Therefore it is an idle thing to suppose that there will be any good suc- cess by carnal projects ; no, the only good statesman is the religious man. And it was never better with the church of God, before or since the time of Christ, than when those w^ere in the stern.* Do but think of this oft, as St Jude saith, ' God only wise,' ver. 25. We must all of us light our candle at that fire.
All wisdom, even this poor spark of reason that God enlighteneth ' every man that comes into the world ' withal, it comes from Christ Jesus. ' In him are all the treasures of wisdom, God, and God-man, only wise,' Col. ii. 3. There is no wisdom without him, therefore let us submit ourselves to his government ; let us pray to him, and seek for wisdom of him in all things. But I go on to the next verse.
VERSE 13.
' For we write none other thinf/s unto you than what you read or achwtv- ledge, and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end.' Here St Paul strengthens himself by another course. First, he retires to his own heart and conscience, ' My rejoicing is this, the testimony of my conscience,' &c. ; and he sets this as a bulwark against all the slanders and detractions of his opposers whatsoever. He sets it as a flag of defiance, the testimony of his own conscience.
But to set himself the more upright in their hearts, whom he was to deal withal, knowing what a great advantage it was to have the good opinion of them, and to wipe away all imputation, he passeth from his conscience to their conscience. For my own conscience my rejoicing is this, that you cannot accuse me that I have led my hfe by carnal false principles, but by reasons of rehgion, and by the blessed motions of God's Spirit. Nay, I can go further than so. For what I say of mine own conscience, I dare say 3-ou can say too ; for ' I write no other things than what you read or acknowledge.'
' What you read.' Some take it, ' what you know or acknowledge,' be- cause these are distinct things. The word ana(iinoskcin,\ signifies to know or to read ; but usually, to read. We may well, therefore, take it so as * Tliat is, = ' helm.' — G. f That is, from avayvjujaxu. Cf. Eobinson, sub voce. — G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 13. 301
most translate it here, ' I write no other thing,' concerning my simplicity, ' but what you read or acknowledge.' I write of my simplicity simply. I speak not of my sincerity insincerely, but what I write, you read or acknow- ledge ; because St Paul knew he had a place in their conscience, they could not but acknowledge what a man he was ; for the Spirit was wondrous efl'ectual by his ministry in their hearts ; and they were his epistle, as he saith in another place, 2 Cor. iii. 2. And, therefore, he appeals to their acknowledgment, to their conscience, ' We write no other thing,' &c. And for the time to come, ' I trust you shall acknowledge to the end.'
So he doth appeal to their conscience for the present, and he doth take in trust the time to come, what their thoughts shall be of him, and what his estate shall be. You shall have grace to think well of me to the end, because you shall have ground to think well of me for my constancy. ' I hope you shall acknowledge to the end ; ' and you shall have wisdom, and experience of my goodness to acknowledge to the end.
I will give a touch on these things, because they be useful ; and but a touch, because I stood somewhat on them before, and shall have fit occasion for them severally after.
Obs. ' We tvrite no other thinr/s than what yon read.''
This seemeth strange. Why, how could they read other things than what he wrote ? Yes ! If he had written falsely, if he had not expressed his thoughts in his writings, then they had read one thing and he had been another. As a woman that is painted, there is prosopon and prosopeia ; * there is the visage and the true natural countenance. She is not the woman she appears to be, her face is one and herself is another ; but I am as I express myself. His meaning is, I speak of my simplicity and sincerity, simply and sincerely. I speak not of my virtues to go beyond you, but I speak sincerely ; what I speak you read. For I think not that he means his former epistle, but what he wrote concerning himself and the leading of his life. That which I speak concerning myself, that you read ; and what you read that I speak (zz). It yields me this observation, which though I had occasion to speak of when I handled simplicity, yet I shall now touch it, that
A Christian man is one man, he doth act one vian's part.
He hath not a heart and a heart, he is not a man and a man. There is a harmony between his thoughts and resolutions, between his speeches and his actions. They all sweetly accord together. What he thinks and re- solves on, that he speaks ; what he speaks, that he writes ; what he wi-ites and speaks, that he doth ; he is one man in all, he doth not deal doubly.