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weakness.” He cites as an example o f his infirmity or weakness, his lowly and undig nified way o f escaping from the plot against his life in Damascus. The governor (lit erally,- ethnarch, i. e., a Jewish officer to whom Gentile rulers gave authority in large cities over the Jews residing in them) of Damascus guarded Damascus to take' Paul, but Paul escaped this plot. His friends let him down through a window through the’ wall, in a basket, and so he escaped (cf.- Acts 9 :25), It was a very undignified mode o f escape, and so he would glory in it (cf. ch. 12:5, 9, 10). How different the way in which Paul left Damascus from the way a modern evangelist gets out o f the town where he has been holding a meeting, with a great farewell, and a hurrahing crowd at th’e station. Thursday, March 28 . 2 Cor. 12 : 1 - 6 . In the 30th verse o f the preceding chap ter- Paul had said, “ If I must needs glory, I will glory in the things that concern my weakness.” In the verses that follow he has given one illustration o f his weakness in which he gloried (ch. 11:32, 33). He is' about to give another illustration o f these infirmities (vs. 7-9). As a preparation to telling o f this infirmity he first tells of the abundance o f revelations that made that infirmity needful. In chapter 11:30 he has said, “I f I must needs glory,” and now he says, “I must needs glory.” ; It might not- seem expedient, but his heart was so full he just "must.” ' But first o f all he comes to “visions and revelations o f the Lord” (i. e., the Lord Jesus Christ). There is a difference between a “vision” and a “ reve lation.” A “vision” is something seen,- a “revelation” is an unveiling o f truth—it might be through something seen, or some thing heard, or in some other way (cf. 1 Sam. 9:15, R. V. and Margin).' In “vis ions” their meaning might or might not be explained at the time. In . “ revelations” there was always an unveiling, or disclos ing o f the truth. The man to whom Paul refers in verse 2 was himself. This is evi dent from verse 7. In verse 5 he distin-
in A cts 14:19. The three, shipwrecks here mentioned were prior to the one described in Acts 27. The “night and the day in the deep” was doubtless spent swimming, or clinging to a spar, .or in an open boat. The “journeyings often” were not with the com forts o f modern travel, but with very great hardships and peril. The “perils o f riyers” were the perils o f swollen streams when many lost their lives, and even to this pres ent day many lose their lives in that way in thè country through which Paul travelled. The road between Jerusalem and Antioch which Paul went over so often is crossed by currents that rush down from Lebanon. The countries through which Paul jour neyed (notably, Pisidia) were infested with robbers. Some of the cities in which Paul faced perils from mobs and plots and other causes, were Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-29), Ephesus (Acts 19:22-31). Paul labored with toil ànd pain (v. 27), not only with brain and heart and lips, but with his hands also (tef. ¡Acts 18:3, 4). He spent nights in vigils o f prayer and watchings against perils o f one kind or another. He knew often what it meant to have insufficient clothing, and to suffer from the cold. And Paul was all this time a man suffering from physical infirmity (cf.~ ch. 12:7-10; Gal. 4:13, 14). How far, how -very far, was Paul’s type o f Christian living from our self-sparing manner of life, and In addition to all these outward things of which Paul has beèn speaking in the pre ceding verses that brought .discomfort'and suffering to Paul, there was that which pressed upon him daily, “anxiety for all the churches.” By the sympathy o f love he entered into every Christian brother’ s need. I f any one was weak, he was weak with him. If any weak brother was made to stumble, he himself burned with indig nation. In verse 30 Paul goes back to the thought o f glorying, with which the Chapter began, and says, “ If I must needs glory, I will glory o f the things that concern my our well paid ministers. Wednesday, March 27 . 2 Cor. i i ;. 28 - ss -
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