The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 35

Vers. 12-14.-.The conscience-testimony. "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony· of our conscience." This passage ma.y be thus paraphrased: "It is this which causes such a. perennial flow of joy and consolation into my heart amid all my anxieties and distresses. I can feel in my conscience that what knits us together in sympathy is' a Divine and not a. human bond. On my part there is the inspiration from above, on yours the verifying faculty which enables you to recognize the truth of what I deliver to you." Now, no man ever needs publicly to appeal to the testimony of his conscience unless he is misjudged, misrepresented, maligned, or slandered by his fellow- men. He may, however, be placed in such circumstances that he can make no other a.ppea.l than to the consciousness of having acted in sincerity and uprightness. Such a. testimony ma.y not be accepted by others, but the ability to render it .brings rest and peace to a. man's own heart. St. Paul was at this time greatly suffering from mis- representations and slanclerings; and so was David, in the older time, when he turned with such passionate intensity to God, saying, "Judge me according to mine integrity, and according to my righteousness which is in me." The worst hurt a true and faithful man can receive is the misjudging of his sincerity. F. W. Robertson says, "Met by these charges from his enemies, and even from his friends, the apostle falls back on his own conscience. Let u~ explain what he means by the testimony of conscience. He certainly does not mean' faultlessness,' for he says,' Of sinners I am chief.' A_nd St. John, in a. similar spirit, declares that none can boast of faultlessness: 'If we _say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.' And here St. Paul is not speaking of his own personal character, but of his ministry ; and a.gain, he is not speaking of the blame- lessness of his ministry, but of its success. No; it was not faultlessness St. Paul meant by the testimony of conscience, but this-integrity, moral earnestness in his work; he had been straightforward in his ministry, and his worst enemies could be refuted if they said that he was insincere." Now, the conscience-testimony may be said to include self-approval before self, self-approval before man, and self-approval before God. I. SELF-APPROVAL BEFORE Bi!:LF. Treat conscience as the exercise caf a man's judgment concerning the right and wrong of his own conduct-a man's self-appmiso- ment. A man may be calm a.mid a.11 storms of slander or persecution who can feel that he is consciously sincere, and that he has been true to himself. Carefully distinguish this from mere self-satisfaction, and from the pride that leads a man to "think of him- self more highly than he ought to think." A man's moral strength depends upon his self-approval when conscience makes its searching estimate of conduct and of motives,. A man is only weak when his conscience upholds his accuser. II. SELF-APPROVAL BEFODE MAN. 1. A man is often compelled to take action which he knows men are likely to misconceive and misrepresent. He can only do so with the assurance that he is right. 2. Men a.re corruptly disposed to put a wrong con- struction on the actions of their fellows, and every man must take this into account who occupies prominent or public positions. He dares not waver or change to try and meet everybody's wisheH, lie can but fa.11 back upon the testimony of hiH o,vn conscience. HI. SELF-APPBOV AL BEFODE Gov. He, beini; the Searcher of the heart, knows tqQ ou. u.1-17.J 'l'µE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 35