John Wesley

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - A solemn and beautiful introduction, highly suitable to the apostolical spirit.”

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

“Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any affliction - He that has experienced one kind of affliction is able to comfort others in that affliction.”

For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.

“For all the promises of God are yea and amen in him - Are surely established in and through him. They are yea with respect to God promising; amen, with respect to men believing; yea, with respect to the apostles; amen, with respect to their…”

Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us,

“I say, to the glory of God - For it is God alone that is able to fulfil these promises. That establisheth us - Apostles and teachers. With you - All true believers.”

placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.

“Who also hath sealed us - Stamping his image on our hearts, thus marking and sealing us as his own property. And given us the earnest of his Spirit - There is a difference between an earnest and a pledge.”

I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.

“I call God for a record upon my soul - Was not St. Paul now speaking by the Spirit? And can a more solemn oath be conceived? Who then can imagine that Christ ever designed to forbid all swearing?”

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.

“Not that we have dominion over your faith - This is the prerogative of God alone. But are helpers of your joy - And faith from which it springs. For by faith ye have stood - To this day.”

For if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?

“For if I grieve you, who is he that cheereth me, but he that is grieved by me - That is, I cannot be comforted myself till his grief is removed.”

If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,

“To whom ye forgive - He makes no question of their complying with his direction. Anything - So mildly does he speak even of that heinous sin, after it was repented of.”

in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

“Lest Satan - To whom he had been delivered, and who sought to destroy not only his flesh, but his soul also. Get an advantage over us - For the loss of one soul is a common loss.”

Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,

“Now when I came to Troas - It seems, in that passage from Asia to Macedonia, of which a short account is given, Acts xx, 1, 2.”

I had no peace in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

“The apostle resumes the thread of his discourse, chap. vii, 2, interposing an admirable digression concerning what he had done and suffered elsewhere, the profit of which he by this means derives to the Corinthians also; and as a prelude to his apology against the…”

For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

“For we - The preachers of the gospel. Are to God a sweet odour of Christ - God is well-pleased with this perfume diffused by us, both in them that believe and are saved, treated of, chap. iii, 1; chap.”

For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit.

“For we are not as many, who adulterate the word of God - Like those vintners (so the Greek word implies) who mix their wines with baser liquors. But as of sincerity - Without any mixture.”

You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.

“Ye are our recommendatory letter - More convincing than bare words could be. Written on our hearts - Deeply engraven there, and plainly legible to all around us.”

And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new covenant - Of the new, evangelical dispensation. Not of the law, fitly called the letter, from God's literally writing it on the two tables.”

Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of…

“And if the ministration of death - That is, the Mosaic dispensation, which proves such to those who prefer it to the gospel, the most considerable part of which was engraven on those two stones, was attended with so great glory.”

For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!

“But how can the moral law (which alone was engraven on stone) be the ministration of condemnation, if it requires no more than a sincere obedience, such as is proportioned to our infirm state?”

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

“And we do not act as Moses did, who put a veil over his face - Which is to be understood with regard to his writings also.”

But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant.

“On the public reading of the Old Testament - The veil is not now on the face of Moses or of his writings, but on the reading of them, and on the heart of them that believe not.”

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

“Shall turn to the Lord - To Christ, by living faith. The veil is taken away - That very moment; and they see, with the utmost clearness, how all the types and prophecies of the law are fully accomplished in him.”

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

“Now the Lord - Christ is that Spirit of the law whereof I speak, to which the letter was intended to lead. And where the Spirit of the Lord, Christ, is, there is liberty - Not the veil, the emblem of slavery.”

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the…

“And, accordingly, all we that believe in him, beholding as in a glass - In the mirror of the gospel. The glory of the Lord - His glorious love. Are transformed into the same image - Into the same love.”

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God…

“God who is himself our light; not only the author of light, but also the fountain of it. To enlighten us with the knowledge of the glory of God - Of his glorious love, and of his glorious image.”

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God…

“Illumination - Is properly the reflection or propagation of light, from those who are already enlightened, to others. Who is the image of God - Hence also we may understand how great is the glory of Christ.”