CHARITY; love to God and to men. SOUNDING BRASS; empty and worthless. As love to God and to men is the best gift which God bestows, all should most earnestly desire and cherish it in themselves and in others.... [ Continue Reading ]
GIFT OF PROPHECY; see note to chap 1 Corinthians 12:28. UNDERSTAND ALL MYSTERIES, AND ALL KNOWLEDGE; have the power of unfolding all the deep counsels of God as contained in his word, and of declaring by inspiration what has been hitherto concealed from the world. ALL FAITH; the faith of miracles.... [ Continue Reading ]
Men often eagerly pursue and glory in what will be to them of no permanent benefit. Nothing which they do or possess, without love to God and to men, will save them from perdition.... [ Continue Reading ]
SUFFERETH LONG; with patience, under injuries. IS KIND; not to friends only, but to foes. ENVIETH NOT; is not uneasy at the prosperity of others. VAUNTETH NOT; does not boast of its own excellence.... [ Continue Reading ]
SEEKETH NOT HER OWN; as the chief end; is not selfish, but benevolent. THINKETH NO EVIL; is not disposed to impute to others evil designs.... [ Continue Reading ]
REJOICETH NOT IN INIQUITY; as is done by the selfish, whenever iniquity in themselves or others can be made subservient to their own personal interests, or the destruction of their enemies. REJOICETH IN THE TRUTH; in the reception and propagation of it, whoever may be the instruments, and whatever... [ Continue Reading ]
BEARETH ALL THINGS; inflicted by others, so far as is consistent with duty, without being disposed to publish their misconduct or to punish it. BELIEVETH-HOPETH ALL THINGS; is disposed to put the best construction upon men's conduct, and hope the best concerning them. ENDURETH ALL THINGS; which it... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVER FAILETH; it will continue to eternity; while the gifts of foretelling future events, or of miraculously speaking with tongues, or by inspiration understanding and communicating divine truth, will soon pass away as no longer necessary.... [ Continue Reading ]
WE KNOW IN PART; that is, in our present state. WE PROPHESY IN PART; we are not capable of either receiving or communicating truth by prophecy, except in a partial and imperfect way.... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT WHICH IS PERFECT; the perfect knowledge of heaven. THAT WHICH IS IN PART; our present imperfect knowledge, with our present imperfect means of gaining it through prophecies, tongues, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
A CHILD-A MAN; as the conceptions and speech of a lisping infant differ from those of an educated and full-grown man, so do our highest attainments in this life differ from what they will be in the life to come. CHILDISH THINGS; the imperfect conceptions and reasonings of a child. Supply, So in hea... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW; in our present earthly state. WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY; our knowledge of God and divine truth is indirect and obscure, like that of a man who looks not directly on the object itself, but only on a dim image of it, such as was reflected from the imperfect mirrors of the ancients. BUT THE... [ Continue Reading ]
ABIDETH; according to some, will outlive all miraculous gifts; according to others, will abide for ever: faith in the sense of confidence in God and Christ; and hope, as the joyous looking forward to an eternity of ever increasing blessedness. THE GREATEST OF THESE IS CHARITY; not only in itself, b... [ Continue Reading ]