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For indeed he was sick nigh unto death; by reason he was really taken with such a disease, as in its own nature was mortal, and in its tendency brought him even to death’s door, as Isa_38:1.
But God had mercy on him; but God, who is the great Physician, and unto whom it belongs to show mercy unto those who address to him, (without whom bodily physicians can do nothing), by compassionating of him in his misery, was pleased to restore him to health, as 2Ki_20:5,6. But if any say: Would it not have been great mercy to have taken him from the miseries of this life, which are here prolonged? Consider Phi_1:21. It may be answered:
1. Death itself, as it is a privation of life, and opposite to nature, was not desirable by Paul any more than by our Saviour, but might be looked upon as a kind of misery, not to be preferred to life looked upon in itself, but with respect to another, viz. as it is a passage to eternal life; so it is desirable for that life into which it leads the godly, and so is to be preferred to the miserable condition of this life. Paul speaks here of mercy respecting the former, considering that this life itself is a favour of God, for the service of him, and our neighbour. Further:
2. God’s mercy here respects not only the grievous sickness of Epaphroditus, but the joint affliction that the loss of him would be both to the Philippians and to Paul, in thus juncture, as we may see from what follows.
And not on him only, but on me also; what power had Paul for working of miracles, was chiefly to convince infidels, and he could only exert it when God saw good for his own glory. Therefore he magnifies God’s mercy here in a more ordinary way, as a return to prayer, when he was so afflicted for his colleague’s illness; being upon an office of kindness and compassion, his loss would be in its tendency a ground of so much sorrow to the church, as well as to himself.
Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow; his Christianity had not extinguished his natural affections, but if the church had then been bereft of Epaphroditus, it would have added the affliction for his loss to his affliction by his suffering for Christ, it would have doubled his affliction, (yet somewhat in a different sense from that, Phi_1:16), it being an ill temper not to be grieved for the affliction of the church, Amo_6:6; yet all our affections are to be moderated according to the will of God.