Vere. 6-18.-St. Paul and his purposes; his friends; earnest exhortation. If the apostle were before us in his Epistles as an inspired man of genius only, whose intellect teemed with great thoughts, and whose heart was absorbed in supplying fervency to· those thoughts, his hold upon us would be weakened. 'rho man has nolhing about him of the intellectualist. Among the varieties of mind and character that have 658 THE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'O THE COHINTHIA;'.\S. Leu. xvi. 1-24.
arisen from time to time in the development of humanity, turn for a moment to the ideal of an apostle, and tell us if the conceptio1, of such a person is not somethina- unprecrdentcd, an idea altogether original with Christianity. A new a·nd most maiTellous form of a public man-not a representative man, not a typical man in no sense either the one or the other, since the man antedated the Church and had no continnat.ion in the Church after its opening century. Take your ideals of philosopher poet, military chieftain, statesman, ruler, ancl tell us what resemblance these bea; to the character St. Paul sustained and the office he filled. Or take the worthiest dignitaries of the Church, and follow the procession as it moves, now in splendour and then in gloom, from the hills of Rome, over the Alps, through the forests of Germany, by the Hhine and the Rhone, over England, Scotland, and .America, and see how they compare with him who fought with beasts at Ephesus and died daily. Quite as remarkable as the conception of this ideal was its realization in St. Paul from his con,ersion to his death. Look at the matter in another connection. What -is the final test of greatness viewed in relation to society? Is it not the ease and freedom of access to the common heart of humar.iity, the magical power to create sympatl_iy and fellowship, the God-like capacity to pass through the shallow feelin"s of admiration and conventional honour--often more of a tribute to our own vanity th;n to the worth of others-and to gain entrance to the depths of truthful affection? Beyond doubt, this was St. Paul's greatness. Just from an argument, that must have put an extraordinary pressure even on his great abilities, and which was well calculated, as all intellectual men know, to make him insensible, or at least indifferent at the moment to the details of life, he is not forgetful of his brethren, but hope~ to pass the winter in their midst. ".A flying visit" (by the way) will not satisfy his love. But, for the present, he must "tarry at Ephesus." Why he would stay in this city, be states-" a great and effectual door is opened unto me;" the field of usefulness is lar~e and promises vast results. Stay he would, moreover, because "there are many adversaries." .Adversaries were the men to convert; if not that, to silence ; but, any way, he will not desert a post of duty to gratify bis desire to see the Corinthian brethren. If the Lord will permit, he will refresh himself among them, but, for a time, he will face the worshippers of Diana and bear the brunt of persecutiou. Then he thinks of the young Timotbeus. If he visit you according to his expectation. be thoughtful of his youth, be specially considerate of his modesty, and ·see that his ~tay among you is "without fear," disturbed by none of your rivalries and factions. Honour him for his work's sake, for "he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do." "Let no man therefore despise him;" on the contrary, "-send him on without annoyance, with good understanding, and kindly affection','' that he :tnd bis travelling companions may come unto rue. .Again, some of the partisans at Corinth might suspect him of jealousy as to A polios. The name of the eloquent and holy man had become a watchword of strife. Lest they should do St. Paul this dishonour, he tells them of the affectionate relations between them ; nor will he say my brother, but " our brother .Apollos," whom he wishes "greatly" to visit the Church at Corinth. But see! One of those sudden changes which originate in the soul, which pass from the soul into the nerves, and from the nerves into the muscles-one of those quick escapes from memory and stored-up emotion-occurs, and what an intenser expression settles in the !s IDUscles about the eyes, and in the eyes themselves! There a break in the thought. 'l'wo verses intervene before the main idea is resumed. .And 1t could hardly have been otherwise. It is nature to the life; it is St. Paul in the very soul of bis temperament. It was scarcely possible for the apostle to mention .A.polios without being reminded of the unhappy divisions at Corinth, for we can neither think nor feel except, by means of association and suggestion. Each faculty, each sensibility, is an individual centre of 1hesc activities. No wonder, then, that there is an abrupt transition, all the more true tu the laws of mind because abrupt. "Watch ye." .Ah! if there had been Christian watchfulneRs in the Corinthian Church, what criminations, what reproaches, what humiliations, had been averted! To be a man, one must be apprehensive of the danger~ ever lurking in ambush; must have the sentinel spirit and habit, and must exert it every moment. "Stand fa6t in the faith." Occasional watching will not do; steadfast- ne,s must go along with watchfulness, and fortify you against the wiliest assault. "Quit you like men." No manhood can live without courage; be manful. .l!'ighting 1s ~11. X:VI. 1-24.] THE FIIlST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 559