The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 38

in expressing it, he put on his feelings a "in part." When St. Paul says that this etroag restraint. With many tears. I wrote man's conduct ha<l e~en to any extent grieved "out or" anguish, and that anguish showed the whole community, hie words may .ree"' itself through the tears which ho.thod my to ~,0nllict with 1 Cor. v. 2; llut he i• chocks o.s I wrote. Buch tears, says Calvin, thinking. not of the immecliate condonation "show weakness, but a weakness more heroic of the offender there alluded to, but of the thau would have been the iron apathy of a agony of subsequent repentn.nce which his Stoic." It must, however, be remembered letter had awoke in the whole (or practically that, in ancient times, and in Southern and the whole) community (eh. vii. 11). The Eastern lands, men yielcled to tears more phrase, "that I press not too heavily," refer,1 ren.dily than among Northern nations, who then to the offender : " I will not say out- take pricle in suppressing as far as possible right that he has grieved not me, but all of1 nll outward signs of emotion. In Homer the you, because I do not wish to bear too hard on bravest heroes do not blush to weep in public, him" (comp. 1 These. ii. 9; 2 These. iii. 8), and the nervous, afflicted temperament of St. " but I will say that be has grieved you and Paul seems to have been often overwhelmed me alike to some extent." The phrase, "in with weeping (Acts xx. 19, 31; 2 Tim. i. 4). part," occurs also in Rom. xi. 25. Not that ye should be grieved. The "not," Ver. 6.-Su.ffi.cient to such a man 18 tlus by a common Hebrew idiom, means " not punishment. What the punishment was we only," "not exclusively." His object in do not know, but of course the Corinthians inflicting pain was not the pain itself, but knew that what St. Paul had directed them the results of godly repentance which it to do was to summon the Church together, produced (eh. vii. 11). The love. In the and there, by excommnnicating the man, "to Greek this word is placed very emphatically band him over to Satan." But this handing at the beii;inning of the clause. More abun- over to Sa.tan was, as we have seen, designed dantly. I loved you more than I loved other solely for a merciful purpose, and to awaken converts, and the abundance of my love will his repentance, so as to secure his nltimate give you a measure of the pain I felt. The salvation (1 Cor. v. 4, 5). Whether the Philippians were St. Paul's best-beloved con- Corinthians had done exactly as St. Paul verts; but next to them he seems to have felt bade them is uncertain; but whatever they more personal tenderness for the members of had done is here acquiesced in by St. Paul, this in:fle.ted, wayward, erring Church than and even if (as we may suspect) they !Jad for any other commuuit,, just as e. father dealt more leniently with the offender than sometimes loves beat his least-deserving son. he originally intended, he here not only There was something in the brightness and refrains from urging them to use greater keenness of the Greek nature which won severity, but even exhorts them to a still over St. Paul, in spite of its many faults. more absolute condone.tion. St. Paul's Vere. 5-11.-The results of his letter in object had not beeD. that they should take a. their treatment of the inceatuous offender. particular course of action, but that they Ver. 5.-llut if any have caused grief. should bring a.bout a. desired result. The The word "pain" or "grief II which has result had been achieved, and now the been so prominent in the le.et verses, natu- matter might rest. To such a man. St. Paul rally reminds St. Paul of the person whose mercifully nbst.ains from recording his name misdoings had caused all this trouble. The or from thrusting him into unnecessary " any II is in the singular. He he.th not prominence before the assembly in which grieved me, but in part, etc. Of the various the letter would be read. The apostle ways of taking this verse, the most tenable evidently entered into the Jewish feeling seems to be this : "If any one has caused that there is a. criminal crueltv in needlessly pain, be he.a not pained me but partly (not ce.lliug a blush of shame into e. brother's to weigh down too heavily) all of you." St. face. This punishment. The woru epi- Paul is <lenying that the feelings with timia, which occurs here only in the New which he bad written his severe letter were Tcstnment, but is also foun<l in Wis(l. iii. 10, due to m9re personal sonow or indignution. metms" punishment," as in later Greek, and In writing he felt for the wrong done to is not used in its classical sense of " rebuke" them, to the whole Corinthian Church, at (Vulge.te, objurgatio); but the mihlness of leust as much as for the smart of bis own the word, perhaps, implies that the Corin- grief 1md disappointment. Tho word thil\ns had not resorted to the severe:it " partly" is introduccJ, as St. Chrysostom measures. Which we.s inflicted of many ; says, to soften the expression, " he hl\s rather, by the majority. 'l'he verb is ex- grieved you all." It will then ml)an " to e. pressed in the original, aml St. Paul seems certain extent." The words, "thl\t I may to allude to the steps taken, whatever they not overcharge," or rather, as in the Revised were, with a certl\in dignifieJ reticouce. It Version, "that I press not too heavily," is obvious that thero wel'tl still some op- assign the reason for the modifying ole.use, ponents of St. Paul in the Church, whu  38 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [c11. rr. 1-li.