The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 393

•between the two words is not so clearly ing dctaila, has always occurred in tl.to marked, but" wisdom" seems to belong more religious movements which stir the hurt111u to the human spirit., and "knowledge" to the soul to its utmost depths. The attempts .intellect. '£he " discourse of wisdom" to explain the word " tongues" ns menniug would be that which sets forth the truth of "foreign languages," or "the primeval lan- the gospel persuasively to work conversion guage," or"poetic and unusual phraseoloi::y," (eh. ii. 6, 7); the" discourse of knowledge" etc., are baseless and exploded. 1'he notion would be that which enters iuto the specula- that by this gift the early Christians knew tive and theoretical elaboration ofsvstcm,1tic languages which they had never acquired, theology. The first might find its illustra- is not only opposed to the entire analogy of tion in the 'Imitatio Christi;' the second in God's dealings, but to every allusion in the the ' Summa 'l'heologire.' New 'festument (except a prima facie but Ver. 9.-To another. Various attempts untenable view of the meaning of Acts ii. 4) have been made to classify the gifts thus and to every tradition and statement of early enumerated, as: l. Intellectual. (1) The Christian history. The apostles (so far as word of wisdom; (2) the word of know- we have any record of their missionary work ledge. 2. Pertaining to exalted faith (fides in the New Testament) bad not the slightest miraculosa). (1) Healings; (2) miracles; need to acquire foreign languages. Since (3) preaching; (4) discrimination of spirits. Palestine was at this epoch bilingual, they 3. (1) Tongues; and (2) their interpre• could all speak Aramaic and Greek, and tation. These attempts are not very suc- therefore could address Jews and Gentiles cessful. St. Paul probably uses the phrases throughout the civilized world. Every single " to one " and " to another" (&>-Af/J lie . . . allusion which St. Paul makes to this h•P't' lie) merely for vuriety of style (as in subject excludes the possibility of the Heb. xi. 35, ::16), with no very definite supposition of a miracle so utterly useless classification in view, as he does not mention and meaningless, so subversive of every all the charisms (see ver. 28). Faith. Faith psychological considerntion, and so alien in its highest energy, as a supernatural from the analogy of all God's methocls, as power; the faith that remo,es mountuins the talking in unacquired foreign languages (lliatt. xvii. 19, 20). The gifts of healing. by persons who did not understand them. Not, that is, by medical 1.-nowledge, but by The interpretation of tongues. Sometimes, supernatural power (Mruk xvi. 18; Acts v. but not al ways ( eh. xiv. 13), the speaker, ou 15, 16; Jas. v. 14, 15). relapsing from his ecstasy, was able to Ver. 10.-The working of miracles; express his outburst of unintelligiblti soli- literally,active efficacy of powers; such as "the loquy in the form of reasoned thought. When signs of an apostle," to which St. Paul him- he was unable to do so, St. Paul ordains self appealed in 2 Car. xii. 12, which included that another should convey in ordinary "wonders and mighty powe1·s" (comp. Rom. language the impressions left by the inspired xv. 18). l'rophecy. Not "prediction,"butele- rhapsody (eh. xiv. 27-29). vated and inspired discourse; the power of Ver. 11.-One and the selfsame Spirit. preaching to edification. Discerning of spirits; The unity of the source from which all tho rather, discernings, or powers to discriminate chal'isms flowed ought to have excluded the between true and false spirits. It was neces- possibility of a boastful comparison of gifts, sary in those dnys of intense enthusiasm and and all depreciation of those gifts which, spiritual uwakenrnent to "test the spirits, because they were less clazzling, were whether they be of God" (1 John iv. 1). deemed inferior. St. Paul afterwarcls shows There were such things as "deceitful spirits" that the less dazzling might be infinitely which spoke "doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. the more valuable for purposes of spiritual iv. l; Rev. ii. 1, 2; see eh. xiv. 29). Divers edification. kinds of tongnes. There is no need for the Vers. 12-31.-The Church compared to word" divers." The particular variety of the a body and its members. ecstatic, and often entirely unintelligible, Vet. 12.-As the boiy is one, e.nd hath utterance known as " lhe tongue " <littered many members. To this favourite image with the individuality or temperament of the St. Paul reverts sevel'B.l times (Rom. xii. speaker. Recent liues of research, by that 4, 5; Eph. iv. 11-16; Col. ii. 19). It is historical mdhod which can alone furnish probable that he was familiar with the correct results, have led to the conclusion that, image from the fable of Menenius Agrippa, whatever may be thought of the "tongues" wholiad used itasa plea for civil unily(Liv., on the day of Pentecost (which is a separate ii. 32). So also is Christ. Christ and the question), t.he "tongue" spoken of (for the Church form one body, of which Christ is most part with relative disparagement) by the Head; one Vine, of which Christi,rns are 8t. Paul as a charism of the Spirit was closely the branches (John xv.); one building, of analogous to that ~vild, rap\ unconscious, which Christians are the living stones. uncontrollable utterm whic ' with rnry- Ver. 13.-By one Spirit; rather, in one •OH. XIL 1-31.] 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 39()