Divine government; we know in part. We must be content with that partial know• ieclge; we m_uet not vent~re to question the love, the goodness, the wisdom of God. When harnesmg doubts arise, we must go, like Asaph the psalmist, into the house of God; then we shall understand as much as we need to know of God's dealings with mankind. These things are hidden from the wise and prudent, but they are revooled unto babes. 2. Cheerful obedience lead., to growth in holiness. If they obey God iv all things gladly and lovingly, they will become blameless; others will find no grouna o~ censure in them; their own inner lives will be pure and sincere, without mixture of evil or selfish motive. Simplicity of character is essential, for God seeth the heart. Thus they will be children of God indeed, like those little children of whom is the kingdom of heaven; a contrast to the crooked and perverse generation among whom they live. 3. They must set a good ercample. They are lights in tbA world-others watch them; they attract by their lives the attention of the summnding Gentiles; they must hold out to others the Word of life. They must exhibit its influence in their lives, in their conversation. They must preach by word and by example, for Christianity is essentially a missionary religion. II. SuoH OONDU0T WILL FILL THE APOSTLE WITH JOY. 1. It wi"ll prove that his labour was not in vain. He glories, not in his own successes or popularity, but in the faith, the love, the obedience of his converts. Such glorying does not fade away; it endures unto the day of Christ. Then, when the apostle presents the Philippian Christians to the Lord, what holy glorying will be his as he looks upon the fruit of his labours I 2. He is ready for suck an end to lay down his life, and that with joy. He will rejoice to shed his blood as a drink offering to accompany the sacrifice offered by bis converts. That sacrifice is their faith; faith is trustfulness, entire dependence upon God, self-surrender. The sacrifice of faith is the sacrifice of self; the spiritual sacrifice which the children of God, as a royal priesthood, are bound to offer. "We offer and present unto thee, 0 Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto thee." Thus, and thus only, can we work out our own salvation. Such devotion in the Philippians will fill St. Paul with holy joy, though it cost him his life-blood. He rejoices himself at the prospect, he bids them rejoice with him. LESSONS. Learn: 1. To be ch6'.-Yful always, never to murmur. 2. To be simple, sincere, truthful, single-minded. ~- 'l'o set a good example to others. 4. To refoia in the salvation of souls.
Vers. 19-24.-Timothy. I. Martyrdom may come soon; ii it comes, the apostle will welcome it with joy; IF HE LIVES, HE WILL SEND TIMOTHY. 1. He hopes to send Timothy almost immediately; he trusts himself to come shortly. Observe, he hopes in the Lord, and he trusts in the Lord. " Behold how he refers all things to the Lord," says St. Chrysostom. He submits his hopes and desires, even where the spiritual welfare of his converts seems to be concerned, wholly to the higher will of God. His life was Christ. "Christ liveth in me," he said. Therefore his desires were the desires of Christ, whose abiding presence filled his heart. He hopes in the Lord, in conscious communion with the Lord; his hopes are guided and quickened by the indwelling Saviour. "Only in the Lord" is the rule of the highest Christian life. 2. He hopes to .~end Timothy, not for their sakes only, but for his own also. His own happiness is bound up in the spiritual welfare of his converts; like St. J oho, he had no greater joy than to hear that his children were walking in the truth. Mark the depth of his Christian affection; how fully he had learned the lessons of his own sweet psalm of love in 1 Cor. xiii. I II. THE 0HARACTER OF TIMOTHY. He bad his faults; he was timid, nervou8, shrinking from opposition. But: 1. He was a ma11 of God, a man of unfeigned faith and deep Christian love. Of all St. Paul's companions none was so dear to him as 'l'imothy, "mine own son," as he calls him. 2. He is like-minded with St. Paul. St. Paul can trust him wholly; he will act as the apostle himself would have acted ; the Philippians should regard his presence as equivalent to the apostle's p~esence ;_ he is a second Paul. He will seek no selfish ends; he w1 ll have a true, genurne an.uety for their welfnre. He will be really anxious to do all he possibly can to help the Philippians in their religions life. And that anxiety will be real anLl sincere, not in 7C THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. [en. n. 1-30,