10, speaks of himself as having laid the foundation, and not as being part of it; and that it is derogatory to Christ to associate him with the apostles on terms of such apparent equality, he being one part and they another of the foundation. On the other hand, how- ever, it may be said, that there is a true and obvious sense in which the apostles are the foundation of the church ; secondly, they are expressly so called in Serip- ture—as in Rey. 21, 14, besides the disputed passage, Matt. 16,18; and thirdly, the figure here demands this interpretation. In this particular passage Christ is the corner stone, the apostles the foundation, believers the edifice. The corner stone is distinguished from the foundation. ΤῸ express the idea that the church rests on Christ, he is sometimes called the foundation and sometimes the corner stone of the building ; but where he is called the one, he is not represented as the other. This representation no more implies the equality of Christ and the apostles, than believers being represented as constituting with him one building, implies their equality with him.
As the corner stone of a building is that which unites and sustains two walls, many suppose that the union and common dependence on Christ of the Jews and Gentiles, are intended in the application of this term to the Redeemer. But as the same figure is used where no such reference can be assumed, it is more natural to understand the apostle as expressing the gen- eral idea that the whole church rests on Christ. This Isaiah predicted should be the case, when he represents