to be found (with the exception of the fourth Gospel), in the New Testament. One of these arises out of a context in which he is inculcating lowliness of mind, and he urges upon them to have the mind which was in the Eternal Son of God, Who, instead of abiding in the glory of the Godhead, laid it aside, and became man for our sakes, and humbled Himself further to endure the death of the Cross. This passage teaches us that the Godhead of the Eternal Son is not to be ignored and passed over, even in practical teaching and preaching, but ought to be brought forward prominently as illustrating and enforcing such lowly graces as "being of one accord, of one mind," "in lowliness of mind each esteeming other better than ourselves," and "every man looking not on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." So that the loftiest and most mysterious of dogmas is brought forward to enforce the humblest and lowliest Christian graces. Woe be to us ministers of Christ if we neglect this most sublime of truths, if we are ashamed of asserting it, if we formally confess it in creeds, and yet never practically use it to enforce that Christlike mind which, in all human probability, nine-tenths of our flocks have not, and ought to have if they profess to be even followers of Christ. 99 66 A second doctrine, that of "salvation by grace," is expressed in such terms as "being found in Christ,' ‘having the righteousness of faith," "knowing Christ and the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death; and the word "death" leads the Apostle on to a third mysterious doctrine, or dogma-the first Resurrection-the Exanastasis to which he seems to assert that he had not yet attained—but he asserts that he forgot those things which he had left behind in the race, and reached forth to the prize of his high calling, which was, that the Lord, at His coming, should change his vile body, that it should be made unto His glorious Body according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. PAUL CHAP. I. AUL and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons : b 1 Cor. i. 2. 2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God b Rom. i. 7. our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. i. 2. 1 Pet. i. 2. 1. "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints," &c. "Paul." It is to be noticed that only in three Epistles-in this, and in the two to the Thessalonians-does St. Paul drop the title of Apostle. The reason usually assigned is, that in these churches his Apostleship was not questioned, and so he did not assert it. But may it not be because he wrote in more familiar terms to these churches than to most others? "And Timotheus." He associates this disciple of his as one with him in sending the letter, but from the beginning to the end it is written in the first person singular. He speaks of Timotheus in ii. 19 in the third person, evidently implying that he had nothing to do with the composition of the letter. "To all the saints in Christ Jesus," &c. There had been, probably, very great unanimity throughout the whole Philippian Church in sending to the supply of his needs, and so he recognized this in addressing the letter to all the saints. "Saints "here means Christians under their aspect of dedication to God, just as "believers" looks to their common faith, and "brethren " to their common love. "With the bishops and deacons." Bishops here are, without doubt, the presbyters who superintended particular congregations. In a large city like Philippi, in which the Gospel had been preached 262 • Rom. i. 8, 9. MAKING REQUEST WITH JOY. [PHILIPPIANS. c 3 I thank my God upon every || remembrance of you. 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all | Or, mention. making request with joy, d Rom. xii. 13. & xv. 26. 2 Cor. viii. 1. ch. iv. 14, 15. d 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now: 5. "In the gospel." Lit., "towards the gospel." See below. for many years, the Christians would be very numerous, and would meet together for prayer and Eucharist in upper rooms in private houses, each having its own superintendent with the deacons, and perhaps subdeacons, and readers. The Episcopate, in our sense of the word, resided in the Apostle who ruled all the churches in every place (I say it with all reverence) autocratically.' 3. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." This Epistle is exceptionally full of thanksgiving to God on behalf of his converts, though we are to remember that with the exception of that to the Galations every Epistle begins with expressions of thankfulness: and putting out of sight for a moment the sincerity and heartiness of this thanksgiving, there was a certain wisdom in it, for by doing so he praised them, acknowledging the effectual working of God's grace in them, and so showing that he had unabated confidence in them. 4. "Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy." By this he assures them that his prayers on their behalf were not despondent, but full of joyful hope, so that he could pray in that true faith to which the Lord had so abundantly promised an answer when He said "Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark xi. 24.) 5. "For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." "In" should rather be translated "towards," or "in favour of." Their fellowship was especially shown in aiding those who preached it, particularly himself. 6. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun 1 I mean by this that he did not take the sense of the Churches before he sent them a decree, whether they would obey it or not, but simply issued it. Thus 1 Cor. iv. 17-21; v. 3-5, 11; vii. 17; xi. 2, 34; xiv. 36, 37; 2 Thess. ii. 15; iii. 4. CHAP. I.] BEING CONFIDENT. 263 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you f until the day of Jesus Christ: will perform it John vi. 29. 1 Thess. i. 3. #Or, will finish it. off ver. 10. inas-Or, ye have 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this you all, because || I have you in my heart; me in your heart. g 2 Cor. iii. 2. & vii. 3. a good work in you," &c. What is this good work? No doubt it is their fellowship towards the Gospel, particularly in the form it took of aiding the Apostle when he was preaching the Gospel to distant Churches. But this verse contains a great principle, which is, that God will not lightly leave unfinished a work He has once begun. This applies to individual souls as well as to Churches: and, in fact, the one (the work in the Church) is only an extension of the work in souls. The good work in the Church is the joint work of a number of souls working in union; each one inspired by the grace of God, and upheld by His grace as long as it receives not His grace in vain. We may then, with perfect confidence, apply this verse to the encouragement of those who have, by God's grace, begun well, but are haunted with fears respecting their final perseverance. If they are not presuming upon this grace of God vouchsafed to them, but are careful and vigilant, walking circumspectly, or strictly, giving diligence to make their calling and election sure, then they may rely upon this assurance of the Apostle. All that we know of God, as He is revealed in Scripture, is on the side of His "holding up their goings in His paths," but if they grow lax, and presume that their election by God is a proof that He "respects their persons," and that they are His favourites, no matter whether they are anxious about the purity of their lives or not, then they are self-deceivers, and have need to remember the Lord's warning, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (John xv. 6). 7. "Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you," &c. "It is meet to think this of you all," the stress is to be laid upon “all.” "Because I have you in my heart." But why should his having them in his heart make it meet for him to think of them all, that 264 h Ephes. iii. 1. & vi. 20. Col. iv. 3, 18. 2 Tim. i. 8. i ver. 17. ch. iv. 14. Or, partakers with me of grace. 1 Rom. i. 9. & ix. 1. Gal. GOD IS MY RECORD. [PHILIPPIANS. much as both in my bonds, and in 'the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are || partakers of my grace. 8 For 'God is my record, m how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, " that your love may abound i. 20. 1 Thess. yet more and more in knowledge and in all ii. 5. m ch. ii. 26. & iv. 1. n 1 Thess. iii. 12. Philem 6. II Or, sense. || judgment; God Who had begun the good work in them would continue it ? Because he was sure that the fact that God had put them into his (St. Paul's) heart was a sure sign that God had them in His heart. "Inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation," &c. They were in his heart because they had made themselves partners with him in his bonds by their sympathizing assistance, and by enduring persecution similar to what he endured, for the sake of the Gospel, for its defence against gainsayers, and for its confirmation amongst believers. "Ye are all partakers of my grace,' ‚""Ye are all partakers with me in the grace of God, and as I am confident that God will continue in me the grace He has begun, so will He continue it in you." 8. "For God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. The idiom of our language would rather be" in the heart of Jesus Christ." As Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, so His tender affections and longing for the eternal good of all His brethren are reproduced in us, who are truly joined to Him. When a true Christian longs after his brethren, it is Christ Who longs in him: so close is this wonderful conjunction. 9. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more," &c. This prayer is the expression of his longing. His longing would not be aimless affection. He would long for them that they might have the spiritual graces which he knew that they needed. 66 "Your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment." Taking for granted that the words of this prayer represent what the Philippian Christians needed, they seem to have had much love and affection, but not sufficient knowledge |