238 I. CORINTHIANS 12.

the Corinthians, as members of that body which was instinct with the Hfe-giving Spirit of God, with their former condition as the senseless worshipj^ers of dumb idols, he, First, lays down the criterion by Avhich they might decide whether those who pretended to be the organs of the Spirit were really under his influence. How do they speak of Christ ? Do they blaspheme, or do they worship him ? If they openly and sincerely recog- nize Jesus as the Supreme Lord, then they are under the influ- ence of the Holy Ghost, vs. 1-3. Secondly, these gifts, whether viewed as graces of the Spirit, or as forms of minis- tering to Christ, or the efiects of God's power, that is, whether viewed in relation to the Spirit, to the Son, or to the Father, are but difierent manifestations of the Holy Ghost dwelling in his people, and are all intended for the edification of the church, vs. 4-7. Thirdly, he arranges them under three heads, 1. The word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. 2. Faith, the gift of healing, the power of working miracles, prophesying, and the discerning of spirits. 3. The gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, vs. 8-10. Fourthly, these gifts are not only all the fruits of the Spirit, but they are distributed according to his sovereign will, v. 11. Fifthly, there is there- fore in this matter a striking analogy between the church and the human body. For, 1. As the body is one organic whole, because animated by one spirit, so the church is one because of t he indwelling of the Holy Ghost as the principle of its life. 2. As the unity of life in the body is manifested in a diversity of organs and members ; so the indwelling of the Spirit in the church is manifested by a diversity of gifts and ofiices. 3. As the very idea of the body as an organization supposes this di- versity in unity, the same is true in regard to the church. 4. As in the human body the members are mutually dependent, and no one exists for itself alone but for the body as a whole, so also in the church there is the same dependence of its mem- bers on each other, and their various gifts are not designed for the exclusive benefit of those who exercise them, but for the edification of the whole church. 5. As in the body the position and function of each member are determined not by itself, but by God, so also these spiritual gifts are distributed according to the good pleasure of their author. 6. In the body the least attractive parts are those which are indispensa- ble to its existence, and so in the church it is not the most at- tractive gifts which are the most useful. Sixthly, the apostle draws from this analogy the follo\v4ng inferences. 1. Every