III. THE CIIRISTIAN ooM.MoNWEALTH. 1. Its seat. "For our citizenship is in heaven." More exactly it is the state in connection with which we have citizenship. We properly belong to a heavenly order of things. And this points to the possession of higher privileges. (1) Right of access to the sovereign. This is very rarely taken advantage of under an earthly polity. We cannot weary our heavenly Sovereign by our frequent approaches to him, if only we are sincere. In Christ we have an established place before him. And our present mode of access to him by prayer will be turned into an eternal a.biding with him. (2) Right of protection. If a British citizen is within the law in travelling or trading within the bounds of a foreign state, he may rely upon the British power for his protection. Earth is like a foreign state to Christians; we may rely upon Christ meantime defending ns from all our enemies. And ultimately he will withdraw us from tbe presence of enemies, to dwell entirely under the shadow of the Almighty. (3) Right of education. It is right that a state should make provision for the education of ail who are to be its citizens. The British state, to a certain extent, acts upon this principle. As Christian citizens, there is pro- vision for our education, in the Bible and the ordinance of the ministry. And ulti- mately we shall be directly taught of God. (4) Right of maintenance. The new-made citizen of a town has the right of trading within its boundaries for the purpose of maintenance. As citizens standing in a right relation to our liege Lord, he undertakes our maintenance in this world. And ultimately he will call us to sit at his own table. 2. Obtaining the condition necessary for the full enjoyment of privileges. (1) He who obtains the condition, "From whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." The seat of the polity to which we belong being in the heavens, it is fitting that our aspiration should be heavenward. Our great Hope in that world is Christ, who has taken possession in our name. We wait for him to come, with his saving power, to us on earth, i.e. to bring us out of present disabilities, and to bring us into the full enjoyment of privileges. (2) The condition to be obtained. "Who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory." (a) Transfarmation from a psychical body to a spiritual body. Our present body is psychical-so it is called in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians-i.e. it answers to our lower or animal nature. It has a certnin material grossness about it; and it is very much hemmed in by material surroundings. Christ at his resurrection CJxchanged the psychical body which he shared with us for a. spiritual body-so it is named, i.e. it is a body answering to our higher or spiritual nature, as the present body answers to our lower or animal nature. As seen in him, it was a body to which matter was no barrier. He appeared in the midst of his disciples when the doors were i.hut. It was a body to which distance was completely conquered. With it, when THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILlPPIANS. [en. m. 1-21.
the time came, he could, at onoe and of his own accord, go up into heaven, only lingering in '°iew for the sake of those whom he left behind. And his spiritual body is to rule the form of ours. (b) ~nsformation from tlM, stat.e ef tlM, Fall to the state of redemp• tion. Our present body 1s called the hody of humiliation. It is so in the aspect we haYe already considered. It !s especially so _in th~t the Fall has left its mark upon it a~ ,.-ell as upon the soul. It 1s a body that 1s subJect to WOl\kness and discMe termi- n~ting in death and corruption. Humiliation reaches its depth when this body bcco~11_es _the prey of worms. Chri~t, in the body of his flesh, was subjected to the bum1hat1on of weakness and suffermg. He was also subjected to the humiliation of death. And, in addition, he was subjected to the humiliation of burial. At his resurrection the body of bis humiliation, which had not seen corruption, was exche.n"ed for the body of bis glory, of which we can form some conception from the description of him as be appeared on. the Mount of Transfiguration, and also as he was seen by tbo prisoner of Patmos in heaven. It was a body which bore a certain relation to previous humiliation; for there were the marks of the wounds in his hands and in his side. We are to think of it as a body which has received immortal power and beauty. And that gloriously transformed body of Christ is to rule the form of ours. (3) Guarantee for the rondition being obtained. "According to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself." Following upon bis resurrection was bis being inYcstcd with universal power. "All authority hath been given unt-0 me in heaven :rnd on earth." The final adjustment will bear witness to his being able to subdue all things unto himself, i.e. unto his thought, his way of adjustin~ things. We may, there- fore, feel assured, seeing that is bis thought, that he will subdue the present material fallen body to the spiritual glorious type, which he ba.s asserted in his own resurrection- body. This condition being obtained, we shall be admitted as Christian citizens to full pri\·ileges.-R. F.