I's conſolacion, upon his bcholding or bing a Wirneſs ro « your ear- neſt defire, ro give me ſarisfa&tion in the things abour which I wrote tg you. iv Ta mourning, eicher tor thoſe ſcandals amongſt you, of & hich I have given \ou noricez or for my afflited ſtate and con- dirion; or for the offerce you had given me, which cauſed me ro wrire that ſharp Lercer to you. X Your earneſt defire ro give me farisfation, and yield o:edience ro my admonirions,. or to maltt- tain and defend my honour and reputation againſt ſuch as had 1m- peached and wounded ir. Theſe things much augmented my reJoy- cing in, and over you. Noching ſo much rejoycerh the heart of a conicientious, fairhful Miniſter of Chriſt, as ro ſee his peoples obedience to the Poftrin of the Goſpel which he is an inſtrument to communicate to them, : $ For though I made you ſorry with a letter y, I do # Chi. 2. 4- not repent *, though 1 did repent=z: For I perceive that the ſame Epiſtle made you ſorry, though # were but for a ſeaſon 4. | : y The Apoſtle doubtleſs meaneth the fornier Epiſtle ro this Church. + As to which, he ſaith, tharalrhough he was ſomerimes troubled, becauſe (probable) he underſtood, rhar ſome truly pious perſons in this Church were troubled ar it, as thinking themſelves intended in che reprehenfions 6f it; for which effe& or miſtake, (he faith) he was once ſorry, being troubled char he ſhould do any thing to grieve them whom he ſo affe&tionarely loved, yer now he tells them he was nor ſorry, a And their ſorrow was bur a temporary ſorrow; until rhey could reform thoſe abules, which they were made ſenſible of by thar Epiſtle, and give the Apoſtle that wrote it juſt ſarisfa&ion. 9 Now, I rejoyce not that you were mace ſorry; but that ye ſorrowed to repentance 6 : For ye were || Or, accor- Made forry || afrer a godly manner c, that ye might ding toGod. receive damage by us in nothing. d. | | b The Apoſtle rakes all advaritages to infinuate himſelf into the good opinion and affe&ions of the Members of this famous Church, and to obviate any miſrepreſentations of him co them from choſe falſe Teachers that were crept in amongſt them. Left they ſhould rake ſome advan:age from his ſaying, thar he repenred nor that he had made them ſorry ; he here openeth himſelf, and tells them, he did nor rejoice in their ſorrow, bur in the bleſſed product and cffet of ir, which was their Reforination of thoſe abules and Errors which he had reproved them tor 3 the effe& of which reproot was this their ſorrow for a litcle ſeaſon. c And that they were made ſorry after a godly maxner 3 they did bur ſow in tears, they reap- ed in joy : they had a wer Seed-time, bur a fair Harveſt, They ſor- rowed with a ſorrow according to God 3 the cauſe of their ſorrow was their ſin, the root of it a love ro God, the manner of ic ſuch as was agreeable to the Will of God. & The wiſe God fo governing things
by his Providence, that noching which the Apoſtle ſpake or write,
ſhou!d prove detrimental, but rather advanrageous to this Church, which he ſo loved.
Io bor godly ſorrow e worketh repentance to fal- vation, not to be repented of 7: but the ſorrow of the
world worketh death g.
e Thar ſorrow, which is according to God, either commanded by him, (as ſorrow for our own or others ſins, or for the Judgments of God as they are the indications of God's wrath and diſpleaſure for fm3) or which he, as the God of Grace, workerh in the Soul, rouching the heart by the Finger of his Spirir, Zyph. 12. 10. Or whoſe end 15 the Glory of God, in the reformation of the Perſon ſorrowing, by an hatred and deteſtarior, of fin, and an hearty turn- ing fromir. f Worketh repentance : it is not repentance, bur it pro- ducerh that change of heart and life, which is repentance , and ſhall not be imperfe&, bur perfet, which ſhall iſſue 1n the ſalvation of rhe ſoul; and neither will ever he repented of. Never did any when he came todie repent of true repentance 53 nor 1s it poſ- ſible that reaſonable ſouls ſhould repent of what iffuerh in their erernal ſalvation. # Bur all ſorrow except this, 15 bur the ſorrow ** the Worid;, che effe& of which is ofr-rimes Natural death 5 While men bow down under their burdens,and chrough impartenceweſtroy rhemſelve*, or at leaſt co fix their rhoughrs upon 14d ovjects, and ſo afflit chemſelves with them that they bring chemſelves into diſ-
_ eaſes rending to death. Ir alſo worketh Spiritual death 5 is it in- diſpoſerh men for their Dury : (as jt was in the caſe of Elijah ' and 1s a temptation to them to be angry againſt God (as in the caſe of 7ouah) rofrer, murmur and repine againſt God's Providence, and by this means it ailo worketh towards Eternal dezth, which is the wages belonging to ſin,
r1 For behold, this fclf ſame thing that ye ſor;owed after a godly tort,whit carefulneſs it wrought in you þ, yea what clearing of your ſelves s ? yea what in:dignati- on k? yea what fear 1? yea what vehement deſire m? yea nh zeal n? yea nhat revenge o ? In all things ye have approved your ſelves to be clear in this matter.
h The Apoſtie having ſhewed the miſchievous effedts of worldly ſorrow, all which he comprehended under the word Death ; here ſhew- eth che bleſſed cffeRs of that ſorrow, which 75 according to God. The firſt he mentioneth 1s great careſulneſs, both ro make our peace with God tor cur former violations of his Law, (uſing all means he hath preſcribed and diredted thereunto z) and allo to preſerve our peace, by avoiding the like breaches for the time ro come. # The Corin- thizns ſorrow might work in ſome of them a clearing,or purging them-
Chap. VII. I. CORINTHIANS. Chi
| ro pleaſe him. o Whar ads of Diſcipline, Faſting, denyin
ſelves in ſome lawful things wherein you may have offcnq 5 9 » Ort \e
too tree uſe of which may have been to you cccafiors cf Offend ding,
p By theſe As, tho ſome of you have been to he blamed, x Body of you have ſhewed your ſelves clear of this matter Yet the all of you have been formerly.roo guilty of ſome things 1 ha, or th ged you with, yer you have cleared your ſelves both to ny Chay. 1mpureth no ſin to him char confeſlerh his ſin, and forſaketh i; (wh; ro me who am abundantly (atisfied with your declared forrow, /
cance and reformacion, »TeDen,
12 Wherefore though I wrote unto you, I 4i4;; ” for his cauſe that had done the wrong q, nor for his cauſe that had ſuffered wrong r, but thar our care for