The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 20

I. THE_ CAUSES _OF CHRISTIAN JOY, It is well known what tlic world calls joy- pleasnre, i;nirth, exhilaration of opirits, occasioned by festivity and by prosperity. But the Scriptures,· represent, what Christian experience supports, that there are purer sources of nobler joy. 1. The joy of spiritual delinrance, known by those who are emancipated from the bondage of sin, ignorance, and error. 2. The joy occasioned by Divine favour. The psalmist appreciated this when he exclaimed, "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us; thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their com and their wine increased." 3. The joy of anticipating the gracious and final approval of God. II. THE MANIFESTATIONS OF CHRISTIAN JOY. 1. The most natural sign of spiritual gladness consists in the abundant utterance of tbanksgi ving and praise. " Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." 2. Where there is inward joy there is happy and energetic labour for Christ. "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Whilst a gloomy disposition cripples the energies of the worker, gladness within expresses itself in cheerful toil. He works well who "sings at his work." III. THE WAYS IN WHICH THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER JIUY HELP HIS PEOPLE'S JOY. 1. By presenting those Divine truths which are the spring and source of joy. 2. By fortifying their minds against all that would disturb :rnd spoil their joy. 3. By pro- viding for them outlets, in worship and in work, for the expression of the joy that is in them. 4. By encouraging all those special exercises which will promote joy, 5. By exhibiting to them the privilege of rejoicing, as a Christian virtue, and admonishing them to spiritual gladness as a. happy duty : "Rejoice in the Lord alway, and ngaiu I say, Rejoice."-T. Ver. 1.-" Saints." A beautiful title frequently conferred upon the people of God in Scripture. They are ea.lied believers, since they exercise faith in Christ; disciples, as they place themselves under the teaching of Christ; servants, as they are pledged to do his bidding; children, as they are adopted into the family of God; and saints, since they are to live holily-" That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke [blemish], in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shino as lights in the world" (Phil. ii. 15). Christian saintship lays emphasis upou Chris- tian holiness. 1. Upon present Christian holiness. It is not that we aro to be saints in heaven only, but saints on earth. And we can hava no well-founded expectation of being holy there unless we are holy here. It is the easiest thing in the world to he holy in the future! All are saints next year. But who is o. saint now, 'l'he true child of God is-must be, or he cannot be ,a. true child of God. 2. Upon universal Christian holiness. All real believers are real saints. Not so with the Romi~h Church, which canonizes a certain number, some of them very strange ones. Not as in our New Testament (erroneously continued in the Revised Version), Saint MRtthew, Saint Mnrk, etc., as though these were saints because of theic eminence in· the- Church. .All Christians a.re saints. '!'he idea of a Christian as o. believer and nothing more is pre- posterous and utterly unscriptura.l, If a. man believes, we want to know what his belief has done for him-what effects it produces. If it does nothing, it is nothing. Belief, says one, unites me to Christ. Very good; but Christ ridiculed the idea of a bmnch being united to the true Vine without bringing forth fruit Belief, snys another, nlters my condition; being in Christ by faith, I am a" now creature." Excellent; but if you are a "new creature," let us see that you are, else we shall be apt to think that you are the old creature with a new name, " Faith, if it hath not works, is dead" (Jns. ii. 17). A true belief is ever followed by holiness. This, however, only su!?gests how mnch/alse belief there must be. '!'rue belief is something like tho firing of n loaded cannon. If there be true firing the shot will be propelled. So, if we tmly believe, we shall be propelled nlong the course of holiness. It would be but a poor thing if Christianity me.de us something very excellent in another world, and left us just as it found us in this. Holiness is, no doubt, progressive. But love of holiness, desire of holiness, striving aftor holiness, and some realization of holiness, are the possession of every true child of God. I. HoLINEBS m HEART, Not the mere approval of holiness. Many applaud holiness who do not possess it and who do not want to possess it, It must reigu in the centre of our being. A child of the devil has unholiness reigning in his heart, bnt a child ur  20 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORIN'l'HIANS. [cH. r. 1-:!1.