Ver. rn.-.4. friendly exchange. I. SCRIPTURE IS INTENDED FOR GE8ERAL READING. The two Epbtles are to be read in the Churches. 'l'hey are not to be reserved for the bishors, the more initiated or the more advanced Christians. All members of the two Churches, young and old, slaves and freemen, illiterate and cultured, imperfect and sr,iritual-minded, are to hear the two Epistles. Now, these Epistles contain about the most advanced doctrine of all writings of the Bible. They approach nearest to what is anal,,gous to the inner Gnostic doctrines of all Scripture teaching. If, therefore, any porticns of revelation should be reserved for the few, it would be these. If these are for public pen,rnl, surely the simpler Gospels and psalms must ho also public prc,perty. The Bible is a bo0k for the people. It is free to all. No man has a right to bar access to the tree of life on the pica that the ignorant do not know how to help themselves from it and mu~t have its fruits doled out by official guardians. 'J'he greatest philosopher may find unfathomable depths in Scripture; but a little child may also read clear truths therein. If it be said that the ignorant will misuc.derstand, the reply is-They will gain more truth on the whole, in spite of misunderstanding, by free access to the Bible than when only led to it by others. God can take care of his own truth; the l.lible was written for the people, and the people have a right to their own. No guardians of Scripture who are to measure it out to others at their discretion were ever appointed b_v Christ or by his apostles. II. THE ScRIPTUilE THAT IS USEFUL TO ONE CHURCH WILL BE USEFUL TO ANOTHER. Tlie two letters were written with special regard to the peculiar circumstances of the two Churches. Yet they were to be exchanged. Much more, then, should Christians \\'ho have not had any private Epistle of their own benefit by the public Scriptures. Special wants arc not primary wants. The great need of revelation is common to all. The flllldamental truths of the gospel are needed by and offered to all. '!'he highest glories of revelation are for all. Jil. Oun. READING OF SCIIIP'l'ORE SHOULD NOT DE CONFINED TO ISOLATED Fll.AGMENTS, A Church which Lad been honoured by receiving an apostolic Epistle written expressly for itself vrould be kmpted to depreciate other apostolic writings, or at least to consider that for its own use its own Epistle was of paramount if not of exclusive importance, It would be in danger of making its one Epistle its own New 'l'estament, to the dis- regard of all the re,t. Dut the advice of St. Paul shows that such an action would be a mistake. 1. Our n-adi11g of Scripture should be wide and varied. We must beware uf confining our attention to favourite portions. By doing so we get one-sided views uf truth, and probably, even if unconsciously, select what seems to support our own Lotions to the ne,;l,ct of what would modify them. We may most need to read those ScripLures in wl,ich we feel lea8t interest. 2. Scripture balances and interprets :.icripture. 'l'l,e doctrine of tl,e Christ which is the leading theme of the Epistle to .:.e Colossians is closely related to the doctrine of the Church which is the central suuject of the so-called Epistle to the Ephesians (that, probably, referred to by St. Paul as the Epistle to the Laodiceans). IV. 'JIIERE 6IIOULD DE INT.ERCOMMUNION DETWEEN CmllS'l'IAN CONGREGATIONS. TI.Jere is too much corporate selfishness in the Church. We should be the better for more eccl~siastical altruism, or rather communism. 1. 'l'his is most to be looked for l,etween neighbours. Laodicea was near to Coloss:e. 2. Aud it should be cultivated uetween the prominent and the obscure. Laodicea was an important city, Colossai a stnall town. Yet the Churches in the two places were to show brotherly sympathy on e'lual terms and to be mutually helpful to one another. While the strong should help t1,e weak, the: weak shculd beware of sdfishness and do their best to serve the sLrong, -W.F.A. • CH. IV. 1-18.] 'J'll[<; EPISTLE 'l'O 'l'HE COLOSSIANS.
Ver. 18.-" Remember my bonds." St. Paul's occasional references to his boncl~ nrc :r.ever thrust forward in the spirit of the histrionic martyr an<l never expressed in a murmuring tone, but they evince the irksome restraints under which he laboured, and they give a certain pathos to his entreaties. To be alw:iys chained to a soldier, possibly one of rude and coarse manners, must have been peculiarly distressing to a man of sensitive, refin~d disposition like St. Paul. Feeling the burden of his bonds, tl,e apostle prays his readers to remember them. I. REME:MDEn TnEM IN SYMPATIIY. It is something to know that friends are feeling with us, when they can do nothing directly to remove the cause of trouble. The lowliest may help the greatest by his sympathy. An apostle seeks the sympathy of obscure Christians. Christ looked for the support of his disciples' sympathy in the hour of his greatest agony, and had the last drop of his bitter cup in the failing of that sympathy (Matt. :x..xvi. 40). II. R1rnEMDER THEM IN PilAYER. When we cannot work for our brother'~ release from trouble, we m:iy pray. With all the power or Rome at his b.Lck, Nero cannnt prevent the feeble Christians from having recourse to the mighty weapon of prayer. Let us beware of a selfish narrowness of sympathy in prayer. There are always many calls for prayers of intercession. Very touching is the ancient prayer that bas come down to us from the dark ages of persecution, and is presented in the so-called 'Divine Liturgy of St. James:'" Remember, 0 Lord, Christians sailing, travelling, sojourning iu strange lands; our fathers and brethren, who are in bonds, prison, captivity, and exile; wbo are in mines, and nndcr torture, and in bitter slavery." III. REMEMBER 'l'HEM rn GRATITUDE. St. Paul was suffering for the gospel. Th-1 real cause of his imprisonment was the persecution of the Jews, who were more bitter to his liberal version of Christianity than to the more Judaistic Christianity of the other apostles. Thus he described himself, "I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles" (Eph. iii. 1). Therefore his bonds merit our grateful memory; and the sufferings of the champions of Christian liberty merit similar reverent and grateful recollections. It is well that these memories should be handed down from father to son, that the stories of the heroes of Christendom through whose toils aud sufferings we now enjoy so many privileges should be taught to our children. IV. REMEMBER THEM IN REVERENCE FOR ST. PAUL'S AUTHORITY. His bonds lend weight to his words. They prove his sincerity. They are a reason for listening to his entreaties. By bis sufferings he entreats us to walk worthily of our Christian calling. So the greater sufferings of a greater Friend give force to his persuasion when he bid~ us follow him.-W. F. A. HOMILETICAL INDEX TO
THE EPISTLE OF