very secrets of JDOtive and. feeling, and it may seem as if there could not be any " self- a,pproval" in his presence. And yet God's Word teaches us that God looks for sincerity, expects it, and knows that we can reach it. , Perfect we cannot be ; sincere we can be. "If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." David may even speak of his integ-rity before God. And the height of a man's moral strength is only gained when he feels consciously sincere in the Divine presence, but is truly humble even in the consciousness and says, " Search me, 0 God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my wayB."-R. T. Vers. 21, 22.-The sealing anrl earnest of the Spirit. The figure used in the passage is taken from the custom, common to nearly all lands, of affixing marks to a. man's peculiar property. 'l'hat mark was frequently a seal, with a characteristic device. The shepherd has some mark which he places on each of his sheep, so that if any one of them strays away it may at once he known as his. And so Christ, the good Shepherd, has a mark by which he knows, and would have all men know, the members of his flock. That mark is the seal of the Spirit. '!'he me.'\ning of the term is explained by a passage in Rev. vii. 'l'he angel demands a little delay until he shall have "sea.led tho servants of God in their foreheads." That is, by a distincUve mark, the sons of God are to be separated from the world, stamped ns God's chosen ones. And as that shall then be done by a. glorious name, blazoned on the forehead ; as it was done, in the older time, to Israel, by a. blood-sprinkled lintel; so now it is done by the gift of the great Comforter and Friend, the Holy Spirit of promise. 'fhe presence of the Spirit pledges tbo fact of our ;·econciliation to God, and so it seals us. That Spirit may work on. ungodly men and by ungodly men, but he cannot properly be said to work in ungodly men. His is an influence on them from without; his dwelling in the heart is the assurance that the great change has taken place. A man must be" born again" ere he can be the dwelling-place of the Spirit. "The Spirit witnesseth with our spirit that we are the children of God." And it is not possible to overstate either the dignity or the safety that attends such a sealing. God stamps his people by giving them his own pre- sence. It is J\Ot enough to affix: e. mark, not enough to entrust to guardian angels. Satan may conceivably overcome them, and sin may blot out the mark. God would give his people no other seal than his own omnipotent presence. Divinest seal! No human hanus can tear that from our soul It can only be lost by our own self-willed nets. We can pluck off the seal. We may grieve the Spirit away. None can deny tho livery of the eternal King, with which we are clothed, but we may ourselves choose another servico and strip off the King's dress. What the sealing and earnest of the Spirit aro may best be illustrated by the experiences of the apostolic comp:my when the Spirit first cnme in Pentecostal power nnd glory. The disciples were waiting at the throne of grace, waiting for the fulfilment of the as yet mysterious promise of the Lord. H was the early morning, when a sweeping sound of wind came about tho house, and filled the room whore they were sitting. Prosently dividing tongues of flnmo rested on their bends, and they felt new power thrilling within them. 'l'hoso wero the symbols of the Spirit's scaling them for their great missionary service. In this new might a surprising chango passed ovor them. They were ignorant Galilwans; now they coulJ speak sons to be understood by people of all tongues; now they were swayed with footings tlmt rniscd timid disciples into moral heroes and noble witnesses and faithful martyrs. 'l'hnt wns tho first sealing of the Spirit, and it does but illustrate how still God takes us ns his, gives to us his Spirit, secures us by a Divine indwelling, and inspires us with Di vino motives o.nd impulses.-R. T.
EXPOSI'fION. which 1'itus had brought from Corinth (vers. CHAPTER II. 12-17). ConUnuation of his reo.sone for not ooming Ver. 1.-But I determined this. Tho to them direct ,from Ephesus (vers. 1-4). division of chapters is horn unfortunate, 'l'heir treatment of the incestuoua offender since tbis' ond tho next thrco verses belon:,;- (vcrs. 5-11). His thnnkfulnese ot the news to the porogre.ph which began nt eh. i. 23, 36 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cu. u. 1-17.