highly they may be esteemed and commended by our fellow creatures. The apostolical direction is, that as we have received from the revelation of the Divine will, how we ought to walk and to please God, so we should abound more and more. If to please God be our object in truth, then His glory will be our end and aim.

From the works of the Philippians, the apostle was confident that God had begun a good work in them; and from thence he was further confident that their profession of religion would not fall off, like that of the stony-ground hearers, but would continue to the end; or that He would perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This was the ultimate object to which his confidence looked forward; which is to be noticed in the

Third place. What God begins He will perform, or accomplish, or carry on, to the end. What an encouraging declaration is this! When the humble believer in Christ considers his own weakness, and the power of his spiritual enemies, there seems great reason to fear lest he should not hold out or endure to the end. He who is best acquainted with the workings of his own heart, will be the most diffident on this subject, will be most prone to distrust himself. But what consolation is to be derived from the thought, that if the desires of our souls be to His name, and the remembrance of Him, in whom we put our trust for pardon and salvation, it was Divine

grace which begun the work, and will therefore carry it on until it is completed. So the apostle found when the messenger of Satan was permitted to buffet him. He sought Divine aid, and received an answer from the Lord Christ, My grace is sufficient for thee; My strength is made perfect in weakness. He was therefore no longer discouraged by the sense of his own weakness, but only anxious that the power of Christ might rest upon him. Then he could say, When I am weak, then am I strong. His weakness led him to put on the whole armour of God, which was provided for his use, and then he was strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might,65 and therefore able to resist all the temptations and assaults of the enemy of his soul.

64

It is thus, by the use of the appointed means, that the work of God is carried on in the hearts of His believing people to its completion; or until it shall be consummated in the day of Jesus Christ; or of His appearing, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, in that day.66 This is the glorious period to which the expectations of the people of God are directed. And having their hopes fixed upon the blessedness which will then be bestowed upon them, their profession is, Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look

64 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. 65 Eph. vi. 11, 10. 66 2 Thess. i. 10.

for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. The more the Christian looks to heaven as his home, and to the appearing of Jesus Christ as the consummation of his bliss, the more he will desire to be conformed to the Divine image. While he is looking for that blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, love and gratitude will constrain him to seek to be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Let us look forward with more earnest expectation to this glorious period, believing that then all the promises of God in His holy word will be fulfilled to His believing people to the joy of their souls. And having this confidence, let us press forward in the narrow way to the kingdom of heaven, seeking His grace to enable us to love Him above all things, to live to His glory, and show forth His praise; that we may rejoice in His salvation, and those who surround us may be led to embrace it, by witnessing its effects in our life and conduct.

67 Philippians iii. 20, 21.

68 Titus ii. 13, 14.

SERMON LVIII.

FOR

THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER

TRINITY.

CONVERSATION IN HEAVEN.

Philippians iii. 20, 21.

FOR OUR CONVERSATION IS IN HEAVEN, FROM WHENCE ALSO WE LOOK FOR THE SAVIOUR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

In these words are described the Christian's manner of life, or the governing principle of his conduct; and his expectations with regard to futurity. When the apostle Paul spoke of the conduct which becomes a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he thought it needful to show that he was anxious to inculcate upon others only that which he himself practised. It is most important that those who are placed in the eminent station of overseers of the flock of Christ, should exemplify in their own persons the precepts which they inculcate upon others. Unless this

be the case, it is to be feared that they are not partakers of a living faith in the Saviour for themselves; since the fruit of the Spirit, the effect of being reconciled to God and at peace with Him, does not appear in their life and conduct. The portion of holy writ to which our attention is now to be directed, bears upon this subject; let it be our prayer that we may so meditate upon it, that, by the Divine blessing, we may be enabled to walk humbly with our God here on earth, and to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, that we may also rejoice in hope of partaking of the glory of God hereafter.

The apostle Paul commences the Epistle for this day with calling upon believers in Christ to be followers or imitators of his walk or conduct in the world: Brethren, be ye followers together of me; and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. By appealing in this manner to his own conduct, he shows the necessity there is, that those who preach the gospel should be themselves examples to the flock which is committed to their charge, and of which they have taken upon themselves the oversight. But that this is not to be effected without self-denial, or the mortifying of the evil propensities of our corrupt nature, and resisting the temptations of the devil, appears from his declaration to the Corinthians, I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have