* At the day of the Lord Jesus.' St Paul esteemed of nothing but that which would comfort him at that day. Therefore let us oft thiiik of the day of the Lord Jesus. Why ? What will make us digest labour, and pains, in dealing with the souls of others, in doing good, and being fruitful in our places ? The consideration of that day. There is a day will come that will make amends for all, and that is the day of the Lord Jesus.
And considering that there is such a day, let us make much of the day of the Lord that is now left us. What is that ? This day. ' The Lord's day.' It is called ' The Lord's day,' Rev. i. 10. And as I said, labour to be acquainted with that Lord that must be judge of quick and dead then.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 15. 327
The Lord hath a day now wherein we may be acquainted with him ; by hearing his word, by yielding obedience to his truth unfolded to us ; there- fore let us make much of this day, if we would have comfort at that day. * Ye are our rejoicing in the day of the Lord.'
VERSE 15.
' And in this confidence I tt-as minded to come 7into you before, that you might have a second benefit, or grace.'' ' In this confidence.' In this as- surance, in this persuasion, ' I was minded to come to you.'
' That you might have a second benefit,' saith the last translation [ddd). It doth diminish the strength of the word. Therefore go from the text to the margin. You have ofttimes a fitter word in the margin.
Charts * The word is pregnant in the original. It siguifieth grace. If it signify a benefit at all, it signifies a benefit that issues from grace and favour. ' Benefit' is a weaker word. Grace, though it be not so common, is a fit word, and reaches to the strength of the word in the original, to the meaning of the apostle. So it is better to read it so, ' That you might have a second grace.'
St Paul in this verse sets down ivhat intention he had to come to them.
And likewise, the end of his intention.
In the next verse he sets down, the manner how he woidd come to them.
Fourthly, he shews lohy he came not to them ; it was ' to spare them,' as he saith afterward.
Here in this verse he shews what his intention was. ' My intention was to come to you.' ' In this confidence I was minded to come to you.'
To what end ? ' That you might have a second benefit.'
His intention is set down by the inward moving cause, his ' confidence.' * In this confidence I was minded to come to you.'
I will speak of his intention and purpose of coming ; and of the end of it. And in his purpose of coming, of the moving cause, his ' confidence.'
'In this confidence.^ What is that? * In this confidence,' because I am assured that you are my rejoicing, and I yours in the day of the Lord Jesus ; in this confidence that you will be so to me, and I to you. ' In this confidence.'
St Paul had a good opinion of them. The inward moving cause of St Paul to come, it was a good conceit of them.
Obs. It is good, as far as possibly ive can, to cherish a good judgment, and conceit of others.
Let others have as good place in our affections as possibly may be.
Why?
Reason 1. If they he good, ice wrong them else even in our conceit. We do not only wrong men in our speeches and actions, but in our sinister judg- ments, in the censures of our minds. Therefore we should have as good conceit of men as possibly we can in that regard.
Reason 2. And likewise, because confidence and assurance that they have something in them tJiat is good, and it will be better ivith them after in the day of the Lord, this will be a means to stir us up to deserve well of them. Hope stirs up will. We have no mind to a thing that we have not hope of. And likewise hope stirs up endeavour, and hope keeps in endeavour. What * That is, '-(^doii.'—G.
828 COMMENTARY ON
makes a man so long in endeavouring the good of others ? He hath some hope. They are good, and will be bettor. So it stirs up our will. The bent of it, it stirs. It stirs up endeavour upon will ; and it keeps us in endeavour when we hope for good at men's hands.
And thortilbro we ought not to cast off men, especially tlioso that are young, for imperfections. The Corinthians were weak, and carnal, as you may see in the former c]iistlo, yet in this confidence that they had re- pented of their ill usugo of St Paul, he was minded to come to them. Per- sons that are the subjects of hope are not free from infirmities. Novices cannot have that perfection that grown Christians have, at the first. Con- sider further what is of passion, and what is of the poison of nature ; con- sider what is of infirmity, and what is of malice ; consider what sins they have been longer accustomed to, and how hardly such sins are suddenly broken off. These considerations would mitigate something where we see any degree of goodness.