The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 453

HOMILETICS. Vers, 1-28, 34-40.-Grace and gifts. "Follow after charity," etc. There are many separate verses in this chapter implying or suggesting thoughts capable of being wrought out into sermonic sketches, but my purpose now is to take n homiletical glance at the whole. 'l'he following general propositions will bring all the parts into n logical connection :- I. THE GRACE 01' CHARITY IS SU.PERI0R TO ALL ENDOWMENTS. I say" charity," for I prefer the word to 'the word" love," which the New Version gives as the substitute. "Chnrity" implies the highest _forms of love-compassion, S) mpathy, benevoience-. "Follow after charity, nnd desire spiritual gifts." Whatever other endowments you may possess or desire, do not neglect the cultivation of charity. The remarks of tbe illus- trious F. ,v. Robertson are so admirable on this point that I transcribe them here. In showing the difference between a grace and a gift, he says, "A grace does not differ from a gift in this, that the former is from God and the latter from nature. As a creative power, there is no such thing as nature; all is God's. A grace is thnt which hns in it some moral quality, whereas a gift does not necessnrily shnre in this. Charity implies a certain character, but a gift, as for instanco that of tongues, does not. A man may be fluent, learned, skilful, nnd be a good mnn; likewise, nnother may have the so.me powers, and yet be n bad man-proud, mean, or obstinate. Now, this dbtinction explains at once why graces are prefernble. Graces aro what the man is: but enumernte his gifts, and you will only know what he has. He is loving; he has eloquence, or medical skill, or legal knowledge, or the gift of ncquiring languages, or thnt of healing. You only hnve to cut out his tongue or to irnpnir his memory, nnd the gift is gone. Ilut, on the contrary, you must destroy bis very being, chnnge him into another man, and obliternte bis identity, before he ceases to he n loving man. Therefore you may contemplate the gift separate from the man, and, whilst you ndmire it, you may despise him. As many a gifted man is contemptible throngh being II slave to low vices or to his own hiah "ifts. Ilut you cannot contemplate the grace separate from the nrnu-h<t is lovable ir admirable nccording as he has charity, faith, or self-control. And hcnco tho apostle bids the Corinthians undervalue gifts in comparison with graces. 'Follow after charity.' Ilut as to gifts, they are not ourselves, but our accidents, like property, ancestors birth, or position in the world. Ilut hence, nlso, on tho other hand, arises the reaso~ of our due admiration of gifts: 'Desire spiritur1l gifts.' Many religious persons "O into the contrary extreme: they call gifts dangerous, ignore them, sneer at them, and ~-iy they are of the world. No, says tho apostle,_' desire'. them, look them in tho foco as g:iods; not the highest goods, but still <les1rnble, hkc wealth or health. Only remember, you are not wealthy or good becaus_e of them. A~d rei:nember, other 1~co~lo arc not bound to honour you for them. Adnrne n Napoleons gemus, do not des111tio 1t, hut clo not let your admirntiou of that induce you _t4:1 giv~ honour ~o the m_an. Let there be no mere hero-worship, that false modern spmt which recogmzes the lorce that is in a man as the only thing worthy of homage, 'l'he subject of this chapter is, not 462 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cH. XIV. 1-40.