--- title: "John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible" author: "John Wesley" languages: [en] shelf: "Commentaries" section: 348 of 398 url: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/348/ cite: "John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible, section 348. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/348/" --- # John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible *John Wesley* Wesley's short, plain notes on the Old and New Testaments, verse by verse. ## 348. 2 Corinthians · 3 of 5 Source: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/348/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/348/#p-N [¶0] For he saith - The sense is, As of old there was a particular time wherein God was pleased to pour out his peculiar blessing, so there is now. And this is the particular time: this is a time of peculiar blessing. Isaiah 49:8. [¶1] Giving, as far as in us lies, no offence, that the ministry be not blamed on our account. [¶2] But approving ourselves as the ministers of God - Such as his ministers ought to be. In much patience - Shown, In afflictions, necessities, distresses - All which are general terms. In stripes, imprisonments, tumults - Which are particular sorts of affliction, necessity, distress In labours, watchings, fastings - Voluntarily endured. All these are expressed in the plural number, to denote a variety of them. In afflictions, several ways to escape may appear, though none without difficulty in necessities, one only, and that a difficult one; in distresses, none at all appears. [¶3] In tumults - The Greek word implies such attacks as a man cannot stand against, but which bear him hither and thither by violence. [¶4] By prudence - Spiritual divine; not what the world terms so. Worldly prudence is the practical use of worldly wisdom: divine prudence is the due exercise of grace, making spiritual understanding go as far as possible. By love unfeigned - The chief fruit of the Spirit. [¶5] By the convincing and converting power of God - Accompanying his word; and also attesting it by divers miracles. By the armour of righteousness on the right hand and the left - That is, on all sides; the panoply or whole armour of God. [¶6] By honour and dishonour - When we are present. By evil report and good report - When we are absent. Who could bear honour and good report, were it not balanced by dishonour? As deceivers - Artful, designing men. So the world represents all true ministers of Christ. Yet true - Upright, sincere, in the sight of God. [¶7] As unknown - For the world knoweth us not, as it knew him not. Yet well known - To God, and to those who are the seals of our ministry. As dying, yet behold - Suddenly, unexpectedly, God interposes, and we live. [¶8] As sorrowing - For our own manifold imperfections, and for the sins and sufferings of our brethren. Yet always rejoicing - In present peace, love, power, and a sure hope of future glory. As having nothing, yet possessing all things - For all things are ours, if we are Christ's. What a magnificence of thought is this! [¶9] From the praise of the Christian ministry, which he began 2Cor 2:14, he now draws his affectionate exhortation. O ye Corinthians - He seldom uses this appellation. But it has here a peculiar force. Our mouth is opened toward you - With uncommon freedom, because our heart is enlarged - In tenderness. [¶10] Ye are not straitened in us - Our heart is wide enough to receive you all. But ye are straitened in your own bowels - Your hearts are shut up, and so not capable of the blessings ye might enjoy. [¶11] Now for a recompence of the same - Of my parental tenderness. I speak as to my children - I ask nothing hard or grievous. Be ye also enlarged - Open your hearts, first to God, and then to us, so 2Cor 8:5, that God may "dwell in you," 2Cor 6:16; 7:1; and that ye may "receive us," 2Cor 7:2. [¶12] Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers - Christians with Jews or heathens. The apostle particularly speaks of marriage. But the reasons he urges equally hold against any needless intimacy with them. Of the five questions that follow, the three former contain the argument; the two latter, the conclusion. [¶13] What concord hath Christ - Whom ye serve. With Belial - To whom they belong. [¶14] What agreement hath the temple of God with idols - If God would not endure idols in any part of the land wherein he dwelt, how much less, under his own roof! He does not say, with the temple of idols, for idols do not dwell in their worshippers. As God hath said - To his ancient church, and in them to all the Israel of God. I will dwell in them, and walk in them - The former signifying his perpetual presence; the latter, his operation. And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people - The sum of the whole gospel covenant. Lev 26:11 [¶15] Touch not the unclean person - Keep at the utmost distance from him. And I will receive you - Into my house and family. Isaiah 52:11; Zeph 3:19,20. [¶16] And ye shall be to me for sons and for daughters, saith the Lord Almighty - The promise made to Solomon, 1Chr 28:6, is here applied to all believers; as the promise made particularly to Joshua is applied to them, Heb 13:5. Who can express the worth, who can conceive the dignity, of this divine adoption? Yet it belongs to all who believe the gospel, who have faith in Christ. They have access to the Almighty; such free and welcome access, as a beloved child to an indulgent father. To him they may fly for aid in every difficulty, and from him obtain a supply in all their wants. Isaiah 43:6. [¶17] Let us cleanse ourselves - This is the latter part of the exhortation, which was proposed, 2Cor 6:1, and resumed, 2Cor 6:14. From all pollution of the flesh - All outward sin. And of the spirit - All inward. Yet let us not rest in negative religion, but perfect holiness - Carrying it to the height in all its branches, and enduring to the end in the loving fear of God, the sure foundation of all holiness. [¶18] Receive us - The sum of what is said in this, as well as in the tenth and following chapters. We have hurt no man - In his person. We have corrupted no man - In his principles. We have defrauded no man - Of his property. In this he intimates likewise the good he had done them, but with the utmost modesty, as it were not looking upon it. [¶19] I speak not to condemn you - Not as if I accused you of laying this to my charge. I am so far from thinking so unkindly of you, that ye are in our hearts, to live and die with you - That is, I could rejoice to spend all my days with you. [¶20] I am filled with comfort - Of this he treats, 2Co 7:6, &c.; of his joy, 2Co 7:7, &c.; of both, 2Co 7:13. [¶21] Our flesh - That is, we ourselves. Had no rest from without - From the heathens. Were fightings - Furious and cruel oppositions. From within - From our brethren. Were fears - Lest they should be seduced. [¶22] Your earnest desire - To rectify what had been amiss. Your grief - For what had offended God, and troubled me. [¶23] I did repent - That is, I felt a tender sorrow for having grieved you, till I saw the happy effect of it. [¶24] The sorrow of the world - Sorrow that arises from worldly considerations. Worketh death - Naturally tends to work or occasion death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. [¶25] How great diligence it wrought in you - Shown in all the following particulars. Yea, clearing of yourselves - Some had been more, some less, faulty; whence arose these various affections. Hence their apologizing and indignation, with respect to themselves; their fear and desire, with respect to the apostle; their zeal and revenge, with respect to the offender, yea, and themselves also. Clearing of yourselves - From either sharing in, or approving of, his sin. Indignation - That ye had not immediately corrected the offender. Fear - Of God's displeasure, or lest I should come with a rod. Vehement desire - To see me again. Zeal - For the glory of God, and the soul of that sinner. Yea, revenge - Ye took a kind of holy revenge upon yourselves, being scarce able to forgive yourselves. In all things ye - As a church. Have approved yourselves to be pure - That is, free from blame, since ye received my letter. [¶26] It was not only, or chiefly, for the sake of the incestuous person, or of his father; but to show my care over you. [¶27] We declare to you the grace of God - Which evidently appeared by this happy effect. [¶28] In a great trial of affliction - Being continually persecuted, harassed, and plundered. [¶29] Praying us with much entreaty - Probably St. Paul had lovingly admonished them not to do beyond their power. [¶30] And not as we hoped - That is, beyond all we could hope. They gave themselves to us, by the will of God - In obedience to his will, to be wholly directed by us. [¶31] As he had begun - When he was with you before. [¶32] For ye know - And this knowledge is the true source of love. The grace - The most sincere, most free, and most abundant love. He became poor - In becoming man, in all his life; in his death. Rich - In the favour and image of God. [¶33] A man - Every believer. Is accepted - With God. According to what he hath - And the same rule holds universally. Whoever acknowledges himself to be a vile, guilty sinner, and, in consequence of this acknowledgment, flies for refuge to the wounds of a crucified Saviour, and relies on his merits alone for salvation, may in every circumstance of life apply this indulgent declaration to himself. [¶34] That their abundance - If need should so require. May be - At another time. A supply to your want: that there may be an equality - No want on one side, no superfluity on the other. It may likewise have a further meaning: - that as the temporal bounty of the Corinthians did now supply the temporal wants of their poor brethren in Judea, so the prayers of these might be a means of bringing down many spiritual blessings on their benefactors: so that all the spiritual wants of the one might be amply supplied; all the temporal of the other. [¶35] As it is written, He that had gathered the most had nothing over; and he that had gathered the least did not lack - That is, in which that scripture is in another sense fulfilled. Exod 16:18 [¶36] Being more forward - Than to need it, though he received it well. [¶37] We - I and Timothy. The brother - The ancients generally supposed this was St. Luke. Whose praise - For faithfully dispensing the gospel, is through all the churches. [¶38] He was appointed by the churches - Of Macedonia. With this gift - Which they were carrying from Macedonia to Jerusalem. For the declaration of our ready mind - That of Paul and his fellow - traveller, ready to be the servants of all. [¶39] With them - With Titus and Luke. Our brother - Perhaps Apollos. [¶40] My partner - In my cares and labours. The glory of Christ - Signal instruments of advancing his glory. [¶41] Before the churches - Present by their messengers. [¶42] To write to you - Largely. [¶43] I boast to them of Macedonia - With whom he then was. [¶44] I have sent the above mentioned brethren before me.