more particularly addressing the widowers and widows among them, he affured them it would be good for them, if, in the then perfecuted state of the church, they could live chately unmarried, as he was doing, ver. 8.-But at the same time he told them, if they found that too difficult, it was better for them to marry than to be tormented with luft, ver. 9. Next, in answer to their queftion, concerning the feparation and divorce of married perfons, the apoftle confidered, first, the cafe of the married who were both of them Chriftians. To these, his command, and the command of Chrift was, that the wife depart not from her husband, on account of the inconveniencies attending marriage, ver. 10.-However, if any wife finding the troubles of a married ftate, in thofe times of perfecution, too great for her to bear, feparated herself from her husband, she was in her state of feparation to marry no other man; because her marriage ftill fubfifted. And if on trial, fhe found that fhe could not live continently in a state of feparation, she was to be reconciled to her husband. In like manner, a husband, was not on account of the inconveniencies attending a married state, to put away his wife. Or, having put her away, if he could not live chately without her, he was to be reconciled to her, ver. II. In the fecond place, with respect to fuch Chriftians as were married to heathens, he told them, that what he was going to fay was his commandment, and not the Lord's; meaning that the Lord, while on earth, had given no precept concerning fuch a cafe. These perfons, the apostle by inspiration, ordered to live together, if the heathen party was willing fo to do; because difference of religion does not diffolve marriage, ver. 12, 13.And to fhew the propriety of continuing fuch marriages when made, he told them, that the infidel husband was fanctified, or rendered a fit husband to his believing wife, by the strength of his affection to her, notwithstanding his religion was different from hers. And that by the fame affection, an infidel wife was fanctified to her believing husband, ver. 14.-But if the infidel party who propofed to depart, maliciously deferted his or her believing mate, notwithstanding due means of reconciliation had been used; the marriage was, by that desertion, diffolved with respect to the Chriftian party willing to adhere, and the latter was at liberty to marry another, ver. 15.-In the mean time, to induce perfons of both fexes who were married to heathens, to continue their marriages, he told them, it might be a means of converting their infidel yoke-fellows, ver. 16. In the first age, fome of the brethren, entertaining wrong notions of the privileges conferred on them by the gospel, fancied that on their becoming Chriftians, they were freed from t to - their former political as well as religious obligations. To remove that error, the apostle, after advifing the Corinthians to continue their marriages with their unbelieving spouses, ordered every Christian to continue in the ftate in which he was called to believe; because the gospel fets no person free from any innocent political, and far less from any natural obligation, ver. 17.-The converted Jew, was ftill to remain under the law of Mofes, as the municipal law of Judea and the converted Gentile, was not to become a Jew, by receiving circumcifion, ver. 18. Because, in the affair of men's falvation, no regard is had either to circumcifion or uncircumcifion, but to the keeping of the commandments of God, ver. 19-Every one therefore, after his converfion, was to remain in the political ftate in which he was converted, ver. 20.-In particular, flaves after their converfion were to continue under the power of their masters as before, unless they could lawfully obtain their freedom, ver. 21—And a free man, was not to make himself a flave, ver. 22.-The reason was, becaufe being bought by Chrift with a price, if he became the flave of men, he might find it difficult to ferve Chrift, his fuperior mafter, ver. 23.-And therefore the apoftle a third time, enjoined them to remain in the condition wherein they were called, ver. 24.-This earneftnefs he fhewed, because if the brethren difobeyed the good laws of the countries where they lived; or, if fuch of them as were flaves, ran away from their masters after their converfion, the gospel would have been calumniated as encouraging licentioufnefs. In the third place, the apoftle confidered the cafe of thefe young perfons who never had married, perhaps because they were not well established in the world, or were ftill in their father's family. This clafs of perfons of both fexes, he called virgins, and declared that he had no commandment of the Lord concerning them: by which he meant, that Christ, during his miniftry on earth, had given no commandment concerning them ; but the apostle gave his judgment on their cafe, as one who had obtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful: That is, he gave his judgment as an apoftle, who had received infpiration to enable him faithfully to declare Chrift's will, ver. 25.-Beginning therefore with the cafe of the male virgin, he declared it to be good in the prefent diftrefs, for fuch to remain unmarried, ver. 26.-But if they married, they were not to seek to be loofed. And if their wives happened to die, he told them, they would find it prudent not to seek a second wife, ver. 27.At the fame time he declared, that if fuch perfons married again, they did not fin. The fame he declared concerning the female virgin: only both the one and the other would find fecond marriages, in that time of perfecution, attended with great bodily trouble, ver. 28. By the way, to make the Corinthians lefs folicitous about prefent pleasures and pains, the apostle put them in mind of the brevity of life; and from that confideration, exhorted them to beware of being too much elevated with prosperity, or too much dejected with adverfity, ver. 29, 30, 31.-And to fhew that he had good reasons for advifing both fexes against marriage, while the perfecution continued, he observed, that the unmarried man being free from the cares of a family, had more time and opportunity to please the Lord; whereas, the married man was obliged to mind the things of the world, that he might please his wife, ver. 32, 33.-The same things he obferved concerning wives and unmarried women, ver, 34.—And told them, he gave them these advices, and pointed out to them the inconveniencies of a married state, together with the advantages of a fingle life, not to throw a bond upon them; but to lead them to do what was comely, and well befitting their Chriftian profeffion, without constraint, ver. 35. Laftly, with refpect to female virgins who were in their father's families, and under their father's power, the apoftle pointed out to the fathers of fuch virgins, the confiderations which were to determine them, whether they would give their daughters in marriage, or keep them fingle, ver. 36.-39 This long difcourfe the apoftle concluded, with declaring that all women whether old or young, are by their marriage covenant bound to their husbands, as long as their husbands live. But if their husbands die, they may marry a second time. Yet he gave it as his opinion, that they would be more happy if they remained widows, confidering the perfecution to which they were expofed. And in so saying, he told them he was fure he fpake by the Spirit of God, ver. 39, 40. Ver. 1. To touch. Epictetus, fect. 33. uses this word to denote one's marrying. Ver. 2.--I. On account of choredoms. τους πορνείας. The word whoredoms being plural, is emphatical, and denotes all the different kinds of whoredoms mentioned chap. vi. 9. See chap. v. 1. note 1. 2. Let every woman have her own husband. Here the apoftle speaks in the imperative mode, ufing the ftyle in which fuperiors give their commands. But although he recommends a fingle life in certain circumftances, this and the injunction ver. 5. given to all who cannot live chaftely unmarried, is a direct prohibition of celibacy to the bulk of mankind. Farther, as no perfon in early life, can forefee what his future state of mind will be, or what temptations he may meet with, he cannot certainly know whether it will be in his power to live chately unmarried. Wherefore as that is the only cafe in which the apostle allows perfons to live unmarried, vows of celibacy and virginity taken on in early life, muft in both sexes be finful. Ver. 3. The due benevolence. That compliance with each other's defires, refpecting the matrimonial enjoyment, which is here enjoined to married perfons, is called the due benevolence, because it is a duty re. fulting from the nature of the marriage-covenant. Ver. 4. The hufand hath not the command of his own body, but the wife. The right of the wife to her hufband's body, being here reprefented as precifely the fame with the husband's right to her body, it excludes the husband from fimultaneous polygamy, otherwise the right of 2 Nevertheless, on account of avoiding whoredoms, let every man, who cannot live chately in a single state, have a wife of his own, and let every woman, who finds it difficult to live chaftely in a fingle ftate, have her öwn husband. 3 And to prevent in the wife irregular defires after other men, let the husband comply with the defires of his wife, refpecting the matrimonial enjoyment. And in like manner, alfɔ, let the wife comply with the defires of her husband. 4 The wife bath not the command of her own body, fo as to refufe her hufband, or give her body to any other man: but the husband hath an exclufive right thereto. And in like manner, also, the bufband hath not the command of his own body, to refuse his wife, or give his body to any other woman; but his wife hath an exclufive right to his body. 5 Deprive not one another, unless perhaps by mutual confent for a time, that ye may have leifure for fafting and prayer, when ye are called to these duties, by fome fpecial occurrence. And do not continue the separation of the husband to his wife's body, would not exclude her from being married to another, during her husband's lifetime. Befides the direction, ver. z. Let every woman have her own husband, plainly leads to the fame conclufion. The right of the wife to her husband's body is a perfect right, being founded on the ends of marriage, namely the procreation of children, their proper education, and the prevention of fornication. But thefe ends would in a great measure be frustrated, if the wife had not an exclufive right to her husband's perfon. Ver. 5-1. That ye may have leifure for fafting and prayer. Because it is the duty of the clergy to pray for their people at all feasons, Jerome and the papifts, from this text infer, that they ought to live in perpe-> tual celibacy. But the inference is inept, because the apoftle is fpeaking, not of the ordinary duties of devotion, as is plain from his joining fafting with prayer, but of thofe acts of devotion to which the people are called by some special occurrence, whether of a public or of a private nature, H 2 2. And |