Faith of a nature tempted and frail as ours, never can be unneeded the word of exhortation, to "receive not the grace of God in vain," and if we have a heavenly Hope, "to cleanse ourselves from all disqualifying sins of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (Ch. VII. 1.)

ROOTED IN THE WORLD; AND THE SORROW THAT IS ROOTED IN GOD.

2

CHAP. VII. 2-16.

RECEIVE US; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I speak not to condemn you, for I have already said, that ye are in our hearts, to die together and to live to4 gether. Great is my freedom of speech towards you; great is my glorying for you: I am filled with consolation; I exceedingly abound in joy under all our affliction. 5 For when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but on all sides we were troubled: without were fightings, 6 within were fears. But God, who comforteth those who are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7 and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted by you, when he told us of your desire, your mourning, your zealous affection for so that I rejoiced the more. Because if I pained you by the Epistle, I do not repent, even if I did repent, for I see that same Letter, though but for a season, has

8 me,

9 pained you. Now I rejoice, not that ye were pained, but that ye were pained unto repentance, for ye were pained after a godly manner, so that in nothing have ye received 10 injury from us. For godly sorrow worketh a renewal of the soul unto Salvation, that has not to be repented of; 11 but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For, behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were pained after a godly manner, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea what defending, yea what discontent, yea what fear, yea what desire, yea what zeal, yea what vindication! Altogether ye 12 have proved yourselves clear in this matter. If then I so wrote to you, I did it not on account of him that did the wrong, nor on account of him who was wronged, but that the care which we have towards you, for your own sakes, might be made manifest in the sight of God. 13 Wherefore we were comforted in your comfort, and rath

er we more abundantly rejoiced in the joy of Titus, be14 cause his spirit was refreshed by you all. So that if I

have boasted to him any thing on your behalf, I am not ashamed, but as I have said all things to you in Truth, so also my boasting of you to Titus has become Truth. 15 And his tenderness is more abundant towards you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how ye re16 ceived him with fear and trembling. I rejoice that altogether I have confidence in you.

THERE are in this Chapter some of the inconsistencies of feeling that belong to a generous nature, when its affections are brought into intimate relations with those who are not altogether worthy of

its love. It speaks out of the fulness and richness of its own heart; it takes no grudging measure of what they may be worthy to inspire, but pours out upon them a love and confidence that come from inward springs. Yet as such natures are genuine, as well as generous, the bare and unadorned truth will at times be forced upon them, the barrenness of the hearts on which they have shed their light and warmth will lie exposed in all their bleakness and poverty, and there will be alternations in the bosom, of gushing affections, and chilling experiences of the unworthiness of their objects. In a strong and noble heart the generous affections, whether deserved or undeserved, will always regain their sway, and must at last create in others the characters they have presupposed.

Such changes are not properly inconsistencies; they are not shifting and capricious feelings in relation to the same objects, but the just and natural emotions of the same heart, according as its own strong trusts, and tender longings, and ardent sympathies, are in sole possession of its thoughts, - or the painful images of barren and unanswering natures are filling the mind, and pressing too distinctly upon fainting hopes. We have here St. Paul, at one moment pleading with the Corinthians for their confidence and love, and in the next, rejoicing in his possession of them; at one moment asking for his place in their affections, stating his claims in the spirit of one who was doubtful of his position, and in the next, glorying in their obedience, and expressing an assurance that they would justify his most con

fiding hopes. His claim indeed upon their moral love was one which the infirm side of human nature is slow to acknowledge, even where it is maintained with the wisdom of the serpent, and the harmlessness of the dove. He had been simply true in his spiritual treatment of their case; he had not helped them to disguise or cover their sins; he had made no compromise with their pernicious doctrines; nor hesitated to disturb their habits, and their ease, by clear exposure of the dangerous laxity of their associations and their friendships. He had even touched the unsound spot, placed his hand upon the sinner among them, and demanded the separation of the diseased member; he had singled out the superstitions, and speculations, that were disturbing the moral power of the Law of Liberty, and he had required their renunciation of the very world in which they lived, since they could not breathe in it safely, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing," — rather than that evil communications should corrupt good principles, and their yet feeble Faith inhale some polluting influences from the surrounding habits of an idolatrous life. He had suffered no evil thing to cleave to them without laying his hand upon it, and now with a clear conscience, as one who had dealt honestly with their souls, he could stand before God, and advance the highest claims which one human being can have upon another, spiritual faithfulness, sacredness preserved, and sympathy not violated, fidelity to all moral interests, as the first Duty and the only Love: "Receive us : we have wronged no man, we have