the first glad thrill in the soul of a new and nobler life. The pardon is ample; it is all-comprehensive--having forgiven you _all_ trespasses. Every legal barrier is removed. All guilt is cancelled. Every stain is purged away. Every vestige of corruption disappears. The Divine mercy triumphs in the prompt, generous, loving, full forgiveness of sins.

2. _Spiritual life implies a freedom from all condemnation._--(1) The indictment recorded in the Divine ordinances is cancelled and abolished. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross" (ver. 14). Every assurance is given to the trembling believer that his guilt is pardoned, and his condemnation removed. The handwriting is blotted out--as it were, cross-strokes are drawn through it; and that all suspicion it may again become legible, may be allayed, it is added, "and took it out of the way"; it is entirely removed. But lest, haply, it should again be found and produced, it is declared--it is destroyed, torn, nailed to the cross, and so made utterly useless ever to witness anything against the believer. "Now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held" (Rom. vii. 6). The handwriting against us is removed and destroyed by the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. There we behold the cancelled sentence torn and rent by the very nails that pierced the sacred body of the world's Redeemer. (2) Freedom from condemnation is effected by the cross. "His cross." Much as the doctrine of salvation through the vicarious sufferings of Christ may be misunderstood and despised, it is the only method by which pardon can be bestowed, condemnation removed, and spiritual life imparted. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."

+III. That the transition of the soul from death to spiritual life is a Divine work.+--"You hath He quickened together with Him" (ver. 13). God only can raise the dead. He who first fashioned us in His own image, who raised from the dead Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, rescues man from the gloomy domain of spiritual death, and inspires him with a new and holier life. It is a life of blessed union with the Divine. Its activities are spontaneous and Godward in their tendencies. It has the power of growth and endless development. Its aspirations are the purest and noblest. It is intensely individual. It is the movement of the Divine in the sphere of the human, not defacing or destroying the human, but exalting and perfecting its worthiest traits.

+Lessons.+--1. _All men are dead in sin._ 2. _Law condemns but cannot deliver._ 3. _Pardon of sin is the gateway of spiritual life._ 4. _Pardon is obtained only by looking to the cross._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 13. _Death and Spiritual Life._

+I. Man by sin is spiritually dead and disabled from exercising spiritual acts.+

+II. Man is quickened into spiritual life by virtue of the resurrection of Christ.+

+III. Spiritual life is obtainable only by the pardon of sin.+

Ver. 14. _The Handwriting of Ordinances._

+I. Describes our condemnation.+

+II. Must be cancelled in order to pardon.+

+III. Cancelled by the sufferings on the cross.+

+IV. Is blotted out against us when we accept the Crucified.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 15.

_The Triumph of the Cross._

The apostle has shown the worthlessness of the Jewish ceremonies and the galling tyranny of their yoke. He has exposed the emptiness of the philosophy that was of human fabrication, with its illusive theories about angel mediators, its vast accretions of conflicting traditions, and its intolerable impositions. He has declared that they are all transfixed to the cross--torn, lacerated, illegible, cancelled--and exhibited there as a spectacle for the perpetual consolation and assurance of the believer. And now the apostle, rising with the grandeur of his theme, compares the scene of the cross to the splendid triumph of a Roman general, in which the captives taken in battle were led in gorgeous procession through the city as substantial trophies of the victor.

+I. The triumph of the cross was over the powers of evil.+--"Principalities and Powers."

1. _The existence of evil is a painful fact._--We meet with it everywhere and in everything. It mars the beauty of external creation and loads it with a burden of unutterable woe. It flings its shadow over the brightest sky, transforms the music of life into a doleful monotone, and translates the softest zephyrs into sighs. It impregnates man's moral nature, deflects the purest principles, shatters the noblest powers, arrests the loftiest aspirations and drags the soul down to the lowest hell.

2. _Evil is embodied in invisible and potent personalities._--They are here called _principalities_ because of their excellency, their deep penetration, vast knowledge, and exalted station. They are called _powers_ because of their ability, the mighty influence they can wield, and the terrible havoc they can work. Their dominion extends over the whole realm of sin. They exist in vast numbers (2 Pet. iv. 2; Jude 6), but they are inspired and guided by one great master-spirit--the prince of the power of the air. They are animated and bound together by one spirit--a spirit of bitter hatred and savage hostility towards God, and of contemptuous scorn for His authority. They are eager to obey the slightest behest of their malignant leader.

"He spake: and to confirm his words outflew Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs, Of mighty cherubim: the sudden blaze Far round illumined hell: highly they raged Against the Highest, and fierce with grasped arms Clashed on their sounding shields the din of war, Hurling defiance towards the vault of heaven."

These hosts of evil spirits are the great foes of man with which he has incessantly to contend (Eph. vi. 12). The struggle would be hopeless had not Christ defeated them.

+II. The triumph of the cross was achieved after severe conflict.+--"Having spoiled."

1. _The conflict was continuous._--It was fought from the earliest period between Satan and man, and the day was lost. The woeful issues of that conquest are with us to-day. The battle has been raging ever since. The enmity existing between the serpent and the seed of the woman is still active. The symbols and foreshadowings of the great strife appeared on many occasions during the Mosaic period. But when Christ assumed our humanity and stepped upon the field as the great Captain of our salvation, the conflict reached its climax.

2. _The conflict was fierce._--Hosts of demons swarmed around the solitary Warrior, and with incredible fury sought to gain a victory over the human nature he had assumed. Again and again, they rushed to the attack; but each fresh assault ended with a new defeat. In the wilderness He was tempted by Satan; but the arch-tempter was compelled to retire, baffled and conquered. Through the voice of His chief disciple the temptation was renewed, and He was urged to decline His appointed sufferings and death (Matt. xvi. 23). But Satan was again foiled.

3. _The conflict was deadly._--Then came the final hour--the great crisis when the power of darkness made itself felt, when the prince of this world threw his last fatal shaft and asserted his tyranny (Luke xxii. 53; John xii. 30). The closing act in the conflict began with the agony of Gethsemane; it ended with the cross of Calvary. The Son of God expires on the accursed tree. But, lo! strange reversal of all human conflicts--the moment of apparent defeat is the moment of victory! By dying Christ has conquered death and wrested from the enemy his most potent weapon of terror. The principalities and powers of evil, that clung around the humanity of Christ like a fatal Nessus tunic, were _spoiled_--torn off and cast aside for ever. Evil assailed the great Redeemer from without, but never penetrated Him as it does humanity. In the act of dying the crucified One stripped off and flung to the ground the great potentates of evil never more to be in the ascendant.

+III. The triumph of the cross was signal and complete.+--1. _It was signal._ "He made a show of them openly." The overthrow of the principalities and powers of evil was boldly declared to the universe. They were declared to be liars, traitors, deceivers, usurpers, and murderers! It was not a private but a public victory, in which the universe was interested, and in which all men may well rejoice. The victory of mankind is involved in the victory of Christ. In His cross we too are divested of the poisonous, clinging garments of temptation, sin, and death--we spoil, strip off, put away from us the powers of evil, and are liberated from the dominion of the flesh.

2. _It was complete._--"Triumphing over them in it." Christ proved Himself on the cross the Conqueror of death and hell. Here the paradox of the Crucifixion is placed in the strongest light--triumph in helplessness, glory in shame, the vanquished become the conqueror. The gloom of the convict's gibbet is transformed into the splendour of the victor's chariot. In the cross we see the greatest triumph of our Immanuel--the law fulfilled; God's moral government vindicated; death robbed of its prey; Satan, "the prince of this world" cast out; principalities and powers dragged in procession as captives; a show of them boldly made; the imprisoned world set free; and the final victory over every enemy assured.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christ has conquered the powers of evil._ 2. _To the believer ultimate victory is certain._ 3. _Keep up a brave heart in the fiercest conflict._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 16, 17.

_The Ceremonial and the Real in Religion._

After dealing with the speculative theories so busily propagated by the false teachers at Colossæ, the apostle descends from the height of his lofty argument, and with incomparable force sweeps away the whole group of errors which overrated an excessive ritualism and insisted on a rigorous asceticism. The existence of the ceremonial in religion is a confession of the imperfection of our nature; and the more rudimentary the ceremonial, the lower it supposes our condition. The ceremonial foreshadows the real and is intended to help in attaining it. In the nature of things, therefore, the ceremonial is but temporary. When it puts man in possession of the real it vanishes. The shadow is absorbed in the substance. To compel man to find salvation in the ceremonial, when he already possesses the real, is a retrogression and an injustice. The liberty of the Gospel places the believer above the slavery of external ordinances and furnishes him with a law--the law of a Christianised conscience--as to their use or neglect.

+I. That the ceremonial in religion can form no just basis for individual condemnation.+--"Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat," etc. (ver. 16). The Mosaic law enforced certain injunctions concerning eating and drinking. It gave minute directions as to the animals that were to be eaten, making a distinction between the clean and the unclean. As to drinking, the priests were strictly forbidden the use of wine on the eve of solemn public duty; and the vow of the Nazarites required entire abstinence from the fruit of the vine. The tendency of the Jews was to multiply these distinctions and prohibitions, and to exalt them into undue importance. The reference to special days embraces the collective periodical feasts and sacred seasons of the Levitical ritual--the yearly, monthly, and weekly celebrations. The term _holy day_ would include the festivals of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles respectively. The _new moon_ alludes to the monthly celebrations mentioned (Num. x. 10, xxviii. 11). The _Sabbath days_ refer to the weekly solemnities and services of the seventh day. The Jews assumed that the obligation of these regulations was permanent, and their observance essential to the salvation of the Christian believer. The Gospel teaches that the observance or non-observance of these ceremonial rites is no just ground for judging each other. We are not justified in condemning any one for neglecting them, or to think any better of one who reverently observes them. The essence of religion does not consist in the outward form, but in the inward spirit--not in the ceremonial, but in the real. "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (ver. 17).

+II. That the ceremonial in religion is typical of the real.+--"Which are a shadow of things to come" (ver. 17). Ceremonies have their place in the culture of mankind, and in their legitimate sphere they are important. They are adapted to the infant stage in the development of the race. They sketch out the bold, rough outlines of truths that are in a half-formed embryotic state. They are shadows projected across the disc of our mental vision--of grand realities which are ever advancing into clearer view. They are typical of the existence and certain manifestation of deeper and unchangeable truths. They are predictive of things to come. The great yearly festival of the Passover typified the forgiveness of sins by the shedding of the precious blood of Christ. The Pentecost, or feast of the firstfruits, sets forth the sustenance and ample provision God has made for the soul. The feast of Tabernacles was a significant reminder of God's providential guidance and fatherly care of human life. The new moon, or first day of the month, with its usual service, impressed on the minds of the people the truth that Jehovah, the Ruler of the seasons, was the God of providence as well as of creation. The weekly Sabbath, with its grateful rest, was expressly instituted to commemorate the rest of God after the exercise of His creative energy. Then the ordinary sacrifices were doubled, and the shewbread renewed, to indicate that God is the source and sustenance of our life. And so, the whole Mosaic law was a type and presage of the Gospel. The spiritually enlightened look through the outward and visible symbol to the great truth signified. The ceremonial is valuable only as it conducts to the real.

+III. That the ceremonial in religion is abolished and rendered nugatory by the real.+--"But the body is of Christ" (ver. 17). When the substance appears, the shadow is swallowed up. As the shadows are to the body, so were the types and ceremonies of the law to Christ. They were figures of evangelical blessings; but the truth, the reality, and abiding substance of them are found in the person, work, and salvation of Christ. All the grand truths prefigured by the ancient Mosaic ritual are embodied in Christ. He gives the fullest personal representation of Jehovah as the God of nature, providence, and redemption, at once the Author and the Ruler of the spiritual life. In Christ, therefore, as the substance and Antitype, all shadow and symbol disappear. It is a dangerous infatuation to snatch at the shadow and cling to it when we may embrace and rest in the sufficiency of the substance. This is to restore the cancelled handwriting and nullify the splendid triumph of the cross. In Christ the ceremonial is effete, powerless, dead. He only is the changeless, eternal, all-satisfying real.

+Lessons.+--1. _Learn to exercise the spirit of Christian forbearance in external observances._ 2. _Be careful not to rest in the ceremonial._ 3. _Christ alone can satisfy the deepest craving of the soul._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 16, 17. _The Shadow and the Substance of the Sabbath._

+I. The transient shadow which has passed away.+--The Sabbath as a sign between God and the Israelites, marking them off from all other nations by its observance--as a mere Jewish institution.

+II. The permanent substance which cannot pass.+--"The body is of Christ"--the Spirit of Christ is the fulfilment of the law. To have the Spirit of Christ is to have fulfilled the law. Apply this to Sabbath observance.--_F. W. Robertson._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 18, 19.

_The Seductive Peril of a False Philosophy._

The apostle had warned the Colossians against the dangerous consequences of attaching too much importance to the ceremonial in religion, inasmuch as it was the substitution of the shadow for the substance. He now reveals the peril of being seduced by the theological error that insisted on interposition of angel mediators, which was the preference of an inferior member to the Head. In this verse the writer distinctly warns the Colossian Christians against the peril that threatened them and exposes the presumptuous speculations of a false philosophy.

+I. That the teachings of a false philosophy threaten to rob the believer of his most coveted reward.+--"Let no man beguile you of your reward" (ver. 18). The Christian's career is a race; the present world is the stadium, or racecourse; Christ is the umpire--the dispenser of rewards; eternal life is the victor's prize. The Colossians were in a fair way for winning the prize; they had duly entered the lists; they were contending bravely; but the false teachers unhappily crossed their path, sought to impede their progress, and to rob them of their reward. Error is subtle in its influence and pernicious in its effects. Many erroneous opinions may possibly be held without invalidating the salvation of the soul; but any error that in any degree depreciates our estimate of Christ and interrupts the advance of our Christian life is a robbery. It may be said that the dangerous speculations of a false philosophy are confined only to a few--the higher circle of thinkers. That is bad enough. But what is damaging the higher order of intellects will by-and-by reach the lower and work its mischief there. There is need for uninterrupted vigilance.

+II. That a false philosophy advocates the most presumptuous and perilous speculations.+--1. _It affects a spurious humility._ God is unknowable to the limited and uncertain powers of man; He is too high to be accessible, and too much absorbed in loftier matters to concern Himself about individual man. He can be approached only through inferior beings, and their assistance should be humbly sought. So it reasons. But this humility was voluntary, self-induced, and was in reality another form of high spiritual pride. Humility, when it becomes self-conscious, ceases to have any value.

2. _It invents a dangerous system of angelolatry._--"Worshipping of angels" (ver. 18). The Jews were fond of philosophising about the dignity, offices, and ranks of the angelic powers; and many held the opinion that they were messengers who presented our prayers to God. The false teachers made the most of the authority they could derive from Jewish sources. They would tell how the law was given by the disposition of angels--that angels conducted the Israelites through the wilderness, and on various occasions appeared to patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. They would dwell on the weakness of man and his distance from God and insist that homage should be paid to these angelic messengers as necessary mediators. Alas, how fatal has been the influence through the centuries of this delusive angelolatry! The apostle here condemns it, and thus sweeps away all ground for the Christ-dishonouring practices of invocation of saints and the worship of the Virgin.

3. _It pretends to a knowledge of the mysterious._--"Intruding into those things which he hath not seen" (ver. 18). Man is everywhere circled with mystery. It is one of the saddest moments of life when he first becomes conscious of the limitation of his own powers, and of his utter inability to fathom the mysteries which seem to invite his inquiry while they baffle his attempt. Locke somewhere says, a worm in the drawer of a cabinet, shut up in its tiny enclosure, might as well pretend to guess at the construction of the vast universe, as mortal man ventures to speculate about the unseen world, except so far as revealed for purposes of salvation. But fools will rush in where angels fear to tread. The boast of possessing a profound knowledge of the mysterious is one of the marks of a false philosophy.

4. _It is inflated with an excessive pride._--"Vainly puffed up by its fleshly mind" (ver. 18). The carnal mind, which is enmity against God, rises to a pitch of reckless daring in its inventions, and revelling in its own creative genius, is vainly puffed up with a conceit of novelty and with a fancied superiority over the humbler disciple. There is no state more dangerous than this or more difficult to change. It is proof against every ordinary method of recovery. The proud man lives "half-way down the slope to hell." God only can break the delusive snare, humble the soul, and revoke its threatened doom.

+III. That a false philosophy ignores the Divine source of all spiritual increase.+--1. _Christ is the great Head of the Church._ He is the centre of its unity, the primal source of its life, authority, and influence. He founded the Church, and gave it shape, symmetry, and durableness. He alone is supreme--the Alpha and Omega--the living and only Head. To ignore Him is to forfeit the substantial for the shadowy--the rock for the precarious footing of the crumbling shale.

2. _The Church is vitally and essentially united to Christ._--"From which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together" (ver. 19). As the members of the human frame are joined to the head, and derive life, motion, and sensation from it by means of arteries, veins, nerves, and other attachments, so the spiritual members of Christ are knit to Him by invisible joints and bands, and depend on Him for sustenance, character, and influence.

3. _The vital union of the Church with Christ is the condition of spiritual increase._--"Increaseth with the increase of God" (ver. 19). Christ is the Divine source of increase, and the Church can grow only as it receives nourishment from Him. The growth corresponds with its nature--it is Divine; it increaseth with the increase of God. There may be a morbid increase, as there may be an unnatural enlargement of some part of the human body; but it is only the excessive inflation of a worldly splendour and ecclesiastical pretension. Like Jonah's gourd, such a growth may disappear as rapidly as it came. The true increase is that which comes from God, of which He is the source, and active, sustaining influence, and which advances in harmony with His will and purpose. Such an increase can be secured only by vital union with Christ.

+Lessons.+--1. _A false philosophy distorts the grandest truths._ 2. _A false philosophy substitutes for truth the most perilous speculations._ 3. _Against the teachings of a false philosophy be ever on your guard._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 18. _Philosophic Vagaries_--

+I. Making pretence of superior knowledge.+

+II. Affecting a spurious humility in worship.+

+III. Inflated with pride.+

+IV Dangerous to those sincerely seeking the truth.+

Ver. 19. _How a Church lives and grows._

+I. The source of all the life of the body.+--Christ is the Head, therefore the source from which all parts of the body partake of a common life. There are three symbols employed to represent the union of Christ with His Church--the vine, the body, and the marriage bond.

+II. The various and harmonious action of all the parts.+--1. _From Jesus comes all nourishment of the Divine life, even when we think that we instruct or stimulate each other._ 2. _From Jesus comes the oneness of the body._

+III. The consequent increase of the whole.+--1. _The increase of life in the Church, both as a community and in its separate elements, depends on the harmonious activity of all the parts._ 2. _Is dependent of the activity of all, and sadly hampered when some are idle._ 3. _Depends on its vitality within and on the concurrent activity of all its members._ 4. _Depends not only on the action of all its parts, but on their health and vitality._ 5. _There is an increase which is not the increase of God._

+IV. The personal hold of Jesus Christ which is the condition of all life and growth.+--A firm, almost desperate clutch in which Love and Need, like two hands, clasp Him and will not let Him go. Such tenacious grip implies the adhesive energy of the whole nature--the mind laying hold on truth, the heart clinging to love, the will submitting to authority.--_A. Maclaren._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 20-23.

_The Ceremonial in Religion Transitory and Unsatisfying._

The apostle returns again to the question of outward observances. He saw the extreme danger with which the Colossians were threatened from that source, and before turning to other matters in his epistle he lifts up a warning voice as for the last time.

+I. That the ceremonial in religion is simply elementary.+--"The rudiments of the world" (ver. 20). The ceremonial in religion is the alphabetical stage, suited only to the world's infancy and to the crudest condition in human development. It is the childish period which, with all its toys and pictures and gewgaws, is put away when spiritual manhood is attained. It is in its nature transitory and imperfect. It conveys knowledge but in part; and when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part is done away.

+II. The ceremonial in religion is unworthy the submission of the Christian believer.+--1. _The believer is liberated from the slavery of the ceremonial._ He is "dead with Christ" (ver. 20). As Christ by His death cancelled the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and vanquished Satan and all his hosts, so the believer, united with Christ in His death, shares in the triumph of that death. He is free; he rises into a new life, not under the tyranny of the old law, with its demands and penalties, but in allegiance to Christ. He has passed into another sphere of existence. Worldly ordinances have ceased to have any value for him, because his worldly life is ended. They belong to the realm of the transitory and perishable; he has been translated into the realm of the free and the eternal.

2. _To return to the ceremonial is to forfeit Christian liberty._--"Why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?" (ver. 20). It is to ignore all progress, to impugn the reality of the change wrought in the soul by spiritual baptism, to close one's eyes to the altered state of things into which he has been introduced, and to submit again to the galling yoke of legal observances and human traditions which never had Divine sanction and from which he had been emancipated. It is a denial of his Christianity to subject himself again to their tyranny--to return once more to the dominion of the world. It is giving up the substance for the shadow. It is a deliberate self-degradation to the most abject and pitiable slavery. It is supposed that many of the ascetic practices of the false teachers at Colossæ were borrowed from the Pythagoreans. Their philosophy was all on the side of prohibitions, abstinences, a forced celibacy, the unlawfulness of animal food, the possibility of attaining perfection by neglecting the body, under the delusion that evil resided in matter.

+III. The ceremonial in religion, in its main features, is universally the same.+--1. _It is the same in its dictatorial prohibitions._ "Touch not; taste not; handle not" (ver. 21). Such is the arrogant language of a narrow, bigoted, and imperious superstition. It is an instruction to observe the gradual and insidious manner in which it obtains the mastery over the human conscience. _Touch not:_ it prohibits even a light partaking of some meat or drink. _Taste not:_ the prohibition is extended, so that it becomes a crime even to taste, though refusing to eat. _Handle not:_ to come in contact with the forbidden object, even in the handling, is a dreadful sacrilege. So is it ever with the clamorous demands of a proud, assumptious ritualism. There is no end to the unauthorised prohibitions with which it seeks to bind the conscience.

2. _It is the same in its undue exaltation of the external and transitory._--"Which all are to perish with the using" (ver. 22). The very eating and drinking of them destroys them. They are consumed in the using; and in order to nourish us they themselves perish--a plain proof that all the benefit we receive from them respects only our physical and mortal life. What folly is it to insist on a scrupulous avoidance or observance of externals in order to salvation! You claim an affinity with the eternal, and it is unworthy of your glorious destiny to be absorbed with the worship of the perishable.

3. _It is the same in its human origin._--"After the commandments and doctrines of men" (ver. 22). A commandment is a precept; a doctrine is the principle or truth on which it is based. The one furnishes a direction, the other the reason on which the direction rests. The ceremonial in religion is an accumulation of the commandments and doctrines of men. Depending on human authority, it has no value in itself; and when it is made obligatory in order to human salvation, it is an impious insult to Christ and an intolerable servitude to man. The commandments of men, having no solid doctrines to rest upon, are transitory and illusory.

+IV. The ceremonial in religion can never satisfy the many-sided wants of humanity.+--1. _It pretends to a wisdom it does not possess._ (1) In self-imposed methods of worship. "Which things have, indeed, a show of wisdom in will-worship" (ver. 23). It insists on certain distinctions of meats and drinks; on abstinence from this or that kind of food; on certain ritual observances as necessary in order to render due homage to God. The enthusiast for the ceremonial argues that he who only does what God positively demands does only what is common; but he who goes beyond, and submits to additional observances, reaches a higher degree of saintliness. This is will-worship, which has peculiar charms for the corrupt tendencies of our depraved nature. The works of supererogation it invents are pleasanter than the holy, humble, adoring worship of God through the blood of the cross. (2) In the affectation of a spurious humility. "In humility" (ver. 23). It is a pretence of wisdom to renounce all worldly splendour and profess to live in poverty and seclusion. But at the root of this profession the most pernicious pride may lurk. A self-conscious and dramatically acted humility is the most degrading and detestable. (3) In an unjustifiable indifference to bodily wants. "And neglecting of the body" (ver. 23). The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and is to be honoured and cherished, and all its just wants satisfied, in order that its best powers may be employed in the service of God. But the abuse of the body in starvation, painful macerations, and squalid neglect is a folly and a sin.

2. _It is of no value in preventing the indulgence of the flesh._--"Not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh" (ver. 23). The radical error of the ascetic lies in his belief that evil resides in matter. Not the body, but the soul, is the source of sin: the body is depraved because the soul is depraved. Sin exists as a thought and conception of the heart before it exists as an act of the flesh. No amount of outward flagellation, or of abstinence from needful food, will satisfy the natural wants of the body, or destroy its sinful tendencies. The attempt to be virtuous by afflicting the body is like battering the outwork while the main citadel remains untouched. The outward man can never satisfy the complicated needs of man's nature. First bring the soul into a right relation to God, and, with the aid of Divine grace, it will control all the outgoings of the flesh.

+Lessons.+--1. _The ceremonial has its place in religion, and therefore should not be despised._ 2. _The believer is raised above the power of the ceremonial in religion, and therefore should not be subject to it._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 20. _Principles above Rules; or, Wheat is better than Bread._--Bread may feed us for the moment, but when once eaten it is gone for ever. Wheat on the contrary will bear seed, increase, and multiply. Every rule is taken from a principle, as a loaf of bread is made from wheat. It is right to enforce the principle rather than the action, because a good principle is sure of producing good actions. Seeming goodness is not better than religion; precept is not better than principle.--_A. W. Hare._

Vers. 21-23. _Asceticism_--

+I. Multiplies unnecessary restriction.+

+II. Is a species of self-worship.+

+III. Is unjust to the body.+

* * * * * * * *

+CHAPTER III.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 1. +Seek those things that are above.+--Our Lord says that as He was "from above," so His disbelieving hearers were "from beneath," which He interprets as "of this world" (John viii. 23, 24). The apostle in like manner in the next verse opposes the "things above" to "things on earth."

Ver. 3. +Your life is hid with Christ in God.+--You are much more likely to have it kept pure by having it in Christ than by setting round it a hedge of "Thou shalt" and "Thou shalt not."

Ver. 5. +Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.+--"Quite so!" the heretic teacher might say; "this is just what we ourselves advise." "Yes," rejoins the apostle; "but let us know what it is we are to slaughter." It is no hewing and hacking of the body, but what is as much more difficult as it is noble--the excision or eradication of evil thoughts (Matt. xv. 19, 20). +Inordinate affection, evil concupiscence.+--R.V. "passion, evil desire." The former of these seems to indicate the corrupt conditions from which the latter springs. +Covetousness, which is idolatry.+--"Covetousness," or "having more." There is many a man, beside the clown in _Twelfth Night,_ who says, "I would not have you to think my _desire of having_ is the sin of covetousness." The full drag can afford to sacrifice (Hab. i. 16).

Ver. 8. +Anger, wrath.+--The former is the smouldering fire, the latter the fierce out-leaping flame. +Malice, blasphemy.+--The former is the vicious disposition, the latter the manifestation of it in speech that is meant to inflict injury. +Filthy communication+--One word in the original; R.V. gives it as "shameful speaking." The word does not occur again in the New Testament. It means scurrilous or obscene speech. A glimpse of Eastern life helps us to understand the frequent injunctions as to restraint of the tongue in the New Testament. Dr. Norman Macleod says: "In vehemence of gesticulation, in genuine power of lip and lung to fill the air with a roar of incomprehensible exclamations, nothing on earth, so long as the body retains its present arrangement of muscles and nervous vitality, can surpass the Egyptians and their language." But the same thing is witnessed of other Eastern tongues.

Ver. 9. +Lie not one to another.+--"Very elementary teaching," we should be inclined to say. Whether there was any special tendency to this vice in the Colossian converts we cannot know.

Ver. 12. +Bowels of mercies.+--R.V. "a heart of compassion." A case of concrete for abstract. The physical effect of pity lies at the bottom of the phrase.

Ver. 13. +Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another.+--Literally it would be, "Bearing with one another, and dealing graciously with yourselves"; for not only the verbs but the pronouns also change with a delicate shade of meaning. Forbearance, like a peace-making angel, passes to and fro between the incensed parties. +Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.+--The pattern of all graciousness is Christ. See His parable (Matt. xviii. 33).

Ver. 14. +Above all these things put on charity.+--Reminding us of the exalted place which the queenly virtue holds in St. Paul's triad. As the outermost dress of an Oriental was perhaps that which was most serviceable, so whatever else is put on, "above everything" love must be remembered. +Which is the bond of perfectness.+--"That in which all the virtues are so bound together that perfection is the result and not one of them is wanting to that perfection" (_Grimm_).

Ver. 15. +And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.+--R.V. margin, "arbitrate." We met the verb for "rule" in ch. ii. 18, but with a prefix "against." "Let the peace of God be umpire," says the apostle, in every case of uncertainty and hesitation. He who slept on Galilee's stormy waters had but to say, "Peace! Be still!" and there was a great calm. He said, "My peace I leave with you"; and reckless of consequences the men who received it amazed the authorities by the boldness of their question, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts iv. 19).

Ver. 16. +Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.+--The word for "dwell in" is the same which assures the believer of an indwelling power which shall quicken the mortal body, and which describes the Divine act of grace. "I will dwell in them." +In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.+--See on Eph. v. 18, 19. The same composition may be either psalm, hymn, or spiritual song. The first may be a technical word, as in Luke xxiv. 44. It indicates a song accompanied by a stringed instrument. A hymn is a song in praise of some one, exalting the character and attributes. The third term is the most comprehensive, and to it, with good reason, St. Paul prefixes "spiritual." Bacchanalian songs were common enough about Colossæ with their noisy, unhallowed mirth. St. Paul, like St. James, would not object to his readers being merry if the spiritual joys--

"From out their hearts arise And speak and sparkle in their eyes And vibrate on their tongues."

Ver. 18. +As it is fit in the Lord.+--See Eph. v. 22. The feeling of propriety St. Paul emphasises here and limits it "in the Lord."

Ver. 19. +Be not bitter against them.+--As love in its most degraded form might alternate with paroxysms of anger, St. Paul uses the nobler word for Christian love which casts out hatred as well as fear.

Ver. 20. +For this is well-pleasing.+--Eph. vi. 1: "This is right." What in Ephesians is regarded as an equitable due from child to parent is here looked at in another light. The best commentary is Luke ii. 51, 52. The child Jesus was _subject_ to his parents and increased _in favour with God._

Ver. 21. +Fathers, provoke not your children.+--The word for "provoke" is not the same as in Eph. vi. 4. There the word is "do not exasperate." Here it is "do not irritate." The difficulty of discriminating between them may perhaps show how near the original words are in meaning. "Irritation is the first consequence of being too exacting with children, and irritation leads to moroseness" (_Lightfoot_). +Lest they be discouraged.+--Broken-spirited. It is a sad sight to see a man for whom the stress of life has been too much, but to see a child cowed and dejected--the world has no sadder spectacle.

Ver. 23. +Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily.+--Eph. vi. 7, "With good will doing service." R.V. gives the distinction which is obliterated by "do, do" of A.V. "Whatsoever ye do, work heartily" (margin, "from the soul").

Ver. 25. +He that doeth wrong.+--The participle of the original points to the habitual practice of wrong-doing. +There is no respect of persons.+--In the Ephesian letter this consideration is urged upon the masters as it is here upon the slaves. Both are amenable to the same authority.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1, 2.

_The Higher Aspirations of the Soul._

You have seen the clouds gather in the sky and settle on the hills. The thunder mutters, the rain falls, and the scene is one of storm, confusion, and darkness. Suddenly the whole aspect of the heavens is changed. A blaze of light springs up among the hills; the storm ceases; the gloom is swept away; and the outlook is one of tranquillity, of triumph, and of splendour. Similar to this is the striking change between the close of the last chapter of this epistle and the beginning of the present one. The grave warnings against the sombre errors of a false philosophy, and the supposed meritorious torturings of the body, which occupy a considerable part of the second chapter, give place in the opening of the third chapter to a luminous and inspiring picture of the glorious privileges and lofty destiny of the believing soul. These verses teach that, being raised by Christ into newness of life, the soul should aspire to the attainment of the highest blessings.

+I. The distinguished relation in which the believing soul stands to Christ.+--"Risen with Christ" (ver. 1).

1. _This relation implies the living union of the soul with Christ._--The apostle had spoken of the soul as dying with Christ, as buried with Him, as quickened with Him; and now he advances another step, and declares that it is also raised with Him. The union between the believer and Christ was so complete that he participates with Christ in all He has done. "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. vi. 4). As the dead body of the man cast into the sepulchre of Elisha revived and stood up the moment it touched the bones of the prophet (2 Kings xiii. 21), so the soul, dead in trespasses and sins, is quickened by believing contact with Christ, and rises into a higher and more glorious life.

2. _This relation indicates the nature and tendencies of the soul._--"Risen with Christ: . . . set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth" (vers. 1, 2). The change involved in union with Christ affects man's whole nature. It affects not only his practical conduct, but also his intellectual conceptions. He is translated from earth to heaven; and with this translation his point of view is altered, his standard of judgment wholly changed. His aspirations spurn the earthly and transitory, and soar towards the heavenly and eternal. The flies that sport upon the summer stream, while they plunge their bodies in the water, are careful not to wet their wings, so that they may fly again into the sunny air. So, while we are necessarily immersed in "things on the earth," we should take heed that the wings of our soul are not so clogged as to retard our flight to heaven.

+II. The sublime objects of the soul's higher aspirations.+--"Things above." (ver. 2).

1. _Christ is above._--"Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (ver. 1). This indicates that Christ is exalted to the highest dignity. He is above all angelic powers, whatever their position or rank. The right hand of God also indicates the right hand of power. Thence Christ wields all the authority and power of universal government. "Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour." He reigns on high in order to carry out to a glorious consummation the work He accomplished on the cross. To Him all hearts turn for love and blessedness, as the flowers turn to the sun. The rudiments of the world have no longer any power to satisfy. The soul ascends to heaven, for where the treasure is there will be the heart also; and the flow of time is rapidly hurrying us on to the moment when we shall be--

"Caught up to share The triumph of our Lord."

2. _The source of the greatest spiritual blessings is above._--When Christ ascended into the heavens He received gifts for men; and from His lofty throne He delights to distribute those gifts to the needy sons of men. Thence we receive pardon, the conscious favour of God, holiness of character, comfort in every time of distress, and hope to light the pathway of the future. Of all the blessings laid up for us above, the highest and the best is that which in itself includes all others--the gift of the Holy Ghost. All, all we want is there.

3. _The heavenly home is above._--There is the abode of peace and purity; there temptation has no power, and suffering and sorrow can never enter; there the Saviour reveals His glories and diffuses the joy of His radiant presence; there all the members of the Father's family assemble from every part of the globe, never more to separate. The soul, burdened with the cares of life, and troubled with multiplied disappointments, yearns for the rest of the heavenly home. The things on the earth can never satisfy the wants of the soul; they are unsuited to it; they are beneath it; and, liberated from their trammels by the resurrection power of the Christ, it seeks its true happiness above the stars.

+III. The paramount duty of the soul to aspire to the highest good.+--Seek, set "your affections on things above" (ver. 1). A similar expression repeated for the emphasis. You are not only to _seek_ heaven, but also to _think_ heaven. The understanding must be engaged in duly estimating the value of heavenly things, the will in preferring them above all things earthly, the affections in embracing them as the objects to be most evidently desired and loved; in fact, all the powers of the soul must be constantly exercised in the search. The soul, raised from the death of sin, is ever responding to the attractive influence of its risen Lord. "Being thus already risen, every motion of grace is the struggle of the soul for the final consummation--the bird is caged, but the wings are free to flutter within their prison." The soul is now willing, cheerfully and faithfully, to follow the call of duty, whatever it may entail.

"Oft where she leads, thy blood must mark thy footsteps; Oft where she leads, thy head must bear the storm, And thy shrunk form endure heat, cold, and hunger; But she will guide thee up to noble heights, Which he who gains seems native of the sky; While earthly things lie stretched beneath his feet, Diminished, shrunk, and valueless."

+Lessons.+--1. _The soul is endowed with vast powers and capable of the highest destiny._ 2. _It is sad to witness thousands whose souls rise no higher than the things on the earth._ 3. _The soul can realise its highest aspirations only as it is risen with Christ._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 1. _Seeking the Things Above._

+I. Contemplate the sublime object+--the state of future blessedness of believers. 1. _The perfection of character they exhibit._ 2. _The exercises in which they shall be engaged._ 3. _The happiness in which they participate._ 4. _The friendships they share._

+II. The conduct enjoined upon us.+--"Seek those things." 1. _Implies belief in their existence._ 2. _That attention is directed much towards them._ 3. _Set our attachment upon them._ 4. _Use diligent and persevering exertions to obtain them._

+III. Motives to this conduct.+--1. _A regard to consistency._ 2. _The reasonableness of the duty._ 3. _Present advantages._ 4. _Because they are the scene in which are displayed Christ's personal presence and glory._

_Risen with Christ._

+I. Christianity begins where everything else ends: it begins with death.+

+II. After dying to sin we are to begin to live in good earnest.+

+III. The Christian toils, labours, and tasks his mind for the glory of God and the good of others.+

+IV. The true Christian seeks the things which are above.+--1. _Holiness._ 2. _Love._ 3. _Peace._ 4. _Truth.--A. W. Hare._

_The New Life._

+I. There is a great difference between the new life and the old.+--1. _In our feelings._ 2. _Principles._ 3. _Aims._ 4. _Methods._ 5. _Conduct._ 6. _Thoughts._ 7. _Company._ 8. _Influence._

+II. This difference should lead us to think much of heaven and to seek after heavenly things.+--1. _To know all we can about heaven._ 2. _To prepare all we can for heaven._ 3. _To take all we can with us to heaven.--Preacher's Magazine._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 3, 4.

_The Present Condition and Future Glory of Life in Christ._

The Christian life has a twofold aspect. Outwardly it is shorn of all splendours, and to the eye of the world appears a life of weakness, ignominy, and suffering; but inwardly it is radiant with Divine light and pervaded with a heavenly peace. The believer is often as a monarch in the disguise of a beggar. The world knows nothing of the new life of which he has become possessed, and the new life must know nothing of the world. Its aspirations are directed towards higher things. The relish for earthly things is gone.

+I. That the present condition of the believer's life in Christ involves a new relation to outward things.+--"For ye are dead" (ver. 3). There was a time when he not only lived in the world, but _to_ the world and _for_ the world. He was wholly captivated and absorbed in the pursuits and enjoyments of the carnal mind. But now, while still in the world, he is dead to its charms and to its ordinances. All the mainsprings of activity are changed. He is risen with Christ and shares the power of His resurrection life. Man lives where He loves, and, having experienced so complete a change, his affections are now fixed on things above, and his life is bound up in the love and service of Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of God. He is dead because he is crucified with Christ, and hath put off the old man--the old fleshly nature--with his deeds. This death involves a renunciation of all the ceremonial observances against which the apostle so faithfully warned in the preceding chapter--the Mosaic ritual, the vain philosophy, the angelolatry, the pride of the fleshly mind, the traditions and commandments of men, and all the pernicious doctrines of the false teachers. He is dead to the past and realising the beating of a new life within him, he enters upon a brighter and loftier career.

+II. That the present condition of the believer's life in Christ is one of concealment from the outward world.+--1. _It is hid._ "Your life is hid" (ver. 3). All life is hid. Its origin is a profound mystery. The botanist fails to discover it as he picks his plant into microscopic atoms. The scalpel of the anatomist has not pierced its dark domain and laid bare its hiding-place. Its presence is known only by its effects. So is it with the new life of the soul. It is hid from the world. It has a glory and a power of its own; but the world is incapable of appreciating either. It is not a life of vulgar display and noisy demonstration. It is gentle, quiet, and retiring, sometimes obscured by a tempest of persecution and suffering. It is sometimes partially hidden to the believer himself when assailed by temptations and oppressed by the weight of heavy chastisements. Yet that hidden life is the power that shall shake and transform the world.

2. _It is hid with Christ._--"Your life is hid with Christ" (ver. 3). Christ Himself was hidden when on earth. To the undiscerning, He was a root out of a dry ground, possessing neither form nor comeliness. Even now Christ is hidden to the worldly mind; and the believer's life is hidden with Him, as a river, concealed for a time in a hidden channel, flows on beneath and out of sight. This hiding of the believer's life with Christ indicates (1) _Dependence._ It is not hid with the believer himself. He derives it from Christ, as the great fontal source of all life; and on Him he depends for its constant supply and nourishment. The springs of this life abide when every other channel of supply is dry and its fount exhausted. We must wait on Christ for daily supplies of living water. It indicates (2) _Security._ Our life is safer in Christ's keeping than it could be in our own. Man was once entrusted with the gift of a glorious life, and he lost it. But in the hands of Christ our life is out of all danger. It is secure amid the conflicts of time, the subtle temptations of the world, and the wild rage of demons.

3. _It is hid in the depths of the Godhead._--"Your life is hid with Christ in God" (ver. 3). A grand but unfathomable truth! It is not _lost_ in the abyss of Deity, as the mystic or pantheist would teach; but it is so hid as to retain its own conscious individuality, while sharing in the boundless life of God. It is a gift from God, bestowed through Christ the great Mediator, created by the power and energy of the Holy Ghost; so that the nature, manner, and destiny of the gift are hidden in God through the mediation of His Son. "God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." The exercise of faith brings the soul into living union with the glorious Trinity.

+III. That the believer's life in Christ will, in the future, be manifested in ineffable glory.+--1. _There will be a signal manifestation of Christ in the future._ "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear" (ver. 4). Christ is now invisible to His people and to the world. He withdrew from the scene of His suffering ministry, entered the serene heights of heaven, and there, all-potent, is carrying on His high purposes of grace and salvation. But by-and-by--not at the bidding of the impatient prophets, who dare to fix the Lord a time, and, in their too realistic interpretation of His Word, consider His second coming as the grand and only specific for the world's evils--in His own good time, to the joy of His people and the dismay of His foes, He will come in overwhelming glory.

2. _The believer will share in the ineffable glory of that manifestation._--"Then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (ver. 4). (1) This implies _public recognition._ The believer, obscure and despised on earth, is acknowledged before the universe as related to Christ by the dearest ties and as deriving his life from Him. All the ends of secrecy are answered. The hidden is revealed. The baffled, persecuted, unappreciated, afflicted people of God are for ever vindicated. (2) This also implies a _personal participation_ in the splendour of Christ's triumph and in the bliss of His character. "With Him in glory." Glory is a comprehensive term, and not easily defined. But whether we regard it as expressive of external and visible splendour, or as describing a condition of unutterable and endless felicity, in either sense, or both, the believer shares it with his exultant Lord. Rapture of raptures! to see Jesus, to be with Him, and to live in the sunshine of His smile for ever!

+Lessons.+--1. _The believer's life in Christ is a hidden, but a real life._ 2. _Bear patiently the trials of the present life._ 3. _The glory of the believer's future life will more than recompense him for the troubles of the present._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 3. _Death and Life with Christ._

+I. Ye are dead.+--1. _In your original state of unconcern and unbelief ye are dead._ 2. _By the Holy Ghost you are made to recognise this death as real and to acquiesce in it as just._ 3. _You continue to be thus dead with Christ._

+II. Your life is hid with Christ.+--1. _As partakers of His right to live._ 2. _In respect of the new spirit of your life._ 3. _Your life being with Christ must be where He is._ In God as its source, its centre, its pattern. 4. _This life with Christ is hid._ For security; in its intimacy; as separated from the world; is not to be always hidden (ver. 4).--_R. S. Candlish._

Ver. 4. _Christ our Life._

+I. The vital principle recognised.+--"Christ who is our life." 1. _The life is spiritual in its nature._ 2. _Eternal in its duration._

+II. The splendid spectacle predicted.+--"Christ shall appear."

1. _The manner._--In the glory of His Father, with His angels.

2. _The purpose._--To judge the quick and the dead.

+III. The glorious hope awakened.+--"Then shall ye appear with Him in glory." 1. _The great hope of the Christian life is that one day we shall be with Christ._ 2. _That we shall participate in Christ's glory._ 3. _These words are full of comfort to those drawing near to death.--J. T. Woodhouse._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 5-9.

_Mortification of the Sinful Principle in Man._

Practice follows doctrine. The genuineness of a precept is tested by its adaptability to the practical working out of life's problem. The apostle has laid down his doctrine clearly and emphatically, and now he proceeds to enforce the use of the best methods for securing the highest degree of personal holiness. These methods are in perfect harmony with the exalted experience into which the believer is introduced when he is risen with Christ and participates in that glorious life which is hid with Christ in God.

+I. That the sinful principle in man has an active outward development.+--1. _It is mundane in its tendencies._ "Your members which are upon the earth" (ver. 5). It is earthly, sensual, depraved. It teaches the soul to grovel when it ought to soar. It is in sympathy with the whole mass of earthly things--riches, honour, pleasure, fame--which stand opposed to the higher aspirations of the soul, whose affection is fixed on things above.

2. _It is manifested in acts of gross sensuality._--"Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence" (ver. 5). A revolting catalogue, a loathsome index to the festering mass of corruption within! A rake's progress has been portrayed by the genius of a Hogarth; but where is the pencil that can delineate the dark progress of evil? For there is an order observed in its abhorrent development. The mischief begins in evil concupiscence; yielding to the first unholy impulse, it goes on to lustful and inordinate affection; proceeds to uncleanness--pollutions which follow on the two preceding vices; and ends in fornication, both in its ordinary meaning and in that of adultery. Possibly the apostle had reference to the rites of Bacchus and Cybele, which were wont to be celebrated with many peculiar impurities in Phrygia, of which Colossæ, Laodicea, and Hierapolis were cities, and which so deeply depraved the morals of the people. The outgoings of evil are not less rampant and shocking in modern times. Evil is the same in principle everywhere.

3. _It is recognised by a debasing idolatry._--"And covetousness, which is idolatry" (ver. 5). Covetousness is a sin that comes the earliest into the human heart and is the last and most difficult to be driven out. It is an insatiable lust after material possessions--the greed of getting more for the sake of more, till often the brain is turned and the heart withered. The apostle brands it with the significant term "idolatry." With the covetous man his idol is his gold, which, in his eyes, answereth all things; his soul is the shrine where the idol is set up; and the worship which he owes to God is transferred to mammon. Avarice is the seed of the most hateful and outrageous vices. The exhortation to mortify the flesh is pressed home by reminding them of the certainty of the Divine wrath which would overtake the contumacious and disobedient.

+II. That the active outgoings of the sinful principle in man call for the infliction of Divine vengeance.+--The wrath of God is not a malignant, unreasoning passion, like that with which we are familiar among men. Nor is it a strong figure of speech, into which the maudlin philosophers of the day would fain resolve it. It is an awful reality. It is not merely a thing of the past, to the terrible havoc of which history bears faithful and suggestive testimony. It is the wrath to come and will be "revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." It is not inconsistent with infinite love, but is an impressive form in which the Divine righteousness expresses itself against all disobedient and impenitent workers of iniquity.

+III. That the indulgence of the sinful principle in man is inconsistent with the new life he has in Christ.+--There was a time when the sins here enumerated formed the atmosphere in which the Colossians lived, moved, and breathed; they represented the condition of their life and the character of their practice; they lived and walked in sin. But that time was past. A great change had taken place. They were surrounded by a purer atmosphere; they lived in another world; they aspired to a nobler destiny. To return to the vices and idolatries of their former life was utterly inconsistent with their exalted character; it was unworthy of the high and holy vocation wherewith they were called. It is salutary to be reminded now and then of our former life of sin. It magnifies the grace of God in the great change He has wrought. It warns against the danger of being drawn into old habits and associations. It stimulates the heavenward tendencies of the new life.

+IV. That the sinful principle in man is the source of the most malignant passions.+--The former classification embraced sins which related more especially to self; this includes sins which have a bearing upon others.

1. _There are sins of the heart and temper._--"Anger, wrath, malice" (ver. 8). There is an anger which is a righteous indignation against wrong, and which is so far justifiable and sinless. It is the anger without cause or beyond cause, and which degenerates into a bitter feeling of revenge, that is here condemned. Wrath is the fierce ebullition of anger, expressed with ungovernable passion; and is at all times unseemly and unlawful. Malice is anger long cherished, until it becomes a settled habit of mind. It involves hatred, secret envy, desire of revenge and retaliation, and universal ill-will towards others. It is altogether a diabolical passion. If anger exceeds its bounds, it becomes wrath; if wrath lies brooding in the bosom, it degenerates into malice.

2. _There are sins of the tongue._--"Blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another" (vers. 8, 9). Blasphemy in a lower sense includes all calumny, evil-speaking, railing, slandering, scoffing, ridiculing--all vile insinuations, whether against God or man. Filthy communication refers to all foul-mouthed abuse, indelicate illusions, details of vicious scenes, and whatever hurts the feelings and shocks the sense of propriety rather than injures the character. Lying is also here condemned. Wherever this vice prevails society is rotten to the core. The almost total want of truthfulness is one of the saddest features of the moral condition of heathendom. Lying basely violates the gift of speech, saps the foundation of human intercourse, and overturns the first principles of morals. That which is spoken in ignorance, though untrue, is not a lie; but to equivocate, to speak so as to lead another to a false conclusion, is to lie as really as if the speaker deliberately stated what he knew was a falsehood. All these sins are directly opposed to that ingenuous sincerity which is the leading characteristic of the new life in Christ.

+V. That the sinful principle in man, and all its outgoings, must be wholly renounced and resolutely mortified.+--"But now ye also put off all these" (ver. 8). "Mortify, therefore, your members" (ver. 5). There is much force in the word "therefore." Since ye are dead with Christ and are risen with Him, since ye possess a glorious life hid with Christ in God, _therefore_ mortify--put to death the members of your earthly and corrupt nature, and encourage the expansion of that pure, beauteous, and exalted life which ye have received through the faith of the operation of God. Not that we are to kill or mutilate the members of the body that have been the instruments of sin, but to crucify the interior vices of the mind and will. It is wholly a moral process; the incipient inclination to sin must be restrained, deadened, crushed. In order to this there must be the total renunciation of all sin. "But now ye also put off all these." The verb is imperative and the exhortation emphatic. There must be not only an abstinence from open vice--heathen morality insists on as much as this--but there must be the putting away of every secret evil passion--removing it out of sight as we would remove a dead body to burial. As the prince casts off the coarse garment in which he has been disguised and stands forth in an apparel befitting his rank and dignity, so the believer is to divest himself of the unsightly and filthy garment of the old man and allow the new man to appear adorned with heavenly magnificence and bright with the inextinguishable lustre of a Divine spiritual life.

+Lessons.+--1. _The sinful principle in man is a great power._ 2. _The new spiritual life in the believer is in ceaseless antagonism with the old._ 3. _The constant duty of the believer is to subdue and destroy the sinful principle._ 4. _In fulfilling this duty all the powers of good are on his side._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 5. _Covetousness, which is Idolatry._

+I. In its essence.+--It is putting the creature in the place of the Creator, and giving it the worship due to God alone.

+II. In its practice.+--Body and soul are consecrated to the service of mammon.

+III. In its punishment.+--Idolatry is a sin peculiarly obnoxious to God--is not merely the breach of His law, but treason against His government. God deprives the covetous of his idol at last, and sends him treasureless into the unseen world, wrecked and ruined, to endure the wrath to come.--_Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 6. _The Wrath of God._--

+I. A reality to be dreaded.+

+II. Is roused by the workings of iniquity.+

+III. Will overtake the disobedient.+

Vers. 7-9. _The New Life_--

+I. Must break thoroughly away from the old life of sin.+

+II. Is evident in temper and speech.+

+III. Is the interpretation of all that is pure and true.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_The New Spiritual Nature._

In the primitive Church it was customary for the new converts, after putting aside their heathenish vestments, to array themselves in white garments, that they might indicate, in the most public manner, the great change which had taken place. It was perhaps in allusion to this custom that the apostle bases his exhortation. A courtier would not dare to insult his sovereign by appearing before him in squalid and tattered garments but would be specially studious to attire himself in a dress every way suited to his rank and character. So, the believer would not dishonour God and disgrace the religion he has embraced by exhibiting the vices and passions that characterised his former unrenewed state but is the more solicitous to magnify the grace of God in a life of outward consistency and purity. In the former verses the writer has insisted on sanctification in its negative aspect--the mortification of sin, the putting off the old man. In these words, he deals with sanctification on its positive side, and shows that it is the putting on the new spiritual nature, in which the believer is ever advancing to a higher knowledge. Observe:--

+I. That the possession of the new spiritual nature implies a complete change of the whole man.+--"Seeing that ye have put off the old man, with his deeds, and have put on the new man" (vers. 9, 10). The believer has a twofold moral personality. There is in him the old man--the sinful principle; and there is in him also the new--the God-like, spiritual nature. Whatever we bring with us from the womb of our mother is the old man; whatever we receive by the grace of the Holy Spirit is the new. In the great spiritual transformation experienced by every believer there is a twofold and coincident operation--the putting off of the old and the putting on of the new; there is an act of renunciation and unclothing and an act of reception and investment. This change is complete; it pervades the whole man, ruling every power, fashioning the character, and inspiring the entire life. This change is Divine in its origin and outworking. Man has no power of himself to effect the renewal of his nature. It is "not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." It is the triumph of Divine grace, and to God only all praise is due.

+II. That the new spiritual nature is ever advancing to a higher knowledge.+--"Which is renewed in knowledge" (ver. 10), which is ever being renewed unto perfect knowledge (_Lightfoot_). The present tense is used, and it is indicated that the new spiritual nature does not reach perfection at once but is in a state of growth and development. The realisation of the new life in man is bounded by the amount and character of the knowledge he possesses, and by the clearness and tenacity with which that knowledge is apprehended and maintained. The experience may be below the actual knowledge possessed but cannot be beyond it. Whatever degree of holiness the soul attains, it is still susceptible of advancement. The process of renewal is continually going on, as the statue grows, under the chisel of the sculptor, into a more perfect form of beauty. The knowledge referred to is the true knowledge of Christ as opposed to the false knowledge of the heretical teachers. The process of renewal increases the capacity of the believing soul to appreciate the knowledge of Divine and heavenly realities, and the increase in the knowledge of the highest things reacts advantageously on the renewed nature. The higher we ascend in the knowledge of God, the more like Him do we become.

+III. That the new spiritual nature is refashioned after the most perfect model.+--"After the image of Him that created him" (ver. 10). Man was originally created in the image of God, that image consisting in a moral resemblance--"in righteousness and true holiness." Christ is Himself "the image of the invisible God," and conformity to Him is the pattern of our renewal, the all-perfect standard towards which we are continually to approximate. The moral image which we lost in the fall of the first Adam is more than regained in the second Adam. Redemption places man on a higher platform than he would have occupied if he had remained the moral condition in which he was originally created. It brings him nearer to God, gives him a broader and more sympathetic insight into the Divine character and purposes, and makes him more like God. In the spiritual region into which the believer in Christ is transferred all minor distinctions vanish. Not only do they not exist, they cannot exist. It is a region to which they are utterly unsuited and cannot therefore be recognised.

+IV. That the new spiritual nature is superior to all earthly distinctions.+--1. _It is superior to all national distinctions._ "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew" (ver. 11). To the Jew the whole world was divided into two classes: Jews and Gentiles--the privileged and unprivileged portions of mankind; religious prerogative being taken as the line of demarcation. But such a narrow distinction is antagonistic to the broad and generous spirit of the Gospel. Let a man be but renewed in Christ Jesus, and it inquires not as to what country he belongs.

2. _It is superior to all ritualistic distinctions._--"Circumcision nor uncircumcision" (ver. 11). It matters not whether a man is born in a Christian country and brought up in the midst of the greatest ecclesiastical privileges, or whether he is cradled in the darkest paganism; in either case a change of heart is absolutely necessary. No branch of the universal Church can claim the exclusive right of admitting souls into heaven; and it is intolerable impertinence to insist upon the necessity of ceremonial observances in order to salvation--as was the case with the false teachers of Colossæ, and as is the case with the pretentious ritualism of the day. "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature."

3. _It is superior to all political distinctions._--"Barbarian, Scythian" (ver. 11). Like the Jews, the Greeks divided mankind into two classes--Greeks and barbarians--civilisation and culture being now the criterion of distinction. The Scythian was the lowest type of barbarian. Christianity acknowledges no such distinction. Whether gathered from the most refined or most barbarous nation, all are one in Christ Jesus. The Gospel has broken down the narrow and arbitrary classification of the race, maintained the right of all nations of the world to be classed as one genus, and replaced the _barbarian_ by the more humane and unifying title of _brother._ Max Müller writes: "_Humanity_ is a word which you look for in vain in Plato or Aristotle; the idea of mankind as one family, as the children of one God, is an idea of Christian growth; and the science of mankind, and of the languages of mankind, is a science which, without Christianity, would never have sprung into life."

4. _It is superior to all social distinctions._--"Bond nor free" (ver. 11). The diversities of condition which divide men in the present world are unknown in the sphere of this spiritual renewal. The grace which changed the heart of Philemon the master also renewed the soul of Onesimus, his slave; and often the bondman is the first to enter into the liberty of the children of God. Here the rich and poor, the nobility and peasantry, meet together, and form one common brotherhood.

+V. That the new spiritual nature recognises Christ as everything.+--"But Christ is all, and in all" (ver. 11). All belongs to Him; He originated and sustains all, and He is in all. He is everything to the believer--the Source and Centre of his life, the Ideal after which he continually aspires, the Possession by which he will be enriched for ever. The believer is a living, speaking, active expression of the Christ within him. Christ, without the exclusion of any nation or sect, unites all; and so, through His indwelling in all, is Himself all.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christ is the Author, Pattern, and End of the new spiritual nature._ 2. _To put on the new spiritual nature it is essential to believe in Christ._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9-11. _Religion a Change of Life._

+I. Evident by putting off the old nature and its sins+ (ver. 9).

+II. By putting on a new nature renewed after the Divine likeness+ (ver. 10).

+III. Superior to all conventional distinctions+ (ver. 11).

+IV. In which Christ is everything+ (ver. 11).

Ver. 11. _Christ All and in All._

+I. Christ is all and in all in the realm of creation.+--The vast fabric of created things sprang into being at His word. Out of nothing He created all that is. The distance between being and no-being is so great that nothing short of infinite power can cause that to be which never before existed. The heavens are "the firmament of His power." He made the stars, kindled their brilliant fires, fixed their rank, regulated their motions, and appointed their mission. He formed the earth, robed it in vestments of ever-changing beauty, and endowed it with unfailing productiveness. He fashioned man after the model of His own illustrious image, freighted him with faculties of wondrous compass, indicated the possibilities of his career, and the character of his destiny. Christ is the grand centre of the magnificent systems by which He is encircled, and which He has grouped around Himself by the exercise of His creative hand. On Him their continued existence every moment hangs.

+II. Christ is all and in all in the sphere of providence.+--He sustains and governs all. Close as population follows on the heels of production, food never fails for man and beast. Study the sublime epic on the Divine preservation furnished by Psalm civ. and consider how the history of human experience in all ages confirms the truth. Christ controls all the forces of nature. The sweep of the heavenly bodies, the surge and re-surge of the tide, the eccentric course and velocity of the wind, the departure and return of the light, the roll of the dreaded thunder, the recurrent phases of the seasons, all are obedient to His nod. He is predominant among the spiritual agencies of the universe. He restricts the power of the great enemy of man. He restrains the power of evil. He governs the complicated passions of human hearts and makes even the wrath of men to praise Him. He guards, guides, and delivers His Church. The greatness of His providential power is seen in His accomplishing the mightiest results by insignificant instrumentalities. He is conducting all things to a glorious consummation.

+III. Christ is all and in all in the work of redemption.+--He suffered to the death on behalf of the sinning race. He was a voluntary victim. He was unique in His person--comprising in Himself the Divine and human natures. As man, He met all the necessities of sinful and condemned humanity; as God, He answered all the requirements of the Divine righteousness. While the greatest modern philosophers are puzzling their minds with an endless variety of methods for recovering man from his lapsed condition, we behold the problem solved in the life, sufferings, and death of Christ. That was a method of redemption that would never have occurred to a finite mind; and it is now beyond the range of the greatest human intellect to fathom. Christ, and Christ alone, could redeem. In that sphere He is all in all, or He is nothing. His work of redemption is an entrancing expression of the tenderest, deepest, most mysterious love.

+IV. Christ is all and in all in the kingdom of glory.+--He is the Head of all principalities and powers in the heavenly places. They depend on Him for life and purity, they obey His slightest word, they adore His infinite majesty, they delight in His hallowed fellowship. Christ is also Head over all things to the Church, which is His body; the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. He is the central attraction and source of bliss in the realm of glory. The redeemed cast their crowns before Him and chant His praise in ceaseless anthems. If Christ were absent, heaven would lose its greatest charm.

"I love to think of heaven; its cloudless light, Its tearless joys, its recognitions and its fellowships Of love and joy unending; but when my mind anticipates The sight of God incarnate, wearing on His hands, And feet, and side, marks of the wounds Which He, for me, on Calvary endured, All heaven beside is swallowed up in this; And He who was my hope of heaven below, Becomes the glory of my heaven above."

+V. Christ is all and in all to the believing soul.+--He appears as the great Emancipator; He delivers from the power of darkness, and translates the benighted but groping soul into the kingdom of light. He gives rest to the weary and heavy laden. He comforts the mourner. He defends and succours the tempted. He is the refuge in every time of distress. All the wants of the soul are anticipated and abundantly supplied. He will conduct safely through all the changeful scenes of this life; and finally invest the soul with the imperishable splendours of an endless future. Christ is the great necessity and the all-satisfying portion of the soul.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christ is supreme in all spheres._ 2. _Christ is the great need of the human soul._ 3. _Faith in Christ brings the soul into a personal participation in the Divine fulness._

_Christ is All and in All._

+I. The essential glories of Christ.--He possesses all things.+

+II. Christ has purchased all blessings for us.+--All temporal and all spiritual blessings.

+III. All blessings are treasured up in Christ for the eternal use of His Church.+

+IV. He will keep His family in the possession of all good for ever.+--_W. Howels._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12, 13.

_Essentials of the Christian Character._

In the cultivation of a rare and valuable plant care must be taken to rid it of everything that would retard its growth, and to supply it with whatever aids it in reaching the highest possibility of shapeliness and beauty. Not only must it be severely pruned and divested of every noxious weed and destructive parasite, but it must be diligently tended, and liberally provided with air, light, and moisture. So is it in the training of the Christian character. It is not enough that the old man--the sinful principle--is suppressed, mortified, deadened; all the graces of the new man--the new spiritual nature--must be assumed and sedulously cultivated. Religion is not a dry, sapless, dead negation, but a grand positive reality--an active, ever-growing life, pushing its way through every channel of man's nature, and fashioning his character after the loftiest pattern of moral loveliness and purity. The change the Colossians had experienced furnished the most forcible reason why they should advance in spiritual development. Having risen with Christ, and having put off the old man, with his deeds, there is an unmistakable emphasis in the exhortation--_Put on, therefore,_ the characteristics of the new man.

+I. That the Christian character is distinguished by a special designation.+--"The elect of God, holy and beloved" (ver. 12).

1. _Distinguished as the object of the Divine choice._--"The elect of God"--chosen by Him, as an act of undeserved, unmerited mercy, to the knowledge of Himself and His glorious salvation; called out of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. This election is a condition of exalted privilege to which all rise who accept the message of God's mercy through Jesus Christ.

2. _Distinguished by personal purity._--"Holy." Here is the evidence and practical result of the Divine election. "Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Eph. i. 4). The people of God are called to be holy--consecrated to His service; set apart from a common and wholly devoted to a sacred purpose. Holiness is the habitual condition, aim, delight, and employment of the Christian's life.

3. _Distinguished by the Divine affection._--"Beloved." The believer is the object of God's special love, of the favour which He beareth unto His people. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the sons of God." The epithets here used have each the force of a motive. Since the believer is _elect, holy, beloved,_ let him act in harmony with his exalted character and calling. Lavater has said, "The more honesty a man has, the less he affects the air of a saint."

+II. That the Christian character is distinguished by a heartfelt sympathy.+--1. _This sympathy arises from a spirit of tender mercy._ "Bowels of mercies" (ver. 12)--a phrase which expresses the effect on the body of strong emotions of pity. It was said of Joseph that "his bowels did yearn over his brethren, and he sought where to weep." The miseries of our fellow-creatures, especially of those who are in a worse condition than ourselves, call for our compassion and help; and a genuine pity is not only visible in the countenance and uttered by the lips, but felt in the inmost heart, and prompts to generous actions.

2. _This sympathy arises from a spirit of kindness._--"Kindness" refers to the temper we should show towards those we meet in the daily intercourse of life who are on an equality with ourselves. The Christian should be amiable, courteous, kind in speech and action, eager to relieve others according to his means--the farthest remove from a crabbed, sullen, churlish disposition. A hard, cold, selfish, unfeeling heart is a characteristic of fallen, unrenewed man; _bowels of mercies_ and _kindness_ of the renewed one.

+III. That the Christian character is distinguished by a genuine humility.+--"Humbleness of mind" (ver. 12). These words describe the estimate that is to be formed of self. The believer is taught not to overrate nor unduly to depreciate himself. He is governed by the apostolic rule, "Let each esteem other better than themselves." The more exalted his views of God, and the more he remembers his own unworthiness, weakness, ignorance, and sin, the more softly and lowly does he seek to walk. As in the garden that branch hangs down the lowest which is most heavily laden with fruit, so in the Church the ripest saints are those who walk humbly with God. The humble man is the most susceptible to compassion and genuine in its practical manifestation. The proud man is too full of himself to feel for others; he is always dissatisfied, always embroiling in quarrels the family, the Church, the social circle where he resides. The humblest man is the bravest man. He endures with composure the contempt and arrogance of others.

+IV. That the Christian character is distinguished by a gentle and patient spirit.+--"Meekness, longsuffering" (ver. 12).

1. _The Christian spirit is gentle._--"Meekness." This grace indicates what should be our conduct towards others in their treatment of us. Meekness is evidenced in modesty of countenance, gentleness of manner, softness of voice, and mildness of language; it is opposed to rudeness or harshness. We see it exemplified in the way in which Gideon pacified the irascible men of Ephraim (Judg. viii. 2). It is slow to take, and scorns to give, offence.

2. _The Christian spirit is patient._--"Longsuffering," which is meekness continued, though subjected to the fiercest provocations. It is opposed to resentment, revenge, wrath. Meekness exercises itself in matters of chagrin, impertinence, folly; longsuffering in those of violent outrage, affront, injury. Meekness may be required by the mere _manner_ of others towards us; longsuffering is often necessary by their _conduct._ There is a difference between enduring long and longsuffering. The genuine grace is accompanied, not only with patience, but with joyous activity and watchfulness. It is not like the senseless rock which endures the full force of the storm unmoved and unresponsive, but like the nimble vessel that, while it bends to the tempest, is at the same time diligently speeding on its mission.

+V. That the Christian character is distinguished by a practical manifestation of a spirit of mutual forbearance and forgiveness.+--1. _Mutual forbearance and forgiveness are to be exercised universally._ "Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any" (ver. 13). The word "quarrel" is better rendered _complaint._ It takes two to make a quarrel, and of these the Christian should never be one. Whatever occasion of offence may arise, whatever cause of complaint, in any man, under any circumstances, and however just the complaint may appear, forbearance is to be exercised; and even if the forbearance is abused and injury be added, we must forgive. It is never on one side only that the fault exists. It is one another, each in his turn, that gives and receives forbearance. If this were more frequently observed, how many unseemly discords and mischievous separations would be prevented!

2. _The exercise of forgiveness is enforced by the highest example._--"Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (ver. 13). These words come as an impressive climax, enforcing the duty of forgiveness by the strongest motive. The more difficult the duty, the more powerful should be the arguments urging its performance. The example of Christ is supreme in its authority. What are the injuries committed by others against us compared with the number and enormity of our sins against God? Yet Christ forgave us all, freely, fully, unreservedly, and for ever. The heart that is not moved to forgiveness by such an example is hopelessly incorrigible.

+Lessons.+--1. _The unity of Christian character is made up of many separate essential graces._ 2. _The condition of things in this world affords ample scope for the exercise of every Christian grace._ 3. _To forgive is at once the most difficult and most Christ-like._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 12. _Christian Humility._

+I. The nature of this holy temper.+--1. _A humble apprehension of our own knowledge._ The imperfection of our faculties, our fallibility of judgment, when we compare our knowledge with the attainments of others, and a persuasion of the small value of the most exalted knowledge without practical influence. 2. _Of our own goodness._ 3. _Of our independence and wants._ 4. _Of our own rank and station._

+II. The obligations to cultivate a humble temper.+--1. _It is mentioned in Scripture with peculiar marks of distinction and honour._ The most distinguished promises are made to it. It is a necessary introduction to other graces and duties. 2. _It is a grace which adorns every other virtue and recommends religion to every beholder._ 3. _Is recommended to us by the example of the Author and Finisher of our faith._ 4. _Is a grace that will go with us to heaven._

+Lessons.+--1. _Those destitute of this grace have the rudiments of Christianity to learn._ 2. _We should look principally to the temper of our spirits to judge of our humility._ 3. _By it we judge of the improving or declining state of our souls.--J. Evans, D.D._

Ver. 13. _Christian Forgiveness_--

+I. Is exercised where there is mutual forbearance.+

+II. Is the noblest method of ending quarrels.+

+III. Is a Christ-like disposition.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 14.

_Love the Perfection of the Christian Character._

Love is the commonest and most potent affection of the human heart. It has been the inexhaustible theme of writers in all ages, in poetry and prose. It has been invested with the bewitching drapery of romance and exhibited as the instrumental cause of the darkest crimes and of the brightest virtues. The world never tires of learning of its adventures, trials, and victories. While it is ever commonplace, it is ever fresh. It is the perennial force in human life--the first to inspire, the longest to endure, the last to perish. But Christian love--love to Jesus Christ, and to all others for His sake--is not a native-born affection. It does not spring spontaneously from the human heart. It is a gift from God. It is the richest fruit of the new spiritual nature implanted in the believer. It is first to be acquired and then diligently cultivated. The apostle has just described the distinctive garments with which the believer is to be adorned--with a heart of tender compassion, with humility, with a gentle, patient, and forgiving spirit. But in addition to all this, and in order to complete the Christian character, he is to be clothed in a robe which is to cover every other garment and bind it to its place--a robe whose purity and brightness shall shed a lustre over all the rest.

+I. That love is the prime element in every other grace of the Christian character.+--It is the soul of every virtue and the guarantee of a genuine sincerity. Without love all other graces, according to an old writer, are but _glittering sins._ There is a great power of affectionateness in the human heart, but no man possesses naturally the spiritual love of God and love of the race. It is a fruit of the Holy Ghost and comes though that faith which works by love. It is possible to assume all the essentials of the Christian character, enumerated in ver. 12, and previously commented on; but without love they would be meaningless, cold, and dead. Mercy would degenerate into weak sentimentality; kindness into foolish extravagance; humility into a mock self-depreciation--which is but another form of the proudest egotism; and longsuffering into a dull, dogged stupidity. Love is the grand element in which all other graces move and from which they derive their vitality and value. It is the grace which alone redeems all other from the curse of selfishness, and is, itself, the most unselfish.

+II. That love occupies the most exalted place in the Christian character.+--"Above all these things." Not simply in addition to, but _over and above_ all these, put on charity, as the outer garment that covers and binds together all the rest. Other graces are local and limited in their use; love is all-expansive and universal. A philosopher, in a vein of pungent satire, has dilated on the philosophy of clothes; and experience testifies how mightily the world is influenced and instructed by outward appearances. As the dress frequently indicates the rank and importance of the wearer, so the garment of love, worn without ostentation or pride, is the badge by which the Christian is known in the world (John xiii. 35). Love is the presiding queen over all Christian graces, inspiring and harmonising their exercises, and developing them into a living and beauteous unity of character. The apostle fixes the exalted rank of love in 1 Cor. xiii. 13.

+III. That love is the pledge of permanency in the Christian character.+--"Which is the bond of perfectness." As a girdle, or cincture, bound together with firmness and symmetry the loose flowing robes generally worn by the ancients, so love is the power that unites and holds together all those graces and virtues which together make up perfection. Love is the preservative force in the Christian character. Without it knowledge would lose its enterprise, mercy and kindness become languid, humility faint, and longsuffering indifferent. Love binds all excellencies together in a bond which time cannot injure, the enemy unloose, or death destroy. No church, or community of individuals, can exist long without the sustaining power of love. It is not a similarity in taste, intellectual pursuits, in knowledge, or in creed, that can permanently unite human hearts, but the all-potent sympathy of Christian love. Charity never faileth.

+IV. That the perfection of the Christian character is seen in the practical manifestation of love.+--"Put on charity."

1. _Love is indispensable._--It is possible to possess many beautiful traits of character--much that is humane and amiable--without being a complete Christian: to be very near perfection, and yet lack one thing. Without love all other graces are inconsistent, heartless, wayward, selfish. They are but as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Charity is indispensable to give life, force, meaning, truth, permanence to the whole. It supplies the imperfections and defects of other graces and virtues.

2. _Love is susceptible of individual cultivation._--It may be "put on." We may have more if we strive after it and faithfully use what is already possessed. It is a pressing, practical duty which all Christians are bound to attend to. And yet there is no grace which is more constantly suppressed. What a power the Church would become, and how marvellously would the character of the world be changed if love had a freer scope and was universally exercised. The pretentious coverings of sectarianism and bigotry would vanish, and the whole Church of the redeemed be girt with the ample robe of a seamless unity. To win the love of others we must put it on ourselves.

+Lessons.+--1. _The mere profession of Christianity is empty and valueless._ 2. _Every grace of the Christian character must be diligently exercised._ 3. _Above and through all other graces love must operate._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 15.

_The Rule of Divine Peace._

War in any form is unfriendly to the growth of piety. The soul is tossed on the waves of disquietude, and courage--the principal virtue called into exercise--is apt to acquire an unnatural and unhealthy development at the expense of all other graces. The whole structure of the Christian character is dislocated and thrown off its balance. Peace restores the soul to its true equipoise, fixes every power in its just relation to each other and to the whole, and encourages the harmonious cultivation of that love which is the bond of perfectness. Lord Bacon has said: "It is heaven upon earth to have a man's mind move in charity, rest in Providence, and turn upon the poles of truth." In this verse we are taught that _the one supreme umpire in the heart, by which all differences are to be settled, is the peace of God--the destined end of the Christian calling, in which is realised the unity belonging to members of one body; and that this blessing is to be sought in a spirit of thankfulness._ Observe:--

+I. That peace is a Divine blessing.+--"The peace of God." Some of the oldest manuscripts have read, "The peace of _Christ_"--a reading adopted by the ablest biblical critics. The verbal difference, however, is of no moment. The truth is the same: it is equally the peace of God and the peace of Christ--a Divine tranquillity filling the soul with a calm that no mere worldly power can give or take away, and that the ocean-surges of trouble can never diminish or disturb. Christ hath made peace through the blood of His cross and left it as a sacred legacy to all His disciples through all time. In its essence it is the peace that Christ Himself enjoys--a sublime calmness similar to that which pervades the Divine bosom. It is not like the long, painful, oppressive stillness that is the precursor of a storm, but a profound, pervasive, heavenly quiet that soothes while it invigorates the soul. It proceeds from God through Christ and is maintained and nourished in the heart as a positive, gracious reality and priceless blessing.

+II. That peace is a ruling power.+--"Let the peace of God rule." The word "rule" is borrowed from the practice of the Greeks at their great national games and described the duty of the arbiter or umpire presiding, who held the prize in his hand while the contest proceeded in the stadium and conferred it on the victor at the close. Thereby he exercised over the athletes a peculiar kind of rule. Impelled by a sight of the prize, they gave their whole being to the contest. So, in contending in the race of life, the peace of God, as containing all desirable blessings, is to exercise supreme authority and regulate all the concerns of the soul.

1. _As a ruling power peace pervades and stimulates every other grace._--It lifts the soul to God, and enables it to take hold of His strength. It prepares for every holy duty and stimulates to every spiritual enterprise. The more the soul is permeated with Divine peace, the more desire and aptitude will there be for higher attainments in piety.

2. _As a ruling power peace is a powerful defence._--It resists successfully the attacks of evil from whatever source they come. The shafts of infidelity cannot pierce the invulnerable defence of a conscious peace with God; right feeling is superior to the subtlest logic. Peace erects a formidable bulwark against temptation and is the surest safeguard against every form of sin.

3. _As a ruling power it concentrates and controls all the energies of the soul._--It calms the intellect, soothes the heart, tranquillises the conscience, and centralises all the powers of manhood, that they may go forth and do valiant battle for the truth. As by an unerring instinct it decides upon what is right and shuns the wrong. The questions as to whether it is right to engage in certain amusements, to visit certain places, or to join this or that company, will soon be settled when the peace of God rules in the heart. It is a regulating power in moral difficulties, and a potent help in all moral enterprises. The peace of God keeps the heart and mind through Jesus Christ (Phil. iv. 7).

+III. That peace is a ruling power in man.+--"In your hearts." The heart is the region where the ruling power is exercised and takes effect. It embraces the will and affections as distinguished from the intellect. It is the choosing faculty as distinguished from the knowing faculty. When the heart is drawn in one direction the whole man follows. There the moral disease begins, and there the remedy must be applied. By sin the heart has become deceitful above all things; in the regeneration the heart is made new. The rush of an evil heart's affections will not always yield to reason. When God, by His Word and Spirit, comes to save, He saves by arresting and renewing the heart. The psalmist recognised this when he cried, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. li. 10). No man is conquered until his heart is conquered. It is in this region the peace of God has powerful sway, and where it aids in achieving the most brilliant moral conquests.

+IV. That peace is essential to the unity of the Church.+--1. _The Church is called to the enjoyment of peace._ "To the which also ye are called." The burden of the Gospel message is _peace._ Its mission is to extinguish wars and enmities, and to pacify heaven and earth. The Church is called to peace by the commands of Christ, by the teachings of His example when on earth, by the reiterated precepts of God's Word, and by the necessities of the grand enterprise in which she is engaged.

2. _The enjoyment of peace is essential in preserving and promoting the unity of the Church._--"In one body." As ye were called as members of one body so let there be one Spirit animating that body. Among the stellar systems, in social communities and states, as well as in the Christian Church, a common agreement is essential to unity. Divine peace preserves harmony, nourishes spiritual strength, and promotes union by drawing the souls, in which it is the ruling power, more closely to God and to each other. There is to be the constant endeavour "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. iv. 3).

+V. That peace is to be cultivated in the spirit of thankfulness.+--"And be ye thankful." These words are not to be restricted in their application. Not only do they imply that the Colossians were to act towards each other in a thankful and amiable temper, but they teach in what spirit the peace of God should be universally sought and exercised. The duty of thankfulness was the constant theme of the apostle: there are upwards of thirty references to it in his epistles. Here we are exhorted to consider it in special connection with the enjoyment of peace. Only he who has been swung in the dark whirl of unrest and doubt, who has witnessed the horrible riot of disunion and discord, can appreciate the blessing of peace and the gratitude it inspires. Cicero declared that gratitude was the mother of all other virtues. Certain it is that no man sins without ingratitude. Thanksgiving has always been the principal element in all religion, whether instituted by Divine command, prompted by natural reason, or propagated by general tradition. The pagan religion consists in the praise of their gods and acknowledgments of their benefits; the Jewish, to a great extent, in eucharistic oblations and solemn commemorations of providential favours; and the ancient Christians were distinguished by singing hymns to Christ, and by mutual sacraments obliging themselves to abstain from all villainy. Thanksgiving is a joyous exercise--the pleasantest of duties. Prayer reminds us of our wants and imperfections; confession enforces a painful remembrance of our sins; but gratitude includes nothing but the memory of exceeding goodness. It is a duty most acceptable to God and most profitable to man.

+Lessons.+--1. _True peace is found only in Christ._ 2. _Peace is a mighty engine of spiritual power._ 3. _Gratitude should combine with every blessing._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

_Unity and Peace._

+I. The unity of the Church of Christ.+--1. _Distinguish the unity of comprehensiveness from the unity of mere singularity._ 2. _It subsists between things not similar or alike, but dissimilar or unlike._ 3. _It is made up of dissimilar members, without which dissimilarity there could be no unity._ 4. _It consists in submission to one single influence or spirit._ The Spirit of its God.

+II. The individual peace resulting from this unity.+--1. _It is God's peace._ 2. _A living peace._ 3. _The peace which comes from an inward power._ 4. _The peace of reception.--Robertson._

_The Peace of God ruling in the Heart._

+I. The region.+--"In your hearts." When the heart is drawn in one direction, the whole man follows. When God by His Word and Spirit comes to save, He saves by arresting the heart and making it new.

+II. The reign.+--"Rule." Freedom from rule is not competent to man; the only choice he has is a choice of masters.

+III. The Ruler.+--"The peace of God." 1. _It is God and no idol that should rule in a human heart._ 2. _It is not the wrath but the peace of God that rules in a human heart._ It is the act of letting me go free that binds my whole soul for ever.--_W. Arnot._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 16.

_The Poetry of the Christian Life._

In the life of the individual and of nations the era of poetry comes first and is followed by the era of criticism. The impulse of a youthful and enthusiastic passion and the boundless play of a prolific imagination produce certain artistic results; and then comes the cool, reflective critic, with microscopic eye and mathematical rules, to measure and appraise the loved production. How soon the glowing efflorescence withers, and the expanding magnitude dwindles to the smallest practical limits. Genuine poetry is superior to all criticism, outlives the most violent opposition, and is imperishable as humanity. Poetry is the language of the soul in its highest and holiest mood, when it is fired with a Divinely kindled rapture, when it strives to grasp the invisible and pants to express the grandest truths of the universe. The Christian life has its poetry. It is of the loftiest order, its theme the noblest, and its melody haunts the soul for ever with strains of ravishing harmony. In this verse we learn that _the poetry of the Christian life draws its inspiration from the Divine Word and ministers to the culture and enjoyment of the Church._ Observe:--

+I. That the poetry of the Christian life draws its deepest inspiration from the Divine Word.+--"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."

1. _That the Divine Word is fitly called the Word of Christ._--It contains the record of His personal teaching--the revelation of new and startling truths, and the resetting of old truths in such a light as to connect the old and new dispensations, and blend them in an unbroken homogeneousness. It unfolds the mystery of that redemption He died to accomplish, and which forms so prominent a part of the teaching of this epistle. It is inspired by the Spirit of Christ, and gleams in every part with brilliant manifestations of His supernal glory. Christ is the all-pervading theme of the Scriptures--the key of the arch--the cornerstone of the foundation--the sun, illuminating with light and salvation the whole Gospel system to its remotest circumference.

2. _The Divine Word to create a true poetic fervour must wholly occupy the soul._--"Dwell in you richly." The Word of Christ is to be embraced as a whole, and due prominence given to every part of His character and work. Not to exalt His humanity to the denial of His Divinity; not to be so enamoured with the moral beauty of His life as to overlook the significance and power of His death. The Word is to dwell in us so completely as to possess and enrich every faculty and power of our nature. Not simply to give it a place in the region of intellectual opinion or in judging of moral questions, but to let it have a mighty sway over the affections of the heart--let it enter, saturate, purify, and govern the whole mental, moral, and spiritual being. It is to occupy the soul as a constant and permanent inspiration; to _dwell_--not as a stranger to stand without, or to be saluted at a distance, but to enter, to abide, and be treated as a loved and intimate guest. Let the Word of Christ be clearly apprehended, diligently pondered, and firmly grasped, and it will fill the soul with heavenly visions and inflame it with the holiest poetic ardour.

+II. That the poetry of the Christian life has made valuable literary contributions to the psalmody of the Church.+--"In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." It is not easy to make arbitrary distinctions between these poetic effusions. The _psalm_ was a sacred poem on whatever subject, and similar to the productions in the book of Psalms in the Old Testament; the _hymn_ specially celebrated the praises of the Almighty; and the _spiritual song,_ or ode, was more mixed in its matter and more artificial in its arrangement and referred to personal effusions of a more general character. The gift of poesy was among the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit in the early Church (1 Cor. xiv. 26). The first form of literature in all countries is for the most part in song. A certain writer has said, that if he were allowed to make the songs of a nation, he cared not who made the laws. And in the Christian Church, from the earliest period, sacred psalmody has been a mighty power for edification and comfort. The hymnology of the church is becoming increasingly rich in its poetic treasures.

+III. That the poetry of the Christian life ministers to the mutual culture and happiness of the Church.+--1. _It is intellectual in its character._ "In all wisdom teaching one another." A more correct punctuation connects the clause "in all wisdom" with the words that follow, not, as in our version, with the words that precede. To teach in all wisdom demands the highest intellectual exercise, especially when poetry is the medium of instruction and the Word of Christ the theme. Without wisdom, poetry would sink into a maudlin sensuousness, a mere verbal jingling, and intolerable monotony. Wisdom is necessary to compare and balance the different parts of Scripture truth, to apply the Word on proper occasions to its proper ends and in harmony with its spirit, and to adopt the best means for attaining the highest results in mutual instruction. The profoundest feelings of our nature can only be expressed in poetry. The orator, as he reaches the loftiest strains of eloquence, becomes poetical.

2. _It is moral in its tendency._--"And admonishing one another." There is implied a deep concern for each other's moral condition and safety. The poetry of the early Christians was moral in its exercise and tendency. No one can feel an interest in another's morality who is himself immoral. An eminent critic has said: "The element in which poetry dwells is truth, and when imagination divorces itself from that relation, it declines into the neighbourhood of empty fiction or the dreams of lunacy." The poetry of the Christian life is based on eternal truth, and it is to be judiciously used as an instrument of admonition as well as of instruction. There is need for warning and brotherly counsel to restore the wanderer, to raise him if he has fallen, to reprove him if he is wrong, to protect and admonish him if he is in danger (Ps. cxli. 5).

3. _It is joyous in its effects._--"Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Music and poetry are sometimes prostituted to the basest purposes, ministering to the lowest passions, and inciting to the vilest actions. But the poetry of the Christian life refines the soul, raises it towards God, and fills it with the music of unspeakable delight. The proper sphere of music is the heavenly and the spiritual.

"Beyond the visible world she soars to seek, For what delights the sense is false and weak; Ideal form, the universal mould."

As the sea-shell conveys to the ear the faint music of the distant waves, so the poetry of the Christian life indicates in some degree the rapturous music that awaits on the heavenly shore. Coleridge said: "Poetry has been to me its own exceeding great reward. It has soothed my affliction, it has endeared solitude, and it has given me the habit of wishing to discover the good and beautiful in all that surrounds me." And Keats said: "Let me have music dying and I seek no more delight."

+Lessons.+--1. _The highest poetry is found in the Divine Word._ 2. _To administer instruction and admonition through the medium of song is at once modest and significant._ 3. _The Christian life should be one sweet harmonious poem._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

_The Word of Christ: its Characteristics as the Saviour's Book and the Sinner's Book._

+I. It is simple.+

+II. Significant.+

+III. Saving.+

+IV. Sanctifying.+

+V. Supporting.+

+VI. Suited to all.+

+Lessons.+--1. _Let its truths and realities inhabit your convictions._ 2. _Let its tone be infused into your temper._ 3. _Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.--James Hamilton, D.D._

_The Indwelling Word of Christ._

+I. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you.+--1. _Implies a sense of the preciousness of Christ Himself._ 2. _The preciousness of Christ's words, as well as of Christ Himself, is essential to its dwelling in you._ 3. _The felt preciousness of real present and living intercourse between Christ and you will cause the Word, as His Word, to abide in you._

+II. Dwell in you richly.+--1. _It may refer to quantity._ 2. _It may have respect to quality._ 3. _The rich indwelling of the Word of Christ in you may be held to correspond to the riches of Him whose Word it is._ 4. _It is to dwell in you not only as rich receivers but as rich dispensers also._

+Lessons.+--1. _Make sure of the first condition of Christ's Word in you--the preciousness of Christ Himself._ 2. _Make full proof of all suitable helps for the indwelling of the Word of Christ in you.--R. S. Candlish._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 17.

_Suggestive Summary of the Law of Christian Duty._

Labour, which was originally imposed on man as a curse, may minister very largely to the increase of human happiness. The effort necessary to contend with and subdue the hostile forces of nature, and wrest from the earth the food essential to existence, strengthens and elevates the best powers of man. All men are prompted to labour by some distinct principle or ruling passion: the savage by the cravings of physical hunger, the patriot by the love of his country, the philosopher by an inextinguishable thirst for knowledge and delight in intellectual exercises. The ruling principle of action in the believer is that of supreme devotion to the Lord; he is to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. This exhortation embraces everything previously mentioned in the epistle, and every possible duty of the Christian life.

+I. The guiding law of Christian duty.+--"Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." The name of Christ suggests the predominating principle by which the whole course of life is to be regulated, the watchword in every enterprise, the battle-cry in every conflict, the rallying centre in every disaster. In warfare, armies have been animated with the enthusiasm of action by simply mentioning the name of a Wellington, a Napoleon, a Garibaldi, a Von Moltke. But oh! how glorious and all potent is the name +Lord Jesus!+ It suggests the sublime dignity and redemptive achievements of Christ, and that He is the great exemplar after which all who believe in Him are to be morally fashioned.

1. _In Christ is the purest motive to duty._--Motive originates and governs action, and makes it good or bad. The believer does everything for Christ's sake, out of love for Him and respect to His authority. The tendency in all men is to live in themselves, to act in their own name and strength, and to carry out their own selfish purposes. Selfishness is one of the mightiest and most general motives to action. It is only in Christ we find the holiest and purest motive; in Him love takes the place of selfishness. The love of Christ constraineth us (2 Cor. v. 14, 15).

2. _In Christ is the noblest pattern of duty._--Not only do we see in His character the most perfect representation of moral excellence, but his whole career is an instructive example of devotion to duty. He fulfilled the will of His Father: He was obedient unto death. He has taught us how to live and how to die. One of the grandest pictures of moral heroism is seen in the maintenance of an intelligent and faithful obedience in the midst of danger and threatened death.

3. _In Christ is the highest end of duty._--All things in the material universe exist for Him, and in the moral realm He is the goal towards which all actions tend. Everything should be done with reference to Christ. We can have no worthier ambition than to seek in all things His glory. Cf. Mark ix. 41; Matt. xviii. 5; John xiv. 14; and note how Christ lays it down as a universal principle that everything is to be done in His name. There is no higher name, for it "is above every name"; there is no loftier end, for "He is before all things."

4. _In Christ is the final authority of Christian duty._--Many things have been done in the name of Christ that never had His sanction and were contrary to His authority. The most disastrous persecutions and cruellest tortures have been perpetrated in the name of Christ. These blasphemous outrages have been committed to strengthen the authority and hide the bloodthirsty rapacity of a corrupt and domineering Church. No ecclesiastical hierarchy has a right to compel the blind, unreasoning submission of a free, intelligent agent. Above all Jesuitical maxims and Papal decrees is the authority of Christ. His will is supreme in all spheres, and that will is the guiding law of duty in the Christian life.

+II. The universal obligation of Christian duty.+--"Whatsoever ye do in word or deed."

1. _There must be a recognition of Christ in everything._--In all our employments, conversation, public acts of worship, in social and private prayer, in secular and domestic concerns, in all matters relating to the place of our abode, in changing residences, in connections we form for ourselves and our children. There is a comprehensiveness in the obligation which is all-embracing. Not that we are to parade our piety, to obtrude our religious notions upon everybody we meet, or to be ever unctuously repeating the name of Christ, irrespective of time or place. The merchant is not to provoke unseemly discussions on sacred subjects when he ought to be attending to the business of the counting-house; the clerk should not be reading his Bible when he ought to be posting his ledger; the servant-maid should not be praying when she ought to be cleaning her kitchen; nor ought the mother to be gadding about, or running to endless revival meetings, while her house is dirty and her husband and children neglected. It is not so much that everything is to be done after one special outward form as that every duty is to be done in a religious spirit. Religion is not a series of formal acts, or a string of set phrases; but it is a life, pervading all our activities, and making every part of our career sublime. Recognise Christ in everything, and a new meaning will be thrown on passing events; the commonplaces of life will be exalted into dignity, and the future assume irresistible attractions.

2. _There must be absolute dependence on Christ at all times._--We cannot say and do everything in the name of Christ unless we fully surrender ourselves to Him. We are helpless and full of spiritual infirmities, but the more conscious we are of our complete dependence on Him the stronger are we in labour and in hope. In our successes, lest we be puffed up with vanity--in our perplexities, lest we are discouraged--in our grief, lest we sink despairing into the abyss--and in our transports of joy, lest we be exalted above measure--there must ever be a full, voluntary, and conscious reliance on Jesus. Thus resting on Him and realising His life-giving power, we can say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

3. _There must be supreme devotion to Christ._--All we have we owe to Him. He gave His all for us, and it is but a righteous return that we consecrate to Him all that is highest and best in ourselves. We must love Christ supremely, and then every faculty and power of our being will render homage and service to Him. We shall be obedient to His commands, we shall magnify His grace, we shall strive to walk worthy of His great name, and in all things seek to promote His glory. We pledge ourselves to Him for ever, and no consideration should tempt us to relax our devotion. George III. was a man of firm mind, with whom one had pleasure in acting. He was very slow in forming his opinion, very diligent in procuring every information on the subject; but once convinced, he would act with unflinching firmness. His beautiful speech about the Roman Catholic question shows his character: "I can give up my crown and retire from power, I can quit my palace and live in a cottage, I can lay my head on a block and lose my life, but I can _not_ break my oath."

+III. The unvarying spirit in which Christian duty is to be done.+--"Giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." They who do all things in Christ's name will never want matter of thanksgiving to God. The apostle has frequently referred to this duty of gratitude, and he evidently regarded it as a very important element of the Christian character. It was Christianity that first taught the duty of being thankful even in trial and suffering. We are to thank God for the privilege of acting so that we may honour Him. A thankful spirit has a blessedness and a power of blessing which those only realise who cherish it. All thanksgiving is to be offered to God the Father by Jesus Christ, as He is our only mediator, and it is through Him we obtain whatever good the Father bestows upon us. The giving of thanks to God is one of the highest duties of religious worship; and if this be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, then all subordinate duties must be done in the same manner.

+Lessons.+--1. _The name of Christ is the greatest power in the universe._ 2. _All duty gathers its significance and blessedness from its relation to Christ._ 3. _A thankful spirit is happy in enterprise, brave in difficulties, and patient in reverses._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

Ver. 17 (compared with 1 Cor. xi. 24). _The Lord's Supper the Sample of the Christian Life._

+I. All the objects around us are to be regarded by us as being symbols and memorials of our Lord.+

+II. Every act of our life is to be done from the same motive as that holy communion.+

+III. All life, like the communion of the Lord's Supper, may be and ought to be a showing forth of Christ's death.+

+IV. This communion is in itself one of the mightiest means for making the whole of life like itself.+--_A. Maclaren._

_Doing all in the Name of Christ._

+I. Doing it as His agent.+

+II. We are not our own, but His.+

+III. Whatever it is right to do is His work.+--_T. G. Crippen._

_Christ in the Practical Life._

+I. Here we find a rule of life.+

+II. Here we find a motive.+

+III. Here we find our life redeemed.+--_Preacher's Magazine._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 18, 19.

_Duties of Husbands and Wives._

After the apostle has laid down the law of duty for the government of all Christians in the general conduct of life, he proceeds to show the application of the same law to the domestic relationships. Obedience to the law in the general is an excellent preparation for observing it in the particular: the best Christian will make the best husband or wife. The morality of Christianity is one of its brightest glories and most beneficent influences; it provides for the purity and happiness of domestic life, and where it rules all is peace, love, and contentment. Where polygamy prevails, as in heathen and Mahometan countries, the most lamentable domestic complications occur, and all is distraction and misery. The family is the source and pattern of society. If the family is corrupt and disorganised, society suffers. A holy, well-regulated household is a regenerative force in society. It is in the home that the social principle finds its highest development. There the tenderest feelings are roused, the deepest and most permanent impressions made, the foundation and first rough outlines of what we may become laid down and indicated, the first principle of good or evil imbibed, and the mightiest moral forces brought into play. Much, therefore, depends upon the understanding that exists between the husband and wife, and the way in which they discharge their mutual duties, as to what shall be the character of the household government. The apostle, in enforcing these relative duties, mentions the three classes which divide the domestic circle--husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. He begins with the inferior relation in each class--wife, child, servant--perhaps because the difficulty of obedience is greater, because in disputes it is the duty of the humbler party to submit, and because the discharge of duty by that party is the surest method of securing it in the other.

+I. The duty of the wife is submission to the husband.+--"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands" (ver. 18).

1. _This implies dependence._--It is the Divine order that "the husband is the head of the wife." In point of nature, and of their relation to God, they are both equal; but when brought into the married relation the husband has the first place, and the wife, as the weaker vessel, and under a sense of dependence, is called to submit. When the order is reversed, and the wife takes the lead, mischief is sure to ensue. Not that woman is to be the slave and drudge of her husband; but the relationship between the two ought to be so adjusted by the power of religion that the wife is never rudely reminded of her state of dependence.

2. _Implies respect._--It is difficult to respect some men, and still more difficult to love where we cannot respect. But the apostolic injunction is emphatic: "Let the wife see that she reverence her husband." Though the husband be a reckless, incapable ne'er-do-well, the wife is to respect the position of her husband and show him deference as the head of the family. Alas! how many a noble woman has had her life embittered by a worthless husband, but who, with a heroism, truly sublime, and a love truly angelical, has bravely done her duty and striven to screen the faults of the man who caused her misery.

3. _Implies obedience in all things lawful._--St. Peter refers to "the holy women in the old time, being in subjection unto their own husbands, even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord" (1 Pet. iii. 5, 6). A true wife is wholly devoted to her husband. She will care for his person, property, health, character, and reputation, as for her own. In all things reasonable and lawful she will rejoice to meet the requests of her husband and follow his counsel.

+II. The submission of the wife to the husband is governed by religious principle.+--"As it is fit in the Lord" (ver. 18). The wife is first to submit herself fully to Christ, and, from love to Him, to submit herself to her own husband, and to look upon her subjection as service done to Christ. This will be a consolation and strength to her in many an unkind word from a cruel, apathetic, and unappreciative husband. It would never do for two wills to be ruling a family. There would be endless clashing and confusion. It is the Divine arrangement that the husband is the head of the house, and "it is fit in the Lord" that the wife should be in subjection. She is not to forget her responsibility to God in a slavish, unreasoning, and sinful obedience to her husband. Governed by a pure and lofty religious principle, she may so fulfil her duty as to win, or at least disarm, her unreasonable partner. A wise submission may sometimes work wonders. She stoops to conquer. An old writer has said: "A wife is ordained for man, like a little Zoar--a city of refuge to fly to in all his troubles."

+III. The duty of the husband is to show affection towards the wife.+--1. _This affection is to be genuinely manifested._ "Husbands, love your wives" (ver. 19). Obligation is not all on one side. The husband is not less bound to discharge his duty to his wife than the wife to him. Love is the sum of the husband's duty, and that which will regulate every other. Where love rules, the family circle becomes a tranquil and cherished haven of rest, peace, harmony, and joy. Nor is it enough that this affection should be recognised as a matter of course--let it be manifested. That woman is a strange, heartless shrew who is unaffected by the gentle evidences of a devoted and manly love. The true wife needs, craves for and knows how to appreciate a genuine and evident affection. Let the husband show the same tender and considerate regard to his wife as life advances and cares multiply as when he stood by her side at the altar, a lovely and confiding bride.

2. _This affection is to be free from harshness._--"And be not bitter against them" (ver. 19). It is evidently implied that the love of a Christian heart may be marred by a sour and morose temper. It is ungenerous and cruel to vent upon his wife and family the anger which the man had not the courage to display before those who roused it when mixing among them in the world. Bitterness may be manifested as much by a cold, repulsive silence as by the most stinging words of sharp and angry reproof, or by the irritating actions of a wilful and tantalising conduct. It is a species of savage and fiendish brutality for a husband to study how he can inflict the keenest torture on a loving and submissive nature. It sometimes requires the most assiduous art of the tenderest affection to repair the damage done by a single word. Amid the perplexities and trials of married life many occasions will arise in which mutual patience and forbearance will need to be exercised. Let love reign supreme and banish the first symptoms of a harsh and churlish disposition.

+Lessons.+--1. _Be careful whom you marry._ 2. _Beware of the first quarrel._ 3. _Bear with Christian resignation the life-consequences of an unfortunate choice._ 4. _Connubial bliss is attained only by the faithful exercise of mutual duties._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 20, 21.

_Duties of Parents and Children._

It is God who hath set the solitary in families. The domestic constitution is the formal type of all governments. If discipline is neglected in the home, it is rarely that the loss is made up when the untaught becomes a citizen of the world. Coleridge has well said: "If you bring up your children in a which puts them out of sympathy with the religious feelings of the nation in which they life, the chances are that they will ultimately turn out ruffians or fanatics, and one as likely as the other." "A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother" (Prov. x. 1). Lord Bacon observes that fathers have most comfort of the good proof of their sons, but the mothers have most discomfort of their ill proof. It is therefore of vital importance that the reciprocal duties of parents and children should be faithfully and diligently observed. These verses indicate _the character of filial duty and of parental authority._ Observe:--

+I. That the duty of the child to the parent is to obey.+--1. _This obedience is universal._ "Children, obey your parents in all things" (ver. 20). The Old Testament law commands, "Honour thy father and thy mother"; and the most signal way in which a child can honour his parents is to obey them. Parents have learnt wisdom by experience; they know the dangers that threaten their children, and are in a position to offer wise and judicious counsel. Filial obedience should be prompt, cheerful, self-denying, uniform; not dilatory and reluctant. It is universal in its obligation, and is binding, not only in those commands that are pleasant to obey, but in those that are troublesome, and that seem unreasonable and perverse, so long as they do not involve a violation of Divine law. It is a painful spectacle to see a child defy parental authority, and even exult in his rebellion and in the distress it causes his father and mother. But filial disobedience rarely reaches such a pitch of cruel retaliation without there having been some defect in the early training. The child who renders due reverence to his parents is sure to meet with the rich rewards of heaven in the enjoyment of temporal and spiritual blessing.

2. _This obedience is qualified and limited by the Divine approval._--"For this is well-pleasing unto God" (ver. 20). It is only when the commands of the parent are in harmony with the will of God that the child is bound to obey, and a powerful motive to practise obedience is derived from the fact that it "is well-pleasing unto the Lord." The parent has no authority to enforce obedience beyond what has been given to him of God; and the exercise of that authority must ever be in subjection to the higher authority of the Divine law. Obedience to parents in what is right is obedience to the Lord. It is the way of safety and of happiness. A little boy, about seven years old, was on a visit to a lady who was very fond of him. One day, at breakfast, there was some hot bread on the table, and it was handed to him; but he would not take it. "Do you not like hot bread?" asked the lady. "Yes," said the boy; "I like it very much." "Then, my dear, why do you not take some?" "Because," he said, "my father does not wish me to eat hot bread." "But your father is a great way off," said the lady, "and will not know whether you eat it or not. You may take it for once; there will be no harm in that." "No, ma'am; I will not disobey my father and my mother. I must do what they have told me to do, although they are a great way off. I would not touch it if I was sure nobody would see. I myself should know it, and that would be enough to make me unhappy." A reckless disobedience of parental authority will not go unpunished. The example of Christ's subjection to his earthly parents exalts filial duty into a sublime and holy exercise.

+II. That the duty of the parent to the child is to rule.+--1. _The parent is not to rule in a spirit of exasperating severity._ "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger" (ver. 21). The obedience of the child will be very much influenced by the character of the parental government. Counsel, remonstrance, and even chastisement will be necessary in the successful training of children. But discipline is to be administered so wisely, lovingly, and firmly as not to irritate to rebellion, but to subdue and bend into obedience. An excessive severity is as baneful as an excessive indulgence.

"The voices of parents is the voice of God, For to their children they are heaven's lieutenants; Made fathers, not for common uses merely, But to steer The wanton freight of youth through storms and dangers, Which, with full sails, they bear upon and straighten The mortal line of life they bend so often. For these are we made fathers, and for these May challenge duty on our children's part. Obedience is the sacrifice of angels, Whose form you carry."--_Shakespeare._

2. _To rule in a spirit of exasperating severity tends only to dishearten._--"Lest they be discouraged" (ver. 21). If the child sees that all his endeavours to please are in vain, and that he is repulsed with sternness and cruel severity, he loses heart, and becomes sullen or morose, or is stung into a state of desperate revenge. To be perpetually fault-finding, and to gratify your angry passions in brutal, savage chastisement, will crush the spirit of any youth, and perhaps transform him into a monster more terrible than yourself. Children are to be led, not driven; to be treated as reasonable beings, not forced like brute animals; to be encouraged by commendation where it is merited, and the defects of their obedience kindly interpreted. A certain writer has significantly said: "What if God should place in your hand a diamond, and tell you to inscribe on it a sentence which should be read at the last day, and shown there as an index of your own thoughts and feelings? What care, what caution, would you exercise in the selection! Now this is what God has done. He has placed before you the immortal minds of your children, more imperishable than the diamond, on which you are about to inscribe every day and every hour, by your instruction, by your spirit, or by your example, something that will remain and be exhibited for or against you at the judgment day."

+Lessons.+--1. _To rule wisely we must first learn to obey._ 2. _Disobedience is the essence of all sin._ 3. _That government is the most effective that tempers justice with mercy._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 22-25--_Ch._ iv. 1.

_Duties of Masters and Servants._

The jealous conflict between capital and labour threatens the good understanding that was wont to exist between employer and employed with a serious rupture. Such a rupture would benefit neither side and would inflict incalculable disaster on both. There are economic laws, which regulate the employment of capital and labour, which no number of combinations and unions among masters and servants can ever set aside. Though a temporary advantage may, in extraordinary times, be snatched by either party, the law of supply and demand inevitably tends to balance and equalise all interests. It would be well, therefore, for masters and servants to ponder the teaching of the New Testament regarding their reciprocal duties. It was Christianity that rescued the servant from a condition of abject civil slavery and placed him in his just relation to his fellow-subjects in the commonwealth. The farther men drift away from the Christian spirit in seeking to adjust the questions between capital and labour, the more difficult and complicated they become. It is only as these questions are settled on a Christian basis, in harmony with the laws of a sound political economy, that party jealousies will subside, and the best understanding between masters and servants be established. Observe:--

+I. That the duty of the servant is to obey his master in all things relating to his state of servitude.+--"Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh" (ver. 22). There is nothing degrading in service. It is the employment of angels. "They serve Him day and night" (Rev. vii. 15). It is ennobled by the example of Christ, who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (Mark x. 45). To obey in all things is not always pleasant or easy; but the Christian servant will strive to accomplish the task. He consults the master's will, not his own; he does the master's way, not his own; he considers the master's time, not his own. His obedience is universally binding in everything relating to his state of servitude but is restricted to that. His employer is his master only according to the flesh, has control over his bodily powers, and over the time in which he has engaged to labour; but he has not power over the spirit. The master cannot demand obedience in any matter forbidden of God.

+II. That the duty of the servant is to be done in a spirit of sincerity.+--1. _It is to be free from duplicity._ "Not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart" (ver. 22). The servants of whom the apostle writes were slaves and treated merely as chattels. There are supposed to have been sixty millions of slaves in the Roman empire. From the treatment they usually received, they were greatly tempted to be merely eye-servants--diligent when their master was present, but indolent and reckless in his absence. Christianity has elevated man from slavery and provided him with the highest motives to moral action. It teaches that service is to be rendered, not with a hypocritical deference and sham industriousness, but with a single, undivided heart, doing the best at all times for the master.

2. _It is to be done in the fear of God._--"Fearing God" (ver. 22)--the one Lord and Master, as contrasted with the master according to the flesh. The Christian servant has a conscience to satisfy and a heavenly Master to please. The fear of the Lord is the holiest motive-power in all acceptable service. He who serves his earthly master as he seeks to serve God will take care that the Divine and human interests do not come into collision with each other.

+III. That the duty of the servant is to be discharged from the loftiest religious principle.+--1. _In every duty God is to be recognised._ "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (ver. 23). The Christian servant must look higher than his earthly master; that is a service that may be rendered mechanically, and by men who make no pretence to be Christian. The true servant will give Christ the chief place in his service--will so act that his obedience shall honour Christ and be acceptable to Him. His best efforts may fail to satisfy the exactions of an unreasonable master, and the faithful servant will find his consolation and recompense in the fact that he aims to secure the Divine approval. This will give a moral dignity to the most menial employment, and exalt the common drudgery of toil into a means of religious refreshment and invigoration.

2. _In every duty the best powers should be exercised._--"Do it heartily" (ver. 23). If the heart be engaged, it will put into operation the best powers of the whole man. No work is well done when the heart is not in it. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well; and surely no power can move the springs of action so completely as the ever-present thought that, whatever we do, we "do it as to the Lord, and not unto men." Our best efforts fall immeasurably below the lofty ideal of Christian service; but it is no small commendation when the Divine Master can declare respecting the anxious and delighted worker, "She hath done what she could" (Mark xiv. 8). Acting on such a principle, the capacity for the highest kind of work is cultivated, the sphere of usefulness widened, and the most coveted honours and enjoyments of the faithful servant secured.

+IV. That faithful service will meet with a glorious reward.+--"Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ" (ver. 24). Under the sinister judgment passed by Satan on the devotion of Job there lurks an encouraging truth--man does not serve God for nought. Though there is nothing meritorious in the best actions of the busiest life, yet it has pleased God, in the exuberance of His condescending bounty, to provide abundant recompense for all work done as unto Him. The reward of the inheritance is in generous disproportion to the service rendered; the service is marred and limited by the numberless imperfections of the human; the reward is amply freighted with the overflowing munificence and glittering splendours of the Divine. It is the inheritance of imperishable happiness--of incorruptible and unfading glory--of heaven--of God (1 Pet. i. 4). What an encouragement to work!

+V. That every act of injustice will meet with impartial retribution.+--"But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons" (ver. 25). Some regard the wrong-doer referred to in this verse as the servant who defrauds the master of his service; others, as the master who defrauds the servant of his just recompense. But the words announce a general principle which is equally applicable to both. The philosophers of Greece taught, and the laws of Rome assumed, that the slave was a chattel, and that as a chattel he had no rights. The New Testament places the relation of master and servant in a wholly new light and shows that between both there is a reciprocity of duties and of penalties. The injustice done in the world, whether by master or by servant, shall be impartially redressed, and the injured one vindicated at the day of final retribution.

+VI. That the duty of the master is to deal righteously towards his servants.+--1. _He is to act towards his servants according to the principles of justice and equity._ "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal" (ver. 1). If the masters here addressed were exhorted to deal fairly and justly with those who were their slaves, not less fully is the modern master bound to act justly and equitably towards those who serve him. The position of master is one of great power and authority; it is, at the same time, one of solemn responsibility. Capital has not only its cares and privileges, it has also its duties, and these cannot be abused with impunity. The communistic doctrine of equality has no countenance here. If all were socially and financially equal to-day, the inequality would be restored to-morrow. The duty of the master is to give to his servants that which is righteous and reciprocally fair. Treat them as human beings, with human rights, and as rational and religious beings, who, like yourselves, have an endless future to prepare for. Give them fair remuneration for work done. Be generous in prosperous times, and considerate when adversity comes. While acting commercially according to the laws of political economy, which no sane business man can disregard, yield in all justness and fairness to the impulse of the higher law of Christian charity and kindness. Interest yourselves in the physical, moral, and religious welfare of your work-people. Good masters make good servants.

2. _He is to remember that he is responsible to a higher Master._ "Knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven" (ver. 1). The master is not less bound than the servant to do his duty as unto the Lord. They are both servants of the one great Lord and Master of all. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren" (Matt. xxiii. 8). Do not impose impossible tasks upon your servants. Avoid an overbearing tyranny, and "forbear threatening." Exercise your authority with humanity and gentleness. Use your wealth, reputation, and influence in promoting the best interest of your work-people, and in serving the Lord Christ. Remember that whatever you do to the poorest servant of your heavenly Master is reckoned and recompensed as done to Himself (Matt. xxv. 40).

+Lessons.+--1. _Social distinctions afford opportunities for personal discipline._ 2. _Every rank in life has its special perils._ 3. _The law of duty is binding in all ranks._ 4. _The dust of both masters and servants will soon mingle in a common grave._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 23. _Do all for God._

+I. The Christian's practical life comprises working, acting, and suffering.+

+II. Abide with God in your calling.+--Intention gives a moral character to actions.

+III. Motives to duty.+--1. _Mechanical activity._ 2. _Supernatural motive._ "Do it heartily as to the Lord." 3. _Our good intention should be renewed at intervals._ 4. _Our lesser actions should be brought under the control of Christian principle.--E. M. Goulburn._

_A Hearty Christianity._

+I. The highest end of all work is work done for God and to God.+--1. _Not work done for self._ 2. _Not work done for society._

+II. The highest kind of work of which we are capable is that which engages all the powers of our spiritual nature.+--"Do it heartily." 1. _The character of the work we do will be decided by the state of our heart._ 2. _By the predominating impulse of the heart._ 3. _The character of our work as a whole will be influenced by the heartiness we throw into every single duty._ "Whatsoever ye do."

+Lessons.+--1. _A hearty Christianity is a happy Christianity._ 2. _Is not easily daunted by difficulties._ 3. _Is aggressive._

Vers. 23-25. _Piety in the Household._

+I. We are serving the Lord.+--This will dignify the most insignificant duty.

+II. We should seek to be actuated by the highest possible motive.+--Out of the heart, or influenced by the affections. The highest motive will cover the lowest.

+III. The Lord Himself will give us the highest reward.+--With Him is no respect of persons.--_Homiletic Monthly._

+CHAPTER IV.+

_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._

Ver. 2. +Watch in the same.+--"Being wakeful." Here again the apostle changes his language from that used in enjoining the same precepts in Ephesians. Remaining sleepless (Eph. vi. 18) is the same thing as being wakeful.

Ver. 3. +A door of utterance.+--R.V. "a door for the word." The Word of God cannot be bound, though its messenger may; but St. Paul can scarcely think its being glorified comes so quickly as it would if he had liberty to preach it. "An open door" with "many adversaries" is more to St. Paul's mind than the _custodia libera._ See Eph. vi. 19, 20.

Ver. 5. +Walk in wisdom.+--Eph. v. 15. Walk circumspectly. R.V. "carefully." It would appear from this as if the adverb in Eph. v. 15 should go with "walk" rather than with "look," as in R.V. +Towards them that are without.+--Who do not participate in the benefits of the new kingdom. +Redeeming the time.+--As in Eph. v. 16. Seizing for yourselves, like bargains in the market, each opportunity (see R.V. margin).

Ver. 6. +Let your speech be alway with grace.+--There is no excuse for a Christian's conversation becoming rude and churlish. It may be necessary to speak plainly and boldly at times--the way of doing even that graciously ought to characterise Christians. +Seasoned with salt.+--The pungent flavour of wit and facetiousness was called salt by the Greeks, often with a spice of indecency. "Salt" in the New Testament is the opposite of corruption.

Ver. 11. +A comfort to me.+--The word for "comfort" is only found in this place in the New Testament. It is a medical term, and points to relief given in suffering--then, by way of ministering to a mind diseased or in trouble, is used of the speech which soothes and calms.

Ver. 12. +Always labouring fervently for you.+--R.V. "always striving." Lit. "agonising." Like the mighty wrestler who held the Angel till daybreak, Epaphras intercedes for His Colossian brethren. +Complete in all the will of God.+--R.V. "fully assured." "From the tenor of the letter it appears that the Colossians needed a deeper Christian insight and more intelligent and well-grounded convictions respecting the truth 'as in Jesus'" (_Findlay_).

Ver. 13. +Zeal . . . for them that are in Laodicea.+--Here then is one who differs from the Laodicean spirit of St. John's time.

Ver. 17. +And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry.+--He is again closely connected with Colossæ in the epistle to Philemon. A monition perhaps needed by Archippus. +In the Lord.+--The element in which every work of the Christian, and especially the Christian minister, is to be done.

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 2-4.

_The Efficacy of Prayer._

Prayer is a supreme necessity of the soul. It is the cry of conscious want, an outlet for the pent-up feelings, and a mighty engine of power in all spiritual enterprises. It is the holiest exercise of the believer, his solace in trouble, his support in weakness, the solver of his doubts and perplexities, his safety in peril, his unfailing resource in adversity, his balance in prosperity, his weapon in every conflict. It is the key which opens the door of the heavenly treasury, and places at his disposal the boundless wealth of the Divine beneficence. The efficacy of prayer does not terminate in the individual petitioner but extends to others on whose behalf supplication is made. God hears the cry of the believing suppliant, and in some way, not always explicable to us, but in harmony with His Divine perfections and the fitness of things, answers and blesses. The apostle knew the value and power of prayer when earnestly and humbly exercised, and, after giving directions concerning the discharge of certain specific relative duties, he returns, in concluding this epistle, to some general admonitions in which this important duty holds a foremost place. Prayer, says Thomas Aquinas, should have three qualities: it should be assiduous, watchful, and grateful. The perseverance with which prayer uninterruptedly draws itself through all events, internal and external, like a thread, or encircles them like a chain, is its vital power; the watchfulness, the lively circumspection, the gratitude, are the quiet tone or firm basis of the same.

+I. That prayer to be efficacious must be earnest and unceasing.+--"Continue in prayer" (ver. 2). The heart must be in the duty and all the best powers of the man put forth. That in which we have no interest will stir no feeling, will challenge no effort. To repeat a verbal formulary is not prayer. Alas! how many thousand prayers go no farther than the sound they make and are as useless! Genuine prayer involves thought, diligent inquiry, passionate entreaty, unwearied perseverance. The highest blessings of the Christian life, the brightest visions of God, the deepest insight into truth, the most enravishing ecstasies of the soul, are obtained only by fervent and persistent wrestling. Prayer must be offered with close-cleaving constancy, as the word "continue" implies, and with daily frequency. Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.

+II. That prayer to be efficacious must be joined with vigilance.+--"And watch in the same" (ver. 2). Long, prosy, spiritless prayers lull the soul into a dangerous slumber; and without incessant watchfulness all prayers are apt to become long, prosy, and spiritless. It is not necessary we should rob ourselves of needful sleep in order to spend so many hours in formal devotion. The vigilance refers to the spirit and manner in which all prayer is to be offered. There may be times when, under the pressures of some great solicitude, the soul is drawn out in prayer so as to preclude sleep; but at these times the quality of watchfulness is often in most vigorous operation. Watch, as a sentinel suspecting the approach of an enemy; as a physician attending to all the symptoms of a disease; as the keeper of a prison watching an insidious and treacherous criminal. We have need to watch against the temptations arising from worldly associations, from the sinfulness of our own hearts, and from the vile insinuations of the enemy, all which mar the efficacy of our prayers. Chrysostom says, "The devil knoweth how great a good prayer is." No wonder he should seek to distract the mind of the earnest suppliant. "Prayer," said Bernard, "is a virtue that prevaileth against all temptations;" but this is so only when a sleepless vigilance is exercised.

+III. That prayer to be efficacious must be mingled with gratitude.+--"With thanksgiving" (ver. 2). The apostle has, throughout the epistle, repeatedly enforced the duty of thankfulness. He once more recurs to it in this place; and we cannot fail to note the vast importance he attached to the exercise of this grace, and how it ought to interpenetrate every Christian duty. We are ever more ready to grumble than to give thanks. Such is the deceitfulness of sin, or the vanity and purblindness of the human heart, that the very regularity and abundance of the Divine mercies, instead of increasing, are apt to restrict our gratitude. We take, as a matter of course, what ought to be received with humblest thankfulness. An old writer has well said, "Need will make us beggars, but grace only thanksgivers. Gratitude opens the hand of God to give, and the heart of the suppliant to receive aright. Thankfulness for past mercies is an important condition of success in pleading for additional blessings."

+IV. That prayer is efficacious in promoting an efficient declaration of the Gospel.+--1. _Prayer should be offered on behalf of Christian ministers._ "Withal praying also for us" (ver. 3). The Colossians were exhorted to pray, not only for Paul, his fellow-labourer Timothy, and their own evangelist Epaphras, but for all teachers of the Gospel. The preacher is engaged in a work of vast magnitude, environed with colossal difficulties, and is himself ferociously assailed by great and peculiar perils. The earnest intercessions of a devout and holy people are to him a safeguard and a tower of strength. A once-popular minister gradually lost his influence and congregation. The blame was laid entirely upon him. Some of his Church officials went to talk with him on the subject. He replied: "I am quite sensible to all you say, for I feel it to be true; and the reason of it is, I have lost my prayer-book." He explained: "Once my preaching was acceptable, many were edified by it, and numbers were added to the Church, which was then in a prosperous state. But we were then a praying people. Prayer was restrained, and the present condition of things followed. Let us return to the same means, and the same results may be expected." They acted upon this suggestion, and in a short time the minister was as popular as he had ever been, and the Church was again in a flourishing state. The great apostle felt the necessity of co-operative sympathy and prayer (Rom. xv. 30; 2 Thess. iii. 1).

2. _Prayer should be offered that the most prominent features of the Gospel may be declared._--"To speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds" (ver. 3). It has before been explained in this epistle that _the mystery of Christ_ is a grand summary of all the leading truths of the Gospel: the mystery of the incarnation of Christ, the mystery of His sufferings and death as a sacrifice for sin, the mystery of admitting the Gentiles on equal terms with the Jews to all the privileges and blessings of the new covenant. It was the apostle's intrepid advocacy of the rights of the despised Gentile--maugre the fierce bigotry of his own countrymen, the deep-seated prejudice of the times, and even the slavish indifference of the Gentiles themselves--which led to his imprisonment: "for which I am also in bonds." The prayers of the good give the preacher courage to declare all the counsel of God, whether it be palatable or not, and to give special prominence to those truths which are of priceless importance to humanity.

3. _Prayer should be offered, that opportunity may be afforded for the free declaration of the Gospel._--"That God would open unto us a door of utterance" (ver. 3). The door had been closed and barred to the apostle for four years by his imprisonment. He felt a holy impatience to be free, that he might resume the loved labour of former years, when "from Jerusalem and round about into Illyricum he had fully preached the Gospel of Christ." But he waited till the door was opened by Divine providence; and this he knew was often done in answer to believing prayer. So there are times, in all ages of the Church, when the door of opportunity for disseminating the Gospel is shut by the opposition of the world, by the plottings of Satan, by the prevalence of a rabid infidelity, or by the removal of eminent champions for the truth; but, in response to the earnest intercessions of God's people, a great and effectual door is opened, and the Church advances to fresh conquests.

4. _Prayer should be offered that the Gospel may be declared with fearless self-evidencing power._--"That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak" (ver. 4). There are some who preach the Gospel in a cold, lifeless, perfunctory manner, or with unmeaning feebleness and unmanly timidity. When the preacher sinks down into a condition so abject as this, he has lost sight of the true meaning of the Gospel, he becomes the most pitiable object under the sun, and is exposed to the scathing vengeance of heaven. To preach the Gospel with clearness, with intrepidity, and with irresistible persuasiveness, that he "may make it manifest, as he ought to speak," demands the best energies of the soul, and, above all, the special endowments of the Holy Ghost. A minister is mightily aided in preaching by the wrestling intercessions of a holy and sympathetic people.

+Lessons.+--1. _Prayer is an excellent training for efficiency in all other duties._ 2. _Prayer is a gigantic power in the propagation of the Gospel._ 3. _The topics for prayer are vast in range and not far to seek._ 4. _When you can do nothing else you can pray._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 2. _True Devotion._

+I. Explain the meaning of the text.+--It is:--

1. _Not to be engaged without intermission in outward and formal acts of devotion._--This is inconsistent with our nature, with commanded duties, with the ends of prayer.

2. _To be frequently engaged in formal acts of devotion._--(1) No exercise more hallowing and soothing to the soul. (2) None more profitable as procuring blessings. (3) One to which those whose example is recorded gave a prominent place--Job, David, Daniel, Paul, Christ. (4) Morning, evening, intervals, social.

3. _To be persevering and importunate in asking particular blessings._--God does not always send sensibly the answer at once. A deeper sense of want may be necessary. A trial of faith, patience, and submissiveness may be expedient. The proper season may not have come. God's sovereignty must be owned. We ought to assure ourselves that we pray according to God's will.

+II. Enforce the exhortation.+--1. _Because you are commanded to do so._ 2. _Because Christ and the Spirit intercede for you._ There is no duty for which there is more ample assistance provided. 3. _Because of the number and greatness of your wants._ It is by faith that we know our wants. Hence the necessity. 4. _Because of the exhaustless provision that God has made for you._ God acts as God in the provision and in the bestowal. 5. _Because of the number of promises not yet fulfilled._ To you individually, to the Church, to Christ. 6. _Because the season for prayer is speedily hastening away.--Stewart._

Vers. 3, 4. _Praying and Preaching._

+I. The sermon is powerful that is well prayed over+ (ver. 4).

+II. A praying preacher uses every available opportunity to proclaim the truth+ (ver. 3).

+III. The theme of the preacher becomes more definite and effective by prayer+ (ver. 3).

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 5, 6.

_The Wise Conduct of Life._

The Christian lives a dual life: one in spiritual communion with heaven, under the eye of God; the other in daily contact with the outer world, exposed to its observation and criticism. The aspects of the life patent to the world's gaze do not always correspond with the best impulses of the life concealed; the actual falls short of the ideal. The world forms its judgment of the Christian from what it sees of his outer life and makes no allowance for his unseen struggles after moral perfection and his bitter penitence over conscious failures. Nor can we blame the world for this; the outer life of the believer furnishes the only evidence on which the world can form its estimate, and it is incapable of apprehending and taking into account hidden spiritual causes. The living example of the believer presents the only ideas of Christianity that great numbers have any means of possessing; he is a Christ to them, until they are brought to a clearer knowledge of _the_ true and only Christ. With what wisdom and circumspection should the believer walk toward them that are without!

+I. That the conduct of life is to be regulated according to the dictates of the highest wisdom.+--1. _Religion is a life._ "Walk" (ver. 5). A walk implies motion, progression, continual approximation to destination. Our life is a walk; we are perpetually and actively advancing towards our destiny. Religion is not a sentiment, not a round of bewitching ceremonies, not a succession of pleasurable emotions; it is a life. It pervades the whole soul, thrills every nerve, participates in every joy and sorrow, and moulds and inspires the individual character.

2. _Religion is a life shaped and controlled by the highest wisdom._--"Walk in wisdom" (ver. 5). Christian conduct is governed by the Spirit of that wisdom which is from above, and under the influence of the knowledge which maketh wise unto salvation (Jas. iii. 17). It is ruled, not by an erratic sentiment or by the wild impulse of a senseless fanaticism, but by a sound understanding and a wise discretion. Its experience and hopes rest upon a basis of truth transcending in certainty, wisdom, and majesty the most imposing speculations of the human mind.

3. _Religion is a life that should be instructive to the irreligious._--"Toward them that are without" (ver. 5)--without the pale of the Church, the unbelievers. An upright, holy, consistent example is often more eloquent than words, more practically effective than the most elaborate code of moral maxims. The follies and glaring inconsistencies of professing Christians have often inflicted serious damage upon the Church itself and turned religion into ridicule among the thoughtless and irreligious outsiders. The world is to be largely trained into correct views of truth and a just appreciation of the Christian spirit by the humble, saintly lives of those who have experienced the transforming power of the Gospel. Be more anxious to live religiously than to talk religiously.

4. _Religion is a life that impels the soul to seize every opportunity for good doing._--"Redeeming the time" (ver. 5)--buying up the opportunity for yourselves. Opportunity is the flower of time, which blooms but for a moment and is gone forever. Evil is prevalent; it effects the great majority, it advances with ever accelerating momentum; every opportunity for checking its career and destroying its power should be snatched with eagerness and used with promptitude and discretion. The wisdom that regulates the religious life will be the safest guide as to the way in which the passing moment may be turned to the best advantage. The children of Issachar were commended as men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chron. xii. 32). Ill-timed and inconsiderate zeal will do more harm than good.

+II. That the conduct of life is to be regulated by judicious speech.+--1. _Christian speech should be gracious._ "Let your speech be alway with grace" (ver. 6). The mouth ought to be a treasury of benediction, out of which no corrupt communication should issue, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Truth is the soul of grace; and infinite pains should be taken that every utterance of the tongue should at least be true. Idle gossip, slander, falsehood, should never fall from lips circumcised by the grace of God. Beware of the promiscuous use of the hackneyed phrases of pious cant. It is not so much a set religious phraseology that is wanted, as that all our speech should be baptised with the chrism of a religious spirit.

2. _Christian speech should be piquant._--"Seasoned with salt" (ver. 6). Salt is the emblem of what is quickening and preservative; and the conversation seasoned with it will be pure, agreeable, pointed--free from all taint and corrupting influence. The ancient teachers of rhetoric used to speak of "Attic salt," with which they advised their pupils to flavour their speeches, that they might sparkle with jests and witticisms. But it is not this kind of condiment that the apostle recommends. Wit is a dangerous gift to most men; but where it is joined with a well-balanced understanding, and sanctified by the grace of God, it may become a powerful weapon in the advocacy of truth and minister to the good of many. Speech, to be beneficial, must be thoughtful, choice, sharp, clear, forceful.

3. _Christian speech should be practical._--"That ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (ver. 6). It requires much practical wisdom to be able to speak well and wisely about religion to both objectors and inquirers, and only the man accustomed to carefully weigh his words and guard his utterances can become an adept in this work. Every Christian may cultivate the wisdom which governs the tongue and is bound to do so (1 Pet. iii. 15). Silence is sometimes the most conclusive answer. It is the triumph of wisdom to know when to speak and when to hold our peace.

+Lessons.+--1. _The power of a blameless life._ 2. _The value of a well-chosen word._ 3. _The supreme control claimed by religion over actions and speech._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 5. _The Worth of Time._

+I. Time ought to be improved because its value is inexpressible.+--1. _The worth of time may be argued from a survey of the great and momentous business to which it must be appropriated_--to get ready for eternity. 2. _From the astonishing price at which it has been purchased for us._ 3. _From the careful manner in which it is allotted to mankind._

+II. Because of the brevity of its duration.+

+III. Because, short as our time is, much of it has already elapsed.+

+IV. Because what remains to us is uncertain.+

+V. Because nothing can ever compensate the loss of time.+

+VI. God has made eternity to depend on the issues and results of time.+--_Dr. Robt. Newton._

Ver. 6. _Christian Conversation._--The apostle recommends a seasoning

+I. Of piety.+

+II. Of chastity.+

+III. Of charity.+

+IV. Of severity.+

+V. Of solidity.+

+Lessons.+--1. _Extravagant raillery poisons conversation._ 2. _A spirit of disputing is a vice of conversation._ 3. _Indiscreet questions are a pest of conversation.--Saurin._

_Christ's Truth in Relation to our Daily Conversation._

+I. The large space which words occupy in human life.+--1. _On account of their number._ 2. _On account of their consequences._

+II. The importance of special self-examination in reference to our words.+

+III. Earnest listening to the Divine voices the cure for vain speech and the source of gracious speech.+

+IV. Our words are not to be all about religion but pervaded by the spirit of religion.+

+V. Our conversation being thus seasoned, we shall know how we ought to answer every man.+--_R. Abercrombie._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 7-11.

_Side-lights on Church-life in the Early Times._

A straw will indicate the direction of current; a bit of glass will reveal a star; a kick of the foot may discover a treasure that will enrich successive generations; a word, a look, an involuntary movement will disclose the leading tendency of an individual character; so on the crowded stage of life it is not always the gigantic and public scenes that are most suggestive and instructive, but rather the trivial, undesigned incidents which are unnoticed by an ordinary observer. A reflective mind will pick up material for thought from the most unexpected and unpromising quarters. The apostle has finished the grand argument of the epistle and shown the importance of certain duties which grow out of the reception of the truths enforced. In approaching the conclusion, he appears to be chiefly occupied with a mass of personal and miscellaneous matters. The few remaining verses contain little else but a series of names, with the briefest qualifying phrases attached. But here and there light is thrown on truths which, though familiar, are all the more strongly impressed on our minds because of their evident antiquity. In these verses there are _side-lights thrown on Church-life in the early times with reference to Christian sympathy, commendations, courtesy, and co-operation._ We learn:--

+I. The value of Christian sympathy.+--1. _As fostering mutual interest in tidings concerning the work of God._ "All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, . . . whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose; . . . shall make known unto you all things which are done here" (vers. 7-9). The apostle, though in prison and separated by a long distance from the Colossians, does not abate anything of his interest in their welfare. He had received tidings of their condition as a Church; of their steadfastness, successes, and perils; and he was sure that intelligence from him would be eagerly welcomed by them. He therefore despatched Tychicus and Onesimus, who could furnish more details concerning the apostle, the exemplary spirit in which he bore his sufferings, his profound anxiety on behalf of the Churches and the progress of the Gospel in Rome, than were contained in the epistle they carried. A heart, touched with a genuine Christian sympathy, rejoices in the extension of the work of God, in whatever part of the world, and by whatever Christian agency. The mutual interchange of intelligence tends to excite the interest, promote the union, and stimulate the enterprise of the Churches.

2. _As a source of encouragement and strength in the Christian life._--"That he might know your estate and comfort your heart" (ver. 8). Instead of "that he might know your estate," another reading of the original, adopted by Lightfoot and other eminent critics, has "that ye might know our affairs." "But," as Bishop Wordsworth remarks, "the very purpose for which Paul sent Tychicus to the Colossians was not, it would seem, in order that they might know how St. Paul was faring, but that he might know whether they were standing steadfast in the faith against the attempts of the false teachers." Whichever reading is adopted, the practical lesson is the same; both express the reality, strength, and beauty of a mutual sympathy. The presence of Tychicus and Onesimus, the character of the tidings they brought, and the fervour of their exhortations, would encourage and reassure the Colossians amid the perplexities and doubts occasioned by the false teachers. Mutual expression of sympathy and inter-community of intelligence will do much to comfort and edify the Churches.

+II. The appropriateness of Christian commendation+ (ver. 7).--The apostle speaks highly of his two messengers--not in terms of extravagant flattery, but in a way calculated to ensure their favourable reception by the Colossians and a respectful attention to their message. Tychicus was a native of proconsular Asia, perhaps of Ephesus. He was well known as an authorised delegate of St. Paul and is mentioned in other places as being with the apostle (Acts xx. 42; 2 Tim. iv. 12; Tit. iii. 12). He is spoken of in this verse as "a beloved brother, a faithful minister, a fellow-servant in the Lord." The great apostle, far from taking advantage of his exalted calling and inspiration, humbled himself before the least of his brethren, spoke in the highest terms of their faithful labours, and associated them with his own. Onesimus, a Colossian, is commended as "a faithful and beloved brother." It was the more needful he should be thus commended, because if he was known to the Colossians at all it would be as a worthless, runaway slave. Some time before, Onesimus had forsaken his master Philemon, and fled to Rome--the common sink of all nations--probably as a convenient hiding-place where he might escape detection among its crowds and make a livelihood as best he could. In the metropolis--perhaps accidentally, perhaps through the intervention of Epaphras--he fell in with the apostle, his master's old friend. St. Paul becomes interested in his case, instructs him in the Gospel, and is the instrument of his conversion; and now he is commended to the Colossians, no more as a good-for-nothing slave, but as a brother; no more dishonest and faithless, but trustworthy; no more an object of contempt, but love. The apostle sent him back to his master Philemon, and it is generally thought, having been set at liberty by his owner, he became a faithful and laborious minister of Christ. Such is the transforming power of Divine grace in changing and renewing the heart, in obliterating all former distinctions and degradations, and in elevating a poor slave to the dignity of "a faithful and beloved brother" of the greatest of apostles. Christian commendations are valuable according to the character of the persons from whom they issue, and as they are borne out in the subsequent conduct of the persons commended. Every care should be taken that the testimonial of recommendation is strictly true. It is putting a man in a false position and doing him an injury to exaggerate his qualifications by excessive glory.

+III. Suggestive examples of Christian courtesy.+--"Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) and Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision" (vers. 10, 11). Aristarchus was a Jew, though a native of Thessalonica. He was with Paul during the riot at Ephesus and was hurried with Gaius into the theatre by Demetrius and his craftsmen. He accompanied the apostle from Greece to Jerusalem with the collection for the saints. When Paul was imprisoned in Judea, he abode with him; and when he went into Italy, he also went and remained with him there during his confinement, till at length he became, it may be, obnoxious to the magistrates, and was cast into prison; or perhaps he became a voluntary prisoner, that he might share the apostle's captivity. What a glimpse have we here of heroic devotion, and of the irresistible charm there must have been in the apostle in attaching men to himself! Marcus was the John Mark frequently referred to in the Acts of the Apostles. He had been the occasion of a contention between Paul and Barnabas, which led to their separating from each other and following different scenes of labour. Mark had, from cowardice or some other motive, "departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them out to the work"; and when Barnabas, probably influenced by his affection as near kinsman, wished to take him with them, Paul resolutely refused thus to distinguish a young and unstable disciple. But from the reference here it appears that Mark had repented of his timid and selfish behaviour and returned to a better spirit. Perhaps the displeasure of the apostle weighed upon his mind, and, with Barnabas' prayers and example, had brought him to a right view of his misconduct. He was now restored to the apostle's confidence, and it appears Paul had already given directions to the Colossians concerning Mark to welcome him heartily if he paid them a visit--"touching whom ye received commandments: if he come to you, receive him." The third Hebrew convert who united in sending salutations was Jesus, which was also called Justus--a common name or surname of Jews and proselytes, denoting obedience and devotion to the law. Nothing definite is known of this person; but the apostle held him in such esteem as to join his salutation with the rest. These three friends and companions of Paul were Jews--they were _of the circumcision_; and yet they send their salutations to a Church composed chiefly of Gentiles. The Christian spirit triumphed over their deep-rooted prejudices, and their greeting would be all the more valued as an expression of their personal esteem, their brotherly affection, and their oneness in Christ. That courtesy is the most refined, graceful, gentle, and acceptable that springs from the Christian spirit.

+IV. The solace of Christian co-operation.+--"These only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me" (ver. 11). The tendency of the Jewish convert was to lean to the Mosaic ritual and insist on its necessity in realising the efficacy of the Gospel. Thus, they favoured the false philosophy of the Jewish Platonists, and fell into the errors against which the apostle so faithfully warns in this epistle. The action of the Judaizing teachers and their sympathisers was often a grief and hindrance to him. Of all the Jewish converts in Rome only three were a comfort to him. They thoroughly embraced and advocated the free and unconditional admission of the Gentiles into the Church of Christ and were devoted and zealous fellow-workers with him in extending the kingdom of God. It is an evidence of the unpopularity among the Jews of the Gospel as intended equally for the Gentiles, and of the formidable prejudices and difficulties with which the apostle had to contend in that early time, that there were only three Hebrew converts who were a comfort to him. And yet how consoling is the sympathy and co-operation of the faithful few! Sometimes the noblest men are deserted by timid and time-serving professors and left to toil on alone in peril and sadness. History records the triumphs of those who have successfully braved the solitary struggle in some great crisis; but it is silent about the vanquished who, with broken hearts and shattered intellects, have sunk into unchronicled oblivion.

+Lessons.+--1. _Christian experience is the same in all ages._ 2. _True courtesy costs little and accomplishes much._ 3. _Genuine sympathy is best shown by an active and self-denying co-operation._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12, 13.

_The Model Pastor._

Nothing is known of Epaphras beyond the few but significant notices which connect him with Colossæ, of which city he was a native. Acting under the direction of St. Paul, probably when the apostle was residing for three years at Ephesus, Epaphras was the honoured agent in introducing the Gospel into Colossæ and the neighbouring cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis; and it is evident he regarded himself as responsible for the spiritual well-being of all these places. The dangerous condition of the Colossian and neighbouring Churches at this time filled the mind of Epaphras with a holy jealousy and alarm. A strange form of heresy had appeared among them--a mixture of Jewish formalism with the speculations of an Oriental philosophy--and was rapidly spreading. The distress of the faithful evangelist was extreme. He journeyed to Rome in order to lay this state of things before the apostle, and to seek his counsel and assistance. The apostle bears testimony to his profound anxiety for the spiritual condition of the newly founded Churches on the banks of the Lycus. He had much toil for them and was ever fervently wrestling in prayer on their behalf, that they might stand fast and not lose the simplicity of their earlier faith but might advance to a more perfect knowledge of the Divine will. In the verses now under consideration we have Epaphras brought before us as _the model pastor._

+I. The model pastor is distinguished by a suggestive designation.+--"A servant of Christ" (ver. 12). This title, which the apostle uses several times for himself, is not elsewhere conferred on any other individual, except once on Timothy (Phil. i. 1), and probably points to exceptional services in the cause of the Gospel on the part of Epaphras (_Lightfoot_). A true pastor is not the servant of the Church to echo its decisions and do its bidding; but he is the servant _for_ the Church to influence its deliberations and decisions, to mould its character and direct its enterprises. He is _a servant of Christ,_ receiving his commission from Him, ever anxious to ascertain His will, and ready to carry out that will at whatever sacrifice. Such a service involves no loss of self-respect or manliness, no degradation, but is free, honourable, and rich in blessing.

+II. The model pastor is incessant in zealous labour.+--"For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis" (ver. 13). The zeal of Epaphras urged him to extend his Christian labours beyond the limits of Colossæ: he visited the adjoining cities, which were much larger in population and wealthier in commerce. Laodicea, rising from obscurity, had become, two or three generations before the apostle wrote, a populous and thriving city, and was then the metropolis of the cities on the banks of the Lycus. Hierapolis was an important and growing city, and, in addition to its trade in dyed wools, had a reputation as a fashionable watering-place, where the seekers of pleasure and of health resorted to partake of its waters which possessed valuable medicinal qualities. The rare virtues of the city have been celebrated in song:

"Hail, fairest soil in all broad Asia's realm; Hail, golden city, nymph divine, bedeck'd With flowing rills, thy jewels."

Into the midst of these populations the fervent Epaphras introduced the Gospel and spared no pains in his endeavour to establish and confirm the believers. It was on their behalf he undertook the journey to Rome to confer with St. Paul as to their state; and the apostle testifies to the unceasing exercise of his great and holy zeal for his distant but ever-remembered flock. When the heart is interested and moved, labour is a delight; and it is the way in which the heart is affected towards any work that gives to it significance and worth. Canon Liddon writes: "Are we not very imperfectly alive to the moral meaning of work and the moral fruits of work as work?" The true pastor, with a heart overflowing with zeal for the glory of God and the good of men, cheerfully undertakes labour from which the ordinary worker would timidly shrink.

+III. The model pastor is intensely exercised in prayer for the people of God.+--"Always labouring fervently [wrestling, agonising] for you in prayers" (ver. 12). The faithful minister has not only to teach his flock--a task which involves vigilant observation, extensive reading, and anxious study--but he has also to plead earnestly at the throne of grace on their behalf. In times of spiritual dearth, disappointment, embarrassment, and distress, prayer is the all-efficacious resource. There are circumstances in which the minister can do nothing but pray. Difficulties that defied all other means have vanished before the irresistible power of persistent and believing intercession. Prayer attains what the most conclusive reasoning, the most eloquent appeal, the most diligent personal attention, sometimes fail to accomplish. It sets in silent but stupendous operation the mightiest spiritual agencies of the universe. It opens the fountain of Divine grace, and its streams flow in full-tide velocity through the hitherto arid wilderness of human hearts, and life, freshness, fertility, and beauty spring up in its reviving course. It is God only whose help is omnipotent, and on this help faithful prayer lays hold and uses it in effecting its wonderous transformations.

+IV. The model pastor is constantly solicitous that the people of God should be firmly established in the highest good.+--"That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (ver. 12)--perfectly instructed and fully convinced in everything willed _by God._ The great aim of all ministerial anxiety is not only to instruct his people in the full and accurate knowledge of the Divine will, but to produce such a persuasion of the supreme majesty and authority of that will to induce steadfast continuance in practical obedience. The will of God and the highest good of man are always in harmony. Whatever threatens to disturb the stability of the believer, or to retard his development towards the highest moral excellence, whether it arises from his personal unwatchfulness and indifference or from the subtle attacks of error, is always a subject of keen solicitude to the faithful pastor. He knows that if his converts fall away they are lost and the truth itself is disgraced. To be established in an unswerving obedience it is necessary to be _filled_ with the knowledge of God's will. This blessedness is the grand scope and crowning glory of the Christian life.

+Lessons.+--1. _The office of pastor is fraught with endless anxieties, great responsibilities, and rare opportunities._ 2. _The true pastor finds his purest inspirations, his most potent spiritual weapon, and his grandest successes in prayer._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 14-17.

_Christian Greetings and Counsels._

It is sometimes asked, with an indiscriminate flippancy, "What's in a name?" There are some names which have no title to a lasting remembrance, and with reference to these the flippancy may be justified. But there are names whose reputation is imperishable, and which are written on the world's history in indelible characters. The name of Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, will be venerated by the coming ages when the titles of the greatest sages and warriors shall have faded away in the darkness of oblivion; and, just as there are lesser lights in the firmament that share in the glory of the great luminary to which they are essentially related, so there are names of lesser note grouped around that of the great apostle that are immortalised by their association with him. Besides, names as they are quoted and used by St. Paul in this and other epistles often furnish evidence of the authenticity of Scripture and undesigned coincidences of the truth of the sacred history. In these verses there are some names preserved to us which were lifted into prominence by the connection of the persons they represented with the apostle, and by their own eminent piety and usefulness. They furnish another illustration of the truth of the sacred saying, "The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Prov. x. 7). We have here a series of kindly Christian greetings and important Christian counsels. Observe:--

+I. The value of a Christian greeting is estimated by the moral character of those from whom it emanates.+--"Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you" (ver. 14). Two persons are here mentioned whose individual histories present a suggestive contrast; and it is observable, by the way in which their names are mentioned, that the two men stood very differently in the apostle's estimation.

1. _Luke is the beloved physician_--the very dear and attached friend of Paul. He was his constant companion in travel and stood faithfully by him in his greatest trials. He joined the apostle at Troas (Acts