Oh ! this pleaseth now some vicious disposed persons. They think this makes for them.
Not at all ; what I speak is, where there is any ground to hope well of. St Paul had some ground, for he wrote a sharp epistle to them, and he saw they were amended on it. He saw they yielded, they acknowledged, that is, they reformed by his ministry, and by his epistle. So where we discern reformation, that there is a willingness of amendment, we must hope of such, though they bo sometimes overtaken. And if they be overtaken, we must construe it to the best. The temptation perhaps was great, and they were not watchful at that time. The subtlety of the opposition and the malice of men was great, and their caution was not so great. Thus we may construe to bear with them, if upon the discovery of their fault they become pliable. But otherwise, if they arm themselves with malice and bitter poison, and resolve to be so still, there is no hope, no confidence of such. St Paul's confidence here was with evidence from their carriage. They gave him some cause to be so confident.
Therefore it is in vain to think that we are too censorious when we tell you of your faults. That very conceit that you think bitterly, and arm, yourselves with resolutions, rather to vex those that inform you than to amend that which is amiss, that is as ill a disposition, as ill a state as can be. We can hope for no good of such. Yet notwithstanding we ought so far to hope of them, as not to give them over, as St Paul saith, 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26, ' To prove if at any time God will shew mercy to them, to deliver them out of the snare of the devil.' They are in the devil's snare ; yet we ought still to take pains with them. For we know not whether it will please God at that time, or at any time, to have mercy on them, and de- liver them out of the snare of Satan.
If God bear with them, we ought to bear with them as well as teach them ; but to have a good conceit of them, when we see them mahciously bent against those that tell them of their faults, we cannot.
Use. If this be so, it should be an encouragement for all those that are under others that inform and instruct them, to give them some good occa- sion and ground to hope well of them. You would have us hope well of you. What ground do you give ? What is your company ? Shall we think you are good because you convei'se with those that are swearers ? with vicious and carnal company ? Would you have us blind ? Charity indeed interpi-ets the best, but it is not blind. What shall we judge of you by your outward demeanour and carriage, that is ofttimes scandalous
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 15. 329
and offensive ? when your speeches are filthy and corrupt, jonied with blasphemies and oaths, daring God, as it were, whether he will suffer you to carry it away unrevenged and unpunished or not. Where this abomin- able corruption of heart discovers itself outwardly in the tongue, how can we entertain good conceits of you ? You think we wrong you by not con- ceiving thus and thus of you. What ground have we ? what hold have wo from anything that is in you or from you so to conceit ? Resolve on this, there cannot be gi-ievance offered to the minister, but you must reward ill to your own souls. If you be not his joy, it will be your sorrow. You will have the worst of it. And therefore study as much as may be to have the good hope and confidence of others. This will stir up willingness, and stir up endeavour, as it did in St Paul. The good hope he had of them by their repentance, and reformation, and pliableness, it stirred up his dili- gence. They gained by it. But I mean not to stand on that.
' In this confidence,' that you will be my joy, and I yours, in the day of Lord.
' / u-as minded to come unto you.'' St Paul was minded to come unto them. You see then that
Obs. Personal i^resence hath a special 'poirer and efficacy.
Personal presence hath more eflicacy than writing. For there the holy things that are delivered, they are, as it were, acted to the life. Men are wondrously affected when they see gracious things delivered with life and feeling : it hath a wondrous lively working. Therefore St Paul tells the Romans, Rom. i. 15, that besides his learned and worthy epistle he wrote to them, he was desirous also to preach the gospel to them. • But some object : reading is preaching, say they, some kind of preach- ing. But not that which the apostle meant ; for then St Paul's epistle was preaching, some kind of preaching. But I speak not to sophisters. But, saith St Paul, I desire to preach' the word to you by vocal teaching : it hath a special efficacy. It is wondrous good praying for others, and writing to others ; but presence, when the minister is the mouth of God with them and to them, their mouth to God, to pray together with them, and God's mouth, to speak to them, this presence is of a wondrous efficacy ; therefore St Paul saith, * I pm-posed to come to you.'