20G COMMENTARY ON
Many men are best trusted where they are least known. Their pubHc conversation is good and plausible, but their secret courses are vile and naught, as thoso know that arc acquainted with their retired courses. But you, saith the apostle, with whom 1 have lived lonf,'est, with whom I have been most, you can bear witness of my conversation, that I have lived so and so in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
' This is our rejoicing,' kc. We see here the temper and disposition that St Paul was in. He was in a glorying, m a rejoicing estate. We see then that
A CJiristitni, tdhe hhn at the worst, liis rstatr is a rrjoicbifi cstatr.
' Our rejoicing is this.' The word in the original is more than joy, for it is Ttavyjiaii, a glorying. ' Our glorying ' is this, which is a joy mani- festing itself in the outward man, when the heart and the spirit seem as it were to go outward, and, as it were, to meet the thing joyed in. A Christian hath his joy, his glorying, and a glorying that is proper to him- self. It is a spiritual joy, as it follows after, ' Our rejoicing is the testimony of our conscience.'
So good is God, that in the worst estate he gives his children matter of rejoicing in this world. He gives them a taste of heaven before they come there. He gives them a grape of Canaan, as Israel. They tasted of Canaan, what a good land it was, before they came thither. So God's children, they have their rejoicing. St Paul swears and protests it, 1 Cor. XV. 31, ' By our rejoicing in Christ Jesus I die daily.' As verily as we joy in all our afflictions, so this is true that I say, that I die daily.
Use. Therefore we should labour to be of such a temper, as that we may fflory, and rejoice. A Christian hath his rejoicing, but it is a spiritual rejoicing, like his estate. Every creature hath his joy, as St Chrysostom speaks. We do all for joy. All that we do is that we m.ay joy at length. It is the centre of the soul. As rest is to motion, so the desire of all is to joy, to rest in joy. So that heaven itself is termed by the name of joy, happiness itself, ' Enter into thy master's joy,' Matt. xxv. 21. Every creature hath his joy proper to him. Every man hath his joy. A carnal man hath a carnal joy, a spiritual man hath a holy joy.
1. First, he joys in his election, which was before all worlds, that his name is written in heaven, as it is, Luke x. 20, ' Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven, and not that the devils are subject unto you.'
2. And then, he joys in his justification, that he is freed from his sins, Rom. V. 1, 'Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Christ, and we rejoice in afflictions.' Being justified first. There is the way how this joy comes in. A Christian being justified by faith, and freed from the guilt of his sin, it worketh joy.
3. And then, there is a joy of sanctification, of a good conscience, of a holy life led, as we see here, ' Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, '&c.
4. And then, there is a joy of glory to come. ' We rejoice under the hope of glory,' saith the apostle, Rom. v. 2. So a Christian's joy is suitable to himself.
There is no other man that can glory, and be wise, because all men but a Christian, ' they glory in their shame,' Philip, iii. 19, or they glory in vanishing things. A Christian is not ashamed of his joy, of his glorying, because he glories not in his shame. Therefore the apostle here justifies his joy. Our rejoicing is this, I care not if all the world know my joy, it is the ' testimony of my conscience.' As if he should say, Let others rejoice in base pleasures which they will not stand to avow; let others
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 12. 207
rejoice in riclies, in honours, in the favour of men ; let them rejoice in whut they please, my joy is another kind of joy. ' I rejoice in the testimony of my conscience.' A Christian, as he hath a joy, so he hath a joy that he wiU stand to, and make it good. There is no other man bi;t he will blush, and have shame in his forehead, that joys in anything that is baser than himself, that joys in outward things. He cannot stand to it, and say, This is mv joy. But a Christian hath the warrant of his conscience for that which he joys in, and therefore he is not ashamed of it. Another man dares not reveal his joy.
All the subtilty of the world, is to have the pleasures that sin will afford ; and yet withal they study to cover it, that it may not appear. Where is the joy of the ambitious ?
His study, his thought, and his joy is to have respect, Haman-like ; and yet he studies to conceal this. He dares not have it known. Ho dares not avow it. ' This is my rejoicing ; ' for then all the world would laugh at him for a vain person.