Cor to Phil - Enter His Rest

of Christ are appointed for the hearers, not the hearers for the ministers. In like manner, all theordinances of grace and mercy are appointed for them, not they for the ordinances.Or the world] The word MQUOQL, here, means rather the inhabitants of the world than what wecommonly understand by the world itself; and this is its meaning in #Joh 3:16, 17; 6:33; #Joh14:31; 17:21. See particularly #Joh 12:19: `QýMQUOQUQRKUY CWVQWýCRJNSGP, the WORLD is gone afterhim-the great mass of the people believe on him. The Greek word has the same meaning, in a varietyof places, both in the sacred and the profane writers, as le monde, the world, literally has in French,where it signifies, not only the system of created things, but, by metonomy, the people-every body,the mass, the populace. In the same sense it is often found in English. The apostle's meaningevidently is: Not only Paul, Apollos, and Kephas, are yours-appointed for and employed in yourservice; but every person besides with whom you may have any intercourse or connection, whetherJew or Greek, whether enemy or friend. God will cause every person, as well as every thing to workfor your good, while you love, cleave to, and obey Him.Or life] With all its trials and advantages, every hour of It, every tribulation in it, the wholecourse of it, as the grand state of your probation, is a general blessing to you: and you have life, andthat life preserved in order to prepare for an eternity of blessedness.Or death] That solemn hour, so dreadful to the wicked; and so hateful to those who live withoutGod: that is yours. Death is your servant; he comes a special messenger from God for you; hecomes to undo a knot that now connects body and soul, which it would be unlawful for yourselvesto untie; he comes to take your souls to glory; and he cannot come before his due time to those whoare waiting for the salvation of God. A saint wishes to live only to glorify God; and he who wishesto live longer than he can get and do good, is not worthy of life.Or things present] Every occurrence in providence in the present life; for God rules inprovidence as well as in grace.Or things to come] The whole order and economy of the eternal world; all in heaven and all inearth are even now working together for your good.Verse 23. And ye are Christ's] You are called by his name; you have embraced his doctrine;you depend on him for your salvation; he is your foundation stone; he has gathered you out of theworld, and acknowledges you as his people and followers. `WOGKLýFGýETKUVQW, ye are of Christ; allthe light and life which ye enjoy ye have received through and from him, and he has bought you withhis blood.And Christ is God's.] ETKUVQLýFGýSGQW, And Christ is of God. Christ, the Messiah, is the gift ofGod's eternal love and mercy to mankind; for God so loved the world that he gave his only begottenSon, that they who believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ in his humannature is as much the property of God as any other human being. And as mediator between God andman, he must be considered, in a certain way, inferior to God, but in his own essential, eternalnature, there is no inequality-he is God over all. Ye, therefore, do not belong to men. Why then takePaul, Apollos, Kephas, or any other man for your head? All these are your servants; ye are not their