By this figure, familiar to them, the apostle represents our duty Our minds are dissipated by ten thousand vanities And our affections, for the most part, flow loosely round We should pray, like David, "Unite my heart to fear thy name" Heaven is not to be sought with a divided heart Earthly affections would impede our progress, as flowing garments in a race The prophet compares them to an incumbrance of thick clay upon the feet We should therefore "gird up the loins of our mind” And "give all diligence to make our calling and election sure"] 2. Sobriety of manners [Sobriety, in the scripture use of the term, means mode ration Excessive cares, and inordinate attachments, are very unfavourable to the soul They so engross the mind with present things, as to draw it away from those which are eternal We cannot therefore too carefully watch against these evils We should endeavour to be " dying daily" to the worldWe should be as one crucified, to it; and it, as one crucified, to us1 This is the state and character of every true ChristiansAnd we must attain it, if we would successfully pursue the one thing needful-] 3. Stedfastness of faith [Faith respects the certainty of the promises; and hope, the accomplishment Now, our faith is apt to waver, and our hope, to languishTemptations often allure us to forego our interest in heavenly things And unbelief would often persuade us that we have no part or lot in them— But we must be careful never to be moved away from the hope of the gospel P Ps. lxxxvi. 11. 1 q Hab. ii. 6. Gal. vi. 14. t Col. i. 23. Hope is the very anchor of the soul that must keep us stedfast in this tempestuous world"— We must "therefore hold fast our confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm to the end" The nearer we come to the prize, the more earnest should be our expectation of it— If our conflicts be many, we should, even against hope, believe in hope The proper disposition of our souls is well described by the apostles And it is to persons of this description only, that Christ's appearance will be a source of joy ADDRESS 1. Those who are only nominal Christians [Your loins indeed are girt, but it is for the pursuit of earthly objects Instead of having your souls engrossed with heavenly things, you are perfectly indifferent towards them As for your hopes, they extend to nothing but what relates to this present life Alas! what an awful contrast is there between you and the true Christian! What then, suppose ye, shall be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ? The apostle, in a fore-cited passage, tells you, it will be "vengeance" Yes, and Jesus will bring it with his own hand It is in vain to think that your portion will be the same with that of a diligent, self-denying Christian But, blessed be God, grace is now brought to you by the gospel Yea, all the glory of heaven is now offered you by God himselfe Only repent, and go unto God as reconciled in Christ Jesus Then shall you" pass from death to life," and from hell to heaven-] 2. Those who are Christians indeed [There are some, who "shine as lights in a dark world”— Some, who, while living on earth, "have their conversation in heaven" Doubtless, ye meet with many conflicts and troubles in your way " Heb. vi. 19. * Heb. iii. 6. y Rom. iv. 18. To you then in particular is the text addressed For persons, circumstanced like you, these words were writtend Survey that grace, which is now speedily to be brought unto you Take a view of all the glory and felicity of the heavenly world Compare with that your light and momentary afflictionsYou will then soon form the same estimate as St. Paul before you dide Be not then diverted from the great object of your pur suit Remember the solemn caution which God himself has given you' And take for your encouragement that faithful promise d 1 Pet. i. 1, 6, f Heb. x. 38. e Rom. viii. 18. g Matt. xxiv. 13. CCCCXLVIII. DIRECTIONS FOR RUNNING OUR RACE. 1 Cor. ix. 24. So run that ye may obtain! · THERE is not any thing around us from which we may not draw some hints for our spiritual instruction. The habits and customs of the world, if duly improved, will afford us many valuable lessons. A reference to these is peculiarly useful when we wish to convey instruction to others; because it strikes the imagination more forcibly, and carries stronger conviction to the judgment. St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, availed himself of the Isthmian games which were celebrated there, to illustrate their duty with respect to their souls. Amongst other sports, that of the foot-race was held in high estimation; and great preparations were made by those who engaged in them, in order to qualify them for their extraordinary exertions. In reference to these the apostle speaks of himself as running in this race; and proposes himself to the Corinthians as a pattern for their imitation, if they were desirous to win the prize. We shall consider The direction here given The words of the text are not a mere exhortation to run our race, but a special direction respecting the manner in which we are to run it. We should be, like the apostle, 1. Disentangled from worldly cares [St. Paul had equal liberty with others to marry, and to take a wife with him in his journies. But he knew that such a step would of necessity involve him in many cares, and impede his exertions in the cause of Christ. He therefore lived in celibacy himself, and recommended it to others, both men and women, especially during those seasons of persecution, when they were liable, every day and hour, to be called to lay down their lives for the gospel sake. Now, though there is not any necessity for us to imitate him in this individual act, yet we must admit the principle in its fullest extent, and live under its influence continually. We must study to be "without carefulness." We must endeavour to "serve the Lord as much as possible without distraction." We must "not entangle ourselves more than is necessary with the affairs of this life," or multiply our cares in such a way as to rob our souls of the attention due to them. To do this would be as absurd as to "load our feet with thick clay," when we were about to run a race. On the contrary, we should endeavour to lay aside every weight," conscious that cares of every kind impede our progress in the divine life, and, if suffered to increase, will endanger our ultimate success.] แ 2. Divested of selfish principles [Never was a selfish spirit more subdued and mortified, than in the apostle Paul. Instead of claiming from the Corinthian church that support, which God himself had assigned to every minister of the gospel, he endured numberless wants and hardships, in order to set an example of disinterestedness to others. And, when he himself was perfectly acquainted with the extent of Christian liberty, he "made himself the servant of all," becoming all things, to all men, that by all means he might save some. Thus did he forego what he might have justly claimed, and consent, as it were, to pay, what none had any right to demand: he willingly sacrificed both his pecuniary rights, yea, and his Christian liberty too (as a87 refers to the manner in which the apostle ran: and is to the end for which such exertion was necessary. Ver. 5. with 1 Cor. vii. 1, 7, 8, 26, 27. e Ib. ver. 32. far as conscientiously he could) for the benefit of immortal souls. Such is the way in which we are to run. But O, how many professors of religion have been retarded (yea, and have cast stumbling-blocks also in the way of others) by a rigorous exaction of their dues, or by an unwillingness to sacrifice their worldly interests! How many also have been kept from making a progress themselves, and from helping forward their fellow-sinners, by an unyielding zeal for Christian liberty, or a bigoted attachment to human forms! Happy would it be for every individual in the church of Christ, if a desire of advancement in the divine life disposed them to "look, not on their own things only, but also on the things of others;" and "to seek the welfare of others in conjunction with, and (to a certain degree) in preference to, their own."m] 3. Determined, if possible, to win the prize [They who proposed to contend in the race, maintained, for a long time before, the strictest temperance," and habituated themselves to the most laborious exertions. In reference to them, St. Paul tells us how careful he was to keep under his body, and to bring it into subjection in order that he might be the fitter to run the Christian race. Thus must we be trained both in body and mind, in order that we may run well and "endure unto the end." We must accustom ourselves to labour and self-denial, mortifying every corrupt affection, and "giving all diligence to make our calling and election sure❞———] Let us next turn our attention to II. The argument with which it is enforced. The apostle's expression is concise: but there is much implied in it. i. We cannot win the race without running in this manner [However persons strove for the mastery in the games they were not crowned, unless they strove according to the laws prescribed them." Thus, however earnest we may be in running for heaven, we never can gain the prize, unless we conform to the rules that have been laid down. This is the course that we are to run over. It abounds indeed with rough places, and steep ascents: but we must not deviate from it. We may easily find a smoother path; but we must run in that which is marked out for us, and abide in it to the end- 1 Phil. ii. 4. • Ver. 27. m 1 Cor. x. 24. n Ver. 25. 4 2 Tim. ii. 5. |