II. CORINTHIANS 13, 4. 303

Christ is divinely powerful, for thougli he died as a man, he lives as God. He had a feeble human nature, but also an omnipotent divine nature. So we his apostles, though in one aspect weak, m another are strong. We are associated with Christ both in his weakness and in his power ; in his death and in his life. For though. The text is doubtful. The common edition has koI yap et, for even if which the Vulgate renders etsi and the English version although^ taking koX d {even if) as equivalent to d Kat, if even. Many MSS. and editors omit the d. The sense then is, ' For he was even cru- cified through weakness.' The common text gives a clear meaning, ' For even if he were crucified through weakness.' The case is hypothetically presented. Through iceakness^ Ik acr^€vua<s. His weakness was the cause or necessary condition and evidence of his death ; not of course as im^^lying that his death was not voluntary, for our Lord said he laid down his life of himself; but the assumption of a weak human nature liable to death, was of course necessary, in order that the eternal Son of God should be capable of death. Comp. Phil. 2, 9. Heb. 2, 14, 15. His death, therefore, was the evidence of weakness, in the sense of having a weak, or mortal nature. Yet he Uveth hy the poiaer of God. The same person who died, now lives. That complex person, having a perfect hu- man and a true divine nature hypostatically united, rose from the dead, and fives forever, and therefore can manifest the di- vine power which the apostle attributed to him. The resur- rection of Christ is sometimes referred to God, as in Kom. 6, 4. Eph. 1, 20. Phil. 2, 9 ; sometimes to himself, as in Matt. 26, 61. Mark 14, 58. John 2, 19. 10, 18. This is done on the same princi^ile that the works of creation and providence are referred sometimes to the Father and sometimes to the Son. That princijjle is the miity of the divine nature, or the identity of the persons of the Trinity as to essence. They are the same in substance, and therefore the works ad extra of the one are the works of the others also. It is not, however, the fact that the resurrection of Christ was efiected by the power of God, but the fact that he is now alive and clothed with divine power, that the apostle urges as pertinent to his object. For ice also^ &c. The connection of this clause may be with the immediately preceding one, ' Christ liveth by the power of God, for we live.' The life which the apostle possessed and manifested being derived from Christ, was proof that Christ still fived. Or the connection is with the close of the