The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 280

among them were a correct one, then ho must say that he harl been weak in his inter- course with them on his visit to Corinth. He had not abused them as slaves nor been avaricious, nor o~ered them in?ults. Yes; he must admit that they were strong and he weak, they wise and he foolish, and he confesses the shame he felt. The sharp irony is now dropped, and he proceeds to show what reasons he had for genuine boastin". If he had to vindicate his claims against these men who had transformed themselve~ into ". ministers of righteousness," it was extremely abasing, bnt he would be bold (boastful), smce there was no escape from the painful task. And, as we shall see, he would do it with great deliberation, item by item, the points clearly made, and only such points as were capable of easy verification. ' I. As TO NATIONALITY. These Judaizers, seeking to prop up a sinking theocracy by means of a perverted Christianity, and putting a most inordinate and carnal estimate on their prerogatives as members of an elect race, had made on this score a very earnest appeal to the Corinthians, and especially to the converted Jews. "Are they Hebrews?" By this general race-title the chosen people had been early known, and it was still in vogue. H they are Hebrews, St. Paul says, "so am I." Again, "Are thay Israelites?" 'fhat name was derived from Israel, the name given to Jacob after wrestling with the angel at Peniel, and designated, originally, the union of the tribes as one communitv under Jehovah's rule, and set apart to bear witness ai;ainst all idolatry. "Israelite" carried in its import a reference to the nation as representative of the Divine unity, and was, therefore, distinctively religions. St. Paul responds again, "So am l." Finally, as to nationality. "Are they the seed of Abraham? so am L" One by one the honourable distinctions are mentioned, closing with the highest-a son of Abraham, and in them he claims equality with these pretentious teachers. There was an evident reason for this mode of procedure. No one suspected his devotion to the Gentiles and his zeal in behalf of the apostleship of the- uncircumcision. Bnt there were prejudices, strong aud bitter, against him on his supposed want of fealty to his nation, and hence his anxiety to show on all occasions that he prized his blood and loved his people, We see from our standpoint that he was an ideal Jew, the truest and most sagacious Jew of his age; and yet it was a memorable part of his discipline, and e. main factor in his fortunes, to be subjected to all sorts of vexations and persecutions on the ground of disloyalty to his nation. Other uses he subsequently made of these and similar facts, giving them an enlarged application (Phil. iii.), and directing them with exclusive intent to objects then engaging his thought; bnt, at present, he only individualizes far enough to prove that the "false apostles" had no advantage over him as to national ties. II. As TO THE MINISTRY OF THE LoBD JEsus. Do these men claim to be Christ's ministers? Whatever they might assume to be in this regard, he ( speaking as one beside himself)" was more." And what evidence shall he give of the fact that he was more 1 Shall he point to his wonderful successes? "He proceeds to mention, as the reason for his pre-eminence, no illustrious achievements or wonderful results he had accomplished, but difficulties, troubles, conflicts, perils" (Kling). Could more be condensed in the same number of words than he compresses in one short verse? The "more" means "in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft." But he will furnish particular illustrations of the statement just made. His own countrymen head the list, for "of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one," thrice was he "beaten with roq.s,'' once stoned, thrice ship- wrecked, "a night and a day in the deep." Yet this is only a partial account, and 1:e offers other instances of his superior devotion as a minister of Christ. There were his frequent journeys, and what a history of perils I-perils of waters, perils of robbers, perils by his own countrymen, perils by the heathen, perils in the city, perils ~n the wilderness, perils in the sea; did not this enumeration exhaust the sad expenen".e '! Nay; one pictures him pausing at this point and falling into a mood of most touchmg reflection. To one who loved the name of brother in Christ as he did, who recalled how Ananias had come to him at Damascus and addressed him as "Brother Saul," and who remembered how often it had cheered him to be recognized and honoured as a. brother in the ministry, who.t could be more oppressive to his spirit t~an to write ~t the last "perils amon<> false brethren" 1 Thus closes the account of penis. Have his sorrows' all been catalogued? The outward sufferings have been generalized in classes  ~:-!0 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO 'l'HE CORIN1'llIANS. [cH. x1. 1-3a.