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tions of] the flesh, he must rather have come, than not ; for they who consult according to the flesh, endeavour by all means to make the yea of the promise, whatever may occur, to appear in the fulfilment, for the purpose of maintaining their consistency [ whether good or evil may result from it. — V. g.] But the Apostle was neither inconsistent, nor carnally consistent : either of which might have been suspected by persons under the influ- ence of prejudice against him. He had made a conditional pro- mise, and afterwards he delayed his visit for an important reason, which had occurred to prevent it. — rb mi xa/' ro ov) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage. Simple yea and nay 1 is quite ap- proved of by Paul in the following verse, in which he denies the yea and nay , concerning the same things ; but he affirms it, ver. 17, concerning different things. The word J, should he , is em- phatic ; as it may be said, for example, of an unsteady [incon- sistent] person. You can never he sure of finding either his u It is,” or his u it is not,” to he as he says — that is, no one can trust his word ; or as if it were to be said of a consistent man, His u It is,” and his u It is not,” always hold good.
18. Tharbc, faithful) The categorical statement implied is this, u Our doctrine is sure.” The mode [or expression of feeling, as opposed to a naked, categorical statement, see Append, on modalis sermo~\ , however, is added : God is faithful , pfeO: comp, amen , ver. 20. — ds, hut) The antithesis is between his intention of travelling to see them, and the doctrine itself. The external change of that intention for good reasons infers no inconsistency in the doctrine. In the mean time, Paul shows, that those who are light [fickle] in external mat- ters are wont to be, and to appear to be, light also in things spiritual. — Kpog) with , to ; with (towards) you , is an antithesis to with me, ver. 17. — ovx eyevero mi xui ov , was not made yea and nay) Contradictories have no place in Theology.
1 Although this reading is declared to be not quite so good in the margin of 2d Ed., yet, with the previous concurre ce of the Gnomon, it is intro- duced into the Germ. Ver. — E. B.
All the old authorities, excepting the Vulgate, support the double vul and ov ; even the Fuld. MS. of the Vulg. as corrected by Victor of Capua, has “ Est, est, non, non,” and so agrees with the weightiest authorities (est, est= vul, voti ; non, non = ov, ov.) — Ed.
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