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TEXT.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man, to profit withal.

8 For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing, by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.

PARAPHRASE.

7 in every one that has them. But the way, or gift, wherein every one, who has the Spirit, is to show it, is given him, not for his private advantage, or honour, but for the good and 8 advantage of the church. For instance; to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, or the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in the full latitude of it: such as was given to the apostles: to another, by the same Spirit, the knowledge of the true sense and true meaning of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, for the explaining and confirmation of the 9 Gospel: To another, by the same Spirit, is given an undoubting persuasion, and stedfast confidence, of performing what he is going about; to another, the gift of curing diseases, by 10 the same Spirit: To another, the working of miracles; to

NOTES.

diate operation, as St. Paul assures us, in that parallel place, Phil. ii. 13. In which chapter, ver. 3 and 14, we find that the Philippians stood a little in need of the same advice, which St. Paul so at large presses here upon the Corinthians.

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ofía. The doctrine of the Gospel is, more than once, in the beginning of this epistle, called " the wisdom of God."

fris is used, by St. Paul, for such a knowledge of the law and the prophets. 9 In this sense wigs, "faith," is sometimes taken, in the New Testament, particularly chap. xiii. 2. It is difficult, I confess, to define the precise meaning of each word, which the apostle uses in the 8th, 9th, and 10th verses here. But if the order, which St. Paul observes, in enumerating by 1st, 2nd, 3rd, the three first officers set down, ver. 28, viz. "first, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers; have any relation, or may give any light to these three gifts, which are set down in the first place here, viz. "Wisdom, Knowledge, and Faith," we may then properly understand, by copía, “ wisdom,” the whole doctrine of the Gospel, as communicated to the apostles: by yσis," knowledge," the gift of understanding the mystical sense of the law and the prophets; and, by wigs," faith," the assurance and confidence, in delivering, and confirming, the doctrine of the Gospel, which became didaσxáλovs, "doctors, or teachers.” This, at least, I think, may be presumed, that since σopíx and yãris have Aéyos joined to them, and it is said“ the word of wisdom, and the word of knowledge;" wisdom and knowledge here signify such gifts of the mind as are to be employed in preaching.

TEXT.

11 But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally, as he will.

PARAPHRASE.

another, prophecy"; to another, the discerning by what spirit men did any extraordinary operation; to another, diversity of 11 languages; to another, the interpretation of languages. All which gifts are wrought in believers, by one and the same Spirit, distributing to every one, in particular, as he thinks fit.

NOTE.

10 "Prophecy" comprehends these three things, prediction, singing by the dictate of the Spirit, and understanding and explaining the mysterious, hidden sense of Scripture, by an immediate illumination and motion of the Spirit, as we have already shown. And that the prophesying, here spoken of, was by immediate revelation, vid. chap. xiv. 29-31.

SECTION IX. No. 3.

CHAPTER XII. 12-31.

CONTENTS.

FROM the necessarily different functions in the body, and the strict union, nevertheless, of the members, adapted to those different functions, in a mutual sympathy and concern one for another; St. Paul here farther shows, that there ought not to be any strife, or division, amongst them, about precedency and preference, upon account of their distinct gifts.

TEXT.

12 For, as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For, by one Spirit, are we all baptized into one body, whether we be

PARAPHRASE.

12 For as the body, being but one, hath many members, and all the members of the body, though many, yet make but one body; so is Christ, in respect of his mystical body, the church. 13 For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one church, and are thereby made one body, without any pre-eminence to the

TEXT.

Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, "Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, "Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

PARAPHRASE.

Jewa above the Gentile, to the free above the bondman: and the blood of Christ, which we all partake of, in the Lord's supper, makes us all have one life, one spirit, as the same blood, diffused through the whole body, communicates the 14 same life and spirit to all the members. For the body is not one sole member, but consists of many members, all vitally 15 united in one common sympathy and usefulness. If any one

have not that function, or dignity, in the church, which he 16 desires, He must not, therefore, declare that he is not of the

church; he does not thereby cease to be a member of the 17 church. There is as much need of several and distinct gifts and functions in the church, as there is of different senses and members in the body; and the meanest and least honourable would be missed, if it were wanting, and the whole body 18 would suffer by it. Accordingly, God hath fitted several persons, as it were so many distinct members, to several offices and functions in the church, by proper and peculiar gifts and abilities, which he has bestowed on them, according to his 19 good pleasure. But if all were but one member, what would become of the body? There would be no such thing as an human body; no more could the church be edified, and framed into a growing, lasting society, if the gifts of the Spirit were 20 all reduced to one. But now, by the various gifts of the Spirit, bestowed on its several members, it is as a well organized

NOTE.

13 The naming of the Jews here with Gentiles, and setting both on the same level, when converted to Christianity, may probably be done here, by St. Paul, with reference to the false apostle, who was a Jew, and seems to have claimed some pre-eminence, as due to him upon that account; whereas, among the members of Christ, which all make but one body, there is no superiority, or other distinction, but, as by the several gifts, bestowed on them by God, they contribute more, or less, to the edification of the church.

TEXT.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, "I have no need of thee :" nor, again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you."

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22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

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26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now, ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

PARAPHRASE.

body, wherein the most eminent member cannot despise the 21 meanest. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need

of thee;" nor the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 It is so far from being so, that the parts of the body, that

seem in themselves weak, are nevertheless of absolute neces23 sity. And those parts, which are thought least honourable, we take care always to cover with the more respect; and our least graceful parts have thereby a more studied and adventi24 tious comeliness. For our comely parts have no need of any borrowed helps, or ornaments: but God hath so contrived the symmetry of the body, that he hath added honour to those 25 parts, that might seem naturally to want it: That there might be no disunion, no schism in the body, but that the members should all have the same care and concern one for another; 26 And all equally partake and share in the harm, or honour, that 27 is done to any of them in particular. Now, in like manner,

you are, by your particular gifts, each of you, in his peculiar station and aptitude, members of the body of Christ, which is 28 the church: Wherein God hath set, first some apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, next workers of miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, helpers", governors,

NOTES.

28 b'Avtines, "Helps," Dr. Lightfoot takes to be those who accompanied the apostles, were sent up and down by them in the service of the Gospel, and baptized those that were converted by them.

← Kufeρveis, to be the same with discerning of spirits, ver. 10.

TEXT.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

30 Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

PARAPHRASE.

29 and such as are able to speak diversity of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers 30 of miracles? Have all the gift of healing? Do all speak di31 versity of tongues? Are all interpreters of tongues? But ye contest one with another, whose particular gift is best, and most preferable; but I will show you a more excellent way, viz. mutual good-will, affection, and charity.

NOTE.

d That this is the apostle's meaning here is plain, iu that there was an emulation amongst them, and a strife for precedency, on account of the several gifts they had, (as we have already observed from several passages in this section) which made them in their assemblies desire to be heard first. This was the fault the apostle was here correcting; and it is not likely he should exhort them all, promiscuously, to seek the principal and most eminent gifts, at the end of a discourse wherein he had been demonstrating to them, by the example of the human body, that there ought to be diversity of gifts and functions of the church, but that there ought to be no schism, emulation, or contest amongst them, upon the account of the exercise of those gifts; that they were all useful in their places, and no member was at all to be the less honoured or valued for the gift he had, though it were not one of the first rank. And in this sense the word gràcia is taken in the next chapter, ver. 4, where St. Paul, pursuing the same argument, exhorts them to mutual charity, good-will, and affection, which he assures them is preferable to any gifts whatsoever. Besides, to what purpose should he exhort them "to covet earnestly the best gifts," when the obtaining of this or that gift did not at all lie in their desires or endeavours, the apostle having just before told them, ver. 11, that "the Spirit divides those gifts to every man severally as he will," and those he writ to had their allotment already? He might as reasonably, according to his own doctrine in this very chapter, bid the foot covet to be the hand, or the ear to be the eye. Let it be remembered, therefore, to rectify this, that St. Paul says, ver. 17 of this chapter: "If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing," &c. St. Paul does not use to cross his own design, nor contradict his own reasoning.

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