212

8 Ephes. iv.

11.

28 And God hath set some in the church,

i

a Ephes. ii. 20. first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly

& iii. 5.

i Acts xiii. 1.

teachers, after that miracles, then 'gifts of

Rom. xii. 6.

k ver. 10.

1 ver. 9.

have said, “See that ye become of the body of Christ. Ye are not all in the one body for ye are not all converted." But he says exactly the contrary. His words are, "Ye are the Body of Christ and members each one," and his inference is, "See that ye be sound members; see that ye be strong, healthy limbs; see that ye do your part; see that ye seek grace; see that ye keep your places, and envy none of your brethren; see that as members of Christ ye keep yourselves holy and undefiled."

28. "And God hath set some in the church." The Apostle here sets forth the Gifts of the Spirit, according to their importance. First of all the gift of the Apostleship as the first in importance, because it comprehended all other gifts, and because it branched out more directly from Christ. It comprehended the witness to the Resurrection of Christ (Acts. i. 21, 22, x. 41; 1 Cor. ix. 1, xv. 8, 9), the possession of all other gifts, prophecy, miracles, tongues, and absolute rule over all churches planted by each particular Apostle. So naturally he mentions it as the first.

"Secondarily prophets "-those who spake by Inspiration. They not only foretold future events, as Agabus; but they exhorted and confirmed (Acts xv. 32). They seem to have been withdrawn from the Church when the Canon of the New Testament was completed, for in the Epistles of St. Paul and of the other Apostles, and in the Apocalypse, we have preserved to us the prophesyings of the Apostles themselves. We want no other truths than those contained in their writings, but we want the exposition and application of these to ourselves.

"Thirdly teachers.' "Teaching" here is classed among the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, but as coming after prophesying. Pastors and teachers are in Ephes. iv. 11, joined together, so that their functions were probably exercised more locally than the gifts of the Apostolate and prophecying. The office seems to have been the exposition and application of the Scriptures, rather than the delivery of messages from heaven. The care of the prophet was rightly to divide (or handle) the word of truth (2 Tim. ii. 15).

CHAP. XII.]

m

HELPS, GOVERNMENTS.

213

healings, helps, "governments, || diversities of Numb. xi.

tongues.

"After that miracles." Most probably exorcism.

17.

n Rom, xii. 8. 1 Tim. v. 17. Hebr. iii. 17,

24.

■ Or, kinds, ver. 10.

"Then gifts of healings"-to be exercised when God, as I said, directed them to minister this gift.

"Helps." This is by some supposed to comprehend the functions of the diaconate, but by others, as Cornelius à Lapide, as indicating a ministry for the assistance of the sick and infirm, not by miracle, but by ordinary works of mercy, as by our sisters of charity and nursing sisterhoods.

"Governments." In the ordinary acceptation of the word, this would imply rule over the whole Church, but it cannot mean this, as so important a function for the well-being of the Church, by whomsoever exercised, would not be placed so low down in the list. It must rather mean the superintendence and disposal of the temporal affairs of the Church, as Cornelius à Lapide suggests:"Those who preside over the regulation of the temporal matters which the faithful offered to the Church. Such were the functions of the deacons who were deputed by the Apostles to preside over the distribution of alms to the widows.1

It is to be remembered that at this very early period there was no independent government exercised by the Church of Corinth, or any other Church. All government was kept in the hands of the Apostle himself, who was (we say it with all reverence) the dictator. He laid down rules and regulations upon all matters, even the head-dresses of the women in Church. He suffered no woman to speak in the Christian assembly. He ordered all matters touching the exercise of the spiritual gifts. He praised them that they kept the traditions as he had himself delivered them unto them. He bade them wait till he came for the final orders respecting the love-feasts and the celebration of the Eucharist, and he delivered a very gross offender to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord

1 Godet explains it in a similar way" as the various kinds of superintendence needed for the external good order of the assemblies, and the worship of the Church." Perhaps the office which most nearly represents it now is that of the Churchwarden.

214

A MORE EXCELLENT WAY.

[I. COR.

29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? Or, powers. are all || workers of miracles?

30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret ?

o ch. xiv. 1, 39. 31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Jesus: so that literally there was no room for any government, in the higher sense of the word, excepting his own.

"Diversities of tongues." This is put the last on the list, as being one which, except it were exercised for the special benefit of those for whose sake God gave it (xiv. 22; also Acts ii. 8-11), was the least edifying.

29, 30. "Are all Apostles . . do all interpret?" It has been asserted by many commentators who desire to represent everything in the early Church as unsettled and in a loose and fluid state, that offices and functions were not distinguished; but here the Apostle seems anxious to distinguish each one from another, and it seems to have been probable that those who had one function or gift of service, were not likely to have others.

31. "But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet shew I unto you," &c. How could they show that they desired earnestly the more excellent gifts? Evidently by their more earnest prayer for such better gifts. St. Paul would not press upon them the desire, unless he knew that God, probably through the laying on of his hands, would meet their desire.

"A more excellent way." The more excellent way of Christian love, which he now proceeds to describe and enforce. It was through want of this that they had exercised their gifts wrongly and vain-gloriously, and so sinfully. It is only through love that the highest gifts can be exercised beneficially to the Church, and with safety to the person who has received them.

* 1 Cor. iv. 18, 19, 21 ; v. 3, 4, 5, 13; xi. 1, 2, 17, 18, 33, 34; xiv. 29, 33, 34, &c.

CHAP. XIII.]

LOVE, CHARITY.

215

CHAP. XIII.

1. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have," &c. The remarkable chapter now before us stands by itself. It seems scarcely a part of this Epistle, for all the rest of this long letter is more or less controversial. With the exception of the short Epistle to the Galatians, it is more full of blame and reproach than all the rest put together; but here we seem to have the product of a direct Inspiration, raising the soul of the Apostle out of an atmosphere of war and tumult, and causing it to rest in a very heaven of love and peace.

And yet this paragraph on love arises directly out of the previous context. The Apostle had been enumerating the gifts of the Spirit -the word of wisdom, of knowledge, faith, prophecy; and now he pauses, and says in effect, These are not Christianity. They are necessary to Christianity, if it is to subdue the world, if it is to become, as the Lord intended it to be, a great power in the world; but they are not Christianity-altogether they are not Christianity, no more than the shell is the kernel. I will show you the most excellent way, for I will tell you what Christianity is. It is the mind of Christ, the heart of Christ, the spirit of Christ, the love of Christ, as exhibited in His life of love. It was for the reproduction of Himself in His members that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, became incarnate, and lived, and died, and rose again; and I will show you the form and fashion of this reproduction of Christ

in us.

But it is a hard thing to describe. I cannot teach it you. The love of God cannot be taught; it must be shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given to you. No one can describe love-love must be felt if it is to be learnt. I can only tell you its importance, its eternal imperishable nature, and what it is incompatible with.

And now, first with respect to the word used throughout this chapter-though it is derived from a word in common use (ȧyañáw), it is not a classical word; it is a word peculiar to the language of the Church-to Christianity. With respect to its translation, though rendered here by the word "Charity," it is elsewhere ren

216

TONGUES OF MEN AND OF ANGELS.

[I. COR.

`HOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

THOUGH

dered "love." Thus, in Rom. v. 5, the same word is rendered "love," where it is said "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts." And in Rom. xiii. 10: "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law." Throughout the Epistle of St. John it is rendered “love”—“ God is love” (åyárπn), i.e., God is charity.

Now some object to the use of the word charity as the translation of this agape, and they give as a reason that charity has declined in its significance, and has come to signify one branch of charity. Thus we have "sisters of charity "—those who nurse and otherwise attend to the poor; and we have "charity" sermons; and we speak of the "charities" of a place. But would it do to have only the word "love,"-for is not love misunderstood? Is it not dragged through the gutter of lust? Does it not signify unholy love, worldly love, family love, which often is the preference of ourselves, of what is like us, of what comes from us, and is compatible with injustice to those who are not ours? So that it seems to me well to have two words to express this agape; so that if men take the lower view of charity, we may tell them that there may be charity without love; and if men speak of love, as they often do, in terms which seem to imply lust, or private irreligious preference, we have to tell them that the love which God asks of us and works in us is religious, and that charity always implies religion. And now we come, God helping, to the exposition.

66

1. 'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels." This is his starting-point. They had put into undue prominence the gift of tongues, because it seems to have lent itself to their vanity and love of display; and in reproof of this, he says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels." Now what are the tongues of men? They must be intelligible tongues. They cannot be the expression of religious ecstasy, for, if so, they would not be called the tongues of men. These tongues of men can be nothing but the languages in which the various races of men express themselves.

"And of angels." Have, then, the angels various languages? We should think not, for the variety of languages is a punishment, which we have reason to believe will one day be done away (Zeph.