Ver. 9.-Man an obfect of angelic observation. "For I think that God bath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men." The margin reads " theatre" for "spectacle," from the Greek word 6,11:rpov. 'l'he reference, in all probability, is to the ancient amphi- theatre, whose arena was surrounded by circular seats, capable of accommodating thousands of spectators. In this arena trained athletes struggled for prizes in the ancient games; on such an arena Paul speaks of himself and fellow-labourers as stru~- gling, the objects not only of human but of angelic spectators. The world is indeed a moral theatre, every man an actor, and disembodied spirits look on as spectators. "We are eucompassed about.," etc. Angels as spectators are intelligent, interested, numerous, constant. If the eyes of such intelligences are constantly upon us, what are the practical conclu8ions? I. THAT OUR CONDUCT HERE CONCERNS THE UNIVERSE. No man lives unto himself; each unit is a link in beiug's endless chain. His actions must tell banefully or beneficently on the creation ; hence all loving and loyal intelligences direct their attention to him with deep and unabating interest. Besides, men and angels are offsprings of the same Father, participators of the same nature, subjects of the san,e moral government. No wonder they are so concerued. II. 'l'HAT OUR PART SHOULD BE CAREFULLY PLAYED. How doubly careful are our actors on the stage, in the presence of spectators distinguished for the highest genius, erudition, and artistic culture! It behoves every man to be cautions how he acts in the presence of his fellow-creatures, whether they are children or adults, plebeians or princes; but how much more cautions should he be when he knows that angels, whoso pure natures loathe sin in all its forms, have their keenest gaze fastened ever on his life. III. THAT THERE IS NO CHANCE OF CO:::<'CEALI:S-G OUR BIN. The attempt to cloak or dissemble our sins is absurdly futile. ,vhilst there is One who reads the heart, there may be millions who mark all our overt acts, whether wrought in darknesJ or in li.~ht. IV. THAT WE MAY EXPECT HELP IN ALL HOLY ENDEAVOURS. Those celestial spirits are sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. They have received a lJi,·i:1e- commission to bear us up, lest we uash our feet against a stone. In all ages they have rendered assistance to the good, They hel;·ed Abraham on the plains of Manue, and Lot in his flight towards Zoar; they freed the apostle from the prison; they bore the spirit of Lazarus to the bosom of Abraham. CONCLUSION, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which <loth so easily beset us" (Heb. xii. 1). Vers. 10-14.-Paul's treatment of self-conceited teachers. "We are fools foi· Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye arc strong; ye are houourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, aml thirst., and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless ; being persecuted, we· suffer it; being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you." Paul is still thinking of those teachers of the- Corinthian Church who were" puffed up," inflated with conceit. He treats them lll'l·c with- I. AN IRONIC APPEAL. "We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but yti are strong ; ye are honourable, but we are despised;" or, "ye have glory, but we have dishonour." "We are fools," we know nothing," but ye aro wise," you know everything; " we are weak," timid, and feeble, "but ye are strong" and fearless. "Ye are honourable," you have "glory," you arc thought a deal of, you are extolled, but" we are despised," the "offsconriug of all things." All this is sarcasm again, well deserved, and well directed. How would our little penny-a-liners feel if such a man as Thomas Carlyle were to stand before them and speak in this. 1 'O THE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'O Tim CORINTHIAKS. [err. 1v. 1-21.
"'~.,-? If tl1ey had any sense rem~ining, they ,,..ould quiver into nothinp;ness. How 11,11ch more woul,1 those small pretentious teachers in the Corinthian Ci1urch feel this stroke of satire dealt out to them by the gr~at apostle to the Gentiles! II. A rEHSONAL HISTORY. Here he refers to his privations: " Even unto this ]ircsent hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and aro buffeted, and have no certain d"·elling-place "-without nourishment, without clothing, without the shelter of a home. Here he refers to his labour.~: " And labour, workin,g with our own hands." lfrre he refers to his persecutions: "We are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things." Then he refers to the spirit in which he endured the sufferings: "Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat." Now, why did he state all this? Not for the sake of parading his great trials and toils, but for the sake of bringing these proud teachers to their senses. 'l'hey could not fail to acknowledge tbat he was an apostle-a pre-eminent mi11ister of -{;hrist; notwithstanding this, in the world he was treated with cruelty and contempt, ]1 c was poor and despised. \Vhat, then, had they to be proud of as ministera? Co~f'r.usrnx. From this subject it is natural to ask-Who in the preseat a"e e11ga, ed ia the Christian ministry are most likely to be of apostolic successiot 1 Those who are "full," and "rich," and royal, and "wise," and "strong," who pride themselves in all these things; whom the people favour and flatter? or those who, like the Apostle Paul, in the discharge of their ministry, endure privations, persecutions, aud all in the magnanimcus spirit of self-abnegation a:tid generous forgiveness of enemies? Call no man a successor of the apostle who has not the apostolic character. 'l'o call a rnan a successor of the apostle who bas not the apostolic character-manfully noble, {~bristly loyal, and withal self-sacrificing-is a mischievous imposture.