Introduction. I. CORINTHIANS. Introduction. But there is another circumstance in these two passages much less obvious, in which an agreement holds without any room for suspicion that it was produced by design. We have observed, that the sending of Timothy into the peninsula of Greece, was connected in the narrative with St. Paul's own journey thither; it is stated as the effect of the same resolution. Paul purposed to go into Macedonia; "so he sent two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus." Now, in the epistle also you remark that, when the apostle mentions his having sent Timothy unto them, in the very next sentence he speaks of his own visit: "for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, &c. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you; but I will come to you shortly, if God will." Timothy's journey, we see, is mentioned in the history and in the epistle, in close connexion with St. Paul's own. Here is the same order of thought and intention: yet conveyed under such diversity of circumstances and expressions, and the mention of them in the epis-ced in the Acts and in the epistles, are so independent and so tle so allied to the occasion which introduces it, viz. the insinuation of his adversaries that he would come to Corinth no more, that I am persuaded no attentive reader will believe, that these passages were written in concert with one another, or will doubt that the agreement is unsought and uncontrived. But, in the Acts, Erastus accompanied Timothy in this jourof whom no mention is made in the epistle. From what nas been said in our observations upon the Epistle to the Romans, it appears probable that Erastus was a Corinthian. If so, though he accompanied Timothy to Corinth, he was only returning home, and Timothy was the messenger charged with St. Paul's orders.-At any rate, this discrepancy shows that the passages were not taken from one another. SECTION IV.-Chap. xvi. 10, 11. "Now, if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear; for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do let no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him with the brethren." ney, was there, we read that he "helped them much which had believed through grace, for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly." Acts xviii. 27, 28. To have brought Apollos into Achaia, of which Corinth was the capital city, as well as the principal Christian church; and to have shown that ho preached the Gospel in that country, would have been suff. cient for our purpose. But the history happens also to mention Corinth by name, as the place in which Apollos, after his arrival in Achaia, fixed his residence: for, proceeding with the account of St. Paul's travels, it tells us, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came down to Ephesus, xix. 1. What is said, therefore, of Apollos in the epistle, coincides exactly and especially in the point of chronology, with what is delivered concerning him i the history. The only question now is, whether the allusions were made with regard to this coincidence. Now, the occasions and purposes for which the name of Apollos is introduremote, that it is impossible to discover the smallest reference from one to the other. Apollos is mentioned in the Acts, in immediate connexion with the history of Aquila and Priscilla, and for the very singular circumstance of his "knowing only the baptism of John." In the epistle, where none of these circumstances are taken notice of, his name first occurs, for the purpose of reproving the contentious spirit of the Corinthians; and it occurs only in conjunction with that of some others: "Every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." The second passage in which Apollos appears, "I have planted, Apollos watered," fixes, as we have observed, the order of time amongst three distinct events: but it fixes this, I will venture to pronounce, without the writer perceiving that he was doing any such thing. The sentence fixes this order in exact conformity with the history: but it is itself introduced solely for the sake of the reflection which follows:-"Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." SECTION VI.-Chap. iv. 11, 12. "Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and labour, work. ing with our hands." From the passage considered in the preceding section, it ap pears that Timothy was sent to Corinth, either with the epistle, or before it: "for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus." From the passage now quoted, we infer that Timothy was not sent with the epistle; for had he been the bearer of the letter, or accompanied it, would St. Paul in that letter have said, "If Timothy come?" Nor is the sequel consistent with the supposition of his carrying the letter; for if Timothy was with the apostle when he wrote the letter, could he say, as he does, "I look for him with the brethren ?" I conclude, therefore, that Timothy had left St. Paul to proceed upon his journey before the letter was written. Farther, the passage before us seems to imply, that Timothy was not expected by St. Paul to arrive at Corinth till after they had received the letter. He gives them directions in the letter how to treat him when he should arrive: "If he come," act towards him so and so. Lastly, the whole form of expression is most naturally applicable to the supposition of Timothy's coming to Corinth, not directly from St. Paul, but from some other quarter; and that his instructions had been, when he should reach Corinth, to return. Now, how stands this matter in the history? Turn to the nineteenth chapter and twenty-first verse of the Acts, and you will find that Timothy did not, when sent from Ephesus, where he left St. Paul, and where the present epistle was writing, when he says, "Ye yourselves know that these hands ten, proceed by a straight course to Corinth, but that he went round through Macedonia. This clears up every thing; for, although Timothy was sent forth upon his journey before the letter was written, yet he might not reach Corinth till after the letter arrived there; and he would come to Corinth, when he did come, not directly from St. Paul at Ephesus, but from some part of Macedonia. Here, therefore, is a circumstantial and critical agreement, and unquestionably without design; for neither of the two passages in the epistle mentions Timothy's journey into Macedonia at all, though nothing but a circuit of that kind can explain and reconcile the expressions which the writer uses. SECTION V.-Chap. i. 12. "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." Also, iii. 6. "I have planted, Apollos wa tered, but God gave the increase." This expression, "I have planted, Apollos watered," imports two things; first, that Paul had been at Corinth before Apollos; secondly, that Apollos had been at Corinth after Paul, but before the writing of this epistle. This implied account of the several events, and of the order in which they took place, corresponds exactly with the history. St. Paul, after his first visit into Greece, returned from Corinth into Syria, by the way of Ephesus; and, dropping his companions Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus, he proceeded forwards to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem he descended to Antioch; and from thence made a progress through some of the upper or northern provinces of the Lesser Asia, Acts sviii. 19, 23. during which progress, and consequently in the interval between St. Paul's first and second visit to Corinth, and consequently also before the writing of this epistle, which was at Ephesus two years at least after the apostle's return from his progress, we hear of Apollos, and we hear of him at Corinth. Whilst St. Paul was engaged, as hath been said, in Phrygia and Galatia, Apollos came down to Ephesus; and being, in St. Paul's absence, instructed by Aquila and Priscilla, and having obtained letters of recommendation from the church at Ephesus, he passed over to Achaia; and when he VOL, VI, N We are expressly told, in the history, that at Corinth St. Paul laboured with his own hands: "He found Aquila and Priscilla; and, because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought; for by their occupation they were tentmakers." But, in the text before us, he is made to say, that "he laboured even unto this present hour," that is, to the time of writing the epistle at Ephesus. Now, in the narration of St. Paul's transactions at Ephesus, delivered in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts, nothing is said of his working with his own hands; but in the twentieth chapter we read, that upon his return from Greece, he sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus, to meet him at Miletus; and in the discourse which he there addressed to them, amidst some other reflections which he calls to their remembrance, we find the following: "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel: yea, you yourselves also know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." The reader will not forget to remark, that though St. Paul be now at Miletus, it is to the elders of the church of Ephesus he is speak have ministered to my necessities ;" and that the whole discourse relates to his conduct during his last preceding residence at Ephesus. That manual labour, therefore, which he had exercised at Corinth, he continued at Ephesus: and not only so, but continued it during that particular residence at Ephesus, near the conclusion of which, this epistle was written; so that he might with the strictest truth say, at the time of writing the epistle, "Even unto this present hour we labour, working with our own hands." The correspondency is suffi cient, then, as to the undesignedness of it. It is manifest to my judgment, that if the history, in this article, had been taken from the epistle, this circumstance, if it appeared at all, would have appeared in its place, that is, in the direct account of St. Paul's transactions at Ephesus. The correspondency would not have been effected, as it is, by a kind of reflected stroke, that is, by a reference in a subsequent speech, to what in the narrative was omitted. Nor is it likely, on the other hand, that a circumstance which is not extant in the history of St. Paul at Ephesus, should have been made the subject of a factitious allusion, in an epistle purporting to be written by him from that place; not to mention that the allusion itself, especially as to time, is too oblique and general to answer any purpose of forgery whatever. SECTION VII.-Chap. ix. 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." We have the disposition here described, exemplified in two instances which the history records; one, Acts xvi. 3. "Him, (Timothy,) would Paul have to go forth with him, and took and circumcised him, because of the Jews in those quarters; for they knew all that his father was a Greek." This was before the writing of the epistle. The other, Acts xxi. 23, 26. and after the writing of the epistle: "Do this that we say to thee; we have four men which have a row on them: them take, and purify thyself with them, that they may shave their heads; and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou 97 Introduction. Introduction. count, be exposed to contempt, urges upon him the caution I. CORINTHIANS. T thyself leo walkest orderly, and keepest the law. Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself with them, entered into the temple." Nor does this concurrence between the character and the instances look like the result of contrivance. St. Paul, in the epistle, describes, or is made to describe, his own accommodating conduct towards Jews and towards Gentiles, towards the weak and over-scrupulous, to wards men indeed of every variety of character; "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; to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might gain some." This is the sequel of the text which stands at The head of the present section. Taking, therefore, the whole passage together, the apostle's condescension to the Jews is mentioned only as a part of his general disposition towards all. It is not probable that this character should have been made up from the instances in the Acts, which relate solely to his dealings with the Jews. It is not probable that a sophist should take his hint from those instances, and then extend it so much beyond them: and it is still more incredible that the two instances, in the Acts, circumstantially related and interwoven with the history, should have been fabricated, in order to suit the character which St. Paul gives of himself in the epistle. SECTION VIII-Chap. i. 14-17. "I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius, lest any should say that I baptized in my own name; and I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other; for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel." It may be expected, that those whom the apostle baptized with his own hands, were converts distinguished from the rest by some circumstance, either of eminence, or of connexion with him. Accordingly, of the three names here mentioned, Crispus, we find, from Acts xviii. 8. was a "chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth, who believed in the Lord with all his house." Gaius, it appears from Romans xvi. 23. was St. Paul's host at Corinth, and the host, he tells us, "of the whole church." The household of Stephanas, we read in the sixteenth chapter of this epistle, "were the first-fruits of Achaia." Here, therefore, is the propriety we expected and it is a proof of reality not to be contemned; for their names appearing in the several places in which they occur, with a mark of distinction belonging to each, could hardly be the effect of chance, without any truth to direct it: and on the other hand, to suppose that they were picked out from these passages, and brought together in the text before us, in order to display a conformity of names, is both improbable in itself, and is rendered more so by the purpose for which they are introduced. They come in to assist St. Paul's exculpation of himself, against the possible charge of having assumed the character of a founder of a separate religion, and with no other visible, or, as I think, imaginable design." SECTION IX.-Chap. xvi. 10, 11. "Now, if Timotheus come, let no man despise him."-Why despise him? This charge is not given concerning any other messenger whom St. Paul sent; and, in the different epistles, many such messengers are mentioned. Turn to 1st of Timothy, chap. iv. 12. and you will find that Timothy was a young man, younger probably than those who were usually employed in the Christian mission; and that St. Paul, apprehending lest he should, on that ac which St. Paul had visited before the writing of this epistle. He was now at Ephesus, and he came thither immediately The churches of Galatia and Phrygia were the last churches from visiting these churches: "He went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, strengthening all the disci ples. And it came to pass that Paul, having passed through the upper coasts," (viz. the above-named countries, called the upper coasts, as being the northern part of Asia Minor,) "came to Ephesus." Acts xviii. 23. xix. 1. These, therefore, probably, were the last churches at which he left directions for their public conduct during his absence. Although two years intervened between his journey to Ephesus and his writing this epistle, yet it does not appear that during that time re visited any other church. That he had not been silent when he was in Galatia, upon this subject of contribution for the poor, is farther made out from a hint which he lets fall in his epistle to that church: "Only they (viz. the other apostles) would that we should remember the poor, the same also which I was forward to do." though I would not come unto you." to the first chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, over, is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast, not chapter xvi. 8. it has been conjectured that this epistle was Chap. i. 1. "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth." The only account we have of any person who bore the name of Sosthenes, is found in the eighteenth chapter of the Acts. When the Jews at Co-will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost." It was written after rinth had brought Paul before Gallio, and Gallio had dismissed their complaint as unworthy of his interference, and had driven them from the judgment seat; "then all the Greeks," says the historian, "took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat." The Sosthenes here spoken of, was a Corinthian; and, if he was a Christian, and with St. Paul when he wrote this epistle, was ikely enough to be joined with him in the salutation of the Corinthian church. But here occurs à difficulty-If Sosthenes was a Christian at the time of this uproar, why should the Greeks beat him? The assault upon the Christians was made by the Jews. It was the Jews who had brought Paul before the magistrate. If it had been the Jews also who had beaten Sosthenes, Ishould not have doubted that he had been a favourer of St. Paul, and the same person who is joined with him in the epistle. Let us see, therefore, whether there be not some error in our present text. The Alexandrian manuscript gives παντες alone, without οι Έλληνες, aud is followed in this reading by the Coptic version, by the Arabic version, published by Erpenius, by the Vulgate, and by Bede's Latin version. Three Greek manuscripts again, as well as Chrysostom, give or Iovdatot, in the place of or 'EXAnues. A great plurality of manuscripts authorize the reading which is retained in our copies. In this variety it appears to me extremely probable that the historian originally wrote Tavres alone, and that S EXAves and or lovdatot have been respectively added as explanatory of what the word avres was supposed to mean. The sentence, without the addition of either name, would run very perspicuously thus, 'kat arnλacev aurous ano Tou Bua98 The salutation of CHAPTER I. Paul and Sosthenes. PREFACE TO FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. CORINTH, to which this and the following epistle were sent, | remained. Under this deteriorating government, it is greatly was one of the most celebrated cities of Greece. It was situ- reduced; its whole population amounting only to between 13 ated on a gulf of the same name, and was the capital of the and 14,000 souls. It lies about 46 miles to the east of Athens; Peloponnesus, or Achaia; and was united to the continent by and 342 south-west of Constantinople. A few vestiges of its an isthmus, or neck of land, that had the port of Lecheum on ancient splendour still remain; which are objects of curiosity the west, and that of Cenchrea on the east, by which it com- and gratification to all intelligent travellers. manded the navigation and commerce both of the Ionian and Egean seas. It is supposed by some, to have been founded by Sisyphus, the son of Eolus, and grandfather of Ulysses, about the year of the world 2490, or 2500, and before the Christian æra 1504 years. Others report that it had both its origin and name from Corinthus, the son of Pelops. It was at first but a very inconsiderable town; but at last, through its extensive commerce, became the most opulent city of Greece, and the capital of a powerful state. It was destroyed by the Romans under Mummius, about 146 years before Christ, but was afterward rebuilt by Julius Cesar. By its port of Lecheum, it received the merchandise of Italy and the western nations; and by Cenchrea, that of the islands of the Ægean Sea, the coasts of Asia Minor, and the Phonicians. Corinth exceeded all cities of the world, for the splendour and magnificence of its public buildings, such as temples, palaces, theatres, porticoes, cenotaphs, baths, and other edifices; all enriched with a beautiful kind of columns, capitals, and bases, from which the Corinthian order in architecture took its rise. Corinth is also celebrated for its statues, those especially of Venus, the Sun, Neptune and Amphitrite, Diana, Apollo, Jupiter, Minerva, &c. The temple of Venus was not only very splendid, but also very rich, and maintained, according to Strabo, not less than 1000 courtezans, who were the means of bringing an immense concourse of strangers to the place. Thus riches produced luxury, and luxury a total corruption of manners; though arts, sciences, and literature, continued to flourish long in it; and a measure of the martial spirit of its ancient inhabitants, was kept alive in it by means of those public games, which, being celebrated on the isthmus which connects the Peloponnesus to the main land, were called the Isthmian games; and were exhibited once every five years. The exercises in these games were leaping, running, throwing the quoit or dart, boxing and wrestling. It appears, that besides these, there were contentions for poetry and music; and the conquerors in any of these exercises, were ordinarily crowned either with pine leaves, or with parsley. It is well known that the apostle alludes to those games in dif. ferent parts of his epistles, which shall all be particularly noticed as they occur. As we have seen that Corinth was well situated for trade, and consequently very rich; it is no wonder that, in its hea then state, it was exceedingly corrupt and profligate. Notwithstanding this, every part of the Grecian learning was highly cultivated here; so that before its destruction by the Romans, Cicero (Pro lege Manl. cap. v.) scrupled not to call it totius Græcia lumen, The eye of all Greece. Yet the inha bitants of it were as lascivious as they were learned. Public prostitution formed a considerable part of their religion; and they were accustomed in their public prayers, to request the gods to multiply their prostitutes! and, in order to express their gratitude to their deities for the favours they received, they bound themselves by vows, to increase the number of such women; for commerce with them, was neither esteemed sinful nor disgraceful. Lais, so famous in history, was a Corinthian prostitute, and whose price was not less than 10,000 drachmas. Demosthenes, from whom this price was required by her, for one night's lodging, said, "I will not buy repentance at so dear a rate." So notorious was this city for such conduct, that the verb ropivia colui, to Corinthize, signified to act the prostitute: and Kopivia koon, a Corinthian damsel, meant a harlot, or common woman. I mention these things the more particularly, because they account for several things mentioned by the apostle in his letters to this city; and things which, without this knowledge of their previous Gentile state and customs, we could not comprehend. It is true, as the apostle states, that they carried these things to an extent that was not practised in any other Gentile country. And yet, even in Corinth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, prevailing over univer. sal corruption, founded a Christian church. This epistle, as to its subject matter, has been variously divided; into three parts by some, into four, seven, eleven, &c. parts by others. Most of these divisions are merely artificial, and were never intended by the apostle. The following seven particulars comprise the whole I-The Introduction, chap. i. 1-9. II.-Exhortations relative to their dissentions, ch. i. 9. and to ch. iv. inclusive. III.-What concerns the person who had married his step mother; commonly called the incestuous person, ch. v. vi. and vii. IV.-The question concerning the lawfulness of eating things which had been offered to idols, ch. viii. ix. and x. Corinth, like all other opulent and well situated places, has inclusive. V.-Various ecclesiastical regulations, ch. xi.often been a subject of contention between rival states; has xiv. inclusive. VI. The important question concerning the frequently changed masters, and undergone all forms of go-resurrection of the dead, ch. xv. VII.-Miscellaneous matvernment. The Venetians held it till 1715, when the Turks ters, containing exhortations, salutations, commendations, &c. took it from them, under whose dominion it has ever since &c. ch. xvi. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [For Chronological Eras, see at the end of the Acts.] Meantime of the Paschal Full Moon, at Corinth, (its longitude being twenty-three degrees to the east of London,) according to Ferguson's Tables, April 19, or the XIIIth of the Calends of May, at fifteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds past eleven at night. (The reason of the discrepance of the fifteenth of Nisan with the day of the mean Paschal Full Moon arises from the iraccuracy of the Metonic cycle, which reckoned 235 mean lunations to be precisely equal to nineteen solar years, these lunations being actually performed in one hour and a half less time. The correspondence of the Pass-over with the mean Full Moon, according to the Julian account, was in A. D. 325.)-True time of the Paschal Full Moon at Corinth, according to Ferguson's Tables, the XIIth of the Calends of May, (April 20,) at fifty-seven minutes and forty-one seconds past five in the morning-According to Struyk's catalogue of eclipses, which he collected from the Chinese chronology, the sun was eclipsed at Canton in China, on the 25th of December of this year, or on the VIIIth of the Calends of January, A. D. 57. The middle of the eclipse was at twenty-eight minutes past twelve at noon; the quantity eclipsed at this time being nine digits and twenty minutes. The day of this eclipse was on the 19th of Tybi, in the 804th year of the Nabonassarean æra, and on the 24th of Cisleu of the minor Rabbinical, or Jewish æra of the world 3817, or 4416 of their greater æra. CHAPTER I. The salutation of Paul and Sosthenes, 1, 2. The apostolical benediction, 3. Thanksgiving for the prosperity of the church at Corinth, 4. In what that prosperity consisted, 5-9. The apostle reproves their dissentions, and vindicates him self from being any cause of them, 10-17. States the simple means which God uses to convert sinners, and confound the wisdom of the wise, &c. 18-21. Why the Jews and Greeks did not believe, 22. The matter of the apostle's preach. ing, and the reasons why that preaching was effectual to the salvation of men, 23-29. All should glory in God, because all blessings are dispensed by him through Christ Jesus, 30, 31. [A. M. 4060. A. D. 56. A. U. C. 809. Anno. Imp. Neronis Cæs. 3. Written a little before the Pass-over of A. D. 56.] are sanctified in Christ Jesus, f called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, bour g Lord, i both theirs and ours: f Rom.1.7. 2 Tim. 1.9.-g Acts 9. 14, 21. & 22.16. 2 Tim. 2.22-h Chapter 8. 6.i Rom. 3.22. & 10, 12. it, therefore, Paul the called; the apostle of Jesus Christ. The word kĺnros, called, may be here used, as in some other places, for constituted. For this, and the meaning of the word apostle, see the note on Rom. i. 1. 8. Who shall confirm you] As the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you; so, in conscientiously believing and obeying, God will confirm you through that testimony. See In the day of our Lord Jesus] In the day that he comes to ndge the world, according to some; but, in the day in which he comes to destroy the Jewish polity, according to others. While God destroys them who are disobedient, he can save you who believe. 9. God is faithful] The faithfulness of God is a favourite expression among the ancient Jews; and, by it, they properly understand the integrity of God, in preserving whatever is entrusted to him. And they suppose that in this sense, the fidelity of man may illustrate the fidelity of God; in reference to which they tell the two following stories. Phineas, the son of Jair, dwelt in a certain city, whither some men came who had two measures of barley, which they "Rabbi desired him to preserve for them. They afterward forgot their barley, and went away. Rabbi Phineas, each year, 100 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellow. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord ship of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined Jesus Christ," that ye all speak the same thing, and that there together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are conten11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, tions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul: and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 21. 1 John 1.3.& 4.13,-u Rom. 12.16.& 15.5. 2 Cor. 13.11. Phil.2.2.& 3. 16. 1 Pet. 8 Isa. 49.7. Ch. 10. 13. 1 Thess.5.24. 2 Thess. 3.3. Heb. 10.23.-t John 15.4. & 27. sowed the barley, reaped, threshed, and laid it up in his gra3.8.-v Gr.schisms,Ch.11.18.-wCh.3.4.-x Acts 18.24.& 19.1. Ch. 16. 12-y Jn. 1.42 nary. When seven years had elapsed, the men returned, and desired to have the barley with which they had entrusted him. Rabbi Phineas recollected them, and said, 'come and take your treasure,' i. e. the barley they had left; with all that it had produced for seven years. Thus, from the faithfulness of man, ye may know the faithfulness of God." some Edomites, at whose neck his disciples saw a diamond "Rabbi Simeon, the son of Shetach, bought an ass from maketh rich, Prov. x. 22. But he answered-The ass I have hanging: they said unto him, Rabbi, the blessing of the Lord turned the diamond to the Edomites. Thus, from the fidelity of man, ye may know the fidelity of God." This was an inbought, but the diamond I have not bought: therefore he reof the present day; and probably among few Gentiles.stance of rare honesty, not to be paralleled among the Jews carefully preserve; for, he is faithful. Whatever is committed to the keeping of God, he will most and the glories of his future kingdom. God will continue to Unto the fellowship, &c.] Ets KOLVOOVIAV, into the commuuphold and save you, if you entrust your bodies and souls to nion or participation of Christ, in the graces of his Spirit, him. But, can it be said that God will keep what is either not entrusted to him; or, after being entrusted, is taken away? ed his introduction, comes to his second point, exhorting his place; and on account of your infinite obligations to his actly in opinion on every subject; they might, notwithstand- mily were converted to the Lord; some of whom were proba- para, divisions, mentioned above. When once they had di they were all divided into the following sects, 1. Paulians, cumcision who believed, might prefer him to all the rest The apostle had baptized 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were | pel: & not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ 16. The household of Stephanas] From chap. xvi. 15. we learn that the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia; probably converted and baptized by the apostle himself Epenetus is supposed to be one of this family; see the note on Rom. chap. xvi. 5. I know not whether I baptized any other] I do not recollect that there is any person now residing in Corinth or Achaia besides the above-mentioned, whom I have baptized. It is strange that the doubt here expressed by the apostle should be construed so as to affect his inspiration! What, does the inspiration of prophet or apostle, necessarily imply that he must understand the geography of the universe, and have an intuitive knowledge of all the inhabitants of the earth, and how eften, and where, they may have changed their residence! Nor, was that inspiration ever given, so to work on a man's memory, that he could not forget any of the acts which he had performed during life. Inspiration was given to the holy men of old, that they might be able to write and proclaim the mind of God, in the things which concern the salvation of men. 17. For Christ sent me not to baptize] Bp. Pearce translates thus, For Christ sent me, not so much to baptize as to preach the Gospel; and he supports his version thus-"The writers of the Old and New Testaments do, almost every where, (agreeably to their Hebrew idiom,) express a preference given to one thing beyond another, by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negation of that which is contrary to it: and so it must be understood here, for, if St. Paul Christ crucified is the power of God to their salvation; it is men; of the philosophers; who, in their investigations, seek world?] These words most manifestly refer to the Jews; as the prophet, whose office it was to teach others. the prophet; this signifies any man of learning, as distin- derushen, the propounder of questions: the seeker of |