¦¦¦'.- YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation with Yale University Library, 2008. You may not reproduce this digitized copy of the book for any purpose other than for scholarship, research, educational, or, in limited quantity, personal use. You may not distribute or provide access to this digitized copy (or modified or partial versions of it) for commercial purposes. En.grarefl.l)jr Cba.tEea.th ftfbbshedhy Tfu>JT-y:/ iTitnifsi,/, PARAPHRASE AND NOTES ON THE EPISTLES OF ST. PAUL GALATIANS, I. AND II. CORINTHIANS, ROMANS, AND EPHESIANS. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, AN ESSAY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES, BY CONSULTING ST. PAUL HIMSELF. BY JOHN LOCKE. LONDON : PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG ; W. SHARPE AND SON ; G. OFFOR ; G. AND J. ROBINSON ; J. EVANS AND CO. : ALSO R. GRIFFIN AND CO. GLASGOW ; AND J. CUMMING, DUBLIN. 1823. b\lz1l 07^ LONDON: PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVISON, Vf HITEFRIARS. CONTENTS. Page An Essay for the Understanding of St. Paul's Epistles, by consulting St. Paul himself .... 1 A Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's Epistle to the Gala- tians ......... 25 A Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians 73 A Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians .184 A Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans 245 A Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephe- sians 387 Index. PARAPHRASE AND NOTES EPISTLES OF ST. PAUL TO THE GALATIANS, CORINTHIANS, ROMANS, EPHESIANS. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, AN ESSAY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES, BY CONSULTING ST. PAUL HIMSELF. AN ESSAY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES, BY CONSULTING ST. PAUL HIMSELF. THE PREFACE. To go about to explain any of St. Paul's epistles, after so great a train of expositors and commentators, might seem an attempt of" vanity, censurable for its Heedlessness, did not the daily and approved examples of pious and learned men justify it. This may be some excuse for me to the public, if ever these follow ing papers should chance to come abroad : but to my self, for whose use this work was undertaken, I need make no apology. Though I had been conversant in these epistles, as well as in other parts of sacred Scrip ture, yet I found that I understood them not ; I mean the doctrinal and discursive parts of them : though the B 2 4> Preface. practical directions, which are usually dropped in the latter part of each epistle, appeared to me very plain, intelligible, and instructive. I did not, when I reflected on it, very much wonder that this part of sacred Scripture had difficulties in it : many causes of obscurity did readily occur to me. The nature of epistolary writings in general disposes the writer to pass by the mentioning of many things, as well known to him to whom his letter is addressed, which are necessary to be laid open to a stranger, to make him comprehend what is said : and it not seldom falls out that a well-penned letter, which is very easy and intelligible to the receiver, is very obscure to a stranger, who hardly knows what to make of it. The matters that St. Paul writ about were certainly things well known to those he writ to, and which they had some peculiar concern in ; which made them easily apprehend his meaning, and see the tendency and force of his discourse. But we having now, at this distance, no information of the occasion of his writing, little or no knowledge of the temper and circumstances those he writ to were in, but what is to be gathered out of the epistles themselves ; it is not strange that many things in them lie concealed to us, which, no doubt, they who were concerned in the letter understood at first sight. Add to this, that in many places it is manifest he answers letters sent, and questions proposed to him, which, if wTe had, would much better clear those passages that relate to them than all the learned notes of critics and commentators, who in after-times fill us with their conjectures ; for very often, as to the matter in hand, they are nothing else. The language wherein these epistles are writ is ano ther, and that no small occasion of their obscurity to us now : the words are Greek ; a language dead many ages since ; a language of a very witty, volatile people, seekers after novelty, and abounding with variety of notions and sects, to Which they applied the terms of their com mon tongue with great liberty and variety : and yet this makes but one small part of the difficulty in the lan guage of these epistles ; there is a peculiarity in it that Preface. 5 much more obscures and perplexes the meaning of these writings than what can be occasioned by the looseness and variety of the Greek tongue. The terms are Greek, but the idiom, or turn of the phrases, may be truly said to be Hebrew or Syriac. The custom and familiarity of which tongues do sometimes so far influence the ex pressions in these epistles, that one may observe the force of the Hebrew conjugations, particularly that of'Hiphil, given to Greek verbs, in a way unknown to the Gre cians themselves. Nor is this all ; the subject treated of in these epistles is so wholly new, and the doctrines contained in them so perfectly remote from the notions that mankind were acquainted with, that most of the important terms in it have quite another signification from what they have in other discourses. So that put ting all together, we may truly say that the New Testa-" ment is a book written in a language peculiar to itself.^ To these causes of obscurity, common to St. Paul, with most of the other penmen of the several, books of the NewTestament, we may add those that are peculiarly his, and owing to his style and temper. He was, as it is visible, a man of quick thought and warm temper, mighty well versed in the writings of the Old Testament, . and full of the doctrine of the new. All this put toge ther, suggested matter to him in abundance on those subjects which came in his way : so that one may con sider him, when he was writing, as beset with a crowd of thoughts, all striving for utterance. In this posture of mind it was almost impossible for him to keep that slow pace, and observe minutely that order and-method of ranging all he said, from which results an easy and obvious perspicuity. To this plenty and vehemence of his may be imputed those many large parentheses which a careful reader may observe in his epistles. Upon this account also it is, that he often breaks off in the middle of an argument, to let in some new thought suggested by his own words ; which having pursued and explained, as far as conduced to his present purpose, he re-assumes again the thread of his discourse, and goes on with it, without taking any notice that he returns again to what he had been before saying ; though some- 6 Preface. times it be-so far offj that it may well have slipped out of his mind, and requires a very attentive reader to ob serve, and so bring the disjointed members together, as to make up the connexion, and see how the scattered parts of the discourse bang together in a coherent,, well-agreeing sense, that makes it all of a piece. Besides the disturbance in perusing St. Paul's epistles, from the plenty and vivacity of his thoughts, which may obscure his method, and often hide his sense from an unwary or over-hasty reader j the frequent changing of the personage he speaks in renders the sense very un- certatn» and is apt to mislead one that has not some clue to guide him ; sometimes by the pronoun, I, he means- himself j sometimes any Christian ; sometimes a Jew,, and sometimes any man, &c. If speaking of himself, in the first person singular, has so various meanings j his use of the first person plural is with a far greater latitude, sometimes designing himself alone, sometimes those with himself, whom he makes partners to the epistles ; sometimes with himself, comprehending the other apostles, or preachers of the Gospel, or Christians ; uay» sometimes he in that way speaks of the converted Jews, other times of the converted Gentiles* and some times of others, in a more or less extended sense, every one of which varies the meaning of the place,and makes it to be differently understood. I have forborne to trouble the reader with examples of them here. If his own observation hath not already furnished him with them, the following Paraphrase and Notes* I suppose* will satisfy him in the point. In the current also of his discourse he sometimes drops in the objections of others, and his answers to* them, without any change in the scheme of his language* that might give notice of any other speaking besides himself. This requires great attention to observe ; and yet, if it he neglected or overlooked, will make the reader very much mistake and misunderstand his mean ing, and render the sense very perplexed. These are intrinsic difficulties arising from the text itself, whereof there might be a great many ether named, as the uncertainty, sometimes, w&q are the persons he Preface. 7 speaks to, or the opinions, or practices, which he has in his eye, sometimes in alluding to them, sometimes in his. exhortations and reproofs. But those above-men tioned being the chief, it may suffice to have opened our eyes a little upon them* which, well examined', may contribute towards our discovery of the rest. To these we may subjoin two external causes, that have made no small increase of the native and original difficulties, that keep us from an easy and assured dis covery of St. Paul's sense, in many parts of his epistles; and those are, « First, The dividing of them into chapters, and verses, as we have done ; whereby they are so chopped and minced, and, as they are now printed, stand so broken and divided, that not only the common people take the verses usually for distinct aphorisms ; but even men of more advanced knowledge, in reading them, lose very much of the strength and force of the coherence and the light that depends on it. Our minds are so weak and narrow* that they have need of all the helps and assistances that can be procured, to lay before them un disturbedly the thread and coherence of any discourse; by which alone they are truly improved,, and led into the. genuine sense of the, author. When the eye is con stantly disturbed in loose sentences, that by their stand ing and separation appear as so many distinct frag ments ;, the mind will, have much ado to take in, and carny on in* its memory, an uniform discourse of de pendent reasonings;, especially having from the cradle been used to wrong impressions concerning them, and constantly accustomed to hear them quoted as distinct sentences, without any limitation or explication of their precise meaning,, from the place they stand ini aadthe relation they bear to what goes before* or follows. These divisions also have given occasion to the reading these epistles by parcels, and in serapsi,.which has farther confirmed the evil arising from such partitions. And I doubt not but every one will confess it to be a very unlikely way, to come to the understanding of any other letters, tQ' read them piece-meal, a bit to-day, and ano ther scrap to-morrow, and so on by broken intervals ; 8 Preface. especially if the pause and cessation should be made, as the chapters the apostle's epistles are divided into, do end sometimes in the middleof a discourse, and some times in the middle of a sentence. It cannot therefore but be wondered that that should be permitted to be done to holy writ, which would visibly disturb the sense, and hinder the understanding of any other book whatsoever. If Tully's epistles were so printed, and so used, I ask, Whether they would not be much harder to be understood, less easy, and less pleasant to be read, by much, than now they are ? - How plain soever this abuse is, and what prejudice soever it does to the understanding of the sacred Scrip ture, yet if a Bible was printed as it should be, and as the several parts of it were writ, in continued discourses, where the argument is continued, I doubt not but the several parties would complain of it, as an innovation, and a dangerous change in the publishing those holy books. And indeed, those who are for maintaining their opinions, and the systems of parties, by sound of words, with a neglect of the true sense of Scripture, would have reason to make and foment the outcry. They would most of them be immediately disarmed of their great magazine of artillery, wherewith they defend themselves and fall upon others. If the holy Scrip ture were but laid before the eyes of Christians, in its connexion and consistency, it would not then be so easy to snatch out a few words, as if they were separate from, the rest, to serve a purpose, to which they do not at all belong, and with which they have nothing to do. But as the matter now stands, he that has a mind to it, may at a cheap rate be a notable champion for the truth* that is, for the doctrines of the sect that chance or interest has cast him into. He need but be furnished with verses of sacred Scripture, containing words and expressions that are but flexible (as all general obscure and doubtful ones are), and his system, that has appro priated, them to the orthodoxy of his church, makes them immediately strong and irrefragable arguments •for his opinion. This. is the benefit of loose sentences and Scripture crumbled into verses, which quickly turn Preface, 9 into independent aphorisms. But if the quotation in the verse produced were considered as a part of a con tinued coherent discourse, and so its sense were limited by the tenour of the context, most of these forward and warm disputants would be quite stripped of those, which they doubt not now to call spiritual weapons; and they would have often nothing to say, that would not show their weakness, and manifestly fly in their faces. I crave leave to setdown a saying of the learned and ju dicious Mr. Selden : " In interpreting the Scripture," says he, " many do as if a man should' see one have ten pounds, which he reckoned by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, meaning four was but four units, and five five units, &c. and that he had in all but ten pounds : the other that sees him, takes not the figures together as he doth, but picks here and there ; and thereupon reports that he had five pounds in one bag, and six pounds in an ano ther bag, and nine pounds in another bag, &c. when as, in truth, he has but ten pounds in all. So we pick out a text here and there, to make it serve our turn ; whereas if we take it altogether, and consider what went before, and what followed after, we should find it meant no such thing." s I have heard sober Christians very much admire, why ordinary illiterate people, who were professors, that showed a concern for religion, seemed much more con versant in St. Paul's epistles than in the plainer, and (as it seemed to them) much more intelligible parts of the New Testament ; they confessed, that, though they read St. Paul's epistles with their best attention, yet they generally found them too hard to be mastered ; and they laboured in vain so far to reach the apostle's meaning, all along in the train of what he said, as to read them with that satisfaction that arises from a feel ing that we understand and fully comprehend the force and reasoning of an author; and therefore they could not imagine what those saw in them, whose eyes they thought not much better than their own. But the case was plain ; these sober inquisitive readers had a mind to see nothing in St. Paul's epistles but just what he meant; whereas those others, of a quicker. and gayer 10 Preface. sight, could see in them what they pleased. Nothing is more acceptable to fancy than pliant terms, and expressions that are not obstinate; in such it can find its account with delight, and with them be illuminated, orthodox* infallible at pleasure, and in its own way. But where the sense of the author goes visibly in its own train, and the words, receiving a determined sense from their companions and adjacents, will not consent to give countenance and colour to what is agreed to be right, and must be supported at any*rate, there men of established orthodoxy do not so well find their satis faction. And perhaps, if it were well examined, it would be no very extravagant paradox to say, that there are fewer that bring their opinions to the sacred Scripture, to be tried by that infallible rule, than bring, the sacred Scripture to their opinions, to bend it to- them, to make it, as they can, a cover and guard to them. And to this purpose, its being divided into verses, and brought, as much as may be, into loose and general aphorisms, makes it most useful and service able* And in this lies the other great cause of ob scurity and perplexedness which has been cast upon St. Paul's epistles from without. St. 'Paul's epistles, as they stand translated in our English Bibles, are now, by long and constant use, be come a part of the English language, and common phraseology, especially in matters of religion : this every one uses familiarly, and thinks he understands ; but it must be observed, that if he has a distinct meaning when he uses those words and phrases, and knows him self what he intends by them, it is always according to the sense of his own system, and the articles, or inter pretations, of the society he is engaged in. So that all this knowledge and understanding, which he has in the use of these passages of sacred Scripture, reaches no farther- than this, that he knows (and that is very well) what he himself says, but thereby knows nothing at all what St. Paul said in them. The apostle writ not by that man's system, and so his meaning cannot be known by it. This being the ordinary way of understanding the epistles, and every sect being perfectly orthodox in Preface. 1 1 his own judgment ; what a great and invincible dark ness must this cast upon St. Paul's meaning, to all those of that way, in all those places where his thoughts and sense run counter to what any party has espoused for orthodox ; as it must, unavoidably, to all but one of the different systems, in all those passages that any way re late to the points in controversy between them ! This is a mischief, which however frequent, and almost natural, reaches so far, that it would justly make all those who depend upon them wholly diffident of commentators, and let them see how little help was to be expected from them, in relying on them for the true sense of the sacred Scripture, did they not take care to help to cozen themselves, by choosing to use and pin their faith on such expositors as explain the sacred Scripture in favour of those .opinions that they before hand have voted orthodox, and bring to the sacred Scripture, not for trial, but confirmation. Nobody can think that any text of St. Paul's epistles has two con trary meanings ; and yet so it must have, to two different men, who taking two commentators of different sects for their respective guides into the sense of any one of the epistles, shall build upontheir respective expositions. We need go: no further for a proof of it than the notes of the two celebrated commentators on the New Testa ment, Dr. Hammond and Beza, both men of parts and learning, and both thought, by their followers, men mighty in the sacred Scriptures. So that here we see the hopes of great benefit and light, from expositors and commentators, is in agreat part abated ; and those who have most need of their help can receive but little from them, andean have very little assurance of reaching the apostle's sense, by what they find in them, whilst matters remain in the same state they are in at present. For those who find they need help, and would borrow light feom. expositors*, either consult only those who have the good luck to> be thought sound and orthodox, avoiding those ©f different sentiments from themselves, in the great and approved points of their systems, as danger ous and not fit to be meddled with ; or else with indif- leareney look into the notes of all commentators pi?o- 12 Preface. miscuously. " The first of these take pains Only to con firm themselves in the opinions and tenets they have already, which whether it be the way to get the true meaning of what St. Paul delivered, is easy to deter mine. The others, with much more fairness to them selves, though with reaping little more advantage (un less they have something else to guide them into the apostle's meaning than the comments themselves), seek help on all hands, and refuse not to be taught by any one who offers to enlighten them in any of the dark passages. But here, though they avoid the mischief, which the others fall into, of being confined in their sense, and seeing nothing but that in St. Paul's writings, be it right or wrong ; yet they run into as great on the other side, and instead of being confirmed in the mean ing that they thought they saw in the text, are distracted ^ with a hundred, suggested by those they advised with ; and so, instead of that one sense of the Scripture, which they carried with them to their commentators, return from them with none at all. This, indeed, seems to make the case desperate : for if the comments and expositions of pious and learned men cannot be depended on, whither shall we go for help ? To which I answer, I would not be mistaken, as if I thought the labours of the learned in this case wholly lost and fruitless. There is great use and benefit to be made of them, when we have once got a rule to know which of their expositions, in the great variety there is of them, explains the words and phrases according to the apostle's meaning. Until then it is evident, from what is above said, they serve for the most part to no other use, but either to make us find our own sense and not his, in St. Paul's words ; or else to find in them no settled sense at all. Here it will be asked, " How shall we come by this rule you mentioned ?' Where is that touchstone to be had, ' that will show us, whether the meaning We ourselves put, or take as put by others, upon St. Paul's words, in his epistles, be truly his meaning or no ?" I will not say the way which I propose and have in the following Paraphrase followed, will make Preface. 13 us infallible in our interpretations of the apostle's text : but this I will own, that till I took this way, St. Paul's epistles, to me, in the ordinary way of reading and studying them, were very obscure parts of Scripture, that left me almost every where at a loss ; and I was at a great uncertainty in which of the contrary senses, that were to be found in his commentators, he was to be taken. , Whether what I have done has made it any clearer and more visible, now, I must leave others to j udge. This I beg leave to say for myself, that if some very sober, judicious Christians, no strangers to the sacred Scriptures, nay, learned divines of the church of England, had not professed, that by the perusal of these following papers, they understood the epistles much better than they did before, and had not, with repeated instances, pressed me to publish them, I should not have consented they should have gone beyond my own private use, for which they were at first designed, and where they made me not repent my pains. If any one be so far pleased with my endeavours, as to think it worth while to be informed, what was the clue I guided myself by, through all the dark passages of these epistles, I shall minutely tell him the steps by which I was brought into this way, that he may judge whether I proceed rationally, upon right grounds, or no ; if so be any thing, in so mean an example as mine, may be worth his notice. After I had found, by long experience, that the read ing of "the text and comments in the ordinary way proved not so successful as I wished, to the end pro posed, I began to suspect, that in reading a chapter as was usual, and thereupon sometimes consulting exposi tors upon some hard places of it, which at that time most affected me, as relating to points then under con sideration in my own mind, or in debate amongst others, was not a right method to get into the true sense of these epistles. I saw plainly, after I began once to re flect on it, that if any one now should write me a letter, as long as St. Paul's to the Romans, concerning such a matter as that is, in a style as foreign, and expressions as dubious, as his seem to be, if I should divide it into 14 Preface. fifteen or sixteen chapters, and read of them one to day, and another to-morrow, &c. it was ten to one I should never come to a full and clear comprehension of it. The way to understand the mind of him that writ it, every one would agree, was to read the whole letter through, from one end to the other, all at once, to see what was the main subject and tendency of it: or if it had several views and purposes in it, not dependent one of another, nor in a subordination to one chief aim and end, to discover what those different matters were, and where the author concluded one, and began ano ther ; and if there were any necessity of dividing the epistle into parts, to make these the boundaries of them. In prosecution of this thought, I concluded it neces sary, for the understanding of any one of St. Paul's epistles, to read it all through at one sitting ; and to observe, as well as I could, the drift and design of his writing it. If the first reading gave me some light, the second gave me more ; and so I persisted on, reading constantly the whole epistle over at once, till I came to have a good general view of the apostle's main purpose in writing the epistle, the chief branches of his dis course wherein he prosecuted it, the arguments he used* and the disposition of the whole. This, I confess, is not to be obtained by one or two hasty readings ; it must be repeated again and again, with a close attention to the tenour of the discourse, and a perfect neglect of the divisions into chapters and verses. On the contrary, the safest way is to suppose that the epistle has but one business, and one aim, un til, by a frequent perusal of it, you are forced to see there are distinct independent matters in it, which will forwardly enough show themselves. It requires so much more pains, judgment, and appli- , cation, to find the coherence of obscure and abstruse writings, and makes them so much the more unfit to serve prejudice and pre-occupation, when found ; that it is not to be wondered that St. Paul's epistles have with many, passed rather for disjointed, loose, pious discourses, full of warmth and zeal and overflows of light, rather than for calm, strong, coherent reasonings, Preface. 15 that carried a thread of argument and consistency all through them. But this muttering of lazy or ill-disposed readers hindered me not from persisting in the course I had begun : I continued to read the same epistle over and over, and over agaiu, until I came to discover, as appeared to me, what was the drift and aim of it, and by what steps and arguments St. Paul prosecuted his purpose. I remembered that St Paul was miraculously called to the ministry of the Gospel, and declared to be a chosen vessel ; that he had the whole doctrine of the Gospel from God, by immediate revelation ; and was appointed to be the apostle of the Gentiles, for the propagating of it in the heathen world. This was enough to persuade me, that he was not a man of loose and shattered parts, incapable to argue, and unfit to convince those he had to deal with. God knows how to choose fit instruments for the business he employs them in. A large stock of Jewish learning he had taken in, at the feet of Gamaliel ; and for his informa tion in Christian knowledge, and the mysteries and depths of the dispensation of grace by Jesus Christ, God himself had condescended to he his instructor and teacher. The light of the Gospel he had received from the Fountain and Father of light himself, who, I con cluded, had not furnished him in this extraordinary manner, if all this plentiful stock of learning and illu mination had been in danger to have been lost, or proved useless, in a jumbled and confused head ; nor have laid up such a store of admirable and useful knowledge in a man, who, for want of method and order, clearness of conception, or pertinency in discourse, could not draw it out into use with the greatest advantages of force and. coherence. That he knew how to prosecute this purpose with strength of argument and close reasoning, without incoherent sallies, Or the intermixing of things foreign to his business, was evident to me, from several speeches of his, recorded in the Acts : and it was hard to think, that a man, that could talk with so much consistency and clearness of conviction should not be able to write without confusion, inextricable obscurity, 16 Preface. and perpetual rambling. The force, Order, and perspi cuity of those discourses, could not be denied to be very visible. How then came it, that the like was thought, much wanting in his epistles? And of this there appeared to me this plain reason : the particu larities of the history, in which jhese speeches are in serted, show St. Paul's end in speaking ; which, being seen, casts a light on the whole, and shows the perti nency of all that he says. But his epistles not .being so circumstantiated ; , there being no. concurring history, that plainly declares the disposition St. Paul was in ; ;what the actions, expectations, or demands of. those to whom he writ required him to speak to, we are no where told. All this, and a great deal more, necessary to guide us into the true meaning of the epistles, is to be had only from the epistles themselves, and to be gathered from thence with stubborn attention, and more than common application. This being the only safe guide (under the. Spirit of God, that dictated these sacred writings) that can be relied on, I hope I may be excused, if I venture to say that the utmost ought to be done to observe and trace out St. Paul's reasonings ; to follow the thread of his discourse in each of his epistles ; to show how it goes on, still directed with the same view, and pertinently drawing the several incidents towards the same point. To understand him right, his inferences should be strictly observed ; and it should be carefully examined from what they are drawn, and what they tend to. He is certainly a coherent, argumentative, pertinent writer- and care, I think, should be taken, in expounding of him, to show, that he is so. But though I say he has weighty aims in his epistles, which he steadily keeps in his eye, and drives at in all he says ; yet I do not say, that he puts his discourses into an artificial method or leads his reader into a distinction of his arguments' or gives them notice of new matter, by rhetorical' or studied transitions. He has no ornaments borrowed from the Greek eloquence ; no notions of their philo sophy mixed with his doctrine, to set it off. The en ticing words of, man's wisdom, whereby he means all Preface. 17 the studied rules of the Grecian schools, which made them such masters in the art of speaking, he, as he says himself, 1 Cor. ii. 4, wrholly neglected. The reason whereof he gives in the next verse, and in other places. But? though politeness of language, delicacy of style, fineness of expression, laboured periods, artificial transi tions, and a very methodical ranging of the parts, with such other embellishments as make a discourse enter the mind smoothly, and strike the fancy at first hearing, have little or no place in his style ; yet coherence of discourse, and a direct tendency of all the parts of it to the argument in hand, are most eminently to be found in him. This I take to be his character, and doubt not but it will be found to be so upon diligent examination. And in this, if it be so, we have a clue, if we will take the pains to find it, that will conduct us with surety through those seemingly dark places, and imagined in tricacies, in which Christians have wandered so far one from another, as to find quite contrary senses. Whether a superficial reading, accompanied with the common opinion of his invincible obscurity, has kept off some from seeking, in him, the coherence of a dis- course, tending with close, strong reasoning to a point ; or a seemingly more honourable opinion of one that had been rapt up into the third heaven, as if from a man so warmed and illuminated as he had been, no thing could be expected but flashes of light, and rap tures of zeal, hindered others to look for a train of rea soning, proceeding on regular and cogent argumenta tion, from a man raised above the ordinary pitch of humanity, to a higher and brighter way of illumination ; or else, whether others were loth to beat their heads about the tenour and coherence in St. Paul's discourses ; which, if found out, possibly might set them at a mani fest and irreconcileable difference with their systems ; it is certain that, whatever hath been the cause, this way of getting the true sense of St. Paul's epistles seems not to have been much made use of, or at least so tho roughly pursued, as I am apt to think it deserves. For, granting that he was full stored with the know ledge of the things he treated of; for he had light from c 18 Preface. heaven, it was God himself furnished him, and he could not want : allowing also that he had ability to make use of the knowledge had been given him, for the end for which it was given him, viz. the information, con viction, and conversion of others ; and accordingly, that he knew how to direct his discourse to the point in hand : we cannot widely mistake the parts of his discourse employed about it, when we have any where found out the point he drives at : wherever we have got a view of his design, and the aim he proposed to himself in writing, we may be sure, that such* or such an interpretation does not give us his genuine sense, it being nothing at all to his present purpose. Nay, among various meanings given a text, it fails not to direct us to the best, and very often to assure us of the true. For it is no presumption, when one sees a man arguing for this or that proposition, if he be a sober man, ma ster of reason or common sense, and takes any care of what he says, to pronounce with confidence, in several cases, that he could not talk thus or thus. I do not yet sc magnify this method of studying St. Paul's epistles, as well as other parts of sacred Scripture, as to think it will perfectly clear every hard place, and leave no doubt unresolved. I know, expressions now out of use, opinions of those times not heard of in our days, allusions to customs lost to us, and various circumstances and particularities of the parties, which we cannot come at, &c.must needs continue several passages in the dark, now to us, at this distance, which shone with full light to those they were directed to. But for all that, the study ing of St. Paul's epistles, in the way I have proposed, will, I humbly conceive, carry us a great length in the right understanding of them, and make us rejoice in the light we receive from those most useful parts of di vine revelation, by furnishing us with visible grounds that we are not mistaken, whilst the consistency of the discourse, and the pertinency of it to the design he is upon, vouches it worthy of our great apostle. At least 1 hope it may be my excuse, for having endeavoured to make St. Paul an interpreter to me of his own epistles. Preface. 19 To this may be added another help, which St. Paul himself affords us, towards the attaining the true mean ing contained in. his epistles. He that reads him with the attention I propose will easily observe, that as he was full of the doctrine of the Gospel, so it lay all clear and in order, open to his view. When he gave his thoughts utterance upon any point, the matter flowed like a torrent ; but it is plain, it was a matter he was perfectly master of: he fully possessed the entire revela tion he had received from God ; hadthoroughly digested it ; all the parts were formed together in his mind, into one well-contracted harmonious body. So that he was no way at an uncertainty, nor ever, in the least, at a loss concerning any branch of it. One may see his thoughts were all of a piece in all his epistles, his notions were at all times uniform, and constantly the same, though his expressions very various. In them he seems to take great liberty. This at least is certain, that no one seems less tied up to a form of words. If then, having, by the method before proposed, got into the sense of the several epistles, we will but compare what he says, in the places where he treats of the same subject, we can hardly be mistaken in his sense, nor doubt what it was that he be lieved and taught, concerning those points of the Chri stian religion. I known it is not unusual to find a multi tude of texts heaped up, for the maintaining of an espoused proposition ; but in a sense often so remote from their true meaning, that one can hardly avoid thinking, that those, who so used them, either sought not, or valued not the sense ; and were satisfied with the sound, where they could but get that to favour them. But a verbal concordance leads not always to texts of the same meaning ; trusting too much thereto will furnish us but with slight proofs in many cases, and any one may observe, how apt that is to jumble together passages of Scripture, not relating to the same matter, and thereby to disturb and unsettle the true meaning of holy Scripture. I have therefore said, that we should compare together places of Scripture treating of the same point. Thus, indeed, one part of the sacred text could not fail to give light unto another. And since c 2 20 Preface. the providence of God hath so ordered it, that St. Paul has writ a great number of epistles ; which, though upon different occasions, and to several purposes, yet all con fined within the business of his apostleship, and so con tain nothing but points of Christian instruction, amongst which he seldom fails to drop in, and often to enlarge on, the great and distinguishing doctrines of our holy religion; which, if quitting our own infallibility in that analogy of faith, wh^ch we have made to ourselves, or have implicity adopted from some other, we would carefully lay together, and diligently compare and study, I. am apt to think, would give us St. Paul's system in a clear and indisputable sense ; which every one must acknowledge to be a better standard to interpret his meaning by, in any obscure and doubtful parts of his epistles, if any such should still remain, than the system, confession, or articles of any church, or society of Chri stians, yet known ; which, however pretended to be founded on Scripture, are visibly the contrivances of men, fallible both in their opinions and interpretations; and, as is visible in most of them, made with partial* views, and adapted to what the occasions of that time, and the present circumstances they were then in, were thought to require, for the support or justification of themselves. Their philosophy, also, has its part in mis leading men from the true sense of the sacred Scripture. He that shall attentively read the Christian writers, after the age of the apostles, will easily find how much the philosophy they were tinctured with influenced them in their understanding of the books of the Old and New Testament. In the ages wherein Platonism prevailed, the converts to Christianity of that school, on all occa sions, interpreted holy writ according to the notions they had imbibed from that philosophy. Aristotle's doctrine had the same effect in its turn ; and when it de generated into, the peripateticism of the schools, that, too, brought its notions and distinctions into divinity^ and affixed them to the terms of the sacred Scripture! And we may see still how, at this day, every one's phi losophy regulates every one's interpretation of the word of God. Those who are possessed with the doctrine of Preface. 21 aerial and ethereal vehicles, have thence borrowed an interpretation of the four first verses of 2 Cor. v. with out .having any ground to think that St. Paul had the least notion of any such vehicle. It is plain, that the teaching of men philosophy was no part of the design of divine revelation ; but that the expressions of Scrip ture are commonly suited, in those matters, to the vulgar apprehensions and conceptions of the place and people where they were delivered. And, as to the doctrine therein directly taught by the apostles, that tends wholly to the setting up the kingdom of Jesus Christ in this world, and the salvation of men's souls : :and in this it is plain their expressions were conformed to the ideas and notions which they had received from revelation, orowere consequent from it. We shall, therefore, in vain; go, about to interpret their words by the notions of our philosophy, and the doctrines of men delivered' in our schools. This is to explain the apostles' meaning by what they never thought of whilst they were writing ; which is not the way to find their sense, in Vhat they delivered, but our own, and to take up, from their writings, not what they left there for us, but what we bring along with us in ourselves. He that would understand St. Paul right, must understand his terms, in the sense he uses them, and not as they are appro priated, by each man's particular philosophy, to concep tions that never entered the mind of the apostle. For example, he that shall bring the philosophy now taught and received, to the explaining of spirit, soul, and body, mentioned 1 Thess. v. 23, will, I fear, hardly reach St. Paul's sense, or represent to himself the notions St. Paul then had in. his mind. That is what we should aim at, in reading him, or any other author ; and until we, from his words, paint his very. ideas and thoughts in our minds, we do not understand him. In the ; divisions I have made, I have endeavoured, the best I could, to govern myself by the- diversity of matter. But in a writer like St. Paul, it is not so easy always to find precisely where one subject ends, and another begins. , He is full of the matter he treats, and 22 Preface. writes with warmth, which usually neglects method, and those partitions and pauses, which men, educated in the schools of rhetoricians, usually observe. Those arts of writing St. Paul, as well out of design as temper, wholly laid by : the subject he had in hand, and the grounds upon which it stood firm, and by which he enforced it, were what alone he minded ; and without solemnly winding up one argument, and intimating any way that he began another, let his thoughts, which were fully possessed of the matter, run in one continued train, wherein the parts of his discourse were wove one into another : so that it is seldom that the scheme of his discourse makes any gap ; and, therefore, without breaking in upon the connexion* of his language, it is hardly possible to separate his discourse, and give a distinct view of his several arguments, in distinct sections. I am far from pretending infallibility, in the sense I have any where given in my paraphrase, or notes : that would be to erect myself into an apostle ; a presumption of the highest nature in any one, that cannot confirm" what he says by miracles. I have, for my own in formation, sought the true meaning, as far as my poor abilities would reach. And I have unbiassedly em braced what, upon a fair inquiry, appeared so to me. This I thought my duty and interest, in a matter of so great concernment to me. If I must believe for myself, it is unavoidable that I must understand for myself. For if I blindly, and with an implicit faith, take the pope's interpretation of the sacred Scripture, without examining whether it be Christ's meaning, it is the pope I believe in, and not in Christ ; it is his authority I rest upon ; it is what he says, I embrace : for what it is Christ says, I neither know nor concern myself. It is the same thing, when I set up any other man in Christ's place, and make him the authentic inter preter of sacred Scripture to myself. He may possibly understand the sacred Scripture as right as any man : but I shall do well to examine myself, whether that" which I do not know, nay, which (in the way I take) f Preface. 23 can never know, can justify me in making myself his disciple, instead of Jesus Christ's, who of right is alone, and ought to be, my only Lord and Master : and it will be no less sacrilege in me, to substitute to myself any other in his room, to be a prophet to me, than to be my king or priest. The same reasons that put me upon doing what I have in these papers done, will exempt me from all suspicion of imposing my interpretation on others. The reasons that led me into the meaning, which pre vailed on my mind, are set down with it : as far as they carry light and conviction to any other man's under standing, so far, I hope, my labour may be of some use to him ; beyond the evidence it carries with it, I advise him not to follow mine, nor any man's interpretation. We are all men, liable to errors, and infected with them ; but have this sure way to preserve ourselves, every one, from danger by them, if, laying aside sloth, carelessness, prejudice, party, and a reverence of men, we betake ourselves, in earnest, to the study of the way "to salvation, in those holy writings, wherein God has revealed it from heaven, and proposed it to the world, seeking our religion, where we are sure it is in truth to be found, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. PARAPHRASE AND NOTES EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL GALATIANS. THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER. There is nothing, certainly, of greater encourage ment to the peace of the church in general, nor to the direction and edification of all Christians in particular, than a right understanding of the Holy Scripture. This consideration has set so many learned and pious men amongst us, ofiate years, upon expositions, paraphrases, and notes on the Sacred Writings, that the author of these hopes the fashion may excuse him for endeavour ing to add his mite ; believing, that after all that has been done by those great labourers in the harvest, there maybe some gleanings left, whereof he presumes he has an instance, chap. iii. ver. 20, and some other places of this Epistle to the Galatians, which he looks upon not to be the hardest of St. Paul's. If he has given a light to any obscure passage, he shall think his pains well employed ; if there be nothing else worth notice in him, accept of his good intention. THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE GALATIANS; WRIT FROM EPHESUS, THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 57, OF NERO 3. SYNOPSIS. The subject and design of this epistle of St. Paul is much the same with that of his epistle to the Romans, but treated in somewhat a different manner. The business of it is to dehort and hinder the Galatians from bringing themselves under the bondage of the Mosaical law. St. Paul himself had planted the churches of Galatia, and therefore referring (as he does, chap. i. 8, 9) to what he had before taught them, does not, in this epistle, lay down at large to them the doctrine of the Gospel, as he does in that to the Romans^ who having been con verted to the Christian faith by others, he did not know how far they were instructed in all those particulars, which, on the occasion whereon he writ to them, it might be necessary for them to understand : and there fore, writing to the Romans, he sets before them a large and comprehensive view of the chief heads of the Chri stian religion. 28 Synopsis. He also deals more roundly with his disciples the Galatians than, we may observe, he does with the Ro mans, to whom he, being a stranger, writes not in so familiar a style, nor in his reproofs and exhortations uses so much the tone of a. master, as he does to the Galatians. St. Paul had converted the Galatians to the faith, and erected several churches among them, in the year of our Lord 51 ; between which and the year 57, wherein this epistle was writ, the disorders following were got into those churches : First, Some zealots for the Jewish constitution had very near persuaded them out of their Christian liberty, and made them willing to submit to circumcision, and all the ritual observances of the Jewish church, as ne cessary under the Gospel, chap. i. 7. iii. 3. iv. 9, 10, 21. v. 1, 2, 6, 9, 10. Secondly, Their dissensions and disputes in this matter had raised great animosities amongst them, to the disturbance of their peace, and the setting them at strife with one another, chap. v. 6, 13 — 15. The reforming them in these two points seems to be the main business of this epistle, wherein he endeavours to establish them in a resolution to stand firm in the freedom of the Gospel, which exempts them from the bondage of the Mosaical law : and labours to reduce them to a sincere love and affection one to another ; which he concludes with an exhortation to liberality and general beneficence, especially to their teachers, chap. vi. 6, 10. These being the matters he had in his mind to write to them about, he seems here as if he had done. But, upon mentioning, ver. 11, what a long letter he had writ to them with his own hand, the for mer argument concerning circumcision, which filled and warmed his mind, broke out again into what we find ver. 12 — 17, of the sixth chapter. Chap. I. Galatians. , 29 SECTION I. CHAPTER I. 1-5. INTRODUCTION. CONTENTS. The general view of this epistle plainly shows St. Paul's chief design in it to be, to keep the Galatians from hearkening to those Judaizing seducers, who had almost persuaded them to be circum cised. These perverters of the Gospel of Christ, as St. Paul himself calls them, ver. 7, had, as may be gathered from ver. 8 and 10, and from chap. v. 11, and other passages of this epistle, made the Galatians ' believe, that St. Paul himself was for circumcision. Until St. Paul himself had set them right in this matter, and con vinced them of the falsehood of this aspersion, it was in vain for him, by other arguments, to attempt the re-establishing the Galatians in the Christian liberty, and in that truth which he had preached to them. The removing, therefore, of this calumny was his first endeavour : and to that purpose, this introduction, different from what we find in any other of his epistles, is marvel lously well adapted. He declares, here at the entrance, very expressly and emphatically, that he was not sent by men on their errands ; nay, that Christ, in sending him, did not so much as convey his apostolic power to him by the ministry or intervention of any man ; but that his commission and instructions were all entirely from God, and Christ himself, by immediate revelation. This, of itself, was an argument sufficient to induce them to be lieve, 1. That what he taught them, when he first preached the Gospel to them, was the truth, and that they ought to stick firm to that. % That he changed not his doctrine, whatever might be reported of him. He was Christ's chosen officer, and had no dependence on men's opinions, nor regard to their authority or favour, in what he preached ; and therefore it was not likely lie should preach one thing at one time, and another thing at another. Thus this preface is very proper in this place, to introduce what he is going to say concerning himself, and adds force to his dis course, and the account he gives of himself in the next section. 30 Galatians. Chap. I. TEXT. 1 Paul, an apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead ;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia : 3 Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father : 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. PARAPHRASE. 1 Paul (an apostle not of men a, to serve their ends, or carry on their designs, nor receiving his call, or commission, by the intervention of any man |J, to whom he might be thought to owe any respect or deference upon that account ; but immedi ately from Jesus Christ, and from God the Father, who raised 2 him up from the dead) ; And all the brethren that are with me, 3 unto the churches c of Galatia : Favour be to you, and peace d 4 from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might take us out of this pre sent evil world e, according to the will and good pleasure of God 5 and our Father, To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. NOTES. 1 » Om an' Mpwmvv, " not of men," i. e. not sent by men at their pleasure, or by their authority ; not instructed by men what to say or do, as we see Timothy and Titus were, when sent by St. Paul ; and Judas and Silas, sent by the church of Jerusalem. b OiiSs 8i" iniptlnnv, "nor by man," i. e. his choice and separation to his ministry and apostleship was so wholly an act of God and Christ, that there was no in tervention of any thing done by any man in the case, as there was in the election of Matthias. All this we may see explained at large, ver. 10 — 12, ami ver. 16, 17, and chap. ii. 6— 9. 2 c " Churches of Galatia." This was an evident seal of his apostleship to the Gentiles ; since, in no bigger a country than Galatia, a small province of the lesser Asia, he had, in no long stay among them, planted several distinct churches. 3d" Peace." The wishing of peace, in the Scripture-language, is the wishing of all manner of good. 4 Owing e£e^T]7aj ^otff £« To? mf aiTOs a't&vas orovvjpoS. *' That he might take us out of this present evil word," or age; so the Greek words signify. Whereby it cannot be thought that St. Paul meant, that Christians were to be imme diately removed into the other world. Therefore '&£$¦&; ««uv must signify something else than preseut world, in the ordinary import of those words in English. Aiiiv oJtoc, 1 Cor. ii. 6, 8, and in other places, plainly signifies the Jewish nation, under the Mosaical constitution ; and it suits very well with the apostle's design in this epistle, that it should do so here. God has, in this world, but one kingdom, and one people. The nation of the Jews were the kingdom and people of God, whilst the law stood. And this kingdom of God under the Mosaical constitution, was called aiiiv oJtos, this age, or as it is com monly translated, this world, to which «iiv bir&'s, the present world, or age here Chap. I. Galatians. 31 NOTE. answers. But the kingdom of God, which was to be under the Messiah, wherein the economy and constitution of the Jewish church, and the nation itself, that, in opposition to Christ, adhered to it, was to be laid aside, is in the New Testa ment called ttiun iUs'xxwv, the world, or age to come; so that " Christ's taking them out of the present world" may, without any violence to the words, be un derstood to signify his setting them free from the Mosaical constitution. This is suitable to the design of this epistle, and what St. Paul has declared in many other places. See Col. ii. 14 — 17, and 20, which agrees to this place, and Rom. vii. 4, 6. This law is said to be contrary to us, Col. ii. 14, and to " work wrath," Rom. iv. 15, and St. Paul speaks very diminishingly of the ritual parts of it in many places : but yet if all this may not be thought sufficient to justify the applying of the epithet wovr/pov, evil, to it; that scruple will be re moved if we take hs^ii; «M«, " this present world," here, for the Jewish con stitution and nation together ; in which sense it may very well be called " evil ;" though the apostle, out of his wonted tenderness to his nation, forbears to name them openly, and uses a doubtful expression, which might comprehend the heathen world also ; though he chiefly pointed at the Jews. SECTION II. CHAPTER I. 6.— II. 91. CONTENTS. We have observed, that St. Paul's first endeavour, in this epistle, was to satisfy the Galatians, that the report spread of him, that he preached circumcision, was false. Until this obstruction that lay in his way was removed, it was to no purpose for him to go about to dissuade them from circumcision, though that be what he principally aims, in this epistle. To show them, that he pro moted not circumcision, he calls their hearkening to those who persuaded them to be circumcised, their being removed from him ; and those that so persuaded them, " perverters of the Gospel of Christ," ver. 6, 7. He farther assures them, that the Gospel which he preached every where was that, and that only, which he had received by immediate revelation from Christ, and no con trivance of man, nor did he vary it to please men : that would not consist with his being a servant of Christ, ver. 10. And he ex presses such a firm adherence to what he had received from Christ, and had preached to them, that he pronounces an anathema upon himself, ver. 8, 9, or any other man or angel that should preach any thing else to them. To make out this to have been all along his conduct/he gives an account of himself, for many years back wards, even from the time before his conversion. Wherein he 32 Galatians. Chap. I. shows, that from a zealous persecuting Jew he was made a Ch n- stian, and an apostle, by immediate revelation ; and that, having no communication with the apostles, or with the churches of Judea, or any man, for some years, he had nothing to preach, but what he had received by immediate revelation. Nay, when, fourteen years after,he went up to Jerusalem, it was by revelation ; and when he. there communicated the Gospel, which he preached among the Gentiles, Peter, James, and John, approved of it, without adding any thing, but admitted him as their fellow-apostle. So that, in all this, he was guided by nothing but divine revelation, which he inflexibly stuck to so far, that he openly opposed St. Peter for his Judaizing at Antioch. All which account of him self tends clearly to show, that St. Paul made not the least step towards complying with the Jews, in favour of the law, nor did, out of regard to man, deviate from the doctrine he had received by revelation from God. All the parts of this section, and the narrative contained in it, manifestly concenter in this, as will more fully appear, as we,'go through them, and take a closer view of them ; which will show us, that the whole is so skilfully managed, and the parts so gently slid into, that it is a strong, but not seemingly laboured justifica tion of himself, from the imputation of preaching up circum cision. TEXT. • 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him, that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another Gospel : PARAPHRASE. 6 I cannot but wonder that you are so soon " removed from me b, (who called you into the covenant of grace, which is NOTES. 6 • " So soon." The first place we find Galatia mentioned, is Acts xvi. 6. And therefore St. Paul may be supposed to have planted these churches there, in his journey mentioned Acts xvi. which was anno Domini 61. He visited them again, after he had been at Jerusalem, Acts xviii. 21—23, A. D. 54. From thence he returned to Ephesus, and staid there about two years, during which time this epistle was writ; so that, counting from his last visit, this letter was writ to them within two or three years from the time he was last with them, and had left them confirmed in the doctrine he had taught them ; and therefore he might with reason wmider at their forsaking him so soon, and that Gospel he had converted them to. !•" For him that called you." These words plainly point out himself; but then one might wonder how St. Paul came to use them ; since it would have sounded better to have said, " Removed from the Gospel I preached to you, to another Gospel, thau removed from me that preached to you, to another Gospel." But if it be remembered, that St. Paul's design here, is to vindicate himself from the aspersion cast on him, that he preached circumcision, nothing could be more suitable to that purpose than this way of expressing himself. Chap. I. Galatians. 33 TEXT. 7 Which is not another ; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other Gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God ? Or do I seek to please men ? For, if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. , PARAPHRASE. 7 in Christ) unto another sort of Gospel ; Which is not owing to any thing else ", but only this, that ye are troubled by a certain sort of men, who would overturn the Gospel of Christ, by mak ing circumcision, and the keeping of the law, necessary b under 8 the Gospel. But if even I myself, or an angel from heaven, should preach any thing to you for gospel, different from the 9 Gospel I have preached unto you, let him be accursed. I say it again to you, if any one, under pretence of the Gospel, preach any other thing to you, than what ye have received from me, 10 let him be accursed0. For can it be doubted of me, after having done and suffered so much for the Gospel of Christ, whether I. do now'1, at this time of day, make my court to NOTES. 7 »"o ix eVi» Sxki I take to signify " which i& not any thing else." The words themselves, the context, and the business the apostle is upon here, do all concur to give these words the sense 1 have taken them in. For, 1, If o had referred to eOayyEAion, it would have been more natural to have kept to the word ?tejjo», and not have changed it into S.kkd. 2. It can scarce be supposed, by anyone who reads what St. Paul says, in the following words of this verse, and the two adjoining; and also chap.'iii. 4, and ver. 2 — 4, and 7, that St. Paul should tell them, that what he would keep them from, " is not another Gospel." 3. It is suitable to St. Paul's design here, to tell them, that to their being removed to " another Gospel," nobody else had contributed, but it was wholly owing to those Judaiziug seducers. '• See Acts xv. 1, 5, 23, 24. 9 c" Accursed." Though we may look upon the repetition of the anathema here, to be for the adding of force to what he says, yet we may observe, that by joiuimc himself with an angel, in the foregoing verse, he does as good as tell them, that lie is not guilty of what deserves it, by skilfully insinuating to the Galatians, that. they might as well suspect an angel might preach to them a Gospel different from his, i. e. a false Gospel, as that he himself should : and then, in this verse, lays the anathema, wholly and solely, upon the Judaiziug seducers. 10 d"Af7i, " now," and ?t<, " yet," cannot be understood without a reference to something in St. Paul's past life ; what that was, which he had particularly then in his mind, we may see by the account he gives of himself, in what immediately follows, viz. that before his conversion he was employed by men, in their designs, and made it his business to please them, as may be seen, Acts ix. 1, 2. But when God called him, he received his commission and instructions from him alone, and set immediately about it, without consulting any man whatsoever, B 34 Galatians. Chap." I. TEXT. 1 1 But I certify to you, brethren, that the Gospel, which was preached of me, is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was T taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' re ligion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it : 14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. PARAPHRASE. men, or seek the favour" of God ? If I had hitherto made it my business to please men, I should not have been the servant 11 of Christ, nor taken up the profession of the Gospel. But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel, which has been every where b preached by me, is not such as is pliant to human in- 12 terest, or can be accommodated to the pleasing of men (For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it by any one, as his scholar) ; but it is the pure and unmixed, immediate 13 revelation of Jesus Christ to me. To satisfy you of this, my behaviour, whilst I was of the Jewish religion, is so well known, that I need not tell you how excessive violent I was in per secuting the church of God, and destroying it all I could ; 14 And that being carried on by an extraordinary zeal for the traditions of my forefathers, I out-stripped many students of NOTES. preaching that, and that only, which he had received from Christ. So that it would be senseless folly in him, and no less than the forsaking his Master, Jesus Christ, if he should now, as was reported of him, mix any thing of men's with the pure doctrine of the Gospel, which he had received immediately by revelation from Jesus Christ, to please the Jews, after he had so long preached ouly that ; and had, to avoid all appearance or pretence to the contrary, so carefully shunned all communication with the churches of Judea ; and had not, uutil a good while after, and that very sparingly, conversed with any, and those but a few, of the apostles themselves, some of whom he openly reproved for their Judaizing.' Thus the narrative, subjoined to this verse, explains the " now," and " yet " in it and all tends to the same purpose. ' ¦ nE«w, translated " persuade," is sometimes used for making application to any one to obtain his good will, or friendship ; and hence, Acts xii. 20, xjsbnltf BKi?w is translated " having made Blastus their friend :" the sense is here the same which, 1 Thess. ii. 4, he expresses in these words, »x .tiix-yys^'tfclv J*' ifiS, " which has been preached by me :" this, being spoken indefinitely, must be understood in general, every where, and so is the import of the foregoing verse. Chap. I. Galatians. 85 TEXT. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 1 6 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood : 1 7 Neither went I up to Jerusalem, to them which were apostles before me ; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 1 9 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 2 1 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia : PARAPHRASE. 15 my own age and nation, in Judaism. But when it pleased God (who separated a me from my mother's womb, and by his especial favour called b me to be a Christian, and a preacher of 16 the Gospel). To reveal his Son to me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, T thereupon applied not myself to any 17 manc, for advice what to dod. Neither went I up to Jeru salem to those who were apostles before me, to see whether they approved my doctrine, or to have farther instructions from them : but I went immediately6 unto Arabia, and from 18 thence returned again to Damascus. Then after three yearsf, I went up to Jerusalem, to see Peter, and abode with him 19 fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, but James, 20 the brother of our Lord. These things, that I write to you, I call God to witness, are all true ; there is no falsehood in 21 them. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Ci- NOTES. 15 * " Separated." This may be understood by Jer. i. 5. b " Called." The history of this call, see Acts ix. 1, &c. 16 c " Flesh and blood," is used for man, see Epb. vi. 12. d " For advice :" thi?, and what he says in the following verse, is to evidence to the Galatians the full assurance he had of the truth and perfection of the Gospel, which he had received from Christ, by immediate revelation ; and how little he was disposed to have any regard to the pleasing of men in preaching it, that he did not so much as communicate, or advise, with any of the apostles about it, to see whether they approved of it. 17 e Ei$£u>t, immediately, though placed just before » and vrpoawrfZtiYri, " I conferred not ;" yet it is plain, by the sense and design of St. Paul here, that it principally relates to, "I went into Arabia;" his departure into Arabia, presently upon his conversion, before he had consulted with any body, being made use of, to show that the Gospel he had received by immediate revelation from Jesus Christ was complete, and sufficiently instructed and enabled him to be a preacher and an apostle to the Gentiles, without borrowing any thing from any man, in order thereunto ; no not with any of the apostles, no one of whom he saw, until three years after. 18 '"Three years," i. e. from his conversion. D2 36 Galatians. Chap. II. TEXT. 22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea, which were in Christ. 23 But they had heard only, that he, which persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24 And they glorified God in me. PARAPHRASE. 2% licia. But with the churches of Christ s in Judea, I had had no communication : they had not so much as seen my face1' ; 2% Only they had heard, that I, who formerly persecuted the churches of Christ, did now preach the Gospel, which I once 24 endeavoured to suppress and extirpate. And they glorified God upon my account. NOTES. 22 s " In Christ," i. e. believing in Christ, see Rom. xvi. 7. hThis, which he so particularly takes notice of, does nothing to the proving that he was a true apostle ; but serves very well to show, that, in what he preached, he had no communication with those of his own nation, nor took any care to please the Jews. CHAPTER II. TEXT. 1 Then fourteen years after, I went up again to Jerusalem, with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that Go spel, which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run or had run in vain. PARAPHRASE. 1 Then fourteen years after, I went up again to Jerusalem, 2 with Barnabas, and took Titus also with me. And I went up by revelation, and there laid before them the Gospel which la preached to the Gentiles, but privately, to those who were NOTES. 1"'I communicated." The conference he had in private with the chief of the church of Jerusalem, concerning the Gospel which he preached among the Gen tiles, seems not to- have been barely concerning the doctrine of their bein«- free from the law of Moses, that had been openly aud hotly disputed at Antioch° and was known to be the business they came about to Jerusalem ; but it Is probable Chap. II. Galatians. 37 TEXT. 3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised : PARAPHRASE. of note and reputation amongst them ; lest the pains that I have already taken3, or should take in the Gospel, should be 3 in vain b. But though I communicated the Gospel, which I preached to the Gentiles, to the eminent men of the church at Jerusalem, yet neither c Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, NOTES. it was to explain to them the whole doctrine he had received by revelation, by the fulness and perfection whereof, (for it is said, ver. 6, that, in that con ference, they added nothing to it) and by the miracles he had done in confirm ation of it, (see ver. 8) they might see and own what he preached to be the truth, and him to be one of themselves, both by commission and doctrine, as indeed they did ; auVoTt, "them," signifies those at Jerusalem ; xoct' iS/av Se toij SoxoOo-i, are exegetical, and show the particular manner and persons, import " nempe privatim, eminentioribus." It was enough to his purpose to be owned by those of greatest authority, and so we see he was, by James, Peter, and John, ver. 9, and therefore it was safest and best to give an account of the Gospel he preached in private to them, and not publicly to the whole church. a " Running," St. Paul uses for taking pains in the Gospel. See Phil. ii. 16. A metaphor, I suppose, taken from the Olympic games, to express his utmost endeavours to prevail in the propagating the Gospel. k " In vain :" He seems here to give two reasons why, at last, after fourteen years, he communicated to the chief of the apostles at Jerusalem, the Gospel that he preached to the Gentiles, when, as he shows to the Galatians, he had formerly declined all communication with the convert Jews. 1. He seems to intimate, that he did it by revelation. 2. He gives another reason, viz. That, if he had not communicated, as he did, with the leading men there, and satisfied them of his doctrine and mission, his opposers might unsettle the churches he had, or should plant, by urging, that the apostles knew not what it was that he preached, uor had ever owned it for the Gospel, or him for an apostle. Of the readiness of the Judaizing seducers, to take any such advantage against him, he had lately an example in the church of Corinth. . 3 c ou'x liKxyxatrOri is rightly translated, " was not compelled," * plain evidence to •the Galatians, that the circumcising of the convert Gentiles was no part of the Gospel which he laid before these men of note, as what he preached to the Gentiles. For if it had, Titus must have been circumcised ; for no part of his Gospel was blamed, or altered by them, ver. 6. Of what other use his mentioning this, of Titus, here can be, but to show to the Galatians, that what he preached, contained nothing of circumcising the convert Gentiles, it is hard to find, If it were to show that the other apostles, and church at Jerusalem, dispensed with circumcision, and other ritual observances of the Mosaical law, that was need less ; for that was sufficiently declared by their decree, Acts xv. which was made and communicated to the churches, before this epistle was writ, as may be seen, Acts xvi. 4 ; much less was this of Titus of any force, lo prove that St. Paul was a true apostle, if that were what he was here labouring to justify. But considering his aim here, to be the clearing himself from a report, that he preached up cir cumcision, there could be nothing more to his purpose, than this instance of Titus, whom, uucircumcised as he was, he took with him to Jerusalem ; uncir- S8 Galatians. Chap. II. TEXT. And that, because of false brethren, unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they mighlTbring us into bondage. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour ; that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you. But of those, who seemed to be somewhat (whatsoever they were, it PARAPHRASE. 4 was forced to be circumcised : Norb did I yield any thing, one moment, by way of subjection0 to the law, to those false bre thren, who, by an unwary admittance, were slily crept in, to spy out our liberty from the law, which we have under the Gospel: that they might bring us into bondage d to the law. 5 But I stood my ground against it, that the truth c of the Gospel 6 might remain* among you. But as for those f, who were really NOTES. cumcised he kept with him there, and uncircuincised he took back with him, when he returned. This was a strong and pertinent instance to persuade the Galatians, that the report of his preaching circumcision was a mere aspersion. 4-'> OijSe, " Neither," in the third verse, according to propriety of speech, ought to have a " nor," to answer it, which is the ciSl, " nor," here ; which, so taken, answers the propriety of the Greek, and very much clears the sense ; oiiSi Tito; >i»xyxoiEu8a8/Mpouf, iii the beginning of the fourth verse, will easily be induced, by the Greek idiom, to conclude, that the author, by these beginnings, intimates a plain distinction of the matter separately treated of, in what follows each of them, viz. what passed between the false brethren and him, contained in ver. 4 and 5, and what passed between the chief of the brethren and him, con tained ver. 6 — 10. And, therefore, some (and I think with reason) introduce this verse with these words : " Thus we have behaved ourselves towards the false brethren : but," &c. b Tm SokoiMojk e7»3i ti, our translation renders, " who seemed to be somewhat," which, however it may answer the words, yet to an English ear it carries a diminish ing and ironical sense, contrary to the meaning of the apostle, who speaks here of those, for whom he had a real esteem, and were truly of the first rank ; for it is plain, by what follows, that he means Peter, James, and John. Besides, o< .8o»o5v?sf, being taken in a good sense, ver. 2, and translated, " those of reputa tion,'' the same expression should have been kept in rendering ver. 6 and 9, where the same term occurs again three times, and may be presumed in the same sense that it was at first used in ver. 2. c Every body sees that there is something to be supplied to make up the sense ; most commentators, that I have seen, add these words, " I learned nothing:" but then, that enervates the reason that follows, " for in conference they added nothing to me,'' giving the same thing as a reason for itself, and making St. Paul talk thus : " I learnt nothing of them, for they taught me nothing." But it is very good reasoning, and suited to his purpose, that it was nothing at all to him, how much those great men were formerly in Christ's favour : this hindered not but that God, who was no respecter of persons, might reveal the Gospel to him also, as it was evident he had done, and that in its full perfection ; for those great men, the most eminent of the apostles, had nothing to add to it, or except against it. This was proper to persuade the Galatians, that he had no- 40 Galatians. Chap. II. TEXT. 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the Gospel of the uncircum- cision was committed unto me, as the Gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter ; 8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter, to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me, towards the Gentiles :) 9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, per- PARAPHRASE. 7 But on the contrary, a James, Peter, and John, who were of reputation, and justly esteemed to be pillars, perceiving that the Gospel, which was to be preached to the Gentiles, was committed to me ; as that which was to be preached to the Jews, was com- 8 mitted to Peter ; (For he that had wrought powerfully b in Peter, to his executing the office of an apostle to the Jews, had also wrought powerfully in me, in my application and apostle- 9 ship, to the Gentiles:) And, knowing0 the favour that was be- NOTES. where, in his preaching, receded from that doctrine of freedom from the law, which he had preached to them, and was satisfied it was the truth, even before he had conferred with these apostles. The bare supplying of o/, in the beginning of the verse, takes away the necessity of any such addition. Examples of the like ellipsis we have, Matt, xxvii. 9, where we read ajro !ji5», for o/ iirb tuSn j and John xvi. 17, £« t&v paQnluw, for o/ ex t£u fioSrjltuv ; and so here, takiug an-o vwi Sokoui>7oj», to he for oi airo tioj 3okoij»7uj», all the difficulty is removed ; and St. Paul having, in the foregoing verse, ended the narrative of his deportment towards the false brethren, he here begins an account of what passed between him and the chief of the apostles. 7 * Peter, James, and John, who, it is manifest, by ver. 9, are the persons here spoken of, seem, of all the apostles, to have befti most in esteem and favour with their Master, during his conversation with them on earth. See Mark v. 37, and ix. 2, and xiv. 33. " But yet that, says St. Paul, is of no moment now to me. The Gospel, which I preach, and which God, who is no respecter of persons, has been pleased to commit to me by immediate revelation, is not the less true, nor is there any reason for me to recede from it, in a tittle ; for these men of the first rank could find nothing to add, alter, or gainsay in it." This is suitable to St. Paul's design here, to let the Galatians see, that as he, in his carriage, had never favoured circumcision; so neither had he any reason, by preaching circumcision, to forsake the doctrine of liberty from the law, which he had preached to them as a part of that Gospel, which he had received by revelation. 8 ¦> Evspy^o-af, " working in," may be understood here to signify, both the operation of the Spirit upon the mind of St. Peter and St. Paul, in sending them, the oue to the Jews, the other to the Gentiles : and also the Holy Ghost bestowed on them, whereby they were enabled to do miracles for the confirmation of their doctrine. In neither of which St. Paul, as he shows, was inferior, and so had as authentic a seal of his mission and doctrine. 9 ' Kai, " and," copulates ywMif, " knowing," in this verse, with iiitlii, " seeing," ver. 7, and makes both of them to agree with the nominative case to the verb Zfaxm, " gave," which is no other but James, Cephas, and John, and so justifies my transferring those names to ver.7, for the tnorcca^y construction and under- Chap. II. Galatians. 41 TEXT. ceived the grace that was given unto me-, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship ; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. 10 Only they would that we should remember the poor ; the same which I also was forward to do. 1 1 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 1 2 For, before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles : PAIIAPHRASE. stowed on me, gave me and Barnabas the right handa of fellow ship, that we should preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and 10 they to the children of Israel. All that they proposed, was, that we should remember to make collections among the Gen tiles, for the poor Christians of Judea, which was a thing that of 1 1 myself I was forward to do. But when Peter came to Antioch, I openly opposed1* him to his face : for, indeed, he was to be 12 blamed. For he conversed there familiarly with the Gentiles, and eat with them, until some Jews came thither from James : NOTES. standing of the text, though St. Paul defers the naming of them, until he is, as it were against his will, forced to it, before the end of his discourse. a The giving " the right hand," was a symbol amongst the Jews, as well as other nations, of accord, admitting meu into fellowship. 11 b " I opposed him."' From this opposition to St. Peter, which they suppose to he before the council at Jerusalem, some would have it, that this epistle to the Galatians was writ before that council ; as if what was done before the council, could not be mentioned in a letter writ after the council. They also contend, that this journey, mentioned here by St. Paul, was not that wherein he and Barnabas went up to that council to Jerusalem, but that mentioned Acts xi. 30, but this with as little ground as the former. The strongest reason they bring is, that if this journey had been to the council, and this letter after that council, St. Paul would not certainly have omitted to have mentioned to the Galatians that decree. To which I answer, 1. The mention of it was superfluous; for they had it already, see Acts xvi. 4. 2. The mention of it was impertinent to the design of St. Paul's narrative here. For it is plain, that his aim, in what he relates here of himself, and his past actions, is to show, that having received the Gospel from Christ, by immediate revelation, he had all along preached that, and nothing but that, everywhere j so that he could not be supposed to have preached circumcision, or by his carriage to have showu any subjection to the law; all the whole narrative following being to make good what he says, ch. i. 1 1, "That the Gospel which he preached, was not accommodated to the humour ing of men ; nor did he seek to please the Jews (who were the men here meant) in what he taught." Taking this to be his aim, we shall fiud the whole account he gives of himself, from that ver. 11 of ch. i. to the end of this second, to be very clear and easy, and very proper to invalidate the report of his preaching circumcision. 42 Galatians. Chap. II. TEXT. but, when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fear ing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him ; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before them all : If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews ? 15 We, who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 1 6 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law : for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 1 7 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin ? God forbid. PARAPHRASE. then he withdrew, and separated from the Gentiles, for fear IS of those who were of the circumcision : And the rest of the Jews joined also with him in this hypocrisy, insomuch that Barnabas himself was carried away with the stream, and 14 dissembled as they did. But when I saw they conformed not their conduct to the truth a of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before them all : If thou, being a Jew, takest the liberty sometimes to live after the manner of the Gentiles, not keeping to those rules which the Jews observe, why dost thou constrain the Gentiles to conform themselves to the rites and manner 15 of living of the Jews. ? We, who are byb nature Jews, born under the instruction and guidance of the law, God's peculiar people, and not of the unclean and profligate race of the 16 Gentiles, abandoned to sin and death, Knowing that a man cannot be justified by the deeds of the law, but solely by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have put ourselves upon believing on him, and embraced the profession of the Gospel, for the attain ment of justification by faith in Christ, and not by the works 17 of the law : But if we seek to be justified in Christ, even we NOTES. 14 » AM»««* toD Hi«yy,xfoU, " the truth of the Gospel," is put here for that freedom from the law of Moses, which was a part of the true doctrine of the Gospel For it was in nothing else, but their undue and timorous observing some of the Mosaical rites, that St. Paul here blames St. Peter, and the other Judaiziug con verts at Antioch. In this sense he uses the word " truth," all along through this epistle, as ch. ii. 5, 14, and iii. 1, and v. 7, insisting on it, that this doctrine of freedom from the law, was the true Gospel. 15 <> « Galatians. Chap. IV. be the children of God, and heirs of the promise by faith in Christ, yet they both of them were left in bondage, the Jews to the law, ver. 3, and the Gentiles to false gods, ver. 8, until Christ in due time came to redeem them both ; and, therefore, it was folly in the Galatians, being redeemed from one bondage, to go backwards, and put themselves again in a state of bondage, though under a new master. TEXT. 1 Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all ; 2 But is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world : 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law ; 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And, because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. PARAPHRASE. 1 Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth 2 nothing from a bondman % though he be lord of all ; But is under tutors and guardians, until the time prefixed by 3 his father. So we b Jews, whilst we were children, were in 4 bondage under the lawc. But when the time appointed for the coming of the Messias was accomplished, God sent forth 5 his Son, made of a woman, and subjected to the law; That he might redeem those who were under the law, and set them free from it, that we, who believe, might be put out of the state of 6 bondmen, into that of sons. Into which state of sons, it is evident that you, Galatians, who were heretofore Gentiles, are NOTES. 1 » Bondman ; so S0D\o? signifies ; and unless it be so translated ver 7 8 Bondage, ver. 3, 7, will scarce be understood by an English reader • but' St' Paul's sense will be lost to one, who, by Servant, understands not one in a state of bondage. 3 "We It is plain, St. Paul speaks here in the name of the Jews, or Jewish church which, though God s peculiar people, yet was to pass its nonage fso St Paul calls it) under the restraint and tutorage of the law, and not to receive the possession of the promised inheritance until Christ came. « The law, he calls here f oiXi7« toS *tr^v, "Elements, or rudiments of the world " Because the observances and discipline of the law, which had restraint and bondage enough in it, led them not beyond the things of this world into the possession, or taste, of their spiritual and heavenly inheritance. ' Chap. IV. Galatians. 55 TEXT. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son ; and if a son, then an heir of God, through Christ. 8 Howbeit, then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them, which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, where- unto ye desire again to be in bondage ? PARAPHRASE. put ; forasmuch as God hath sent forth his Spiritd into your 7 hearts, which enables you to cry, Abba, Father. So that thou art no longer a bondman, but a son ; and if a son, then an 8 heir1-' of God, or of the promise of God through Christ. But then, i. e. before ye were made the sons of God, by faith in Christ, now under the Gospel, ye, not knowing God, were in 9 bondage to those, who were in truth no gods. But now, that ye know God, yea rather, that ye are known f and taken into favour by him, how can it be that you, who have been put out of a state of bondage, into the freedom of sons, should go NOTES. 6 dThe same argument, of proving their sonship from their having the Spirit, St. Paul uses to the Romans, Rom. viii. 16. And he that will read 2 Cor. iv. 17 — v. 6, and Eph. i. 11 — 14, will find, that the Spirit is looked on as the seal and assurance of the inheritance of life, to those " who have received the adoption of sons," as St. Paul speaks here, ver. 5. The force of the argument seems to lie in this, that as he, that has the spirit of a man in him, has an evidence that he is the son of a man, so he, that hath the Spirit of God, has thereby an as surance that he is the son of God. Conformable hereunto, the opinion of the Jews was, that the Spirit of God was given to none but themselves, they alone being the people or children of God ; for God calls the people of Israel his sons, Exod.iv. 22, 23. And hence, we see, that when, to the astonishment of the Jews, the Spirit was given to the Gentiles, the Jews no longer doubted that the inheritance of eternal life was also conferred on the Gentiles. Compare Acts x. 44—48, with Acts xi. 15—18. 7 " St. Paul, from the Galatians' having received the Spirit, (as appears chap. iii. 2) argues, that they are the sons of God, without the law ; and consequently heirs of the promise, without the law ; for, says he, ver. 1 — 6, the Jews themselves were fain to be redeemed from the bondage of the law, by Jesus Christ, that, as sons, they might attain to the inheritance. But you, Galatians, says he, have, by the Spirit that is given you by the ministry of the Gospel, an evidence that God is your Father ; and, being sons, are free from the bondage of the law, and heirs without it. The same sort of reasoning St. Paul uses to the Romans, ch. viii. 14—17. 9 f Known. It has been before observed, how apt St. Paul is to repeat his words, though something varied in their signification. We have here another instance of it: having said, " Ye have known God," he subjoins, "or rather are known of him," in the Hebrew latitude of the word known; in which language it some times signifies knowing, with choice and approbation. See Amos iii. 2. 1 Cor. viii. 3. 56 Galatians. Chap. IV. TEXT. 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. II I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. PARAPHRASE. backwards, and be willing to put yourselves under thes weak and beggarly elements h of the world into a state of bondage 10 again ? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years, 11 in compliance with the Mosaical institution. I begin to be afraid of you, and to be in doubt, whether all the pains I have taken about you, to set you at liberty, in the freedom of the Gospel, will not prove lost labour. NOTES. e Thelaw is here called weak, because i t was not able to deliver a m an from bondage and death, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, Rom. viii. 1 — 3. And it is called beggarly, because it kept men in the poor estate of pupils, from the full possession and enjoyment of the inheritance, ver. 1 — 3. h The apostle makes it matter of astonishment, how they, who had been in bondage to false gods, having been once set free, could endure the thoughts of parting with their liberty, and of returning into any sort of bondage again, even under the mean and beggarly rudiments of the Mosaical institution, which was not able to make them sons, and instal them in the inheritance. For St. Paul, ver. 7, expressly opposes bondage to sonship ; so that all, who are not in the state of sons, are in the state of bondage. naA«, again, cannot here refer to amiyiia, elements, which the Galatians had never been under hitherto, but to bondage, which he tells them, ver. 8, they had been in to false gods. SECTION VIII. CHAPTER IV. 12—20. CONTENTS. He presses them with the remembrance of the great kindness they had for him, when he was amongst them ; and assures them that they have no reason to be alienated from him, though that be it which the Judaizing seducers aim at. Chap. IV. Galatians. 57 TEXT. 12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am ; for I am as ye are : ye have not injured me at all. 13 Ye know how, through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the Gospel unto you at the first. 14 And my temptation, which was in, my flesh, ye despised not, nor rejected ; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. 16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth ? 1 7 They zealously affect you, but not well ; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. 1 8 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. PARAPHRASE. 12 I beseech you, brethren, let you and I be as if we were all one. Think yourselves to be very me ; as I, in my own mind, put no difference at all between you and myself; you 13 have done me no manner of injury: On the contrary, ye know, that through infirmity of the flesh, I heretofore preached 14 the Gospel to you. And yet ye despised me not, for the trial I underwent in the flesh a, you treated me not with contempt and scorn : but you received me as an angel of God, 15 yea, as Jesus Christ himself. What benedictions'5 did you then pour out upon me ? For I bear you witness, had it been practicable, you would have pulled out your very eyes, and 16 given them me. But is it so, that I am become your enemy c 17 in continuing to tell you the truth ? They, who would make you of that mind, show a warmth of affection to you ; but it is not well : for their business is to exclude me, that they may 18 get into your affection. It is good to be well and warmly affected towards a good mand, at all times, and not barely NOTES. 14 a What this weakness, aud trial in the flesh, was, since it has not pleased the apostle to mention it, is impossible for us to know -. but may be remarked here, as an instance, once for all, of that unavoidable obscurity of some passages, in epistolary writings, without any fault in the author. For some things necessary to the understanding of what is writ, are usually of course and justly omitted, because already known to him the letter is writ to, and it would be sometimes ungraceful, oftentimes superfluous, particularly to mention them. 15 b The context makes this sense of the words so necessary and visible, that it is to be wondered how any one could overlook it. 16 c Your enemy. See chap. i. 6. 18 JThat by »«*s, "born after the flesh;" and tov xxla i:veuy.tx, "born after the Spirit." These expressions have, in their original brevity, with regard to the whole view, wherein St. Paul uses them, an admirable beauty and force, which cannot be retained in a paraphrase. 30 eScripture, viz. Gen. xxi. 10. 31 fThe apostle, by this allegorical history, shows the Galatians, that they who are sons of Agar, t. <;. under the law given at Mount Sinai, are iu bondage, and intended to be cast out, the inheritance being designed for those only, who are the free born sons of God, under the spiritual covenant of the Gospel. And there upon he exhorts them, in the following words, to preserve themselves in that state of freedom. Chap. V. Galatians. 61 SECTION X. CHAPTER V. 2—13. CONTENTS. It is evident from verse 11, that, the better to prevail with the Galatians to be circumcised, it had been reported, that St. Paul himself preached up circumcision. St. Paul, without taking ex press notice of this calumny, chap. i. 6, and ii. 21, gives an ac count of his past life, in a large train of particulars, which all concur to make such a character of him, as renders it very incre dible, that he should ever declare for the circumcision of the Gentile converts, or for their submission to the law. Having thus pre pared the minds of the Galatians to give him a fair hearing, as a fair man, t^j\ov n«DXof, " Behold, I Paul," I the same Paul, who am reported to preach circumcision, /j.apl6popai 8e •jraKtv navft k^pwitw, v. 3, witness again continue my testimony, to every man, to you and all men. This so emphatical way of speaking may very well be understood to have regard to what he takes notice, ver. 11, to be cast upon him, viz. his preaching circumcision, and is a very significant vindication of himself. 3 b " Cannot be saved." This was the ground, upon which the Jews and Judaizing Christians urged circumcision. See Acts xv. 1. 5 c< it is evident, from the context, that St. Paul here meaus himself. But We is a more graceful way of speaking than I ; though he be vindicating himself alone from the imputation of setting up circumcision. <* " Spirit." The law and the Gospel opposed, under the titles of Flesh and Spirit, we may see, chap. iii. 3, of this epistle. The same opposition it stands in here g to the law, in the foregoing verse, points out the same signification. ' " Which worketh by love." This is added to express the animosities which were amongst them, probably raised by this question about, circumcision See ver. 11— 15. Chap. V. Galatians. 63 TEXT. 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 1 have confidence in you, through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded : but he that troubleth you, shall bear his judg ment, whosoever he be. 1 1 And I, brethren, if I yet preached circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution ? then is the offence of the cross ceased. PARAPHRASE. put a stop to you, and hindered you, that you keep no longer 8 to the truth of the Christian doctrine? This persuasion, that it is necessary for you to be circumcised, cometh not from him f, by whose preaching you were called to the profession of 9 the Gospel. Remember that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ; the influence of one man8 entertained among 10 you may mislead you all. I have confidence in you, that by the help of the Lord, you will be all of this same mindh with me; and consequently he, that troubles you, shall fall under the 11 censure he deserves for it1, whoever he be. But as for me, brethren, if I, at last, am become a preacher of circumcision, why am I yet persecuted1'? If it be so, that the Gentile con- NOTES. 8 fThis expression of " him that calleth, or calleth you," he used before, chap. i. 6, and, in both places, means himself, and here declares, that this viia-fiovri (whether taken for persuasion, or for subjection, as it may be in St. Paul's style, con sidering ars/WSai, in the end of the foregoing verse) came not from him, for he called them to liberty from the law, and not subjection to it ; see ver. 13. " You were going on well, in the liberty of the Gospel ; who stopped you ? 1, you may be sure, had no hand in it ; I, you know, called you to liberty, and not to sub jection to the law, and therefore you can, by no means, suppose that I should preach up circumcision." Thus St. Paul argues here. 9 s By this and the next verse, it looks as if all this disorder arose from one man. 10 h " Will not be otherwise minded," will beware of this leaven, so as not to be put into a ferment, nor shaken in your liberty, which you ought to stand fast in ; and to secure it, I doubt not, (such confidence I have in you) will with one ac cord cast out him that troubles you. For, as for me, you may be sure I am not for circumcision, in that the Jews continue to persecute me. This is evidently his meani ng, though not spoken out, but managed warily, with a very skilful and moving insinuation. For, as he says of himself, chap. iv. 20, he knew not, at that distance, what temper they were in. ¦ KpVa> Judgment, seems here to mean expulsion by a church censure; see ver. 12, We shall be the more inclined to this, if we consider, that the apostle uses the same argument of " a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," 1 Cor. v. 6, where he would persuade the Corinthians to purge out the fornicator. 11 k Persecution. The persecution St. Paul was still under was a convincing argu ment, that he was not for circumcision, and subjection to the law ; for it was from the Jews, upon that account, that, at this time, rose all the persecution which the Christians suffered ; as may be seen through all the history of the Acts. Nor are there wanting clear footsteps of it, in several places of this epistle, be sides this here, as chap. iii. 4, and vi. 12. 64 ¦ Galatians. Chap. V. TEXT. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 1 3 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty. PARAPHRASE. verts are to be circumcised, and so subjected to the law, the great offence of the Gospel1, in relying solely on a crucified 12 Saviour for salvation, is removed. But I am of another mind, and wish that they may be cut off who trouble you about this 13 matter, and they shall be cut off. For, brethren, ye have been called by me unto liberty. NOTE. 1 Offence of the cross ; see chap. vi. 12 — 14. SECTION XL CHAPTER V. 13—26. CONTENTS. From the mention of liberty, which he tells them they are called to, under the Gospel, he takes a rise to caution them in the use of it, and so exhorts them to a spiritual, or true Christian life, showing the difference and contrariety between that and a carnal life, or a life after the flesh. TEXT. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. PARAPHRASE. Though the Gospel, to which you are called, be a state of liberty from the bondage cf the law, yet pray take great care you do not mistake that liberty, nor think it affords you an opportunity, in the abuse of it, to satisfy the lust of the flesh, 14 but serve3 one another in love. For the whole law, concern- NOTE. 13 " Ao.As«i its, " to be baptised into any one's name, or into any one," is solemnly, by that ceremony, to enter himself a disciple of him, into whose name he is bap tised, with profession to receive his doctrine aud rules, and submit to his autho rity; a very good argument here, why they should be called by no one's name but Christ's. Chap. L I.Corinthians. 81 SECTION II. NO. % CHAPTER I. 17—31. CONTENTS. The next argument of St. Paul, to stop their followers from glorying in these false apostles, is, that neither any advantage of extraction, nor skill in the learning of the Jews, nor in the philo sophy and eloquence of the Greeks, was that, for which God chose men to be preachers of the Gospel. Those whom he made choice of, for overturning the mighty and the learned, were mean, plain, illiterate men. TEXT. 1 7 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel : not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. ] 8 For the preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness : but unto us, which are saved, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of this world ? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ? PARAPHRASE. 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel : not with learned and eloquent harangues, lest thereby the virtue and efficacy of Christ's sufferings and death should be overlooked and neglected, if the stress of our persuasion should 18 be laid on the learning and quaintness of our preaching. For the plain insisting on the death of a crucified Saviour is, by those who perish, received as a foolish, contemptible thing: 19 though to us, who are saved, it be the power of God, Con formable to what is prophesied ' by Isaiah : " I will destroy ' the wisdom of the wise, and I will bring to nothing the 20 understanding of the prudent.'" Where is the philosopher, skilled in the wisdom of the Greeks ? Where the scribe a, NOTE. 20 » Scribe was the title of a learned man amongst the Jews ; one versed in their law and rites, which was the study of their doctors and rabbies. It is likely the false apostle, so much concerned in these two epistles to the Corinthians, who was a Jew, pretended to something of this kind, and magnified himself there- a 82 I. Corinthians. Chap. I. TEXT. 21 For after thatj in the wisdom of God, the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom : 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. PARAPHRASE. studied in the learning of the Jews ? Where the professor of human arts and sciences ? Hath not God rendered all the learning and wisdom of this world foolish, and useless for the 21 discovery of the truths of the Gospel ? For since the world, by their natural parts, and improvements in what, with them, passed for wisdom, acknowledged not the one, only, true God, though he had manifested himself to them in the wise con trivance and admirable frame of the visible works of the creation ; it pleased God, by the plain, and (as the world esteems it) foolish doctrine of the Gospel, to save those who 22 receive and believe it. Since b both the Jews demand extra ordinary signs and miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom : 23 But I have nothing else to preach to them but Christ cruci fied, a doctrine offensive to the hopes and expectations of NOTES. upon ; otherwise it is not probable that St. Paul should name to the Corinthians a sort of men not much known or valued amongst the Greeks. This, therefore, may be supposed to be said to take off their glorying in their false apostle. 22 •> 'Eb-eiSj xx), " since both." These words used here by St. Paul are not certainly idle and insignificant, and therefore I see not how they can be omitted in the translation. 'EjreiSs is a word of reasoning, and, if minded, will lead us into oue of St. Paul's reasonings here, which the neglect of this word makes the reader over look. St. Paul, in ver. 21, argues thus in general : " Since the world, by their natural parts and improvements, did not attain to a right and saving knowledge of God, God, by the preaching of the Gospel, which seems foolishness to them, was pleased to communicate that knowledge to those who believed." In the three following verses he repeats the same reasoning, a little more expressly applied to the people he had here in his view, viz. Jews and Greeks ; and his sense seems to be this : " Since the Jews, to make any doctrine go down with them, require extraordinary signs of the power of God to accompany it, and nothing will please the nice palates of the learned Greeks but wisdom ; and though our preaching of a crucified Messiah be a scandal to the Jews, and foolish. ness to the Greeks, yet we have what they both seek ; for both Jew and Gentile, when they are called, find the Messiah, whom we preach, to be the power of God, and the wisdom of God." 25, 27, 28. He that will read the context cannot doubt but that St. Paul, by what he expresses in these verses, in the neuter gender, means persons.;' the whole argument of the place being about persons, and their glorying, and not about things. Chap. I. I. Corinthians. 88 TEXT. 24 But unto them, which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God : 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men ; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty : 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are : 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. PARAPHRASE. the Jews ; and foolish to the acute men of learning, the 24 Greeks ; But yet it is to these, both Jews and Greeks, (when they are converted,) Christ, the power of God, and Christ, the 25 wisdom of God : Because that, which seems foolishness in those who came from God, surpasses the wisdom of man ; and that, which seems weakness in those sent by God, surpasses 26 the power of men. For, reflect upon yourselves, brethren, and you may observe, that there are 'not many of the wise and learned men, not many men of power, or of birth, among 27 you, that are called. But God hath chosen the foolish men, in the account of the world, to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak men of the world to confound the 28 mighty : The mean men of the world, and contemptible, has God chosen, and those that are of no account, are nothing0, 29 to displace those that are : That so there might be no room, NOTE. 28 cTi ,u!j SWk, "Things that are not," I think may well be understood of the Gentiles, who were not the people of God, and were counted as nothing by the Jews ; and we are pointed to this meaning by the words xxTaitTyirnvni xxrapyiirtj, by " the foolish and weak things," i. e. by simple, illiterate, and mean men, God would make ashamed the learned philosophers and great men of the nations ; but, by the f-h Sura, " things that are not," he would abolish the things that are, as, in effect, he did abolish the Jewish church by the Christian, taking in the Gentiles to be his people, in the place of the rejected Jews, who, until then, were his people. This St. Paul mentions here, not by chance, but pursuant to his main design, to stay their glorying in their false apostle, who was a Jew; by showing that, whatever that head of the faction might claim, under that pretence, as it is plain he did stand upon it, (see 2 Cor. xi. 21, 22) he had not any the least title to any esteem or respect upon that accountj since the Jewish nation was laid aside, and God had chosen the Gentiles to take their place, and to be his church and people instead of them : vid. note on ch. iL ver. 6. There one may see who are the xotTapyotfy/syoi, " the abolished," whom God says here, xxtxpy^n, he will abolish. ., o2 Si I. Corinthians. Chap. II. TEXT. 30 But of him are ye, in Christ Jesus, who, of God, is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption : 31 That, according as it is written, " He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." PARAPHRASE. SO or pretence for any one to glory in his presence. Natural, human abilities, parts or wisdom, could never have reached this way to happiness : it is to his wisdom alone that ye owe the contrivance of it ; to his revealing of it, that ye owe the knowledge of it ; and it is from him alone, that you are in Christ Jesus, whom God has made to us Christians, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, which is all the dignity and pre-eminence, all that is of any value 31 amongst us Christians : That, as it is written, He that glorieth, should glory only in the Lord. SECTION II. NO. 3. CHAPTER II. 1—5. CONTENTS. Farther to keep them from glorying in their leaders, he tells them, that as the preachers of the Gospel, of God's choosing, were mean and illiterate men, so the Gospel was not to be propagated, nor men to be established in the faith, by human learning and eloquence, but by the evidence it had, from the revelation contained in the Old Testament, and from the power of God accompanying and confirming it with miracles. TEXT. 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. PARAPHRASE. 1 And I, brethren, when I came and preached the Gospel to you, I did not endeavour to set it off with any ornaments of rhetoric, or the mixture of human learning or philosophy ; but plainly declared it to you, as a doctrine coming from* Chap. II. /. Corinthians. 85 TEXT. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech, and my preaching, was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power. PARAPHRASE. 2 God, revealed and attested" by him. For I resolved to own or show no other knowledge among you, but the know- 3 ledge b or doctrine of Jesus Christ, and of him crucified. All my carriage among you had nothing in it but the appearance 4 of weakness and humility, and fear of offending you c. Neither did I, in my discourses or preaching, make use of any human art of persuasion to inveigle you. But the doctrine of the Gospel which I proposed, I confirmed and enforced by what NOTES, . »to napT&fivn tou QeoD, "The testimony of God," *'. e. what God hath revealed and testified in the Old Testament ; the apostle here declares to the Corinthians, that, when he brought the Gospel to them, he made no use of any human science, improvement, or skill ; no insinuations of eloquence, no philosophical specula tions, or ornaments of human learning, appeared in any thing he said lo persuade them: all his arguments were, as he tells them, ver. 4, from the revelation of the Spirit of God, in the predictions of the Old Testament, and the miracles which he (Paul) did among them, that their faith might be built wholly upon the Spirit of God, and not upon the abilities and wisdom of man ; though fiaplipm toO ©soD, " The testimony of God" agrees very well with so much of St. Paul's meaning as relates to his founding his preaching on the testimony of God, yet those copies which read fiva-rfipiov, mystery, for y.xp%pm, testimony, seem more perfectly to correspond with St. Paul's sense, in the whole latitude of it. For though he owns the doctrine of the Gospel, dictated by the Spirit of God, to be contained in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and builds upon revela tion, yet he everywhere teaches that it remained a secret there, not understood, till they were led into the hidden, evangelical meaning of those passages, by the coming of Jesus Christ, and by the assistance of the Spirit, in the times of the Messiah, and then published to the world by the preachers of the Gospel ; and therefore he calls it, especially that part of it which relates to the Gentiles, almost everywhere, pva-rhpm, mystery. See particularly Rom. xvi. 25, 26. b St. Paul, who was himself a learned man, especially in the Jewish knowledge, having, in the foregoing chapter, told them, that neither the Jewish learning nor Grecian sciences give a man any advantage, as a minister of the Gospel, he here reminds them that he made no show or use of either when he planted the Gospel among them ; intimating thereby, that those were not things for which their teachers were to be valued or followed. c St. Paul, by thus setting forth his own modest and humble behaviour amongst them, reflects on the contrary carriage of their false apostle, which he describes in words at length, 2 Cor. xi. 20. 86' /. Corinthians. Chap. II. TEXT. 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. PARAPHRASE. the Spirit d had revealed and demonstrated of it, in the Old Testament, and by the power of God, accompanying it with 5 miraculous operations : That your faith might have its founda tion, not in the wisdom and endowments of men, but in the power of God e- NOTES. 4 J There were two sorts of arguments, wherewith the apostle confirmed the Gospel ; the one was the revelations made concerning our Saviour, by types and figures, and prophecies of him, under the law ; the other, miracles and miracu lous gifts accompanying the first preachers of the Gospel, in the publishing and propagating of it. The latter of these St. Paul here calls Power; the former, in this chapter, he terms Spirit; so ver. 12, 14. " Things of the Spirit of God, and spiritual things," are things which are revealed by the Spirit of God, and not discoverable by our natural faculties. 5 ' Their faith being built wholly on Divine revelation and miracles, whereby all human abilities were shut out, there could be no reason for any of them to boast themselves of their teachers, or value themselves upon their being the followers of this or that preacher, which St. Paul hereby obviates. SECTION II. NO. 4. CHAPTER II. 6—16. CONTENTS. The next argument the apostle uses to show them, that they had no reason to glory in their teachers, is, that the knowledge of the Gospel was not attainable by our natural parts, however they were improved by arts and philosophy, but was wholly owing to revelation. TEXT. 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom amongst them that are perfect : yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. PARAPHRASE. 6 Howbeit, that which we preach is wisdom, and known to be so, among those who are thoroughly instructed in the Christian Chap. II. /. Corinthians. 87 PARAPHRASE. religion, and take it upon its true principles': but not the wisdom of this world b, nor of the princes c, or great men of NOTES. 6 » [Perfect] here is the same with spiritual, ver. 15; one, that is so perfectly well apprized of the divine nature and original of the Christian religion, that he sees and acknowledges it to be all a pure revelation from God, and not, in the least, the product of human discovery, parts, or learning; and so, deriving it wholly from what God hath taught, by his Spirit, in the sacred Scriptures, allows not the least part of it to be ascribed to the skill or abilities of men, as authors of it, but received as a doctrine coming from God alone. And thus, Perfect, is opposed to, Carnal, ch. iiiyl, 3, i. e. such babes in Christianity, such weak and mistaken Christians, that they thought the Gospel was to be managed, as human arts and sciences amongst men of the world ; and those were better instructed, and were more in the right, who followed this master or teacher, rather than another; and so glorying in being the scholars, one of Paul, and another of Apollos, fell into divisions and parties about it, and vaunted one over another : whereas, in the school of Christ, all was to be built on the authority of God alone, and thj revelation of his Spirit in the sacred Scriptures. >> " Wisdom of this world," i. c. the knowledge, arts, and sciences attainable by man's natural parts and faculties ; such as man's wit could find out, cultivate, and improve : " or of the princes of this world," i. c. such doctrines, arts, and sciences, as the princes of the world approve, encourage, and endeavour to pro pagate. c Though by "ApyjiHe; toC alujves toDtou, may here be understood the princes, or great men, of this world, in the ordinary sense of these words ; yet he that well considers ver. 28 of the foregoing chapter, and ver. 8 of this chapter, may find reason to think, that the apostle here principally designs the rulers and great men of the Jewish nation. If it be objected, that there is little ground to think that St. Paul, by the wisdom he disowns, should mean that of his own nation, which the Greeks of Corinth (whom he was writing to) had little ac quaintance with, and had very little esteem for ; I reply, that to understand this right, and the pertinency of it, we must remember, that the great design of St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, was to take them off from the respect and esteem that many of them had for a false apostle, that was got in among them, and had there raised a faction against St. Paul. This pretended apostle, it is plain from 2 Cor. xi. 22, was a Jew, and as it seems, 2 Cor. v. 16, 17, valued himself upon that account, and possibly boasted himself to be a man of note, either by birth, or alliance, or place, or learning', among that people, who counted themselves the holy and illuminated people of God ; and, therefore, to have a right to sway among these new heathen converts. To obviate this claim of his to any authority, St. Paul here tells the Corinthians, that the wis dom and learning of the Jewish nation led them not into the knowledge of the wisdom of God, i. e. the Gospel revealed in the Old Testament, evident in this, that it was their rulers and rabbies, who stiffly adhering to the notions and pre judices of their nation, had crucified Jesus, the Lord of glory, and were now themselves, with their state and religion, upon the point to be swept away and abolished. It is to the same purpose, that 2 Cor. v. 16 — 19, he tells the Corin thians, That " he knows no man after the flesh," i. e. that he acknowledges no dignity of birth, or descent, or outward national privileges. The old things of the Jewish constitution are past and gone ; whoever is in Christ, and entereth into his kingdom, is in a new creation, wherein all things are new, all things are from God; no right, no claim, or preference, derived to any one, from any former institution ; but every one's dignity consists solely in this, that God had reconciled him to himself, not imputing his former trespasses to him. 88 I. Corinthians. Chap. II. TEXT. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wis dom, which God ordained, before the world, unto our glory. PARAPHRASE. 7 this world d, who will quickly be brought to nought e. But we speak the wisdom of God f, contained in the mysterious and the obscure prophecies of the Old Testament e, which has been NOTES. * Aiw oJtop, which we translate "this world," seems to me to signify com monly, if uot constantly, in the New Testament, that state which, during the Mosaical constitution, men, either Jews or Gentiles, were in, as contradistin guished to the evangelical state, or constitution, which is commonly called, A'uiv fj.sh\a»i, or cpyj/jiivos, " the world to come." e ia» xxlapyau/ihoiv, " who are brought to nought," i. e. who are. vanishing. If "the wisdom of this world, and of the princes of this world," be to be understood, of the wisdom and learning of the world, in general, as contra distinguished to the doctrine of the Gospel, then the words are added, to show what folly it is for them to glory, as they do, in their teachers, when all that worldly wisdom and learning, and the great men, the supporters of it, would quickly be gone ; whereas all true and lasting glory came only from Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. But if these words are to be understood of the Jews, as seems most consonant, both to the main design of the epistle, and to St. Paul's expressions here ; then his telling them, that the princes of the Jewish nation are brought to nought, is to take them off from glorying in their Judaizing, false apostle ; since the authority of the rulers of that nation, in matters of religion, was now at au end, and they, with all their pretences, and their very constitution itself, were upon the point of being abolished and swept away, for having rejected and crucified the Lord of glory. 7 f "Wisdom of God,'' is used here for the doctrine of the Gospel, coming im mediately from God, by the revelation of his Spirit ; aud in this chapter, is set in opposition to all knowledge, discoveries, aud improvements whatsoever, attainable by human industry, parts, aud study; all which he calls, "the wisdom of the world, and man's wisdom." Thus distinguishing the knowledge of the Gospel, which was derived wholly from revelation, and could be had no other way, frum all other knowledge whatsoever. s What the Spirit of God had revealed of the Gospel, during the times of the law, was so little understood by the Jews, in whose sacred writings it was contained, that it might well be called the " wisdom of God in a mystery," i. e. declared in obscure prophecies, and mysterious expressions, and types. Though this be undoubtedly so, as appears by what the Jews both thought and did, when Jesus the Messiah, exactly answering what was foretold of him, came amongst them, yet by "the wisdom of God, in the mystery, wherein it was hid though purposed by God before the settling of the Jewish economy," St. Paul seems more peculiarly to mean, what the Gentiles, and consequently the Corinthians, were more peculiarly concerned in, viz. God's purpose of calling the Gentiles to be his people under the Messiah ; which, though revealed in the Old Testament, yet w;is not in the least understood, until the times of the Gospel, and the preaching of St. Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles ; which, therefore, he so frequently calls a mystery. The reading and comparing Rom. xvi. 25,26. Eph. iii. :, y.'cb.vi. 19, 20. Col. i. 26, 27, and ii. 1, 8, aud iv. 3, 4, will give light to this. To which give ntc leave to observe, upon the use of the word Wisdom, here, that St. Paul speakiugof God's calling the Gentiles, cannot, in mentioning il, forbear expressions of his admiration of the great and incomprehensible wisdom of Gt»l therein. See Eph. iii. 8, 10. Rom. xi. 33. Chap. II. /. Corinthians. 89 TEXT. 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew ; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre pared for them that love him." PARAPHRASE. therein concealed and hid : though it be what God predeter mined, in his own purpose, before the Jewish constitution h, to the glory of us ', who understand, receive, and preach it : 8 Which none of the rulers among the Jews understood ; for, if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord Christ, 9 who has in his hands the disposing of all true glory. But they knew it not, as it is written, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have the things, that God hath prepared for NOTES. t> Ylph tS> aiuitam, signifies properly " before the ages," and I think it may be doubted, whether these words, " before the world," do exactly render the sense of the place. That xlun, or xi&vts, should not be translated, " the world," as in many places they are, I shall give one convincing instance, among many, that may be brought, viz. Eph. iii. 9, compared with Col. i. 26. The words in Colossians are, to /nvo-rvipiov to xiroxsKov^hov 0.77)3 tuJp x't&vwv, thus rendered in the English translation, " which hath been hidden from ages;" but in Eph. iii. 9, a parallel place, the same words, too fj-vaTtipfo toD KffoxExpu^ei-ou «7ro t&v uiwvwv, are translated, " The mystery which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid." Whereas it is plain from Col. i. 26, cmo w xldtan does not signify the epoch, or commencement of the concealment, but those from whom it was con cealed. It is plain, the apostle, in the verse immediately preceding, and that following this, which we have before us, speaks of the Jews ; and therefore 7rpoTeui/ xlunm here may be well understood to mean, "Before the ages of the Jews;'' and so oV umitm, " from the ages of the Jews," in the other two mentioned texts. Why ate«? in these, and other places, as Luke i. 70, and Acts iii. 21, and elsewhere, should be appropriated to the ages of the Jews, may be owing to their counting by ages, or jubilees: vid. Dr. Burthoggein his judicious treatise, Christianity a revealed mystery, cap. 2. page 17. ¦ St. Paul here opposes the true glory of a Christian, to the glorying, which was amongst the Corinthians, in the eloquence, learning, or any other quality of then- factious leaders ; for St. Paul, in all his expressioris, has an eye on his main purpose ; as if he should have said, " Why do you make divisions, by glorying, as you do, in your distinct teachers ? the glory that God has ordained us Christian teachers and professors to, is to be expounders, preachers, and believers of those revealed truths and purposes of God, which, though contained in the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament, were not understood in former ages. This is all the glory that belongs to us, the disciples of Christ, who is the Lord of all power and glory, and herein has given us, What far excels all, that either Jews, or Gentiles, had any expectation of from what they gloried in :" vid. ver. 9. Thus St. Paul takes away all matter of glorying from the false apostle, and his factious. followers among the Corinthians. The excellency of the Gospel-ministration, see also 2 Cor. iii. 6 — 11. 90 I. Corinthians. Chap. II. TEXT. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us, by his Spirit ; for the Spirit searcheth all things ; yea, the deep things of God. 1 1 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him ? even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the things, that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. PARAPHRASE. them that love him, entered into the heart or thoughts of 10 man." But these things, which are not discoverable by man's natural faculties and powers, God hath revealed to us, by his Spirit, which searcheth out all things, even the deep counsels of God, which are beyond the reach of our abilities 1 1 to discover. For, as no man knoweth what is in the mind of another man, but only the spirit of the man himself, that is in him ; so, much less doth any man know, or can discover, the thoughts and counsels of God, but only the Spirit of God. \2 But we k have received, not the spirit of the world1, but the Spirit, which is of God, that we might know what things are in the purpose of God, out of his free bounty to bestow upon 13 us. Which things we not only know, but declare also; not in the language and learning taught by human eloquence and philosophy, but in the language and expressions which the Holy Ghost teacheth, in the revelations contained in the Holy Scriptures, comparing one part of the revelation01 with an- NOTES. 12 k We, the true apostles, or rather I ; for though he speaks in the plural number, to avoid ostentation, as it might be interpreted ; yet he is here justifying himself, and showing the Corinthians, that none of them had reason to forsake and slight hiin, to follow and cry up their false apostle. And that he speaks of him self, is plain from the next verse, where he saith, " We speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth," the same which he says of himself, ch. i. ver. 17, "I was sent to preach, not with wisdom of words." And chap. ii. ver. 1, " I came to you, not with excellency of speech or of wisdom." l As he puts princes of the world, ver. 6, 8, for the rulers of the Jews, so here he puts " Spirit of the world" for the notions of the Jews; that worldly spirit, wherewith they interpreted the Old Testament, and the prophecies of the Messiah and his kingdom; which spirit, in contradistinction to the Spirit of God, which the Roman converts had received, he calls the spirit of bondage, Rom. viii. 15. 13 "> It is plain " the spiritual things," he here speaks of, are the unsearchable counsels of God, revealed by the Spirit of God, which therefore he calls "spiritual things." Chap. II. I. Corinthians. 91 TEXT. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the thiugs of the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them ; be cause they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he, that is spiritual, judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that lie may instruct him ? but we have the mind of Christ. PARAPHRASE. 14 other. "But a man, who hath no other help, but his own natural faculties, how much soever improved by human arts' and sciences, cannot receive the truths of the Gospel, which arfe made known by another principle only, viz* the Spirit of God revealing them ; and therefore seem foolish and absurd to such a man : nor can he, by the bare use of his natural faculties, and the principles of human reason, ever come to the knowledge of them ; because it is by the studying of divine revelation alone that we can attain the knowledge of them. 15 But he, that lays his foundation in divine revelation0, can judge what is, and what is not, the doctrine of the Gospel, and of salvation ; he can judge who is, and who is not, a good minister and preacher of the word of God : but others, who are bare animal menn, that go not beyond the discoveries made by the natural faculties of human understanding, with out the help and study of revelation, cannot judge of such an 16 one, whether he preacheth right and well, or not. For who, by the bare use of his natural parts, can come to know the mind of the Lord, in the design of the Gospel, so as to be able to instruct him ° [the spiritual man] in it ? But I who, renouncing all human learning and knowledge in the case, take all, that I preach, from divine revelation alone, I am sure, that therein I have the mind of Christ ; and, therefore, there is no reason why any of you should prefer other teachers to me ; glory in them who oppose and vilify me ; and count it an honour to go for their scholars, and be of their party. NOTES. 14, 15, " ¥ux> Here EretufiotWoj, spiritual, is opposed to axpxixo;, carnal, as, ch. ii. 14, it is to -i/uyixag, natural, or rather animal: so that here we have three sorts of men, 1. Carnal, i. e. such as are swayed by fleshly passions and interests. 2. Animal, >'. e. such as seek wisdom, or a way to happiness, only by the strength and guidance of their own natural parts, without any supernatural light, coming from the Spirit of God, i. e. by reason without revelation, by philosophy without Scripture. 3. Spiritual, i. e. such as seek their direction to happiness, not in the dictates of natural reason and philosophy, but in the revelations of the Spirit of God, in the Holy Scriptures. 1 * Here trxpxixes, carnal, is opposed to n-vtvftxlixvs, spiritual, in the same sense, that vpu^iMof, natural, or animal, is opposed to mtvfAxlixh;, spiritual, chap. ii. 14, as appears by the explication, which St. Paul himself gives here to o-apxix'o;, carnal : for he makes the carnal to be all one with babes in Christ, v. 1, i. e.such as had not their understandings yet fully opened to the true grounds of the Christian religion, but retained a great many childish thoughts about it, as appeared by their divisions ; one for the doctrine of his master, Paul ; another for that of his master, Apollos ; which, if they had been spiritual, i. e. had looked upon the doctrine of the Gospel to have come solely from the Spirit of God, and to be had only from revelation, they could not have done. For then all human mixtures, of any thing derived, either from Paul or Apollos, or any other man, had been wholly excluded. But they, in these divisions, professed to hold their religion, one from one man, aud another from another ; and were thereupon divided into parties. This, he tells them, was to be carnal, and iripnrxlvv xxlx S.i$pwmi, to 94. /. Corinthians. Chap. III. TEXT. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat ; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal : for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men ? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal ? PARAPHRASE. notions about it : this hindered me, that I could not go so far, as I desired, in the mysteries of the Christian religion ; but was fain to content myself with instructing you in the first principles d, and more obvious and easy doctrines of it. 2 I could not apply myself to you, as to spiritual men e, that could compare spiritual things with spiritual, one part of Scripture with another, and thereby understand the truths revealed by the Spirit of God, discerning true from false doc trines, good and useful, from evilf and Vain opinions. A fur ther discovery of the truths and mysteries of Christianity, de pending wholly on revelation, you were not able to bear, then ; 3 nor are you yet able to bear; Because you are carnal, full of envyings, and strife, and factions, upon the account of your knowledge, and the orthodoxy of your particular parties6. 4 For, whilst you say, one, " I am of Paul ;" and another, " I am of Apollos V are ye not carnal, and manage yourselves in the conduct, both of your minds and actions, according NOTES. be led by principles purely human, i. e. to found their religion upon men's natural parts and discoveries, whereas the Gospel was wholly built upon divine revelation, and nothing else ; and from thence alone those, who were mtv/talim), took it. * That this is the meaning of the apostle's metaphor of milk and babes, may be seen Heb. v. 12 — 14. 2 « Vid. chap. ii. 13. fVid. Heb. v. 14. 3 e Row' atOpmTrov, " speaking according to man," signifies speaking according to the principles of natural reason, in contradistinction to revelation : vid. 1 Cor. ix. 8. Gal.i. 11. And so " walking according to man" must here be understood. 4 h From this fourth verse, compared with chap. iv. 6, it may be no improbable conjecture, that the division in this church, was only into two opposite parties, whereof the one adhered to St. Paul, the other stood up for their head, a false apostle, who opposed St. Paul . For the Apollos, whom St. Paul mentions here, was one (as he tells us, ver. 6) who came in, and watered what he had planted ; i.e. when St. Paul had planted a church at Corinth, this Apollos got into it, and pretended to instruct them farther, and boasted in his performances amongst them, which St. Paul takes notice of again, 2 Cor. x. 15, 16. Now the Apollos that he here speaks of, he himself tells us, chap. iv. 6, was another man, under that borrowed name. It is true, St. Paul, in his Epistles to the Corinthians, generally speaks of these his opposers in the plural number; but it is to be re- Chap. III. /. Corinthians. 95 TEXT. 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers, by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered ; but God gave the increase. 7 So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither' he that watereth ; but God, that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth, and he that watereth, are one ; and every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour. PARAPHRASE. to barely human principles, and not as spiritual men, acknow ledge all that information, and all those gifts, wherewith the ministers of Jesus Christ are furnished, for the propagation of the Gospel, to come wholly from the Spirit of God ? What, then, are any of the preachers of the Gospel, that you should glory in them, and divide into parties, under their 5 names ? Who, for example, is Paul, or who Apollos ? What are they else, but bare ministers, by whose ministry, according to those several abilities and gifts, which God has bestowed upon each of them, ye have received the Gospel ? They are only servants, employed to bring unto you a religion, derived entirely from divine revelation, wherein human abilities, or wisdom, had nothing to do. The preachers of it are only in struments, by whom this doctrine is conveyed to you, which, whether you look on it in its original, it is not a thing of human invention or discovery ; or whether you look upon the gifts of the teachers, who instruct you in it, all is entirely from God alone, and affords you not the least ground to attribute 6 any thing to your teachers. For example, I planted it amongst you, and Apollos watered it : but nothing can from thence be ascribed to either of us : there is no reason for your 7 calling yourselves, some of Paul, and others of Apollos. For neither the planter, nor the waterer, have any power to make it take root, and grow in your hearts ; they are as nothing, in that respect ; the growth and success is owing to God alone. 8 The planter and the waterer, on this account, are all one, neither of them to be magnified, or preferred, before the other ; they are but instruments, concurring to the same end, and therefore ought not to be distinguished, and set in opposi tion one to another, or cried up, as more deserving one than NOTE. membered, that he speaks so of himself too, which, as it was the less invidious way, in regard of himself, so it was the softer way towards his opposers, though he seems to intimate plainly, that it was one leader that was setup against him. 96 /. Corinthians. Chap. III. TEXT. 9 For we are labourers together with God : ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 1 1 For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now, if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire ; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. PARAPHRASE. 9 another. We, the preachers of the Gospel, are but labourers, employed by God, about that which is his work, and from him shall receive reward hereafter, every one according to his own labour ; and not from men here, who are liable to make a wrong estimate of the labours of their teachers, preferring those, who do not labour together with God, who do not carry on the design, or work of God, in the Gospel, or per haps do not carry it on, equally with others, who are under- 10 valued by them. Ye who are the church of God, are God's building, in which I, according to the skill and knowledge which God, of his free bounty, has been pleased to give me, and therefore ought not to be to me, or any other, matter of glorying, as a skilful architect, have laid a sure foundation, which is Jesus, the Messiah, the sole and only foundation of 11 Christianity, Besides which, no man can lay any other. But, though no man, who pretends to be a preacher of the Gospel, can build upon any other foundation, yet you ought not to cry up your new instructor ' (who has come and built upon the foundation, that I laid) for the doctrines, he builds there on, as if there were no other minister of the Gospel but he. \2 For it is possible a man may build, upon that true foundation, wood, hay, and stubble, things that will not bear the test, 13 when the trial by fire, at the last day k, shall come. At that day, every man's work shall be tried and discovered, of what 14 sort it is. If what he hath taught be sound and good,' and will stand the trial, as silver and gold, and precious stones NOTES. 11 i Chap. iv. 15. In this, he reflects on the false apostle, 2 Cor. x. 15, 16. 12 k Wheu the day of trial and recompense shall be; see chap. iv. 5, where he speaks of the same thing. Chap; III. I. Corinthians. 97 TEXT. 1 5 If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss : but he him self shall be saved ; yet so as by fire. 1 6 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 Let no man deceive himself: if any man among you seemeth to.be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. PARAPHRASE. abide in the fire, he shall be rewarded for his labour in the 15 Gospel. But, if he hath introduced false or unsound doctrines into Christianity, he shall be like a man, whose building, being of wood, hay, and stubble, is consumed by the fire, all his pains in building is lost, and his works destroyed and 16 gone, though he himself should escape and be saved. I told you, that ye are God's building1; yea, more than that, ye are 17 the temple of God, in which his Spirit dwelleth. If any man, by corrupt doctrine or discipline, defileth m the temple of God, he shall not be saved with loss, as by fire ; but him will God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which 18 temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself, by his success in carrying his point " : if any one seemeth to himself, or others, wise°, in worldly wisdom, so as to pride himself in his parts and dexterity, in compassing his ends ; let him re nounce all his natural and acquired parts, all his knowledge and ability, that he may become truly wise, in embracing NOTES. 16 i Vid. ver. 3. 17 m It is not incongruous to think, that by any man, here, St. Paul designs one particular man, viz. the false apostle, who, it is probable, by the strength of his party, supportiug and retaining the fornicator, mentioned ch. v. in the church, had defiled it ; which may be the reason, why St. Paul so often mentions forni cation, in this epistle, and that, in some places, with particular emphasis, as chap. v. 9, and vi. 13 — 20. Most of the disorders, in this church, we may look on as owing to this false apostle; which is the reason, why St. Paul sets him self so much against him, in both these epistles, and makes almost the whole business of them, to draw the Corinthians otf from their leader, judging, as it is like, that this church could not be reformed, as long as that person was in credit, and had a party among them. 18 " What it was, wherein the craftiness of the person mentioned had appeared, it was not necessary for St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, who knew the matter of fact, to particularize to us : therefore it is left to guess, and possibly we shall not be much out, if we take it to be the keeping the fornicator from censure, so much insisted on. by St. Paul, chap. r. • That by m$\q, here, the apostle means a cunning man in business, is plain from his quotation in the next verse, where the Wise, spoken of, are the crafty. H 98 I. Corinthians. Chap. IV. TEXT. 1.9 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men : for all things are yours : 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all are yours : 23 And ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's. IV. 1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards,that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment : yea, I judge not mine own self. PARAPHRASE. and owning no other knowledge, but the simplicity of the 19 Gospel, For all other wisdom, all the wisdom of the world, is foolishness with God. For it is written, " He taketh the 20 wise in their own craftiness." And again, " The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." 21 Therefore, let none of you glory in any of your teachers ; 22 for they are but men. For all your teachers, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Peter, even the apostles themselves, nay, all the world, and even the world to come, all things are yours, for your sake and use : 23 As you are Christ's, subjects of his kingdom, for his glory; and Christ, and his kingdom, for the glory of God. There fore, if all your teachers, and. so many other greater things, are for you, and for your sakes, you can have no reason to make it a glory to you, that you belong to this, or that, par ticular teacher amongst you : your true glory is, that you are Christ's, and Christ and all his are God's ; and not that you are this or that man's scholar or follower. 1 As for me, I pretend not to set up a school amongst you, and as a master to have my scholars denominated from me ; no, let no man have higher thoughts of me, than as a minister of Christ, employed as his steward, to dispense the truths and doctrines of the Gospel, which are the mysteries which God wrapped up, in types and obscure predictions, where they have lain hid, till by us, his apostles, he now reveals them. 2 Now that, which is principally required and regarded in a steward, is, that he be faithful in dispensing what is com- 3 mitted to his charge. But as for me, I value it not, if I am censured by some of you, or by any man, as not being a faithful steward: nay, as to this, I pass no judgment on my- Chap. IV. I. Corinthians. 99 TEXT. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified : but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts : and then shall every man have praise of God. 6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself, and to Apollos, for your sakes ; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ? 8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without PARAPHRASE. 4 self. For though I can truly say, that I know nothing by my self, yet am I not hereby justified to you : but the Lord, whose steward I am, at the last day will pronounce sentence on my behaviour in my stewardship, and then you will know what to 5 think of me. Then judge not either me, or others, before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the dark and secret counsels of men's hearts, in preaching the Gospel : and then shall every one have that praise, that estimate set upon him, by God himself, which he truly deserves. But praise ought not to be given them, before the time, by their 6 hearers, who are ignorant, fallible men. On this occasion, I have named Apollos and myself p, as the magnified and opposed heads of distinct factions amongst you ; not that we are so, but out of respect to you, that I might offend nobody, by naming them ; and that you might learn by us, Of whom I have written q, that we are but planters, waterers, and stewards, not to think of the ministers of the Gospel above what I have written to you of them, that you be not puffed up, each party, in the vain-glory of their own extolled leader, to the crying down and contempt of any other, who is well esteemed of by 7 others. For what maketh one to differ from another ? or what gifts of the Spirit, what knowledge of the Gospel has any leader amongst you, which he received not, as intrusted to him of God, and not acquired by his own abilities ? And if he received it as a steward, why does he glory in that, which is not his 8 own ? However, you are mightily satisfied with your present state ; you now are full, you now are rich, and abound in NOTES. 6 p Vid. chap. iii. 4. ' Vid. chap. iii. 6, 9. chap. iv. 1, H 2 100 /. Corinthians. Chap. IV. yoi Fo TEXT. and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with vou. ?or I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 1 0 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ : we are weak, but ye are strong: ye are honourable, but we are despised. 1 1 Even unto this present hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless: being persecuted, we suffer it : 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 14 I write not these things to shame you; but, as my beloved sons, I warn you. PARAPHRASE. every thing you desire ; you have not need of me, but have reigned like princes without me ; and I wish truly you did reign, that I might come and share in the protection and 9 prosperity you enjoy, now you are in your kingdom. For I being made an apostle last of all, it seems to me as if I were brought last r upon the stage, to be, in my sufferings and death, a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 1 am a fool for Christ's sake, but you manage your Christian concerns with wisdom. I am weak, and in a suffering con dition8; you are strong and flourishing; you are honourable, 1 1 but I am despised. Even to this present hour, I both hunger and thirst, and want clothes, and am buffeted, wandering 12 without house or home; And maintain myself with the labour of my hands. Being reviled, I bless: being persecuted, I 13 suffer patiently : Being defamed, I intreat : I am made as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things unto this 14 day. I write not these things to shame you ; but as a father to warn you, my children, that ye be not the devoted zealous partisans and followers of such, whose carriage is not like this; under whom, however you may flatter yourselves, in truth, you do not reign; but, on the contrary, ye are domi neered over, and fleeced by them'. I warn you, I say, as NOTES. 9 ' The apostle seems here to allude to the custom of bringing those last upon the theatre, who were to be destroyed by wild beasts. 10 • So he uses the word weakness, often, in his epistles to the Corinthians, ap plied to himself: vid. 2 Cor. xii. 10. 14 ' Vid. 2 Cor. xi. 20. St. Paul here, from ver. 8 to 17, by giving au account of his own carriage, gently rebukes them for following men of a different character, aud exhorts them to be followers of himself. Chap. IV. I. Corinthians. 101 TEXT. 1 5 For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. 1 6 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into re membrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. PARAPHRASE. 15 your father : For how many teachers soever you may have, you can have but one father ; it was I that begot you in Christ, 16 i. e. I converted you to Christianity. Wherefore I beseech 17 you, be ye followers of meu. To this purpose I have sent my beloved son Timothy to you, who may be relied upon : he shall put you in mind, and inform you, how I behave myself 18 every where in the ministry of the Gospel w. Some, indeed, are puffed up, and make their boasts, as if I would not come 19 to you. But I intend, God willing, to come shortly ; and then will make trial, not of the rhetoric or talking of those boasters, but of what miraculous power of the Holy Ghost is 20 in them. For the doctrine and prevalency of the Gospel, the propagation and support of Christ's kingdom, by the conver sion and establishment of believers, does not consist in talking, nor in the fluency of a glib tongue, and a fine discourse, but in the miraculous operations of the Holy Ghost. NOTES. 16 u This he presses again, chap, xi. 1, and it is not likely he would have proposed himself, over and over again, to them, to be followed by them, had the question and contest amongst them been only, whose uame they should have borne, his, or their new teacher's. His proposing himself, therefore, thus to be followed,' must be understood in direct opposition to the false apostle, who misled them, and was not to be suffered to have any credit, or followers, amongst them. 17 w This he does to show, that what he taught them, and pressed them to, was not in a pique against his opposer, but to convince them, that all he did, at Corinth, was the very same, and no other, than what he did every where, as a faithful steward and minister of the Gospel. 102 I.Corinthians. Chap. IV. SECTION II. No. 6. CHAPTER IV. 21.— VI. 20. CONTENTS. Another means, which St. Paul makes use of, to bring off the Corinthians from their false apostle, and to stop their veneration of him, and their glorying in him, is by representing to ,them the fault and disorder, which was committed in that church, by not judging and expelling the fornicator; which neglect, as may be guessed, was owing to that faction. 1. Because it is natural for a faction to support and protect an offender, that is of their side. 2. From the great fear St. Paul was in, whether they would obey him, in censuring the offender, as appears by the second epistle ; which he could not fear, but from the opposite faction ; they, who had preserved their respect to him, being sure to follow his orders. 3. From what he says, ch. iv. 16, after he had told them, ver. 6, of that chapter, that they should not be puffed up, for any other, against him, (for so the whole scope of his discourse here imports) he beseeches them to be his followers, i. e. leaving their other guides, to follow him, in punishing the offender. For that we may conclude, from his immediately insisting on it so earnestly, he had in his view, when he beseeches them to be followers of him, and consequently that they might join with him, and take him for their leader, chap. v. 3, 4, he makes himself by his spirit, as his proxy, the president of their assembly, to be convened for the punishing that criminal. 4. It may further be suspected, from what St. Paul says, ch. vi. 1, that the opposite party, to stop the church censure, pre tended that this was a matter to be judged by the civil magistrate: nay, possibly, from what is said, ver. 6, of that chapter, it may be gathered, that they had got it brought before the heathen judge ; or at least from ver. 12, that they pleaded, that what he had done was lawful, and might be justified before the magistrate. For the judging spoken of, chap, vi., must be understood to relate to the same matter it does chap, v., it being a continuation of the same discourse and argument : as is easy to be observed by any one, who will read it without regarding the divisions into chap ters and verses, whereby ordinary people (not to say others) are often disturbed in reading the holy Scripture, and hindered from observing the true sense and coherence of it. The whole sixth chapter is spent in prosecuting the business of the fornicator, Chap. IV. I. Corinthians. 103 begun in the fifth. That this is so, is evident from the latter end as well as beginning of the sixth chapter. And, therefore, what St. Paul says of lawful, chap. vi. 12, may, without any violence, be supposed to be said in answer to some who might have alleged in favour of the fornicator, that what he had done was lawful, and might be justified by the laws of the country which he was under : why else should St. Paul subjoin so many arguments (wherewith he concludes this sixth chapter, and this subject,) to prove the fornication in question to be, by the law of the Gospel, a great sin, and consequently fit for a Christian church to censure in one of its members, however it might pass for lawful in the esteem and by the laws of Gentiles ? There is one objection, which at first sight seems to be a strong argument against this supposition ; that the fornication, here spoken of, was held lawful by the Gentiles of Corinth, and that, possibly, this very case had been brought before the magistrate there, and not condemned. The objection seems to lie in these words, ch. v, 1 : " There is fornication heard of amongst you, and such fornication as is not heard of amongst the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." But yet I conceive the words, duly considered, have nothing in them contrary to my supposition. To clear this, I take liberty to say, it cannot be thought that this man had his father's wife, whilst, by the laws of the place, she actually was his father's wife ; for then it had been pomelo, and adultery, and so the apostle would have called it, which was a crime in Greece ; nor could it be tolerated in any civil society, that one man should have the use of a woman whilst she was another man's wife, i. e. another man's right and possession. The case, therefore, here seems to be this : the woman had parted from her husband, which it is plain, from chap. vii. 10, 11, 13,at Corinth, women could do. Forif, by the law of that country, a woman could not divorce herself from her husband, the apostle had there in vain bid her not leave her husband. But, however known and allowed a practice it might be amongst the Corinthians for a woman to part from her husband, yet this was the first time it was ever known that her husband's own son should marry her. This is that, which the apostle takes notice of in these words, " Such a fornication, as is not named amongst the Gentiles." Such a fornication this was, so little known in practice amongst them, that it was not so much as heard, named, or spoken of by any of them. But whether they held it unlawful that a woman so separated should marry her husband's son, when she was looked upon to be at liberty from her former husband, and free to marry whom she pleased, that the apostle says not. This, indeed, he declares, that, by the law of Christ, a woman's leaving her husband, and marrying another, is unlawful, ch. vii. 11 ; and this woman's marrying her husband's son he declares, ch. v. 1, 104 /. Corinthians. Chap. IV. (the place before us) to be fornication, a peculiar sort of fornica tion, whatever the Corinthians or their law might determine in the case ; and, therefore, a Christian church might and ought to have censured it within themselves, it being an offence against the rule of the Gospel, which is the law of their society : and they might and should have expelled this fornicator out of their society, for not submitting to the laws of it, notwithstanding that the civil laws of the country, and the judgment of the heathen magistrate, might acquit him. Suitably hereunto, it is very remarkable that the argu ments that St. Paul uses in the close of this discourse, chap. vi. 13—20, to prove fornication unlawful, are all drawn solely from the Christian institution, ver. 9. That our bodies are made for the Lord, ver. 13. That our bodies are members of Christ, ver. 15. That our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, ver. 19. That we arejiot our own, but bought, jyjtjj, a price, ver. 20. All which arguments eoncern"Christians only ; and'there is not, in all this discourse against fornication, one word to declare it to be unlawful by the law of nature, to mankind in general. That was altogether needless, and beside the apostle's purpose here, where he was teaching and exhorting Christians what they were to do, as Christians within their own society, by the law of Christ, which was to be their rule, and was sufficient to oblige them, whatever other laws the rest of mankind observed or were under. Those he professes, phap. v. 12, 13, not to meddle with nor to judge : for, having no authority amongst them, he leaves them to the judgment of God, under whose government they are. These considerations afford ground to conjecture, that the fac tion which opposed St. Paul had hindered the church of Corinth from censuring the fornicator, and that St. Paul, showing them their miscarriage herein, aims thereby to lessen the credit of their leader, by whose influence they were drawn into it. For, as soon as they had unanimously shown their obedience to St. Paul in this matter, we see his severity ceases, and he is all softness and gentle ness to the offender, 2 Cor. ii. 5—8. And he tells them in express words, ver. 9, that his end in writing to them of it, was to try their obedience : to which let me add, that this supposition, though it had not all the evidence for it which it has, yet being suited to St. Paul's principal design in this epistle, and helping us the better to understand these two chapters, may deserve to be men tioned. Chap. V. I. Corinthians. 105 TEXT. 21 What will ye ? shall I come linto you, with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness ? V. 1. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him, that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, PARAPHRASE. 21 I purposed to come unto you : But what would you have me do ? Shall I come to you, with a rod, to chastise you ? Or 1 with kindness, and a peaceable disposition of mind a ? In short, it is commonly reported that there is fornication1* among you, and such fornication as is not known c ordinarily among the heathen, that one should have his father's wife. 2 And yet ye remain puffed up, though it would better have become you to have been dejected, for this scandalous fact amongst you, and, in a mournful sense of it, to have removed 3 the offender out of .the church. For I truly, though absent in body, yet as present in spirit, have thus already judged, as if I were personally with you, him that committed this fact ; 4 When, in the name of the Lord Jesus, ye are assembled, and NOTES. 21 * He that shall carefully read 2 Cor. i. 20. — ii. 11, will easily perceive that this last verse here, of this 4th chapter, is an introduction to the severe act of dis cipline which St. Paul was going to exercise amongst them, though absent, as if he had been present. And, therefore, this verse ought not to have been separated from the following chapter, as if it belonged not to that discourse. 1 !> Vid. chap. iv. 8, 10. The writers of the New Testament seem to use the Greek word ¦aaptilx, which we translate fornication, in the same sense that the Hebrews used nw, which we also translate fornication ; though it be certain both these words, in sacred Scripture, have a larger sense than the word forni cation has in our language ; for nor, amongst the Hebrews, signified, " Turpi- tudinem," or " Rem turpem," uncleanness, or any flagitious, scandalous crime, but more especially the uncleanness of unlawful copulation and idolatry; and not precisely fornication, in our sense of the word, i. e. the unlawful mixture of an unmarried couple. ' [Not known] That the marrying of a son-in-law and a mother-in-law was not prohibited by the laws of the Roman empire, may be seen in Tully ; but yet it was looked on as so scandalous and infamous, that it never had any countenance from practice. His words in his oration pro Cluentio, § 4, are so agreeable to the present case, that it may not be amiss to set them down : " Nubit genero socrus, nullis auspiciis, nullis aucluribuf. 0 sceltts incredibile, et prstcr haue unam, in omni vita iuauililum !" 106 I- Corinthians. Chap. V. TEXT. 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying is not good : know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ? 7 Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you, in an epistle, not to company with fornicators. 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters : for then must ye needs go out of the world. PARAPHRASE. my spirit, i, e. my vote, as if I were present, making one, 5 by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, Deliver the offender up to Satan, that, being put thus into the hands and power of the devil, his body may be afflicted and brought down, that his soul may be saved, when the Lord Jesus comes to judge 6 the world. Your gloryingd, as you do, in a leader who drew you into this scandalous indulgence6 in this case, is a fault in you : ye that are knowing, know you not that a little 7 leaven leaveneth the whole f lump? Therefore, laying by that deference and veneration ye had for those leaders you gloried in, turn out from among you that fornicator, that the church may receive no taint from him, that you may be a pure, new lump, or society, free from such a dangerous mix ture, which may corrupt you. For Christ, our passover, is 8 slain for us. Therefore let us, in commemoration of his death, and our deliverance by him, be a holy people to him g. 9 I wrote to you before, that you should not keep company 10 with fornicators. You are not to understand by it, as if I meant that you are to avoid all unconverted heathens that are fornicators, or covetous, or rapacious, or idolaters, for NOTES. 6 i Glorying is all along, in the beginning of this epistle, spoken of the preference they gave to their new leader, in opposition to St. Paul. * If their leader had not been guilty of this miscarriage, it had been out of St. (Paul's way here to have reproved them for their glorying iu him. But St. Paul is a close writer, and uses not to mention things where they are impertinent to his subject. ( What reason he had to say this, vid. 2 Cor. xii. 21 : " Grex totus in agris Unius scabie cadit, et porrigine porci." * 7 and 8 s In these two verses he alludes to the Jews clcausing their houses, at the feast of the passover, from all leaven, the symbol of corruption aud wickedness. Chap. VI. I. Corinthians. 107 TEXT. 1 1 But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one, no, not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within ? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. VI. 1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints ? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world ? and, if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters ? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels ? how much more things that pertain to this life ? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. PARAPHRASE. 1 1 then you must go out of the world. But that which I now write unto you is, that you should not keep company, no, nor eat with a Christian by profession, who is lascivious, 12 covetous, idolatrous, a railer, drunkard, or rapacious. For what have I to do to judge those who are out of the church ? Have ye not a power to judge those who are members of 13 your church ? But as for those who are out of the church, leaVe them to God ; to judge them belongs to him. There fore do ye what is your part ; remove that wicked one, the 1 fornicator, out of the church. Dare any of you, having a controversy with another, bring it before an heathen judge 2 to be tried, and not let it be decided by Christians h ? Know • ye not that Christians shall j udge the world '{ And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge ordinary 3 small matters ? Know ye not that we Christians have power over evil spirits ? how much more over the little things re- 4 lating to this animal life ? If, then, ye have at any time con troversies amongst you, concerning things pertaining to this life, let the parties contending choose arbitrators * in the church, NOTES. 1 '¦ "Ayioi, saints, is put for Christians : «8ixoi, unjust, for heathens. 4 > 'EfouSsvij/jsvoup, "judices non authenticos." Among the Jews there was " con sensus triumviralis, autheuticus,'' who had authority, and could hear and de termine causes, " ex officio ;" there was another " consessus triumviralis," which were chosen by the parties ; these, though they were not authentic, yet could judge and determine the causes referred to them ; these were those whom St. Paul calls here, Sfoti8™>i/»e»ouf, "judices non authenticos, i. e. referees chosen by the parties. See de Dieu. That St. Paul does not mean by Ifoiivjmuewuj, " those who are least esteemed," as our English translation reads it, is plain from the next verse. 108 I. Corinthians. Chap. VI. TEXT. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man amongst you ? no, not one, that shall be able to judge between his brethren ? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbe lievers. 7 Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another : why do ye not rather take wrong ? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded ? 8 Nay, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren. 9 Know ye not, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived : neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adul terers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extor tioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. PARAPHRASE. 5 i. e. out of church-members. Is there not among you, I speak it to your shame, who stand so much upon your wis dom, onek wise man, whom ye can think able enough to 6 refer your controversies to ? But one Christian goeth to law with another, and that before the unbelievers, in the heathen 7 courts of justice. Nay, verily, it is a failure and defect in you, that you so far contest matters of right, one with ano ther, as to bring them to trial, or judgment . Why do ye not 8 rather suffer loss and wrong ? But it is plain, by the man's having his father's -wife, that ye are guilty of doing wrong1 one to another, and stick not to do injustice, even to your 9 Christian brethren. Know ye not, that the transgressors of the law of Christ shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Deceive not yourselves: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor NOTES. 5 v Joijiof, " wise man." If St. Paul uses this word, in the sense of the synagogue, it signifies one ordained, or a rabbi, and so capacitated to be a judge ; for such were called " wise men." If in the sense of the Greek schools, then it signifies a man of learning, study, and parts : if it be taken in the latter sense, it may seem to be with some reflection on their pretending to wisdom. 8 ' That the wrong, here spoken of, was the fornicator's taking and keeping his father's wife, the words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. vii. 12, instancing this very wrong, are a sufficient evidence. And it is not wholly improbable, there had been some hearing of this matter, before an heathen judge, or at least talked of; which, if supposed, will give a great light to this whole passage, and several other iu these chapters. For thus visibly runs St. Paul's argument, chap. v. 12, 13, chap. vi. 1, 2, 3, &c. coherent and easy to be understood, if it stood together as it should, and were not chopped in pieces, by a division into two chapters. Ye have a power to judge those, who are of your church ; therefore put away from among you that fornicator: you do ill, to let it come before a heathen magistrate. Are you, who arc to judge the world and angel*, not worthy to judge such a matter as this ? Chap. VI. /. Corinthians. 109 TEXT. 1 1 And such were some of you : but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful unto me ; but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me ; but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy PARAPHRASE. 11 extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you : but your past sins are washed away, and forgiven you, upon your receiving of the Gospel by baptism : but ye are sanctified "', i. e. ye are members of Christ's church, which consists of saints, and have made some advances in the reformation of your lives" by the doctrine of Christ, con firmed to you by the extraordinary operations of the Holy 12 Ghost. But" supposing fornication were in itself as lawful as eating promiscuously all sorts of meat, that are made for the belly, on purpose to be eaten; yet I would not so far indulge either custom, or my appetite, as to bring my body, thereby, 13 into any disadvantageous state of subjection. As in eating and drinking, though meat be made purposely for the belly, and the belly for meat ; yet, because it may not be expedient p for me, I will not, in so evidently a lawful thing as that, go to the utmost bounds of my liberty ; though there be no NOTES. 11 «• 'HyiairflijTe, "sanctified," i. e. have remission of your sins; so sanctified signifies, Heb. x. 10 and 18, compared. He that would perfectly comprehend, and be satisfied in the meaning of this place, let him read Heb. ix. 10, particularly ix. 13—23. " "ESixxuviriTi, " ye are become just," i. e. are reformed in your lives. See it used, Rev.xxii. 11. 12 ° St. Paul having, upon occasion of injustice amongst them, particularly in the matter of the fornicator, warned them against that and other sins, that exclude men from salvation, he here reassumes his former argument about fornication ; i and, by his reasoning here, it looks as if some among them had pleaded, that fornication was lawful. To which he answers, that, granting it be so, yet the lawfulness of all wholesome food reaches not the case of fornication, and shows by several instances, (as particularly the degrading the body, and making what, in a Christian, is the member of Christ, the member of an harlot) that fornica tion, upon several accounts, might be so unsuitable to the state of a Christian man, that a Christian society might have reason to animadvert upon a fornicator, though fornication might pass for an indifferent action in another man. 13 p " Expedient, and brought under power," in this verse, seems to refer to the two parts of the following verse : the first of them to eating, in the first part of the 13th verse, and the latter of them to fornication, in the latter part of the 13th verse. To make this the more intelligible, it may be fit to remark, 110 7. Corinthians. Chap. VI. TEXT. both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord ; and the Lord for the body. PARAPHRASE. danger, that I should thereby bring any lasting damage upon my belly, since God will speedily put an end both to belly and food. But the case of the body, in reference to women, is far different from that of the belly, in reference to meat. For the body is not made to be joined to a woman % much less to be joined to an harlot in fornication, as the belly is made for meat, and then to be put an end to, when that use ceases. But the body is for a much nobler purpose, and shall subsist, when the belly and food shall be destroyed. The body is for our Lord Christ, to be a member of him, as our Lord Christ has taken a body r, that he might partake of our nature, and NOTES. that St. Paul seems here to obviate such a sort of reasoning as this, in behalf of the fornicator : " All sorts of meats are lawful to Christians, who are set free from the law of Moses; and why are they not so, in regard of women, who are at their own disposals ? To which St. Paul replies, " Though my belly was made only for eating, and all sorts of meat were made to be eaten, and so are lawful for me, yet I will abstain from what is lawful, if it be not convenient for me, though my belly will be certain to receive no prejudice by it, which will affect it in the other world ; since God will there put an end to the belly, and all use of food. But, as to the body of a Christian, the case is quite otherwise ; that was not made for the enjoyment of women, but for a much nobler end, to be a member of Christ's body ; and so shall last for ever, aud not be destroyed, as the belly shall be. Therefore, supposing fornication to be lawful in itself, I will not so debase and subject my body, and do it that prejudice, as to take that, which is a member of Christ, aud make it the member of au harlot ; this ought to be had in detestation by all Christians." The context is so plain in the case, that interpreters allow St. Paul to discourse here, upon a supposition of the lawfulness of fornication. Nor will it appear at all strange that he does so, if we consider the argument he is upon. He is here convincing the Corinthians, that though fornication were to them an indifferent thing, and were not con demned in their country, more than eating any sort of meat : yet there might be reasons why a Christian society might punish it, in their own members, by church censures, and expulsion of the guilty. Conformably hereunto we see, in what follows here, that all the arguments used by St. Paul, agaiust fornication, are brought from the incongruity it hath with the state of a Christian, as a Chri stian ; but nothing is said against it as a fault in a man, as a man ; no plea used, that it is a sin, in all men, by the law of nature. A Christian society, without entering into that inquiry, or going so far as that, had reason to condemu and censure it, as not comporting with the dignity aud principles of that religion, which was the foundation of their society. i " Woman." I have put in this, to make the apostle's sense understood the easier. For he arguing here, as he does, upon the supposition, that fornication is in itself lawful ; fornication, in these words, must mean the supposed, lawful enjoyment of a woman-: otherwise it will not answer the foregoing instance, of the belly and eating. r " Aud the Lord for the body ;'' sec Heb. ii. 5 — 18. Chap. VI. I.Corinthians. Ill TEXT. 14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up, by his own power. 15 Know ye not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What ! know ye not, that he, which is joined to an harlot, is one body ? For two (saith he) shall be one flesh. 17 But he, that is joined unto the Lord, is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doth, is without the body : but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body. PARAPHRASE. 14 be our head. So that, as God has already raised him up, and given him all power, so he will raise us up likewise, who are his members, to B the partaking in the nature of his glorious 15 body, and the power he is vested with in it. Know ye not, ye who are so knowing, that our bodies are the members of Christ ? Will ye, then, take the members of Christ, and 16 make them the members of an harlot? What ! know ye not, that he who is joined to an harlot, is one body with her ? 17 For two, saith God, shall be united into one flesh. But he, who is joined to the Lord, is one with him, by that one Spirit, that unites the members to the head, which is a nearer and stricter union, whereby what indignity is done to the 18 one, equally affects the other. Flee fornication: all other sins, that a man commits, debase only the soul ; but are in NOTE. 14 3 &>« i"/\s %mxpiu>s xilw, " To his power." The context and design of St. Paul in this place strongly incline one to take 8<£ here to signify, as it does 2 Pet. i. 3, to, and not by. St. Paul is here making out to the Corinthian converts, that they have a power to judge. He tells them, that they shall judge the world, ver. 2, and that they shall judge angels, much more then things of this life, ver. 3. And for their not judging he blames them, and tells them, it is a lessen ing to them, not to exercise this power, ver. 7. And for it he gives a reason, in this verse, viz. That Christ is raised up into the power of God, and so shall they be. Unless it be taken in this sense, this verse seems to stand alone here. For what connexion has the mention of the resurrection, in the ordinary sense of this verse, with what the apostle is saying here, but raising us up with bodies to be members of his glorious body, and to partake in his power, in judging the world? This adds a greaf honour and dignity to our bodies, and is a reason, why we should not debase them into the members of an harlot. These words also give a reason of his saying, " He would not be brought under the power of any thing,'' ver. 12, viz. " Shall I, whose body is a member of Christ, and shall be raised to the power he has now in heaven, suffer my body to be a mem ber, and under the power of au harlot ? That I will never do, let fornication in itself be ever so lawful.'' If this be not the meaning of St. Paul here, I desire to know, to what purpose it is, that he so expressly declares, that the belly and meat shall be destroyed, and does so manifestly put an opposition between the body and the belly ? ver. 13. 112 /. Corinthians. Chap. VII. TEXT. 19 What! know ye not, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought witli a price : therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. PARAPHRASE. that respect, as if they were done out of the body ; the body is not debased, suffers no loss of its dignity by them : but he, who committeth fornication, sinneth against the end for which his body was made, degrading his body from the dig nity and honour it was designed to; making that the member of an harlot, which was made to be a member of Christ. 19 What! know ye not', that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, that is in you, which body you have from God, 20 and so it is not your own, to bestow on harlots ? Besides, ye are bought with a price, viz. the precious blood of Christ ; and therefore, are not at your own disposal : but are bound to glorify God with both body and soul. For both body and soul are from him, and are God's. NOTE. 19 ' This question, "Know ye not?" is repeated six times in this one chapter, which may seem to carry with it a just reproach to the Corinthians, who had got a new and better instructor than himself, in whom they so much gloried, and may not unfitly be thought to set on his irony, ch. iv. 10, where he tells them, they are wise. SECTION III. CHAPTER VII. 1—40 CONTENTS. The chief business of the foregoing chapters, we have seen to be the lessening the false apostle's credit, and the extin guishing that faction. What follows, is in answer to some ques tions they had proposed to St. Paul. This section contains con jugal matters, wherein he dissuades from marriage those, who have the gift of continence. But, marriage being appointed as a remedy against fornication, those, who cannot forbear, should marry, and render to each other due benevolence. Next, he Chap. VII. I. Corinthians. 113 teaches that converts ought not to forsake their unconverted mates, insomuch as Christianity changes nothing in men's civil estate, but leaves them under the same obligations they were tied by before. And last of all, he gives directions about marrying, or not marrying, their daughters. TEXT- 1 Now concerning the things, whereof ye wrote unto me : it is good for a man not to touch. a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence : and like wise, also, the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband : and like wise, also, the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud you not one the other, except it be with consent, for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer : and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. PARAPHRASE. 1 Concerning those things that ye have writ to me about, I an swer, it is most convenient not; to have to do with a woman. 2 But because every one cannot forbear, therefore, they that cannot contain should, both men and women, each have their own peculiar husband and wife, to avoid fornication. 3 And those that are married, for the same reason, are to re gulate themselves by the disposition and exigency of their respective mates ; and, therefore, let the husband render to the wife that benevolence ", which is her due ; and so, likewise, the wife to the husband, "vice versa." For the wife has not the power or dominion over her own body, to refuse the husband, when he desires : but this power and right to her body is in the husband. And, on the other side, the husband has not the power and dominion over his own body, to refuse his wife, when she shows an inclination ; but this power and 5 right to his body, when she has occasion, is in the wifeb. Do not, in this matter, be wanting, one to another, unless it be by mutual consent, for a short time, that you may wholly attend NOTES. 3 ¦ Ei/ma, " Benevolence," signifies here that complaisance and compliance, which every married couple ought to have for each other, when either of them shows an inclination to conjugal enjoyments. 4 b The woman (who in all other rights is:inferior) has here the same power given her over the man's body, that the man has over hers. The reason whereof is plain : because if she had not her man, when she had need of him, as well as the man his woman, when he had need of her, marriage would be no remedy against fornication. I 114 /. Corinthians. Chap. VII. TEXT. C But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 7 For I would that all men were, even as I myself: but every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 8 I say, therefore, to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry : for it is better to marry than to burn. 10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband -. 1 1 But, and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband : and let not the husband put away his wife. 12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord, If any brother hath a wife, that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13 And the woman, which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. PARAPHRASE. to acts of devotion, when ye fast, upon some solemn occasion : and when this time of solemn devotion is over, return to your former freedom, and conjugal society, lest the devil, taking advantage of your inability to contain, should tempt you to a 6 violation of your marriage-bed. As to marrying in general, I wish that you were all unmarried, as I am ; but this I say 7 to you, by way of advice, not of command. Every one has from God his own proper gift, some one way, and some ano- 8 ther, whereby he must govern himself. To the unmarried and widows, I say it as my opinion, that it is best for them 9 to remain unmarried, as I am. But if they have not the gift of continency, let them marry, for the inconveniencies 10 of marriage are to be preferred to the flames of lust. But to the married, I say not by way of counsel from myself, but of command from the Lord, that a woman should not leave 11 her husband : But, if she has separated herself from him, let her return, and be reconciled to him again ; or, at least, let her remain unmarried : and let not the husband put away his 12 wife. But, as to others, it is my advice, not a command ment from the Lord, That, if a Christian man hath an hea then wife, that is content to live with him, let him not break 13 company with her, and dissolve the marriage. And, if a Christian woman hath an heathen husband, that is content to live with her, let her not break company with him, c and NOTE. 12 and 13 c 'Afihu, the Greek word in the original, signifying " put away," being directed here, in these two verses, both to the man and the woman, seems to intimate the same power, and the same act of dismissing in both ; and, there fore, ought in both places to be translated alike. Chap. VII. /. Corinthians. 115 TEXT. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbe lieving wife is sanctified by the husband : else were your children un clean ; but now are they holy. 15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases : but God hath called us to peace. 1 6 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy hus band? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? 1 7 But, as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk: and so ordain I, in all churches. PARAPHRASE. 14 dissolve the marriage. You need have no scruple concerning this matter, for the heathen husband or wife, in respect of conjugal duty, can be no more refused, than if they were Christian. For in this case the unbelieving husband is sancti fied d, or made a Christian, as to his issue, in his wife, and the wife sanctified in her husband. If it were not so, the chil dren of such parents would be unclean d, i. e. in the state of heathens ; but now are they holy d, i. e. born members of the 15 Christian church. But, if the unbelieving party will separate, let them separate. A Christian man, or woman, is not en slaved in such a case : only it is to be remembered, that it is incumbent on us, whom God, in the Gospel, has called to be Christians, to live peaceably with all men, as much as in us lieth ; and, therefore, the Christian husband, or wife, is not to make a breach in the family, by leaving the unbelieving 16 party, who is content to stay. For what knowest thou, O woman, but thou mayest be the means of converting, and so saving thy unbelieving hnsband, if thou continuest peaceably, as a loving wife, with him ? or what knowest thou, O man, 17 but, after the same manner, thou mayest save thy wife ? On this occasion, let me give you this general rule : whatever condition God has allotted to any of you, let him continue, and go on contentedly in the same c state, wherein he was called ; not looking on himself as set free from it by his con- NOTES. 14 d 'Hyixfu, " sanctified, xyix, holy, and ixxSxpla, unclean," are used here by the apostle, in the Jewish sense. The Jews called all that were Jews holy, and all others they called unclean. Thus, " proles genita extra sanctitatem," was a child begot by parents, ' whilst they were yet heathens; "genita intra sanc titatem," was a child begot by parents, after they were proselytes. This way of speaking St. Paul transfers from the Jewish into the Christian church, calling all, that are of the Christian church, saints, or holy ; by which reason, all that were out of it were unclean. See note, chap. i. 2. 17 °'Sls signifies here, not the manner of his calling, but of the state and condition of life he was in when called; and therefore oS™? must signify the same too, as the next verse shows. i2 116 /. Corinthians. Chap. VII. TEXT. 1 8 Is any man called being circumcised ? let him not become uncircum- cised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not become circum cised. 19 Gircumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 21 Art thou called, being a servant? Care not for it; but, if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's free man : likewise also he, that is called being free, is Christ's servant. PARAPHRASE. version to Christianity. And this is no more than what I 18 order in all the churches. For example, Was any one con verted to Christianity, being circumcised ? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was any one called, being uncircumcised ? 19 Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision or uncircumcision are nothing in the sight of God, but that which he has a re- 20 gard to, is an obedience to his commands. Christianity gives not any one any new privilege to change the state, or put off f 21 the obligations of civil life, which he was in before. Wert thou called, being a slave ? Think thyself not the less a Chri stian, for being a slave ; but yet prefer freedom to slavery, if 22 thou canst obtain it. For he that is converted to Christianity, . being a bondman, is Christ's freedman g. And he that is converted, being a freeman, is Christ's bondman, under his NOTES. 20 f M«»tw, " Let him abide.'' It is plain, from what immediately follows, that this is not an absolute command ; but only signifies, that a man should not think himself discharged, by the privilege of his Christian state, and the franchises of the kingdom of Christ, which he was entered into, from any ties or obligations he was in, as a member of the civil society. And, therefore, for the settling a true notion thereof, in the mind of the reader, it has been thought convenient to give that, which is the apostle's sense, to ver. 17, 20, aud 24, of this chapter, in words somewhat different from the apostle's. The thinking themselves freed by Christianity, from the ties of civil society and government, was a fault, it seems, that those Christians were very apt to run into. For St. Paul, for the preventing their thoughts of any change, of any thing, of their civil state, upou their embracing Christianity, thinks it necessary to warn them against it three times, in the compass of seven verses ; and that, in the form of a direct com mand, not to change their condition, or state of life. Whereby he intends, that they should not change upon a presumption that Christianity gave them a new or peculiar liberty so to do. For, notwithstanding the apostle's positively bidding them remain in the same condition, in which they were at their conversion; vet it is certain, it was lawful for them, as well as others, to change, where it was lawful for them to change, without being Christians. 22 b 'ATTikiMeptis, in Latin, " libertus," signifies not simply a freeman, but one who, having been a slave, has had his freedom given him by his master. Chap. VII. I. Corinthians. 117 TEXT. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 25 Now, concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord, yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 26 I suppose, therefore, that this is good for the present distress; I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife ? Seek not a wife. 28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned ; and if a virgin marry, PARAPHRASE. 23 command and dominion. Ye are bought with a price h, and so belong to Christ : be not, if you can avoid it, slaves to any 24 body. In whatsoever state a man is called, in the same he is to remain, notwithstanding any privileges of the Gospel, which gives him no dispensation, or exemption, from any obligation he was in before, to the laws of his country. 25 Now concerning virgins ' I have no express command from Christ to give you : but I tell you my opinion, as one whom the Lord has been graciously pleased to make credible k, and 26 so you may trust and rely on, in this matter. I tell you, therefore, that I judge a single life to be convenient, because of the present straits of the church ; and that it is best for a 27 rnan to be unmarried. Art thou in the bonds of wedlock? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife ? Seek 28 not a wife. But if thou marriest, thou sinnest not ; or, if a NOTES. 23 b Slaves were bought and sold in the market, as cattle are ; and so, by the price paid, there was a property acquired in them. This, therefore, here is a reason for what he advised, ver. 21, that they should not be slaves to men, because Christ had paid a price for them, and they belonged to him. The slavery he speaks of is civil slavery, which he makes use of here, to convince the Corin thians, that the civil ties of marriage were not dissolved by a man's becoming a Christian, since slavery itself was not; and, in general, in the next verse, he tells them , that nothing in any man's civil estate, or rights, is altered by his becoming a Christian. 25 • By virgins, it is plain St. Paul here means those of both sexes, who are in a celibate state. It is probable he had formerly dissuaded them from marriage, in the present state of the church. This, it seems, they were uneasy under, ver. 28 and 35, and therefore sent some questions to St. Paul about it, and particu larly, What, then, should men do with their daughters ? Upon which occasion, ver. 25 — 37, he gives directions to the unmarried, about their marrying, or not marryiug ; and in the close, ver. 38, answers to the parents, about marrying their daughters; and then, ver. 39 and 40, he speaks of widows. k In this sense he uses vric'os Mpwx'S, and irifis *.6y°s, 2 Tim. ii. 2. 118 I.Corinthians. Chap. VII. TEXT. she hath not sinned : nevertheless, such shall have trouble in the flesh ; but I spare you. 29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none ; 30 And they that weep, as though they wept not ; and they that re joice, as though they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as though they possessed not ; 31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. 32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord : 33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy, PARAPHRASE. virgin marry, she sins not : but those that are married shall have worldly troubles ; but I spare you, by not representing to you how little enjoyment Christians are like to have from a married life, in the present state of things, and so I leave 29 you the liberty of marrying. But give me leave to tell you, that the time for enjoying husbands and wives is but short '. But, be that as it will, this is certain, that those who have wives should be as if they had them not, and not set their 30 hearts upon them ; And they that weep, as if they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as if they possessed not : all these things should be done 31 with resignation and a Christian indifferency. And those who use this world, should use it without an over-relish of itm, without giving themselves up to the enjoyment of it. For the scene of things is always changing in this world, and no- 32 thing can be relied on in it n- All the reason why I dissuade you from marriage is, that I would have you free from anxious cares. He that is unmarried has time and liberty to 33 mind things of religion, how he may please the Lord : But he that is married is taken up with the cares of the world, 34 how he may please his wife. The like difference there is between a married woman and a maid : she that is unmarried, NOTES. 2'J ' Said, possibly, out of a prophetical foresight of the approaching persecution under Nero. 31 m Kalxyjict/tim does not here signify " abusing," in our English sense of the word, but " intently using." " All, from the beginning of ver. 28, to the eud of this ver. 31, I think, may be looked on as a parenthesi*. Chap. VII. I.Corinthians. 119 TEXT. both in body and in spirit : but she that is married, careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35 And this I speak for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction. 36 But if any man think he behaveth himself uncomely towards his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, aud need so require, let him do what he will : he sinneth not : let them marry. 37 Nevertheless, he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no ne cessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart, that he will keep his virgin, doth well. PARAPHRASE. has opportunity to mind the things of religion, that she may be holy in mind and body ; but the married woman is taken up with the cares of the world, how to please her husband. 35 This I say to you, for your particular advantage, not to lay any constraint upon you °, but to put you in a way, wherein you may most suitably, and as best becomes Christianity, apply yourselves to the study and duties of the Gospel, without dis- 36 traction. But, if any one thinks that he carries not himself as becomes him to his virgin, if he lets her pass the flower of her age unmarried, and need so requires, let him do as 37 he thinks fit; he sins not, if he marry her. But whoever is settled in a firm resolution of mind, and finds himself under no necessity of marrying, and is master of his own will, or is at his own disposal, and has so determined in his thoughts, that he will keep his virginity p, he chooses the better NOTES. 35 o Bpfyof, which we translate a snare, signifies a cord, which possibly the apostle might, according to the language of the Hebrew school, use here for binding ; and then his discourse runs thus : Though I have declared my opinion, that it is best for a virgin to remain unmarried, yet I bind it not, i. e. I do not declare it to be unlawful to marry. 37 p IlxpShm seems used here for the virgin state, and not the person of a virgin ; whether there be examples of the like use of it, I know not; and therefore I propose it as my conjecture, upon these grounds : 1. Because the resolution of mind, here spoken of, must be in the person to be married, and not in the father, that has the power over the person concerned : for how will the firmness of mind of the father hinder fornication in the child, who has not that firm ness ? 2. The necessity of marriage can only be judged of by the persons them selves. A father cannot feel the child's flames, which make the need of mar riage. The persons themselves only know whether they burn, or have the gift of continence. 3. 'Efouo-Ziw 'i%" ="pl toC iS/iu S^palns, " hath the power over his own will," must either signify, " can govern his own desires, is master of his own will," but this cannot be meant here, because it is sufficiently expressed before, by ISpah; -nf xxfltx, " stedfast in heart;" and afterwards too, by xixgmiv h T? xxpMx,' " decreed in heart:" or must .signify, " has the disposal ISO /. Corinthians. Chap. VII. TEXT. 38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doth well: but he that giveth her not in marriage doth better. 39 The wife is bound by the law, as long as her husband liveth ; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will ; only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier, if she so abide, after my judgment : and I think also that I have the Spirit of God. PARAPHRASE. 38 side'. So then he that marrieth doth well; but he that 39 marrieth r not doth better. It is unlawful for a woman to leave her husband, as long as he lives : but when he is dead, she is at liberty to marry, or not to marry, as she pleases, and to whom she pleases ; which virgins cannot do, being under the disposal of their parents ; only. she must take care to marry, as 40 a Christian, fearing God. But, in my opinion, she is happier, if she remain a widow ; and permit me to say, that whatever any among you may think or say of me, " I have the Spirit of God, so that I may be relied on in this my advice, that I do not mislead you." NOTES. of himself," i. e. is free from the father's power, of disposing their children in marriage. For, I think, the words should be translated, " hath a power con cerning his own will," i. e. concerning what he willeth. For.if, by it, St. Paul meant a power over his own will, one might think he would have expressed that thought as he does chap. ix. 12, aud Rom. ix. 21, without n-sp), or by the prepo sition hr), as it is Luke ix. 1. 4. Because, if " keep his virgin" had here sig nified, keep his children from marrying, the expression had been more natural to have used the word rixrx, which signifies both sexes, than mxpUns, which belongs only to the female. If therefore matins be taken abstractly for virginity, the precedent verse must be understood thus: " But if anyone think it a shame to pass the flower of his age unmarried, and he finds it necessary to marry, let him do as he pleases; he sins not: let such marry." I confess it is hard to bring these two verses to the same sense, and both of them to the design of the apostle here, without taking the words in one or both of them very figuratively. St. Paul here seems to obviate an objection, that might be made against his dis suasion from marriage, viz. that it might be an indecency one should be guilty of, if one should live unmarried past one's prime, and afterwards be forced to marry. To which he answers, That nobody should abstain, upon the account of being a Christian, but those, who are of steady resolutions, are at their own disposal, and have fully determined it in their own minds. 37 « K.x\as here, as in ver. 1, 8, and 26, signifies not simply good, but preferable. 38 r n«f8e'»of being taken in the sense beforemencioned, it is necessary, in this verse, to follow the copies, which read ya/i/ftov, " marrying," for lxyxjj.!'Ca», " givingin marriage." Chap. VIII. 7. Corinthians. 121 SECTION IV. CHAPTER VIII. 1—13. CONTENTS. This section is concerning the eating things offered to idols ; wherein one may guess, by St. Paul's answer, that they had writ to him, that they knew their Christian liberty herein, that they knew that an idol was nothing ; and, therefore, that they did well to show their knowledge of the nullity of the heathen gods, and their disregard of them, by eating promiscuously, and without scruple, things offered to them. Upon which, the design of the apostle here seems to be, to take down their opinion of their knowledge, by showing them, that, notwithstanding all the know ledge they presumed on, and were puffed up with, yet the eating of those sacrifices did not recommend them to God ; vid. ver. 8, and that they might sin in their want of charity, by offending their weak brother. This seems plainly, from ver. 1 — 3, and 11, 12, to be the design of the apostle's answer here, and not to re solve the case, of eating things offered to idols, in its full latitude. For then he would have prosecuted it more at large here, and not have deferred the doing of it to chap, x., where, under another head, he treats of it more particularly. TEXT. 1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 (And if any man think, that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet, as he ought to know. PARAPHRASE. 1 As for things offered up unto idols, it must not be questioned but that every one of you, who stand so much upon your knowledge, know that the imaginary gods, to whom the Gen tiles sacrifice, are not in reality gods, but mere fictions; but, with this, pray remember, that such a knowledge, or opinion of their knowledge, swells men with pride and vanity. But charity it is, that improves and advances men in Christianity \ 2 (But, if any one be conceited of his own knowledge, as if Christianity were a science for speculation and dispute, he knows NOTE. 1 * To continue the thread of the apostle's discourse, the 7th verse must be read as joined to the 1st, and all between looked on as a parenthesis. ] 22 /. Corinthians. Chap. VIII. TEXT. 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him. 4 As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in saprifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For, though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven, or in earth, as there be gods many, and lords many, 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him • and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.) 7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge : for some, with PARAPHRASE. 3 nothing yet of Christianity, as he ought to know it. But if any one love God, and consequently his neighbour for God's sake, such an one is made to know b, or has got true knowledge 4 from God himself. To the question, then, of eating things offered to idols, I know, as well as you, that an idol, i. e. that the fictitious gods, whose images are in the heathen temples, are no real beings in the world ; and there is in truth no other 5 but one God. For though there be many imaginary nominal gods, both in heaven and earthc, as are indeed all their many 6 gods, and many lords, which are merely titular ; Yet to us Christians there is but one God, the Father and the Author of all things, to whom alone we address all our worship and service; and but one Lord, viz. Jesus Christ, by whom all things come from God to us, and by whom we have access to 7 the Father). For notwithstanding all the great pretences to NOTES. 3 b "Eyva's-ai, " is made to know, or is taught." The apostle, though writing in Greek, yet often uses the Greek verbs according to the Hebrew conjugations. So chap. xiii. 12, Hiyvdao/iai, which, according to the Greek propriety, signifies, " I shall be known," is used for, " I shall be made to know ;" and so, Gal. iv. 9, yvaiaihres is put to signify, " being taught." 5 c " In heaven and earth." The heathens had supreme sovereign gods, whom they supposed eternal, remaining always in the heavens ; those were called ©sol, gods : they had besides another order of inferior gods, " gods upon earth," who, by the will and direction of the heavenly gods, governed terrestrial things, and were the mediators between the supreme, heavenly gods and men, without whom there could be no communication betvveeu them. These were called in Scripture, Baalim, i. e. Lords : and by the Greeks, hxtpms. To this the apostle alludes here, saying, though there be, in the opinion of the heathens, " gods many," i. e. many celestial, sovereign gods, in heaven : and " lords many, i. e. many Baalim," or Lords-agent, and presidents over earthly things; yet to us, Christians, there is but one sovereign God, the Father, of whom are all things, and to whom, as supreme, we are to direct all our services : aud but one Lord- agent, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, that come from the Father to us, and through whom alone we find access unto him. Mede's Disc, on 2 Pet. ii. 1. or Disc. 43. p. 242. Chap. VIII. I. Corinthians. 123 TEXT. conscience of the idol, unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But meat commendeth us not to God : for neither, if we eat, are we the better ; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 9 But take heed, lest, by any means, this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak. 1 0 For, if any man see thee, which hast knowledge, sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him, which is weak, be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols ? 1 1 And, through thy knowledge, shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died ? 1 2 But, when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. PARAPHRASE. knowledge, that are amongst you, every one doth not know, that the gods of the heathens are but imaginations of the fancy, mere nothing. Some to this day, conscious to them selves that they think those idols to be real deities, eat things sacrificed to them, as sacrificed to real deities; whereby doing that which they, in their consciences, not yet suffici ently enlightened, think to be unlawful, are guilty of sin. 8 Food, of what kind soever, makes not God regard us d. For neither, if in knowledge, and full persuasion, that an idol is nothing, we eat things offered to idols, do we thereby add any thing to Christianity : or if, not being so well informed, we are scrupulous, and forbear, are we the worse Christians, 9 or are lessened by it e. But this you knowing men ought to take especial care of: that the power of freedom you have to eat, be not made such an use of, as to become a stumbling- block to weaker Christians, who are not convinced of that 10 liberty. For if such an one shall see thee, who hast this knowledge of thy liberty, sit feasting in an idol-temple, shall not his weak conscience, not thoroughly instructed in the matter of idols, be drawn in by thy example to eat what is offered to idols, though he, in his conscience, doubt of 11 its lawfulness? And thus thy weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by thy knowledge, wherewith thou justifiest 12 thy eating. But when you sin thus against your brethren, and wound their weak consciences, you sin against Christ, NOTES. 8 * Ou sraf/s-jjo-i, sets us not before God, i. e. to be taken notice of by him. <= It cannot be supposed, that St. Paul, in answer to a letter of the Corinthians, should tell them, that, if they eat things offered to idols, they were not the better ; or, if they eat not, were not the worse, unless they had expressed some opinion of good in eating. 124 /. Corinthians. Chap. IX. TEXT. 13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh, while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. PARAPHRASE. 13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother offend, I will never more eat .flesh, to avoid making my brother offend. SECTION V. CHAPTER IX. 1—27. CONTENTS. St. Paul had preached the Gospel at Corinth about two years, in all which time he had taken nothing of them, 2 Cor. xi. 7 — 9. This by some of the opposite faction, and particularly, as we may suppose, by their leader, was made use of to call in question his apostleship, 2 Cor. xi. 5, 6. For why, if he were an apostle, should he not use the power of an apostle, to demand maintenance where he preached ? In this section, St. Paul vindicates his apostleship, and, in answer to these inquirers, gives the reason why, though he had a right to maintenance, yet he preached gratis to the Corin thians. My answer, says he to these inquisitors, is, that though, as being an apostle, I know that I have a right to maintenance as well as Peter, or any other of the apostles, who all have a right, as is evident from reason and from Scripture ; yet I never have, nor shall make use of my privilege amongst you, for fear that, if it cost you any thing, that should hinder the effect of my preach ing : I would neglect nothing that might promote the Gospel. For I do not content myself with doing barely what is my duty ; for, by my extraordinary call and commission, it is now incumbent on me to preach the Gospel ; but I endeavour to excel in my ministry, and not to execute my commission covertly, and just enough, to serve the turn. For if those, who, in the Agonistic games, aiming at victory, to obtain only a corruptible crown, deny themselves in eating and drinking and other pleasures, how much more does the eternal crown of glory deserve that we should do our utmost to obtain it ? To be as careful in not indulging our bodies, in denying our pleasures, in doing every thing we could in order to get it, as if there were but one that should have it ? Wonder not, therefore, if I, having this in view, neglect my Chap. IX. I. Corinthians. 125 body, and those outward conveniences, that I, as an apostle sent to preach the Gospel, might claim and make use of: wonder not that I prefer the propagating of the Gospel, and making of con verts, to all care and regard of myself. This seems the design of the apostle, and will give light to the following discourse, which we shall now take in the order St. Paul writ it. TEXT. 1 Am I not an apostle ? Am I not free ? Have I not seen Jesus Christ, our Lord ? Are not you my work in the Lord ? 2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you : for , the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. 3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this : 4 Have we not power to eat and to drink ? 5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas ? 6 Or I only, and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working ? 7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges ? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock ? PARAPHRASE. 1 Am I not an apostle ? And am I not at liberty", as much as any other of the apostles, to make use of the privilege due to that office ? Have I not had the favour to see Jesus Christ, our Lord, after an extraordinary manner ? And are not you yourselves, whom I have converted, an evidence of the 2 success of my employment in the Gospel ? If others should question my being an apostle, you at least cannot doubt of it : your conversion to Christianity is, as it were, a seal set to it, 3 to make good the truth of my apostleship. This, then, is my 4 answer to those who set up an inquisition upon me : Have 5 not I a right to meat and drink where I preach ? Have not I and Barnabas a power to take along with us, in our travelling to propagate the Gospel, a Christian woman b, to provide our conveftiences, and be serviceable to us, as well as Peter and 6 the brethren of the Lord, and the rest of the apostles ? Or is it I only, and Barnabas, who are excluded from the privilege 7 of being maintained without working ? Who goes to the war NOTES. 1 » It was a law amongst the Jews not to receive alms from the Gentiles. 5 b There were not in those parts, as among us, inns, where travellers might have their conveniences ; and strangers could not be accommodated with necessaries, unless they had somebody with them to take that care, and provide for them. They, who. would make it their business to preach, and neglect this, must needs suffer great hardships. 126 /. Corinthians. Chap. IX. TEXT. 8 Say I these things as a man ? Or saith not the law the same also ? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, " Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." Doth God take care for oxen ? 1 0 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes ? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written : that he that plougheth should plough in hope ; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 1 1 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things ? 12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather ? Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the Gospel of Christ. 1 3 Do ye not know, that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple ? And they which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar ? PARAPHRASE. any where, and serves as a soldier, at his own charges ? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof ? Who 8 feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk ? This is allowed to be reason, that those who are so employed should be main tained by their employments; and so likewise a preacher of the Gospel. But I say not this barely upon the principles of human reason ; revelation teaches the same thing in the 9 law of Moses : Where it is said, " Thou shalt muzzle not the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." Doth God 10 take care to provide so particularly for oxen by a law? No, certainly ; it is said particularly for our sakes, and not for oxen: that he who sows may sow in hope of enjoying the fruits of his labour at harvest, and may then thrash out, and 1 1 eat the corn he hoped for. If we have sowed to you spiritual things, in preaching the Gospel to you, is it unreasonable that we should expect a little meat and drink from you, a little 12 share of your carnal things? If any partake of this power over you c, why not we much rather ? But I made no use of it, but bear with any thing, that I may avoid all hinderance 13 to the progress of the Gospel. Do ye not know that they, who in the temple serve about holy things, live upon those NOTE. 12 c For riff l^ouo-i'af, I should incline to read, iris ms-tx;, if there be, as Vossius says. any mss. to authorise it ; and then the words will run thus : " If any partake of your substance." This better suits the foregoing words, and needs not the addi tion of the word, this, to be inserted in the translation, which, with difficulty enough, makes it refer to a power which he was not here speaking of, but stands eight verses off : besides, in these words, St. Paul seems to glance at what they suffered from the false apostle, who did not only pretend to power of niuin- tcnanre, but did actually devour them : vid. 2 Cor. xi. 20. Chap. IX. /. Corinthians. 127 TEXT. 1 4 Even so hath the Lord Ordained, that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things : neither have I written these things that it should be so done unto me. For it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 1 6 For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of ; for necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel. 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward ; but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me. 18 What is my reward then ? Verily, that when I preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge, that J abuse not my power in the Gospel. 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law ; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without law. PARAPHRASE. holy things ? and they, who wait at the altar, are partakers 14 with the altar? So has the Lord ordained, that they, who 15 preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel. But though, as an apostle and preacher of the Gospel, I have, as you see, a righf to maintenance, yet I have not taken it : neither have I written this to demand it. For I had rather perish for want than be deprived of what I glory in, viz. preaching the Gospel 16 freely. For if I preach the Gospel, I do barely my duty, but have nothing to glory in : for I am under an obligation and command to preach d ; and woe be to me if I preach not the 17 Gospel. Which, if I do willingly, I shall have a reward: if unwillingly, the dispensation is nevertheless intrusted to me, 18 and ye ought to hear me as an apostle. How, therefore, do I make it turn to account to myself? Even thus ; if I preach the Gospel of Christ of free cost, so that I exact not the 19 maintenance I have a right to by the Gospel. For being under no obligation to any man, I yet subject myself to every one, to the end that I may make the more converts to Christ. 20 To the Jews, and those under the law of Moses, I became as a Jew, and one under that law, that I might gain the Jews, 21 and those under the law ; To those without the law of Moses, NOTE. 1G •' Vid. Acts xxii. 15—21. 128 /. Corinthians. Chap. IX. TEXT. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak : I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the Gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize ? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things: now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we au incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly : so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection ; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. PARAPHRASE. I applied myself, as one not under that law, (not, indeed, as if L were under no law to God, but as obeying and following the law of Christ) that I might gain those who were with- 22 out the law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak : I became all things to all men, that I might leave no lawful thing untried, whereby I might save people 23 of all sorts. And this" I do for the Gospel's sake, that I my- 24 self may share in the benefits of the Gospel. Know ye not that they who run a race, run not lazily, but with their utmost force ? They all endeavour to be first, because there is but one that gets the prize. It is not enough for you to run, but so to run that ye may obtain: which they cannot do, who running only, because they are bid, do not run with all their 25 might. They, who propose to themselves the getting the garland in your games, readily submit themselves to severe rules of exercise and abstinence : and yet theirs is but a fading, transitory crown ; that, which wre prbpose to ourselves, is ever lasting, and therefore deserves that we should endure greater 26 hardships for it. I therefore so run as not to leave it to un certainty. I do what I do, not as one who fences for exercise '27 or ostentation ; But I really and in earnest keep under my body, and entirely enslave it to the service of the Gospel, with out allowing any thing to the exigencies of this animal life, which may be the least hinderance to the propagation of the Gospel ; lest that I, who preach to bring others into the kingdom of Heaven, should be disapproved of, and rejected myself. Chap. X. I. Corinthians. 129 SECTION VI. NO. 1. CHAPTER X. 1—22. CONTENTS. It seems, by what he here says, as if the Corinthians had told St. Paul, that the temptations and constraints they were under, of going to their heathen neighbours' feasts upon their sacrifices, were so many and so great, that there was no avoiding it ; and, therefore, they thought they might go to them without any offence to God, or danger to themselves, since they were the people of God, purged from sin by baptism, and fenced against it, by par taking of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's supper. To which St. Paul answers, that, notwithstanding their baptism and partaking of that spiritual meat and drink, yet they, as well as the Jews of old did, might sin, and draw on themselves destruction from the hand of God : that eating of things that were known, and owned, to be offered to idols, was partaking in the idolatrous worship ; and, therefore, they were to prefer even the danger of persecution before such a compliance ; for God would find a way for them to escape. TEXT. 1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea ; 2 And were all baptized, unto Moses, in the cloud, and in the sea ; PARAPHRASE. 1 I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers, the whole congregation of the children of Israel, at their coming out of Egypt, were, all to a man, under the cloud, and 2 all passed through the sea ; And were all, by this baptism a, in the cloud, and passing through the water, initiated into the Mosaieal institution and government, by these two miracles of NOTE'. 2 "The apostle Calls it baptism, which is the initiating ceremony into both the Jewish and Christian church : and the cloud and the sea, both being nothing but water, are well suited to that typical representation ; and that the children of Israel were Washed with rain from the cloud, may be collected from Psal. lxviii, 9. K 130 /. Corinthians. Chap. X. TEXT. 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat ; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink : (for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them : and that rock was Christ.) 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased : for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them ; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. PARAPHRASE. 3 the cloud and the sea. And they all eat the same meat, which 4 had a typical and spiritual signification ; And they all drank the same spiritual, typical drink, which came out of the rock, and followed them, which rock typified Christ : all which were typical representations of Christ, as well as the bread and wine, which we eat and drink in the Lord's supper, .are typical re- 5 presentations of him. But yet, though every one of the chil dren of Israel that came out of Egypt, were thus solemnly separated from the rest of the profane, idolatrous world, and were made God's peculiar people, sanctified and holy, every one of them to himself, and members of his church : hay, though they did all b partake of the same meat, and the same drink, which did typically represent Christ, yet they were not thereby privileged from sin : but great numbers of them pro voked God, and were destroyed, in the wilderness, for their 6 disobedience. Now these things were set as patterns to us, that we, warned by these examples, should not set our minds a-longing, as they did, after meats c, that would be safer let 7 alone. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them ; as it is written, " The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose NOTES. 5 b lt may be observed here that St. Paul, speaking of the Israelites, uses the word aivres , all, five times in the four foregoing verses ; besides that, he carefully says, t!> xvtI @p&/ix, the same meat, and to xut1> u6/j.x, the same drink, which we cannot suppose to be done bychance, but emphatically to signify to the Corinthians, who, probably, presumed too much upon their baptism, and eating the Lord's supper, as if that were enough to keep them right in the sight of God: that though the Israelites, all to a man, eat the very same spiritual food, and, all to a man, drank the very same spiritual drink, yet they were not all to a inau preserved ; but many of them, for all that, sinned and fell under the avenging hand of God iu the wilderness. C c Kxxm, "evil things:" the fault of the Israelites, which this place refers to, seems to be their longing for flesh, Numb, xi., which cost many of them their lives : and that which he warns the Corinthians of here, is their great propension to thepagau sacrifice feasts. Chap. X. I. Corinthians. 131 TEXT. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 1 1 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples : and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man : PARAPHRASE. 8 up to playd." Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thou- 9 sand. Neither let us provoke Christ, as some of them pro- 10 voked, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the 11 destroyer e. Now all these things f happened to the Jews for examples, and are written for our admonition, upon whom 12 the ends of the ages are come8. Wherefore, taught by these examples, let him that thinks himself safe, by being in the church, and partaking of the Christian sacraments, take heed lest he fall into sin, and so destruction from God overtake 13 him. Hitherto, the temptations you have met with have NOTES. 7 a Play, f. e. dance ; feasting and dancing usually accompanied the heathen sacrifices. 10 e '0*.o6pEUTOf, " Destroyer," was au angel, that had the power to destroy, men tioned Exod. xii. 23. Heb. xi. 28. 11 f It is to be observed, that all these instances mentioned by the apostle, of de struction which came upon the Israelites who were iu covenant with God, and partakers in those typical sacraments above-mentioned, were occasioned by their ' ' luxurious appetites about meat and drink, by fornication, and by idolatry, sins which the Corinthians were inclined to, and which he here warns them against. e So I think rx ri\n tSi xitl»an> should be rendered, and not, contrary to gram mar, "the end of the world ;" because it is certain that ri\vi and awUxu* to5 aioinif, or Tw» Bitu'vcuv, cannot signify every where, as we render it, " the end of the world," which denotes but one certain period of time, for the world can have but one end ;¦ whereas those words signify, in different places, different periods of time, as will be manifest to any one who will compare these texts where they occur, viz. Matt. xiii. 39, 40, and xxiv. 3, and xxviii. 20. 1 Cor. x. 11. Heb. ix. 26. It may be worth while, therefore, to consider whether x\u» hath not ordinarily a more natural signification in the New Testament, by standing for a considerable length of time, passing under some one remarkable dispensation. k2 132 7. Corinthians. Chap. X. TEXT. but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 1 speak as to wise men : judge ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessipg, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread, which we break, is it not the commu nion of the body of Christ ? 17 For we, being many, are one bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. .18 Behold Israel after the flesh : are not they, which eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar ? 1 9 What say I then ? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing ? PARAPHRASE. been but light and ordinary ; if you should come to be pressed harder, God, who is faithful, and never forsakes those who forsake not him, will not suffer you to be tempted above your strength ; but will either enable you to bear the persecution, 14 or open you a way out of it. Therefore, my beloved, take care to keep off from idolatry, and be not drawn to any ap proaches near it, by any temptation or persecution whatso- 15 ever. You are satisfied that you want not knowledge13 : and therefore, as to knowing men, I appeal to you, and make you 16 judges of what I am going to say in the case. They, -who drink of the cup of blessing', which we bless in the Lord's sup per, do they not thereby partake of the benefits, purchased by Christ's blood, shed for them upon the cross, which they here symbolically drink ? And they, who eat of the bread broken k there, do they not partake in the sacrifice of the body of 17 Christ, and profess to be members of him ? For, by eating of that bread, we, though many in number, are all united, and make but one body, as many grains of corn are united into 18 one loaf. See how it is among the Jews, who are outwardly, according to the flesh, by circumcision, the people of God. Among them, they, who eat of the sacrifice, are partakers of • God's table, the altar, have fellowship with him, and share in the benefit of the sacrifice, as if it were offered for them. 19 Do not mistake me, as if I hereby said, that the idols of the Gentiles are gods in reality ; or that the things, offered to them, NOTES. 15 •• Vid. chap. viii. 1. 16 ' " Cup of Blessing" was a name given by the Jews to a cup of wine, which they solemnly drank in the passover, with thanksgiving. k This was also taken from the custom of the Jews, in the passover, to break a cake of unleavened bread. Chap. X. I. Corinthians. 133 TEXT. 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God : and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils : ye can not be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy ? Are we stronger than he ? PARAPHRASE. change their nature, and are any thing really different from what they were before, so as to affect us in our use of them '. 20 No : but this I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacri fice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God ; and I would not that you should have fellowship, and be in league with devils, as they, who by eating of the things offered to them enter into SI covenant, alliance, and friendship with them. You cannot eat and drink with God, as friends at his table, in the eucha- rist, and entertain familiarity and friendship with devils, by eating with them, and partaking of the sacrifices offered to them™.: You cannot be Christians and idolaters too: nor, if you should endeavour to join these inconsistent rites, will it avail you any thing. For your partaking in the sacraments of the Christian church will no more exempt you from the anger of God, and "punishment due to your idolatry, than the eating of the spiritual food, and drinking of the spiritual rock, kept the baptised Israelites, who offended God by their idolatry, or 22 other sins, from being destroyed in the wilderness. Dare you, then, being espoused to Christ, provoke the Lord to jealousy, by idolatry, which is spiritual whoredom ? Are you stronger than he, and able to resist him, when he lets loose his fury against you ? NOTES. 19 * This is evident from what he says, ver. 25, 27, that things offered to idols may be eaten as well as any other meat, so it be without partaking in the sacrifice, and without scandal. 21 m It is plain, by what the apostle says', that the thing he speaks against here is their assisting at the heathen sacrifices, or at least at the feasts in their temples upon the sacrifice, which was a federal rite. 134 /. Corinthians. Chap. X. SECTION VI. NO. 2. CHAPTER X. 23— XI. 1. CONTENTS. We have, here, another of his arguments against things of fered to idols, wherein he shows the danger, that might be in it, from the scandal it might give : supposing it a thing lawful in it self. He had formerly treated of this subject, ch. viii. so far as to let them see, that there was no good nor virtue in eating things offered to idols, notwithstanding they knew that idols were nothing, and they might think, that their free eating, without scruple, showed that they knew their freedom in the Gospel, that they knew that idols were in reality nothing ; and, therefore, they slighted and disregarded them, and their worship, as nothing; but that there might be evil in eating, by the offence it might give to weak Christians, who had not that knowledge. He here taKes up the argument of scandal again, and extends it to Jews and Gen tiles ; vid. ver. 32, and shows, that it is not enough to justify them, in any action, that the thing they do is in itself lawful, unless they seek in it the glory of God, and the good of others. TEXT. 23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient : all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. 25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 26 For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. ' 27 If any of them, that believe not, bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go ; whatsoever is set before you eat, asking no question for con science sake. PARAPHRASE. 23 Farther, supposing it lawful to eat things offered to idols, yet all things that are lawful are not expedient : things that, in themselves are lawful for me, may not tend to the edification 24 of others, and so may be fit to be forborn. No one must seek barely his own private, particular interest alone, but let every 25 one seek the good of others also. Eat whatever is sold in the shambles, without any inquiry, or scruple, whether it had been 26 offered to any idol, or no. For the earth, and all therein, are the good creatures of the true God, given by him to men, for 27 their use. If an heathen invite you to an entertainment, and Chap. XI. I. Corinthians. 13,5 TEXT. 28 But if any man say unto you, "This is offered in sacrifice unto idols," eat not, for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the others: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience ? 30 For if I, by grace, be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks ? 31 Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God : 33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. XI. 1 . Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. PARAPHRASE. you go, eat whatever is set before you, without making any question or scruple about it, whether it had been offered in sa- 28 crifice, or no. But if any one say to you, " This was offered in sacrifice to an idol," eat it not, for his sake that mentioned 29 it, and for conscience sake ". Conscience, I say, not thine own, (for thou knowest thy liberty, and that an idol is nothing) but the conscience of the other. For why should I use my liberty so, that another man should in conscience think I offend- 30 ed? And if I, with thanksgiving, partake of what is lawful for me to eat, why do I order the matter so, that I am ill— 31 spoken of, for that which I bless God for ? Whether, there fore, ye eat or drink, or whatever you do, let your care and aim 32 be the glory of God. Give no offence to the Jews, by giving them occasion to think that Christians are permitted to worship heathen idols ; nor to the Gentiles, by giving them occasion to think that you allow their idolatry, by partaking of their sacri fices ; nor to weak members ~of the church of God, by drawing them, by your examples, to eat of things offered to idols, of the lawfulness whereof they are not fully satisfied. 33 As I myself do, who abridge myself of many conveniencies of life, to comply with the different judgments of men, and gain the good opinion of others, that I may be instrumental to the XI. 1. salvation of as many as is possible. Imitate herein my ex- NOTE. 28 a The repetition of these words, " The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," does so manifestly disturb the sense, that the Syriac, Arabic, Vulgar, and French translations, have omitted them, and are justified in it by the Alex andrian, and some other Greek copies. 136 /. Corinthians. Chap. XI. PARAPHRASE. ample, as I do that of our Lord Christ, who neglected himself for the salvation of others b.NOTE. 1 * Rom. xv. 3, This verse seems to belong to the precedent, wherein he had. proposed himself as an example, and therefore this verse should not be cut off from the former chapter. In what St. Paul says, in this and the preceding verse, taken together, we may suppose, he makes some reflection on the false apostle, whom many of the Corinthians followed, as their leader. At least it is for St. Paul's justification, that he proposes himself to be followed, no farther than as he sought the good of others, and not his own, and had Christ for his pattern, Vid.ch.iv. 16. SECTION VII, CHAPTER XI. 2—16. CONTENTS. St. Paul commends them for observing the orders he had left with them, and uses arguments to justify the rule he had given them, that women should not pray, or prophesy, in their assem blies, uncovered ; which, it seems, there was some contention about, and they had writ to him to be resolved in it. TEXT. 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ ; and the head of the woman is the man ; and the head of Christ is God. PARAPHRASE, 2 I commend you, brethren, for remembering all my orders, and for retaining those rules I delivered to. you, when I was with 3 y ou . B ut for your better understanding what concerns women a, NOTE. 3 "This, about women, seeming as difficult a passage as most in St. Paul's epistles, I crave leave to premise some few considerations, which I hope may conduce to the clearing of it. (1.) It is to be observed, that it was the custom for women, who appeared in public, to be veiled, ver. 13 — 1G. Therefore it could be no question at all, Chap. XL I. Corinthians. 137 TEXT. 4 Every man praying, or prophesying, having his head covered, dis- honoureth his head. PARAPHRASE. in your assemblies, you are to take notice, that Christ is the head to which every man is subjected, and the man is the head, to which every woman is subjected ; and that the head, or su- 41 perior, to Christ himself, is God. Every man, that.prayeth, NOTE. whether they ought to be veiled, when they assisted at the prayers and praises in the public assemblies ; or, if that were the thing intended by the apostle, it had been much easier, shorter, and plainer, for him to have said, that " Women should be covered in the assemblies.'* (2.) It is plain, that this covering the head, in women, is restrained to some particular actions, which they performed in the assembly, expressed by the words, " praying and prophesying," ver. 4 and 5, which, whatever they signify, must have the same meaning, when applied to the women, in the 5th verse, that they have, when applied to the men in the 4th verse. It will possibly be objected, " If women were to be veiled in the assemblies, let those actions be what they will, the women, joining in them, were still to be veiled. Answ. This would be plainly so, if their interpretation were to be followed, who are of opinion, that by " praying and prophesying," here, was meant to be present in the assembly, and joining with the congregation, in the prayers that were made, or hymns that were sung, or in hearing the reading and exposition of the Holy Scriptures there. But against this, that the hearing of preaching, or prophesying, was never called " preaching, or prophesying," is so unanswerable an objection, that I think there can be no reply to it. The case, in short, seems to be this : the men prayed and prophesied in the assemblies, and did it with their heads uncovered : the women also, sometimes, prayed and prophesied too in the assemblies, which, when they did, they thought, during their performing that action, they were excused from being veiled, and might be bare-headed, or at least open-faced, as well as the men. This was that which the apostle restrains in them, and directs, that, though they prayed or prophesied, they were still to remain veiled. (3.) The next thing to be considered is, what is here to be understood by " praying and prophesying." And that seems to me to be the performing of some particular, public action, in the assembly, by some one person, which was, for that time, peculiar to that person ; and, whilst it lasted, the rest of the assem bly silently assisted. For it cannot be supposed, that, when the apostle says, a man praying, or prophesying, he means an action, performed in common, by the whole congregation ; or, if he did, what pretence could that give the woman to be unveiled, more, during the performance of such an action, than at any other time ? A woman must be veiled in the assembly : what pretence then, or claim, could it give her to be unveiled, that she joined with the rest of the assembly in the prayer that some one person .made ? Such a praying as this could give no more ground for ner being unveiled, than her being in the assembly could be thought a reason for her being unveiled. The same nlay-bc said of prophesying, when understood to signify a woman's joining with the congregation, in singing the praises of God. But if the woman prayed, as the mouth of the assembly, 138 I. Corinthians. Chap. XI. TEXT. 5 But every woman, that prayeth, or prophesieth, with her head un covered, dishonoureth her head : for that is even all one as if she were shaven. PARAPHRASE. or prophesieth, i. e. by the gift of the Spirit of God, speaketh in the church for the edifying, exhorting, and comforting of the congregation, having his head covered, dishonoureth Christ, his head, by appearing in. a garb not becoming the authority and dominion, which God, through Christ, has given him over all the things of this world ; the covering of the head being a 5 mark of subjection. But, on the contrary, a woman praying, NOTE. &c. then it was like she might think she might have the privilege to be unveiled. " Praying and prophesying," as hath been shown, signifying here the doing some peculiar action in the assembly, whilst the rest of the congregation only assisted, let us, in the next place, examine what that action was. As to pro phesying, the apostle in express words tells us, ch. xiv. 3 and 12, that it was speaking in the assembly. The same is evident as to praying, that the apostle means by it, praying publicly, with an audible voice, in the congregation : vid. ch. xiv. 14 — 19. (4.) It is to be observed, that, whether any one prayed, or prophesied, they did it alone, the rest remaining silent, chap. xiv. 27 — 33. So that, even in these extraordinary praises, which any one sung to God, by the immediate motion and impulse of the Holy Ghost, which was one of the actions called prophesying, they sung alone. And, indeed, how could it be otherwise ? For who could join with the person so prophesying, in things dictated to him alone, by the Holy Ghost, which the others could not know, till the person prophesying uttered them ? (5.) Prophesying, as St. Paul tells us, chap. xiv. 3, was, " speaking unto others to edification, exhortation, and comfort :" but every speaking to others, to any of these ends, was not prophesying ; bnt only then, when such speaking was a spiritual gift, performed by the immediate and extraordinary motion of the Holy Ghost; vid. chap. xiv. 1, 12, 24, 30. For example, singing praises to God was called prophesying: but we see, when aul prophesied, the Spirit of God fell upon him, and he was turned into another man, 1 Sam. x. 6. Nor do I think any place, in the New Testament, can be produced, wherein prophesying signifies bare reading of the Scripture, or any other action, performed without a supernatural impulse and assistance of the Spirit of God. This we are sure, that the prophesying, which St. Paul here speaks of, is one of the extraordinary gifts, given by the Spirit of God : vid. chap. xii. 10. Now, that the Spirit of God and the gift of prophecy should be poured out upon women, as well as men, in the time of the Gospel, is plain from Acts ii. 17, and then, where could be a fitter place for them to utter their prophecies in than the assemblies ? It is not unlikely, what one of the most learned and sagacious of our inter preters * of Scripture suggests upon this place, viz. That Christian women mighr, out of a vanity incident to that sex, propose to themselves, and affect an imita- * Mr. Mede, Disc. 6, p. 61. Chap. XI. /. Corinthians.. 139 TEXT. 6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn : but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. PARAPHRASE. or prophesying, in the church, with her head uncovered, dis honoureth the man, who is her head, by appearing in a garb that disowns her subjection to him. For to appear bare headed in public, is all one as to have her hair cut off, which is the garb and dress of the other sex, and not of a woman. 6 If, therefore, it be unsuitable to the female sex to have their hair shorn, or shaved off, let her, for the same reason, be covered. NOTE. tion of the priests and prophetesses of the Gentiles, who had their faces un covered, when they uttered their oracles, or officiated in their sacrifices: but I cannot but wonder, that that very acute writer should not see, that the bare being in the assembly could not give a Christian woman any pretence to that free dom. None of the Bacchse, or Pythiae, quitted their ordinary, modest guise, but when she was, as the poets express it, " Rapta," or " Plena Deo," possessed and hurried by the Spirit she served. And so, possibly, a Christian woman, when she found the Spirit of God poured out upon her, as Joel expresses it, ex citing her to pray, or sing praises to God, or discover any truth, immediately re vealed to her, might think it convenient, for her better uttering of it, to be un covered, or at least to be no more restrained in her liberty of showing herself, than the female priests of the heathens were, when they delivered their oracles : but yet, even in these actions, the apostle forbids the women to unveil them selves. St. Paul's forbidding women to speak in the assemblies will probably seem a stroug argument against this : but, when well considered, will perhaps prove none. There be two places wherein the apostle forbids women to speak in the church ; 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 35, and 1 Tim. ii. 11, 12. He, that shall attentively read and compare these together, may observe that the silence, enjoined the women, .is for a mark of their subjection to the. male sex:, and, therefore, what, in the one, is expressed by " keeping silence, and not speaking, but being under obedience;" in the other, is called, " being in silence, with all subjection ; not teaching, or usurping authority over the man." The women, in the churches, were not to assume the personage of doctors, or speak there as teachers; this carried with it the appearance of superiority, and was forbidden. Nay, they were not so much as to ask questions there, or to enter into any sort of confer ence. This shows a kind of equality, and was also forbidden : but yet, though they were not to speak in the church, in their own names ; or, as if they were raised by the franchises of Christianity to such an equality with the men, that where knowledge, or presumption of their own abilities, emboldened them to it, they might take upon them to be teachers and instructors of the congregation, or might, at least, enter into questionings and debates there; this would have had too great an air of standing upon even ground with the men, and would not have well comported with the subordination of the sex. But yet this subordination, which God, for order's sake, had instituted in the world, hindered not, but that, by the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, he might make use of the weaker sex, to an extraordinary function, whenever he thought fit, as well as he did of men. Buc yet, when they thus either prayed or prophesied, by the motion and impulse of the Holy Ghost, care was taken, that, whilst they were obeying God, who was pleased, by his Spirit, to set them a speaking, the subjection of their sex should 140 I. Corinthians. Chap. XI. TEXT. 7 For a man, indeed, ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God : but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman : but the woman for the man. 10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12 For, as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman : but all things of God. 13 Judge in yourselves : is it comely, that a woman pray unto God un covered ? PARAPHRASE. 7 A man, indeed, ought not to be veiled ; beeause be is the image and representative of God, in his dominion over the rest 8 of the world, which is one part of the glory of God : But the woman, who was made out of the man, made for him, and 9 in subjection to him, is matter of glory to the man. But the man not being made out of the woman, nor for her, but the 10 woman made out of, and for the man, She ought, for this rea son, to have a veil on her head, in token of her subjection, be ll cause of the angels0. Nevertheless, the sexes have not a being, one without the other ; neither the man without the woman, 12 nor the woman without the man, the Lord so ordering it. For, as the first woman was made out of the man, so the race of men, ever since, is continued and propagated by the female sex : but they, and all other things, had their being and original 13 from God. Be you yourselves j udges, whether it be decent for a woman to make a prayer to God, in the church, uncovered? NOTES. not be forgotten, but owned and preserved, by their being covered. The Chri stian religion was not to give offence, by any appearance, or suspicion, that it took away the subordination of the sexes, and set the women at liberty from their natural subjection to the man. And, therefore, we see, that in both these cases, the aim was to maintain and secure the confessed superiority and dominion of the man, and not permit it to be invaded, so much as in appearance. Hence the arguments, in the one case, for covering, and in the other, for silence, are all drawn from the natural superiority of the man, and the subjection of the woman. In the one, the woman, without an extraordinary call, was to keep silent, as a mark of her subjection : in the other, where she was to speak, by an extraordinary call arid commission from God, she was yet to continue the pro fession of her subjection, in keeping herself covered. Here, by the way, it is to be observed, that there was an extraordinary praying to God, by the impulse of the Spirit, as well as speaking unto men for their edification, exhortation, and comfort: vid. chap. xiv. 15. Rom. viii. 26. Jude ver. 20. These things being premised, let us follow the thread of St. Paul's discourse. 10 b What the meaning of these words is, I confess, I do not understand. Chap. XI. I. Corinthians. Ill TEXT. 14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him ? , 1 5 But if a woman have long hair, it: is a glory to her ; for her hair is given her for a covering. 1 G But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. PARAPHRASE. 11< Does not even nature, that has made, and would have the distinction of sexes preserved, teach you, that if a man wear his hair long, and dressed up after the manner of women, it is 15 misbecoming and dishonourable to him ? But to a woman, if she be curious about her hair, in having it long, and dressing herself with it, it is a grace and commendation ; since her hair 16 is given her for a covering. But if any show himself to be a lover of contention % we, the apostles, have no such custom, nor any of the churches of God. NOTE. 16 c Why may not this, " any one," be understood of the false apostle, here glauced at ? SECTION VIII. CHAPTER XI. 17—34. CONTENTS. One may observe, from several passages in this epistle, that several Judaical customs were crept into the Corinthian church. This church being of St. Paul's own planting, who spent two years at Corinth, in forming it; it is evident these abuses had their rise from some other teachers, who came to them after his leaving them, which was about five years before his writing this epistle. These disorders therefore may with reason be ascribed to the head of the faction, that opposed St. Paul, who, as has been remarked, was a Jew, and probably Judaized. And that, it is like, was the foundation of the great opposition between him and St. Paul, and the reason why St. Paul labours so earnestly to destroy his credit among the Corinthians ; this sort of men being very busy, very troublesome, and very dangerous to the Gospel, 142 /. Corinthians. Chap. XI. as may be seen in other of St. Paul's epistles, particularly that to the Galatians. The celebrating the passover amongst the Jews was plainly the eating of a meal distinguished from other ordinary meals, by seve ral peculiar ceremonies. Two of these ceremonies were eating of bread solemnly broken, and drinking a cup of wine, called the cup of blessing. These two our Saviour transferred into the Christian church, to be used in their assemblies, for a commemo ration of his death and sufferings. In celebrating this institution of our Saviour, the Judaizing Corinthians followed the Jewish custom of eating their passover ; they eat the Lord's supper as a part of their meal, bringing their provisions into the assembly, where they eat divided into distinct companies, some feasting to excess, whilst others, ill provided, were in want. This eating thus in the public assembly, and mixing the Lord's supper with their ordinary meal, as a part of it, with other disorders and indecencies accompanying it, is the matter of this section. These innovations, he tells them here, he as much blames, as, in the beginning of this chapter, he recommends them for keeping to his directions in some other things. TEXT. 1 7 Now in this, that I declare unto you, I praise you not, that ye come together, not for the better, but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 1 9 For there must be also heresies among you, that they, which are ap proved, may be made manifest among you. 20 When ye come together, therefore, into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21 For, in eating, every one taketh before other his own supper : and one is hungry, and another is drunken. PARAPHRASE. 17 Though what I said to you, concerning women's behaviour in the church, was not without commendation of you ; yet this, that I am now going to speak to you of is without praising you, because you so order your meetings in your as- 18 semblies, that they are not to your advantage, but harm. For first I hear, that, when you come together m the church, you 19 fall into parties, and I partly believe it; Because there must be divisions and factions amongst you, that those who stand 20 firm upon trial may be made manifest among you. You come together, it is true, in one place, and there you eat; but yet 21 this makes it not to be the eating of the Lord's supper. For, in eating, you cat not together, but every one takes his own Chap. XI. /. Corinthians. 143 TEXT. 22 What ! have ye not houses to eat and drink in ? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not ? What shall I say to you ? Shall I praise you in this ? I praise you not. 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread : 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, " Take, eat • this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me." PARAPHRASE. 22 supper one before another*. Have ye not houses to eat and drink in, at home, for satisfying your hunger and thirst? Or have ye a contempt for the church of God, and take a pleasure to put those out of countenance, who have not where withal to feast there, as you do ? What is it I said to you, that I praise you b for retaining what I delivered to you ? On 23 this occasion, indeed, I praise you not for it. For what I re ceived, concerning this institution, from the Lord himself, that I delivered unto you, when I was with you ; and it was this, viz. That the Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was be- 24 trayed, took bread : And, having given thanks, brake it, and NOTES. 21 a To understand this, we must observe, (.1.) That they had sometimes meetings, on purpose only for eating the Lord's supper, ver. 33. (2.) That to those meetings they brought their own supper, ver. 21. (3.) That though every one's supper were brought into the common assembly, yet it was not to eat in common, but every one fell to his own supper apart, as soon as he and his supper were there ready for one another, without staying for the rest of the company, or communicating with them in eating, ver. 21, 33. In this St. Paul blames three things especially. 1st, That they eat their common food in the assembly, which was to be eaten at home, in their houses, ver. 22, 34. 2dly, That though they eat in the common meeting-place, yet they eat sepa rately, every one his own supper apart. So that the plenty and excess of some shamed the want and penury of others, ver. 22. Hereby also the divisions amongst them were kept up, ver; 18, they being as so many separated and divided societies, not as one united body of Christiaus, commemorating their common head, as they should have been in celebrating the Lord's supper, chap. x. 16, 17. 3dly, That they mixed the Lord's supper with their own, eating it as a part of their ordinary meal, where they made not that discrimination between it and their common food, as they should have done, ver. 29. 22 b He here plainly refers to what he had said to them, ver. 2, where he praised them for remembering him in all things, and for retaining txs ttx^xUitiis xxtii; nag liaixx, what he had delivered to them. This commendation he here retracts ; for, in the matter of eating the Lord's supper, they did not retain o vitgiSuixx, ver. 23, what he had delivered to them, which, therefore, in the immediately following words, he repeats to them again. 144 I. Corinthians. Chap. XI. TEXT. 25 After the same manner also, he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, " This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. 27 Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. PARAPHRASE. said, " Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for yoti: 25 this do in remembrance of me." So, likewise, he took the 1 cup also, when he had supped, saying, " This cup is tlie new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as ye do it, in 26 remembrance of me." So that the eating of this bread, and the drinking of this cup of the Lord's supper, is not to satisfy hunger and thirst, but to show forth the Lord's death, 27 till he comes. Insomuch that he, who eats this bread, and drinks this cup of the Lord, in an unworthy manner0, not suitable to that end, shall be guilty of a misuse of the body 28 and blood of the Lordd. By this institution, therefore, of Christ, let a man examine himself6; and, according to NOTES. 17 c 'Ayftf/wj, " unworthily." Our Saviour, in the institution of the Lord's sup per, tells the apostles, that the bread and the cup were sacramentally his body aud blood, aud that they were to be eaten and drunk in remembrance of him ; which, as St. Paul interprets it, ver. 26, was to show forth his death till he came. Whoever, therefore, eat and drank them, so as not solemnly to show forth his death, followed not Christ's institution, but used them unworthily, i. e. not to the end to which they were instituted. This makes St. Paul tell them, ver. 20, that their coming together to eat it, as they did, viz. the sacramental bread and wine promiscuously with their other food, as a part of their meal, and that though in the same place, yet not all together, at one time, and in one com pany, was not eating of the Lord's supper. d "Etoy_os i'fai, shall be liable to the punishment due to one,. who makes a wrong use of the sacramental body and blood of Christ in the Lord's supper. What that punishment was, vid. ver. 30. 28 e St. Paul, as we have observed, tells the Corinthians, ver. 20, That to eat it after the manner they did was not to eat the Lord's supper. He tells them also, ver. 29, That to eat it, without a due and direct imitating regard had to the Lord's body, (for so he calls the sacramental bread and wine, as our Saviour did, in the institution) by separating the bread and wine from the common use of eating and drinking, for hunger aud thirst, was to eat unwor thily. To remedy their disorders herein, he sets before them Christ's own in stitution of this sacrament; that in it they might see the manner and end of its institution; and, by that, every one might examine his own comportment herein, whether it were conformable to that institution, and suited to that end. In the account he gives, of Christ's institution, we may observe, that he parti- Chap. XI. I. Corinthians. M-5 TEXT. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. PARAPHRASE. 29 that f, let him eat of this bread, and drink of this cup. For he, who eats and drinks after an unworthy manner, without a due respect had to the Lord's body, in a discriminating g and purely sacramental use of the bread and wine? that represent it, draws NOTES. ticnlarly remarks to them, that this eating and drinking was no part of common eating and drinking for hunger and thirst, but was instituted in a very solemn manner, after they had supped, and for another end, viz. to represent Christ's body and blood, and to be eaten and drunk in remembrance of him j or, as St. Paul expounds it, to show forth his death. Auother thing, which they might observe in the institution, was, that this was done by all who were pre sent, united together in one company, at the same time. All which, put to gether, shows us What the examination here proposed is. For the design of the apostle here, being to reform what he found fault with, in their celebrating the Lord's supper, it is, by that alone, we must understand the directions he gives them about it, if we will suppose he talked pertinently to this captious and touchy people, whom he was very desirous to reduce from the irregularities they were run into, in this matter, as well as several others. And if the ac count of Christ's institution be not for their examining their carriage by it, and adj-usting it to it, to what purpose is it, here ? The examination, therefore, pro posed, was no other but an examination of their manner of eating the Lord's supper, by Christ's institution, to see how their behaviour herein comported with the institution, and the end, for which it was instituted. Which farther appears to be so, by the punishment annexed to their miscarriages herein, which was infirmities, sickness, and temporal death, with which God chastened them, that they might not be condemned with the unbelieving world, ver. 30, 31. For if the unworthiness, here spoken of, were either unbelief, or any of those sins, which are usually made the matter of examination, it is to be presumed the apostle would not wholly have passed them over in silence : this, at least, is certain, that the punishment of these sins is infinitely greater than that, which God here inflicts on unworthy receivers, whether they, who are guilty of them, received the sacrament, or no. rK«i oil'™;. These words, as to the letter, are rightly translated, " and so." But that translation, I imagine, leaves generally a wrong sense of the place, in the mind of an English reader. For in ordinary speaking, these v«ords, " Let a man examine, and so let him eat," are understood to import the same with these, " Let a man examine, and then let him eat ;" as if they signified no more, but that examination should precede, and eating follow ; which I take to be quite different from the meaning of the apostle here, whose sense the whole design of the context shows to be this : " I here set before you the institution of Christ : by that let a man examine his carriage, xx\ cvtws, and according to that let him eat : let him conform the manner of his eating to that." 29 e Mi) Sixxphcm, "not discriminating," iiot putting a difference between the sacra- mental bread and wine (which St. Paul, with our Saviour, calls Christ's body) and other bread and wine, in the solemn and seperate use of them. The Co rinthians, as has been remarked, eat the Lord's supper in and with their own ordinarysupper; whereby it came not to be sufficiently distinguished (as became a religious and Christian observance, so solemnly instituted) from common eating ¦L 146 /. Corinthians. Chap. XI. TEXT. 30 For this cause^ many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home ; that ye come not to gether unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come. PARAPHRASE. 30 punishment11 on himself, by so doing. And hence it is, that many among you are weak and sick, and a good number are 31 gone to their graves. , But if we would discriminate ourselves, i. e. by our discriminating use of the Lord's supper, we should 32 not be judged, i. e. ' punished by God. But, being punished by the Lord, we are corrected k, that we may not be con- 33 demned ' hereafter, with the unbelieving world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you have a meeting for celebrating the Lord's supper, stay for one another, that you may eat it all together, as partakers, all in common, of the Lord's table, 34 without division, or distinction. But if any one be hungry, let him eat at home to satisfy his hunger, that so the disorder in these meetings may not draw on you the punishment above- mentioned. What else remains to be rectified in this matter I will set in order when 1 come. NOTES. for bodily refreshment, nor from the Jewish paschal supper, and the bread broken, and the cup of blessing used in that : nor did it, in this way of eating it in separate companies, as it were in private families, show forth the Lord's death, as it was designed to do, by the concurrence and communion of the whole as sembly of Christians, jointly united in the partaking of bread aud wine, in a way peculiar to them, with reference solely to Jesus Christ. This was that, as ap pears by this place, which St. Paul, as we have already explained, calls eating unworthily. 29 i, " Damnation," by which our translation renders xpl/ix, is vulgarly taken for eternal damnation, in the other world ; whereas xplpx here signifies punishment of another nature, as appears by ver. 30, 32. 31 i Aixxpliem does nowhere, that I know, signify to judge, as it is here translated, but always signifies " to distinguish," or " discriminate," aud in this place has the same signification, and means the same thing, that it does, ver. 29. He is little versed in St. Paul's writings, who has not observed how apt he is to repeat the same word, he had used before, to the same purpose, though in a different, ' and sometimes a pretty hard construction; as here he applies imxptteu to the persons discriminating, as in the 29th verse to the thing to be discriminated, though in both places it be put to denote the same action. Z2 k TlxiStvifj-tfa properly. signifies to be corrected, as scholars are by their master, for their good. 1 'Expntfuiei here signifies the same, that x:~/ia dues, ver. 29. Chap. XII. /. Corinthians. 147 SECTION IX. CHAPTER XII. 1— XIV. 40. CONTENTS. The Corinthians seem to have inquired of St. Paul, " What order of precedency and preference men were to have, in their as semblies, in regard of their spiritual gifts?" Nay, if we may guess by his answer, the question they seem more particularly to have proposed was, " Whether those, who had the gift of tongues, ought not to take place, and speak first, and be first heard in their meetings ?" Concerning this there seems to have been some strife, maligning, and disorder among them, as may be collected from chap. xii. 21—25, and xiii. 4, 5, and xiv. 40. To this St. Paul answers in these three chapters, as followeth : 1. That they had all been hteathen idolaters, and so being.de- niers of Christ, were in that state none of them spiritual : but that now, being Christians, and owning Jesus to be the Lord (which could not be done without the Spirit of God) they were all ¦mvea,%a.Tixo), spiritual, and so there was no reason for one to under value another, as if he were not spiritual, as well as himself, chap. xii. 1 — 3. 2. That though there be diversity of gifts, yet they are all by the same Spirit, from the same Lord, and the same God, working them all in every one, according to his good pleasure. So that, in this respect also, there is no difference or precedency ; no occa sion for any one's being puffed up, or affecting priority, upon ac count of his gifts, chap. xii. 4 — 1 1 . 3. That the diversity of gifts is for the use and benefit of the church, which is Christ's body, wherein the members (as in the natural body) of meaner functions are as much parts, and as necessary in their use to the good of the whole, and therefore to be honoured, as much as any other. The union they have, as members in the same body, makes them all equally share in one another's good and evil, gives them a mutual esteem and concern one for another, and leaves no room for contests or divisions amongst them, about their gifts, or the honour and place due to them, upon that account, chap. xii. 12 — 31. 4. That though gifts have their excellency and use, and those, who have them, may be zealous in the use of them ; yet the true and sure way for a man to get an excellency and preference above others, is the enlarging himself in charity, and excelling in that, l2 148 I.Corinthians. Chap. XII. without which a Christian, with all his spiritual gifts, is nothing, chap. xiii. 1 — 13. 5. In the comparison of spiritual gifts, he gives those the pre cedency, which edify most ; and, in particular, prefers prophesy ing to tongues, chap. xiv. 1 — 40. SECTION IX. NO. 1. CHAPTER XII. 1—3. TEXT. 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ig norant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say, that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. PARAPHRASE. 1 As to spiritual men, or men assisted and acted by the Spirit a, I shall inform you ; for I would not have you be ignorant. 2 You yourselves know, that you were heathens, engaged in the worship of stocks and stones, dumb, senseless idols, by those, 3 who were then your leaders. Whereupon let me tell you, that no one, who opposes Jesus Christ, or his religion, has the Spirit of God ''. And whoever is brought to own Jesus to be the Messiah, the Lordc, does it by the Holy Ghost. NOTES. 1 * mnj/j.xlixum, " spiritual." We are warranted, by a like use of the word, in several places of St. Paul's epistles, as chap. ii. 15, and xiv. 37, of this epistle, and Gal. vi. 1, to take it here in the masculine gender, standing for persons, aud not gifts, Aud the context obliges us to understand it so. For if we will have it stand for gifts, and not persons, the sense aud coherence of these three first verses will be very hard to be made out. Resides, there is evidence enough, in several parts of it, that the subject of St. Paul's discourse here is t»