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as was formerly obferved, chap. ii. 7. note 1. And he called himself the feward, or myftagogue of these myfteries, to intimate, that the deepest doctrines, as well as the firft principles of the gofpel, were entrufted to him to be difpenfed or made known; and that his faithfulnefs as a fteward, confifted not only in his difcovering them exactly as he had received them from Chrift, but in his difcovering them as his hearers were able to receive them.

Ver. 3.1. That I be condemned by you. The word ανακρίνειν, properly fignifies to examine, in order to pass a judicial fentence, either of acquittal or of condemnation, Luke xxiii. 14. Acts iv. 9. But as the fimple verb κρίνειν, to judge, fignifies allo to condemn, Rom. xiv. 22. the compound verb axaxes, to examine, may fignify to condemn in confequence of examination: it being usual in all languages, to put the caule for the effect. This fenfe, the word araxguvu evidently hath in the latter part of the verfe : Ουδε εμαυτον ανακρίνω, I do not condemn myfelf: for the apofle could not fay, I do not examine, or judge myfelf. It is the duty of every good man to examine and judge himself: and it is what the apoftle recommended to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. xi. 31. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 2. Human judgment, Ανθρωπινης ημερας ; literally, human day, namely, of judgment, in allufion to the great day of judgment.

Ver. 4. For I am confcious to myfelf of no fault. The like form of expreffion was used by the Latins: Nil confcire fiti, nulla pallefcere

culpa.

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2 Now, it is required in the fewards of thefe myfteries, that every one of them be found by his master Chrift, faithful in dispensing them.

3 Therefore, to me it is a very small matter, that I be condemned as unfaithful, by you, or by any man's judgment, for not having taught you more fully; because I do not condemn myself as unfaithful in that respect: neither will Chrift my mafter condemn me.

4 For I am confcious to myself of no fault in the discharge of my stewardfhip. However, I am not by this juftified, I know, in your eyes. But I add, he who condemneth, he who alone hath a right to condemn me, is the Lord my mafter.

5 Wherefore, as ye cannot fearch mens' hearts, do not, before the time I am to be tried, pafs any judgment on me as a steward, until the Lord my mafter come, who both will bring to light things fecretly done, and lay open the defigns of the hearts; the motives from which men have acted: and then reward fhall be to every faithful fterward, from God his Judge.

culpa —We have the Greek phrafe complete, Job. xxvii. 6. LXX, Ou дар συνοιδα εμαυτῳ ατόπον πράξας.

Ver. 5.-1. Do not before the time pass any judgment. Neither in church nor ftate could order and peace be maintained, if rulers were not to pass judgment on offenders, and punish them. This, therefore, is one of thofe general expreffions, of which there are a number in fcripture, which must be limited by the fubject to which they are applied. See another example, ver. 7.-The Corinthians were not to pafs any judgment on Paul's general behaviour as an apofile, till Chrift his mafter came and judged him. In fuch, and in many cafes of a like nature, to judge rightly, we ought to have the knowledge of men's hearts, as the apoftle infinuates in the latter part of the verse.

2. Lay open the counfels of the hearts. What the apoftle hath written here concerning Chrift, is agreeable to what Chrift fays of himself, Rev. ii. 23. All the churches fhall know that I am he who fearcheth the reins and the hearts. God is called the fearcher of all hearts, Chron. xxvii. 9.

1

Ver. 6.

6 And there things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself, and to Apollos, for your fakes: that ye might learn in us not to think of men, above that 315 which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one againft another.

7 For who maketh thee
to differ from another? and
what haft thou that thou

didft not receive? now if
thou didl receive it, why
doft thou glory as if thou
hadft not received it.

8 Now ye are full, now
ye are rich, ye have reigned
as kings without us: and I
would to God ye did reign,
that we alfo might reign with

you.

9 For I think that God

hath fet forth us the Apoftles
laft, as it were appointed to

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Ver. 6.-1. I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos; I mean by fubftituting our names, chap. i, 12. iii. 4. in place of the names of the teachers among you, whom I meant to reprove.

2. Not to eleem any teacher. Wolf on Philip. i. 7. obferves, that the word Cove denotes the paying a peculiar regard or attention to a perfon.

Above what hath been written, namely, chap. iii. 5.-9. 21. iv. 1. This great apoftle, by thus ftripping himfelf of all honour, and by taking to himself the fimple character of a fervant of Chrift, ver. 1. taught the heads of the faction to lay afide their boafting, and to behave with modefty, especially as all the teachers at Corinth, did nothing but build upon the foundation which he had laid, and exercised no fpiritual gift but what they had received, either from him, or from fome other apostle.

4. Be puffed up against another. The word Cursow, fignifies the ftate of a perfon's mind, who is filled with an high opinion of himself, and who, in confequence of that high opinion, indulges hatred and wrath againft all who fail in paying him the refpect which he thinks his due. This latter operation of pride, is the evil which the apoftle condemns in the paffage before us, as is plain from the turn of his expreffion: That no one of you may, on' account of one, be puffed up against another.

Ver. 8.

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6 Now these things, brethren, concerning the heads of the factions, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos, for your fakes, that by us, who who difclaim all pre-eminence inconfiftent with the honour due to Chrift, ye may learn not to esteem teachers above what hath been written, ver. 1. and that no one of you may, on account of any teacher, be puffed up with anger against another who does

not efteem that teacher as he does.

7 Befides, to the falfe teacher, I fay, who maketh thee to differ from others? For what fpiritual gift haft thou, which thou didst not receive from fome apoftle? And now, if thou didst receive thy gift from the apoftles, why doft thou boaft as not receiving it, by fetting thyfelf up against me, who am an apoftle?

8 Now ye falfe teachers are living in plenty; now ye are become rich with the prefents ye have received from your admirers. Ye have reigned during my abfence, and I wish, indeed, ye had reigned in a due fubordination to Chrift, that we also might rule the church at Corinth, with you.

9 Yours is not the lot of the apoftles of Chrift, (John xvi. 33.) For I think that God hath fet forth us the apostles, last of all the prophets,

Ver. 8.-1. Are become rich. Whitby underftands this of their be. ing rich in fpiritual gifts, as well as in worldly wealth.

2. Te have reigned. The apoftle expreffes the behaviour of the falfe teacher by the word reigning, either becaufe he governed the faction in an imperious manner, and attempted to rule the fincere part of the church according to his own pleasure, or because he lived at Corinth in affluence.

Ver. 9.-1. Set forth us the apostles laft, we enidavaties, as persons appointed to death. This is an allufion to the Roman theatrical spectacles. For from a paffage of Seneca's epiftles, quoted by Whitby, it appears that in the morning, thofe criminals to whom they gave a chance of escaping with their life, fought with the wild beasts armed.

But

death. For we are made a fpectacle unto the world, and

to angels, and to men.

10 We are fools for Chrift's fake, but ye are wife in Chrift: we are weak, but ye are frong : ye are honourable, but we are defpifed.

11 Even unto this prefent hour, we both hunger and thirft, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place;

12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we blefs: being per-. fecuted, we fuffer it :

απέδειξεν ως επιθανάτιους, ὅτι
θεατρον εγενήθημεν τω κοσ-
μω και αγγέλοις και ανθρωποις.
Το Ημεις μωροι δια Χρι
στον, ὑμεις δε Φρονιμοί εν
Χριστῳ ἡμεις ασθενεις, ὑμεῖς
δε
ισχυροι ύμεις ενδοξοι, ή
μεις δε ατιμέ..

11 Αχρι της αρτι ώρας και πεινωμεν, και δίψωμεν

και

γυμνητευομεν, και

λαφιζόμεθα, και αςατούμεν, 12 Και κοπιωμεν εργα χερσι

ζομενοι τας ιδιας λοιδορούμενοι, ευλογούμενα διωκόμενοι, ανεχομεθα.

But in the afternoon, the gladiators fought naked, and he who escaped, was only reserved for flaughter to another day: So that they might well be called επιθανάτιες, perfons appointed to death. By comparing the apoftles to thefe devoted perfons, Paul hath given us a ftrong and affecting picture of the dangers which the apoftles encountered in the courfe of their miniftry: dangers, which at length proved fatal to the most of them. Their labours and fufferings were greater than thofe of the ancient prophets.

2. A peiacle to the world, even to angels, and to men. By the angels, to whom the apoftles were made a fpectacle, fome underftand the evil angels, who may be fuppofed to delight in the blood of the martyrs. Others understand the good angels, to whom the faith and conftancy of the apoftles gave great joy. I doubt not but both were intended. For it must have animated the apoftles in combating with their perfecutors, to think that they were disappointing the malice of evil fpirits, while they were making the angels in heaven, and good men on earth happy, by the faith, and paticncé, and fortitude which they were exerting in fo noble a cause.

Ver. 10, We are fools on account of Chrif, &c. In this verfe, the apoftle repeats ironically the things, which his enemies in Corinth faid of him. And in the fame fpiirit of irony, he attributes to them the contrary qualities.

Ver. 11.-1. To the prefent hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked. This, with his working with his own hands, mentioned ver. 12. being written at Ephefus, where he abode near three years, it shews us, that the apoftle took no maintenance from the Ephefians, any more

than

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