the Corinthians, that God chofe men of their character and ftation to be apoftles, and committed the treasure of the light of the knowledge of God, to them as to earthen veffels, to fhew, that the excellency of the power by which the world was converted from idolatry, and the preachers of the gofpel were preferved amidst the evils which preffed them on every fide, did not proceed from themselves, but from God, ver. 1.-So that the dignity of the ministry of the gofpel, instead of being diminished, was greatly encreased by the low birth of the apoftles, and by the evils which they fuitained while executing that miniftry, fince thereby they had an opportunity of difplaying their faith, their fortitude, and their benevolence to mankind, ver. 2.-7.To illuftrate this fentiment, the apoftle gave an affecting defcription of the sufferings to which he and the reft were expofed, and of the extraordinary support which they received while preffed with these evils, and of their furmounting them all through the affiftance of God, ver. 8.-14. Next, to fhew the Corinthians how much they, and the whole body of the faithful were interested in the fufferings of the apoftles, he affured them that they endured all the evils he had mentioned, for the fake of the perfons to whom they preached, that by convincing them of their fincerity, God might be glorified through their converfion, ver. 15.-And therefore they did not flag in their work, although their outward man was daily wafting through the labours and fufferings which they were enduring, ver. 16.-Befides, they knew that their afflictions fully wrought out for them a moft exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ver. 17.—which was the reason that in discharging the duties of their ministry, they did not aim at obtaining the feen things of the prefent world, which are all temporal, but at obtaining the unfeen things of the world to come, which are eternal, ver. 18. be gone. The common tranflation, renouncing the hidden things of dif bonefly, which is the tranflation of the Vulgate, and of Eraimus, faggets a very wrong idea; as it implies that the apoftles had formerly nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifeftation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's confcience in the fight of God. 3 But if our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft. 4 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious golpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould fhine unto them. ριπατέντες εν πανεργιας μη δε δολεντες τον λογον τε Θε8, αλλά τη φανερωσει της αλη θειας συνιζωντες ἑαυτες προς πασαν συνειδησιν ανθρώπων, ενώπιον τ8 Θερ 3 Ει δε και εςι κεκαλυμ μενον το ευαίγελιον ἡμων, εν τοις απολλυμενοις εςι κεκα λυμμένον. 4 Εν οις ὁ Θεος τες αιώνα να τετε ετυφλωσε τα νο ηματα των απιςων, εις το μη αυγασαι αυτοις τον φω τισμον τε ευαγγελια της δου ξης το Χρισε, ός εςιν είκων το Θεο. used these hidden fhameful things, for the purpose of spreading the gofpel. 2. The hidden things of flame. KeuTTO Tns axums, are thofe difhonourable fenfual practices in which impoftors indulge themselves privately, and which they carefully hide, because if they were discovered, it would deftroy their credit and expose them to fhame. In the latter part of this verse, the apoftle ftrikes at the falfe teachers, defcribed, chap. ii. 17. who adulterated the word of God, and who, after the manner of the Greek philofophers, made loud pretenfions to honefty and purity, but fecretly gratified their lufts without any reftraint. 3. Recommending ourselves to every man's confcience. The apostle does not mean that he actually recommended himself to every man's confcience, but that he behaved in fuch a manner, as ought to have convinced every man, of his honefty and fidelity in preaching. Ver. 3. Our gofpel be veiled, it is veiled, &c. In chap. iii. 13, 14. the apoftle had obferved that there were two veils, by which the If raelites were blinded, or prevented from understanding the meaning of the law, and from perceiving that it was to be abolished by the gofpel. The firft was a veil which lay on the law itself. This veil was formed by the obfcurity of the types and figures of the law, and was fignified by Mofes putting a veil upon his face, when he delivered the law. The other veil lay upon their hearts, and was woven by their own prejudices and corrupt affections, which hindered them from dif cerning 347 gone, commanded thofe bafe actions to be knows our heart. 3 If, therefore, even our gospel thus preached be veiled, so as its divine original and true meaning does not appear, it is veiled chiefly to them who deftroy themselves to the heathen philofophers and Jewish scribes who deftroy themselves by their unbelief. 4 By whom the devil, the God of this idolatrous world, hath blinded the minds of the unbelievers, in order that the light of the gospel, which proceeds from the glory of Chrift, (chap. iii. 18.) who is the image of God, as he is the light of the world, (John viii. 12.) might not fbine to them. cerning the true defign of the law, and the intimations given in it concerning its abrogation by the gofpel. Now in allufion to these caufes of the blindness of the Ifraelites, the apoftle told the Corinthians, that the gofpel had been fo plainly preached, and fo fully proved, that if its divine original and true meaning was veiled, it was veiled only to them who destroy themselves. It was not veiled by any veil lying on the gospel itself, but by a veil lying on the hearts of the heathen fophifts, and Jewish fcribes, who would deftroy themselves by hearkening to their own prejudices and lufts. In this, and the foregoing verfe, the apoftle hath afferted the perfpicuity of the fcriptures in all matters neceffary to falvation. For the written gospel is the fame with that which the apoftles preached, as is plain from Philip. iii. 1. 2 Pet. iii. 1, 2. Ver. 4.1. By whom the God of this world, &c. In the preceding verfe, the apoftle had mentioned perfons who deftroyed themselves, to whom the gospel was veiled. Here he speaks of the devil's making use of these destroyed perfons, in blinding the minds of the unbelievers. 1 therefore think the apostle, by perfons who deftroyed themselves, meant the great and learned both among the Jews and Greeks, who either from worldly motives, or from the influence of their own prejudices and lufts, oppofed the gofpel, and who at the inftigation of the 5 For we preach not ourfelves, but Chrift Jefus the Lord, and ourfelves your fervants for Jefus fake. 6 For God who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the Hight of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift. 7 But we have this treafure in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power τέτον εν οςρακινοίς σκευεσιν, may be of God, and hot of ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολη της δυναμεως η του Θεού, και μη εξ ήμων. us. devil, blinded the minds of their unbelieving acquaintance, by false reafonings addreffed to the corruptions of the human heart, and thereby hindered them from difcerning the divine original, and true meaning of the gofpel-The apoftle gave to the devil the title of God, not because he is really God, or poffeffes independency, or any divine attribute, but merely because idolaters, called in fcripture the world, worshipped and ferved him, as if he were God. Our Lord alfo termed the devil, the Prince of this world, John xii. 31. xiv. 30. not because he hath any title to rule the world, but because he hath ufurped the dominion thereof ―This verfe, Bengelius calls, Grandis et horribilis defcriptio Satane, A grand and terrible defcription of Satan. He adds, that fome of the ancients, in oppofition to the Manicheans who perverted this paffage for eftablishing their two principles, conftrued it in the following manner: Among whom, God hath blinded the minds of the unbelievers of this age, &c. See Vol I. page 49. at the foot. 2. Hath blinded the minds of the unbelievers. Though the devil is faid here, to blind the minds of the unbelievers, no perfon understands the apoflle to mean, that the devil hath the power of blinding men's minds directly; far lefs that he hath the power of blinding them forcibly; for in that cafe who would remain unblinded? But he means, that the devil blinds unbelievers in the way of moral fuafion, by ftirring up falfe teachers and infidels to attack the gofpel, with arguments addreffed, not to the understanding of meu but to the corruptions of their heart and that by arguments of this kind, unbelievers are eafily perfuaded to shut their eyes against the light of the gospel, because it condemns their vicious practices. So our Lord hath told us: Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. The ignorance therefore of unbelievers, does not proceed fo much from the obscurity of the gospel, as from their own lufts and prejudices. : 6 3. The 5 Now, though we apoftles are the images of Chrift, (chap. iii. 18.) we preach not ourselves, but Chrift Jefus as your Lord, and ourselves who are his images, we preach as your fervants for the purpose of teaching you the gospel of Jefus. 6 And we are well qualified to do fo. For God who, at the creation, commanded light to shine out of darkness, he hath fined, not upon our faces but into our hearts, to give you not a corporeal light but the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, not as as it appeared in Mofes' face but as it fhines in the face of Jefus Chrift. 7 But we apoftles, who have this treasure of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, are earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power by which the world is enlightened and converted, and we ourselves are preferved, might be known to be God's, and not belonging to us. 3. The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. That display of the perfections and counfels of God (ver. 6.) which is made in the gospel, the apoftle calls light and by obferving that it proceeded from the face of Chrift, he fets it in oppofition to the material light which fhone in Mofes' face, when he delivered the law to the Ifraelites. : 4. Who is the image of God. St. Paul in this paffage, calls Chrift the image of God who is the Father of lights, or fountain of all the knowledge that is in the world, for the fame reafon that he calls the apoftles the images of Christ. Chrift faithfully delivered to the world all the doctrines which God gave to him, as the apoftles faithfully declared all the revelations which Chrift made to them. According to St. Paul, therefore, the world is illuminated by the apostles, with a light which they have derived from Christ: and Christ as mediator, hath derived his light from God. And thus, all the spiritual light that is in the world, the apoftle ultimately refers to God. See ver. 6. That Chrift is the image of God in other refpects likewife, fee Col. i. 15. note I. Ver. 5. Chrift Jefus as Lord. The order of the words in the original, Xolor Inday Kupov, fheweth this to be the true tranflation of the claufe. Ver. 7 -. We have this treasure in earthen vesels. In the opinion of fome, there is here an allufion to Gideon's "foldiers, who carried lighted |