Ver. 13.-Love the greatest power in mind. "And now abideth faith, hope, charity,'' etc. Love is here brought into comparison with two other great things in mind-faith and hope. I. The CORRESPONDENCE between these three. The words imply: 1. That they are ail great. 'l;'he apostle speaks of the "greatest." "Faith" is a great thing. It implies reason, truth, and the investigation of evidence. It is a great thing in business, in science, in society, as well as in religion. "Hope" is a great thing, too. It implies the recognition of good, a desire for good, and an expectation of good. It makes the greatest trials of the present bearable by bringing into the spirit the blessedness of the future. 2. That they are all permanent. 'l'here " abideth " faith anci hope. In virtuous souls they are as lasting as life, as lasting as mind itself. II. The SUPERIORITY of one over the others. "The greatest of these is charity." Why is it the greatest? 1. It is a virtue in itself. There is no moral virtue in faith and hope. They are, under certain conditions, necessary states of mind. But love- disinterested, godly love-is in itself a virtue. 2. It is that quality which alone gives virtue to all other states of mind. Where this love is not, faith and hope are morally worthless. 3. It is that state of mind by which the soul subordinates the universe to itself. The loving soul alone can interpret the universe. 4. It is that state of ruind which links the spirit to all holy intelligences. Love is the attractive power that binds all holy spirits together. 5. It is that state of mind which includes the highest faith and hope. Love implies the both. 6. It is that state of mind which is in itself happiness. Love is happiness. We cannot say so of either faith or hope. 7. Love is the most God-like state of the soul. God is not faith or hope; "God is love." The Eternal does not believe or anticipate, but h.e does love-he is love. Love is the life of the soul. It warms every vein and beats in every pulse.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-3.-Negative view of love. Again and again, in St. Paul's writings, we nave an epistle within the Epistle. 'l'hus, the summation of practical duties (Rom. xii.), the argument on the resurrection ( eh. xiv.), and the portraiture of love in this -chapter. By this means we get a well-defined view of the object without losing its connections. It is not as if we were looking at the Peak of 'l'cneriffe rising out of the loneliness of the sea, but rather a Mont lllanc, one with the Alps, and yet a solitary form of majesty. Grandeur, as distinct from beauty and sublimity, requires some dl·gree of isolation so as to produce an adequate impression. llere, then, the apostle makes a space for this grand delineation, every feature of which may be seen in con- centrated light, and not a thing allowed to distract the eye. This is in itself a. call to attention, a summons to the activity of our whole nature, and, in accordance herewith, he presents something more than a mere sketch or profile of love. It is a complete portrait. 'l'hc features are individually given, and, at the same time, the expression which combines them in a most striking unity. First, then, we have the supreme excel- lence of love in contrast with the worthlessness of other gifts unaccompanied by its presence. Great stress was laid at that time on the gift of tongues. We are all inclined to set a high value on an exceptional endowment of speech. Eloquence passes for much even in a rude acre; the North American Indian and the barbarous tribes of Asia. acknowledge its po;er, while cultivated society is never stinted in admiration <Jf its influence. And the possessor of it seldom fails to exaggerate its worth. Stated roughly, eloquent men appear to have a peculiar intensity of consciousness as respects this gii't. They are singularly open to the seductions of popular applause, so much so, in,lecd, that the public approval which a scientific man, or a statesman, or a military hero would be unharmed by, is often ruin°1111 to an orator. Not the common air, but 432 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO 'l'HE CORINTHIANS. [ en. xm. 1-13.