God's promiſes, and our betief of them, o: affiance in God for the |
IL CORINT HIANS.
Chap.
ah 4 . Ny - tulfiiting of rhem, from hindring us in” the prafiice and excrete of Huy inels, thatthere can he no more poren: motive to periovade the
perfection of Holtxis; and thac not cnly from the argumen o. Di- ; v. ne Love conrrained in the promiſes, bur from ihe coniideraticn of
the pcrions ro whom, and the condittons upon which, the promiſes
' are Made,
2 Receive us 4, We have wronged no man e, we have corrupted no man f, * we have defrauded no man g. "A
4 Let us have room in your hearts and eſteem, or (more pene- rally) accept us, as you ought to rece've and accepr the Miniſters of Chriſt, As our heart is inlarged rowards you, fo ler your nearts be inlarged rowards us; we have done nothing to alienate your hearts from us. We have done no harm to any of you, we have not been like Sheepherds that meerly rake the fleece, and car the tleſh of the Flockz Ads 20.33. TI have coletel ny mans ſilver or gold, or apparel, f We have corrupted none by any falſe Do&rin, or by tlatrering Speeches, or by Bribes or Gifts, g We have cheared or deiruuded no min. By which Vindication of or Apology, for himſelf and his Fellow-labourers, it is not improvably jndged, that the Apoſile refle&erh upon thoſe falſe Apoſtles and Teachers that were crept into this Church, who h:d wronged hiin, corrupt- ed them, and been too bufie in other ways to pick their Pockets, Nothing becomecth more a Miniſter of the Goſpel than innocency and righteouſneſs, nothing more commends him unto his People : For though they are eaſily perſwaded, that an innocent and juf? muſt be a pious man, yer they are difficuiry perſwaded, (and there is no reaſon for ic) that an unjuſt or miſchievous man can be lo, Men are ſo mad on their luſts, rhar oft times Teachers who will favour them in them, rhough never ſo unjuſt and unrighre- ous 1n their a&ings, ſhall find more favour with them, than the moſt righteous perion, that will nor ſpare them as to their Her0- dais, Bur he who will entertain the leaſt hopes ro bring men off trom their luſts and finiul practices, 15 concerned above all men to be innocent and righteous, |
3 1 ſpeak not this to condemn you: for * ] have ſaid betore, that you are in our hearts to die and live with you h, |
> The Apoſtle deals very tenderly with this Church, which was (as he knew very well) fyll of many couchy Members, who upon all occaſions were ready to refle& upon him, and to take occ.ſion from any expreſſions of his Lerters as well as other thin:s, to thac purpoſe 3 to obviate whoſe whiſpetings, the Apoſtle rells them, that he did not ſpeak rhis to refle& upon, or expoſe them, as 1t they had wronged, or defrauced him: For the love which he bare tro them was ſuch, as would admit of no ſuch thing ; he ſo lo- ved them, as that hecould live and dye with them.
4 Great is my boldneſs of ſpeech towards you 5, great zs my glorying of you k, * I am filled with com-
fort, /I amexceeding joyful in all our tribulation z-.
z Becauſe I fo dearly love you, there I ſpeak ſo boldly and freely co yop, (as men uſe to ſpeak moſt freely ro thoſe whom they moſt love.) & [ bo.ſt of your obedience to others, and there- fore would be far from expoſing you. / And this I do nor teign- edly, for I amfilled with comtorr on your behalt ; (a furcher ac- count of this he giveth us afterward.) » Yea, (ſaith he) che re- port I have received of your carriage and behaviour upon your receipt of my former Epiſtle, hath filled me with a joy that b:lancerh all the atfic&ion and tribulation that I meer wich tor the Goſpel. $9 good News to 4 taithful Miniſter, 1s the repent:nce and retorma- tion of any Member or Members that belong to his Flock 3 whereas the hireling or falſe ceacher,is not much concerned whether the Soul of his People do well or il},
5 For * when we were come into Macedonia, our fleſh had no reſt », but we were troubled on every ſide 0, * withont were fightings p, within were fears q.
z Of this motion of the Apoſtle's into Macedonia, what he did and ſuffered there, we have a ſhort account, Ac's 20. He ſaith, His fleſh had no reſt, he mer with incefſane Storms of perſecutions 0 and was troubled both by Jews and Gentiles in all places where he came. þ By perſons that were withour the Chrittian Church ;
VI.
* Ch, 12, 17.
* Chap, & I!, 12.
* [hil. 2. I7. Col. 1. 24+
* Chap. 2. I3- +Deut. 32, 25.
ſuch wecethe generality of the Jews and Gentiles ; q and by falſe
Brethren within, or with his own fears leſt choſe violent dealings ſhould be remprations ro Chriſtians, being yer render and yourg in the Faith, to relapſe and apoſtarize.
6 Neverthcleſs, * God rhat comfortcth thole that « cyyp; ,. are caſt down 7, comforted us by the coming of 4.
Titus 5.
1 It's obſervable how careful the Apoſtle is to aſcribe all the ſup- ports and reliefs of his Spirit unto God. Nor is this Notion, or name of God unuſeful to any that fear him, who through any ca- ſualties or contingences of this li'e ſhal] happen ro be caſt an, Ic advantageth our Faith in Prayer, in any luch ftralcs ro conſider God as having taken to himſelf che name of him that comfortets thoſe that are caſ> down. 5 It is only the coming of Tits his Fel- low labourer and one dear to him, that he mentioneth in this Verſe, is the means of his ſupport and relicf; yer he enticuleth God co his comfort under his' deje&tion. God comforterh his people va- riouſly, ſometimes by his good word, fomerimes by his providence, be what will the [nſtrumencal cauſe, God is the principal Effici- ent,
7 And not by his coming only, but by the conſola- tion wherewith he was comforted in you tz, when he told us your carneſt deſire «, your mourning w, your fervent mind towards me, ſo that b rejoiced the
more x. : ; t I was glad to ſee Titus, bur that was the leaſt of that conlolz- You had before'much comforted and rejoiced him; and he being come to me,- made me a parcaker wo Ws
m4”