St. Paul reminds the Corinthians of their profperous Condition;

Ver. 4.

25.1

5,

&c.

own Hearts, and the Flattery of Self-love; left they fondly mistake the Sect. 4. Voice of Prejudice for that of Conscience, or in other Words, the Voice of an erroneous Confcience, for that of a Confcience well informed. Let us often recollect the narrow Limits of our own Knowledge, that we may learn Modesty in our Cenfures of each other. He only can judge, who knoweth the Heart; and there is a Day approaching, which Ver. will manifeft all its Secrets. While others, with a pitiable Mixture of Arrogance, and Ignorance, judge one another, and judge us, let us rather be concerned that we may fecure that Praife of GOD, which will be heard, and felt, by the Soul, with the highest Rapture, and will silence every Echo of human Applaufe, or Cenfure.

To conclude, if it hath pleased GOD, in any Refpect, to distinguish Ver. 7. us from others, by the Gifts or Graces which he hath bestowed upon us, let us humbly trace these Distinctions to their true Source: and, instead of indulging the least Degree of Pride on their Account, let us rather be the more humble. For furely the more we receive from God, the more we are indebted and obliged; and the more we are obliged to the Divine Goodness, the greater ought our Shame and Confufion to be, that we have not answered thofe Obligations by more faithful Care, and more conftant Gratitude.

SE C T. VIII.

The Apostle, in order to gain farther upon their Affections, reprefents the many Hardships and Dangers, to which he and his Brethren were expofed, in Comparison of that eafy State in which the Corinthians were; and reminding them at the fame Time of their particular Obligations to him, be warns them not to force him on Severities, to the Ufe of which he was very averfe. 1 Cor. IV. 8, to the End.

1 CORINTHIANS IV. 8.

W are full, now ye are rich, ye have

Now ye

reign

I

I CORINTHIANS IV. 8.

HAVE fuggefted fome humbling Thoughts Sect. 1. to your Confideration; but I fear you will have little Relish for them, as you seem to indulge .IV. 8. yourselves in very different Views. Am I not

I i2

rather

I Cor. IV. 8.

252

And of the Afflictive Circumftances of the Apoftles;

Sect. 8. rather to congratulate Chriftians, whofe Rank and Figure in the World is fo much fuperior to 1 Cor. IV. 8. that of many of their Brethren, and even of their firft Apoftle too? For now you are full, now you are rich; you enjoy fo great a Degree of Profperity and Plenty, that methinks you have even reigned as Kings without us (a): So happy in a Variety of fecular Enjoyments, that you have hardly miffed my Company. And indeed I wish you did reign, in the trueft and nobleft Senfe, and were altogether as happy, as you think yourfelves. I wifh, the most excellent Powers of the human Nature had, thro' Divine Grace, greater Rule and Sovereignty in your Souls, that we, in the midft of all our prefent Diftrefs, might also reign with you, and partake of your Happiness, in that high Degree, in which, if it were fincere and folid, our Affection for you would enable us 9 to share it. And furely we fufficiently need fuch. Confolation as this; for I think GOD bath exhibited us, the Apostles of his Son, like thofe Gladiators, which are brought out on the Stage laft of all, as appointed to certain Death (b), and therefore not furnished with Weapous of De

fence,

reigned as Kings without did reign, that we also might us: And I would to Gop ye reign with you.

9 For I think that GoD hath fet forth us the Apoftles laft, as it were appoint

ed

(a) You have reigned as Kings, &c.] This is a proverbial Expreffion of the moft fplendid and plentiful Circumstances; and fome think, when the Apostle adds, I wish ye did reign, he means, "I wish you had the Authority of Princes, that ye might shelter and accom modate us amidst all our Diftreffes and Afflictions." But one can hardly think, he did indeed with each of them a Prince, or the civil Power in their Hands. It feems much more probable, that as fpiritual Objects were fo familiar to his Mind, he changes the Idea in the Manner the Paraphrafe expreffes, in which Senfe It seems, that Chriftians are called Priefts and Kings, (Rev. i. 6.) as it is certain, they are called a Royal Priesthood. (1 Pet. ii. 9.)-I cannot think, with Mr. L' Enfant, that this refers peculiarly to the factious Paftors of the Church at Corinth.

(b) Laft of all.] I cannot think, as Elfner feems to do, that the Word oxal, refers to the low Rank, which the Apostles held in fecular Life; or with Meffieurs Calvin, Locke, and L'Enfant, that St. Paul fpeaks of himself as the last called Apoftle; but that there is a Reference to the Roman Custom of bringing forth those Perfons on the Theatre in the after Part of the Day, either to fight with each other, or with wild Beafts, who were appointed to cer tain Death, and had not that poor Chance of efcaping, which those brought forth in the Morning had. Compare Sen. Epift. Cap. vii. Reeves Apol. Vol. i. pag. 237. Such Kind of Spectacles were fo common in all the Provinces, that 'tis no Wonder we fhould find fuch an Allufion here. The Word anodesfer, exhibited, and salpon, a Spectacle on the Theatre, have in this Connection a beautiful Propriety. The whole Paffage is indeed full of high Eloquence, and finely adapted to move their Compaffion in Favour of thofe, who were fo generously expofing and facrificing themselves for the publick Good.

(a) 4 Spec

ed to Death. For we are made a Spec ce unto the World, and to Angels, and

to Men.

wife in Chrift:

We are

10 We are Fools for Chrift's Sake, but ye are weak, but ye are ftrong: Ye are honourable, but we are despised.

253 Sect. 8.

Who are made a Spectacle to Angels and Men:
fence, nor allowed fo much as a Chance of ef-
caping: For we are produced, as it were, on a
publick Theatre, and made a Spectacle to the whole I Cor. IV. 9.
World of rational Creatures, both to Angels and
Men (c), who are all held in follicitous Attention
to fo ftrange and tragical a Sight. Imagine 10
not, that I have aggravated the Representation;
the more you attend to our Circumftances, the
more you will difcern its Justice; for we [are]
treated like Fools, Bablers, and Madmen, for the
Sake of Chrift, (Acts xvii. 18. Chap. xxvi. 24.)
as if we were the weakest, and most ignorant of
Mankind, because we preach the plain Truths of
the Gospel, and endeavour to the utmost to ex-
alt our Lord. But ye [are] wife in Chrift: Ye fet
up for a Kind of Christian Philofophers, of more
refined Understandings than your Brethren, and
think, you have found out a political Way, at
once of fecuring the Bleffings of the Gospel, and
efcaping its Inconveniencies and Perfecutions.
We [are] weak, In Prefence, in Infirmities, and
in Sufferings; but ye [are] ftrong, have great
Confidence in yourselves, and are got above ma❤
ny of those tender Alarms and Impreffions,
which Hearts like ours are fubject to, on a Va-
riety of Occafions; you [are] honourable, adorned
with extraordinary Gifts, in which you are ready
to glory, and many of you fet off with Circum-
ftances of external Diftinction; but we [are] poor,
defpifed Creatures, treated with Contempt where-
ever we come. For even to this prefent Hour, II
after all the Battles fought, and all the Conquefts
already gained, by the Gofpel, we are often ex-
pofed to Circumftances of the extremeft Want
and Mifery. Sometimes we even hunger and
thirst, and amidst our charitable Journeys to dif
fufe the Gospel, hardly find Entertainment of
the plaineft Kind, to relieve our Neceffities, or
Money to purchase it. And our Cloaths are fo
worn out with travelling, and we are fo ill-fur-
nished

II Even unto this prefent Hour, we both hunger

and

(a) A Spectacle to Angels and Men.] This Reprefentation is wonderfully pathetick and

fublime:

1

II.

254.
Sect. 8. nifhed for buying more, that we are often almoft
naked (d), not having decent Raiment to wear,
1 Cor. IV. tho' we appear fo often in publick Affemblies.
And in many Inftances, where our benevolent and
important Meffage is heard, instead of being re-
ceived with due Refpect, we are infulted, and per-
haps buffetted, by the unruly and barbarous Mob;
and at beft, if we now and then meet with a little
more hofpitable Ufage, it is but for a very little
while; for, whereas you dwell in a rich and magni-
ficent City, we have no certain Abode, but are conti-
12 nually removing from one Place to another. And
tho' we are engaged in a Work of fo great Impor-
tance to the Souls of Men, which might well
engross all our Time and Care; yet fuch are the
Circumstances, in which we are often placed,
that we are obliged in Duty and Prudence, to la-
bour in fome fecular Calling, working with our
own Hands, to procure the neceffary Supports
of the most frugal and parfimonious Life. Being
in the most infolent and provoking Manner reviled
to our Faces, and loaded with every opprobrious
Name of Contempt, we meekly blefs, and pray
for our Enemies; being perfecuted, we endure it
patiently, unable to right and help ourselves.
13 Being blafphemed, and fpoken of in the most
fcandalous, and, confidering our facred Character,
the most impious Terms, we only intreat, that
Men would more impartially examine our Pre-
tenfions, that they may entertain more favourable
Sentiments concerning us; and in the mean Time
we freely forgive them their rafh and injurious
Cenfures. And on the whole, fuch is the Ufage
we meet with, that we are made and treated like

And are reviled and perfecuted, as the Filth of the World.

the

and thirft, and are naked, and are buffetted, and have no certain Dwelling-place;

12 And labour, working with our own Hands: Be ing reviled, we bless: Being perfecuted, we fuffer it:

13 Being defamed, we intreat: We are made as

the

fublime: While they confidered evil Angels and Men, as beholding them with all the malig-
nant, and good Angels and Men, with all the benevolent Paffions, it must have a great Ten-
dency to infpire their Minds with the most heroick Sentiments.-Elfner has given an excellent
Collection of Paflages from Heathen Writers, in which fuch a Figure is made Ufe of by them.
(d) Are naked, &c.] Surely one cannot imagine any more glorious Triumph of the
Truth, than what is gained in these Circumftances, when St. Paul, with an Impediment in
his Speech, and a Perfonage, rather contemptible than graceful, appeared in a mean, and
perhaps fometimes tattered Drefs, before Perfons of the higheft Rank, and yet commanded
fuch Attention, and made fuch Impreffions.

3

(e) Filth

the Filth of the World, and are the Off-fcouring of all Things unto this Day.

The Apoftle writes thefe Things for their Warning :
the very Filth of the World (e), like the Wretches,
which being taken from the Dregs of the People,
are offered as expiatory Sacrifices to the infernal
Deities among the Gentiles, and loaded with
Curfes, Affronts and Injuries, in the Way to the
Altars, at which they are to bleed: [or like] the
Refufe of all Things to this Day, the very Sweep-
ings of the Streets and Stalls, a Nufance to all
around us, and fit for nothing, but to be trampled
upon by the meaneft and vileft of Mankind.

14 I write not these Things to fhame you, but as my beloved Sons I warn you.

15 For though you have ten thousand Inftructors in Chrift, yet have ye not many Fathers: For in Chrift Jefus I have begotten you through the Gospel.

I do not write thefe Things to fhame you, or in any Degree to ftain your Credit with other Churches, by fuch a Representation, as if you were unmindful of my Sufferings for the Gospel: But confidering the Relation in which we ftand to each other, and looking upon you as my beloved Sons, I warn [you] of those Dangers, to which I fear you may be expofed, and of the Regard, which it is your Duty and Intereft to pay to thofe, who voluntarily fubject themselves to fo many Evils on your Account, that you onght furely to be the laft to increase their Burthens. And I may particularly urge this withRefpect to myself; for if you have ten thousand Inftructors in Chrift, be they ever fo many, or ever fo valuable, yet [you have] not many spiritual Fathers, for in Chrift Jefus IPaul have begotten you by the Gospel: I preached it first among you, and was the happy Means of your fpiritual Birth, and all the Priviledges of GOD's Children, which you receive by

it.

(e) Filth of the World.] The Word nabaquala, has a Force and Meaning here, which no one Word in our Language can exprefs; I have given, what I am perfuaded is the true Meaning of it in the Paraphrafe, and must refer to Dr. Hen. More, (Theol. Works, pag. 63.) and Dr. Whitby in Loc. for the Illuftration of this bold and noble Figure. Suidas fays, that these wretched Victims were called xalappala, as their Death was esteemed an Expiation; and he tells us, the Word pnnuala, which we render Off-fcouring, was alfo applied to them; and Bos, (Exercit. pag. 125.) illuftrates this Sente of the Word by a very large and judicious Collection of Greek Quotations. See alfo Dr. Ridley's Chriftian Paffover, pag. 22. It appears from fome of thefe Paffages, that when the Afhes of thefe unhappy Men were thrown into the Sea, thefe very Words were used in the Ceremony; y rentapa, you catappa; but the former of thefe Titles was given them, in Reference to that original Signification of the Words, which the Paraphrafe on the End of the Verfe cxpreffes. That fo wife and ancient a Republick, as that of Marfeilles, originally a Greek Colony, fhould have retained this favage Ulage, is aftonishing; yet Servius expressly afferts it. Serv. in Eneid. Lib. III. Lin. 75.