"Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?" 2 Cor. 3:1. The apostle here brings before us a class of letters which must have been in frequent use in his day, even as now, by which travelers or teachers were commended by one person to the good offices of others. In the last part of the previous chapter he speaks of the important work of the servant of God, either for life or death; and then says, "We are not as many, which corrupt the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." They had been faithful in their ministrations, and, therefore, did not need letters of commendation; for, he continues:— "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." Verse 2. Here was something that everyone could read. They revealed the word wrought in them by the "manifestation of the truth" (chapter 4:2); and as Jesus is "the truth" (John 14:6), the manifestation of the truth was the life of Jesus made manifest in their mortal flesh (2 Cor. 4:10, 11). And thus they bore credentials from heaven which all men, of whatever nation or language, could read, and know that they were genuine. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart." Verse 3. They were the epistle, or writing of Christ, ministered, or executed, by the apostles. This writing was accomplished, "not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." Again, it was "not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart," just where under the new covenant the law of God is written. Heb. 8:10. The presentation of this covenant, the preaching of this gospel, which places the law in the heart, God committed to his servants, and the apostle is discoursing, in 2 Corinthians 3, on his work as a new testament (or covenant) minister, or servant. Verse 6. What, then, is his subject thus far?—Manifestly, the object of that covenant,—the writing of the law of God in the heart, or its enthronement in the affections. The working out of that law in the human heart is simply the manifestation of the life of Jesus in the body; for says Jesus, "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Ps. 40:8. And near the close of his earthly ministry he again said, "I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 15:10. The principles of the law are therefore identified with the principles of the life of Christ. That person, therefore, in whose heart the law of God is written, in whose heart that love is made supreme, that law being holy, just, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12, 14), will "out of the good treasure of the heart bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 12:35). His life will be in perfect accord with the great principles of righteousness embodied in that law, which is the "good treasure," or accumulated wealth of his heart. And such a life will commend itself "to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 2 Cor. 4:2. Even unbelievers and the most bitter enemies of God and his truth will take knowledge of such "that they have been with Jesus." Bear in mind that the apostle, as a minister of the new testament, was God's agent for the accomplishment of this work in the hearts of the Corinthian brethren. He proceeds:— "And such trust have we through Christ to Godward; not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." Verses 4, 5. In this the apostle manifests the mind of Christ, which led him to "empty himself" (Phil. 2:7, R. V.), and roll himself on the Lord (Ps. 22:8, margin), to trust in God for his sufficiency. Likewise, again we hear Paul saying, "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Phil. 3:3. But, while not sufficient of ourselves, the apostle tells us from whence our sufficiency comes:— "But our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament [covenant]; not of the letter [of the new covenant], but of the spirit [of the new covenant]; for the letter [of the new covenant] killeth; but the spirit [of the new covenant] giveth life." Verses 5, 6. The supplying of the words of "the new covenant," in this verse, after the words "letter" and "spirit" each time they occur, does no violence to the text whatever, as will appear from the consideration of the remainder of the chapter:— "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away; how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?" Verses 7, 8. We are here carried back to the ministration of the law of God by Moses, and to a certain experience in his ministration when it brought condemnation, the end of which is death. During the long time which Moses spent in communion with God, his countenance reflected the glory of the divine Presence, unknown to himself. His face shone with a dazzling light when he descended from the mountain. See Ex. 34:29, 30. But while he was in the mount the first time, to receive the tables of the law, the Israelites had fallen into idolatry, had erected a golden calf, and were worshiping it; and now he comes down with the law again. "In their conscious guilt, feeling themselves still under the divine displeasure, they could not endure the heavenly light, which, had they been obedient to God, would have filled them with joy." See Ex. 34:30-35. If it had not been for their sin, the same glory which shone from Moses' face would have been reflected from theirs, and thus that ministration would have been far more glorious. "For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory." Verse 9. The ministration of Moses in this instance was one of condemnation, because of their sin, but had they yielded to the influence of the Spirit of God, the law would have been written in their hearts, and they would have known righteousness (Isa. 51:7; Rom. 8:4), and would have rejoiced at the glory of the law, because it was a witness to their righteousness by faith. That law in its condemnation was glorious, but as a witness to the righteousness which comes by faith, which, in other words, is the law in the heart, the gospel is more glorious. So also the ministration, or service, of that condemnation, as represented in Moses, was glorious; but the ministration, or service, of the gospel which places the law in the heart is more glorious. "For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth." Verse 10. When compared with the glory that attends the ministration of the law of God when it brings righteousness, as it always does to the one who will permit it to be written in the heart, the glory of the ministration of the law, when it only brings condemnation, is eclipsed, even as the glory of the moon is swallowed up by the glory of the rising of the sun. But suppose an individual yields to the Lord, the condemnation is done away (Rom. 8:1), and righteousness takes its place (Rom. 8:4); and if it "remaineth," then there is glory indeed. "For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." Verses 11, 12. And why not use great plainness of speech, since it is such a glorious hope? "And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished; but their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ." Verses 13, 14.6"When Moses came from the Divine Presence in the mount, where he received the tables of the testimony, guilty Israel could not endure the light that glorified his countenance." "It was the heavenly light streaming from Calvary, no less than the glory of the law of God, that shed such a radiance upon the face of Moses." As before stated, the Israelites had but a short time before this taken part in a national apostasy in the erection and worship of the golden calf, and, being conscious of guilt, they felt themselves still under the divine displeasure, therefore could not endure the heavenly light streaming from Calvary, which would have filled them with joy had they been steadfast in their obedience to the law of God. Had they been true to God, the righteousness of God through his Son would have been put upon them, to which the law would have witnessed. Rom. 3:21, 22. "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." Verse 15. The truthfulness of this is demonstrated in the experience of Stephen when he was brought before the council. "And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." Acts 6:15. Beginning with Abraham, he traced the experience of Israel, especially speaking of Moses, and how God wrought through him in their deliverance from Egypt; then to the tabernacle of witness which they had in the wilderness, and the tabernacle built by Solomon for the God of Jacob, etc. Seeing their anger, he suddenly turns upon them with a scathing rebuke, saying: "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers; who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." Acts 7:51-53. When he told them that they were uncircumcised in heart, murderers, and law breakers, the Holy Spirit witnessing to it, "they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth." Verse 54. He manifested the life of Jesus before them, and the glory of that life shining in his countenance, which is the same glory which shone in the face of Moses, commended itself to their consciences. But as they were not willing to bring their lives into harmony with the law which they were transgressing, and thus manifest the same life which they attempted to put away from before them by killing Stephen, that glory condemned them. Their minds were so blinded, and their hearts so veiled by unbelief, that they could not see that which, had they been obedient to it, would have filled them with joy. This was the "ministration of condemnation." "Nevertheless, when it [the heart] shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." Verse 16. When Peter on the day of Pentecost convinced the people that they had killed the Prince of Life, "they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:37, 38. The heart turned to the Lord, "the veil was taken away," "and the same day there was added unto them about three thousand souls." Verse 41. Here is an example of the "ministration of righteousness" which exceeds in glory. Oh, that everyone who reads these lines may know this most glorious experience and be kept therein! "Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory." Verses 17, 18. The heart having turned to the Lord, and the veil having been taken away, we can with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, which is his character. Realizing that the condemnation is gone, and that the righteousness of Christ has taken its place, we "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:8. "The soul that is free from sin will not wish to hide from the light of heaven." The heavenly light from Calvary combined with the glory of the law of God which radiated from the face of Moses, "illustrates the blessings to be received by God's commandment-keeping people through the mediation of Christ. It testifies that the closer our communion with God, and the clearer our knowledge of his requirements, the more fully shall we be conformed to the divine image, and the more readily do we become partakers of the divine nature." If we walk in the light, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, beholding his glory, we will be changed into the same image from glory to glory, from character to character, until the divine nature will have been perfected in us. Oh, blessed hope! Who would not give up this poor, "sin-polluted heart for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by his own blood, and to save by his matchless love"? Who would not tear off the veil of unbelief, and turn the eyes upon the undimmed glory of the character of Jesus, and thus be made like him? But if we do not make this choice, as guilty Israel could not endure the light that glorified the countenance of Moses, how much less can we look upon the Son of God when he shall appear in the glory of his Father, surrounded by all the heavenly host, to execute judgment upon the transgressors of his law and the rejecters of his atonement! Those who have disregarded the law of God, and trodden underfoot the blood of Christ, will in that day say "to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" But those who have kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, to them the prayer of Christ will be answered, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me." And then, freed from the trouble of his soul, shall he see the good and be satisfied.