Page images
PDF
EPUB

Greeks, and their averfion to the doctrines of the gofpel, proceeded from their extreme attachment to their own false philofophy and rhetoric, the apoftle in different paffages of this epiftle, was at great pains to fhew the vanity of both, together with their pernicious influence in matters of religion. His reafonings on thefe topics, no doubt, were particularly defigned for confuting the pretenfions of the Greeks; yet they are not uninteresting to us. They are ftill of great ufe in beating down thofe high ideas of the powers of the human mind, which fome modern pretenders to philofophy are so industrious in propagating, for the purpose of perfuading us, that divine revelation is unneceffary in matters of religion. They are of ufe likewife in fhewing the falfehood of thofe philofophical principles, whereby deifts have endeavoured to difprore the facts recorded in the Gospel hiftory. Laftly, they prove that a ftudied artificial thetoric, is not neceffary in communicating to the world the revelations of God.

SECг. V. Of the Time and Place of writing the First Epistle to

the Corinthians.

Of the place where this epifle was written, there never has been any doubt. The mention that is made, chap. xvi. 8. of the apoftle's purpofe of remaining in Ephefus till Pentecoft, and the falutation of the churches of Afia, ver. 19. fhew, that this letter was written, not at Philippi, as the spurious poftfcript indicates, but at Ephefus, during the apoftle's fecond abode in that city, of which we have the account, Acts xix. 1.—41.

It is not fo generally agreed, at what particular time of the apoftle's abode in Ephefus, this letter was written. Mill, in his Prolegomena No. 9. fays it was written after the riot of Demetrius, because the apostle's fighting with wild beasts at Ephefus, is mentioned in it, chap. xv. 32. which he thinks happened during that riot. But Paul did not then go into the theatre, being reftrained by the difciples, and by fome of the Afiarchs who were his friends, Acts xix. 30, 31. His fighting with wild beasts, therefore, at Ephefus, must have happened in fome previous tumult, of which there is no mention in the hiftory of the Acts.-That the First Epistle to the Corinthians

was

was written a little while before the riot of Demetrius and the craftsmen, appears to me probable from two circumstances. The first is, the apoftle told the Corinthians, chap. xvi. 8, 9. That he refolved to abide in Ephesus till Pentecost, on account of the great fuccefs with which he was then preaching the gofpel. The fecond circumstance is, that Demetrius, in his fpeech to the craftsmen, mentioned the much people whom Paul had turned from the worship of idols, as a recent event; and by fhewing that Paul's doctrine, concerning the gods who are made with the hands of men, effectually put an end to their occupation and wealth, he excited the craftsmen to make the riot. These two circumftances joined, lead us to conclude, that the First Epistle to the Corinthians was written a little while before the riot. For if it had been written after the riot, the apoftle could not have faid, I will abide at Ephefiis till Pentecoft.

On fuppofition that the First Epistle to the Corinthians was written a little while before the rict of Demetrius, its date may be fixed to the end of the year 56, or the beginning of the year 57, in the following manner. The apostle, as has been fhewn, fect. i. came to Corinth the first time, about the beginning of fummer in the year 51. On that occafion, he abode near two years, Acts xviii. 11. 18. then fet out by fea for Syria, with an intention to celebrate the enfuing feast of Pentecoft in Jerufalem, ver. 21. This was the Pentecoft which happened in the year 53. Having celebrated that feaft, he went immediately to Antioch; and after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, ver. 22, 23. and paffing through the upper coafts, he came to Ephefus, Acts xix. 1. In this journey, I fuppofe he spent a year and four months. These, brought into the account after the feat of Pentecoft in the year 53, will make the apoftle's fecond arrival at Ephefus, to have happened in the autumn of 54. At Ephefus, he abode two years and three months; at the end of which the riot of Demetrius happened. These, added to the autumn of 54, bring us to the end of the year 56, or the beginning of the year 57, as the date of the riot, and of the apostle's First Epiftle to the Corinthians. Accordingly Pearson places it in the year 57. And Mill more particularly in the beginning of that year: because it is said, chap. v. 7. For Chrift

our

our Paffover is facrificed for us, 8. Therefore let us keep the feaft, not with old leaven, &c.

Farther, the apoftle, a while before the riot of Demetrius, fpeaking of his going to Jerufalem with the collections, said Acts xix. 21. After I have been there, I must alfo fee Rome. From this Lightfoot very well conjectures, that Claudius was then dead, and that the news of his death, which happened October 13. A. C. 54. had reached Ephefus; becaufe if he had been alive, and his edict in force, St. Paul would not have thought of going to Rome. I add, that before he took such a refolution, he must have known that Nero was well affected to the Jews, and that the Chriftians were re-established at Rome. But as fome months must have paffed before Nero difcovered his fentiments respecting the Jews, and before the church was actually re-established in the city, the apoftle could not well be informed of these things, before the spring of the year 56, that is about . & months after Claudius's death.

SECT. VI. Of the Meffengers by whom the First Epifle to the Corinthians was fent, and of the Success of that Epiftle.

At the time the apoftle wrote this letter, he was in great diftrefs, (2 Cor. ii. 4.) being afraid that the faction would pay no regard to it. And therefore, instead of sending it by the mef fengers who had come from Corinth, he fent it by Titus, 2 Cor. vii. 7, 8. 13. 15. that his prefence and exhortations might give it the more effect. And as it contained directions concerning the collections for the faints, chap. xvi. the apostle defired Titus to urge the fincere among the Corinthians, to begin that good work, 2 Cor. viii. 6. With Titus, the apoftle fent another brother, (1 Cor. xii. 18.) probably an Ephefian, whofe name is not mentioned, but who no doubt was a person of reputation; seeing he was appointed to affift Titus in healing the divifions which had rent the Corinthian church. And that they might have time to execute their commiffion, and return to the apoftle at Ephefus, he refolved to remain there till the enfuing Pentecoft. It seems he did not think it prudent to go himself to Corinth, till he knew the fuccefs of his letter, and how the Corinthians ftood affected towards him, after they had read and confidered it.

As

As this letter, of which Titus was the bearer, contained the apostle's answer to the one which the Corinthians had fent to him, we may believe the meffengers by whom it was fent, namely Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, 1 Cor. xvi. 17. would go along with Titus and the brethren. Be this, however, as it may, Titus and his companions, on their arrival at Corinth, had all the fuccefs' in executing their commission, which they could defire. For on delivering the apostle's letter, the Corinthians received them with fear and trembling, (2 Cor. vii. 15.) expreffed the deepest sorrow for their miscarriages, (ver. 9.-11.) and paid a ready obedience to all the apostle's orders, ver. 15, 16, But the news of this happy change in their temper, the apostle did not receive, till leaving Ephesus he came into Macedonia, where it seems he waited till Titus arrived, and brought him fuch an account of the greatest part of the church at Corinth, as gave him the highest joy, 2 Cor. vii, 4.7.13.

Because Softhenes joined the apoftle in this letter, Beza thinks he was the apostle's amanuenfis in writing it. And for the same reafon he supposes the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, to have been written by Timothy. But all this is mere conjecture, as is plain from Beza's note on Gal. vi. 11.

1

CHAP.

CHAP. I.

View and Illuftration of the Matters contained in the First Chapter

THE

of this Epifile.

HE teacher who came to Corinth after the apoftle's departure, with a view to leffen his authority among the Corinthians, boldly affirmed that he was no apoftle. Wherefore, to fhew the falsehood of that calumny, St. Paul, after afferting his own apostleship, and giving the Corinthians his apoftolical benediction, mentioned a fact well known to them all, by which his title to the apoftleship was established in the clearest manner. Having communicated to the Corinthians, a variety of fpiritual gifts immediately after their converfion, he thanked God for having enriched them with every fpiritual gift, at the time his preaching concerning Chrift was confirmed among them, ver. 4.-7. By making the spiritual gifts with which the Corinthians were enriched immediately on their believing, a fubject of thanksgiving to God, the apostle in a delicate manner put them in mind, that they had received these gifts long before the falfe teacher came among them; confequently, that they had received none of their spiritual gifts from him, but were indebted to the apoftle himself for the whole of them; also that they were much to blame for attaching themfelves to a teacher, who had given them no proof at all, either of his doctrine or of his miffion. See the View prefixed to 2 Cor. xii. verses 12, 13.

St. Paul, by thus appealing to the spiritual gifts which he had imparted to the Corinthians, having established his authority as an apoftle, exhorted them in the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift, to live in union and peace, ver. 10.-For he had heard, that after the example of the difciples of the Greek philofophers, each of them claimed peculiar refpect, on account of the fuppofed eminence of the person who had taught him, and attached himself to that teacher, as if he, rather than Christ, had been the author of his faith, ver. 11, 12.-But to make them fenfible that Chrift was their only mafter, the apoftle asked them, Whether Chrift, that is, the church of Chrift, was divided into different fects, under different mafters, like the Grecian schools of philofophy? and whether any of their teachers was crucified for them? and whether they had been baptized in the name of any of them? ver. 13.-Then thanked God, fince they made fuch a bad ufe of the reputation of the perfons who baptized them, that he had baptized but a few of them, ver. 14, 15, 16. -And to fhew that they derived no advantage from the dignity

of

« PreviousContinue »