beginning to its termination. — fag/toft — a-TroXoy/ot, in my bonds — in defence) AHendiadys [My bonds in defence of the Gospel]. Bonds do not restrain my love. — d-TroXoy/a, in defence) The Romans brought accusations against the Gospel. -—£g/3a/w<rg/, in confirma tion) This is something more than a defence. — rov guayysX/ou, of the Gospel) by which grace is announced. — ovyxo/j'wvoOs — upas oVag) He said above, you ; therefore here is the accusative for the genitive, as Acts vii. 21, where see the note.
8. 'Et> ffcrXay^vo/s 'ifjtfoD Xptarov, in the bowels of Jesus Christ) Not Paul, but Jesus Christ lives in Paul ; wherefore Paul is not moved in the bowels of Paul, but of Jesus Christ.
9. Ka/ rovro, and this) He declared, from ver. 3 and onward, that he prayed for them ; he now shows what was his prayer in their behalf. — jj dya^nj, love) Love makes men docile and [spiri tually] sagacious, 2 Pet. i. 7, 8. Hence arose the form used formerly in the assemblies of the Church,1 and which is verna cular among us : Caritas vestra, your love (charity), in a wider sense. — vpuv, your) Correlative to the love of Paul, ver. 7, 8. A previous [anticipatory] allusion to the love which they had shown to him ; ch. iv. 10, 18. — In ^aXXov, yet more) The fire in the apostle's mind never says, It is sufficient [past and present attain ments are enough]. — ev eKiyvuasi xuiwaa?) afodfaeiyin all knowledge and perception [judgment^) Knowledge is a very noble species, as sight is in the body : a/V^tr/g, perception, is the genus ; for we have also [included under it] spiritual sight, hearing, smelling, tast ing, touching, i.e. the senses for investigation, and those for enjoyment,2 as they are called. So part of the perception [sense'] is joy, frequently mentioned in this epistle. And all is an in dication that it is the genus ; 2 Cor. viii. 7, note. In philo sophy, the Peripatetics referred all things only to knowledge [which is the principal fault of the modern philosophers also, when they come upon spiritual subjects. — V. g.] The Pla- tonists referred all things to the remaining word, sense, or perception; for example, in lamblicus. Regard is to be had to both in Christianity : each is met with in the Cross, and renders men fit to approve. Here, after love, expressly men tioned, he describes faith and hope in the following verse. Paul everywhere describes Christianity as something vigorous ;
1 Or else in sermons. 2 Sensus investigativi et fruitivi.