ghts w As fweet Smells, which are to ſome pleaſant and comforta- 0.41» ble, are ro others pernicious and deadly; fo ir is with the ſweer ek favour of the Goſpel. The Report which we in all places make 10W of Chriſt, ro ſome, through their unbelief and hardneſs of heart 155 and fondneſs of their luſts, proveth but the ſavour of 4zath unto at} death; hardening their hearts to their Eternal ruine and deſtruQi- uch on; but co ſuch, who being ordained to Erernal Life, believe our roofs report, and embrace the Goſpel, and live up to the Precepts and cfe- Rule of ir, our preaching proves a means of ſpiritual and of Eter- jory nal Life, to which that leadeth. + And O how great a work 1s Juls, this? What man? What Angel is ſufficient for ic? Ir is a mighty and work to preach the Goſpel as we ought to preach it,
wg. t 17 For we are not as many, * which | corrupt the efore 1; Word of God 3 but as of ſincerity, but as of God, in well 4» the ſight of God, ſpeak we * in Chriſt y. _ - harſh ) Leſt.the falſe Apoſtles and Teachers in this Church ſhould er ND if, fight this Exclamation of the Apoſtle; ahd the pretended diff- deal, Culty he made of che Miniſterial work; the Apoſtle adds thefe End Words, I confefs (faich he ) it is no very difficulc thirig to ſpeak of or riſt; and pretend ro preach and do as much as 3 do 3 bur chert
commendation to you, or Yerters of commendation from you? 6.
4 The Apoſtle, in the former Epiſtle, had ſpoken much in the vindication of himſelf aad of his Offize; he ſecth reaſon to return again ro ſomething of the like Diſcourſe, being provoked by the ma- ny 1mpurtations which the falſe Apoſt'es and Teachers in this Church, had laid upon him : therefore he (aith, Do we begin 29.754 2 Or elſe theſe words may have a ſpecial reference to the laſt yerſe of the for- mer Chapter 3 where he had commended himſelf, as being none of thoſe who corrupted the Word of God, but had preached-as of God, and in the ſight of God, b No (faith the Apoſtle) thouth fome others ſtand in need of commendatory Letters, and are very careful to procure them, (by which others he very probably means the falſe Apoſt'es and Teachers, which were Pauls grear Enemies) yer L truſt I need nor any Letters commendarory to recommend me t9 you, any more than Leters of recommendacion from you to com- mend me unto any other Chu-ches of Chriſt.
2 * Ye are our epiſtle written in our hearts, known and read of all men c.
c Your Chriſtianity, and embracing of the Goſpel of Chr ſt, your Faich and Holineſs, are inſtead of an Eji/tl: ro me, to ler the World know, both with whar Blefling of God, and ſucceſs up- on my labours, I have preached the Goſpel; And you are ſuch an Epiſtle as I do nor carry about in my pockets, or lay up in my Cloſer, bur it is written in my hearr, where I carry continually boch a thankful and honourable remembrance of you, Nor are you only taken notice of by me as a tamous Church, to the plant- 1ng and watering of which God harh blefſed my labours, and the labours of other Miniſters ; bur (as he ſaich to the Romans, Chap, 1. 8. Tour faith is ſpoken of throughout all th? world) to he faith here, Tou are ow Epiſtle, known and read of all mn; that is, all Chriſtians take notice of you as a Church ro which God hack pircicular!y bleſſed my Miniſtry 3 fo as I need no other recommend rion, chan what L have trom your receiving, and the proficiency you have made 1n the Goſpel. Nothing ſo cummends a Miniſter, as the pro- ficiency of his people.
3 Foraſmuch as ye are manifeſtly dec]zred to be the Epiſtle of Chriſt miniſtred by us 4, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, f not in tables of ſtone, but in * fleſply tables of the heart e.
4 He had told them before, That they were his EpiF#le, his Epiſile recommendatoryz the change which God had wiought in their hearts did more recommend him, than all the Epiſtles in the World could z bur here he tells them, Thar they were rhe Epiſtle of Chriſt, it was Chriſt thac wrote his Law in cheir hears, (which Wricing was that which commended the Apoſtle) who himſelf had but a Miniſtration in the work, nor was it a Writing with Ink, bur the imprefiion of the Spiric ot the living God, z An Epiſtle, nor wrote in T ables of Stone, bur in the fle'bly Tables of the heart : he alluderh to the writing of the Law, which was wricten in Tables of Stone, Exod. 31. 18. and 32.16. and allo to the Pro- miſes, Exech. 11. 19. & 36. 26. That work of Grace in the hearts of theſe Corinthians, which recommended the Apoſtle, was wrought by Chriſt ; and the Apoſtles were bur Miniſters in the working ot it; it wasa work more admirable than the writing of the Law in Tables of ftone, and this work (he faich) was manifeſtly declared,
4 And ſuch truſt have we through Criſt to God- ward f. | | | f We are not infallible in the caſe; bur T tell you what con- fidence we have, hoping in God concerning you, through the Merits of Jeſus Chriſt,
5 # Not that we are ſufficient of our ſelves to think any thing as of our ſelyes ; but * our ſufficiency is of
God 2:
* xCor. t
2, 3
Chap. THE.
I 7 [)? we begin again to commend our ſelves F Chap. s.
a? or need we, as ſome others, Epiſtles of 2 - _ 93 60>
FT Chap.2: 16, * Phil f2.
e I 13:
- —_—
Chap
* Chap. s. 18 F Jer. 37.
3T. Marr. 25.
eFIeut. 10, CL, Tc,
_ calſed, The S/ivit : here he calleth the Miziſtration of the Law, the
H hach (fa'th tlie Apoſtle, nor fond, bur made vs ſuffirient,
Wit
work a change in the hearrs of men; we are ſo far from
; nn grep we have no eficienc] ſo much as to think one good thought which is the loweſt lnmane a.) Though the ſubje&t upon wich rhe Apoſtle is here diſcourfing, be a ſufficiency ro work a work of Grace in the hearrs of men; yer here is a ſtrong proot to prove the impotency of mans Will unto any. thing that is truly and ſpiritually good: For though the Apoſtle declares here his own and all other Miniſters inſufficiency ro the change of any mans hearr, yet he proveth ir by an Argument concluding from the lefſer to the greater ; for 1t they be nor ſufficient of themſelves, and as of themie'ycs,” ro think any thing which 1s truly and ſpirt- rually- good, rhey are rhen much leſs ſufficient for ſo great a work 25 the Converſion of Souls. Nor doth thar term ['as of our ſelves]
any thing alter the marter 3. tor if we can think good thoughts, |