to be their "hearts and thoughts,
in Christ Jesus"; thus happy, gentle, unanxious, prayerful, thankful,
all the day. And now, what is to be the matter for such conditions,
the food for such thinking and such willing? There is to be no vacuum,
called peace. These "hearts and thoughts" are to be active,
discursive, reflective; "reckoning," "calculating," "reasoning out"
(_logixesthai_) innumerable things--all with a view, of course, to the
life-long work of serving God and man.

Ver. 8. For, +finally, brethren, all things that are true, all things
that are honourable+, serious, sacred, venerable, self-respectful, +all
things that are righteous+, as between man and man in common life, +all
things that are pure+, clean words, clean deeds, +all things that are
amiable+, gracious, kindly; for manner as well as matter falls under
the will of God; +all things that are sweet to speak of+, things
prompting a loving and noble tone of conversation; +whatever virtue
there is+, truly so called, not in the pagan sense of self-grounded
vigour, even in right directions, but in that of the energy for right
which is found in God; +and whatever praise there is+, given rightly by
the human conscience to deeds and purposes of good; +these things think
out+, reckon, reason on (_logixesthe_). Let _right_ in all its
practical, all its noble forms, be the subject-matter of your
considering and designing activities within. Strong, not in yourselves
but in your Lord's presence and His peace, use His strength in you to
work out every precept of His Word, every whisper of His Spirit, every
dictate of the conscience He has given.

Then follows one word of a more personal kind; it is no egotism, but as
if he would remind them amidst these great generalities of principle
that they well knew a human life which strove to realize them in
practice.

Ver. 9. +The things you learnt+ of me, +and received+ as revealed
truth from me, and +heard and saw in me, these things practise+
(_prassette_), make them the habits of your lives; and so +the God of
peace+, Author and Giver of peace within, and of harmony around, +shall
be with you+; your Companion and Guardian, "Lord of the Sabbath" of the
soul, secret of the true unity of the group, and of the Church.

Thus we read over again this golden chain of "commandments which are
not grievous" and "exceeding precious promises." Few passages of equal
length, even in St Paul's Epistles, at once invi