14 Let all your matters 1 be done with love.

15 Ye know the family of Stephanas, that it is the first-fruit of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry to the saints. I entreat you, (de, 106.) therefore, brethren,

16 That ye submit yourselves to such, and to every joint worker and labourer.

17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas,1 and Fortunatus, and Achaicus; for they have supplied your deficiency.s

18 (rag, 97.) And have refreshed my spirit and yours: wherefore, acknowledge ye such persons.

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church which is in their house. (see Rom. xvi. 5. note 1.)

«

14 Let all your matters, about which I have given you directions in this letter, be transacted with love.

15 Ye know the family of Stephanas, that they were my first converts in Achaia, and that from love to Christ and to his gospel, they have devoted themselves to the ministry to the saints, employing themselves in preaching the gospel, and in succouring the afflicted: I entreat you, therefore, brethren,

16 That ye submit yourselves to the admonitions of such on account of their fidelity, and to the instructions of every joint worker and labourer in the gospel.

17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus. For they have supplied what was wanting in your letter, by the account they have given me of your affairs;

18 And thereby have refreshed my spirits, and will refresh yours, by informing you of my health. Wherefore, shew such persons the respect which is due to them, ver. 16.

19 The churches of Asia especially those of Ephesus and its neighbourhood, wish you all felicity. Aquila and Priscilla, formerly members of your church, (Acts xviii. 2. 18.) but who at present are with me, salute you with much Christian affection, as do all the Christians in their house.

2. Fortunatus. Doddridge thinks, "this worthy person survived St. Pau a considerable time, as it appears from Clement's epistle to the Corin"thians, §. 59. that he was the messenger from the church at Rome, to the "church at Corinth, by whom Clement sent that invaluable epistle."

3. Have supplied your deficiency. To iμær issue. This by some is translated, your want, by which they understand the apostle's want of the presence of the Corinthians. But that translation makes no difference in the sense. Ver. 19.-1. Aquila and Priscilla salute you. These worthy persons lived

20 All the brethren

greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

21 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.

22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maran

atha.

20 Ασπαζονται μας δι αδελφοι παντες. Ασπασασθε αλληλους εν φιληματι ἁγίῳ. 21 Ο ασπασμος τη εμη χειρι Παυλου.

22 Ει τις ου φίλει τον Κυριον Ιησούν Χριςον, ήτω αναθεμα, μαραν απα.

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with Ιησου Χριςου μεθ' ὑμων.

23 Ἡ χαρις του Κυρίου

you.

you

24 My love be with 24 Η αγαπη μου μετα all in Christ Jesus. Amen. παντων ὑμων εν Χριςῳ Ιησου.

Αμην.

in Corinth all the time the apostle was there. And when he departed, they accompanied him to Ephesus, Acts xviii. 18. where they remained, after he left Ephesus to go to Jerusalem. For when he returned to Ephesus, be found them there, as is plain from their salutation sent to the Corinthians in this letter, which was written from Ephesus. But they seem to have left Ephesus, about the time the apostle departed to go into Macedonia. For in the letter which he wrote to the Romans from Corinth, they are saluted as then residing in Rome.

Ver. 20.-1. All the brethren salute you. The word brother, often signifies one who employed himself in preaching the gospel, 1 Cor. i. 1. 2 Cor. i. 1. ii. 13. Now as in this passage the brethren are distinguished from the church, or common people, it is probable the apostle meant his fellow labourers in the gospel.

Ver. 22.-1. He shall be Anathema, Maran atha. In the Greek it is Let him be. But the imperative is here put for the future. See Ess. iv. 9. Anathema, Maran atha, were the words with which the Jews began their greatest excommunications, whereby they not only excluded sinners from their society, but delivered them to the divine Cherem, or Anathema; that is, to eternal perdition. This form they used, because Enoch's prophecy concerning the coming of God to judge and punish the wicked, began with these words, as we learn from Jude, who quotes the first sentence of that prophecy, ver. 14Wherefore, since the apostle denounced this curse against the man, who while he professed subjection to Christ, was secretly alienated from him in his heart, it is as if he had said, Though such a person's wickedness cannot be discovered and punished by the church, yet the Lord at his coming will find it out, and punish him with eternal perdition. This terrible curse the apostle wrote in his epistle to the Corinthians, because many of the faction, but especially their leader, had shewn great alienation of mind from Christ. And he wrote it with his own hand, to shew how serious he was in the

20 All the brethren who labour with me in the gospel, desire me to mention their affection to you. Sher ye your good will towards one another, by kissing one another with a pure affection.

21 The salutation of Paul is sent you, written with mine own hand. See 2 Thess. iii. 17. Col. iv. 18.

22 If any one professing the gospel, love not the Lord Jesus Christ, I with mine own hand, write this greatest curse against him; He shall be Anathema Maran atha.

23 May the favour and assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you who love him.

24 My love be with you all, who love Christ Jesus. And in testimony of my sincerity in this, and in all the things I have written, I say Amen.

denunciation. Estius says, from this example, and from the Anathemas pronounced, Gal. i. 8, 9. arose the practice of the ancient general councils, of adding to their decisions, or definitions of doctrine, Anathemas against them who denied these doctrines. Sec Buxtorff's Lexic. Chaldaicum, page 827. 1248.

Ver. 24.-1. My love be with you all. Le Clerc suspects that MOT, is a mistake of the transcriber for Or, the abbreviation of EOT. And B. Pearce supposes he is right in that conjecture, because in the conclusion of the second epistle, it is, i ayawn to Ow μera, The love of God be with you. But alterations in the sacred text, without the authority of ancient MSS. are never to be admitted. Besides, there is a great propriety and beauty in this manner of ending an epistle, in which the apostle had so sharply reproved the Corinthians. By assuring them of his love, he convinced them that all the severe things he had written, proceeded from his anxiety for their eternal welfare, and thereby removed the prejudices which his reproofs might otherwise have raised in their minds.-Le Clerc's conjecture, mentioned above, that the transcribers of the New Testament have in this passage, by mistake, written Mor for eEOr, is one of the many instances which might be produced, of conjectural emendations of the sacred text, proposed by bold critics, which instead of improving, really mar the sense and beauty of the passages into which they would have them introduced.

A NEW

LITERAL TRANSLATION

OF ST. PAUL'S SECOND

EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.

PREFACE.

SECTION I.

Of St. Paul's Design in writing his second Epistle to the Corinthians.

W HEN the apostle sent his first letter to the church at Corinth, he resolved to remain in Ephesus till the following Pentecost, (1 Cor. xvi. 8.) that Titus, who carried his letter, might have time to return, and bring him an account of the manner in which it was received by the Corinthians. But the riot of Demetrius happening soon after it was sent away, the apostle found it necessary to avoid the fury of the rioters and of the idolatrous rabble, who were all greatly enraged against him, for having turned so many of the inhabitants of Asia from the established idolatry. Wherefore, leaving Ephesus, he went to Troas, a noted sea-port town to the north of Ephesus, where travellers, coming from Europe into Asia, commonly landed. Here he proposed to employ himself in preaching the gospel of Christ, (2 Cor. ii. 12.) till Titus should arrive from Corinth. But Titus not coming at the time appointed, St. Paul began to fear that the Corinthians had used him ill, and had disregarded the letter which he delivered to them. These fears so distressed the apostle, that notwithstanding his preaching at Troas was attended with uncommon success, he left that city and went forward to Macedonia, expecting to find Titus. But in this expectation he was disappointed. Titus was not in Macedonia when the apostle arrived. He therefore resolved to wait in that