2 Corinthians 7

2 Corinthians 7:1

Wherefore having so rich promises made you by God, promises of being received by Christ as children into his family—but those promises conditional promises, made upon condition that you forsake all impurity, &c., ch. vi. 17, 18—my earnest exhortation to you is, that you purify yourselves from the sins (of all kinds) that are now crept in among you; particularly from the pollutions of the flesh, that your idol-feasts are apt to betray you to; and of the spirit, as pride, faction, schism, &c., preferring false teachers before us which planted Christ among you: practising to the end all manner of piety with all diligence: (see note [c] Phil. ii.)

2 Corinthians 7:2

The false teachers that you receive so willingly, injure you, defile you, and either defraud or perhaps seduce you into abominable sins; (see Ephes. iv. 22, and note [b] 2 Pet. i.); but we have been far from doing any of these, and therefore are fitter to be embraced by you, ch. vi. 14: (see note [i] Romans i.)

2 Corinthians 7:3

I speak not this to bring any evil report upon you; for I love you most passionately, as I said before.

2 Corinthians 7:4

My freedom (see note [a] John vii.) in mentioning your faults is great indeed, but withal I am as free in boasting of your obedience; and though I have had much grief and fear, ver. 5, through the sins that were among you, yet the joy which I take in your repentance is extremely more abundant than the sorrow was.

2 Corinthians 7:5

For the truth is, all our journey long, from Ephesus to Macedonia, Acts xx. 1, we had a sad time of it; for as we met with many oppositions from others, so the many fears we had concerning you were very troublesome to us.

2 Corinthians 7:6

But through the mercy of God, who relieves those that are in greatest want of relief, Titus’s coming freed us from all.

2 Corinthians 7:7

And it was not the bare presence of Titus that was such solace to me, but the news that he brought me, and with which he himself was so much comforted, to wit, the news of your panting after me, lamenting most sadly the sins that I had in my former epistle laid to your charge, and your earnestness for me against those that traduced me.

2 Corinthians 7:8

So that now, though those directions of mine in my first epistle brought the censures of the church upon some of you, (for so I find they did, though but for a time, with place for speedy remission upon reformation,) I have no reason to be sorry for what I did, though the truth is, I was a while sorry for it, and wished I had not been so severe.

2 Corinthians 7:9

But now that I hear what success it hath found among you, what reformation hath been wrought by it, I profess myself to rejoice, not that you had the censures inflicted on you, but that those censures produced that effectual reformation and change; for you were dealt with according to the custom of evangelical discipline; and so it is clear enough that you have not been damnified by me in this matter, but much advantaged thereby.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For that discipline which Christ hath now ordained in his church (see note [c] 1 Cor. v.) is very proper to work such change of mind as shall advance to a constant persevering, durable forsaking all known sins (see note [a] Rom. x.); whereas the punishments which are usual in the world ordinarily end in the taking away of men’s lives, or somewhat analogical to them in a lower degree.

2 Corinthians 7:11

And an evidence thereof I have in you, whose having the censures of the church inflicted on some of you hath wrought a vehement care to make all right again, a clearing of the guiltless, a displeasure and disdain against the guilty, fear of my displeasure,

2 Corinthians 7:12

When therefore I wrote so sharply to you, the interpretation which you are to make of it is this, that it was not out of any disposition of severity against them that had committed those crimes, the fornicators and incestuous person, 1 Cor. v. 1, the man that sued his brother, ch. vi. 1, nor out of any partiality of kindness to them that had been sufferers by those crimes, him that was defrauded, 1 Cor. vi. 8, or disturbed with lawsuits before the heathen judicatures, ver. 1, but only to express my care of you, that by my writing to you in that manner you might discern how diligent I am to do you any good.

13 22 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

2 Corinthians 7:13

And by this means I have received much matter of joy, hearing what good effects the censures had wrought upon you; and this joy was very much increased to see how Titus was joyed and inwardly enlivened by you.

2 Corinthians 7:14

For whatever good I told him of you, whatever I have boasted of your kindness to me, you have made it all good; and as I never said any false thing to you, so whatsoever I said to Titus about you he hath by experience found to be perfectly true also.

2 Corinthians 7:15

And he hath huge kindness toward you, considering what readiness of obedience you expressed to my directions, and what cheerful reception you gave him that was thus sent from me unto you: (see note [c] Phil. ii.)

2 Corinthians 7:16

This therefore is matter of all joy to me, that I can thus confidently promise myself of your obedience &c., and never fear to find myself deceived in my confidence.