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2 COR. XIII. 10.
For this cause I write these things while
absent, that I may not when present deal
sharply, according to the authority which the
Lord gave me for building up, and not for
casting down.
HE was sensible he had spoken more vehemently
than his wont, and especially towards the end of
the Epistle. For he said before, "Now I
Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and
gentleness of Christ; I who in your presence
am lowly among you, but being absent am of good
courage towards you: Yea, I beseech you,
that I may not be bold when I am present, with
the confidence wherewith I count to be bold
against some which count of us as if we walked
according to the flesh;" (Chap. x. 1,
2. ) and, "being in readiness to avenge all
disobedience when your obedience shall be
fulfilled :" (Ib. 6.) and, "I fear
lest when I come, I should find you not such
as I would, and should myself be found of you
such as ye would not;" (Chap. xii. 20.)
and again, "lest when I come my God should
humble me before you, and that I should mourn
many of them which have sinned heretofore, and
repented not of the lasciviousness and
uncleanness which they committed :" (Ib.
21.) and afterwards, "I told you before
and foretell you, as if I were present the
second time, and being absent now I write,
that, if I come again, I will not spare;
seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ, that
speaketh in me." (Chap. xiii. 2, 3.)
Since then he had said these things and more
besides, terrifying, shaming, reproaching,
lashing them, he says, in excuse for all,
"For this cause I write these things while
absent, that I may not when present dea.
sharply." For I am desirous the sharpness
should lie in my letters and not in my deeds. I
wish my threats to be vehement, that they may
continue threats and never go forth into action.
Again even in this his apology he makes what he
says more terrible, showing that it is not
himself who is to punish, but God; for he
added, "according to the authority which the
Lord gave me;" and again, to show that he
desires not to use his power to their
punishment, he added, "not for casting down,
but for building up." And he hinted indeed
this now, as I said, but he left it to them to
draw the conclusion that if they should continue
unamended, even this again is building up, to
punish those that are of such a mind. For so it
is, and he knew it and showed it by his deeds.
Ver. 11. "For the rest, brethren,
rejoice, be perfected, be comforted, be of the
same mind, live in peace, and the God of love
and peace shall be with you."
What means, "for the rest, brethren,
rejoice?"' Thou hast pained, terrified,
thrown them into an agony, made them to tremble
and fear, and how biddest thou them rejoice?
'Why, for this very reason I bid them
rejoice. For,' he says, ' if what is your
part follow' upon mine, there will be nothing
to prevent that joy. For all my part has been
done; I have suffered long, I have delayed,
I have forborne to cut off, I have besought,
I have advised, I have alarmed,
I have threatened, so as by every means to
gather you in unto the fruit of repentance. And
now it behoveth that your part be done, and so
your joy will be unfading.'
"Be perfected." What is, "be perfected?"
'Be complete, fill up what is deficient.'
"Be comforted." For, since their trials
were numerous, and their perils great, he
says, ' "be comforted," both by one
another, and by us, and by your change unto the
better. For if ye should have joy of conscience
and become complete, nothing is wanting unto
your cheerfulness and comfort. For nothing doth
so produce comfort as a pure conscience, yea,
though innumerable trials surround.'
"Be of the same mind, live in peace." The
request he made in the former Epistle also, at
the opening. For it is possible to be of one
mind, and yet not to live in peace, [for
instance], when people agree in doctrine, but
in their dealings with each other are at
variance. But Paul requires both.
"And the God of love and peace shall be with
you." For truly he not only recommends and
advises, but also prays. For either he prays
for this, or else foretells what shall happen;
or rather, both. 'For if ye do these
things,' he says, ' for instance, if ye be
"of one mind" and "live in peace," God also
will be with you, for He is "the God of love
and of peace," and in these things He
delighteth, He rejoiceth. Hence shall peace
also be yours from His love; hence shall every
evil be removed. This saved the world, this
ended the long war, this blended together heaven
and earth, this made men angels. This then let
us also imitate, for love is the mother of
countless good things. By this we were saved,
by this all those unspeakable good things
[come] to us.'
Then to lead them on unto it, he says, Ver.
12. "Salute one another with a holy kiss."
What is "holy?" not hollow, not
treacherous, like the kiss which Judas gave to
Christ. For therefore is the kiss given, that
it may be fuel unto love, that it may kindle the
disposition, that we may so love each other, as
brothers brothers, as children parents, as
parents children; yea, rather even far more.
For those things are a disposition implanted by
nature, but these by spiritual grace. Thus our
souls bound unto each other. And therefore when
we return after an absence we kiss each other,
our souls hastening unto mutual intercourse.
For this is that member which most of all
declares to us the workings of the soul. But
about this holy kiss somewhat else may yet be
said. To what effect? We are the temple of
Christ; we kiss then the porch and entrance of
the temple when we kiss each other. See ye not
how many kiss even the porch of this temple,
some stooping clown, others grasping it with
their hand, and putting their hand to their
mouth. And through these gates and doors
Christ both had entered into us, and doth
enter, whensoever we communicate. Ye who
partake of the mysteries understand what I say.
For it is in no common manner that our lips are
honored, when they receive the Lord's Body.
It is for this reason chiefly that we here
kiss. Let them give ear who speak filthy
things, who utter railing, and let them shudder
to think what that mouth is they dishonor; let
those give ear who kiss obscenely. Hear what
things God hath proclaimed by thy mouth, and
keep it undefiled. He hath discoursed of the
life to come, of the resurrection, of
immortality, that death is not death, of those
other innumerable mysteries. For he that is
about to be initiated comes to the priest's
mouth as it were an oracle, to hear things full
of awe. For he lost his life even from his
forefathers, and comes to seek it again, and to
ask how he may haply find and get it back. Then
God announceth to him how it may be found, and
that mouth becomes more awful than the very
mercy-seat. For that mercy-seat never sent
forth a voice like this, but spake much of
lesser things, of wars and such peace as is here
below: but this speaks all about heaven and the
life to come, and things new and that pass
understanding. And having said, Ver. 13.
"Salute one another with an holy kiss," he
added, "All the saints salute you."
By this also giving them good hopes. He has
added this in the place of the kiss, knitting
them together by the salutation, for the words
also proceed from the same mouth from which the
kiss. Seest thou how he brings them all
together, both those who are widely separated in
the body and those who are near, these by the
kiss and those by the written message?
Ver. 14. "The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God," and the
Father, "and the communion of the Holy
Ghost, be with you all." After having united
them to one other by the salutations and the
kisses, he again closes his speech with prayer,
with much carefulness uniting them unto God
also. Where now are they who say that because
the Holy Spirit is not inserted in the
beginnings of the Epistles, He is not of the
same substance? For, behold, he hath now
enumerated Him with the Father and Son. And
besides this, one may remark, that when writing
to the Colossians and saying, "Grace to you,
and peace from God our Father," he was silent
of the Son, and added not, as in all his
Epistles, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is then the Son not of the same substance
either, because of this? Nay, these
reasonings are of extreme folly. For this very
thing especially shows Him to be of the same
substance, that Paul useth the expression [or
not] indifferently. And that what is here said
is no conjecture, hear how he mentions Son and
Spirit, and is quite silent of the Father.
For, writing to the Corinthians, he says,
"But ye were washed, but ye were sanctified,
but ye were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our
God." (1 Cor. vi. 11.) What then,
tell me? were these not baptized into the
Father? Then assuredly they were neither
washed nor sanctified. But did they baptize
them? doubtless then just as also they did
baptize. How then did he not say, 'Ye are
washed in the name of the Father?'
Because it was indifferent in his view, at one
time to make mention of this, at another of that
Person; and you may observe this custom in many
places of the Epistles. For writing to the
Romans he says, "I beseech you therefore by
the mercies of God," (Rom. xii. 1.)
although those mercies are of the Son; and,
"I beseech you by the love of the Spirit,"
(Rom. xv. 30.) although love is of the
Father. Wherefore then mentioned he not the
Son in "the mercies," nor the Father in
"the love?" Because as being things plain and
admitted, he was silent about them. Moreover,
he will be found again, to put the gifts also
themselves transposedly. For having said here,
"The grace of Christ, and the love of God
and the Father, and the communion of the Holy
Ghost;" he in another place speaks of "the
communion of the Son," and of "the love of
the Spirit." For, "I beseech you," he
says, "by the love of the Spirit." (Rom.
xv. 30.) And in his Epistle to the
Corinthians, "God is faithful, by Whom ye
were called into the communion of His Son."
(1 Cor. i. 9.) Thus the things of the
Trinity are undivided: and whereas the
communion is of the Spirit, it hath been found
of the Son; and whereas the grace is of the
Son, it is also of the Father and of the Holy
Spirit; for [we read], "Grace be to you
from God the Father." And in another place,
having enumerated many forms of it, he added,
"But all these worketh the one and the same
Spirit, dividing to each one severally as He
will." (1 Cor. xii. 11.) And I say
these things, not confounding the Persons,
(away with the thought!)but knowing both the
individuality and distinctness of These, and
the Unity of the Substance.
Let us then continue both to hold these
doctrines in their strictness, and to draw to us
the love of God. For before indeed He loved
us when hating Him, and reconciled us who were
His enemies; but henceforth He wishes to love
us as loving Him. Let us then continue to love
Him, so that we may be also loved by Him.
For if when beloved by powerful men we are
formidable to all, much more when [beloved] by
God, And should it be needful to give wealth,
or body, or even life itself for this love, let
us not grudge them. For it is not enough to say
in words that we love, but we ought to give also
the proof of deeds; for neither did He show
love by words only, but by deeds also. Do thou
then also show this by thy deeds and do those
things which please Him, for so shalt thou
thyself reap again the advantage. For He
needeth nothing that we have to bestow, and this
is also a special proof of a sincere love, when
one who needeth nothing and is not in any
necessity, doth all for the sake of being loved
by us. Wherefore also Moses said, "For what
doth the Lord God require of you, but to love
Him, and that thou shouldest be ready to walk
after Him?" (Deut. x. 12.) So that
when He biddeth thee love Him, He then most
of all showeth that He loves thee. For nothing
doth so secure our salvation as to love Him.
See then, how that all His commandments even
tend together to our repose and salvation and
good report. For when he says, "Blessed are
the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart,
blessed are the meek, blessed are the poor in
spirit, blessed are the peacemakers;"
(Matt. v. 3-9.) He Himself indeed
reaps no advantage from these, but he enjoins
them for our adorning and attuning; and when He
says, "I was an hungred," it is not as
needing that ministry from us, but as exciting
thee to humanity. For He was well able even
without thee to feed the poor man; but as
bestowing upon thee an exceeding treasure, he
laid these commands upon thee. For if the sun,
which is but a creature, needeth not our eyes;
for he abideth in his own proper brightness,
even though none should look upon him, and we it
is who are the gainers when we enjoy his beams;
much more is this so with God. But that thou
mayest learn this in yet another way; how great
wilt thou have the distance to be between God
and us? as great as between gnats and us, or
much greater? Quite plainly it is much
greater, yea, infinite. If then we
vainglorious creatures need not service nor honor
from gnats, much rather the Divine Nature
[none from us], seeing It is impassible and
needing nothing. The measure of that which He
enjoyeth by us is but the greatness of our
benefit, and the delight He taketh in our
salvation. For this reason He also oftentimes
relinquisheth His own, and seeketh thine.
"For if any," he saith, "have a wife that
believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with
him, let him not put her away;" (1 Cor.
vii. 12.) and, "He that putteth away his
wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery." Seest thou
what unspeakable goodness? 'If a wife be a
harlot,' He says, 'I do not compel the
husband to live with her; and if she be an
unbeliever, I do not forbid him,' Again,
'if thou be grieved against any one, I command
him that hath grieved thee to leave My gift and
to run to thee.' For He saith, "If thou
art offering thy gift, and there remember that
thy brother hath aught against thee, leave thy
gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and
offer thy gift." (Matt. v. 23, 24.)
And what saith the parable of him that had
devoured his all? (Matt. xviii. 24,
&c.) Doth it not show this? For when he had
eaten up those ten thousand talents, He had
mercy on him, and let him go; but when he
demanded of his fellowservant an hundred pence,
he both called him wicked and delivered him over
to the punishment. So great account doth He
make of thy ease. The barbarian was about to
sin against the wife of the just man, and He
says, "I spared thee from sinning against
me." (Gen. xx. 6.) Paul persecuted the
Apostles, and He saith to him, "Why
persecutest thou Me?" Others are hungry, and
He Himself saith He is an hungred, and
wanders about naked and a stranger, wishing to
shame thee, and so to force thee into the way of
almsgiving.
Reflecting then upon the love, how great He
hath shown in all things, and still shows it to
be, both having vouchsafed to make Himself
known to us, (which is the greatest crown of
good things, and light to the understanding and
instruction in virtue,) and to lay down laws
for the best mode of life, and having done all
things for our sakes, having given His Son,
and promised a kingdom, and invited us to those
unspeakable good things, and prepared for us a
most blessed life, let us do and say every thing
so as both to appear worthy of His love and to
obtain the good things to come; 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 Spirit, be glory
now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
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