a hill." Or, if our sphere be circumscribed within narrower limits, we shall at least have this benefit, that we are " made wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Col. ii. 6, 7. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him ; rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
THE greatest joy of a faithful minister is to see his people flourish. The Apostles were eminent examples to us in this respect a. St. Paul was as solicitous for the welfare of those whom he had only heard of by report, as for those who had been con- verted by his ministry b. Hence he took occasion from what they had attained to urge them on to increasing watchfulness and assiduity. Mark here,
I. The Christian's character —
Christ is the gift of God to manc. That gift the Christian has received —
[He has felt his need of it ; he has implored of God to bestow it on him, and has received it for all the ends and pur- poses for which it has been conferred on sinful man
He has received Christ in all his offices, as " Christ Jesus, the Lord."]
He is the only person in the universe that has received it —
[Others regard it not: yea, they rather refuse it, and pour contempt upon it. They would rather earn salvation by some efforts of their own, than stand indebted for it to the
free gift of God in Christ Jesus But the Christian
values nothing in comparison of it ; and, in obtaining it, con- siders himself richer, than if the whole world were conferred
a St. Paul was no less comforted with the piety of some, 2 Cor. vii. 4. than he was grieved with the want of it in others, Rom. ix. 2. Gal. iv. 19. See also 3 John, ver. 4.
b ver. 1, 5. c John iv. 10.