A Paraphrase on the New Testament, 1 Corinthians · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
1. ANd I, brethren, could not ſpeak unto you as unto ſpiritual, but as unto carnal; even as unto babes in Chriſt.
1. But this Spiritual Wiſdom, of which I have ſaid ſuch great things, is not in all Chriſtians alike. Though the Apoſtles had the Spirit to lead them to all needful Truth, and record it for the Church, yet ſome weak Chriſtians are ſtill ſo much carnal, that their Spiritual Wiſdom is but ſuch as Babes in Chriſt have, who have ſtill need to be fed and taught by others: And as to ſuch, I am conſtrained to ſpeak to you.
2. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
2. I fed you with the Food of Babes, and not of ſtrong underſtanding Men; or elſe I had loſt my labour by your incapacity: For harder things you could not, nor yet can bear.
3. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and ſtrife, and diviſions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men.
3. For ye are yet in a great meaſure Carnal: Do not your Envy, and Strife, and Diviſions, prove that you are ſo far Carnal, and live according to the corrupt Nature of Man, and not by the Spirit of God?
4. For while one ſaith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?
4. For while you divide into Factions for your ſeveral Teachers, are ye not ſo far Carnal?
5. Who then is Paul? and who is Apollos? but miniſters by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man.
5. What are any of us but Chriſts Miniſters, by whoſe Miniſtry you were brought to believe in Chriſt, even as God gave us various D…grees and of Succeſs.
6. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increaſe.
6. I firſt preached to your Converſion, and Apollos to your further Edification: but the Succeſs and Fruit of all was not from our Power, but from the free Grace of God.
7. So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increaſe.
7. If then you would know to whom to aſcribe your Converſion and Salvation, we poor Miniſters that plant and water are but as Gods Tools, and to be accounted as nothing in compariſon of him, who (as he ſent us, and enabled us, ſo) cauſed freely all the Succeſs, which is our Joy, and your Welfare.
8. Now he that planteth, and he that watereth, are one: and every man ſhall receive his own reward, according to his own labour.
8. Now it is by the ſame Miniſterial Grace and Office that one of us planteth, and another watereth; and it is the ſame Spirit that moveth us, and the ſame Goſpel which we preach: But we alſo have our different Meaſure of Gifts, Grace, and Labour; and ſo ſhall we have of our Reward.
9. For we are labourers together with God: ye are Gods husbandry, ye are Gods building.
9. For we are all but Gods Miniſters, Fellow-labourers each with other, having our ſeveral Parts to do: ye are not our Husbandry, and Building, and Church, but Gods.
10. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wiſe maſter-builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
10. As God gave me an extraordinary Call and Grace, my Work hath been that of an Architect or Chief Builder; and accordingly I have laid the Foundation of many Churches, preaching Chriſt where none before believed; and another hath come after me to build them up: But let every Man take heed that he teach nothing but what is true and ſound.
11. For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jeſus Chriſt.
11. Let him not alter the Foundation which I have laid: For there is no other but Chriſt, or the Eſſentials of Chriſtianity.
12. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, ſilver, precious ſtones, wood, hay, ſtubble: 13. Every mans work ſhall be made manifeſt. For the day ſhall declare it, becauſe it ſhall be revealed by fire; and the fire ſhall try every mans work of what ſort it is.
12, 13. And what following Teachers build on this Foundation, God will bring to trial and manifeſt. If it be ſound and holy, Gold, Silver, Precious Stones, God will approve and bleſs it: If it be Errour, or Carnal Policy, or corrupt Mixtures, or things unprofitable, God will try and diſown it, by his Spirit, and by the Fire of Perſecution.
14. If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon, he ſhall receive a reward.
14. If his Labour and Doctrine prove ſound, and endure Gods Furnace in trial, he ſhall be rewarded.
15. If any mans work ſhall be burnt, he ſhall ſuffer loſs; but he himſelf ſhall be ſaved; yet ſo, as by fire.
15. If it prove that ſuch Teachers have erred, and miſled the People, Gods Trial will turn ſuch Labour to their grief, as worſe than loſt: But if he practically hold the Foundation, he ſhall be pardoned and ſaved; yet not without the trying Furnace, which ſhall detect his Errour, and teach him better to his coſt.
16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the ſpirit of God dwelleth in you?
16. Know ye not that your Souls ſeverally, and your Church collectively, are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you and among you; and therefore you muſt be holy.
17. If any man defile the Temple of God, him ſhall God deſtroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
17. God will deſtroy them that profane his holy Temple, and defile it with the things which he abhorreth: And you and your Churches are this holy Temple, if you are holy, and his indeed.
18. Let no man deceive himſelf: If any man among you ſeemeth to be wiſe in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wiſe.
18. Let none of you deceive himſelf by pretended Wiſdom, which is not Spiritual, and doth not purifie Heart and Life: like thoſe that boaſt of Wiſdom, and live in the filth of Sin. If any Man among you be pufft up with the Conceit of this Philoſophical worldly Wiſdom, let him know, that it is but Folly, and be convinced of his Ignorance, that he may humbly learn of Chriſt, and be made truly wiſe.
19. For the wiſdom of this world is fooliſhneſs with God: for it is written, He taketh the wiſe in their own craftineſs. 20. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wiſe, that they are vain.
19, 20. For all that Men call Learning and Wiſdom, which doth but ſerve a worldly Intereſt, and ſaveth not the Soul from Sin and Hell, is meer Fooliſhneſs in Gods account: For it pro…eth but a Snare to themſelves, and vapoureth away as Idleneſs and Vanity; As it is written, &c.
21. Therefore let no man glory in men: for all things are yours: 22. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things preſent, or things to come; all are yours: 23. And ye are Chriſts; and Ghriſt is Gods.
21. Therefore think not over-highly of any Man; eſpecially for his worldly Wiſdom and Learning, or boaſting that he knoweth more than others: For all Teachers and their Wiſdom are but Gods Gifts for your good; Apoſtles, Providence, Life, or Death, all are for your Salvation; and that is beſt to you, that maketh you beſt: The End muſt direct you to judge of the Means, and ſo of Teachers: They are for you, and your Salvation; and you are Chriſts, and for his Glory; and Chriſt, as Man and Mediator, is God's, and for his Glory.
ANNOTATIONS.
WE ſee here, that Sects, Factions, and Diviſions are the Works of the Fleſh, and ſignifie a Mind that is ſo far carnal; and that this cometh uſually by preferring and ſetting Teacher againſt Teacher; Not but that the great difference of Worth and Grace muſt be acknowledged and valued, but not made an …ccaſion of Diviſion, but of Concord, all being Gods Miniſters for the Churches Common Good, in the various Meaſure of their Gifts. The Carnal are Headed by Man, and the Spiritual by Chriſt only, though Men be their Helpers. And Cephas is here named, as if it were on foreſight that the Roman Biſhop would make himſelf ſuch an Head, on pretence of being his Succeſſour.