The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

[CHRIST. LVI] [NERO. II] A New year being now entred, and Paul intending for Syria as soon as the spring was a little up, he sendeth Titus before hand to Corinth, to hasten their collections for the Saints in Judea, that they might be ready against Paul should come thither. And with Titus he sendeth two other brethren, and by them all he sendeth THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.

The proof that it was written and sent at this time and in this manner, is plain by these places and passages in it: Chap. 9. 2, 3, 4. I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia: Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain; lest haply they of Macedonia come with me, &c. Chap. 12. 14. Behold the third time I am coming to you. Chap. 13. 1. This is the third time I am coming to you. And Chap. 8. 16. But thanks be unto God who put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. 17. Being more forward of his own accord he went unto you. 18. And with him we have sent the brother whose praise is in the Gospel. 22. And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often times proved diligent in many things, &c.

Who these two nameless persons should be, will require some inquiry. The later I suppose was Erastus, both because his diligence had been approved before, Acts 19. 22, &c. and also because it is said Erastus abode at Corinth, 2 Tim. 4. yet he not named among Pauls retinue when he set out for Asia, Act. 20. 4. because he was gone to Corinth before.

As for the other brother whose praise is said to be in the Gospel, that very phrase and ex∣pression hath caused many to conceive, that it was Luke, and that the words mean, Who is famous in all the Churches for the Gospel he hath written: whereas [besides that groundless strictness that is put upon the words, limiting them to the writing of a Gospel, which ac∣cording to that most usual manner of speech, are rather to be understood of his renowning in preaching the Gospel] it is apparent by the words of Luke himself, that he went not ei∣ther before Paul to Corinth, as this brother spoken of did, nor did he go before Paul to Troas as the rest that are named by him did, but he went in Pauls company: for observe his speech, These tarried for us at Troas: And we sailed away from Philippi, &c. The words Us and We do plainly associate the penman himself with Paul at his setting out, and shew that he was none of those that were sent before.

Others therefore do guess that this brother that went along with Titus, was Silas, be∣cause it is said, Who also was chosen by the Churches to travel with us, &c. Which very thing which they use for an argument to prove it Silas, proves against it, for Silas was not cho∣sen by the Churches to go with Paul, any more than Timothy or Titus were; but he was chosen by Paul alone, as they also were. See Act. 15. 40.

That clause then, Who was also chosen of the Churches to travel with us, doth deal the matter betwixt Barnabas and Mark, for none other can be named, to whom the words can be so properly applied as to one of them: and of the two, most properly to Mark; and he I doubt not, is the man that is here intended: For 1. the words with us, joyn Paul and Barnabas together in their travel, and the third man who was chosen to travel with them was none but Mark. For 2. he was chosen by the Church at Jerusalem for that purpose, Acts 12. 25. and by the Church at Antioch, Acts 13. 5. as these words he was chosen by the Churches do well explain those verses. 3. It is true indeed that Paul had taken distast at Mark, and so bitter, that Barnabas and he had parted upon it, Act. 15. 39. yet in his second Epistle to Timothy he desires Timothy to bring Mark to him, for that he is profitable to him for the Ministry, 2 Tim. 4. by which it appears that he was not only re∣conciled to him, but also that he had made use of him and found him useful: When it was that they knit into amity and imployment again, is not discoverable, but that they had done so, the passage newly alledged, doth make past denial; and if his imployment of Mark were not now, or before, he can no more imploy him, before he himself become a priso∣ner. When we come to the time and order of the second Epistle to Timothy, we shall have occasion to speak to this matter again, and shall find something there to help the confirmati∣on of this assertion, nay to raise it higher then yet it hath spoken, namely, that Mark was not only sent by Paul to Corinth at this time, but also that he was at Corinth when Paul sent for him to come to him to Rome. And thus if these words, Whose praise is in the Gos∣pel, were to be understood of one that had written a Gospel, here is a subject to apply them to in that sense, for this Mark wrote a Gospel as well as Luke.

The Apostle in this second Epistle to Corinth, doth first excuse his not coming to them ac∣cording as he had promised in his first Epistle, 1 Cor. 16. 5. clearing himself from all light∣ness in making, and from all unfaithfulness in breaking that promise, and pitching the main reason upon themselves and their present condition: because he had not yet intelligence when he went first into Macedonia, of any reformation among them of those enormities that he had reproved in his first Epistle, therefore he was unwilling to come to them in heavi∣ness, and with a scourge. This his failing to come according to his promise, had opened the mouths of divers in his disgrace, and false teachers took any other occasion to vilifie him, which he copiously satisfies and vindicates himself all along the Epistle.

His exceeding zealous plainness with them, and dealing so home and throughly against their misdemeanours as he did, was one advantage that false teachers and his ill willers took to open their mouth against him, and to withdraw hearts from him: and withal and mainly, because he was so urgent against the works of the Law as to Justification, and those rites which the Jews, even the most that were converted to the Gospel, too much doted on. About the former, their taunt and scorn against him was, His Letters are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and speech contemptible, Chap. 10. 10. A poor contemptible fellow [say they] to be so sharp and supercilious in his Letters; this is more then he durst speak if he were here! &c. But let such know, saies he, that what I am by Letters in absence, I will be by words and in deed in presence. Concerning both this and the latter named, they passed Festus his censure upon him, as Acts 26. 24. that he was besides himself. This he mentions and answers, Chap. 5. 13. Whether we are besides our selves it is for God, or whether we be sober it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constrain∣eth us, because we thus judge: that if one died for all, then were all dead, &c. Since Christ died for all, that is, for Jews and Gentiles both, he could not but conclude that all were dead, the Jew as well as the Gentile; therefore he could not but so urgently call upon the Jew to look off his own righteousness, and the works of the Law, and to look for Justifi∣cation by faith in Christ. Another scandalous opinion and reproach they also took up of him, That he walked after the flesh [a strange slander of Paul] Chap. 10. 2. but this was but an appendix to that before: because he was not Pharisaically precise about their trivial rites of the Law [which too many of them mixed with the Gospel,] but cried them down, therefore they cried him up for carnal. His answer to this is, that his Ministry may wit∣ness the contrary for him, ver. 3, 4, 5. the end of which and the abundant effect of which was to beat down such carnal affections and actions as were such indeed: His expression of the weapons of his warfare being strong to pull down strong holds, expounds that Num. 24. 17. of Christs smiting the corners of Moab, and destroying all the Sons of Seth. And he gives this for a second answer, that if they would be but obedient; they should see how his Apostolick power was ready to avenge disobedience.

Since he hath such back friends and open enemies in this Church, it is no wonder if he write so doubtingly of them how he should find them: and that he staied no longer with them when he came to them, as his stay was very little. His former Epistle, as it is ap∣parent by several passages in this, had wrought them into a reasonable good temper: but mischief now was crept on them again, at least there were some that were tampering to bring it on. In regard therefore of that vilifying that these false teachers; enemies of

him and God did set him at, and sought to make him odious and contemptible in the eyes of the Church, he is put to it to make his vindication, and that, as the matter required with much largness and earnestness. He therefore copiously discourseth, what God had done by him, what he had suffered for God, and what he had done for the Churches; in any of which things let any of these that reviled him, come near him if they could. In relating the passages of his life, he mentioneth many things, of which there is no men∣tion in his story in the Acts of the Apostles: and frequently in his discourse, he speaketh of his folly in boasting, as Chap. 11. 1. Bear with me a little in my folly, and see ver. 16, 17. because indeed mans boasting of himself is folly, and they would be ready to censure his so, therefore he styles his by that title, though it were not folly in him, but a needfull and an holy vindication of himself and of his Ministry.

After he had sent away this Epistle, by Titus, Erastus and Mark, if our conjecture fail not, and had given notice to the Corinthians of his speedy coming to them, and warning to get their Collections ready against he came, he provideth for his journey into Syria, which he had intended so long: partly to visit the Churches in these parts, and partly to bring up the Collections that he had got for the poor of Judea: which he had promised to the three Ministers of the Circumcision. Peter, James and John that he would be carefull of, Gal. 2. 10.