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of the word aλrbaa in John, ch. IV. 23.) only through the mediation of Christ, when it is used in the New Testament it is properly expressive of Christians united under Christ as their Lord. Hence the word Exxλnoia alone is used, elliptically, to signify Christians in general. Sometimes it signifies a particular society of Christians; and that, either, as belonging to one family, as in ch. xvi. 19. of this epistle, or to one district, as in the present case; and sometimes it is applied to them as an assembly actually united in worship, see Acts, ch. xI. 26., and ch. x1. 18. of this epistle.

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II. "Consecrated to his service in the profession of faith in Christ Jesus,” ηγιασμένοις εν Χριστῳ Ιησου, The whole phrase describes the Corinthians as worshippers of the true God, distinctly from, not only idolaters, but Jews, and also those Gentiles who had renounced idolatry without embracing either Judaism or Christianity; · of which description were Cornelius, Acts, ch. x. 2., and Justus, Acts, ch. XVIII. 7.

III. "Their Lord and our's,"

-This phrase pointing out that all Christians are in the same relation to Christ as their Lord, seems to be used in allusion to the divisions mentioned in v. 10, &c.

V. 4. "In " In your Christian profession,” εν Χριστῳ Ιησου in Christ Jesus, or in the profession of faith in him. The entire clause is επι τη χαριτι του Θεου τη δοθείση ύμιν εν Χριστῳ Ιησού. The English version is "by Jesus Christ," which I think does not give the meaning quite accurately. I suppose τ xagiri to allude, in this place, to the spiritual gifts of utterance and knowledge mentioned in the next verse, and it is true that if these gifts were granted to the Corinthians in their Christian profession, they were granted to them through Christ. But I apprehend that St. Paul's intention, as appears from the five next verses, was not to declare the medium of their conveyance, but to notice the continuance of the grant as the subject of his peculiar gratitude, inasmuch as it was a continued confirmation of the testimony which he had delivered to them of the

truth of the gospel. This idea seems to be best expressed by taking the words Xplory Iyoou to mean, in this place, not Christ himself but the profession of faith in him, as in Romans, ch. VIII. 1.; a figurative sense analogous to the use of them by St. Paul in other passages; as Gal. ch. iv. 19. where it signifies the Christian disposition, Eph. ch. 1v. 20. where it means the Christian doctrine, and in this epistle, ch. XII. 12., where it means the universal church or Christian spiritual society. This figurative use I think is founded on the circumstance of the inseparable union subsisting, in every respect, between Christ and his religion; so that in every part there is an immediate and constant reference to him.

V. 5. I. "You have continued to be enriched," ETA0UTIOBYTE the perfect tense denoting the past time and including also the present. That the apostle alludes here, not to the grant of spiritual gifts at the first preaching of the gospel at Corinth, but to a continuance of the grant up to the time of his writing, may be inferred from the assurance which he gives the Corinthians (v. 8.), that God would continue to give them a confirmation of the Christian faith through the whole period of their profession.

II. "With all its spiritual gifts," εν παντι

-the meaning

of εν παντί is determined by its repetition in connection with λογῳ and γνώσει.

III. "Revealed knowledge," yvWσEL

-This term, when used in scripture in reference to divine things, alludes, either directly or indirectly, to a knowledge of the Deity, as he has been revealed to us under the peculiar circumstances of the Jewish and Christian dispensations. This is knowledge, emphatically so termed.

AV. 6. "The testimony given by me respecting Christ".

- that

is, the declaration first made to them of the truth of the gospel, which was done by Paul himself who planted this church.

V. 7. "As a church".

It is as such that he addresses

them.

V. 8. I. "And God,".

-is refers to rw ew mentioned in v.

4., as is evident from the connexion between these two verses and the intermediate ones; since the leading idea throughout is, that God had confirmed the Corinthians in the Christian faith, and that by means of the spiritual gifts.

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II. Afford you such a confirmation of it, as is calculated to secure you an acquittal” βεβαιωσει ὑμας ανεγκλητους· -literally, will confirm you blameless; that is, will keep you blameless as far as depends upon confirming to you the truth of the gospel.

V. 9. "A participation with his son Jesus Christ our Lord in the blessings accruing to his human nature,” κοινωίαν του υιού αυτου The word nowvwvia, being an abstract term derived from the adjective xovos, "common", signifies, abstractedly, the circumstance of commonness or participation. And this may be a participation either in the possession of a thing, or in a claim to it; but which is meant, will be determined by the context. Here it seems to denote each Christian's participating with Christ, and through him, in a title to those blessings which it was the purpose of his incarnation to procure for mankind; and which he has purchased by his death, and conveys through his human nature to his true disciples. It is therefore well rendered in the translation by the word fellowship in the sense of partnership.

V. 10. 66

" Uphold it exclusively,” το αυτο λεγητε -literally, that you would say the same thing; that is, on the subject of your Christian union. The reference is to δια του ονόματος του Κυριου in the preceding clause; since the point in question was the name by which the Corinthians should call themselves. The meaning of the whole sentence seems to be, that, whereas by profession, and as

brethren, they were called by the name of Christ, St. Paul exhorts them to distinguish themselves by the same name exclusively; and that, consequently, there should not be among them any distinctions interfering in any degree with that marked and primary one.

V. 11. "It is not without reason that I thus exhort you, for" -The conjunction yag is often thus used in reference to something understood in the context; of which there are many examples in this epistle. See Bos. Ellip. plur. voc. sec. 5. voc. sec.

V. 12. "I am the follower of Paul, and another, I of Apollos, and another, I of Peter, and another, I of Christ.". -These names, I am of opinion, are used by the apostle, generally, for the sake of distinction, and that by the supposed followers of Paul and Apollos, of Peter, and of Christ, it is intended, covertly, to indicate the different kinds of believers in that church, viz. those who had a just notion of the doctrine of salvation by faith in the crucifixion, the Judaising and the philosophising Christian. To these distinctions the several names of Paul, Peter, and Christ (used as a proper name), so far at least answer, as they are those which would naturally be assumed by these different persons. His own name is mentioned in order to discountenance the making of a party even in his own favour. And the name of Apollos, which according to this view coincides with that of Paul, I apprehend is introduced for the purpose of the comparison between him and Paul afterwards made in ch. 3. The phrase "each of you," ixaoros iuwv, shews that an exact division of the church is intended to be expressed. But it `must be noticed that his observations are in reality directed against the two great opponents of his doctrine, within the pale of Christianity, viz. the Judaising and the philosophising Christian. In one respect both these persons coincided, inasmuch as they both clung to the notion of a law of works as being the proper mode of the divine government, though the one derived this opinion from a worldlyminded interpretation of the Mosaic institution, and the other from his views of natural religion. But, as in both cases the source of

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error was the same, viz. a dependance on worldly wisdom, the apostle in this epistle treats of them together. The mode in which he does this, is by noticing the injurious consequence attending these erroneous views, and by which they were mainly supported, viz. their division into parties. The removal of which, therefore, would lead to the removal of the errors. But the errors themselves he does not think it necessary to discuss openly, contenting himself with indirectly shewing in reference to the Jewish and philosophical infidel, first, that the design of God in the scheme of redemption was expressly that it should rest on divine, and not human authority (v. 18-31.); and secondly, that it is of a divine and spiritual, and not worldly nature (ch. 11. 6—16.). But as the errors of the Judaising and philosophising Christian, were in kind, though not in degree, the same as those of the Jewish and philosophical infidel, being alike founded on a dependence on worldly wisdom and a fondness for a law of works, they are sufficiently, though tacitly, pointed out by an exposure of the errors of the latter persons.

V. 13. "Has Christ been personally separated from his doctrine," Μεμέρισται ὁ Χριστός; the verb page is used to express, not only the division of a thing into parts, but also the separation of a part from the whole. The founders of the different systems of philosophy among the heathens, could not justly claim any personal attachment from those who adopted their systems, since they were merely the framers of them, and the systems might have been formed by others; for instance, had Socrates or Zeno never existed, their respective systems might still have been known to the world; in those cases, therefore, there was nothing to hinder the professors of any of these systems from giving a preference to the persons from whom they immediately derived their knowledge of it, to the entire neglect of the original promulgator. But of the Christian religion our Lord is an essential part, and consequently it is impossible to profess it rightly without an exclusive attachment to him.

V. 14. "Of note".

This is inferred to be the meaning

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