which Christianity renders possible and natural. By revealing God as love, by brincrincr that love home to the heart in the incarnation and the sacrifice of the Son of God~ Christianity makes a claim upon human love. The manifestation of affectionate interest and benevolence in a way so remarkable, so unique, is sufficient to account for a new relationship, and for new emotions corresponding therewith. 3. It is a condition capable of universal fulfilment. "If any man love God." There are many whose natural powers of body m.J of mind are very limited. But there is none who Las not the capacity for love. There may be a moral unpreparedness, but this may be overcome. The Gentile .as well as the Jew, the illiterate as well as the learned, are capable of loving the Authol' ,of salvation. 11. THE .CHARACTER OF THIS INTIMACY. Love is represented as leading to, as involving, knowledge. 1. On the side of God himself. This is the explicit statement of the text : "The same," i.e. the man who loves, "is known by him," i.e. by God. Knowledge is, in Scripture, according to a Hebrew idiom, often used as equivalent to favour; even as we say we know a person intimately, meaning in the knowledge of friendship. Of course, the Omniscient knows all his creatures; but he has a friendly, fatherly, affectionate, intimate knowledge of those who love him. He reads the language of their hearts. "'!'he Lord knoweth them that are his." He knows them to wat-:h over and keep, to guide and govern, to strengthen and to save them. 2. On the side ,of man. This is the implicit stateme11t of the text; for he who in the sense affirmed is known by God also knows God. How true it is that he who loves God knows him too! There are many respects in which we cannot know our earthly, human associates, unless we are drawn to them by the cords of love. Love opens the doors of knowledge. It creates that sympathy which gives intensity to the intuitive gaze of the soul. Thus it is that, whilst many learned and philosophic minds arc ignorant of the Deity, there are to be found, among the lowly, the ignorant, and the feeble, those who, with hearts quickened and softened with grateful love, live in a hallowed iutimacy with him who is the Father of their spirits and the God of their salvation.-T. Vers. 5, 6.-The unity of God. The Apostle Paul had been trained in the monotheis1:1 which bad from tho first been the belief of the Hebrew race, and from which they hacl .not for centuries previous to his time ever swerved. Ilut as a preacher of Christianity, a religion which aspired to world-wide empire, be was constantly brought, especially as the apostle of the Gentiles, iuto contact with the worshippers of idols, both philosophic and popular. And he was often called to be the counsellor of those - who, although called out of heathenism, still lived in a heathen atmosphere and wern e11tangled iu consequence in not a few practical difficulties. In discussing for the benefit of these Corinthian questions of conduct arising out of their necessary association with those who practised heathen customs, Paul took his stand boldly and uncom- promisingly upon the great religious doctrine of the unity of God. I. TIJE UNITY OF GOD IS CONTRASTED WITH POLYTHEISTIC DELIF.F AND WORSHIP. 1. 1'he deities of the heathen are called gods. They are called, but they arc not; it is .a delusion. "Au idol is nothing in the world." The grand denunciation of the Hebrew psalm occurs to the mind: "Eyes have they, but they see not," etc. 2. 'l'hcse deities are deemed "gods" and "lords." 'l'hey were and still are, in hcatbe11 lands, deemed superhuman, supernatural, and arc invested by the imagination with some claims to the homage,. reverence, and service of intelligent me □. 3. 'l'hcy arc i11 number many, every river and grove having its deity. It is well known that the heathen hail evcu their household gods, e.g. the Romans their lares et pe1wtes. 4. They have their several localities and ranks and realms of dominion. '!'hey arc "in heaven," as tho superior Olympian deities; or "on earth," as those inferior nttmina which haunt this lower world, nymphs and fauns and dryads, etc. Such was the system which ·Christianity found, with which Christianity came into conflict. II. TnE UNITY OF GoD FURNISHES A CENTRE AND AN AIM FOR TllE NEW RELIGIOUS LIFE OF MEN. 1. In himself ho is "the one God, the Father." In itself this was a glurious revelation; and in Jesus Christ provision was made for its wide promul~ation and acceptance. 2. He is the Creator and Upholder of all; "Of whom are all things." 3. And especially he is the great Object of our faith, love, and devotion. W c arc" for, • , . unto him." It is at this point that the great revclatiou of the new theology becomes 272 THE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'O 'l'l:IE COHlNTIIIANS. [cH. vm. 1-13.
the great motive of the new religion. Polytheism distracted the minds of tho- worshippcrs, and made it impossible that faith in God should become the inspiration of a new and better life; for it was a qncstion-\Vhat measure of reverence and of service shall be offered to this deity, and what to that? But Christianity revealed one God in whom arc all perfections, and who is not only the Creator but the moral Governo1~ and Saviom of mankind. They who live to serve this God have an elevatina0 purifying, powerful aim in the conduct of their life. '
Ill. 'l'HE UNITY OF GOD FURNISHES 'l'HE NODLEST MOTIVE TO THE NEW RELIGIOUS J.IFE. l. The one God is made known by the one Lord Jesus Christ. It is a mis- understanding of the Scripture doctrine to conceive of this view of the Redeemer as. conflicting with the monotheism which is the glory of the Bible revelation. '!'he ono Lord reveals the one God, as the \Vord reveals the Utterer, as the Son reveals tho- Father. 2. Christ is the universal Mediator, "by whom are all things." 'l'his is the doctrine of John as well as of Paul. And we may well understand the moral as we![. as the physical creation to be included. For all the biessinas 0 which the Father destines fer huµ1anity be has resolved to co:.fer by Jesus Christ. 3. We as Christians are what we are "through him." As in the former clause we recoanized the areat aim, so here we recognize the great mean.~ and motive of the ',new, the distinctively Christian life. The Divine nature and mediation of Immanuel, so far from obscuring our belief in the unity of God, is the best and strongest and most effectual support of. that doctrine. Even as Jesus himself said, "He that bath seen me hath seen the Father;" and "No man cometh unto the Father but by me."-'l'.