SERMON XLIX. THE CHRISTIAN PRIZE. PHIL. iii. 14. I press toward the mark for the Prize of the high calling of THESE words at first sight may seem to be something obscure, but we shall easily see into the meaning of them, if we first cast our eye a while upon what goes before. The Apostle is here discoursing of the great advantages he had by being a Christian, above what he could ever have expected in the Jewish religion, notwithstanding that he had as much to trust to in it, as any other, or rather more. He was "circumcised the eighth day," as the law required, "of the stock of Israel, of the famous tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; his ancestors both of his father's and mother's side, having been all along not proselytes, but of the Hebrew race, "and as touching the law," he was a Pharisee, which Phil. 3. 4,5. was the strictest sect of all their religion, and yet he had lived in it "from the beginning." And by that means, was Acts 26. 5. not only a professor, but a great zealot for the law, so as for the sake of that to persecute the Church of Christ; "and ver. 6. as touching the righteousness which is in the law, he was blameless." No man could accuse him of having ever broken any part of the Mosaic law, either moral or ceremonial; for he, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, had "walked Luke 1. 6. in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." And all this he had done, not like other Pharisees, hypocritically, to be seen of men, but heartily, sincerely, out of pure conscience; for he himself, when inspired with the SERM. Holy Ghost, said, "I have lived in all good conscience be XLIX. Acts 23. 1. ver. 7. ver. 8, 9. fore God until this day." These certainly were very great things which St. Paul had attained to in the Jewish religion, and such as one would think were sufficient to justify him before God; and so, questionless, he himself thought as long as the veil was upon his face, but when that was done away in Christ, he presently saw the contrary, and therefore saith, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." And as if that had not been enough, he adds, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may 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;" where he plainly speaks of a twofold righteousness, the one he calls his "own," the other, that which is" through the faith of Christ;" the one he saith, was in vóμou, of the Law,' the other, iz oũ, of God by faith:' the first which he calls his "own righteousness," which is "of the Law," must needs be the same he before spake of where he said, "That as touching the righteousness which is in the Law, he was blameless;" which cannot without manifest absurdity be understood only of the ceremonial law, as if he thought that the observance of that, without obedience to the moral law, was any righteousness at all, much less such as he there saith, that he "might have had confidence in," as well or better than any other man. And besides, he himself puts it beyond all doubt, that he had all along made conscience of keeping the whole Law of God, moral as well as ceremonial, in that he saith, in the place before quoted, "I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." This therefore was his righteousness which was "of the Law," and which he might very well "have confidence in," as much as any man whatsoever; and so, questionless, he had till his eyes were opened, but then he looked upon it as nothing, as 1 Cor. 4. 4. to his justification before God; "For," saith he, "I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified." Yea, he "counted" this and "all things" else "but loss and dung," ver. 6. ver. 4. in comparison of that other righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, "the righteousness which is of God by faith," which expressions can mean no less, than that this other righteousness is not of ourselves, by any thing that we ourselves can do, but wholly of God; and that it is made or reckoned ours only "through the faith of Christ," and therefore the Apostle desiring to have this righteousness whereby to be accounted righteous before God, he for that purpose desires to be "found in Christ," in whom alone it is to be had; that being made by faith a member of Christ, he might be interessed in His merits, and have a share in His righteousness, so as by that to be justified or accounted righteous before God; and accordingly our Church hath rightly declared, "That we are accounted righteous before Art. 11. God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings." But that we may the better understand the excellency of this righteousness, and so the reason wherefore he desired so earnestly to be found in Christ, he adds, "That I may Phil. 3. 10. know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings." He desired it first that he might know and acknowledge Christ in general, as He is revealed in the Gospel, and more particularly that he might know and feel" the power of His resurrection," that power which He by virtue of His resurrection conferred upon His Church, by sending His Holy Spirit to abide with it for ever, to quicken the sound members of it, to raise them up to newness of life, and to enable them to fulfil all righteousness, "so as that they can do all things through Christ which Phil. 4. 13. strengtheneth them." By which means the righteousness, which they thus perform by the power of Christ's resurrection, far exceeds all other, as being performed by the grace and Spirit of Christ, of God Himself. But then he desired to be found in Christ, that he might know also by his own experience "the fellowship" or communion "of His sufferings;" that being in Christ he might have a share in His sufferings, which are communicated to all His members, so that they partake of all the merits of Christ's death and passion, and have such an interest in them, that the defects of their obedience are thereby made up, and they are accepted XLIX. SERM. and accounted as righteous before God; and this is that which the Apostle therefore calls "the righteousness which is of God," because it is performed only by the grace of His Spirit, and accepted of, only through the merits of that death which He suffered for us; and seeing it is only by faith or believing in Christ, that we can partake either of His Spirit to enable us to perform it, or of His merit to make it acceptable to God, therefore it is here called, "That which is through the faith of Christ, and the righteousness which is of God by faith." Phil. 3. 10, 11. ver. 12. After this the Apostle adds, " Being made conformable to His death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." I know these sentences are usually divided, but I put them together, because the original text seems to require it, and so doth the sense of the place; for the Apostle, proceeding upon his former doctrine, still goes on to shew, why he desired so much to be found in Christ, even that having by His Spirit mortified the deeds of the flesh, and so "being" made "conformable to His death," he might, if" by any means" he could, "attain unto the resurrection of the dead," that is, to such a state of perfection which the Saints shall be advanced to, when risen from the dead, as the Apostle himself explains that phrase in the following words, saying, "Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect." Some perhaps might have thought that he had attained to perfection already, but that he denies, "But," saith he, "I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended” or laid hold on "by Christ Jesus," even that I might be wholly and perfectly His. I have insisted the longer upon this remarkable place of Scripture, because there are several passages in it, which to me seem to be generally mistaken; and I have endeavoured to give you the true sense of the whole, as clearly as I could without troubling you with any criticisms about it; and I have done it now, the better to clear the way to my text, which could not so well be understood without it; but now we may easily apprehend the whole drift and design of it: for the Apostle having thus discoursed of the great privileges and advantages which they have who are in Christ, above other people, particularly in that they have another righteousness to trust to besides their own, and another power and Spirit to guide, assist and govern them in their actions, the same whereby Christ was raised from the dead, and by which they also may therefore be raised to the highest degree of perfection which their nature is capable of, if they do but apprehend or lay hold upon it aright: he now proceeds, to shew us what care he himself took to improve these mighty advantages to his own eternal good. Brethren," saith he, "I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." As if he had said in general; Brethren, I would not have you think that I have as yet made that full use of the grace which is offered me in the Gospel of Christ, so as to attain to a state of absolute perfection by it, for I myself reckon that I have not; but this one thing I can say of myself, that not regarding what I have already done in it, but I have still to do, I make it my constant business to get as near unto it as I can, that so I may be sure at last to obtain that crown of glory to which God in so high and heavenly a manner hath called me in Christ Jesus.' This is the plain meaning of the words. But the Apostle writing to the Philippians, who living in Macedonia, where men commonly ran races for a certain prize, which he who came first to the goal or mark, received, were very well acquainted with the terms used upon those occasions; he therefore to make his meaning the clearer to them, expresseth it in that language. Heaven, or eternal glory and happiness he calls a "prize:" this prize God, as the judge sitting on high, calls all to, that have a mind to run for it; but it is given them, not as won by themselves, but in Christ Jesus; for it is the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." That degree of Evangelical perfection, to which this prize is promised, the Apostle calls "the mark," which whosoever gets to, shall certainly have the said prize: therefore the Apostle "pressed towards" that "mark," had it still in his eye, and did all he could to come to it; and for DD |