you. St. Paul directly connects this general to save us from fiual doom (Tmtakrima). ill health with the abuse of the Lord's Unworthy ea.ting, then, so fo.r from in- Supper. It is not impossible that the grave volving necessary or fiuo.l "do.mno.tion," is intemperance to which he alludes in ver. 21 mercifully visited by God with temporal may have had its shnre in this result; but chastisement, to help in the saving of our apart irom this, there is an undoubted con- souls. "Blessed is the man whom thou nection between sin and sickness in some, cbastenest, 0 Lord" (Pa. xoiv. 12; Heb. xii. though not, of course, in all cases (John v. 5-12). H). Many. The word is different from the Ver. 33.-Where!ore. He now briefly pre'l'ious word for "many," nnd means o. sums up the practical remedies for these larger number-" not a few," •• a con- discreditable sceues. My brethren. Intro- siderable number." Sleep; i.e. are dying. duced, o.s often, into o. stern passage to show Vers. 31, 32.-For if we would judge our- that the wdter is only actuated by the spirit selves, etc. These ,·erses are very uufortu- of love. Te.rry one for another. This would 'I!ately mistranslated in our Authorized prevent the scrambling greediness which be Version. They should be rendered (literully), has already condemned in ver. 21. For if we discerned ( or, discriminated) our- Ver. 34.-And if any man hunger, let him .selves, we should not be u11dergoing judgrnent ee.t at home. A reminder ot the sacred ·(namely, of physical punishment); but, in character of the agape o.s a symbol of being judged by the Lord (by these temporal Christian love and union. Unto oondemna- sufferings), we are under training, that we tion; rather, judgment. In Greek, the same may not be condemned with the wo,·ul. The word (l,rima) is used which in ver. 29 is so meaning is that •• if we" (St. Paul here unhappily rendered "damnation." But identifies himself with the Corinthians) even " condemnation" is too strong ; for "were iu the habit of self-discernment-and that is equivalent to Teatakrima. The rest; in this self-discrimination is involved a dis- all minor details. It is not improbable that crimination between spiritual o.nd common one of these details was the pro.ctico.l dis- things-we shoulJ. not be undergoing this sociation of the agape from the Lord's sign of God's displeasure; but the fact that Supper o.1 together. Certainly the custom of his judgmeuts are abroad among us is uniting the two seems to have disappeared intended to further our moral education, by the close ot the first century. When I and to save us from being finally condemned come; rather, whenever. 'rhe Greek phrase with the world." Discernment (dialtrisis), (.:is &.v) implies uncertainty. The o.postle's by sanng us from eating unworthily (Ps. plans for visiting Corinth immediately had xxxii. 5; I John i. 9), would have obviated been materially disturbed by the unfa vour- the necessity for penal judgmeuts (krima); o.ble tiilings as to the conditions of the but yet the krima is disciplinary (paideu- Church. ,ometJ.a, we are being traiued as children),
HOl\IILETICS. Vers. 1, 2.-lmitaeil)'II, and commendation. "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the onlinances, as I delivered them to you." In these words we have- I. 'fHE PnINCIPLE ON WHICH THE CIIARACTEllS OF MOST MEN ARE FORMED. "Be ye followers of rue, even as I also am of Christ." Men are imitative beings, and, from a law of thE,ir nature, those whom they most admire and with whom they most associate, they become like in spirit and in chnracter. '!'he request of Paul here, at first sight, seems somewhat arrogant: "Be ye followers of me." No man has a right to make such an unqualified claim on another. Hence Paul puts the limitation, "Even as I also am of Christ." 'l'he apostle undoubtedly refers to the prnceding verses, .n which he speaks of himself as not seelcing his own pleasure or profit, but that of others. This Christ did. ,ve are told that he" pleased not himself." He means to say, "Be like me in this respect, as I in this respect resemble Christ." Here is the principle that should regulate our imita!.ion of men; imitate them just so far as they resemble Christ. Children should not imitate their parents, pupils should not imitate their teachers, coni;:regations should not imitate their ministers, only so far as they resemble Christ. II. A COMMENDATION OF MElll1' WHICII MANY AilE RELUC'l'ANT TO RENDER. "Now J praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you." In some things, if not in all, some of the Corinthian ·Christians pleased Paul, did what he considered right-tha.y romcmbered him, and CH. x1. 1-34.~ THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 367