THE DANGER OF DEFILING GOD's TEMPLE.
1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God divellefh in you ? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, tvhich temple ye are.
EVERY passion of the human mind should be called forth in aid of vital godliness. The saints indeed
1947.1 DANGER OF DEFILING god's TEMPLE, 117
are more influenced by considerations that excite their love and gratitude : but they still need to be sometimes impressed with truths that may awaken a holy fear and jealousy, especially when their conduct has been such as to deserve reproof. The Corin- thians were in a high degree culpable on account of their contentions : the Apostle therefore warns them of the consequences of acting in a manner so unwor- thy of their profession.
In discoursing on his words, we shall consider, I. The acknowledged privilege of Christians —
Christians, like the temple of old, are the habita- tion of God —
[The temple was the place where God dwelt in a more especial manner. Not only was the visible symbol of his pre- sence there, but there also he manifested himself to his people in tokens of his love and communications of his grace. Thus does he also now reveal himself in his church'' : yea, every individual believer is thus consecrated to his service, and honoured as his immediate residence**.]
Nor is this a doubtful, but a clear acknowledged, privilege —
[Ignorant people may doubt " whether there be any Holy Ghosf^:" but true Christians know him, and know them- selves to be his habitation. St. Paul frequently appealed to the Corinthians respecting this, not imagining that any one of them could entertain a doubt of if. They must have often read of
it in the Jewish scriptures^ Often too must they have
heard it from him : nor could they fail of knowing it from their own experience. If for an instant they reflected on the light, the strength, the consolations with which they had been favoured, they could not but ascribe them to the agency of
God's Spirit and consequently they must be conscious
of his dwelling in them as in his temple. Believers at this day have certainly not less grounds for drawing the same inference with respect to themselves: for they also are " a spiritual house ^;" and therefore they may, and should, know, that they are in the actual enjoyment of this privilege.]
But as this privilege is attended both with duties and dangers, let us consider,
a Eph. ii, 20 — 22. '^ 2 Cor. vi. 16. <= Acts xix. 2.
^ Compare with the text, 1 Cor. vi. 19. and 2 Cor. xiii. 5,
« Neh. ix. 20. Isai. Ixvi. 1, 2, ^ 1 Pet. ii. A, 5.