II. CORINTHIANS 12, 8.9. 287

suffering people from that day to this. Each hears the Lord say, 3Iy grace is sufficient for tliee^ apK€L a-oi rj x^P^? fxov. These words should be engraven on the palm of every believ- er's hand. If}/ grace^ either, 'my love,' or metonjTnically, ' the aid of the Holy Spirit,' which is so often meant by the word grace. The connection is in favour of the common mean- ing of the term. ' My love is enough for thee.' These are the words of Christ. He says, to those who seek deliverance from pain and sorrow, ' It is enough that I love you.' This secures and implies all other good. His favour is life ; his loving- kindness is better than life. For my strength is perfected in weakness. This is given as the reason why the grace or fa- vour of Christ is all-sufficient. That reason is, that his strength is perfected, i. e. clearly revealed as accomplishing its end, in weakness. ' Weakness, in other words, says our Lord, is the condition of my manifesting my strength. The weaker my people are, the more conspicuous is my strength in sustaining and delivering them.* Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities. The sense is not, ' I will glory in infirmities rather than in other things,' as though Paul had written fxaXXov iv rats acr^evetat9, but, ' I will rather glory in infirmities than seek deliverance.' If Paul's suffer- ings were to be the occasion of the manifestation of Christ's glory, he rejoiced in suffering. This he did -qhicrTa^ most sweetly^ with an acquiescence delightful to himself. His suf- ferings thus became the source of the purest and highest pleasure. Kavxao/xat kv rats do-^evetats doGs not mean I glory in the onidst of infirmities^ but on account of them. See 5, 12. 10, 15. Rom. 2, 23, &c., &c. This rejoicing on account of his sufferings, or those things which implied his weakness and dependence, was not a fanatical feelmg, it had a rational and sufficient basis, viz., that the power of Christ may rest upon me. The y»'ord is iTna-Krjvwari], may pitch its tent upon me ; i. e. dwell in me as in a tent, as the shechinah dwelt of old in the tabernacle, To be m.ade thus the dwellingvplace of the power of Christ, where he reveals his glory, was a ra- tional ground of rejoicing in those infirmities which were the condition of his presence and the occasion for the manifesta- tion of his power. Most Christians are satisfied in trying to be resigned under suffering. They think it a great thing if they can bring themselves to submit to be the dwelling-place of Christ's power. To rejoice in their afflictions because thereby Christ is glorified, is more than they aspire to. Paul's