The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 109

this knowledge to others. It was his daily care and effort to epread abroad that know- ledge. And its prop11gation in the early ages of Christianity seemed like a fulfilment of the ancient prophecy that" the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea." Ill. THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OP GOD IN '1HE FACE OP JESUS CHRIST. God was light. 'l'he nations, estranged from him, sat in darkness. In Judrea. there was a lamp for his Name, but it was dim. Pharisaic pride a.nd Sadducean scepticism threatened to put it out. Then the true Light came into the world. And now, as Christ becomes known in the Spirit to this man or that, he lights up both mind and heart. There is to every believer a revelation of the Lord. It is a light above all other lights-calm, pure, searching, gladdening. And the shedding abroad of the light of Christ and the love of God is always by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Thus "the excellency of the knowledge" of God in Christ is imparted by "the excellency of the power" of the Spirit.-F. Ver. 1.-The lamp in the pitcher. This verse is often quoted to express human insufficiency far the ministry of the gospel. It deserves to be quoted, for, if St. Paul felt so deeply bis powerlessness without Goel, how much more should this feeling influence ordinary ministers of the Word of life I I. Tm: TREASURE. Paul, working in the factory making tents, or passing through the street undistinguished by dress or retinue, may have been taken for a poor artisan. But he was conscious of possessing a treasure by the use and distribution of which he, while poor, made many rich. It was no store of silver or gold. It was not even the trea.t'ure of intellectual eminence, the wealth of a large and lofty mind ; for, though be had this, he could not impnrt it to others. It was the ministry of righteousness and liberty whereby he communicated to his fellow-men "the unseo.rchalilo riches of Christ." There is no need to draw a distinction here between the ministry which is the topic of the whole context and the light of knowledge which is the immediately preceding subject. In the apostle's thought these are intimately and necessarily combined and together constitute the treasure. It was as an illuminated man th11t ho showed the light to others. And so at this dny, only a man in whom tho true light &bines can boa minister of Christ. But who has the light may spre11d the knowledgo of the glory of God, and bas a treasure better than silver an<l more to be desired thau fi.ne gold. II. Tm: EABTBEN VESSELS. It was and is the custom of Orientnls to keep vnlunblos and money in jars which might be hid, and, in case of danger, might ho buried under- ground. A mc,re eartbon jar might thus contain an enormous tro,\sure. Alluding to this, St. Paui pointed to bis own body, har<l pressed by labours nncl nffiictions. HiH bodily prcsonoo was weak. He had no external advantages for making n.n impression on either Jews or Greeks. Yet in such an earthen vossol WI\S contained o. treasure beyond 111! computation, and not needing to have its worth enhanced by ndventitious surroundings. If we think of the treasure as ono of light-the light of the knowledgo of God's glory-there is a story in the Old 'l'este.ment which may illustrnte the phm~e. 'l'he followers or Gideon bad their lamps in pitchers, or earthen vessels, when they stole a march on the invaders from Midian, and, with sound of trwnpet aud loud wnr- shouts, fell upon their camp. So, by the light in earthen vessels, with the trumpet. notes of their tOlltimony, did the apostles and other early preachers 11Ssnil nnd defeat those opposing powers of the world that would have laughed nt their weakness. It is still the same. G011pel victories are gained, not by a gren.t array of humnn might, but by tho treasure of light in earthen vessels, and by tho shout of faith that makes appeal to Heaven. III. THE POWER. "'!'hat the excellency," etc. This corresponds to the previous expression,," excellency of the knowledge," and both illustro~ an Hebraic f?rm ?f the superlative. 'l'he excellency_ o_f the power was that surpassmg energy which, ~n St. Paul's time, attended the m1mstry of tho gospol, and bore down tho most form1daLlo opposition. 'l'he contrast betw_eon t~e )?OWCr of _the ministry aml the wcalme~s of tho ministers struck the apostle m thrnkmg of his own early labours at Cormth (seo 1 Cor. ii. 1-5). It is a remarkable, and in some respects a mortifying, fact that tho modem Christian ministry, with all its advantages of special training, public respect,  110 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [OH. 1v. 1-18,