2 Corinthians 2

2 Corinthians 2:1

And now that instead of coming I write again, I was resolved to defer it so long till I should hear of some reformation among you, that so this might not be, as formerly my letters were, to punish, to afflict, to censure you: (see note [c] 1 Cor. v.)

2 Corinthians 2:2

For when you are checked or censured by me, this is so far from being pleasant to me, that it is indeed at the same time matter of such grief that I cannot be comforted by any thing but by the same you, by seeing that the censures have wrought some good on you, caused the reformation of that in you for which I had meant them to you.

2 Corinthians 2:3

And this severity of proceeding, ver. 1, which now I speak of, I did rather choose to send you in a letter, 1 Cor. v, than to defer it till my coming, in hope to find your faults amended, to have all the sorrowful matter, that of censure, past before that time, that so I might have nothing to do then but to absolve and receive penitents, and so to rejoice among you, (not to inflict censures upon you,) and that I was confident would also be most acceptable to you all.

2 Corinthians 2:4

For that which I wrote with some sharpness, and was matter of grief to you, was so much more to me at the very writing of it, was a most heavy pressure upon my heart, and fetched abundance of tears from me; by which you may know that what I did was not out of any pleasure that I take to censure or afflict you, but as an effect of the greatest love to you all which could be imagined. 5, 6. But for the incestuous person, the author of all this sadness and severity, (sadness not to me alone, but in some measure, that I say no worse, to all you,) it is now sufficient which he hath suffered

²⁵ have stood, ἰστήκατε— 1 this very thing did I write, ἔγραψα τοῦτο αὐτό. 2 made

sorry, λυπηθῆτε. 3 but in part, that I may not lay weight upon all you.

2 Corinthians 2:5

[a] he hath not grieved me] The sense affixed to these words in this paraphrase (very distant from that which the words, as they are ordinarily read and rendered, sound) is taken distinctly from the scholion of Theophylact, who resolving it the apostle’s meaning, in both these verses, to have his charity to the incestuous person expressed, and to give order for his absolution, thinks this way of rendering it most proper, that joining them with himself in the dislike and sorrow, and consequently infliction of censures for the sin, he might engage them jointly with himself in the absolving the transgressor; “and this,” saith he, “most wisely disposed by him, that they who had so lately been commanded by the apostle to avoid him, as a detestable person, should not now upon his giving orders for his absolution be scandalized at him, ὡς πολυμβόλῳ, as inconstant and mutable.” This, saith he, is the reason that he takes them in, as partakers with him of the sorrow and censures, that he might have them his willing partners in the absolution and joy of that. And so this, saith he, is the sense of the words, οὐ γὰρ ἐμί— For he hath not, saith St. Paul, grieved me alone, but all you in part, that is, a little, or in some degree, that I may not say, he hath altogether grieved you, lest I should lay overmuch weight upon him; or in plain words, the truth is, he hath grieved you in like manner as me, but yet, that I may not overburden him that was guilty of that incest, or aggravate the matter against him, all that I say is, that in part, or in some measure, ye were grieved by him. This is a very commodious sense, and necessarily requires some small change of the punctuation, (though the printed text in Theophylact have not observed it,) partly by including in a parenthesis the latter part of this 5th verse, from οὐκ ἐμί— to the end of it, partly by putting a comma after ἐπιβαρῶ, that so πάντας ὑμᾶς may connect with ἀπὸ μέρους, thus, ver. 5: But if any have caused grief he hath not grieved me, but in part (that I may not aggravate, or lay weight on him) you all: ver. 6. Sufficient to such a man—. And this is a plain sense, and agrees very well with all that follows of their joint and cheerful proceeding to the absolution of the incestuous.

2 Corinthians 2:6

[b] punishment, which was inflicted of many] What is here meant by ἐπιτιμία ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν πλειόνων, the punishment which was inflicted under the many, will appear by 1 Cor. v. 4, where, concerning the incestuous person, and such as he, order is distinctly given, that he shall be delivered up to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, or bringing corporal inflictions upon him, which is certainly the ἐπιτιμία, punishment, here mentioned, and that συναχθέντων ὑμῶν, you being gathered together, that is, in the presence of the whole congregation, to add the greater solemnity to it: and that is all one with the ὑπὸ πλειόνων here, under, or in the presence of the many. Meanwhile, as there the sentence was St. Paul’s, κέκρικα, ver. 3, I have judged as present, and ver. 4, when ye are gathered together and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, (bestowed on the apostle and rulers of the church,) so here it must be

2 Corinthians 2:7

And it is now more than time that he be absolved by the church, and forgiven the offence committed against it, and by absolution be cheered up again, lest the continuance of such sharp punishments should not have a benign but noxious influence upon him.

2 Corinthians 2:8

And therefore my present counsel is, that by prayers for his release you express your reconciliation to him, and so absolve him from the censures.

2 Corinthians 2:9

And this I now write, that I may see whether you are as ready upon my appointment to restore penitents as to inflict punishments upon offenders, which is another branch of your Christian charity.

2 Corinthians 2:10

Whom you are willing to have restored from excommunication (as being satisfied with his penance and expression of repentance) I appoint or give leave to do it; (for if I have absolved any man, I have done it by the authority I have from Christ, but yet in respect unto you, or with consideration of what may be best for you, that is, for your whole church.)

2 Corinthians 2:11

That the too long continuance of the punishments upon the penitent offender may not be made use of by Satan to the hurt and ruin of the church, either by swallowing him up by desperation, ver. 7, or by heightening your zeal against sin into an unreconcilableness with the sinner, ver. 9; for Satan hath many hidden secret arts to mischief souls which we think not of. when, Acts xx. 1, (see note on the title of this epistle) I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and my preaching had a very happy reception there, and brought many to the faith,

2 Corinthians 2:13

I was much troubled in mind that I could hear no tidings of Titus, by him to be advertised of the success of my epistle among you, and in pursuit of him I left that city and went into Macedonia, in hope that I might find him there.

2 Corinthians 2:14

And having met with him, he hath given me the good news of the happy success of my epistle among you, and that obligeth me to bless that God who hath hitherto prospered us exceedingly (see note [f] Mark xiv.) in the propagating of the gospel,