An Expository Comment on 2 Corinthians 1, Exposition · Sermon 56
SERM. LVI.
Of Pauls Hope and Perſwaſion of the Corinthians, with the Reaſons and Grounds of it.
2 COR. 1. 7.
And our hope of you is ſtedfaſt, knowing that as you are partakers of the ſufferings, ſo ſhall ye be alſo of the conſolation.
THeſe words (brought in, as ſome ſay, be a parentheſis) are by way of mitigation and mollifying the minds of the Corinthians. For Paul in his former Epiſtle having ſeverely reproved them, it obtained good ſucceſſe, and procured ſome ſpiritual effect upon them, for they were made ſorrowfull thereby, and ſet upon the work of Reformation. And although the falſe Apoſtles had too much prevailed with them, yet they were brought to a ſounder temper than formerly. Neither were Pauls afflictions ſuch matter of contempt as formerly; yea they are partakers of the ſame ſufferings with him. Theſe things laid together, maketh Paul uſe theſe encouraging and ſoftning paſſages; to rebukes we muſt joyn meekneſſe and love together. The Artificer cannot build his houſe with hard brick or ſtone, he muſt have his ſoft mortar to cement them together: Rigidneſſe to rigidneſſe will nener unite. There muſt be yeelding as well as ſeverity, elſe the edification of Gods Church cannot proceed.
The words are a profeſſion of Pauls charitable eſteem and loving apprehenſions of them, though ſometimes he doth rebuke them very ſharply. If he had ſaid, I have no hopes of you, no Epiſtle, or writing will do you any good, this might have more hardened them in obſtinacy. Yea as Chryſoſtom well obſerveth on this place, He ſpeaketh more hopefully and confidently of theſe Corinthians, then he doth of the Theſſalonians: For, 1 Theſſ. 2. 2, 3, 4, 5. he there diſcovereth the holy jealouſie and fear he had, leſt they ſhould be oot much moved with the afflictions that do accompany the Goſpel, When I could no longer forbear (ſaith he) I ſent Timotheus to eſtabliſh you, that no man ſhould be moved by theſe afflictions. Again he repeateth it, When I could no longer forbear, I ſent to know your faith, leſt by ſome means the tempter ſhould tempt you. By theſe vehement and doubled affectionate expreſſions, you ſee with what a holy jealouſie he was poſſeſſed concerning them, but he ſpeaketh farre more confidently about theſe Corinthians, Our hope of you is ſtedfaſt, That which the Apoſtle here calleth his hope, he doth often in other places name his perſwaſion, Heb. 6. 9. We are perſwaded better things of you. 2 Tim. 1. 5. I am perſwaded that the ſame faith dwelleth in thee alſo. 1 Pet. 5. 12. The Apoſtle ſpeaking of Sylvanus, calleth him a faithfull brother, (1 Pet. 5. 12.) as I ſuppoſe. The word doth not there denote any doubt or fear about him; for that is contrary to the Apoſtles ſcope, who intends to commend him; but it ſignifieth a firm and ſtedfaſt judgement concerning his faithfulneſſe. Now the Queſtion is, What is that hope and perſwaſion, or knowledge, What is that hope and perſwaſion which Paul had of other men. A two-fold hope, Divine and Moral.which Paul had concerning other men? To underſtand this you muſt know, Paul had a two-fold hope, A Divine Hope, and a Charitable or Prudential Hope, which we may call a Moral Hope. Divine Hope is a ſupernatural grace wrought by God in the heart of Paul, and ſo in every believer, whereby he is enabled to put his confidence in God, expecting from him onelyonly what he ſtands in need of. So that of Divine Hope God is the efficient, and God alſo is the object on which it is determined, and as we muſt not believe in any thing, but God, ſo nether hope in any thing but God. Of this Divine What is the Divine hope. What Moral hope is.Hope Paul doth not here ſpeak, he doth not ſay, Our hope in you is ſtedfaſt, but of you, foreign for foreign (as thoſe Prepoſitions are often changed.) Therefore it is a Moral Hope which is grounded upon principles of prudence and charity, by which Paul was bound to judge thus favourably of them. Paul could not tell the hearts of thoſe he wrote to; he could not infallibly diſcern, whether they were hypocrites, or ſincere, onelyonly he judgeth the tree by the fruits. Yet you muſt not underſtand this, as ſpoken o… every particular and individual, but collectively; for he writeth to them as a body, and a Church, and ſo it muſt be underſtood indefinitely, not determinately of this or that perſon. It is true indeed, there was in the primitive times, among other extraordinary gifts, that of the diſcerning of ſpirits (if by Spirit we are not rather to mean Doctrines pretended to be of the Spirit, as 1 John 4. 1. rather than the hearts and frames of mens ſpirits.) For although abſolutely, originally and independently it be Gods only prerogative to know the hearts of men; yet in ſome caſes, as in Eliſha with Gehezi, God may reveal the thoughts and ſecret motions of heart to others; but this is extraordinary, not conſtant, no more than working of miracles. So that it is a very abſurd opinion of thoſe that are called Quakers, who ſay, That light within them diſcovers what is in other mens hearts, abuſing that place, The ſpiritual man judgeth all things, whereas the Apoſtle there informeth us, 1 Cor. 2. 11. That no man knoweth the things of a man, ſave the Spirit of man, which is within him. The perſwaſion then or hope, Paul had of theſe Corinthians, was not divine and infallible, in which he could not be deceived, but of an inferiour nature, yet not light and fooliſh neither: for he ſaith, It was foreign, firme and ſtedfaſt. Heſychius renders that word foreign, unſhaken, that is, not like the waves of the Sea. So that Pauls hope did not fluctuate about him, and foreign, abiding, continuing. It was not hope at ſometimes, and fear at another, but it did abide and dwell in him. Obſerve,'Tis a great encouragement to the Miniſters of God, to have good grounds for the hope of grace and ſtedfaſtneſſe in their people.
That it is a great encouragement to a godly Miniſter, to ſee good grounds for the hope of true grace and ſtedfaſtneſſe in Gods wayes, in the people committed to his charge.
This was that which did here refreſh Paul, that though he was put to many exerciſes and temptations about them; yet his hope was, that as it is ſaid of Lazarus, his ſickneſſe was not unto death, but that the glory of God might be manifested. So thoſe failings and decayes amongſt the Corinthians were not for their deſtruction, but by their recovery and repentance to manifeſt the truth of grace more in them. In moſt of Pauls Epiſtles you may ſee this ſpiritual and publick affection in him, where any are decaying or falling off, there his heart is wounded within him, where any flouriſh and continue ſtedfaſt in holineſſe, there he rejoyceth and triumpheth. How notably doth he ſpeak, 1 Theſſ. 3. 7. We were comforted over you in all our afflictions by your faith: for now we live, if ye ſtand faſt in the Lord. Here we ſee Paul did not ſo much regard his own afflictions and diſtreſſe, as the grace of the Theſſalonians; and becauſe they did not abate in their faith by the afflictions they met with, therefore this comforted him in all his diſtreſſe: Yea he profeſſeth he liveth, if they ſtand faſt, as if their Apoſtaſie would be worſe than all his troubles to him, yea would break his heart, and be his death. The Epiſtle alſo to the Galatians, who began to decay and to end in the fleſh after their beginning in the Spirit, doth abundantly declare what agonies he was in about them, Galat. 4. 19. Little children of whom I travail again in birth: he compareth thoſe troubles and exerciſes of his mind about them to the pangs and groans of a woman in travail, Who hath bewitched you, Galat. 3. 1. By this you may gather, that the joyes of Paul did ebbe or flow according to the increaſe or decreaſe of the graces of theſe he had ſpiritual inſpection over.
To diſcover this truth, Let us conſider, What things made Paul have What things they were which made Paul hope ſo well of the Corinthians. 1. Their amendment and repentance by his former Epiſtle.ſuch hopes about theſe Corinthians, and apply theſe things to our ſelves And
Firſt, Their amendment and repentance, by the former Epiſtle wrote to them, in that you may ſee the body of the Church of Corinth was almoſt like Jobs or Lazaruſſes body, full of ſpiritual loathſomneſſe, corruptions in Doctrine and practice, and ſome of them in a very high nature, for which our zealous Apoſtle, as the Lord Chriſt once did, maketh a rod to drive theſe corruptions out, he is both a light ſhining and burning; he keepeth to that rule, which he giveth Timothy, Rebuke ſharply, and reprove in all Doctrine. He is ſalt to theſe Corinthians. Now theſe ſharp reproofes do not provoke them to diſcontent, to impatience; but it had a ſavoury and ſpiritual operation upon them. If he ſaid, Genus quoddam eſt Martyrii reprehenſionem patienter ferre, It's a kind of Martyrdome to ſuffer reproof patiently; then theſe Corinthians were Martyrs in this ſenſe; for they did not onelyonly take theſe rebukes well, but are thereby put upon a zealous and powerfull repentance. So that when this ſpiritual Phyſician ſaw his medicines kindly operate, then he began to hope well of them. On the other ſide, we ſe the Prophets complaining of Jeruſalem as incurable, Becauſe ſhe ſlighted the Prophets, and ſtoned them, ſo that there remained no more remedy for them. The Prophets complained, They ſtretched out their hands all the day long to a rebellious people, and that the bellows were conſumed, yet the droſſe was not purged away, This then is a very hopefull ſymptome about a people, when we ſee by the Word preached, that their hearts are broken, that they are counvinced and aſhamed of what they have done, and reforme for the future. The Apoſtle ſpeaketh fully to this, 2 Cor. 7. 8, 9, 10, 11. This ſelf ſame thing that you were made ſorry after a godly manner; what carefulneſſe it wrought in you, yea what zeal, what revenge, &c. In all things you have approved your ſelves to be clear in this matter. Oh the carefulneſſe and zeal that was in the Corinthians after Pauls admonitions to repent and reform. So that he had good grounds to ſay, Our hope of you is ſtedfaſt. Oh then, let our Congregations be examined and tried in this very particular. What repentance and reformation hath the prophane man ſhewed after the many admonitions to him? What Reformation is there made about the holy and ſtrict obſervation of the Sabbath? What carefull performances of holy duties in thy family, concerning which thou haſt heard ſo much? Oh that we had cauſe to ſay of ſuch perſons, of ſuch families, though once we fear'd for them, though once we mourned and grieved for them, yet now we rejoyce, and our hope of them is very ſtedfaſt. But may we not cry, woe, woe, and again woe to our Congregations, that are like Golgothaes, places not of dead mens skuls, but dead hearts; yea dead men, according to that of our Saviour, Let the dead bury the dead. Have not the Miniſters of God been many yeares laying the Axe of the Word to the root of prophaneneſſe and ignorance, which is in moſt families, in moſt Congregations? Yet how greatly doth it abound? Surely of ſuch families, of ſuch Congregations, we may with grief of heart ſay, As yet we have no hope.
Secondly, This is more particularly obſervable in the Corinthians repentance, 2. Their ſetting up that good and holy order which was thrown down.that they repair and ſet up that good and holy order, which was collapſed amongst them. And therefore as Paul ſaid to the Coloſſians, Chap. 2. 5. He did rejoyce to behold their order: So might he here. In his former Epiſtle he ſeverely taxeth them for want of Church-Diſcipline, that they neglected good order; there was a ſcandalous ſinner ſuffered amongſt them, and they did not mourn and humble themſelves, becauſe of it; they did not caſt him out, and free the Church from that contagion; therefore with many arguments he preſſeth them to gather together, and to execute Church-Diſcipline, to caſt out this wicked perſon from amongſt them, 2 Corinth. 5. which accordingly they did. or were about to do; yea they ſeem to fall into too much auſterity from their laxe indulgence and connivence at ſinne to too much ſeverity againſt a penitent humbled ſinner, as appeareth 2 Cor. 2. where the Apoſtle exhorts them, To confirm their love to the inceſtuous perſon, now deeply ſenſible of his ſinne, leſt he be ſwallowed up with overmuch ſorrow. When therefore Paul ſaw that thoſe who had ſuch diſorders in their Church, no zeal againſt ſinners, no endeavours to purge out the old leaven, to be ſo greatly changed, that they are hardly perſwaded to moderate their zeal; this may well provoke him to ſay, His hope was ſtedfaſt of them. For if they would have been remiſſe, and negligent in any thing, it would have been about Church-order. For we ſee ſound Doctrine is ſooner received into any Church, than holy Diſcipline; There were but few Kings among the Jewes, that did endeavour a Reformation of the diſorder which was about Ordinances; and it is noted as a peculiar work of God upon thoſe mens hearts, who were ready thereunto; as for the other they mocked and derided at ſuch a pious endeavour, 2 Chron. 30. 10, 11, 12. There was the hand of God upon ſome in a ſpecial manner to induce them thereunto. The Church of Epheſus, Revel. 2. 2. is commended, Becauſe ſhe could not bear thoſe that were evil. It argueth the ſtrength of the ſtomack to exonerate it ſelf of burdenſome humours. So that by this we ſee, That the hopes of thoſe who are faithfull Guides in the Church, are greatly quenched concerning ſuch who are refractory, and adverſaries to that holy order which would deliver the Congregation from the ignorance and prophaneneſſe abiding there. The very Heathens will riſe up in judgement againſt them, who would admit no prophane ſinner to their Heatheniſh Rites, witneſſe that known acclamation, Procul, ô procul eſte prophani. The Prieſt alſo about to ſacrifice, asked, foreign, Who was there? And anſwer was retuened, foreign, Good and honeſt men. Origen alſo juſtifying the Chriſtian Diſcipline that did ſhut out from their communion prophane perſons, inſtanceth in the Sect of Pythagoreans, who when any of their company had fallen into groſſe ſinnes, they ejected him, and ſent a Coffin to him made for that purpoſe; ſignifying thereby, that he was no better than a dead corpſe. Yea, the Socinians though blaſpheming the Deity of Chriſt, will condemn ſuch carnal Goſpellers. For this is one argument they uſe againſt the Evangelical Reformed Churches, that there is not ſuch holy order againſt prophane and impenitent ſinners, as ought to be. Yea ſome of them go ſo farre, as to ſay, That that is not a Church, which hath not Diſcipline. If then Heathens and damnable Hereticks have been zealous for purity about their religious Rites; how hopeleſſe are they, who had rather with the Gadarens have Chriſt go out of their Countrey, then be deprived of their ſwiniſh luſts?
Thirdly, Laſtly, Pauls hope was therefore ſtedfaſt concerning the Corinthians, 3. Becauſe they did communicate with Paul in a patient ſuffering for Chriſt.Becauſe of that which followeth in the Text: they did communicate with Paul in a patient ſuffering for Chriſt, and therefore being ſufferers with Chriſt, they ſhould alſo reign with him. Chriſts friends are tried in the time of adverſity. It's an hopefull ſign of an honeſt and ſincere heart, when thou canſt cleave to Chriſt, and confeſſe his Name in the midſt of all perſecutions: Then Chriſt ſaith, Now I know thou loveſt me, becauſe thou haſt not withholden thy deareſt comforts for my ſake. When under perſecutions for Chriſts name, thou canſt rejoyce, and not as Bonaventure expreſſeth it, be like the Cart-wheel, which while it beareth its burden, doth ſometimes make an harſh and unpleaſant noiſe. Chriſt hath both his Summer and his Winter for his Church; and therefore this Garden, Habet Lilia ſua & roſas ſuas, Her Lilies in time of peace, and her Roſes in time of perſecution. Now thoſe that love Chriſt more than father or mother, or life it ſelf; and then (as it followeth) Matth. 10. 37, 38. take up his croſſe; for this can never be done without the former; theſe do give great hopes of the truth of grace in them. Now the ground of this encouragement to a godly Miniſter is, the ſtate of grace here, and of glory hereafter. For his flock is both the end of his work, and the end of him that worketh. It is both finis operis and operantis. As then Chriſt whoſe death was for the ſalvation of believers, is ſaid to ſee the travail of his ſoul, and to be ſatisfied: So it is with every true Paſtor. What a joyfull thing would it be to have good hopes of the work of grace in every one that belongeth to his charge? So that thy ignorance, diſſoluteneſſe, and ſuch damnable wayes are the grief and trouble, the thorns in the ſides of thoſe, who are to give an account for thee. Oh let not the contrary be true, that ſuch is the ungodlineſſe, the prophaneneſſe of thy life, that our fear of thee, our grief about thee is continual!