The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 75

words only, not merely offioial, but deep-seatod in the heart, genuine. Timothy w11s a true Christ inn; the Pbilippi!ms knew him; he had alro.,dy worked amona them• he b1td been pro,•~•l, be had lnbourcd _with St._ Paul, and that for the gospel's s1tlrn. Oti1ers have selfi~h e.1ms-tboy i;eek the1r own rnterosts; he will seek the things tho.t are Je~ns Christ's, the interests (so to speak) of Christ, that is, the salvo.lion of souls. It is the cbaract.er of a tme Christian minister. Ill. ST. PAUL'S L01''ELINESS. Timothy is the only true friend at hand• Luke and others are absent; those present with him, except Timothy, are half-he1utcd •1 e.11 of them, he sa:,-s, seek their own. St. Paul's whole nature craved for sympathy; his ono earthly comfort and support was the sympathy, the love of Christian friends. Once he bitt<'rly felt being left at Athens alone (1 'l'hess. iii. 1). Now his anxiety to hear the state of the Phil~ppi~ns, bis love fo~ t~em, m1t'kes him willin~ to part wit~ 'l'imothy, and to be left a.lone m bis Roman captivity. We may well wonder at the intensity of his Jo, e, the complet.eness of bis self-sacrifice. fa:sso:ss. 1. 'l'he great a.im of the Christian life should be to live wholly in the Lord., in his presence, in the const.'\nt effort to ple.'lse him in all things. 2. Communion of Christians with Christians is one of the greatest helps, as it is one of the greatest comforts., in the religious life. 3. Pray to be genuine, absolutely trnthfol and real ; to be, not to seem. 4. .A true saint of God can endure isolation. "Who bath the Father and lhe Son, may be left, but not alone." Vers. 25-30.-Errphroditu&. L HIS NAVE KEANS "LOVELY." It was not u,-,comrnon; it was assumc.'<i by the dictator Sulla.; it was the name of a freedman of .'.\'ero, the master of the philosopher Epict.etus. It is derived from tho name of the goddess 'Atf,pooln,, like the corresponding Latin word "enustus from Venus. But the character of this Epaphroditus wa.s evidently: 1. "Lovdy" in the Christian sense. lie s~erus to ba.ve been, like Jonathan, lovely a.ndpleasant in his life. Like Daniel, he was a " man of loves," full of love both towards St. Paul and towards his friends at Philippi. He was a man of very tender feelings, almost too tender, we might think. But : 2. He was as bra'1e as he was tender. St. Paul calls him his brother and companion in labour a.nd fellow-soldier. He was not only a brother in love, a fellow-Christian, but he shared the apostle's labours; he threw himself, heart and soul, into the work of spreading the gospel at Rome; he worked hard, probably in an unhealthy season. He was also the messenger of the Pbilippians; he readily undertook the long journey, with all its perils and hardships, to minister to the apostle's wants. Doubtless he regarded tholle ministrations (as St. Paul himself regarded them; see note on ver. 25) as an offering offered gladly unto God. He knew that in ministering to the apostle he was minist.ering unto God. To relieve the necessities of the saints, to help them by alms, by sympathy, is a sacrifice well-pleasing to God. He was a brother in danger, too, a fellow-soldier. He hazarded his life; he shared the apostle's dangers; he willingly ex.posed himself to risk for the work's sake; his dangerous illness was in some way caused by his unselfish exertions. Yet he was very tender-hearted. He longed arter the Pbilippia.ns; he could not bear the thought of their sorrow and anxiety on account of his sickness and danger. He is a.n example of that union of seemingly opposite virtues wLich is sometimes conspicuous in Christ's saints, as it was in Christ himself. II. How PRECIOUS IS THE LIFE OP HOLY HEN I Epapbroditus was evidently one of the bishops (see note on eh. L 1), possibly the presiding bishop of the Philippian Church.. His lile was valuable. "God had mercy on him." Perhaps his longer lifo was necessary for himself, to perfect bis repentance; for the Philippians, to carry on the good work which he had begun; for St. Paul, lest he should have sorrow ur,.,n sorrow. "God had mercy on him." Sometimes in mercy God spares the life of his servants; sometimes in mercy he takes them to himself. We are in hie hands, and he is the Most Merciful He knows better than we what is for our real good. We may pray for health and longer life for our friends, for ourselves, if the prayer is offered in subwis8ion to the higher will of God. Ill. Sucu HEN SHOULD DE lIELD IN REVERENCE. St. Paul bide the Philippians to rective Epaphrociitus with every joy-joy on every account, for his sake and for theirs. 'Ibey w1:re to hoDour Lim; for to honour good men is to honour God, the source of all gv0ciDeS11; and rtven,nce for goodness elevates anJ refines the character. Oil, ll, 1-30.] 'l'll].o; EPI8TLE TO ·nrn PHILIPPIANS. 7l -----------------------------~ LiissoNs. 1. Learn from the example of Epaphroditus that to miuiHter to Gn,h saints is o. high privil~ge; he risked hid life to supply the neerls of St. Paul. 2. His lovo for tho npostlo dHl not weaken his love for the Philippian Christians. We must lovo all God's people, not only hia highest saints. 3. We may pray that our sicl; friends mo.y recover their bodily health, if it be God's gracious wilL