The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 81

could weigh the evidences of science and thread the mazes of speculative thought. The poet knew what the" fine frenzy" of imagination meant, an<l could portray in glowing speech the changeful phases of human passion and life. The sculptor and painter had souls alive to the beauty of form and colour, and conversant with the canons of msthetic taste. And no doubt there wore among them men of tender feeling and noble character- benevolent citizens; honourable merchauts; faithful, loving fathers, husbands, brothers, friends. And yet how utterly in the dark were they as to the real nature and characte~ of the Deity, and the way of access to him; as to how their being might be redeemed from the power of evil; and how they might solve the mystery and soothe the sadness of death and of the tomb! '!'here had been among them many "A grey spirit yeo.rning with desire To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bounds of human thought.'" But they could not gain the most distant glimpse of this higher knowledge. It was as a star that had not risen upon them and of the beauty of whose light they could not dream. Indeed, the shadow of their ignorance had settled down so deeply upon them that they had lost the hope of ever seeing the light. They could not recognize it when it came. Paul's preaching was "foolishness" to them. He was but one of the tribe of " babblers," a " setter forth of strange gods." His voice was like that of "one tbat crieth in the wilderness." It awakened for the most part no responsive echo, but died away upon the empty air. The powers of the natural man are as ineffectual for any saving purpose 110w as ever they were; as incapable of receiving the deep things of God as they were of discovering them. To be assured of this, we have only to remember to how large an extent the intellect of the age goes darkly and wildly astray from Christ; how men of scientific genius, dealing with the phenomena and laws of the universe, fail .often to find in them anything Divine; and how many there are whose very natural 'Virtues condemn them because they refuse to exercise on the heavenward side of their being affections that .give so much charm to their lower earthly life. All this tells us that men must be inspired by a Power higher than any that is latent in their own nature before they can rise to the apprehension of Divine things and to the beauty and dignity of the life of God. II. THESE THINGS ARE REVEALED TO us BY THE SPIRIT OF GoD. The Spirit is plainly 1,poken of here as a personal Being, entering into personal contact and converse with the human soul, imparting to it a faculty of spiritual apprehension which it would not otherwise possess. Note: 1. The Spirit who inspired the apostles to deliver their gospel message prepared men rightly to receive and interpret it. It was the same power in both (John xv. 26, 27; xvi. 13; vers. 4-8; 1 John ii. 20-27). 2. This interpre- tive faculty i,s far less a matter of mental penetration than of spiritual sympathy. This is seen in the contrast instituted between the "spirit of the world" and the "spirit that is of God." 'l'he spirit of the world is ever a captious, sophistical spirit, distrustful, carnal, vain, self-willed. The spirit that is of God is simple, lowly, loving, trustful, submissive, childlike. Coming from God, it is in true affinity with the mind of God, and with that Word which is tbe reflex of the thought and of the heart of God. When, in answer to the wondering question of the Jews, "How knoweth this man letters," etc.? (John vii.15), Jesus answered," My teaching is not mine," etc., he placed himself on a level which they also might occupy. Let them emulate bis loving loyalty to the •will of the Father, and they also shall "know." We must have something of the spirit of the well-beloved Son in us if we would rightly apprehend " the things that are freely given to us of God."-W. Ver. 15.-The judging faculty. "He that is spiritual" is he in whom the Spirit of God dwells, pervading his spirit with a light and quickening it to a life above that of nature. 'l'his higher spirit-life has many marks of distinction. It is one of these to which the apostle here gives prominence. 'l'wo things are affirmed of the spiritual man-(1) His power to fudge; (2) his freedom from being judged. I. His POWER TO JUDGE. The attitude of mind suggested is an inquiring, critical, testing nttitude-an attitude in which it holds its faith in abeyance until perfectly con- vinced that that which claims it is divinely true, "proving nll things" that it may I. CORINTHIANS. G  THE FIHST EPISTLE TO THE COIUN'l'IIIANS. [cu. u. 1--11~.