(b) The stBrry, There the sun, moon, and stars appear. (c) The hea.vens that lie beyond the heavenly orbs; where God and his holy angels are supposed to have their special residence, Up to this" third heaven" Paul was caught. (2) Pwradise. "Cauaht up into Paradise," The word here denotes some place in the universe distincruished in beauty and fruitfulness. Paul regimied it possible for the soul to go away in~ those distant regions of supernal brightness and beauty, Who has not been conscious of being borne far away from the body on the wing of tbought? 2. That whilst here it is capable of receivin,g extraordinary revelations apart from the body. " Heard unspeakable words," Things of the soul may be unutterable either from necessity or from impropriety, The deepest things of the heart are unutterable in any lan1ruaae. Perhaps what Paul saw and heard in the spirit was neither possible nor proper t ; co~- municate, There are but few of 11B who have not received impressions of distant thinrrs. Wo are often caught away to distant scenes, and see and hear extraordinary things. 3. That whilst here it may exist apart from the body and the man not know it. "Whether in the body, I cannot tell," He was so charged with spiritual things that he had lost all consciousness of matter and his relations to it. The man whose soul is flooded with the higher elements of being does not know for the time whether he is "in the body" or "out of the body." 4. That wherever or however it ea;ists it constitutes the man, "I knew 11, tnan in Christ." That which had these wonderful revelations he regarded as the man. To the apostle the body was the costume of the man, which he put on at birth and took off at death. In fact, he regarded the body as his not him, the soul a.a himself. II. A..PosTOLIO PIETY, There are three things concerning piety here. 1. Humi1ity. That the man of whom Paul here speaks is himself scarcely admits of a doubt. Why should he speak of himself in the third person? It is because of that modesty of nature which is ever the characteristic of a truly great soul. Humility is an essential attribute of piety. 2. Ohristi~. "A man in Christ." To be in Christ is to live in his ideas, character, spirit, as the atmosphere of being. He who lives in the spirit of Christ becomes a man. 3, Transport. His soul was borne away in ecstasy. The time when the revelation occurred is specified'--" fourteen years ago." Strange that he did not ~peak of it before. Piety has its hours of ravishments, ecstasies, and transfigurations. Vars. 6-10.-Soul~schMling. • For though," etc. These words teach us several thi'pgs concerning soul-discipline. I. '!'HAT THE EXERCISE OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE IB EXPEDIENT FOR THE BEST OF ME:,l'. Paul required it. He says, "Lest I should be exalted above measure." 1. Pride is a great spiritual evil. 'l'his is implied in the discipline with which the apostle was now visited. "To be exalted above measure [or,• overmuch ']" is, of course, to be proud, and to be proud is to be in a position inimical to soul-progress. 2. Good men have sometime! great temptations to pride. Paul's temptation seems to have arisen from the "abundance of the revelation " of which he speaks. IL THAT THE IIIODE OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE IB SOMETIMES VERY PAINFUL. Paul was visited with a "thorn in the flesh.'' What the thorn was is a question for specula- tion; our object is practical, Two things deserve notice here. 1. That suffering stands connected with Satan, This painful dispensation was a "messenger from ::la tan." The great original sinµer is the father of suffering. 2. Both suffering and Satan c.re undei· the direction of God. He uses them as his instruments for good. Satan himself is the servant of the Holy Ona, III, 'l.'HAT THE IIIEANS •OJ!' BPIBlTUAL DISCIPLINE ARE SOMETIMES MISUNDERSTOOD. Paul prays to be delivered from th~t "thorn in the flesh" which was sent for his gooJ., and he does so frequently-" thrice." Notice: 1. The ignorance which sometimes marlcs our prayers, We often pray against our own interests. '!'here are some blessing11 which are positively promised by God, such as pardon for sin, etc., for which we may pray incessantly; and there are others which we may esteem desirable, but which are not promised, These we must seek in submission to his will. 2. The kindness of God in not always answering our prayers. He knows what is best. 'l'he great Father may refuse the cry of his children for toys here, but he will give them estates in the great hereafter. IV, 'l'HAT THB SUl'l'Ofl'l'S UNDER Sl'IRl'l'UAL Dl~Cll'LINE ARE ALWAYS AllUND.!>NT, ":My 294' THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. {oH, xu. 1-21.
grnoe is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect,in weakness," Obsem: l. The natm·e of t.he support. " Strength." What matters the weight of the burden if the strength is equal to bear it with ease? 2. The :principle of the support, "Grace." It comes, not from merit, but from grace free and unbounded, , 8, 'l.'he injlu,ence of the support. "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, tqat the pow!)f of Christ may rest upon me," "Rest upon me." Spread over me like a ,tent to soreo1;1, me from the scorching sun. "I glory in my infirmities." The oup, may be bitter, but it has curative virtues. Tempests may toss, but those storms will purify, ,the atmosphere round the heart and bear us away from SC'i'nes on which our hearlll are set. All prayer is answered when the mind of the suppliant is brought into cordial sub- mission to the Divine wilL