Ver. 12. In his aims, and in the manner of accomplishing his aims he was guided only by the principles of simplicity and sincerity, and by the grace of God. He had no sinister and worldly purpose; he had no crooked and subtle policy by which to accomplish his purposes. He sought simply the glory of God and the salvation of man; and he sought this in a manner plain, direct, honest, and straightforward. He admitted none of the principles of worldly policy which have been so often acted on since in the church; he knew nothing of "pious frauds," which have so often disgraced the professed friends of the Redeemer; he admitted no form of deception and delusion, even for the promotion of objects which were great, and good, and desirable. He knew that all that ought to be done could be accomplished by straightforward and simplehearted purposes; and that a cause which depended on the carnal and crooked policy of the world was a bad cause; and that such policy would ultimately ruin the best of causes. How happy would it have been if these views had always prevailed in the church.

XVI. We see the value of a good conscience. Ver. 12. Paul had the testimony of an enlightened conscience to the correctness and uprightness of his course of life everywhere. He felt assured that his aims had been right; and that he had endeavoured in all simplicity and sincerity to pursue a course of life which such a conscience would approve. Such a testimony, such an approving conscience is of inestimable value. It is worth more than gold, and crowns, and all that the earth can give. When like Paul we are exposed to peril, or trial, or calamity, it matters little, if we have an approving conscience. When like him we are persecuted, it matters little if we have the testimony of our own minds that we have pursued an upright and an honest course of life. When like him we look death in the face, and feel that we "have the sentence of death in ourselves," of what inestimable value then will be an approving conscience! How unspeakable the consolation if we can look

back then on a life spent in conscious integrity; a life spent in endeavouring to promote the glory of God and the salvation of the world!

XVII. Every Christian should feel himself sacredly bound to maintain a character of veracity. Ver. 19, 20. Christ was always true to his word; and all that God has promised shall be certainly fulfilled. And as a Christian is a professed follower of him who was "the Amen and the true witness," he should feel himself bound by the most sacred obligations to adhere to all his promises, and to fulfil all his word. No man can do any good who is not a man of truth; and in no way can Christians more dishonour their profession, and injure the cause of the Redeemer, than by a want of character for unimpeachable veracity. If they make promises which are never fulfilled; if they state that as true which is not true; if they overload their narratives with circumstances which had no existence; if they deceive, and defraud others; and if they are so loose in their statements that no one believes them, it is impossible for them to do good in their christian profession. Every Christian should have, as he easily may have, such a character for veracity that every man shall put implicit confidence in all his promises and statements; so implicit that they shall deem his word as good as an oath; and his promise as certain as though it were secured by notes and bonds in the most solemn manner. The word of a Christian should need no strengthening by oaths and bonds; it should be such that it could really not be strengthened by anything that notes and bonds could add to it.

XVIII. All Christians should regard themselves as consecrated to God. Ver. 21. They have been anointed, or set apart to his service. They should feel that they are as really set apart to his service as the ancient prophets, priests, and kings were to their appropriate offices by the ceremony of anointing. They belong to God, and are under every sacred and solemn obligation to live to him, and him alone.

XIX. It is an inestimable privilege

the church. The punishment he says had been sufficient, ver. 6; they ought now to be kind and forgiving to him lest he should be overwhelmed with his sorrow, ver. 7; he says, that he had forgiven him, so far as he was concerned, and he entreated them to do the same, ver. 10; and says that they ought by all means, to pursue such a course that Satan could get no advantage over them. Ver. 11. Paul then states the disappointment which he had at Troas in not seeing Titus, from whom he had expected to learn what was the state of the church at Corinth, and what was the reception of his letter there; but that not seeing him there, he had gone to Macedonia. Ver. 12, 13. There, it would seem, he met Titus, and learned that his letter had had all the success which he could desire. It had been kindly received; and all that he had wished in regard to discipline had been performed. Ver. 14. The hearing of this success gave him occasion to thank God for it, as one among many instances in which his efforts to advance his cause had been crowned with success. God had made him everywhere successful; and had made him triumph in Christ in every place. This fact gives him occasion, ver. 15,16, to state the general effect of his preaching and his labours. His efforts, he says, were always acceptable to God; though he could not be ignorant that in some cases the gospel which he preached was the occasion of the aggravated condemnation of those who heard and rejected it. Yet he had the consolation of reflecting that it was by no fault of his. Ver. 17. It was not because he had corrupted the word of God; it was not because he was unfaithful; it was not because he was not sincere. He had a good conscience-a conscience which assured him that he spoke in sincerity, and as in the sight of God; though the unhappy effect might be that many would perish from under his ministry.

1. But I determined this with myself. I made my mind on this point; I

glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

formed this resolution in regard to my course. That I would not come again to you with heaviness. In grief (ev Aúnn). I would not come, if I could avoid it, in circumstances which must have grieved both me and you. I would not come while there existed among you such irregularities as must have pained my heart, and as must have compelled me to resort to such acts of discipline as would be painful to you. I resolved, therefore, to endeavour to remove these evils before I came, that when I did come, my visit might be mutually agreeable to us both. For that reason I changed my purpose about visiting you, when I heard of those disorders, and resolved to send an epistle. If that should be successful then the way will be open for an agreeable visit to you. This verse, therefore, contains the statement of the principal reason why he had not come to them as he had at first proposed. It was really from no fickleness, but it was from love to them, and a desire that his visit should be mutually agreeable. Comp. Notes, ch. i. 23.

2. For if I made you sorry. If when I should come among you, I should be called on to inflict sorrow by punishing your offending brethren by an act of severe discipline as soon as I came, who would there be to give me comfort but those very persons whom I had affected with grief? How little prepared would they be to make me happy, and to comfort me, amidst the deep sorrow which I should have caused by an act of severe discipline. After such a act, an act that would spread sorrow through the whole church, how could I expect that comfort which I should desire to find among you. The whole church would be affected with grief: and though I might be sustained by the sound part of the church, yet my visit would be attended with painful circumstances. I resolved, therefore, to remove all cause of difficulty, if possible, before I came, that my visit might be pleasant to us all. The idea is, that there was such a sympathy between

CHAPTER II.

Why Paul had not visited the church as

to be restored, 5—11. Paul's triumph in the success of his ministry, 12—17.

to be a Christian. Ver. 21, 22. It is regarded as a privilege to be an heir to an estate, and to have an assurance that it will be ours. But the Christian has an "earnest," a pledge that heaven is his. He is anointed of God; he is sealed for heaven. Heaven is his home; and God is giving to him daily evidence in his own experience that he will soon be admitted to its pure and blissful abodes.

XX. The joys of the Christian on earth are of the same nature as the joys of heaven. These comforts are an " earnest of the future inheritance; a part of that which the Christian is to enjoy for ever. His joys on earth are "heaven begun; and all that is needful to constitute heaven is that these joys should be expanded and perpetuated. There will be no other heaven than that which would be constituted by the expanded joys of a Christian.

XXI. No one is a Christian, no one is fitted for heaven, who has not such principles and joys as being fully expanded and developed would constitute heaven. The joys of heaven are not to be created for us as some new thing; they are not to be such as we have had no foretaste, no conception of; but they are to be such as will be produced of necessity by removing imperfection from the joys and feelings of the believer, and carrying them out without alloy, and without interruption, and without end. The man, therefore, who has such a character, that if fairly developed would not constitute the joys of heaven, is not a Christian. He has no evidence that he has been born again; and all his joys are fancied and delusive.

XXII. Christians should be careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Comp. Eph. iv. 30. It is by that Spirit that they are "anointed and "sealed," and it is by his influences that they have the earnest of their future inheritance. All good influences on their minds proceed from that Spirit; and

In this chapter Paul continues the discussion of the subject which had been introduced in the previous chapter. At the close of that chapter he had stated the reasons why he had not visited the church at Corinth. See Notes on ch. i. 23, 24. The main reason was, that instead of coming to them in that disordered, and irregular state, he had preferred to send them an affectionate letter. Had he come to them personally he would have felt himself called on to exercise the severity of discipline. He chose, therefore, to try what the effect would be of a faithful and kind epistle. In this chapter, he prosecutes the same subject. He states, therefore, more at length the reason why he had not visited them, ver. 1-5. The reason was, that he resolved not to come to them, if he could avoid it, with severity; that his heart was pained even with the necessity of sending such a letter; that he wrote it with much anguish of spirit; yet that he cherished towards them the most tender love. In his former epistle, ch. v. he had directed them to exercise discipline on the offending person in the church. This had been done according to his direction; and the offender had been suitably punished for his offence. He had been excommunicated; and it would seem that the effect on him had been to induce him to forsake his sin, and probably put away his father's wife, and he had become a sincere penitent. Paul, therefore, in the next place, ver. 6-11, exhorts them to receive him again into fellowship with

1

2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me

1 Ch. i. 14; xi. 29. Rom. xii. 15. 1 Cor. xii. 26.

the church. The punishment he says had been sufficient, ver. 6; they ought now to be kind and forgiving to him lest he should be overwhelmed with his sorrow, ver. 7; he says, that he had forgiven him, so far as he was concerned, and he entreated them to do the same, ver. 10; and says that they ought by all means, to pursue such a course that Satan could get no advantage over them. Ver. 11. Paul then states the disappointment which he had at Troas in not seeing Titus, from whom he had expected to learn what was the state of the church at Corinth, and what was the reception of his letter there; but that not seeing him there, he had gone to Macedonia. Ver. 12, 13. There, it would seem, he met Titus, and learned that his letter had had all the success which he could desire. It had been kindly received; and all that he had wished in regard to discipline had been performed. Ver. 14. The hearing of this success gave him occasion to thank God for it, as one among many instances in which his efforts to advance his cause had been crowned with success. God had made him everywhere successful; and had made him triumph in Christ in every place. This fact gives him occasion, ver. 15, 16, to state the general effect of his preaching and his labours. His efforts, he says, were always acceptable to God; though he could not be ignorant that in some cases the gospel which he preached was the occasion of the aggravated condemnation of those who heard and rejected it. Yet he had the consolation of reflecting that it was by no fault of his. Ver. 17. It was not because he had corrupted the word of God; it was not because he was unfaithful; it was not because he was not sincere. He had a good conscience-a conscience which assured him that he spoke in sincerity, and as in the sight of God; though the unhappy effect might be that many would perish from under his ministry.

1. But I determined this with myself. I made my mind on this point;

I

glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

formed this resolution in regard to my course. That I would not come again to you with heaviness. In grief (èv λúny). I would not come, if I could avoid it, in circumstances which must have grieved both me and you. I would not come while there existed among you such irregularities as must have pained my heart, and as must have compelled me to resort to such acts of discipline as would be painful to you. I resolved, therefore, to endeavour to remove these evils before I came, that when I did come, my visit might be mutually agreeable to us both. For that reason I changed my purpose about visiting you, when I heard of those disorders, and resolved to send an epistle. If that should be successful then the way will be open for an agreeable visit to you. This verse, therefore, contains the statement of the principal reason why he had not come to them as he had at first proposed. It was really from no fickleness, but it was from love to them, and a desire that his visit should be mutually agreeable. Comp. Notes, ch. i. 23.

2. For if I made you sorry. If when I should come among you, I should be called on to inflict sorrow by punishing your offending brethren by an act of severe discipline as soon as I came, who would there be to give me comfort but those very persons whom I had affected with grief? How little prepared would they be to make me happy, and to comfort me, amidst the deep sorrow which I should have caused by an act of severe discipline. After such a act, an act that would spread sorrow through the whole church, how could I expect that comfort which I should desire to find among you. The whole church would be affected with grief: and though I might be sustained by the sound part of the church, yet my visit would be attended with painful circumstances. I resolved, therefore, to remove all cause of difficulty, if possible, before I came, that my visit might be pleasant to us all. The idea is, that there was such a sympathy between