(}/Jiulng of laia faith/11.lneaa. "I have finished the course." 'l'he language is taken ~pecially from the racecourse. At one point we find him nobly anxious to finish his course (A~ts n. 24). At ano_th~-~ point we fin_d him ~onscious. of the space that lay between him and the ~oal (Phil. m.). Here he 1s consc1ons of his standing at the goal. He had finished his course, not in the sense of haviIJg done with it, but in the sense ~f having done what properly belonged to it. He had followed on (after the Master) without stopping, without ahating zeal, till he now had come up to the goal. Third mode of c;mr,eiving of h~faithfulness. "l have kept the faith." He had been specially entrusted with the talent of the Catholic faith. It had been his, to let it be known that Christ was the Friend of ruan, that as Incarnate God he had made Infinite satisfac- tion for sin, th"t he Wl\8 longing to embrace all in his saving love. Amid all tempta- tions to lose it, to substitute som,thing else for it, he had kept it inviolate. He had not allowed the truth to suffer in his hands; nor must Timothy allow it to suffer in his hands now that more depeniled on him. (2) Full a,.~surance of hope in view of the future. (a) Present laying up. "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." There is the idea of laying up, as for fut11re use or enjoyment. What was laid up was the crown of righteousness, i.e. the reward of him who conquers, and of him who rightfully conquers. In the Christian view this is he who does the work ,vhich is appointed for him by Christ. From thar time forth the crown of right~ous- □ ess was laid up for him. To such a height the assurance of the apostle rose. There was no self-exalting element in his assurance, as though he had been working in his 0wn strength, or as though he had the deciding of what, comparatively, his reward was to be. But that, from his experience of assisting grace in the doing of his work, he was among those who were to be crowneil, he had no more doubt than he had of his own existence. (b) Future bestowal. "Which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that <lay." The Rewarder is the Lord-whose prerogative is indisputable. He is to reward at that day-the day of the future hy pr4!-eminence. He is then to a.et as the ri.c:hteous Judge-whose judgments are all to be founded on righteousness. From his reserved treasures he is to bring forth the crown due to faithful service, and place it on his head. (c) General occasion. "And not only to me, but also to all -;hem that have lo,·ed his appearing." He expressly excludes the thought of his being exceptionally crowned. His beiug crowned would not prevent others, such as Timothy, from being crowned. All would be crowned who continu, d to love Christ's appearing. This e\'ellt is to be ajfectwnauly regarded, because it is the time when his loveliness is to be fully displayed, when also his love for his people is to be fully displayed. It is an event which is fitted to purify and elevate our spiritual life. Let it be the test by ' which we try our being included in the number of the faithful. Does it occupy our thonghts? does it inflame our affections ?-B. F.
Vera. 9--22.-Personal. L TuroTJlY. 1. RequeRted to come to Rome. "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me." Bi11 formerly expressed longing to see him (eh. i. 4) is now turned into a formal request to come, and to come shortly, unto him. [n the diligence he was to show in this there is not the idea of pure haste, but of the utmost ha5te that was compatible with the interests of Christ at Ephesus. Certain arrangements would require to be made,not merely for his journey, but for the carrying on of the work after his departure. Dut &11 soon a■ these arrangement11 could be m~de he was to hasten to him at Rome. 2. Special reason in Paul', isolation. " For Demas forsook me, having loved ibis present world, and went to Thessalonica; Cre11cens to Galatia, Titus to Dal.m&tia. Only Luke is with me." The fundamental reaROD for the request was the apostle's approaching martyrdom; but there was an. additional and special reason in bis iwlation at Hume. This should not have been the case; for Demas, who bad been his trnsted. assU1tant, had been there, and if he had done his duty would still have been with him. But he forwok him in his hour of distress, which may probably be enociated with his /frat defence (ver. 16). The reason for de11ertion was that he loved the present world. We are not to understand world in the ethical 11e11.1e in which it i1 sometimes used; the world as it has become by the entrance of sin, in opposition to the world as it was intended to be. He loved the good thing& of the world--ab&ence from the ~c:.,ne of peril, ease in his own home-in preference to wha.t would ban advantaged Lim in the future world-bravely standing by Paul and OB. IT, 1-22.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. '16