The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 194

Ver. 4.-.A minister's joy in tribulation, The intensity of the apostle's language is explained by the intensity of bis feelings in relation to the Corinthians. He loved them greatly, and was ready to make any sacrifices for them. And be was propor- tionately grieved when the news came, through Titus, of the way in which evil men were trying to destroy his character and his influence. The tribulation be here refers to is chiefly this mental distress and the bodily suffering which it involved. His great relief in circumstances of ~o much distress was that the Corinthian Church, as a whole, bad received his first. Jetter in a. right spirit. He could be joyful in this, even amidst his tribulation. Two points may receive illustration. I. THE TRIBULATION COlllEB FROM ANXIETY CONCERNING SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING. Precisely this is the minister's sphere. His interest is in the moral and spiritual condition of those who are set in his charge. But this is the most serious a.nd over- whelming of all burdens that can be laid upon a. man's heart and effort. If we estimate what the due maintenance and culture of our own spilitual life involves, we may under- stand bow great is the anxiety of Christian ministers who watch over souls as well as watch for souls. Illustrate by Samuel Rutherford's intense expression of feeling, "God is my witness that your salvation would be two ~alvations to me, and your heaven two heavens to me." Show what a. strain upon nervous constitutions the pressure of the ministry becomes in these our days. 11, THE JOY COMES FROM DUE RESPONSE MADE TO EFFORTS FOR SPIRITU.U. WELL- BEING, Compare other expressions by apostles : e.g. "I have no greater joy than to bear that my children walk in truth;" "What is our joy or crown of rejoicing? .Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus a.t his coming? For ye are our glory and our joy." The minister has, in the culture of spiritual life, to use truth, warnings, tbreatenin,gs, n.s well a.s comfortings a.nd inspirings; and his joy is ever this-bis people are open-hearted to receive, are humble enough to reg_ard what he may say, and earnest enough to obey. No earthly joy is like that which they know who help their brethren to truth and purity and God.-R. T. Vere. 9, 10.-Godly sorrow; or, the sorrow that is after the will of God. Reference is to the distress which the more spiritual members of the Corinthian Church felt on the receipt of St. Paul's first letter. He had written severely, and, after sending bis letter, almost re()'rctted that he bad expressed himself so strongly; but he now felt thankful to hear°that they had so well responded to his appeals, and sorrowed untl) repentance and puttin~ away of the evil in a m:inner that would be so cert.iinly awruv,:t.1 by Guel, "'!'he series of ernotioual words in ver. 11 represorit the avu,Lle'~  192 ·nrn SECOND EPISTLE 'l'O THE CORINUU:AN.S, [en. VII, 1-10. e~tirnatr of what he had heard from Titus. There was (1) earnestness whcro there bad heen in,lifference to evil, and even approval of it (1 Cor. v. 2); and this was shown (2) in the mndication of their conduct which they had sent through Titus• and (3) in their stern' indignation' against the offender; (4) in their fear, partly of the super- natural chastisement which St. Paul had threatened, partly of the judgment of God which was against such things; (5) in the longing to have him once more among them, which mingled with their fear; (6) in their new zeal for the law of purity• (7) in their actual '1engeance, i.e. their sentence of condemnation passed upon the offender." "The apostle rejoiced, not that the Corinthians sorrowed, but that they sorrowed unto repentance. Sorrow bas two results-it may end in spiritual life or iu spiritual death • and in themselves one of these i~ as natural as the other. Sorrow may produce tw~ kinds of reformation : a transient or a permanent one ; an alteration in habits which originating in emotion, will last so long as that emotion continues, and then,' after ~ fow fruitless efforts, be given up; a repentance which will be repented of· or again a permanent change which will be reversed by no after-thoughtr--a repenta~ce not t~ be repented of." Beza says, "The 'sorrow of the world' is the certain way to des- peration, unless God prevent it, as appears from the horrid examples of Cain, Saul, Ahithophel, and Judas; but the written tears of David give the clearest example of the other kind of so1Tow." I. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN REMORSE .U.'D REPENTANCE. The word "remorse,. has in it the :figure of" biting back," and it means going over our sins in thought, with a keen gnawing regret at having done them, but without any softened feelings such as belong to the penitent. Remorse is exactly that "sorrow of the world " which worketh death. Repentance is that humble, regretful spirit which sets a man ready to receive and to value the Divine forgiveness. II. THE TESTS OF GENUTh"'E REPENTANCE '.IN THE INDIVIDUAL. They are: 1. Mental distress. 2. Humility and self-abasement. 3. Confession without attempt at excuses. 4. Earnest seeking of Divi~ forgiveness. 5. Resolute putting away of the evil. 6. Keen watchfulness over the circumstances that involve temptation to the sin. 7. And an attitude of simple and unquestioning obedience to the will of God, and submission to whatever judgments on the sin it may please him to appoint. "Sorrow bas done its work when it deters from eviL In the sorrow of the world the obliquity of the heart toward;; evil is not cured ; it seems as if nothing cured it; heart-ache and trials come in vain ; the history of life at last is what it was at first. Sorrow avails only when the past is converted into experience, and from failure lessons are learned which never are to be forgotten." III. THE TESTS OF GENUTh"'E REPENTANCE IN A CmraCH. These more especially are dealt with in the passage before us. Bengel says that the six results mentioned by the apostle fall into pairs. The :first two relate to their feelings towards themselves, the next to their feelings towards the apostle, the last to their feelings towards the offender and his offence. The tests we notice are (1) clearings, earnest efforts to put away the wrong, and to show that they had no complicity in it, and would make no excuses for it; (2) anxiety for each other, that the membership may be quite purified, and no brother cherish even a secret sympathy with the wrong; (R) discipline on the wrong-doer, by at least a temporary removal of him from the Church fellowship. The penitence of a Church will also find expression in united acts of confession and humilia- tion, and in prayer for Divine forgiveness and restoration. Perhaps much too little is made in these days of the united acts of the corporate Church life. There is a befitting Church penitence, a proper godly sorrow of a co=unity, when, by any evil of its members, i;ucb a community bas become defiled.-R. T. Ver. 12.-Apostolic cares. "Our care of you in the sight of God might appear unto you." The apostle always used the persuasion of his affection, whenever it was possible, rather than the force of his apostolic authority. Elsewhere be pleads thus: ":Kot that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy." And he speaks of "that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the Churches." We may compare the care of a wise and faithful mother for the well-being of her children, and the burden of thought and interest which they 11,1'8 to her every day. 'l'he apostle'& care concerned three thil 1gs. en. vu. 1-16.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHT ANS. 1 i,:::