TEXT. 23 If, therefore, the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say, that ye are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. 25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 26 How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done to edifying. 27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. PARAPHRASE. not for unbelievers; and therefore fitter for your assemblies. 23 If, therefore, when the church is all come together, you should all speak in unknown tongues, and men unlearned, or unbelievers, should come in, would they not say, "that you are 24 mad ?" But if ye all prophesy, and an unbeliever, or an igno rant man, come in, the discourses he hears from you reaching 25 his conscience, and the secret thoughts of his heart, he is con vinced, and wrought upon; and so, falling down, worships 26 God, and declares that God is certainly amongst you. What then is to be done, brethren? When you come together, every one is ready", one with a psalm, another with a doctrine, another with a strange tongue, another with a revelation, another with an interpretation. Let all things be done to edification. 27 Even though any one speak in an unknown tongue, which is NOTES. 26 It is plain, by this whole discourse of the apostle's, that there were contentions and emulations amongst them, for precedency of their gifts; and therefore I think Exaças exe may be rendered "every one is ready," as impatient to be first heard. If there were no such disorder amongst them, there would have been no need for the regulations given, in the end of this verse, and the seven verses following, especially ver. 31, 32, where he tells them, they all may prophesy, one by one, and that the motions of the Spirit were not so ungovernable, as not to leave a man master of himself. He must not think himself under a necessity of speaking, as soon as he found any impulse of the Spirit upon his mind. 27 St. Paul has said, in this chapter, as much as conveniently could be said, to restrain their speaking in unknown tongues, in their assemblies, which seems to be that, wherein the vanity and ostentation of the Corinthians was most forward to show itself. “It is not,” says he, “a gift intended for the edification of believers; however, since you will be exercising it in your meetings, let it always be so ordered, that it may be for edification;" Te, I have rendered "although." So I think it is sometimes used; but nowhere, as I remember, simply for "if," as in our translation; nor will the sense here bear TEXT. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another, that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy, one by one, that all may learn, that all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. PARAPHRASE. a gift that seems least intended for edification P; let but two, or three at most, at any one meeting, speak in an unknown tongue; and that separately, one after another; and let there 28 be but one interpreter. But if there be nobody present that can interpret, let not any one use his gift of tongues in the congregation; but let him, silently, within himself, speak 29 to himself, and to God. Of those, who have the gift of pro phecy, let but two or three speak at the same meeting, and let 30 the others examine and discuss it. But if, during their debate, the meaning of it be revealed to one that sits by, let him, that 31 was discoursing of it before, give off. For ye may all pro phesy, one after another, that all may in their turns be 32 hearers, and receive exhortation and instruction. For the gifts of the Holy Ghost are not like the possession of the heathen priests, who are not masters of the spirit that possesses them. But Christians, however filled with the Holy Ghost, are masters of their own actions, can speak, or hold their peace, as they 33 see occasion, and are not hurried away by any compulsion. It is, therefore, no reason for you to speak, more than one at once, or to interrupt one another, because you find yourselves inspired and moved by the Spirit of God. For God is not the author of confusion and disorder, but of quietness and peace. And this is what is observed in all the churches of God. NOTES. "whether;" which is the common signification of TE. And, therefore, I take the apostle's sense to be this: "You must do nothing but to edification ;" though you speak in an unknown tongue, "even an unknown tongue must be made use of, in your assemblies, only to edification." P Vid. ver. 2 and 4. The rule of the synagogue was: "in the law, let one read, and one interpret: in the prophets, let one read, and two interpret: in Esther, ten may read, and ten interpret." It is not improbable, that some such disorder had been introduced into the church of Corinth, by the Judaizing, false apostle, which St. Paul would here put an end to. TEXT. 34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What! came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. PARAPHRASE. 34 As to your women, let them keep silence in your assemblies; for it is not permitted them to discourse there, or pretend to teach; that does no way suit their state of subjection, ap35 pointed them in the law. But, if they have a mind to have any thing explained to them, that passes in the church, let them, for their information, ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to discourse and debate with men 36 publicly, in the congregation. What! do you pretend to give laws to the church of God, or to a right to do what you please amongst yourselves, as if the Gospel began at Corinth, and issuing from you was communicated to the rest of the world; or as if it were communicated to you alone of all the 37 world? If any man amongst you think that he hath the gift of prophecies, and would pass for a man knowing in the revealed will of God, let him acknowledge, that these rules, which I have here given, are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man' be ignorant that they are so, I have no more 39 to say to him: I leave him to his ignorance. To conclude, brethren, let prophecy have the preference in the exercise of NOTES. 34, 35 Why I apply this prohibition, of speaking only to reasoning and purely voluntary discourse, but suppose a liberty left women to speak, where they had an immediate impulse and revelation from the Spirit of God, vid. note on chap. xi. 3. In the synagogue it was usual for any man, that had a mind, to demand, of the teacher, a farther explication of what he had said: but this was not permitted to the women. 37 vμalinds," a spiritual man," in the sense of St. Paul, is one, who founds his knowledge in what is revealed by the Spirit of God, and not in the bare discoveries of his natural reason and parts: vid. chap. ii. 15. 38 By the [any man] mentioned in this, and the foregoing verse, St. Paul seems to intimate the false apostle, who pretended to give laws amongst them, and, as we have observed, may well be supposed to be the author of these disorders; whom, therefore, St. Paul reflects on, and presses in these three verses. TEXT. 40 Let all things be done decently, and in order. PARAPHRASE. 40 it" but yet forbid not the speaking unknown tongues. But whether a man prophesies, or speaks with tongues, whatever spiritual gift he exercises in your assemblies, let it be done without any indecorum, or disorder. NOTE. 39 Zλcũ, in this whole discourse of St. Paul, taken to refer to the exercise, and not to the obtaining the gifts, to which it is joined, will direct us right, in understanding St. Paul, and make his meaning very easy and intelligible. SECTION X. CHAPTER XV. 1-58. CONTENTS. AFTER St. Paul (who had taught them another doctrine) had left Corinth, some among them denied the resurrection of the dead. This he confutes by Christ's resurrection, which the number of witnesses, yet remaining, that had seen him, put past question, besides the constant inculcating of it, by all the apostles, every where. From the resurrection of Christ, thus established, he infers the resurrection of the dead; shows the order they shall rise in, and what sort of bodies they shall have. TEXT. 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand; PARAPHRASE. 1 In what I am now going to say to you, brethren, I make known to you no other Gospel than what I formerly preached to you, and you received, and have hitherto professed, and TEXT. 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unless ye have believed in vain. unto you, 3 For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And, last of all, he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles,that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace, which was PARAPHRASE. 2 by which alone you are to be saved. This you will find to be so, if you retain in your memories what it was that I preached to you, which you certainly do, unless you have taken up the Christian name and profession to no purpose. 3 For I delivered to you, and particularly insisted on this, which I had received, viz. that Christ died for our sins, ac4 cording to the Scriptures: And that he was buried, and that he was raised again, the third day, according to the Scriptures: 5 And that he was seen by Peter; afterwards by the twelve 6 apostles: And after that, by above five hundred Christians at once; of whom the greatest part remain alive to this day, but 7 some of them are deceased: Afterwards he was seen by James; 8 and after that, by all the apostles: Last of all, he was seen by 9 me also, as by one born before my time a. For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy the name of an apostle; be10 cause I persecuted the church of God. But, by the free bounty of God, I am what it hath pleased him to make me: and this favour, which he hath bestowed on me, hath not been altogether fruitless; for I have laboured in preaching of the Gospel more than all the other apostles: which yet I do not a NOTES. 8 An abortive birth, that comes before its time, which is the name St. Paul gives himself here, is usually sudden and at unawares, and is also weak and feeble, scarce deserving to be called or counted a man. The former part agrees to St. Paul's being made a Christian and an apostle; though it be in regard of the latter, that, in the following verse, St. Paul calls himself abortive. 10 St. Paul drops in this commendation of himself, to keep up his credit in the church of Corinth, where there was a faction labouring to discredit him. |