hings_ unto you" refer still to
_Christian unity_, on which St Paul was going to dilate further, but a
sudden pause occurred, and the theme was dropped. With reverence for
the great expositor, I cannot but think this unlikely. It assumes that
St Paul was curiously indifferent to the sequence of thought in an
important apostolic message, which assuredly he would _read over again_
before it was actually sent. A theory which fairly explains the
passage, and meanwhile avoids the thought of such indifference, seems
to me far preferable.

[2] The words obviously may be rendered, "_Farewell_ in the Lord"; and
so some take them, explaining that St Paul was intending to close
immediately, and so wrote his "Adieu" here; but then changed his plan.
This is very unlikely however. See below, iv. 4: _Chairete en Kurio
pantote_. The "always" there scarcely suits a formula _of farewell_,
while it perfectly suits an injunction _to be glad_. And that passage
is the obvious echo of this.--A.V. and R.V. both render "rejoice,"
though R.V. writes "or, _farewell_" in the margin. St Chrysostom in
his comments here explains the passage as referring to the Christian's
joy (_chara_). The ancient Latin versions render _Gaudete_ (not
_valete_) in _Domino_.

[3] I thus render _rhythmically_ the rhythmical Greek (it is an iambic
trimeter): _emoi men ouk okneron, humin d asphales_. It is probable
that the words are a quotation from a Greek poet, perhaps a "comic"
poet; the "comedies" being full of neatly expressed reflexions. For
such a quotation, probably from the "comedian" Menander, see 1 Cor. xv.
33: _phtheirousin ethe chresth homiliai kakai_: "_Ill converse cankers
fair morality._"

[4] The reading _pneumati Theou_ (not _Theo_) _latreuontes_ is to be
preferred.

[5] _Datreuien_ means first to do servants' work, then to do religious
"service" (so almost always in LXX. and N.T.) and sometimes specially
_priestly_ duty (see e.g. Heb. xiii. 10). This latter may be in view
here: we Christians, born anew of the Spirit, are the true _priests_,
and we little need to be made Jewish proselytes first.

[6] The _sarx_ in St Paul is very fairly represented by the word "self"
as used popularly in religious language. It is man taken as apart from
God, and so man _versus_ God; then by transition it may mean, as here,
the products of such a source, the labours of the self-life to
construct a self-righteousness. It is hardly necessary to say that