17. On account then of these
either occupations of the servants of God, or bodily infirmities,
which cannot be altogether wanting, not only doth the Apostle
permit the needs of saints to be supplied by good believers, but
also most wholesomely exhorteth. For, setting apart that power,
which he saith himself had not used, which yet that the faithful
must serve unto, he enjoins, saying, “Let him that is catechised
in the word, communicate unto him that doth catechise him, in all
good things:”2531
setting
apart, then, this
power, which that the
preachers of the word have
over them to whom they
preach, he often testifieth; speaking,
moreover, of the
saints who had sold all that they had and
distributed the same, and were dwelling at
Jerusalem in an holy
communion of
life, not saying that any thing was their own, to whom
all things were in common,
2532
and their
soul and
heart one in
the
Lord: that these by the
Churches of the Gentiles should have
what they needed bestowed upon them, he chargeth and exhorteth.
Thence is also that to the
Romans: “Now therefore I will go unto
Jerusalem, to
minister unto the
saints. For it hath pleased
Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the
poor of
the
saints which are at
Jerusalem. For it hath pleased them; and
their
debtors they are. For if in their
spiritual things the
Gentiles have communicated, they ought also in
carnal things to
minister unto them.”
2533
This is like that which he says to
the Corinthians: “If we have sown unto you
spiritual things, is
it a great thing if we
reap your
carnal things?”
2534
Also to
the Corinthians in the second
Epistle: “Moreover,
brethren, we do
you to wit of the
grace of
God bestowed on the
Churches of
Macedonia; how that in a great
trial of
affliction the
abundance of
their
joy and their
deep poverty abounded in the
riches of their
liberality; for to their
power, I bear
record, yea, and beyond
their
power, they were willing of themselves; with many prayers
beseeching of us the
grace and the
fellowship of the ministering to
the
saints: and not as we hoped, but first they gave their own
selves to the
Lord, and unto us by the will of
God, insomuch, that
we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also
finish in
you the same
grace also. But as ye abound in every thing, in
faith,
and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all
diligence, and in your
love to us, see that ye abound in this
grace also. I speak not by
commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to
prove the exceeding dearness of your
love. For ye know the
grace of
our
Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was
rich, yet for your sakes
He became
poor, that ye through His
poverty might be made
rich. And
herein I give
advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun
before, not only to do, but also to be willing a year ago; now
therefore
perfect it in the doing; that as there is a readiness to
will, so of performance also out of that which each hath. For if
there be first a ready
mind, it is acceptable according to that a
man hath, not according to that he hath not. Not, namely, that
others may have ease, and ye straits; but by an equality,
that now at this time your
abundance may be a supply for
their want, that their
abundance also may become a supply for your
want: that there may be equality, as it is written, He that had
gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had
no lack. But thanks be to
God, which put the same earnest care for
you into the
heart of Titus: for indeed he accepted the
exhortation; but being more forward, of his own
accord he went
forth unto you. And we have sent with him the
brother, whose
praise
is in the
Gospel throughout all the
Churches; and not that only,
but he was also
ordained of the
Churches as a companion of our
travail, with this
grace which is
administered by us to the
glory
of the
Lord, and our ready
mind: avoiding this, that no man should
blame us in this
abundance which is
administered by us. For we
provide for
honest things, not only in the sight of the
Lord, but
also in the sight of men.”
2535
In these words appeareth how
much
2536
| 2536 Read perhaps
“quantam;” “how great the Apostle willed to be the
care.” |
the
Apostle willed it not only to be the care of the holy
congregations2537
to
minister necessaries to the holy
servants of
God, giving
counsel in
this, because this was profitable more to the persons themselves
who did this, than to them towards whom they did it, (for to those
another thing was profitable, that is, that they should make of
this service of their
brethren towards them an holy use, and not
with an
eye to this serve
God, nor take these things but to supply
necessity, not to
feed laziness:) but likewise his own care the
blessed Apostle saith to be so great in this ministration which was
now in transmitting through Titus, that a companion of his
journey
was on this account, he tells us,
ordained by the
Churches, a man
of
God well
reported of, “whose
praise,” says he, “is in the
Gospel throughout all the
Churches.” And to this end, he says,
was the same
ordained to be his companion, that he might
avoid
men’s reprehensions, lest, without witness of saints associated
with him in this ministry, he should be thought by weak and impious
men to receive for himself and turn aside into his own bosom, what
he was receiving for supplying the necessities of the saints, by
him to be brought and distributed to the needy.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
