and inspection, it was possible abuse might creep. "And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve, those will I send with letters to carry your gift unto Jerusalem: and, if it be meet that I should go also, they shall go with me." In all such cases there was a strictness which, with St. Paul's unsuspected character, might appear scrupulous and fastidious: but the unsuspected character is that which never needlessly consents to be placed in circumstances of suspicion. And in matters of this nature, and in a world where virtue is weak, and calumny is strong, and temptation is perilous, and suspicion, as far as reputation is concerned, is almost as fatal as guilt, the example of the Apostle in the strict demand that responsible colleagues, "elected for that purpose by the contributors themselves," should be associated with him in the distribution of public bounty, is worthy of all imitation, an admirable proof that an honorable prudence, a care for reputation in the smallest things, may unite with the loftiest enthusiasm of the religious mind; and if some of the greatest names in our history had possessed something of this practical wisdom and salutary fear, we should not have had the mournful and corrupting spectacle of genius and character, great in all things else, fallen under the meanness of petty degradation, their glory associated in everlasting remembrance with the depths to which they stooped, and all because they reverenced not the Christian principle to avoid even the appearance of evil, and dared to meet an unnecessary temptation. St. Paul would neither 66 expose himself to a temptation, nor in such things commit his character to the world: "We have sent," says he, speaking on the same subject, in another place, Iwe have sent that brother who was chosen of the Churches to travel with us, with that bounty which was administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and to show your readiness of mind, — taking care for this, that no man should blame us in our administration of this abundance, providing for things honest, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men," - that is, not resting in the consciousness of his own integrity, nor, on such a subject, in God's knowledge of it, but careful to have it manifest in the public sight. "At the time of his writing this Epistle to Corinth, St. Paul had formed an extensive plan for his future labors. During his stay of several years in Achaia, and at Ephesus, he had laid a sufficient foundation for the extension of the Gospel among the nations who used the Greek language, and he now wished to transfer his ministry to the West,to visit Rome on his way to Spain, — and then to commence the publication of the Gospel at the extremity of Western Europe."* Previous, however, to putting this plan into execution, he had arranged to visit once more the Churches of Greece, with the twofold view of counterworking the disturbing influences which, from speculative philosophy on the one hand, and from Jewish superstitions on the other, had destroyed the Unity of the Gospel Spirit, and of furthering by his presence their benevolent inten * Neander. tions for the afflicted Church at Jerusalem. It would - appear, as we shall find when we come to the Second Epistle, that, in some previous message or Letter, he had promised the Corinthians, that on his way to Macedonia he would pass from Ephesus to Corinth, instead of taking the more direct course through Asia Minor, and that on his return from Macedonia he would come to Corinth again on his way to Palestine. The first part of this intention, however, he abandoned, through a tender reluctance to meet the Church immediately after a necessity had arisen for the severe censures of this Epistle, and an extreme unwillingness that any personal intercourse should take place in a moment of irritation or estrangement. In such a moment the passions may precipitate the better nature into strife, the fatal position may be taken from which there is no after retreating, — and the golden bridge of reconciliation be for ever broken down. It was certainly in the wisdon of Love that St. Paul avoided Corinth at such a time. This change of purpose, however, as we shall find in the Second Epistle, his enemies there attributed to the vacillating spirit of the man, and converted into a new pretext for disrespect. This alteration of plan he now announces. You will remember that this Epistle was written, not from Philippi, as the Postscript in our English Bibles affirms, but at Ephesus, in the year A. D. 56, and about the time of the Jewish Passover. "Now I will come unto you when I shall pass through Macedonia, for I do pass through Macedonia. And it may be that I shall abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go. I shall not therefore (as I formerly intended) see ye now on my journey, but I hope rather to abide with you a long time, if the Lord permit. But I will remain at Ephesus until Pentecost: for a great and effectual door is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." The number, and the activity, of adversaries are no signs that a good cause is languishing, but rather the contrary. It is when you are suffered to live at peace, that you may fear you are exerting little influence in the world, that you are disturbing no cherished prejudice, alarming no established error. St. Paul connects the opening of the "great and effectual door" with desperate efforts on the part of the enemies of Truth and God for the preservation of their own Kingdom. The more widely the door of the Gospel was thrown open, and the Ephesians, deserting the Idol altars, crowded the strait gates of Evangelical Life, the more would those who were connected with the secular interests of the Established Religions be excited to active hostility. It was very shortly after this passage was written, that a violent popular outrage took place at Ephesus against St. Paul, an unquestionable evidence of the success of his ministry. In the record, in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts, the progress of the Gospel, and the popular commotion against it, are brought into immediate juxtaposition: "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. After these things, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen, -whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, 'Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Yet ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying, that there are no gods which are made with hands; so that there is not only danger that this our craft should be brought into contempt, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the World worshippeth.' And when they heard these words, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.'"* In this passage mention is made of Timothy being sent to the Churches in Macedonia, the Churches of Philippi and Thessalonica, and in the tenth verse of this Chapter, without any notice of the Macedonian journey, we find an expectation on the part of St. Paul of his probable arrival at Corinth. This is one of those undesigned coincidences between independent writings, which afford the strongest moral proof of the authenticity of both, the coincidence being of such a nature that it escapes *Acts xix. 20-28. - |