Exhortations to charity. I.Corinthians. Timothy commended. 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. when I shall pass through Macedonia; (for I do pass through Macedonia ;) 6 And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go. 57 But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 7 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. 8 But I will tarry at Ephe. sus until Pentecost.a 9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. 10 Now, if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear; for he wor keth the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Let no man, therefore, despise him; but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me; for I look for him with the brethren. 12 As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren; but his will was not at all to come at this time, but he will come when he shall have convenient time. 13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity.b 15 I beseech you, brethren, a Pentecost was an annual feast of the Jews, in commemoration of giv ing the law on mount Sinai. b Charity, love. TO THE SECOND EPISTLE.OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS. PAUL in his first Epistle xvi. 5, had promised to visit the Corinthians; but as he had in that letter given orders for the correction of certain abuses, and for the punishment of a notorious offender, he thought best to defer his visit longer, than he at first intended, that, before he appeared in person, he might know the state of the church, and what regard they paid to his letter. But Titus not returning so soon, as was expected, and Paul anxious for his safety, set out to meet him. He first went to Troas, but not finding him there, he proceeded to Mac The church II. Corinthians. comforted, &e. edonia, where after tarrying a few days Titus arrived. Much encouraged by the favourable account which he gave of the Corinthians, Paul wrote this second Epistle about A. D. 57, within a year after writing the first, to confirm the sincere in their attachment to him, and separate the rest from the false teacher, who had led them astray. In order to understand this Epistle, we must recollect, there were two parties in the Corinthian church, one of which Paul commends for its fidelity and obedience; the other he sharply reproves for its irregularity, and for the suspicion it endeavoured to excite respecting his apostleship. In this Epistle the apostle recounts his suffering for the sake of the Gospel-apologizes for deferring his visit-requests a liberal contribution for the poor brethren in Judea assures the Corinthians, that he had laboured to teach them, not from ambitious motives, but with the single desire of promoting their best good-vindicates himself from the aspersions of those, who had presumed to question his authority as an apostleand exhorts to unity, peace, and perfection. THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE, 2 Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by 6 And whether we be af flicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; or whether we be comforted, it is for conyour solation and salvation. 7 And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation, The sincerity of 8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble,a which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead; 10 Who delivered us from so great a death,b and doth deliver; in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Chap. i. 11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that, for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. 13 For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read and acknowledge, and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end: 14 As also ye have acknow Paul's preaching. ledged us in part,c that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. 15 And in this confidence d I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; 16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, & of you to be brought on my way toward Judea. 17 When I, therefore, was thus minded,e did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? 18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea, and nay.f 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, a Trouble. This was probably Paul's being constrained to fight with wild beasts at Ephesus. See I Cor. xv. 32. b So great a death; this terrible death, from which Paul was delivered, was being torn in pieces by wild beasts, c Ye bave acknowledged us in part, that is, a part of you have acknowledged and rejoiced in me as an apostle. d In this confidence; in this persua sion, that ye believe me a faithful apostle. e When I was thus minded, or was determined, to visit you, did I lightly or without reason, alter my determination? or the purposes I form, do I form them according to the flesh, that with me, yea should be changed into nay, as might best suit my personal interest? f Our word toward you, &c. My purpose to come unto you, was not, as some insinuate, yea and nay, as suited my worldly purpose. Paul excuseth himself: II.Corinthians. his reasons wherefore. having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: 22 Who hath also sealed us, & given the earnest of the Spiritg in our hearts. 23 Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet into Corinth. 24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand. CHAP. II. 1 The reasons of his not coming unto them. 6 Of the excommunicated person. 14 The success of his preaching in every place. BUT I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. 2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; Who bath also sealed or marked 3 me, as an apostle, and as evidence of it, hath given the earnest or pledge of the spirit in my heart; that is, spiritual gifts abiding in me. also Ephes. i. 13, 14. See 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love, which I have more abundantly unto you. 5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part; that I may not overcharge you all.a 6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.b 7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, & comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. |
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