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would expofe them to the Cenfure of Infidels.

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25.

371

very furprizing and unaccountable; infomuch that Sect. 27.
fometimes a Person who comes into
fometimes a Person who comes into your Affem-
bly out of mere Curiofity, or poffibly with fome I Cor. XIV.
Ill-defign, is not able to command himself under
the Impreffion, which the Word of God thus fpo-
ken makes upon him; and fo, under the Power
of it, falling down upon [his] Face, he will worship
that one living and true GOD whom you adore;
declaring, that this ever-bleffed GOD is indeea
among you; and perhaps, immediately profeffing
on that Account, his Resolution of joining him-
felf to you; and proclaiming afterwards where-
ever he comes, in what an extraordinary Manner
he has met with the Divine Prefence, and what a
wonderful Impreffion hath been made upon his
Mind. Now furely, that Degree of Honour which
is brought to God and his Gospel by one fuch Ef-
fect of Prophefying, should appear far more de-
firable to you, than any Applaufe, or Admiration,
which you can receive from your Fellow-christians
by the Exercise of your moft fplendid Gifts.

I might also urge, upon this Head, the great
Disorder which is introduced into your Affem-
blies, by this oftentatious Manner of proceeding;
for indeed, if you think seriously, what a fhock-
ing Thing is it, my Brethren, that when you come
together for the Purposes of focial Worship, in
which all Hearts fhould unite, each of you is
defirous himself to officiate publickly, in fuch a
Manner as bests suits his prefent Inclination, with-
out any Regard to Decency and Order? Every
one of you hath a Pfalm to lead, bath a Doctrine
to inculcate, hath a Tongue in which to preach or

pray,

Cafes of Nathaniel, and the Woman of Samaria, John i. 47. Chap. iv. 18.) fome fecret Facts, relating to a Stranger, might in fome Inftances be revealed to the Prophet; perhaps the Illdefigns, which had brought them into the Affembly when they came only as Spies: And this was well fuited to the Purpose of producing strong Convictions of the Prefence of GOD with Chriftians. But I chose to paraphrafe the Words in fuch a Manner, as to include any remarkable Correspondence between what was spoken, and the Thoughts and State of the Mind, which fuch a Stranger might be confcious of. Many memorable Inftances of which ftill happen, where Minifters preach in an experimental Manner, and lafting Effects have often been produced, in Confequence of fuch Impreffions.

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26

372

26.

Thofe, who speak with Tongues, fhould speak in Course: Sect. 27. pray, bath a Revelation of fome Mystery to pro- a Revelation, hath an Interduce, bath an Interpretation, which perhaps he pretation. Let all Things 1 Cor. XIV. immediately begins, while the Perfon from whom he is to interpret, hath but begun to speak; and thus five or fix (d), if not more, may be fpeaking at the fame Time: In Confequence of which no one can be diftinctly heard, and the Affembly degenerates into a Kind of tumultuous Riot. I beseech you, my Friends, to rectify this, and to proceed upon the general Canon, which I would recommend to you upon all fuch Occafions, let all Things be done, not for Oftentation, but for Edification (e), in fuch a Manner, as you do in your Confciences believe, will be moft like to do Good to the Souls of Men, and to build up the Church of Chrift.

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27

And in particular, if any fhould fpeak with an [unknown] Tongue, [let it be] by two, or at most, [by] three in one Meeting, and that by Course; and let fome one prefent ftill interpret what is faid (f). 28 But if there be not an Interpreter, let him be filent in the Church (g), where he can do no Man

27 If any Man fpeak in an unknown Tongue, let it

(d) Five or fix, &c.] Five fuch Cafes are mentioned. It feems probable, that fome of thefe Chriftians were fo full of themselves, and fo defirous of exercifing their refpective Gifts, that without waiting for the Permiffion and Direction of him who prefided in the Aflembly, (which in the Synagogue the Apofiles themselves feem to have done, Compare Acts xiii. 15.) feveral began fpeaking, or finging, in the fame Minute, and fome began, while others were fpeaking. The Manner, in which Difcourfes were carried on in the Schools of the Philofophers, where feveral little Knots of Difputants feem to have been: engaged at the fame Time, and what happened in Jewish Synagogues after Worship was concluded, might poffibly have given fome Occafion to an Irregularity, which to us feems fo fhocking.

(e) Done for Edification.] I muft prefume to fay, that it appears probable to me, that had one Officer been appointed, as a Reprefentative of the Apofile, to whofe Direction the Society would in Confcience have been obliged in all indifferent Matters to fubmit, fome Hint would have been given of it, amidst the many Opportunities, which the State of this Corinthian Church especially, gave, both to St. Paul, and afterwards, to Clemens Romanus. (f) Let ane interpret.] In this Method it is evident, that any Difcourfe thus delivered, would take up more than twice the Time, in which it might have been delivered, had it firft been fpoken in a known Tongue.

(g) If there be no Interpreter, let him be filent.] Dr. Whitby thinks this was only enjoined to avoid the Oftentation of a Man's fpeaking,. firft in an unknown Tongue, and then acting as his own Interpreter; but I think it evident from this Text, compared with Verfe 13. that a Man might have the Gift of fpeaking with Tonges, who could not interpret; and the great Difficulty is to fay, how this could happen, and yet the Thing wanting not be another Tongue; which the Diftinction between the Gift of Tongues, and the Interpretation

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Some one prefent fhould interpret what is faid:

29 Let the Prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

373

28.

27.

let him speak to himself and ner of Service by uttering what none but himself Sect. to GOD. can understand; and let him speak to himself, and to GOD: Let him make Ufe of this Language I Cor. XIV.. in his own private Devotions, if he has a Mind by Exercife to keep up his Readiness in it: But let him not produce it fo unreasonably, as in the prefent Cafe. And as for these Prophefyings 29: which we chiefly fpeak of, when Scriptures are explained; let only two or three of the Prophets Speak in one Affembly; and let the reft judge, and compare one Doctrine with another for the farther Improvement of all. But if while the Dif- 30: courfe continues, [any Thing] be revealed to another that fitteth by, let him not immediately arife, and interrupt the firft; but let him fit ftill, till he have done Speaking (b). For by this Means ye 31 may all, who are thus furnished for it, prophesy one by one, that your Inftruction and Confolation may not be thrown away, which would be the Cafe, if many were speaking at once; but all may learns

30 If any Thing be reby, let the firft hold his

vealed to another that fitteth

Peace.

31 For ye may all prophefy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be

comforted.

of Tongues, feems to demonftrate that it was not. I can only offer a Conjecture here, which it becomes me to do with the greater Modefty, as I think it is a pretty fingular one, (as indeed the Difficulty itself great as it is, has feldom been ftated by Commentators.) The Miracle, which conferred the Gifts of Tongues, feems to have been the inftantaneous impreffing on the Mind the familiar and perfect Knowledge of a Language, with which the Person was before unacquainted; yet fo, that from that Time the Perion receiving it fhould be able, without any new Miracle, to use it as he thought fit; and this, as Dr. Leland well obferves, is the only Hypothefts, on which the Abuse of this Gift can be accounted for. (See Leland against Morgan. Vol. I: Chap. xiii. pag. 375.) But I apprehend, that tho' every Man ufing this Gift, and understanding what he faid, must have been able to have rendered his Difcourfe Sentence by Sentence, into his native Language, he might be unable to render it into a third, which might be that of many prefent. Now in fuch a Circumstance, the Gift of Interpretation might take Place, if it confifted, as I'conjecture it did, in an inftantaneous Capacity of understanding a strange Language, juft for that Time, and rendering what was fpoken in it, into the native Tongue of the Interpreter. (Compare the Paraphrafe on Chap. xii. Verse 10.) On this Hypothefis, and truly I think on this alone, one who had the Gift of Interpretation, might not be able to fpeak any foreign Language at all; and he who had the Gift of a Tongue, might not in fome Circumftance be able to inter.. pret to those who were then his Hearers. In this Cafe, the Gift of Interpretation, enabling a. Man only to act a fecondary Part, would be lefs fplendid; but whenever it was exercised, it would always argue the Perfon under an immediate Agency of the Spirit, and conduce to his Usefulness.

(b) Let the firft have done fpeaking.] So I think anyara must here be rendered; for if the Direction had been, "Let him that was speaking immediately hold his Peace, as foon: as another intimates, that he has a Revelation ;" it would introduce a Confufion, which this Advice was intended to prevent; and I think fuch an Interpretation equally inconfiftent< with Reafon, and the Connection of the Place, Compare Verse 32, 33.

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374

Sect. 27. 1 Cor. XIV.

32.

34

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Prophets.

For GOD is not the Author of Confufion, but of Peace.
learn, and all may be comforted. And there is 32 And the Spirits of the
no Impoffibility of doing this; for the Spirit of Prophets are fubject to the
GOD that infpires you, is not a wild irresistible
Impulse, like that, by which the Pythian Priest-
efs, and others who profefs Infpiration and Pro-
phecy among the Gentiles, pretend to be agitated;
but the Spirits, or Inspirations, of the Chriftian
Prophets produce thofe calm Emotions, which are
fubject to the Prophets: They leave a Man Master
of himself, fo that he can moderate his Paffions,
and wait the most convenient Time, and Manner

33 of uttering his Oracles. For GOD is not [the]
[Author] of Disorder and Confufion, but of Peace
and Regularity; and this orderly Method of pro-
ceeding, I the rather urge upon you, as it is prac-
tifed in all the other Churches of the Saints: And I
should be forry, that you, my Corinthian Friends,
should be remarkable for the Irregularity of your
Proceedings, when God hath been pleased fo gra-
ciously to diftinguish you by fuch a Variety of
Gifts, and the flourishing State of your Society.
.Let your Women be filent in your religious Af-
Semblies, if they have not fome extraordinary Re.
velation; for it is not commonly permitted to
them to speak on fuch publick Occafions, but it
is their Duty to be in Subjection to the fuperior
Authority of the Man: As the Law alfo fays, in
recording that early Sentence on Eve and her
Daughters for the firft Tranfgreffion, (Gen. iii.
16.) To him fhall be thy Defire fubjected, and
35 he thall rule over thee. And if they have
a Mind to learn the Meaning of any Thing, which
they cannot well understand, let them afk their
own Hufbands at Home, as they may more
conveniently and freely talk with them, with-
out any Appearance of Oftentation, or Sufpi-
cion of any other Ill-principles: But let them
not break in upon the Affembly with Quef-
tions; for it is evidently an indecent Thing
for a Woman to speak in the Church (i),

and

33 For GOD is not the

Author of Confufion, but of Peace, as in all Churches of the Saints.

34 Let your Women keep Silence in the Churches: For it is not permitted unto them

to

speak; but they are commanded to be under Obedience, as alfo faith the Law.

35 And if they will learn

any Thing, let them afk for it is a Shame for a Woman to fpeak in the Church.

their Hufbands at Home;

(i) A Woman to speak, &c.] There is an apparent Difficulty in reconciling this with Chap. xi. 5, 13. in which the Apofle feems to grant a Liberty, which he here denies. Be

I

fides

The Apoftle exhorts them to regard thefe, as Divine Precepts; 375

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́and fuits very ill with that Modefty and Referve, Sect. 27.
which is fo univerfally esteemed an Ornament to
the Sex.

I know the prefent Custom among you is
contrary to fome of thefe Regulations, and per-
haps fome Oppofition may be made to them:
But permit me to afk, Did the Word of GOD
indeed come out from you (k)? Are you the first
Church in the World, by whofe Example all
others fhould be modelled? Or did it reach to you
alone? Are you the last, and the only Christian
Society, that you should take upon you to act in
fo fingular a Manner? The Gospel came from
Jerufalem, it is going all over the World, and
therefore I must admonish you to behave with
fuch a modeft Refpect to others, as becomes
those who know your elves to be but a very small
Part of that noble and extenfive Body.

1 Cor. XIV.

36.

And if any of you appear to be a Prophet; or 374
Spiritual [Perfon] endowed with extraordinary
Gifts above his Brethren, let him prove that he
is indeed under the Influence of the Divine Spi-
rit, by his Submiffion and Obedience to these
Determinations: for he muft neceffarily acknow-
ledge, that the Things which I now write unto you,
are the Commandments of the Lord, dictated by
Infpiration from him, and not the private Concep-
tion of my own Mind. But if any one is, or 38;
affects to appear, ignorant, or uncertain about it,
let him be ignorant (1): If he pretend not to own
thefe Decifions, I fhall not enter into any Debate
with him; let him ftand by the Confequence
of his Ignorance, whether real or affected. But

A

I am

fides the Solution, fuggefted in the Paraphrafe on Verse 34. fome have thought, he intended in the former Paffage only to fay, how Women should speak if they spoke at all; but here abfolutely to prohibit their doing it: But I cannot think, he would debate and adjust the Circumstances of doing an unlawful Action. Taking this Prohibition to be univerfal, I should fuppofe with Dr. Whitby, that Prophefying in the foregoing Place, fignified finging Pfalms, and praying, not leading the Devotions, but joining with others in Prayer.

(k) Did the Words &c.] That Scoticifm, whether did the Word of GOD come forth from: you alone, would be the exacteft Verfion of n a vua, &c.

(I), Let him be ignorant] Dr. Whitby would render ayvosila, let him not be acknowledged to be a true Prophet; but that is changing the Interpretation of the Word, in a Manner one would not chufe to admit without greater Neceffity.

(m) Decently,

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