Vers. 10-17.-Divisions in the Church condemned. The formative idea of the- chapter is now brought into full view, viz. " There are contentions among you," and it- is prefaced by the sta~ement of a principle, to which St. Paul earnestly directs the attention of the Corinthians, viz. "that they be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment," or " perfected together," the stress being laid, as before, on their corporate or organic character as a Church. 'l.'hese warring divisions were not matters merely or chiefly personal, but they involved the very heart and soul of the-a Christian community. No doubt their partisanship in the supposed interest of Paul, Apollos, and Peter, ay, of Christ himself, was very hurtful to them as individuals. But the point he urges is that their partisanship was a disjunction of their unity, and hence that this unity, which was designed to grow into perfection, was arrested by strife. And just here St. Paul strikes the great fact that men of. the outside world judge of Ctiristianity much more by the Church in its totality than by instances of individual character in the Church. History is full of exemplifications of this truth, from the times of Julian and CeL5us to the age of Voltaire and Rousseau. Nor should this surprise us; for evidently there is a philosophy in it, however much the philosophy is abused by the wit and devices of men. Individuals are "members one of another," members of the body; but the body is the Church, and the organic life of the Church is the Divine witoess to the glory of Christ made visible through the Church to the world. How quickly the apostle rise, into fervid utterance, and how compact hi~ words! "Is. Christ divided? was Paul crncified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?,,. H his services to the Corinthian Church are to be perverted in this way, St. Paul can only thank God that he baptized but a few of them. At the moment, St. Paul hastens to assert his own high manhood by an utter refusal to be made an object of partisan- ship, and be does this in the o □ ly method possible to his argument, by confessing his- obligations to Christ who had sent liim "to preach the gospel."-L.
Vers. 18-31.-How St. Paul regarded the preaching of the gospel. By an easy movement he advances to the gospel, to the mode of preaching it as essential to its cm. r. 1-31.J THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 17
])ivine success, and thus reaches the climax of his reasoning in the first chapter. Other functions of his apostleship will come hereafter into view-tbe resolute disciplin- arian, the firm administrator, the tender but unyielding executive of the Head of the Chmch. At present, however, one thing absorbs him, namely, the Divine institution of preaching. What is his foremost relation to these Corinthians? It is that of a preacher of Christ's gospel. And how had he preached it? "Not with wisdom of words "-not as a speculative thinker, not as a Greek rhetorician, not in the spirit of worldly eloquence-" lest the cross of Vhrist should be made of none effect." Two things are prominently set forth-the gospel and its manner of presentation; and Christ is in each of them, and in each of them alike, so that not only the substance of the gospel, but the mode of its exhibition, must conform to bis sovereignty as the Hearl of the Church. All preaching of the gospel is not gospel preaching. Looking al the character in the light St. Paul viewed it, the preacher was an original creation of Christ, a new force ordained and anointed of him, and introduced by him for the proclamation of the gospel. It dated no further back than Pentecost; it was of universal adaptation; it was to command all languages, and speak to the simplest instincts, not- of men, but of nian as man; and this original creation, this new force, was to continue through all time, and never surrender its rights and prerogatives to any successor. And the spirit and manner of fulfilling this grand office were thorouqhly unworldly, so much so, indeed, that, it would strike the Greek as "foolishness," and prove to the Jew "a stumbling-block." But in contrast with the Greek and his search after wisdom, and with the Jew in his love of national signs as the elect race of Jehovah, Christ was preached as "the power of God and the wisdom of God." The word " power " is not used except in connection with the preaching of "Christ crucified," and its value in the argument is assured by its specialty of application. All the aid of contrast arnl comparison is given to this one word. Power, God's power, is the designation of preaching Christ crucified, Over against it are put "not many wise men after tb2 flesh, not many mighty, not many noble," and the array of dissimilarity is lengthened out by" foolish things," "weak things," "base things," and "things despised." l\nt what bearing has this condensed energy of a single idea and its rapid accumulation of phraseological forms on the partisanship of these Corinthians 1 Has not the apostle wandered from the main idea of the chapter-the "contentions among you"? Nay, this very partisanship is the exact opposite of Paul, Peter, Apollos, in preaching the gospel, and they can never consent to this abuse of their position. Nay, further, it is in downright antagonism to" Christ crucified." There is no "power" in it, no" wisdom." It is the idolatry of the senses. It is the intellect of the senses repeating the folly of Greek and Jew in another but equally fatal shape. It is mere seeking to find them- selves and their glory in man. Directly opposite to this, St. Paul argues, we preach " Obrist crucified," so that " no flesh should glory in his presence." .A great lesson it is in the true spirituality of Christianity as the only strength and safeguard of the Church. If Christ is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sancti6cation, and redemption;" if Christ become "the power of God" to our hearts in this fourfold form of the "riches of grace;" the root of all worldliness is destroyed, partisanship is at an end, because self-seeking is ended, and henceforth that Scripture has a very real import to us, "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." A man may admire ?thers for their own sakes, and this admiration may be very helpful. To admire others oecause our image is projected upon them can ouly augment our own weakness. Our praise in such cases is but the echo of our self-admiration, and echoes are dying souuds.-L.