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heaven, nevertheless, rising to a higher degree, he might have been caught up to paradise without the body.
4. *A pfarai) unspeakable words , not in themselves ; otherwise Paul could not have heard them ; but not to be spoken by man , as the word follows presently after, and therefore, by Paul himself. Who spoke those words ? God, or Christ, or an angel or angels, or the spirits of the just ? and to whom ? Paul does not tell, if he knew. They were certainly words of great sublimity, for all heavenly words are not unspeakable , for ex- ample Ex. xxxiv. 6 ; Is. vi. 3, and yet these are very sublime. — oux £ %'ovy it is not lawful) s %bv and dumr'ov, lawful and possible are said of that which neither the thing itself, nor the law for- bids. Therefore, unspeakable words , and it is not lawful mutually explain each other, and affirm either that man cannot speak these words, or that it is not lawful for him to do so. Others, who did not hear them, cannot ; Paul, who did hear them, is not sufficiently able ; and though he were able, yet it would not be lawful, it would not be proper in the state of mortality ; because the inhabitants of the earth would not understand them, John iii. 12. Hearing has a wider range than speaking. — dhfyw</rw, for a man ) construed with it is lawful. The power of speaking is often narrower than that of knowledge.
5. 'r wep roj roiovrov , in respect to such a one ) in the Masc. The antithesis is, of myself. We ought to remove the I from im- portant matters. This verse has two parts, the one has the reason assigned [aetiologia] in the following verse ; the other is explained, ver. 7, 8. — xaup^ffo/xa/, I will glory) i.e. I might glory; comp. ver. 6 at the beginning.
6. Oux ’icsofjjcu appuv, I shall not be a fool) In the preceding chapter also he spake the truth , and yet he ascribes folly to himself ; namely, because he gloried concerning things by no means glorious [viz. his sufferings], hence of things most glorious. — (pddofiai, I forbear) I treat of these things sparingly. — [ly\ ng, lest any one) O how many are there even among theologians, who have no reverent dread in treating of such things ! [ Not a few allow themselves to be thought of both at home and abroad more highly than is lawful ; but how remarkably may they be con- sidered as defrauding themselves in that way of a share in the honour which is in the power of God. If indeed you rejoice in
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