View 2nd Corinthians 8 in the note window.
1: We declare to you the grace of God - Which evidently
appeared by this happy effect.
2: In a great trial of affliction - Being continually
persecuted, harassed, and plundered.
4: Praying us with much entreaty - Probably St. Paul had
lovingly admonished them not to do beyond their power.
5: 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.
6: As he had begun - When he was with you before.
9: 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.
12: 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.
14: 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.
15: 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.(Ex 16:18)
17: Being more forward - Than to need it, though he
received it well.
18: 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.
19: 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.
22: With them - With Titus and Luke.
Our brother - Perhaps Apollos.
23: My partner - In my cares and labours.
The glory of Christ - Signal instruments of advancing his glory.
24: Before the churches - Present by their messengers.
