TEXT. 14 But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away, in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. PARAPHRASE. in the law, which was to be done away, Christ, 14 who was the end of the law. But their not seeing it, is from the blindness of their own minds: for, unto this day, the same veil remains upon their understandings, in reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ; i. e. Christ, now he is come, so exactly answers all the types, prefigurations, and predictions of him, in the Old Testament, that presently, upon turning our eyes upon him, he visibly appears to be the person designed, and all the obscurity of those passages concerning him, which before were not understood, is taken 15 away, and ceases. Nevertheless, even until now, when the writings of Moses are read, the veil † remains upon their hearts, they see not the spiritual and 16 evangelical truths contained in them. But, when their heart shall turn to the Lord, and, laying by prejudice and aversion, shall be willing to receive the truth, the veil shall be taken away, and they shall plainly see him to be the person spoken of, and intended ‡. NOTES. "Moses did, whereby to hinder the jews from seeing Christ, in the law: but "that, which hinders them, is a blindness on their minds, which has been always on them, and' remains to this day." This seems to be an obviating an objection, which some among the corinthians might make to his boasting of so much plainness and clearness in his preaching, viz. If you preach the gospel, and Christ, contained in the law, with such a shining clearness and evidence, how comes it that the jews are not converted to it? His reply is, "Their un"belief comes not from any obscurity in our preaching, but from a blindness, which rests upon their minds to this day; which shall be taken away, when "they turn to the Lord." 66 * Vid. Rom. x. 2—4. 15 St. Paul, possibly, alludes here to the custom of the jews, which continues still in the synagogue, that, when the law is read, they put a veil over their faces. 16 When this shall be, see Rom. xi. 25-27. TEXT. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. PARAPHRASE. 17 But the Lord is the Spirit *, whereof we are ministers; and they, who have this Spirit, they have liberty †, so that they speak openly and freely. 18 But we, all the faithful ministers of the New Testament, not veiled ‡, but with open countenances, as mirrours, reflecting the glory of the Lord, NOTES. 17 O dè Kúpios Tò wveữμá èsw, “ but the Lord is that Spirit." These words relate to ver. 6, where he says, that he is a minister, not of the letter of the law, not of the outside and literal sense, but of the mystical and spiritual meaning of it; which he here tells us, is Christ. "There is liberty;" because the Spirit is given only to sons, or those that are free. See Rom. viii. 15; Gal. iv. 6, 7. 46 18 St. Paul justifies his freedom and plainness of speech, by his being made, by God himself, a minister of the gospel, which is a more glorious mi. nistry, than that of Moses, in promulgating the law. This he does from ver. 6, to ver. 12, inclusively. From thence, to the end of the chapter, he justifies his liberty of speaking; in that he, as a minister of the gospel, being illuminated with greater and brighter rays of light, than Moses, was to speak (as he did) with more freedom and clearness, than Moses had done. This being the scope of St. Paul, in this place, it is visible, that all from these words," who put a "veil upon his face," ver. 13, to the beginning of ver. 18, is a parenthesis; which being laid aside, the comparison between the ministers of the gospel and Moses stands clear: "Moses, with a veil, covered the brightness and glory of Ciod, which shone in his countenance;" but we, the ministers of the gospel, with open countenances, xalотρivo, reflecting as mirrors the glory of the Lord. So the word xxlоπτρilóμevo, must signify here, and not "beholding as " in a mirrour :" because the comparison is between the ministers of the gospel and Moses, and not between the ministers of the gospel and the children of Israel now the action, of " beholding," was the action of the children of Israel; but of" shining, or reflecting the glory, received in the mount," was the action of Moses; and, therefore, it must be something answering that, in the ministers of the gospel, wherein the comparison is made; as is farther manifest, in another express part of the comparison between the veiled face of Moses, ver. 13, and the open face of the ministers of the gospel, in this verse. The face of Moses was veiled, that the bright shining, or glory of God, remaining on it, or reflected from it, might not be seen; and the faces of the ministers of the gospel are open, that the bright shining of the gospel, or the glory of Christ, may be seen. Thus the justness of the comparison stands fair, and has an easy sense, which is hard to be made out, if naτonlióμevo be translated, "beholding as in a glass." Τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφώμεθα, "we are changed into that very image," i. e. the reflection of the glory of Christ, from us, is so very bright and clear, that we are changed into his very image; whereas the light that shone in Moses's TEXT. IV. 1. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not: 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but, by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience, in the sight of God. PARAPHRASE. are changed into his very image, by a continued succession of glory, as it were, streaming upon us from the Lord, who is the Spirit, who gives us this IV. 1. clearness and freedom. Seeing, therefore, I am intrusted with such a ministry, as this, according as I have received great mercy, being extraordinarily and miraculously called, when I was a persecutor, I do not fail *, nor flag: I do not behave myself unworthily in it, nor misbecoming the honour 2 and dignity of such an employment: But, having renounced all unworthy and indirect designs, which will not bear the light, free from craft, and from playing any deceitful tricks, in my preaching the word of NOTES. countenance, was but a faint reflection of the glory, which he saw, when God showed him his back parts, Exod. xxxiii. 23. 'ATO Sóns is 86av," from glory to glory," i. e. with a continued influx and renewing of glory, in opposition to the shining of Moses's face, which decayed and disappeared in a little while, ver. 7. Kabáπeρ úrò Пuρís, veúμatos," as from the Lord, the Spirit," i. e. as if this irradiation of light and glory came immediately from the source of it, the Lord himself, who is that Spirit, whereof we are the ministers, ver. 6, which giveth life and liberty, ver. 17. This liberty he here speaks of ver. 17, is waißncía," liberty of speech," mentioned ver. 12, the subject of St. Paul's discourse here; as is farther manifest, from what immediately follows, in the six first verses of the next chapter, wherein an attentive reader may find a very clear comment on this 18th verse we are upon, which is there explained, in the sense we have given of it. 1 * Οὐκ ἐκκακέμεν, σε we faint not,” is the same will πολλη παρρησία χρώμεθα, "we use great plainness of speech," ver. 12, of the foregoing chapter; and signifies, in both places, the clear, plain, direct, disinterested preaching of the gospel; which is what he means, in that figurative way of speaking, in the former chapter, especially the last verse of it, and which he more plainly expresses, in the five or six verses of this: the whole business of the first part of this epistle being, as we have already observed, to justify to the corinthians his behaviour in his ministry, and to convince them, that, in his preaching the gospel, he hath been plain, clear, open, and candid, without any hidden design, or the least mixture of any concealed, secular interest. TEXT. 3 But, if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. PARAPHRASE. God; I recommend myself to every one's conscience, only by making plain the truth which I deliver, as 3 in the presence of God. But if the gospel, which I preach, be obscure and hidden, it is so, only to those 4 who are lost: In whom, being unbelievers, the God of this world † has blinded their minds ‡, so that the glorious brightness of the light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, cannot enlighten them. 5 For I seek not my own glory, or secular advantage, in preaching, but only the propagating of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; professing myself your ser6 vant for Jesus' sake. For God, who made light to shine out of darkness, hath enlightened also my dark heart, who before saw not the end of the law, that I might communicate the knowledge and light of the glory of God, which shines in the face || of Jesus 2 NOTES. 66 Απειπάμεθα τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης, “ have renounced the hidden things of "dishonesty," and th paveρwoei Ts annosías, "by manifestation of the truth." These expressions explain ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ, "with open face," chap. iii. 18. 4+"The god of this world," i. e. the devil, so called because the men of the world worshipped and obeyed him as their God. † Ετύφλωσε τὰ νοήματα, “ blinded their mind,” answers ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα, "their minds were blinded," chap. iii. 14. And the second and third verse of this explain the 13th and 14th verses of the preceding chapter. Aα, "glory," here, as in the former chapter, is put for shining and brightness; so that vayyo Ts dóĝns T≈ Xpise, is the brightness, or clearness, of the doctrine, wherein Christ is manifested in the gospel. This is a continuation still of the allegory of Moses, and the shining of his face, &c. so much insisted on, in the forgoing chapter. For the explication whereof, give me leave to add here one word more to what I have said upon it already; Moses, by approaching to God, in the mount, had a communication of "glory," or light," from him, which irradiated 66 TEXT. 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen, are temporal, but the things which are not seen, are eternal. V.1 For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be cloathed upon, with our house, which is from heaven : 3 If so be, that being cloathed we shall not be found naked. For we, that are in this tabernacle, do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. PARAPHRASE. here in propagating the gospel, which at worst are but transient and light, the more will they procure me an exceedingly far greater addition of that glory* 18 in heaven, which is solid and eternal; I having no regard to the visible things of this world, but to the invisible things of the other: for the things, that are seen, are temporal; but those, that are not seen, eterV. 1 nal. For I know, that if this my body, which is but as a tent for my sojourning here upon earth, for a short time, were dissolved, I shall have another, of a divine original, which shall not, like buildings made with men's hands, be subject to decay, but shall be 2 eternal in the heavens. For in this tabernacle †, I groan earnestly, desiring, without putting off this mortal, earthly body, by death, to have that celes3 tial body superinduced; If so be the coming‡ of Christ shall overtake me, in this life, before I put off 4 this body. For we, that are in the body, groan under the pressures and inconveniencies, that attend us NOTES. 17" Weight of glory." What an influence St. Paul's Hebrew had, upon his Greek, is every where visible:, in Hebrew, signifies "to be heavy," and "to be glorious; St Paul, in the Greek, joins them, and says, "weight of glory." 2 Vid. ver. 4. "the 3 That the apostle looked on the coming of Christ, as not far off, appears, by what he says, 1 Thess. iv. 13, and v. 6, which epistle was written some years before this. See also to the same purpose, 1 Cor. i. 7, and vii. 29, 31, and x. 11, Rom. xiii, 11, 12, Heb. x. 37. |