Therefore we should upon all good occasions speak gracious things. Divine truths, they will have a wondrous eflicacy. If men would set on it, and be more fruitful in this kind, they should have occasion to bless God. But, alas ! the life of a Christian is little known in the world. We have but naked, shallow conceits of the glory of heaven, and of the state of a Christian, and how he lives in this world ; and that makes men live such stained, such base lives, that will not stand with comfort in this world, or glory in the world to come. But a Christian should be such a one as frames his disposition to do good wheresoever he comes ; and he hath abi- lity if he be a sound Christian. How graciously did God bless Abigail's word to David ? yet she was a mean woman. How dost thou know, but that by uttering gracious words in company, in season (as discretion must guide all our actions, all our words), how dost thou know but that thou mayest divert another man from sin, by a word in season ?
I beseech you carry this disposition about you, as you desii'e to be thought vessels of grace here, and of glory hereafter, to be thought vessels of gold and silver, for the use of God, labom' to be employed by the Spirit of God to good purposes, that you may leave a good savour where you come ; that others that are acquainted with you in the ' time of their visitation,' 1 Pet. ii. 12, they may bless God, that ever they were acquainted with such a friend. Blessed be God that I knew him. As it will be our joy at that day, so it will be one another's joy here ; for God blesseth the exhortations and comforts of friends one to another, as well as the ministerial ofttimes. So I come to the 16th verse, how he meant to come to them to Corinth. Saith he, ' I was minded to come to you.'
VEKSE 16.
' A7id to 2')nss by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to he hrouyht on my way to Jiidea.' See what a circuit the blessed apostle fetched. Indeed, he was industrious after his conversion. He made amends for his harsh* conversion by his speedy labours. For he spread the gospel like lightning, through all the world almost. His course was like the course of the sim ; he went every where spreading the gospel. We see his circuit here, ' to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again from Macedonia to you, and by you to be brought on my way to Judea.' * Qu. ' hard ? ' = loug delayed. — G.
VOL. III. T
838 COMMENTARY ON
There is little to be observed here. Because it is a passage to other things, and circumstautial, I will not dwell on it. Only this by the way : we see here, that
Obs. It is a commendahh ciistoni avinvrj the people of God to hnn(j one an- other on their urn/, hi/ nay of hojwiir and respect.
Partly it was for his security and safety ; but especially for the honour of his person. And they knew that it would not be a barren courtesy ; for they knew that he was a man of a blessed spirit, so thankful, that he would deceive-^ all the tcdiousness of the journey by his heavenly discourse. And he intended their good as well as his own. You may see, therefore, re- ligion establisheth courtesy. Saith the apostle to the Philippians, chap, iv. 8, ' Whatsoever things are of good report, whatsoever things are lovely (ho goes over many instances), think of these things.' The same command of God that urgeth, and prcsseth love, it commands all the expressions of love, and all the means to kindle love.
Now this, their carrying of him, and going on the way with him, which was for honour and respect of so excellent a person, that he deserved so well of them, it was an expression of their love, and a means to preserve it. I shall not need to prove it, it is taken for granted. Those compliments that express and maintain love, they are good, when the outward expression and the inward affection go together,
I speak this by the way, to shew that religion doth not countenance incivility. Therefore those that affect unnecessary sternness, and unneces- sary retiredness, it is not out of religion. Religion stablisheth whatsoever is good, ' whatsoever is of good report,' whatsoever may maintain love. So much as a man is defective in this, he is defective in religion ; unless his affections and intentions at that time be deeply taken up by serious things. For then lesser things must give way to the greater, or else there is no excuse. For religion is a thing of a large extent, even duties of civility and courtesy, and whatsoever may express and maintain love, is estab- hshed by religion. We see in Gen. xviii. 16, when Abraham entertained the angels, he led them on their way. And so in Acts xx. 4, 36, seq., ' The company sent them on their way.' And we see in Scripture many common courtesies.