trine, which they who were perfectly instructed, knew to be real wisdom. Only it was not the wisdom of this world; it was none of the mysteries of the idol gods worshipped by the heathens, nor any of the religions established by the heathen rulers, who are all to be made nought, ver. 6.-What they preached, was the wisdom of the true God; a scheme of religion contrived by the true God, and made known in a real mystery. The apostle called the gospel a mystery, not because it contains doctrines absolutely unintelligible, but because being of divine original, and containing the most important discoveries, it was better entitled to the honourable appellation of a mystery, than any of those which were so named. This excellent scheme of doctrine hitherto kept secret, God determined, before the Jewish dispensation began, to publish to the world by the apostles of his Son, to their great honour; so that they are mystagogues of a mystery more excellent than the Eleusinian, or any other heathen mystery, ver. 7.—Yet when it was published, none of the rulers of this world knew it to be the wisdom of God; for if they had known it to be so, they would not have crucified the Lord, or author of all the glorious things discovered in the mystery of God's wisdom, ver. 8.-This ignorance of the rulers, the apostle observed, was occasioned by the greatness of the things contained in the mystery of God's wisdom. They were what human reason could neither discover, nor fully comprehend; agreeably to Isaiah's description of them; eye hath not seen, &c. ver. 9. These things, however, God hath revealed to us apostles, by his Spirit for the spirit of God who inspires us, searcheth all things, even the deep counsels of God. So that we are well qualified to discover these counsels to the world, ver. 10, 11.Farther, he told them, that the apostles had not received the inspiration of evil spirits, by which the heathen priestesses, and` prophets, and mystagogues were guided, but the inspiration that cometh from God, that they might know and publish the glorious things, (see ver. 9.) which are freely bestowed by the true God, on them who believe, ver. 12.-Which things, said he, we apostles effectually make known to the world, not in language taught by human rhetoric, but in words dictated by the Spirit of God; explaining spiritual things, in spiritual words, ver. 13. Nevertheless, the animal man, the man who is guided by his animal passions and notions, does not receive the things revealed by the Spirit; because they appear to him foolishness; neither can he understand them, because they must be examined spiriVOL. II. 5 CHAP. II. tually, that is, they must be examined by the light which divine revelation, and not reason, affords, ver. 14.-But the spiritual man, the man who is not guided by his animal passions, and who acknowledges the authority of revelation, and is assisted by the Spirit of God, is able to examine and receive the things revealed by the Spirit. Yet he himself is examined and judged by no animal man: because no animal man can understand the prin OLD TRANSLATION. brethren, when I came to you, came not with ex cellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you GREEK TEXT. 1 Καγω ελθων προς μας, αδελφοι, ηλθον ου καθ' ὑπεροχην λογου η σοφιας, καταγγελλων ὑμῖν το μαρτυρίον του Θεου. ɛov. 2 Ου γαρ εκρινα του ειδεναι τι εν ύμιν, ει μη Ιησουν Χριςον, και τούτον εςαυρω μενον. 3 Και εγω εν ασθενεια και in weakness, and in fear, v pobo xai ev tpoμw wod and in much trembling. 4 And my speech, and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's λῳ εγενόμην προς ύμας. 4 Και ὁ λογος μου και το κηρυγμα μου ουκ εν πείθοις ανθρωπινης σοφίας λόγοις, Ver. 1.-1. Excellency of speech. The apostle means, that nice choice and arrangement of words, that artificial rounding and disposition of periods, those rhetorical connections, transitions, and figures, and those studied tones and gestures, in which, according to the Greeks, the perfection of eloquence consisted. 2. The testimony of God; that is, the things concerning Christ, which God ordered the apostles to testify; or the things which God himself attested by the miracles which he enabled the apostles to perform. See Ess. iv. 25. In either sense, the expression implies that the evidence of the doctrines of the gospel, is not founded on proofs drawn from human reason, but on the authority of God, who hath revealed them by his Spirit, and confirmed them by miracles. Ver. 2.-1. I determined, devas, to make known. See Ess. iv. 7. Locke's paraphrase of the passage, agrees with this translation, "I resolved to own, "or shew, no other knowledge among you." In like manner Whitby, "I de"termined not to discover any thing." Ver. 3.-1. In weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. The Greeks could endure no scheme of doctrine that was not conformable to their philo ciples upon which the spiritual man's belief is founded, ver. 15. -For what animal man hath understood and approved the gracious purposes of the Lord Christ, respecting the salvation of the world? or what animal man is able to instruct the spiritual man? But, added he, we apostles have the gracious purposes of Christ made known to us by the Spirit, so that we are able both to know them, and to communicate them to the world, ver. 16. COMMENTARY. CHAP. II. 1 Now I brethren, one of the weak persons who called you, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech, and of wisdom; I did not, in eloquent speeches, propose a new scheme of philosophy, when I declared to you the things which God hath testified. 2 For though I knew ye expected me to bring you some new scheme of philosophy, I determined to preach nothing among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And knowing that my doctrine, and speech, and bodily presence, would appear despicable to you, I, in a sense of my weakness, and in fear, and with much trembling, was with you at first. 4 And my conversation in private, and my preaching in public, was not with the persuasive language, which human wisdom dictates as most effec sophy: and valued their teachers in proportion to the skill which they shewed, in setting off their opinions by the beauty and harmony of their language. No wonder therefore, if the apostle, knowing the humour of the Greeks, explained the doctrines of the gospel to the Corinthian philosophers, rheto, ricians, and people, with fear and much trembling. Ver. 4.-1. Persuasive words. The word us is not found any where else in this sense. But Salmasius, Comment, de lingua Hellenist. p. 86. observes, that it is justified by the analogy of the Greek language, in which pud signifies, qui parcus est; and μμ☞, qui imitatur; consequently JO, qui persuadet, a person or thing that persuades. 2. Demonstration of the Spirit. Whitby and Locke, following Origen, by the demonstration of the Spirit, understand the evidence arising from the wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power: 5 That your faith should αλλ' εν αποδείξει πνευματος και δυναμεως 5 ἵνα ἡ πιςις ύμων μη γ not stand in the wisdom of εν σοφια ανθρωπων, αλλ' εν men, but in the power of God. 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, δυναμει Θεου. 6 Σοφιαν δε λαλουμεν εν τοις τελείοις σοφιαν δε ου του αιώνος τούτου, ουδε των αρχοντων του αιώνος τούτου, των καταργουμένων 7 Αλλα λαλουμεν σοφίαν Θεου εν μυςηρίω την αποκε Jewish scriptures, which were dictated by the Spirit of God; and in which the coming of the Christ, his preaching, &c. are clearly foretold. But as the Gentiles neither knew the Jewish scriptures, nor acknowledged their divine authority, previous to their conversion, nor could read them in the original when shewn to them, I do not see how the apostle could use the prophecies contained in them, as arguments for converting the Gentiles. Their only use was to confirm the Gentiles after they were converted. And therefore I am of opinion, that the Spirit here, as in many other passages, signifies the gifts of the Spirit, accompanied with his ordinary influences on the hearts of mankind. 3. And of power. The word Suvas, power, is often used in scripture, to express the power of working miracles, Acts x. 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and, Suvaμu, with power. Ver. 6.-1. We speak wisdom. What the apostle here calls wisdom, is the doctrine concerning the person and offices of Christ, treated of in his epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians; the justification of sinners by faith counted to them for righteousness, explained in his epistle to the Romans; the rejec tion and resumption of the Jews, foretold in the same epistle; the coming and destruction of the man of sin, foretold 2 Thess, ii. ; the priesthood, sacrifice, and intercession of Christ, explained in his epistle to the Hebrews; and the resurrection of the dead, foretold in this epistle: in short, the whole doctrines of the gospel taken complexly, which are called, chap. xii, 8. The word of wisdom, and chap. i, 39. wisdom from God. 2. Among the perfect. The fully initiated into the heathen mysteries, were named Text, Perfect, because these mysteries in their whole extent were discovered to them. The apostle, Heb. vi. 1. calls the deep doctrines of the gospel, Perfection, and here sirnames the persons who had these doctrines discovered to them, perfect men, because in the following verse he terms the gospel a mystery. In other passages however he uses the word Texo, Per with the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power.3 5 That your faith might not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (See 2 Cor. iv. 7. notes.) 6 (A) However, we speak wisdom1 among the perfect: But not the wisdom of this world; 3 neither of the rulers of this world, who are to be made nought. 7 (Ama, 78.) For we speak the wisdom of God, tual for moving the passions, but I established my mission, by the gifts of the Spirit imparted to you, and by miracles wrought in your presence. 5 That your belief of the gospel might not stand in philosophical arguments eloquently expressed, but in the power of God: in the miracles, which God enabled me to perform, for proving the gospel. 6 However, both in private and in public, we speak what is known to be wisdom, among the thoroughly instructed. But it is not the wisdom of the gods of this world; it is none of their mysteries; neither is it the wisdom, or religion, of the rulers of this world, who, with their false religions, are to be abolished. 7 For, among the fully instructed, we speak a scheme of religion form fect, to denote persons fully instructed in the doctrines of the gospel, where no allusion to the heathen mysteries is intended. See Philip. iii. 15. 3. But not the wisdom of this world. As the apostle in the beginning of the verse, gives the name of wisdom to that scheme of religion which he taught by inspiration, the wisdom of this world, if nothing more had been added, might have meant the false religions practised by the heathen rulers and people jointly. But seeing he adds, neither the wisdom of the rulers of this world, it is plain that the wisdom of this world, was something different from the wisdom, or religions, established by the heathen rulers. I therefore suppose the wisdom of this world, means the wisdom of the gods of this world; or the mysteries which the heathen priests feigned to have received from their gods by inspiration, and which, properly speaking, constituted a secret religion which they communicated only to the initiated. Whereas the wisdom of the rulers of this world, means the public and popular religion, invented by the heathen law-givers, and supported by the heathen magistrates. 4. Neither of the rulers of this world. These, according to Estius, are evil spirits, the authors of magic, divination, and idolatry, who were to be de stroyed by Christ, with the whole body of their wisdom or error.-Because the rulers of this world are said, ver. 8. to have crucified the Lord of glory, Locke, by the wisdom of the rulers of this world, understood the wisdom of the Jewish rulers; meaning, I suppose, the tradition of the elders, and that corrupt form of religion which they had introduced, called, Gal. i. 14. judaism. For that, as well as heathenism, might be called, The wisdom of the rulers, &c. See however the preceding note. |