The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 278

opening or the cha.pter, a.nd referred to_Eve ~ led ~nto sin by the subtlety of the serpent, and we see also why he spoke of their bearing with these hypocrites. Hitherto some of the Ohurch had been deceived by the plausible devices of these persons. But he had opened their eyes to the danger, and, if they continued to listen to these ministers of Sa.tan, they themselves would bo willing dupes and participants in their guilt" whos1:: end sha.11 be according to their works." The passage has a deep spiritual meaning. It shows us the great power of Satan in adapting himself to circumstances and usinrr means suited to times and occasions. It shows him versatile, adroit, untirino- i; inventiveness as well as in energy, and able to impart to others this transformin~ or fe.shio~ing po~er which he p~e-~minently possesses.. Not _o~ly does the Pa_uline theology recogmze the 1nherency of s1n 1n our nature, but 1n add1t10n thereunto 1t recognizes a mighty agent who employs the utmost skill and a prodigious strength of will and passion to call out and direct this indwelling evil. And it shows this Satanic agency working in the Church, and even counterfeiting the apostleship. The passage is full and explicit. Its force cannot be evaporated in rhetoric; its truth is the sternest reality in most earnest speech. A critical occasion bad arisen, one of momentous interest in the history of Christianity, one that presented a turning-point in St. Paul's career, and he met this occasion by exposing the diabolical source of their condnct. From his course of action we may learn a very useful lesson. His way of dealing with sin looked to a personal agent beyond the sinner-one with the sinntr and yet distinct and separate, and this agent exerting his tremendous ability in exciting all the latency of evil as unconscious to the sinner, and with it all his conscious susceptibility, so as to accomplish his eternal ruin. Too often with us this Satanic power in men is not duly esUmated. In trying to save men, we should remember from whom we are delivering them, and what an awful hold Satan's tyranny has upon their souls. As a practical fact, this is a matter of vast importance. And, accordingly, we find the Lord Jesus impressing on the apostles that the Holy Ghost was not only to convince the world of "sin" and or "righteousness," but also of" judgment "-" because the prince of this -world is judged." How else, indeed, could the work of conviction be consummated ? Precisely here the Spirit perfects his gracious office as the Divine Convincer; and precisely here we must labour with all diligence and prayerfulness in order to convince men that they are by nature the subjects of this prince, and that only Christ, who has "judged" him, can deliver them from his bondage. No closeness of contact with man as mere man will meet the requirements of the case. It ill mrui., the servant of sin because the slave of the devil, with whom the preacher of the gospel has to do, and unless he realize as far as may be the fearful import of Christ's worJs, "Ye are of your father the devil," it is not likely he will co-operate with the Holy Ghost in bringing men to that depth and thoroughness of repentance which go far to determine the stability and worth of future <Jhrist1an character. Depend upon it, our danger at this point is real and serious. What is the human nature with which we are struggling in the daily endeavours of thought and in special sabbath efforts, praying, wrestling, agonizing, that it may be rescued from unbelief and restored to its Father? Inspi- ration is never content to portray it as merely far gone from original righteousness, dead in trespasses and sins, but the very phraseology takes its deepest import from ideas and images originally associated with Satan. If detached from Satan, such terms as "subtlety," "blindness," "deceitfulnesR," "bewitched," "craftiness," "be- guiled,"" wiles,"" snares,"" captivity,"" bondage," would lose the peculiar force which always accompanies them in the Scriptures. And with this use of language the spmt of the New Testament accords when its writers are setting forth human depravity in its special relations to Christ's mediatorial work. Is Judas about to negotiate for the betrayal of J.isus of Nazareth? "Satan entered into him." Is St. Peter over-conficlent, proud of his devotion to Jesus, full of daring? " Simon, Simon, behold, Satan_ bath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." St. John: "He that c01nm1tteth sin is of the devil." St. Peter: "Your adversary, the devil." St. James: "Resist tht' devil." St. Paul: "Recover themselves out of the snare of the devil." Surely, theu, this uniform tenor of scriptural language, coupled with Christ's most emphatic declara- tion as to man's incapacity to see Satanic agency in its true light except throu~h the con\'icting office of the Holy Ghost; surely, we say, this s~onld impress _us very Jeeply_ as to the urgent need of ma.king 1irominent in our preachrng and teachmg the fact t'1  278 'l'HE SECOND EPISTLE 'l.'O 'l'HE CORIN'l'l-IIANS. [oH. :u. 1-:13.