8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

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PARAPHRASE.

of it which answers to the time of the Jewish feast of unleavened bread: and this very truly, for the substance of the passover solemnity has been realised, in, that Christ our actual Redeemer from the effects and power of sin, typified by the Jewish paschal lamb, has been sacrificed for us. Wherefore we should keep the succeeding feast not with old leaven, particularly not with the leaven of a perverted understanding and evil inclinations, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth: or in plain terms, as the Jews were to remove all leaven at the succeeding feast, so we, as Christians professing to rejoice in Christ as our Redeemer from the effects and power of sin, typified by the Jews celebrating that feast, should exhibit in our characters a suitableness to that profession, not by practising the former vices typically represented by leaven, and particularly as to the cases I have mentioned, not by the vices of an undue estimation of human teachers, and unchaste conduct, but by cultivating the pure qualities of a sincere attachment to Christ, and an exact conformity to his will. 9 You will observe from what I have written in this Epistle, that I have enjoined you not to be associated with persons habitually guilty of fornication;

10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

PARAPHRASE.

and, that I have not given this injunction to the full extent of applying it to persons habitually guilty of that or other vices, such as covetuousness, or extortion, or an idolatrous dependence on worldly things, among those who being influenced only by the principles of this world do not profess the Christian faith, since you must then, as you possess no means of influencing them to a change of conduct, entirely separate from all who do not profess the faith, which it is not the design of the 11. Gospel that you should do; but you will observe, that I have now written to you, that if any one professing the faith, and thence called a Christian brother, whereby is implied a conformity in him to the character of Christ and a regard for his fellow Christians, be habitually guilty of fornication, or covetousness in any respect, or an idolatrous dependence on created things, or a contemptuous disregard of others, or drunkenness, or extortion, not to be associated with a person of such a cha12 racter, not even to eat with him. This limita

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tion of the injunction to your Christian brethren I

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

CHAPTER VI.

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

PARAPHRASE.

have felt myself bound to make; for what authority have I to decide, also, on the opportunities of instruction to be granted to those who are without the pale of Christian society? But, though neither I nor you have any such authority, have you not within yourselves a power (which all societies possess) to decide on the conduct to be observed towards those who are within your community? on the treatment of those who are without the Christian society, God in his providence decides; and, therefore, leaving them to God, but using your proper authority in this case, remove from among yourselves this impure person.

1 As a civil case, also, it is best that you 'should exercise jurisdiction over it. Does any one of you, who may have a matter of complaint against a fellow Christian think it safe to submit it to the decision of unconverted heathens, and not to the decision of those who have engaged to lead holy lives by the profession of the Christian faith? Do you not know, that they who have embraced the Christian faith, profess to be governed by principles

3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his

brethren?

6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

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PARAPHRASE.

by which the whole world will be judged by God? and if the whole world is to be judged by the principles you profess, are you who profess them unfit to decide questions between man and man, which, comparatively with those between God and man, are of the smallest moment? Do you not know, that they who have been entrusted with a divine mission relating to a spiritual state of existence, will be judged on the principles we profess? and * shall not then matters pertaining to this life? If, therefore, you have any judicial questions relating to matters of this life, constitute those who are least esteemed in the society for their knowledge of spiritual things, judges of them, as being fully competent to decide on matters of such inferior mo5 ment. Now to make you reflect on the shame which you incur by your present conduct, I ask in the first place, is it to be concluded from your thus acting that there is not among you, even one person sufficiently skilled in the principles of equity to 6 arbitrate between two Christian brethren; but that one Christian brother goes to law publicly with

D

7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

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PARAPHRASE.

another from necessity, and that before the tribu'nals of the heathens? Moreover, in the next place, I must observe that it is in every respect a fault in you that you should have matters of complaint among yourselves. Why are you not careful rather to suffer an injury than to do one? Why are you not careful rather to be deprived of your right than to deprive another of his? But instead of this guarded conduct you, though professing Christians, commit injuries and frauds, and these things you do against your brethren. Do you deny this to be peculiarly sinful in Christians, or do you not know that they who act injuriously towards others will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, all who are guilty of sin, of whatever kind, will be excluded; or, to speak more distinctly, neither fornicators, nor those who have an idolatrous fondness for worldly things, nor adulterers, nor pathics, nor 10 sodomites, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor

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drunkards, nor those who treat others with a con