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

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

56 For the sting of death is sin: and the deadly poison of sin is the curse of the law, which as well as sin, shall be abolished after the judgment.

57 Now, thanks be to God who giveth us the victory over death and the grave, and sin, and the curse of the law, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

xvi. 10. Thou wilt not leave my soul, us ads, in hell.-The place where the spirits of the righteous abide, the Jews called Paradise; the place where the wicked are shut up, they called Tartarus, after the Greeks. There the rich man is said to have gone when he died. There also many of the fallen angels are said to be now imprisoned, 2 Pet. ii. 4.-—In this noble passage, the apostle personifies death and the grave: and introduces the righteous after the resurrection, singing a song of victory over both. In this sublime song, death is represented as a terrible monster, having a deadly sting, wherewith it had destroyed the bodies of the whole human race, and the invisible world as an enemy who had imprisoned their spirits. But the sting being torn from death, and the gates of the invisible world set open by Christ, the bodies of the righteous shall rise from the grave, no more liable to be destroyed by death, and their spirits being brought out of paradise the place of their abode, shall reanimate their bodies: and the first use of their newly recovered tongue will be to sing this song, in which they exult over death and hades as enemies utterly destroyed, and praise God who hath given them the victory over these deadly foes through Jesus Christ. Milton hath made good use of the apostle's personification of death, book ii. I. 666. The other form, &c.

Ver. 57-1. Who giveth us the victory. The victory over death and the grave, the saints shall obtain by their resurrection to an endless life in the

58 Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye

58 Ωςε, αδελφοι μου αγαπητοι, έδραιοι γινεσθε, αμε τακίνητοι, περισσευοντες εν τῷ ἔργῳ του Κυρίου παντο

know that your labour is τε, ειδότες ὅτι ὁ κοπος ὑμων ουκ εςι κενος εν Κυρίῳ.

not in vain in the Lord.

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

CHAPTER XVI.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

BEFORE the apostle concluded his letter to the Corinthians, he gave them directions for making the collection for the saints 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 so desirous were the Corinthians of the proposed union, that on the first mention of the collection, they agreed to make it. But the divisions in the church at Corinth, it seems, had hitherto hindered them from beginning it. The apostle, therefore, in this letter requested them to set about it immediately, and directed them how to do it, ver. 1.-4.

At the time St. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians, he had altered his resolution respecting his voyage to Corinth, of which he had formerly given them notice by Timothy and Erastus, as mentioned 2 Cor. i.-15, 16. For he now informed them that instead of sailing directly from Ephesus to Corinth, as he had at first proposed, his intention was, not to come to them immediately, but to take Macedonia in his way, ver. 5.after staying at Ephesus till Pentecost, on account of the extraordinary success with which he was preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of the province of Asia, who resorted to him in that metropolis, ver. 8, 9.-In the mean time, to compensate

58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye (idexes) stable, unmoved, 1 abounding in the work of the Lord at all times, knowing that your labour in the Lord is not (xev) vain.

58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, since the righteous are to be raised from the dead, and are to enjoy un⚫speakable happiness in heaven for ever, be ye stable in the belief of these great events, and unmoved in the profession of that belief, whatever sufferings it may bring on you, and abounding in the work of the Lord at all times; knowing that your labour in the work of the Lord is not fruitless.

Ver. 58.-1. Unmoved. The Greek word ausranırov, literally signifies unmoveable. But here it must be translated unmoved, because unmoveable is a quality not competent to men in the present life. See Rom. ii. 5. note.

the loss which the Corinthians sustained by his delaying to visit them, he wrote to them this letter, in which he gave them the instructions, which he would have delivered to them if he had come to them; and promised when he came, to abide a considerable time, and perhaps to winter with them, ver. 5, 6.And because he had sent 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 respect to Apollos whom it seems the Corinthians wished to see, 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 visit till he should find a convenient season. Perhaps the insolent behaviour of the faction while Apollos was among them, had so disgusted him, that he did not choose to expose himself a second time to their attempts.-To his apology for Apollos, the apostle subjoined a few practical advices. Then desired them to shew 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 ministry to the saints, ver. 13.-18.

The apostle, before finishing his letter, sent to the Corinthians. the salutations of the churches of the proconsular Asia, and of the brethren at Ephesus who assisted him in preaching the gos

pel, ver. 19, 20.—Then wrote his particular salutation to them with his own hand, ver. 21.—And to shew his sincerity in the curse he was going to pronounce on hypocritical professors of religion, he in the same hand writing, added, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran atha: a de

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. XVI. 1 Now con

cerning the collection for the saints, as I have given

order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

2 Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered

him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

3 And when I come,

GREEK TEXT.

1 Περι δε της λογιας της εις τους ἁγιους, ωσπερ διεταξα ταις εκκλησίαις της Γαλατι ας, έτω και υμεις ποιησατε. ·

2 Κατα μιαν σαββατῶν έκαςος ύμων παρ' ἑαυτῷ τι θετω, θησαυρίζων, ὁ τι αν ευοδωται· ἱνα μη όταν ελθω, τοτε λογιαι γινωνται.

3 Όταν δε παραγένωμαι, whomsoever you shall ap- &ς εαν δοκιμασητε δι' επι

Ver. 1.-1. As I ordered the churches of Galatia. The apostle, I suppose, gave these 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 Ephesus, where he now was, he went through all the churches of Galatia and Phrygia in order, Acts xviii. 23.

Ver. 2.—1. On the first day of every week. Κατά μίαν 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 used the word sabbath to denote the week, Luke xviii. 12. I fast twice (το σαββατο) in the week. Wherefore μιαν σαββάτων, is the first day of the week. See Mark xvi. 2. And as κατα πολιν, signifies every city; and κατα μηνα, every month: and Acts xiv. 23. Κατ' εκκλησίαν, In every church. So κατά μια σαββάτων, signifies the first day of every week.

2. Let each of you lay somewhat by itself, &c. Παρ' ἑαυτῷ τίθετω θησαυ ριζων ὁ τι αν ευοδωται. In this passage, if I mistake not, ότι is not the neuter of the indefinite pronoun όστις, as some suppose, but two words, which must be thus construed and supplied: τιθετω τι πας ἑαυτῷ (sup. καθ') ὁ αν ευοδωται θησαυρίζων, ἵνα, &c. A similar inverted order of the pronoun we have, Rom. xi. 27. 1 Cor. xv. 36. The apostle's meaning is, that every first day of the week each of the Corinthians was to separate from the gains of the preceding week, such a sum as he could spare, and put it into the treasury; that there might be no occasion to make collections when the apostle came. By this method, the Corinthians, without inconveniency,

nunciation of punishment, which Locke supposes, was intended against the false teacher, ver. 22.-Lastly, to comfort the sincere part of the church, he gave them in particular his apostolical benediction together with his own love, that they might be the more confirmed in their attachment to him, ver. 23, 24.

NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. XVI. 1 Now, concerning the collection which is for the saints, as I ordered1 the churches of Galatia, so also do ye.

2 On the first DAY of every week,, let each of you lay somewhat by itself ACCORDING as he may have prospered, putting IT into the treasury, 3 that when I come there may be then no collections.

3 And, when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by letters,, them I

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. XVI. 1 Now, concerning the collection which is for the poor of the brethren who are in Judea, as I ordered the churches of Galatia to do in that matter, so also do ye.

2 On the first day of every week, let each of you lay somewhat by itself, suitable to the gains of the preceding week, putting it into the appointed treasury, that when I come to Corinth to receive your alms, there may be then no collections; every one having given what he intended to give.

The

might bestow a greater gift, than if they had given it all at once. common translation of τεθετω παρ' ἑαυτῷ, θησαυρίζων, viz. lay by bim in store, is inconsistent with the last part of the verse, that there may be no gatherings when I come: for according to that translation, the collections would still have been to make at the apostle's coming.

3. Putting it into the treasury. So noaugav may be translated. The apostle means the treasury of the church, or some chest placed at the door of the church to receive their gifts. For although the Corinthians had separated a sum weekly for the saints, yet if they kept it in their own posses. sion, the collections, as was observed in the preceding note, must still have been to make when the apostle came, contrary to his intention.

From this passage it is evident, that the Corinthian brethren were in use to assemble on the first day of the week for the purpose of worshipping God. And as the apostle gave the same order to the Galatians, they likevise must have held their religious assemblies on the first day of the week. See Whitby's note on this passage.

***Ver. 3.—1. Whomsoever, Sonipaσnts, ye shall approve by letters. Grotius' translation of this verse is, Whomsoever ye shall approve, them I will send, di' 1150nwr, with letters, to carry your gift. That learned critic thought, there was no occasion for the Corinthians to signify by letters to the apostle, 37

VOL. II.