HC\MILIES BY VAlUOUS AUTIIOHS. Yer. 1.-Spiritu,:u joy. "Finally, brethren, t'l'joicc in the Lord." The key-note of tlw Epistle still recurs. I. 'l'hc: NATUl'.E OF JOY IN THE LoRD. It is to mnke him tho object of our joy: 1. For what be is in himseH, the God of love and light and blessing. 2. For what ho is to us: (1) our Preserver (Ps. xlvi. l, 2); (2) onr Redeemer (Heh. iii. 18; Ps. xxvii. 1); (3) our God (Heb. viii. 10). Tbe world rejoices in creation and sees no joy in God, but the believer finds the joy of the Lord to be his strength (Neh. viii. 10). II. THE DUTY OF REJOICING IN THE Lonn. 1. It is a commanded duty; 2. Ghrist prays for it. (John x:vii. 13.) 3. TM Holy Spirit works it in us. (John xvi. 7; Gal. v. 22.) 4. It is f!ecessary to the fulness of our Christian experience. (1) As lessenin•• our love of the world and of sinful pleasures (P$. iv. 7; lxx.x.iv. 10). (2) As making us more nctive in the Lord's service (Deut. xxviii. 47; Neh. viii. 10). (3) As supporting us under the weight of troubles (1 Pet. i. 7, 8). IlI. How WE OUGHT TO REJOICE IN THE LoaD. 1. We ought to live above the world. (2 Cor. iv. 18.) 2. We ought to avoi,d, everything inconsistent with tliisjoy. (1) Gros~ sins (2 Cor. i. 12). (2) Unbelieving thou!!hts. 3. We ought to cherish a constant tmst in the Lord. (Heb. xiii. 6; Isa. lv. 7; xliL 13, 14. See hints on eh. iv. 1.)-T. C~ Vers. 2, 3.-&rious warning agamst errorists. The apostle, after counselling the Piii- li ppians to rejoice in the Lord, somewhat abruptly recalls the case of errorists of the J udaistic type, who, thongh not at Philippi, were not far from its boundaries. He deems it "safe" to give timely warning: "Beware of the dogs, of the evil-workers, of the concision." J. 'I HE CHAB..\CTEIUSTICS OF THE J UDAIST ERROBISTS. 1. T,'1ey were " dogs " in the Jewish sense, that is, impure and antichristian enemies of the truth. It would be a surprise for Jews to be de;cribed by the epithet they themselves always applied so scornfully to Gentiles. 2. 11,ey were "evi7-workers." There was no want of religious activity among them, but it had a selfish and nil root. The apostle elsewhere speaks of." false apostles, dcccitrul workers" (2 Cur. xi. 13). The Pharisees "compassed sea and land to make one proselyte" (lllatL xxiii. 15). Ilut their zeal was essentially evil. 3. They ,,ere" tl.e concision "-tl,e mutilation-who rejoiced in a mere manual, outward muti- bLion of the flesh, forgetful of the 1,ignificance of the true circumcision. ll. Ft:KDAMENTAL DISTlNOTlON BETWEEN SUCH EBBOBIBTS AND THE TRUE CIRCUM· c1,;10N. ·' Fur we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and gl1Jry i1, Cl,rist Je~us, and have nu confidence in the flesh." There are tbrce characteristic 1,uint;; involved in the circumcision of heart which belongs to all true believers, whether J cws or Geutiles. 1. TMir worship ia e,senti.<illy spiritual. They "worship by the :Spirit of God." It was not a worship by mere external rites, as if all its merit consisted i'.1 rigid ritualistic conformities, but the true worship of God, which is only possible tl,n,uga the iuf!uence of his Holy Spirit (John iv. 23; Rom. viii. 26), who" helps our iufirmities" of supplication. It is the characteristic of s11.iats that they" pray in the H.dy Ghost" (Jude 20). 2. TJ,eir entire depe11,dence is in Christ Jesus. "Who glory iu Ci,rist Jesus." This is the essential distinction of the Christian. "Let him that glori<:t1 glory in the Lord" (1 Cor. i. 31). He does not glory in rites or ordinances, but iu a persunul Redt:emer, who saves him from his sins. 3. 'l'hey have no confidence in ;,.r,re t:ctemul, privilege,;. "And have no cowidence in the flesh." The primary allusion l.ere _rrn,y be to circumcision, but the clause JX>ints to the merely outward and earthly in rtl 1s1·0 u, for 111. The J udaists gloried in tbe ilesb, "Seeing that many glory after tile tbh, l will gl•Jry also" (2 Cor. xi. 18; Gal. vi. 13, 14).-'l'. C, on. 111. 1-'.H.J 'TUE EPISTLE TO Tirn PHTLIPPTANS. 123
VerH. 4-7.-'J.7ie apostle's estimate ef Ms high privile.1es as a Jew. The .Ju,laists nrrog3ted to themselves high privileges hy virtue of their rlcsccnt. The apostle show" that they can claim no superiority of privilee1e above himself, thouah 0 he finds in these very privileges a quite insufficient ground of~eligions conurlencc. I. JI,,: IlEPUDIATEB RACRAMENTAI, IC.FFICACY. "Circumcised the eight.h day." He was thus rlist.ingnishcd alike from the proselyte, who was circumcised on his conversion, and from the Ishmaelite, who was circumcised in his thirteenth year. He was a pure Jew. II. Hi,; llEPUDIATES TIIE IlELIGIOUS IMPOllT OF AN no:rnonED PARENTAGE. 1. " Of the stock ef Israel." For he was no proselyte, but directly descended from Israel. 2. He was a membei· of the illustrious "tribe of Benjamin," which gave the first kinA to Israel, an<l had a foremost place among its armies. He did not, therefore, belong to any mere renegade tribe. 3. He was "a Hebrew of the Hebrews." Not only of pure blood, but untingcd by Hellenistic tendencies. III. HE nEPUDIATES RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY. "As touching the Law, a Pharisee;" a member of the st1ictest and most authoritative sect of the Jews. IV. HE REPUDIATES UITENSE EARNESTNESS. "As tonching zeal, persecuting the Church." V. HE REPUDIATES THE WORTH OF CEREMONIAL BLAMELESSNESS. "As touching the righteousness which is in the Law, showing myself blameless;" that is, the righteou~ness of formal precept as contrasted with the righteousness which is by faith (ver. 9). All these characteristics and prerogatives, which "were gains to me," because I set them down to my credit religiously, my conversion changed into loss "for Christ's sake," because their repudiation was necessary "that I might gain Chri~t."-T. C.