He illustrates all these points by a reference to the human body. As the body is one, being animated by one soul ; so the church is one, being animated by one Spirit. And as the vital principle manifests itself in different forms in the different members of the body, for the common good ; and as the dif- ferent members have their office assigned to them by God, and are mutually dependent, being bound together as a com- mon life, so that one part cannot be injured or honoured, without all sharing in the joy or sorrow, so it is in the church. There should, therefore, be no discontent or envy on the part of those who have subordinate gifts, and no pride or ostentar tion on the part of those more highly favoured ; especially as the more showy gifts were not the most useful. So far, there- fore, as their gifts were objects of desire, they should seek those which were the most useful, 12, 1-31.
There was, however, one thing more important than any of these gifts, and without which all others, whether faith, knowledge, or the power to work miracles, would be of no avaU ; and that is Love. The love which renders its pos- sessor meek, kind, humble, disinterested, forbearing, and en- during. This is the highest grace, which is to endure when all these extraordinary endowments have passed away, 13, 1- 13. The two gifts which were most conspicuous in the church of Corinth, were those of prophecy, and the gift of speaking in foreign tongues. The latter being the more wonderful, and exciting more admiration than the other, was unduly cov- eted and ostentatiously exercised. The apostle shows that it was very subordinate to the gift of prophecy, because the prophets were inspired to communicate, in an intelligible man- ner, divine truth to the edification of the church. Whereas, their speaking with tongues, where the language they used was not understood, could only. edify themselves, 14, 1-40.
Eighthly : certain persons in Corinth denied the Resurrec- tion. Whatever were the grounds on which this doctrine was rejected, the apostle shows that its denial involved the destruction of the gospel, for if the dead cannot rise, Christ is