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2 COR. VII. 2, 3.
Open your hearts to us: we wronged no man, we
corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man.
I say it not to condemn you; for l have said
before, [as I have also declared above],
that ye are in our hearts to die together and
live together.
Again he raiseth the discourse about love,
mitigating the harshness of his rebuke. For
since he had convicted and reproached them as
being beloved indeed, yet not loving in an equal
degree, but breaking away from his love and
mixing up with other pestilent fellows; again he
softens the vehemence of his rebuke, saying,
"Make room for us," that is, "love us;"
and prays to receive a favor involving no
burden, and advantaging them that confer above
them that receive it. And he said not,
'love,' but with a stronger appeal to their
pity, "make room for." ' Who expelled us?
' saith he: ' Who cast us out of your
hearts? How come we to be straitened in you?'
for since he said above, "Ye are straitened in
your affections;" here declaring it more
clearly, he said, "make room for us:" in
this way also again winning them to himself.
For nothing doth so produce love as for the
beloved to know that he that loveth him
exceedingly desireth his love.
"We wronged no man." See how again he does
not mention the benefits [done by him], but
frameth his speech in another way, so as to be
both less offensive and more cutting. And at
the same time he also alludes to the false
apostles, saying, "We wronged no man, we
corrupted no man, we defrauded no man."
What is "we corrupted?" That is, we
beguiled no man; as he says elsewhere also.
"Lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve, so your minds should be corrupted." (2
Cor. xi. 3.)
"We defrauded no man;" we plundered, plotted
against no man. And he for the present forbears
to say, ' we benefited you in such and such
ways;' but framing his language so as more to
shame them, " We wronged no man, "' he
says; as much as saying, ' Even had we in no
wise benefited you, not even so ought ye to turn
away from us; for ye have nothing to lay to our
charge, either small or great.' Then, for he
felt the heaviness of his rebuke, he tempers it
again. And he was neither silent altogether,
for so he would not have aroused them; nor yet
did he let the harshness of his language go
unmodified, for so he would have wounded them
too much. And what says he? Ver. 3. "I
say it not to condemn you." How is this
evident? "For I have said before," he
adds, "that ye are in our hearts to die and
live with you." This is the greatest
affection, when even though treated with
contempt, he chooseth both to die and live with
them. ' For neither are ye merely in our
hearts,' he says, 'but in such sort as I
said. For it is possible both to love and to
shun dangers, but we do not thus.' And behold
here also wisdom unspeakable. For he spake not
of what had been done for them, that he might
not seem to be again reproaching them, but he
promiseth for the future. ' For should it
chance,' saith he, ' that danger should
invade, for your sakes I am ready to suffer
every thing; and neither death nor life seemeth
aught to me in itself, but in whichever ye be,
that is to me more desirable, both death than
life and life than death.' Howbeit, dying
indeed is manifestly a proof of love; but
living, who is there that would not choose,
even of those who are not friends? Why then
does the Apostle mention it as something great?
Because it is even exceeding great. For
numbers indeed sympathize with their friends when
they are in misfortune, but when they are in
honor rejoice not with, but envy, them. '
But not so we; but whether ye be in calamity,
we are not afraid to share your ill fortune; or
whether ye be prosperous, we are not wounded
with envy.'
Then after he had continually repeated these
things, saying, "Ye are not straitened in
us;" and, "Ye are straitened in your own
affections;" and, "make room for us;" and,
"Be ye also enlarged;" and, "We wronged no
man;" and all these things seemed to be a
condemnation of them: observe how he also in
another manner alleviates this severity by
saying, "Great is my boldness of speech
towards you." ' Therefore I venture upon
such things,' he says, ' not to condemn you
by what I say, but out of my great boldness of
speech,' which also farther signifying, he
said, "Great is my glorying on your behalf."
' For think not indeed,' he saith, ' that
because I thus speak, I speak as though I had
condemned you altogether; (for I am
exceedingly proud of, and glory in, you;) but
both out of tender concern and a desire that you
should make greater increase unto. virtue.'
And so he said to the Hebrews also after much
rebuke; "But we are persuaded better things of
you, and things that accompany salvation,
though we thus speak: and we desire that each
one of you may show the same diligence to the
fullness of hope even to the end." (Heb.
vi. 9, 11.) So indeed here also,
"Great is my glorying on your behalf." 'We
glory others of you,' he says. Seest thou
what genuine comfort he has given? ' And,'
he saith, ' I do not simply glory, but also,
greatly.' Accordingly he added these words;
"I am filled with comfort." What comfort?
' That coming from you; because that ye,
having been reformed, comforted me by your
conduct.' This is the test of one that
loveth, both to complain of not being loved and
to fear lest 'he should inflict pain by
complaining immoderately. Therefore he says,
"I am filled with comfort, I overflow with
joy." 'But these expressions,' saith one,
'seem to contradict the former.' They do not
do so, however, but are even exceedingly in
harmony with them. For these procure for the
former a favorable reception; and the praise
which they convey makes the benefit of those
rebukes more genuine, by quietly abstracting
what was painful in them. Wherefore he uses
these expressions, but with great genuineness
and earnestness. For he did not say, ' I am
filled with joy;' but, "I abound;" or
rather, not "abound" either, but
"super-abound;" in this way also again
showing his yearning, that even though he be so
loved as to rejoice and exult, he does not yet
think himself loved as he ought to be loved, nor
to have received full payment; so insatiable was
he out of his exceeding love of them. For the
joy it brings to be loved in any degree by those
one passionately loves, is great by reason of
our loving them exceedingly. So that this again
was a proof of his affection.
And of the comfort indeed, he saith, ' ' I
am filled;" 'I have received what was owing
to me;' but of the joy, "I superabound;"
that is, 'I was desponding about you; but ye
have sufficiently excused yourselves and supplied
comfort: for ye have not only removed the ground
of my sorrow, but have even increased joy.'
Then showing its greatness, he not only
declares it by saying, ', I superabound in
joy," but also by adding, "in all our
affliction." ' For so great was the delight
arising to us on your account that it was not
even dimmed by so great tribulation, but through
the excess of its own greatness it overcame the
sorrows that had hold of us, and suffered us not
to feel the sense of them.'
Ver. 5. "For even when we were come into
Macedonia, our flesh had no relief."
For since he said, "our tribulation;" he
both explains of what sort it was, and magnifies
it by his words, in order to show that the
consolation and joys received from them was
great, seeing it had repelled so great a
sorrow. "But we were afflicted on every
side."
How on every side? for "without were
fightings," from the unbelievers; "within
were fears;" because of the weak among the
believers, lest they should be drawn aside.
For not amongst the Corinthians only did these
things happen, but elsewhere also.
Ver. 6. "Nevertheless He that comforteth
the lowly comforted us by the coming of
Titus."
For since he had testified great things of them
in what he said, that he may not seem to be
flattering them he cites as witness Titus the
brother, who had come from them to Paul after
the first Epistle to declare unto him the
particulars of their amendment. But consider,
I pray you, how in every place he maketh a
great matter of the coming of Titus. For he
saith also before, "Furthermore when I came
to Troas for the Gospel, I had no relief for
my spirit because I found not Titus my
brother;" (c. ii. 12, 13.) and in
this place again we were comforted," he saith,
"by the coming of Titus." For he is desirous
also of establishing the man in their confidence
and of making him exceedingly dear to them. And
observe how he provides for both these things.
For by saying on the one hand, "I had no
relief for my spirit," he showeth the greatness
of his virtue; and by saying on the other,
that, in our tribulation his coming sufficed
unto comfort; yet "not by his coming only, but
also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in
you," he endeareth the man unto the
Corinthians. For nothing doth so produce and
cement friendships as the saying something sound
and favorable of any one. And such he testifies
Titus did; when he says that 'by his coming he
hath given us wings with pleasure; such things
did he report of you. On this ground his coming
made us glad. For we were delighted not "only
by his coming, but also for the comfort
wherewith he was comforted in you." And how
was he comforted? By your virtue, by your good
deeds.' Wherefore also he adds, "While he
told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal
for me. 'These things made him glad,' he
says, ' these things comforted him.' Seest
thou how he shows that he also is an earnest
lover of theirs, seeing he considers their good
report as a consolation to himself; and when he
was come, gloried, as though on account of his
own good things, unto Paul.
And observe with what warmth of expression he
reporteth these things, "Your longing, your
mourning, your zeal." For it was likely that
they would mourn and grieve why the blessed Paul
was so much displeased, why he had kept away
from them so long. And therefore he did not say
simply tears, but "mourning;" nor desire,
but "longing;" nor anger, but "zeal;" and
again "zeal toward him," which they displayed
both about him that had committed fornication and
about those who were accusing him. 'For,'
saith he, 'ye were inflamed and blazed out on
receiving my letters.' On these accounts he
abounds in joy, on these accounts he is filled
with consolation, because he made them feel.
It seems to me, however, that these things are
said not only to soften what has gone before,
but also in encouragement of those who had acted
in these things virtuously. For although I
suppose that some were obnoxious to those former
accusations and unworthy of these praises;
nevertheless, he doth not distinguish them, but
makes both the praises and the accusations
common, leaving it to the conscience of his
hearers to select that which belongs to them.
For so both the one would be void of offence,
and the other lead them on to much fervor of
mind.
Such also now should be the feelings of those
who are reprehended; thus should they lament and
mourn; thus yearn after their teachers; thus,
more than fathers, seek them. For by those
indeed living cometh, but by these good living.
Thus ought they to bear the rebukes of their
fathers, thus to sympathize with their rulers on
account of those that sin. For it does not rest
all with them, but with you also. For if he
that hath sinned perceives that he was rebuked
indeed by his father, but flattered by his
brethren; he becometh more easy of mind. But
when the father rebukes, be thou too angry as
well, whether as concerned for thy brother or as
joining in thy father's indignation; only be
the earnestness thou showest great; and mourn,
not that he was rebuked, but that he sinned.
But if I build up and thou pull down, what
profit have we had but labor? (Ecclus.
xxxiv. 23. ) Yea, rather, thy loss stops
not here, but thou bringest also punishment on
thyself. For he that hindereth the wound from
being healed is punished not less than he that
inflicted it, but even more. For it is not an
equal offence to wound and to hinder that which
is wounded from being healed; for this indeed
necessarily gendereth death, but that not
necessarily. Now I have spoken thus to you;
that ye may join in the anger of your rulers
whenever they are indignant justly; that when ye
see any one rebuked, ye may all shun him more
than does the teacher. Let him that hath
offended fear you more than his rulers. For if
he is afraid of his teacher only, he will
readily sin: but if he have to dread so many
eyes, so many tongues, he will be in greater
safety. For as, if we do not thus act, we
shall suffer the extremest punishment; so, if
we perform these things, we shall partake of the
gain that accrues from his reformation. Thus
then let us act; and if any one shall say, '
be humane towards thy brother, this is a
Christian's duty; let him be taught, that he
is humane who is angry [with him], not he who
sets him at ease prematurely and alloweth him not
even to come to a sense of his transgression.
For which, tell me, pities the man in a fever
and laboring under delirium, he that lays him on
his bed, and binds him down, and keeps him from
meats and drinks that are not fit for him; or he
that allows him to glut himself with strong
drink, and orders him to have his liberty, and
to act in every respect as one that is in
health? Does not this person even aggravate the
distemper, the man that seemeth to act
humanely, whereas the other amends it? Such
truly Ought our decision to be in this case
also. For it is the part of humanity, not to
humor the sick in every thing nor to flatter
their unseasonable desires. No one so loved him
that committed fornication amongst the
Corinthinians, as Paul who commandeth to
deliver him to Satan; no one so hated him as
they that applaud and court him; and the event
showed it. For they indeed both puffed him up
and increased his inflammation; but [the
Apostle] both lowered it and left him not until
he brought him to perfect health. And they
indeed added to the existing mischief, he
eradicated even that which existed from the
first. These laws, then, of humanity let us
learn also. For if thou seest a horse hurrying
down a precipice, thou appliest a bit and
holdest him in with violence and lashest him
frequently; although this is punishment, yet
the punishment itself is the mother of safety.
Thus act also in the case of those that sin.
Bind him that hath transgressed until he have
appeased God; let him not go loose, that he be
not bound the faster by the anger of God. If
I bind, God doth not chain; if I bind not,
the indissoluble chains await him. "For if we
judged ourselves, we should not be judged. (1
Cor. xi. 31.) Think not, then, that
thus to act cometh of cruelty and inhumanity;
nay, but of the highest gentleness and the most
skillful leechcraft and of much tender care.
But, saith one, they have been punished for a
long time. How long? Tell me. A year, and
two, and three years? Howbeit, I require not
this, length of time, but amendment of soul.
This then show, whether they have been pricked
to the heart, whether they have reformed, and
all is done: since if there be not this, there
is no advantage in the time. For neither do we
inquire whether the wound has been often
bandaged, but whether the bandage has been of
any service. If therefore it hath been of
service, although in a short time, let it be
kept on no longer: but if it hath done no
service, even at the end of ten years, let it
be still kept on: and let this fix the term of
release, the good of him that is bound.
If we are thus careful both of ourselves and of
others, and regard not honor and dishonor at the
hands of men; but bearing in mind the punishment
and the disgrace that is there, and above all
the provoking of God, apply with energy the
medicines of repentance: we shall both presently
arrive at the perfect health, and shall obtain
the good things to come; which may all we
obtain, through the grace and love towards men
of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the
Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory,
might, honor, now and ever, and world without
end. Amen.
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