have refreshed my spirit and yours: wherefore acknow. ledge those that are such.

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord; and the church' also that as 20 sembleth in their house. All the brethren salute you. Salute one another with a holy kiss.

21

The salutation by the hand of me Paul. If any man love 22 not the Lord [Jesus Christ,] let him be separated from you3. 23 Our Lord cometh. The favour of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love* be with you all in Christ Jesus. [Amen.] t.

'Or, congregation, N. m.

2 So Wakefield. Let him be accursed, N.

* My love, &c. This is an unusual mode of salutation with the apostle, and Bishop Pearce thinks it would have been very strange if he had prayed or wished that his love might be with the Corinthians in the same form of expression in which he prays or wishes that the grace of Christ might be with them. The Alex. Ms. omits μs, and Le Clerc thinks that MOT is a mistake for eo (God), so that the true reading is "the love of God be with you all in Christ Jesus." Compare 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

+ The first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi by Stephanas and Fortunatus, and Achaicus and Timothy. R. T. This postscript is erroneous, it being evident from ch. xvi. 8, 19, that this epistle was written from Ephesus.

THE SECOND EPISTLE

OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS.

1

CHAPTER I.

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at 2 Corinth, and to all the saints that are in all Achaia: favour be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those that are in any affliction, by the comfort with 5 which we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our comfort also abound6 eth by Christ. But whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or whether we be comforted, it is for your comfort, which worketh in the patient enduring of 7 the same sufferings which we also suffer*. And our hope concerning you is steadfast; since we know that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so are ye of the comfort also. 8 For, brethren, we would not have you ignorant of our affliction which befel us in Asia; that we were exceedingly pressed above our strength, so that we despaired even of 9 life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that

8

Gr. with. 2 Or, with which God comforteth us, ourselves. N. m. in as much as we know, N. m.

3 Or,

R.T. reads, "But whether we be afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation, which is effected by the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted it is for your comfort and salvation.”

12

:

2

we should not trust in ourselves but in that God who raiseth 10 the dead who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver us; in whom we hope that still also he will deliver 11 us; you likewise helping together with others by prayer for us; that because of the benefit bestowed on us by means of many persons, thanks may be given by many for us. For our glorying is this; the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity toward God3, (not with carnal wisdom, but by the favour of God,) we have behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you. 13 For we do not write different things to you, but only what ye read or even acknowledge; and I hope that ye will ac14 knowledge [even] to the end: as ye have acknowledged us also as to a part of you; for we are your glorying, as ye also will be ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15

And in this confidence I was desirous of coming to you 16 formerly, (that ye might receive a second benefit ;) and to pass by you into Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and to be conducted by you on my way toward Ju17 dea. When therefore I thus purposed, did I use any lightness? or the things which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes, and 18 no, no? But as God is faithful, our preaching to you was 19 not yes and no. For Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was

preached among you by us, (even by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy,) was not yes, and no, but through him was yes: 20 for all the promises of God are yes, through him, and truth 21 through him, to the glory of God by us. But he that establisheth us together with you in Christ', and hath anointed 22 us, is God: who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest 23 of the spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call upon God as a

1 Or, working, N.m. 'Or, gracious deliverance, N. m. 3 Or, "with the greatest simplicity and sincerity," Sn. 4 Or, worldly, N. m. 5 Michaelis conjectures that the true reading is to vas, 8, xa row, vas, that my yes should be no, and my no, yes. Marsh's Michaelis, vol. ii. p. 408. 6" is not," Mss. 7 Or, us and you as concerning Christ, N. m.

witness to myself, * that to spare you I came not as yet to 24 Corinth: (not that we have dominion over your faith, but

are fellow-helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand :) CH. II. but I determined this with myself, that I would not 2 come to you again in grief. For if I grieve you, who maketh 3 me glad, but he that is grieved by me? And I wrote this

matter [to you], lest when I came, I should have grief from those on whose account I ought to rejoice; having confi4 dence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and distress of heart, I wrote to you with many tears; not merely that ye might be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have most abundantly for 5 you. But if any one have caused grief, he hath not grieved 6 me, but in part; that I may not charge you all. Sufficient 7 to such a man is that rebuke, which was given by many. So

that, on the contrary, ye ought rather to forgive him, and to comfort him; lest such a man should be swallowed up by 8 excessive grief. Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your 9 love toward him. For to this end also I wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. 10 But to whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven any thing, for your sakes 11 I have done it, in the person of Christ; lest the adversary 1 should gain advantage over us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

12

1

Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, 13 and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but Į bade them farewell, and went thence into Macedonia.

14

But thanks be to God, that always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest3 the odour of the knowledge 15 of himself by us in every place. (For we are a sweet odour⭑

'Gr. "Satan." So N. "Who leadeth us in triumph, Wakefield.
"spreadeth abroad," N. m.

4 smell, N.

3 Or,

* So Wakefield. “As a witness against my life, if I speak falsely." N.

of Christ unto God, among those that are saved, and among 16 those that are lost: to the one we are the odour of death

unto death; and to the other, the odour of life unto life: 17 and who is sufficient for these things?) For we are not as many1 who corrupt * the word of God: but we speak in Christ as of sincerity, as of God, as in the presence of God. CH. III. Do we begin to commend ourselves again? or need

we, as some, epistles of commendation to you, or of com. 2 mendation from you? Ye are our epistle, written in the 3 hearts of us all, known and read by all men: since ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, not written with ink, but by the spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of the heart.

4

Now we have such confidence through Christ toward 5 God. Not because we are sufficient of ourselves to place any thing to account as from ourselves; but our sufficiency 6 is from God: who hath even made us sufficient ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the 7 letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the minis try of death, engraven in letters on stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which glory was 8 to be done away; how shall not the ministry of the spirit be 9 rather glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was

glorious, much more doth the ministry of justification abound 10 in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory which exceed11 eth. For if that which shall be done away was glorious, much more must that which remaineth be glorious t.

1 66 as others," Mss. 2 Gr. in glory. So ver. 9, 11.

"that adulterate," N. an allusion to vintners who adulterate pure wine with unwholesome mixtures.

+ Mr. Hallet translates this verse, "For if that which is done away be done away by glory, much more that which remaineth, remaineth in glory. Notes and Disc. vol. i. p. 26.