derstood not only his working with his own hands to support himself while he made the gospel of no expense, but also the indefatigable exertions which he was constantly called to make, in travelling, and preaching, and in caring for the sick, the poor, and the interests of the church. Watchings^ the sleepless nights which his constantly travelling, his anxieties and labours caused him to pass. Fastings / this is often understood to refer to his suflerinc: from huno^er. But the word yr]crT€La is never used for involuntary abstinence from food, and as it occurs here in connection with laboiu's and watchings, both of which were voluntary acts of self-denial, it is probably to be taken in its ordinary sense. Perhaps, however, the reference is to those cases of abstinence which were in a measure forced upon him, or which he chose to sub- mit to rather than to omit some duty or to fail to take advan- tage of some ojjportimity of usefulness. There is nothing in the connection to demand a reference to rehgious fasting, as when prayers and fasting are mentioned together. Here it is labours and fastings.
6. 7. By pureness, by knowledge, by long-sufFer- ing, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the ar- mour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.
As the apostle commended himself m the various trials enumerated in the two preceding verses, so bg the graces and gifts here specified, it was made manifest to all that he was a true apostle and faithful minister of God. J^g 2nire?iess, both of heart and life. This includes not merely freedom from the 23ollution of immoral acts, but disinterestedness and singleness of motive. J]g knoicledge ; what kind or form of knowledge is here indicated can only be gathered from the context. SomiC say it is the knowledge of the fitness and propriety of things, which exhibits itself as discretion. But as the apostle is speaking of those things which commended him as a minis- ter of God and preacher of the gospel, and as several of the other specifications in these two verses, refer to gifts as dis- tinguished from graces, it is more probable that the reference is to evangelical knowledge ; that knowledge which he mani- fested in his teaching. Comp. Eph. 3, 4, where he speaks of