F

426

Sect. 1.

12 For our Rejoicing is this, the Teftimony of our Confcience, that in Simplicity, and godly Sincerity, not with fleshly Wisdom, but by the Grace of God. tion in the World, and more abundantly to you-wards.

we have had our Converfa

And the Foy the Teftimony of his Confcience gave him.
fonable, than that Mercies obtained by Prayer,
fhould be owned in Praife. And this Confi-
2 Cor. I. 12 dence, which we have both towards GOD and
you, is much emboldened, as we have an in-
ward Affurance of our own Integrity, however
Men may fufpect, or cenfure us: For this is ftill
our Rejoicing, which no external Calamities can
impair, or Injuries deftroy, even the Teftimony of
our Confcience in the Sight of GOD who fearcheth
the Secrets of all Hearts, that in Simplicity (b),
and godly Sincerity, maintaining perpetually that
Senfe of the Divine Prefence and Inspection,
which is the fureft Guard upon unfeigned Inte-
grity; and not with that carnal Wisdom, which is
fo ungenerously and unrighteously imputed to
us; but by the Grace of GOD, and fuch Senti-
ments of Fidelity and Benevolence, as that bleffed
Principle infpires, we have had, and still continue
to have, our Converfation in the World; and more
efpecially towards you (i), with Refpect to whom,
in fome Circumftances of Oppofition that have
happened among you, we have been peculiarly
obliged to watch over our Conduct; left Inadver-
tency fhould in any Inftance give an Handle to

Ver. 1.

the Malice of our Enemies, to exert itself, in
ftrengthening Prejudices against us, and destroy-
ing thofe Fruits of our Labours among you, for
which we could not but be greatly concerned.

L

IMPROVEMENT.

ET the venerable Title of Saints, by which the Apostle fo often describes, and addreffes Chriftians, be ever retained in our Minds ; that we may remember the Obligations we are under to answer it, as we would

the Benefit of many. This would be a Sentiment worthy an Apofle; but the Rendering in the Paraphrafe feemed, on the whole, the moft natural and fimple; efpecially as dia, with a Genitive, feldom, if ever, fignifies for the Sake, but rather by the Means of any afterwards mentioned.

(b) Simplicity, Plain-heartedness:] Not only meaning well on the whole, but declining an over artful Way of profecuting a good End.

(i) Efpecially towards you.] His working with his own Hands for his Maintenance, among the Corinthians, (Acts xviii. 3. I Cor. ix. 15.) which he did not not every where do, must be a convincing Proof of this.

18

Reflections on the Trials, and Confolations of Chriftians. 427 would avoid the Guilt and Infamy of lying to GOD, and Men, by falfely Sect. 1. and hypocritically profeffing the best Religion, very poffibly to the worst, undoubtedly to the vaineft Purpofes. And that we may be excited to a Sanctity becoming this Title, let us often think of GÓD, as the Fa- Ver. 3. ther of Mercies, and as the GOD of all Confolation; and let us think of him, as assuming thefe Titles, under the Character of the GOD and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift: So fhall we find our Hearts more powerfully engaged to love and truft in him, and enter into a more intimate Acquaintance and frequent Converse with him.

From him let us feek Confolation in every Diftrefs; confidering these Ver. 4. Supports, which we fo experience, not as given for ourselves alone, but for others; that we, on the like Principles, may comfort them. Let Minifters, in particular, regard them in this View, and rejoice in these Tribulations, which may render them more capable of comforting fuch as are in any Trouble, by thofe Confolations, with which they themselves have been comforted by GOD: that fo the Church may be edified, and GOD glorified in all, by the Thanksgiving of many, for Mercies obtained in An- Ver. 11. fwer to united Prayers.

Let us particularly remember the Support, which St. Paul experienced, when he was prefed above Meafure, and as it feemed, quite beyond his Strength, so as to defpair of Life, and received the Sentence of Death Ver. 9. in himself; as what was wifely appointed to teach him a firmer Confidence in GOD, who raiseth the Dead. Strong as his Faith was, it admitted of farther Degrees; and the Improvement of it was a happy Equivalent for all the Extremities he fuffered. He therefore glories, as fecure of being refcued from future Dangers. Nor was his Faith vain, Ver. 10. tho' he afterwards fell by the Hand of his Enemies, and feemed as helplefs a Prey to their Malice and Rage, as any of the Multitudes, whose Blood Nero, or the Inftruments of his Cruelty, poured out like Water. Death is itself the grand Rescue to a good Man, which bears him to a State of everlasting Security; and in this Senfe, every Believer may adopt the Apostle's Words, and while he acknowledges paft and prefent, may affuredly boaft of future Deliverances.

Happy fhall we therefore be, if by Divine Grace we are enabled at all Times, to maintain the Temper and Conduct of Chriftians ; and may confidently rejoice in the Teftimony of our Confciences, that our Converfa- Ver. 12. tion in the World is in Simplicity and godly Sincerity; that our Ends in Religion are great and noble; that our Conduct is fimple and uniform; in a Word that we act as in the Sight of an Heart-fearching GOD. Then

may we look upon the Applauses, or the Cenfures of Men, as compara

tively a very light Matter; and may reft affured, if, as with Regard to
the Apostle in the Inftance before us, he fuffers a malignant Breath for

Hhh 2

a while,

428

Sect. 1.

The Apostle profeffes his Integrity towards them:

a while, to obfcure the Luftre of our Character, the Day is near, which will reveal it in unclouded Glory.

Sect. 2.

2. Cor. L. 13.

The Apostle goes on folemnly to declare his general Integrity;; and particularly applies that Declaration to the Views, on which he had declined that Vifit to Corinth, which he had intimated an Intention of making. 2 Cor. L. 13, to the

I

End

2 CORINTHIANS I. 13.
SPEAK of the Integrity, with which I
have conducted myfelf among you, with
great Freedom; for we write no other Things to
you on this Head, but what ye well know (a), and
must be obliged to acknowledge; and Thope, that ye
will have equal Caufe to acknowledge [them] even
unto the End: For by the Divine Grace, you shall
never have juft Caufe to fpeak, or think difho-
nourably of us, or to reflect upon any Inconfif-
As indeed
14 tency in our Behaviour.
have al-
ready acknowledged us in Part; you have acknow-
ledged, that you have had no Occafion of blaming
us; for tho' fome among you are not fo ready to
do us Juftice, as the Reft are, yet moft avow it.
with Pleasure and Thankfulness, that we are your

ye

ye

Boafting, and that have Cause to glory in your
Relation to us; as ye alfo in this Respect, (with
humble Gratitude to the great Author of all our
Succeffes be it ever fpoken,) [are] ours now, and
will, I truft, be fo in the great Day of the Lord:
Jefus; when we hope to prefent you before Chrift,,

as

2 CORINTHIANS I. 13..

FOR we write none othan what you read or acknowledge, and I truft you hall acknowledge even to

ther Things unto you,.

the End..

14 As alfo

knowledged us in Part, that we are your Rejoicing, even: as ye alfo are ours in the: Day of the Lord Jefus.

(a) What ye know.] The Word araywaxa is ambiguous, and may fignify either to are. knowledge, to know, or to reads but, I think, the Senfe here plainly determines it to knowing.

(b) Make

And fays he had not deferred coming thro' Levity.

420 as the Seals of our Miniftry, and to lead you on Sect. 2. to that heavenly Kingdom, in the faithful Purfuit of which we have already been so happy as 2 Cor. I. 14

to engage you

And in this Confidence I was long before defirous 15
of coming to you, and enjoying another Interview
with Friends, who have long lain fo near my
Heart; that the expected Transports of that blef-
fed Day, might in fome Degree be anticipated,
both on my Part, and on yours; and accordingly
would have come to you much fooner, not only
on my own Account, but likewife that
ye might
have had a fecond Benefit; as I doubted not but it
would have been much to your Advantage, as well
as have given you a great Deal of Joy, to have feen
and converfed with your Father in Chrift, who
had once been fo dear and fo welcome to you.
And indeed my Scheme was to pass by you into 16
Macedonia, and make you a fhort Vifit (6) in my
Way thither; and then having dispatched my
Business in the Churches there, to come to you
again from Macedonia, and make a longer Stay;.
that fo I might be brought forward by you
in my
Journey toward Judea, when I fhall go thither to
deliver the Money, raised by the Contribution of
the Gentile Chriftians for their Jewish Brethren,
when they shall meet at Jerufalem on Occafion of
fome of their great Feafts. (See Acts xx. 16.)

Now when I intended this, did I ufe Levity in
projecting my Scheme, or throwing it afide on
any trifling Occation? Or the Things which I pur-

pofe

(b) Make you a fhort Vifit.] or dexter Maxedonar fome have underflood of going into Macedonia without calling them in his Way. But as he went from Ephefus to Macedonia, it was not his direct Way to go by Corinth; efpecially confidering the Road we know he did take, by Troas; and if he were now in Macedonia, as I think there is great Reafon to believe he was, there would in that Interpretation have been no fuch Appearance: of Change in his Purpose, as fhould have needed any Apology. I therefore conclude, that his firft Scheme was to have made them two Vifits, the one in his Way to Macedonia, (perhaps failing from Ephefus to Corinth,) and then another and longer, in his Return. This the Word ma, again, feems to intimate; and if this were his Purpose, it was now plain in Fact, that he had changed it. The grand Objection aginft this is 1 Cor. xvi. 7. which can be only reconciled by a Suppofition, that he had altered his Purpose between the Date of that Epifle, and his quitting Ephesus; and had given them, perhaps by some verbal Meffage, fome Intimation of it.

17

430

18 But as GOD is true, our Word toward you was not yea and nay.

But his Word towards them was ftedfaft; Sect. 2. pofe in general, do I purpose according to the purpofe, do I purpofe acFlesh; according to carnal Principles and cording to the Flesh, that with me there fhould be yea, 2 Cor. I. 17. Views; that I hould be continually chang- yea, and nay, nay? ing my Measures in the Profpect of every little Intereft that may lead one Way or another, and breaking my Word, fo that there fhould be with me yea, yea, and nay, nay; fuch an Uncertainty and Inconfiftency of Counfels and Actions, that none fhould know how to depend upon me, or what they had to expect from me? 18 No; I folemnly proteft, that [as] the GOD, whom I ferve, [is] faithful, our Word to you on other Occafions, and on this, hath not been wavering and uncertain; fometimes yea, and fometimes nay; but that I have always maintained a Confiftency of Behaviour, the natural Attendant of Sincerity and Truth, which is always uniform 19 and invariable. For our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of GOD, our great Redeemer, who was preached by us amongst you, that is, by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy, who joined our Labours among you, (Acts xviii. 15.) as we now join in writing to you this Epistle, (according to what I yea obferved in the Infcription of it,) was not yea and nay: Chrift and his Gospel were not inconfiftent and contradictory; but in him all was yea; as he is the fame Yefterday, to Day, and for ever, the Declarations of his Word, and the Engagements of his Covenant are inviolably the fame. 20 For all the many and invaluably precious Promifes

yea,

was

19 For the Son of GOD, who Jefus Chrift, preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was

20 For all the Promifes

in

of GOD, which are given us by this Covenant, of GOD in him are yea, and
and established in his Blood, [are] in him
and in him Amen (c): They are now attended
with Stipulations and Engagements, which may

be

(c) In him yea, and in him Amen.] Nothing can really render the Promises of GoD more certain than they are; but GOD's giving them to us thro' Chrift affures us, that they are indeed his Promifes, as in Chrift there is fuch a real Evidence of his converfing with Men; and as the Wonders, which GOD hath actually wrought in the Incarnation, Life, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of his Son,. (Facts in themselves much stranger, than any of the glorious Confequences to follow,) tend greatly to confirm our Faith, and make it easier for us to believe fuch illuftrious Promifes, as thofe which are given us; the very Greatness of which might otherwife have been an Impediment to our Faith, and have created a Sufpicion, not whether GOD would have performed what he had promifed, but whether fuch Promises. were really given us.

(d) Efta