The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 362

he IIOCIOUDtlid lukewarm. How displeasing to the great Head of the 0huroh are euoh chal'll('t«II nl.'led llOlll'OOly be said ; his word to them is, " I would thou wert cold or hC1t I" When you &re oarelesa as to vour spiritual stl\te, indifferent to God's Word nnd tC1 th_e exercii:es of prayer and praise: negli~nt and irl't'lgulnr in attendance upon the pu_bhc means C1f graoe, slow to reform yourself and quick to censure your neighbours, illiberal in your gifts and slothful in your services to Christ and his cause, it cannot but be presumed that you are want-ing in fervour of spirit. 'l'here is but one remedy. You must draw near t,o that Saviour from whom you have wandered. You must repent, renew your first love, and do your first works. Seeking forgiveness for oulpable lukewarmness, you mUl!t revive the flame of piety by kindling it anew at the sacred altar Clf Dinne love. Contemplate the grace and compassion of the Redeemer as ennced in the anguish of Gethsemane and the woe of Calvary. Call to mind the fervour he displayed when, in the anticipation of his sacrifice, he exole.imed, " Father, glorify thy Nam.a!" " Thy will be done l " Thus shall your languid zeal be revived, thus shall your flagging devotion be reanimated. And your service shall no longer be cold and mechanical, bnt it shall be rendered gratefully and joyfully; it shall be the tribute of a loyal subject, and the offering of a loving child. APPLICATION. 1. Let all hearers of the gospel clearly understand what are the etaims of Christ upon them. A profession of faith in itself is of little value. What the Lord Jesus atts is the devotion of the heart, and the service of all the powers. 2. Let members of Christian Churches ask themselves how far the tone of their piety and the conduct of their life agree with the language of the text. And let them be on their guard against the insidious approach of lukewarmness. 3. Let communicants approach the Lord's t.able with the desire of so meeting with Obrist that the fervour of their love may be renewed, and that they may be led to consecrate all their energies anew nnt.o the hallowed service of their Saviour and their Lord. Ver. 12.-Patiena!, lwpe. and prayer. In the preceding verse the active, energetic Bide of religion ii; presented with vivacity and completeness. And this is perhaps the most important of all the trustful resnlu of true Christianity. It was an end worthy of the Dinne interposition to introduce amongst men the purpose and the power to serve the Lord with fervour and with diligence. Yet this is not all which our religion does for ns. Our life is not altogether in our own hands ; we cannot control and govern all that concerns us. We have all to lea.m the lesson that Divine providence has appointed for ns f not only to work, but to submit; that we have not oBly to serve, but t,o suffer. True religion must give ns, not only a law and impulse for fulfilling life's duties, but also a power by which we shall endure life's calamities and weakness. However our natural character may make active exertion congenial, however our lot may be, on the whole, one of cheerful and devoted service ; there comes a time to all- a time, it may be, of sickneu, or of infirmity, of calamity, or of old age--when another aspect of religion must be realized ; when we must tum to Christ for grace, that we may be found "in hope joyfnl, in trial patient, in prayer unwearied." L To ClmisTrilrB TBIBULATIOJ!l IB DIVIl!lE DISCIPLINE. The text implies, not only that the hmrum lot is charact.erized by affliction, but that affliction is the occasion of the calling forth of Christian virtues. There would scarcely be such an emotion as hope unless the present were a condition from which (in some respects) it is desirable to be released, or, at all events, a condition BUBCepf.ble of great improvement. Unless we had something to bear, there would be no reope for the virtue of patience. If all things were u we could wish them, if we had nothing to contend with, if nothing occurroo to make WI feel our own helplessness-in such case prayer would scarcely be felt to be urgently, or at all event.a cons1:3ntly, ne?essary. Life i~ a very different thing to tbOBt:; who are enlightenoo by revelat10n, as this verse conclusively shows us. How truly Christian a.re t.hese precepts, and how truly Christians those who fulfil them, appears, if we think of the heathen, and realize how they failed alike in patience, in hope, and in prayer. Phllc.ophen inculcated patience in adversiLy, but they imparted 1i0 principle or power which enabled people generally to cherish this disposition. The Lc,J-,t:; which the uneolightened pagans cherfobcd respected this lifo alone, nnd even the wi1,1.:15t ar..1 best knew nothlng of ~ hope of immortality so vivicl and powerful as. to aw ... k.,,II joy. '!'heir pmyera were either pw-ely matter of custom and form, or, bemg Olt, xn. 1-21.J TtfE 11:PtBTL:li} OF PAtJL TO THE ROMANS. 861