II Corinthians - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 1202

4——~6 II. CORINTHIANS. 6·-·2

10 11 x6 18 we have not preached ourselves; pug Christ jcsus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus. When God spoke, from darkness iight shone; which has shonein our hearts, to enligxten the knowledge of the recti· fication from God, face to face with Christ. But we possess this treasure in

earthen vessels, so that the grandeur of the powermay be from God, and not from us,,who ere in all places pressed upon, but not overpowered ; at a loss,but not despeiring; driven on, but not forsaken; repulsed, but not exterminated; everywhere carrying about the dying of jesusin the body, so that in our body the life of jesus may be displayed. We are always living for death, surrendered for the sake of jesus; so that the life of jesus may also be displayed in our mortal bodies: consequently, His, death energizes in us, but his life in you. And possessing the same spirit of faith as he who wrote, I BEUEVED, THERE- FORE I sP0xE?; we also believe, and consequently speak, knowing that He Who raised jesus will also raise us with jesus, and present. us with you. For all is for your sakes, so that the perfected gift may overflow from the grateful multitude to the honour of God. We do not therefore act like cowards; but even if our outward man is exhausted, yet our inward is renewed day by day. For the fleeting trifle of our sunerings will acquire to us, in an immeasurable eternity, an unsurpassed load of glory; we not looking at the seen, but at the unseen: for the seen is temporary, but the unseen eternal. For we know that even if our ter-

restrial home of this tent should be removed, we possess a home, a build ing from God, not made by hand, eternal in the heavens! And, indeed, we groan in this, longing to be en- dowed with our little cottage from heaven. And if we are endowed, we shall not be found shelterless. And, indeed, we, while loaded in this tent, groan; yet we do not wish to be stripped of it, but to be endowed, so that this mortality may be swallowed

5 up by that life. But He Who enables us to work for this purpose is God, john L 5. 2 Psa. cxvl. zo. Who gave us the pledge of the Spirit. Therefore we everywhere cheer our-

selves; and know that while at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. So we take heart, although we would choose to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. And, besides, we are desirous, whether present or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all be reviewed before the judgment-seat of Christ, so that each may receive the reward of what he has done in this body, whether good or bad. Consequently, knowing how to reverence the Lord, we persuade men—that we may shine forth to God; and I hope we shine forth also to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves

again to you; but rather giving to you an opportunity of boasting about us, that you may hold against those boast- ing in appearance and not in heart. For if we are mad, it is for God; if we are rational, it is for you : for the love of Christ sustains us, deciding us, that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, so that the living should no longer live for themselves; but instead, for Him Who died for them, and rose again. Therefore, from the present time,

we regard none according toisocial position; and although we know Christ personally, yet now we know Him so no longer. So that, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, for all things have become new. But the whole is from God Who restored us to Him— self through Christ, and gave to us the oihce of restoration; since God was in Christ leading back the whole world to Himself, not reckoning up their sins against them : and he deposited with us the reason of that restoration. Therefore we fulfil an embassy from Christ; as though God invited through us, we implore you for Christ’s sake, be gathered again to God I He Who never knew sin, for our sakes was regarded as sin, so that we might be righteous- ness towards God in Him. And working. together with Him,

we also encourage you not to accept the gift of God in vain ; for He says, I HAVE HEARD YOU IN A FAVOUR- ABL1=:s1sAsoN, l202 IO II I2 I5 i6 18 20 Z!