Ver. 20.-.A picture of religi~us impostors. "For ye suffer, if a m1m bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face." This verse suggests five things concerning religious impostors. I. THEY ARE TYRAl-'Nl0. "For ye suffer [bear] if a man bring you into bondaue." The reference is undoubtedly to those described in ver. 13, who were false teacher: in Corinth. They were enslaving the souls of men with their dogmas and rites. False teaching always makes men spiritual serfs. Heathens are slaves to their priest, fanaticR are slaves to their leader, papists are slaves to their pope. True teaching makes men free men. Spiritual bondage is infinitely worse than physical or political. A man's body may be in chains, yet he may be free in spirit; but if his spirit is enslaved, he himself is in captivity. The woTk of a false teacher is always to subdue souls to himself; the work of the true, to win souls to Christ. Even conventional Christianity is enslaving. II. THEY A.RE BA.P ACIOUS. " If a man devoUT you." False teachers devour widows' houses. They teach foT money, turn temples and churches into shops. 'l'hey shear the sheep instead of feeding them. Greed is their inspiration. IIL Tm:Y ABE CRAFTY. "If a man take of you [taketh you captive]." The expression " of you " is not in the ~riginal The idea to me seems to be--if a man takes you in, deceives and entraps you. This is just what religious impostors do- they "take men in," they cajole men, and make them their dupes. IV. THEY ABE ARROGANT. " If a man exalt himself." It is characteristic of false teachers that they assume great snperiority. With this they endeavour to impress men by their costume, their bearing, and their pompous utterances. They arrogate a lord.ship over human souls. V. THEY A.BE INSOLENT. "If a man smite you on the face." This is the last form of outrage; no greater insult could be offered to a man. The religious impostor has no respect for the rights and dignities of man as man. With his absurd dogmas and arrogances he is everlastingly smiting men on "their face," on their reason, their consciences, and their self-respect.
Vers. 21-33.-Pauls' avowal of his advantages and his history of his trials. "I speak as concerning reproach," etc. The two subjects for thought that stand out conspicuously in these verses are Paul's manly avowal of his distinguished advantages and his historic sketch of his extraordinary trials. I. Hrs MANLY AVOWAL OF HIS DISTINGUISHED ADVANTAGES. There are three advan- taues which he here touches upon. 1. His wperior clwracter. "I speak as concerning reproach [by way of disparagement], as though we had been weak." Hitherto I have spoken of myself as if all the disparaging things you have said of me were true. The idea of Paul's language here seems to be this : "I have been speaking of reproach or dis!!race, as if I was weak, i.e. as if I was disposed to admit as true all that has been said of me, as reproachful or disgraceful, all that has been said of my want of qualifi- cations for the office, of my want of talent, my dignity of character, my folly. In all this I have been speaking ironically. I am superior to all; I am not ignorant, but learned• I am not foolish, but wise; not greedy, but generous; not proud, but humble; not ign~ble, but dignified." How far his character transcended that of his traducers, history shows. 2. Hui superior ancestry. "Are they Hebrews ? so am I. Are they lsraelites? so am L Are they the seed of .Abraham? so am I." His traducers, the false teachers, were, it would seem, Jews; probably boasted of their descent, and cer- t.a.inly implied that Paul was a mere Hellenistic Jew, born at Tarsus. If they gloried hi their descent, so could he; the blood of Abraham quivrred in his veins, he was a r,n, x1. 1-33.J 'l'HE S~COND EPIS'l'LE 'l'O THE CORINTFIIANS. 271