Ver. 3.-Love and self-immolation, It would seem that Paul had some anticipation -0f the approaching developments of Christian society. There is no ground for believing that, at the time when he wrote, any member of the Church of Christ had suffered at the stake for fidelity to principle and to faith. Such martyrdoms had occurred in Palestine, when the enemies of Jehovah had been triumphant and had wreaked their vengeance upon the faithful Jews. And even before Paul's decease, in Rome itself, Christians came to be the victims of the infamous Nero's brutality, and perished in the flames. Stronger language could not be used to set forth the superiority of love to zeal, fidelity, and devotion than this of St. Paul: "Though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing I" !. THE READIXESS TO DIE, AT THE STAKE OR OTHERWISE, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, IB GOOD . .As the three Hebrew children were content to be cast into the buruing, fiery furnace, as the faithful Jews died at the stake under the persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes, as Polycarp at over four score years of age gave his body to be burned, as the holy Perpetua suffered this martyrdom with willing mind, as in our own country at the Reformation many suffered in the fires of Oxford and_ Smithfield, so have multitudes counted their lives as not dear to them for the blessed Saviour's sake. It cannot but be that such sacrifice of selr, such holy martyrdom, ever has been and is acceptable to (;hrist, who gave himself for us. For be himself has said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." li. THE AllSEXCE OF LOVE TAKES AWAY EVEN FROM THE VIRTUE OF MARTYRDOM. There is a story of a Christian of .Antioch who, on his way to martyrdom, refused to forcrive and be reconciled to a brother Christian. Such a case is au exact example of the zeal without love which the apostle here pronounces worthless. If Christian charity be absent where zeal is present, there seems reason to fear that the motives which induce to self-immolation are pride, self-glorification, and an inflexible obstinacy. H there be not love to Christ's people, there is no real love to Christ: "He that loveth God loves his brother also." lt is strange to think that self-delusion may go so far that men may su!Ter martyrdom without being truly Christ's. Yet so it is. .And we may be reminded, from the possibility of this extreme ca;e, how readily men -deceive thtmselves and suppose that they are influenced by truly religious and -distinctly Christian motives, when all the while self is the pivot upon which their whole conduct revolves. And it may be suggeste,l to us how inexpressibly essential, in the judgment of our Lord and his Spirit, is that grace of love, the absence of whiJi cannot be atoned for even by a passage through the fiery flames of martyrdom.-'!'.
Vers. 4, 5.-Love and our fellow-men. In this panegyric of charity, we find, (1) in vers. 1-3, a stateme11t concerning the indispensableness of charity to the Christian character, (~) in v~rs. 3-7, a list of the fruits of charity ; and (3) in the remainder ,en. xm. 1-13.) 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE 'JO THE COilINTHIANS. 443
of the chapter, a declaration of the eternity of charity. The seconcI and third of these divisioos contaio a very pictorial personification of this delightful grace; the lovely features and beaming smile of charity shine upon us, and win our hearts . .Several of these clauses exhibit the effects of the indwelling of Christian love upon the intercourse of social life. I. LOVE IS LONG-SUFFERING AS OPPOSED TO IMPATIE:llCE. There is no possibility of mixing with human society without encountering many occasions of irritation. Human nature is such that conflicts of disposition and of habits will and must occur. lt is so in the family, in civil life, and even in the Church. Hence impatience and irritability are among the most common of infirmities. And there is no more sure sign of a disciplined and morally cultured mind than a habit of forbearance, tolerance, and patience. But Christianity supplies a motive and power of long-suffering which can act in the case of persons of every vatiety of temperament and of every position of life. •• Love suffereth long." II. LOVE IS GRACIOUS AND KIND AS OPPOSED TO MALTCE AND ILL WILL. There is no ,disposition known to human nature which is a more awful proof of the enormity of sin than malevolence. And the religion of the Lord Christ in nothing more signally proves its divinity than in its power to expel this demoniacal spirit from the breast of humanity. In fact, benevolence is the admitted" note" of this religion. 'l'he sterner virtues, as fortitude and justice, were admired and practised among the heathen, and celebrated by the moralists of antiquity. These and others were assumed by Christianity, which added to them the softer grace of love-love which justifies itself in deeds of benignity and loving-kindness. Ill. LOVE IS OPPOSED TO ENVY A,ND JEALOUSY. These are vices which arise from -0.iscontent with one's own condition as compared with that of others, and are justly deemed among the meanest and basest of which man is capable. Christianity proves its power of spiritual transformation by suppressing, and indeed in many cases by extirpating, these evil passions from the heart, and by teachin~ and enabling men to rejoice in their neighbours' prosperity. IV. LOVE, AS OPPOSED TO ANGER, IS NOT PROVOKED WITH THE COSDUCT OF OTHETIS. This must not be pressed too far, as though an~er in itself were an evil, as though there were no such thing as righteous indignation. Christ himself was angry with hypocrites and deceivers; his indignation and wrath were arou~ed again and again. But the moral distinction lies here: to be provoked with those who injure us or pass a slight upon our dignity and self-importance, is unchristian, but it is not so to cherish indignation with the conduct of God's wiltul enemies. V. LOVE KEEPS NO ACCOUNT OF EVIL RENDERED. This trait in the character of the Christian is very beautiful. It is customary with sinful men to cherish the memory of wrongs done to them, agaiast a day of retributioa. Love wipes out the record of wrong-doing from the memory, and knows nothing of vindictiveness or ill will.-T.