SECTION IV. NO. 3. CHAPTER XI. 1-6. CONTENTS. He shows that their pretended apostle, bringing to them no other Saviour or Gospel, nor conferring greater power of miracles, than he [St. Paul] had done, was not to be preferred before him. TEXT. 1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly; and, indeed, bear with me. 2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest, by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not PARAPHRASE. 1 Would you could bear me a little in my folly a; and, indeed, 2 to bear with me. For I am jealous over you, with a jealousy that is for God: for I have fitted and prepared you for one alone to be your husband, viz. that I might deliver you up, a 3 pure virgin, to Christ. But I fear lest, some way or other, as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds should be debauched from that singleness which is due to 4 Christ. For if this intruder, who has been a leader amongst NOTES. 1 "Folly;" so he modestly calls his speaking in his own defence. 3 'Azλórnlos tñs els tòv Xpięò”. “The simplicity that is in," rather "towards, Christ," answers to inì ávopì Xpi, "to one husband, Christ," in the immediately foregoing verse. For in," one," is not put there for nothing, but makes the meaning plainly this: "I have formed and fitted you for one person alone, one husband, who is Christ: I am concerned, and in care, that you may not be drawn aside from that submission and obedience, that temper of mind, that is due singly to him; for I hope to put you into his hands, possessed with pure virgin thoughts, wholly fixed on him, not divided, nor roving after any other, that he may take you to wife, and marry you to himself for ever." It is plain their perverter, who opposed St. Paul, was a Jew, as we have seen. It was from the Jews, from whom, of all professing Christianity, St. Paul had most trouble and opposition. For they, having their hearts set upon their old religion, en TEXT. preached; or if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received; or another Gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 5 For, I suppose, I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 6 But, though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things. PARAPHRASE. you, can preach to you another Saviour, whom I have not preached; or if you receive from him other or greater gifts of the Spirit than those you received from me; or another Gospel than what you accepted from me, you might well bear with him, and allow his pretensions of being a new and greater 5 apostle. For, as to the apostles of Christ, I suppose I am not 6 a whit behind the chiefest of them. For though I am but a mean speaker, yet I am not without knowledge; but in every thing have been made manifest unto you, i. e. to be an apostle. NOTE. deavoured to mix Judaism and Christianity together. We may suppose the case here to be much the same with that which he more fully expresses in the epistle to the Galatians, particularly Gal. i. 6-12, and chap. iv. 9-11, and 16-21, and chap. v. 1-13. The meaning of this place here seems to be this: "I have taught you the Gospel alone, in its pure and unmixed simplicity, by which only you can be united to Christ: but I fear lest this, your new apostle, should draw you from it; and that your minds should not stick to that singly, but should be corrupted by a mixture of Judaism." After the like manner, St. Paul expresses Christians being delivered from the law, and their freedom from the ritual observances of the Jews, by being married to Christ, Rom. vii. 4, which place may give some light to this. SECTION IV. NO. 4. CHAPTER XI. 7-15. CONTENTS. He justifies himself to them, in his having taken nothing of them. There had been great talk about this, and objections raised against St. Paul thereupon; vid. 1 Cor. ix. 1-3. As if, by this, he had discovered himself not to be an apostle to which he there answers, and here toucheth it again, and answers another objection, which it seems was made, viz. that he refused to receive maintenance from them out of unkindness to them. TEXT. 7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the Gospel of God freely? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. 9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. 12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. PARAPHRASE. 7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself, to work with my hands, neglecting my right of maintenance, due to me, as an apostle, that you might be exalted in Christianity, because 8 I preached the Gospel of God to you gratis? I robbed other 9 churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And, being with you and in want, I was chargeable to not a man of you: for the brethren, who came from Macedonia, supplied me with what I needed: and, in all things, I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will continue to 10 do. The truth and sincerity I owe to Christ is, in what I say to you, viz. This boasting of mine shall not in the regions of 11 Achaia be stopped in me. Why so? Is it because I love you not? For that God can be my witness, he knoweth. 12 But what I do, and shall do b, is, that I may cut off all occasion from those, who, if I took any thing of you, would be glad of that occasion to boast, that in it they had me for a NOTES. 7. The adverse party made it an argument against St. Paul, as an evidence that he was no apostle, since he took not from the Corinthians maintenance, 1 Cor. ix. 1-3. Another objection raised against him from hence was, that he would receive nothing from them, because he loved them not, 2 Cor. xi. 11. This he answers here, by giving another reason for his so doing. A third allegation was, That it was only a crafty trick in him to catch them, 2 Cor. xii. 16, which he answers there. 12 Kal woshow," that I will do," rather, " and will do ;" so the words stand in the Greek, and do not refer to ver. 10, as a profession of his resolution to take nothing of them; but to ver. 11, to which it is joined; showing that his refusing any reward from them was not out of unkindness, but for another reason. TEXT. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed, as the ministers of righteousness: whose end shall be according to their works. PARAPHRASE. pattern, and did nothing but what even I myself had done. 13 For these are false apostles, deceitful labourers in the Gospel, having put on the counterfeit shape and outside of apostles of 14 Christ: And no marvel; for Satan himself is sometimes 15 transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is not strange, if so be his ministers are disguised so as to appear ministers of the Gospel: whose end shall be according to their works. NOTE. 13 They had questioned St. Paul's apostleship, 1 Cor. ix. because of his not taking maintenance of the Corinthians. He here directly declares them to be no true apostles. SECTION IV. NO. 5. CHAPTER XI. 16-33. CONTENTS. He goes on, in his justification, reflecting upon the carriage of HE the false apostle towards the Corinthians, ver. 16-21. He compares himself with the false apostle, in what he boasts of, as being à Hebrew, ver. 21, 22, or minister of Christ, ver. 23, and here St. Paul enlarges upon his labours and sufferings. TEXT. 16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. 17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. 19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. 21 I speak, as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak: howbeit, whereinsoever any are bold, (I speak foolishly) I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. PARAPHRASE. b 16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool, that I speak so much of myself: or, at least, if it be a folly in me, bear with me as a fool, that I too, as well as others, may boast myself 17 a little. That which I say on this occasion is not by command from Christ, but, as it were, foolishly, in this matter of 18 boasting. Since many glory in their circumcision, or ex19 traction, I will glory also. For ye bear with fools easily, 20 being yourselves wise. For For you bear with it, if a man bring you into bondage, i. e. domineer over you, and use you like his bondmen; if he make a prey of you; if he take, or extort presents, or a salary, from you; if he be elevated, and high, amongst you; if he smite you on the face, i. e. treat you 21 contumeliously. I speak, according to the reproach has been cast upon me, as if I were weak, i. e. destitute of what might support me in dignity and authority, equal to this false apostle; as if I had not as fair pretences to power and profit amongst 22 you, as he. Is he an Hebrew, i. e. by language an Hebrew? 18 Vid. chap. xii. 11. "After the flesh." What this glorying" after the flesh" was, in particular here, vid. ver. 22, viz. being a Jew by descent. 19 Spoken ironically, for their bearing with the insolence and covetousness of their false apostle. e 20 The "boudage" here meant, was subjection to the will of their false apostle, as appears by the following particulars of this verse, and not subjection to the Jewish rites. For if that had been, St. Paul was so zealous against it, that he would have spoken more plainly and warmly, as we see in his epistle to the Galatians; and not have touched it thus, only by the by, slightly, in a doubtful expression. Besides, it is plain, no such thing was yet attempted openly; only St. Paul was afraid of it; vid. ver. 3. 22 f❝ Is he an Hebrew?" Having, in the foregoing verse, spoken in the singular number, I have been fain to continue the same number here, though different from |