man, who was at liberty to do in that matter as he pleased, he had made use of none of these precepts and rights; neither did he mention them on this occasion, to induce the Corinthians to give him, maintenance. For he would rather die of want, than be deprived of glorying in having preached the gospel, without receiving any reward from his disciples for that important sérvice, ver. 15.-The reason was, he had nothing to boast of in barely preaching the gospel; because his conviction of its truth, together with the command of Christ, laid him under such a necessity of preaching, that he would be absolutely miserable, if he did not make known things, which were of so great importance to the world, ver. 6.-Now, said he, if I do this with such willingness, as to endure every hardship in the course of the work, for the sake of doing it successfully, I shall obtain a distinguished reward. Whereas, if a stewardship of the gospel is forced on me against my will, and I discharge it as one constrained to undertake it, I shall have no distinguished reward, ver. 17. What then is the ground of the distinguished reward which I look for? Why this, that when preaching the gospel, I do it without burdening the persons to whom I preach, in order that I may make the gospel successful, by not abusing the power, which the gospel gives me, of demanding maintenance. For I, who aim at a distinguished reward, should abuse that power, if by demanding maintenance, I hindered the success of my

OLD TRANSLATION.

CHAP. IX. 1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free?

GREEK TEXT.

1 Ουκ ειμι αποςολος ; ουκ ειμι ελευθερος ; ουχί Ιηhave I not seen Jesus σουν Χριςον τον Κυριον ἡμων

Christ our Lord? are not you my work in the Lord?

2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you : for the seal of mine apostleship are ye

in the Lord.

ἑωρακα ; ου το έργον μου ύμεις εςε εν Κυρίῳ ;

2 Ει αλλοις ουκ ειμι αποστ αλλα γε υμιν ειμι

τολος,

ἡ γαρ

σφραγις της εμης αποςολης Εμεις εςε εν Κυρίῳ.

Ver. 2.1. The seal of mine apostleship ye are in the Lord. This the apostle had good reason to say, because as he insinuates, 2 Cor. xii. 12. they had been converted by his working among them miracles peculiar to an apostle and because after their conversion he had bestowed spiritual gifts on many of them in such abundance, that, as a church, they were inferior to no church whatever. 1 Cor. i. 5, 6, 7. 2 Cor. xii. 13.

:

preaching, ver. 18.-For the same reason, though I be a freeman with respect to all men, (see ver. 1.) I have made myself, a slave to all men, by complying with their prejudices and humours, as far as I could do it innocently, that I might gain the more disciples to Christ, ver. 19.-More particularly, to the Jews I became as a Jew, &c. ver. 20, 21, 22.-All this I do, for the sake of preaching the gospel successfully, that I may be come a joint partaker of the rewards of the gospel with the most eminent apostles, ver. 23.

But, because the faction thought the apostle a fool for not demanding maintenance, and because the rest might be surpri sed at his subjecting himself to so many inconveniences and hardships while preaching the gospel, he put them in mind of the bodily labours and hardships, to which their countrymen, who contended in the games, subjected themselves, for the trifling reward of a crown of green leaves which soon withered. Whereas, he and his brethren apostles, in return for the bodily labours and hardships which they endured, expected to obtain an incorruptible crown, namely, that distinguished reward of which he had been speaking. The greatness therefore of the reward sufficiently justified the apostles in the pursuit, although it was attended with so much labour and suffering; and shewed, that they had good reason to disregard every temporal advantage, while pursuing a felicity of such magnitude, ver. 24.-27.

NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. IX. 1 Am I not an apostle? am I not ■ freeman? (see ver. 19.) have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? (1 Cor. xv. 8. Acts xviii. 9. xxii. 14, 15. 18. xxiii. 11. xxvi. 16.) are not ye my work in the Lord?

2 If to others I be not an apostle, yet to you, at least I am: for the seal1 of mine apostleship ye are in the Lord.

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. IX. 1 My enemies say I am no apostle, because I do not demand maintenance. But I appeal to you; Am I not an apostle? Am I not a freeman, who may demand a reward for my labour, or not, as I choose? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? And can bear witness to his resurrection? Are not ye my con. verts in the Lord?

2 Though to others I should not be thought an apostle, yet to you at least I am an apostle: for the proof of mine apostleship, ye are by your being in the Lord, through my preaching and miracles.

3 Mine answer to them

3 Ἡ εμη απολογία τους esi•

that do examine me, is this, εμε ανακρινουσιν, άυτη εξί

4 Have we not power to eat and to drink?

5 Have we not power

to lead about a sister a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

4 Μη ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν φάγειν και πιειν ;

5 Μη ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν αδελφην γυναίκα περιάγειν, ὡς και οι λοιποι αποςολοι, και οι αδελφοι του Κυρίου, και Κηδας ;

6 Η μονος εγω και Βαρναβας ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν του μη εργαζεσθαι ;

Ver. 3.-1. To them who condemn me. For this sense of the word avaxpireσ, see chap. iv. 3. note 1. The apostle's enemies did not, as our translators express it, examine him about his not taking maintenance; as little did they pretend to examine him concerning his apostleship. But they urged his not taking maintenance, as a proof that he knew himself to be no apostle. This St. Paul termed a condemning him.

Ver. 4.-1. Have we not sexolay, a right to eat and to drink. The right which all the ministers of the word had to be maintained by their disciples, the apostle expressed by a right to eat and to drink, because Christ had said to the twelve, Matt. x. 9. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses. 10. For the workman is worthy of his meat. In like manner to the seventy, Luke x. 7. In the same bouse abide, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his hire.—The word power, by which our translators have rendered 1, does not express the apostle's meaning. Power is only an ability to do a thing; whereas, the apostle means a right to do what he is speaking of.

Ver. 5.-1. To lead about, adınqn guvama, a sister wife, that is, a Christian wife. Or, the translation may be, a sister woman, a Christian woman. Clem. Alexand. as quoted by Whitby says, "They carried their wives "about, not as wives, but as sisters, to minister to those that were mistresses "of families; that so the doctrine of the Lord might, without any repre"hension, enter into the apartments of the women." Nevertheless, the manner in which this affair is spoken of, inclines one to think, that the sister wife, or woman, was carried about to minister to the apostles, rather than to instruct their converts of the female sex.In the eastern countries, for the reason mentioned, Rom. xvi. 1. note 3. when people of condition travelled, they either lodged with their acquaintance, or carried servants with them, who provided such things as were necessary to their accommodation in the public lodging houses. In the Gentile countries, where the apostles preached, they had no acquaintance or friends with

1

3 Mine answer to them who condemn1 me, is this,

4 Have we not a right to eat and to drink? 1

5 Have we not a right to lead about a sister wife, as the other apostles, 2 and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? 3

6 Or have I only and Barnabas' not a right to forbear working?

3 Mine answer to them who condemn me for not taking maintenance, is this,

4 Have I not, as an apostle, a right to eat and to drink, at the expense of those to whom I preach?

5 Have I not, as an apostle, a right to carry about a Christian wife to take care of me? And may I not require maintenance for her also? even as the other apostles do, and particularly the brethren of the Lord, (James, Judas, and Simon,) and Peter?

6 Or have I only and Barnabas, of all the preachers of the gospel, not a right to forbear working for our maintenance while preaching?

whom they could lodge: and therefore some of them, particularly the brethren of the Lord and Peter, found it necessary to carry about with them a wife to make provision for them, at the expense of those to whom they preached. This right, Paul told the Corinthians, belonged as much to him and to Barnabas, as to the other apostles. But to render the gospel free of charge, he neither had used this right, ver. 12. nor ever would use it, ver. 15. Wherever he came he maintained himself by his own labour.

2. As the other apostles? It seems all the apostles took maintenance from their disciples except Paul.

3. And Cephas? From this we learn, that Peter, here called by his original name, continued to live with his wife after he became an apostle : also, that Peter as an apostle, possessed no rights which were not common to Paul, and to all the rest. These facts I mention, because traced to their obvious consequences, they utterly subvert the main pillars of popery.

Ver. 6.-1. Or have I only and Barnabas ? From this it appears, that Barnabas as well as Paul, preached the gospel without demanding maintenance from his disciples; and that like Paul, he was hated for his doctrine by the Judaizers. See Pref. 2 Cor. sect. 2. at the end. The honourable mention which Paul made of Barnabas, in this passage of his epistle to the Corinthians, deserves notice, as it shews, that these good men, notwithstanding their sharp contention about John Mark, mentioned Acts xv. 39. entertained no resentment against each other on that account, but mutually esteemed each other; and perhaps on some occasions after that, preached the gospel together as before.

Ver. 9.-1. Muzzle the ox treading out the corn. The people of the east did not thresh their corn as we do; but they pressed out the grain, by caus ing oxen to tread on the ears. This argument from the law of Moses, may have been intended for the Jewish converts at Corinth, some of whom I suppose had joined the false teacher. The same may be said of the argument,

Ver. 10.1. Doth he command this, &c. The precept concerning oxen, being introduced in the law immediately after precepts enjoining justice and mercy in punishments, it was certainly intended to impress the Israelites