Page:Sermons preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia.djvu/59

Rh Apostle also commends an excellent person named Demetrius, whom he proposed as a pattern which the whole church might safely imitate. From the high commendation here so cordially given to Gaius, he must have been universally regarded as a man of eminent piety, one, who was deeply concerned for the welfare and prosperity of the Church; one who endeavored to the utmost of his ability to advance the cause of his Redeemer in the world. It was this that so greatly endeared him to the venerable Apostle. Hence he addresses him with all the tenderness of paternal affection—"The elder, unto the well-beloved Gaius whom I love in the truth, or truly love."

He manifests his sincere love and regard for him by earnestly praying for his prosperity, both in a temporal and spiritual point of view. "I wish above all things" or with respect to all things, "that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth."