,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4 ,d41 ,litt4 ,d4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,second ,,corinthians1 ,,galatians1 ,,and ,,philippians ,,chapters ,i ,,to ,,end ,,colossians1 ,,thessalonians1 ,,and ,,first ,,timothy ,,new ,,york ,,george ,h4 ,,doran ,,company ,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4 ,d41 ,litt4 ,d4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,second ,,corinthians ,chaps4 ,,vii to ,end ,,galatians ,,and ,,philippians ,,contents ,,ii4 ,,corinthians ,,hope ,,and ,,holiness 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #a7 #a ,,sorrow ,,according ,,to ,,god 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #aj7 #h ,,giving ,,and ,,asking 7#b ,cor4 viii4 #a-ab7 #bj ,,rich ,,yet ,,poor 7#b ,cor4 viii4 #i7 #bg ,,willing ,,and ,,not ,,doing 7#b ,cor4 viii4 #aa7 #cf ,,all ,,grace ,,abounding 7#b ,cor4 ix4 #h7 #db ,,god',s ,,unspeakable ,,gift 7#b ,cor4 ix4 #ae7 #ej ,a ,,militant ,,message 7#b ,cor4 x4 #e and #f1 ,r4,v47 #eg ,,simplicity ,,towards ,,christ 7#b ,cor4 xi4 #c7 #fe ,,strength ,,in ,,weakness 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #h1 #i7 #gd ,,not ,,yours ,,but ,,you 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #ad7 #hc ,,galatians ,,from ,,centre ,,to ,,circumference 7,gal4 ii4 #bj7 #ia ,,the ,,evil ,,eye ,,and ,,the ,,charm 7,gal4 iii4 #a7 #ajj ,,lessons ,,of ,,experience 7,gal4 iii4 #d7 #aji ,,the ,,universal ,,prison 7,gal4 iii4 #bb7 #aaf ,,the ,,son ,,sent 7,gal4 iv4 #d1 #e1 ,r4,v47 #abf ,,what ,,makes ,a ,,christian3 ,,circumcision ,,or ,,faith8 7,gal4 v4 #f7 #acf ',,walk ,,in ,,the ,,spirit' 7,gal4 v4 #af7 #aec ,,the ,,fruit ,,of ,,the ,,spirit 7,gal4 v4 #bb1 #bc7 #afb ,,burden-,,bearing 7,gal4 vi4 #b-e7 #aga ,,doing ,,good ,,to ,,all 7,gal4 vi4 #aj7 #ahj ,,the ,,owner',s ,,brand 7,gal4 vi4 #ag7 #ahi ,,philippians ,,loving ,,greetings 7,phil4 i4 #a-h1 ,r4,v47 #bjj ,a ,,comprehensive ,,prayer 7,phil4 i4 #i-aa1 ,r4,v47 #bjf ,a ,,prisoner',s ,,triumph 7,phil4 i4 #ab-bj1 ,r4,v47 #baa ,a ,,strait ,,betwixt ,,two 7,phil4 i4 #ba-be7 #bai ,,citizens ,,of ,,heaven 7,phil4 i4 #bg1 #bh7 #bcc ,a ,,plea ,,for ,,unity 7,phil4 ii4 #a-d1 ,r4,v47 #bdd ,,the ,,descent ,,of ,,the ,,word 7,phil4 ii4 #e-h1 ,r4,v47 #bec ,,the ,,ascent ,,of ,,jesus 7,phil4 ii4 #i-aa1 ,r4,v47 #bfj ,,work ,,out ,,your ,,own ,,salvation 7,phil4 ii4 #ab1 #ac7 #bfh ,,copies ,,of ,,jesus 7,phil4 ii4 #ad-af1 ,r4,v47 #bha ,a ,,willing ,,sacrifice 7,phil4 ii4 #af-ah1 ,r4,v47 #bhg ,,paul ,,and ,,timothy 7,phil4 ii4 #ai-bd1 ,r4,v47 #bie ,,paul ,,and ,,epaphroditus 7,phil4 ii4 #be-cj1 ,r4,v47 #cje ,,preparing ,,to ,,end 7,phil4 iii4 #a-c1 ,r4,v47 #caa ,,the ,,loss ,,of ,,all 7,phil4 iii4 #d-h1 ,r4,v47 #cba ,,the ,,gain ,,of ,,christ 7,phil4 iii4 #h1 #i1 ,r4,v47 #cbh ,,saving ,,knowledge 7,phil4 iii4 #aj1 #aa1 ,r4,v47 #ccf ,,laid ,,hold ,,of ,,and ,,laying ,,hold 7,phil4 iii4 #ab7 #cdh ,,the ,,race ,,and ,,the ,,goal 7,phil4 iii4 #ac1 #ad7 #cei ,,the ,,soul',s ,,perfection 7,phil4 iii4 #ae7 #cfi ,,the ,,rule ,,of ,,the ,,road 7,phil4 iii4 #af7 #cha ,,warnings ,,and ,,hopes 7,phil4 iii4 #ag-ba1 ,r4,v47 #cia ,,ii4 ,,corinthians ,,hope ,,and ,,holiness ,having therefore these promises 4 4 4 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god4'--#b ,,cor4 vii4 #a4 ,it is often made a charge against professing ,christians that their religion has very little to do with common morality4 ,the taunt has sharpened multitudes of gibes and been echoed in all sorts of tones3 it is very often too true and perfectly just1 but if ever it is1 let it be distinctly understood that it is not so because of ,christian men's religion but in spite of it4 ,their bitterest enemy does not condemn them half so emphatically as their own religion does3 the sharpest censure of others is not so sharp as the rebukes of the ,new ,testament4 ,if there is one thing which it insists upon more than another1 it is that religion without morality is nothing--that the one test to which1 after all1 every man must submit is1 what sort of character has he and how has he behaved--is he pure or foul8 ,all high-flown pretension1 all fervid emotion has at last to face the question which little children ask1 ',was he a good man8' ,the ,apostle has been speaking about very high and mystical truths1 about all ,christians being the temple of ,god1 about ,god dwelling in men1 about men and women being ,his sons and daughters2 these are the very truths on which so often fervid imaginations have built up a mystical piety that had little to do with the common rules of right and wrong4 ,but ,paul keeps true to the intensely practical purpose of his preaching and brings his heroes down to the prosaic earth with the homely common sense of this far-reaching exhortation1 which he gives as the fitting conclusion for such celestial visions4 ,i4 ,a ,christian life should be a life of constant self-purifying4 ,this epistle is addressed to the church of ,god which is at ,corinth with all the saints which are in all ,achaia4 ,looking out over that wide region1 ,paul saw scattered over godless masses a little dispersed company to each of whom the sacred name of ,saint applied4 ,they had been deeply stained with the vices of their age and place1 and after a black list of criminals he had had to say to them 'such were some of you1' and he lays his finger on the miracle that had changed them and hesitates not to say of them all1 ',but ye are washed1 but ye are sanctified1 but ye are justified in the name of the ,lord ,jesus and by the ,spirit of our ,god4' ,the first thing1 then1 that every ,christian has is a cleansing which accompanies forgiveness1 and however his garment may have been 'spotted by the flesh1' it is 'washed and made white in the blood of the ,lamb4' ,strange cleansing by which black stains melt out of garments plunged in red blood6 ,with the cleansing of forgiveness and justification comes1 wherever they come1 the gift of the ,holy ,spirit--a new life springing up within the old life1 and untouched by any contact with its evils4 ,these gifts belong universally to the initial stage of the ,christian life and require for their possession only the receptiveness of faith4 ,they admit of no co-operation of human effort1 and to possess them men have only to 'take the things that are freely given to them of ,god4' ,but of the subsequent stages of the ,christian life1 the laborious and constant effort to develop and apply that free gift is as essential as1 in the earliest stage1 it is worse than useless4 ,the gift received has to be wrought into the very substance of the soul1 and to be wrought out in all the endless varieties of life and conduct4 ,christians are cleansed to begin with1 but they have still daily to cleanse themselves3 the leaven is hid in the three measures of meal1 but ''tis a life-long task till the lump be leavened1' and no man1 even though he has the life that was in ,jesus within him1 will grow up 'into the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ' unless1 by patient and persistent effort1 he is ever pressing on to 'the things that are before' and daily striving to draw nearer to the prize of his high calling4 ,we are cleansed1 but we have still to cleanse ourselves4 ,yet another paradox attaches to the ,christian life1 inasmuch as ,god cleanses us1 but we have to cleanse ourselves4 ,the great truth that the spirit of ,god in a man is the fontal source of all his goodness1 and that ,christ's righteousness is given to us1 is no pillow on which to rest an idle head1 but should rather be a trumpet-call to effort which is thereby made certain of success4 ,if we were left to the task of self-purifying by our own efforts we might well fling it up as impossible4 ,it is as easy for a man to lift himself from the ground by gripping his own shoulders as it is for us to rise to greater heights of moral conduct by our own efforts2 but if we can believe that ,god gives the impulse after purity1 and the vision of what purity is1 and imparts the power of attaining it1 strengthening at once our dim sight and stirring our feeble desires and energising our crippled limbs1 then we can 'run with patience the race that is set before us4' ,we must note the thoroughness of the cleansing which the ,apostle here enjoins4 ,what is to be got rid of is not this or that defect or vice1 but 'all filthiness of flesh and spirit4' ,the former1 of course1 refers primarily to sins of impurity which in the eyes of the ,greeks of ,corinth were scarcely sins at all1 and the latter to a state of mind when fancy1 imagination1 and memory were enlisted in the service of evil4 ,both are rampant in our day as they were in ,corinth4 ,much modern literature and the new gospel of ',art for ,art's sake' minister to both1 and every man carries in himself inclinations to either4 ,it is no partial cleansing with which ,paul would have us to be satisfied3 'all' filthiness is to be cast out4 ,like careful housewives who are never content to cease their scrubbing while a speck remains upon furniture1 ,christian men are to regard their work as unfinished as long as the least trace of the unclean thing remains in their flesh or in their spirit4 ,the ideal may be far from being realised at any moment1 but it is at the peril of the whole sincerity and peacefulness of their lives if they1 in the smallest degree1 lower the perfection of their ideal in deference to the imperfection of their realisation of it4 ,it must be abundantly clear from our own experience that any such cleansing is a very long process4 ,no character is made1 whether it be good or bad1 but by a slow building up3 no man becomes most wicked all at once1 and no man is sanctified by a wish or at a jump4 ,as long as men are in a world so abounding with temptation1 'he that is washed' will need daily to 'wash his feet' that have been stained in the foul ways of life1 if he is to be 'clean every whit4' ,as long as the spirit is imprisoned in the body and has it for its instrument there will be need for much effort at purifying4 ,we must be content to overcome one foe at a time1 and however strong may be the pilgrim's spirit in us1 we must be content to take one step at a time1 and to advance by very slow degrees4 ,nor is it to be forgotten that as we get nearer what we ought to be1 we should be more conscious of the things in which we are not what we ought to be4 ,the nearer we get to ,jesus ,christ1 the more will our consciences be enlightened as to the particulars in which we are still distant from ,him4 ,a speck on a polished shield will show plain that would never have been seen on a rusty one4 ,the saint who is nearest ,god will think more of his sins than the man who is furthest from him4 ,so new work of purifying will open before us as we grow more pure1 and this will last as long as life itself4 ,,ii4 ,the ,christian life is to be not merely a continual getting rid of evil1 but a continual becoming good4 ,paul here draws a distinction between cleansing ourselves from filthiness and perfecting holiness1 and these two1 though closely connected and capable of being regarded as being but the positive and negative sides of one process1 are in reality different1 though in practice the former is never achieved without the latter1 nor the latter accomplished without the former4 ,holiness is more than purity2 it is consecration4 ,that is holy which is devoted to ,god1 and a saint is one whose daily effort is to devote his whole self1 in all his faculties and nature1 thoughts1 heart1 and will1 more and more1 to ,god1 and to receive into himself more and more of ,god4 ,the purifying which ,paul has been enjoining will only be successful in the measure of our consecration1 and the consecration will only be genuine in the measure of our purifying4 ,herein lies the broad and blessed distinction between the world's morality and ,christian ethics4 ,the former fails just because it lacks the attitude towards a ,person who is the very foundation of ,christian morality1 and changes a hard and impossible law into love4 ,there is no more futile waste of breath than that of teachers of morality who have no message but ,be good6 ,be good6 and no motive by which to urge it but the pleasures of virtue and the disadvantages of vice1 but when the vagueness of the abstract thought of goodness solidifies into a living ,person and that ,person makes his appeal first to our hearts and bids us love him1 and then opens before us the unstained light of his own character and beseeches us to be like him1 the repellent becomes attractive3 the impossible becomes possible1 and 'if ye love ,me keep ,my commandments' becomes a constraining power and a victorious impulse in our lives4 ,,iii4 ,the ,christian life of purifying and consecration is to be animated by hope and fear4 ,the ,apostle seems to connect hope more immediately with the cleansing1 and holiness with the fear of ,god1 but probably both hope and fear are in his mind as the double foundation on which both purity and consecration are to rest1 or the double emotion which is to produce them both4 ,these promises refer directly to the immediately preceding words1 ',i will be a ,father unto you and ye shall be ,my sons and daughters1' in which all the blessings which ,god can give or men can receive are fused together in one lustrous and all-comprehensive whole4 ,so all the great truths of the ,gospel and all the blessed emotions of sonship which can spring up in a human heart are intended to find their practical result in holy and pure living4 ,for this end ,god has spoken to us out of the thick darkness2 for this end ,christ has come into our darkness2 for this end ,he has lived2 for this end ,he died2 for this end ,he rose again2 for this end ,he sends ,his ,spirit and administers the providence of the world4 ,the purpose of all the ,divine activity as regards us men is not merely to make us happy1 but to make us happy in order that we may be good4 ,he whom what he calls his religion has only saved from the wrath of ,god and the fear of hell has not learned the alphabet of religion4 ,unless ,god's promises evoke men's goodness it will be of little avail that they seem to quicken their hope4 ,joyful confidence in our sonship is only warranted in the measure in which we are like our ,father4 ,hope often deludes and makes men dreamy and unpractical4 ,it generally paints pictures far lovelier than the realities1 and without any of their shadows2 it is too often the stimulus and ally of ignoble lives1 and seldom stirs to heroism or endurance1 but its many defects are not due to itself but to its false choice of objects on which to fix4 ,the hope which is lifted from trailing along the earth and twining round creatures and which rises to grasp these promises ought to be1 and in the measure of its reality is the ally of all patient endurance and noble self-sacrifice4 ,its vision of coming good is all directed to the coming ,christ1 and 'every man that hath this hope in ,him1 purifieth himself even as ,he is pure4' ,in ,paul's experience there was no contrariety between hope set on ,jesus and fear directed towards ,god4 ,it is in the fear of ,god that holiness is to be perfected4 ,there is a fear which has no torment4 ,yet more1 there is no love in sons or daughters without fear4 ,the reverential awe with which ,god's children draw near to ,god has in it nothing slavish and no terror4 ,their love is not only joyful but lowly4 ,the worshipping gaze upon ,his ,divine majesty1 the reverential and adoring contemplation of ,his ineffable holiness1 and the poignant consciousness1 after all effort1 of the distance between us and ,him will bow the hearts that love ,him most in lowliest prostration before ,him4 ,these two1 hope and fear1 confidence and awe1 are like the poles on which the whole round world turns and are united here in one result4 ,they who 'set their hope in ,god' must 'not forget the works of ,god but keep ,his commandments'2 they who 'call ,him ,father1' 'who without respect of persons judgeth' must 'pass the time of their sojourning here in fear1' and their hopes and their fears must drive the wheels of life1 purify them from all filthiness and perfect them in all holiness4 ,,sorrow ,,according ,,to ,,god ',godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of3 but the sorrow of the world worketh death4'--#b ,,cor4 vii4 #aj4 ,very near the close of his missionary career the ,apostle ,paul summed up his preaching as being all directed to enforcing two points1 ',repentance towards ,god1 and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,these two1 repentance and faith1 ought never to be separated in thought1 as they are inseparable in fact4 ,true repentance is impossible without faith1 true faith cannot exist without repentance4 ,yet the two are separated very often1 even by earnest ,christian teachers4 ,the tendency of this day is to say a great deal about faith1 and not nearly enough in proportion about repentance2 and the effect is to obscure the very idea of faith1 and not seldom to preach ',peace6 peace6 when there is no peace4' ,a gospel which is always talking about faith1 and scarcely ever talking about sin and repentance1 is denuded1 indeed1 of some of its most unwelcome characteristics1 but is also deprived of most of its power1 and it may very easily become an ally of unrighteousness1 and an indulgence to sin4 ,the reproach that the ,christian doctrine of salvation through faith is immoral in its substance derives most of its force from forgetting that 'repentance towards ,god' is as real a condition of salvation as is 'faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,we have here the ,apostle's deliverance about one of these twin thoughts4 ,we have three stages--the root1 the stem1 the fruit2 sorrow1 repentance1 salvation4 ,but there is a right and a wrong kind of sorrow for sin4 ,the right kind breeds repentance1 and thence reaches salvation2 the wrong kind breeds nothing1 and so ends in death4 ,let us then trace these stages1 not forgetting that this is not a complete statement of the case1 and needs to be supplemented in the spirit of the words which ,i have already quoted1 by the other part of the inseparable whole1 'faith towards our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,i4 ,first1 then1 consider the true and the false sorrow for sin4 ,the ,apostle takes it for granted that a recognition of our own evil1 and a consequent penitent regretfulness1 lie at the foundation of all true ,christianity4 ,now ,i do not insist upon any uniformity of experience in people1 any more than ,i should insist that all their bodies should be of one shape or of one proportion4 ,human lives are infinitely different1 human dispositions are subtly varied1 and because neither the one nor the other are ever reproduced exactly in any two people1 therefore the religious experience of no two souls can ever be precisely alike4 ,we have no right to ask--and much harm has been done by asking--for an impossible uniformity of religious experience1 any more than we have a right to expect that all voices shall be pitched in one key1 or all plants flower in the same month1 or after the same fashion4 ,you can print off as many copies as you like1 for instance1 of a drawing of a flower on a printing-press1 and they shall all be alike1 petal for petal1 leaf for leaf1 shade for shade2 but no two hand-drawn copies will be so precisely alike1 still less will any two of the real buds that blow on the bush4 ,life produces resemblance with differences2 it is machinery that makes facsimiles4 ,so we insist on no pedantic or unreal uniformity2 and yet1 whilst leaving the widest scope for divergencies of individual character and experience1 and not asking that a man all diseased and blotched with the leprosy of sin for half a lifetime1 and a little child that has grown up at its mother's knee1 'in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord1' and so has been kept 'innocent of much transgression1' shall have the same experience2 yet ,scripture1 as it seems to me1 and the nature of the case do unite in asserting that there are certain elements which1 in varying proportions indeed1 will be found in all true ,christian experience1 and of these an indispensable one--and in a very large number1 if not in the majority of cases1 a fundamental one--is this which my text calls 'godly sorrow4' ,dear brethren1 surely a reasonable consideration of the facts of our conduct and character point to that as the attitude that becomes us4 ,does it not8 ,i do not charge you with crimes in the eye of the law4 ,i do not suppose that many of you are living in flagrant disregard of the elementary principles of common every-day morality4 ,some are1 no doubt4 ,there are1 no doubt1 unclean men here2 there are some who eat and drink more than is good for them1 habitually2 there are1 no doubt1 men and women who are living in avarice and worldliness1 and doing things which the ordinary conscience of the populace points to as faults and blemishes4 ,but ,i come to you respectable people that can say3 ',i am not as other men are1 unjust1 adulterers1 or even as this publican'2 and pray you1 dear friends1 to look at your character all round1 in the light of the righteousness and love of ,god1 and to plead to the indictment which charges you with neglect of many a duty and with sin against ,him4 ,how do you plead1 'guilty or not guilty1 sinful or not sinful8' ,be honest with yourselves1 and the answer will not be far to seek4 ,notice how my text draws a broad distinction between the right and the wrong kind of sorrow for sin4 ',godly sorrow' is1 literally rendered1'sorrow according to ,god1' which may either mean sorrow which has reference to ,god1 or sorrow which is in accordance with ,his will2 that is to say1 which is pleasing to ,him4 ,if it is the former1 it will be the latter4 ,i prefer to suppose that it is the former--that is1 sorrow which has reference to ,god4 ,and then1 there is another kind of sorrow1 which the ,apostle calls the 'sorrow of the world1' which is devoid of that reference to ,god4 ,here we have the characteristic difference between the ,christian way of looking at our own faults and shortcomings1 and the sorrow of the world1 which has got no blessing in it1 and will never lead to anything like righteousness and peace4 ,it is just this--one has reference to ,god1 puts its sin by ,his side1 sees its blackness relieved against the 'fierce light' of the ,great ,white ,throne1 and the other has not that reference4 ,to expand that for a moment1--there are plenty of us who1 when our sin is behind us1 and its bitter fruits are in our hands1 are sorry enough for our faults4 ,a man that is lying in the hospital a wreck1 with the sins of his youth gnawing the flesh off his bones1 is often enough sorry that he did not live more soberly and chastely and temperately in the past days4 ,that fraudulent bankrupt who has not got his discharge and has lost his reputation1 and can get nobody to lend him money enough to start him in business again1 as he hangs about the streets1 slouching in his rags1 is sorry enough that he did not keep the straight road4 ,the 'sorrow of the world' has no thought about ,god in it at all4 ,the consequences of sin set many a man's teeth on edge who does not feel any compunction for the wrong that he did4 ,my brethren1 is that the position of any that are listening to me now8 ,again1 men are often sorry for their conduct without thinking of it as sin against ,god4 ,crime means the transgression of man's law1 wrong means the transgression of conscience's law1 sin is the transgression of ,god's law4 ,some of us would perhaps have to say--',i have done crime4' ,we are all of us quite ready to say3 ',i have done wrong many a time'2 but there are some of us who hesitate to take the other step1 and say3 ',i have done sin4' ,sin has1 for its correlative1 ,god4 ,if there is no ,god there is no sin4 ,there may be faults1 there may be failures1 there may be transgressions1 breaches of the moral law1 things done inconsistent with man's nature and constitution1 and so on2 but if there be a ,god1 then we have personal relations to that ,person and ,his law2 and when we break ,his law it is more than crime2 it is more than fault2 it is more than transgression2 it is more than wrong2 it is sin4 ,it is when you lift the shutter off conscience1 and let the light of ,god rush in upon your hearts and consciences1 that you have the wholesome sorrow that worketh repentance and salvation and life4 ,oh1 dear friends1 ,i do beseech you to lay these simple thoughts to heart4 ,remember1 ,i urge no rigid uniformity of experience or character1 but ,i do say that unless a man has learned to see his sin in the light of ,god1 and in the light of ,god to weep over it1 he has yet to know 'the strait gate that leadeth unto life4' ,i believe that a very large amount of the superficiality and easy-goingness of the ,christianity of to-day comes just from this1 that so many who call themselves ,christians have never once got a glimpse of themselves as they really are4 ,i remember once peering over the edge of the crater of ,vesuvius1 and looking down into the pit1 all swirling with sulphurous fumes4 ,have you ever looked into your hearts1 in that fashion1 and seen the wreathing smoke and the flashing fire there8 ,if you have1 you will cleave to that ,christ1 who is your sole deliverance from sin4 ,but1 remember1 there is no prescription about depth or amount or length of time during which this sorrow shall be felt4 ,if1 on the one hand1 it is essential1 on the other hand there are a great many people who ought to be walking in the light and the liberty of ,god's ,gospel who bring darkness and clouds over themselves by the anxious scrutinising question3 ',is my sorrow deep enough8' ,deep enough6 ,what for8 ,what is the use of sorrow for sin8 ,to lead a man to repentance and to faith4 ,if you have as much sorrow as leads you to penitence and trust you have enough4 ,it is not your sorrow that is going to wash away your sin1 it is ,christ's blood4 ,so let no man trouble himself about the question1 ,have ,i sorrow enough8 ,the one question is3 ',has my sorrow led me to cast myself on ,christ8' ,,ii4 ,still further1 look now for a moment at the next stage here4 ',godly sorrow worketh repentance4' ,what is repentance8 ,no doubt many of you would answer that it is 'sorrow for sin1' but clearly this text of ours draws a distinction between the two4 ,there are very few of the great key-words of ,christianity that have suffered more violent and unkind treatment1 and have been more obscured by misunderstandings1 than this great word4 ,it has been weakened down into penitence1 which in the ordinary acceptation1 means simply the emotion that ,i have already been speaking about1 viz41 a regretful sense of my own evil4 ,and it has been still further docked and degraded1 both in its syllables and in its substance1 into penance4 ,but the 'repentance' of the ,new ,testament and of the ,old ,testament--one of the twin conditions of salvation--is neither sorrow for sin nor works of restitution and satisfaction1 but it is1 as the word distinctly expresses1 a change of purpose in regard to the sin for which a man mourns4 ,i cannot now expand and elaborate this idea as ,i should like1 but let me remind you of one or two passages in ,scripture which may show that the right notion of the word is not sorrow but changed attitude and purpose in regard to my sin4 ,we find passages1 some of which ascribe and some deny repentance to the ,divine nature4 ,but if there be a repentance which is possible for the ,divine nature1 it obviously cannot mean sorrow for sin1 but must signify a change of purpose4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,romans we read1 ',the gifts and calling of ,god are without repentance1' which clearly means without change of purpose on ,his part4 ,and ,i read in the story of the mission of the ,prophet ,jonah1 that 'the ,lord repented of the evil which ,he had said ,he would do unto them1 and ,he did it not4' ,here1 again1 the idea of repentance is clearly and distinctly that of a change of purpose4 ,so fix this on your minds1 and lay it on your hearts1 dear friends1 that the repentance of the ,new ,testament is not idle tears nor the twitchings of a vain regret1 but the resolute turning away of the sinful heart from its sins4 ,it is 'repentance toward ,god1' the turning from the sin to the ,father1 and that is what leads to salvation4 ,the sorrow is separated from the repentance in idea1 however closely they may be intertwined in fact4 ,the sorrow is one thing1 and the repentance which it works is another4 ,then notice that this change of purpose and breaking off from sin is produced by the sorrow for sin1 of which ,i have been speaking2 and that the production of this repentance is the main characteristic difference between the godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world4 ,a man may have his paroxysms of regret1 but the question is3 ,does it make any difference in his attitude8 ,is he standing1 after the tempest of sorrow has swept over him1 with his face in the same direction as before2 or has it whirled him clean round1 and set him in the other direction8 ,the one kind of sorrow1 which measures my sin by the side of the brightness and purity of ,god1 vindicates itself as true1 because it makes me hate my evil and turn away from it4 ,the other1 which is of the world1 passes over me like the empty wind through an archway1 it whistles for a moment and is gone1 and there is nothing left to show that it was ever there4 ,the one comes like one of those brooks in tropical countries1 dry and white for half the year1 and then there is a rush of muddy waters1 fierce but transient1 and leaving no results behind4 ,my brother6 when your conscience pricks1 which of these two things does it do8 ,after the prick1 is the word of command that your ,will issues ',right about face6' or is it ',as you were'8 ,godly sorrow worketh a change of attitude1 purpose1 mind2 the sorrow of the world leaves a man standing where he was4 ,ask yourselves the question3 ,which of the two are you familiar with8 ,again1 the true means of evoking true repentance is the contemplation of the ,cross4 ,law and the fear of hell may startle into sorrow1 and even lead to some kind of repentance4 ,but it is the great power of ,christ's love and sacrifice which will really melt the heart into true repentance4 ,you may hammer ice to pieces1 but it is ice still4 ,you may bray a fool in a mortar1 and his folly will not depart from him4 ,dread of punishment may pulverise the heart1 but not change it2 and each fragment1 like the smallest bits of a magnet1 will have the same characteristics as the whole mass4 ,but 'the goodness of ,god leads to repentance' as the prodigal is conquered and sees the true hideousness of the swine's trough1 when he bethinks himself of the father's love4 ,i beseech you to put yourselves under the influence of that great love1 and look on that ,cross till your hearts melt4 ,,iii4 ,we come to the last stage here4 ,salvation is the issue of repentance4 ',godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of4' ,what is the connection between repentance and salvation8 ,two sentences will answer the question4 ,you cannot get salvation without repentance4 ,you do not get salvation by repentance4 ,you cannot get the salvation of ,god unless you shake off your sin4 ,it is no use preaching to a man1 ',faith1 ,faith1 ,faith6' unless you preach along with it1',break off your iniquities4' ',let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts1 and let him turn unto the ,lord4' ,the nature of the case forbids it4 ,it is a clear contradiction in terms1 and an absolute impossibility in fact1 that ,god should save a man with the salvation which consists in the deliverance from sin1 whilst that man is holding to his sin4 ,unless1 therefore1 you have not merely sorrow1 but repentance1 which is turning away from sin with resolute purpose1 as a man would turn from a serpent1 you cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,but you do not get salvation for your repentance4 ,it is no case of barter1 it is no case of salvation by works1 that work being repentance3 ',could my zeal no respite know1 ,could my tears for ever flow1 ,all for sin could not atone1 ,thou must save1 and ,thou alone4' ,not my penitence1 but ,christ's death1 is the ground of the salvation of every one that is saved at all4 ,yet repentance is an indispensable condition of salvation4 ,what is the connection between repentance and faith8 ,there can be no true repentance without trust in ,christ4 ,there can be no true trust in ,christ without the forsaking of my sin4 ,repentance without faith1 in so far as it is possible1 is one long misery2 like the pains of those poor ,hindoo devotees that will go all the way from ,cape ,comorin to the shrine of ,juggernaut1 and measure every foot of the road with the length of their own bodies in the dust4 ,men will do anything1 and willingly make any sacrifice1 rather than open their eyes to see this1--that repentance1 clasped hand in hand with ,faith1 leads the guiltiest soul into the forgiving presence of the crucified ,christ1 from whom peace flows into the darkest heart4 ,on the other hand1 faith without repentance is not possible1 in any deep sense4 ,but in so far as it is possible1 it produces a superficial ,christianity which vaguely trusts to ,christ without knowing exactly what it is trusting ,him for1 or why it needs ,him2 and which has a great deal to say about what ,i may call the less important parts of the ,christian system1 and nothing to say about its vital centre2 which preaches a morality which is not a living power to create2 which practises a religion which is neither a joy nor a security4 ,the old word of the ,master has a deep truth in it3 ',these are they which heard the word1 and anon with joy received it4' ,having no sorrow1 no penitence1 no deep consciousness of sin1 'they have no root in themselves1 and in time of temptation they fall away4' ,if there is to be a profound1 an all-pervading1 life-transforming-sin1 and devil-conquering faith1 it must be a faith rooted deep in penitence and sorrow for sin4 ,dear brethren1 if1 by ,god's grace1 my poor words have touched your consciences at all1 ,i beseech you1 do not trifle with the budding conviction6 ,do not seek to have the wound skinned over4 ,take care that you do not let it all pass in idle sorrow or impotent regret4 ,if you do1 you will be hardened1 and the worse for it1 and come nearer to that condition which the sorrow of the world worketh1 the awful death of the soul4 ,do not wince from the knife before the roots of the cancer are cut out4 ,the pain is merciful4 ,better the wound than the malignant growth4 ,yield yourselves to the ,spirit that would convince you of sin1 and listen to the voice that calls to you to forsake your unrighteous ways and thoughts4 ,but do not trust to any tears1 do not trust to any resolves1 do not trust to any reformation4 ,trust only to the ,lord who died on the ,cross for you1 whose death for you1 whose life in you1 will be deliverance from your sin4 ,then you will have a salvation which1 in the striking language of my text1 'is not to be repented of1' which will leave no regrets in your hearts in the day when all else shall have faded1 and the sinful sweets of this world shall have turned to ashes and bitterness on the lips of the men that feed on them4 ',the sorrow of the world works death4' ,there are men and women listening to me now who are half conscious of their sin1 and are resisting the pleading voice that comes to them1 who at the last will open their eyes upon the realities of their lives1 and in a wild passion of remorse1 exclaim3 ',i have played the fool1 and have erred exceedingly4' ,better to make thorough work of the sorrow1 and by it to be led to repentance toward ,god and faith in ,christ1 and so secure for our own that salvation for which no man will ever regret having given even the whole world1 since he gains his own soul4 ,,giving ,,and ,,asking ',moreover1 brethren1 we do you to wit of the grace of ,god bestowed on the churches of ,macedonia2 #b4 ,how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality4 #c4 ,for to their power1 ,i bear record1 yea1 and beyond their power they were willing of themselves2 #d4 ,praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift1 and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints4 #e4 ,and this they did1 not as we hoped1 but first gave their own selves to the ,lord1 and unto us by the will of ,god3 #f4 ,insomuch that we desired ,titus1 that as he had begun1 so he would also finish in you the same grace also4 #g4 ,therefore1 as ye abound in every thing1 in faith1 and utterance1 and knowledge1 and in all diligence1 and in your love to us2 see that ye abound in this grace also4 #h4 ,i speak not by commandment1 but by occasion of the forwardness of others1 and to prove the sincerity of your love4 #i4 ,for ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that1 though ,he was rich1 yet for your sakes ,he became poor1 that ye through ,his poverty might be rich4 #aj4 ,and herein ,i give my advice3 for this is expedient for you1 who have begun before1 not only to do1 but also to be forward a year ago4 #aa4 ,now therefore perform the doing of it2 that as there was a readiness to will1 so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have4 #ab4 ,for if there be first a willing mind1 it is accepted according to that a man hath1 and not according to that he hath not4'--#b ,,cor4 viii4 #a-ab4 ,a collection from ,gentile churches for their poor brethren in ,jerusalem occupied much of ,paul's time and efforts before his last visit to that city4 ,many events1 which have filled the world with noise and been written at length in histories1 were less significant than that first outcome of the unifying spirit of common faith4 ,it was a making visible of the grand thought1 ',ye are all one in ,christ ,jesus4' ,practical help1 prompted by a deep-lying sense of unity which overleaped gulfs of separation in race1 language1 and social conditions1 was a unique novelty4 ,it was the first pulsation of that spirit of ,christian liberality which has steadily grown in force and sweep ever since4 ,foolish people gibe at some of its manifestations4 ,wiser ones regard its existence as not the least of the marks of the divine origin of ,christianity4 ,this passage is a striking example of the inimitable delicacy of the ,apostle4 ,his words are full of what we should call tact1 if it were not manifestly the spontaneous utterance of right feeling4 ,they are a perfect model of the true way to appeal for money1 and set forth also the true spirit in which such appeals should be made4 ,in verses #a to #e1 ,paul seeks to stimulate the liberality of the ,corinthians by recounting that of the ,macedonian churches4 ,his sketch draws in outline the picture of what all ,christian money-giving should be4 ,we note first the designation of the ,macedonian ,christians' beneficence as 'a grace' given by ,god to them4 ,it is twice called so 7vers4 #a1 #d71 and the same name is applied in regard to the ,corinthians' giving 7vers4 #f1 #g74 ,that is the right way to look at money contributions4 ,the opportunity to give them1 and the inclination to do so1 are ,god's gifts4 ,how many of us think that calls for service or money are troublesome obligations1 to be got out of as easily as possible6 ,a true ,christian will be thankful1 as for a love token from ,god1 for every occasion of giving to ,him4 ,it would be a sharp test for many of us to ask ourselves whether we can say1 ',to me 4 4 4 is this grace given1' that ,i should part with my money for ,christ's sake4 ,note1 further1 the lovely picture of these ,macedonian givers4 ,they were plunged in sorrows and troubles1 but these did not dry their fountains of sympathy4 ,nothing is apt to be more selfish than grief2 and if we have tears to spare for others1 when they are flowing bitterly for ourselves1 we have graduated well in ,christ's school4 ,paul calls the ,macedonians' troubles 'proof of their affliction1' meaning that it constituted a proof of their ,christian character2 that is1 by the manner in which it was borne2 and in it they had still 'abundance of joy1' for the paradox of the ,christian life is that it admits of the co-existence of grief and gladness4 ,again1 ,christian giving gives from scanty stores4 ',deep poverty' is no excuse for not giving1 and will be no hindrance to a willing heart4 ',i cannot afford it' is sometimes a genuine valid reason1 but oftener an insincere plea4 ,why are subscriptions for religious purposes the first expenditure to be reduced in bad times8 ,further1 ,christian giving gives up to the very edge of ability1 and sometimes goes beyond the limits of so-called prudence4 ,in all regions 'power to its last particle is duty1' and unless power is strained it is not fully exercised4 ,it is in trying to do what we cannot do that we do best what we can do4 ,he who keeps well within the limits of his supposed ability will probably not do half as much as he could4 ,while there is a limit behind which generosity even for ,christ may become dishonesty or disregard of other equally sacred claims1 there is little danger of modern ,christians transgressing that limit1 and they need the stimulus to do a little more than they think they can do1 rather than to listen to cold-blooded prudence4 ,further1 ,christian giving does not wait to be asked1 but takes the opportunity to give as itself 'grace' and presses its benefactions4 ,it is an unwonted experience for a collector of subscriptions to be besought to take them 'with much entreaty1' but it would not be so anomalous if ,christian people understood their privileges4 ,further1 ,christian giving begins with the surrender of self to ,christ1 from which necessarily follows the glad offering of wealth4 ,these ,macedonians did more than ,paul had hoped1 and the explanation of the unexpected largeness of their contributions was their yielding of themselves to ,jesus4 ,that is the deepest source of all true liberality4 ,if a man feels that he does not own himself1 much less will he feel that his goods are his own4 ,a slave's owner possesses the slave's bit of garden ground1 his hut1 and its furniture4 ,if ,i belong to ,christ1 to whom does my money belong8 ,but the consciousness that my goods are not mine1 but ,christ's1 is not to remain a mere sentiment4 ,it can receive practical embodiment by my giving them to ,christ's representatives4 ,the way for the ,macedonians to show that they regarded their goods as ,christ's1 was to give them to ,paul for ,christ's poor saints4 ,jesus has ,his representatives still1 and it is useless for people to talk or sing about belonging to ,him1 unless they verify their words by deeds4 ,verse #f tells the ,corinthians that the success of the collection in ,macedonia had induced ,paul to send ,titus to ,corinth to promote it there4 ,he had previously visited it on the same errand 7chap4 xii4 #ad71 and now is coming to complete 'this grace4' ,the rest of the passage is ,paul's appeal to the ,corinthians for their help in the matter1 and certainly never was such an appeal made in a more dignified1 noble1 and lofty tone4 ,he has been dilating on the liberality of others1 and thereby sanctioning the stimulating of ,christian liberality1 in the same way as other graces may legitimately be stimulated1 by example4 ,that is delicate ground to tread on1 and needs caution if it is not to degenerate into an appeal to rivalry1 as it too often does1 but in itself is perfectly legitimate and wholesome4 ,but1 passing from that incitement1 ,paul rests his plea on deeper grounds4 ,first1 ,christian liberality is essential to the completeness of ,christian character4 ,paul's praise in verse #g is not mere flattery1 nor meant to put the ,corinthians into good humour4 ,he will have enough to say hereafter about scandals and faults1 but now he gives them credit for all the good he knew to be in them4 ,faith comes first1 as always4 ,it is the root of every ,christian excellence4 ,then follow two graces1 eminently characteristic of a ,greek church1 and apt to run to seed in it1--utterance and knowledge4 ,then two more1 both of a more emotional character1--earnestness and love1 especially to ,paul as ,christ's servant4 ,but all these fair attributes lacked completeness without the crowning grace of liberality4 ,it is the crowning grace1 because it is the practical manifestation of the highest excellences4 ,it is the result of sympathy1 of unselfishness1 of contact with ,christ1 of drinking in of ,his spirit1 ,love is best4 ,utterance and knowledge and earnestness are poor beside it4 ,this grace is like the diamond which clasps a necklace of jewels4 ,christian giving does not need to be commanded4 ',i speak not by way of commandment4' ,that is poor virtue which only obeys a precept4 ,gifts given because it is duty to give them are not really gifts1 but taxes4 ,they leave no sweet savour on the hand that bestows1 and bring none to that which receives4 ',i call you not servants1 but friends4' ,the region in which ,christian liberality moves is high above the realm of law and its correlative1 obligation4 ,further1 ,christian liberality springs spontaneously from conscious possession of ,christ's riches4 ,we cannot here enter on the mysteries of ,christ's emptying ,himself of ,his riches of glory4 ,we can but touch the stupendous fact1 remembering that the place whereon we stand is holy ground4 ,who can measure the nature and depth of that self-denuding of the glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world was8 ,but1 thank ,god1 we do not need to measure it1 in order to feel the solemn1 blessed force of the appeal which it makes to us4 ,adoring wonder and gratitude1 unfaltering trust and absolute self-surrender to a love so self-sacrificing1 must ever follow the belief of that mystery of ,divine mercy1 the incarnation and sacrifice of the eternal ,son4 ,but ,paul would have us remember that the same mighty act of stooping love1 which is the foundation of all our hope1 is to be the pattern for all our conduct4 ,even in ,his divinest and most mysterious act1 ,christ is our example4 ,a dewdrop is rounded by the same laws which shape the planetary spheres or the sun himself2 and ,christians but half trust ,christ if they do not imitate ,him4 ,what selfishness in enjoyment of our 'own things' could live in us if we duly brought ourselves under the influence of that example8 ,how miserably poor and vulgar the appeals by which money is sometimes drawn from grudging owners and tight-buttoned pockets1 sound beside that heart-searching and heart-moving one1 ',ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ6' ,further1 ,christian liberality will not go off in good intentions and benevolent sentiments4 ,the ,corinthians were ready with their 'willing' on ,titus's previous visit4 ,now ,paul desires them to put their good feelings into concrete shape4 ,there is plenty of benevolence that never gets to be beneficence4 ,the advice here has a very wide application3 ',as there was the readiness to will1 so there may be the completion also4' ,we all know where the road leads that is paved with good intentions4 ,further1 ,christian liberality is accepted and rewarded according to willingness1 if that is carried into act according to ability4 ,while the mere wish to help is not enough1 it is the vital element in the act which flows from it2 and there may be more of it in the widow's mite than in the rich man's large donation--or there may be less4 ,the conditions of acceptable offerings are twofold--first1 readiness1 glad willingness to give1 as opposed to closed hearts or grudging bestowals2 and1 second1 that willingness embodied in the largest gift possible4 ,the absence of either vitiates all4 ,the presence of both gives trifles a place in ,god's storehouse of precious things4 ,a father is glad when his child brings him some utterly valueless present1 not because he must1 but because he loves2 and many a parent has such laid away in sacred repositories4 ,god knows how to take gifts from ,his children1 not less well than we who are evil know how to do it4 ,but the gracious saying of our passage has a solemn side2 for if only gifts 'according as a man hath' are accepted1 what becomes of the many which fall far short of our ability1 and are really given1 not because we have the willing mind1 but because we could not get out of the unwelcome necessity to part with a miserably inadequate percentage of our possessions4 ,is ,god likely to be satisfied with the small dividends which we offer as composition for our great debt8 ,,rich ,,yet ,,poor ',for ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that1 though ,he was rich yet for your sakes ,he became poor1 that ye through ,his poverty might be rich4'--#b ,,cor4 viii4 #i4 ,the ,apostle has been speaking about a matter which1 to us1 seems very small1 but to him was very great viz41 a gathering of pecuniary help from the ,gentile churches for the poor church in ,jerusalem4 ,large issues1 in his estimation1 attended that exhibition of ,christian unity1 and1 be it great or small1 he applies the highest of all motives to this matter4 ',for ye know the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that though ,he was rich yet for your sakes ,he became poor4' ,the trivial things of life are to be guided and shaped by reference to the highest of all things1 the example of ,jesus ,christ2 and that in the whole depth of ,his humiliation1 and even in regard to ,his cross and passion4 ,we have here set forth1 as the pattern to which the ,christian life is to be conformed1 the deepest conception of what our ,lord's career on earth was4 ,the whole ,christian ,church is about to celebrate the nativity of our ,lord at this time4 ,this text gives us the true point of view from which to regard it4 ,we have here the work of ,christ in its deepest motive1 ',the grace of our ,lord ,jesus4' ,we have it in its transcendent self-impoverishment1 ',though ,he was rich1 yet for our sakes ,he became poor4' ,we have it in its highest issue1 ',that ye through ,his poverty might become rich4' ,let us look at those points4 ,i4 ,here we have the deepest motive which underlies the whole work of ,christ1 unveiled to us4 ',ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,every word here is significant4 ,it is very unusual in the ,new ,testament to find that expression 'grace' applied to ,jesus ,christ4 ,except in the familiar benediction1 ,i think there are only one or two instances of such a collocation of words4 ,it is 'the grace of ,god' which1 throughout the ,new ,testament1 is the prevailing expression4 ,but here 'grace is attributed to ,jesus'2 that is to say1 the love of the ,divine heart is1 without qualification or hesitation1 ascribed to ,him4 ,and what do we mean by grace8 ,we mean love in exercise to inferiors4 ,it is infinite condescension in ,jesus to love4 ,his love stoops when it embraces us4 ,very significant1 therefore1 is the employment here of the solemn full title1 'the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1' which enhances the condescension by making prominent the height from which it bent4 ,the 'grace' is all the more wonderful because of the majesty and sovereignty1 to say the least of it1 which are expressed in that title1 the ,lord4 ,the highest stoops and stands upon the level of the lowest4 ',grace' is love that expresses itself to those who deserve something else4 ,and the deepest motive1 which is the very key to the whole phenomena of the life of ,jesus ,christ1 is that it is all the exhibition1 as it is the consequence1 of a love that1 stooping1 forgives4 ',grace' is love that1 stooping and forgiving1 communicates its whole self to unworthy and transgressing recipients4 ,and the key to the life of ,jesus is that we have set forth in its operation a love which is not content to speak only the ordinary language of human affection1 or to do its ordinary deeds1 but is self-impelled to impart what transcends all other gifts of human tenderness1 and to give its very self4 ,and so a love that condescends1 a love that passes by unworthiness1 is turned away by no sin1 is unmoved to any kind of anger1 and never allows its cheek to flush or its heart to beat faster1 because of any provocation and a love that is content with nothing short of entire surrender and self-impartation underlies all that precious life from ,bethlehem to ,calvary4 ,but there is another word in our text that may well be here taken into consideration4 ',for your sakes1' says the ,apostle to that ,corinthian church1 made up of people1 not one of whom had ever seen or been seen by ,jesus4 ,and yet the regard to them was part of the motive that moved the ,lord to ,his life1 and ,his death4 ,that is to say1 to generalise the thought1 this grace1 thus stooping and forgiving and self-imparting1 is a love that gathers into its embrace and to its heart all mankind2 and is universal because it is individualising4 ,just as each planet in the heavens1 and each tiny plant upon the earth1 are embraced by1 and separately receive1 the benediction of that all-encompassing arch of the heaven1 so that grace enfolds all1 because it takes account of each4 ,whilst it is love for a sinful world1 every soul of us may say3 ',he loved me1 and'--therefore--'gave ,himself for me4' ,unless we see beneath the sweet story of the earthly life this deep-lying source of it all1 we fail to understand that life itself4 ,we may bring criticism to bear upon it2 we may apprehend it in diverse affecting1 elevating1 educating aspects2 but1 oh6 brethren1 we miss the blazing centre of the light1 the warm heart of the fire1 unless we see pulsating through all the individual facts of the life this one1 all-shaping1 all-vitalising motive2 the grace--the stooping1 the pardoning1 the self-communicating1 the individualising1 and the universal love of ,jesus ,christ4 ,so then1 we have here set before us the work of ,christ in its-- ,,ii4 ,most mysterious and unique self-impoverishment4 ',he was 4 4 4 ,he became1' there is one strange contrast4 ',he was rich 4 4 4 ,he became poor1' there is another4 ',he was 4 4 4 ,he became4' ,what does that say8 ,well1 it says that if you want to understand ,bethlehem1 you must go back to a time before ,bethlehem4 ,the meaning of ,christ's birth is only understood when we turn to that ,evangelist who does not narrate it4 ,for the meaning of it is here2 'the ,word became flesh1 and dwelt among us4' ,the surface of the fact is the smallest part of the fact4 ,they say that there is seven times as much of an iceberg under water as there is above the surface4 ,and the deepest and most important fact about the nativity of our ,lord is that it was not only the birth of an ,infant1 but the ,incarnation of the ,word4 ',he was 4 4 4 ,he became4' ,we have to travel back and recognise that that life did not begin in the manger4 ,we have to travel back and recognise the mystery of godliness1 ,god manifest in the flesh4 ,and these two words ',he was 4 4 4 ,he became1' imply another thing1 and that is1 that ,jesus ,christ who died because ,he chose1 was not passive in ,his being born1 but as at the end of ,his earthly life1 so at its beginning exercised ,his volition1 and was born because ,he willed1 and willed because of 'the grace of our ,lord ,jesus4' ,now in this connection it is very remarkable1 and well worth our pondering1 that throughout the whole of the ,gospels1 when ,jesus speaks of ,his coming into the world1 ,he never uses the word 'born' but once1 and that was before the ,roman governor1 who would not have understood or cared for anything further1 to whom ,he did say1',to this end was ,i born4' ,but even when speaking to him ,his consciousness that that word did not express the whole truth was so strong that ,he could not help adding--though ,he knew that the hard ,roman procurator would pay no attention to the apparent tautology--the expression which more truly corresponded to the fact1 'and for this cause came ,i into the world4' ,the two phrases are not parallel4 ,they are by no means synonymous4 ,one expresses the outward fact2 the other expresses that which underlay it4 ',to this end was ,i born4' ,yes6 ',and for this cause came ,i4' ,he ,himself put it still more definitely when ,he said1 ',i came forth from the ,father1 and am come into the world4 ,again1 ,i leave the world and go unto the ,father4' ,so the two extremities of the earthly manifestation are neither of them ends2 but before the one1 and behind the other1 there stretches an identity or oneness of ,being and condition4 ,the one as the other1 the birth and the death1 may be regarded as1 in deepest reality1 not only what ,he passively endured1 but what ,he actively did4 ,he was born1 and ,he died1 that in all points ,he might be 'like unto ,his brethren4' ,he 'came' into the world1 and ,he 'went' to the ,father4 ,the end circled round to the beginning1 and in both ,he acted because ,he chose1 and chose because ,he loved4 ,so much1 then1 lies in the one of these two antitheses of my text2 and the other is no less profound and significant4 ',he was rich2 ,he became poor4' ,in this connection 'rich' can only mean possessed of the ,divine fulness and independence2 and 'poor' can only mean possessed of human infirmity1 dependence1 and emptiness4 ,and so to ,jesus of ,nazareth1 to be born was impoverishment4 ,if there is nothing more in ,his birth than in the birth of each of us1 the words are grotesquely inappropriate to the facts of the case4 ,for as between nothingness1 which is the alternative1 and the possession of conscious being1 there is surely a contrast the very reverse of that expressed here4 ,for us1 to be born is to be endowed with capacities1 with the wealth of intelligent1 responsible1 voluntary being2 but to ,jesus ,christ1 if we accept the ,new ,testament teaching1 to be born was a step1 an infinite step1 downwards1 and ,he1 alone of all men1 might have been 'ashamed to call men brethren4' ,but this denudation of ,himself1 into the particulars of which ,i do not care to enter now1 was the result of that stooping grace which 'counted it not a thing to be clutched hold of1 to be equal with ,god2 but ,he made ,himself of no reputation1 and was found in fashion as a man1 and became obedient unto death1 even the death of the ,cross4' ,and so1 dear friends1 we know the measure of the stooping love of ,jesus only when we read the history by the light of this thought1 that 'though ,he was rich' with all the fulness of that eternal ,word which was 'in the beginning with ,god1' ',he became poor1' with the poverty1 the infirmity1 the liability to temptation1 the weakness1 that attach to humanity2 'and was found in all points like unto ,his brethren1' that ,he might be able to help and succour them all4 ,the last thing here is-- ,,iii4 ,the work of ,christ set forth in its highest issue4 ',that we through ,his poverty might become rich4' ,of course1 the antithetical expressions must be taken to be used in the same sense1 and with the same width of application1 in both of the clauses4 ,and if so1 just think reverently1 wonderingly1 thankfully1 of the infinite vista of glorious possibility that is open to us here4 ,christ was rich in the possession of that ,divine glory which ,had had with the ,father before the world was4 ',he became poor1' in assuming the weakness of the manhood that you and ,i carry1 that we1 in the human poverty which is like ,his poverty1 may become rich with wealth that is like ,his riches1 and that as ,he stooped to earth veiling the ,divine with the human1 we may rise to heaven1 clothing the human with the ,divine4 ,for surely there is nothing more plainly taught in ,scriptures1 and ,i am bold to say nothing to which any deep and vital ,christian experience even here gives more surely an anticipatory confirmation1 than the fact that ,christ became like unto us1 that each of us may become like unto ,him4 ,the divine and the human natures are similar1 and the fact of the ,incarnation1 on the one hand1 and of the man's glorification by possession of the divine nature on the other1 equally rest upon that fundamental resemblance between the divine nature and the human nature which ,god has made in ,his own image4 ,if that which in each of us is unlike ,god is cleared away1 as it can be cleared away1 through faith in that dear ,lord1 then the likeness as a matter of course1 comes into force4 ,the law of all elevation is that whosoever desires to lift must stoop2 and the end of all stooping is to lift the lowly to the place from which the love hath bent itself4 ,and this is at once the law for the ,incarnation of the ,christ1 and for the elevation of the ,christian4 ',we shall be like ,him for we shall see ,him as ,he is4' ,and the great love1 the stooping1 forgiving1 self-communicating love1 doth not reach its ultimate issue1 nor effect fully the purposes to which it ever is tending1 unless and until all who have received it are 'changed from glory to glory even into the image of the ,lord4' ,we do not understand ,jesus1 ,his cradle1 or ,his ,cross1 unless on the one hand we see in them ,his emptying ,himself that ,he might fill us1 and1 on the other hand1 see1 as the only result which warrants them and satisfies ,him1 our complete conformity to ,his image1 and our participation in that glory which ,he has at the right hand of ,god4 ,that is the prospect for humanity1 and it is possible for each of us4 ,i do not dwell upon other aspects of this great self-emptying of our ,lord's1 such as the revelation in it to us of the very heart of ,god1 and of the divinest thing in the divine nature1 which is love1 or such as the sympathy which is made possible thereby to ,him1 and which is not only the pity of a ,god1 but the compassion of a ,brother4 ,nor do ,i touch upon many other aspects which are full of strengthening and teaching4 ,that grand thought that ,jesus has shared our human poverty that we may share ,his divine riches is the very apex of the ,new ,testament teaching1 and of the ,christian hope4 ,we have within us1 notwithstanding all our transgressions1 what the old divines used to call a 'deiform nature1' capable of being lifted up into the participation of divinity1 capable of being cleansed from all the spots and stains which make us so unlike ,him in whose likeness we were made4 ,brethren1 let us not forget that this stooping1 and pardoning1 and self-imparting love1 has for its main instrument to appeal to our hearts1 not the cradle but the ,cross4 ,we are being told by many people to-day that the centre of ,christianity lies in the thought of an ,incarnation4 ,yes4 ,but our ,lord ,himself has told us what that was for4 ',the ,son of ,man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for many4' ,it is only when we look to that ,lord in ,his death1 and see there the very lowest point to which ,he stooped1 and the supreme manifestation of ,his grace1 that we shall be drawn to yield our hearts and lives to ,him in thankfulness1 in trust1 and in imitation3 and shall set ,him before us as the pattern for our conduct1 as well as the ,object of our trust4 ,brethren1 my text was spoken originally as presenting the motive and the example for a little piece of pecuniary liability4 ,do you take the cradle and the ,cross as the law of your lives8 ,for depend upon it1 the same necessity which obliged ,jesus to come down to our level1 if ,he would lift us to ,his2 to live our life and die our death1 if ,he would make us partakers of ,his immortal life1 and deliver us from death2 makes it absolutely necessary that if we are to live for anything nobler than our own poor1 transitory self-aggrandisement1 we too must learn to stoop to forgive1 to impart ourselves1 and must die by self-surrender and sacrifice1 if we are ever to communicate any life1 or good of life1 to others4 ,he has loved us1 and given ,himself for us4 ,he has set us therein an example which ,he commends to us by ,his own word when ,he tells us that 'if a corn of wheat' is to bring forth 'much fruit' it must die1 else it 'abideth alone4' ,unless we die1 we never truly live2 unless we die to ourselves for others1 and like ,jesus1 we live alone in the solitude of a self-enclosed self-regard4 ,so living1 we are dead whilst we live4 ,,willing ,,and ,,not ,,doing ',now therefore perform the doing of it2 that as there was a readiness to will so there may be a performance also4'--#b ,,cor4 viii4 #aa4 ,the ,revised ,version reads3 ',but now complete the doing also2 that as there was the readiness to will1 so there may be the completion also out of your ability4' ,a collection of money for the almost pauper church at ,jerusalem bulked very largely in the ,apostle's mind at the date of the writing of the two letters to the ,corinthian church4 ,we learn that that church had been the first to agree to the project1 and then had very distinctly hung back from implementing its promises and fulfilling its good intentions4 ,so the ,apostle1 in the chapter from which my text is taken1 with wonderful delicacy1 dignity1 and profundity1 sets forth the true principle1 not only of ,christian giving1 but of ,christian asking4 ,the text advises that the gushing sentiments of brotherly sympathy and liberality which had inspired the ,corinthians a year ago should now bear some fruit in action4 ,so ,paul is going to send ,titus1 his right-hand man at the time1 to hurry up and finish off the collection and have done with it4 ,the text is in effect the message which ,titus was to carry2 but it has a far wider application than that4 ,it is a needful advice for us all about a great many other things3 ',as there was a readiness to will1 so let there be a performance also4' ,resolutions1 noble and good and ,christlike1 have a strange knack of cheating the people who make them4 ,so we all need the exhortation not to be befooled by fancying that we have done1 when we have only willed4 ,of course we shall not do unless we will4 ,but there is a wide gap1 as our experience witnesses1 between the two things4 ,we all know what place it is to which1 according to the old proverb1 the road is paved with good intentions2 and the only way to pull up that paving is to take ,paul's advice here and always1 and immediately to put into action the resolves of our hearts4 ,now ,i desire to say two or three very plain and simple things about this matter4 ,i4 ,i would have you consider the necessity of this commandment4 ,consider that the fault here warned against is a universal one4 ,what different men we should be if our resolutions had fruited in conduct6 ,in all regions of life that is true1 but most emphatically is it true in regard to religion4 ,the damning tragedy of many lives1 and ,i dare say of those of some of my hearers1 is that men have over and over again determined that they would be ,christians1 and they are not ,christians yet2 just because they have let 'the native hue of resolution be sicklied over' by some paleness or other1 and so have resolved and resolved and resolved till every nerve of action is rotted away1 and they will die unchristian4 ,i dare say that there are men or women listening to me now1 perhaps with grey hairs upon them1 who can remember times1 in the springtide of their youth1 when they said1 ',i will give my heart to ,jesus ,christ1 and set my faith upon ,him'2 and they have not done it yet4 ,now1 therefore1 'as there was a readiness to will1 let there be also the performance4' ,but it is not only in regard to that most important of all resolves that ,i wish to say a word4 ,all ,christians1 ,i am sure1 know what it is1 over and over again1 to have had stirrings in their hearts which they have been able to consolidate into determination1 but have not been able to carry into act4 ',the children have come to the birth1 and there is not strength to bring them forth4' ,that is true about all of us1 more or less1 and it is very solemnly true of a great many of us professing ,christians4 ,we have tried to cure--we have determined that we will cure--manifest and flagrant defects or faults in our ,christian life4 ,we have resolved1 and some nipping frost has come1 and the blossoms have dropped on the grass before they have ever set into fruit4 ,i know that is so about you1 because ,i know that it is so about myself4 ,and therefore1 dear brethren1 ,i appeal to you1 and ask you whether the exhortation of my text has not a sharp point for every one of us--whether the universality of this defect does not demand that we all should gravely consider the exhortation here before us8 ,then1 again1 let me remind you how this injunction is borne in upon us by the consideration of the strength of the opposition with which we have always to contend1 in every honest attempt to bring to act our best resolutions4 ,did you ever try to cure some little habit1 some mere trifle1 a trick of manner or twist of the finger1 or some attitude or tone that might be ugly and awkward1 and that people told you that it would be better to get rid of8 ,you know how hard it is4 ,there is always a tremendous gulf between the ideal and its realisation in life4 ,as long as we are moving in vacuo we move without any friction or difficulty2 but as soon as we come out into a world where there are an atmosphere and opposing forces1 then friction comes in1 and speed diminishes2 and we never become what we aim to be4 ,we begin with grand purposes1 and we end with very poor results4 ,we all start1 in our early days1 with the notion that our lives are going to be radiant and beautiful1 and all unlike what the limitations of power and the antagonisms that we have to meet make of them at last4 ,the tree of our life's doings has to grow1 like those contorted pines on the slopes of the ,alps1 in many storms1 with heavy weights of snow on its branches1 and beaten about by tempests from every quarter of the heavens2 and so it gets gnarled and knotted and very unlike the symmetrical beauty that we dreamed would adorn it4 ,we begin with saying3 ',come6 ,let us build a tower whose top shall reach to heaven'2 and we are contented at last1 if we have put up some little tumble-down shed where we can get shelter for our heads from the blast4 ,and the difficulty in bringing into action our best selves besets us in the matter of translating our resolutions into practice4 ,what are arrayed against it8 ,a feeble will1 enslaved too often by passions and flesh and habits1 and all about us lie obstacles to our carrying into action our conscientious convictions1 our deepest resolutions2 obstacles to our being true to our true selves2 to which obstacles1 alas1 far too many of us habitually1 and all of us occasionally1 succumb4 ,that being the case1 do not we all need to ponder in our deepest hearts1 and to pray for grace to make the motto of our lives1 ',as there was a readiness to will1 let there be a performance'8 ,,ii4 ,consider the importance of this counsel4 ,that is borne in upon mind and conscience by looking at the disastrous effects of letting resolutions remain sterile4 ,consider how apt we are to deceive ourselves with unfulfilled purposes4 ,the quick response which an easily-moved nature may make to some appeal of noble thought or lofty principle is mistaken for action1 and we are tempted to think that willing is almost as good as if we had done what we half resolved on4 ,and there is a kind of glow of satisfaction that comes when such a man thinks1 ',i have done well in that ,i have determined4' ,the ,devil will let you resolve as much as you like--the more the better2 only the more easily you resolve1 the more certainly he will block the realisation4 ,let us take care of that seducing temptation which is apt to lead us all to plume ourselves on good resolutions1 and to fancy that they are almost equivalent to their own fulfilment4 ,cheques are all very well if there be bullion in the bank cellars to pay them with when they fall due1 but if that be not so1 then the issuing of them is crime and fraud4 ,our resolutions1 made and forgotten as so many of our good resolutions are1 are very little better4 ,note1 too1 how rapidly the habit of substituting lightly-made resolutions for seriously-endeavoured acts grows4 ,and mark1 further1 how miserable and debilitating it is to carry the dead weight of such unaccomplished intentions4 ,nothing so certainly weakens a man as a multitude of resolves that he knows he has never fulfilled4 ,they weaken his will1 burden his conscience1 stand in the way of his hopes1 make him feel as if the entail of evil was too firm and strong to be ever broken4 ',o wretched man that ,i am6' said one who had made experience of what it was to will what was good1 and not to find how to perform1 'who shall deliver me from the body of this death8' ,it is an awful thing to have to carry a corpse about on your back4 ,and that was what ,paul thought the man did who loaded his own shoulders with abortive resolutions1 that perished in the birth1 and never grew up to maturity4 ,weak and miserable is always the man who is swift to resolve and slow to carry out his resolutions4 ,,iii4 ,and now let me say a word before ,i close about how this universal and grave disease is to be coped with4 ,well1 ,i should say to begin with1 let us take very soberly and continually into our consciousness the recognition of the fact that the disease is there4 ,and then may ,i say1 let us be rather slower to resolve than we often are4 ',better is it that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay4' ,the man who has never had the determination to give up some criminal indulgence--say1 drink--is possibly less criminal1 and certainly less weak1 than the man who1 when his head aches1 and the consequences of his self-indulgence are vividly realised by him1 makes up his mind to be a teetotaller1 and soon stumbles into the first dram-shop that is open1 and then reels out a drunkard4 ,do not vow until you have made up your minds to pay4 ,remember that it is a solemn act to determine anything1 especially anything bearing on moral and religious life2 and that you had far better keep your will in suspense than spring to the resolution with thoughtless levity and leave it with the same4 ,further1 the habit of promptly carrying out our resolves is one that1 like all other habits1 can be cultivated4 ,and we can cultivate it in little things1 in the smallest trifles of daily life1 which by their myriads make up life itself1 in order that it may be a fixed custom of our minds when great resolves have to be made4 ,the man who has trained himself day in and day out1 in regard to the insignificances of daily life1 to let act follow resolve as the thunder peal succeeds the lightning flash1 is the man who1 if he is moved to make a great resolve about his religion1 or about his conduct1 will be most likely to carry it out4 ,get the magical influence of habit on your side1 and you will have done much to conquer the evil of abortive resolutions4 ,but then there is something a great deal more than that to be said4 ,the ,apostle did not content himself1 in the passage already referred to1 with bewailing the wretchedness of the condition in which to will was present1 but how to perform he found not4 ,he asked1 and he triumphantly answered1 the question1 ',who shall deliver me8' with the great words1 ',i thank ,god through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4' ,there is the secret2 keep near ,him1 trust ,him1 open your hearts to the influences of that ,divine ,spirit who makes us free from the law of sin and death4 ,and if thus1 knowing our weakness1 recognising our danger1 humbly trying to cultivate the habit of prompt discharge of all discerned duty1 we leave ourselves in ,jesus ,christ's hands1 and wait1 and ask1 and believe that we possess1 ,his cleansing ,spirit1 then we shall not ask and wait in vain4 ',work out your own salvation1 4 4 4 for it is ,god that worketh in you1 both the willing and the doing4' ,,all ,,grace ,,abounding ',god is able to make all grace abound toward you2 that ye1 always having all-sufficiency in all things1 may abound to every good work4'--#b ,,cor4 ix4 #h4 ,in addition to all his other qualities the ,apostle was an extremely good man of business2 and he had a field for the exercise of that quality in the collection for the poor saints of ,judea1 which takes up so much of this letter1 and occupied for so long a period so much of his thoughts and efforts4 ,it was for the sake of showing by actual demonstration that would 'touch the hearts' of the ,jewish brethren1 the absolute unity of the two halves of the ,church1 the ,gentile and the ,jewish1 that the ,apostle took so much trouble in this matter4 ,the words which ,i have read for my text come in the midst of a very earnest appeal to the ,corinthian ,christians for their pecuniary help4 ,he is dwelling upon the same thought which is expressed in the well-known words3 ',what ,i gave ,i kept2 what ,i kept ,i lost4' ,but whilst the words of my text primarily applied to money matters1 you see that they are studiously general1 universal4 ,the ,apostle1 after his fashion1 is lifting up a little 'secular' affair into a high spiritual region2 and he lays down in my text a broad general law1 which goes to the very depths of the ,christian life4 ,now1 notice1 we have here in three clauses three stages which we may venture to distinguish as the fountain1 the basin1 the stream4 ',god is able to make all grace abound toward you'2--there is the fountain4 ',that ye always1 having all-sufficiency in all things'2--there is the basin that receives the gush from the fountain4 ',may abound in every good work'2--there is the steam that comes from the basin4 ,the fountain pours into the basin1 that the flow from the basin may feed the stream4 ,now this thought of ,paul's goes to the heart of things4 ,so let us look at it4 ,i4 ,the ,fountain4 ,the ,christian life in all its aspects and experiences is an outflow from the 'the ,fountain of ,life1' the giving ,god4 ,observe how emphatically the ,apostle1 in the context1 accumulates words that express universality3 'all grace 4 4 4 all-sufficiency for all things 4 4 4 every good work4' ,but even these expressions do not satisfy ,paul1 and he has to repeat the word 'abound1' in order to give some faint idea of his conception of the full tide which gushes from the fountain4 ,it is 'all grace1' and it is abounding grace4 ,now what does he mean by 'grace'8 ,that word is a kind of shorthand for the whole sum of the unmerited blessings which come to men through ,jesus ,christ4 ,primarily1 it describes what we1 for want of a better expression1 have to call a 'disposition' in the divine nature2 and it means1 then1 if so looked at1 the unconditioned1 undeserved1 spontaneous1 eternal1 stooping1 pardoning love of ,god4 ,that is grace1 in the primary ,new ,testament use of the phrase4 ,but there are no idle 'dispositions' in ,god4 ,they are always energising1 and so the word glides from meaning the disposition1 to meaning the manifestation and activities of it1 and the 'grace' of our ,lord is that love in exercise4 ,and then1 since the divine energies are never fruitless1 the word passes over1 further1 to mean all the blessed and beautiful things in a soul which are the consequences of the ,promethean truth of ,god's loving hand1 the outcome in life of the inward bestowment which has its cause1 its sole cause1 in ,god's ceaseless1 unexhausted love1 unmerited and free4 ,that1 very superficially and inadequately set forth1 is at least a glimpse into the fulness and greatness of meaning that lies in that profound ,new ,testament word1 'grace4' ,but the ,apostle here puts emphasis on the variety of forms which the one divine gift assumes4 ,it is 'all grace' which ,god is able to make abound toward you4 ,so then1 you see this one transcendent gift from the divine heart1 when it comes into our human experience1 is like a meteor when it passes into the atmosphere of earth1 and catches fire and blazes1 showering out a multitude of radiant points of light4 ,the grace is many-sided--many-sided to us1 but one in its source and in its character4 ,for at bottom1 that which ,god in ,his grace gives to us as ,his grace is what8 ,himself2 or if you like to put it in another form1 which comes to the same thing--new life through ,jesus ,christ4 ,that is the encyclopdiacal gift1 which contains within itself all grace4 ,and just as the physical life in each of us1 one in all its manifestations1 produces many results1 and shines in the eye1 and blushes in the cheek1 and gives strength to the arm1 and flexibility and deftness to the fingers and swiftness to the foot3 so also is that one grace which1 being manifold in its manifestations1 is one in its essence4 ,there are many graces1 there is one ,grace4 ,but this grace is not only many-sided1 but abounding4 ,it is not congruous with ,god's wealth1 nor with ,his love1 that ,he should give scantily1 or1 as it were1 should open but a finger of the hand that is full of ,his gifts1 and let out a little at a time4 ,there are no sluices on that great stream so as to regulate its flow1 and to give sometimes a painful trickle and sometimes a full gush1 but this fountain is always pouring itself out1 and it 'abounds4' ,but then we are pulled up short by another word in this first clause3 ',god is able to make4' ,paul does not say1 ',god will make4' ,he puts the whole weight of responsibility for that ability becoming operative upon us4 ,there are conditions2 and although we may have access to that full fountain1 it will not pour on us 'all grace' and 'abundant grace1' unless we observe these1 and so turn ,god's ability to give into actual giving4 ,and how do we do that8 ,by desire1 by expectance1 by petition1 by faithful stewardship4 ,if we have these things1 if we have tutored ourselves1 and experience has helped in the tuition1 to make large our expectancy1 ,god will smile down upon us and 'do exceeding abundantly above all' that we 'think' as well as above all that we 'ask4' ,brethren1 if our supplies are scant1 when the full fountain is gushing at our sides1 we are 'not straitened in ,god1 we are straitened in ourselves4' ,christian possibilities are ,christian obligations1 and what we might have and do not have1 is our condemnation4 ,i turn1 in the next place1 to what ,i have1 perhaps too fancifully1 called ,,ii4 ,the ,basin4 ',god is able to make all grace abound toward you1 that ye1 having always all-sufficiency in all things1 may1' 4 4 4 etc4 ,the result of all this many-sided and exuberant outpouring of grace from the fountain is that the basin may be full4 ,considering the infinite source and the small receptacle1 we might have expected something more than 'sufficiency' to have resulted4 ,divine grace is sufficient4 ,is it not more than sufficient8 ,yes1 no doubt4 ,but what ,paul wishes us to feel is this--to put it into very plain ,english--that the good gifts of the divine grace will always be proportioned to our work1 and to our sufferings too4 ,we shall feel that we have enough1 if we are as we ought to be4 ,sufficiency is more than a man gets anywhere else4 ',enough is as good as a feast4' ,and if we have strength1 which we may have1 to do the day's tasks1 and strength to carry the day's crosses1 and strength to accept the day's sorrows1 and strength to master the day's temptations1 that is as much as we need wish to have1 even out of the fulness of ,god4 ,and we shall get it1 dear brethren1 if we will only fulfil the conditions4 ,if we exercise expectance1 and desire and petition and faithful stewardship1 we shall get what we need4 ',thy shoes shall be iron and brass1' if the road is a steep and rocky one that would wear out leather4 ',as thy days so shall thy strength be4' ,god does not hurl ,his soldiers in a blundering attack on some impregnable mountain1 where they are slain in heaps at the base2 but when ,he lays a commandment on my shoulders1 ,he infuses strength into me1 and according to the good homely old saying that has brought comfort to many a sad and weighted heart1 makes the back to bear the burden4 ,the heavy task or the crushing sorrow is often the key that opens the door of ,god's treasure-house4 ,you have had very little experience either of life or of ,christian life1 if you have not learnt by this time that the harder your work1 and the darker your sorrows1 the mightier have been ,god's supports1 and the more starry the lights that have shone upon your path4 ',that ye1 always having all-sufficiency in all things4' ,one more word3 this sufficiency should be more uniform1 is uniform in the divine intention1 and in so far as the flow of the fountain is concerned4 ,always having had ,i may be sure that ,i always shall have4 ,of course ,i know that1 in so far as our physical nature conditions our spiritual experience1 there will be ups and downs1 moments of emancipation and moments of slavery4 ,there will be times when the flower opens1 and times when it shuts itself up4 ,but ,i am sure that the great mass of ,christian people might have a far more level temperature in their ,christian experience than they have2 that we could1 if we would1 have far more experimental knowledge of this 'always' of my text4 ,god means that the basin should be always full right up to the top of the marble edge1 and that the more is drawn off from it1 the more should flow into it4 ,but it is very often like the reservoirs in the hills for some great city in a drought1 where great stretches of the bottom are exposed1 and again1 when the drought breaks1 are full to the top of the retaining wall4 ,that should not be4 ,our ,christian life should run on the high levels4 ,why does it not8 ,possibilities are duties4 ,and now1 lastly1 we have here what1 adhering to my metaphor1 ,i call ,,iii4 ,the stream4 ',that ye1 always having all-sufficiency in all things1 may abound to every good work4' ,that is what ,god gives us ,his grace for2 and that is a very important consideration4 ,the end of ,god's dealings with us1 poor1 weak1 sinful creatures1 is character and conduct4 ,of course you can state the end in a great many other ways2 but there have been terrible evils arising from the way in which ,evangelical preachers have too often talked1 as if the end of ,god's dealings with us was the vague thing which they call 'salvation1' and by which many of their hearers take them to mean neither more nor less than dodging ,hell4 ,but the ,new ,testament1 with all its mysticism1 even when it soars highest1 and speaks most about the perfection of humanity1 and the end of ,god's dealings being that we may be 'filled with the fulness of ,god1' never loses its wholesome1 sane hold of the common moralities of daily life1 and proclaims that we receive all1 in order that we may be able to 'maintain good works for necessary uses4' ,and if we lay that to heart1 and remember that a correct creed1 and a living faith1 and precious1 select1 inward emotions and experiences are all intended to evolve into lives1 filled and radiant with common moralities and 'good works'--not meaning thereby the things which go by that name in popular phraseology1 but 'whatsoever things are lovely 4 4 4 and of good report'--then we shall understand a little better what we are here for and what ,jesus ,christ died for1 and what ,his ,spirit is given and lives in us for4 ,so 'good works' is the end1 in one very important aspect1 of all that avalanche of grace which has been from eternity rushing down upon us from the heights of ,god4 ,there is one more thing to note1 and that is that1 in our character and conduct1 we should copy the 'giving grace4' ,look how eloquently and significantly1 in the first and last clauses of my text1 the same words recur4 ',god is able to make all grace abound1 that ye may abound in all good work4' ,copy ,god in the many-sidedness and in the copiousness of the good that flows out from your life and conduct1 because of your possession of that divine grace4 ,and remember1 'to him that hath shall be given4' ,we pray for more grace2 we need to pray for that1 no doubt4 ,do we use the grace that ,god has given us8 ,if we do not1 the remainder of that great word which ,i have just quoted will be fulfilled in you4 ,god forbid that any of us should receive the grace of ,god in vain1 and therefore come under the stern and inevitable sentence1 ',from him that hath not shall be taken away1 even that which he hath6' ,,god',s ,,unspeakable ,,gift ',thanks be unto ,god for ,his unspeakable gift4'--#b ,,cor4 ix4 #ae4 ,it seems strange that there should ever have been any doubt as to what gift it is which evokes this burst of thanksgiving4 ,there is but one of ,god's many mercies which is worthy of being thus singled out4 ,there is one blazing central sun which shines out amidst all the galaxy of lights which fill the heavens4 ,there is one gift of ,god which1 beyond all others1 merits the designation of 'unspeakable4' ,the gift of ,christ draws all other divine gifts after it4 ',how should ,he not with ,him also freely give us all things4' ,the connection in which this abrupt jet of praise stands is very remarkable4 ,the ,apostle has been dwelling on the ,christian obligation of giving bountifully and cheerfully1 and on the great law that a glad giver is 'enriched' and not impoverished thereby1 whilst the recipients1 for their part1 are blessed by having thankfulness evoked towards the givers4 ,and that contemplation of the happy interchange of benefit and thanks between men leads the fervid ,apostle to the thoughts which were always ready to spring to his lips--of ,god as the great pattern of giving and of the gratitude to ,him which should fill all our souls4 ,the expression here 'unspeakable' is what ,i wish chiefly to fix upon now4 ,it means literally that which cannot be fully declared4 ,language fails because thought fails4 ,i4 ,the gift comes from unspeakable love4 ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son4 ,the love is the cause of the gift3 the gift is the expression of the love4 ,john's ,gospel says that the ,son which is in the bosom of the ,father has declared ,him4 ,paul here uses a related word for unspeakable which might be rendered 'that which cannot be fully declared4' ,the declaration of the ,father partly consists in this1 that ,he is declared to be undeclarable1 the proclamation of ,his name consists partly in this that it is proclaimed to be a name that cannot be proclaimed4 ,language fails when it is applied to the expression of human emotion2 no tongue can ever fully serve the heart4 ,whether there be any thoughts too great for words or no1 there are emotions too great4 ,language is ever 'weaker than our grief' and not seldom weaker than our love4 ,it is but the surface water that can be run off through the narrow channel of speech3 the central deep remains4 ,if it be so with human affection1 how much more must it be so with ,god's love8 ,with lowly condescension ,he uses all sweet images drawn from earthly relationships1 to help us in understanding ,his4 ,every dear name is pressed into the service--father1 mother1 husband1 wife1 brother1 friend1 and after all are exhausted1 the love which clothed itself in them all in turn1 and used them all to give some faint hint of its own perfection1 remains unspoken4 ,we know human love1 its limitations1 its changes1 its extravagances1 its shortcomings1 and cannot but feel how unworthy it is to mirror for us that perfection in ,god which we venture to name by a name so soiled4 ,the analogies between what we call love in man and love in ,god must be supplemented by the differences between them1 if we are ever to approach a worthy conception of the unspeakable love that underlies the unspeakable gift4 ,,ii4 ,the gift involves unspeakable sacrifice4 ,human love desires to give its most precious treasures to its object and is then most blessed3 divine love cannot come short of human in this most characteristic of its manifestations4 ,surely the copy is not to surpass the original1 nor the mirror to flash more brightly than the sun which1 at the brightest1 it but reflects4 ,in such a matter we can but stammer when we try to find words4 ,as our text warns us1 we are trying to utter the unutterable when we seek to speak of ,god's giving up for us2 but however such a thought may seem to be forbidden by other aspects of the divine nature1 it seems to be involved in the great truth that ',god is love4' ,since ,he is1 ,his blessedness too1 must be in imparting1 and in parting with what ,he gives4 ,a humble worshipper in ,jewish times loved enough to say that he would not offer unto ,god an offering that cost him nothing1 and that loving height of self-surrender was at the highest1 but a lowly imitation of the love to which it looked up4 ,when ,paul in the ,epistle to the ,romans says1 ',he that spared not ,his own ,son but delivered ,him up for us all1' he is obviously alluding to1 and all but quoting1 the divine words to ,abraham1 ',seeing thou hast not withheld thy son1 thine only son1 from ,me1' and the allusion permits us to parallel what ,god did when ,he sent ,his ,son with what ,abraham did when1 with wrung heart1 but with submission1 he bound and laid ,isaac on the altar and stretched forth his hand with the knife in it to slay him4 ,such a representation contradicts the vulgar conceptions of a passionless1 self-sufficing1 icy deity1 but reflection on the facts of our own experience and on the blessed secrets of our own love1 leads us to believe that some shadow of loss passed across the infinite and eternal completeness of the divine nature when ',god sent forth ,his ,son made of a woman4' ,and may we not go further and say that when ,jesus on the ,cross cried from out of the darkness of eclipse1 ',my ,god6 ,my ,god6 ,why hast ,thou forsaken me8' there was something in the heavens corresponding to the darkness that covered the earth and something in the ,father's heart that answered the ,son's4 ,but our text warns us that such matters are not for our handling in speech1 and are best dealt with1 not as matters of possibly erring speculation1 but as materials for lowly thanks unto ,god for ,his unspeakable gift4 ,but whatever may be true about the love of the ,father who sent1 there can be no doubt about the love of the ,son who came4 ,no man helps his fellows in suffering but at the cost of his own suffering4 ,sympathy means fellow-feeling1 and the one indispensable condition of all rescue work of any sort is that the rescuer must bear on his own shoulders the sins or sorrows that he is able to bear away4 ,heartless help is no help4 ,it does not matter whether he who 'stands and says1 ,be ye clothed and fed1' gives or does not give 'the things necessary1' he will be but a 'miserable comforter' if he has not in heart and feeling entered into the sorrows and pains which he seeks to alleviate4 ,we need not dwell on the familiar truths concerning ,him who was a 'man of sorrows and acquainted with grief4' ,all through ,his life ,he was in contact with evil1 and for ,him the contact was like that of a naked hand pressed upon hot iron4 ,the sins and woes of the world made ,his path through it like that of bare feet on sharp flints4 ,if ,he had never died it would still have been true that ',he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities4' ,on the ,cross ,he completed the libation which had continued throughout ,his life and 'poured out ,his soul unto death' as ,he had been pouring it out all through ,his life4 ,we have no measure by which we can estimate the inevitable sufferings in such a world as ours of such a spirit as ,christ's4 ,we may know something of the solitude of uncongenial society2 of the pain of seeing miseries that we cannot comfort1 of the horrors of dwelling amidst impurities that we cannot cleanse1 and of longings to escape from them all to some nest in the wilderness1 but all these are but the feeblest shadows of the incarnate sorrows whose name among men was ,jesus4 ,nothing is more pathetic than the way in which our ,lord kept all these sorrows close locked within ,his own heart1 so that scarcely ever did they come to light4 ,once ,he did permit a glimpse into that hidden chamber when ,he said1 ',o faithless generation1 how long shall ,i be with you1 how long shall ,i suffer you8' ,but for the most part ,his sorrow was unspoken because it was 'unspeakable4' ,once beneath the quivering olives in the moonlight of ,gethsemane1 ,he made a pitiful appeal for the little help which three drowsy men could give ,him1 when ,he cried1 ',my soul is exceeding sorrowful1 even unto death4 ,tarry ye here and watch with ,me1' but for the most part the silence at which ,his judges 'marvelled greatly1' and raged as much as they marvelled1 was unbroken1 and as 'a sheep before her shearers is dumb1' so ',he opened not ,his mouth4' ,the sacrifice of ,his death was1 for the most part1 silent like the sacrifice of ,his life4 ,should it not call forth from us floods of praise and thanks to ,god for ,his unspeakable gift8 ,,iii4 ,the gift brings with it unspeakable results4 ,in ,christ are hid 'all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge4' ,when ,god gave us ,him1 ,he gave us a storehouse in which are contained treasures of truth which can never be fully comprehended1 and which1 even if comprehended1 can never be exhausted4 ,the mystery of the ,divine ,name revealed in ,jesus1 the mystery of ,his person1 are themes on which the ,christian world has been nourished ever since1 and which are as full of food1 not for the understanding only1 but far more for the heart and the will1 to-day as ever they were4 ,the world may think that it has left the teaching of ,jesus behind1 but in reality the teaching is far ahead1 and the world's practise is but slowly creeping towards its imperfect attainment4 ,the ,gospel is the guide of the race1 and each generation gathers something more from it1 and progresses in the measure in which it follows ,christ2 and as for the race1 so for the individual4 ,each of ,christ's scholars finds his own gift1 and in the measure of his faithfulness to what he has found makes ever new discoveries in the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,after all have fed full there still remain abundant baskets full to be taken up4 ,he who has sounded the depths of ,jesus most completely is ever the first to acknowledge that he has been but as a child 'gathering pebbles on the beach while the great ocean lies unsounded before him4' ,no single soul1 and no multitude of souls1 can exhaust ,jesus2 neither our individual experiences1 nor the experiences of a believing world can fully realise the endless wealth laid up in ,him4 ,he is the ,alpha and the ,omega of all our speech1 the first letter and the last of our alphabet1 between which lie all the rest4 ,the gift is completed in consequences yet unspeakable4 ,even the first blessings which the humblest faith receives from the pierced hands have more in them than words can tell4 ,who has ever spoken adequately and in full correspondence with reality what it is to have ,god's pardoning love flowing in upon the soul8 ,many singers have sung sweet psalms and hymns and spiritual songs on which generations of devout souls have fed1 but none of them has spoken the deepest blessedness of a ,christian life1 or the calm raptures of communion with ,god4 ,it is easy to utter the words 'forgiveness1 reconciliation1 acceptance1 fellowship1 eternal life'2 the syllables can be spoken1 but who knows or can utter the depths of the meanings8 ,after all human words the half has not been told us1 and as every soul carries within itself unrevealable emotions1 and is a mystery after all revelation1 so the things which ,god's gift brings to a soul are after all speech unspeakable1 and the words 'cannot be uttered' which they who are caught up into the third heavens hear4 ,then we may extend our thoughts to the future form of ,christian experience4 ',it doth not yet appear what we should be4' ,all our conceptions of a future existence must necessarily be inadequate4 ,nothing but experience can reveal them to us1 and our experience there will be capable of indefinite expansion1 and through eternity there will be endless growth in the appropriation of the unspeakable gift4 ,for us the only recompense that we can make for the unspeakable gift is to receive it with 'thanks unto ,god' and the yielding up of our hearts to ,him4 ,god pours this love upon us freely1 without stint4 ,it is unspeakable in the depths of its source1 in the manner of its manifestation1 in the glory of its issues4 ,it is like some great stream1 rising in the trackless mountains1 broad and deep1 and leading on to a sunlit ocean4 ,we stand on the bank2 let us trust ourselves to its broad bosom4 ,it will bear us safe4 ,and let us take heed that we receive not the gift of ,god in vain4 ,a ,,militant ,,message ',casting down imaginations1 and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of ,god1 and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of ,christ2 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience1 when your obedience shall be fulfilled4'--#b ,,cor4 x4 #e and #f 7,r4,v474 ,none of ,paul's letters are so full of personal feeling as this one is4 ,it is written1 for the most part1 at a white heat2 he had heard from his trusted ,titus tidings which on one hand filled him with a thankfulness of which the first half of the letter is the expression2 but there had also been tidings of a very different kind1 and from this point onwards the letter is seething with the feelings which these had produced4 ,there was in the ,corinthian ,church a party1 probably ,judaisers1 which denied his authority and said bitter things about his character4 ,they apparently had contrasted the force of his letters and the feebleness of his 'bodily presence' and speech4 ,they insinuated that his 'bark was worse than his bite4' ,their language put into plain ,english would be something like this1 ',ah6 ,he is very bold at a distance1 let him come and face us and we shall see a difference4 ,vapouring in his letters1 he will be meek enough when he is here4' ,these slanderers seem to have thought of ,paul as if he 'warred according to flesh1' and it is this charge1 that he was actuated in his opposition to the evils in ,corinth by selfish considerations and worldly interests1 which seems to have set the ,apostle on fire4 ,in answer he pours out quick1 indignant questionings1 sharp irony1 vehement self-vindication1 passionate remonstrances1 flashes of wrath1 sudden jets of tenderness4 ,what a position for him to have to say1 ',i am not a low schemer2 ,i am not working for myself4' ,yet it is the common lot of all such men to be misread by little1 crawling creatures who cannot believe in heroic self-forgetfulness4 ,he answers the taunt that he 'walked according to the flesh' in the context by saying1 ',yes1 ,i live in the flesh1 my outward life is like that of other men1 but ,i do not go a-soldiering according to the flesh4 ,it is not for my own sinful self that ,i get the rules of my life's battle1 neither do ,i get my weapons from the flesh4 ,they could not do what they do if that were their origin3 they are of ,god and therefore mighty4' ,then the metaphor as it were catches fire1 and in our text he expands the figure of a warfare and sets before us the destruction of fortresses1 the capture of their garrisons1 and the leading of them away into another land1 the stern punishment of the rebels who still hold out1 and the merciful delay in administering it4 ,it has been suggested that there is an allusion in our text to the extermination of the pirates in ,paul's native ,cilicia which happened some fifty or sixty years before his birth and ended in destroying their robber-holds and taking some thousands of prisoners4 ,whether that be so or no1 the ,apostle's kindled imagination sets forth here great truths as to the effects which his message is meant to produce and1 thank ,god1 has produced4 ,i4 ,the opposing fortresses4 ,the ,apostle conceives of himself and of his brother preachers of ,christ as going forth on a merciful warfare4 ,he thinks of strong rock fortresses1 with lofty walls set on high1 and frowning down on any assailants4 ,no doubt he is thinking first of the opposition which he had to front in ,corinth from the ,judaisers to whom we have referred1 but the application of the metaphor goes far beyond the petty strife in ,corinth and carries for us the wholesome lesson that one main cause which keeps men back from ,christ is a too high estimate of themselves4 ,some of us are enclosed in the fortress of self-sufficiency3 we will not humbly acknowledge our dependence on ,god1 and have turned self-reliance into the law of our lives4 ,there are many voices1 some of them sweet and powerful1 which to-day are preaching that gospel4 ,it finds eager response in many hearts1 and there is something in us all to which it appeals4 ,we are often tempted to say defiantly1 ',who is ,lord over us8' ,and the teaching that bids us rely on ourselves is so wholly in accord with the highest wisdom and the noblest life that what is good and what is evil in each of us contribute to reinforce it4 ,self-dependence is a great virtue1 and the mother of much energy and nobleness1 but it is also a great error and a great sin4 ,to be so self-sufficing as not to need externals is good2 to be so self-sufficing as not to need or to see ,god is ruin and death4 ,the title which1 as one of our great thinkers tells us1 a humourist put on the back of a volume of heterodox tracts1 ',every man his own redeemer1' makes a claim for self-sufficiency which more or less unconsciously shuts out many men from the salvation of ,christ4 ,there is the fortress of culture and the pride of it in which many of us are to-day entrenched against the ,gospel4 ,the attitude of mind into which persons of culture tend to fall is distinctly adverse to their reception of the ,gospel1 and that is not because the ,gospel is adverse to culture1 but because cultured people do not care to be put on the same level with publicans and harlots4 ,they would be less disinclined to go into the feast if there were in it reserved seats for superior people and a private entrance to them4 ,if the wise and prudent were more of both1 they would be liker the babes to whom these things are revealed1 and they would be revealed to them too4 ,not knowledge but the superciliousness which is the result of the conceit of knowledge hinders from ,god1 and is one of the strongest fortresses against which the weapons of our warfare have to be employed4 ,there is the fortress of ignorance4 ,most men who are kept from ,christ are so because they know neither themselves nor ,god4 ,the most widely prevailing characteristic of the superficial life of most men is their absolute unconsciousness of the fact of sin2 they neither know it as universal nor as personal4 ,they have never gone deeply enough down into the depths of their own hearts to have come up scared at the ugly things that lie sleeping there1 nor have they ever reflected on their own conduct with sufficient gravity to discern its aberrations from the law of right1 hence the average man is quite unconscious of sin1 and is a complete stranger to himself4 ,the cup has been drunk by and intoxicated the world1 and the masses of men are quite unaware that it has intoxicated them4 ,they are ignorant of ,god as they are of themselves1 and if at any time1 by some flash of light1 they see themselves as they are1 they think of ,god as if ,he were altogether such an one as themselves1 and fall back on a vague trust in the vaguer mercy of their half-believed-in ,god as their hope for a vague salvation4 ,men who thus walk in a vain show will never feel their need of ,jesus1 and the lazy ignorance of themselves and the as lazy trust in what they call their ,god1 are a fortress against which it will task the power of ,god to make any weapons of warfare mighty to its pulling down4 ,,ii4 ,the casting down of fortresses4 ,the first effect of any real contact with ,christ and ,his ,gospel is to reveal a man to himself1 to shatter his delusive estimates of what he is1 and to pull down about his ears the lofty fortress in which he has ensconced himself4 ,it seems strange work for what calls itself a ,gospel to begin by forcing a man to cry out with sobs and tears1 ,oh1 wretched man that ,i am6 ,but no man will ever reach the heights to which ,christ can lift him1 who does not begin his upward course by descending to the depths into which ,christ's ,gospel begins its work by plunging him4 ,unconsciousness of sin is sure to lead to indifference to a ,saviour1 and unless we know ourselves to be miserable and poor and blind and naked1 the offer of gold refined by fire and white garments that we may clothe ourselves will make no appeal to us4 ,the fact of sin makes the need for a ,saviour2 our individual sense of sin makes us sensible of our need of a ,saviour4 ,paul believed that the weapons of his warfare were mighty enough to cast down the strongest of all strongholds in which men shut themselves up against the humbling ,gospel of salvation by the mercy of ,god4 ,the weapons to which he thus trusted were the same to which ,jesus pointed ,his disciples when1 about to leave them1 ,he said1 ',when the ,comforter is come ,he will convict the world of sin because they believe not in ,me4' ,jesus brought to the world the perfect revelation of the holiness of ,god1 and set before us all a divine pattern of manhood to rebuke and condemn our stained and rebellious lives1 and ,he turned us away from the superficial estimate of actions to the careful scrutiny of motives4 ,by all these and many other ways ,he presented ,himself to the world a perfect man1 the incarnation of a holy ,god and the revelation and condemnation of sinful humanity4 ,yet1 all that miracle of loveliness1 gentleness1 and dignity is beheld by men without a thrill1 and they see in ,him no 'beauty that they should desire ,him1' and no healing to which they will trust4 ,paul's way of kindling penitence in impenitent spirits was not to brandish over them the whips of law or to seek to shake souls with terror of any hell1 still less was it to discourse with philosophic calm on the obligations of duty and the wisdom of virtuous living2 his appeal to conscience was primarily the pressing on the heart of the love of ,god in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4 ,when the heart is melted1 the conscience will not long continue indurated4 ,we cannot look lovingly and believingly at ,jesus and then turn to look complacently on ourselves4 ,not to believe on ,him is the sin of sins1 and to be taught that it is so is the first step in the work of ,him who never merits the name of the ,comforter more truly than when ,he convicts the world of sin4 ,for a ,christianity that does not begin with the deep consciousness of sin has neither depth nor warmth and has scarcely vitality4 ,the ,gospel is no ,gospel1 and we had almost said1 ',the ,christ is no ,christ' to one who does not feel himself1 if parted from ,christ1 'dead in trespasses and sins4' ,our religion depends for all its force1 our gratitude and love for all their devotion1 upon our sense that 'the chastisement of our peace was laid upon ,him1 and that by ,his stripes we are healed4' ,since ,he gave ,himself for us1 it is meet that we give ourselves to ,him1 but there will be little fervour of devotion or self-surrender1 unless there has been first the consciousness of the death of sin and then the joyous consciousness of newness of life in ,christ ,jesus4 ,,iii4 ,the captives led away to another land4 ,the ,apostle carries on his metaphor one step further when he goes on to describe what followed the casting down of the fortresses4 ,the enemy1 driven from their strongholds1 have nothing for it but to surrender and are led away in captivity to another land4 ,the long strings of prisoners on ,assyrian and ,egyptian monuments show how familiar an experience this was4 ,it may be noted that perhaps our text regards the obedience of ,christ as being the far country into which 'every thought was to be brought4' ,at all events ,paul's idea here is that the end of the whole struggle between 'the flesh' and the weapons of ,god is to make men willing captives of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we are ,christians in the measure in which we surrender our wills to ,christ4 ,that surrender rests upon1 and is our only adequate answer to1 ,his surrender for us4 ,the 'obedience of ,christ' is perfect freedom2 ,his captives wear no chains and know nothing of forced service2 ,his yoke is easy1 not because it does not press hard upon the neck but because it is lined with love1 and ',his burden is light' not because of its own weight but because it is laid on us by love and is carried by kindred love4 ,he only commands himself who gladly lets ,christ command him4 ,many a hard task becomes easy2 crooked things are straightened out and rough places often made surprisingly plain for the captives of ,christ1 whom ,he leads into the liberty of obedience to ,him4 ,,iv4 ,fate of the disobedient4 ,paul thinks that in ,corinth there will be found some stiff-necked opponents of whom he cannot hope that their 'obedience shall be fulfilled1' and he sees in the double issue of the small struggle that was being waged in ,corinth a parable of the wider results of the warfare in the world4 ',some believed and some believed not'2 that has been the brief summary of the experience of all ,god's messengers everywhere1 and it is their experience to-day4 ,no doubt when ,paul speaks of 'being in readiness to avenge all disobedience1' he is alluding to the exercise of his apostolic authority against the obdurate antagonists whom he contemplates as still remaining obdurate1 and it is beautiful to note the long-suffering patience with which he will hold his hand until all that can be won has been won4 ,but we must not forget that ,paul's demeanour is but a faint shadow of his ,lord's1 and that the weapons which were ready to avenge all disobedience were the weapons of ,god4 ,if a man steels himself against the efforts of divine love1 builds up round himself a fortress of self-righteousness and locks its gates against the merciful entrance of convictions of sin and the knowledge of a ,saviour1 and if he therefore lives1 year in1 year out1 in disobedience1 the weapons which he thinks himself to have resisted will one day make him feel their edge4 ,we cannot set ourselves against the salvation of ,jesus without bringing upon ourselves consequences which are wholly evil and harmful4 ,torpid consciences1 hungry hearts1 stormy wills1 tyrannous desires1 vain hopes and not vain fears come to be1 by slow degrees1 the tortures of the man who drops the portcullis and lifts the bridge against the entrance of ,jesus4 ,there are hells enough on earth if men's hearts were displayed4 ,but the love which is obliged to smite gives warning that it is ready to avenge1 long before it lets the blow fall1 and does so in order that it may never need to fall4 ,as long as it is possible that the disobedient shall become obedient to ,christ1 ,he holds back the vengeance that is ready to fall and will one day fall 'on all disobedience4' ,not till all other means have been patiently tried will ,he let that terrible ending crash down4 ,it hangs over the heads of many of us who are all unaware that we walk beneath the shadow of a rock that at any moment may be set in motion and bury us beneath its weight4 ,it is 'in readiness1' but it is still at rest4 ,let us be wise in time and yield to the merciful weapons with which ,jesus would make ,his way into our hearts4 ,or if the metaphor of our text presents ,him in too warlike a guise1 let us listen to ,his own gentle pleading1 ',behold1 ,i stand at the door and knock2 if any man hear ,my voice1 and open the door1 ,i will come in to him4' ,,simplicity ,,towards ,,christ ',but ,i fear1 lest by any means1 as the serpent beguiled ,eve through his subtilty1 so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in ,christ4'--#b ,,cor4 xi4 #c4 ,the ,revised ,version1 amongst other alterations1 reads1 'the simplicity that is towards ,christ4' ,the inaccurate rendering of the ,authorised ,version is responsible for a mistake in the meaning of these words1 which has done much harm4 ,they have been supposed to describe a quality or characteristic belonging to ,christ or the ,gospel2 and1 so construed1 they have sometimes been made the watchword of narrowness and of intellectual indolence4 ',give us the simple ,gospel' has been the cry of people who have thought themselves to be evangelical when they were only lazy1 and the consequence has been that preachers have been expected to reiterate commonplaces1 which have made both them and their hearers listless1 and to sink the educational for the evangelistic aspect of the ,christian teacher's function4 ,it is quite true that the ,gospel is simple1 but it is also true that it is deep1 and they will best appreciate its simplicity who have most honestly endeavoured to fathom its depth4 ,when we let our little sounding lines out1 and find that they do not reach the bottom1 we begin to wonder even more at the transparency of the clear abyss4 ,it is not simplicity in ,christ1 but towards ,christ of which the ,apostle is speaking2 not a quality in ,him1 but a quality in us towards ,him4 ,i wish1 then1 to turn to the two thoughts that these words suggest4 ,first and chiefly1 the attitude towards ,christ which befits our relation to ,him2 and1 secondly and briefly1 the solicitude for its maintenance4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 look at the attitude towards ,christ which befits the ,christian relation to ,him4 ,the word 'simplicity' has had a touch of contempt associated with it4 ,it is a somewhat doubtful compliment to say of a man that he is 'simple-minded4' ,all noble words which describe great qualities get oxidised by exposure to the atmosphere1 and rust comes over them1 as indeed all good things tend to become deteriorated in time and by use4 ,but the notion of the word is really a very noble and lofty one4 ,to be 'without a fold1' which is the meaning of the ,greek word and of its equivalent 'simplicity1' is1 in one aspect1 to be transparently honest and true1 and in another to be out and out of a piece4 ,there is no underside of the cloth1 doubled up beneath the upper which shows1 and running in the opposite direction2 but all tends in one way4 ,a man with no under-currents1 no by-ends1 who is down to the very roots what he looks1 and all whose being is knit together and hurled in one direction1 without reservation or back-drawing1 that is the 'simple' man whom the ,apostle means4 ,such simplicity is the truest wisdom2 such simplicity of devotion to ,jesus ,christ is the only attitude of heart and mind which corresponds to the facts of our relation to ,him4 ,that relation is set forth in the context by a very sweet and tender image1 in the true line of scriptural teaching1 which in many a place speaks of the ,bride and ,bridegroom1 and which on its last page shows us the ,lamb's wife descending from ,heaven to meet her husband4 ,the state of devout souls and of the community of such here on earth is that of betrothal4 ,their state in heaven is that of marriage4 ,very beautiful it is to see how this fiery ,paul1 like the ascetic ,john1 who never knew the sacred joys of that state1 lays hold of the thought of the ,bridegroom and the ,bride1 and of his individual relation to both as indicating the duties of the ,church and the solicitude of the ,apostle4 ,he says that he has been the intermediary who1 according to ,oriental custom1 arranged the preliminaries of the marriage1 and brought the bride to the bridegroom1 and1 as the friend of the latter1 standing by rejoices greatly to hear the bridegroom's voice1 and is solicitous mainly that in the tremulous heart of the betrothed there should be no admixture of other loves1 but a whole-hearted devotion1 an exclusive affection1 and an absolute obedience4 ',i have espoused you1' says he1 'to one husband that ,i may present you as a chaste virgin to ,christ4 ,but ,i fear lest 4 4 4 your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is towards ,him4' ,now that metaphor carries in its implication all that anybody can say about the exclusiveness1 the depth1 the purity1 the all-pervasiveness of the dependent love which should knit us to ,jesus ,christ4 ,the same thought of whole-hearted1 single1 absolute devotion is conveyed by other ,scripture metaphors1 the slave and the soldier of ,christ4 ,but all that is repellent or harsh in these is softened and glorified when we contemplate it in the light of the metaphor of my text4 ,so ,i might leave it to do its own work1 but ,i may perhaps be allowed to follow out the thought in one or two directions4 ,the attitude1 then1 which corresponds to our relation to ,jesus ,christ is that1 first1 of a faith which looks to ,him exclusively as the source of salvation and of light4 ,the specific danger which was alarming ,paul1 in reference to that little community of ,christians in ,corinth1 was one which1 in its particular form1 is long since dead and buried4 ,but the principles which underlay it1 the tendencies to which it appealed1 and the perils which alarmed ,paul for the ,corinthian ,church1 are perennial4 ,he feared that these ,judaising teachers1 who dogged his heels all his life long1 and whose one aim seemed to be to build upon his foundation and to overthrow his building1 should find their way into this church and wreck it4 ,the keenness of the polemic1 in this and in the contextual chapters1 shows how real and imminent the danger was4 ,now what they did was to tell people that ,jesus ,christ had a partner in ,his saving work4 ,they said that obedience to the ,jewish law1 ceremonial and other1 was a condition of salvation1 along with trust in ,jesus ,christ as the ,messiah4 ,and because they thus shared out the work of salvation between ,jesus ,christ and something else1 ,paul thundered and lightened at them all his life1 and1 as he tells us in this context1 regarded them as preaching another ,jesus1 another spirit1 and another gospel4 ,that particular error is long dead and buried4 ,but is there nothing else that has come into its place8 ,has this old foe not got a new face1 and does not it live amongst us as really as it lived then8 ,i think it does2 whether in the form of the grosser kind of sacramentarianism and ecclesiasticism which sticks sacraments and a church in front of the ,cross1 or in the form of the definite denial that ,jesus ,christ's death on the ,cross is the one means of salvation1 or simply in the form of the coarse1 common wish to have a finger in the pie and a share in the work of saving oneself1 as a drowning man will sometimes half drown his rescuer by trying to use his own limbs4 ,these tendencies that ,paul fought1 and which he feared would corrupt the ,corinthians from their simple and exclusive reliance on ,christ1 and ,christ alone1 as the ground and author of their salvation1 are perennial in human nature1 and we have to be on our guard for ever and for ever against them4 ,whether they come in organised1 systematic1 doctrinal form1 or whether they are simply the rising in our own hearts of the old ,adam of pride and self-trust1 they equally destroy the whole work of ,christ1 because they infringe upon its solitariness and uniqueness4 ,it is not ,christ and anything else4 ,men are not saved by a syndicate4 ,it is ,jesus ,christ alone1 and 'beside ,him there is no ,saviour4' ,you go into a ,turkish mosque and see the roof held up by a forest of slim pillars4 ,you go into a cathedral chapter-house and see one strong support in the centre that bears the whole roof4 ,the one is an emblem of the ,christless multiplicity of vain supports1 the other of the solitary strength and eternal sufficiency of the one ,pillar on which the whole weight of a world's salvation rests1 and which lightly bears it triumphantly aloft4 ',i fear lest your minds be corrupted from the simplicity' of a reasonable faith directed towards ,christ4 ,and in like manner ,he is the sole light and teacher of men as to ,god1 themselves1 their duty1 their destinies and prospects4 ,he1 and ,he alone1 brings these things to light4 ,his word1 whether it comes from ,his lips or from the deeds which are part of ,his revelation1 or from the voice of the ,spirit which takes of ,his and speaks to the ages through ,his apostles1 should be 'the end of all strife4' ,what ,he says1 and all that ,he says1 and nothing else than what ,he says1 is the creed of the ,christian4 ,he1 and ,he only1 is 'the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world4' ,in this day of babblements and confusions1 let us listen for the voice of ,christ and accept all which comes from ,him1 and let the language of our deepest hearts be1 ',lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou only hast the words of eternal life4' ,again1 our relation to ,jesus ,christ demands exclusive love to ,him4 ',demands' is an ugly word to bracket with love4 ,we might say1 and perhaps more truly1 permits or privileges4 ,it is the joy of the betrothed that her duty is to love1 and to keep her heart clear from all competing affections4 ,but it is none the less her duty because it is her joy4 ,what ,christ is to you1 if you are a ,christian1 and what ,he longs to be to us all1 whether we are ,christians or not1 is of such a character as that the only fitting attitude of our hearts to ,him in response is that of exclusive affection4 ,i do not mean that we are to love nothing but ,him1 but ,i mean that we are to love all things else in ,him1 and that1 if any creature so delays or deflects our love as that either it does not pass1 by means of the creature1 into the presence of the ,christ1 or is turned away from the ,christ by the creature1 then we have fallen beneath the sweet level of our lofty privilege1 and have won for ourselves the misery due to distracted and idolatrous hearts4 ,love to one who has done what ,he has done for us is in its very nature exclusive1 and its exclusiveness is all-pervasive exclusiveness4 ,the centre diamond makes the little stones set round it all the more lustrous4 ,we must love ,jesus ,christ all in all or not at all4 ,divided love incurs the condemnation that falls heavily upon the head of the faithless bride4 ,dear friends1 the conception of the essence of religion as being love is no relaxation1 but an increase1 of its stringent requirements4 ,the more we think of that sweet bond as being the true union of the soul with ,god1 who is its only rest and home1 the more reasonable and imperative will appear the old commandment1 ',thou shalt love ,him with all thy heart1 and soul1 and strength1 and mind4' ,but1 further1 our relation to ,jesus ,christ is such as that nothing short of absolute obedience to ,his commandment corresponds to it4 ,there must be the simplicity1 the single-mindedness that thus obeys1 obeys swiftly1 cheerfully1 constantly4 ,in all matters ,his command is my law1 and1 as surely as ,i make ,his command my law1 will ,he make my desire ,his motive4 ,for ,he ,himself has said1 in words that bring together our obedience to ,his will and ,his compliance with our wishes1 in a fashion that we should not have ventured upon unless ,he had set us an example1 ',if ye love ,me1 keep ,my commandments4 ,if ye ask anything in ,my name ,i will do it4' ,the exclusive love that binds us1 by reason of our faith in ,him alone1 to that ,lord ought to express itself in unhesitating1 unfaltering1 unreserved1 and unreluctant obedience to every word that comes from ,his mouth4 ,these brief outlines are but the poorest attempt to draw out what the words of my text imply4 ,but such as they are1 let us remember that they do set forth the only proper response of the saved man to the saving ,christ4 ',ye cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4' ,anything short of a faith that rests on ,him alone1 of a love that knits itself to ,his single1 all-sufficient heart1 and of an obedience that bows the whole being to the sweet yoke of ,his commandment is an unworthy answer to the ,love that died1 and that lives for us all4 ,,ii4 ,and now ,i have only time to glance at the solicitude for the maintenance of this exclusive single-mindedness towards ,christ4 ,think of what threatens it4 ,i say nothing about the ferment of opinion in this day1 for one man that is swept away from a thorough whole-hearted faith by intellectual considerations1 there are a dozen from whom it is filched without their knowing it1 by their own weaknesses and the world's noises4 ,and so it is more profitable that we should think of the whole crowd of external duties1 enjoyments1 sweetnesses1 bitternesses1 that solicit us1 and would seek to draw us away4 ,who can hear the low voice that speaks peace and wisdom when ,niagara is roaring past his ears8 ',the world is too much with us1 late and soon4 ,buying and selling we lay waste our powers1' and break ourselves away from our simple devotion to that dear ,lord4 ,but it is possible that we may so carry into all the whirl the central peace1 as that we shall not be disturbed by it2 and possible that 'whether we eat or drink1 or whatsoever we do1 we may do all to ,his glory1' so that we can1 even in the midst of our daily pressing avocations and cares be keeping our hearts in the heavens1 and our souls in touch with our ,lord4 ,but it is not only things without that draw us away4 ,our own weaknesses and waywardnesses1 our strong senses1 our passions1 our desires1 our necessities1 all these have a counteracting force1 which needs continual watchfulness in order to be neutralised4 ,no man can grasp a stay1 which alone keeps him from being immersed in the waves1 with uniform tenacity1 unless every now and then he tightens his muscles4 ,and no man can keep himself firmly grasping ,jesus ,christ without conscious effort directed to bettering his hold4 ,if there be dangers around us1 and dangers within us1 the discipline which we have to pursue in order to secure this uniform1 single-hearted devotion is plain enough4 ,let us be vividly conscious of the peril--which is what some of us are not4 ,let us take stock of ourselves lest creeping evil may be encroaching upon us1 while we are all unaware--which is what some of us never do4 ,let us clearly contemplate the possibility of an indefinite increase in the closeness and thoroughness of our surrender to ,him--a conviction which has faded away from the minds of many professing ,christians4 ,above all1 let us find time or make time for the patient1 habitual contemplation of the great facts which kindle our devotion4 ,for if you never think of ,jesus ,christ and ,his love to you1 how can you love ,him back again8 ,and if you are so busy carrying out your own secular affairs1 or pursuing your own ambitions1 or attending to your own duties1 as they may seem to be1 that you have no time to think of ,christ1 ,his death1 ,his life1 ,his ,spirit1 ,his yearning heart over ,his bride1 how can it be expected that you will have any depth of love to ,him8 ,let us1 too1 wait with prayerful patience for that ,divine ,spirit who will knit us more closely to our ,lord4 ,unless we do so1 we shall get no happiness out of our religion1 and it will bring no praise to ,christ or profit to ourselves4 ,i do not know a more miserable man than a half-and-half ,christian1 after the pattern of1 ,i was going to say1 the ordinary average of professing ,christians of this generation4 ,he has religion enough to prick and sting him1 and not enough to impel him to forsake the evil which yet he cannot comfortably do4 ,he has religion enough to 'inflame his conscience1' not enough to subdue his will and heart4 ,how many of my hearers are in that condition it is for them to settle4 ,if we are to be ,christian men at all1 let us be it out and out4 ,half-and-half religion is no religion4 ',one foot in sea1 and one on shore2 ,to one thing constant never6' ,that is the type of thousands of professing ,christians4 ',i fear lest by any means your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is towards ,christ4' ,,strength ,,in ,,weakness ',for this thing ,i besought the ,lord thrice1 that it might depart from me4 ,and ,he said unto me1 ,my grace is sufficient for thee2 for ,my strength is made perfect in weakness4 ,most gladly therefore will ,i rather glory in my infirmities1 that the power of ,christ may rest upon me4'--#b ,,cor4 xii4 #h1 #i4 ,this very remarkable page in the autobiography of the ,apostle shows us that he1 too1 belonged to the great army of martyrs who1 with hearts bleeding and pierced through and through with a dart1 yet did their work for ,god4 ,it is of little consequence what his thorn in the flesh may have been4 ,the original word suggests very much heavier sorrow than the metaphor of 'a thorn' might imply4 ,it really seems to mean not a tiny bit of thorn that might lie half concealed in the finger tip1 but one of those hideous stakes on which the cruel punishment of impalement used to be inflicted4 ,and ,paul's thought is1 not that he has a little1 trivial trouble to bear1 but that he is1 as it were1 forced quivering upon that tremendous torture4 ,unquestionably1 what he means is some bodily ailment or other4 ,the hypothesis that the 'thorn in the flesh' was the sting of the animal nature inciting him to evil is altogether untenable1 because such a thorn could never have been left when the prayer for its removal was earnestly presented2 nor could it ever have been1 when left1 an occasion for glorifying4 ,manifestly it was no weakness removable by his own effort1 no incapacity for service which in any manner approximated to being a fault1 but purely and simply some infliction from ,god's hand 7though likewise capable of being regarded as a 'messenger of ,satan'7 which hindered him in his work1 and took down any proud flesh and danger of spiritual exaltation in consequence of the largeness of his religious privileges4 ,our text sets before us three most instructive windings1 as it were1 of the stream of thoughts that passed through the ,apostle's mind1 in reference to this burden that he had to carry1 and may afford wholesome contemplation for us to-day4 ,there is1 first1 the instinctive shrinking which took refuge in prayer4 ,then there is the insight won by prayer into the sustaining strength for1 and the purposes of1 the thorn that was not to be plucked out4 ,and then1 finally1 there is the peace of acquiescence1 and a will that accepts--not the inevitable1 but the loving4 ,i4 ,first of all we see the instinctive shrinking from that which tortured the flesh1 which takes refuge in prayer4 ,there is a wonderful1 a beautiful1 and1 ,i suppose1 an intentional parallel between the prayers of the servant and of the ,master4 ,paul's petitions are the echo of ,gethsemane4 ,there1 under the quivering olives1 in the broken light of the ,paschal moon1 ,jesus 'thrice' prayed that the cup might pass from ,him4 ,and here the servant1 emboldened and instructed by the example of the ,master1 'thrice' reiterates his human and natural desire for the removal of the pain1 whatever it was1 which seemed to him so to hinder the efficiency and the fulness1 as it certainly did the joy1 of his service4 ,but ,he who prayed in ,gethsemane was ,he to whom ,paul addressed his prayer4 ,for1 as is almost always the case in the ,new ,testament1 'the ,lord' here evidently means ,christ1 as is obvious from the connection of the answer to the petition with the ,apostle's final confidence and acquiescence4 ,for the answer was1 ',my strength is made perfect in weakness'2 and the ,apostle's conclusion is1 ',most gladly will ,i glorify in infirmity1' that the strength or 'power of ,christ may rest upon me4' ,therefore the prayer with which we have to deal here is a prayer offered to ,jesus1 who prayed in ,gethsemane1 and to whom we can bring our petitions and our desires4 ,notice how this thought of prayer directed to the ,master ,himself helps to lead us deep into the sacredest and most blessed characteristics of prayer4 ,it is only telling ,christ what is in our hearts4 ,oh1 if we lived in the true understanding of what prayer really is--the emptying out of our inmost desire and thoughts before our ,brother1 who is likewise our ,lord--questions as to what it was permissible to pray for1 and what it was not permissible to pray for1 would be irrelevant1 and drop away of themselves4 ,if we had a less formal notion of prayer1 and realised more thoroughly what it was--the speech of a confiding heart to a sympathising ,lord--then everything that fills our hearts would be seen to be a fitting object of prayer4 ,if anything is large enough to interest me1 it is not too small to be spoken about to ,him4 ,so the question1 which is often settled upon very abstract and deep grounds that have little to do with the matter--the question as to whether prayer for outward blessings is permissible--falls away of itself4 ,if ,i am to talk to ,jesus ,christ about everything that concerns me1 am ,i to keep my thumb upon all that great department and be silent about it8 ,one reason why our prayers are often so unreal is1 because they do not fit our real wants1 nor correspond to the thoughts that are busy in our minds at the moment of praying4 ,our hearts are full of some small matter of daily interest1 and when we kneel down not a word about it comes to our lips4 ,can that be right8 ,the difference between the different objects of prayer is not to be found in the rejection of all temporal and external1 but in remembering that there are two sets of things to be prayed about1 and over one set must ever be written ',if it be ,thy will1' and over the other it need not be written1 because we are sure that the granting of our wishes is ,his will4 ,we know about the one that 'if we ask anything according to ,his will1 ,he heareth us4' ,that may seem to be a very poor and shrunken kind of hope to give a man1 that if his prayer is in conformity with the previous determination of the divine will1 it will be answered4 ,but it availed for the joyful confidence of that ,apostle who saw deepest into the conditions and the blessedness of the harmony of the will of ,god and of man4 ,but about the other set we can only say1 ',not my will1 but ,thine be done4' ,with that sentence1 not as a formula upon our lips but deep in our hearts1 let us take everything into ,his presence--thorns and stakes1 pinpricks and wounds out of which the life-blood is ebbing--let us take them all to ,him1 and be sure that we shall take none of them in vain4 ,so then we have the ,person to whom the prayer is addressed1 the subjects with which it is occupied1 and the purpose to which it is directed4 ',take away the burden' was the ,apostle's petition2 but it was a mistaken petition and1 therefore1 unanswered4 ,,ii4 ,that brings me to the second of the windings1 as ,i have ventured to call them1 of this stream--viz4 the insight into the source of strength for1 and the purpose of1 the thorn that could not be taken away4 ,the ,lord said unto me1 ',my grace is sufficient for thee4 ,for ,my strength' 7where the word ',my' is a supplement1 but a necessary one7 'is made perfect in weakness4' ,the answer is1 in form and in substance1 a gentle refusal of the form of the petition1 but it is a more than granting of its essence4 ,for the best answer to such a prayer1 and the answer which a true man means when he asks1 ',take away the burden1' need not be the external removal of the pressure of the sorrow1 but the infusing of power to sustain it4 ,there are two ways of lightening a burden1 one is diminishing its actual weight1 the other is increasing the strength of the shoulder that bears it4 ,and the latter is ,god's way1 is ,christ's way1 of dealing with us4 ,now mark that the answer which this faithful prayer receives is no communication of anything fresh1 but it is the opening of the man's eyes to see that already he has all that he needs4 ,the reply is not1 ',i will give thee grace sufficient1' but ',my grace' 7which thou hast now7 'is sufficient for thee4' ,that grace is given and possessed by the sorrowing heart at the moment when it prays4 ,open your eyes to see what you have1 and you will not ask for the load to be taken away4 ,is not that always true8 ,many a heart is carrying some heavy weight2 perhaps some have an incurable sorrow1 some are stricken by disease that they know can never be healed1 some are aware that the shipwreck has been total1 and that the sorrow that they carry to-day will lie down with them in the dust4 ,be it so6 ',my grace 7not shall be1 but7 is sufficient for thee4' ,and what thou hast already in thy possession is enough for all that comes storming against thee of disease1 disappointment1 loss1 and misery4 ,set on the one side all possible as well as all actual weaknesses1 burdens1 pains1 and set on the other these two words--',my grace1' and all these dwindle into nothingness and disappear4 ,if troubled ,christian men would learn what they have1 and would use what they already possess1 they would less often beseech ,him with vain petitions to take away their blessings which are in the thorns in the flesh4 ',my grace is sufficient4' ,how modestly the ,master speaks about what ,he gives6 ',sufficient'8 ,is not there a margin8 ,is there not more than is wanted8 ,the overplus is 'exceeding abundant1' not only 'above what we ask or think1' but far more than our need4 ',two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient that every one may take a little1' says ,sense4 ,omnipotence says1 ',bring the few small loaves and fishes unto ,me'2 and ,faith dispensed them amongst the crowd2 and ,experience 'gathered up of the fragments that remained' more than there had been when the multiplication began4 ,so the grace utilised increases2 the gift grows as it is employed4 ',unto him that hath shall be given4' ,and the 'sufficiency' is not a bare adequacy1 just covering the extent of the need1 with no overlapping margin1 but is large beyond expectation1 desire1 or necessity2 so leading onwards to high hopes and a wider opening of the open mouths of our need that the blessing may pour in4 ,the other part of this great answer1 that the ,christ from ,heaven spoke in or to the praying spirit of this not disappointed1 though refused1 ,apostle1 unveiled the purpose of the sorrow1 even as the former part had disclosed the strength to bear it4 ,for1 says ,he1 laying down therein the great law of ,his kingdom in all departments and in all ways1 ',my strength is made perfect'--that is1 of course1 perfect in its manifestation or operations1 for it is perfect in itself already4 ',my strength is made perfect in weakness4' ,it works in and through man's weakness4 ,god works with broken reeds4 ,if a man conceits himself to be an iron pillar1 ,god can do nothing with or by him4 ,all the self-conceit and confidence have to be taken out of him first4 ,he has to be brought low before the ,father can use him for ,his purposes4 ,the lowlands hold the water1 and1 if only the sluice is open1 the gravitation of ,his grace does all the rest and carries the flood into the depths of the lowly heart4 ,his strength loves to work in weakness1 only the weakness must be conscious1 and the conscious weakness must have passed into conscious dependence4 ,there1 then1 you get the law for the ,church1 for the works of ,christianity on the widest scale1 and in individual lives4 ,strength that conceits itself to be such is weakness2 weakness that knows itself to be such is strength4 ,the only true source of ,power1 both for ,christian work and in all other respects1 is ,god ,himself2 and our strength is ours but by derivation from ,him4 ,and the only way to secure that derivation is through humble dependence1 which we call faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,and the only way by which that faith in ,jesus ,christ can ever be kindled in a man's soul is through the sense of his need and emptiness4 ,so when we know ourselves weak1 we have taken the first step to strength2 just as1 when we know ourselves sinners1 we have taken the first step to righteousness2 just as in all regions the recognition of the doleful fact of our human necessity is the beginning of the joyful confidence in the glad1 triumphant fact of the divine fulness4 ,all our hollownesses1 if ,i may so say1 are met with ,his fulness that fits into them4 ,it only needs that a man be aware of that which he is1 and then turn himself to ,him who is all that he is not1 and then into his empty being will flow rejoicing the whole fulness of ,god4 ',my strength is made perfect in weakness4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 mark the calm final acquiescence in the loving necessity of continued sorrow4 ',most gladly1 therefore1 will ,i rather glory in my infirmity that the power of ,christ may rest upon me4' ,the will is entirely harmonised with ,christ's4 ,the ,apostle begins with instinctive shrinking1 he passes onwards to a perception of the purpose of his trial and of the sustaining grace2 and he comes now to acquiescence which is not passivity1 but glad triumph4 ,he is more than submissive1 he gladly glories in his infirmity in order that the power of ,christ may 'spread a tabernacle over' him4 ',it is good for me that ,i have been afflicted1' said the old prophet4 ,paul says1 in a yet higher note of concord with ,god's will1 ',i am glad that ,i sorrow4 ,i rejoice in weakness1 because it makes it easier for me to cling1 and1 clinging1 ,i am strong1 and conquer evil4' ,far better is it that the sting of our sorrow should be taken away1 by our having learned what it is for1 and having bowed to it1 than that it should be taken away by the external removal which we sometimes long for4 ,a grief1 a trial1 an incapacity1 a limitation1 a weakness1 which we use as a means of deepening our sense of dependence upon ,him1 is a blessing1 and not a sorrow4 ,and if we would only go out into the world trying to interpret its events in the spirit of this great text1 we should less frequently wonder and weep over what sometimes seem to us the insoluble mysteries of the sorrows of ourselves and of other men4 ,they are all intended to make it more easy for us to realise our utter hanging upon ,him1 and so to open our hearts to receive more fully the quickening influences of ,his omnipotent and self-sufficing grace4 ,here1 then1 is a lesson for those who have to carry some cross and know they must carry it throughout life4 ,it will be wreathed with flowers if you accept it4 ,here is a lesson for all ,christian workers4 ,ministers of the ,gospel especially should banish all thoughts of their own cleverness1 intellectual ability1 culture1 sufficiency for their work1 and learn that only when they are emptied can they be filled1 and only when they know themselves to be nothing are they ready for ,god to work through them4 ,and here is a lesson for all who stand apart from the grace and power of ,jesus ,christ as if they needed it not4 ,whether you know it or not1 you are a broken reed2 and the only way of your ever being bound up and made strong is that you shall recognise your sinfulness1 your necessity1 your abject poverty1 your utter emptiness1 and come to ,him who is righteousness1 riches1 fulness1 and say1 ',because ,i am weak1 be ,thou my strength4' ,the secret of all noble1 heroic1 useful1 happy life lies in the paradox1 ',when ,i am weak1 then am ,i strong1' and the secret of all failures1 miseries1 hopeless losses1 lies in its converse1 ',when ,i am strong1 then am ,i weak4' ,,not ,,yours ,,but ,,you ',i seek not yours1 but you4'--#b ,,cor4 xii4 #ad4 ,men are usually quick to suspect others of the vices to which they themselves are prone4 ,it is very hard for one who never does anything but with an eye to what he can make out of it1 to believe that there are other people actuated by higher motives4 ,so ,paul had1 over and over again1 to meet the hateful charge of making money out of his apostleship4 ,it was one of the favourite stones that his opponents in the ,corinthian ,church1 of whom there were very many1 very bitter ones1 flung at him4 ,in this letter he more than once refers to the charge4 ,he does so with great dignity1 and with a very characteristic and delicate mixture of indignation and tenderness1 almost playfulness4 ,thus1 in the context1 he tells these ,corinthian grumblers that he must beg their pardon for not having taken anything of them1 and so honoured them4 ,then he informs them that he is coming again to see them for the third time1 and that that visit will be marked by the same independence of their help as the others had been4 ,and then he just lets a glimpse of his pained heart peep out in the words of my text4 ',i seek not yours1 but you4' ,there speaks a disinterested love which feels obliged1 and yet reluctant1 to stoop to say that it is love1 and that it is disinterested4 ,where did ,paul learn this passionate desire to possess these people1 and this entire suppression of self in the desire8 ,it was a spark from a sacred fire1 a drop from an infinite ocean1 an echo of a divine voice4 ,the words of my text would never have been ,paul's if the spirit of them had not first been ,christ's4 ,i venture to take them in that aspect1 as setting forth ,christ's claims upon us1 and bearing very directly on the question of ,christian service and of ,christian liberality4 ,i4 ,so1 then1 first of all1 ,i remark1 ,christ desires personal surrender4 ',i seek not yours1 but you1' is the very mother-tongue of love2 but upon our lips1 even when our love is purest1 there is a tinge of selfishness blending with it1 and very often the desire for another's love is as purely selfish as the desire for any material good4 ,but in so far as human love is pure in its desire to possess another1 we have the right to believe the deep and wonderful thought that there is something corresponding to it in the heart of ,christ1 which is a revelation for us of the heart of ,god2 and that1 however little we may be able to construe the whole meaning of the fact1 ,he does stretch out an arm of desire towards us2 and for ,his own sake1 as for ours1 would fain draw us near to ,himself1 and is 'satisfied1' as ,he is not without it1 when men's hearts yield themselves up to ,him1 and let ,him love them and lavish ,himself upon them4 ,i do not venture into these depths1 but ,i would lay upon our hearts that the very inmost meaning of all that ,jesus ,christ has said1 and is saying1 to each of us by the records of ,his life1 by the pathos of ,his death1 by the miracle of ,his ,resurrection1 by the glory of ,his ,ascension1 by the power of ,his granted ,spirit1 is1 ',i seek you4' ,and1 brethren1 our self-surrender is the essence of our ,christianity4 ,our religion lies neither in our heads nor in our acts2 the deepest notion of it is that it is the entire yielding up of ourselves to ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,there is plenty of religion which is a religion of the head and of creeds4 ,there is plenty of religion which is the religion of the hand and of the tongue1 and of forms and ceremonies and sacraments2 external worship4 ,there is plenty of religion which surrenders to ,him some of the more superficial parts of our personality1 whilst the ancient ,anarch1 ,self1 sits undisturbed on his dark throne1 in the depths of our being4 ,but none of these are the religion that either ,christ requires or that we need4 ,the only true notion of a ,christian is a man who can truly say1 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,and that is the only kind of life that is blessed2 our only true nobleness and beauty and power and sweetness are measured by1 and accurately correspond with1 the completeness of our surrender of ourselves to ,jesus ,christ4 ,as long as the earth was thought to be the centre of the planetary system there was nothing but confusion in the heavens4 ,shift the centre to the sun and all becomes order and beauty4 ,the root of sin1 and the mother of death1 is making myself my own law and ,lord2 the germ of righteousness1 and the first pulsations of life1 lie in yielding ourselves to ,god in ,christ1 because ,he has yielded ,himself unto us4 ,i need not remind you1 ,i suppose1 that this self-surrender is a great deal more than a vivid metaphor3 that it implies a very hard fact2 implies at least two things1 that we have yielded ourselves to ,jesus ,christ1 by the love of our hearts1 and by the unreluctant submission of our wills1 whether ,he commands or whether ,he sends sufferings or joys4 ,and1 oh1 brethren1 be sure of this1 that no such giving of myself away1 in the sweet reciprocities of a higher than human affection1 is possible1 in the general1 and on the large scale1 if you evacuate from the ,gospel the great truth1 ',he loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4' ,i believe--and therefore ,i am bound to preach it--that the only power which can utterly annihilate and cast out the dominion of self from a human soul is the power that is lodged in the sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ on the ,cross for sinful men4 ,and whilst ,i would fully recognise all that is noble1 and all that is effective1 in systems either of religion1 or of irreligious morality1 which have no place within their bounds for that great motive1 ,i am sure of this1 that the evil self within us is too strong to be exorcised by anything short of the old message1 ',jesus ,christ has given ,his life for thee1 wilt thou not give thyself unto ,him8' ,,ii4 ,christ seeks personal service4 ',i seek 4 4 4 you'2 not only for ,my love1 but for ,my tools2 for ,my instruments in carrying out the purposes for which ,i died1 and establishing ,my dominion in the world4 ,now ,i want to say two or three very plain things about this matter1 which lies very near my heart1 as to some degree responsible for the amount of ,christian activity and service in this my congregation4 ,brethren1 the surrender of ourselves to ,jesus ,christ in acts of direct ,christian activity and service1 will be the outcome of a real surrender of ourselves to ,him in love and obedience4 ,i cannot imagine a man who1 in any deep sense1 has realised his obligations to that ,saviour1 and in any real sense has made the great act of self-renunciation1 and crowned ,christ as his ,lord1 living for the rest of his life1 as so many professing ,christians do1 dumb and idle1 in so far as work for the ,master is concerned4 ,it seems to me that1 among the many wants of this generation of professing ,christians1 there is none that is more needed than that a wave of new consecration should pass over the ,church4 ,if men who call themselves ,christians lived more in habitual contact with the facts of their redeeming ,saviour's sacrifice for them1 there would be no need to lament the fewness of the labourers1 as measured against the overwhelming multitude of the fields that are white to harvest4 ,if once that flood of a new sense of ,christ's gift1 and a consequent new completeness of our returned gifts to ,him1 flowed over the churches1 then all the little empty ravines would be filled with a flashing tide4 ,not a shuttle moves1 not a spindle revolves1 until the strong impulse born of fire rushes in2 and then1 all is activity4 ,it is no use to flog1 flog1 flog1 at idle ,christians1 and try to make them work4 ,there is only one thing that will set them to work1 and that is that they shall live nearer their ,master1 and find out more of what they owe to ,him2 and so render themselves up to be ,his instruments for any purpose for which ,he may choose to use them4 ,this surrender of ourselves for direct ,christian service is the only solution of the problem of how to win the world for ,jesus ,christ4 ,professionals cannot do it4 ,men of my class cannot do it4 ,we are clogged very largely by the fact that1 being necessarily dependent on our congregations for a living1 we cannot1 with as clear an emphasis as you can1 go to people and say1 ',we seek not yours1 but you4' ,i have nothing to say about the present ecclesiastical arrangements of modern ,christian communities4 ,that would take me altogether from my present purposes1 but ,i want to lay this upon your consciences1 dear brethren1 that you who have other means of living than proclaiming ,christ's name have an advantage1 which it is at your peril that you fling away4 ,as long as the ,christian ,church thought that an ordained priest was a man who could do things that laymen could not do1 the limitation of ,christian service to the priesthood was logical4 ,but when the ,christian ,church1 especially as represented by us ,nonconformists1 came to believe that a minister was only a man who preached the ,gospel1 which every ,christian man is bound to do1 the limitations of ,christian service to the official class became an illogical survival1 utterly incongruous with the fundamental principles of our conception of the ,christian ,church4 ,and yet here it is1 devastating our churches to-day1 and making hundreds of good people perfectly comfortable1 in an unscriptural and unchristian indolence1 because1 forsooth1 it is the minister's business to preach the ,gospel4 ,i know that there is not nearly as much of that indolence as there used to be4 ,thank ,god for that4 ,there are far more among our congregations than in former times who have realised the fact that it is every ,christian man's task1 somehow or other1 to set forth the great name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but still1 alas1 in a church with1 say1 #djj members1 you may knock off the last cypher1 and you will get a probably not too low statement of the number of people in it who have realised and fulfilled this obligation4 ,what about the other #cfj 'dumb dogs1 that will not bark'8 ,and in that #cfj there will probably be several men who can make speeches on political platforms1 and in scientific lecture-halls1 and about social and economical questions1 only they cannot1 for the life of them1 open their mouths and say a word to a soul about ,him whom they say they serve1 and to whom they say they belong4 ,brethren1 this direct service cannot be escaped from1 or commuted by a money payment4 ,in the old days a man used to escape serving in the militia if he found a substitute1 and paid for him4 ,there are a great many good ,christian people who seem to think that ,christ's army is recruited on that principle4 ,but it is a mistake4 ',i seek you1 not yours4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 and only a word4 ,christ seeks us1 and ours4 ,not you without yours1 still less yours without you4 ,this is no place1 nor is the fag end of a sermon the time1 to talk about so wide a subject as the ethics of ,christian dealing with money4 ,but two things ,i will say--consecration of self is extremely imperfect which does not include the consecration of possessions1 and1 conversely1 consecration of possessions which does not flow from1 and is not accompanied by1 the consecration of self1 is nought4 ,if1 then1 the great law of self-surrender is to run through the whole ,christian life1 that law1 as applied to our dealing with what we own1 prescribes three things4 ,the first is stewardship1 not ownership2 and that all round the circumference of our possessions4 ,depend upon it1 the angry things that we hear to-day about the unequal distribution of wealth will get angrier and angrier1 and will be largely justified in becoming so by the fact that so many of us1 ,christians included1 have firmly grasped the notion of possession1 and utterly forgotten the obligation of stewardship4 ,again1 the law of self-surrender1 in its application to all that we have1 involves our continual reference to ,jesus ,christ in our disposition of these our possessions4 ,i draw no line of distinction1 in this respect1 between what a man spends upon himself1 and what he spends upon 'charity1' and what he spends upon religious objects4 ,one principle is to govern1 getting1 hoarding1 giving1 enjoying1 and that is1 that in it all ,christ shall be ,master4 ,again1 the law of self-surrender1 in its application to our possessions1 implies that there shall be an element of sacrifice in our use of these2 whether they be possessions of intellect1 of acquirement1 of influence1 of position1 or of material wealth4 ,the law of help is sacrifice1 and the law for a ,christian man is that he shall not offer unto the ,lord his ,god that which costs him nothing4 ,so1 dear friends1 let us all get near to that great central fire till it melts our hearts4 ,let the love which is our hope be our pattern4 ,remember that though only faintly1 and from afar1 can the issues of ,christ's great sacrifice be reproduced in any actions of ours1 the spirit which brought ,him to die is the spirit which must instruct and inspire us to live4 ,unless we can say1 ',he loved me1 and gave ,himself for me2 ,i yield myself to ,him'2 and unless our lives confirm the utterance1 we have little right to call ourselves ,his disciples4 ,,galatians ,,from ,,centre ,,to ,,circumference ',the life which ,i now live in the flesh ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4'--,,gal4 ii4 #bj4 ,we have a bundle of paradoxes in this verse4 ,first1 ',i am crucified with ,christ1 nevertheless ,i live4' ,the ,christian life is a dying life4 ,if we are in any real sense joined to ,christ1 the power of ,his death makes us dead to self and sin and the world4 ,in that region1 as in the physical1 death is the gate of life2 and1 inasmuch as what we die to in ,christ is itself only a living death1 we live because we die1 and in proportion as we die4 ,the next paradox is1 ',yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,the ,christian life is a life in which an indwelling ,christ casts out1 and therefore quickens1 self4 ,we gain ourselves when we lose ourselves4 ,his abiding in us does not destroy but heightens our individuality4 ,we then most truly live when we can say1 ',not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me'2 the soul of my soul and the self of myself4 ,and the last paradox is that of my text1 ',the life which ,i live in the flesh1 ,i live in' 7not 'by'7 'the faith of the ,son of ,god4' ,the true ,christian life moves in two spheres at once4 ,externally and superficially it is 'in the flesh1' really it is 'in faith4' ,it belongs not to the material nor is dependent upon the physical body in which we are housed4 ,we are strangers here1 and the true region and atmosphere of the ,christian life is that invisible sphere of faith4 ,so1 then1 we have in these words of my text a ,christian man's frank avowal of the secret of his own life4 ,it is like a geological cutting1 it goes down from the surface1 where the grass and the flowers are1 through the various strata1 but it goes deeper than these1 to the fiery heart1 the flaming nucleus and centre of all things4 ,therefore it may do us all good to make a section of our hearts and see whether the strata there are conformable to those that are here4 ,i4 ,let us begin with the centre1 and work to the surface4 ,we have1 first1 the great central fact named last1 but round which all the ,christian life is gathered4 ',the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4' ,these two words1 the 'loving' and the 'giving1' both point backwards to some one definite historical fact1 and the only fact which they can have in view is the great one of the death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,that is ,his giving up of ,himself4 ,that is the signal and highest manifestation and proof of ,his love4 ,notice 7though ,i can but touch in the briefest possible manner upon the great thoughts that gather round these words7 the three aspects of that transcendent fact1 the centre and nucleus of the whole ,christian life1 which come into prominence in these words before us4 ,christ's death is a great act of self-surrender1 of which the one motive is ,his own pure and perfect love4 ,no doubt in other places of ,scripture we have set forth the death of ,christ as being the result of the ,father's purpose1 and we read that in that wondrous surrender there were two givings up ,the ,father 'freely gave ,him up to the death for us all4' ,that divine surrender1 the ,apostle ventures1 in another passage1 to find dimly suggested from afar1 in the silent but submissive and unreluctant surrender with which ,abraham yielded his only begotten son on the mountain top4 ,but besides that ineffable giving up by the ,father of the ,son1 ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 moved only by ,his love1 willingly yields ,himself4 ,the whole doctrine of the sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ has been marred by one-sided insisting on the truth that ,god sent the ,son1 to the forgetting of the fact that the ,son 'came'2 and that ,he was bound to the ,cross neither by cords of man's weaving nor by the will of the ,father1 but that ,he ,himself bound ,himself to that ,cross with the 'cords of love and the bands of a man1' and died from no natural necessity nor from any imposition of the divine will upon ,him unwilling1 but because ,he would1 and that ,he would because ,he loved4 ',he loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4' ,then note1 further1 that here1 most distinctly1 that great act of self-surrendering love which culminates on the ,cross is regarded as being for man in a special and peculiar sense4 ,i know1 of course1 that from the mere wording of my text we cannot argue the atoning and substitutionary character of the death of ,christ1 for the preposition here does not necessarily mean 'instead of1' but 'for the behoof of4' ,but admitting that1 ,i have another question4 ,if ,christ's death is for 'the behoof of' men1 in what conceivable sense does it benefit them1 unless it is in the place of men8 ,the death 'for me' is only for me when ,i understand that it is 'instead of' me4 ,and practically you will find that wherever the full-orbed faith in ,christ ,jesus as the death for all the sins of the whole world1 bearing the penalty and bearing it away1 has begun to falter and grow pale1 men do not know what to do with ,christ's death at all1 and stop talking about it to a very large extent4 ,unless ,he died as a sacrifice1 ,i1 for one1 fail to see in what other than a mere sentimental sense the death of ,christ is a death for men4 ,and lastly1 about this matter1 observe how here we have brought into vivid prominence the great thought that ,jesus ,christ in ,his death has regard to single souls4 ,we preach that ,he died for all4 ,if we believe in that august title which is laid here as the vindication of our faith on the one hand1 and as the ground of the possibility of the benefits of ,his death being world-wide on the other--viz4 the ,son of ,god--then we shall not stumble at the thought that ,he died for all1 because ,he died for each4 ,i know that if you only regard ,jesus ,christ as human ,i am talking utter nonsense2 but ,i know1 too1 that if we believe in the divinity of our ,lord1 there need be nothing to stumble us1 but the contrary1 in the thought that it was not an abstraction that ,he died for1 that it was not a vague mass of unknown beings1 clustered together1 but so far away that ,he could not see any of their faces1 for whom ,he gave ,his life on the ,cross4 ,that is the way in which1 and in which alone1 we can embrace the whole mass of humanity--by losing sight of the individuals4 ,we generalise1 precisely because we do not see the individual units2 but that is not ,god's way1 and that is not ,christ's way1 who is divine4 ,for ,him the all is broken up into its parts1 and when we say that the divine love loves all1 we mean that the divine love loves each4 ,i believe 7and ,i commend the thought to you7 that we do not fathom the depth of ,christ's sufferings unless we recognise that the sins of each man were consciously adding pressure to the load beneath which ,he sank2 nor picture the wonders of ,his love until we believe that on the ,cross it distinguished and embraced each1 and1 therefore1 comprehended all4 ,every man may say1 ',he loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4' ,,ii4 ,so much1 then1 for the first central fact that is here4 ,now let me say a word1 in the second place1 about the faith which makes that fact the foundation of my own personal life4 ',i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4' ,i am not going to plunge into any unnecessary dissertations about the nature of faith2 but may ,i say that1 like all other familiar conceptions1 it has got worn so smooth that it glides over our mental palate without roughening any of the papill or giving any sense or savour at all8 ,and ,i do believe that dozens of people like you1 who have come to church and chapel all your lives1 and fancy yourselves to be fully au fait at all the ,christian truth that you will ever hear from my lips1 do not grasp with any clearness of apprehension the meaning of that fundamental word 'faith4' ,it is a thousand pities that it is confined by the accidents of language to our attitude in reference to ,jesus ,christ4 ,so some of you think that it is some kind of theological juggle which has nothing to do with1 and never can be seen in operation in1 common life4 ,suppose1 instead of the threadbare1 technical 'faith' we took to a new translation for a minute1 and said 'trust1' do you think that would freshen up the thought to you at all8 ,it is the very same thing which makes the sweetness of your relations to wife and husband and friend and parent1 which1 transferred to ,jesus ,christ and glorified in the process1 becomes the seed of immortal life and the opener of the gate of ,heaven4 ,trust ,jesus ,christ4 ,that is the living centre of the ,christian life2 that is the process by which we draw the general blessing of the ,gospel into our own hearts1 and make the world-wide truth1 our truth4 ,i need not insist either1 ,i suppose1 on the necessity1 if our ,christian life is to be modelled upon the ,apostolic lines1 of our faith embracing the ,christ in all these aspects in which ,i have been speaking about ,his work4 ,god forbid that ,i should seem to despise rudimentary and incomplete feelings after ,him in any heart which may be unable to say ',amen' to ,paul's statement here4 ,i want to insist very earnestly1 and with special reference to the young1 that the true ,christian faith is not merely the grasp of the person1 but it is the grasp of the ,person who is 'declared to be the ,son of ,god1' and whose death is the voluntary self-surrender motived by ,his love1 for the carrying away of the sins of every single soul in the whole universe4 ,that is the ,christ1 the full ,christ1 cleaving to whom our faith finds somewhat to grasp worthy of grasping4 ,and ,i beseech you1 be not contented with a partial grasp of a partial ,saviour2 neither shut your eyes to the divinity of ,his nature1 nor to the efficacy of ,his death1 but remember that the true ,gospel preaches ,christ and ,him crucified2 and that for us1 saving faith is the faith that grasps the ,son of ,god ',who loved me and gave ,himself for me4' ,note1 further1 that true faith is personal faith1 which appropriates1 and1 as it were1 fences in as my very own1 the purpose and benefit of ,christ's giving of ,himself4 ,it is always difficult for lazy people 7and most of us are lazy7 to transfer into their own personal lives1 and to bring into actual contact with themselves and their own experience1 wide1 general truths4 ,to assent to them1 when we keep them in their generality1 is very easy and very profitless4 ,it does no man any good to say ',all men are mortal'2 but how different it is when the blunt end of that generalisation is shaped into a point1 and ,i say ',i have to die6' ,it penetrates then1 and it sticks4 ,it is easy to say ',all men are sinners4' ,that never yet forced anybody down on his knees4 ,but when we shut out on either side the lateral view and look straight on1 on the narrow line of our own lives1 up to the ,throne where the ,lawgiver sits1 and feel ',i am a sinful man1' that sends us to our prayers for pardon and purity4 ,and in like manner nobody was ever wholesomely terrified by the thought of a general judgment4 ,but when you translate it into ',i must stand there1' the terror of the ,lord persuades men4 ,in like manner that great truth which we all of us say we believe1 that ,christ has died for the world1 is utterly useless and profitless to us until we have translated it into ,paul's world1 'loved me and gave ,himself for me4' ,i do not say that the essence of faith is the conversion of the general statement into the particular application1 but ,i do say that there is no faith which does not realise one's personal possession of the benefits of the death of ,christ1 and that until you turn the wide word into a message for yourself alone1 you have not yet got within sight of the blessedness of the ,christian life4 ,the whole river may flow past me1 but only so much of it as ,i can bring into my own garden by my own sluices1 and lift in my own bucket1 and put to my own lips1 is of any use to me4 ,the death of ,christ for the world is a commonplace of superficial ,christianity1 which is no ,christianity2 the death of ,christ for myself1 as if ,he and ,i were the only beings in the universe1 that is the death on which faith fastens and feeds4 ,and1 dear brother1 you have the right to exercise it4 ,the ,christ loves each1 and therefore ,he loves all2 that is the process in the divine mind4 ,the converse is the process in the revelation of that mind2 the ,bible says to us1 ,christ loves all1 and therefore we have the right to draw the inference that ,he loves each4 ,you have as much right to take every 'whosoever' of the ,new ,testament as your very own1 as if on the page of your ,bible that 'whosoever' was struck out1 and your name1 ,john1 ,thomas1 ,mary1 ,elizabeth1 or whatever it is1 were put in there4 ',he loved me4' ,can you say that8 ,have you ever passed from the region of universality1 which is vague and profitless1 into the region of personal appropriation of the person of ,jesus ,christ and ,his death8 ,,iii4 ,and now1 lastly1 notice the life which is built upon this faith4 ,the true ,christian life is dual4 ,it is a life in the flesh1 and it is also a life in faith4 ,these two1 as ,i have said1 are like two spheres1 in either of which a man's course is passed1 or1 rather1 the one is surface and the other is central4 ,here is a great trailing spray of seaweed floating golden on the unquiet water1 and rising and falling on each wave or ripple4 ,aye6 but its root is away deep1 deep1 deep below the storms1 below where there is motion1 anchored upon a hidden rock that can never move4 ,and so my life1 if it be a ,christian life at all1 has its surface amidst the shifting mutabilities of earth1 but its root in the silent eternities of the centre of all things1 which is ,christ in ,god4 ,i live in the flesh on the outside1 but if ,i am a ,christian at all1 ,i live in the faith in regard of my true and proper being4 ,this faith1 which grasps the ,divine ,christ as the person whose love-moved death is my life1 and who by my faith becomes ,himself the ,indwelling ,guest in my heart2 this faith1 if it be worth anything1 will mould and influence my whole being4 ,it will give me motive1 pattern1 power for all noble service and all holy living4 ,the one thing that stirs men to true obedience is that their hearts be touched with the firm assurance that ,christ loved them and died for them4 ,we sometimes used to see men starting an engine by manual force2 and what toil it was to get the great cranks to turn1 and the pistons to rise6 ,so we set ourselves to try and move our lives into holiness and beauty and nobleness1 and it is dispiriting work4 ,there is a far better1 surer way than that3 let the steam in1 and that will do it4 ,that is to say--let the ,christ in ,his dying power and the living energy of ,his indwelling ,spirit occupy the heart1 and activity becomes blessedness1 and work is rest1 and service is freedom and dominion4 ,the life that ,i live in the flesh is poor1 limited1 tortured with anxiety1 weighed upon by sore distress1 becomes dark and gray and dreary often as we travel nearer the end1 and is always full of miseries and of pains4 ,but if within that life in the flesh there be a life in faith1 which is the life of ,christ ,himself brought to us through our faith1 that life will be triumphant1 quiet1 patient1 aspiring1 noble1 hopeful1 gentle1 strong1 ,godlike1 being the life of ,christ ,himself within us4 ,so1 dear friends1 test your faith by these two tests1 what it grasps and what it does4 ,if it grasps a whole ,christ1 in all the glory of ,his nature and the blessedness of ,his work1 it is genuine2 and it proves its genuineness if1 and only if1 it works in you by love2 animating all your action1 bringing you ever into the conscious presence of that dear ,lord1 and making ,him pattern1 law1 motive1 goal1 companion and reward4 ',to me to live is ,christ4' ,if so1 then we live indeed2 but to live in the flesh is to die2 and the death that we die when we live in ,christ is the gate and the beginning of the only real life of the soul4 ,,the ,,evil ,,eye ,,and ,,the ,,charm ',who hath bewitched you1 that ye should not obey the truth1 before whose eye ,jesus ,christ hath been evidently set forth1 crucified among you8'--,,gal4 iii4 #a4 ,the ,revised ,version gives a shorter1 and probably correct1 form of this vehement question4 ,it omits the two clauses 'that ye should not obey the truth' and 'among you4' ,the omission increases the sharpness of the thrust of the interrogation1 whilst it loses nothing of the meaning4 ,now1 a very striking metaphor runs through the whole of this question1 which may easily be lost sight of by ordinary readers4 ,you know the old superstition as to the ,evil ,eye1 almost universal at the date of this letter and even now in the ,east1 and lingering still amongst ourselves4 ,certain persons were supposed to have the power1 by a look1 to work mischief1 and by fixing the gaze of their victims1 to suck the very life out of them4 ,so ,paul asks who the malign sorcerer is who has thus fascinated the fickle ,galatians1 and is draining their ,christian life out of their eyes4 ,very appropriately1 therefore1 if there is this reference1 which the word translated 'bewitched' carries with it1 he goes on to speak about ,jesus ,christ as having been displayed before their eyes4 ,they had seen ,him4 ,how did they come to be able to turn away to look at anything else8 ,but there is another observation to be made by way of introduction1 and that is as to the full force of the expression 'evidently set forth4' ,the word employed1 as commentators tell us1 is that which is used for the display of official proclamations1 or public notices1 in some conspicuous place1 as the ,forum or the market1 that the citizens might read4 ,so1 keeping up the metaphor1 the word might be rendered1 as has been suggested by some eminent scholars1 'placarded'--',before whose eyes ,jesus ,christ has been placarded4' ,the expression has acquired somewhat ignoble associations from modern advertising1 but that is no reason why we should lose sight of its force4 ,so1 then1 ,paul says1 ',in my preaching1 ,christ was conspicuously set forth4 ,it is like some inexplicable enchantment that1 having seen ,him1 you should turn away to gaze on others4' ,it is insanity which evokes wonder1 as well as sin which deserves rebuke2 and the fiery question of my text conveys both4 ,i4 ,keeping to the metaphor1 ,i note first the placard which ,paul had displayed4 ',jesus ,christ crucified has been conspicuously set forth before you1' he says to these ,galatians4 ,now1 he is referring1 of course1 to his own work of preaching the ,gospel to them at the beginning4 ,and the vivid metaphor suggests very strikingly two things4 ,we see in it the ,apostle's notion of what ,he had to do4 ,his had been a very humble office1 simply to hang up a proclamation4 ,the one virtue of a proclamation is that it should be brief and plain4 ,it must be authoritative1 it must be urgent1 it must be 'writ large1' it must be easily intelligible4 ,and he that makes it public has nothing to do except to fasten it up1 and make sure that it is legible4 ,if ,i might venture into modern phraseology1 what ,paul means is that he was neither more nor less than a bill-sticker1 that he went out with the placards and fastened them up4 ,ah6 if we ministers universally acted up to the implications of this metaphor1 do you not think the pulpit would be more frequently a centre of power than it is to-day8 ,and if1 instead of presenting our own ingenuities and speculations1 we were to realise the fact that we have to hide ourselves behind the broad sheet that we fasten up1 there would be a new breath over many a moribund church1 and we should hear less of the often warrantable sarcasms about the inefficiency of the modern pulpit4 ,but ,i turn from ,paul's conception of the office to his statement of his theme4 ',jesus was displayed amongst you4' ,if ,i might vary the metaphor a little1 the placard that ,paul fastened up was like those that modern advertising ingenuity displays upon all our walls4 ,it was a picture-placard1 and on it was portrayed one sole figure--,jesus1 the ,person4 ,christianity is ,christ1 and ,christ is ,christianity2 and wherever there is a pulpit or a book which deals rather with doctrines than with ,him who is the ,fountain and ,quarry of all doctrine1 there is divergence from the primitive form of the ,gospel4 ,i know1 of course1 that doctrines--which are only formal and orderly statements of principles involved in the facts--must flow from the proclamation of the person1 ,christ4 ,i am not such a fool as to run amuck against theology1 as some people in this day do4 ,but what ,i wish to insist upon is that the first form of ,christianity is not a theory1 but a history1 and that the revelation of ,god is the biography of a man4 ,we must begin with the person1 ,christ1 and preach ,him4 ,would that all our preachers and all professing ,christians1 in their own personal religious life1 had grasped this--that1 since ,christianity is not first a philosophy but a history1 and its centre not an ordered sequence of doctrines but a living person1 the act that makes a man possessor of ,christianity is not the intellectual process of assimilating certain truths1 and accepting them1 but the moral process of clinging1 with trust and love1 to the person1 ,jesus4 ,but1 further1 if any of you consult the original1 you will see that the order of the sentence is such as to throw a great weight of emphasis on that last word 'crucified4' ,it is not merely a person that is portrayed on the placard1 but it is that person upon the ,cross4 ,ah6 brethren1 ,paul himself puts his finger1 in the words of my text1 on what1 in his conception1 was the throbbing heart of all his message1 the vital point from which all its power1 and all the gleam of its benediction1 poured out upon humanity--',christ crucified4' ,if the placard is a picture of ,christ in other attitudes and in other aspects1 without the picture of ,him crucified1 it is an imperfect representation of the ,gospel that ,paul preached and that ,christ was4 ,,ii4 ,now1 think1 secondly1 of the fascinators that draw away the eyes4 ,paul's question is not one of ignorance1 but it is a rhetorical way of rebuking1 and of expressing wonder4 ,he knew1 and the ,galatians knew1 well enough who it was that had bewitched them4 ,the whole letter is a polemic worked in fire1 and not in frost1 as some argumentation is1 against a very well-marked class of teachers--viz4 those emissaries of ,judaism who had crept into the ,church1 and took it as their special function to dog ,paul's steps amongst the heathen communities that he had gathered together through faith in ,christ1 and used every means to upset his work4 ,i cannot but pause for a moment upon this original reference of my text1 because it is very relevant to the present condition of things amongst us4 ,these men whom ,paul is fighting as if he were in a sawpit with them1 in this letter1 what was their teaching8 ,this3 they did not deny that ,jesus was the ,christ2 they did not deny that faith knit a man to ,him1 but what they said was that the observance of the external rites of ,judaism was necessary in order to entrance into the ,church and to salvation4 ,they did not in their own estimation detract from ,christ1 but they added to ,him4 ,and ,paul says that to add is to detract1 to say that anything is necessary except faith in ,jesus ,christ's finished work is to deny that that finished work1 and faith in it1 are the means of salvation2 and the whole evangelical system crumbles into nothingness if once you admit that4 ,now1 is there anybody to-day who is saying the same things1 with variations consequent upon change of external conditions8 ,are there no people within the limits of the ,christian ,church who are reiterating the old ,jewish notion that external ceremonies--baptism and the ,lord's ,supper--are necessary to salvation and to connection with the ,christian ,church8 ,and is it not true now1 as it was then1 that though they do not avowedly detract1 they so represent these external rites as to detract1 from the sole necessity of faith in the perfected work of ,jesus ,christ8 ,the centre is shifted from personal union with a personal ,saviour by a personal faith to participation in external ordinances4 ,and ,i venture to think that the lava stream which1 in this ,epistle to the ,galatians1 ,paul pours on the ,judaisers of his day needs but a little deflection to pour its hot current over1 and to consume1 the sacramentarian theories of this day4 ',o foolish ,galatians1 who hath bewitched you8' ,is it not like some malignant sorcery1 that after the ,evangelical revival of the last century and the earlier part of this1 there should spring up again this old1 old error1 and darken the simplicity of the ,gospel teaching1 that ,christ's work1 apprehended by faith1 without anything else1 is the means1 and the only means1 of salvation8 ,but ,i need not spend time upon that original application4 ,let us rather come more closely to our own individual lives and their weaknesses4 ,it is a strange thing1 so strange that if one did not know it by one's own self1 one would be scarcely disposed to believe it possible1 that a man who has 'tasted the good word of ,god and the powers of the world to come1' and has known ,jesus ,christ as ,saviour and ,friend1 should decline from ,him1 and turn to anything besides4 ,and yet1 strange and sad1 and like some enchantment as it is1 it is the experience at times and in a measure1 of us all2 and1 alas6 it is the experience1 in a very tragical degree1 of many who have walked for a little while behind the ,master1 and then have turned away and walked no more with ,him4 ,we may well wonder2 but the root of the mischief is in no baleful glitter of a sorcerer's eye without us1 but it is in the weakness of our own wills and the waywardness of our own hearts1 and the wandering of our own affections4 ,we often court the coming of the evil influence1 and are willing to be fascinated and to turn our backs upon ,jesus4 ,mysterious it is1 for why should men cast away diamonds for paste8 ,mysterious it is1 for we do not usually drop the substance to get the shadow4 ,mysterious it is1 for a man does not ordinarily empty his pockets of gold in order to fill them with gravel4 ,mysterious it is1 for a thirsty man will not usually turn away from the full1 bubbling1 living fountain1 to see if he can find any drops still remaining1 green with scum1 stagnant and odorous1 at the bottom of some broken cistern4 ,but all these follies are sanity as compared with the folly of which we are guilty1 times without number1 when1 having known the sweetness of ,jesus ,christ1 we turn away to the fascinations of the world4 ,custom1 the familiarity that we have with ,him1 the attrition of daily cares--like the minute grains of sand that are cemented on to paper1 and make a piece of sandpaper that is strong enough to file an inscription off iron--the seductions of worldly delights1 the pressure of our daily cares--all these are as a ring of sorcerers that stand round about us1 before whom we are as powerless as a bird in the presence of a serpent1 and they bewitch us and draw us away4 ,the sad fact has been verified over and over again on a large scale in the history of the ,church4 ,after every outburst of renewed life and elevated spirituality there is sure to come a period of reaction when torpor and formality again assert themselves4 ,what followed the ,reformation in ,germany8 ,a century of death4 ,what followed ,puritanism in ,england8 ,an outburst of lust and godlessness4 ,so it has always been1 and so it is with us individually1 as we too well know4 ,ah1 brethren6 the seductions are omnipresent1 and our poor eyes are very weak1 and we turn away from the ,lord to look on these misshapen monsters that are seeking by their gaze to draw us into destruction4 ,i wonder how many professing ,christians are in this audience who once saw ,jesus ,christ a great deal more clearly1 and contemplated ,him a great deal more fixedly1 and turned their hearts to ,him far more lovingly1 than they do to-day8 ,some of the great mountain peaks of ,africa are only seen for an hour or two in the morning1 and then the clouds gather around them1 and hide them for the rest of the day4 ,it is like the experience of many professing ,christians1 who see ,him in the morning of their ,christian life far more vividly than they ever do after4 ',who hath bewitched you8' ,the world2 but the arch-sorcerer sits safe in our own hearts4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 keeping to the metaphor1 let me suggest1 although my text does not touch upon it1 the ,amulet4 ,one has seen fond mothers in ,egypt and ,palestine who hang on their babies' necks charms1 to shield them from the influence of the ,evil ,eye2 and there is a charm that we may wear if we will1 which will keep us safe4 ,there is no fascination in the ,evil ,eye if you do not look at it4 ,the one object that the sorcerer has is to withdraw our gaze from ,christ2 it is not illogical to say that the way to defeat the object is to keep our gaze fixed on ,christ4 ,if you do not look at the baleful glitter of the ,evil ,eye it will exercise no power over you2 and if you will steadfastly look at ,him1 then1 and only then1 you will not look at it4 ,like ,ulysses in the legend1 bandage the eyes and put wax in the ears1 if you would neither be tempted by hearing the songs1 nor by seeing the fair forms1 of the sirens on their island4 ,to look fixedly at ,jesus ,christ1 and with the resolve never to turn away from ,him1 is the only safety against these tempting delights around us4 ,but1 brethren1 it is the crucified ,christ1 looking to whom1 we are safe amidst all seductions and snares4 ,i doubt whether a ,christ who did not die for men has power enough over men's hearts and minds to draw them to ,himself4 ,the cords which bind us to ,him are the assurance of ,his dying love which has conquered us4 ,if only we will1 day by day1 and moment by moment1 as we pass through the duties and distractions1 the temptations and the trials1 of this present life1 by an act of will and thought turn ourselves to ,him1 then all the glamour of false attractiveness will disappear from the temptations around us1 and we shall see that the sirens1 for all their fair forms1 end in loathly fishes' tails and sit amidst dead men's bones4 ,brethren1 'looking off unto ,jesus' is the secret of triumph over the fascinations of the world4 ,and if we will habitually so look1 then the sweetness that we shall experience will destroy all the seducing power of lesser and earthly sweetness1 and the blessed light of the sun will dim and all but extinguish the deceitful gleams that tempt us into the swamps where we shall be drowned4 ,turn away1 then1 from these things2 cleave to ,jesus ,christ2 and though in ourselves we may be as weak as a humming-bird before a snake1 or a rabbit before a tiger1 ,he will give us strength1 and the light of ,his face shining down upon us will fix our eyes and make us insensible to the fascinations of the sorcerers4 ,so we shall not need to dread the question1 ',who hath bewitched you8' but ourselves challenge the utmost might of the fascination with the triumphant question1 ',who shall separate us from the love of ,christ8' ,help us1 ,o ,lord6 we beseech ,thee1 to live near ,thee4 ,turn away our eyes from beholding vanity1 and enable us to set the ,lord always before us that we be not moved4 ,,lessons ,,of ,,experience ',have ye suffered so many things in vain8'--,,gal4 iii #d4 ,preached on the last ,sunday of the year4 ,this vehement question is usually taken to be a reminder to the fickle ,galatians that their ,christian faith had brought upon them much suffering from the hands of their unbelieving brethren1 and to imply an exhortation to faithfulness to the ,gospel lest they should stultify their past brave endurance4 ,yielding to the ,judaising teachers1 and thereby escaping the 'offence of the ,cross1' they would make their past sufferings vain4 ,but it may be suggested that the word 'suffered' here is rather used in what is its known sense elsewhere1 namely1 with the general idea of feeling1 the nature of the feeling being undefined4 ,it is a touching proof of the preponderance of pain and sorrow that by degrees the significance of the word has become inextricably intertwined with the thought of sadness2 still1 it is possible to take it in the text as meaning experienced or felt1 and to regard the ,apostle as referring to the whole of the ,galatians' past experience1 and as founding his appeal for their steadfastness on all the joys as well as the sorrows1 which their faith had brought them4 ,taking the words in this more general sense they become a question which it is well for us to ask ourselves at such a time as this1 when the calendar naturally invites us to look backwards and ask ourselves what we have made of all our experiences in the past1 or rather what1 by the help of them all1 we have made of ourselves4 ,i4 ,the duty of retrospect4 ,for almost any reason it is good for us to be delivered from our prevailing absorption in the present4 ,whatever counterpoises the overwhelming weight of the present is1 so far1 a blessing and a good1 and whatever softens the heart and keeps up even the lingering remembrance of early1 dewy freshness and of the high aspirations which1 even for a brief space1 elevated our past selves is gain amidst the dusty commonplaces of to-day4 ,we see things better and more clearly when we get a little away from them1 as a face is more distinctly visible at armslength than when held close4 ,but our retrospects are too often almost as trivial and degrading as is our absorption in the present1 and to prevent memory from becoming a minister of frivolity if not of sin1 it is needful that such a question as that of our text be urgently asked by each of us4 ,memory must be in closest union with conscience1 as all our faculties must be1 or she is of little use4 ,there is a mere sentimental luxury of memory which finds a pensive pleasure in the mere passing out from the hard present into the soft light1 not without illusion in its beams1 of the 'days that are no more4' ,merely to live over again our sorrows and joys without any clear discernment of what their effects on our moral character have been1 is not the retrospect that becomes a man1 however it might suit an animal4 ,we have to look back as a man might do escaping from the ocean on to some frail sand-bank which ever breaks off and crumbles away at his very heels4 ,to remember the past mainly as it affected our joy or our sorrow is as unworthy as to regard the present from the same point of view1 and robs both of their highest worth4 ,to remember is only then blessed and productive of its highest possible good in us1 when the question of our text insists on being faced1 and the object of retrospect is not to try to rekindle the cold coals of past emotions1 but to ascertain what effect on our present characters our past experiences have had4 ,we have not to turn back and try to gather some lingering flowers1 but to look for the fruit which has followed the fallen blossoms4 ,,ii4 ,the true test for the past4 ,the question of our text implies1 as we have already suggested1 that our whole lives1 with all their various and often opposite experiences1 are yet an ordered whole1 having a definite end4 ,there is some purpose beyond the moment to be served4 ,our joys and our sorrows1 our gains and our losses1 the bright hours and the dark hours1 and the hours that are neither eminently bright nor supremely dark1 our failures and our successes1 our hopes disappointed or fulfilled1 and all the infinite variety of condition and environment through which our varying days and years have led us1 co-operate for one end4 ,it is life that makes men2 the infant is a bundle of possibilities1 and as the years go on1 one possible avenue of development after another is blocked4 ,the child might have been almost anything2 the man has become hardened and fixed into one shape4 ,but all this variety of impulses and complicated experiences need the co-operation of the man himself if they are to reach their highest results in him4 ,if he is simply recipient of these external forces acting upon him1 they will shape him indeed1 but he will be a poor creature4 ,life does not make men unless men take the command of life1 and he who lets circumstances and externals guide him1 as the long water weeds in a river are directed by its current1 will1 from the highest point of view1 have experienced the variations of a lifetime in vain4 ,no doubt each of our experiences has its own immediate and lower purpose to serve1 and these purposes are generally accomplished1 but beyond these each has a further aim which is not reached without diligent carefulness and persistent effort on our parts4 ,if we would be sure of what it is to suffer life's experiences in vain1 we have but to ask ourselves what life is given us for1 and we all know that well enough to be able to judge how far we have used life to attain the highest ends of living4 ,we may put these ends in various ways in our investigation of the results of our manifold experiences4 ,let us begin with the lowest--we received life that we might learn truth1 then if our experience has not taught us wisdom it has been in vain4 ,it is deplorable to have to look round and see how little the multitude of men are capable of forming anything like an independent and intelligent opinion1 and how they are swayed by gusts of passion1 by blind prejudice1 by pretenders and quacks of all sorts4 ,it is no less sad for us to turn our eyes within and discover1 perhaps not without surprise and shame1 how few of what we are self-complacent enough to call our opinions are due to our own convictions4 ,if we ever are honest enough with ourselves to catch a glimpse of our own unwisdom1 the question of our text will press heavily upon us1 and may help to make us wiser by teaching us how foolish we are4 ,an infinite source of wisdom is open to us1 and all the rich variety of our lives' experiences has been lavished on us to help us1 and what have we made of it all8 ,but we may rise a step higher and remember that we are made moral creatures4 ,therefore1 whatever has not developed infant potentialities in us1 and made them moral qualities1 has been experienced in vain4 ',not enjoyment and not sorrow is our destined end and way4' ,life is meant to make us love and do the good1 and unless it has produced that effect on us1 it has failed4 ,if this be true1 the world is full of failures1 like the marred statues in a bad sculptor's studio1 and we ourselves have earnestly to confess that the discipline of life has too often been wasted upon us1 and that of us the divine complaint from of old has been true3 ',in vain have ,i smitten thy children1 they have received no correction4' ,there is no sadder waste than the waste of sorrow1 and alas6 we all know how impotent our afflictions have been to make us better4 ,but not afflictions only have failed in their appeal to us1 our joys have as often been in vain as our sorrows1 and memory1 when it turns its lamp on the long past1 sees so few points at which life has taught us to love goodness1 and be good1 that she may well quench her light and let the dead past bury its dead4 ,but we must rise still higher1 and think of men as being made for ,god1 and as being the only creatures known to us who are capable of religion4 ',man's chief end is to glorify ,god and to enjoy ,him for ever4' ,and this chief end is in fullest harmony with the lower ends to which we have just referred1 and they will never be realised in their fullest completeness unless that completeness is sought in this the chief end4 ,from of old meditative souls have known that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the ,lord1 and that that fear is as certainly the beginning of goodness4 ,it was not an irrelevant rebuke to the question1 ',what good thing shall ,i do8' when ,jesus set the eager young soul who asked it1 to justify to himself his courteous and superficial application to ,him of the abused and vulgarised title of ',good1' and pointed him to ,god as the only ,being to whom that title1 in its perfectness1 could be given4 ,if 'there is none good but one1 that is ,god1' man's goodness must be drawn from ,him1 and morality without religion will in theory be incomplete1 and in practice a delusion4 ,if1 then1 men are made to need ,god1 and capable of possessing ,him1 and of being possessed by ,him1 then the great question for all of us is1 has life1 with all its rapid whirl of changing circumstance and varying fortunes1 drawn us closer to ,god1 and made us more fit to receive more of ,him8 ,so supreme is this chief end that a life which has not attained it can only be regarded as 'in vain' whatever other successes it may have attained4 ,so unspeakably more important and necessary is it1 that compared with it all else sinks into nothingness2 hence many lives which are dazzling successes in the eyes of men are ghastly failures in reality4 ,now1 if we take these plain principles with us in our retrospect of the past year we shall be launched on a very serious inquiry1 and brought face to face with a very penitent answer4 ,some of us may have had great sorrows1 and the tears may be scarcely dry upon our cheeks3 some of us may have had great gladnesses1 and our hearts may still be throbbing with the thrill3 some of us may have had great successes1 and some of us heavy losses1 but the question for us to ask is not of the quality of our past experiences1 but as to their effects upon us4 ,has life been so used by us as to help us to become wiser1 better1 more devout8 ,and the answer to that question1 if we are honest in our scrutiny of ourselves1 and if memory has not been a mere sentimental luxury1 must be that we have too often been but unfaithful recipients alike of ,god's mercies and ,god's chastisements1 and have received much of the discipline of life1 and remained undisciplined4 ,the question of our text1 if asked by me1 would be impertinent1 but it is asked of each of us by the stern voice of conscience1 and for some of us by the lips of dear ones whose loss has been among our chiefest sufferings4 ,god asks us this question1 and it is hard to make-believe to ,him4 ,,iii4 ,the best issue of the retrospect4 ,the world says1 ',what ,i have written ,i have written1' and there is a very solemn and terrible reality in the thought of the irrevocable past4 ,whether life has achieved the ends for which it was given or no1 it has achieved some ends4 ,it may have made us into characters the very opposite of ,god's intention for us1 but it has made us into certain characters which1 so far as the world sees1 can never be unmade or re-made4 ,the world harshly preaches the indelibility of character1 and proclaims that the ,ethiopian may as soon be expected to change his skin or the leopard his spots as the man accustomed to do evil may learn to do well4 ,that dreary fatalism which binds the effects of a dead past on a man's shoulders1 and forbids him to hope that anything will obliterate the marks of 'what once hath been1' is in violent contradiction to the large hope brought into the world by ,jesus ,christ4 ,what we have written we have written1 and we have no power to erase the lines and make the sheet clean again1 but ,jesus ,christ has taken away the handwriting 'that was against us1' nailing it to ,his cross4 ,instead of our old sin-worn and sin-marked selves1 ,he proffers to each of us a new self1 not the outcome of what we have been1 but the image of what ,he is and the prophecy of what we shall be4 ,by the great gift of holiness for the future by the impartation of ,his own life and spirit1 ,jesus makes all things new4 ,the ,gospel recognises to the full how bad some who have received it were1 but it can willingly admit their past foulness1 because it contrasts with all that former filth their present cleanness1 and to the most inveterately depraved who have trusted in ,christ rejoices to say1 ',ye were washed1 ye were sanctified1 ye were justified in the name of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,,the ,,universal ,,prison ',but the ,scripture hath concluded all under sin1 that the promise by faith of ,jesus ,christ might be given to them that believe4'--,,gal4 iii4 #bb4 ,the ,apostle uses here a striking and solemn figure1 which is much veiled for the ,english reader by the ambiguity attaching to the word 'concluded4' ,it literally means 'shut up1' and is to be taken in its literal sense of confining1 and not in its secondary sense of inferring4 ,so1 then1 we are to conceive of a vast prison-house in which mankind is confined4 ,and then1 very characteristically1 the ,apostle passes at once to another metaphor when he goes on to say 'under sin4' ,what a moment before had presented itself to his vivid imagination as a great dungeon is now represented as a heavy weight1 pressing down upon those beneath2 if1 indeed1 we are not1 perhaps1 rather to think of the low roof of the dark dungeon as weighing on the captives4 ,further1 he says that ,scripture has driven men into this captivity4 ,that1 of course1 cannot mean that revelation makes us sinners1 but it does mean that it makes us more guilty1 and that it declares the fact of human sinfulness as no other voice has ever done4 ,and then the grimness of the picture is all relieved and explained1 and the office ascribed to ,god's revelation harmonised with ,god's love1 by the strong1 steady beam of light that falls from the last words1 which tell us that the prisoners have not been bound in chains for despair or death1 but in order that1 gathered together in a common doleful destiny1 they may become recipients of a common blessed salvation1 and emerge into liberty and light through faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,so here are three things--the prison-house1 its guardian1 and its breaker4 ',the ,scripture hath shut up all under sin1 in order that the promise by faith of ,jesus ,christ might be given unto all them that believe4' ,i4 ,first1 then1 note the universal prison-house4 ,now the ,apostle says two things--and we may put away the figure and look at the facts that underlie it4 ,the one is that all sin is imprisonment1 the other is that all men are in that dungeon1 unless they have come out of it through faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,all sin is imprisonment4 ,that is the direct contrary of the notion that many people have4 ,they say to themselves1 ',why should ,i be fettered and confined by these antiquated restrictions of a conventional morality8 ,why should ,i not break the bonds1 and do as ,i like8' ,and they laugh at ,christian people who recognise the limitations under which ,god's law has put them2 and tell us that we are 'cold-blooded folks who live by rule1' and contrast their own broad 'emancipation from narrow prejudice4' ,but the reality is the other way4 ,the man who does wrong is a slave in the measure in which he does it4 ,if you want to find out--and mark this1 you young people1 who may be deceived by the false contrasts between the restraints of duty and the freedom of living a dissolute life--if you want to find out how utterly 'he that committeth sin is the slave of sin1' try to break it off1 and you will find it out fast enough4 ,we all know1 alas6 the impotence of the will when it comes to hand grips with some evil to which we have become habituated2 and how we determine and determine1 and try1 and fail1 and determine again1 with no better result4 ,we are the slaves of our own passions2 and no man is free who is hindered by his lower self from doing that which his better self tells him he ought to do4 ,the tempter comes to you1 and says1 ',come and do this thing1 just for once4 ,you can leave off when you like1 you know4 ,there is no need to do it a second time4' ,and when you have done it1 he changes his note1 and says1 ',ah6 you are in1 and you cannot get out4 ,you have done it once2 and in my vocabulary once means twice1 and once and twice mean always4' ,insane people are sometimes tempted into a house of detention by being made to believe that it is a grand mansion1 where they are just going to pay a flying visit1 and can come away when they like4 ,but once inside the walls1 they never get past the lodge gates any more4 ,the foolish birds do not know that there is lime on the twigs1 and their little feet get fastened to the branch1 and their wings flutter in vain4 ',he that committeth sin is the slave of sin--shut up1' dungeoned1 'under sin4' ,but do not forget1 either1 the other metaphor in our text1 in which the ,apostle1 with characteristic rapidity1 and to the horror of rhetorical propriety1 passes at once from the thought of a dungeon to the thought of an impending weight1 and says1 ',shut up under sin4' ,what does that mean8 ,it means that we are guilty when we have done wrong2 and it means that we are under penalties which are sure to follow4 ,no deed that we do1 howsoever it may fade from the tablets of our memory1 but writes in visible characters1 in proportion to its magnitude1 upon our characters and lives4 ,all human acts have perpetual consequences4 ,the kick of the rifle against the shoulder of the man that fires it is as certain as the flight of the bullet from its muzzle4 ,the chalk cliffs that rise above the ,channel entomb and perpetuate the relics of myriads of evanescent lives2 and our fleeting deeds are similarly preserved in our present selves4 ,everything that a man wills1 whether it passes into external act or not1 leaves1 in its measure1 ineffaceable impressions on himself4 ,and so we are not only dungeoned in1 but weighed upon by1 and lie under1 the evil that we do4 ,nor1 dear friends1 dare ,i pass in silence what is too often passed in silence in the modern pulpit1 the plain fact that there is a future waiting for each of us beyond the grave1 of which the most certain characteristic1 certified by our own forebodings1 required by the reasonableness of creation1 and made plain by the revelation of ,scripture1 is that it is a future of retribution1 where we shall have to carry our works2 and as we have brewed so shall we drink2 and the beds that we have made we shall have to lie upon4 ',god shut up all under sin4' ,note1 again1 the universality of the imprisonment4 ,now ,i am not going to exaggerate1 ,i hope4 ,i want to keep well within the limits of fact1 and to say nothing that is not endorsed by your own consciences1 if you will be honest with yourselves4 ,and ,i say that the ,bible does not charge men universally with gross transgressions4 ,it does not talk about the virtues that grow in the open as if they were splendid vices2 but it does say1 and ,i ask you if our own hearts do not tell us that it says truly1 that no man is1 or has been1 does1 or has done1 that which his own conscience tells him he should have been and done4 ,we are all ready to admit faults1 in a general way1 and to confess that we have come short of what our own consciousness tells us we ought to be4 ,but ,i want you to take the other step1 and to remember that since we each stand in a personal relation to ,god1 therefore all imperfections1 faults1 negligences1 shortcomings1 and1 still more1 transgressions of morality1 or of the higher aspirations of our lives1 are sins4 ,because sin--to use fine words--is the correlative of ,god4 ,or1 to put it into plainer language1 the deeds which in regard to law may be crimes1 or those which in regard to morality may be vices1 or in regard to our own convictions of duty may be shortcomings1 seeing they all have some reference to ,him1 assume a very much graver character1 and they are all sins4 ,oh1 brethren1 if we realise how intimately and inseparably we are knit to ,god1 and how everything that we do1 and do not do1 but should have done1 has an aspect in reference to ,him1 ,i think we should be less unwilling to admit1 and less tinged with levity and carelessness in admitting1 that all our faults are transgressions of ,his law1 and we should find ourselves more frequently on our knees before ,him1 with the penitent words on our lips and in our hearts1 ',against ,thee1 ,thee only have ,i sinned1 and done this evil in ,thy sight4' ,that was the prayer of a man who had done a foul evil in other people's sight2 who had managed to accumulate about as many offences to as many people in one deed as was possible4 ,for1 as a king he had sinned against his nation1 as a friend he had sinned against his companion1 as a captain he had sinned against his brave subordinate1 as a husband he had sinned against his wife1 and he had sinned against ,bathsheba4 ,and yet1 with all that tangle of offences against all these people1 he says1 ',against ,thee1 ,thee only4' ,yes6 ,because1 accurately speaking1 the sin had reference to ,god1 and to ,god alone4 ,and ,i wish for myself and for you to cultivate the habit of connecting1 thus1 all our actions1 and especially our imperfections and our faults1 with the thought of ,god1 that we may learn how universal is the enclosure of man in this dreadful prison-house4 ,,ii4 ,and so1 ,i come1 in the second place1 to look at the guardian of the prison4 ,that is a strange phrase of my text attributing the shutting of men up in this prison-house to the merciful revelation of ,god in the ,scripture4 ,and it is made still more striking and strange by another edition of the same expression in the ,epistle to the ,romans1 where ,paul directly traces the 'concluding all in disobedience' to ,god ,himself4 ,there may be other subtle thoughts connected with that expression which ,i do not need to enter upon now4 ,but one that ,i would dwell upon1 for a moment1 is this1 that one great purpose of ,scripture is to convince us that we are sinful in ,god's sight4 ,i do not need to remind you1 ,i suppose1 how that was1 one might almost say1 the dominant intention of the whole of the ceremonial and moral law of ,israel1 and explains its many else inexplicable and apparently petty commandments and prohibitions4 ,they were all meant to emphasise the difference between right and wrong1 obedience and disobedience1 and so to drive home to men's hearts the consciousness that they had broken the commandments of the living ,god4 ,and although the ,gospel comes with a very different guise from that ancient order1 and is primarily gift and not law1 a ,gospel of forgiveness1 and not the promulgation of duty or the threatening of condemnation1 yet it1 too1 has for one of its main purposes1 which must be accomplished in us before it can reach its highest aim in us1 the kindling in men's hearts of the same consciousness that they are sinful men in ,god's sight4 ,ah1 brethren1 we all need it4 ,there is nothing that we need more than to have driven deep into us the penetrating point of that conviction4 ,there must be some external standard by which men may be convinced of their sinfulness1 for they carry no such standard within them4 ,your conscience is only you judging on moral questions1 and1 of course1 as you change1 it will change too4 ,a man's whole state determines the voice with which conscience shall speak to him1 and so the worse he is1 and the more he needs it1 the less he has it4 ,the rebels cut the telegraph wires4 ,the waves break the bell that hangs on the reef1 and so the black rocks get many a wreck to gnaw with their sharp teeth4 ,a man makes his conscience dumb by the very sins that require a conscience trumpet-tongued to reprehend them4 ,and therefore it needs that ,god should speak from ,heaven1 and say to us1 ',thou art the man1' or else we pass by all these grave things that ,i am trying to urge upon you now1 and fall back upon our complacency and our levity and our unwillingness to take stock of ourselves1 and front the facts of our condition4 ,and so we build up a barrier between ourselves and ,god1 and ,god's grace1 which nothing short of that grace and an omnipotent love and an all-powerful ,redeemer can ever pull down4 ,i wish to urge in a few words1 yet with much earnestness1 this thought1 that until we have laid to heart ,god's message about our own personal sinfulness we have not got to the place where we can in the least understand the true meaning of ,his ,gospel1 or the true work of ,his ,son4 ,may ,i say that ,i1 for one1 am old-fashioned enough to look with great apprehension on certain tendencies of present-day presentations of ,christianity which1 whilst they dwell much upon the social blessings which it brings1 do seem to me to be in great peril of obscuring the central characteristic of the ,gospel1 that it is addressed to sinful men1 and that the only way by which individuals can come to the possession of any of its blessings is by coming as penitent sinners1 and casting themselves on the mercy of ,god in ,jesus ,christ8 ,the beginning of all lies here1 where ,paul puts it1 'the ,scripture hath herded all men1' in droves1 into the prison1 that it might have mercy upon all4 ,dear friend1 as the old proverb has it1 deceit lurks in generalities4 ,i have no doubt you are perfectly willing to admit that all are sinful4 ,come a little closer to the truth1 ,i beseech you1 and say each is sinful1 and ,i am one of the captives4 ,,iii4 ,and so1 lastly1 the breaker of the prison-house4 ,i need not spend your time in commenting on the final words of this text4 ,suffice it to gather their general purport and scope4 ,the apparently stern treatment which ,god by revelation applies to the whole mass of mankind is really the tenderest beneficence4 ,he has shut them up in the prison-house in order that1 thus shut up1 they may the more eagerly apprehend and welcome the advent of the ,deliverer4 ,he tells us each our state1 in order that we may the more long for1 and the more closely grasp1 the great mercy which reverses the state4 ,and so how shallow and how unfair it is to talk about evangelical ,christianity as being gloomy1 stern1 or misanthropical6 ,you do not call a doctor unkind because he tells an unsuspecting patient that his disease is far advanced1 and that if it is not cured it will be fatal4 ,no more should a man turn away from ,christianity1 or think it harsh and sour1 because it speaks plain truths4 ,the question is1 are they true8 not1 are they unpleasant8 ,if you and ,i1 and all our fellows1 are shut up in this prison-house of sin1 then it is quite clear that none of us can do anything to get ourselves out4 ,and so the way is prepared for that great message with which ,jesus opened ,his ministry1 and which1 whilst it has a far wider application1 and reference to social as well as to individual evils1 begins with the proclamation of liberty to the captives1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound4 ,there was once a ,roman emperor who wished that all his enemies had one neck1 that he might slay them all at one blow4 ,the wish is a fact in regard to ,christ and ,his work1 for by it all our tyrants have been smitten to death by one stroke2 and the death of ,jesus ,christ has been the death of sin and death and hell--of sin in its power1 in its guilt1 and in its penalty4 ,he has come into the prison-house1 and torn the bars away1 and opened the fetters1 and every man may1 if he will1 come out into the blessed sunshine and expatiate there4 ,and if1 brethren1 it is true that the universal prison-house is opened by the death of ,jesus ,christ1 who is the ,propitiation for the sins of the whole world1 and the power by which the most polluted may become clean1 then there follows1 as plainly1 that the only thing which we have to do is1 recognising and feeling our bound impotence1 to stretch out chained hands and take the gift that ,he brings4 ,since all is done for each of us1 and since none of us can do sufficient for himself to break the bond1 then what we should do is to trust to ,him who has broken every chain and let the oppressed go free4 ,oh1 dear friend1 if you want to get to the heart of the sweetness and the blessedness and power of the ,gospel1 you must begin here1 with the clear and penitent consciousness that you are a sinful man in ,god's sight1 and can do nothing to cleanse1 help1 or liberate yourself4 ,is ,jesus ,christ the breaker of the bond for you8 ,do you learn from ,him what your need is8 ,do you trust yourself to ,him for ,pardon1 for cleansing1 for emancipation8 ,unless you do1 you will never know ,his most precious preciousness1 and you have little right to call yourself a ,christian4 ,if you do1 oh1 than a great light will shine in the prison-house1 and your chains will drop from your wrists1 and the iron door will open of its own accord1 and you will come out into the morning sunshine of a new day1 because you have confessed and abhorred the bondage into which you have cast yourselves1 and accepted the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made you free4 ,,the ,,son ,,sent ',when the fulness of the time came1 ,god sent forth ,his ,son1 born of a woman1 born under the law1 that ,he might redeem them which were under the law1 that we might receive the adoption of sons4'--,,gal4 iv4 #d1 #e 7,r4,v474 ,it is generally supposed that by the 'fulness of time' ,paul means to indicate that ,christ came at the moment when the world was especially prepared to receive ,him1 and no doubt that is a true thought4 ,the ,jews had been trained by law to the conviction of sin2 heathenism had tried its utmost1 had reached the full height of its possible development1 and was decaying4 ,rome had politically prepared the way for the spread of the ,gospel4 ,vague expectations of coming change found utterance even from the lips of ,roman courtier poets1 and a feeling of unrest and anticipation pervaded society2 but while no doubt all this is true and becomes more certain the more we know of the state of things into which ,christ came1 it is to be noted that ,paul is not thinking of the fulness of time primarily in reference to the world which received ,him1 but to the ,father who sent ,him4 ,our text immediately follows words in which the air is described as being 'under guardians and stewards' until the time appointed of ,his ,father1 and the fulness of time is therefore the moment which ,god had ordained from the beginning for ,his coming4 ,he1 from of old1 had willed that at that moment this ,son should be born1 and it is to the punctual accomplishment of ,his eternal purpose that ,paul here directs our thoughts4 ,no doubt the world's preparedness is part of the reason for the divine determination of the time1 but it is that divine determination rather than the world's preparedness to which the first words of our text must be taken to refer4 ,the remaining portion of our text is so full of meaning that one shrinks from attempting to deal with it in our narrow space1 but though it opens up depths beyond our fathoming1 and gathers into one concentrated brightness lights on which our dim eyes can hardly look1 we may venture to attempt some imperfect consideration even of these great words4 ,following their course of thought we may deal with ,i4 ,the mystery of love that sent4 ,the most frequent form under which the great fact of the incarnation is represented in ,scripture is that of our text--',god sent ,his ,son4' ,it is familiar on the lips of ,jesus1 but ,he also says that ',god gave ,his ,son4' ,one can feel a shade of difference in the two modes of expression4 ,the former bringing rather to our thoughts the representative character of the ,son as ,messenger1 and the latter going still deeper into the mystery of ,godhead and bringing into view the love of the ,father who spared not ,his ,son but freely bestowed ,him on men4 ,yet another word is used by ,jesus ,himself when ,he says1 ',i came forth from ,god1' and that expression brings into view the perfect willingness with which the ,son accepted the mission and gave ,himself1 as well as was given by ,god4 ,all three phases express harmonious1 though slightly differing aspects of the same fact1 as the facets of a diamond might flash into different colours1 and all must be held fast if we would understand the unspeakable gift of ,god4 ,jesus was sent2 ,jesus was given2 ,jesus came4 ,the mission from the ,father1 the love of the ,father1 the glad obedience of the ,son1 must ever be recognised as interpenetrating1 and all present in that supreme act4 ,there have been many men specially sent forth from ,god1 whose personal existence began with their birth1 and so far as the words are concerned1 ,jesus might have been one of these4 ,there was a man sent from ,god whose name was ,john1 and all through the ages he has had many companions in his mission1 but there has been only one who 'came' as well as 'was sent1' and ,he is the true light which lighteth every man4 ,to speak in theological language of the pre-existence of the ,son is cold1 and may obscure the truth which it formulates in so abstract a fashion1 and may rob it of power to awe and impress4 ,but there can be no question that in our text1 as is shown by the juxtaposition of 'sent' and 'born1' and in all the ,new ,testament references to the subject1 the birth of ,jesus is not regarded as the beginning of the being of the ,son4 ,the one lies far back in the depths of eternity and the mystery of the divine nature1 the other is a historical fact occurring in a definite place and at a dated moment4 ,before time was the ,son was1 delighting in the ,father1 and 'in the beginning was the word and the word was with ,god1' and ,he who in respect of ,his expression of the ,father's mind and will was the ,word1 was the ,son in respect of the love that bound the ,father and ,him in one4 ,into the mysteries of that love and union no eyes can penetrate1 but unless our faith lays hold of it1 we know not the ,god whom ,jesus has declared to us4 ,the mysteries of that divine union and communion lie beyond our reach1 but well within the grasp of our faith and the work of the ,son in the world1 ever since there was a world1 is not obscurely declared to all who have eyes to see and hearts to understand4 ,for ,he has through all ages been the active energy of the divine power1 or as the ,old ,testament words it1 ',the ,arm of the ,lord1' the ,agent of creation1 the ,revealer of ,god1 the ,light of the world and the ,director of ,providence4 ',he was in the world and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4' ,now all this teaching that the ,son was long before ,jesus was born is no mere mysterious dogma without bearing on daily needs1 but stands in the closest connection with ,christ's work and our faith in it4 ,it is the guarantee of ,his representative character2 on it depends the reliableness of ,his revelation of ,god4 ,unless ,he is the ,son in a unique sense1 how could ,god have spoken unto us in ,him1 and how could we rely on ,his words8 ,unless ,he was 'the effulgence of ,his glory and the express image of ,his person'3 how could we be sure that the light of ,his countenance was light from ,god and that in ,his person ,god was so presented as that he who had seen ,him had seen the ,father8 ,the completeness and veracity of ,his revelation1 the authoritative fulness of ,his law1 the efficacy of ,his sacrifice and the prevalence of ,his intercession all depend on the fact of ,his divine life with ,god long before ,his human life with men4 ,it is a plain historical fact that a ,christianity which has no place for a pre-existent ,son in the bosom of the ,father has only a maimed ,christ in reference to the needs of sinful men4 ,if our ,christ were not the eternal ,son of ,god1 ,he will not be the universal ,saviour of men4 ,nor is this truth less needful in its bearing on modern theories which will have nothing to say to the supernatural1 and in a fatalistic fashion regard history as all the result of an orderly evolution in which the importance of personal agents is minimised4 ,to it ,jesus1 like all other great men1 is a product of ,his age1 and the immediate result of the conditions under which ,he appeared4 ,but when we look far beyond the manger of ,bethlehem into the depths of ,eternity and see ,god so loving the world as to give ,his ,son1 we cannot but recognise that ,he has intervened in the course of human history and that the mightiest force in the development of man is the eternal ,son whom ,he sent to save the world4 ,,ii4 ,the miracle of lowliness that came4 ,the ,apostle goes on from describing the great fact which took place in heaven to set forth the great fact which completed it on earth4 ,the sending of the ,son took effect in the birth of ,jesus1 and the ,apostle puts it under two forms1 both of which are plainly designed to present ,christ's manhood as ,his full identification of ,himself with us4 ,the ,son of ,god became the son of a woman2 from ,his mother ,he drew a true and complete humanity in body and soul4 ,the humanity which ,he received was sufficiently kindred with the divinity which received it to make it possible that the one should dwell in the other and be one person4 ,as born of a woman the ,son of ,god took upon ,himself all human experiences1 became capable of sharing our pure emotions1 wept our tears1 partook in our joys1 hoped and feared as we do1 was subject to our changes1 grew as we grow1 and in everything but sin1 was a man amongst men4 ,but the ,son of ,god could not be as the sons of men4 ,him the ,father heard always4 ,even when ,he came down from ,heaven and became the ,son of ,man1 ,he continued to be ',the ,son of ,man which is in ,heaven4' ,amid all the distractions and limitations of ,his earthly life1 the continuity and depth of ,his communion with the ,father were unbroken and the completeness of ,his obedience undiminished4 ,he was a ,man1 but ,he was also the ,man1 the one realised ideal of humanity that has ever walked the earth1 to whom all others1 even the most complete1 are fragments1 the fairest foul1 the most gracious harsh4 ,in ,him and in ,him only has been 'given the world assurance of a man4' ,the other condition which is here introduced is 'born under the law1' by which it may be noted that the ,apostle does not mean the ,jewish law1 inasmuch as he does not use the definite article with the word4 ,no doubt our ,lord was born as a ,jew and subject to the ,jewish law1 but the thought here and in the subsequent clause is extended to the general notion of law4 ,the very heart of our ,lord's human identification is that ,he too had duties imperative upon ,him1 and the language of one of the ,messianic psalms was the voice of ,his filial will during all ,his earthly life2 ',lo6 ,i come1 in the volume of the ,book it is written of ,me1 ,i delight to do ,thy will and ,thy law is within ,my heart4' ,the very secret of ,his human life was discovered by the heathen centurion1 at whose faith ,he marvelled1 who said1 ',i also am a man under authority'2 so was ,jesus4 ,the ,son had ever been obedient in the sweet communion of ,heaven1 but the obedience of ,jesus was not less perfect1 continual and unstained4 ,it was the man ,jesus who summed up ,his earthly life in ',i do always the things that please ,him'2 it was the man ,jesus who1 under the olives in ,gethsemane1 made the great surrender and yielded up ,his own will to the will of the ,father who sent ,him4 ,he was under law in that the will of ,god dominated ,his life1 but ,he was not so under it as we are on whom its precepts often press as an unwelcome obligation1 and who know the weight of guilt and condemnation4 ,if there is any one characteristic of ,jesus more conspicuous than another it is the absence in ,him of any consciousness of deficiency in ,his obedience to law1 and yet that absence does not in the smallest degree infringe on ,his claim to be 'meek and lowly in heart4' ',which of you convinceth ,me of sin8' would have been from any other man a defiance that would have provoked a crushing answer if it had not been taken as a proof of hopeless ignorance of self1 but when ,christ asks the question1 the world is silent4 ,the silence has been all but unbroken for nineteen hundred years1 and of all the busy and often unfriendly eyes that have been occupied with ,him and the hostile pens that have been eager to say something new about ,him1 none have discovered a flaw1 or dared to 'hint a fault4' ,that character has stamped its own impression of perfectness on all eyes even the most unfriendly or indifferent4 ,in ,him there is seen the perfect union and balance of opposite characteristics2 the rest of us1 at the best1 are but broken arcs2 ,jesus is the completed round4 ,he is under law as fully1 continuously and joyfully obedient2 but for ,him it had no accusing voice1 and it laid on ,him no burden of broken commandments4 ,he was born of a woman1 born under law1 but he lived separate from sinners though identified with them4 ,,iii4 ,the marvel of exaltation that results4 ,our ,lord's lowliness is described in the two clauses which we have just been considering4 ,they express ,his identification with us from a double point of view1 and that double point of view is continued in the final clauses of our text which state the double purpose of ,god in sending ,his ,son4 ,he became one with us that we might become one with ,him4 ,the two elements of this double purpose are stated in the reverse order to the two elements of ,christ's lowliness4 ,the redemption of them that were under law is presented as the reason for ,his being born under law1 and our reception of the 'adoption of sons' is the purpose of the ,son's being sent and born of a woman4 ,the order in which ,paul here deals with the two parts of the divine purpose is not to be put down to mere rhetorical ornament1 but corresponds to the order in which these two elements are realised by men4 ,for there must be redemption from law before there is the adoption of sons4 ,we have already had occasion to point out that 'law' here must be taken in the wide sense and not restricted to the ,jewish law4 ,it is a world-wide redemption which the ,father's love had in view in sending ,his ,son1 but that all-comprehending1 fatherly love could not reach its aim by the mere forth-putting of its own energy4 ,a process was needed if the divine heart was to accomplish its desire1 and the majestic stages in that process are set forth here by ,paul4 ,the world was under law in a very sad fashion1 and though ,jesus has come to redeem them that are under law1 the crushing weight of commandments flouted1 of duties neglected1 of sins done1 presses heavily upon many of us4 ,and yet how many of us there are who do not know the burden that we carry and have had no personal experience like that of ,bunyan's ,christian with the pack on his back all but weighing him down8 ,jesus ,christ has become one of us1 and in ,his sinless life has 'magnified the law and made it honourable1' and in ,his sinless death ,he endures the consequences of sin1 not as due to ,himself1 but because they are man's4 ,but we must carefully keep in view1 that as we have already pointed out1 we are to think of ,christ's mission as ,his coming as well as the ,father's sending1 and that therefore we do not grasp the full idea of our ,lord's enduring the consequences of sin unless we take it as meaning ,his voluntary identification of ,himself in love with us sinful men4 ,his obedience was perfect all ,his life long1 and ,his last and highest act of obedience was when ,he became obedient unto death1 even the death of the ,cross4 ,this is the only means by which the burden of law in any of its forms can be taken away from us4 ,for a law which is not loved will be heavy and hard however holy and just and good it may be1 and a law which we have broken will become sooner or later its own avenger4 ,faithful in ,pilgrim's ,progress tells how ',so soon as a man overtook me he was but a word and a blow1 for down he knocked me and laid me for dead4 4 4 4 ,he struck me another deadly blow on the breast and beat me down backward1 so ,i lay at his foot as dead as before1 so when ,i came to myself again ,i cried him ,mercy1 but he said1 ,i know not how to show mercy1 and with that knocked me down again2 he had doubtless made an end of me but that one came by and bid him forbear4 4 4 4 ,i did not know him at first1 but as he went by ,i perceived the holes in his hands and in his sides4' ,he was born under law that ,he might redeem them that were under law4 ,the slaves bought into freedom are received into the great family4 ,the ,son has become flesh that they who dwell in the flesh may rise to be sons1 but the ,son stands alone even in the midst of ,his identification with us1 and of the great results which follow for us from it4 ,he is the ,son by nature2 we are sons by adoption4 ,he became man that we might share in the possession of ,god4 ,when the burden of law is lifted off it is possible to bestow the further blessing of sonship1 but that blessing is only possible through ,him in whom1 and from whom1 we derive a life which is divine life4 ,there is a profound truth in the prophetic sentence1 ',behold ,i and the children which ,god hath given me6' for1 in one aspect1 believers are the children of ,christ1 and in another1 they are sons of ,god4 ,we have been speaking of the ,son's identification with us in ,his mission1 and our identification with ,him1 but that identification depends on ourselves and is only an accomplished fact through our faith4 ,when we trust in ,him it is true that all ,his--,his righteousness1 ,his ,sonship1 ,his union with the ,father--is ours1 and that all ours--our sins1 our guilt1 our alienation from ,god and our dwelling in the far-off land of rags and vice--is ,his4 ,in ,his voluntary identification with us1 ,he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows4 ,it is for us to determine whether we will lay on ,him our iniquities1 as the ,father has already laid the iniquities of us all4 ,are we by faith in ,him who was born of a woman1 born under law1 making our very own the redemption from the law which ,he has wrought and the adoption of sons which ,he bestows8 ,,what ,,makes ,a ,,christian3 ,,circumcision ,,or ,,faith8 ',in ,jesus ,christ neither circumcision availeth any thing1 nor uncircumcision1 but faith which worketh by love4'--,,gal4 v4 #f4 ,it is a very singular instance of imaginative misreading of plain facts that the primitive ,church should be held up as a pattern ,church4 ,the early communities had apostolic teaching2 but beyond that1 they seem to have been in no respect above1 and in many respects below1 the level of subsequent ages4 ,if we may judge of their morality by the exhortations and dehortations which they received from the ,apostle1 ,corinth and ,thessalonica were but beginners in holiness4 ,if we may judge of their intelligence by the errors into which they were in danger of falling1 these first congregations had indeed need that one should teach them which were the first principles of the oracles of ,god4 ,it could not be otherwise4 ,they were but just rescued from heathenism1 and we need not wonder if their spirits long bore the scars of their former bondage4 ,if we wish to know what the apostolic churches were like1 we have but to look at the communities gathered by modern missionaries4 ,the same infantile simplicity1 the same partial apprehensions of the truth1 the same danger of being led astray by the low morality of their heathen kindred1 the same openness to strange heresy1 the same danger of blending the old with the new1 in opinion and in practice1 beset both4 ,the history of the first theological difference in the early churches is a striking confutation of the dream that they were perfect1 and a striking illustration of the dangers to which they were exposed from the attempt1 so natural to us all1 to put new wine into old bottles4 ,the ,jewish and the ,gentile elements did not coalesce4 ,the point round which the strife was waged was not whether ,gentiles might come into the ,church4 ,that was conceded by the fiercest ,judaisers4 ,but it was whether they could come in as ,gentiles1 without first being incorporated into the ,jewish nation by circumcision1 and whether they could remain in as ,gentiles1 without conforming to ,jewish ceremonial and law4 ,those who said ',no' were members of the ,christian communities1 and1 being so1 they still insisted that ,judaism was to be eternal4 ,they demanded that the patched and stiff leathern bottle1 which had no elasticity or pliability1 should still contain the quick fermenting new wine of the kingdom4 ,and certainly1 if ever man had excuse for clinging to what was old and formal1 these ,judaising ,christians held it4 ,they held by a law written with ,god's own finger1 by ordinances awful by reason of divine appointment1 venerable by reason of the generations to which they had been of absolute authority1 commended by the very example of ,christ ,himself4 ,every motive which can bind heart and conscience to the reverence and the practice of the traditions of the ,fathers1 bound them to the ,law and the ordinances which had been ,israel's treasure from ,abraham to ,jesus4 ,those who said ',yes' were mostly ,gentiles1 headed and inspired by a ,hebrew of the ,hebrews4 ,they believed that ,judaism was preparatory1 and that its work was done4 ,for those among themselves who were ,jews1 they were willing that its laws should still be obligatory2 but they fought against the attempt to compel all ,gentile converts to enter ,christ's kingdom through the gate of circumcision4 ,the fight was stubborn and bitter4 ,i suppose it is harder to abolish forms than to change opinions4 ,ceremonies stand long after the thought which they express has fled1 as a dead king may sit on his throne stiff and stark in his golden mantle1 and no one come near enough to see that the light is gone out of his eyes1 and the will departed from the hand that still clutches the sceptre4 ,all through ,paul's life he was dogged and tormented by this controversy4 ,there was a deep gulf between the churches he planted and this reactionary section of the ,christian community4 ,its emissaries were continually following in his footsteps4 ,as he bitterly reproaches them1 they entered upon another man's line of things made ready to their hand1 not caring to plant churches of circumcised ,gentiles themselves1 but starting up behind him as soon as his back was turned1 and spoiling his work4 ,this ,epistle is the memorial of that foot-to-foot feud4 ,it is of perennial use1 as the tendencies against which it is directed are constant in human nature4 ,men are ever apt to confound form and substance1 to crave material embodiments of spiritual realities1 to elevate outward means into the place of the inward and real1 to which all the outward is but subsidiary4 ,in every period of strife between the two great opponents1 this letter has been the stronghold of those who fight for the spiritual conception of religion4 ,with it ,luther waged his warfare1 and in this day1 too1 its words are precious4 ,my text contains ,paul's condensed statement of his whole position in the controversy4 ,it tells us what he fought for1 and why he fought1 against the attempt to suspend union to ,christ on an outward rite4 ,i4 ,the first grand principle contained in these words is that faith working by love makes a ,christian4 ,the antithesis of our text appears in somewhat varied forms in two other places in the ,apostle's writings4 ,to the ,corinthians he says1 ',circumcision is nothing1 and uncircumcision is nothing1 but the keeping of the commandments of ,god4' ,his last word to the ,galatians--the gathering up into one strong sentence of his whole letter--is1 ',in ,christ ,jesus1 neither circumcision availeth anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but a new creature4' ,now1 all these assertions embody substantially the same opposition between the conception of ,christianity as depending upon a ceremonial rite1 and as being a spiritual change4 ,and the variations in the second member of the contrast throw light on each other4 ,in one1 the essential thing is regarded from the divine side as being not a rite performed on the body1 but a new nature1 the result of a supernatural regeneration4 ,in another1 the essential thing is set forth as being not an outward act1 but an inward principle1 which produces appropriate effects on the whole being4 ,in yet another the essential thing is conceived as being not a mere ceremonial1 but practical obedience1 the consequence of the active principle of faith1 and the sign of the new life4 ,there is an evident sequence in the three sayings4 ,they begin with the deepest1 the divine act of a new creation--and end with the outermost1 the last result and object of both the others--deeds of conformity to ,god's law4 ,this one process in its triple aspects1 says ,paul1 constitutes a man a ,christian4 ,what correspondence is there between it1 in any of its parts1 and a carnal ordinance8 ,they belong to wholly different categories1 and it is the most preposterous confusion to try to mix them up together4 ,are we to tack on to the solemn powers and qualities1 which unite the soul to ,christ1 this beggarly addition that the ,judaisers desire1 and to say1 the essentials of ,christianity are a new creature1 faith1 obedience--and circumcision8 ,that is1 indeed1 sewing old cloth on a new garment1 and huddling together in grotesque chaos things which are utterly diverse4 ,it is as absurd bathos as to say the essentials of a judge are integrity1 learning1 patience--and an ermine robe6 ,there would be less danger of being entangled in false notions of the sort which devastated ,galatia and have afflicted the ,church ever since1 if people would put a little more distinctly before their own minds what they mean by 'religion'2 what sort of man they intend when they talk about 'a ,christian4' ,a clear notion of the thing to be produced would thin away a wonderful deal of mist as to the way of producing it4 ,so then1 beginning at the surface1 in order to work inward1 my first remark is that religion is the harmony of the soul with ,god1 and the conformity of the life to ,his law4 ,the loftiest purpose of ,god1 in all ,his dealings1 is to make us like ,himself2 and the end of all religion is the complete accomplishment of that purpose4 ,there is no religion without these elements--consciousness of kindred with ,god1 recognition of ,him as the sum of all excellence and beauty1 and of ,his will as unconditionally binding upon us1 aspiration and effort after a full accord of heart and soul with ,him and with ,his law1 and humble confidence that that sovereign beauty will be ours4 ',be ye imitators of ,god as dear children' is the pure and comprehensive dictate which expresses the aim of all devout men4 ',to keep ,his commandments' goes deeper than the mere external deeds4 ,were it not so1 ,paul's grand words would shrink to a very poor conception of religion1 which would then have its shrine and sphere removed from the sacred recesses of the inmost spirit to the dusty ,babel of the market-place and the streets4 ,but with that due and necessary extension of the words which results from the very nature of the case1 that obedience must be the obedience of a man1 and not of his deeds only1 and must include the submission of the will and the prostration of the whole nature before ,him2 they teach a truth which1 fully received and carried out1 clears away whole mountains of theoretical confusion and practical error4 ,religion is no dry morality2 no slavish1 punctilious conforming of actions to a hard law4 ,religion is not right thinking alone1 nor right emotion alone1 nor right action alone4 ,religion is still less the semblance of these in formal profession1 or simulated feeling1 or apparent rectitude4 ,religion is not nominal connection with the ,christian community1 nor participation in its ordinances and its worship4 ,but to be godly is to be godlike4 ,the full accord of all the soul with ,his character1 in whom1 as their native home1 dwell 'whatsoever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1' and the full glad conformity of the will to ,his sovereign will1 who is the life of our lives--this1 and nothing shallower1 nothing narrower1 is religion in its perfection2 and the measure in which we have attained to this harmony with ,god1 is the measure in which we are ,christians4 ,as two stringed instruments may be so tuned to one keynote that1 if you strike the one1 a faint ethereal echo is heard from the other1 which blends undistinguishably with its parent sound2 so1 drawing near to ,god1 and brought into unison with ,his mind and will1 our responsive spirits vibrate in accord with ,his1 and give forth tones1 low and thin indeed1 but still repeating the mighty music of heaven4 ',circumcision is nothing1 and uncircumcision is nothing1 but the keeping of the commandments of ,god4' ,but our text tells us1 further1 that if we look backwards from character and deed to motive1 this harmony with ,god results from love becoming the ruling power of our lives4 ,the imitation of the object of worship has always been felt to be the highest form of worship4 ,many an ancient teacher1 besides the ,stoic philosopher1 has said1 ',he who copies the gods worships them adequately4' ,one of the prophets lays it down as a standing rule1 ',the people will walk every one in the name of his ,god4' ,but it is only in the ,christian attitude towards ,god that the motive power is found which makes such imitation more than an impossible duty1 even as it is only in the revealed character of ,god that a pattern is found1 to imitate which is to be perfect4 ,everywhere besides1 harmony with the gods meant discord with conscience and flagrant outrages of the commonest moralities4 ,everywhere else1 the task of copying them was one lightened by no clear confidence in their love1 and by no happy consciousness of our own4 ,but for us1 the love revealed is the perfect law1 and the love evoked is the fulfilling of the law4 ,and this is the might and nobleness of the ,christian love to ,god2 that it is no idle emotion or lazy rapture1 no vague sentiment1 but the root of all practical goodness1 of all strenuous effort1 of all virtue1 and of all praise4 ,that strong tide is meant to drive the busy wheels of life and to bear precious freightage on its bosom2 not to flow away in profitless foam4 ,love is the fruitful mother of bright children1 as our great moralist-poet learned when he painted her in the ,house of ,holiness3 ',a multitude of babes about her hung1 ,playing their sport that joyed her to behold4' ,her sons are ,strength and ,justice1 and ,self-control and ,firmness1 and ,courage and ,patience1 and many more besides2 and her daughters are ,pity with her sad eyes1 and ,gentleness with her silvery voice1 and ,mercy whose sweet face makes sunshine in the shade of death1 and ,humility all unconscious of her loveliness2 and linked hand in hand with these1 all the radiant band of sisters that men call ,virtues and ,graces4 ,these will dwell in our hearts1 if ,love their mighty mother be there4 ,if we are without her1 we shall be without them4 ,there is discord between man and ,god which can only be removed by the sweet commerce of love1 established between earth and heaven4 ,god's love has come to us4 ,when ours springs responsive to ,him1 then the schism is ended1 and the wandering child forgets his rebellion1 as he lays his aching head on the father's bosom1 and feels the beating of the father's heart4 ,our souls by reason of sin are 'like sweet bells jangled1 out of tune and harsh4' ,love's master hand laid upon them restores to them their part in 'the fair music that all creatures make to their great ,lord1' and brings us into such accord with ,god that ',we on earth with undiscording voice ,may rightly answer' even the awful harmonies of ,his lips4 ,the essential of religion is concord with ,god1 and the power which makes that concord is love to ,god4 ,but this text leads to a still further consideration1 namely1 the dominion of love to ,god in our hearts arises from faith4 ,we thus reach the last link1 or rather the staple1 of the chain from which all hangs4 ,religion is harmony with ,god2 that harmony is produced by love2 and that love is produced by faith4 ,therefore the fundamental of all ,christianity in the soul is faith4 ,would this sound any fresher and more obvious if we varied the language1 and said that to be religious we must be like ,god1 that to be like ,him we must love ,him1 and that to love ,him we must be sure that ,he loves us8 ,surely that is too plain to need enlarging on4 ,and is it not true that faith must precede our love to ,god1 and affords the only possible basis on which that can be built8 ,how can we love ,him so long as we are in doubt of ,his heart1 or misconceive ,his character1 as if it were only power and wisdom1 or awful severity8 ,men cannot love an unseen person at all1 without some very special token of his personal affection for them4 ,the history of all religions shows that where the gods have been thought of as unloving1 the worshippers have been heartless too4 ,it is only when we know and believe the love that ,god hath to us1 that we come to cherish any corresponding emotion to ,him4 ,our love is secondary1 ,his is primary2 ours is reflection1 ,his the original beam2 ours is echo1 ,his the mother-tone4 ,heaven must bend to earth before earth can rise to heaven4 ,the skies must open and drop down love1 ere love can spring in the fruitful fields4 ,and it is only when we look with true trust to that great unveiling of the heart of ,god which is in ,jesus ,christ1 only when we can say1 ',herein is love--that ,he gave ,his ,son to be the propitiation for our sins1' that our hearts are melted1 and all their snows are dissolved into sweet waters1 which1 freed from their icy chains1 can flow with music in their ripple and fruitfulness along their course1 through our otherwise silent and barren lives4 ,faith in ,christ is the only possible basis for active love to ,god4 ,and this thought presents the point of contact between the teaching of ,paul and ,john4 ,the one dwells on faith1 the other on love1 but he who insists most on the former declares that it produces its effects on character by the latter2 and he who insists most on the latter is forward to proclaim that it owes its very existence to the former4 ,it presents also the point of contact between ,paul and ,james4 ,the one speaks of the essential of ,christianity as faith1 the other as works4 ,they are only striking the stream at different points1 one at the fountain-head1 one far down its course among the haunts of men4 ,they both preach that faith must be 'faith that worketh1' not a barren assent to a dogma1 but a living trust that brings forth fruits in the life4 ,paul believes as much as ,james that faith without works is dead1 and demands the keeping of the commandments as indispensable to all true ,christianity4 ,james believes as much as ,paul that works without faith are of none effect4 ,so all three of these great teachers of the ,church are represented in this text1 to which each of them might seem to have contributed a word embodying his characteristic type of doctrine4 ,the threefold rays into which the prism parts the white light blend again here1 where faith1 love1 and work are all united in the comprehensive saying1 ',in ,jesus ,christ neither circumcision availeth anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but faith which worketh by love4' ,the sum of the whole matter is this--,he who is one in will and heart with ,god is a ,christian4 ,he who loves ,god is one in will and heart with ,him4 ,he who trusts ,christ loves ,god4 ,that is ,christianity in its ultimate purpose and result4 ,that is ,christianity in its means and working forces4 ,that is ,christianity in its starting-point and foundation4 ,,ii4 ,but we have to consider also the negative side of the ,apostle's words4 ,they affirm that in comparison with the essential--faith1 all externals are infinitely unimportant4 ,paul's habit was always to settle questions by the widest principles he could bring to bear upon them--which one may notice in passing is the very opposite to the method that has been in favour with many ,church teachers and guides since1 who have preferred to live from hand to mouth1 and to dispose of difficulties by the narrowest considerations that would avail to quiet them4 ,in our text the question in hand is settled on a ground which covers a great deal more than the existing dispute4 ,circumcision is regarded as one of a whole class--namely1 the class of outward rites and observances2 and the contrast drawn between it and faith extends to all the class to which it belongs4 ,it is not said to be powerless because it is an ,old ,testament rite1 but because it is a rite4 ,its impotence lies in the very nature which it has in common with all external institutions1 whether they be of the ,old ,testament or of the ,new1 whether they be enjoined of ,god or invented by men4 ,to them all the same characteristic cleaves4 ,compared with faith they are of no avail4 ,not that they are absolutely useless4 ,they have their place1 but 'in ,christ ,jesus' they are nothing4 ,union to ,him depends on quite another order of facts1 which may or may not exist along with circumcision1 or with baptism1 or with the ,lord's ,supper4 ,however important these may be1 they have no place among the things which bind a soul to its ,saviour4 ,they may be helps to these things1 but nothing more4 ,the rite does not ensure the faith1 else the antithesis of our text were unmeaning4 ,the rite does not stand in the place of faith1 or the contrast implied were absurd4 ,but the two belong to totally different orders of things1 which may co-exist indeed1 but may also be found separately2 the one is the indispensable spiritual experience which makes us ,christians1 the other belongs to a class of material institutions which are much as helps to1 but nothing as substitutes or equivalents for1 faith4 ,keep firm hold of the positive principle with which we have been dealing in the former part of this sermon1 and all forms and externals fall as a matter of course into their proper place4 ,if religion be the loving devotion of the soul to ,god1 resting upon reasonable faith1 then all besides is1 at the most1 a means which may further it4 ,if loving trust which apprehends the truth1 and cleaves to the ,person1 revealed to us in the ,gospel1 be the link which binds men to ,god1 then the only way by which these externals can be 'means of grace' is by their aiding us to understand better and to feel more the truth as it is in ,jesus1 and to cleave closer to ,him who is the truth4 ,do they enlighten the understanding8 ,do they engrave deeper the loved face carven on the tablets of memory1 which the attrition of worldly cares is ever obliterating1 and the lichens of worldly thoughts ever filling up8 ,do they clear out the rubbish from the channels of the heart1 that the cleansing stream may flow through them8 ,do they1 through the senses1 minister to the soul its own proper food of clear thought1 vivid impressions1 loving affections1 trustful obedience8 ,do they bring ,christ to us1 and us to ,him1 in the only way in which approach is possible--through the occupation of mind and heart and will with ,his great perfectness8 ,then they are means of grace1 precious and helpful1 the gifts of ,his love1 the tokens of ,his wise knowledge of our weakness1 the signs of ,his condescension1 in that ,he stoops to trust some portion of our remembrance of ,him to the ministry of sense4 ,but in comparison with that faith which they cannot plant1 though they may strengthen it1 they are nothing2 and in the matter of uniting the soul to ,god and making men 'religious1' they are of no avail at all4 ,and such thoughts as these have a very wide sweep1 as well as a very deep influence4 ,religion is the devotion of the soul to ,god4 ,then everything besides is not religion1 but at most a means to it4 ,that is true about all ,christian ordinances4 ,baptism is spoken about by ,paul in terms which plainly show that he regarded it as 'nothing' in the same sense1 and under the same limitations1 as he thought that circumcision was nothing4 ',i baptized some of you1' says he to the ,corinthians2 ',i scarcely remember whom1 or how many4 ,i have far more important work to do--to preach the ,gospel4' ,it is true about all acts and forms of ,christian worship4 ,these are not religion1 but means to it4 ,their only value and their only test is--,do they help men to know and feel ,christ and ,his truth8 ,it is true about laws of life1 and many points of conventional morality4 ,remember the grand freedom with which the same ,apostle dealt with questions about meats offered to idols1 and the observance of days and seasons4 ,the same principle guided him there too1 and he relegated the whole question back to its proper place with1 ',meat commendeth us not to ,god2 for neither if we eat are we the better1 neither if we eat not are we the worse4' ',he that regardeth the day1 regardeth it unto the ,lord2 and he that regardeth not the day1 to the ,lord he doth not regard it4' ,it is true1 though less obviously and simply1 about subordinate doctrines4 ,it is true about the mere intellectual grasp of the fundamental truths of ,god's revelation4 ,these1 and the belief of these1 are not ,christianity1 they are helps towards it4 ,the separation is broad and deep4 ,on one side are all externals1 rites1 ceremonies1 politics1 ,church arrangements1 forms of worship1 modes of life1 practices of morality1 doctrines1 and creeds--all which are externals to the soul3 on the other is faith working through love1 the inmost attitude and deepest emotion of the soul4 ,the great heap is fuel4 ,the flame is loving faith4 ,the only worth of the fuel is to feed the flame4 ,otherwise it is of no avail1 but lies dead and cold1 a mass of blackness4 ,we are joined to ,god by faith4 ,whatever strengthens that faith is precious as a help1 but is worthless as a substitute4 ,,iii4 ,there is a constant tendency to exalt these unimportant externals into the place of faith4 ,the whole purpose of the ,gospel may be described to be our deliverance from the dominion of sense1 and the transference of the centre of our life to the unseen world4 ,this end is no doubt partly accomplished by the help of sense4 ,so long as men have bodily organisations1 there will be need for outward helps4 ,men's indolence1 and men's sense-ridden natures1 will take symbols for royalties1 bank-notes for wealth4 ,the eye will be tempted to stay on the rich colours of the glowing glass1 instead of passing through them to heaven's light beyond4 ,to make the senses a ladder for the soul to climb to heaven by1 will be perilously likely to end in the soul going down the ladder instead of up4 ,forms are sure to encroach1 to overlay the truth that lies at their root1 to become dimly intelligible1 or quite unmeaning1 and to constitute at last the end instead of the means4 ,is it not then wise to minimise these potent and dangerous allies8 ,is it not needful to use them with the remembrance that a minute quantity may strengthen1 but an overdose will kill--ay1 and that the minute quantity may kill too8 ,christ instituted two outward rites4 ,there could not have been fewer if there was to be an outward community at all1 and they could not have been simpler2 but look at the portentous outgrowth of superstition1 and the unnumbered evils1 religious1 moral1 social1 and even political1 which have come from the invincible tendency of human nature to corrupt forms1 even when the forms are the sweet and simple ones of ,christ's own appointment4 ,what a lesson the history of the ,lord's ,supper1 and its gradual change from the domestic memorial of the dying love of our ,lord to the 'tremendous sacrifice1' reads us as to the dangerous ally which spiritual religion--and there is no other religion than spiritual--enlists when it seeks the help of external rites6 ,but remember that this danger of converting religion into outward actions has its root in us all1 and is not annihilated by our rejection of an elaborate ceremonial4 ,there is much significance in the double negation of my text1 ',neither circumcision nor uncircumcision4' ,if the ,judaisers were tempted to insist on the former1 as indispensable1 their antagonists were as much tempted to insist on the latter4 ,the one were saying1 ',a man cannot be a ,christian unless he be circumcised4' ,the other would be in danger of replying1 ',he cannot be a ,christian if he is4' ,there may be as much formalism in protesting against forms as in using them4 ,extremes meet2 and an unspiritual ,quaker1 for instance1 is at bottom of the same way of thinking as an unspiritual ,roman ,catholic4 ,they agree in their belief that certain outward acts are essential to worship1 and even to religion4 ,they only differ as to what these acts are4 ,the ,judaiser who says1 ',you must be circumcised1' and his antagonist who says1 ',you must be uncircumcised1' are really in the same boat4 ,and this is especially needful to be kept in mind by those who1 like the most of us1 hold fast by the free and spiritual conception of ,christianity4 ,that freedom we may turn into a bondage1 and that spirituality into a form1 if we confound it with the essentials of ,christianity1 and deny the possibility of the life being developed except in conjunction with it4 ,my text has a double edge4 ,let us use it against all this ,judaising which is going on round about us1 and against all the tendency to it in our own hearts4 ,the one edge smites the former1 the other edge the latter4 ,circumcision is nothing1 as most of us are forward to proclaim4 ,but1 also1 remember1 when we are tempted to trust in our freedom1 and to fancy that in itself it is good1 uncircumcision is nothing4 ,you are no more a ,christian for your rejection of forms than another man is for his holding them4 ,your negation no more unites you to ,christ than does his affirmation4 ,one thing alone does that1--faith which worketh by love1 against which sense ever wars1 both by tempting some of us to place religion in outward acts and ceremonies1 and by tempting others of us to place it in rejecting the forms which our brethren abuse4 ,,iv4 ,when an indifferent thing is made into an essential1 it ceases to be indifferent1 and must be fought against4 ,paul proclaimed that circumcision and uncircumcision were alike unavailing4 ,a man might be a good ,christian either way4 ,they were not unimportant in all respects1 but in regard to being united to ,christ1 it did not matter which side one took4 ,and1 in accordance with this noble freedom1 he for himself practised ,jewish rites2 and1 when he thought it might conciliate prejudice without betraying principle1 had ,timothy circumcised4 ,but when it came to be maintained as a principle that ,gentiles must be circumcised1 the time for conciliation was past4 ,the other side had made further concession impossible4 ,the ,apostle had no objection to circumcision4 ,what he objected to was its being forced upon all as a necessary preliminary to entering the ,church4 ,and as soon as the opposite party took that ground1 then there was nothing for it but to fight against them to the last4 ,they had turned an indifferent thing into an essential1 and he could no longer treat it as indifferent4 ,so whenever parties or ,churches insist on external rites as essential1 or elevate any of the subordinate means of grace into the place of the one bond which fastens our souls to ,jesus1 and is the channel of grace as well as the bond of union1 then it is time to arm for the defence of the spirituality of ,christ's kingdom1 and to resist the attempt to bind on free shoulders the iron yoke4 ,let men and parties do as they like1 so long as they do not turn their forms into essentials4 ,in broad freedom of speech and spirit1 which holds by the one central principle too firmly to be much troubled about subordinate matters--in tolerance of diversities1 which does not spring from indifference1 but from the very clearness of our perception of1 and from the very fervour of our adherence to1 the one essential of the ,christian life--let us take for our guide the large1 calm1 lofty thoughts which this text sets forth before us4 ,let us thankfully believe that men may love ,jesus1 and be fed from ,his fulness1 whether they be on one side of this undying controversy or on the other4 ,let us watch jealously the tendencies in our own hearts to trust in our forms or in our freedom4 ,and whensoever or wheresoever these subordinates are made into things essential1 and the ordinances of ,christ's ,church are elevated into the place which belongs to loving trust in ,christ's love1 then let our voices at least be heard on the side of that mighty truth that 'in ,jesus ,christ neither circumcision availeth anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but faith which worketh by love4' ',,walk ,,in ,,the ,,spirit' ',walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh4'--,,gal4 v4 #af4 ,we are not to suppose that the ,apostle here uses the familiar contrast of spirit and flesh to express simply different elements of human nature4 ,without entering here on questions for which a sermon is scarcely a suitable vehicle of discussion1 it may be sufficient for our present purpose to say that1 as usually1 when employing this antithesis the ,apostle means by ,spirit the divine1 the ,spirit of ,god1 which he triumphed in proclaiming to be the gift of every believing soul4 ,the other member of the contrast1 'flesh1' is similarly not to be taken as equivalent to body1 but rather as meaning the whole human nature considered as apart from ,god and kindred with earth and earthly things4 ,the flesh1 in its narrower sense1 is no doubt a predominant part of this whole1 but there is much in it besides the material organisation4 ,the ethics of ,christianity suffered much harm and were degraded into a false and slavish asceticism for long centuries1 by monastic misunderstandings of what ,paul meant by the flesh1 but he himself was too clear-sighted and too high-toned to give his adhesion to the superficial notion that the body is the seat and source of sin4 ,we need look no further than the catalogue of the 'works of the flesh' which immediately follows our text1 for1 although it begins with gross sins of a purely fleshly kind1 it passes on to such as hatred1 emulations1 wrath1 envyings and suchlike4 ,many of these works of the flesh are such as an angel with an evil heart could do1 whether he had a body or not4 ,it seems therefore right to say that the one member of the contrast is the divine ,spirit of holiness1 and the other is man as he is1 without the life-giving influence of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,in ,paul's thought the idea of the flesh always included the idea of sin1 and the desires of the flesh were to him not merely rebellious1 sensuous passion1 but the sinful desires of godless human nature1 however refined1 and as some would say1 'spiritual' these might be4 ,we do not need to inquire more minutely as to the meaning of the ,apostle's terms1 but may safely take them as1 on the one hand1 referring to the divine ,spirit which imparts life and holiness1 and on the other hand1 to human nature severed from ,god1 and distracted by evil desires because wrenched away from ,him4 ,the text is ,paul's battle-cry1 which he opposed to the ,judaising disturbers in ,galatia4 ,they said ',do this and that2 labour at a round of observances2 live by rule4' ,paul said1 ',no6 ,that is of no use2 you will make nothing of such an attempt nor will ever conquer evil so4 ,live by the spirit and you will not need a hard outward law1 nor will you be in bondage to the works of the flesh4' ,that feud in the ,galatian churches was the earliest battle which ,christianity had to fight between two eternal tendencies of thought--the conception of religion as consisting in outward obedience to a law1 and consequently as made up of a series of painful efforts to keep it1 and the conception of religion as being first the implanting of a new1 divine life1 and needing only to be nourished and cared for in order to drive forth evils from the heart1 and so to show itself living4 ,the difference goes very far and very deep1 and these two views of what religion is have each their adherents to-day4 ,the ,apostle throws the whole weight of his authority into the one scale1 and emphatically declares this as the one secret of victory1 ',walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4' ,i4 ,what it is to walk in the ,spirit4 ,the thought which is but touched upon here is set forth more largely1 and if we may so say1 profoundly1 in the ,epistle to the ,romans 7chap4 viii474 ,there1 to walk after the flesh1 is substantially the same as to be carnally minded1 and that 'mind of the flesh' is regarded as being by fatal necessity not 'subject to the law of ,god1' and consequently as in itself1 with regard to future consequences1 to be death4 ,the fleshly mind which is thus in rebellion against the law of ,god is sure to issue in 'desires of the flesh1' just as when the pressure is taken off1 some ebullient liquid will bubble4 ,they that are after the flesh of course will 'mind the things of the flesh4' ,the vehement desires which we cherish when we are separated from ,god and which we call sins1 are graver as a symptom than even they are in themselves1 for they show which way the wind blows1 and are tell-tales that betray the true direction of our nature4 ,if we were not after the flesh we should not mind the things of the flesh4 ,the one expression points to the deep-seated nature1 the other to the superficial actions to which it gives rise4 ,and the same duality belongs to the life of those who are 'after the ,spirit4' ',to walk1' of course1 means to carry on the practical life1 and the ,spirit is here thought of not so much perhaps as the path on which we are to travel1 but rather as the norm and direction by which we are to travel on life's common way4 ,just as the desires of the flesh were certain to be done by those who in their deepest selves belonged to the flesh1 so every soul which has received the unspeakable gift of newness of life through the ,spirit of ,god will have the impulses to mind and do the things of the ,spirit4 ,if we live in the ,spirit we shall also--and let us also--walk in the ,spirit4 ,but let us make no mistakes1 or think that our text in its great commandment and radiant hope has any word of cheer to those who have not received into their hearts1 in however feeble a manner and minute a measure1 the ,spirit of the ,son4 ,the first question for us all is1 have we received the ,holy ,ghost8--and the answer to that question is the answer to the other1 have we accepted ,christ8 ,it is through ,him and through faith in ,him that that supreme gift of a living spirit is bestowed4 ,and only when our spirits bear witness with that ,spirit that we are the children of ,god1 have we a right to look upon the text as pointing our duty and stimulating our hope4 ,if our practical life is to be directed by the ,spirit of ,god1 ,he must enter into our spirits1 and we shall not be in ,him but in the measure that ,he is in us4 ,nor will our spirits be life because of righteousness unless ,he dwells in us and casts forth the works of the flesh4 ,there will be no practical direction of our lives by the ,spirit of ,god unless we make conscience of cultivating the reception of ,his life-giving and cleansing influences1 and unless we have inward communion with our inward guide1 intimate and frank1 prolonged and submissive4 ,if we are for ever allowing the light of our inward godliness to be blown about by gusts1 or to show in our inmost hearts but a faint and flickering spark1 how can we expect that it will shine safe direction on our outward path8 ,,ii4 ,such walking in the ,spirit conquers the flesh4 ,we all know it as a familiar experience that the surest way to conquer any strong desire or emotion is to bring some other into operation4 ,to concentrate attention on any overmastering thought or purpose1 even if our object is to destroy it1 is but too apt to strengthen it4 ,and so to fix our minds on our own desires of the flesh1 even though we may be honestly wishing to suppress them1 is a sure way to invest them with new force2 therefore the wise counsels of sages and moralists are1 for the most part1 destined to lead those who listen to them astray4 ,many a man has1 in good faith1 set himself to conquer his own evil lusts and has found that the nett result of his struggles has been to make the lusts more conspicuous and correspondingly more powerful4 ,the ,apostle knows a better way1 which he has proved to his own experience1 and now1 with full confidence and triumph1 presses upon his hearers4 ,he would have them give up the monotonous and hopeless fight against the flesh and bring another ally into the field4 ,his chief exhortation is a positive1 not a negative one4 ,it is vain to try to tie up men with restrictions and prohibitions1 which when their desires are stirred will be burst like ,samson's bonds4 ,but if once the positive exhortation here is obeyed1 then it will surely make short work of the desires and passions which otherwise men1 for the most part1 do not wish to get rid of1 and never do throw off by any other method4 ,we have pointed out that in our text to walk in the ,spirit means to regulate the practical life by the ,spirit of ,god1 and that the 'desires of the flesh' mean the desires of the whole human nature apart from ,god4 ,but even if we take the contrasted terms in their lower and commonly adopted sense1 the text is true and useful4 ,a cultivated mind habituated to lofty ideas1 and quick to feel the nobility of 'spiritual' pursuits and possessions1 will have no taste for the gross delights of sense1 and will recoil with disgust from the indulgences in which more animal natures wallow4 ,but while this is true1 it by no means exhausts the great principle laid down here4 ,we must take the contrasted terms in their fullest meaning if we would arrive at it4 ,the spiritual life derived from ,jesus ,christ and lodged in the human spirit has to be guarded1 cherished and made dominant1 and then it will drive out the old4 ,if the ,spirit which is life because of righteousness is allowed free course in a human spirit1 it will send forth its powers into the body which is 'dead because of sin1' will regulate its desires1 and if needful will suppress them4 ,and it is wiser and more blessed to rely on this overflowing influence than to attempt the hopeless task of coercing these desires by our own efforts4 ,if we walk in the ,spirit1 we shall thereby acquire new tastes and desires of a higher kind which will destroy the lower4 ,they to whom manna is sweet as angel's food find that they have lost their relish for the strong-smelling and rank-flavoured ,egyptian leeks and garlic4 ,a guest at a king's table will not care to enter a smoky hovel and will not be hungry for the food to be found there4 ,if we are still dependent on the desires of the flesh we are still but children1 and if we are walking in the ,spirit we have outgrown our childish toys4 ,the enjoyment of the gifts which the ,spirit gives deadens temptation and robs many things that were very precious of their lustre4 ,we may also illustrate the great principle of our text by considering that when we have found our supreme object there is no inducement to wander further in the search after delights4 ,desires are confessions of discontent1 and though the absolute satisfaction of all our nature is not granted to us here1 there is so much of blessedness given and so many of our most clamant desires fully met in the gift of life in ,christ1 that we may well be free from the prickings of desires which sting men into earnest seeking after often unreal good4 ',the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1' and surely if we have these we may well leave the world its troubled delights and felicities4 ,christ's joy remains in us and our joy is full4 ,the world desires because it does not possess4 ,when a deeper well is sunk1 a shallower one is pretty sure to give out4 ,if we walk in the ,spirit we go down to the deepest water-holding stratum1 and all the surface wells will run dry4 ,further1 we may note1 that this walking in the ,spirit brings into our lives the mightiest motives of holy living and so puts a bridle on the necks and a bit in the mouths of our untamed desires4 ,holding fellowship with the divine ,indweller and giving the reins into ,his strong hand1 we receive from ,him the spirit of adoption and learn that if we are children then are we heirs4 ,is there any motive that will so surely still the desires of the flesh and of the mind as the blessed thought that ,god is ours and we ,his8 ,surely their feet should never stumble or stray1 who are aware of the ,spirit of the ,son bearing witness with their spirit that they are the children of ,god4 ,surely the measure in which we realise this will be the measure in which the desires of the flesh will be whipped back to their kennels1 and cease to disturb us with their barks4 ,the whole question here as between ,paul and his opponents just comes to this2 if a field is covered with filth1 whether is it better to set to work on it with wheel-barrows and shovels1 or to turn a river on it which will bear away all the foulness8 ,the true way to change the fauna and flora of a country is to change the level1 and as the height increases they change themselves4 ,if we desire to have the noxious creatures expelled from ourselves1 we must not so much labour at their expulsion as see to the elevation of our own personal being and then we shall succeed4 ,that is what ,paul says1 ',walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4' ,,iii4 ,such a life is not freed from the necessity of struggle4 ,the highest condition1 of course1 would be that we had only to grow1 not to fight4 ,it will come some day that all evil shall drop away1 and that to walk in the ,spirit will need no effort1 but that time has not come yet4 ,so in addition to all that we have been saying in this sermon1 we must further say that ,paul's exhortation has always to be coupled with the other to fight the good fight4 ,the highest word for our earthly lives is not 'victory' but 'contest4' ,we shall not walk in the ,spirit without many a struggle to keep ourselves within that charmed atmosphere4 ,the promise of our text is not that we shall not feel1 but that we shall not fulfil1 the desires of the flesh4 ,now this is very commonplace and threadbare teaching1 but it is none the less important1 and is especially needful to be strongly emphasised when we have been speaking as we have just been doing4 ,it is a historical fact1 illustrated over and over again since ,paul wrote1 and not without illustration to-day1 that there is constant danger of lax morality infecting ,christian life under pretence of lofty spirituality4 ,so it must ever be insisted upon that the test of a true walking in the ,spirit is that we are thereby fitted to fight against the desires of the flesh4 ,when we have the life of the ,spirit within us1 it will show itself as ,paul has said in another place by the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us1 and by our 'mortifying the deeds of the body4' ,the gift of the ,spirit does not take us out of the ranks of the combatants1 but teaches us to fight1 and arms us with its own sword for the conflict4 ,there will be abundant opportunities of courage in attacking the sin that doth so easily beset us1 and in resisting temptations which come to us by reason of our own imperfect sanctification4 ,but there is all the difference between fighting at our own hand and fighting with the help of ,god's ,spirit1 and there is all the difference between fighting with the help of an unseen ally in heaven and fighting with a ,spirit within us who helpeth our infirmities and ,himself makes us able to contend1 and sure1 if we keep true to ,him1 to be more than conquerers through ,him that loveth us4 ,such a conflict is a gift and a joy4 ,it is hard but it is blessed1 because it is an expression of our truest love2 it comes from our deepest will2 it is full of hope and of assured victory4 ,how different is the painful1 often defeated and monotonous attempt to suppress our nature by main force1 and to tread a mill-horse round6 ,the joyous freedom and buoyant hope taught us in the gospel way of salvation have been cramped and confined and all their glories veiled as by a mass of cobwebs spun beneath a golden roof1 but our text sweeps away the foul obstruction4 ,let us learn the one condition of victorious conflict1 the one means of subduing our natural humanity and its distracting desires1 and let nothing rob us of the conviction that this is ,god's way of making men like angels4 ',walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4' ,,the ,,fruit ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ',but the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 long suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 #bc4 ,meekness1 temperance'--,,gal4 v4 #bb1 #bc4 ',the fruit of the ,spirit1' says ,paul1 not the fruits1 as we might more naturally have expected1 and as the phrase is most often quoted2 all this rich variety of graces1 of conduct and character1 is thought of as one4 ,the individual members are not isolated graces1 but all connected1 springing from one root and constituting an organic whole4 ,there is further to be noted that the ,apostle designates the results of the ,spirit as fruit1 in strong and intentional contrast with the results of the flesh1 the grim catalogue of which precedes the radiant list in our text4 ,the works of the flesh have no such unity1 and are not worthy of being called fruit4 ,they are not what a man ought to bring forth1 and when the great ,husbandman comes1 ,he finds no fruit there1 however full of activity the life has been4 ,we have then here an ideal of the noblest ,christian character1 and a distinct and profound teaching as to how to attain it4 ,i venture to take the whole of this list for my text1 because the very beauty of each element in it depends on its being but part of a whole1 and because there are important lessons to be gathered from the grouping4 ,i4 ,the threefold elements of character here4 ,it is perhaps not too artificial to point out that we have here three triads of which the first describes the life of the ,spirit in its deepest secret2 the second1 the same life in its manifestations to men2 and the third1 that life in relation to the difficulties of the world1 and of ourselves4 ,the first of these three triads includes love1 joy1 and peace1 and it is not putting too great a strain on the words to point out that the source of all three lies in the ,christian relation to ,god4 ,they regard nothing but ,god and our relation to ,him2 they would be all the same if there were no other men in the world1 or if there were no world4 ,we cannot call them duties or virtues2 they are simply the results of communion with ,god--the certain manifestations of the better life of the ,spirit4 ,love1 of course1 heads the list1 as the foundation and moving principle of all the rest4 ,it is the instinctive act of the higher life and is shed abroad in the heart by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is the life sap which rises through the tree and given form to all the clusters4 ,the remaining two members of this triad are plainly consequences of the first4 ,joy is not so much an act or a grace of character as an emotion poured into men's lives1 because in their hearts abides love to ,god4 ,jesus ,christ pledged ,himself to impart ,his joy to remain in us1 with the issue that our joy should be full4 ,there is only one source of permanent joy which takes possession of and fills all the corners and crannies of the heart1 and that is a love towards ,god equally abiding and all-pervasive4 ,we have all known joys so perturbed1 fragmentary and fleeting1 that it is hard to distinguish them from sorrows1 but there is no need that joys should be like green fruits hard and savourless and ready to drop from the tree4 ,if ,god is 'the gladness of our joy1' and all our delights come from communion with ,him1 our joy will never pass and will fill the whole round of our spirits as the sea laves every shore4 ,peace will be built upon love and joy1 if our hearts are ever turning to ,god and ever blessed with the inter-communion of love between ,him and us4 ,what can be strong enough to disturb the tranquillity that fills the soul independent of all externals8 ,however long and close may be the siege1 the well in the castle courtyard will be full4 ,true peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of ,god1 and will be deep and passing all understanding in the exact measure in which we live in1 and partake of1 the love of ,god4 ,the second triad is long-suffering1 kindness1 goodness4 ,all these three obviously refer to the spiritual life in its manifestations to men4 ,the first of them--long-suffering--describes the attitude of patient endurance towards inflictors of injury or enemies1 if we come forth from the blessed fellowship with ,god1 where love1 joy1 and peace reign unbroken1 and are met with a cold gust of indifference or with an icy wind of hate4 ,the reality of our happy communion and the depth of our love will be tested by the patience of our long-suffering4 ,love suffereth long1 is not easily provoked1 is not soon angry4 ,he has little reason to suppose that the love of ,god is shed abroad in his heart1 or that the ,spirit of ,god is bringing forth fruit in him1 who has not got beyond the stage of repaying hate with hate1 and scorn with scorn4 ,any fool can answer a fool according to his folly1 but it takes a wise and a good man to overcome evil with good1 and to love them that hate2 and yet how certainly the fires of mutual antagonism would go out if there were only one to pile on the fuel6 ,it takes two to make a quarrel1 and no man living under the influence of the ,spirit of ,god can be one of such a pair4 ,the second and third members of this triad--kindness1 goodness1 slide very naturally into one another4 ,they do not only require the negative virtue of not retaliating1 but express the ,christian attitude towards all of meeting them1 whatever their attitude1 with good4 ,it is possible that kindness here expresses the inward disposition and goodness1 the habitual actions in which that disposition shows itself4 ,if that be the distinction between them1 the former would answer to benevolence and the latter to beneficence4 ,these three graces include all that ,paul presents as ,christian duty to our fellows4 ,the results of the life of the ,spirit are to pass beyond ourselves and to influence our whole conduct4 ,we are not to live only as mainly for the spiritual enjoyments of fellowship with ,god4 ,the true field of religion is in moving amongst men1 and the true basis of all service of men is love and fellowship with ,god4 ,the third triad--faithfulness1 meekness1 temperance--seems to point to the world in which the ,christian life is to be lived as a scene of difficulties and oppositions4 ,the rendering of the ,revised ,version is to be preferred to that of the ,authorised in the first of the three1 for it is not faith in its theological sense to which the ,apostle is here referring4 ,possibly1 however1 the meaning may be trustfulness just as in #a ,corinthians xiii4 it is given as a characteristic of love that it 'believeth all things4' ,more probably1 however1 the meaning is faithfulness1 and ,paul's thought is that the ,christian life is to manifest itself in the faithful discharge of all duties and the honest handling of all things committed to it4 ,meekness even more distinctly contemplates a condition of things which is contrary to the ,christian life1 and points to a submissiveness of spirit which does not lift itself up against oppositions1 but bends like a reed before the storm4 ,paul preached meekness and practised it1 but ,paul could flash into strong opposition and with a resonant ring in his voice could say ',to whom we gave place by subjection1 ,no6 not for an hour4' ,the last member of the triad--temperance--points to the difficulties which the spiritual life is apt to meet with in the natural passions and desires1 and insists upon the fact that conflict and rigid and habitual self-control are sure to be marks of that life4 ,,ii4 ,the unity of the fruit4 ,we have already pointed out the ,apostles remarkable use of the word 'fruit' here1 by which he indicates that all the results of the life of the ,spirit in the human spirit are to be regarded as a whole that has a natural growth4 ,the foundation of all is of course that love which is the fulfilling of the law4 ,it scarcely needs to be pointed out how love brings forth both the other elements of the first triad1 but it is no less important to note that it and its two companions naturally lead on to the relations to men which make up the second triad4 ,it is1 however1 worth while to dwell on that fact because there are many temptations for ,christian people to separate between them4 ,the two tables of the law are not seldom written so far apart that their unity ceases to be noted4 ,there are many good people whose notions of religious duties are shut up in churches or chapels and limited to singing and praying1 reading the ,bible and listening to sermons1 and who1 even while they are doing good service in common life1 do not feel that it is as much a religious duty to suppress the wish to retaliate as it is to sit in the sunshine of ,god's love and to feel ,christ's joy and peace filling the heart4 ,on the other hand many loud voices1 some of them with great force of words and influence on the popular mind1 are never wearied of preaching that ,christianity is worn out as a social impulse1 and that the service of man has nothing to do with the love of ,god4 ,as plainly ,paul's first triad naturally leads to his third4 ,when the spiritual life has realised its deepest secret it will be strong to manifest itself as vigorous in reference to the difficulties of life4 ,when that heart is blessed in its own settled love1 abounding joy and untroubled peace1 faithfulness and submission will both be possible and self-control will not be hard4 ,,iii4 ,the culture of the tree which secures the fruit4 ,can we suppose that the ,apostle here is going back in thought to our ,lord's profound teaching that every good tree bringeth forth good fruit1 but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit8 ,the obvious felicity of that metaphor often conceals for us the drastic force of its teaching1 it regards all a man's conduct as but the outcome of his character1 and brushes aside as trifling all attempts at altering products1 whilst the producer remains unaltered4 ,whether ,paul was here alluding to a known saying of ,jesus or no1 he was insisting upon the very centre of ,christian ethics1 that a man must first be good in order to do good4 ,our ,lord's words seemed to make an impossible demand--',make the tree good'--as the only way of securing good fruit1 and it was in accordance with the whole cast of the ,sermon on the ,mount that the means of realising that demand was left unexpressed4 ,but ,paul stood on this side of ,pentecost1 and what was necessarily veiled in ,christ's earlier utterances stood forth a revealed and blessed certainty to him4 ,he had not to say ',make the tree good' and be silent as to how that process was to be effected2 to him the message had been committed1 ',the ,spirit also helpeth our infirmity4' ,there is but one way by which a corrupt tree can be made good1 and that is by grafting into the wild briar stock a 'layer' from the rose4 ,the ,apostle had a double message to proclaim1 and the one part was built upon the other4 ,he had first to preach--and this day has first to believe that ,god has sent ,his own ,son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin--and then he had to proclaim that1 through that mission1 it became possible that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who 'walk not after the flesh but after the spirit4' ,the beginning1 then1 of all true goodness is to be sought in receiving into our corrupt natures the uncorrupted germs of the higher life1 and it is only in the measure in which that ,spirit of ,god moves in our spirits and1 like the sap in the vine1 permeates every branch and tendril1 that fruit to eternal life will grow4 ,christian graces are the products of the indwelling divine life1 and nothing else will succeed in producing them4 ,all the preachings of moralists and all the struggles after self-improvement are reduced to impotence and vanity by the stern1 curt sentence--'a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit4' ,surely it should come to us all as a true gospel when we feel ourselves foiled by our own evil nature in our attempts to be better1 that the first thing we have to do is not to labour at either of the two impossible tasks of the making our bad selves good1 or of the getting good fruits from bad selves1 but to open our spirits through faith in ,jesus for the entrance into us of ,his ,spirit which will change our corruption into incorruption1 and cleanse us from all filthiness of flesh and spirit4 ,shall we not seek to become recipient of that new life1 and having received it1 should we not give diligence that it may in us produce all its natural effects8 ,these fruits1 though they are the direct results of the indwelling ,spirit and will never be produced without its presence1 are none the less truly dependent upon our manner of receiving that ,spirit and on our faithfulness and diligence in the use of its gifts4 ,it is1 alas6 sadly too true1 and matter of tragically common experience that instead of 'trees of righteousness1 the planting of the ,lord' heavy with ruddy clusters1 there are but dwarfed and scrubby bushes which have scarcely life enough to keep up a little show of green leaves and 'bring no fruit to perfection'4 ,would that so-called ,christian people would more earnestly and searchingly ask themselves why it is that1 with such possibilities offered to them1 their actual attainments should be so small4 ,they have a power which is able to do for them exceeding abundantly above all that they can ask or think1 and its actual effects on them are well on this side of both their petitions and their conceptions4 ,there need be no difficulty in answering the question why our ,christian lives do not correspond more closely to the ,spirit that inspires them4 ,the plain answer is that we have not cultivated1 used1 and obeyed ,him4 ,the ,lord of the vineyard would less often have to ask ',wherefore when ,i looked that it should bring forth grapes1 brought it forth wild grapes8' if we listened more obediently to the pathetic command which surely should touch a grateful heart--',grieve not the holy ,spirit of ,god whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption4' ,,iv4 ,how this is the only worthy fruit4 ,we have already pointed out that the ,apostle in the preceding context varies his terms1 and catalogues the actions that come from the godless self as works1 whilst those which are the outcome of the ,spirit are fruit4 ,the distinction thus drawn is twofold4 ,multiplicity is contrasted with unity and fruit with works4 ,the deeds of the flesh have no consistency except that of evil2 they are at variance with themselves--a huddled mob without regularity or order2 and they are works indeed1 but so disproportionate to the nature of the doer and his obligations that they do not deserve to be called fruit4 ,it is not to attach too much importance to an accidental form of speech to insist upon this distinction as intended to be drawn1 and as suggesting to us very solemn thoughts about many apparently very active lives4 ,the man who lives to ,god truly lives2 the busiest life which is not rooted in ,him and directed towards ,him has so far missed its aim as to have brought forth no good fruit1 and therefore to have incurred the sentence that it is cut down and cast into the fire4 ,there is a very remarkable expression in ,scripture1 ',the unfruitful works of darkness1' which admits the busy occupation and energy of the doers and denies that all that struggling and striving comes to anything4 ,done in the dark1 they seemed to have some significance1 when the light comes in they vanish4 ,it is for us to determine whether our lives shall be works of the flesh1 full1 perhaps1 of a time of 'sound and fury1' but 'signifying nothing1' or whether they shall be fruits of the ,spirit1 which we 'who have gathered shall eat in the courts of ,his holiness4' ,they will be so if1 living in the ,spirit1 we walk in the ,spirit1 but if we 'sow to the flesh' we shall have a harder husbandry and a bitterer harvest when 'of the flesh we reap corruption1' and hear the awful and unanswerable question1 ',what fruit had ye then of those things whereof ye are now ashamed8' ,,burden-,,bearing ',bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 4 4 4 #e4 ,for every man shall bear his own burden4'--,,gal4 vi4 #be4 ,the injunction in the former of these verses appears1 at first sight1 to be inconsistent with the statement in the latter4 ,but ,paul has a way of setting side by side two superficially contradictory clauses1 in order that attention may be awakened1 and that we may make an effort to apprehend the point of reconciliation between them4 ,so1 for instance1 you remember he puts in one sentence1 and couples together by a 'for1' these two sayings3 ',work out your own salvation'2 ',it is ,god that worketh in you4' ,so here he has been exhorting the ,galatian ,christians to restore a fallen brother4 ,that is one case to which the general commandment1 ',bear ye one another's burdens1' is applicable4 ,i cannot here enter on the intervening verses by which he glides from the one to the other of these two thoughts which ,i have coupled together1 but ,i may just point out in a word the outline of his course of thought4 ',bear ye one another's burden1' says he2 and then he thinks1 ',what is it that keeps men from bearing each other's burdens8' ,being swallowed up with themselves1 and especially being conceited about their own strength and goodness4 ,and so he goes on3 ',if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing1 he deceives himself4' ,and what is the best cure for all these fancies inside us of how strong and good we are8 ,to look at our work with an impartial and rigid judgment4 ,it is easy for a man to plume himself on being good1 and strong1 and great2 but let him look at what he has done1 and try that by a high standard1 and that will knock the conceit out of him4 ,or1 if his work stands the test1 then 'he shall have rejoicing in himself1 and not' by comparing himself with other people4 ,two blacks do not make a white1 and we are not to heighten the lustre of our own whiteness by comparing it with our neighbour's blackness4 ,take your act for what it is worth1 apart altogether from what other people are4 ,do not say1 ',god6 ,i thank thee that ,i am not as other men are 4 4 4 or even as this publican'2 but look to yourself4 ,there is an occupation with self which is good1 and is a help to brotherly sympathy4 ,and so the ,apostle has worked round1 you see1 to almost an opposite thought from the one with which he started4 ',bear ye one another's burdens4' ,yes1 but a man's work is his own and nobody else's1 and a man's character is his own and nobody else's1 so 'every man shall bear his own burden4' ,the statements are not contradictory4 ,they complete each other4 ,they are the north and the south poles1 and between them is the rounded orb of the whole truth4 ,so then1 let me point out that3 ,i4 ,there are burdens which can be shared1 and there are burdens which cannot4 ,let us take the case from which the whole context has arisen4 ,paul was exhorting the ,galatians1 as ,i explained1 in reference to their duty to a fallen brother2 and he speaks of him--according to our version--as 'overtaken in a fault4' ,now1 that is scarcely his idea1 ,i think4 ,the phrase1 as it stands in our ,bibles1 suggests that ,paul is trying to minimise the gravity of the man's offence2 but just in proportion as he minimised its gravity would he weaken his exhortation to restore him4 ,but what he is really doing is not to make as little as possible of the sin1 but to make as much of it as is consistent with the truth4 ,the word 'overtaken' suggests that some sin1 like a tiger in a jungle1 springs upon a man and overpowers him by the suddenness of the assault4 ,the word so rendered may perhaps be represented by some such phrase as 'discovered'2 or1 if ,i may use a 'colloquialism1' if a man be caught 'red-handed4' ,that is the idea4 ,and ,paul does not use the weak word 'fault1' but a very much stronger one1 which means stark staring sin4 ,he is supposing a bad case of inconsistency1 and is not palliating it at all4 ,here is a brother who has had an unblemished reputation2 and all at once the curtain is thrown aside behind which he is working some wicked thing2 and there the culprit stands1 with the bull's-eye light flashed upon him1 ashamed and trembling4 ,paul says1 ',if you are a spiritual man'--there is irony there of the graver sort--'show your spirituality by going and lifting him up1 and trying to help him4' ,when he says1 ',restore such an one1' he uses an expression which is employed in other connections in the ,new ,testament1 such as for mending the broken meshes of a net1 for repairing any kind of damage1 for setting the fractured bones of a limb4 ,and that is what the 'spiritual' man has to do4 ,he is to show the validity of his claim to live on high by stooping down to the man bemired and broken-legged in the dirt4 ,we have come across people who chiefly show their own purity by their harsh condemnation of others' sins4 ,one has heard of women so very virtuous that they would rather hound a fallen sister to death than try to restore her2 and there are saints so extremely saintly that they will not touch the leper to heal him1 for fear of their own hands being ceremonially defiled4 ,paul says1 ',bear ye one another's burdens'2 and especially take a lift of each other's sin4 ,i need not remind you how the same command applies in relation to pecuniary distress1 narrow circumstances1 heavy duties1 sorrows1 and all the 'ills that flesh is heir to4' ,these can be borne by sympathy1 by true loving outgoing of the heart1 and by the rendering of such practical help as the circumstances require4 ,but there are burdens that cannot be borne by any but the man himself4 ,there is the awful burden of personal existence4 ,it is a solemn thing to be able to say ',i4' ,and that carries with it this1 that after all sympathy1 after all nestling closeness of affection1 after the tenderest exhibition of identity of feeling1 and of swift godlike readiness to help1 each of us lives alone4 ,like the inhabitants of the islands of the ,greek ,archipelago1 we are able to wave signals to the next island1 and sometimes to send a boat with provisions and succour1 but we are parted1 'with echoing straits between us thrown4' ,every man1 after all1 lives alone1 and society is like the material things round about us1 which are all compressible1 because the atoms that compose them are not in actual contact1 but separated by slenderer or more substantial films of isolating air4 ,thus there is even in the sorrows which we can share with our brethren1 and in all the burdens which we can help to bear1 an element which cannot be imparted4 ',the heart knoweth its own bitterness'1 and neither 'stranger' nor other 'intermeddleth' with the deepest fountains of 'its joy4' ,then again1 there is the burden of responsibility which can be shared by none4 ,a dozen soldiers may be turned out to make a firing party to shoot the mutineer1 and no man knows who fired the shot1 but one man did fire it4 ,and however there may have been companions1 it was his rifle that carried the bullet1 and his finger that pulled the trigger4 ,we say1 ',the woman that ,thou gavest me tempted me1 and ,i did eat4' ,or we say1 ',my natural appetites1 for which ,i am not responsible1 but ,thou who madest me art1 drew me aside1 and ,i fell'1 or we may say1 ',it was not ,i2 it was the other boy4' ,and then there rises up in our hearts a veiled form1 and from its majestic lips comes ',thou art the man'2 and our whole being echoes assent--,mea culpa2 mea maxima culpa--',my fault1 my exceeding great fault4' ,no man can bear that burden4 ,and then1 closely connected with responsibility there is another--the burden of the inevitable consequences of transgression1 not only away yonder in the future1 when all human bonds of companionship shall be broken1 and each man shall 'give account of himself to ,god1' but here and now2 as in the immediate context the ,apostle tells us1 ',whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4' ,the effects of our evil deeds come back to roost2 and they never make a mistake as to where they should alight4 ,if ,i have sown1 ,i1 and no one else1 will gather4 ,no sympathy will prevent to-morrow's headache after to-night's debauch1 and nothing that anybody can do will turn the sleuth-hounds off the scent4 ,though they may be slow-footed1 they have sure noses and deep-mouthed fangs4 ',if thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thyself1 and if thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it4' ,so there are burdens which can1 and burdens which cannot1 be borne4 ,,ii4 ,jesus ,christ is the ,burden-bearer for both sorts of burdens4 ',bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ1' not only as spoken by ,his lips1 but as set forth in the pattern of ,his life4 ,we have1 then1 to turn to ,him1 and think of ,him as ,burden-bearer in even a deeper sense than the psalmist had discerned1 who magnified ,god as ',he who daily beareth our burdens4' ,christ is the ,burden-bearer of our sin4 ',the ,lord hath laid'--or made to meet--'upon ,him the iniquity of us all4' ,the ,baptist pointed his lean1 ascetic finger at the young ,jesus1 and said1 ',behold the ,lamb of ,god which beareth'--and beareth away--'the sin of the world4' ,how heavy the load1 how real its pressure1 let ,gethsemane witness1 when ,he clung to human companionship with the unutterably solemn and plaintive words1 ',my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death4 ,tarry ye here and watch with ,me4' ,he bore the burden of the world's sin4 ,jesus ,christ is the bearer of the burden of the consequences of sin1 not only inasmuch as1 in ,his sinless humanity1 ,he knew by sympathy the weight of the world's sin1 but because in that same humanity1 by identification of ,himself with us1 deeper and more wonderful than our plummets have any line long enough to sound the abysses of1 ,he took the cup of bitterness which our sins have mixed1 and drank it all when ,he said1 ',my ,god6 ,my ,god6 ,why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8' ,consequences still remain3 thank ,god that they do6 ',thou wast a ,god that forgavest them1 and ,thou didst inflict retribution on their inventions4' ,so the outward1 the present1 the temporal consequences of transgression are left standing in all their power1 in order that transgressors may thereby be scourged from their evil1 and led to forsake the thing that has wrought them such havoc4 ,but the ultimate consequence1 the deepest of all1 separation from ,god1 has been borne by ,christ1 and need never be borne by us4 ,i suppose ,i need not dwell on the other aspects of this burden-bearing of our ,lord1 how that ,he1 in a very deep and real sense1 takes upon ,himself the sorrows which we bear in union with1 and faith on1 ,him4 ,for then the griefs that still come to us1 when so borne1 are transmitted into 'light affliction which is but for a moment4' ',in all their afflictions ,he was afflicted4' ,oh1 brethren6 you with sad hearts1 you with lonely lives1 you with carking cares1 you with pressing1 heavy duties1 cast your burden on the ,christ1 and ,he 'will sustain you1' and sorrows borne in union with ,him will change their character1 and the very cross shall be wreathed in flowers4 ,jesus bears the burden of that solemn solitude which our personal being lays upon us all4 ,the rest of us stand round1 and1 as ,i said1 hoist signals of sympathy1 and sometimes can stretch a brotherly hand out and grasp the sufferer's hand4 ,but their help comes from without2 ,christ comes in1 and dwells in our hearts1 and makes us no longer alone in the depths of our being1 which ,he fills with the effulgence and peace of ,his companionship4 ,and so for sin1 for guilt1 for responsibility1 for sorrow1 for holiness1 ,christ bears our burdens4 ,yes6 ,and when ,he takes ours on ,his shoulders1 ,he puts ,his on ours4 ',my yoke is easy1 and ,my burden is light4' ,as the old mystics used to say1 ,christ's burden carries him that carries it4 ,it may add a little weight1 but it gives power to soar1 and it gives power to progress4 ,it is like the wings of a bird1 it is like the sails of a ship4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 ,christ's carrying our burdens binds us to carry our brother's6 ',so fulfil the law of ,christ4' ,there is a very biting sarcasm1 and1 as ,i said about another matter1 a grave irony in ,paul's use of that word 'law' here4 ,for the whole of this ,epistle has been directed against the ,judaising teachers who were desirous of cramming ,jewish law down ,galatian throats1 and is addressed to their victims in the ,galatian churches who had fallen into the trap4 ,paul turns round on them here1 and says1 ',you want law1 do you8 ,well1 if you will have it1 here it is--the law of ,christ4' ,christ's life is our law4 ,practical ,christianity is doing what ,christ did4 ,the ,cross is not only the ground of our hope1 but the pattern of our conduct4 ,and1 says ,paul in effect1 the example of ,jesus ,christ1 in all its sweep1 and in all the depth of it1 is the only motive by which this injunction that ,i am giving you will ever be fulfilled4 ',bear ye one another's burdens4' ,you will never do that unless you have ,christ as the ground of your hope1 and ,his great sacrifice as the example for your conduct4 ,for the hindrance that prevents sympathy is self-absorption2 and that natural selfishness which is in us all will never be exorcised and banished from us thoroughly1 so as that we shall be awake to all the obligations to bear our brother's burdens1 unless ,christ has dethroned self1 and is the ,lord of our inmost spirits4 ,i rejoice as much as any man in the largely increased sense of mutual responsibility and obligation of mutual aid1 which is sweetening society by degrees amongst us to-day1 but ,i believe that no ,socialistic or other schemes for the regeneration of society which are not based on the ,incarnation and ,sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ will live and grow4 ,there is but one power that will cast out natural selfishness1 and that is love to ,christ1 apprehending ,his ,cross as the great example to which our lives are to be conformed4 ,i believe that the growing sense of brotherhood amongst us1 even where it is not consciously connected with any faith in ,christianity1 is1 to a very large extent1 the result of the diffusion through society of the spirit of ,christianity1 even where its body is rejected4 ,thank ,god1 the river of the water of life can percolate through many a mile of soil1 and reach the roots of trees far away1 in the pastures of the wilderness1 that know not whence the refreshing moisture has come4 ,but on the wide scale be sure of this3 it is the law of ,christ that will fight and conquer the natural selfishness which makes bearing our brother's burdens an impossibility for men4 ,only1 ,christian people6 let us take care that we are not robbed of our prerogative of being foremost in all such things1 by men whose zeal has a less heavenly source than ours ought to have4 ,depend upon it1 heresy has less power to arrest the progress of the ,church than the selfish lives of ,christian professors4 ,so1 dear friends1 let us see to it that we first of all cast our own burdens on the ,christ who is able to bear them all1 whatever they are4 ,and then let us1 with lightened hearts and shoulders1 make our own the heavy burdens of sin1 of sorrow1 of care1 of guilt1 of consequences1 of responsibility1 which are crushing down many that are weary and heavy laden4 ,for be sure of this1 if we do not bear our brother's burdens1 the load that we thought we had cast on ,christ will roll back upon ourselves4 ,he is able to bear both us and our burdens1 if we will let ,him1 and if we will fulfil that law of ,christ which was illustrated in all ,his life1 ',who1 though ,he was rich1 yet for our sakes became poor1' and was written large in letters of blood upon that ,cross where there was 'laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4' ,,doing ,,good ,,to ,,all ',as we have therefore opportunity1 let us do good unto all4 4 4 4'--,,gal4 vi4 #aj4 ',as we have therefore'--that points a finger backwards to what has gone before4 ,the ,apostle has been exhorting to unwearied well-doing1 on the ground of the certain coming of the harvest season4 ,now1 there is a double link of connection between the preceding words and our text2 for 'do good' looks back to 'well-doing1' and the word rendered 'opportunity' is the same as that rendered 'season4' ,so1 then1 two thoughts arise--'well-doing' includes doing good to others1 and is not complete unless it does4 ,the future1 on the whole1 is the season of reaping2 the present life on the whole is the season of sowing2 and while life as a whole is the seed-time1 in detail it is full of opportunities1 openings which make certain good deeds possible1 and which therefore impose upon us the obligation to do them4 ,if we were in the habit of looking on life mainly as a series of opportunities for well-doing1 how different it would be2 and how different we should be6 ,now1 this injunction is seen to be reasonable by every man1 whether he obeys it or not4 ,it is a commonplace of morality1 which finds assent in all consciences1 however little it may mould lives4 ,but ,i wish to give it a particular application1 and to try to enforce its bearing upon ,christian missionary work4 ,and the thought that ,i would suggest is just this1 that no ,christian man discharges that elementary obligation of plain morality1 if he is indifferent to this great enterprise4 ',as we have an opportunity1 let us do good to all4' ,that is the broad principle1 and one application is the duty of ,christian men to diffuse the ,gospel throughout the world4 ,i4 ,let me ask you to look at the obligation that is thus suggested4 ,as ,i have said1 well-doing is the wider1 and doing good to others the narrower1 expression4 ,the one covers the whole ground of virtue1 the other declares that virtue which is self-regarding1 the culture which is mainly occupied with self1 is lame and imperfect1 and there is a great gap in it1 as if some cantle had been cut out of the silver disc of the moon4 ,it is only full-orbed when in well-doing1 and as a very large constituent element of it1 there is included the doing good to others4 ,that is too plain to need to be stated4 ,we hear a great deal to-day about altruism4 ,well1 ,christianity preaches that more emphatically than any other system of thought1 morals1 or religion does4 ,and ,christianity brings the mightiest motives for it1 and imparts the power by which obedience to that great law that every man's conscience responds to is made possible4 ,but whilst thus we recognise as a dictate of elementary morality that well-doing must necessarily include doing good to others1 and feel1 as ,i suppose we all do feel1 when we are true to our deepest convictions1 that possessions of all sorts1 material1 mental1 and all others1 are given to us in stewardship1 and not in absolute ownership1 in order that ,god's grace in its various forms may fructify through us to all1 my present point is that1 if that is recognised as being what it is1 an elementary dictate of morality enforced by men's relationships to one another1 and sealed by their own consciences1 there is no getting away from the obligation upon all ,christian men which it draws after it1 of each taking his share in the great work of imparting the gospel to the whole world4 ,for that gospel is our highest good1 the best thing that we can carry to anybody4 ,we many of us recognise the obligation that is devolved upon us by the possession of wealth1 to use it for others as well as for ourselves4 ,we recognise1 many of us1 the obligation that is devolved upon us by the possession of knowledge1 to impart it to others as well as ourselves4 ,we are willing to give of our substance1 of our time1 of our effort1 to impart much that we have4 ,but some of us seem to draw a line at the highest good that we have1 and whilst responding to all sorts of charitable and beneficent appeals made to us1 and using our faculties often for the good of other people1 we take no share and no interest in communicating the highest of all goods1 the good which comes to the man in whose heart ,christ rests4 ,it is our highest good1 because it deals with our deepest needs1 and lifts us to the loftiest position4 ,the gospel brings our highest good1 because it brings eternal good1 whilst all other benefits fade and pass1 and are left behind with life and the dead flesh4 ,it is our highest good1 because if that great message of salvation is received into a heart1 or moulds the life of a nation1 it will bring after it1 as its ministers and results1 all manner of material and lesser benefit4 ,and so1 giving ,christ we give our best1 and giving ,christ we give the highest gift that a weary world can receive4 ,remember1 too1 that the impartation of this highest good is one of the main reasons why we ourselves possess it4 ,jesus ,christ can redeem the world alone1 but it cannot become a redeemed world without the help of ,his servants4 ,he needs us in order to carry into all humanity the energies that ,he brought into the midst of mankind by ,his ,incarnation and ,sacrifice2 and the cradle of ,bethlehem and the ,cross of ,cavalry are not sufficient for the accomplishment of the purpose for which they respectively came to pass1 without the intervention and ministry of ,christian people4 ,it was for this end amongst others1 that each of us who have received that great gift into our hearts have been enriched by it4 ,the river is fed from the fountains of the hills1 in order that it may carry verdure and life whithersoever it goes4 ,and you and ,i have been brought to the ,cross of ,christ1 and made ,his disciples1 not only in order that we ourselves might be blessed and quickened by the gift unspeakable1 but in order that through us it may be communicated1 just as each particle when leavened in the mass of the dough communicates its energy to its adjacent particle until the whole is leavened4 ,i am afraid that indifference to the communication of the highest good1 which marks sadly too many ,christian professors in all ages1 and in this age1 is a suspicious indication of a very slight realisation of the good for themselves4 ,luther said that justification was the article of a standing or a falling church4 ,that may be true in the region of theology1 but in the region of practical life ,i do not know that you will find a test more reliable and more easy of application than this1 ,does a man care for spreading amongst his fellows the gospel that he himself has received8 ,if he does not1 let him ask himself whether1 in any real sense1 he has it4 ',well-doing' includes doing good to others1 and the possession of ,christ will make it certain that we shall impart ,him4 ,,ii4 ,notice the bearing of this elementary injunction upon the scope of the obligation4 ',let us do good to all men4' ,it was ,christianity that invented the word 'humanity'2 either in its meaning of the aggregate of men or its meaning of a gracious attitude towards them4 ,and it invented the word because it revealed the thing on which it rests4 ',brotherhood' is the sequel of ',fatherhood1' and the conception of mankind1 beneath all diversities of race and culture and the like1 as being an organic whole1 knit together by a thousand mystical bands1 and each atom of which has connection with1 and obligations to1 every other--that is a product of ,christianity1 however it may have been in subsequent ages divorced from a recognition of its source4 ,so1 then1 the gospel rises above all the narrow distinctions which call themselves patriotism and are parochial1 and it says that there is 'neither circumcision nor uncircumcision1 ,jew nor ,greek1 ,barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond nor free1' but all are one4 ,get high enough up upon the hill1 and the hedges between the fields are barely perceptible4 ,live on the elevation to which the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ lifts men1 and you look down upon a great prairie1 without a fence or a ditch or a division4 ,so my text comes with profound significance1 ',let us do good to all1' because all are included in the sweep of that great purpose of love1 and in the redeeming possibilities of that great death on the ,cross4 ,christ has swept the compass1 if ,i may say so1 of ,his love and work all round humanity2 and are we to extend our sympathies or our efforts less widely8 ,the circle includes the world2 our sympathies should be as wide as the circle that ,christ has drawn4 ,let me remind you1 too1 that only such a world-wide communication of the highest good that has blessed ourselves will correspond to the proved power of that ,gospel which treats as of no moment diversities that are superficial1 and can grapple with and overcome1 and bind to itself as a crown of glory1 every variety of character1 of culture1 of circumstance1 claiming for its own all races1 and proving itself able to lift them all4 ',the ,bread of ,god which came down from heaven' is an exotic everywhere1 because it came down from heaven1 but it can grow in all soils1 and it can bring forth fruit unto eternal life everywhere amongst mankind4 ,so 'let us do good to all4' ,and then we are met by the old objection1 ',the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth4 ,keep your work for home1 that wants it4' ,well6 ,i am perfectly ready to admit that in ,christian work1 as in all others there must be division of labour1 and that one man's tastes and inclinations will lead him to one sphere and one form of it2 and another man's to another2 and ,i am quite ready1 not to admit1 but strongly to insist1 that1 whatever happens1 home is not to be neglected4 ',all men' includes the slums in ,england as well as the savages in ,africa1 and it is no excuse for neglecting either of these departments that we are trying to do something in the other4 ,but it is not uncharitable to say that the objection to which ,i am referring is most often made by one or other of two classes1 either by people who do not care about the ,gospel1 nor recognise the 'good' of it at all1 or by people who are ingenious in finding excuses for not doing the duty to which they are at the moment summoned4 ,the people that do the one are the people that do the other4 ,where do you get your money from for home work8 ,mainly from the ,christian ,churches4 ,who is it that keeps up missionary work abroad8 ,mainly the ,christian ,churches4 ,there is a vast deal of unreality in that objection4 ,just think of the disproportion between the embarrassment of riches in our ,christian appliances here in ,england and the destitution in these distant lands4 ,here the ships are crammed into a dock1 close up against one another1 rubbing their yards upon each other2 and away out yonder on the waters there are leagues of loneliness1 where never a sail is seen4 ,here1 at home1 we are drenched with ,christian teaching1 and the ,churches are competing with each other1 often like rival tradespeople for their customers2 and away out yonder a man to half a million is considered a fair allowance4 ',let us do good to all4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 note the bearing of this elementary precept on the occasions that rise for the discharge of the duty4 ',as we have opportunity4' ,as ,i have already said1 the ,christian way to look at our circumstances is to regard them as openings for the exercise of ,christian virtue1 and therefore summonses to its discharge4 ,and if we regarded our own position individually1 so we should find that there were many1 many doors that had long been opened1 into which we had been too blind or too lazy1 or too selfishly absorbed in our own concerns1 to enter4 ,the neglected opportunities1 the beckoning doors whose thresholds we have never crossed1 the good that we might have done and have not done--these are as weighty to sink us as the positive sins1 the opportunities for which have appealed to our worse selves4 ,but ,i desire to say a word1 not only about the opportunities offered to us individually1 but about those offered to ,england for this great enterprise4 ,the prophet of old represented the proud ,assyrian conqueror as boasting1 ',my hand hath gathered as a nest the riches of the peoples 4 4 4 and there was none that moved the wing1 or opened the mouth1 or peeped4' ,it might be the motto of ,england to-day4 ,it is not for nothing that we and our brethren across the ,atlantic1 the inheritors of the same faith and morals and literature1 and speaking the same tongue1 have had given to us the wide dominion that we possess1 ,i know that ,england has not climbed to her place without many a crime1 and that in her 'skirts is found the blood of poor innocents1' but yet we have that connection1 for good or for evil1 with subject races all over the earth4 ,and ,i ask whether or not that is an opportunity that the ,christian ,church is bound to make use of4 ,what have we been intrusted with it for8 ,commerce1 dominion1 the impartation of ,western knowledge1 literature1 laws8 ,yes6 ,is that all8 ,are you to send shirting and not the ,gospel8 ,are you to send muskets that will burst1 and gin that is poison1 and not ,christianity8 ,are you to send ,shakespeare1 and ,milton1 and modern science1 and ,herbert ,spencer1 and not ,evangelists and the ,gospels8 ,are you to send the code of ,english law and not ,christ's law of love8 ,are you to send godless ,englishmen1 'through whom the name of ,god is blasphemed amongst the ,gentiles1' and are you not to send missionaries of the ,cross8 ,a ,brahmin once said to a missionary1 ',look here6 ,your ,book is a good ,book4 ,if you were as good as your ,book you would make ,india ,christian in ten years4' ,brethren6 the ,european world to-day is fighting and scrambling over what it calls the unclaimed corners of the world2 looking upon all lands that are uncivilised by ,western civilisation either as markets1 or as parts of their empire4 ,is there no other way of looking at the heathen world than that8 ,how did ,christ look at it8 ,he was moved when ,he saw the multitudes as 'sheep having no shepherd4' ,oh6 if ,christian men1 as members of this nation1 would rise to the height of ,christ's place of vision1 and would look at the world with ,his eyes1 what a difference it would make6 ,i appeal to you1 ,christian men and women1 as members of this nation1 and therefore responsible1 though it may be infinitesimally1 for what this nation is doing in the distant corners of the world1 and urge on you that you are bound1 so far as your influence goes1 to protest against the way of looking at these heathen lands as existing to be exploited for the material benefit of these ,western ,powers4 ,you are bound to lend your voice1 however weak it may be1 to the protests against the savage treatment of native races--against the drenching of ,china with narcotics1 and ,africa with rum2 to try to look at the world as ,christ looked at it1 to rise to the height of that great vision which regards all men as having been in ,his heart when ,he died on the ,cross1 and refuses to recognise in this great work ',barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond or free4' ,we have awful responsibilities2 the world is open to us4 ,we have the highest good4 ,how shall we obey this elementary principle of our text1 unless we help as we can in spreading ,christ's reign8 ,blessed shall we be if1 and only if1 we fill the seed-time with delightful work1 and remember that well-doing is imperfect unless it includes doing good to others1 and that the best good we can do is to impart the ,unspeakable ,gift to the men that need it4 ,,the ,,owner',s ,,brand ',i bear in my body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4'--,,gal4 vi4 #ag4 ,the reference in these words is probably to the cruel custom of branding slaves as we do cattle1 with initials or signs1 to show their ownership4 ,it is true that in old times criminals1 and certain classes of ,temple servants1 and sometimes soldiers1 were also so marked1 but it is most in accordance with the ,apostle's way of thinking that he here has reference to the first class1 and would represent himself as the slave of ,jesus ,christ1 designated as ,his by the scars and weaknesses which were the consequences of his apostolic zeal4 ,imprisonment1 beating by the ,jewish rod1 shipwrecks1 fastings1 weariness1 perils1 persecutions1 all these he sums up in another place as being the tokens by which he was approved as an apostle of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and here he1 no doubt1 has the same thought in his mind1 that his bodily weakness1 which was the direct issue of his apostolic work1 showed that he was ,christ's4 ,the painful infirmity under which1 as we learn1 he was more especially suffering1 about the time of writing this letter1 may also have been in his mind4 ,all through this ,epistle he has been thundering and lightning against the disputers of this apostolic authority4 ,and now at last he softens1 and as it were1 bares his thin arm1 his scarred bosom1 and bids these contumacious ,galatians look upon them1 and learn that he has a right to speak as the representative and messenger of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,so we have here two or three points1 ,i think1 worth considering4 ,first1 think for a moment of the slave of ,christ2 then of the brands which mark the ownership2 then of the glory in the servitude and the sign2 and then of the immunity from human disturbances which that service gives4 ',from henceforth let no man trouble me4 ,i bear in my body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,i4 ,first1 then1 a word or two about that conception of the slave of ,christ4 ,it is a pity that our ,bible has not rendered the title which ,paul ever gives himself at the beginning of his letters1 by that simple word 'slave1' instead of the feebler one1 'servant4' ,for what he means when he calls himself the 'servant of ,jesus ,christ' is not that he bore to ,christ the kind of relation which servants among us bear to those who have hired and paid them1 and to whom they have come under obligations of their own will which they can terminate at any moment by their own caprice2 but that he was in the roughest and simplest sense of the word1 ,christ's slave4 ,what lies in that metaphor8 ,well1 it is the most uncompromising assertion of the most absolute authority on the one hand1 and claim of unconditional submission and subjection on the other4 ,the slave belonged to his master2 the master could do exactly as he liked with him4 ,if he killed him nobody had anything to say4 ,he could set him to any task2 he could do what he liked with any little possession or property that the slave seemed to have4 ,he could break all his relationships1 and separate him from wife and kindred4 ,all that is atrocious and blasphemous when it is applied to the relations between man and man1 but it is a blessed and magnificent truth when it is applied to the relations between a man and ,christ4 ,for this ,lord has absolute authority over us1 and ,he can do what ,he likes with everything that belongs to us2 and we1 and our duties1 and our circumstances1 and our relationships1 are all in ,his hands1 and the one thing that we have to render to ,him is utter1 absolute1 unquestioning1 unhesitating1 unintermittent and unreserved obedience and submission4 ,that which is abject degradation when it is rendered to a man1 that which is blasphemous presumption when it is required by a man1 that which is impossible1 in its deepest reality1 as between man and man1 is possible1 is blessed1 is joyful and strong when it is required by1 and rendered to1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,we are ,his slaves if we have any living relationship to ,him at all4 ,where1 then1 in the ,christian life1 is there a place for self-will2 where a place for self-indulgence2 where for murmuring or reluctance2 where for the assertion of any rights of my own as against that ,master8 ,we owe absolute obedience and submission to ,jesus ,christ4 ,and what does the metaphor carry as to the basis on which this authority rests8 ,how did men acquire slaves8 ,chiefly by purchase4 ,the abominations of the slave market are a blessed metaphor for the deep realities of the ,christian life4 ,christ has bought you for ,his own4 ,the only thing that gives a human soul the right to have any true authority over another human soul is that it shall have yielded itself to the soul whom it would control4 ,we must first of all give ourselves away before we have the right to possess1 and the measure in which we give ourselves to another is the measure in which we possess another4 ,and so ,christ our ,lord1 according to the deep words of one of ,paul's letters1 'gives ,himself for us1 that ,he might purchase unto ,himself a people for ,his possession4' ',ye are not your own2 ye are bought with a price4' ,therefore the absolute authority1 and unconditional surrender and submission which are the very essence of the ,christian life1 at bottom are but the corresponding and twofold effects of one thing1 and that is love4 ,for there is no possession of man by man except that which is based on love4 ,and there is no submission of man to man worth calling so except that which is also based therein4 ',thou hearts alone wouldst move2 ,thou only hearts dost love4' ,the relation in both its parts1 on the side of the ,master and on the side of the captive bondsman1 is the direct result and manifestation of that love which knits them together4 ,therefore the ,christian slavery1 with its abject submission1 with its utter surrender and suppression of mine own will1 with its complete yielding up of self to the control of ,jesus1 who died for me2 because it is based upon ,his surrender of ,himself to me1 and in its inmost essence it is the operation of love1 is therefore co-existent with the noblest freedom4 ,this great ,epistle to the ,galatians is the trumpet call and clarion proclamation of ,christian liberty4 ,the breath of freedom blows inspiringly through it all4 ,the very spirit of the letter is gathered up in one of its verses1 ',i have been called unto liberty1' and in its great exhortation1 ',stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made you free4' ,it is then sufficiently remarkable and profoundly significant that in this very letter1 which thus is the protest of the free ,christian consciousness against all limitations and outward restrictions1 there should be this most emphatic declaration that the liberty of the ,christian is slavery and the slavery of the ,christian is freedom4 ,he is free whose will coincides with his outward law4 ,he is free who delights to do what he must do4 ,he is free whose rule is love1 and whose ,master is ,incarnate ,love4 ',if the ,son make you free1 ye shall be free indeed4' ',o ,lord1 truly ,i am ,thy servant1 ,thou hast loosed my bands4' ',i bear in my body' the charter of my liberty1 for ,i bear in my body the 'brand of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,,ii4 ,and so now a word in the next place about these marks of ownership4 ,as ,i have said1 the ,apostle evidently means thereby distinctly the bodily weaknesses1 and possibly diseases1 which were the direct consequences of his own apostolic faithfulness and zeal4 ,he considered that he proved himself to be a minister of ,god by his stripes1 imprisonments1 fastings1 by all the pains and sufferings and their permanent consequences in an enfeebled constitution1 which he bore because he had preached the ,cross of ,christ4 ,he knew that these things were the result of his faithful ministry4 ,he believed that they had been sent by no blundering1 blind fate2 by no mere secondary causes2 but by his ,master ,himself1 whose hand had held the iron that branded into the hissing flesh the marks of ,his ownership4 ,he felt that by means of these he had been drawn nearer to his ,master1 and the ownership had been made more perfect4 ,and so in a rapture of contempt of pain1 this heroic soul looks upon even bodily weakness and suffering as being the signs that he belonged to ,christ1 and the means of that possession being made more perfect4 ,now1 what is all that to us ,christian people who have no persecutions to endure1 and none of whom ,i am afraid have ever worked hard enough for ,christ to have damaged our health by it8 ,is there anything in this text that may be of general application to us all8 ,yes6 ,i think so4 ,every ,christian man or woman ought to bear1 in his or her body1 in a plain1 literal sense1 the tokens that he or she belongs to ,jesus ,christ4 ,you ask me how8 ',if thy foot or thine hand offend thee1 cut it off1 and cast it from thee4' ,there are things in your physical nature that you have to suppress2 that you have always to regulate and coerce2 that you have sometimes entirely to cast away and to do without1 if you mean to be ,jesus ,christ's at all4 ,the old law of self-denial1 of subduing the animal nature1 its passions1 appetites1 desires1 is as true and as needful to-day as it ever was2 and for us all it is essential to the loftiness and purity of our ,christian life that our animal nature and our fleshly constitution should be well kept down under heel and subdued4 ,as ,paul himself said in another place1 ',i bring under my body1 and ,i keep it in subjection1 lest by any means ,i should myself1 having proclaimed to others the laws of the contest1 be rejected from the prize4' ,oh1 you ,christian men and women6 if you are not living a life of self-denial1 if you are not crucifying the flesh1 with its affections and lusts1 if you are not bearing 'about in the body the dying of the ,lord ,jesus1 that the life also of ,christ may be manifested in your mortal body1' what tokens are there that you are ,christ's slaves at all8 ,then1 besides this1 we may expand the thought even further1 and say that1 in a very real sense1 all the pains and sorrows and disappointments and afflictions that mainly touch our mortal part should be taken by us as1 and made by us to be1 the tokens that we belong to the ,master4 ,but it is not only in limitations and restrictions and self-denials and pains that ,christ's ownership of us ought to be manifested in our daily lives1 and so by means of our mortal bodies1 but if there be in our hearts a deep indwelling possession of the grace and sweetness of ,christ1 it will make itself visible1 ay6 even in our faces1 and 'beauty born of' our communion with ,him 'shall pass into' and glorify even rugged and care-lined countenances4 ,there may be1 and there ought to be1 in all ,christian people1 manifestly visible the tokens of the indwelling serenity of the indwelling ,christ4 ,and it should not be left to some moment of rapture at the end of life1 for men to look upon us1 to behold our faces1 'as it had been the face of an angel1' but by our daily walk1 by our countenances full of a removed tranquillity1 and a joy that rises from within1 men ought to take knowledge of us that we have been with ,jesus1 and it should be the truth--,i bear in my body the tokens of ,his possession4 ,,iii4 ,now1 once more notice the glorying in the slavery and its signs4 ',i bear1' says ,paul2 and he uses1 as many of you may know1 a somewhat remarkable word1 which does not express mere bearing in the sense of toleration and patient endurance1 although that is much2 nor mere bearing in the sense of carrying1 but implies bearing with a certain triumph as men would do who1 coming back victorious from conflict1 and being received into the city1 were proud to show their scars1 the honourable signs of their courage and constancy4 ,so1 with a triumph that is legitimate1 the ,apostle solemnly and proudly bears before men the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,just as he says in another place3--',thanks be unto ,god1 which always leadeth us about in triumph in ,jesus ,christ1' ,he was proud of being dragged at the conqueror's chariot wheels1 chained to them by the cords of love2 and so he was proud of being the slave of ,christ4 ,it is a degradation to a man to yield abject submission1 unconditional service to another man4 ,it is the highest honour of our natures so to bow before that dear ,lord4 ,to prostrate ourselves to ,him is to lift ourselves high in the scale of being4 ,the ,king's servant is every other person's master4 ,and he that feels that he is ,christ's1 may well be1 not proud but conscious1 of the dignity of belonging to such a ,lord4 ,the monarch's livery is a sign of honour4 ,in our old ,saxon kingdom the king's menials were the first nobles4 ,so it is with us4 ,the aristocracy of humanity are the slaves of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and let us be proud of the marks of the branding iron1 whether they come in the shape of sorrows and pains1 or otherwise4 ,it is well that we should have to carry these4 ,it is blessed1 and a special mark of the ,master's favour that ,he should think it worth ,his while to mark us as ,his own1 by any sorrow or by any pain4 ,howsoever hot may be the iron1 and howsoever deeply it may be pressed by ,his firm1 steady1 gentle hand upon the quivering flesh and the shrinking heart1 let us be thankful if ,he1 even by it1 impresses on us the manifest tokens of ownership4 ,oh1 brethren6 if we could come to look upon sorrows and losses with this clear recognition of their source1 meaning and purpose1 they change their nature1 the paradox is fulfilled that we do 'gather grapes of thorns and figs of thistles4' ',i bear in my body1' with a solemn triumph and patient hope1 'the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,,iv4 ,and now1 lastly1 the immunity from any disturbance which men can bring1 which these marks1 and the servitude they express1 secure4 ',from henceforth let no man trouble me4' ,paul claims that his apostolic authority1 having been established by the fact of his sufferings for ,christ1 should give him a sacredness in their eyes2 that henceforth there should be no rebellion against his teaching and his word4 ,we may expand the thought to apply more to ourselves1 and say that1 in the measure in which we belong to ,christ1 and hear the marks of ,his possession of us1 in that measure are we free from the disturbance of earthly influences and of human voices2 and from all the other sources of care and trouble1 of perturbation and annoyance1 which harass and vex other men's spirits4 ',ye are bought with a price1' says ,paul elsewhere4 ',be not the servants of men4' ,christ is your ,master2 do not let men trouble you4 ,take your orders from ,him2 let men rave as they like4 ,be content to be approved by ,him2 let men think of you as they please4 ,the ,master's smile is life1 the ,master's frown is death to the slave2 what matters it what other people may say8 ',he that judgeth me is the ,lord4' ,so keep yourselves above the cackle of 'public opinion'2 do not let your creed be crammed down your throats even by a consensus of however venerable and grave human teachers4 ,take your directions from your ,master1 and pay no heed to other voices if they would command4 ,live to please ,him1 and do not care what other people think4 ,you are ,christ's servant2 'let no man trouble' you4 ,and so it should be about all the distractions and petty annoyances that disturb human life and harass our hearts4 ,a very little breath of wind will ruffle all the surface of a shallow pond1 though it would sweep across the deep sea and produce no effect4 ,deepen your natures by close union with ,christ1 and absolute submission to ,him1 and there will be a great calm in them1 and cares and sorrows1 and all the external sources of anxiety1 far away1 down there beneath your feet1 will 'show scarce so gross as beetles1' whilst you stand upon the high cliff and look down upon them all4 ',from henceforth no man shall trouble me4' ',i bear in my body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,my brother6 ,whose marks do you bear8 ,there are only two masters4 ,if an eye that could see things as they are1 were to go through this congregation1 whose initials would it discern in your faces8 ,there are some of us1 ,i have no doubt1 who in a very horrid sense bear in our bodies the marks of the idol that we worship4 ,men who have ruined their health by dissipation and animal sensualism--are there any of them here this morning8 ,are there none of us whose faces1 whose trembling hands1 whose diseased frames1 are the tokens that they belong to the flesh and the world and the devil8 ,whose do you bear8 ,oh6 when one looks at all the faces that pass one upon the street--this all drawn with avarice and earthly-mindedness2 that all bloated with self-indulgence and loose living--when one sees the mean faces1 the passionate faces1 the cruel faces1 the vindictive faces1 the lustful faces1 the worldly faces1 one sees how many of us bear in our bodies the marks of another lord4 ,they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast2 and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name4 ,i pray you1 yield yourselves to your true ,lord1 so on earth you may bear the beginnings of the likeness that stamps you ,his1 and hereafter1 as one of ,his happy slaves1 shall do priestly service at ,his throne and see ,his face1 and ,his name shall be in your foreheads4 ,,philippians ,,loving ,,greetings ',paul and ,timothy1 servants of ,christ ,jesus1 to all the saints in ,christ ,jesus which are at ,philippi1 with the bishops and deacons3 #b4 ,grace to you and peace from ,god our ,father and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #c4 ,i thank my ,god upon all my remembrance of you1 #d4 ,always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy1 #e4 ,for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now2 #f4 ,being confident of this very thing that ,he which began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of ,jesus ,christ3 #g4 ,even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all1 because ,i have you in my heart1 inasmuch as1 both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel1 ye all are partakers with me of grace4 #h4 ,for ,god is my witness1 how ,i long after you all in the tender mercies of ,christ ,jesus4'--,,phil4 i4 #a-h 7,r4,v474 ,the bond between ,paul and the church at ,philippi was peculiarly close4 ,it had been founded by himself1 as is narrated at unusual length in the book of ,acts4 ,it was the first church established in ,europe4 ,ten years had elapsed since then1 possibly more4 ,paul is now a prisoner in ,rome1 not suffering the extremest rigour of imprisonment1 but still a prisoner in his own hired house1 accessible to his friends and able to do work for ,god1 but still in the custody of soldiers1 chained and waiting till the tardy steps of ,roman law should come up to him1 or perhaps till the caprice of ,nero should deign to hear his cause4 ,in that imprisonment we have his letters to the ,philippians1 ,ephesians1 ,colossians1 and ,philemon1 which latter three are closely connected in time1 the two former in subject1 and the two latter in destination4 ,this letter stands apart from those to the great ,asiatic churches4 ,its tone and general cast are unlike those of most of his letters4 ,it contains no doctrinal discussions and no rebukes of evil1 but is an outpouring of happy love and confidence4 ,like all ,paul's epistles it begins with salutations1 and like most of them with prayer1 but from the very beginning is a long gush of love4 ,these early verses seem to me very beautiful if we regard them either as a revelation of the personal character of the ,apostle1 or as a picture of the relation between teacher and taught in its most blessed and undisturbed form1 or as a lovely ideal of friendship and love in any relation1 hallowed and solemnised by ,christian feeling4 ,verses one and two contain the apostolic greeting4 ,in it we note the senders4 ,timothy is associated with ,paul1 according to his custom in all his letters even when he goes on immediately to speak in the singular4 ,he ever sought to hide his own supremacy and to bring his friends into prominence4 ,he was a great1 lowly soul1 who had no pride in the dignity of his position but felt the weight of its responsibility and would fain have had it shared4 ,he calls ,timothy and himself the slaves of ,christ4 ,he regarded it as his highest honour to be ,christ's born servant1 bound to absolute submission to the all-worthy ,lord who had died to win him4 ,it is to be noted that there is no reference here to apostolic authority1 and the contrast is very remarkable in this respect with the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 where with scornful emphasis he asserts it as bestowed 'not from men1 neither through man1 but through ,jesus ,christ and ,god the ,father4' ,in this designation of himself1 we have already the first trace of the intimate and loving relationship in which ,paul stood to the ,philippians4 ,there was no need for him to assert what was not denied1 and he did not wish to deal with them officially1 but rather personally4 ,there is a similar omission in ,philemon and a pathetic substitution there of the 'prisoner of ,jesus ,christ' for the 'slave of ,christ ,jesus4' ,the persons addressed are 'all the saints in ,christ ,jesus4' ,as he had not called himself an apostle1 so he does not call them a church4 ,he will not lose in an abstraction the personal bond which unites them4 ,they are saints1 which is not primarily a designation of moral purity1 but of consecration to ,god1 from whom indeed purity flows4 ,the primitive meaning of the word is separation2 the secondary meaning is holiness1 and the connection between these two meanings contains a whole ethical philosophy4 ,they are saints in ,christ ,jesus2 union with ,him is the condition both of consecration and of purity4 ,the ,philippian community had an organisation primitive but sufficient4 ,we do not enter on the discussion of its two offices further than to note that the bishops are evidently identical with the elders1 in the account in ,acts xx4 of ,paul's parting with the ,ephesian ,christians1 where the same persons are designated by both titles1 as is also the case in ,titus i4 #e and #g2 the one name 7elder7 coming from the ,hebrew and designating the office on the side of dignity1 the other 7bishop7 being of ,greek origin and representing it in terms of function4 ,we note that there were several elders then in the ,philippian church1 and that their place in the salutation negatives the idea of hierarchical supremacy4 ,the benediction or prayer for grace and peace is couched in the form which it assumes in all ,paul's letters4 ,it blends ,eastern and ,western forms of greeting4 ',grace' being the ,greek and ',peace' the ,hebrew form of salutation4 ,so ,christ fuses and fulfils the world's desires4 ,the grace which ,he gives is the self-imparting love of ,god1 the peace which ,he gives is its consequence1 and the salutation is an unmistakable evidence of ,paul's belief in ,christ's divinity4 ,this salutation is followed by a great burst of thankful love1 for the full apprehension of which we must look briefly at the details of these verses4 ,we have first ,paul's thankfulness in all his remembrance of the ,philippians1 then he further defines the times of his thankfulness as 'always in every supplication of mind on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy4' ,his gratitude for them is expressed in all his prayers which are all thank-offerings4 ,he never thinks of them nor prays for them without thanking ,god for them4 ,then comes the reason for his gratitude--their fellowship in furtherance of the gospel1 from the first day when ,lydia constrained him to come into her house1 until this moment when now at the last their care of him had flourished again4 ,the ,revised ,version's rendering 'fellowship in furtherance of' instead of 'fellowship in' conveys the great lesson which the other rendering obscures--that the true fellowship is not in enjoyment but in service1 and refers not so much to a common participation in the blessedness as in the toils and trials of ,christian work4 ,this is apparent in an immediately following verse where the ,philippians' fellowship with ,christ is again spoken of as consisting in sharing both in ,his bonds and in the double work of defending the gospel from gainsayers and in positively proclaiming it4 ,very beautifully in this connection does he designate that work and toil as 'my grace4' ,the fellowship which thus is the basis of his thanksgiving leads on to a confidence which he cherishes for them and which helps to make his prayers joyful thanksgivings4 ,and such confidence becomes him because he has them in his heart1 and 'love hopeth all things' and delights to believe in and anticipate all good concerning its object4 ,he has them in his heart because they faithfully share with him his honourable1 blessed burdens4 ,but that is not all1 it is 'in the tender mercies' of ,christ that he loved them4 ,his love is the love of ,christ in him2 his being is so united to ,jesus that his heart beats with the same emotion as throbs in ,christ's1 and all that is merely natural and of self in his love is changed into a solemn participation in the great love which ,christ has to them4 ,this1 then1 being the general exposition of the words1 let us now dwell for a little while on the broad principles suggested by them4 ,i4 ,participation in the work of ,christ is the noblest basis for love and friendship4 ,paul had tremendous courage and yet hungered for sympathy4 ,he had no outlets for his love but his fellow ,christians4 ,there had1 no doubt1 been a wrenching of the ties of kindred when he became a ,christian1 and his love1 dammed back and restrained1 had to pour itself on his brethren4 ,the ,church is a workshop1 not a dormitory1 and every ,christian man and woman is bound to help in the common cause4 ,these ,philippians help ,paul by sympathy and gifts1 indeed1 but by their own direct work as well1 and things are not right with us unless leaders can say1 ',ye all are partakers of my grace4' ,there are other real and sweet bonds of love and friendship1 but the most real and sweetest is to be found in our common relation to ,jesus ,christ and in our co-operation in the work which is ours because it is ,his and we are ,his4 ,,ii4 ,thankful1 glad prayer flows from such co-operation4 ,the prisoner in his bonds in the alien city had the remembrance of his friends coming into his chamber like fresh1 cool air1 or fragrance from far-off gardens4 ,a thrill of gladness was in his soul as often as he thought on them4 ,it is blessed if in our experience teacher and taught are knit together thus2 without some such bond of union no good will be done4 ,the relation of pastor and people is so delicate and spiritual1 the purpose of it so different from that of mere teaching1 the laws of it so informal and elastic1 the whole power of it1 therefore1 so dependent on sympathy and mutual kindliness that1 unless there be something like the bond which united ,paul and the ,philippians1 there will be no prosperity or blessing4 ,the thinnest film of cloud prevents deposition of dew4 ,if all men in pulpits could say what ,paul said of the ,philippians1 and all men in pews could deserve to have it said of them1 the world would feel the power of a quickened ,church4 ,,iii4 ,confidence is born of love and common service4 ,paul delights to think that ,god will go on because ,god has already begun a good work in them1 and ,paul delights to think of their perfection because he loves them4 ',god is not a man that ,he should lie1 or the son of man that ,he should repent4' ,his past is the guarantee for ,his future2 what ,he begins ,he finishes4 ,,iv4 ,our love is hallowed and greatened in the love of ,christ4 ,paul lived1 yet not he1 but ,christ lived in him4 ,it is but one illustration of the principle of his being that ,christ who was the life of his life1 is the heart of his love4 ,he longed after his ,philippian friends in the tender mercies of ,christ ,jesus4 ,this and this only is the true consecration of love when we live and love in the ,lord2 when we will as ,christ does1 think as ,he does1 love as ,he does1 when the mind that was in ,christ ,jesus was in us4 ,it is needful to guard against the intrusion of mere human affection and regard into our sacred relations in the ,church2 it is needful to guard against it in our own personal love and friendship4 ,let us see that we ourselves know and believe the love wherewith ,christ hath loved us1 and then let us see that that love dwells in us informing and hallowing our hearts1 making them tender with ,his great tenderness1 and turning all the water of our earthly affections into the new wine of ,his kingdom4 ,let the law for our hearts1 as well as for our minds and wills1 be ',i live1 yet not ,i but ,christ liveth in me4' ,a ,,comprehensive ,,prayer ',and this ,i pray1 that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment2 #aj4 ,so that ye may approve the things that are excellent2 that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of ,christ2 #aa4 ,being filled with the fruits of righteousness1 which are through ,jesus ,christ1 unto the glory and praise of ,god4'--,,phil4 i4 #i-aa 7,r4,v474 ,what a blessed friendship is that of which the natural language is prayer6 ,we have many ways1 thank ,god1 of showing our love and of helping one another1 but the best way is by praying for one another4 ,all that is selfish and low is purged out of our hearts in the act1 suspicions and doubts fade away when we pray for those whom we love4 ,many an alienation would have melted like morning mists if it had been prayed about1 added tenderness and delicacy come to our friendships so like the bloom on ripening grapes4 ,we may test our loves by this simple criterion--,can we pray about them8 ,if not1 should we have them8 ,are they blessings to us or to others8 ,this prayer1 like all those in ,paul's epistles1 is wonderfully full4 ,his deep affection for1 and joy in1 the ,philippian church breathes in every word of it4 ,even his jealous watchfulness saw nothing in them to desire but progress in what they possessed4 ,such a desire is the highest that love can frame4 ,we can wish nothing better for one another than growth in the love of ,god4 ,paul's estimate of the highest good of those who were dearest to him was that they should be more and more completely filled with the love of ,god and with its fruits of holiness and purity1 and what was his supreme desire for the ,philippians is the highest purpose of the gospel for us all1 and should be the aim of our effort and longing1 dominating all others as some sovereign mountain peak towers above the valleys4 ,looking then at this prayer as containing an outline of true progress in the ,christian life1 we may note3 ,i4 ,the growth in keenness of conscience founded on growth in love4 ,paul does not merely desire that their love may abound1 but that it may become more and more 'rich in knowledge and all discernment4' ,the former is perhaps accurate knowledge1 and the latter the application of it4 ',discernment' literally means 'sense1' and here1 of course1 when employed about spiritual and moral things it means the power of apprehending good and bad as such4 ,it is1 ,i suppose1 substantially equivalent to conscience1 the moral tact or touch of the soul by which1 in a manner analogous to bodily sense1 it ascertains the moral character of things4 ,this growth of love in the power of spiritual and moral discernment is desired in order to its exercise in 'proving things that differ4' ,it is a process of discrimination and testing that is meant1 which is1 ,i think1 fairly represented by the more modern expression which ,i have used--keenness of conscience4 ,i need spend little time in remarking on the absolute need of such a process of discrimination4 ,we are surrounded by temptations to evil1 and live in a world where maxims and principles not in accordance with the gospel abound4 ,our own natures are but partially sanctified4 ,the shows of things must be tested4 ,apparent good must be proved4 ,the ,christian life is not merely to unfold itself in peace and order1 but through conflict4 ,we are not merely to follow impulses1 or to live as angels do1 who are above sin1 or as animals do who are beneath it4 ,when false coin is current it is folly to accept any without a test4 ,all around us there is glamour1 and so within us there is need for careful watchfulness and quick discrimination4 ,this keenness of conscience follows on the growth of love4 ,nothing makes a man more sensitive to evil than a hearty love to ,god4 ,such a heart is keener to discern what is contrary to its love than any ethical maxims can make it4 ,a man who lives in love will be delivered from the blinding influence of his own evil tastes1 and a heart steadfast in love will not be swayed by lower temptations4 ,communion with ,god will1 from its very familiarity with ,him1 instinctively discern the evil of evil1 as a man coming out of pure air is conscious of vitiated atmosphere which those who dwell in it do not perceive4 ,it used to be said that ,venice glass would shiver into fragments if poison were poured into the cup4 ,as evil spirits were supposed to be cast out by the presence of an innocent child or a pure virgin1 so the ugly shapes that sometimes tempt us by assuming fair disguises will be shown in their native hideousness when confronted with a heart filled with the love of ,god4 ,such keenness of judgment is capable of indefinite increase4 ,our consciences should become more and more sensitive3 we should always be advancing in our discovery of our own evils1 and be more conscious of our sins1 the fewer we have of them4 ,twilight in a chamber may reveal some foul things1 and the growing light will disclose more4 ',secret faults' will cease to be secret when our love abounds more and more in knowledge1 and in all discernment4 ,,ii4 ,the purity and completeness of character flowing from this keenness of conscience4 ,the ,apostle desires that the knowledge which he asks for his ,philippian friends may pass over into character1 and he describes the sort of men which he desires them to be in two clauses1 'sincere and void of offence' being the one1 'filled with the fruits of righteousness' being the other4 ,the former is perhaps predominantly negative1 the latter positive4 ,that which is sincere is so because when held up to the light it shows no flaws1 and that which is without offence is so because the stones in the path have been cleared away by the power of discrimination1 so that there is no stumbling4 ,the life which discerns keenly will bring forth the fruit which consists of righteousness1 and that fruit is to fill the whole nature so that no part shall be without it4 ,nothing lower than this is the lofty standard towards which each ,christian life is to aim1 and to which it can indefinitely approximate4 ,it is not enough to aim at the negative virtue of sincerity so that the most searching scrutiny of the web of our lives shall detect no flaws in the weaving1 and no threads dropped or broken4 ,there must also be the actual presence of positive righteousness filling life in all its parts4 ,that lofty standard is pressed upon us by a solemn motive1 'unto the day of ,christ4' ,we are ever to keep before us the thought that in that coming day all our works will be made manifest1 and that all of them should be done1 so that when we have to give account of them we shall not be ashamed4 ,the ,apostle takes it for granted here that if the ,philippian ,christians know what is right and what is wrong1 they will immediately choose and do the right4 ,is he forgetting the great gulf between knowledge and practice8 ,not so1 but he is strong in the faith that love needs only to know in order to do4 ,the love which abounds more and more in knowledge and in all discernment will be the soul of obedience1 and will delight in fulfilling the law which it has delighted in beholding4 ,other knowledge has no tendency to lead to practice1 but this knowledge which is the fruit of love has for its fruit righteousness4 ,,iii4 ,the great ,name in which this completeness is secured4 ,the ,apostle's prayer dwells not only on the way by which a ,christian life may increase itself1 but in its close reaches the yet deeper thought that all that growth comes 'through ,jesus ,christ4' ,he is the ,giver of it all1 so that we are not so much called to a painful toil as to a glad reception4 ,our love fills us with the fruits of righteousness1 because it takes all these from ,his hands4 ,it is from ,his gift that conscience derives its sensitiveness4 ,it is by ,his inspiration that conscience becomes strong enough to determine action1 and that even our dull hearts are quickened into a glow of desiring to have in our lives1 the law of the spirit of life1 that was in ,christ ,jesus1 and to make our own all that we see in ,him of 'things that are lovely and of good report4' ,the prayer closes with a reference to the highest end of all our perfecting--the glory and praise of ,god2 the former referring rather to the transcendent majesty of ,god in itself1 and the latter to the exaltation of it by men4 ,the highest glory of ,god comes from the gradual increase in redeemed men's likeness to ,him4 ,they are 'the secretaries of ,his praise1' and some portion of that great honour and responsibility lies on each of us4 ,if all ,christian men were what they all might be and should be1 swift and sure in their condemnation of evil and loyal fidelity to conscience1 and if their lives were richly hung with ripened clusters of the fruits of righteousness1 the glory of ,god would be more resplendent in the world1 and new tongues would break into praise of ,him who had made men so like ,himself4 ,a ,,prisoner',s ,,triumph ',now ,i would have you know1 brethren1 that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel2 #ac4 ,so that my bonds became manifest in ,christ throughout the whole prtorian guard1 and to all the rest2 #ad4 ,and that most of the brethren in the ,lord1 being confident through my bonds1 are more abundantly bold to speak the word of ,god without fear4 #ae4 ,some indeed preach ,christ even of envy and strife2 and some also of good will3 #af4 ,the one do it of love1 knowing that ,i am set for the defence of the gospel3 #ag4 ,but the other proclaim ,christ of faction1 not sincerely1 thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds4 #ah4 ,what then8 only that in every way1 whether in pretence or in truth1 ,christ is proclaimed2 and therein ,i rejoice1 yea1 and will rejoice4 #ai4 ,for ,i know that this shall turn to my salvation1 through your supplication and the supply of the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ4 #bj4 ,according to my earnest expectation and hope1 that in nothing shall ,i be put to shame1 but that with all boldness1 as always1 so now also ,christ shall be magnified in my body1 whether by life or by death4'--,,phil4 i4 #ab-bj 7,r4,v47 ,paul's writings are full of autobiography1 that is partly owing to temperament1 partly to the profound interpenetration of his whole nature with his religion4 ,his theology was but the generalisation of his experience4 ,he has felt and verified all that he has to say4 ,but the personal experiences of this sunny letter to his favourite church have a character all their own4 ,in that atmosphere of untroubled love and sympathy a shyer heart than ,paul's would have opened3 his does so in tenderness1 gladness1 and trust4 ,we have here the unveiling of his inmost self in response to what he knew would be an eager desire for news of his welfare4 ,this whole section appears to me to be a wonderful revelation of his prison thoughts1 an example of what we may call the ennobling power of a passionate enthusiasm for ,christ4 ,remember that he is a prisoner1 shut out from his life's work1 waiting to be tried before ,nero1 whose reign had probably1 by this time1 passed from its delusive morning of dewy promise to its lurid noon4 ,the present and the future were dark for him1 and yet in spite of them all comes forth this burst of undaunted courage and noble gladness4 ,we simply follow the course of the words as they lie1 and we find in them1 ,i4 ,an absorbing purpose which bends all circumstances to its service and values them only as instruments4 ,the things which happened unto me2 that is ,paul's minimising euphemism for the grim realities of imprisonment1 or perhaps for some recent ominous turns in his circumstances4 ,to him they are not worth dwelling on further1 nor is their personal incidence worth taking into account2 the only thing which is important is to say how these things have affected his life's work4 ,it is enough for him1 and he believes that it will be enough even for his loving friends at ,philippi to know that1 instead of their being as they might have feared1 and as he sometimes when he was faithless expected1 hindrances to his work1 they have turned out rather to 'the furtherance of the gospel4' ,whether he has been comfortable or not is a matter of very small importance1 the main thing is that ,christ's work has been helped1 and then he goes on to tell two ways in which his imprisonment had conduced to this end4 ',my bonds became manifest in ,christ4' ,it has been clearly shown why ,i was a prisoner2 all the ,prtorian guard had learned what ,paul was there for4 ,we know from ,acts that he was 'suffered to abide by himself with the soldier that kept him4' ,he has no word to say of the torture of compulsory association1 night and day1 with the rude legionaries1 or of the horrors of such a presence in his sweetest1 sacredest moments of communion with his ,lord4 ,these are all swallowed up in the thought as they were in the fact1 that each new guard as he came to sit there beside ,paul was a new hearer1 and that by this time he must have told the story of ,christ and ,his love to nearly the whole corps4 ,that is a grand and wonderful picture of passionate earnestness and absorbed concentration in one pursuit4 ,something of the same sort is in all pursuits1 the condition of success and the sure result of real interest4 ,we have all to be specialists if we would succeed in any calling4 ,the river that spreads wide flows slow1 and if it is to have a scour in its current it must be kept between high banks4 ,we have to bring ourselves to a point and to see that the point is red-hot if we mean to bore with it4 ,if our limitations are simply enforced by circumstances1 they may be maiming1 but if they come of clear insight and free choice of worthy ends1 they are noble4 ,the artist1 the scholar1 the craftsman1 all need to take for their motto ',this one thing ,i do4' ,i suppose that a man would not be able to make a good button unless he confined himself to button-making4 ,we see round us abundant examples of men who1 for material aims and almost instinctively1 use all circumstances for one end and appraise them according to their relations to that1 and they are quoted as successful1 and held up to young souls as patterns to be imitated4 ,yes6 ,but what about the man who does the same in regard to ,christ and ,his work8 ,is he thought of as an example to be imitated or as a warning to be avoided8 ,is not the very same concentration when applied to ,christian work and living thought to be fanatical1 which is welcomed with universal applause when it is directed to lower pursuits8 ,the contrast of our eager absorption in worldly things and of the ease with which any fluttering butterfly can draw us away from the path which leads us to ,god1 ought to bring a blush to all cheeks and penitence to all hearts4 ,there was no more obligation on ,paul to look at the circumstances of his life thus than there is on every ,christian to do so4 ,we do not desire that all should be apostles1 but the ,apostle's temper and way of looking at 'the things which happened unto' him should be our way of looking at the things which happen unto us4 ,we shall estimate them rightly1 and as ,god estimates them1 only when we estimate them according to their power to serve our souls and to further ,christ's kingdom4 ,,ii4 ,the magnetism or contagion of enthusiasm4 ,the second way by which ,paul's circumstances furthered the gospel was 'that most of the brethren1 being confident through my bonds1 are more abundantly bold to speak the word of ,god4' ,his constancy and courage stirred them up4 ,moved by good-will and love1 they were heartened to preach because they saw in him one 'appointed by ,god for the defence of the gospel4' ,a soul all on flame has power to kindle others4 ,there is an old story of a ,scottish martyr whose constancy at the stake touched so many hearts that 'a merry gentleman' said to ,cardinal ,beaton1 ',if ye burn any more you should burn them in low cellars1 for the reek 7smoke7 of ,mr4 ,patrick ,hamilton has infected as many as it blew upon4' ,it is not only in the case of martyrs that enthusiasm is contagious4 ,however highly we may estimate the impersonal forces that operate for 'the furtherance of the gospel' we cannot but see that in all ages1 from the time of ,paul down to to-day1 the main agents for the spread of the gospel have been individual souls all aflame with the love of ,god in ,christ ,jesus and filled with the life of ,his ,spirit4 ,the history of the ,church has largely consisted in the biographies of its saints1 and every great revival of religion has been the flame kindled round a flaming heart4 ,paul was impelled by his own love2 the brethren in ,rome were in a lower state as only reflecting his1 and it ought to be the prerogative of every ,christian to be a centre and source of kindling influence rather than a mere recipient of it4 ,it is a question which may well be asked by each of us about ourselves--would anybody find quickening impulses to divine life and ,christian service coming from us1 or do we simply serve to keep others' coldness in countenance8 ,it was said of old of ,jesus ,christ1 ',he shall baptize you in the ,holy ,ghost and in fire1' and that promise remains effective to-day1 however little one looking on the characters of the mass of so-called ,christians would believe it4 ,they seem rather to have been plunged into ice-cold water than into fire1 and their coldness is as contagious as ,paul's radiant enthusiasm was4 ,let us try1 for our parts1 to radiate out the warmth of the love of ,god1 that it may kindle in others the flame which it has lighted in ourselves1 and not be like icebergs floating southwards and bringing down the temperature of even the very temperate seas in which we find ourselves4 ,,iii4 ,the wide tolerance of such enthusiasm4 ,it is stigmatised as 'narrow1' which to-day is the sin of sins1 but it is broad with the true breadth4 ,such enthusiasm lifts a man high enough to see over many hedges and to be tolerant even of intolerance1 and of the indifference which tolerates everything but earnestness4 ,paul here deals with a class amongst the ,roman ,christians who were 'preaching of envy and strife1' with the malicious calculation that so they would annoy him and 'add affliction' to his bonds4 ,it is generally supposed that these were ,judaising ,christians against whom ,paul fulminates in all his letters1 but ,i confess that1 notwithstanding the arguments of authoritative commentators1 ,i cannot believe that they are the same set of men preaching the same doctrines which in other places he treats as destructive of the whole gospel4 ,the change of tone is so great as to require the supposition of a change of subjects1 and the ,judaisers with whom the ,apostle waged a neverending warfare1 never did evangelistic work amongst the heathen as these men seem to have done1 but confined themselves to trying to pervert converts already made4 ,it was not their message but their spirit that was faulty4 ,with whatever purpose of annoyance they were animated1 they did 'preach ,christ1' and ,paul superbly brushes aside all that was antagonistic to him personally1 in his triumphant recognition that the one thing needful was spoken1 even from unworthy motives and with a malicious purpose4 ,the situation here revealed1 strange though it appears with our ignorance of the facts1 is but too like much of what meets us still4 ,do we not know denominational rivalries which infuse a bitter taint of envy and strife into much evangelistic earnestness1 and is the spectacle of a man preaching ,christ with a taint of sidelong personal motives quite unknown to this day8 ,we may press the question still more closely home and ask ourselves if we are entirely free from the influence of such a spirit4 ,no man who knows himself and has learned how subtly lower motives blend themselves with the highest will be in haste to answer these questions with an unconditional ',no1' and no man who looks on the sad spectacle of competing ,christian communities and knows anything of the methods of competition that are in force1 will venture to deny that there are still those who preach ,christ of envy and strife4 ,it comes1 then1 to be a testing question for each of us1 have we learned from ,paul this lesson of tolerance1 which is not the result of cold indifference1 but the outcome of fiery enthusiasm and of a clear recognition of the one thing needful8 ,granted that there is preaching from unworthy motives and modes of work which offend our tastes and prejudices1 and that there are types of evangelistic earnestness which have errors mixed up with them1 are we inclined to say ',nevertheless ,christ is proclaimed1 and therein ,i rejoice1 ,yea1 and will rejoice'8 ,much chaff may be blended with the seeds sown2 the chaff will lie inert and the seed will grow4 ,such tolerance is the very opposite of the carelessness which comes from languid indifference4 ,the one does not mind what a man preaches because it has no belief in any of the things preached1 and to it one thing is as good as another1 and none are of any real consequence4 ,the other proceeds from a passionate belief that the one thing which sinful men need to hear is the great message that ,christ has lived and died for them1 and therefore1 it puts all else on one side and cares nothing for jangling notes that may come in1 if only above them the music of ,his name sounds out clear and full4 ,,iv4 ,the calm fronting of life and death as equally magnifying ,christ4 ,the ,apostle is sure that all the experiences of his prison will turn to his ultimate salvation1 because he is sure that his dear friends in ,philippi will pray for him1 and that through their prayers he will receive a 'supply of the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ1' which shall be enough to secure his steadfastness4 ,his expectation is not that he will escape from prison or from martyrdom1 both of which stand only too clearly before him1 but that whatever may be waiting for him in the future1 'all boldness' will be granted him1 so that whether he lives he will live to the ,lord1 or whether he dies1 he will die to the ,lord4 ,he had so completely accepted it as his life's purpose to magnify ,jesus1 that the extremest possible changes of condition came to be insignificant to him4 ,he had what we may have1 the true ansthetic which will give us a 'solemn scorn of ills' and make even the last and greatest change from life to death of little account4 ,if we magnify ,christ in our lives with the same passionate earnestness and concentrated absorption as ,paul had1 our lives like some train on well-laid rails will enter upon the bridge across the valley with scarce a jolt4 ,with whatever differences--and the differences are to us tremendous--the same purpose will be pursued in life and in death1 and they who1 living1 live to the praise of ,christ1 dying will magnify ,him as their last act in the body which they leave4 ,what was it that made possible such a passion of enthusiasm for a man whom ,paul had never seen in the flesh8 ,what changed the gloomy fuliginous fanaticism of the ,pharisee1 at whose feet were laid the clothes of the men who stoned ,stephen1 into this radiant light1 all aflame with a divine splendour8 ,the only answer is in ,paul's own words1 ',he loved me and gave ,himself for me4' ,that answer is as true for each of us as it was for him4 ,does it produce in us anything like the effects which it produced in him8 ,a ,,strait ,,betwixt ,,two ',to me to live is ,christ1 and to die is gain4 #bb4 ,but if ,i live in the flesh1 this is the fruit of my labour3 yet what ,i shall choose ,i wot not4 #bc4 ,for ,i am in a strait betwixt two1 having a desire to depart1 and to be with ,christ2 which is far better3 #bd4 ,nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you4 #be4 ,and having this confidence1 ,i know that ,i shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith4'--,,phil4 i4 #ba-be4 ,a preacher may well shrink from such a text4 ,its elevation of feeling and music of expression make all sermons on it sound feeble and harsh1 like some poor shepherd's pipe after an organ4 ,but1 though this be true1 it may not be useless to attempt1 at least1 to point out the course of thought in these grand words4 ,they flow like a great river1 which springs at first with a strong jet from some deep cave1 then is torn and chafed among dividing rocks1 and after a troubled middle course1 moves at last with stately and equable current to the sea4 ,the ,apostle's thoughts and feelings have here1 as it were1 a threefold bent in their flow4 ,first1 we have the clear1 unhesitating statement of the comparative advantages of life and death to a ,christian man1 when thought of as affecting himself alone4 ,the one is ,christ1 the other gain4 ,but we neither live nor die to ourselves2 and no man has a right to think of life or death only from the point of view of his own advantage4 ,so the problem is not so simple as it looked4 ,life here is the condition of fruitful labour here4 ,there are his brethren and his work to think of4 ,these bring him to a stand1 and check the rising wish4 ,he knows not which state to prefer4 ,the stream is dammed back between rocks1 and it chafes and foams and seems to lose its way among them4 ,then comes a third bend in the flow of thought and feeling1 and he gladly apprehends it as his present duty to remain at his work4 ,if his own joy is thereby less1 his brethren's will be more4 ,if he is not to depart and be with ,christ1 he will remain and be with ,christ's friends1 which is1 in some sort1 being with ,him too4 ,if he may not have the gain of death1 he will have the fruit of work in life4 ,let us try to fill up1 somewhat1 this meagre outline of the warm stream that pours through these great words4 ,i4 ,the simplicity of the comparison between life and death to a ,christian thinking of himself alone4 ',to me' is plainly emphatic4 ,it means more than 'in my judgment' or even 'in my case4' ,it is equal to ',to me personally1 if ,i stood alone1 and had no one to consider but myself4' ',to live' refers mainly here to outward practical life of service1 and 'to die' should1 perhaps1 rather be 'to be dead1' referring1 not to the act of dissolution1 but to the state after2 not to the entrance chamber1 but to the palace to which it admits4 ,so we have here grandly set forth the simplicity and unity of the ,christian life4 ,while the words probably refer mainly to outward life1 they presuppose an inward1 of which that outward is the expression4 ,in every possible phase of the word 'life1' ,christ is the life of the ,christian4 ,to live is ,christ1 for ,he is the mystical source from whom all ours flows4 ',with ,thee is the fountain of life1' and all life1 both of body and spirit1 is from ,him1 by ,him1 and in ,him4 ',to live is ,christ1' for ,he is the aim and object1 as well as the ,lord1 of it all1 and no other is worth calling life1 but that which is for ,him by willing consecration1 as well as from ,him by constant derivation4 ',to live is ,christ1' for ,he is the model of all our life1 and the one all-sufficient law for us is to follow ,him4 ,life is to be as ,christ1 for ,christ1 by1 in1 and from ,christ4 ,so shall there be strength1 peace1 and freedom in our days4 ,the unity brought into life thereby will issue in calm blessedness1 contrasted wondrously with the divided hearts and aims which fritter our days into fragments1 and make our lives heaps of broken links instead of chains4 ,surely this is the charm which brings rest into the most troubled history1 and nobleness into the lowliest duties4 ,there is nothing so grand as the unity breathed into our else distracted days by the all-pervading reference to and presence of ,christ4 ,without that1 we are like the mariners of the old world1 who crept timidly from headland to headland1 making each their aim for a while1 and leaving each inevitably behind1 never losing sight of shore1 nor ever knowing the wonders of the deep and all the majesty of mid-ocean1 nor ever touching the happy shores beyond1 which they reach who carry in their hearts a compass that ever points to the unseen pole4 ,then comes the other great thought1 that where life is simply ,christ1 death will be simply gain4 ,paul1 no doubt1 shrank from the act of death1 as we all do4 ,it was not the narrow passage which attracted him1 but the broad land beyond4 ,every other aspect of that was swallowed up in one great thought1 which will occupy us more at length presently4 ,but that word 'gain' suggests that to ,paul's confident faith death was but an increase and progression in all that was good here4 ,to him it was no loss to lose flesh and sense and all the fleeting joys with which they link us4 ,to him death was no destruction of his being1 and not even an interruption of its continuity4 ,everything that was of any real advantage to him was to be his after as before4 ,the change was clear gain4 ,everything good was to be just as it had been1 only better4 ,nothing was to be dropped but what it was progress to lose1 and whatever was kept was to be heightened4 ,how strongly does that view express the two thoughts of the continuity and intensifying of the ,christian life beyond the grave6 ,and what a contrast does that simple1 sublime confidence present to many another thought of death6 ,to how many men its blackness seems to be the sudden swallowing up of the light of their very being6 ,to how many more does it seem to put an end to all their occupations1 and to shear their lives in twain1 as remorselessly as the fall of the guillotine severs the head from the body4 ,how are the light butterfly wings of the trivialities in which many men and women spend their days to carry them across the awful gulf8 ,what are the people to do on the other side whose lives have all been given to purposes and tasks that stop on this side8 ,are there shops and mills1 or warehouses and drawing-rooms1 or studies and lecture-halls1 over there8 ,will the lives which have not struck their roots down through all the surface soil to the rock1 bear transplanting8 ,alas6 for the thousands landed in that new country1 as unfit for it by the tenor of their past occupations1 as some pale artisan1 with delicate fingers and feeble muscles1 set down as a colonist to clear the forest6 ,this ,paul had a work here which he could carry on hereafter4 ,there would be no reversal of view1 no change in the fundamental character of his occupations4 ,true1 the special forms of work which he had pursued here would be left behind1 but the principle underlying them would continue4 ,it matters very little to the servant whether he is out in the cold and wet 'ploughing and tending cattle1' or whether he is waiting on his master at table4 ,it is service all the same1 only it is warmer and lighter in the house than in the field1 and it is promotion to be made an indoor servant4 ,so the direction of the life1 and the source of the life1 and the fundamentals of the life continue unchanged4 ,everything is as it was1 only in the superlative degree4 ,to other men the narrow plain on which their low-lying lives are placed is rimmed by the jagged1 forbidding white peaks4 ,it is cold and dreary on these icy summits where no creature can live4 ,perhaps there is land on the other side2 who knows8 ,the pale barrier separates all here from all there2 we know not what may be on the other side4 ,only we feel that the journey is long and chill1 that the ice and the barren stone appal1 and that we never can carry our household goods1 our tools1 or our wealth with us up to the black jaws of the pass4 ,but for this man the ,alps were tunnelled4 ,there was no interruption in his progress4 ,he would go1 he believed1 without 'break of gauge1' and would pass through the darkness1 scarcely knowing when it came1 and certainly unchecked for even a moment1 right on to the other side where he would come out1 as travellers to ,italy do1 to fairer plains and bluer skies1 to richer harvests and a warmer sun4 ,no jolt1 no pause1 no momentary suspension of consciousness1 no reversal1 nor even interruption in his activity1 did ,paul expect death to bring him1 but only continuance and increase of all that was essential to his life4 ,he has calmness in his confidence4 ,there is nothing hysterical or overwrought or morbid in these brief words1 so peaceful in their trust1 so moderate and restrained in their rapture4 ,are our anticipations of the future moulded on such a pattern8 ,do we think of it as quietly as this man did8 ,are we as tranquilly sure about it8 ,is there as little mist of uncertainty about the clearly defined image to our eye as there was to his8 ,is our confidence so profound that these brief monosyllables are enough to state it8 ,above all1 do we know that to die will be gain1 because we can honestly say that to live is ,christ8 ,if so1 our hope is valid1 and will not yield when we lean heavily upon it for support in the ford over the black stream4 ,if our hope is built on anything besides1 it will snap then like a rotten pole1 and leave us to stumble helpless among the slippery stones and the icy torrent4 ,,ii4 ,the second movement of thought here1 which troubles and complicates this simple decision1 as to what is the best for ,paul himself1 is the hesitation springing from the wish to help his brethren4 ,as we said1 no man has a right to forget others in settling the question whether he would live or die4 ,we see the ,apostle here brought to a stand by two conflicting currents of feelings4 ,for himself he would gladly go1 for his friends' sake he is drawn to the opposite choice4 ,he has 'fallen into a place where two seas meet1' and for a minute or two his will is buffeted from side to side by the 'violence of the waves4' ,the obscurity of his language1 arising from its broken construction1 corresponds to the struggle of his feelings4 ,as the ,revised ,version has it1 ',if to live in the flesh--if this is the fruit of my work1 then what ,i shall choose1 ,i wot not4' ,by which fragmentary sentence1 rightly representing as it does the roughness of the ,greek1 we understand him to mean that if living on in this life is the condition of his gaining fruit from his toil1 then he has to check the rising wish1 and is hindered from decisive preference either way4 ,both motives act upon him1 one drawing him deathward1 the other holding him firmly here4 ,he is in a dilemma1 pinned in1 as it were1 between the two opposing pressures4 ,on the one hand he has the desire 7not 'a desire1' as the ,english ,bible has it1 as if it were but one among many7 turned towards departing to be with ,christ2 but on the other1 he knows that his remaining here is for the present all but indispensable for the immature faith of the churches which he has founded4 ,so he stands in doubt for a moment1 and the picture of his hesitation may well be studied by us4 ,such a reason for wishing to die in conflict with such a reason for wishing to live1 is as noble as it is rare1 and1 thank ,god1 as imitable as it is noble4 ,notice the aspect which death wore to his faith4 ,he speaks of it as 'departing1' a metaphor which does not1 like many of the flattering appellations which men give that last enemy1 reveal a quaking dread which cannot bear to look him in his ashen1 pale face4 ,paul calls him gentle names1 because he fears him not at all4 ,to him all the dreadfulness1 the mystery1 the pain and the solitude have melted away1 and death has become a mere change of place4 ,the word literally means to unloose1 and is employed to express pulling up the tent-pegs of a shifting encampment1 or drawing up the anchor of a ship4 ,in either case the image is simply that of removal4 ,it is but striking the earthly house of this tent2 it is but one more day's march1 of which we have had many already1 though this is over ,jordan4 ,it is but the last day's journey1 and to-morrow there will be no packing up in the morning and resuming our weary tramp1 but we shall be at home1 and go no more out4 ,so has the awful thing at the end dwindled1 and the brighter and greater the land behind it shines1 the smaller does it appear4 ,the ,apostle thinks little of dying because he thinks so much of what comes after4 ,who is afraid of a brief journey if a meeting with dear friends long lost is at the end of it8 ,the narrow avenue seems short1 and its roughness and darkness are nothing1 because ,jesus ,christ stands with outstretched arms at the other end1 beckoning us to ,himself1 as mothers teach their children to walk4 ,whosoever is sure that he will be with ,christ can afford to smile at death1 and call it but a shifting of place4 ,and whosoever feels the desire to be with ,christ will not shrink from the means by which that desire is fulfilled1 with the agony of revulsion that it excites in many an imagination4 ,it will always be solemn1 and its physical accompaniments of pain and struggle will always be more or less of a terror1 and the parting1 even for a time1 from our dear ones1 will always be loss1 but nevertheless if we see ,christ across the gulf1 and know that one struggle more and we shall clasp ,him with 'inseparable hands with joy and bliss in over measure for ever1' we shall not dread the leap4 ,one thought about the future should fill our minds1 as it did ,paul's1 that it is to be with ,christ4 ,how different that nobly simple expectation1 resolving all bliss into the one element1 is from the morbid curiosity as to details1 which vulgarises and weakens so much of even devout anticipation of the future4 ,to us as to him ,heaven should be ,christ1 and ,christ should be ,heaven4 ,all the rest is but accident4 ,golden harps and crowns1 and hidden manna and white robes and thrones1 and all the other representations1 are but symbols of the blessedness of union with ,him1 or consequences of it4 ,immortal life and growth in perfection1 both of mind and heart1 and the cessation of all that disturbs1 and our investiture with glory and honour1 flung around our poor natures like a royal robe over a naked body1 are all but the many-sided brightnesses that pour out from ,him1 and bathe in their rainbowed light those who are with ,him4 ,to be with ,christ is all we need4 ,for the loving heart to be near ,him is enough4 ',i shall clasp thee again1 ,o soul of my soul1 ,and with ,god be the rest4' ,let us not fritter away our imaginations and our hopes on the subordinate and non-essential accompaniments1 but concentrate all their energy on the one central thought4 ,let us not lose this gracious image in a maze of symbols1 that1 though precious1 are secondary4 ,let us not inquire1 with curiosity that will find no answer1 about the unrevealed wonders and staggering mysteries of that transcendent thought1 life everlasting4 ,let us not acquire the habit of thinking of the future as the perfecting of our humanity1 without connecting all our speculations with ,him1 whose presence will be all of heaven to us all4 ,but let us keep ,his serene figure ever clear before our imaginations in all the blaze of the light1 and try to feed our hopes and stay our hearts on this aspect of heavenly blessedness as the all-embracing one1 that all1 each for himself1 shall be for ever conscious of ,christ's loving presence1 and of the closest union with ,him1 a union in comparison with which the dearest and sacredest blendings of heart with heart and life with life are cold and distant4 ,for the clearness of our hope the fewer the details the better3 for the willingness with which we turn from life and face the inevitable end1 it is very important that we should have that one thought disengaged from all others4 ,the one full moon1 which dims all the stars1 draws the tides after it4 ,these lesser lights may gem the darkness1 and dart down white shafts of brilliance in quivering reflections on the waves1 but they have no power to move their mass4 ,it is ,christ and ,christ only who draws us across the gulf to be with ,him1 and reduces death to a mere shifting of our encampment4 ,this is a noble and worthy reason for wishing to die2 not because ,paul is disappointed and sick of life1 not because he is weighed down with sorrow1 or pain1 or loss1 or toil1 but because he would like to be with his ,master4 ,he is no morbid sentimentalist1 he is cherishing no unwholesome longing1 he is not weary of work1 he indulges in no hysterical raptures of desire4 ,what an eloquent simplicity is in that quiet 'very far better6' ,it goes straight to one's heart1 and says more than paragraphs of falsetto yearnings4 ,there is nothing in such a wish to die1 based on such a reason1 that the most manly and wholesome piety need be ashamed of4 ,it is a pattern for us all4 ,the attraction of life contends with the attraction of heaven in these verses4 ,that is a conflict which many good men know something of1 but which does not take the shape with many of us which it assumed with ,paul4 ,drawn1 as he is1 by the supreme desire of close union with his ,master1 for the sake of which he is ready to depart1 he is tugged back even more strongly by the thought that1 if he stays here1 he can go on working and gaining results from his labour4 ,it does not follow that he did not expect service if he were with ,christ4 ,we may be very sure that ,paul's heaven was no idle heaven1 but one of happy activity and larger service4 ,but he will not be able to help these dear friends at ,philippi and elsewhere who need him1 as he knows4 ,so love to them drags at his skirts1 and ties him here4 ,one can scarcely miss the remarkable contrast between ,paul's ',to abide in the flesh is more needful for you1' and the saying of ,paul's ,master to people who assuredly needed ,his presence more than ,philippi needed ,paul's1 ',it is expedient for you that ,i go away4' ,this is not the place to work out the profound significance of the contrast1 and the questions which it raises as to whether ,christ expected ,his work to be finished and ,his helpfulness ended by ,his death1 as ,paul did by his4 ,it must suffice to have suggested the comparison4 ,returning to our text1 such a reason for wishing to die1 held in check and overcome by such a reason for wishing to live1 is great and noble4 ,there are few of us who would not own to the mightier attraction of life2 but how few of us who feel that1 for ourselves personally1 if we were free to think only of ourselves1 we should be glad to go1 because we should be closer to ,christ1 but that we hesitate for the sake of others whom we think we can help6 ,many of us cling to life with a desperate clutch1 like some poor wretch pushed over a precipice and trying to dig his nails into the rock as he falls4 ,some of us cling to it because we dread what is beyond1 and our longing to live is the measure of our dread to die4 ,but ,paul did not look forward to a thick darkness of judgment1 or to nothingness4 ,he saw in the darkness a great light1 the light in the windows of his ,father's house1 and yet he turned willingly away to his toil in the field1 and was more than content to drudge on as long as he could do anything by his work4 ,blessed are they who share his desire to depart1 and his victorious willingness to stay here and labour6 ,they shall find that such a life in the flesh1 too1 is being with ,christ4 ,,iii4 ,thus the stream of thought passes the rapids and flows on smoothly to its final phase of peaceful acquiescence4 ,that is expressed very beautifully in the closing verse1 ',having this confidence1 ,i know that ,i shall abide and continue with you all1 for your furtherance and joy in faith4' ,self is so entirely overcome that he puts away his own desire to enter into their joy1 and rejoices with them4 ,he cannot yet have for himself the blessedness which his spirit seeks4 ,well1 be it so2 he will stop here and find a blessedness in seeing them growing in confidence and knowledge of ,christ and in the gladness that comes from it4 ,he gives up the hope of that higher companionship with ,jesus which drew him so mightily4 ,well1 be it so2 he will have companionship with his brethren1 and 'abiding with you all' may haply find1 even before the day of final account1 that to 'visit' ,christ's little ones is to visit ,christ4 ,therefore he fuses his opposing wishes into one4 ,he is no more in a strait betwixt two1 or unwitting what he shall choose4 ,he chooses nothing1 but accepts the appointment of a higher wisdom4 ,there is rest for him1 as for us1 in ceasing from our own wishes1 and laying our wills silent and passive at ,his feet4 ,the true attitude for us in which to face the unknown future1 with its dim possibilities1 and especially the supreme alternative of life or death1 is neither desire nor reluctance1 nor a hesitation compounded of both1 but trustful acquiescence4 ,such a temper is far from indifference1 and as far from agitation4 ,in all things1 and most of all in regard to these matters1 it is best to hold desire in equilibrium till ,god shall speak4 ,torture not yourself with hopes or fears4 ,they make us their slaves4 ,put your hand in ,god's hand1 and let ,him guide you as ,he will4 ,wishes are bad steersmen4 ,we are only at peace when desires and dreads are1 if not extinct1 at all events held tightly in4 ,rest1 and wisdom1 and strength come with acquiescence4 ,let us say with ,richard ,baxter1 in his simple1 noble words3 ',lord1 it belongs not to my care ,whether ,i die or live2 ,to love and serve ,thee is my share1 ,and that ,thy grace must give4' ,we may learn1 too1 that we may be quite sure that we shall be left here as long as we are needed4 ,paul knew that his stay was needful1 so he could say1 ',i know that ,i shall abide with you4' ,we do not1 but we may be sure that if our stay is needful we shall abide4 ,we are always tempted to think ourselves indispensable1 but1 thank ,god1 nobody is necessary4 ,there are no irreparable losses1 hard as it is to believe it4 ,we look at our work1 at our families1 our business1 our congregations1 our subjects of study1 and we say to ourselves1 ',what will become of them when ,i am gone8 ,everything would fall to pieces if ,i were withdrawn4' ,do not be afraid4 ,depend on it1 you will be left here as long as you are wanted4 ,there are no incomplete lives and no premature removals4 ,to the eye of faith the broken column in our cemeteries is a sentimental falsehood4 ,no ,christian life is broken short off so1 but rises in a symmetrical shaft1 and its capital is garlanded with amaranthine flowers in heaven4 ,in one sense all our lives are incomplete1 for they and their issues are above1 out of our sight here4 ,in another none are1 for we are 'immortal till our work is done4' ,the true attitude1 then1 for us is patient service till ,he withdraws us from the field4 ,we do not count him a diligent servant who is always wearying for the hour of leaving off to strike4 ,be it ours to labour where ,he puts us1 patiently waiting till 'death's mild curfew' sets us free from the long day's work1 and sends us home4 ,brethren6 there are but two theories of life2 two corresponding aspects of death4 ,the one says1 ',to me to live is ,christ1 and to die gain'2 the other1 ',to me to live is self1 and to die is loss and despair4' ,one or other must be your choice4 ,which8 ,,citizens ,,of ,,heaven ',only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of ,christ3 that whether ,i come and see you1 or else be absent1 ,i may hear of your affairs1 that ye stand fast in one spirit1 with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel2 #bh4 ,and in nothing terrified by your adversaries4'--,,phil4 i4 #bg1 #bh4 ,we read in the ,acts of the ,apostles that ,philippi was the chief city of that part of ,macedonia1 and a 'colony4' ,now1 the connection between a ,roman colony and ,rome was a great deal closer than that between an ,english colony and ,england4 ,it was1 in fact1 a bit of ,rome on foreign soil4 ,the colonists and their children were ,roman citizens4 ,their names were enrolled on the lists of ,roman tribes4 ,they were governed not by the provincial authorities1 but by their own magistrates1 and the law to which they owed obedience was not that of the locality1 but the law of ,rome4 ,no doubt some of the ,philippian ,christians possessed these privileges4 ,they knew what it was to live in a community to which they were less closely bound than to the great city beyond the sea4 ,they were members of a mighty polity1 though they had never seen its temples nor trod its streets4 ,they lived in ,philippi1 but they belonged to ,rome4 ,hence there is a peculiar significance in the first words of our text4 ,the rendering1 'conversation1' was inadequate even when it was made4 ,it has become more so now4 ,the word then meant 'conduct4' ,it now means little more than words4 ,but though the phrase may express loosely the ,apostle's general idea1 it loses entirely the striking metaphor under which it is couched4 ,the ,revised ,version gives the literal rendering in its margin--',behave as citizens'--though it adopts in its text a rendering which disregards the figure in the word1 and contents itself with the less picturesque and vivid phrase--'let your manner of life be worthy4' ,but there seems no reason for leaving out the metaphor2 it entirely fits in with the purpose of the ,apostle and with the context4 ,the meaning is1 ,play the citizen in a manner worthy of the ,gospel4 ,paul does not1 of course1 mean1 ,discharge your civic duties as ,christian men1 though some ,christian ,englishmen need that reminder2 but the city of which these ,philippians were citizens was the heavenly ,jerusalem1 the metropolis1 the mother city of us all4 ,he would kindle in them the consciousness of belonging to another order of things than that around them4 ,he would stimulate their loyalty to obedience to the city's laws4 ,as the outlying colonies of ,rome had sometimes entrusted to them the task of keeping the frontiers and extending the power of the imperial city1 so he stirs them up to aggressive warfare2 and as in all their conflicts the little colony felt that the ,empire was at its back1 and therefore looked undaunted on shoals of barbarian foes1 so he would have his friends at ,philippi animated by lofty courage1 and ever confident of final victory4 ,such seems to be a general outline of these eager exhortations to the citizens of heaven in this outlying colony of earth4 ,let us think of them briefly in order now4 ,i4 ,keep fresh the sense of belonging to the mother city4 ,paul was not only writing to ,philippi1 but from ,rome1 where he might see how1 even in degenerate days1 the consciousness of being a ,roman gave dignity to a man1 and how the idea became almost a religion4 ,he would kindle a similar feeling in ,christians4 ,we do belong to another polity or order of things than that with which we are connected by the bonds of flesh and sense4 ,our true affinities are with the mother city4 ,true1 we are here on earth1 but far beyond the blue waters is another community1 of which we are really members1 and sometimes in calm weather we can see1 if we climb to a height above the smoke of the valley where we dwell1 the faint outline of the mountains of that other land1 lying bathed in sunlight and dreamlike on the opal waves4 ,therefore it is a great part of ,christian discipline to keep a vivid consciousness that there is such an unseen order of things at present in existence4 ,we speak popularly of 'the future life1' and are apt to forget that it is also the present life to an innumerable company4 ,in fact1 this film of an earthly life floats in that greater sphere which is all around it1 above1 beneath1 touching it at every point4 ,it is1 as ,peter says1 'ready to be unveiled4' ,yes1 behind the thin curtain1 through which stray beams of the brightness sometimes shoot1 that other order stands1 close to us1 parted from us by a most slender division1 only a woven veil1 no great gulf or iron barrier4 ,and before long ,his hand will draw it back1 rattling with its rings as it is put aside1 and there will blaze out what has always been1 though we saw it not4 ,it is so close1 so real1 so bright1 so solemn1 that it is worth while to try to feel its nearness2 and we are so purblind1 and such foolish slaves of mere sense1 shaping our lives on the legal maxim that things which are non-apparent must be treated as non-existent1 that it needs a constant effort not to lose the feeling altogether4 ,there is a present connection between all ,christian men and that heavenly ,city4 ,it not merely exists1 but we belong to it in the measure in which we are ,christians4 ,all these figurative expressions about our citizenship being in heaven and the like1 rest on the simple fact that the life of ,christian men on earth and in heaven is fundamentally the same4 ,the principles which guide1 the motives which sway1 the tastes and desires1 affections and impulses1 the objects and aims1 are substantially one4 ,a ,christian man's true affinities are with the things not seen1 and with the persons there1 however his surface relationship knit him to the earth4 ,in the degree in which he is a ,christian1 he is a stranger here and a native of the heavens4 ,that great ,city is1 like some of the capitals of ,europe1 built on a broad river1 with the mass of the metropolis on the one bank1 but a wide-spreading suburb on the other4 ,as the ,trastevere is to ,rome1 as ,southwark to ,london1 so is earth to heaven1 the bit of the city on the other side the bridge4 ,as ,philippi was to ,rome1 so is earth to heaven1 the colony on the outskirts of the empire1 ringed round by barbarians1 and separated by sounding seas1 but keeping open its communications1 and one in citizenship4 ,be it our care1 then1 to keep the sense of that city beyond the river vivid and constant4 ,amid the shows and shams of earth look ever onward to the realities 'the things which are1' while all else only seems to be4 ,the things which are seen are but smoke wreaths1 floating for a moment across space1 and melting into nothingness while we look4 ,we do not belong to them or to the order of things to which they belong4 ,there is no kindred between us and them4 ,our true relationships are elsewhere4 ,in this present visible world all other creatures find their sufficient and homelike abode4 ',foxes have holes1 and birds their roosting-places'2 but man alone has not where to lay his head1 nor can he find in all the width of the created universe a place in which and with which he can be satisfied4 ,our true habitat is elsewhere4 ,so let us set our thoughts and affections on things above4 ,the descendants of the original settlers in our colonies talk still of coming to ,england as going 'home1' though they were born in ,australia1 and have lived there all their lives4 ,in like manner we ,christian people should keep vigorous in our minds the thought that our true home is there where we have never been1 and that here we are foreigners and wanderers4 ,nor need that feeling of detachment from the present sadden our spirits1 or weaken our interest in the things around us4 ,to recognise our separation from the order of things in which we 'move1' because we belong to that majestic unseen order in which we really 'have our being1' makes life great and not small4 ,it clothes the present with dignity beyond what is possible to it if it be not looked at in the light of its connection with 'the regions beyond4' ,from that connection life derives all its meaning4 ,surely nothing can be conceived more unmeaning1 more wearisome in its monotony1 more tragic in its joy1 more purposeless in its efforts1 than man's life1 if the life of sense and time be all4 ,truly it is 'like a tale told by an idiot1 full of sound and fury1 signifying nothing4' ',the white radiance of eternity1' streaming through it from above1 gives all its beauty to the 'dome of many-coloured glass' which men call life4 ,they who feel most their connection with the city which hath foundations should be best able to wring the last drop of pure sweetness out of all earthly joys1 to understand the meaning of all events1 and to be interested most keenly1 because most intelligently and most nobly1 in the homeliest and smallest of the tasks and concerns of the present4 ,so1 in all things1 act as citizens of the great ,mother of heroes and saints beyond the sea4 ,ever feel that you belong to another order1 and let the thought1 ',here we have no continuing city1' be to you not merely the bitter lesson taught by the transiency of earthly joys and treasures and loves1 but the happy result of 'seeking for the city which hath the foundations4' ,,ii4 ,another exhortation which our text gives is1 ,live by the laws of the city4 ,the ,philippian colonists were governed by the code of ,rome4 ,whatever might be the law of the province of ,macedonia1 they owed no obedience to it4 ,so ,christian men are not to be governed by the maxims and rules of conduct which prevail in the province1 but to be governed from the capital4 ,we ought to get from on-lookers the same character that was given to the ,jews1 that we are 'a people whose laws are different from all people that be on earth1' and we ought to reckon such a character our highest praise4 ,paul would have these ,philippian ,christians act 'worthy of the gospel4' ,that is our law4 ,the great good news of ,god manifest in the flesh1 and of our salvation through ,christ ,jesus1 is not merely to be believed1 but to be obeyed4 ,the gospel is not merely a message of deliverance1 it is also a rule of conduct4 ,it is not merely theology1 it is also ethics4 ,like some of the ancient municipal charters1 the grant of privileges and proclamation of freedom is also the sovereign code which imposes duties and shapes life4 ,a gospel of laziness and mere exemption from hell was not ,paul's gospel4 ,a gospel of doctrines1 to be investigated1 spun into a system of theology1 and accepted by the understanding1 and there an end1 was not ,paul's gospel4 ,he believed that the great facts which he proclaimed concerning the self-revelation of ,god in ,christ would unfold into a sovereign law of life for every true believer1 and so his one all-sufficient precept and standard of conduct are in these simple words1 'worthy of the gospel4' ,that law is all-sufficient4 ,in the truths which constituted ,paul's gospel1 that is to say1 in the truths of the life1 death1 and resurrection of ,jesus ,christ1 lies all that men need for conduct and character4 ,in ,him we have the 'realised ideal1' the flawless example1 and instead of a thousand precepts1 for us all duty is resolved into one--be like ,christ4 ,in ,him we have the mighty motive1 powerful enough to overcome all forces that would draw us away1 and like some strong spring to keep us in closest contact with right and goodness4 ,instead of a confusing variety of appeals to manifold motives of interest and conscience1 and one knows not what beside1 we have the one all-powerful appeal1 ',if ye love ,me1 keep ,my commandments1' and that draws all the agitations and fluctuations of the soul after it1 as the rounded fulness of the moon does the heaped waters in the tidal wave that girdles the world4 ,in ,him we have all the helps that weakness needs1 for ,he ,himself will come and dwell with us and in us1 and be our righteousness and our strength4 ,live 'worthy of the gospel1' then4 ,how grand the unity and simplicity thus breathed into our duties and through our lives6 ,all duties are capable of reduction to this one1 and though we shall still need detailed instruction and specific precepts1 we shall be set free from the pedantry of a small scrupulous casuistry1 which fetters men's limbs with microscopic bands1 and shall joyfully learn how much mightier and happier is the life which is shaped by one fruitful principle1 than that which is hampered by a thousand regulations4 ,nor is such an all-comprehensive precept a mere toothless generality4 ,let a man try honestly to shape his life by it2 and he will find soon enough how close it grips him1 and how wide it stretches1 and how deep it goes4 ,the greatest principles of the gospel are to be fitted to the smallest duties4 ,indeed that combination--great principles and small duties--is the secret of all noble and calm life1 and nowhere should it be so beautifully exemplified as in the life of a ,christian man4 ,the tiny round of the dew-drop is shaped by the same laws that mould the giant sphere of the largest planet4 ,you cannot make a map of the poorest grass-field without celestial observations4 ,the star is not too high nor too brilliant to move before us and guide simple men's feet along their pilgrimage4 ',worthy of the gospel' is a most practical and stringent law4 ,and it is an exclusive commandment too1 shutting out obedience to other codes1 however common and fashionable they may be4 ,we are governed from home1 and we give no submission to provincial authorities4 ,never mind what people say about you1 nor what may be the maxims and ways of men around you4 ,these are no guides for you4 ,public opinion 7which only means for most of us the hasty judgments of the half-dozen people who happen to be nearest us71 use and wont1 the customs of our set1 the notions of the world about duty1 with all these we have nothing to do4 ,the censures or the praise of men need not move us4 ,we report to headquarters1 and subordinates' estimate need be nothing to us4 ,let us then say1 ',with me it is a very small matter that ,i should be judged of men's judgment4 ,he that judgeth me is the ,lord4' ,when we may be misunderstood or harshly dealt with1 let us lift our eyes to the lofty seat where the ,emperor sits1 and remove ourselves from men's sentences by our 'appeal unto ,csar'2 and1 in all varieties of circumstances and duty1 let us take the ,gospel which is the record of ,christ's life1 death1 and character1 for our only law1 and labour that1 whatever others may think of us1 we 'may be well pleasing to ,him4' ,,iii4 ,further1 our text bids the colonists fight for the advance of the dominions of the ,city4 ,like the armed colonists whom ,russia and other empires had on their frontier1 who received their bits of land on condition of holding the border against the enemy1 and pushing it forward a league or two when possible1 ,christian men are set down in their places to be 'wardens of the marches1' citizen soldiers who hold their homesteads on a military tenure1 and are to 'strive together for the faith of the gospel4' ,there is no space here and now to go into details of the exposition of this part of our text4 ,enough to say in brief that we are here exhorted to 'stand fast'2 that is1 as it were1 the defensive side of our warfare1 maintaining our ground and repelling all assaults2 that this successful resistance is to be 'in one spirit1' inasmuch as all resistance depends on our poor feeble spirits being ingrafted and rooted in ,god's ,spirit1 in vital union with whom we may be knit together into a unity which shall oppose a granite breakwater to the onrushing tide of opposition2 that in addition to the unmoved resistance which will not yield an inch of the sacred soil to the enemy1 we are to carry the war onwards1 and1 not content with holding our own1 are with one mind to strive together for the faith of the gospel4 ,there is to be discipline1 then1 and compact organisation1 like that of the legions whom ,paul1 from his prison among the ,prtorian guards1 had often seen shining in steel1 moving like a machine1 grim1 irresistible4 ,the cause for which we are to fight is the faith of the gospel1 an expression which almost seems to justify the opinion that 'the faith' here means1 as it does in later usage1 the sum and substance of that which is believed4 ,but even here the word may have its usual meaning of the subjective act of trust in the gospel1 and the thought may be that we are unitedly to fight for its growing power in our own hearts and in the hearts of others4 ,in any case1 the idea is plainly here that ,christian men are set down in the world1 like the frontier guard1 to push the conquests of the empire1 and to win more ground for their ,king4 ,such work is ever needed1 never more needed than now4 ,in this day when a wave of unbelief seems passing over society1 when material comfort and worldly prosperity are so dazzlingly attractive to so many1 the solemn duty is laid upon us with even more than usual emphasis1 and we are called upon to feel more than ever the oneness of all true ,christians1 and to close up our ranks for the fight4 ,all this can only be done after we have obeyed the other injunctions of this text4 ,the degree in which we feel that we belong to another order of things than this around us1 and the degree in which we live by the ,imperial laws1 will determine the degree in which we can fight with vigour for the growth of the dominion of the ,city4 ,be it ours to cherish the vivid consciousness that we are here dwelling not in the cities of the ,canaanites1 but1 like the father of the faithful1 in tents pitched at their gates1 nomads in the midst of a civic life to which we do not belong1 in order that we may breathe a hallowing influence through it1 and win hearts to the love of ,him whom to imitate is perfection1 whom to serve is freedom4 ,,iv4 ,the last exhortation to the colonists is1 ,be sure of victory4 ',in nothing terrified by your adversaries1' says ,paul4 ,he uses a very vivid1 and some people might think1 a very vulgar metaphor here4 ,the word rendered terrified properly refers to a horse shying or plunging at some object4 ,it is generally things half seen and mistaken for something more dreadful than themselves that make horses shy2 and it is usually a half-look at adversaries1 and a mistaken estimate of their strength1 that make ,christians afraid4 ,go up to your fears and speak to them1 and as ghosts are said to do1 they will generally fade away4 ,so we may go into the battle1 as the rash ,french minister said he did into the ,franco-,german war1 'with a light heart1' and that for good reasons4 ,we have no reason to fear for ourselves4 ,we have no reason to fear for the ark of ,god4 ,we have no reason to fear for the growth of ,christianity in the world4 ,many good men in this time seem to be getting half-ashamed of the gospel1 and some preachers are preaching it in words which sound like an apology rather than a creed4 ,do not let us allow the enemy to overpower our imaginations in that fashion4 ,do not let us fight as if we expected to be beaten1 always casting our eyes over our shoulders1 even while we are advancing1 to make sure of our retreat1 but let us trust our gospel1 and trust our ,king1 and let us take to heart the old admonition1 ',lift up thy voice with strength2 lift it up1 be not afraid4' ,such courage is a prophecy of victory4 ,such courage is based upon a sure hope4 ',our citizenship is in heaven1 from whence also we look for the ,lord ,jesus as ,saviour4' ,the little outlying colony in this far-off edge of the empire is ringed about by wide-stretching hosts of dusky barbarians4 ,far as the eye can reach their myriads cover the land1 and the watchers from the ramparts might well be dismayed if they had only their own resources to depend on4 ,but they know that the ,emperor in his progress will come to this sorely beset outpost1 and their eyes are fixed on the pass in the hills where they expect to see the waving banners and the gleaming spears4 ,soon1 like our countrymen in ,lucknow1 they will hear the music and the shouts that tell that ,he is at hand4 ,then when ,he comes1 ,he will raise the siege and scatter all the enemies as the chaff of the threshing-floor1 and the colonists who held the post will go with ,him to the land which they have never seen1 but which is their home1 and will1 with the ,victor1 sweep in triumph 'through the gates into the city4' ,a ,,plea ,,for ,,unity ',if there is therefore any comfort in ,christ1 if any consolation of love1 if any fellowship of the ,spirit1 if any tender mercies and compassions1 #b4 ,fulfil ye my joy1 that ye be of the same mind1 having the same love1 being of one accord1 of one mind2 #c4 ,doing nothing through faction or through vainglory1 but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself2 #d4 ,not looking each of you to his own things1 but each of you also to the things of others4'--,,phil4 ii4 #a-d 7,r4,v474 ,there was much in the state of the ,philippian church which filled ,paul's heart with thankfulness1 and nothing which drew forth his censures1 but these verses1 with their extraordinary energy of pleading1 seem to hint that there was some defect in the unity of heart and mind of members of the community4 ,it did not amount to discord1 but the concord was not as full as it might have been4 ,there is another hint pointing in the same direction in the appeal to ,paul's true yoke-fellow1 in chapter iv41 to help two good women who1 though they had laboured much in the gospel1 had not managed to keep 'of the same mind in the ,lord1' and there is perhaps a still further indication that ,paul's sensitive heart was conscious of the beginnings of strife in the air1 in the remarkable emphasis with which1 at the very outset of the letter1 he over and over again pours out his confidence and affection on them 'all1' as if aware of some incipient rifts in their brotherhood4 ,there are always forces at work which tend to part the most closely knit unities even when these are consecrated by ,christian faith4 ,where there are no dogmatical grounds of discord1 nor any open alienation1 there may still be the beginnings of separation1 and a chill breeze may be felt even when the sun is shining with summer warmth4 ,wasps are attracted by the ripest fruit4 ,the words of our text present no special difficulty1 and bring before us a well-worn subject1 but it has at least this element of interest1 that it grips very tightly the deepest things in ,christian life1 and that none of us can truly say that we do not need to listen to ,paul's pleading voice4 ,we may notice the general division of his thoughts in these words1 in that he puts first the heart-touching motives for listening to his appeal1 next describes with the exuberance of earnestness the fair ideal of unity to which he exhorts1 and finally touches on the hindrances to its realisation1 and the victorious powers which will overcome these4 ,i4 ,the motives and bonds of ,christian unity4 ,it is not a pedantic dissection 7and vivisection7 of the ,apostle's earnest words1 if we point out that they fall into four clauses1 of which the first and third 7'any comfort in ,christ1 any fellowship of the ,spirit'7 urge the objective facts of ,christian revelation1 and the second and fourth 7'any consolation of love1 any tender mercies and compassions'7 put emphasis on the subjective emotions of ,christian experience4 ,we may lay the warmth of all of these on our own hearts1 and shall find that these hearts will be drawn into the blessedness of ,christian unity in the precise measure in which they are affected by them4 ,as to the first of them1 it may be suggested that here1 as elsewhere in the ,new ,testament1 the true idea of the word rendered 'comfort' is rather 'exhortation4' ,the ,apostle is probably not so much pointing to the consolations for trouble which come from ,jesus1 as to the stimulus to unity which flows from ,him4 ,it would rather weaken the force of ,paul's appeal1 if the two former grounds of it were so nearly identical as they are1 if the one is based upon 'comfort' and the other on 'consolation4' ,the ,apostle is true to his dominant belief1 that in ,jesus ,christ there lies1 and from ,him flows1 the sovereign exhortation that rouses men to 'whatsoever things are lovely and of good report4' ,in ,him we shall find in the measure in which we are in ,him1 the most persuasive of all exhortations to unity1 and the most omnipotent of all powers to enforce it4 ,shall we not be glad to be in the flock of the ,good ,shepherd1 and to preserve the oneness which ,he gave ,his life to establish8 ,can we live in ,him1 and not share ,his love for ,his sheep8 ,surely those who have felt the benediction of ,his breath on their foreheads when ,he prayed 'that they may all be one2 even as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me and ,i in ,thee1' cannot but do what is in them to fulfil that prayer1 and to bring a little nearer the realisation of their ,lord's purpose in it1 'that the world may believe that ,thou didst send ,me4' ,surely if we lay to heart1 and enter into sympathy with1 the whole life and death of ,jesus ,christ1 we shall not fail to feel the dynamic power fusing us together1 nor fail to catch the exhortation to unity which comes from the lips that said1 ',i am the vine1 ye are the branches4' ,the ,apostle next bases his appeal for unity on the experiences of the ,philippian ,christians1 and on their memories of the comfort which they have tasted in the exercise of mutual love4 ,our hearts find it hard to answer the question whether they are more blessed when their love passes out from them in a warm stream to others1 or when the love of others pours into them4 ,to love and to be loved equally elevate courage1 and brace the weakest for calm endurance and high deeds4 ,the man who loves and knows that he is loved will be a hero4 ,it must always seem strange and inexplicable that a heart which has known the enlargement and joy of love given and received1 should ever fall so far beneath itself as to be narrowed and troubled by nourishing feelings of separation and alienation from those whom it might have gathered into its embrace1 and thereby communicated1 and in communicating acquired1 courage and strength4 ,we have all known the comfort of love2 should it not impel us to live in 'the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace'8 ,men around us are meant to be our helpers1 and to be helped by us1 and the one way to secure both is to walk in love1 as ,christ also hath loved us4 ,but ,paul has still further heart-melting motives to urge4 ,he turns the ,philippians' thoughts to their fellowship in the ,spirit4 ,all believers have been made to drink into one spirit1 and in that common participation in the same supernatural life they partake of a oneness1 which renders any clefts or divisions unnatural1 and contradictory of the deepest truths of their experience4 ,the branch can no more shiver itself off from the tree1 or keep the life sap enclosed within itself1 than one possessor of the common gift of the ,spirit can separate himself from the others who share it4 ,we are one in ,him2 let us be one in heart and mind4 ,the final appeal is connected with the preceding1 inasmuch as it lays emphasis on the emotions which flow from the one life common to all believers4 ,that participation in the ,spirit naturally leads in each participant to 'tender mercies and compassions' directed to all sharers in it4 ,the very mark of truly possessing the ,spirit's life is a nature full of tenderness and swift to pity1 and they who have experienced the heaven on earth of such emotions should need no other motive than the memory of its blessedness1 to send them out among their brethren1 and even into a hostile world1 as the apostles of love1 the bearers of tender mercies1 and the messengers of pity4 ,,ii4 ,the fair ideal which would complete the ,apostle's joy4 ,we may gather from the rich abundance of motives which the ,apostle suggests before he comes to present his exhortation1 that he suspected the existence of some tendencies in the opposite direction in ,philippi1 and possibly the same conclusion may be drawn from the exuberance of the exhortation itself1 and from its preceding the dehortation which follows4 ,he does not scold1 he scarcely even rebukes1 but he begins by trying to melt away any light frost that had crept over the warmth of the ,philippians' love2 and having made that preparation1 he sets before them with a fulness which would be tautological but for the earnestness that throbs in it1 the ideal of unity1 and presses it upon them still more meltingly1 by telling them that their realisation of it will be the completion of his joy4 ,the main injunction is 'that ye be of the same mind1' and that is followed by three clauses which are all but exactly synonymous with it1 'having the same love1 being of one accord1 of one mind4' ,the resemblance of the latter clause to the main exhortation is still more complete1 if we read with ,revised ,version 7margin7 'of the same mind1' but in any case the exhortations are all practically the same4 ,the unity which ,paul would fain see1 is far deeper and more vital than mere unanimity of opinion1 or identity of polity1 or co-operation in practice4 ,the clauses which expand it guard us against the mistake of thinking that intellectual or practical oneness is all that is meant by ,christian unity4 ,they are 'of the same mind1' who have the same wishes1 aims1 outlooks1 the same hopes and fears1 and who are one in the depths of their being4 ,they have 'the same love1' all similarly loving and being loved1 the same emotion filling each heart4 ,they are united in soul1 or 'with accordant souls' having1 and knowing that they have them1 akin1 allied to one another1 moving to a common end1 and aware of their oneness4 ,the unity which ,christian people have hitherto reached is at its best but a small are of the great circle which the ,apostle drew1 and none of us can read these fervid words without shame4 ,his joy is not yet fulfilled4 ,that exhortation to be 'of the same mind1' not only points to a deep and vital unity1 but suggests that the ground of the unity is to be found without us1 in the common direction of our 'minds1' which means far more than popular phraseology means by it1 to an external object4 ,it is having our hearts directed to ,christ that makes us one4 ,he is the bond and centre of unity4 ,we have just said that the object is external1 but that has to be taken with a modification1 for the true basis of unity is the common possession of ',christ in us4' ,it is when we have this mind in us 'which was also in ,christ ,jesus1' that we have 'the same mind' one with another4 ,the very keynote of the letter is joy1 as may be seen by a glance over it4 ,he joys and rejoices with them all1 but his cup is not quite full4 ,one more precious drop is needed to make it run over4 ,probably the coldness which he had heard of between ,euodias and ,syntyche had troubled him1 and if he could be sure of the ,philippians' mutual love he would rejoice in his prison4 ,we cannot tell whether that loving and careful heart is still aware of the fortunes of the ,church1 but we know of a more loving and careful heart which is1 and we cannot but believe that the alienations and discords of ,his professed followers bring some shadow over the joy of ,christ4 ,do we not hear ,his voice again asking1 'what was it that you disputed among yourselves by the way8' and must we not1 like the disciples1 'hold our peace' when that question is asked8 ,may we not hear a voice sweeter in its cadence1 and more melting in its tenderness than ,paul's1 saying to us ',fulfil ye ,my joy that ye be of the same mind4' ,,iii4 ,the hindrances and helps to being of the same mind4 ,the original has no verb in front of 'nothing' in verse #c1 and it seems better to supply the one which has been so frequently used in the preceding exhortation than 'doing1' which carries us too abruptly into the outer region of action4 ,paul indicates two main hindrances to being of the same mind1 namely1 faction and vainglory on the one hand1 and self-absorption on the other1 and opposed to each the tone of mind which is its best conqueror4 ,faction and vainglory are best defeated by humility and unselfishness4 ,as to the former1 the love of making or heading little cliques in religion or politics or society1 has oftenest its roots in nothing loftier than vanity or pride4 ,many a man who poses as guided by staunch adherence to conviction is really impelled only by a wish to make himself notorious as a leader1 and loves to talk of 'those with whom ,i act4' ,there is a strong admixture of a too lofty estimate of self in most of the disagreements of ,christian people4 ,they expect more deference than they get1 or their judgment is not taken as law1 or their place is not so high as they think is their due1 or in a hundred different ways self-love is wounded1 and self-esteem is inflamed4 ,all this is true in reference to the smaller communities of congregations1 and with the necessary modifications it is quite as true in reference to the larger aggregations which we call churches or denominations4 ,if all in their work that is directly due to faction and vainglory were struck out there would be great gaps in their activities1 and many a flourishing scheme would fall dead4 ,the cure for all these evils is lowliness of mind4 ,that is a ,christian word4 ,used by ,greek thinkers1 it meant abjectness2 and it is one conspicuous instance of the change effected in morals by ,christian teaching that it has become the name of a virtue4 ,we are to dwell not on our gifts but on our imperfections1 and if we judge ourselves with constant reference to the standard in ,christ's life1 we shall need little more to bring us to our knees in true lowliness of mind4 ,the man who has been forgiven so many talents will not be in a hurry to take his brother by the throat and leave the marks of his fingers for tenpence4 ,christian unity is further broken by selfishness4 ,to be absorbed in self is of course to have the heart shut to others4 ,our own interests1 inclinations1 possessions1 when they assert themselves in our lives1 build up impassable barriers between us and our fellows4 ,to live to self is the real root of every sin as it is of all loveless life4 ,the ,apostle uses careful language3 he admits the necessity for attention to our 'own things1' and only requires that we should look 'also' on the things of others4 ,his cure for the hindrances to ,christian unity is very complete1 very practical1 and very simple4 ,each counting other better than himself1 and each 'looking also to the things of others' seem very homely and pedestrian virtues1 but homely as they are we shall find that they grip us tight1 if we honestly try to practise them in our daily lives1 and we shall find also that the ladder which has its foot on earth has its top in the heavens1 and that the practice of humility and unselfishness leads straight to having 'the mind which was also in ,christ ,jesus4' ,,the ,,descent ,,of ,,the ,,word ',have this mind in you which was also in ,christ ,jesus3 #f4 ,who1 being in the form of ,god1 counted it not a prize to be on an equality with ,god1 #g4 ,but emptied ,himself1 taking the form of a servant1 being made in the likeness of men2 #h4 ,and being found in fashion as a man1 ,he humbled ,himself1 becoming obedient even unto death1 yea1 the death of the cross4'--,,phil4 ii4 #e-h 7,r4,v474 ,the purpose of the ,apostle in this great passage must ever be kept clearly in view4 ,our ,lord's example is set forth as the pattern of that unselfish disregard of one's own things1 and devotion to the things of others1 which has just been urged on the ,philippians1 and the mind which was in ,him is presented as the model on which they are to fashion their minds4 ,this purpose in some measure explains some of the peculiarities of the language here1 and may help to guide us through some of the intricacies and doubtful points in the interpretation of the words4 ,it explains why ,christ's death is looked at in them only in its bearing upon ,himself1 as an act of obedience and of condescension1 and why even that death in which ,jesus stands most inimitable and unique is presented as capable of being imitated by us4 ,the general drift of these verses is clear1 but there are few ,scripture passages which have evoked more difference of opinion as to the precise meaning of nearly every phrase4 ,to enter on the subtle discussions involved in the adequate exposition of the words would far exceed our limits1 and we must perforce content ourselves with a slight treatment of them1 and aim chiefly at bringing out their practical side4 ,the broad truth which stands sun-clear amid all diverse interpretations is--that the ,incarnation1 ,life1 and ,death are the great examples of living humility and self-sacrifice4 ,to be born was ,his supreme act of condescension4 ,it was love which made ,him assume the vesture of human flesh4 ,to die was the climax of ,his voluntary obedience1 and of ,his devotion to us4 ,i4 ,the height from which ,jesus descended4 ,the whole strange conception of birth as being the voluntary act of the ,person born1 and as being the most stupendous instance of condescension in the world's history1 necessarily reposes on the clear conviction that ,he had a prior existence so lofty that it was an all but infinite descent to become man4 ,hence ,paul begins with the most emphatic assertion that he who bore the name of ,jesus lived a divine life before ,he was born4 ,he uses a very strong word which is given in the margin of the ,revised ,version1 and might well have been in its text4 ',being originally' as the word accurately means1 carries our thoughts back not only to a state which preceded ,bethlehem and the cradle1 but to that same timeless eternity from which the prologue of the ,gospel of ,john partially draws the veil when it says1 ',in the beginning was the ,word1' and to which ,jesus ,himself more obscurely pointed when ,he said1 ',before ,abraham was ,i am4' ,equally emphatic in another direction is ,paul's next expression1 ',in the form of ,god1' for 'form' means much more than 'shape4' ,i would point out the careful selection in this passage of three words to express three ideas which are often by hasty thought regarded as identical4 ,we read of 'the form of ,god' 7verse #f71 'the likeness of men' 7verse #g71 and 'in fashion as a man4' ,careful investigation of these two words 'form' and 'fashion' has established a broad distinction between them1 the former being more fixed1 the latter referring to that which is accidental and outward1 which may be fleeting and unsubstantial4 ,the possession of the form involves participation in the essence also4 ,here it implies no corporeal idea as if ,god had a material form1 but it implies also much more than a mere apparent resemblance4 ,he who is in the form of ,god possesses the essential divine attributes4 ,only ,god can be 'in the form of ,god'3 man is made in the likeness of ,god1 but man is not 'in the form of ,god4' ,light is thrown on this lofty phrase by its antithesis with the succeeding expression in the next verse1 'the form of a servant1' and as that is immediately explained to refer to ,christ's assumption of human nature1 there is no room for candid doubt that 'being originally in the form of ,god' is a deliberately asserted claim of the divinity of ,christ in ,his pre-existent state4 ,as we have already pointed out1 ,paul soars here to the same lofty height to which the prologue of ,john's ,gospel rises1 and he echoes our ,lord's own words about 'the glory which ,i had with ,thee before the foundation of the world4' ,our thoughts are carried back before creatures were1 and we become dimly aware of an eternal distinction in the divine nature which only perfects its eternal oneness4 ,such an eternal participation in the divine nature before all creation and before time is the necessary pre-supposition of the worth of ,christ's life as the pattern of humility and self-sacrifice4 ,that pre-supposition gives all its meaning1 its pathos1 and its power1 to ,his gentleness1 and love1 and death4 ,the facts are different in their significance1 and different in their power to bless and gladden1 to purge and sway the soul1 according as we contemplate them with or without the background of ,his pre-existent divinity4 ,the view which regards ,him as simply a man1 like all the rest of us1 beginning to be when ,he was born1 takes away from ,his example its mightiest constraining force4 ,only when we with all our hearts believe 'that the ,word became flesh1' do we discern the overwhelming depths of condescension manifested in the ,birth4 ,if it was not the incarnation of ,god1 it has no claim on the hearts of men4 ,,ii4 ,the wondrous act of descent4 ,the stages in that long descent are marked out with a precision and definiteness which would be intolerable presumption1 if ,paul were speaking only his own thoughts1 or telling what he had seen with his own eyes4 ,they begin with what was in the mind of the eternal ,word before ,he began ,his descent1 and whilst yet ,he is 'in the form of ,god4' ,he stands on the lofty level before the descent begins1 and in spirit makes the surrender1 which1 stage by stage1 is afterwards to be wrought out in act4 ,before any of these acts there must have been the disposition of mind and will which ,paul describes as 'counting it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with ,god4' ,he did not regard the being equal to ,god as a prey or treasure to be clutched and retained at all hazards4 ,that sweeps our thoughts into the dim regions far beyond ,calvary or ,bethlehem1 and is a more overwhelming manifestation of love than are the acts of lowly gentleness and patient endurance which followed in time4 ,it included and transcended them all4 ,it was the supreme example of not 'looking on one's own things4' ,and what made ,him so count8 ,what but infinite love4 ,to rescue men1 and win them to ,himself and goodness1 and finally to lift them to the place from which ,he came down for them1 seemed to ,him to be worth the temporary surrender of that glory and majesty4 ,we can but bow and adore the perfect love4 ,we look more deeply into the depths of ,deity than unaided eyes could ever penetrate1 and what we see is the movement in that abyss of ,godhead of purest surrender which1 by beholding1 we are to assimilate4 ,then comes the wonder of wonders1 ',he emptied ,himself4' ,we cannot enter here on the questions which gather round that phrase1 and which give it a factitious importance in regard to present controversies4 ,all that we would point out now is that while the ,apostle distinctly treats the ,incarnation as being a laying aside of what made the ,word to be equal with ,god1 he says nothing1 on which an exact determination can be based1 of the degree or particulars in which the divine nature of our ,lord was limited by ,his humanity4 ,the fact he asserts1 and that is all4 ,the scene in the ,upper ,chamber was but a feeble picture of what had already been done behind the veil4 ,unless ,he had laid aside ,his garments of divine glory and majesty1 ,he would have had no human flesh from which to strip the robes4 ,unless ,he had willed to take the 'form of a servant1' ,he would not have had a body to gird with the slave's towel4 ,the ,incarnation1 which made all ,his acts of lowly love possible1 was a greater act of lowly love than those which flowed from it4 ,looking at it from earth1 men say1 ',jesus was born4' ,looking at it from heaven1 ,angels say1 ',he emptied ,himself4' ,but how did ,he empty ,himself8 ,by taking the form of a slave1 that is to ,god4 ,and how did ,he take the form of a slave8 ,by 'becoming in the likeness of men4' ,here we are specially to note the remarkable language implying that what is true of none other in all the generations of men is true of ,him4 ,that just as 'emptying ,himself' was ,his own act1 also the taking the form of a slave by ,his being born was ,his own act1 and was more truly described as a 'becoming4' ,we note1 too1 the strong contrast between that most remarkable word and the 'being originally' which is used to express the mystery of divine pre-existence4 ,whilst ,his becoming in the likeness of men stands in strong contrast with 'being originally' and energetically expresses the voluntariness of our ,lord's birth1 the 'likeness of men' does not cast any doubt on the reality of ,his manhood1 but points to the fact that 'though certainly perfect man1 ,he was by reason of the divine nature present in ,him not simply and merely man4' ,here then the beginning of ,christ's manhood is spoken of in terms which are only explicable1 if it was a second form of being1 preceded by a pre-existent form1 and was assumed by ,his own act4 ,the language1 too1 demands that that humanity should have been true essential manhood4 ,it was in 'the form' of man and possessed of all essential attributes4 ,it was in 'the likeness' of man possessed of all external characteristics1 and yet was something more4 ,it summed up human nature1 and was its representative4 ,,iii4 ,the obedience which attended the descent4 ,it was not merely an act of humiliation and condescension to become man1 but all ,his life was one long act of lowliness4 ,just as ,he 'emptied ,himself' in the act of becoming in the 'likeness of men1' so ,he 'humbled ,himself1' and all along the course of ,his earthly life ,he chose constant lowliness and to be 'despised and rejected of men4' ,it was the result moment by moment of ,his own will that to the eyes of men ,he presented 'no form nor comeliness1' and that will was moment by moment steadied in its unmoved humility1 because ,he perpetually looked 'not on ,his own things1 but on the things of others4' ,the guise ,he presented to the eyes of men was 'the fashion of a man4' ,that word corresponds exactly to ,paul's carefully selected term1 and makes emphatic both its superficial and its transitory character4 ,the lifelong humbling of ,himself was further manifested in ,his becoming 'obedient4' ,that obedience was1 of course1 to ,god4 ,and here we cannot but pause to ask the question1 ,how comes it that to the man ,jesus obedience to ,god was an act of humiliation8 ,surely there is but one explanation of such a statement4 ,for all men but this one to be ,god's slaves is their highest honour1 and to speak of obedience as humiliation is a sheer absurdity4 ,not only was the life of ,jesus so perfect an example of unbroken obedience that ,he could safely front ,his adversaries with the question1 ',which of you convinceth ,me of sin8' and with the claim to 'do always the things that pleased ,him1' but the obedience to the ,father was perfected in ,his death4 ,consider the extraordinary fact that a man's death is the crowning instance of his humility1 and ask yourselves the question1 ,who then is this who chose to be born1 and stooped in the act of dying8 ,his death was obedience to ,god1 because by it ,he carried out the ,father's will for the salvation of the world1 ,his death is the greatest instance of unselfish self-sacrifice1 and the loftiest example of looking on the 'things of others' that the world has ever seen4 ,it dwindles in significance1 in pathos1 and in power to move us to imitation unless we clearly see the divine glory of the eternal ,lord as the background of the gentle lowliness of the ,man of ,sorrows1 and the ,cross4 ,no theory of ,christ's life and death but that ,he was born for us1 and died for us1 either explains the facts and the apostolic language concerning them1 or leaves them invested with their full power to melt our hearts and mould our lives4 ,there is a possibility of imitating ,him in the most transcendent of ,his acts4 ,the mind may be in us which was in ,christ ,jesus4 ,that it may1 ,his death must first be the ground of our hope1 and then we must make it the pattern of our lives1 and draw from it the power to shape them after ,his blessed ,example4 ,,the ,,ascent ,,of ,,jesus ',wherefore also ,god highly exalted ,him and gave unto ,him the name which is above every name2 #aj4 ,that in the name of ,jesus every knee should bow1 of things in heaven1 and things on earth1 and things under the earth2 #aa4 ,and that every tongue should confess that ,jesus ,christ is ,lord1 to the glory of ,god the ,father4'--,,phil4 ii4 #i-aa 7,r4,v474 ',he that humbleth himself shall be exalted1' said ,jesus4 ,he is ,himself the great example of that law4 ,the ,apostle here goes on to complete his picture of the ,lord ,jesus as our pattern4 ,in previous verses we had the solemn steps of ,his descent1 and the lifelong humility and obedience of the incarnate ,son1 the man ,christ ,jesus4 ,here we have the wondrous ascent which reverses all the former process4 ,our text describes the reflex motion by which ,jesus is borne back to the same level as that from which the descent began4 ,we have ,i4 ,the act of exaltation which forms the contrast and the parallel to the descent4 ',god highly exalted ,him4' ,the ,apostle coins an emphatic word which doubly expresses elevation1 and in its grammatical form shows that it indicates a historical fact4 ,that elevation was a thing once accomplished on this green earth2 that is to say it came to pass in the fact of our ,lord's ascension when from some fold of the ,mount of ,olives ,he was borne upwards and1 with blessing hands1 was received into the ,shechinah cloud1 the glory of which hid ,him from the upward-gazing eyes4 ,it is plain that the ',him' of whom this tremendous assertion is made1 must be the same as the ',he' of whom the previous verses spoke1 that is1 the ,incarnate ,jesus4 ,it is the manhood which is exalted4 ,his humiliation consisted in ,his becoming man1 but ,his exaltation does not consist in ,his laying aside ,his humanity4 ,it is not a transient but an eternal union into which in the ,incarnation it entered with divinity4 ,henceforward we have to think of ,him in all the glory of ,his heavenly state as man1 and as truly and completely in the 'likeness of men' as when ,he walked with bleeding feet on the flinty road of earthly life4 ,he now bears for ever the 'form of ,god' and 'the fashion of a man4' ,here ,i would pause for a moment to point out that the calm tone of this reference to the ascension indicates that it was part of the recognised ,christian beliefs1 and implies that it had been familiar long before the date of this ,epistle1 which itself dates from not more than at the most thirty years from the death of ,christ4 ,surely that lapse of time is far too narrow to allow of such a belief having sprung up1 and been universally accepted about a dead man1 who all the while was lying in a nameless grave4 ,the descent is presented as ,his act1 but decorum and truth required that the exaltation should be ,god's act4 ',he humbled ,himself1' but ',god exalted ,him4' ,true1 ,he sometimes represented ,himself as the ,agent of ,his own ,resurrection and ,ascension1 and established a complete parallel between ,his descent and ,his ascent1 as when ,he said1 ',i came out from the ,father1 and am come into the world3 again1 ,i leave the world1 and go unto the ,father4' ,he was no less obedient to the ,father's will when ,he ascended up on high1 than ,he was when ,he came down to earth1 and whilst1 from one point of view1 ,his ,resurrection and ,ascension were as truly ,his own acts as were ,his birth and ,his death1 from another1 ,he had to pray1 ',and now1 ,o ,father1 glorify ,thou ,me with ,thine own self with the glory which ,i had with ,thee before the world was4' ,the ,titans presumptuously scaled the heavens1 according to the old legend1 but the ,incarnate ,lord returned to ',his own calm home1 ,his habitation from eternity1' was exalted thither by ,god1 in token to the universe that the ,father approved the ,son's descent1 and that the work which the ,son had done was indeed1 as ,he declared it to be1 'finished4' ,by exalting ,him1 the ,father not merely reinstated the divine ,word in its eternal union with ,god1 but received into the cloud of glory the manhood which the ,word had assumed4 ,,ii4 ,the glory of the name of ,jesus4 ,what is the name 'which is above every name'8 ,it is the name ,jesus4 ,it is to be noted that ,paul scarcely ever uses that simple appellative4 ,there are1 roughly speaking1 about two hundred instances in which he names our ,lord in his ,epistles1 and there are only four places1 besides this1 in which he uses this as his own1 and two in which he1 as it were1 puts it into the mouth of an enemy4 ,probably then1 some special reason led to its occurrence here1 and it is not difficult1 ,i think1 to see what that reason is4 ,the simple personal name was given indeed with reference to ,his work1 but had been borne by many a ,jewish child before ,mary called her child ,jesus1 and the fact that it is this common name which is exalted above every name1 brings out still more strongly the thought already dwelt upon1 that what is thus exalted is the manhood of our ,lord4 ,the name which expressed ,his true humanity1 which showed ,his full identification with us1 which was written over ,his ,cross1 which perhaps shaped the taunt ',he saved others1 ,himself ,he cannot save1'--that name ,god has lifted high above all names of council and valour1 of wisdom and might1 of authority and rule4 ,it is shrined in the hearts of millions who render to it perfect trust1 unconditional obedience1 absolute loyalty4 ,its growing power1 and the warmth of personal love which it evokes1 in centuries and lands so far removed from the theatre of ,his life1 is a unique thing in the world's history4 ,it reigns in heaven4 ,but ,paul is not content with simply asserting the sovereign glory of the name of ,jesus4 ,he goes on to set it forth as being what no other name borne by man can be1 the ground and object of worship1 when he declares1 that 'in the name of ,jesus every knee shall bow4' ,the words are quoted from the second ,isaiah1 and occur in one of the most solemn and majestic utterances of the monotheism of the ,old ,testament4 ,and ,paul takes these words1 undeterred by the declaration which precede them1 ',i ,am am ,god and there is none else1' applies them to ,jesus1 to the manhood of our ,lord4 ,bowing the knee is of course prayer1 and in these great words the issue of the work of ,jesus is unmistakably set forth1 as not only being that ,he has declared ,god to men1 who through ,him are drawn to worship the ,father1 but that their emotions of love1 reverence1 worship1 are turned to ,him1 though as the ,apostle is careful immediately to note1 they are not thereby intercepted from1 but directed to1 the glory of ,god the ,father4 ,in the eternities before ,his descent1 there was equality with ,god1 and when ,he returns1 it is to the ,father1 who in ,him has become the object of adoration1 and round whose throne gather with bended knees all those who in ,jesus see the ,father4 ,the ,apostle still further dwells on the glory of the name as that of the acknowledged ,lord4 ,and here we have with significant variation in strong contrast to the previous name of ,jesus1 the full title ',jesus ,christ ,lord4' ,that is almost as unusual in its completeness as the other in its simplicity1 and it comes in here with tremendous energy1 reminding us of the great act to which we owe our redemption1 and of all the prophecies and hopes which1 from of old1 had gathered round the persistent hope of the coming ,messiah1 while the name of ,lord proclaims ,his absolute dominion4 ,the knee is bowed in reverence1 the tongue is vocal in confession4 ,that confession is incomplete if either of these three names is falteringly uttered1 and still more so1 if either of them is wanting4 ,the ,jesus whom ,christians confess is not merely the man who was born in ,bethlehem and known among men as ',jesus the carpenter4' ,in these modern days1 ,his manhood has been so emphasised as to obscure ,his ,messiahship and to obliterate ,his dominion1 and alas6 there are many who exalt ,him by the name that ,mary gave ,him1 who turn away from the name of ,jesus as ',hebrew old clothes1' and from the name of ,lord as antiquated superstition4 ,but in all the lowliness and gentleness of ,jesus there were not wanting lofty claims to be the ,christ of whom prophets and righteous men of old spake1 and whose coming many a generation desired to see and died without the sight1 and still loftier and more absolute claims to be invested with 'all power in heaven and earth1' and to sit down with the ,father on ,his throne4 ,it is dangerous work to venture to toss aside two of these three names1 and to hope that if we pronounce the third of them1 ,jesus1 with appreciation1 it will not matter if we do not name ,him either ,christ or ,lord4 ,if it is true that the manhood of ,jesus is thus exalted1 how wondrous must be the kindred between the human and the divine1 that it should be capable of this1 that it should dwell in the everlasting burnings of the ,divine ,glory and not be consumed6 ,how blessed for us the belief that our ,brother wields all the forces of the universe1 that the human love which ,jesus had when ,he bent over the sick and comforted the sorrowful1 is at the centre4 ,jesus is ,lord1 the ,lord is ,jesus6 ,the ,psalmist was moved to a rapture of thanksgiving when he thought of man as 'made a little lower than the angels1 and crowned with glory and honour1' but when we think of the ,man ,jesus 'sitting at the right hand of ,god1' the ,psalmist's words seem pale and poor1 and we can repeat them with a deeper meaning and a fuller emphasis1 ',thou madest ,him to have dominion over the works of ,thy hands1 ,thou hast put all things under ,his feet4' ,,iii4 ,the universal glory of the name4 ,by the three classes into which the ,apostle divides creation1 'things in heaven1 and things on earth1 and things under the earth1' he simply intends to declare1 that ,jesus is the object of all worship1 and the words are not to be pressed as containing dogmatic assertions as to the different classes mentioned4 ,but guided by other words of ,scripture1 we may permissibly think that the 'things in heaven' tell us that the angels who do not need ,his mediation learn more of ,god by ,his work and bow before ,his throne4 ,we cannot be wrong in believing that the glory of ,his work stretches far beyond the limits of humanity1 and that ,his kingdom numbers other subjects than those who draw human breath4 ,other lips than ours say with a great voice1 ',worthy is the ,lamb that hath been slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing4' ,the things on earth are of course men1 and the words encourage us to dim hopes about which we cannot dogmatise of a time when all the wayward self-seeking and self-tormenting children of men shall have learned to know and love their best friend1 and 'there shall be one flock and one shepherd4' ',things under the earth' seems to point to the old thought of ',sheol' or ',hades' or a separate state of the dead4 ,the words certainly suggest that those who have gone from us are not unconscious nor cut off from the true life1 but are capable of adoration and confession4 ,we cannot but remember the old belief that ,jesus in ,his death 'descended into ,hell1' and some of us will not forget ,fra ,angelico's picture of the open doorway with a demon crushed beneath the fallen portal1 and the crowd of eager faces and outstretched hands swarming up the dark passage1 to welcome the entering ,christ4 ,whatever we may think of that ancient representation1 we may at least be sure that1 wherever they are1 the dead in ,christ praise and reverence and love4 ,,iv4 ,the glory of the ,father in the glory of the name of ,jesus4 ,knees bent and tongues confessing the absolute dominion of ,jesus ,christ could only be offence and sin if ,he were not one with the ,father4 ,but the experience of all the thousands since ,paul wrote1 whose hearts have been drawn in reverent and worshipping trust to the ,son1 has verified the assertion1 that to confess that ,jesus ,christ is ,lord diverts no worship from ,god1 but swells and deepens the ocean of praise that breaks round the throne4 ,if it is true1 and only if it is true1 that in the life and death of ,jesus all previous revelations of the ,father's heart are surpassed1 if it is true and only if it is true1 as ,he ,himself said1 that ',i and the ,father are one1' can ,paul's words here be anything but an incredible paradox4 ,but unless these great words close and crown the ,apostle's glowing vision1 it is maimed and imperfect1 and ,jesus interposes between loving hearts and ,god4 ,one could almost venture to believe that at the back of ,paul's mind1 when he wrote these words1 was some remembrance of the great prayer1 ',i glorified ,thee on the earth1 having accomplished the work which ,thou gavest ,me to do4' ,when the ,son is glorified we glorify the ,father1 and the words of our text may well be remembered and laid to heart by any who will not recognise the deity of the ,son1 because it seems to them to dishonour the ,father4 ,their honour is inseparable and their glory one4 ,there is a sense in which ,jesus is our example even in ,his ascent and exaltation1 just as ,he was in ,his descent and humiliation4 ,the mind which was in ,him is for us the pattern for earthly life1 though the deeds in which that mind was expressed1 and especially ,his 'obedience to the death of the ,cross1' are so far beyond any self-sacrifice of ours1 and are inimitable1 unique1 and needing no repetition while the world lasts4 ,and as we can imitate ,his unexampled sacrifice1 so we may share ,his divine glory1 and1 resting on ,his own faithful word1 may follow the calm motion of ,his ,ascension1 assured that where ,he is there we shall be also1 and that the manhood which is exalted in ,him is the prophecy that all who love ,him will share ,his glory4 ,the question for us all is1 have we in us 'the mind that was in ,christ'8 and the other question is1 what is that name to us8 ,can we say1 ',thy mighty name salvation is'8 ,if in our deepest hearts we grasp that name1 and with unfaltering lips can say that 'there is none other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved but the name of ,jesus1' then we shall know that ',to us with ,thy dear name are given1 ,pardon1 and holiness1 and heaven4' ,,work ,,out ,,your ,,own ,,salvation ',work out your own salvation with fear and trembling1 #ac4 ,for it is ,god which worketh in you both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4'--,,phil4 ii4 #ab1 #ac4 ',what ,god hath joined together1 let no man put asunder6' ,here are1 joined together1 in the compass of one practical exhortation1 the truths which1 put asunder1 have been the war-cries and shibboleths of contending sects ever since4 ,faith in a finished salvation1 and yet work2 ,god working all in me1 and yet ,i able and bound to work likewise2 ,god upholding and sustaining ,his child to the very end2 'perfecting that which concerns him1' making his salvation certain and sure1 and yet the ,christian working 'with fear and trembling1' lest he should be a castaway and come short of the grace of ,god2--who does not recognise in these phrases the mottoes that have been written on the opposing banners in many a fierce theological battle1 waged with much harm to both sides1 and ending in no clear victory for either8 ,yet here they are blended in the words of one who was no less profound a thinker than any that have come after1 and who had the gift of a divine inspiration to boot4 ,not less remarkable than the fusion here of apparent antagonisms1 the harmonising of apparent opposites1 is the intensely practical character of the purpose for which they are adduced at all4 ,paul has no idea of giving his disciples a lesson in abstract theology1 or laying for them a foundation of a philosophy of free will and divine sovereignty2 he is not merely communicating to these ,philippians truths for their creed1 but precepts for their deeds4 ,the ,bible knows nothing of an unpractical theology1 but1 on the other hand1 the ,bible knows still less of an untheological morality4 ,it digs deep1 bottoming the simplest right action upon right thinking1 and going down to the mountain bases on which the very pillars of the universe rest1 in order to lay there1 firm and immovable1 the courses of the temple of a holy life4 ,just as little as ,scripture gives countenance to the error that makes religion theology rather than life1 just so little does it give countenance to the far more contemptible and shallower error common in our day1 which says1 ,religion is not theology1 but life2 and means1 ',therefore1 it does not matter what theology you have1 you can work a good life out with any creed6' ,the ,bible never teaches unpractical speculations1 and the ,bible never gives precepts which do not rest on the profoundest truths4 ,would ,god1 brethren1 that we all had souls as wide as would take in the whole of the many-sided scriptural representation of the truths of the ,gospel1 and so avoid the narrowness of petty1 partial views of ,god's infinite counsel2 and that we had as close1 direct1 and as free communication between head1 and heart1 and hand1 as the ,scripture has between precept and practice6 ,but in reference more especially to my text4 ,keeping in view these two points ,i have already suggested1 namely1--that it is the reconciling of apparent opposites1 and that it is intensely practical1 ,i find in it these three thoughts2--,first1 a ,christian has his whole salvation accomplished for him1 and yet he is to work it out4 ,secondly1 a ,christian has everything done in him by ,god1 and yet he is to work4 ,lastly1 a ,christian has his salvation certainly secured1 and yet he is to fear and tremble4 ,i4 ,in the first place1 ,a ,christian man has his whole salvation already accomplished for him in ,christ1 and yet he is to work it out4 ,there are two points absolutely necessary to be kept in view in order to a right understanding of the words before us1 for the want of noticing which it has become the occasion of terrible mistakes4 ,these are--the persons to whom it is addressed1 and the force of the scriptural expression 'salvation4' ,as to the first1 this exhortation has been misapplied by being addressed to those who have no claim to be ,christians1 and by having such teaching deduced from it as1 ,you do your part1 and ,god will do ,his2 ,you work1 and ,god will certainly help you2 ,you co-operate in the great work of your salvation1 and you will get grace and pardon through ,jesus ,christ4 ,now let us remember the very simple thing1 but very important to the right understanding of these words1 that none but ,christian people have anything to do with them4 ,to all others1 to all who are not already resting on the finished salvation of ,jesus ,christ1 this injunction is utterly inapplicable4 ,it is addressed to the 'beloved1 who have always obeyed'2 to the 'saints in ,christ ,jesus1 which are at ,philippi4' ,the whole ,epistle is addressed1 and this injunction with the rest1 to ,christian men4 ,that is the first thing to be remembered4 ,if there be any of you1 who have thought that these words of ,paul's to those who had believed on ,christ contained a rule of action for you1 though you have not rested your souls on ,him1 and exhorted you to try to win salvation by your own doings1 let me remind you of what ,christ said when the ,jews came to ,him in a similar spirit and asked ,him1 ',what shall we do that we may work the works of ,god8' ,his answer to them was1 and ,his answer to you1 my brother1 is1 ',this is the work of ,god1 that ye should believe in ,him whom ,he hath sent4' ,that is the first lesson3 ,not work1 but faith2 unless there be faith1 no work4 ,unless you are a ,christian1 the passage has nothing to do with you4 ,but now1 if this injunction be addressed to those who are looking for their salvation only to the perfect work of ,christ1 how can they be exhorted to work it out themselves8 ,is not the oft-recurring burden of ,paul's teaching 'not by works of righteousness1 which we have done1 but by ,his mercy ,he saved us'8 ,how does this text harmonise with these constantly repeated assertions that ,christ has done all for us1 and that we have nothing to do1 and can do nothing8 ,to answer this question1 we have to remember that that scriptural expression1 'salvation1' is used with considerable width and complexity of signification4 ,it sometimes means the whole of the process1 from the beginning to the end1 by which we are delivered from sin in all its aspects1 and are set safe and stable at the right hand of ,god4 ,it sometimes means one or other of three different parts of that process--either deliverance from the guilt1 punishment1 condemnation of sin2 or secondly1 the gradual process of deliverance from its power in our own hearts2 or thirdly1 the completion of that process by the final and perfect deliverance from sin and sorrow1 from death and the body1 from earth and all its weariness and troubles1 which is achieved when we are landed on the other side of the river4 ,salvation1 in one aspect1 is a thing past to the ,christian2 in another1 it is a thing present2 in a third1 it is a thing future4 ,but all these three are one2 all are elements of the one deliverance--the one mighty and perfect act which includes them all4 ,these three all come equally from ,christ ,himself4 ,these three all depend equally on ,his work and ,his power4 ,these three are all given to a ,christian man in the first act of faith4 ,but the attitude in which he stands in reference to that accomplished salvation which means deliverance from sin as a penalty and a curse1 and that in which he stands to the continuing and progressive salvation which means deliverance from the power of evil in his own heart1 are somewhat different4 ,in regard to the one1 he has only to take the finished blessing4 ,he has to exercise faith and faith alone4 ,he has nothing to do1 nothing to add1 in order to fit himself for it1 but simply to receive the gift of ,god1 and to believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent4 ,but then1 though that reception involves what shall come after it1 and though every one who has and holds the first thing1 the pardon of his transgression1 has and holds thereby and therein his growing sanctifying and his final glory1 yet the salvation which means our being delivered from the evil that is in our hearts1 and having our souls made like unto ,christ1 is one which--free gift though it be--is not ours on the sole condition of an initial act of faith1 but is ours on the condition of continuous faithful reception and daily effort1 not in our own strength1 but in ,god's strength1 to become like ,him1 and to make our own that which ,god has given us1 and which ,christ is continually bestowing upon us4 ,the two things1 then1 are not inconsistent--an accomplished salvation1 a full1 free1 perfect redemption1 with which a man has nothing to do at all1 but to take it2--and1 on the other hand1 the injunction to them who have received this divine gift3 ',work out your own salvation4' ,work1 as well as believe1 and in the daily practice of faithful obedience1 in the daily subjugation of your own spirits to ,his divine power1 in the daily crucifixion of your flesh with its affections and lusts1 in the daily straining after loftier heights of godliness and purer atmospheres of devotion and love--make more thoroughly your own that which you possess4 ,work into the substance of your souls that which you have4 ,apprehend that for which you are apprehended of ,christ4 ',give all diligence to make your calling and election sure'2 and remember that not a past act of faith1 but a present and continuous life of loving1 faithful work in ,christ1 which is ,his and yet yours1 is the 'holding fast the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end4' ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 ,god works all in us1 and yet we have to work4 ,there can be no mistake about the good faith and firm emphasis--as of a man who knows his own mind1 and knows that his word is true--with which the ,apostle holds up here the two sides of what ,i venture to call the one truth2 ',work out your own salvation--for ,god works in you4' ,command implies power4 ,command and power involve duty4 ,the freedom of the ,christian's action1 the responsibility of the believer for his ,christian growth in grace1 the committal to the ,christian man's own hands of the means of sanctifying1 lie in that injunction1 ',work out your own salvation4' ,is there any faltering1 any paring down or cautious guarding of the words1 in order that they may not seem to clash with the other side of the truth8 ,no3 ,paul does not say1 ',work it out2 yet it is ,god that worketh in you'2 not ',work it out although it is ,god that worketh in you'2 not ',work it out1 but then it must always be remembered and taken as a caution that it is ,god that worketh in you6' ,he blends the two things together in an altogether different connection1 and sees--strangely to some people1 no contradiction1 nor limitation1 nor puzzle1 but a ground of encouragement to cheerful obedience4 ,do you work1 'for it is ,god that worketh in you both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4' ,and does the ,apostle limit the divine operation8 ,notice how his words seem picked out on purpose to express most emphatically its all-pervading energy4 ,look how his words seem picked out on purpose to express with the utmost possible emphasis that all which a good man is1 and does1 is its fruit4 ,it is ,god that worketh in you4 ,that expresses more than bringing outward means to bear upon heart and will4 ,it speaks of an inward1 real1 and efficacious operation of the ,indwelling ,spirit of all energy on the spirit in which ,he dwells4 ',worketh in you to will'2 this expresses more than the presentation of motives from without1 it points to a direct action on the will1 by which impulses are originated within4 ,god puts in you the first faint motions of a better will4 ',worketh in you1 doing as well as willing'2 this points to all practical obedience1 to all external acts as flowing from ,his grace in us1 no less than all inward good thoughts and holy desires4 ,it is not that ,god gives men the power1 and then leaves them to make the use of it4 ,it is not that the desire and purpose come forth from ,him1 and that then we are left to ourselves to be faithful or unfaithful stewards in carrying it out4 ,the whole process1 from the first sowing of the seed until its last blossoming and fruiting1 in the shape of an accomplished act1 of which ,god shall bless the springing--it is all ,god's together6 ,there is a thorough-going1 absolute attribution of every power1 every action1 all the thoughts words1 and deeds of a ,christian soul1 to ,god4 ,no words could be selected which would more thoroughly cut away the ground from every half-and-half system which attempts to deal them out in two portions1 part ,god's and part mine4 ,with all emphasis ,paul attributes all to ,god4 ,and none the less strongly does he teach1 by the implication contained in his earnest injunction1 that human responsibility1 that human control over the human will1 and that reality of human agency which are often thought to be annihilated by these broad views of ,god as originating all good in the soul and life4 ,the ,apostle thought that this doctrine did not absorb all our individuality in one great divine ,cause which made men mere tools and puppets4 ,he did not believe that the inference from it was1 ',therefore do you sit still1 and feel yourselves the cyphers that you are4' ,his practical conclusion is the very opposite4 ,it is--,god does all1 therefore do you work4 ,his belief in the power of ,god's grace was the foundation of the most intense conviction of the reality and indispensableness of his own power1 and was the motive which stimulated him to vigorous action4 ,work1 for ,god works in you4 ,each of these truths rests firmly on its own appropriate evidence4 ,my own consciousness tells me that ,i am free1 that ,i have power1 that ,i am therefore responsible and exposed to punishment for neglect of duty4 ,i know what ,i mean when ,i speak of the will of ,god1 because ,i myself am conscious of a will4 ,the power of ,god is an object of intelligent thought to me1 because ,i myself am conscious of power4 ,and on the other hand1 that belief in a ,god which is one of the deep and universal beliefs of men contains in it1 when it comes to be thought about1 the belief in ,him as the source of all power1 as the great cause of all4 ,if ,i believe in a ,god at all1 ,i must believe that ,he whom ,i so call1 worketh all things after the counsel of ,his own will4 ,these two convictions are both given to us in the primitive beliefs which belong to us all4 ,the one rests on consciousness1 and underlies all our moral judgments4 ,the other rests on an original belief1 which belongs to man as such4 ,these two mighty pillars on which all morality and all religion repose have their foundations down deep in our nature1 and tower up beyond our sight4 ,they seem to stand opposite to each other1 but it is only as the strong piers of some tall arch are opposed4 ,beneath they repose on one foundation1 above they join together in the completing keystone and bear the whole steady structure4 ,wise and good men have toiled to harmonise them1 in vain4 ,the task transcends the limits of human faculties1 as exercised here1 at all events4 ,perhaps the time may come when we shall be lifted high enough to see the binding arch1 but here on earth we can only behold the shafts on either side4 ,the history of controversy on the matter surely proves abundantly what a hopeless task they undertake who attempt to reconcile these truths4 ,the attempt has usually consisted in speaking the one loudly and the other in a whisper1 and then the opposite side has thundered what had been whispered1 and has whispered very softly what had been shouted very loudly4 ,one party lays hold of the one pole of the ark1 and the other lays hold of that on the other side4 ,the fancied reconciliation consists in paring down one half of the full-orbed truth to nothing1 or in admitting it in words while every principle of the reconciler's system demands its denial4 ,each antagonist is strong in his assertions1 and weak in his denials1 victorious when he establishes his half of the whole1 easily defeated when he tries to overthrow his opponent's4 ,this apparent incompatibility is no reason for rejecting truths each commended to our acceptance on its own proper grounds4 ,it may be a reason for not attempting to dogmatise about them4 ,it may be a warning to us that we are on ground where our limited understandings have no firm footing1 but it is no ground for suspecting the evidence which certifies the truths4 ,the ,bible admits and enforces them both4 ,it never tones down the emphasis of its statement of the one for fear of clashing against the other1 but points to us the true path for thought1 in a firm grasp of both1 in the abandonment of all attempts to reconcile them1 and for practical conduct1 in the peaceful trust in ,god who hath wrought all our works in us1 and in strenuous working out of our own salvation4 ,let us1 as we look back on that battlefield where much wiser men than we have fought in vain1 doing little but raising up 'a little dust that is lightly laid again1' and building trophies that are soon struck down1 learn the lesson it teaches1 and be contented to say1 ,the short cord of my plummet does not quite go down to the bottom of the bottomless1 and ,i do not profess either to understand ,god or to understand man1 both of which ,i should want to do before ,i understood the mystery of their conjoint action4 ,enough for me to believe that1 ',if any force we have1 it is to ill1 ,and all the power is ,god's1 to do and eke to will4' ,enough for me to know that ,i have solemn duties laid upon me1 a life's task to be done1 my deliverance from mine own evil to work out1 and that ,i shall only accomplish that work when ,i can say with the ,apostle1 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,god is all1 but thou canst work6 ,my brother1 take this belief1 that ,god worketh all in you1 for the ground of your confidence1 and feel that unless ,he do all1 you can do nothing4 ,take this conviction1 that thou canst work1 for the spur and stimulus of thy life1 and think1 ,these desires in my soul come from a far deeper source than the little cistern of my own individual life4 ,they are ,god's gift4 ,let me cherish them with the awful carefulness which their origin requires1 lest ,i should seem to have received the grace of ,god in vain4 ,these two streams of truth are like the rain-shower that falls upon the watershed of a country4 ,the one half flows down the one side of the everlasting hills1 and the other down the other4 ,falling into rivers that water different continents1 they at length find the sea1 separated by the distance of half the globe4 ,but the sea into which they fall is one1 in every creek and channel4 ,and so1 the truth into which these two apparent opposites converge1 is 'the depth of the wisdom and the knowledge of ,god1' whose ways are past finding out--the ,author of all goodness1 who1 if we have any holy thought1 has given it us2 if we have any true desire1 has implanted it2 has given us the strength to do the right and to live in ,his fear2 and who yet1 doing all the willing and the doing1 says to us1 ',because ,i do everything1 therefore let not thy will be paralysed1 or thy hand palsied2 but because ,i do everything1 therefore will thou according to ,my will1 and do thou according to ,my commandments6' ,,iii4 ,lastly3 ,the ,christian has his salvation secured1 and yet he is to fear and tremble4 ',fear and trembling4' ',but1' you may say1 'perfect love casts out fear4' ,so it does4 ,the fear which has torment it casts out4 ,but there is another fear in which there is no torment1 brethren2 a fear and trembling which is but another shape of confidence and calm hope6 ,scripture does tell us that the believing man's salvation is certain4 ,scripture tells us it is certain since he believes4 ,and your faith can be worth nothing unless it have1 bedded deep in it1 that trembling distrust of your own power which is the pre-requisite and the companion of all thankful and faithful reception of ,god's infinite mercy4 ,your horizon ought to be full of fear1 if your gaze be limited to yourself2 but oh6 above our earthly horizon with its fogs1 ,god's infinite blue stretches untroubled by the mist and cloud which are earth-born4 ,i1 as working1 have need to tremble and to fear1 but ,i1 as wrought upon1 have a right to confidence and hope1 a hope that is full of immortality1 and an assurance which is the pledge of its own fulfilment4 ,the worker is nothing1 the ,worker in him is all4 ,fear and trembling1 when the thoughts turn to mine own sins and weaknesses1 hope and confidence when they turn to the happier vision of ,god6 ',not ,i'--there is the tremulous self-distrust2 'the grace of ,god in me'--there is the calm assurance of victory4 ,forasmuch1 then1 as ,god worketh all things1 be you diligent1 faithful1 prayerful1 confident4 ,forasmuch as ,christ has perfected the work for you1 do you 'go on unto perfection4' ,let all fear and trembling be yours1 as a man2 let all confidence and calm trust be yours as a child of ,god4 ,turn your confidence and your fears alike into prayer4 ',perfect1 ,o ,lord1 that which concerneth me2 forsake not the work of ,thine own hands6'--and the prayer will evoke the merciful answer1 ',i will never leave thee1 nor forsake thee ,god is faithful1 who hath called you unto the ,gospel of ,his ,son2 and will keep you unto ,his everlasting kingdom of glory4' ,,copies ,,of ,,jesus ',do all things without murmurings and disputings2 #ae4 ,that ye may be blameless and harmless1 children of ,god without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation1 among whom ye are seen as lights in the world1 #af4 ,holding forth the word of life4'--,,phil4 ii4 #ad-af 7,r4,v474 ,we are told by some superfine modern moralists1 that to regard one's own salvation as the great work of our lives is a kind of selfishness1 and no doubt there may be a colour of truth in the charge4 ,at least the meaning of the injunction to work out our own salvation may have been sometimes so misunderstood1 and there have been types of ,christian character1 such as the ascetic and monastic1 which have made the representation plausible4 ,i do not think that there is much danger of anybody so misunderstanding the precept now4 ,but it is worthy of notice that there stand here side by side two paragraphs1 in the former of which the effort to work out one's own salvation is urged in the strongest terms1 and in the other of which the regard for others is predominant4 ,we shall see that the connection between these two is not accidental1 but that one great reason for working out our salvation is here set forth as being the good we may thereby do to others4 ,i4 ,we note the one great duty of cheerful yielding to ,god's will4 ,it is clear1 ,i think1 that the precept to do 'all things without murmurings and disputings' stands in the closest connection with what goes before4 ,it is1 in fact1 the explanation of how salvation is to be wrought out4 ,it presents the human side which corresponds to the divine activity1 which has just been so earnestly insisted on4 ,god works in us 'willing and doing1' let us on our parts do with ready submission all the things which ,he so inspires to will and to do4 ,the 'murmurings' are not against men but against ,god4 ,the 'disputings' are not wrangling with others but the division of mind in one's self-questionings1 hesitations1 and the like4 ,so the one are more moral1 the other more intellectual1 and together they represent the ways in which ,christian men may resist the action on their spirits of ,god's ,spirit1 'willing1' or the action of ,god's providence on their circumstances1 'doing4' ,have we never known what it was to have some course manifestly prescribed to us as right1 from which we have shrunk with reluctance of will8 ,if some course has all at once struck us as wrong which we had been long accustomed to do without hesitation1 has there been no 'murmuring' before we yielded8 ,a voice has said to us1 ',give up such and such a habit1' or 'such and such a pursuit is becoming too engrossing'3 do we not all know what it is not only to feel obedience an effort1 but even to cherish reluctance1 and to let it stifle the voice8 ,there are often 'disputings' which do not get the length of 'murmurings4' ,the old word which tried to weaken the plain imperative of the first command by the subtle suggestion1 ',yea1 hath ,god said8' still is whispered into our ears4 ,we know what it is to answer ,god's commands with a ',but1 ,lord4' ,a reluctant will is clever to drape itself with more or less honest excuses1 and the only safety is in cheerful obedience and glad submission4 ,the will of ,god ought not only to receive obedience1 but prompt obedience1 and such instantaneous and whole-souled submission is indispensable if we are to 'work out our own salvation1' and to present an attitude of true1 receptive correspondence to that of ,god1 who 'works in us both to will and to do of ,his own good pleasure4' ,our surrender of ourselves into the hands of ,god1 in respect both to inward and outward things1 should be complete4 ,as has been profoundly said1 that surrender consists 'in a continual forsaking and losing all self in the will of ,god1 willing only what ,god from eternity has willed1 forgetting what is past1 giving up the time present to ,god1 and leaving to ,his providence that which is to come1 making ourselves content in the actual moment seeing it brings along with it the eternal order of ,god concerning us' 7,madame ,guyon74 ,,ii4 ,the conscious aim in all our activity4 ,what ,god works in us for is that for which we too are to yield ourselves to ,his working1 'without murmurings and disputings1' and to co-operate with glad submission and cheerful obedience4 ,we are to have as our distinct aim the building up of a character 'blameless and harmless1 children of ,god without rebuke4' ,the blamelessness is probably in reference to men's judgment rather than to ,god's1 and the difficulty of coming untarnished from contact with the actions and criticisms of a crooked and perverse generation is emphasised by the very fact that such blamelessness is the first requirement for ,christian conduct4 ,it was a feather in ,daniel's cap that the president and princes were foiled in their attempt to pick holes in his conduct1 and had to confess that they would not 'find any occasion against him1 except we find it concerning the laws of his ,god4' ,god is working in us in order that our lives should be such that malice is dumb in their presence4 ,are we co-operating with ,him8 ,we are bound to satisfy the world's requirements of ,christian character4 ,they are sharp critics and sometimes unreasonable1 but on the whole it would not be a bad rule for ,christian people1 ',do what irreligious men expect you to do4' ,the worst man knows more than the best man practises1 and his conscience is quick to decide the course for other people4 ,our weaknesses and compromises1 and love of the world1 might receive a salutary rebuke if we would try to meet the expectations which 'the man in the street' forms of us4 ',harmless' is more correctly pure1 all of a piece1 homogeneous and entire4 ,it expresses what the ,christian life should be in itself1 whilst the former designation describes it more as it appears4 ,the piece of cloth is to be so evenly and carefully woven that if held up against the light it will show no flaws nor knots4 ,many a professing ,christian life has a veneer of godliness nailed thinly over a solid bulk of selfishness4 ,there are many goods in the market finely dressed so as to hide that the warp is cotton and only the weft silk4 ,no ,christian man who has memory and self-knowledge can for a moment claim to have reached the height of his ideal2 the best of us1 at the best1 are like ,nebuchadnezzar's image1 whose feet were iron and clay1 but we ought to strain after it and to remember that a stain shows most on the whitest robe4 ,what made ,david's sin glaring and memorable was its contradiction of his habitual nobler self4 ,one spot more matters little on a robe already covered with many4 ,the world is fully warranted in pointing gleefully or contemptuously at ,christians' inconsistencies1 and we have no right to find fault with their most pointed sarcasms1 or their severest judgments4 ,it is those 'that bear the vessels of the ,lord' whose burden imposes on them the duty 'be ye clean1' and makes any uncleanness more foul in them than in any other4 ,the ,apostle sets forth the place and function of ,christians in the world1 by bringing together in the sharpest contrast the 'children of ,god' and a 'crooked and perverse generation4' ,he is thinking of the old description in ,deuteronomy1 where the ancient ,israel is charged with forgetting ',thy ,father that hath bought thee1' and as showing by their corruption that they are a 'perverse and crooked generation4' ,the ancient ,israel had been the ,son of ,god1 and yet had corrupted itself2 the ,christian ,israel are 'sons of ,god' set among a world all deformed1 twisted1 perverted4 ',perverse' is a stronger word than 'crooked1' which latter may be a metaphor for moral obliquity1 like our own right and wrong1 or perhaps points to personal deformity4 ,be that as it may1 the position which the ,apostle takes is plain enough4 ,he regards the two classes as broadly separated in antagonism in the very roots of their being4 ,because the 'sons of ,god' are set in the midst of that 'crooked and perverse generation' constant watchfulness is needed lest they should conform1 constant resort to their ,father lest they should lose the sense of sonship1 and constant effort that they may witness of ,him4 ,,iii4 ,the solemn reason for this aim4 ,that is drawn from a consideration of the office and function of ,christian men4 ,their position in the midst of a 'crooked and perverse generation' devolves on them a duty in relation to that generation4 ,they are to 'appear as lights in the world4' ,the relation between them and it is not merely one of contrast1 but on their parts one of witness and example4 ,the metaphor of light needs no explanation4 ,we need only note that the word1 'are seen' or 'appear1' is indicative1 a statement of fact1 not imperative1 a command4 ,as the stars lighten the darkness with their myriad lucid points1 so in the divine ideal ,christian men are to be as twinkling lights in the abyss of darkness4 ,their light rays forth without effort1 being an involuntary efflux4 ,possibly the old paradox of the ,psalmist was in the ,apostle's mind1 which speaks of the eloquent silence1 in which 'there is no speech nor language1 and their voice is not heard1' but yet 'their line has gone out through all the earth1 and their words unto the end of the world4' ,christian men appear as lights by 'holding forth the word of life4' ,in themselves they have no brightness but that which comes from raying out the light that is in them4 ,the word of life must live1 giving life in us1 if we are ever to be seen as 'lights in the world4' ,as surely as the electric light dies out of a lamp when the current is switched off1 so surely shall we be light only when we are 'in the ,lord4' ,there are many so-called ,christians in this day who stand tragically unaware that their 'lamps are gone out4' ,when the sun rises and smites the mountain tops they burn1 when its light falls on ,memnon's stony lips they breathe out music1 ',arise1 shine1 for thy light has come4' ,undoubtedly one way of 'holding forth the word of life' must be to speak the word1 but silent living 'blameless and harmless' and leaving the secret of the life very much to tell itself is perhaps the best way for most ,christian people to bear witness4 ,such a witness is constant1 diffused wherever the witness-bearer is seen1 and free from the difficulties that beset speech1 and especially from the assumption of superiority which often gives offence4 ,it was the sight of 'your good deeds' to which ,jesus pointed as the strongest reason for men's 'glorifying your ,father4' ,if we lived such lives there would be less need for preachers4 ',if any will not hear the word they may without the word be won4' ,and reasonably so1 for ,christianity is a life and cannot be all told in words1 and the ,gospel is the proclamation of freedom from sin1 and is best preached and proved by showing that we are free4 ,the ,gospel was lived as well as spoken4 ,christ's life was ,christ's mightiest preaching4 ',the word was flesh and wrought ,with human hands the creed of creeds4' ,if we keep near to ,him we too shall witness1 and if our faces shine like ,moses' as he came down from the mountain1 or like ,stephen's in the council chamber1 men will 'take knowledge of us that we have been with ,jesus4' ,a ,,willing ,,sacrifice ',that ,i may have whereof to glory in the day of ,christ1 that ,i did not run in vain neither labour in vain4 #ag4 ,yea1 and if ,i am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith1 ,i joy1 and rejoice with you all4 #ah4 ,and in the same manner do ye also joy1 and rejoice with me4'--,,phil4 ii4 #af-ah 7,r4,v474 ,we come here to another of the passages in which the ,apostle pours out all his heart to his beloved ,church4 ,perhaps there never was a ,christian teacher 7always excepting ,christ7 who spoke more about himself than ,paul4 ,his own experience was always at hand for illustration4 ,his preaching was but the generalisation of his life4 ,he had felt it all first1 before he threw it into the form of doctrine4 ,it is very hard to keep such a style from becoming egotism4 ,this paragraph is remarkable1 especially if we consider that this is introduced as a motive to their faithfulness1 that thereby they will contribute to his joy at the last great testing4 ,there must have been a very deep love between ,paul and the ,philippians to make such words as these true and appropriate4 ,they open the very depths of his heart in a way from which a less noble and fervid nature would have shrunk1 and express his absolute consecration in his work1 and his eager desire for their spiritual good1 with such force as would have been exaggeration in most men4 ,we have here a wonderful picture of the relation between him and the church at ,philippi which may well stand as a pattern for us all4 ,i do not mean to parallel our relations with that between him and them1 but it is sufficiently analogous to make these words very weighty and solemn for us4 ,i4 ,the ,philippians' faithfulness ,paul's glory in the day of ,christ4 ,the ,apostle strikes a solemn note1 which was always sounding through his life1 when he points to that great ,day of ,christ as the time when his work was to be tested4 ,the thought of that gave earnestness to all his service1 and in conjunction with the joyful thought that1 however his work might be marred by failures and flaws1 he himself was 'accepted in the beloved1' was the impulse which carried him on through a life than which none of ,christ's servants have dared1 and done1 and suffered more for ,him4 ,paul believed that1 according to the results of that test1 his position would in some sort be determined4 ,of course he does not here contradict the foundation principle of his whole ,gospel1 that salvation is not the result of our own works1 or virtues1 but is the free unmerited gift of ,christ's grace4 ,but while that is true1 it is none the less true1 that the degree in which believers receive that gift depends on their ,christian character1 both in their life on earth and in the day of ,christ4 ,one element in that character is faithful work for ,jesus4 ,faithful work indeed is not necessarily successful work1 and many who are welcomed by ,jesus1 the judge1 will have the memory of many disappointments and few harvested grains4 ,it was not a reaper1 'bringing his sheaves with him1' who stayed himself against the experience of failure1 by the assurance1 ',though ,israel be not gathered yet shall ,i be glorious in the eyes of the ,lord4' ,if our want of success1 and others' lapse1 and apostasy or coldness has not been occasioned by any fault of ours1 there will be no diminution of our reward4 ,but we can so seldom be sure of that1 and even then there will be an absence of what might have added to gladness4 ,we need not do more than note that the text plainly implies1 that at that testing time men's knowledge of all that they did1 and the results of it1 will be complete4 ,marvellous as it seems to us1 with our fragmentary memories1 and the great tracts of our lives through which we have passed mechanically1 and which seem to have left no trace on the mirror of our consciousness1 we still1 all of us1 have experiences which make that all-recovering memory credible4 ,some passing association1 a look1 a touch1 an odour1 a sun-set sky1 a chord of music will bring before us some trivial long-forgotten incident or emotion1 as the chance thrust of a boat-hook will draw to the surface by its hair1 a long-drowned corpse4 ,if we are1 as assuredly we are1 writing with invisible ink our whole life's history on the pages of our own minds1 and if we shall have to read them all over again one day1 is it not tragic that most of us scribble the pages so hastily and carelessly1 and forget that1 'what ,i have written ,i have written1' and what ,i have written ,i must read4 ,but there is another way of looking at ,paul's words as being an indication of his warm love for the ,philippians4 ,even among the glories1 he would feel his heart filled with new gladness when he found them there4 ,the hunger for the good of others which cannot bear to think even of heaven without their presence has been a master note of all true ,christian teachers1 and without it there will be little of the toil1 of which ,paul speaks in the context1 'running and labouring4' ,he that would win men's hearts for any great cause must give his heart to them4 ,that ,paul should have felt warranted in using such a motive with the ,philippians tells how surely he reckoned on their true and deep love4 ,he believes that they care enough for him to feel the power as a motive with them1 that their faithfulness will make ,paul more blessed amidst the blessings of heaven4 ,oh6 if such love knit together all ,christian teachers and their hearers in this time1 and if the ',day of ,christ' burned before them1 as it did before him1 and if the vision stirred to such running and labouring as his1 teachers and taught would oftener have to say1 ',we are your rejoicing1 even as ye are also ours in the ,day of our ,lord ,jesus4' ,the voice of the man who is in the true ',apostolic ,succession' will dare to make the appeal1 knowing that it will call forth an abundant answer1 ',look to yourselves that we lose not the things which we have wrought1 but that we receive a full reward4' ,,ii4 ,paul's death an aid to the ,philippians' faith4 ,the general meaning of the ,apostle's words is1 ',if ,i have not only to run and labour1 but to die in the discharge of my ,apostolic ,mission1 ,i joy and rejoice1 and ,i bid you rejoice with me4' ,we need only note that the ,apostle here casts his language into the forms consecrated for sacrifice4 ,he will not speak of death by its own ugly and threadbare name1 but thinks of himself as a devoted victim1 and of his death as making the sacrifice complete4 ,in the figure there is a solemn scorn of death1 and at the same time a joyful recognition that it is the means of bringing him more nearly to ,god1 with whom he would fain be4 ,it is interesting1 as showing the persistence of these thoughts in the ,apostle's mind1 that the word rendered in our text 'offered1' which fully means 'poured out as a drink offering1' occurs again in the same connection in the great words of the swan song in ,,ii4 ,timothy1 ',i am already being offered1 and the time of my departure is come4' ,death looked to him1 when he looked it in the eyes1 and the block was close by him1 as it had done when he spoke of it to his ,philippian friends4 ,it is to be noted1 in order to bring out more vividly the force of the figure1 that ,paul here speaks of the libation being poured 'on' the sacrifice1 as was the practice in heathen ritual4 ,the sacrifice is the victim1 'service' is the technical word for priestly ministration1 and the general meaning is1 ',if my blood is poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice ministered by you1 which is your faith1 ,i joy with you all4' ,this man had no fear of death1 and no shrinking from 'leaving the warm precincts of the cheerful day4' ,he was equally ready to live or to die as might best serve the name of ,jesus1 for to him 'to live was ,christ1' and therefore to him it could be nothing but 'gain' to die4 ,here he seems to be treating his death as a possibility1 but as a possibility only1 for almost immediately afterwards he says1 that he 'trusts in the ,lord that ,i myself will come shortly4' ,it is interesting to notice the contrast between his mood of mind here and that in the previous chapter 7i4 #be7 where the 'desire to depart and to be with ,christ' is deliberately suppressed1 because his continuous life is regarded as essential for the ,philippians' 'progress and joy in faith4' ,here he discerns that perhaps his death would do more for their faith than would his life1 and being ready for either alternative he welcomes the possibility4 ,may we not see in the calm heart1 which is at leisure to think of death in such a fashion1 a pattern for us all8 ,remember how near and real his danger was4 ,nero was not in the habit of letting a man1 whose head had been in the mouth of the lion1 take it out unhurt4 ,paul is no eloquent writer or poet playing with the idea of death1 and trying to say pretty things about it1 but a man who did not know when the blow would come1 but did know that it would come before long4 ,we may point here to the two great thoughts in ,paul's words1 and notice the priesthood and sacrifice of life1 and the sacrifice and libation of death4 ,the ,philippians offered as their sacrifice their faith1 and all the works which flow therefrom4 ,is that our idea of life8 ,is it our idea of faith8 ,we have no gifts to bring1 we come empty-handed unless we carry in our hands the offering of our faith1 which includes the surrender of our will1 and the giving away of our hearts1 and is essentially laying hold of ,christ's sacrifice4 ,when we come empty1 needy1 sinful1 but cleaving wholly to that perfect sacrifice of the ,great ,priest1 we too become priests and our poor gift is accepted4 ,but another possibility than that of a life of running and labour presented itself to ,paul1 and it is a revelation of the tranquillity of his heart in the midst of impending danger1 all the more pathetic because it is entirely unconscious1 that he should be free to cast his anticipations into that calm metaphor of being1 'offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith4' ,his heart beats no faster1 nor does the faintest shadow of reluctance cross his will1 when he thinks of his death4 ,all the repulsive accompaniments of a ,roman execution fade away from his imagination4 ,these are but negligible accidents2 the substantial reality which obscures them all is that his blood will be poured out as a libation1 and that by it his brethren's faith will be strengthened4 ,to this man death had finally and completely ceased to be a terror1 and had become what it should be to all ,christians1 a voluntary surrender to ,god1 an offering to ,him1 an act of worship1 of trust1 and of thankful praise4 ,seneca1 in his death1 poured out a libation to ,jupiter the ,liberator1 and if we could only know beforehand what death delivers us from1 and admits us to1 we should not be so prone to call it 'the last enemy4' ,what ,paul's death was for himself in the process of his perfecting called forth1 and warranted1 the 'joy' with which he anticipated it4 ,it did no more for him than it will do for each of us1 and if our vision were as clear1 and our faith as firm as his1 we should be more ready than1 alas6 we too often are1 to catch up the exulting note with which he hails the possibility of its coming4 ,but it is not the personal bearing only of his death that gives him joy4 ,he thinks of it mainly as contributing to the furtherance of the faith of others4 ,for that end he was spending the effort and toil of an effortful and toilsome life1 and was equally ready to meet a violent and shameful death4 ,he knew that 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the ,church1' and rejoiced1 and called upon his brethren also to 'joy and rejoice' with him in his shedding of his martyr's blood4 ,the ,philippians might well have thought1 as we all are tempted to think1 that the withdrawal of those round whom our hearts desperately cling1 and who seem to us to bring love and trust nearer to us1 can only be loss1 but surely the example in our text may well speak to our hearts of the way in which we should look at death for ourselves1 and for our dearest4 ,their very withdrawal may send us nearer to ,christ4 ,the holy memories which linger in the sky1 like the radiance of a sunken sun1 may clothe familiar truths with unfamiliar power and loveliness4 ,the thought of where the departed have gone may lift our thoughts wistfully thither with a new feeling of home4 ,the path that they have trodden may become less strange to us1 and the victory that they have won may prophesy that we too shall be 'more than conquerors through ,him that loveth us4' ,so the mirror broken may turn us to the sun1 and the passing of the dearest that can die may draw us to the ,dearer who lives4 ,paul1 living1 rejoiced in the prospect of death4 ,we may be sure that he rejoiced in it no less dead than living4 ,and we may permissibly think of this text as suggesting how ',the saints on earth and all the dead ,but one communion make1' and are to be united in one joy4 ,they rejoice for their own sakes1 but their joy is not self-absorbed1 and so putting them farther away from us4 ,they look back upon earth1 the runnings and labourings of the unforgotten life here2 and are glad to bear in their hearts the indubitable token that they have 'not run in vain neither laboured in vain4' ,but surely the depth of their own repose will not make them indifferent to those who are still in the midst of struggle and toil1 nor the fulness of their own felicity make them forget those whom they loved of old1 and love now with the perfect love of ,heaven4 ,it is hard for us to rise to complete sympathy with these serenely blessed spirits1 but yet we too should rejoice4 ,not indeed to the exclusion of sorrow1 nor to the neglect of the great purpose to be effected in us by the withdrawal1 as by the presence of dear ones1 the furtherance of our faith1 but having made sure that that purpose has been effected in us1 we should then give solemn thanksgivings if it has4 ,it is sad and strange to think of how opposite are the feelings about their departure1 of those who have gone and of those who are left4 ,would it not be better that we should try to share theirs and so bring about a true union8 ,we may be sure that their deepest desire is that we should4 ,if some lips that we shall never hear any more1 till we come where they are1 could speak1 would not they bring to us as their message from ,heaven1 ,do 'ye also joy and rejoice with me'8 ,,paul ,,and ,,timothy ',but ,i hope in the ,lord ,jesus to send ,timothy shortly unto you1 that ,i also may be of good comfort1 when ,i know your state4 #bj4 ,for ,i have no man like-minded1 who will care truly for your state4 #ba4 ,for they all seek their own1 not the things of ,jesus ,christ4 #bb4 ,but ye know the proof of him1 that1 as a child serveth a father1 so he served with me in furtherance of the gospel4 #bc4 ,him therefore ,i hope to send forthwith1 so soon as ,i shall see how it will go with me3 #bd4 ,but ,i trust in the ,lord that ,i myself also shall come shortly4'--,,phil4 ii4 #ai-bd 7,r4,v474 ,like all great men ,paul had a wonderful power of attaching followers to himself4 ,the mass of the planet draws in small aerolites which catch fire as they pass through its atmosphere4 ,there is no more beautiful page in the history of the early ,church than the story of ,paul and his companions4 ,they gathered round him with such devotion1 and followed him with such love4 ,they were not small men4 ,luke and ,aquila were among them1 and they would have been prominent in most companies1 but gladly took a place second to ,paul4 ,he impressed his own personality and his type of teaching on his followers as ,luther did on his1 and as many another great teacher has done4 ,among all these ,timothy seems to have held a special place4 ,paul first found him on his second journey either at ,derbe or ,lystra4 ,his mother1 ,eunice1 was already a believer1 his father a ,greek4 ,timothy seems to have been converted on ,paul's first visit1 for on his second he was already a disciple well reported of1 and ,paul more than once calls him his 'son in the faith4' ,he seems to have come in to take ,john ,mark's place as the ,apostle's 'minister1' and from that time to have been usually ,paul's trusted attendant4 ,we hear of him as with the ,apostle on his first visit to ,philippi1 and to have gone with him to ,thessalonica and ,beroea1 but then to have been parted until ,corinth4 ,thence ,paul went quickly up to ,jerusalem and back to ,antioch1 from which he set out again to visit the churches1 and made a special stay in ,ephesus4 ,while there he planned a visit to ,macedonia and ,achaia1 in preparation for one to ,jerusalem1 and finally to ,rome4 ,so he sent ,timothy and ,erastus on ahead to ,macedonia1 which would of course include ,philippi4 ,after that visit to ,macedonia and ,greece ,paul returned to ,philippi1 from which he sailed with ,timothy in his company4 ,he was probably with him all the way to ,rome1 and we find him mentioned as sharer in the imprisonment both here and in ,colossians4 ,the references made to him point to a very sweet1 good1 pure and gracious character without much strength1 needing to be stayed and stiffened by the stronger character1 but full of sympathy1 unselfish disregard of self1 and consecrated love to ,christ4 ,he had been surrounded with a hallowed atmosphere from his youth1 and 'from a child had known the holy ,scriptures1' and 'prophecies' like fluttering doves had gone before on him4 ,he had 'often infirmities' and 'tears4' ,he needed to be roused to 'stir up the gift that was in him1' and braced up 'not to be ashamed1' but to fight against the disabling 'spirit of fear1' and to be 'strong in the grace that is in ,christ ,jesus4' ,the bond between these two was evidently very close1 and the ,apostle felt something of a paternal interest in the very weakness of character which was in such contrast to his own strength1 and which obviously dreaded the discouragement which was likely to be produced by his own martyrdom4 ,this favourite companion he will now send to his favourite church4 ,the verses of our text express that intention1 and give us a glimpse into the ,apostle's thoughts and feelings in his imprisonment4 ,i4 ,the prisoner's longing and hope4 ,the first point which strikes us in this self-revelation of ,paul's is his conscious uncertainty as to his future4 ,in the previous chapter 7ver4 #be7 he is confident that he will live4 ,in the verses immediately preceding our text he faces the possibility of death4 ,here he recognises the uncertainty but still 'trusts' that he will be liberated1 but yet he does not know 'how it may go with' him4 ,we think of him in his lodging sometimes hoping and sometimes doubting4 ,he had a tyrant's caprice to depend on1 and knew how a moment's whim might end all4 ,surely his way of bearing that suspense was very noteworthy and noble4 ,it is difficult to keep a calm heart1 and still more difficult to keep on steadily at work1 when any moment might bring the victor's axe4 ,suspense almost enforces idleness1 but ,paul crowded these moments of his prison time with letters1 and ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 and ,philemon are the fruits for which we are indebted to a period which would have been to many men a reason for throwing aside all work4 ,how calmly too he speaks of the uncertain issue6 ,surely never was the possibility of death more quietly spoken of than in 'so soon as ,i shall see how it will go with me4' ,that means--'as soon as my fate is decided1 be it what it may1 ,i will send ,timothy to tell you4' ,what a calm pulse he must have had6 ,there is no attitudinising here1 all is perfectly simple and natural4 ,can we look1 do we habitually look1 into the uncertain future with such a temper--accepting all that may be in its grey mists1 and feeling that our task is to fill the present with strenuous loving service1 leaving tomorrow with all its alternatives1 even that tremendous one of life and death1 to ,him who will shape it to a perfect end8 ,we note1 further1 the purpose of ,paul's love4 ,it is beautiful to see how he yearns over these ,philippians and feels that his joy will be increased when he hears from them4 ,he is sure1 as he believes1 to hear good1 and news which will be a comfort4 ,among the souls whom he bore on his heart were many in the ,macedonian city1 and a word from them would be like 'cold water to a thirsty soul4' ,what a noble suppression of self2 how deep and strong the tie that bound him to them must have been6 ,is there not a lesson here for all ,christian workers1 for all teachers1 preachers1 parents1 that no good is to be done without loving sympathy8 ,unless our hearts go out to people we shall never reach their hearts4 ,we may talk to them for ever1 but unless we have this loving sympathy we might as well be silent4 ,it is possible to pelt people with the ,gospel1 and to produce the effect of flinging stones at them4 ,much ,christian work comes to nothing mainly for that reason4 ,and how deep a love does he show in his depriving himself of ,timothy for their sakes1 and in his reason for sending him6 ,those reasons would have been for most of us the strongest reason for keeping him4 ,it is not everybody who will denude himself of the help of one who serves him 'as a child serveth a father1' and will part with the only like-minded friend he has1 because his loving eye will clearly see the state of others4 ,paul's expression of his purpose to send ,timothy is very much more than a piece of emotional piety4 ,he 'hopes in the ,lord' to accomplish his design1 and that hope so rooted and conditioned is but one instance of the all-comprehending law of his life1 that1 to him1 to 'live is ,christ4' ,his whole being was so interpenetrated with ,christ's that all his thoughts and feelings were 'in the ,lord ,jesus4' ,so should our purposes be4 ,our hopes should be derived from union with ,him4 ,they should not be the play of our own fancy or imagination4 ,they should be held in submission to him1 and ever with the limitation1 ',not as ,i will1 but as ,thou wilt4' ,we should be trusting to ,him to fulfil them4 ,if thus we hope1 our hopes may lead us nearer to ,jesus instead of tempting us away from ,him by delusive brightnesses4 ,there is a religious use of hope not only when it is directed to heavenly certainties1 and 'enters within the veil1' but even when occupied about earthly things4 ,spenser twice paints for us the figure of ,hope1 one has always something of dread in her blue eyes1 the other1 and the other only1 leans on the anchor1 and 'maketh not ashamed'2 and her name is ',hope in the ,lord4' ,,ii4 ,the prisoner solitary among self-seeking men4 ,with wonderful self-surrender the ,apostle thinks of his lack of like-minded companions as being a reason for depriving himself of the only like-minded one who was left with him4 ,he felt that ,timothy's sympathetic soul would truly care for the ,philippians' condition1 and would minister to it lovingly4 ,he could rely that ,timothy would have no selfish by-ends to serve1 but would seek the things of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we know too little of the circumstances of ,paul's imprisonment to know how he came to be thus lonely4 ,in the other ,epistles of the ,captivity we have mention of a considerable group of friends1 many of whom would certainly have been included in a list of the 'like-minded4' ,we hear1 for example1 of ,tychicus1 ,onesimus1 ,aristarchus1 ,john ,mark1 ,epaphras1 and ,luke4 ,what had become of them all we do not know4 ,they were evidently away on ,christian service1 somewhere or other1 or some of them perhaps had not yet arrived4 ,at all events for some reason ,paul was for the time left alone but for ,timothy4 ,not that there were no ,christian men in ,rome1 but of those who could have been sent on such an errand there were none in whom love to ,christ and care for ,his cause and flock were strong enough to mark them as fit for it4 ,so then we have to take account of ,paul's loneliness in addition to his other sorrows1 and we may well mark how calmly and uncomplainingly he bears it4 ,we are perpetually hearing complaints of isolation and the difficulty of finding sympathy1 or 'people who understand me4' ,that is often the complaint of a morbid nature1 or of one which has never given itself the trouble of trying to 'understand' others1 or of showing the sympathy for which it says that it thirsts4 ,and many of these complaining spirits might take a lesson from the lonely ,apostle4 ,there never was a man1 except ,paul's ,master and ours1 who cared more for human sympathy1 had his own heart fuller of it1 and received less of it from others than ,paul4 ,but he had discovered what it would be blessedness for us all to lay to heart1 that a man who has ,christ for his companion can do without others1 and that a heart in which there whispers1 ',lo1 ,i am with you always1' can never be utterly solitary4 ,may we not take the further lesson that the sympathy which we should chiefly desire is sympathy and fellow-service in ,christian work8 ,paul did not want like-minded people in order that he might have the luxury of enjoying their sympathy1 but what he wanted was allies in his work for ,christ4 ,it was sympathy in his care for the ,philippians that he sought for in his messenger4 ,and that is the noblest form of like-mindedness that we can desire--some one to hold the ropes for us4 ,note1 too1 that ,paul does not weakly complain because he had no helpers4 ,good and earnest men are very apt to say much about the half-hearted way in which their brethren take up some cause in which they are eagerly interested1 and sometimes to abandon it altogether for that reason4 ,may not such faint hearts learn a lesson from him who had 'no man like-minded1' and yet never dreamt of whimpering because of it1 or of flinging down his tools because of the indolence of his fellow-workers8 ,there is another point to be observed in the ,apostle's words here4 ,he felt that their attitude to ,christ determined his affinities with men4 ,he could have no deep and true fellowship with others1 whatever their name to live1 who were daily 'seeking their own1' and at the same time leaving unsought 'the things of ,jesus ,christ4' ,they who are not alike in their deepest aims can have no real kindred4 ,must we not say that hosts of so-called ,christian people do not seem to feel1 if one can judge by the company they affect1 that the deepest bond uniting men is that which binds them to ,jesus ,christ8 ,i would press the question1 ,do we feel that nothing draws us so close to men as common love to ,jesus1 and that if we are not alike on that cardinal point there is a deep gulf of separation beneath a deceptive surface of union1 an unfathomable gorge marked by a quaking film of earth8 ,it is a solemn estimate of some professing ,christians which the ,apostle gives here1 if he is including the members of the ,roman ,church in his judgment that they are not 'like-minded' with him1 and are 'seeking their own1 not the things of ,jesus ,christ4' ,we may rather hope that he is speaking of others around him1 and that for some reason unknown to us he was at the time secluded from the ,roman ,christians4 ,he brings out with unflinching precision the choice which determines a life4 ,there is always that terrible 'either--or4' ,to live for ,christ is the antagonist1 and only antagonist of life for self4 ,to live for self is death4 ,to live for ,jesus is the only life4 ,there are two centres1 heliocentric and geocentric as the scientists say4 ,we can choose round which we shall draw our orbit1 and everything depends on the choice which we make4 ,to seek 'the things of ,jesus ,christ' is sure to lead to1 and is the only basis of1 care for men4 ,religion is the parent of compassion1 and if we are looking for a man who will care truly for the state of others1 we must do as ,paul did1 look for him among those who 'seek the things of ,jesus ,christ4' ,,iii4 ,the prisoner's joy in loving co-operation4 ,the ,apostle's eulogium on ,timothy points to his long and intimate association with ,paul and to the ,philippians' knowledge of him as well as to the ,apostle's clinging to him4 ,there is a piece of delicate beauty in the words which we may pause for a moment to point out4 ,paul writes as 'a child serveth a father1' and the natural sequence would have been 'so he served me1' but he remembers that the service was not to him1 ,paul1 but to another1 and so he changes the words and says he 'served with me in furtherance of the ,gospel4' ,we are both servants alike--,christ's servants for the ,gospel4 ,paul's joy in ,timothy's loving co-operation was so deep because ,paul's whole heart was set on 'the furtherance of the ,gospel4' ,help towards that end was help indeed4 ,we may measure the ardour and intensity of ,paul's devotion to his apostolic work by the warmth of gratitude which he shows to his helper4 ,they who contribute to our reaching our chief desire win our warmest love1 and the catalogue of our helpers follows the order of the list of our aims4 ,timothy brought to ,paul no assistance to procure any of the common objects of human desires4 ,wealth1 reputation1 success in any of the pursuits which attract most men might have been held out to the ,apostle and not been thought worth stooping to take1 nor would the offerer have been thanked1 but any proffered service that had the smallest bearing on that great work to which ,paul's life was given1 and which his conscience told him there would be a curse on himself if he did not fulfil1 was welcomed as a priceless gift4 ,do we arrange the lists of our helpers on the same fashion1 and count that they serve us best who help us to serve ,christ8 ,it should be as much the purpose of every ,christian life as it was that of ,paul to spread the salvation and glory of the 'name that is above every name4' ,if we lived as continually under the influence of that truth as he did1 we should construe the circumstances of our lives1 whether helpful or hindering1 very differently1 and we could shake the world4 ,christian unity is very good and infinitely to be desired1 but the true field on which it should display itself is that of united work for the common ,lord4 ,the men who have marched side by side through a campaign are knit together as nothing else would bind them4 ,even two horses drawing one carriage will have ways and feelings and a common understanding1 which they would never have attained in any other way4 ,there is nothing like common work for clearing away mists4 ,much so-called ,christian sympathy and like-mindedness are something like the penal cranks that used to be in jails1 which generated immense power on this side of the wall but ground out nothing on the other4 ,let us not forget that in the field of ,christian service there is room for all manner of workers1 and that they are associated1 however different their work4 ,paul often calls ,timothy his 'fellow-labourer1' and once gives him the eulogium1 'he worketh the work of the ,lord as ,i also do4' ,think of the difference between the two men in age1 endowment1 and sphere6 ,apparently ,timothy at first had very subordinate work taking ,john ,mark's place1 and is described as being one of those who 'ministered' to ,paul4 ,it is the cup of cold water over again4 ,all work done for the same ,lord1 and with the same motive is the same2 'he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward4' ,when ,paul associates ,timothy with himself he is copying from afar off his ,lord1 who lets us think of even our poor deeds as done by those whom ,he does not disdain to call ,his fellow-workers4 ,it would be worth living for if1 at the last1 ,he should acknowledge us1 and say even of us1 'he hath served with ,me in the ,gospel4' ,,paul ,,and ,,epaphroditus ',but ,i counted it necessary to send to you ,epaphroditus1 my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier1 and your messenger and minister to my need4 #bf4 ,since he longed after you all1 and was sore troubled1 because ye had heard that he was sick4 #bg4 ,for indeed he was sick nigh unto death3 but ,god had mercy on him2 and not on him only1 but on me also1 that ,i might not have sorrow upon sorrow4 #bh4 ,i have sent him therefore the more diligently1 that1 when ye see him again1 ye may rejoice1 and that ,i may be the less sorrowful4 #bi4 ,receive him therefore in the ,lord with all joy2 and hold such in honour3 #cj4 ,because for the work of ,christ he came nigh unto death1 hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me4'--,,phil4 ii4 #be-cj 7,r4,v474 ,epaphroditus is one of the less known of ,paul's friends4 ,all our information about him is contained in this context1 and in a brief reference in ,chapter iv4 ,his was a singular fate--to cross ,paul's path1 and for one short period of his life to be known to all the world1 and for all the rest before and after to be utterly unknown4 ,the ship sails across the track of the moonlight1 and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness4 ,of all the inhabitants of ,philippi at that time we know the names of but three1 ,euodias1 ,syntiche1 and ,epaphroditus1 and we owe them all to ,paul4 ,the context gives us an interesting miniature of the last1 and pathetic glimpses into the private life of the ,apostle in his imprisonment1 and it is worth our while to try to bring our historic imagination to bear on ,epaphroditus1 and to make him a living man4 ,the first fact about him is1 that he was one of the ,philippian ,christians1 and sent by them to ,rome1 with some pecuniary or material help1 such as comforts for ,paul's prison-house1 food1 clothing1 or money4 ,there was no reliable way of getting these to ,paul but to take them1 and so ,epaphroditus faced the long journey across ,greece to ,brindisi and ,rome1 and when arrived there threw himself with ardour into serving ,paul4 ,the ,apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work4 ,he was in the first place ,paul's helper in the ,gospel1 and his faithfulness there is set forth in a glowing climax1 ',my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier4' ,he was in the second place the minister to ,paul's needs4 ,there would be many ways of serving the captive1 looking after his comfort1 doing his errands1 procuring daily necessaries1 managing affairs1 perhaps writing his letters1 easing his chain1 chafing his aching wrists1 and ministering in a thousand ways which we cannot and need not specify4 ,at all events he gladly undertook even servile work for love of ,paul4 ,he had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil4 ,perhaps over-exertion in travel1 or perhaps his ,macedonian constitution could not bear the enervating air of ,rome1 or perhaps ,paul's prison was unhealthy4 ,at any rate he worked till he made himself ill4 ,the news reached ,philippi in some round-about way1 and1 as it appears1 the news of his illness only1 not of his recovery4 ,the difficulty of communication would sufficiently account for the partial intelligence4 ,then the report found its way back to ,rome1 and ,epaphroditus got home-sick and was restless1 uneasy1 'sore troubled1' as the ,apostle says1 because they had heard he had been sick4 ,in his low1 nervous state1 barely convalescent1 the thought of home and of his brethren's anxiety about him was too much for him4 ,it is a pathetic little picture of the ,macedonian stranger in the great city--pallid looks1 recent illness1 and pining for home and a breath of pure mountain air1 and for the friends he had left4 ,so ,paul with rare abnegation sent him away at once1 though ,timothy was to follow shortly1 and accompanied him with this outpouring of love and praise in his long homeward journey4 ,let us hope he got safe back to his friends1 and as ,paul bade them1 they received him in the ,lord with all joy1 the echoes of which we almost hear as he passes out of our knowledge4 ,in the remainder of this sermon we shall simply deal with the two figures which the text sets before us1 and we may look first at the glimpses of ,paul's character which we get here4 ,we may note the generous heartiness of his praise in his associating ,epaphroditus with himself as on full terms of equality1 as worker and soldier1 and the warm generosity of the recognition of all that he had done for the ,apostle's comfort4 ,paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about ,epaphroditus4 ,he comes back to the theme in the last words of the context1 where he says that the ,philippian messenger had 'hazarded' his life1 or1 as we might put it with equal accuracy and more force1 had 'gambled' his life1 or 'staked it on the die' for ,paul's sake4 ,no wonder that men were eager to risk their lives for a leader who lavished such praise and such love upon them4 ,a man who never opens his lips but to censure or criticise1 who fastens on faults as wasps do on blemished fruit1 will never be surrounded by loyal love4 ,faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise4 ,a caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip4 ,we may further note the intensity of ,paul's sympathy4 ,he speaks of ,epaphroditus' recovery as a mercy to himself 'lest he should have the sorrow of imprisonment increased by the sorrow of his friend's death4' ,that attitude of mind stands in striking contrast to the heroism which said1 ',to me1 to live is ,christ and to die is gain1' but the two are perfectly consistent1 and it was a great soul which had room for them both4 ,we must not leave unnoticed the beautiful self-abnegation which sends off ,epaphroditus as soon as he was well enough to travel1 as a gift of the ,apostle's love1 in order to repay them for what they had done for him4 ,he says nothing of his own loss or of how much more lonely he would be when the brother whom he had praised so warmly had left him alone4 ,but he suns himself in the thought of the ,philippians' joy1 and in the hope that some reflection of it will travel across the seas to him1 and make him1 if not wholly glad1 at any rate 'the less sorrowful4' ,we have also to notice ,paul's delicate recognition of all friendly help4 ,he says that ,epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me4' ,that implies that all which the ,philippians' ministration lacked was their personal presence1 and that ,epaphroditus1 in supplying that1 made his work in a real sense theirs4 ,all the loving thoughts1 and all the material expressions of them which ,epaphroditus brought to ,paul were fragrant with the perfume of the ,philippians' love1 'an odour of a sweet smell1 acceptable' to ,paul as to ,paul's ,lord4 ,we briefly note some general lessons which may be suggested by the picture of ,epaphroditus as he stands by the side of ,paul4 ,the first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in ,christ brought into action4 ,think of the profound clefts of separation between the ,macedonian and the ,jew1 the antipathies of race1 the differences of language1 the dissimilarities of manner1 and then think of what an unheard-of new thing it must have been that a ,macedonian should 'serve' a ,jew6 ,we but feebly echo ,paul's rapture when he thought that there was 'neither ,barbarian or ,scythian1 bond or free1 but all were one in ,christ ,jesus1' and for all our talk about the unity of humanity and the like1 we permit the old gulfs of separation to gape as deeply as ever4 ,dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called ,christianity4 ,the terms in which the work of ,epaphroditus is spoken of by ,paul are very significant4 ,he has no hesitation in describing the work done for himself as 'the work of ,christ1' nor in using1 as the name for it1 the word 7'service'71 which properly refers to the service rendered by priestly hands4 ,work done for ,paul was done for ,jesus1 and that1 not because of any special apostolic closeness of relation of ,paul to ,jesus1 but because1 like all other ,christians1 he was one with his ,lord4 ',the cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the ,master4 ,we have no reason to suppose that ,epaphroditus took part with ,paul in his more properly apostolic work1 and the fact that the purely material help1 and pecuniary service which most probably comprised all his 'ministering1' is honoured by ,paul with these lofty designations1 carries with it large lessons as to the sanctity of common life4 ,all deeds done from the same motive are the same1 however different they may be in regard to the material on which they are wrought4 ,if our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find1' the most secular duties will be acts of worship4 ,it is possible for us in the ordering of our own lives to fulfil the great prophecy with which ,zechariah crowned his vision of the ,future1 ',in that day shall there be on the bells of the horses ,holiness unto the ,lord'2 and the 'pots in the ,lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar4' ,may we not further draw from ,paul's words here a lesson as to the honour due to ,christian workers8 ,it was his brethren who were exhorted to receive their own messenger back again 'in the ,lord with all joy1 and to hold him in honour4' ,possibly there were in ,philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits1 who needed the exhortation4 ,whether there were so or no1 the exhortation itself traces lightly but surely the lines on which ,christians should render1 and their fellow-,christians can rightly receive1 even praise from men4 ,if ,epaphroditus were 'received in the ,lord1' there would be no foolish and hurtful adulation of him1 nor prostration before him1 but he would be recognised as but the instrument through which the true ,helper worked1 and not he1 but the ,grace of ,christ in him would finally receive the praise4 ,there are very many ,christian workers who never get their due of recognition and welcome from their brethren1 and there are many who get far more of both than belongs to them1 and both they and the crowds who bring them adulation would be freed from dangers1 which can scarcely be over-stated1 if the spirit of ,paul's warm-hearted praise of ,epaphroditus were kept in view4 ,epaphroditus but passes across the illuminated disc of the lantern for a moment1 and we have scarcely time to catch a glimpse of his face before it is lost to us4 ,he and all his brethren are gone1 but his name lives for ever1 and ,paul's praise of him and of his work outshines all else remembered of the city1 where conquerors once reigned1 and outside whose walls was fought a battle that decided for a time the fate of the world4 ,,preparing ,,to ,,end ',finally1 my brethren1 rejoice in the ,lord4 ,to write the same things to you1 to me indeed is not irksome1 but for you it is safe4 #b4 ,beware of the dogs1 beware of the evil workers1 beware of the concision3 #c4 ,for we are the circumcision1 who worship by the ,spirit of ,god1 and glory in ,christ ,jesus1 and have no confidence in the flesh4'--,,phil4 iii4 #a-c 7,r4,v474 ,the first words of the text show that ,paul was beginning to think of winding up his letter1 and the preceding context also suggests that4 ,the personal references to ,timothy and ,epaphroditus would be in their appropriate place near the close1 and the exhortation with which our text begins is also most fitting there1 for it is really the key-note of the letter4 ,how then does he come to desert his purpose8 ,the answer is to be found in his next advice1 the warning against the ,judaising teachers who were his great antagonists all his life4 ,a reference to them always roused him1 and here the vehement exhortation to mark them well and avoid them opens the flood-gates4 ,forgetting all about his purpose to come to an end1 he pours out his soul in the long and precious passage which follows4 ,not till the next chapter does he get back to his theme in the reiterated exhortation 7iv4 #d71 ',rejoice in the ,lord alway2 again ,i will say1 rejoice4' ,this outburst is very remarkable1 for its vehemence is so unlike the tone of the rest of the letter4 ,that is calm1 joyous1 bright1 but this is stormy and impassioned1 full of flashing and scathing words1 the sudden thunder-storm breaks in on a mellow1 autumn day1 but it hurtles past and the sun shines out again1 and the air is clearer4 ,another question suggested is the reference of the second half of verse #a4 ,what are 'the same things' to write which is 'safe' for the ,philippians8 ,are they the injunctions preceding to 'rejoice in the ,lord1' or that following1 the warning against the ,judaisers8 ,the former explanation may be recommended by the fact that ',rejoice' is in a sense the key-note of the ,epistle1 but on the other hand1 the things where repetition would be 'safe' would most probably be warnings against some evil that threatened the ,philippians' ,christian standing4 ,there is no attempt at unity in the words before us1 and ,i shall not try to force them into apparent oneness1 but follow the ,apostle's thoughts as they lie4 ,we note-- ,i4 ,the crowning injunction as to the duty of ,christian gladness4 ,a very slight glance over the ,epistle will show how continually the note of gladness is struck in it4 ,whatever in ,paul's circumstances was 'at enmity with joy' could not darken his sunny outlook4 ,this bird could sing in a darkened cage4 ,if we brought together the expressions of his joy in this letter1 they would yield us some precious lessons as to what were the sources of his1 and what may be the sources of ours4 ,there runs through all the instances in the ,epistle the implication which comes out most emphatically in his earnest exhortation1 ',rejoice in the ,lord always1 and again ,i say rejoice4' ,the true source of true joy lies in our union with ,jesus4 ,to be in ,him is the condition of every good1 and1 just as in the former verses 'trust in the ,lord' is set forth1 so the joy which comes from trust is traced to the same source4 ,the joy that is worthy1 real1 permanent1 and the ally of lofty endeavour and noble thoughts has its root in union with ,jesus1 is realised in communion with ,him1 has ,him for its reason or motive1 and ,him for its safeguard or measure4 ,as the passages in question in this ,epistle show1 such joy does not shut out but hallows other sources of satisfaction4 ,in our weakness creatural love and kindness but too often draw us away from our joy in ,him4 ,but with ,paul the sources which we too often find antagonistic were harmoniously blended1 and flowed side by side in the same channel1 so that he could express them both in the one utterance1 ',i rejoiced in the ,lord greatly that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again4' ,we do not sufficiently realise the ,christian duty of ,christian joy1 some of us even take mortified countenances and voices in a minor key as marks of grace1 and there is but little in any of us of 'the joy in the ,lord' which a saint of the ,old ,testament had learned was our 'strength4' ,there is plenty of gladness amongst professing ,christians1 but a good many of them would resent the question1 is your gladness 'in the ,lord'8 ,no doubt any deep experience in the ,christian life makes us aware of much in ourselves that saddens1 and may depress1 and our joy in ,him must always be shaded by penitent sorrow for ourselves4 ,but that necessary element of sadness in the ,christian life is not the cause why so many ,christian lives have little of the buoyancy and hope and spontaneity which should mark them4 ,the reason rather lies in the lack of true union with ,christ1 and habitual keeping of ourselves 'in the love of ,god4' ,,ii4 ,paul's apology for reiteration4 ,he is going to give once more old and well-worn precepts which are often very tedious to the hearer1 and not much less so to the speaker4 ,he can only say that to him the repetition of familiar injunctions is not 'irksome1' and that to them it is 'safe4' ,the diseased craving for 'originality' in the present day tempts us all1 hearers and speakers alike1 and we ever need to be reminded that the staple of ,christian teaching must be old truths reiterated1 and that it is not time to stop proclaiming them until all men have begun to practise them4 ,but a speaker must try to make the thousandth repetition of a truth fresh to himself1 and not a wearisome form1 or a dead commonplace1 by freshening it to his own mind and by living on it in his own practice1 and the hearers must remember that it is only the completeness of their obedience that antiquates the commandment4 ,the most threadbare commonplace becomes a novelty when occasions for its application arise in our own lives1 just as a prescription may lie long unnoticed in a drawer1 but when a fever attacks its possessor it will be quickly drawn out and worth its weight in gold4 ,,iii4 ,paul's warning against teachers of a ceremonial religion4 ,it scarcely seems congruous with the tone of the rest of this letter that the preachers whom ,paul so scathingly points out here had obtained any firm footing in the ,philippian ,church1 but no doubt there1 as everywhere1 they had dogged ,paul's footsteps1 and had tried as they always did to mar his work4 ,they had not missionary fervour or ,christian energy enough to initiate efforts amongst the ,gentiles so as to make them proselytes1 but when ,paul and his companions had made them ,christians1 they did their best1 or their worst1 to insist that they could not be truly ,christians1 unless they submitted to the outward sign of being ,jews4 ,paul points a scathing finger at them when he bids the ,philippians 'beware1' and he permits himself a bitter retort when he lays hold of the ,jewish contemptuous word for ,gentiles which stigmatised them as 'dogs1' that is profane and unclean1 and hurls it back at the givers4 ,but he is not indulging in mere bitter retorts when he brings against these teachers the definite charge that they are 'evil workers4' ,people who believed that an outward observance was the condition of salvation would naturally be less careful to insist upon holy living4 ,a religion of ceremonies is not a religion of morality4 ,then the ,apostle lets himself go in a contemptuous play of words1 and refuses to recognise that these sticklers for circumcision had themselves been circumcised4 ',i will not call them the circumcision1 they have not been circumcised1 they have only been gashed and mutilated1 it has been a mere fleshly maiming4' ,his reason for denying the name to them is his profound belief that it belonged to true ,christians4 ,his contemptuous reference puts in a word1 the principle which he definitely states in another place1 ',he is not a ,jew who is one outwardly2 neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh4' ,the ,apostle here is not only telling us who are the truly circumcised1 but at the same time he is telling us what makes a ,christian1 and he states three points in which1 as ,i take it1 he begins at the end and works backwards to the beginning4 ',we are the circumcision who worship in the ,spirit of ,god'--that is the final result--'and glory in ,christ ,jesus'--'and have no confidence in the flesh'--that is the starting-point4 ,the beginning of all true ,christianity is distrust of self4 ,what does ,paul mean by 'flesh'8 ,body8 ,certainly not4 ,animal nature1 or the passions rooted in it8 ,not only these1 as may be seen by noting the catalogue which follows of the things in the flesh1 in which he might have trusted4 ,what are these8 ',circumcised the eighth day1 of the tribe of ,israel1 of the tribe of ,benjamin1 a ,hebrew of the ,hebrews'--these belong to ritual and race2 'as touching the law a ,pharisee'--that belongs to ecclesiastical standing2 'concerning zeal persecuting the church'--that has nothing to do with the animal nature3 'touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless'--that concerns the moral nature4 ,all these come under the category of the 'flesh1' which1 therefore1 plainly includes all that belongs to humanity apart from ,god4 ,paul's old-fashioned language translated into modern ,english just comes to this--it is vain to trust in external connection with the sacred community of the ,church1 or in participation in any of its ordinances and rites4 ,to ,paul1 ,christian rites and ,jewish rites were equally rites and equally insufficient as bases of confidence4 ,do not let us fancy that dependence on these is peculiar to certain forms of ,christian belief4 ,it is a very subtle all-pervasive tendency1 and there is no need to lift up ,nonconformist hands in holy horror at the corruptions of ,romanism and the like4 ,their origin is not solely priestly ambition1 but also the desires of the so-called laity4 ,demand creates a supply1 and if there were not people to think1 ',now it shall be well with me because ,i have a ,levite for my priest1' there would be no ,levites to meet their wishes4 ,notice that ,paul includes amongst the things belonging to the flesh this 'touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless4' ,many of us can say the same4 ,we do our duties so far as we know them1 and are respectable law-abiding people1 but if we are trusting to that1 we are of the 'flesh4' ,have we estimated what ,god is1 and what the real worth of our conduct is8 ,have we looked not at our actions but at our motives1 and seen them as they are seen from above or from the inside8 ,how many 'blameless' lives are like the scenes in a theatre1 effective and picturesque1 when seen with the artificial glory of the footlights8 ,but go behind the scenes and what do we find8 ,dirty canvas and cobwebs4 ,if we know ourselves we know that a life may have a fair outside1 and yet not be a thing to trust to4 ,the beginning of our ,christianity is the consciousness that we are 'naked and poor1 and blind1 and in need of all things4' ,men come to ,jesus ,christ by many ways1 thank ,god1 and ,i care little by what road they come so long as they get there1 nor do ,i insist upon any stereotyped order of religious experience4 ,but of this ,i am very sure3 that unless we abandon confidence in ourselves1 because we have seen ourselves in the light of ,god's law1 we have not learned all that we need nor laid hold of all that ,christ gives4 ,let us measure ourselves in the light of ,god1 and we shall learn that we have to take our places beside ,job1 when the vision of ,god silenced his protestations of innocence4 ',i have heard of ,thee by the hearing of the ear1 but now mine eye seeth ,thee2 wherefore ,i abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes4' ,that self-distrust should pass into glorying in ,christ ,jesus4 ,if a man has learned his emptiness he will look about for something to fill it4 ,unless ,i know myself to be under condemnation because of my sin1 and fevered1 disturbed1 and made wretched1 by its inward consequences which forbid repose1 the sweetest words of ,gospel invitation will pass by me like wind whistling through an archway4 ,but if once ,i have been driven from self-confidence1 then like music from heaven will come the word1 ',trust in ,jesus4' ,the seed dropped into the ground puts out a downward-going shoot1 which is the root1 and an upward-growing one1 which is the stalk4 ,the downward-going shoot is 'no confidence in the flesh1' the upward-going is 'glorying in ,christ ,jesus4' ,but that word suggests the blessed experience of triumph in the possession of the ,person known and felt to be all1 and to give all that life needs4 ,a true ,christian should ever be triumphant in a felt experience1 in a ,name proved to be sufficient1 in a power which infuses strength into his weakness1 and enables him to do the will of ,god4 ,it is for want of utter self-distrust and absolute faith in ,christ that 'glorying' in ,him is so far beyond the ordinary mood of the average ,christian4 ,you say1 ',i hope1 sometimes ,i doubt1 sometimes ,i fear1 sometimes ,i tremblingly trust4' ,is that the kind of experience that these words shadow8 ,why do we continue amidst the mist when we might rise into the clear blue above the obscuring pall8 ,only because we are still in some measure clinging to self1 and still in some measure distrusting our ,lord4 ,if our faith were firm and full our 'glorying' would be constant4 ,do not be contented with the prevailing sombre type of ,christian life which is always endeavouring1 and always foiled1 which is often doubting and often indifferent1 but seek to live in the sunshine1 and expatiate in the light1 and 'rejoice in the ,lord always4' ',glorying' not only describes an attitude of mind1 but an activity of life4 ,many things to-day tempt ,christian people to speak of their religion and of their ,lord in an apologetic tone1 in the face of strong and educated unbelief2 but if we have within us1 as we all may have1 and ought to have1 the triumphant assurance of ,his sufficiency1 nearness1 and power1 it will not be with bated breath that we shall speak of our ,master1 or apologise for our ,christianity1 but we shall obey the commandment1 ',lift up thy voice with strength2 lift it up1 be not afraid4' ,ring out the name and be proud that you can ring it out1 as the ,name of your ,lord1 and your ,saviour1 and your all-sufficient ,friend4 ,whatever other people say1 you have the experience1 if you are a ,christian1 which more than answers all that they can say4 ,we have said that the final result set forth here by ,paul is1 ',we worship by the ,spirit of ,god4' ,the expression translated worship is the technical word for rendering priestly service4 ,just as ,paul has asserted that uncircumcised ,christians1 not circumcised ,jews1 are the true circumcision1 so he asserts that they are the true priests1 and that these officials in the outward temple at ,jerusalem have forfeited the title1 and that it has passed over to the despised followers of the despised ,nazarene4 ,if we have 'no confidence in the flesh1' and are 'glorying in ,christ ,jesus1' we are all priests of the most high ,god4 ',worship in the ,spirit' is our function and privilege4 ,the externals of ceremonial worship dwindle into insignificance4 ,they may be means of helping1 or they may be means of hindering1 the 'worship in the ,spirit1' which ,i venture to think all experience shows is the more likely to be pure and real1 the less it invokes the aid of flesh and sense4 ,to make the senses the ladder for the soul by which to climb to ,god is quite as likely to end in the soul's going down the ladder as up it4 ,aesthetic aids to worship are crutches which keep a lame soul lame all its days4 ,such worship is the obligation as well as the prerogative of the ,christian4 ,we have no right to say that we have truly forsaken confidence in ourselves1 and are truly 'glorying' in ,christ ,jesus1 unless our daily life is communion with ,god1 and all your work 'worshipping by the ,spirit of ,god4' ,such communion and worship are possible for those1 and for those only1 who have 'no confidence in the flesh' and who 'glory in ,christ ,jesus4' ,,the ,,loss ,,of ,,all ',though ,i myself might have confidence even in the flesh3 if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh1 ,i yet more3 circumcised the eighth day of the stock of ,israel1 of the tribe of ,benjamin1 a ,hebrew of ,hebrews2 as touching the law1 a ,pharisee2 as touching zeal1 persecuting the church2 as touching the righteousness which is in the law1 found blameless4 ,howbeit what things were gain to me1 these have ,i counted loss for ,christ4 ,yea verily1 and ,i count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord3 for whom ,i suffered the loss of all things1 and do count them but dung4'--,,phil4 iii4 #d-h 7,r4,v474 ,we have already noted that in the previous verses the ,apostle is beginning to prepare for closing his letter1 but is carried away into the long digression of which our text forms the beginning4 ,the last words of the former verse open a thought of which his mind is always full4 ,it is as when an excavator strikes his pickaxe unwittingly into a hidden reservoir and the blow is followed by a rush of water1 which carries away workmen and tools4 ,paul has struck into the very deepest thoughts which he has of the ,gospel and out they pour4 ,that one antithesis1 'the loss of all1 the gain of ,christ1' carried in it to him the whole truth of the ,christian message4 ,we may well ask ourselves what are the subjects which lie so near our hearts1 and so fill our thoughts1 that a chance word sets us off on them1 and we cannot help talking of them when once we begin4 ,the text exemplifies another characteristic of ,paul's1 his constant habit of quoting his own experience as illustrating the truth4 ,his theology is the generalisation of his own experience1 and yet that continual autobiographical reference is not egotism1 for the light in which he delights to present himself is as the recipient of the great grace of ,god in pardoning sinners4 ,it is a result of the complete saturation of himself with the ,gospel4 ,it was to him no mere body of principles or thoughts1 it was the very food and life of his life4 ,and so this characteristic reveals not only his natural fervour of character1 but the profound and penetrating hold which the ,gospel had on his whole being4 ,in our text he presents his own experience as the type to which ours must on the whole be conformed4 ,he had gone through an earthquake which had shattered the very foundations of his life4 ,he had come to despise all that he had counted most precious1 and to clasp as the only true treasures all that he had despised4 ,with him the revolution had turned his whole life upside down4 ,though the change cannot be so subversive and violent with us1 the forsaking of self-confidence must be as real1 and the clinging to ,jesus must be as close1 if our ,christianity is to be fervid and dominant in our lives4 ,i4 ,the treasures that were discovered to be worthless4 ,we have already had occasion in the previous sermon to refer to ,paul's catalogue of 'things that were gain' to him1 but we must consider it a little more closely here4 ,we may repeat that it is important for understanding ,paul's point of view to note that by 'flesh' he means the whole self considered as independent of ,god4 ,the antithesis to it is 'spirit1' that is humanity regenerated and vitalised by ,divine influence4 ',flesh1' then1 is humanity not so vitalised4 ,that is to say1 it is 'self1' including both body and emotions1 affections1 thoughts1 and will4 ,as to the points enumerated1 they are those which made the ideal to a ,jew1 including purity of race1 punctilious orthodoxy1 flaming zeal1 pugnacious antagonism1 and blameless morality4 ,with reference to race1 the ,jewish pride was in 'circumcision on the eighth day1' which was the exclusive privilege of one of pure blood4 ,proselytes might be circumcised in later life1 but one of the 'stock of ,israel' only on the 'eighth day4' ,saul of ,tarsus had in earlier days been proud of his tribal genealogy1 which had apparently been carefully preserved in the ,gentile home1 and had shared ancestral pride in belonging to the once royal tribe1 and perhaps in thinking that the blood of the king after whom he was named flowed in his veins4 ,he was a ',hebrew of the ,hebrews1' which does not mean1 as it is usually taken to do1 intensely1 superlatively ,hebrew1 but simply is equivalent to 'myself a ,hebrew1 and come from pure ,hebrew ancestors on both sides4' ,possibly also the phrase may have reference to purity of language and customs as well as blood4 ,these four items make the first group4 ,paul still remembers the time when1 in the blindness which he shared with his race1 he believed that these wholly irrelevant points had to do with a man's acceptance before ,god4 ,he had once agreed with the ,judaisers that 'circumcision' admitted ,gentiles into the ,jewish community1 and so gave them a right to participate in the blessings of the ,covenant4 ,then follow the items of his more properly religious character1 which seem in their three clauses to make a climax4 ',as touching the law a ,pharisee1' he was of the 'straitest sect1' the champions and representatives of the law4 ',as touching zeal persecuting the ,church1' it was not only in ,judaism that the mark of zeal for a cause has been harassing its opponents4 ,we can almost hear a tone of sad irony as ,paul recalls that past1 remembering how eagerly he had taken charge of the clothes trusted to his care by the witnesses who stoned ,stephen1 and how he had 'breathed threatening and slaughter' against the disciples4 ',as touching the righteousness which is in the law found blameless1' he is evidently speaking of the obedience of outward actions and of blamelessness in the judgment of men4 ,so we get a living picture of ,paul and of his confidence before he was a ,christian4 ,all these grounds for pride and self-satisfaction were like triple armour round the heart of the young ,pharisee1 who rode out of ,jerusalem on the road to ,damascus4 ,how little he thought that they would all have been pierced and have dropped from him before he got there6 ,the grounds of his confidence are antiquated in form1 but in substance are modern4 ,at bottom the things in which ,paul's 'flesh' trusted are exactly the same as those in which many of us trust4 ,even his pride of race continues to influence some of us4 ,we have got the length of separating between our nationality and our acceptance with ,god1 but we have still a kind of feeling that ',god's ,englishmen1' as ,milton called them1 have a place of their own1 which is1 if not a ground of confidence before ,god1 at any rate a ground for carrying ourselves with very considerable complacency before men4 ,it is not unheard of that people should rely1 if not on 'circumcision on the eighth day1' on an outward rite which seems to connect them with a visible ,church4 ,strict orthodoxy takes the place among us which ,pharisaism held in ,paul's mind before he was a ,christian1 and it is easier to prove our zeal by pugnacity against heretics1 than by fervour of devotion4 ,the modern analogue of ,paul's1 'touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless1' is ',i have done my best1 ,i have lived a decent life4 ,my religion is to do good to other people4' ,all such talk1 which used to be a vague sentiment or excuse1 is now put forward in definite theoretical substitution for the ,christian ,truth1 and finds numerous teachers and acceptors4 ,but how short a way all such grounds of confidence go to satisfy a soul that has once seen the vision that blazed in on ,paul's mind on the road to ,damascus6 ,,ii4 ,the discovery of their worthlessness4 ',these have ,i counted loss for ,christ4' ,there is a possibility of exaggeration in interpreting ,paul's words4 ,the things that were 'gain' to him were in themselves better than their opposites4 ,it is better to to be 'blameless' than to have a life all stained with foulness and reeking with sins4 ,but these 'gains' were 'losses1' disadvantages1 in so far as they led him to build upon them1 and trust in them as solid wealth4 ,the earthquake that shattered his life had two shocks3 the first turned upside down his estimate of the value of his gains1 the second robbed him of them4 ,he first saw them to be worthless1 and then1 so far as others' judgment went1 he was stripped of them4 ,actively he 'counted them loss1' passively he 'suffered the loss of all things4' ,his estimate came1 and was followed by the practical outcome of his brethren's excommunication4 ,what changed his estimate8 ,in our text he answers the question in two forms3 first he gives the simple1 all-sufficient monosyllabic reason for his whole life--'for ,christ1' and then he enlarges that motive into 'the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord4' ,the former carries us back straight to the vision which revolutionised ,paul's life1 and made him abjure all which he had trusted1 and adore what he had abhorred4 ,the latter dwells a little more upon the subjective process which followed on the vision1 but the two are substantially the same1 and we need only note the solemn fulness of the name of ',jesus ,christ1' and the intense motion of submission and of personal appropriation contained in the designation1 'my ,lord4' ,it was not when he found his way blinded into ,damascus that he had learned that knowledge1 or could apprehend its 'excellency4' ,the words are enriched and enlarged by later experiences4 ,the sacrifice of his earlier 'gains' had been made before the 'excellency of the knowledge' had been discerned4 ,it was no mere intellectual perception which could be imparted in words1 or by eyesight1 but here as always ,paul by 'knowledge' means experience which comes from possession and acquaintance1 and which therefore gleams ever before us as we move1 and is capable of endless increase1 in the measure in which we are true to the estimate of 'gains' and 'losses' to which our initial vision of ,him has led us4 ,at first we may not know that that knowledge excels all others1 but as we grow in acquaintance with ,jesus1 and in experience of ,him1 we shall be sure that it transcends all others1 because ,he does and we possess ,him4 ,the revolutionising motive may be conceived of in two ways4 ,we have to abandon the lower 'gains' in order to gain ,christ1 or to abandon these because we have gained ,him4 ,both are true4 ,the discernment of ,christ as the one ground of confidence is ever followed by the casting away of all others4 ,self-distrust is a part of faith4 ,when we feel our feet upon the rock1 the crumbling sands on which we stood are left to be broken up by the sea4 ,they who have seen the ,apollo ,belvedere will set little store by plaster of ,paris casts4 ,in all our lives there come times when the glimpse of some loftier ideal shows up our ordinary as hollow and poor and low4 ,and when once ,christ is seen1 as ,scripture shows ,him1 our former self appears poor and crumbles away4 ,we are not to suppose that the act of renunciation must be completed before a second act of possession is begun4 ,that is the error of many ascetic books4 ,the two go together1 and abandonment in order to win merges into abandonment because we have won4 ,the strongest power to make renunciation possible is 'the expulsive power of a new affection4' ,when the heart is filled with love to ,christ there is no sense of 'loss1' but only of 'exceeding gain1' in casting away all things for ,him4 ,,iii4 ,the continuous repetition of the discovery4 ,paul compares his present self with his former ,christian self1 and with a vehement ',yea1 verily1' affirms his former judgment1 and reiterates it in still more emphatic terms4 ,it is often easy to depreciate the treasures which we possess4 ,they sometimes grow in value as they slip from our hands4 ,it is not usual for a man who has 'suffered the loss of all things' to follow their disappearance by counting them 'but dung4' ,the constant repetition through the whole ,christian course of the depreciatory estimate of grounds of confidence is plainly necessary4 ,there are subtle temptations to the opposite course4 ,it is hard to keep perfectly clear of all building on our own blamelessness or on our connection with the ,christian ,church1 and we have need ever to renew the estimate which was once so epoch-making1 and which 'cast down all our imaginations and high things4' ,if we do not carefully watch ourselves1 the whispering tempter that was silenced will recover his breath again1 and be once more ready to drop into our ears his poisonous suggestions4 ,we have to take pains and 'give earnest heed' to the initial1 revolutionary estimate1 and to see that it is worked out habitually in our daily lives4 ,it is a good exchange when we count 'all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4' ,,the ,,gain ,,of ,,christ ',that ,i may gain ,christ1 and be found in ,him1 not having a righteousness of my own1 even that which is of the law1 but that which is through faith in ,christ1 the righteousness which is of ,god by faith4'--,,phil4 iii4 #h1 #i 7,r4,v474 ,it is not everybody who can say what is his aim in life4 ,many of us have never thought enough about it to have one beyond keeping alive4 ,we lose life in seeking for the means of living4 ,many of us have such a multitude of aims1 each in its turn drawing us1 that no one of them is predominant and rules the crowd4 ,there is no strong hand at the tiller1 and so the ship washes about in the trough of the waves4 ,it is not everybody who dares to say what is his aim in life4 ,we are ashamed to acknowledge even to ourselves what we are not at all ashamed to do4 ,paul knew his aim1 and was not afraid to speak it4 ,it was high and noble1 and was passionately and persistently pursued4 ,he tells us it here1 and we can see his soul kindling as he speaks4 ,we may note how there is here the same double reference as we found in the previous verses1 gaining ,christ corresponding to the previous loss for ,christ1 and the later words of our text being an expansion of the 'excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus4' ,no man will ever succeed in any life's purpose1 unless like ,paul he is enthusiastic about it4 ,if his aim does not rouse his fervour when he speaks of it1 he will never accomplish it4 ,we may just remark that ,paul does not suppose his aim to be wholly unattained1 even although he does not count himself to 'have apprehended4' ,he knows that he has gained ,christ1 and is 'found in ,him1' but he knows also that there stretch before him the possibilities of infinite increase4 ,i4 ,his life's aim was to have the closest possession of1 and incorporation in1 ,christ4 ,his two expressions1 'that ,i may gain ,christ and be found in ,him1' are substantially identical in meaning1 though they put the same truth from different sides1 and with some variety of metaphor4 ,we may deal with them separately4 ,the 'gain' is of course the opposite of the 'loss4' ,his balance-sheet has on one side 'all things lost1' on the other ',christ gained1' and that is profitable trading4 ,but we have to go deeper than such a metaphor1 and to give full scope to the ,scriptural truth1 that ,christ really imparts ,himself to the believing soul4 ,there is a real communication of ,his own life to us1 and thereby we live1 as ,he ,himself declared1 ',he that hath the ,son hath life4' ,the true deep sense in which we possess ,christ is not to be weakened down1 as it1 alas6 so often is in our shallow ,christianity1 which is but the echo of a shallow experience1 and a feeble hold of that possession of the ,son to which ,jesus called us1 as the condition of our possession of life4 ,christ is thus ,himself possessed by all our faculties1 each after its kind2 head and heart1 passions and desires1 hopes and longings1 may each have ,him abiding in them1 guiding them with ,his strong and gentle hand1 animating them into nobler life1 restraining and controlling1 gradually transforming and ultimately conforming them to ,his own likeness4 ,till that ,divine ,indweller enters in1 the shrine is empty1 and unclean things lurk in its hidden corners4 ,to be a man full summed in all his powers1 each of us must 'gain ,christ4' ,the other expression in the text1 'be found in ,him1' presents the same truth from the completing point of view4 ,we gain ,christ in us when we are 'found in ,him4' ,we are to be incorporated as members are in the body1 or imbedded as a stone in the foundation1 or to go back to the sweetest words1 which are the source of all these representations1 included as 'a branch in the vine4' ,we are to be in ,him for safety and shelter1 as fugitives take refuge in a strong tower when an enemy swarms over the land4 ',and lo6 from sin and grief and shame1 ,i hide me1 ,jesus1 in ,thy name4' ,we are to be in ,him that the life sap may freely flow through us4 ,we are to be in ,him that the ,divine ,love may fall on us1 and that in ,jesus we may receive our portion of all which is ,his heritage4 ,this mutual possession and indwelling is possible if ,jesus be the ,son of ,god1 but the language is absurd in any other interpretation of ,his person4 ,it is clearly in its very nature capable of indefinite increase1 and as containing in itself the supply of all which we need for life and blessedness1 is fitted to be what nothing else can pretend to be1 without wrecking the lives that are unwise enough to pursue it--the sovereign aim of a human life4 ,in following it1 and only in following it1 the highest wisdom says ,amen to the aspiration of the lowliest faith4 ',this one thing ,i do4' ,,ii4 ,paul's life's aim was righteousness to be received4 ,he goes on to present some of the consequences which follow on his gaining ,christ and being 'found in ,him1' and before all others he names as his aim the possession of 'righteousness4' ,we must remember that ,paul believed that righteousness in the sense of 'justification' had been his from the moment when ,ananias came to where he was sitting in darkness1 and bid him be baptized and wash away his sins4 ,the word here must be taken in its full sense of moral perfectness2 even if we included only this in our thoughts of his life's aim1 how high above most men would he tower6 ,but his statement carries him still higher above1 and farther away from1 the common ideas of moral perfection1 and what he means by righteousness is widely separated from the world's conception1 not only in regard to its elements1 but still more in regard to its source4 ,it is possible to lose oneself in a dreamy mysticism which has had much to say of 'gaining ,christ and being found in ,him1' and has had too little to say about 'having righteousness1' and so has turned out to be an ally of indifference and sometimes of unrighteousness4 ,buddhism and some forms of mystical ,christianity have fallen into a pit of immorality from which ,paul's sane combination here would have saved them4 ,there is no danger in the most mystical interpretation of the former statement of his aim1 when it is as closely connected as it is here with the second form in which he states it4 ,i have just said that ,paul differed from men who were seeking for righteousness1 not only because his conceptions of what constituted it were not the same as theirs1 though he in this very letter endorses the ,greek ideals of 'virtue and praise1' but also and more emphatically because he looked for it as a gift1 and not as the result of his own efforts4 ,to him the only righteousness which availed was one which was not 'my own1' but had its source in1 and was imparted by1 ,god4 ,the world thought of righteousness as the general designation under which were summed up a man's specific acts of conformity to law1 the sum total reached by the addition of many specific instances of conformity to a standard of duty4 ,paul had learned to think of it as preceding and producing the specific acts4 ,the world therefore said1 and says1 ,do the deeds and win the character2 ,paul says1 ,receive the character and do the deeds4 ,the result of the one conception of righteousness is in the average man spasmodic efforts after isolated achievements1 with long periods between in which effort subsides into torpor4 ,the result in ,paul's case was what we know3 a continuous effort to keep his mind and heart open for the influx of the power which1 entering into him1 would make him able to do the specific acts which constitute righteousness4 ,the one road is a weary path1 hard to tread1 and1 as a matter of fact1 not often trodden4 ,to pile up a righteousness by the accumulation of individual righteous acts is an endeavour less hopeful than that of the coral polypes slowly building up their reef out of the depths of the ,pacific1 till it rises above the waves4 ,he who assumes to be righteous on the strength of a succession of righteous acts1 not only needs a profounder idea of what makes his acts righteous1 but should also make a catalogue of his unrighteous ones and call himself wicked4 ,the other course is the final deliverance of a man from dependence upon his own struggles1 and substitutes for the dreary alternations of effort and torpor1 and for the imperfect harvest of imperfectly righteous acts1 the attitude of receiving1 which supersedes painful strife and weary endeavour4 ,to seek after a righteousness which is 'my own1' is to seek what we shall never find1 and what1 if found1 would crumble beneath us4 ,to seek the righteousness which is from ,god1 is to seek what ,he is waiting to bestow1 and what the blessed receivers blessedly know is more than they dreamed of4 ,but ,paul looked for this great gift as a gift in ,christ4 ,it was when he was 'found in ,him' that it became his1 and he was found 'blameless4' ,that gift of an imparted life1 which has a bias towards all goodness1 and the natural operation of which is to incline all our faculties towards conformity with the will of ,god1 is bestowed when we 'win ,christ4' ,possessing ,him1 we possess it4 ,it is not only 'imputed1' as our fathers delighted to say1 but it is 'imparted4' ,and because it is the gift of ,god in ,christ1 it was in ,paul's view received by faith4 ,he expresses that conviction in a double form in our text4 ,it is 'through faith' as the channel by which it passes into our happy hands4 ,it is 'by faith1' or1 more accurately1 'upon faith1' as the foundation on which it rests1 or the condition on which it depends4 ,our trust in ,christ does bring ,his life to us to sanctify us1 and the plain ,english of all this blessed teaching is--if we wish to be better let us trust ,christ and get ,him into the depths of our lives1 and righteousness will be ours4 ,that transforming ,presence laid up in 'the hidden man of the heart1' will be like some pungent scent in a wardrobe which keeps away moths1 and gives out a fragrance that perfumes all that hangs near it4 ,but all which we have been saying is not to be understood as if there was no effort to be made1 in order to receive1 and to live manifesting1 the 'righteousness which is of ,god4' ,there must be the constant abandonment of self1 and the constant utilising of the grace given4 ,the righteousness is bestowed whenever faith is exercised4 ,the hand is never stretched out and the gift not lodged in it4 ,but it is a life's aim to possess the 'righteousness which is of ,god by faith1' because that gift is capable of indefinite increase1 and will reward the most strenuous efforts of a believing soul as long as life continues4 ,,iii4 ,paul's life's aim stretches beyond this life4 ,shall we be chargeable with crowding too much meaning into his words1 if we fix on his remarkable expression1 'be found in ,him1' as containing a clear reference to that great day of final judgment8 ,we recall other instances of the use of the same expression in connections which unmistakably point to that time4 ,such as 'being clothed we shall not be found naked1' or 'the proof of your faith 4 4 4 might be found unto praise and glory and honour at the revelation of ,jesus ,christ1' or 'found of ,him in peace without spot1 blameless4' ,in the light of these and similar passages1 it does not seem unreasonable to suppose that this 'being found' does include a reference to the ,apostle's place after death1 though it is not confined to that4 ,he thinks of the searching eye of the ,judge taking keen account1 piercing through all disguises1 and wistfully as well as penetratingly scrutinising characters1 till it finds that for which it seeks4 ,they who are 'found in ,him' in that day1 are there and thus for ever4 ,there is no further fear of falling out of union with ,him1 or of being1 by either gradual and unconscious stages1 or by sudden and overmastering assaults1 carried out of the sacred enclosure of the ,city of ,refuge in which they dwell henceforth for ever4 ,a dangerous presumptuousness has sometimes led to the over-confident assertion1 ',once in ,christ always in ,christ4' ,but ,paul teaches us that that security of permanent dwelling in ,him is to be for ever in this life the aim of our efforts1 rather than an accomplished fact4 ,so long as we are here1 the possibility of falling away cannot be shut out1 and there must always rise before us the question1 ,am ,i in ,christ8 ,hence there is need for continual watchfulness1 self-control1 and self-distrust1 and the life's aim has to be perpetual1 not only because it is capable of indefinite expansion1 but because our weakness is capable of deserting it4 ,it is only when at the last we are found by ,him1 in ,him1 that we are there for ever1 with all dangers of departure from ,him at an end4 ,in that ,city of ,refuge1 and there only1 'the gates shall not be shut at all1' not solely because no enemies shall attempt to come in1 but also because no citizens shall desire to go out4 ,we should ever have before us that hour1 and our life's aim should ever definitely include the final scrutiny in which many a hidden thing will come to light1 many a long-lost thing be found1 and each man's ultimate place in relation to ,jesus ,christ will be freed from uncertainties1 ambiguities1 hypocrisies1 and disguises1 and made plain to all beholders4 ,in that great day of 'finding1' some of us will have to ask with sinking hearts1 ',hast thou found me1 ,o mine enemy8' and others will break forth into the glad acclaim1 ',i have found ,him1' or rather 'been found of ,him4' ,so we have before us the one reasonable aim for a man to have ,christ1 to be found in ,him1 to have ,his righteousness4 ,it is reasonable1 it is great enough to absorb all our energies1 and to reward them4 ,it will last a lifetime1 and run on undisturbed beyond life4 ,following it1 all other aims will fall into their places4 ,is this my aim8 ,,saving ,,knowledge ',that ,i may know ,him1 and the power of ,his resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings1 becoming conformed unto ,his death2 if by any means ,i may attain unto the resurrection from the dead4'--,,phil4 iii4 #aj-aa 7,r4,v474 ,we have seen how the ,apostle was prepared to close his letter at the beginning of this chapter1 and how that intention was swept away by the rush of new thoughts4 ,his fervid faith caught fire when he turned to think of what he had lost1 and how infinitely more he had gained in ,christ4 ,his wealth is so great that it cannot be crowded into the narrow space of one brief sentence1 and after all the glowing words which precede our text1 he feels that he has not yet adequately set forth either his present possessions or his ultimate aims4 ,so here he continues the theme which might have seemed most fully dealt with in the great thoughts that occupied us in the former sermon1 but which still wait to be completed here4 ,they are most closely connected with the former1 and the unity of the sentence is but a parallel to the oneness of the idea4 ,the elements of our present text constitute a part of the ,apostle's aim in life1 and may be dealt with as such4 ,i4 ,paul's life's aim was the knowledge of ,christ4 ,that sounds an anti-climax after ',gain' and ',be in ,him4' ,these phrases seem to express a much more intimate relation than this1 but we must note that it is no mere theoretical or intellectual knowledge which is intended4 ,such knowledge would need no surrender or suffering 'the loss of all things4' ,we can only buy the knowledge of ,christ at such a rate1 but we can buy knowledge about ,him very much cheaper4 ,such knowledge would not be worth the price2 it lies on the surface of the soul1 and does nothing4 ,many a man amongst us has it1 and it is of no use to him4 ,if ,paul had undergone all that he had undergone and sacrificed all that he had given up1 and for his reward had only gained accurate knowledge about ,christ1 he had certainly wasted his life and made a bad bargain4 ,but as always1 so here1 to know means knowledge based upon experience4 ,did ,christ mean that a correct creed was eternal life when ,he said1 ',this is life eternal to know ,thee1 the only true ,god and ,jesus ,christ whom ,thou has sent8' ,did ,paul mean the dry light of the understanding when he prayed that the ,ephesians might know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge1 in order to be filled with all the fulness of ,god8 ,clearly we have to go much deeper down than that superficial interpretation in order to reach the reality of the ,new ,testament conception of knowledge4 ,it is co-extensive with life1 and is built upon inward experience4 ,in a word1 it is one aspect of winning ,jesus4 ,it is consciousness contemplating its riches1 counting its gains4 ,as a man knows the bliss of parental or wedded love only by having it1 or as he knows the taste of wine only by drinking it1 or the glory of music only by hearing it1 and the brightness of the day only by seeing it1 so we know ,christ only by winning ,him4 ,there must first be the perception and possession by sense or emotion1 and then the reflection on the possession by understanding4 ,this applies to all religious truth4 ,it must be possessed ere it be fully known4 ,like the new name written upon the ,apocalyptic stone1 ',no one knoweth but he that receiveth it4' ,the knowledge which was ,paul's life's aim was knowledge of a ,person3 the object determines the nature of the knowledge4 ,the mental act of knowing a proposition or a science or even of knowing about a person by hearing of him is different from that of knowing people when we have lived beside them4 ,we need not be afraid of attaching too familiar a meaning to this word of our text1 if we say that it implies personal acquaintance with the ,christ whom we know4 ,of course we come to know ,him in the first instance through the medium of statements about ,him1 and we cannot too strongly insist1 in these days of destructive criticism1 on the absolute necessity of accepting the ,gospel statements as to the life of ,jesus as the only possible method of knowing ,him4 ,but then1 beyond that acceptance of the record must come the application and appropriation of it1 and the transmutation of a historical fact into a personal experience4 ,we may take an illustration from any of the ,scriptural truths about ,jesus3--,for instance1 ,scripture declares ,him to be our ,redeemer4 ,one man believes ,him to be so1 welcomes ,him into his life as such1 and finds ,him to be such4 ,another man believes ,him to be so1 but never puts ,his redeeming power to the proof4 ,is the knowledge of these two rightly called by the same name8 ,that which comes after experience is surely not rightly designated by the same title as that which has no vivification nor verification of such a sort to build on1 and is the mere product of the understanding4 ,there is nothing which the great mass of so-called ,christians need more than to have forced into their thoughts the difference between these two kinds of knowledge of ,christ4 ,there are thousands of them who1 if asked1 are ready to profess that they know ,jesus1 but to whom ,he has never been anything more than a partially understood article of an uncared for creed1 and has never been in living contact with their needs1 nor known for their strength in weakness1 their comforter in sorrow1 'their life in death1' their all in all4 ,to deepen that experimental knowledge of ,jesus is a worthy aim for the whole life1 and is a process that may go on indefinitely through it all4 ,to know ,him more and more is to have more of heaven in us4 ,to be penetrating ever deeper into ,his fulness1 and finding every day new depths to penetrate is to have a fountain of freshness in our dusty days that will never fail or run dry4 ,there is only one inexhaustible person1 and that is ,jesus ,christ4 ,we have all fulness in our ,lord3 we have already received all when we received ,him4 ,are we advancing in the experience that is the parent of knowing ,him8 ,do new discoveries meet us every day as if we were explorers in a virgin land8 ,to have this for our aim is enough for satisfaction1 for blessedness1 and for growth4 ,to know ,him is a liberal education4 ,,ii4 ,that knowledge involves knowing the power of ,his ,resurrection4 ,the power of ,his ,resurrection is an expression which covers a wide ground4 ,there are several distinct and well-marked powers ascribed to it in ,paul's writings4 ,it has a demonstrative force in reference to our ,lord's person and work4 ,for ,he is by it 'declared to be the ,son of ,god with power4' ,that rising again from the dead1 taken in conjunction with the fact that ,he dieth no more1 but is ascended up on high1 and in conjunction with ,his own words concerning ,himself and ,his ,resurrection1 sets ,him forth before the world as the ,son of ,god1 and is the solemn divine approval and acceptance of ,his work4 ,it has a revealing power in regard to the condition of humanity in death4 ,it is the one fact which establishes immortality1 and which not only establishes it1 but casts some light on the manner of it4 ,the possibility of personal life after1 and therefore1 in death1 the unbroken continuity of being1 the possibility of a resurrection1 and a glorifying of this corporeal frame1 with all the far-reaching consequences of these truths in the triumph they give over death1 in the support and substance they afford to the else-shadowy idea of immortality1 in the lofty place which they assign to the bodily frame1 and the conception which they give of man's perfection as consisting of body1 soul1 and spirit--these thoughts have flashed light into all the darkness of the grave1 have narrowed to a mere strip of coast-line the boundaries of the kingdom of death1 have proclaimed love as the victor in her contest with that shrouded horror4 ,the basis of them all is ,christ's ,resurrection2 its power in this respect is the power to illuminate1 to console1 to certify1 to wrench the sceptre from the hands of death1 and to put it in the pierced hands of the ,living ,one that was dead1 and is ,lord both of the dead and the living4 ,further1 the ,resurrection is treated by ,paul as having a power for our justification1 in so far as the risen ,lord bestows upon us by ,his risen life the blessings of ,his righteousness4 ,paul also represents the ,resurrection of ,christ as having the power of quickening our ,spiritual life4 ,i need not spend time in quoting the many passages where ,his rising from the dead1 and ,his life after the ,resurrection1 are treated as the type and pattern of our lives3 and are not only regarded as pattern1 but are also regarded as the power by which that new life of ours is brought about4 ,it has the power of raising us from the death of sin1 and bringing us into a new life of the ,spirit4 ,and finally1 the ,resurrection of ,christ is regarded as having the power of raising ,his servants from the grave to the full possession of ,his own glorious life1 and so it is the power of our final victory over death4 ,now ,i do not know that we are entitled to exclude any of these powers from view4 ,the broad words of the text include them all1 but perhaps the two last are mainly meant1 and of these chiefly the former4 ,the risen life of ,christ quickens and raises us1 and that not merely as a pattern1 but as a power4 ,it is only if we are in ,him that there is so real a unity of life between ,him and us that there enters into us some breath of ,his own life4 ,that risen life of the ,saviour which we share if we have ,him1 enters into our nature as leaven into the three measures of meal2 transforming and quickening it1 gives new directions1 tastes1 motives1 impulses1 and power4 ,it bids and inclines us to seek the things that are above1 and its great exhortation to the hearts in which it dwells1 to fix themselves there1 and to forsake the things that are on the earth1 is based upon the fact that they have died1 and 'their life is hid with ,christ in ,god4' ,without that leaven the life that we live is a death1 because it is lived in the 'lusts of the flesh1' doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind4 ,there is no real union with ,jesus ,christ1 of which the direct issue is not a living experience of the power of ,his ,resurrection in bringing us to the likeness of itself in regard to our freedom from the bondage to sin1 and to our presenting ourselves unto ,god as alive from the dead1 and our members as instruments of righteousness unto ,god4 ,it is a solemn thought which we all need to press upon our consciences1 that the only infallible sign that we have been in any measure quickened together with ,christ and raised up with ,him is that we have ceased to live in the lusts of our flesh1 doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind4 ,the risen life of ,jesus may indefinitely increase1 and will do so in the measure in which we honestly make it our life's aim to know ,him and the power of ,his ,resurrection4 ,,iii4 ,the experience of the power of ,christ's ,resurrection is inseparable from the fellowship of ,his sufferings4 ,we must not suppose that ,paul's solemn and awful words here trench in the smallest degree on the solitary unapproachableness of ,christ's death4 ,he would have answered1 as in fact he does answer1 the appeal of the prophetic sufferer1 ',behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow' with the strongest negative4 ,no other human lips have ever tasted1 or can ever taste1 a cup of such bitterness as ,he drained for us all1 and no other human lips have ever been so exquisitely sensitive to the bitterness which they have drunk4 ,the identification of ,himself with a sinful world1 the depth and closeness of ,his community of feeling with all sorrow1 the consciousness of the glory which ,he had left1 and the perpetual sense of the hostility into which ,he had come1 set ,christ's sufferings by themselves as surely as the effects that flow from them declare that they need no repetition1 and cannot be degraded by any parallel whilst the world lasts4 ,but yet ,his ,death1 like ,his ,resurrection1 is set forth in ,scripture as being a type and power of ours4 ,we have to die to the world by the power of the ,cross4 ,if we truly trust in ,his sacrifice there will operate upon us motives which separate and detach us from our old selves and the old world4 ,a fundamental1 ethical1 and spiritual change is effected on us through faith4 ,we were dead in sin1 we are dead to sin4 ,we have to blend the two thoughts of the ,christian life as being a daily dying and a continual resurrection in order to get the whole truth of the double aspect of it4 ,it may be a question whether the ,apostle is here referring to outward or inward and ethical sorrows1 but perhaps we should not do justice to the thought unless we extend it to cover both of these4 ,certainly if his theology was but the generalising of his experience1 he had ample material in his daily life for knowing the fellowship of ,christ's sufferings4 ,one of his most frequently recurring and most cherished thoughts is1 that to suffer for ,christ is to suffer with ,christ1 and in it he found and teaches us to find strength to endure1 and patience to outlast any sorrows that may swoop upon us like birds of prey because we are ,christians4 ,happy shall we be if ,christ's sufferings are ours1 because it is our union with ,him and our likeness to ,him1 not to ourselves1 our sins1 or our worldliness1 that is their occasion4 ,there is an old legend that ,peter was crucified head downwards1 because he felt himself unworthy to be as his ,master4 ,we may well feel that nothing which we can ever bear for ,him is worthy to be compared with what ,he has borne for us1 and be the more overwhelmed with the greatness of the condescension1 and the humility of the love which reckon our light affliction1 which is but for a moment1 along with the heavy weight which ,he bore1 and the blessed issue of which outlasts time and enriches eternity4 ,but there is another sense in which it is a worthy aim of our lives that our sufferings may be felt to be fellowship with ,his4 ,that is a blessed sorrow which brings us closer to our ,lord4 ,that is a wholesome sorrow of which the issue is an intenser faith in ,him1 a fuller experience of ,his sufficiency4 ,the storm blows us well when it blows us to ,his breast1 and sorrow enriches us1 whatever it may take away1 which gives us fuller and more assured possession of ,jesus4 ,but when we are living in fellowship with ,jesus1 that union works in two directions1 and while on the one hand we may then humbly venture to feel that our sufferings for ,him are sufferings with ,him1 we may thankfully feel1 too1 that in all our affliction ,he is afflicted4 ,if ,his sufferings are ours we may be sure that ours are ,his4 ,and how different they all become when we are certain of ,his sympathy6 ,it is possible that we may have a kind of common consciousness with our ,lord1 if our whole hearts and wills are kept in close touch with ,him1 so that in our experience there may be a repetition in a higher form of that strange experience alleged to be familiar in hypnotism1 where the bitter in one mouth is tasted in another4 ,so1 what we ought to make our aim is that in our lives our growing knowledge of ,christ should lead to the two results1 so inexorably intertwined1 of daily death and daily resurrection1 and that we may be kept faithful to ,him so that our outward sufferings may be caused by our union with ,him1 and not by our own faithlessness1 and may be discerned by us to be fellowship with ,his4 ,then we shall also feel that ,he bears ours with us1 and sorrow itself will be calmed and beautified into a silent bliss1 as the chill peaks when the morning strikes them glow with tender pink1 and seem soft and warm1 though they are grim rock and ice-cold snow4 ,then some faint echo of ,his history 'who was acquainted with grief' may be audible in our outward lives and we1 too1 may have our ,gethsemane and our ,calvary4 ,it may not be presumption in us to say ',we are able' when ,he asks ',can ye drink of the cup that ,i drink of'8 nor terror to hear ,him prophesy ',ye shall indeed drink of the cup that ,i drink of1' for we shall remember 'joint-heirs in ,christ1 if so be that we suffer with ,him1 that we may be also glorified together4' ,,iv4 ,the end attained4 ,the ,christian life as here manifested is even in its highest forms manifestly incomplete4 ,it is a reflected light1 and like the reflected light in the heavens1 advances by imperceptible degrees to fill the whole silver round4 ,it may be 'e'en in its imperfections beautiful1' but it assuredly has 'a ragged edge4' ,the hypothetical form of the last words of our text does not so much imply a doubt of the possibility of attaining the result as the recognition of the indispensable condition of effort on the part of him who attains it4 ,that effort forthcoming1 the attainment is certain4 ,the ,revised ,version makes a slight correction which involves a great matter1 in reading 'the resurrection from the dead4' ,it is necessary to insist on this change in rendering1 not because it implies that only saints are raised1 but because ,paul is thinking of that first resurrection of which the ,new ,testament habitually speaks4 ',the dead in ,christ shall rise first' as he himself declared in his earliest epistle1 and the seer in the ,apocalypse shed a benediction on 'him that hath part in the first resurrection4' ,our knowledge of that solemn future is so fragmentary that we cannot venture to draw dogmatic inferences from the little that has been declared to us1 but we cannot forget the distinct words of ,jesus in which ,he not only plainly declares a universal resurrection1 but as plainly proclaims that it falls into two parts1 one a 'resurrection of life1' and one a 'resurrection of judgment4' ,the former may well be the final aim of a ,christian life3 the latter is a fate which one would think no sane man would deliberately provoke4 ,each carries in its name its dominant characteristic1 the one full of attractiveness1 the other partially unveiling depths of shame and punitive retributions which might appal the stoutest heart4 ,this resurrection of life is the last result of the power of ,christ's ,resurrection received into and working on the human spirit4 ,it is plain enough that if the ,spirit of ,him that raised up ,jesus from the dead dwell in us there is no term to its operations until our mortal bodies also are quickened by ,his ,spirit that dwelleth in us4 ,the ethical and spiritual resurrection in the present life finds its completion in the bodily resurrection in the future4 ,it cannot be that the transformation wrought in a human life shall be complete until it has flowed outwards into and permeated the whole of manhood1 body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,the three measures of meal have each to be influenced before 'the whole is leavened4' ,if we duly consider the elements necessary to a perfect realisation of the divine ideal of humanity1 we shall discern that redemption must have a gospel to bring to the body as well as to the spirit4 ,whatever has been devastated by sin must be healed by ,jesus4 ,it is not necessary to suppose that the body which dies is the body which rises again1 rather the ,apostle's far-reaching series of antitheses between that which is sown and that which is raised leads us to think that the natural body1 which has passed through corruption1 and the particles of which have been gathered into many different combinations1 does not become the spiritual body4 ,the person who dies is the person who lives through death1 and who assumes the body of the resurrection1 and it is the person1 not the elements which make up the personality1 who is spoken of as risen from the dead4 ,the vesture may be different1 but the wearer is the same4 ,so that resurrection from the dead is the end of a supernatural life begun here and destined to culminate hereafter4 ,it is the last step in the manifestation of our being in ,christ1 and so is being prepared for here by every step in advance in gaining ,jesus4 ,it should ever be before every ,christian soul that participation in ,christ hereafter is conditioned by its progress in likeness to ,him here4 ,the ,resurrection from the dead is not a gift which can be bestowed apart from a man's moral state4 ,if he dies having had no knowledge by experience of the power of ,christ's ,resurrection1 there is nothing in the fact of death to give him that knowledge1 and it is impossible to bring 'any means' to bear on him by which he will attain unto the 'resurrection from the dead4' ,if ,god could give that gift irrespective of a man's relations to ,jesus1 ,he would give it to all4 ,let us ask ourselves1 then1 is it not worth making the dominant aim of our lives the same as that of ,paul's8 ,how stands our account then8 ,are we not wise traders presenting a good balance-sheet when we show entered on the one side the loss of all things1 and on the other the gaining of ,christ1 and the attaining the resurrection from the dead1 the perfect transformation of body1 soul1 and spirit1 into the perfect likeness of the perfect ,lord8 ,does the other balance-sheet show the man as equally solvent who enters on one side the gain of a world1 and on the other a ,christless life1 to be followed by a resurrection in which is no joy1 no advance1 no life1 but which is a resurrection of judgment8 ,may we all be found in ,him1 and attain to the resurrection from the dead6 ,,laid ,,hold ,,of ,,and ,,laying ,,hold ',i follow after if that ,i may apprehend that for which also ,i was apprehended of ,christ ,jesus4'--,,phil4 iii4 #ab4 ',i was laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ4' ,that is how ,paul thinks of what we call his conversion4 ,he would never have 'turned' unless a hand had been laid upon him4 ,a strong loving grasp had gripped him in the midst of his career of persecution1 and all that he had done was to yield to the grip1 and not to wriggle out of it4 ,the strong expression suggests1 as it seems to me1 the suddenness of the incident4 ,possibly impressions may have been working underground1 ever since the martyrdom of ,stephen1 which were undermining his convictions1 and the very insanity of his zeal may have been due to an uneasy consciousness that the ground was yielding beneath his feet4 ,that may have been so1 but1 whether it were so or not1 the crisis came like a bolt out of the blue1 and he was checked in full career1 as if a voice had spoken to the sea in its wildest storm1 and frozen its waves into immobility4 ,there is suggested in the word1 too1 distinctly1 our ,lord's personal action in the matter4 ,no doubt1 the fact of ,his supernatural appearance gives emphasis to the phrase here4 ,but every ,christian man and woman has been1 as truly as ever ,paul was1 laid hold of by the personal action of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is present in ,his ,word1 and1 by multitudes of inward impulses and outward providences1 ,he is putting out a gentle and a firm hand1 and laying it upon the shoulders of all of us4 ,have we yielded8 ,have we resisted1 when we were laid hold of8 ,did we try to get away8 ,did we plant our feet and say1 ',i will not be drawn1' or did we simply neglect the pressure8 ,if we have yielded1 my text tells us what we have to do next4 ,for that hand is laid upon a man for a purpose1 and that purpose is not secured by the hand being laid upon him1 unless he1 in his turn1 will put out a hand and grasp4 ,our activity is needed2 that activity will not be put forth without very distinct effort1 and that effort has to be life-long1 because our grasp at the best is incomplete4 ,so then1 we have here1 first of all1 to consider-- ,i4 ,what ,christ has laid ,his grip on us for4 ,now1 the immediate result of that grasp1 when it is yielded to1 is the sense of the removal of guilt1 forgiveness of sins1 acceptance with ,god4 ,but these1 the immediate results1 are by no means the whole results1 although a great many of us live as if we thought that the only thing that ,christianity is meant to do to us is that it bars the gates of some future hell1 and brings to us the message of forgiveness4 ,we cannot think too nobly or too loftily of that gift of forgiveness1 the initial gift that is laid in every ,christian man's hands1 but we may think too exclusively of it1 and a great many of us do think of it as if it were all that was to be given4 ,a painter has to clear away the old paint off a door1 or a wall1 before he lays on the new4 ,the initial gift that comes from being laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ is the burning off of the old coat of paint4 ,but that is only the preliminary to the laying on of the new4 ,a man away in the backwoods will spend a couple of years after he has got his bit of land in felling and burning the trees1 and rooting out and destroying the weeds4 ,but is that what he got the clearing for8 ,that is only a preliminary to sowing the seed4 ,my friend6 ,if ,jesus ,christ has laid hold of you1 and you have let ,him keep hold of you1 it is not only that you may be forgiven1 not only that you may sun yourself in the light of ,god's countenance1 and feel that a new blessed relation is set up between you and ,him1 but there are great purposes lying at the back of that1 of which all that is only the preliminary and the preparation4 ,conversion4 ,yes2 but what is the good of turning a man round unless he goes in the direction in which his face is turned8 ,and so here the ,apostle having for years lived in the light of that great thought1 that ,god was reconciled in ,jesus ,christ1 and that he was ,god's friend1 discerns far beyond that1 in dim perspective1 towering high above the land in the front1 the snowy sunlit summits of a great range to which he has yet to climb1 and says1 ',i press on to lay hold of that for which ,i was laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ4' ,and what was that8 ,on the road to ,damascus ,paul was only told one thing1 that ,christ had grasped him and drawn him to ,himself in order that ,he might make him a chosen vessel to bear the ,word far hence amongst the ,gentiles4 ,the bearing of ,his conversion upon ,paul himself was never mentioned4 ,the bearing of ,his conversion on the world was the only subject that ,jesus spoke of at first4 ,but here ,paul has nothing to say about his world-wide mission4 ,he does not think of himself as being called to be an ,apostle1 but as being summoned to be a ,christian4 ,and so1 forgetting for the time all the glorious and yet burdensome obligations which were laid upon him1 and the discharge of which was the very life of his life1 he thinks only of what affects his own character1 the perfecting of which he regards as being the one thing for which he was 'laid hold of by ,christ ,jesus4' ,the purpose is twofold4 ,no ,christian man is made a ,christian only in order that he may secure his own salvation2 there is the world to think of4 ,no ,christian man is made a ,christian only in order that he may be ,christ's instrument for carrying the ,word to other people2 there is himself to think of4 ,and these two phases of the purpose for which ,jesus ,christ lays hold upon us are very hard to unite in practice1 giving to each its due place and prominence1 and they are often separated1 to the detriment of both the one that is attended to1 and the one that is neglected4 ,the monastic life has not produced the noblest ,christians2 and there are pitfalls lying in the path of every man who1 like me1 has for his profession to preach the ,gospel1 which1 if they are fallen into1 the inward life is utterly wrecked4 ,the two sides of ,christ's purpose have1 in our practice1 to be held together1 but for the present ,i only wish to say a word or two about that which1 as ,i have indicated1 is but one hemisphere of the completed orb1 and that is our personal culture and growth in the divine life4 ,what did ,christ lay hold of me for8 ,paul answers the question very strikingly and beautifully in a previous verse4 ,here is his conception of the purpose1 'that ,i may know ,him1 and the power of ,his resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings1 being made conformable unto ,his death1 if by any means ,i might attain unto the resurrection of the dead4' ,that is what you were forgiven for2 that is what you have 'passed from death unto life' for2 that is what you have come into the sweet fellowship of ,god1 and can think of ,him as your ,friend and ,helper for4 ,let us take the clauses seriatim1 and say a word about each of them4 ',that ,i may know ,him4' ,ah6 there is a great deal more in ,jesus ,christ than a man sees when he first sees ,him through his tears and his fears1 and apprehends ,him as the ,saviour of his soul1 and the sacrifice on whom the burden and the guilt of his sins were laid4 ,we must begin there1 as ,i believe4 ,but woe to us if we stop there4 ,there is far more in ,christ than that2 although all that is in ,him is included in that1 yet you have to dig deep before you find all that is included in it4 ,you have to live with ,him day by day1 and year by year1 and to learn to know ,him as we learn to know husbands and wives1 by continual intercourse1 by continual experience of a sweet and unfailing love1 by many a sacred hour of interchange of affection and reception of gifts and counsels4 ,it is only thus that we learn to know what ,jesus ,christ is4 ,when ,he lays hold of us1 ,he comes like the angel that came to ,peter in the prison in the dark and awoke him out of his sleep and said ',rise6 and follow me4' ,it is only when we get out into the street1 and have been with ,him for awhile1 and the daylight begins to stream in1 that we see clearly the face of our ,deliverer1 and know ,him for all that ,he is4 ,this knowledge is not the sort of knowledge that you can get by thinking1 or out of a book4 ,it is the knowledge of experience4 ,it is the knowledge of love1 it is the knowledge of union1 and it is in order that we may know ,christ that ,he lays his hand upon us4 ',the power of ,his ,resurrection4' ,now1 by that ,i understand a similar knowledge1 by experience1 of the risen life of ,jesus ,christ flowing into us1 and filling our hearts and minds with its own power4 ,the risen life of ,jesus is the nourishment and strengthening and blessing and life of a ,christian4 ,our daily experience ought to be that there comes1 wavelet by wavelet1 that silent1 gentle1 and yet omnipotent influx into our empty hearts1 the very life of ,christ ,himself4 ,i know that this generation says that that is mysticism4 ,i do not know whether it is mysticism or not4 ,i am sure it is truth2 and ,i do not understand ,christianity at all1 unless there is that kind of mysticism1 perfectly wholesome and good1 in it4 ,you will never know ,jesus ,christ until you know ,him as pouring into your hearts the power of an endless life1 ,his own life4 ,christ for us by all means1--,christ's death the basis of our hope1 but ,christ in us1 and ,christ's life as the true gift to ,his ,church4 ,have you got that8 ,do you know the power of ,his ,resurrection8 ',the fellowship of ,his sufferings4' ,has ,paul made a mistake1 and deserted the chronological order8 ,why does he put the 'fellowship of the sufferings' after the 'power of the ,resurrection'8 ,for this plain reason1 that if we get ,christ's life into our hearts1 in the measure in which we get it we shall bear a similar relation to the world which ,he bore to it1 and in our measure will 'fill up that which is behind in the sufferings of ,christ1' and will understand how true it is that 'if they hate ,me they will hate you also4' ,brethren1 the test of us who have the life of ,christ in our hearts is that we shall1 in some measure1 suffer with ,him1 because 'as ,he is1 so are we1 in this world1' and because we must in that case look upon the world1 its sins and its sorrows1 with something of the sad gaze with which ,he looked across the valley to the ,temple sparkling in the morning light1 and wept over it4 ,so if we know the power of ,his ,resurrection we shall know the fellowship of ,his sufferings4 ,and then ,paul goes on1 in his definition of the purpose for which ,christ lays hold upon men1 apparently to say the same thing over again1 only in the opposite order1 'that ,i may be conformable to ,his death1 if by any means ,i might attain unto the resurrection of the dead4' ,both of these clauses1 ,i think1 refer to the future1 to the actual dying of the body1 and the actual future resurrection of the same4 ,and the thought is this1 that if here1 through our earthly lives1 we have been recipients of the risen life of ,jesus ,christ1 and so have stood to the world in our degree as ,he stood to it1 then when the moment of death comes to us1 we shall1 in so far1 have our departure shaped after ,his as that we shall be able to say1 ',into ,thy hands ,i commit my spirit1' and die willingly1 and at last shall be partakers of that blessed ,resurrection unto life eternal which closes the vista of our earthly history4 ,stephen's death was conformed to ,christ's in outward fashion1 in so far as it echoed the ,master's prayer1 ',father forgive them1 for they know not what they do1' and in so far as it echoed the ,master's last words1 with the significant alteration that1 whilst ,jesus commended ,his spirit to the ,father1 the first martyr commended his to ,jesus ,christ4 ,these1 then1 are the purposes for which ,christ laid ,his hand upon us1 that we might know ,him1 the power of ,his ,resurrection1 the fellowship of ,his sufferings1 being made conformable to ,his death yet by attaining the resurrection of the dead4 ,,ii4 ,notice1 again1 our laying hold because we have been laid hold of4 ,christ's laying hold of me1 blessed and powerful as it is1 does not of itself secure that ,i shall reach the end which ,he had in view in ,his arresting of me4 ,what more is wanted8 ,my effort4 ',i follow after if ,i may apprehend that for which also ,i am apprehended4' ,now1 notice1 in the one case1 the ,apostle speaks of himself1 not as passive1 but certainly not as active4 ',i was laid hold of4' ,what did he do8 ,as ,i have said1 he simply yielded to the grasp4 ,but ',i may lay hold of' conveys the idea of personal effort2 and so these two expressions1 ',i was apprehended1' and ',i apprehend1' suggest this consideration1 that1 for the initial blessings of the ,christian life1 forgiveness1 acceptance1 the sense of ,god's favour1 and of reconciliation with him1 nothing is needed but the simple faith that yields itself altogether to the grasp of ,christ's hand1 but that for my possessing what ,christ means that ,i should possess when ,he lays ,his hand on me1 there is needed not only faith but effort4 ,i have to put out my hand and tighten my fingers round the thing1 if ,i would make it my own1 and keep it4 ,so--faith1 to begin with1 and work based on faith1 to go on with4 ,it is because a man is sure that ,jesus ,christ has laid ,his hand upon him1 and meant something when ,he did it1 that he fights on with all his might to realise ,christ's purpose1 and to get and keep the thing which ,christ meant him to have4 ,there is stimulus in the thought1 ,i was laid hold of by ,him for a purpose4 ,there is all the difference between striving1 however eagerly1 however nobly1 however strenuously1 however constantly1 after self-improvement1 by one's own effort only1 and striving after it because one knows that he is therein fulfilling the purpose for which ,jesus ,christ drew him to ,himself4 ,and if that be so1 then the nature of the thing to be laid hold of determines what we are to do to lay hold of it4 ,and since to know ,christ1 and the power of ,his ,resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings1 is the aim and end of our conversion1 the way to secure it must be keeping in continual touch with ,jesus by meditating upon ,him1 by holding many a moment of still1 sacred1 sweet communion with ,him1 by carefully avoiding whatever might come between us and our knowledge of ,him1 and the influx of ,his life into us1 and by yielding ourselves1 day by day1 to the continual influence of ,his divine grace upon us and by the discipline which shall make our inward natures more and more capable of receiving more and more of that dear ,lord4 ,these being the things to do1 in regard to the inward life1 there must be effort too1 in regard to the outward2 for we must1 if we are to lay hold of that for which we are laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ1 bring all the outward life under the dominion of this inward impulse1 and when the flood pours into our hearts we must1 by many a sluice and trench1 guide it into every corner of the field1 that all may be irrigated4 ,the first thing they do when they are going to sow rice in an ,eastern field is to flood it1 and then they cast in the seed1 and it germinates4 ,flood your lives with ,christ1 and then sow the seed and you will get a crop4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 the text suggests the incompleteness of our grasp4 ',i follow that1' says ,paul1 'if that ,i may apprehend4' ,this letter was written far on in his career1 in the time of his imprisonment in ,rome1 which all but ended his ministerial activity2 and was many years after that day on the road to ,damascus4 ,and yet1 matured ,christian and exercised ,apostle as he was1 with all that past behind him1 he says1 ',i follow after1 that ,i may apprehend4' ,ah1 brother1 our experience must be incomplete1 for we have an infinite aim set before us1 and there is no end to the possibilities of plunging deeper and deeper and deeper into the knowledge of ,christ1 and having larger and larger and larger draughts of the fulness of ,his life4 ,we have only been like goldseekers1 who have contented themselves as yet with washing the precious grains out of the gravel of the river4 ,there are great reefs filled with the ore that we have not touched4 ,thank ,god for the necessary incompleteness of our 'apprehending4' ,it is the very salt of life4 ,to have realised our aims1 to have fulfilled our ideals1 to have sucked dry the cluster of the grapes is the death of aspiration1 of hope1 of blessedness2 and to have the distance beckoning1 and all experience 'an arch1 wherethro' gleams the untravelled world to which we move1' is the secret of perpetual youth and energy4 ,because incomplete1 our experience should be progressive2 and that is a truth that needs hammering into ,christian people to-day4 ,about how many of us can it be said that our light 'shineth more and more unto the noonday4' ,alas6 about an enormous number of us it must be said1 ',when for the time ye ought to be teachers1 ye have need that one teach you4' ,all our churches have many grown babies1 and cases of arrested development--people that ought to be living on strong meat1 and are unable to masticate or digest it1 and by their own fault have still need of the milk of infancy4 ,there is an old fable about a strange animal that fastened itself to the keel of sailing ships1 and by some uncanny power was able to arrest them in mid-ocean1 though the winds were filling all their sails4 ,there is a remora1 as they called it1 of that sort adhering to a great many ,christian people1 and keeping them fixed on one spot1 instead of 'following after1 if that they may apprehend4' ,dear friends--and especially you younger ,christians--,christ has laid hold of you4 ,well and good6 that is the beginning4 ,he has laid hold of you for an end4 ,that end will not be reached without your effort1 and that effort must be perpetual4 ,it is a life-long task4 ,ay6 and even up yonder the apprehending will be incomplete4 ,like those mathematical lines that ever approximate to a point which they never reach1 we shall through ,eternity be1 as it were1 rising1 in ascending and ever-closer drawing spirals1 to that great ,throne1 and to ,him that sits upon it4 ,so that1 striking out the humble 'may' from our text1 the rest of it describes the progressive blessedness of the endless life in the heavens1 as truly as it does the progressive duty of the ,christian life here1 and the glorified flock that follows the ,lamb in the heavenly pastures may each say3 ,i follow after in order to apprehend that 'for which1' long ago and down amidst the dim shadows of earth1 ',i was apprehended of ,christ ,jesus4' ,,the ,,race ,,and ,,the ,,goal ',this one thing ,i do1 forgetting those things which are behind1 and reaching forth unto those things which are before1 ,i press toward the mark for the prize4'--,,phil4 iii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,this buoyant energy and onward looking are marvellous in ',paul the aged1 and now also a prisoner of ,jesus ,christ4' ,forgetfulness of the past and eager anticipation for the future are1 we sometimes think1 the child's prerogatives4 ,they may be ignoble and puerile1 or they may be worthy and great4 ,all depends on the future to which we look4 ,if it be the creation of our fancies1 we are babies for trusting it4 ,if it be1 as ,paul's was1 the revelation of ,god's purposes1 we cannot do a wiser thing than look4 ,the ,apostle here is letting us see the secret of his own life1 and telling us what made him the sort of ,christian that he was4 ,he counsels wise obliviousness1 wise anticipation1 strenuous concentration1 and these are the things that contribute to success in any field of life4 ,christianity is the perfection of common sense4 ,men become mature ,christians by no other means than those by which they become good artisans1 ripe scholars1 or the like4 ,but the misery is that1 though people know well enough that they cannot be good carpenters1 or doctors1 or fiddlers without certain habits and practices1 they seem to fancy that they can be good ,christians without them4 ,so the words of my text may suggest appropriate thoughts on this first ,sunday of a new year4 ,let us listen1 then1 to ,paul telling us how he came to be the sort of ,christian man he was4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 ,i would say1 make ,god's aim your aim4 ,paul distinguishes here between the 'mark' and the 'prize4' ,he aims at the one for the sake of the other4 ,the one is the object of effort2 the other is the sure result of successful effort4 ,if ,i may so say1 the crown hangs on the winning post2 and he who touches the goal clutches the garland4 ,then1 mark that he regards the aim towards which he strains as being the aim which ,christ had in view in his conversion4 ,for he says in the preceding context1 ',i labour if that ,i may lay hold of that for which also ,i have been laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ4' ,in the words that follow the text he speaks of the prize as being the result and purpose of the high calling of ,god 'in ,christ ,jesus4' ,so then he took ,god's purpose in calling1 and ,christ's purpose in redeeming him1 as being his great object in life4 ,god's aims and ,paul's were identical4 ,what1 then1 is the aim of ,god in all that ,he has done for us8 ,the production in us of ,god-like and ,god-pleasing character4 ,for this suns rise and set2 for this seasons and times come and go2 for this sorrows and joys are experienced2 for this hopes and fears and loves are kindled4 ,for this all the discipline of life is set in motion4 ,for this we were created2 for this we have been redeemed4 ,for this ,jesus ,christ lived and suffered and died4 ,for this ,god's ,spirit is poured out upon the world4 ,all else is scaffolding2 this is the building which it contemplates1 and when the building is reared the scaffolding may be cleared away4 ,god means to make us like ,himself1 and so pleasing to ,himself1 and has no other end in all the varieties of ,his gifts and bestowments but only this1 the production of character4 ,such is the aim that we should set before us4 ,the acceptance of that aim as ours will give nobleness and blessedness to our lives as nothing else will4 ,how different all our estimates of the meaning and true nature of events would be1 if we kept clearly before us that their intention was not merely to make us blessed and glad1 or to make us sorrowful1 but that1 through the blessedness1 through the sorrow1 through the gift1 through the withdrawal1 through all the variety of dealings1 the intention was one and the same1 to mould us to the likeness of our ,lord and ,saviour6 ,there would be fewer mysteries in our lives1 we should seldomer have to stand in astonishment1 in vain regret1 in miserable and weakening looking back upon vanished gifts1 and saying to ourselves1 ',why has this darkness stooped upon my path8' if we looked beyond the darkness and the light to that for which both were sent4 ,some plants require frost to bring out their savour1 and men need sorrow to test and to produce their highest qualities4 ,there would be fewer knots in the thread of our lives1 and fewer mysteries in our experience1 if we made ,god's aim ours1 and strove through all variations of condition to realise it4 ,how different all our estimate of nearer objects and aims would be1 if once we clearly recognised what we are here for6 ,the prostitution of powers to obviously unworthy aims and ends is the saddest thing in humanity4 ,it is like elephants being set to pick up pins2 it is like the lightning being harnessed to carry all the gossip and filth of one capital of the world to the prurient readers in another4 ,men take these great powers which ,god has given them1 and use them to make money1 to cultivate their intellects1 to secure the gratification of earthly desires1 to make a home for themselves here amidst the illusions of time2 and all the while the great aim which ought to stand out clear and supreme is forgotten by them4 ,there is nothing that needs more careful examination by us than our accepted schemes of life for ourselves2 the roots of our errors mostly lie in these things that we take to be axioms1 and that we never examine into4 ,let us begin this new year by an honest dealing with ourselves1 asking ourselves this question1 ',what am ,i living for8' ,and if the answer1 first of all1 be1 as1 of course1 it will be1 the accomplishment of the nearer and necessary aims1 such as the conduct of our business1 the cultivating of our understandings1 the love and peace of our homes1 then let us press the investigation a little further1 and say1 ,what then8 ,suppose ,i make a fortune1 what then8 ,suppose ,i get the position ,i am striving for1 what then8 ,suppose ,i cultivate my understanding and win the knowledge that ,i am nobly striving after1 what then8 ,let us not cease to ask the question until we can say1 ',thy aim1 ,o ,lord1 is my aim1 and ,i press toward the mark1' the only mark which will make life noble1 elastic1 stable1 and blessed1 that ,i 'may be found in ,christ1 not having mine own righteousness1 but that which is of ,god by faith4' ,for this we have all been made1 guided1 redeemed4 ,if we carry this treasure out of life we shall carry all that is worth carrying4 ,if we fail in this we fail altogether1 whatever be our so-called success4 ,there is one mark1 one only1 and every arrow that does not hit that target is wasted and spent in vain4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 let me say1 concentrate all effort on this one aim4 ',this one thing ,i do1' says the ,apostle1 ',i press toward the mark4' ,that aim is the one which ,god has in view in all circumstances and arrangements4 ,therefore1 obviously1 it is one which may be pursued in all of these1 and may be sought whatsoever we are doing4 ,all occupations of life except only sin are consistent with this highest aim4 ,it needs not that we should seek any remote or cloistered form of life1 nor sheer off any legitimate and common interests and occupations1 but in them all we may be seeking for the one thing1 the moulding of our characters into the shapes that are pleasing to ,him4 ',one thing have ,i desired of the ,lord1 that will ,i seek after1 that ,i may dwell in the house of the ,lord all the days of my life'2 wheresoever the outward days of my life may be passed4 ,whatsoever we are doing in business1 in shop1 at a study table1 in the kitchen1 in the nursery1 by the road1 in the house1 we may still have the supreme aim in view1 that from all occupations there may come growth in character and in likeness to ,jesus ,christ4 ,only1 to keep this supreme aim clear there will require far more frequent and resolute effort of what the old mystics used to call 'recollection' than we are accustomed to put forth4 ,it is hard1 amidst the din of business1 and whilst yielding to other lower1 legitimate impulses and motives1 to set this supreme one high above them all4 ,but it is possible if only we will do two things3 keep ourselves close to ,god1 and be prepared to surrender much1 laying our own wills1 our own fancies1 purposes1 eager hopes and plans in ,his hands1 and asking ,him to help us1 that we may never lose sight of the harbour light because of any tossing waves that rise between us and it1 nor may ever be so swallowed up in ends1 which are only means after all1 as to lose sight of the only end which is an end in itself4 ,but for the attainment of this aim in any measure1 the concentration of all our powers upon it is absolutely needful4 ,if you want to bore a hole you take a sharp point2 you can do nothing with a blunt one4 ,every flight of wild ducks in the sky will tell you the form that is most likely to secure the maximum of motion with the minimum of effort4 ,the wedge is that which pierces through all the loosely-compacted textures against which it is pressed4 ,the ,roman strategy forced the way of the legion through the loose-ordered ranks of barbarian foes by arraying it in that wedge-like form4 ,so we1 if we are to advance1 must gather ourselves together and put a point upon our lives by compaction and concentration of effort and energy on the one purpose4 ,the conquering word is1 ',this one thing ,i do4' ,the difference between the amateur and the artist is that the one pursues an art at intervals by spurts1 as a parergon--a thing that is done in the intervals of other occupations--and that the other makes it his life's business4 ,there are a great many amateur ,christians amongst us1 who pursue the ,christian life by spurts and starts4 ,if you want to be a ,christian after ,god's pattern--and unless you are you are scarcely a ,christian at all--you have to make it your business1 to give the same attention1 the same concentration1 the same unwavering energy to it which you do to your trade4 ,the man of one book1 the man of one idea1 the man of one aim is the formidable and the successful man4 ,people will call you a fanatic2 never mind4 ,better be a fanatic and get what you aim at1 which is the highest thing1 than be so broad that1 like a stream spreading itself out over miles of mud1 there is no scour in it anywhere1 no current1 and therefore stagnation and death4 ,gather yourselves together1 and amidst all the side issues and nearer aims keep this in view as the aim to which all are to be subservient--that1 'whether ,i eat or drink1 or whatsoever ,i do1 ,i may do all to the glory of ,god4' ,let sorrow and joy1 and trade and profession1 and study and business1 and house and wife and children1 and all home joys1 be the means by which you may become like the ,master who has died for this end1 that we may become partakers of ,his holiness4 ,,iii4 ,pursue this end with a wise forgetfulness4 ',forgetting the things that are behind4' ,the art of forgetting has much to do with the blessedness and power of every life4 ,of course1 when the ,apostle says ',forgetting the things that are behind1' he is thinking of the runner1 who has no time to cast his eye over his shoulder to mark the steps already trod4 ,he does not mean1 of course1 either1 to tell us that we are so to cultivate obliviousness as to let ,god's mercies to us 'lie forgotten in unthankfulness1 or without praises die4' ,nor does he mean to tell us that we are to deny ourselves the solace of remembering the mercies which may1 perhaps1 have gone from us4 ,memory may be like the calm radiance that fills the western sky from a sun that has set1 sad and yet sweet1 melancholy and lovely4 ,but he means that we should so forget as1 by the oblivion1 to strengthen our concentration4 ,so ,i would say1 let us remember1 and yet forget1 our past failures and faults4 ,let us remember them in order that the remembrance may cultivate in us a wise chastening of our self-confidence4 ,let us remember where we were foiled1 in order that we may be the more careful of that place hereafter4 ,if we know that upon any road we fell into ambushes1 'not once nor twice1' like the old king of ,israel1 we should guard ourselves against passing by that road again4 ,he who has not learned1 by the memory of his past failures1 humility and wise government of his life1 and wise avoidance of places where he is weak1 is an incurable fool4 ,but let us forget our failures in so far as these might paralyse our hopes1 or make us fancy that future success is impossible where past failures frown4 ,ebenezer was a field of defeat before it rang with the hymns of victory4 ,and there is no place in your past life where you have been shamefully baffled and beaten1 but there1 and in that1 you may yet be victorious4 ,never let the past limit your hopes of the possibilities and your confidence in the certainties and victories of the future4 ,and if ever you are tempted to say to yourselves1 ',i have tried it so often1 and so often failed1 that it is no use trying it any more4 ,i am beaten and ,i throw up the sponge1' remember ,paul's wise exhortation1 and 'forgetting the things that are behind 4 4 4 press toward the mark4' ,in like manner ,i would say1 remember and yet forget past successes and achievements4 ,remember them for thankfulness1 remember them for hope1 remember them for counsel and instruction1 but forget them when they tend1 as all that we accomplish does tend1 to make us fancy that little more remains to be done2 and forget them when they tend1 as all that we accomplish ever does tend1 to make us think that such and such things are our line1 and of other virtues and graces and achievements of culture and of character1 that these are not our line1 and not to be won by us4 ',our line6' ,astronomers take a thin thread from a spider's web and stretch it across their object glasses to measure stellar magnitudes4 ,just as is the spider's line in comparison with the whole shining surface of the sun across which it is stretched1 so is what we have already attained to the boundless might and glory of that to which we may come4 ,nothing short of the full measure of the likeness of ,jesus ,christ is the measure of our possibilities4 ,there is a mannerism in ,christian life1 as there is in everything else1 which is to be avoided if we would grow into perfection4 ,there was a great artist in the last century who never could paint a picture without sticking a brown tree in the foreground4 ,we have all got our 'brown trees1' which we think we can do well1 and these limit our ambition to secure other gifts which ,god is ready to bestow upon us4 ,so 'forget the things that are behind4' ,cultivate a wise obliviousness of past sorrows1 past joys1 past failures1 past gifts1 past achievements1 in so far as these might limit the audacity of our hopes and the energy of our efforts4 ,,iv4 ,so1 lastly1 pursue the aim with a wise1 eager reaching forward4 ,the ,apostle employs a very graphic word here1 which is only very partially expressed by that 'reaching forth4' ,it contains a condensed picture which it is scarcely possible to put into any one expression4 ',reaching out over' is the full though clumsy rendering of the word1 and it gives us the picture of the runner with his whole body thrown forward1 his hand extended1 and his eye reaching even further than his hand1 in eager anticipation of the mark and the prize4 ,so we are to live1 with continual reaching out of confidence1 clear recognition1 and eager desire to make our own the unattained4 ,what is that which gives an element of nobleness to the lives of great idealists1 whether they be poets1 artists1 students1 thinkers1 or what not8 ,only this1 that they see the unattained burning ever so clearly before them that all the attained seems as nothing in their eyes4 ,and so life is saved from commonplace1 is happily stung into fresh effort1 is redeemed from flagging1 monotony1 and weariness4 ,the measure of our attainments may be fairly estimated by the extent to which the unattained is clear in our sight4 ,a man down in the valley sees the nearer shoulder of the hill1 and he thinks it the top4 ,the man up on the shoulder sees all the heights that lie beyond rising above him4 ,endeavour is better than success4 ,it is more to see the ,alpine heights unscaled than it is to have risen so far as we have done4 ,they who thus have a boundless future before them have an endless source of inspiration1 of energy1 of buoyancy granted to them4 ,no man has such an absolutely boundless vision of the future which may be his as we have1 if we are ,christian people1 as we ought to be4 ,we only can thus look forward4 ,for all others a blank wall stretches at the end of life1 against which hopes1 when they strike1 fall back stunned and dead4 ,but for us the wall may be overleaped1 and1 living by the energy of a boundless hope1 we1 and only we1 can lay ourselves down to die1 and say then1 ',reaching forth unto the things that are before4' ,so1 dear friends1 make ,god's aim your aim2 concentrate your life's efforts upon it2 pursue it with a wise forgetfulness2 pursue it with an eager confidence of anticipation that shall not be put to shame4 ,remember that ,god reaches ,his aim for you by giving to you ,jesus ,christ1 and that you can only reach it by accepting the ,christ who is given and being found in ,him4 ,then the years will take away nothing from us which it is not gain to lose4 ,they will neither weaken our energy nor flatten our hopes1 nor dim our confidence1 and1 at the last we shall reach the mark1 and1 as we touch it1 we shall find dropping on our surprised and humble heads the crown of life which they receive who have so run1 not as uncertainly1 but doing this one thing1 pressing towards the mark for the prize4 ,,the ,,soul',s ,,perfection ',let us therefore1 as many as be perfect1 be thus minded3 and if in anything ye be otherwise minded1 ,god shall reveal even this unto you4'--,,phil4 iii4 #ae4 ',as many as be perfect'2 and how many may they be8 ,surely a very short bede-roll would contain their names2 or would there be any other but the ,name which is above every name upon it8 ,part of the answer to such a question may be found in observing that the ,new ,testament very frequently uses the word to express not so much the idea of moral completeness as that of physical maturity4 ,for instance1 when ,paul says that he would have his converts to be 'men in understanding1' and when the ,epistle to the ,hebrews speaks of 'them that are of full age1' the same word is used as this 'perfect' in our text4 ,clearly in such cases it means 'full grown1' as in contrast with 'babes1' and expresses not absolute completeness1 but what we may term a relative perfection1 a certain maturity of character and advanced stage of ,christian attainment1 far removed from the infantile epoch of the ,christian life4 ,another contribution to the answer may be found in observing that in this very context these 'perfect' people are exhorted to cultivate the sense of not having 'already attained1' and to be constantly reaching forth to unattained heights1 so that a sense of imperfection and a continual effort after higher life are parts of ,paul's 'perfect man4' ,and it is to be still further noticed that on the same testimony 'perfect' people may probably be 'otherwise minded'2 by which we understand not divergently minded from one another1 but 'otherwise' than the true norm or law of life would prescribe1 and so may stand in need of the hope that ,god will by degrees bring them into conformity with ,his will1 and show them 'this1' namely1 their divergence from ,his ,pattern for them4 ,it is worth our while to look at these large thoughts thus involved in the words before us4 ,i4 ,then there are people whom without exaggeration the judgment of truth calls perfect4 ,the language of the ,new ,testament has no scruple in calling men 'saints' who had many sins1 and none in calling men perfect who had many imperfections2 and it does so1 not because it has any fantastic theory about religious emotions being the measure of moral purity1 but partly for the reasons already referred to1 and partly because it wisely considers the main thing about a character to be not the degree to which it has attained completeness in its ideal1 but what that ideal is4 ,the distance a man has got on his journey is of less consequence than the direction in which his face is turned4 ,the arrow may fall short1 but to what mark was it shot8 ,in all regions of life a wise classification of men arranges them according to their aims rather than their achievements4 ,the visionary who attempts something high and accomplishes scarcely anything of it1 is often a far nobler man1 and his poor1 broken1 foiled1 resultless life far more perfect than his who aims at marks on the low levels and hits them full4 ,such lives as these1 full of yearning and aspiration1 though it be for the most part vain1 are ',like the young moon with a ragged edge ,e'en in its imperfection beautiful4' ,if then it be wise to rank men and their pursuits according to their aims rather than their accomplishments1 is there one class of aims so absolutely corresponding to man's nature and relations that to take them for one's own1 and to reach some measure of approximation to them1 may fairly be called the perfection of human nature8 ,is there one way of living concerning which we may say that whosoever adopts it has1 in so far as he does adopt it1 discerned and attained the purpose of his being8 ,the literal force of the word in our text gives pertinence to that question1 for it distinctly means 'having reached the end4' ,and if that be taken as the meaning1 there need be no doubt about the answer4 ,grand old words have taught us long ago ',man's chief end is to glorify ,god and to enjoy ,him for ever4' ,yes1 he who lives for ,god has taken that for his aim which all his nature and all his relations prescribe1 he is doing what he was made and meant to do2 and however incomplete may be its attainments1 the lowest form of a ,god-fearing1 ,god-obeying life is higher and more nearly 'perfect' than the fairest career or character against which1 as a blight on all its beauty1 the damning accusation may be brought1 ',the ,god in whose hand thy breath is1 and whose are all thy ways1 thou hast not glorified4' ,people sneer at 'saints' and point at their failings4 ,they remind us of the foul stains in ,david's career1 for instance1 and mock as they ask1 ',is this your man after ,god's own heart8' ,yes1 he is2 not because religion has a morality of its own different from that of the world 7except as being higher71 nor because 'saints' make up for adultery and murder by making or singing psalms1 but because the main set and current of the life was evidently towards ,god and goodness1 and these hideous sins were glaring contradictions1 eddies and backwaters1 as it were1 wept over with bitter self-abasement and conquered by strenuous effort4 ,better a life of ,godward aspiration and straining after purity1 even if broken by such a fall1 so recovered1 than one of habitual earthward grubbing1 undisturbed by gross sin4 ,and another reason warrants the application of the word to men whose present is full of incompleteness1 namely1 the fact that such men have in them the germ of a life which has no natural end but absolute completeness4 ,the small seed may grow very slowly in the climate and soil which it finds here1 and be only a poor little bit of ragged green1 very shabby and inconspicuous by the side of the native flowers of earth flaunting around it1 but it has a divine germinant virtue within1 and waits but being carried to its own clime and 'planted in the house of the ,lord' above1 to 'flourish in the courts of our ,god1' when these others with their glorious beauty have faded away and are flung out to rot4 ,,ii4 ,we have set forth here very distinctly two of the characteristics of this perfection4 ,the ,apostle in our text exhorts the perfect to be 'thus minded4' ,how is that8 ,evidently the word points back to the previous clauses1 in which he has been describing his own temper and feeling in the ,christian race4 ,he sets that before the ,philippians as their pattern1 or rather invites them to fellowship with him in the estimate of themselves and in their efforts after higher attainments4 ',be thus minded' means1 ,think as ,i do of yourselves1 and do as ,i do in your daily life4 ,how did he think of himself8 ,he tells us in the sentence before1 ',not as though ,i were already perfect4 ,i count not myself to have apprehended4' ,so then a leading characteristic of this true ,christian perfection is a constant consciousness of imperfection4 ,in all fields of effort1 whether intellectual1 moral1 or mechanical1 as faculty grows1 consciousness of insufficiency grows with it4 ,the farther we get up the hill1 the more we see how far it is to the horizon4 ,the more we know1 the more we know our ignorance4 ,the better we can do1 the more we discern how much we cannot do4 ,only people who never have done and never will do anything1 or else raw apprentices with the mercifully granted self-confidence of youth1 which gets beaten out of most of us soon enough1 think that they can do everything4 ,in morals and in ,christian life the same thing is true4 ,the measure of our perfection will be the consciousness of our imperfection--a paradox1 but a great truth4 ,it is plain enough that it will be so4 ,conscience becomes more sensitive as we get nearer right4 ,the worse a man is the less it speaks to him1 and the less he hears it4 ,when it ought to thunder it whispers2 when we need it most it is least active4 ,the thick skin of a savage will not be disturbed by lying on sharp stones1 while a crumpled rose-leaf robs the ,sybarite of his sleep4 ,so the practice of evil hardens the cuticle of conscience1 and the practice of goodness restores tenderness and sensibility2 and many a man laden with crime knows less of its tingling than some fair soul that looks almost spotless to all eyes but its own4 ,one little stain of rust will be conspicuous on a brightly polished blade1 but if it be all dirty and dull1 a dozen more or fewer will make little difference4 ,as men grow better they become like that glycerine barometer recently introduced1 on which a fall or a rise that would have been invisible with mercury to record it takes up inches1 and is glaringly conspicuous4 ,good people sometimes wonder1 and sometimes are made doubtful and sad about themselves1 by this abiding and even increased consciousness of sin4 ,there is no need to be so4 ,the higher the temperature the more chilling would it be to pass into an ice-house1 and the more our lives are brought into fellowship with the perfect life1 the more shall we feel our own shortcomings4 ,let us be thankful if our consciences speak to us more loudly than they used to do4 ,it is a sign of growing holiness1 as the tingling in a frost-bitten limb is of returning life4 ,let us seek to cultivate and increase the sense of our own imperfection1 and be sure that the diminution of a consciousness of sin means not diminished power of sin1 but lessened horror of it1 lessened perception of right1 lessened love of goodness1 and is an omen of death1 not a symptom of life4 ,painter1 scholar1 craftsman all know that the condition of advance is the recognition of an ideal not attained4 ,whoever has not before him a standard to which he has not reached will grow no more4 ,if we see no faults in our work we shall never do any better4 ,the condition of all ,christian1 as of all other progress1 is to be drawn by that fair vision before us1 and to be stung into renewed effort to reach it1 by the consciousness of present imperfection4 ,another characteristic to which these perfect men are exhorted is a constant striving after a further advance4 ,how vigorously1 almost vehemently1 that temper is put in the context--',i follow after'2 ',i press toward the mark'2 and that picturesque 'reaching forth1' or1 as the ,revised ,version gives it1 'stretching forward4' ,the full force of the latter word cannot be given in any one ,english equivalent1 but may be clumsily hinted by some such phrase as 'stretching oneself out over1' as a runner might do with body thrown forward and arms extended in front1 and eagerness in every strained muscle1 and eye outrunning foot1 and hope clutching the goal already4 ,so yearning forward1 and setting all the current of his being1 both faculty and desire1 to the yet unreached mark1 the ,christian man is to live4 ,his glances are not to be bent backwards1 but forwards4 ,he is not to be a 'praiser of the past1' but a herald and expectant of a nobler future4 ,he is the child of the day and of the morning1 forgetting the things which are behind1 and ever yearning towards the things which are before1 and drawing them to himself4 ,to look back is to be stiffened into a living death2 only with faces set forward are we safe and well4 ,this buoyant energy of hope and effort is to be the result of the consciousness of imperfection of which we have spoken4 ,strange to many of us1 in some moods1 that a thing so bright should spring up from a thing so dark1 and that the more we feel our own shortcomings1 the more hopeful should we be of a future unlike the past1 and the more earnest in our effort to make that future the present6 ,there is a type of ,christian experience not uncommon among devout people1 in which the consciousness of imperfection paralyses effort instead of quickening it2 men lament their evil1 their slow progress and so on1 and remain the same year after year4 ,they are stirred to no effort4 ,there is no straining onwards4 ,they almost seem to lose the faith that they can ever be any better4 ,how different this from the grand1 wholesome completeness of ,paul's view here1 which embraces both elements1 and even draws the undying brightness of his forward-looking confidence from the very darkness of his sense of present imperfection6 ,so should it be with us1 'as many as be perfect4' ,before us stretch indefinite possibilities of approximating to the unattainable fulness of the divine life4 ,we may grow in knowledge and in holiness through endless ages and grades of advance4 ,in a most blessed sense we may have that for our highest joy which in another meaning is a punishment of unfaithfulness and indocility1 that we shall be 'ever learning1 and never coming to the full knowledge of the truth4' ,no limit can be put to what we may receive of ,god1 nor to the closeness1 the fulness of our communion with ,him1 nor to the beauty of holiness which may pass from ,him into our poor characters1 and irradiate our homely faces4 ,then1 brethren1 let us cherish a noble discontent with all that we at present are4 ,let our spirits stretch out all their powers to the better things beyond1 as the plants grown in darkness will send out pale shoots that feel blindly towards the light1 or the seed sown on the top of a rock will grope down the bare stone for the earth by which it must be fed4 ,let the sense of our own weakness ever lead to a buoyant confidence in what we1 even we1 may become if we will only take the grace we have4 ,to this touchstone let us bring all claims to higher holiness--they who are perfect are most conscious of imperfection1 and most eager in their efforts after a further progress in the knowledge1 love1 and likeness of ,god in ,christ4 ,,iii4 ,we have here also distinctly brought out the co-existence with these characteristics of their opposites4 ',if in anything ye are otherwise minded1' says ,paul4 ,i have already suggested that this expression evidently refers not to difference of opinion among themselves1 but to a divergence of character from the pattern of feeling and life which he has been proposing to them4 ,if in any respects ye are unconscious of your imperfections1 if there be any 'witch's mark' of insensibility in some spot of your conscience to some plain transgressions of law1 if in any of you there be some complacent illusion of your own stainlessness1 if to any of you the bright vision before you seem faint and unsubstantial1 ,god will show you what you do not see4 ,plainly then he considers that there will be found among these perfect men states of feeling and estimates of themselves opposed to those which he has been exhorting them to cherish4 ,plainly he supposes that a good man may pass for a time under the dominion of impulses and theories which are of another kind from those that rule his life4 ,he does not expect the complete and uninterrupted dominion of these higher powers4 ,he recognises the plain facts that the true self1 the central life of the soul1 the higher nature1 'the new man1' abides in a self which is but gradually renewed1 and that there is a long distance1 so to speak1 from the centre to the circumference4 ,that higher life is planted1 but its germination is a work of time4 ,the leaven does not leaven the whole mass in a moment1 but creeps on from particle to particle4 ',make the tree good' and in due time its fruit will be good4 ,but the conditions of our human life are conflict1 and these peaceful images of growth and unimpeded natural development1 'first the blade1 then the ear1 after that the full corn in the ear1' are not meant to tell all the truth4 ,interruptions from external circumstances1 struggles of flesh with spirit1 and of imagination and heart and will against the better life implanted in the spirit1 are the lot of all1 even the most advanced here1 and however a man may be perfect1 there will always be the possibility that in something he may be 'otherwise minded4' ,such an admission does not make such interruptions less blameworthy when they occur4 ,the doctrine of averages does not do away with the voluntary character of each single act4 ,the same number of letters are yearly posted without addresses4 ,does anybody dream of not scolding the errand boy who posted them1 or the servant who did not address them1 because he knows that8 ,we are quite sure that we could have resisted each time that we fell4 ,that piece of sharp practice in business1 or that burst of bad temper in the household which we were last guilty of--could we have helped it or not8 ,conscience must answer that question1 which does not depend at all on the law of averages4 ,guilt is not taken away by asserting that sin cleaves to men1 'perfect men4' ,but the feelings with which we should regard sin and contradictions of men's truest selves in ourselves and others should be so far altered by such thoughts that we should be very slow to pronounce that a man cannot be a ,christian because he has done so and so4 ,are there any sins which are clearly incompatible with a ,christian character8 ,all sins are inconsistent with it1 but that is a very different matter4 ,the uniform direction of a man's life being godless1 selfish1 devoted to the objects and pursuits of time and sense1 is incompatible with his being a ,christian--but1 thank ,god1 no single act1 however dark1 is so1 if it be in contradiction to the main tendency impressed upon the character and conduct4 ,it is not for us to say that any single deed shows a man cannot be ,christ's1 nor to fling ourselves down in despair saying1 ',if ,i were a ,christian1 ,i could not have done that4' ,let us remember that 'all unrighteousness is sin1' and the least sin is in flagrant opposition to our ,christian profession2 but let us also remember1 and that not to blunt our consciences or weaken our efforts1 that ,paul thought it possible for perfect men to be 'otherwise minded' from their deepest selves and their highest pattern4 ,,iv4 ,the crowning hope that lies in these words is the certainty of a gradual but complete attainment of all the ,christian aspirations after ,god and goodness4 ,the ground of that confidence lies in no natural tendencies in us1 in no effort of ours1 but solely in that great name which is the anchor of all our confidence1 the name of ,god4 ,why is ,paul certain that ',god will reveal even this unto you'8 ,because ,he is ,god4 ,the ,apostle has learned the infinite depth of meaning that lies in that name4 ,he has learned that ,god is not in the way of leaving off ,his work before ,he has done ,his work1 and that none can say of ,him1 that ',he began to build1 and was not able to finish4' ,the assurances of an unchangeable purpose in redemption1 and of inexhaustible resources to effect it2 of a love that can never fade1 and of a grace that can never be exhausted--are all treasured for us in that mighty name4 ,and such confidence is confirmed by the manifest tendency of the principles and motives brought to bear on us in ,christianity to lead on to a condition of absolute perfection1 as well as by the experience which we may have1 if we will1 of the sanctifying and renewing power of ,his ,spirit in our ,spirit4 ,by the discipline of daily life1 by the ministry of sorrow and joy1 by merciful chastisements dogging our steps when we stray1 by duties and cares1 by the teaching of ,his word coming even closer to our hearts and quickening our consciences to discern evil where we had seen none1 as well as kindling in us desires after higher and rarer goodness1 by the reward of enlarged perceptions of duty and greater love towards it1 with which ,he recompenses lowly obedience to the duty as yet seen1 by the secret influences of ,his ,spirit of ,power and of ,love and of a sound ,mind breathed into our waiting spirits1 by the touch of ,his own sustaining hand and glance of ,his own guiding eye1 ,he will reveal to the lowly soul all that is yet wanting in its knowledge1 and communicate all that is lacking in character4 ,so for us1 the true temper is confidence in ,his power and will1 an earnest waiting on ,him1 a brave forward yearning hope blended with a lowly consciousness of imperfection1 which is a spur not a clog1 and vigorous increasing efforts to bring into life and character the fulness and beauty of ,god4 ,presumption should be as far from us as despair--the one because we have not already attained1 the other because ',god will reveal even this unto us4' ,only let us keep in mind the caution which the ,apostle1 knowing the possible abuses which might gather round ,his teaching1 has here attached to it1 ',nevertheless'--though all which ,i have been saying is true1 it is only on this understanding--',whereto we have already attained1 by the same let us walk4' ,god will perfect that which concerneth you if--and only if--you go on as you have begun1 if you make your creed a life1 if you show what you are4 ,if so1 then all the rest is a question of time4 ,a has been said1 and ,z will come in its proper place4 ,begin with humble trust in ,christ1 and a process is commenced which has no natural end short of that great hope with which this chapter closes1 that the change which begins in the deepest recesses of our being1 and struggles slowly and with many interruptions1 into partial visibility in our character1 shall one day triumphantly irradiate our whole nature out to the very finger-tips1 and 'even the body of our humiliation shall be fashioned like unto the body of ,christ's glory1 according to the working whereby ,he is able even to subdue all things to ,himself4' ,,the ,,rule ,,of ,,the ,,road ',nevertheless1 whereto we have already attained1 let us walk by the same rule4'--,,phil4 iii4 #af4 ,paul has just been laying down a great principle--viz4 that if the main direction of a life be right1 ,god will reveal to a man the points in which he is wrong4 ,but that principle is untrue and dangerous1 unless carefully guarded4 ,it may lead to a lazy tolerance of evil1 and to drawing such inferences as1 ',well6 it does not much matter about strenuous effort1 if we are right at bottom it will all come right by-and-by1' and so it may become a pillow for indolence and a clog on effort4 ,this possible abuse of a great truth seems to strike the ,apostle1 and so he enters here1 with this ',nevertheless1' a caveat against that twist of his meaning4 ,it is as if he said1 ',now mind6 while all that is perfectly true1 it is true on conditions2 and if they be not attended to1 it is not true4' ,god will reveal to a man the things in which he is wrong if1 and only if1 he steadfastly continues in the course which he knows and sees to be right4 ,present attainments1 then1 are in some sense a standard of duty1 and if we honestly and conscientiously observe that standard we shall get light as we journey4 ,in this exhortation of the ,apostle's there are many exhortations wrapped up2 and in trying to draw them out ,i venture to adhere to the form of exhortation for the sake of impressiveness and point4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 ,i would say the ,apostle means1 ',live up to your faith and your convictions4' ,it may be a question whether 'that to which we have already attained' means the amount of knowledge which we have won or the amount of practical righteousness which we have made our own4 ,but ,i think that1 instead of sharply dividing between these two1 we shall follow more in the course of the ,apostle's thought if we unite them together1 and remember that the ,bible does not make the distinct separation which we sometimes incline to make between knowledge on the one side and practice on the other1 but regards the man as a living unity4 ,and thus1 both aspects of our attainments come into consideration here4 ,so1 then1 there are two main thoughts--first1 live out your creed1 and second1 live up to your convictions4 ,live out your creed4 ,men are meant to live1 not by impulse1 by accident1 by inclination1 but by principle4 ,we are not intended to live by rule1 but we are intended to live by law4 ,and unless we know why we do as well as what we do1 and give a rational account of our conduct1 we fall beneath the height on which ,god intends us to walk4 ,impulse is all very well1 but impulse is blind and needs a guide4 ,the imitation of those around us1 or the acceptance of the apparent necessities of circumstances1 are1 to some extent1 inevitable and right4 ,but to be driven merely by the force of externals is to surrender the highest prerogative of manhood4 ,the highest part of human nature is the reason guided by conscience1 and a man's conscience is only then rightly illuminated when it is illuminated by his creed1 which is founded on the acceptance of the revelation that ,god has made of ,himself4 ,and whilst we are clearly meant to be guided by the intelligent appropriation of ,god's truth1 that truth is evidently all meant for guidance4 ,we are not told anything in the ,bible in order that we may know as an ultimate object1 but we are told it all in order that1 knowing1 we may be1 and1 being1 we may do1 according to ,his will4 ,just think of the intensely practical tendency of all the greatest truths of ,christianity4 ,the ,cross is the law of life4 ,the revelation that was made there was made1 not merely that we might cling to it as a refuge from our sins1 but that we might accept it as the rule of our conduct4 ,all our duties to mankind are summed up in the word ',love one another as ,i have loved you4' ,we say that we believe in the divinity of ,christ2 we say that we believe in the great incarnation and sacrificial death and eternal priesthood of the loving ,son of ,god4 ,we say that we believe in a judgment to come and a future life4 ,well1 then1 do these truths produce any effect upon my life8 have they shaped me in any measure into conformity with their great principles8 ,does there issue from them constraining power which grasps me and moulds me as a sculptor would a bit of clay in his hands8 ,am ,i subject to the ,gospel's authority1 and is the word in which ,god has revealed ,himself to me the word which dominates and impels all my life8 ',whereunto we have already attained1 by the same let us walk4' ,but we shall not do that without a distinct effort4 ,for it is a great deal easier to live from hand to mouth than to live by principle4 ,it is a great deal easier to accept what seems forced upon us by circumstances than to exercise control over the circumstances1 and make them bend to ,god's holy will4 ,it is a great deal easier to take counsel of inclination1 and to put the reins in the hands of impulses1 passions1 desires1 tastes1 or even habits1 than it is1 at each fresh moment1 to seek for fresh impulses from a fresh illumination from the ancient and yet ever fresh truth4 ,the old kings of ,france used to be kept with all royal state in the palace1 but they were not allowed to do anything4 ,and there was a rough1 unworshipped man that stood by their side1 and who was the real ruler of the realm4 ,that is what a great many professing ,christians do with their creeds4 ,they instal them in some inner chamber that they very seldom visit1 and leave them there1 in dignified idleness1 and the real working ruler of their lives is found elsewhere4 ,let us see to it1 brethren1 that all our thoughts are incarnated in our deeds1 and that all our deeds are brought into immediate connection with the great principles of ,god's word4 ,live by that law1 and we live at liberty4 ,and1 then1 remember that this translating of creed into conduct is the only condition of growing illumination4 ,when we act upon a belief1 the belief grows4 ,that is the source of a great deal of stupid obstinacy in this world1 because men have been so long accustomed to go upon certain principles that it seems incredible to them but that these principles should be true4 ,but that1 too1 is at the bottom of a great deal of intelligent and noble firmness of adherence to the true4 ,a man who has tested a principle because he has lived upon it has confidence in it that nobody else can have4 ,projectors may have beautiful specifications with attractive pictures of their new inventions2 they look very well upon paper1 but we must see them working before we are sure of their worth4 ,and so1 here is this great body of ,divine truth1 which assumes to be sufficient for guidance1 for conduct1 for comfort1 for life4 ,live upon it1 and thereby your grasp of it and your confidence in it will be immensely increased4 ,and no man has a right to say ',i have rejected ,christianity as untrue1' unless he has put it to the test by living upon it2 and if he has1 he will never say it4 ,a ,swiss traveller goes into a shop and buys a brand-new alpenstock4 ,does he lean upon it with as much confidence as another man does1 who has one with the names of all the mountains that it has helped him up branded on it from top to bottom8 ,take this staff and lean on it4 ,live your creed1 and you will believe your creed as you never will until you do4 ,obedience takes a man up to an elevation from which he sees further into the deep harmonies of truth4 ,in all regions of life the principle holds good3 ',to him that hath shall be given4' ,and it holds eminently in reference to our grasp of ,christian principles4 ,use them and they grow2 neglect them and they perish4 ,sometimes a man dies in a workhouse who has a store of guineas and notes wrapped up in rags somewhere about him2 and so they have been of no use to him4 ,if you want your capital to increase1 trade with it4 ,as the ,lord said when ,he gave the servants their talents3 ',trade with them till ,i come4' ,the creed that is utilised is the creed that grows4 ,and that is why so many of you ,christian people have so little real intellectual grasp of the principles of ,christianity1 because you have not lived upon them1 nor tried to do it4 ,and1 in like manner1 another side of this thought is1 be true to your convictions4 ,there is no such barrier to a larger and wholesomer view of our duty as the neglect of anything that plainly is our duty4 ,it stands there1 an impassable cliff between us and all progress4 ,let us live and be what we know we ought to be1 and we shall know better what we ought to be at the next moment4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 let me put the ,apostle's meaning in another exhortation1 ,go on as you have begun4 ',whereunto we have already attained1 by the same let us walk4' ,the various points to which the men have reached are all points in one straight line2 and the injunction of my text is ',keep the road4' ,there are a great many temptations to stray from it4 ,there are nice smooth grassy bits by the side of it where it is a great deal easier walking4 ,there are attractive things just a footstep or two out of the path--such a little deviation that it can easily be recovered4 ,and so1 like children gathering daisies in the field1 we stray away from the path2 and1 like men on a moor1 we then look round for it1 and it is gone4 ,the angle of divergence may be the acutest possible2 the deviation when we begin may be scarcely visible1 but if you draw a line at the sharpest angle and the least deviation from a straight line1 and carry it out far enough1 there will be space between it and the line from which it started ample to hold a universe4 ,then1 let us take care of small deviations from the plain straight path1 and give no heed to the seductions that lie on either side1 but 'whereunto we have already attained1 by the same let us walk4' ,there are temptations1 too1 to slacken our speed4 ,the river runs far more slowly in its latter course than when it came babbling and leaping down the hillside4 ,and sometimes a ,christian life seems as if it crept rather than ran1 like those sluggish streams in the ,fen country1 which move so slowly that you cannot tell which way the water is flowing4 ,are not there all round us1 are there not amongst ourselves instances of checked growth1 of arrested development8 ,there are people listening to me now1 calling themselves--and ,i do not say that they have not a right to do so--,christians1 who have not grown a bit for years1 but stand at the very same point of attainment1 both in knowledge and in purity and ,christlikeness1 as they were many1 many days ago4 ,i beseech you1 listen to this exhortation of my text1 ',whereunto we have already attained1 by the same let us walk1' and continue patient and persistent in the course that is set before us4 ,,iii4 ,the ,apostle's injunction may be cast into this form1 ,be yourselves4 ,the representation which underlies my text1 and precedes it in the context1 is that of the ,christian community as a great body of travellers all upon one road1 all with their faces turned in one direction1 but at very different points on the path4 ,the difference of position necessarily involves a difference in outlook4 ,they see their duties1 and they see the ,word of ,god1 in some respects diversely4 ,and the ,apostle's exhortation is3 ',let each man follow his own insight1 and whereunto he has attained1 by that1 and not by his brother's attainment1 by that let him walk4' ,from the very fact of the diversity of advancement there follows the plain duty for each of us to use our own eyesight1 and of independent faithfulness to our own measure of light1 as the guide which we are bound to follow4 ,there is a dreadful want1 in the ordinary ,christian life1 of any appearance of first-hand communication with ,jesus ,christ1 and daring to be myself1 and to act on the insight into ,his will which ,christ has given me4 ,conventional ,godliness1 ,christian people cut after one pattern1 a little narrow round of certain statutory duties and obligations1 a parrot-like repetition of certain words1 a mechanical copying of certain methods of life1 an oppressive sameness1 mark so much of modern religion4 ,what a freshening up there would come into all ,christian communities if every man lived by his own perception of truth and duty6 ,if a musician in an orchestra is listening to his neighbour's note and time1 he will lose many an indication from the conductor that would have kept him far more right1 if he had attended to it4 ,and if1 instead of taking our beliefs and our conduct from one another1 or from the average of ,christian men round us1 we went straight to ,jesus ,christ and said to ,him1 ',what wouldst ,thou have me to do8' there would be a different aspect over ,christendom from what there is to-day4 ,the fact of individual responsibility1 according to the measure of our individual light1 and faithful following of that1 wheresoever it may lead us1 are the grand and stirring principles that come from these words4 ',whereunto we have already attained1' by that--and by no other man's attainment or rule--let us walk4 ,but do not let us forget that that same faithful independence and independent faithfulness because ,christ speaks to us1 and we will not let any other voice blend with ,his1 are quite consistent with1 and1 indeed1 demand1 the frank recognition of our brother's equal right4 ,if we more often thought of all the great body of ,christian people as an army1 united in its diversity1 its line of march stretching for leagues1 and some in the van1 and some in the main body1 and some in the rear1 but all one1 we should be more tolerant of divergences1 more charitable in our judgment of the laggards1 more patient in waiting for them to come up with us1 and more wise and considerate in moderating our pace sometimes to meet theirs4 ,all who love ,jesus ,christ are on the same road and bound for the same home4 ,let us be contented that they shall be at different stages on the path1 seeing that we know that they will all reach the ,temple above4 ,,iv4 ,lastly1 cherish the consciousness of imperfection and the confidence of success4 ',whereunto we have attained' implies that that is only a partial possession of a far greater whole4 ,the road is not finished at the stage where we stand4 ,and1 on the other hand1 'by the same let us walk1' implies that beyond the present point the road runs on equally patent and pervious to our feet4 ,these two convictions1 of my own imperfection and of the certainty of my reaching the great perfectness beyond1 are indispensable to all ,christian progress4 ,as soon as a man begins to think that he has realised his ideal1 ,good-bye6 to all advance4 ,the artist1 the student1 the man of business1 all must have gleaming before them an unattained object1 if they are ever to be stirred to energy and to run with patience the race that is set before them4 ,the more distinctly that a man is conscious of his own imperfection in the ,christian life1 the more he will be stung and stirred into earnestness and energy of effort1 if only1 side by side with the consciousness of imperfection1 there springs triumphant the confidence of success4 ,that will give strength to the feeble knees2 that will lift a man buoyant over difficulties2 that will fire desire2 that will stimulate and solidify effort2 that will make the long1 monotonous stretches of the road easy1 the rough places plain1 the crooked things straight4 ,over all reluctant1 repellent duties it will bear us1 in all weariness it will re-invigorate us4 ,we are saved by hope1 and the more brightly there burns before us1 not as a tremulous hope1 but as a future certainty1 the thought1 ',i shall be like ,him1 for ,i shall see ,him as ,he is1' the more shall ,i set my face to the loved goal and my feet to the dusty road1 and 'press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god4' ,christian progress comes out of the clash and collision of these two things1 like that of flint and steel--the consciousness of imperfection and the confidence of success4 ,and they who thus are driven by the one and drawn by the other1 in all their consciousness of failure are yet blessed1 and are crowned at last with that which they believed before it came4 ',blessed are they that dwell in ,thy house'--the prize won is heaven4 ,but 'blessed are they in whose hearts are the ways'--the prize desired and strained after is heaven upon earth4 ,we may all live a life of continual advancement1 each step leading upwards1 for the road always climbs1 to purer air1 grander scenery1 and a wider view4 ,and yonder1 progress will still be the law1 for they who here have followed the ,lamb1 and sought to make ,him their pattern and ,commander1 will there 'follow ,him whithersoever ,he goeth4' ,if here we walk according to that 'whereunto we have attained1' there ,he shall say1 ',they will walk with ,me in white1 for they are worthy4' ,,warnings ,,and ,,hopes ',brethren1 be ye imitators together of me1 and mark them which so walk even as ye have us for an ensample4 ,for many walk1 of whom ,i told you often1 and now tell you even weeping1 that they are the enemies of the cross of ,christ3 whose end is perdition1 whose ,god is the belly1 and whose glory is in their shame1 who mind earthly things4 ,for our citizenship is in heaven2 from whence also we wait for a ,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation1 that it may be conformed to the body of ,his glory1 according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto ,himself4'--,,phil4 iii4 #ag-ba 7,r4,v474 ,there is a remarkable contrast in tone between the sad warnings which begin this section and the glowing hopes with which it closes1 and that contrast is made the more striking when we notice that the ,apostle binds the gloom of the one and the radiance of the other by ',for1' which makes the latter the cause of the former4 ,the exhortation in which the ,apostle begins by proposing himself as an example sounds strange on any lips1 and1 most of all1 on his1 but we have to note that the points in which he sets himself up as a pattern are obviously those on which he touched in the preceding outpouring of his heart1 and which he has already commended to the ,philippians in pleading with them to be 'thus minded4' ,what he desires them to copy is his self-distrust1 his willingness to sacrifice all things to win ,christ1 his clear sense of his own shortcomings1 and his eager straining towards as yet unreached perfection4 ,his humility is not disproved by such words1 but what is remarkable in them is the clear consciousness of the main direction and set of his life4 ,we may well hesitate to take them for ours1 but every ,christian man and woman ought to be able to say this much4 ,if we cannot in some degree declare that we are so walking1 we have need to look to our foundations4 ,such words are really in sharp contrast to those in which ,jesus is held forth as an example4 ,notice1 too1 how quickly he passes to associate others with him1 and to merge the ',me' into ',us4' ,we need not ask who his companions were1 since ,timothy is associated with him at the beginning of the letter4 ,the exhortation is enforced by pointing to others who had gone far astray1 and of whom he had warned the ,philippians often1 possibly by letter4 ,who these unworthy disciples were remains obscure4 ,they were clearly not the ,judaisers branded in verse #b1 who were teachers seeking to draw away the ,philippians1 while these others seem to have been 'enemies of the ,cross of ,christ1' not by open hostility nor by theoretical errors1 but by practical worldliness1 and that in these ways2 they make sense their ,god1 they are proud of what is really their disgrace1 namely1 they are shaking off the restraints of morality2 and1 most black though it may seem least so1 they 'mind earthly things' on which thought1 feeling1 and interest are concentrated4 ,let us lay to heart the lesson that such direction of the current of a life to the things of earth makes men 'enemies of the ,cross of ,christ1' whatever their professions1 and will surely make their end perdition1 whatever their apparent prosperity4 ,paul's life seemed loss and was gain2 these men's lives seemed gain and was loss4 ,from this dark picture charged with gloom1 and in one corner showing white waves breaking far out against an inky sky1 and a vessel with torn sails driving on the rocks1 the ,apostle turns with relief to the brighter words in which he sets forth the true affinities and hopes of a ,christian4 ,they all stand or fall with the belief in the ,resurrection of ,christ and ,his present life in ,his glorified corporeal manhood4 ,i4 ,our true metropolis4 ,the ,revised ,version puts in the margin as an alternative rendering for 'citizenship' commonwealth1 and there appears to be a renewed allusion here to the fact already noted that ,philippi was a 'colony1' and that its inhabitants were ,roman citizens4 ,paul uses a very emphatic word for 'is' here which it is difficult to reproduce in ,english1 but which suggests essential reality4 ,the reason why that heavenly citizenship is ours in no mere play of the imagination but in most solid substance1 is because ,he is there for whom we look4 ,where ,christ is1 is our ,mother-country1 our ,fatherland1 according to ,his own promise1 ',i go to prepare a place for you4' ,his being there draws our thoughts and sets our affections on ,heaven4 ,,ii4 ,the colonists looking for the ,king4 ,the ,emperors sometimes made a tour of the provinces4 ,paul here thinks of ,christians as waiting for their ,emperor to come across the seas to this outlying corner of ,his dominions4 ,the whole grand name is given here1 all the royal titles to express solemnity and dignity1 and the character in which we look for ,him is that of ,saviour4 ,we still need salvation1 and though in one sense it is past1 in another it will not be ours until ,he comes the second time without sin unto salvation4 ,the eagerness of the waiting which should characterise the expectant citizens is wonderfully described by the ,apostle's expression for it1 which literally means to look away out--with emphasis on both prepositions--like a sentry on the walls of a besieged city whose eyes are ever fixed on the pass amongst the hills through which the relieving forces are to come4 ,it may be said that ,paul is here expressing an expectation which was disappointed4 ,no doubt the early ,church looked for the speedy return of our ,lord and were mistaken4 ,we are distinctly told that in that point there was no revelation of the future1 and no doubt they1 like the prophets of old1 'searched what manner of time the spirit of ,christ which was in them did signify4' ,in this very letter ,paul speaks of death as very probable for himself1 so that he had precisely the same double attitude which has been the ,church's ever since1 in that he looked for ,christ's coming as possible in his own time1 and yet anticipated the other alternative4 ,it is difficult1 no doubt1 to cherish the vivid anticipation of any future event1 and not to have any certainty as to its date4 ,but if we are sure that a given event will come sometime and do not know when it may come1 surely the wise man is he who thinks to himself it may come any time1 and not he who treats it as if it would come at no time4 ,the two possible alternatives which ,paul had before him have in common the same certainty as to the fact and uncertainty as to the date1 and ,paul had them both before his mind with the same vivid anticipation4 ,the practical effect of this hope of the returning ,lord on our 'walk' will be all to bring it nearer ,paul's4 ,it will not suffer us to make sense our ,god1 nor to fix our affections on things above2 it will stimulate all energies in pressing towards the goal1 and will turn away our eyes from the trivialities and transiencies that press upon us1 away out toward the distance where 'far off ,his coming shone4' ,,iii4 ,the ,christian sharing in ,christ's glory4 ,the same precise distinction between 'fashion' and 'form1' which we have had occasion to notice in ,chapter ,,ii41 recurs here4 ,the 'fashion' of the body of our humiliation is external and transient2 the 'form' of the body of ,his glory to which we are to be assimilated consists of essential characteristics or properties1 and may be regarded as being almost synonymous with ',nature4' ,observing the distinction which the ,apostle draws by the use of these two words1 and remembering their force in the former instance of their occurrence1 we shall not fail to give force to the representation that in the ,resurrection the fleeting fashion of the bodily frame will be altered1 and the glorified bodies of the saints made participant of the essential qualities of ,his4 ,we further note that there is no trace of false asceticism or of gnostic contempt for the body in its designation as 'of our humiliation4' ,its weaknesses1 its limitations1 its necessities1 its corruption and its death1 sufficiently manifest our lowliness1 while1 on the other hand1 the body in which ,christ's glory is manifested1 and which is the instrument for ,his glory1 is presented in fullest contrast to it4 ,the great truth of ,christ's continual glorified manhood is the first which we draw from these words4 ,the story of our ,lord's ,resurrection suggests indeed that ,he brought the same body from the tomb as loving hands had laid there4 ,the invitation to ,thomas to thrust his hands into the prints of the nails1 the similar invitation to the assembled disciples1 and ,his partaking of food in their presence1 seemed to forbid the idea of ,his rising changed4 ,nor can we suppose that the body of ,his glory would be congruous with ,his presence on earth4 ,but we have to think of ,his ascension as gradual1 and of ,himself as 'changed by still degrees' as ,he ascended1 and so as returned to where the 'glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world was1' as the ,shechinah cloud received ,him out of the sight of the gazers below4 ,if this be the true reading of ,his last moments on earth1 ,he united in ,his own experience both the ways of leaving it which ,his followers experience--the way of sleep which is death1 and the way of 'being changed4' ,but at whatever point the change came1 ,he now wears1 and for ever will wear1 the body of a man4 ,that is the dominant fact on which is built the ,christian belief in a future life1 and which gives to that belief all its solidity and force1 and separates it from vague dreams of immortality which are but a wish tremblingly turned into a hope1 or a dread shudderingly turned into an expectation4 ,the man ,christ ,jesus is the pattern and realised ideal of human life on earth1 the revelation of the divine life through a human life1 and in ,his glorified humanity is no less the pattern and realised ideal of what human nature may become4 ,the present state of the departed is incomplete in that they have not a body by which they can act on1 and be acted on by1 an external universe4 ,we cannot indeed suppose them lapped in age-long unconsciousness1 and it may be that the 'dead in ,christ' are through ,him brought into some knowledge of externals1 but for the full-summed perfection of their being1 the souls under the altar have to wait for the resurrection of the body4 ,if resurrection is needful for completion of manhood1 then completed manhood must necessarily be set in a locality1 and the glorified manhood of ,jesus must also now be in a place4 ,to think thus of it and of ,him is not to vulgarise the ,christian conception of ,heaven1 but to give it a definiteness and force which it sorely lacks in popular thinking4 ,nor is the continual manhood of our ,lord less precious in its influence in helping our familiar approach to ,him4 ,it tells us that ,he is still and for ever the same as when on earth1 glad to welcome all who came and to help and heal all who need ,him4 ,it is one of ourselves who 'sitteth at the right hand of ,god4' ,his manhood brings ,him memories which bind ,him to us sorrowing and struggling1 and ,his glory clothes ,him with power to meet all our needs1 to stanch all our wounds1 to satisfy all our desires4 ,our text leads us to think of the wondrous transformation into ,christ's likeness4 ,we know not what are the differences between the body of our humiliation and the body of ,his glory1 but we must not be led away by the word ,resurrection to fall into the mistake of supposing that in death we 'sow that body which shall be4' ,paul's great chapter in ,i4 ,corinthians should have destroyed that error for ever1 and it is a singular instance of the persistency of the most unsupported mistakes that there are still thousands of people who in spite of all that they know of what befalls our mortal bodies1 and of how their parts pass into other forms1 still hold by that crude idea4 ,we have no material by which to construct any1 even the vaguest1 outline of that body that shall be4 ,we can only run out the contrasts as suggested by ,paul in #ast ,corinthians1 and let the dazzling greatness of the positive thought which he gives in the text lift our expectations4 ,weakness will become power1 corruption incorruption1 liability to death immortality1 dishonour glory1 and the frame which belonged and corresponded to 'that which was natural1' shall be transformed into a body which is the organ of that which is spiritual4 ,these things tell us little1 but they may be all fused into the great light of likeness to the body of ,his glory2 and though that tells us even less1 it feeds hope more and satisfies our hearts even whilst it does not feed our curiosity4 ,we may well be contented to acknowledge that 'it doth not yet appear what we shall be1' when we can go on to say1 ',we know that when ,he shall appear we shall be like ,him4' ,it is enough for the disciple that he be as his ,master4 ,but we must not forget that the ,apostle regards even this overwhelming change as but part of a mightier process1 even the universal subjection of all things unto ,christ ,himself4 ,the ,emperor reduces the whole world to subjection1 and the glorifying of the body as the climax of the universal subjugation represents it as the end of the process of assimilation begun in this mortal life4 ,there is no possibility of a resurrection unto life unless that life has been begun before death4 ,that ultimate glorious body is needed to bring men into correspondence with the external universe4 ,as is the locality so is the body4 ,flesh and blood cannot inherit the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,this whole series of thoughts makes our glorious resurrection the result not of death1 but of ,christ's living power on ,his people4 ,it is only in the measure in which ,he lives in us and we in ,him1 and are partaking by daily participation in the power of ,his ,resurrection1 that we shall be made subjects of the working whereby ,he is able even to subject all things unto ,himself1 and finally be conformed to the body of ,his glory4 ,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4 ,d41 ,litt4 ,d4 ,,philippians1 ,,colossians1 ,,first ,,and ,,second ,,thessalonians ,,and ,,first ,,timothy ,,contents ,,philippians ,a ,,tender ,,exhortation 7,phil4 iv4 #a7 #a ,,names ,,in ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,life 7,phil4 iv4 #c7 #aa ,,rejoice ,,evermore 7,phil4 iv4 #d7 #ba ,,how ,,to ,,obey ,,an ,,impossible ,,injunction 7,phil4 iv4 #f7 #ca ,,the ,,warrior ,,peace 7,phil4 iv4 #g7 #ci ,,think ,,on ,,these ,,things 7,phil4 iv4 #h7 #dh ,,how ,,to ,,say ',,thank ,,you' 7,phil4 iv4 #aj-ad1 ,r4,v47 #eh ,,gifts ,,given1 ,,seed ,,sown 7,phil4 iv4 #ae-ai1 ,r4,v47 #ff ,,farewell ,,words 7,phil4 iv4 #bj-bc1 ,r4,v47 #gd ,,colossians ,,saints1 ,,believers1 ,,brethren 7,col4 i4 #b7 #hb ,,the ,,gospel-,,hope 7,col4 i4 #e7 #ib ',,all ,,power' 7,col4 i4 #aa1 ,r4,v47 #ii ,,thankful ,,for ,,inheritance 7,col4 i4 #ab1 ,r4,v47 #ajf ,,christian ,,endeavour 7,col4 i4 #bi7 #aad ,,christian ,,progress 7,col4 ii4 #f1 #g1 ,r4,v47 #abd ,,risen ,,with ,,christ 7,col4 iii4 #a-ae7 #abg ,,risen ,,with ,,christ 7,col4 iii4 #a1 #b7 #acd ,,without ,,and ,,within 7,col4 iv4 #e7 #adc ,i4 ,,thessalonians ,,faith1 ,,love1 ,,hope1 ,,and ,,their ,,fruits 7#a ,thess4 i4 #c7 #aee ,,god',s ,,trumpet 7#a ,thess4 i4 #h7 #afd ,,walking ,,worthily 7#a ,thess4 ii4 #ab7 #agj ,,small ,,duties ,,and ,,the ,,great ,,hope 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #i-ah2 v4 #a1 #b7 #ahc ,,sleeping ,,through ,,jesus 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #ad7 #aij ,,the ,,work ,,and ,,armour ,,of ,,the ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,day 7#a ,thess4 v4 #h7 #aih ,,waking ,,and ,,sleeping 7#a ,thess4 v4 #aj7 #baj ,,edification 7#a ,thess4 v4 #aa7 #bbj ,,continual ,,prayer ,,and ,,its ,,effects 7#a ,thess4 v4 #af-ah7 #bbi ,,paul',s ,,earliest ,,teaching 7#a ,thess4 v4 #bg7 #bcg ,,ii4 ,,thessalonians ,,christ ,,glorified ,,in ,,glorified ,,men 7#b ,thess4 i4 #aj7 #bdh ,,worthy ,,of ,,your ,,calling 7#b ,thess4 i4 #aa1 #ab7 #bef ,,everlasting ,,consolation ,,and ,,good ,,hope 7#b ,thess4 ii4 #af1 #ag7 #bfg ,,the ,,heart',s ,,home ,,and ,,guide 7#b ,thess4 iii4 #e7 #bgg ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,peace ,,and ,,the ,,peace ,,of ,,the ,,lord 7#b ,thess4 iii4 #af7 #bhh ,i4 ,,timothy ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,commandment 7#a ,tim4 i4 #e7 #bih ',,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,happy ,,god' 7#a ,tim4 i4 #aa7 #cjh ,,the ,,gospel ,,in ,,small 7#a ,tim4 i4 #ae7 #caf ,,the ,,chief ,,of ,,sinners 7#a ,tim4 i4 #ae7 #cbf ,a ,,test ,,case 7#a ,tim4 i4 #af7 #cce ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,king 7#a ,tim4 i4 #ag7 #cdd ,,where ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,pray 7#a ,tim4 ii4 #h7 #cec ,,spiritual ,,athletics 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #g7 #cfa ,,the ,,one ,,witness1 ,,the ,,many ,,confessors 7#a ,tim4 vi4 #ab-ad7 #cgj ,,the ,,conduct ,,that ,,secures ,,the ,,real ,,life 7#a ,tim4 vi4 #ai7 #cgi ,a ,,tender ,,exhortation ',therefore1 my brethren1 dearly beloved and longed for1 my joy and crown1 so stand fast in the ,lord1 my dearly beloved4'--,,phil4 iv4 #a4 ,the words ,i have chosen set forth very simply and beautifully the bond which knit ,paul and these ,philippian ,christians together1 and the chief desire which his ,apostolic love had for them4 ,i venture to apply them to ourselves1 and ,i speak now especially to the members of my own church and congregation4 ,i4 ,let us note1 then1 first1 the personal bond which gives force to the teacher's words4 ,that ,church at ,philippi was1 if ,paul had any favourites amongst his children1 his favourite child4 ,the circumstances of its formation may have had something to do with that4 ,it was planted by himself2 it was the first ,church in ,europe2 perhaps the ,philippian gaoler and ,lydia were amongst the 'beloved' and 'longed for' ones who were 'his joy and crown4' ,but be that as it may1 all through the letter we can feel the throbbing of a very loving heart1 and the tenderness of a strong man1 which is the most tender of all things4 ,note how he addresses them4 ,there is no assumption of ,apostolic authority1 but he puts himself on their level1 and speaks to them as brethren4 ,then he lets his heart out1 and tells them how they lived in his love1 and how1 of course1 when he was parted from them1 he had desired to be with them4 ,and then he touches a deeper and a sacreder chord when he contemplates the results of the relation between them1 if he on his side1 and they on theirs1 were faithful to it4 ,it says much for the teacher1 and for the taught1 if he can truly say ',my joy1'--',i have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth4' ,and not only were they his joy1 but they who1 by their faithfulness1 have become his joy1 will on that one day in the far future1 be his 'crown4' ,that metaphor carries on the thoughts to the great ,judgment ,day1 and introduces a solemn element1 which is as truly present1 dear friends1 in our relation to one another1 little of an ,apostle as ,i am1 as it was in the relation between ,paul and the ,philippians4 ,they who 'turn many to righteousness shine as the brightness of the firmament1' because those whom they have turned1 'shine as lights in the world4' ,and at that last august and awful tribunal1 where you will have to give an account for your listening1 as ,i for my speaking1 the crown of victory laid on the locks of a faithful teacher is the characters of those whom he has taught4 ',who is my joy and hope1 and crown of rejoicing8' ,are not even ye in the presence of our ,lord ,jesus at his coming8 ,now1 notice1 further1 how such mutual affection is needed to give force to the teacher's exhortation4 ,preaching from unloved lips never does any good4 ,it irritates1 or leaves untouched4 ,affection melts and opens the heart to the entrance of the word4 ,and preaching from unloving lips does very little good either4 ,so speaking1 ,i condemn myself4 ,there are men who handle ,god's great1 throbbing message of love so coldly as that they ice even the ,gospel4 ,there are men who have a strange gift of taking all the sap and the fervour out of the word that they proclaim1 making the very grapes of ,eshcol into dried raisins4 ,and ,i feel for myself that my ministry may well have failed in this respect4 ,for who is there that can modulate his voice so as to reproduce the music of that great message1 or who can soften and open his heart so as that it shall be a worthy vehicle of the infinite love of ,god8 ,but1 dear brethren1 though conscious of many failures in this respect1 ,i yet thank ,god that here1 at the end of nearly forty years of a ministry1 ,i can look you in the face and believe that your look responds to mine1 and that ,i can take these words as the feathers for my arrow1 as that which will make words otherwise weak go further1 and may help to write the precepts upon hearts1 and to bring them to bear in practice--',my beloved and longed for'2 'my joy and my crown4' ,such feelings do not need to be always spoken4 ,there is very little chance of us ,northerners erring on the side of letting our hearts speak too fully and frequently4 ,perhaps we should be all the better if we were a little less reticent1 but at any rate you and ,i can surely trust each other after so many years1 and now and then1 as to-day1 let our hearts speak4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 notice the all-sufficient precept which such love gives4 ',so stand fast in the ,lord4' ,that is a very favourite figure of ,paul's1 as those of you who have any reasonable degree of familiarity with his letters will know4 ,here it carries with it1 as it generally does1 the idea of resistance against antagonistic force4 ,but the main thought of it is that of continuous steadfastness in our union with ,jesus ,christ4 ,it applies1 of course1 to the intellect1 but not mainly1 and certainly not exclusively to intellectual adherence to the truths spoken in the ,gospel4 ,it covers the whole ground of the whole man2 will1 conscience1 heart1 practical effort1 as well as understanding4 ,and it is really ,paul's version1 with a characteristic dash of pugnacity in it1 of our ,lord's yet deeper and calmer words1 ',abide in ,me and ,i in you4' ,it is the same exhortation as ,barnabas gave to the infantile church at ,antioch1 when1 to these men just rescued from heathenism and profoundly ignorant of much which we suppose it absolutely necessary that ,christians should know1 he had only one thing to say1 exhorting them all1 that 'with purpose of heart they should cleave to the ,lord4' ,steadfast continuance of personal union with ,jesus ,christ1 extending through all the faculties of our nature1 and into every corner of our lives1 is the kernel of this great exhortation4 ,and he who fulfils it has little left unfulfilled4 ,of course1 as ,i said1 there is a very strong suggestion that such 'standing' is by no means an easy thing1 or accomplished without much antagonism2 and it may help us if1 just for a moment1 we run over the various forms of resistance which they have to overcome who stand fast4 ,nothing stands where it is without effort4 ,that is true in the moral world1 although in the physical world the law of motion is that nothing moves without force being applied to it4 ,what are the things that would shake our steadfastness1 and sweep us away8 ,well1 there are1 first1 the tiny1 continuously acting1 and therefore all but omnipotent forces of daily life--duties1 occupations1 distractions of various kinds--which tend to move us imperceptibly away1 as by the slow sliding of a glacier1 from the hope of the ,gospel4 ,there is nothing so strong as a gentle pressure1 equably and unintermittently applied4 ,it is far mightier than thrusts and hammerings and sudden assaults4 ,i stood some time ago looking at the ,sphinx4 ,the hard stone--so hard that it turns the edge of a sculptor's chisel--has been worn away1 and the solemn features all but obliterated4 ,what by8 ,the continual attrition of multitudinous grains of sand from the desert4 ,the little things that are always at work upon us are the things that have most power to sweep us away from our steadfastness in ,jesus ,christ4 ,then there are1 besides1 the sudden assaults of strong temptations1 of sense and flesh1 or of a more subtle and refined character4 ,if a man is standing loosely1 in some careless dgag attitude1 and a sudden impact comes upon him1 over he goes4 ,the boat upon a mountain-locked lake encounters a sudden gust when opposite the opening of a glen1 and unless there be a very strong hand and a watchful eye at the helm1 is sure to be upset4 ,upon us there come1 in addition to that silent continuity of imperceptible but most real pressure1 sudden gusts of temptation which are sure to throw us over1 unless we are well and always on our guard against them4 ,in addition to all these1 there are ups and downs of our own nature1 the fluctuations which are sure to occur in any human heart1 when faith seems to ebb and falter1 and love to die down almost into cold ashes4 ,but1 dear brethren1 whilst we shall always be liable to these fluctuations of feeling1 it is possible for us to have1 deep down below these1 a central core of our personality1 in which unchanging continuity may abide4 ,the depths of the ocean know nothing of the tides on the surface that are due to the mutable moon4 ,we can have in our inmost hearts steadfastness1 immovableness1 even though the surface may be ruffled4 ,make your spirits like one of those great cathedrals whose thick walls keep out the noises of the world1 and in whose still equability there is neither excessive heat nor excessive cold1 but an approximately uniform temperature1 at midsummer and at midwinter4 ',stand fast in the ,lord4' ,now1 my text not only gives an exhortation1 but1 in the very act of giving it1 suggests how it is to be fulfilled4 ,for that phrase 'in the ,lord' not only indicates where we are to stand1 but also how4 ,that is to say--it is only in proportion as we keep ourselves in union with ,christ1 in heart and mind1 and will1 and work1 that we shall stand steadfast4 ,the lightest substances may be made stable1 if they are glued on to something stable4 ,you can mortice a bit of thin stone into the living rock1 and then it will stand 'four-square to every wind that blows4' ,so it is only on condition of our keeping ourselves in ,jesus ,christ1 that we are able to keep ourselves steadfast1 and to present a front of resistance that does not yield one foot1 either to imperceptible continuous pressure1 to sudden assaults1 or to the fluctuations of our own changeful dispositions and tempers4 ,the ground on which a man stands has a great deal to do with the firmness of his footing4 ,you cannot stand fast upon a bed of slime1 or upon a sand-bank which is being undermined by the tides4 ,and if we1 changeful creatures1 are to be steadfast in any region1 our surest way of being so is to knit ourselves to ,him 'who is the same yesterday1 and to-day1 and for ever1' and from whose immortality will flow some copy and reflection of itself into our else changeful natures4 ,still further1 in regard to this commandment1 ,i would pray you to notice that very eloquent little word which stands at the beginning of it4 ',so stand fast in the ,lord4' ',so4' ,how8 ,that throws us back to what the ,apostle has been saying in the previous context4 ,and what has he been saying there8 ,the keynote of the previous chapter is progress--',i follow after2 ,i press toward the mark1 forgetting the things that are behind1 and reaching forth to the things that are before4' ,to these exhortations to progress he appends this remarkable exhortation3 ',so'--that is1 by progress--'stand fast in the ,lord1' which being turned into other words is just this--if you stand still1 you will not stand fast4 ,there can be no steadfastness without advancement4 ,if a man is not going forward1 he is going backward4 ,the only way to ensure stability is 'pressing toward the mark4' ,why1 a child's top only stands straight up as long as it is revolving4 ,if a man on a bicycle stops1 he tumbles4 ,and so1 in the depths of a ,christian life1 as in all science1 and all walks of human activity1 the condition of steadfastness is advance4 ,therefore1 dear brethren1 let no man deceive himself with the notion that he can keep at the same point of religious experience and of ,christian character4 ,you are either more of a ,christian1 or less of one1 than you were at a past time4 ',so1 stand fast1' and remember that to stand still is not to stand fast4 ,now1 whilst all these things that ,i have been trying to say have reference to ,christian people at all stages of their spiritual history1 they have a very especial reference to those in the earlier part of ,christian life4 ,and ,i want to say to those who have only just begun to run the ,christian life1 very lovingly and very earnestly1 that this is a text for them4 ,for1 alas6 there is nothing more frequent than that1 after the first dawnings of a ,christian life in a heart1 there should come a period of overclouding2 or that1 as ,john ,bunyan has taught us1 when ,christian has gone through the wicket-gate1 he should fall very soon into the ,slough of ,despond4 ,one looks round1 and sees how many professing ,christians there are who1 perhaps1 were nearer ,jesus ,christ on the day of their conversion than they have ever been since1 and how many cases of arrested development there are amongst professing and real ,christians2 so that when for the 'time they ought to be teachers1 they have need' to be taught again2 and when1 after the number of years that have passed1 they ought to be full-grown men1 they are but babes yet4 ,and so ,i say to you1 dear young friends1 stand fast4 ,do not let the world attract you again4 ,keep near to ,jesus4 ',hold fast that thou hast2 let no man take thy crown4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 we have here a great motive which encourages obedience to this command4 ,people generally pass over that ',therefore' which begins my text1 but it is full of significance and of importance4 ,it links the precept which we have been considering with the immediately preceding hope which the ,apostle has so triumphantly proclaimed1 when he says that 'we look for the ,saviour from heaven1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be fashioned like unto the body of ,his glory1 according to the working whereby ,he is able even to subdue all things to ,himself4' ,so there rises before us that twofold great hope2 that the ,master ,himself is coming to the succour of ,his servants1 and that when ,he comes1 ,he will perfect the incomplete work which has been begun in them by their faith and steadfastness1 and will change their whole humanity so that it shall become participant of1 and conformed to1 the glory of ,his own triumphant manhood4 ,that hope is presented by the ,apostle as having its natural sequel in the 'steadfastness' of my text1 and that 'steadfastness' is regarded by the ,apostle as drawing its most animating motives from the contemplation of that great hope4 ,blessed be ,god6 ,the effort of the ,christian life is not one which is extorted by fear1 or by the cold sense of duty4 ,there are no taskmasters with whips to stand over the heart that responds to ,christ and to ,his love4 ,but hope and joy1 as well as love1 are the animating motives which make sacrifices easy1 soften the yoke that is laid upon our shoulders1 and turn labour into joy and delight4 ,so1 dear brethren1 we have to set before us this great hope1 that ,jesus ,christ is coming1 and that1 therefore1 our labour on ourselves is sure not to be in vain4 ,work that is done hopelessly is not done long1 and there is no heart in it whilst it is being done4 ,but if we know that ,christ will appear1 'and that when ,he who is our life shall appear1 we also shall appear with ,him in glory1' then we may go to work in keeping ourselves steadfast in ,him1 with cheery hearts1 and with full assurance that what we have been doing will have a great result4 ,you have read1 no doubt1 about some little force in ,north-,west ,india1 hemmed in by enemies4 ,they may well hold out resolutely and hopefully when they know that three relieving armies are converging upon their stronghold4 ,and we1 too1 know that our ,emperor is coming to raise the siege4 ,we may well stand fast with such a prospect4 ,we may well work at our own sanctifying when we know that our ,lord ,himself--like some master-sculptor who comes to his pupil's imperfectly blocked-out work1 and takes his chisel in his hand1 and with a touch or two completes it--will come and finish what we1 by ,his grace1 imperfectly began4 ',so stand fast in the ,lord1' because you have hope that the ,lord is about to come1 and that when ,he comes you will be like ,him4 ,one last word4 ,that steadfastness is the condition without which we have no right to entertain that hope4 ,if we keep ourselves near ,christ1 and if by keeping ourselves near ,him1 we are becoming day by day liker ,him1 then we may have calm confidence that ,he will perfect that which concerns us4 ,but ,i1 for my part1 can find nothing1 either in ,scripture or in the analogy of ,god's moral dealings with us in the world1 to warrant the holding out of the expectation to a man that1 if he has kept himself apart from ,jesus ,christ and his quickening and cleansing power all his life long1 ,jesus ,christ will take him in hand after he dies1 and change him into ,his likeness4 ,don't you risk it6 ,begin by 'standing fast in the ,lord4' ,he will do the rest then1 not else4 ,the cloth must be dipped into the dyer's vat1 and lie there1 if it is to be tinged with the colour4 ,the sensitive plate must be patiently kept in position for many hours1 if invisible stars are to photograph themselves upon it4 ,the vase must be held with a steady hand beneath the fountain1 if it is to be filled4 ,keep yourselves in ,jesus ,christ4 ,then here you will begin to be changed into the same image1 and when ,he comes ,he will come as your ,saviour1 and complete your uncompleted work1 and make you altogether like ,himself4 ',therefore1 my brethren1 dearly beloved and longed for1 my joy and crown1 so stand fast in the ,lord1 dearly beloved4' ,,names ,,in ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,life ',other my fellow-labourers whose names are in the book of life4'--,,phil4 iv4 #c4 ,paul was as gentle as he was strong4 ,winsome courtesy and delicate considerateness lay in his character1 in beautiful union with fiery impetuosity and undaunted tenacity of conviction4 ,we have here a remarkable instance of his quick apprehension of the possible effects of his words1 and of his nervous anxiety not to wound even unreasonable susceptibilities4 ,he had had occasion to mention three of his fellow-workers1 and he wishes to associate with them others whom he does not purpose to name4 ,lest any of these should be offended by the omission1 he soothes them with this graceful1 half-apologetic reminder that their names are inscribed on a better page than his4 ,it is as if he had said1 ',do not mind though ,i do not mention you individually4 ,you can well afford to be anonymous in my letter since your names are inscribed in the ,book of ,life4' ,there is a consolation for obscure good people1 who need not expect to live except in two or three loving hearts2 and whose names will only be preserved on mouldering tombstones that will convey no idea to the reader4 ,we may well dispense with other commemoration if we have this4 ,now1 this figure of the ,book of ,life appears in ,scripture at intervals1 almost from the beginning to the very end4 ,the first instance of its occurrence is in that self-sacrificing1 intercessory prayer of ,moses1 when he expressed his willingness to be 'blotted out of ,thy book' as an atonement for the sin of ,israel4 ,its last appearance is when the ,apocalyptic ,seer is told that none enter into the ,city of ,god come down from ,heaven 'save those whose names are written in the ,lamb's ,book of ,life4' ,of course in plain ,english the expression is just equivalent to being a real disciple of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but then it presents that general notion under a metaphor which1 in its various aspects1 has a very distinct and stringent bearing upon our duties as well as upon our blessings and our hopes4 ,i1 therefore1 wish to work out1 as well as ,i can1 the various thoughts suggested by this emblem4 ,i4 ,the first of them is ,citizenship4 ,the figure is1 of course1 originally drawn from the registers of the tribes of ,israel4 ,in that use1 though not without a glance at some higher meaning1 it appears in the ,old ,testament1 where we read of 'those who are written among them living in ,jerusalem'2 or 'are written in the writing of the house of ,israel4' ,the suggestion of being inscribed on the burgess-rolls of a city is the first idea connected with the word4 ,in the ,new ,testament1 for instance1 we find in the great passage in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews the two notions of the city and the census brought into immediate connection1 where the writer says1 ',ye are come unto the city of the living ,god 4 4 4 and to the church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven4' ,in this very letter we have1 only a verse or two before my text1 the same idea of citizenship cropping up4 ',our citizenship is in ,heaven1 from whence also we look for the ,saviour4' ,that1 no doubt1 helped to suggest to the ,apostle the words of my text4 ,and there is another verse in the same letter where the same idea comes out4 ',only act the citizen as becometh the ,gospel of ,christ4' ,now1 you will remember1 possibly1 that ,philippi was1 as the ,acts of the ,apostles tells us1 a ,roman colony4 ,and the reference is exquisitely close-fitting to the circumstances of the people of that city4 ,for a ,roman colony was a bit of ,rome in another land1 and the citizens of ,philippi had their names inscribed on the registers of the tribes of ,rome4 ,the writer himself was another illustration of the same thing1 of living in a community to which he did not belong and of belonging to a community in which he did not live4 ,for ,paul was a native of ,tarsus2 and ,paul1 the native of the ,asiatic ,tarsus1 was a ,roman4 ,so1 then1 the first thought that comes out of this great metaphor is that all of us1 if we are ,christian people1 belong to another polity1 another order of things than that in which our outward lives are spent4 ,and the plain1 practical conclusion that comes from it is1 cultivate the sense of belonging to another order4 ,just as it swelled the heart of a ,macedonian ,philippian with pride1 when he thought that he did not belong to the semi-barbarous people round about him1 but that his name was written in the books that lay in the ,capitol of ,rome1 so should we cultivate that sense of belonging to another order4 ,it will make our work here none the worse1 but it will fill our lives with the sense of nobler affinities1 and point our efforts to grander work than any that belongs to 'the things that are seen and temporal4' ,just as the little groups of ,englishmen in treaty-ports own no allegiance to the laws of the country in which they live1 but are governed by ,english statutes1 so we have to take our orders from headquarters to which we have to report4 ,men in our colonies get their instructions from ,downing ,street4 ,the officials there1 appointed by the ,home ,government1 think more of what they will say about them at ,westminster than of what they say about them at ,melbourne4 ,so we are citizens of another country1 and have to obey the laws of our own kingdom1 and not those of the soil on which we dwell4 ,never mind about the opinions of men1 the babblements of the people in the land you live in4 ,to us1 the main thing is that we be acceptable1 well-pleasing unto ,him4 ,are you solitary8 ,cultivate the sense of1 in your solitude1 being a member of a great community that stretches through all the ages1 and binds into one the inhabitants of eternity and of time4 ,remember that this citizenship in the heavens is the highest honour that can be conferred upon a man4 ,the patricians of ,venice used to have their names inscribed upon what was called the 'golden book' that was kept in the ,doge's ,palace4 ,if our names are written in the book of gold in the heavens1 then we have higher dignities than any that belong to the fleeting chronicles of this passing1 vain world4 ,so we can accept with equanimity evil report or good report1 and can acquiesce in a wholesome obscurity1 and be careless though our names appear on no human records1 and fill no trumpet of fame blown by earthly cheeks4 ,intellectual power1 wealth1 gratified ambition1 and all the other things that men set before them1 are small indeed compared with the honour1 with the blessedness1 with the repose and satisfaction that attend the conscious possession of citizenship in the heavens4 ,let us lay to heart the great words of the ,master which put a cooling hand on all the feverish ambitions of earth4 ',in this rejoice1 not that the spirits are subject unto you1 but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven4' ,,ii4 ,then the second idea suggested by these words is the possession of the life which is life indeed4 ,the ',book of ,life1' it is called in the ,new ,testament4 ,its designation in the ,old might as well be translated 'the book of living' as 'the book of life4' ,it is a register of the men who are truly alive4 ,now1 that is but an imaginative way of putting the commonplace of the ,new ,testament1 that anything which is worth calling life comes to us1 not by creation or physical generation1 but by being born again through faith in ,jesus ,christ1 and by receiving into our else dead spirits the life which ,he bestows upon all them that trust ,him4 ,in the ,new ,testament 'life' is far more than 'being'2 far more than physical existence2 removed by a whole world from these lower conceptions1 and finding its complete explanation only in the fact that the soul which is knit to ,god by conscious surrender1 love1 aspiration1 and obedience1 is the only soul that really lives4 ,all else is death--death6 ,he 'that liveth in pleasure is dead while he liveth4' ,the ghastly imagination of one of our poets1 of the dead man standing on the deck pulling at the ropes by the side of the living1 is true in a very deep sense4 ,in spite of all the feverish activities1 the manifold vitalities of practical and intellectual life in the world1 the deepest1 truest1 life of every man who is parted from ,god by alienation of will1 by indifference1 and neglect of love1 lies sheeted and sepulchred in the depths of his own heart4 ,brethren1 there is no life worth calling life1 none to which that august name can without degradation be applied1 except the complete life of body1 soul1 and spirit1 in lowly obedience to ,god in ,christ4 ,the deepest meaning of the work of the ,saviour is that ,he comes into a dead world1 and breathes into the bones--very many and very dry--the breath of ,his own life4 ,christ has died for us2 ,christ will live in us if we will2 and1 unless ,he does1 we are twice dead4 ,do not put away that thought as if it were a mere pulpit metaphor4 ,it is a metaphor1 but yet in the metaphor there lies this deepest truth1 which concerns us all1 that only he is truly himself1 and lives the highest1 best1 and noblest life that is possible for him1 who is united to ,jesus ,christ1 and drawing from ,christ his own life4 ',he that hath the ,son hath life2 he that hath not the ,son hath not life4' ,either my name and yours are written in the ,book of ,life1 or they are written in the register of a cemetery4 ,we have to make our choice which4 ,,iii4 ,another idea suggested by this emblem is experience of divine individualising knowledge and care4 ,in the ,old ,testament the book is called ',thy book1' in the ,new it is called 'the ,lamb's book4' ,that is of a piece with the whole relation of the ,new to the ,old1 and of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,incarnate ,word and ,manifestor of ,god1 to the ,jehovah revealed in former ages4 ,for1 unconditionally1 and without thought of irreverence or idolatry1 the ,new ,testament lifts over and confers upon ,jesus ,christ the attributes which the ,old jealously preserved as belonging only to ,jehovah4 ,and thus ,christ the ,manifestor of ,god1 and the ,mediator to us of all divine powers and blessings1 takes the ,book and makes the entries in it4 ,each man of us1 as in your ledgers1 has a page to himself4 ,his account is opened1 and is not confused with other entries4 ,there is individualising love and care1 and as the basis of both1 individualising knowledge4 ,my name1 the expression of my individual being1 stands there4 ,christ does not deal with me as one of a crowd1 nor fling out blessings broadcast1 that ,i may grasp them in the midst of a multitude1 if ,i choose to put out a hand1 but ,he deals with each of us singly1 as if there were not any beings in the world but ,he and ,i1 our two selves1 all alone4 ,it is hard to realise the essentially individualising and isolating character of our relation to ,jesus ,christ4 ,but we shall never come to the heart of the blessedness and the power of ,his ,gospel unless we translate all 'us'-es and 'every ones' and 'worlds' in ,scripture into ',i' and 'me1' and can say not only ,he gives ,himself to be 'the propitiation for the sins of the whole world1' but ',he loved me and gave ,himself for me4' ,the same individualising love which is manifested in that mighty universal ,atonement1 if we rightly understand it1 is manifested in all ,his dealings with us4 ,one by one we come under ,his notice2 the ,shepherd tells ,his sheep singly as they pass out through the gate or into the fold4 ,he knows them all by name4 ',i have called thee by thy name2 thou art ,mine4' ,lift up your eyes and behold who made all these2 the countless host of the nightly stars4 ,what are nebul to our eyes are blazing suns to ,his4 ',he telleth the number of the stars2 ,he calleth them all by name by the greatness of ,his power1 for that ,he is strong in might not one faileth4' ,so we may nestle in the protection of ,his hand1 sure of a separate place in ,his knowledge and ,his heart4 ,deliverance and security are the results of that individualising care4 ,in one of the ,old ,testament instances of the use of this metaphor1 we read that in the great day of calamity and sorrow ',thy people shall be delivered1 even every one that is written in ,thy ,book4' ,so we need not dread anything if our names are there4 ,the sleepless ,king will read the ,book1 and will never forget1 nor forget to help and succour ,his poor servants4 ,but there are two other variations of this thought in the ,old ,testament even more tenderly suggestive of that individualising care and strong sufficient love than the emblem of my text4 ,we read that when1 in the exercise of his official functions1 the high priest passed into the ,tabernacle he wore1 upon his breast1 near the seat of personality1 and the home of love--the names of the tribes graven1 and that the same names were written on his shoulders1 as if guiding the exercise of his power4 ,so we may think of ourselves as lying near the beatings of ,his heart1 and as individually the objects of the work of ,his almighty arm4 ,nor is this all4 ,for there is yet another1 and still tenderer1 application of the figure1 when we read of the ,divine voice as saying to ,israel1 ',i have graven thee on the palms of ,my hands4' ,the name of each who loves and trusts and serves is written there2 printed deep in the flesh of the ,sovereign ,christ4 ,we bear in our bodies the marks1 the stigmata that tell whose slaves we are--'the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,and ,he bears in ,his body the marks that tell who ,his servants are4 ,,iv4 ,lastly1 there is suggested by this text the idea of future entrance into the land of the living4 ,the metaphor occurs three times in the final book of ,scripture1 the book which deals with the future and with the last things4 ,and it occurs in all these instances in very remarkable connection4 ,first we read1 in the highly imaginative picture of the final judgment1 that when the thrones are set two books are opened1 one the ,book of ,life1 the other the book in which are written the deeds of men1 and that by these two books men are judged4 ,there is a judgment by conduct4 ,there is also a judgment by the ,book of ,life4 ,that is to say1 the question at last comes to be1 ',is this man's name written in that book8' ,is he a citizen of the kingdom1 and therefore capable of entering into it8 ,has he the life from ,christ in his heart8 ,or1 in other words1 the question is1 first1 has the man who stands at the bar faith in ,jesus ,christ2 and1 second1 has he proved that his faith is genuine and real by the course of his earthly conduct8 ,these are the books from which the judgment is made4 ,further1 we read1 in that blessed vision which stands at the far-off end of all the knowledge of the future which is given to humanity1 the vision of the ,city of ,god 'that came down from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband1' that only they enter in there who are 'written in the ,lamb's ,book of ,life4' ,only citizens are capable of entrance into the city4 ,aliens are necessarily shut out4 ,the ,lord1 when ,he writeth up ,his people1 shall count that this man was born there1 though he never trod its streets while on earth1 and1 therefore1 can enter into his native home4 ,further1 in one of the letters to the seven churches our ,lord gives as a promise to him that overcometh1 ',i will not blot his name out of the ,book of ,life1 but ,i will confess his name4' ,what need we care what other people may think about us1 or whether the 'hollow wraith of dying fame' that comes like a nimbus round some men may fade wholly or no1 so long as we may be sure of acknowledgment and praise from ,him from whom acknowledgment and praise are precious indeed4 ,i have but one or two more words to add4 ,remember that ,paul had no hesitation in taking upon himself to declare that the names of these anonymous saints in ,philippi were written in the ,book of ,life4 ,what business had he to do that8 ,had he looked over the pages1 and marked the entries8 ,he had simply the right of estimating their state by their conduct4 ,he saw their works2 he knew that these works were the fruit of their faith2 and he knew that1 therefore1 their faith had united them to ,jesus ,christ4 ,so1 ,christian men and women1 two things3 show your faith by your works1 and make it impossible for anybody that looks at you to doubt what ,king you serve1 and to what city you belong4 ,again1 do not ask1 ',is my name there8' ,ask1 ',have ,i faith1 and does my faith work the works that belong to the ,kingdom of ,heaven8' ,remember that names can be blotted out of the book4 ,the metaphor has often been pressed into the service of a doctrine of unconditional and irreversible predestination4 ,but rightly looked at1 it points in the opposite direction4 ,remember ,moses's agonised cry1 ',blot me out of ,thy book'2 and the ,divine answer1 ',him that sinneth against ,me1 his name will ,i blot out of ,my book4' ,and remember that it is only to 'him that overcometh' that the promise is made1 ',i will not blot him out4' ,we are made partakers of ,christ if we 'hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end4' ,remember that it depends upon ourselves whether our names are there or not4 ,john ,bunyan describes the armed man who came up to the table1 where the man with the book and the inkhorn was seated1 and said3 ',set down my name4' ,and you and ,i may do that4 ,if we cast ourselves on ,jesus ,christ and yield our wills to be guided by ,him1 and give our lives for ,his service1 then ,he will write our names in ,his book4 ,if we trust ,him we shall be citizens of the ,city of ,god2 shall be filled with the life of ,christ2 shall be objects of an individualising love and care2 shall be accepted in that ,day2 and shall enter in through the gates into the city4 ',they that forsake me shall be written on the earth'2 and there wiped out as are the children's scribbles on the sand when the ocean come up4 ,they that trust in ,jesus ,christ shall have their names written in the ,book of ,life2 graven on the ,high ,priest's breastplate1 and inscribed on ,his mighty hand and ,his faithful heart4 ,,rejoice ,,evermore ',rejoice in the ,lord alway2 and again ,i say1 rejoice6'--,,phil4 iv4 #d4 ,it has been well said that this whole epistle may be summed up in two short sentences3 ',i rejoice'2 ',rejoice ye6' ,the word and the thing crop up in every chapter1 like some hidden brook1 ever and anon sparkling out into the sunshine from beneath the shadows4 ,this continual refrain of gladness is all the more remarkable if we remember the ,apostle's circumstances4 ,the letter shows him to us as a prisoner1 dependent on ,christian charity for a living1 having no man like-minded to cheer his solitude2 uncertain as to 'how it shall be with me1' and obliged to contemplate the possibility of being 'offered1' or poured out as a libation1 'on the sacrifice and service of your faith4' ,yet out of all the darkness his clear notes ring jubilant2 and this sunny epistle comes from the pen of a prisoner who did not know but that to-morrow he might be a martyr4 ,the exhortation of my text1 with its urgent reiteration1 picks up again a dropped thread which the ,apostle had first introduced in the commencement of the previous chapter4 ,he had there evidently been intending to close his letter1 for he says3 ',finally1 my brethren1 rejoice in the ,lord'2 but he is drawn away into that precious personal digression which we could so ill spare1 in which he speaks of his continual aspiration and effort towards things not yet attained4 ,and now he comes back again1 picks up the thread once more1 and addresses himself to his parting counsels4 ,the reiteration in the text becomes the more impressive if we remember that it is a repetition of a former injunction4 ',rejoice in the ,lord alway'2 and then he seems to hear one of his ,philippian readers saying3 ',why6 you told us that once before6' ',yes1' he says1 'and you shall hear it once again2 so important is my commandment that it shall be repeated a third time4 ,so ,i again say1 rejoice6' ,christian gladness is an important element in ,christian duty2 and the difficulty and necessity of it are indicated by the urgent repetition of the injunction4 ,i4 ,so1 then1 the first thought that suggests itself to me from these words is this1 that close union with ,jesus ,christ is the foundation of real gladness4 ,pray note that 'the ,lord' here1 as is usually the case in ,paul's ,epistles1 means1 not the ,divine ,father1 but ,jesus ,christ4 ,and then observe1 again1 that the phrase ',rejoice in the ,lord' has a deeper meaning than we sometimes attach to it4 ,we are accustomed to speak of rejoicing in a thing or a person1 which1 or who1 is thereby represented as being the occasion or the object of our gladness4 ,and though that is true1 in reference to our ,lord1 it is not the whole sweep and depth of the ,apostle's meaning here4 ,he is employing that phrase1 'in the ,lord1' in the profound and comprehensive sense in which it generally appears in his letters1 and especially in those almost contemporaneous with this ,epistle to the ,philippians4 ,i need only refer you1 in passing1 without quoting passages1 to the continual use of that phrase in the nearly contemporaneous letter to the ,ephesians1 in which you will find that 'in ,christ ,jesus' is the signature stamped upon all the gifts of ,god1 and upon all the possible blessings of the ,christian life4 ',in ,him' we have the inheritance2 in ,him we obtain redemption through ,his blood1 even the forgiveness of sins2 in ,him we are 'blessed with all spiritual blessings4' ,and the deepest description of the essential characteristic of a ,christian life is1 to ,paul1 that it is a life in ,christ4 ,it is this close union which the ,apostle here indicates as being the foundation and the source of all that gladness which he desires to see spreading its light over the ,christian life4 ',rejoice in the ,lord'--being in ,him be glad4 ,now that great thought has two aspects1 one deep and mysterious1 one very plain and practical4 ,as to the former1 ,i need not spend much time upon it4 ,we believe1 ,i suppose1 in the superhuman character and nature of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we believe in ,his divinity4 ,we can therefore believe reasonably in the possibility of a union between ,him and us1 transcending all the forms of human association1 and being really like that which the creature holds to its ,creator in regard to its physical being4 ',in him we live1 and move1 and have our being' is the very foundation truth in regard to the constitution of the universe4 ',in ,him we live1 and move1 and have our being' is the very foundation truth in regard to the relation of the ,christian soul to ,jesus ,christ4 ,all earthly unions are but poor adumbrations from afar of that deep1 transcendent1 mysterious1 but most real union1 by which the ,christian soul is in ,christ1 as the branch is in the vine1 the member in the body1 the planet in its atmosphere1 and by which ,christ is in the ,christian soul as the life sap is in every twig1 as the mysterious vital power is in every member4 ,thus abiding in ,him1 in a manner which admits of no parallel nor of any doubt1 we may1 and we shall1 be glad4 ,but then1 passing from the mysterious1 we come to the plain4 ,to be 'in ,christ' which is commended to us here as the basis of all true blessedness1 means that the whole of our nature shall be occupied with1 and fastened upon1 ,him2 thought turning to ,him1 the tendrils of the heart clinging and creeping around ,him1 the will submitting itself in glad obedience to ,his beloved and supreme commandments1 the aspirations1 and desires feeling out after ,him as the sufficient and eternal good1 and all the current of our being setting towards ,him in earnestness of desire1 and resting in ,him in tranquillity of possession4 ,thus 'in ,christ' we may all be4 ,and1 says ,paul1 in the great words of my text1 such a union1 reciprocal and close1 is the secret of all blessedness4 ,if thus we are wedded to that ,lord1 and ,his life is in us and ours enclosed in ,him1 then there is such correspondence between our necessities and our supplies as that there is no room for aching emptiness2 no gnawing of unsatisfied longings1 but the blessedness that comes from having found that which we seek1 and in the finding being stimulated to a still closer1 happier1 and not restless search after fuller possession4 ,the man that knows where to get anything and everything that he needs1 and to whom desires are but the prophets of instantaneous fruition2 surely that man has in his possession the talismanic secret of perpetual gladness4 ,they who thus dwell in ,christ by faith1 love1 obedience1 imitation1 aspiration1 and enjoyment1 are like men housed in some strong fortress1 who can look out over all the fields alive with enemies1 and feel that they are safe4 ,they who thus dwell in ,christ gain command over themselves2 and because they can bridle passions1 and subdue hot and impossible desires1 and keep themselves well in hand1 have stanched one chief source of unrest and sadness1 and have opened one pure and sparkling fountain of unfailing gladness4 ,to rule myself because ,christ rules me is no small part of the secret of blessedness4 ,and they who thus dwell in ,christ have the purest joy1 the joy of self-forgetfulness4 ,he that is absorbed in a great cause2 he whose pitiful1 personal individuality has passed out of his sight2 he who is swallowed up by devotion to another1 by aspiration after 'something afar from the sphere of our sorrow1' has found the secret of gladness4 ,and the man who thus can say1 ',i live3 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me1' this is the man who will ever rejoice4 ,the world may not call such a temper gladness4 ,it is as unlike the sputtering1 flaring1 foul-smelling joys which it prizes--like those filthy but bright ',lucigens' that they do night work by in great factories--it is as unlike the joy of the world as these are to the calm1 pure moonlight which they insult4 ,the one is of heaven1 and the other is the foul product of earth1 and smokes to extinction swiftly4 ,,ii4 ,so1 secondly1 notice that this joy is capable of being continuous4 ',rejoice in the ,lord always1' says ,paul4 ,that is a hard nut to crack4 ,i can fancy a man saying1 ',what is the use of giving me such exhortations as this8 ,my gladness is largely a matter of temperament1 and ,i cannot rule my moods4 ,my gladness is largely a matter of circumstances1 and ,i do not determine these4 ,how vain it is to tell me1 when my heart is bleeding1 or beating like a sledge-hammer1 to be glad6' ,yes6 ,temperament has a great deal to do with joy2 and circumstances have a great deal to do with it2 but is not the mission of the ,gospel to make us masters of temperament1 and independent of circumstances8 ,is not the possibility of living a life that has no dependence upon externals1 and that may persist permanently through all varieties of mood1 the very gift that ,christ ,himself has come to bestow upon us--bringing us into communion with ,himself1 and so making us lords of our own inward nature and of externals3 so that 'though the fig-tree shall not blossom1 and there be no fruit in the vine1' yet we may 'rejoice in the ,lord1 and be glad in the ,god of our salvation4' ,if a ship has plenty of water in its casks or tanks in its hold1 it does not matter whether it is sailing through fresh water or salt4 ,and if you and ,i have that union with ,jesus ,christ of which my text speaks1 then we shall be1 not wholly1 but with indefinite increase of approximation towards the ideal1 independent of circumstances and masters of our temperaments4 ,and so it is possible1 if not absolutely to reach this fair achievement of an unbroken continuity of gladness1 at least to bring the lucent points so close to one another as that the intervals of darkness between shall be scarcely visible1 and the whole will seem to form one continuous ring of light4 ,brother1 if you and ,i can keep near ,jesus ,christ always--and ,i suppose we can do that in sorrow as in joy--,he will take care that our keeping near ,him will not want its reward in that blessed continuity of felt repose which is very near the sunniness of gladness4 ,for1 if we in the ,lord sorrow1 we may1 then1 simultaneously1 in the ,lord rejoice4 ,the two things may go together1 if in the one mood and the other we are in union with ,him4 ,the bitterness of the bitterest calamity is taken away from it when it does not separate us from ,jesus ,christ4 ,and just as the mother is specially tender with her sick child1 and just as we have often found that the sympathy of friends comes to us1 when need and grief are upon us1 in a fashion that would have been incredible beforehand1 so it is surely true that ,jesus ,christ can1 and does1 soften ,his tone1 and select the tokens of ,his presence with especial tenderness for a wounded heart2 so as that sorrow in the ,lord passes into joy in the ,lord4 ,and if that be so1 then the pillar which was cloud in the sunshine brightens into fire as night falls on the desert4 ,but it is not only that this divine gladness is consistent with the sorrow that is often necessary for us1 but also that the continuity of such gladness is secured1 because in ,christ there are open for us sources of blessedness in what is else a dry and thirsty land4 ,if you would take this epistle at your leisure1 and run over it in order to note the various occasions of joy which the ,apostle expresses for himself1 and commends to his brethren1 you would see how beautifully they reveal to us the power of communion with ,jesus ,christ1 to find honey in the rock1 good in everything1 and a reason for thankful gladness in all events4 ,i have not time1 at this stage of my sermon1 to do more than just glance at these4 ,we find1 for instance1 that a very large portion of the joy which he declares fills his own heart1 and which he commends to these ,philippians1 arises from the recognition of good in others4 ,he speaks to them of being his 'joy and crown4' ,he tells them that in his sorrows and imprisonment1 their 'fellowship in the ,gospel1 from the first day until now1' had brought a whiff of gladness into the close air of the prison cell4 ,he begs them to be ,christlike in order that they may 'fulfil his joy'2 and he may lose himself in others' blessings1 and therein find gladness4 ,a large portion of his joy came from very common things4 ,a large portion of the joy that he commends to them he contemplates as coming to them from small matters4 ,they were to be glad because ,timothy came with a message from the ,apostle4 ,he is glad because he hears of their well-being1 and receives a little contribution from them for his daily necessities4 ,a large portion of his gladness came from the spread of ,christ's kingdom4 ',christ is preached1' says he1 with a flash of triumph1 'and ,i therein do rejoice2 yea1 and will rejoice4' ,and1 most beautiful of all1 no small portion of his gladness came from the prospect of martyrdom4 ',if ,i be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith1 ,i joy1 and rejoice with you all2 and do ye joy and rejoice with me4' ,now1 put all these things together and they just come to this1 that a heart in union with ,jesus ,christ can find streams in the desert1 joys blossoming as the rose1 in places that to the un-,christlike eye are wilderness and solitary1 and out of common things it can bring the purest gladness and draw a tribute and revenue of blessedness even from the prospect of ,god-sent sorrows4 ,dear brethren1 if you and ,i have not learned the secret of modest and unselfish delights1 we shall vainly seek for joy in the vulgar excitements and coarse titillations of appetites and desires which the world offers4 ',calm pleasures there abide' in ,christ4 ,the northern lights are weird and bright1 but they belong to midwinter1 and they come from electric disturbances1 and portend rough weather afterwards4 ,sunshine is silent1 steadfast1 pure4 ,better to walk in that light than to be led astray by fantastic and perishable splendours4 ',rejoice in the ,lord always4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 such gladness is an important part of ,christian duty4 ,as ,i have said1 the urgency of the command indicates both its importance and its difficulty4 ,it is important that professing ,christians should be glad ,christians 7with the joy that is drawn from ,jesus ,christ1 of course1 ,i mean71 because they thereby become walking advertisements and living witnesses for ,him4 ,a gloomy1 melancholy1 professing ,christian is a poor recommendation of his faith4 ,if you want to 'adorn the doctrine of ,christ' you will do it a great deal more by a bright face1 that speaks of a calm heart1 calm because filled with ,christ1 than by many more ambitious efforts4 ,this gladness is important because1 without it1 there will be little good work done1 and little progress made4 ,it is important1 surely1 for ourselves1 for it can be no small matter that we should be able to have travelling with us all through the desert that mystical rock which follows with its streams of water1 and ever provides for us the joys that we need4 ,in every aspect1 whether as regards men who take their notions of ,christ and of ,christianity1 a great deal more from the concrete examples of both in human lives than from books and sermons1 or from the ,bible itself--or as regards the work which we have to do1 or as regards our own inward life1 it is all-important that we should have that close union with ,jesus ,christ which cannot but result in pure and holy gladness4 ,but the difficulty1 as well as the importance1 of the obligation1 are expressed by the stringent repetition of the commandment1 ',and again ,i say1 ,rejoice4' ,when objections arise1 when difficulties present themselves1 ,i repeat the commandment again1 in the teeth of them all2 and ,i know what ,i mean when ,i am saying it4 ,thus1 thought ,paul1 we need to make a definite effort to keep ourselves in touch with ,jesus ,christ1 or else gladness1 and a great deal besides1 will fade away from our grasp4 ,and there are two things that you have to do if you would obey the commandment4 ,the one is the direct effort at fostering and making continuous your fellowship with ,jesus ,christ1 through your life2 and the other is looking out for the bright bits in your life1 and making sure that you do not sullenly and foolishly1 perhaps with vain regrets after vanished blessings1 or perhaps with vain murmurings about unattained good1 obscure to your sight the mercies that you have1 and so cheat yourselves of the occasions for thankfulness and joy4 ,there are people who1 if there be ever such a little bit of a fleecy film of cloud low down on their horizon1 can see nothing of the sparkling blue arch above them for looking at that1 and who behave as if the whole sky was one roof of doleful grey4 ,do not you do that6 ,there is always enough to be thankful for4 ,lay hold of ,christ1 and be sure that you open your eyes to ,his gifts4 ,surely1 dear friends1 if there be offered to us1 as there is1 a gladness which is perfect in the two points in which all other gladness fails1 it is wise for us to take it4 ,the commonplace which all men believe1 and most men neglect1 is that nothing short of an infinite ,person can fill a finite soul4 ,and if we look for our joys anywhere but to ,jesus ,christ1 there will always be some bit of our nature which1 like the sulky elder brother in the parable1 will scowl at the music and dancing1 and refuse to come in4 ,all earthly joys are transient as well as partial4 ,is it not better that we should have gladness that will last as long as we do1 that we can hold in our dying hands1 like a flower clasped in some cold palm laid in the coffin1 that we shall find again when we have crossed the bar1 that will grow and brighten and broaden for evermore8 ,my joy shall remain 4 4 4 full4 ,,how ,,to ,,obey ,,an ,,impossible ,,injunction ',be careful for nothing2 but in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4'--,,phil4 iv4 #f4 ,it is easy for prosperous people1 who have nothing to trouble them1 to give good advices to suffering hearts2 and these are generally as futile as they are easy4 ,but who was he who here said to the ,church at ,philippi1 ',be careful for nothing8' ,a prisoner in a ,roman prison2 and when ,rome fixed its claws it did not usually let go without drawing blood4 ,he was expecting his trial1 which might1 so far as he knew1 very probably end in death4 ,everything in the future was entirely dark and uncertain4 ,it was this man1 with all the pressure of personal sorrows weighing upon him1 who1 in the very crisis of his life1 turned to his brethren in ,philippi1 who had far fewer causes of anxiety than he had1 and cheerfully bade them 'be careful for nothing1 but in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 make their requests known unto ,god4' ,had not that bird learned to sing when his cage was darkened8 ,and do you not think that advice of that sort1 coming not from some one perched up on a safe hillock to the strugglers in the field below1 but from a man in the thick of the fight1 would be like a trumpet-call to them who heard it8 ,now1 here are two things4 ,there is an apparently perfectly impossible advice1 and there is the only course that will make it possible4 ,i4 ,an apparently impossible advice4 ',be careful for nothing4' ,i do not need to remind you--for ,i suppose that we all know it--that that word 'careful1' in a great many places in the ,new ,testament1 does not mean what1 by the slow progress of change in the significance of words1 it has come to mean to-day2 but it means what it should still mean1 'full of care1' and 'care' meant1 not prudent provision1 forethought1 the occupation of a man's common-sense with his duty and his work and his circumstances1 but it meant the thing which of all others unfits a man most for such prudent provision1 and that is1 the nervous irritation of a gnawing anxiety which1 as the word in the original means1 tears the heart apart and makes a man quite incapable of doing the wise thing1 or seeing the wise thing to do1 in the circumstances4 ,we all know that2 so that ,i do not need to dwell upon it4 ',careful' here means neither more nor less than 'anxious4' ,but ,i may just remind you how harm has been done1 and good has been lost and missed1 by people reading that modern meaning into the word4 ,it is the same word which ,christ employed in the exhortation ',take no thought for to-morrow4' ,it is a great pity that ,christian people sometimes get it into their heads that ,christ prohibited what common-sense demands1 and what everybody practises4 ',taking thought for the morrow' is not only our duty1 but it is one of the distinctions which make us 'much better than' the fowls of the air1 that have no barns in which to store against a day of need4 ,but when our ,lord said1 ',take no thought for the morrow1' he did not mean ',do not lay yourselves out to provide for common necessities and duties1' but ',do not fling yourselves into a fever of anxiety1 nor be too anxious to anticipate the fashion of uncertain evils4' ,but even with that explanation1 is it not like an unreachable ideal that ,paul puts forward here8 ',be anxious about nothing'--how can a man who has to face the possibilities that we all have to face1 and who knows himself to be as weak to deal with them as we all are3 how can he help being anxious8 ,there is no more complete waste of breath than those sage and reverend advices which people give us1 not to do the things1 nor to feel the emotions1 which our position make absolutely inevitable and almost involuntary4 ,here1 for instance1 is a man surrounded by all manner of calamity and misfortune2 and some well-meaning but foolish friend comes to him1 and1 without giving him a single reason for the advice1 says1 ',cheer up6 my friend4' ,why should he cheer up8 ,what is there in his circumstances to induce him to fall into any other mood8 ,or some unquestionable peril is staring him full in the face1 coming nearer and nearer to him1 and some well-meaning1 loose-tongued friend1 says to him1 ',do not be afraid6'--but he ought to be afraid4 ,that is about all that worldly wisdom and morality have to say to us1 when we are in trouble and anxiety4 ',shut your eyes very hard1 and make believe very much1 and you will not fear4' ,an impossible exhortation6 ,just as well bid a ship in the ,bay of ,biscay not to rise and fall upon the wave1 but to keep an even keel4 ,just as well tell the willows in the river-bed that they are not to bend when the wind blows1 as come to me1 and say to me1 ',be careful about nothing4' ,unless you have a great deal more than that to say1 ,i must be1 and ,i ought to be1 anxious1 about a great many things4 ,instead of anxiety being folly1 it will be wisdom2 and the folly will consist in not opening our eyes to facts1 and in not feeling emotions that are appropriate to the facts which force themselves against our eyeballs4 ,threadbare maxims1 stale1 musty old commonplaces of unavailing consolation and impotent encouragement say to us1 ',do not be anxious4' ,we try to stiffen our nerves and muscles in order to bear the blow2 or some of us1 more basely still1 get into a habit of feather-headed levity1 making no forecasts1 nor seeing even what is plainest before our eyes4 ,but all that is of no use when once the hot pincers of real trouble1 impending or arrived1 lay hold of our hearts4 ,then of all idle expenditures of breath in the world there is none to the wrung heart more idle and more painful than the one that says1 ,be anxious about nothing4 ,,ii4 ,so we turn to the only course that makes the apparent impossibility possible4 ,paul goes on to direct to the mode of feeling and action which will give exemption from the else inevitable gnawing of anxious forethought4 ,he introduces his positive counsel with an eloquent ',but1' which implies that what follows is the sure preservative against the temper which he deprecates2 ',but in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4' ,there are1 then1 these alternatives4 ,if you do not like to take the one1 you are sure to have to take the other4 ,there is only one way out of the wood1 and it is this which ,paul expands in these last words of my text4 ,if a man does not pray about everything1 he will be worried about most things4 ,if he does pray about everything1 he will not be troubled beyond what is good for him1 about anything4 ,so there are these alternatives2 and we have to make up our minds which of the two we are going to take4 ,the heart is never empty4 ,if not full of ,god1 it will be full of the world1 and of worldly care4 ,luther says somewhere that a man's heart is like a couple of millstones2 if you don't put something between them to grind1 they will grind each other4 ,it is because ,god is not in our hearts that the two stones rub the surface off one another4 ,so the victorious antagonist of anxiety is trust1 and the only way to turn gnawing care out of my heart and life is to usher ,god into it1 and to keep him resolutely in it4 ',in everything4' ,if a thing is great enough to threaten to make me anxious1 it is great enough for me to talk to ,god about4 ,if ,he and ,i are on a friendly footing1 the instinct of friendship will make me speak4 ,if so1 how irrelevant and superficial seem to be discussions whether we ought to pray about worldly things1 or confine our prayers entirely to spiritual and religious matters4 ,why6 if ,god and ,i are on terms of friendship and intimacy of communication1 there will be no question as to what ,i am to talk about to ,him2 ,i shall not be able to keep silent as to anything that interests me4 ,and we are not right with ,god unless we have come to the point that entire openness of speech marks our communications with ,him1 and that1 as naturally as men1 when they come home from business1 like to tell their wives and children what has happened to them since they left home in the morning1 so naturally we talk to our ,friend about everything that concerns us4 ',in everything let your requests be made known unto ,god4' ,that is the wise course1 because a multitude of little pimples may be quite as painful and dangerous as a large ulcer4 ,a cloud of gnats may put as much poison into a man with their many stings as will a snake with its one bite4 ,and if we are not to get help from ,god by telling ,him about little things1 there will be very little of our lives that we shall tell ,him about at all4 ,for life is a mountain made up of minute flakes4 ,the years are only a collection of seconds4 ,every man's life is an aggregate of trifles4 ',in everything make your requests known4' ',by prayer'--that does not mean1 as a superficial experience of religion is apt to suppose it to mean1 actual petition that follows4 ,for a great many of us1 the only notion that we have of prayer is asking ,god to give us something that we want4 ,but there is a far higher region of communion than that1 in which the soul seeks and finds1 and sits and gazes1 and aspiring possesses1 and possessing aspires4 ,where there is no spoken petition for anything affecting outward life1 there may be the prayer of contemplation such as the burning seraphs before the ,throne do ever glow with4 ,the prayer of silent submission1 in which the will bows itself before ,god2 the prayer of quiet trust1 in which we do not so much seek as cleave2 the prayer of still fruition--these1 in ,paul's conception of the true order1 precede 'supplication4' ,and if we have such union with ,god1 by realising ,his presence1 by aspiration after ,himself1 by trusting ,him and submission to ,him1 then we have the victorious antagonist of all our anxieties1 and the 'cares that infest the day shall fold their tents' and 'silently steal away4' ,for if a man has that union with ,god which is effected by such prayer as ,i have been speaking about1 it gives him a fixed point on which to rest amidst all perturbations4 ,it is like bringing a light into a chamber when thunder is growling outside1 which prevents the flashing of the lightning from being seen4 ,years ago an ingenious inventor tried to build a vessel in such a fashion as that the saloon for passengers should remain upon one level1 howsoever the hull might be tossed by waves4 ,it was a failure1 if ,i remember rightly4 ,but if we are thus joined to ,god1 ,he will do for our inmost hearts what the inventor tried to do with the chamber within his ship4 ,the hull may be buffeted1 but the inmost chamber where the true self sits will be kept level and unmoved4 ,brethren6 prayer in the highest sense1 by which ,i mean the exercise of aspiration1 trust1 submission--prayer will fight against and overcome all anxieties4 ',by prayer and supplication4' ,actual petition for the supply of present wants is meant by 'supplication4' ,to ask for that supply will very often be to get it4 ,to tell ,god what ,i think ,i need goes a long way always to bringing me the gift that ,i do need4 ,if ,i have an anxiety which ,i am ashamed to speak to ,him1 that silence is a sign that ,i ought not to have it2 and if ,i have a desire that ,i do not feel ,i can put into a prayer1 that feeling is a warning to me not to cherish such a desire4 ,there are many vague and oppressive anxieties that come and cast a shadow over our hearts1 that if we could once define1 and put into plain words1 we should find that we vaguely fancied them a great deal larger than they were1 and that the shadow they flung was immensely longer than the thing that flung it4 ,put your anxieties into definite speech4 ,it will reduce their proportions to your own apprehension very often4 ,speaking them1 even to a man who may be able to do little to help1 eases them wonderfully4 ,put them into definite speech to ,god2 and there are very few of them that will survive4 ',by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving4' ,that thanksgiving is always in place4 ,if one only considers what he has from ,god1 and realises that whatever he has he has received from the hands of divine love1 thanksgiving is appropriate in any circumstances4 ,do you remember when ,paul was in gaol at the very city to which this letter went1 with his back bloody with the rod1 and his feet fast in the stocks1 how then he and ,silas 'prayed and sang praises to ,god4' ,therefore the obedient earthquake came and set them loose4 ,perhaps it was some reminiscence of that night which moved him to say to the ,church that knew the story--of which perhaps the gaoler was still a member--',by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known unto ,god4' ,one aching nerve can monopolise our attention and make us unconscious of the health of all the rest of the body4 ,so1 a single sorrow or loss obscures many mercies4 ,we are like men who live in a narrow alley in some city1 with great buildings on either side1 towering high above their heads1 and only a strip of sky visible4 ,if we see up in that strip a cloud1 we complain and behave as if the whole heavens1 right away round the three hundred and sixty degrees of the horizon1 were black with tempest4 ,but we see only a little strip1 and there is a great deal of blue in the sky2 however1 there may be a cloud in the patch that we see above our heads1 from the alley where we live4 ,everything1 rightly understood1 that ,god sends to men is a cause of thanksgiving2 therefore1 'in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4' ',casting all your anxieties upon him1' says ,peter1 'for ,he'--not is anxious2 that dark cloud does not rise much above the earth--but1 ',he careth for you4' ,and that loving guardianship and tender care is the one shield1 armed with which we can smile at the poisoned darts of anxiety which would else fester in our hearts and1 perhaps1 kill4 ',be careful for nothing'--an impossibility unless 'in everything' we make 'our requests known unto ,god4' ,,the ,,warrior ,,peace ',the peace of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 shall keep your hearts and minds through ,christ ,jesus4'--,,phil4 iv4 #g4 ,the great ,mosque of ,constantinople was once a ,christian church1 dedicated to the ,holy ,wisdom4 ,over its western portal may still be read1 graven on a brazen plate1 the words1 ',come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy-laden1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,for four hundred years noisy crowds have fought1 and sorrowed1 and fretted1 beneath the dim inscription in an unknown tongue2 and no eye has looked at it1 nor any heart responded4 ,it is but too sad a symbol of the reception which ,christ's offers meet amongst men1 and--blessed be ,his name6--its prominence there1 though unread and unbelieved1 is a symbol of the patient forbearance with which rejected blessings are once and again pressed upon us1 and ,he stretches out ,his hand though no man regards1 and calls though none do hear4 ,my text is ,christ's offer of peace4 ,the world offers excitement1 ,christ promises repose4 ,i4 ,mark1 then1 first1 this peace of ,god4 ,what is it8 ,what are its elements8 ,whence does it come8 ,it is of ,god1 as being its ,source1 or ,origin1 or ,author1 or ,giver1 but it belongs to ,him in a yet deeper sense1 for ,himself is ,peace4 ,and in some humble but yet real fashion our restless and anxious hearts may partake in the divine tranquillity1 and with a calm repose1 kindred with that rest from which it is derived1 may enter into ,his rest4 ,if that be too high a flight1 at all events the peace that may be ours was ,christ's1 in the perfect and unbroken tranquillity of ,his perfect ,manhood4 ,what1 then1 are its elements8 ,the peace of ,god must1 first of all1 be peace with ,god4 ,conscious friendship with ,him is indispensable to all true tranquillity4 ,where that is absent there may be the ignoring of the disturbed relationship2 but there will be no peace of heart4 ,the indispensable requisite is 'a conscience like a sea at rest4' ,unless we have made sure work of our relationship with ,god1 and know that ,he and we are friends1 there is no real repose possible for us4 ,in the whirl of excitement we may forget1 and for a time turn away from1 the realities of our relation to ,him1 and so get such gladness as is possible to a life not rooted in conscious friendship with ,him4 ,but such lives will be like some of those sunny islands in the ,eastern ,pacific1 extinct volcanoes1 where nature smiles and all things are prodigal and life is easy and luxuriant2 but some day the clouds gather1 and the earth shakes1 and fire pours forth1 and the sea boils1 and every living thing dies1 and darkness and desolation come4 ,you are living1 brother1 upon a volcano's side1 unless the roots of your being are fixed in a ,god who is your friend4 ,again1 the peace of ,god is peace within ourselves4 ,the unrest of human life comes largely from our being torn asunder by contending impulses4 ,conscience pulls this way1 passion that4 ,desire says1 ',do this'2 reason1 judgment1 prudence say1 ',it is at your peril if you do6' ,one desire fights against another1 and so the man is rent asunder4 ,there must be the harmonising of all the ,being if there is to be real rest of spirit4 ,no longer must it be like the chaos ere the creative word was spoken1 where1 in gloom1 contending elements strove4 ,again1 men have not peace1 because in most of them everything is topmost that ought to be undermost1 and everything undermost that ought to be uppermost4 ',beggars are on horseback' 7and we know where they ride71 'and princes walking4' ,the more regal part of the man's nature is suppressed1 and trodden under foot2 and the servile parts1 which ought to be under firm restraint1 and guided by a wise hand1 are too often supreme1 and wild work comes of that4 ,when you put the captain and the officers1 and everybody on board that knows anything about navigation1 into irons1 and fasten down the hatches on them1 and let the crew and the cabin boys take the helm and direct the ship1 it is not likely that the voyage will end anywhere but on the rocks4 ,multitudes are living lives of unrestfulness1 simply because they have set the lowest parts of their nature upon the throne1 and subordinated the highest to these4 ,our unrest comes from yet another source4 ,we have not peace1 because we have not found and grasped the true objects for any of our faculties4 ,god is the only possession that brings quiet4 ,the heart hungers until it feeds upon ,him4 ,the mind is satisfied with no truth until behind truth it finds a ,person who is true4 ,the will is enslaved and wretched until in ,god it recognises legitimate and absolute authority1 which it is blessing to obey4 ,love puts out its yearnings1 like the filaments that gossamer spiders send out into the air1 seeking in vain for something to fasten upon1 until it touches ,god1 and clings there4 ,there is no rest for a man until he rests in ,god4 ,the reason why this world is so full of excitement is because it is so empty of peace1 and the reason why it is so empty of peace is because it is so void of ,god4 ,the peace of ,god brings peace with ,him1 and peace within4 ,it unites our hearts to fear ,his name1 and draws all the else turbulent and confusedly flowing impulses of the great deep of the spirit after itself1 in a tidal wave1 as the moon draws the waters of the gathered ocean4 ,the peace of ,god is peace with ,him1 and peace within4 ,i need not1 ,i suppose1 do more than say one word about that descriptive clause in my text1 ,it 'passeth understanding4' ,the understanding is not the faculty by which men lay hold of the peace of ,god any more than you can see a picture with your ears or hear music with your eyes4 ,to everything its own organ2 you cannot weigh truth in a tradesman's scales or measure thought with a yard-stick4 ,love is not the instrument for apprehending ,euclid1 nor the brain the instrument for grasping these divine and spiritual gifts4 ,the peace of ,god transcends the understanding1 as well as belongs to another order of things than that about which the understanding is concerned4 ,you must experience it to know it2 you must have it in order that you may feel its sweetness4 ,it eludes the grasp of the wisest1 though it yields itself to the patient and loving heart4 ,,ii4 ,so notice1 in the next place1 what the peace of ,god does4 ,it 'shall keep your hearts and minds4' ,the ,apostle here blends together1 in a very remarkable manner1 the conceptions of peace and of war1 for he employs a purely military word to express the office of this ,divine peace4 ,that word1 'shall keep1' is the same as is translated in another of his letters kept with a garrison--and1 though1 perhaps1 it might be going too far to insist that the military idea is prominent in his mind1 it will certainly not be unsafe to recognise its presence4 ,so1 then1 this ,divine peace takes upon itself warlike functions1 and garrisons the heart and mind4 ,what does he mean by 'the heart and mind'8 ,not1 as the ,english reader might suppose1 two different faculties1 the emotional and the intellectual--which is what we usually roughly mean by our distinction between heart and mind--but1 as is always the case in the ,bible1 the 'heart' means the whole inner man1 whether considered as thinking1 willing1 purposing1 or doing any other inward act2 and the word rendered 'mind' does not mean another part of human nature1 but the whole products of the operations of the heart4 ,the ,revised ,version renders it by 'thoughts1' and that is correct if it be given a wide enough application1 so as to include emotions1 affections1 purposes1 as well as 'thoughts' in the narrower sense4 ,the whole inner man1 in all the extent of its manifold operations1 that indwelling peace of ,god will garrison and guard4 ,so note1 however profound and real that ,divine peace is1 it is to be enjoyed in the midst of warfare4 ,quiet is not quiescence4 ,god's peace is not torpor4 ,the man that has it has still to wage continual conflict1 and day by day to brace himself anew for the fight4 ,the highest energy of action is the result of the deepest calm of heart2 just as the motion of this solid1 and1 as we feel it to be1 immovable world1 is far more rapid through the abysses of space1 and on its own axis1 than any of the motions of the things on its surface4 ,so the quiet heart1 'which moveth altogether if it move at all1' rests whilst it moves1 and moves the more swiftly because of its unbroken repose4 ,that peace of ,god1 which is peace militant1 is unbroken amidst all conflicts4 ,the wise old ,greeks chose for the protectress of ,athens the goddess of ,wisdom1 and whilst they consecrated to her the olive branch1 which is the symbol of peace1 they set her image on the ,parthenon1 helmed and spear-bearing1 to defend the peace1 which she brought to earth4 ,so this heavenly ,virgin1 whom the ,apostle personifies here1 is the 'winged sentry1 all skilful in the wars1' who enters into our hearts and fights for us to keep us in unbroken peace4 ,it is possible day by day to go out to toil and care and anxiety and change and suffering and conflict1 and yet to bear within our hearts the unalterable rest of ,god4 ,deep in the bosom of the ocean1 beneath the region where winds howl and billows break1 there is calm1 but the calm is not stagnation4 ,each drop from these fathomless abysses may be raised to the surface by the power of the sunbeams1 expanded there by their heat1 and sent on some beneficent message across the world4 ,so1 deep in our hearts1 beneath the storm1 beneath the raving winds and the curling waves1 there may be a central repose1 as unlike stagnation as it is unlike tumult2 and the peace of ,god may1 as a warrior1 keep our hearts and minds in ,christ ,jesus4 ,what is the plain ,english of that metaphor8 ,just this1 that a man who has that peace as his conscious possession is lifted above the temptations that otherwise would drag him away4 ,the full cup1 filled with precious wine1 has no room in it for the poison that otherwise might be poured in4 ,as ,jesus ,christ has taught us1 there is such a thing as cleansing a heart in some measure1 and yet because it is 'empty1' though it is 'swept and garnished1' the demons come back again4 ,the best way to be made strong to resist temptation1 is to be lifted above feeling it to be a temptation1 by reason of the sweetness of the peace possessed4 ,oh6 if our hearts were filled1 as they might be filled1 with that divine repose1 do you think that the vulgar1 coarse-tasting baits which make our mouths water now would have any power over us8 ,will a man who bears in his hands jewels of priceless value1 and knows them to be such1 find much temptation when some imitation stone1 made of coloured glass and a tinfoil backing1 is presented to him8 ,will the world draw us away if we are rooted and grounded in the peace of ,god8 ,geologists tell us that climates are changed and creatures are killed by the slow variation of level in the earth4 ,if you and ,i can only heave our lives up high enough1 the foul things that live down below will find the air too pure and keen for them1 and will die and disappear2 and all the vermin that stung and nestled down in the flats will be gone when we get up to the heights4 ,the peace of ,god will keep our hearts and thoughts4 ,,iii4 ,now1 lastly1 notice how we get the peace of ,god4 ,my text is an exuberant promise1 but it is knit on to something before1 by that 'and' at the beginning of the verse4 ,it is a promise1 as all ,god's promises are1 on conditions4 ,and here are the conditions4 ',be careful for nothing2 but in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4' ,that defines the conditions in part2 and the last words of the text itself complete the definition4 ',in ,christ ,jesus' describes1 not so much where we are to be kept1 as a condition under which we shall be kept4 ,how1 then1 can ,i get this peace into my turbulent1 changeful life8 ,i answer1 first1 trust is peace4 ,it is always so2 even when it is misplaced we are at rest4 ,the condition of repose for the human heart is that we shall be 'in ,christ1' who has said1 ',in the world ye shall have tribulation1 but in ,me ye shall have peace4' ,and how may ,i be 'in ,him'8 ,simply by trusting myself to ,him4 ,that brings peace with ,god4 ,the sinless ,son of ,god has died on the ,cross1 a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world1 for yours and for mine4 ,let us trust to that1 and we shall have peace with ,god1 through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and 'in ,him' we have1 by trust1 inward peace1 for ,he1 through our faith1 controls our whole natures1 and ,faith leads the lion in a silken leash1 like ,spenser's ,una4 ,trust in ,christ brings peace amid outward sorrows and conflicts4 ,when the pilot comes on board the captain does not leave the bridge1 but stands by the pilot's side4 ,his responsibility is past1 but his duties are not over4 ,and when ,christ comes into my heart1 my effort1 my judgment1 are not made unnecessary1 or put on one side4 ,let ,him take the command1 and stand beside ,him1 and carry out ,his orders1 and you will find rest to your souls4 ,again1 submission is peace4 ,what makes our troubles is not outward circumstances1 howsoever afflictive they may be1 but the resistance of our spirits to the circumstances4 ,and where a man's will bends and says1 ',not mine but ,thine be done1' there is calm4 ,submission is like the lotion that is applied to mosquito bites--it takes away the irritation1 though the puncture be left4 ,submission is peace1 both as resignation and as obedience4 ,communion is peace4 ,you will get no quiet until you live with ,god4 ,until ,he is at your side you will always be moved4 ,so1 dear friend1 fix this in your minds3 a life without ,christ is a life without peace4 ,without ,him you may have excitement1 pleasure1 gratified passions1 success1 accomplished hopes1 but peace never6 ,you never have had it1 have you8 ,if you live without ,him1 you may forget that you have not ,him1 and you can plunge into the world1 and so lose the consciousness of the aching void1 but it is there all the same4 ,you never will have peace until you go to ,him4 ,there is only one way to get it4 ,the ,christless heart is like the troubled sea that cannot rest4 ,there is no peace for it4 ,but in ,him you can get it for the asking4 ',the chastisement of our peace was laid upon ,him4' ,for our sakes ,he died on the ,cross1 so making peace4 ,trust ,him as your only hope1 ,saviour and friend1 and the ,god of peace will 'fill you with all joy and peace in believing4' ,then bow your wills to ,him in acceptance of ,his providence1 and in obedience to ,his commands1 and so1 'your peace shall be as a river1 and your righteousness as the waves of the sea4' ,then keep your hearts in union and communion with ,him1 and so ,his presence will keep you in perfect peace whilst conflicts last1 and1 with ,him at your side1 you will pass through the valley of the shadow of death undisturbed1 and come to the true ,salem1 the city of peace1 where they beat their swords into ploughshares1 and learn and fear war no more4 ,,think ,,on ,,these ,,things ' 4 4 4 ,whatsoever things are true1 whatsoever things are honest1 whatsoever things are just1 whatsoever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1 whatsoever things are of good report2 if there be any virtue1 and if there be any praise1 think on these things4'--,,phil4 iv4 #h4 ,i am half afraid that some of you may think1 as ,i have at times thought1 that ,i am too old to preach to the young4 ,you would probably listen with more attention to one less remote from you in years1 and may be disposed to discount my advices as quite natural for an old man to give1 and quite unnatural for a young man to take4 ,but1 dear friends1 the message which ,i have to bring to you is meant for all ages1 and for all sorts of people4 ,and1 if ,i may venture a personal word1 ,i proved it1 when ,i stood where you stand1 and it is fresher and mightier to me to-day than it ever was4 ,you are in the plastic period of your lives1 with the world before you1 and the mightier world within to mould as you will2 and you can be almost anything you like1 ,i do not mean in regard to externals1 or intellectual capacities1 for these are only partially in our control1 but in regard to the far more important and real things--viz4 elevation and purity of heart and mind4 ,you are in the period of life to which fair dreams of the future are natural4 ,it is1 as the prophet tells us1 for 'the young man' to 'see visions1' and to ennoble his life thereafter by turning them into realities4 ,generous and noble ideas ought to belong to youth4 ,but you are also in the period when there is a keen joy in mere living1 and when some desires1 which get weaker as years go on1 are very strong1 and may mar youthful purity4 ,so1 taking all these into account1 ,i have thought that ,i could not do better than press home upon you the counsels of this magnificent text1 however inadequately my time may permit of my dealing with them2 for there are dozens of sermons in it1 if one could expand it worthily4 ,but my purpose is distinctly practical1 and so ,i wish just to cast what ,i have to say to you into the answer to three questions1 the three questions that may be asked about everything4 ,what8 ,why8 ,how8 ,i4 ,what1 then1 is the counsel here8 ',think on these things4' ,to begin with1 that advice implies that we can1 and1 therefore1 that we should1 exercise a very rigid control over that part of our lives which a great many of us never think of controlling at all4 ,there are hosts of people whose thoughts are just hooked on to one another by the slightest links of accidental connection1 and who scarcely ever have put a strong hand upon them1 or coerced them into order1 or decided what they are going to let come into their minds1 and what to keep out4 ,circumstances1 the necessities of our daily occupations1 the duties that we owe to one another1 all these make certain streams of thought very necessary1 and to some of us very absorbing4 ,and for the rest--well6 ',he that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down1 without walls'2 anybody can go in1 and anybody can come out4 ,i am sure that amongst young men and women there are multitudes who have never realised how responsible they are for the flow of the waves of that great river that is always coming from the depths of their being1 and have never asked whether the current is bringing down sand or gold4 ,exercise control1 as becomes you1 over the run and drift of your thoughts4 ,i said that many of us had minds like cities broken down4 ,put a guard at the gate1 as they do in some ,continental countries1 and let in no vagrant that cannot show his passport1 and a clear bill of health4 ,now1 that is a lesson that some of you very much want4 ,but1 further1 notice that company of fair guests that you may welcome into the hospitalities of your heart and mind4 ',think on these things'--and what are they8 ,it would be absurd of me to try to exhaust the great catalogue which the ,apostle gives here1 but let me say a word or two about it4 ',whatsoever things are true 4 4 4 think on these things4' ,let your minds be exercised1 breathed1 braced1 lifted1 filled by bringing them into contact with truth1 especially with the highest of all truths1 the truths affecting ,god and your relations to ,him4 ,why should you1 like so many of us1 be living amidst the small things of daily life1 the trifles that are here1 and never coming into vital contact with the greatest things of all1 the truths about ,god and ,christ1 and what you have to do with them1 and what they have to do with you8 ',whatsoever things are true 4 4 4 think on these things4' ',whatsoever things are honest1' or1 as the word more properly and nobly means1 ',whatsoever things are reverent1 or venerable'--let grave1 serious1 solemn thought be familiar to your minds1 not frivolities1 not mean things4 ,there is an old story in ,roman history about the barbarians breaking into the ,capitol1 and their fury being awed into silence1 and struck into immobility1 as they saw1 round and round in the hall1 the august ,senators1 each in his seat4 ,let your minds be like that1 with reverent thoughts clustering on every side2 and when wild passions1 and animal desires1 and low1 mean contemplations dare to cross the threshold1 they will be awed into silence and stillness4 ',whatsoever things are august 4 4 4 think on these things4' ',whatsoever things are just'--let the great1 solemn thought of duty1 obligation1 what ,i ought to be and do1 be very familiar to your consideration and meditation4 ',whatsoever things are just 4 4 4 think on these things4' ',whatsoever things are pure'--let white-robed angels haunt the place4 ,let there be in you a shuddering recoil from all the opposite2 and entertain angels not unawares4 ',whatsoever things are pure 4 4 4 think on these things4' ,now1 these characteristics of thoughts which ,i have already touched upon all belong to a lofty region1 but the ,apostle is not contented with speaking austere things4 ,he goes now into a region tinged with emotion1 and he says1 'whatsoever things are lovely'2 for goodness is beautiful1 and1 in effect1 is the only beautiful4 ',whatsoever things are lovely 4 4 4 think on these things4' ,and 'whatsoever things are of good report'--all the things that men speak well of1 and speak good in the very naming of1 let thoughts of them be in your minds4 ,and then he gathers all up into two words4 ',if there be any virtue'--which covers the ground of the first four1 that he has already spoken about--viz4 true1 venerable1 just1 pure2 and 'if there be any praise'--which resumes and sums up the two last3 'lovely and of good report1' 'think on these things4' ,now1 if my purpose allowed it1 one would like to point out here how the ,apostle accepts the non-,christian notions of the people in whose tongue he was speaking2 and here1 for the only time in his letters1 uses the great ,pagan word 'virtue1' which was a spell amongst the ,greeks1 and says1 ',i accept the world's notion of what is virtuous and praiseworthy1 and ,i bid you take it to your hearts4' ,dear brethren1 ,christianity covers all the ground that the noblest morality has ever attempted to mark out and possess1 and it covers a great deal more4 ',if there be any virtue1 as you ,greeks are fond of talking about1 and if there be any praise1 if there is anything in men which commends noble actions1 think on these things4' ,now1 you will not obey this commandment unless you obey also the negative side of it4 ,that is to say1 you will not think on these fair forms1 and bring them into your hearts1 unless you turn away1 by resolute effort1 from their opposites4 ,there are some1 and ,i am afraid that in a congregation as large as this there must be some representatives of the class1 who seem to turn this apostolic precept right round about1 and whatsoever things are illusory and vain1 whatsoever things are mean1 and frivolous1 and contemptible1 whatsoever things are unjust1 and whatsoever things are impure1 and whatsoever things are ugly1 and whatsoever things are branded with a stigma by all men they think on these things4 ,like the flies that are attracted to a piece of putrid meat1 there are young men who are drawn by all the lustful1 the lewd1 the impure thoughts2 and there are young women who are too idle and uncultivated to have any pleasure in anything higher than gossip and trivial fiction4 ',whatsoever things are noble and lovely1 think on these things1' and get rid of all the others4 ,there are plenty of occasions round about you to force the opposite upon your notice2 and1 unless you shut your door fast1 and double-lock it1 they will be sure to come in3--,popular literature1 the scrappy trivialities that are put into some periodicals1 what they call 'realistic fiction'2 modern ,art1 which has come to be largely the servant of sense2 the ,stage1 which has come--and more is the pity6 for there are enormous possibilities of good in it--to be largely a minister of corruption1 or if not of corruption at least of frivolity--all these things are appealing to you4 ,and some of you young men1 away from the restraints of home1 and in a city1 where you think nobody could see you sowing your wild oats1 have got entangled with them4 ,i beseech you1 cast out all this filth1 and all this meanness and pettiness from your habitual thinkings1 and let the august and the lovely and the pure and the true come in instead4 ,you have the cup in your hand1 you can either press into it clusters of ripe grapes1 and make mellow wine1 or you can squeeze into it wormwood and gall and hemlock and poison-berries2 and1 as you brew1 you have to drink4 ,you have the canvas1 and you are to cover it with the figures that you like best4 ,you can either do as ,fra ,angelico did1 who painted the white walls of every cell in his quiet convent with ,madonnas and angels and risen ,christs1 or you can do like some of those low-toned ,dutch painters1 who never can get above a brass pan and a carrot1 and ugly boors and women1 and fill the canvas with vulgarities and deformities4 ,choose which you will have to keep you company4 ,,ii4 ,now1 let me ask you to think for a moment why this counsel is pressed upon you4 ,let me put the reasons very briefly4 ,they are1 first1 because thought moulds action4 ',as a man thinketh in his heart so is he4' ,one looks round the world1 and all these solid-seeming realities of institutions1 buildings1 governments1 inventions and machines1 steamships and electric telegrams1 laws and governments1 palaces and fortresses1 they are all but embodied thoughts4 ,there was a thought at the back of each of them which took shape4 ,so1 in another sense than the one in which the saying was originally meant1 but yet an august and solemn sense1 'the word is made flesh1' and our thoughts became visible1 and stand round us1 a ghastly company4 ,sooner or later what has been the drift and trend of a man's life comes out1 flashes out sometimes1 and dribbles out at other times1 into visibility in his actions2 and1 just as the thunder follows on the swift passage of the lightning1 so my acts are neither more nor less than the reverberation and after-clap of my thoughts4 ,so if you are entertaining in your hearts and minds this august company of which my text speaks1 your lives will be fair and beautiful4 ,for what does the ,apostle immediately go on to add to our text8 ',these things do'--as you certainly will if you think about them1 and as you certainly will not unless you do4 ,again1 thought and work make character4 ,we come into the world with certain dispositions and bias4 ,but that is not character1 it is only the raw material of character4 ,it is all plastic1 like the lava when it comes out of the volcano4 ,but it hardens1 and whatever else my thought may do1 and whatever effects may follow upon any of my actions1 the recoil of them on myself is the most important effect to me4 ,and there is not a thought that comes into1 and is entertained by a man1 or rolled as a sweet morsel under his tongue1 but contributes its own little but appreciable something to the making of the man's character4 ,i wonder if there is anybody in this chapel now who has been so long accustomed to entertain these angels of whom my text speaks as that to entertain their opposites would be an impossibility4 ,i hope there is4 ,i wonder if there is anybody in this chapel to-night who has been so long accustomed to live amidst the thoughts that are small and trivial and frivolous1 if not amongst those that are impure and abominable1 as that to entertain their opposites seems almost an impossibility4 ,i am afraid there are some4 ,i remember hearing about a ,maori woman who had come to live in one of the cities in ,new ,zealand1 in a respectable station1 and after a year or two of it she left husband and children1 and civilisation1 and hurried back to her tribe1 flung off the ,european garb1 and donned the blanket1 and was happy crouching over the embers on the clay hearth4 ,some of you have become so accustomed to the low1 the wicked1 the lustful1 the impure1 the frivolous1 the contemptible1 that you cannot1 or1 at any rate1 have lost all disposition to rise to the lofty1 the pure1 and the true4 ,once more2 as thought makes deeds1 and thought and deeds make character1 so character makes destiny1 here and hereafter4 ,if you have these blessed thoughts in your hearts and minds1 as your continual companions and your habitual guests1 then1 my friend1 you will have a light within that will burn all independent of externals2 and whether the world smiles or frowns on you1 you will have the true wealth in yourselves2 'a better and enduring substance4' ,you will have peace1 you will be lords of the world1 and having nothing yet may have all4 ,no harm can come to the man who has laid up in his youth1 as the best treasure of old age1 this possession of these thoughts enjoined in my text4 ,and character makes destiny hereafter4 ,what is a man whose whole life has been one long thought about money-making1 or about other objects of earthly ambition1 or about the lusts of the flesh1 and the lusts of the eye1 and the pride of life1 to do in heaven8 ,what would one of those fishes in the sunless caverns of ,america1 which1 by long living in the dark1 have lost their eyes1 do1 if it were brought out into the sunshine8 ,a man will go to his own place1 the place for which he is fitted1 the place for which he has fitted himself by his daily life1 and especially by the trend and the direction of his thoughts4 ,so do not be led away by talk about 'seeing both sides1' about 'seeing life1' about 'knowing what is going on4' ',i would have you simple concerning evil1 and wise concerning good4' ,do not be led away by talk about having your fling1 and sowing your wild oats4 ,you may make an indelible stain on your conscience1 which even forgiveness will not wipe out2 and you may sow your wild oats1 but what will the harvest be8 ',whatsoever a man soweth that'--that--'shall he also reap4' ,would you like all your low thoughts1 all your foul thoughts1 to return and sit down beside you1 and say1 ',we have come to keep you company for ever'8 ',if there be any virtue 4 4 4 think on these things4' ,,iii4 ,now1 lastly1 how is this precept best obeyed8 ,i have been speaking to some extent about that1 and saying that there must be real1 honest1 continuous effort to keep out the opposite1 as well as to bring in the 'things that are lovely and of good report4' ,but there is one more word that ,i must say in answer to the question how this precept can be observed1 and it is just this4 ,all these things1 true1 venerable1 just1 pure1 lovely1 and of good report1 are not things only2 they are embodied in a ,person4 ,for whatever things are fair meet in ,jesus ,christ1 and ,he1 in ,his living self1 is the sum of all virtue and of all praise4 ,so that if we link ourselves to ,him by faith and love1 and take ,him into our hearts and minds1 and abide in ,him1 we have them all gathered together into that ,one4 ,thinking on these things is not merely a meditating upon abstractions1 but it is clutching and living in and with and by the living1 loving ,lord and ,saviour of us all4 ,if ,christ is in my thoughts1 all good things are there4 ,if you trust ,him1 and make him your ,companion1 ,he will help you1 ,he will give you ,his own life1 and in it will give you tastes and desires which will make all these fair thoughts congenial to you1 and will deliver you from the else hopeless bondage of subjection to their very opposites4 ,brethren1 our souls cleave to the dust1 and all our efforts will be foiled1 partially or entirely1 to obey this precept1 unless we remember that it was spoken to people who had previously obeyed a previous commandment1 and had taken ,christ for their ,saviour4 ,we gravitate earthwards1 alas6 after all our efforts1 but if we will put ourselves in ,his hands1 then ,he will be as a ,magnet drawing us upwards1 or rather ,he will give us wings of love and contemplation by which we can soar above that dim spot that men call ,earth1 and walk in the heavenly places4 ,the way by which this commandment can be obeyed is by obeying the other precept of the same ,apostle1 ',set your minds on things which are above1 where ,christ is1 sitting at the right hand of ,god4' ,i beseech you1 take ,christ and enthrone ,him in the very sanctuary of your minds4 ,then you will have all these venerable1 pure1 blessed thoughts as the very atmosphere in which you move4 ',think on these things 4 4 4 these things do6 4 4 4 and the ,god of ,peace shall be with you4' ,,how ,,to ,,say ',,thank ,,you' ',but ,i rejoice in the ,lord greatly1 that now at length ye have revived your thought for me2 wherein ye did indeed take thought1 but ye lacked opportunity4 ,not that ,i speak in respect of want3 for ,i have learned1 in whatsoever state ,i am1 therein to be content4 ,i know how to be abased1 and ,i know also how to abound3 in everything and in all things have ,i learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry1 both to abound and to be in want4 ,i can do all things in ,him that strengtheneth me4 ,howbeit ye did well1 that ye had fellowship with my affliction4'--,,phil4 iv4 #aj-ad 7,r4,v474 ,it is very difficult to give money without hurting the recipient4 ,it is as difficult to receive it without embarrassment and sense of inferiority4 ,paul here shows us how he could handle a delicate subject with a feminine fineness of instinct and a noble self-respect joined with warmest gratitude4 ,he carries the weight of obligation1 is profuse in his thanks1 and yet never crosses the thin line which separates the expression of gratitude from self-abasing exaggeration1 nor that other which distinguishes self-respect in the receiver of benefits from proud unwillingness to be obliged to anybody4 ,few words are more difficult to say rightly than ',thank you4' ,some people speak them reluctantly and some too fluently3 some givers are too exacting in the acknowledgments they expect1 and do not so much give as barter so much help for so much recognition of superiority4 ,the ,philippians had sent to ,paul some money help by ,epaphroditus as we heard before in ,chapter ,,ii41 and this gift he now acknowledges in a paragraph full of autobiographical interest which may be taken as a very model of the money relations between teachers and taught in the church4 ,it is besides an exquisite illustration of the fineness and delicacy of ,paul's nature1 and it includes large spiritual lessons4 ,the stream of the ,apostle's thoughts takes three turns here4 ,there is first the exuberant and delicate expression of his thanks1 then1 as fearing that they might misunderstand his joy in their affection as if it were only selfish gladness that his wants had been met1 he gives utterance to his triumphant and yet humble consciousness of his ,christ-given independence in1 and of1 all circumstances1 and then feeling in a moment that such words1 if they stood alone1 might sound ungrateful1 he again returns to thanks1 but not for their gift so much as for the sympathy expressed in it4 ,we may follow these movements of feeling now4 ,i4 ,the exuberant expression of thanks1 ',i rejoice in the ,lord greatly4' ,there is an instance of his following his own twice-given precept1 ',rejoice in the ,lord always4' ,the ,philippians' care of him was the source of the joy1 and yet it was joy in the ,lord4 ,so we learn the perfect consistency of that joy in ,christ with the full enjoyment of all other sources of joy1 and especially of the joy that arises from ,christian love and friendship4 ,union with ,christ heightens and purifies all earthly relations4 ,nobody should be so tender and so sweet in these as a ,christian4 ,his faith should be like the sunshine blazing out over the meadows making them greener4 ,it should1 and does in the measure of its power1 destroy selfishness and guard us against the evils which sap love and the anxieties which torment it1 against the dread that it may end1 and our hopeless desolation when it does4 ,there is a false ascetic idea of ,christian devotion as if it were a regard to ,christ which made our hearts cold to others1 which is clean against ,paul's experience here4 ,his joy went out in fuller stream towards the ,philippians because it was 'joy in the ,lord4' ,we may just note in passing the tender metaphor by which the ,philippians' renewed thought of him is likened to a tree's putting forth its buds in a gracious springtide1 and may link with it the pretty fancy of an old commentator whom some people call prosaic and puritanical 7,bengel71 that the stormy winter had hindered communication1 and that ,epaphroditus and the gifts came with the opening spring4 ,paul's inborn delicacy and quick considerateness comes beautifully forward in his addition1 to remove any suspicion of his thinking that his friends in ,philippi had been negligent or cold4 ,therefore he adds that he knew that they had always had the will4 ,what had hindered them we do not know4 ,perhaps they had no one to send4 ,perhaps they had not heard that such help would be welcome1 but whatever frost had kept the tree from budding1 he knew that the sap was in it all the same4 ,we may note that trait of true friendship1 confidence in a love that did not express itself4 ,many of us are too exacting in always wanting manifestations of our friend's affection4 ,what cries out for these is not love so much as self-importance which has not had the attention which it thinks its due4 ,how often there have been breaches of intimacy which have no better reason than ',he didn't come to see me often enough'2 ',he hasn't written to me for ever so long'2 ',he does not pay me the attention ,i expect4' ,it is a poor love which is always needing to be assured of another's4 ,it is better to err in believing that there is a store of goodwill in our friends' hearts to us which only needs occasion to be unfolded4 ,one often hears people say that they were quite surprised at the proofs of affection which came to them when they were in trouble4 ,they would have been happier and more nearly right if they had believed in them when there was no need to show them4 ,,ii4 ,consciousness of ,christ-given independence and of 'content' is scarcely ,paul's whole idea here1 though that1 no doubt1 is included4 ,we have no word which exactly expresses the meaning4 ',self-sufficient' is a translation1 but then it has acquired a bad meaning as connoting a false estimate of one's own worth and wisdom4 ,what ,paul means is that whatever be his condition he has in himself enough to meet it4 ,he does not depend on circumstances1 and he does not depend on other people for strength to face them4 ,many words are not needed to insist that only the man of whom these things are true is worth calling a man at all4 ,it is a miserable thing to be hanging on externals and so to be always exposed to the possibility of having to say1 ',they have taken away my ,gods4' ,it is as wretched to be hanging on people4 ',the good man shall be satisfied for himself4' ,the fortress that has a deep well in the yard and plenty of provisions within1 is the only one that can hold out4 ,this independence teaches the true use of all changing circumstances4 ,the consequence of 'learning' therewith to be content is further stated by the ,apostle in terms which perhaps bear some reference to the mysteries of ,greek religion1 since the word rendered ',i have learned the secret' means ,i have been initiated4 ,he can bear either of the two extremes of human experience1 and can keep a calm and untroubled mind whichever of them he has to front4 ,he has the same equable spirit when abased and when abounding4 ,he is like a compensation pendulum which corrects expansions and contractions and keeps time anywhere4 ,i remember hearing of a captain in an ,arctic expedition who had been recalled from the ,tropics and sent straight away to the ,north ,pole4 ,sometimes ,god gives ,his children a similar experience4 ,it is possible for us not only to bear with equal minds both extremes1 but to get the good out of both4 ,it is a hard lesson and takes much conning1 to learn to bear sorrow or suffering or want4 ,they have great lessons to teach us all1 and a character that has not been schooled by one of these dwellers in the dark is imperfect as celery is not in season till frost has touched it4 ,but it is not less difficult to learn how to bear prosperity and abundance1 though we think it a pleasanter lesson4 ,to carry a full cup without spilling is proverbially difficult1 and one sees instances enough of men who were far better men when they were poor than they have ever been since they were rich1 to give a terrible significance to the assertion that it is still more difficult to live a ,christian life in prosperity than in sorrow4 ,but while both threaten1 both may minister to our growth4 ,sorrow will drive1 and joy will draw1 us nearer to ,god4 ,if we are not tempted by abundance to plunge our desires into it1 nor tempted by sorrow to think ourselves hopelessly harmed by it1 both will knit us more closely to our true and changeless good4 ,the centrifugal and centripetal forces both keep the earth in its orbit4 ,it is only when we are independent of circumstances that we are able to get the full good of them4 ,when there is a strong hand at the helm1 the wind1 though it be almost blowing directly against us1 helps us forward1 but otherwise the ship drifts and washes about in the trough4 ,we all need the exhortation to be their master1 for we can do without them and they serve us4 ,paul here lets us catch a glimpse of the inmost secret of his power without which all exhortations to independence are but waste words4 ,he is conscious of a living power flowing through him and making him fit for anything1 and he is not afraid that any one who studies him will accuse him of exaggeration even when he makes the tremendous claim ',i can do all things in ,him that strengtheneth me4' ,that great word is even more emphatic in the original1 not only because1 as the ,revised ,version shows1 it literally is in and not through1 and so suggests again his familiar thought of a vital union with ,jesus1 but also because he uses a compound word which literally means 'strengthening within1' so then the power communicated is breathed into the man1 and in the most literal sense he is 'strong in the ,lord and in the power of ,his might4' ,this inward impartation of strength is the true and only condition of that self-sufficingness which ,paul has just been claiming4 ,stoicism breaks down because it tries to make men apart from ,god sufficient for themselves1 which no man is4 ,to stand alone without ,him is to be weak4 ,circumstances will always be too strong for me1 and sins will be too strong4 ,a ,godless life has a weakness at the heart of its loneliness1 but ,christ and ,i are always in the majority1 and in the face of all foes1 be they ever so many and strong1 we can confidently say1 ',they that be with us are more than they that be with them4' ,the old experience will prove true in our lives1 and though 'they compass us about like bees1' the worst that they can do is only to buzz angrily round our heads1 and their end is in the name of the ,lord to be destroyed4 ,in ourselves we are weak1 but if we are 'rooted1 grounded1 built' on ,jesus1 we partake of the security of the rock of ages to which we are united1 and cannot be swept away by the storm1 so long as it stands unmoved4 ,i have seen a thin hair-stemmed flower growing on the edge of a cataract and resisting the force of its plunge1 and of the wind that always lives in its depths1 because its roots are in a cleft of the cliff4 ,the secret of strength for all men is to hold fast by the 'strong ,son of ,god1' and they only are sufficient in whatsoever state they are1 to whom this loving and quickening voice has spoken the charter ',my grace is sufficient for thee4' ,,iii4 ,the renewed thanks for the loving sympathy expressed in the gift4 ,we have here again an eager anxiety not to be misunderstood as undervaluing the ,philippians' gift4 ,how beautifully the sublimity of the previous words lies side by side with the lowliness and gentleness of these4 ,we note here the combination of that grand independence with loving thankfulness for brotherly help4 ,the self-sufficingness of ,stoicism is essentially inhuman and isolating4 ,it is contrary to ,god's plan and to the fellowship which is meant to knit men together4 ,so we have always to take heed to blend with it a loving welcome to sympathy1 and not to fancy that human help and human kindness is useless4 ,we should be able to do without it1 but that need not make it the less sweet when it comes4 ,we may be carrying water for the march1 but shall not the less prize a brook by the way4 ,our firm souls should be like the rocking stones in ,cornwall1 poised so truly that tempests cannot shake them1 and yet vibrating at the touch of a little child's soft hand4 ,that lofty independence needs to be humanised by grateful acceptance of the refreshment of human sympathy even though we can do without it4 ,paul shows us here what is the true thing in a brother's help for which to be thankful4 ,the reason why he was glad of their help was because it spoke to his heart and told him that they were making themselves sharers with him in his troubles4 ,as he tells us in the beginning of the letter1 their fellowship in his labours had been from the beginning a joy to him4 ,it was not so much their material help as their true sympathy that he valued4 ,the high level to which he lifts what was possibly a very modest contribution1 if measured by money standards1 carries with it a great lesson for all receivers and for all givers of such gifts1 teaching the one that they are purely selfish if they are glad of what they get1 and bidding the other remember that they may give so as to hurt by a gift more than by a blow1 that they may give infinitely more by loving sympathy than by much gold1 and that a #e note does not discharge all their obligations4 ,we have to give after ,his pattern who does not toss us our alms from a height1 but ,himself comes to bestow them1 and whose gift1 though it be the unspeakable gift of eternal life1 is less than the love it speaks1 in that ,he ,himself has in wondrous manner become partaker of our weakness4 ,the pattern of all sympathy1 the giver of all our possessions1 is ,god4 ,let us hold to ,him in faith and love1 and all earthly love will be sweeter and sympathy more precious4 ,our own hearts will be refined and purified to a delicacy of consideration and a tenderness beyond their own4 ,our souls will be made lords of all circumstances and strengthened according to our need4 ,he will say to us ',my grace is sufficient for thee1' and we1 as we feel ,his strength being made perfect in our weakness1 shall be able to say with humble confidence1 ',i can do all things in ,christ who strengtheneth me within4' ,,gifts ,,given1 ,,seed ,,sown ',and ye yourselves also know1 ye ,philippians1 that in the beginning of the ,gospel1 when ,i departed from ,macedonia1 no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving1 but ye only2 for even in ,thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need4 ,not that ,i seek for the gift2 but ,i seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account4 ,but ,i have all things1 and abound3 ,i am filled1 having received from ,epaphroditus the things that came from you1 an odour of a sweet smell1 a sacrifice acceptable1 well-pleasing to ,god4 ,and my ,god shall fulfil every need of yours according to ,his riches in glory in ,christ ,jesus4'--,,phil4 iv4 #ae-ai 7,r4,v474 ,paul loved the ,philippians too well and was too sure of their love to be conscious of any embarrassment in expressing his thanks for money help4 ,his thanks are profuse and long drawn out4 ,our present text still strikes the note of grateful acknowledgment4 ,it gives us a little glimpse into earlier instances of their liberality1 and beautifully suggests that as they had done to him so ,god would do to them1 and that their liberality was in a fashion a prophecy1 because it was in some measure an imitation1 of ,god's liberality4 ,he had just said ',i am full1 having received the things which were sent from you1' and now he says1 ',my ,god shall fill full all your needs4' ,the use of the same word in these two connections is a piece of what one would call the very ingenuity of graceful courtesy1 if it were not something far deeper1 even the utterance of a loving and self-forgetting heart4 ,i4 ,we may note here ,paul's money relations with the churches4 ,we know that he habitually lived by his own labour4 ,he could call to witness the assembled elders at ,ephesus1 when he declared that 'these hands ministered unto my necessities1' and could propose himself as an illustration of the words of the ,lord ,jesus1 ',it is more blessed to give than to receive4' ,he firmly holds the right of ,christian teachers to be supported by the churches1 and vehemently insists upon it in the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,but he waives the right in his own case1 and passionately insists that it were better for him rather to die than that any man should make his glorying void4 ,he will not use to the full his right in the ,gospel 'that he may make a ,gospel without charge1' but when needed he gladly accepted money gifts1 as he did from the ,philippians4 ,in our text he points back to an earlier instance of this4 ,the history of that instance we may briefly recall4 ,after his indignities and imprisonment in ,philippi he went straight to ,thessalonica1 stayed there a short time till a riot drove him to take refuge in ,berea1 whence again he had to flee1 and guided by brethren reached ,athens4 ,there he was left alone1 and his guides went back to ,macedonia to send on ,silas and ,timothy4 ,from ,athens he went to ,corinth1 and there was rejoined by them4 ,according to our text1 'in the beginning of the ,gospel1' that is1 of course1 its beginning in ,philippi1 they relieved him twice in ,thessalonica1 and if the words in our text which date the ,philippians' gift may be read 'when ,i had departed from ,macedonia1' we should have here another reference to the same incident mentioned in #b ,corinthians1 chap4 xi4 #h-i1 where he speaks of being in want there1 and having 'the measure of my want' supplied by the brethren who came from ,macedonia4 ,the coincidence of these two incidental references hid away1 as it were1 confirms the historical truthfulness of both ,epistles4 ,and if we take into view the circumstances in which he was placed in ,thessalonica and at the beginning of his stay in ,corinth1 his needing and receiving such aid is amply accounted for4 ,once again1 after a long interval1 when he was a prisoner in ,rome1 and probably unable to work for his maintenance1 their care of him flourished again4 ,in the present circumstances of our churches1 it seems necessary that the right which ,paul so strongly asserted should1 for the most part1 not be waived1 but the only true way of giving and receiving as between minister and people is when it is a matter not of payment but a gift4 ,when it is an expression of sympathy and affection on both sides1 the relationship is pleasant and may be blessed4 ,when it comes to be a business transaction1 and is to be measured by the rules applicable to such1 it goes far to destroy some of the sweetest bonds1 and to endanger a preacher's best influence4 ,,ii4 ,the lofty view here taken of such service4 ,it is 'the fruit that increaseth to your account4' ,fruit1 which as it were is put to their credit in the account-book of heaven1 but it is called by ,paul by a sacreder name as being an odour of a sweet smell1 a sacrifice acceptable1 well pleasing to ,god1 in which metaphor all the sacred ideas of yielding up precious things to ,god and of the sacred fire that consumed the offering or brought to bear on the prosaic material gift4 ,the principle which the ,apostle here lays down in reference to a money gift has1 of course1 a much wider application1 and is as true about all ,christian acts4 ,we need not be staggered at the emphasis with which ,paul states the truths of their acceptableness and rewardableness1 but in order fully to understand the ground of his assurance we must remember that in his view the root of all such fruit increasing to our account1 and of everything which can claim to be an odour of a sweet smell well pleasing to ,god1 is love to ,christ1 and the renewal of our nature by the spirit of ,god dwelling in us4 ,in us there dwells no good thing4 ,it is only as we abide in ,him and ,his words abide in us that we bear much fruit4 ,separate from ,him we can do nothing4 ,if our works are ever to smell sweet to ,god1 they must be done for ,christ1 and in a very profound and real sense1 done by ,him4 ,the essential character of all work which has the right to be called good1 and which is acceptable to ,god1 is sacrifice4 ,the one exhortation which takes the place and more than fills the place of all other commandments1 and is enforced by the motive which takes the place1 and more than takes the place of all other motives1 is1 ',i beseech you by the mercies of ,god to present your bodies a living sacrifice4' ,it is works which in the intention of the doer are offered to ,him1 and in which therefore there is a surrender of our own wills1 or tastes1 or inclinations1 or passions1 or possessions1 that yield to ,him an odour of a sweet smell4 ,the old condition which touched the chivalrous heart of ,david has to be repeated by us in regard to any work which we can ever hope to make well pleasing to ,god2 ',i will not offer burnt offerings unto the ,lord my ,god which cost me nothing4' ,there is a spurious humility which treats all the works of good men as filthy rags1 but such a false depreciation is contradicted by ,christ's ',well done1 good and faithful servant4' ,it is true that all our deeds are stained and imperfect1 but if they are offered on the altar which ,he provides1 it will sanctify the giver and the gift4 ,he is the great ,aaron who makes atonement for the iniquity of our holy things4 ,and whilst we are stricken silent with thankfulness for the wonderful mercy of ,his gracious allowance1 we may humbly hope that ,his ',well done' will be spoken of us1 and may labour1 not without a foretaste that we do not labour in vain1 that 'whether present or absent we may be well pleasing to ,him4' ,the fruit is here supposed to be growing1 that is1 of course1 in another life4 ,we need not insist that the service and sacrifice and work of earth1 if the motive be right1 tell in a man's condition after death4 ,it is not all the same how ,christian men live2 some gain ten talents1 some five1 and some two1 and the difference between them is not always as the parable represents it1 a difference in the original endowment4 ,an entrance may be given into the eternal kingdom1 and yet it may not be an abundant entrance4 ,,iii4 ,the gift that supplies the givers4 ,paul has nothing to bestow1 but he serves a great ,god who will see to it that no man is the poorer by helping ,his servants4 ,the king's honour is concerned in not letting a poor man suffer by lodging and feeding his retainers4 ,the words here suggest to us the source from which our need may be filled full1 as an empty vessel might be charged to the brim with some precious liquid1 the measure or limit of the fulness1 and the channel by which we receive it4 ,paul was so sure that the ,philippians' needs would all be satisfied1 because he knew that his own had been2 he is generalising from his own case1 and that1 ,i think1 is at all events part of the reason why he says with much emphasis1 ',my ,god4 ,as ,he has done to me ,he will do to you1' but even without the 'my1' the great name contains in itself a promise and its seal4 ',god will supply just because ,he is ,god'2 that is what ,his name means--infinite fulness and infinite self-communicativeness and delight in giving4 ,but is not so absolutely unlimited a promise as this convicted of complete unreality when contrasted with the facts of any life1 even of the most truly ,christian or the most outwardly happy8 ,its contradiction of the grim facts of experience is not to be slurred over by restricting it to religious needs only4 ,the promise needs the eye of ,faith to interpret the facts of experience1 and to let nothing darken the clear vision that if any seeming need is left by ,god unfilled1 it is not an indispensable need4 ,if we do not get what we want we may be quite sure that we do not need it4 ,the axiom of ,christian faith is that whatever we do not obtain we do not require4 ,very desirable things may still not be necessary4 ,let us limit our notions of necessity by the facts of ,god's giving1 and then we1 too1 shall have learned1 in whatsoever state we are1 therein to be content4 ,when the ,apostle says that ,god shall fill all our need full up to the brim1 was he contemplating only such necessities as ,god could supply through outward gifts8 ,surely not4 ,god ,himself is the filler and the only filler of a human heart1 and it is by this impartation of ,himself and by nothing else that ,he bestows upon us the supply of our needs4 ,unless we have been initiated into this deepest and yet simplest secret of life1 it will be full of gnawing pain and unfulfilled longings4 ,unless we have learned that our needs are like the cracks in the parched ground1 cups to hold the rain from heaven1 doors by which ,god ,himself can come to us1 we shall dwell for ever in a dry and thirsty land4 ,god ,himself is the only satisfier of the soul4 ',whom have ,i in heaven but ,thee1 and there is none upon earth that'--if ,i am not a fool--',i desire side by side with ,thee8' ,but ,paul here sets forth in very bold words the measure or limits of the divine supply of our need4 ,it is 'according to ,his riches in glory4' ,then1 all of ,god belongs to me1 and the whole wealth of ,his aggregated perfections is available for stopping the crannies of my heart and filling its emptiness4 ,my emptiness corresponds with ,his fulness as some concavity does with the convexity that fits into it1 and the whole that ,he is waits to fill and to satisfy me4 ,there is no limit really to what a man may have of ,god except the limitless limit of the infinite divine nature1 but on the other hand this great promise is not fulfilled all at once1 and whilst the actual limit is the boundlessness of ,god1 there is a working limit1 so to speak1 a variable one1 but a very real one4 ,the whole riches of ,god's glory are available for us1 but only so much of the boundless store as we desire and are at present capable of taking in will belong to us now4 ,what is the use of owning half a continent if the owner lives on an acre of it and grows what he wants there1 and has never seen the broad lands that yet belong to him8 ,nothing hinders a man from indefinitely increased possession of a growing measure of ,god1 except his own arbitrarily narrowed measure of desire and capacity4 ,therefore it becomes a solemn question for each of us1 ,am ,i day by day becoming more and more fit to possess more of ,god1 and enjoy more of the ,god whom ,i possess8 ,in ,him we have each 'a potentiality of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice4' ,do we growingly realise that boundless possibility8 ,the channel by which that boundless supply is to reach us is distinctly set forth here4 ,all these riches are stored up 'in ,christ ,jesus4' ,a deep lake may be hidden away in the bosom of the hills that would pour blessing and fertility over a barren land if it could find a channel down into the plains1 but unless there be a river flowing out of it1 its land-locked waters might as well be dried up4 ,when ,paul says 'riches in glory1' he puts them up high above our reach1 but when he adds 'in ,christ ,jesus1' he brings them all down amongst us4 ,in ,him is 'infinite riches in a narrow room4' ,if we are in ,him then we are beside our treasure1 and have only to put out our hands and take the wealth that is lying there4 ,all that we need is 'in ,christ1' and if we are in ,christ it is all close at our sides4 ,then the question comes to be1 ',am ,i thus near my wealth1 and can ,i get at it whenever ,i want it1 as ,i want it1 and as much as ,i want of it8' ,we can if we will4 ,the path is easy to define1 though our slothfulness find it hard to tread4 ,that man is in ,christ who dwells with ,him by faith1 whose heart is by love plunged in ,his love1 who daily seeks to hold communion with ,him amid the distractions of life1 and who in practical submission obeys ,his will4 ,if thus we trust1 if thus we love1 if thus we hold fast to ,him1 and if thus we link ,him with all our activities in the world1 need will cease to grow1 and will only be an occasion for ,god's gift4 ',delight thyself in the ,lord1' and then the heart's desires being set upon ,him1 ',he will give thee the desire of thy heart4' ,paul says to us ',my ,god shall supply all your need4' ,let us answer1 ',the ,lord is my ,shepherd1 ,i shall not want4' ,,farewell ,,words ',now unto our ,god and ,father be the glory for ever and ever1 ,amen4 ,salute every saint in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the brethren which are with me salute you4 ,all the saints salute you1 especially they that are of ,csar's household4 ,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with your spirit4'--,,phil4 iv4 #bj-bc 7,r4,v474 ,these closing words fall into three unconnected parts1 a doxology1 greetings1 and a benediction4 ,as in all his letters1 the ,apostle follows the natural instinct of making his last words loving words4 ,even when he had to administer a bitter draught1 the last drops in the cup were sweetened1 and to the ,philippians whom he loved so well1 and in whose loyal love he confided so utterly1 his parting was tender as an embrace4 ,taking together the three elements of this farewell1 they present to us a soul filled with desire for the glory of ,god and with loving yearning for all ,his brethren4 ,we shall best deal with them by simply taking them in order4 ,i4 ,the ,doxology4 ,it is possibly evoked by the immediately preceding thought of ,god's infinite supply of all human need 'according to his riches in glory'2 but the glory which is so richly stored in ,christ1 and is the full storehouse from which our emptiness is to be filled1 is not the same as the glory here ascribed to ,him4 ,the former is the sum of ,his divine perfections1 the light of ,his own infinite being3 the latter is the praise rendered to ,him when we know ,him for what ,he is1 and exalt ,him in our thankful thoughts and adoration4 ,as this doxology is the last word of this whole letter1 we may say that it gathers into one all that precedes it4 ,our ascription of glory to ,god is the highest object of all ,his self-manifestation1 and should be the end of all our contemplations of ,him and of ,his acts4 ,the faith that ,god does 'all for ,his glory' may be and often has been so interpreted as to make his character repellent and hideous1 but in reality it is another way of saying that ,god is love4 ,he desires that all men should be gladdened and elevated by knowing ,him as ,he is4 ,his glory is to give4 ,that to which ,he has committed the charge of interpreting ,him to our dim eyes and disordered natures is not the attributes of sovereign power1 or creative wisdom1 or administrative providence1 or any other elements which men lay hold of in their conceptions of deity4 ,when men make gods they make them in their own image3 when ,god reveals ,god1 the emphasis is put on an altogether different aspect of ,his nature4 ,it is ,his self-communicating and paternal love revealed to the heart of a son which will kindle the highest aspiration of praise1 and that fatherhood is not found in the fact that ,god has made us1 but in the higher fact that ,he has redeemed us and has sent the spirit of ,his ,son into our hearts4 ,the doxology of our text is a distinctively ,christian doxology which ,paul conceives can only be uttered by lips which have learned to say ',abba1 ,father1' 'and have received the adoption of sons' through the eternal ,son4 ,mark1 too1 that this glad ascription of glory to ,god is conceived of as sounded forth for ever and ever1 or literally through 'ages and ages1 as long as successive epochs shall unfold4' ,it is not as if the revelation of the divine character were in the past1 and the light of it continued to touch stony lips to music1 but it fills in continuous forthcoming every age1 and in every age men receive the fulness of ,god1 and in every age redeemed hearts bring back their tribute of praise and love to ,him4 ,,ii4 ,the ,greetings4 ,the ,apostle's habit of closing all his letters with kindly messages is1 of course1 more than a habit4 ,it is the natural instinct to which all true hearts have a hundred times yielded4 ,it is remarkable that in this letter there are no individual greetings1 but that instead of such there is the emphatic greeting to every saint in ,christ ,jesus4 ,he will not single out any where all are so near ,his heart1 and ,he will have no jealousies to be fed by ,his selection of more favoured persons4 ,it may be too1 that the omission of individual messages is partly occasioned by some incipient tendencies to alienation and faction of which we see some traces in ,his earnest exhortations to stand fast in one spirit1 and to be of the same mind1 having the same love1 and being of one accord1 as well as in his exhortation to two ,philippian women to be of the same mind in the ,lord4 ,the all-embracing word at parting singularly links the end of the letter with its beginning1 where we find a remarkable sequence of similar allusions to 'all' the ,philippian ,christians4 ,he has them all in ,his heart2 they are all partakers with ,him of grace2 ,he longs after them all4 ,the designation by which ,paul describes the recipients of his greeting carries in it a summons as well as a promise4 ,they are saints1 and they are so as being 'in ,christ4' ,that name is often used as a clumsy sarcasm1 but it goes to the very root of ,christian character4 ,the central idea contained in it is that of consecration to ,god1 and that which is often taken to be its whole meaning is but a secondary one1 a result of that consecration4 ,the true basis of all real purity of conduct lies in devotion of heart and life to ,god1 and for want of discerning the connection of these two elements the world's ethics fail in theory and in practice4 ,a 'saint' is not a faultless monster1 and the persistence of failures and inconsistencies1 whilst affording only too sad an occasion for penitence and struggle1 afford no occasion for a man's shrinking from taking to himself the humble claim to be a saint4 ,both the elements of consecration to ,god and of real and progressive1 though never complete perfection of personal character1 are realised only in ,christ2 in and only in fellowship with ,him whose life was unbroken fellowship with the ,father1 and whose will was completely accordant with the ,father's1 do we rise to the height of belonging to ,god4 ,and only in ,him who could challenge a world to convict ,him of sin shall we make even a beginning of personal righteousness4 ,if we are in ,christ we should be saints to-day however imperfect our holiness1 and shall be 'as the angels of ,god' in the day that is coming--nay1 rather as the ,lord of the ,angels1 'not having spot or blemish or any such thing4' ,the ,new ,testament has other names for believers1 each of which expresses some great truth in regard to them2 for example1 the earliest name by which they knew themselves was the simple one of 'brethren1' which spoke of their common relation to a ,father and pledged them to the sweetness and blessedness of a family4 ,the sarcastic wits of ,antioch called them ,christians as seeing nothing in them other than what they had many a time seen in the adherents of some founder of a school or a party4 ,they called themselves disciples or believers1 revealing by both names their humble attitude and their ,lord's authority1 and by the latter disclosing to seeing eyes the central bond which bound them to ,him4 ,but the name of ,saint declares something more than these in that it speaks of their relation to ,god1 the fulfilment of the ,old ,testament ideal1 and carries in it a prophecy of personal character4 ,the sharers in ,paul's salutation call for some notice4 ,we do not know who 'the brethren that are with me' were4 ,we might have supposed from ,paul's pathetic words that he had no man like-minded with him1 that the faithful band whom we find named in the other epistles of the captivity were dispersed4 ,but though there were none 'like-minded who will care truly for your state1' there were some recognised as brethren who were closely associated with him1 and who1 though they had no such warm interest in the ,philippians as he had1 still had a real affection for them1 drawn no doubt from him4 ,distinct from these was the whole body of the ,roman ,christians1 from the mention of whom we may gather that his imprisonment did not prevent his intercourse with them4 ,again1 distinct from these1 though a part of them1 were the saints of ,csar's household4 ,he had apparently special opportunities for intercourse with them1 and probably his imprisonment brought him through the prtorian guards into association with them1 as ,csar's household included all the servants and retainers of ,nero4 ,may we not see in this union of members of the most alien races a striking illustration of the new bond which the ,gospel had woven among men8 ,there was a ,jew standing in the midst between ,macedonian ,greeks and proud ,roman citizens1 including members of that usually most heartless and arrogant of all classes1 the lackeys of a profligate court1 and they are all clasping one another's hands in true brotherly love4 ,society was falling to pieces4 ,we know the tragic spectacle that the empire presented then4 ,amidst universal decay of all that held men together1 here was a new uniting principle2 everywhere else dissolution was at work2 here was again crystallising4 ,a flower was opening its petals though it grew on a dunghill4 ,what was it that drew slaves and patricians1 the ,pharisee of ,tarsus1 rude ,lycaonians1 the 'barbarous' people of ,melita1 the ,areopagite of ,athens1 the citizens of ,rome into one loving family8 ,how came ,lydia and her slave girl1 ,onesimus and his master1 the prtorian guard and his prisoner1 the courtier in ,nero's golden house and the jailer at ,philippi into one great fellowship of love8 ,they were all one in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and what lessons the saints in ,csar's household may teach us6 ,think of the abyss of lust and murder there1 of the ,emperor by turns a buffoon1 a sensualist1 and a murderer4 ,a strange place to find saints in that sty of filth6 ,let no man say that it is impossible for a pure life to be lived in any circumstances1 or try to bribe his conscience by insisting on the difficulties of his environment4 ,it may be our duty to stand at our post however foul may be our surroundings and however uncongenial our company1 and if we are sure that ,he has set us there1 we may be sure that ,he is with us there1 and that there we can live the life and witness to ,his name4 ,,iii4 ,the ,parting ,benediction4 ,the form of the benediction seems to be more correctly given in the ,revised ,version1 which reads 'with your spirit' instead of 'with you all4' ,that form reappears in ,galatians and in ,philemon4 ,what ,paul especially desires of his favourite church is that they may possess 'the grace4' ,grace is love exercising itself to inferiors1 and to those who deserve something sadder and darker4 ,the gifts of that one grace are manifold4 ,they comprise all blessings that man can need or receive4 ,this angel comes with her hands and her lap full of good4 ,her name is shorthand for all that ,god can bestow or man can ask or think4 ,and it needs all the names by which ,christ is known among men to describe the encyclopdiacal ,person who can bestow the encyclopdiacal gift4 ,here we have them all gathered1 as it were1 into one great diadem1 set on ,his head where once the crown of thorns was twined4 ,he is ,lord1 the name which implies at least absolute authority1 and is most probably the ,new ,testament translation of the ,old ,testament name of ,jehovah4 ,he is our ,lord as supreme over us1 and wonderful as it is1 as belonging to us4 ,he holds the keys of the storehouse of grace4 ,the river of the water of life flows where ,he turns it on4 ,he is ,jesus--the personal name which ,he bore in the days of ,his flesh1 and by which men who knew ,him only as one of themselves called ,him4 ,it is the token of ,his brotherhood and the guarantee of the sympathy which will ever bestow 'grace for grace4' ,he is the ,christ1 the ,messiah1 the name which points back to the ,old ,testament ideas and declares ,his office1 realising all the rapturous anticipations of prophets1 and the longings of psalmists1 and more than fulfilling them all by giving ,himself to men4 ,that great gift is to be the companion of every spirit which looks to that ,jesus in the reality of ,his humanity1 in the greatness of ,his office1 in the loftiness of ,his divinity1 and finds in each of ,his names an anchor for its faith and an authoritative claim for its obedience4 ,such a wish as this benediction is the truest expression of human friendship2 it is the highest desire any of us can form for ourselves or for those dearest to us4 ,do we keep it clear before us in our intercourse with them so that the end of that intercourse will naturally be such a prayer8 ,our human love has its limitations4 ,we can but wish for others the grace which ,christ can give1 but neither our wishes nor ,his giving can make the grace ours unless for ourselves we take the great gift that is freely given to us of ,god4 ,it is no accident that all his letters close thus4 ,this benediction is the last word of ,god's revelation to man1 the brightness in the clear west1 the last strain of the great oratorio4 ,the last word or last book of ,scripture is 'the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you all4' ,let us take up the solemn ,amen in our lips and in our hearts4 ,,colossians ,,saints1 ,,believers1 ,,brethren ' 4 4 4 ,the saints and faithful brethren in ,christ4'--,,col4 i4 #b4 ',the disciples were called ,christians first in ,antioch1' says the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,it was a name given by outsiders1 and like most of the instances where a sect1 or school1 or party is labelled with the name of its founder1 it was given in scorn4 ,it hit and yet missed its mark4 ,the early believers were ,christians1 that is1 ,christ's men1 but they were not merely a group of followers of a man1 like many other groups of whom the ,empire at that time was full4 ,so they never used that name themselves4 ,it occurs twice only in ,scripture1 once when ,king ,agrippa was immensely amused at the audacity of ,paul in thinking that he would easily make 'a ,christian' of him2 and once when ,peter speaks of 'suffering as a ,christian1' where he is evidently quoting1 as it were1 the indictment on which the early believers were tried and punished4 ,what did they call themselves then8 ,i have chosen this text not for the purpose of speaking about it only1 but because it gathers together in brief compass the three principal designations by which the early believers knew themselves4 ',saints'--that tells their relation to ,god1 as well as their character1 for it means 'consecrated1' set apart for ,him1 and therefore pure2 'faithful'--that means 'full of faith' and is substantially equivalent to the usual 'believers1' which defines their relation to ,jesus ,christ as the ,revealer of ,god2 'brethren'--that defines their relation and sentiment towards their fellows4 ,these terms go a great deal deeper than the nickname which the wits of ,antioch invented4 ,the members of the ,church were not content with the vague ',christian1' but they called themselves 'saints1' 'believers1' 'brethren4' ,one designation does not appear here1 which we must take into account for completeness3 the earliest of all--disciples4 ,now1 ,i purpose to bring together these four names1 by which the early believers thought and spoke of themselves1 in order to point the lessons as to our position and our duty1 which are wrapped up in them4 ,and ,i may just say that1 perhaps1 it is no sign of advance that the ,church1 as years rolled on1 accepted the world's name for itself1 and that people found it easier to call themselves ',christians'--which did not mean very much--than to call themselves 'saints' or 'believers4' ,now then1 to begin with1 ,i4 ,they were ',disciples' first of all4 ,the facts as to the use of that name are very plain1 and as instructive as they are plain4 ,it is a standing designation in the ,gospels1 both in the mouths of friends and of outsiders2 it is sometimes1 though very sparingly1 employed by ,jesus ,christ ,himself4 ,it persists on through the book of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and then it stops dead1 and we never hear it again4 ,now its existence at first1 and its entire abandonment afterwards1 both seem to me to carry very valuable lessons4 ,let me try to work them out4 ,of course1 'disciple' or 'scholar' has for its correlative--as the logicians call it--'teacher4' ,and so we find that as the original adherents of ,jesus called themselves 'disciples1' they addressed ,him as ',master1' which is the equivalent of ',rabbi4' ,that at once suggests the thought that to themselves1 and to the people who saw the origination of the little ,christian community1 the ,lord and ,his handful of followers seemed just to be like ,john and his disciples1 the ,pharisees and their disciples1 and many another ,rabbi and his knot of admiring adherents4 ,therefore whilst the name was in one view fitting1 it was conspicuously inadequate1 and as time went on1 and the ,church became more conscious of the uniqueness of the bond that knit it to ,jesus ,christ1 it instinctively dropped the name 'disciple1' and substituted others more intimate and worthy4 ,but yet it remains permanently true1 that ,christ's followers are ,christ's scholars1 and that ,he is their ,rabbi and ,teacher4 ,only the peculiarity1 the absolute uniqueness1 of ,his attitude and action as a ,teacher lies in two things3 one1 that ,his main subject was ,himself1 as ,he said1 ',i am the ,truth1' and consequently ,his characteristic demand from ,his scholars was not1 as with other teachers1 ',accept this1 that1 or the other doctrine which ,i propound1' but ',believe in ,me'2 and the other1 that ,he seldom if ever argues1 or draws conclusions from previous premises1 that ,he never speaks as if ,he ,himself had learnt and fought ,his way to what ,he is saying1 or betrays uncertainty1 limitation1 or growth in ,his opinions1 and that for all confirmation of ,his declarations1 ,he appeals only to the light within and to ,his own authority3 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you4' ,no wonder that the common people were astonished at ,his teaching1 and felt that here was an authority in which the wearisome citations of what ,rabbi ,so-and-,so had said1 altogether lacked4 ,that teaching abides still1 and1 as ,i believe1 opens out into1 and is our source of1 all that we know--in distinction and contrast from1 'imagine1' 'hope1' 'fear'--of ,god1 and of ourselves1 and of the future4 ,it casts the clearest light on morals for the individual and on politics for the community4 ,whatever men may say about ,christianity being effete1 it will not be effete till the world has learnt and absorbed the teaching of ,jesus ,christ2 and we are a good long way from that yet6 ,if ,he is thus the ,teacher1 the perpetual ,teacher1 and the only ,teacher1 of mankind in regard to all these high things about ,god and man and the relation between them1 about life and death and the world1 and about the practice and conduct of the individual and of the community1 then we1 if we are ,his disciples1 build houses on the rock1 in the degree in which we not only hear but do the things that ,he commands4 ,for this ,teacher is no theoretical handler of abstract propositions1 but the authoritative imposer of the law of life1 and all ,his words have a direct bearing upon conduct4 ,therefore it is vain for us to say3 ',lord1 ,lord1 ,thou hast taught in our streets and we have accepted ,thy teaching4' ,he looks down upon us from the ,throne1 as ,he looked upon the disciples in that upper room1 and ,he says to each of us3 ',if ye know these things1 happy are ye if ye do them4' ,but the complete disappearance of the name as the development of the ,church advanced1 brings with it another lesson1 and that is1 that precious and great as are the gifts which ,jesus ,christ bestows as a ,teacher1 and unique as ,his act and attitude in that respect are1 the name either of teacher or of disciple fails altogether to penetrate to the essence of the relation which knits us together4 ,it is not enough for our needs that we shall be taught4 ,the worst man in the world knows a far nobler morality than the best man practises4 ,and if it were true1 as some people superficially say is the case1 that evil-doing is the result of ignorance1 there would be far less evil-doing in the world than1 alas6 there is4 ,it is not for the want of knowing1 that we go wrong1 as our consciences tell us2 but it is for want of something that can conquer the evil tendencies within1 and lift off the burden of a sinful past which weighs on us4 ,as in the carboniferous strata what was pliant vegetation has become heavy mineral1 our evil deeds lie heavy on our souls4 ,what we need is not to be told what we ought to be1 but to be enabled to be it4 ,electricity can light the road1 and it can drive the car along it2 and that is what we want1 a dynamic as well as an illuminant1 something that will make us able to do and to be what conscience has told us we ought to be and do4 ,teacher8 ,yes4 ,but if only teacher1 then ,he is nothing more than one of a multitude who in all generations have vainly witnessed to sinful men of the better path4 ,there is no reformation for the individual1 and little hope for humanity1 in a ,christ whom you degrade to the level of a ,rabbi1 or in a ,church which has not pressed nearer to ,him than to feel itself ,his disciples4 ,there was a man who came to ,jesus by night1 and was in the dark about the ,jesus to whom he came1 and he said1 ',we know that ,thou art a ,teacher come from ,god4' ,but ,jesus did not accept the witness1 though a young teacher fighting for recognition might have been glad to get it from an authoritative member of the ,sanhedrim4 ,but ,he answered1 ',except a man be born again1 he cannot see the ,kingdom of ,god4' ,if we need to be born again before we see it1 it is not teachers of it that will serve our turn1 but ,one who takes us by the hand1 and translates us out of the tyranny of the darkness into the ,kingdom of the ,son of ,god's love4 ,so much1 then1 for the first of these names and lessons4 ,now turn to the second-- ,,ii4 ,the ,disciples must be ,believers4 ,that name begins to appear almost immediately after ,pentecost1 and continues throughout4 ,it comes in two forms1 one which is in my text1 'the faithful1' meaning thereby not the reliable1 but the people that are full of faith2 the other1 meaning the same thing1 they who believe1 the 'believers4' ,the ,church found that 'disciple' was not enough4 ,it went deeper2 and1 with a true instinct1 laid hold of the unique bond which knits men to their ,lord and ,saviour4 ,that name indicates that ,jesus ,christ appears to the man who has faith in a new character4 ,he is not any longer the ,teacher who is to be listened to1 but ,he is the ,object of trust4 ,and that implies the recognition1 first1 of ,his ,divinity1 which alone is strong enough to bear up the weight of millions of souls leaning hard upon it2 and1 second1 of what ,he has done and not merely of what ,he has said4 ,we accept the ,teacher's word2 we trust the ,saviour's ,cross4 ,and in the measure in which men learned that the centre of the work of the ,rabbi ,jesus was the death of the ,incarnate ,son of ,god1 their docility was sublimed into faith4 ,that faith is the real bond that knits men to ,jesus ,christ4 ,we are united to ,him1 and become recipient of the gifts that ,he has to bestow1 by no sacraments1 by no externals1 by no reverential admiration of ,his supreme wisdom and perfect beauty of character1 not by assuming the attitude of the disciple1 but by flinging our whole selves upon ,him1 because ,he is our ,saviour4 ,that unites us to ,jesus ,christ2 nothing else does4 ,faith is the opening of the heart1 by which all ,his power can be poured into us4 ,it is the grasping of ,his hand1 by which1 even though the cold waters be above our knees and be rising to our hearts1 we are lifted above them and they are made a solid pavement for our feet4 ,faith is the door opened by ourselves1 and through which will come all the ,glory that dwelt between the cherubim1 and will fill the secret place in our hearts4 ,to be the disciple of a ,rabbi is something2 to be the 'faithful' dependent on the ,saviour is to be ,his indeed4 ,and then there is to be remembered1 further1 that this bond1 which is the only vital link between a man and ,christ1 is therefore the basis of all virtue1 of all nobility1 of all beauty of conduct1 and that 'whatsoever things are lovely and of good report' are its natural efflorescence and fruit4 ,and so that leads us to the third point-- ,,iii4 ,the believing ,disciple is a ',saint4' ,that name does not appear in the ,gospels1 but it begins to show in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and it becomes extremely common throughout the ,epistles of ,paul4 ,he had no hesitation in calling the very imperfect disciples in ,corinth by this great name4 ,he was going to rebuke them for some very great offences1 not only against ,christian elevation of conduct1 but against common pagan morality2 but he began by calling them 'saints4' ,what is a saint8 ,first and foremost1 a man who has given himself to ,god1 and is consecrated thereby4 ,whoever has cast himself on ,christ1 and has taken ,christ for his1 therein and in the same degree as he is exercising faith1 has thus yielded himself to ,god4 ,if your faith has not led you to such a consecration of will and heart and self1 you had better look out and see whether it is faith at all4 ,but then1 because faith involves the consecration of a man to ,god1 and consecration necessarily implies purity1 since nothing can be laid on ,god's altar which is not sanctified thereby1 the name of saint comes to imply purity of character4 ,sanctity is the ,christian word which means the very flower and fragrant aroma of what the world calls virtue4 ,but sanctity is not emotion1 ,a man may luxuriate in devout feeling1 and sing and praise and pray1 and be very far from being a saint2 and there is a great deal of the emotional ,christianity of this day which has a strange affinity for the opposite of saintship4 ,sanctity is not aloofness4 ',there were saints in ,csar's household'--a very unlikely place2 they were flowers on a dunghill1 and perhaps their blossoms were all the brighter because of what they grew on1 and which they could transmute from corruption into beauty4 ,so sanctity is no blue ribbon of the ,christian profession1 to be given to a few select 7and mostly ascetic7 specimens of consecration1 but it is the designation of each of us1 if we are disciples who are more than disciples1 that is1 'believers4' ,and thus1 brethren1 we have to see to it that1 in our own cases1 our faith leads to surrender1 and our self-surrender to purity of life and conduct4 ,faith1 if real1 brings sanctity2 sanctity1 if real1 is progressive4 ,sanctity1 though imperfect1 may be real4 ,,iv4 ,the believing ,saints are ',brethren4' ,that is the name that predominates over all others in the latter portions of the ,new ,testament1 and it is very natural that it should do so4 ,it reposes upon and implies the three preceding4 ,its rapid adoption and universal use express touchingly the wonder of the early ,church at its own unity4 ,the then world was rent asunder by deep clefts of misunderstanding1 alienation1 animosity1 racial divisions of ,jew and ,greek1 ,parthian1 ,scythian2 by sexual divisions which flung men and women1 who ought to have been linked hand in hand1 and united heart to heart1 to opposite sides of a great gulf2 by divisions of culture which made wise men look down on the unlearned1 and the unlearned hate the wise men2 by clefts of social position1 and mainly that diabolical one of slave and free4 ,all these divisive and disintegrating forces were in active operation4 ,the only thing except ,christianity1 which produced even a semblance of union1 was the iron ring of the ,roman power which compressed them all into one indeed1 but crushed the life out of them in the process4 ,into that disintegrating world1 full of mutual repulsion1 came ,one who drew men to ,himself and said1 ',one is your ,master1 even ,christ1 and all ye are brethren4' ,and to their own astonishment1 male and female1 ,greek and ,jew1 bond and free1 philosopher and fool1 found themselves sitting at the same table as members of one family2 and they looked in each other's eyes and said1 ',brother6' ,there had never been anything like it in the world4 ,the name is a memorial of the unifying power of the ,christian faith4 ,and it is a reminder to us of our own shortcomings4 ,of course1 in the early days1 the little band were driven together1 as sheep that stray over a pasture in the sunshine will huddle into a corner in a storm1 or when the wolves are threatening4 ,there are many reasons to-day which make less criminal the alienation from one another of ,christian communities and ,christian individuals4 ,i am not going to dwell on the evident signs in this day1 for which ,god be thanked1 that ,christian men are beginning1 more than they once did1 to realise their unity in ,jesus ,christ1 and to be content to think less of the things that separate than of the far greater things that unite4 ,but ,i would lay upon your hearts1 as individual parts of that great whole1 this1 that whatever may be the differences in culture1 outlook1 social position1 or the like1 between two ,christian men1 they each1 the rich man and the poor1 the educated man and the unlettered one1 the master and the servant1 ought to feel that deep down in their true selves they are nearer one another than they are to the men who1 differing from them in regard to their faith in ,jesus ,christ1 are like them in all these superficial respects4 ,regulate your conduct by that thought4 ,that name1 too1 speaks to us of the source from which ,christian brotherhood has come4 ,we are brethren of each other because we have one ,father1 even ,god1 and the ,fatherhood which makes us brethren is not that which communicates the common life of humanity1 but that which imparts the new life of sonship through ,jesus ,christ4 ,so the name points to the only way by which the world's dream of a universal brotherhood can ever be fulfilled4 ,if there is to be fraternity there must be fatherhood1 and the life which1 possessed by each1 makes a family of all1 is the life which ,he gives1 who is 'the first-born among many brethren1' and who1 to them who believe on ,him1 gives power to become the sons of ,god1 and the brethren of all the other sons and daughters of the ,lord ,god ,almighty4 ,so1 dear friends1 take these names1 ponder their significance and the duties they impose4 ,let us make sure that they are true of us4 ,do not be content with the vague1 often unmeaning name of ,christian1 but fill it with meaning by being a believer on ,christ1 a saint devoted to ,god1 and a brother of all who1 'by like precious faith1' have become ,sons of ,god4 ,,the ,,gospel-,,hope ',the hope of the ,gospel4'--,,col4 i4 #e4 ',god never sends mouths but ,he sends meat to feed them1' says the old proverb4 ,and yet it seems as if that were scarcely true in regard to that strange faculty called ,hope4 ,it may well be a question whether on the whole it has given us more pleasure than pain4 ,how seldom it has been a true prophet6 ,how perpetually its pictures have been too highly coloured6 ,it has cast illusions over the future1 colouring the far-off hills with glorious purple which1 reached1 are barren rocks and cold snow4 ,it has held out prizes never won4 ,it has made us toil and struggle and aspire and fed us on empty husks4 ,either we have not got what we expected or have found it to be less good than it appeared from afar4 ,if we think of all the lies that hope has told us1 of all the vain expenditure of effort to which it has tempted us1 of the little that any of us have of what we began by thinking we should surely attain1 hope seems a questionable good1 and yet how obstinate it is1 living on after all disappointments and drawing the oldest amongst us onwards4 ,surely somewhere there must be a reason for this great and in some respects awful faculty1 a vindication of its existence in an adequate object for its grasp4 ,the ,new ,testament has much to say about hope4 ,christianity lays hold of it and professes to supply it with its true nourishment and support4 ,let us look at the characteristics of ,christian hope1 or1 as our text calls it1 the hope of the ,gospel1 that is1 the hope which the ,gospel creates and feeds in our souls4 ,i4 ,what does it hope for8 ,the weakness of our earthly hopes is that they are fixed on things which are contingent and are inadequate to make us blessed4 ,even when tinted with the rainbow hues1 which it lends them1 they are poor and small4 ,how much more so when seen in the plain colourless light of common day4 ,in contrast with these the objects of the ,christian hope are certain and sufficient for all blessedness4 ,in the most general terms they may be stated as ',that blessed hope1 even the appearing of the ,great ,god and our ,saviour4' ,that is the specific ,christian hope1 precise and definite1 a real historical event1 filling the future with a certain steadfast light4 ,much is lost in the daily experience of all believers by the failure to set that great and precise hope in its true place of prominence4 ,it is often discredited by millenarian dreams1 but altogether apart from these it has solidity and substance enough to bear the whole weight of a world rested upon it4 ,that appearance of ,god brings with it the fulfilment of our highest hopes in the 'grace that is to be brought to us at ,his appearing4' ,all our blessedness of every kind is to be the result of the manifestation of ,god in ,his unobscured glory4 ,the mirrors that are set round the fountain of light flash into hitherto undreamed-of brightness4 ,it is but a variation in terms when we describe the blessedness which is to be the result of ,god's appearing as being the ,hope of ,salvation in its fullest sense1 or1 in still other words1 as being the ,hope of ,eternal ,life4 ,nothing short of the great word of the ,apostle ,john1 that when ,he shall appear we shall be like ,him1 exhausts the greatness of the hope which the humblest and weakest ,christian is not only allowed but commanded to cherish4 ,and that great future is certainly capable of1 and in ,scripture receives1 a still more detailed specification4 ,we hear1 for example1 of the hope of ,resurrection1 and it is most natural that the bodily redemption which ,paul calls the adoption of the body should first emerge into distinct consciousness as the principal object of hope in the earliest ,christian experience1 and that the mighty working whereby ,jesus is able to subdue all things unto ,himself1 should first of all be discerned to operate in changing the body of our humiliation into the body of ,his glory4 ,but equally natural was it that no merely corporeal transformation should suffice to meet the deep longings of ,christian souls which had learned to entertain the wondrous thought of likeness to ,god as the certain result of the vision of ,him1 and so believers 'wait for the hope of righteousness by faith4' ,the moral likeness to ,god1 the perfecting of our nature into ,his image1 will not always be the issue of struggle and restraint1 but in its highest form will follow on sight1 even as here and now it is to be won by faith1 and is more surely attained by waiting than by effort4 ,the highest form which the object of our hope takes is1 the ,hope of the ,glory of ,god4 ,this goes furthest2 there is nothing beyond this4 ,the eyes that have been wearied by looking at many fading gleams and seen them die away1 may look undazzled into the central brightness1 and we may be sure that even we shall walk there like the men in the furnace1 unconsumed1 purging our sight at the fountain of radiance1 and being ourselves glorious with the image of ,god4 ,this is the crown of glory which ,he has promised to them that love ,him4 ,nothing less than this is what our hope has to entertain1 and that not as a possibility1 but as a certainty4 ,the language of ,christian hope is not perhaps this may be1 but verily it shall be4 ,to embrace its transcendent certainties with a tremulous faith broken by much unbelief1 is sin4 ,,ii4 ,the grounds on which the hope of the ,gospel rests4 ,the grounds of our earthly hopes are for the most part possibilities1 or1 at the best1 probabilities turned by our wishes into certainties4 ,we moor our ships to floating islands which we resolve to think continents4 ,so our earthly hopes vary indefinitely in firmness and substance4 ,they are sometimes but wishes turned confident1 and can never rise higher than their source1 or be more certain than it is4 ,at the best they are building on sand4 ,at the surest there is an element of risk in them4 ,one singer indeed may take for his theme ',the pleasures of ,hope1' but another answers by singing of ',the fallacies of ,hope4' ,earth-born hopes carry no anchor and have always a latent dread looking out of their blue eyes4 ,but it is possible for us to dig down to and build on rock1 to have a future as certain as our past1 to escape in our anticipations from the region of the ,contingent1 and this we assuredly do when we take the hope of the ,gospel for ours1 and listen to ,paul proclaiming to us ',christ which is our ,hope1' or ',christ in you the ,hope of glory4' ,if our faith grasps ,jesus ,christ risen from the dead and for us entered into the heavenly state as our forerunner1 our hope will see in ,him the pattern and the pledge of our manhood1 and will begin to experience even here and now the first real though faint accomplishments of itself4 ,the ,gospel sets forth the facts concerning ,christ which fully warrant and imperatively require our regarding ,him as the perfect realised ideal of manhood as ,god meant it to be1 and as bearing in ,himself the power to make all men even as ,he is4 ,he has entered into the fellowship of our humiliation and become bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh that we might become life of ,his ,life and spirit of ,his ,spirit4 ,as certain as it is that 'we have borne the image of the earthy1' so certain is it that 'we shall also bear the image of the heavenly4' ,what cruel waste of a divine faculty it is1 then1 of which we are all guilty when we allow our hopes to be frittered away and dissipated on uncertain and transient goods which they may never secure1 and which1 even if secured1 would be ludicrously or rather tragically insufficient to make us blessed1 instead of withdrawing them from all these and fixing them on ,him who alone is able to satisfy our hungry souls in all their faculties for ever6 ,the hope of the ,gospel is firm enough to rest our all upon because in it1 by 'two immutable things in which it is impossible that ,god should lie1' ,his counsel and ,his oath1 ,he has given strong encouragement to them who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them4 ,well may the hope for which ,god's own eternal character is the guarantee be called 'sure and steadfast4' ,the hope of the ,gospel rests at last on the ,being and ,heart of ,god4 ,it is that which ,god 'who cannot lie hath promised before the world was' is working towards whilst the world lasts1 and will accomplish when the world is no more4 ,he has made known ,his purpose and has pledged all the energies and tendernesses of ,his ,being to its realisation4 ,surely on this rock-foundation we may rest secure4 ,the hopes that grow on other soils creep along the surface4 ,the hope of the ,gospel strikes its roots deep into the heart of ,god4 ,,iii4 ,what the hope of the ,gospel is and does for us4 ,we cannot do better than to lay hold of some of the ,new ,testament descriptions of it4 ,we recall first that great designation ',a good hope through grace4' ,this hope is no illusion2 it does not come from fumes of fancy or the play of imagination4 ,the wish is not father to the thought4 ,we do not make bricks without straw nor spin ropes of sand on the shore of the great waste sea that waits to swallow us up4 ,the cup of ,tantalus has had its leaks stopped2 the sieve carries the treasure unspilled4 ,the rock can be rolled to the hill-top4 ,all the disappointments1 fallacies1 and torments of hope pass away4 ,it never makes ashamed4 ,we have a solid certainty as solid as memory4 ,the hope which is through grace is the full assurance of hope1 and that full assurance is just what every other hope lacks4 ,in that region and in that region only we can either say ,i hope or ,i know4 ,another designation is ',a lively hope4' ,it is no poor pale ghost brightening and fading1 fading and brightening1 through which one can see the stars shine1 and of little power in practical life1 but strong and vigorous and not the least active amongst the many forces that make up the sum of our lives4 ,it is most significantly designated as ',the blessed hope4' ,all others quickly pass into sorrows4 ,this alone gives lasting joys1 for this alone is blessed whilst it is only anticipation1 and still more blessed when its blossoms ripen into full fruition4 ,in all earthly hopes there is an element of unrest1 but the hope of the ,gospel is so remote1 so certain1 and so satisfying1 that it works stillness1 and they who most firmly grasp it 'do with patience wait for it4' ,earthly hopes have little moral effect and often loosen the sinews of the soul1 and are distinctly unfavourable to all strenuous effort4 ,but 'every man that hath this hope in ,jesus purifieth himself even as ,he is pure1' and the ,apostle1 whose keen insight most surely discerns the character-building value of the fundamental facts of ,christian experience1 was not wrong when he bid us find in the hope of the ,gospel deeply rooted within us the driving force of the most strenuous efforts after purity like ,his whom it is our deepest desire and humble hope to become like4 ,let us remember the double account which ,scripture gives of the discipline by which the hope of the ,gospel is won for our very own4 ,on the one hand1 we have 'joy and peace in believing1 that we may abound in hope4' ,our faith breeds hope because it grasps the divine facts concerning ,jesus from which hope springs4 ,and faith further breeds hope because it kindles joy and peace1 which are the foretastes and earnests of the future blessedness4 ,on the other hand1 the very opposite experiences work to the same end1 for 'tribulation worketh patience1 and patience experience1 and experience hope4' ,sorrow rightly borne tests for us the power of the ,gospel and the reality of our faith1 and so gives us a firmer grip of hope and of ,him on whom in the last result it all depends4 ,out of this collision of flint and steel the spark springs4 ,the water churned into foam and tortured in the cataract has the fair bow bending above it4 ,but this discipline will not achieve its result1 therefore comes the exhortation to us all1 ',gird up the loins of your mind1 be sober1 and hope to the end4' ,the hope of the ,gospel is the one thing that we need4 ,without it all else is futile and frail4 ,god alone is worthy to have the whole weight and burden of a creature's hope fixed on ,him1 and it is an everlasting truth that they who are 'without ,god in the world' also 'have no hope4' ,saints of old held fast by an assurance1 which they must often have felt left many questions still to be asked1 and because they were sure that they were continually with ,him1 were also sure of ,his guidance through life and of ,his afterwards receiving them to glory4 ,but for us the twilight has broadened into day1 and we shall be wise if1 knowing our defencelessness1 and forsaking all the lies and illusions of this vain present1 we flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us in the ,gospel4 ',,all ,,power' ',strengthened with all power1 according to the might of ,his glory1 unto all patience and longsuffering with joy4'--,,col4 i4 #aa 7,r4,v474 ,there is a wonderful rush and fervour in the prayers of ,paul4 ,no parts of his letters are so lofty1 so impassioned1 so full of his soul1 as when he rises from speaking of ,god to men to speaking to ,god for men4 ,we have him here setting forth his loving desires for the ,colossian ,christians in a prayer of remarkable fulness and sweep4 ,broadly taken1 it is for their perfecting in religious and moral excellence1 and it is very instructive to note the idea of what a good man is which is put forth here4 ,the main petition is for wisdom and spiritual understanding applied chiefly1 as is to be carefully noted1 to the knowledge of ,god's will4 ,the thought is that what it most imports us to know is the ,will of ,god1 a knowledge not of merely speculative points in the mysteries of the divine nature1 but of that ,will which it concerns us to know because it is our life to do it4 ,the next element in ,paul's desires1 as set forth in the ideal here1 is a worthy walk1 a practical life1 or course of conduct which is worthy of ,jesus ,christ1 and in every respect pleases ,him4 ,the highest purpose of knowledge is a good life4 ,the surest foundation for a good life is a full and clear knowledge of the ,will of ,god4 ,then follow a series of clauses which seem to expand the idea of the worthy walk and to be co-ordinate or perhaps slightly causal1 and to express the continuous condition of the soul which is walking worthily4 ,let us endeavour to gather from these words some hints as to what it is ,god's purpose that we should become4 ,i4 ,the many-sided strength which may be ours4 ,the form of the word 'strengthened' here would be more fully represented by 'being strengthened1' and suggests an unintermitted process of bestowal and reception of ,god's might rendered necessary by our continuous human weakness1 and by the tear and wear of life4 ,as in the physical life there must be constant renewal because there is constant waste1 and as every bodily action involves destruction of tissue so that living is a continual dying1 so is it in the mental and still more in the spiritual life4 ,just as there must be a perpetual oxygenation of blood in the lungs1 so there must be an uninterrupted renewal of spiritual strength for the highest life4 ,it is demanded by the conditions of our human weakness4 ,it is no less rendered necessary by the nature of the divine strength imparted1 which is ever communicating itself1 and like the ocean cannot but pour so much of its fulness as can be received into every creek and crack on its shore4 ,the ,apostle not merely emphasises the continuousness of this communicated strength1 but its many-sided variety1 by designating it 'all power4' ,in this whole context that word 'all' seems to have a charm for him4 ,we read in this prayer of 'all spiritual wisdom1' of 'walking worthily of the ,lord unto all pleasing1' of 'fruit in every good work1' and now of 'all power1' and lastly of 'all patience and longsuffering4' ,these are not instances of being obsessed with a word1 but each of them has its own appropriate force1 and here the comprehensive completeness of the strength available for our many-sided weakness is marvellously revealed4 ,there is 'infinite riches in a narrow room4' ,all power means every kind of power1 be it bodily or mental1 for all variety of circumstances1 and1 ,protean1 to take the shape of all exigencies4 ,most of us are strong only at points1 and weak in others4 ,in all human experience there is a vulnerable spot on the heel4 ,the most glorious image1 though it has a head of gold1 ends in feet1 'part of iron and part of clay4' ,and if this ideal of many-sided power stands in contrast with the limitations of human strength1 how does it rebuke and condemn the very partial manifestations of a very narrow and one-sided power which we who profess to have received it set forth6 ,we have access to a source which can fill our whole nature1 can flower into all gracious forms1 can cope with all our exigencies1 and make us all-round men1 complete in ,jesus ,christ1 and1 having this1 what do we make of it1 what do we show for it8 ,does not ,god say to us1 ',ye are not straitened in me1 ye are straitened in yourselves2 ,i beseech you be ye enlarged4' ,the conditions on our part requisite for possessing 'all might' are plain enough4 ,the earlier portion of the prayer plainly points to them4 ,the knowledge of ,god's ,will and the 'walk worthy of the ,lord' are the means whereby the power which is ever eager to make its dwelling in us1 can reach its end4 ,if we keep the channel unchoked1 no doubt 'the river of the water of life which proceedeth from the throne of ,god and the ,lamb' will rejoice to fill it to the brim with its flashing waters4 ,if we do not wrench away ourselves from contact with ,him1 ,he will 'strengthen us with all might4' ,if we keep near ,him we may have calm confidence that power will be ours that shall equal our need and outstrip our desires4 ,,ii4 ,the measure of the strength4 ,it is 'according to the power of ,his glory4' ,the ,authorised ,version but poorly represents the fulness of the ,apostle's thought1 which is more adequately and accurately expressed in the ,revised ,version4 ',his glory' is the flashing brightness of the divine self-manifestation1 and in that ,light resides the strength which is the standard or measure of the gift to us4 ,the tremendous force of the sunbeam which still falls so gently on a sleeper's face as not to disturb the closed eyes is but a parable of the strength which characterises the divine glory4 ,and wonderful and condemnatory as the thought is1 that power is the unlimited limit of the possibilities of our possession4 ,his gifts are proportioned to ,his resources4 ,while ,he is rich1 can ,i be poor8 ,the only real limit to ,his bestowal is ,his own fulness4 ,of course1 at each moment1 our capacity of receiving is for the time being the practical limit of our possession1 but that capacity varies indefinitely1 and may be1 and should be1 indefinitely and continuously increasing4 ,it is an elastic boundary1 and hence we may go on making our own as much as we will1 and progressively more and more1 of ,god's strength4 ,he gives it all1 but there is a tragical difference between the full cup put into our hands and the few drops carried to our lips4 ,the key of the treasure-chamber is in our possession1 and on each of us ,his gracious face smiles the permission which ,his gracious lips utter in words1 ',be it unto thee even as thou wilt4' ,if we are conscious of defect1 if our weakness is beaten by the assaults of temptation1 or crushed by sorrows that ride it down in a fierce attack1 the fault is our own4 ,we have1 if we choose to make it our own and to use it as ours1 more than enough to make us 'more than conquerors' over all sins and all sorrows4 ,but when we contrast what we have by ,god's gift and what we have in our personal experience and use in our daily life1 the contrast may well bring shame1 even though the contrast brings to us hope to lighten the shame4 ,the average experience of present-day ,christians reminds one of the great tanks that may be seen in ,india1 that have been suffered to go to ruin1 and so an elaborate system of irrigation comes to nothing1 and the great river that should have been drawn off into them runs past them1 all but unused4 ,repair them and keep the sluices open1 and all will blossom again4 ,,iii4 ,the great purpose of this strength4 ',patience and longsuffering with joyfulness' seems at first but a poor result of such a force1 but it comes from a heart that was under no illusions as to the facts of human life1 and it finds a response in us all4 ,it may be difficult to discriminate 'patience' from 'longsuffering1' but the general notion here is that one of the highest uses for which divine strength is given to us1 is to make us able to meet the antagonism of evil without its shaking our souls4 ,he who patiently endures without despondency or the desire to 'recompense evil for evil1' and to whom by faith even 'the night is light about him1' is far on the way to perfection4 ,god is always near us1 but never nearer than when our hearts are heavy and our way rough and dark4 ,our sorrows make rents through which ,his strength flows4 ,we can see more of heaven when the leaves are off the trees4 ,it is a law of the ,divine dealings that ,his strength is 'made perfect in weakness4' ,god leads us in to a darkened room to show us ,his wonders4 ,that strength is to be manifested by us in 'patience and longsuffering1' both of which are to have blended with them a real though apparently antagonistic joy4 ,true and profound grief is not opposed to such patience1 but the excess of it1 the hopeless and hysterical outbursts certainly are4 ,we are all like the figures in some old ,greek temples which stand upright with their burdens on their heads4 ,god's strength is given that we may bear ours calmly1 and upright like these fair forms that hold up the heavy architecture as if it were a feather1 or like women with water-jars on their heads1 which only make their carriage more graceful and their step more firm4 ,how different the patience which ,god gives by ,his own imparted strength1 from the sullen submission or hysterical abandonment to sorrow1 or the angry rebellion characterising ,godless grief6 ,many of us think that we can get on very well in prosperity and fine weather without ,him4 ,we had better ask ourselves what we are going to do when the storm comes1 which comes to all some time or other4 ,the word here rendered 'patience' is more properly 'perseverance4' ,it is not merely a passive but an active virtue4 ,we do not receive that great gift of divine strength to bear only1 but also to work1 and such work is one of the best ways of bearing and one of the best helps to doing so4 ,so in our sorrows and trials let us feel that ,god's strength is not all given us to be expended in our own consolation1 but also to be used in our plain duties4 ,these remain as imperative though our hearts are beating like hammers1 and there is no more unwise and cowardly surrender to trouble than to fling away our tools and fold our hands idly on our laps4 ,but ,paul lays a harder duty on us even in promising a great gift to us1 when he puts before us an ideal of joy mingling with patience and longsuffering4 ,the command would be an impossible one if there were not the assurance that we should be 'strengthened with all might4' ,we plainly need an infusion of diviner strength than our own1 if that strange marriage of joy and sorrow should take place1 and they should at once occupy our hearts4 ,yet if ,his strength be ours we shall be strong to submit and acquiesce1 strong to look deep enough to see ,his will as the foundation of all and as ever busy for our good1 strong to hope1 strong to discern the love at work1 strong to trust the ,father even when ,he chastens4 ,and all this will make it possible to have the paradox practically realised in our own experience1 ',as sorrowful yet always rejoicing4' ,one has seen potassium burning underwater4 ,our joy may burn under waves of sorrow4 ,let us bring our weakness to ,jesus ,christ and grasp ,him as did the sinking ,peter4 ,he will breathe ,his own grace into us1 and speak to our feeble and perchance sorrowful hearts1 as ,he had done long before ,paul's words to the ,colossians1 ',my grace is sufficient for thee1 and my strength is made perfect in weakness4' ,,thankful ,,for ,,inheritance ',giving thanks unto the ,father1 who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light4'--,,col4 i4 #ab 7,r4,v47 ,it is interesting to notice how much the thought of inheritance seems to have been filling the ,apostle's mind during his writing of ,ephesians and ,colossians4 ,its recurrence is one of the points of contact between them4 ,for example1 in ,ephesians1 we read1 ',in whom also were made a heritage' 7i4 #aa72 ',an earnest of our inheritance' 7i4 #ad72 ',his inheritance in the saints' 7i4 #ah72 ',inheritance in the ,kingdom of ,christ' 7v4 #e74 ,we notice too that in the address to the ,elders of the ,church at ,ephesus1 we read of 'the inheritance among all them that are sanctified' 7,acts #bj-cb74 ,in the text the climax of the ,apostle's prayer is presented as thankfulness1 the perpetual recognition of the ,divine hand in all that befalls us1 the perpetual confidence that all which befalls us is good1 and the perpetual gushing out towards ,him of love and praise4 ,the highest diligence1 the most strenuous fruit-bearing1 and the most submissive patience and longsuffering would be incomplete without the consecration of a grateful heart1 and the noblest beauty of a ,christian character would lack its rarest lustre4 ,this crown of ,christian perfectness the ,apostle regards as being called into action mainly by the contemplation of that great act and continuous work of ,god's ,fatherly love by which he makes us fit for our portion of the inheritance which the same love has prepared for us4 ,that inheritance is the great cause for ,christian thankfulness2 the more immediate cause is ,his preparation of us for it4 ,so we have three points here to consider2 the inheritance2 ,god's ,fatherly preparation of ,his children for it2 the continual temper of thankfulness which these should evoke4 ,i4 ,the ,inheritance4 ,the frequent recurrence of this idea in the ,old ,testament supplies ,paul with a thought which he uses to set forth the most characteristic blessings of the ,new4 ,the promised land belonged to ,israel1 and each member of each tribe had his own little holding in the tribal territory4 ,christians have in common the higher spiritual blessings which ,christ brings1 and ,himself is1 and each individual has his own portion of1 the general good4 ,we must begin by dismissing from our minds the common idea1 which a shallow experience tends to find confirmed by the associations ordinarily attached to the word 'inheritance1' that it is entered upon by death4 ,no doubt1 that great change does effect an unspeakable change in our fitness for1 and consequently in our possession of1 the gifts which we receive from ,christ's pierced hands1 and1 as the ,apostle has told us1 the highest of these possessed on earth is but the 'earnest of the inheritance'2 but we must ever bear in mind that the distinction between a ,christian life on earth and one in heaven is by no means so sharply drawn in ,scripture as it generally is by us1 and that death has by no means so great importance as we faithlessly attribute to it4 ,the life here and hereafter is like a road which passes the frontiers of two kingdoms divided by a bridged river1 but runs on in the same direction on both sides of the stream4 ,the flood had to be forded until ,jesus bridged it4 ,the elements of the future and the present are the same1 as the apostolic metaphor of the 'earnest of the inheritance' teaches us4 ,the handful of soil which constitutes the 'arles' is part of the broad acres made over by it4 ,we should be saved from many unworthy conceptions of the future life1 if we held more steadfastly to the great truth that ,god ,himself is the portion of the inheritance4 ,the human spirit is too great and too exacting to be satisfied with anything less than ,him1 and the possession of ,him opens out into every blessedness1 and includes all the minor joys and privileges that can gladden and enrich the soul4 ,we degrade the future if we think of it only1 or even chiefly1 as a state in which faculties are enlarged1 and sorrows and sins are for ever ended4 ,neither such negatives as 'no night there1' 'neither sorrow nor crime1' 'no more pain1' nor such metaphors as 'white robes' and 'golden crowns' and 'seats on thrones' are enough4 ,we are 'heirs of ,god1' and only as we possess ,him1 and know that we are ,his1 and ,he is ours1 are we 'rich to all intents of bliss4' ,that inheritance is here set forth as being 'in light' and as belonging to saints4 ,light is the element and atmosphere of ,god4 ,he is in light4 ,he is the fountain of all light4 ,he is light2 perfect in wisdom1 perfect in purity4 ,the sun has its spots1 but in ,him is no darkness at all4 ,moons wax and wane1 shadows of eclipse fall1 stars have their time to set1 but ',he is the ,father of lights with whom can be no variation1 neither shadow that is cast by turning4' ,all that light is focussed in ,jesus the ,light of the world4 ,that ,light fills the earth1 but here it shineth in darkness that obstructs its rays4 ,but there must be a place and a time where the manifestation of ,god corresponds with the reality of ,god1 where ,his beams pour out and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof1 nothing which they do not bless1 nothing which does not flash them back rejoicing4 ,there is a land whereof the ,lord ,god is the ,light4 ,in it is the inheritance of the 'saints1' and in its light live the nations of the saved1 and have ,god for their companion4 ,all darkness of ignorance1 of sorrow1 and of sin will fade away as the night flees and ceases to be1 before the rising sun4 ,the phrase 'to be partakers' is accurately rendered 'for the portion1' and carries a distinct allusion to the partition of the promised land to ,israel by which each man had his lot or share in the common inheritance4 ,so the one word inheritance brings with it blessed thoughts of a common possession of a happy society in which no man's gain is another's loss1 and all envyings1 rivalries1 and jealousies have ceased to be1 and the other word1 'the portion1' suggests the individual possession by each of his own vision and experience4 ,each man's 'portion' is capable of growth2 each has as much of ,god as he can hold4 ,the measure of his desire is the measure of his capacity4 ,there are infinite differences in the 'portions' of the saints on earth1 and heaven is robbed of one of its chief charms unless we recognise that there are infinite differences among the saints there4 ,for both states the charter by which the portion is held is ',be it unto thee even as thou wilt1' and in both the law holds ',to him that hath shall be given4' ,,ii4 ,the ,fatherly preparation for the ,inheritance4 ,it is obvious from all which we have been saying that without holiness no man shall see the ,lord4 ,the inheritance being what it is1 the possession1 the enjoyment of communion with a ,holy ,god1 it is absolutely incapable of being entered upon by any who are unholy4 ,that is true about both the partial possession of the earnest of it here and of its fulness hereafter4 ,in the present life all tolerated sin bars us out from enjoying ,god1 and in the future nothing can enter that defileth nor whatsoever worketh or maketh a lie4 ,there are many people who think that they would like 'to go to heaven1' but who would find it difficult to answer such questions as these3 ,do you like to think of ,god8 ,do you find any joy in holy thoughts8 ,what do you feel about prayer8 ,does the name of ,christ make your heart leap8 ,is righteousness your passion8 ,if you have to answer these questions with a silence which is the saddest negative1 what do you think you would do in heaven8 ,i remember that the ,greenlanders told the ,moravian missionaries who were trying to move them by conventional pictures of its delights1 that the heaven which these pious souls had painted would not do for them1 for there were no seals there4 ,there are thousands of us who1 if we spoke the truth1 would say the same thing1 with the necessary variations arising from our environment4 ,there is not a spinning-mill in it all4 ,how would some of us like that8 ,there is not a ledger1 nor a theatre1 no novels1 no amusements4 ,would it not be intolerable ennui to be put down in such an order of things8 ,you would be like the ,israelites1 loathing 'this light bread' and hungering for the strong-smelling and savoury-tasting leeks and garlic1 even if in order to taste them you had to be slaves again4 ,heaven would be no heaven to you if you could go there and be thus minded4 ,but you could not4 ,god ,himself cannot carry men thither but by fitting them for it4 ,it is not a place so much as a state1 and the mighty hand that works on one side of the thick curtain preparing the inheritance in light for the saints1 is equally busy on this side making the saints meet for the inheritance4 ,i do not wish to enter here on grammatical niceties1 but ,i must point out that the form of the word which the ,apostle employs to express it points to an act in the past which still runs on4 ,the ,revised ,version's rendering1 'made us meet1' is preferable to the ,authorised ,version's1 because of its omission of the 'hath' which relegates the whole process of preparation to the past4 ,and it is of importance to recognise that the difference between these two representations of the divine preparation is not a piece of pedantry1 for that preparation has indeed its beginnings in the past of every ,christian soul1 but is continuous throughout its whole earthly experience4 ,there is the great act of forgiveness and justifying which is cotemporaneous with the earliest and most imperfect faith1 and there is the being born again1 the implanting of a new life which is the life of ,christ ,himself1 and has no spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing4 ,that new life is infantile1 but it is there1 the real man1 and it will grow and conquer4 ,take an extreme case and suppose a man who has just received forgiveness for his past and the endowment of a new nature4 ,though he were to die at that moment he would still in the basis of his being and real self be meet for the inheritance4 ,he who truly trusts in ,jesus is passed from death unto life1 though the habits of sins which are forgiven still cling to him1 and his new life has not yet exercised a controlling power or begun to build up character4 ,so ,christians ought not to think that1 because they are conscious of much unholiness1 they are not ready for the inheritance4 ,the wild brigand through whose glazing eyeballs faith looked out to his fellow-sufferer on the central cross was adjudged meet to be with him in ,paradise1 and if all his deeds of violence and wild outrages on the laws of ,god and man did not make him unmeet1 who amongst us need write bitter things against himself8 ,the preparation is further effected through all the future earthly life4 ,the only true way to regard everything that befalls us here is to see in it the ,fatherly discipline preparing us for a fuller possession of a richer inheritance4 ,gains and losses1 joys and sorrows1 and all the endless variety of experiences through which we all have to pass1 are an unintelligible mystery unless we apply to them this solution1 ',he for our profit that we might be partakers of ,his holiness4' ,it is not a blind ,fate or a still blinder ,chance that hurtles sorrows and changes at us1 but a loving ,father2 and we do not grasp the meaning of our lives unless we feel1 even about their darkest moments1 that the end of them all is to make us more capable of possessing more of ,himself4 ,,iii4 ,the thankfulness which these thoughts should evoke4 ,thankfulness ought to be a sweet duty4 ,it is a joy to cherish gratitude4 ,generous hearts do not need to be told to be thankful1 and they who are only thankful to order are not thankful at all4 ,in nothing is the ordinary experience of the ordinary ,christian more defective1 and significant of the deficiencies of their faith1 than in the tepidness and interruptedness of their gratitude4 ,the blessings bestowed are continuous and unspeakable4 ,the thanks returned are grudging and scanty4 ,the river that flows from ,god is 'full of water' and pours out unceasingly1 and all that we return is a tiny trickle1 often choked and sometimes lost in the sands4 ,our thankfulness ought to be constant4 ,the fire on the altar should never be quenched4 ,the odour of the sweet-smelling incense should ever ascend4 ,why is it that we have so little of this grace which the ,apostle in our text regards as the precious stone that binds all ,christian graces together1 the sparkling crest of the wave of a ,christian life8 ,mainly because we have so little of the habit of regarding all things as ,god's ,fatherly discipline and meditating on that for which they are making us meet4 ,we need a far more habitual contemplation of our inheritance1 of our experience as lovingly given by ,god to fit us for it and of the darkest hours which would otherwise try our faith and silence our praise as necessary parts of that preparation4 ,if this be our habitual attitude of mind1 and these be ever present to us1 our song will be always of ,his mercy and our whole lives a thank-offering4 ,the text is a prophecy describing the inheritance in its perfect form4 ,earthly life must be ended before it is fully understood4 ,down in the valleys we praised ,god1 but tears and mysteries sometimes saddened our songs2 but now on the summit surveying all behind1 and knowing by a blessed eternity of experience to what it has led1 even an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away1 we shall praise ,him with a new song for ever4 ,thankfulness is the one element of worship common to earth and heaven1 to angels and to us4 ,whilst they sing1 ',bless the ,lord all ye ,his hosts1' redeemed men have still better reason to join in the chorus and answer1 ',bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul4' ,,christian ,,endeavour ',i also labour1 striving according to ,his working1 which worketh in me mightily4'--,,col4 i4 #bi4 ,i have chosen this text principally because it brings together the two subjects which are naturally before us to-day4 ,all ',western ,christendom1' as it is called1 is to-day commemorating the ,pentecostal gift4 ,my text speaks about that power that 'worketh in us mightily4' ,true1 the ,apostle is speaking in reference to the fiery energy and persistent toil which characterised him in proclaiming ,christ1 that he might present men perfect before ,him4 ,but the same energy which he expended on his apostolic office he expended on his individual personality4 ,and he would not have discharged the one unless he had first laboured on the other4 ,and although in a letter contemporary with this one from which my text is taken he speaks of himself as no longer young1 but 'such an one as ,paul the aged1 and likewise1 also a prisoner of ,jesus ,christ1' the young spirit was in him1 and the continual pressing forward to unattained heights4 ,and that is the spirit1 not only of a section of the ,church divided from the rest by youth and by special effort1 but of the whole ,church if it is worth calling a ,church1 and unless it is thus instinct1 it is a mere dead organisation4 ,so ,i hope that what few things ,i have to say may apply to1 and be felt to be suitable by all of us1 whether we are nominally ,christian ,endeavourers or not4 ,if we are ,christian people1 we are such4 ,if we are not endeavouring1 shall ,i venture to say we are not ,christians8 ,at any rate1 we are very poor ones4 ,now here1 then1 are two plain things1 a great universal ,christian duty and a sufficient universal ,christian endowment4 ',i work striving'2 that is the description of every true ,christian4 ',i work striving1 according to ,his working1 who worketh in me mightily'3 there is the great gift which makes the work and the striving possible4 ,let me briefly deal1 then1 with these two4 ,i4 ,the solemn universal ,christian obligation4 ,now the two words which the ,apostle employs here are both of them very emphatic4 ',his words were half battles1' was said about ,luther4 ,it may be as truly said about ,paul4 ,and that word 'work' which he employs1 means1 not work with one hand1 or with a delicate forefinger1 but it means toil up to the verge of weariness4 ,the notion of fatigue is almost1 ,i might say1 uppermost in the word as it is used in the ,new ,testament4 ,some people like to 'labour' so as never to turn a hair1 or bring a sweat-drop on to their foreheads4 ,that is not ,christian ,endeavour4 ,work that does not 'take it out of you' is not worth doing4 ,the other word 'striving' brings up the picture of the arena with the combatants' strain of muscle1 their set teeth1 their quick1 short breathing1 their deadly struggle4 ,that is ,paul's notion of ,endeavour4 ,now ',endeavour1' like a great many other words1 has a baser and a nobler side to it4 ,some people1 when they say1 ',i will endeavour1' mean that they are going to try in a half-hearted way1 with no prospect of succeeding4 ,that is not ,christian ,endeavour4 ,the meaning of the word--for the expression in my text might just as well be rendered 'endeavouring' as 'striving'--is that of a buoyant confident effort of all the concentrated powers1 with the certainty of success4 ,that is the endeavour that we have to cultivate as ,christian men4 ,and there is only one field of human effort in which that absolute confidence that it shall not be in vain is anything but presumptuous arrogance2 namely1 in the effort after making ourselves what ,god means us to be1 what ,jesus ,christ longs for us to be1 what the ,spirit of ,god is given to us in order that we should be4 ',we shall not fail1' ought to be the word of every man and woman when they set themselves to the great task of working out1 in their own characters and personalities1 the ,divine intention which is made a ,divine possibility by the sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ and the gift of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,so then what we come to is just this1 dear brethren1 if we are ,christians at all1 we have to make a business of our religion2 to go about it as if we meant work4 ,ah6 what a contrast there is between the languid way in which ,christian men pursue what the ,bible designates their 'calling' and that in which men with far paltrier aims pursue theirs6 ,and what a still sadder contrast there is between the way in which we ,christians go about our daily business1 and the way in which we go about our ,christian life6 ,why1 a man will take more pains to learn some ornamental art1 or some game1 than he will ever take to make himself a better ,christian4 ,the one is work4 ,what is the other8 ,to a very large extent dawdling and make-believe4 ,you remember the old story1--it may raise a smile1 but there should be a deep thought below the smile1--of the little child that said as to his father that 'he was a ,christian1 but he had not been working much at it lately4' ,do not laugh4 ,it is a great deal too true of--,i will not venture to say what percentage of--the professing ,christians of this day4 ,work at your religion4 ,that is the great lesson of my text4 ,endeavour with confidence of success4 ,the ,book of ,proverbs says3 ',he that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster1' and that is true4 ,a man that does 'the work of the ,lord negligently' is scarcely to be credited with doing it at all4 ,dear friends1 young or old1 if you name the name of ,christ1 be in earnest1 and make earnest work of your ,christian character4 ,and now may ,i venture two or three very plain exhortations8 ,first1 ,i would say--if you mean to make your ,christian life a piece of genuine work and striving1 the first thing that you have to do is to endeavour in the direction of keeping its aim very clear before you4 ,there are many ways in which we may state the goal of the ,christian life1 but let us put it now into the all-comprehensive form of likeness to ,jesus ,christ1 by entire conformity to ,his ,example and full interpretation of ,his life4 ,i do not say ',heaven'2 ,i say ',christ4' ,that is our aim1 the loftiest idea of development that any human spirit can grasp1 and rising high above a great many others which are noble but incomplete4 ,the ,christian ideal is the greatest in the universe4 ,there is no other system of thought that paints man as he is1 so darkly2 there is none that paints man as he is meant to be1 in such radiant colours4 ,the blacks upon the palette of ,christianity are blacker1 and the whites are whiter1 and the golden is more radiant1 than any other painter has ever mixed4 ,and so just because the aim which lies before the least and lowest of us1 possessing the most imperfect and rudimentary ,christianity1 is so transcendent and lofty1 it is hard to keep it clear before our eyes1 especially when all the shabby little necessities of daily life come in to clutter up the foreground1 and hide the great distance4 ,men may live up at ,darjeeling there on the heights for weeks1 and never see the ,himalayas towering opposite4 ,the lower hills are clear2 the peaks are wreathed in cloud4 ,so the little aims1 the nearer purposes1 stand out distinct and obtrusive1 and force themselves1 as it were1 upon our eyeballs1 and the solemn white ,throne of the ,eternal away across the marshy levels1 is often hid1 and it needs an effort for us to keep it clear before us4 ,one of the main reasons for much that is unsatisfactory in the spiritual condition of the average ,christian of this day is precisely that he has not burning ever before him there1 the great aim to which he ought to be tending4 ,so he gets loose and diffused1 and vague and uncertain4 ,that is what ,paul tells you when he proposes himself as an example3 ',so run ,i1 not as uncertainly1' ,the man who knows where he is running makes a bee-line for the goal4 ,if he is not sure of his destination1 of course he zigzags4 ',so fight ,i1 not as one that beateth the air'--if ,i see my antagonist ,i can hit him4 ,if ,i do not see him clearly ,i strike like a swordsman in the dark1 at random1 and my sword comes back unstained4 ,if you want to make the harbour1 keep the harbour lights always clear before you1 or you will go yawing about1 and washing here and there1 in the trough of the wave1 and the tempest will be your master4 ,if you do not know where you are going you will have to say1 like the men in the old story in the ,old ,book1 ',thy servant went no whither4' ,if you are going to endeavour1 endeavour first to keep the goal clear before you4 ,and endeavour next to keep up communion with ,jesus ,christ1 which is the secret of all peaceful and of all noble living4 ,and endeavour next after concentration4 ,and what does that mean8 ,it means that you have to detach yourself from hindrances4 ,it means that you have to prosecute the ,christian aim all through the common things of ,christian life4 ,if it were not possible to be pursuing the great aim of likeness to ,jesus ,christ1 in the veriest secularities of the most insignificant and trivial occupations1 then it would be no use talking about that being our aim4 ,if we are not making ourselves more like ,jesus ,christ by the way in which we handle our books1 or our pen1 or our loom1 or our scalpel1 or our kitchen utensils1 then there is little chance of our ever making ourselves like ,jesus ,christ4 ,for it is these trifles that make life1 and to concentrate ourselves on the pursuit of the ,christian aim is1 in other words1 to carry that ,christian aim into every triviality of our daily lives4 ,there are three ,scripture passages which set forth various aspects of the aim that we have before us1 and from each of these aspects deduce the one same lesson4 ,the ,apostle says 'giving all diligence1 add to your faith virtue1' etc41 'for if ye do these things ye shall never fail4' ,he also exhorts3 ',give diligence to make your calling and election sure4' ,and finally he says3 ',be diligent1 that ye may be found of ,him in peace1 without spot1 blameless4' ,there are three aspects of the ,christian course1 and the ,christian aim1 the addition to our faith of all the clustering graces and virtues and powers that can be hung upon it1 like jewels on the neck of a queen2 the making our calling and election sure1 and the being found at last tranquil1 spotless1 stainless1 and being found so by ,him4 ,these great aims are incumbent on all ,christians1 they require diligence1 and ennoble the diligence which they require4 ,so1 brethren1 we have all to be ,endeavourers if we are ,christians1 and that to the very end of our lives4 ,for our path is the only path on which men tread that has for its goal an object so far off that it never can be attained1 so near that it can ever be approached4 ,this infinite goal of the ,christian ,endeavour means inspiration for youth1 and freshness for old age1 and that man is happy who can say3 ',not as though ,i had already attained' at the end of a long life1 and can say it1 not because he has failed1 but because in a measure he has succeeded4 ,other courses of life are like the voyages of the old mariners which were confined within the narrow limits of the ,mediterranean1 and steered from headland to headland4 ,but the ,christian passes through the jaws of the straits1 and comes out on a boundless sunlit ocean where1 though he sees no land ahead1 he knows there is a peaceful shore1 beyond the western waves4 ',i work striving4' ,now one word as to the other thought that is here1 and that is ,,ii4 ,the all-sufficient ,christian gift4 ',according to ,his working1 which worketh in me mightily4' ,i need not discuss whether ',his' in my text refers to ,god or to ,christ4 ,the thing meant is the operation upon the ,christian spirit1 of that ,divine ,spirit whose descent the ,church to-day commemorates4 ,at this stage of my sermon ,i can only remind you in a word1 first of all1 that the ,apostle here is arrogating to himself no special or peculiar gift1 is not egotistically setting forth something which he possessed and other ,christian people did not--that power which1 'working in him mightily1' worked in all his brethren as well4 ,it was his conviction and his teaching--would that it were more operatively and vitally the conviction of all professing ,christians to-day1 and would that it were more conspicuously1 and in due proportion to the rest of ,christian truth1 the teaching of all ,christian teachers to-day6--that that ,divine power is in the very act of faith received and implanted in every believing soul4 ',know ye not1' the ,apostle could say to his hearers1 'that ye have the ,spirit of ,god1 except ye be reprobates4' ,i doubt whether the affirmative response would spring to the lips of all professing or real ,christians to-day as swiftly as it would have done then4 ,and ,i cannot help feeling1 and feeling with increasing gravity of pressure as the days go on1 that the thing that our churches1 and we as individuals1 perhaps need most to-day1 is the replacing of that great truth--,i do not call it a 'doctrine1' that is cold1 it is experience--in its proper place4 ,they who believe on ,him do receive a new life1 a supernatural communication of the new ,spirit1 to be the very power that rules in their lives4 ,it is an inward gift4 ,it is not like the help that men can render us1 given from without and apprehended and incorporated with ourselves through the medium of the understanding or of the heart4 ,there is an old story in the history of ,israel about a young king that was bid by the prophet to bend his bow against the enemies of ,israel1 as a symbol2 and the old prophet put his withered1 skinny brown hand on the young man's fleshy one1 and then said to him1 ',shoot4' ,but this ,divine ,spirit comes to strengthen us in a more intimate and blessed fashion than that1 for it glides into our hearts and dwells in our spirits1 and our work1 as my text says1 is ,his working4 ,this 'working within' is stated in the original of my text most emphatically1 for it is literally 'the inworking which inworketh in me mightily4' ,so1 dear brethren1 the first direct aim of all our endeavour ought to be to receive and to keep and to increase our gift of that ,divine ,spirit4 ,the work and the striving of which my text speaks would be sheer slavery unless we had that help4 ,it would be impossible of accomplishment unless we had it4 ',if any power we have1 it is to ill1 ,and all the power is ,thine1 to do and eke to will4' ,let us1 then1 begin our endeavour1 not by working1 but by receiving4 ,is not that the very meaning of the doctrine that we are always talking about1 that men are saved1 not by works but by faith8 ,does not that mean that the first step is reception1 and the first requisite is receptiveness1 and that then1 and after that1 second and not first1 come working and striving8 ,to keep our hearts open by desire1 to keep them open by purity1 are the essentials4 ,the dove will not come into a fouled nest4 ,it is said that they forsake polluted places4 ,but also we have to use the power which is inwrought4 ,use is the way to increase all gifts1 from the muscle in your arm to the ,christian life in your spirit4 ,use it1 and it grows4 ,neglect it1 and it vanishes1 and like the old ,jewish heroes1 a man may go forth to exercise himself as of old time1 and know not that the ,spirit of ,god hath departed from him4 ,dear friends1 do not bind yourselves to the slavery of ,endeavour1 until you come into the liberty and wealth of receiving4 ,he gives first1 and then says to you1 ',now go to work1 and keep that good thing which is committed unto thee4' ,there is but one thought more in this last part of my text1 which ,i must not leave untouched1 and that is that this sufficient and universal gift is not only the means by which the great universal duty can be discharged1 but it ought to be the measure in which it is discharged4 ',i work according to the working in me4' ,that is1 all the force that came into ,paul by that ,divine ,spirit1 came out of ,paul in his ,christian conduct1 and the gift was not only the source1 but also the measure1 of this man's ,christian ,endeavour4 ,is that true about us8 ,they say that the steam-engine is a most wasteful application of power1 that a great deal of the energy which is generated goes without ever doing any work4 ,they tell us that one of the great difficulties in the way of economic application of electricity is the loss which comes through using accumulators4 ,is not that like a great many of us8 ,so much power poured into us2 so little coming out from us and translated into actual work6 ,such a 'rushing mighty wind1' and the air about us so heavy and stagnant and corrupt6 ,such a blaze of fire1 and we so cold6 ,such a cataract of the river of the water of life1 and our lips parched and our crops seared and worthless6 ,ah1 brethren6 when we look at ourselves1 and when we think of the condition of so many of the churches to which we belong1 the old rebuke of the prophet comes back to us in this generation1 ',thou that art named the ,house of ,israel1 is the ,spirit of the ,lord straitened8 ,are these ,his doings8' ,we have an all-sufficient power4 ,may our working and striving be according to it1 and may we work mightily1 being 'strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might6' ,,christian ,,progress ',as therefore ye received ,christ ,jesus the ,lord1 so walk in ,him1 rooted and builded up in ,him4'--,,col4 ii4 #f1 #g 7,r4,v474 ,it is characteristic of ,paul that he should here use three figures incongruous with each other to express the same idea1 the figures of walking1 being rooted1 and built up4 ,they1 however1 have in common that they all suggest an initial act by which we are brought into connection with ,christ1 and a subsequent process flowing from and following on it4 ,receiving ,christ1 being rooted in ,him1 being founded on ,him1 stand for the first2 walking in ,him1 growing up from the root in ,him1 being built up on ,him as foundation1 stand for the second4 ,fully expressed then1 the text would run1 ',as ye have received ,christ1 so walk in ,him2 as ye have been rooted in ,him1 so grow up in ,him2 as ye have been founded on ,him1 so be builded up4' ,these three clauses present the one idea in slightly different forms4 ,the first expresses ,christian progress as the manifestation before the world of an inward possession1 the exhibition in the outward life of a treasure hid in the heart4 ,the second expresses the same progress as the development by its own vital energy of the life of ,christ in the soul4 ,the third expresses the progress as the addition1 by conscious efforts1 of portion after portion to the character1 which is manifestly incomplete until the headstone crowns the structure4 ,we may then take the passage before us as exhibiting the principles of ,christian progress4 ,i4 ,the origin of all1 or how ,christian progress begins4 ,these three figures1 receiving1 rooted1 founded1 all express a great deal more than merely accepting certain truths about ,him4 ,the acceptance of truths is the means by which we come to what is more than any belief of truths4 ,we possess ,christ when we believe with a true faith in ,him4 ,we are rooted in ,him4 ,his life flows into us4 ,we draw nourishment from that soil4 ,we are built on ,him1 and in our compact union find a real support to a life which is otherwise baseless and blown about like thistledown by every breath4 ,the union which all these metaphors presupposes is a vital connection2 the possession which is the first step in the ,christian life is a real possession4 ,there is no progress without that initial step4 ,our own experience tells us but too plainly and loudly that we need the impartation of a new life1 and to be set on a new foundation1 if we are ever to be anything else than failures and blots4 ,there is sure to be progress if the initial step has been taken4 ,if ,christ has been received1 the life possessed will certainly manifest itself4 ,it will go on to perfection4 ,the union effected will work on through the whole character and nature4 ,it is the beginning of all2 it is only the beginning4 ,,ii4 ,the manner of ,christian progress or in what it consists4 ,it consists in a more complete possession of ,him1 in a more constant approximation to ,him1 and a more entire appropriation of ,him4 ,christian progress is not a growing up from ,christ as starting-point1 but into ,christ as goal4 ,all is contained in the first act by which ,he is first received2 the remainder is but the working out of that4 ,all our growth in knowledge and wisdom consists in our knowing what we have when we receive ,christ4 ,we grow in proportion as we learn to see in ,him the centre of all truth1 as the ,revealer of ,god1 as the ,teacher of man1 as the ,interpreter of nature1 as the meaning and end of history1 as the ,lord of life and death4 ,morals1 politics1 and philosophy flow from ,him4 ,his lips and ,his life and death proclaim all truth1 human and divine4 ,as in wisdom so in character1 all progress consists in coming closer to ,jesus and receiving more and more of ,his many-sided grace4 ,he is the pattern of all excellence1 the living ideal of whatsoever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1 whatsoever things are of good report1 virtue incarnate1 praise embodied4 ,he is the power by which we become gradually and growingly moulded into ,his likeness4 ,every part of our nature finds its best stimulus in ,jesus for individuals and for societies4 ,christ and growth into ,him is progress1 and the only way by which men can be presented perfect1 is that they shall be presented 'perfect in ,christ1' whereunto every man must labour who would that his labour should not be in vain4 ,that progress must follow the threefold direction in the text4 ,there must first be the progressive manifestation in act and life of the ,christ already possessed1 ',as ye received ,christ ,jesus the ,lord1 so walk in ,him4' ,there must also be the completer growth in the soul of the new life already received4 ,as the leaf grows green and broad1 so a ,christlike character must grow not altogether by effort4 ,and there must be a continual being builded up in ,him by constant additions to the fabric of graces set on that foundation4 ,,iii4 ,the means1 or how it is accomplished4 ,the first words of our text tell us that ',ye have received ,christ ,jesus as ,lord1' and all depends on keeping the channels of communication open so that the reception may be continuous and progressive4 ,we must live near and ever nearer to the ,lord1 and seek that our communion with ,him may be strengthened4 ,on the other hand1 it is not only by the spontaneous development of the implanted life1 but by conscious and continuous efforts which sometimes involve vigorous repression of the old self that progress is realised4 ,the two metaphors of our text have to be united in our experience4 ,neither the effortless growth of the tree nor the toilsome work of the builder suffice to represent the whole truth4 ,the two sides of deep and still communion1 and of strenuous effort based on that communion1 must be found in the experience of every ,christian who has received ,christ1 and is advancing through the imperfect manifestations of earth to the perfect union with1 and perfect assimilation to1 the ,lord4 ,to all men who are ready to despair of themselves1 here is the way to realise the grandest hopes4 ,nothing is too great to be attained by one who1 having received ,christ ,jesus as ,lord1 walks in ,him1 rooted and builded up in ,him1 'a holy temple to the ,lord4' ,,risen ,,with ,,christ ',if ye then be risen with ,christ1 seek those things which are above1 where ,christ sitteth on the right hand of ,god4 #b4 ,set your affection on things above1 not on things on the earth4 #c4 ,for ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 #d4 ,when ,christ1 who is our life1 shall appear1 then shall ye also appear with ,him in glory4 #e4 ,mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth2 fornication1 uncleanness1 inordinate affection1 evil concupiscence1 and covetousness1 which is idolatry3 #f4 ,for which things' sake the wrath of ,god cometh on the children of disobedience4 #g4 ,in the which ye also walked sometime1 when ye lived in them4 #h4 ,but now ye also put off all these2 anger1 wrath1 malice1 blasphemy1 filthy communication out of your mouth4 #i4 ,lie not one to another1 seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds2 #aj4 ,and have put on the new man1 which is renewed in knowledge after the image of ,him that created him3 #aa4 ,where there is neither ,greek nor ,jew1 circumcision nor uncircumcision1 ,barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond nor free3 but ,christ is all1 and in all4 #ab4 ,put on therefore1 as the elect of ,god1 holy and beloved1 bowels of mercies1 kindness1 humbleness of mind1 meekness1 longsuffering2 #ac4 ,forbearing one another1 and forgiving one another1 if any man have a quarrel against any3 even as ,christ forgave you1 so also do ye4 #ad4 ,and above all these things put on charity1 which is the bond of perfectness4 #ae4 ,and let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts1 to the which also ye are called in one body2 and be ye thankful4'--,,col4 iii4 #a-ae4 ,the resurrection is regarded in ,scripture in three aspects--as a fact establishing our ,lord's ,messiahship1 as a prophecy of our rising from the dead1 and as a symbol of the ,christian life even now4 ,the last is the aspect under which ,paul deals with it here4 ,i4 ,verses #a-d set forth the wonderful but most real union of the believer with the risen ,christ4 ,we have said that the ,lord's resurrection is regarded as a symbol1 but that is an incomplete representation of the truth here taught1 for ,paul believed that the ,christian is so joined to ,jesus as that he has1 not in symbol only1 but in truth1 risen with him4 ,mark the emphasis and depth of the expressions setting forth the believer's unity with his ,lord3 ',ye were raised together with ,christ'2 ',ye died1 and your life is hid with ,christ4' ,and these wonderful statements do not go to the bottom of the fact1 for ,paul goes beyond even them1 and does not scruple to say that ,christ 'is our life4' ,the ground of these great declarations is found in the fact that faith joins us in most real and close union to ,jesus ,christ1 so that in ,his death we die to sin and the world1 and that1 even while we live the bodily life of men here1 we have in us another life1 derived from ,jesus4 ,unless our ,christianity has grasped that great truth1 it has not risen to the height of ,new ,testament teaching and ,christian privilege4 ,we cannot make too much of ',christ our sacrifice1' but some of us make too little of ',christ our life1' and thereby fail to understand in all its fulness that other truth on which they fasten so exclusively4 ,union with ,christ in the possession of ,his life in us1 and the consequent rooting of our lives in ,him1 is a truth which much of the evangelical ,christianity of this day needs to see more clearly4 ,the life is 'hid1' as being united with ,jesus1 and consequently withdrawn from the world1 which neither comprehends nor sustains it4 ,a ,christian man is bound to manifest to the utmost of his power what is the motive and aim of his life2 but the devout life is1 like the divine life1 a mystery1 unrevealed after all revelation4 ,the practical conclusion from this blessed union with ,jesus is that we are1 as ,christians1 bound to be true in our conduct to the facts of our spiritual life1 and to turn away from the world1 which is now not our home1 and set our mind 7not only our 'affections'7 on things above4 ,surely the ,christ1 'seated on the right hand of ,god1' will be as a magnet to draw our conscious being upwards to ,himself4 ,surely union with ,him in ,his death will lead us to die to the world which is alien to us1 and to live in aspiration1 thought1 desire1 love1 and obedience with ,him in ,his calm abode1 whence ,he rules and blesses the souls whom1 through their faith1 ,he has made to live the new life of heaven on earth4 ,,ii4 ,the first consequence of the risen life is negative1 the death or 'putting off' of the old nature1 the life which belongs to and is ruled by earth4 ,verses #e-i solemnly lay on the ,christian the obligation to put this to death4 ,the 'therefore' in verse #e teaches a great lesson1 for it implies that the union with ,jesus by faith must precede all self-denial which is true to the spirit of the ,gospel4 ,asceticism of any sort which is not built on the evangelical foundation is thereby condemned1 whether it is practised by ,buddhist1 or monk1 or ,protestant4 ,first be partaker of the new life1 and then put off the old man with his deeds4 ,the withered fronds of last year are pushed off the fern by the new ones as they uncurl4 ,that doctrine of life in ,christ is set down as mystical2 but it is mysticism of the wholesome sort1 which is intensely practical1 and comes down to the level of the lowest duties1--for observe what homely virtues are enjoined1 and how the things prohibited are no fantastic classifications of vices1 but the things which all the world owns to be ugly and wrong4 ,we cannot here enlarge on ,paul's grim catalogue1 but only point out that it is in two parts1 the former 7verses #e1 #f7 being principally sins of impurity and unregulated passion1 to which is added 'covetousness1' as the other great vice to which the old nature is exposed4 ,lust and greed between them are the occasions of most of the sins of men4 ,stop these fountains1 and the streams of evil would shrink to very small trickles4 ,these twin vices attract the lightning of ,god's wrath1 which 'cometh' on their perpetrators1 not only in some final future judgment1 but here and now4 ,if we were not blind1 we should see that thundercloud steadily drawing nearer1 and ready to launch its terrors on impure and greedy men4 ,they have set it in motion1 and they are right in the path of the avalanche which they have loosened4 ,the possessors of the risen life are exhorted to put off these things1 not only because of the coming wrath1 but because continuance in them is inconsistent with their present standing and life 7v4 #g74 ,they do not now 'live in them1' but in the heavenly places with the risen ,lord1 therefore to walk in them is a contradiction4 ,our conduct should correspond to our real affinities1 and the surface of our lives should be true to their depths and roots4 ,the second class of vices are those which mar our intercourse with our fellows1--the more passionate anger and wrath and the more cold-blooded and deadly malice1 with the many sins of speech4 ,,iii4 ,in verse #i ,paul appends the great reason for all the preceding injunctions2 namely1 the fact1 already enlarged on in verses #a-d1 of the ,christian's death and new life by union with ,jesus4 ,he need only have stated the one-half of the fact here1 but he never can touch one member of the antithesis without catching fire1 as it were1 and so he goes on to dwell on the new life in ,christ1 and thus to prepare for the transition to the exhortation to 'put on' its characteristic excellences4 ,we note how true to fact1 though apparently illogical1 his representation is4 ,he bases the command to put off the old man on the fact that ,christians have put it off4 ,they are to be what they are1 to work out in daily acts what they did in its full ideal completeness when by faith they died to self and were made alive in and to ,christ4 ,a strong motive for a continuous ,christian life is the recollection of the initial ,christian act4 ,but ,paul's fervent spirit blazes up as he thinks of that new nature which union with ,jesus has brought1 and he turns aside from his exhortations to gaze on that great sight4 ,he condenses volumes into a sentence4 ,that new man is not only new1 but is perpetually being renewed with a renovation penetrating more and more deeply1 and extending more and more widely1 in the ,christian's nature4 ,it is continually advancing in knowledge1 and tending towards perfect knowledge of ,christ4 ,it is being fashioned1 by a better creation than that of ,adam1 into a more perfect likeness of ,god than our first father bore in his sinless freshness4 ,the possession of it gathers all ,christians into a unity in which all distinctions of nationality1 religious privilege1 culture1 or social condition1 are lost4 ,paul the ,pharisee and the ,colossian brethren1 ,onesimus the slave and ,philemon his master1 are one in ,jesus4 ,the new life is one in all its recipients1 and makes them one4 ,the phenomena of the lowest forms of life are almost repeated in the highest1 and1 just as in a coral reef the myriads of workers are not individuals so much as parts of one living whole1 'so also is ,christ4' ,the union is the closest possible without destruction of our individuality4 ,,iv4 ,the final1 positive consequence of the risen life follows in verses #ab-ae4 ,again the ,apostle reminds ,christians of what they are1 as the great motive for putting on the new man4 ,the contemplation of privileges may tend to proud isolation and neglect of duty to our fellows1 but the true effect of knowing that we are ',god's elect1 holy and beloved1' is to soften our hearts1 and to lead us to walk among men as mirrors and embodiments of ,god's mercy to us4 ,the only virtues touched on here are the various manifestations of love1 such as quick susceptibility to others' sorrows2 readiness to help by act as well as to pity in word2 lowliness in estimating one's own claims1 which will lead to bearing evils without resentment or recompensing the like2 and patient forgiveness1 after the pattern and measure of the forgiveness we have received4 ,all these graces1 which would make earth an ,eden1 and our hearts temples1 and our lives calm1 are outcomes of love1 and must never be divorced from it4 ,paul uses a striking image to express this thought of their dependence on it4 ,he likens them to the various articles of dress1 and bids us hold them all in place with love as a girdle1 which keeps together all the various graces that make up 'perfectness4' ,thus living in love1 we shall be free from the tumult of spirit which ever attends a selfish life2 for nothing is more certain to stuff a man's pillow with thorns1 and to wreck his tranquillity1 than to live in hate and suspicion1 or self-absorbed4 ',the peace of ,christ' is ours in the measure in which we live the risen life and put on the new man1 and that peace in our hearts will rule1 that is1 will sit there as umpire2 for it will instinctively draw itself into itself1 as it were1 like the leaves of a sensitive plant1 at the approach of evil1 and1 if we will give heed to its warnings1 and have nothing to do with what disturbs it1 we shall be saved from falling into many a sin4 ,that peace gathers all the possessors of the new life into blessed harmony4 ,it is peace with ,god1 with ourselves1 and with all our brethren2 and the fact that all ,christians are1 by their common life1 members of the one body1 lays on them all the obligation to keep the unity in the bond of peace4 ,and for all these great blessings1 especially for that union with ,jesus which gives us a share in his risen life1 thankfulness should ever fill our hearts and make all our days and deeds the sacrifice of praise unto him continually4 ,,risen ,,with ,,christ ',if ye then be risen with ,christ1 seek those things which are above1 where ,christ sitteth on the right hand of ,god4 ,set your affection on things above1 not on things on the earth4'--,,col4 iii4 #a1 #b4 ,there are three aspects in which the ,new ,testament treats the ,resurrection1 and these three seem to have successively come into the consciousness of the ,church4 ,first1 as is natural1 it was considered mainly in its bearing on the person and work of our ,lord4 ,we may point for illustration to the way in which the ,resurrection is treated in the earliest of the apostolic discourses1 as recorded in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,then it came1 with further reflection and experience1 to be discerned that it had a bearing on the hope of the immortality of man4 ,and last of all1 as the ,christian life deepened1 it came to be discerned that the ,resurrection was the pattern of the life of the ,christian disciples4 ,it was regarded first as a witness1 then as a prophecy1 then as a symbol4 ,three fragments of ,scripture express these three phases3 for the first1 ',declared to be the ,son of ,god with power by the ,resurrection from the dead'2 for the second1 ',now is ,christ risen from the dead1 and become the first-fruits of them that slept'2 for the third1 ',god hath raised us up together with ,him1 and made us sit together in the heavenly places4' ,i have considered incidentally the two former aspects in the course of previous sermons2 ,i wish to turn at present to that final third one4 ,one more observation ,i must make by way of introduction1 and that is1 that the way in which the ,apostle here glides from 'being risen with ,christ' to where ',christ is1 sitting at the right hand of ,god1' confirms what ,i have pointed out in former discourses1 that the ,ascension of ,jesus ,christ is always considered in ,scripture as being nothing more than the necessary outcome and issue of the process which began in the ,resurrection4 ,they are not separate facts1 but they are two ends of one process4 ,and so with these thoughts1 that ,resurrection develops into ,ascension1 and that in both ,jesus ,christ is the pattern for ,his followers1 let us turn to the words before us4 ,then we have here ,i4 ,the ,christian life considered as a risen life4 ,now1 we are all familiar with the great evangelical point of view from which the death and ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ are usually contemplated4 ,to many of us ,christ's sacrifice is nothing more or less than the means by which the world is reconciled to ,god1 and ,christ's ,resurrection nothing more than the seal which was set by ,divinity upon that work4 ',crucified for our offences1 and raised again for our justification1' as ,paul has it--that is the point of view from which most evangelical or orthodox ,christian people are contented to regard the solemn fact of the ,death and the radiant fact of the ,resurrection4 ,you cannot be too emphatic about these truths1 but you may be too exclusive in your contemplation of them4 ,you do well when you say that they are the ,gospel2 you do not well when you say1 as some of you do1 that they are the whole ,gospel4 ,for there is another stream of teaching in the ,new ,testament1 of which my text is an example1 and a multitude of other passages that ,i cannot refer to now are equally conspicuous instances1 in which that death and that ,resurrection are regarded1 not so much in respect to the power which they exercise in the reconciliation of the world to ,god1 as in their aspect as the type of all noble and true ,christian life4 ,you remember how1 when our ,lord ,himself touched upon the fruitful issues of ,his death1 and said3 ',except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die1 it abideth alone2 but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit1' ,he at once went on to say that a man that loved his life would lose it2 and that a man that lost his life would find it1 and proceeded to point1 even then1 and in that connection1 to ,his ,cross as our pattern1 declaring3 ',if any man serve ,me1 let him follow ,me2 and where ,i am1 there shall also ,my servant be4' ',made like ,him1 like ,him we rise2 ,ours the cross1 the grave1 the skies4' ,so1 then1 a risen life is the type of all noble life1 and before there can be a risen life there must have been a death4 ,true1 we may say that the spiritual facts in a man's experience1 which are represented by these two great symbols of a death and a rising1 are but like the segment of a circle which1 seen from the one side is convex and from the other is concave4 ,but however loosely we may feel that the metaphors represent the facts1 this is plain1 that unless a man dies to flesh1 to self-will1 to the world1 he never will live a life that is worth calling life4 ,the condition of all nobleness and all growth upwards is that we shall die daily1 and live a life that has sprung victorious from the death of self4 ,all lofty ethics teach that2 and ,christianity teaches it1 with redoubled emphasis1 because it says to us1 that the ,cross and the ,resurrection are not merely imaginative emblems of the noble and the ,christian life1 but are a great deal more than that4 ,for1 brethren1 do not forget--if you do1 you will be hopelessly at sea as to large tracts of blessed ,christian truth--that by faith in ,jesus ,christ we are brought into such a true deep union with ,him as that1 in no mere metaphorical or analogous sense1 but in most blessed reality1 there comes into the believing heart a spark of the life that is ,christ's own1 so that with ,him we do live1 and from ,him we do live a life cognate with ,his1 who1 having risen from the dead1 dieth no more1 and over whom death hath no dominion4 ,so it is not a metaphor only1 but a spiritual truth1 when we speak of being risen with ,christ1 seeing that our faith1 in the measure of its genuineness1 its depth and its operative power upon our characters1 will be the gate through which there shall pass into our deadness the life that truly is1 the life that has nought to do with death or sin4 ,and this unity with ,jesus1 brought about by faith1 brings about that the depths of the ,christian life are hid with ,christ in ,god1 and that we1 risen with ,him1 do even now sit 'at the right hand in heavenly places1' whilst our feet1 dusty and sometimes blood-stained1 are journeying along the paths of life4 ,this is the great teaching of my text1 and of a multitude of other places2 and this is the teaching which modern ,christianity1 in its exclusive1 or all but exclusive1 contemplation of the ,cross as the sacrifice for sin1 has far too much forgotten4 ',ye are risen with ,christ4' ,let me remind you that this veritable death and rising again1 which marks the ,christian life1 is set forth before us in the initial rite of the ,christian ,church4 ,some of you do not agree with me in my view1 either of what is the mode or of who are the subjects of that ordinance1 but if you know anything about the question1 you know that everybody that has a right to give a judgment agrees with us ,baptists in saying--although they may not think that it carries anything obligatory upon the practice of to-day--that the primitive ,church baptized by immersion4 ,now1 the meaning of baptism is to symbolise these two inseparable moments1 dying to sin1 to self1 to the world1 to the old past1 and rising again to newness of life4 ,our sacramentarian friends say that1 in my text1 it was in baptism that these ,colossian ,christians rose again with ,christ4 ,i1 for my part1 do not believe that1 but that baptism was the speaking sign of what lies at the gate of a true ,christian life ,i have no manner of doubt4 ,so the first thought of our text is not only taught us in words1 but it stands manifest in the ritual of the ,church as it was from the beginning4 ,we die1 and we rise again1 through faith and by union through faith1 with ,christ 'that died1 yea1 rather that is risen again1 who is even at the right hand of ,god4' ,let me turn1 secondly1 to ,,ii4 ,the consequent aims of the ,christian life4 ',if ye then be risen with ,christ1 seek those things which are above4' ',to seek' implies the direction of the external life toward certain objects4 ,it is not to seek as if perhaps we might not find2 it is not even to seek in the sense of searching for1 but it is to seek in the sense of aiming at4 ,and now do you not think that if we had burning in our hearts1 and conscious to our experiences1 the sense of union with ,jesus ,christ the risen ,saviour1 that would shape the direction and dictate the aims of our earthly life8 ,as surely as the elevation of the rocket tube determines the flight of the projectile that comes from it1 so surely would the inward consciousness1 if it were vivid as it ought to be in all ,christian people1 of that risen life throbbing within the heart1 shape all the external conduct4 ,it would give us wings and make us soar4 ,it would make us buoyant1 and lift us above the creeping aims that constitute the objects of life for so many men4 ,but you say1 ',things above3 that is an indefinite phrase4 ,what do you mean by it8' ,i will tell you what the ,bible means by it4 ,it means ,jesus ,christ4 ,all the nebulous splendours of that firmament are gathered together into one blazing sun4 ,it is a vague direction to tell a man to shoot up1 into an empty heaven4 ,it is not a vague direction to tell him to seek the 'things above'2 for they are all gathered into a person4 ',where ,christ is1 sitting at the right hand of ,god1'--that is the meaning of 'things above1' which are to be the continual aim of the man who is conscious of a risen life4 ,and of course they will be1 for if we feel1 as we ought to feel habitually1 though with varying clearness1 that we do carry within us a spark1 if ,i might use that phrase1 of the very life of ,jesus ,christ1 so surely as fire will spring upwards1 so surely as water will rise to the height of its source1 so surely will our outward lives be directed towards ,him1 who is the life of our inward lives1 and the goal therefore of our outward actions8 ,jesus ,christ is the summing up of 'the things that are above'2 therefore there stands out clear this one great truth1 that the only aim for a ,christian soul1 consistent with the facts of its ,christian life1 is to be like ,christ1 to be with ,christ1 to please ,christ4 ,now1 how does that aim--'whether present or absent we labour that we may be well pleasing to ,him'--how does that aim bear upon the multitude of inferior and nearer aims which men pursue1 and which ,christians have to pursue along with other men8 ,how does it bear upon them8--,why thus--as the culminating peak of a mountain-chain bears on the lower hills that for miles and miles buttress it1 and hold it up1 and aspire towards it1 and find their perfection in its calm summit that touches the skies4 ,the more we have in view1 as our aim in life1 ,christ who is 'at the right hand of ,god1' and assimilation1 communion with ,him1 approbation from ,him1 the more will all immediate aims be ennobled and delivered from the evils that else cleave to them4 ,they are more when they are second than when they are first4 ',seek ye first the ,kingdom of ,god1' and all your other aims--as students1 as thinkers1 as scientists1 as men of business1 as parents1 as lovers1 or anything else--will be greatened by being subordinated to the conscious aim of pleasing ,him4 ,that aim should persist1 like a strain of melody1 one long1 holden-down1 diapason note1 through all our lives4 ,perfume can be diffused into the air1 and dislodge no atom of that which it makes fragrant4 ,this supreme aim can be pursued through1 and by means of1 all nearer ones1 and is inconsistent with nothing but sin4 ',seek the things that are above4' ,lastly1 we have here-- ,,iii4 ,the discipline which is needed to secure the right direction of the life4 ,the ,apostle does not content himself with pointing out the aims4 ,he adds practical advice as to how these aims can be made dominant in our individual cases1 when he says1 ',set your affections on things above4' ,now1 many of you will know that 'affections' is not the full sense of the word that is here employed1 and that the ,revised ,version gives a more adequate rendering when it says1 ',set your minds on the things that are above4' ,a man cannot do with his love according to his will4 ,he cannot say3 ',resolved1 that ,i love ,so-and-,so'2 and then set himself to do it4 ,but though you cannot act on the emotions directly by the will1 you can act directly on your understandings1 on your thoughts1 and your thoughts will act on your affections4 ,if a man wants to love ,jesus ,christ he must think about ,him4 ,that is plain ,english4 ,it is vain for a man to try to coerce his wandering affections by any other course than by concentrating his thoughts4 ,set your minds on the things that are above1 and that will consolidate and direct the emotions2 and the thoughts and the emotions together will shape the outward efforts4 ,seeking the things that are above will come1 and will only come1 when mind and heart and inward life are occupied with ,him4 ,there is no other way by which the externals can be made right than by setting a watch on the door of our hearts and minds1 and this inward discipline must be put in force before there will be any continuity or sureness in the outward aim4 ,we want1 for that direction of the life of which ,i have been speaking1 a clear perception and a concentrated purpose1 and we shall not get either of these unless we fall back1 by thought and meditation1 upon the truths which will provide them both4 ,brethren1 there is another aspect of the connection between these two parts of our text1 which ,i can only touch4 ,not only is the setting of our thoughts on the things above1 the way by which we can make these the aim of our lives4 ,they are not only aims to be reached at some future stage of our progress1 but they are possessions to be enjoyed at the present4 ,we may have a present ,christ and a present ,heaven4 ,the ,christian life is not all aspiration2 it is fruition as well4 ,we have to seek1 but even whilst we seek1 we should be conscious that we possess what we are seeking1 even whilst we seek it4 ,do you know anything of that double experience of having the things that are above1 here and now1 as well as reaching out towards them8 ,i am afraid that the ,christian life of this generation suffers at a thousand points1 because it is more concerned with the ordering of the outward life1 and the manifold activities which this busy generation has struck out for itself1 than it is with the quiet setting of the mind1 in silent sunken depths of contemplation1 on the things that are above4 ,oh1 if we would think more about them we should aim more at them2 and if we were sure that we possessed them to-day we should be more eager for a larger possession to-morrow4 ,dear brethren1 we may all have the risen life for ours1 if we will knit ourselves1 in humble dependence and utter self-surrender1 to the ,christ who died for us that we might be dead to sin1 and rose again that we might rise to righteousness4 ,and if we have ,him1 in any deep and real sense1 as the life of our lives1 then we shall be blessed1 amid all the divergent and sometimes conflicting nearer aims1 which we have to pursue1 by seeing clear above them that to which they all may tend1 the one aim which corresponds to a man's nature1 which meets his condition1 which satisfies his needs1 which can always be attained if it is followed1 and which1 when secured1 never disappoints4 ,god help us all to say1 ',this one thing ,i do1 and all else ,i count but dung1 that ,i may know ,him1 and the power of ,his ,resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings1 being made conformable unto ,his death1 if by any means ,i may attain unto the ,resurrection from the dead6' ,,without ,,and ,,within ',them that are without4'--,,col4 iv4 #e4 ,that is1 of course1 an expression for the non-,christian world2 the outsiders who are beyond the pale of the ,church4 ,there was a very broad line of distinction between it and the surrounding world in the early ,christian days1 and the handful of ,christians in a heathen country felt a great gulf between them and the society in which they lived4 ,that distinction varies in form1 and varies somewhat in apparent magnitude according as ,christianity has been rooted in a country for a longer or a shorter time1 but it remains1 and is as real to-day as it ever was1 and there is neither wisdom nor kindness in ignoring the distinction4 ,the phrase of our text may sound harsh1 and might be used1 as it was by the ,jews1 from whom it was borrowed1 in a very narrow and bitter spirit4 ,close corporations of any sort are apt to generate1 not only a wholesome esprit de corps1 but a hostile contempt for outsiders1 and ,christianity has too often been misrepresented by its professors1 who have looked down upon those that are without with supercilious and unchristian self-complacency4 ,there is nothing of that sort in the words themselves2 the very opposite is in them4 ,they sound to me like the expression of a man conscious of the security and comfort and blessedness of the home where he sat1 and with his heart yearning for all the houseless wanderers that were abiding the pelting of the pitiless storm out in the darkness there4 ,the spirit and attitude of ,christianity to such is one of yearning pity and urgent entreaty to come in and share in the blessings4 ,there is deep pathos in the words1 as well as solemn earnestness1 and in such a spirit ,i wish to dwell upon them now for a short time4 ,i4 ,i begin with the question3 ,who are they that are outside8 ,and what is it of which they are outside8 ,as ,i have already remarked1 the phrase was apparently borrowed from ,judaism1 where it meant1 'outside the ,jewish congregation1' and its primary application1 as used here1 is no doubt to those who are outside the ,christian ,church4 ,but do not let us suppose that that explanation gets to the bottom of the meaning of the words4 ,it may stand as a partial answer1 but only as partial4 ,the evil tendency which attends all externalising of truth in the concrete form of institutions works in full force on the ,church1 and ever tempts us to substitute outward connection with the institution for real possession of the truth of which the institution is the outgrowth4 ,therefore ,i urge upon you very emphatically--and all the more earnestly because of the superstitious overestimate of outward connection with the outward institution of the ,church which is eagerly proclaimed all around us to-day--that connection with any organised body of believing men is not 'being within1' and that isolation from all these is not necessarily 'being without4' ,many a man who is within the organisation is not 'in the truth1' and1 blessed be ,god1 a man may be outside all churches1 and yet be one of ,god's hidden ones1 and may dwell safe and instructed in the very innermost shrine of the secret place of the ,most ,high4 ,we hear from priestly lips1 both ,roman ,catholic and ,anglican1 that there is 'no safety outside the ,church4' ,the saying is true when rightly understood4 ,if by the ,church be meant the whole company of those who are trusting to ,jesus ,christ1 of course there is no safety outside1 because to trust in ,jesus is the one condition of safety1 and unless we belong to those who so trust we shall not possess the blessing4 ,so understood1 the phrase may pass1 and is only objectionable as a round-about and easily misunderstood way of saying what is much better expressed by ',whosoever shall call on the name of the ,lord shall be saved4' ,but that is not the meaning of the phrase in the mouths of those who use it most frequently4 ,to them the ,church is a visible corporation1 and not only so1 but as one of the many organisations into which believers are moulded1 it is distinguished from the others by certain offices and rites1 bishops1 priests1 and sacraments1 through whom and which certain grace is supposed to flow1 no drop of which can reach a community otherwise shaped and officered6 ,nor is it only ,roman ,catholics and ,anglicans who are in danger of externalising personal ,christianity into a connection with a church4 ,the tendency has its roots deep in human nature1 and may be found flourishing quite as rankly in the least sacerdotal of the 'sects' as in the ,vatican itself4 ,there is very special need at present for those who understand that ,christianity is an immensely deeper thing than connection with any organised body of ,christians1 to speak out the truth that is in them1 and to protest against the vulgar and fleshly notion which is forcing itself into prominence in this day when societies of all sorts are gaining such undue power1 and religion1 like much else1 is being smothered under forms1 as was the maiden in the old story1 under the weight of her ornaments4 ,external relationships and rites cannot determine spiritual conditions4 ,it does not follow because you have passed through certain forms1 and stand in visible connection with any visible community1 that you are therefore within the pale and safe4 ,churches are appointed by ,christ4 ,men who believe and love naturally draw together4 ,the life of ,christ is in them4 ,many spiritual blessings are received through believing association with ,his people4 ,illumination and stimulus1 succour and sympathy pass from one to another1 each in turn experiencing the blessedness of receiving1 and the greater blessedness of giving4 ,no wise man who has learned of ,christ will undervalue the blessings which come through union with the outward body which is a consequence of union with the unseen ,head4 ,but men may be in the ,church and out of ,christ4 ,not connection with it1 but connection with ,him1 brings us 'within4' ',those that are without' may be either in or out of the pale of any church4 ,we may put the answer to this question in another form1 and going deeper than the idea of being within a visible church1 we may say1 'those that are without' are they who are outside the ,kingdom of ,christ4 ,the ,kingdom of ,christ is not a visible external community4 ,the ,kingdom of ,christ1 or of ,god1 or of ,heaven1 is found wherever human wills obey the ,law of ,christ1 which is the will of ,god1 the decrees of ,heaven2 as ,christ himself put it1 in profound words--profound in all their simplicity--when ,he said1 ',not every man that saith unto ,me ,lord6 ,lord6 shall enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 but he that doeth the will of ,my ,father1 which is in ,heaven4' ',them that are without' are they whose wills are not bent in loving obedience to the ,lord of their spirit4 ,but we must go deeper than that4 ,in the ,church8 ,yes6 ,in the ,kingdom8 ,yes6 ,but ,i venture to take another ,scripture phrase as being the one satisfactory fundamental answer to the question3 ,what is it that these people are outside of8 and ,i say ,christ1 ,christ4 ,if you will take your ,new ,testament as your guide1 you will find that the one question upon which all is suspended is the1 ,am ,i1 or ,am ,i not1 in ,jesus ,christ8 ,am ,i in ,him1 or ,am ,i outside of ,him8 ,and the answer to that question is the answer to this other3 ,who are they that are without8 ,they that are outside are not the 'non-,christian world' who are not church members2 they that are inside are not the ',christian world' who make an outward profession of being in the ,kingdom4 ,it is not going down to the foundation to explain the antithesis so2 but 'those that are within' are those who have simple trust upon ,jesus ,christ as the sole and all-sufficient ,saviour of their sinful spirits and the life of their life1 and having entered into that great love1 have plunged themselves1 as it were1 into the very heart of ,jesus2 have found in ,him righteousness and peace1 forgiveness and love1 joy and salvation4 ,are you in ,christ because you love ,him and trust your soul to ,him8 ,if not1 if not1 you are amongst those 'that are without1' though you be ever so much joined to the visible ,church of the living ,god4 ,and then there is one more remark that ,i must drop in here before ,i go on1 namely1 that whilst ,i thankfully admit1 and joyfully preach1 that the most imperfect1 rudimentary faith knits a man to ,jesus ,christ1 even if in this life it may be found covered over with a great deal that is contradictory and inconsistent2 on the other hand there are some people who stand like the angel in the ,apocalypse1 with one foot on the solid land and one upon the restless sea1 half in and half out1 undecided1 halting--that is1 'limping'--between two opinions4 ,some people of that sort are listening to me now1 who have been like that for years4 ,now ,i want them to remember this plain piece of common-sense--half in is altogether out6 ,so that is my answer to the first question3 ,who are they that are outside1 and what is it that they are outside of8 ,i cannot carry round these principles and lay them upon the conscience of each hearer1 but ,i pray you to listen to your own inmost voice speaking1 and ,i am mistaken if many will not hear it saying3 ',thou art the man6' ,do not stop your ears to that voice6 ,,ii4 ,notice next the force of this phrase as implying the woeful condition of those without4 ,i have said that it is full of pathos4 ,it is the language of a man whose heart yearns as1 in the midst of his own security1 he thinks of the houseless wanderers in the dark and the storm4 ,he thinks pityingly of what they lose1 and of that to which they are exposed4 ,there are two or three ways in which ,i may illustrate that condition1 but perhaps the most graphic and impressive may be just to recall for a moment three or four of the ,scripture metaphors that fit into this representation3 ',those that are without'2 and thus to gain some different pictures of what the inside and the outside means in these varying figures4 ,first1 then1 there is a figure drawn from the ,old ,testament which is often applied1 and correctly applied1 to this subject--,noah's ,ark4 ,think of that safe abode floating across the waters1 whilst all without it was a dreary waste4 ,without were death and despair1 but those that were within sat warm and dry and safe and fed and living4 ,the men that were without1 high as they might climb upon rocks and hills1 strong as they might be--when the dreary rainstorm wept itself dry1 'they were all dead corpses4' ,to be in was life1 to be out was death4 ,that is the first metaphor4 ,take another4 ,that singular institution of the old ,mosaic system1 in which the man who inadvertently1 and therefore without any guilt or crime of his own1 had been the cause of death to his brother1 had provided for him1 half on one side ,jordan and half on the other1 and dotted over the land1 so that it should not be too far to run to one of them1 ,cities of ,refuge4 ,and when the wild vendetta of those days stirred up the next of kin to pursue at his heels1 if he could get inside the nearest of these he was secure4 ,they that were within could stand at the city gates and look out upon the plain1 and see the pursuer with his hate glaring from his eyes1 and almost feel his hot breath on their cheeks1 and know that though but a yard from him1 his arm durst not touch them4 ,to be inside was to be safe1 to be outside was certain bloody death4 ,that is the second figure2 take a third2 one which our ,lord ,himself has given us4 ,here is the picture--a palace1 a table abundantly spread1 lights and music1 delight and banqueting1 gladness and fulness1 society and sustenance4 ,the guests sit close and all partake4 ,to be within means food1 shelter1 warmth1 festivity1 society2 to be without1 like ,lear on the moor1 is to stand the pelting of the storm1 weary1 stumbling in the dark1 starving1 solitary1 and sad4 ,within is brightness and good cheer2 without is darkness1 hunger1 death4 ,that is the third figure4 ,take a fourth1 another of our ,master's4 ,picture a little rude1 stone-built enclosure with the rough walls piled high1 and a narrow aperture at one point1 big enough for one creature to pass through at a time4 ,within1 huddled together1 are the innocent sheep2 without1 the lion and the bear4 ,above1 the vault of night with all its stars1 and watching all1 the shepherd1 with unslumbering eye4 ,in the fold is rest for the weary limbs that have been plodding through valleys of the shadow of death1 and dusty ways2 peace for the panting hearts that are trembling at every danger1 real and imaginary4 ,inside the fold is tranquillity1 repose for the wearied frame1 safety1 and the companionship of the ,shepherd2 and without1 ravening foes and a dreary wilderness1 and flinty paths and sparse herbage and muddy pools4 ,inside is life2 without is death4 ,that is the fourth figure4 ,in the ,ark no ,deluge can touch2 in the ,city of ,refuge no avenger can smite2 in the banqueting-hall no thirst nor hunger but can be satisfied2 in the fold no enemy can come and no terror can live4 ,brethren6 are you amongst 'them that are without1' or are you within8 ,,iii4 ,lastly--why is anybody outside8 ,why8 ,it is no one's fault but their own4 ,it is not ,god's4 ,he can appeal with clean hands and ask us to judge what more could have been done for ,his vineyard that ,he has not done for it4 ,the great parable which represents ,him as sending out ,his summons to the feast in ,his palace puts the wonderful words in the mouth of the master of the house1 after his call by his servants had been refused4 ',go out into the highways and hedges1' beneath which the beggars squat1 'and compel them to come in1 that my house may be full4' ',nature abhors a vacuum1' the old natural philosophers used to say4 ,so does grace2 so does ,god's love4 ,it hates to have ,his house empty and ,his provisions unconsumed4 ,and so ,he has done all that ,he could do to bring you and me inside4 ,he has sent ,his ,son1 ,he beckons us1 ,he draws us by countless mercies day by day4 ,he appeals to our hearts1 and would have us gathered into the fold4 ,and if we are outside it is not because ,he has neglected to do anything which ,he can do in order to bring us in4 ,but why is it that any of us resist such drawing1 and make the wretched choice of perishing without1 rather than find safety within8 ,the deepest reason is an alienated heart1 a rebellious will4 ,but the reason for alienation and rebellion lie among the inscrutable mysteries of our awful being4 ,all sin is irrational4 ,the fact is plain1 the temptations are obvious2 excuses there are in plenty1 but reasons there are none4 ,still we may touch for a moment on some of the causes which operate with many hearers of ,god's merciful call to enter in1 and keep them without4 ,many remain outside because they do not really believe in the danger4 ,no doubt there was a great deal of brilliant sarcasm launched at ,noah for his folly in thinking that there was anything coming that needed an ark4 ,it seemed1 no doubt1 food for much laughter1 and altogether impossible to think of gravely1 that this flood which he talked about should ever come4 ,so they had their laughter out as they saw him working away at his ludicrous task 'until the day when the flood came and swept them all away1' and the laughter ended in gurgling sobs of despair4 ,if a manslayer does not believe that the next of kin is on his track1 he will not flee to the ,city of ,refuge4 ,if the sheep has no fear of wolves1 it will choose to be outside the fold among the succulent herbage4 ,did you ever see how1 in a ,welsh slate-quarry1 before a blast1 a horn is blown1 and at its sound all along the face of the quarry the miners run to their shelters1 where they stay until the explosion is over8 ,what do you suppose would become of one of them who stood there after the horn had blown1 and said3 ',nonsense6 ,there is nothing coming6 ,i will take my chance where ,i am6' ,very likely a bit of slate would end him before he had finished his speech4 ,at any rate1 do not you1 dear friend1 trifle with the warning that says3 ',flee for refuge to ,christ and shelter yourself in ,him4' ,there are some people1 too1 who stop outside because they do not much care for the entertainment that they will get within4 ,it does not strike them as being very desirable4 ,they have no appetite for it4 ,we preachers seek to draw hearts to ,jesus by many motives--and among others by setting forth the blessings which he bestows4 ,but if a man does not care about pardon1 does not fear judgment1 does not want to be good1 has no taste for righteousness1 is not attracted by the pure and calm pleasures which ,christ offers1 the invitation falls flat upon his ear4 ,wisdom cries aloud and invites the sons of men to her feast1 but the fare she provides is not coarse and high spiced enough1 and her table is left unfilled1 while the crowd runs to the strong-flavoured meats and foaming drinks which her rival1 ,folly1 offers4 ,many of us say1 like the ,israelites ',our souls loathe this light bread1' this manna1 white and sweet1 and ,heaven-descended1 and angels' food though it be1 and we hanker after the reeking garlic and leeks and onions of ,egypt4 ,some of us again1 would like well enough to be inside1 if that would keep us from dangers which we believe to be real1 but we do not like the doorway4 ,you may see in some remote parts of the country strange1 half-subterranean structures which are supposed to have been the houses of a vanished race4 ,they have a long1 narrow1 low passage1 through which a man has to creep with his face very near the ground4 ,he has to go low and take to his knees to get through2 and at the end the passage opens out into ampler1 loftier space1 where the dwellers could sit safe from wild weather and wilder beasts and wildest men4 ,that is like the way into the fortress home which we have in ,jesus ,christ4 ,we must stoop very low to enter there4 ,and some of us do not like that4 ,we do not like to fall on our knees and say1 ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord4 ,we do not like to bow ourselves in penitence4 ,and the passage is narrow as well as low4 ,it is broad enough for you1 but not for what some of you would fain carry in on your back4 ,the pack which you bear1 of earthly vanities and loves1 and sinful habits1 will be brushed off your shoulders in that narrow entrance1 like the hay off a cart in a country lane bordered by high hedges4 ,and some of us do not like that4 ,so1 because the way is narrow1 and we have to stoop1 our pride kicks at the idea of having to confess ourselves sinners1 and of having to owe all our hope and salvation to ,god's undeserved mercy1 therefore we stay outside4 ,and because the way is narrow1 and we have to put off some of our treasures1 our earthward-looking desires shrink from laying these aside1 and therefore we stop outside4 ,there was room in the boat for the last man who stood on the deck1 but he could not make up his mind to leave a bag of gold4 ,there was no room for that4 ,therefore he would not leap1 and went down with the ship4 ,the door is open4 ,the ,master calls4 ,the feast is spread4 ,dangers threaten4 ,the flood comes4 ,the avenger of blood makes haste4 ',why standest thou without8' ,enter in1 before the door is shut4 ,and if you ask1 ,how shall ,i pass within8--the answer is plain3 ',they could not enter in because of unbelief4 ,we which have believed do enter into rest4' ,i4 ,,thessalonians ,,faith1 ,,love1 ,,hope1 ,,and ,,their ,,fruits ',your work of faith1 and labour of love1 and patience of hope4'--#a ,,thess4 i4 #c4 ,this ,epistle1 as ,i suppose we all know1 is ,paul's first letter4 ,he had been hunted out of ,thessalonica by the mob1 made the best of his way to ,athens1 stayed there for a very short time1 then betook himself to ,corinth1 and at some point of his somewhat protracted residence there1 this letter was written4 ,so that we have in it his first attempt1 so far as we know1 to preach the ,gospel by the pen4 ,it is interesting to notice how1 whatever changes and developments there may have been in him thereafter1 all the substantial elements of his latest faith beam out in this earliest letter1 and how even in regard to trifles we see the germs of much that came afterwards4 ,this same triad1 you remember1 'faith1 hope1 charity1' recurs in the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 though with a very significant difference in the order1 which ,i shall have to dwell upon presently4 ,the letter is interesting on another account4 ,remembering that it was only a very short time since these ,thessalonians had turned from idols to serve the living ,god1 there is something very beautiful in the overflowing generosity of commendation1 which never goes beyond veracity1 with which he salutes them4 ,their ,christian character1 like seeds sown in some favoured tropical land1 had sprung up swiftly2 yet not with the dangerous kind of swiftness which presages decay of the growth4 ,it was only a few days since they had been grovelling before idols1 but now he can speak of 'your work of faith1 and labour of love1 and patience of hope' 4 4 4 and declare that the ,gospel 'sounded out' from them--the word which he employs is that which is technically used for the blast of a trumpet--'so that we need not to speak anything4' ,rapid growth is possible for us all1 and is not always superficial4 ,i desire now to consider that pair of triads--the three foundation-stones1 and the three views of the fair building that is reared upon them4 ,i4 ,the three foundation-stones4 ,that is a natural metaphor to use1 but it is not quite correct1 for these three--faith1 love1 hope--are not to be conceived of as lying side by side4 ,rather than three foundations we have three courses of the building here2 the lowest one1 faith2 the next one1 love2 and the top one1 hope4 ,the order in #a ,corinthians is different1 'faith1 hope1 charity1' and the alteration in the sequence is suggested by the difference of purpose4 ,the ,apostle intended in #a ,corinthians to dwell at some length thereafter on 'charity1' or 'love4' ,so he puts it last to make the link of connection with what he is going to say4 ,but here he is dealing with the order of production1 the natural order in which these three evolve themselves4 ,and his thought is that they are like the shoots that successive springs bring upon the bough of a tree1 where each year has its own growth1 and the summit of last year's becomes the basis of next4 ,thus we have1 first1 faith2 then1 shooting from that1 love2 and then1 sustained by both1 hope4 ,now let us look at that order4 ,it is a well-worn commonplace1 which you may think it not needful for me to dwell upon here1 that in the ,christian theory1 both of salvation and of morals1 the basis of everything is trust4 ,and that is no arbitrary theological arrangement1 but it is the only means by which the life that is the basis both of salvation and of righteousness can be implanted in men4 ,there is no other way by which ,jesus ,christ can come into our hearts than by what the ,new ,testament calls 'trust1' which we have turned into the hard1 theological concept which too often glides over people's minds without leaving any dint at all--'faith4' ,distrust is united with trust4 ,there is no trust without1 complementary to it1 self-distrust4 ,just as the sprouting seed sends one little radicle downwards1 and that becomes the root1 and at the same time sends up another one1 white till it reaches the light1 and it becomes the stem1 so the underside of faith is self-distrust1 and you must empty yourselves before you can open your hearts to be filled by ,jesus4 ,that being so1 this self-distrustful trust is the beginning of everything4 ,that is the alpha of the whole alphabet1 however glorious and manifold may be the words into which its letters are afterwards combined4 ,faith is the hand that grasps4 ,it is the means of communication1 it is the channel through which the grace which is the life1 or1 rather1 ,i should say1 the life which is the grace1 comes to us4 ,it is the open door by which the angel of ,god comes in with his gifts4 ,it is like the petals of the flowers1 opening when the sunshine kisses them1 and1 by opening1 laying bare the depths of their calyxes to be illuminated and coloured1 and made to grow by the sunshine which itself has opened them1 and without the presence of which1 within the cup1 there would have been neither life nor beauty4 ,so faith is the basis of everything2 the first shoot from which all the others ascend4 ,brethren1 have you that initial grace8 ,i leave the question with you4 ,if you have not that1 you have nothing else4 ,then again1 out of faith rises love4 ,no man can love ,god unless he believes that ,god loves him4 ,i1 for my part1 am old-fashioned and narrow enough not to believe that there is any deep1 soul-cleansing or soul-satisfying love of ,god which is not the answer to the love that died on the ,cross4 ,but you must believe that1 and more than believe it2 you must have trusted and cast yourselves on it1 in the utter abandonment of self-distrust and ,christ-confidence1 before there will well up in your heart the answering love to ,god4 ,first faith1 then love4 ,my love is the reverberation of the primeval voice1 the echo of ,god's4 ,the angle at which the light falls on the mirror is the same as the angle at which it is reflected from it4 ,and though my love at its highest is low1 at its strongest is weak3 yet1 like the echo that is faint and far1 feeble though it be1 it is pitched on the same key1 and is the prolongation of the same note as the mother-sound4 ,so my love answers ,god's love1 and it will never answer it unless faith has brought me within the auditorium1 the circle wherein the voice that proclaims ',i love thee1 my child1' can be heard4 ,now1 we do not need to ask ourselves whether ,paul is here speaking of love to ,god or love to man4 ,he is speaking of both1 because the ,new ,testament deals with the latter as being a part of the former1 and sure to accompany it4 ,but there is one lesson that ,i wish to draw4 ,if it be true that love in us is thus the result of faith in the love of ,god1 let us learn how we grow in love4 ,you cannot say1 ',now ,i will make an effort to love4' ,the circulation of the blood1 the pulsations of the heart1 are not within the power of the will4 ,but you can say1 ',now ,i will make an effort to trust4' ,for faith is in the power of the will1 and when the ,master said1 ',ye will not come unto me1' ,he taught us that unbelief is not a mere intellectual deficiency or perversity1 but that it is the result1 in the majority of cases--,i might almost say in all-of an alienated will4 ,therefore1 if you wish to love1 do not try to work yourself into a hysteria of affection1 but take into your hearts and minds the ,christian facts1 and mainly the fact of the ,cross1 which will set free the frozen and imprisoned fountains of your affections1 and cause them to flow out abundantly in sweet water4 ,first faith1 then love2 and get at love through faith4 ,that is a piece of practical wisdom that it will do us all good to keep in mind4 ,then the third of the three1 the topmost shoot1 is hope4 ,hope is faith directed to the future4 ,so it is clear enough that1 unless ,i have that trust of which ,i have been speaking1 ,i have none of the hope which the ,apostle regards as flowing from it4 ,but love has to do with hope quite as much1 though in a different way1 as faith has to do with it4 ,for in the direct proportion in which we are taking into our hearts ,christ and ,his truth1 and letting our hearts go out in love towards ,him and communion with ,him1 will the glories beyond brighten and consolidate and magnify themselves in our eyes4 ,the hope of the ,christian man is but the inference from his present faith1 and the joy and sweetness of his present love4 ,for surely when we rise to the heights which are possible to us all1 and on which ,i suppose most ,christian people have been sometimes1 though for far too brief seasons2 when we rise to the heights of communion with ,god1 anything seems more possible to us than that death1 or anything that lies in the future1 should have power over a tie so sweet1 so strong1 so independent of externals1 and so all-sufficing in its sweetness4 ,thus we shall be sure that ,god is our portion for ever1 in the precise degree in which1 by faith and love1 we feel that ',he is the strength of our hearts1' to-day and now4 ,so1 then1 we have the three foundation-stones4 ,and now a word or two1 in the second place1 about ,,ii4 ,the fair building which rises on them4 ,i have already half apologised for using the metaphor of a foundation and a building4 ,i must repeat the confession that the symbol is an inadequate one4 ,for the ,apostle does not conceive of the work and labour and patience which are respectively allocated to these three graces as being superimposed upon them1 as it were1 by effort1 so much as he thinks of them as growing out of them by their inherent nature4 ,the work is 'the work of faith1' that which characterises faith1 that which issues from it1 that which is its garment1 visible to the world1 and the token of its reality and its presence4 ,faith works4 ,it is the foundation of all true work2 even in the lowest sense of the word we might almost say that4 ,but in the ,christian scheme it is eminently the underlying requisite for all work which ,god does not consider as busy idleness4 ,i might here make a general remark1 which1 however1 ,i need not dwell upon1 that we have here the broad thought which ,christian people in all generations need to have drummed into their heads over and over again1 and that is that inward experiences and emotions1 and states of mind and heart1 however good and precious1 are so mainly as being the necessary foundations of conduct4 ,what is the good of praying and feeling comfortable within1 and having 'a blessed assurance1' a 'happy experience1' 'sweet communion1' and so on8 ,what is the good of it all1 if these things do not make us 'live soberly1 righteously1 and godly in this present world'8 ,what is the good of the sails of a windmill going whirling round1 if the machinery has been thrown out of gear1 and the great stones which it ought to actuate are not revolving8 ,what is the good of the screw of a steamer revolving1 when she pitches1 clean above the waves8 ,it does nothing then to drive the vessel onwards1 but will only damage the machinery4 ,and ,christian emotions and experiences which do not drive conduct are of as little use1 often as perilous1 and as injurious4 ,if you want to keep your 'faith1 love1 hope1' sound and beneficial1 set them to work4 ,and do not be too sure that you have them1 if they do not crave for work1 whether you set them to it or not4 ',your work of faith4' ,there is the whole of the thorny subject of the relation of faith and works packed into a nutshell4 ,it is exactly what ,james said and it is exactly what a better than ,james said4 ,when the ,jews came to ,him with their externalism1 and thought that ,god was to be pleased by a whole rabble of separate good actions1 and so said1 ',what shall we do that we might work the works of ,god8' ,jesus said1 ',never mind about works4 ,this is the work of ,god1 that ye believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent1' and out of that will come all the rest4 ,that is the mother-tincture2 everything will flow from that4 ,so ,paul says1 ',your work of faith4' ,does your faith work8 ,perhaps ,i should ask other people rather than you4 ,do men see that your faith works2 that its output is different from the output of men who are not possessors of a 'like precious faith'8 ,ask yourselves the question1 and ,god help you to answer it4 ,love labours4 ,labour is more than work1 for it includes the notion of toil1 fatigue1 difficulty1 persistence1 antagonism4 ,ah6 the work of faith will never be done unless it is the toil of love4 ,you remember how ,milton talks about the immortal garland that is to be run for1 'not without dust and sweat4' ,the ,christian life is not a leisurely promenade4 ,the limit of our duty is not ease of work4 ,there must be toil4 ,and love is the only principle that will carry us through the fatigues1 and the difficulties1 and the oppositions which rise against us from ourselves and from without4 ,love delights to have a hard task set it by the beloved1 and the harder the task the more poignant the satisfaction4 ,loss is gain when it brings us nearer the beloved4 ,and whether our love be love to ,god1 or its consequence1 love to man1 it is the only foundation on which toil for either ,god or man will ever permanently be rested4 ,do not believe in philanthropy which has not a bottom of faith1 and do not believe in work for ,christ which does not involve in toil4 ,and be sure that you will do neither1 unless you have both these things3 the faith and the love4 ,and then comes the last4 ,faith works1 love toils1 hope is patient4 ,is that all that 'hope' is8 ,not if you take the word in the narrow meaning which it has in modern ,english2 but that was not what ,paul meant4 ,he meant something a great deal more than passive endurance1 great as that is4 ,it is something to be able to say1 in the pelting of a pitiless storm1 ',pour on6 ,i will endure4' ,but it is a great deal more to be able1 in spite of all1 not to bate one jot of heart or hope1 but 'still bear up and steer right onward'2 and that is involved in the true meaning of the word inadequately rendered 'patience' in the ,new ,testament4 ,for it is no passive virtue only1 but it is a virtue which1 in the face of the storm1 holds its course2 brave persistence1 active perseverance1 as well as meek endurance and submission4 ',hope' helps us both to bear and to do4 ,they tell us nowadays that it is selfish for a ,christian man to animate himself1 either for endurance or for activity1 by the contemplation of those great glories that lie yonder4 ,if that is selfishness1 ,god grant we may all become a great deal more selfish than we are6 ,no man labours in the ,christian life1 or submits to ,christian difficulty1 for the sake of going to heaven4 ,at least1 if he does1 he has got on the wrong tack altogether4 ,but if the motive for both endurance and activity be faith and love1 then hope has a perfect right to come in as a subsidiary motive1 and to give strength to the faith and rapture to the love4 ,we cannot afford to throw away that hope1 as so many of us do--not perhaps1 intellectually1 though ,i am afraid there is a very considerable dimming of the clearness1 and a narrowing of the place in our thoughts1 of the hope of a future blessedness1 in the average ,christian of this day--but practically we are all apt to lose sight of the recompense of the reward4 ,and if we do1 the faith and love1 and the work and toil1 and the patience will suffer4 ,faith will relax its grasp1 love will cool down its fervour2 and there will come a film over ,hope's blue eye1 and she will not see the land that is very far off4 ,so1 dear brethren1 remember the sequence1 'faith1 love1 hope1' and remember the issues1 'work1 toil1 patience4' ,,god',s ,,trumpet ',from you sounded out the word of ,god4'--#a ,,thess4 i4 #h4 ,this is ,paul's first letter4 ,it was written very shortly after his first preaching of the ,gospel in the great commercial city of ,thessalonica4 ,but though the period since the formation of the ,thessalonian ,church was so brief1 their conversion had already become a matter of common notoriety2 and the consistency of their lives1 and the marvellous change that had taken place upon them1 made them conspicuous in the midst of the corrupt heathen community in which they dwelt4 ,and so says ,paul1 in the text1 by reason of their work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope1 they had become ensamples to all that believe1 and loud proclaimers and witnesses of the ,gospel which had produced this change4 ,the ,apostle employs a word never used anywhere else in the ,new ,testament to describe the conspicuous and widespread nature of this testimony of theirs4 ,he says1 ',the word of the ,lord sounded out' from them4 ,that phrase is one most naturally employed to describe the blast of a trumpet4 ,so clear and ringing1 so loud1 penetrating1 melodious1 rousing1 and full was their proclamation1 by the silent eloquence of their lives1 of the ,gospel which impelled and enabled them to lead such lives4 ,a grand ideal of a community of believers6 ,if our churches to-day were nearer its realisation there would be less unbelief1 and more attraction of wandering prodigals to the ,father's house4 ,would that this saying were true of every body of professing believers6 ,would that from each there sounded out one clear accordant witness to ,christ1 in the purity and unworldliness of their ,christlike lives6 ,i4 ,this metaphor suggests the great purpose of the ,church4 ,it is ,god's trumpet1 ,his means of making ,his voice heard through all the uproar of the world4 ,as the captain upon the deck in the gale will use his speaking-trumpet1 so ,god's voice needs your voice4 ,the ,gospel needs to be passed through human lips in order that it may reach deaf ears4 ,the purpose for which we have been apprehended of ,christ is not merely our own personal salvation1 whether we understand that in a narrow and more outward1 or in a broader and more spiritual sense4 ,no man is an end in himself1 but every man1 though he be partially and temporarily an end1 is also a means4 ,and just as1 according to the other metaphor1 the ,kingdom of ,heaven is like leaven1 each particle of the dead dough1 as soon as it is leavened and vitalised1 becoming the medium for transmitting the strange1 transforming1 and living influence to the particle beyond1 so all of us1 if we are ,christian people1 have received that grace into our hearts1 for our own sakes indeed1 but also that through us might be manifested to the darkened eyes beyond1 and through us might drop persuasively on the dull1 cold ears that are further away from the ,divine ,voice1 the great message of ,god's mercy4 ,the ,church is ,god's trumpet1 and the purpose that ,he has in view in setting it in the world is to make all men know the fellowship of the mystery1 and that through it there may ring out1 as by some artificial means a poor human voice will be flung to a greater distance than it would otherwise reach1 the gentle entreaties1 and the glorious proclamation1 and the solemn threatenings of the ,word1 the ,incarnate as well as the written ,word1 of ,god4 ,of course all this is true1 not only about communities1 but it is true of a community1 just because it is true of each individual member of it4 ,the ,church is worse than as 'sounding brass1' it is as silent brass and an untinkling cymbal1 unless the individuals that belong to it recognise ,god's meaning in making them ,his children1 and do their best to fulfil it4 ',ye are my witnesses1' saith the ,lord4 ,you are put into the witness-box2 see that you speak out when you are there4 ,,ii4 ,another point that this figure may suggest is1 the sort of sound that should come from the trumpet4 ,a trumpet note is1 first of all1 clear4 ,there should be no hesitation in our witness2 nothing uncertain in the sound that we give4 ,there are plenty of so-called ,christian people whose lives1 if they bear any witness for the ,master at all1 are like the notes that some bungling learner will bring out of a musical instrument3 hesitating1 uncertain1 so that you do not know exactly what note he wants to produce4 ,how many of us1 calling ourselves ,christian people1 testify on both sides2 sometimes bearing witness for ,christ2 and alas6 alas6 oftener bearing witness against ,him4 ,will the trumpet1 the instrument of clear1 ringing1 unmistakable sounds1 be the emblem of your ,christian testimony8 ,would not some poor scrannel-pipe1 ill-blown1 be nearer the mark8 ,the note should be clear4 ,the note should be penetrating4 ,there is no instrument1 ,i suppose1 that carries further than the ringing clarion that is often heard on the field of battle1 above all the strife2 and this little church at ,thessalonica1 a mere handful of people1 just converted1 in the very centre of a strong1 compact1 organised1 self-confident1 supercilious heathenism1 insisted upon being heard1 and got itself made audible1 simply by the purity and the consistency of the lives of its members4 ,so that ,paul1 a few weeks1 or at most a few months1 after the formation of the church1 could say1 ',from you sounded out the word of the ,lord1 not only in ,macedonia and ,achaia1' your own province and the one next door to it1 'but also in every place your faith to ,godward is spread abroad4' ,no man knows how far his influence will go4 ,no man can tell how far his example may penetrate4 ,thessalonica was a great commercial city4 ,so is ,manchester4 ,hosts of people of all sorts came into it as they come here4 ,there were many different circles which would be intersected by the lives of this ,christian church1 and wherever its units went they carried along with them the conviction that they had turned from idols to serve the living ,god1 and to wait for ,his ,son from heaven4 ,and so1 dear brethren1 if our witness is to be worth anything it must have this penetrating quality4 ,there is a difference in sounds as there is a difference in instruments4 ,some of them carry further than others4 ,a clear voice will fling words to a distance that a thick1 mumbling one never can attain4 ,one note will travel much further than another4 ,do you see to it that your notes are of the penetrating sort4 ,and then1 again1 the note should be a musical one4 ,there is nothing to be done for ,god by harshness2 nothing to be done by discords and gangling2 nothing to be done by scolding and rebuke4 ,the ordered sequence of melodious sound will travel a great deal further than unmusical1 plain speech4 ,you can hear a song at a distance at which a saying would be inaudible4 ,which thing is an allegory1 and this is its lesson1--,music goes further than discord2 and the witness that a ,christian man bears will travel in direct proportion as it is harmonious1 and gracious and gentle and beautiful4 ,and then1 again1 the note should be rousing4 ,you do not play on a trumpet when you want to send people to sleep2 dulcimers and the like are the things for that purpose4 ,the trumpet means strung-up intensity1 means a call to arms1 or to rejoicing2 means at any rate1 vigour1 and is intended to rouse4 ,let your witness have1 for its utmost signification1 ',awake6 thou that sleepest1 and arise from the dead2 and ,christ shall give thee light4' ,,iii4 ,then1 still further1 take another thought that may be suggested from this metaphor1 the silence of the loudest note4 ,if you look at the context1 you will see that all the ways in which the word of the ,lord is represented as sounding out from the ,thessalonian ,church were deeds1 not words4 ,the context supplies a number of them4 ,such as the following are specified in it3 their work2 their toil1 which is more than work2 their patience2 their assurance2 their reception of the word1 in much affliction with joy in the ,holy ,ghost2 their faith to ,godward2 their turning to ,god from idols1 to serve and to wait4 ,that is all4 ,so far as the context goes there might not have been a man amongst them who ever opened his mouth for ,jesus ,christ4 ,we know not1 of course1 how far they were a congregation of silent witnesses1 but this we know1 that what ,paul meant when he said1 ',the whole world is ringing with the voice of the word of ,god sounding from you1' was not their going up and down the world shouting about their ,christianity1 but their quiet living like ,jesus ,christ4 ,that is a louder voice than any other4 ,ah6 dear friends6 it is with ,god's ,church as it is with ,god's heavens2 the 'stars in ,christ's right hand' sparkle in the same fashion as the stars that ,he has set in the firmament4 ,of them we read3 ',there is neither voice nor language1 their speech is not heard'2 and yet1 as man stands with bared head and hushed heart beneath the violet abysses of the heavens1 'their line' 7or chord1 the metaphor being that of a stringed instrument7 'is gone out through all the earth1 and their words to the end of the world4' ,silent as they shine1 they declare the glory of ,god1 and proclaim ,his handiwork4 ,and so you may speak of ,him without speaking1 and though you have no gift of tongues the night may be filled with music1 and your lives be eloquent of ,christ4 ,i do not mean to say that ,christian men and women are at liberty to lock their lips from verbal proclamation of the ,saviour they have found1 but ,i do mean to say that if there was less talk and more living1 the witness of ,god's ,church would be louder and not lower2 'and men would take knowledge of us1 that we had been with ,jesus'2 and of ,jesus1 that ,he had made us like ,himself4 ,,iv4 ,and so1 lastly1 let me draw one other thought from this metaphor1 which ,i hope you will not think fanciful playing with a figure2 and that is the breath that makes the music4 ,if the ,church is the trumpet1 who blows it8 ,god6 ,it is by ,his ,divine ,spirit dwelling within us1 and breathing through us1 that the harsh discords of our natural lives become changed into melody of praise and the music of witness for ,him4 ,keep near ,christ1 live in communion with ,god1 let ,him breathe through you1 and when ,his ,spirit passes through your spirits their silence will become harmonious speech2 and from you 'will sound out the word of the ,lord4' ,in a tropical country1 when the sun goes behind a cloud1 all the insect life that was cheerily chirping is hushed4 ,in the ,christian life1 when the ,son of ,righteousness is obscured by the clouds born of our own carelessness and sin1 all the music in our spirit ceases1 and no more can we witness for ,him4 ,a scentless substance lying in a drawer1 with a bit of musk1 will become perfumed by contact1 and will bring the fragrance wherever it is carried4 ,live near ,god1 and let ,him speak to you and in you2 and then ,he will speak through you4 ,and if ,he be the breath of your spiritual lives1 and the soul of your souls1 then1 and only then1 will your lives be music1 the music witness1 and the witness conviction4 ,and only then will there be fulfilled what ,i pray there may be more and more fulfilled in us as a ,christian community1 this great word of our text1 'from you sounded out1' clear1 rousing1 penetrating1 melodious1 'the word of the ,lord1' so that we1 with our poor preaching1 need not to speak anything4 ,,walking ,,worthily ',walk worthy of ,god4'--#a ,,thess4 ii4 #ab4 ,here we have the whole law of ,christian conduct in a nutshell4 ,there may be many detailed commandments1 but they can all be deduced from this one4 ,we are lifted up above the region of petty prescriptions1 and breathe a bracing mountain air4 ,instead of regulations1 very many and very dry1 we have a principle which needs thought and sympathy in order to apply it1 and is to be carried out by the free action of our own judgments4 ,now it is to be noticed that there are a good many other passages in the ,new ,testament in which1 in similar fashion1 the whole sum of ,christian conduct is reduced to a 'walking worthy' of some certain thing or other1 and ,i have thought that it might aid in appreciating the many-sidedness and all-sufficiency of the great principles into which ,christianity crystallises the law of our life1 if we just gather these together and set them before you consecutively4 ,they are these3 we are told in our text to 'walk worthy of ,god4' ,then again1 we are enjoined1 in other places1 to 'walk worthy of the ,lord1' who is ,christ4 ,or again1 'of the ,gospel of ,christ4' ,or again1 'of the calling wherewith we were called4' ,or again1 of the name of 'saints4' ,and if you put all these together1 you will get many sides of one thought1 the rule of ,christian life as gathered into a single expression--correspondence with1 and conformity to1 a certain standard4 ,i4 ,and first of all1 we have this passage of my text1 and the other one to which ,i have referred1 ',walking worthy of the ,lord1' by whom we are to understand ,christ4 ,we may put these together and say that the whole sum of ,christian duty lies in conformity to the character of a ,divine ,person with whom we have loving relations4 ,the ,old ,testament says3 ',be ye holy1 for ,i the ,lord your ,god am holy4' ,the ,new ,testament says3 ',be ye imitators of ,god1 and walk in love4' ,so then1 whatever of flashing brightness and infinite profundity in that divine nature is far beyond our apprehension and grasp1 there are in that divine nature elements--and those the best and divinest in it--which it is perfectly within the power of every man to copy4 ,is there anything in ,god that is more ,godlike than righteousness and love8 ,and is there any difference in essence between a man's righteousness and ,god's2--between a man's love and ,god's8 ,the same gases make combustion in the sun and on the earth1 and the spectroscope tells you that it is so4 ,the same radiant brightness that flames burning in the love1 and flashes white in the purity of ,god1 even that may be reproduced in man4 ,love is one thing1 all the universe over4 ,other elements of the bond that unites us to ,god are rather correspondent in us to what we find in ,him4 ,our concavity1 so to speak1 answers to ,his convexity2 our hollowness to ,his fulness2 our emptiness to ,his all-sufficiency4 ,so our faith1 for instance1 lays hold upon ,his faithfulness1 and our obedience grasps1 and bows before1 ,his commanding will4 ,but the love with which ,i lay hold of ,him is like the love with which ,he lays hold on me2 and righteousness and purity1 howsoever different may be their accompaniments in an ,infinite and uncreated ,nature from what they have in our limited and bounded and progressive being1 in essence are one4 ,so1 ',be ye holy1 for ,i am holy'2 ',walk in the light as ,he is in the light1' is the law available for all conduct2 and the highest divine perfections1 if ,i may speak of pre-eminence among them1 are the imitable ones1 whereby ,he becomes our ,example and our ,pattern4 ,let no man say that such an injunction is vague or hopeless4 ,you must have a perfect ideal if you are to live at all by an ideal4 ,there cannot be any flaws in your pattern if the pattern is to be of any use4 ,you aim at the stars1 and if you do not hit them you may progressively approach them4 ,we need absolute perfection to strain after1 and one day--blessed be ,his name--we shall attain it4 ,try to walk worthy of ,god and you will find out how tight that precept grips1 and how close it fits4 ,the love and the righteousness which are to become the law of our lives1 are revealed to us in ,jesus ,christ4 ,whatever may sound impracticable in the injunction to imitate ,god assumes a more homely and possible shape when it becomes an injunction to follow ,jesus4 ,and just as that form of the precept tends to make the law of conformity to the divine nature more blessed and less hopelessly above us1 so it makes the law of conformity to the ideal of goodness less cold and unsympathetic4 ,it makes all the difference to our joyfulness and freedom whether we are trying to obey a law of duty1 seen only too clearly to be binding1 but also above our reach1 or whether we have the law in a living ,person whom we have learned to love4 ,in the one case there stands upon a pedestal above us a cold perfection1 white1 complete1 marble2 in the other case there stands beside us a living law in pattern1 a ,brother1 bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh2 whose hand we can grasp2 whose heart we can trust1 and of whose help we can be sure4 ,to say to me3 ',follow the ideal of perfect righteousness1' is to relegate me to a dreary1 endless struggling2 to say to me1 ',follow your ,brother1 and be like your ,father1' is to bring warmth and hope and liberty into all my effort4 ,the word that says1 ',walk worthy of ,god1' is a royal law1 the perfect law of perfect freedom4 ,again1 when we say1 ',walk worthy of ,god1' we mean two things--one1 ',do after ,his example1' and the other1 ',render back to ,him what ,he deserves for what ,he has done to you4' ,and so this law bids us measure1 by the side of that great love that died on the ,cross for us all1 our poor imperfect returns of gratitude and of service4 ,he has lavished all ,his treasure on you2 what have you brought him back8 ,he has given you the whole wealth of ,his tender pity1 of ,his forgiving mercy1 of ,his infinite goodness4 ,do you adequately repay such lavish love8 ,has ,he not 'sown much and reaped little' in all our hearts8 ,has ,he not poured out the fulness of ,his affection1 and have we not answered ,him with a few grudging drops squeezed from our hearts8 ,oh6 brethren6 ',walk worthy of the ,lord1' and neither dishonour ,him by your conduct as professing children of ,his1 nor affront ,him by the wretched refuse and remnants of your devotion and service that you bring back to ,him in response to ,his love to you4 ,,ii4 ,now a word about the next form of this all-embracing precept4 ,the whole law of our ,christian life may be gathered up in another correspondence1 ',walk worthy of the ,gospel' 7,phil4 i4 #bg71 in a manner conformed to that great message of ,god's love to us4 ,that covers substantially the same ground as we have already been going over1 but it presents the same ideas in a different light4 ,it presents the ,gospel as a rule of conduct4 ,now people have always been apt to think of it more as a message of deliverance than as a practical guide1 as we all need to make an effort to prevent our natural indolence and selfishness from making us forget that the ,gospel is quite as much a rule of conduct as a message of pardon4 ,it is both by the same act4 ,in the very facts on which our redemption depends lies the law of our lives4 ,what was ,paul's ,gospel8 ,according to ,paul's own definition of it1 it was this3 ',how that ,jesus ,christ died for our sins1 according to the ,scriptures4' ,and the message that ,i desire now to bring to all you professing ,christians is this3 ,do not always be looking at ,christ's ,cross only as your means of acceptance4 ,do not only be thinking of ,christ's ,passion as that which has barred for you the gates of punishment1 and has opened for you the gates of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,it has done all that2 but if you are going to stop there you have only got hold of a very maimed and imperfect edition of the ,gospel4 ,the ,cross is your pattern1 as well as the anchor of your hope and the ground of your salvation1 if it is anything at all to you4 ,and it is not the ground of your salvation and the anchor of your hope unless it is your pattern4 ,it is the one in exactly the same degree in which it is the other4 ,so all self-pleasing1 all harsh insistence on your own claims1 all neglect of suffering and sorrow and sin around you1 comes under the lash of this condemnation3 ',they are not worthy of the ,gospel4' ,and all unforgivingness of spirit and of temper in individuals and in nations1 in public and in private matters1 that1 too1 is in flagrant contradiction to the principles that are taught on the ,cross to which you say you look for your salvation4 ,have you got forgiveness1 and are you going out from the presence-chamber of the ,king to take your brother by the throat for the beggarly coppers that he owes you1 and say3 ',pay me what thou owest6' when the ,master has forgiven you all that great mountain of indebtedness which you owe ,him8 ,oh1 my brother6 if ,christian men and women would only learn to take away the scales from their eyes and souls2 not looking at ,christ's ,cross with less absolute trustfulness1 as that by which all their salvation comes1 but also learning to look at it as closely and habitually as yielding the pattern to which their lives should be conformed1 and would let the heart-melting thankfulness which it evokes when gazed at as the ground of our hope prove itself true by its leading them to an effort at imitating that great love1 and so walking worthy of the ,gospel1 how their lives would be transformed6 ,it is far easier to fetter your life with yards of red-tape prescriptions--do this1 do not do that--far easier to out-pharisee the ,pharisees in punctilious scrupulosities1 than it is honestly1 and for one hour1 to take the ,cross of ,christ as the pattern of your lives1 and to shape yourselves by that4 ,one looks round upon a lethargic1 a luxurious1 a self-indulgent1 a self-seeking1 a world-besotted professing ,church1 and asks3 ',are these the people on whose hearts a cross is stamped8' ,do these men--or rather let us say1 do we live as becometh the ,gospel which proclaims the divinity of self-sacrifice1 and that the law of a perfect human life is perfect self-forgetfulness1 even as the secret of the divine nature is perfect love8 ',walk worthy of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4' ,,iii4 ,then again1 there is another form of this same general prescription which suggests to us a kindred and yet somewhat different standard4 ,we are also bidden to bring our lives into conformity to1 and correspondence with1 or1 as the ,bible has it1 'to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called' 7,eph4 iv4 #a74 ,god summons or invites us1 and summons us to what8 ,the words which follow our text answer1 ',who calleth you into ,his own kingdom and glory4' ,all you ,christian people have been invited1 and if you are ,christians you have accepted the invitation2 and all you men and women1 whether you are ,christians or not1 have been and are being invited and summoned into a state and a world 7for the reference is to the future life71 in which ,god's will is supreme1 and all wills are moulded into conformity with that1 and into a state and a world in which all shall--because they submit to ,his will--partake of ,his glory1 the fulness of ,his uncreated light4 ,that being the aim of the summons1 that being the destiny that is held out before us all1 ought not that destiny and the prospect of what we may be in the future1 to fling some beams of guiding brightness on to the present8 ,men that are called to high functions prepare themselves therefor4 ,if you knew that you were going away to ,australia in six months1 would you not be beginning to get your outfit ready8 ,you ,christian men profess to believe that you have been called to a condition in which you will absolutely obey ,god's will1 and be the loyal subjects of ,his kingdom1 and in which you will partake of ,god's glory4 ,well then1 obey ,his will here1 and let some scattered sparklets of that uncreated light that is one day going to flood your soul lie upon your face to-day4 ,do not go and cut your lives into two halves1 one of them all contradictory to that which you expect in the other1 but bring a harmony between the present1 in all its weakness and sinfulness1 and that great hope and certain destiny that blazes on the horizon of your hope1 as the joyful state to which you have been invited4 ',walk worthy of the calling to which you are called4' ,and again1 that same thought of the destiny should feed our hope1 and make us live under its continual inspiration4 ,a walk worthy of such a calling and such a caller should know no despondency1 nor any weary1 heartless lingering1 as with tired feet on a hard road4 ,brave good cheer1 undimmed energy1 a noble contempt of obstacles1 a confidence in our final attainment of that purity and glory which is not depressed by consciousness of present failure--these are plainly the characteristics which ought to mark the advance of the men in whose ears such a summons from such lips rings as their marching orders4 ,and a walk worthy of our calling will turn away from earthly things4 ,if you believe that ,god has summoned you to ,his kingdom and glory1 surely1 surely1 that should deaden in your heart the love and the care for the trifles that lie by the wayside4 ,surely1 surely1 if that great voice is inviting1 and that merciful hand is beckoning you into the light1 and showing you what you may possess there1 it is not walking according to that summons if you go with your eyes fixed upon the trifles at your feet1 and your whole heart absorbed in this present fleeting world4 ,unworldliness1 in its best and purest fashion--by which ,i mean not only a contempt for material wealth and all that it brings1 but the sitting loose by everything that is beneath the stars--unworldliness is the only walk that is 'worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called4' ,and if you hear that voice ringing like a trumpet call1 or a commander's shout on the battlefield1 into your ears1 ever to stimulate you1 to rebuke your lagging indifference2 if you are ever conscious in your inmost hearts of the summons to ,his kingdom and glory1 then1 no doubt1 by a walk worthy of it1 you will make your calling sure2 and there shall 'an entrance be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom4' ,,iv4 ,and the last of the phases of this prescription which ,i have to deal with is this4 ,the whole ,christian duty is further crystallised into the one command1 to walk in a manner conformed to1 and corresponding with1 the character which is impressed upon us4 ,in the last chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans 7verse #b71 we read about a very small matter1 that it is to be done 'worthily of the saints4' ,it is only about the receiving of a good woman who was travelling from ,corinth to ,rome1 and extending hospitality to her in such a manner as became professing ,christians2 but the very minuteness of the details to which the great principle is applied points a lesson4 ,the biggest principle is not too big to be brought down to the narrowest details1 and that is the beauty of principles as distinguished from regulations4 ,regulations try to be minute1 and1 however minute you make them1 some case always starts up that is not exactly provided for in them1 and so the regulations come to nothing4 ,a principle does not try to be minute1 but it casts its net wide and it gathers various cases into its meshes4 ,like the fabled tent in the old legend that could contract so as to have room for but one man1 or expand wide enough to hold an army1 so this great principle of ,christian conduct can be brought down to giving ',phoebe our sister1 who is a servant of the church at ,cenchrea1' good food and a comfortable lodging1 and any other little kindnesses1 when she comes to ,rome4 ,and the same principle may be widened out to embrace and direct us in the largest tasks and most difficult circumstances4 ',worthily of saints'--the name is an omen1 and carries in it rules of conduct4 ,the root idea of 'saint' is 'one separated to ,god1' and the secondary idea which flows from that is 'one who is pure4' ,all ,christians are 'saints4' ,they are consecrated and set apart for ,god's service1 and in the degree in which they are conscious of and live out that consecration1 they are pure4 ,so their name1 or rather the great fact which their name implies1 should be ever before them1 a stimulus and a law4 ,we are bound to remember that we are consecrated1 separated as ,god's possession1 and that therefore purity is indispensable4 ,the continual consciousness of this relation and its resulting obligations would make us recoil from impurity as instinctively as the sensitive plant shuts up its little green fingers when anything touches it2 or as the wearer of a white robe will draw it up high above the mud on a filthy pavement4 ,walk 'worthily of saints' is another way of saying1 ,be true to your own best selves4 ,work up to the highest ideal of your character4 ,that is far more wholesome than to be always looking at our faults and failures1 which depress and tempt us to think that the actual is the measure of the possible1 and the past or present of the future4 ,there is no fear of self-conceit or of a mistaken estimate of ourselves4 ,the more clearly we keep our best and deepest self before our consciousness1 the more shall we learn a rigid judgment of the miserable contradictions to it in our daily outward life1 and even in our thoughts and desires4 ,it is a wholesome exhortation1 when it follows these others of which we have been speaking 7and not else71 which bids ,christians remember that they are saints and live up to their name4 ,a ,christian's inward and deepest self is better than his outward life4 ,we have all convictions in our inmost hearts which we do not work out1 and beliefs that do not influence us as we know they ought to do1 and sometimes wish that they did4 ,by our own fault our lives but imperfectly show their real inmost principle4 ,friction always wastes power before motion is produced4 ,so then1 we may well gather together all our duties in this final form of the all-comprehensive law1 and say to ourselves1 ',walk worthily of saints4' ,be true to your name1 to your best selves1 to your deepest selves4 ,be true to your separation for ,god's service1 and to the purity which comes from it4 ,be true to the life which ,god has implanted in you4 ,that life may be very feeble and covered by a great deal of rubbish1 but it is divine4 ,let it work1 let it out4 ,do not disgrace your name4 ,these are the phases of the law of ,christian conduct4 ,they reach far1 they fit close1 they penetrate deeper than the needle points of minute regulations4 ,if you will live in a manner corresponding to the character1 and worthy of the love of ,god1 as revealed in ,christ1 and in conformity with the principles that are enthroned upon ,his ,cross1 and in obedience to the destiny held forth in your high calling1 and in faithfulness to the name that ,he ,himself has impressed upon you1 then your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the painful and punctilious pharisaical obedience to outward commands1 and all things lovely and of good report will spring to life in your hearts and bear fruit in your lives4 ,one last word--all these exhortations go on the understanding that you are a ,christian1 that you have taken ,christ for your ,saviour1 and are resting upon ,him1 and recognising in ,him the revelation of ,god1 and in ,his ,cross the foundation of your hope2 that you have listened to1 and yielded to1 the divine summons1 and that you have a right to be called a saint4 ,is that presumption true about you1 my friend8 ,if it is not1 ,christianity thinks that it is of no use wasting time talking to you about conduct4 ,it has another word to speak to you first1 and after you have heard and accepted it1 there will be time enough to talk to you about rules for living4 ,the first message which ,christ sends to you by my lips is1 ,trust your sinful selves to ,him as your only all-sufficient ,saviour4 ,when you have accepted ,him1 and are leaning on ,him with all your weight of sin and suffering1 and loving ,him with your ransomed heart1 then1 and not till then1 will you be in a position to hear ,his law for your life1 and to obey it4 ,then1 and not till then1 will you appreciate the divine simplicity and breadth of the great command to walk worthy of ,god1 and the divine tenderness and power of the motive which enforces it1 and prints it on yielding and obedient hearts1 even the dying love and ,cross of ,his ,son4 ,then1 and not till then1 will you know how the voice from heaven that calls you to ,his kingdom stirs the heart like the sound of a trumpet1 and how the name which you bear is a perpetual spur to heroic service and priestly purity4 ,till then1 the word which we would plead with you to listen to and accept is that great answer of our ,lord's to those who came to ,him for a rule of conduct1 instead of for the gift of life3 ',this is the work of ,god1 that ye should believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent4' ,,small ,,duties ,,and ,,the ,,great ,,hope ',but as touching brotherly love1 ye need not that ,i write unto you2 for ye yourselves are taught of ,god to love one another4 #aj4 ,and indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all ,macedonia3 but we beseech you1 brethren1 that ye increase more and more2 #aa4 ,and that ye study to be quiet1 and to do your own business1 and to work with your own hands1 as we commanded you2 #ab4 ,that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without1 and that ye may have lack of nothing4 #ac4 ,but ,i would not have you to be ignorant1 brethren1 concerning them which are asleep1 that ye sorrow not1 even as others which have no hope4 #ad4 ,for if we believe that ,jesus died1 and rose again1 even so them also which sleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with ,him4 #ae4 ,for this we say unto you by the word of the ,lord1 that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the ,lord1 shall not prevent them which are asleep4 #af4 ,for the ,lord ,himself shall descend from heaven with a shout1 with the voice of the archangel1 and with the trump of ,god3 and the dead in ,christ shall rise first2 #ag4 ,then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air3 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord4 #ah4 ,wherefore comfort one another with these words4'--#a ,,thess4 iv4 #i-ah4 ',but of the times and the seasons1 brethren1 ye have no need that ,i write unto you4 #b4 ,for yourselves know perfectly1 that the day of the ,lord so cometh as a thief in the night4'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #a-b4 ,this letter was written immediately on the arrival of ,silas and ,timothy in ,corinth 7#a ,thess4 iii4 #f1 'even now'71 and is all flushed with the gladness of relieved anxiety1 and throbs with love4 ,it gains in pathetic interest when we remember that1 while writing it1 the ,apostle was in the thick of his conflict with the ,corinthian synagogue4 ,the thought of his ,thessalonian converts came to him like a waft of pure1 cool air to a heated brow4 ,the apparent want of connection in the counsels of the two last chapters is probably accounted for by supposing that he takes up1 as they occurred to him1 the points reported by the two messengers4 ,but we may note that the plain1 prosaic duties enjoined in verses #g-ab lead on to the lofty revelations of the rest of the context without any sense of a gap1 just because to ,paul the greatest truths had a bearing on the smallest duties1 and the vision of future glory was meant to shape the homely details of present work4 ,i4 ,we need to make an effort to realise the startling novelty of 'love of the brethren' when this letter was written4 ,the ancient world was honeycombed with rents and schisms1 scarcely masked by political union4 ,in the midst of a world of selfishness this new faith started up1 and by some magic knit warring nationalities and hostile classes and wide diversities of culture and position into a strange whole1 transcending all limits of race and language4 ,the conception of brotherhood was new1 and the realisation of it in ,christian love was still more astonishing4 ,the world wondered2 but to the ,christians the new affection was1 we might almost say1 instinctive1 so naturally and spontaneously did it fill their hearts4 ,paul's graceful way of enjoining it here is no mere pretty compliment4 ,the ,thessalonians did not need to be bidden to love the brethren1 for such love was a part of their new life1 and breathed into their hearts by ,god ,himself4 ,they were drawn together by common relation to ,jesus1 and driven together by common alienation from the world4 ,occasions of divergence had not yet risen4 ,the world had not yet taken on a varnish of ,christianity4 ,the new bond was still strong in its newness4 ,so1 short as had been the time since ,paul landed at ,neapolis1 the golden chain of love bound all the ,macedonian ,christians together1 and all that ,paul had to exhort was the strengthening of its links and their tightening4 ,that fair picture faded soon1 but it still remains true that the deeper our love to ,jesus1 the warmer will be our love to all ,his lovers4 ,the morning glow may not come back to the prosaic noonday1 but love to the brethren remains as an indispensable token of the ,christian life4 ,let us try ourselves thereby4 ,,ii4 ,what have exhortations to steady work to do with exhortations to increasing love8 ,not much1 apparently2 but may not the link be1 ',do not suppose that your ,christianity is to show itself only in emotions1 however sweet2 the plain humdrum tasks of a working man's life are quite as noble a field as the exalted heights of brotherly love4' ,a loving heart is good1 but a pair of diligent hands are as good4 ,the juxtaposition of these two commands preaches a lesson which we need quite as much as the ,thessalonians did4 ,possibly1 too1 as we see more fully in the second ,epistle1 the new truths1 which had cut them from their old anchorage1 had set some of them afloat on a sea of unquiet expectation4 ,so much of their old selves had been swept away1 that it would be hard for some to settle down to the old routine4 ,that is a common enough experience in all 'revivals1' and at ,thessalonica it was intensified by speculations about ,christ's coming4 ,the 'quiet' which ,paul would have us cultivate is not only external1 but the inward tranquillity of a spirit calm because fixed on ,god and filled with love4 ,the secret place of the ,most ,high is ever still1 and1 if we dwell there1 our hearts will not be disturbed by any tumults without4 ,to 'do our own business' is quite a different thing from selfish 'looking on our own things1' for a great part of our business is to care for others1 and nothing dries up sympathy and practical help more surely than a gossiping temper1 which is perpetually buzzing about other people's concerns1 and knows everybody's circumstances and duties better than its own4 ,this restless generation1 whose mental food is so largely the newspaper1 with its floods of small-talk about people1 be they politicians1 ministers1 or murderers1 sorely needs these precepts4 ,we are all so busy that we have no time for quiet meditation1 and so much occupied with trivialities about others that we are strangers to ourselves4 ,therefore religious life is low in many hearts4 ,the dignity of manual labour was a new doctrine to preach to ,greeks1 but ,paul lays stress on it repeatedly in his letters to ,thessalonica4 ,apparently most of the converts there were of the labouring class1 and some of them needed the lesson of ,paul's example as well as his precept4 ,a ,christian workman wielding chisel or trowel for ,christ's sake will impress 'them that are without4' ,dignity depends1 not on the nature1 but on the motive1 of our work4 ',a servant with this clause makes drudgery divine4' ,it is permissible to take the opinion of those who are not ,christians into account1 and to try to show them what good workmen ,christ can turn out4 ,it is right1 too1 to cultivate a spirit of independence1 and to prefer a little earned to abundance given as a gift or alms4 ,perhaps some of the ,thessalonians were trying to turn brotherly love to profit1 and to live on their richer brethren4 ,such people infest the ,church at all times4 ,,iii4 ,with what ease1 like a soaring song-bird1 the letter rises to the lofty height of the next verses1 and how the note becomes more musical1 and the style richer1 more sonorous and majestic1 with the changed subject6 ,from the workshop to the descending ,lord and the voice of the trumpet and the rising saints1 what a leap1 and yet how easily it is made6 ,happy we if we keep the future glory and the present duty thus side by side1 and pass without jar from the one to the other6 ,the special point which ,paul has in view must be kept well in mind4 ,some of the ,thessalonians seem to have been troubled1 not by questions about the ,resurrection1 as the ,corinthians afterwards were1 but by a curious difficulty1 namely1 whether the dead saints would not be worse off at ,christ's coming than the living1 and to that one point ,paul addresses himself4 ,these verses are not a general revelation of the course of events at that coming1 or of the final condition of the glorified saints1 but an answer to the question1 ,what is the relation between the two halves of the ,church1 the dead and the living1 in regard to their participation in ,christ's glory when ,he comes again8 ,the question is answered negatively in verse #ae1 positively in verses #af and #ag4 ,but1 before considering them1 note some other precious lessons taught here4 ,that sweet and consoling designation for the dead1 'them who sleep in ,jesus1' is ,christ's gift to sorrowing hearts4 ,no doubt1 the idea is found in pagan thinkers1 but always with the sad addition1 'an eternal sleep4' ,men called death by that name in despair4 ,the ,christian calls it so because he knows that sleep implies continuous existence1 repose1 consciousness1 and awaking4 ,the sleepers are not dead1 they will be roused to refreshed activity one day4 ,we note how emphatically verse #ad brings out the thought that ,jesus died1 since ,he suffered all the bitterness of death1 not only in physical torments1 but in that awful sense of separation from ,god which is the true death in death1 and that1 because ,he did1 the ugly thing wears a softened aspect to believers1 and is but sleep4 ,he died that we might never know what the worst sting of death is4 ,we note further that1 in order to bring out the truth of the gracious change which has passed on death physical for ,his servants1 the remarkable expression is used1 in verse #ad1 'fallen asleep through ,jesus'2 ,his mediatorial work being the reason for their death becoming sleep4 ,similarly1 it is only in verse #af that the bare word 'dead' is used about them1 and there it is needed for emphasis and clearness4 ,when we are thinking of ,resurrection we can afford to look death in the face4 ,we note that ,paul here claims to be giving a new revelation made to him directly by ,christ4 ',by 7or1 in7 the word of the ,lord' cannot mean less than that4 ,the question arises1 in regard to verse #ae1 whether ,paul expected that the advent would come in his lifetime4 ,it need not startle any if he were proved to have cherished such a mistaken expectation2 for ,christ ,himself taught the disciples that the time of ,his second coming was a truth reserved1 and not included in ,his gifts to them4 ,but two things may be noted4 ,first1 that in the second ,epistle1 written very soon after this1 ,paul sets himself to damp down the expectation of the nearness of the advent1 and points to a long course of historical development of incipient tendencies which must precede it2 and1 second1 that his language here does not compel the conclusion that he expected to be alive at the second coming4 ,for he is distinguishing between the two classes of the living and the dead1 and he naturally puts himself in the class to which1 at that time1 he and his hearers belonged1 without thereby necessarily deciding1 or even thinking about1 the question whether he and they would or would not belong to that class at the actual time of the advent4 ,the revelation here reveals much1 and leaves much unrevealed4 ,it is perfectly clear on the main point4 ,negatively1 it declares that the sleeping saints lose nothing1 and are not anticipated or hindered in any blessedness by the living4 ,positively1 it declares that they precede the living1 inasmuch as they 'rise first'2 that is1 before the living saints1 who do not sleep1 but are changed 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #ea71 are thus transfigured4 ,then the two great companies shall unitedly rise to meet the descending ,lord2 and their unity in ,him1 and1 therefore1 their fellowship with one another1 shall be eternal4 ,that great hope helps us to bridge the dark gorge of present separation4 ,it leaves unanswered a host of questions which our lonely hearts would fain have cleared up2 but it is enough for hope to hold by1 and for sorrow to be changed into submission and anticipation4 ,as to the many obscurities that still cling to the future1 the meaning and the nature of the accompaniments1 the shout1 the trumpet1 and the like1 the way of harmonising the thought that the departed saints attend the descending ,lord1 with whom they dwell now1 with the declaration here that they rise from the earth to meet ,him1 the question whether these who are thus caught up from earth to meet the ,lord in the air come back again with ,him to earth1--all these points of curious speculation we may leave4 ,we know enough for comfort1 for assurance of the perfect reunion of the saints who sleep in ,jesus and of the living1 and of the perfect blessedness of both wings of the great army4 ,we may be content with what is clearly revealed1 and be sure that1 if what is unrevealed would have been helpful to us1 ,he would have told us4 ,we are to use the revelation for comfort and for stimulus1 and we are to remember that 'times and seasons' are not told us1 nor would the knowledge of them profit us4 ,paul took for granted that the ,thessalonians remembered the ,lord's word1 which he had1 no doubt1 told them1 that ,he would come 'as a thief in the night4' ,so he discourages a profitless curiosity1 and exhorts to a continual vigilance4 ,when ,he comes1 it will be suddenly1 and will wake some who live from a sinful sleep with a shock of terror1 and the dead from a sweet sleep in ,him with a rush of gladness1 as in body and spirit they are filled with ,his life1 and raised to share in ,his triumph4 ,,sleeping ,,through ,,jesus ' 4 4 4 ,them also which sleep in ,jesus 4 4 4'--#a ,,thess4 iv4 #ad4 ,that expression is not unusual1 in various forms1 in the ,apostle's writings4 ,it suggests a very tender and wonderful thought of closeness and union between our ,lord and the living dead1 so close as that ,he is1 as it were1 the atmosphere in which they move1 or the house in which they dwell4 ,but1 tender and wonderful as the thought is1 it is not exactly the ,apostle's idea here4 ,for1 accurately rendered--and accuracy in regard to ,scripture language is not pedantry--the words run1 ',them which sleep through ,jesus4' ,now1 that is a strange phrase1 and1 ,i suppose1 its strangeness is the reason why our translators have softened it down to the more familiar and obvious 'in ,jesus4' ,we can understand living through ,christ1 on being sacred through ,christ1 but what can sleeping through ,christ mean8 ,i shall hope to answer the question presently1 but1 in the meantime1 ,i only wish to point out what the ,apostle does say1 and to plead for letting him say it1 strange though it sounds4 ,for the strange and the difficult phrases of ,scripture are like the hard quartz reefs in which gold is1 and if we slur them over we are likely to loose the treasure4 ,let us try if we can find what the gold here may be4 ,now1 there are only two thoughts that ,i wish to dwell upon as suggested by these words4 ,one is the softened aspect of death1 and of the state of the ,christian dead2 and the other is the ground or cause of that softened aspect4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 the softened aspect of death1 and of the state of the ,christian dead4 ,it is to ,jesus primarily that the ,new ,testament writers owe their use of this gracious emblem of sleep4 ,for1 as you remember1 the word was twice upon our ,lord's lips2 once when1 over the twelve-years-old maid from whom life had barely ebbed away1 ,he said1 ',she is not dead1 but sleepeth'2 and once when in regard of the man ,lazarus1 from whom life had removed further1 ,he said1 ',our friend sleepeth1 but ,i go that ,i may awake him out of sleep4' ,but ,jesus was not the originator of the expression4 ,you find it in the ,old ,testament1 where the prophet ,daniel1 speaking of the end of the days and the bodily ,resurrection1 designates those who share in it as 'them that sleep in the dust of the earth4' ,and the ,old ,testament was not the sole origin of the phrase4 ,for it is too natural1 too much in accordance with the visibilities of death1 not to have suggested itself to many hearts1 and been shrined in many languages4 ,many an inscription of ,greek and ,roman date speaks of death under this figure2 but almost always it is with the added1 deepened note of despair1 that it is a sleep which knows no waking1 but lasts through eternal night4 ,now1 the ,christian thought associated with this emblem is the precise opposite of the pagan one4 ,the pagan heart shrank from naming the ugly thing because it was so ugly4 ,so dark and deep a dread coiled round the man1 as he contemplated it1 that he sought to drape the dreadfulness in some kind of thin1 transparent veil1 and to put the buffer of a word between him and its hideousness4 ,but the ,christian's motive for the use of the word is the precise opposite4 ,he uses the gentler expression because the thing has become gentler4 ,it is profoundly significant that throughout the whole of the ,new ,testament the plain1 naked word 'death' is usually applied1 not to the physical fact which we ordinarily designate by the name1 but to the grim thing of which that physical fact is only the emblem and the parable1 viz41 the true death which lies in the separation of the soul from ,god2 whilst predominately the ,new ,testament usage calls the physical fact by some other gentler form of expression1 because1 as ,i say1 the gentleness has enfolded the thing to be designated4 ,for instance1 you find one class of representations which speak of death as being a departing and a being with ,christ2 or which call it1 as one of the apostles does1 an 'exodus1' where it is softened down to be merely a change of environment1 a change of locality4 ,then another class of representations speak of it as 'putting off this my tabernacle1' or1 the dissolution of the 'earthly house'--where there is a broad1 firm line of demarcation drawn between the inhabitant and the habitation1 and the thing is softened down to be a mere change of dwelling4 ,again1 another class of expressions speak of it as being an 'offering1' where the main idea is that of a voluntary surrender1 a sacrifice or libation of myself1 and my life poured out upon the altar of ,god4 ,but sweetest1 deepest1 most appealing to all our hearts1 is that emblem of my text1 'them that sleep4' ,it is used1 if ,i count rightly1 some fourteen times in the ,new ,testament1 and it carries with it large and plain lessons1 on which ,i touch but for a moment4 ,what1 then1 does this metaphor say to us8 ,well1 it speaks first of rest4 ,that is not altogether an attractive conception to some of us4 ,if it be taken exclusively it is by no means wholesome4 ,i suppose that the young1 and the strong1 and the eager1 and the ambitious1 and the prosperous rather shrink from the notion of their activities being stiffened into slumber4 ,but1 dear friends1 there are some of us like tired children in a fair1 who would fain have done with the weariness1 who have made experience of the distractions and bewildering changes1 whose backs are stiffened with toil1 whose hearts are heavy with loss4 ,and to all of us1 in some moods1 the prospect of shuffling off this weary coil of responsibilities and duties and tasks and sorrows1 and of passing into indisturbance and repose1 appeals4 ,i believe1 for my part1 that1 after all1 the deepest longing of men--though they search for it through toil and effort--is for repose4 ,as the poet has taught us1 'there is no joy but calm4' ,every heart is weary enough1 and heavy laden1 and labouring enough1 to feel the sweetness of a promise of rest3-- ',sleep1 full of rest from head to foot1 ,lie still1 dry dust1 secure of change4' ,yes6 but the rest of which our emblem speaks is1 as ,i believe1 only applicable to the bodily frame4 ,the word 'sleep' is a transcript of what sense enlightened by faith sees in that still form1 with the folded hands and the quiet face and the closed eyes4 ,but let us remember that this repose1 deep and blessed as it is1 is not1 as some would say1 the repose of unconsciousness4 ,i do not believe1 and ,i would have you not believe1 that this emblem refers to the vigorous1 spiritual life1 or that the passage from out of the toil and moil of earth into the calm of the darkness beyond has any power in limiting or suspending the vital force of the man4 ,why1 the very metaphor itself tells us that the sleeper is not unconscious4 ,he is parted from the outer world1 he is unaware of externals4 ,when ,stephen knelt below the old wall1 and was surrounded by howling fanatics that slew him1 one moment he was gashed with stones and tortured1 and the next 'he fell on sleep4' ,they might howl1 and the stones fly as they would1 and he was all unaware of it4 ,like ,jonah sleeping in the hold1 what mattered the roaring of the storm to him8 ,but separation from externals does not mean suspense of life or of consciousness1 and the slumberer often dreams1 and is aware of himself persistently throughout his slumber4 ,nay6 some of his faculties are set at liberty to work more energetically1 because his connection with the outer world is for the time suspended4 ,and so ,i say that what on the hither side is sleep1 on the further side is awaking1 and that the complex whole of the condition of the sainted dead may be described with equal truth by either metaphor2 'they sleep in ,jesus'2 or1 'when ,i awake ,i shall be satisfied with ,thy likeness4' ,scripture1 as it seems to me1 distinctly carries this limitation of the emblem4 ,for what does it mean when the ,apostle says that to depart and to be with ,christ is far better8 ,surely he who thus spoke conceived that these two things were contemporaneous1 the departing and the being with ,him4 ,and surely he who thus spoke could not have conceived that a millennium-long parenthesis of slumberous unconsciousness was to intervene between the moment of his decease and the moment of his fellowship with ,jesus4 ,how could a man prefer that dormant state to the state here1 of working for and living with the ,lord8 ,surely1 being with ,him must mean that we know where we are1 and who is our companion4 ,and what does that text mean3 ',ye are come unto the spirits of just men made perfect1' unless it means that of these two classes of persons who are thus regarded as brought into living fellowship1 each is aware of the other8 ,does perfecting of the spirit mean the smiting of the spirit into unconsciousness8 ,surely not1 and surely in view of such words as these1 we must recognise the fact that1 however limited and imperfect may be the present connection of the disembodied dead1 who sleep in ,christ1 with external things1 they know themselves1 they know their home and their companion1 and they know the blessedness in which they are lapped4 ,but another thought which is suggested by this emblem is1 as ,i have already said1 most certainly the idea of awaking4 ,the pagans said1 as indeed one of their poets has it1 ',suns can sink and return1 but for us1 when our brief light sinks1 there is but one perpetual night of slumber4' ,the ,christian idea of death is1 that it is transitory as a sleep in the morning1 and sure to end4 ,as ,st4 ,augustine says somewhere1 ',wherefore are they called sleepers1 but because in the day of the ,lord they will be reawakened8' ,and so these are the thoughts1 very imperfectly spoken1 ,i know1 which spring like flowers from this gracious metaphor 'them that sleep'--rest and awaking2 rest and consciousness4 ,,ii4 ,note the ground of this softened aspect4 ,they 'sleep through ,him4' ,it is by reason of ,christ and ,his work1 and by reason of that alone1 that death's darkness is made beautiful1 and death's grimness is softened down to this4 ,now1 in order to grasp the full meaning of such words as these of the ,apostle1 we must draw a broad distinction between the physical fact of the ending of corporeal life and the mental condition which is associated with it by us4 ,what we call death1 if ,i may so say1 is a complex thing--a bodily phenomenon plus conscience1 the sense of sin1 the certainty of retribution in the dim beyond4 ,and you have to take these elements apart4 ,the former remains1 but if the others are removed1 the whole has changed its character and is become another thing1 and a very little thing4 ,the mere physical fact is a trifle4 ,look at it as you see it in the animals2 look at it as you see it in men when they actually come to it4 ,in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it is painless and easy1 and men sink into slumber4 ,strange1 is it not1 that so small a reality should have power to cast over human life so immense and obscuring a shadow6 ,why8 ,because1 as the ,apostle says1 'the sting of death is sin1' and if you can take the sting out of it1 then there is very little to fear1 and it comes down to be an insignificant and transient element in our experience4 ,now1 the death of ,jesus ,christ takes away1 if ,i may so say1 the nimbus of apprehension and dread arising from conscience and sin1 and the forecast of retribution4 ,there is nothing left for us to face except the physical fact1 and any rough soldier1 with a coarse1 red coat upon him1 will face that for eighteenpence a day1 and think himself well paid4 ,jesus ,christ has abolished death1 leaving the mere shell1 but taking all the substance out of it4 ,it has become a different thing to men1 because in that death of ,his ,he has exhausted the bitterness1 and has made it possible that we should pass into the shadow1 and not fear either conscience or sin or judgment4 ,in this connection ,i cannot but notice with what a profound meaning the ,apostle1 in this very verse1 uses the bare1 naked word in reference to ,him1 and the softened one in reference to us4 ',if we believe that ,jesus ,christ died and rose again1 even so them also which sleep4' ,ah6 yes6 ,he died indeed1 bearing all that terror with which men's consciences have invested death4 ,he died indeed1 bearing on ,himself the sins of the world4 ,he died that no man henceforward need ever die in that same fashion4 ,his death makes our deaths sleep1 and ,his ,resurrection makes our sleep calmly certain of a waking4 ,so1 dear 'brethren1 ,i would not have you ignorant concerning them which are asleep1 that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope4' ,and ,i would have you to remember that1 whilst ,christ by ,his work has made it possible that the terror may pass away1 and death may be softened and minimised into slumber1 it will not be so with you--unless you are joined to ,him1 and by trust in the power of ,his death and the overflowing might of ,his ,resurrection1 have made sure that what ,he has passed through1 you will pass through1 and where ,he is1 and what ,he is1 you will be also4 ,two men die by one railway accident1 sitting side by side upon one seat1 smashed in one collision4 ,but though the outward fact is the same about each1 the reality of their deaths is infinitely different4 ,the one falls asleep through ,jesus1 in ,jesus2 the other dies indeed1 and the death of his body is only a feeble shadow of the death of his spirit4 ,do you knit yourself to the ,life1 which is ,christ1 and then 'he that believeth on ,me shall never die4' ,,the ,,work ,,and ,,armour ,,of ,,the ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,day ',let us1 who are of the day1 be sober1 putting on the breastplate of faith and love2 and for a helmet the hope of salvation4'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #h4 ,this letter to the ,thessalonians is the oldest book of the ,new ,testament4 ,it was probably written within something like twenty years of the ,crucifixion2 long1 therefore1 before any of the ,gospels were in existence4 ,it is1 therefore1 exceedingly interesting and instructive to notice how this whole context is saturated with allusions to our ,lord's teaching1 as it is preserved in these ,gospels2 and how it takes for granted that the ,thessalonian ,christians were familiar with the very words4 ,for instance3 ',yourselves know perfectly that the day of the ,lord so cometh as a thief in the night' 7ver4 #b74 ,how did these people in ,thessalonica know that8 ,they had been ,christians for a year or so only2 they had been taught by ,paul for a few weeks only1 or a month or two at the most4 ,how did they know it8 ,because they had been told what the ,master had said3 ',if the goodman of the house had known at what hour the thief would come1 he would have watched1 and would not have suffered his house to be broken up4' ,and there are other allusions in the context almost as obvious3 ',the children of the light4' ,who said that8 ,christ1 in ,his words3 ',the children of this world are wiser than the children of light4' ',they that sleep1 sleep in the night1 and if they be drunken1 are drunken in the night4' ,where does that metaphor come from8 ',take heed lest at any time ye be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness1 and the cares of this life1 and so that day come upon you unawares4' ',watch1 lest coming suddenly ,he find you sleeping6' ,so you see all the context reposes upon1 and presupposes the very words1 which you find in our present existing ,gospels1 as the words of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and this is all but contemporaneous1 and quite independent1 evidence of the existence in the ,church1 from the beginning1 of a traditional teaching which is now preserved for us in that fourfold record of ,his life4 ,take that remark for what it is worth2 and now turn to the text itself with which ,i have to deal in this sermon4 ,the whole of the context may be said to be a little dissertation upon the moral and religious uses of the doctrine of our ,lord's second coming4 ,in my text these are summed up in one central injunction which has preceding it a motive that enforces it1 and following it a method that ensures it4 ',let us be sober'2 that is the centre thought2 and it is buttressed upon either side by a motive and a means4 ',let us who are of the day1' or 'since we are of the day1--be sober4' ,and let us be it by 'putting on the breastplate and helmet of faith1 love1 and hope4' ,these1 then1 are the three points which we have to consider4 ,i4 ,first1 this central injunction1 into which all the moral teaching drawn from the second coming of ,christ is gathered--',let us be sober4' ,now1 ,i do not suppose we are altogether to omit any reference to the literal meaning of this word4 ,the context seems to show that1 by its reference to night as the season for drunken orgies4 ,temperance is moderation in regard not only to the evil and swinish sin of drunkenness1 which is so manifestly contrary to all ,christian integrity and nobility of character1 but in regard to the far more subtle temptation of another form of sensual indulgence--gluttony4 ,the ,christian ,church needed to be warned of that1 and if these people in ,thessalonica needed the warning ,i am quite sure that we need it4 ,there is not a nation on earth which needs it more than ,englishmen4 ,i am no ascetic1 ,i do not want to glorify any outward observance1 but any doctor in ,england will tell you that the average ,englishman eats and drinks a great deal more than is good for him4 ,it is melancholy to think how many professing ,christians have the edge and keenness of their intellectual and spiritual life blunted by the luxurious and senseless table-abundance in which they habitually indulge4 ,i am quite sure that water from the spring and barley-bread would be a great deal better for their souls1 and for their bodies too1 in the case of many people who call themselves ,christians4 ,suffer a word of exhortation1 and do not let it be neglected because it is brief and general4 ,sparta1 after all1 is the best place for a man to live in1 next to ,jerusalem4 ,but1 passing from that1 let us turn to the higher subject with which the ,apostle is here evidently mainly concerned4 ,what is the meaning of the exhortation ',be sober'8 ,well1 first let me tell you what ,i think is not the meaning of it4 ,it does not mean an unemotional absence of fervour in your ,christian character4 ,there is a kind of religious teachers who are always preaching down enthusiasm1 and preaching up what they call a 'sober standard of feeling' in matters of religion4 ,by which1 in nine cases out of ten1 they mean precisely such a tepid condition as is described in much less polite language1 when the voice from heaven says1 ',because thou art neither cold nor hot ,i will spue thee out of ,my mouth4' ,that is the real meaning of the 'sobriety' that some people are always desiring you to cultivate4 ,i should have thought that the last piece of furniture which any ,christian ,church in the twentieth century needed was a refrigerator6 ,a poker and a pair of bellows would be very much more needful for them4 ,for1 dear brethren1 the truths that you and ,i profess to believe are of such a nature1 so tremendous either in their joyfulness and beauty1 or in their solemnity and awfulness1 that one would think that if they once got into a man's head and heart1 nothing but the most fervid and continuous glow of a radiant enthusiasm would correspond to their majesty and overwhelming importance4 ,i venture to say that the only consistent ,christian is the enthusiastic ,christian2 and that the only man who will ever do anything in this world for ,god or man worth doing is the man who is not sober1 according to that cold-blooded definition which ,i have been speaking about1 but who is all ablaze with an enkindled earnestness that knows no diminution and no cessation4 ,paul1 the very man that is exhorting here to sobriety1 was the very type of an enthusiast all his life4 ,so ,festus thought him mad1 and even in the ,church at ,corinth there were some to whom in his fervour1 he seemed to be 'beside himself' 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ac74 ,oh6 for more of that insanity6 ,you may make up your minds to this2 that any men or women that are in thorough earnest1 either about ,christianity or about any other great1 noble1 lofty1 self-forgetting purpose1 will have to be content to have the old ,pentecostal charge flung at them3--',these men are full of new wine6' ,well for the ,church1 and well for the men who deserve the taunt2 for it means that they have learned something of the emotion that corresponds to such magnificent and awful verities as ,christian faith converses with4 ,i did not intend to say so much about that2 ,i turn now for a moment to the consideration of what this exhortation really means4 ,it means1 as ,i take it1 mainly this3 the prime ,christian duty of self-restraint in the use and the love of all earthly treasures and pleasures4 ,i need not do more than remind you how1 in the very make of a man's soul1 it is clear that unless there be exercised rigid self-control he will go all to pieces4 ,the make of human nature1 if ,i may say so1 shows that it is not meant for a democracy but a monarchy4 ,here are within us many passions1 tastes1 desires1 most of them rooted in the flesh1 which are as blind as hunger and thirst are4 ,if a man is hungry1 the bread will satisfy him all the same whether he steals it or not2 and it will not necessarily be distasteful even if it be poisoned4 ,and there are other blind impulses and appetites in our nature which ask nothing except this3--',give me my appropriate gratification1 though all the laws of ,god and man be broken in order to get it6' ,and so there has to be something like an eye given to these blind beasts1 and something like a directing hand laid upon these instinctive impulses4 ,the true temple of the human spirit must be built in stages1 the broad base laid in these animal instincts2 above them1 and controlling them1 the directing and restraining will2 above it the understanding which enlightens it and them2 and supreme over all the conscience with nothing between it and heaven4 ,where that is not the order of the inner man you get wild work4 ,you have set 'beggars on horseback1' and we all know where they go6 ,the man who lets passion and inclination guide is like a steam-boat with all the furnaces banked up1 with the engines going full speed1 and nobody at the wheel4 ,it will drive on to the rocks1 or wherever the bow happens to point1 no matter though death and destruction lie beyond the next turn of the screw4 ,that is what you will come to unless you live in the habitual exercise of rigid self-control4 ,and that self-control is to be exercised mainly1 or at least as one very important form of it1 in regard to our use and estimate of the pleasures of this present life4 ,yes6 it is not only from the study of a man's make that the necessity for a very rigid self-government appears1 but the observation of the conditions and circumstances in which he is placed points the same lesson4 ,all round about him are hands reaching out to him drugged cups4 ,the world with all its fading sweet comes tempting him1 and the old fable fulfils itself--,whoever takes that ,circe's cup and puts it to his lips and quaffs deep1 turns into a swine1 and sits there imprisoned at the feet of the sorceress for evermore6 ,there is only one thing that will deliver you from that fate1 my brother4 ',be sober1' and in regard to the world and all that it offers to us--all joy1 possession1 gratification--'set a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite4' ,there is no noble life possible on any other terms--not to say there is no ,christian life possible on any other terms--but suppression and mortification of the desires of the flesh and of the spirit4 ,you cannot look upwards and downwards at the same moment4 ,your heart is only a tiny room after all1 and if you cram it full of the world1 you relegate your ,master to the stable outside4 ',ye cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4' ',be sober1' says ,paul1 then1 and cultivate the habit of rigid self-control in regard to this present4 ,oh6 what a melancholy1 solemn thought it is that hundreds of professing ,christians in ,england1 like vultures after a full meal1 have so gorged themselves with the garbage of this present life that they cannot fly1 and have to be content with moving along the ground1 heavy and languid4 ,christian men and women1 are you keeping yourselves in spiritual health by a very sparing use of the dainties and delights of earth8 ,answer the question to your own souls and to your ,judge4 ,,ii4 ,and now let me turn to the other thoughts that lie here4 ,there is1 secondly1 a motive which backs up and buttresses this exhortation4 ',let us who are of the day'--or as the ,revised ,version has it a little more emphatically and correctly1 ',let us1 since we are of the day1 be sober4' ',the day'2 what day8 ,the temptation is to answer the question by saying--'of course the specific day which was spoken about in the beginning of the section1 the day of the ,lord1 that coming judgment by the coming ,christ4' ,but ,i think that although1 perhaps1 there may be some allusion here to that specific day1 still1 if you will look at the verses which immediately precede my text1 you will see that in them the ,apostle has passed from the thought of 'the day of the ,lord' to that of day in general4 ,that is obvious1 ,i think1 from the contrast he draws between the 'day' and the 'night1' the darkness and the light4 ,if so1 then1 when he says 'the children of the day' he does not so much mean--though that is quite true--that we are1 as it were1 akin to that day of judgment1 and may therefore look forward to it without fear1 and in quiet confidence1 lifting up our heads because our redemption draws nigh2 but rather he means that ,christians are the children of that which expresses knowledge1 and joy1 and activity4 ,of these things the day is the emblem1 in every language and in every poetry4 ,the day is the time when men see and hear1 the symbol of gladness and cheer all the world over4 ,and so1 says ,paul1 you ,christian men and women belong to a joyous realm1 a realm of light and knowledge1 a realm of purity and righteousness4 ,you are children of the light2 a glad condition which involves many glad and noble issues4 ,children of the light should be brave1 children of the light should not be afraid of the light1 children of the light should be cheerful1 children of the light should be buoyant1 children of the light should be transparent1 children of the light should be hopeful1 children of the light should be pure1 and children of the light should walk in this darkened world1 bearing their radiance with them2 and making things1 else unseen1 visible to many a dim eye4 ,but while these emblems of cheerfulness1 hope1 purity1 and illumination are gathered together in that grand name--',ye are the children of the day1' there is one direction especially in which the ,apostle thinks that that consideration ought to tell1 and that is the direction of self-restraint4 ',noblesse oblige6'--the aristocracy are bound to do nothing low or dishonourable4 ,the children of the light are not to stain their hands with anything foul4 ,chambering and wantonness1 slumber and drunkenness1 the indulgence in the appetites of the flesh1--all that may be fitting for the night1 it is clean incongruous with the day4 ,well1 if you want that turned into pedestrian prose--which is no more clear1 but a little less emotional--it is just this3 ,you ,christian men and women belong--if you are ,christians--to another state of things from that which is lying round about you2 and1 therefore1 you ought to live in rigid abstinence from these things that are round about you4 ,that is plain enough surely1 nor do ,i suppose that ,i need to dwell on that thought at any length4 ,we belong to another order of things1 says ,paul2 we carry a day with us in the midst of the night4 ,what follows from that8 ,do not let us pursue the wandering lights and treacherous will-o'-the-wisps that lure men into bottomless bogs where they are lost4 ,if we have light in our dwellings whilst ,egypt lies in darkness1 let it teach us to eat our meat with our loins girded1 and our staves in our hands1 not without bitter herbs1 and ready to go forth into the wilderness4 ,you do not belong to the world in which you live1 if you are ,christian men and women2 you are only camped here4 ,your purposes1 thoughts1 hopes1 aspirations1 treasures1 desires1 delights1 go up higher4 ,and so1 if you are children of the day1 be self-restrained in your dealings with the darkness4 ,,iii4 ,and1 last of all1 my text points out for us a method by which this great precept may be fulfilled3--',putting on the breastplate of faith and love1 and for an helmet the hope of salvation4' ,that1 of course1 is the first rough draft occurring in ,paul's earliest ,epistle1 of an image which recurs at intervals1 and in more or less expanded form in other of his letters1 and is so splendidly worked out in detail in the grand picture of the ,christian armour in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians4 ,i need not do more than just remind you of the difference between that finished picture and this outline sketch4 ,here we have only defensive and not offensive armour1 here the ,christian graces are somewhat differently allocated to the different parts of the armour4 ,here we have only the great triad of ,christian graces1 so familiar on our lips--faith1 hope1 charity4 ,here we have faith and love in the closest possible juxtaposition1 and hope somewhat more apart4 ,the breastplate1 like some of the ancient hauberks1 made of steel and gold1 is framed and forged out of faith and love blended together1 and faith and love are more closely identified in fact than faith and hope1 or than love and hope4 ,for faith and love have the same object--and are all but contemporaneous4 ,wherever a man lays hold of ,jesus ,christ by faith1 there cannot but spring up in his heart love to ,christ2 and there is no love without faith4 ,so that we may almost say that faith and love are but the two throws of the shuttle1 the one in the one direction and the other in the other2 whereas hope comes somewhat later in a somewhat remoter connection with faith1 and has a somewhat different object from these other two4 ,therefore it is here slightly separated from its sister graces4 ,faith1 love1 hope--these three form the defensive armour that guard the soul2 and these three make self-control possible4 ,like a diver in his dress1 who is let down to the bottom of the wild1 far-weltering ocean1 a man whose heart is girt by faith and charity1 and whose head is covered with the helmet of hope1 may be dropped down into the wildest sea of temptation and of worldliness1 and yet will walk dry and unharmed through the midst of its depths1 and breathe air that comes from a world above the restless surges4 ,and in like manner the cultivation of faith1 charity1 and hope is the best means for securing the exercise of sober self-control4 ,it is an easy thing to say to a man1 ',govern yourself6' ,it is a very hard thing with the powers that any man has at his disposal to do it4 ,as somebody said about an army joining the rebels1 ',it's a bad job when the extinguisher catches fire6' ,and that is exactly the condition of things in regard to our power of self-government4 ,the powers that should control are largely gone over to the enemy1 and become traitors4 ',who shall keep the very keepers8' is the old question1 and here is the answer3--,you cannot execute the gymnastic feat of 'erecting yourself above yourself' any more than a man can take himself by his own coat collar and lift himself up from the ground with his own arms4 ,but you can cultivate faith1 hope1 and charity1 and these three1 well cultivated and brought to bear upon your daily life1 will do the governing for you4 ,faith will bring you into communication with all the power of ,god4 ,love will lead you into a region where all the temptations round you will be touched as by an ,ithuriel spear1 and will show their foulness4 ,and hope will turn away your eyes from looking at the tempting splendours around1 and fix them upon the glories that are above4 ,and so the reins will come into your hands in an altogether new manner1 and you will be able to be king over your own nature in a fashion that you did not dream of before1 if only you will trust in ,christ1 and love ,him1 and fix your desires on the things above4 ,then you will be able to govern yourself when you let ,christ govern you4 ,the glories that are to be done away1 that gleam round you like foul1 flaring tallow-candles1 will lose all their fascination and brightness1 by reason of the glory that excelleth1 the pure starlike splendour of the white inextinguishable lights of heaven4 ,and when by faith1 charity1 and hope you have drunk of the new wine of the kingdom1 the drugged and opiate cup which a sorceress world presents1 jewelled though it be1 will lose its charms1 and it will not be hard to turn from it and dash it to the ground4 ,god help you1 brother1 to be 'sober1' for unless you are 'you cannot see the kingdom of ,god6' ,,waking ,,and ,,sleeping ',jesus ,christ1 who died for us1 that1 whether we wake or sleep1 we should live together with ,him4'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #aj4 ,in these words the ,apostle concludes a section of this1 his earliest letter1 in which he has been dealing with the aspect of death in reference to the ,christian4 ,there are two very significant usages of language in the context which serve to elucidate the meaning of the words of our text1 and to which ,i refer for a moment by way of introduction4 ,the one is that throughout this portion of his letter the ,apostle emphatically reserves the word 'died' for ,jesus ,christ1 and applies to ,christ's followers only the word 'sleep4' ,christ's death makes the deaths of those who trust ,him a quiet slumber4 ,the other is that the antithesis of waking and sleep is employed in two different directions in this section1 being first used to express1 by the one term1 simply physical life1 and by the other1 physical death2 and secondly1 to designate respectively the moral attitude of ,christian watchfulness and that of worldly apathy to things unseen and drowsy engrossment with the present4 ,so in the words immediately preceding my text1 we read1 'let us not sleep1 as do others1 but let us watch and be sober4' ,the use of the antithesis in our text is chiefly the former1 but there cannot be discharged from one of the expressions1 'wake1' the ideas which have just been associated with it1 especially as the word which is translated 'wake' is the same as that just translated in the sixth verse1 'let us watch4' ,so that here there is meant by it1 not merely the condition of life but that of ,christian life--sober-minded vigilance and wide-awakeness to the realities of being4 ,with this explanation of the meanings of the words before us1 we may now proceed to consider them a little more minutely4 ,i4 ,note the death which is the foundation of life4 ,recalling what ,i have said as to the precision and carefulness with which the ,apostle varies his expressions in this context2 speaking of ,christ's death only by that grim name1 and of the death of ,his servants as being merely a slumber1 we have for the first thought suggested in reference to ,christ's death1 that it exhausted all the bitterness of death4 ,physically1 the sufferings of our ,lord were not greater1 they were even less1 than that of many a man4 ,his voluntary acceptance of them was peculiar to ,himself4 ,but ,his death stands alone in this1 that on ,his head was concentrated the whole awfulness of the thing4 ,so far as the mere external facts go1 there is nothing special about it4 ,but ,i know not how the shrinking of ,jesus ,christ from the ,cross can be explained without impugning ,his character1 unless we see in ,his death something far more terrible than is the common lot of men4 ,to me ,gethsemane is altogether mysterious1 and that scene beneath the olives shatters to pieces the perfectness of ,his character1 unless we recognise that there it was the burden of the world's sin1 beneath which1 though ,his will never faltered1 ,his human power tottered4 ,except we understand that1 it seems to me that many who derived from ,jesus ,christ all their courage1 bore their martyrdom better than ,he did2 and that the servant has many a time been greater than his ,lord4 ,but if we take the ,scripture point of view1 and say1 ',the ,lord has made to meet upon ,him the iniquity of us all1' then we can understand the agony beneath the olives1 and the cry from the ,cross1 ',why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8' ,further1 ,i would notice that this death is by the ,apostle set forth as being the main factor in man's redemption4 ,this is the first of ,paul's letters1 dating long before the others with which we are familiar4 ,whatever may have been the spiritual development of ,st4 ,paul in certain directions after his conversion--and ,i do not for a moment deny that there was such--it is very important to notice that the fundamentals of his ,christology and doctrine of salvation were the same from the beginning to the end1 and that in this1 his first utterance1 he lays down1 as emphatically and clearly as ever afterwards he did1 the great truth that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 who died on the ,cross1 thereby secured man's redemption4 ,here he isolates the death from the rest of the history of ,christ1 and concentrates the whole light of his thought upon the ,cross1 and says1 ,there6 that is the power by which men have been redeemed4 ,i beseech you to ask yourselves whether these representations of ,christian truth adhere to the perspective of ,scripture1 which do not in like manner set forth in the foreground of the whole the atoning death of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,then note1 further1 that this death1 the fountain of life1 is a death for us4 ,now ,i know1 of course1 that the language here does not necessarily involve the idea of one dying instead of1 but only of one dying on behalf of1 another4 ,but then ,i come to this question1 ,in what conceivable sense1 except the sense of bearing the world's sins1 and1 therefore1 mine1 is the death of ,jesus ,christ of advantage to me8 ,take the ,scripture narratives4 ,he died by the condemnation of the ,jewish courts as a blasphemer2 by the condemnation of the supercilious ,roman court--cowardly in the midst of its superciliousness--as a possible rebel1 though the sentencer did not believe in the reality of the charges4 ,i want to know what good that is to me8 ,he died1 say some people1 as the victim of a clearer insight and a more loving heart than the men around ,him could understand4 ,what advantage is that to me8 ,oh1 brethren6 there is no meaning in the words ',he died for us' unless we understand that the benefit of ,his death lies in the fact that it was the sacrifice and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world2 and that1 therefore1 ,he died for us4 ,but then remember1 too1 that in this expression is set forth1 not only the objective fact of ,christ's death for us1 but much in reference to the subjective emotions and purposes of ,him who died4 ,paul was writing to these ,thessalonians1 of whom none1 ,i suppose1 except possibly a few ,jews who might be amongst them1 had ever seen ,jesus ,christ in the flesh1 or known anything about ,him4 ,and yet he says to them1 ',away across the ocean there1 ,jesus ,christ died for you men1 not one of whom had ever appealed to ,his heart through ,his eyes4' ,the principle involved is capable of the widest possible expansion4 ,when ,christ went to the ,cross there was in ,his heart1 in ,his purposes1 in ,his desires1 a separate place for every soul of man whom ,he embraced1 not with the dim vision of some philanthropist1 who looks upon the masses of unborn generations as possibly beneficially affected by some of his far-reaching plans1 but with the individualising and separating knowledge of a divine eye1 and the love of a divine heart4 ,jesus ,christ bore the sins of the world because ,he bore in ,his sympathies and ,his purposes the sins of each single soul4 ,yours and mine and all our fellows' were there4 ,guilt and fear and loneliness1 and all the other evils that beset men because they have departed from the living ,god1 are floated away ',by the water and the blood ,from ,thy wounded side which flowed'2 and as the context teaches us1 it is because ,he died for us that ,he is our ,lord1 and because ,he died for every man that ,he is every man's ,master and ,king4 ,,ii4 ,note1 secondly1 the transformation of our lives and deaths affected thereby4 ,you may remember that1 in my introductory remarks1 ,i pointed out the double application of that antithesis of waking or sleeping in the context as referring in one case to the fact of physical life or death1 and in the other to the fact of moral engrossment with the slumbering influences of the present1 or of ,christian vigilance4 ,i carry some allusion to both of these ideas in the remarks that ,i have to make4 ,through ,jesus ,christ life may be quickened into watchfulness4 ,it is not enough to take waking as meaning living1 for you may turn the metaphor round and say about a great many men that living means dreamy sleeping4 ,paul speaks in the preceding verses of 'others' than ,christians as being asleep1 and their lives as one long debauch and slumber in the night4 ,whilst1 in contrast with physical death1 physical life may be called 'waking'2 the condition of thousands of men1 in regard to all the higher faculties1 activities1 and realities of being1 is that of somnambulists--they are walking indeed1 but they are walking in their sleep4 ,just as a man fast asleep knows nothing of the realities round him2 just as he is swallowed up in his own dreams1 so many walk in a vain show4 ,their highest faculties are dormant2 the only real things do not touch them1 and their eyes are closed to these4 ,they live in a region of illusions which will pass away at cock-crowing1 and leave them desolate4 ,for some of us here living is only a distempered sleep1 troubled by dreams which1 whether they be pleasant or bitter1 equally lack roots in the permanent realities to which we shall wake some day4 ,but if we hold by ,jesus ,christ1 who died for us1 and let ,his love constrain us1 ,his ,cross quicken us1 and the might of ,his great sacrifice touch us1 and the blood of sprinkling be applied to our eyeballs as an eye-salve1 that we may see1 we shall wake from our opiate sleep--though it may be as deep as if the sky rained soporifics upon us--and be conscious of the things that are1 and have our dormant faculties roused1 and be quickened into intense vigilance against our enemies1 and brace ourselves for our tasks1 and be ever looking forward to that joyful hope1 to that coming which shall bring the fulness of waking and of life4 ,so1 you professing ,christians1 do you take the lessons of this text8 ,a sleeping ,christian is on the high road to cease to be a ,christian at all4 ,if there be one thing more comprehensively imperative upon us than another1 it is this1 that1 belonging1 as we do by our very profession1 to the day1 and being the children of the light1 we shall neither sleep nor be drunken1 but be sober1 watching as they who expect their ,lord4 ,you walk amidst realities that will hide themselves unless you gaze for them2 therefore1 watch4 ,you walk amidst enemies that will steal subtly upon you1 like some gliding serpent through the grass1 or some painted savage in the forest2 therefore1 watch4 ,you expect a ,lord to come from heaven with a relieving army that is to raise the siege and free the hard-beset garrison from its fears and its toilsome work2 therefore1 watch4 ',they that sleep1 sleep in the night4' ,they who are ,christ's should be like the living creatures in the ,revelation1 all eyes round about1 and every eye gazing on things unseen and looking for the ,master when ,he comes4 ,on the other hand1 the death of ,christ will soften our deaths into slumber4 ,the ,apostle will not call what the senses call death1 by that dread name1 which was warranted when applied to the facts of ,christ's death4 ,the physical fact remaining the same1 all that is included under the complex whole called death which makes its terrors1 goes1 for a man who keeps fast hold of ,christ who died and lives4 ,for what makes the sting of death8 ,two or three things4 ,it is like some poisonous insect's sting1 it is a complex weapon4 ,one side of it is the fear of retribution4 ,another side of it is the shrinking from loneliness4 ,another side of it is the dread of the dim darkness of an unknown future4 ,and all these are taken clean away4 ,is it guilt1 dread of retribution8 ',thou shalt answer1 ,lord1 for me4' ,is it loneliness8 ,in the valley of darkness ',i will be with thee4 ,my rod and ,my staff will comfort thee4' ,is it a shrinking from the dim unknown and all the familiar habitudes and occupations of the warm corner where we have lived8 ',jesus ,christ has brought immortality to light by the ,gospel4' ,we do not1 according to the sad words of one of the victims of modern advanced thought1 pass by the common road into the great darkness1 but by the ,christ-made living ,way into the everlasting light4 ,and so it is a misnomer to apply the same term to the physical fact plus the accompaniment of dread and shrinking and fear of retribution and solitude and darkness1 and to the physical fact invested with the direct and bright opposites of all these4 ,sleep is rest2 sleep is consciousness2 sleep is the prophecy of waking4 ,we know not what the condition of those who sleep in ,jesus may be1 but we know that the child on its mother's breast1 and conscious somehow1 in its slumber1 of the warm place where its head rests1 is full of repose4 ,and they that sleep in ,jesus will be so4 ,then1 whether we wake or sleep does not seem to matter so very much4 ,,iii4 ,the united life of all who live with ,christ4 ,christ's gift to men is the gift of life in all senses of that word1 from the lowest to the highest4 ,that life1 as our text tells us1 is altogether unaffected by death4 ,we cannot see round the sharp angle where the valley turns1 but we know that the path runs straight on through the gorge up to the throat of the pass--and so on to the 'shining table-lands whereof our ,god ,himself is ,sun and ,moon4' ,there are some rivers that run through stagnant lakes1 keeping the tinge of their waters1 and holding together the body of their stream undiverted from its course1 and issuing undiminished and untarnished from the lower end of the lake4 ,and so the stream of our lives may run through the ,dead ,sea1 and come out below none the worse for the black waters through which it has forced its way4 ,the life that ,christ gives is unaffected by death4 ,our creed is a risen ,saviour1 and the corollary of that creed is1 that death touches the circumference1 but never gets near the man4 ,it is hard to believe1 in the face of the foolish senses2 it is hard to believe1 in the face of aching sorrow4 ,it is hard to-day to believe1 in the face of passionate and ingenious denial1 but it is true all the same4 ,death is sleep1 and sleep is life4 ,and so1 further1 my text tells us that this life is life with ,christ4 ,we know not details1 we need not know them4 ,here we have the presence of ,jesus ,christ1 if we love ,him1 as really as when ,he walked the earth4 ,ay6 more really1 for ,jesus ,christ is nearer to us who1 having not seen ,him1 love ,him1 and somewhat know ,his divinity and ,his sacrifice1 than ,he was to the men who companied with ,him all the time that ,he went in and out amongst them1 whilst they were ignorant of who dwelt with them1 and entertained the ,lord of angels and men unawares4 ,he is with us1 and it is the power and the privilege and the joy of our lives to realise ,his presence4 ,that ,lord who1 whilst ,he was on earth1 was the ,son of ,man which is in heaven1 now that ,he is in heaven in ,his corporeal humanity is the ,son of ,god who dwells with us4 ,and as ,he dwells with us1 if we love ,him and trust ,him1 so1 but in fashion incapable of being revealed to us1 now does ,he dwell with those of whose condition this is the only and all-sufficing positive knowledge which we have1 that they are 'absent from the body2 present with the ,lord4' ,further1 that united life is a social life4 ,the whole force of my text is often missed by ,english readers1 who run into one idea the two words 'together with4' ,but if you would put a comma after 'together1' you would understand better what ,paul meant4 ,he refers to two forms of union4 ,whether we wake or sleep we shall live all aggregated together1 and all aggregated 'together' because each is 'with ,him4' ,that is to say1 union with ,jesus ,christ makes all who partake of that union1 whether they belong to the one side of the river or the other1 into a mighty whole4 ,they are together because they are with the ,lord4 ,suppose a great city1 and a stream flowing through its centre4 ,the palace and all pertaining to the court are on one side of the water2 there is an outlying suburb on the other1 of meaner houses1 inhabited by poor and humble people4 ,but yet it is one city4 ',ye are come unto the heavenly ,jerusalem1 the city of the living ,god1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect4' ,we are knit together by one life1 one love1 one thought2 and the more we fix our hearts on the things which those above live among and by1 the more truly are we knit to them4 ,as a quaint old ,english writer says1 ',they are gone but into another pew in the same church4' ,we are one in ,him1 and so there will be a perfecting of union in reunion2 and the inference so craved for by our hearts seems to be warranted to our understandings1 that that society above1 which is the perfection of society1 shall not be lacking in the elements of mutual recognition and companionship1 without which we cannot conceive of society at all4 ',and so we shall ever be with the ,lord4' ,dear friends1 ,i beseech you to trust your sinful souls to that dear ,lord who bore you in ,his heart and mind when ,he bore ,his cross to ,calvary and completed the work of your redemption4 ,if you will accept ,him as your sacrifice and ,saviour1 when ,he cried ',it is finished1' united to ,him your lives will be quickened into intense activity and joyful vigilance and expectation1 and death will be smoothed into a quiet falling asleep4 ',the shadow feared of man1' that strikes threateningly across every path1 will change as we approach it1 if our hearts are anchored on ,him who died for us1 into the ,angel of ,light to whom ,god has given charge concerning us to bear up our feet upon ,his hands1 and land us in the presence of the ,lord and in the perfect society of those who love ,him4 ,and so shall we live together1 and all together1 with ,him4 ,,edification ',edify one another4'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #aa4 ,i do not intend to preach about that clause only1 but ,i take it as containing1 in the simplest form1 one of the ,apostle's favourite metaphors which runs through all his letters1 and the significance of which1 ,i think1 is very little grasped by ordinary readers4 ',edify one another4' ,all metaphorical words tend to lose their light and colour1 and the figure to get faint1 in popular understanding4 ,we all know that 'edifice' means a building2 we do not all realise that 'edify' means to build up4 ,and it is a great misfortune that our ,authorised ,version1 in accordance with the somewhat doubtful principle on which its translators proceeded1 varies the rendering of the one ,greek word so as to hide the frequent recurrence of it in the apostolic teaching4 ,the metaphor that underlies it is the notion of building up a structure4 ,the ,christian idea of the structure to be built up is that it is a temple4 ,i wish in this sermon to try to bring out some of the manifold lessons and truths that lie in this great figure1 as applied to the ,christian life4 ,now1 glancing over the various uses of the phrase in the ,new ,testament1 ,i find that the figure of 'building1' as the great duty of the ,christian life1 is set forth under three aspects2 self-edification1 united edification1 and divine edification4 ,and ,i purpose to look at these in order4 ,i4 ,first1 self-edification4 ,according to the ideal of the ,christian life that runs through the ,new ,testament1 each ,christian man is a dwelling-place of ,god's1 and his work is to build himself up into a temple worthy of the divine indwelling4 ,now1 ,i suppose that the metaphor is such a natural and simple one that we do not need to look for any ,scriptural basis of it4 ,but if we did1 ,i should be disposed to find it in the solemn antithesis with which the ,sermon on the ,mount is closed1 where there are the two houses pictured1 the one built upon the rock and standing firm1 and the other built upon the sand4 ,but that is perhaps unnecessary4 ,we are all builders2 building up--what8 ,character1 ourselves4 ,but what sort of a thing is it that we are building8 ,some of us pigsties1 in which gross1 swinish lusts wallow in filth2 some of us shops2 some of us laboratories1 studies1 museums2 some of us amorphous structures that cannot be described4 ,but the ,christian man is to be building himself up into a temple of ,god4 ,the aim which should ever burn clear before us1 and preside over even our smallest actions1 is that which lies in this misused old word1 'edify' yourselves4 ,the first thing about a structure is the foundation4 ,and ,paul was narrow enough to believe that the one foundation upon which a human spirit could be built up into a hallowed character is ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is the basis of all our certitude4 ,he is the anchor for all our hopes4 ,to ,him should be referred all our actions2 for ,him and by ,him our lives should be lived4 ,on ,him should rest1 solid and inexpugnable1 standing four-square to all the winds that blow1 the fabric of our characters4 ,jesus ,christ is the pattern1 the motive which impels1 and the power which enables1 me to rear myself into a habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4 ,whilst ,i gladly acknowledge that very lovely structures may be reared upon another foundation than ,him1 ,i would beseech you all to lay this on your hearts and consciences1 that for the loftiest1 serenest beauty of character there is but one basis upon which it can be rested4 ',other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ4' ,then there is another aspect of this same metaphor1 not in ,paul's writings but in another part of the ,new ,testament1 where we read3 ',ye1 beloved1 building up yourselves on your most holy faith4' ,so that1 in a subordinate sense1 a man's faith is the basis upon which he can build such a structure of character2 or1 to put it into other words--in regard to the man himself1 the first requisite to the rearing of such a fabric as ,god will dwell in is that he1 by his own personal act of faith1 should have allied himself to ,jesus ,christ1 who is the foundation2 and should be in a position to draw from ,him all the power1 and to feel raying out from ,him all the impulses1 and lovingly to discern in ,him all the characteristics1 which make ,him a pattern for all men in their building4 ,the first course of stone that we lay is ,faith2 and that course is1 as it were1 mortised into the foundation1 the living ,rock4 ,he that builds on ,christ cannot build but by faith4 ,the two representations are complementary to one another1 the one1 which represents ,jesus ,christ as the foundation1 stating the ultimate fact1 and the other1 which represents faith as the foundation1 stating the condition on which we come into vital contact with ,christ ,himself4 ,then1 further1 in this great thought of the ,christian life being substantially a building up of oneself on ,jesus is implied the need for continuous labour4 ,you cannot build up a house in half an hour4 ,you cannot do it1 as the old fable told us that ,orpheus did1 by music1 or by wishing4 ,there must be dogged1 hard1 continuous1 life-long effort if there is to be this building up4 ,no man becomes a saint per saltum4 ,no man makes a character at a flash4 ,the stones are actions2 the mortar is that mystical1 awful thing1 habit2 and deeds cemented together by custom rise into that stately dwelling-place in which ,god abides4 ,so1 there is to be a life-long work in character1 gradually rearing it into ,his likeness4 ,the metaphor also carries with it the idea of orderly progression4 ,there are a number of other ,new ,testament emblems which set forth this notion of the true ,christian ideal as being continual growth4 ,for instance1 'first the blade1 then the ear1 then the full corn in the ear1' represents it as resembling vegetable growth1 while elsewhere it is likened to the growth of the human body4 ,both of these are beautiful images1 in that they suggest that such progressive advancement is the natural consequence of life2 and is in one aspect effortless and instinctive4 ,but then you have to supplement that emblem with others1 and there comes in sharp contrast to it the metaphor which represents the ,christian progress as being warfare4 ,there the element of resistance is emphasised1 and the thought is brought out that progress is to be made in spite of strong antagonisms1 partly to be found in external circumstances1 and partly to be found in our own treacherous selves4 ,the growth of the corn or of the body does not cover the whole facts of the case1 but there must be warfare in order to growth4 ,there is also the other metaphor by which this ,christian progress1 which is indispensable to the ,christian life1 and is to be carried on1 whatever may oppose it1 is regarded as a race4 ,there the idea of the great1 attractive1 but far-off future reward comes into view1 as well as the strained muscles and the screwed-up energy with which the runner presses towards the mark4 ,but we have not only to fling the result forward into the future1 and to think of the ,christian life as all tending towards an end1 which end is not realised here2 but we have to think of it1 in accordance with this metaphor of my text1 as being continuously progressive1 so as that1 though unfinished1 the building is there2 and much is done1 though all is not accomplished1 and the courses rise slowly1 surely1 partially realising the divine ,architect's ideal1 long before the headstone is brought out with shoutings and tumult of acclaim4 ,a continuous progress and approximation towards the perfect ideal of the temple completed1 consecrated1 and inhabited by ,god1 lies in this metaphor4 ,is that you1 ,christian man and woman8 ,is the notion of progress a part of your working belief8 ,are you growing1 fighting1 running1 building up yourselves more and more in your holy faith8 ,alas6 ,i cannot but believe that the very notion of progress has died out from a great many professing ,christians4 ,there is one more idea in this metaphor of self-edification1 viz41 that our characters should be being modelled by us on a definite plan1 and into a harmonious whole4 ,i wonder how many of us in this chapel this morning have ever spent a quiet hour in trying to set clearly before ourselves what we want to make of ourselves1 and how we mean to go about it4 ,most of us live by haphazard very largely1 even in regard to outward things1 and still more entirely in regard to our characters4 ,most of us have not consciously before us1 as you put a pattern-line before a child learning to write1 any ideal of ourselves to which we are really seeking to approximate4 ,have you8 ,and could you put it into words8 ,and are you making any kind of intelligent and habitual effort to get at it8 ,i am afraid a great many of us1 if we were honest1 would have to say1 ,no6 ,if a man goes to work as his own architect1 and has a very hazy idea of what it is that he means to build1 he will not build anything worth the trouble4 ,if your way of building up yourselves is1 as ,aaron said his way of making the calf was1 putting all into the fire1 and letting chance settle what comes out1 nothing will come out better than a calf4 ,brother6 if you are going to build1 have a plan1 and let the plan be the likeness of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and then1 with continuous work1 and the exercise of continuous faith1 which knits you to the foundation1 'build up yourselves for an habitation of ,god4' ,,ii4 ,we have to consider united edification4 ,there are two streams of representation about this matter in the ,pauline ,epistles1 the one with which ,i have already been dealing1 which does not so often appear1 and the other which is the habitual form of the representation1 according to which the ,christian community1 as a whole1 is a temple1 and building up is a work to be done reciprocally and in common4 ,we have that representation with special frequency and detail in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 where perhaps we may not be fanciful in supposing that the great prominence given to it1 and to the idea of the ,church as the temple of ,god1 may have been in some degree due to the existence1 in that city1 of one of the seven wonders of the world1 the ,temple of ,diana of the ,ephesians4 ,but1 be that as it may1 what ,i want to point out is that united building is inseparable from the individual building up of which ,i have been speaking4 ,now1 it is often very hard for good1 conscientious people to determine how much of their efforts ought to be given to the perfecting of their own characters in any department1 and how much ought to be given to trying to benefit and help other people4 ,i wish you to notice that one of the most powerful ways of building up myself is to do my very best to build up others4 ,some1 like men in my position1 for instance1 and others whose office requires them to spend a great deal of time and energy in the service of their fellows1 are tempted to devote themselves too much to building up character in other people1 and to neglect their own4 ,it is a temptation that we need to fight against1 and which can only be overcome by much solitary meditation4 ,some of us1 on the other hand1 may be tempted1 for the sake of our own perfecting1 intellectual cultivation1 or improvement in other ways1 to minimise the extent to which we are responsible for helping and blessing other people4 ,but let us remember that the two things cannot be separated2 and that there is nothing that will make a man more like ,christ1 which is the end of all our building1 than casting himself into the service of his fellows with self-oblivion4 ,peter said1 ',master6 let us make here three tabernacles4' ,ay6 ,but there was a demoniac boy down below1 and the disciples could not cast out the demon4 ,the ,apostle did not know what he said when he preferred building up himself1 by communion with ,god and ,his glorified servants1 to hurrying down into the valley1 where there were devils to fight and broken hearts to heal4 ,build up yourselves1 by all means2 if you do you will have to build up your brethren4 ',the edifying of the body of ,christ' is a plain duty which no ,christian man can neglect without leaving a tremendous gap in the structure which he ought to rear4 ,the building resulting from united edification is represented in ,scripture1 not as the agglomeration of a number of little shrines1 the individuals1 but as one great temple4 ,that temple grows in two respects1 both of which carry with them imperative duties to us ,christian people4 ,it grows by the addition of new stones4 ,and so every ,christian is bound to seek to gather into the fold those that are wandering far away1 and to lay some stone upon that sure foundation4 ,it grows1 also1 by the closer approximation of all the members one to another1 and the individual increase of each in ,christlike characteristics4 ,and we are bound to help one another therein1 and to labour earnestly for the advancement of our brethren1 and for the unity of ,god's ,church4 ,apart from such efforts our individual edifying of ourselves will become isolated1 the results one-sided1 and we ourselves shall lose much of what is essential to the rearing in ourselves of a holy character4 ',what ,god hath joined together let not man put asunder4' ,neither seek to build up yourselves apart from the community1 nor seek to build up the community apart from yourselves4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 the ,apostle1 in his writings1 sets forth another aspect of this general thought1 viz41 divine edification4 ,when he spoke to the elders of the church of ,ephesus he said that ,christ was able 'to build them up4' ,when he wrote to the ,corinthians he said1 ',ye are ,god's building4' ,to the ,ephesians he wrote1 ',ye are built for an habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4' ,and so high above all our individual and all our united effort he carries up our thoughts to the divine ,master-builder1 by whose work alone a ,paul1 when he lays the foundation1 and an ,apollos1 when he builds thereupon1 are of any use at all4 ,thus1 dear brethren1 we have to base all our efforts on this deeper truth1 that it is ,god who builds us into a temple meet for ,himself1 and then comes to dwell in the temple that ,he has built4 ,so let us keep our hearts and minds expectant of1 and open for1 that ,spirit's influences4 ,let us be sure that we are using all the power that ,god does give us4 ,his work does not supersede mine4 ,my work is to avail myself of ,his4 ,the two thoughts are not contradictory4 ,they correspond to1 and fill out1 each other1 though warring schools of one-eyed theologians and teachers have set them in antagonism4 ',work out 4 4 4 for it is ,god that worketh in4' ,that is the true reconciliation4 ',ye are ,god's building2 build up yourselves in your most holy faith4' ,if ,god is the builder1 then boundless1 indomitable hope should be ours4 ,no man can look at his own character1 after all his efforts to mend it1 without being smitten by a sense of despair1 if he has only his own resources to fall back upon4 ,our experience is like that of the monkish builders1 according to many an old legend1 who found every morning that yesterday's work had been pulled down in the darkness by demon hands4 ,there is no man whose character is anything more than a torso1 an incomplete attempt to build up the structure that was in his mind--like the ruins of half-finished palaces and temples which travellers came across sometimes in lands now desolate1 reared by a forgotten race who were swept away by some unknown calamity1 and have left the stones half-lifted to their courses1 half-hewed in their quarries1 and the building gaunt and incomplete4 ,but men will never have to say about any of ,god's architecture1 ,he 'began to build and was not able to finish4' ,as the old prophecy has it1 ',his hands have laid the foundation of the house1 ,his hands shall also finish it4' ,therefore1 we are entitled to cherish endless hope and quiet confidence that we1 even we1 shall be reared up into an habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4 ,what are you building8 ',behold1 ,i lay in ,zion for a foundation a stone4' ,let every man take heed what and how and that he buildeth thereon4 ,,continual ,,prayer ,,and ,,its ,,effects ',rejoice evermore4 ,pray without ceasing4 ,in everything give thanks4'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #af-ah4 ,the peculiarity and the stringency of these three precepts is the unbroken continuity which they require4 ,to rejoice1 to pray1 to give thanks1 are easy when circumstances favour1 as a taper burns steadily in a windless night2 but to do these things always is as difficult as for the taper's flame to keep upright when all the winds are eddying round it4 ',evermore'--'without ceasing'--'in everything'--these qualifying words give the injunctions of this text their grip and urgency4 ,the ,apostle meets the objections which he anticipates would spring to the lips of the ,thessalonians1 to the effect that he was requiring impossibilities1 by adding that1 hard and impracticable as they might think such a constant attitude of mind and heart1 ',this is the will of ,god in ,christ ,jesus concerning you4' ,so1 then1 a ,christian life may be lived continuously on the high level2 and more than that1 it is our duty to try to live ours thus4 ,we need not fight with other ,christian people about whether absolute obedience to these precepts is possible4 ,it will be soon enough for us to discuss whether a completely unbroken uniformity of ,christian experience is attainable in this life1 when we have come a good deal nearer to the attainable than we have yet reached4 ,let us mend our breaches of continuity a good deal more1 and then we may begin to discuss the question whether an absolute absence of any cessation of the continuity is consistent with the conditions of ,christian life here4 ,now it seems to me that these three exhortations hold together in a very striking way1 and that ,paul knew what he was about when he put in the middle1 like the strong central pole that holds up a tent1 that exhortation1 ',pray without ceasing4' ,for it is the primary precept1 and on its being obeyed the possibility of the fulfilment of the other two depends4 ,if we pray without ceasing1 we shall rejoice evermore and in everything give thanks4 ,so1 then1 the duty of continual prayer1 and the promise1 as well as the precept1 that its results are to be continual joy and continual thanksgiving1 are suggested by these words4 ,i4 ,the duty of continual prayer4 ,roman ,catholics1 with their fatal habit of turning the spiritual into material1 think that they obey that commandment when they set a priest or a nun on the steps of the altar to repeat ,ave ,marias day and night4 ,that is a way of praying without ceasing which we can all see to be mechanical and unworthy4 ,but have we ever realised what this commandment necessarily reveals to us1 as to what real prayer is8 ,for if we are told to do a thing uninterruptedly1 it must be something that can run unbroken through all the varieties of our legitimate duties and necessary occupations and absorptions with the things seen and temporal4 ,is that your notion of prayer8 ,or do you fancy that it simply means dropping down on your knees1 and asking ,god to give you some things that you very much want8 ,petition is an element in prayer1 and that it shall be crystallised into words is necessary sometimes2 but there are prayers that never get themselves uttered1 and ,i suppose that the deepest and truest communion with ,god is voiceless and wordless4 ',things which it was not possible for a man to utter1' was ,paul's description of what he saw and felt1 when he was most completely absorbed in1 and saturated with1 the divine glory4 ,the more we understand what prayer is1 the less we shall feel that it depends upon utterance4 ,for the essence of it is to have heart and mind filled with the consciousness of ,god's presence1 and to have the habit of referring everything to ,him1 in the moment when we are doing it1 or when it meets us4 ,that1 as ,i take it1 is prayer4 ,the old mystics had a phrase1 quaint1 and in some sense unfortunate1 but very striking1 when they spoke about 'the practice of the presence of ,god4' ,god is here always1 you will say2 yes1 ,he is1 and to open the shutters1 and to let the light always in1 into every corner of my heart1 and every detail of my life--that is what ,paul means by ',praying without ceasing4' ,petitions8 ,yes2 but something higher than petitions--the consciousness of being in touch with the ,father1 feeling that ,he is all round us4 ,it was said about one mystical thinker that he was a ',god-intoxicated man4' ,it is an ugly word1 but it expresses a very deep thing2 but let us rather say a ,god-filled man4 ,he who is such 'prays always4' ,but how may we maintain that state of continual devotion1 even amidst the various and necessary occupations of our daily lives8 ,as ,i said1 we need not trouble ourselves about the possibility of complete attainment of that ideal4 ,we know that we can each of us pray a great deal more than we do1 and if there are regions in our lives into which we feel that ,god will not come1 habits that we have dropped into which we feel to be a film between us and ,him1 the sooner we get rid of them the better4 ,but into all our daily duties1 dear friends1 however absorbing1 however secular1 however small1 however irritating they may be1 however monotonous1 into all our daily duties it is possible to bring ,him4 ',a servant with this clause ,makes drudgery divine1 ,who sweeps a room1 as by ,thy laws1 ,makes that and the calling fine4' ,but if that is our aim1 our conscious aim1 our honest aim1 we shall recognise that a help to it is words of prayer4 ,i do not believe in silent adoration1 if there is nothing but silent2 and ,i do not believe in a man going through life with the conscious presence of ,god with him1 unless1 often1 in the midst of the stress of daily life1 he shoots little arrows of two-worded prayers up into the heavens1 ',lord6 be with me4' ',lord6 help me4' ',lord6 stand by me now'2 and the like4 ',they cried unto ,god in the battle1' when some people would have thought they would have been better occupied in trying to keep their heads with their swords4 ,it was not a time for very elaborate supplications when the foemen's arrows were whizzing round them1 but 'they cried unto the ,lord1 and ,he was entreated of them4' ',pray without ceasing4' ,further1 if we honestly try to obey this precept we shall more and more find out1 the more earnestly we do so1 that set seasons of prayer are indispensable to realising it4 ,i said that ,i do not believe in silent adoration unless it sometimes finds its tongue1 nor do ,i believe in a diffused worship that does not flow from seasons of prayer4 ,there must be1 away up amongst the hills1 a dam cast across the valley that the water may be gathered behind it1 if the great city is to be supplied with the pure fluid4 ,what would become of ,manchester if it were not for the reservoirs at ,woodhead away among the hills8 ,your pipes would be empty4 ,and that is what will become of you ,christian professors in regard to your habitual consciousness of ,god's presence1 if you do not take care to have your hours of devotion sacred1 never to be interfered with1 be they long or short1 as may have to be determined by family circumstances1 domestic duties1 daily avocations1 and a thousand other causes4 ,but1 unless we pray at set seasons1 there is little likelihood of our praying without ceasing4 ,,ii4 ,the duty of continual rejoicing4 ,if we begin with the central duty of continual prayer1 then these other two which1 as it were1 flow from it on either side1 will be possible to us2 and of these two the ,apostle sets first1 ',rejoice evermore4' ,this precept was given to the ,thessalonians1 in ,paul's first letter1 when things were comparatively bright with him1 and he was young and buoyant2 and in one of his later letters1 when he was a prisoner1 and things were anything but rosy coloured1 he struck the same note again1 and in spite of his 'bonds in ,christ' bade the ,philippians ',rejoice in the ,lord always1 and again ,i say1 ,rejoice4' ,indeed1 that whole prison-letter might be called the ,epistle of ,joy1 so suffused with sunshine of ,christian gladness is it4 ,now1 no doubt1 joy is largely a matter of temperament4 ,some of us are constitutionally more buoyant and cheerful than others4 ,and it is also very largely a matter of circumstances4 ,i admit all that1 and yet ,i come back to ,paul's command3 ',rejoice evermore4' ,for if we are ,christian people1 and have cultivated what ,i have called 'the practice of the presence of ,god' in our lives1 then that will change the look of things1 and events that otherwise would be 'at enmity with joy' will cease to have a hostile influence over it4 ,there are two sources from which a man's gladness may come1 the one his circumstances of a pleasant and gladdening character2 the other his communion with ,god4 ,it is like some river that is composed of two affluents1 one of which rises away up in the mountains1 and is fed by the eternal snows2 the other springs on the plain somewhere1 and is but the drainage of the surface-water1 and when hot weather comes1 and drought is over all the land1 the one affluent is dry1 and only a chaos of ghastly white stones litters the bed where the flashing water used to be4 ,what then8 ,is the stream gone because one of its affluents is dried up1 and has perished or been lost in the sands8 ,the gushing fountains away up among the peaks near the stars are bubbling up all the same1 and the heat that dried the surface stream has only loosened the treasures of the snows1 and poured them more abundantly into the other's bed4 ,so ',rejoice in the ,lord always'2 and if earth grows dark1 lift your eyes to the sky1 that is light4 ,to one walking in the woods at nightfall 'all the paths are dim1' but the strip of heaven above the trees is the brighter for the green gloom around4 ,the organist's one hand may be keeping up one sustained note1 while the other is wandering over the keys2 and one part of a man's nature may be steadfastly rejoicing in the ,lord1 whilst the other is feeling the weight of sorrows that come from earth4 ,the paradox of the ,christian life may be realised as a blessed experience of every one of us3 a surface troubled1 a central calm2 an ocean tossed with storm1 and yet the crest of every wave flashing in the sunshine4 ',rejoice in the ,lord always1 and again ,i say1 ,rejoice4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 the duty of continual thankfulness4 ,that1 too1 is possible only on condition of continual communion with ,god4 ,as ,i said in reference to joy1 so ,i say in reference to thankfulness2 the look of things in this world depends very largely on the colour of the spectacles through which you behold them4 ',there's nothing either good or bad ,but thinking makes it so4' ,and if a man in communion with ,god looks at the events of his life as he might put on a pair of coloured glasses to look at a landscape1 it will be tinted with a glory and a glow as he looks4 ,the obligation to gratitude1 often neglected by us1 is singularly1 earnestly1 and frequently enjoined in the ,new ,testament4 ,i am afraid that the average ,christian man does not recognise its importance as an element in his ,christian experience4 ,as directed to the past it means that we do not forget1 but that1 as we look back1 we see the meaning of these old days1 and their possible blessings1 and the loving purposes which sent them1 a great deal more clearly than we did whilst we were passing through them4 ,the mountains that1 when you are close to them1 are barren rock and cold snow1 glow in the distance with royal purples4 ,and so if we1 from our standing point in ,god1 will look back on our lives1 losses will disclose themselves as gains1 sorrows as harbingers of joy1 conflict as a means of peace1 the crooked things will be straight1 and the rough places plain2 and we may for every thing in the past give thanks1 if only we 'pray without ceasing4' ,the exhortation as applied to the present means that we bow our wills1 that we believe that all things are working together for our good1 and that1 like ,job in his best moments1 we shall say1 ',the ,lord gave1 the ,lord hath taken away3 blessed be the ,name of the ,lord4' ,ah1 that is hard4 ,it is possible1 but it is only possible if we 'pray without ceasing1' and dwell beside ,god all the days of our lives1 and all the hours of every day4 ,then1 and only then1 shall we be able to thank ,him for all the way by which ,he hath led us these many years in the wilderness1 that has been brightened by the pillar of cloud by day1 and the fire by night4 ,,paul',s ,,earliest ,,teaching ',i charge you1 by the ,lord1 that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren1'--#a ,,thess4 v4 #bg4 ,if the books of the ,new ,testament were arranged according to the dates of their composition1 this epistle would stand first4 ,it was written somewhere about twenty years after the ,crucifixion1 and long before any of the existing ,gospels4 ,it is1 therefore1 of peculiar interest1 as being the most venerable extant ,christian document1 and as being a witness to ,christian truth quite independent of the ,gospel narratives4 ,the little community at ,thessalonica had been gathered together as the result of a very brief period of ministration by ,paul4 ,he had spoken for three successive ,sabbaths in the synagogue1 and had drawn together a ,christian society1 mostly consisting of heathens1 though with a sprinkling of ,jews amongst them4 ,driven from the city by a riot1 he had left it for ,athens1 with many anxious thoughts1 of course1 as to whether the infant community would be able to stand alone after so few weeks of his presence and instruction4 ,therefore he sent back one of his travelling companions1 ,timothy by name1 to watch over the young plant for a little while4 ,when ,timothy returned with the intelligence of their steadfastness1 it was good news indeed1 and with a sense of relieved anxiety1 he sits down to write this letter1 which1 all through1 throbs with thankfulness1 and reveals the strain which the news had taken off his spirit4 ,there are no such definite doctrinal statements in it as in the most of ,paul's longer letters2 it is simply an outburst of confidence and love and tenderness1 and a series of practical instructions4 ,it has been called the least doctrinal of the ,pauline ,epistles4 ,and in one sense1 and under certain limitations1 that is perfectly true4 ,but the very fact that it is so makes its indications and hints and allusions the more significant2 and if this letter1 not written for the purpose of enforcing any special doctrinal truth1 be so saturated as it is with the facts and principles of the ,gospel1 the stronger is the attestation which it gives to the importance of these4 ,i have1 therefore1 thought it might be worth our while now1 and might1 perhaps1 set threadbare truth in something of a new light1 if we put this--the most ancient ,christian writing extant1 which is quite independent of the four ,gospels--into the witness-box1 and see what it has to say about the great truths and principles which we call the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is my simple design1 and ,i gather the phenomena into three or four divisions for the sake of accuracy and order4 ,i4 ,first of all1 then1 let us hear its witness to the divine ,christ4 ,look how the letter begins4 ',paul1 and ,silvanus1 and ,timotheus1 unto the church of the ,thessalonians1 which is in ,god the ,father1 and in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,what is the meaning of that collocation1 putting these two names side by side1 unless it means that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ sits on the ,father's throne1 and is divine8 ,then there is another fact that ,i would have you notice1 and that is that more than twenty times in this short letter that great name is applied to ,jesus1 'the ,lord4' ,now mark that that is something more than a mere title of human authority4 ,it is in reality the ,new ,testament equivalent of the ,old ,testament ,jehovah1 and is the transference to ,him of that incommunicable name4 ,and then there is another fact which ,i would have you weigh1 viz41 that in this letter direct prayer is offered to our ,lord ,himself4 ,in one place we read the petition1 ',may our ,god and ,father ,himself and our ,lord ,jesus direct our way unto you1' where the petition is presented to both1 and where both are supposed to be operative in the answer4 ,and more than that1 the word 'direct1' following upon this plural subject1 is itself a singular verb4 ,could language more completely express than that grammatical solecism does1 the deep truth of the true and proper divinity of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ8 ,there is nothing in any part of ,scripture more emphatic and more lofty in its unfaltering proclamation of that fundamental truth of the ,gospel than this altogether undoctrinal ,epistle4 ,the ,apostle does not conceive himself to be telling these men1 though they were such raw and recent ,christians1 anything new when he presupposes the truth that to ,him desires and prayers may go4 ,thus the very loftiest apex of revealed religion had been imparted to that handful of heathens in the few weeks of the ,apostle's stay amongst them4 ,and nowhere upon the inspired pages of the fourth ,evangelist1 nor in that great ,epistle to the ,colossians1 which is the very citadel and central fort of that doctrine in ,scripture1 is there more emphatically stated this truth than here1 in these incidental allusions4 ,this witness1 at any rate1 declares1 apart altogether from any other part of ,scripture1 that so early in the development of the ,church's history1 and to people so recently dragged from idolatry1 and having received but such necessarily partial instruction in revealed truth1 this had not been omitted1 that the ,christ in whom they trusted was the ,everlasting ,son of the ,father4 ,and it takes it for granted that1 so deeply was that truth embedded in their new consciousness that an allusion to it was all that was needed for their understanding and their faith4 ,that is the first part of the testimony4 ,,ii4 ,now1 secondly1 let us ask what this witness has to say about the dying ,christ4 ,there is no doctrinal theology in the ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 they tell us4 ,granted that there is no articulate argumentative setting forth of great doctrinal truths4 ,but these are implied and involved in almost every word of it2 and are definitely stated thus incidentally in more places than one4 ,let us hear the witness about the dying ,christ4 ,first1 as to the fact1 ',the ,jews killed the ,lord ,jesus4' ,the historical fact is here set forth distinctly4 ,and then1 beyond the fact1 there is as distinctly1 though in the same incidental fashion1 set forth the meaning of that fact--',god hath not appointed us to wrath1 but to obtain salvation by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ who died for us4' ,here are at least two things--one1 the allusion1 as to a well-known and received truth1 proclaimed before now to them1 that ,jesus ,christ in ,his death had died for them2 and the other1 that ,jesus ,christ was the medium through whom the ,father had appointed that men should obtain all the blessings which are wrapped up in that sovereign word 'salvation4' ,i need but mention in this connection another verse1 from another part of the letter1 which speaks of ,jesus as ',he that delivereth us from the wrath to come4' ,remark that there our ,authorised ,version fails to give the whole significance of the words1 because it translates delivered1 instead of1 as the ,revised ,version correctly does1 delivereth4 ,it is a continuous deliverance1 running all through the life of the ,christian man1 and not merely to be realised away yonder at the far end2 because by the mighty providence of ,god1 and by the automatic working of the consequences of every transgression and disobedience1 that 'wrath' is ever coming1 coming1 coming towards men1 and lighting on them1 and a continual ,deliverer1 who delivers us by ,his death1 is what the human heart needs4 ,this witness is distinct that the death of ,christ is a sacrifice1 that the death of ,christ is man's deliverance from wrath1 that the death of ,christ is a present deliverance from the consequences of transgression4 ,and was that ,paul's peculiar doctrine8 ,is it conceivable that1 in a letter in which he refers--once1 at all events--to the churches in ,judea as their 'brethren1' he was proclaiming any individual or schismatic reading of the facts of the life of ,jesus ,christ8 ,i believe that there has been a great deal too much made of the supposed divergencies of types of doctrine in the ,new ,testament4 ,there are such types1 within certain limits4 ,nobody would mistake a word of ,john's calm1 mystical1 contemplative spirit for a word of ,paul's fiery1 dialectic spirit4 ,and nobody would mistake either the one or the other for ,peter's impulsive1 warm-hearted exhortations4 ,but whilst there are diversities in the way of apprehending1 there are no diversities in the declaration of what is the central truth to be apprehended4 ,these varyings of the types of doctrine in the ,new ,testament are one in this1 that all point to the ,cross as the world's salvation1 and declare that the death there was the death for all mankind4 ,paul comes to it with his reasoning2 ,john comes to it with his adoring contemplation2 ,peter comes to it with his mind saturated with ,old ,testament allusions4 ,paul declares that the ',christ died for us'2 ,john declares that ,he is 'the ,lamb of ,god'2 ,peter declares that ',christ bare our sins in ,his own body on the tree4' ,but all make one unbroken phalanx of witness in their proclamation1 that the ,cross1 because it is a cross of sacrifice1 is a cross of reconciliation and peace and hope4 ,and this is the ,gospel that they all proclaim1 'how that ,jesus ,christ died for our sins according to the ,scriptures1' and ,paul could venture to say1 ',whether it were they or ,i1 so we preach1 and so ye believed4' ,that was the ,gospel that took these heathens1 wallowing in the mire of sensuous idolatry1 and lifted them up to the elevation and the blessedness of children of ,god4 ,and if you will read this letter1 and think that there had been only a few weeks of acquaintance with the ,gospel on the part of its readers1 and then mark how the early and imperfect glimpse of it had transformed them1 you will see where the power lies in the proclamation of the ,gospel4 ,a short time before they had been heathens2 and now says ,paul1 ',from you sounded out the word of the ,lord1 not only in ,macedonia and ,achaia1 but also in every place your faith to ,godward is spread abroad2 so that we need not to speak anything4' ,we do not need to talk to you about 'love of the brethren1' for 'yourselves are taught of ,god to love one another1 and my heart is full of thankfulness when ,i think of your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope4' ,the men had been transformed4 ,what transformed them8 ,the message of a divine and dying ,christ1 who had offered up ,himself without spot unto ,god1 and who was their peace and their righteousness and their power4 ,,iii4 ,thirdly1 notice what this witness has to say about the risen and ascended ,christ4 ,here is what it has to say3 ',ye turned unto ,god 4 4 4 to wait for ,his ,son from heaven whom ,he raised from the dead4' ,and again3 ',the ,lord ,himself shall descend from heaven with a shout4' ,the risen ,christ1 then1 is in the heavens1 and ,paul assumes that these people1 just brought out of heathenism1 have received that truth into their hearts in the love of it1 and know it so thoroughly that he can take for granted their entire acquiescence in and acceptance of it4 ,remember1 we have nothing to do with the four ,gospels here4 ,remember1 not a line of them had yet been written4 ,remember1 that we are dealing here with an entirely independent witness4 ,and then tell us what importance is to be attached to this evidence of the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4 ,twenty years after ,his death here is this man speaking about that ,resurrection as being not only something that he had to proclaim1 and believed1 but as being the recognised and notorious fact which all the churches accepted1 and which underlay all their faith4 ,i would have you remember that if1 twenty years after this event1 this witness was borne1 that necessarily carries us back a great deal nearer to the event than the hour of its utterance1 for there is no mark of its being new testimony at that instant1 but every mark of its being the habitual and continuous witness that had been borne from the instant of the alleged ,resurrection to the present time4 ,it at least takes us back a good many years nearer the empty sepulchre than the twenty which mark its date4 ,it at least takes us back to the conversion of the ,apostle ,paul2 and that necessarily involves1 as it seems to me1 that if that man1 believing in the ,resurrection1 went into the ,church1 there would have been an end of his association with them1 unless he had found there the same faith4 ,the fact of the matter is1 there is not a place where you can stick a pin in1 between the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ and the date of this letter1 wide enough to admit of the rise of the faith in a ,resurrection4 ,we are necessarily forced by the very fact of the existence of the ,church to the admission that the belief in the ,resurrection was contemporaneous with the alleged ,resurrection itself4 ,and so we are shut up--in spite of the wriggling of people that do not accept that great truth--we are shut up to the old alternative1 as it seems to me1 that either ,jesus ,christ rose from the dead1 or the noblest lives that the world has ever seen1 and the loftiest system of morality that has ever been proclaimed1 were built upon a lie4 ,and we are called to believe that at the bidding of a mere unsupported1 bare1 dogmatic assertion that miracles are impossible4 ,believe it who will1 ,i decline to be coerced into believing a blank1 staring psychological contradiction and impossibility1 in order to be saved the necessity of admitting the existence of the supernatural4 ,i would rather believe in the supernatural than the ridiculous4 ,and to me it is unspeakably ridiculous to suppose that anything but the fact of the ,resurrection accounts for the existence of the ,church1 and for the faith of this witness that we have before us4 ,and so1 dear friends1 we come back to this1 the ,christianity that flings away the risen ,christ is a mere mass of tatters with nothing in it to cover a man's nakedness1 an illusion with no vitality in it to quicken1 to comfort1 to ennoble1 to raise1 to teach aspiration or hope or effort4 ,the human heart needs the ',christ that died1 yea1 rather1 that is risen again1 who is even at the right hand of ,god1 who also maketh intercession for us4' ,and this independent witness confirms the ,gospel story3 ',now is ,christ risen from the dead1 and become the first-fruits of them that slept4' ,,iv4 ,lastly1 let us hear what this witness has to say about the returning ,christ4 ,that is the characteristic doctrinal subject of the letter4 ,we all know that wonderful passage of unsurpassed tenderness and majesty1 which has soothed so many hearts and been like a gentle hand laid upon so many aching spirits1 about the returning ,jesus 'coming in the clouds1' with the dear ones that are asleep along with ,him1 and the reunion of them that sleep and them that are alive and remain1 in one indissoluble concord and concourse1 when we shall ever be with the ,lord1 and 'clasp inseparable hands with joy and bliss in over-measure for ever4' ,the coming of the ,master does not appear here with emphasis on its judicial aspect4 ,it is rather intended to bring hope to the mourners1 and the certainty that bands broken here may be re-knit in holier fashion hereafter4 ,but the judicial aspect is not1 as it could not be1 left out1 and the ,apostle further tells us that 'that day cometh as a thief in the night4' ,that is a quotation of the ,master's own words1 which we find in the ,gospels2 and so again a confirmation1 so far as it goes1 from an independent witness1 of the ,gospel story4 ,and then he goes on1 in terrible language1 to speak of 'sudden destruction1 as of travail upon a woman with child2 and they shall not escape4' ,these1 then1 are the points of this witness's testimony as to the returning ,lord--a personal coming1 a reunion of all believers in ,him1 in order to eternal felicity and mutual gladness1 and the destruction that shall fall by ,his coming upon those who turn away from ,him4 ,what a revelation that would be to men who had known what it was to grope in the darkness of heathendom1 and to have new light upon the future6 ,i remember once walking in the long galleries of the ,vatican1 on the one side of which there are ,christian inscriptions from the catacombs1 and on the other heathen inscriptions from the tombs4 ,one side is all dreamy and hopeless2 one long sigh echoing along the line of white marbles--',vale6 vale6 in aeternum vale6' 7,farewell1 farewell1 for ever farewell47 ,on the other side--',in ,christo1 in pace1 in spe4' 7,in ,christ1 in peace1 in hope47 ,that is the witness that we have to lay to our hearts4 ,and so death becomes a passage1 and we let go the dear hands1 believing that we shall clasp them again4 ,my brother6 this witness is to a gospel that is the gospel for ,manchester as well as for ,thessalonica4 ,you and ,i want just the same as these old heathens there wanted4 ,we1 too1 need the divine ,christ1 the dying ,christ1 the risen ,christ1 the ascended ,christ1 the returning ,christ4 ,and ,i beseech you to take ,him for your ,christ1 in all the fulness of ,his offices1 the manifoldness of ,his power1 and the sweetness of ,his love1 so that of you it may be said1 as this ,apostle says about these ,thessalonians1 ',ye received it not as the word of man1 but1 as it is in truth1 as the word of ,god4' ,,ii4 ,,thessalonians ,,christ ,,glorified ,,in ,,glorified ,,men ',he shall come to be glorified in ,his saints2 and to be admired in all them that believe4'--#b ,,thess4 i4 #aj4 ,the two ,epistles to the ,thessalonians1 which are the ,apostle's earliest letters1 both give very great prominence to the thought of the second coming of our ,lord to judgment4 ,in the immediate context we have that coming described1 with circumstances of majesty and of terror4 ,he 'shall be revealed 4 4 4 with the angels of ,his power4' ',flaming fire' shall herald ,his coming2 vengeance shall be in ,his hands1 punishment shall follow ,his sentence2 everlasting destruction shall be the issue of evil confronted with 'the face of the ,lord'--for so the words in the previous verse rendered 'the presence of the ,lord' might more accurately be translated4 ,and all these facts and images are1 as it were1 piled up in one half of the ,apostle's sky1 as in thunderous lurid masses2 and on the other side there is the pure blue and the peaceful sunshine4 ,for all this terror and destruction1 and flashing fire1 and punitive vengeance come to pass in the day when ',he shall come to be glorified in ,his saints1 and to be wondered at in all them that believe4' ,there be the two halves--the aspect of that day to those to whom it is the revelation of a stranger1 and the aspect of that day to those to whom it is the glorifying of ,him who is their life4 ,i4 ,the remarkable words which ,i have taken for my text suggest to us1 first of all1 some thoughts about that striking expression that ,christ is glorified in the men who are glorified in ,christ4 ,if you look on a couple of verses you will find that the ,apostle returns to this thought1 and expresses in the clearest fashion the reciprocal character of that 'glorifying' of which he has been speaking4 ',the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1' says he1 'may be glorified in you1 and ye in ,him4' ,so1 then1 glorifying has a double meaning4 ,there is a double process involved4 ,it means either 'to make glorious' or 'to manifest as being glorious4' ,and men are glorified in the former sense in ,christ1 that ,christ in them may1 in the latter sense1 be glorified4 ,he makes them glorious by imparting to them of the lustrous light and flashing beauty of ,his own perfect character1 in order that that light1 received into their natures1 and streaming out at last conspicuously manifest from their redeemed perfectness1 may redound to the praise and the honour1 before a whole universe1 of ,him who has thus endued their weakness with ,his own strength1 and transmuted their corruptibility into ,his own immortality4 ,we are glorified in ,christ in some partial1 and1 alas6 sinfully fragmentary1 manner here2 we shall be so perfectly in that day4 ,and when we are thus glorified in ,him1 then--wondrous thought6--even we shall be able to manifest ,him as glorious before some gazing eyes1 which without us would have seen ,him as less fair4 ,dim1 and therefore great and blessed thoughts about what men may become are involved in such words4 ,the highest end1 the great purpose of the ,gospel and of all ,god's dealings with us in ,christ ,jesus is to make us like our ,lord4 ,as we have borne the image of the earthly we shall also bear the image of the heavenly4 ',we1 beholding the glory1 are changed into the glory4' ,and that glorifying of men in ,christ1 which is the goal and highest end of ,christ's ,cross and passion and of all ,god's dealings1 is accomplished only because ,christ dwells in the men whom ,he glorifies4 ,we read words applying to ,his relation to ,his ,father which need but to be transferred to our relation to ,him1 in order to teach us high and blessed things about this glorifying4 ,the ,father dwelt in ,christ1 therefore ,christ was glorified by the indwelling divinity1 in the sense that ,his humanity was made partaker of the divine glory1 and thereby ,he glorified the divinity that dwelt in ,him1 in the sense that ,he conspicuously displayed it before the world as worthy of all admiration and love4 ,and1 in like manner1 as is the ,son with the ,father1 participant of mutual and reciprocal glorification1 so is the ,christian with ,christ1 glorified in ,him and therefore glorifying ,him4 ,what may be involved therein of perfect moral purity1 of enlarged faculties and powers1 of a bodily frame capable of manifesting all the finest issues of a perfect spirit1 it is not for us to say4 ,these things are great1 being hidden2 and are hidden because they are great4 ,but whatever may be the lofty heights of ,christlikeness to which we shall attain1 all shall come from the indwelling ,lord who fills us with ,his own ,spirit4 ,and1 then1 according to the great teaching here1 this glorified humanity1 perfected and separated from all imperfection1 and helped into all symmetrical unfolding of dormant possibilities1 shall be the highest glory of ,christ even in that day when ,he comes in ,his glory and sits upon the throne of ,his glory with ,his holy angels with ,him4 ,one would have thought that1 if the ,apostle wanted to speak of the glorifying of ,jesus ,christ1 he would have pointed to the great white throne1 ,his majestic divinity1 the solemnities of ,his judicial office2 but he passes by all these1 and says1 ',nay6 the highest glory of the ,christ lies here1 in the men whom ,he has made to share ,his own nature4' ,the artist is known by his work4 ,you stand in front of some great picture1 or you listen to some great symphony1 or you read some great book1 and you say1 ',this is the glory of ,raphael1 ,beethoven1 ,shakespeare4' ,christ points to ,his saints1 and ,he says1 ',behold ,my handiwork6 ,ye are my witnesses4 ,this is what ,i can do4' ,but the relation between ,christ and ,his saints is far deeper and more intimate than simply the relation between the artist and his work1 for all the flashing light of moral beauty1 of intellectual perfectness which ,christian men can hope to receive in the future is but the light of the ,christ that dwells in them1 'and of whose fulness all they have received4' ,like some poor vapour1 in itself white and colourless1 which lies in the eastern sky there1 and as the sun rises is flushed up into a miracle of rosy beauty1 because it has caught the light amongst its flaming threads and vaporous substance1 so we1 in ourselves pale1 ghostly1 colourless as the mountains when the ,alpine snow passes off them1 being recipient of an indwelling ,christ1 shall blush and flame in beauty4 ',then shall the righteous blaze forth like the sun in my ,father's kingdom4' ,or1 rather they are not suns shining by their own light1 but moons reflecting the light of ,christ1 who is their light4 ,and perchance some eyes1 incapable of beholding the sun1 may be able to look undazzled upon the sunshine in the cloud1 and some eyes that could not discern the glory of ,christ as it shines in ,his face as the sun shineth in its strength1 may not be too weak to behold and delight in the light as it is reflected from the face of ,his servants4 ,at all events1 ,he shall come to be glorified in the saints whom ,he has made glorious4 ,,ii4 ,and now1 notice again1 out of these full and pregnant words the other thought1 that this transformation of men is the great miracle and marvel of ,christ's power4 ',he shall come to be admired'--which word is employed in its old ,english signification1 'to be wondered at'--'in all them that believe4' ,so fair and lovely is ,he that ,he needs but to be recognised for what ,he is in order to be glorified4 ,so great and stupendous are ,his operations in redeeming love that they need but to be beheld to be the object of wonder4 ',his name shall be called ,wonderful1' and wonderfully the energy of ,his redeeming and sanctifying grace shall then have wrought itself out to its legitimate end4 ,there you get the crowning marvel of marvels1 and the highest of miracles4 ,he did wonderful works upon earth which we rightly call miraculous1--things to be wondered at--but the highest of all ,his wonders is the wonder that takes such material as you and me1 and by such a process1 and on such conditions1 simply because we trust ,him1 evolves such marvellous forms of beauty and perfectness from us4 ',he is to be wondered at in all them that believe4' ,such results from such material6 ,chemists tell us that the black bit of coal in your grate and the diamond on your finger are varying forms of the one substance4 ,what about a power that shall take all the black coals in the world and transmute them into flashing diamonds1 prismatic with the reflected light that comes from ,his face1 and made gems on ,his strong right hand8 ,the universe will wonder at such results from such material4 ,and it will wonder1 too1 at the process by which they were accomplished1 wondering at the depth of ,his pity revealed all the more pathetically now from the great white throne which casts such a light on the ,cross of ,calvary2 wondering at the long1 weary path which ,he who is now declared to be the ,judge humbled ,himself to travel in the quest of these poor sinful souls whom ,he has redeemed and glorified4 ,the miracle of miracles is redeeming love2 and the high-water mark of ,christ's wonders is touched in this fact1 that out of men ,he makes saints2 and out of saints ,he makes perfect likenesses of ,himself4 ,,iii4 ,and now a word about what is not expressed1 but is necessarily implied in this verse1 viz41 the spectators of this glory4 ,the ,apostle does not tell us what eyes they are before which ,christ is thus to be glorified4 ,he does not summon the spectators to look upon this wonderful exhibition of divine judgment and divine glory2 but we may dwell for a moment on the thought that to whomsoever in the whole universe ,christ at that great day shall be manifested1 to them1 whoever they be1 will ,his glory1 in ,his glorified saints1 be a revelation beyond what they have known before4 ',every eye shall see ,him4' ,and whatsoever eyes look upon ,him1 then on ,his throne1 they shall behold the attendant courtiers and the assessors of ,his judgment1 and see in them the manifestation of ,his own lustrous light4 ,we read that 'unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places shall be made known' in future days1 'by the ,church1 the manifold wisdom of ,god4' ,we hear that1 after the burst of praise which comes from redeemed men standing around the throne1 every creature in the earth and in the heavens1 and in the sea and all that are therein were heard saying1 ',blessing and honour and glory and power be unto ,him that sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb for ever and ever4' ,we need not speculate1 it is better not to enter into details1 but this1 at least1 is clear1 that that solemn winding up of the long1 mysterious1 sad1 blood and tear-stained history of man upon the earth is to be an object of interest and a higher revelation of ,god to other creatures than those that dwell upon the earth2 and we may well believe that for that moment1 at all events1 the centre of the universe1 which draws the thoughts of all thinking1 and the eyes of all seeing1 creatures to it1 shall be that valley of judgment wherein sits the ,man ,christ and judges men1 and round ,him the flashing reflectors of ,his glory in the person of ,his saints4 ,,iv4 ,and lastly1 look at men's path to this glorifying4 ',he shall come to be glorified in ,his saints1 and to be wondered at in all them that believed'2 as that word ought to be rendered4 ,that is to say1 they who on earth were ,his1 consecrated and devoted to ,him1 and in some humble measure partaking even here of ,his reflected beauty and imparted righteousness--these are they in whom ,he shall be glorified4 ,they who 'believed'2 poor1 trembling1 struggling1 fainting souls1 that here on earth1 in the midst of many doubts and temptations1 clasped ,his hand2 and howsoever tremulously1 yet truly put their trust in ,him1 these are they in whom ,he shall 'be wondered at4' ,the simple act of faith knits us to the ,lord4 ,if we trust ,him ,he comes into our hearts here1 and begins to purify us1 and to make us like ,himself2 and1 if that be so1 and we keep hold of ,him1 we shall finally share in ,his glory4 ,what a hope1 what an encouragement1 what a stimulus and exhortation to humble and timorous souls there is in that great word1 ',in all them that believed'6 ,howsoever imperfect1 still they shall be kept by the power of ,god unto that final salvation4 ,and when ,he comes in ,his glory1 not one shall be wanting that put their trust in ,him4 ,it will take them all1 each in his several way reflecting it1 to set forth adequately the glory4 ,as many diamonds round a central light1 which from each facet give off a several ray and a definite colour2 so all that circle round ,christ and partaking of ,his glory1 will each receive it1 transmit it1 and so manifest it in a different fashion4 ,and it needs the innumerable company of the redeemed1 each a several perfectness1 to set forth all the fulness of the ,christ that dwells in us4 ,so1 dear brethren1 beginning with simple faith in ,him1 partially receiving the beauty of ,his transforming spirit1 seeking here on earth by assimilation to the ,master in some humble measure to adorn the doctrine and to glorify the ,christ1 we may hope that each blackness will be changed into brightness1 our limitations done away with1 our weakness lifted into rejoicing strength2 and that we shall be like ,him1 seeing ,him as ,he is1 and glorified in ,him1 shall glorify ,him before the universe4 ,you and ,i will be there4 ,choose which of the two halves of that sky that ,i was speaking about in my introductory remarks will be your sky2 whether ,he shall be revealed1 and the light of ,his face be to you like a sword whose flashing edge means destruction1 or whether the light of ,his face shall fall upon your heart because you love ,him and trust ,him1 like the sunshine on the ,alpine snow1 lifting it to a more lustrous whiteness1 and tingeing it with an ethereal hue of more than earthly beauty1 which no other power but an indwelling ,christ can give4 ,he shall come with 'everlasting destruction from the face'2 and ',he shall come to be glorified in ,his saints1 and to be wondered at in all them that believed4' ,do you choose which of the two shall be your portion in that day4 ,,worthy ,,of ,,your ,,calling ',we pray always for you1 that our ,god would count you worthy of this calling1 and fulfil all the good pleasure of ,his goodness1 and the work of faith with power2 #ab4 ,that the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ may be glorified in you1 and ye in ,him4'--#b ,,thess4 i4 #aa1 #ab4 ,in the former letter to the ,church of ,thessalonica1 the ,apostle had dwelt1 in ever-memorable words--which sound like a prelude of the trump of ,god--on the coming of ,christ at the end to judge the world1 and to gather ,his servants into ,his rest4 ,that great thought seems to have excited some of the hotter heads in ,thessalonica1 and to have led to a general feverishness of unwholesome expectancy of the near approach or actual dawn of the day4 ,this letter is intended as a supplement to the former ,epistle1 and to damp down the fire which had been kindled4 ,it1 therefore1 dwells with emphasis on the necessary preliminaries to the dawning of that day of the ,lord1 and throughout seeks to lead the excited spirits to patience and persistent work1 and to calm their feverish expectations4 ,this purpose colours the whole letter4 ,another striking characteristic of it is the frequent gushes of short prayer for the ,thessalonians with which the writer turns aside from the main current of his thoughts4 ,in its brief compass there are four of these prayers1 which1 taken together1 present many aspects of the ,christian life1 and hold out much for our hopes and much for our efforts4 ,the prayer which ,i have read for our text is the first of these4 ,the others1 the consideration of which will follow on subsequent occasions1 are these3--',our ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 and ,god1 even our ,father1 which hath loved us1 and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace1 comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work4' ,and1 again1 ',the ,lord direct your hearts into the love of ,god1 and into the patient waiting for ,christ4' ,and1 finally1 summing up all1 ',the ,lord of peace ,himself give you peace always1 by all means4' ,so full1 so tender1 so directed to the highest blessings1 and to those only1 are the wishes of a true ,christian teacher1 and of a true ,christian friend1 for those to whom ,he ministers and whom ,he loves4 ,it is a poor love that cannot express itself in prayer4 ,it is an earthly love which desires for its objects anything less than the highest of blessings4 ,i4 ,notice1 first1 here1 the divine test for ,christian lives3 ',we pray for you1 that ,god would count you worthy of your calling4' ,now1 it is to be observed that this 'counting worthy' refers mainly to a future estimate to be made by ,god of the completed career and permanent character brought out of earth into another state by ,christian souls4 ,that is obvious from the whole strain of the letter1 which ,i have already pointed out as mainly being concerned with the future coming to judgment of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is also1 ,i think1 made probable by the fact that the same expression1 'counting worthy1' occurs in an earlier verse of this chapter1 where the reference is exclusively to the future judgment4 ,so1 then1 we are brought face to face with this thought of an actual1 stringent judgment which ,god will apply in the future to the lives and characters of professing ,christians4 ,now1 that is a great deal too much forgotten in our popular ,christian teaching and in our average ,christian faith4 ,it is perfectly true that he who trusts in ,jesus ,christ will 'not come into condemnation1 but has passed from death unto life4' ,but it is just as true that 'judgment shall begin at the house of ,god1' and that1 'the ,lord will judge ,his people4' ,and therefore1 it becomes us to lay to heart this truth1 that we1 just because1 if we are ,christians1 we stand nearest to ,god1 are surest to be searched through and through by the light that streams from ,him1 and to have every flaw and corrupt speck and black spot brought out into startling prominence4 ,let no ,christian man fancy that he shall escape the righteous judgment of ,god4 ,the great doctrine of forgiveness does not mean that ,he suffers our sin to remain upon us unjudged1 ay6 or unavenged4 ,but just as1 day by day1 there is an actual estimate in the divine mind1 according to truth1 of what we really are1 so1 at the last1 ,god's servants will be gathered before ,his throne4 ',they that have made a covenant with ,him by sacrifice' shall be assembled there--as the ,psalm has it--'that the ,lord may judge ,his people4' ,then1 if the actual passing of a divine judgment day by day1 and a future solemn act of judgment after we have done with earth1 and our characters are completed1 and our careers rounded into a whole1 is to be looked for by ,christians1 what is the standard by which their worthiness is to be judged8 ',your calling4' ,the 'this' of my text in the ,authorised ,version is a supplement1 and a better supplement is that of the ,revised ,version1 'your calling4' ,now calling does not mean 'avocation' or 'employment1' as ,i perhaps need scarcely explain1 but the divine fact of our having been summoned by ,him to be ,his4 ,consider who calls4 ,god ,himself4 ,consider how ,he calls4 ,by the ,gospel1 by ,jesus ,christ1 or1 as another apostle has it1 'by ,his own glory and virtue' manifested in the world4 ,that great voice which is in ,jesus ,christ1 so tender1 so searching1 so heart-melting1 so vibrating with the invitation of love and the yearning of a longing heart1 summons or calls us4 ,consider1 also1 what this calling is to4 ',god hath not called us to uncleanness1 but to holiness1' or1 as this letter has it1 in another part1 'unto salvation through sanctification of the ,spirit and belief of the truth4' ,by all the subduing and animating and restraining and impelling tones in the sacrifice and life of ,jesus ,christ we are summoned to a life of self-crucifixion1 of subjection of the flesh1 of aspiration after ,god1 of holy living according to the pattern that was showed us in ,him4 ,we are summoned here and now to a life of purity and righteousness and self-sacrifice4 ,but also ',he hath called us to ,his everlasting kingdom and glory4' ,that voice sounds from above now4 ,from the ,cross it said to us1 ',i die that ye may live'2 from the throne it says to us1 ',live because ,i live1 and come to live where ,i live4' ,the same invitation1 which calls us to a life of righteousness and self-suppression and purity1 also calls us1 with the sweet promise that is firm as the throne of ,god1 to the everlasting felicities of that perfect kingdom in which1 because the obedience is entire1 the glory shall be untremulous and unstained4 ,therefore1 considering who summons1 by what ,he summons1 and to what ,he calls us1 do there not lie in the fact of that divine call to which we ,christians say that we have yielded1 the solemnest motives1 the loftiest standard1 the most stringent obligations for life8 ,what sort of a life will that be which is worthy of that voice8 ,is yours8 ,is mine8 ,are there not the most flagrant examples of professing ,christians1 whose lives are in the most outrageous discordance with the lofty obligations and mighty motives of the summons which they profess to have obeyed8 ',worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called6' ,have ,i made my own the things which ,i am invited to possess8 ,have ,i yielded to the obligations which are enwrapped in that invitation8 ,does my life correspond to the divine purpose in calling me to be ,his8 ,can ,i say1 ',lord1 ,thou art mine1 and ,i am ,thine1 and here my life witnesses to it1 because self is banished from it1 and ,i am full of ,god1 and the life which ,i live in the flesh ,i live not to myself1 but to ,him that died for me8' ,an absolute correspondence1 a complete worthiness or perfect desert1 is impossible for us all1 but a worthiness which ,his merciful judgment who makes allowance for us all may accept1 as not too flagrantly contradictory of what ,he meant us to be1 is possible even for our poor attainments and our stained lives4 ,if it were ,paul's supreme prayer1 should it not be our supreme aim1 that we may be worthy of ,him that hath called us1 and 'walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called'8 ,,ii4 ,note1 here1 the divine help to meet the test4 ,if it were a matter of our own effort alone1 who of us could pretend to reach to the height of conformity with the great design of the loving ,father in summoning us1 or with the mighty powers that are set in motion by the summons for the purifying of men's lives8 ,but here is the great characteristic and blessing of ,god's ,gospel1 that it not only summons us to holiness and to heaven1 but reaches out a hand to help us thither4 ,therein it contrasts with all other voices--and many of them are noble and pathetic in their insistence and vehemence--which call men to lofty lives4 ,whether it be the voice of conscience1 or of human ethics1 or of the great ones1 the elect of the race1 who1 in every age1 have been as voices crying in the wilderness1 ',prepare ye the way of the ,lord'--all these call us1 but reach no hand out to draw us4 ,they are all as voices from the heights and are of ,god1 but they are voices only2 they summon us to noble deeds1 and leave us floundering in the mire4 ,but we have not a ,god who tells us to be good1 and then watches to see if we will obey1 but we have a ,god who1 with all ,his summonses1 brings to us the help to keep ,his commandments4 ,our ,god has more than a voice to enjoin1 ,he has a hand to lift1 ',give what ,thou commandest1 and command what ,thou wilt1' said ,augustine4 ,there is the blessing and glory of the ,gospel1 that its summons has in it an impelling power which makes men able to be what it enjoins them to become4 ,my text1 therefore1 follows the prayer 'that ,god would count you worthy1' which contemplates ,god simply as judging men's correspondence with the ideal revealed in their calling1 and is the cry of faith to the giving ,god1 who works in us1 if we will let ,him1 that which ,he enjoins on us4 ,there are two directions of that divine working specified in the text4 ,paul asks that ,god would fulfil 'every desire of goodness and every work of faith1' as the ,revised ,version renders the words4 ,two things1 then1 we may hope that ,god will do for us--,he will fulfil every yearning after righteousness and purity in our hearts1 and will perfect the active energy which faith puts forth in our lives4 ,paul says1 in effect1 first1 that ,god will fulfil every desire that longs for goodness4 ,he is scarcely deserving of being called good who does not desire to be better4 ,aspiration must always be ahead of performance in a growing life1 such as every ,christian life ought to be4 ,to long for any righteousness and beauty of goodness is1 in some imperfect and incipient measure1 to possess the good for which we long4 ,this is the very signature of a ,christian life--yearning after unaccomplished perfection4 ,if you know nothing of that desire that stings and impels you onwards2 if you do not know what it is to say1 ',oh6 wretched man that ,i am1 who shall deliver me from the body of this death8' if you do not know what it is to follow the fair ideal realised in ,jesus ,christ with infinite longing1 what right have you to call yourself a ,christian8 ,the very essence of the ,christian life is yearning for completeness1 and restlessness as long as sin has any power over us4 ,we live not only by admiration1 faith1 and love1 but we live by hope2 and he who does not hunger and thirst after righteousness has yet to learn what are the first principles of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,if there be not the desire after goodness1 the restlessness and dissatisfaction with every present good1 the brave ambition that says1 ',forgetting the things that are behind1 ,i reach forth unto the things that are before1' there is nothing in a man to which ,god's grace can attach itself4 ,god cannot make you better if you do not wish to be better4 ,there is no point upon which ,his hallowing and ennobling grace can lay hold in your hearts without such desire4 ',open thy mouth wide and ,i will fill it4' ,if1 as is too often the case with hosts of professing ,christians1 you shut your mouths tight and lock your teeth1 how can ,god put any food between your lips8 ,there must1 first of all1 be the aspiration1 and then there will be the satisfaction4 ,i look out upon my congregation1 or1 better still1 ,i look into my own heart1 and ,i say1 ,if ,i1 if you1 dear brethren1 are not worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called1 we have not because we ask not4 ,if there be no desire after goodness in our hearts1 ,god cannot make us good4 ,our wishes are the mould into which the molten metal from the great furnace of ,his love will run4 ,if we bring but a little vessel we cannot get a large supply4 ,the manna lies round our tents2 it is for us to determine how much we will gather4 ,and in like manner1 says ,paul1 ,god will fulfil every work of faith4 ,our faith in ,jesus ,christ will naturally tend to influence our lives1 and to manifest itself as a driving power which will set all the wheels of conduct in motion4 ,paul is quite sure that if we trust ourselves to ,god1 all the beneficent and holy work that flows from such confidence will by ,him be fully perfected4 ,god's fulfilment is to be done with power4 ,that is to say1 ,he will fit us to be worthy of our calling1 ,he will answer our desires1 ,he will give energy to our faith1 and complete in number and in quality its operations in our lives1 by reason of ,his dwelling with us and in us by that spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind which works all righteousness in believing hearts1 and sheds divine beauty and goodness over character and life4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 note the divine glory of the worthy4 ,this fulfilment of every desire of goodness and work of faith is in order 'that the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ may be glorified in you and ye in ,him4' ,here1 again1 as in the first clause of our text1 ,i take1 in accordance with the prevailing tone of this letter1 the reference to be mainly1 though perhaps not exclusively1 to a future transcendent glorifying of the name of ,christ in perfected saints1 and glorifying of perfected saints in ,jesus ,christ4 ,we have1 then1 set forth1 first1 as the result of the fulfilling of ,christian men's desires after goodness1 and the work of their faith1 the glory that accrues to ,christ from perfected saints4 ,they are ,his workmanship4 ,you remember the old story of the artist who went into a fellow-artist's studio and left upon the easel one complete circle1 swept with one master-whirl of the brush4 ,jesus ,christ presents perfected men to an admiring universe as specimens of what ,he can do4 ,his highest work is the redeeming of poor creatures like you and me1 and the making of us perfect in goodness and worthy of our calling4 ,we are ,his chefs-d'oeuvre1 the master work of the great divine artist4 ,think1 then1 brethren1 how1 here and now1 ,christ's reputation is in our hands4 ,men judge of ,him by us4 ,the name of the ,lord ,jesus is glorified in you if you live 'worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called1' and people will think better of the ,master if ,his disciples are faithful4 ,depend upon it1 if we of this church1 for instance1 and the ,christian people within these walls now1 lived the lives that they ought to do1 and manifested the power of the ,gospel as they might1 there would be many who would say1 ',they have been with ,jesus1 and the ,jesus that has made them what they are must be mighty and great4' ,the best evidence of the power of the ,gospel is your consistent lives4 ,think1 too1 of that strange dignity that in the future1 in manners and in regions all undiscernible by us1 ,christians1 who have been made out of stones into children of ,god1 will make known 'unto principalities and powers in heavenly places' the wisdom and the love and the energy of the redeeming ,god4 ,who knows to what regions the commission of the perfected saints to make ,christ known may carry them8 ,light travels far1 and we cannot tell into what remote corners of the universe this may penetrate4 ,this only we know1 that they who shall be counted worthy to attain that life and the ,resurrection from the dead shall bear the image of the heavenly1 and perhaps to creations yet uncreated1 and still to be evolved through the ages of eternity1 it may be their part to carry the lustre of the light of the glory of ,god who redeemed and purified them4 ,on the other hand1 there is glory accruing to perfected saints in ,christ4 ',and ye in ,him4' ,there will be a union so close as that nothing closer is possible1 personality being preserved1 between ,christ and the saints above1 who trust ,him and love ,him and serve ,him there4 ,and that union will lead to a participation in ,his glory which shall exalt their limited1 stained1 and fragmentary humanity into 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ4' ,astronomers tell us that dead1 cold matter falls from all corners of the system into the sun1 drawn by its magic magnetism from farthest space1 and1 plunging into that great reservoir of fire1 the deadest and coldest matter glows with fervid heat and dazzling light4 ,so you and ,i1 dead1 cold1 dull1 opaque1 heavy fragments1 drawn into mysterious oneness with ,christ1 the ,sun of our souls1 shall be transformed into ,his own image1 and like ,him be light and heat which shall radiate through the universe4 ,brethren1 meditate on your calling1 the fact1 its method1 its aim1 its obligations1 and its powers4 ,cherish hopes and desires after goodness1 the only hopes and desires that are certain to be fulfilled4 ,cultivate the life of faith working by love1 and let us all live in the light of that solemn expectation that the ,lord will judge ,his people4 ,then we may hope that the voice which summoned us will welcome us1 and proclaim even of us1 stained and undeserving as we rightly feel ourselves to be3 ',they have not defiled their garments1 therefore they shall walk with ,me in white1 for they are worthy4' ,,everlasting ,,consolation ,,and ,,good ,,hope ',now our ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 and ,god1 even our ,father1 which hath loved us1 and hath given us everlasting consolation1 and good hope through grace4 #ag4 ,comfort your hearts1 and stablish you in every good word and work4'--#b ,,thess4 ii4 #af1 #ag4 ,this is the second of the four brief prayers which1 as ,i pointed out in my last sermon1 break the current of ,paul's teaching in this letter1 and witness to the depth of his affection to his ,thessalonian converts4 ,we do not know the special circumstances under which these then were1 but there are many allusions1 both in the first and second epistles1 which seem to indicate that they specially needed the gift of consolation4 ,they were a young ,church1 just delivered from paganism4 ,like lambs in the midst of wolves1 they stood amongst bitter enemies1 their teacher had left them alone1 and their raw convictions needed to be consolidated and matured in the face of much opposition4 ,no wonder then that over and over again1 in both letters1 we have references to the persecutions and tribulations which they endured1 and to the consolations which would much more abound4 ,but whatever may have been their specific circumstances1 the prayer which puts special emphasis on comfort is as much needed by each of us as it could ever have been by any of them4 ,for there are no eyes that have not wept1 or will not weep2 no breath that has not been1 or will not be1 drawn in sighs2 and no hearts that have not bled1 or will not bleed4 ,so1 dear friends1 the prayer that went up for these long since comforted brothers1 in their forgotten obscure sorrows1 is as needful for each of us--that the ,god who has given everlasting consolation may apply the consolations which ,he has supplied1 and 'comfort our hearts and stablish them in every good word and work4' ,the prayer naturally falls1 as all true prayer will1 into three sections--the contemplation of ,him to whom it is addressed1 the grasping of the great act on which it is based1 and the specification of the desires which it includes4 ,these three thoughts may guide us for a few moments now4 ,i4 ,first of all1 then1 note the divine hearers of the prayer4 ,the first striking thing about this prayer is its emphatic recognition of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ as a truth familiar to these ,thessalonian converts4 ,note the solemn accumulation of ,his august titles1 ',our ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,himself4' ,note1 further1 that extraordinary association of ,his name with the ,father's4 ,note1 still further1 the most remarkable order in which these two names occur--,jesus first1 ,god second4 ,if we were not so familiar with the words1 and with their order1 which reappears in ,paul's well-known and frequently-used ,benediction1 we should be startled to find that ,jesus ,christ was put before ,god in such a solemn address4 ,the association and the order of mention of the names are equally outrageous1 profane1 and inexplicable1 except upon one hypothesis1 and that is that ,jesus ,christ is divine4 ,the reason for the order may be found partly in the context1 which has just been naming ,christ1 but still more in the fact that whilst he writes1 the ,apostle is realising the mediation of ,christ1 and that the order of mention is the order of our approach4 ,the ,father comes to us in the ,son2 we come to the ,father by the ,son2 and1 therefore1 it is no intercepting of our reverence1 nor blasphemously lifting the creature to undue elevation1 when in one act the ,apostle appeals to 'our ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 and ,god our ,father4' ,note1 still further1 the distinct address to ,christ as the ,hearer of ,prayer4 ,and1 note1 last of all1 about this matter1 the singular grammatical irregularity in my text1 which is something much more than a mere blunder or slip of the pen4 ,the words which follow1 viz41 'comfort' and 'stablish1' are in the singular1 whilst these two mighty and august names are their nominatives1 and would therefore1 by all regularity1 require a plural to follow them4 ,that this peculiarity is no mere accident1 but intentional and deliberate1 is made probable by the two instances in our text1 and is made certain1 as it seems to me1 by the fact that the same anomalous and eloquent construction occurs in the previous epistle to the same church1 where we have in exact parallelism with our text1 ',god ,himself1 our ,father1 and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1' with the singular verb1 'direct our way unto you4' ,the phraseology is the expression1 in grammatical form1 of the great truth1 ',whatsoever things the ,father doeth1 these also doth the ,son likewise4' ,and from it there gleam out unmistakably the great principles of the unity of action and the distinction of person between ,father and ,son1 in the depths of that infinite and mysterious ,godhead4 ,now all this1 which seems to me to be irrefragable1 is made the more remarkable and the stronger as a witness of the truth1 from the fact that it occurs in this perfectly incidental fashion1 and without a word of explanation or apology1 as taking for granted that there was a background of teaching in the ,thessalonian ,church which had prepared the way for it1 and rendered it intelligible1 as well as a background of conviction which had previously accepted it4 ,and1 remember1 these two letters1 thus full-toned in their declaration1 and taking for granted the previous acceptance of the great doctrine of the divinity of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 are the earliest portions of the ,new ,testament1 and are often spoken about as being singularly undogmatic4 ,so they are1 and therefore all the more eloquent and all the more conclusive is such a testimony as this to the sort of teaching which from the beginning the ,apostle addressed to his converts4 ,now is that your notion of ,jesus ,christ8 ,do you regard ,him as the sharer in the divine attributes and in the divine throne8 ,it was a living ,christ that ,paul was thinking about when he wrote these words1 who could hear him praying in ,corinth1 and could reach a helping hand down to these poor men in ,thessalonica4 ,it was a divine ,christ that ,paul was thinking about when he dared to say1 ',our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and ,god our ,father4' ,and ,i beseech you to ask yourself the question whether your faith accepts that great teaching1 and whether to you ,he is far more than 'the ,man ,christ ,jesus'2 and just because ,he is the man1 is therefore the ,son of ,god4 ,brethren6 either ,jesus lies in an unknown grave1 ignorant of all that is going on here1 and the notion that ,he can help is a delusion and a dream1 or else ,he is the ever-living because ,he is the divine ,christ1 to whom we poor men can speak with the certainty that ,he hears us1 and who wields the energies of ,deity1 and works the same works as the ,father1 for the help and blessing of the souls that trust ,him4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 note the great fact on which this prayer builds itself4 ,the form of words in the original1 'loved' and 'given1' all but necessarily requires us to suppose that their reference is to some one definite historical act in which the love was manifested1 and1 as love always does1 found voice in giving4 ,love is the infinite desire to bestow1 and its language is always a gift4 ,then1 according to the ,apostle's thought1 there is some one act in which all the fulness of the divine love manifests itself2 some one act in which all the treasures which ,god can bestow upon men are conveyed and handed over to a world4 ,the statement that there is such renders almost unnecessary the question what such an act is4 ,for there can be but one in all the sweep of the magnificent and beneficent divine deeds1 so correspondent to ,his love1 and so inclusive of all ,his giving1 as that it shall be the ground of our confidence and the warrant for our prayers4 ,the gift of ,jesus ,christ is that in which everlasting consolation and good hope are bestowed upon men4 ,when our desires are widened out to the widest they must be based upon the great sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ2 and when we would think most confidently and most desiringly of the benefits that we seek1 for ourselves or for our fellows1 we must turn to the ,cross4 ,my prayer is then acceptable and prevalent when it foots itself on the past divine act1 and looking to the life and death of ,jesus ,christ1 is widened out to long for1 ask for1 and in the very longing and asking for to begin to possess1 the fulness of the gifts which then were brought to men in ,him4 ',everlasting consolation and good hope4' ,i suppose the ,apostle's emphasis is to be placed quite as much on the adjectives as on the nouns2 for there are consolations enough in the world1 only none of them are permanent2 and there are hopes enough that amuse and draw men1 but one of them only is 'good4' ,the gift of ,christ1 thinks ,paul1 is the gift of a comfort which will never fail amidst all the vicissitudes and accumulated and repeated and prolonged sorrows to which flesh is heir1 and is likewise the gift of a hope which1 in its basis and in its objects1 is equally noble and good4 ,look at these two things briefly4 ,paul thinks that in ,jesus ,christ you and ,i1 and all the world1 if it will have it1 has received the gift of an everlasting comfort4 ,ah6 sorrow is more persistent than consolation4 ,the bandaged wounds bleed again2 the fire damped down for a moment smoulders1 even when damped1 and bursts out again4 ,but there is one source of comfort which1 because it comes from an unchangeable ,christ1 and because it communicates unfailing gifts of patience and insight1 and because it leads forward to everlasting blessedness and recompenses1 may well be called 'eternal consolation4' ,of course1 consolation is not needed when sorrow has ceased2 and when the wiping away of all tears from off all faces1 and the plunging of grief into the nethermost fires1 there to be consumed1 have come about1 there is no more need for comfort4 ,yet that which made the comfort while sorrow lasts1 makes the triumph and the rapture when sorrow is dead1 and is everlasting1 though its office of consolation determines with earth4 ',good hope through grace4' ,this is the weakness of all the hopes which dance like fireflies in the dark before men1 and are often like will-o'-the-wisps in the night tempting men into deep mire1 where there is no standing--that they are uncertain in their basis and inadequate in their range4 ,the prostitution of the great faculty of hope is one of the saddest characteristics of our feeble and fallen manhood2 for the bulk of our hopes are doubtful and akin to fears1 and are mean and low1 and disproportioned to the possibilities1 and therefore the obligations1 of our spirits4 ,but in that ,cross which teaches us the meaning of sorrows1 and in that ,christ whose presence is light in darkness1 and the very embodied consolation of all hearts1 there lie at once the foundation and the object of a hope which1 in consideration both of object and foundation1 stands unique in its excellence and sufficient in its firmness4 ',a good hope'2 good because well founded2 and good because grasping worthy objects2 eternal consolation outlasting all sorrows--these things were given once for all1 to the whole world when ,jesus ,christ came and lived and died4 ,the materials for a comfort that shall never fail me1 and for the foundation and the object of a hope that shall never be ashamed1 are supplied in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,and so these gifts1 already passed under the great seal of heaven1 and confirmed to us all1 if we choose to take them for ours1 are the ground upon which the largest prayers may be rested1 and the most ardent desires may be unblamably cherished1 in the full confidence that no petitions of ours can reach to the greatness of the divine purpose1 and that the widest and otherwise wildest of our hopes and wishes are sober under-estimates of what ,god has already given to us4 ,for if ,he has given the material1 ,he will apply what ,he has supplied4 ,and if ,he has thus in the past bestowed the possibilities of comfort and hope upon the world1 ,he will not slack ,his hand1 if we desire the possibility to be in our hearts turned into the actuality4 ,god has given1 therefore ,god will give4 ,that in heaven's logic1 but it does not do for men4 ,it presupposes inexhaustible resources1 unchangeable purposes of kindness1 patience that is not disgusted and cannot be turned away by our sin4 ,these things being presupposed it is true2 and the prayer of my text1 that ,god would comfort1 can have no firmer foundation than the confidence of my text1 that ,god has given 'everlasting consolation and good hope through grace4' ',thou hast helped us2 leave us not1 neither forsake us1 ,o ,god of our salvation4' ,,iii4 ,the last thing here is the petitions based upon the contemplation of the divine hearers of the prayer1 and of the gift already bestowed by ,god4 ,may ,he 'comfort your hearts1 and stablish you in every good word and work4' ,i have already said all that perhaps is necessary in regard to the connection between the past gift of everlasting consolation and the present and future comforting of hearts which is here desired4 ,it seems to me that the ,apostle has in his mind the distinction between the great work of ,christ1 in which are supplied for us the materials for comfort and hope1 and the present and continuous work of that ,divine ,spirit1 by which ,god dwelling in our hearts in ,jesus ,christ makes real for each of us the universal gift of consolation and of hope4 ,god has bestowed the materials for comfort2 ,god will give the comfort for which ,he has supplied the materials4 ,it were a poor thing if all that we could expect from our loving ,father in the heavens were that ,he should contribute to us what might make us peaceful and glad and calm in sorrow1 if we chose to use it4 ,men comfort from without2 ,god steals into the heart1 and there diffuses the aroma of ,his presence4 ,christ comes into the ship before ,he says1 ',peace6 be still6' ,it is not enough for our poor troubled heart that there should be calmness and consolation twining round the ,cross if we choose to pluck the fruit4 ,we need1 and therefore we have1 an indwelling ,god who1 by that ,spirit which is the ,comforter1 will make for each of us the everlasting consolation which ,he has bestowed upon the world our individual possession4 ,god's husbandry is not merely broadcast sowing of the seed1 but the planting in each individual heart of the precious germ4 ,and the ,god who has given everlasting consolation to a whole world will comfort thy heart4 ,then1 again1 the comforted heart will be a stable heart4 ,our fixedness and stability are not natural immobility1 but communicated steadfastness4 ,there must be1 first1 the consolation of ,christ before there can be the calmness of a settled heart4 ,we all know how vacillating1 how driven to and fro by gusts of passion and winds of doctrine and forces of earth our resolutions and spirits are4 ,but thistledown glued to a firm surface will be firm1 and any light thing lashed to a solid one will be solid2 and reeds shaken with the wind may be turned into brazen pillars that cannot be moved4 ,if we have ,christ in our hearts1 ,he will be our consolation first and our stability next4 ,why should it be that we are spasmodic and fluctuating1 and the slaves of ups and downs1 like some barometer in stormy weather2 now at 'set fair1' and then away down where 'much rain' is written8 ,there is no need for it4 ,get ,christ into your heart1 and your mercury will always stand at one height4 ,why should it be that at one hour the flashing waters fill the harbour1 and that six hours afterwards there is a waste of ooze and filth8 ,it need not be4 ,our hearts may be like some landlocked lake that knows no tide4 ',his heart is fixed1 trusting in the ,lord4' ,the comforted and stable heart will be a fruitful heart4 ',in every good word and work4' ,ah6 how fragmentary is our goodness1 like the broken torsos of the statues of fair gods dug up in some classic land4 ,there is no reason why each of us should not appropriate and make our own the forms of goodness to which we are least naturally inclined1 and cultivate and possess a symmetrical1 fully-developed1 all-round goodness1 in some humble measure after the pattern of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,practical righteousness1 'in every good word and work1' is the outcome of all the sacred and secret consolations and blessings that ,jesus ,christ imparts4 ,there are many ,christian people who are like those swallow-holes1 as they call them1 characteristic of limestone countries1 where a great river plunges into a cave and is no more heard of4 ,you do not get your comforts and your blessing for that1 brother1 but in order that all the joy and peace1 all the calmness and the communion1 which you realise in the secret place of the ,most ,high1 may be translated into goodness and manifest righteousness in the market-place and the street4 ,we get our goodness where we get our consolation1 from ,jesus ,christ and ,his ,cross4 ,and so1 dear friends1 all your comforts will die1 and your sorrows will live1 unless you have ,christ for your own4 ,the former will be like some application that is put on a poisoned bite1 which will soothe it for a moment1 but as soon as the anodyne dries off the skin1 the poison will tingle and burn again1 and will be working in the blood1 whilst the remedy only touched the surface of the flesh4 ,all your hopes will be like a child's castles on the sand1 which the next tide will smooth out and obliterate1 unless your hope is fixed on ,him4 ,you may have everlasting consolation1 you may have a hope which will enable you to look serenely on the ills of life1 and on the darkness of death1 and on what darkly looms beyond death4 ,you may have a calmed and steadied heart2 you may have an all-round1 stable1 comprehensive goodness4 ,but there is only one way to get these blessings1 and that is to grasp and make our own1 by simple faith and constant clinging1 that great gift1 given once for all in ,jesus ,christ1 the gift of comfort that never dies1 and of hope that never deceives1 and then to apply that gift day by day1 through ,god's good ,spirit1 to sorrows and trials and duties as they emerge4 ,,the ,,heart',s ,,home ,,and ,,guide ',the ,lord direct your hearts into the love of ,god1 and into the patient waiting for ,christ4'--#b ,,thess4 iii4 #e4 ,a word or two of explanation of terms may preface our remarks on this1 the third of the ,apostle's prayers for the ,thessalonians in this letter4 ,the first point to be noticed is that by 'the ,lord' here is meant1 as usually in the ,new ,testament1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,so that here again we have the distinct recognition of ,his divinity1 and the direct address of prayer to ,him4 ,the next thing to notice is that by 'the love of ,god' is here meant1 not ,god's to us1 but ours to ,him2 and that the petition1 therefore1 respects the emotions and sentiments of the ,thessalonians towards the ,father in heaven4 ,and the last point is that the rendering of the ,authorised ,version1 'patient waiting for ,christ1' is better exchanged for that of the ,revised ,version1 'the patience of ,christ1' meaning thereby the same patience as ,he exhibited in ,his earthly life1 and which ,he is ready to bestow upon us4 ,it is not usual in the ,new ,testament to find ,jesus ,christ set forth as the great ,example of patient endurance2 but still there are one or two instances in which the same expression is applied to ,him4 ,for example1 in two contiguous verses in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 we read of ,his 'enduring contradiction of sinners against ,himself1' and 'enduring the ,cross1 despising the shame1' in both of which cases we have the verb employed of which the noun is here used4 ,then in the ,apocalypse we have such expressions as 'the patience of ,christ1' of which ,john says that he and his brethren whom he is addressing are 'participators1' and1 again1 'thou hast kept the word of my patience4' ,so1 though unusual1 the thought of our text as presented in the amended version is by no means singular4 ,these things1 then1 being premised1 we may now look at this petition as a whole4 ,i4 ,the first thought that it suggests to me is1 the home of the heart4 ',the ,lord direct you into the love of ,god and the patience of ,christ4' ,the prayers in this letter with which we have been occupied for some ,sundays present to us ,christian perfection under various aspects4 ,but this we may1 perhaps1 say is the most comprehensive and condensed of them all4 ,the ,apostle gathers up the whole sum of his desires for his friends1 and presents to us the whole aim of our efforts for ourselves1 in these two things1 a steadfast love to ,god1 and a calm endurance of evil and persistence in duty1 unaffected by suffering or by pain4 ,if we have these two we shall not be far from being what ,god wishes to see us4 ,now the ,apostle's thought here1 of 'leading us into' these two seems to suggest the metaphor of a great home with two chambers in it1 of which the inner was entered from the outer4 ,the first room is 'the love of ,god1' and the second is 'the patience of ,christ4' ,it comes to the same thing whether we speak of the heart as dwelling in love1 or of love as dwelling in the heart4 ,the metaphor varies1 the substance of the thought is the same1 and that thought is that the heart should be the sphere and subject of a steadfast1 habitual1 all-pleasing love1 which issues in unbroken calmness of endurance and persistence of service1 in the face of evil4 ,let us look1 then1 for a moment at these two points4 ,i need not dwell upon the bare idea of love to ,god as being the characteristic of the ,christian attitude towards ,him1 or remind you of how strange and unexampled a thing it is that all religion should be reduced to this one fruitful germ1 love to the ,father in heaven4 ,but it is more to the purpose for me to point to the constancy1 the unbrokenness1 the depth1 which the ,apostle here desires should be the characteristics of ,christian love to ,god4 ,we sometimes cherish such emotion2 but1 alas1 how rare it is for us to dwell in that calm home all the days of our lives6 ,we visit that serene sanctuary at intervals1 and then for the rest of our days we are hurried to and fro between contending affections1 and wander homeless amidst inadequate loves4 ,but what ,paul asked1 and what should be the conscious aim of the ,christian life1 is1 that we should 'dwell all our days in the house of the ,lord1 to behold the beauty of the ,lord and to enquire in ,his temple4' ,alas1 when we think of our own experiences1 how fair and far seems that other1 contemplated as a possibility in my text1 that our hearts should 'abide in the love of ,god'6 ,let me remind you1 too1 that steadfastness of habitual love all round our hearts1 as it were1 is the source and germ of all perfectness of life and conduct4 ',love and do as ,thou wilt1' is a bold saying1 but not too bold4 ,for the very essence of love is the smelting of the will of the lover into the will of the beloved4 ,and there is nothing so certain as that1 in regard to all human relations1 and in regard to the relations to ,god which in many respects follow1 and are moulded after the pattern of1 our earthly relations of love1 to have the heart fixed in pure affection is to have the whole life subordinated in glad obedience4 ,nothing is so sweet as to do the beloved's will4 ,the germ of all righteousness1 as well as the characteristic spirit of every righteous deed1 lies in love to ,god4 ,this is the mother tincture which1 variously coloured and with various additions1 makes all the different precious liquids which we can pour as libations on ,his altar4 ,the one saving salt of all deeds in reference to ,him is that they are the outcome and expression of a loving heart4 ,he who loves is righteous1 and doeth righteousness4 ,so1 'love is the fulfilling of the law4' ,that the heart should be fixed in its abode in love to ,god is the secret of all blessedness1 as it is the source of all righteousness4 ,love is always joy in itself2 it is the one deliverance from self-bondage to which self is the one curse and misery of man4 ,the emancipation from care and sorrow and unrest lies in that going out of ourselves which we call by the name of love4 ,there be things masquerading about the world1 and profaning the sacred name of love by taking it to themselves1 which are only selfishness under a disguise4 ,but true love is the annihilation1 and therefore the apotheosis and glorifying1 of self2 and in that annihilation lies the secret charm which brings all blessedness into a life4 ,but1 then1 though love in itself be always bliss1 yet1 by reason of the imperfections of its objects1 it sometimes leads to sorrow4 ,for limitations and disappointments and inadequacies of all sorts haunt our earthly loves whilst they last2 and we have all to see them fade1 or to fade away from them4 ,the thing you love may change1 the thing you love must die2 and therefore love1 which in itself is blessedness1 hath often1 like the little book that the prophet swallowed1 a bitter taste remaining when the sweetness is gone4 ,but if we set our hearts on ,god1 we set our hearts on that which knows no variableness1 neither the shadow of turning4 ,there are no inadequate responses1 no changes that we need fear4 ,on that love the scythe of death1 which mows down all other products of the human heart1 hath no power2 and its stem stands untouched by the keen edge that levels all the rest of the herbage4 ,love ,god1 and thou lovest eternity2 and therefore the joy of the love is eternal as its object4 ,so he who loves ,god is building upon a rock1 and whosoever has this for his treasure carries his wealth with him whithersoever he goes4 ,well may the ,apostle gather into one potent word1 and one mighty wish1 the whole fulness of his desires for his friends4 ,and wise shall we be if we make this the chiefest of our aims1 that our hearts may have their home in the love of ,god4 ,still further1 there is another chamber in this house of the soul4 ,the outer room1 where the heart inhabits that loves ,god1 leads into another compartment1 'the patience of ,christ4' ,now1 ,i suppose ,i need not remind many of you that this great ,new ,testament word 'patience' has a far wider area of meaning than that which is ordinarily covered by that expression4 ,for patience1 as we use it1 is simply a passive virtue4 ,but the thing that is meant by the ,new ,testament word which is generally so rendered has an active as well as a passive side4 ,on the passive side it is the calm1 unmurmuring1 unreluctant submission of the will to whatsoever evil may come upon us1 either directly from ,god's hand1 or through the ministration and mediation of men who are ,his sword4 ,on the active side it is the steadfast persistence in the path of duty1 in spite of all that may array itself against us4 ,so there are the two halves of the virtue which is here put before us--unmurmuring submission and bold continuance in well-doing1 whatsoever storms may hurtle in our faces4 ,now1 in both of these aspects1 the life of ,jesus ,christ is the great pattern4 ,as for the passive side1 need ,i remind you how1 'as a sheep before her shearers is dumb1 so ,he opened not ,his mouth'8 ',when ,he was reviled ,he reviled not again1 but committed ,himself unto ,him that judgeth uprightly4' ,no anger ever flushed ,his cheek or contracted ,his brow4 ,he never repaid scorn with scorn1 nor hate with hate4 ,all men's malice fell upon ,him1 like sparks upon wet timber1 and kindled no conflagration4 ,as for the active side1 ,i need not remind you how ',he set ,his face to go to ,jerusalem'--how the great solemn 'must' which ruled ,his life bore ,him on1 steadfast and without deflection in ,his course1 through all obstacles4 ,there never was such heroic force as the quiet force of the meek and gentle ,christ1 which wasted no strength in displaying or boasting of itself1 but simply1 silently1 unconquerably1 like the secular motions of the stars1 dominated all opposition1 and carried ,him1 unhasting and unresting1 on ,his path4 ,that life1 with all its surface of weakness1 had an iron tenacity of purpose beneath1 which may well stand for our example4 ,like some pure glacier from an ,alpine peak1 it comes silently1 slowly down into the valley2 and though to the eye it seems not to move1 it presses on with a force sublime in its silence and gigantic in its gentleness1 and buries beneath it the rocks that stand in its way4 ,the patience of ,christ is the very sublimity of persistence in well-doing4 ,it is our example1 and more than our example--it is ,his gift to us4 ,such passive and active patience is the direct fruit of love to ,god4 ,the one chamber opens into the other4 ,for they whose hearts dwell in the sweet sanctities of the love of ,god will ever be those who say1 with a calm smile1 as they put out their hand to the bitterest draught1 'the cup which ,my ,father hath given ,me1 shall ,i not drink it8' ,love1 and evil dwindles2 love1 and duty becomes supreme2 and in the submission of the will1 which is the true issue of love1 lies the foundation of indomitable and inexhaustible endurance and perseverance4 ,nor need ,i remind you1 ,i suppose1 that in this resolve to do the will of ,god1 in spite of all antagonism and opposition1 lies a condition at once of moral perfection and of blessedness4 ,so1 dear friends1 if we would have a home for our hearts1 let us pass into that sweet1 calm1 inexpugnable fortress provided for us in the love of ,god and the patience of ,christ4 ,,ii4 ,now notice1 secondly1 the ,guide of the heart to its home4 ',the ,lord direct you4' ,i have already explained that we have here a distinct address to ,jesus ,christ as divine1 and the hearer of prayer4 ,the ,apostle evidently expects a present1 personal influence from ,christ to be exerted upon men's hearts4 ,and this is the point to which ,i desire to draw your attention in a word or two4 ,we are far too oblivious of the present influence of ,jesus ,christ1 by ,his ,spirit1 upon the hearts of men that trust ,him4 ,we have very imperfectly apprehended our privileges as ,christians if our faith do not expect1 and if our experience have not realised1 the inward guidance of ,christ moment by moment in our daily lives4 ,i believe that much of the present feebleness of the ,christian life amongst its professors is to be traced to the fact that their thoughts about ,jesus ,christ are predominantly thoughts of what ,he did nineteen centuries ago1 and that the proportion of faith is not observed in their perspective of ,his work1 and that they do not sufficiently realise that to-day1 here1 in you and me1 if we have faith in ,him1 ,he is verily and really putting forth ,his power4 ,paul's prayer is but an echo of ,christ's promise4 ,the ,master said1 ',he shall guide you into all truth4' ,the servant prays1 ',the ,lord direct your hearts into the love of ,god4' ,and if we rightly know the whole blessedness that is ours in the gift of ,jesus ,christ1 we shall recognise ,his present guidance as a reality in our lives4 ,that guidance is given to us mainly by the ,divine ,spirit laying upon our hearts the great facts which evoke our answering love to ,god4 ',we love ,him because ,he first loved us'2 and the way by which ,jesus directs our hearts into the love of ,god is mainly by shedding abroad ,god's love to us in our spirits by the ,holy ,spirit which is given to us4 ,but1 besides that1 all these movements in our hearts so often neglected1 so often resisted1 by which we are impelled to a holier life1 to a deeper love1 to a more unworldly consecration--all these1 rightly understood1 are ,christ's directions4 ,he leads us1 though often we know not the hand that guides2 and every ,christian may be sure of this--and he is sinful if he does not live up to the height of his privileges--that the ancient promises are more than fulfilled in his experience1 and that he has a present ,christ1 an indwelling ,christ1 who will be his ,shepherd1 and lead him by green pastures and still waters sometimes and through valleys of darkness and rough defiles sometimes1 but always with the purpose of bringing him nearer and nearer to the full possession of the love of ,god and the patience of ,christ4 ,the vision which shone before the eyes of the father of the forerunner1 was that 'the dayspring from on high hath visited us1 to guide our feet into the way of peace4' ,it is fulfilled in ,jesus who directs our hearts into love and patience1 which are the way of peace4 ,we are not to look for impressions and impulses distinguishable from the operations of our own inward man4 ,we are not to fall into the error of supposing that a conviction of duty or a conception of truth is of divine origin because it is strong4 ,but the true test of their divine origin is their correspondence with the written word1 the standard of truth and life4 ,jesus guides us to a fuller apprehension of the great facts of the infinite love of ,god in the ,cross4 ,shedding abroad a ,saviour's love does kindle ours4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 notice the heart's yielding to its guide4 ,if this was ,paul's prayer for his converts1 it should be our aim for ourselves4 ,christ is ready to direct our hearts1 if we will let ,him4 ,all depends on our yielding to that sweet direction1 loving as that of a mother's hand on her child's shoulder4 ,what is our duty and wisdom in view of these truths8 ,the answer may be thrown into the shape of one or two brief counsels4 ,first1 desire it4 ,do you ,christian people want to be led to love ,god more8 ,are you ready to love the world less1 which you will have to do if you love ,god more8 ,do you wish ,christ to lay ,his hand upon you1 and withdraw you from much1 that ,he may draw you into the sanctities and sublimities of ,his own experienced love8 ,i do not think the lives of some of us look very like as if we should welcome that direction4 ,and it is a sharp test1 and a hard commandment to say to a ,christian professor1 ',desire to be led into the love of ,god4' ,again1 expect it4 ,do not dismiss all that ,i have been saying about a present ,christ leading men by their own impulses1 which are ,his monitions1 as fanatical and mystical and far away from daily experience4 ,ah6 it is not only the boy ,samuel whose infancy was an excuse for his ignorance1 who takes ,god's voice to be only white-bearded ,eli's4 ,there are many of us who1 when ,christ speaks1 think it is only a human voice4 ,perhaps ,his deep and gentle tones are thrilling through my harsh and feeble voice2 and ,he is now1 even by the poor reed through which ,he breathes ,his breath1 saying to some of you1 ',come near to ,me4' ,expect the guidance4 ,still your own wills that you may hear ,his voice4 ,how can you be led if you never look at the ,guide8 ,how can you hear that still small voice amidst the clattering of spindles1 and the roar of wagons1 and the noises in your own heart8 ,be still1 and ,he will speak4 ,follow the guidance1 and at once1 for delay is fatal4 ,like a man walking behind a guide across some morass1 set your feet in the print of the ,master's and keep close at ,his heels1 and then you will be safe4 ,and so1 dear friends1 if we want to have anchorage for our love1 let us set our love on ,god1 who alone is worthy of it1 and who alone of all its objects will neither fail us nor change4 ,if we would have the temper which lifts us above the ills of life and enables us to keep our course unaffected by them all1 as the gentle moon moves with the same silent1 equable pace through piled masses of cloud and clear stretches of sky1 we must attain submission through love1 and gain unreluctant endurance and steadfast wills from the example and source of both1 the gentle and strong ,christ4 ,if we would have our hearts calm1 we must let ,him guide them1 sway them1 curb their vagrancies1 stimulate their desires1 and satisfy the desires which ,he has stimulated4 ,we must abandon self1 and say1 ',lord1 ,i cannot guide myself4 ,do ,thou direct my wandering feet4' ,the prayer will not be in vain4 ,he will guide us with ,his eye1 and that directing of our hearts will issue in experiences of love and patience1 whose 'very sweetness yieldeth proof that they were born for immortality4' ,the ,guide and the road foreshadow the goal4 ,the only natural end to which such a path can lead and such guidance point is a heaven of perfect love1 where patience has done its perfect work1 and is called for no more4 ,the experience of present direction strengthens the hope of future perfection4 ,so we may take for our own the triumphant confidence of the ,psalmist1 and embrace the nearest and the remotest future in one calm vision of faith that ',thou wilt guide me with ,thy counsel1 and afterwards receive me to glory4' ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,peace ,,and ,,the ,,peace ,,of ,,the ,,lord ',now the ,lord of ,peace ,himself give you peace always1 by all means4 ,the ,lord be with you all4'--#b ,,thess4 iii4 #af4 ,we have reached here the last of the brief outbursts of prayer which characterise this letter1 and bear witness to the ,apostle's affection for his ,thessalonian converts4 ,it is the deepening of the ordinary ,jewish formula of meeting and parting4 ,we find that1 in most of his letters1 the ,apostle begins with wishing 'grace and peace1' and closes with an echo of the wish4 ',peace be unto you' was often a form which meant nothing4 ,but true religion turns conventional insincerities into real1 heartfelt desires4 ,it was often a wish destined to remain unfulfilled4 ,but loving wishes are potent when they are changed into petitions4 ,the relation between the two clauses of my text seems to be that the second1 ',the ,lord be with you all1' is not so much a separate1 additional supplication as rather the fuller statement1 in the form of prayer1 of the means by which the former supplication is to be accomplished4 ',the ,lord of ,peace' gives peace by giving ,his own presence4 ,this1 then1 is the supreme desire of the ,apostle1 that ,christ may be with them all1 and in ,his presence they may find the secret of tranquillity4 ,i4 ,the deepest longing of every human soul is for peace4 ,there are many ways in which the supreme good may be represented1 but perhaps none of them is so lovely1 and exercises such universal fascination of attraction1 as that which presents it in the form of rest4 ,it is an eloquent testimony to the unrest which tortures every heart that the promise of peace should to all seem so fair4 ,it may be presented and aimed at in very ignoble and selfish ways4 ,it may be sought for in cowardly shirking of duty1 in sluggish avoidance of effort1 in selfish absorption1 apart from all the miseries of mankind4 ,it may be sought for in the ignoble paths of mere pleasure1 amidst the sanctities of human love1 amidst the nobilities of intellectual effort and pursuit4 ,but all men in their workings are aiming at rest of spirit1 and only in such rest does blessedness lie4 ',there is no joy but calm4' ,it is better than all the excitements of conflict1 and better than the flush of victory4 ,best which is not apathy1 rest which is not indolence1 rest which is contemporaneous with1 and the consequence of1 the full wholesome activity of the whole nature in its legitimate directions1 that is the good that we are all longing for4 ,the sea is not stagnant1 though it be calm4 ,there will be the slow heave of the calm billow1 and the wavelets may sparkle in the sunlight1 though they be still from all the winds that rave4 ,deep in every human heart1 in yours and mine1 brother1 is this cry for rest and peace4 ,let us see to it that we do not mistranslate the meaning of the longing1 or fancy that it can be found in the ignoble1 the selfish1 the worldly ways to which ,i have referred4 ,we want1 most of all1 peace in our inmost hearts4 ,,ii4 ,then the second thing to be suggested here is that the ,lord of ,peace ,himself is the only giver of peace4 ,i suppose ,i may take for granted1 on the part at least of the members of my own congregation1 some remembrance of a former discourse upon another of these petitions1 in which ,i pointed out how1 in phraseology analogous to that of my text1 there were the distinct reference to the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 the distinct presentation of prayer to ,him1 the implication of ,his present activity upon ,christian hearts4 ,and here again we have the august and majestic ',himself4' ,here again we have the distinct reference of the title ',lord' to ,jesus4 ,and here again we have plainly prayer to ,him4 ,but the title by which ,he is addressed is profoundly significant1 ',the ,lord of ,peace4' ,now we find1 in another of ,paul's letters1 in immediate conjunction with ,his teaching1 that casting all our care upon ,god is the sure way to bring the peace of ,god into our hearts1 the title 'the ,god of ,peace'2 and he employs the same phraseology in another of his letters1 when he prays that the ',god of ,peace' would fill the ,roman ,christians 'with all joy and peace in believing4' ,so1 then1 here is a title which is all but distinctively divine4 ',the ,lord of ,peace' is brought into parallelism and equality with 'the ,god of ,peace'2 which were blasphemy unless the underlying implication was that ,jesus ,christ ,himself was divine4 ,he is the ',lord of ,peace' because that tranquillity of heart and spirit1 that unruffled calm which we all see from afar1 and long to possess1 was verily ,his1 in ,his manhood1 during all the calamities and changes and activities of ,his earthly life4 ,i have said that 'peace' is not apathy1 that it is not indifference1 that it is not self-absorption4 ,look at the life of the ',lord of ,peace4' ,in ,him there were wholesome human emotions4 ,he sorrowed1 ,he wept1 ,he wondered1 ,he was angry1 ,he pitied1 ,he loved4 ,and yet all these were perfectly consistent with the unruffled calm which marked ,his whole career4 ,so peace is not stolid indifference1 nor is it to be found in the avoidance of difficult duties1 or the cowardly shirking of sacrifices and pains and struggles2 but rather it is 'peace subsisting at the heart of endless agitation1' of which the great example stands in ,him who was 'the ,man of ,sorrows and acquainted with grief1' and who yet1 in it all1 was 'the ,lord of ,peace4' ,why was ,christ's manhood so perfectly tranquil8 ,the secret lies here4 ,it was a manhood in unbroken communion with the ,father4 ,and what was the secret of that unbroken communion with the ,father8 ,it lies here1 in the perfect submission of ,his will4 ,resignation is peace4 ,the surrender of self-will is peace4 ,obedience is peace4 ,trust is peace1 and fellowship with the divine is peace4 ,so ,christ has taught us in ,his life--',the ,father hath not left ,me alone1 because ,i do always the things that please ,him4' ,and therein ,he has marked out for us the path of righteousness and communion1 which is ever the path of peace4 ',thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on ,thee1 because he trusteth in ,thee4' ,that is the secret of the tranquillity of the ever-calm ,christ4 ,being thus the ,lord of ,peace1 inasmuch as it was ,his own constant and unbroken possession1 ,he is the sole giver of it to others4 ,ah6 brethren1 our hearts want far more1 for their stable restfulness1 than we can find in any hand1 or in any heart1 except those of ,jesus ,christ ,himself4 ,for what do we need8 ,we need1 in order that we should know the sweetness of repose1 an adequate object for every part of our nature4 ,if we find something that is good and sweet and satisfying for some portion of this complex being of ours1 all its other hungry desires are apt to be left unappeased4 ,so we are shuttle-cocked from one wish to another1 and bandied about from one partial satisfaction to another1 and in them all it is but segments of our being that are satisfied1 whilst all the rest of the circumference remains disquieted4 ,we need that1 in one attainable and single object1 there shall be at once that which will subjugate the will1 that which will illuminate and appease the conscience1 that which will satisfy the seeking intellect1 and hold forth the promise of endless progress in insight and knowledge1 that which will meet all the desires of our ravenous clamant nature1 and that which will fill every creek and cranny of our empty hearts as with the flashing brightness of an inflowing tide4 ,and where shall we find all these1 but in one dear heart1 and where shall we discern the one object1 whom1 possessing1 we have enough2 and without whom1 possessing all beside1 we are mendicants and starving8 ,where1 but in that dear ,lord1 who ,himself will supply all our needs1 and will minister to us peace1 because for will and conscience and intellect and affections and desires ,he supplies the pabulum that they require1 and gives more than enough for their satisfaction8 ,we want1 if we are to be at rest1 that there shall be some absolute control over our passions1 lusts1 desires1 which torture us for ever1 as long as they are ungoverned4 ,there is only one hand which will take the wild beasts of our nature1 bind them in the silken leash of ,his love1 and lead them along1 tamed and obedient4 ,we want1 for our peace1 that all our relations with circumstances and men around us shall be rectified4 ,and who is there that can bring about such harmony between us and our surroundings that calamities shall not press upon us with their heaviest weight1 nor opposing circumstances kindle angry resistance1 but only patient perseverance and thankful persistence in the path of duty8 ,it is only ,christ that can regulate our relations to the things and the men around us1 and make all things work together to our consciousness for our good4 ,further1 if we are to be at rest1 and possess any true1 fundamental1 and stable tranquillity1 we want that our relations with ,god shall consciously be rectified and made blessed4 ,and ,i1 for my part1 do not believe that any man comes into the full sweetness of an assured friendship with ,god1 unless he comes to it by the road of faith in that ,saviour in whom ,god draws near to us with tenderness in ,his heart1 and blessings dropping from ,his open ,hands4 ,to be at peace with ,god is the beginning of all true tranquillity1 and that can be secured only by faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,so1 because ,he brings the reconciliation between man and ,god1 because ,he brings the rectification of our relation to circumstances and men1 because ,he brings the control of desires and passions and inclinations1 and because ,he satisfies all the capacities of our natures1 in ,him1 and in ,him only1 is there peace for us4 ,,iii4 ,so note1 thirdly1 that the peace of the ,lord of ,peace is perfect4 ',give you peace always1' that points to perpetual1 unbroken duration in time1 and through all changing circumstances which might threaten a less stable and deeply-rooted tranquillity4 ,and then1 'by all means1' as our ,authorised ,version has it1 or1 better1 'in all ways1' as the ,revised ,version reads1 the reference being1 not so much to the various manners in which the divine peace is to be bestowed1 as to the various aspects which that peace is capable of assuming4 ,christ's peace1 then1 is perpetual and multiform1 unbroken1 and presenting itself in all the aspects in which tranquillity is possible for a human spirit4 ,it is possible1 then1 thinks ,paul1 that there shall be in our hearts a deep tranquillity1 over which disasters1 calamities1 sorrows1 losses1 need have no power4 ,there is no necessity why1 when my outward life is troubled1 my inward life should be perturbed4 ,there may be light in the dwellings of ,goshen1 while darkness lies over all the land of ,egypt4 ,the peace which ,christ gives is no exemption from warfare1 but is realised in the midst of warfare4 ,it is no immunity from sorrows1 but is then most felt when the storm of sorrow beating upon us is patiently accepted4 ,the rainbow steadfastly stands spanning the tortured waters of the cataract4 ,the fire may burn1 like that old ,greek fire1 beneath the water4 ,the surface may be agitated1 but the centre may be calm4 ,it is not calamity that breaks our peace1 but it is the resistance of our wills to calamity which troubles us4 ,when we can bow and submit and say1 ',thy will be done1' 'it seemeth good to ,thee1 do as ,thou wilt1' then nothing can break the peace of ,god in our hearts4 ,we seek in the wrong quarter for peace when we seek it in the disposition of outward things according to our wills4 ,we seek in the right way when we seek it in the disposition of our wills according to the will of the ,father manifest in our circumstances4 ,there may be peace always1 even whilst the storms1 efforts1 and calamities of life are in full operation around us and on us4 ,that peace may be uninterrupted and uniform1 extended on one high level1 as it were through all our lives4 ,it is not so with us1 dear brethren2 there are ups and downs which are our own fault4 ,the peace of ,god may be permanent1 but1 in order that it should be1 there must be permanent communion and permanent obedience4 ,further1 says the ,apostle1 ,christ's peace will not manifest itself in one form only1 but in all the shapes in which peace is possible4 ,there are many enemies that beset this calmness of spirit2 for them all there is the appropriate armour and defence in the peace of ,god1 ,i have already enumerated in part some of the requirements for true and permanent tranquillity of soul4 ,all these are met in the peace of ,christ4 ,whatever it is that disturbs men1 ,he has ,his anodyne that will soothe4 ,if circumstances threaten1 if men array themselves against us1 if our own evil hearts rise up in rebellion1 if our passions disturb us1 if our consciences accuse3 for all these ,christ brings tranquillity and calm4 ,in every way in which men can be disturbed1 and in every way1 therefore1 in which peace can be manifest1 ,christ's gift avails4 ',come unto ,me all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,,iv4 ,lastly1 'the ,lord of ,peace' gives it by giving ,his own presence4 ,the ,thessalonians1 as they listened to ,paul's first prayer1 might think to themselves1 ',always1 by all means4' ,that is a large petition6 ,can it be fufilled8 ,and so the ,apostle adds1 ',the ,lord be with you all4' ,you cannot separate ,christ's gifts from ,christ4 ,the only way to get anything that ,he gives is to get ,him4 ,it is ,his presence that does everything4 ,if ,he is with me1 the world's annoyances will seem very small4 ,if ,i hold ,his hand ,i shall not be much troubled4 ,if ,i can only nestle close to ,his side1 and come under ,his cloak1 ,he will shield me from the cold blast1 from whatever side it blows4 ,if my heart is twined around ,him it will partake of the stability and calm of the great heart on which it rests4 ,the secret of tranquillity is the presence of ,christ4 ,when ,he is in the vessel the waves calm themselves4 ,so1 ,christian men and women1 if you and ,i are conscious of breaches of our restfulness1 interruptions of our tranquillity by reason of surging1 impatient passions1 and hot desires within ourselves1 or by reason of the pressure of outward circumstances1 or by reason of our having fallen beneath our consciences1 and done wrong things1 let us understand that the breaches of our peace are not owing to ,him1 but only to our having let go ,his hand4 ,it is our own faults if we are ever troubled2 if we kept close to ,him we should not be4 ,it is our own faults if the world ever agitates us beyond the measure that is compatible with central calm4 ,sorrow should not have the power to touch the citadel of our lives4 ,effort should not have the power to withdraw us from our trustful repose in ,him4 ,and nothing here would have the power1 if we did not let our hand slip out of ,his1 and break our communion with ,him4 ,so1 dear brethren1 'in the world ye shall have tribulation1 in ,me ye shall have peace4' ,keep inside the fortress and nothing will disturb4 ',he that dwelleth in the secret place of the ,most ,high shall abide under the shadow of the ,almighty4' ,the only place where that hungry1 passion-ridden heart of yours1 conscious of alienation from ,god1 can find rest1 is close by ,jesus ,christ4 ',the ,lord be with us all1' and then the peace of that ,lord shall clothe and fill our hearts in ,christ ,jesus4 ,i4 ,,timothy ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,commandment ',now1 the end of the commandment is love1 out of a pure heart1 and of a good conscience1 and of faith unfeigned4'--#a ,,tim4 #a4 #f4 ,the ,apostle has just said that he left ,timothy in ,ephesus1 in order to check some tendencies there which were giving anxiety4 ,certain teachers had appeared1 the effect of whose activity was to create parties1 to foster useless speculations1 and to turn the minds of the ,ephesian ,christians away from the practical and moral side of ,christianity4 ,in opposition to these1 the ,apostle here lays down the broad principle that ,god has spoken1 not in order to make acute theologians1 or to provide materials for controversy1 but in order to help us to love4 ,the whole of these latest letters of the ,apostle breathe the mellow wisdom of old age1 which has learned to rate brilliant intellectualism1 agility1 incontroversial fence and the like1 far lower than homely goodness4 ,and so1 says ,paul1 'the end of the commandment is love4' ,now he here states1 not only the purpose of the divine revelation1 but gives us a summary1 but yet sufficient1 outline of the method by which ,god works towards that purpose4 ,the commandment is the beginning1 love is the end or aim4 ,and between these two there are inserted three things1 a 'pure heart1' a 'good conscience1' 'faith unfeigned4' ,now of these three the two former are closely connected1 and the third is the cause1 or condition1 of both of them4 ,it is1 therefore1 properly named last as being first in order1 and therefore last reached in analysis4 ,when you track a stream from its mouth to its source1 the fountain-head is the last thing that you come to4 ,and here we have1 as in these great lakes in ,central ,africa--out of which finally the ,nile issues--the stages of the flow4 ,there are the twin lakes1 a 'good conscience' and a 'pure heart4' ,these come from 'unfeigned faith1' which lies higher up in the hills of ,god2 and they run down into the love which is the 'end of the commandment4' ,the faith lays hold on the commandment1 and so the process is complete4 ,or1 if you begin at the top1 instead of at the bottom1 ,god gives the word2 faith grasps the word1 and thereby nourishes a 'pure heart' and a 'good conscience1' and thereby produces a universal love4 ,so1 then1 we have three steps to look at here4 ,i4 ,first of all1 what ,god speaks to us for4 ',the end of the commandment is love4' ,now1 ,i take it that the word 'commandment' here means1 not this or that specific precept1 but the whole body of ,christian revelation1 considered as containing laws for life4 ,and to begin with1 and only to mention1 it is something to get that point of view1 that all which ,god says1 be it promise1 be it self-manifestation1 be it threatening1 or be it anything else1 has a preceptive bearing1 and is meant to influence life and conduct4 ,i shall have a word or two more to say about that presently1 but note1 just as we go on1 how remarkable it is1 and how full of lessons1 if we will ponder it1 that one name for the ,gospel on the lips of the man who had most to say about the contrast between ,gospel and ,law is 'commandment4' ,try to feel the stringency of that aspect of evangelical truth and of ,christian revelation4 ,then ,i need not remind you how here the indefinite expression 'love' must be taken1 as ,i think is generally the case in the ,new ,testament1 when the object on which the love rests is not defined1 as including both of the twin commandments1 of which the second1 our ,master says1 is like unto the first1 love to ,god and love to man4 ,in the ,christian idea these two are one4 ,they are shoots from the one root4 ,the only difference is that the one climbs and the other grows along the levels of earth4 ,there is no gulf set in the ,new ,testament teaching1 and there ought to be none in the practice and life of a ,christian man1 between the love of ,god and the love of man4 ,they are two aspects of one thing4 ,then1 if so1 mark how1 according to the ,apostle's teaching here1 in this one thought of a dual-sided love1 one turned upwards1 one turned earthwards1 there lies the whole perfection of a human soul4 ,you want nothing more if you are 'rooted and grounded in love4' ,that will secure all goodness1 all morality1 all religion1 everything that is beautiful1 and everything that is noble4 ,and all this is meant to be the result of ,god's speech to us4 ,so1 then1 two very plain practical principles may be deduced and enforced from this first thought4 ,first1 the purpose of all revelation and the test of all religion is--character and conduct4 ,it is all very well to know about ,god1 to have our minds filled with true thoughts about ,him1 ,his nature1 and dealings with us4 ,orthodoxy is good1 but orthodoxy is a means to an end4 ,there should be nothing in a man's creed which does not act upon his life4 ,or1 if ,i may put it into technical words1 all a man's credenda should be his agenda2 and whatsoever he believes should come straight into his life to influence it1 and to shape character4 ,here1 then1 is the warning against a mere notional orthodoxy1 and against regarding ,christian truth as being intended mainly to illuminate the understanding1 or to be a subject of speculation and discussion4 ,there are people in all generations1 and there are plenty of them to-day1 who seem to think that the great verities of the ,gospel are mainly meant to provide material for controversy-- ',as if religion were intended ,for nothing else but to be mended'2 and that they have done all that can be expected when they have tried to apprehend the true bearing of this revelation1 and to contend against misinterpretations4 ,this is the curse of religious controversy1 that it blinds men to the practical importance of the truths for which they are fighting4 ,it is as if one were to take some fertile wheat-land1 and sand it all over1 and roll it down1 and make it smooth for a gymnasium1 where nothing would grow4 ,so the temper which finds in ,christian truth simply a 'ministration of questions1' as my text says1 mars its purpose1 and robs itself of all the power and nourishment that it might find there4 ,no less to be guarded against is the other misconception which the clear grasp of our text would dismiss at once1 that the great purpose for which ,god speaks to us men1 in the revelation of ,jesus ,christ1 is that we may1 as we say1 be 'forgiven1' and escape any of the temporal or eternal consequences of our wrongdoing4 ,that is a purpose1 no doubt1 and men will never rise to the apprehension of the loftiest purposes1 nor penetrate to a sympathetic perception of the inmost sweetness of the ,gospel1 unless they begin with its redemptive aspect1 even in the narrowest sense of that word4 ,but there are a miserable number of so-called and of real ,christians in this world1 and in our churches to-day1 who have little conception that ,god has spoken to them for anything else than to deliver them from the fear of death1 and from the incidence on them of future condemnation4 ,he has spoken for this purpose1 but the ultimate end of all is that we may be helped to love ,him1 and so to be like ,him4 ,the aim of the commandment is love1 and if you ever are tempted to rest in intellectual apprehensions1 or to pervert the truth of ,god into a mere arena on which you can display your skill of fence and your intellectual agility1 or if ever you are tempted to think that all is done when the sweet message of forgiveness is sealed upon a man's heart1 remember the solemn and plain words of my text--the final purpose of all is that we may love ,god and man4 ,but then1 on the other side1 note that no less distinctly is the sole foundation of this love laid in ,god's speech4 ,my text1 in its elevation of sentiment and character and conduct above doctrine1 falls in with the prevailing tendencies of this day2 but it provides the safeguards which these tendencies neglect4 ,notice that this favourite saying of the most advanced school of broad thinkers1 who are always talking about the decay of dogma1 and the unimportance of doctrine as compared with love1 is here uttered by a man who was no sentimentalist1 but to whom the ,christian system was a most distinct and definite thing1 bristling all over with the obnoxious doctrines which are by some of us so summarily dismissed as of no importance4 ,my very text protests against the modern attempt to wrench away the sentiments and emotions produced in men1 by the reception of ,christian truth1 from the truth which it recognises as the only basis on which they can be produced4 ,it declares that the 'commandment' must come first1 before love can follow2 and the rest of the letter1 although1 as ,i say1 it decisively places the end of revelation as being the moral and religious perfecting of men into assimilation with the divine love1 no less decisively demands that for such a perfecting there shall be laid the foundation of the truth as it is revealed in ,jesus ,christ4 ,and that is what we want to-day in order to make breadth wholesome1 and if only we will carry with us the two thoughts1 the commandment and love1 we shall not go far wrong4 ,but what would you think of a man that said1 ',i do not want any foundations4 ,i want a house to live in'8 ,and pray how are you going to get your house without the foundations8 ,or would he be a wise man who said1 ',oh1 never mind about putting grapes into the vine vat1 and producing fermentation2 give me the wine6' ,yes6 ,but you must have the fermentation first4 ,the process is not the result1 of course1 but there is no result without the process4 ,and according to ,new ,testament teaching1 which1 ,i am bold to say1 is verified by experience1 there is no deep1 all-swaying1 sovereign1 heart-uniting love to ,god which is not drawn from the acceptance of the truth as it is in ,jesus ,christ4 ,,ii4 ,and so ,i come1 secondly1 to note the purifying which is needed prior to such love4 ,our text1 as ,i said1 divides the process into stages2 or1 if ,i may go back to a former illustration1 into levels4 ,and on the level immediately above the love1 down into which the waters of the twin lakes glide1 are a pure heart and a good conscience4 ,these are the requisites for all real and operative love4 ,now they are closely connected1 as it seems to me1 more closely so than with either the stage which precedes or that which follows4 ,they are1 in fact1 two twin thoughts1 very closely identified1 though not quite identical4 ,a pure heart is one that has been defecated and cleansed from the impurities which naturally attach to human affections4 ,a 'good conscience' is one which is void of offence towards ,god and man1 and registers the emotions of a pure heart4 ,it is like a sheet of sensitive paper that1 with a broken line1 indicates how many hours of sunshine in the day there have been4 ,we need not discuss the question as to which of these two great gifts and blessings which sweeten a whole life come first4 ,in the initial stages of the ,christian life ,i suppose the good conscience precedes the pure heart4 ,for forgiveness which calms the conscience and purges it of the perilous stuff which has been injected into it by our corruptions--forgiveness comes before cleansing1 and the conscience is calm before the heart is purified4 ,but in the later stages of the ,christian life the order seems to be reversed1 and there cannot be in a man a conscience that is good unless there is a heart that is pure4 ,but however that may be--and it does not affect the general question before us--mark how distinctly ,paul lays down here the principle that you will get no real love of ,god or man out of men whose hearts are foul1 and whose consciences are either torpid or stinging them4 ,i need not dwell upon that1 for it is plain to anybody that will think for a moment that all sin separates between a man and ,god2 and that from a heart all seething and bubbling1 like the crater of a volcano1 with foul liquids1 and giving forth foul odours1 there can come no love worth calling so to ,god1 nor any benevolence worth calling so to man4 ,wherever there is sin1 unrecognised1 unconfessed1 unpardoned1 there there is a black barrier built up between a man's heart and the yearning heart of ,god on the other side4 ,and until that barrier is swept away1 until the whole nature receives a new set1 until it is delivered from the love of evil1 and from its self-centred absorption1 and until conscience has taken into grateful hands1 if ,i might so say1 the greatest of all gifts1 the assurance of the divine forgiveness1 ,i1 for one1 do not believe that deep1 vital1 and life-transforming love to ,god is possible4 ,i know that it is very unfashionable1 ,i know it is exceedingly narrow teaching1 but it seems to me that it is ,scriptural teaching2 and it seems to me that if we will strip it of the exaggerations with which it has often been surrounded1 and recognise that there may be a kind of instinctive and occasional recognition of a divine love1 there may be a yearning after a clear light1 and fuller knowledge of it1 and yet all the while no real love to ,god1 rooted in and lording over and moulding the life1 we shall not find much in the history of the world1 or in the experience of ourselves or of others1 to contradict the affirmation that you need the cleansing of forgiveness1 and the recognition of ,god's love in ,jesus ,christ1 before you can get love worth calling so in return to ,him in men's hearts4 ,brethren1 there is much to-day to shame ,christian men in the singular fact which is becoming more obvious daily1 of a divorce between human benevolence and godliness4 ,it is a scandal that there should be so many men in the world who make no pretensions to any sympathy with your ,christianity1 and who set you an example of benevolence1 self-sacrifice1 enthusiasm for humanity1 as it is called4 ,i believe that the one basis upon which there can be solidly built benevolence to men is devotion to ,god1 because of ,god's great love to us in ,jesus ,christ4 ,but ,i want to stir1 if ,i might not say sting1 you and myself into a recognition of our obligations to mankind1 more stringent and compelling than we have ever felt it1 by this phenomenon of modern life1 that a divorce has been proclaimed between philanthropy and religion4 ,the end of the commandment is love1 out of a pure heart1 and of a good conscience4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 notice the condition of such purifying4 ,to recur to my former illustration1 we have to go up country to a still higher level4 ,what feeds the two reservoirs that feed the love8 ,what makes the heart pure and the conscience good8 ,paul answers1 'faith unfeigned'2 not mere intellectual apprehension1 not mere superficial or professed1 but deep1 genuine1 and complete faith which has in it the element of reliance as well as the element of credence4 ,belief is not all that goes to make faith4 ,trust is not all that goes to make faith4 ,belief and trust are indissolubly wedded in the conception of it4 ,such a faith1 which knows what it lays hold of--for it lays hold upon definite truth1 and lays hold on what it knows1 for it trusts in ,him whom the truth reveals--such a faith makes the heart pure and the conscience good4 ,and how does it do so8 ,by nothing in itself4 ,there is no power in my faith to make me one bit better than ,i am4 ,there is no power in it to still one accusation of conscience4 ,it is only the condition on which the one power that purges and that calms enters into my heart and works there4 ,the power of faith is the power of that which faith admits to operate in my life4 ,if we open our hearts the fire will come in1 and it will thaw the ice1 and melt out the foulness from my heart4 ,it is important for practice that we should clearly understand that the great things which the ,bible says of faith it says of it only because it is the channel1 the medium1 the condition1 by and on which the real power1 which is ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 acts upon us4 ,it is not the window1 but the sunshine1 that floods this building with light4 ,it is not the opened hand1 but the gift laid in it1 that enriches the pauper4 ,it is not the poor leaden pipe1 but the water that flows through it1 that fills the cistern1 and cleanses it1 whilst it fills4 ,it is not your faith1 but the ,christ whom your faith brings into your heart and conscience1 that purges the one1 and makes the other void of offence towards ,god and man4 ,so1 brethren1 let us learn the secret of all nobility1 of all power1 of all righteousness of character and conduct4 ,put your foot on the lowest round of the ladder1 and then aspire and climb1 and you will reach the summit4 ,take the first step1 and be true to it after you have taken it1 and the last will surely come4 ,he that can say1 ',we have known and believed the love that ,god hath to us1' will also be able to say1 ',we love ,him because ,he first loved us4' ',and this commandment have we of ,god1 that he who loves ,god loves his brother also4' ',,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,happy ,,god' ',the glorious gospel of the blessed ,god4'--#a ,,tim4 i4 #aa4 ,two remarks of an expository character will prepare the way for our consideration of this text4 ,the first is1 that the proper rendering is that which is given in the ,revised ,version--'the gospel of the glory1' not the 'glorious gospel4' ,the ,apostle is not telling us what kind of thing the ,gospel is1 but what it is about4 ,he is dealing not with its quality1 but with its contents4 ,it is a ,gospel which reveals1 has to do with1 is the manifestation of1 the glory of ,god4 ,then the other remark is with reference to the meaning of the word 'blessed4' ,there are two ,greek words which are both translated 'blessed' in the ,new ,testament4 ,one of them1 the more common1 literally means 'well spoken of1' and points to the action of praise or benediction2 describes what a man is when men speak well of him1 or what ,god is when men praise and magnify ,his name4 ,but the other word1 which is used here1 and is only applied to ,god once more in ,scripture1 has no reference to the human attribution of blessing and praise to ,him1 but describes ,him altogether apart from what men say of ,him1 as what ,he is in ,himself1 the 'blessed1' or1 as we might almost say1 the 'happy' ,god4 ,if the word happy seems too trivial1 suggesting ideas of levity1 of turbulence1 of possible change1 then ,i do not know that we can find any better word than that which is already employed in my text1 if only we remember that it means the solemn1 calm1 restful1 perpetual gladness that fills the heart of ,god4 ,so much1 then1 being premised1 there are three points that seem to me to come out of this remarkable expression of my text4 ,first1 the revelation of ,god in ,christ1 of which the ,gospel is the record1 is the glory of ,god4 ,second1 that revelation is1 in a very profound sense1 an element in the blessedness of ,god4 ,and1 lastly1 that revelation is the good news for men4 ,let us look at these three points1 then1 in succession4 ,i4 ,take1 first1 that striking thought that the revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ is the glory of ,god4 ,the theme1 or contents1 or purpose of the whole ,gospel1 is to set forth and make manifest to men the glory of ,god4 ,now what do we mean by 'the glory'8 ,i think1 perhaps1 that question may be most simply answered by remembering the definite meaning of the word in the ,old ,testament4 ,there it designates1 usually1 that supernatural and lustrous light which dwelt between the ,cherubim1 the symbol of the presence and of the self-manifestation of ,god4 ,so that we may say1 in brief1 that the glory of ,god is the sum-total of the light that streams from ,his self-revelation1 considered as being the object of adoration and praise by a world that gazes upon ,him4 ,and if this be the notion of the glory of ,god1 is it not a startling contrast which is suggested between the apparent contents and the real substance of that ,gospel8 ,suppose a man1 for instance1 who had no previous knowledge of ,christianity1 being told that in it he would find the highest revelation of the glory of ,god4 ,he comes to the book1 and finds that the very heart of it is not about ,god1 but about a man2 that this revelation of the glory of ,god is the biography of a man2 and more than that1 that the larger portion of that biography is the story of the humiliations1 and the sufferings1 and the death of the man4 ,would it not strike him as a strange paradox that the history of a man's life was the shining apex of all revelations of the glory of ,god8 ,and yet so it is1 and the ,apostle1 just because to him the ,gospel was the story of the ,christ who lived and died1 declares that in this story of a human life1 patient1 meek1 limited1 despised1 rejected1 and at last crucified1 lies1 brighter than all other flashings of the divine light1 the very heart of the lustre and palpitating centre and fontal source of all the radiance with which ,god has flooded the world4 ,the history of ,jesus ,christ is the glory of ,god4 ,and that involves two or three considerations on which ,i dwell briefly4 ,one of them is this3 ,christ1 then1 is the self-revelation of ,god4 ,if1 when we deal with the story of ,his life and death1 we are dealing simply with the biography of a man1 however pure1 lofty1 inspired he may be1 then ,i ask what sort of connection there is between that biography which the four ,gospels gives us1 and what my text says is the substance of the ,gospel8 ,what force of logic is there in the ,apostle's words3 ',god commendeth ,his love toward us in that whilst we were yet sinners ,christ died for us1' unless there is some altogether different connection between the ,god who commends ,his love and the ,christ who dies to commend it1 than exists between a mere man and ,god8 ,brethren6 to deliver my text1 and a hundred other passages of ,scripture1 from the charge of being extravagant nonsense1 and clear1 illogical non sequiturs1 you must believe that in that man ,christ ,jesus 'we behold ,his glory--the glory of the only begotten of the ,father'2 and that when we look--haply not without some touch of tenderness and awed admiration in our hearts--upon ,his gentleness1 we have to say1 'the patient ,god'2 when we look upon ,his tears we have to say1 'the pitying ,god'2 when we look upon ,his ,cross we have to say1 'the redeeming ,god'2 and gazing upon the ,man1 to see in ,him the manifest divinity4 ,oh6 listen to that voice1 ',he that hath seen ,me hath seen the ,father1' and bow before the story of the human life as being the revelation of the indwelling ,god4 ,and then1 still further1 my text suggests that this self-revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ is the very climax and highest point of all ,god's revelations to men4 ,i believe that the loftiest exhibition and conception of the divine character which is possible to us must be made to us in the form of a man4 ,i believe that the law of humanity1 for ever1 in heaven as on earth1 is this1 that the ,son is the revealer of ,god2 and that no loftier--yea1 at bottom1 no other--communication of the divine nature can be made to man than is made in ,jesus ,christ4 ,but be that as it may1 let me urge upon you this thought1 that in that wondrous story of the life and death of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ the very high-water mark of divine self-communication has been touched and reached4 ,all the energies of the divine nature are embodied there4 ,the 'riches1 both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of ,god1' are in the ,cross and ,passion of our ,saviour4 ',to declare at this time ,his righteousness' ,jesus ,christ came to die4 ,the ,cross is 'the power of ,god unto salvation4' ,or1 to put it into other words1 and avail oneself of an illustration1 we know the old story of the queen who1 for the love of an unworthy human heart1 dissolved pearls in the cup and gave them to him to drink4 ,we may say that ,god comes to us1 and for the love of us1 reprobate and unworthy1 has melted all the jewels of ,his nature into that cup of blessing which ,he offers to us1 saying3 ',drink ye all of it4' ,the whole ,godhead1 so to speak1 is smelted down to make that rushing river of molten love which flows from the ,cross of ,christ into the hearts of men4 ,here is the highest point of ,god's revelation of ,himself4 ,and my text implies1 still further1 that the true living1 flashing centre of the glory of ,god is the love of ,god4 ,christendom is more than half heathen yet1 and it betrays its heathenism not least in its vulgar conceptions of the divine nature and its glory4 ,the majestic attributes which separate ,god from man1 and make ,him unlike ,his creatures1 are the ones which people too often fancy belong to the glorious side of ,his character4 ,they draw distinctions between 'grace' and 'glory1' and think that the latter applies mainly to what ,i might call the physical and the metaphysical1 and less to the moral1 attributes of the divine nature4 ,we adore power1 and when it is expanded to infinity we think that it is the glory of ,god4 ,but my text delivers us from all such misconceptions4 ,if we rightly understand it1 then we learn this1 that the true heart of the glory is tenderness and love4 ,of power that weak man hanging on the ,cross is a strange embodiment2 but if we learn that there is something more godlike in ,god than power1 then we can say1 as we look upon ,jesus ,christ3 ',lo6 this is our ,god4 ,we have waited for ,him1 and ,he will save us4' ,not in the wisdom that knows no growth1 not in the knowledge which has no border-land of ignorance ringing it round about1 not in the unwearied might of ,his arm1 not in the exhaustless energy of ,his being1 not in the unslumbering watchfulness of ,his all-seeing eye1 not in that awful presence wheresoever creatures are2 not in any or in all of these lies the glory of ,god1 but in ,his love4 ,these are the fringes of the brightness2 this is the central blaze4 ,the ,gospel is the ,gospel of the glory of ,god1 because it is all summed up in the one word--',god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son4' ,,ii4 ,now1 in the next place1 the revelation of ,god in ,christ is an element in the blessedness of ,god4 ,we are come here into places where we see but very dimly1 and it becomes us to speak very cautiously4 ,only as we are led by the divine teaching may we affirm at all4 ,but it cannot be unwise to accept in simple literality utterances of ,scripture1 however they may seem to strike us as strange4 ,and so ,i would say--the philosopher's ,god may be all-sufficient and unemotional1 the ,bible's ,god 'delighteth in mercy1' rejoiceth in ,his gifts1 and is glad when men accept them4 ,it is something1 surely1 amid all the griefs and sorrows of this sorrow-haunted and devil-hunted world1 to rise to this lofty region and to feel that there is a living personal joy at the heart of the universe4 ,if we went no further1 to me there is infinite beauty and mighty consolation and strength in that one thought--the happy ,god4 ,he is not1 as some ways of representing ,him figure ,him to be1 what the older astronomers thought the sun was1 a great cold orb1 black and frigid at the heart1 though the source and centre of light and warmth to the system4 ,but ,he ,himself is joy1 or if we dare not venture on that word1 which brings with it earthly associations1 and suggests the possibility of alteration--,he is the blessed ,god4 ,and the ,psalmist saw deeply into the divine nature1 who1 not contented with hymning ,his praise as the possessor of the fountain of life1 and the light whereby we see light1 exclaimed in an ecstasy of anticipation1 ',thou makest us to drink of the rivers of ,thy pleasures4' ,but there is a great deal more than that here1 if not in the word itself1 at least in its connection1 which connection seems to suggest that1 howsoever the divine nature must be supposed to be blessed in its own absolute and boundless perfectness1 an element in the blessedness of ,god ,himself arises from ,his self-communication through the ,gospel to the world4 ,all love delights in imparting4 ,why should not ,god's8 ,on the lower level of human affection we know that it is so1 and on the highest level we may with all reverence venture to say1 ,the quality of that mercy 4 4 4 'is twice blest1' and that divine love 'blesseth ,him that gives and them that take4' ,he created a universe because ,he delights in ,his works1 and in having creatures on whom ,he can lavish ,himself4 ,he 'rests in ,his love1 and rejoices over us with singing' when we open our hearts to the reception of ,his light1 and learn to know ,him as ,he has declared ,himself in ,his ,christ4 ,the blessed ,god is blessed because ,he is ,god4 ,but ,he is blessed too because ,he is the loving and1 therefore1 the giving ,god4 ,what a rock-firmness such a thought as this gives to the mercy and the love that ,he pours out upon us6 ,if they were evoked by our worthiness we might well tremble1 but when we know1 according to the grand words familiar to many of us1 that it is ,his nature and property to be merciful1 and that ,he is far gladder in giving than we can be in receiving1 then we may be sure that ,his mercy endureth for ever1 and that it is the very necessity of ,his being--and ,he cannot turn ,his back upon ,himself--to love1 to pity1 to succour1 and to bless4 ,,iii4 ,and so1 lastly1 the revelation of ,god in ,christ is good news for us all4 ',the ,gospel of the glory of the blessed ,god4' ,how that word ',gospel' has got tarnished and enfeebled by constant use and unreflective use1 so that it slips glibly off my tongue and falls without producing any effect upon your hearts6 ,it needs to be freshened up by considering what really it means4 ,it means this3 here are we like men shut up in a beleaguered city1 hopeless1 helpless1 with no power to break out or to raise the siege2 provisions failing1 death certain4 ,some of you older men and women remember how that was the case in that awful siege of ,paris1 in the ,franco-,german ,war1 and what expedients were adopted in order to get some communication from without4 ,and here to us1 prisoned1 comes1 as it did to them1 a despatch borne under a dove's wing1 and the message is this3--,god is love2 and that you may know that ,he is1 ,he has sent you ,his ,son who died on the ,cross1 the sacrifice for a world's sin4 ,believe it1 and trust it1 and all your transgressions will pass away4 ,my brother1 is not that good news8 ,is it not the good news that you need--the news of a ,father1 of pardon1 of hope1 of love1 of strength1 of purity1 of heaven8 ,does it not meet our fears1 our forebodings1 our wants at every point8 ,it comes to you4 ,what do you do with it8 ,do you welcome it eagerly1 do you clutch it to your hearts1 do you say1 ',this is my ,gospel'8 ,oh6 let me beseech you1 welcome the message2 do not turn away from the word from heaven1 which will bring life and blessedness to all your hearts6 ,some of you have turned away long enough1 some of you1 perhaps1 are fighting with the temptation to do so again even now4 ,let me press that ancient ,gospel upon your acceptance1 that ,christ the ,son of ,god has died for you1 and lives to bless and help you4 ,take it and live6 ,so shall you find that1 'as cold water to a thirsty soul1' so is this best of all news from the far country4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,in ,,small ',this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners4'--#a ,,tim4 i4 #ae4 ,condensation is a difficult art4 ,there are few things drier and more unsatisfactory than small books on great subjects1 abbreviated statements of large systems4 ,error lurks in summaries1 and yet here the whole fulness of ,god's communication to men is gathered into a sentence2 tiny as a diamond1 and flashing like it4 ,my text is the one precious drop of essence1 distilled from gardens full of fragrant flowers4 ,there is an old legend of a magic tent1 which could be expanded to shelter an army1 and contracted to cover a single man4 ,that great ,gospel which fills the ,bible and overflows on the shelves of crowded libraries is here1 without harm to its power1 folded up into one saying1 which the simplest can understand sufficiently to partake of the salvation which it offers4 ,there are five of these 'faithful sayings' in the letters of ,paul1 usually called 'the pastoral epistles4' ,it seems to have been a manner with him1 at that time of his life1 to underscore anything which he felt to be especially important by attaching to it this label4 ,they are all1 with one exception1 references to the largest truths of the ,gospel4 ,i turn to this one1 the first of them now1 for the sake of gathering some lessons from it4 ,i4 ,note1 then1 first1 here the ,gospel in a nutshell4 ',christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners4' ,now1 every word there is weighty1 and might be1 not beaten out1 but opened out into volumes4 ,mark who it is that comes--the solemn double name of that great ,lord1 ',christ ,jesus4' ,the former tells of ,his divine appointment and preparation1 inasmuch as the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon ,him1 anointing ,him to proclaim good tidings to the poor1 and to open the prison doors to all the captives1 and asserts that it is ,he to whom prophets and ritual witnessed1 and for whose coming prophets and kings looked wearily through the ages1 and died rejoicing even to see afar off the glimmer of ,his day4 ,the name of ,jesus tells of the child born in ,bethlehem1 who knows the experience of our lives by ,his own1 and not only bends over our griefs with the pity and omniscience of a ,god1 but with the experience and sympathy of a man4 ',christ ,jesus came4' ,then ,he was before ,he came4 ,his own will impelled ,his feet1 and brought ,him to earth4 ',christ ,jesus came to save4' ,then there is disease1 for saving is healing2 and there is danger1 for saving is making secure4 ',christ ,jesus came to save sinners'--the universal condition1 co-extensive with the 'world' into which1 and for which1 ,he came4 ,and so the essence of the ,gospel1 as it lay in ,paul's mind1 and had been verified in his experience1 was this--that a divine person had left a life of glory1 and in wonderful fashion had taken upon ,himself manhood in order to deliver men from the universal danger and disease4 ,that is the ,gospel which ,paul believed1 and which he commends to us as 'a faithful saying4' ,well1 then1 if that be so1 there are two or three things very important for us to lay to heart4 ,the first is the universality of sin4 ,that is the thing in which we are all alike1 dear friends4 ,that is the one thing about which any man is safe in his estimate of another4 ,we differ profoundly4 ,the members of this congregation1 gathered accidentally together1 and perhaps never to be all together again1 may be at the antipodes of culture1 of condition1 of circumstances1 of modes of life2 but1 just as really below all the diversities there lies the common possession of the one human heart1 so really and universally below all diversities there lies the black drop in the heart1 and 'we all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god4' ,it is that truth which ,i want to lay on your hearts as the first condition to understanding anything about the power1 the meaning1 the blessedness of the ,gospel which we say we believe4 ,and what does ,paul mean by this universal indictment8 ,if you take the vivid autobiographical sketch in the midst of which it is embedded1 you will understand4 ,he goes on to say1 'of whom ,i am chief4' ,it was the same man that said1 without supposing that he was contradicting this utterance at all1 'touching the righteousness which is in the law' ,i was 'blameless4' ,and yet1 ',i am chief4' ,so all true men who have ever shown us their heart1 in telling their ,christian faith1 have repeated ,paul's statement2 from ,augustine in his wonderful ,confessions1 to ,john ,bunyan in his ,grace ,abounding to the ,chief of ,sinners4 ,and then prosaic men have said1 ',what profligates they must have been1 or what exaggerators they are now6' ,no4 ,sewer gas of the worst sort has no smell2 and the most poisonous exhalations are only perceptible by their effects4 ,what made ,paul think himself the chief of sinners was not that he had broken the commandments1 for he might have said1 and in effect did say1 ',all these have ,i kept from my youth up1' but that1 through all the respectability and morality of his early life there ran this streak--an alienation of heart1 in the pride of self-confidence1 from ,god1 and an ignorance of his own wretchedness and need4 ,ah6 brethren1 ,i do not need to exaggerate1 nor to talk about 'splendid vices1' in the untrue language of one of the old saints1 but this ,i seek to press on you3 that the deep1 universal sin does not lie in the indulgence of passions1 or the breach of moralities1 but it lies here--'thou hast left ,me1 the fountain of living water4' ,that is what ,i charge on myself1 and on every one of you1 and ,i beseech you to recognise the existence of this sinfulness beneath all the surface of reputable and pure lives4 ,beautiful they may be2 ,god forbid that ,i should deny it3 beautiful with many a strenuous effort after goodness1 and charming in many respects1 but yet vitiated by this1 ',the ,god in whose hand thy breath is1 and whose are all thy ways1 thou hast not glorified4' ,that is enough to make a man brush away all the respectabilities and proprieties and graces1 and look at the black reality beneath1 and wail out 'of whom ,i am chief4' ,but1 further1 ,paul's condensed summary of the ,gospel implies the fatal character of this universal sin4 ',he comes to save1' says he4 ,now what answers to 'save' is either disease or danger4 ,the word is employed in the original in antithesis to both conditions4 ,to save is to heal and to make safe4 ,and ,i need not remind you1 ,i suppose1 of how truly the alienation from ,god1 and the substitution for ,him of self or of creature1 is the sickness of the whole man4 ,but the end of sickness uncured is death4 ,we 'have no healing medicine1' and the 'wound is incurable' by the skill of any earthly chirurgeon4 ,the notion of sickness passes1 therefore1 at once into that of danger3 for unhealed sickness can only end in death4 ,oh6 that my words could have the waking power that would startle some of my complacent hearers into the recognition of the bare facts of their lives and character1 and of the position in which they stand on a slippery inclined plane that goes straight down into darkness6 ,you do not hear much about the danger of sin from some modern pulpits4 ,god forbid that it should be the staple of any2 but ,god forbid that it should be excluded from any6 ,whilst fear is a low motive1 self-preservation is not a low one2 and it is to that that ,i now appeal4 ,brethren1 the danger of every sin is1 first1 its rapid growth2 second1 its power of separating from ,god2 third1 the certainty of a future--ay6 and present--retribution4 ,to me1 the proof of the fatal effect of sin is what ,god had to do in order to stop it4 ,do you think that it would be a small1 superficial cut which could be stanched by nothing else but the pierced hand of ,jesus ,christ8 ,measure the intensity of danger by the cost of deliverance1 and judge how grave are the wounds for the healing of which stripes had to be laid on ,him4 ,ah6 if you and ,i had not been in danger of death1 ,jesus ,christ would not have died4 ,and if it be true that the ,son of ,god laid aside ,his glory1 and came into the world and died on the ,cross for men1 out of the very greatness of the gift1 and the marvellousness of the mercy1 there comes solemn teaching as to the intensity of the misery and the reality and awfulness of the retribution from which we were delivered by such a death4 ,sin1 the universal condition1 brings with it no slight disease and no small danger4 ,further1 we may gather from this condensed summary where the true heart and essence of the ,christian revelation is4 ,you will never understand it until you are contented to take the point of view which the ,new ,testament takes1 and give all weight and gravity to the fact of man's transgression and the consequences thereof4 ,we shall never know what the power and the glory of the revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ is until we recognise that1 first and foremost1 it is the mighty means by which man's ruin is repaired1 man's downrush is stopped1 sin is forgiven and capable of being cleansed4 ,only when we think of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ as being1 first and foremost1 the redemption of the world by the great act of incarnation and sacrifice1 do we come to be in a position in any measure to estimate its superlative worth4 ,and1 for my part1 ,i believe that almost all the mistakes and errors and evaporations of ,christianity into a mere dead nothing which have characterised the various ages of the ,church come mainly from this1 that men fail to see how deep and how fatal are the wounds of sin1 and so fail to apprehend the ,gospel as being mainly and primarily a system of redemption4 ,there are many other most beautiful aspects about it1 much else in it1 that is lovely and of good report1 and fitted to draw men's hearts and admiration2 but all is rooted in this1 the life and death of ,jesus ,christ1 the sacrifice by whom we are forgiven1 and in whom we are healed4 ,and if you strike that out1 you have a dead nothing left--an eviscerated ,gospel4 ,i believe that we all need to be reminded of that to-day1 as we always do1 but mainly to-day1 when we hear from so many lips estimates1 favourable or unfavourable to ,christianity and its mission in the world1 which leave out of sight1 or minimise into undue insignificance1 or shove into a backward place1 its essential characteristic1 that it is the power of ,god through ,christ1 ,his ,son ,incarnate1 dying and rising again for the salvation of individual souls from the penalty1 the guilt1 the habit1 and the love of their sins1 and only secondarily is it a morality1 a philosophy1 a social lever4 ,i take for mine the quaint saying of one of the old ,puritans1 ',when so many brethren are preaching to the times1 it may be allowed one poor brother to preach for eternity4' ',this is a faithful saying1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners4' ,,ii4 ,now1 secondly1 note the reliableness of this condensed ,gospel4 ,when a man in the middle of some slight plank1 thrown across a stream1 tests it with a stamp of his foot1 and calls to his comrades1 ',it is quite firm1' there is reason for their venturing upon it too4 ,that is exactly what ,paul is doing here4 ,how does he know that it is 'a faithful saying'8 ,because he has proved it in his own experience1 and found that in his case the salvation which ,jesus ,christ was said to effect has been effected4 ,now there are many other grounds of certitude besides this1 but1 after all1 it is worth men's while to consider how many millions there have been from the beginning who would be ready to join chorus with the ,apostle here1 and to say1 ',one thing ,i know1 that whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4' ,my experience cannot be your certitude2 but if you and ,i are suffering from precisely the same disease1 and ,i have tested a cure1 my experiences should have some weight with you4 ,and so1 brethren1 ,i point you to all the thousands who are ready to say1 ',this poor man cried1 and the ,lord heard him1 and saved him4' ,are there any who give counter-evidence2 that say1 ',we have tried it4 ,it is all a sham and imagination4 ,we have asked this ,christ of yours to forgive us1 and ,he has not4 ,we have asked ,him to cleanse us1 and ,he has not4 ,we have tried ,him1 and ,he is an impostor1 and we will have no more to do with ,him4' ,there are people1 alas6 who have gone back to their wallowing in the mire1 but it was not because ,christ had failed in ,his promises1 but because they did not care to have them fulfilled any more4 ,jesus ,christ does not promise that ,his salvation shall work against the will of men who submit themselves to it4 ,but it is not only because of that consentient chorus of many voices--the testimony of which wise men will not reject--that the word is 'a faithful saying4' ,this is no place or time to enter upon anything like a condensation of the ,christian evidence2 but1 in lieu of everything else1 ,i point to one proof4 ,there is no fact in the history of the world better attested1 and the unbelief of which is more unreasonable1 than the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and if ,christ rose from the dead--and you cannot understand the history of the world unless ,he did1 nor the existence of the ,church either--if ,jesus ,christ rose from the dead1 it seems to me that almost all the rest follows of necessity3 the influx of the supernatural1 the unique character of ,his career1 the correspondence of the end with the beginning1 the broad seal of the divine confirmation stamped upon ,his claims to be the ,son of ,god and the ,redeemer of the world4 ,all these things seem to me to come necessarily from that fact4 ,and ,i say1 given the consentient witness of nineteen centuries1 given the existence of the ,church1 given the effects of ,christianity in the world1 given that upon which they repose--the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ from the dead--the conclusion is sound1 ',this is a faithful saying 4 4 4 that ,he came into the world to save sinners4' ,men talk1 nowadays1 very often as if the progress of science and new views as to the evolution of creatures or of mankind had effected the certitude of the ,gospel4 ,it does not seem to me that they have in the smallest degree4 ',the foundation of ,god standeth sure1' whatever may become of some of the superstructures which men have built upon it4 ,they may very probably be blown away4 ,so much the better if we get the rock to build upon once more4 ,a great deal is going1 but not the ,gospel4 ,do not let us be afraid1 or suppose that it will suffer4 ,do not let us dread every new speculation as if it was going to finish ,christianity1 but recognise this--that the fact of man's sin and1 blessed be ,god6 the fact of man's redemption stands untouched by them all2 and to-day1 as of old1 ,jesus ,christ is1 and is firmly manifested to be1 the world's ,saviour4 ,whatsoever refuge may be swept away by any storms1 ',behold1 ,i lay in ,zion for a foundation1 a stone1 a tried corner-stone1 a sure foundation3 ,he that believeth shall not be confounded4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 notice the consequent wisdom and duty of acceptance4 ',worthy of all acceptation1' says ,paul4 ,yes1 of course1 if it is reliable4 ,that word of the ,lord which is 'sure1 making wise the simple1' deserves to be received4 ,now this phrase1 'all acceptation1' may mean either of two things3 it may either mean worthy of being welcomed by all men1 or by the whole of each man4 ,this ,gospel deserves to be welcomed by every man1 for it is fitted for every man1 since it deals with the primary human characteristic of transgression4 ,brethren6 we need different kinds of intellectual nutriment1 according to education and culture4 ,we need different kinds of treatment1 according to condition and circumstance4 ,the morality of one age is not the morality of another4 ,much1 even of right and wrong1 is local and temporary2 but black man and white1 savage and civilised1 philosopher and fool1 king and clown1 all need the same air to breathe1 the same water to drink1 the same sun for light and warmth1 and all need the same ,christ for redemption from the same sin1 for safety from the same danger1 for snatching from the same death4 ,this ,gospel is a ,gospel for the world1 and for every man in it4 ,have you taken it for yours8 ,if it is 'worthy of all acceptation1' it is worthy of your acceptation4 ,if you have not1 you are treating ,him and it with indignity1 as if it was a worthless letter left in the post-office for you1 which you knew was there1 but which you did not think valuable enough to take the trouble to go for4 ,the gift lies at your side4 ,it is less than truth to say that it is 'worthy of being accepted4' ,oh6 it is infinitely more than that4 ,it is1 also1 'worthy of all acceptation' in the sense of worthy of being accepted into all a man's nature1 because it will fit it all and bless it all4 ,some of us give it a half welcome4 ,we take it into our heads1 and then we put a partition between them and our hearts1 and keep our religion on the other side1 so that it does not influence us at all4 ,it is worthy of being received by the understanding1 to which it will bring truth absolute2 of being received by the will1 to which it will bring the freedom of submission2 of being received by the conscience1 to which it will bring quickening2 of being received by the affections1 to which it will bring pure and perfect love4 ,for hope1 it will bring a certainty to gaze upon2 for passions1 a curb2 for effort1 a spur and a power2 for desires1 satisfaction2 for the whole man1 healing and light4 ,brother6 take it4 ,and1 if you do1 begin where it begins1 with your sins2 and be contented to be saved as a sinner in danger and sickness1 who can neither defend nor heal yourself4 ,and thus coming1 you will test the rope and find it hold2 you will take the medicine and know that it cures2 and1 by your own experience1 you will be able to say1 ',this is a faithful saying1 ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners4' ,,the ,,chief ,,of ,,sinners ',of whom ,i am chief4'--#a ,,tim4 i4 #ae4 ,the less teachers of religion talk about themselves the better2 and yet there is a kind of personal reference1 far removed from egotism and offensiveness4 ,few such men have ever spoken more of themselves than ,paul did1 and yet none have been truer to his motto3 ',we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus4' ,for the scope of almost all his personal references is the depreciation of self1 and the magnifying of the wonderful mercy which drew him to ,jesus ,christ4 ,whenever he speaks of his conversion it is with deep emotion and with burning cheeks4 ,here1 for instance1 he adduces himself as the typical example of ,god's long-suffering4 ,if he were saved none need despair4 ,i take it that this saying of the ,apostle's1 ',of whom ,i am chief1' paradoxical and exaggerated as it seems to many men1 is in spirit that which all who know themselves ought to re-echo2 and without which there is little strength in ,christian life4 ,i4 ,and so ,i ask you to note1 first1 what this man thinks of himself4 ',of whom ,i am chief4' ,now1 if we set what we know of the character of ,saul of ,tarsus before he was a ,christian by the side of that of many who have won a bad supremacy in wickedness1 the words seem entirely strange and exaggerated4 ,but1 as ,i have often had to say1 the principle of the ,apostle's estimate is to be found in his belief that1 not the outward manifestation of evil in specific acts of immorality1 or flagrant breaches of commandment1 but the inward principle from which the deeds flowed1 is the measure of a man's criminality1 and that1 according to the uniform teaching of ,scripture1 the very root of sin1 and that which is common to all the things that the world's conscience and ordinary morality designate as wrong1 is to be found here1 that self has become the centre1 the aim1 and the law instead of ,god4 ',this is the condemnation1' said ,paul's ,master--not that men have done so-and-so and so-and-so1 but--'that light is come into the world1 and men love darkness4' ,that is the root of evil4 ',when the ,comforter is come1' said ,paul's ,master1 ',he will convince the world of sin4' ,because they have broken the commandments8 ,because they have been lustful1 ambitious1 passionate1 murderous1 profligate1 and so on8 ,no6 ',because they believe not in ,me4' ,the common root of all sin is alienation of heart and will from ,god4 ,and it is by the root1 and not by the black clusters of poisonous berries that have come from it1 that men are to be judged4 ,here is the mother-tincture4 ,you may colour it in different ways1 and you may flavour it with different essences1 and you will get a whole pharmacopoeia of poisons out of it4 ,but the mother-poison of them all is this1 that men turn away from the light1 which is ,god2 and for you and me is ,god in ,christ4 ,so this man1 looking back from the to-day of his present devotion and love to the yesterdays of his hostility1 avails himself indeed of the palliation1 ',i did it ignorantly1 in unbelief1' but yet is smitten with the consciousness that whilst as touching the righteousness that is of the law he was blameless1 his attitude to that incarnate love was such as now1 he thinks1 stamps him as the worst of men4 ,brethren1 there is the standard by which we have to try ourselves4 ,if we get down below the mere surface of acts1 and think1 not of what we do1 but of what we are1 we shall then1 at any rate1 have in our hands the means by which we can truly estimate ourselves4 ,but what have we to say about that word 'chief'8 ,is not that exaggeration8 ,well1 yes and no4 ,for every man ought to know the weak and evil places of his own heart better than he does those of any besides4 ,and if he does so know them1 he will understand that the ordinary classification of sin1 according to the apparent blackness of the deed1 is very superficial and misleading4 ,obviously1 the worst of acts need not be done by the worst of men1 and it does not at all follow that the man who does the awful deed stands out from his fellows in the same bad pre-eminence in which his deed stands out from theirs4 ,take a concrete case4 ,go into the slums of ,manchester1 and take some of the people there1 battered almost out of the semblance of humanity1 and all crusted over and leprous with foul-smelling evils that you and ,i never come within a thousand miles of thinking it possible that we should do4 ,did you ever think that it is quite possible that the worst harlot1 thief1 drunkard1 profligate in your back streets may be more innocent in their profligacy than you are in your respectability2 and that we may even come to this paradox1 that the worse the act1 as a rule1 the less guilty the doer8 ,it is not such a paradox as it looks1 because1 on the one hand1 the presence of temptation1 and1 on the other hand1 the absence of light1 make all the difference4 ,and these people1 who could not have been anything else1 are innocent in degradation as compared with you1 with all your education and culture1 and opportunities of going straight1 and knowledge of ,christ and ,his love4 ,the little transgressions that you do are far greater than the gross ones that they do4 ',but for the grace of ,god1 there goes ,john ,bradford1' said the old preacher1 when he saw a man going to the scaffold4 ,and you and ,i1 if we know ourselves1 will not think that we have an instance of exaggeration1 but only of the object nearest seeming the largest1 when ,paul said ',of whom ,i am chief4' ,only go and look for your sin in the way they look for ,guy ,fawkes at the ,house of ,commons before the session4 ,take a dark lantern1 and go down into the cellars4 ,and ,if you do not find something there that will take all the conceit out of you1 it must be because you are very short-sighted1 or phenomenally self-complacent4 ,what does it matter though there be vineyards on the slopes of ,vesuvius1 and bright houses nestling at its base1 and beauty lying all around like the dream of a god1 if1 when a man cranes his neck over the top of the crater1 he sees that that cone1 so graceful on the outside1 is seething with fire and sulphur8 ,let us look down into the crater of our own hearts1 and what we see there may well make us feel as ,paul did when he said1 ',of whom ,i am chief4' ,now1 such an estimate is perfectly consistent with a clear recognition of any good that may be in the character and manifest in life4 ,for the same ,paul who says1 ',of whom ,i am chief1' says1 in the almost contemporaneous letter sent to the same person1 ',i have fought a good fight2 ,i have finished my course2 ,i have kept the faith'2 and he is the same man who asserted1 ',in nothing am ,i behind the very chiefest apostles1 though ,i be nothing4' ,the true ,christian estimate of one's own evil and sin does not in the least interfere with the recognition of what ,god strengthens one to do1 or of the progress which1 by ,god's grace1 may have been made in holiness and righteousness4 ,the two things may lie side by side with perfect harmony1 and ought to do so1 in every ,christian heart4 ,but notice one more point4 ,the ,apostle does not say ',i was1' but ',i am chief4' ,what6 ,a man who could say1 in another connection1 ',if any man be in ,christ ,jesus1 he is a new creature2 old things are passed away'--the man who could say1 in another connection1 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me3 and the life which ,i now live in the flesh ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god'--does he also say1 ',i am chief'8 ,is he speaking about his present8 ,are old sins bound round a man's neck for evermore8 ,if they be1 what is the meaning of the ,gospel that ,jesus ,christ redeems us from our sins8 ,well1 he means this4 ,no lapse of time1 nor any gift of divine pardon1 nor any subsequent advancement in holiness and righteousness1 can alter the fact that ,i1 the very same ,i that am now rejoicing in ,god's salvation1 am the man that did all these things2 and1 in a very profound sense1 they remain mine through all eternity4 ,i may be a forgiven sinner1 and a cleansed sinner1 and a sanctified sinner1 but ,i am a sinner--not ,i was4 ,the imperishable connection between a man and his past1 which may be so tragical1 and1 thank ,god1 may be so blessed1 even in the case of remembered and confessed sin1 is solemnly hinted at in the words before us4 ,we carry with us ever the fact of past transgression1 and no forgiveness1 nor any future 'perfecting of holiness in the fear' and by the grace 'of the ,lord' can alter that fact4 ,therefore1 let us beware lest we bring upon our souls any more of the stains which1 though they be in a blessed and sufficient sense blotted out1 do yet leave the marks where they have fallen for ever4 ,,ii4 ,note how this man comes to such an estimate of himself4 ,he did not think so deeply and penitently of his past at the beginning of his career1 true and deep as his repentance1 and valid and genuine as his conversion were4 ,but as he advanced in the love of ,jesus ,christ1 his former active hostility became more monstrous to him1 and the higher he rose1 the clearer was his vision of the depth from which he had struggled2 for growth in ,christian holiness deepens the conviction of prior imperfection4 ,if ,god has forgiven my sin the more need for me to remember it4 ',thou shalt be ashamed and confounded1 and never open thy mouth any more because of thy transgressions1 when ,i am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done4' ,if you1 my brother1 have any real and genuine hold of ,god's pardoning mercy1 it will bow you down the more completely on your knees in the recognition of your own sin4 ,the man who1 as soon as the pressure of guilt and danger which is laid upon him seems to him to be lifted off1 springs up like some elastic figure of indiarubber1 and goes on his way in jaunty forgetfulness of his past evil1 needs to ask himself whether he has ever passed from death unto life4 ,not to remember the old sin is to be blind4 ,the surest sign that we are pardoned is the depth of our habitual penitence4 ,try yourselves1 you ,christian people who are so sure of your forgiveness1 try yourselves by that test1 and if you find that you are thinking less of your past evil1 be doubtful whether you have ever entered into the genuine possession of the forgiving mercy of your ,god4 ,and then1 still further1 this penitent retrospect is the direct result of advancement in ,christian characteristics4 ,we are drawn to begin some study or enterprise by the illusion that there is but a little way to go4 ',alps upon alps arise' when once we have climbed a short distance up the hill1 and it has become as difficult to go back as to go forward4 ,so it is in the ,christian life--the sign of growing perfection is the growing consciousness of imperfection4 ,a spot upon a clean palm is more conspicuous than a diffuse griminess over all the hand4 ,one stain upon a white robe spoils it which would not be noticed upon one less lustrously clean4 ,and so the more we grow towards ,god in ,christ1 and the more we appropriate and make our own ,his righteousness1 the more we shall be conscious of our deficiencies1 and the less we shall be prepared to assert virtues for ourselves4 ,thus it comes to pass that conscience is least sensitive when it is most needed1 and most swift to act when it has least to do4 ,so it comes to pass1 too1 that no man's acquittal of himself can be accepted as sufficient2 and that he is a fool in self-knowledge who says1 ',i am not conscious of guilt1 therefore ,i am innocent4' ',i know nothing against myself1 yet am ,i not hereby justified3 but ,he that judgeth me is the ,lord4' ,the more you become like ,christ the more you will find out your unlikeness to ,him4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 note what this judgment of himself did for this man4 ,i said in the beginning of my remarks that it seemed to me that without the reproduction of this estimate of ourselves there would be little strong ,christian life in us4 ,it seems to me that that continual remembrance which ,paul carried with him of what he had been1 and of ,christ's marvellous love in drawing him to ,himself1 was the very spring of all that was noble and conspicuously ,christian in his career4 ,and ,i venture to say1 in two or three words1 what ,i think you and ,i will never have unless we have this lowly self-estimate4 ,without it there will be no intensity of cleaving to ,jesus ,christ4 ,if you do not know that you are ill1 you will not take the medicine4 ,if you do not believe that the house is on fire1 you will not mind the escape4 ,the life-buoy lies unnoticed on the shelf above the berth as long as the sea is calm and everything goes well4 ,unless you have been down into the depths of your own heart1 and seen the evil that is there1 you will not care for the redeeming ,christ1 nor will you grasp ,him as a man does who knows that there is nothing between him and ruin except that strong hand4 ,we must be driven to the ,saviour as well as drawn to ,him if there is to be any reality or tightness in the clutch with which we hold ,him4 ,and if you do not hold ,him with a firm clutch you do not hold ,him at all4 ,further1 without this lowly estimate there will be no fervour of grateful love4 ,that is the reason why so much both of orthodox and heterodox religion amongst us to-day is such a tepid thing as it is4 ,it is because men have never felt either that they need a ,redeemer1 or that ,jesus ,christ has redeemed them4 ,i believe that there is only one power that will strike the rock of a human heart1 and make the water of grateful devotion flow out1 and that is the belief in ,jesus ,christ as the ,redeemer of mankind1 and as my ,saviour4 ,unless that be your faith1 which it will not be except you have this conviction of my text in its spirit and essence1 there will not be in your hearts the love which will glow there1 an all-transforming power4 ,and is there anything in the world more obnoxious1 more insipid1 than lukewarm religion8 ,if1 with marks of quotation1 ,i might use the coarse1 strong expression of ,john ,milton--',it gives a vomit to ,god ,himself4' ',because thou art neither cold nor hot1 ,i will spue thee out of my mouth4' ,and without it there will be little pity of1 and love for1 our fellows4 ,unless we feel the common evil1 and estimate by the intensity of its working in ourselves how sad are its ravages in others1 our charity to men will be as tepid as our love to ,god4 ,did you ever notice that1 historically1 the widest benevolence to men goes along with what some people call the 'narrowest' theology8 ,people tell us1 for instance1 to mark the contrast between the theology which is usually called evangelical and the wide benevolence usually accompanying it1 and ask how the two things agree4 ,the 'wide' benevolence comes directly from the 'narrow' theology4 ,he that knows the plague of his own heart1 and how ,christ has redeemed him1 will go1 with the pity of ,christ in his heart1 to help to redeem others4 ,so1 dear friends1 ',if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves4' ',if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness4' ,a ,,test ,,case ',howbeit for this cause ,i obtained mercy1 that in me first ,jesus ,christ might show forth all long-suffering1 for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe4'--#a ,,tim4 i4 #af4 ,the smallest of ,god's creatures1 if it were only a gnat dancing in a sunbeam1 has a right to have its well-being considered as an end of ,god's dealings4 ,but no creature is so isolated or great as that it has a right to have its well-being regarded as the sole end of ,god's dealings4 ,that is true about all ,his blessings and gifts2 it is eminently true about ,his gift of salvation4 ,he saves men because ,he loves them individually1 and desires to make them blessed2 but ,he also saves them because ,he desires that through them others shall be brought into the living knowledge of ,his love4 ,it is most especially true about great religious teachers and guides4 ,paul's humility is as manifest as his self-consciousness when he says in my text1 ',this is what ,i was saved for4 ,not merely1 not even principally1 for the blessings that thereby accrue to myself1 but that in me1 as a crucial instance1 there should be manifested the whole fulness of the divine love and saving power4' ,so he puts his own experience as giving no kind of honour or glory to himself1 but as simply showing the grace and infinite love of ,jesus ,christ4 ,paul disappears as but a passive recipient2 and ,christ strides into the front as the actor in his conversion and apostleship4 ,so we may take this point of view of my text1 and look at the story of what befell the great ,apostle as being in many different ways an exhibition of the great verities of the ,gospel4 ,i desire to signalise1 especially1 three points here4 ,we see in it the demonstration of the life of ,christ2 an exhibition of the love of the living ,christ2 and a marvellous proof of the power of that loving and living ,lord4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 take the experience of this ,apostle as a demonstration of the exalted life1 and continuous energy in the world1 of ,jesus ,christ4 ,what was it that turned the brilliant young disciple of ,gamaliel1 the rising hope of the ,pharisaic party1 the hammer of the heretics1 into one of themselves8 ,the appearance of ,jesus ,christ4 ,paul rode out of ,jerusalem believing ,him to be dead1 and ,his ,resurrection a lie4 ,he staggered into ,damascus1 blind but seeing1 and knowing that ,jesus ,christ lived and reigned4 ,now if you will let the man tell you himself what he saw1 or thought he saw1 you will come to this1 that it was a visible1 audible manifestation of a corporeal ,christ4 ,for it is extremely noteworthy that the ,apostle ranks the appearance to himself1 on the road to ,damascus1 as in the same class with the appearances to the other apostles which he enumerates in the great chapter in the ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,he draws no distinction1 as far as evidential force goes1 between the appearance to ,simon and to the five hundred brethren and to the others1 and that which flashed upon him and made a ,christian of him4 ,other men that were with him saw the light4 ,he saw the ,christ within the blaze4 ,other men heard a noise2 he heard audible and intelligible words in his own speech4 ,this is his account of the phenomenon4 ,what do you think of his account8 ,there are but three possible answers6 ,it was imposture2 it was delusion2 it was truth4 ,the theory of imposture is out of court4 ',do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles8' ,such a life as followed is altogether incongruous with the notion that the man who lived it was a deceiver4 ,a fanatic he may have been2 self-deceived he may have been2 but transparently sincere he undeniably was4 ,it is not given to impostors to move the world1 as ,paul did and does4 ,was it delusion8 ,well it is a strange kind of hallucination which has such physical accompaniments and consequences as those in the story--not wanting confirmation from witnesses--which has come to us4 ',at midday1 ,o king'--in no darkness2 in no shut-up chamber1 'at midday1 ,o king--,i heard 4 4 4 ,i saw 4 4 4' ',the men that were with me' partly shared in the vision4 ,there was a lengthened conversation2 two senses at least were appealed to1 vision and hearing1 and in both vision and hearing there were partial participators4 ,physical consequences that lasted for three days accompanied the hallucination2 and the man 'was blind1 not seeing the sun1 and neither did eat nor drink4' ,there must be some soil beforehand in which delusions of such a sort can root themselves4 ,but1 if we take the story in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 there is not the smallest foothold for the fashionable notion1 which is entirely due to men's dislike of the supernatural1 that there was any kind of misgiving in the young ,pharisee1 springing from the influence of ,stephen's martyrdom1 as he went forth breathing out threatenings and slaughter4 ,the plain fact is that1 at one moment he hated ,jesus ,christ as a bad man1 and believed that the story of the ,resurrection was a gross falsehood2 and that at the next moment he knew ,him to be living and reigning1 and the ,lord of his life and of the world4 ,hallucinations do not come thus1 like a thunderclap on unprepared minds4 ,nor is there anything in the subsequent history of the man that seems to confirm1 but everything that contradicts1 the idea that such a revolutionary change as upset all his mental furniture1 and changed the whole current of his life1 and slammed in his face the door that was wide open to advancement and reputation1 came from a delusion4 ,i think the hallucination theory is out of court1 too1 and there is nothing left but the old-fashioned one1 that what he said he saw1 he saw1 and did not fancy2 and that which he said he heard1 he heard2 and that it was not a buzzing of a diseased nerve in his own ears1 but the actual speech of the glorified ,christ4 ,very well1 then2 if that be true1 what then8 ,the old-fashioned belief--,jesus who died on the ,cross is living1 ,jesus who died on the ,cross is glorified1 ,jesus who died on the ,cross is exalted to the throne of the universe1 puts ,his hand into the affairs of the world as a power amongst them4 ,paul's ,christology is but the rationale of the vision that led to ,paul's conversion4 ,it was in part because he 'saw that ,just ,one1 and heard the words of ,his mouth1' that he declares1 ',god hath highly exalted ,him1 and given ,him a name that is above every name1 that at the name of ,jesus every knee should bow4' ,i do not say that the vision to ,paul is a demonstration of the reality of the ,resurrection1 but ,i do say that it is a very strong confirmatory evidence1 which the opponents of that truth will have much difficulty in legitimately putting aside4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 let me ask you to consider how this man's experience is an exhibition of the love of the living ,lord4 ,that is the main point on which the ,apostle dwells in my text1 in which he says that in him ,jesus ,christ 'shows forth all long-suffering4' ,the whole fulness of ,his patient1 pitying grace was lavished upon him4 ,he says this because he puts side by side his hostility and ,christ's love1 what he had believed of ,jesus1 and how ,jesus had borne with him and loved him through all1 and had drawn him to ,himself and received him4 ,so he established by his own experience this great truth1 that the love of ,jesus ,christ is never darkened by one single speck of anger1 that ,he 'suffereth long1 and is kind'2 that ,he meets hostility with patient love1 hatred with a larger outpouring of ,his affection1 and that ,his only answer to men's departures from ,him in heart and feeling is more mightily to seek to draw them to ,himself4 ',long-suffering' means1 in its true and proper sense1 the patient acceptance1 without the smallest movement of indignation1 of unworthy treatment4 ,and just as ,christ on earth 'gave ,his back to the smiter1 and ,his cheeks to them that pulled off the hair'2 and let the lips of ,judas touch ,his1 nor withdrew ,his face from 'shame and spitting'2 and was never stirred to one impatient or angry word by any opposition1 so now1 and to us all1 with equal boundlessness of endurance1 ,he lets men hate ,him1 and revile ,him1 and forget ,him1 and turn their backs upon ,him2 and for only answer has1 ',come unto ,me all ye that labour1 and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,oh1 dear brethren1 we can weary out all loves except one4 ,by carelessness1 rebelliousness1 the opposition of indifference1 we can chill the affection of those to whom we are dearest4 ',can a mother forget8 ,yea1 she may forget1' but you cannot provoke ,jesus ,christ to cease ,his love4 ,some of you have been trying it all your days1 but you have not done it yet4 ,there does come a time when 'the wrath of the ,lamb'--which is a very terrible paradox--is kindled1 and will fall1 ,i fear1 on some men and women who are listening now4 ,but not yet4 ,you cannot make ,christ angry4 ',for this cause ,i obtained mercy1 that in me ,jesus ,christ might show forth all long-suffering1 for a pattern'--for the same long-suffering is extended to us all4 ,and then1 in like manner1 ,i may remind you that out of ,paul's experience1 as a cardinal instance and standing example of ,christ's heart and dealings1 comes the thought that that long-suffering is always wooing men to itself1 and making efforts to draw them away from their own evil4 ,in ,paul's case there was a miracle4 ,that difference is of small consequence4 ,as truly as ever ,christ spoke to ,paul from the heavens1 so truly1 and so tenderly1 does ,he speak to every one of us4 ,he is drawing us all--you that yield and you that do not yield to ,his attractions1 by the kindliest gifts of ,his love1 by the revelations of ,his grace1 by the movements of ,his ,spirit1 by the providences of our days1 by even my poor lips addressing you now--for1 if ,i be speaking ,his truth1 it is not ,i that speak1 but ,he that speaks in me4 ,i beseech you1 dear friends1 recognise in this old story of the persecutor turned apostle nothing exceptional1 though there be something miraculous1 but only an exceptional form of manifestation of the normal activity of the love of ,christ towards every soul4 ,he loves1 ,he draws1 ,he welcomes all that come to ,him4 ,his servant1 who stood over the blind1 penitent persecutor1 and said to him1 ',brother ,saul6' was only faintly echoing the glad reception which the elder ,brother of the family gives to this and to every prodigal who comes back2 because ,he ,himself has drawn ,him4 ,if we will only recognise the undying truth for all of us that lies beneath the individual experience of this apostle1 we1 too1 may share in the attraction of ,his love1 in the constraining and blessed influences of that love received1 and in the welcome with which ,he hails us when we turn4 ,if this man were thus dealt with1 no man need despair4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 we may notice how this experience is a manifestation of the power of the living1 loving ,lord4 ,the first and plainest thing that it teaches us about that power is that ,jesus ,christ is able in one moment to revolutionise a life4 ,there is nothing more striking than the suddenness and completeness of the change which passed4 ',one day is with the ,lord as a thousand years'2 and there come moments in every life into which there is crammed and condensed a whole world of experience1 so as that a man looks back from this instant to that before1 and feels that a gulf1 deep as infinity1 separates him from his old self4 ,now1 it is very unfashionable in these days to talk about conversion at all4 ,it is even more unfashionable to talk about sudden conversions4 ,i venture to say that there are types of character and experience which will never be turned to good1 unless they are turned suddenly2 while there are others1 no doubt1 to whom the course is a gradual one1 and you cannot tell where the dawn broadens into perfect day4 ,but1 in the case of men who have grown up to some degree of maturity of life1 either in sensuous sin or crusted over with selfish worldliness1 or in any other way1 by reason of intellectual pursuits1 or others have become forgetful of ,god and careless of religion--unless such men are in a moment arrested and wheeled round at once1 there is very little chance of their ever being so at all4 ,i am sure ,i am speaking to some now who1 unless the truth of ,christ comes into their minds with arresting flash1 and unless they are in one moment1 into which an eternity is condensed1 changed in their purposes1 will never be changed4 ,do not1 my friend1 listen to the talk that sudden conversion is impossible or unlikely4 ,it is the only kind of conversion that some of you are capable of4 ,i remember a man1 one of the best ,christian men in a humble station in life that ,i ever knew--he did not live in ,manchester--he had been a drunkard up to his fortieth or fiftieth year4 ,one day he was walking across an open field1 and a voice1 as he thought1 spoke to him and said1 naming him1 ',if you don't sign the pledge to-day you will be damned6' ,he turned on his heel1 and walked straight down the street to the house of a temperance friend1 and said1 ',i have come to sign the pledge4' ,he signed it1 and from that day to the day of his death 'adorned the doctrine of ,jesus ,christ' his ,saviour4 ,if that man had not been suddenly converted he would never have been converted4 ,so ,i say that this story of the text is a crucial instance of ,christ's power to lay hold upon a man1 and wheel him right round all in a moment1 and send him on a new path4 ,he wants to do that with all of you to whom ,he has not already done it4 ,i beseech you1 do not stick your heels into the ground in resistance1 nor when ,he puts ,his hand on your shoulder stiffen your back that ,he may not do what ,he desires with you4 ,may we not see here1 too1 a demonstration of ,christ's power to make a life nobly and blessedly new1 different from all its past1 and adorned with strange and unexpected fruits of beauty and wisdom and holiness8 ,this man's account of his future1 from the moment of that incident on the ,damascus road to the headman's block outside the walls of ,rome1 is this3 ',if any man be in ,christ he is a new creature'2 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,christ will do that for us all2 for long-suffering was shown on the ,apostle for a pattern to them who should hereafter believe4 ,so1 you ,christian people1 it is as much your business as it was ,paul's1 to be visible rhetoric1 manifest demonstrations in your lives of the truth of the ,gospel4 ,men ought to say about us1 ',there must be something in the religion that has done that for these people4' ,we ought to be such that our characters shall induce the thought that the ,christ who has made men like us cannot be a figment4 ,do you show1 ,christian men1 that you are grafted upon the true ,vine by the abundance of the fruit that you bring forth8 ,can you venture to say1 as ,paul said1 ,if you want to know what ,jesus ,christ's love and power are1 look at me8 ,do not venture adducing yourself as a specimen of ,his power unless you have a life like ,paul's to look back upon4 ,for us all the fountain to which ,paul had recourse is open4 ,why do we draw so little from it8 ,the fire which burned1 refining and illuminating1 in him may be kindled in all our hearts4 ,why are we so icy8 ,his convictions are of some value1 as subsidiary evidence to ,gospel facts2 his experience is of still more value as an attestation and an instance of ,gospel blessings4 ,believe like ,paul and you will be saved like ,paul4 ,jesus ,christ will show to you all long-suffering4 ,for though ,paul received it all he did not exhaust it1 and the same long-suffering which was lavished on him is available for each of us4 ,only you too must say like him1 ',i was not disobedient to the heavenly vision4' ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,king ',now1 unto the ,king eternal1 immortal1 invisible1 the only wise ,god1 be honour and glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4'--#a ,,tim4 i4 #ag4 ,with this burst of irrepressible praise the ,apostle ends his reference to his own conversion as a transcendent1 standing instance of the infinite love and transforming power of ,god4 ,similar doxologies accompany almost all his references to the same fact4 ,this one comes from the lips of ',paul the aged1' looking back from almost the close of a life which owed many sorrows and troubles to that day on the road to ,damascus4 ,his heart fills with thankfulness that overflows into the great words of my text4 ,he had little to be thankful for1 judged according to the rules of sense2 but1 though weighed down with care1 having made but a poor thing of the world because of that vision which he saw that day1 and now near martyrdom1 he turns with a full heart to ,god1 and breaks into this song of thanksgiving4 ,there are lives which bear to be looked back upon4 ,are ours of that kind8 ,but my object is mainly to draw your attention to what seems to me a remarkable feature in this burst of thanksgiving4 ,and perhaps ,i shall best impress the thought which it has given to me if ,i ask you to look1 first1 at the character of the ,god who is glorified by ,paul's salvation2 second1 at the facts which glorify such a ,god2 and1 last1 at the praise which should fill the lives of those who know the facts4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 notice the ,god who is glorified by ,paul's salvation4 ,now what strikes me as singular about this great doxology is the characteristics1 or1 to use a technical word1 the attributes1 of the divine nature which the ,apostle selects4 ,they are all those which separate ,god from man2 all those which present ,him as arrayed in majesty1 apart from human weaknesses1 unapproachable by human sense1 and filling a solitary throne4 ,these are the characteristics which the ,apostle thinks receive added lustre1 and are lifted to a loftier height of 'honour and glory1' by the small fact that he1 ,paul1 was saved from sins as he journeyed to ,damascus4 ,it would be easy to roll out oratorical platitudes about these specific characteristics of the divine nature1 but that would be as unprofitable as it would be easy4 ,all that ,i want to do now is just to note the force of the epithets2 and1 if ,i can1 to deepen the impression of the remarkableness of their selection4 ,with regard1 then1 to the first of them1 we at once feel that the designation of 'the ,king' is unfamiliar to the ,new ,testament4 ,it brings with it lofty ideas1 no doubt2 but it is not a name which the writers of the ,new ,testament1 who had been taught in the school of love1 and led by a ,son to the knowledge of ,god1 are most fond of using4 ',the ,king' has melted into 'the ,father4' ,but here ,paul selects that more remote and less tender name for a specific purpose4 ,he is 'the ,king'--not 'eternal1' as our ,bible renders it1 but more correctly 'the ,king of the ,ages4' ,the idea intended is not so much that of unending existence as that ,he moulds the epochs of the world's history1 and directs the evolution of its progress4 ,it is the thought of an overruling ,providence1 with the additional thought that all the moments are a linked chain1 through which ,he flashes the electric force of ,his will4 ,he is ',king of the ,ages4' ,the other epithets are more appropriately to be connected with the word ',god' which follows than with the word ',king' which precedes4 ,the ,apostle's meaning is this3 ',the ,king of the ages1 even the ,god who is1' etc4 ,and the epithets thus selected all tend in the same direction4 ',incorruptible4' ,that at once parts that mystic and majestic ,being from all of which the law is decay4 ,there may be in it some hint of moral purity1 but more probably it is simply what ,i may call a physical attribute1 that that immortal nature not only does not1 but cannot1 pass into any less noble forms4 ,corruption has no share in ,his immortal being4 ,as to 'invisible1' no word need be said to illustrate that4 ,it too points solely to the separation of ,god from all approach by human sense4 ,and then the last of the epithets1 which1 according to the more accurate reading of the text1 should be1 not as our ,bible has it1 'the only wise ,god1' but 'the only ,god1' lifts ,him still further above all comparison and contact with other beings4 ,so the whole set forth the remote attributes which make a man feel1 ',the gulf between ,him and me is so great that thought cannot pass across it1 and ,i doubt whether love can live half-way across that flight1 or will not rather1 like some poor land bird with tiny wings1 drop exhausted1 and be drowned in the abyss before it reaches the other side4' ,we expect to find a hymn to the infinite love4 ,instead of that we get praise1 which might be upon the lips of many a thinker of ,paul's day and of ours1 who would laugh the idea of revelation1 and especially of a revelation such as ,paul believed in1 to absolute scorn4 ,and yet he knew what he was saying when he did not lift up his praise to the ,god of tenderness1 of pity1 of forgiveness1 of pardoning love1 but to 'the ,king of the ages2 the incorruptible1 invisible1 only ,god'2 the ,god whose honour and glory were magnified by the revelation of ,himself in ,jesus ,christ4 ,,ii4 ,and so that brings me1 in the second place1 to ask you to look at the facts which glorify even such a ,god4 ,paul was primarily thinking of his own individual experience2 of what passed when the voice spoke to him1 ',why persecutest thou ,me8' and of the transforming power which had changed him1 the wolf1 with teeth red with the blood of the saints1 into a lamb4 ,but1 as he is careful to point out1 the personal allusion is lost in his contemplation of his own history1 as being a specimen and test-case for the blessing and encouragement of all who 'should hereafter believe upon ,him unto life everlasting4' ,so what we come to is this--that the work of ,jesus ,christ is that which paints the lily and gilds the refined gold of the divine loftinesses and magnificence1 and which brings honour and glory even to that remote and inaccessible majesty4 ,for1 in that revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ1 there is added to all these magnificent and all but inconceivable attributes and excellences1 something that is far diviner and nobler than themselves4 ,there be two great conceptions smelted together in the revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ1 of which neither attains its supremest beauty except by the juxtaposition of the other4 ,power is harsh1 and scarcely worthy to be called divine1 unless it be linked with love4 ,love is not glorious unless it be braced and energised by power4 ,and1 says ,paul1 these two are brought together in ,jesus2 and therefore each is heightened by the other4 ,it is the love of ,god that lifts ,his power to its highest height2 it is the revelation of ,him as stooping that teaches us ,his loftiness4 ,it is because ,he has come within the grasp of our humanity in ,jesus ,christ that we can hymn our highest and noblest praises to 'the ,king eternal1 the invisible ,god4' ,the sunshine falls upon the snow-clad peaks of the great mountains and flushes them with a tender pink that makes them nobler and fairer by far than when they were veiled in clouds4 ,and so all the divine majesty towers higher when we believe in the divine condescension1 and there is no god that men have ever dreamed of so great as the ,god who stoops to sinners and is manifest in the flesh and ,cross of the ,man of ,sorrows4 ,take these characteristics of the divine nature as get forth in the text one by one1 and consider how the ,revelation in ,jesus ,christ1 and its power on sinful men1 raises our conceptions of them4 ',the ,king of the ages'--and do we ever penetrate so deeply into the purpose which has guided ,his hand1 as it moulded and moved the ages1 as when we can say with ,paul that ,his 'good pleasure' is that1 'in the dispensation of the fulness of times1 ,he might gather together in one all things in ,christ4' ,the intention of the epochs as they emerge1 the purpose of all their linked intricacies and apparently diverse movements1 is this one thing1 that ,god in ,christ may be manifest to men1 a nd that humanity may be gathered1 like sheep round the ,shepherd1 into the one fold of the one ,lord4 ,for that the world stands2 for that the ages roll1 and ,he who is the ,king of the epochs hath put into the hands of the ,lamb that was slain the ,book that contains all their events2 and only ,his hand1 pierced upon ,calvary1 is able to open the seals1 to read the ,book4 ,the ,king of the ages is the ,father of ,christ4 ,and in like manner1 that incorruptible ,god1 far away from us because ,he is so1 and to whom we look up here doubtingly and despairingly and often complainingly and ask1 ',why hast ,thou made us thus1 to be weighed upon with the decay of all things and of ourselves8' comes near to us all in the ,christ who knows the mystery of death1 and thereby makes us partakers of an inheritance incorruptible4 ,brethren1 we shall never adore1 or even dimly understand1 the blessedness of believing in a ,god who cannot decay nor change1 unless from the midst of graves and griefs we lift our hearts to ,him as revealed in the face of the dying ,christ4 ,he1 though ,he died1 did not see corruption1 and we through ,him shall pass into the same blessed immunity4 ',the ,king 4 4 4 the ,god invisible4' ,no man hath seen ,god 'at any time1 nor can see ,him4' ,who will honour and glorify that attribute which parts ,him wholly from our sense1 and so largely from our apprehension1 as will he who can go on to say1 'the only begotten ,son which is in the bosom of the ,father1 ,he hath declared ,him4' ,we look up into a waste ,heaven2 thought and fear1 and sometimes desire1 travel into its tenantless spaces4 ,we say the blue is an illusion2 there is nothing there but blackness4 ,but 'he that hath seen ,me hath seen the ,father4' ,and we can lift thankful praise to ,him1 the ,king invisible1 when we hear ,jesus saying1 'thou hast both seen ,him1 and it is ,he that talketh with thee4' ',the only ,god4' ,how that repels men from ,his throne6 ,and yet1 if we apprehend the meaning of ,christ's ,cross and work1 we understand that the solitary ,god welcomes my solitary soul into such mysteries and sacred sweetnesses of fellowship with ,himself that1 the humanity remaining undisturbed1 and the divinity remaining unintruded upon1 we yet are one in ,him1 and partakers of a divine nature4 ,unless we come to ,god through ,jesus ,christ1 the awful attributes in the text spurn a man from ,his throne1 and make all true fellowship impossible4 ,so let me remind you that the religion which does not blend together in indissoluble union these two1 the majesty and the lowliness1 the power and the love1 the ,god inaccessible and the ,god who has tabernacled with us in ,jesus ,christ1 is sure to be almost an impotent religion4 ,deism in all its forms1 the religion which admits a ,god and denies a revelation2 the religion which1 in some vague sense1 admits a revelation and denies an incarnation2 the religion which admits an incarnation and denies a sacrifice2 all these have little to say to man as a sinner2 little to say to man as a mourner2 little power to move his heart1 little power to infuse strength into his weakness4 ,if once you strike out the thought of a redeeming ,christ from your religion1 the temperature will go down alarmingly1 and all will soon be frost bound4 ,brethren1 there is no real adoration of the loftiness of the ,king of the ages1 no true apprehension of the majesty of the ,god incorruptible1 invisible1 eternal1 until we see ,him in the face and in the ,cross of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the truths of this gospel of our salvation do not in the smallest degree impinge upon or weaken1 but rather heighten1 the glory of ,god4 ,the brightest glory streams from the ,cross4 ,it was when ,he was standing within a few hours of it1 and had it full in view1 that ,jesus ,christ broke out into that strange strain of triumph1 ',now is ,god glorified4' ',the ,king of the ages1 incorruptible1 invisible1 the only ,god1' is more honoured and glorified in the forgiveness that comes through ,jesus ,christ1 and in the transforming power which ,he puts forth in the ,gospel1 than in all besides4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 let me draw your attention to the praise which should fill the lives of those who know these facts4 ,i said that this ,apostle seems always1 when he refers to his own individual conversion1 to have been melted into fresh outpourings of thankfulness and of praise4 ,and that is what ought to be the life of all of you who call yourselves ,christians2 a continual warmth of thankfulness welling up in the heart1 and not seldom finding utterance in the words1 but always filling the life4 ,not seldom1 ,i say1 finding utterance in the words4 ,it is a delicate thing for a man to speak about himself1 and his own religious experience4 ,our ,english reticence1 our social habits1 and many other even less worthy hindrances rise in the way2 and ,i should be the last man to urge ,christian people to cast their pearls before swine1 or too fully to ',open wide the bridal chamber of the heart1' to let in the day4 ,there is a wholesome fear of men who are always talking about their own religious experiences4 ,but there are times and people to whom it is treason to the ,master for us not to be frank in the confession of what we have found in ,him4 ,and ,i think there would be less complaining of the want of power in the public preaching of the ,word if more professing ,christians more frequently and more simply said to those to whom their words are weighty1 ',come and hear and ,i will tell you what ,god hath done for my soul4' ',ye are my witnesses1' saith the ,lord4 ,it is a strange way that ,christian people in this generation have of discharging their obligations that they should go1 as so many of them do1 from the cradle of their ,christian lives to their graves1 never having opened their lips for the ,master who has done all for them4 ,only remember1 if you venture to speak you will have to live your preaching4 ',there is no speech nor language1 their voice is not heard1 their sound is gone out through all the earth4' ,the silent witness of life must always accompany the audible proclamation1 and in many cases is far more eloquent than it4 ,your consistent thankfulness manifested in your daily obedience1 and in the transformation of your character1 will do far more than all my preaching1 or the preaching of thousands like me1 to commend the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,one last word1 brethren4 ,this revelation is made to us all4 ,what is ,god to you1 friend8 ,is ,he a remote1 majestic1 unsympathising1 terrible ,deity8 ,is ,he dim1 shadowy1 unwelcome2 or is ,he ,god whose love softens ,his power2 ,whose power magnifies his love8 ,oh6 ,i beseech you1 open your eyes and your hearts to see that that remote ,deity is of no use to you1 will do nothing for you1 cannot help you1 may probably judge you1 but will never heal you4 ,and open your hearts to see that 'the only ,god' whom men can love is ,god in ,christ4 ,if here we lift up grateful praise 'unto ,him that loveth us and hath loosed us from our sins in ,his blood1' we1 too1 shall one day join in that great chorus which at last will be heard saying1 ',blessing and honour and glory and power be unto ,him that sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb for ever and ever4' ,,where ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,pray ',i will therefore that men pray every where1 lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting4'--#a ,,tim4 ii4 #h4 ,the context shows that this is part of the ,apostle's directory for public worship1 and that1 therefore1 the terms of the first clause are to be taken somewhat restrictedly4 ,they teach the duty of the male members of the ,church to take public1 audible part in its worship4 ,everywhere1 therefore1 must here properly be taken in the restricted signification of 'every place of ,christian assembly4' ,and from the whole passage there comes a picture of what sort of thing a meeting of the primitive ,church for worship was1 very different from anything that we see nowadays4 ',every one of you hath a psalm1 hath a doctrine1 hath an exhortation4' ,i fancy that some of the eminently respectable and utterly dead congregations which call themselves ,christian ,churches would be very much astonished if they could see what used to be the manner of ,christian worship nineteen hundred years ago1 and would get a new notion of what was meant by 'decently1 and in order4' ,but we may fairly1 ,i suppose1 if once we confess that this is so1 widen somewhat the scope of these words1 and take them rather as expressive of the ,apostle's desire and injunction1 for the word that he used here1 ',i will1' is a very strong one1 to all ,christian people1 be they men or women1 that they pray 'everywhere1' in the widest sense of that expression1 'lifting up holy hands without wrath or doubting4' ,i do not attempt anything more than just to go1 step by step1 through the ,apostle's words and gather up the duties which each enjoins4 ',i will that men pray everywhere4' ,that is the same in spirit as the ,apostle's other command3 ',pray without ceasing2 in everything give thanks4' ,a very high ideal1 but a very reasonable one1 for unless we can find some place where ,god is not1 and where the telegraph between heaven and earth is beyond our reach1 there is no place where we should not pray4 ,and unless we can find a place where we do not want ,god1 nor need ,him1 there is no place where we should not pray4 ,because1 then1 'everywhere' is equally near ,him1 and the straight road to ,his throne is of the same length from every hole and corner of the world2 therefore1 wherever men are1 they ought to be clinging to ,his skirts1 and reaching out their open hands for ,his benefits2 and because1 wherever a man is1 there he utterly depends upon ,god1 and needs the actual intervention of ,his love1 and the energising of ,his power for everything1 even for his physical life1 so that he cannot wink his eyelashes without ,god's help1 therefore1 ',in every place ,i will that men pray4' ,and how is that to be done8 ,first of all1 by keeping out of all places where it is impossible that we should pray2 for although ,he is everywhere1 and we want ,him everywhere1 there are places--and some of us know the roads to them but too well1 and are but too often in them--where prayer would be a strange incongruity4 ,a man will not pray over the counter of a public-house4 ,a man will not pray over a sharp bargain4 ,a man will not pray that ,god may bless his outbursts of anger1 or sensuality and the like4 ,a man will not pray when he feels that he is deep down in some pit of self-caused alienation from ,god4 ,the possibility of praying in given circumstances is a sharp test1 although a very rough and ready one1 whether we ought to be in these circumstances or not4 ,do not let us go where we cannot take ,god with us2 and if we feel that it would be something like blasphemy to call to ,him from such a place1 do not let us trust ourselves there4 ,jonah could pray out of the belly of the fish1 and there was no incongruity in that2 but many a professing ,christian man gets swallowed up by monsters of the deep1 and durst not for very shame send up a prayer to ,god4 ,get out of all such false positions4 ,but if the ,apostle wills 'that men pray alway1' it must be possible while going about business1 study1 daily work1 work at home amongst the children1 work in the factory amongst spindles1 work in the counting-house amongst ledgers1 work in the study amongst lexicons1 not only to pray whilst we are working1 but to make work prayer1 which is even better4 ,the old saying that is often quoted with admiration1 'work is worship1' is only half true4 ,there is a great deal of work that is anything but worship4 ,but it is true that if1 in all that ,i do1 ,i try to realise my dependence on ,god for power2 to look to ,him for direction1 and to trust to ,him for issue1 then1 whether ,i eat1 or drink1 or pray1 or study1 or buy and sell1 or marry or am given in marriage1 all will be worship of ,god4 ',i will that men pray everywhere4' ,what a noble ideal1 and not an impossible or absurd one6 ,this was not the false ideal of a man that had withdrawn himself from duty in order to cultivate his own soul1 but the true ideal of one of the hardest workers that ever lived4 ,paul could say ',i am pressed above measure1 insomuch that ,i despair of life1 and that which cometh upon me daily is the care of all the churches1' and yet driven1 harassed beyond his strength with business and cares as he was1 he did himself what he bids us do4 ,his life was prayer1 therefore his life was ,christ1 therefore he was equal to all demands4 ,none of us are as hard-worked1 as heavily pressed1 as much hunted by imperative and baying dogs of duties as ,paul was4 ,it is possible for us to obey this commandment and to pray everywhere4 ,a servant girl down on her knees doing the doorsteps may do that task from such a motive1 and with such accompaniments1 as she dips her cloth into the hot-water bucket1 as to make even it prayer to ,god4 ,we each can lift all the littlenesses of our lives into a lofty region1 if only we will link them on to the throne of ,god by prayer4 ,there is another way by which this ideal can be attained1 and that is to cultivate the habit1 which ,i think many ,christian people do not cultivate1 of little short swallow-flights of prayer in the midst of our daily work4 ',they cried unto ,god in the battle1 and ,he was entreated of them4' ,if a ,philistine sword was hanging over the man's head1 do you think he would have much time to drop down upon his knees1 to make a petition1 divided into all the parts which divines tell us go to make up the complete idea of prayer8 ,i should think not2 but he could say1 ',save me1 ,o ,lord6' ',they cried to ,god in the battle--little1 sharp1 short shrieks of prayer--and ,he was entreated of them4' ,if you would cast swift electric flashes of that kind more frequently up to heaven1 you would bring down the blessings that very often do not come after the most elaborate and proper and formal petitions4 ',lord1 save or ,i perish6' ,it did not take long to say that1 but it made the difference between drowning and deliverance4 ,still further1 notice the conditions of true prayer that are here required4 ,i will that men pray everywhere 'lifting up holy hands4' ,that is a piece of symbolism1 of course4 ,apparently the ,jewish attitude of prayer was unlike ours4 ,they seem to have stood during devotion and to have elevated their hands with open1 empty1 upturned palms to heaven4 ,we clasp ours in entreaty1 or fold them as a symbol of resignation and submission4 ,they lifted them1 with the double idea1 ,i suppose1 of offering themselves to ,god thereby1 and of asking ,him to put something into the empty hand1 just as a beggar says nothing1 but holds out a battered hat1 in order to get a copper from a passer-by4 ,the psalmist desired that the lifting up of his hands might be as the 'evening sacrifice4' ,if a man stands with his open1 empty palm held up to ,god1 it is as much as to say ',i need1 ,i desire1 ,i expect4' ,and these elements are what we must have in our prayers2 the sense of want1 the longing for supply1 the anticipation of an answer4 ,what do you hold out your hand for8 ,because you expect me to drop something into it1 because you want to get something4 ,how do you hold out your hand8 ,empty4 ,and if ,i am clasping my five fingers round some earthly good it is of no use to hold up that hand to ,god4 ,nothing will come into it4 ,how can it8 ,he must first take the imitation diamonds out of it or we must turn it round and shake them out before ,he can fill it with real jewels4 ,as for him who continues to clutch worldly goods1 'let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the ,lord4' ,empty the palm before you lift it4 ,still further1 says ,paul1 'lifting up holy hands4' ,that1 of course1 needs no explanation4 ,one of the psalms1 you may remember1 says ',i will wash mine hands in innocency1 so will ,i compass ,thine altar4' ,the psalmist felt that unless there was a previous lustration and cleansing1 it was vain for him to go round the altar4 ,and you may remember how sternly and eloquently the prophet ,isaiah rebukes the hypocritical worshippers in ,jerusalem when he says to them1 ',your hands are full of blood4 ,wash you1 make you clean1 put away the evil of your doings1' and then come and pray4 ,a foul hand gets nothing from ,god4 ,how can it8 ,god's best gift is of such a sort as cannot be laid upon a dirty palm4 ,a little sin dams back the whole of ,god's grace1 and there are too many men that pray1 pray1 pray1 and never get any of the things that we pray for1 because there is something stopping the pipe1 and they do not know what it is1 and perhaps would be very sorry to clear it out if they did4 ,but all the same1 the channel of communication is blocked and stopped1 and it is impossible that any blessing should come4 ,geographers tell us that a microscopic vegetable grows rapidly in one of the upper affluents of the ,nile1 and makes a great dam across the river which keeps back the water1 and so makes one of the lakes which have recently been explored2 and then1 when the dam breaks1 the rising of the ,nile fertilises ,egypt4 ,some of us have growing1 unchecked1 and unnoticed1 in the innermost channels of our hearts1 little sins that mat themselves together and keep increasing until the grace of ,god is utterly kept from permeating the parched recesses of our spirits4 ',i will that men pray1 lifting up holy hands1' and unless we do1 alas6 for us4 ,if these are the requirements1 you will say1 ',how can ,i pray at all8' ,well1 do you remember what the ,psalmist says8 ',if ,i regard iniquity in my heart1 the ,lord will not hear me1' but then he goes on1 ',blessed be ,god1 who hath not turned away my prayer nor ,his mercy from me4' ,it is always true that if we regard iniquity in our hearts1 if in our inmost nature we love the sin1 that stops the prayer from being answered4 ,but1 blessed be ,god1 it is not true that our having done the sin prevents our petitions being granted4 ,for the sin that is not regarded in the heart1 but is turned away from with loathing hath no intercepting power4 ,so1 though the uplifted hands art stained1 ,he will cleanse them if1 as we lift them to ,him1 we say1 ',lord1 they are foul1 if thou wilt ,thou canst make them clean4' ,but the final requirement is3 ',without wrath or doubting4' ,i do not think that ,christian people generally recognise with sufficient clearness the close and inseparable connection which subsists between their right feelings towards their fellow-men and the acceptance of their prayers with ,god4 ,it is very instructive that here1 alongside of requirements which apply to our relations to ,god1 the ,apostle should put so emphatically and plainly one which refers to our relations to our fellows4 ,an angry man is a very unfit man to pray1 and a man who cherishes in his heart any feelings of that nature towards anybody may be quite sure that he is thereby shutting himself out from blessings which otherwise might be his4 ,we do not sufficiently realise1 or act on the importance1 in regard to our relations with ,god1 of our living in charity with all men4 ',first1 go and be reconciled to thy brother1' is as needful to-day as when the word was spoken4 ',without 4 4 4 doubting4' ,have ,i the right to be perfectly sure that my prayer will be answered8 ,yes and no4 ,if my prayer is1 as all true prayer ought to be1 the submission of my will to ,god's and not the forcing of my will upon ,god1 then ,i have the right to be perfectly sure4 ,but if ,i am only asking in self-will1 for things that my own heart craves1 that is not prayer2 that is dictation4 ,that is sending instructions to heaven2 that is telling ,god what ,he ought to do4 ,that is not the kind of prayer that may be offered 'without doubting4' ,it might1 indeed1 be offered1 if offered at all1 with the certainty that it will not be answered4 ,for this is the assurance on which we are to rest--and some of us may think it is a very poor one--'we know that1 if we ask anything according to ,his will1 ,he heareth us4' ,to get what we want would often be our ruin4 ,god loves ,his children a great deal too well to give them serpents when they ask for them1 thinking they are fish1 or to give them stones when they beseech ,him for them1 believing them to be bread4 ,he will never hand you a scorpion when you ask ,him to give it you1 because1 with its legs and its sting tucked under its body1 it is like an egg4 ,we make mistakes in our naming of things and in our desires after things1 and it is only when we have learned to say ',not my will but ,thine be done1' that we have the right to pray1 'without doubting4' ,if we do so pray1 certainly we receive4 ,but a tremulous faith brings little blessing1 and small answer4 ,an unsteady hand cannot hold the cup still for ,him to pour in the wine of ,his grace1 but as the hand shakes1 the cup moves1 and the precious gift is spilled4 ,the still1 submissive soul will be filled1 and the answer to its prayer will be1 ',whatsoever things ye desire believe that ye receive them1 and ye shall have them4' ,,spiritual ,,athletics ',exercise thyself unto ,godliness4'--#a ,,tim4 iv4 #g4 ,timothy seems to have been not a very strong character3 sensitive1 easily discouraged1 and perhaps with a constitutional tendency to indolence4 ,at all events1 it is very touching to notice how the old ,apostle--a prisoner1 soon to be a martyr--forgot all about his own anxieties and burdens1 and1 through both of his letters to his young helper1 gives himself to the task of bracing him up4 ,thus he says to him1 in my text1 amongst other trumpet-tongued exhortations1 ',exercise thyself unto godliness4' ,if ,i were preaching to ministers1 ,i should have a good deal to say about the necessity of this precept for them1 and to remind them that it was first spoken1 not to a private member of the ,church1 as an injunction for the ,christian life in general1 but as having a special bearing on the temptations and necessities of those who stand in official positions in the ,church4 ,for there is nothing that is more likely to sap a man's devotion1 and to eat out the earnestness and sincerity of a ,christian life1 than that he should be--as ,i1 for instance1 and every man in my position has to be--constantly occupied with presenting ,god's ,word to other people4 ,we are apt to look upon it as1 in some sense1 our stock-in-trade1 and to forget to apply it to ourselves4 ,so it was with a very special bearing on the particular occupation and temptation of his correspondent that ,paul said ',exercise thyself unto godliness' before you begin to talk to other people4 ,but that would not be appropriate to my present audience4 ,and ,i take this injunction as one of universal application4 ,i4 ,notice1 then1 here expressed the ever-present and universal aim of the ,christian life4 ,paul does not say 'be godly'2 but 'exercise thyself unto'--with a view towards--'godliness4' ,in other words1 to him godliness is the great aim which every ,christian man should set before him as the one supreme purpose of his life4 ,now ,i am not going to spend any time on mere verbal criticism1 but ,i must point to the somewhat unusual word which the ,apostle here employs for 'godliness4' ,it is all but exclusively confined to these last letters of the ,apostle4 ,it was evidently a word that had unfolded the depth and fulness and comprehensiveness of its meaning to him in the last stage of his religious experience4 ,for it is only once employed in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and some two or three times in the doubtful second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 ,and all the other instances of its use lie in these three letters--the one to ,titus and two to ,timothy2 and eight of them are in this first one4 ,the old ,apostle keeps perpetually recurring to this one idea of 'godliness4' ,what does he mean by it8 ,the etymological meaning of the word is 'well-directed reverence1' but it is to be noticed that the context specifically points to one form of well-directed reverence1 viz4 as shown in conduct4 ',active godliness' is the meaning of the word2 religion embodied in deeds1 emotions1 and sentiments1 and creeds1 put into fact4 ,this noble and pregnant word teaches us1 first of all1 that all true religion finds its ultimate sphere and best manifestation in the conduct of daily life4 ,that sounds like a platitude4 ,i wish it were4 ,if we believed that1 and worked it out1 we should be very different people from what the most of us are2 and our chapels would be very different places1 and the professing ,church would have a new breath of life over it4 ,religion must have its foundation laid deep in the truths revealed by ,god for our acceptance4 ,and does ,god tell us anything simply that we may believe it1 and there an end8 ,what is the purpose of all the principles and facts which make up the body of the ,christian revelation8 ,to enlighten us8 ,yes6 ,to enlighten us only8 ,a hundred times no6 ,the destination of a principle1 of a truth1 is to pass out from the understanding into the whole nature of man4 ,and if1 as ,i said1 the foundation of religion is laid in truths1 principles1 facts1 the second story of the building is certain emotions1 sentiments1 feelings1 desires1 and affections1 and 'experiences'--as people call them--which follow from the acceptance of these truths and principles4 ,and is that all8 ,a thousand times no6 ,what do we get the emotions for8 ,what does ,god give you a ,revelation of ,himself for1 that kindles your love if you believe it8 ,that you may love8 ,yes6 ,only that you may love8 ,certainly not4 ,and so the top story is conduct1 based upon the beliefs1 and inspired by the emotions4 ,in former centuries1 the period between the ,reformation and our fathers' time1 the tendency of the ,protestant ,church was very largely to let the conception of religion as a body of truths overshadow everything else4 ,and nowadays1 amongst a great many people1 the temptation is to take the second story for the main one1 and to think that if a man loves1 and has the glow at his heart of the conscious reception of ,god's love1 and has longings and yearnings1 and ,christian hopes and desires1 and passes into the sweetnesses of communion with ,god1 in his solitary moments1 and plunges deep into the truths of ,god's ,word1 that is godliness4 ,but the true exhortation to us is--,do not stop with putting in the foundations of a correct creed1 nor at the second stage of an emotional religion4 ,both are needful4 ,number one and number two are infinitely precious1 but both exist for number three4 ,and true religion has its sphere in conduct4 ',exercise thyself unto godliness4' ,that does not mean only--for it does include that--cultivate devout emotions1 or realise the facts and the principles of the ,gospel1 but it means1 take these along with you into your daily life1 and work them out there4 ,bring all the facts and truths of your creed1 and all the sweet and select1 the secret and sacred1 emotions which you have felt1 to bear upon your daily life4 ,the soil in which the tree grows1 and the roots of the tree1 its stem and its blossoms1 are all means to the end--fruit4 ,what is the use of the clearest conceptions1 and of the most tender1 delicate1 holy emotions1 if they do not drive the wheels of action8 ,god does not give us the ,gospel to make us wise1 nor even to make us blessed1 but ,he gives it to us to make us good men and women1 working ,his work in our daily tasks4 ,all true religion has its sphere in conduct4 ,but then there is another side to that4 ,all true conduct must have its root in religion1 and ,i1 for my part--though of course it is extremely 'narrow' and 'antiquated' to profess it--,i1 for my part1 do not believe that in the long-run1 and in general1 you will get noble living apart from the emotions and sentiments which the truths of ,christianity1 accepted and fed upon1 are sure to produce4 ,and so this day1 with its very general depreciation of the importance of accurate conceptions of revealed truth1 and its exaltation of conduct1 is on the verge of a very serious error4 ,godliness1 well-directed reverence1 is the parent of all noble living1 and the one infallible way to produce a noble life is faith in ,christ1 and love which flows from the faith4 ,if all that is so1 if godliness is1 not singing psalms1 not praying1 not saying ',how sweet it is to feel the love of ,god1' still less saying ',i accept the principles of ,christianity as they are laid down in the ,bible'2 but carrying out beliefs and emotions in deeds1 then the true aim which we should have continually before us as ,christians is plain enough4 ,we may not reach it completely1 but we can approximate indefinitely towards it4 ,aim is more important than achievement4 ,direction is more vital in determining the character of a life than progress actually made4 ,note the form of the exhortation1 'exercise thyself towards godliness1' which involves the same thought as is expressed in ,paul's other utterance of irrepressible aspiration and effort1 ',not as if ,i had already attained1 either were already perfect1 but ,i follow after1' or as he had just said1 'press towards the mark1' in continual approximation to the ideal4 ,a complete penetration of all our actions by the principles and emotions of the ,gospel is what is set before us here4 ,and that is the only aim that corresponds to what and where ,i am and to what ,i need4 ,i fall back upon the grandly simple old words1 very dear to some of us1 perhaps1 by boyish associations1 ',man's chief end is to glorify ,god1 and 7so7 to enjoy ,him for ever4' ',unto ,godliness' is to be the aim of every true life1 and it is the only aim which corresponds to our circumstances and our relations1 our powers and possibilities4 ,,ii4 ,notice the discipline which such an aim demands4 ',exercise thyself4' ,now1 ,i have no doubt that the bulk of my hearers know that the word here rendered 'exercise' is drawn from the athlete's training-ground1 and is1 in fact1 akin to the word which is transported into ,english under the form 'gymnasium4' ,the ,apostle's notion is that1 just as the athlete1 racer1 or boxer goes through a course of training1 so there is a training as severe1 necessary for the godliness which ,paul regards as the one true aim of life4 ,you ,christian people ought to train your spirits at least as carefully as the athlete does his muscles4 ,there are plenty of people1 calling themselves ,christians1 who never give one-hundredth part as much systematic and diligent pains to fulfil the ideal of their ,christian life as men will take to learn to ride a bicycle or to pull the stroke oar in a college boat4 ,the self-denial and persistence and concentration which are freely spent upon excellence in athletic pursuits might well put to shame the way in which ,christians go about the task of 'doing' their religion4 ,i suppose there never was a time1 in ,england's history at any rate1 whatever it may have been in ,greece1 when modern instances might give more point to an old saw than to-day does for this text1 when athletic sports of all kinds are taking up so much of the time and the energy of our young men4 ,i do not want to throw cold water on that1 but ,i do say it is a miserable thing to think that so many professing ,christians will give a great deal more pains to learn to play lawn tennis than ever they did to learn to be good1 ,christian people4 ',exercise thyself unto godliness4' ,make a business of living your ,christianity4 ,be in earnest about it4 ,a tragically large number of professing ,christians never were in earnest about mending themselves4 ,and that is why they are so far1 far behind4 ',exercise thyself4' ,you say1 ,how8 ',well1 ,i say1 first of all1 concentration4 ',this one thing ,i do4' ,that does not mean narrowing1 because this 'one thing' can be done by means of all the legitimate things that we have to do in the world4 ,next ,friday1 when you go on ',change1 you can be exercising yourself to godliness there4 ,whatever may be the form of our daily occupation1 it is the gymnasium where ,god has put us to exercise our muscles in1 and so to gain 'the wrestling thews that throw the world4' ',be strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4' ,the concentration for which ,i plead does not shut us out from any place but the devil's wrestling-ground4 ,all that is legitimate1 all that is innocent1 may be made a means for manifesting and for increasing our godliness4 ,only you have to take ,god with you into your life1 and to try1 more and more consciously1 to make ,him the motive-power of all that you do4 ,then the old saying which is profoundly true as it was originally meant1 and has of late years been so misused as to become profoundly false1 will be true again1 ',laborare est orare4' ,yes6 it is2 if worship underlies the work1 but not else4 ,again ,i say1 exercise yourselves by abstinence4 ,how many things did the athlete at ,corinth do without in his training8 ,how many things do prizefighters and rowing men do without when in training to-day8 ,how rigidly1 for a while at any rate1 they abstain--whether they recompense themselves afterwards or not has nothing to do with my present purpose4 ,and is it not a shame that some sensual man shall1 for the sake of winning a medal or a cup1 be able gladly to abandon the delights of sense--eating1 drinking1 and the like--and content himself with a hermit's ,spartan fare1 and that ,christian people so seldom1 and so reluctantly1 and so partially turn away from the poisoned cups and the indigestible dainties which the world provides for them8 ,i think that any ,christian man who complains of the things which he is shut out from doing if he is to cultivate the godliness which should be his life need only go to any place where horse-jockeys congregate to get a lesson that he may well lay to heart4 ',exercise thyself1' for it is unto godliness4 ,and then what ,i said in a former part of this sermon about the various stages of religion may suggest another view of the method of discipline proper to the ,christian life4 ,the strenuous exercise of all our powers is called for4 ,but if it is true that the godliness of my text is the last outcome of the emotions which spring from the reception of certain truths1 then if we work backwards1 as it were1 we shall get the best way of producing the godliness4 ,that is to say1 the main effort for all men who are in earnest in regard to their own growth in ,christlikeness is to keep themselves in touch with the truths of the ,gospel1 and in the exercise of the sentiments and emotions which flow from these4 ,or1 to put it into other words1 the 'gymnastic' is to be1 mainly1 the man's clinging1 with all his might of mind and heart1 to ,christ1 and the truths that are wrapped up in ,him2 and the cultivation of the habit of continual faith and love turned to that ,lord4 ,if ,i see to number one--the creed1 and to number two--the emotions1 they will see to number three--the conduct4 ,keep the truths of the ,gospel well in your minds1 and keep yourselves well in the attitude of contact with ,jesus ,christ1 and power for life will come into you4 ,but if the fountain is choked1 the bed of the stream will be dry4 ,they tell us that away up in ,abyssinia there form across the bed of one of the branches of the ,nile great fields of weed4 ,and as long as they continue unbroken the lower river is shrunken4 ,but when the stream at the back of them bursts its way through them1 then come the inundations down in ,egypt1 and bring fertility4 ,and there are hundreds of professing ,christians whose fields lie barren and baked in the sunshine1 because they have stopped with weeds1 far away up amongst the hills1 the stream that would water them4 ,clear out the weeds1 and the water will do the rest4 ,and 'exercise thyself unto godliness' by keeping the crown and the prize often and clear in view4 ',paul the aged' in this very letter says3 ',i have finished my course1 henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of glory4' ,he had said1 in the midst of the strife3 ',not as though ,i had already attained--,i press toward the mark for the prize4' ,and the prize which gleamed before him through all the dust of the arena now shone still more brightly when his hand had all but clasped it4 ,if we desire to 'run with perseverance the race that is set before us' we must keep our eyes fixed on ,jesus1 and see in ,him1 not only the ,rewarder1 but the ,reward1 of the 'exercise unto godliness4' ,,one ,,witness1 ,,many ,,confessors ',thou 4 4 4 hast professed a good profession before many witnesses4 #ac4 ,i give thee charge in the sight of ,god1 who quickeneth all things1 and before ,christ ,jesus1 who before ,pontius ,pilate witnessed a good confession1 #ad4 ,that thou keep this commandment4 4 4 4'--#a ,,tim4 vi4 #ab-ad4 ,you will observe that 'a good confession1' or rather 'the good confession1' is said here to have been made both by ,timothy and by ,christ4 ,but you will observe also that whilst the subject-matter is the same1 the action of ,timothy and ,jesus respectively is different4 ,the former professes1 or rather confesses1 the good confession2 the latter witnesses4 ,there must be some reason for the significant variation of terms to indicate that the relation of ,timothy and ,jesus to the good confession which they both made was1 in some way1 a different one1 and that though what they said was identical1 their actions in saying it were different4 ,then there is another point of parallelism to be noticed4 ,timothy made his profession 'before many witnesses1' but the ,apostle calls to his remembrance1 and summons up before the eye of his imagination1 a more august tribunal than that before which he had confessed his faith1 and says that he gives him charge 'before ,god' 7for the same word is used in the original in both verses71 'who quickeneth all things1 and before ,christ ,jesus4' ,so the earthly witnesses of the man's confession dwindle into insignificance when compared with the heavenly ones4 ,and upon these thoughts is based the practical exhortation1 ',keep the commandment without spot4' ,so1 then1 we have three things3 the great ,witness and ,his confession1 the subordinate confessors who echo ,his witness1 and the practical issue that comes out of both thoughts4 ,i4 ,we have the great ,witness and ,his confession4 ,now1 you will remember1 perhaps1 that if we turn to the ,gospels1 we find that all of them give the subject-matter of ,christ's confession before ,pilate1 as being that ,he was the ,king of the ,jews4 ,but the ,evangelist ,john expands that conversation1 and gives us details which present a remarkable verbal correspondence with the words of the ,apostle here1 and must suggest to us that1 though ,john's ,gospel was not written at the date of this ,epistle1 the fact that is enshrined for us in it was independently known by the ,apostle ,paul4 ,for1 if ,i may for a moment recall the incident to you1 you will remember that when ,pilate put to the ,saviour the question1 ',art ,thou a ,king8' our ,lord1 before ,he would answer1 took pains to make quite clear the sense in which the judge asked ,him of ,his royal state4 ,for ,he said1 ',sayest thou this thing of thyself1 or did others tell it thee of ,me8 ,if it is your ,roman idea of a king1 the answer must be1 ,no4 ,if it is the ,jewish ,messianic idea1 the answer must be1 ,yes4 ,i must know first what the question means1 in the mind of the questioner1 before ,i answer it4' ,and when ,pilate brushes aside ,christ's question1 with a sort of impatient contempt1 and returns to the charge1 ',what hast ,thou done8' our ,lord1 whilst ,he makes the claim of sovereignty1 takes care to make it in such a way as to show that ,rome need fear nothing from ,him1 and that ,his dominion rested not upon force4 ',my ,kingdom is not of this world4' ,and then1 when ,pilate1 like a practical ,roman1 bewildered with all these fine-spun distinctions1 sweeps them impatiently out of the field1 and comes back to ',yes1 or ,no2 are you a ,king8' our ,lord gives a distinct affirmative answer1 but at once soars up into the region where ,pilate had declined to follow ,him3 ',to this end was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i might bear witness to the truth4' ',before ,pontius ,pilate he witnessed the good confession4' ,and ,his confession was ,his royalty1 ,his relation to the truth1 and ,his pre-existence4 ',to this end was ,i born1' and the next clause is no mere tautology1 nor a non-significant parallelism1 'and for this cause came ,i into the world4' ,then ,he was before ,he came1 and birth to ,him was not the beginning of being1 but the beginning of a new relation4 ,so1 then1 out of this great word of our text1 which falls into line with a great many other words of the ,new ,testament1 we may gather important and significant truths with regard to two things1 the matter and the manner of ,christ's witnessing4 ,you remember how the same ,apostle ,john--for whom that word 'witness' has a fascination in all its manifold applications--in that great vision of the ,apocalypse1 when to his blessed sight the vision of the ,master was once given1 extols ,him as 'the faithful witness1 and the ,first-begotten from the dead1 and the ,prince of the kings of the earth4' ,and you may remember how our ,lord ,himself1 after ,his conversation with ,nicodemus1 says1 ',we speak that we do know1 and bear witness to that we have seen1' and how again1 in answer to the taunts of the ,jews1 ,he takes the taunt as the most intimate designation of the peculiarity of ,his person and of ,his work1 when ,he says1 ',i am one that bear witness of ,myself4' ,so1 then1 we have to interpret his declaration before ,pilate in the light of all these other sayings1 and to remember that ,he who said that ,he came to bear witness to the truth1 said also1 ',i am the truth1' and therefore that his great declaration that ,he was the witness-bearer to the truth is absolutely synonymous with ,his other declaration that ,he bears witness of ,himself4 ,now1 here we come upon one of the great peculiarities of ,christ as a religious teacher4 ,the new thing1 the distinctive peculiarity1 the differentia between ,him and all other teachers1 lies just here1 that ,his theme is not so much moral or religious principles1 as ,his own nature and person4 ,he was the most egotistical man that ever lived on the face of the earth1 with an egotism only to be accounted for1 if we believe1 as ,he ,himself said1 that in ,his person was the truth that ,he proclaimed1 and that when ,he witnessed to ,himself ,he revealed ,god4 ,and thus ,he stands1 separate from all other teachers1 by this1 that ,he is ,his own theme and ,his own witness4 ,so much for the matter of the good confession to which we need only add here its pendant in the confession before the ,high ,priest4 ,to the representative of the civil government ,he said1 ',i am a king1' and then1 as ,i remarked1 ,he soared up into regions where no ,roman official could rise to follow ,him1 and to the representative of the ,theocratic government ,he said1 ',hereafter ye shall see the ,son of ,man sitting at the right hand of ,god1 and coming in the clouds of heaven4' ,these two truths1 that ,he is the ,son of ,god1 who by ,his witness to the truth1 that is1 ,himself1 lays the foundations of a ,monarchy which shall stretch far further than the pinions of the ,roman eagles could ever fly1 and that he is the ,son of ,man who1 exalted to the right hand of ,god1 is to be the ,judge of mankind--these are the good confessions to which the ,lord witnessed4 ,then with regard to the manner of ,his witness4 ,that brings us to another of the peculiarities of ,christ's teaching4 ,i have said that ,he was the most egotistical of men4 ,i would say1 too1 that there never was another who clashed down in the front of humanity such tremendous assertions1 with not the faintest scintilla of an attempt to prove them to our understandings1 or commend them by any other plea than this1 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you6' ,a witness does not need to argue4 ,a witness is a man who reports what he has seen and heard4 ,the whole question is as to his veracity and competency4 ,jesus ,christ states it for the characteristic of ,his work1 ',we speak that we do know1 and bear witness to that we have seen4' ,his relation to the truth which ,he brings to us is not that of a man who has thought it out1 who has been brought to it by experience1 or by feeling1 or by a long course of investigation2 still less is it the relation which a man would bear to a truth that he had learnt from others originally1 however much he had made it his own thereafter3 but it is that of one who is not a thinker1 or a learner1 or a reasoner1 but who is simply an attester1 a witness4 ,and so ,he stands before us1 and says1 ',the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit1 they are life4 ,believe ,me1 and believe the words1 for no other reason1 primarily1 than because ,i speak them4' ,in these two respects1 then1 the matter and the manner of ,his witness1 ,he stands alone1 and we have to bow before ,him and say1 ',speak1 ,lord6 for thy servant heareth4' ',before ,pontius ,pilate ,he witnessed a good confession4' ,,ii4 ,we have here suggested to us the subordinate confessors who echo the ,lord's witness4 ,it is a matter of no consequence when1 and before whom1 this ,timothy professed his good profession4 ,it may have been at his baptism4 ,it may have been when he was installed in his office4 ,it may have been before some tribunal of which we know nothing4 ,that does not matter4 ,the point is that a ,christian man is to be an echo of the ,lord's good confession1 and is to keep within the lines of it1 and to be sure that all of it is echoed in his life4 ,christ has told us what to say1 and we are here to say it over again4 ,christ has witnessed2 we are to confess4 ,our relation to that truth is different from ,his4 ,we hear it2 ,he speaks it4 ,we accept it2 ,he reveals it4 ,we are influenced by it2 ,he is it4 ,he brings it to the world on ,his own authority2 we are to carry it to the world on ,his4 ,be sure that you ,christian men are echoes of your ,master4 ,be sure that you reverberate the note that ,he struck4 ,be sure that all its music is repeated by you ,and take care that you neither fall short of it1 nor go beyond it1 in your faith and in your profession4 ,echoes of ,christ--that is the highest conception of a ,christian life4 ,but though there is all the difference between the ,witness and the confessors1 do not let us forget that1 if we are truly ,christian1 there is a very deep and blessed sense in which we1 too1 may witness what we have seen and heard4 ,a ,christian preacher of any sort--and by that ,i mean1 not merely a man who stands in a pulpit1 as ,i do1 but all ,christian people1 in their measure and degree--will do nothing by professing the best profession1 unless that profession sounds like the utterance of a man who speaks that he knows1 and who can say1 'that which our eyes have beheld1 that which we have handled1 of the ,word of life1 we make known unto you4' ,and so1 by the power of personal experience speaking out in our lives1 and by the power of it alone1 as ,i believe1 will victories be won1 and the witness of ,jesus ,christ be repeated in the world4 ,christian men and women1 the old saying which was addressed by a prophet to ,israel is more true1 more solemnly true of us1 and presses on us with a heavier weight of obligation1 as well as lifts us up into a position of greater blessedness3 ',ye are my witnesses1 saith the ,lord4' ,that is what you and ,i are here for--to bear witness1 different and yet like to1 the witness borne by the ,lord4 ,we have all to do that1 by words1 though not only by them4 ,that is the obligation that a great many ,christian people take very lightly4 ,that yoke of ,jesus ,christ many of us slip our necks out of4 ,if ,he has witnessed1 you have to confess4 ,but some of you carry your ,christianity in secret1 and button your coats over the cockade that should tell whose soldiers you are1 and are ashamed1 or too shy1 or too nervous1 or too afraid of ridicule1 or not sufficiently sure of your own grip of the ,master1 to confess ,him before men4 ,i beseech you remember that a ,christian man is no ,christian unless 'with the mouth confession is made unto salvation1' as well as 'with the heart' belief is exercised unto righteousness4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 we have here the practical issue of all this4 ',i charge thee before ,god1 who quickeneth all things1 and before ,jesus ,christ1 that thou keep the commandment without spot4' ,the 'commandment1' of course1 may be used in a specific sense1 referring to what has just been enjoined1 but more probably we are to regard the same thing which1 considered in its relation to ,jesus ,christ1 is ,his testimony1 as being1 in its relation to us1 ,his commandment4 ,for all ,christ's gospel of revelation that ,he has made of ,himself to the world1 is meant to influence1 not only belief and feeling1 but conduct and character as well4 ,all the ,new ,testament1 in so far as it is a record of what ,christ is1 and thereby a declaration of what ,god is1 is also for us an injunction as to what we ought to be4 ,the whole ,gospel is law1 and the testimony is commandment1 and we have to keep it1 as well as to confess it4 ,let me put the few things that ,i have to say1 under this last division of my subject1 the practical issue1 into the shape of three exhortations1 not for the sake of seeming to arrogate any kind of superiority1 but for the sake of point and emphasis4 ,let the life bear witness to the confession4 ,what is the use of ,timothy's standing there1 and professing himself a ,christian before many witnesses if1 when he goes out into the world1 his conduct gives the lie to his creed1 and he lives like the men that are not ,christians8 ,back up your confession by your conduct1 and when you say ',i believe in ,jesus ,christ1' let your life be as true an echo of ,his life as your confession is of ,his testimony4 ,else we shall come under the condemnation1 ',nothing but leaves1' and shall fall under the punishment of the continuance of unfruitfulness1 which is our crime as well as our punishment4 ,there is a great deal more done by consistent living for1 and by inconsistent living against1 the truth of the ,gospel1 than by all the words of all the preachers in the world4 ,your faults go further1 and tell more1 than my sermons1 and your ,christian characters will go further than all the eloquence of the most devoted preachers4 ',there is no voice nor language1 where their sound is not heard4 ,their line is gone out into all the earth1 and their words to the end of the world4' ,again1 let the thought of the ,great ,witness stimulate us4 ,he1 too1 took ,his place by our sides1 though with the differences that ,i have pointed out1 yet with resemblances which bring ,him very near us4 ,he1 too2 knew what it was to stand amongst those who shrugged their shoulders1 and knit their brows at ,his utterances1 and turned away from ,him1 calling ,him sometimes 'dreamer1' sometimes 'revolutionary1' sometimes 'blasphemer1' and now and then a messenger of good tidings and a preacher of the gospel of peace4 ,he knows all our hesitations1 all our weaknesses1 all our temptations4 ,he was the first of the martyrs1 in the narrower sense of the word4 ,he is the leader of the great band of witnesses for ,god4 ,let us stand by ,his side1 and be like ,him in our bearing witness in this world4 ,again1 let the thought of the great tribunal stimulate us4 ',i give thee charge before ,god1 who quickeneth all things--and who therefore will quicken you--and before ,jesus ,christ1 that thou keep this commandment4' ,jesus1 who witnessed to the truth1 witnesses1 in the sense of beholding and watching1 us1 knowing our weakness and ready to help us4 ',the faithful witness1 and the first begotten from the dead1 and the ,prince of the kings of the earth1' is by us1 as we witness for ,him4 ,and so1 though we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses1 the saints in the past who have witnessed for ,god1 and been witnessed to by ,him1 we have to turn away from them1 and 'look off' from all others1 'unto ,jesus4' ,and we may1 like the first of the noble army of martyrs1 see the heavens opened1 and ,jesus 'standing'--started to ,his feet1 to see and to help ,stephen--'at the right hand of ,god4' ,brethren1 let us listen to ,his witness1 let us accept it1 setting to our seals that ,god is true4 ,then let us try to echo it back by word1 and to attest our confession by our conduct1 and then we may comfort ourselves with the great word1 ',he that confesseth ,me before men1 ,him will ,i also confess before ,my ,father which is in ,heaven4' ,,the ,,conduct ,,that ,,secures ,,the ,,real ,,life ',laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come1 that they may lay hold on eternal life4'--#a ,,tim4 vi4 #ai4 ,in the first flush of the sense of brotherhood1 the ,church of ,jerusalem tried the experiment of having all things in common4 ,it was not a success1 it was soon abandoned1 it never spread4 ,in the later history of the ,church1 and especially in these last ,pauline letters1 we see clearly that distinctions of pecuniary position were very definitely marked amongst the believers4 ,there were 'rich men' in the churches of which ,timothy had charge4 ,no doubt they were rich after a very modest fashion1 for ,paul's standard of opulence is not likely to have been a very high one1 seeing that he himself ministered with his own hands to his necessities1 and had only one cloak to keep him warm in winter time4 ,but great or small as were the resources of these men1 they were rich in comparison with some of their brethren4 ,the words of my text are the close of the very plain things which ,paul commands ,timothy to tell them4 ,he assures them that if they will be rich in good works1 and ready to distribute1 they will lay up for themselves a good 'foundation against the time to come4' ,the teaching in the text is1 of course1 a great deal wider than any specific application of it4 ,it is very remarkable1 especially as coming from ,paul4 ',lay up a good foundation'--has he not said1 ',other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ'8 ',that they may lay hold on eternal life'--has he not said1 ',the gift of ,god is eternal life'8 ,is he not going dead in the teeth of his own teaching1 ',not by works of righteousness which we have done1 but by ,his mercy ,he saved us'8 ,i think not4 ,let us see what he does say4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 he says that the real life is the future life4 ,those of you who use the ,revised ,version will see that it makes an alteration in the last clause of our text1 and instead of 'eternal life' it reads 'the life which is life indeed1' the true life2 not simply designating it as eternal1 but designating it as being the only thing that is worth calling by the august name of life4 ,now it is quite clear that ,paul here is approximating very closely to the language of his brother ,john1 and using this great word 'life' as being1 in substance1 equivalent to his own favourite word of 'salvation1' as including in one magnificent generalisation all that is necessary for the satisfaction of man's needs1 the perfection of his blessedness1 and the glorifying of his nature4 ,paul's notion of life1 like ,john's1 is that it is the one all-comprehensive good which men need and seek4 ,and here he seems to relegate that 'life which is life indeed' to the region of the future1 because he contemplates it as being realised 'in the time to come1' and as being the result of the conduct which is here enjoined4 ,but you will find that substantially the same exhortation is given in the #abth verse of this chapter1 ',fight the good fight of faith2 lay hold on the life eternal'--where the process of grasping this 'life1' and therefore the possession of it1 are evidently regarded as possible here1 and the duty of every ,christian man in this present world4 ,that is to say1 there is a double aspect of this august conception of the 'life which is life indeed4' ,in one aspect it is present1 may be and ought to be ours1 here and now2 in another aspect it lies beyond the flood1 and is the inheritance reserved in the heavens4 ,that double aspect is parallel with the way in which the ,new ,testament deals with the other cognate conception of salvation1 which it sometimes regards as past1 sometimes as present1 sometimes as future4 ,the complete idea is that the life of the ,christian soul here and yonder1 away out into the furthest extremities of eternity1 and up to the loftiest climax of perfectness1 is in essence one1 whilst yet the differences between the degree in which its germinal possession here and its full-fruited enjoyment hereafter differ is so great as that1 in comparison with the completion that is waiting the ,christian soul beyond the grave1 all of the same life that is here enjoyed dwindles into nothingness4 ,it appears to me that these two sides of the truth1 the essential identity of the life of the ,christian soul beyond and here1 and the all but infinite differences and progresses which separate the two1 are both needful1 very needful1 to be kept in view by us4 ,there is here on earth1 amidst all our imperfections and weakness and sin1 a root in the heart that trusts in ,christ1 which only needs to be transplanted into its congenial soil to blossom and burgeon into undreamed of beauty1 and to bear fruit the savour of which no mortal lips can ever taste4 ,the dwarfed rhododendrons in our shrubberies have in them the same nature as the giants that adorn the slopes of the ,himalayas4 ,transplant these exotics to their native soil1 and you would see what it was in them to be4 ,think of the life that is now at its best2 its weakness1 its blighted hopes1 its thwarted aims1 its foiled endeavours2 think of its partings1 its losses1 its conflicts4 ,think of its disorders1 its sins1 and consequent sufferings2 think of the shadow at its close1 which flings long trails of blackness over many preceding years4 ,think of its swift disappearance1 and then say if such a poor1 fragmentary thing is worthy of the name of life1 if that were all that the man was for4 ,but it is not all4 ,there is a 'life which is life indeed1' over which no shadow can pass1 nor any sorrow darken the blessed faces or clog the happy hearts of those who possess it4 ,they 'have all and abound4' ,they know all and are at rest4 ,they dread nothing1 and nothing do they regret4 ,they leave nothing behind as they advance1 and of their serenity and their growth there is no end4 ,that is worth calling life4 ,it lies beyond this dim spot of earth4 ,it is 'hid with ,christ in ,god4' ,,ii4 ,secondly1 notice that conduct here determines the possession of the true life4 ,paul never cares whether he commits the rhetorical blunder of mixing up metaphors or not4 ,that matters very little1 except to a pedant and a rhetorician4 ,in his impetuous way he blends three here1 and has no time to stop to disentangle them4 ,they all mean substantially the same thing which ,i have stated in the words that conduct here determines the possession of life hereafter2 but they put it in three different figurative fashions which we may separate and look at one by one4 ,the first of them is this1 that by our actions here we accumulate treasure hereafter4 ',laying up in store for themselves' is one word in the original1 and it contains even more than is expressed in our paraphrase1 for it is really 'treasuring off4' ,and the idea is that the rich man is bade to take a portion of his worldly goods1 and1 by using these for beneficent purposes1 out of them to store a treasure beyond the grave4 ,what is employed thus1 and from the right motives and in the right way1 is not squandered1 but laid up in store4 ,you remember the old epitaph1 ',what ,i spent ,i lost2 ,what ,i gave ,i have4' ,now that is ,christ's teaching1 for did ,he not say3 ',sell all that thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven'8 ,did ,he not say3 ',lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth1 4 4 4 but lay up treasures in heaven'8 ,and if anybody's theology finds it difficult to incorporate these solemn teachings of our ,lord with the rest of it1 so much the worse for the theology4 ,i have no doubt at all that ,christianity has yet a great deal to teach the ,christian ,church and the world about the acquisition of money and the disposal of money2 and1 though ,i do not want to dwell now upon that specific application of the general principle of my text1 ,i cannot help reminding you1 dear friends1 that for a very large number of us1 almost the most important influence shaping our characters is the attitude that we take in regard to these things--the getting and the distribution of worldly wealth4 ,for the bulk of ,christian people there are few things more important as sharp tests of the reality of their religion1 or more effective in either ennobling or degrading their whole character1 than what they do about these two plain matters4 ,but then my text goes a great deal further than that2 and whilst it applies unflinchingly this principle to the one specific case1 it invites us to apply it all round the circumference of our earthly conduct4 ,what you are doing here is piling up for you1 on the other side of the wall1 what you will have to live with1 and either get good or evil out of1 through all eternity4 ,a man who is going to ,australia pays some money into a bank here1 and when he gets to ,melbourne it is punctually paid out to him across the counter4 ,that is what we are doing here1 lodging money on this side that we are going to draw on that4 ,and it is this which gives to the present its mystical significance and solemnity1 that all our actions are piling up for us future possessions3 'treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath'2 or1 contrariwise1 'glory1 immortality1 honour1 eternal life4' ,we are like men digging a trench on one side of a hedge and flinging the spadefuls over to the other4 ,they are all being piled up behind the barrier1 and when we go round the end of it we shall find them all waiting for us4 ,then the ,apostle superimposes upon this another metaphor4 ,he does not care to unravel it4 ',laying up in store for themselves a store1' he would have said if he had been a pedant1 'which is also a good foundation4' ,now ,i take it that that does not mean a basis for hope1 or anything of that sort1 but that it conveys this thought1 that our actions here are putting in the foundations on which the eternal building of our future life shall be reared4 ,when a man excavates and lays the first courses of the stones of his building1 he thereby determines every successive stage of it1 until the headstone is brought forth with rejoicing4 ,we are laying foundations in that profound sense in this world4 ,our nature takes a set here1 and ,i fail to see any reason cognisable by us why that ply of the nature should ever be taken out of it in any future4 ,i do not dogmatise2 but it seems to me that all that we do know of life and of ,god's dealings in regard to man leads us to suppose that the next world is a world of continuations1 not of beginnings2 that it is the second volume of the book1 and hangs logically and necessarily upon the first that was finished when a man died4 ,our lives here and hereafter appear to me to be like some geometrical figure that wants two sheets of paper for its completion3 on the first the lines run up to the margin1 and on the second they are carried on in the direction which was manifest in the section that was visible here4 ,and so1 dear friends1 let us remember that this is the reason why our smallest acts are so tremendous that by our actions we are making character1 and that character is destiny1 here and hereafter4 ,you are putting in the foundations of the building that you have to live in2 see that they are of such a sort as will support a house eternal in the heavens4 ,the last of the metaphors under which the ,apostle suggests the one idea is that our conduct here determines our capacity to lay hold of the prize4 ,it seems to me that the same allusion is lingering in his mind which is definitely stated in the previous verse to which ,i have already referred1 where the eternal life which ,timothy is exhorted to lay hold of is regarded as being the prize of the good fight of faith1 which he is exhorted to fight4 ,and so the third metaphor here is that which is familiar in ,paul's writings1 where eternal life is regarded as a garland or prize1 given to the victor in race or arena4 ,it is exactly the same notion as he otherwise expresses when he says that he follows after if that he may 'lay hold of that for which also he is laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ4' ,this is the underlying thought1 that according to a ,christian man's acts here is his capacity of receiving the real life yonder4 ,that is not given arbitrarily4 ,each man gets as much of it when he goes home as he can hold4 ,the tiniest vessel is filled1 the largest vessel is filled4 ,but the little vessel may1 and will1 grow bigger if that which is deposited in it be rightly employed4 ,let us lay this to heart1 that ,christian men dare not treat it as a matter of indifference whether to the full they live lives consistent with their profession1 and do the will of their ,master or no4 ,it is not all the same1 and it will not be all the same yonder1 whether we have adorned the teaching1 or whether our lives have habitually and criminally fallen beneath the level of our professions4 ,brethren1 we are too apt to forget that there is such a thing as being 'saved1 yet so as by fire'2 and that there is such a thing as 'having an entrance ministered abundantly into the ,kingdom4' ,be you sure of this1 that if the hands of your spirits are ever to be capable of grasping the prize1 it must be as the result of conduct here on earth1 which has been treasuring up treasures yonder1 and laying a foundation on which the incorruptible house may solidly rest4 ,,iii4 ,and now the last word that ,i have to say is that these principles are perfectly compatible with the great truth of salvation by faith4 ,for observe to whom the text is spoken4 ,it is to men who have professed to be believers1 and it is on the ground of their faith that these rich men in ,timothy's churches are exhorted to this conduct4 ,there is no incompatibility between the doctrine that eternal life is the gift of ,god1 and the placing of those who have received that gift under a strict law of recompense4 ,that is the teaching of the whole ,new ,testament4 ,it was to ,christian men that it was said3 ',be not deceived2 ,god is not mocked1 whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap4' ,it is the teaching of ,jesus ,christ ,himself4 ,but there is a dreadful danger that we1 with our partial vision1 shall see one side of the truth so clearly that we do not see the other2 and so you get two antagonistic schools of ,christian teaching who have torn the one word into halves4 ,one of them says1 ',man is saved by faith only1' and forgets 'faith without works is dead'2 and the other says1 ',do your duty1 and never mind about your belief1' and forgets that the belief--the trust--is the only sure foundation on which conduct can be based1 and the only source from which it is certain to flow4 ,now1 if ,i should not be misunderstood by that same narrow and contracted vision of which ,i have been speaking1 ,i would venture to say that salvation by faith alone may be so held as to be a very dangerous doctrine1 and that there is a very real sense in which a man is saved by works4 ,and if you do not like that1 go home and read the ,epistle of ,james1 and see what you make of his teaching3 ',ye see1 brethren1 how that by works a man is justified1 and not by faith only4' ',faith wrought with his works1 and by his works was his faith made perfect4' ,only let us understand where the exhortation of the text comes in4 ,we have to begin with absolute departure from all merit in work1 and the absolute casting of ourselves on ,jesus ,christ4 ,if you have not done that1 my brother1 the teaching ',laying up in store for themselves a good foundation' has no application to you1 but this teaching has1 ',other foundation can no man lay4 ,behold1 ,i lay in ,zion a tried corner-stone4 ,whosoever believeth in ,him shall not make haste4' ,if you have not committed your souls and selves and lives and hopes to ,jesus ,christ1 the teaching ',lay hold on eternal life' has only a very modified application to you1 because the only hand that can grasp that life is the hand of faith that is content to receive it from ,his hands with the prints of the nails in them4 ,but if you have given yourselves to that ,saviour1 and received the germinal gift of eternal life from ,him1 then1 take my text as absolutely imperative for you4 ,remember that it is for you1 resting on ,christ1 to treasure up eternal life2 for you to build on that sure foundation gold and silver and precious stones which may stand the fire2 for you1 by faithful continuance in well-doing1 to lay hold of that for which you have been laid hold of by ,jesus ,christ4 ,may it be true of all of us that 'our works do follow us'6 ',thy works1 thine alms1 and all thy good endeavour ,stayed not behind1 nor in the grave were trod1 ,but1 as ,faith pointed with her golden rod1 ,followed thee up to joy and bliss for ever4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious punctuation errors repaired4 ,part ,i1 ,page #dd1 transcendant changed to transcendent 7this one transcendent7 ,page #ei1 entrace changed to entrance 7a private entrance7 ,page #gb1 for for changed to for 7day1 for one7 ,page #aej1 roalties changed to royalties 7symbols for royalties7 ,page #bfi1 immoveable changed to immovable 7firm and immovable7 ,part ,,ii1 ,page #eb1 whatsover changed to whatsoever 7whatsoever things are lovely7 ,page #fc1 centifugal changed to centrifugal 7centrifugal and centripetal7 ,page #aah1 a bit of text was not inked in the original1 the following words have been presumed3 clea clear an and kno know me men ,for3 clear before you1 or you will go yawing about1 and washing here and there1 in the trough of the wave1 and the tempest will be your master4 ,if you do not know where you are going you will have to say1 like the men