Cor to Phil - Enter His Rest

preserve for them. They afterwards forgot their barley and went away. Rabbi Phineas each yearsowed the barley, reaped, thrashed, and laid it up in his granary. When seven years had elapsed themen returned, and desired to have the barley with which they had entrusted him. Rabbi Phineasrecollected them, and said, 'Come and take your treasure,' i.e. the barley they had left, with all thatit had produced for seven years. Thus, from the faithfulness of man ye may know the faithfulnessof God.""Rabbi Simeon, the son of Shetach, bought an ass from some Edomites, at whose neck hisdisciples saw a diamond hanging; they said unto him, Rabbi, the blessing of the Lord maketh rich,#Pr 10:22. But he answered: The ass I have bought, but the diamond I have not bought; thereforehe returned the diamond to the Edomites. Thus, from the fidelity of man ye may know the fidelityof God." This was an instance of rare honesty, not to be paralleled among the Jews of the presentday, and probably among few Gentiles. Whatever is committed to the keeping of God he will mostcarefully preserve; for he is faithful.Unto the fellowship, &c.] GKLýMQKPYPKCP, Into the communion or participation of Christ, in thegraces of his Spirit and the glories of his future kingdom. God will continue to uphold and save you,if you entrust your bodies and souls to him. But can it be said that God will keep what is either notentrusted to him; or, after being entrusted, is taken away?Verse 10. Now I beseech you, brethren] The apostle having finished his introduction comesto his second point, exhorting them to abstain from dissensions, that they might be of the same heartand mind, striving together for the hope of the Gospel.By the name of our Lord Jesus] By his authority, and in his place; and on account of yourinfinite obligations to his mercy in calling you into such a state of salvation.That ye all speak the same thing] If they did not agree exactly in opinion on every subject, theymight, notwithstanding, agree in the words which they used to express their religious faith. Themembers of the Church of God should labour to be of the same mind, and to speak the same thing,in order to prevent divisions, which always hinder the work of God. On every essential doctrine ofthe Gospel all genuine Christians agree: why then need religious communion be interrupted? Thisgeneral agreement is all that the apostle can have in view; for it cannot be expected that any numberof men should in every respect perfectly coincide in their views of all the minor points, on which anexact conformity in sentiment is impossible to minds so variously constituted as those of the humanrace. Angels may thus agree, who see nothing through an imperfect or false medium; but to man thisis impossible. Therefore men should bear with each other, and not be so ready to imagine that nonehave the truth of God but they and their party.Verse 11. By them which are of the house of Chloe] This was doubtless some very religiousmatron at Corinth, whose family were converted to the Lord; some of whom were probably sent tothe apostle to inform him of the dissensions which then prevailed in the Church at that place.Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, mentioned #1Co 16:17, were probably the sons of this Chloe.