54 Now, when this transformation of our corruptible and mortal body, into that which is incorruptible and immortal shall have taken place, then fhall happen the thing which is written, (Ifa. xxv. 8.) Death, who delivered the righteous to the grave to be fwallowed up, fhall itself be fwallowed up for ever by their refurrec

tion to eternal life.

55 Where, O death! is thy fing with which thou killedft the faints? Where, O hades! who hast held them captive, is thy victory, now that they are all brought out of thy dominions?

56 For the fling of death is fin: and the deadly poifon of fin is the curfe of the law, which as well as fin, fhall be abolished after the judgment.

57 Now, thanks be to God who giveth us the victory over death and the grave, and fin, and the curfe of the law,through our Lord Jefus Christ.

till the refurrection, Job xi. 8.-Pfal. cxxxix. 8.--Ifa. xiv. 9 and efpecially Pfal. xvi. 10. Thou wilt not leave my foul, as ade in bell.— The place where the fpirits of the righteous abide, the Jews called Paradife; the place where the wicked are fhut up, they called Tartarus, after the Greeks. There the rich man is faid to have gone when he died. There also many of the fallen angels are faid to be now imprifoned, 2 Pet. ii. 4.-In this noble paffage, the apoftle perfonifies death and the grave: and introduces the righteous after the refurrection, finging a fong of victory over both. In this fublime fong, death is reprefented as a terrible monfter, having a deadly fting, wherewith it had deftroyed the bodies of the whole human race, and the invifible world as an enemy who had imprifoned their fpirits. But the fting being torn from death, and the gates of the invifible world fet open by Chrift, the bodies of the righteous fhall rife from the grave, no more liable to be destroyed by death, and their fpirits being brought out of paradife the place of their abode, fhall reanimate their bodies: and the first use of their newly recovered tongue will be to fing this fong, in which they exult over death and hades as enemies utterly deftroyed, and praise God who hath given them the victory over thefe deadly foes through Jefus Chrift. Milton hath made good ufe of the apoftle's perfonification of death, book ii. 1. 666. The other form, &c. Ver. 57. Who giveth us the victory. The victory over death and the grave, the faints fhall obtain by their refurrection to an endlefs life in

the

58 Therefore my beloved. brethren, be ye ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, foralmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in

the Lord.

58 Ωςε, αδελφοι με απ yawnTol, Edgαion giver de, αγαπητοι, ἑδραιοι μετακινητοί, περισσευοντες εν τῷ εργῳ το Κυριο πάντοτε, είδοτες ὅτι ὁ κοπος ὑμων εκ εςι κενος εν Κυρίω.

the body and the victory over fin, and over the curfe of the law, will be given them by their acquittal at the judgment. For their trial being then ended, there fhall from that time forth, in the kingdom of God, be neither fiù, nor law with the penalty of death annexed to it.

Ver. 58. Unmoved. The Greek word asTaxToy, literally signifies unmoveable. But here it must be tranflated unmoved, because unmoveable

is

CHAP. XVI.

View and Illuftration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

BE

EFORE the apoftle concluded his letter to the Corinthians, he gave them directions for making the collection for the faints in Judea. During his eighteen months abode at Corinth, he had exhorted the brethren to undertake that good work, (as indeed he did the brethren in all the Gentile churches) with a view to establish a cordial union between the converted Jews and Gentiles every where. See 2 Cor. ix. 14. note. And fo defirous were the Corinthians of the propofed union, that on the first mention of the collection, they agreed to make it. But the divifions in the church at Corinth, it feems, had hitherto hindered them from beginning it. The apoftle, therefore, in this letter requested them to fet about it immediately, and directed them how to do it, ver. I.

-4.

At the time St. Paul wrote his first epiftle to the Corinthians, he had altered his refolution refpecting his voyage to Corinth, of which he had formerly given them notice by Timothy and Eraftus, as mentioned 2 Cor. i.-15, 16. For he now informed them that instead of failing directly from Ephefus to Corinth, as he had at first propofed, his intention was, not to come to them immediately, but to take Macedonia in his way, ver. 5.after staying at Ephefus till Pentecoft, on account of the extra

ordinary

is a quality not competent to men in the prefent life. See Rom. ii. 5.

note.

ordinary success with which he was preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of the province of Afia, who reforted to him in that metropolis, ver. 8, 9.-In the mean time, to compensate the loss which the Corinthians fuftained by his delaying to vifit them, he wrote to them this letter, in which he gave them the inftructions, which he would have delivered to them if he had come to them; and promised when he came, to abide a confiderable time, and perhaps to winter with them, ver. 5, 6.— And because he had fent Timothy to Corinth some time before, he begged the Corinthians to give him a good reception, if he came to them, ver. 10, 11.-With refpect to Apollos whom it seems the Corinthians wished to fee, he told them, he had entreated him to go to them with the brethren, but that having no inclination to go to Corinth at that time, he had deferred his vifit till he should find a convenient season. Perhaps the infolent behaviour of the faction while Apollos was among them, had fo disgusted him, that he did not choose to expose himself a fecond time to their attempts. To his apology for Apollos, the apostle fubjoined a few practical advices. Then defired them to fhew a particular regard to the members of the family of Stephanas, because they were the first fruit of Achaia, and had employed themselves zealously in the miniftry to the faints, ver. 13.-18.

The apostle, before finishing his letter, fent to the Corinthians the falutations of the churches of the proconfular Afia, and of

the

the brethren at Ephefus who affifted him in preaching the gofpel, ver. 19, 20.-Then wrote his particular falutation to them with his own hand, ver. 21.—And to fhew his fincerity in the curfe he was going to pronounce on hypocritical profeffors of religion, he in the fame hand writing, added, If any man love not the

I

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. XVI. 1 Now concerning the collection for the faints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even fo do ye.

2 Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in ftore, as God hath profpered him, that there be no gatherings when

I come.

3 And when I come, whomfoever you

GREEK TEXT.

1 Περι δε της λογιας της εις τες άγιες ώσπερ διεταξα ταις εκκλησίαις της Γαλατι ας, έτω και ύμεις ποιησατε.

2 Κατα μιαν σαββάτων ἕκας ύμων παρ' ἑαυτῷ τι θετω, θησαυρίζων, ὁ τι αν ευοδωται· ίνα μη όταν ελθω, τοτε λογιαι γινωνται.

3 Όταν δε παραγένωμαι, fall ap- &ς εαν δοκιμασητε δι επί

Ver. 1. As I ordered the churches of Galatia. The apoftle, I fuppofe, gave thefe orders to the churches of Galatia, when he went throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, establishing the churches, as mentioned, Acts xvi. 6. And the collections made by the churches of Galatia he may have received, when, in his way to Ephefus, where he now was, he went through all the churches of Galatia and Phrygia in order, Acts xviii. 23.

Ver. 2. 1. On the frft day of every week. Κατα μιαν σαββάτων. The Hebrews used the numeral for the ordinal numbers, Gen. i. 5. The evening and the morning were one day, that is, the first day. Also they ufed the word fabbath to denote the week, Luke xviii. 12. I faft trice (τε σαββατε) in the week. Wherefore μιαν σαββάτων, is the firjt day of the week. See Mark xvi. 2. And as κατα πολιν, fignifies every city ; and κατα μηνα, every month: and Alts xiv. 23. Κατ' εκκλησίαν, In every church. So κατα μιαν σαββατων, fignifies the firft day of every week.

2. Let each of you lay fomewhat by itfelf, &c. Παρ' ἑαυτῷ τίθετο θησανριζων ὁ τι αν ευοδωται. In this paffage, if l miftake not, ότι is not the neuter of the indefinite pronoun ors, as fome fuppofe, but two words, which mut be thus conftrued and fupplied: τιθετο τι παρ ἑαυτῷ (fup. καθ) ὁ αν ευοδωται θησαυρίζων, ίνα, &c. A fimilar inverted order of the pronoun we have, Rom. xi. 27. 1 Cor. xv. 36. The apottle's meaning is, that every firft day of the week each of the Corinthians was to feparate from the gains of the preceding week, fuch a fum as he could spare, and put it into the treasury; that there might be no occafion

to

the Lord Jefus Chrift, let him be Anathema Maran atha: a denunciation of punishment, which Locke fuppofes, was intended against the falfe teacher, ver. 22.-Laftly, to comfort the fincere part of the church, he gave them in particular his apoftolical benediction together with his own love, that they might be the more confirmed in their attachment to him, ver. 23, 24.

to make collections when the apoftle came. By this method, the Corinthians, without inconveniency, might beftow a greater gift, than if they had given it all at once. The common tranflation of TEDETO Tag EX TW, Incαugi wv viz. lay by him in fore, is inconfiftent with the laft part of the verfe, that there may be no gatherings when I come: for according to that tranflation, the collections would ftill have been to make at the apoftle's coming.

3 Putting it into the treafury. So Savey may be tranflated. The apoltle means the treafury of the church, or fome cheft placed at the door of the church to receive their gifts. For although the Corinthians had feparated a fum weekly for the faints, yet if they kept it in their own poffeffion, the collections, as was obferved in the preceding note, must still have been to make when the apoftle came, contrary to his intention.

From this paffage it is evident, that the Corinthian brethren were in ufe to affemble on the first day of the week for the purpose of worshipping God. And as the apollle gave the fame order to the Galatians, they likewife muft have held their religious affemblies on the first day of the week. See Whitby's note on this paffage.

Ver. 3 Whomfoever, Soxiμaonte, ye shall approve by letters. Grotius' tranflation of this verfe is, Whomfoever ye fhall approve, them I will fend, di' ET150λwy, with letters, to carry your gift. That learned critic thought, there was no occafion for the Corinthians to fignify by letters to the VOL. II.

U

apostle,