Sketches from the Life of Paul (1883) — PDF Scan 130

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APOLLOS AT CORINTH . 123 which are of the house of Chloe, thatthere are contentionsamong you. Now thisI say, that everyone ofyou saith,I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christdivided? was Paul crucifiedfor you ? or wereye baptizedinthename ofPaul?" He alsoexplainsthe reasonof hismanner of laboramong them : " And I, brethren, couldnot speakuntoyou asuntospiritual,butasuntocarnal, evenasuntobabesin Christ. I havefedyou with milk,and notwithmeat; forhithertoye werenot abletobearit,neitheryet now areye able. For ye areyetcarnal; forwhereasthereisamong you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men ? " He thus shows them that he could not, when with them, addressthem as those who had an experienceinspirituallifeand themysteryof godli-ness. However wise they might have been in worldlyknowledge, they were but babesin the knowledgeof Christ; and itwas hiswork to instructthem in the rudiments,the very alphabet, of Christianfaithand doctrine. It was his partto sow the seed,which another must water. It was thebusinessof thosewho followedhim,to carry forwardthework fromthe pointwherehe had left it,and togivespirituallightandknowledgeindue season, as the church were ableto bear. When he cametothem,theyhad no experimental knowledgeof the way of salvation, and he was obligedto presentthetruthin itssimplestform. Their carnal minds could not discern the sacred revealingsofGod ; theywerestrangerstothemanifestationsof divinepower. Paul had spokento them asthosewho wereignorantof theoperations ofthatpower upon theheart. They were carnal