_I I. IT Ex~:ncisEs NO coMr(lJ.soRv POWER, NO PHYSICAL FORCE. It worke through the will of thP l'L'r~O~ 11,!dressl'd, and leads, but doe., not com,,e/,. 'l'b:tt is the charncteristic meth~ of Clm~t1amty. Thus St. Paul would not for~ the will of Philernon. His Apostolic authority would ha,;e warranted his speaking in a tone of command: 11 I might be much hold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient." Dut he preferred to rersuade: " For love's sake I rather beseech thee." III. THE CHRl:STIAN RELIGION, THEREFORE, MAKES GOOD CITIZENS. .. Fear God Honour the king" (1 Pet. ii. 17). It expressly recognizt•s the ruling powers de fa.ce:i as entitled to obedience, Rnd as the representatives of the Divine principle of authority and government (1 Pet. ii. 13) ; as having the right, therefore, to be legally obeyed. It incu/00,f& quiet and pPaceful c,mduct, harmless, law-abiding, observant to perform oontracts and obh'.!atio11e (1 Tbess. iv. 11, 12), and directs each to be careful of the rights of others (l Thess. v. 15; Phil. ii. 4). These are the characteristics of its true followers; and in all its syste,11 it keeps in mind the great objects of promoting peace and unity, of qualifving its people by the elevation of their personal characters for the fulles~ measure of liberty, and at length of eternal happiness. It is the surest defence of nations.
Ver. 11.-Ungoaly men are unprofi,t,a,l,le to themsrlt1flll and to othen. I. le BIN, THEN, PROFITABLE To THE SIJSJS'ER? Whether the pleasures of sense or the possessions and honours of the world have prompted him to sin, it will be found that they alike i~sue in vanity and vexation. Should the desires not be satisfied, then the discontented appetite thirsts for more, and renders the man unhappy. If it be satisfied, yet it is a satisfaction of weariness, not contentment (Rom. vi. 21), and there is a stina of shame in the recollection of such pleasures. "' IL "THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH" (Rom. vi. 23)-a penalty which must neces- sarily outweigh any apparent profit or pleasure arising from sin, however great it can be supposed to be. "What shall a man give [or, 'receive'] in exchange for his soul?" (Mark viii. 36, 37). Sin were unprofitable if we should only consider the ultimate consequences of exhaustion and satiety which it has on the sinner. When the judg- ment of God is taken into account, it becomes absolute and manifest folly. Two facts to be borne in mind: (1) man is accountable for what he does; and (2) he has an immor- tality of future existence in which to bear the penal consequences of his doings. Could the sinuer have but a single sight of the awful fires of hell, he could never again doubt whether the sin which leads men thither were in any sense of the word profitable to any human being. III. ls THE sris~R, THEN, PROFITABLE TO OTHERS? He is rendered unprofitable to others ir, so far as he is given up into the power of sin. Onesimus had been "unprofit- able" (ver. 11) in time past to Philemon, because, under the influence of sinful motives (we do not know of what precise kind), he had sought dishonestly hie own interest, not his master's. The dishonest person will cheat his master or employer; the deceitful person will deceive others; and they are thus " unprofitable" in various ways to those who are brought into communication with them. Onesimus had become OhriBtia,n, and hi.s unprofitabl.eness had disappeared. He was transformed by the grace of God. Self• seeking, dishonesty, untruthfulness, need not thenceforth be looked for from hiru (although these were the usual vices of the slave). He would be able to be ti·usted, and therefore he was profitable. See the influence of Christian motives. H~ would be faithful to Philemon as to others, kind, preferring others to himself ( Phil. :i. 3, -l). Ver. 15.-Treasures in heaven. L CHRISTIANS HAVE THE PROIIIBE, NOT ONLY OF THE LIFE THAT NOW rs, BUT OF THAT WHICH 1B TO COME. (1 Tim. iv. 8.) Philemon bad had before a legal property in Onesimus, which was, however, temporary, because it neces- sarily ended at latest with the life of either man. But in gaining the tie of Christian fellowship with him, he obtained an interest in him which would endure permanently; a.ud so Phil~mon had, in a sense, " received him for ever." JL THL'l ll! THEREFORE A 'l'Yl'I0AL IN8'rANCE. The world has only temporal and temporary treaRures to offer; religion hW! eternal and abiding ones. "The things that an aoer, are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor, iv. 18); &N - baa ,ffM for i"8 sphere of action, and i• botwded by time ; the other hu dernity, 1-2G.J nm EPl~TLE TO PIIILEMON.
III. SrlRI'fUAL GIFTS A?-D ftl,1".SSINGS ARP: BEGUN IN THIR Wf)RJ.D, hnt will not he fully posseseed by the blessed until after the final judgment. They are an inheritance--- " treasures in heaven." The Christian, as he "grows in grace," possesses more and more completely : 1. Love and su~jection towards God. 2. Lo11e, sympathy, and /or- giveneu towards his neighbour. 3. Watchfuln~ss and self-control 011er himself. The apostle enumerates these spiritual blessings without classification (Gal. v. 23), llS "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." The sum and substance and crown of them all is righteousness-an approximation, by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit of God, to the idea.I of perfect manhood ; that is, "to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (see Eph. iv. 13). And this righteousness prepares the soul for the presence of f>od (Luke xvi i. 21 ). While other treasures, therefore, a.re possessions of the body, or at most of the mind, " treasu re8 in heaven" belong to the soul, that is, to the immortal and permanent part of man's nature, and a.re to be valued accordingly. IV. How ETERNAL BLESSINGS ABE TO BE DESIRED AND SOUGHT FOB. 1. In prefer- ence to all other things, because of their greater importance. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matt. vi. 33), and also vers. 19, 20, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," etc. 2. With all earnestness. " Stri11e to enter in " (Luke xiii. 24), as men who a.re so much in earnest as to be " violent" (Matt. xi. 12). ::l. By the practice of graces given: of faith (2 Pet. i. 5), of charity and almsgiving (l Tim. vi. 18, 19), of the knowledge of the Saviour and of heavenly things (2 Per. iii. 18). V. THE CHRISTIAN HAS THE GUARANTEE Oi' Goo HIMSELF that his hopes for eternal happiness she.ll not be disappointed (2 Tim. i. 12; 1 Pet. iv. 19).