Quest. How sliall wc anu ourselves against this suspicion, and the fruit of it ? How shall wc carry ourselves against this disposition of men among whom we live ?
Ans. I answer briefly, first, lahour for innocenqj, that if they will speak maliciously, yet they may speak falsely. Saith St Ambrose, ' Et nobis mahis,' Sec. {///). Our care must be that no man speak ill of us without a he. Let us live so that no man may believe them ; labour for innocency there- fore. But that will not do.
2. Therefore jiaticuce in the next place. For innocency could not fence Christ himself, who was innocency clothed with our flesh. If iimocencj will not prevail to make men hold their tongue from speaking their suspi- cious minds, then labour for patience.
3. But that will not do neither, but men go on still ; then prayer. That was David's course : that God would defend our innocency, and take our cause into his hands, and bring forth our innocency as the light, to judge for us.
4. And when nothing else will serve the turn, neither innocency nor patience, &c., then just apolof/i/ and defence, as we see the apostle doth here defend himself. For it is not for public persons to dissemble* slanders ; and especially for them not to suffer ill suspicions to rest in the hearts of those that are under them. Therefore the apostle is enforced through Christian prudence to his apology, to wipe away the imputation. ' When I was thus minded, did I use lightness ? ' saith he. This I observe in general.
Quest. Now, because suspicion is a doubtful thing, it is either good or evil, how shall we know when suspicion is naught and evil ?
Ans. 1. First of all, when it is out of misconstruction. When it is from weak grounds, or doubtful gi'ounds, then it is ill for the ground.
2. Or it is ill likewise when it ill affects, and swat/s, and disposeth the mind ; if it dispose the affections to malice, to the suppression of love ; if it discover itself to come to slander. As here in this place, they thought presently it was lightness in him. Here was a misconstruction, here was a false ground. What did this incline them to do ? From inconstancy pre- sently they fly to his disposition, from suspicion to slander his disposition. They enter into God's throne : his purposes and projects, certainly they were naught. Carnal, proud man will enter into God's throne, and judge a man's thoughts, and purposes, and intentions. Then a man may know his suspicion is not right when it enters too deep, when it riseth from false gi'Ounds, from suspicious grounds, and brings men from actions, to go to the disposition. ' Did I use lightness '? or the things that I pm-pose, do I purpose according to the flesh ? ' that is, carnally, as they thought : this entered to his disposition.
3. Then again, when it stirs vs vj) to speak in slander, u-hen we speak with- out cause or ground. Then when it inclines a man from an error in one thing, to go to the habitual disposition in all things. As here now, because in one thing the apostle was inconstant, and did not come to them, they went to his habitual disposition in all things. Nay, you may see what h© is, you see what we are like to have from him in other things, he doth but
* That is, = ' conceal.' — G.
2 CORINTHUNS CHAP. I, VER. 17, 341
purpose things according to the flesh ; he hath his own aims, I warrant you. So when from one thing we presently judge that he purposeth other things according to the flesh, that is a bad suspicion : when a man goes from one thing to the habitual disposition.
* When I was thus minded, did I use li/fhtness ? ' The more to convince them of their suspicion and hard surmises, he cites them, and propounds as it were interrogatories to them. I pray answer me, saith he, * When I was thus minded, did I use hghtness,' as you imagine ? ' or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh ? ' &c. After he had cleared his purpose before, and cleared his conscience, now he comes to propound it to their conscience ; because he would have them to think, that if he were such a man as he shewed himself before, that he had a good con- science in all things, and a good aflection to them, that they should not have had a misconstruction of that particular failing, that he came not to them when he purposed ; for particular actions must be construed accord- ing to a man's habitual carriage and aflection. You see how I have laboured in all things to have a good conscience ; and for you, you acknow- ledge that I purposed to come to you ; therefore you should construe my actions according to .that intention. Now, having cleared my disposition and intention to you, you see your error in misconstruing my not coming to you. So he comes to it in good season, after he had freed himself to them.
' When I was thus minded, did I use lightness ? ' &c. These things he declines :