Lectures, explanatory and practical, on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians

Front matter

LECTURES,

if

EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL,

Contents

LECTURE I.

CHAPTER I. 1—0.— Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I tliank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now : Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. ------ page 1

LECTURE II.

Chapter I. 1—6

Paul and T^motheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons : Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every j^Tayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now ; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

When the Apostle began the composition of tliis letter to the believers of Philippi, he was under the influence of that most afTecting recollection, that he had been the instrument, under Providence, of their conversion " from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." While St. Paul was at Troas, he beheld in the night, as we are informed in the sixteenth chapter of the Acts, the vision of a man of Macedonia ; who, in a supplicating voice, cried, " Come over into Macedonia, and help us." The summons was immediately obeyed ; the gospel was proclaimed, in all its grace and fulness, to the inhabitants of that unenlightened region ; and among those who, at Philippi, were brought to a knowledge

2 LECTURES ON THE [LECT. I.

of the way of life, we find the two instances of the jailer and of Lydia particularly recorded in history. It may well be supposed, that the Apostle ever afterwards looked upon this church which his own hands had planted, with feelings of peculiar tenderness and affection. The Philippians were his children in the Lord ; and the emotions with which the faithful minister of Christ Jesus thinks of those, whom God has given him as the recompense of his labors, and the seals of his apostleship, are more clearly to be felt than described. It was with such associations that the mind of St. Paul was crowded, when, embracing the opportunity afforded by the departure of Epaphroditus from Rome to Philippi, he penned this inte- \ resting communication. The great Apostle Avas now in imprisonment for the gospel of Christ. The Philippians, anxious to alleviate, as far as possible, the sufferings of their spiritual father, had sent the person just named, with a supply of money for his relief: and now that the messenger of their bounty was about to return, he determined to acknowledge their goodness ; to express his interest in their eternal welfare ; and to offer them such counsel and admonitions, as might, by the blessing of God, animate them to run with new faith and patience the " race that was set before them."

The Epistle opens, according to the customary apostolic method, with an invocation of spiritual blessings.—" Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons : Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." You perceive that, in this commencing salutation, the name of Timothy is associated with that of the Apostle ; a circumstance which may seem strange.

Chap. I. 1-6.1 Epistle To The Philippians. 3

when taken in connexion with the fact, that St. Paul was the single composer of this letter to the Philippian church. The reason, however, for this union will readily be seen, by turning to that portion of the Acts, which describes the first preaching of the gospel to the inhabitants of Philippi.* It appears, from the narrative there given, that Timothy was one of those who assisted the Apostle, in proclaiming in that city the glad tidings of salvation. It is also intimated, in another part of the apostolic history,t that he was one of St. Paul's companions on a subsequent visit to that same region ; so that the name of Timothy must have become endeared to these primitive converts, by many soothing and grateful recollections of his personal ministry. It is on account of his former intimacy, therefore, with those beUevers to whom the Apostle was writing, that this excellent servant of Christ, now at Rome, was united with the author in these expressions of love and friendship. Their words of greeting are addressed not only to the Philippian Christians in general, but also, as you observe, to their " bishops," or, spiritual overseers, '' and deacons ;" who had, in all probability, merited this especial commemoration, by their activity in raising for the imprisoned Apostle the needful supplies. In regard to the form in which this opening benediction is expressed, it is precisely the same with that which is used in most of the other New Testament Epistles ; and for its beautiful simplicity, its affection, and the comprehensiveness of its meaning, it certainly deserves a passing consideration. " Grace be unto you ;" or, in other words, may the favor of God, and all the varied gifts and blessings of the gospel, be multiplied to you in rich abundance :

* Acts, xvi. t AciSj XX.

4 LECTURES ON THE [LECT. 1.

" and peace," that is, the divine contentment, happiness, and joy, which flow from a state of reconciliation with the Father — a sense of inward tranquillity — that rest of the believing heart, " which passeth all understanding." It is also worthy of your attention, that these spiritual privileges are described as proceeding " from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ :" and the Apostle hereby points out, my brethren, the only source from which pardon and acceptance are derived to sinful and ruined man. The King of heaven bestows these benefits, singly through the atoning sacrifice and merits of his " dear Son ;" this Mediator is the exclusive channel by which they can descend ; and. apart from his precious death, there is no possession of the divine favor, and no covenant union with God as a pacified Parent and Friend. — And now, let me request you, after this brief explanation of the Apostle's first salutatory verses, to bestow a moment's meditation upon the nature of that affectionate prayer which they contain. St. Paul, about to convey to his absent friends some expression of his regard, begins with an ardent wish and supplication in respect to them : and what are these blessings which he implores ? Does he ask the Author of all mercy to vouchsafe to them the temporal comforts of life ? Does he desire that their corn, and wine, and oil, may be increased? Such benefits he considered, undoubtedly, as having their proper value, upon the principle which he himself has, in another place, set forth ; that " every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving."* So immeasurably superior, however, he had learned to deem those eternal blessings, which the cross of the Redeemer had pur-

♦ I. Tim. iv. 4.

CHAP. I. 1— C] EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. 5

chased for men, that every thing of a merely earthly nature seems insignificant in his eye. He rises above the transitory privileges of« a present world ; he scarcely considers them as worth a petition ; and when he would invoke from heaven, upon these distant Philippians, the choicest of gifts, the enjoyment of God's favor through Christ presents itself as the single object to be valued and desired. Learn here, therefore, the true estimate of temporal possessions ; and be instructed, as you read the benediction, " Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Apostle, having thus, according to his usual method, opened his communication with expressions of good-will and affection, proceeds to state to these Philippians the gratitude and pleasure, with which he beheld their steadfast walk in the faith and holiness of the gospel. This interesting idea is contained in the third, fourth, and fifth verses ; and is thus expressed. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day," that is, from the period of your conversion, " until now." By the expression " fellowship in the gospel," is to be understood the continued participation of the Philippian converts, from the time when they first became disciples, in the graces and heavenly character of the religion of Jesus: according to the use of the term by the same Apostle, in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, where he observes, '• God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord ;"* or, in other words, through whose infinite mercy ye were made partakers of that gospel of salvation,

6 LECTURES ON THE [LECT. I.

of which our adorable fsaviour is the Author and the Finisher. The whole meaning, therefore, of St. Paul, in the verses before us, may be thus briefly stated. You never enter into my thoughts, my dearly beloved friends, without calling forth ascriptions of devoutest praise to the God of all mercy : and, as often as, bending my knees before the throne of grace, I offer up my petitions for your present and eternal welfare, I am overwhelmed with delight at the thought, that, through divine grace, you have thus far persevered in the way of life ; neither seduced by the corrupt opinions and principles of men — nor reverting to the idolatry from which you have escaped — nor abandoning the cross of the Lord Jesus amidst the violence of persecution. — It is worthy of remark, my brethren, how frequently the Apostle, on other occasions, is found rejoicing at the increase of believers in the knowledge and practice of the gospel. Thus, in his Epistle to the Romans, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world."* And again in his letter to the Colossians, he declares, " We give thanks to God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints."t In this expression of his joy, however, at the spiritual walk and conversation of the Philippians, there is an unusual warmth of feeling ; and this arose from the touching circumstance, that they were bretlii-en to whom he had once preached, in his own person, the unsearchable riches of the kingdom. The inspired Apostle, therefore, was gladdened at the spectacle of their faith and consistency, not merely from that anxiety which

he felt, in general, for the everlasting salvation of men, but because they were his own children, begotten in the gospel of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Considered in this view, as the declaration of St. Paul's affectionate interest in the objects of his former ministry, the language now under consideration suggests one or two reflections, of an affecting and profitable character.

And 1. Is there not something, my beloved hearers, calculated most powerfully to impress your hearts, in the view here exhibited of that solicitude, ivith which every faithful tninister of Christ watches the j)rogress of his spiritual fold 7 — Let me direct your attention, once more, to the representation of the Apostle before us. He hears of the members of this distant church, among whom he had once " gone preaching the kingdom of God,"* that they are still pressing onward to the mark, for the prize of their high calling. And what is the effect of these tidngs ? His heart overflows with gladness ; and, in the rapture of his emotions, he sends upward to heaven, whenever these children of his care cross his recollection, ejaculations of thankfulness and joy. Now the great Apostle of the Gentiles has furnished, in this statement of his own experience, an example of what all feel, who have been truly called by a gracious Providence to " the work of the ministry." The highest comfort and pleasuie which a faithful ambassador of Christ enjoys, is to observe that any of those among whom he labors are indeed " walking in truth ;"t and the spectacle of a people separated from the world, warmed with the love of Christ, and marching onward with undeviating step to a better country, fills him with emo-

A g LECTURES ON THE [LECT. I.

tions which none of this world's objects ever can enkindle. Permit me, then, to present this truth to those within the congregation before me, " who profess and call themselves Christians," as an incitement to perseverance in the hfe of God, and to higher attainments in holiness. Are there some among you, my friends and brethren, who, through divine grace, have forsaken the corruptions that are in the world ; and who, having been led by the mercies, and by the chastisements of Providence, to Uve near to the Author of all peace and happiness, are humbly seeking to " walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," to be " fruitful in every good work," and to " increase in the knowledge of God ?"* Let it be some encouragement to your future labors after a closer walk with the Lord, and a more entire consecration to his service, to reflect that he who watches for your souls, as one that must give account, is marking your steady career ; that he is in secret blessing the Fountain of all good, for those measures of grace to which you have as yet attained ; and, in prospect of your growing ripeness for heaven, daily " rejoices with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." The believer, it is true, proposes to himself the love and favor of God, as the grand stimulus to animate him on his pilgrimage ; but, notwithstanding this, we are warranted, by the example of the Apostle before us, in holding it forth as a legitimate encouragement to his perseverance, that he beneath whose ministrations he is sitting, smiles with new joy, at every fresh accession of faith, and love and holiness, among those to whom he " publisheth salvation."

There is another reflection suggested by the words of St. Paul now under consideration, upon which I may profitably,

CHAP. I. 1-6.] El'ISTLE TO THE PHiLII'PIAN?-". Q

for a few moments, fix your thoughts. The Apostle, you perceive, while expressing to these believers of Philippi his interest in their welfare, makes incidental mention of the fact, that that church of his own planting formed one of the subjects of his constant 'prayers. Turn again to the inspired writer's language. " Always," he declares, " in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy :" and, while exhibiting this habitual remembrance before God of the people of his ministry, as a sample of the practice of every sincere shepherd, allow me to offer the circumstance to the meditation of those before me, who are Uving without an interest in that gospel of mercy, which is so repeatedly presented to their acceptance. My brethren, there are some amongst you who come, at the commencement of every successive week, within the sound of the message of salvation ; who hsten to its affectionate invitations : who hear its threatened judgments : and, after each of these appeals, go forth again to bury themselves in the pursuits of Ufe — to mingle in its engrossing pleasures — and, amidst visible things, to banish God and the Saviour from all influence over the heart, and from all place within the memory. To such " forgetful hearers,"* it may, perhaps, not be unprofitable to urge the impressive statement just presented ; and to say, that, amidst all your heedlessness of the way of life, and your devotion to those things whose end is death, there is one who bears you on his petitions to the throne of mercy ; who prays daily for your spiritual illumination ; who thinks, with sighs and tears, for those who, in the blindness of their imaghiatious, never think fur themselves. This individual who thus implores in retirement for your salvation,

* Juniea, i. 25.

IQ LECTUKEiS ON TJIE [LECT. I.

is he wliuj by the appointment of Providence, proclaims to you in public, within these sacred walls, the message of love ; and there is something in this consideration, so calculated to appeal to all the better feelings of the sinner's heart, that I cannot refrain from pressing it upon your contemplation. Where, among those that, in this sanctuary, statedly listen to the preached word, is the person who, unmindful of these truths, is given up in heart and practice to the vain pageantry of hfe? Be melted at the thought, that he who ministers to you in holy things is, with every day's succession, entreating the Lord of heaven, that, of his mercy, he will turn you from these ensnaring idols, to serve the living and true God. Where is the attendant upon these means of grace, who, when he retires from them into the world, is led away by the absorbing quest of gain? Think of him, whose voice utters your name in secret before the Hearer of prayer ; and let the recollection lead you, through divine grace, to give your whole heart to Christ ; to embrace the gospel, and to bow, as a willing captive, to the obedience of the truth. Where is the profane despiser of those solemn representations, which are unfolded by the messengers of Jesus, and in the pages of his word ? My dear hearer, even you are not forgotten in our daily supplications ; we ask that your eyes may be opened, to see the wondrous things of the gospel ; and the tenderness of such a thought may, perhaps, one day, subdue your callous heart beneath the influences of the Spirit of God. Call to mind, amidst the cares and the frivolities of life, the fact, that he who invites you to Christ from this watch-tower of Sion, is petitioning for your rescue in the intercessions of the closet. Let it bring you to thought. Let it arrest your wandering _4

CHAP. I. 1-6.) EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. J J

Steps. Let it win you to that Fountain of living waters, whom you have been forsaking to hew out for yourselves " broken cisterns, that can hold no water."*

After this kind expression of his thankfulness, for the spiritual attainments of these his children in the Lord, St. Paul proceeds, in the last verse of the portion under review, to state an additional reason for his grateful joy on their account. — It is derived from the humble, but firm persuasion, that the same grace which, in past days, had brought them to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and had kept them thus far in the way of life, would carry them to the end in safety ; and would bless their earnest prayers after the faith and holiness of the gospel. "Being confident," the Apostle declares, " of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ," that is, until the termination of life ; for the Apostle here uses the period of the last judgment instead of the hour of death, from a desire, manifested in various other portions of his writings, to keep ever before the view that day of irreversible retribution for the wicked, and of signal triumph for the believer. The idea, then, which St. Paul intends to convey, in the declaration before us, is simply this : that, in view of the all-sufficient grace of the Redeemer, he felt cheered with the prospect of their future destiny ; that he could safely leave them in the guidance of Christ's sanctifying Spirit ; and was persuaded, that nothing would, or could be wanting, on the part of Him " from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed," to perfect their growth in grace, and fit them for his kingdom of glory. The words before us, therefore, are, as you

12 LECTURES ON THE [LECT. I

perceive, a lively tesdniony, such as all the true servants of the Lord Jesus delight to render, to that divine strength which is made perfect in the sinner's weakness: and, considered in this view, they are similar to that declaration of the same Apostle, in one of his epistles to Timothy, " For I know whom I have helieved ; and I am persuaded, that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."*

Having thus explained the meaning of the Apostle's declaration, I cannot bring to a better conclusion the present liecture, than by fixing your minds upon the important truth here stated :*that it is the free, unmerited, and exclusive grace of God, which begins the renewed life of the Christian, carries it onward in its progress, and finally conducts it to " the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." My beloved brethren, it is to the last degree needful, that, in order to be kept in a state of humble gratitude, and self-renouncing dependence upon the strength of Jesus, you should have constantly in remembrance this salutary doctrine : for it is the tendency of the human mind to be continually losing the impression, and to turn inward for support and confidence upon its own beggarly resources. Are there any, then, within these courts of the liOrd this morning, who, through mercy, have been led from the world and its courses into the paths of peace and happiness ? Acknowledge the power that has brought you hither; confess, with the full and entire feeling of the Apostle, "By the grace of God T am what I nm;"t and turn upward to the same heavenly fountain, and to this alone, for strength in days to come. Is there here present the solicitous inquirer after the way of life ; one who is walking in darkness, and * II. Tim. 1. 12. + I. Cor. xv. 10.

CHAP. I. 1— G.J EPISTLE TO THE PHIUPPIANS. J3

can see no light ; and who, disappointed in his own impotent endeavors, is ready to faint under the struggle? My dear hearer, learn, first of all, the lesson here tauglit in God's holy word. Cease from all expectation in yourselves : look above, and there only: and with bended knees, and supplicating voice, put forth the cry, " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me !" Such is the wholesome inference to be drawn from these words of inspiration. May the Lord give us all the grace to apply it ; and drive us to the footstool of .Tesus with the Apostle's exclamation, "Ijord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."

LECTURE II.

CHAPTER I. 7—11.

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart ; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the de fence and confirniatioii of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment ; That ye may approve things that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

The Apostle, having expressed to the Philippian beUevers, as you have aheady seen, his thankfulness for their spiritual attainments ; and the joy with which he thought of them, and offered up his petitions on their behalf at the throne of grace ; proceeds, in the portion now to be considered, to state his reason for this estimate of their character : to renew his professions of regard : and, in addition to all this, to convey to them the assurance of his prayers for their growth " in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Let us follow the inspired writer through the interesting and instructive verses, which are here presented for our consideration.

EPISTLE TO THE PHIl.lPX'IANS. 15

After having declared to the PhUippians, in such uniesei ved and fervent language, his sense of the genuineness of their Christian profession, St. Paul adds very naturally, in the seventh verse, a brief view of the evidence they had afforded of their sincerity. He thus expresses himself. " Even as it is meet," or reasonable, " for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart ; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace." He intends, in these v^ords, to say, that those to whom he was writing stood deservedly high in his esteem, because they had endeared themselves to his affections by one irresistible proof of their Christian love; namely, that, during all his trials for the gospel's sake, his imprisonment, his labors for the establishment of divine truth in the hearts of men, they had ever manifested a sympathetic interest in the difficulties of his ministerial course. This meaning of the language before us will be more clearly perceived, by attending, for a moment, to some of the terms used by the Apostle. He here speaks, you perceive, of his " bonds ;" referring evidently to the confinement he was then enduring in the capital of the Roman empire. In addition to this affliction, he mentions his obstacles and hardships " in the defence and confirmation of the gospel ;" alluding to his public preaching of the doctrines of the cross, in the face of cavilling philosophers, and persecuting men in power. In respect to these two kinds of suffering, the maintenance of Christ's truth amidst enemies, and the loss of personal liberty, he declares that the members of the Phihppian church were "all partakers of his grace." The word *' grace " is used, in several place?, by St. Paul, in the sense of his office as a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in

16 LECTURES ON THE [LECT. II.

the Epistle to the Romans, he observes, "Nevertheless, bretliren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles."* So, likewise, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, " Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."t When he declares, therefore, that of this his calling as an ambassador of heaven the Philippians were " partakers," he obviously means, that, by their anxiety respecting him when deprived of freedom, and their sympathy with his feelings while in the discharge of his arduous duties, they were actually sharers, in common with himself, of the numerous trials and discouragements of his ministerial office. It appears, then, that when the Apostle, in the verses to which your attention was invited in the last Lecture, exulted in the Christian graces of these fellow-disciples, it was not without reasonable grounds. Through the various griefs to which he had been exposed, their hearts had always been with him ; they had given him their daily prayers ; in all his afflictions for the conversion of souls, they had been equally afflicted. Such was the spirit that distinguished these primitive converts ; and it seems proper here to pause, and hold up to your contemplation this delightful example of the ChristiaiCs sympathy ^ with the trials of God's tninistering servatiis. There cannot be imagined a more lovely feature of the believer's renewed character, than that affectionate interest with which he enters into the conflicts and labors of the appointed

CHAP. I. 7— 11 ] EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. ^ 17

heralds of salvation : and |>aiticulaily of him who, in the course of Providence, is his own spiritual guide to a world of immortality and glory. And yet, my brethren, if it is in this feeling that we perceive one of the necessary fruits of divine grace within the heart, how defective must we consider the religious condition of a vast proportion of those, who name the name of Christ, sit in our sanctuaries as God's people, and, in profession, are invested with the character, and influenced by the views of Christians ! It is not that there is any want among the majority of professed believers, of that kindly solicitude, which is ready to mourn with the Christian minister in his merely liuman sorrows. Of this active tenderness and friendship, there is as great an abundance now, as in the days of the suffering Apostle : but it is in respect of that higher and spiritual feeling, which follows the messenger of Christ through his path of daily discouragement — which sighs over his fruitless endeavors to win souls to Christ — and which, in view of these peculiar trials to which he is subjected, leads the Christian disciple to aid him with the secret and anxious cooperation of his wishes, and his prayers — it is by the absence of this species of sympathy among the assemblies of God's professing people, that he who preaches Jesus to a guilty world is made to feel that he is toiling in solitude ! " The minister who is placed over you in the Lord," observes the eloquent and pious Mr. Jay,* " has his trials as a man ; and he has his trials as a Christian ; and in addition to both these, he has trials peculiar to his office. Could he have foreseen all at the beginning, he would have been disheartened at the entrance.