clothed ; his success in preaching, or the number and charac- ter of his converts. The good state of the Corinthian church was therefore an evidence that he was approved, i. e. could stand the test. This, however, as he says, Avas not the reason why he prayed that they might do no evil. That reason, as stated positively, was, that ye should do that lohich is honest. That is, it was their good, and not his own recognition, that he had at heart. Do ichat is honest, to KaXov TrotrJTc, that ye may do the good, the beautiful, what is at once right and pleasing. Though ice he as reprobates, dSoKi/xoi, without ap- probation. Paul was earnestly desirous that the Corinthians should do what was right, although the consequence was that he should have no opportunity of giving that Soklixi^v (evi- dence) of Christ speaking in him which he had threatened to give, and thus, in that respect, be dSoKt/xog, icithout evidence. There is such a play on words in this whole connection that the sense of the passage is much plainer in the Greek than it is in the English version. This view of the passage is simple and suited to the connection, and is commonly adopted. Calvin and others interpret it more generally and without specitic reference to the connection. "Concerning myself," he makes the apostle say, "I am not solicitous; I only fear lest ye should offend God. I am ready to appear as repro- bate, if you are free of offence. Reprobate, I mean, in the judgment of men, who often reject those who are worthy of special honour." This is the general sense, but the peculiar colouring of the passage is thus lost.
8. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
This verse is connected Avith the last clause of the preced- ing. 'We shall, in one sense, be dSoKt/xoi (without evidence) if you do what is right, for we can do nothing against the truth, but are powerful only for the truth,' That is, ' We can exercise the apostolic and supernatural power which is the evidence of Christ speaking in us, only in behalf of the truth.' By the truth is not to be understood moral excellence, or rec- titude— a sense indeed which the word dXiJ^cta often has when antithetical to unrighteousness ; nor does it mean judicial rec- titude specifically, i. e. that standard to which a judge shoukl be conformed, or, as Bcngel explains it, " the exact authority to be exercised over the Corinthians ; " but it means trutli in