TEXT. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. PARAPHRASE. hend all the knowledge they teach; and if I have faith to the highest degree, and power of miracles, so as to be able to remove mountains *, and have not charity, 3 I am nothing: I am of no value. And if I bestow all I have, in relief of the poor, and give myself to be burnt, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. 4 Charity is long-suffering, is gentle and benign, with5 out emulation, insolence, or being puffed up; Is not ambitious, nor at all self-interested, is not sharp upon 6 others failings, or inclined to ill interpretations: Charity rejoices with others, when they do well; and, when any thing is amiss, is troubled, and covers their fail7 ings Charity believes well, hopes well of every one, 8 and patiently bears with every thing †: Charity will never cease, as a thing out of use; but the gifts of prophecy, and tongues, and the knowledge whereby men look into, and explain the meaning of the scriptures, the time will be, when they will be laid aside, 9 as no longer of any use. For the knowledge we have now in this state, and the explication we give of scrip NOTES. * " To remove mountains,” is to do what is next to impossible. + May we not suppose, that, in this description of charity, St. Paul_intimates, and tacitly reproves, their contrary carriage, in their emulation and contests about the dignity and preference of their spiritual gifts? TEXT. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity. PARAPHRASE. 10 ture, is short, partial, and defective. But when, hereafter, we shall be got into the state of accomplishment and perfection, wherein we are to remain in the other world, there will no longer be any need of these imperfecter ways of information, whereby 11 we arrive at but a partial knowledge here. Thus, when I was in the imperfect state of childhood, I talked, I understood, I reasoned after the imperfect manner of a child: but, when I came to the state and perfection of manhood, I laid aside those childish 12 ways. Now we see but by reflection, the dim, and as it were, enigmatical representation of things: but then we shall see things directly, and as they are in themselves, as a man sees another, when they are face to face. Now I have but a superficial, partial knowledge of things; but then I shall have an intuitive, comprehensive knowledge of them, as I myself am known, and lie open to the view of superiour, seraphic beings, not by the obscure and imperfect 13 way of deductions and reasoning. But then, even in that state, faith, hope, and charity, will remain : but the greatest of the three is charity. SECT. IX. No. 5. CHAP. XIV. 1-40. ! CONTENTS. ST. PAUL, in this chapter, concludes his answer to the corinthians, concerning spiritual men, and their gifts; and having told them, that those were most preferable, that tended most to edification; and particularly shown, that prophecy was to be preferred to tongues; he gives them directions for the decent, orderly, and profitable exercise of their gifts, in their assemblies. TEXT. 1 FOLLOW after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. 2 For he, that speaketh in an unknown tongue, speaketh not unto PARAPHRASE. 1 LET your endeavours, let your pursuit, therefore, be after charity; not that you should neglect the use 2 of your spiritual gifts *, especially the gift of pro NOTE. Ζηλέτε τὰ πνευματικά. That ζηλῶν does not signify to covet or desire, nor can be understood to be so used by St. Paul, in this section; I have already shown, ch. xii. 31. That it has, here, the sense, that I have given it, is plain from the same direction concerning spiritual gifs, repeated ver. 39, in these words, ζηλᾶτε τὸ προφητεύειν καὶ τὸ λαλεῖν γλώσσαις μὴ κωλύετε, the meaning, in both places, being evidently this; that they should not neglect the use of their spiritual gifts, especially they should, in the first place, cultivate and exercise the gift of prophesying; but yet should not wholly lay aside the speaking with variety of tongues in their assemblies. It will, perhaps, be wondered, why St. Paul should employ the word λ, in so unusual a sense; but that will easily be accounted for, if what I have remarked, chap. xiv. 15, concerning St. Paul's custom of repeating words, be remembered. But, besides what is familiar in St. Paul's way of writing, we may find a particular reason for his repeating the word λ here, though in a somewhat unusual signification. He having, by way of reproof, told them, that they did nλãy тà xaρioμaτα Tà XρEITTOVα, had an emulation, or made a stir about whose gifts were best, and were, therefore, to take place in their assemblies: to prevent their thinking, that λ might have too harsh a meaning, (for he is, in all this epistle, very tender of offending them, and therefore sweetens all his reproofs, as much as possible) he here takes it up again, and uses it, more than once, in a way that TEXT. men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit, in the Spirit, he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he, that prophesieth, speaketh unto men, to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. 4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself: but he, that prophesieth, edifieth the church. PARAPHRASE. 2 phecy For he, that speaks in an unknown tongue*, speaks to God alone, but not to men for nobody understands him; the things he utters, by the Spirit, in an unknown tongue, are mysteries, things not 3 understood, by those who hear them. But he, that prophesieth †, speaks to men, who are exhorted and comforted thereby, and helped forwards in religion 4 and piety. He that speaks in an unknown tongue ‡, edifies himself alone; but he that prophesieth, edi NOTES. approves and advises that they should nλsy wveuμarixà whereby yet he means no more, but that they should not neglect their spiritual gifts: he would have them use them in their assemblies, but yet in such method and order, as he directs. 2* He, who attentively reads this section, about spiritual men, and their gifts, may find reason to imagine, that it was those, who had the gift of tongues, who caused the disorder in the church at Corinth, by their forwardness to speak, and striving to be heard first, and so taking up too much of the time in their assemblies, in speaking in unknown tongues. For the remedying this disorder, and better regulating of this matter amongst other things, they had recourse to St. Paul. He will not easily avoid thinking so, who considers, 1st, That the first gift, which St. Paul compares with charity, chap. xiii. and extremely undervalues, in comparison of that divine virtue, is the gift of tongues. As if that were the gift they most affected to show, and most valued themselves upon; as indeed it was, in itself, not fitted for ostentation in their assemblies, of any other, if any one were inclined that way: and that the corinthians, in their present state, were not exempt from emulation, vanity, and ostentation is very evident. 2dly, That chap. xiv. when St. Paul compares their spiritual gifts one with another, the first, nay, and only one, that he debases and depreciates, in comparison of others, is the gift of tongues, which he discourses of, for above 20 verses together, in a way fit to abate a too high esteem, and a too excessive use of it, in their assemblies; which we cannot suppose he would have done, had they not been guilty of some such miscarriages in the case, whereof the 24th verse is not without an intimation. 3dly, When he comes to give direction about the exercise of their gifts in their meetings, this of tongues is the only one that he restrains and limits, ver. 27, 28. 3+ What is meant by prophesying, see note, chap. xii. 10. 4 By yλwoon, "unknown tongue," Dr. Lightfoot, in this chapter, understands the Hebrew tongue, which, as he observes, was used in the synagogue, TEXT. 5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied for greater is he that prophesieth, than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. 6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you, speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you, either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? 7 And even things without life, giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped, or harped? PARAPHRASE. 5 fieth the church. I wish that ye had all the gift of tongues, but rather that ye all prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth, than he that speaks with tongues, unless he interprets what he delivers in an unknown tongue, that the church may be edified by it. 6 For example, should I apply myself to you in a tongue you knew not, what good should I do you, unless I interpreted to you what I said, that you might understand the revelation, or knowledge, or pro7 phecy, or doctrine* contained in it? Even inanimate instruments of sound, as pipe or harp, are not made use of, to make an insignificant noise; but distinct notes, expressing mirth, or mourning, or the like, are played upon them, whereby the tune NOTES. in reading the sacred scripture, in praying and in preaching. If that be the meaning of tongue, here, it suits well the apostle's design, which was to take them off from their jewish, false apostle, who probably might have encouraged and promoted this speaking of Hebrew, in their assemblies. 6 It is not to be doubted but these four distinct terms, used here by the apostle, had each its distinct signification, in his mind and intention: whether what may be collected from these epistles, may sufficiently warrant us to understand them, in the following significations, I leave to the judgment of others: 1st, ̓Αποκάλυψις, "revelation," something revealed by God, immediately to the person; vid. ver. 30. 2dly, Tσis, knowledge," the understanding the mystical and evangelical sense of passages in the Old Testement, relating to our Saviour and the gospel. 3dly, Пpoonreía, "prophesy," an inspired hymn; vid. ver. 26. 4thly, Aidan," doctrine," any truth of the gospel concerning faith, or manners. But whether this or any other, precise meaning of these words can be certainly made out now, it is perhaps of no great necessity to be over curious; it being enough, for the understanding the sense and argument of the apostle here, to know that these terms stand for some intelligible discourse, tending to the edification of the church, though of what kind each of them was, in particular, we certainly know not, |