Injury, overy good man is B blessing, Goodness is a.t once the cause, the evidence, and the measure of morn.I usefulness, But how is this usefulness achieved? P.y magni/Jin.'l Christ. Bnt how are you to magnify Christ? Not by making him greater thrn he is. This would be impossible. His "name is above every name." He is Lord 0f al 1; " Of him, and to him, and through him, are all things." All heaven feels that he is the greatest; there he is seen as he is; is supremely worshipped and adored. Hell, too, feels his greatness: "The everlasting destruction with which the lost are punished, comes from the presence of the Lord a.nrl the glory of his po,l'er." It is to be done : 1. By giving him the pre-eminence in your own soul. Putting him on the throne of your being, and crowning him Lord of all, having all the activities and facnlties ruled by him as the moral Monarch of the soul. 2. By promoting his sovereignty over others. Seeking to establish his kingdom, the kingdom of peace and truth and righteousness over all contemporaries. Sad, terribly sad, it is that many who profess to magnify h4n degrade him, They degrade him by flippant and irreverent repetitions of his holy Name, by misrepresenting bis work. '!'hey speak of him as a poor Victim on the cross rather than as a triumphant Victor-One who, in his sufferings, is to be pitied rather than applauded. 'l'hey speak of him as a Purchaser of Divine love for man rather than as its grand Messenger and omnipotent proof. They represent him as One who seems to be in deep need of man's humble services ; and in their hymns they call upon their hearers to "Stand up and fight for Jesus,'' as if Jesus were in difficulties and wanted their help to relieve him. They seem to trade in his holy Name, The crafty priest employs him in order to gain power over the people, mercenary preachers and authors in order to get gain. These magnify themselves under the pretence of magnifying Christ. "The false teachers to whom the apostle refers in this chapter were guilty of this, as are not a few in the nineteenth century. For instance, they who take up Uhristianity with a view to amass wealth, to gain honour, or to subserve political designs. This is very wicked. It is to betray Christianity with the kiss of treachery, in order to deliver it up to the fnry of its foes. It is to purchase earthly toys with the blood of souls. It is to drink damnation from consecrated vessels." II. Jn order to magnify Ch1ist, THE WHOLE OF OUR LIFE SHOULD BE CO~SECRATED TO THAT PURPOSE. Observe: 1. The circumstance of life here indicated. "In my body, whether it be by life or by death." (1) Life must be consecrated to the work. All its energies should be directed to it; all its faculties should be employed in its interest; all the circumstances, in fact, should be subordinated to its advancement. " For me to live is Christ," says Paul. " I long," said Bernard, " to he as a flame of fire, continually glowing for the service of tile Church, preaching and building it up to my latest hour." Paul here specifies affliction. "I know that this "-that is, his imprison- ment-" shall turn to my salvation." "Time spent in affliction is not lost. To a man who stands on the margin of eternity the world appears in its proper light. How worthless its smiles! How absurd its fashions! How trifling its all! Never does the better country appear so inviting as when we linger on its borders, expecting every hour to plant our feet en its happy soil. The odours wafted from its shore refresh us before we land." (2) De?th s\ioul~ subserve this spiritua_l use_fulness. "W~ether by life or by death." So clie-<l1e with such calmness, res1gnat10n, holy seremty, as to commend Christ to the spectators of the event. 2. The intense desire that it should be so is here indicated. " According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body." 'l'his was his" earnest expectation "-an expression which implies an intense and painful longing, not only expectation, but hope. There m_ay be expectation where there is not hope. Hope implies desire for an object as well as a. probability of obtaining it. "Tbnt in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always," etc. '!'his was his grand pnrpose, and he would not have that purpose frustrated so as to be ashamed, but would, with wonted boldness and courage, struggle on to its ultimate trinmph. III. In order to consecrate the whole of our life to that purpo~e we require TIIE INTEROESSION OF THE GOOD, AND A SUPPLY OF THE SPl!UT O~' CHRIST J~;sus. 1. Thd intercession of the good. "Through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." This overruling or all enmity to his safety he hopes for, through the interce:;- 46 THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. [cu. 1. 1-:JO.
sion of the Pl'.ilippian _Church (comi:i, Philero_. 28) and the fresh supply of gmce which, through such mtercess1on, may be JJVcn to hu~. For the word "supply" in this ecmee, ~ee ?Jlh, 11·. 15; nnd ~mp. Gal. !11· 5; Ool. 11. ~9. "'l'hrough your prayer." By l\n rn~twct of our nature mvoluntarily we breathe tntercessions to heaven on behalf of those in _whom we are .most vitally_ interested. This is natural; this is right, Wliether mtercess1ons o~ any km~ sec'!-re direct answers or not, the assurance of them is always most encouragmg to their obJect. If I know that a p;ood man is earnestly interceding for me in my mission, I have an e.ssurance that he will use every effort to contribute to my success. Henoe Paul always felt encouraged by the prayers of the good. 2. Tlie wpply of the Spirit. "Of the application or this name to the Holy Gliost we hnve instances in Rom. viii. 9; 2 Cor. iii. 17; Ga.I. iv. 6; 1 Pet. i. 11. Of these the first is the most notable, sin~ !n two cl~uses of the same sentence we have first the Spirit of God and then the Sp111.t of Chnst. But the name has always some speciality of emphasis. Thus the whole conception of the passage is of Christ: 'For me to live is of Chr)st; ' hence the use of this ~pecial and comparatively rar~ name of the Holy Ghost•· (Dr. Barry). These two thmgs Paul felt would enable him to consecrate hie whole life to the life of Christ-" the intercessions of the good," and the "supply of the Spirit of Christ."-D. T.