." So, then, faith
justifies through the Word and produces love. But while both Word and
faith shall pass, righteousness and love, which they effect, abide
forever; just as a building erected by the aid of scaffolding remains
after the scaffolding has been removed.

36. Observe how small the word "love" and how easily uttered! Who
would have thought to find so much precious virtue and power ascribed
by Paul to this one excellence as counterpart of so much that is evil?
This is, I imagine, magnifying love, painting love. It is a better
discourse on virtue and vice than are the heathen writings. The model
the apostle presents should justly shame the false teachers, who talk
much of love but in whom not one of the virtues he mentions is found.

Every quality of love named by him means false teachers buffeted and
assaulted. Whenever he magnifies love and characterizes her powers, he
invariably makes at the same time a thrust at those who are deficient
in any of them. Well may we, then, as he describes the several
features, add the comment "But you do very differently."

37. It is passing strange that teachers devoid of love should possess
such gifts as Paul has mentioned here, viz., speaking with tongues,
prophesying, understanding mysteries; that they should have faith,
should bestow their goods and suffer themselves to be burned. For we
have seen what abominations ensue where love is lacking; such
individuals are proud, envious, puffed up, impatient, unstable, false,
venomous, suspicious, malicious, disdainful, bitter, disinclined to
service, distrustful, selfish, ambitious and haughty. How can it
consistently be claimed that people of this stamp can, through faith,
remove mountains, give their bodies to be burned, prophesy, and so on?
It is precisely as I have stated. Paul presents an impossible
proposition, implying that since they are devoid of love, they do not
really possess those gifts, but merely assume the name and appearance.
And in order to divest them of those he admits for the sake of
argument that they are what in reality they are not.

_First Sunday In Lent_

Text: Second Corinthians 6, 1-10.

1 And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not
the grace of God in vain 2 (for he saith, At an acceptable time I
hearkened unto thee, and in a day of salvation did I succor thee:
behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation): 3 giving no occasion of stumbling