The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 121

mBy he leCt on one aide, BS probtlbly nothing Ver. 12.-J'or we oommend not ounelv91 WBB more Rbsolutely distant from the thoughts again unto you . . Still reverting to Lhe charge of St. PBul. Observe thBt eaoh is to receive that he was gmlty or Belf-praise, he BBYS ,he nRturo.1 lseues of what he ho.a done. There that hie object is not this, for it was needlees Is to be Bn analogy between the sin nod the (eh. iii. 2, 3). But give you oooalion to glory retribution. The latter is but the ripe fruit on our behalf. But we speak as we have of the former. We shall be punished by the done to give you e. starling-p<>int for some- ootion of no.turn! Jo.we, not of arbitrary inflic• thing to boost of on our beholf. He has tions. We shall reap whnt we have sown, already said (eh. i. 4) thot the teachers and not harvests of other grain (Rom. ii. 5-11 : the taught in their mutual afl'ection ought to Rev. xxii. 12: Go.I. vi. 7). Whether it be have some ground for " boasting" (i.e. for good or bad. St. Paul, who alwe.ys confines speaking with some praiee and exultation) of himself to one topio nt a time, does not here ee.ch other. The Corinthians were being enter on the question of the cutting off of robbed of this by the interested lies of St. the entuiled curse by repentance and forgive- Panl's opponents, who thought only about ness. He leaves unsolved the antinomy outward appearances. This is why he has between normal inevitable oonsequence and set forth to them the e.im e.nd glory of hie free remission. ministry. Nothing could be more gentle and Vars. 11-19.-Sel/-devotion of the mini•- forbearing than such e. mode of atating hie trg of reconciliation. object. Yet for those who were sufficiently Ver. 11.-Xnowing therefore the terror of finely strung to ;understand it, there was an the Lord, we pe1'811ads men. Multitudes of almost pathetic irony involved in it. Whioh texts have been tom from their context and glory in appearance, and not in heart; grossly abused and misinterpreted, but few litere.lly, in Jaee. The gronnde of their more so the.n this. It is the text usually boosting, whatever they were, were super- chosen by those who wish to excuse a set- ficial and external (eh. :i::. 7), mt deep ancl ting forth of God under the attributes of sincere. But those who would judge or Paul Molooh. With e.ny such views it hes not aright mnst look into his very heart, and not the .remotest connection. It simply means, on his fe.ce. "Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, Ver. 13.-l!'or whether we be beside our- we persuade men," either "to keep in view selves; rather, for whelher we were mad. the same fear of the Lord as ourselves," or Evidently some person or some faction had (reverting io his le.et 888ertion of his own said of St. Pe.ul, "He ie beside himself," just sincerity and integrity in ver. 9), "that our as Festus said afterwards, "Paul, thou a.rt sole ambition is to please God.'' 'l'he ren- mad," e.nd es the Jews said of Paul's Lord dering, " the terror of the Lord,'' for the e.nd Master (John x. 20). The fervour of every-da.y expression, "the fear of the Lord," the apostle, his absorption in his work, his wns wantonly intruded into modern versions • visions and ecstasies, his "speaking with by lleze., and ha.s.not a single word to be ao.id tongnes more than they all," 1w indifference in its favour. The phrase means (e.s always) to externala, bis bursts of emotion, might not the dread .which God inspires, but the all have given colour to t.hb char~e. which holy fear whicll" mingles with our love of he here ironically e.ccepts. ".Mad or self- him. To teach men to regard God with controlled-all we.s for your sakes." It is terror is to undo the best tee.ching of ell to God; rather,for God. My" enthusiasm," Scripture, which indeed he.s too often been "exaltation," or, if you will, my "madness," the main end of human systems of theology. we.s but a phase of my work for him. We We persuade men. Not in a be.d sense (Ga.I. be sober. The word "sober" (sophr,m) id i. 10). 'fhe attacks and calumnies of enemies derived from two words which mean" to 8"17<! me.ke it necessary to vindicate our integrity the mind." It indicates wise self-control, to men; but we have no need to do so to such e.s was represented also by the many- God, because he already knows us ( comp. sided Latin word frugi. It is tho exact "persuading Blastus," Acts xii. 20). We antithesis to madness (Acts =vi. 25). What are made manifest unto God; rather, but to yon call my '' madness " belong~ to the God we have been (and are) manifested. He relation between my own soul auJ God; my needs no self-defence from us. A.re made practical sense e.nd t(l,Ct are for you. l'or manifest in your oonaoienoea; but I hope your sakes; literally, for you. that I have been, and am now, made manifest Ver. 14.-The love of Christ. It matters in your cm1sciences. In other words, I trust little whether this be interpreted a.s a snb- that this apology into whioh you have driven jective genitive, '' Christ.'s love to man," or me has achieved its ends: e.nd that, what- as e.n objective genitive, ·'our love to Obrist;•• ever may be your projudices and innuendoes, for the two suppose and interf115e each other. Lefore the bar of the individual comcience of St. Paul's usage, however, favours ,he former eaol1 of you we now $ttlnd olee.r (oomp. interpretation (eh. xiii. H; l Ci>r. xvi. 24). oh. iv. 2). Conatraineth. 'l'he word menus thut it com•  122 THE SEOOND EPISTLE TO THE CORIN'l'llIANS. [on. v. 1.:.....21.