Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me
This is the reason why he was determined, that should he come
among them, he would not spare them, because they called in
question his apostleship, and demanded a proof of it; which, of
all men, they had the least reason to do; for they themselves
were the seals of his apostleship, and the signs of an apostle
had been done among them; they queried whether he was an
ambassador of Christ, and was sent by him, and in his name;
whether the message he came with was from him, and whether the
Gospel he preached was his voice; and particularly whether he had
such a power to punish delinquents, as he threatened them with
the exercise of; a strange infatuation of the false apostles
this, since Christ, who sent him, was with him, and spoke in him,
and by him:
which to you-ward,
says he,
is not weak, but is mighty in you;
the Gospel of Christ, at the first preaching of it to them by
him, was the power of God unto salvation to them; and was
attended with divers signs and wonders, and gifts of the Holy
Ghost; and besides, they had instances of the power of Christ
towards them in an awful way, in punishing sinners; as in the
delivery of the incestuous person to Satan, which was done by his
Spirit being with them when assembled; and by smiting many of
them with sickness, diseases, and infirmities, and with death
itself, who had sinned, ( 1
Corinthians 5:4 1
Corinthians 5:5 ) ( 11:30
) . Wherefore, seeing after all these instances of the voice and
power of Christ in him, they yet questioned his apostolical
authority, and sought proof of it; and especially since this was
not so much a tempting of him, as a tempting of Christ in him, he
was resolved not to spare them.