a way, the culmination of the
lofty and inspiring thought of the Bible. Not only do they treat of
the great themes of life and death, but they treat of them in the most
solemn and impressive manner. They are like organ music, not pleasing
the ear by the delicacy of rhythm, not having the rhyme and melody of
lyric verse, but moving with grandeur and sublimity of thought in the
higher ranges of being. Thus they form the fitting climax for all the
wealth of song and story which precedes them.

{413}

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVICE

PAUL'S EPISTLES

The letters of a man tell us more about him than any books he could
write. Now Paul never wrote any books; but he wrote many letters. Some
were to the churches he had founded; some to his fellow workers. Some
of these letters were preserved and are in the Bible under the name of
Epistles. Even in these letters others are mentioned which are not
preserved. We have two letters to the Corinthian Church, but in them
Paul mentions other letters which he wrote to that church. In the
letter to the Colossian Church, he mentions a letter to the church at
Laodicea, a city near to Colosse. It is fair to suppose that many
other letters have also been lost. Probably the best and most
important of his letters were preserved. These letters are the outcome
of long thought. They were on subjects that Paul had considered for
many years. The writing of the letters, however, was often the work of
a short time, and their expression is not smooth and polished and
carefully wrought. Sometimes, as in the case of Galatians, the letter
was written because of a situation which he felt demanded immediate
attention. Sometimes, as in the case of I Corinthians, he replied to
letters of questions that had been sent to him from the churches.
Sometimes, as in the case of Philippians, the letter was called out in
thanks for the kindness of the church. The most important letter,
Romans, was written to prepare the church, which he had never visited,
for his expected coming to them. In every case--it is always true of
letters--the occasion of the letter largely determines its style and
tone, but in all cases the spontaneity of the letter-writer is seen.
Paul dictated or wrote his letters hurriedly. He cared less for style
than for thought. Vigor and force mark his writing. He did not try to
imitate the graces of the rhetorician. He did not {414} always follow
out a topic to the end. He sometimes began a sen