to kindness and consideration for others, to diligence, to patience, and finally he thus concludes:

Ch. xvi. 25: Now to him that is able to stablish you . to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory for ever. Amen.

NOTE ON THE WORD "JUSTIFY."

This word, round which so much controversy has gathered, and which, as thus translated, has introduced a totally foreign element into S. Paul's theology, is one of a set of words derived from the same root, which occupies a prominent place in certain of S. Paul's Epistles.

The noun with which this word "justify" is connected, is the word righteousness.

If this word could be rendered "justice," it would be possible to maintain a uniform rendering of most of these words, as just, justice, justify; but though uniform, the result would not be satisfactory, for our word "justice" does not adequately represent the purely moral idea of righteousness.

But we only introduce confusion when we render the noun by "righteousness," which carries a moral sense, and the verb by "justify," which has acquired a "forensic

sense.

It would seem, then, that the only way of reaching the Apostle's meaning, would be to make a clean sweep of the words justify and justification, and substitute words or phrases which preserve the moral idea of righteousness, and to translate the verb rendered "justify" by some such expression as "to strengthen, or renew, for righteousness," as for instance, in Romans iv. 25: "Who died for our sins, and rose again to renew us to righteousness." (Abridged from Irons' Bampton Lectures.)

CHAPTER XXV.

S. PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

HE Epistle to the Romans, which we concluded in our last chapter, was written by S. Paul during a three months' stay in Greece, in his third missionary journey. In that Epistle, you will remember, S. Paul spoke of the desire which he had long entertained of visiting Rome.

That desire was at last gratified, though it was brought about in a different way from what he expected; for S. Paul reached the imperial city, not as a free agent, but as a prisoner.

After leaving Corinth, which had doubtless been his head-quarters during his stay in Greece, S. Paul journeyed through Macedonia, visiting, no doubt, his beloved flocks in Thessalonica and Philippi, and then set sail for Palestine with the intention of reaching Jerusalem before the approaching Feast of Pentecost.

It was on this voyage that he summoned the elders of the Ephesian Church to Miletus, and delivered to them the memorable charge and touching farewell which S. Luke records in the 20th chapter of the Acts. The voyage ended, S. Paul, accompanied by Luke and an Ephesian Christian named Trophimus, and perhaps others, arrived at Jerusalem.

Before, however, he had been there a week, his bitter enemies the Jews of Asia, who were more fierce and fanatical even than the Jews of Jerusalem themselves, found him in the Temple, and raised the

mob against him, who would have then and there murdered him, and thus have deprived the Gentiles of their Apostle, and the Christian Church of some of the most priceless of his writings. But it was not so to be: he was delivered from the furious multitude by the sudden appearance of Lysias and his soldiers. To avoid a plot which had been got up against him, he was sent off hurriedly to Cæsarea, where he remained in confinement for two years; then when the new Governor, Festus, proposed that he should be sent to Jerusalem, he was compelled to exercise the privilege which belonged to him as a Roman citizen, and to appeal to Cæsar. Accordingly, in company with other prisoners under the charge of a friendly centurion, S. Paul was despatched to Italy. S. Luke, as we have already seen, gives us a full account of this voyage, and of the shipwreck which befell them. He relates also how some of the Roman Christians came to meet the Apostle as far as the Market of Appius and The Three Taverns.

And when, he goes on to say,

Acts xxviii. 16: We entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the prætorian guard: but Paul was suffered to abide by himself with the soldier that guarded him . . . . And he abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none forbidding him.

Here the narrative of the Acts ends, somewhat abruptly as it may appear to us, but really not so abruptly as it seems, since it leaves the Apostle of the Gentiles in the capital of the world.

It was during this two years' captivity that S. Paul wrote the set of letters which are known as "the

Epistles of the first imprisonment; " these are the Epistle to the Philippians, the Epistle to the Colossians, with the supplementary letter to Philemon, and the Epistle to the Ephesians.

If we were speaking of an ordinary writer, we should say that in these letters his genius reached its highest point: but speaking of an inspired Apostle, we may venture to say that in this group of Epistles he reached the highest level of his inspiration.

It is not certain which of these letters was written first, nor indeed is it a matter of much consequence. There seems, however, some reason for supposing that the letter to the Philippians was the first written; then the letters to Colossæ and to Philemon, and last of all, as greatest of all, the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Of all the Churches which S. Paul planted, the Church of the Philippians was the dearest to him. There seems to have been a very special affection between them. Again and again they had sent a contribution for his relief. What he would take from no other Church, he took freely from them. Theirs, too, was that most beautiful and most common of all forms of liberality, the liberality of the poor.

"The Epistle to the Philippians," says Archdeacon Farrar, "arose directly out of one of the few happy incidents which diversified the dreary uncertainties of S. Paul's captivity. This was the visit of Epaphroditus, a leading presbyter of the Church of Philippi, with the fourth pecuniary contribution by which that loving and generous Church had ministered to his necessities."

Referring to this welcome and generous gift he says

Phil. iv. 11: I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know

also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in Him that strengtheneth me. ...

... But I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. And my God shall fulfil every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

At Rome S. Paul was unable with his fettered hands to work for his livelihood, and it is possible that he found no opening for his special trade. . . . . Epaphroditus arrived about autumn, and succumbed to the unhealthiness of the season, and was prostrated by a dangerous and all but fatal sickness. The news of this illness had reached Philippi and caused great solicitude to the Church. We cannot doubt that Paul pleaded with God for the life of his sick friend, and God had mercy upon him. Epaphroditus recovered; and deeply as Paul would have rejoiced to keep him, he sent him back to Philippi, and with him the letter, in which he expressed his thankfulness for that constant affection which had so greatly cheered his heart.

Now to enter into the inner meaning of this letter which Epaphroditus bore back to Philippi, we must remember that the Philippian Christians clung to S. Paul with all the fervour of attached disciples, and all the tenderness of tried friends.

The news of their great Apostle's imprisonment was a terrible blow to them. The shepherd was stricken, and was himself in the power of the lion, and what would become of the flock?

Disunion seems to have been the special peril of the Philippians; but a disunion proceeding rather from despondency than from faction.