behind thea~ a ma.lefrtctor's cross. In the lands to which it came on its mission or grace it surnmbrled men to repent of sin, to practise self-denial, to become new creatures, ~ abandon idolatries thnt wero in league with lust and cruelty, and, in lieu thereof, accept 11 faith which qemanded a pure heart and a holy morality. It could only make its way by "casting down imaginations," by telling men that they were deluded by sophistries, nnd further by destroying "every high thing " that exalted itself against the know- ledge of God communicated to man by the revelation of the gospel. No compromise coultl be allowed; every thought was to be brought into" captivity" to the" obedience of Christ." What· captivity meant t~e_y fully understood .. I_t v:as a. military word, and he uses such terms that they might have clear and v1v1d ideas of Christianity as a war, and.nothing less.than an exterminating war, on whntever stood opposed" to the. obedience of ·Christ." The "weapons" he used were not" carnal." All the world knew his weapons. •He made no disguise of them. Boldly, constantly, in every place, he 'i:iroclaimed Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God, nor had a mob occurred, nor had perils gathered about him, nor had noman officers interfered for his protection, except on the single issue of preaching Christ crucified. No heathen ,vould charge him-'with using c:irnal weapons. Philosophers of Athens, inhabitants of LycaonilJ,, Demetrius and his •Workmen at Ephesus, would make no such accusation ~gainst his-ministry. Only the Judaizers had done this thing. Let them understand 'that these weapons were "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Neither a false,Judaism nor a colossal idolatry could offer any etrecti,e resistance to the .'_gospel-. •L'et these' Judaizers know that his weapons were "mighty through God," •a11tl tba£ in due time he would show "a readiness to revenge all disobeclience." And let:the Gorinthian Church look deeper than the "outward appearance." To construe his ••mann·cr of i• meekness and gentleness" into imbecility and cowardice was not truth, , but falsehood. ·,·And whence came this evil way of judging? Not from themselves, • but from.·some, wrong teacher who professed to have external advantages in favour .. of ·his-teaching; ·Let that conceited man know that, if he is Christ's, so also am I.-L. ' ' • ¥ers. 8-11.~0ontinuation of his defence .. What he had just claimed was no more thao:,other apostles claimed. If he were to boast in stronger terms of the authority the Lord had conferred 11pon him, .there would be no risk of personal shame by his overstating the matter. Power had been given, not for their destruction, but for their edification. It is his 'favourite figure once more-edification, building up, and that power shoulil be used for this object. 'l'o terrify them by letters was not his aim; edification, not destruction, led him to write. By the admission of his enemies, the letters Jrom, him were " weighty and powerful." On the other hand, his "bodily presence" was "w.eak," .and. his "speech contemptible." This is the only notice we have in the New· Testament of an apostle's personal appearance. Had it occurred in the case of S.t; .Peter or St. John, we should have been sw·prised, but it falls in naturally with .the order of events and the play of circumstances connected with St. Paul's apostleship. His call, position, and career were singular; the individuality gives a colotiring to the minutest details .of his life; and accordingly, as he was subjected to an exceptional kind and degree of criticism, even his bodily infirmities came under inspection and were made matters of public.notoriety. By itself, this reference to his appearance would not attract more than a passing notice. Yet it has a broader meaning, Hince-it serves to ill11strate the fact that nothing about him escaped the closest scrutiny. Enemies in the Church, enemies out of the Church, officials, centurions, proconsuls, , procurators, find someth.ing in the man to study, and their opinions of him come into the pu,blic thought of the day. The plan of Providence, we may infer, was that St. Paul should be well !mown, thoroughly well known, and that we should hear from both sides-friends nnd foes-all that could be known of him, even to his "presence" , nnd "speech," He thought the matter of sufficient importance to recognize it so far as to say Jhat, what he was in his letters, he- would be in his deeds. Beyond this he has no concern about it.-L.
Vars. 12-18,-Limits and lqbour~. Was the apostle a great letter-writer only? So hiH enemie~ had declared; but ho ,vould not put himself among those who had no higher standard of what they ought to be than what they were, nor would he compare himself 24.t! THE SECOND EPISTLE 'l'O THE CORINTHIANS. [en. x. 1-Hl.