The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 375

love thy neighbour better than thyself." It is not so. The comm.and is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." ' "To thine own self be trne, And It must follow, as the night the nay, Thou canst not then be false to BDy i.aan." The apostle enumerates some duties which the Christian owes to hilllBelr. I. DILIGFJNOE IN BUSmEsS. Each man should have some definite work or bnsiness in life. Especially should the Christian be free from the sin of idleness. Whatever our work is, let us be diligent in the performance of it. "The hand of the diliuent maketh rich." "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he ·shall stand Wore kings; he shall not stand before mean men." II. EARNESTNESS 011' sPmIT. "Fervent in spirit." It is a strong phrase. Fervent means "burning," "on fire." Yes, we need more Christians who are on fire. It is the enthusiasts who have done the best and most lasting work in the world. They are usually called fanatics at first, but the day comes when their memory is blessed. St. Paul was a fanatic to Festus. Festus could not understand the fire that burned in Paul's heart and in his words. " Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learnin" doth make thee mad." William Wilberforce, the emancipator of the slaves; John H;ward, the prisoner's friend; Samuel Plimsoll, the sailor's friend; Lord Shaftesbury, the friend of the overworked artisan ;-all these men at first were sneered at and ridiculed by the multitude of indifferent and interested men. Earnestness and enthnsia.sm may be incomprehensible to the world, but they are indispensable to the trae Christian. III. A RELIGIOUS sPmIT. "Serving the Lord." That spirit consecrates life, sweetens life, saves life. Serving the Lord does not lead us to the drunkard's degra- dation, the disgrace of the dishonest or fraudulent, the cell of the murderer or the grave of the suicide. The Christian will serve the Lord in every relationship of life- in his home, in his business, in his amusements. Can we all say as St. Paul did (..!.cts xxvii. 23), " Whose I am, and whom I serve"? IV. HOPEFULNESS AND JOY. "Rejoicing in hope." The apostle elsewhere in this Epistle uses the same phrase," And rejoice in hope of the glory of God n (eh. v. 2). Dr. Chalmers has somewhere said, " That which distin,,,auishes wisdom from folly is the power and habit of anticipation." The Saviour himself, in his earthly life, was sus- tained by the hope of what lay beyond. "Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross" (Heb. xii 2). So it was with St. Paul. He looked forward to the crown of righteousness. Therefore the Christian shonld be full of joyousness. Why should we groan under life's heavy burdens when we think of the rest that remaineth t-0 the people of God ? Why should we be unduly distressed by life's trials when we remember that they that are tried shall receive the crown of life? ThLs, too, is a duty the Christian owes to himself. Work becomes no longer a burden when it is done with hopefulness and joy. V. PATIENOE UNDER TROUBLE. "Patient in tribulation." The true Christian will know how to suffer. He knows that trials have their meaning and their place in the discipline of the ohildren of God. He knows that whom the Lord loveth he chas- teneth, and that " though no chastisement for the present seemeth to be joyou.s, but grievous, nevertheless aftenvard it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness t-0 them tho.t o.re exorcised thereby." VI. PERSEVERANOE m PRAYER, "Continuing instant in prayer." Prayer is the beginning and the end of the Christian life. We should ever !!O forth to the discharge of our duties, humbly asking for the Divine c,uidance and the Divine help. And then, when the duties o.re porformed, we should n~t forget to prsy that the Divine ble..-ssing should follow the work that wo have done. This thought is wdl brought out by St. Pl\ul in his dcscriptiou of tho Christil\u's armour (Eph. vi. ll-1~). H:\Ying exh,,rk,1 his rol\ders to put on the whole armour of God-tho girdlo of truth, tho breastpl2'to of rip;hteousnoss, the sandnls of tho gospel of pel\oe, tho shield of faith, thu ht)lm~t 0f Bl\lvation, l\nd tho sword of the Spirit-ho adds, "Prayiu~ always with t\ll prayer and eupp!icution in tho Spirit." 'l'his is tho fitting climax of tho whole. It is the• ti.ttiu~ concli1sio11 of any oxhorlntiou about Christitm wl)rfuo or Christian w0rk. " Excc'P' thll Loni build t.110 h0uso1 they labour in Yl\iu thnt build it."  THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [on. XII, 1-21,