s been no glass
invented strong enough to take them in. Each new day brings a vision
of new heavenly bodies. We also need stronger faith, for if we have
become persuaded of the fact that he can do all things the victory is
won when we take this position.

V

_Prayer for Perseverance_. Philippians 1:9-11, "And this I pray, that
your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be
sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with
the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory
and praise of God." Paul has a tender affection for this Philippian
Church. Naturally he would wish for them only the best things, and the
burden of this prayer of his is,

First: That they might be able to persevere to the end, or rather to
the day of Christ. Let it not be forgotten that he who said, "Nothing
can separate us from the love of God," at the same time prays that
those who are the object of this love may be faithful in their
perseverance until time shall be no more. It is God's privilege to
preserve us, it is our privilege to persevere; and if we study the
words "preserve" and "persevere" we shall find that they are composed
of almost the same letters with only a slightly different arrangement.
We must be exceedingly careful in our walk and we must rely perfectly
upon Christ.

Second: Paul prays for the purity of these Philippians when he asks
that they may be sincere and without offence. I have been told that
the word "sincere" sometimes means sunlight; which leads me to say that
our conduct as Christians should be such as to bear the clearest light
of investigation. Possibly the use of this word grew out of the custom
of the people who stored away their goods in the darkest corners of the
bazaar where their defects could not be seen plainly. When the
purchase had been consummated they were brought out into the sunlight.
The word also means "wax." It is said that in the days of imperial
Rome when a sculptor came to a flaw in the marble he filled it with wax
to hide the defect, but when the hot days came and the wax was melted
the defect was seen plainly. Paul is desiring for these Philippians
that there may be none of this, but that their lives should commend
themselves both to God and to men.

Third: He desires that they may be filled with the fruits of
righteousness, not simply that they m