2 Corinthians 11

WOuld to God you could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me That which the Apostle here calls his Folly, was his speaking so much in his own commendation; which indeed is no better than folly, unless there be a great reason: which was here; for it was the false Teachers, vilifying his Person and Office, that put him upon it. The Verb, in the latter part of the Verse, may be read either Imperatively, (and so we translate it) as if it were an Intreaty of them to excuse him in speaking so much good of himself; or Indicatively, you do bear with me..

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousie Iealousie is a passion in a person which makes him impatient of any Rival or Partner in the thing or person beloved. The Apostle tells them, that he was jealous over them, and thereby lets them know, that he so passionately loved them, as that he was not patient that any should pretend more kindness to them, than he had for them; and withal, that he had some fear of them, left they should be perverted and drawn away from the simplicity of the Gospel; upon this account he calls it a godly Iealousie.; for I have espoused you to one husband For (says he) I have been instrumental to bring you to Christ; this he calls an Espousing of them, (the union of persons with Christ being exprest in Scripture under the notion of a Marriage, Eph. 5.23, &c.), that I may present you as a chast virgin to Christ And he expresseth his earnest desire to present them to Christ incorrupted, like a chast Virgin..

But I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ In all Iealousie there is a mixture of love and fear: the Apostles love to this Church, together with his earnest desire to present them in the Day of Judgment unto Christ pure and incorrupted, caused him to write; because he was afraid, lest that as the Serpent by his subtilty deceived Eve, so some subtil Seducers should corrupt them, and so withdraw them from the simplicity of their Faith in Christ, and obedience to him. This danger was partly from the Pagan Philosophers, mixing their Philosophical Notions with the plain Doctrine of the Gospel; and partly, from some that were tenacious of the Judaical Rites, and would not understand the abolition of the Ceremonial Law..

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him How our Translators have interpreted, you may well bear, I cannot tell: the words manifestly are to be interpreted, you have well born, and so are plainly a reflection upon some in this Church, who had patiently endured false Teachers, who had preached other Doctrine than what Paul had preached. And this the Apostle giveth as a reason of his fear, le t they should be corrupted and drawn away from the simplicity of the Gospel. This certainly is more obviously the sense of the words, than what others incline to, who make the sense this: If any other could come to you, who could preach to you a better Iesus, a more excellent Saviour than we have done; or a more excellent Spirit than him whom you have received; or a more excellent Doctrine than the Doctrine of the Gospel, which we have preached, you might bear with him. For I see no pretence to interpret the Verb as in the Potential Mood, it is manifestly the Indicative Mood; and declareth, not what they might do, but what they had done; which made the Apostle jealous of them, lest they should be perverted. And our Saviour, Ioh. 5.43. has taught us, That those who with the most difficulty receive those who come to them in Gods Name, are always most easie to receive those who come in their own name, without any due Authority or Commission from God..

For I suppose, I was not a whit behind the very chiefest of the apostles The Apostle, doubtless, meaneth those that were the true Apostles of our Lord; those who were immediately sent out by him to preach the Gospel, behind whom the Apostle was not, either in respect of ministerial Gifts and Graces, or in respect of Labours, or in respect of the Success which God had given him in his work. Our Method, that false Teachers used to vilifie Paul, was, by magnifying some others of the Apostles above him, and preferring them before him; which makes him both here, and in Gal. 2. & Rom. 11.13. to magnifie his Office, by showing them, there was no reason why they should make a difference betwixt him and other Apostles: for he had the same immediate Call, was intrusted with the same Power, furnished and adorned with the same Gifts, in Labours (as he elsewhere says) he had been more than they all; nor had God been wanting in giving him success in his labours, proportionable to the chiefest of them. So as he was not a whit behind them..

But though I be rude in speech Admit (says the Apostle) that I be no Orator, speaking to you in high language, or in a neat stile and phrase; either having no faculty that way, or if I have, yet choosing rather to speak plainly and home to your Consciences, than floridly to tickle your ears with a fine sound and chiming of words., yet not in knowledge Yet I bless God, I am not defective in knowledge; and, as God has inlightned me with a large knowledge of his Will, so I have communicated to you the whole Counsel of God.; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things And in all things, which may declare me an Apostle, one sent of Christ about the business of the Gospel, I have been made manifest amongst you; preaching amongst you the whole Doctrine of the Gospel, and having been an Instrument to convert many of you from Paganism to Christianity..

Have I committed an offence in abasing my self, that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely Is it for my putting you to no charge in my preaching the Gospel? This was a thing wherein he gloried, and told them, 1 Cor. 9.6, 12, 15. that he would rather die, than have his glorying void in this particular.?

I have robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service He interpreteth the term of Robbing other Churches, by a taking wages of them, (which indeed is no robbery, as he had proved 1 Cor. 9.) All the robbery that was in it lay in this, That his maintenance, in strictness of Right, should have been proportionably from this, as well as from other Churches; but for some reasons, (which he thinks fit to conceal) he refused to receive any thing from this Church; but spa ed them, and lived upon the maintenance he had from other Churches, while he was doing them service. Either he saw the Members of this Church were poor, or that there were some in this Church who would sooner have taken advantage to reproach him for it, and so have hindred the success of the Gospel. Whatever it was that caused the Apostle to do it, certain it is, that he did it, and made it a great piece of his glorying..

And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man The word which we translate Chargeable, signifies to benum; I benummed no man: Or (as others) I was not my self more benummed in any thing. If we take it in the first mentioned sense, it lets us see a reason why Paul refused to take wages of the Church of Corinth, lest he should cool and benum them as to the receiving of the Gospel when they saw it would prove chargeable to them. If, in the latter sense, the Apostle seems to reflect upon such whom wages only edged to their work, who preached merely for gain and filthy lucre. To distinguish himself from such Hirelings, he tells them, that when he was with them, and laboured amongst them in preaching the Gospel, he put them to no charge; yet he was not slothful in his work, but as laborious as those who did take Wages.: for that which was lacking to me, the 4.10, 15. brethren that came from Macedonia, supplied As to himself, he had want enough whilst he was amongst them; but the Providence of God ordered him a supply from the Churches of Macedonia, and by that means he kept himself from being burdensome to them., and in all things I have kept my self from being burdensom unto you, and so will I keep my self And he tells them, so he was resolved that he would still be..

As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia The Apostle often repeateth this, glorying much in it, that in this Region of Achaia, he had preached the Gospel without charge to the hearers; he did so also at Thessalonica, 1 Thes. 2.5, 6.9. But concerning them, he says, what he no where says of the Corinthians, that they received the word in much affliction; which might (probably) be the cause. It is most likely that he either discerned this people to be more covetous, and too much lovers of their money; or that there was a generation among them, who, if he had taken wages for his labours, would have reproached him as one that was an hireling, and who did all that he did for money. And indeed, himself seemeth in the next Verses to give this as a reason..

Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth Can you possibly interpret my not being chargeable to you, as proceeding from a want of love in me to you? God knoweth the contrary..

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion I know (says the Apostle) that there are some amongst you, who, out of their hatred to me, would seek any occasion to asperse me to iustifie themselves. If I had (as I might) have taken wages amongst you for my labours, they would either have taken occasion from it to have aspersed me (as doing what I did from a mercenary spirit) or at least to have justified themselves in their exactings upon you. I had a mind to prevent any such occasions of boasting, that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we It should seem by these words that some Teachers in this Church, being (possibly) men of Estates, required no maintenance of the People; and would have taken advantage against the Apostle, if he had taken any, Or possibly some others exacted upon them unreasonably; who, had Paul taken wages, would have justified themselves by his Example. The Apostle therefore was resolved to cut off from them any pretence, or occasion of boasting; and to do what ever any of them did, in sparing the Corinthians as to the business of their Purses..

For such are false apostles That is, persons pretending to be sent of Christ, but were indeed never sent of him,, deceitful workers deceitful workers; persons whose work is but to cheat and deceive you: and that, both with refe ence to their Call and Authority which they pretend to, and also to the Doctrine which they bring., transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ They were never Apostles of Christ, only they put themselves into such a shape and form, that they might have more advantage to deceive..

And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light It is not at all to be admired, that the Emissaries of Satan dissemble, and pretend themselves to be what they are not, for even Satan himself, who is the prince of darkness, in order to the deceiving and seducing of Souls, transformeth himself into an Angel of light; that is, puts on the appearance and form of a good Angel. He calls them Angels of light, because they were wont to appear in a lightsome brightness; or because of that glory in which they behold the Face of God; or because of those great measures of Heavenly knowledge which those blessed Spirits have. All tempted Souls have an Experiment of this; for none is tempted to Evil under the appearance of Evil; (Evil as Evil being what a reasonable Soul cannot be courted to.) The Devil therefore, in all his temptations to sin, though his end be to ruine and destroy, yet appeareth as an Angel of light; moving the Soul to Evil under the notion and appearance of good..

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness It is no wonder if there be like Servants, like Masters: And as the Devil, in order to the deceiving of Souls, pretends to what he is not, viz. a friend to them: So those who seek their own profit, not your good, show themselves to be his Ministers, driving the same design with him, also do the like, and change their shapes, pretending themselves to be Ministers of the Gospel, and to aim at the good of your Souls, by teaching you the way of righteousness,, whose end shall be according to their works but God will one day judge of their works, and their reward at last will be according to their works..

I say again, Let no man think me a fool I know that he, who is much in magnifying and praising himself, ordinarily is judged to be a Fool; but though I do so, let me not lie under that imputat on. There is a time for all things; a time for a man to cease from his own praises, and a time for him to praise himself. The time for the latter, is, when the glory of God, or our own just Vindication is concerned; both which concurred here: the Apostle was ou of measure vilified by these false Apostles; and the glory of God was eminently concerned, that so great an Apostle and instrument in promoting the Gospel, should no be exposed to contempt, as a mean and despicable person, or as an Impostor and Deceiver.: if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast my self a little But if you will judge me a Fool, be it so; Yet receive me as such while I boast a little..

That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord I do not pretend to have any special command of God, to speak wha I shall now say in my own commendation; God has left that to our liberty, which we may use or not use, as circumstances of time, place and occasion direct. Or I do not speak according to the ordinary practice of Christians and Ministers of the Gospel; whose ordinary practice is to abase and vilify, not to exalt and set forth themselves, according to the more general Rules of the word. Yet (what the Apostle says) was not contrary to the Lord, or to the directions of his Word; which has no where commanded us to vilify our selves, or to conceal what God has wrought in us, and by us., but as it were foolishly in this confidence of boasting This my confident boasting has an appearance of foolishness in it, though really it be not so; for nothing can be truly called Foolishness, which has a direct and immediate tendency to the glory of God, and is designed for that End..

Seeing that many glory after the flesh By the flesh is meant, carnal and external things; which though they be the gifts and favours of God, yet do not at all commend a man to God. The Apostle says, there are many that glory after the flesh; and there needs must be such in all places, because there are many that walk after the flesh: now it is but natural for men to boast and glory in these attainments, which it has been the business of their lives to pursue after. Such there were doubtless in this famous Church; who gloried that they were Native Jews, or in their riches, or in their knowledge and learning. Now though (says the Apostle) I know there is nothing in these things truly to be gloried in, yet others glorying in them, I will glory also; and let them know, that if I thought these things worth the glorying in, I have as much to glory in of that nature as any of them have. I will glory also.

For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye your selves are wise Ye freely suffer others foolishly glorying and boasting of themselves, therefore do ye suffer me therein to judge your selves wise, and it belongs to the wise to bear with such as are not so wise as themselves..

For ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage h, if a man devour you if they devour and make a prey of you,, if a man take of you If any domineer over you, as if you were their Slaves, or if any bring you into subjection to the Rites of the Ceremonial Law; take Wages of you, and do nothing without hire,, if a man exalt himself if they carry themselves proudly, exalting themselves above you,, if a man smite you on the face nay if they smite you, you will suffer and bear with such; this is more than to bear with a little folly and indiscretion in me. This is observable, that men of corrupt hearts and loose lives, will better bear with Teachers that will humour and spare them in their Lusts, than with such as are faithful to their Souls in instructing and reproving them, though they carry themselves with the greatest innocency and justice towards them..

I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak I speak as to those reproaches they cast on me; who am by them represented to you as though I were weak and contemptable: as indeed I am, as to my person, but not as to my Doctrine, and the Miracles I have wrought amongst you.: Howbeit, wherein soever any is bold, I speak foolishly, I am bold also And being some of them are so confident in boasting what they are, and what they have done and suffered; Let me be a little bold as well as they, in telling you what I am, and what I have done and suffered..

Are they Hebrews? so am I This would incline us to think, that some (at least) of those corrupt Teachers, upon whom the Apostle has so much reflected, were Jews; who had endeavoured to corrupt the Gentile Churches with their Traditions, and imposing on them the Ceremonial Rites of the Jewish Church. Others think otherwise, and that the words import no more than this; Do they glory in the antiquity of their stock and parentage, as descending from Abraham? I have as much upon that account to glory in as they: For although I was born, not in Iudea, but in Tarsus, a City of Cilicia (Acts 22.3.) yet I was a Jew, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, Phil. 3.5.: Are they Israelites? so am I Will they derive from Iacob, to whom God gave the name of Israel, (from whence all his posterity were called Israelites?) So am I (says he) I can derive from Iacob as well as they.? Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I Will they glory in this, that they are the seed of Abraham? (this was a great boast of the Jews; as we learn from Matt. 3. and Ioh. 8) says the Apostle, I have on that account as much to glory in as they Some here inquire, What difference there is in these three things? for to be an Hebrew, and an Israelite, and of the seed of Abraham, seem all to signifie the same thing. Nor indeed have we any need to assign any difference, it seemeth to be but the same thing amplified in three phrases. But others distinguish more subtilly, and think the first may signifie a glorying in the Ancientne s of their Pedigree, or in their ability to speak in the Hebrew Tongue; the second, may refer to the Nation of which they were; the third, to the promise made to Abraham and his Seed.:

Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more Will they glory in this, that they are Ministers of Christ? imployed as the Servants of Christ in preaching the Gospel? I should not boast about this, (in that I may seem to speak like a fool) but I am much more a Minister than they, both with respect to my Call to the work, and also my performing of it. I had a more immediate Call and Mission to the work than what they can boast of; and I have done more in that work, than any of them have done.: in labours more abundant I have travelled more to preach it, I have laboured more in the prop gation of it.: in stripes above measure: in prisons more frequent I have suffered more for the preaching of it, I have been oftner whipped, oftner imprisoned, than any of them ever were: See Chap. 6.4, 5.: in deaths oft I have been oftner in hazard of my life: he calls dangers threatning death, deaths (as 2 Cor. 1.10.).

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one God, to restrain the passions of his people, which might carry them out to cruelty in the punishments of Malefactors, forbad the Jewish Magistrates to give any Malefactor above forty stripes; (so many th y might give them by the Divine Law, Deut. 25 3.) But they had made an Order, that none should receive above thirty nine This was amongst their Constitutions which they called Legis, Hedges to the Divine Law; which indeed was a violation of the Law: For that did not oblige them to give every Malefactor, that had not deserved death, so many stripes; it gave them only a liberty to go so far, but they were not to exceed Some think, that they punished every such Malefactor with thirty nine stripes: Others more rationall think, that they did not so, but thirty nine was the highest number the laid upon any. And it is most probable, that out of their hatred to the Apostle, they laid as many stripes upon him, as their Constitution would suffer them to do..

Thrice was I beaten with rods This was by the Pagans, for the Iews whipped Malefactors with a whip which had three cords. We read of one of these times; and of a second, Acts 22.24. when the Captain commanded he should be so punished, but he avoided it, by pleading he was a Citizen of Rome., once was I stoned Of his stoning, read Acts 14.19. it was by a popular tumult at Lystra.: thrice I suffered shipwrack We read but of one time that Paul suffered shipwrack, Acts 27.18. (which was none of the three times here mentioned, for it was after the writing of his Epistle.) But though many of the Acts and Sufferings of this Apostle were written, yet all were not.: a night and a day I have been in the deep Some by the Deep here, understand the inner prison, mentioned Act 16.14. or some deep dungeon; but more probably he means, some time when after a shipwrack he might be put twent four hours to swim up and down the Sea upon some broken part of the ship. It refers to some eminent danger Paul was in of which the Scripture in no other place maketh mention particularly..

In journeyings often In Travellings from place to place for the propagation of the Gospel., in perils of wars Through Wars, happening and being hot in those Countries through which he travel ed., in perils of robbers Such as waked to rob passengers by the high-way., in perils by my own countrymen The Jews, who were mortal Enemies to Paul, whom they looked upon as an Apostate from their Religion., in perils in the city In many Cities where he preached the Gospel, (as we find in the Acts of the Apostles.), in perils in the wilderness In Wildernesses, through which he was forced to pass., in perils in the sea Storms and shipwracks., in perils among false brethren False Teachers and private persons, who corrupted the Christian Religion, and were as great Enemies to the Apostle as any he had..

In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness The Apostle reckons up several afflictive Evils, ordinarily incident to such as travel in foreign Countries. Of this nature were the weariness and painfulness, the hunger and thirst, the cold and nakedness here mentioned. He also mentioneth watchings and fastings, as voluntary Acts of Discipline, which he used for the end mentioned, 1 Cor. 9.27. For the keeping under his body, and bringing it in subjection, and that he might the better attend and discharge the work of the Ministry..

Besides those things that are without By the things that are without, the Apostle meaneth, either those Evils which happened to him from persons that had no relation to the Christian Church, but were persons without, (as the phrase is used 1 Cor. 5.13.) or else such kinds of troubles and afflictions as very little influenced his mind, but only affected his outward man: Such were his labours, travels, journeyings, imprisonment, stripes, before mentioned., that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches Besides these (he says) there lay upon him an inward care and sollicitude for all the Christian Churches; and this was a daily care. For an Apostle differed from an ordinary Pastor, not only in his immediate Call from Christ, but also in his Work there lay an obligation upon such to go up and down preaching the Gospel, and they further had, both a power, and also an obligation, to superintend all other Churches, and to direct the affairs of them relating to Order and Government: And ther upon they were mightily concerned about their doing well or ill..

Who is weak, and I am not weak Who, may be either what Church? or what particular Christian in any Church? is weak,, through outward afflictions, or in respect of inward spiritual troubles? and I do not sympathize with that Church, or with that person?? who is offended, and I burn not Who is offended, or scandalized, under temptations to be seduced, and fall into sin, and I am not on fire with an holy zeal for the glory of God, and the good of his Soul, if possible to keep him upright? By which the Apostle does not only show us what was his own holy temper, but what should be the temper of every faithful Minister, as to his Province, or that part of the Church over which he is concerned to watch: viz. to have a true compassion to every Member of it, to watch over his flock, inquiring diligently into the state of it; to have a quick sense of any evils under which they, or any of them labour. This is indeed the duty of every private Member, but more especially of him whose Office is to feed any part of the flock of Christ, Rom. 12.15. In this the Members of the spiritual, mystical Body of Christ should answer to the Members of the Body Natural, (to which our Apostle before resembled it.)?

If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my infirmities The Apostle here calleth the things which he had suffered for the Gospel, and the propagation of it, his infirmities; and says, that he chose those things to glory in. He would not glory of the divers Tongues with which he spake, nor of the Miracles which he had wrought; but being by the ill tongues of his Adversaries put upon glorying, he chose to glory of what he had suffered for God. For as the mighty Power of Christ was seen in supporting him, and carrying him through so many hazards and difficulties; so these things (probably) were such as his Adversaries could not much glory in. Besides, that these things had not that natural tendency to lift up his mind above its due measures, as Gifts had which sometimes puff up, (as the Apostle says concerning Knowledge:) And also these were things which flesh and blood commonly startleth at, and flieth from. That his Gifts, and miraculous Operations spake the Power of God in him, and the kindness of God to him, in i abling him to such Effects, rather than any goodness in himself; but his patient bearing the Cross, spake in him great measures of Faith, Patience, and Self-denial, and Love to God: and so really were greater and truer causes of boasting, than those things could be..

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not Whether this Phrase be the form of an Oath, or a mere assertion of Gods knowledge of the heart, is a point not worth the arguing. If we look upon it in the former notion, it is no profane Oath, because made in the Name of God; nor no vain Oath, because it is used in a grave and serious matter, and for the satisfaction of those who were not very easie to believe the Apostle in this matter. But I had rather take it as a solemn assertion of Gods particular knowledge of the truth of his heart in what he had said. The term, blessed for evermore, may either be applied to the Father, or to Iesus Christ. It is applied to the Creator, Rom. 1.25. and to Iesus Christ, Rom. 9.5. It is here so used, as that it is applicable either to the first, or second Person. The usage of it in these three Texts, is an undeniable Argument to prove the Godhead of Christ. The Apostle, in these words, seemeth rather to refer to what he had said before, of his various labours and sufferings, than to that which followeth: which was but a single thing, and a danger rather than a suffering..

In Damascus the governour under Aretas the king, kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me.

And thorow a window in a basket, was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands Luke has shortly given us the History of this danger, Acts 9.23, 24, 25. Soon after Paul was converted from the Jewish to the Christian Religion, he disputing with the Jews, which dwelt at Damascus, confounded them by his Arguments, proving Jesus was the Christ, (as we read there v. 21.) This so inraged them, as that they sought to kill him, v. 23. And (as we learn from this Text) to effect their design, they had by some acts or other brought over the Governour to favour their design; (which Governour was a Substitute under Aretas the King, who was Father-in-law to Herod.) For (as Iosephus tells us) Herod. put away his Wife, the Daughter of this Aretas, when he took Herodias. The Jews had got this Deputy Heathen Governour so much on their side, that he shut up the Gates, keeping his Souldiers in Arms. But (as S. Luke tells us, Acts 9.24.) Paul coming to the knowledge of this design, though they watched the Gates day and night, yet he found a way of escape by the help of those Christians, who at that time were in Damascus, v. 25. The Disciples took him by night, and let him down by a wall in a basket. Two Questions are started upon this passage of Pauls life; 1. Whether it was lawful for him to flye? But besides the particular licence our Lord, in this case, had given his first Ministers, Matt. 10.23. Paul did in this case no more than what Divines make lawful for a more ordinary Minister, viz. to flye, when the persecution was directed against him in particular, leaving sufficient supply behind him. The second Question raised is, Whether it being against humane Laws to go over the walls of a City or Garrison, Paul did not sin in this escape? But that is easily answered: For 1. This was lawful in some cases. 2. Gods glory, and the good of Souls, were more concerned in Pauls life, than to have it sacrificed to a punctilio of obedience to an humane Law made upon a mere politick consideration..