TEXT.. 2 (For he saith, "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the "day of salvation have I succoured thee: " behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation !) 3 Giving no offence, in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But, in all things, approving ourselves, as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings. 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love, unfeigned. 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness, on the right hand, and on the left. 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live ; as chastened, and not killed; PARAPHRASE. you receive not the favour of God, in the gospel, 2 preached to you, in vain *. (For he saith, " I have "heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of sal"vation have I succoured thee: " behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation!) 3 Giving no offence to any one, in any thing, that the 4 ministry be not blamed: But, in every thing, approv ing myself, as becomes the minister of God, by much 5 patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in straits, In stripes, in imprisonments, in being tossed up and 6 down, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By a life undefiled; by knowledge; by long-sufferings; by the 7 gifts of the Holy Ghost; by love unfeigned; By preaching the gospel of truth sincerely; by the power of God, assisting my ministry; by uprightness of mind, wherewith I am armed at all points, both to do 8 and to suffer; By honour and disgrace; by good and 9 bad report as a deceivert, and yet faithful; As an NOTES. 1 * "Receive the grace of God in vain," the same with "believing in vain," 1 Cor. xv. 2, i. e. receiving the doctrine of the gospel for true, and professing christianity, without persisting in it, or performing what the gospel requires. 8+ Deceiver," a title (it is like) he had received from some of the opposite faction at Corinth: vid, chap. xii. 16. TEXT. 10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 11 O ye corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. 12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. 13 Now, for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my chil dren) be ye also enlarged. 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For PARAPHRASE. obscure, unknown man, but yet known and owned; as one often in danger of death, and yet, behold, I 10 live; as chastened, but yet not killed; As sorrowful, but yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing 11 all things, O ye corinthians, my mouth is opened to you, my heart is enlarged * to you; my affection, my tenderness, my compliance for you is not strait, 12 or narrow. It is your own narrowness makes you 13 uneasy. Let me speak to you, as a father to his children; in return, do you, likewise, enlarge your 14 affections and deference to me. Be ye not associated with unbelievers, having nothing to do with them in their vices, or worship t: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What 15 communion hath light with darkness? What concord hath Christ with Belial ‡? Or what part 16 hath a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye NOTES. 11 Another argument, St. Paul makes use of, to justify and excuse his plainness of speech to the corinthians, is the great affection he has for them, which he here breaks out into an expression of, in a very pathetical manner. This, with an exhortation to separate from idolaters and unbelievers, is what he insists on, from this place to chap. vii. 16. 14 15 Vid. chap, vii. 1. Belial is a general name for all the false gods, worshipped by the idolatrous gentiles. TEXT. ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, "I will "dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, "and they shall be my people." 17 Wherefore, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, "saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will "receive you. 18" And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and "daughters," saith the Lord Almighty. VII. 1 Having therefore these promises, (dearly beloved) let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Receive us: we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. 3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that you are in our hearts, to die and live with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful, in all our tribulation. PARAPHRASE. are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, "I will dwell in them, among them will I walk; " and I will be their God, and they shall be my peo17 "ple." Wherefore, "Come out from among them, " and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the 18" unclean thing, and I will receive you to me; And "I will be a Father, and ye shall be my sons and VII. 1 " daughters," saith the Lord Almighty. Hav ing therefore, these promises, (dearly beloved) let us cleanse ourselves from the defilement of all sorts of sins, whether of body or mind, endeavouring after 2 perfect holiness, in the fear of God. Receive me, as one to be hearkened to, as one to be followed, as one that hath done nothing to forfeit your esteem. I have wronged no man: I have corrupted no man: 3 I have defrauded no man t. I say not this to reflect on your carriage towards me: for I have already assured you, that I have so great an affection 4 for you, that I could live and die with you. But, 2 NOTES. This seems to insinuate the contrary behaviour of their false apostle. 3 + Vid. 1 Cor. iv. 3, 2 Cor. x. 2, and xi. 20, 21, and xiii. 3. TEXT. 5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 6 Nevertheless, God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us, by the coming of Titus: 7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation, wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. 8 For, though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent; though I did repent; for I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though it were but for a season. 9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry, after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 6 PARAPHRASE. in the transport of my joy, I use great liberty of speech towards you. But let it not be thought to be of ill-will, for I boast much of you: I am filled with comfort, and my joy abounds exceedingly in all my 5 afflictions. For when I came to Macedonia, I had no respite from continual trouble, that beset me on every side. From without, I met with strife and opposition, in preaching the gospel: and within, I was filled with fear, upon your account; lest the false apostle, continuing his credit and faction amongst you, should pervert you from the simplicity of the gospel. But God, who comforteth those who are cast down, comforted me, by the coming of Titus. 7 Not barely by his presence, but by the comfort I received from you, by him, when he acquainted me with your great desire of conforming yourselves to my orders; your trouble for any neglects, you have been guilty of, towards me; the great warmth of your affection and concern for me; so that I rejoiced 8 the more, for my past fears; Having writ to you a letter, which I repented of, but now do not repent of, perceiving, that, though that letter grieved you, 9 it made you sad but for a short time: But now I NOTE. 5 Vid. chap. xi. 3. TEXT. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For, behold, this self-same thing that ye sorrowed, after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you: yea, what clearing of yourselves; yea, what indignation; yea, what fear; yea, what vehement desire; yea, what zeal; yea, what revenge! in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause, PARAPHRASE. rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For this proved a beneficial sorrow, acceptable to God, that, in nothing, you might have cause to complain, that you were 10 damaged by me. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of: but sorrow arising from worldly interest, worketh death. 11 In the present case, mark it*, that godly sorrow, which you had, what carefulness it wrought in you, to conform yourselves to my orders t; yea, what clearing yourselves from your former miscarriages; yea, what indignation against those who led you into them; yea, what fear to offend me; yea, what vehement desire of satisfying me; yea, what zeal for me; yea, what revenge against yourselves, for having been so misled! You have shown yourselves to be set right, and be, as you should be, in every 12 thing, by this carriage of yours §. If, therefore, I NOTES. 11 St. Paul writing to those, who knew the temper they were in, and what were the objects of the several passions, which were raised in them, doth both here, and in the seventh verse, forbear to mention, by, and to, what they were moved, out of modesty, and respect to them. This is necessary, for the information of ordinary readers, to be supplied, as can be best collected from the main design of the apostle, in these two epistles, and from several passages, giving us light in it. + Vid. ver. 15. "Clear." This word answers very well άyvòs, in the Greek; but then, to be clear, in English, is generally understood to signify, not to have been guilty; which could not be the sense of the apostle, he having charged the Corinthians so warmly, in his first epistle. His meaning must therefore be, "that they had now resolved on a contrary course, and were so far clear,' i. e. were set right, and in good disposition again, as he describes it, in the former part of this verse. § And therefore I think v T @payμari may be best rendered in fact," i, e. by your sorrow, your fear, your indignation, your " |