From what St. Paul had said in a few verses before, he feared, lest he should have seemed to make himself sure of salvation, without the necessity of any further anxiety or labour; as if he might rest quietly satisfied with his present views and attainments; and had nothing to do, but to wait for the certain result. And truly, if such confidence and relaxation could ever have been justified, it must have been in the case of this apostle; witness the sacrifices which he had made for the gospel; his unswerving and invincible faith; his holiness of character; his unparallelled labours; and the many signal marks of divine blessing, with which he had been distinguished.
But still, he was far from presuming in this way; and the resolution which he expresses in the text, and the account which he gives of his own spirit and conduct, may furnish us with a very suitable lesson, and teach us the absolute necessity of continued watchfulness and diligence and perseverance unto the end; may teach us, that we are not, as the prophet Ezekiel expresses it, to “trust in our own righteousness;” [405] in any principles we have formed, any views we have entertained, any holiness we have acquired, any experiences with which we have been blessed; and thus grow heedless and secure: but, that the further we advance, the more we must be convinced of the need of exertion; the more we shall find to do, and the more we shall be enabled to do: who loiters, loses; loses the advantage of the ground he has gone over; loses the means of a victorious and successful accomplishment.
It will be improving, to those, who listen with humble and teachable hearts, who spiritually receive the word of God as the teaching of the Spirit of God, if we repeat a considerable portion of the important passage connected with the text; let us begin then with the 7th verse. “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, 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, (all earthly things) and do count them but dung, (as mere refuse and worthlessness) 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: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death, (by dying to sin that I may live to God;) if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead,” (to that perfect felicity, to which the saints are admitted at the resurrection.) From these words, it might have appeared to some, as if the apostle had expected his great object to be already accomplished; as if he had arrived at a state of faith and holiness, by which he had actually secured this felicity, independently of any further vigilance or labour: and therefore he immediately adds, by way of caution and correction: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, (keep following after the object before me,) if that I may apprehend that, (may lay hold of that prize,) for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus;” (for which He, as it were, has graciously laid hold of me, arresting me in my course of blindness and obstinacy, as a malignant persecutor of Him and His gospel.) Then follows the text; “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended;” I reckon not upon the prize as actually won; however high and fervent my hope, however undoubted my assurance of ultimate success, I cannot be careless, I must not diminish my anxiety or activity; my hope can only be sustained in proportion to my vigour in the contest; success must depend upon my unbending resolution and unabating constancy: the victory is not gained in the middle of the course, and cannot be gained till it is finished.
Many of us, no doubt, are aware, that the apostles, as well as our blessed Lord, were in the habit of drawing their observations and modes of instruction from the common transactions of daily life; from the circumstances, by which they were surrounded; from the manners and customs of the people, amongst whom they sojourned. Thus, when our Lord called Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen, to be His disciples, He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And St. Paul, on the occasion before us, alludes to certain games or sports, generally celebrated, and highly esteemed by the people, whom he was addressing. One of these games was the foot-race, in which a number of competitors contended together for the prize; and, in the result of which, they and their friends were deeply interested. Severe was the previous training, which it was necessary for them to undergo; and great and persevering the exertion necessary, in order to gain the prize. It would readily occur to their minds, that if the racer, who was out-stripping his opponents, were so to please himself by the advantage he had gained, by thinking of the ground he had successfully gone over, as to relinquish his efforts, as to stop and look back upon his wonderful feats, and indolently enjoy his satisfaction, that, by such folly he would soon lose his superiority, that his past endeavours would have been to little or no purpose; it would be perfectly manifest to them, that nothing could ensure his success, but the continuance of that activity, which had placed him foremost in the trial.
Agreeably to this view and this figure, the apostle took his resolution, and formed his principle and conduct in the christian race. “This one thing I do;” this is the unswerving purpose of my soul, this the plan and object by which my whole course is constantly regulated; “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth, (stretching out and forward all the faculties of my body and soul) to those things which are before, I press toward the mark.” Great and successful as his attainments already were, he did not dwell upon them with a complacence and security, which should induce him to relax; on the contrary, he forgot them, in the comparison and prospect of the exertions which yet remained.
And how much less reason have we, my brethren, to be satisfied with our past character, with any thing that we have already achieved. Woe to me! (may many of us say,) how large a portion of my time has been consumed in indifference and trifling! how long was it before I earnestly set out in the race at all! and even after it was begun, I proceeded carelessly and supinely, as if the prize had not been worth contending for. How idly and insufficiently did I prepare for the contest; expecting to gain the victory without a sacrifice or a struggle! yea, and perhaps the best of us may look rather with shame than satisfaction upon our christian attainments: how much further might we have advanced, than we have done, if we had commenced the good work in earlier life, or been more diligent: how much more enlightened might our minds have now been, had we more fervently sought, and more implicitly yielded to, the teaching of the Spirit of God; had we been more frequently and earnestly “searching the scriptures,” more devout in meditation and more constant in prayer: how much more purified our hearts, and “cleansed from all unrighteousness,” by a more sincere and unqualified subjection to the divine will; how much higher our affections elevated, had they been more conversant with heaven; how much more firmly and blamelessly our feet have been fixed in the way of God’s commandments, in all the blessed ordinances of the gospel, in the narrow path of life eternal, had we been more zealously and faithfully walking with God. Nearer should we have been drawn to Him, in holier and happier communion, had we not been so long, and so often, cold and remiss.
No, my brethren, we have no reason to be dwelling, with such delight and confidence, upon the progress we have already made, as to feel ourselves privileged to be content. In no case, would this be considered the evidence of a true christian principle or view; in no case, would it be the means of safety; nor even consistent with the hope of salvation; no, not even in an apostle; much less in us, whose faith is so weak, whose knowledge so moderate, whose resolutions so wavering, whose attainments so comparatively poor. On the contrary, we should sorrow over our past failings; be deeply affected on considering how far we have come short of what was required of us; and heartily desire and pray, that the grievous remembrance may stimulate us to fresh endeavours, with a “new heart and a new spirit;” that so we may be “reaching forth to those things which are before.” All that we have well done, and all that we have left undone, should have, for this purpose, the same effect; experiencing the blessed consequences of our holy labour, on the one hand, we should be animated and encouraged to persevere in the conflict, that we may gather thereby additional comfort and success; and sensible of our deficiencies, on the other hand, in a work of such inconceivable and everlasting importance, we should be anxious to repair our neglect; and thankful for our opportunity of “redeeming the time,” and making further advances.
Thank God, whatever our negligence may have been, all is not lost; the course is yet before us, and we may go onward in the spirit and strength of the Lord; the prize is yet before us, and it may be won. But it requires a full purpose of heart, a fixed determination, an undaunted courage, a strenuous exercise of every faculty and every nerve: all that we are, and have, must be devoted to the securing of the one great object. All the talents of reason, with which our Creator has endued us; all the energy of grace, with which our souls are supplied, must incessantly be brought to bear upon our high and holy calling. We must be daily and hourly proceeding; no lingering, longing looks upon the world we are leaving behind us; no loitering amid its vanities and follies; no backsliding to its sinful pleasures and pursuits; no declining from the strict line of duty, as if it were become wearisome, as if it were not fully believed to be right or requisite: “the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them who believe to the saving of the soul.” [415]
St. Paul says, “I press toward the mark;” alluding to the mark, or line, drawn across the end of the course, to shew where it terminated. The end of our course is death; that is the mark, to which we must constantly press; never, till we reach it, can our striving be over, can the victory be gained. If we perceive ourselves languishing or weary, if the enemy of our souls would tempt us, as he undoubtedly will do, to indolence or repose, let us instantly pray to our Almighty Father, for a double portion of His Holy Spirit, and he will enable us to renew our vigour, and maintain our stedfastness. Yea, though the race be so protracted, that our limbs may be growing feeble with age, and our vital energies decaying, still we shall be inspirited with a courage and strength, that will be found abundantly sufficient; and as we near the end, our hopes will rise, and our prospect will brighten; the weakness of nature will be assisted and compensated by a merciful increase of faith; and we shall press onward, through the latter part of the trial, with holier confidence and fuller expectation.
And all this, “for the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.” What was it, that led the people of former days, to enter into the list, and engage in the race? Why were they content to undergo such previous hardships and privations, in order to qualify them for the task? Why did they exert themselves in the contest, so laboriously and painfully, as if willing to sacrifice their lives in the struggle? It was for a little crown of withering leaves; for the honour of their countrymen’s applause; and the approval of their families and friends. How then do they put to shame the negligent and indifferent christian; him that refuses to train and labour for the conflict of life, for the cause of salvation! What is our prize? what are our objects? “an incorruptible crown,” a “crown of glory that fadeth not away;” an eternal inheritance in the heavens; the approbation of all good men; the welcome acclaim of a “multitude of angels which no man can number;” the approval, the everlasting reward of the Judge of our christian race. Are not these objects worthy of our supreme regard? Is not this worth contending for? Does it not demand all our attention, all our anxiety, all our watchfulness and diligence and labour? Should not our whole soul be devoted thereto? Ought it not to be, comparatively speaking, the sole purpose, for which we care to live and hope to die?