us may receive from him, rewards and punishments in the body, according to what he hath done in the body, whether what he hath done be good or bad.

11 Knowing, therefore, the terribleness of the Lord's displeasure, we perfuade men to repent and believe the gofpel, that they may not be pu nished; and are made manifeft to God, as faithful in this matter, and I truft are made manifeft even to your confciences as faithful.

12 However, in thus fpeaking, I do not a fecond time recommend myself to you, but only give you a just ground of boafting concerning me, as an apoftle really commiffioned by Christ, and well qualified for the office, that ye may have an answer to give to them, who to leffen me in your esteem, boaft in the falfe teacher on account of external qualities, and not on account of inward good difpofitions.

13 For ye may tell them, that whether we be befides ourselves, as they affirm, because we expofe ourselves to death, it is for God's glory; or whether we be fober, as they think, in fhunning perfecution, it is for your good.

14 In thus exercifing our ministry, we are not mad: For qur admiration of the love of Chrift conftraineth us, to expofe ourselves to death in preaching the gofpel, who judge this, that if Chrift died for all, certainly all were condemned to death;

ing his own faithfulness, and other virtues as an apoftle, neither proceeded from vanity, nor was meant to recommend himself to them as an apoftle, but was intended to enable his friends to give a proper anfwer to thofe who blamed them for preferring him to the falfe teacher, in whom they boasted on account of a few external qualities, while he poffeffed no real goodness of heart.

15 And that he died for all, that they which live,

fhould not henceforth live

unto themfelves, but unto him which died for them, and rofe again.

16 Wherefore henceforth

know we no man after the flefh: yea, though we have known Chrift after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

15 Και ύπερ παντων απεθανεν, ἵνα δι ζωντες μηκετι ἑαυτοις ζώσιν, αλλα τω ὑπερ αυτών αποθανοντι και εγερθεντι.

16 Ωςε ήμεις απο τε νυν εδένα οίδαμεν κατα σαρκα ει δε και εγνωκαμεν κατα σαρκα Χρισον, αλλα νυν εκ ετι γινωσκομεν.

EV

προσωπον,

3. Who boast, & wgoowww, on account of appearance. The word fignifies the countenance, with the form and air of the body, taken complexly. Here it denotes thofe fuperficial outward qualities, which raife the admiration of the vulgar, and of which it seems the falfe teacher boafted; whilft he was deficient in the qualities of the heart; namely, fincerity, honefty, difinterestednefs, benevolence, and a concern for the glory of God.

Ver. 15.-1. And that he died for all. In what fenfe Chrift died for all, may be understood from Rom. v. 18. where we are told, that through one act of righteoufnefs, namely Chrift's obedience to death, fentence came on all men to juflification of life. And ver. 19. Through the obedience of one man, many, that is, all men, shall be conflituted righteous: fhall have the means of becoming righteous. For as was fully fhewn in the Illuftration of Rom. v. 18, 19. and in the notes on these verses, it was in the prospect of Chrift's dying for mankind, that God allowed Adam and Eve, after the fall, to live and have children, and appointed them and their posterity a trial under a more gracious covenant than the firft, in which, not a perfect obedience, but the obedience of faith was required, in order to their obtaining eternal life: in which also the affiftance of the Spirit of God was promifed, to enable them to give that obedience. And though they and their pofterity were to die at length, according to the penalty of the firft covenant, they are all through Chrift to be raised from the dead at the laft day, to receive reward or punishment, according to their behaviour during their trial under the new covenant. Thus far Adam and all his posterity have fhared, and will fhare through the death of Chrift, in the benefits of the new covenant, to the end of the world.-Again, Chrift being exalted to the government of the universe, as the reward of his obedience to death, all the bleffings refulting to mankind from his government, are the fruits of his death. For as the apoftle tells us, Rom. xiv. 9. To this end Chrift both died, and rofe, and liveth again, that he might rule over both the dead and the living. It is evident, therefore, that good and bad men, equally, owe their prefent life on earth, and the gracious

covenant

15 And that he died for all, that they who live through his death, fhould no longer live to their own intereft and pleasure, but to the pleasure of him who died and rofe again, to procure life for them. Gratitude therefore obliges us to imitate his benevolence and difinterestedness.

16 Wherefore, fince Chrift died for all, we the apoftles of Chrift, from this time forth, in the exercise of our miniftry, fhew respect to no man more than to another, on account of his being his being a Jew according to the flesh. And even if we have formerly efteemed Christ on account of his being a few, yet now we efteem him no more on that account.

covenant under which they are placed, and their refurrection from the dead at the last day, to the death of Chrift. In like manner, all whỏ live within the pale of the Chriftian church, owe the advantages of re velation, and of the ordinances of religion, and of the influences of the Spirit of God, to the death of Chrift. The bleffings, therefore, of nature and providence, as well as the bleffings of grace, being beftowed on all through the death of Chrift, he may, with the greatest propriety, be faid to have died for all, notwithstanding all fhall not be juftified and faved through him: and even to have bought thofe who deny him, 2 Pet. ii. 1. and to have fanctified apoftates with his blood, Heb. x. 29. See the Illuftration prefixed to Rom. v. page 279, 281.

2. Should no longer live to themselves, but to him, &c. Chrift having by his death procured a temporal life with its bleffings for all men, and a gracious covenant by which they may obtain eternal life, all are bound by every tie to live agreeably to the direction of Chrift, who in his laws hath no view but to promote their happiness.

Ver. 16. Refpect no man on account of the flesh; on account of his nation, his ancestors, his ftation, or his office in the ftate. This was a proper improvement of the confideration that Chrift died for all. For feeing God by fending Chrift to die for all, hath fhewn that all men are equally dear to him, and that the falvation of every man is the object of his defire, the falvation of the Jews was not to be more the object of the apostle's care, than the falvation of the Gentiles, nor the falvation of the rich, more than that of the poor. And therefore, although his preaching to the Gentiles might offend his unbelieving countrymen, he was not on that account to forbear it.

·Ver. 17.

Ver. 17.-1. If any one be in Chrift, he is a new creature. The alteration made in the minds and manners of men by the faith of the gofpel, was fo great, that it might be called regeneration ; and the perfon fo regenerated, might be confidered as a new creature: and the rather, that at the refurrection, the bodies of the regenerated fhall be fashioned anew, like to the glorious body of Chrift; confequently they fhall be made new in their whole man.

2. All things have become new! He hath acquired new views of things, and better difpofitions, and follows a better courfe of life; by which wonderful change, whatever his ftation be, he hath acquired a dignity far fuperior to that which he formerly derived from his birth, or fortune, or condition; he is truly eftimable on account of the excellence of his own character.

Ver. 18. Hath reconciled. This word is ufed to fignify the making of thofe who are at enmity, friends. See Rom. v. 10. note 1.

Ver. 20.-1. In Chrift's fiead, therefore, we execute the office of ambafadors. Chrift was God's chief ambaffador, and the apoftles being

5

commiffioned

17 For, if any one be united to Chrift by faith, he is a new creature, whether he be a Jew or a Greek. Old things, his former vicious inclinations, bad practices, and corrupt principles, have passed away. Behold all things have become new!

18. But all these new things are the work of God, who hath reconciled us Jews and Gentiles to himself through Jefus Chrift, and hath committed to us apoftles the miniftry of the gofpel, whereby this happy reconciliation is produced,

19 Which confifts in preaching, that God is by Chrift bringing back the world to himself, promifing not to punish them for their trefpaffes, but to pardon them upon their faith and repentance. And by inspiration bath put in us apoftles, the doctrine of the reconciliation.

20 In Chrift's ftead, therefore, who is God's chief ambaffador, we execute the office of fubordinate ambassadors. And feeing God befeeches by us, we pray in Chrift's ftead; faying to all men, Be ye reconciled to God: lay afide your enmity, and accept the pardon he offers you by us.

commiffioned by Chrift, were his fubftitutes. The fame obedience, therefore, was due to them in matters of religion, as to Chrift himself. But the falfe teacher not being appointed by Christ his fsubstitute, had no claim to any such respect.

2. Seeing God befeeches by us. Our tranflators fupply the word You here, as if God befought the Corinthians by Paul. But that addition spoils the beauty of the paffage. The Corinthians were already reconciled; and did not need to be befought. But St. Paul told them, that feeing God befought finners by the apoftles, he and his brethren prayed all men in Chrift's ftead, faying to them, Be ye reconciled to God. For him who knew no fin, &c. So that this is a fhort fpecimen of the apoftle's exhortations to the unconverted in every country. Accordingly, Efius obferves, " Illud, Reconciliamini Deo, mimeticum eft."

VOL. II.

Bb

Ver. 21.