discernment can protect him against woeful blundern. A hard worker he mny be, n Bincero and enthusinstic worker, but l,c must lmvc Divine insight, nncl show himself" a worknmn that nee<leth not to b~ ashamed," and the work must be true and acceptabh, work, or his labour will inevitably perish. St. Jn.mes is often referred to as the sup- porter and defender of the doctrine of work. From his point of view Christianity was the final outgrowth of Judaism, its cnlminntion and crown, and, quite in accord with J1is instincts, he presents the work side of religion with a very vigorous emphasis. St. Paul, however, confines himself in the text to the kind of work, and puts forth his ~trength on a single line of thought. What is uppermost in his mind is the absolute need of spiritual insight. 'fbe practical man is in the eye of St. James, and he writes of" religion pure and undefiled" as its spectator and analyst among the actualities of the world. Crosar, in the' Commenta1ies,' is not more terse and compact, nor does he ,observe more rigidly the requirements of intensiveness as a mental law than St. James in his great monograph. Be it noticed, however, that St. Paul is viewing this matter as a branch or offshoot of a topic engrossing at the time his sympathies, and, conse- <!Uently, he limits himself to the difference between work which shall be found worthy of reward and work undeserving of recompense. 'l'wo cases are before him-in the one the man is saved and his work rewarded; in the other, the man is saved and bi~ work disallowed and destroyed. The latter suffers loss, but not the loss of his soul, and, though the ordeal be severe, the man is" saved, yet so as by fire." Now, tlii~ view of work, truthful in itself, was specially suited to these noisy, impulsive, errat,ic Corinthians. And may we not reasonably conjecture that he had the products of par- tisanship in his eye while writing of the fiery test? Looking at the world's history, we can scarcely fail to see that the fruits of factions are tbe most perishable things in dvilization, and, in Church history, the fact is still more obvious. But the apostle has something further to say.-L.
Vers. 16-23.-Believers as the temple of God. Previously St. Paul had said, "Ye are God's building;" and now he adds, " Ye are the temple of God." Along with this comes the idea of sanctity: "The.temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." If, then, these Corinthians were the temple of God, and if the Spirit of God dwelt in them, no stronger motive could, bear upon them than the need of holiness; and this holiness is a personal matter. "If any man "-whoever he be and whatever his gifts-" if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." Tbe man's duties to the Church are duties to the Spirit of God in the Cburch ; and the purity of principle and affection, purity of motive and aim, purity of life, which he is bound to maint:1in,-in brief, his spiritual character, grows out of his relation to the Holy Ghost. "Know ye not" this fact-that the Church is much more than II society for mutual helpfulness, much more than a human institution, and most truly human when most Divine? To violate this relation in such a way as to " defile the temple of God " is to incur a fearful punish- !Ilent: "Him shall God destroy." Hitherto in the argument no such language had been used. Did the thought of the gross sin-the son taking the father's wife-cross his mind at tho instant, and leave its darkness in his memory? Whether so or not, St; Paul knew of moral corruption in the Church as well as religious defection, and he reminded the Corinthians of their peril. Observe the cbange; a man's work, if rejected, shall be burned, but he shall be" saved, yet so as by fire." Amid the d,rn_ger, God will rescue him. But if a "man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." And now the exhortation_: "Let no man deceive liimself." And wherein lies the danger of deception? It is in the" wisdom of this world." Intellect exposes us to dangers because it is the great organ of receptivity, by means of which the outer world finds unceasing access to our souls. Through the open avenues of tbe senses, myriad influences gain an entrance within and distribute themselves over every portion of our nature. Very many of them are unchallenged. Few men criticize their senses and hold them accountable for truth and fidelity in their momentous functions. What habits coruo from this facile power of sensuousness over the mind, we all understand, alas! too well. The nature.I man (animal man) has the world of sensation on his side. Instead of the body growing more and more into harmony with spirit and participating in its elevation, the opposite morn commonly occurs, so that men become in large measure the creatures of the senses. 104 'l'TIE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'l) THE COUINTHIANS. [en. m. 1-23'-