The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 60

Rom. vii. '7-2St • But in the' gospel the course with God (Exod. xxiv. 16). Could spirit is everything; the mere letter is as not steadfastly- behold the face of Moses nothing (J«?hn vi. 63). For the letter killeth, (Exod. x.txiv. 29, 80). St. Panl has been but the spirit giveth life. This is one of led quite incident.ally into this . digression the very numerous '' texts " which have in the course of defending himself by de- been first misinterpret'ed" and have then scribing the no.ture of his ministry; but been made, for whole centuries, the bases it bore very definitely on his general pm- of 13rroneous systems. On ·this text more pose, because his chief opponents wero thnn any other, Origen, followe<l by the Judniets, whose one e.i.m it wns to bind upon exegetes of •a thousand years, built his the Church the yoke of Mosaism. That dog1Da. ..thllt the Scripture must be inter- thev could not " behold " the face of Moses preted allegorically, not literally, beca.use is the hagadah, or traditional legend, derived " the letter " of. the Bible kills. The mis- from Exod. x.x.xiv. 30, which says the.t "they interpretation is extra.vaga.ntly inexcusable, were afraid to draw nigh to him. Tho and, like ma.ny others, a.rose solely from reader may recall the beautiful lines of rending .words awa.y from their context Cardinal Newman- and so reading new senses into them. The " Lord I grant me this abiding grace- contrast is not between "the outwa.rd" and Thy words and saints to know ; the inward sense of Scripture a.t all. "The To pierce the veil on Moses' face, letter" refers exclusively to" the Law," and AltllOugh his words he slow." therefore has so little reference to "the Bible" that it was written before most of :Beoanse of the glory of his oou.ntenanoe. the New Testament existed, and only This circumsto.nce is so often alluded to us touches on a small portion of the Old to bnve become identified with the con- Testament. Ki1leth. Two questions arise. ception of Mose9. Tho Hebrew words for (I) What and inhom does it kill? and (2) "a ray of light" and "o. horn" nro iden- hotn does it 7:i1! ? The answers seem to be tical ; hence, instend of saying that his fnco that (I) the letter-the Law regarded as an wns "irrndiated," the Vulgate snys, Carnuta outward letter-p,1sses the sentence of death erat ejus /acies ; and even in our version of on those·toho duobey it. It says," He who Hub. iii. 4 we find" And he hnd horn8 [i.e. doeth these things shall live in them;" and 'rays of light'] coming out of his hand.'' therefore implies, as well as often so.ys, that To this is due the wedimvnl symbol of he who disobeys them sho.11 be cut off. U Moses with horns, us in the matchless st.ntuo is, therefore, a deathfu I meno.ce. For none by Michnel Angolo. Whioh glory was to can obey this Lo.w with perfect obedience. be dono away. The Greok might be ex- And (2) the sting of dea~h being sin, the pressed by "the glory-the evaneacing glory Lo.w kifls by directly lending to sin, in that --of his couutonnuco." It wus not "lo be it stirs into existence tho principle of con- doue awny," but from the first moment they cupiscence (Rom. vii. 7-11; I Cor. xv. 56; snw it it bognn to vo.nish. The verb "to Gnl. iii. 10, 21). But the spirit giveth life. do nway," implying nnnulment, nnd the 'fhis ·contrast between a dead and a living being nbrognted ns invo.lid, is a chnro.cteristic Mvonnnt is fundamontnl, nnd espccinlly in word in this group of Epistles, in which it the writings of St. Pnul (Rom. ii. 27-29; occurs twenty-two times. This il\ustr1\lcs vii. 6: viii. 11 ; Gnl. v. B: I Cor. xv. 45). tho prominence in St. Po.ul's thoughts of tho Tbo Law stones tho adulteress; the gospel fnct thnt the Law wns now" n11tiqut1ted" an,I says to her, "Go, and sin no more." '' ncnr its oblitcmtion" (comp. Hob. viii. rn). Ver. 7.-The miniatration of death. The But in dwelling on tho brief nud transient ministrntion, thnt is, of the Lnw, of " tho oharncter of tbis rndiance, St. Pnul seizes letter which killeth." St. Paul hero begins on a point which (nnturnlly) is not dwelt ono of tho nrgumonts a minori ad 111ajU11 upon in Exod. xx:s:iv. which nre the very basis of tho Epistle to Ver. 8.-The ministration of the spirit. the Hebrows. Writton nnd ongraven in 'fhnt Is, "tho npoetolnte und sorvico of tho stones ; liternlly, engraoed in letler8 1m gospel.'' :Be rather gloriollll. A con trnst stones (Exod. xxxi. 18). Tho reference may bo intended between tho ministmtion shows thnt, in epenking of "tho Jolter,'' of tho letter, which " bccu1no glorious." St. Pnul wns r,!lly thinking of the llfosnio which hnd, o.s It wore, o. glory lent to it Lnw,nnd indeed sµeciBcnllyoftheDecaloguo. (<-y,vi,0-,, iv Bo(p), und thnt or tho spirit, Was gloriollll; litcrully, occurred in glorv, which i,, or its own nl\turo, in glory. o,, pro6ed itself gloriou8. Iu itself the Law Ver. 9.-The ministration of condemnation. wns "holy, just, nnd good" (Rom. vii. 12), Tho same o.ntithcsis between tho Law LlS and given "at the di~position or angels " involving "condcmmLtion" nnd tho gospel (Acts vii. 53); nnd its transitory glory was ns bestowing " righteousness " is foun,I in illustrated by the lustre which tho f,lco of Ilom. v. 18, 19. 'l'ho glory; pcrhtlps, rllthcr, l\loses cnug-ht by reflection from his inter- a glory; n stronger wuy of describing it ilS  60 THE SECOND EPISTLE 1'0 THE CORINTHIANS. [oH. m. 1-18.