TEXT.

12 So then death worketh in us; but life in you.

13 We having the same Spirit of faith, according as it is written, "I believed, and therefore have I spoken:" we also believe, and therefore speak;

14 Knowing that he, which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also, by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

PARAPHRASE.

12 and sufferings in this mortal flesh of mine. So that the preaching of the Gospel procures sufferings and danger of death to me; but to you it procures life, i. e. the energy of the Spirit of Christ, whereby he lives in, and gives life to those 13 who believe in him. Nevertheless, though suffering and death accompany the preaching the Gospel; yet, having the same Spirit of faith that David had, when he said, "I believe, therefore have I spoken," I also, believing, therefore 14 speak; Knowing that he, who raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise me up also, by Jesus, and present me, with you, to God. 15 For I do, and suffer, all things, for your sakes, that the exuberant favour of God may abound, by the thanksgiving of a greater number, to the glory of God; i. e. I endeavour, by my sufferings and preaching, to make as many converts as I can, that so the more partaking of the mercy and favour of God of which there is a plentiful and inexhaustible store, the more may give thanks unto him, it being more for the glory of God that a greater number should give thanks and pray to 16 him. For which reason I faint not, I flag not; but though my bodily strength decay, yet the vigour of my mind is daily 17 renewed. For the more my sufferings are here, in propagating the Gospel, which at worst are but transient and light, the more will they procure me an exceedingly far greater addition

NOTE.

16 "I faint not." What this signifies, we have seen, ver. 1. Here St. Paul gives another proof of his sincerity in his ministry and that is, the sufferings and danger of death which he daily incurs, by his preaching the Gospel. And the reason why those sufferings and dangers deter him not, nor make him at all flag, he tells them, is, the assurance he has, that God, through Christ, will raise him again, and reward him with immortality in glory. This argument he pursues, chap. iv. 17, and v. 9.

TEXT.

18 While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

V. 1 For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

3 If so be, that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

4 For we, that are in this tabernacle, do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

PARAPHRASE.

18 of that glory in heaven, which is solid and eternal; I having no regard to the visible things of this world, but to the invisible things of the other: for the things that are seen V. 1 are temporal: but those that are not seen eternal. For I know that if this my body, which is but as a tent for my sojourning here upon earth for a short time, were dissolved, I shall have another, of a divine original, which shall not, like buildings made with men's hands, be subject to 2 decay, but shall be eternal in the heavens. For in this tabernacle I groan carnestly, desiring, without putting off this mortal, earthly body, by death, to have that celestial body 3 superinduced: If so be the coming of Christ shall overtake 4 me, in this life, before I put off this body. For we, that are in the body, groan under the pressures and inconveniences that attend us in it; which yet we are not, therefore, willing to put off, but had rather, without dying, have it changed

d

NOTES.

17" Weight of glory." What an influence St. Paul's Hebrew had, upon his Greek, is every where visible: 55 in Hebrew signifies "to be heavy," and "to be glorious;" St. Paul, in the Greek, joins them, and says, "the weight of glory."

3 That the apostle looked on the coming of Christ, as not far off, appears by what he says 1 Thess. iv. 15, and v. 6, which epistle was written some years before this. See also, to the same purpose, 1 Cor. i. 7, and vii. 29, 31, and x. 11. Rom. xiii. 11, 12. Heb. x. 37.

4 The same, that he had told them, in the first epistle, ch. xv. 51, should happen to those, who should be alive at Christ's coming. This, I must own, is no very easy passage, whether we understand by yuvo), "naked," as I do here, the state of the dead, unclothed with immortal bodies, until the resurrection; which sense is favoured by the same word, 1 Cor. xv. 37, or whether we understand "the clothing upon," which the apostle desires, to be those immortal bodies which souls shall be clothed with at the resurrection; which sense" of clothing upon" seems to be favoured by 1 Cor. xv. 53, 54, and is that which

TEXT.

5 Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight.)

8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

PARAPHRASE.

into a celestial, immortal body, that so this mortal state may be put an end to, by an immediate entrance into an immortal 5 life. Now it is God, who prepares and fits us for this immortal state, who also gives us the Spirit, as a pledge of it. 6 Wherefore, being always undaunted", and knowing, that whilst I dwell, or sojourn in this body, I am absent from my proper 7 home, which is with the Lord, (For I regulate my conduct, not by the enjoyment of the visible things of this world, but by my hope and expectation of the invisible things of the world 8 to come) I, with boldness", preach the Gospel, preferring, in my choice, the quitting this habitation to get home to the 9 Lord. Wherefore I make this my only aim, whether staying here in this body, or departing out of it, so to acquit my

NOTES.

one should be inclined to, were it not accompanied with this difficulty; viz. that, then, it would follow that the wicked should not have immortal bodies at the resurrection. For whatever it be, that St. Paul here means, by "being clothed upon," it is something that is peculiar to the saints, who have the Spirit of God, and shall be with the Lord, in contradistinction to others, as appears from the following verses, and the whole tenor of this place.

5 The Spirit is mentioned in more places than one, as the pledge and earnest of immortality: more particularly, Eph. i. 13, 14, which, compared with Rom. viii. 23, shows that the inheritance, whereof the Spirit is the earnest, is the same, which the apostle speaks of here, viz. the possession of immortal bodies. 6, 8 h еappouvres and Sappoμer, "we are confident," signifies in these two verses the same that oun ixxanoũμev, “we faint not," does, chap. iv. 1, and 16, i. e. “[ go undauntedly, without flagging, preaching the Gospel with sincerity, and direct plainness of speech." This conclusion, which he draws here, from the consideration of the resurrection and immortality, is the same that he makes, upon the same ground, chap. iv. 14, 16.

9 i Elte ivônμouvtes èíte ixônμoûvtes, "whether staying in the body, or going out of it," i. e. whether I am to stay longer here, or suddenly to depart. This sense the foregoing verse leads us to; and what he says in this verse, that he endeavours (whether vonμov, or ixônμcũy)" to be well-pleasing to the Lord," i. e. do what is well-pleasing to him, shows that neither of these words can signify, here, his being with Christ in heaven. For, when he is there, the time of endeavouring to approve himself is over.

TEXT.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them, which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

PARAPHRASE.

10 self, as to be acceptable to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether it be good 11 or bad. Knowing, therefore, this terrible judgment of the Lord, I preach the Gospel, persuading men to be Christians. And with what integrity I discharge that duty is manifest to God, and I trust you also are convinced of it, in your con12 sciences. And this I say, not that I commend 1 myself again: but that I may give you an occasion not to be ashamed of me, but to glory on my behalf, having wherewithal to reply to those, who make a show of glorying in outward appearance, without

NOTES.

* St. Paul, from chap. iv. 12, to this place, has, to convince them of his uprightness in his ministry, been showing, that the hopes, and sure expectation, he had of eternal life, kept him steady and resolute, in an open sincere preaching of the Gospel, without any tricks or deceitful artifice. In which his argument stands thus: "Knowing that God, who raised up Christ, will raise me up again, I without any fear, or consideration of what it may draw upon me, preach the Gospel faithfully, making this account, that the momentaneous afflictions which, for it, I may suffer here, which are but slight in comparison of the eternal things of another life, will exceedingly increase my happiness in the other world, where I long to be; and therefore death, which brings me home to Christ, is no terror to me; all my care is, that whether I am to stay longer in this body, or quickly to leave it, living or dying, I may approve myself to Christ, in my ministry." In the next two verses he has another argument, to fix in the Corinthians the same thoughts of him; and that is, the punishment he shall receive at the day of judgment, if he should neglect to preach the Gospel faithfully, and not endeavour sincerely and earnestly to make converts to Christ.

12 From this place, and several others in this epistle, it cannot be doubted but that his speaking well of himself had been objected to him as a fault. And in this lay his great difficulty, how to deal with this people. If he answered nothing to what was talked of him, his silence might be interpreted guilt and confusion: if he defended himself, he was accused of vanity, self-commendation, and folly. Hence it is, that he uses so many reasons to show that his whole carriage was upon principles far above all worldly considerations: and tells them here, once for all, that the account he gives of himself is only to furnish them, who are his friends, and stuck to him, with matter to justify themselves, in their esteem of him, and to reply to the contrary faction.

TEXT.

13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

PARAPHRASE.

13 doing so inwardly in their hearts". For if" I am besides myself, in speaking as I do of myself, it is between God and me; he must judge: men are not concerned in it, nor hurt by it. Or, if I do it soberly, and upon good ground; if what I profess of myself be in reality true, it is for your sake and 14 advantage. For it is the love of Christ constraineth me, judging as I do, that if Christ died for all, then all were 15 dead: And that if he died for all, his intention was, that they, who by him have attained to a state of life, should not any longer live to themselves alone, seeking only their own private advantage; but should employ their lives in promoting the Gospel and kingdom of Christ, who for them died, and rose 16 again: So that, from henceforth, I have no regard to any one, according to the flesh P, i. e. for being circumcised, or a Jew. For if I myself have gloried in this, that Christ him

NOTES.

This may be understood of the leaders of the opposite faction, who, as it is manifest from ch. x. 7, 15, and xi. 12, 22, 23, pretended to something that they gloried in, though St. Paul assures us, they were satisfied, in conscience, that they had no solid ground of glorying.

n

13 St. Paul, from the 13th verse of this chapter, to chap. vi. 12, gives another reason for his disinterested carriage, in preaching the Gospel; and that is his love to Christ, who, by his death, having given him life, who was dead, he concludes, that in gratitude he ought not to live to himself any more. He therefore, being as in a new creation, had now no longer any regard to the things or persons of this world; but being made, by God, a minister of the Gospel, he minded only the faithful discharge of his duty in that embassy; and, pursuant thereunto, took care that his behaviour should be such as he describes, ch. vi. 3-10.

• "Besides myself," i. e. in speaking well of myself, in my own justification. He that observes what St. Paul says, chap. xi. 1, and 16-21, ch. xii. 6, and 11, will scarce doubt, but that the speaking of himself as he did was, by his enemies, called glorying, and imputed to him as folly and madness.

16 This may be supposed to be said with reflection on their Jewish, false apostle, who gloried in his circumcision; and, perhaps, that he had seen Christ in the flesh, or was some way related to him.

VOL, VIII.

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