12 Wherefore my beloved difciples, fince in imitation of Chrift, (ver. 8.) ye have always obeyed God, not when I was prefent only to put you in mind of what he requires, but now much more in my abfence, with fear and trembling on account of the difficulty of the matter and the lofs ye will fuftain if ye are negligent, frongly work out your own falvation, by imitating Chrift in his humility and difinterestedness, ver. 5.

13 To this diligence ye have the greateft encouragement. For it is God who, by his Spirit, inwardly worketh in you from mere benevolence, both to will and to work effectually what is good.

men by any influence which is irrefiftible, and to which no co-operation of theirs is neceffary, there would be no occafion for exhorting them ftrongly to work their own falvation, fince the whole is done by God himself. Belides, they think, the inward working of God in men, to will and to work without impinging on their freedom, may be explained in the following manner. First, by the operation of his Spirit God gives them enlightened eyes of the underlanding, Ephef. i. 18. whereby they are enabled to difcern the truth of the doctrines and pro mifes of the gofpel, and to perceive the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice, and to form just notions of the confequences of the one and of the other. Secondly, He occafions these just views of things to recur frequently, and with fuch force as to engage their attention: The confequence of which is, that the love of virtue and the hatred of vice being gradually infpired, thofe pleasures of the prefent life, which cannot be enjoyed with innocence, are defpifed by thofe in whom God thus worketh. Also fuch an earnest defire of the happinefs of the life to come is excited in them, as leads them to a virtu ous conduct.-Thirdly, When men are in danger of falling into fin through ftrong temptation, the Spirit of God, by roufing their conscience, restrains them. Or, if they fall into fin, the Spirit of God brings them to repent, by the condemnations and painful Atingings of their own confcience.-Fourthly, every circumftance of men's lot being ordered by God, he either fuits their trials to their ftrength, or he gives them affistance in proportion to the greatness of their trials; fo that he never fuffers men to be tempted above what they are able to bear. The Arminians having thus explained the manner in which God by his Spirit worketh in men to will and to work their own falvation, obferve, that notwithstanding the operations of the Spirit of

God

God have a powerful influence in reftraining men from fin, and in exciting them to virtue, no violence is thereby done to human liberty. This they infer from what God faid concerning the Antediluvians, Gen vi. 3. My Spirit fhall not always frive with men: And from the apoftle's command, not to quench the Spirit, nor to grieve him: for thefe things, the fay, imply that the operations of the Spirit of God may be refifted, confequently, that in the affair of their falvation, men are free agents, and must themselves co-operate with the Spirit of God; which, they afirm, the apoftle's exhortation in the passage under confideration, evidently fuppofeth.

2. From benevolence Yap coxas. The word doxia fometimes fignifies good-will, or benevolence; as here, and Luke ii. 14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, evdonia good will towards men.-The motive which induceth God to work inwardly being described here, the prepofition eg, is rightly tranflated from.-Pierce, who tranflates the preceding claufe thus, work out one another's falvation, or happinefs, faith the meaning of this claufe is, God worketh in you, both to will and work from benevolence; making benevolence the principle from which men are to work out each others happiness.

3. Both to will and to work effectually. It is no juft objection to this tranflation of To Evegye, that in the first claufe of the verfe, everywy fignifies, inwardly worketh. For everyεy hath both fignifications; and in fcripture it is not uncommon to find the fame Greek word ufed in the fame fentence, in different fenfes. Thus Matth. viii. 22. Let the dead bury their dead.—In the claufe under confideration, the apostle diftinguishes between willing and working, because many have good inclinations which they do not fulfil, Rom. vii. 15.-20. Likewife, he diftinguishes between God's working and our working.-According to the Pelagians God is said to work, in men both to will and to work

effectually,

14 Do all things, all good offices to each other, without murmurings and without difputings: Be not like difcontented fervants, who murmur against their masters' commands as oppreffive, nor like difobedient children, who difpute their father's injunctions as unreasonable:

15 That ye may be unblameable in the eye of God, and untainted with the vices of the world, the children of God not meriting rebuke on any ac count, notwithstanding ye live in the midst of a wicked and obftinate race of idolaters: among whom, by your knowledge of the true God, fhine ye like the luminaries which enlighten the world,

16 Holding forth to all men, both in word and behaviour, the doctrine of eternal life made known to you in the gofpel. This I defire, even on my own account, for a subject of rejoicing to me in the day of judgment, because it will prove that I have not travelled through the world in vain, neither have preached the gospel in

vain.

effectually, because he hath bestowed on them at their creation a natural ability of willing and working their own falvation effectually: and their working confifteth in their exerting that ability properly. But to this it may juftly be objected, that God's having originally communicated to us an ability to will and to work effectually, is not fo ftrong an encouragement to us to work out our own falvation, as the knowledge that God affords fpecial affiftance to the fincere, to enable them to work out their own falvation.

Ver. 14. Do all things. By fome commentators, this is explained of obedience in general. But the apostle, I suppose, had in his eye, the obedience recommended ver. 3, 4, 5.

Ver. 15.-1. Among whom Shine ye. I fuppofe, with Erasmus, that Cave is the imperative, because it is ufual to deliver precepts in that mode. See Col. iii. 13. Heb. xiii. 13.

If the common tranf

lation, ye bine, is retained, it will exprefs the efficacy of the faith and holiness of the Philippians, in giving light to all around them.

2. As luminaries, Parnges, in the world.-wolness is the name given to the fun and moon by the LXX. Gen. i. 16.

Ver. 16.

Ver. 16. Holding forth the word of life. Bexa thinks this is an allufion to those towers which were built at the entrance of harbours, and on which fires were kept burning, to direct ships into the port. Thus understood, the allufion is beautiful. For the doctrine and holy lives of the faithful, muft in thofe early ages, have had a great influence on unbelievers, to direct them into the fafe harbour of the gospel.

Vet. 17.1. And if I even be poured out on the facrifice. The apostle, confidering the faith of the Gentiles as an offering to God, fpeaks of his own blood as a libation, like that of the wine and oil poured on the meat offerings, to render them acceptable to God, Exod. xxix. 40, 41. This coftly libation, Paul was molt willing to pour on the offering of the faith of the Gentiles, to render it more firm, and of confequence more pleafing to the deity.

2. The facrifice and offering of your faith. Properly the words Su and λειτεςγια fignify, the one a facrifice, and the other, the performance of any public fervice, (fee ver. 25.) efpecially that which pertaineth to the worthip of God. Rom. xv. 16. The apottle reprefents himfelf as a priest, whofe office it was to prepare the faith of the Gentiles for being offered as a facrifice, or free will offering, to God, and actually to offer it. See Col. i. 28. note 3. Accordingly the Gentiles are called gooPopa an offering: which is the name that was given to free will offerings when laid on the altar. Behold, fays Beza, an image

of

-17 And if my blood be even poured out upon the facrifice and offering of your faith, as a libation to render it acceptable to God, I am glad to die for that end, and rejoice with you all, in the confirmation which your faith will receive thereby.

18 After the fame manner be ye alfo glad, when ye fuffer for the gospel, and partake with me in the joy of fide. lity to Chrift.

19 Now I hope to be able, through the goodness and power of the Lord Jefus, to fend Timothy to you foon, that I alfo may be encouraged under my affliction, when I know your affairs; and particularly, that ye are ftedfaft in the faith and practice of the gofpel.

20 Him I have chofen to fend, because I have no perfon here at prefent fo much of my own difpofition: no person who hath so ardent a zeal for the spreading of the gofpel, confequently, who will be fo anxious fincerely to advance your interefts:

21 For all the teachers here, feek their own pleasure and profit, and not the things belonging to Chrift Jefus.

of the charity of Chrift, fhining in this refolution of his servant Paul, who here truly acted the apolle!

Ver. 20.-1. I have no one, ofvxor, like difpofed. Hammond faith this word literally fignifies, equal to one's foul, soov on tuxn, so may be tranflated, as in the margin of our bibles, So dear to me. Thus Achilles fays of Patroclus ισον εμη κεφαλη. But as Timothy's being beloved of the apostle, was no reason for his taking earnest care of the affairs of the Philippians, I agree with Pierce in thinking uxo fhould be tranflated, like difpofed: efpecially if his obfervation be well founded, that St. Paul never ufes xn for the feat or principle of thought, but often for that of the affections between which and TYEUμX he feems to make the fame diftinction, which the Latins do between animus and anima. See 1 Theff. v. 23. note 2. I Heb. iv. 12. Philip. i. 27.-It appears from Acts xxvii. 1. That Ariftarchus and Luke accompanied the apoftle to Rome. And during his confinement there, other faithful affiftants came to him who were equally well difpofed with

Timothy