PHILIPPIANS CHAP. Ill, VER. 8. 83
lies in them, and seeing no good nor help in themselves, their desires are stirred up to the embracing of some better thing wherein they may find comfort. Then doth God reveal Christ to us, to whom he will have us to fly, and say, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?' So as this power of changing ourselves is not in ourselves, but it is an almighty power.
If we think, therefore, that we are self-lovers, go to God, present thyself in the means, and then our eyes shall be opened to see and discern good and evil. For God hath promised to annex his Spirit to the use of the means, if that we in obedience submit ourselves to them.
VERSE 8. Yea douhfless, and I count all things hut loss.
The words contain a kind of correction, as if in few words he had said, All things whatsoever I formerly boasted in, nay, my very privileges, I count them not only ' dung,' but I do count them to be ' loss ' to me ; nay, I have suffered the loss of them all in comparison and for Christ my Lord. Yea, I desire to express the earnest intension ■■• of my affections by my desire to win him, to know him, to be found in him, and to be conformable to his death.
In general observe,
1. The apostle s resolution ami zeal, his assured certainty, his large heart being not able to express his affection, but by many words, viz., his love of Christ and hate of all outward things whatsoever. Therefore ve also in main fundamental points viust he resolute, carrying a full sail. As in the truth of the thing there is a certainty, so in us there must be an assured persuasion thereof. For even from these uncertain irresolute hearts comes apostasy. Men being not grounded are carried about with every ' wind of doctrine,' and hence also comes different measures of grace in Christians. Some say with Paul, ' doubtless ;' others are of doubting. hearts. But the end of the word is ' to settle us,' Eph. iv. 13. And though it be never so true, yet if we [do] not believe it : thpugh the foundation be sure, yet if we [doj not build on it, the truth and force of it is not good unto us.
2. In the second place, from the apostle's example, m'<? are to learn in fundamental truths to be zealous. The apostle speaking of anything that seeks competition with Christ for value, how doth he vilify it, that he hath not words sufficient to press his fervent hatred thereof ? For zeal is such an affection as causes a constant hatred against anything that opposes that which we entirely love, even such a hatred as will cause us not to endure to hear of it. And God therefore promiseth Ephraim he shall so abhor idols, as he shall not have to do with them, Hosea xiv. 8.\ And indeed a jealous God and a zealous heart do well agree. When we have to do with any one that opposes God in his truth, we are not to be cold, but to be zealously affected.
3. In the third place, ire are to learn to he large hearted in expressing our affection ice hear to the truth ; and thei'cfore we are to be ashamed of our shortness of breath in speaking or meditating of God's honour and glory and his truth. But particularly from our apostle's esteem we may learn that God's children have sanctified and regenerate thoughts and esteems. For with new souls, they have new eyes, new senses, new affections and judg- ments ; what they saw before to be gain, they see now to be loss. Beasts
* That is, intentness, warmth. — G.
t Cf. ' The Returning Backslirlpr ' on the passage in Vol. II. — G.
84 EXPOSITION OF
we know conceive not of men's matters, neither do weak simple men of State matters. That which weak silly men admire, the apostle scorns and con- demns. Moses accounted of the afflictions with the children of God more than of the pleasure of Egypt. We may observe this as a mark to know our estates b}', What is high in thy esteem ? Is honour, riches, pleasure, or the like ? Thou are not yet thoroughly sanctified ; for if thou wert, thou wouldst have a sanctified judgment.
But some may say, did Paul esteem all things to be loss, yea, his good works ?
1. I answer, Good ivories in their oicn nature are rjood : but ivcifjlii'ng them with Christ, os Paul did, they arc also dross and diinij.
2. Secondly, It teaches us, that we are not righteous, or justified, /;// any works ceremoiial or moral, either before or after ovr conrersion. The papists allege works as meritorious ; we contrarily do disclaim them. As to that purpose : ay, say they, you mean ceremonial works ; we say no, we n:iean also moral. For Paul was unblameable as concerning the works of the law, and yet counts them dung. Oh, say they, St Paul meaned those works before his conversion, and not those after his conversion. I answer. Yes ; all things in respect of Christ. I do now account them dross and loss. To prove them the fuller : If nothing after conversion be ])erfect, then cannot they entitle us to heaven, but all our best works in state of regeneration are imperfect. To prove this, see the examples of David, a man after God's own heart, Ps. cxliii. 2 : ' None righteous in thy sight, and who can say his heart is clean ?' and Isa. Ixiv. 6 : ' We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness as filthy rags.'