8 ye of the comfort also. For, brethren, we would not have you ignorant of our affliction which befel us in Asia; that we were exceedingly pressed above our strength, so 9 that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in our 10 selves but in that God who raiseth the dead: who deliver ed us from so great a death, and doth deliver us; in whom 11 we hope that still also he will deliver us; you likewise helping together with others by prayer for us; that, because of the benefit bestowed on us by means of many persons, thanks may be given by many for us. 12 For our glorying is this; the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity toward God, (not with carnal wisdom, but by the favour of God,) we have behaved ourselves in the world, and more abun 13 dantly toward you. For we do not write different things to you, but only what ye read or even acknowledge; and I hope that ye will acknowledge even to the end: 14 as ye have acknowledged us also as to a part of you; for we are your glorying, as ye also will be ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. 15 And in this confidence I was desirous of coming to you 16 formerly, (that ye might receive a second benefit ;) and to pass by you into Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and to be conducted by you on my 17 way toward Judea. When therefore I thus purposed, did I use any lightness? or the things which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there 18 should be yes, yes, and no, not? But as God is faith19 ful, our preaching to you was not yes and no. For Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was preached among you by us, (even by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy,) was not 20 yes, and no, but through him was yes: for all the * Or, worldly. N. m. + Michaelis conjectures that the true reading is To val, v, xai To 8, VAI, that should be no, and my no, yes. Marsh's Michaelis, vol. ii. p. 408. pro my ya mises of God are yes, through him, and truth through 21 him, to the glory of God by us. But he that esta blisheth us together with you in Christ*, and hath anoint22 ed us, is God: who hath also sealed us, and given the 23 earnest of the spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call upon God as a witness to myself, † that to spare you I came 24 not as yet to Corinth: (not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow-helpers of your joy: for CH.by faith ye stand:) but I determined this with myself, II. that I would not come to you again in grief. For if I 2 grieve you, who maketh me glad, but he that is grieved 3 by me? And I wrote this matter [to you], lest, when I came, I should have grief from those on whose account I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my 4 joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction, and distress of heart, I wrote to you with many tears; not merely that ye might be grieved, but that ye might know 5 the love which I have most abundantly for you. But if any one have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but 6 in part; that I may not charge you all. Sufficient to such a man is that rebuke, which was given by many. 7 So that, on the contrary, ye ought rather to forgive him, and to comfort him; lest such a man should be swallow8 ed up by excessive grief. Wherefore I beseech you to 9 confirm your love toward him. For to this end also I wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye 10 be obedient in all things. But to whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven any thing, for your sakes I have done it, in the 11 person of Christ; lest the adversary should gain advantage over us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 12 Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of 13 Christ, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had *Or, us and you as concerning Christ, N. m. + So Wakefield. "As a witness against my life, if I speak falsely." N. Satan, N. 14 no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother but I bade them farewel, and went thence into Macedonia. * But thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the odour of 15 the knowledge of himself by us in every place. () (For we are a sweet odour of Christ unto God, among those that 16 are saved, and among those that are lost: to the one we are the odour of death unto death; and to the other, the odour of life unto life: and who is sufficient for these 17 things?) For we are not as many who corrupt the word of God: but we speak in Christ as of sincerity, as of God, as in the presence of God. CH. III. Do we begin to commend ourselves again? or need we, as some, epistles of commendation to you, or of 2 commendation from you? Ye are our epistle, written in 3 the hearts of us all, known and read by all men since ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, mi nistered by us, not written with ink, but by the spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of the heart. 4 Now we have such confidence through Christ toward 5 God. Not because we are sufficient of ourselves to place any thing to account as from ourselves; but our suffi6 ciency is from God: who hath even made us sufficient ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministry of death, engraven in letters on stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, 8 which glory was to be done away; how shall not the 9 ministry of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, much more doth that, N. + Who leadeth us in triumph, Wakefield. + smell, N. § that adulterate, N. an allusion to vintners who adulterate pure wine with unwholesome mixtures. 10 the ministry of justification abound in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this re11 spect, by reason of the glory which exceedeth. For if that which shall be done away was glorious, much more must that which remaineth be glorious *. 12 Having therefore such hope, we use great freedom of 13 speech and do not as Moses, who put a veil over his face; that the sons of Israel may not stedfastly behold the 14 end of that which is to be done away† : (yet their minds are blinded for until this day the same veil remaineth in the reading of the old covenant; it not being discovered 15 that it is done away through Christ; but even unto this IV. day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart: 16 nevertheless, when that heart shall turn to the Lord, the 17 veil will be taken away: and the Lord is that spirit: and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom :) 18 but we all beholding as in a mirror with uncovered face the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord, who is CH.that spirit. Wherefore having this ministry, according as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor corrupting the word of God; but by manifestation of the truth recommending ourselves to every 3 man's conscience, in the sight of God. But if our gospel also be covered, it is covered among those that are 4 lost among those unbelievers whose minds the god of this world hath blinded, so that the lustre of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, doth not 5 enlighten them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ 2 * Mr. Hallet translates this verse, "For if that which is done away be done away by glory, much more that which remaineth, remaineth in glory. Notes and Disc. v. i. p. 26. + Or, might not stedfastly behold the end of that which is now done away. i. e. a wordly selfish spirit, or an attachment to inveterate prejudices, expressed figuratively and allegorically, as though that imaginary being who is represented as the ruler of that portion of mankind who oppose the gospel had fascinated and blinded thei. eyes against the light of truth. Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for the sake 6 of Jesus. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shone in our hearts, to give the lustre of his glorious knowledge in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are every way afflicted, but not distressed; we are 9 perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not for10 saken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in our body the death of Jesus; that the life also of 11 Jesus + may be made manifest in our body. For we who are alive are continually delivered to death for the sake of Jesus; that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in 12 our mortal flesh. So that death worketh in us, but life 13 in you. Yet having the same spirit of faith, as it is writ ten, "I believed, and therefore I have spoken," we also 14 believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus, will raise up us also by Jesus, and will 15 place us before himself together with you. For all things are for your sakes; that the favour of the gospel which hath abounded, might abound, through the thanksgiving 16 of many, to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but even though our outward man perish, yet the 17 inward man is renewed day by day. For our present light affliction worketh for us a very exceeding and 18 everlasting weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are for a short times, CH.but the things which are not seen are everlasting. For V. we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle || were destroyed, we have a building from God, a house 2 not made by hands, everlasting in the heavens. For we groan in this tabernacle, earnestly desiring to be clothed Or, exceeding greatness, N. m. +Of the Lord Jesus, R. T. Or, the house of our earthly tabernacle, or tent, N. m, |