find. The Apostle had found it himself more than most men (see the Epistle for Sexagesima Sunday). No one can say "he speaks from a limited experience; if he had suffered as much as I have, he might have said so." Even he, then, sufferer that he was, "dying daily," as he expresses it (1 Cor. xv. 31), counts suffering as nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed in (or upon) us. This glory is the love of God and of Christ towards us, no longer merely believed in, but seen. The glory as yet is veiled, but at last the veil shall be taken off, and the glory laid open to view. This unveiling is the great event for which Creation is groaning and travailing. We are suffering, all things are suffering, the whole earth is sorrowbound. The thought of this pain and travail leads the Apostle into a yet higher range of imagination than he had before been. He had begun with the thought of our personal suffering and future glory, he casts his eye upon all the work of God, and discerns there a hope and expectation of relief, for which the whole creation is groaning and travailing. It is now subject to vanity. There is a mighty disorder in it which was not when God rested from making it. All things decay and die (cf. Eccl. ii. 1–11). It was made subject to vanity, not willingly, not by any choice of its own, but by the appointment and will of Him who subjected the same. God, on account of man's sin, passed a sentence upon it that it should be made subject to vanity (Gen. iii. 17, 18). But it was subjected in hope, because He who subjected it knew that the creation itself shall be delivered from the slavery of corruption. All things that groan, wax old, sicken, die, shall do so no longer. The day of redemption is coming, the time of restitution and refreshing. Not only man, but the world, the poor dumb beasts, shall cease to suffer in the regeneration which Christ's redemption will bring (cf. Is. xi. 1-9). For we know that the whole creation groaneth together in suffering, and is in travail together, is in expectation of the birth of the new creation. And not only so, but ourselves also, though we have the first-fruits of the Spirit, though we have tasted that the Lord is gracious, though we feel the blessedness of believing in Christ, and of being partakers of His Nature, yet even we groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. We know that God has made us His children. But we have not yet entered into glory. We have enemies who are fighting against us, seeking to draw us from our Father's home-even the world, the flesh, and the devil. We wait for God to confess us openly for His children. And that glorious time will be the time of the redemption of our body, its freedom from all the misery and pain which beset it now. At present it is fleshly, decaying, corruptible. Not such a body as this can inherit the kingdom of God. Corruption cannot inherit incorruption. It will wear out and be buried. But God will give us a new body, of which this is only a sign and seal, a spiritual body that decays not. Therein shall the soul dwell as its temple, for ever and ever, with vision ever-expanding, with glory ever-increasing. ires to BE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 1 Pet. iii. 8-15. E ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing: knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. Be ye all.] The Apostle has been giving special directions to different classes of persons. He now addresses the whole. Of one mind, not by carelessness as to Truth, for men may be too lazy, too selfish to trouble themselves about what is good and right. A unity of this kind is not Christian at all. But the unity must be gained by humility, the not being eager to enforce our own opinions, so as to take no account of the opinions of others, and by cultivating the spirit of love. "The abundance of that should fill up the gap of our petty disagreements, and no more disaffection ought to follow them, than the difference of our complexions or features, which cannot be found in any two alike."—Leighton. Having compassion, or sympathy, for one another. There may be outward union, but no inner unity. There must be living sympathy with one another, as of men forming one body, animated with one spirit; the most remote and distant members, the most excellent and the meanest, must be thus joined together (cf. Rom. Rom. xii. 4; 1 Cor. xii. 14–17; Heb. xiii. 3). Love as brethren, namely, in Christ, Living in Him, we shall be filled with His Love. Be pitiful, or compassionate. The Spirit which underlies the Christian life, will be known by its fruit. Itself invisible, it will display itself in the words, and actions, and habits of Him in whom it rules; the faith will work by love, and the result will be mercy and courtesy. "It is indeed an evidence of a truly Christian mind to have much of this pity to the miseries of all; yea, most pitying the spiritual misery of ungodly men, their hardness of heart and unbelief, and earnestly wishing their conversion; not repining at the long suffering of God, as if thou wouldst have the bridge cut because thou art over,' as St. Augustine speaks, but longing rather to see the long suffering of God lead them to repentance."-Leighton. Not rendering evil for evil, in action; nor railing for railing, in words; but contrariwise blessing.] This last word is an active participle in the Greek; the sense, therefore, is, "blessing those who do evil or rail," knowing that ye are thereunto called, namely by God, that ye should inherit a blessing. We have here, as ever, the Christian duty based upon God's goodness and love towards Even as our love must spring from and rest upon God's love (see p. 135 on 1 John iv. 20), as we are to be holy, because we have received a holy inheritance us. 66 (1 Pet. i. 4); to walk as children of light, because we have been made light in the Lord (Eph. v. 8), so here we are to bless, because we are inheritors of blessing. The fullness of this inheritance is reserved until we come to that land where it lieth; there it abideth us. But the earnests of it are bestowed on us here, spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] (Eph. i. 3); they descend from those heavenly places upon the heart, that precious name of our Lord Jesus poured upon it. If we be indeed interested in Him, and we have peace with God through Him, we are put in possession of that blessing of forgiveness of sin, and are in terms of love and amity with the Father. Now all these do so cure the bitter accursed tempers of our natural heart, and so perfume it, that it cannot well breathe anything but sweetness and blessing towards others; being itself thus blessed of the Lord, it echoes blessing both to God and men.”Leighton. For (here we have a quotation with some variations from Ps. xxxiv.) he who desires to love life.] By this remarkable expression we must understand he who deliberately sets himself to give up the love of this world, which is death, and to love instead eternal life, which is the knowledge of God (see John xvii. 3), this man must be pure in heart and life. Then he shall see God (Matt. v. 8). Let him refrain, &c.] Notice the order in which the Apostle places his directions. He must first keep his tongue from evil, that is, from malicious and spiteful words; then from deceitful words. Then he must also guard his actions in the like manner. He must turn from active evil; nay more, he must do positive good. He must seek peace, for it is sometimes hard to find; he must ensue (or pursue) it, as if it were in flight. The quotation of the Psalm continues, and gives the reason why doing thus will ensure life,-the eyes of the Lord watch the righteous, and His ears hear their prayer. And who is he that will harm you, seeing that God's eyes are over the righteous, if ye be followers of Him who is good. No enemy was able to overcome Him, and they who are under His care shall be preserved in like manner. One more quotation from Leighton's beautiful commentary :-"But,' thou sayest, ‘I am not righteous, and the promise is for the righteous only.' Yet thou wouldst be such a one. Wouldst thou indeed? Then in part thou art, even as the wise men are modestly and wisely called philosophers, lovers of wisdom. Art thou not righteous? Yet a lover of righteousness thou art: then thou art one of these. Thou art sure that Jesus Christ is righteous, and that the Father's eye is on Him with delight. Creep in under his robe. Put thy petitions into His hand; thou canst not doubt that He hath access, and that the ear is open to Him, which thou thinkest shut to thee." Nay, if even, &c.] Reference to Matt. v. 10. The word "happy here is the same as the "blessed" there. The Apostle's expression is a very strong one. Your sufferings not only do not deprive you of a happy life; they rather increase it." 66 The words that follow are quoted from Is. viii. 12, 13; but, according to the best copies, with a very important variation, namely, the substitution by the Apostle of "The Lord Christ" for The Lord of Hosts." 66 Be not afraid of their terror.] Do not fear that terror which they both entertain themselves, and labour to excite in you. But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts.] Let that be your only fear, your only care, that you lose Christ. Make Him your Lord, do him becoming honour, and you will have nothing else to fear. K SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Rom. vi. 3-11. NOW ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth Now if we be 3 has been BAPTISM, says St. Paul, is the act of union with Christ. By being baptized with Him we put on Christ, we become His. It is the act of the voluntary creature confessing His Lordship over it, seeking its Life from Him. Now how is this? How are we enabled to be united with Christ? By means of His death. That was the completion of His sacrifice, that was the gate by which He came forth to men in the power of His Risen Life (John xii. 24). And into His Death we were baptized. The sign itself was a symbol of sharing His death. We were buried under the water; as He was buried in the tomb. We came forth from the water new creatures, sharing in His resurrection. Both He and we were raised by the glory of the Father, namely, His mighty power. Cf. John xi. 40, where the same expression is used of the raising of Lazarus (cf. also 2 Cor. xiii. 4; Phil. iii. 21). We were raised up in Baptism to walk in newness of Life. The primary sacrament is not the Christian life itself, only the beginning of it. The needful grace is given for it, that we should walk, that is carry on our daily life, in the holiness and purity which is our heritage in Christ. Our old man was crucified with Him.] Our old man is our sinful and corrupt nature, it remains in us still. Yet, when in Baptism we died with the crucified Saviour, our old nature was slain, and all things became new. It seems a contradiction to say so. Yet it is not so, as Christian practice shows us. We have to live, by the terms of our Baptismal vow, as those who believe that the old man is no part of us. The old nature is slain within us, and is to be put away, is continually to be crucified. The only life which we are to recognise is the life which we have in Christ. That is real, that is ours, according to God's promise, and we are fulfilling His will when we believe in His good will and His power; and so believing, strive to root out that evil, the body of sin, as the Apostle calls it, which we refuse to recognise as belonging to us as Christians. This resurrection, then, began at Baptism. The future "we shall also live with Him," signifies we have begun to live, we shall go on living, life will increase within us from day to day, even until we be made perfect, the old nature being completely rooted out. For we know, St. Paul goes on, that there is no more death to Christ. He died unto sin (i. e. on account of the sin of man) once for all. And now He liveth unto God, and therefore for ever (cf. Luke xx. 38). In like manner look upon yourselves as dead unto sin, regard sin as put away entirely by your death in Christ our Lord; then you cannot help looking upon yourselves as alive unto God, living for His glory, to do His righteous and holy will. I speak, &c.] The thing thus spoken is what has gone before, but it is again repeated in the words that follow. It is this:-Christ has united us to Him, we are partakers of His nature. Thus we have within us two natures, that of Adam, that of Christ. The former has been conquered by the latter. We are therefore freed from the one, and become slaves to the other. St. Paul says he has spoken this "after the manner of men," used human comparisons to describe divine things. Because of the infirmity, &c.] Because human nature being dim of sight and weak of understanding, could only grasp the idea in this way. 66 For as ye yielded, or presented, your members, i. e. your bodies and your powers of mind, as slaves to uncleanness, and to lawlessness, to work lawlessness, even so now that you are redeemed by Christ, and made members of Him, present your members as slaves to righteousness to work holiness. The word iniquity” means “lawlessness" in the original, recognising no master, working out every will that we choose without restraint. "Every man," St. Paul says, "must be a slave." He must either obey a bad, evil power, which drags him down and enchains him to the earth and earthly things, or else he must be the slave of God, working His will. We cannot help ourselves, we have the choice between these two, and no other choice at all. Whosoever committeth sin," said our Lord, "is the slave of sin." Sin looks pleasant at first, or we should not yield to it; but it becomes a hard, grinding slavery. What an object of pity is the drunkard, or the gambler, the victim of lust, the votary of pleasure! They all grow to be ashamed and disgusted with their sin, and yet 66 5 Inse |