We commend these and parallel scriptures to all our readers, praying that in the matter

of salvation and service they may "try the things that differ," in view of the day of Christ.

In our previous article we considered the desire of the apostle to know "the power of

His resurrection," and found that it had reference to the present time and to suffering in

view of glory. We feel it to be necessary to emphasize these introductory passages, lest

we fail to appreciate the strength of the words of verse 11, "if by any means I might attain

unto the resurrection of the dead." The last clause of verse 11 requires so much alteration

that we quote the A.V. until we have considered the wording in these articles. In the

structure of verses 8-11 given on page 85, Paul's loss of all things corresponds with the

fellowship of suffering and death of verse 10, while the result, "so that I may gain

Christ," is exactly answered by the words of verse 11, "If by any means I may attain"; it

is evident that the apostle has something before him that can only be attained as a result

of endurance, loss, and suffering. It is foolish for us to turn away from this fact. True,

we are under the dispensation of the grace of God, and that salvation is of grace, not

works; is it less grace, or other than grace, if, after we have been saved with such a

salvation, blessed with such blessings, comforted with such a hope, and honoured with

such a citizenship, is it, we repeat, not more grace to promise to reward the feeble

endurance in suffering which such saved ones may pass through in their endeavour to

"walk worthy of the calling" in a world that hates their Lord? Surely, if from the moment

of our conversion to the moment of our death our whole lives were to be one unremitting

self-service, and martyrdom, it would be but our reasonable service, and could by no

means be said to earn a reward; the reward, then, if given, must be another act of

overflowing grace. Suffering with Christ is not to be viewed as something irksome,

something to be endured with scant grace; Paul declares it to be an act of grace on the

part of God to allow any of His believing people to enter into such a sacred fellowship,

"For unto you it was graciously given in the behalf of Christ. . . . to suffer for His

sake." It is important to remember that this same word comes in Heb. 2: 9, "Wherefore

God. . . . hath graciously given Him the name which is above every name." The same

verb expresses the act of God in granting to us the high privilege of suffering for Christ's

sake and of granting to Christ the exalted name as a result of His deep humiliation and

death. To share the blessedness and the glory of Christ is ours for ever, to share His

reproach is ours now OR NEVER. When this brief pilgrimage has ceased, never more

shall we be able to have such wondrous fellowship as "the fellowship of His sufferings."

Among the sufferings that the Saviour endured, and in which Paul sought fellowship, was

that of temptation and trial. "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is

able to succour them that are tempted." To be tempted, according to the teaching of

Hebrews, and to endure, is a mark of full age or perfection. "For every one that useth

milk is unskillful" (apeiros, from peirazo, to tempt or to try) (5: 13, 14). "Abraham,

when he was tried (same word as `tempted'), offered up Isaac" (11: 17). "Others were