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an abstract sense of that future "kingdom of God," which is spoken of throughout the New Testament as the object of the Christian's pursuit and hopes. The royalty of this kingdom being a spiritual one, consists in exercising an entire command over sin; see ch. iv. 8. n. 11.

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II. "Inherit, as we have been promised we shall, incorruptibility." -See John, ch. xi. 26.

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V. 51. "What could not be known except by revelation;" μυστήριον: Which signifies in general a secret, but it is inferred from the context that the discovery of the one in question could be made only by revelation. This matter is introduced by the Apostle, not to satisfy curiosity, but as a necessary explanation of his assertions in the preceding verse.

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V. 52. I. "At the last sounding of the trumpet," seems to be spoken in allusion to the former sounding of the trumpet at Sinai, see ch. xIx. and xx. of Exodus. And it would appear be suitable to the agreement subsisting between the Christian and Jewish dispensations, that the call to judgment should be accompanied by circumstances that may clearly and closely connect it with the delivery of the law by Moses.

-The Apostle considering

II. "We who are then living". mankind, at the last day, under the two great classes of the dead and the living; and being himself, at the time he was writing, in the latter class, accordingly mentions the proceedings of that day with that allusion. And perhaps, also, it was done on a principle of modesty, that he might avoid the presumption of appearing to anticipate the design of God as to the term of his own existence.

V. 53. "This corruptible constitution of the soul" To plagrov TOUTO.As in the preceding verse the Apostle had said, that the dead should be raised aglagro; literally, persons or souls in an

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incorruptible state, we may supply from thence some general term signifying the constitution or state of existence of the soul, as the substantive understood to the adjectives plagrov and evrov in this and the next verse.

V. 54. "Death hath been effectually conquered, like a bitter draught swallowed down." xαTETOON & DavaTOS ELS VIXOS. The scriptural quotation here referred to is generally supposed to be from Isaiah, ch. xxv. 8. Our Lord speaks of his death under the same figure, see Matt. ch. xxvi. 38-44; and most probably he did so with allusion to the above passage of Isaiah.

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V. 2. «The collections may not then begin to be made."~μŋ TOTE Î λογιαι γινωνται : -literally, that the collections may not then be. The object of the direction seems to be, to obviate the necessity of importunity, and to recommend to them to bestow their alms with due consideration. And if the direction was duly observed, when St. Paul came the collections would have been virtually made, and there would remain only the uniting of them together. The literal translation of θησαυρίζων ὁ τι αν ευοδωται is, funding according to that which he may have been prospered.

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V. 7. "I have made this arrangement for special reasons, for I do not wish to see you, now, by the way."— -The reasons to which St. Paul here obscurely alludes it should seem, were relative to the case of the person whom he had ordered to be excommuni cated. See 2 Cor. ch. 11. 1-4.

V. 9. "A large and strong door has been opened for me, and there are many who oppose the further opening;". See the race

count of this in Acts, ch. xIx.(US

V. 11. «On account of his youth';",

-See 1 Tim. ch. Iv. 12.

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V. 15. «Take notice of," &c. ordata sage an instance, among many others, of St. Paul's judicious and elegant manner of writing. It will be remembered that he was the first who preached the gospel in Achaia (see Acts, ch. 17.), and consequently we may conclude that Stephanas was his own, and first convert, and baptized by him (see ch. 1. 16.). And, therefore, in recommending him and his family to the notice of the church of Corinth, it was important that he should obviate all suspicion of doing it on personal motives. This he has fully done by the peculiar and guarded expressions which he has used in this verse and the The verb are being in a past tense, is literally, "be as having known." And in the next verse the word TOUTOLS is properly used instead of aurois, to mark, most clearly, the moral and public grounds on which this favourable notice was requested for them: Toraσow is a general term expressing obedience, but its precise meaning varies in some measure according to the context. In cases of perfect obligation, as those of parents and children, magistrates and subjects, it may be rendered by the word obey, but in imperfect ones, it is best explained by the phrase, be subservient to. This seems to be its meaning in 1 Peter, ch. v. 5.

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V. 18. "They have thereby quieted my mind and enabled me to quiet your's on that subject,”- That is, by having enabled St. Paul to give proper directions concerning their divisions, and the treatment of the incestuous persons.

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V. 21. "The salutation of Paul with my own hand.". ordinary salutation added by St. Paul to his epistles, which seem to have been written by an amanuensis (see Rom. ch. xvi. 22.), was that in verse 23 (see 2 Thess. ch. 111. 17.). The special one here used, appears to refer to the divisions among the Corinthians on account of their partiality to particular teachers, which had a tendency to destroy the appropriate attachment to Christ, and for which

the Apostle had reproved them in the first part of this epistle; but as it was a principal error, and in its tendency wholly destructive of true faith, he thinks it right to mark it in this especial manner.

V. 22. "If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ," &c.For an explanation of how this applies to heathens, see Discourses on the Apostolical Commission, Dis. 4.

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PUBLISHED BY THE SAME AUTHOR,

AND SOLD BY

C. AND J. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD AND WATERLOO PLACE; HATCHARD AND SON, PICCADILLY; AND J. MAWMAN, LUDGATE STREET.

1. THE DOCTRINE OF THE GOSPEL, and the Order of its Preaching, deduced from SCRIPTURE HISTORY, in Discourses on the Apostolical Commission. 8vo.

2. ST. PAUL'S THORN IN THE FLESH EXPLAINED, in a Discourse òn 2 Cor. XII. 7.

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