sentence) unto you. Paul had written and was about to write still further on the subject ; so that this is to be understood as only a polite intimation that his writing, so far as they were concerned, was not necessary. They did not need urging.
2. Por I know the forwardness of your mind, for wliich I boast of you to tliem of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago ; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
The reason why it was superfluous to write to them was that they were disposed to act spontaneously. The apostle says he knew their forwardness of niind^ {'jrpoSvf.uav,) their readiness or disposition to give. I^or which I boast {rjv Kav- Xw/^at, see 11, 30 for the same construction) of you {v-n-kp v/^wv, for you, to your advantage). Their readiness to give was a matter of which Paul at that time boasted to the Macedonians among whom he then was. This does not imply that the apostle regarded their liberal disposition an honour to himself, as though it owed its existence to his agency. We are said to boast of the good qualities of a friend when we proclaim them to his honour and not our own. That Achaia teas ready a year ago. This was Paul's boast. All the Christians in Achaia belonged to the chui'ch in Corinth, although they did not all reside in that city. See 1, 1. Was ready ^ i. e. to take part in a collection for the saints. He does not mean that the collection had already been completed, so that nothing remained to be done. The context does not justify the dis- paraging supposition that Paul, to excite the emulation of the Macedonian Christians, had overstated the fact as to the Corin- thians, representing them as having already a year ago made their collection. IJie readiness to which he here refers is the readiness of purpose. They were fully prepared to take part in the work. Others say the apostle had told the Macedoni- ans that the Corinthians had made their collection and were ready to hand over the money. Those who have sufficient respect for themselves not to speak disrespectfully of the apostle, say that he truly believed this to be the fact, and was now solicitous that the Corinthians should not falsify his asser- tion by being unprepared. Others, however, as Kiickert, (and in a measure De ^yette,) represent the apostle as dishonestly tellin<2: to the Macedonians that the Corinthians had made