II. CORINTHIANS 5, 11. 129

is so uniformly used to express that reverence and submission which are due only to God, it is clear from this and analogous passages that Christ was to the apostles the object of the religious affections; and that they felt themselves to be re- sponsible to him for their moral character and conduct. The evidence of the divinity of the Lord is thus seen to pervade the New Testament, and is not confined to a few isolated passages. Influenced, says the apostle, by the fear of the Lord, I persuade men. What this means is somewhat doubt- ful. The word 7^€t^^etv expresses the endeavour to convince, as in Acts 18, 4, "He persuaded the Jews," i. e. endeavoured to convince them of the truth, and in Acts 28, 23, "Persuad- ing them concerning Jesus." The apostle therefore may here mean that he endeavoured to convince men of the truth of the gospel, i. e. to convert them, or bring them to the obedi- ence of faith. Or, he may mean that he endeavoured to con- vince them of his mtegrity, or that he was really governed by the fear of Christ, and was therefore sincere and honest, which hi Corinth had been so unjustly called in question. This latter explanation is generally preferred, both because it suits the context, and because the following clause seems to require this idea. ' We seek to convince men of our integrity, but God we need not convince, to him our inmost soul is manifest.' The word (Trct^eci/), however, also signifies to conciliate^ to seek to please, as in Gal. 1, 10, "Do we persuade (i. e. seek to please) men, or God." Matt. 28, 14. Acts 12, 20. 1 John 3, 19. Many prefer that sense here. Luther, in his idiomatic style, renders the clause, fahren icir schon niit den Leuten, The apostle is supposed to refer to the fact that he accommo- dated himself to all classes, and became all things to all men, that he might save some. 1 Cor. 9, 22. Though he thus acted still he was manifest unto God ; i. e. God knew the purity of his motives. This, however, is an idea foreign to the connec- tion. His accommodating himself to others was not the spe- cific objection made against him by his enemies in Corinth, but, as appears from the previous chapters, his " lightness " or instabihty of purpose, and his consequent untrustworthiness as a man and as a teacher. Others again, take Tret^etv in a bad sense. 'We deceive men, (as our enemies say,) but are mani- fest to God.' But this is utterly incongruous. How could Paul say in such a solemn connection, ' I deceive men,' and leave the saving clause, as my enemies say^ to be supplied by the reader. The most natm-al interpretation is that given