+I. That the Philippians persevered in the midst of great
difficulties, opposition, and persecution.+
+II. That their persevering fellowship in the Gospel had been
characterised by great purity and consistency of Christian life.+
+III. That they gave evidences of zeal for the propagation of
religion and of liberality in contributing of their worldly substance
to this end.+
+Lessons.+--1. _This doctrine affords comfort and hope to struggling
Christians._ 2. _The grounds of assurance forbid presumptuous
confidence and stimulate to watchfulness and effort.--Homiletic
Monthly._
_The Perseverance of the Saints._
+I. I shall adduce some of the principal arguments in support of the
doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.+--1. The decree of
election. 2. The merit of Christ's sufferings and death. 3. The
intercession of Christ. 4. The promises of God. 5. The constitution
of the covenant of grace. 6. The statements of Scripture in regard to
the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers.
+II. I shall consider some of the most plausible objections which
have been urged against this doctrine.+--1. That some of the most
eminent saints have fallen into very grievous sins. They did not fall
totally and finally. 2. That many who were long regarded as true
Christians do in point of fact finally apostatise. They never were
true Christians. 3. That there are in Scripture many earnest
exhortations to watchfulness, and many awful warnings against
apostasy. God works by means and motives. 4. That believers being
assured of their ultimate recovery will be encouraged to sin. The
perseverance of the saints is perseverance in holiness. (1) Has a
good work begun in you? (2) If so, remember that while the
perseverance of the saints is promised as a privilege, it is also
enjoined as a duty.--_G. Brooks._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.
_A Prayer for Christian Love_--
+I. That it may be regulated by knowledge and discretion.+--"And this
I pray, that your love may abound . . . in knowledge and in all
judgment" (ver. 9).
1. _So as to test what is best._--"That ye may approve things that
are excellent" (ver. 10)--test things that differ. Two faculties of
the mind are to be brought into exercise--knowledge, the acquisitive
faculty; and judgment, the perceptive faculty. Love is not a wild,
ignorant enthusiasm, but the warm affection of a heart, guided by
extensive and accurate knowledge, and by a clear, spiritual
perception. From a number of good things we select and utilise the
best.
2. _So as to maintain a blameless life._--"That ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ" (ver. 10). Be so transparent
in heart and life as neither to give or take offence, and when
examined in the light of the day of Christ to be adjudged blameless.
To live a useful and holy life we must both think and feel aright.
Love will ever prompt us to the holiest conduct and to the best work.
"I once asked a distinguished artist," said Boree, "what place he
gave to labour in art. 'Labour is the beginning, the middle, and the
end of art,' was the answer. I turned to another and inquired, 'What
do you consider as the great force in art?' 'Love,' was the reply. In
these two answers I found but one truth."
+II. That it may stimulate the growth of a high Christian
character.+--1. _A high Christian character is the outcome of
righteous principles._ "Being filled with the fruits--the fruit--of
righteousness." All Christian virtues are from the one common root of
the Spirit. It is He who plants them in the heart, fosters their
growth, brings them to perfection, and fills the soul with them as
the trees are laden with ripened fruit. The apostle prays for more
love, because love impels us to act righteously in all things, even
in the minor affairs of life. "Just as the quality of life," says
Maclaren, "may be as perfect in the minutest animalculæ, of which
there may be millions in a cubic inch and generations may die in an
hour--just as perfect in the smallest insect as in behemoth, biggest
born of earth, so righteousness may be as completely embodied, as
perfectly set forth, as fully operative in the tiniest action that I
can do, as in the largest that an immortal spirit can be set to
perform. The circle that is in a gnat's eye is as true as circle as
the one that holds within its sweep all the stars, and the sphere
that a dewdrop makes is as perfect a sphere as that of the world. All
duties are the same which are done from the same motives; all actions
which are not so done are all alike sins."
2. _A High Christian character honours God._--"Which are by Jesus
Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (ver. 11). The
righteousness which exalts man honours God. It is a practical
manifestation of the grace communicated through Jesus Christ, and
adorns the doctrine which is according to godliness. There are those
who live soberly and righteously in this present world; but what
about their duty to God? God is not in all their thoughts. That there
has been no acceptance into their lives of Christ--without which
acceptance God is a stranger to us and we strangers to God, no
consecration to Christ, no referring to His will, no love to His
person, and no zeal for His glory--of all this they are perfectly
aware. And the thought of their heart is, that the omission is of no
great consequence, and so long as they live soberly and righteously,
it matters little or nothing whether they do or do not live godly.
The power lacking is that for which the apostle prays--the power of
love, whole-hearted love to Christ.
+III. That it may be enjoyed in ever-increasing measure.+--"And this
I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more" (ver. 9). Some
time ago the public mind was filled with uneasiness in expectation of
a high tide which was to visit our shores, and which it was feared
would work great mischief. As the time drew near, the anxiety
increased. At length the tide flowed in, rose to its highest point,
and then retired, bearing with it the fears that had agitated the
public mind. Why this alarm? Because all know the unmanageable,
destructive power of water, when it once bursts its bounds. Love,
unlike water, the more it abounds and overflows the greater the
benefits it bestows. There is no fear that we shall love God too
much; it is our shame and loss that we love Him so little. Love
chafes against all limitations.
+Lessons.+--1. _Love is the essence of Christianity._ 2. _Love should
govern every part of the Christian life._ 3. _Love may be augmented
by earnest prayer._
_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._