2, 3» { Our mouth is open to ſpeak freely to you, and ro communi- cate tO you the whole Will and Counſel of God ; our heart is in- larged both by ti:e Love thar I have towards you, and by the re- joicing thar I have in you. This inlargement of my heart is that which openeth my lips, and makes me ſpeak freely to you, both 20s Wed you of your Errcrs, and in exhorting you ro your
utY.
12 Yeare not ſtraitned in us mm, but ye are ſtraitned
In your own bowels 7.
»; If you cannot mutually rejoyce in me, and what I write ; or if you do not repay me the like affe&ion, the fault is nor in me ; t havedone my duty, and that roo from a true Principle of Love ro you, 7 Bur It is through miſtakes and miſapprehenfions in your {e:ves, your not arighr conceiving of me in the diſcharge of my Apoſtolica! Office. Or, the cauſe of your trouble and ſorrow 1s from your ſeives, upon your ſuffering the inceſtuous Perſon, and other ſcandalous Pe:ſons, to abide in your Communion ; which was an Error I could not bur take notice of according to that Apo» ſtolical Auchoricy which God hath committed to me.
13 Now for a recompence in the ſame, (* I ſpeak as unto my children) be ye alſo enlarged o.
_ © Be je alſo inlarged, both in Love to me, and alſo in Obedierce , It 15 but a Juſt recompence for thar great affeRion which I have
* 1 Cor. 4-14.
or what part hath he that believeth with » Infidel s?
r By Belial in this Text, very cood Interpreters underſtn] the Deel; judging that the Apoſtle here oppoſeth Chriſt, who is the Head of Believers and of the Church, to him who is tie Ha of all Vnbirvers and the God of the World. The term i; uſed only in this place in the New Teſtament, bur very Oren in the Old Teſtament, to expreſs men notoriouſly wicked and (:ndz lous, Det, 13. 13. Fudg. 19. 22, x Sam. 1. 16. & 2. I. £24 I7. 22, 15.7, 2 Chrot. 13. 59. The Hebyrews themes te not agreed in the Erymology of it; Pſal. 101. 3. a wicked thing is called a thing of B-lial (as may be ſeen in the Margents of ou Bj. bles ) ſo as the Argument is drawn from our duty of Cotio:miry to our Head 5 Chriit hath no fell>wſhip with the Devil, therefore we ought to have no unneceſſary communion with ſuch who na- niteſt themſelves to be of their Father the Devil, by their doing his works 3 nor hach Chriſt any Communion with the Sons of #- tial, s What part or portion, chat is, whar ſociety or conmu- non hath a Beljeyer with one that believeth nor ? What hath he tro. do with him? Ir was an uſual Phraſe amongſt the Jens, Jn, 22.25. 27. Scme by this part underſtand, whar portion in the life to come 3 in which ſenle it teacherh us, that we ſhould main- tan Intimate and ele&ive Communion in this Life only with ſuch, as we would gladiy have our portien with -in anorher fe, But the moſt judicious Interpreters think this is not incnded in this place,
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God
with Idols: ? For ye * are the temple of the [living + yg
God #, as God hath ſaid, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they ſ1allbe my people w.
t This particular inſtance giveth ſome Expoſirors occaſions , interpret wer. 14. of Communion with Idolaters in ſuch As 0 Religion as are proper to ihem; bur nothing hinders bur that that Precept may be interpreted more generally, though the apoſtic gives this as one particular inſtance, wherein he would have them avoid Communion with Unl\elievers. « The Argument 15 dra from what the Apoſtle had before aſſerted, 1 Cor, 3. 16. & 6. 19+ their being the Temples of the Holy Ghoſt which he proveth _= Lev. 26. 12, Exnehb. 37. 26, 279. w Not that what the Apo . meaneth here, is the literal meaning of LZevit. 26. 11, 12: m—_ maniteft, rhat God by Moſes there is ſpeaking nor of Gods erent ling in the perſons of Believers, or in his Church, but 0 = gracious preſence and manifeſtation of himſelt to his Feopee wa ho Tabernacle ere&ed by his order, Some therefore think, 9 place here alluded to, rhough not quoted varbatiys, 15, on M la 26. which is a promiſe reſpeRing the Kingdom of Chr! oY God promiſeth ro make a Covenant of Peace with his PcoP _w_ 4 faith, I will place them, and multiply them, and will jt —_ how the midſt of them for evermore : © my Tabernacle alſo (hail 09 Py 3; yea, T will be their God, and they ſhall be my Peopit. The _ Tex: they are here quored, are intircly ro be found 1 09 - 1 there of Holy Writ; it is ſufficient that they are t0 be e's dwel- in parts. Nor doth this Text ſo properly ſpeak Of 0 ling in particular Believers, as of his dwelling in the __ Fo his People 3 therefore though he ſpeaks of —_ je — y, Temple 15s in the Singular Number, Theſe 7.27) Arc be hach Com- the Church in which God dwelleth, and with which 1c Me Kt munion, which is expreſſed by walking iy on endleſticls welation, he is ſaid ro walh is the maſt of the Golden CAN
Chap
14 * Be ye not unequally yoked together with Un- + believers p : For * what fellowſhip hath righteouſneſs z * with unrighteouſneſs ? and what communion hath ligh: * 125
©” "oo
2; - Þ They roo much reſtrain the ſenſe of this general Precept, wh t king either limir jt tro Religious Communion with Idolaters, or Ai Givy 18. 2, The Precept is delivered in a term © : 21, theſe ; ( though both of them queſtionleſs be compretenkegs :) {4 vo erSeCuyer]es, do nor become ſuch as in the ſame yok draw another way, Ir is a Metaphor drawn from Horſes or ” wn which ſhould draw together, being in the ſame yoke, neither Nang ing ſtill, nor yer holding back. Ir is a general Precept, prohibj.
, . __ - f with ſuch as either in matcers of Faith, or Worſhip, or in their Live;
( for
eſpecially conſidering that the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 5. 9, 11, feems to allow a furth-r communion with an Heathen, than with a Notort, So as this Precept may reaſonally he mterprered. by thoſe in the former Epiſtle of marying with fc, | q The reaſon he ; giveth, is, becauſe they could have no comfortable COMMmunion | with ſuch; chey were Righteo:jneſs, thoſe perſons were Umigitng.
(. 37- where , and nary 1 1 tne ds, #5 . Tex: | chere dwel- hes of t, yer [ body » 4 Com- he R#- [eſticks-
NoC
| 71 haps Vi.