LV over put to wreftle, not only with flefb and Mood, but alto With principalities and powers, and fpiritual wickednefres in high places; yet bath this for his rejoicing, the teflimo- ny o. f his Confcience, &c. Not to infift on the conne&tion, we have in the words thefe four things ; a. Paul's continued cheerfulnefc, not - withftanding his formerly mentioned affliEtions ; -This is our rejoycing. 2. The ground and rife of this fpiritual and folid joy, that no affliEtion can remove from him, The telimony of our Confcience. In his affli &ion and tribulation he taketh a back-look of his way, and fin.. deth his Confcience, not fimply fpeaking, but teftifying good on his behalf, telling him, that, rho' he and his fellows were accounted deceivers, and unknown, yet they were true and well known, &c. as it is, 2 Cor. 6. 8. 3 The extent or amplification of this ground, (r.) More generally, ¡Ve have had our converfation in the world, (which is to be reftri &ed to Paul's converfation after his converfion, in his miniftry, and otherwife ; for, tho' a natural Man may have a blamelefs vifible converfation, yet it is not fuch as a renewed man hath for the ground of his rejoycing.) (z.) More particularly, he not cnh' hada good converfation as to the general tra& of his lif=e, but in his carriage towards the Corinthians in particular, with whom he had been fo much and fo long converfant; and more abundantly to you wards. Whatever they might, through the fuggeftion and inftigation of falle teachers, have been difpofed and ready to upbraid him with, yet he had the teftimony of his fincerity and integrity, as to what all the world could fay of him, which he ailed- gefh, and more abundantly towards you : Partly to thew his diffinEnefs iñ fearching his Confcience, not by the lump ( to fpeak fa) but as to the feveral parts and pieces of his life ; and partly to obviate an objeEtion or calumny that might arife among them,, where his converfation was molt, and molt carped at. 4. We have the chara&ers whereby he confirms this teftimony of his Confcience, or the qualifications of it, whereby his confidence of hav- ing it, is confirmed ; which are four, the ifi, whereof is negative ; Not by fief* wifdotryz ; not feeking my own ends
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