+I. Of piety.+
+II. Of chastity.+
+III. Of charity.+
+IV. Of severity.+
+V. Of solidity.+
+Lessons.+--1. _Extravagant raillery poisons conversation._ 2. _A
spirit of disputing is a vice of conversation._ 3. _Indiscreet
questions are a pest of conversation.--Saurin._
_Christ's Truth in Relation to our Daily Conversation._
+I. The large space which words occupy in human life.+--1. _On
account of their number._ 2. _On account of their
consequences._
+II. The importance of special self-examination in reference to our
words.+
+III. Earnest listening to the Divine voices the cure for vain speech
and the source of gracious speech.+
+IV. Our words are not to be all about religion but pervaded by the
spirit of religion.+
+V. Our conversation being thus seasoned, we shall know how we
ought to answer every man.+--_R. Abercrombie._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 7-11.
_Side-lights on Church-life in the Early Times._
A straw will indicate the direction of current; a bit of glass will
reveal a star; a kick of the foot may discover a treasure that will
enrich successive generations; a word, a look, an involuntary
movement will disclose the leading tendency of an individual
character; so on the crowded stage of life it is not always the
gigantic and public scenes that are most suggestive and instructive,
but rather the trivial, undesigned incidents which are unnoticed by
an ordinary observer. A reflective mind will pick up material for
thought from the most unexpected and unpromising quarters. The
apostle has finished the grand argument of the epistle and shown the
importance of certain duties which grow out of the reception of the
truths enforced. In approaching the conclusion, he appears to be
chiefly occupied with a mass of personal and miscellaneous matters.
The few remaining verses contain little else but a series of names,
with the briefest qualifying phrases attached. But here and there
light is thrown on truths which, though familiar, are all the more
strongly impressed on our minds because of their evident antiquity.
In these verses there are _side-lights thrown on Church-life in the
early times with reference to Christian sympathy, commendations,
courtesy, and co-operation._ We learn:--
+I. The value of Christian sympathy.+--1. _As fostering mutual
interest in tidings concerning the work of God._ "All my state shall
Tychicus declare unto you, . . . whom I have sent unto you for the
same purpose; . . . shall make known unto you all things which are
done here" (vers. 7-9). The apostle, though in prison and separated
by a long distance from the Colossians, does not abate anything of
his interest in their welfare. He had received tidings of their
condition as a Church; of their steadfastness, successes, and perils;
and he was sure that intelligence from him would be eagerly welcomed
by them. He therefore despatched Tychicus and Onesimus, who could
furnish more details concerning the apostle, the exemplary spirit in
which he bore his sufferings, his profound anxiety on behalf of the
Churches and the progress of the Gospel in Rome, than were contained
in the epistle they carried. A heart, touched with a genuine
Christian sympathy, rejoices in the extension of the work of God, in
whatever part of the world, and by whatever Christian agency. The
mutual interchange of intelligence tends to excite the interest,
promote the union, and stimulate the enterprise of the Churches.
2. _As a source of encouragement and strength in the Christian
life._--"That he might know your estate and comfort your heart" (ver.
8). Instead of "that he might know your estate," another reading of
the original, adopted by Lightfoot and other eminent critics, has
"that ye might know our affairs." "But," as Bishop Wordsworth
remarks, "the very purpose for which Paul sent Tychicus to the
Colossians was not, it would seem, in order that they might know how
St. Paul was faring, but that he might know whether they were
standing steadfast in the faith against the attempts of the false
teachers." Whichever reading is adopted, the practical lesson is the
same; both express the reality, strength, and beauty of a mutual
sympathy. The presence of Tychicus and Onesimus, the character of the
tidings they brought, and the fervour of their exhortations, would
encourage and reassure the Colossians amid the perplexities and
doubts occasioned by the false teachers. Mutual expression of
sympathy and inter-community of intelligence will do much to comfort
and edify the Churches.
+II. The appropriateness of Christian commendation+ (ver. 7).--The
apostle speaks highly of his two messengers--not in terms of
extravagant flattery, but in a way calculated to ensure their
favourable reception by the Colossians and a respectful attention to
their message. Tychicus was a native of proconsular Asia, perhaps of
Ephesus. He was well known as an authorised delegate of St. Paul and
is mentioned in other places as being with the apostle (Acts xx. 42;
2 Tim. iv. 12; Tit. iii. 12). He is spoken of in this verse as "a
beloved brother, a faithful minister, a fellow-servant in the Lord."
The great apostle, far from taking advantage of his exalted calling
and inspiration, humbled himself before the least of his brethren,
spoke in the highest terms of their faithful labours, and associated
them with his own. Onesimus, a Colossian, is commended as "a faithful
and beloved brother." It was the more needful he should be thus
commended, because if he was known to the Colossians at all it would
be as a worthless, runaway slave. Some time before, Onesimus had
forsaken his master Philemon, and fled to Rome--the common sink of
all nations--probably as a convenient hiding-place where he might
escape detection among its crowds and make a livelihood as best he
could. In the metropolis--perhaps accidentally, perhaps through the
intervention of Epaphras--he fell in with the apostle, his master's
old friend. St. Paul becomes interested in his case, instructs him in
the Gospel, and is the instrument of his conversion; and now he is
commended to the Colossians, no more as a good-for-nothing slave, but
as a brother; no more dishonest and faithless, but trustworthy; no
more an object of contempt, but love. The apostle sent him back to
his master Philemon, and it is generally thought, having been set at
liberty by his owner, he became a faithful and laborious minister of
Christ. Such is the transforming power of Divine grace in changing
and renewing the heart, in obliterating all former distinctions and
degradations, and in elevating a poor slave to the dignity of "a
faithful and beloved brother" of the greatest of apostles. Christian
commendations are valuable according to the character of the persons
from whom they issue, and as they are borne out in the subsequent
conduct of the persons commended. Every care should be taken that the
testimonial of recommendation is strictly true. It is putting a man
in a false position and doing him an injury to exaggerate his
qualifications by excessive glory.
+III. Suggestive examples of Christian courtesy.+--"Aristarchus my
fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas,
(touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive
him;) and Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision"
(vers. 10, 11). Aristarchus was a Jew, though a native of
Thessalonica. He was with Paul during the riot at Ephesus and was
hurried with Gaius into the theatre by Demetrius and his craftsmen.
He accompanied the apostle from Greece to Jerusalem with the
collection for the saints. When Paul was imprisoned in Judea, he
abode with him; and when he went into Italy, he also went and
remained with him there during his confinement, till at length he
became, it may be, obnoxious to the magistrates, and was cast into
prison; or perhaps he became a voluntary prisoner, that he might
share the apostle's captivity. What a glimpse have we here of heroic
devotion, and of the irresistible charm there must have been in the
apostle in attaching men to himself! Marcus was the John Mark
frequently referred to in the Acts of the Apostles. He had been the
occasion of a contention between Paul and Barnabas, which led to
their separating from each other and following different scenes of
labour. Mark had, from cowardice or some other motive, "departed from
them from Pamphylia, and went not with them out to the work"; and
when Barnabas, probably influenced by his affection as near kinsman,
wished to take him with them, Paul resolutely refused thus to
distinguish a young and unstable disciple. But from the reference
here it appears that Mark had repented of his timid and selfish
behaviour and returned to a better spirit. Perhaps the displeasure of
the apostle weighed upon his mind, and, with Barnabas' prayers and
example, had brought him to a right view of his misconduct. He was
now restored to the apostle's confidence, and it appears Paul had
already given directions to the Colossians concerning Mark to welcome
him heartily if he paid them a visit--"touching whom ye received
commandments: if he come to you, receive him." The third Hebrew
convert who united in sending salutations was Jesus, which was also
called Justus--a common name or surname of Jews and proselytes,
denoting obedience and devotion to the law. Nothing definite is known
of this person; but the apostle held him in such esteem as to join
his salutation with the rest. These three friends and companions of
Paul were Jews--they were _of the circumcision_; and yet they send
their salutations to a Church composed chiefly of Gentiles. The
Christian spirit triumphed over their deep-rooted prejudices, and
their greeting would be all the more valued as an expression of their
personal esteem, their brotherly affection, and their oneness in
Christ. That courtesy is the most refined, graceful, gentle, and
acceptable that springs from the Christian spirit.
+IV. The solace of Christian co-operation.+--"These only are my
fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort
unto me" (ver. 11). The tendency of the Jewish convert was to lean to
the Mosaic ritual and insist on its necessity in realising the
efficacy of the Gospel. Thus, they favoured the false philosophy of
the Jewish Platonists, and fell into the errors against which the
apostle so faithfully warns in this epistle. The action of the
Judaizing teachers and their sympathisers was often a grief and
hindrance to him. Of all the Jewish converts in Rome only three were
a comfort to him. They thoroughly embraced and advocated the free and
unconditional admission of the Gentiles into the Church of Christ and
were devoted and zealous fellow-workers with him in extending the
kingdom of God. It is an evidence of the unpopularity among the Jews
of the Gospel as intended equally for the Gentiles, and of the
formidable prejudices and difficulties with which the apostle had to
contend in that early time, that there were only three Hebrew
converts who were a comfort to him. And yet how consoling is the
sympathy and co-operation of the faithful few! Sometimes the noblest
men are deserted by timid and time-serving professors and left to
toil on alone in peril and sadness. History records the triumphs of
those who have successfully braved the solitary struggle in some
great crisis; but it is silent about the vanquished who, with broken
hearts and shattered intellects, have sunk into unchronicled oblivion.
+Lessons.+--1. _Christian experience is the same in all ages._
2. _True courtesy costs little and accomplishes much._ 3. _Genuine
sympathy is best shown by an active and self-denying co-operation._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 12, 13.
_The Model Pastor._
Nothing is known of Epaphras beyond the few but significant notices
which connect him with Colossæ, of which city he was a native. Acting
under the direction of St. Paul, probably when the apostle was
residing for three years at Ephesus, Epaphras was the honoured agent
in introducing the Gospel into Colossæ and the neighbouring cities of
Laodicea and Hierapolis; and it is evident he regarded himself as
responsible for the spiritual well-being of all these places. The
dangerous condition of the Colossian and neighbouring Churches at
this time filled the mind of Epaphras with a holy jealousy and alarm.
A strange form of heresy had appeared among them--a mixture of Jewish
formalism with the speculations of an Oriental philosophy--and was
rapidly spreading. The distress of the faithful evangelist was
extreme. He journeyed to Rome in order to lay this state of things
before the apostle, and to seek his counsel and assistance. The
apostle bears testimony to his profound anxiety for the spiritual
condition of the newly founded Churches on the banks of the Lycus. He
had much toil for them and was ever fervently wrestling in prayer on
their behalf, that they might stand fast and not lose the simplicity
of their earlier faith but might advance to a more perfect knowledge
of the Divine will. In the verses now under consideration we have
Epaphras brought before us as _the model pastor._
+I. The model pastor is distinguished by a suggestive
designation.+--"A servant of Christ" (ver. 12). This title, which the
apostle uses several times for himself, is not elsewhere conferred on
any other individual, except once on Timothy (Phil. i. 1), and
probably points to exceptional services in the cause of the Gospel on
the part of Epaphras (_Lightfoot_). A true pastor is not the servant
of the Church to echo its decisions and do its bidding; but he is the
servant _for_ the Church to influence its deliberations and
decisions, to mould its character and direct its enterprises. He is
_a servant of Christ,_ receiving his commission from Him, ever
anxious to ascertain His will, and ready to carry out that will at
whatever sacrifice. Such a service involves no loss of self-respect
or manliness, no degradation, but is free, honourable, and rich in
blessing.
+II. The model pastor is incessant in zealous labour.+--"For I bear
him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in
Laodicea and them in Hierapolis" (ver. 13). The zeal of Epaphras
urged him to extend his Christian labours beyond the limits of
Colossæ: he visited the adjoining cities, which were much larger in
population and wealthier in commerce. Laodicea, rising from
obscurity, had become, two or three generations before the apostle
wrote, a populous and thriving city, and was then the metropolis of
the cities on the banks of the Lycus. Hierapolis was an important and
growing city, and, in addition to its trade in dyed wools, had a
reputation as a fashionable watering-place, where the seekers of
pleasure and of health resorted to partake of its waters which
possessed valuable medicinal qualities. The rare virtues of the city
have been celebrated in song:
"Hail, fairest soil in all broad Asia's realm;
Hail, golden city, nymph divine, bedeck'd
With flowing rills, thy jewels."
Into the midst of these populations the fervent Epaphras introduced
the Gospel and spared no pains in his endeavour to establish and
confirm the believers. It was on their behalf he undertook the
journey to Rome to confer with St. Paul as to their state; and the
apostle testifies to the unceasing exercise of his great and holy
zeal for his distant but ever-remembered flock. When the heart is
interested and moved, labour is a delight; and it is the way in which
the heart is affected towards any work that gives to it significance
and worth. Canon Liddon writes: "Are we not very imperfectly alive to
the moral meaning of work and the moral fruits of work as work?" The
true pastor, with a heart overflowing with zeal for the glory of God
and the good of men, cheerfully undertakes labour from which the
ordinary worker would timidly shrink.
+III. The model pastor is intensely exercised in prayer for the
people of God.+--"Always labouring fervently [wrestling, agonising]
for you in prayers" (ver. 12). The faithful minister has not only to
teach his flock--a task which involves vigilant observation,
extensive reading, and anxious study--but he has also to plead
earnestly at the throne of grace on their behalf. In times of
spiritual dearth, disappointment, embarrassment, and distress, prayer
is the all-efficacious resource. There are circumstances in which the
minister can do nothing but pray. Difficulties that defied all other
means have vanished before the irresistible power of persistent and
believing intercession. Prayer attains what the most conclusive
reasoning, the most eloquent appeal, the most diligent personal
attention, sometimes fail to accomplish. It sets in silent but
stupendous operation the mightiest spiritual agencies of the
universe. It opens the fountain of Divine grace, and its streams flow
in full-tide velocity through the hitherto arid wilderness of human
hearts, and life, freshness, fertility, and beauty spring up in its
reviving course. It is God only whose help is omnipotent, and on this
help faithful prayer lays hold and uses it in effecting its wonderous
transformations.
+IV. The model pastor is constantly solicitous that the people of God
should be firmly established in the highest good.+--"That ye may
stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (ver.
12)--perfectly instructed and fully convinced in everything willed
_by God._ The great aim of all ministerial anxiety is not only to
instruct his people in the full and accurate knowledge of the Divine
will, but to produce such a persuasion of the supreme majesty and
authority of that will to induce steadfast continuance in practical
obedience. The will of God and the highest good of man are always in
harmony. Whatever threatens to disturb the stability of the believer,
or to retard his development towards the highest moral excellence,
whether it arises from his personal unwatchfulness and indifference
or from the subtle attacks of error, is always a subject of keen
solicitude to the faithful pastor. He knows that if his converts fall
away they are lost and the truth itself is disgraced. To be
established in an unswerving obedience it is necessary to be _filled_
with the knowledge of God's will. This blessedness is the grand scope
and crowning glory of the Christian life.
+Lessons.+--1. _The office of pastor is fraught with endless
anxieties, great responsibilities, and rare opportunities._ 2. _The
true pastor finds his purest inspirations, his most potent spiritual
weapon, and his grandest successes in prayer._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 14-17.
_Christian Greetings and Counsels._
It is sometimes asked, with an indiscriminate flippancy, "What's in a
name?" There are some names which have no title to a lasting
remembrance, and with reference to these the flippancy may be
justified. But there are names whose reputation is imperishable, and
which are written on the world's history in indelible characters. The
name of Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, will be venerated by
the coming ages when the titles of the greatest sages and warriors
shall have faded away in the darkness of oblivion; and, just as there
are lesser lights in the firmament that share in the glory of the
great luminary to which they are essentially related, so there are
names of lesser note grouped around that of the great apostle that
are immortalised by their association with him. Besides, names as
they are quoted and used by St. Paul in this and other epistles often
furnish evidence of the authenticity of Scripture and undesigned
coincidences of the truth of the sacred history. In these verses
there are some names preserved to us which were lifted into
prominence by the connection of the persons they represented with the
apostle, and by their own eminent piety and usefulness. They furnish
another illustration of the truth of the sacred saying, "The memory
of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Prov.
x. 7). We have here a series of kindly Christian greetings and
important Christian counsels. Observe:--
+I. The value of a Christian greeting is estimated by the moral
character of those from whom it emanates.+--"Luke, the beloved
physician, and Demas, greet you" (ver. 14). Two persons are here
mentioned whose individual histories present a suggestive contrast;
and it is observable, by the way in which their names are mentioned,
that the two men stood very differently in the apostle's estimation.
1. _Luke is the beloved physician_--the very dear and attached friend
of Paul. He was his constant companion in travel and stood faithfully
by him in his greatest trials. He joined the apostle at Troas (Acts
xvi. 10), accompanied him into Judea, remained with him during two
years of his imprisonment at Jerusalem and Cæsarea, and was no doubt
present at his trial before Festus and Felix; he went with him into
Italy when Paul was sent there as a prisoner, and during his second
and final imprisonment in Rome; while others deserted him, Luke
continued his staunch and faithful friend. In the last epistle
probably the apostle ever wrote is the simple but pathetic reference,
"Only Luke is with me." We can understand, therefore, the
affectionate tenderness with which Luke is designated the beloved
physician. As St. Paul was not a robust man but was troubled with a
"thorn in the flesh," the presence of a medical friend must have been
of immense service to him in his laborious missionary journeys and
during his long imprisonment. The physicians of ancient times had a
very questionable reputation for religiousness; but in these modern
days there is an increasing number of medical men who are no less
eminent for piety than for their professional skill, and many and
important are the opportunities of such for doing good both to body
and soul. The greetings of a man of superlative moral excellence is
gratefully welcomed and respectfully treasured.
2. _And Demas!_--How suggestive is the laconic allusion! There is no
explanation, no qualifying word of any special regard. Perhaps the
apostle was already beginning to suspect him, to mark the increasing
worldliness of his spirit, and his growing indifference to Divine
things. About three years after this greeting was despatched to the
Colossians, we meet with the melancholy record: "Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present world" (2 Tim. iv. 10). Alas! how
seductive and how fatal are the allurements of the world! The highest
and holiest are not invulnerable to its charms. The most promising
career of usefulness and honour has often been blighted by its
influence. Bitter indeed would be the disappointment of the apostle's
heart to witness one, whom he had acknowledged and trusted as a
fellow-worker in the Gospel, fall a victim to worldly avarice, and,
like Achan, covet the golden wedge and Babylonish garment of secular
things. There is a specially solemn significance in the warning of
the beloved disciple: "Love not the world, neither the things that
are in the world" (1 John ii. 15).
+II. Christian greeting recognises the universal brotherhood of the
Church.+--1. _We learn the early Christian churches were composed of
brethren._ "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea" (ver. 15).
This recognition of a common brotherhood was a great advance upon the
eclecticism and sharp, prejudiced distinctions of the times. In the
circle of the Christian Church the Jew surrendered his Judaism, and
the Gentile his paganism, and became one in Christ; the slave and the
freeman enjoyed the same spiritual liberty, and the barbarian was no
longer dreaded as a monster, but hailed as a brother. The test of
brotherhood and union is an individual faith in the common Saviour,
the sharing of one common life in the Holy Spirit, and the assurance
of possessing one common Father in God. It is only as we encourage
the brotherly spirit that we can ensure union and permanency in the
Churches. About thirty years after this salutation was sent to the
Laodiceans, the Church in that city had degenerated into a state of
lukewarmness and sterility (Rev. iii. 15, 16). There is need for
united watchfulness and fidelity in order to continue, "steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. xv. 58).
2. _We learn further that a separate assembly of brethren constituted
a Church._--"And Nymphas, and the Church which is in his house" (ver.
15). This was not the principal Church in Laodicea, nor was it simply
a meeting together of the family, but an assembly of worshippers.
Nymphas was probably a man of position and influence in the city and
being also a man of piety, he afforded every opportunity for the
gathering together of the brethren for Christian worship and
communion. There is little said in the New Testament about Church
polity, and there is no ecclesiastical organisation, whether
Episcopal, Presbyterian, or Congregational, that can claim exclusive
Divine authority and sanction. Whether meeting in large numbers in
the stately cathedral, the modern tabernacle, or a few in the private
dwelling-house, a company of believers assembled for worship and
mutual edification constitutes a Church. Thus the true brotherhood of
Christianity is maintained, irrespective of locality, of
ecclesiastical structure, or of sacerdotal claims and pretensions.
+III. The reading of the Holy Scriptures in the Church an important
subject of apostolic counsel.+--"And when this epistle is read among
you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans, and
that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea" (ver. 16). The
epistle from Laodicea refers to a letter that St. Paul had sent to
that city, and which was to be forwarded to Colossæ for perusal. Some
think this was a letter specifically addressed to the Laodiceans, and
which is now lost; but the best commentators now believe that the
epistle to the Ephesians is meant, which was, in fact, a circular
letter addressed to the principal Churches in proconsular Asia.
Tychicus was obliged to pass through Laodicea on his way to Colossæ
and would leave a copy of the Ephesian epistle there before the
Colossian letter was delivered. Here we learn that one important
means of edification was the reading of the inspired letters of the
apostle in the assemblies of the brethren. The public reading of the
Scriptures has been an invaluable method of instruction to the Church
in all ages and places, and it is a provision with which the Church
will never be able to dispense. The Church which dares to prohibit
the general perusal of the Scriptures, or reads only small portions,
and those mumbled in a language not understood by the people, has
thrown off all regard for apostolic counsel and inflicts an
unutterable injury upon humanity. Shut up the Bible, and the Churches
will instantly be invaded by the most enfeebling superstitions, the
civilisation of the nations will be put centuries behind, and the
widespread ignorance and moral and social degradation of the dark
ages will reappear.
+IV. An example of apostolic counsel concerning fidelity in the
Christian ministry.+--"And say to Archippus, Take heed to the
ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it"
(ver. 17). It is probable that Archippus was a youthful pastor
recently appointed to the Church at Laodicea. Already signs of a
slackened zeal began to appear, which afterwards culminated in the
state of lukewarmness for which this Church was denounced (Rev.
iii. 19). The condition of preacher and people reacts upon each
other; the Church takes its colour from and communicates its colour
to its spiritual pastor. Hence the apostle, well knowing the perils
surrounding the inexperienced Archippus, sends to him this timely
warning to take heed of his ministry. He is reminded of:--
1. _The direct authority of the ministry._--"The ministry which thou
hast received in the Lord." The commission to preach the Gospel can
come from no other than the Lord and can be properly received only by
one who is himself spiritually in the Lord; there must be not only
_gifts,_ but also _grace._ The minister must be in direct and
constant communication with the Lord, depend on Him for help in doing
his duty, remember he is accountable to Him, and strive to seek His
glory in preference to all personal considerations. In times of
difficulty and trial it will sustain the courage of the minister to
feel that his commission is Divine in its source and authority.
2. _The implied dangers of the ministry._--"Take heed." The special
dangers that threatened the Colossian Church at that time have been
distinctly pointed out in the epistle. The ministry is ever
encompassed with perils, arising from the seductive forms of error,
the flatteries and frowns of the world, the subtle workings of
self-approbation, and the deceitfulness of sin. There is need for the
exercise of a sleepless vigilance, a tireless zeal, and a faultless
circumspection.
3. _The imperative personal demands of the ministry._--"That thou
fulfil it." The whole truth must be made known, and that with the
utmost clearness, faithfulness, kindness, and completeness. Every
energy must be consecrated to the sacred work, and the aid of all the
powers of heaven earnestly implored. No pains must be spared in
prayer, study, and self-sacrifice to reach the highest efficiency and
make "full proof" of the ministry. Failure here is lamentable and
irremediable.
+Lessons.+--1. _Salutations are valuable when imbued with the
Christian spirit._ 2. _The true appreciation of the Holy Scriptures
is shown in their constant and studious perusal._ 3. _The Christian
ministry should be sustained by practical sympathy and intelligent
co-operation._
_GERM NOTES OF THE VERSES._
Ver. 14. "Luke, the beloved physician." _Religion and the Medical
Profession._
+I. The deference shown to medical science.+
+II. Benevolence of the medical profession.+
+III. Religious drawbacks in assaults from materialism.--Mind is one
thing, matter is another.+
+IV. Religious responsibilities.--Vast power for good. Co-operation
with the minister.+
+V. The Great Physician.--Doctor and patient need Him
alike.+--_Homiletic Monthly._
Ver. 16. _The Public Reading of the Holy Scriptures an Important
Means of Church Edification._
+I. It is in harmony with the usage of the ancient Church.+
+II. It is enforced by precept and example in the Scriptures
themselves.+
+III. It familiarises the mind with the grandest truths.+
+IV. It is a mighty agency in advocating and moulding national
character.+
+V. It keeps alive the enthusiasm of the Church for aggressive
enterprise.+
+VI. It demands the most laborious study and practice to render
it effective.+