f~lls in best with what we know of St. Paul is an ~nfi~mity of temper. Thero ,seems little doubt that he gave way to an outbreak of this kmd when before the Sanhcdrim, though he set himself right at once by a prompt apology (Act.a xxiii. 2-6), A similar idea is suggested by St. Paul's unwillingness to go to Corinth until the points in dispute between him and a considerable portion of the Corinthian Church were in a fair way ot being settled. In fact, his conduct was precisely the reverse of that of a person who felt himself endowed with great ta.et, persuasiveness, and command of temper. Such a man would trust little to messages and letters, much to his own presenoe and personal influence. St. Paul, on the contrary, feared to visit Corinth until there was a reasonable prospect of avoiding all altercation. In fact, he could not trust himself there. He 'feared that God would humble him among them' (eh. xii. 21). He desired ,above all things to avoid the necessity of 'using sharpness,' very possibly because he feared that, when once compelled to assume a tone of severity, his language might exceed .the bounds of Christian love. The supposition falls in with what we know of'the apostle' before his conversion (Acts vii. 58; ix. 1). It is confirmed by his stern language to Elymas tbe sorcerer (Acts xiii. 10), with which we may compare the .much niilde1 language used by St. Peter on a far more awful occasion (Acts v. 3, 9). The quarrel between St. Paul and St. Barnabas makes the supposition infinitely more probable. The passage, Gal. iv. 13, 14, may be interpreted of the deep personal affection which the apostle felt he had inspired in spite of his occasional irritability of manner. The expr=ion (Gal. iv. 20), that he 'desired to be present with them, and to. change· his voice,' would seem to point in the same direction. And if we add to these con- siderations the fact, which the experience of God's saints in all ages ha.s •conclusively established, of the difficulty of subduing an infirmity of temper~, as· well a.s the pain, remorse, and humjliation such an infirmity is wont' to cause .to thos~ •who groan under it, we may be inclined to believe that not the lea.at probable hypothesis concerning the ' thorn,' or ' stake,' in the flesh is, that the loving heart of. the apostle bewailed as his sorest trial the misfortune· that by impatience. il!, word. h,e had ofter.. wounded those for wbom he would willingly .have given ,h,is life." What- ever the form of the trial may have been, we note- ••: L ST. PAUL's THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. These may be unfolded and illustrated gene~, rnlly, in relation (1) to Christian culture; "(2) to Christian w'ork, and especially (3) in rela.tion to peril of spiritual pride. St. Paul saw clearly that t~e humiliation came " through the abundance of the revelations ; " and "lest he should be puffed up beyond 1 1 measure." •• . • • .
II. ST. PAUL'S LESSON LEABNED FROM IT. It was mainly tbis-'.-tliat the mission of smfering may be continuous through life. It may be the point of God'.s dealing with us that he does not sanctify ua by sudden, occasional, and severe afflictions, but by calling us to bear a lifelong burden of disability or frailtyr Troubles of this kind cannot be removed in response to prayer, because to remove them :wrould be to check the sanctifying process. God, in sendin,g a temporary affliction, may have a temporary end in view, and so, when that end is duly reached, the affliction may be removed. But if the work of our sanctification is, in the Di vine wisdom;. to }:le wrought by a continuollll life-pressure, then the response to our pra,Yer can only be this: " My grace is sufficient for thee." Dean Stanley points out that " St. Paul~s sufferings were to him what the mysterious agony that used at times to seize on Alfr~d, in the. midst of feast and revel, had been to the saintly and heroic king, a disci.(>line, ~orking for his perfection."-R. T. Ver. 9.-Sufficient grace. The following incident from John Builyan's experience may serve to introduce this subject. One evening, as Bunyan· was in a meeting of Christian people, full of sadness and terror, 1mddenly there "brake in." upon him with great power, and three times together, the words, "My grace is 1:1u,fiicient for thee; my grace is sufficient for thee; my grace is sufficient for thee." And "Oh, methought," says he, " that every word was a mighty word unto me; as 'my,' and 'grace,' and ' sufficient,' and ' for thee,' they were then, and sometimes are still,. far bigger ,than others be." The grea.t practical questipn for us, in our endoovour to live th~ godly lifo, is not-What have we to bear? but,-Wha.t strength have we for the bearing? God's help never comes first to a man in his circumsuvn,cea, but always first in him, The 011. xn, 1-21.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO '!HE CORINTHIANS. 311