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II. Corinthians.

Purity of life, &c. bath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them,d and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

CHAP. VII.

1 Ile exhorteth to purity, 3 and sheweth what comfort he took in afflictions.

HAVING, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved; let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

3 I speak not this to condemu you; for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.

4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you; I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 5 For when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled

Come out from among them, from among idolaters and infidels..

Of godly sorrow.

on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 6 Nevertheless God, that comforted those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mournip your fervent mind toward n so that I rejoiced the more

8 For though I made yo sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent; for

perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a sea

son.

9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world work. eth death.

11 For, behold, this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge la In all things

a Revenge denotes a pass on never to be indulged by christ.ans; the

Of liberality Chap. viii. ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. 13 Therefore we were comted in your comfort; yea, 4 exceedingly the more joywe for the joy of Titus, beuse his spirit was refreshed by you all.

14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. 15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he, remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

16 I rejoice, therefore, that I have confidence in you in all things.

CHAP. VIII. 1 He stirreth them up to contribute to the saints, 11 commendeth Titus and others. MOREOVER brethren, we do you to wita of the grace of

word would have been better translated punishment, and the punishment alluded to, is the excommunication of a notorious offender, which Paul had ordered in his First Epistle,chap. v. 13.

a Wed you to ruit, we make known to you the grace of God, &c.

to the saints, &c.

God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia ;b

2 How that, in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves ;c

4 Praying us with much intreaty, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.d

5 And this they did, not as we hoped ;e but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God:

6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us; see that ye abound in this grace also.f

8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to

b We do you to wit of the grace of God,we make known to you the grace, or the gracious disposition, which God hath given to the Macedonians.

c Willing of themselves to make contribution for the saints at Jerusalem.

d The fellowship, &c. the agency of carrying their charitable gift to the

saints.

e Not as ave hoped, not as we feared. f This grace, charity to the saints.

Titus and others II. Corinthians.

commended.

prove the sincerity of your care into the heart of Titus for iove.

9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

10 And herein I give my advice; for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do,g but also to be forward a year ago.

11 Now, therefore, perform the doing of it; that, as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and you burdened;

14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be an equality;

15 As it is written,h He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest

g Not only to do or make your collection.

As it is written, Exod. xvi. 18.

you.

17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but, being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.

18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the churches:

19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind.

20 Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is adminis tered by us:

21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon great confidence which I have

in you.

the

23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow-helper concerning you; or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.

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1 He sheweth why he sent Titus, 6 and stirreth them up to be bountiful in alms, 10 which shall yield them a great increase.

FOR as touching a the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: 2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked b very many.

3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf;c that, as I said, ye may bę ready :

4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of

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Alms recommended.

let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.

all

8 And God is able to make

grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

9 (As it is written,d He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor; his righteousness remaineth forever.

10 Now, he that ministereth seed to the sower, e both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness :)

11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

12 For the administration of this service f not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men ;

14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

d As it is written, Ps. cxii. 9. e Now may be, who supplieth seed to the sower, &c.

f The administration of this service, the performance of this gift of charity.

Of Paul's boasting, II. Corinthians.

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.g

CHAP. X.*

1 Paul's spiritual might and authority, &c. 12 Not to stretch beyond our compass. NOW, I Paul myself beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you,a but being absent am bold toward you:

2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh :

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the palling down of strong holds :)

5 Casting down imaginations, & every high thing, that

g His unspeakable gift, that is, Jesus

Christ.

a Base among you, &c. The false reacher probably told the Corinthians, that Paul, when among them, was base or humble in appearance, but when absent, was bold by threatening letters.

and authority, &c.

exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, & bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ:

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.b

7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed;

9 That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

b And having in a readiness to revenge, &c. And are prepared to pun ish all disobedience, after so many of you, as may be disposed, shall have repented..

*In the preceding chapters Paul has principally been addressing those at Corinth, who had obeyed his orders, contained in his first Epistle; but in this and the following chapters he addresses the false teacher and his adherents, speaking to them with great authority, and threatening punishment, if they did not immediately repent. Attention to this circumstance will account for the different style, in which the first and last parts of this Epis

ale are written.

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