which false teachers are wont to exercise when they would seduce the unwary into heresy. Eph. 4, 14. All such cunning, all such sly and secret ways of accomplishing his purposes Paul renounced. Kor handling the icord of God deceitfully. The word SoXoo) means not only to deceive^ but also to falsify. The latter is its meaning here. Not falsifying or corrupting the word of God, i. e. not adulterating it with the doctrines or traditions of men. Comp. 2, 17. The gospel which Paul preached was the word of God ; something divinely revealed, having therefore a divine, and not merely human authority. The apostles always thus speak with the consciousness of be- ing the mouth of God or organs of the Spirit, so that we can- not deny their inspiration without denying not only their au- thority but their integrity. But hy the manifestation of the truth. This stands opposed to the preceding clauses. In- stead of availing ourselves of secret and cunning arts, and corrupting the word of God, we declared it openly and pure- ly. The truths therefore, here is not moral truth or integrity, nor truth in general, but revealed truth, i. e. the word of God. Commending ourselves to every maji's conscience. Paul's op- ponents endeavoured to recommend themselves and to secure the confidence of others by cunning, and by corrupting the gospel ; but he relied simply on the manifestation of the truth. He knew that the truth had such a self evidencing power that even where it was rejected and hated it commended itself to the conscience as true. And those ministers who are humble and sincere, who are not wise in their own conceit, but simply declare the truth as God has revealed it, commend themselves to the consciences of men. That is, they secure the testimony of the conscience even of wicked men in their favour. In the sight of God., that is, he acted thus in the sight of God. This is an assertion of the parity of the motives which gov- erned his official conduct. He acted as in the sight of that God before whose eye nothing unholy or selfish could stand. The assertion of conscious integrity is not self-praise.
3. But if our gospel be hid, it is liid to them that
are lost.
Although the gospel is thus glorious in itself, and although it was clearly set forth, yet to some it remained hid. That is, its true character and excellence as a revelation from God and of God was not apprehended or recognized. The reason or