as alfo the Promifes of GOD in Chrift were.

431

in him Amen, unto the be fufficient to confirm the weakest Faith, when Sect. 2. Glory of God by us.

we confider, what an astonishing Way GOD has

been pleased to take, for the Communication of 2 Cor. I. 20.
Mercy by his Son; fo that the more we attend
to them, the more we fhall fee of their invaria-
ble Truth and Certainty: And all tends to the
Glory of GOD by us, which we constantly make
the End of our Adminiftration, and fo are ani-
mated to maintain one regular Series of uniform
Truth, as in his Sight and Prefence.

But we fay not this, as arrogating any Thing to 21
ourselves; for we moft readily acknowledge, that
be who alfo by his ftrengthening Grace, confirmeth
and establishethus (d), together with you, in the Faith
and Love of Christ, and he that bath anointed us,
as a Kind of Firft-fruits of his Creatures, with that
Spirit, which gives us a Capacity for all the Services
to which we are called out, and furnishes us with
all our Credentials in it, [is] the bleffed GOD him-
felf; Who bath alfo fealed us (e), to mark and 22
secure (f) us for his peculiar Property, and, in
farther Confirmation of his Regard for us, given
us the Earneft of the Spirit in our Hearts, these
facred Communications both of Gifts and Graces,
which lead us into Enjoyments, that we look up-
on as the Anticipation of Heaven, and not only
as a Pledge, but a Foretaste of it. This is the
happy

(d) Eftablisheth us.] To explain this of furnishing St. Paul with fuch Arguments, as enabled him more and more to confirm the Corinthians in the Chriftian Faith, and himself in the Character of a faithful Minister, is, I think, giving but a small Part of the genuine and fublime Sense of this excellent Paffage.

(e) Hath anointed us-fealed us.] Monf. Saurin thinks, that the Difference between the Unction, the Seal, and the Earnest, of the Spirit is this: That the Unction chiefly refers to those extraordinary Endowments, by which the Apostles were fet apart to their Work, as Priests and Kings were confecrated to theirs, by being anointed; the Seal, to the Sacraments, which marked them out as the peculiar Property of GOD; and the Earnest he explains of those Joys of the Holy Ghoft, which were the Anticipation of celestial Happiness. See Saur. Ser. Vol. xi. pag. 83,-85.

(f) Mark and fecure us.] That Sealing refers to both thefe, is well fhewn by Dr. Whitby's Note on this Text. Some understand this Verfe as infinuating, how unreafonable it would be to fufpect him of Levity, who was fealed by fuch extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit. Compare John vi. 27. But that Argument would be fomething precarious; and as he speaks of the Earnest of the Spirit in the Hearts of Believers, I thought the Interpretation here given much preferable.

(g) Have

432

It was to fpare them, that he came not yet to Corinth.

Sect. 2. happy State, into which we are now brought,

for which I defire ever to glorify and adore the 2 Cor. I. 22. Divine Goodnefs, and to behave, as one that is favoured with such invaluable Bleffings, and with fuch glorious Profpects as thefe.

123

23 Moreover, I call Gos. for a Record upon my Soul,

as yet unto Corinth.

24 Not for that we have Dominion over your Faith, but are Helpers of your joy: for by Faith ye ftand.

But with Refpect to that Change in my Purpofe of coming to you, which fome would re- that to fpare you I came not prefent as an Inftance of a contrary Conduct, I call GOD for a Record on my Soul, and declare to you, even as I hope he will have Mercy upon it (g), that it was, not becaufe I flighted my Friends, or feared mine Enemies, but out of a real Tenderness, and with a Defire to fpare you that Uneafinefs, which I thought I muft in that Cafe have been obliged to give you, that I came not as yet to Corinth, as I had once intended, and 24 given you fome Reafon to expect. I mention this, not because we pretend to have any abfolute Dominion over your Faith, fo as of my own Authority to dictate what you fhould believe, or do; nor would we exert the Power with which Chrift has endowed us, to any tyrannical or overbearing Purposes; but we, even I, and all the faithful Minifters of our Lord Jefus Chrift, are joint Helpers of your Joy: We labour to ufe all the Furniture which God hath given us, to the Advancement of your real Comfort and Happiness; which can only be fecured by reducing you to your Duty: But this very Care will oblige us fometimes to take difagreeable Steps, with Regard to thofe that act in fuch a Manner, as might tend to fubvert the Faith of their Brethren: For by Faith ye have food hitherto; I readily acknowledge you have in the general adhered to it; and it is by retaining the fame Principles pure and uncorrupted, with a realizing Senfe of them on our Hearts, that we muft ftill continue to ftand in the Midst of all the Oppofition, we neceffarily meet with, from Men infenfible of every Bond of Duty and Gratitude.

(g) Have Mercy on it.] Nothing but the great Importance of St. Paul's vindicating his Character to such a Church, would have juftified the Solemnity of fuch an Oath.

IMPROVE

Reflections on the Views Minifters fhould have in their Office.

IMPROVEMENT.

433

ALL the Promifes of GOD are yea and Amen in Chrift: Let us de- Sect. 2.

pend upon it, that they will be performed; and make it our great Care, that we may be able to say, that we are interested thro' him, in the Bleffings to which they relate. Let there be a proportionable Steadinefs and Confistence in our Obedience; and let not our Engagements to God be yea, and nay, fince his to us are fo invariably faithful.

Ver. 19.

Are we established in Chrift? Are we fealed with the Earnest of the Ver. 21. Spirits in our Hearts? Let us acknowledge that it is GOD who hath Ver. 22. imparted it to us; and let Chriftians of the greatest Steadiness and Experience be proportionably humble, rather than by any Means elated on Account of their Superiority to others.

We fee the Light, in which Ministers should always confider themfelves, and in which they are to be confidered 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 fame Principles, what they should do; but as Helpers of their foy, in Confequence Ver. 24. of being Helpers of their Piety and 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 manifeft, who would expose it to Ridicule and Contempt!

Let thofe, 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 moft effectually do, if they appear to form their Purposes according to the Flesh. Let them with a fingle Eye Ver. 17. 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, and bear their Testimony to their Up-Ver. 13. rightness. In that Cafe, they will be able to look on them, as thofe in whom they hope to rejoice in the Day of the Lord. And if, while they Ver. 14 pursue these Ends, they are cenfured as actuated by any mean and less worthy Principle, let them not be much furprized or discouraged: They fhare in Exercifes, from which the bleffed 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 fome Hearts overflow, when they feel themselves condemned by it.

VOL. IV.

Iii

SECT.

434

Sect. 3.

2 Cor. II. I.

The Apostle would not come to grieve them;

SECT. III.

The Apoftle expresses his great Affection to the Corinthians, as manifefted both in his Sympathy with the offending Member of their Church, who having been under Cenfure, was now penitent, (in which View he advises his Readmiffion;) and alfo in his Solicitude for Tidings concerning them from Titus, whom not finding at Troas he went to meet in Macedonia. 2 Cor. II. 1,--- I 3.

I.

BUT I determined this not come again to you with Heaviness.

NOW plainly and faithfully tell you the
true Reason of that Delay of my Journey,
which has fo much furprized most of you, and
at which fome appear to be fcandalized. It was
not that I forgot you, or failed in any friendly
Regards to you; but I determined this with my-
felf, 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
Circumftances, which must have grieved both
myself and you; but that I would wait for these
Fruits, which I had Reafon to hope from my
Endeavours in my former Epiftle, to regulate
2 what had been amifs. For if I fhould be
obliged to grieve you, who should then rejoice me,
unless it be he who is now grieved by me (b)? is made forry by me?

My

2 For if I make you forry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the fame which

(a) I would not come to you in Grief.] It may be objected, why then did he fpeak of coming in his former Epifle, (1 Cor. xvi. 5,-7.) when the incestuous Perfon being yet impenitent, and their Obedience to his Directions, with Relation to that Cafe, being as yet unapproved, the Caufe of Sorrow, and the Neceffity of grieving them, feemed yet greater than now? But it is very likely that after he had writ that Epiftle, and perhaps while thefe Things were in Sufpence, he had received News of other Disorders among them; and indeed it is evident, that he seems apprehenfive, even on Suppofition that the incestuous Perfon were happily restored, he might yet be under a Neceffity of exercifing an unwilling Severity among them. Chap. xii. 20, 21. and Chap. xiii. 1,6. 10.

(b) Unless it be he, who is grieved by me.] It cannot reasonably be objected, that the found Part of the Church would rejoice him; for even they would be grieyed by the Neceffity

He had wrote his former Epiftle, to fhew his Love.

3

435

3.

My Affection to you as a Church is indeed fo Sect.
great, that I could enjoy very little Comfort my-
felf, if you were in Sorrow, efpecially in Con- 1 Cor. II. 2.
fequence of any Act of mine, however neceffary
it were :
And therefore I have written thus to
you, in order to the further promoting of that Re-
formation, which is neceffary to my own Comfort,
as well as to your Honour and Peace; that I
may not, when I come again, have Grief on Ac-
count of thofe, for whom I ought to rejoice, having
this confident Perfuafion concerning you all in ge-
neral, that my Joy is [the Joy] of you all (c), and
that you do in the Main bear the fame Affection
towards me, as I feel in my Heart towards you.
For fome Time ago, with much Affliction, and 4
overbearing Anguifh (d) of Heart, I wrote an
Epistle to you (e), which was attended with ma-
ny Tears, and I defigned by it, not, as you may
be fure, that ye might be grieved; but that ye
might know, by one of the moft genuine Tokens
which it was poffible for me to give, that over-
flowing Love which I bear to you, of the Degree
and Tenderness of which, I was never myself
fo fenfible, as I have been, fince this fad Occafion
of difcovering it, happened.
And if any one 5
of you hath been fo unhappy, as to have occafioned
Grief, be bath only grieved me in Part; I am but

one

ceffity of fuch Severities, they would fympathize with the afflicted and corrected Perfons; and on the other Hand, the Recovery of Offenders would give him more fenfible Joy, than any Thing elfe; which Confiderations taken together, will abundantly juftify this Expreffion.

(e) My Joy is the Joy of you all.] Mr. Locke argues from hence, that a Diftinction is to be made between the Corinthians, to whom this Epistle was written, and the falfe Teachers who were fews, and who crept in among them, and whom he does not comprehend in the Number of thofe, concerning whom he speaks with fuch Tenderness and Hope. And thus he would reconcile this Paffage, and Chap. vii. 13, 15. with Chap. xi. 13.-15. Chap. Compare Chap. xi. 22. where it is intimated fome of them were Hebrews. But as we are fure fome of the Corinthians had been feduced, and alienated from St. Paul by them, I think it most reasonable to understand this, as fpoken of what he might conclude to be their general Character; and it was both generous and prudent in the Apostle to fet it in this Point of View.

συνοχή;

(d) Over-bearing Anguish.] 'This feems the Import of aux; which nearly resembles OUVEXE, (Compare Chap. v. 14.) which I render bears away.

(e) Wrote an Epiffle, &c.] Probably he here refers to fuch Paffages as thofe in the first Epiftle, which fpeak of fcandalous Perfons among them, and direct to the Methods to be taken to reduce them to Order.