TEXT. 22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you. 23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner, and fellow-helper concerning you or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. 24 Wherefore show ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. IX. 1 For, as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: 2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal hath provoked very many. 3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain, in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: 4 Lest haply, if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, you) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. PARAPHRASE. 22 in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. With them I have sent our brother, of whom I have had frequent experience, in sundry affairs, to be a forward, active man; but now much more earnestly intent, by reason of the strong 23 persuasion he has of your contributing liberally. Now, whether I speak of Titus, he is my partner, and one who, with me, promotes your interest; or the two other brethren sent with him, they are the messengers of the churches of Macedonia, by whom their collection is sent, and are promoters of 24 the glory of Christ. Give, therefore, to them, and, by them, to those churches, a demonstration of your love, and a justificaIX. 1. tion of my boasting of you. For, as touching the relief of the poor Christians in Jerusalem, it is needless for me to 2 write to you. For I know the forwardness of your minds, which I boasted of, on your behalf, to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal in this matter 3 hath been a spur to many others. Yet I have sent these brethren, that my boasting of you may not appear to be vain and groundless in this part, but that you may, as I said, have 4 your collection ready: Lest, if perchance the Macedonians should come with me, and find it not ready, I (not to say, you) should be ashamed in this matter, whereof I have boasted. NOTE. 2 & Achaia, i. e. the church of Corinth, which was made up of the inhabitants of that town, and of the circumjacent parts of Achaia. Vid. ch. i. 1. TEXT. 5 Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. 6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully. : 7 Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound towards you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, "He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.' 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower, both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness :) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth, through us, thanksgiving to God. PARAPHRASE. 5 I thought it, therefore, necessary to put the brethren upon going before unto you, to prepare things, by a timely notice beforehand, that your contribution may be ready, as a free benevolence of yours, and not as a niggardly gift, extorted 6 from you. This, I say, "He who soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he who soweth plentifully, shall also 7 reap plentifully.' So give, as you find yourselves disposed, every one, in his own heart, not grudgingly, as if it were 8 wrung from you; for God loves a cheerful giver. For God is able to make every charitable gifth of yours redound to your advantage; that, you having in every thing, always, a fulness 9 of plenty, ye may abound in every good work: (As it is written, "He hath scattered, he hath given to the poor, and his 10 liberality remaineth for ever." Now he, that supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply your stock of seed, and increase the fruit of your liberality :) 11 Enriched in every thing to all beneficence, which, by me, as i NOTES. 8 Xápis, "grace," rather "charitable gift," or liberality," as it signifies in the former chapter, and as the context determines the sense here. 9 i Axacoσúv, "righteousness," rather "liberality;" for so dixon, in Scripture language, often signifies. And so, Matt. vi. 1, for enμoσúvny, alms," some copies have dinαoody, "liberality." And so Joseph, Matt. i. 19, is called Sixaos, "just, benign." k 10 Zópov, "seed sown," rather " your seed, and seed-plot," i. e. increase your plenty, to be laid out in charitable uses. TEXT. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also, by many thanksgivings unto God. 13 (Whilst, by the experiment of this ministration, they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men ;) 14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you, for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. PARAPHRASE. 12 instrumental in it, procureth thanksgiving to God. For the performance of this service doth not only bring supply to the wants of the saints, but reacheth farther, even to God himself, 13 by many thanksgivings (Whilst they, having such a proof of you, in this your supply, glorify God for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberality, in 14 communicating to them, and to all men ;) And to the procuring their prayers for you, they having a great inclination towards you, because of that gracious gift of God bestowed on 15 them by your liberality. Thanks be to God for this his unspeakable gift. SECTION IV. CHAPTER X. 1.-XIII. 10. CONTENTS. ST. Paul having finished his exhortation to liberality, in their collection for the Christians at Jerusalem, he here resumes his former argument, and prosecutes the main purpose of this epistle, which was totally to reduce and put a final end to the adverse faction, (which seems not yet to be entirely extinct) by bringing the Corinthians wholly off from the false apostle they had adhered to; and to re-establish himself and his authority in the minds of all the members of that church. And this he does, by the steps contained in the following numbers. SECTION IV. NO. 1. CHAPTER X. 1–6. CONTENTS. HE declares the extraordinary power he hath in preaching the Gospel, and to punish his opposers amongst them. TEXT. 1 Now I, Paul, myself, beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: 2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold, when I am present, with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh : 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;) PARAPHRASE. 1 Now I, the same Paul, who am (as it is said amongst a you) base and mean, when present with you, but bold towards you, when absent, beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness b 2 of Christ; I beseech you, I say, that I may not, when present among you, be bold, after that manner I have resolved to be bold towards some, who account that, in my conduct and ministry, I regulate myself wholly by carnal considerations. 3 For though I live in the flesh, yet I do not carry on the work 4 of the Gospel (which is a warfare) according to the flesh: (For the weapons of my warfare are not fleshly, but such as God hath made mighty, to the pulling down of strong holds, i. e. 1 a Vid. ver. 10. NOTES. b St. Paul, thinking it fit to appear all severity, till he had by fair means reduced as many of the contrary party as he could, to a full submission to his authority, (vid. ver. 6) begins here his discourse by conjuring them, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, as an example, that might excuse his delay of exemplary punishment on the ringleaders and chief offenders, without giving them reason to think it was for want of power. 4 What the λα σαрnnà, "the carnal weapons," and those other opposed to them, which he calls duvarà re, "mighty through God," are, may be seen, if we read and compare 1 Cor. i. 23, 24, and ii. 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13; 2 Cor. iv. 2, 6. TEXT. 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God; and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ : 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. PARAPHRASE. 5 whatever is made use of in opposition;) Beating down human reasonings, and all the towering and most elevated superstructures raised thereon, by the wit of men, against the knowledge of God, as held forth in the Gospel; captivating all their 6 notions, and bringing them into subjection to Christ: And having by me, in a readiness, power wherewithal to punish and chastise all disobedience, when you, who have been misled by your false apostle, withdrawing yourselves from him, shall return to a perfect obedience d. NOTE. 6 & Those, whom he speaks to here, are the Corinthian converts, to whom this epistle is written. Some of these had been drawn into a faction against St. Paul; these he had been, and was endeavouring to bring back to that obedience and submission, which the rest had continued in to him, as an apostle of Jesus Christ. The Corinthians of these two sorts are those he means, when he says to them, chap. ii. 3, and chap. vii. 13, 15, “You all,” i. e. all ye Christians of Corinth and Achaia. For he, that had raised the faction amongst them, and given so much trouble to St. Paul, was a stranger, and a Jew, vid. chap. xi. 22, crept in amongst them, after St. Paul had gathered and established that church, 1 Cor. iii. 6, 10; 2 Cor. x. 15, 16: of whom St. Paul seems to have no hopes, chap. xi. 13-15, and, therefore, he every where threatens, 2 Cor. iv. 19, and here particularly, ver. 6 and 11, to make an example of him and his adherents, if any were so obstinate to stick to him) when he had brought back again all the Corinthians that he could hope to prevail on. SECTION IV. NO. 2. CHAPTER X. 7-18. CONTENTS. ST. Paul examines the false apostle's pretensions, and compares his own with his performances. |