Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.

“If, owing to the fault of human error, the word God has become a common name (since in the world there are said and believed to be "gods many" ), yet "the blessed God," (who is "the Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ," will be understood to be no other God than the Creator, who both blessed all things (that He had made), as you find in Genesis, and is Himself "blessed by all things," as Daniel tells us. Now, if the title of Father may be claimed for (Marcion's) sterile god, how much more for the Creator? To none other than Him is it suitable, who is also "the Father of mercies," and (in the prophets) has been described as "full of compassion, and gracious, and plenteous in mercy.”

“O Thou the great Being, O Lord God Almighty, who alone art unbegotten, and ruled over by none; who always art, and wast before the world; who standest in need of nothing, and art above all cause and beginning; who only art true, who only art wise; who alone art the most high; who art by nature invisible; whose knowledge is without beginning; who only art good, and beyond compare; who knowest all things before they are; who art acquainted with the most secret things; who art inaccessible, and without a superior; the God and Father of Thy only begotten Son, of our God and Saviour; the Creator of the whole world by Him; whose providence provides for and takes the care of all; the Father of mercies, and God of all consolation; who dwellest in the highest heavens, and yet lookest down on things below...”

“"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." For in the thought of God, let the thought of Father be included, so that the glory which we ascribe to the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit may be perfectly free from difference. For the Father has not one glory and the Son another, but their glory is one and the same, since the Son is the Father's sole-begotten. When the Father is glorified, the Son shares in enjoyment of his glory, because the Son draws his glory from the honoring of the Father. Again, whenever the Son is glorified, the Father of so excellent a Son is greatly honored.”

“"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort." Do you ask, how is this aptly to the purpose in hand? I reply, Very much so; for observe, they were greatly vexed and troubled that the Apostle had not come to them, and that, though he had promised, but had spent the whole time in Macedonia; preferring as it seemed others to themselves. Setting himself then to meet this feeling against him, he declares the cause of his absence; not however directly stating it, as thus; "I know, indeed, I promised to come, but since I was hindered by afflictions forgive me, nor judge me guilty of any sort of contempt or neglect towards you:" but after another manner he invests the subject at once with more dignity and trustworthiness, and gives it greatness by the nature of the consolation, so that thereafter they might not so much as ask the reason of his delay. Just as if one, having promised to come to one he longed for, at length arriving after dangers innumerable, should say, "Glory to Thee, O God, for letting me see the sight so longed for of his dear countenance! Blessed be Thou, O God, from what perils hast Thou delivered me!" for such a doxology is an answer to him who was preparing to find fault, and will not let him so much as complain of the delay; for one that is thanking God for deliverance from such great calamities he cannot for shame drag to the bar, and bid clear himself of loitering. Whence Paul thus begins, "Blessed be the God of mercies," implying by the very words that he had been both brought into and delivered from mighty perils. For as David also doth not address God every where in one way or with the same titles; but when he is upon battle and victory, "I will love Thee, he saith, O Lord my strength; the Lord is my buckler:" when again upon delivery from affliction and the darkness which overwhelmed him, "The Lord is my light and my salvation;" and as the immediate occasion suggests, he names Him now from His loving-kindness, now from His justice, now from His righteous judgment:-in like way Paul also here at the beginning describeth Him by His loving-kindness, calling Him "the God of mercies," that is, "Who hath showed me so great mercies as to bring me up from the very gates of death." And thus to have mercy is the peculiar and excellent attribute of God, and the most inherent in His nature; whence he calleth Him the "God of mercies." And observe, I pray you, herein also the lowly-mindedness of Paul. For though he were in peril because of the Gospel he preached; yet saith he not, he was saved for his merit, but for the mercies of God.”

“Here begins the epistle, in which the Apostle does two things. For first he excuses himself for not having gone to them, as he had promised; second, he pursues his intention, in chapter 3, where he says "we begin again," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down his excuse for the delay; second he assigns the cause of the delay, in the second chapter, where he says "but I determined," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he renders them well disposed; second he sets forth his excuse, where he says "and with this confidence," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he wins their goodwill by relating certain things in general; second, certain things in particular, where he says "for not," etc. Now the Apostle wins their goodwill by showing that whatever he does, he does it all for their benefit. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets forth beforehand the benefit that comes to others from him; second he assigns the reason for these things, where he says "for as they abound," etc. Concerning the first he does three things. First the act of thanksgiving is set down; second the manner of the thanksgiving, where he says "who comforts," etc.; third the cause, where he says "that we also may be able to comfort." He gives thanks, therefore, to the whole Trinity, from whom every good comes. And so he says "blessed be God," that is, the whole Trinity. Likewise to the person of the Father, when he says "and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," through whom, namely Christ, the Father has given us all things. But it should be known that we bless God, and God blesses us, but in different ways. For God's speaking is his doing. Ps. 32:9: "He spoke, and they were made." Hence God's blessing is to do good and to pour in good, and thus it has the character of causality. Gen. 1:28, and 22:17: "Blessing I will bless you," etc. But our speaking is not causal, but recognitive or expressive. Hence our blessing is the same as recognizing the good. When therefore we give thanks to God, we bless him, that is, we recognize him as good and as the giver of all goods. Tob. 12:6: "Bless the God of heaven," etc. Dan. 3:57: "Bless, all ye works," etc. Rightly, therefore, he gives thanks to the Father, because he is merciful, hence he says "Father of mercies," and because he is a comforter, hence he says "and God of all comfort." And he gives thanks for two things, of which men have the greatest need. For first they need evils to be taken away from them, and this mercy does, which takes away misery; and to have mercy is proper to a father. Ps. 102:13: "As a father has mercy on his children," etc. Second they need to be sustained in the evils that come upon them. And this is properly to be comforted, because unless a man had something in which his heart might rest, when evils came upon him, he would not endure. Then, therefore, someone comforts another, when he brings him some refreshment, in which he may rest amid evils. And although in some evils a man can be comforted and rest and be sustained by something, still God alone is he who comforts us in all evils. And therefore he says "God of all comfort"; because if you sin, God comforts you, because he himself is merciful. If you are afflicted, he comforts you, either by rescuing you from the affliction through his power, or by judging through his justice. If you labor, he comforts you by rewarding, Gen. 15:1: "I am your reward," etc. And therefore it is said, Matth. 5:5: "Blessed are they that mourn," etc. But he adds the matter of the thanksgiving, saying "who comforts," etc. As if he were to say: therefore blessed, because he comforts us in all tribulation. Below, 7:6: "who comforts," etc. But he sets down the cause of this, when he says "that we also may be able to comfort." Here it should be noted that there is an order in the divine gifts. For God gives special gifts to some for this purpose, that they may pour them out for the benefit of others. For he does not give light to the sun, that it may shine for itself alone, but for the whole world. Hence he wills that from all our goods, whether they be riches, or power, or knowledge, or wisdom, some benefit should accrue to others. 1 Pet. 4:10: "As every man has received grace," etc. This, therefore, is what the Apostle says: "he comforts us in all tribulation." But why? Not that this alone should be for our good, but also that it may benefit others. Hence he says "that we also may be able to comfort them," etc. For we can comfort others by the example of our own comfort. For he who has not been comforted does not know how to comfort. Ecclus. 34:11: "He who has not been tempted, what does he know?" "Who are in all" - that is, in whatever distress. Is. 61:1f.: "The spirit of the Lord has sent me," etc., "that I might comfort all who mourn," etc.; Ecclus. 48:27: "he comforted them that mourn," etc. We can, I say, comfort by exhortation to the endurance of sufferings, promising eternal rewards, by which, namely, we exhort you through the Scriptures and interior inspirations, that we may patiently endure, and exhort others by our example, and through the Scriptures themselves. 1 Cor. 11:23: "For I have received of the Lord," etc. Is. 21:10: "What I have heard from the Lord," etc. Having set down the benefit that comes from the apostles to others, he consequently assigns the reason for what has been said, saying "for as they abound," etc. And because he had said two things, namely that God comforts us in all tribulation, and that we also may, etc., here he explains the reason for these two things, and first he shows how God comforts us in all tribulation; second, how our comfort is turned into the comfort of others, where he says "but whether we are in tribulation," etc. He says, therefore: rightly I say that he comforts us in all our tribulation, because according as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, etc. He says "of Christ," that is, begun by Christ. Ez. 9:6: "Begin at my sanctuary." For in Christ the sufferings for our sins began, because he himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, 1 Pet. 2:24, then through the apostles, who said "we are put to death all the day," Ps. 43:22, etc., then through the martyrs, who "were cut asunder, were tempted," etc., Heb. 11:37; lastly the sinners themselves will patiently bear the wrath of the Lord for their own sins, because they have sinned against him. Or, "sufferings of Christ," that is, those which we endure on account of Christ: Acts 5:41: "the apostles went rejoicing," etc. And Ps. 43:22: "For your sake we are put to death," etc. As, I say, sufferings of this kind abound, so through Christ our comfort abounds. Ps. 93:19: "According to the multitude of my sorrows," etc.”

“The Father of mercies. A Hebraism for “ most merciful.” See note to Rom. xv. 5. S. Bernard says learnedly and piously (Serm. 5 de Natali Dom.) : “ He is rightly called the Father of mercies, not the Father of judgments or vengeances , not only because it is more the nature of a father to pity than to be angry , even as a father pitieth his children that fear him , but rather because it is from Himself that He draws the cause and origin of His mercy , but from us , that is, from our sins , draws the cause and origin of His judgment and vengeance. But if it is because of this that He is the Father of mercy, why ts He called the Father of mercies l The Apostle in one Word, in one Son , brings before us a double mercy in the words * Father of mercies? not merely Father of a single mercy, in speaking of the God not of comfort merely , but * of all comfort? who comforteth us, not in this or that tribulation, but in all. 1 Many are the mercies of the Lord? says a certain person, meaning that many are the tribulations of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them out of all. There is one Son of God, one Word; but our 4 SECOND EPISTLE TO THE manifold misery calls for, not only great pity, but a multitude of mercies . Perhaps , however , because of the double substance which is to be found in our human nature, both of which are miserable , , the misery of man may not unsuitably be said to be twofold although in both it be of manifold forms . Truly the tribulations of our body and soul are increased exceedingly, but He who saves man wholly rescues him from the troubles of both? Notice that S. Bernard seems to refer the phrase “Father of mercies ” to the Son ; and rightly enough, but it is not the intention of the Apostle to do so. S. Paul plainly means the same Person by “ the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Father of mercies.””

“After the foregoing preface, the apostle begins with the narrative of God's goodness to him and his fellow-labourers in their manifold tribulations, which he speaks of by way of thanksgiving to God, and to advance the divine glory (Co2 1:3-6); and it is fit that in all things, and in the first place, God be glorified. Observe, I. The object of the apostle's thanksgiving, to whom he offers up blessing and praise, namely, the blessed God, who only is to be praised, whom he describes by several glorious and amiable titles. 1. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: ho Theos kai patēr kuriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou. God is the Father of Christ's divine nature by eternal generation, of his human nature by miraculous conception in the womb of the virgin, and of Christ as God-man, and our Redeemer, by covenant-relation, and in and through him as Mediator our God and our Father, Joh 20:17. In the Old Testament we often meet with this title, The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, to denote God's covenant-relation to them and their seed; and in the New Testament God is styled the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to denote his covenant-relation to the Mediator and his spiritual seed. Gal 3:16. 2. The Father of mercies. There is a multitude of tender mercies in God essentially, and all mercies are from God originally: mercy in his genuine offspring and his delight. He delighteth in mercy, Mic 7:18. 3. The God of all comfort; from his proceedeth the COMFORTER, Joh 15:26. He giveth the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, Co2 1:22. All our comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him. II. The reasons of the apostle's thanksgivings, which are these: - 1. The benefits that he himself and his companions had received from God; for God had comforted them in all their tribulations, Co2 1:4. In the world they had trouble, but in Christ they had peace. The apostles met with many tribulations, but they found comfort in them all: their sufferings (which are called the sufferings of Christ, Co2 1:5, because Christ sympathized with his members when suffering for his sake) did abound, but their consolation by Christ did abound also. Note, (1.) Then are we qualified to receive the comfort of God's mercies when we set ourselves to give him the glory of them. (2.) Then we speak best of God and his goodness when we speak from our own experience, and, in telling others, tell God also what he has done for our souls. 2. The advantage which others might receive; for God intended that they should be able to comfort others in trouble (Co2 1:4), by communicating to them their experiences of the divine goodness and mercy; and the sufferings of good men have a tendency to this good end (Co2 1:6) when they are endued with faith and patience. Note, (1.) What favours God bestows on us are intended not only to make us cheerful ourselves, but also that we may be useful to others. (2.) If we do imitate the faith and patience of good men in their afflictions, we may hope to partake of their consolations here and their salvation hereafter.”

“Blessed be God - Let God have universal and eternal praise: 1. Because he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the gift of his endless love to man, Joh 1:16. 2. Because he is the Father of mercies, ὁ Πατηρ των οικτιρμων, the source whence all mercy flows, whether it respect the body or the soul, time or eternity; the source of tender mercy; for so the word implies. See on Rom 12:1 (note). And, 3. Because he is the God of all comfort - the Fountain whence all consolation, happiness, and bliss flow to angels and to men.”

“This thanksgiving for his late deliverance forms a suitable introduction for conciliating their favorable reception of his reasons for not having fulfilled his promise of visiting them (Co2 1:15-24). Father of mercies--that is, the SOURCE of all mercies (compare Jam 1:17; Rom 12:1). comfort--which flows from His "mercies" experienced. Like a true man of faith, he mentions "mercies" and "comfort," before he proceeds to speak of afflictions (Co2 1:4-6). The "tribulation" of believers is not inconsistent with God's mercy, and does not beget in them suspicion of it; nay, in the end they feel that He is "the God of ALL comfort," that is, who imparts the only true and perfect comfort in every instance (Psa 146:3, Psa 146:5, Psa 146:8; Jam 5:11).”