_Moreover_ Or _now; brethren_ That you may be induced to attend to the exhortation which I have been giving you, and may run your Christian race with resolution, zeal, and diligence, and not become reprobates, consider how highly favoured your fathers were, who were God's elect and peculiar people,... [ Continue Reading ]
_And did all drink the same spiritual_ That is, typical; _drink_ Namely, typical of Christ and of the living water, the divine influence derived from him, John 8:37. _For they drank of that spiritual_ Or mysterious; _rock_ The wonderful streams of which followed them in their several journeyings for... [ Continue Reading ]
_But with many of them_ Although they had so many tokens of the divine presence with them, and enjoyed such singular favours; _God was not well pleased_ So far from it, that he swore in his wrath they should not enter into the rest he had provided for them; and therefore _they were overthrown in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Neither be ye idolaters_ By partaking of their idolatrous feasts: by no means join the heathen in these, because if the persons whose friendship you wish to cultivate, tempt you to commit idolatry, neither your superior knowledge, nor the spiritual gifts which ye possess, will secure you against th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Neither let us tempt Christ_ By our unbelief and distrusting his providence, after the tokens he hath given us to encourage our faith, and engage our dependance; _as some of them_ Of the next generation; _tempted him_ While he resided among them as the angel of God's presence, who led them through... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now all these things_ These various calamitous events; _happened unto them for ensamples_ That we might learn wisdom at their expense, and not trust to external privileges, while we go on in a course of disobedience to the divine authority. The apostle's meaning is, that punishment inflicted on sin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wherefore, my dearly beloved_, &c. To understand what follows, it seems necessary to suppose that the Corinthians, in their letter, put three questions to the apostle concerning meats sacrificed to idols. 1st, Whether they might innocently go with their heathen acquaintance into the idol's temple,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The cup of blessing_ In the Lord's supper, the sacramental cup; _which we bless_ Set apart to a sacred use, solemnly invoking the blessing of God upon it. Dr. Macknight renders the original expression, ο ευλογουμεν, _for which we bless God_, a sense which he thinks is sanctioned by 1 Corinthians 11... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold_ Consider, by way of illustration; _Israel after the flesh_ How it is with the present Jews, the natural descendants of Jacob, who worship God by sacrifices, according to the Mosaic law. He says, _after the flesh_, to distinguish them from the spiritual Israel, consisting of believers of all... [ Continue Reading ]
_What say I then_ Do I, in saying this, allow that _an idol is any thing_ divine? _Or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing_ Is a sacrifice to a real deity? Or is made either better or worse, or to differ from ordinary meat, by being thus offered to idols? You well know that I int... [ Continue Reading ]
_All things_, &c. He here comes to speak of another case, namely, the buying and eating privately, meats which had been offered to idols: _are lawful for me_ All kinds of meats according to the gospel. See on 1 Corinthians 6:12. _But_ Granting this, it must also be acknowledged that _all_ such _thin... [ Continue Reading ]
The apostle now applies this principle to the point in question; and on the ground of it, gives the following rules concerning meats. _Whatsoever is sold in the shambles_ Though it were offered to idols before, yet being now set openly to sale, the idol is no more honoured therewith, and it is commo... [ Continue Reading ]
_If any of them that believe not_ Any heathen who lives in your neighbourhood; _bid you to a feast_ Invite you to his house; _and ye be disposed_ To accept the invitation; _whatever is set before you_ At the entertainment; _eat, asking no question_ About its having been sacrificed to idols; _for con... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whether, therefore_, &c. To close the present point with a general rule, applicable not only in this, but in all cases, see to it that _whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do_ In all things whatsoever, whether of a religious or civil nature, in all the common as well as sacred actions of life... [ Continue Reading ]