2 Cor. iii. 6. The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
THE Gospel is that weapon, whereby God subdues a rebeUious world to the obedience of faith : and the Apostle Paul, when his commission to preach it was called in question, appealed to the effects wrought by it on the hearts of his hearers, as a decisive evidence that he was sent of God to proclaim it, and that the word he preached was the true Gospel. But, though constrained thus to vindicate his apostolic character, he would not arrogate to himself any praise, as though the work had been wrought by any wisdom or power of his own : he disclaimed " all power even to think a good thought," and much more to produce such a wonderful change on the hearts of others : this change was effected by a simple exhibition of Gospel truth; yet not by the mere promulgation of it as a record, but by a representation of it as God's appointed instrument to save the world. In this respect, his ministry differed widely from that of the priests under the Law, and from that of the false teachers under the Gospel : for both the one and the other of those, resting in externals, betrayed their hearers to their ruin ; whereas he, by setting forth the true Gospel according to its spiritual import, was instrumental to their salvation : " He was a minister of the new testament," not of the letter, but of the spirit : for, says he, " the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
How any revelation from God should have the effect of ''killing" those to whom it was given, and, more especially, how the new testament should be attended with any such consequences, does, it must be confessed, at first sight appear strange and incre- dible. But the Apostle's declaration is true : " the letter does kill ; and the spirit alone makes alive." This will be seen.