Paul, in writing to the Philippians, employs the following language: "Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." Phil. iv. 1. And to the Thessalonians he writes thus: "For what is our hope, our joy, or crown of rejoicing. Are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" 1 Thess. ii. 19. Here believers are called a crown of the apostles, because they were an ornament, an honor to their ministry. As a crown was regarded as an ornament and honor to the victor, so believers were an ornament and an honor to the apostles of truth. This language is highly figurative. As though Paul had said: "If my labors are now to be terminated, and my course on earth to be finished, I have the consciousness of having labored faithfully in the cause of the Master; the gospel I have proclaimed will gain adherents, and believers will be multiplied to the faith of the Lord Jesus. I have sowed seed which will bear fruit even to a hundred fold; bands of believers will rise up on every hand to defend the same glorious truth, and do honor to the memory of the apostles." And so it was. Converts were multiplied to the truth, churches were established through their instrumentality, and the word of God grew mightily and prevailed. Those self-sacrificing and faithful apostles were crowned in the affections of the people, and have even now an exalted and honorable place in the affections of every Christian heart. Though Paul

might die by the hand of the persecutor, yet the day was approaching when persecution would cease and divine truth would triumph, and faithful and devoted bands of Christians would testify to the fidelity of the apostles, who, figuratively speaking, would constitute a crown of righteousness; that is, they would be an ornament and honor to the apostles. They would be living witnesses to the truth as it is in Jesus, and would bear testimony to the faithfulness of the apostles, whom they would respect and honor, and whose teachings would be authoritative, and whose virtues would be worthy of emulation. These would remember the work of the apostles, and would constitute their joy and crown of righteousness.

ATTAIN UNTO THE RESURRECTION.

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."-PHILIPPIANS iii. 11.

Many confused and erroneous ideas have been entertained in regard to the meaning of these words of the apostle. They have frequently been urged in support of the theory, that human effort is essential to the resurrection of man to a life of immortal blessedness. But there is neither sound sense, correct philosophy, nor Scripture evidence to warrant such a conclusion. We are nowhere informed by the inspired penman, that the resurrection state could be attained, or reached by human effort; and the apostle teaches this, if he has any reference to the immortal resurrection of man from the dead.

The Scriptures nowhere teach that the resurrection from the dead can be attained by human agency. Man can do nothing by which he can merit a future state of conscious existence. The present life is the free gift of God, and a future life will also be the unpurchased gift of our heavenly Father; and not of works, lest any man should

boast. Paul never designed to teach that he could attain unto the resurrection of the dead by his own effort! But he did distinctly teach this, if his language applies to the literal resurrection of man from the dead, than which nothing can be more absurd!

What resurrection, then, is here referred to by the apostle? Evidently, a moral resurrection a spiritual resuscitation and quickening through the power of the truth, and individual application of christian principles to the heart and life. The context shows this. Paul is speaking words of encouragement to his brethren, and refers to the sacrifices he had made to become a follower of Christ, and urges them to renewed fidelity and consecration to the cause of Christ. He speaks of the superior excellency of the gospel of Christ, and of his readiness to abandon everything else for him; he counted all things as refuse that he might win Christ; "and be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

We do not understand the apostle to express a wish here to suffer on the cross as did Jesus, and literally to be made "conformable unto his death." All he meant was, to express a desire to be gov

erned by the same self-sacrificing spirit that Christ manifested in the execution of his heavenly mission, and to "attain " a high state of moral perfection and purity, and to live above the world, as though he was already in the resurrection state. He expressed a desire to be uplifted above the power of appetite, and the temptations of the flesh, and to be dead to sin, and constantly alive unto God.

The same sentiment is expressed in the 6th chapter of Romans, 6th verse as follows: "Knowing this that the old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, and henceforth we should not serve sin." When the "old man "" was crucified, and the apostle put on the "new man," he knew Christ and the power of his resurrection; he was elevated to a high plane of christian attainment, and he desired to be animated by the self-sacrificing spirit of Christ, and made conformable unto his death, that he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead; or, in other words, that he might reach such a high plane of moral purity and christian excellence, that he would be transformed into the image of Christ, and even into the likeness of Christ's resurrection. He expressed a desire to be dead unto sin, and alive unto God, and to live as though he were already in the resurrection state.

Paul had not then attained that exalted position; for he adds: "Not as though I had already attained, neither were already perfect, but I follow after,