by the unrighteous, not by the saints ?

and the honour of your religion, as to be judged by the heathens, and not by the saints?

2 Do ye not know1 that the saints2 judge the world?3 and if the world is judged (ev) by you, are ye unworthy of the least seats of judicature ? ◄

3 Do ye not know that we judge angels? (ut VE CiwTina) why not then things pertaining to this life? (see v. 4. note 1.)

2 Do ye not know that the inspired teachers among you, judge the world by the laws of the gospel, which they promulgate? And if the world is thus judged by you, are ye, who are so well enlightened, unworthy to fill the least seats of judicature?

3 Do ye not know, that we declare the judgment of the evil angels, whereby we are strongly impressed with a sense of the justice of God? Why may we not then determine things pertaining to this life?

ment; and particularly to our Lord's own account of that great event, Matth. xxv. where the righteous are represented as all standing before his tribunal, along with the wicked, and as receiving their sentence at the same time with them. Besides, for what purpose are the saints to be Christ's assessors at the judgment? Is it to give him council? or only to assent to the sentence he will pass on the wicked? Surely not the former and for the latter, why should their assent be necessary, more than the assent of the holy angels? To found a doctrine of this magnitude, merely on two obscure passages of scripture, which can easily admit of a different and better interpretation, seems not a little rash.

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4. Are ye unworthy of the least seats of judicature? Keirngor xax150. See James ii. 6. where the word agiria, is translated judgment seats. is used in the same sense often by the LXX, and by the best Greek authors, as Wetstein hath shewn. To understand the propriety of the apostle's rebuke, the reader should know, that the Jews in the provinces, were allowed by the Romans, to hold courts of judicature for determining, according to their own jurisprudence, such controversies about secular affairs as arose among themselves; because their laws and customs being different from those of all other nations, the heathen jurisprudence could not be used in regulating their affairs. See Joseph. Ant. lib. xiv. p. 487. Genev. Edit. The same privilege, I doubt not, was enjoyed by the Christians. For as there were many Jews among them, and as they agreed with the Jews in abstaining from the worship of the heathen gods, they were in the first age considered as Jews, and enjoyed their immunities.

Ver. 3.-1. That we judge angels? This, many commentators understand of the power which some of the first Christians possessed of casting out devils, and of the efficacy of the preaching of the gospel, in destroying the usurped dominion of evil angels over the children of disobedience. And it must be acknowledged, that the phrase, judgment of this world, hath

4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least es

teemed 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.

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 idolators,

that signification, John xii. 31. But such a sense of judging, is foreign to the apostle's argument.

Ver. 4.1. Secular seats of judicature. So βιωτικά κριτηρια literally signifies. See ver. 2. note 4.-Secular seats of judicature, are those where questions relating to the affairs of this life are judged. Thus Luke xxi. 34. Μερίμναι βιωτικαι, signifies the cares of this life.

2. Those who are least esteemed in the church. Whitby translates the verse in the following manner: If ye use the heathen secular judgment seats, ye constitute those who are despised in the church, your judges. But the translation I have given, is more literal, and more agreeable to the apostle's design. For as the faction boasted of their knowledge, to shew them how

7 Now, therefore, indeed, there is plainly a fault (EV) in you, that ye have law suits with one another. Why do ye not rather bear injury? why do ye not rather bear the being defrauded?

8 (A, 81.) But ye injure, and defraud; and that too, YOUR brethren.

9 Do ye not know, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers,

i

4 Well then, when ye have seats of judicature for trying secular causes, make to sit on them as judges, those spiritual men among you, who are least esteemed in the church for their gifts.

5 For shame to you, who boast so much of your wisdom, I say, So then there is not among you a knowing prudent upright man, not even one, who is fit to decide between his brethren, in those disputes which they have about their secular affairs?

6 But one Christian contending with another, is judged, and that by heathens; to the great discredit of the Christian name.

7 Now, therefore, indeed, there is plainly a fault in you, that ye have law suits with one another in the heathen courts; why do ye not rather bear injury? Why do ye not rather bear the being defrauded, if the injury done you and the fraud are small?

8 But, ye are so far from bearing injuries and frauds, that ye injure and defraud even your Christian brethren.

9 Do ye, who pretend to be wise men, not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived by the false teacher, nor by your own lusts: Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers,

far superior the gifts of the Spirit were to the philosophy and learning of the Greeks, the apostle ordered the Corinthians to appoint the lowest order of spiritual men, as judges in secular causes.

Ver. 5.-1. So then, there is not among you a wise man? As the Greeks called those, po1, wise men, who were remarkable for their knowledge and genius, and as the faction were very vain of their own talents, this was a severe sarcasm on them.

Ver. 9.-1. Nor idolaters. Idolaters are put at the head of this catalogue of gross sinners, because among the heathens, idolatry was not only a great

nor adulterers, nor effemi- ούτε μοιχοι, ούτε μαλακοι, hate, nor abusers of them- ούτε αρσενοκοιται,

selves with mankind,

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

11 And such were some

ofyou : 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.

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things

crime in itself, but because it was the parent of many other crimes. For the heathens were encouraged in the commission of fornication, adultery, sodomy, drunkenness, theft, &c. by the example of their idol gods.

2. Nor Catanites. Μαλακοι. This name was given to men, who suffered themselves to be abused by men, contrary to nature. Hence they are joined here with agoevonora, Sodomites, the name given to those who abused them. The wretches who suffered this abuse, were likewise called Pathics, and affected the dress and behaviour of women. For the origin of this name, see Col. iii. 5. note 2.

Ver. 10. 1. Shall inberit. In this expression there is an allusion to the covenant with Abraham, in which God promised to him and to his seed by faith, the inheritance, or everlasting possession of a heavenly country, under the type of his natural seed inheriting the earthly Canaan.-The repetition of the negative particles in this verse is very emphatical.

2. The kingdom of God. The apostle calls the heavenly country promised to the righteous, the kingdom, or country of God, because in the description of the general judgment, our Lord had so named it : Matth. xxv. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.

Ver. 11.—1. But ye are washed, &c. This being addressed to the Corinthian brethren in general, it is not to be imagined that the apostle, by their being washed, sanctified, and justified, meant to say that they were all boly persons, in the moral sense of the word, and that they were all to be justified at the day of judgment. Among the Corinthians there were many unholy persons, whom the apostle reproved sharply for their sins, 2 Cor. xii. 20, 21 and whom he threatened to punish severely if they did not repent, 2 Cor.

nor (μaλanos) Catamites, nor (agoevOXotal) Sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous persons, nor drunkards, nor those who give opprobious names to others to their face, nor extortioners, (See chap. v. 10. note) shall inherit the kingdom of God, Ephes. v. 5.

11 And such persons, were many of you formerly. But ye are washed with the water of baptism, in token of your having vowed to lead a new life; and ye are consecrated to the service of God; and ye are delivered from heathenish ignorance, by the power of the Lord Jesus, and by the influences of the Spirit of the God of us Christians, given to you.

12 Sensualists justify luxury in eating and drinking, by saying, all

xiii. 1, 2.—The Corinthians having been washed with the water of baptism, in token of their having renounced idolatry with all its impurities, they were under the obligation of a solemn vow, carefully to study purity of heart and life.

2. But ye are sanctified. By their profession of the gospel, the Corinthians were separated from idolaters, and consecrated to the service of God; a meaning of the word sanctified, often to be found in scripture. See Ess. iv. 53.

3. But ye are justified. The word, justified, hath various significations in scripture. Besides the forensic sense, justified signifies the being delivered or freed from some evil simply, and is so translated in our common English version, Rom. vi. 7. He that is dead, (Sedíxxıraι año, is justified from,) is freed from sin. See also Rom. iv. 25. note 2.

4. By the Spirit of our God. Because justification, in the forensic sense, is never ascribed to the Spirit, some are of opinion, that the apostle's meaning is, Ye Corinthians, by the gifts of the Spirit conferred on you, are justified in the eyes of all men, for having renounced heathenism and embraced the gospel.

If the terms washed, sanctified, and justified, are understood in their moral sense, the Corinthians may be said to have been washed, and sanctified, and justified, because under the gospel, they enjoyed all the means neces sary to their being washed, sanctified and justified, though perhaps many of them had not made a proper use of these means. See Ess. iv. 1.-Or the passage may be restricted to those who were true believers, and really holy persons.