a stranger to the Church in
Rome. We do not know whether he was a resident in Corinth, where he
wrote this epistle, or one of Paul's travelling companions. Probably
he was the former, as his name never recurs in any of Paul's letters.
One can understand the impulse which led him for one moment to come
out of obscurity and to take up personal relations with those who had
so long enjoyed his pen. He would fain float across the deep gulf of
alienation a thread of love which looked like gossamer, but has
proved to be stronger than centuries and revolutions.

This humble and modest greeting is an expression of a sentiment which
the world may smile at, but which, being 'in the Lord,' partakes of
immortality. No doubt the world's hate drove more closely together
all the disciples in primitive times; but the yearning of Tertius for
some little corner in the love of his Roman brethren might well
influence us to-day. There ought to be an effort of imagination going
out towards unknown brethren. Christian love is not meant to be kept
within the limits of sight and personal knowledge; it should overleap
the narrow bounds of the communities to which we belong, and
expatiate over the whole wide field. The great Shepherd has
prescribed for us the limits to the very edge of which our Christian
love should consciously go forth, and has rebuked the narrowness to
which we are prone, when He has said, 'Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold.' We are all too prone to let identities of opinion
and of polity, or even the accident of locality, set bounds to our
consciousness of brotherhood; and the example of this little gush of
affection, that reaches out a hand across the ocean and grasps the
hands of unknown partakers in the common life of the one Lord, may
well shame us out of our narrowness, and quicken us into a wide
perception and deepened feeling towards all who in every place call
up Jesus Christ as their Lord--'both their Lord and ours.'

Another lesson which we may learn from Tertius' characterisation of
himself is the dignity of subordinate work towards a great end. His
office as amanuensis was very humble, but it was quite as necessary
as Paul's inspired fervour. It is to him that we owe our possession
of the Epistle; it is to him that Paul owed it that he was able to
record in imperishable words the thoughts that welled up in his mind,
and would have been lost if Tertius had not been at his side. The
power generated in