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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 forui

cators.

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 idolator, 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?

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

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

PARAPHRASE.

9 holy people to him. I wrote to you before, that you 10 should not keep company with fornicators. You are not to understand by it, as if I meant, that you are to avoid all unconverted heathens, that are fornicators, or covetous, or rapacious, or idolaters, for, then, you must 11 go out of the world. But that which I now write unto you, is, that you should not keep company, no, nor cat, with a christian by profession, who is lascivious, covet12 ous, idolatrous, a railer, drunkard, or rapacious. For what have I to do to judge those, who are out of the church? Have ye not a power to judge those, who 13 are members of your church? But, as for those who are out of the church, leave them to God; to judge them belongs to him. Therefore do ye what is your part, remove that wicked one, the fornicator, out of the 1 church. Dare any of you, having a controversy with another, bring it before an heathen judge, to be tried,

NOTE.

7 and 8 In these two verses he alludes to the jews cleansing their houses, at the feast of the passover, from all leaven, the symbol of corruption and wickedness.

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

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 amongst 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.

PARAPHRASE.

2 and not let it be decided by christians"? Know ye not that christians shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge ordi3 nary small matters? Know ye not, that we, christians, have power over evil spirits? how much more over the 4 little things relating to this animal life? If, then, ye have at any time controversies amongst you, concerning things pertaining to this life, let the parties contending choose arbitrators in the church, i. e. out of church5 members. Is there not among you, I speak it to your shame, who stand so much upon your wisdom, one wise man, whom ye can think able enough to refer your con6 troversies to? But one christian goeth to law with another, and that before the unbelievers, in the heathen

NOTES.

1 à "Ayo, saints, is put for christians: o, unjust, for heathens. 4 i 'Eebemuéves, "judices non authenticos." Among the jews there was consessus triumviralis, authenticus," who had authority, and could hear and determine causes, 66 ex officio;" there was another "consessus triumviralis,” which were chosen by the parties; these, though they were not authentic, yet could judge and determine the causes referred to them; these were those whom St. Paul calls here, iebermuéves, “judices non authenticos," i.e. referees chosen by the parties. See de Dieu. That St. Paul does not mean by surv "those who are least esteemed," as our English translation reads it, is plain from the next verse.

5k Zoo," wisemen." If St. Paul uses this word, in the sense of the synagogue, it signifies one ordained, or a rabbi, and so capacitated to be a judge; for such were called "wise men." If in the sense of the greek schools, then it signifies a man of learning, study and parts: if it be taken in the latter sense, it may seem to be some reflection on their pretending to wisdom.

TEXT.

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, you 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.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,

PARAPHRASE.

7 courts of justice. Nay, verily, it is a failure and defect in you, that you so far contest matters of right, one with another, as to bring them to trial, or judgment: why do 8 ye not rather suffer loss and wrong? But it is plain, by the man's having his father's wife, that ye are guilty of doing wrong', one to another, and stick not to do in9 justice, even to your christian brethren. Know ye not, that the transgressors of the law of Christ shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Deceive not yourselves, 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. 11 And such were some of you: but your past sins are washed away, and forgiven you, upon your receiving of

NOTE.

8 That the wrong, here spoken of, was the fornicator's taking and keeping his father's wife, the words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. vii. 12, instancing this very wrong, are a sufficient evidence. And it is not wholly improbable, there had been some hearing of this matter, before an heathen judge, or at least talked of: which, if supposed, will give a great light to this whole passage, and several other in these chapters. For thus visibly runs St. Paul's argument, chap. v. 12, 13. chap. vi. 1, 2, 3, &c. coherent and easy to be understood, if it stood together as it should, and were not chopped in pieces, by a division into two chapters. Ye have a power to judge those, who are of your church; therefore put away from among you that fornicator: you do ill, to let it come before a heathen magistrate. Are you, who are to judge the world and angels, not wor thy to judge such a matter as this?

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12 All things are lawful unto me; but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall de

PARAPHRASE.

the gospel by baptism: but ye are sanctified", i. e. ye are members of Christ's church, which consists of saints, and have made some advances in the reformation of your lives" by the doctrine of Christ, confirmed to you by the extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost. 12 But supposing fornication were in itself as lawful, as eating promiscuously all sorts of meat, that are made for the belly, on purpose to be eaten: yet I would not so far indulge either custom, or my appetite, as to bring my body, thereby, into any disadvantageous state of 13 subjection. As in eating and drinking, though meat be made purposely for the belly, and the belly for meat; yet, because it may not be expedient" for me, I will not,

NOTES.

11 HyάoOnte, "sanctified," i.e. have remission of your sins, so sanctified signifies, Heb. x. 10, and 18, compared. He that would perfectly compre hend, and be satisfied in the meaning of this place, let him read Heb. ix, 10, particularly ix. 13–23.

n

η Εδικαιώθητε, σε it used, Rev. xxii. 11.

ye are become just," i. e. are reformed in your lives. See

12 St. Paul having, upon occasion of injustice amongst them, particularly in the matter of the fornicator, warned them against that and other sins, that exclude men from salvation, he here re-assumes his former argument, about fornication; and, by his reasoning here, it looks as if some among them had pleaded, that fornication was lawful. To which he answers, that, granting it be so, yet the lawfulness of all wholesome food reaches not the case of fornication, and shows by several instances, (as particularly the degrading the body, and making what, in a christian, is the member of Christ, the member of an harlot) that fornication, upon several accounts, might be so unsuitable to the state of a christian man, that a christian society might have reason to animadvert upon a fornicator, though fornication might pass for an indifferent action in another man.

13 Expedient, and brought under power," in this verse, seems to refer to the two parts of the following verse: the first of them to eating, in the first part of the 13th verse, and the latter of them to fornication, in the latter part of the 13th verse, To make this more intelligible, it may be fit to remark, that St. Paul seems here to obviate such a sort of reasoning as this, in behalf of the fornicator: "All sorts of meats are lawful to christians, who are set free "from the law of Moses; and why are they not so, in regard of women, who ❝are at their own disposals?" To which St. Paul replies, "Though my belly

TEXT.

stroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

PARAPHRASE.

in so evidently a lawful thing as that, go to the utmost bounds of my liberty; though there be no danger, that I should thereby bring any lasting damage upon my belly, since God will speedily put an end both to belly and food. But the case of the body in reference to women, is far different from that of the belly, in reference to meat. For the body is not made to be joined to a woman, much less to be joined to an harlot in fornication, as the belly is made for meat, and then to be put an end to, when that use ceases. But the body is for a much nobler purpose, and shall subsist, when the

NOTES.

"was made only for eating, and all sorts of meat were made to be eaten, and "so are lawful for me, yet I will abstain from what is lawful, if it be not con"venient for me, though my belly will be certain to receive no prejudice by "it, which will affect it in the other world; since God will there put an end "to the belly, and all use of food. But, as to the body of a christian, the "case is quite otherwise; that was not made for the enjoyment of women, but "for a much nobler end, to be a member of Christ's body; and so shall last "for ever, and not be destroyed, as the belly shall be. Therefore, supposing "fornication to be lawful in itself, I will not so debase and subject my body, " and do it that prejudice, as to take that, which is a member of Christ, and "make it the member of an harlot; this ought to be had in detestation by all "christians." The context is so plain in the case, that interpreters allow St. Paul to discourse here, upon a supposition of the lawfulness of fornication. Nor will it appear at all strange, that he does so, if we consider the argument he is upon. He is here convincing the corinthians, that though fornication were to them an indifferent thing, and were not condemned in their country, more than eating any sort of meat: yet there might be reasons why a christian society might punish it, in their own members, by church censures, and expulsion of the guilty. Conformably hereunto we see, in what follows here, that all the arguments used by St. Paul, against fornication, are brought from the incongruity it hath with the state of a christian, as a christian; but nothing is said against it as a fault in a man, as a man; no plea used, that it is a sin, in all men, by the law of nature. A christian society, without entering into that inquiry, or going so far as that, had reason to condemn and censure it, as not comporting with the dignity and principles of that religion, which was the foundation of their society.

q" Woman." I have put in this, to make the apostle's sense understood the easier. For he arguing here, as he does, upon the supposition, that fornica. tion is in itself lawful; fornication, in these words, must mean the supposed, lawful enjoyment of a woman: otherwise it will not answer the foregoing in. stance, of the belly and eating.

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