2 Cor. xiii. 1
This is the third time I am coming to you. At the
mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be
established.
wisdom of Paul
and his much tender affection, one may observe in many other
circumstances, but especially in this, his being so abundant and
vehement in his admonitions, but so tardy and procrastinating in
his punishments. For he did not chastise them immediately on
their sinning, but warned them once and again; and not even so, upon their paying no attention, does he exact punishment, but warns again, saying, “This is the third time I am coming to you;” and ‘before I come I write again.’ Then, that his procrastinating may not produce indifference, see how he corrects this result also, by threatening continually and holding the blow suspended over them, and saying, “If I come again I will not spare;” and “lest when I come again I should mourn for many.” These things, then, he doeth and speaketh, in this too imitating the Lord of all: because that God also threateneth indeed continually and warneth often, but not often chastiseth and punisheth. And so in truth also doth Paul, and therefore he said also before, “To spare you I came not as yet to Corinth.” What is, “to spare you?” Lest finding you to have sinned and to continue unamended, I should visit with chastisement and punishment. And here, “This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be established.” He joins the unwritten to the written, as he has done also in another place, saying, “He that is joined to an harlot is one body; for the twain,” saith He, “shall become one flesh.” (1 Cor. vi. 16.) Howbeit, this was spoken of lawful marriage; but he diverted its application unto this thing conveniently, so as to terrify them the more. And so he doth here also, setting his comings and his warnings in the place of witnesses. And what he says is this: ‘I spoke once and again when I was with you; I speak also now by letter. And if indeed ye attend to me, what I desired is accomplished; but if ye pay no attention, it is necessary henceforth to stop speaking, and to inflict the punishment.’ Wherefore he says,
Ver. 2. “I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand when I was present the second time; so now being absent I write to them that sinned heretofore and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare.”
‘For if at the mouth of two witnesses or
three every word shall be established, and I have come twice and
spoken, and speak now also by this Epistle; it follows, I must
after this keep my word. For think not, I pray you, that
my writing is of less account than my coming; for as I spoke when
present, so now I write also when absent.’ Seest thou his
fraternal solicitude? Seest thou forethought becoming a
teacher? He neither kept silence nor punished, but he both
foretells often, and continues ever threatening, and puts off the
punishment, and if they should continue unamended, then he
threatens to bring it to the proof. ‘But what didst thou tell
them before when present, and when absent writest?’ “That if
I come again, I will not spare.” Having showed before that he
is unable to do this unless he is compelled, and having called the
thing a mourning, and a humbling; (for he saith, “lest my God
should humble me before you, and I should mourn for them that have
sinned heretofore, and not repented;—Chap. xii. 21.) and having made his excuse unto them, namely, that he had told them before, once and twice and thrice, and that he does and contrives all he can so as to hold back the punishment, and by the fear of his words to make them better, he then used this unpleasing and terrifying expression, “If I come again, I will not spare.” He did not say, ‘I will avenge and punish and exact satisfaction:’ but again expresses even punishment itself in paternal language; showing his tender affection, and his heart to be grieved along with them; because that he always to “spare” them put off. Then that they may not think now also that there will be again a putting off, and merely a threat in words, therefore he both said before, “At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be established;” and [now], “If I come again, I will not spare.” Now what he means is this: ‘I will no longer put off, if (which God forbid) I find you unamended; but will certainly visit it, and make good what I have said.’