The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 477

(John xii. 3-5; Acts i. 14; ix. 5, etc.). Of Ver 10.-By the gro.ce of Ood I am what all the apostles (Acts i. 3; Luke xxiv. I am. And therefore he was "in nothing 50). James the Lord's brother was only behind the very chiefeet apostles." How- an apostle in the wider sense of the word. e,er humbly he thought of himself, it would Ver. 8.-He was seen of me also. The have been mere unfaithfulness to disparage reference undoubtedly is to the vision on the bis own work (2 Cur. iii. 5, 6). I laboured road to Damascus (Acts ix. 5; xxii. 14; more abundantly than they all. Because xxvi. 16). As of one born out of due time ; God wrought effectually in him (Gal. ii. literally, as to the abortive-born. 'fhe word 8). The word used for "labour" implie. means "the untimely fruit of a woman," a the extreme of toil (Matt. vi. 28: Phil. ii. child born out of the due time or natural 16), ~tc. But the grace of Ood. " It is Goel course; and hence "diminutive" ·o.D<l that worketh in you" (Phil. ii. 13; Matt. "weo.kly." The Grt'ek eHroma is repre- x. 20; Col. i. 29). sented by the Latin abortivus. St. Paul, Ver. 11.-Whether it were I or they; when he remembered tl,e lateness of his namely, who preached this gospel to you. con version, and his pa~t persecution of the It is not bis immediate object to maintain saints, regards himself as standing in this his independeut apostolic clo.ims, but only l'elation to the twelve. to appeal to the fact of the Re,urrection Ver. 9.-For. This and the next verse which was preached by all the apostles are an explanation of the strong o.nd strange alike. So. In accordance with the testi- term which he ho.cl applied to himself. The mony just given (vers. 4-8). We preach. least of the apostles. In St. Paul there wo.s There o.ro in tho New Testament two words a true o.nd most deep humility, but no mock for "preaching." One is often rendered modesty. He knew the special gifts whioh "i,rophesy," o.utl refers to si,iritual instruc- he had received from God. He was well tion o.od exhortation. The other, which is awo.re tho.t to him had been entrusted the used here, is " we proclaim," or "hernld" teu to.lents ro.ther than the one tulent. He (l,ernssii), o.nd refers to the sto.temeut of the could appeal to far vasttr results than ho.tl facts of the gospel-Obrist crucified and been achieved by the work of any olher risen (eh. ii. 2; Acts iv. 2; viii. 5). Besides apostle. He knew his owu importance o.s these, there is the one word for "to preacil "o. chosen vessel," o. special instrwnent in the gospel," or "evangelize." God's hands to work out excPptional results. Vere. 12-l!l.-The re•ur,·ection of Chruit But in himself he alwo.ys felt, o.ud did not is the ba8is of our faith in the general 1·esur- shrink from confessing, tho.t he was "no- rection. thin"'" 0 (2 Car. xii.11). The notion tho.t he Ver. 12.-Now if Christ be preached that here olludcs to the meaning of his own name he rose from the dead. St. Paul sees th.-1t if ,(Paulus, counectet.l with 1raiipof, <J>aiipof, One hns risen from the dead, the fnct of equivalent to "littlo ") is very unlikely. thnt miracle, taken in connection with the In Eph. iii. 8 he i:oes further, and calls 1·est ot' the gospel, furnishes Christio.ns with himself" less than the least of o.ll suints," o. sufficient proof thnt they shl\ll rise. "For," though even there ho clo.ims to have been he had ah-encly so.id to tho Thesso.lonio.ns, the speciul o.postle of the Gentiles. Because "if we believe that Jesus dierl nnd rose I persecuted the Church of Ood. This was 8."'nin, e,·en so them also which sleep in the one sin for which, though he knew tho.t J~sus will God bring with him" (see the God hnd forgiven him (l Tim. i. 13), yet some argument in Hom. viii. 11). That he could never quite forgive himself (Gu!. there is no resurrection of the dead. These i. 13). In my 'Life of St. Paul' I ho.ve deniers of the resurrection are usuully shown from the languo.ge usod, that this called "the Corinthian So.rhlurees." After persecution wus proho.bly more deadly than the state or socinl and moro.l lnxity of which hns been usuo.lly supposed, involving not we ho.ve been reading, we co.n s,•arrely b,, only torture, but actual bloodshed (Acts viii. surprised e.t the existence of any disor,ler 4; ix. 1), besides the mo.rtyrdom of St. or anomaly in tho Church of Coriuth. Yet Stephen. We can imagine how such deeds it comes with something of a shock on om· aud such scenes would, even after forgive- paralyzed sense of e.slouisluuent lo rea,l thnt ness, lio like sparks of firo in a sensitive some of these Christians nctuolly demed conscience. n resurre,·tiou ! Tho fact at once proves two "So.ints, did I so.y? with your rtmembered reml\l'ko.ble truths, namely, (l) tho.t the faces; eorly Christinn Church had none of the Dear men o.nd women whom I sought ideal purity of doctriue whicl1 is sometimes and slew? eccksie.stico.llv o.ttributed to it; nud (2) Oh, when I meet you in the he1wenly thn t there waii in the hosom of that Church places, o. wide un<l most forbearing tolemnce. We How will I weep to Stephen and to bo.ve no duto. to enablo us to determine wh11t youl" were the inllueuces which led to the deuinl  4SG THE FIRS1' EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [en. xv. 1-58;