He testifieth his thankfulness to God, and his love toward them, for the fruits of their faith, and fellowship in his sufferings; daily praying to him for their increase in grace: he sheweth what good the faith of Christ had received by his troubles at Rome, and how ready he is to glorify Christ, either by his life or death: exhorting them to unity, and to fortitude in persecution.
Anno Domini 62.
AFTER giving the Philippians, with their bishops and deacons, his apostolical benediction, St. Paul thanked God for their conversion; and declared his humble hope and confidence that God would preserve them in the faith to the end of their lives, as it was meet for him to think, because he had them in his heart: he also expressed the most tender affection for them; and prayed God to bestow upon them spiritual blessings, that they might be filled with the fruits of righteousness, Philippians 1:1-11.—In the nextplace, lest they might have been afraid that his long imprisonment had been hurtful to the gospel of Christ, he assured them that it had contributed to advance that good cause, Philippians 1:12.—insomuch that the gospel was now known in the palace itself, Philippians 1:13.—That the indulgence shewn to him, had made many of the brethren more bold in preaching than formerly, Philippians 1:14.—yet they were not all actuated by laudable motives, Philippians 1:15.—For some preached publicly, merely to enrage the priests and magistrates against him, as the ringleader of the Christians, Philippians 1:16.—But he told the Philippians, he knew that this, through the direction of the Spirit of Christ, would rather contribute to his enlargement, Philippians 1:19.—At the same time he declared his resolution boldly to defend the gospel when brought before the emperor, even although it were to bring death upon himself, Philippians 1:20.—To be continued in life, he told them, would promote the cause of Christ, but to die would be more for his own advantage, Philippians 1:21.—Therefore he was in a strait, whether to choose life or death, Philippians 1:23.—Only knowing that his continuing in life would be more for their interest, Philippians 1:24.—he was persuaded that he should still live, Philippians 1:25.—In which case he promised to visit them, Philippians 1:26.—In the mean time he exhorted them all to behave suitably to the gospel; and, in particular, strenuously to maintain the true doctrine of the gospel, both against the unbelieving Jews and against the Heathens, Philippians 1:27.—and to be in no respect terrified for their threatenings, Philippians 1:28.—but to suffer cheerfully for their faith in Christ, Philippians 1:29.—after his own example, Philippians 1:30.
PHILIPPIANS.] Philippi was a city of no great extent, in Macedonia, on the borders of Thrace. The Christian religion was first planted there about the year 51, by St. Paul, (see Acts 16:12.) who left St. Luke and Timothy to carry on the work. He afterwards paid them a second visit, Acts 20:6 and, it is probable, saw them afterwards a third time. This Epistle was sent at the same time with the preceding, in the year 62 or 63. The design of it is, to comfort the Philippians, under the concern that they had expressed for his imprisonment at Rome, to check a party-spirit which had crept in among them; and to promote, on the contrary, an entire union and harmony of affection;—to guard them against being seduced from the purity of the Christian faith by Judaizing teachers; to support them under the trialswith which they struggled, and, above all, to inspire them with a concern to adorn their holy profession by the most eminent attainments in the divine life.