-.ikcrdent to this. To gl,,rify God should be the lire-object of the redeemed, And: ::. Erected .foi· the welfare of men. The temple of old was for God and also for man, The Church has a great mission to the world. There is no conflict between the twQ , ,l,jects. As the Church seeKs to save the lost, she is most truly seeking to brin"' gl,1ry to Go<l.. Her worship is likely to be a mockery unless her work is faithfully per~ Iormed. 4. Set apart for God. The Church should be separate, holy, peculiarly God's. "A peculiar people-a people for God's own possession" (1 Pet. ii. 9); "Ye are not ~·our own." 5. .AnobJectofbeauty. The beauty of holiness should clothe the Church. The world's adruirntion has often been commanded, in early days and since. And better ~till, God bas approved. 6. Of great variety in its parts. Vast diversity in gift and condition, but one spiritual building. In the Christian Church there cannot, perhaps, be too much variety as there certainly cannot be too much oneness. 7. The dwelling- place of God. Not only for God, but God's dwelling-place. This was the glory of the Jewish temple-the Shechinah-the Divine presence. 'l'he Church's joy and glory are that "God is in the midst of her." He dwells not now in temples made with hands, though he docs dwell in the temples made by the Divine hands. The ancient temple was unmeaning and useless without the presence of Jehovah. So is the Christian Church : "Ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. ii. 22). 8. From it true worship should arise. Sanctuary worship, home worship, business worship, recreation worship, worship throughout all the life of those wh.:, constitute the temple. 9. In it should ever be the great sacrifice. Not the sacrifice of the Mass, but " Christ crucified " manifestly set forth. The temple of old would have been offensive to God without sacrifice, so we cannot be acceptable to him without the atonement. When the Church loses the cross she loses God. In every Christian com- munity there must be a Calvary. And the true Jerusalem has not its Calvary" without the gate;" Christ crucified is central, chief, ;sedominant. II. PUNISHMENT FOR INJURY. Aaronic priests who violated the ancient temple were doomed to death; injurers of the Church of Christ will meet a terrible fate. In ver. l'i the Greek verb, which means" to bring into a worse state," is repeated; what we do to the Church, God will do to us-if we injure it, he will injure us. At Corinth the dividers of the Church were likely to become destroyers, and so God will "destroy." 'l'bese are far more serious offenders than those named in Vtlrs. 12 and 15. God is jealous over bis temple, and men may not do evil to it with impunity. Those who sin against it sin directly against him. Note: We may injure the temple of God in many ways. For example, by (1) false doctrine; (2) unchristian spirit; (3) personal unholiness; (4) conniving at unholiness in others; (5) failing to do our part; (6) failing to take our place in the Church. III. How CAREFUL WE SHOULD DE m ALL THAT CONCERNS THIS TEMPLE. In Church life and Church work. How serious are these! in them there is no room for trifling. Alas! how many are living in the Church, and even labouring in it, who seem to feel little or no responsibility! Let us realize what this Church is, and then assuredly with more care than the Aaronic priests shall we comport ourselves. To avoid offence and injury and failure, we shall need the wisdom that cometh down from above (vcrs. 18-20).-H.
Vers. 21-23.-The 'believer'sposse.~sions. I. WHAT THESE ARE. 1. Ministers. Tbe Corinthians had made a strange mistake ; they had been regarding ministers as masters, and cl1oosing which foey preferred to serve. In a singular loss of dignity (singular because many of them were not a little afflicted with pride) they had become ambitious of belonging to ministers, forgetting that ministers, as such, belonged to them. Ministers are the servants of the Church, and thus among the believer's possessions ; instead of quarrelling over them, be should use and enjoy them. God has greatly enriched his people by sending to them many able and faithful ministers. Whilst these should be highly esteemed for their work's sake, their true relation to the Church should never be lost sight of. They ~hould bear it in mind, and thus check any tendencies towards lordsbip. 2. The world. It is generally thought that the world belongs to tlic Wicked One and his children, seeing that it appears to bo largely in their bands. This is a popular blunder. The world was made and is lcept for the people of Go~. Unbelievers have no right to the things which they grnsp. '!'he ung<)dly hold their CII. m. 1-23.] 'l'HE FIHS'f EPISTLE 'l'O 'l'I-IE COIUN'l'HIA~S. 115