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In this chapter we have an account, I. Of the constancy of the apostle and his fellow-labourers in their work. Their constancy in declared (Co2 4:1), their sincerity is vouched (Co2 4:2), an objection is obviated (Co2 4:3, Co2 4:4), and their integrity proved (Co2 4:5-7). II. Of their courage and patience under their sufferings. Where see what their sufferings were, together with their allays (Co2 4:8-12), and what it was that kept them from sinking and fainting under them (Co2 4:13 to the end).

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS 4 In this chapter, the apostle declares the constancy, sincerity, and integrity of him, and his fellow ministers, in preaching the Gospel; asserts the clearness and perspicuity of it; removes the charge of pride and arrogance from them; takes notice of the afflictions he and others endured, for the sake of the Gospel; what supports they had under them, and what comforts they enjoyed: in Co2 4:1 he observes, that seeing they were employed in such a ministry, as before described in the preceding chapter, though they met with troubles in it, they did not sink under them; the reason of which was, partly the excellency of the ministry, and partly the grace and mercy of God; and they were no less sincere than they were diligent; and were the reverse of the false teachers, who used dishonest methods, craftiness and deceit; these they disclaimed, and delivered out naked truth, with all simplicity and evidence, and as in the sight of God, in confirmation of which they could appeal to the consciences of all that heard them, Co2 4:2 and whereas the apostle had affirmed the plainness and clearness of the Gospel ministry, both in the preceding chapter, and in the foregoing verse, he foresaw that an objection would be raised against it, which he anticipates, Co2 4:3 showing, that though the Gospel was not spiritually discerned and savingly understood by some persons, yet this was not to be charged upon the Gospel, as if it was attended with darkness and obscurity; but it was owing to the unbelief of men, and the power of Satan over them, in blinding their minds; otherwise the Gospel in itself was light and glorious, in which Christ, the image of God, in a most resplendent manner appears; and those on whom Satan thus wrought were such as did not belong to God's elect, but were of the number of them that perish: moreover the integrity of the apostle and other ministers appeared in their preaching Christ, and not themselves; and in serving the churches in that way, for the sake of Christ; so that they were far from being chargeable with pride, vanity, and arrogance, Co2 4:5 and they readily acknowledged, that all the Gospel light they had was from that God, who spoke light out of darkness in the first creation, whereby they were qualified to communicate light to others, in the name of Christ, Co2 4:6 and though they had a treasure committed to their trust, and which they had within them, yet they freely owned they were but earthen vessels; and the reason why such treasure was put there was, that the power seen in the conversion of sinners by their ministry might appear to be not of themselves, but of the Lord, Co2 4:7 and then the apostle proceeds to give an account of the afflictions endured by them, and of the divine supports they had, by which they were preserved from being overwhelmed with them, Co2 4:8 one end of which afflictions, and which are signified by bearing the dying of Jesus in their bodies, and by being exposed to death for his sake, was, that his life might be manifest in them, or his power in the upholding of them, Co2 4:10 and herein lay the difference between them and the Corinthians; the one were in deaths oft, and in very great distresses, and the other in prosperous circumstances, Co2 4:12 but however, they had much consolation amidst their sorrows and troubles, and which they had partly through the Spirit of faith, and in a way of believing; and who after the example of David, and having the same Spirit as he had, believed and spake, Co2 4:13 and partly through the hope of the resurrection of the dead, to which they were encouraged by the resurrection of Christ, Co2 4:14 as also by considering what valuable ends were answered by their bearing afflictions for the sake of Christ, and preaching the Gospel, namely the good of the churches of Christ, and the glory of God, Co2 4:15 and besides, they had an experience of the daily renovation of the inward man, or of the carrying on of the work of grace upon their souls; and of an increase of grace, right, and joy in them; and this kept them from fainting, though their outward circumstances and outward man were but in a poor condition, Co2 4:16 but more especially what raised their spirits, and kept them from sinking under their afflictions, was the view they had of eternal glory and happiness, to which they had respect; and the comparison they were led to make between their present afflictions, and glory, which their afflictions were working for as, that their afflictions were light, glory heavy; their afflictions were but for a moment, their weight of glory was for ever; their afflictions were seen and temporal, their glory unseen and eternal; or the things of this world, which they often needed, and yet did not regard, were visible and temporary things; but the things of another world they had their eye upon were invisible, only visible to faith, and would endure for ever.

While we look not at the things which are seen,.... These are the things of this world, such as riches, honours, pleasures, profits, &c. which are visible to, and strike the senses of a natural man, and are temporal, endure but for a time, are transitory, fleeting, and quickly gone. To "look" at these things is to desire them, set the affections on them, and to make the enjoyment of them a man's chief scope and aim; and when this is the case, afflictions cannot be said to work for such, or to work them for an eternal weight of glory; but when believers have their eyes and hearts taken off of these things, they either look not at them, or with contempt upon them; "while", and when they are in such frames of soul, afflictions are operating for their future good. Or by these things that are seen may be meant afflictions themselves, the cross, with all that belongs to it; which also are discernible by the outward senses, and are but for a time. Now a believer is not to stand looking and poring upon his afflictions; for while he does so, they work impatience, murmurings, repinings, unbelief, &c. but when and while he looks off of these to Christ, and to what he has done and suffered, and to the glories of another world, and to the recompense of reward, he not only finds himself supported under his present afflictions, which he does not so overlook as to despise; but he also finds his heart seeking after, and his affections set upon, and his faith, hope, and expectation raised in the views of things above, where Christ is: and so he is kept looking at the things which are not seen; by the corporeal eye, nor by the eye of carnal sense and reason; only by the eye of faith, which is "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen": and these things, the joys and glories of heaven, "are eternal"; will last for ever, will never end; all which is great encouragement to faith and patience under the present afflictive dispensations of Providence. Next: 2 Corinthians Chapter 5

You may learn this, too, from the following passage, where the apostle says: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for as a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen," that is, our sufferings, "but at the things which are not seen," that is, our rewards: "for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." For the afflictions and injuries wherewith the outward man is worn away, he affirms to be only worthy of being despised by us, as being light and temporary; preferring those eternal recompenses which are also invisible, and that "weight of glory" which will be a counterpoise for the labours in the endurance of which the flesh here suffers decay.

It was not a light, momentary affliction to everyone, but it was to Paul and to people like him, because they had the perfect loving affection of God in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit poured into their hearts.

Such, after all, is the way with good people: when they endure something for his sake, far from attending to the appearance of what occurs, they understand the reason behind it and thus bear everything with equanimity. Likewise Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles, identified imprisonment, arraignment, daily peril, all those many unbearable hardships as light burdens, not because they really were so by nature but because the reason behind their happening produced such an attitude in him that he would not turn back in the face of these oncoming threats. Listen, after all, to what he says: “For the light weight of our passing distress produces in us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”; expectation of the glory we are destined to attain, he is saying, and of that unceasing enjoyment makes us bear without difficulty these hardships one after another and consider them of no consequence. Do you see how love of God reduces the intensity of troubles and prevents our having any sense of them as they befall us? On this account, of course, this blessed man, too, bore everything with equanimity, sustained by faith and hope in God.

"For the light affliction," he saith, "which is for the moment, worketh more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." Having closed the question by a reference to hope, (and, as he said in his Epistle to the Romans, "We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope;" establishing the same point here also,) he sets side by side the things present with the things to come, the momentary with the eternal, the light with the weighty, the affliction with the glory. And neither is he content with this, but he addeth another expression, doubling it and saying, "more and more exceedingly." Next he also shows the mode how so great afflictions are light. How then light? "While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen." So will both this present be light and that future great, if we withdraw ourselves from the things that are seen.

The human patience which is good, praiseworthy and deserving the name of virtue is said to be that by which we endure evils with equanimity so as not to abandon, through a lack of equanimity, the good through which we arrive at the better. By their unwillingness to suffer evil, the impatient do not effect their deliverance from it; instead, they bring upon themselves the suffering of more grievous ills. But the patient, who prefer to bear wrongs without committing them rather than to commit them by not enduring them, both lessen what they suffer in patience and escape worse things by which, through impatience, they would be submerged. In yielding to evils that are brief and passing, they do not destroy the good which is great and eternal, for “the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared,” the apostle says, “with the glory to come that will be revealed in us.” And he also says: “Our present light affliction, which is for the moment, prepares for us an eternal weight of glory that is beyond all measure.”

Paul is saying that our present afflictions are light because they are happening within time and space. In return for this light tribulation, we shall gain a degree of glory beyond measure. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.

Syncletica also said, ‘If you are troubled by illness, do not be miserable, even if you are so ill that you cannot stand to pray or use your voice to say psalms. We need these tribulations to destroy the desires of our body; they serve the same purpose as fasting and austerity. If your senses are dulled by illness, you do not need to fast. In the same way that a powerful medicine cures an illness, so illness itself is a medicine to cure passion. A great deal is gained spiritually by bearing illness quietly and giving thanks to God. If we go blind, let us not be upset. We have lost one means to excellence, yet we can contemplate the glory of God with the inward eyes of the soul. If we go deaf let us remember that we shall no longer hear a lot of silly talk. If suffering has weakened the strength of your hands, you still have inner strength against the enemy’s attacks. If the whole body is afflicted by disease, your spiritual health is still increasing.’

He explains in what manner the inner man is renewed, and says: by the reflection that affliction is brief, that is, temporary, and light because it is temporary, while glory is both eternal and has weight, that is, greatness in the highest degree, for such is the meaning of the words: "in immeasurable excess."

The third point, namely, the cause of this patience, is recognition of a reward. This recognition is most efficacious, because, according to Gregory, it lessens the force of a scourge. And this is what he says: For this present, slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As if to say: the tribulations we suffer here are nothing, if we look to the glory we obtain from them. Hence, he compares the condition of the saints in this life to the condition of those in heaven and mentions five things in each state that correspond. First, the condition of the present life in the saints is of itself slight and, as it were, imperceptible. Hence, he says, this, i.e., the least: "For a brief moment I forsook you" (Is. 54:7). Likewise it is transitory; hence he says, present, i.e., in this life, which is one of affliction and toil: "The life of man is warfare" (Job 7:1, Vulgate). Likewise it lasts a short time; hence he says, momentary: "For a moment I hid my face from you" (Is. 54:8). For the whole time of this present life compared to eternity is only momentary. Likewise it is light; hence he says, slight. For although he said above (1:8): "We were crushed," because the body is heavy, yet it is very light to a spirit on fire with charity. Hence Augustine says: "All that is heavy and huge love makes easy and almost nothing." Likewise it is penal; hence he says, of our affliction: "I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him" (Mic. 7:9). But as to the state of happiness, he lays down five things, because in contrast to what is this, he places beyond all measure: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18). But on the other hand: "He will give to each one according to his works" (Matt. 16:27). Therefore it will not be beyond all measure. I answer that the word "according" does not denote an equality of amount, as though a person will be rewarded so much for so much merit, but an equality of proportion, so that one who merits more will receive more reward. Likewise, against that which is in the present he places exceedingly, i.e., in an excellent state without disturbance: "I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth" (Is. 58:14). Against that which is momentary, he places eternal: "Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Is. 35:10). Against that which is light he places a weight. He says, weight for two reasons: first, because a weight inclines and draws to its motion all things under it. In the same way eternal glory will be so great that it will make the whole man glorious in soul and in body. There will be nothing in man that does not follow the impulse of glory. Or it is called weight, because it is precious, for only precious things are weighed. Against that which is called tribulation he places of glory. Or of glory can be common to the other four, which are said of the state of glory, so that of tribulation is common to the four which are said of the present life. It is preparing, namely, above the tribulations we suffer, for these are the cause and merit for which God confers that glory on us. And so the patience of the saints is unconquerable, their reward ineffable, and the recompense of their reward right and delightful.

St. Paul shows the integrity with which he had preached the Gospel of Christ, Co2 4:1, Co2 4:2. And that, if it was unprofitable to any who had heard it, it was because their unbelieving hearts were blinded, Co2 4:3, Co2 4:4. How he preached, and how he was qualified for the work, Co2 4:5-7. The troubles and difficulties he met with in his labors, and the hope and consolations by which he was supported, Co2 4:8-15. And the prospect he had of eternal blessedness, Co2 4:16-18.

For our light affliction, etc. - Mr. Blackwall, in his sacred classics, has well illustrated this passage. I shall here produce his paraphrase as quoted by Dr. Dodd: "This is one of the most emphatic passages in all St. Paul's writings, in which he speaks as much like an orator as he does as an apostle. The lightness of the trial is expressed by το ελαφρον της θλιψεως, the lightness of our affliction; as if he had said, it is even levity itself in such a comparison. On the other hand, the καθ' ὑπερβολην εις ὑπερβολην, which we render far more exceeding, is infinitely emphatical, and cannot be fully expressed by any translation. It signifies that all hyperboles fall short of describing that weight - eternal glory, so solid and lasting, that you may pass from hyperbole to hyperbole, and yet, when you have gained the last, are infinitely below it. It is every where visible what influence St. Paul's Hebrew had on his Greek: כבד cabad, signifies to be heavy, and to be glorious; the apostle in his Greek unites these two significations, and says, Weight of Glory." St. Chrysostom's observations on these words are in his very best manner, and are both judicious and beautiful: ΤΙΟΗΣΙ παραλληλα τα παροντα τοις μελλουσι· το παραυτικα προς το αιωνιον· το ελαφρον προς το βαρυ· την θλιψιν προς την δοξαν· και ουδε τουτοις αρκειται, αλλ' ἑτεραν τιθησι λεξιν, διπλασιαζων αυτην, και λεγων, καθ' ὑπερβολην εις ὑπερβολην - τουτεστι, μεγεθος ὑπερβολικως ὑπερβολικον. "The apostle opposes things present to things future; a moment to eternity; lightness to weight; affliction to glory. Nor is he satisfied with this, but he adds another word, and doubles it, saying, καθ' ὑπερβολην εις ὑπερβολην. This is a magnitude excessively exceeding." See Parkhurst, sub voce ὑπερβολη.

HIS PREACHING IS OPEN AND SINCERE, THOUGH TO MANY THE GOSPEL IS HIDDEN. (2Co. 4:1-18) Therefore--Greek, "For this cause": Because we have the liberty-giving Spirit of the Lord, and with unveiled face behold His glory (Co2 3:17-18). seeing we have this ministry--"The ministration of the Spirit" (Co2 3:8-9): the ministry of such a spiritual, liberty-giving Gospel: resuming Co2 3:6, Co2 3:8. received mercy--from God, in having had this ministry conferred on us (Co2 3:5). The sense of "mercy" received from God, makes men active for God (Ti1 1:11-13). we faint not--in boldness of speech and action, and patience in suffering (Co2 4:2, Co2 4:8-16, &c.).

which is but for a moment--"Our PRESENT light (burden of) affliction" (so the Greek; compare Mat 11:30), [ALFORD]. Compare "now for a season . . . in heaviness" (Pe1 1:6). The contrast, however, between this and the "ETERNAL weight of glory" requires, I think, the translation, "Which is but for the present passing moment." So WAHL. "The lightness of affliction" (he does not express "burden" after "light"; the Greek is "the light of affliction") contrasts beautifully with the "weight of the glory." worketh--rather, "worketh out." a far more exceeding and--rather, "in a surpassing and still more surpassing manner" [ALFORD]; "more and more exceedingly" [ELLICOTT, TRENCH, and others]. Greek, "in excess and to excess." The glory exceeds beyond all measure the affliction.