autl~orizcs a. ministry, . But the apostles were forward to declare that they had n,,L recc1vod tho1r comm1ss1on from man, 3. It was by the Lord Jesus himself that the apostles were empowered and appointed to fulfil their high office. If Paul was the latest thus to be commissioned, none the less did he receive his autllorization from the Divine Lord himself. II. '111m SCOPE AND PURPOSE 011' APOSTOLIC POWER AND AUTHORITY. 1. As ne(J'ativel \" described, it was not for casting down, for destruction. The power of the w;rrior r~ too often employed for this end. And even religious leaders and rulers-popes, defenders of the faith, and others-have too often bent their energies rather to destroy than to save. The apostle had occasion sometimes to threaten that he would put forth his power to silence and crush the rebellious. But he had no delight in "castin"' down," neither did he regard this as the ultimate end of his ministry. 2. As positively described, it_ was for edification. We must understand by this the rearing of the structure ·of· Cbtistian doctrine, and at the same time the building up of Church life. And as doctrine is intended to produce results in character, and as every true Church is built up ofrenewed natures and holy lives, obviously edification is a. moral and personal process. APPLICATION, Apostolic power and authority give an assured basis for the faith of a Christian believer and for the teaching of a Christian minister, For the foundation is laid, not by human ignorance, but by Divine wisdom.-T. Ver. 10.-Letters, weighty and strong. In this passage St. Paul records the irupressiun which, according to his adversaries, was made by his personal presence and by his epistolary writings. Although the reference is to the feeling at Corinth as a. result oi his First Epistle to the Church in that city, the language applies to the apostle generally as a minister discharging his ministry by· the pen. There was nothing commanding in Paul's appearance, and there were in his delivery some drawbacks to the impressiveness of his speech; but with regard to his letters, there was no room for difference of opinion. 'fhey were masterpieces, and their effectiveness was undeniable. In what does this effectiveness consist? I. ST. PAUL'S EPIS'l'T.ES ABOUND IN VIGOBOUB REASONING; It is sufficient to refer to the First Epistle to the Corinthians·in order to establish this assertion. On a doctrinal question such as the resurrection of the dead, on a practical question such as that connected with the sacrificial feasts,-he proved himself a master of argument. As Christianity is a religion appealing to the intelligence, it has been wisely ordered that in its authoritative documents there should be much reasoning which co=ends itself to the wisest understanding and the soundest j udgment. II, ST, PAUL'S EPISTLES ADOUND IN MANIFESTATIONS OF THE FINEST FEELING, Far from sentimental, the apostle was yet a man of tender affections, of emotional suscepti- bilities. Take, for example, the panegyric of charity in his First Epistle to theso Corinthians. Take the personal references to his friends and fellow-labourers, to be found in most of his letters. Many rea,lers or hearers, who were not capable of appre- ciating his argumentative power, would feel deeply the appeals to their best and purest sentiments. lf we feel thus now, at this distance of time, and when imagination is necessary in order to throw ourselves into the circumstances in which the~e letters were written and r-Jad, how much more must this have been the •~ase when all was fresh and recent! Ill. PAUL'S EPISTLES HAVE PROVED TlIEIR POWER DY THE PRACTICAL RESULTS THEY HAVE PRODUCED. '!'hey were not written to be approved and admired, but to convince, to persuade, to induce to prompt and cheerful action in compliance with their counsels. And this result followed these documents when first perused. And every age attests their moral authority, and proves that their weight and power nre still undimiuishcd.-T
Yer. 17.-Glorying in the Lord. Boasting is universally denounced as~ p~tty and a. vulgar fault. Yet it is a fault not uncommon. It imposes upon the unthrnkrng and the uuwary, but it awakens the suspicion and the distrust of those who h,~ve a larger oxporience of life. But in tho region of spiritual serl'ice, boastfulness 1s a senon,· otl:-nr.o, not only against society, but against God himselt: 'l'he npustle protest~ a~ai1,st fr, and in this veiw exhibits the true remedy. 252 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS, [ou. x. 1-18.