conscience told him that. Yet many would have thought this subtlety the best mode of dealing with the bigoted Jews and the intricate and versatile Greek intellect. St. Paul might have said: "These views about the Sabbath will offend the Jews; these declarations of the Christ crucified will be unpleasant to the Greeks." Instead of which, in simplicity and godly sincerity, St. Paul preached the Cross. And in this, let men say what they please, the apostle was true to the nature of men. One of the keenest of Eastern diplomatists has left it on record that subtlety fails in India; that there manoeuvring politicians have ever been those who were most easily outwitted. For none succeed like the straightforward, blunt, simple Englishman, sailor or soldier, as long as he is simple. Be sure that straightforwardness is more than a match at last for all the involved windings of deceit. In your daily life, do what you feel right, say what you feel true, and leave, with faith and boldness, the consequences to God. Force men to feel of you," Yes, he has faults, but they lie on the surface; he may be impetuous, hasty, mistaken, but what he says he thinks; there is no arrière pensée, no acting in his character with a view to personal interests."

St. Paul's sincerity excluded, also, all teaching upon the ground of mere authority. It is commonly taught that this or that truth is to be believed because an inspired apostle taught it. It is often said, It is incredible; nevertheless you must believe it, because it was accredited by miracles. But the apostle never taught on this ground. Nay, even Christ Himself in all His ministry did not teach any doctrine on the ground of authority. He simply said: "If I say the truth, why do ye not believe?" "They that are of the truth hear my voice;" ;""Wisdom is justified of her children." In the same way spoke St. Paul. The truth he had taught commended itself to their consciences; and so, too, throughout all his instruction, he says, " If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." And again: "We use great plainness of speech."

This was the secret of the apostle's wondrous power. It was because he had used no adroitness, nor craft, nor any threat of authority, but stood simply on the truth, evident like the sunlight to all who had eyes to see, that thousands, go where he would, " acknowledged " what he taught. There are some men who thus interpret us to ourselves, who make us more really ourselves, from whose writings and words we feel a flash which kindles all into light at once. Of the words of such men we do not say, "How can they be proved?" We say: "It is the truth of God, and needs no proof." And such is our feeling as we read the word of inspiration.

LECTURE XXXVI.

2 CORINTHIANS i. 15-22. July 18, 1852.

THE whole tone of this Epistle is apologetical-it is defensive throughout. In other Epistles, the main subject being some Christian truth or truths, it is only incidentally that we ever learn any thing respecting St. Paul himself. But in this the main subject is St. Paul and St. Paul's conduct; and yet from chapter to chapter he digresses from his own conduct to some great principle which was dearer far to him than himself. Of course, generally, the value of this Epistle is extremely great. But its special value consists in two things:

1. It exhibits the way in which a Christian may defend himself when maligned or misrepresented. No doubt it is very true that, in the end, character will clear itself; and a popular phrase says, with some truth, that the character which can not defend itself is best left without defense. Yet this may be pressed too far. An uncontradicted slander is believed readily, and often for long; and, meanwhile, influence is crippled or lost. Conceive what might have ensued had St. Paul not met the slanders against his character with denial at once! For few persons take the trouble to sift a charge which is not denied. Now, in the exposition of this Epistle, our attention (inter alia) will be frequently directed to the tone and manner in which the inspired apostle defends himself.

2. This Epistle is valuable as peculiarly forcing our attention to the fact of the humility of St. Paul. In remembering the inspiration of the Apostles, we sometimes forget that they felt, thought, and wrote as men-that the Holy Ghost spoke through them, mixing the Divine with the humanthat inspiration flowed through roused human feelings and passions. Hence there is a peculiar value in an Epistle whose main character is personal.

The link of connection between the subject of last Sunday and that of to-day is to be found in the 12th and 13th verses, in which the apostle maintains the openness and straightforwardness of his ministry. He had concealed nothing, he had used no reserve or duplicity. Nor had he

taught truth to them on the mere ground of authority, but as truth-that which was clear and self-evident when declared; that which they received and acknowledged.

Next he comes to a particular defense against a charge of failure of promise. The charge against him was one of duplicity or double-dealing, and this both in his public teaching, and also in his personal intercourse. His defense on the first count of the charge we have already dealt with. We come to-day to the charge as respects his personal deportment towards the Corinthians. He was, they said, a man who would teach plausibly, meaning something else all the while; all was not said out boldly by him. He was a man who would make a promise for a momentary purpose, and then break it for his own private ends. The alleged proof on which the charge was founded was, that he had promised to come to Corinth, and he had not come. apostle's reply includes a general defense against a general charge; and a defense in the particular case of apparent insincerity. He admits the fact he had intended to go to Corinth; and he had not fulfilled his intention. But he denies the inference of trifling with his word; or that it was with him "yea, yea "--and then with a juggler's dexterity, “ nay, nay.”

The

The broad ground on which St. Paul denies the possibility of such conduct is, that he was a spiritual Christian. He could not do so, because it would be acting according to the flesh-that is, from interest, ambition, worldly policy, or private passions. Whereas, he was in Christ; and Christ was the Christian's yea, the living truth; and the word is but the expression of the life. Now what Christ was the Christian is, in degree. Christ, says St. Paul, was true; and God has established us in Christ. Therefore, fickleness, duplicity, or deceit, are impossible to us.

Such is the apostle's argument. Let us notice how, even in apparent trifles, St. Paul fell back on main principles: "The Gospel goes into the life: Christ is yea, therefore be ye true." So, in another place: "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds." He does not teach veracity as a separate virtue, but veracity as springing out of Christianity-a part of truth; to be veracious was simply the result of a true life: the life being true, the words and sentiments must be veracious.

Let us also see why "being in Christ" makes caprice and instability impossible. Consider what caprice is-it comes from not knowing one's own mind. A fickle-minded man's inner being is like an undisciplined mob-first one voice of

passion, then another is heard-of interest, of ambition, or policy. "A double-minded man," says St. James, is unstable in all his ways;" "He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea.' And we read in Genesis: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel." A man who is governed by self, whose desires are legion," purposes according to the flesh," and his yea is nay as often as yea. Now what is the Gospel of Christ? What is it to be "established in Christ". "anointed?" It is freedom from self, from all selfish and personal wishes. It is to say, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt:" it is to place the right uppermost, and not pleasure. It is to be delivered from those passions whose name is Legion, and to "sit at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in our right mind." Hence a blow is struck at once at the root of instability. It is as if a ship tossed about by a hundred gusts of whirlwind were to feel suddenly a strong breeze blowing from one point, and at once to right and go steadily before the wind.

A man who is free from the manifold motives of self-will moves like the sun-steady, majestic, with no variableness, neither shadow of turning. His course can be calculated. You can not calculate the quarter from whence the wind will blow to-morrow, but you can calculate the precise moment when the sun will reach a particular point. Such is the description of a Christian. St. Paul was a Christian: therefore he could not be tricky, or manœuvre, or do underhand things: the Spirit of Christ was in his heart. Observe, too, that he does not assert his truth because of his apostleship, but because of his Christianity; for he associates the Corinthians with himself-" us with you."

But we!-we!-how does this describe us?-changeful, vacillating, many of us tempted to subterfuges, unsteadiness, even to insincerity? Well, it is the portrait of a Christian; and, so far as it does not describe us, we are not Christians, we have not the Spirit-so far we need that Spirit to redeem us from self. For it is redemption in Christ from self, and that alone, which can make us true.

Let us note two things here, by-the-way:

1. Remember that the apostle calls this truthfulness-this gift of the Spirit-" God's seal" marking His own, and an 99 earnest." The true are his; none else.

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Let us distinguish between an "earnest " and a "pledge." A "pledge" is something different in kind, given in assurance of something else, as when Judah gave his staff and ring in pledge for a lamb which he promised should be given afterwards. But an "earnest" is part of that thing

which is eventually to be given; as when the grapes were brought from Canaan, or as when a purchase is made, and part of the money is paid down at once.

Now baptism is a pledge of Heaven-“ a sign and seal." The Spirit of Truth in us is an earnest of Heaven, it is Heaven begun. Therefore it is. a foolish question to ask, Will the true, pure, loving, holy man be saved? He is saved; he has Heaven: it is in him now--an earnest of more hereafter; God has shown him the grapes of Canaan; God has given him part of the inheritance, all of which is hereafter to be his own. 2. The solemn character of the relationship between ministers and congregations (ver. 14).

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LECTURE XXXVII.

2 CORINTHIANS i. 23, 24; ii. 1-5. July 25, 1852.

WE have seen that a double charge had been alleged against St. Paul-of duplicity both as respected his ministry and also as respected his personal character. The charge against his personal character had been based on the nonfulfillment of his promise to visit Corinth; and we found his defense was twofold:

1. General-resting on the moral impossibility of one in Christ being willfully untrue; and this was our subject last Sunday.

2. Special-and this is our business to-day. This part of the defense extends from the 23d verse of the first chapter to the 5th verse of the second.

The first reason for the non-fulfillment of his promise was one of mercy: "Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you, I came not as yet unto Corinth." By spare the apostle means-to save them from the sharp censure their lax morality would have necessitated. They had treated this great crime which had been committed amongst them as a trifle; they had even boasted of it as a proof of their Christian liberty: and had St. Paul gone to Corinth while they were unrepentant, his apostolic duty would have required from him severe animadversion. Now it was to spare them this that he changed his intention. It was no caprice, no fickleness, it was simply tenderness to them; by which we learn two things respecting St. Paul's character.