HOMILY IX.] HOMILIES ON PHILIPPIANS. 223 over and above this offering," he says, " I add myself, my death as a libation, I rejoice." For this he implies, when he says, " Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service, I joy and rejoice with you all ; and in the same manner do ye also joy and rejoice with me." Why dost thou rejoice with them? Seest thou that he shows that it is their duty to rejoice? On the one hand then, I rejoice in being made a liba tion ; on the other, I rejoice with you, in having presented a sacrifice ; " and in the same manner do ye also joy and rejoice with me," that I am offered up; "rejoice with me," "who rejoice in myself." So that the death of the just is no subject for tears, but for joy. If they rejoice, we should rejoice with them. For it is mis placed for usto weep, while they rejoice. " But," it is urged, " we long for our wonted intercourse." This is a mere pretext and excuse ; and that it is so, mark what he enjoins : " Rejoice with me, and joy." Dost thou miss thy wonted inter course ? If thou wert thyself destined to remain here, there would be reason in what thou sayest ; but if after a brief space thou wilt overtake him who has departed, what is that intercourse which thou dost seek ? for it is onlywhen he is forever severed from him that a man misses the society of another, but if he will go the same way that thou wilt go, what is the intercourse which thou longest for ? Why do we not bewail all that are upon foreign travel? Do we not just a little, and cease after the first or the second day? If thou longest for thywonted intercourse with him, weep so far only. " It is no evil that I suffer," says he, " but I even rejoice in going to Christ, and do ye not rejoice." " Rejoice with me." Let us too rejoice when we see a righteous man dying, and yet more even when any of the des peratelywicked ; for the first is going to receive the reward of his labors, but the other has abated somewhat from the score of his sins. 1 But it is said, perhaps he might have altered, had he lived. Yet God would never have taken him away, if there had been really a prospect of an alteration. For why should not He who orders all events for our salvation, allow him the oppor tunity, who gave promise of pleasing Him ? If He leaves those, who never alter, much more those that do. Let then the sharpness of our sorrow be everywhere cut away, let the voice of lamentation cease. Let us thank God under all events : let us do all things without murmuring ; let us be cheerful, and let us become pleasing to Him in all things, that we may also attain the good things to come, by the grace and loving- kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, &c. HOMILY IX. PHILIPPIANS ii. 19-21. " But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will care truly for your state. For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ." HE had said, " have fallen out unto the prog ress of the Gospel ; so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praeto rian guard." (Phil. i. 12, 13.) Again, "Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith." (Phil. ii. 17.) By these words he strengthened them. Perchance they might suspect that his former words were spoken just to comfort them. What then? " I send Timo thy unto you," says he ; for they desired to hear all things that concerned him. And wherefore said he not, " that ye may know my state," but, " that I may know yours " ? Because Epaphro- ditus would have reported his state before the arrival of Timothy. Wherefore further on he says, "But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother (Phil. ii. 25); but I wish to learn of your affairs. For it is likely that he had remained long time with Paul through his bodily weakness. So that he says, I wish to "know your state." See then how he refers everything to Christ, even the mission of Timothy, saying, " I hope in the Lord Jesus," that is, I am confident that God will facilitate this for me, that I too may be of good courage, when I know your state. As I refreshed you when ye heard the very things of me which ye had prayed for, that the Gospel had advanced, that its enemies were put to shame, that the means by which they thought to injure, rather made me rejoice ; thus too do I wish to learn of your affairs, that I too may be of good courage arc, seeing that, to us nt least, while there is Hie there a more thorough feeling ofGod s mercy, and of our own *""; would make us better understand the general use of thanksgiving our funeral service.