2. _His sufferings testify that his own teaching is unchanged._--"If I preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased" (ver. 11). The rancour and hostility of the legalists would have been disarmed, if Paul advocated their doctrine, and the scandalous "offence of the cross"--so intolerable to the Jewish pride--would have been done away. But the cross was the grand vital theme of all his teaching, that in which he most ardently gloried, and for which he was prepared to endure all possible suffering. The value of truth to a man is what he is willing to suffer for it. +Lessons.+--1. _The man who perverts the truth is an enemy to his kind._ 2. _The false teacher ensures his own condemnation._ 3. _Truth becomes more precious the more we suffer for it._ _GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._ Vers. 7-10. _How Perfection is attained._--Everything in the universe comes to its perfection by drill and marching--the seed, the insect, the animal, the man, the spiritual man. God created man at the lowest point, and put him in a world where almost nothing would be done for him, and almost everything should tempt him to do for himself.--_Beecher._ Ver. 7. _The Christian Life a Race._ +I. Christians are runners in the race of God.+--1. They must make haste without delay to keep the commandments of God. It is a great fault for youth and others to defer amendment till old age, or till the last and deadly sickness. That is the time to end our running, and not to begin. 2. We are to increase and profit in all good duties. We in this age do otherwise. Either we stand at a stay or go back. There are two causes for this: (1) Blindness of mind. (2) Our unbelief in the article of life everlasting. 3. We must neither look to the right nor the left hand, or to things behind, but press forward to the prize of eternal life. 4. We must not be moved with the speeches of men which are given of us, for or against. They are lookers on and must have their speeches. Our care must be not to heed them but look to our course. +II. Christians must not only be runners, but run well.+--This is done by believing and obeying, having faith and a good conscience. These are the two feet by which we run. We have one good foot--our religion--which is sound and good; but we halt on the other foot. Our care to keep conscience is not suitable to our religion. Three things cause a lameness in this foot: the lust of the eye--covetousness, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. +III. Christians must run the race from the beginning to the end.+--1. We must cherish a love and fervent desire of eternal life, and by this means be drawn through all miseries and overpass them to the end. 2. We must maintain a constant and daily purpose of not sinning.--_Perkins._