The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 219

the ~ord "inherit" is taken from Israel's long journey through the deserts to the promised land, which was a country to be" inherited." Under careful limitations, the fignre may be carried over into Christianity, and the Christian may be spoken of as "seeking a citv which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." We are "heirs of saln;'tion," which is "ready to be revealed in the last time." John Bunyan makes his pilgrim talk persuasively to Pliable, and say, "There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, aud ev~rlasting life to be given us, that we may inhabit that kingdom for ever,'' etc, For grac10us moral purposes, for the furtherance of his sanctifyin" work, God wouid haYe us think of the privileges of salvation as both realized now and to be realized more fully by-and-by. This St. Peter states with the utmust plainness in his- Epistle (1 Pet. i. 3-6). A present keeping and a present joy are directly associated with the " li,ely hope" of an "inheritance incorruptible undefiled and fadinj!' not. away." Consider, then- ' ' I. THE POWER OF A PROMISED FUTURE. That is, its bearing on the Christian (1) spirit, (2) character, (3) opi?ions, (4) conduct. Hope is one of man's most important rnoral forces; strong accordmg to the reasonable grounds upon which it rests. A man is never lost until he has lost hope. A man can rise up out of the uttermost disability nnd distress so long as he can imagine a brighter future, and fix his hope on it. Explain the relation in which "faith" stands to "hope," so that it may give us a sense of the present j){)SSeS$ion of that we hope for. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for,. the evidence of thing3 not seen." Also show the influence of hope as: 1. Producing a. restful feeling, a contentment with present circumstances. Illustrate from St. Paul, who could say, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content," but, only because he could also say, "There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." 2.. An inspiration to patient and earnest endeavour. Thousands are kept at work by the hope of success. The value and strength of the inspiration depend greatly on the- character of the hope. Bow great, then, must be the inspiration of the Christian hope! and how practically purifying, seeing it is the hope of perfect and everlasting righteousness! "We-shall be like him; for we shall-see him as he is." II. THE INFLUENCE OF A SENSE OF RIGH'l~ TO THE PROMISED FUTURE. That right we have; but it !Snot of merit or of mere birth, it is wholly by grace, and belongs to our new birth through the Spirit. Still, we have a distinct sense of rig/it; and that we- ought to keep and to cherish, recognizing that varying moods of feeling, or conditions of frame, can in no way affect our standing and our rights. "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself;" "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Illustrate by the influence of the sense of right and possession which the husband and wife have in each other. Also by the spirit of noblesse oblige, which gives tone and character to all the sayings and doings. of the young heir. Also by the claim to nobility which the Roman felt was laid on him by his Roman rights, in whatever country he might reside. If we have a right of herita"e in God's everlastin" and holy kin,,dom, 0 we are under a constant impulsion to "walk worthy of our vocati~n."-R. T. Ver. ll.-Recalling grace received. We should be always prepared to make direct personal applications of Holy Scripture; and the skill of applying general principles to particular cases is one of the proper results of Christian culturu and experience. This, however, often involve~ accommodation and modification. Principles which Scripture illustrates in particular instances need adaptation when referred to new and different cases; and we should clearly apprehend that Scripture does not propose to provido mere examples for a bare imitation, but rather principles which are so truly human that they may be applied to the varying conditions and circumstances of every age and clime, so that the sacred \Vord has really been 1\ritten "for our sakes, on whom the ends of the world are come." At first sight, the passage now before us does not seem suited to us. 'l'hc list of sins here given is not ours; it is essentially pagan. We do not even knovr what some of these words stand for; and to say to us, "Such were some of you," rouses a feeling of indignation and opposition. Yet if we can reach beyond the mHe terms to the spirit and p1-iliciple of the apostle's appeal, we shall find it bea.rP its metisage also to us. St. Paul 1s rcHlly dealing with what is consistent for a. Christian; and he puts it in this way, "What is in true harmony wilh one who is washed, sanct;- .en. v1. 1-20.] TlIE FIHST EPI:STLB 'i'O THE CORlNTHIA~S. 221