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November 10, 1909. | Sunda PAUL'S STO November 21, 1909. GOLDEN TEXT.?"He sa for thee; for my strength 2 Cor. 12:9. DAILY HO M.?2Cor. 11: 21-33. T?2 Cor. 12:1-10. W.?2 Cor. 10:1-12. Ep TOPIC) How Paul Sets Us an Exami Of suffering for Christ, Of visions in Christ Of the suflicier LESSOh The lesson under eonsid< is not rightly termed a "Stor; defense of himself against ' tions and insinuations his was imperiled. A brief re< will make this most eviden More time, labor, teachin the founding of the church other upon the continent of suffering. Its position in a people, representing many tiire of all the devices of church of the Lord Jesus > tested. All the powers usii extermination, or at least pi lor the purpose of the utt? life and work could have a the other churches planted ooun divisions, sects, a] Peterism, Apolloism and Chi preparation for and forem jealousy and all manner of this downward career when his first letter from Ephes followed soon by Titus, wh< church, see the effect of Pai make careful report to Paul After the despatch of tli have passed, all of them Paul received, in Philippi, t church in Corinth* That i noying. The church had m its injunctions had been r state of sorrow towards G evidence of which was seen and prayerful effort to live ?nn tnis consoling news, ] formation that a minority 1 his (Paul's) first letter wer batting the apostle's right Prom a close reading of tl that this minority was lnslr the personal and apostolic c were to the effect that he seen our Lord; that he ^ himself; Indulged In large contemptible In appearance interested in the collection thp nnr\r anfnta In Tornaolor acter; sometimes it was *'j circumcised Timothy, but n sometimes Gentile, accordii was always threatening to etc., etc. This, in brief, was the si his second letter to Corint T#E PRESBYTERIA y School | RY OF HIS LIFE. 2 Cor. 11:22-28; 12:1-10. id unto me, My grace is sufficient is made perfect in weakness."? ME READINGS. Th.?2 Cor. 13. P.?Gal. 1:11-24. S.?Gal. 4:12-18. h. 3:1-12. VL OUTLINE, pie? vs. 22-28. , eta. 12:1-6. it grace of Christ, vs. 7-10. I COMMENTS. eration (2 Cor. 11:22-28; 12:1-10) V of His fPaill'sl TJfo " Tt la Ponl'o 'false brethren," by whose accusapersonal and apostolic character :ital of the most prominent facts t. g and suffering had been given to in the city of Corinth than to any Europe. Its birth was with much great commercial city of 1,000,000 nations and many beliefs, a mixSatan, rendered it certain that a would be speedily and thoroughly lally wielded by the devil for the aralysis, of a church were invoked sr ruin of the very church whose more telling influence than any of upon Grecian soil. [jpeared iu the church?Paulism, -istism. Such a condition is the sure ui on uc, uuiiLcunuii, envy, ungodliness. The church was in the apostle Paul sent that church us. This letter was borne by or >, it appears, was to stay with the ll's letter and, as soon as possible, is letter many months appear to crowded with "labors oft," when he report of the real status of the eport was both cheering and an ade diligent use of his first letter; igidly complied with. A genuine od had come to the church, the i in its repentance, in its watchful worthy of their vocation. Along however, came the astounding in who resented the arraignments of e vigorously and maliciously cornto assume leadership over them, le entire second letter, it appears luating many things derogatory to haracter of Paul. The intimations was no true apostle, having never 'as assumptious, forever praising talk in his letters; that he was ; that he was probably personally of money that he was asking for n Ka ?faa ,. ?a111?M?~ ?? -1 U, iiiut ne nets ?av<uitiiui? in uniirre a," sometimes it was "nay"; he lot Titus; he was sometimes Jew, ig to the company he was in; he come to Corinth and never came, tate of the case when Paul wrote h and to all the saints in Achala "S * 4 N OF THE SOUTH. and sent it as quickly as possible I that this letter contains very genei for the church there. It is a mod tenderness, sympathy and love. H that they go not too far in the dis person whose life had so shocked tt In the lesson before us, it can nov iug to do something more than gi Out of that life, using the promine in it, he lifts, in peerless eloquence power of truth. tht> rfpfpnso ?r character and rights. It recalls the 12th chapter of his first book: "Be against me before the Lord and be ox have I taken? or whose ass have defrauded? whom have I oppressed received any bribe to blind mine e: The defense of his personal cha sions of his defamers precedes, but the present lesson. The last charg but for its most outrageous falsit: damaging, was the intimation that ested in the collection for the poor simply calls attention to the fact tt was the church that had received without pay. His own hands and t had supported him during his eight Addressing himself to the defensi ter, which would he of little worth ter, he proves by three tests that h front rank of all the apostles. The sufferings that he endured in order Cor. 1:33). The second test adduced is seen ii revelations accorded him were to proof that he was "called to be an the vision at Troas, and in Corinth, journeyed to Rome?a vision not in here made. But the apostle appears with God, a transportation of hims experience far above, out of or dis What he saw and heard could no earthly language. He calls the plac But the third and chief test?one 1 to his readers most readily?was hii that memorable visit to "the third tect him against the sin that gave 1 God had prepared and given him a tion?"a thorn in his side." This as "a messenger of Satan to buffet experiences with this same Satan?a and test thoroughly. Paul, hero th( three times besought God to R it away, but gave him in addition ' not only would he be able to bear witnessed his joy (in spite of such i and his saintliness of life, would be evidences of an apostle of Jesus CI 1. The most trustworthy statem in one's behavior under adverse cril dishonesty, of inconsistency, of two jostle a man of small character. So to die under such goadings. The ti the armor of truth. 2. Most men that have been pre have accomplished great good for tt defamed, caricatured and their mot 3. There are times when it is b "Hp Wn R lPrl a a a lomh fA do *?-V? her shearers is dumb, so he opene< are times when loyalty to the truth clear defense. If the character of P assailed or the signs of his apostles shadow by the aspersions and ins! the truth would have suffered, the c nain and the world would h#uo loaf Favettevllle, Ark. 13 >y Titus. It will be seen ous and unstinted praise el outpouring of fatherly e even vpntnroo m icipline of the incestuous le apostle. v be seen, he is endeavorve "a story of his life." nt and indisputable facts and with the irrefutable own and of his apostolic defense of Samuel in the hold, here am I; witness fore his anointed: whose I taken? or whom have I I? of whose hand have I res therewith"? racter against the asperis closely connected with e refuted and that which 7 WOlllfl h?VO boon he was personally intersaints in Jerusalem. He lat the church in Corinth his teachings absolutely he aid of other churches een months of toil there, e of his apostolic characwithout personal characiis place is rightly in the s first test is seen in the to preach the gospel (2 i 12:1-6. The visions and him at least Indubitable apostle." Luke mentions , and on the ship as they icluded in the statemeuts i to refer to a communion elf to a mountain top of connected with the body, t find expression in any :e "Hip thlrH hoovon " that should have appealed 3 life among them. Since heaven," in order to pro>irth to the devil, "pride," special means of proteethorn?further described me," reminding of Job's ivas severe enough to test )ugh he undoubtedly was, . away. God did not take "grace sufficient," so that it, but so that those who a thorn piercing his side) compelled to see the real tirist. ent of character is seen licism. An insinuation of facedness, etc., will badly me men have been known ue man meets them with eminently great and that leir fellow-man have been Ives impugned, etter to suffer in silence, ter, and as a sheep before 3 not his mouth." There reaillrM anOAph full a tun auu aul had been successfully ihlp been thrown Into the inuatlons of bis enemies, hurch would have felt the a great heritage. R. B. Willis.