really one, pervaded by oue and the same spirit ; it consists of many members of different gifts and functions, each accord- ing to the will of the Spirit ; these members are mutually de- pendent ; the humble and obscure are more necessary to the being and welfare of the church than those distinguished by attractive gifts ; and the law of sympathy pervades the whole, so that if one Christian suffers all his fellow Christians suffer with him, and if one believer is honoured, all believers rejoice with him. It is to be observed that Paul is not speaking of what ought to be, but of what is. He does not say that it is the duty of one member of the human body to care for another member, but that it does thus care. Such is the law of our na- ture. The want of this sympathy in any part with all the rest, would prove that it was a mere excrescence which did not par- take of the common life. The same is true with regard to the body of Christ. It is not merely the duty of one Christian to have sympathy with another, to suffer when he suffers, and to rejoice when he is honoured ; but such is the nature of their relation that it must be so. The want of this sympathy with our fellow Christians, no matter by what name they may be called, is proof that we do not belong to the body of Christ. In this, as in all other respects. Christians are imperfect. The time has not yet come Avhen every believer shall have the same care for another that he has for himself, and rejoice in his joy and grieve in his sorrow as though they were his own. The ideal is here set before us, and blessed are those who ap- proach nearest to the standard.
28. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of heahngs, helps, gov^n- ments, diversities of tongues.
In Eph. 4, 11, Paul says, "God gave some apostles, some prophets," &c. He began here to use the same form, ' God hath set soine in the church,' but varies the construction, and says. First, apostles. This verse is an amplification of the pre- ceding one. In V. 27 he said the church is analogous to the human body. He here shows that the analogy consists in the common life of the church, or the indwelling Spirit of God, manifestmg itself in a diversity of gifts and offices, just as the common life of the body manifests itself in different organs