hueb•ndman wu the most full.v entitled t.o reward. (2) The minister of Obrist mnst plough 1tnd sow before he can rol\p; he must use all lahorious diligence in his cRJling, not discourRged beca.use he does not at once see the fruits of his labour, for the seed may not sprout up quickly, but ever looking upward for the dews of Heaven's grace tn del'lcend upon the wide field of his ministry. Ill. THE DUTY OF GIVING CO:-/SIDl!:RATION TO ALL TIIEBB FAOTB. "Consider what l eay, and the Lord will gi"e thee understanding in all things." 1. It is the Lorri 011ly who ron give ,., a true insight into both doctrine and duty. 2, Those who enjoy thu /Jiv,:ne help a.re under the greatest obligation to we their understanding• upon th, hiyMBt of all tliemes.-T. C.
Ver. 8.-The oontemplation of <Jhrist an incentiue to comfort iind consto,ncy. Timothy was to think of Christ's vict.ory for himself and for us aa a groun,i ~f encouragement. L CHRIST THE PERPETUAL On.raOT OF CHRISTIAN REHEHBRAN0B. "Remember ,Tesu,; Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of DRvid, according to my gospel." The two great facts that were to be ever present to Timothy's mind were the Incarnation Rnd the Resurrection-the two miracles that Rtood, respectively, at the beginning and the end of hie earthly history. The one would speak of the hopes of the race of man springing from the SRviour's assumption of our nature in the royal liue of David; the other of the complet.eneu of the redemption sealed by the resurrection from the dead. Timothy would be encouraged to bear his trials by the thought of Christ's victory over death. II. CHRIST THE PERPETUAL TBEHE OF TllB GOSPEL. .. Accorrling to my gospel." 1. The.~ two facts are fundaTMntal in the gospel,. Take them away, there is no hope for nurn, no atonement, no blessed life hereafter. 2. Th- two facts needed to be /aught ,;nan age when false teachers deuied a real incarnation, saying that the SRviour had a phantu11,-body, and a real re~urrection, because a boclily resurrection was not to be thought ol, a.s matter, being essentially evil, could not attach to a Divine being. -T.C. Ven. 9, 10.-The ea:ample of the apostle's own sujferings-thefr apiritual motive and design. J. 'l'a10TRY WAS TO BE ENCOURAGED BY THIS EXAMPLE. "Wherein l s11ffer l,ardship unto bonds as a malefactor." He was now a prisoner at Rome, because he ,,reached the gospel of J esUB and the resurrection, and suffered as much as if he had been a breaker of all law1, huma11 and Divine. lL THE APOSTLE'S IMPRISONHENT DID NOT Il0'08B FETTERS Ul'ON TJll!l GOSPEL, " But the Word of God is not bound." This was said for the encouragement of Timothy, who may have feared that the Roman imprisonment would be fatal t.o the progress of the gospel. The apostle, though a priaoner, had liberty to add many page. to that l!'ol'd of God which Nero could not bind, for we have no less than three or four prison- Epistles in the canon of inspiration. The imprisonment of John Huss in a fortress on the Rhine gave him leisure to write the truth be could no lunger proclaim with fiery lipl! t.o the Bohemians. The Wartburg seclusion of a y,·a.r gave Luther the leisure to translat.e the Scriptures for his German countrymen. Verily the Word of God is not b.,und. III. THE MOTIVE oB DESIGN OJ' THE APOSTLE'S Strl"FERINGB. "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obta.in the salvation which is in Christ Je,;us with eternal glory." 1. The zealoua minister of <Jhrist think, no n,jferingB too gr«1,t that are neede,/ for the sa~ of G<><l', elect. The apostle'l! life was one long career of labour and affliction on their behalf. 2. Minister, must labour for the 1alvation of the elect. Human i11strume1,tality is clearlyrecognize<l and honoured in this great work. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were "ministers by whom the Corinthians belJ.eved." 3. There ia a salvation provuud /or the elut. They are "chosen in Christ" before the foundation of the wurld "untn huli11e88" (Eph. i. 4). 4. The .,alv 1tiun i, only to bf! obtained in and through Je.,us (Jhnat. 6. It ia a salvation that finda ita trtMi lermina- tum in "eternal gfory."-T. C.
Vera. 11-13.-A faith/tu saying for consolation llfld for wam,ng. The Apostle OB. D, 1-26,] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 29