HOMILETICS. Ver. 1.-Eloquence without charity. "Though I speak wit.h the tongues of men and of an~els, and ha,,e not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 1. wo mtroductory truths are suggested by the context. 1. That there is great diversity in the talents with which Heaven has endowed mankind. There are "diversities" of gifts. Whilst it is true that the apostle refers especially to miracnlons O"ifts, those very gifts have their equivalents amongst men now. True, we have no mi~aculous gifts of tongues; but we have great linguistical scholars, meu who are the masters of many hnguages. Though we have no miraculous gifts of prophecy, we have men of such a far-sighted sagacity as to discern the signs of the times, and foretell events destined to occur on the earth. Though we have not the miraculous gifts of bealinO', modern medical science invests sorue men with a healing power in some respects approaching the miraculous. In sooth, the unmiraculous endowments of the present day, exhibited in the various evolutions of art, science, philosophy, are more than an adequate com- pensation for the loss of the miraculous endowments of apostolic times. Some men are distinguished by one faculty and some by another. Some by the faculty of creating thought, some by the faculty of combining thought, some by the faculty ot' oratorically 71rcsenting thought. These faculties exist in various degrees of strength; in some they are dwarfish, in some gigantic. 2. That without charity the highest kind and degree of talent is of little worth. Indeed, in this chapter Paul says, in relation to the highest faculties, and to the highest services, that without this charity man himself is nothing: "I am nothing." Now, the text directs attention to one particular faculty, and that is eloquence. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels." Angels speak. Perhaps Paul had beard their oratory when be was caught up into heaven. He means, though he had eloquence of the highest type, without charity, it would be utterly worthless. Two thoughts are suggested. I. That it is POSSIBLE FOR ELOQUENCE OF THE HIGHEST TYPE TO EXIST WITHOUT CHARITY. Why say," possible"? It has ever existed anu. still exists, dissociated from this charity, this queen of virtues, or rather this root of all moral excellence. 1. We find it in party politics. Read the party speeches delivered at the hustings or in the House of Commons. Some of those speeches are fashioned after the highest models of oratory, and delivered with all the graces of the art, but utterly destitute of charity. They beat with selfish ambition and burn with envious spleen, 2. We find it in party theology. Some of the discourses on polemic theology are, in all the attributes of true- eloquence, unexcelled if not unmatched; but bow destitute of charity! They are all aglow with acrimonious zeal for certain dogmas of the brain. 3. We find it in party Churchism. During the month of May men appear on the platform of Exeter Hall who have spent many a laborious day, or week, it may be, in preparing a speech ~n, behalf of some cause, before whose brilliancy the author hopes all other speeches will pale their fire. Read the most eloquent of these speeches; and for the most part how destitute of charity ! Sect zeal reigns in all. The Protestant damns the Catholic, the Evangelical the Ritualist, the Church sneers at Dissent, and Dissent at the Church! ~ml all agree in consigning pagans and heathen of every grad? to n_etherruost perd1t10_n. The spirit of all the speakers, as a rule, at those busy mamfestat1ons of eloquence, 1s, "\Ve are the wise men, and wisdom will die with us; the temple of the Lord, the temple o[ the Lord, are we." Il. That eloquence of the highest type without charity is UTTERLY WORTHLESS. It is as "sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." The word _ci.\ci.\ct(o~, from a.\c,,\~ o~ a.\c,,\a., a war-cry, properly denotes a loud cry or sl~ou~, such as is.used m battle. Whilst the ~ound is anything but pleasant, the material 1s comparatively worthless! made of two pieces of common brass. 'l'he idea is worth~ess_n_ess. Take the speei:h ol a ruan whoso- idea of eloquence shall excel the theory of Qmnt.Iha!l, and whose practice shall excel that of Demosthenes himself· what is it if it has not charity? l'aul would say, "brass," giving out a mere clanking sound. 1. It is worthless in itself.. What would you give for two little pieces of brass forming a cymbal? Whateve~ the1,r marketable val~e may be for musical purposes they are not worth a" penny whistle.' What worth 1s there in' an organism unless it has life? ancl what worth is there in sentences, however 011. x1u. 1-13.J THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORI~""THIANS.
eloquent, unless they have charity? There is oo moral worth io any act or word apart from charity. lo the ~ight of Heaven all else is mere rubbish. Without it, I with all my endowments, services, sacrifices, says Paul, am "nothing." 2. It is worthless in its influence. 'l'he sounds you get out of the "cymbal" are not musical, and they produce rather an irritating than an inspiring or calming influence upon the listeuer. What moral good can speeches without charity accomplish? They may shed some li"ht 0 upon the intellect-, correct some error, but they have no power to win the soul of a man. They often irritate, but never soothe. Bigoted partisans are attracted by the clankings of their brass, but men pass by them as by a Punch and Judy show. Eloquence without charity is like the roar of a wioter's north-easter, irritating and destructive; but eloquence with charity is like the quiet south-we:;ter in spring, warming all things into life and touching all things into beauty.