EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. 139 



your messenger, and he that ministered to my ivaiit.^. For 

 he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because 

 that ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he 

 was sick nigh unto death ; but God had mercy on him ; and 

 not on him only, but on me also, lest 1 should have sorrow 

 upon sorrow. I sent liim therefore the more carefully, that, 

 when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be 

 the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with 

 all gladness ; and hold such in reputation : because for the 

 work of Christ he w^as nigh imto death, not regarding his 

 life, to sup2^ly your lack of service towards me." Chap. 

 2 : 25-30. The matter is here dropped, and no further 

 mention made of it till it is taken up near the conclusion of 

 the epistle as follows : " But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, 

 that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again ; 

 wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 

 Not that I speak in respect of want : for I have learned, in 

 whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know 

 both how to be abased, and I know how to abound ; every- 

 where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and 

 to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do 

 all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Not 

 withstanding, ye have well done that ye did communicate 

 with my affliction. Now ye Philippians, know also, that in 

 the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedo- 

 nia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving 

 and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent 

 once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a 

 gift : but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 

 But I have all. and abound : I am full, having received of 

 Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you." Chap. 

 4 : 10-18. To the Philippian reader, Avho knew that con- 

 tributions were wont to be made in that church for the apos- 

 tle's subsistence and relief, that the supply which they were 

 accustomed to send to him had been delayed by the want of 

 Dpportunity, that Epaphroditus had undertaken the charge 



