LECTURE III.

1 CORINTHIANS iii. 9-11.

Ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

IN following the course of instruction marked out for our consideration, we have already examined, in three different points of view, the former of the two comparisons found in this chapter; the comparison of God's husbandry, or tillage; in which the church is compared to a farm, and the ministers to the labourers employed in its cultivation. In pursuing this comparison we have seen, 1st. The minister's nothingness; 2ndly. The oneness of Christ's ministers; and 3rdly. we have, in some respects, entered upon the minister's reward. But the Apostle seems to have found that the comparison did not go far enough for the purpose he had in view; that it did not enable him to carry out into detail all the results connected with the subject; therefore, in the 9th verse, he puts aside altogether the metaphor of the husbandry, and takes up a new comparison; He says, "Ye are God's building; according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon; but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." Then he brings

before us the different parts of a building; the foundation, and the materials employed in building upon it; and closes the comparison, by shewing the connexion that exists between the building itself and the builders employed in erecting it.

It will be enough for us to-day to consider the general building itself; then something of the foundation, and then the builders by whom it is laid, and those by whom the erection of the building is carried on. And in doing this, I pray God that, of His great mercy, we may be enabled to perceive His object in bringing this comparison before us in His holy word; that we may have grace and wisdom, and humility, and faith. May He direct and assist His minister, and give power to the word preached that it may be written upon the hearts of the people, and used to the glory of His own name. May God, for Christ's sake, give

us the Holy Spirit.

And first, then, as to the general comparison we are about to consider, "Ye are God's building." In order to make this clear, we must enquire who are meant by "ye;" because the letter which contains this comparison is addressed to particular persons, and the "ye" must refer to the persons named in the address. We find in the first chapter the apostle begins thus-" Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother; unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." (v. 1, 2.) proper application of the word church of God, not only at Corinth, but, as we find in the 2nd verse, "all that in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" all that are "sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints; all that in every place call upon

This explains to us the "ye." It refers to the

Each

the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; which includes us here in this place; we, who call upon the name of the Lord, are a part of those whom the apostle calls God's building." The idea is simply this; that in the same way as a house is built by the putting together of a number of stones and other materials collected from various places, all raised one upon another; and as the building of it is conducted by a head, or master-builder, who has various labourers working with him, all according to the direction of the person who has ordered and planned it, and who is to dwell in the house and make it his habitation; just so it is with the church, which is the prepared habitation or dwelling place of God. From this it appears that the various individuals who form the church of Christ upon earth, are collected from various parts, and placed together and united, as the various stones and other materials are in the building of a house. saint-each person who calls upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-each member of the church is one of the number who are joined together to form that which is called the Church, or a building or habitation for God. We know and understand the various matters connected with the building of a house; therefore, by the comparison, as employed by the Spirit of God, we may also understand what is the nature of the "building of God," or His house, as it is called in Hebrews iii. 6, "Whose house are we." Ye, then, my brethren, are God's building; that is, all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and make their profession of faith in Him-his Church. This is a usual comparison in the Scriptures. In Ephesians (ii. 20-22), the apostle, speaking of the Church, says, ye 66 are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God

through the Spirit." And here we have a larger statement of that little word in our text, "ye,"ye are God's building." Ye are built, framed together, bound and united by Jesus Christ, who is the chief corner stone, in whom all the building groweth unto an holy temple in the Lordbuilded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. If an architect or master-builder were to receive an order to build the fabric of a church, he would bring the stones, and have them placed one upon another, and all the proper materials to enable him to raise a noble edifice, suitable for the object for which it was to be built a house for the worship and service of God. This passage shows how the comparison applies to the Church of Christ-the holy people-the saints, all in every place, who call upon the name of Jesus Christ: they are united or joined together in Christ Jesus, as the various stones are in the building, and form together that body in the midst of whom, as in a house, God dwells by His Spirit.

IV. Having thus, in a general manner, stated the Scripture comparison of God's building, we will at once proceed to consider how the Apostle, by the Spirit of God, brings before us the different parts and materials. He begins, as he ought to begin, by speaking first of all of the foundation. The folly of raising a building without taking heed to the foundation, is very plain. Therefore, he says "according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon;" and then he explains, in the 11th verse, that other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And this places in its fitting position, that which is the beginning of the gathering together of God's people, so as to form a home or habitation for God. No house can stand without a foundation. Christ is the foundation. He is that which the first and master-stone is in a building; that

on which all the other stones rest; that which is stronger than all the others, and bears them all up; that which is most solid in itself, and lies closest to the rock upon which it is necessarily laid, having to bear the weight of the whole building; that which, in short, is the chief stone, the master support of the whole; this, he says, is JESUS CHRIST.

And here let me draw your attention to another Scripture, which will further explain this. You will find it in the 28th chapter of Isaiah, and the 16th verse. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste." And in the 9th chapter of Romans, 33rd verse, this is applied to Jesus Christ, by St. Paul, who says, whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed." St. Peter also quotes the same Scripture, and applies it to Jesus Christ. ،، Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious; and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” (1 Pet. ii. 6.) In both these epistles this Scripture is applied to Jesus Christ himself; so that here we have a clearer, a larger, and a more distinct explanation of the Foundation of God's building, that is, His church, which we are considering. Let us examine a little how this comparison of the foundation, being applied to Jesus Christ, holds good. You must remember that, being called a stone, He is to be considered as one just like the other stones of which the building is composed; that is, He is a man-a brother in the flesh-a partaker of the human nature—one in all things like unto us, sin only excepted. A mistake commonly made in considering this portion of Scripture, is to suppose that the foundation means merely the doctrine of Jesus Christ. But in this sense the comparison would not be complete. The picture would not be a perfect one, if the stone chosen for the foundation were not one of the same kind as those of which the building