Ver. 1. Our brother] In the faith, not in the flesh. Sanctior est copula cordis quam corporis, Proverbs 18:24.
Ver. 2. From God the Father] The Father is the fountain, the Son the conduit, whereby all good things are derived to us.
Ver. 3. 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.
Ver. 4. 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.)
Ver. 5. 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 4:3,5. 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.
Ver. 6. 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. Though north and south be of contrary qualities, yet they make the Church’s spices to flow and give forth their scent.
Ver. 7. So shall ye be also, &c.] Our troubles therefore are compared to the throes of a travailing woman, that tend to a birth, and end in comfort, John 16:21.
Ver. 8. For we would not, &c.] 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 “Lu 18:8”]
Ver. 9. But we had the sentence] Gr. Απολριμα, the answer or denunciation of death. Here we must distinguish between answers of trial and direct answers. This was of the former sort, for Paul died not at that time. When Leyden was so long and so strictly besieged by the Duke of Alva, that they were forced for their sustenance to search and scrape dunghills, &c., and the duke, in the language of blasphemy, threatened the defendants with cruel death, that very night the winds turned, the tide swelled, and the waters came in, and forced him to raise the siege. That we should not trust] Hope is never higher elevated than when our state in all men’s eyes is at lowest.
Ver. 10. In whom we trust] Experience breeds confidence. Thou hast, thou shalt, is an ordinary medium made use of by the Psalmist.
Ver. 11. You also helping together] The best may have benefit by the prayers of the meanest. Melancthon was much cheered and confirmed by the prayers of certain women and children, whom he found tugging with God in a corner for the settling of the reformation in Germany. (Selneccer. Paedagog. Christian.)
Ver. 12. For this is our rejoicing, &c] He was merry under his load, because his heart was upright. The sincere will well stand under great pressures, because they are sound. Whereas if a bone be broken, or but the skin rubbed up and raw, the lightest load will be grievous. And godly sincerity] A fine word he here useth, ειλικρινεια; and it is a metaphor either from the eagle that trieth her young by holding them forth against the full sight of the sun (so should we the motions of our minds to the word of God); or else from a wise and wary chapman, that holds up the cloth he buys between his eye and the sun. (Arist. Plin.)
Ver. 13. Than what ye read, &c.] Or, than what you can both recognize and approve of; for you have known me through and through.
Ver. 14. You have acknowledged in part] q.d. You ought to have done it more fully; but you have been carried away, as ye were led by the false apostles.
Ver. 15. A second benefit] Gr. “grace,” not converting only, but confirming also. All is but enough.
Ver. 16. And to pass by you] So indefatigable and unsatisfiable was he in doing God service. Calvin said, Ne decem quidem maria, &c., that it would not grieve him to sail over 10 seas, about a uniform draught for religion.
Ver. 17. Did I use lightness] So the false apostles suggested against him. Ministers must carefully clear themselves of suspicions and aspersions cast upon them, either by a verbal or real apology.
Ver. 18. Our word toward you, &c.] God’s children are all such as will not lie, say and unsay, blow hot and cold with a blast, Isaiah 63:8. Christianus est, non mentietur, He is a Christian, he will not lie, was an old proverb. Sophronins testifieth of Chrysostom, nunquam eum mentitum fuisse, that he was never taken in a lie.
Ver. 19. For the Son of God] What is that to the purpose? Thus: if the gospel that Paul preached be not yea and nay, then neither are Paul’s promises yea and nay. This is his intendment, else his inference is nothing. And by that which follows, it reacheth all Christians; q.d. Look what a Christian doth promise, he is bound by the earnest penny of God’s Spirit to perform. He dares no more alter his words to the discredit of his profession than the Spirit of God can lie. (Mr Cotton on the Seven Vials.)
Ver. 20. In him are yea and amen] That is, truth and assurance. They will eat their way over all Alps of opposition, as one speaketh.
Ver. 21. Hath anointed us] i.e. Consecrated and qualified us.
Ver. 22. Sealed us] As the merchant sets his seal upon his goods. The earnest of the Spirit] Whereof God should undergo the loss, if he should not give the inheritance, as Chrysostom noteth. The Greeks bought usually repraesentata pecunia, for ready money; and this was to buy Graeca fide; Greek trust, howbeit sometimes they gave earnest: and this αρραβων, or earnest, was (usually) the hundredth part of the whole bargain. [See Trapp on “Eph 1:14”]
Ver. 23. I call God to record] He purgeth himseff by oath. So those, Joshua 22:22.
Ver. 24. Dominion over your faith] As masters of your consciences; such as the bridge maker of Rome (Pontifex Romanus) will needs be, Revelation 17:1. The purple whore sitteth upon the nations, i.e. she useth them vilely and basely, sitting upon their consciences. Stephen, king of Polonia, was wont to say that these three things God had reserved to himself: 1. To make something of nothing. 2. To know future events. 3. To have dominion over men’s consciences.