by the unrighteous, and not the honour of your religion, as to be by the faints? judged by the heathens, and not by the faints?

2

2 Do ye not know' that the faints judge the world? › and if the world is judged (ev) by you, are ye unworthy of the least feats of judicature ?+

2 Do ye not know that the infpired teachers among you, judge the world by the laws of the gospel, which they promulgate? And if the world is thus judged by you, are fo well enlightened, unworthy to fill the leaft feats of judicature?

ye,

who are

3 Do ye not know, that we declare the judgment of the evil angels, whereby we are ftrongly impreffed with a. fenfe of the juftice of God? Why may we not then determine things pertaining to this life?

relation to the apostle's argument.-With refpect to the idea, which many entertain, of the faints being Chrift's affeffors when he judges the world, I observe, that it is repugnant to all the accounts given of the general judgment; and particularly to our Lord's own account of that great event, Matth. xxv, where the righteous are reprefented as all ftanding before his tribunal, along with the wicked, and as receiving their fentence at the fame time with them. Befides, for what purpose are the faints to be Chrift's affeffors at the judgment? Is it to give him counsel? or only to affent to the fentence he will pafs on the wicked? Surely not the former: and for the latter, why hould their affent be neceffary, more than the affent of the holy angels? To found a doctrine of this magnitude, merely on two obfcure paffages of fcripture, which can easily admit of a different and better interpretation, feems not a little rash.

4. Are ye unworthy of the leaft feats of judicature? Kerngiwy XXX15. See James ii. 6. where the word girna, is tranflated judgment feats. It is used in the fame fenfe often by the LXX, and by the beft Greek authors, as Wetstein hath fhewn. To understand the propriety of the apostle's rebuke, the reader fhould know, that the Jews in the provinces, were allowed by the Romans, to hold courts of judicature for determining, according to their own jurisprudence, such controverfies about fecular affairs as arose among themselves; because their laws and cuftoms being different from those of all other nations, the heathen jurifprudence could not be ufed in regulating their affairs. See Jofeph. Ant. lib. xiv. p. 487. Genev. Edit. The fame privilege, I doubt not was enjoyed by the Chriftians. For as there were many Jews among them, and as they agreed with the Jews in abftaining from the wor fhip of the heathen gods, they were in the firft age confidered as Jews, and enjoyed their immunities.

Ver. 3. That we judge angels? This, many commentators understand of the power which fome of the first Chriftians poffeffed of caft

G 3

ing

4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to

this life, fet them to judge

who are leaft efteemed in the church.

5 I fpeak to your shame. Is it fo, that there is not a wife man amongst you? no not one that fhall be able to judge between his brethren?

6 But brother goeth . to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

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 fufer yourfelves

to be defrauded ?

8 Nay, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous fhall not inherit. the kingdom of God? Be not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor

κρίματα

Διατι

7 Ηδη μεν εν όλως ήτλημα εν υμιν εςιν, τι έχετε μεθ' ἑαυτων. εχι μαλλον αδικεισθε, διατι εχι μαλλον αποςερείσθε ;

8 Αλλα ύμεις αδικειτε και αποςερείτε, και ταυτα αδελφές.

9 Η εκ οίδατε ότι αδι και βασιλειαν Θεο 8 κληρο νομησεσι; Μη πλανάσθε 8τε πορνοι, ὅτε ειδωλολάτραι,

ing out devils, and of the efficacy of the preaching of the gofpel, in deftroying the ufurped dominion of evil angels over the children of difobedience. And it muft be acknowledged, that the phrafe, judge ment of this world, hath that fignification, John xii. 31. But fuch a fenfe of judging, is foreign to the apoftle's argument.

Ver. 4.1

1. Secular feats of judicature. So βιωτικά κριτηρια literally fignifies. See ver. 2. note 4.— Secular feats of judicature, are thofe where questions relating to the affairs of this life are judged. Thus Luke xxi. 34. Μεριμναι βιωτικάι, fignifies the cares of this life.

2. Thofe who are leaft efteemed in the church. Whitby tranflates theverfe in the following manner: If ye ufe the heathen fecular judgment feats, ye conftitute thofe who are defpifed in the church, your judges. But the tranflation I have given, is more literal, and more agreeable to the apoftle's defign. For as the faction boasted of their knowledge, to

fhew them how far fuperior the gifts of the Spirit were to the philofophy and learning of the Greeks, the apoftle ordered the Corinthians to appoint the lowest order of spiritual men, as judges in fecular

Ver. 5. So then, there is not among you a wife man? As the Greeks called thofe, ooo, wife men, who were remarkable for their knowledge and genius, and as the faction were very vain of their own talents, this was a fevere sarcasm on them.

Ver. 9. 1. Nor idolaters. Idolaters are put at the head of this catalogue of grofs finners, because among the heathens, idolatry was not only a great crime in itself, but because it was the parent of many other

adulterers, nor efeminate, ετε μοιχοι, ὅτε μαλακοί, ὅτε

nor abusers of themselves
with mankind,

to Nor thieves, nor co

vetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners,

αρσενοκοίται,

ΤΟ ετε κλέπται, 878 πλεονεκται, ετε μέθυσοι,

thall inherit the kingdom of λοιδοροι, εχ άρπαγες, βασι

God.

It And fuch were fome of you but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God.

meat, 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient all things are

λειαν Θε8 8 κληρονομήσεσι.

11 Και ταυτα τινες ητε αλλα απελεσασθε, αλλα ής γιασθητε, αλλ' εδικαιωθητε, εν τω ονοματι τε Κύριε Ιησε, και εν τω πνεύματι τ8 Θεξ ήμων.

12 Παντα μοι εξεςιν αλλ' ε παντα συμφέρει παν

other crimes. For the heathens were encouraged in the commiffion of fornication, adultery, fodomy, drunkennefs, theft, &c. "by the example of their idol gods.

2 Nor Catamites. Μαλακοι. This name was given to men, who fuffered themfelves to be abused by meu, contrary to nature. Hence they are joined here with agrevoxoras, Sodomites, the name given to those who abused them. The wretches who fuffered this abufe, were likewife called Pathics, and affected the drefs and behaviour of women. For the origin of this name, fee Col. iii. 5. note 2.

1

Ver. 101. Shall inherit. In this expreffion there is an allufion to the covenant with Abraham, in which God promised to him and to his feed by faith, the inheritance, or everlafting poffeffion of a heavenly country, under the type of his natural feed inheriting the earthly Canaan. The repetition of the negative particles in this verfe is very emphatical.

2. The kingdom of God. The apoftle calls the heavenly country promifed to the righteous, the kingdom, or country of God, because in the defcription of the general judgment, our Lord had fo named it : Matth. xxv. 34. Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.

Ver. 11.-. But ye are washed, &c. This being addressed to the Corinthian brethren in general, it is not to be imagined that the apoftle, by their being wafked, fanctified, and juftified, meant to say that they were all holy perfons, in the moral fenfe of the word, and that they were all to be juflified at the day of judgment. Among the Corinthians there were many unholy perfons, whom the apoftle reproved harply for their fins, 2 Cor. xii. 20, 21. and whom he threatened to

por Catamites, nor Sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous perfons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of God.2

II And fuch were fome of you; (fee Pref. fect. ii.) but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified, (Ev, 165.) by the name (51) of, the Lord Jefus, and (e) by the Spirit of our God.

12 All MEATS (from ver. 13.) are lawful for

nor (pañavo) Catamites, nor (agoɛvOnora:) Sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous perfons, nor drunkards, nor those who give opprobrious names to others to their face, nor extortioners, (See chap. v. 10. note) fhall inherit the kingdom of God, Ephef. v. 5.

11 And fuch perfons, were many of you formerly. But ye are washed with the water of baptifm, in token of your having vowed to lead a new life; and ye are confecrated to the fervice of God; and ye are delivered from heathenifh ignorance, by the power of the Lord Jefus, and by the influences of the Spirit of the God of us Chriftians, given to you.

12 Senfualifts juftify luxury in eating and drinking, by saying, all

punish feverely if they did not repent, 2 Cor. xiii. i. 2.--The Corinthians having been washed with the water of baptifm, in token of their having renounced idolatry with all its impurities, they were under the obligation of a folemn vow, carefully to ftudy purity of heart and life.

2. But ye are fan&ified. By their profeffion of the gospel, the Corinthians were feparated from idolaters, and confecrated to the fervice of God; a meaning of the word fanctified, often to be found in fcripture. See Eff. iv. 53.

2 But ye are justified. The word juftified, hath various fignifications. in fcripture. Befides the forenfic fenfe, justified fignifies the being delivered, or freed from fome evil fimply, and is to tranflated in our common English verfion, Rom vi. 7. He that is dead, (dedixαiutai ato, is juftified from,) is freed from fin. See alfo om, iv. 25. note 2.

4 By the Spirit of our God. Becaufe juification, in the forenfic fenfe, is never afcribed to the Spirit, fome are of opinion, that the apoftle's meaning is, Ye Corinthians, by the gifts of the Spirit conferred on you, are justified in the eyes of all men, for having renounced heathenifm and embraced the gofpel.

r

If the terms washed, fanctified, and juftified, are understood in their moral fenfe, the Corinthians may be faid to have been washed, and fandified, and juftified, becaufe under the gofpel, they enjoyed all the means neceffary to their being walked, fanctified and jufiified, though perhaps many of them had not made a proper ufe of thefe means., See Eff. iv. 1.-Or the paffage may be reftricted to those who were true believers, and really holy perfons.

Ver. 12. All