The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 183

the eorrow reaohed Buch en extent that be sums it up in the condensed expressions "without were fightings, within were fears.n Things had put on their darkest look'. Yet in that very hour consolation was near by. Titus came with good tidinas from Corinth, end, In bis opportune nrrival, St. Paul sees the good hand of God. Th~ state- ment is given in an emphatic form, At first it ie he "who comforteth the lowly•" and then even God'' comforteth us by the coming of Titus;" and how happy Titus bimselt was I 'fhe visit to the Corinthians had been a blessing to bis young friend and this added much to his joy, for he participated in "the consolation wherewith he'was com- forted in you." Grace to others is often grace, and the richest grace, to our own souls. And in this Instance we can easily understand how a man with St. Paul's quick sympathies entered into the experience of Titus. A delicate task had been assigned to his youthful companion, and it had been managed with success. Added to his intense pleasure growing out of the favourable change at Corinth was the gratification from the skill and efficiency of Titus's mission. One pictures the scene of the meeting, the narration, the questions asked and answered, the frequent interruptions of the story by the sudden outbreaks of the listener's emotion, the happy exclamations, and the surprise increasing as the detail of incidents progressed to the completion of tha history. Had not St. Paul a valuable helper now? Was not God giving him a co-worker precious to his heart? Could he not see the future Titus, the same who was afterwards to be associated so closely with him, and to whom he would write a pastoral letter? Those were gracious hours, and he might well say, "I rejoiced the more," since he was not only greatly cheered by the " earnest desire,'' the " mourning," the "fervent mind" of the Corinthian brethren towards him, but was confirmed in the impression that Titus was to be a valuable auxiliary in the work now enlarging on his hands, and daily getting to be more complicated.-L. Vars. 8-16.-True repentance and its ejfects; ministry of Titu.s. There are reactions from our highest' moods. There are reactions from our wisest deeds. Nor can it be otherwise under the present constitution of our nature. That St. Paul should have had these reactions was perfectly natural, the more so as his temperament made him liable, in an unusual degree, to their occurrence. If they did not appear in his writings we should be surprised, nor could their absence be explained but on the supposition that he was an exception in this respect to the ordinary laws of mind, and particularly to those laws as seen in men of his class. Some persons think it very strange that he should say, "Though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent." What was his inspiration, they ask, if he could "repent" of writing bis former Epistle to the Corinthians? Whatever he meant by" repent," he did not mean moral self-reproach, nor indeed any permanent etate of mind, but simply a transient emotional condition, due probably to excess of nervous sensibility, His inspiration from the Holy Ghost was the inspiration of a man. It did not set aside his temperament. It was in perfect harmony with the characteristics of his intellect. and quite likely intensified those characteristics as related to his physical peculiarities. Who has not had these seasons of experience in which things that were very clear a few days before have been suddenly darkened? Judgments were then formed, committals made, promises given, that now seem unwise or even rash; .J.D.d how gladly would we undo what was done I-and that too in matters which were entered on after long and earnest deliberation, and which proved in the sequel to be eminE)ntly fortunate. Are the arguments that led us to certain conclusions less valid now than then? No; the, arguments are the same, but nerves and brain are not in the same state, not in the same vigorous tension, and, consequently, we do not see the truth and the grounds of the truth as we did when we were in fuller possession of ourselves. • 'l.'he logic of nerves and brain is a. very wayward and fitful thing, and a very different thing from the logic of the intellect. Pascal says, in the 'Pensees,' " To have a series of proofs incessantly before the mind is beyond our power." Now, in the instance under review, St. Paul would have been more or less than man not to have undergone precisely this temporary reaction. Ill health, an Ull;usual combination of exciting circumstance~, dangers of an extraordinary sort threatenmg the Church, a. new nnd most promising sphere of labour a.nd by far the greatest that had opened in his ministry overcast with sudden gloom, Titus still absent, suspense wearing upon a.  180 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORIN1.'HIANS. [ou. vn. 1-16,