usual method, first, negatively ; and then, positirely. It was not done " in the words which man's wisdom teacheth." This includes two things. The words used by the apostle were neither such as the skill of the rhetorician would suggest, nor such as his own mind, uninfluenced by the Spirit of God, sug- gested. The affirmative statement is, that the words used were taught by the Holy Ghost. This is verbal inspiration, or the doctrine that the writers of the Scriptures were con- trolled by the Spirit of God in the choice of the words which they employed in communicating divine truth. This has beeh stigmatized as "the mechanical theory of inspiration," de- grading the sacred penmen into mere machines. It is objected to this doctrine that it leaves the diversity of style which marks the different portions of the Bible, unaccounted for. But, if God can control the thoughts of a man without making him a machine, why cannot he control his language ? And why may he not render each writer, whether poetical or prosaic, whether polished or rude, whether aphoristic or logical, infallible in the use of his characteristic style ? If the language of the Bible be not inspired, then we have the truth communicated through the discolouring and distorting medium of human imperfection. Paul's direct assertion is that the words which he used, were taught by the Holy Ghost.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual ; or rather, joining spiritual things to spiritual words^ or, explaining the things of the Spirit in the words of the Spirit. For the use of <rvyKpivav ia the sense of interpreting or explaining, see Gen. 40, 8. 3 6. 41, 12. 15. Dan. 5, 12. m the LXX. This interpre- tation is demanded by the connection. The apostle had said that the truths which he taught were revealed by the Spirit ; and that the words which he used were taught by the Spirit, which he sums up by saying, he explained spiritual things in spiritual words. This view of the passage is perfectly consist- ent with the signification of the words. The original word (orvyKptVco) means not only mentally to combine and hence to compare, but also to join together ; and also to explain. It is used in the Septuagint to express the act of interpreting dreams or enigmas. The clause in question may, therefore, be translated either, combining spiritual things with spiritual words ; or, explaining the one by the other. Besides, the word spiritual (Trvcv/xaTtKots), which has no substantive con- nected with it, most naturally agrees with words (Xdyots) un- derstood, which immediately precedes.