Commentari biblici

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Our brother — In the faith, not in the flesh. Sanctior est copula cordis quam corporis,Proverbs 18:24; Proverbs 18:24 .

return to '

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

From God the Father — The Father is the fountain, the Son the conduit, whereby all good things are derived to us.

return to '

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

The Father of mercies — Only it must be remembered that as he is Pater miserationum, so he is Deus ultionum, Psalms 94:1 . As he hath ubera, breasts, so he hath verbera the whip. Christ is girt about the paps with a golden girdle, to show his love, but yet he hath eyes like flaming fire, and feet like burning brass, Revelation 1:13-16 , to look through and keep under his enemies.

The God of all comfort — It is he that shines through the creature, which else is but as the air without light. It is he that comforteth by the means. It is not the word alone, for that is but as the veins and arteries that convey the blood and spirits. So the Spirit being conveyed by the promises, helpeth the soul to lay itself upon Christ by faith, and so it is comforted. Sometimes comfort comes not by the use of the means till afterwards, that he may have the whole glory: Song of Solomon 3:3 , the Church found not him whom her soul loved, till she was a little past the watchmen. The soul is apt to hang her comforts on every hedge, to shift and shirk in every bycorner for comfort. But as air lights not without the sun, and as fuel heats not without fire; so neither can anything soundly comfort us without God.

" Una est in trepida mihi re medicina, Iehovae

Cor patrium, os verax, omnipotensque manus."

Nath. Chytraeus.

return to '

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

By the comfort wherewith — How forcible are right words, especially when uttered more from the bowels than the brain, and from our own experience; which made even Christ himself a more compassionate High Priest, and Luther such a heart affecting preacher, because from his tender years he was much beaten and exercised with spiritual conflicts, as Melancthon testifieth (in Vita) He was also wont to say, that three things make a preacher, reading, prayer, and temptation. Reading maketh a full man, prayer a holy man, temptation an experienced man.

Wherewith we ourselves are comforted — Goodness is communicative. Mr Knox, a little before his death, rose out of his bed; and being asked wherefore, being so sick, he would offer to rise? He answered, that he had had sweet meditations of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that night, and now he would go into the pulpit, and impart to others the comforts that he felt in his soul. (Melch. Adam.)

return to '

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

As the sufferings of Christ — So called, either because the saints suffer for Christ, or because they have him suffering with them, Acts 9:4 . God is more provoked than Nehemiah, Nehemiah 4:3 ; Nehemiah 4:5 .

So our consolation — As the lower the ebb, the higher the tide, οπου πλεων κοπος, πολυ κερδος, saith Ignatius. The more pain, the more gain. It is to my loss if you bate me anything in my sufferings. As the hotter the day, the greater the dew at night; so the hotter the time of trouble, the greater the dews of refreshing from God.

return to '

And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

And whether we be afflicted — Let the wind sit in what corner soever it will, it blows good to. the saints,Song of Solomon 3:10; Song of Solomon 3:10 . Though north and south be of contrary qualities, yet they make the Church’s spices to flow and give forth their scent.

return to '

And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

So shall ye be also, … — Our troubles therefore are compared to the throes of a travailing woman, that tend to a birth, and end in comfort,John 16:21; John 16:21 .

return to '

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

For we would not, … — It is of great use to know the sufferings that others have sustained before us. The primitive Christians kept catalogues of their martyrs. Dr Taylor the martyr at his death gave his son Thomas a Latin book, containing the sayings and sufferings of the old martyrs, collected by himself. In the English seminaries beyond seas, they have at dinner time their martyrology read, that is, the legend of our English traitors.

We despaired even of life — God is often better to us than our hopes; he reserves usually his holy hand for a dead lift, he comes in the nick of time, and our extremity is his opportunity. See Trapp on " Luke 18:8 "

return to '