The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 52

death. This is very dishe\irtening when viewed under one aspect. But Christ is preached, the work is acccptal1lo to God, the Divine mercy is vindicated, and the respon- sibility of the disastrous issue re.sts solely on the rejecters. The excellence of the truth is aemonstrated by its rejection on the part of the vile and sin-loving. 2. To others hi5 word .i·s a savour from life unto life. .Here the triumph is unquestioned by all. A livW,g IJhrist is recognized, and one who has life-giving power. _Ill. HE TRIUMPHS ONLY. AB HE IS FAITHFUL, For only so does he honour God and set forth the truth as it is in Jesus. The faithful minister: 1. Does not corrupt the Word of God (ver. 17). Many do (1) by false interpretation, (2) bias, (3) insinuation, {4) omission, (5) addition. Prompted by (1) gain, (2) applause, (3) carnal prefer- ences. 2. But (1) distrusts. hfuiself, crying," Who is sufficient for these things?" (2) uses utmost. sincerity; (3) gets his message from God-" of God" (ver.17); (4) speaks as in the sight of God; (5) speaks in Christ, in communion with him as the Head. IV. H:rs .TRIUMPH IS. O:F Gon. He is le.d in triumph by God (ver. 14). God h!lll triumph~d over him, and now God triumphs through him. His sufficiency is of God. ( eh. iii. 5). He has no power when he only has his own; he has all power when he bas God's.-H. Vere. 1--4...:...The sorrow of faithful love. The apostle has still in mind the unfaith- ful member who had brought so sad a. disgrace upon the whole Church. His conduct in the matter, especially in changing his mind when he was fully expected at Corinth, had been misrepresented, and made the occasion of accusations against him as a fickle-minded, self-willed man. He therefore here explains why he did not visit Corinth while it remained uncertain bow the offending member would be· treated. He bad no thought but for the truest well-being of the Corinthian Church. He could not leave them to go on in sin. He could not bear to think that those whom he had instructed in Christ were indifferent to sin. Love,. feeling sorrow for the sinning member and for tho dishonoured Church, cannot be satisfied without eame&i; wa.rnings about the sin ll.Ild efforts to remove it. . Such efforts carry and express both the sorrow and the love. illustrate by the patient, gracious pleadings of God with sinning and backsliding lsrael, as given in the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. I. SucH SORROWING LOVE CAN PERSONALLY SUFFER. Here it led the apostle to act in a way which brought to him the bitterest form of suffering, even the suspicion o.nd mistrust of his very friends. Even that he would bear, if but his desire for the spiritual welfare of the Corinthion Church could be realized. "Men might think thot it had cost him little to write sharp words like those which he has in his mind. Ho remembers well what he felt as he dictated them-tho intensity. of his feelings, pain th11t such words should be needed, anxiety ns to their issue, the very tears which then, os at other times, were the outflow of strong einotion. Those who were indignant 11t his stern worcls should remember, or at least learn to believe this, and so to see in them the strongest proof of bis abounding love for them." The heart of St. Paul was in this matter 11s the heart of him who su.id, "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten," Illustmto whot a pressure on personal feeling it is. for the parent or teacher to chasten. '!'hey often suffer much more than do those whom they feel called to smite. Even the mis- understanding, and even the ten1porary hatred, of those whom we would benefit, mu,,t be borne, in our earnest endeavours to deliver them from the dominion nml defilement of their sins. II. Suen SORROWING LOVE CAN DEAL SEVERELY WITH TUE SINNEII. It is never love to pass by sin. It is no true love that touches the sin too lightly and give~ inefficient and unworthy apprehensions of it. St. Paul seemed to be too severe. Ho could not be. The case coiled for nn extreme of severity. It was not merely tbot tho offence was an open and scandalouo one, but, whnt was oven worso, the Church soemcd to bo pervaded by a false tlentiruent concerning it, and manifc~tcd no distress in having tho guilty member among them. In somo wny, St. Paul folt, ho must urouso thom tu a sense of their shame. Strong l:mguuge, refusal to givo them a personal visit, 1u,ythin~ that woul<l wakE:n o. sense of ain, were necesso.ry. It ha<l been tho time for sterncct rebuke, 4.nd still love needs to use severity. For somo forms of sin tho gontlor pdr- sua.sions are ine!Ticicnt; ruen must be roughly shaken out of their self-confidences, at,ll their pride must bo humbk<l an<l broken. The Church of mo<lorn days ea gnwcly fail~ 52 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [ea. u. 1-17,