The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 93

of dishonesty," or rather, of" shame." Every element and form 'lf sin is a thin11 of "shamt>," a t~ing which makes the conscience blush. Falsehood, iuchastity, mean;ess, selfishness, dishonesty, are all things for shame and disgust. A true minister h:t11 renounced all these things, he is thoroughly cleansed of them. 3. ItJ straightforward- ness. "N9t walking in craftiness." No attribute of character is more common, at the same time more morally ignoble and anti-Christian, than artfulness or stratagem. Ministers of religion are frequently charged with this•• craftiness," and the charge is, alas! too often true. The craft of priesta is notorious. Now, a true minister is free from this; he is a man of frankness, candour, transparent honesty. II. Hrs WORK. How does he fulfil his mission? The answer is given here: 1. Negatively. "Not handling the Word of God deceitfully." It is thus handled when it is used to support a system, to advance a sect, to exhibit self, to gain a living and to win popularity. He is not a true minister who does this. 2. Positively. "By manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (1) He appeals to the conscience of humanity. "Every man's con- science." Elsewhere Paul calls conscience the " inner man; " it is in truth the man of the ma.n, his moral self. It is thus he addresAes himself, not merely to the passion, or to the imagination, or to the intellect, but to that which underlies and permeates every spiritual faculty of man. (2) He appeals to the conscience of humanity through the truth. "By manifestation of the truth." What is the "truth"? "The Word of God." And that word, not as literature, but as life, the life of Christ. He is "the 'fruth." It is" truth as it is in Jesus," not in creeds or Churches that he addresses to the conscience. (3) He appeals to the consciences of humanity, through the truth under the felt inspection of Almighty God- "In the sight of God." The man who preaches the truth under a consciousness of the Divine eye will be free from (a) fear, (b) affectation, and from (c) dulness. Vers. 3, 4.-The condition of wnregenerated men. "But if our gospel be hid," etc. These words give an appalling view of ungodly men, I. They are BLIND TO THE GOSPEL. " If our gospel be hid [or,' veiled']." Men have different organs of vision. There is the bodily eye: the gospel is not "hid" from that -they can see the volume that contains it, they can see the print, and perhape read its chapters. There is the intellectual eye to discover its sense and discern its meaning. There is the spiritual eye, the conscience which discerns the moral significance of thiug~; this is the eye which alone can see the gospel, it.s real essence. And this is the veiled eye, the eye of conscience is closed, so that the gospel is no more discerned than the bright heavens are observed by the man who is born blind. II. They are PERISHING IN BIN. "It is hid to them that are lost," or veiled from them that are perishing. Soul-ruin is a gradual process. Souls are neither ruined nor saved at once. The wicked are "going into everlo.sting punishment;" they are Dot hurled there at once; step by step they proceed. With every sin their sensibility of conscience is perishing, their power of will is perishing, all the better tendencies ~f their nature are perishing. It matters not how strong in body, how prosperous lll wealth, how elevated in society, they are perishing. Startlingly solemn this I III. They are VICTIMIZED DY SATAN, "In whom the god of this world bath blinded the minds of them which believe not." Observe: 1. Satan is uot a princiµle, but a personality. 2. Satan has immense dominions. "The god of this world.". Sat~n is '1: personality that has accese to human souls. He enters men, acts on their sprmgs ~t thought and fountains of feeling. 3. Satan is a personality whose action on the sou! J8 essentially r,ernicious. "The god of this world bath blinded the minds of them which believe not. ' He closes the moral eye of the soul, "lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them." Yer. 5.-Prw.ching. "For we preach not ourselves," etc. Here is-- I. A BAD POSSIBILITY in preaching. What is that? To "preach ourselves." 'fo preach ourselves is to propound our own notions, to exhibit our own ta_lcnts, gcmus, and learning, to parade our own productions. It is to put self, not Christ, 1u t41: frout. In these days the egotism of the pulpit has become all but intolerable. II. A GLORIOUS THEME for preaching. "Christ Jesus the Lord." l. l'n:acll him <llL rv. 1-18.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 93