CHRISTIAN COMPETENCE.

"My grace is sufficient for thee."—2 Cor. xii. 9.

WHOEVER will acquaint himself carefully

with these two Epistles to the Corinthians, will gain an insight into much of the history of the early Christian Church—its temptations, trials, weaknesses, and its manifold victories over them all; its manners and customs, its services and sacrifices. And being well informed in these, he will understand church-life in the present day, better than he could possibly do in any other way.

Two great parties come forth into bold relief here, and the lines of demarcation are clear, which divide them. The Judaizing party, which would reduce Christianity to ritual, and shape it, not to the requirements of the Mosaic dispensation merely, but to the Judaism developed by the Talmudists. The Gentile party, which would

strenuously resist all things Jewish, through opposition to Judaism. These mark the extremes of opinion, and between them a number of sections exist, divided by numerous questions and strifes, -philosophical Christians and rigidly simple Christians, admirers of Paul, of Apollos, and of Cephas,—while some professed only to admire Christ. There were questions about baptism and the Lord's Supper-questions about gifts and the use of them, about meats and drinks-questions about law-suits, about marriage and divorce— questions about woman's work in the churchquestions about finance, and whether ministers of the Gospel should be supported, or not, by those to whom they ministered. Think of it all, and you have before you a church full of eagerness, curiosity, debate and occasionally, with the exception of Paul's own friends, almost entire unanimity, that the one man God had sent to lead them to the Saviour, and had been inspired to guide them into the truth, in all these matters, was wrong; and then when he speaks or writes a revulsion of feeling takes place in the minds of those addressed-resentment of their opinionated highmindedness-return to the feet of Jesus, and submission to His easy yoke.

We may see this, and more than this,-something which goes far to explain it. This Christian community exists in the midst of a large population of heathen men. Polished, thoughtful, and influential, they are worldly-wise and great in the commercial spirit which must have animated that very commercial town. The Christians regard them, consult them, are influenced by them in all matters of common daily life, and breathe to a large extent the atmosphere of thought and feeling they create. What does society think? What is the state of public opinion? What is the aspect of modern thought? were questions asked as eagerly then as they are asked now, and the replies were just as influential. Thus the impinging currents of heathen thought and feeling act upon the Corinthian churches; and it is this that leads to an almost unanimous want of sympathy with Paul, for reasons that will presently appear; and it is the supremacy of this worldly influence which the truth Paul handles drives away as the morning chases the night. Heathen popular opinion of Paul would probably be of this kind: This man is a mere wandering preacher! A mean man! No presence insignificant in personal appearance!

subject to frequent attacks of indisposition! not likely to do much more! Then he is quite a poor man, miserably poor, says some wealthy merchant, calls himself a bishop! where are his revenues? where are his lands? where are his ships? what are his precedents? did he not come here a wandering tent-maker? If some one apologetically says, You must acknowledge his literary power; then would the proud outsider say, Yes! but what say some of your own people?" His letters, say they, are weighty and powerful: bul his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." That such remarks in a community would produce an impression unfavourable to the absent apostle, and weaken his influence, even with real Christians, we have too much reason to think, from acquaintance with human nature.

When Paul writes, see what ground he takes in reply, and remember the authority that speaks through him :-To look on things after the outer appearance is to risk the danger, while we look, of becoming corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The Corinthians have heard his opponents, let them hear him. A wandering preacher ? yes! as Christ's minister, "in journeyings often," "in perils of robbers," "in perils by the heathen, in

peri's in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils on the sea," thrice shipwrecked, “ in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." It is all true-he pleads guilty to the poverty and the wandering. Nor has he been shaking off care, or seeking pleasure in rapid change of place; the more numerous his journeys, the heavier are his spiritual burdens, the daily care of all the churches. Every strife that breaks out, every confession that breaks down, every apparently abortive effort, every reproach brought upon the Christian name, all tell upon his heart and his health: Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? Poor?-yes! will they forgive him ?—he lived upon the charity of other churches to serve them in wealthy commercial Corinth. All that is said about his infirmities is too true; if he must needs glory, let it be in his infirmities. Then he changes his theme, and the lively Greeks follow eagerly the brilliant antithesis. He knew a man caught up into the third heaven, into the bliss of paradise, whether in the body or out of the body he cannot tell, this man listened, and heard unspeakable words, no language on earth may contain them, not