practice witnessing our nnthankfulness, by valuing no more the blessed estate of the gospel we enjoy.
* Not that we have domimon over your faith.'' This disposition to domineer over the faith of others, from abominable grounds it ariscth :
Partly from pride and tyranny, that they would set themselves in the temple of Christ, where he should rule in the hearts of his people.
And partly out of idleness. They raise the credit of their own traditions, that tluy may not be forced to take the labour of instructing the people. Therefore, they fasten a greater virtue upon outward things than there can be, only to avoid the labour of instruction.
And then it riscth partly from guilt. They are so in their lives, especially if they be looked inwardly into, as that they cannot endure the knowledge of people. They are afraid that people should know much, lest they know them too well, and their courses and errors. So, partly from pride, and partly from idleness and sloth, and partly from guilt, they domineer over the faith of God's people.
* But are helpers of your joy.'' The end of the ministry is not to tyrannise over people's souls, to sting and vex them, but to minister comfort, to be helpers of their joy ; that is, to help their salvation and ha})piness, which is here termed joy, because joy is a principal part of happiness in this world and in the world to come. Now, the end of the ministry is to set the people's hearts into a gracious and blessed liberty, to bring them into the kingdom of grace here, and to fit them for the kingdom of glory, to help forward their joy.
This is the end, both of the word and of the dispensation of the word, in the ordinances of salvation, in the sacraments, and all, that our joy may be full ; as our blessed Saviour saith, ' These things have I spoken, that your joy may be full,' John xv. 11. It is the end of all our communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with the ministi-y, and one with another ; as it is, 1 John i. 4, ' These things have I written that your joy may be full ; ' you have communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with us, ' that your joy may be full.' All is for spiritual joy.
' We arc helpers of your joy.' The meaning is, we are helpers of your faith, from whence joy comes more especially ; for he doth not repeat the word again, ' We have not dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your feith ; ' but, instead of that, he names joy, as that that doth accompany true faith.
The points considerable in this clause are these :
1. That joy is the state of Christians, that either they are in, or should labour to he in, because the apostle names it for all happiness here. All that have given their names to Chi-ist should labour to rejoice. Either they do rejoice, or they should labour to come to it. That is supposed as a ground. I will be the shorter in it.
2. The second is, that the ministers are helpers of this blessed condition.
3. The third is, they are but helpers. They are helpers, and but helpers. They are not authors of joy, but helpers. ' We are but helpers of your joy," saith the apostle. These three things I will speak of briefly out of these words. First,
Doct. 1. Joy is that frame and state of soid that all that have given their names to Christ cither are in, or should labour to be in.
For this doctrine is fetched from the principle of nature. We do all
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, \^R, 24. 507
with joy. All in our callings is done with joy. Wliat do men in their trades, but that they may have that that they may joy in when they have it ? It is an old observation of St Chrysostom, ' We do all, that we may joy.' Ask any man why ho doth take so much pains, and be a drudge in his place ? It is that he may get somewhat to rejoice in in his old days. ^ So, out of the principle of nature, this ought to be the scope of all, to joy.
Now, those that are Christians, God requires it at their hand as a duty, ' Rejoice alway, again I say, rejoice,' Philip, iv. 4. And he doth prepare and give them matter enough of joy, to those that are Christians.
(1.) For whether we consider the ills they are freed from, the greatest ills of all. They are freed from sin and the wrath of God, they are freed from eternal damnation, they are freed from the sting of death, from the greatest and most terrible ills.
(2.) Or whether we regard the state that God hri)it/s them i)i. [toj % believuu/ : being in the favour of God, they enjoy the fruits of that favour, ' peace and joy in the Holy Ghost,' Rom. xiv. 17. And then for the life to come, they are under the ' hope of glory.' The state of a Christian is a state of joy every way, whether, I say, we regard the ill he is freed from, or the good he is in for the pi'esent, or the hope of eternal good for the time to come. A Christian, which way soever he look, hath matter of joy. God the Father is his, Christ is his, the Holy Ghost is his Comforter, the angels are his, all are his, life or death, things present or things to come, all are his, 1 Cor. iii. 22. Therefore, there is no question of this, that every one that hath given his name to Christ is in a state of joy, if he answer his calling, or he should labour to be in it ; he wrongs his condition else.