Liken away, and, in utter hopelessness, his heart was committed to God with. bis, ,life e,cn the God "which raisetb the dcarl." Could anything represent his marveflou~ deliverance except the resurrection'? "Who delivered us from so great a death ; " it was an act of omnipotence, and as signal as raising the dead. After this era in his career imagine his consciousness of God's power in him. There it. was-part •and portion of his being, thought of his thought, feeling of his feeling, separable never from the existence of self. Had the crisis passed? Yea; but maligners and intriguers and foes were still on his track; the half-Christianized Pharisee nursed the old crrudao against him, and the Judaizer, who believed in no gospel of which the Law of"Mos~s was not a vital part as a requisite to salvation, was as inveterate as ever in cunnina. and in the arts that undermine. Yet what a potency of assurance lies in sorrow! After this season of trial, St. Paul, who was very apprehensive of mischief from this Judaizing source, and most serious mischief, and who felt his own ministry more imperilled at this point than at any other, must have had an unwonted degree of heavenly strength imparted to his spirit. Is it not likely, indeed, that it was a period of special education for this struggle with the Judaizers? May it,not have been that, while in Ephesus, Troas, Macedonia, the principal warrior on the oide of Christianity and free grace had his armour refitted and burnished for the dangers newly impendina? It is on record that he was revived and reinvigorated; for he speaks of God as one who had not only "delivered," but "doth deliver," and "in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us." "So great a death" had been escaped; why might he not hope for future and triumphant victory ? Would not these Corinthians be brethren indeed? "Ye also helping together by prayer for us;" the joy of deliverance from his enemies would not be complete unless they were "partakers;" not even would he have triumph at the price of selfishness, but self in them and self in him must be one; and, therefore, the recurring plural, " we" and " us." " By the means," or through the agency of" many persons," the future deliverance, "the gift bestowed upon us," will be secured, and what then? It would be no private and personal thanksgiving on his part. Instead of that, " thanks may be given by many on onr behalf." His joy would be their joy ; their joy his joy ; and, in their mutual thanksgiving, all would see that a common sorrow had been overruled for a common glory.-L,
Vers. 12-24.-Defence of himself; character of his preaching. "On our behalf" were the closing words of the prececling verse, and St. Paul would now impress upon the Corinthians that he was worthy of their confidence and affection. .And yet, further, if their regard had been manifested by intercessions in his behalf, he wished to assure them that he had in his own mind a blessed witness to the truth and sincerity of his apostolic work. Conscience was this witness. It testified that, "in simplicity and godly sincerity" (" godly honesty and singleness," "a plain, single mind"), and with- out any carnal wisdom that is begotten of selfish mtellect, and under the control of grace determining the matter and manner of his preaching, he •had shown his character and done his work at Corinth. This was his "rejoicing; ",it was inward, it was from God; it applied to his " conduct in the world," and especially to his labours among the Corinthians. Were they not the witnesses of all this 'l How 9ould he be charged with duplicity? They read his heart in the letters written to their Church, and acknowledged his open and frank dealing. Certain persons were sharply censorious, questioning his integrity, attributing baseness to his motives, but some had testified to his" simplicity and godly sincerity," and rejoiced in his apostleship. And they and he would be united in this bond till the end, the day of the Lord Jesus. The day was already anticipated. and even now the " rejoicing " was a foretaste of its bliss. Snch was bis pleasure in them that he had been anxious to visit Corinth and confer "a second benefit," and so enlarge his usefulneHs in their community, and bind their hearts and his in a fellow- ship closer, firmer, tenderer. Two visits had been intended, Circumstances had changed his purpose. Was he, then, light-minded, fickle, irresolute? 'l'he explicit statement of the reason is delayed, but, while not assigning at the moment the cause of postponing the visit, he meets the charges of his enemies by speaki~g the stern, Htrong language of that i11ternal arJthority, the conscience, to which he had Just referred. W 811 be playing the part of a tri Her and deceiver by raising expectations he never meant to fulfil? Waa he carnally minded, saying," Yea, yea, and nay, nay," sa emphatically~ cu. 1. 1-24.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 15