» Two things che Apoſtle commendeth in the Charity of the Churches of Mec2donia: Firſt, the Quantity of ther? Gift, which, he (aith, was to their power, yea, (on his knowledge) beyond what they were able. Secondly, their Freedom in the Ation; fo as chey did nor need the Apoſtles Exhortations and Arguments, bur did ir of themſelves freely and cheerfully.
4 Praying us with much intreaty, that we would re- ceive the gift f, and take upon us the * fellowſhip of mi-
niſtring to the Saints g. f Bringing what they had freely colleted among themſelves ro the Apoſtles, and importuning them to receive it ar cheir hands,
5 And this they did, not as we hoped h, but firſt
God 5. |
þ We might have hoped for ſomething trom them, though they were in that poor afflicted condition; bur what they brought was much beyond what we could hope for, or expe& from them. Or «ſe this Phraſe may refer to what followeth: ; They did not only bring us their Gift, bur they alſo gave up themſelves ro us, to be diſpoſed of forſthe good of the Church, according to the Will of God 3 for they firſt gave themſelyes up to the Lord, devoting them- telves to his Service and Glory, and then to us, the will of God (© ruling and direQing them.
6 Iniomuch that we deſired Titus, that as he had begun, ſo he would alſo finiſh in you the ſame grace
alſo k.
þ The jame Grace, 1n this place fignifieth no more than the ſame Gijt, or the ſame good work in colleRing in the Church of Corinth, It by Grace here..be underſtood the Grace of God, the Cauſe is pur for the Effe& (as we had it in the firſt Verſe; bur 534 ©e2 being not here added, poſſibly it had been bercer tranſlared Gift, or free Contribution 3 for how a Minifter ſhould finiſh the Grace of God, is hard to conceive, and the Phraſe is at beſt very hard.; bur he may be an inſtrument for compleating 2 good Work which is done from
IE CORINTHIANS.
rich in the love of God, and in the habirs of Divine Grace, which was all effe&ed by his poverty, by his making himſelf of nv repura- tion, and bumbling himſelf. If after your knowledge of this, by re- celving and believing rhe Goſpel, and experiencing this, in thoſe Riches of Spirirual Gifrs and Graces, and hopes of Glory which you have, you ſhall yer be found ftraic-hearted in compaſt:onating the poverty and atfiicted ſtare of his poor Members, or ſtraic-handed in miniſtring unto tnem, how w'll you in any meaſure anſiver this grear love, or conform to this great Example ?
10 And hereia * I give y advice z- For * this is expedient for you 4, who have begun betore not only to co,but to - be * forward a year ago b.
; Giving to thoſe that were in want was matrer of Prece ( it being whar the Law of God and Nture did requice); but giving as the Macedonians had given, nor oniy to, tur beyond their 2bilicy was not ſo, Or poſlibly, the Apoſtles faying, I give my advice, doth nor ſuppoſe what he adviſed :obe no commanded quty ; Frienc may adviſe us to what is our duty to do; 4 for faith the Apoſtle, this is expedient ſor you 3 for your profir, or for your honour and reputation. A Precepr alone ought to oblige us co the doing of the thing commanded, bur the profit, credir, and tionour of the ation adds an edge to the duty, and layeth us under a double oli. gation ; the firſt of obedience ro God, the ſecond, of being wiſe ro our ſelves. b The Apoſtle proverh che expediency of ic from the concern of their repuration in ir ; that chey mighr not He thought ro have gone backward, or to become weary of welldoing, in rega-d they had began this charitable Work ſome rime before. Objeet, Bur how cometh he here ro pur doing before willing, (for fo It is in the Greeb, nor only to do bur alſo Seauy to will ?) Some tell us theſe Hyſterologies, or putting things afrer which ſhould in or- der be before, are uſual in holy Wric; bur poſſibly it is berter an- [ſwered by others, that $4Aa«y here doth not ſignify the mere incii- narion of the will, bur a forwaraneſs ; (thus our Trantlators under- ſtood ir, and therefore rranſ}:re ir ro be forward :) or a ſpontane- ous willingneſs withour Arguments uſed by others to perſwade them to ir. Soas the ſenſe 15 this, You nor only began ro do the thing a year ago, bur you did it of your own accord wichour our Ex- horrations and Arguments, of your own free Mind and Will: So as if you ſhould now be behind-hand, ir would be a reproach ro you,
an habir of divine Grace, by Exhortations and Arguments which he may uſe to preſs the performance of ir, Titus (ir ſeemerh) had been diligent in ſome other places to make this ColleRion 3 going to Corinth, the Apoſtle prefſerh him to go on with ir there alſo,
7 Therefore, as * ye abound in every thing /, in faith 7, In utterance, and in knowledge .-., and in all diligence o, and in your love to us p, ſee that ye
abound in this grace alſo q. | ! Though the Apoſtle made little uſe of Oratory in his ordinary Diſcourſes and Epiſtles, yer he knew how to uſe it when it mighr be of probable advantage for che Ends which he aimed at, iz. the glory of God, and the good of the Souls that were under his care, He did nor turn Divinity into mere words, and Rehetorical flouriſhes ; yer he made uſe of theſe ſomerimes, as a waiting Maid to Divinity. Being therefore to preſs upon theſe Corinthians this great duty of Charity, he inſinuateth himſelf into them, by telling them, thac they abounded in all other ſpirirual habits. m Faith, by which they
This ſenſe is favoured by the next Verſe, what he here calls a willing, he calls a readineſs to will there. : ;
11 Now therefore perform. the doing of it c, that as there was a readineſs to will, ſo there may be a perform- ance alſo out of that which you have 4.
c Ye ſhewed your ſelves ſome rime fince free to will the thing which I am now p:eſfing you unto; you have now opportunity ro do ir, and the Example of other Churches going before you in the doing of it ; ſhew-your ſelves now conſtant by the doing of ir. 4 That ſeeing God hath given you ſomerhing of this Worlds Goods, and that in proportions beyond your poor Brethren, as you pretend- ed a great readineſs a great while fince to relieve rhem, ſo you may by your performance juſtify thar it was not all a mete prerence.
12 For * if there be firſt a willing mind, zz zs accepted according to whiat a man hath, and not according to what he hath note. _ |
e He had before dire&ed them to give our of that which they