496

Sect. 15.

5.

Yet reminds them, that GOD loveth a chearful Giver:

be not answered. Therefore I thought it neceffary to exhort the Brethren I have mentioned, that 2 Cor. IX. they should come to you fome Time before my Arrival, and fhould first compleat your Bounty which had been spoken of before (a) fo largely to them; that fo on the whole, it may be entirely ready, and may appear, as what I doubt not but it is, the Effect of free and chearful Bounty, and not look like a Sort of Extortion, wrung from you by 6 mere Dint of Importunity. And as to this, it is an important Maxim, which I could with that Chriftians might always keep in Mind, that be who foweth fparingly, fhall reap alfo fparingly; and he who foweth bountifully, shall reap alfo bauntifully: GoD will beftow Rewards, proportionable to what is given, and to the Temper from which it proceeds. With this Hint, I leave it to every one to judge for himself, what he shall give, and how much Seed he fhall throw into this grateful and fruitful Soil.

7

8

Whatever it be, more or lefs, let it be given with a good Will, and a good Grace: Every Man as he choofeth in his own Heart, not as proceeding from Grief or Neceffity, as if he were forry to part with his Money, and were laid under a Kind of Conftraint to do it: for GOD loveth a chearful Giver; and nothing that is contributed, can poffibly be acceptable to him without that truly liberal Difpofition.

And left you should fear, that your Charity fhould bring you into Wants and Straits, I intreat you to confider, that GOD [is] able to make all Grace and Bounty of every Kind to abound towards you (b), fo that all your Liberality fhall accrue

to

5 Therefore I thought it neceflary to exhort the Brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your Bounty, whereof ye had Notice bebe ready, as a Matter of Bounty, and not as of Covetoufness.

fore, that the fame might

6 But this I fay, He which foweth fparingly, fhall reap alfo fparingly: And he which foweth bountifully, fhall reap alfo bountifully.

7 Every Man according as he purpofeth in his Heart, fo let him give; not grudgingly, or of Neceffity: For Gop loveth a cheerful

Giver.

8 And God is able to make all Grace abound to

wards

(a) Your Bounty which had been spoken of before. We render gonalnym whereof yo bad Notice before. But I fuppofe it refers to St. Paul's having fpoken of it to the Macedo nian Chriftians, Verfe 2.-I think so here fignifies a Kind of Extortion, by which Money is, as it were, wrung from Covetoufnefs, by fuch Obftinacy, as covetous People themselves ufe, where their own Gain is concerned; and thus it is oppofed to shoyia, what is readily given, and comes, as it were, with a Bleffing.

(b) All Grace to abound, &c.] Some, by xapis, understand fuch liberal Providential Sup plies, as fhould furnish out Matter of future Liberalities; but the more extenfive Senfe I have given it, prevents that Apparance of a Tautology in the following Claufe, which might on that limited Interpretation be apprehended.

(c) This

For Liberality causeth Thanksgivings to him :

10 Now he that minif

treth Seed to the Sower,
both minifter Bread for your

Food, and multiply your
Seed fown, and increafe the
Fruits of your Righteouf-
ness)

497

2 Cor. IX.

8.

to your Advantage, and you fhall be supplied Sect. 15.
with abundant Matter for future Charity; that
having always all Sufficiency in all Things, ye may
go on with new Enlargement and Vigour of ge-
nerous Refolution, to abound to every good Work,
without finding your Circumftances ftraitned.
As it is written of the truly liberal and charita-
ble Man, (Pfal. cxii. 9.) He hath defperfed, be
bath given to the Poor, and in Confequence of
this, his Righteoufnefs endureth for ever: He fhall
always have something to bestow.

9

We obferve in the Courfe of divine Pro- 10 vidence, that GOD bleffeth the Increase of the Earth fo largely, as to fuffice for the plentiful Nourishment of Men, with a Remainder of Seed, fufficient to furnish the Harvefts of future Years. And may be, who thus fupplieth Seed to the Sower, and Bread for Food, Jupply and multiply your Sowing (c), and largely increase the Productions of your Righteousness, May he fo profper you in all your Affairs, that you may have future Capacity to exercise that liberal Difpofition, which at prefent appears in this Contribution. And I heartily 11 with, and pray, that you may go on in this laudable and exemplary Courfe, being in every Thing enriched to all future Bounty to be diftributed in the Simplicity of your Hearts, with a single Eye to the Glory of GoD, and the Good of your Brethren which, in the Inftance wherein it has already prevailed, worketh by our Means Thankf givings towards GOD, both in us who are your Almoners to diftribute it, and in thefe indigent 12 For the Adminiftra- Chriftians who receive it. For the Miniftra- 12 tion of this Service, not tion and Management of this Service (d), which only supplieth the Wants of the we have undertaken, and in which we do, as it were, officiate for you in the Presentation of this acceptable Offering, doth not only fupply the Ne

11 Being enriched in every Thing to all Bountifulness, which caufeth through us Thanksgiving to GOD.

ceffities

This Translation is

(c) He who fupplieth- Bread for Food, fupply and multiply, &c.] exactly literal, and gives an eafier Senfe than our English Verfion. There fhould be a Comma, as Beza juftly obferves, after us Bpwow, agreeably to the Rendering of the Syriac and Arabic. See Beza in Loc. and Wolf. who refers to Ifai. Iv. 10.

(d) This Service.] This Ufe of the Word Alepy intimates, that it was to be confidered, not merely as an Act of Humanity, but of Religion, most pleasing to GOD, and suitable to the Nature of the Gospel-Difpenfation. Compare Heb. xiii. 16.

VOL. IV.

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(e) That

the Saints, but is abundant alfo by many Thanksgivings

unto God;

13 (While by the Experiment of this Miniftration they glorify GOD for unto the Gofpel of Chrift, your profefled Subjection and for your liberal Distri bution unto them, and unto all Men)

And is an Inftance of Subjection to the Gospel.
ceffities of the Saints, but aboundeth, thro' the
Thanksgivings of many which it occafions, to the
Glory of GOD: Of many, I fay, who by
the Experience of this Miniftration, this generous
Contribution, are glorifying GOD on Account of
that Subjection to the Gospel of Chrift, which you pro-
fefs (e), and the Simplicity and Liberality of your
Communication towards them, and towards all
others, who are in Neceflity, and whom you
have an Opportunity of relieving. And while
they thus glorify GOD on your Account, they
are conftant and fervent in their Prayers for you,
who long after you (f), and with earnestly to fee
and know you, on Account of the exceeding Grace
of GOD which is in you, and which produces
Fruits fo highly ornamental to Chriftianity.

14 And by their Prayer

for you, which long after
of GOD in you.
you, for the exceeding Grace

When I think of thefe Things, I defire fincerely to blefs GoD on your Account, for all the for his unfpeakable Gift. Grace he hath given you, and for all the Ufefulness with which he is pleafed to honour you. But I would trace up all to what is indeed the Fountain of all his other Mercies to us, his having bestowed upon us his dear and only begotten Son. Thanks, daily and everlasting Thanks, [be] afcribed to our Father and our GOD, for that bis unutterable Gift (g), of the Excellence, Im

L

portance

(e) That Subjection to the Gospel of Chrift, which you profefs.] Ea in varolayn Ins quaroyias SHAD ELS TO EVRYDERSON, expreffes not merely a profeffed Subjection to the Gospel, but a real Subjection to the Gospel which was profeffed which Senfe I thought it neceffary to preferve by a Change in the Verfion.

i

(f) And in their Prayers, &c.] The Conftruction of the Original is fomething perplexed here; and indeed I hardly know any Text in the Greek Teftament, which is more fo. But on the whole, I am ready to prefer the Reading of doğalarov, inftead of dogacones, (which Chryfoftom followed;) and fuppofe both dog and lav, to agree with woWY, and then the Sentence might be rendered, this Miniftration produces an Abundance of Thanksgiving to GOD from many, who glorify him for your Subjection to the Gospel, &c.and in their Prayer, that is, while they are praying, for you, earnestly defire to fee you, &c. But the Paraphrafe here, as in feveral other Places, hath obliged me to break the Sentence; which I the more readily did, as amidst this Perplexity of Grammar the Defign of the Sentence is perfectly plain.

(g) Unutterable Gift.] If we understand this, with Dr. Whitby, in the following Senfe, "I adore GOD for this charitable Temper in you, and other fincere Chriftians, by which "GOD is glorified, the Gospel adorned, the poor Saints are refreshed, and you fitted for "an exceeding great Reward,"-it will be as remarkable a Text as moft in the Bible, to fhew, that every good Affection in the human Heart is to be afcribed to a divine Influence.

I have therefore included this in the Paraphrafe; but am ready to think the Apofle's Mind, to which the Idea of the invaluable Gift of Christ was fo familiar, rather, by a strong and natural Tranfition, glanced on that.

Reflections on the foregoing Exhortations to Liberality.

499

portance and Grace of which neither Men or Sect. 15. Angels can worthily speak, or conceive.

IMPROVEME N T.

APPY fhall we be, if we learn this pious and evangelical Turn

HA

of Thought; if by all the other Gifts of GOD, we are thus led

15.

up to the first and greatest Gift of his Love and Mercy. From that surely Ver. 15. we may encourage our Hopes, of whatever elfe is neceffary or defirable; for be that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how is it poffible, that he should not be ready, with him, freely to give us all Things that are truly good for us!

Let us obferve with Pleasure the happy Addrefs of the Apofles a Fe- Ver. 2. licity, not the Result of Craft, but of that amiable Temper that was fo natural to him. He pleads the high Opinion he had entertained of his Corinthian Friends, the honourable Things he had faid of them; expref- Ver. 5. fing his Perfuafion of their Readiness to give as Matter of Bounty, not of Conftraint. He leads them to the inexhaustible Stores of the Divine Liberality, from which they had received their present all; from which he wishes they may receive more and more; and this, not that these Supplies might be ignobly confumed in Self-gratifications, but employed in Ver. 7, 8. Acts of the nobleft Beneficence. He represents to them the Thanksgivings it had already occafioned to GOD, the Refreshment it administered to the Saints, the Honour it did to their Character and Profeffion, and the Ef- Ver. 9,-12. teem and Friendship for them, which it excited in the Minds of thofe, Ver. 13. who, tho' unacquainted with them, were well-affected towards their Happiness, in Confequence of this honourable Specimen of their Character. Who could withstand the Force of fuch Oratory? No Doubt it was effectual to cultivate the Temper it applauded, and to add a rich Abundance to the Fruits of their Righteousness.

9.

Let us fupply the Thoughts fuggefted for our own Inftruction, to excite us to abound in Acts of Liberality, and to present them to GoD with Ver. 7. that Chearfulness which he loves. To him let us continually look, to make all Grace abound unto us; and feek a Sufficiency in all Things relating Ver. 8. to the prefent Life, chiefly that we may be ready to every good Work; that our Liberality may ftill endure, and that the Multiplication of our Ver. Seed fown may encrease the Fruits of our Righteousness. To God be the Ver. 10. Praise of all ascribed! He minifters Seed to the Sower; he fupplies Bread for Food; he calls up the Bleffings of Harveft; he enfures the Advantages of Commerce. May we praise him ourselves, and by the ready Communication of the good Things which he hath given us, to those that want, not only fupply their Neceffities; but give them Caufe to Ver. 11. abound

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The Apoftle exhorts them by the Meekness of Christ,

Sect. 15. abound in Thanksgiving to GOD, as well as in Prayer for us, while they fee and acknowledge that exceeding Grace, which is the Spring of every generous Motion in the human Heart; and to which therefore be the Glory of all.

Sect. 16.

SECT. XVI.

Some Reflections having been thrown on the Apoftle for the Mildness of his Conduct, as if it proceeded from Fear, be here proceeds to affert his Apoftolical Power and Authority; cautioning his Opponents, that they should not urge him to give too fenfible Demonftrations of it upon themfelves. 2 Cor. X. 1, throughout.

I

2 CORINTHIANS X. I.

HAVE just now been expreffing my Confidence and Joy in your Church in general, 2 Cor. X. i. as well as my Affection to it: But I am fenfible there are fome among you, to whom I cannot fpeak in fuch a Manner; and with Regard to fuch, i Paul myself, the very Man whom they have fo often spoken of with Contempt and Defiance, injured as I am, do yet condefcend to entreat you, by the Meekness and Gentleness of Chrift, our condefcending and compaffionate Saviour, that Meeknefs and Gentlenefs, which I have learnt from his Example and Defire to exercife towards the most unreasonable of mine Enemies; even I, who [am] according to your Reprefentation, and with Refpect to my Perfon when prefent, bumble among you (a), and defpifed for the Meannefs of my Appearance, but being abfent, am

bold

(a) When prefent, am humble among you.] Probably they had upbraided, and reflected upon him, in fome fuch Language as this; but there was a Senfe, in which he was indeed lowly among them, his Prefence probably, having nothing majeftick.

(b) Tho