The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 418

between wl!ich it is not ell.i1y to decide. I. the mirror. Darkly; rather, in a riddle. It means, technically, "is nerer his•ed of! God is said to have spoken t.o llloses .. hy the staae like e. Imel o.ctor," i.e. it has its pnrt means of riddles'' (Numb. xii. 8; Autho- to plo.y even on the sto.ge of eternity. This rized Version, "in dark speeches"). Human is its meaning iii classic Greek. 2. It languuge, dealing with Divine facts, can means "falls away" like the petals of a only represent them indirectly, metaphori- withered flower (a.a in Jas. i. 11; comp. Isa. cally, enigme.tically, under human images, xxviii. 4). Here, perhaps, the meaning is and as illustrated by visible phenomena. not technical, but genera.I, ns in Rom. ix. 6 God can only be represented uncler the and in the LXX. (Job xxi. 43). Hut the phrases of anthropomorphism and anthropo- reading me.y be simply .,r(.,,.,.,. (folleth), e.s pathy; and such phrases can only have in N, A, D, C. They shall fail. This is not a. relative, not an absolute, truth. Then; i.e. the same word as the one on which we have " when the perfect is come." Face to fe.oe. been commenting; it means "shall be Like the "mouth to mouth" of the Hebrew o.nnullecl" or "done oway; " e.nd is the and the LXX. in Numb. xii. 8. 'l'Lis is the same verb as that rendered in the next beatific vision. '· We know that, wheu he clauses by "vanisli nwny," "be done away" shall appear, we shall be like him; for we (ver. 10), and "put away" (vcr. 11). Thus shallseehime.sheis"(l Johniii.2). ")l°ow in two verdes we have the same word we walk by faith, not by siuht" (2 Cor. v. 1·endered by four different phrases. No 7). Then shall I know even. as e.lso I am doubt the effect of the change sounds known; rather, then shall I fully Imoto even beautifully to ears accustomed to the "old a• also I was fully knoton, viz. when Cl,rist familiar strain;" but it is the obvious duty - took knowledge of me e.t ruy conversion. of translators to represent, not to improve Now, we do not so much ·•know" Goel, but upon, the language of their author. Iu the "rather are kuown of Gut!•· ( comp. eh. Revised Version the same word is riglitly viii. 3). kept for the four recurrences of the ve1·b. Ver. 13.-And now. The "now" is not Tongues. Special charisma nre enumerated temporal (as oppose,! to the "then" of tho to show the tran~cendence of love. Know- previous verse), but logical. It sums up ledge. This shall be only annulled in the the para.graph. Abideth. These three sense of earthly knowledge, which she.II be graces are fundnmc•ntal and permanent; a star disappea1-ing in the light of that not transient, like the charisms, on which :heavenly knowledge which sho.1..1 gradually the Corintl1ians were priding themselves, broaden iuto the perfect day. but which should all be "annulled." Ver. 9.-We know in pa.rt. The ex- Faith, hope, oho.city. It might be difficult pression applies directly to religious know- to see how "hope" should be permanent. ledge, and should be e. rebuke to the pre- But if the future state be progressive tence to infallibility and completeness which throughout et~rnity and infinitude, liope is sometimes usurped by religious men. will never quite be lost in fruition. Even Ver. 10.-The.t whioh is in pa.rt shall be "wilhiu the veil," it will still remain a.a done a.way. It will bo Inst in perfectness "an anchor of the soul, both sure e.ncl stead- when we have e.t last attained to "the fast" (Heb. vi. ID). The greatest of theso measure of the stature of the fulness of is ohe.rity; more liternlly, a1·eater than the8a <:Jhrist" (Eph. iii. 14). is love. St. Puul does not explain why lorn Ver. 11.-1 understood as e. ohild, I is the grentesl and best of the three. Various thought as e. ohild; I felt as a child, I reasoned reasons may bo given. I. Lovo is the {18 a child. But when I became e. man, I put greatest, because it is the root of the other away childish things; now that I am become two; "wo believe only iu tlmt which we a man, I have do11e uway with childish things. lovo; wo hope only for that which wo love. No specific time at which he put away 2. And love is the ,::rcutost because love is childish tl1ings is alluded to, but he means for our neighbour~; foitli nnd hope mainly that "manhood" is a stnte in which child- for ourselves. 3. Arn\ love is tho greatest islrness should have become impossible. becnuso faith nnd hope cLre human, but God Ver. 12.-Through a glass; rather, throuak is love. 4. Aud lovo is the greLLtcst because (or, by means of) a mirror. Our" glasses" faith and hope ce.u ouly work by lovo, e.ud wcrn unkuowu in that age. The n1irrors only show themselves by lovo. 'l'hus lovo Wero of silve1· or some polished metal, is us the nncli vided perfection of sovonfolcl giving, of course, a far dimmer imuge than light. F11ith nnd hope nro precious stones "glasses" do. 'fbo re.bliis said that "a.II of ouo colour, ns e. ruby un<l " supphiro; the prophets ee.w through e. dnrk mirror, but love, as ho ]ms been showing us but Moses through e. bright one." St. Paul throughout tho clmptcr, is e. di,uuoncl of says that uo human eye can see God at nil many facets. except as an imnge seen BB it were behind  i26 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cu. xm. 1-13.