for the benefit, much less for the gratification of their recipi- ents; but for the good of the church. Just as the power of vision is not for the benefit of the eye, but for the man. When, therefore, the gifts of God, natural or supernatural, are perverted as means of self-exaltation or aggrandizement, it is a sin against their giver, as well as against those for whose benefit they were intended.
With regard to the gifts mentioned in the following verses, it is to be remarked, first, that the enumeration is not intend- ed to include all the forms in which the Spirit manifested his presence in the people of God. Gifts are elsewhere mentioned which are not found in this catalogue ; comp. Kom. 1 2, 4-8, and V. 28 of this chapter. Secondly, that although the apos- tle appears to divide these gifts into three classes, the princi- ple of classification is not discernible. That is, we can dis- cover no reason why one gift is in one class rather than in another ; why, for example, prophecy, instead of being asso- ciated with other gifts of teaching, is connected with those of healing and working miracles. The different modes of classi- fication which have been proposed, even when founded on a real difference, cannot be applied to the arrangement given by the apostle. Some would divide them into natural and supernatural. But they are all supernatural, although not to the same degree or in the same form. There are gifts of the Spirit which are ordinary and permanent, such as those of teaching and ruling, but they are not included in this enume- ration, which embraces nothing which was not miraculous, or at least supernatural. Others, as Neander, divide them into those exercised by word, and those exercised by deeds. To the former class belong those of wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, and speaking with tongues ; and to the latter the gifts of healing and miracles. Others, again, propose a psychological division, i. e. one founded on the different faculties involved in their exercise. Hence they are distinguished as those which concern the feelings, those which pertain to the intelligence, and those which relate to the will. But this is altogether arbitrary, as all these faculties are concerned in the exercise of every gift. It is better to take the classification as we find it, without attempting to determine the principle of arrange- ment, Avhich may have been in a measure, so to speak, fortui- tous, or determined by the mere association of ideas, rather than by any characteristic difference in the gifts themselves. The Scriptures are much more like a work of nature than a
I. CORIlSrTHIANS 12, 7.8. 245
work of art ; much more like a landscape than a buildmg. Things spring up where we cannot see the reason why they are there, rather than elsewhere, while every thing is in its right place.
8. Por to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit ;
In V. 7, he had said, " To each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit," for to one is given one gift, and to another, another. What follows, therefore, is the illustration and con- firmation of what precedes. The point to be illustrated is the diversity of forms in which the same Spirit manifests himself in difierent individuals. " To one is given the word of wis- dom, to another the word of knowledge." The word of wis- dom, is the gift of speaking or communicating wisdom ; and the word of knowledge is the gift of communicating know- ledge. As to the difference, however, between wisdom and knowledge, as here used, it is not easy to decide. Some say the former is practical, and the latter speculative. Others, just the reverse ; and passages may be cited in favour of either view. Others say that wisdom refers to what is per- ceived by intuition, i. e. what is apprehended (as they say) by the reason ; and knowledge what is perceived by the under- standing. The effect of the one is spiritual discernment ; of the other, scientific knowledge ; i. e. the logical nature and relations of the truths discerned. Others say that wisdom is the gospel, the whole system of revealed truth, and the word of wisdom is the gift of revealing that system as the object of faith. In favour of this view are these obvious considerations, 1. That Paul frequently uses the word in this sense. In ch. 2 he says, we speak wisdom, the wisdom of God, the hidden wisdom which the great of this world never could discover, but which God has revealed by his Spirit. 2. That gift stands first as the most important, and as the characteristic gift of the apostles, as may be inferred from v. 28, w^here the arrange- ment of offices to a certain extent corresponds with the ar- rangement of the gifts here presented. Among the gifts, the first is the word of wisdom ; and among the offices, the first is that of the apostles. It is perfectly natural that this corre- spondence should be observed at the beginning, even if it be not carried out. This gift, in its full measure belonged to the