A Paraphrase on the New Testament, 1 Corinthians · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
1. IT is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and ſuch fornication as is not ſo much as named among the Gentiles, that one ſhould have his fathers wife.
1. It is not a doubtful Fame, but a credible Report, that there is ſuch Fornication among you, as Civil Heathens do abhor; that one ſhould have his Fathers Wife.
2. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed, may be taken away from among you.
2. And you have made light of it, and not as ſenſible of the Sin and Shame, bewailed it, that he that is impenitent in this Sin may be cut off from your Society.
3. For I verily as abſent in body, but preſent in ſpirit, have judged already, as though I were preſent, concerning him that hath ſo done this deed; 4. In the name of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, when ye are gathered together, and my ſpirit, with the power of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, 5. To deliver ſuch an one unto Satan for the deſtruction of the fleſh, that the ſpirit may be ſaved in the day of the Lord Jeſus.
3, 4, 5. For though I be abſent in Body, yet preſent in Spirit, I have, by the Power given me by Chriſt, determined already, when you are aſſembled, and my Spirit with you, to deliver this Man to Satan, by caſting him out of the Church, and leaving him to Gods Executioner, to inflict deſtructive Puniſhment on his Body, to bring him to Repentance for the ſaving of his Soul.
Note, 1. That Paul himſelf was the Judge. 2. Yet he would do it when they were aſſembled, for Order, to ſhew them what they ſhould have done. 3. That it was in a Church-aſſembly of Men preſent for holy Communion, and not in a Lay-Court, or a Conſiſtory of the Paſtors of other Aſſemblies, who knew not the Man, nor had any ſpecial Over-ſight of him. 4. That Satan is Gods Executioner on the Bodies even of Chriſtians, ſpecially of Sins to Death. The Church having then no Chriſtian Magiſtrates, was put to appeal to God, to puniſh Capital Crimes miraculouſly. 5. That yet this is to ſave the Sinner by Repentance, as well as to be a Warning to others.
6. Your glorying is not good: Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
6. You do not well to bear up ſuch a Man in his Sin, and to make light of it: The whole Church, ſo far as it's guilty of ſuch a Conniving or Conſent, is thus defiled with Guilt, and may be tempted to the like Sin.
7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Chriſt our paſſover is ſacrificed for us.
7. As the Jews when they kept the Paſſover were to caſt all Leavened Bread out of their Houſes, ſo we aſſemble to commemorate the Sacrifice of Chriſt our Paſchal Lamb. Purge out of your Aſſemblies the old Leaven of ſcandalous Sins, that you may approve your ſelves a Society acceptable to God through Chriſt.
Note, 1. That, as Dr. Hammond obſerves out of Chryſoſtom and Theodoret, there was a Tradition, that this Offender was a Biſhop. 2. And the Aſſembly was to purge the Church of ſuch a one, whoever he was, by forſaking him.
8. Therefore let us keep the feaſt, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedneſs, but with the unleavened bread of ſincerity and truth.
8. Therefore let our Chriſtian Aſſemblies be kept as holy Feaſts before God, not with the Vices of our old Natural or Heathen State, nor with the odious Leaven of Naughtineſs and Wickedneſs; but with the Unleavened Bread of Purity, Sincerity, and Truth.
9. I wrote to you in an epiſtle, not to company with fornicators. 10. Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with Idolaters; for then muſt ye needs go out of the world.
9, 10. I did indeed write to you before (in this or ſome other Epiſtle) to avoid Familiarity with Fornicators, Covetous, Extortioners, Idolaters, &c. I meant, that you ſhew your abhorrence of this Sin, and ſhame the Sinner, by ſhunning his Company, when it is unneceſſary, and it is in your power ſo to do: But I meant not that you ſhould have no Company or Converſe at all with any that are ſuch; for you live among Unbelievers, and cannot go out of the World.
11. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with ſuch an one, no not to eat.
11. But my Meaning and your Duty is, That you ſhun all Company which may ſignifie owning or Brotherly Familiarity with any called Chriſtians, who are ſuch ſcandalous Sinners, that the Church and Religion may not be thought to favour them, and that Shame may humble them. And though it belong not to every Chriſtian, but to the Church, to caſt ſuch out of Publick Societies, nor to ſeparate from the Church becauſe ſuch are there; yet as the Church ought to purge out ſuch, ſo every private Man ſhould avoid that Familiarity which is in their power, even that which lieth in Friendly Eating, or the like.
12. For what have I to do to judge them alſo that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?
12. For we are not authoriſed to call thoſe without the Church before us, to try and judge their Caſes, who never ſubmitted to our Authority, and are not a Scandal to the Chriſtian Profeſſion. It is them that have conſented to our Power and Diſcipline, that you judge.
13. But them that are without, God judgeth. Therefore put away from among your ſelves that wicked perſon.
13. Thoſe that are without the Church we muſt leave to the Judgment of God; they are not under our Government: But that wicked Perſon who is as one of you, diſown, and put away from your Communion.