September 30

"Not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." 1 Corinthians 10:33.

WHAT a striking example of Christian philanthropy we have in the life, labors, privations, and sufferings of Paul! In every view we take of him, we must admire him, whether we consider him as a man, a Christian, a minister, or an apostle. The text shows the spirit he had imbibed.

A NOBLE OBJECT AVOWED. Observe

Its important nature. "That they may be saved." He sought their spiritual more than their temporal welfare; he wished nothing less than their eternal salvation, their deliverance from all evil, and enjoyment of every good. O, how noble was this object! how rational, how desirable, how divine!

Its general extent. "The profit of many." Christian philanthropy knows no bounds, but the extent of human woe. It not only leads to earnest desires and efforts for the salvation of a few, the inmates of a house, or the inhabitants of a neighborhood, but it embraces the whole world in the arms of its affection and desires. The wishes of Paul were like the prayers of the son of Jesse, that the whole earth might be filled with God's glory. "True Christian benevolence," says Wilberforce, "contracts itself to the measure of the smallest, and can expand itself to the amplitude of the largest. It resembles majestic rivers which are poured from an unfailing source; silent and peaceful in their outset, they begin with dispensing beauty and comfort to every cottage by which they pass; in their further progress they fertilize provinces and enrich kingdoms; at length they pour themselves into the ocean, where, changing their names, but not their nature, they visit distant nations and other hemispheres, and spread throughout the world the expansive tide of their benevolence."

SELF-INTEREST DISCLAIMED. "Not seeking mine own profit." We have only to review his life to see the truth of his statement. He did not seek temporal emolument. How well could he say, "I seek not yours, but you"! Hear him appealing to the elders at Ephesus in his farewell address, Acts 20:33, 34. He did not court human applause. He desired above all things to be great in the sight of the Lord. He did not consult worldly ease. He gave up his temporal prospects in life, and was willing to count all things loss for Christ. What have been our sacrifices for Christ? We have a noble example of disinterestedness; let us imitate it.