, he naturally and properly
did not include himself with those who had already fallen asleep in
speaking of the Lord's return. But this is not to assert that he would
remain alive until the Lord came. Quite probably at this period of his
ministry he entertained the hope that he might remain alive and
consequently lived in an attitude of expectancy, but the attitude of
expectancy is the true attitude in all ages for each believer. It is quite
probable that Paul expected that he would be alive to the coming of the
Lord, but if he did so expect, he did not so teach. The Holy Spirit kept
him from this as from all other errors in his teachings.

6. _The Holy Spirit in the Apostle taught not only the thought (or
__"__concept__"__) but the words in which the thought was to he
expressed._ We read in 1 Cor. ii. 13, A. R. V., "Which things also we
speak not _in words_ which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
teacheth combining spiritual things with _spiritual words_." This passage
clearly teaches that the words, as well as the thought, were chosen and
taught by the Holy Spirit. This is also a necessary inference from the
fact that thought is conveyed from mind to mind by words and it is the
words which express the thought, and if the words were imperfect, the
thought expressed in these words would necessarily be imperfect and to
that extent be untrue. Nothing could be plainer than Paul's statement "_in
words_ which the Spirit teacheth." The Holy Spirit has Himself anticipated
all the modern ingenious and wholly unbiblical and false theories
regarding His own work in the Apostles. The more carefully and minutely we
study _the wording_ of the statements of this wonderful Book, the more we
will become convinced of the marvellous accuracy of the words used to
express the thought. Very often the solution of an apparent difficulty is
found in studying the exact words used. The accuracy, precision and
inerrancy of the exact words used is amazing. To the superficial student,
the doctrine of verbal inspiration may appear questionable or even absurd;
any regenerated and Spirit-taught man, who _ponders the words_ of the
Scripture day after day and year after year, will become convinced that
the wisdom of God is in the very words, as well as in the thought which
the words endeavour to convey. A change of a word, or letter, or a tense,
or case, or number, in many instances would land us into contradiction or
untruth, but taking _the w