366 The Apostle would pray with the Spirit, and Underflanding: Sect. 26. that Prudence and good Senfe which ought al 14. will ways to govern in my Addreffes to GoD, and 1 Cor. XIV. act fo childish and foolish a Part, that the Reafon of a Man may feem at that Time to have deferted 15 me. What then is [my Duty] in thefe Circum15 What is it then? I ftances? Truly it is plain enough; it requires me and I will pray with the pray with the Spirit to fay, I will pray with the Spirit, exercifing the Understanding alfo: I will Faculties of my own Soul in Devotion; but I fing with the Spirit, and I will pray with the Understanding alfo (g). I will will fing with the Underftanding alfo. fing the Praises of GOD with the Spirit; but I will fing them with Understanding alfo, and will take great Care to mingle no foolish trifling Action, unworthy the Dignity of a rational Creature, with my Prayers or Songs of Praife. And it becomes you efpecially to confider this, who are fo proud of your own Wisdom, and yet in fome Refpects act fo foolish a Part. 16 Moreover, whoever thou art, who acteft in this oftentatious Manner, confider a little, for the farther Illustration of this Argument, the Situation of one of thine own Hearers. If thou givet Thanks, for Inftance, in the Spirit, in the Man ner that we now fuppofe it to be done, that is, in an unknown Tongue; how fhall be that filleth up a private Place, and fhould join with thee in thy Devotion, Say Amen to thy Thanksgiving, feeing he knows not what thou fayeft? You know it is cuftomary for the Audience to pronounce their Amen Now it seems a very abfurd, not to say, hazardous Thing, for People to testify in fuch a publick and folemn Manner their Confent to, and 17 Concurrence with, they know not what. For we will grant, that thou indeed givest Thanks well, and that there is nothing improper either in the Senti 16 Elfe when thou shalt blefs with the Spirit, how Room of the Unlearned, fhall he that occupieth the fay, Amen at thy giving of Thanks, feeing he un derftandeth not what thou fayeft? 17 For thou verily giveft Thanks could be abused, if the Perfon exercífing it was under fuch an extraordinary Impulfe of the (8) Pray with Underflanding.] Mr. Locke, and moft other Commentators, feem here to have loft the Senfe and high Spirit of the Apostle in this Claufe, when they explain ev vot, as if it merely fignified a Manner intelligible to others. I apprehend, it is defigned farther to intimate, what a Want of Manly Senfe, and right Understanding it muft betray, to talk in a Language the Hearers could not talk in, how fublime foever the Difcourfe might be. This the 20th Verfe, and efpecially the Ufe of T, there, ftrongly fuggefts. And Speak in Christian Assemblies to Edification. is not edified. 367 Thanks well, but the other Sentiments or Expreffions, if they were under- Sect. 26. ftood; nevertheless the other is not at all edified, or improved; in order to which it is abfolutely ne- 1 Cor. XIV. ceffary, that he fhould know what is faid. 18 I thank my GOD, I fpeak with Tongues more than you all: 19 Yet in the Church I had rather speak five Words with my Understanding, that by my Voice I might teach others alfo, than ten thousand Words in an unknown Tongue. How For my own Part, I thank my GOD, and de- 18 as of IMPROVEMENT. 17. OW weak and poor a Thing is Pride and Oftentation, and how Ver. 2,-129 wife and honourable, Charity and Humility! Who that has a right Difcernment, would not rather have been the obfcureft Chriftian, that now, almost unfeen, joins our Affemblies, and in Heart at least, humbly puts his Amen to the Petitions prefented there, than the most fluent Talker at Corinth; abufing the special Gifts of the Spirit, and trifling away, in an unfeasonable Display of his own, then unprofitable, Endowments, the precious Moments, which were destined to the highest Purposes 368 Ver. 13,-16. Ver. 18, 19. Ver. 3, 4: Reflections on the Abfurdity of praying in unknown Tongues. Purposes of religious Edification! Who muft not lament to fee Pride and Vain-glory, fo early infinuating themselves into Chriftian Societies? Who muft not, from fo fad an Inftance, learn to be greatly watchful over their own Hearts, on a Side where they are fubject to fuch dangerous Attacks! Had the most able and zealous Proteftant Divine endeavoured to expofe the Abfurdity of praying in an unknown Tongue, as practifed in the Church of Rome; it is difficult to imagine, what he could have writ, more fully to the Purpofe, than the Apostle hath here done. And when it is confidered, how perverfely the Papifts retain the Ufage of fuch Prayers, it will feem no Wonder, they fhould keep the Scriptures in an unknown Language too. But they proclaim at the fame Time, their Superftition and Idolatry in fo univerfal a Language, that even a Barbarian might perceive and learn it in their Affemblies. Let us pity, and pray for them, that GOD may give their prejudiced Minds a jufter and happier Turn. And fince we fee, the unreasonable and pernicious Humour of immutably adhering to ancient Customs, prevailing to maintain, in the Church of Rome, fo flagrant an Abfurdity, as praying in an unknown Tongue; let it teach us to guard against every Degree of the like Difpofition; and not so much confider, what hath been the Practice of any Church, in which we were educated, or have chofen to worship, as what the Reafon of Things, and the Authority of Scripture concur to dictate. Of this wife and benevolent Apoftle let us learn, to estimate the Value of Gifts by their Usefulness; and to feek above all Things the Edification of our Brethren; efpecially if we are providentially called to minifter in Publick. There is perhaps a Manner of Speaking in an unknown Tongue, even when the Language of our own Country is ufed; a Height of Compofition, an Abftrufenefs of Thought, an Obfcurity of Phrafe, which common Chriftians cannot understand. Let not the Minifters of the humble Jefus feek fuch high Things; but in this important Senfe of the Exhortation, condefcend to Men of low Eftate. If the Ignorant may be inftructed, if the Careless may be convinced, if the Vicious may be reformed, if the Devotion of our Chriftian Brethren may be excited, their Love to each other cherished, and their holy Refolutions confirmed, the great Ends of Divine Ordinances are answered; and that Plainness of Speech, which may be most like to promote them, is rather the Glory, than Reproach, of the Chriftian Orator. SECT. They fhould use their Spiritual Gifts with Understanding. SECT. XXVII. 369 St. Paul gives proper Advices for preventing that Abuse of I CORINTHIANS XIV. 20. BRethren, be not Chil dren in Understanding: Howbeit, in Malice be ye Children, but in Underftanding be Men. MY Do T CORINTHIANS XIV. 20. pre 20. Y Brethren, permit me to be the happy Sect. 27. Means of forming you to a more noble and manly Way of thinking, with Refpect to 1 Cor. XIV. thefe fpititual Gifts, which are the Occafions of fo many unbecoming Emulations among you. you defire to be diftinguished in the Church? Diftinguish yourselves by folid Wifdom; and be not, as this Oftentation of Tongues would fhew you to be, Children in Understanding (a); but in Malice indeed, be as much as poffible, like little Infants; have all the Gentlenefs, Sweetnefs, and Innocence of their tender Age: But, as ye have arrived to Years of Maturity, in Understanding be perfect [Men ;] for that Religion which the Gospel hath now taught you, far from impairing any of the natural Faculties, rather exalts and 21 In the Law it is writ- and noblest Use. improves them, and directs them to the highest To return to the Subject we 21 ten, With Men of other Tongues and other Lips were upon, you know it is written in the Law, will that is, in the Old Testament, (Ifai. xxviii. 11, 12. where God had been complaining of the unteachable Difpofition of the Jews,) Surely in foreign Language (b) and with foreign Lips I " will (a) Children in Understanding.] This is an admirable Stroke of true Oratory, adapted to ftrike and bring down the Height of their Spirits, by reprefenting thofe Things, in which they were most ready to pride themselves, as comparatively childish.- -The Word νηπιαζεις refers to Infants, and is not fufficiently expreffed by the Word Children, for they are fometimes vain and fometimes malicious too. Thos fignifies full grown Men; intimating, it was a Kind of Boyishness, if I may be allowed to use that Word, to emulate and quarrel with one another. -The (b) In foreign Language, &c.] Most Criticks refer thefe Words, as they stand in Isaiah to the Babylonians, who fhould come and speak to the Jews in a Language unintelligible to VOL. IV. them, A a a 370 2L. 23 22 Wherefore, Tongues that believe, but to them are for a Sign not to them that believe not: But prophefying ferveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. 23 If therefore the whole into one Place, and all fpeak Church be come together with Tongues, and there come in thofe that are unlearned, or Unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? The Confufion attending their Abufe of the Gift of Tongues, Sect. 27. "will speak unto this People; and even fo they will I fpeak unto this Peo" will not bear me, faith the Lord." which may they not hear me, faith the ple: And yet for all that will 1 Cor. XIV. be confidered and interpreted as an Intimation of the Purpose GOD had, of fending one laft Meffage to them, by his Servants endued with the 22 Gift of Tongues. So that according to this Intimation, Tongues are a Sign not to Believers, but to Infidels. The Gift was intended to propagate the Gospel among thofe, who were Strangers to it, not to edify thofe that had already believed. Whereas on the contrary, Prophecy [is] defigned not for Infidels, but Believers, to edify Churches already gathered; in which Refpect it is nobler, and more worthy your Purfuit. But as there is a Manner of ufing this Gift of Tongues, which would even pervert the original End for which it was given, and obftruct, rather than promote the Converfion of Infidels, I muft ob ferve therefore, that if the whole Church be come together into one Place, and all speak with a Variety of unknown Tongues, and any of the uninftructed, or in other Words the Infidels, come in, when they hear fuch a confufed Jargon as this muft be, will they not prefently fay, that you are diftracted, and adopt the Cenfure which was at firft fo rafhly paffed in the Day of Pentecoft, that thefe Men are full of new Wine? (Acts ii. 13.) 24 Whereas if all propbefy, and an Infidel, or ignorant Man, (for I efteem every one ignorant, who is uninftructed in the great Myfteries of the Gofpel, whatever else he may know,) comes in, he is convicted by all who thus fpeak; he is judged by all; every one fays fomething, to which his Confcience bears witness: And fo the Secrets of his Heart are made manifeft (c), in a Manner to him. 2.5 very and there come in one that 24 But if all prophefy, believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. 25 And thus are the Secrets of his Heart made manifeft; them; in which Senfe the Phrafe is ufed elsewhere, Deut xxviii. 49. Jer. v. 15. Diodati |