but tho grace of God which was with me." It is a great and ever-work in" law that all Divine gifts that a.re unused or undervalued will be taken away or Jo~t. 'l'he one condition of the renewal and enlargement of grace is that we have faithfully rcsronded to the grace we have had. We retain the gift of preaching only by preachin", and the gift of charity only by the ex:ercise of generosity and self-denial. The r~markable thing about the Macedonian Churches, the thing which made them a model to other Churches, was that they so nobly responded to the grace that rested upon them, and acted in so earnest and self-sacrificing a manner. So often Churches have more grace than they follow out, and so they lose the grace. The grace abounds, but the response to the grace fa set under unworthy limitations. III. A MODEL AS SELF-DENYING. The apostle notices two things which might reasonably have excused the Macedonians from sharing in the contribution. 1. Their persecution, and the anxieties and distresses which it had brought them. 2. Their poverty, for the Church was not gathered from the rich ; the poor of this world were made "rich in faith." So t,heir large and generous gifts were a delightful surprise, and a testimony to the power of Christian principle upon them. Christian motive mastered worldly considerations; and their gifts became peculiarly acceptable to God, because upon them rested the Christly stamp of self-sacrifice. St. Paul commends, in these Macedonians, just what our Lord commended when he directed attention to the poor widow who cast two mites into the treasury-" all her living." IV. A MODEL AB THOROUGHLY EARNEST IN GENEROUS SCHEMES. St. Paul dwells, in a very delighted way, upon their willingness and their earnestness. It was not merely that they, gave, but that they gave in such a hearty way, so cheerfully, under the sway of such high motives, and with .such evident warmth of affection for himself. If it is true that "what is worth doing is worth doing well," it is especially true of the Christian duty of brotherly kindness as finding expression in self-denying gifts. The great blessing of a gift is the spirit ·in which it is made. 'l'he value is taken away when it is given grudgingly. God loveth-and so do men-the cheerful, willing giver.-R. T.
Ver. 6.-The religion of association must be made personal. One of the words in this passage is evidently used in an unfamiliar sense. "Hoped" means "expected," "anticipated.'' The verse is comiected with the collection for the saints at Jerusalem, and is part of the apostle's endeavour to inspire the Churches of Achaia to nobler endeavour by the example of the Churches of Maceclonia. The text expresses the deeply religiouij character of the Macedonian gift. As St. Paul saw it, it was no mere gift, it was the expression of consecrated and devoted hea.rts. They ga.ve themselves, and then their gifts. They gave themselves in their gifts. We dwell now, not on the charity, but on the expression, "gave their own selves to the Lord," which suggests for consideration the personal character of saving religion. I. ALL OF us ARE, m OUR MEASURE, RELIGIOUS. There may still be godless audi- ences, such as Whitefield gathered at the fairs, or Wesley and Hill at the mouths of colliery pits. But in the ordinary assemblies in our Churches there is not a m:in, woman, or child who is not, in some degree, religious. They are religious (1) as belonging to a Christian country; (2) as baptized into mystical relations with the Church of Christ; (3) as by acts of formal worship making Christian profession; or (4) as variously related to Christian families. But the question comes again and again before us-Is our kind and degree of religion satisfactory? II. IN TOO MANY OASES OUR RELIGION IS WHOLLY MATTER OF ASSOCIATION. 1. We a.re members of a Christian home, and share in the religion of the home. And this is, for the children, an every way beautiful and hopefnl beginning of religious life. 2. We are affected by the tone of the spheres we occupy. Illustrate by young people in situations, where they join in family worship and in attendance at the house of <3:od; also by the influence of Christian friendships. 3. We are swayed by our near relat10n- ship with those who are godly, as in the case of the husband and wife. But the question comes-Is this all our religion? Is it enough? Is it saving? ~an any reliance be placed upon it? Will it stand in the coruin~ testing~day_? It 1s so far good. It is a favourable breeze catchino- the sails, but it 1s not satety m the h~rbour. It is the angel's voice in our ear crying, "Flee for thy life;" it is even the angel's ~16 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORIN'l'HIANS. [en. vm. 1-24.
hand on our arm, as on the arm or Lot ; but it is not safety in Zoar. There is 11 familiar old saying that "Hell is paved with good intentions;" it might have been with" good as~ociations." Such associations are good if they are used as helps, but not if they are relied on as sufficient. They are only evil if they are allowed to hinder )lCrsonal anxiety. Religion is personal or it is nothing. IJI. GoD, BY HIS PROVIDENCE AND BY HIS WORD, IS EVER URGING US TO MAKE RELIGION PERSONAL. Providence breaks up our associations. A time comes when the child passes into manhood or womanhood, and must learn to go alone. Then changes and testing-times come, which show what the religion of 11Ssociation has been worth. Illustrate by the child going to boarding school; the youth to business; the assistant changing his situation; ihe man or woman going through times of sorrow. In each God is wanting to lead the soul to personal religion. God's preached Word, with its various persuasions, is ever bearing on the same point. It is a singling out of the individual; a two-edged sword to the individual; a pressure of the personal claims of God on the individual. Its voice is, "Thou art the man;" "To you is the word of this salvation sent." It labours to secure a personal decision for Christ, a giving of" our own selves to the Lord." Is, then, your religion yet no more than the religion of your home and associations? And is your manhood come, your womanhood come ? Remember that you are not saved, only associated with salvation. This is the question which should set you upon anxious self-searchings, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" It is not enough to be close by salvation, to be even on its doorstep. Enter in. Strive to enter in. Strive to enter in now.-R. T.