Nor is

of the Man, even fo is the Man alfo by the Woman: But all Things of God.

13 Judge in yourselves: Is it comely that a Woman pray unto GOD uncovered?

14 Doth not even Nature itfelf teach you, that if a Man have long Hair, it is a Shame unto him?

15 But if a Woman have long Hair, it is a Glory to her: For her Hair is given

her for a Covering.

16 But if any Man seem to be contentious, we have

no

it

confiftent with natural Decency.

331

taken from the Rib of the Man, whom he ought Sect. 21. therefore to love as a Part of himself, and fhe to

12.

revere him, as under GOD the Source of her Be- 1 Cor. XI.
ing; fo alfo, in the ordinary Course of the Di-
vine Production, the Man [is] by the Woman,
born, nourished, and in the tendereft Years of
Life educated by her; a Circumstance that ought
to be ever most tenderly remembered, as a Spring
of grateful Affection and Regard. But let me
add, that whether in the firft Creation, or the
fucceffive Production of human Creatures, all
Things [are] of GOD; whose Constitution ought
therefore humbly and obediently to be revered,
and all the Duties of relative Life performed, as
for his Sake, and to his Glory.

But with Refpect to the particular Circum- 13
ftance I was speaking of, I may leave you to
judge of yourfelves, whether it be, according to
the Ufages generally prevailing among us, de-
cent (c) for a Woman to pray to GOD with that
mafculine and confident Air, which the must
have, when her Head is uncovered: Or ra- 14
ther, doth not the Sight immediately fhock us,
previous to any Reasonings upon it in our own
Mind? So that Nature itself seems to teach you,
that on the one Hand, for a Man to have long
Hair folicitously adjusted and artfully adorned, is
fuch a Mark of an effeminate Character, as is,
on the whole, a Difgrace to him;
Whereas on 15
the other Hand, if a Woman bath long Hair
fpread over her Shoulders, it is rather a Glory to
ber; for her Hair was given her instead of a Vail,
in the firft Conftitution of her Nature, and before
the Arts of Drefs were invented or needed.

Thus the Matter appears to me, when I re- 16
flect upon the Original, and the prefent State of
Things, and what feems from that to be the
Voice of Nature. But if any one appears to be
contentious, and will difpute this, upon his own

different

(c) Judge, whether it be decent, &c.] The Grecian Women, excepting the Heathen Priefteffes, ufed to appear in their Vails, when they came into publick Affemblies; as we find in Homer, and many other ancient Writers.

Tt2

(d) Nor

332

Sect. 21.

16.

the Churches of God.

Reflections on Decency in Divine Worship, &c. different Views of what is naturally decent; I no fuch Cuftom, neither fhall not controvert it farther;, but content my1 Cor. XI. felf with faying, that we have here no fuch Cuf tom, for Women to appear with their Head uncovered; neither do I know of its prevailing in any of the other Churches of GOD (d), whether planted by me, or any of my Brethren. I think therefore that it ought to be avoided, as a Singularity which may appear like Affectation, and give Offence, even if it be not judged a natural Indecorum. And thus I leave the Affair to your Confideration; and promife myfélf, you will give me no farther Caufe of Complaint on this

Head.

Ver. 3.

Ver. 4.. Ver. 14, 16.

Ver. 10.

L

IMPROVEMENT.

ET Chriftians frequently remember the honourable Relation, in which they stand to Chrift as their Head; and as beyond all Difpute, he is, under his mediatorial Character, moft willingly and joyfully fubject to GOD; let us learn to imitate him in that chearful and intire Subjection, out of Love and Reverence to him, guarding against whatever is unbecoming, left he be dishonoured thereby.

By the Paffage before us, we fee the Force of Custom, for determining in many Refpects, what is decent, and what is otherwife. Let us maintain a proper Regard to this; left even our Good fhould be thro' our Imprudence, evil-spoken of, and all our Infirmities magnified into Crimes. Let us often recollect the original Dignity of our Nature, by which we are the Image and Glory of GOD; that, fo far as by Sin and Folly this Honour is loft, we may endeavour to regain it; and where it is not, think and act more fuitably to fo high a Relation.

may

When in any Act of Divine Worship, we have the Honour to approach the bleffed GoD, let us reverence his awful Prefence, and even that of his holy Angels, who attend the Affemblies of the Saints. We pray, that the Will of GOD may be done upon Earth, as it is done in Heaven: Let us be careful to worship GoD in fuch a Manner, that these celeftial Spirits, who ever appear before him with facred Awe, may not be offended

(d) Nor any of the Churches.] Monf. Amyraut understands it in this Senfe, "The Churches don't ufe to contend with me, but to fubmit to my Decifions:" But the former Claufe, we have no fuch Cuftom, will not admit this. The Argument on the other Interpretation is clear and strong.

333

The Apostle confiders their Abuse of the Lord's Supper; fended at the Rudenefs and Folly of finful Mortals; whom they may Sect. 21. well wonder to fee admitted, in their beft Eftate, to this Divine Priviledge, which they have forfeited by repeated Provocations.

As for what St. Paul obferves of the mutual Dependence which the Sexes have on each other, let it dispose them to mutual Candor and Refpect; avoiding the cruel Tyranny, or the vain Affectation, which often arms them, on either Side, with ungenerous Reflections. And as all Things are of GOD, let it be our Concern, that all Things be to kim; that all Things be faithfully employed for his Glory; and whatever Comforts we receive in relative Life, which are indeed many and important, let us adore the Wisdom of the Divine Conftitution in the original Formation of our Nature, and the fecret Influence and Conduct of his Providence, in the Regulation of our respective Circumftances and Affairs.

Ver. 11, 12.

The Apostle, in order to reform feveral fcandalous Abuses of the Lord's Supper, which had crept into the Church of Corinth, leads back their Views to the original Inftitution of the folemn Ordinance, and infers from thence the Danger of profaning it. I Cor. XI. 17, to the End.

I CORINTHIANS XI. 17.

OW in this that I

N declare unto you,

I

praise you not, that you

come together, not for the

better, but for the worse.

T

I CORINTHIANS XI. 17.

my

17.

HUS have you free Sentiments of Sect. 22.` the Manner, in which Women, even when moft fingularly honoured by GoD, fhould I Cor. XI. appear in your religious Affemblies. But while I am giving [you] these Inftructions, I do not, and cannot, praife [you,] as I would, on several Accounts; and particularly on this, that when you come together in thefe Affemblies, and on the most folemn Occafions, there are fuch Irregularities, and fometimes fuch Indecencies among you, that your Meeting is not for the better, but for the worfe, as you lofe more in Religion one Way, 8 18 For first of all, when than you gain another. For, before I mention 18

ye

334

Which they regarded as a common Meal;

Sect. 22. any other Inftance of this, I muft obferve in the ye come together in the first Place, that when ye come together in the Church, I hear that there be Divifions among you i and I partly believe it.

18.

19

it;

angry

Cor. XI. Church (a); tho' it is fo evident, that nothing but Reverence to Gon, and Love to each other, fhould reign on fuch Occafions; I hear that there are Schifms, or uncharitable and Divifions and Difputes among you; and I do, in fome Refpect, and with Regard to fome of you, believe For in the Courfe of Things, 'tis to be expected, that there must be even Herefies among you (b): Contentions will arife to fuch an Height, that Separations will enfue. The Warmth of fome Tempers evidently leads to this; and Providence may probably permit it, that they who are of the most approved Characters, may be made manifeft among you by the Steadinefs, and Candor of their Conduct.

12 For there must be allo Herefies among you, that

they which are approved, may be made manifeft mong you.

20 When ye come together therefore into one Place,

this is not to eat the Lord's Supper.

(a) Come together in the Church.] Some have urged this, as an Inftance in which Church, fignifies a Building for publick Worship; and have urged alfo the 22d Verfe in the fame View; but both may be interpreted of the Affembly, as the Paraphrafe fhews.

(b) There must be even Herefies.] It feems evident from hence, that Herefy is fpoken of as fomething worfe, than the Schifm mentioned above; but whether it be an Evil entirely of a different Kind, or only of a higher Degree, is not fo clear from this Paffage. I think, for Reafons not here to be enumerated, that the Word cups, fignifies a Sect of People feparated from others, and forming, what we call a diftinct Denomination; whereas there may be Schifm without Separation, if People affembling together have uncharitable Contentions with each other; which was the Cafe of thefe Schifmatical Corinthians.

1

(c) It is not eating the Lord's Supper.] The Corinthians feem to have been guilty of two great Faults in the Matter here referred to, which St. Paul in the following Difcourfe labours to reform; The one, that they confounded the Lord's Supper with the common Meals they made together, (from whence the Love-feafts were afterwards derived;) thinking it fufficient, (as the Quakers now do,) if they mingled fome Thoughts of Chrift's Death, with this common Ufe of Bread and Wine-The other that they used fuch a rapacious Behaviour at thefe Feafts, and treated one another fo rudely and unkindly, as, on their own Principles, would have been very indecent. This latter Circumftance is finely illuftrated in a Paffage from Xenophon, (Memor. Lib. 3. Cap. xiv. §. i.) in which he obferves, that Socrates was

much

And ate and drank to Excefs.

335

21.

that Name. Instead of regarding it in a holy Seft. 22.
and religious View, you confound it with a com-
mon Meal; and do not indeed behave in the 1 Cor. XI.
Manner, that Decency would require if it were
no more than a common Meal: For tho' you fit
down at what, even in that Case, ought to be a
focial and friendly Table, yet each has his par-
ticular Mefs, and without offering a Share of it,
in an obliging Manner to the Reft, every one in
eating, greedily taketh. before [the other] his own
Supper (d), both the Food and Liquor, which he
hath provided; and Jo while one poor Brother,
for Want of fuitable Provifions, is hungry, ano-
ther eats and drinks to Excefs (e); which would
in all Circumstances be a Scandal to a Chriftian,
and especially to a religious Affembly, as this
certainly ought to be.

What a Reproach is this to your common Pro- 22
feffion! Give me Leave to ask you, bave you not
Houses to eat and to drink in on common Occafi-
ons, that you must come to the Place of publick
Worship, thus to entertain yourselves there, which
is certainly in all Views very ill-judged? Or do
you defpife the Church of GOD, which you muft
greatly offend by fuch a Conduct as this; and at
the fame Time fhame thofe, that have not Provi-
fions and Accommodations of their own, and
might hope at your common Meals to be reliev-

ed?

much offended with the Athenians for their Conduct at their common Suppers, as fome prepared delicately for themselves, while others were but flenderly provided for. That worthy Man endeavoured to fhame them out of this low Tafte, by offering his Provifions to all the Company. Mr. Grove hath with great Propriety mentioned a Paffage from Socrates, the Ecclefiaftical Hiftorian, (Lib. v. Cap. 22.) in which he speaks of fome Egyptians, living near Alexandria, who partook of the Sacrament in a very peculiar Manner, (as it feems much after the Corinthian Fashion,) introducing it with a jovial Feast, in which they regaled themfelves with all Kinds of Food. See Grove on the Sacrament, pag. 108.

(d) His own Supper.] This monftrous, and to us unaccountable Circumftance, is cleared up by what is faid above, of the focial Suppers ufed among the Greeks; to which each brought his own Provifions, which were not always made fo common to the whole Company, as Decency and Friendship might have required.

(e) Drinks to Excefs.] The Word buss, has this Signification in a great Latitude; but one would hope, that tho' the fews, and Heathens, were often intoxicated in their religious Festivals, thefe Chriftians, imprudent and irregular as they were, did not carry their Exceffes fo far; and therefore I chole to foften the Verfion. Compare Vol. i. pag. 137. Note (k).

(f) I re