14 Now, an animal man1 receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know THEM, because they are spiritually examined. 2

15 But the spiritual MAN'examineth, indeed, all things, yet he is examined (see chap. iv. 3. note 1.) of no one.

16 For what MAN hath known' the mind of the Lord, who will instruct

14 Now, an animal man, who judges of things by his senses and passions and natural reason, believeth not the matters revealed by the Spirit of God; for they appear foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually examined; examined by the light which revelation, and not reason, affords.

15 But the spiritual man is able to examine all things, yet he cannot be examined by any animal man; because such cannot judge of the principles on which a spiritual man's belief is founded.

16 For what animal man hath known the mind of the Lord, his deep counsels, (ver. 10.) so that he can

false teachers whom Jude, ver. 19. calls fuxını, animal men, not having the Spirit. These all rejected the gospel, because they could not explain its doctrines by their own principles, or preconceived notions.

2. Because they are spiritually examined. (Vulgate, examinantur.) Beza, by dividing thus, ò̟, π, translates the clause, neither can he know any thing which is spiritually discerned.

Ver 15.-1. The spiritual man, being opposed to the animal man, is not an inspired person, as Whitby thinks, but a person whose spiritual faculties, his reason and conscience, are not biassed by his animal nature, but have their due ascendant; and who entertains a just sense of the authority of revelation, in matters pertaining to God. And being sincerely desirous to know the truth, is assisted in his inquiries by the Spirit. Such a spiritual man, and he only, is able to judge properly of the things revealed by the Spirit of God.

Ver. 16.-1. For what man bath known, &c. Τις γαρ εγνω νεν κυριε ; ὡς ovμbibαou autov; This is supposed by some, to be quoted from the LXX. translation of Isa. xl. 13. which runs thus: Tis yra ver nugis, nas is ouμβόλος αυτό εγενετο, ός συμβιβάσει αυτον. But as the apostle has omitted the middle clause, I think it is an application of the prophet's words to a different subject, rather than a quotation. I have therefore followed Locke, who supposes that the relative avrov, him, refers to the remote antecedent, and denotes, not the Lord, but the spiritual man.

2. (Nx, Vulgate, Sensum.) The mind of the Lord; that is, the plan of the salvation of mankind, which exists in the mind of the Lord; his deep designs concerning us. See 1 Cor. xiv. 14. note, for the meaning of vs.

3. Who will instruct him? Zvμlibaru autov; that is, prove to the spiritual man that the principles on which he judges of spiritual things are

But we have the mind of τον ; ἡμεις δε νουν Χριςου

Christ.

false, inform him of things he is ignorant of, and shew him that in believing the gospel he hath fallen into error.-The truth implied in this question, must afford great satisfaction to all the faithful. No natural man, no infi

CHAPTER III.

View and Illustration of the Matters treated in this Chapter.

FROM what is said in this chapter, it appears that the false teacher had represented St. Paul, either as ignorant or as unfaithful, because he had not fully instructed the Corinthians, before his departure. The same teacher had also boasted concerning himself, that he had given them complete instruction. The confutation of these calumnies, the apostle with great propriety introduced, after having in the former chapter, discoursed largely concerning the perfect knowledge of the gospel, given to the apostles by the Spirit. Wherefore, having in that chapter observed, that animal men receive not the things of the Spirit of God, he began this chapter with telling the Corinthians, that though he was an apostle fully instructed, he could not, during his abode with them, speak to them as to spiritual, but as to fleshly or weak persons, even as to babes in christianity, ver. 1. This was a severe blow to the pride of the Greeks. Notwithstanding their boasted proficiency in the sciences, they were fleshly or weak men, and babes in religious matters. It seems their admiration of their own philosophy, their confidence in human reason as the only judge of truth, and the prevalence of their animal passions, had rendered them incapable of understanding and relishing spiritual things. He had therefore given them milk and not meat, because they were not then able to bear meat; neither were they yet able to bear it, ver. 2.—That the Corinthians were still fleshly, was evident from the strifes and divisions which were among them, on account of the particular teachers to whom they had attached themselves, ver. S.-For one said, I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos, ver. 4. From this we learn, that there were two principal factions in the church at Corinth, the one of which adhered to Paul, and the other to a person who is here called Apollos figuratively, to avoid

him? But we have the instruct the spiritual man? But we mind of Christ. apostles have the mind of Christ, and are able to instruct him.

del, hath been, or ever will be able to confute the gospel; or to shew a better method of instructing, reforming, and saving mankind, than that which God hath chosen, and made known by revelation.

giving offence, chap. iv. 6. but who, in all probability, was the false teacher; that this teacher boasted of Peter, by whom he was converted and baptized, as an apostle superior to Paul; that he and his followers being the disciples of Peter, pretended that they were much better instructed than the disciples of Paul; and that they claimed to themselves superior authority and respect on that account.-But in thus ascribing to one apostle more honour than to another, and in attaching themselves more to one than to another, the Corinthians were much to blame. For none of their teachers were masters. They were all but servants employed by Christ to convert men. And their success in the work depended, not on themselves, but on the gifts which Christ had bestowed on each of them, and the blessing with which he accompanied their labours, ver. 5.-Farther, he told them, that in converting the world, the ministers of Christ had different parts assigned them. He had planted, and Apollos had watered, but God made what they had planted and watered to grow, ver. 6.-So that the whole depended on the co-operation and blessing of God, ver 7.—But though the ministers of Christ had different parts allotted to them, he assured them they were all one, in respect of the end for which they laboured; and that each shall be rewarded according to the sincerity and diligence with which he hath laboured, ver. 8.-The apostles, therefore, and the other ministers of the word, were joint labourers employed by God; and the people were God's field, which they were to cultivate, and God's building, which they were to rear, ver. 9. The building of which the apostle speaks, is the Christian church, called, ver. 16. and in other passages, The temple of God; because the Christian church, consisting of all who profess to believe in Christ, was formed for preserving the knowledge and worship of God in the world, and to be an habitation of the Spirit of God, by the graces and virtues, which were to be exercised in it.

Having mentioned God's building or temple, the apostle told the Corinthians, that as a skilful architect, he had laid the foundation of that temple in a proper manner at Corinth; and that the false teacher had only builded thereon. But he desired every one to take heed to the materials with which he builded, that they be suitable to the foundation, ver. 10.-Because other foundation of the temple of God, neither apostle nor inferior teacher could lay, than that which he had laid: namely that Jesus is the Christ, ver. 11. -If therefore, any teacher built on that foundation sincere converts, metaphorically represented by gold, silver, and valuable stones; or if he built hypocritical professors thereon, represented by wood, hay, stubble, he told them the fire of persecution, which was ready to fall on the temple or church of God, would discover the nature of every teacher's work, ver. 12, 13.-If any teacher's converts remained steadfast in the day of persecution, through the pains he had taken in instructing them, he should be rewarded, ver. 14.-But if any teacher's converts apostatized, they should perish, but the teacher himself would be saved with difficulty; provided in making such converts, he had preached the gospel sincerely, ver. 15.-And, that the Corinthians might understand what the building was, of which he spake, he told them, they themselves, as a church, were the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelt in them, as a church, ver. 16.-If therefore any teacher wilfully spoils the temple of God, by building wicked men into it, that is, if by knowingly misrepresenting the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, and by flattering wicked men in their sins, he

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. III. 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,

but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

GREEK TEXT.

1 Και εγω, αδελφοι, ουκ ηδυνήθην λαλησαι ὑμῖν ὡς πνευματικοις, αλλ' ὡς σαρκικοις, ὡς νηπιοις εν Χριςῳ.

Ver. 1.-1. As to fleshly men. In the preceding chapter, ver. 14. the apostle had said, Yuxinos avDgwwos, an animal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; meaning by an animal man an infidel, who makes his own reason and imagination, the measure of truth. Here he calls the Corinthians after their conversion, σapaixo, fleshly men, which, as different from animal men, means persons of a weak capacity. For notwithstanding they believed the gospel to be a revelation from God, they were so much under the influence of their former principles and prejudices, that they were not yet capable of

allures them to enter into the Christian church, as the false teacher at Corinth had done, him will God destroy: for the temple of God ought to be composed of holy persons, ver. 17.—And although the teacher, who thus builds wicked men into the church, may think himself wise in so doing, he but deceives himself; and to become truly wise, it behoves him to follow the course which the world esteems foolish: He must preach the gospel sincerely, whatever inconveniences it may occasion to himself, or to others, ver. 18.-For the wisdom of the world is folly in the sight of God: according to what is written, He catcheth the wise, &c. ver. 19, 20.-The work of the false teacher, in building the temple of God at Corinth, being of the sort here described and condemned, this passage was a severe rebuke, both to him and to his adherents. Wherefore to lead them to apply it to themselves, the apostle exhorted them, not to boast in any teacher, as if he belonged to them in particular. All the teachers, and all the blessings of the gospel, belong to believers in general; and believers belong all to Christ as his disciples; which is a real ground of boasting, because Christ belongs to God as his disciple or servant, ver. 21, 22, 23. Having therefore Christ for their common master who was commissioned and instructed by God, and being all equally entitled to the benefit of the labours of the ministers of Christ, and to the privileges of the gospel, it was wrong to contend with one another, either about their teachers, or their privileges.

NEW TRANSLATION.

CHAP. III. 1 (Kai, 204.) Now, I brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as (ragni2015, 43.) to fleshly MEN, EVEN as to babes in Christ. (See Heb. v. 12, 13.)

1

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. III. 1 I am blamed for not instructing you completely before my departure, especially as I say I have the mind of Christ. But I brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to weak men, even as to babes in Christian knowledge, whose prejudices rendered them incapable of being completely instructed.

comprehending spiritual things properly; neither had they conquered their evil passions, as appeared from their strifes and divisions.