the greater the ability is, the greater is the obligation to the duty, and the more are the opportunities of performing it.) St. Paul here appoints that every one lay by in store, as God hath prospered him; and the measure of charity is proportioned according to that a man hath', and the ability which God giveth: so that when a poor man sees another to be in more want than himself is at such a time, either in respect to sufferings in body or goods, in such case Christian compassion, and the giving assistance, is the poor man's duty, and will procure his reward. In Design of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. ST. PAUL having understood by Titus (whom he met at Macedonia") the good effects of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, in their sorrow, submission, and good disposition towards him; in this Second he treats them accordingly, although there were still some remaining that opposed him, whom he frequently takes occasion sharply to reprove, but at the same time so as not to discourage the rest. this Epistle it hath been observed, and will soon appear to any one who reads and considers it with attention, that the Apostle, through his affection and concern, applies to them with great art and insinuation; by turns commending and threatening, frowning and smiling on them. And first of all, he encourages them in trouble, from the consideration of his own deliverance, and gives them an account of his delay in coming to them, that it was not out of inconstancy, but chiefly to spare them; for that Q 1 2 Cor. viii. 12. Chap. i. 23. m 1 Pet. iv. 11. n Chap. vii. 5, 6. having not heard of their reformation before Titus's return, he was loth to come to correct them, according to the power given him by the Holy Ghost, which would have occasioned an heaviness. He also gives order about the incestuous person mentioned in the former Epistle, who had been excommunicated, and delivered over unto Satan; that the censure and punishment should be taken off. After this, whereas one principal cause of the faction and disorder among them, complained of in the former Epistle, proceeded from some false teachers having corrupted the Christian doctrine, and disgraced the Apostle, he vindicates the Gospel ministry in general, as being far above that under the law of Moses; and assures them in particular of his own sincerity and faithfulness, and the joy he conceived in their spiritual good, and their godly sorrow and reformation. He exhorts them to hasten their contribution for the relief of their poor brethren the Christians at Jerusalem, after the example of the church in Macedonia. On this occasion are mentioned many excellent motives and encouragements to the duty of liberal alms-giving, worthy to be often and seriously read by all Christians. r Then he returns again to exhort them not to hearken to his opposers, those false apostles, who, by debasing his person and authority amongst them, were an hindrance to their edification. These slanderers oblige him to give some account of his own zeal in promoting the Gospel, and of his labours and sufferings for it, and of the favours he had of being wrapped up into the third heaven, where he had a glimpse of the joys above; nevertheless, he gloried • Chap. ii. 1. P Chap. iii. &c. to the end of the viith. 4 In chapters viii. and ix: xiith chapter. most in the cross of Christ, and acknowledged his infirmities and afflictions, the thorn in the flesh, to be permitted, lest he should be exalted above measure. What was the particular infirmity or affliction here spoken of is not mentioned: it could not be the motions to lust, because he had in a singular manner the gift of continence'; nor would he have gloried therein, as he did; it was most probably some extraordinary bodily pain or distemper, which was visible and known", in which manner God sometimes exercises his best servants. : Lastly, he signifies his readiness to see them again in the mean time, he exhorts them to lay aside their disorders and factions, attended with debates and strifes, 'backbitings and tumults; and also hopes he may not find any but what do sufficiently repent of their fornications, uncleanness, and all other vices; lest when he came he should not spare. And as for a proof of his apostleship, which the false teachers demanded, that appeared even by themselves; and the effect which the Gospel had, since Christ was mighty in them, by his grace and the gifts of the Spirit so manifest among them. He exhorts them therefore to examine themselves, whether they were in the truth or no; and to lay aside all their prejudices against him, that they might be still approved of God; that so he might not be forced to exercise the apostolical authority, and inflict the censure of the church, or use sharpness; but if it should so happen, the main design would be not their destruction, but edification; concluding with a solemn charge, that they check all their old divisions, and preserve unity and peace among themselves, and then the God of love and peace would be with them. For all which purposes, he gives them that solemn s 1 Cor. vii. 7. xii. 14, &c. to the t * Chap. xii. 9. " Gal. iv. 13, 14. end of the Epistle. × Chap. benediction, The grace, or favour, of our Lord Jesus Christ, the meritorious cause of our redemption, and the love of God the Father, and the communion, fellowship, or a partaking of the gifts and sanctification of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Observations on the Second Epistle to the 1st, THAT liberal alms-giving is a proper Christian duty, which will be accepted and rewardeda. 2dly, That if a man designs and purposes God's glory, and the discharge of his duty, he needs not be much disturbed at the disgraceful reproaches of ill-natured persons; since St. Paul, so holy and zealous for the general good of the church, yet could not escape backbiting and slanderous tongues'. 3dly, That the Quakers' pretence of Christ, or the Spirit within them, in some extraordinary manner to enlighten and guide them by immediate revelation above all others, is by a mistake grounded on the words, Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you? For the Apostle does not speak this to any single person, but to the church of Corinth in general; and the words signify in or among you; as when we say such a one is in our company, we mean that he is amongst us. So, whereas the Corinthians wanted a proof of Christ's speaking in or by St. Paul, he asks them, Know ye not yourselves, that is, by the miracles done among you, and various gifts of the Spirit conferred on, and also a spiritual life and conversation wrought in, divers of you, that through my preaching Jesus Christ is manifested among you, and may indeed be said to abide in many of you, by his grace and gifts of his Holy a Chap. viii. ix. Verse 3. b Chap. x. 10, c 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Spirit, except ye be reprobates, disapproved of God, and so have provoked him, either not to grant, or to withdraw these gifts from you. But then the gross mistake of those people is twofold; first, that they confound the two sorts of spiritual gifts, the extraordinary ones vouchsafed to the Apostles, and some first Christians, of working miracles,, with those which are to continue in the church; and vainly support their pretences to the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, by promises peculiar to the Apostles and first Christians. And further, they make the Spirit to contradict himself, in particular by denying the two sacraments of Christ's institution, as it is revealed to us by the same Spirit in the holy Scriptures, Design of the Epistle to the Galatians, or the Christians at Galatia. GALATIA was not a particular city, but a country or province of the Lesser Asia, where St. Paul had preached the Gospel. He had, it seems, heard, that since his departure several false brethren, or Judaizers, had crept in amongst them, and, as in other places, had taught the necessity of observing circumcision, and the other ordinances of the law of Moses: to which purpose they vilified the person of St. Paul, as if he (who was the great stickler against the legal ordinances) had only received his doctrine from others, and therefore was not so much to be hearkened to as the other Apostles, who had been conversant with Christ upon earth, particularly Peter, James, and John (who preaching chiefly to the Jews, See the twelfth practical observation on the Gospels, * Acts xviii. 23. |