The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 54

suffering, for good, through them bringing the Rinner to a hopeful penitence and humility of heart. There was, however, this danger to be recognized anJ. guarded against. Satan might, as it were, outwit the Church, in its dealing with erring members, and make the suffering following on sin produce remorse rather than repentance. "Penitence works life, remorse works death. The latter ~s more destructive even than self-righteous- ness, for it crushes, paralyzes, and kills the soul." There must consequently be a judicious limitation of the punishment, and a watchfulness for the first opportunity of showing mercy and granting restoration. "Not to release the offender from the bondage when he was truly penitent would be to afford the enemy of souls an opportunity of which he would not be slow to avail himself. Nothing is so likely to plunge a man into every kind of crime as despair." For St. Paul's experience of Satanic schemes, devices, and strategy, comp. eh. xii. 7 ; 1 Thess. ii. 18 ; Eph. vi. 12. We may treat the subject in its wider and more general applications if we illustrate the following and other ways in which Satan may be said to get advantage within a Church:- 1. BY OVERMASTERING INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS. Failure does not come to the Church as a whole, but to individuals in it. All are exposed to temptation and evil. We must be in the world, and Christian men may yield themselves to the power of the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." Some of the gravest of our Church anxieties arise from the moral failure of individual members. Illustrate cases occurring in youth-time ; but especially cases in men's middle life, when the passions for wealth, sensuality, or drink often:gain an overmastering energy. Show also the force that may be gained by the suddenness of the temptation, and by the condition of spiritual unwatch- fulness in which the man may be found. The forms of failure which we usually find are dishonesty, immorality, or self-indulgence in meat or drink. But, by the law that those in the Church are members one of another, the failure of one is the shame, and should be the distress and grief, of all. Satan disturbs and injures a whole Church if he can gain influence over one member; and to do this is ever" one of his devices." II. BY SECURING THE HARSH AND UNLOVING TREATMENT OF THOSE WHO FAIL. Perhaps it would be true to say that Satan never more certainly gets the ad vantage over Churches than when he makes them exaggerate punishment, overpress discipline, and fail to temper judgment with mercy. The action of a Church must be exactly in harmony with the action, when he was with us on earth, of the Church's Lord. He was quick and keen to discern sin. He was swift and severe to punish sin. But he was watchful for signs of gracious influence effected by the punishment, and ready at once to restore and for- give the penitent.. He never " breaks the bruised reed or quenches the smoking flax." Man's punishments are always in danger of running to excess. Ml\n cannot judge motives or read hearts, and so he too often fails to recognize soon enough when dis- cipline ho.s accomplished its work. Explain the evil influence exerted by unwillingness to forgive members of I\ family or of a Church; o.nd show that a most mischiovous conception of God himself, and wrong relo.tions with him, would follow if we wero not quite sure that he is "ready to forgive." Ill. BY MAKING A CHURCH INDIFFERENT TO THE MORALITY OJ' ITS MEMBERS. Lo.xity, cnrelessness about purity of life, uprightness of relations, o.nd consistency of conduct, often <lo creep into Churches, and they are among the most grievous of "Satt\Il's de- vices." Illustrate from the evil work done by Carnal Security, in the town of Mnnsoul, as described in John liunyan's 'Holy ,var.' 'fhe evil influence is felt, not only by the erring brethren, who come under no kind of correction, but a.re left to go 011 in sin, until "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth dee.lb;" but also by tho Church, which is defiled before God by the taint on its good name, o.ncl which fails to be duly sonsitive to the Divine honour. Illustrate by the lesson that wo.s taught in the failure of Isrncl at the siege of Ai, when the "accursed thing" was in their camp. IV. BY PERSUADING A CHURCH TO MAKE ITS FORGIVENESS A. FORMALITY, NOT A FULL RESTORATION. 'l'oo often this grave mistake is made: the offender is formally restored io membership, but he is not really tnken back into the love and trust of tho brethren, and he receives no Higns of restored confidence and no help back to goodness. Ho is a blighted man, and it seems to him that his slip or foll can never really be forgotten, never reo.lly be wiped out, and therefore he must hang down his head among the brcth rcn to his dying ,lay. 'l'he Church's forgiveness ancl rcstoratio11 must bo liko God'~, n help to the erring one towards realizing the glorioWl cou-.1,leteneas of Gocl'e forgi vings, for- 54. THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [en. n. 1-17.