is blameless, the husband of one wife” (Tit. i. 5, 6.); which he says of the Bishop.526 And after saying this, he adds immediately, “For the Bishop must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self willed.” (Tit. i. 7.) So then, as I said, both the Presbyters were of old called Bishops and Deacons of Christ, and the Bishops Presbyters; and hence even now many Bishops write, “To my fellow-Presbyter,” and, “To my fellow-Deacon.” But otherwise the specific name is distinctly appropriated to each, the Bishop and the Presbyter. “To the fellow-Bish- ops,” he says, “and Deacons, Ver. 2. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” How is it that though he nowhere else writes to the Clergy, not in Rome, nor in Corinth, nor in Ephesus, nor anywhere, but in general, to “all the saints, the believers, the beloved,” yet here he writes to the Clergy? Because it was they that sent, and bare fruit, and it was they that dispatched Epaphroditus to him. Ver. 3. “I thank my God,” he says, “upon all my remembrance of you.” He said in another of his writings, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief.” (Heb. xiii. 17.) If then the “grief” be due to the wickedness of the disciples, the doing it “with joy” would be due to their advancement. As often as I remember you, I glorify God. But this he does from his being conscious of many 185 good things in them. I both glorify, he says, and pray. I do not, because ye have advanced unto virtue, cease praying for you. But “I thank my God,” he says, “upon all my remembrance of you,” Ver. 4. “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request also with joy.” “Always,”527 not only while I am praying. “With joy.” For it is possible to do this with grief too, as when he says elsewhere, “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears.” (2 Cor. ii. 4.) Ver. 5. “For your fellowship in furtherance of the Gospel from the first day even until now.” Great is that he here witnesseth of them, and very great, and what one might have wit- nessed of Apostles and Evangelists. Ye did not, because ye were entrusted with one city, he saith, care for that only, but ye leave nothing undone to be sharers of my labors, being everywhere at hand and working with me, and taking part in my preaching. It is not once, or the second, or third time, but always, from the time ye believed until now, ye have assumed the readiness of Apostles. Behold how those indeed that were in Rome turned away from him;528 for hear him saying, “This thou knowest, that all that are in Asia turned away from 526 See 1 Tim. iii. 2, but Chrys.’s reason for taking it thus is rather that κατὰ πόλιν seems to imply one for each city. 527 The stop might be after “always,” but that is harsh. 528 This was at a later period. But the comparison is in general terms. 329 Philippians 1:1,2