The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 258

of the truth, This, of course, CODdemns e.11 forms of persecution; and when we say," all forms," we mean, not merely imprisonmeDt, pillage, and death, but the imposition of civil disabilities, or socio.I e.nd educational penalties, or any abridgment of political rights. O~ e.ll such c~ercive measures ~he gospel frowns.. Equally inadmissible is the uso of m1srepresento.t1on. Those "p10us frauds" which have been practised and propngated for the supposed glory of God have been very came.I weapons. So arc all the misleading phrases and cajoleries by which it is still attempted to draw men iDto adherence to some form of religion without conviction of the understanding or real allegiance of the heart. II. BUT DY WEAPONS THAT ARE AFTER TIIE MIND OF CHRIST. See the catalogue 0[ such weapons as they bad been used by St. Paul at Corinth: " In pureness, in know- ledge," etc. (eh. vi. 6, 7). Come honour or dishonour in this world, good report or evil, with such weapons must all the soldiers of Christ be content in the warfare to which they are called. The strongholds they assail may make a formidable resistance, but nothiDg is gained by chanJl'ing the spiritual weapons for the carnal. They are mighty in God's sight and in God's strength. Paul knew them to be so. With them, though he was but 0De man and a..man reproached and afllicted, be had pulleu down maDy strongholds and won many victories. It is not a simple question of conversion. The truth has many a struggle in the heart after conversion as well as before. When Jericho fell, the holy war of Israel was well begun; but there still remained many holds e.nd fenced cities to be taken. So, when the first opposition is surmounted, and a sinner yields to the power of the saving truth as it is in Jesus, much is gained, but not everythiDg. The work of grace has to be pressed further ere every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Little worldly stir or eclat attends the warfare of which we speak, but it awakens in heaven and through all the heavenly kiDgdom the liveliest interest and the noblest joy. There are shouts and Te Deums there, when evil is defeated and pulled down in the world, in the Church, in the breast of the individual man; when sinners repent; when rebels submit to God; when thoughts that were lifted up in scorn are cast down at the feet of Jesus, and affections that sin had beguiled and the pride of life enchanted, are fixed on truth, on duty, and on the things which e.re ahove.-F. Ver. 1.-" The meekness and gentleness of Christ." It is important to notice that this chapter begins a new sectiou of the Epistle. St. Paul has hitherto been addressing the better, the more spiritual, portion of the Corinthian Church; tbut now he turns to the section that impugDed his authority, misrepresented his conduct, and spoke evil things of himself. Olshausen says, "Until now Paul has addressed himself pre- eminently to the better-intentioned in the Christian Church; but henceforth he addresses himself to those who had sought to lower his dignity and weaken his authority by representing him as weak in personal influence," as well as in bodily streDgth and consistency of purpose, "although courageous and full of self-com- mendation in bis letters." Dean Plumptre says, "The stinging words which Titus has reported to him vex his soul. He speaks in the tone of the suppressed indignation which shows itself in a keen incisive irony. The opening formula is one which hll reserves as emphasizing an exceptionally strong emotion (see Gal. v. 2; Eph. iii. 1; Philem. 19)." Conybeare indicates that the party with which St. Paul now deals was the Christian section of the Judaizing party-a section which, throwing off all authority, even though it was apostolic, declared that they received Christ alone as their Head, and that he alone should communicate truth directly to them. There is some grouDd for the supposition that "they were headed by an emissary from Palestine, who had brought letters of commendation from some members of the Church at Jerusalem, and who boasted of his pure Hebrew descent, and bis especial connection with Christ himself. St. Paul calls him a false apostle, a minister of Satan disguised as a miDister of righteousness, and hints that he we.s actuated by corrupt motives. He seems to have behaved at CoriDth with extreme arrogance, and to have succeeded, by his overbearing conduct, in impressing his partisans with a conviction of his importance and of the truth of hi11 pretensions. 'l'hey contrasted his confident bearing with the timidity e.nd self-distrust which had been shown by St. Paul. And they even extolled bis personal advantages over those of their first teacher; comparing his D. 0ORmTntANS. 8  258 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORIN'l'HIANS. LcH. x.1-18.