27, 28. And when he was disposed--"minded," "resolved."
to pass into Achaia--of which Corinth, on the opposite coast
(see on
Ac 18:1),
was the capital; there to proclaim that Gospel which he now more fully
comprehended.
the brethren--We had not before heard of such gathered at
Ephesus. But the desire of the Jews to whom Paul preached to retain him
among them for some time
(Ac 18:20),
and his promise to return to them
(Ac 18:21),
seem to indicate some drawing towards the Gospel, which, no doubt, the
zealous private labors of Priscilla and Aquila would ripen into
discipleship.
wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him--a beautiful specimen
of "letters of recommendation" (as
Ac 15:23, 25-27,
and see
2Co 3:1);
by which, as well as by interchange of deputations, &c., the early
churches maintained active Christian fellowship with each other.
when he was come, helped them much--was a great acquisition to the
Achaian brethren.
which believed through grace--one of those incidental expressions which
show that faith's being a production of God's grace in the heart was
so current and recognized a truth that it was taken for granted, as a
necessary consequence of the general system of grace, rather than
expressly insisted on. (It is against the natural order of the words to
read them, as BENGEL,
MEYER, and others, do, "helped through grace those
who believed").
JFB.
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