inth. It was to spare them, that he came not yet to Corinth. 391 with such invaluable blessings, and with such SECT. glorious prospects as these. ii. 2 Cor. 23 Moreover, I But with respect to that change in my purcall God for a record pose of coming to you, which some would rep-1.23 upon my soul, that to spare you I came resent as an instance of a contrary conduct, I not as yet unto Cor- call God for a record on my soul, and declare to you, even as I hope he will have mercy upon it, that it was, not because I slighted my friends, or feared mine enemies, but out of a real tenderness, and with a desire to spare you that uneasiness which I thought I must in that case have been obliged to give you, that I came not as yet to Corinth; as I had once intended, 24 Not for that we and given you some reason to expect. I men- 24 have dominion over tion this, not because we pretend to have any your faith, but are absolute dominion over your faith, so as of my helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. own authority to dictate what you should believe, or do; nor would we exert the power with which Christ has endowed us, to any ty rannical or overbearing purposes; but we, even I, and all the faithful ministers of our Lord Jesus Christ, are joint helpers of your joy: we labour to use all the furniture which God hath given us, to the advancement of your real comfort and happiness; which can only be secured by reducing you to your duty but this very care will oblige us sometimes to take disagreeable steps, with regard to those that act in such a manner, as might tend to subvert the faith of their brethren: for by faith ye have stood hitherto I readily acknowledge you have in the general adhered to it; and it is by retaining the same principles pure and uncorrupted, with a realizing sense of them on our hearts, that we may still continue to stand in the midst of all the opposition we necessarily meet with from men insensible of every bond of duty and gratitude. IMPROVEMENT. ALL the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ: let us verse depend upon it, that they will be performed; and make it our 20 Have mercy on it.] Nothing but the his character to such a church, would have great importance of St. Paul's vindicating justified the solemnity of such an oath. 392 Reflections on the views ministers should have in their office. SECT. great care, that we may be able to say, that we are interested ii. through him in the blessings to which they relate. Let there be a proportionable steadiness and consistence in our obedience; and let not our engagements to God be yea and nay, since his to us are so invariably faithful. verse Are we established in Christ? Are we sealed with the earnest 19 of the Spirit in our hearts? Let us acknowledge that it is God 21 who hath imparted it to us; and let Christians of the greatest 22 steadiness and experience be proportionably humble, rather than by any means elated on account of their superiority to others. We see the light in which ministers should always consider themselves, and in which they are to be considered by others; not as having dominion over the faith of their people, having a right to dictate by their own authority, what they should believe, or, on the same principles, what they should do; but as helpers of their joy, in consequence of being helpers of their piety and 24 obedience. In this view, how amiable does the ministerial office appear! What a friendly aspect it wears upon the happiness of mankind! And how little true benevolence do they manifest, who would expose it to ridicule and contempt! Let those who bear that office, be careful that they do not give it the most dangerous wound, and abet the evil works of those who despise and deride it; which they will most effectually do, if they appear to form their purposes according to the flesh. 17 Let them with a single eye direct all their administrations to the glory of God and the edification of the church; that they may be able to appeal to their hearers, as those that must acknowledge, 13 and bear their testimony to their uprightness. In that case, they will be able to look on them as those in whom they hope to rejoice in the day of the Lord. And if, while they pursue these 14 ends, they are censured as actuated by any mean and less worthy principle, let them not be much surprised or discouraged : they share in exercises from which the blessed apostle St. Paul was not exempted; as indeed there is no integrity, or caution, which can guard any man from the effects of that malice against Christ and his gospel, with which some hearts overflow, when they feel themselves condemned by it. The apostle would not come to grieve them. SECT. III. The apostle expresses his great affection to the Corinthians, as manifested both in his sympathy with the offending member of their church, who, having been under censure, was now penitent; (in which view he advises his readmission;) and also in his solicitude for tidings concerning them from Titus, whom not finding at Troas, he went to meet in Macedonia. 2 Cor. II. 1-13. 2 CORINTHIANS II. 1. 2 COR. II. 1. Bed this with my UTI determin I It $93 iii. 2 Cor. ii. 1 NOW plainly and faithfully tell you the secr. self, that I would not true reason of that delay of my journey, come again to you which has so much surprised most of you, and with heaviness. at which some appear to be scandalized. was not that I forgot you, or failed in any friendly regards to you; but I determined this with myself, on hearing how things stood among you, that I would not, if it could by any means be prevented, come to you again in grief;a in circumstances which must have grieved both myself and you; but that I would wait for those fruits which I had reason to hope from my endeavours in my former epistle, to regu2 For if I make late what had been amiss. For if I should be 2 you sorry, who is he obliged to grieve you, who should then rejoice me, glad, but the same unless it be he who is now grieved by me? My which is made sorry affection to you as a church is indeed so great, by me? that I could enjoy very little comfort myself, if you were in sorrow, especially in consequence of any act of mine, however necessary it were: 3 And I wrote this And therefore I have written thus to you, in 3 same unto you, lest order to the farther promoting of that reformawhen I came, I tion which is necessary to my own comfort, from them of whom as well as to your honour and peace; that I may not, when I come again, have grief on ac then that maketh me should have sorrow ▲ I would not come to you in grief.] It may be objected, why then did he speak of coming in his former epistle, (1 Cor. xvi. 5—7,) when the incestuous person being yet impenitent, and their obedience to his directions, with relation to that case, being as yet unapproved, the cause of sorrow, and the necessity of grieving them, seemed yet greater than now? But it is very likely, that after he had writ that epistle, and perhaps while these things were in suspense, he had received news of other disorders among them; and indeed it is evident, that he seems apprehensive, even on the supposition that the incestuous person were VOL. 4. 51 happily restored, he might yet be under a bUnless it be he who is grieved by me.] It cannot reasonably be objected, that the sound part of the church would rejoice him; for even they would be grieved by the necessity of such severities; they would sympathize with the afflicted and corrected persons; and on the other hand, the recovery of offenders would give him more sensible joy than any thing else; which considerations taken together, will abundantly justify this expression. 394 2 Cor, ii. 4 He had wrote his former epistle, to shew his love. 4 For out of much SECT. Count of those for whom I ought to rejoice, having I ought to rejoice; iii. this confident persuasion concerning you all in having confidence in general, that my joy is [the joy] of you all, and you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. that do in the main bear the same affection you towards me, as I feel in my heart towards you. For sometime ago, with much affliction, and overbearing anguish of heart, I wrote an epis- affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote untle to you, which was attended with many tears, to you with many and I designed by it, not, as you may be sure, tears; not that you that ye might be grieved, but that ye might know, should be grieved, by one of the most genuine tokens which it was but that ye might possible for me to give, that overflowing love I have more abundwhich I bear to you, of the degree and tender- antly unto you. ness of which I was never myself so sensible as I have been since this sad occasion of dis know the love which 5 But if any have not grieved me, but 5 covering it happened. And if any one of you 6 And sufficient to such an one, who hath here 6 Sufficient to such 7 So that contra here refers to such passages as those in the • Wrote an epistle, &c.] Probably he first epistle, which speak of scandalous perods to be taken to reduce them to or sons among them, and direct to the methder. My joy is the joy of you all.] Mr. Locke d Overbearing anguish.] This seems argues from hence, that a distinction is to the import of uvoz; which nearly resem be made between the Corinthians, to bles ouvex, (compare chap. v. 14,) which whom this epistle was written, and the I render bears away. false teachers who were Jews, and who crept in among them, and whom he does not comprehend in the number of those concerning whom he speaks with such tenderness and hope. And thus he would reconcile this passage, and chap. vii. 1315; with chap xi. 13-15; chap. x. 6-11. Compare chap. xi. 22, where it is intimated some of them were Hebrews. But as we are sure some of the Corinthians had been seduced and alienated from St Paul by them, I think it most reasonable to under. stand this as spoken of what he might conclude to be their general character; and it was both generous and prudent in the apostle to set it in this point of view. To such an one.] Mr. Locke very well observes the great tenderness which the apostle uses to this offender; he never once mentions his name, nor does he here so much as mention his crime; but speaks of him in the most indefinite manner that was consistent with giving such directions in his case as love required. They were to restore the penitent offending member. iii. 395 riwise, ye ought rath. fied in what the church has done ; and instead of SECT. er to forgive him, urging you to pursue farther severities against and comfort him, him, who now, by the blessing of God on the lest perhaps such a one should be swal- discipline you have used, is become a penitent, ii. 7 lowed up with over- I on the contrary, declare it to you as my judg much sorrow. 2 Cor. ment, that you should rather forgive and comfort [him] lest such a one, if kept under continual rebuke, should be swallowed up with an excess of sorrow, and rendered incapable of those duties of the Christian life, to the performance of which, I would cheerfully hope that he is now 8 Wherefore I be- inclined. Therefore I beseech you to confirm 8 seech you, that ye [the assurances] and demonstrations [of your] would confirm your love to him, in the most tender and endearing manner that you can ; which may convince him that your seeming severity proceeded from cor9 For to this end dial affection. For indeed it was partly to 9 also did I write, this purpose that I have written, that I might that I might know have experience of you, whether ye would be obethe proof of you, dient in all things to my apostolical instructions dient in all things. and decisions and it gives me unspeakable 10 To whom ye pleasure to find that ye have been so. love towards him. whether ye be obe And 10 forgive any thing, I truly I have such confidence in you as a soci- offender to your communion, I also shall be ready to [forgive it ;] and if I forgive any thing, to whomsoever it may be, [it is] not out of regard to the offender alone, but in a great measure for your sukes, that as in the person of Christ, and by the high authority with which he hath been pleased to invest me, I join in 11 Lest Satan taking off the censure. For I know the pros- 11 should get an ad. perity of the church in general is concerned in vantage of us ; for we are not ignorant conducting these affairs aright, and am solicitous, lest if they be carried to any excess of rigour, Satan should get an advantage over us, and turn that severity into an occasion of mischief to the offender, to his brethren, and to others. For we are not ignorant of his devices, and of the great variety of stratagems which he is continually making use of to injure us, and to turn even discipline itself, to the reproach of the 12 Furthermore, church, and the destruction of souls. of his devices. These 12 are the sentiments which prevail in my heart |