226 II. CORINTHIANS 9, 13.

the Christian spirit demanded. Calvin's explanation is, Speci- men idoneum probandse Corinthiorum caritati, quod erga fra- tres procul remotos tarn liberales erant ; which amounts very much to what is impHed in the first interpretation mentioned. They glorify God for your 2^rofessed subjection. The words are, iin rfj vTrorayfj t>}s 6/xoA.oytas v/xoov ; on account of obedience to your confession. 'O/xoAoyta is always in the New Testament used for the profession, or confession, of Christianity. 1 Tim. 6, 12. Heb. 3, 1. 4, 14. 10, 23. Beza, whom our translators follow, gives the genitive the force of the participle, professetl obedience^ i. e. obedience which you profess. Others make it the genitive of the source, " the obedience which flows from your confession ; " others again make it the genitive of the object, " obedience to your confession." This gives the best sense, and agrees best with the analogous expression, " obedi- ence of Christ," 10, 5. To the gospel of Christy eh e^ay. These words, it is said, cannot properly be constructed either with vTTOTayfj or with 6/xoAoytas, because neither vTroTacro-o) nor ojaoAoyew is followed by ds. On this account Meyer connects the clause in question with So^a^ovrc?, ' they praise God — in reference to the gospel.' But this is forced, and does not agree with the following clause ; as there, ets Travra?, if con- nected with ho^dt,ovres, gives no definite sense. De Wette connects cts cvay. with what precedes, ' Your confession — as it concerns the gospel.' And for your liberal distributio7i unto them^ and unto all. This is the second ground of praise to God. The words are aTrXoT-qn ttjs Koii/covtas, the sincerity of your felloiD ship. These general terms may, if the context re- quired, be taken in the specific sense, " liberality of your con- tribution," as is done by our translators ; or they may be understood in their wider and more natural sense. The ground on which the saints at Jerusalem would praise God was the manifestation of the Christian fellowship which the Cormthians cherished not only for them, but for all believers. It was the consciousness of the communion of saints — the as- surance that beUevers, however separated, or however distin- guished as Jews and Gentiles, bond or free, are one body in Chi'ist, that called forth their praise to God. And, therefore, the apostle says it was the (Kotvwvta) fellowship of the Corinthi- ans not only towards them, (the saints in Jerusalem,) but towards all believers, that was the ground of their praise. See Phil. 1, 5, for an example of Kotvtona followed by cts, as it is in this verse.