d its
streets. They lived in Philippi, but they belonged to Rome. Hence there
is a peculiar significance in the first words of our text. The
rendering, 'conversation,' was inadequate even when it was made. It has
become more so now. The word then meant 'conduct.' It now means little
more than words. But though the phrase may express loosely the Apostle's
general idea, it loses entirely the striking metaphor under which it is
couched. The Revised Version gives the literal rendering in its
margin--'Behave as citizens'--though it adopts in its text a rendering
which disregards the figure in the word, and contents itself with the
less picturesque and vivid phrase--'let your manner of life be worthy.'
But there seems no reason for leaving out the metaphor; it entirely fits
in with the purpose of the Apostle and with the context.

The meaning is, Play the citizen in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Paul
does not, of course, mean, Discharge your civic duties as Christian men,
though some Christian Englishmen need that reminder; but the city of
which these Philippians were citizens was the heavenly Jerusalem, the
metropolis, the mother city of us all. He would kindle in them the
consciousness of belonging to another order of things than that around
them. He would stimulate their loyalty to obedience to the city's laws.
As the outlying colonies of Rome had sometimes entrusted to them the
task of keeping the frontiers and extending the power of the imperial
city, so he stirs them up to aggressive warfare; and as in all their
conflicts the little colony felt that the Empire was at its back, and
therefore looked undaunted on shoals of barbarian foes, so he would have
his friends at Philippi animated by lofty courage, and ever confident of
final victory.

Such seems to be a general outline of these eager exhortations to the
citizens of heaven in this outlying colony of earth. Let us think of
them briefly in order now.

I. Keep fresh the sense of belonging to the mother city.

Paul was not only writing _to_ Philippi, but _from_ Rome, where he might
see how, even in degenerate days, the consciousness of being a Roman
gave dignity to a man, and how the idea became almost a religion. He
would kindle a similar feeling in Christians.

We do belong to another polity or order of things than that with which
we are connected by the bonds of flesh and sense. Our true affinities
are with the mother city. True, we are here on earth, but far b