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ST. PAUL AND THE 
 CHRISTIAN'S TRIUMPH. 
 
3b'^'^ 
 
 ^\ I v/i I iii/i 
 
 APR 13 1959 . 
 
 m 
 
 im 
 
 J0L 
 
 ST. PAUL 
 CHRISTIAN'S TRIUMPH. 
 
 :.*€ 
 
 2 Cor. ii. 14-16. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. GEORGE NICKSON, B.A., 
 
 {Tutor 0/ Ridley Hall, Cambridge.) 
 
 WITH A PREFACE 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. H. C. G. MOULE, M.A., 
 {Principal 0/ Ridley Hall, Cambridge.) 
 
 MARSHALL BROTHERS, 
 
 10. PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
Butler & Tanner, 
 
 The Selwood Printing Works, 
 
 Frome, and London. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 My dear Friend, the writer of these 
 chapters gives me leave to preface them 
 with a few words. To do so is a happi- 
 ness and privilege, if only because it is 
 an opportunity for " setting to the seal" 
 of a brother Christian's earnest testi- 
 mony to the message here given so 
 thoughtfully, pointedly, and lovingly. 
 
 I pray God to convey through this 
 little book a very special word to young 
 men. The writer and I are associated 
 very closely in work at Cambridge for 
 young men and amongst them, and the 
 thought of the untold importance of 
 the winning of young men to an entire 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 devotion to the Lord, and of building 
 them up in Him, is constantly before 
 us. And my experience tells me that 
 there is no side of truth, after the first 
 blessed message has been received in- 
 deed, which so finds out and draws in 
 young men, so leads them into a life 
 which is strong and fruitful for Christ, 
 as this side — this gospel of the Lord's 
 triumph over us, and in us, and through 
 us ; this blessed march through life in 
 the train of His captives, who are also 
 then Plis soldiers, sharing His victory. 
 So may this little book go forth 
 under His blessing, which alone makes 
 our words, written or spoken, living 
 and life-conveying things. May it be 
 one of the clouds of incense, one of 
 the wafts of " sweet savour," which 
 attend the progress of our Captain 
 along the Sacred Way of His work on 
 earth. And may it be a savour alto- 
 
Preface. vii 
 
 gether " of life unto life," and never, 
 for any reader, of "death unto death"; 
 till the happy procession ends in the 
 glory above. 
 
 H. C. G. MOULE. 
 Dec. 17, 1889. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 pac;e 
 Introduction -^i 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Conquest of the Servant. 
 
 St. Paul's use of illustrations — The 
 Roman triumph— St. Paul's circum- 
 stances at the time of writing the 
 second Epistle to Corinth— The 
 Gospel triumph— How God triumphs 
 over us : our conversion ; our conse- 
 cration ; ourselves and our surround- 
 ings — How we participate in the 
 triumph (2 Cor. ii. 14) • • • ^5 
 
X Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Purpose of the Conquest. 
 
 The change in the metaphor — St. Paul's 
 impetuosity — The savour of Christ — 
 The purpose of God's conquest over 
 us — The place of self-interest in the 
 Gospel — The Master and His bond- 
 servant — The watchers of the triumph 
 — The place of service — The Christian 
 an epistle of Christ (2 Cor. ii. 14, 
 15) 36 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Effect of the Servant's Work. 
 
 The cross of Christ a test of the human 
 heart — The result, a dividing — The 
 twofold effect — Life unto life — Death 
 unto death — The All-sufficient one 
 (2 Cor. ii. 16) . . . . .56 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the 
 Corinthians gives us an insight into 
 the inner life of the Apostle more than 
 any other of his writings. It was 
 written, in all probabiHty, shortly after 
 his departure from Ephesus, subse- 
 quent to the riot of the silversmiths, 
 and despatched from some town in 
 Macedonia. The Apostle has just 
 passed through a time of peculiar trial. 
 The Church of Corinth had communi- 
 cated with him more than once during 
 his stay at Ephesus, and these com- 
 munications were not of an assuring 
 character. Division, strife, and even 
 
xil hitroduction. 
 
 immorality had crept in, together with 
 a spirit of self-satisfaction. St. Paul 
 writes the First Epistle, and sends it 
 apparently by Titus. The interval be- 
 tween this and his meeting again with 
 Titus was a time of intense anxiety. 
 He longs for news of the Corinthian 
 Church. He cannot rest. Recalling 
 this time of waiting, he writes later on : 
 *'When wewTre come into Macedonia, 
 our flesh had no rest ; but we were 
 troubled on every side; without were 
 fightings, within were fears." In 
 no other Epistle do we see the Apostle 
 so torn asunder by conflicting thoughts. 
 He fears the worst, and yet would 
 hope the best. This state of mind is 
 at length put an end to by the coming 
 of Titus with good news. The 
 Corinthians had received him favour- 
 ably, and were well disposed towards 
 the Apostle himself. On receipt of 
 
Introduction. xiii 
 
 this^news, St. Paul indites his Second 
 Epistle, and depicts there the anxious 
 state of mind, which had preceded the 
 reception of the news from Titus. We 
 see his past and we see his present 
 feeling. The tone of doubt has given 
 way to one of confidence. The large 
 experience of those months of trial 
 and waiting has produced a rest and 
 repose in Him who had all along been 
 showing him that His grace was "suffi- 
 cient." The section 2 Corinthians ii. 
 14-16 reveals to us the Apostle at 
 the moment of transition from sorrow 
 to joy, from a looking to self to a 
 calm confidence in his Master, realiz- 
 ing that He had led him thus far, and 
 would yet lead to further triumphs of 
 grace and victory. 
 
I. 
 
 THE CONQUEST OF THE SERVANT. 
 
 2 Cor. ii. 14 : " Now thanks be unto God, 
 which always causeth us to triumph 
 (leadeth us in triumph, R.V.) in 
 Christ." 
 
 Of all New Testament writers, the 
 man who is most intensely imbued 
 with the sense of his bond-service to 
 his Lord and Master is, without doubt, 
 St. Paul. To see it we have only to 
 take up his Epistles or his speeches 
 as recorded in the Acts, to open at 
 any chapter, almost at any verse : it is 
 here, it is there, it is everywhere. Nor 
 is it only in definite statements that 
 we may expect to find it expressed : it 
 is oftener far to be found in some 
 slight turn of tliought, some single 
 
St. Paul and the 
 
 phrase or word, some implicit refer- 
 ence. Such a passage is the one 
 before us now. The thought of bond- 
 service at first sight seems quite ah'en 
 to the context, and comes upon us 
 unexpectedly. Three main points of 
 view characterize this wonderful 
 passage of three verses, each an ad- 
 vance upon the other, yet each bound 
 together by the link of the servant's 
 relation to his Lord. There is, first of 
 all, the conquest of the servant, the 
 leading in triumph of the captive ; 
 then we are shown somewhat of the 
 main purpose of the conquest, the 
 duty and work of the captive ; and 
 lastly, in solemn and heart-searching 
 words we are told what the effect of 
 his work must be. Then the section 
 closes with a striking question intended 
 to summon the reader to a sense of 
 his incapacity, yet to point to one 
 
Christian's TritimpJi. ij 
 
 Avho is the great Supplier of all need 
 and help. 
 
 These three points let us take in 
 their order, and may He whose sacred 
 office it is to guide into all truth seal 
 with His mark of approval and of 
 power all that is true and of Himself. 
 
 The conquest of the servant. 
 
 It is impossible to read St. Paul's 
 writings without feeling that here we 
 have a man who is deeply in touch with 
 everyday life. Here is no dreamy 
 visionary living in a world of im- 
 possibilities, no idle theorist more 
 intent upon the proof of his theory 
 than the working of it, no reckless 
 fanatic blind to all the varied lines of 
 life around. No, here is one to whom 
 life is one intense practical reality. 
 Everything that he comes in contact 
 with is observed and noted ; nothing 
 seems to escape him. While this is 
 
 u 
 
1 8 Sf. Paul and the 
 
 so, there is something further. All is 
 noted and observed, that some great 
 spiritual truth may be illustrated from 
 the common everyday surroundings 
 and occurrences of life. Is the Apostle 
 brought in contact with the games, the 
 wrestling, or the race ? His thoughts 
 fly to the great contest of the Chris- 
 tian, to his wrestling against princi- 
 palities and powers, the strife against 
 sin, or even the agonizing wrestling 
 of the soul seeking help, in prayer at 
 the footstool of the throne of grace. 
 Or does he pass by the great theatre 
 at Ephesus, and hearken to the shouts 
 of those who gaze in unholy excitement 
 upon the spectacle before them ? He 
 seems to see the multitudes of the 
 world gazing on at the spectacle of 
 the Apostle's toil \ or, as he thinks of 
 scene giving place to scene in the 
 arena, he recollects that "the fashion 
 
Christian's Triiunph. 19 
 
 of this world passeth away," and his 
 soul is lit up with the light of things 
 not temporal, but eternal. 
 
 And now here is an illustration, the 
 use of which has moulded his expres- 
 sion and teaching, bringing out into 
 the light some of those deep lessons 
 of what the Saviour is and can be to 
 the lost one who has yet been found. 
 
 One alteration first in our Authorized 
 Version, which has here obscured the 
 whole metaphor employed. We should 
 read, not "Thanks be unto God, 
 which always causeth us to triumph in 
 Christ," but " Thanks be unto God, 
 which always hadeth us i?i iriumph in 
 Christ." 
 
 It is the great scene of the Roman 
 triumph which the Apostle has in 
 view. This was one of the most 
 marvellous sights of that age, its fame 
 reaching throughout the whole world. 
 
20 St. Paul and the 
 
 The victor, seated in his car, went in 
 triumph through the streets of Rome 
 on his way to the Capitol. Before him, 
 in chains, burning with shame and 
 crushingly conscious of defeat, march 
 the wretched captives, kings, princes, 
 or warriors, once proud and haughty, 
 now reduced by the iron hand of 
 Imperial Rome. Thousands hne the 
 streets and thousands more the roofs 
 of the houses, haiHng with their accla- 
 mations the successful general, or 
 cruelly taunting the poor wTetches 
 whom he has overcome. Along the 
 path and at every corner incense is 
 wafted through the air, its fragrant 
 smell bringing delight to joyful and 
 exultant victors, or gloom and fore- 
 boding to their conquered captives. 
 
 Such is the illustration in the 
 Apostle's mind. 
 
 But now, before details, let us ask 
 
Christians Trmmph. 
 
 what were the circumstances which led 
 to the use of tliis metaphor by St. 
 Paul ? He is at Troas for the second 
 time. Five years — years fraught with 
 much blessing in his Master's cause, 
 and much toil and danger to himself — 
 have passed since he was last there. 
 But now all is different; then, there 
 was the bright anticipation of coming 
 victories, of souls won from the dark- 
 ness of heathendom to the sunshine 
 of the Gospel ; the vision of the man 
 of Macedonia was fresh in his mind ; 
 he was about to take possession of 
 unknown lands in his Master's name, 
 by his Master's grace ; and now ? — now 
 all seems a failure. Tidings have 
 reached him that the Church where 
 he had laboured so long and devotedly 
 and with such success, the Church of 
 Corinth, is in danger of forsaking the 
 truths which he holds so dear. 
 
Sf. Paul and the 
 
 There are ugly rumours of immor- 
 ality, of schisms in the bond of Chris- 
 tian fellowship, of parties and of strife, 
 of deadly doctrinal error. Unable to 
 cross over and see for himself, he has 
 sent Titus, with entreaty to bring back 
 news quickly. But day after day 
 passes, and Titus comes not. Can we 
 not picture him climbing some far- 
 seeing height, and gazing out over the 
 yl-'^gean Sea, eagerly scanning the water 
 for the sail of the ship which is to 
 bring him joy or sorrow ? Or we 
 seem to see him pacing to and fro, 
 while he revolves the chances, the 
 causes, the possibihties of the case, 
 or speculates on the delay of his 
 fellow-labourer. 
 
 And all this time, while there are 
 *' fightings within," there are also " fears 
 without." There is the case of the 
 growing Church of Troa?, the calumnies 
 
Christians Triumph. 23 
 
 of enemies, the opposition of the un- 
 friendly to be overcome ; there are the 
 struggling followers to be cheered and 
 helped ; there is the vast field, ripe for 
 the harvest, of souls to be reaped ; on 
 all hands pressure of work and toil, 
 persecution and annoyance, difficulties 
 and trials. And these are added to the 
 great suspense. 
 
 He can bear it no longer, and he 
 sets sail for Europe. What a voyage ! 
 Oh ! the rush of thoughts, the agony 
 of suspense, the crushing sense of pos- 
 sible defeat, of lost labour and ruined 
 souls ! 
 
 At length comes relief. He has met 
 Titus, and Titus has good news. With 
 what eagerness is it all drunk in ! 
 What questioning as to this convert 
 and that ! what inquiry of such and 
 such a point ! 
 
 Then as he recalls the past, with its 
 
24 St. Pmil and the 
 
 terrible strain on mind and life, as he 
 recollects his fears, and sees them all, 
 like darkness, scattered by the light, he 
 bursts forth into one great cry of tri- 
 umph, "Thanks be unto God, which 
 always leadeth us in triumph in 
 Christ." 
 
 It is an unlooked-for turn of thought 
 this, and, but for the knowledge of the 
 illustration used, we should fail to see 
 the connection. 
 
 As the story of Titus unfolds itself, 
 as the Apostle, looking back, recalls 
 how, through the dark clouds of diffi- 
 culty and uncertainty, God was yet 
 guiding him to the indicated path, 
 there bursts before his view the glorious 
 scene of the Gospel triumph. 
 
 He looks back and marks its pro- 
 gress. There is the first little com- 
 pany of apostles and disciples fresh 
 from their last interview with their 
 
Christimis T7iuniph. 25 
 
 Lord on earth. They are passing 
 along amid the thousands of their 
 countrymen, captives to a mighty Will, 
 a conquering Lord. So it had passed 
 by him twenty years before. And now 
 it has grown an endless procession of 
 young and old, from the Roman patri- 
 cian to the humble slave, men, boys, 
 women, children, out of every pro- 
 vince, almost out of every city. Yes, 
 and he himself is there. Before the 
 chariot of God, in sight of the whole 
 world, the eyes of all men upon him, 
 he is passing along in that grand 
 triumphal march. And ever as it 
 passes, the incense of the word of God 
 is floating on all sides, a " savour of life 
 unto life " or of "death unto death." 
 
 Suddenly a new thought strikes him. 
 What is all this procession but the 
 passing by of the body of Christ ? So 
 he adds the words, " in Christ." Then, 
 
26 St. Paul and the 
 
 \ 
 
 if this be so, he is part, and the limbs 
 share in the triumph of the head. 
 Christ has conquered, but he is in 
 Him ; then the Master's conquest is 
 the slave's as well. Yes ! he is him- 
 self a victor, though the vanquished 
 one. Conquered that he might sing 
 the victor's sons:. This is the climax. 
 
 Now turn widi me to the present 
 time, and let us ask, How does God 
 triumph over us ? 
 
 Look back upon your life ; recall the 
 time of wandering. Was there not a 
 time vvlien all that was spiritual seemed 
 foolishness ? What was all this pro- 
 cession but folly and excitement ? 
 What meant this call to forsake the 
 pleasures of the world > What did the 
 Gospel summons mean ? Or it may 
 have been that your life was bounded 
 
Christiaiis Triumph. 
 
 only by the pleasures of the moment. 
 The attractions of the moment, the 
 desires of to-day, the things of time — 
 these were your all in all. Here was 
 your life. Or it may have been that 
 some sin bound you tight in its iron 
 fetters, some secret fault, some dire 
 indulgence, and this it was which held 
 you to itself, and crushed out from 
 your life all sense of higher and purer 
 things. 
 
 Then came a change ; the incense 
 of the word of God was wafted your 
 way, and you realized that there was 
 something immeasurably higher than 
 all which constituted your present life. 
 The struggle followed. To be or not 
 to be. Life for the present, with all 
 its enticing pleasures, or life for eter- 
 nity, with unknown joys beyond to- 
 day, and a calm and holy peace now. 
 Which ? 
 
28 Sf. Paul and the 
 
 And as you fought, suddenly the 
 dark clouds, the choking mists, seemed 
 to part asunder before you, and through 
 an opened rift you beheld a marvel- 
 lous scene. There passed before your 
 gaze the Saviour's life. You saw Him 
 going up and down among men, carry- 
 ing joy and peace ; you heard Him 
 speak — His words riveted you. Scene 
 after scene passed before you, till there 
 came the final one, and you saw your 
 Saviour die, and a voice (it was the 
 Comforter's) whispered, '' He dies for 
 you." A moment's suspense. You 
 saw it all. A Saviour for you, a King, 
 a Hope, a present and abiding Lord, 
 and, falling on your knees, you owned 
 a Master, you found a Victor. You 
 were won, and, as you rose, the dark 
 mists rolled away, the Sun of Righteous- 
 ness poured forth His rays of gladness 
 upon you, and behold, you were walk- 
 
Christianas TriunipJi. 
 
 ing, bound in the chains of love, to the 
 Conqueror's car. Defeated ! captive ! 
 Yes, but taken only to triumph ; for, 
 though bound and captive, yet you 
 marched partaker in a glorious vic- 
 tory. 
 
 Has this been your case ? 
 
 But it is not only in our conversion 
 that God's triumph is seen. It is found 
 also in our consecration. It lies in 
 life's daily round \ in ourselves and in 
 our surroundings. 
 
 Are there not known to us hidden 
 depths in our hearts ? — spots so secret 
 that we keep them dark and closed to 
 all save self. Here self reigns. This 
 corner is our own private property. 
 All else is His, to be and to be dealt 
 \Yith as He in His holy will shall see 
 fit to do ; but this — this little spot is 
 ours, to hold and to cherish, to deal 
 with as we shall see fit. Let us unlock 
 
30 St. Paid and the 
 
 the door for an ins'ant and enter. 
 Here is where self carries on business ; 
 the dust of years lies unswept away 
 here ; the breath of the Spirit of God 
 has not blown it away hence. Here is 
 the manufactory from whence springs 
 sorrow. Here are made and produced 
 those little fits of irritability wliich 
 seize upon us just when something has 
 crossed our will. Hence issues forth 
 that phantom which, when we speak 
 for our Lord, and tell of His joy and 
 peace, rises before us and laughingly 
 mocks us, telling us we are unreal. 
 Yes ! and the want of that calm peace, 
 that quiet rest offered and provided in 
 Him our Lord, is traceable to this 
 small corner. This is the citadel that 
 God would take, and, cleansing out 
 the idols of self and self's concerns, 
 would reign supreme. Dear friend, I 
 have no hesitation in saying that all 
 
Clu'istiaiis Trillin ph. 31 
 
 Avant of power in service, of calm rest 
 in the midst of trial or irritation, of 
 longing over souls, of rest and peace, 
 is to be traced to a want of whole- 
 hearted consecration. Something has 
 been kept back — something, it may- 
 be, of the past not set right ; some 
 wrong done as yet unrepaired, some 
 cherished possession not laid at His 
 feet. What is it in your case ? 
 
 Not only, however, does God 
 triumph over us in ourselves. He 
 reveals His victory to the world in 
 our surroundings. Here we have the 
 picture of a man beset on all hands 
 by difficulties and trials, fightings 
 within, fears without — a time of extreme 
 difficulty, of apparent failure, of seem- 
 ingly standing alone. Yet out of it, by 
 the grace of his Master, he comes a 
 victor, though vanquished first that he 
 might be victorious. Oh ! how often 
 
32 SL Paul and the 
 
 we are tempted to say, "If my posi- 
 tion, my place, my life were not where 
 it is, how easy it would be to serve 
 my Master. If only I had not to live 
 with such and such a man, and work 
 at such and such a thing, to go to 
 such and such a place, all would be 
 well." 
 
 Dear friend, this is not the way ot 
 the triumph. The victor's car must 
 pass down just those roads appointed 
 for it, and you must march in the pro- 
 cession along those selfsame paths. 
 
 Is it the path of peculiar temptation? 
 is it the road of severe anxiety, of 
 hard toil ? then here is the scene of 
 God's victory. It is His path — it must 
 therefore be yours ; it is His command, 
 and so there is His promise of power 
 and help, for all His commands are 
 promises. Here, along this very path. 
 He would proclaim to the world what 
 
Christianas Triumph. 33 
 
 conquests He has won, that He may be 
 glorified in you. 
 
 Such then is the triumph over the 
 servant, and day by day that proces- 
 sion passes in sight of the world 
 around, proclaiming to all the power 
 and might, the triumph of our King. 
 Thus God triumphs over us. 
 
 It may be asked, " How do we 
 participate in His triumph ? " 
 
 To the Aposde, the truest triumph 
 is to be triumphed over ; to bear 
 about the marks of the bondservant 
 is to be crowned a victor. To see 
 how this is so, we must go deeper 
 than the mere surface. The triumph 
 is only " in Christ " ; that is, as we 
 become members of Him, in union 
 with Him. Here is the element, so 
 to speak, in which the triumph takes 
 place. Outside Christ, nothing : in 
 Him, all. And the entry is by death 
 
34 <St. Paul and the 
 
 — a death unto sin ; the result is Hfe, 
 yea, life unto life. In Him, guilty 
 man's representative, we see infinite 
 merit. Here it is eternally resident, 
 in Him and in Him alone. AVere 
 every grain of dust a ruined soul, there 
 were sufficient merit there to meet 
 each case. And so in naked empti- 
 ness of soul I come, conscious of the 
 aboolute want of any merit whatso- 
 ever, and knowing the deep, deep stain 
 of sin and sin's pollution ; to Him I 
 come, and, kneeling there, I ask His 
 merit, and in asking, I become part of 
 Him, my head. He has triumphed, for 
 He has won me ; but I am at once a 
 member of Him, and the triumph 
 of my Head is mine as well. And 
 so to-day the procession of God's 
 triumph passes by, the incense of His 
 word is burnt, the glorious sight is 
 seen of souls won, of self subdued, of 
 
Christian's Triuuiph. 35 
 
 difficulties swept away, of clouds 
 dispersed. Are you part of that great 
 triumphal scene ? 
 
II. 
 
 THE PURPOSE OF THE CONQUEST. 
 
 2 Cor. ii. 14, 15 : "And maketh manifest the 
 savour of His knowledge by lis in 
 every place. For we are unto God 
 a sweet savour of Christ, in them 
 that are saved, and in them that 
 perish." 
 
 In the previous chapter we traced out 
 the first part of the teaching of this 
 passage — the conquest of the servant. 
 We saw the picture of the great 
 Apostle of the Gentiles, at a time of 
 peculiar difficulty and trial; a time, 
 when all things seemed against him, 
 and his life-work appeared to be 
 threatened with failure. From this 
 trying position we saw him emerge a 
 
The Christian s Triumph. 37 
 
 different man. He had gained an 
 experience which lasted throughout 
 his later years. Never again do we 
 see him torn asunder by the doubts 
 and difficulties around him. Hence- 
 forth there is a calmer trust in Him 
 who had said, " My grace is sufficient 
 for thee." There were difficulties and 
 trials yet to face; there were dis- 
 appointments and discouragements still 
 to come ; but the servant has realized 
 his Master's will and his Master's 
 power, and throughout them all he 
 marches triumphantly onward. From 
 the Apostle we turned to our own case, 
 and, looking back, we saw how, in that 
 first glimpse of the Lord as our blessed 
 hope of safety and acceptance, we were 
 first led captive to His will. Then we 
 realized something deeper. All life, 
 with its varied possessions, its varied 
 circumstances, its duties and its toils, 
 
38 St. Paul and the 
 
 was to be consecrated to His service. 
 This was the conquest of the servant. 
 
 But now, before touching on the 
 more special lessons of these two texts, 
 let us briefly trace out in outline the 
 picture drawn from the metaphor em- 
 ployed by St. Paul. He has before 
 him the thought of the great Roman 
 triumph, and it is to him symbolical of 
 the greater triumph of the Gospel. 
 The victor is God in Christ; the 
 vanquished are the followers of that 
 Lord, owned and captive, conquered 
 to His blessed will and purpose. The 
 scene of the triumph is the world, and 
 the procession is to be found wherever 
 the sound of the Gospel call is pro- 
 claimed, wherever a band of believers 
 is to be met with. One by one he 
 seems to see them added, swelling the 
 ranks of those whose all is no longer 
 their own, but His, their Lord's, to be 
 
Christiaji's Triumph. 39 
 
 dealt with as He sees fit. It is the 
 conquest of the servant. 
 
 The Purpose of the Conquest, 
 AVe now pass to a fresh thought — the 
 purpose of that conquest. But first a 
 brief explanation. Take up St. Paul's 
 wTitings and read them, and you will 
 at onqe be struck with their force of 
 expression. He is, so to speak, carried 
 away. Not for one moment are we to 
 understand this in a bad sense ; no, it 
 is only to be understood of the way in 
 which he expresses himself. To St. 
 Paul the Christian life is a very, very 
 real thing. It is not a thing of the 
 moment, to be taken up for a time 
 and then laid down, again when the 
 inclination' comes to be reassumed. 
 There is no part of life where it has 
 not a claim ; there is no position, no 
 state, no path of duty where self has 
 
40 St. Pmil and the 
 
 a right to say, " This is my affair." 
 No; the Apostle's being, his Hfe, his 
 all, with all its varying shades of ill 
 and joy, of rest or rush, are not so 
 peculiar that his Master's grace has 
 nothing to do with them. Is it a time 
 of sorrow, of bereavement ? The Lord 
 stands by him to comfort and sustain. 
 Is it trial, difficulty, or temptation ? 
 He hears his Master's voice : " My 
 grace is sufficient for thee : for My 
 strength is made perfect in weakness." 
 The result of this keen perception of 
 the continual bearing of the Gospel 
 claim and the Gospel message upon 
 each detail of his daily life is that his 
 thoughts are too quick for words to 
 express them. There is a hidden life 
 in this man, which comes at times to 
 the surface and reveals the workings of 
 his inmost being. His life is like some 
 mighty river. There are the moments 
 
Christianas Triumph. 
 
 of calm and even flow, when he loves 
 to meditate upon the mysteries of his 
 redemption. But while there are times 
 'of even gliding in the stream of life, 
 there are cataracts and rapids too, 
 when thoughts leap and flash before 
 his mind, each following other in quick 
 and rapid succession, so close that one 
 is scarcely thought of ere another has 
 taken its place. His writings reveal 
 this state of mind. He is a man on 
 fire. There is an energy about him 
 which transcends time, so that when he 
 would express his meaning by some 
 illustration, there is often confusion in 
 his metaphors. He passes from thought 
 to thought, from illustration to illustra- 
 tion, so rapidly that he has but half 
 indicated his meaning before he has 
 begun another line of thought, or 
 another lesson. 
 
 To see his meaning we hav^e often to 
 
St. Paul and the 
 
 enter into his life, to understand some- 
 thing of the circumstances under which 
 he wrote, of the society in which he 
 found himself, of the work he had in 
 hand, of the difficulties which beset 
 him. 
 
 Especially is such a study necessary 
 in considering the teaching of the pas- 
 sage before us. 
 
 The Apostle has just been speaking 
 of the internal conquest over mind and 
 will. He sees himself a captive march- 
 ing amid the clouds of incense, which 
 to him is symbolical of the Gospel pro- 
 clamation. And now a fresh thought 
 strikes him as he thinks of the glad 
 tidings which that incense suggests. 
 No longer is the thought of his cap- 
 tivity the prominent one; he is now 
 the bearer of the incense. By being 
 vanquished he has become "a preacher 
 and an apostle; ... a teacher 
 
Christian's Trittinph. 43 
 
 of the Gentiles in faith and verity." 
 He has passed to the purpose of the 
 conquest. This triumphal procession 
 is no mere display of the victor's power 
 and might — no mere pageant ; it has 
 a very definite purpose and object. 
 What is all this continual burning of 
 the incense but the making " manifest 
 the savour of his knowledge in every 
 place " ? The Apostle is a captive, that 
 he may bear about the " sweet savour 
 of Christ." 
 
 And yet another change of thought. 
 The ever-present thought of his bond- 
 service has come to the surface again. 
 Observe the difference between the four- 
 teenth and fifteenth verses. "And 
 maketh manifest the savour of His know- 
 ledge BY us in every place." So runs 
 the fourteenth verse. But the next 
 verse changes the metaphor : " For we 
 are unto God a sweet savour of Christ." 
 
44 ^^- Pciiil ciiid the 
 
 He is not now the bearer of the cen- 
 sor ; he is himself the incense. There 
 comes over him the thought of his 
 work for his Lord and Master, the 
 sense of responsibiHty in his com- 
 mission, and he sees how all connected 
 with his life, his actions, his speech, 
 himself, is to be a proclamation of the 
 grace and power of God. He, in 
 bearing and in character, in contact 
 with his fellow-men, is to be an *' epistle 
 of Clirist." We look into the future of 
 this man, and we see how his whole 
 life is one long exposition of the grace 
 of God. He stands before the disso- 
 lute Felix and pleads his Master's grace, 
 and the force of his belief makes the 
 proud Roman tremble. He is brought 
 before the haughty Agrippa, and his 
 words provoke a sarcasm which thinly 
 veils a heart that has been moved. 
 He pleads in chains before the cruel 
 
CJiristians Triumph. 45 
 
 Nero, and is acquitted. He reasons 
 with the soldiers of his guard, and the 
 light of the Gospel is carried through- 
 out the whole band of the Emperor's 
 bodyguard. It is " the sweet savour of 
 Christ " among them that are perishing. 
 
 What are trials, what are ship- 
 wrecks, what is suffering, but part of 
 the great offering up of self upon the 
 altar of bond-service ? 
 
 It is not here nor there, in this self- 
 chosen spot or that ; it is " in every 
 place." This is his life's work, to 
 spend and be spent in his Master's 
 service, to proclaim by every act, by 
 every word, by every look the grace 
 of God. This is the purpose of his 
 capture, to be " in every place, unto 
 God a sweet savour of Christ." 
 
 Let us no'.v turn to our own case, 
 
46 St. Paid and the 
 
 and ask ourselves, "What is the pur- 
 pose of God's conquest over us ? " 
 
 It is sometimes urged that to be- 
 come a Christian is a selfish thing. Is 
 there not (so it is asked) a selfish 
 motive in men turning to the service 
 of God ? Is not a man most moved 
 when an appeal is made to his self- 
 interest? Now it may be fairly granted 
 that in some cases, either the fear of 
 hell, or the perception of what un- 
 searchable riches the Gospel has to 
 offer, may be an uppermost thought in 
 the mind of a sinner turning from dark- 
 ness to light ; nay, that such an element 
 may be found in all cases, in some 
 more, in some less. But while this 
 may to some extent be conceded, there 
 are two points which such a view dis- 
 regards. It disregards God's side and 
 God's purpose. Looking back to your 
 own conversion, can you not see now 
 
Christian's Triiwiph, 47 
 
 how there were innumerable little 
 things, little events, all of which were un- 
 consciously leading up to that moment 
 when you saw it all, grace, pardon, 
 help, in Him your Lord ? It was the 
 Father drawing you ; you knew it not 
 then, but you see it now. This Avas 
 God's side ; but there was His purpose 
 too. It was that you might be a vessel 
 "meet for His use " j it was that in every 
 place you might proclaim His power ; 
 it was that you might make manifest 
 His knowledge to all with whom you 
 should come in contact. This was 
 His purpose. 
 
 Thus for him who has been called 
 "out of darkness into light" there is a 
 definite path of duty to tread. He is a 
 slave, and all which that word involves. 
 There is nothing that he can call his 
 own — no property, no rights of his own. 
 Yes; we may in all reverence say it, 
 
48 St. Paul and the 
 
 for him, so far as he is indeed a slave, 
 his Master is responsible. And why is 
 he thus a slave? That his Master's 
 will may be his will ; that his Master's 
 wishes may be his too ; that what his 
 Master directs he may do. Thus and 
 thus only is he fitted to be a means of 
 the manifestation of the knowledge of 
 God. It is quite true that the Bible is 
 the means of the dissemination of the 
 Gospel message, the storehouse of an- 
 swers to the problems of life with all 
 its trials, its sorrows, its joys. But all do 
 not, and some will not, read and search 
 within; hence there is an additional 
 way, which in no sense supersedes 
 Scripture, but is constructed on it as a 
 basis, and this way is by the lives of 
 Christian believers, by living epistles. 
 Do you want to see the Master's power 
 in action manifested before your eyes ? 
 Go into all stations of life, and you 
 
Chris I tail's Triumph. 49 
 
 will find examples without end : the 
 drunkard sobered and reclaimed; the 
 swearer changed into the messenger of 
 glad tidings ; the profligate into a use- 
 ful citizen and a fearer of his Maker. 
 These are the modern miracles, mira- 
 cles of grace, not isolated, few and far 
 between, but facts of common every- 
 day experience. It is the manifestation 
 again of that power which changed the 
 swearing tinker into the author of the 
 Pilgrim's Progress, the licentious profli- 
 gate into the pious Bishop of Hippo, 
 the persecuting Saul into the Apostle 
 of the Gentiles. 
 
 Now another side of thought. We 
 have spoken of the actors in the tri- 
 umph ; let us glance at the onlookers, 
 the watchers. In the great Roman 
 triumph scene, thousands lined the 
 streets, the corners, the roofs, their gaze 
 concentrated upon the captives. They 
 
 D 
 
50 St. Paul and the 
 
 watch them closely— their bearing; they 
 look to see whether they walk bravely 
 or dejectedly; their every movement 
 is observed. 
 
 And is it not the same to-day ? The 
 Gospel triumph is watched, ay, and 
 watched closely too; the lives of be- 
 lievers are undergoing the severest 
 scrutin}', the closest examination. 
 Would that we ever recollected this ! 
 I see two great classes of onlookers, 
 each gazing, though with different mo- 
 tives. There are first our fellow Chris- 
 tians. These watch, it may be for 
 help, for example, the younger looking 
 to see how the elder act, the weak in 
 faith watching the strong. Oh ! the 
 power that one life has upon another ! 
 who shall estimate its effect? But 
 these are not tlie only onlookers ; there 
 is the great world around. Here it 
 may be no friendly eye greets us, no 
 
CJiristiaiis Triumph. 51 
 
 sympathetic look. Can they catch the 
 believer belying his profession? Can 
 they see him trip and fall? Or they 
 may be looking on for the purpose of 
 investigation. Is there any truth in 
 what these Christians say about the 
 power to be found in Christ ? If there 
 be, then their lives must show proof 
 of it. And so they look to see if it be 
 so. Oh ! the responsibility of the pro- 
 fession of Christianity. Each action 
 of life a message either of attraction 
 or repulsion to the world around. " I 
 care not " (wrote a sceptic to a friend) 
 "for arguments, for treatises, for words 
 in favour of Christianity. I don't be- 
 lieve them; but there is one thing I 
 cannot get over, and that is my sister's 
 life." 
 
 A word on the place of service. 
 "We are unto God a sweet savour of 
 Christ, in them that are saved, and in 
 
52 S/. Paul and the 
 
 them that perish," writes the Apostle. 
 Christian friend, it is comparatively 
 easy to speak of the Master among 
 "them that are saved." Here we are 
 met with sympathy and response. But 
 it is not only here that the offering up 
 of self in service is to take place. 
 The Christian life is to be no smoul- 
 dering fire blazing up into flame at 
 intervals ; it is to be the clear shining 
 light, steady and bright at all times, a 
 blessed continuity of attractiveness and 
 light. Yes ! for such is the grace that 
 can be obtained. The light of Christ 
 must illuminate the living epistles 
 among " them that perish " as well as 
 among " them that are saved." Here it 
 may be there will meet us no sympathy, 
 no encouragement, but rather ridicule 
 and scorn. Yet here it is that the pro- 
 cession of God's triumph must pass by. 
 Such is the lesson of the second sec- 
 
Christian's TriuinpJi. 53 
 
 tion, the Purpose of the Conquest. It 
 is a manifesting forth "in every place" 
 of "the unsearchable riches of Christ." 
 
 These are days when the busy rush 
 of modern life leaves no time for men 
 to calmly sit down and search for them- 
 selves "whether these things be so." 
 Nor is the spirit of the age favourable 
 to such study. Thus more than ever 
 is it necessary that believing Christians 
 should be living epistles " known and 
 read of all men." It is not merely the 
 preacher on the Sunday, the teacher in 
 the school, whose duty it is to declare 
 Christ. To each believer there is given 
 a commission. There is a message here 
 to the man of business. The nineteenth 
 century is an age when dishonesty 
 abounds and petty tricks are rife; days 
 when attractive discounts are sometimes 
 made possible by false tares or delud- 
 ing weights; days when accounts are 
 
54 St. Paul and the 
 
 rendered incorrectly because, forsooth, 
 recovery of the wrong is precarious ; 
 days when modern science has made 
 it possible to wire some false message 
 which will raise or depress a market, 
 while the guilty sender sweeps into his 
 pocket the hard-earned savings of some 
 poor man or the little all of the widow 
 and the fatherless. As a professing Chris- 
 tian how are you living amidst all this ? 
 Here is the spot to let the light shine, 
 to be a sweet savour of Christ "among 
 them that perish." There is a message 
 here also to those whose hves are spent 
 chiefly at home. Are you a head 
 of the house, a master or mistress? 
 How are you letting your light shine 
 among your servants, your employes? 
 Or are you a servant? Is Christianity 
 such a real thing to you that all work 
 is ennobled by it — nothing so menial 
 but that it is by His power made the 
 
Christianas Triiimph. 55 
 
 doing of His will, the working out of 
 which makes the most menial duty the 
 highest service ? 
 
 Are you a young man, surrounded 
 by a young man's temptations ? Then 
 show that true manhness is to be found 
 in following Him, your Lord, owned 
 and confessed before all. 
 
 It is a call, a high call this, to follow 
 where He leads, to speak when He 
 bids, to serve when He commands, to 
 ever be offering heart, soul, will and 
 body on the altar of bond- service. 
 
 Friend, have you recognised this 
 call? 
 
III. 
 
 THE EFFECT OF THE SERVANT'S 
 WORK. 
 
 2 Cor. ii. i6 : "To the one we are the savour 
 of death unto death; and to the other 
 the savour of life unto Hfe. And who 
 is sufficient for these things?" 
 
 Step by step we have been tracing out 
 the progress of the Gospel triumph. 
 We have seen how our captivity, begun 
 in conversion, was carried on in that 
 consecration of self and selfs interests to 
 the will and service of our Conqueror. 
 By us, the captive slaves, the sweet 
 odour of the Gospel message was to be 
 wafted far and wide ; we were to be the 
 bearers of that incense on the path of 
 triumphal procession. And yet more : 
 not only were we to be the bearers — we 
 
The Christians Triumph. 57 
 
 were ourselves to be the incense, con- 
 veying in word, in action, in movement, 
 yea, in the smallest observable detail of 
 our lives, "a sweet savour of Christ." 
 The slaves were to be at once the 
 messengers and the message. In this 
 verse we pass away from ourselves, our 
 relationship to the Victor, our work 
 and service for Him, to the effect of 
 that work upon the world at large. In 
 the previous chapter we saw how St. 
 Paul, possessed as he was by the eager- 
 ness of one to whom his Master and his 
 Master's power was a very real thing, 
 passed from thought to thought with a 
 rapidity which involved his metaphor 
 of the Roman triumph in continual 
 changes. Here we have the final 
 change. 
 
 It is still the triumphal procession 
 which he has in view, but the actors 
 in it are different. It was customary 
 
58 St. Pmd and the 
 
 upon these great occasions of rejoicing 
 for the prisoners who were thus led in 
 triumph, or at least some of them, to 
 march as far as the foot of the Capito- 
 line Hill. Here a halt was made, 
 and those who had graced the victors' 
 triumph were led away, and in some 
 dark and gloomy vault were strangled. 
 Thus as the procession wended its way 
 through the streets, made fragrant by 
 the burning incense, there would be a 
 twofold feeling suggested by the smell. 
 To those who had gained the victory 
 it suggested the glad welcome of their 
 fellow citizens, and as street by street 
 was traversed, the thought of favours 
 to be bestowed upon them, of broad 
 lands and possessions to be granted, 
 was prominent. But to the others, 
 the wretched vanquished, each step 
 was but one further advance to an 
 awful end ; each smoking altar with 
 
Christian's Triumph. 59 
 
 its fragrant smell was but an odour 
 of destruction. That which was to one 
 the suggestion of a life of comfort and 
 of peace was at the same instant to 
 the other a suggestion of gloom and 
 death. 
 
 This is the thought which is promi- 
 nent in tlie Apostle's mind in this verse. 
 His view has widened. Not now the 
 {^•<s captive slaves, the fishermen of 
 Galilee, the slaves of some great man's 
 household, the pious women of some 
 Jewish synagogue — these are not the 
 only captives. No ; it is the whole 
 world, men and women of every rank 
 and every class — all are there in that 
 great procession. He is there, too, 
 but not now among the vanquished, 
 but a victor, for he is one of those to 
 whom the incense is a " savour of life 
 unto life." But all are not so. That 
 incense, which to the Apostle is the 
 
6o St. Paid and the 
 
 preaching of the word of God, is there- 
 fore to that great gathering of all who 
 come within its reach of twofold sug- 
 gestion. To some that word, bright 
 with the glorious promises of a life to 
 come, and of a present endued and 
 enlightened by a mighty power, is a 
 " savour of life unto life " ; but to the 
 others, who accept it not, the same 
 proclamation which to the former was 
 so bright is to them *' a savour of death 
 unto death." 
 
 This is the main lesson of the six- 
 teenth verse — the effect of the servant's 
 work. 
 
 The Effect of the Servant's Work. 
 
 Terribly solemn and heart-searching 
 thought — the effect of a Christian's 
 work ! AVhat a testimony to itself the 
 Gospel is in its result ! Proclaim it 
 anywhere ; lift up the Crucified one to 
 
Christians TriinnpJi. 6i 
 
 ihe eyes of all around you, and watch 
 the result. 
 
 There is an instant interest of some 
 SORT among all who hear — an interest 
 of attention or of irritation. There is 
 nothing similar to it to be found. 
 Talk to some one about philosophy, 
 or art, or music, and you will meet with 
 only a partial interest. Some will be 
 interested in what you say, but others 
 will show none. Not so the Gospel. 
 Wherever it is mentioned or pro- 
 claimed, there is an interest— either a 
 glad and joyful one, or an opposition ; 
 ay, even in those who appear most 
 uninterested, there is, if we could see 
 deep enough, some feeling either of 
 longing or of dislike. Proclaim it to 
 the worldling, whose mind and thoughts 
 are fixed on the pleasures of the 
 moment, and see at once the irritation 
 which it produces. Or join in some 
 
62 St. Paul and the 
 
 group, and ask them the question, 
 ''What think ye of Christ?" No 
 matter how appropriate to the moment 
 the question may be, there is an in- 
 stant revealing of the hearts of those 
 present. The covert sneer, the un- 
 easy look, the attempt to change the 
 conversation, all show the hidden life 
 of each. But commune with a little 
 band of believing disciples, and note 
 at once how the thought of present 
 and future possessions, of a Master 
 loved and known, lights up the face of 
 each. In all ages, in all times, the 
 effect has been the same. How is it ? 
 It is that there is a Divine power 
 underlying that proclamation. It is 
 that wheresoever that Gospel is pro- 
 claimed, a Divine Spirit is taking of 
 the things of Christ, and showing them 
 to men. Yes, it is that Christ is the 
 test of the human heart. 
 
Christians Triumph. 63 
 
 In old times a certain dark-blue 
 stone was supposed to be a test for 
 gold, and in modern times certain 
 acids actually have that power. Now 
 that which gives them this power is 
 that they attack alloy. Here then is 
 an illustration of how it comes to pass 
 that Christ is the test of the human 
 heart : He attacks alloy. 
 
 A man's character may be defined 
 to be what he is. Now what a man 
 is, is determined by what he loves. 
 Something is brought before him, and 
 he loves it. Why does he ? Because 
 that something awakens a response in 
 his heart; it has touched some hid- 
 den cord which at once vibrates. In 
 other words, he loves that which has 
 some affinity to himself. Therefore, 
 that which he loves determines what 
 he is. 
 
 Apply the unerring test : *' What 
 
64 St. Paul and the 
 
 think ye of Christ ? " At once a pro- 
 cess of examination commences, not 
 always entirely open to observation, 
 yet to some extent apparent. AVhat 
 is it ? It is the testing power, which is 
 *' Christ crucified," either attacking the 
 alloy or revealing the gold. If the 
 question be addressed to the man of 
 pleasure, then at once his thoughts fly 
 to the things he holds most dear, and 
 he finds that the claims of the Gospel 
 come in t(f opposition with their claims. 
 This is the test attacking alloy. But 
 that very attacking is a revelation, a 
 dragging to light of the existence of 
 that alloy, pleasure, secret sins, or 
 whatever in any particular case it may 
 be ; and this, as we have seen, is to 
 declare what that man is in character, 
 in himself. If on the other hand the 
 question is addressed to the believer, 
 at once liis thoughts fly to the things 
 
Christian's Triumph. 65 
 
 he holds most dear. But these are 
 comprehended in Him who owns him, 
 and thus there is no clashing of claims. 
 The want of opposition is a revelation 
 of the gold, and this is to proclaim 
 such a one to be in union with his 
 Lord. Hence the result of the Gospel 
 proclamation is a dividing, for it reveals 
 into the light of day the thoughts and 
 intents of the hearts of men. 
 
 How often we hear it said that it is 
 unjust and wrong to speak of saved 
 and lost, of converted and uncon- 
 verted ! And yet the Gospel is itself 
 a sifter, and though the final judg- 
 ment must rest with Him who looks 
 deeper than man can see, case after 
 case exists where the presentation of 
 the Light declares at once the lovers 
 of darkness or the dwellers in light. 
 No neutral ground exists in relation 
 to " Him with whom we have to do." 
 
 E 
 
66 St. Paul and the 
 
 It is a strict " either, or." Of this two- 
 fold effect it remains to speak. 
 
 " For we are unto God a sweet 
 savour of Christ in them that are 
 saved, and in them that perish ; to the 
 one we are the savour of death unto 
 death, and to the other the savour of 
 life unto life." 
 
 What do the expressions mean, 
 "death unto death" and "life unto 
 life"? Take the last first. In order 
 to understand to some extent the 
 Apostle's meaning, we must compare 
 as a commentary our Lord's words in 
 the tenth chapter and tenth verse of 
 St. John's Gospel : "I am come that 
 they might have life, and that they 
 might have it more abundantly." 
 
 Here is a twofold aspect, life and life 
 more abundant. What do we mean by 
 these terms? Go into some one of 
 our large cities, and see the teeming 
 
Christian's Triumph. 6"/ 
 
 thousands of the poor, the outcast ; 
 mingle in the groups of those who 
 know not God, save to use His name 
 in some foul curse. Here lift up the 
 Gospel banner, tell of a Saviour who 
 died for them, whose blood can cleanse 
 each stain, who loves them and would 
 call them to Him. On these dry and 
 crumbling bones the Spirit of God 
 breathes, and lo ! here one and there 
 one, a changed man, the drunken and 
 the profligate changed into sober and 
 God-fearing men and women. How is 
 it ? This is the result of acceptance, of 
 forgiveness. This is life. But it is 
 not only the poor and outcast who can 
 obtain the wondrous gift of life. Here 
 is one who to all appearance lives an 
 honest, upright life, and yet he feels 
 there is something lacking. What is 
 it ? It is the calm peace of forgiveness 
 found and realized. But he takes his 
 
6S St. Paul and the 
 
 stand on the atoning merits of his 
 Lord. That which was hard to do 
 before is now easy, for a new life is 
 his, a life sustained by union with his 
 Master. This is what the Apostle 
 means by life, a living union with 
 Christ to be obtained by the accept- 
 ance of Him as the propitiation for 
 our sins, as our surety, as our atone- 
 ment. Is this life yours? It can be, 
 for He has said, '' Him that cometh 
 unto Me I will in no wise cast out " 
 (John vi. 37). What is that coming? 
 It is the bringing to Christ of self, with 
 no pretensions to righteousness of any 
 sort, in the full consciousness that self 
 has "sinned, and come short of the 
 glory of God" (Rom. iii. 23). It is 
 the coming to Him and finding there 
 the pardon of the past, the acceptance 
 now and for the future. In this com- 
 ing you will find " all things have be- 
 
Christian's Triumph. 69 
 
 come new," and this lo you will be 
 life, yes, life eternal. But what is life 
 more abundant? How many know 
 what life is, and yet do not know to 
 any real extent what life more abundant 
 is! 
 
 Here is some poor, sick woman shut 
 out from all the bright world around her, 
 enclosed in some lonely garret, where 
 the pure air of heaven enters tainted and 
 polluted. Draw near and see how that 
 pale face is lit up by some wondrous 
 power. Listen as she tells how easy 
 she has found the long hours of pain 
 to be — easy because He, her life, her 
 all, has shown Himself to her heart by 
 faith. What is this power ? It is hfe 
 more abundant ; it is a nearer drawing 
 to, a fuller acceptance of, the life which 
 is Christ Himself. 
 
 Are you, friend, situated in some 
 peculiarly trying position, a position 
 
70 St. Paul and the 
 
 which tends to produce irritation, which 
 tries the temper ? Do you find it easy 
 to give way under the pressure of the 
 moment ? But do you know what life 
 more abundant is? You will find that 
 He has infinite resources, boundless 
 sympathy ; then entrust to His safe 
 keeping that trying position. He will 
 meet its needs, each and all. 
 
 Or, is it the daily round of business, 
 with its countless temptations, its end- 
 less worries ? But are you a believer ? — 
 one who has found pardon ? Yet why 
 stop here ? Pardon is but the step to 
 peace, and peace to power. Then 
 chmb those steps : they are but fur- 
 ther realizations, further leanings on 
 Him, the great Care-bearer. You will 
 find Him true, and the result will be 
 life more abundant. But is your posi- 
 tion one that varies in difficulties } — to- 
 day here, to-morrow there, each place 
 
Christians Triumph. 7 1 
 
 with its own temptations, its own 
 peculiar trials, its own little irritations ? 
 Does your life seem, like some frail 
 bark, to be tossed hither and thither 
 by the angry waves of this world's 
 troubles and trials ? Then for you, 
 with just these varied trials, these 
 varied temptations, there exists life 
 more abundant. You will find, if you 
 seek it, grace for grace (or, as the 
 original beautifully suggests, grace over 
 against grace) in time of need. On 
 this side grace, and, if tossed to the 
 other side, there will be found grace 
 there too. This is what the Apostle 
 means by life unto life, an ever-ad- 
 vancing series of fresh revelations, fresh 
 draughts at the well of life, until at 
 length we all come to the fulness of 
 life which is the true fulfilment of it all 
 — life in the glory above, in the abiding 
 presence of Him, the great Life Giver. 
 
72 St. Paul and the 
 
 Do you know anything of what " life 
 unto life" means? 
 
 Would that we could stop here ; but 
 no. The Apostle speaks of "death 
 unto death." Alas ! that the same 
 glorious proclamation should be to 
 some an occasion of condemnation ! 
 How often we hear the awful phrase, 
 Gospel hardened ! 
 
 The word of God is preached, and 
 it pierces to each heart. Here is one — 
 it may be one who has realized for the 
 first time that the Gospel has a claim 
 upon his life. The light is playing 
 upon him just on that spot where the 
 alloy is. One of two things must 
 happen : either that heart must melt, 
 or (terrible alternative !) it must 
 harden. The man may be much struck 
 by the call ; his mind may be much 
 disturbed, thoughts, possibilities, ques- 
 tionings overwhelm him. Now is the 
 
Christian's Tritimpli. ' 73 
 
 devil's opportunity. " There is some- 
 thing good and true," whispers the Evil 
 One, " in all that you have heard. It 
 is so weighty that you must think over 
 it. Do not decide in a hurry." And 
 so for that time the call is disregarded. 
 Again and again the call comes, and 
 again and again put off, each time 
 easier than the last. Years, it may be, 
 roll by, opportunities become fewer 
 and fewer, till at length conscience is 
 lulled to sleep, and the voice of the 
 pleader silenced. This is what the 
 Apostle means by " death unto death." 
 Such a one began being " dead in 
 trespasses and sins" (Eph. ii. i), and 
 each rejection was one more seal on 
 the reality of that death, and the end 
 must be the second death : it was 
 
 "death unto death." 
 
 * * * * 
 
 If such be the effect of the servants' 
 
74 ^^- Paid and the 
 
 work, " Who is sufficient for these 
 things?" I hear the voice of one 
 who says, " My grace is sufficient for 
 thee : for My strength is made perfect 
 in weakness " (2 Cor. xii. 9), and I 
 hear the Apostle handing on the mes- 
 sage which he himself had proved true 
 in the words, " God is able to make 
 all grace abound toward you ; that ye, 
 ahvays having all sufficiency in all 
 things, may abound to every good 
 work " (2 Cor. ix. 8). 
 
 Yes, the Master is sufficient. 
 
 Is it the first step you hesitate to 
 take — the coming out upon the victor's 
 side ? Then behold in Him the Cruci- 
 fied, sufficient merits, a full and perfect 
 atonement, a perfect safety. 
 
 Is it the letting go of some cherished 
 idol, the fuller consecration of life and 
 life's concerns ? Then " He is able 
 to give thee much more than this " 
 
Christian's Triumph. 75 
 
 (2 Chron. xxv. 9) ; yes, even this choice 
 possession, which you freely surren- 
 der to Him and for Him. 
 
 Is it the difficulty and responsibility 
 of service ? Recollect that you can 
 do all things through " Christ, which 
 strengtheneth you," and ''cast all your 
 care upon Him, for He careth for 
 you" (i Pet. V. 7). 
 
 The Lord Himself, your peace, your 
 hope, your perfect satisfaction, is the 
 secret of your everlasting triumph. 
 
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