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For this is necessary, that I shall certainly abide, and not simply abide, but with you; for this is the meaning of, 'And I shall continue with you all,' that is, 'I shall see you.' For what reason? For your progress and joy of faith. Here he also rouses them, that they may take heed to themselves. For if for your sake, he says, I abide, see that you do not put my abiding to shame. When I was about to see Christ, I chose to remain for your progress. Since my presence contributes to your faith and to your joy, for this reason I chose to remain. What then? Did he remain for the sake of the Philippians alone? He did not remain for their sake alone; but he says this, in order to court them. But how was it to make progress in the faith? That you may be the more established, like young birds in need of their mother, until their wings are grown strong. This is a proof of great love. So we also stir some up, as when we say; For your sake I remained, that I might make you good. That your boasting, he says, may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my coming again to you. Do you see that this is the meaning of, 'I shall continue with you all'? See the humility; Since he said, 'For your progress,' he shows that it is also for his own benefit. Which he also does when writing to the Romans, saying; 'That is, to be mutually encouraged in you'; having first said, 'That I may impart to you some spiritual gift.' But what is, 'That your boasting may abound'? Which was also the boast, to be established in the faith (for this is a boast in Christ), to live rightly. Your boasting in me through my coming again to you? Yes, he says. For what is our hope, or crown of boasting? or is it not even you? For you are our boast, just as we are yours; that is, that I may have to boast in you more greatly. How? That your boasting may abound. For I have 62.208 to boast more greatly, when you have advanced. Through my coming again to you. What then? did he come to them? You ask this, whether he came. Only conduct yourselves, he says, in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Do you see that he said all this for this reason, that he might exhort them to this, to advance in virtue? Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. What is the meaning of, 'Only'? This is the only thing sought, and nothing else; if this is so, nothing grievous will befall us. So that whether I come and see you, or am absent, I may hear of your affairs. He says these things not as having changed his mind, nor as no longer coming; But if this happens, he says, even when absent I can rejoice. If I hear that you are standing firm in one spirit and one soul. 3. This is what most holds together the faithful, and contains love; for this reason, 'That they may be one,' says Christ. For a kingdom divided against itself will not stand. For this reason he everywhere gives much counsel for concord, and Paul also; for this reason Christ also says, 'By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.' That is, do not, looking to the expectation of my coming, fall asleep, as though expecting me to come; then, when you see that I am not coming, be faint-hearted. For I can rejoice just as well from what I hear. What is, 'In one spirit'? That is, by the same gift, that of concord, that of readiness. For the spirit is one, and this is shown by its being so stated in many places. For so it is possible to stand also in one soul, when we all have one spirit. Behold, 'one' is said of concord; behold, many are called one. So it was of old; 'The heart of all,' he says, 'and the soul was one.' Striving together for the faith of the Gospel. Is it as if the faith were contending, striving together, he says, with one another? how could that be reasonable? for were they not wrestling against one another? But what he says is this: Take one another with you, he says, in the contest for the faith of the Gospel. And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them

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γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον τοῦτό ἐστι, πάντως ὅτι μενῶ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς μενῶ, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑμῶν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Καὶ συμπαραμενῶ, τουτέστιν, Ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Εἰς τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν καὶ χαρὰν τῆς πίστεως. Ἐνταῦθα αὐτοὺς καὶ διανίστησιν, ὥστε προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, μενῶ, ὁρᾶτε μὴ καταισχύνητέ μου τὴν παραμονήν. Μέλλων Χριστὸν ὁρᾷν, εἱλόμην ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ προκοπῇ μένειν. Ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἐμὴ παρουσία καὶ πρὸς πίστιν ὑμῖν συμβάλλεται καὶ πρὸς χαρὰν, διὰ τοῦτο εἱλόμην μένειν. Τί οὖν; Φιλιππησίων ἕνεκεν ἔμενε μόνων; Οὐκ ἐκείνων ἕνεκεν ἔμενε μόνων· λέγει δὲ τοῦτο, ἵνα αὐτοὺς θεραπεύσῃ. Πῶς δὲ ἦν τῇ πίστει προκόψαι; Ὥστε στηριχθῆναι μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς, καθάπερ νεοττοὺς δεομένους τῆς μητρὸς, ἕως ἂν αὐτοῖς παγῇ τὰ πτερά. Πολλῆς ἀγάπης τοῦτο τεκμήριον. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τινας διεγείρομεν, ὡς ὅταν εἴπωμεν· ∆ιὰ σὲ ἔμεινα, ἵνα σε ποιήσω χρηστόν. Ἵνα τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν, φησὶ, περισσεύῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὸ, Συμπαραμενῶ, τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅρα τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην· Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, Εἰς τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ὠφέλειαν. Ὅπερ καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους γράφων ποιεῖ, λέγων· Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι, συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν· εἰπὼν πρῶτον, Ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικόν. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἵνα τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν περισσεύῃ; Ὅπερ καὶ τὸ καύχημα ἦν, τὸ ἐστηρίχθαι ἐν τῇ πίστει (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καύχημα ἐν Χριστῷ), τὸ ὀρθῶς βιοῦν. Τὸ ὑμῶν καύχημα ἐν ἐμοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς; Ναὶ, φησί. Τίς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐλπὶς, ἢ στέφανος καυχήσεως; ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς; Ὅτι καύχημα ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε, καθάπερ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν· τουτέστιν, Ἵνα ἔχω καυχᾶσθαι ἐν ὑμῖν μειζόνως. Πῶς; Ἵνα περισσεύῃ τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν. Μειζόνως γὰρ ἔχω 62.208 καυχᾶσθαι, ὑμῶν ἐπιδόντων. ∆ιὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Τί οὖν; ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτούς; Τοῦτο ζητεῖτε, εἰ ἦλθε. Μόνον ἀξίως, φησὶ, τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε πάντα, ἵνα εἰς τοῦτο αὐτοὺς προτρέψῃ ἐπιδοῦναι πρὸς ἀρετήν; Μόνον ἀξίως τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε. Τί ἐστι τὸ, Μόνον; Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον μόνον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο· ἂν τοῦτο ᾖ, οὐδὲν λυπηρὸν ἡμῖν συμβήσεται. Ἵνα εἴτε ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς, εἴτε ἀπὼν ἀκούσω τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν. Οὐχ ὡς μεταθέμενος, οὐδὲ ὡς οὐκέτι ἥξων, ταῦτα λέγει· Ἀλλ' ἐὰν τοῦτο γένηται, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπὼν εὐφραίνεσθαι δύναμαι. Ἐὰν ἀκούσω, ὅτι στήκετε ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι καὶ μιᾷ ψυχῇ. γʹ. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ μάλιστα συγκροτεῖ τοὺς πιστοὺς, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην συνέχει· διὰ τοῦτο, Ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν, φησὶν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ γὰρ Βασιλεία μερισθεῖσα ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν, οὐ σταθήσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλὴν ὑπὲρ ὁμονοίας ποιεῖται πανταχοῦ τὴν συμβουλὴν, καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησιν, Ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες, ὅτι μαθηταί μού ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. Τουτέστι, Μὴ εἰς τὴν προσδοκίαν τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφορῶντες καθεύδετε, οἷον προσδοκῶντες ἥξειν· εἶτα, ἐπειδὰν ἴδητε μὴ ἐρχόμενον, ἐκλυθῆτε. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἀκοῆς εὐφραίνεσθαι δύναμαι ὁμοίως. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι; Τουτέστι, τῷ αὐτῷ χαρίσματι, τῷ τῆς ὁμονοίας, τῷ τῆς προθυμίας. Ἓν γάρ ἐστι τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ δείκνυσι τοῦτο, τὸ πολλαχοῦ οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔστι καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἑστηκέναι ψυχῇ, ὅταν ἓν πνεῦμα οἱ πάντες ἔχωμεν. Ἰδοὺ τὸ, Μιᾷ, ἐπὶ ὁμονοίας εἴρηται· ἰδοὺ πολλαὶ μία λέγονται. Οὕτως ἦν τὸ παλαιόν· Ἦν ἡ καρδία πάντων, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ μία. Συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Ἆρα ὡς τῆς πίστεως ἀθλούσης, συναθλοῦντες, φησὶν, ἀλλήλοις; πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον; μὴ γὰρ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπάλαιον; Ἀλλὰ ὃ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Συμπαραλαμβάνετε ἀλλήλους, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἀθλήσει τῇ πίστει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Καὶ μὴ πτυρόμενοι ἐν μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς μὲν