2 Corinthians 10

Muse on the prophetic paintings of the latter-day glory, that day without a cloud: the enemies of man subdued, the disorders of the world hushed, all its great miseries passed away; Christ on his throne in the midst of a redeemed, sanctified, happy creation; all things sacred to his name; all tongues rehearsing for the last great chorus of the universe; all hearts united in holy love, and in that love offering themselves up as one everlasting sacrifice ascending before him in its own flames; new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. All things are waiting for it. All things are ready but the Church of Christ; and until its prayers, its wealth, all its energies and resources are laid at the feet of Christ, all things must continue to wait. Then, by the mercies of God; by the richness of his goodness toward you in nature, providence, and grace; by the sacredness of the commands which he has laid upon you; by a legitimate regard for your own well-being; and by the credit of that religion whose honor should be dearer to you than life; above all, by Christ’s painful self-denial and deep humiliation; by his obedience unto the death of the cross; by that mystery of love which led him to become poor that he might make you eternally rich—O Christian soul, dedicate your property as you dedicate your soul to God! J. H.

1. Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence 2 am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: but I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against 3 some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in 4 the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 5 but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into 6 captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we 8 Christ’s. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath 9 given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: that I may not 10 seem as if I would terrify you by letters. For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. 12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure 14 to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of 15 Christ: not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to 16 our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in 17 another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory 18 in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

It may only be by a long-protracted process of holy discipline, by many a weary hour of inward conflict, fainting, striving, falling, reviving, yet ever, on the whole, growing in conformity to the will of God, that the soul attains at last to the complete mastery over self, the perfect inward harmony of a spirit in which every thought and feeling and desire are “brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” But when that glorious end is gained, when self is quelled, and duty reigns supreme within the breast, when “the immortal soul becomes consistent in self-rule,” then the “weary strife of frail humanity” is at an end, and a repose, oh, how deep, how tranquil, how sublime! diffuses itself throughout the spirit—a repose in which there is at once calraness and power, the sweet serenity of an infant’s slumbers, yet the strength of an angel of God. Caira.

With this chapter begins the direct personal defense of Paul against his rivals and adversaries; and with it the delicate and intricate alternations of gravity and irony, earnest pleading and rallying, which make this portion of the Epistle so exceedingly difficult. It is hardly needful to say that the whole of these last four chapters is very precious, both as letting us into the personal character and ways of the apostle and as abounding with rich gems of faith, hope, and Christian charity. A.

1. Here, again, according to his custom, the apostle refers to the example of Christ. He besought the Corinthians “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” He vindicated his authority, because he had been meek, as Christ was meek; for not by menace nor by force did He conquer, but by the might of gentleness and the power of love. Remember, fine words about gentleness, self-sacrifice, meekness, are worth very little. Talking of the nobleness of humility and self-surrender is not believing in them. Would you believe in the cross and its victory? then live in its spirit—act upon it. F. W. R.

4. It is the living piety of the Church—back of all sermons however studied, all creeds however orthodox, all rites however simple—that gives them force. Not the great names of her eminent ministers, not the increase of her numbers, not the outward respect which she receives from statesmen, and poets, and politicians, but the living, active piety of her members, their exemplary and devoted spirit, their prayerfulness, humility, and Christlike-ness: these are the weapons of her warfare, not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. These bring down to her aid the omnipotence of God. E. H. G.

Here is an apostle of the Lord Jesus who speaks the language of a soldier. He is planning a campaign; nay, rather, he is making war; he glows with the fire of a genuine military enthusiasm. But the weapons of his warfare are not carnal; the standard under which he fights is a more sacred sign than that of the Cesar; the operations which he projects are to be carried out in a territory more difficult of conquest than any which kept the conquerors of the world at bay. He is invading the region of human thought; and, as he fights for God, he is sternly resolved upon conquest. He sees rising before him the lofty fortresses of hostile errors; they must be reduced and razed. Every mountain fastness to which the enemy of Light and Love can retreat must be scaled and destroyed; and all the thought of the human soul which is hostile to the authority of the Divine truth must be “led away as a prisoner of war” into the camp of Christ. Truly a vast and unaccountable ambition; a dream—if it were not, as it was, a necessity; a tyranny—if anything less vigorous and trenchant had been consistent with the claims of the truth of God, or equal to the needs of the soul of man. Only that truth has an indefeasible right to reign in the intellect of man. The apostle asserts that right, when he speaks of bringing the whole intelligence of man into the obedience of Christ. H. P. L.

5. Casting down everything that exalteth itself against God. This is that bitter root of all enmity in man against God, and against one another—self; man’s heart turned from God toward himself. And the very work of renewing grace is to annul and destroy self, to replace God in his right, that the heart and all its affections and motions may be at his disposal. So that, instead of self-will and self-love that ruled before, now the will of God and the love of God command all. Captivity to Christ. His matchless love hath freed me from the miserable captivity of sin, and hath for ever fastened me to the sweet yoke of his obe-

dience. Let him alone to dwell and rule within me; and let him never go forth from my heart who for my sake refused to come down from the cross. L.