gofpel, and by mifreprefenting others of them. But that fort of wifdom the apoftle feverely condemned, because it flood in oppofition to the wifdom of God, who commanded all the preachers of the gofpel, to teach its doctrines and precepts fincerely.

Ver. 19. The wifdom of this world is foolishness with God; confequently will iffue in punishment to thefe worldly wife teachers this is the apoftle's meaning, is evident from his adding, For it is spritten, He catcheth the wife in their own craftiness.

the wife that they are
vain.

21 Therefore let no man

γινωσκει τες διαλογισμός των σοφων, ότι εισι ματαιόν.

21 Ὡσε μηδεις καυχαστ

glory in men: for all things θω εν ανθρωποις παντα γαρ

are yours:

ύμων εσιν

Ver. 20. That they are vain. The fubtle contrivances of men, when oppofed to the methods which God's wifdom hath appointed, are vain; are utterly ineffectual for accomplishing what they intend by them. Wherefore those wife teachers, whom the apoftle reproved, laboured to no purpose, when they endeavoured to build the temple of God by methods which God condemned.

Ver. 21. Wherefore let no one boaft in men. Befides the general meaning of this verfe, expreffed in the commentary, I think the apoftle infinuated, that the Corinthians in particular, had no reason to boast in the falfe teacher, who had fpoiled the temple of God by building wicked men into it.

The

Ver. 22. Or things prefent, or things to come, all are yours. apostle does not mean, as fome fanatics have vainly imagined, that the property of all the things in the world is vefted in believers, by an exclufive title; but that by the direction of the providence of God, all things profperous or adverfe, whether prefent or future, fhall be made fubfervient to the promoting of their virtue in the prefent life, and of their felicity in the life to come. Thus far they may confider themfelves as having an intereft in all things; and may furvey them with pleafure, as making a part of their treasures; and among the reft, death itself is theirs, as it is the appointed means of bringing them to the vifion and enjoyment of God.

the wife, that they are

vain.'

21 Wherefore, let no one boaft in men:1 for all things are yours;

22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come; all are

yours;'

they are vain, when ufed in oppofition to his purposes.

21 Wherefore, fince we are all joint labourers of God, let no one boaft in men, as if any teacher belonged peculiarly to him; for all the minifters of the gofpel, and all its privileges, and all the bleffings of providence, belong equally to you all:

22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the fabric of the world, or life with its enjoyments, or death with its confequences, or things prefent, or things to come, all belong to you in general, and each fhall receive fuch a fhare of them, as is beft for him.

23 And ye ARE 23 And, instead of being the Christ's, and Chrift is difciples of this or that teacher, ye God's.! are Chrift's difciples, and Chrift is God's difciple,

Ver. 23. And Chrift is God's. As the foregoing expreffion, Ye are Christ's, means that the Corinthians belonged to Chrift as his difciples, this expreffion, Chrift is God's, I think means, that in making the gofpel revelation, Chrift is God's difciple or fervant. So Chrift himfelf fays, John vii. 16. My doctrine is not mine, but his that fent me.— viii. 28. As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.-xii. 49. I have not spoken of myself, but the Father who fent me, he gave me commandment what I should fay, and what I should speak.—xiv. 10. words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself. This I fuppofe is the apoftle's meaning, likewife, when he tells us, I Cor. xi. 3. The head of Chrift is God.-Others understand the paffage thus, All things are appointed for your good, and ye are appointed for Chrift's honour, and Chrift for God's glory.

The

CHAP.

CHAP. IV.

View and Illuftration of the Matters handled in this Chapter.

L

EST, from what was faid in the preceding chapters, concerning the inspiration of the apoftles by the Spirit, the Corinthians might have imagined that Paul claimed to himself and to his brethren, an authority not derived from Christ, he began this chapter with telling them, that they were to confider the apoftles only as fervants of Chrift, and as stewards of the mysteries of God, ver. 1.-And, that the thing required of every fuch steward is, that he be faithful in difpenfing these mysteries according as his difciples are able to receive them, ver. 2.Therefore, although the falfe teacher accused Paul of unfaith!fulness, because he had taught the Corinthians the first principles only, and not the deep doctrines of the gospel, he told them, it was a very small matter in his eyes, to be condemned as unfaithful by them, or by any man's judgment, seeing he did not condemn himself, ver. 3.-For he was confcious to himself of no unfaithfulnefs; yet by this he was not justified; he meant in the eyes of the faction, who could not fee his heart. At the fame time he told them, that the only person who had a right to condemn him if he proved unfaithful, was the Lord his mafter, ver. 4.-This being the cafe, he defired the faction not to condemn him, till the Lord fhould come to judgment, who will bring to light every thing moft fecret, and lay open the defigns of the heart, of which they were no judges, ver. 5.

Next, to prevent the Corinthians from miftaking what he had faid, concerning their boafting in himself and Apollos, as the heads of the factions, (chap. i. 12. iii. 4.) he declared, that he had applied these things to himfelf and Apollos figuratively only, for their fakes, that by disclaiming all pretenfions to be the heads of parties, the Corinthians might learn in them, not to efteem any teacher above what he had written, chap. iii. 5. namely that Paul and Apollos were only fervants of Chrift, by whose

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. IV. 1 Let a man fo account of us, as of the and

minifters of Chrin," απο

GREEK TEXT.

1 Όντως ήμας λογίζεσθε ανθρωπος, ὡς ὑπηρετας Χριfewards of the myfteries of 5%, και οικονομος μυςηρίων God.

G૪.

Ver. 1. Stewards of the myfteries of God. The apostle gave to those doctrines which in former ages had been kept fecret, but which were

DOW

་

whofe ministry the Corinthians had believed; and that none of them, on account of any teacher, should be puffed up with envy and anger against another, ver. 6.

In what follows, the apoftle turning his discourse to the false teacher, fays, without naming him, Whó maketh thee to differ in gifts from others? Or what fpiritual gift haft thou, which thou didst not receive from fome apoftle? And if thou haft received all thy gifts from the apostles, why doft thou fet thyself above them, as if thou hadst not received thy gifts from them, but wert independent of, and fuperior to them? ver. 7— Then to fhew the Corinthians the difference between the falfe teacher and the true apoftles of Chrift, he contrasted the eafe and opulence in which that impoftor and the other leaders of the faction, were living at Corinth, and their imperious conduct towards the church, with the afflicted and perfecuted ftate of the apostles, ver. 8.-13.-And affured them, that he wrote not these things to shame them, for having increased his sufferings by their calumnious fpeeches, and disrespectful behaviour. But his design was, affectionately to inftruct them, that they might not be feduced by teachers, whofe character and relation to them were fo different from his, ver. 14.-For he told them, though they had ten thousand inftructors in the chriftian doctrine, yet they had not many fathers. He was their only spiritual father, ver. 15.-And therefore he befought them to imitate him, ver. 16, 17.-To conclude, because the falfe teacher had boasted, that Paul being afraid to encounter fuch learned and eloquent oppofers, durft not return to Corinth, he affured the Corinthians that he would come foon, and make trial, not of the speech of that infolent perfon, but of his fupernatural power, ver. 18, 19. -For faid he, the gofpel is not established by the boasting fpeeches of its preachers, but by the miraculous powers which they exercife for its confirmation, ver. 20.-Then to terrify the faction, he asked them, whether they chose that he should come and exercise his fupernatural power in punishing them? Or come in the spirit of peace, on account of their amendment? ver. 21.

NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. IV. 1 ('OUTWS, 266.) So then, let a man confider us as (vengeras) fervants ONLY of Chrift, and flewards of the myfteries' of God.

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. IV. I So then, let men confider us apostles in no other light, but as fervants only of Chrift, and ftewards appointed by him to dif penfe the doctrines of the gospel, which are the myfteries of God.

now discovered to all through the preaching of the gofpel, the appel lation of the myfteries of God, to recommend them to the Corinthians,

as