3 Ευλογητος ο Θεος και πατης τε Κυρις ήμων Ιησε Χρισε, ὁ πατηρ των οικτιρ μων, και Θεός πάσης παρα κλησεως"

4 ὁ παρακαλων ἡμᾶς επι παση τη θλίψει ήμων, εις το δυνασθαι ἡμας παρακαλειν τες εν παση θλιψει, δια της παρακλησεως ἧς παρακαλε μεθα αυτοι ύπο το Θεό.

5 Ότι καθως περισσεύει τα παθήματα το Χρισε εις ἡμας, έτω δια Χρισε περισ σεύει και η παράκλησις ήμων. 6 Είτε δε θλιβόμεθα, ύπερ της ύμων παρακλήσεως και σωτηρίας, της ενεργέμε της εν υπομονη των αυτων παι θηματων ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς παστ

χομεν, είτε παρακαλεμεθα, ὑπερ της ύμων παρακλήσεως και σωτηρίας.

7 Και η ελπις ήμων βε βαια ὑπερ ύμων, είδοτες ὅτι ώσπερ κοινωνοι εςε των παθηματων, έτω και της παρα κλησεως,

Ver. 4. To comfort them who are in any affliction. According to Locke, the apoftle in this paffage infinuated, that by his own afflictions he was qualified to comfort the Corinthians, under the diftrefs of mind which they felt from a juft fenfe of their errors and miscarriages. But the afflictions of which the apoftle speaks, were chiefly outward afflic tions; being the fame with thofe which he himself fuffered, as is plain from ver. 6, 7.

Ver. 5. Our confolation aloundeth through Chrift. The confolation of which the apostle fpeaks, was derived from the prefence of Christ

with him in his affliction; from a fenfe of the love of Chrift shed abroad in his heart; from the joy which the fuccefs of the gafpel gave · kim; from the affured hope of the reward which was prepared for

:

8. Ου γαρ θέλομεν ὑμας αγνοείν, αδελφοι, ύπερ της θλίψεως ήμων της γενομένης ήμιν εν τη Ασία, ότι καθ' ὑπερβολην εβαρήθημεν ὑπερ δυναμιν, ώςε εξαπορηθήναι ἡμας και το ζην.

9 Αλλα αυτοι εν ἑαυτοις το αποκριμα τε θανατε εσχηκαμεν, ίνα μη πεποιθότες ωμεν εφ' ἑαυτοις, αλλ' επι τω Θεῳ τῳ εγείροντι της νεκρός.

10 ος εκ τηλικέτε θανα το ερρύσατο ήμας, και ρυεται· εἰς ὃν ηλπικαμεν ότι και ετι ρύσεται

11 Συνυπουργουντων και 5μων ὑπερ ἡμων τη δεήσει, ἵνα εκ πολλων προσώπων το εις ήμας χαρισμα δια πολλων ευχαρισήθη ύπερ ημων.

him; from his knowledge of the influence of his fufferings to encou rage others and from the enlarged views which he had of the government of God, whereby all things are made to work for good to them who love God; fo that he was entirely reconciled to his fufferings.

Ver. 8. Affliction which happened to us in Afia. This is understood by fome, of the riot of Demetrius, when they fuppofe the apoftle was thrown to the wild beafts. But as he did not go into the theatre then (Acts xix. 30.) but kept himself concealed from the rioters, he ran nó fuch risk of his life on that occafion, as to make him pass 4 fentence of death on himself, ver. 9. and fay he was delivered from fo great a death, ver. 10. I therefore fuppofe with Whitby, that this terrible death of which he was in danger, was his being torn in pieces by the wild beafts with which he fought in Ephefus on another occafion, mentioned 1 Cor. xv. 32. See note 1. on that verfe.

Ver 9 1. However we had the fentence of death in our felves. Απο κρίμα το θάνατος, literally, the anfwer of death. See Ef iv. 32. The fentence of death, is that which the apofle, when ordered to fight with wild beafts, pronounced on himfelf in his own mind. See preceding

note.

9

However, I was fuffered to pass fentence of death on myself, to teach me that in dangers I fhould not trust in myself, but in God who preferveth the living from death, and even raiseth the dead to life;

10 Who delivered me from fo terrible a death, and doth deliver me daily from the dangers to which I am expofed, and in whom I trust that he will deliver me, while he needs my fervice.

II Ye alfo working together in fecret for me by earnest prayer to God, in fuch a manner that the gracious gift of deliverance from death, which cometh to me through the prayers of so many devout perfons, may by many persons be thankfully acknowledged on my account.

2. But in God who raifed the dead. The apoftle in his former epiftle, having proved the refurrection of the dead by many irrefragable arguments, mentions that inftance of the power of God here with exultation, as a folid foundation for his expecting deliverance in the most perilous fituations: and the rather that formerly he himself had been raifed from the dead in Lyftra, Acts xiv. 19, 20.

Ver. 11.-1. Te alfo working together fecretly for us by prayer. From this we learn, that the moft eminent faints my be affifted and benefited, by the prayers of perfons much inferior to them in ftation and virtue. It is therefore a great encouragement to us to pray for one another, and a reafon for our defiring each others prayers.

2. That the gift which cometh to us. The word χαρισμα, tranflated gift, being commonly ufed by St. Paul to denote a spiritual or miraculous gift, it may have been ufed on this occafion to infinuate, that his deliverance was effected by fome fpecial interpofition of the power of

God.

12 For our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fefly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world, and more abundantly to youwards.

13 For we write none other things unto you than what ye read or acknow. ledge, and I trust you fhall acknowledge even to the

end;

14 As alfo you have ac-` knowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye alfo are our's in the day of the Lord Jefus.

15 And in this confidence

I was minded to come unto you before, that you might have a fecond benefit;

12 Ἡ γαρ καυχησις ήμων αυτη εςι, το μαρτυριον της συνειδήσεως ήμων, ότι εν άπλο

της και ειλικρίνεια Θε8, 8κ
εν σοφια σαρκική,
αλλ' εν
χαριτι Θε8, ανεστράφημεν εν
τῷ κόσμῳ, περισσοτερως δε
προς ὑμας.

γαρ άλλα γραφο
ท ο

13 Ου αναγι μεν ύμιν, αλλ' νώσκετε, η και επιγινωσκετε, ελπίζω δε ότι και έως τελος επιγνώσεσθε

14 Καθώς και επεγνωτε ἡμας απο μερες, ότι καυχη μα ύμων εσμεν, καθαπερ και ύμεις ήμων, εν τη ημερα το Κύριο Ιησε.

15 Και ταυτὴ τὴ πεποι θησει εβελόμην προς ύμας ελα προτερον, ἵνα δευτεραν

θειν

χαριν ἔχητε

God. And truly fomething of that kind was neceffary to accomplish his deliverance from a death which he thought inevitable.

Ver. 12. —r. Our brafting is this. The apoftle fets the ground of his boafting, namely, the tefimony of his confcience, that with fimplicity, &c. in oppofition to the ground of the falfe teacher's boafting, namely, his Jewish extraction, and his enjoining obedience to the law of Mofes, as neceffary to falvation.

2. That with the greater fimplicity and fincerity. Eν απλότητι και είν λικρινεια το Θε8, literally, with the fimplicity and fincerity of God. This is the Hebrew fuperlative, the greatest fimplicity and fincerity. Eff. iv. 27. Or, it may fignify, that fimplicity and fincerity which proceeds from the fear of God: or that fimplicity and fincerity which God requires in the apoftles of his Son.

3. Not with carnal cui dom. What that was, the apofle tells us afterwards, chap. iv. 2. 5. where he contrafts his own behaviour with that of the falle teacher.

4. But with the grace of God. His behaviour was fuitable to the gracious difpofitions which God had implanted in his heart, and to the affiftance which from time to time he had granted to him. 32. Ver. 13.