and unbeliever. It is taken for granted that faith changes the whole character; that it makes a man move in an entirely different sphere, having different feelings, objects, and princi- ples from those of unbelievers ; so that intimate union, com- munion or sympathy between believers and unbelievers is as impossible as fellowship between light and darkness, Christ and Belial. And it must be so. They may indeed have many things in common ; a common country, common kindred, com- mon w orldly avocations, common natural affections, but the interior life is entirely different ; not only incongruous, but essentially opposed the one to the other. To the one, Christ is God, the object of supreme reverence and love ; to the oth- er, he is a mere man. To the one, the great object of Ufe is to promote the glory of Christ and to secure his favour ; to the other, these are objects of indifference. Elements so discord- ant can never be united into a harmonious whole.
16. And wliat agreement liatli the temple of God with idols ? for ye are the temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in (them) ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
In this and the following verses w^e have, 1. The assertion of the incongruity between the temple of God and idols. 2. The reason assigned for presenting this incongruity, ''For ye are the temple of God.' 3. The proof from Scripture that believers are God's temple. 4. The duty which flows from this intimate relation to God ; and 5. The gracious promise made to all those who live in accordance with the relation which they bear to God. What agreement (cn;yKaTa^eo-i9, see Luke 23, 51,) hath the temple of God icith idols f A building consecrated to the true God is no place for idols. Men can- not combine the worship of God and the worship of devils. Idolatry is everywhere in Scripture represented as the great- est insult the creature can offer the Creator ; and the grossest form of that insult is to erect idols in God's own temple. Such w^as the indignity which those Corinthians offered to God, who, while professing to be Christians, joined in the re- ligious services of the heathen. And such, in its measure, is the offence committed when the people of God become associ- ated with the wricked in their inward and outward life. It is