The life and work of St. Paul

600 THE LIFE AND WORK OF ST.
Christ's self-abasement ! Yet that self-humiliation had purchased its owe.
infinite reward, for
" Because of it God also highly exalted Him, and freely granted Him the name
above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of heavenly
and earthly and subterranean beings, and every tongue gratefully confess 1 that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father." 2
Could they have a stronger incentive P In his absence, as in his presence,
he exhorts them to maintain their obedience, and work out their own salvation
with fear and trembling, since the will and the power to do so came alike
from God. 3 Let them lay aside the murmur-ings and dissensions which were
the main hindrance to their proving themselves blameless and sincere
children of God, uncensured in the midst of a crooked and distorted genera,
tion, among whom they appeared as stars, 4
holding forth the word of life, so
as to secure to him for the day of Christ a subject of boast that he neither
ran his race nor trained for his contest to no purpose.
" Nay, even if I am poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and free offering
of your faith,* I rejoice and congratulate you all ;
6 me."
congratulate
Perhaps, then, he might never come to them himself.
and likewise rejoice ye too, and
" But I hope in the Lord Jesus speedily to send Timothy to you, that he in turn
may be cheered by a knowledge of your fortunes. For I have no emissary like him
no one who will care for your affairs with so genuine an earnestness. For," he
sadly adds, " one and all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But
ye remember how he stood the test, since as a son for a father he slaved with me for
the Gospel. Him then, at any rate, I hope to send as soon as I get a glimpse of
how it will go with me at once. But I feel sure in the Lord that I myself too
shall quickly come. I think it necessary, however, to send you Epaphroditus, my
brother, and fellow-labourer, and fellow-soldier, 8 the messenger whom you sent to
minister to my need, since he was ever yearning for you, and feeling despondent
because you heard of his illness. Yes, he was indeed ill almost to death ; but God
pitied him, and not him only, but also me, that I may not have grief upon grief.
With all the more eagerness, then, I send him, that you may once more rejoice on
seeing him, and I may be less full of grief. Welcome him, then, in the Lord with
all joy, and hold such as him in honour, because for the sake of the work he came
1
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