2 Corinthians 1

PAul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God The Will of God here does not signifie the bare permission, but the Calling and Precept of God; he was called to be an Apostle, Rom. 1.1. 1 Epist. 1.1. making him a Minister and a Witness, Acts 26.16., and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the Saints which are in all Achaia His joyning of Timothy with him, shows both the great humility of the Apostle, and his desire to give him a reputation in the Churches, though he was a very young man. The Epistle is not directed only to the Church of God, which was at Corinth, (the Metropolis of Peloponnesus) but also to all those Christians which lived in Achaia: by which name probably he does not understand all Graecia, though that anciently had that name from one Achaeus that was King there, from whom the Grecians had the name of Achivi) but that Region of Peloponnesus, which lay in a neck of Land between the Aegean and Ionian Sea, which obtained that name in a more special and restrained sense..

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ This was the Apostles common Salutation, Rom. 1.7. See the Notes on the former Epistle, Chap. 1.3. where it is observable, That not the Father only, but the Lord Jesus Christ, is invoked, and made the Author of Grace (which is the free Love of God) and of Pe ce, which signifieth either reconciliation with God upon the free pardon of our sin, or union with men, and brotherly love amongst themselves. The Heathens used to begin their Epistles with wishing one another health and prosperity; but the Apostle has shown us a more Christian way, and more suited to the Faith of Christians, who believe the Love and Favour of God, the greatest and most desirable blessings..

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts It is an usual Form of Thanksgiving, Rom. 1.25. & 9.5. It is in use with us, signifying our sincere and hearty desire that both we our selves might be inabled, and others by our Examples, might be quickened to speak well of God, and to praise his Name. This God is called the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, that is, by Eternal Generation: He is also called the Father of Mercies, because he is the Fountain of all that good which floweth to poor Creatures. And upon the same account he is also called the God of all-Comforts..

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation Vs, who are the Ministers of the Gospel, (as it may appear by what followeth) for the Apostle says, That God does it, that Ministers might, from the comforts wherewith God had comforted them, be able to comfort his people when they are under any trouble, either of body or mind, by the same Methods and Arguments, which the holy Spirit had used and brought to their minds under trouble to relieve any of them. Two things are observable from this verse: 1. That the Apostle attributeth all the support, relief, and comfort, which he had under any tribulation, to God, as the Fountain and Author of all Mercy; for though possibly our comforts may be caused from the application of some promises in holy Writ, either called to our minds by the act of our own minds, or brought to our remembrance by some others, yet it is God who must make those Plaisters to stick, and to become healing and sanative to our Souls: So that he is the principal efficient Cause, though the Scriptures, or men, may be instrumental Causes. 2. That the Gifts, Graces, and Mercies that God bestoweth upon his Ministers, are bestowed upon them, not merely for their own use, but for the use and good of others; to inable them to be serviceable in doing good to others Souls., that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God f.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us He calleth his, and the other Apostles sufferings, the Sufferings of Christ, either because they were sufferings for Christ; that is, for doing the work which Christ had given them to do: Or his and their personal sufferings as Members of that Body, of which Christ is the Head. Christ calleth Sauls persecuting the Saints, a persecuting of himself, Acts 9.4. Thus we read of Pauls filling up that which is behind of the Sufferings of Christ, Col. 1.24., so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ But, says the Apostle, blessed be God, as we have many sufferings for Christ, so also we have many consolations by Christ. Christ, as God, is the efficient Cause of the Saints consolation; as Mediator, dying for us, he is the meritorious Cause; and it is by his Spirit (who is called the Comforter) that they are applied to us..

And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation Our sufferings tend to your Consolation and Salvation, your Souls being upheld and supported by the sight of our boldness, and courage, and confidence in our sufferings: Thus Phil. 1.13, 14. My bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. And his sufferings also were for their Salvation, as they encouraged them to suffer also; and, If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him, and our light and moment any afflictions shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer And (says the Apostle) our suffering has had a good effect amongst you, while you, with Faith and patience, endure sufferings of the same sort which we endure and suffer.: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation And if we be supported, upheld, and comforted under our sufferings, the advantage of this also redoundeth to you, as you are incouraged to suffer for the Gospel and profession of Christ, from seeing how God supporteth us under our sufferings..

And our hope of you is stedfast We have a stedfast hope of you, that as you have endured sufferings for Christ and his Gospel, so you will still endure them, as we have done., knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation And, we know, that as you are partakers of the Sufferings of Christ and his Gospel, so you shall also share in those Divine consolations that those feel who endure such sufferings..

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia We are at a great loss to determine what these troubles were in Asia, of which the Apostle does here speak. We read of several troubles Paul met with in Asia; it was there he was in danger through the tumult raised by Demetrius, Acts 19.23. It was there (at Ephesus) where he fought with beasts after the of men (as he told us in the former Epistle.) Whoso readeth Chap. 19, & 20. of the Acts, will find the largest account we have in Scripture of the troubles Paul met with in Asia. But this Epistle is thought to have been written at a time, that will not agree to the time of those troubles; therefore they are thought to have been some troubles, of which we have a mention no where else in holy Writ., that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life Whatsoever they were, this Text tells us they were very great, and above his natural strength to have born; some think, above the strength of ordinary Christians, insomuch that if the Apostle had not found the more than ordinary assistances of the Spirit of God, he could not have stood under them..

But we had the sentence of death in our selves We verily thought we should have been killed, (and so it is expounded by the last words of the former verse) we despaired even of life., that we should not trust in our selves, but in God, which raiseth the dead And this God did to teach us, That we should, when we are in dangers, look above the creature, and have no confidence in created means, but only look up to him, who raiseth from the dead. As Abraham offered up Isaac, Heb. 11.17, 18, 19. Accounting that God able to raise him from the dead. Abraham had a promise to bottom such a Faith upon; God had told him, That in Isaac his seed should be called: So had Paul, God having revealed to him, that he had a further work for him to do. So have not all Christians, we do not know our courses, nor what work God has in his Eternal Counsels laid out for us; and therefore cannot be confident of deliverances in this life by the Almighty Power of God; but yet we, under our greatest tryals, may trust in God, who will certainly raise us from the dead; (of which Faith we have an instance in Iob, Chap. 19.25, 26, 27.) However for our comfort in our distresses we may observe, That God, in his great deliverances of his people, useth to suffer them first to be brought to the greatest extremities; that in the Mount of the Lord it may be seen, and that they may learn to know that their Salvations are from him; more from his Almighty Power, than from the virtue of any means they can use, (though yet it be our duty to use what lawful means his Providence affordeth us.).

Who delivered us from so great a death So great a death, in this Text signifies no more than so great a tryal of affliction; as he elsewhere says, he was in deaths often, that is, in dangers of death., and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Nor (says the Apostle) were we only at that time in danger of our lives, nor had we only, at that time, an experience of Gods Power, Goodness, and Faithfulness in our deliverance; but we are in jeopardy every hour, and experience the Power of God in our deliverance yet every day. And it being for the advantage of the Church of Christ, that our lives should be prolonged, (though we desire rather to be dissolved, and to be with Christ) we are confident that he will yet deliver. Former experiences of Gods goodness in delivering us out of troubles, ought to increase our Faith, and beget a confidence in us, that God will deliver us, (if it may be for his own Glory, and our good.).

You also helping together by prayer for us Faith ought not to hinder Prayer; nor does Gods principal Efficiency, as to any Mercy or Deliverance bestowed upon us, give a Supersede s to us, as to the use of any means, whether Natural or Spiritual, by which the Mercy may be obtained. Nor are the Prayers of the meanest Saints useless for the greatest, or beneath their desires; men and womens favour with God depends not upon their order, station, and repute in the World., that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf By the Gift here, he means the deliverance before mentioned; which he calls a Gift, to denote, not only Gods principal Efficiency in it, but his free bestowing of it; this Gift (he says) is bestowed by the means of many, because obtained upon the Intercession or Prayers of many. God does therefore bestow mercies upon particular persons at the intercession of many others on their behalf, that he may not only have the praises of those persons upon whom he so bestoweth the mercy; but of those who have been so praying. The Apostle hereby hinteth to us, That we ought no more to forget to give thanks for others, for whom God has heard us, than to pray for them when in distress..

For our rejoycing is this, the testimony of our consciences, that in simplicity and godly sincerity He declareth the confidence that he had, that he should not want their Prayers, because his own heart told him, to his joy and satisfaction, that however others might reproach him, as if he had carried himself deceitfully, or craftily; yet he had not done so, but had lived in the World in all simplicity and sincerity of God, (so the Greek is.) Simplicity is opposed to double-mindedness; where there is a composition in a man, a mixture of truth and falshood, fairness in speech, and falshood in heart or action. Sincerity is opposed to Hypocrisie. It is said to be of God, because he is the God of Truth, has commanded it, approveth it, worketh it, and disposeth the heart of man to it., not with fleshly wisdom This is opposed to fleshly Wisdom, which prompteth a man to seek his own ends any way, good or bad., but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world But (says the Apostle) we have had our conversation in the World, not by the guidance of any such corrupt habit or Principle, but by the Grace of God, the love and fear of God dwelling in us; or, we have done this, not of our selves, but, by the guidance and assistance of Divine Grace, helping us so, to live, and to have our conversation in the World., and more abundantly to you-wards And more especially you are our Witnesses of this, amongst whom we have preached the Gospel freely, so as we have not made it chargeable to you..

For we write no other things unto you, then what you read, or acknowledge, and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end I do not tell you stories, the things which I write, and which you read, either in my Epistles to you, or to other Churches of Christ, are what you know must owne and acknowledge to be truth; and I hope you shall acknowledge them to be so to the end both of my life and yours..

As also you have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus In part, may either refer to persons, or things; part of you have so owned and acknowledged us, though others of you have abused us. Or you have in part, or at some times, owned us, that you had cause to bless God for us, and to rejoyce, that God ever sent us to preach the Gospel amongst you. And as some have owned us as their joy, or all of you have at some times acknowledged us as such; so you are also our rejoycing; we rejoyce that God has made our labour successful to your Souls, and I trust in the day when the Lord Jesus shall come to judge the World, you shall be more our rejoycing..

And in this confidence I was minded to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit Being confident that my presence with you, would be matter of rejoycing both to you, and also to me, I purposed to come unto you before I went into Macedonia, visiting you shortly in my journey thither, that so you might have a second longer visit in kindness to you. We find, Acts 16.9. that Paul received his first Call into Macedonia in a Vision; we read again of his passing through Macedonia to go to Ierusalem: The Apostle seemeth to speak here of the latter..

And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judea He had purposed to take Corinth in his way unto Macedonia, and after he had finished his business in Macedonia, his resolutions were to have come back to Corinth, and to stay with them some time; hoping to have some of their company some part of the way toward Iudea: But it seems, though he thus purposed, yet God had otherwise ordered his motions..

When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness Though the Apostle does not in so many words tell us so, yet it is apparent from this verse, That some of the Corinthians had taken occasion from his not coming at this time to Corinth, to charge him with levity and inconstancy; as if his words were not to be regarded. It is very observable, how little things the men of the World will take advantage from, to vilifie and lessen the reputation of Gods faithful Ministers and People. How many others might have promised to be in such a place at such a time, and have failed, without the reproach of the men in the World? Who would have been so charitable to them, as to have excused them, by saying, They spake according to their present intentions and resolutions; but they were hindred by the Providence of God: but if Paul fails, they will interpret it to be from the lightness and inconstancy of his mind. So charitable is the World to its own, so uncharitable to those who are not of the World, but by God called out of the World. From this imputation the Apostle cleareth himself, denying that he used lightness, and that his not coming proceeded from any levity or inconstancy of mind; for he fully did purpose to have come.? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh Or did (faith he) I purpose after the manner of carnal men, who make no conscience of their word? who promise and deny both in a breath?, that with me there should be Yea, yea, and Nay, nay? Should there be in me such a Spirit, as to speak a thing with my lips which my heart does not agree to? This lets us know, that Truth and Steadiness are things which do highly commend either a Minister, or a Christian; but especially him who is a Minister of the Gospel..

But as God is true, our word toward you was not Yea, and Nay As God is true to his Promises, so he has taught me to be true to mine. Some make these words not to be merely declarative of the Truth of God, but a kind of an Oath, or calling the God of Truth to witness, that his Word towards them; by which some understand the Gospel, or the Word which he had preached amongst them, (and of that indeed lie speaketh in the next verse) but to me it seemeth much less strained, to interpret Pauls word in this verse of that word of promise, of which he had before spoken; the promise which he owned before that he had made them of his coming to them. That word, he says, was not yea, and nay, that is, he did not make it with a quite contrary intention; but when he promised, he faithfully intended to have justified his word, and indeed to have come; but the Providence of God, to which all men are subjected, had otherwise ordered him and disposed of him; which was the cause why he had not yet been as good as his word. It is very observable, how careful this great Apostle was to clear himself from any imputatio of levity and falshood; and it should teach us to be careful to maintain our reputation in the world, for truth and steadiness..

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheus The Apostle here giveth a reason, why he had made Truth and Sincerity so much his business (which reason obligeth us also, who are as much bound as he, to study a conformity to Christ) says he, The Son of God who was preached among you, that is, Christ Jesus; (who, though (as some observe) is in these Epistles no where called God, but Lord) is here called the Son of God; which can be understood in no other sense, than by Eternal generation; for those who are only the Sons of God by Adoption, are not the subjects of Ministers preaching. We read of this Silvanus, 1 Thess. 1.1. 1 Pet. 5.21. Some think that he was the same person who is called Silas, Acts 16.19. Of Timothy we have heard before. They were both Ministers, who (as well as Apollos before mentioned) had laboured in the Gospel amongst the Corinthians. Now (says the Apostle) that Christ whom both I, and other Ministers of the Gospel, have preached to you, is not incertain and inconstant, one thing at one time, and in one place, another thing at another time, and in another place., was not Yea, and Nay, but in him was Yea He was only one and the same; his Doctrine was always certain and uniform, and consistent with it self; and our conversation ought to be suitable to him and his Doctrine..

For all the promises of God in him are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us As Christ was yea, and all his Doctrine certain and uniform, so all the Promises of God are yea; the Promises of the Messiah have their yea and Amen in him; all the Promises of Grace, whatsoever is promised to Believers, shall be verified by him, that so God may be glorified, and have from men the honour of being always esteemed a true and faithful God; one that cannot fail and falsifie his word. But how are the Promises of God yea and Amen in Christ by us? Answ. As the Ministers of the Gospel are the Ministers of Christ for the explication and application of them. The Promises are from the Father, through Christ as the meritorious Cause, and internally applied by the holy Spirit, while they are more externally applied by the Ministers of the Gospel..

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God The Anointing here mentioned, is doubtless the same mentioned by S. Iohn, 1 Ioh. 2.20, 27. by which is understood the holy Spirit: so as Gods anointing his people signifies his giving them his holy Spirit, to dwell and to work in them; which holy Spirit diffuseth it self throughout the whole Soul of the Believer, (as the Oyl of old poured out upon the he of the Kings, High-Priests, and Prophets.) Believers are to be anointed, because God has by his Spirit, given to them, declared, That he has set them apart to be Kings, and Priests, a Royal Priesthood. The same God also their Souls both in Faith, and Love: and all in Christ him as our Head, and through him as the meritorious of all that Grace wherein we stand. It is observable, That how much soever vain man may ascribe to the power of mans Will, yet the blessed Apostle attributeth all to God; both our Anointing, the first infusion of gracious habits, and also our Establishing. It is Grace by which we stand..

Who has also sealed us The use of a Seal is for confirmation of the thing to which it is affixed; the effect of it is the making the impression of it self upon the Wax: so as sealing us, both in this and other Texts, signifi s both the confirmation of the Love of God to our Souls, and also the renewing and Sanctification of our Natures, imprinting the Image of God upon our Souls, making us (as the Apostle Peter says) partakers of the Divin Nature; but the first seemeth probably to be most intended here., and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts We have the same expression Chap. 5.5. Eph. 1.14. We read of the First-fruits of the Spirit, Rom. 8.23. The giving unto Believers the holy Spirit, and those saving spiritual habits, which are his effects in the Soul, are both the First-fruits, and an Earnest; for as the First-fruits assured the Harvest, and the Earnest is a sure pledge of the bargain, when those who give it are honest and faithful; so the sanctifying habits, wrought in the Soul by the Spirit of Holiness, are a certain pledge of that Glory which shall be the portion of Believers..

Moreover, I call God to record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth Here is a perfect form of an Oath, which is nothing else but a solemn calling of God to witness the truth of what we speak, whether promising, or asserting. Those words, upon my Soul also, have the force of an imprecation, but it is in a very serious thing: the Apostle was deeply charged with lev y, for not making good his promise in coming, and because he reasonably presumed, that some amongst them would be difficult to believe the true cause; to gain credit with them, he takes a voluntary Oath, which in weighty matters is lawful, (though sometimes it be done not before a Magistrate.) The thing he thus attests, is, That he hitherto had forborn to come out of kindness to them; to spare them (as he phraseth it) which may either be understood of their purses, (for he could not have gone without some charge to them, though he took no standing Salary from them for preaching:) or (as others possibly judge better) to spare their persons; for it he had come before, they had reformed those abuses that were amongst them, he must (as he before spake) have come unto them with a rod..

Not for that we have dominion over your faith Not (say some) that we pretend or boast of any dominion over you, because of your Faith, as if upon that account we would be chargeable, and exact monies of you: But their Interpretation is better, who think that by these words the Apostle removes from himself, and much more from all inferiour Ministers, any power of imposing upon people to believe any thing, but what God had in his Word revealed as the object of Faith. He had in the verse before used the Phrase spare you, which he thought might sound harsh in their ears, and give some occasion to carp at him, as if he designed some Lordly power over them: No, (says the Apostle) though I speak of sparing you, I intend no exercise of Lordly power,, but are helpers of your joy but only to promote your joy, by removing those things which hinder your true rejoycing. Your present glorying is not good, while these disorders, contrary to the Will of God, are amongst you; and you are full of contentions and divisions, which hinder your comfortable society and communion together, as one Body. for by faith ye stand The most of you stand in the Faith, (so some interpret the latter part of the verse.) I should rather make this the sense, By Faith you must stand; if you err in matters of Faith, (as some of this Church had done in the business of the Resurrection, as the Apostle told us in the 15. Chapter of the first Epistle) you fall; you no longer stand, than you keep the Faith pure and incorrupt. For, because of their Errors, as to the Resurrection, I cannot tell how to make the Apostles sense to be what some Learned men make it to bear, That he had nothing to blame in them in matters of Faith, but only in some things referring to Order; and therefore hey need not to suspect his exercise of any dominion over their Faith..