Of The Providence Of God - Phil 2:24
comfort, or strength at all in it. For our parts, let us not leave till we have digested all the promises and comfortable assurances the gospel doth everywhere lay out to us. Hereby we shall shew ourselves far above all other men, and in all estates we shall be the same, not moved at all. Let us be therefore thankful for this word of life, and joyful in it, and treasure it up against the evil day, setting our minds ever upon it; let it be as a paradise to us, where the tree of life is placed. Christ in the word is as the tree of life. He that tasteth of this tree shall never die. By the 'first Adam' we come to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, by woeful experience, by the which we all died, but by the second Adam we come to eat of the tree of life, by which we live perpetually.
OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
But I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly.—
PHIL. 2:24.
IN the former verses the apostle Paul shews his care and love that he bore to the Philippians, in that he would not leave them destitute of a guide and director; and therefore he sends Timothy, whom he commends, to shew his love the more; and for his greater commendations, he shews the wickedness of the contrary sort, that thereby Timothy his sincerity may the better appear; 'others seek their own, but Timothy as a son hath served me.' He lays down the causes of this his sincerity. He first had learned the Scriptures of a
child; then he had a gracious grandmother and mother. It is an excellent comfortable thing whenas children can say, 'I am the son of thy servant and thy handmaid,' Ps. 86:16. And a third cause or help was his conversing with him. He drew in the sweet spirit of the blessed apostle. God, he derives† good to men by good society. They are therefore enemies to themselves that regard not good, choice company; for it makes of good excellent, and of those that are not yet good, if they belong to God, it makes them good.
In this verse he shews a further degree of his care of the Philippians.
There are‡ divers ways to come to the knowledge of men's estate; as first by report; secondly, by messengers; thirdly, by letter. St Paul had used all these; but his care was such as all these would not content him. He must see them himself, which is indeed the surest means and way of all.
In these words, therefore, consider the manner of the delivery of this speech, 'I trust in the Lord.' Then the matter, which contains a purpose of his coming. Then the ground, his trust in God. Here, first of all, mark the language of Canaan; and the heavenly dialect,
1. To express future purposes with a reservation of, and resignation to, God's will and guidance. 'I trust in God,' saith the apostle; for the hearts of men, yea of kings, are in God's hand, to turn and wind them as the rivers of waters, Prov. 21:1. This shews Christ to be God, for he is the object of trust. Observe in the second place,
2. God's providence extends to every particular thing. He guides our incomings and our outgoings; he disposes of our journeys; nay, his providence extends to the smallest things, to the sparrows and to the hair of our heads; he governs every particular passage of our lives.