A. D. 57. gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministring to the faints.

5. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the

Lord, and unto us by

the will of God,

do whatever I judged

6. Infomuch that

we defired Titus, that
as he had begun, so
he would also finish in
you the same grace

alfo.

7. Therefore as ye
abound in every thing,
in faith, in utterance,

and knowledge, and
in all diligence, and
in your love to us:
fee that ye abound in
this grace also.

be especially bountiful

8. I speak not by

commandment, but by

occafion of the for-
wardness of others,
and to prove the fin-
cerity of your love.

me very earnestly to receive their Collections, and be one of them that should take Care to convey them to those poor Christians.

5. They have perfectly outdone my Expectation, not only in so readily embracing the Gospel at first, but in so generously resigning themselves to my Direction ever since their Converfion, to to be well-pleasing to GOD.

6. This noble Example of theirs, put me upon ordering Titus, during his Stay with you, to use it as a proper Argument to quicken and enlarge your Collections for the same Purpose.

7. And I now accordingly intreat of you, fince you are become so eminent in all other Gof

pel-Virtues, and spiritual Endowments *; and in other Things have shown me so much Regard, not to fail in this admirable Virtue of Chriftian Liberality, but to at this Time.

8. I do not indeed command it absolutely from you, nor prescribe how much you shall give, but only recommend it to you from

the generous Examples of other

Churches, and out of a Defire you should demonstrate yourselves to be of as bounte

ous a Temper as any

9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jefus Christ, that tho' he was rich, yet for your sakes he became

poor,

other Christians,

9. Nor need you any other Argument to excite you to it, if you well consider the infinite Bounty and Love of Jesus Chrift

* Ver. 7. See 1 Cor. i. 4, 5, 6, 7. and xii. 8, 9, 10

our

rich.

poor, that ye through our great Lord and Example; A. D. 57his poverty might be who though he was the Son of God, and Heir of all Things, yet condescended to live the mean and poor Life of Man, to procure us the Inheritance of true and eternal Riches.

10. And herein I

give my advice: for this is expedient for you who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

11. Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which you have.

12. For if there be

first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath

not.

14. But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance

may be a fupply for

their want, that their abundance also may be a fupply for your want, that there may be equality,

10. I must advertise you too,
that it concerns you now to do it
effectually, as being expected from
you, because last Year *
you pro-
fessed to fet about it, and shewed
a confiderable Zeal and Earnest-
ness in it.

11. By all Means therefore be
as good as your Word, and an-
swer your first Pretences with the
utmost Chearfulness and Free-
dom, according to the best of
your Abilities.

12. According to every one's Abilities, I say: For the least charitable Beneficence, if it be but proportionable to a Man's Power, and from a hearty Principle, is accepted of GOD as well as the largest.

13 & 14. And I have no Design to streighten and oppress you, in order to ease other People; but only defire, that what you can afford may keep them from present and absolute Want;

in Hope

and Assurance, that, in another
Turn, they may do you the fame
Kindness, and fo you may be
equally beholden to the Love and
Bounty of each other.

15. As it is written,
He that bad gathered for as fully as the Ifraelites were

15. And may be all provided

452

A. D. 57. much, had nothing over; and he that bad gathered little, had no lack.

16. But thanks be to God, which put the fame earnest care

into the heart of Ti

tus for you.

17. For indeed he accepteth the exhortation, but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.

18. And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel, through

out all the churches :

19. (And not that
only, but who was
alío chosen of the

churches to travel
with us with this
grace which is admi-

niftred by us to the

glory of the fame

Lord, and declaration

of your ready mind)

when they gathered their Manna (Exod. xvi. 18.) when he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack.

16 & 17. And therefore I could not but esteem it a Bleffing, and am thankful to God for it, to find Titus so ready and willing to come and exhort you to so good a Work; for I perceive I need not have much intreated him to undertake what he had so much Inclination to.

18 & 19. With whom I have sent that Brother * and FellowTraveller of mine, so much famed for his Labours in the Gospel; and one whom the Churches of Ma

cedonia have pitched upon to accompany me with their Collections to Jerufalem; a Service I undertake purely for the Honour of Christ and his Religion, and by it shall be able to show my own tand your generous and charitable Inclinations.

20. Indeed I never intended to

20. Avoiding this, that no man should take the Charge of so great a

blame

Sum

* Ver. 18. The Brother. Whom some take to have been Mark, others Silas, but most Luke. Of the two latter (efpecially Luke) it is certain they attended St. Paul in this his Voyage to Jerufalem, as appears from Atts xx and xxi.

† Ver. 19. My own. For fome Copies read it προθυμίαν ἡμῶν. It may be also render'd-To recommend your free Charity, and make it acceptable. And probably one of the chief Reasons of St. Paul's going with it, might be, to obviate the Prejudices of the Christians of Judea, who might disdain to receive Alms of the Gentile Christians that were never cir cumcised.

2

blame us in this abun- Sum upon my self alone, but re- A. D. 57. dance, which is admi- folved to have some Partners joinnistred by us: ed with me, to prevent my Adversaries from all Possibility of Sufpicion, that I appropriated any of it to my own private Advantage.

22. Along with them I send my Brother Apollos, that diligent and active Man, who tho' he did not think fit to bring my last * Letter to you, yet was ever ready to vifit and serve you; but especially now, upon the Satisfaction I have given him of your more unanimous Temper and Disposition.

23. And if any of your difaffected Teachers make any further Enquiries about Titus, who and what he is, let them know he is

my Partner in the Ministry. And

as to the two fore-mentioned Bre

thren, they are the two Trustees
of the Macedonian + Churches, † See Ver:
and most eminent Ministers of 19. and
Chrift.

Phil. ii.

24. Wherefore give the Church- 25.
es that employ them a due Testi-
mony of your Christian Respect,
and show them all what just Rea-
son I had to applaud and com-
mend you.

Gg

CHAP. IX.
The CONTENTS.

Further Exhortations and Encouragements to their charitable Contributions; again advising that they be generous,

Speedy, and chearful in them.

touching 1 & 2.

the ministring

ye may be ready.
4. Lest haply if they
of Macedonia come
with me, and find you
unprepared, we (that
we lay not, you)
should be ashamed in
this same confident boasting.
5. Therefore I
thought it necessary
to exhort the bre-
thren, that they would

‡ Ver. 5. Τὴν ἐυλογίαν ὑμῶν, Your Bounty. This Word hath this Sense peculiarly in the sacred Writings; it answers