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2 COR. VII. 13.
And in your comfort, we joyed the more
exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his
spirit hath been refreshed by you all.
SEE again how he exalts their praises, and
showeth their love. For having said, 'I was
pleased that my Epistle wrought so much and that
ye gained so much,' for "I rejoice," he
saith, "not that ye were made sorry, but that
ye were made sorry unto repentance;" and having
shown his own love, for he saith, "Though I
wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that
did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered
the wrong, but that our care for you might be
made manifest to you:" again he mentioneth
another sign of their good will, which bringeth
them great praise and showeth the genuineness of
their affection. For, "in your comfort," he
saith, "we joyed the more exceedingly for the
joy of Titus." And yet this is no sign of one
that loveth them exceedingly; rejoicing rather
for Titus than for them. 'Yes,' he
replies, 'it is, for I joyed not so much for
his cause as for yours.' Therefore also he
subjoins the reason, saying, "because his
bowels were refreshed by you all." He said
not, 'he,' but "his bowels;" that is,
'his love for you.' And how were they
refreshed? "By all." For this too is a very
great praise.
Ver. 14. "For if in anything I have
gloried to him on your behalf."
It is high praise when the teacher boasted, for
he saith, "I was not put to shame." I
therefore rejoiced, because ye showed yourselves
to be amended and proved my words by your deeds.
So that the honor accruing to me was twofold;
first, in that ye had made progress; next, in
that I was not found to fall short of the
truth. Ver. 14. "But as we spake always
to you in truth, so our glorying also which I
made before Titus was found to be truth."
Here he alludes to something further. As we
spake all things among you in truth, (for it is
probable that he had also spoken to them much in
praise of this man, ) so also, what we said of
you to Titus has been proved true.
Ver. 15. "And his inward affection is more
abundant toward you."
What follows is in commendation of him, as
exceedingly consumed with love and attached to
them. And he said not 'his love.' Then that
he may not appear to be flattering, he
everywhere mentions the causes of his affection;
in order that he may, as I said, both escape
the imputation of flattery and the more encourage
them by making the praise redound unto them, and
by showing that it was they who had infused into
him the beginning and ground of this so great
love. For having said, "his inward affection
is more abundant toward you;" he added,
"Whilst he remembereth the obedience of you
all." Now this both shows that Titus was
grateful to his benefactors, seeing he had
returned, having them all in his heart, and
continually remembereth them, and beareth them
on his lips and in his mind; and also is a
greater distinction to the Corinthians, seeing
that so vanquished they sent him away. Then he
mentions their obedience also, magnifying their
zeal: wherefore also he addeth these words,
"How with fear and trembling ye received
him." Not with love only, but also with
excessive honor. Seest thou how he bears
witness to a twofold virtue in them, both that
they loved him as a father and had feared him as
a ruler, neither for fear dimming love, nor for
love relaxing fear. He expressed this also
above, "That ye sorrow after a godly sort,
what earnest care it wrought in you; yea what
fear, yea what longing."
Ver. 16. "I rejoice therefore, that in
every thing I am of good courage concerning
you." Seest thou that he rejoiceth more on
their account; 'because,' he saith, 'ye
have in no particular shamed your teacher, nor
show yourselves unworthy of my testimony.' So
that he joyed not so much for Titus' sake,
that he enjoyed so great honor; as for their
own, that they had displayed so much good
feeling. For that he may not be imagined to joy
rather on Titus' account, observe how in this
place also he states the reason. As then he
said above, "If in anything I have gloried to
him on your behalf I was not put to shame;" so
here also, "In everything I am of good
courage concerning you." 'Should need require
me to rebuke, I have no apprehension of your
being alienated; or again to boast, I fear not
to be convicted of falsehood; or to praise you
as obeying the rein, or as loving, or as full
of zeal, I have confidence in you. I bade you
cut off, and ye did cut off; I bade you
receive, and ye did receive; I said before
Titus that ye were great and admirable kind of
people and knew to reverence teachers: ye proved
these things true by your conduct. And he
learnt these things not so much from me as from
you. At any rate when he returned, he had
become a passionate lover of you: your behavior
having surpassed what he had been told.'
Chap. viii. ver. 1. "Moreover,
brethren, we make known to you the grace of God
which hath been given in the Churches of
Macedonia."
Having encouraged them with these encomiums, he
again tries exhortation. For on this account he
mingled these praises with his rebuke, that he
might not by proceeding from rebuke to
exhortation make what he had to say ill
received; but having soothed their ears, might
by this means pave the way for his exhortation.
For he purposeth to discourse of alms-giving;
wherefore also he saith beforehand, "I rejoice
that in everything I am of good courage
concerning you;" by their past good works,
making them the more ready to this duty also.
And he said not at once, ' Therefore give
alms,' but observe his wisdom, how he draws
from a distance and from on high the preparation
for his discourse. For he says, "I make
known to you the grace of God which hath been
given in the Churches of Macedonia." For
that they might not be uplifted he calleth what
they did "grace;" and whilst relating what
others did he worketh greater zeal in them by his
encomiums on others. And he mentions together
two praises of the Macedonians, or rather
three; namely, that they bear trials nobly;
and that they know how to pity; and that,
though poor, they had displayed profuseness in
almsgiving, for their property had been also
plundered. And when he wrote his Epistle to
them, it was as signifying this that he said,
"For ye became imitators of the Churches of
God which are in Judaea, for ye also suffered
the same things of your own countrymen, even as
they did of the Jews." (1 Thess. ii.
14.) Hear what he said afterwards in writing
to the Hebrews, "For ye took joyfully the
spoiling of your possessions." (Heb. x.
34.) But He calls what they did "grace,"
not in order to keep them humble merely; but
both to provoke them to emulation and to prevent
what he said from proving invidious. Wherefore
he also added the name of "brethren" so as to
undermine all envious feeling; for he is about
to praise them in high-flown terms. Listen,
at least, to his praises. For having said,
"I make known to you the grace of God," he
said not ' which hath been given in this or that
city,' but praiseth the entire nation,
saying, "in the Churches of Macedonia."
Then he details also this same grace.
Ver. 2. "How that in much proof of
affliction the abundance of their joy."
Seest thou his wisdom? For he says not first,
that which he wishes; but another thing before
it, that he may not seem to do this of set
purpose, but to arrive at it by a different
connection. "In much proof of affliction."
This was what he said in his Epistle to the
Macedonians themselves, "Ye became imitators
of the Lord, having received the word in much
affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost;" and
again, "From you sounded forth the word of the
Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but
also in every place, your faith to God-ward is
gone forth." (1 Thess. i. 6, 8.) But
what is, "in much proof of affliction the
abundance of their joy?" Both, he says,
happened to them in excess; both the affliction
and the joy. Wherefore also the strangeness was
great that so great an excess of pleasure sprang
up to them out of affliction. For in truth the
affliction not only was not the parent of grief,
but it even became unto them an occasion of
gladness; and this too, though it was
"great." Now this he said, to prepare them
to be noble and firm in their trials. For they
were not merely afflicted, but so as also to
have become approved by their patience: yea
rather, he says not by their patience, but what
was more than patience, "joy." And neither
said he "joy" simply, but "abundance of
joy," for it sprang up in them, great and
unspeakable.
"And their deep poverty abounded unto the
riches of their liberality."
Again, both these with excessiveness. For as
their great affliction gave birth to great joy,
yea, "abundance of joy," so their great
poverty gave birth to great riches of alms. For
this he showed, saying, "abounded unto the
riches of their liberality." For munificence
is determined not by the measure of what is
given, but by the mind of those that bestow it.
Wherefore he nowhere says, ' the richness of
the gifts,' but "the riches of their
liberality." Now what he says is to this
effect; 'their poverty not only was no
impediment to their being bountiful, but was
even an occasion to them of abounding, just as
affliction was of feeling joy. For the poorer
they were, the more munificent they were and
contributed the more readily.' Wherefore also
he admires them exceedingly, for that in the
midst of so great poverty they had displayed so
great munificence. For "their deep," that
is, 'their great and unspeakable,'
"poverty," showed their "liberality." But
he said not 'showed,' but "abounded;" and
he said not "liberality," but "riches of
liberality;" that is, an equipoise to the
greatness of their poverty, or rather much
outweighing it, was the bountifulness they
displayed. Then he even explains this more
clearly, saying, Ver. 3. "For according
to their power, I bear witness." Trustworthy
is the witness. "And beyond their power."
That is, it "abounded unto the riches of their
liberality." Or rather, he makes this plain,
not by this expression alone, but also by all
that follows; for he says, "of their own
accord." Lo! yet another excessiveness.
Ver. 4. "With much intreaty." Lo! yet a
third and a fourth. "Praying us." Lo! even
a fifth. And when they were in affliction and
in poverty. Here are a sixth and seventh. And
they gave with excessiveness. Then since this
is what he most of all wishes to provide for in
the Corinthians' case, namely, the giving
deliberately, he dwells especially upon it,
saying, "with much intreaty," and "praying
us." ' We prayed not them, but they us.'
Pray us what? "That the grace and the
fellowship in the ministering to the saints."
Seest thou how he again exalts the deed,
calling it by venerable names. For since they
were ambitious of spiritual gifts, he calls it
by the name grace that they might eagerly pursue
it; and again by that of "fellowship," that
they might learn that they receive, not give
only. 'This therefore they intreated us,' he
says, 'that we would take upon us such a
ministry.'
Ver. 5. "And" this, "not as we hoped."
This he says with reference both to the amount
and to their afflictions. 'For we could never
have hoped,' he says, 'that whilst in so
great affliction and poverty, they would even
have urged us and so greatly intreated us.' He
showed also their carefulness of life in other
respects, by saying, "But first they gave
their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the
will of God."
'For in everything their obedience was beyond
our expectations; nor because they showed mercy
did they neglect the other virtues,' "but
first gave themselves to the Lord." What is,
"gave themselves to the Lord?" 'They
offered up [themselves]; they showed
themselves approved in faith; they displayed
much fortitude in their trials, order,
goodness, love, in all things both readiness
and zeal.' What means, "and to us?"
'They were tractable to the rein, loved,
obeyed us; both fulfilling the laws of God and
bound unto us by love.' And observe how here
also he again shows their earnestness saying,
"gave themselves to the Lord." They did not
in some things obey God, and in some the
world; but in all things Him; and gave
themselves wholly unto God. For neither
because they showed mercy were they filled up
with senseless pride, but displaying much
lowlymindedness, much obedience, much
reverence, much heavenly wisdom, they so
wrought their almsdeeds also. But what is,
"by the will of God?" Since he had said,
they "gave themselves to us," yet was it not
"to us," after the manner of men, but they
did this also according to the mind of God.
Ver. 6. "Insomuch that we exhorted Titus,
that as he made a beginning before, so he would
also complete in you this grace also."
And what connexion is there here? Much; and
closely bearing on what went before. 'For
because we saw them vehement,' he says, 'and
fervent in all things, in temptations, in
almsgiving, in their love toward us, in the
purity otherwise of their life: in order that ye
too might be made their equals, we sent
Titus.' Howbeit he did not say this, though
he implied it. Behold excessiveness of love.
'For though intreated and desired by them,'
he says, 'we were anxious about your state,
lest by any means ye should come short of them.
Wherefore also we sent Titus, that by this
also being stirred up and put in mind, ye might
emulate the Macedonians.' For Titus happened
to be there when this Epistle was writing. Yet
he shows that he had made a beginning in this
matter before Paul's exhortation; "that as he
had made a beginning before," he says.
Wherefore also he bestows great praise on him;
for instance, in the beginning [of the
Epistle]; "Because I found not Titus my
brother, I had no relief for my spirit: "
(chap. ii. 13.) and here all those things
which he has said, and this too itself. For
this also is no light praise, the having begun
before even: for this evinces a warm and fervent
spirit. Wherefore also he sent him, infusing
amongst them in this also a very great incentive
unto giving, the presence of Titus. On this
account also he extols him with praises, wishing
to endear him more exceedingly to the
Corinthians. For this too hath a great weight
unto persuading, when he who counsels is upon
intimate terms. And well does he both once and
twice and thrice, having made mention of
almsgiving, call 'it grace,' now indeed
saying, "Moreover, brethren, I make known
to you the grace of God bestowed on the
Churches of Macedonia;" and now, "they of
their own accord, praying us with much intreaty
in regard of this grace and fellowship:" and
again, "that as he had begun, so he would also
finish in you this grace also."
For this is a great good and a gift of God;
and rightly done assimilates us, so far as may
be, unto God; for such an one is in the
highest sense a man. A certain one, at least,
giving a model of a man has mentioned this, for
"Man," saith he, "is a great thing; and a
merciful man is an honorable thing." (Prov.
xx, 6. LXX.) Greater is this gift than
to raise the dead. For far greater is it to
feed Christ when an hungered than to raise the
dead by the name of Jesus: for in the former
case thou doest good to Christ, in the latter
He to thee. And the reward surely comes by
doing good, not by receiving good. For here
indeed, in the case of miracles I mean, thou
art God's debtor. in that of almsgiving, thou
hast God for a debtor. Now it is almsgiving,
when it is done with willingness, when with
bountifulness, when thou deemest thyself not to
give but to receive, when done as if thou wert
benefitted, as if gaining and not losing; for
so this were not a grace. For he that showeth
mercy on another ought to feel joyful, not
peevish. For how is it not absurd, if whilst
removing another's downheartedness, thou art
thyself downhearted? for so thou no longer
sufferest it to be alms. For if thou art
downhearted because thou hast delivered another
from downheartedness, thou furnishest an example
of extreme cruelty and inhumanity; for it were
better not to deliver him, than so to deliver
him. And why art thou also downhearted at all,
O man? for fear thy gold should diminish? If
such are thy thoughts, do not give at all: if
thou art not quite sure that it is multiplied for
thee in heaven, do not bestow. But thou
seekest the recompense here. Wherefore? Let
thine alms be alms, and not traffic. Now many
have indeed received a recompense even here; but
have not so received it, as if they should have
an advantage over those who received it not
here; but some of them as being weaker than they
ought, because they were not so strongly
attracted by the things which are there. And as
those who are greedy, and ill-mannered, and
slaves of their bellies, being invited to a
royal banquet, and unable to wait till the
proper time, just like little children mar their
own enjoyment, by taking food beforehand and
stuffing themselves with inferior dishes: even
so in truth do these who seek for and receive
[recompense]
here, diminish their reward there. Further,
when thou lendest, thou wishest to receive thy
principal after a longer interval, and perhaps
even not to receive it at all, in order that by
the delay thou mayest make the interest greater;
but, in this case, dost thou ask back
immediately; and that too when thou art about to
be not here, but there forever; when thou art
about not to be here to be judged, but to render
thine account? And if indeed one were building
thee mansions where thou weft not going to
remain, thou wouldest deem it to be a loss; but
now, desirest thou here to be rich, whence
possibly thou art to depart even before the
evening? Knowest thou not that we live in a
foreign land, as though strangers and
sojourners? Knowest thou not that it is the lot
of sojourners to be ejected when they think not,
expect not? which is also our lot. For this
reason then, whatsoever things we have
prepared, we leave here. For the Lord does
not allow us to receive them and depart, if we
have built houses, if we have bought fields, if
slaves, if gear, if any other such thing. But
not only does He not allow us to take them and
depart hence, but doth not even account to thee
the price of them. For He forwarned thee that
thou shouldest not build, nor spend what is
other men's but thine own. Why therefore,
leaving what is thine own, dost thou work and be
at cost in what is another's, so as to lose
both thy toil and thy wages and to suffer the
extremest punishment? Do not so, I beseech
thee; but seeing we are by nature sojourners,
let us also be so by choice; that we be not
there sojourners and dishonored and cast out.
For if we are set upon being citizens here, we
shall be so neither here nor there; but if we
continue to be sojourners, and live in such wise
as sojourners ought to live in, we shall enjoy
the freedom of citizens both here and there.
For the just, although having nothing, will
both dwell here amidst all men's possessions as
though they were his own; and also, when he
hath departed to heaven, shall see those his
eternal habitations. And he shall both here
suffer no discomfort, (for none will ever be
able to make him a stranger that hath every land
for his city;) and when he hath been restored
to his own country, shall receive the true
riches. In order that we may gain both the
things of this life and of that, let us use
aright the things we have. For so shall we be
citizens of the heavens, and shall enjoy much
boldness; whereunto may we all attain, through
the grace and love towards men of our Lord
Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father with
the Holy Ghost, be glory and power for ever.
Amen.
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