Paul and Apollos belonging to one class. This, however, does violence to the plain meaning of the passage in 1 Cor. 1, 12. These neutrals were probably the worst class in the congrega- tion, as is commonly the case with those who claim to be Christians to the exclusion of all others.
Another great evil in the Corinthian church was the viola- tion of the seventh commandment in various forms. Educated as we are under the hght of the gospel, in which the turpitude of such sins is clearly revealed, it is impossible for us to appre- ciate correctly the state of feeling in Corinth on this subject. Even by heathen philosophers offences of this kind were re- garded as scarcely deserving of censure, and by the public sentiment of the community they were considered altogether indifferent. They were in fact so associated with their re- ligious rites and festivals as to lose their character as immorali- ties. With such previous training, and under the influence of such a public sentiment, and surrounded by all incitements and facilities to evil, it is surely not a matter of surprise that many of the Corinthians should take the ground that things of this class belonged to the same category with questions of food (1 Cor. 6, 12.) It is certain from numerous passages in these epistles that the church of Corinth was not only very remiss in the exercise of discipline for such matters, but also that the evil was widely extended.
Another indication of the latitudinarian spirit of one por- tion of the church was their conduct in reference to the sacri- ficial offerings and feasts of the heathen. They had been accustomed not only freely to eat meat which had been offered in sacrifice to idols, but to attend the feasts held in the tem- ples. As they were told as Christians that the distinction between clean and unclean mieats was abolished, and that the gods of the heathen were nothing, they insisted on their right to continue in their accustomed habits. This gave rise to great scandal. The stricter portion of the church, whether Jews or Gentiles, regarded all use of sacrificial meat as involving in some form connection with idolatry. This, therefore, was one