3 Bleffed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we

4 ὁ παρακαλων ἡμᾶς επι

Ò

which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

may be able to comfortthem παση τη θλίψει ήμων, εις το δυνασθαι ήμας παρακαλείν τες εν παση θλίψει, ίδια της παρακλήσεως ἧς παρακαλεμεθα αυτοί υπο τε Θεε.

5 For as the fufferings of Chrift abound in us, fo our confolation alfo aboundeth by Chrift.

3 Ευλογητος ὁ Θεός και πατης τε Κυριε ήμων Ιησε Χρισε, ὁ πατηρ των οικτιρ μων, και Θεος πασης παρα κλησεως*

6 And whether we be confolation and falvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the fame fufferings, which we allo fuffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your confolation and falva

tion.

η And our hope of you is ftedfaft, knowing that as ye

are partakers of the suffer

ings, fo ball ye be alfo of the

confolation.

5 Οτι καθως περισσεύει τα παθηματα τε Χριςε εις ἡμας, έτω δια Χρισε περισ σεύει και ἡ παρακλησις ἡμων.

6 Ειτε δε θλιβόμεθα, ύπερ της ύμων παρακλήσεως και σωτηρίας, της ενεργόμενης εν υπομονῃ των αυτων παρ θημάτων ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς πασ χομεν, είτε παρακαλεμεθα, ὑπερ της ύμων παρακλήσεως και σωτηρίας.

η Καὶ ἡ ελπις ήμων βε βαία ὑπερ ύμων, ειδότες ότι ὥσπερ κοινωνοι εςε των πα θημάτων, έτω και της παρα κλησεως.

1

Ver. 4. To comfort them who are in any affliction. According to Locke, the apoftle in this paffage infinuated, that by his own afflictions he was qualified to comfort the Corinthians, under the diftrefs of mind which they felt from a juft fenfe of their errors and miscarriages. But the afflictions of which the apoftle speaks, were chiefly outward afflic tions; being the fame with thofe which he himself fuffered, as is plain from ver. 6, 7.

Ver. 5. Our confolation aloundeth through Chrift. The confolation of which the apostle speaks, was derived from the presence of Christ

3 (EuλoyNT, I Cor. x. 16. note 1.) Praised BE the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of tender mercies, and the God of all confolation,

4 Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any affliction, by the confolation wherewith we ourfelves are comforted of God.

I

5 For as the fufferings. for Chrift abound in us, fo alfo our confolation! aboundeth through Chrift.

6 (EITE de, 106.) Whether therefore we be afflicted, IT Is for your confolation and falvation, which is wrought in rou by enduring the fame fufferings which we alfo fuf. fer: or whether we be comforted, IT IS for your confolation and falvation.

And our hope (vwεf, 307.) concerning you is firm, knowing that as ye are partakers of the fufferings, fo alfo SHALL YE BE of the confolation.

6 Whether, therefore, we be afflicted, it is for your confolation and falvation, which is accomplished by the influence of our example, animating you patiently to endure the fame fufferings, which we alfo patiently fuffer: or whether we be comforted by God's delivering us from fufferings, or by his fupporting us under them, it is defigned for your confolation and falvation, by encouraging you to hope for the like fupport and deliverance.

7 And our hope concerning your confolation and falvation is firm, knowing, that as ye are partakers of our fufferings, fo alfo fhall ye be of the confolation, which we derive from the discoveries and promises of the gofpel, and from the affiftance of Chrift.

with him in his affliction; from a fenfe of the love of Chrift fhed abroad in his heart; from the joy which the fuccefs of the gofpel gave · kim; from the affured hope of the reward which was prepared for

himi

X 4

him; from his knowledge of the influence of his fufferings to encou rage others and from the enlarged views which he had of the government of God, whereby all things are made to work for good to them who love God; fo that he was entirely reconciled to his fufferings.

Ver. 3. Afliction which happened to us in Afia. This is underftood by fome, of the riot of Demetrius, when they fuppofe the apoftle was thrown to the wild beafts. But as he did not go into the theatre then (Aâts xix. 30) but kept himfelf concealed from the rioters, he ran nó fuch risk of his life on that occafion, as to make him pafs 4 fentence of death on himself, ver. 9. and fay he was delivered from fo great a death, ver. 10. I therefore fuppofe with Whitby, that this terrible death of which he was in danger, was his being torn in pieces by the wild beafts with which he fought in Ephefus on another occafron, mentioned 1 Cor. xv. 32. See note 1. on that verfe.

* Ver 9 -1. However we had the fentence of death in ourfelves. Απο κρίμα το θανατg, literally, the anfwer of death. See Eff iv. 32.—The fentence of death, is that which the apofle, when ordered to fight with wild beafts, pronounced on himself in his own mind. See preceding

note.

2. But in God who raifed the dead. The apoftle in his former epiftle, having proved the refurrection of the dead by mary irrefragable arguments, mentions that inftance of the power of God here with exultation, as a folid foundation for his expecting deliverance in the most perilous fituations: and the rather that formerly he himself had been raifed from the dead in Lyftra, Acts xiv. 19, 20.

Ver. 11.-1. Te alfo working together fecretly for us by prayer. From this we learn, that the most eminent faints my be affifted and benefited, by the prayers of perfons much inferior to them in ftation and virtue. It is therefore a great encouragement to us to pray for one another, and a reafon for our defiring each others prayers.

2. That the gift which cometh to us. The word χάρισμα, tranflated gift, being commonly used by St. Paul to denote a spiritual or miraculous gift, it may have been used on this occafion to infinuate, that his deliverance was effected by fome fpecial interpofition of the power of

God.

12 For our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity

and godly Gncerity, not with fethly wifdom, but by the

grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world, and more abundantly to youwards.

13 For we write none other things unto you than what ye read or acknowa ledge, and I truft you fhall acknowledge even to the

end ;

you

14 As alfo have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye aifo are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

12 Ἡ γαρ καυχησις ήμων αυτη εςι, το μαρτυριον της συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁπλο εν της και ειλικρινεια Θες, εκ εν σοφια σαρκική, αλλ' εν χαρίτι Θες, ανεστράφημεν εν δε τῷ κόσμῳ, περισσοτερως προς ὑμᾶς.

C

13 Ου γαρ αλλα γραφοทุ α αναγκα μεν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ ̓ νωσκετε, η και επιγινώσκετε, ελπιζω δε ότι και ἕως τελες επιγνώσεσθε

14 Καθως και επέγνωτε ἡμας απο μερες, ὅτι καυχημα ύμων εσμέν, καθαπερ και ὑμεῖς ήμων, εν τη ήμερα τε Κύριε Ιησε.

15 Και ταυτὴ τῇ πεποι θησεί εβελόμην προς ὑμας ελα ἵνα δευτεραν

θειν
χαριν έχητε

προτερον, ἵνα

15 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto

you before, that you might have a fecond benefit ;

God. And truly fomething of that kind was necessary to accomplish his deliverance from a death which he thought inevitable.

Ver. 12.-r. Our brafting is this. The apoftle fets the ground of his boafting, namely, the teftimony of his confcience, that with fimplicity, &c. in oppofition to the ground of the falfe teacher's boafting, namely, his Jewish extraction, and his enjoining obedience to the law of Mofes, as neceffary to falvation.

2. That with the greateft fimplicity and fincerity. Εν απλότητι και εξω λικρίνεια τg Θεs, literally, with the fimplicity and fincerity of God. This is the Hebrew fuperlative, the greateft fimplicity and fincerity. Eff. iv. 27. Or, it may fignify, that fimplicity and fincerity which proceeds from the fear of God: or that fimplicity and fincerity which God requires in the apoftles of his Son.

3. Not with carnal cuifdom. What that was, the apofle tells us afterwards, chap. iv. 2. 5. where he contrafts his own behaviour with

that of the falfe teacher.

4. But wiih the grate of God. His behaviour was fuitable to the gracious difpofitions which God had implanted in his heart, and to the affiftance which from time to time he had granted to him, 22.

Ver. 13+