Vel'li. 1-3.-ReJoicing, eichewing, and imitating. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord," etc. These verses present three subjects for reflection-the Being to rejoice in, the men to avoid, the worship to imitate. I. THE BEING TO JlEJOICE IN. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." - "The Lord" means undoubtedly Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all men. But why rejoice in him? 1. Because of his peer'fali e:,;cellence. He is the morally beautiful. Every moral virtue is united. harmonized, and corruscates in his character. Nothing inspires the heart with higher and purer joy than beauty. Admiration is happiness of a high type. The admiration of arl is a joy, the admiration of nature a greater joy, the admiration of moral excellence is tbe highest joy of alL " Rejoice in the Lord." 2. Because of his vital rel.atumBhip. He is our dearest Friend, our elder Brother, our all-merciful, and almigbl_y Hedeemer. Well might we rejoice in such &. relationship. 11 My Beloved is niine, and I am his." 3. Because of his benevolent enterprise. What philanthropic heart does not rejoice in the enterprise of any man to mitigate the woes and increase tue happiness of his species? But what an enterprise is the enterprise of Christ! It is 10 break every fetter, UDlock every prison door, dispel every cloud of i&°orance and sorrow; it is to tread all human evils in the dust, hush all sorrows, wipe away all tears from off all faces. Well might the apostle enjoin the Philippians to II rejoice in the Lord." f-ad that such an injunction should be required, for it might well have lx:C'.n ~u pposed that all who knew the Lord would'' rejoice" in him. This is a command, as tn..ly a command as the command to believe, repent, not to steal, not to murder; aIJd to break this command is as great a sin as to break any command in the Decalogue. To k happy in the Lord-and there is happiness nowhere else-is a moral obligation. II. 'l'HE ¥EN TO A voro. "To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not l!rievous [irksome], but for you it is safe." What things does the apostle mean? Mauilestly the warning which follows, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil-workers." 'l'he a1,0sLle here characterizes a class of men 86 "dogs." In Rev. xxii. 15 this class-there alsu calltd dogs-are described as excluded from the kingdom of heaven. Christ to the Syr0-pbCI:nician woman spoke of the Gentiles 88 dogs (Matt. xv. 26). He did thiM, h,,wever, in acc0rdance with the usage of his coWltrymen. Elsewhere the heavenly Tta~,,er sr,ew of some men a.s "swine." 'l'he temperaments, disposition, and charac- u,:; 0'. n.ui are widely di.ffen,nt. "All flesh is noi the same lfosb." The men against CH, IIJ, 1-21.] 'fHE EPIS'fLE TO THE PHILIPPI.ANS. 143
whom the apostle warns the Philippians here were: 1. Men of a canine spirit. Ill- tempered men, sD1uling at nll who differed from them. Who does not know men or the dog spirit? '!'he querulous tone, the cnrl of scorn on the lip, the sardonic grin, reveal their ea.nine nature. 2. Men of a. ea.nine spirit, who were in connectim with the Ohwrch, "Beware of evil-workers, beware of the concision." They were Judaizing teachers, who endeavoured to tum away men from the simplicity of the gospel by pro- moting Jewish rites and ceremonies, and thus they were evil-doers. Show me the me.n whose religion is sensuous, ritualistic, and technical, and yon will show me the man who in all probability displays this canine spirit. A more ill-natured class of men I have never known than members of Calvinistic, Antinomian, and Ritualistic Churches; and they reveal more of the dog than of the angel. Now, Paul says avoid snch, do not argue with them, do not "cast pearls before swine," do not put yourself in their power stand aloof from them, heed neither their bark nor their grin. ' III. THE WORSHIP TO IMITATE. "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." The worship her~ is marked by three things. 1. By spirituality. "Worship God in the Spirit." 2. By joyous_ne~s. "~ejoice in Christ ~e_sus." There is no worship without happiness; true worship 1s happiness. 3. By Divine confidence. "Ha.ve no confidence in the flesh."-D. 'l'. Vers. 4-8.-The cost and the value of personal Ohmtianity. "Thongh I might also have confidence in the flesh," etc. Notice-- I. THE COST WHICH THE APOSTLE PAID FOR HIS CHRISTIANITY. Metaphorically he sold a property that he at one time valued beyond all price, and that his countrymen regarded as the wealthiest inl).eritance. Here he gives a summary of the distinguished privileges which belonged to him. 1. He refers to his Church status. "C1Tcumcised the eighth day." Therefore not a proselyte, but a Jew. By this rite he became a member of the great Jewish commonwealth, or, as some call it, the Jewish Church. 2. He refers to his illustrious ancestry. "Of the stock of Israel." A true scion of the royal race. "Of the tribe of Benjamin." The tribe from whence came many of their dist.inguished monarchs, and the tribe to whom belongeJ. the holy city. 3. Be refers to his religious persuasion. "An Hebrew of the Hebrews." Elsewhere he says," I truly am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers, and was zealous before God" (Acts xxii. 3, 4:). A thorough Hebrew. Paul had something to boast of here. In his veins ran the blood which had quivered amid Egyptian plagues and rushed to the hearts of those that heard the voice of Sinai's trumpet. 4:. He rifers to his zealous devotedness. "Concerning zeal, perse- cuting the Church." He carried out his religious convictions with such zeal that be persecuted all who differed from him. Which is the worse--enthusiasm in a bad cause or lazy profession in a good one? 5. He refers to his ceremonial righteousness. "Touch- ing the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless." All the commandments be kept "from his youth up." Such were the privileges that Paul enjoyed, and to him, as well as to his countrymen, they were beyond all price. II. 'l'HE VALUE WHICH THE APOSTLE ATTACHED TO HIS CH.RISTIA~"ITY. He ga,c up Judaism with its gorgeous ritual and mighty memories and matchless histories, and Jocs this for Christianity. Does he regret the loss, deplore the costly sacrifice : No. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss fo1· Christ." ·when be prac- tically accepted the religion of Jesu~, all that he once gloried in became contemptible. "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." Christianity is the science of sciences. Three remarks will illustrate the incalculable value of this science. 1. It accords with all true sciences. 2. It encourages all trne sciences. 3. It transcends all true sciences. Chrysostom says, "When the sun doth appear it is loss to sit by a candle."-D. T.