The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 107

the long service of glory. Through much tribulation we unter the kinudom and are prepared for its duties. The joys of heaven are dependent on the sorr~ws of earth; without the latter we should not be ready for the former. "Tribulation worketh patience,n eto. (Rom. v. 3). 3. Whilst suffering cannot in any way merit salvation affliction rightly endured shall not be without reward. If we fight the fiaht of faith: and endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we shall receive" a crown of righteo11Suess which fadeth not away. "If we suffer we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim. ii. 12). PBA<n'IOA.L. 1. Faint 'llot. Many faint because they see no reason why they should not faint. Yet all reasons point the Christian to patient endurance. If we lose heart we lose strength. To despair is to charge our Master with unfaithfulness. Seek to be a good swimmer in the sea of trouble, and if the waves go over you, still faint not, for soon you will rise to the surface again, and see that the shore is nearer. 2. Be nu, much concernea a.bout the things of this life. (Ver. 18.) These are perishing. The imperishable are our better portion. Look not at the things which are seen; they are not worth looking at. "Set your affection on things above" (Col. iii. 2.) 3. Look at things umeen by the carnal seme, but clear to faith's vision. (Ver. 18.) God, Christ, holiness, usefulness, spiritual joys, the new Paradise,-these are" eternal."-H. Ver. 5.-Not M!lj, but the Lord. Two imputations had been cast on St. Paul du1ing his absence from Corinth, and to each of these this verse contains a reply. It hnd been said that he sought commendation; and he answered that he set forth, not himself, but bis Lord. It had been said that be tried to domineer over the Churches ; and ho answered that he was a servant of the Church for Jesus' sake. I. THE PROMINENCE GIVEN TO THE LORD. "We preach not ourselves." By this disclaimer is not meant that the apostle excluded all reference to bis own faith or experience, and maintained an altogether impersonal tone while delivering Christian testimony and instruction to the Churches. Extant specimons of his preaching and writing indicate the contrary. St. Paul freely spoke of his own experience of tbo mercy of God and sustaining grace of Christ, of his faith and hopo, his sorrow nnd joy. So have all wise and successful ministers of the Word of lifo shown thoir own hearts to tho people as holding the gospel precious. 'l'hey have so.id, " What we preo.ch to yon we ourselves know and believe; what we commend to your accoptnnco wo have ourselves accepted and proved; so we come before you, not mcroly as messengers by whom tidings are sent, but also as witnesses who can testify that those tidings 1iro true." 'l'he apCIStle spoke and wrote freely of himself, but did not preach himself, i.e. did not set himself before the people as the leader or the Saviour. It was the fault of those factious teachers at Corinth, who tried to disparage the authority of St. l'nul, tho.t they commended themselves, taught their own speculations, eyed their own advancement, and drew away discifles after thew. 'l'his wns what tho npostlo dis- claimed and abhorred, and what al preachers of the gospel must scrupulously, nn,l oven jealously, avoid. It is positively fatal to spiritual succoss to projoct one's self before the people instead of setting forth the all-sufficiency of Christ Jesus, !ho living Essence of the gospel. Some one complained to tbo excellent Willinm Ilomniuo of his constantly preaching Christ; and he answered, "We havo nothiug ciao to preach;" i.e. we preach nothing separate from him or disconnected with him. All sound doc- trine converges towards, and all acceptable obedience i68ucs from, the oxccllency of tho knowledge of Christ. "Preach the Law," the Jews demanded of Paul; and l,o preached Christ, the end of the Law to evory believor. "Preach wisdom," cried tho Greeks; and hi, preached Christ as the Willdom of God. "Preach prnctic11l virtues nnd good cunduct,n cry many modern critics and monitors; and wo must 1,rcach Christ in onfor to make hearts new, and so mako li¥cs puro and upri~ht from tho roots. It is not enough to teach the existence of God, his attributes of bciug nnd character, his nil- controlling providence, or even his universal fatherhood. ,vo preach Jesus, tho Teacher, the Healer, the Saviour, the Son of God. We preach h)m ns Christ, the Messiah announced in ancient prophecy, who should sufTer many thmgs nnd so ontcr into his glory. And we preach Jesus Christ as Lord. Ho is Lori! of nil. Ho is Lord both of the dead and of tbo living. He is Lord "to the glory of God tho Father." Do any think this impracticable? Do they p>int to the ignoranco that hns to be removea, 105 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [ea. 1v. 1.-18.