by Paul is that we are to mark those who have, in their walk, the oommon Christian featur<.'s. TI. WHOM TO TAKE WAR~'"ING FROM. There were others who walked differently. We arc appnr<.'ntly to think of them as nominal Oh,·istians--owniua the cross of Christ in their profession, disowning it in their practi.ce. 1. Feelings with which the apostle call, o.tt~ion., t-0 them._ "For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping. In this Paul echoes the words of the psalmist "nivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy Law." He ech~ the words of the weeping prophet, "Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord bath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before be cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mount.a.ins, and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret pla.Ctls for your pride : and mine eye shall weep sore and run down with tears." Cbrysostom says here, "Paul weeps for those over whom other men laugh and are uproarious." It is an aggravating circumstance when men dishonour the Christian circle with which they are connected. But there is this, that Christ needed to weep over us when we were sinners, and still needs to weep over us for the sin which doth so easily beset us. And the more that others are in & state of sin, there is only the more need for our weeping over them and desiring their emancipation from their unhappy thraldom. Another circumstance which led to the tears of the apostle was their number. There were many who bad disgraced their Christian profession. It was like a catastrophe involving: the loss of many lives. But why did the apostle tell this to the Philippians? Why had he not been content with telling them once? Why had he continued telling them in his addresses when with them and in his messages when absent? Why, as he now thinks of it, with the pen in his hand or dictating to his amanuensis, do the tears begin to flow? It was because, being many, there was danger of this class ~ppearing also in the Church of Philippi. Persistently, tearfully would he endeavour to stave off, to prevent, such a catastrophe. 2. Described generally. (1) Oharacter. "That they are the enemies of the cross of Christ." It is said of the heathen that they refused to have God in their knowledge. It is said of the Colossians in their heathen state that they were enemies in their mind in their evil works. It is in darker colours tha: the persons before as are painted. They are enemies of God, not in his unity or spirituality, but in the brightest exhibition of his moral excellence. The cross of Christ is a great fa.et, of which the great expression is this, "God so loved the world, that he gave hi8 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." The cross of Christ is God approaching men in greatest kind- ness-kindness displayed to his foes, kindness fitted to subdue the most hostile. It is the condemnation of the persons before us that, having had the cross of Christ presented to them so that they could not refuse to acknowledge the justice of its claims, they yet did not in reality yield to its claims, but opposed their will to the Divine benignity. (2) End. "Whose end is perdition." It is an oppressive thought, that this should be the end of any who have be~n created for God's glory. But it is the inevitable consequence of opposing the cross of Christ. As the Foundation-stone of the Church, when not used as Foundation, is to become the Stone of vengeance, so the cross of Christ, when not used as the instrument of salvation, is to become the instrument of perdition. It is as though a beautiful work of a.rt, on which much loving Jabour has been expended, were taken and broken into a thousand fragments. Su is every one the object of perdition in his spiritual nature, lost to beauty and useful- Dess and happiness, who does not submit to the saving power of Christ. 3. Descri"bed more particularly, (1) Indulgent of appetite. "Whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame." The apostle writes to the Roman Christiane of those who served nut our Lord Christ, but their own belly. They are described in more startling langua 6e here, as making a. god of their belly. That is to say, the place belonging to Gue. is usurped by the very lowest part of their nature, We are to eat and drink in uni.tr tLa.t we may do the great business of life; these make it the great business of lifo 1,u tat aod drink. Their supreme concern is, "What shall we eat, and wbat shall we drin.k 'i'" To thil. object, as devotees, they consecrate their thoughts, their energieH AE profts;;ed ChristiaW!, they should glory in the cross of Christ; their real antagonism t,c, the cruss comes out in their glorying in what is fitted to ramper appetite. It i9 OH, lll, 1-21,] 'l'HE EPISTLE 'l'O 'l'HE PHILIPPIANS. H1
glorying in their shame. It is unworthy of rational men, it is especially unworthy of men who profess to be Christians, that they should be taken up with their eating ar,d drinking. It is taking the glory which belongs to them as made for God, as intended for a Christian immortality, and giving it to their animal nature. It is in gluttony, and also in drunkenness, stupefying themselves, obscuring their vision of God, unfitting themselves for bis service. And those deserve to be covered with shame who so walk. (2) (]lass to which they are referred. " Who mind earthly things." They belon~ to the earthly order of things; within it their thoughts and interests are confined. One characteristic of the earthly is its perishableness. Such Epicureans as are here referred to make this even a reason for their indulgence of appetite, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." But what a skeleton does this introduce into their feasts! "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall bring to nought both it and them." Without being Epicureans and taken up with our eating and drinking, we may mind earthly things. If our minds do not rise above our earthly business, then we are living within the earthly order of things, that which is lower and which is doomed to perish. "The cloud-eapt towers, the gorgeous palacea, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherits shall dissolve, And, like the insubstantial pageant faded. Leave not a rack behind."