of yours,” so that ye may not be in want, but have things for your necessities. Since Christ
too, when He gave us a form of prayer, inserted also this in the prayer, when He taught us
to say,
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matt. vi. 11.)
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“According to His riches.” That is, according to His free gift, i.e. it is easy to Him, and
possible, and quickly. And since I have spoken of need, do not think that he will drive you
into straits. Wherefore he added, “according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” So shall
all things abound to you, that you may have them to His glory. Or, ye are wanting in nothing;
(for it is written, “great grace was upon them all, neither was there any that lacked.”) (Acts
iv. 33.) Or, so as to do all things for His glory, as if he had said, that ye may use your
abundance to His glory.
Ver. 20. “Now unto our God and Father be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.” For the
glory of which he speaks belongs not only to the Son, but to the Father too, for when the
Son is glorified, then is the Father also. For when he said, This is done to the glory of Christ,
lest any one should suppose that it is to His glory alone, he continued, “Unto our God and
Father be the glory,” that glory which is paid to the Son.
Ver. 21. “Salute every saint in Christ Jesus.” This also is no small thing. For it is a proof
of great good will, to salute them through letters. “The brethren which are with me salute
you.” And yet thou saidst that thou hast “no one like-minded, who will care truly for your
state.” How then sayest thou now, “The brethren which are with me”? He either saith, “The
brethren which are with me,” because he hath no one like-minded of those who are with
him, (where he doth not speak of those in the city, for how were they constrained to undertake
the affairs of the Apostles?) or that he did not refuse to call even those brethren.
Ver. 22, 23. “All the saints salute you, especially they that are of Cæsar’s household. The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
He elevated them and strengthened them, by showing that his preaching had reached
even to the king’s683 household. For if those who were in the king’s palace despised all things
for the sake of the King of Heaven, far more ought they to do this. And this too was a proof
of the love of Paul, and that he had told many things of them, and said great things of them,
whence he had even led those who were in the palace to a longing for them, so that those
who had never seen them saluted them. Especially because the faithful were then in affliction,
his love was great. And those who were absent from each other were closely conjoined to-
gether as if real limbs. And the poor man was similarly disposed toward the rich, and the
rich toward the poor, and there was no preëminence, in that they were all equally hated and
cast out, and that for the same cause. For as, if captives taken from divers cities should arise
683 [It must be remembered that “king” was the regular Greek term for the Roman imperator (emper-
or).—J.A.B.]
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Philippians 4:10-14