Thanksgiving and prayer

I. Paul remembered them: he bore them much in his thoughts; and though they were out of sight, and he was at a distance from them, yet they were not out of his mind: … As he often thought of them, so he often spoke of them, and delighted to hear them spoken of. The very mention of them was grateful to him: it is a pleasure to hear of the welfare of an absent friend. … V. As in our prayers, so in our thanksgiving, we must eye God as our God: I thank my God. It encourages us in prayer, and enlarges the heart in praise, to see every mercy coming from the hand of God as our God.

upon every remembrance of you; that is, as often as I remember you, or make mention of you to God at the throne of grace, it being a customary thing with the apostle to mention by name the several churches, the care of which was upon him, in his prayers to God; see Romans 1:9; and so he used to mention this church; and whenever he did, it was with thankfulness.

II. He remembered them with joy. At Philippi he was maltreated; there he was scourged and put into the stocks, and for the present saw little of the fruit of his labour; and yet he remembers Philippi with joy. He looked upon his sufferings for Christ as his credit, his comfort, his crown, and was pleased at every mention of the place where he suffered. … III. He remembered them in prayer: Always in every prayer of mine for you all, Phil 1:4. The best remembrance of our friends is to remember them at the throne of grace. … As holy joy is the heart and soul of thankful praise, so thankful praise is the lip and language of holy joy.

Making request with joy; for what God had done for them, and continued with them. Requests are to be made known to God with thanksgiving. When we request a favour of him, it becomes us to return thanks for what we have received from him. Thanksgiving is a branch of prayer; as we have always mercies to ask for, we have always mercies to be thankful for.

Observe, Gospel fellowship is a good fellowship; and the meanest Christians have fellowship in the gospel with the greatest apostles, for the gospel salvation is a common salvation (Jude 3), and they obtain like precious faith with them, 2 Pet 1:1. Those who sincerely receive and embrace the gospel have fellowship in it from the very first day: a new-born Christian, if he is true-born, is interested in all the promises and privileges of the gospel from the first day of his becoming such. … Some, by their fellowship in the gospel, understand their liberality towards propagating the gospel, and translate koinonia, not communion, but communication. But, comparing it with Paul’s thanksgiving on the account of other churches, it rather seems to be taken more generally for the fellowship which they had, in faith, and hope, and holy love, with all good Christians—a fellowship in gospel promises, ordinances, privileges, and hopes; and this from the first day until now.

A good work among you—en hymin, so it may be read: understand it, in the general, of the planting of the church among them. He who hath planted Christianity in the world will preserve it as long as the world stands. … But it is rather to be applied to particular persons, and then it speaks of the certain accomplishment of the work of grace wherever it is begun. … (3.) The work of grace is but begun in this life; it is not finished here; as long as we are in this imperfect state there is something more to be done. (4.) If the same God who begins the good work did not undertake the carrying on and finishing of it, it would lie for ever unfinished. He must perform it who began it.

that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: by this good work is not meant the preaching of the Gospel among them, nor a Gospel church state set up in the midst of them: … wherefore by it is undoubtedly meant the work of grace upon their hearts, sometimes called the work of faith, because that is a principal part of it: … This is a begun work, and but a begun one. … But the apostle was confident, and so may every good man be confident, both for himself and others, that God who has, and wherever he has begun the good work of grace, will “perform”, finish it, or bring it to an end, as the word here used signifies.

The apostle expresses the ardent affection he had for them, and his concern for their spiritual welfare: I have you in my heart, Phil 1:7. He loved them as his own soul, and they lay near his heart. … Fellow sufferers should be dear one to another; those who have ventured and suffered in the same good cause of God and religion should for that reason love one another dearly: … Observe, It is very proper to think the best of other people, and as well as we can of them—to suppose as well of them as the matter will admit in all cases.

it is a token for good when the Lord lays the case of any upon the hearts of his ministers, or any of his people; … or rather by “grace”, or as the Vulgate Latin version reads it, “joy”, he designs his sufferings for Christ, and the sake of his Gospel; which he so calls, because it was given him by God, as a token of his favour, and a mark of honour and respect, to suffer for Christ, as well as believe in him; and therefore rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

O the bowels of compassion which are in Jesus Christ to poor souls! It was in compassion to them that he undertook their salvation, and put himself to so vast an expense to compass it. Now, in conformity to the example of Christ, Paul had a compassion for them, and longed after them all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. Shall not we pity and love those souls whom Christ had such a love and pity for?

In the practical judgment or internal sense, and particular experience, taste, and feeling the testimony of the Spirit in the Heart concerning the Grace of God, and Adoption, Rom 5:1, 5; 8:16–⁠17; 14:17, when there is not only a right notion in the Head, but a true sense and favour of Spiritual things in the Heart, Heb 5:14, which is when knowledge is not only an empty cloud in the Air, but becomes effectual by falling down in a kindly shower upon the Heart warmed with the love of God, and the virtue of Christ’s Resurrection, as he after gives his own experience, Phil 3:10 (like David ‘s, Ps 34:8).

He prayed, 1. That they might be a loving people, and that good affections might abound among them; That your love might abound yet more and more. He means it of their love to God, and one another, and all men. … 2. That they might be a knowing and judicious people: that love might abound in knowledge and in all judgment. It is not a blind love that will recommend us to God, but a love grounded upon knowledge and judgment. … Strong passions, without knowledge and a settled judgment, will not make us complete in the will of God, and sometimes do more hurt than good.

intimating, that spiritual love cannot be exceeded in; there is no going to an extreme in the exercise of it; natural love may, but not spiritual; God and Christ can never be loved too much, nor saints, as saints, though they may as men: … Some Christians are more affectionate, and less knowing; others are more knowing, and less affectionate; it is well when love and knowledge go and keep pace together: … By all “judgment”, or “sense”, as in the Greek text, is designed a spiritual apprehension, judgment, and sensation of things.

approve things, &c. … The words in the Original δοκιμάζειν τὰ διαφέροντα, may bear a double construction, Either I pray God that your love may abound in all knowledge and judgement sensibly to discern the difference between the truth of God, and vain fancies of men; or between earthly trash and heavenly treasure: or, I pray God your love may abound in all knowledge and judgement, whereby you may, approve of, and rightly value the excellent mysteries of salvation.

Observe, The truths and laws of Christ are excellent things; and it is necessary that we every one approve them, and esteem them such. We only need to try them, to approve of them; and they will easily recommend themselves to any searching and discerning mind. … Sincerity is our gospel perfection, that in which we should have our conversation in the world, and which is the glory of all our graces.

There are some things that differ one from other; as morality and grace, earthly things, and heavenly things, carnal and spiritual, temporal and eternal things, law and Gospel, the doctrines of men, and the doctrines of Christ; all which differ as much as chaff and wheat, as gold, silver, precious stones, and wood, hay, stubble. … in which, some think, is a metaphor taken either from the eagle, which holds up its young against the sun, and such as can bear the light of it she retains as her own, but such that cannot she rejects as a spurious brood; or from persons in business, who hold up the goods they are buying to the sun, to see if they can observe any fault in them.

These are such good works as are not (whatever the Papists conceive) causal of Righteousness, but are through the Spirit (who regenerates the persons, and directs the internal and external actions of those who walk in the steps of the Faith of their Father Abraham, Rom 4:12) wrought by supernatural Grace in the heart joined unto the Lord, 1 Cor 6:17, with whom they are one spirit.

Fear not being emptied by bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, for you will be filled with them. These fruits are by Jesus Christ, by his strength and grace, for without him we can do nothing. He is the root of the good olive, from which it derives its fatness. … It is much for the honour of God, when Christians not only are good, but do good, and abound in good works.

and they are styled fruits of “righteousness”, either of imputed righteousness, the righteousness of Christ imputed without works, the effects of which are good works; for nothing more strongly influences and engages men to the performance of good works, than a view of their free justification by the righteousness of Christ; hence there can be no justification by works, since these are the fruits and effects of justification, and not the cause.