Wesley Corpus

reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ." And here again are terms borrowed from the races, to be explained. The phrase which we have rendered " forgetting those things which are behind," is in the original " not looking behind me," and the term " reaching forward," is something stronger in the Greek, being ex pressed by a word that signifieth " vehemently to stretch forward." Now these are plain allu sions to the Olympic Games, to the customs of the competitors, who stand not idly looking back, and examining either how far their anta gonists are behind them, or how much of the course they have passed over, but ardently pursue their object, and endeavour to overtake all that are before them, and arrive at the des tined mark as rapidly as possible. The sense may be thus paraphrased " My brethren, I count not myself to have attained my crown, nor do I think myself so certain of it, that I cannot miss it ; but this one thing I do; without considering how much of my race I have run, or how many of my compe titors I have overcome, I stretch forward to the utmost of my capacity to achieve my end ; and having ever in my view the goal, and fixing my eye on the way marked out for me to run, I relax not my speed, that I may if possible attain the crown which God in Christ hath promised." The words thus explained will furnish us with these several topics of discourse. First, that in this world Christians are never so certain of their reward, as to remit their care without danger of missing it. Secondly, that it is never to be attained by resting contented with any degree of piety short of the highest that may be attained in this life : and, Thirdly, that a constant progress towards perfection is the indispensable duty of all Christians. We know that this world is a state of trial and probation, wherein we are placed by Di vine Providence to work the works of God, to conquer and subdue the enemies of our sal vation and those manifold sins and infirmities whereby our nature is corrupted and depraved. Now a state of trial always implies a state