faith, then, tends heavenward. Its goal is the life eternal. Lack of confidence, doubt, is damning.

It is to be noted, too, that Scripture predicates saving powers as well of the knowledge, as of the assent, and of the

appearing (18; 4, 8), when hope shall pass into fruition." The words "his whole self, 'all he is and is to be,'" introduce a foreign element and betray modern influence. The author has failed to show that anywhere in Scripture a person's "whole self" is called his raраhкп. Of modern exegetes we note Wohlenberg in Zahn's Commentary: “Are we to understand by лapahn in this place the Gospel or the ministerial office just as in 1 Tim. 6, 20 (τὴν παραθήκην φύλαξον !) and v. 14 (τὴν καλὴν παραθήκην φύσ λaşov!)? This is almost universally the accepted explanation. However, if this meaning were not suggested by the following verse, where it really has place, exegetes would hardly have hit upon it already at this place. Пaрahкn can only signify a treasure that has been entrusted: my entrusted treasure or deposit, hence not one which others have deposited with me, but one which I have deposited with others. Can this be said of the Gospel? Moreover, the diligent and faithful guarding of the deposit is made the duty of him to whom the deposit has been entrusted, not of him from whom we have received it for safe-keeping. Even when it is said that Paul, as it were, returns to God the Gospel entrusted to him, in order that God by His power may preserve it, still, aside from the oddity of this idea, the phrase eiç ikɛívny rǹv nμkpav would be a strange addition. For this phrase serves not merely as a definition of time but of purpose, and, supposing that the preservation of the Gospel is the matter spoken of, it would express this thought, that God would preserve the Gospel in order to accomplish its destiny on the day of the return of Christ. Hence, if the treasure here referred to is one that belongs to Paul, but has been entrusted to God and is ready with God in heaven, to be returned at that day undiminished, yea, even with an increase, it cannot be Paul's soul. True, in 1 Pet. 4, 19, in a connection where likewise sufferings on account of the testimony of Christ are spoken of, those who are thus suffering are directed to commit their souls to God: mioty Kтíοтη πараτidéodwoav ràs yvxàs avτāv, and in Ps. 31, 6 (comp. Luke 23, 46; Acts 7, 59) we read in the Septuagint version: eiç xɛipás σov napadhooμai τὸ πνεῦμά μου. God has means to keep the soul after its separation from the body, in order that on that day it may be united to the body which a person has obtained in the resurrection of the just. But in the former passage the reference is to nothing else than to committing our soul to God in prayer, something that believers are always doing, and the passage from the Psalms cannot here be brought forward, because according to the common interpretation it refers to the moment of death which is represented as still distant. Paul, however, supposes his treasure to be already in the Lord's keeping. The meaning intended is none other than

confidence of faith. (See above.) Faith is always a unit, but is viewed by us, now according to this, now according to that feature. Knowledge, assent, confidence are not parts of faith

this, that there is laid up with God in heaven, like a credited asset, for Paul, as for every faithful servant of Christ, a reward which is being formed, increased, and perfected by the grace of God and a person's own conduct, by faithful labor in one's calling, and especially by unwavering and brave confession and suffering. (Comp. 1 Tim. 6, 18; Matt. 5, 12; 6, 20; Luke 14, 14; Matt. 19, 21.)" In a footnote the author quotes a number of interpreters who have understood яapahкn as referring to the apostle's soul, among them Calvin, Grotius, Bengel, Hofmann. He cites Theodoret who viewed as the apostle's араh the Spirit of grace, the earnest of the Spirit with which believers are sealed; Chrysostom, who believed Tapah to be the apostle's faith, or his preaching, or the believers in his congregation that were entrusted to his care; Ambrose, who regards aрahкn as the apostle's salvation; and Theophylact, who repeats Chrysostom's explanation and adds the alternative: ǹr ávriuodíav, or the final reward. To substantiate what he has said about the reward of the righteous which is now forming in heaven, the author also refers to Rev. 19, 8 and to statements in Ignatius, 4 Esra, and Jewish writings, which speak of the good works of the righteous as a reward that is kept for them in heaven and with which they are decked for the marriage of the Lamb. This idea, however, is foreign both to the apostle's theology and to the term яарaðýкη in our passage, which represents something that is even now complete, is not being shaped by our conduct but by God's grace. Clarke leaves the matter undecided: "That which I have committed unto him.] This is variously understood. Some think he means his life, which he had put, as it were, into the hands of Christ, in order that he might receive it again, in the resurrection at the great day. Others think he means his soul. This he had also given into the hands of his faithful Creator, knowing that although wicked men might be permitted to take away his life, yet they could not destroy his soul, nor disturb its peace. Others think that he is speaking of the Gospel, which he knows will be carefully preserved by the great Head of the Church; for though he shall be soon called to seal the truth with his blood, yet he knows that God will take care that the same truth shall be proclaimed to the world by others, whom God shall raise up for that very purpose." (The Holy Bible, ad loc.) - CONYBEARE and HowSON: "It is strange that so acute an interpreter as De Wette should maintain that this expression must necessarily mean the same thing as τὴν καλὴν παραθήκην in v. 14. Supposing St. Paul to have said, 'God will keep the trust committed to Him; do thou keep the trust committed to thee,' it would not follow that the same trust was meant in each case. Paul had committed himself, his soul and body, his true life, to God's keeping; this was the яарahк which

in the mathematical sense. Faith, saving faith, is always these three combined.

Faith is a personal affair. We can do some things through an agent, but we cannot believe thus. Hence, in confessing our

he trusted to God's care. On the other hand, the aраýкη committed to the charge of Timotheus was the ecclesiastical office entrusted to him." We noted the view expressed by this author in connection with Dr. Wolf's explanation in the Lutheran Commentary.—MACKNIGHT: "яараðýêη μov, literally, my deposit. This may signify either something which the apostle had deposited, or committed in trust to Christ, to be preserved and restored to him at the last day; or something which Christ had committed in trust to him to be preserved. They who understand the phrase in the first sense, think the apostle speaks of his committing to Christ his bodily life, to be preserved till he should restore it to him at the last day. This doubtless is a good sense of the phrase, being parallel to 1 Pet. 4, 19. . .: for certainly it was a great encouragement to the servants of Christ to suffer death on account of the Gospel, to know that He would restore their bodily life to them at the resurrection. Nevertheless, seeing, by saying to Timothy, v. 14: 'The good deposit preserve by the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in us,' the apostle represents the doctrine of the Gospel as a deposit committed to him, and to the other faithful ministers of Christ, to be preserved in purity; . . . I am of opinion, that яapaðýên μov, in this verse, means the true doctrine of the Gospel committed in trust to the apostle and to the faithful men mentioned 2 Tim. 2, 2. -It is true, that in v. 14 and in 1 Tim. 6, 20, where the same injunction is given, the word used is not παραθήκην, as in this verse, but παρακαταθήκην: but these words have the same meaning, being both of them derived from raрarívnu, which signifies to commit a thing in trust to another to be kept; and it is applied in particular to doctrines: 2 Tim. 2, 2. - It being the great

duty of the ministers of Christ, in that, and in every age, to preserve in purity the doctrines of the Gospel committed in trust to them, the apostle, to encourage them, declared here, that notwithstanding the attacks of infidels, and the arts of false teachers, and the endeavors of persecutors to extinguish the. Christian religion by putting those to death who preached and professed it, he was persuaded that Christ is able to defend it, and will defend it, until the day of His second coming. (Apostol. Epistles, ad loc.) Meyer (ed. Huther): Opinions diverge widely as regards the signification of тì параvýкη pov; already the Greek interpreters offer various explanations: Theodoret: 'Пapavýкn he calls either his faith, or his office, or the believers entrusted to him by Christ or by him to Christ, or the future reward.' This explanation already contains the hint that πараhп may mean something that God has entrusted to the apostle, or that the apostle has entrusted to God. This point marks the main difference among the various explanations, which, for the greater part, are

faith we use the first person singular rather than the plural, which we might also do, and, in fact, are doing, e. g., when chanting the Creed at service.

Hab. 2, 4: The just shall live by his faith.

It is customary to emphasize the personal pronoun in this passage. There is no warrant for this in the text. It should rather be pointed out that the ultimate object of faith is life eternal. Everybody desires to go to heaven himself. Ergo. However, faith brings also temporal blessings.

Luke 7, 50: Thy faith hath saved thee; go

in peace.

In our troubles we approach God in prayer. We ask others to pray for us, but we do not neglect to pray for ourselves. Our prayer is a statement of our personal wants and our personal trust that God can supply those wants. The passage adduced

arbitrary, having no foundation in the context. Those who hold the former view understand by it the future reward mentioned in ch. 4, 8; comp. Col. 1, 5. However, against this view the term rapavýкŋ itself militates, because the future reward is not a treasure which men entrust to God. Or, in accordance with 1 Pet. 4, 19; Luke 23, 46, they understand by it the soul, or the spirit. However, the fact that in these passages the nouns mentioned are connected with the verb maparidɛodaι cannot be counted a proof that Tapahкn is identical with those nouns. Or, they understand by it the congregation, the believers. In this sense the word is found, indeed, in a spurious epistle of Ignatius, however with an explanation. Rightly De Wette relegates all interpretations based on the former view. If, in following the latter view, we are not to become lost in arbitrary assumptions, it is necessary to note the connection. Following it, we have the choice of either of two interpretations, as we look back either to the 10. or to the 11. verse. In the former case араvýη would mean the life imparted to the apostle by Christ. However, since Paul by the remark eis à éréo (whereunto I am appointed) has already turned his thought from those things which Christ has brought to light, it is most natural to stop at the statement which he has made immediately before this expression and to interpret aрaðýкη to mean the office of the Gospel committed to the apostle. This view is favored by the additional pronoun μov, which marks Tapahкη as something that has been personally appropriated to the apostle."-WEISS (transl. by Schodde and Wilson): "God guards the proclamation entrusted to him (Paul), by protecting the messenger against giving up his work because through fear of suffering.” (Commentary on N. T., ad loc.)

shows that God rewards such trust. But the folly of trusting that the religious concern of our parents, teachers, pastors for our salvation is a valid substitute for our personal faith, or that in the hour of need we can supply our lack of faith from the abundance of others, as the Roman Church teaches, is shown by the parable of the foolish virgins. (To be continued.)

WARTBURG LETTERS OF LUTHER.
(Continued.)

Two days later Luther addressed a letter

TO SPALATIN. 1)

To the gentleman of eminent learning and godliness, Mr. George Spalatin, court-preacher to the Saxon prince, my most dearly beloved in Christ.

Grace!

Jesus.

I have previously received, my dear Spalatin, both your last letter and the pamphlet of Oecolampad,2) together with all the other matter, and I am now sending through you (for it is thought that this may be done most conveniently by your hand) the finished Magnificat, as you will note, and the treatise which has grown out of the Sermon on Confession. I have dedicated the latter to Francis von Sickingen. With your pleasure these things may be printed as soon as possible. I have previously sent to the printer the 22d Psalm.

1) The original of this letter forms part of the collection in the General Archives of Anhalt. It has been printed in Aurifaber I, 333 b, De Wette II, 16, Erlang. Corresp. III, 171, St. Louis Ed. XV, 2526 ff. Spalatin had left Worms, together with the Elector, May 23. The latter wrote from Gerolzhofen, under date of May 31, to his brother, advising him that he hoped to be with him at Coburg the coming Sunday, June 2. (See Foerstemann, Neues Urkundenb., p. 19 b.) On June 10th Melanchthon received a letter from Spalatin, then at Coburg. (See Corp. Ref. I, 396.) Aurifaber and Walch, who has adopted his view, have represented Spalatin as being still at Worms at this time.

2) The treatise on auricular confession. (See THEOL. QUArt. X, 101, note 50.)