TEXT.

23 Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy for by faith

ye stand.

II. 1 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.

2 For if I make you sorry, who is he, then, that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them, of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

PARAPHRASE.

23 Moreover, I call God to witness, and may I die if it is not so, 24 that it was to spare you, that I came not yet to Corinth. Not that I pretend to such a dominion over your faith, as to require you to believe what I have taught you, without coming to you, when I am expected there, to maintain and make it good; for it is by that faith you stand: but I forbore to come, as one concerned to preserve and help forward your joy, which I am tender of, and therefore declined coming to you, whilst I thought you in an estate, that would require severity II. 1 from me, that would trouble you. I purposed in myself, it is true, to come to you again, but I resolved too, it should 2 be without bringing sorrow with me. For if I grieve you, who is there, when I am with you, to comfort me, but those 3 very persons whom I have discomposed with grief? And this very thing, which made you sad, I writ to you, not coming

NOTES.

24 It is plain, St. Paul's doctrine had been opposed by some of them at Corinth, vid. 1 Cor. xv. 12. His apostleship questioned, 1 Cor. ix. 1, 2. 2 Cor. xiii. 3. He himself triumphed over, as if he durst not come, 1 Cor. iv. 18, they saying "his letters were weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence weak, and his speech contemptible;" 2 Cor. x. 10. This being the state his reputation was then in, at Corinth, and he having promised to come to them, 1 Cor. xvi. 5, he could not but think it necessary to excuse his failing them by reasons that should be both convincing and kiud; such as are contained in this verse, in the sense given of it.

1 That this is the meaning of this verse, and not that he would not come to them, in sorrow, a second time, is past doubt, since he had never been with them in sorrow a first time. Vid. 2 Cor. i. 15.

38 Kai éypafa úμîïv Toûto aútò, “and I writ to you this very thing." That éypx↓x, "I writ," relates, here, to the first epistle to the Corinthians, is evident, because it is so used, in the very next verse, and again a little lower, ver. 9. What, therefore, is it in his first epistle, which he here calls Touro autò, "this very thing," which he had writ to them? I answer, The punishment of the fornicator. This is plain, by what follows here, to ver. 11, especially, if it be compared with 1 Cor. iv. 21, and v. 8. For there he writes to them, to punish

TEXT.

4 For, out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears; not that you should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part; that I may not overcharge you all.

6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many.

7 So that, contrariwise, ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him; lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over-much

sorrow.

8 Wherefore, I beseech you, that ye would confirm your love towards him.

you

PARAPHRASE.

myself; on purpose that, when I came, I might not have sorrow from those, from whom I ought to receive comfort: having this belief and confidence in you all, that you, all of you, make my joy and satisfaction so much your own, that would remove all cause of disturbance before I came. 4 For I writ unto you with great sadness of heart and many tears; not with intention to grieve you, but that you might know the overflow of tenderness and affection which I have 5 for But if the fornicator has been the cause of grief, I you. do not say, he has been so to me, but in some degree to you 6 all; that I may not lay a load on him ". The correction he hath received from the majority of you is sufficient in the 7 case. So that, on the contrary, it is fit rather that you forgive

and comfort him, lest he should be swallowed up by an ex8 cess of sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you to confirm your

NOTES.

that person; whom if he, St. Paul, had come himself, before it was done, he must have come, as he calls it, with a rod, and have himself chastised: but now, that he knows that the Corinthians had punished him, in compliance to his letter; and he had this trial of their obedience; he is so far from continuing the severity, that he writes to them to forgive him, and take him again into their affection.

5 St. Paul being satisfied with the Corinthians, for their ready compliance with his orders, in his former letter, to punish the fornicator, intercedes to have him restored; and, to that end, lessens his fault, and declares, however he might have caused grief to the Corinthians, yet he had caused none to him.

7 i Tovartior," on the contrary," here, has nothing to refer to, but imbap, "overcharge," in the 5th verse, which makes that belong to the fornicator, as I have explained it.

K'O TOLOŪTIS, “such an one," meaning the fornicator. It is observable how tenderly St. Paul deals with the Corinthians, in this epistle; for though he treats of the fornicator, from the 5th to the 10th verse inclusively; yet he never mentions him under that, or any other disobliging title, but in the soft and inoffensive terms, "of any one," or "such an one." And that, possibly, may be the reason why he says, μǹ inscapó, indefinitely, without naming the person it relates to.

TEXT.

9 For to this end, also, did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for, if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it, in the person

of Christ.

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas, to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus, my brother: but, taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.

PARAPHRASE.

9 love to him, which I doubt not of. For this, also, was one end of my writing to you, viz. To have a trial of you, and to know whether you are ready to obey me in all things. 10 To whom you forgive any thing, I also forgive. For if I have forgiven any thing, I have forgiven it to him for your sakes, 11 by the authority, and in the name of Christ; That we may not be over-reached by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his wiles. 12 Furthermore, being arrived at Troas, because Titus, whom I expected from Corinth, with news of you, was not come, I was very uneasy there; insomuch that I made not use of the opportunity, which was put into my hands by the Lord, of 13 preaching the Gospel of Christ, for which I came thither.

I

hastily left those of Troas, and departed thence to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, in that he always makes me triumph every where", through Christ, who gives me success in preaching the Gospel, and spreads the knowledge of Christ by 15 me. For my ministry, and labour in the Gospel, is a service, or sweet-smelling sacrifice to God, through Christ, both in

NOTES.

12 1 How uneasy he was, and upon what account, see ch. vii. 5-16. It was not barely for Titus's absence, but for want of the news he brought with him; ch. vii. 7.

14 m "Who makes me triumph every where," i. e. in the success of my preaching, in my journey to Macedonia; and also in my victory, at the same time, at Corinth, over the false apostles, my opposers, that had raised a faction against me amongst you. This, I think, is St. Paul's meaning, and the reason of his using the word triumph, which implies contest and victory, though he places that word so, as modestly to cover it.

TEXT.

16 To the one, we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other, the savour of life unto life; and who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ..

PARAPHRASE.

16 regard of those that are saved, and those that perish. To the one my preaching is of ill savour, unacceptable and offensive, by their rejecting whereof they draw death on themselves; and to the other, being as a sweet savour, acceptable, they thereby receive eternal life. And who is sufficient for these things"? And yet, as I said, my service in the Gospel is well-pleasing to God. For I am not, as several are, who are hucksters of the 17 word of God, preaching it for gain; but I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in sincerity. I speak, as from God himself, and I deliver it, as in the presence of God.

NOTES.

16 Vid. ch. iii. 5, 6.

17. This, I think, may be understood of the false apostle.

SECTION II. NO. 3.

CHAPTER III. 1.-VII. 16.

CONTENTS.

His speaking well of himself, (as he did sometimes in his first epistle, and with much more freedom in this, which, as it seems, had been objected to him, amongst the Corinthians) his plainness of speech, and his sincerity in preaching the Gospel, are the things which he chiefly justifies, in this section, many ways. We shall observe his arguments, as they come in the order of St. Paul's discourse, in which are mingled, with great insinuation, many expressions of an overflowing kindness to the Corinthians, not with

out some exhortations to them.

TEXT.

1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2 Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. 4 And such trust have we, through Christ, to God-ward:

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

PARAPHRASE.

1 Do I begin again to commend myself; or need I, as 2 some, commendatory letters to or from you? You are my commendatory epistle, written in my heart, known and 3 read by all men. I need no other commendatory letter, but that you being manifested to be the commendatory epistle of Christ, written on my behalf; not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but of the heart, whereof I was the amanuensis; i. e. your conversation 4 was the effect of my ministry. And this so great confidence 5 have I, through Christ, in God. Not as if I were sufficient of myself to reckon upon any thing, as of myself; but my

e

d

NOTES.

a

1 * This is a plain indication, that he had been blamed, amongst them, for commending himself.

Seems to intimate, that their false apostle had got himself recommended to them by letters, and so had introduced himself into that church.

3 The sense of St. Paul, in this 3d verse, is plainly this: that he needed no letters of commendation to them; but that their conversion, and the Gospel, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of God, in the tables of their hearts, and not in tables of stone, by his ministry, was as clear an evidence and testimony to them, of his mission from Christ, as the law, writ in tables of stone, was an evidence of Moses's mission; so that he, St. Paul, needed no other recommendation: this is what is to be understood by this verse, unless we will make the tables of stone" to have no signification here. But to say, as he does, that the Corinthians, being writ upon, in their hearts, not with ink, but with the Spirit of God, by the hand of St. Paul, was Christ's commendatory letter of him, being a pretty bold expression, liable to the exception of the captious part of the Corinthians; he, to obviate all imputation of vanity, or vainglory, herein immediately subjoins what follows in the next verse.

4 As if he had said, "But mistake me not, as if I boasted of myself: this so great boasting, that I use, is only my confidence in God, through Christ: for it was God, that made me a minister of the Gospel, that bestowed on me the ability for it; and whatever I perform in it is wholly from him.”

e

5 Пemolendis, "trust," ver. 4, a milder term for "boasting," for so St. Paul uses it, chap. x. 7, compared with ver. 8, where also λoyiziow, ver. 7, is used, as here, for counting upon one's self; St. Paul also uses wizdas, for "thou boastest," Rom. ii, 19, which will appear, if compared with ver. 17;