The gospel is a revelation of

Α. Μ. 4060.
A. D. 56.

A. U. C. 809. Anno Imp. Neronis Cæs. 3.

e

2 Cor. 4. 7. & 6.7. ch. 14.20. Eph. 4. 13. Phil. 3. 15. Heb. 5. 14. ch. 1. 20. & 3. 19. ver. 1, 13. 2 Cor. 1. 12. Jam. 3. 15. 4 ch. 1. 28.

was not employed: and human power, if it had been employed, could not have produced the change.

Verse 6. We speak wisdom among them that are perfect] By the εν τοις τελειοις among those that are perfect, we are to understand Christians of the highest knowledge and attainments: those who were fully instructed in the knowledge of God through Christ Jesus. Nothing, in the judgment of St. Paul, deserved the name of wisdom but this. And though he apologizes for his not coming to them with excellency of speech or wisdom, yet he means what was reputed wisdom among the Greeks; and which, in the sight of God, was mere folly when compared with that wisdom that came from above. Dr. Lightfoot thinks, that the apostle mentions a four-fold wisdom. 1. Heathen wisdom, or that of the Gentile philosophers, chap. i. 22. which was termed by the Jews חכמה יונית Chokmah yonith, Græcian wisdom; and which was so under-valued by them, that they joined these two under the same curse; cursed is he that breeds hogs; and cursed is he who teaches his son Græcian wisdom. Bava Kama, fol. 82.

2. Jewish wisdom; that of the Scribes and Pharisees, who crucified our Lord, ver. 8.

3. The gospel, which is called the wisdom of God in a mystery, ver. 7.

4. The wisdom, του αιωνος τουτου of this world; that system of knowledge which the Jews made up out of the writings of their scribes and doctors. This state is called העולם הזה hablam hazzeh; this, or the present world; to distinguish it from העולם הבא hablam haba, the world to come; i. e. the days of the Messiah. Whether we understand the term this world, either as relating to the state of the Gentiles, cultivated to the uttermost in philosophical learning; or the then state of the Jews, who had made the word of God of no effect by their traditions, which contained a sort of learning of which they were very fond and very proud; yet, by this Græcian and Jewish wisdom, no soul ever could have arrived at any such knowledge or wisdom as that communicated by the revelation of Christ. This was perfect wisdom; and they who were thoroughly instructed in it, and had received the grace of the gospel, were

God ordained before the world unto our glory :

A. D. 56. A. U. C. 809. Anno Imp. Neronis Cæs. 3.

8 'Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen,

• Rom. 16. 25, 26. Eph. 3. 5, 9. Col. 1.26. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Matt. 11.25. John 7.48. Acts 13.27. 2 Cor. 3. 14. Luke 23. 34. Acts 3. 17. See John 16.3. Isai. 64.4.

termed τελειοι, the perfect. This, says the apostle, is not the wisdom of this world, for that has not the manifested Messiah in it; nor the wisdom of the rulers of this world. The chief men, whether philosophers among the Greeks, or rabbins among the Jews; for those we are to understand as implied in the term rulers, used here by the apostle. These rulers came to nought; for they, their wisdom, and theirgo. vernment, were shortly after overturned in the destruction of Jerusalem. This declaration of the apostle is prophetic. The ruin of the Græcian superstition soon followed.

Verse 7. The wisdom of God in a mystery] The GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, which had been comparatively hidden from the foundation of the world, (the settling of the Jewish economy, as this phrase often means,) though appointed from the beginning, to be revealed in the fulness of time. For though this gospel was, in a certain sense, announced by the prophets, and prefigured by the law; yet it is certain that even the most intelligent of the Jewish rulers, their doctors, scribes, and pharisees, had no adequate knowledge of it; therefore it was still a mystery to them and others; till it was so gloriously revealed by the preaching of the apostles.

Verse 8. Which none of the princes of this world knew] Here, it is evident, that this world refers to the Jewish state, and to the degree of knowledge in that state: and the rulers, the priests, rabbins, &c. who were principally concerned in the crucifixion of our Lord.

The Lord of glory.] Or the glorious Lord: infinitely transcending all the rulers of the universe; whose is, eternal glory; who gave that glorious gospel in which his followers may glory, as it affords them such cause of triumph as the heathens had not, who gloried in their philosophers. Here is a teacher who is come from God, who has taught the most glorious truths which it is possible for the soul of man to conceive; and has promised to lead all the followers of his crucified master, to that state of glory which is ineffable and eternal.

Verse 9. But as it is written] The quotation is taken from Isai. Ixiv. 4. The sense is continued here from verse the seventh, and λαλουμεν we speak, is understood, We do

not speak or preach the wisdom of this world; but that mysterious wisdom of God, of which the prophet said, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but they certainly belong to the present state; and express merely the wondrous light, life, and liberty which the gospel communicates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, in that way which the gospel itself requires. To this the prophet himself refers; and, it is evident, from the following verse, that the apostle also refers to the same thing. Such a scheme of salvation, in which God's glory, and man's felicity, should be equally secured, had never been seen, never heard of, nor could any mind but that of God, have conceived the idea of so vast a project; nor could any power, but his own, have brought it to

effect.

Verse 10. But God hath revealed them unto us] A manifest proof that the apostle speaks here of the glories of the gospel, and not of the glories of the future world.

For the Spirit searcheth all things] This is the Spirit of God, which spoke by the prophets; and has now given to the apostles the fulness of that heavenly truth, of which he gave to the former only the outlines.

Yea, the deep things of God.] It is only the Spirit of God which can reveal the councils of God; these are the purposes which have existed in his infinite wisdom and goodness from eternity; and particularly what refers to creation, providence, redemption, and eternal glory; as far as men and angels are concerned in these purposes. The apostles were so fully convinced that the scheme of redemption proclaimed by the gospel was divine, that they boldly asserted that these things infinitely surpassed the wisdom and comprehension of man. God was now, in a certain way, become manifest; many attributes of his, which to the heathen world would have for ever lain in obscurity, (for the world by wisdom knew not God,) were now, not only brought to light, as existing in him; but illustrated by the gracious displays which he had made of himself. It was the Spirit of God alone that could reveal these things; and it was the energy of that Spirit alone that could bring them all into effect; stamp and

The

seal them as attributes and works of God for ever. apostles were as truly conscious of their own inspiration, as they were that they had consciousness at all: and what they spoke, they spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Verse 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man] The word ανθρωπον in the first clause, is omitted by the Codex Alexandrinus, and one other; and by Athanasius, Cyril, and Vigil of Tapsum. Bishop Pearce contends strongly against the authenticity of the word, and reads the passage thus: "For what is there that knoweth the things of a man, except the spirit of a man that is in him?" " I leave out," says the learned Bishop, “ανθρωπον, with the Alexandrian MS. and read τις γαρ οιδεν τα του ανθρωπου; because I conceive that the common reading is wide of St. Paul's meaning; for to say, What man except the spirit of a man, is (I think,) to speak improperly; and to suppose that the spirit of a man, is a man: but it is very proper to say, What except the spirit of a man: τις is feminine as well as masculine, and therefore may be supplied with ουσια, or some such word, as well as with ανθρωπος." Though the authority for omitting this word, is comparatively slender, yet it must be owned that its omission renders the text much more intelligible. But even one MS. may preserve the true reading.

The spirit of a man knows the things of a man: that is, a man is conscious of all the schemes, plans and purposes, that pass in his own mind; and no man can know these things but himself. So, the Spirit of God, He whom we call the third person of the glorious TRINITY, knows all the counsels and determinations of the Supreme Being. As the Spirit is here represented to live in God, as the soul lives in the body of a man; and as this Spirit knows all the things of God, and had revealed those to the apostles, which concern the salvation of the world; therefore, what they spoke and preached was true, and men may implicitly depend upon it. The miracles which they did, in the name of Christ, was the proof that they had that Spirit, and spoke the truth of God.

Verse 12, Νότο we have received, not the spirit of the world] We, who are the genuine apostles of Christ, have received this Spirit of God, by which we know the deep things of God; and, through the teaching of that Spirit, we

Those only who know the mind

Α. Μ. 4060. A. D. 56.

A. U. C. 809.

c

Anno Imp. Ne- no man.

ronis Cæs. 3.

b

Α. Μ. 4060.
A. D. 56.

A. U. C. 809. Anno Imp. Neronis Cæs. 3.

■ Or, discerned. Job 15.8. Isai. 40. 13. Jer. 23. 18.

Wisd. 9. 13. Rom. 11.34. Gr. shall. d John 15. 15.

The enticing words of men's wisdom, are seldom accompanied by the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit.

But we have the mind of Christ.] He has endowed us with the same disposition, being born again by his Spirit; therefore, we are capable of knowing his mind, and receiving the teachings of his Spirit. These teachings we do receive, and therefore are well qualified to convey them to others.

The words that he may instruct him, ος συμβιβασει αυτον, should be translated that he may teach IT: that is, the mind of God; not instruct God, but teach his mind to others. And this interpretation the Hebrew will also bear.

Bishop Pearce observes, "the principal questions here, are, what συμβιβασει signifies; and what αυτον is relative to ? The Hebrew word, which the Septuagint translate by these two is יודיענו yodiennu: now, since יריyodia signifies as well to make known as to know, (and indeed this is the most frequent sense of it in the Old Testament,) the suffix (postfix( נו nu, may relate to a thing, as well as to a person; and therefore it may be rendered not by him, but by it, i. e. the mind of the Lord. And in this sense the apostle seems to have used the words of the Seventy; for if we understand αυτον here to be the relative to Κυρίου, Lord, this verse contains no reason for what went before; whereas, if it be a relative to νουν mind, it affords a reason for what had been said before, ver. 14." The true translation of the passage, as used by the apostle, appears to be this: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should TEACH IT? And this translation agrees with every part of the context, and particularly with what follows.

Paul may be said to have preached wisdom among those which were perfect. The wisest, and most learned men in the world, who have seriously read the Bible, have acknowledged that there is a depth and height of wisdom and knowledge in that book of God, which are sought in vain any where else: and indeed it would not be a revelation from God were it not so. The men who can despise and ridicule this sacred book, are those who are too blind to discover the objects presented to them by this brilliant light; and are too sensual to feel and relish spiritual things. They, above all others, are incapable of judging; and should be no more regarded, when employed in talking against the sacred writings, than an ignorant peasant should be, who, not knowing his alphabet, pretends to decry mathematical learning.

3. A new mode of preaching has been diligently recommended" Scriptural phraseology should be generally avoided where it is antiquated, or conveys ideas inconsistent with modern delicacy." St. Paul did not preach in the words which man's wisdom teacheth; such words are too mean and too low for a religion so divine. That which the Holy Spirit alone can discover, he alone can explain. Let no man dare to speak of God in any other way than he speaks of himself in his word. Let us take care not to profane his truths and mysteries, either by such low and abject ideas as are merely human; or by new and worldly expres ❘sions altogether unworthy of the Spirit of God.

4. It is the glory of God, and ought to be ours, not to be acceptable to carnal men. The natural man always finds some pretence to excuse himself from believing, by looking on the mysteries of religion, as being either too much above man, or too much below God: the spiritual man judges them to be so much the more credible, the less credible they are to the natural man.

The opposition, contempt, and blindness of the world, with regard to the things of God, render all its judgments concerning them, liable to exception: this blindness in spiritual things is the just punishment of a carnal life. The principal part of the above is extracted from the reflections The very imperfect state

of the church at Corinth.

NOTES ON CHAP. III.

Verse 1. I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual] This is a continuation of the preceding discourse. See the Notes there.

But as unto carnal] Σαρκικοις, persons under the influence of fleshly appetites; coveting and living for the things of this life.

Babes in Christ. Just beginning to acquire some notion of the Christian religion; but, as yet, very incapable of judging what is most suitable to yourselves; and, consequently, utterly unqualified to discern between one teacher and another: so that your making the distinctions which you do make, so far from being a proof of mature judgment, is, on the contrary, a proof that you have no right judgment at all: and this springs from your want of knowledge in divine things.

Verse 2. I have fed you with milk] I have instructed you in the elements of Christianity; in its simplest and easiest truths: because, from the low state of your minds in religious knowledge, you were incapable of comprehending the higher truths of the gospel: and in this state you still continue. The apostle thus exposes to them the absurdity of their conduct, in pretending to judge between preacher and preacher; while they had but a very partial acquaintance even with the first principles of Christianity.

Verse 3. There is among you envying, and strife, and di

Α. Μ. 4060. A. D. 56. Anno Imp. Neronis Cæs. 3.

ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for 'where- A. U.C.809. as there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk has men?

4 For while one saith 'I am of Paul; and

* Ch. 1. 11. & 11. 18. Gal. 5. 20, 21. Jam. S. 16. Or, factions.Gr. according to man.- ch. 1. 12.

visions] Ζηλος και ερις και διχοσασιαι· There are three things here worthy of note; these people were wrong in thought, word, and deed. Ζηλος envying, refers to the state of their souls; they had inward grudgings and disaffection towards each other. Ερις strife, or contention, refers to their words; they were continually disputing and contending whose party was the best; each endeavouring to prove that he and his party were alone in the right. Διχοσασιαι divisions, refers to their conduct; as they could not agree, they contended till they separated from each other; and thus rent the church of Christ. Thus the envying and grudging led to strife and evil SPEAKING; and this led to divisions and fixed parties. In this state well might the apostle say, Are ye not carnal, and walk as men? Ye act just as the people of the world; and have no more of the spirit of religion than they.

Verse 4.. For while one saith, I am of Paul, &c.] It was notorious that both Paul and Apollos held the same creed; between them there was not the slightest difference: when, therefore, the dissentients began to prefer the one to the other, it was the fullest proof of their carnality; because, in the doctrines of these apostles there was no difference; so that what the people were captivated by, must be something in their outward manner, Apollos being probably more eloquent than Paul. Their preferring one to another, on such an account, proved that they were carnal, led by