And again, "Ever bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus." Settle it in your hearts: Christianity is Christ; understand Him, breathe His spirit, comprehend His mind : Christianity is a Life, a Spirit. Let self die with Christ, and with Him rise to a life of holiness: and then, whether you are a minister or ministered to, you need not care what discussions may arise, nor how men may dispute your Christianity, or deny your share in the Gospel; you stand upon a rock.

Next, on this foundation we are to build the superstructure. Christianity is a few living pregnant principles, and on these you may construct various buildings. Thus in doctrine you may erect on this Calvinism, or Arminianism; or in ecclesiastical polity, you may build on this a severe, simple worship, or a highly ritual one, or an imaginative one with a splendid cultus ; or in life, you may live on this devotionally or actively, you may pursue the life of the hermit of the third century, or of the Christian merchant of the nineteenth. For Christianity is capable of endless application to different circumstances, ages, and intellects.

Now in the words of this twelfth verse, observe that there are not six kinds of superstructure, but two: gold, silver, and precious stones, which are the materials of the temple; wood, hay, and stubble, with which a cottage is erected; but in these buildings the materials of each are of various degrees of excellence, and in the latter, good, bad, and indifferent. Now what do these symbolize? As I said before, perhaps doctrines or systems; but more probably they are to make us recollect that the Church is made up of persons of different kinds of character built up by different ministers. Some of straw, utterly worthless; some of silver, sound, good, but not brilliant men; some of gold, characters in which there seems nothing of base alloy, true to the very centre; some of precious stones, men in whom gifts are so richly mingled with useful qualities, that they are as jewels in the Redeemer's crown. And such

was the author of this Epistle. It does our heart good to know that out of our frail Humanity, anything so good and great has arisen as the Apostle of the Gentiles.

Now there follows from all this, the doctrine of the rewardableness of Work. All were one, on the one foundation; yet St. Paul modifies this: they were not one, in such a sense that all their work was equally valuable, for "every man shall receive his own reward according to his labour." It is incredible that the mere theologian defending the outworks, writing a book on the Evidences of Christianity, or elaborating a theological system, shall be as blessed as he who has hungered and thirsted with Christ, and like Christ, suffered. "To sit on the right hand and on the left of the Father," can be given but to them who have drunk of Christ's cup of Selfsacrifice and been baptized with His Baptism of Suffering. Nevertheless, each in his own way shall gain the exact recompence of what he has done. Therefore Christian men, work on-your work is not in vain. A cup of cold water, given in the name of a disciple, shall not lose its reward.

There is also here a distinction between the truth of work and its sincerity. In that day nothing shall stand but what is true; but the sincere worker, even of untrue work, shall be saved: "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Sincerity shall save him in that day, but it cannot accredit his work. But what is this day? When is this day? Generally speaking, we say that it is Time; but more particularly the Trial day, which every advent is, and especially the last in which nothing will endure but what is real. Nothing gilded or varnished will remain, but only precious stones, gold, silver; and these only so far as they are unmixed; for just as fire burns straw, so must all that is not based on the Truth perish. Then, the elaborate systems of theology, built by our subtle, restless, over-refined intellects, shall be tried and found worth

less.

Then, many a Church order, elaborately contrived, shall be found something unnecessarily added to the foundation, and overlying it. And then, many a minister, who has prided himself on the number of his listeners, will be stripped of his vain-glory, if the characters which he has produced, be found wanting; if that which seems to be souls won for God, turns out to be only hearts won for self. Yet here a consolation is given to us-" But he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire; " and this is the comfort. Sincerity does not verify doctrine, but it saves the man; his person is accepted, though his work perish. Hence we trust that many a persecutor like Paul shall be received at last; that many a bigot like James and John, desiring to call down fire from heaven, shall obtain mercy, because he did it ignorantly. He shall be saved, while all his work shall be destroyed, just as, to use St. Paul's metaphor, a builder escapes from his house which has been burnt over his head, and stands trembling, yet safe, looking on his work in ruins, "saved, yet so as by fire."

II. An address to congregations.

1. A warning against all Ministers, who should so teach as to split the Church into divisions. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

Let us consider in what sense the word "holy" is used. The Bible often speaks of things not as they are actually in themselves, but as they exist in God's Idea. So it declares of Humanity, that it is "very good ;" saying it of man, but not of men, who are often very bad. And so also the representation of the Church is a thing wholly ideal, without "spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;" whereas, actual churches are infinitely below this ideal. Now observe, that St. Paul calls all in the Corinthian church "holy," and this, though he knew that some were even incestuous-nay, though he says in the

very verse where he calls them holy, that some might be defiled, and some destroyed. And hence it follows that we have no right to divide our congregations into regenerate and unregenerate, worldly and unworldly, Christian and unChristian. Him who doeth this "shall God destroy." Woe therefore, to that minister, who by arbitrary distinctions respecting worldliness for instance, and unworldliness, so divides the Church of God; making the religious into a party, often making sad hearts which God has not made sad, and nursing a set of Pharisees into a delusion that they are a Church of God, because they follow some Paul or some Apollos.

2. A warning against sectarianism, on the ground of Christian liberty. "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours." Man enters this world, finding himself in the midst of mighty Forces, stronger than himself, of which he seems the sport and prey. But soon Christianity reveals to him God's living, personal Will, which makes these things co-operate for his good. And so he learns his own free-will, and uses them as the sailor does the winds, which as he uses them become his enemies or his friends.

Then it is that he is emancipated from the iron bondage to circumstances: then, all things are his-this marvellous Life, so full of endless meaning, so pregnant with infinite opportunities. Still more Death, which seems to come like a tyrant, commanding him when it will-Death is his in Christ, his minister to lead him to Higher Life. Paul is his, to teach him freedom. Apollos his, to animate him with his eloquence. Cephas his, to fire him with his courage. Every author his, to impart to him his treasures.

But remark, that St. Paul refers all this to the universal Law of Sacrifice: all things are ours on this condition-that

we are Christ's. The Law which made Christ God's has made us Christ's. All things are yours, that is, serve you; but they only discharge the mission and obey the law involuntarily that you are called on to discharge and obey voluntarily : the great law, which makes obedience Blessedness, the law to which Christ was subject, for Christ "was God's." So that, when the law of the Cross is the law of our being-when we have learnt to surrender ourselves—then, and then only, we are free from all things: they are ours, not we theirs: we use them, instead of being crushed by them. The Christian is "creation's heir." He may say triumphantly, "The world, the world is mine.”