An Account of Cawdrys Triplex Diatribe, Chapter 6 · Section 3
Sect. 3. A 2d inſtance, and that under the New Teſtament. Paul's taking no hire from the Corinthians; This, no action of common life, nor yet a due debt. foreign for uſing, 1 Cor. 7. 31. 1 Cor. 9. 17. explained. The authority of Auguſtine, Chryſoſtome and Theophylact.
MY 2d inſtance was that of St Paul, who might have received hire for his labour among the Corinthians, but would not, and counts and calls this matter of boaſting. This, ſaith he, is as little to the porpoſe, if not leſs, for it is not in an action of worſhip, but an action of common life as himſelf ſpeaks, and it is alſo a miſtake to call it a free-will offering, when it was a due …bt.
But 1. Tis certain that I no where ſaid that this was in an action of common life, the Reader, if he will view the place at the top of p. 17. will find that it is miſreported, and truely I ſhould have been to blame to think the Apoſtle's preaching and officiating among the Corinthians, in which this was, to have been an action of common life; And I ſhall appeale to this Diatribiſt himſelf, whether he can really doubt, whether an Apoſtle's exerciſing his office be not an act of worſhip, and conſequently any (but) circumſtance thereof, a circumſtance of worſhip, and this over and above, an act of ſacred alms and ſo of piety. And if it be ſo, then this inſtance of St Pauls not receiving hire, was either an action or in an action of worſhip, or both, and ſo ſurely a foreign or free-will offering.
2dly Then, for his aſſertion, that it was a due debt (for which he cites Chamier) I ſhall make my appeale no farther then to the text it ſelf, and the notion, which the Fathers had of it.
The matter is ſet down at large, 1 Cor. 9. The preaching of the Goſpell, ſaith the Apoſtle, was committed to him, and was under precept and ſo no free-will offering of his; That is his meaning, when he ſaith, For if I do this willingly, v. 17. foreign, as a volunteer (ſo ſaith In 1 Cor. 9.Theophylact, foreign foreign, If I had not been commiſſionated to preach, but had done it of my ſelf, If I did preach the Goſpell without any command, and ſo neceſſity to do ſo, if of my ſelf, ſpontaneouſly, foreign, I have the reward, this would be rewardable in me, i. e. the very preaching would, without any other honorable circumſtance to inhanſe it, foreign, but if involuntarily, i. e. foreign, ſaith Theophylact, if I am commiſſionated to preach, and ſo my preaching be an act of obedience to a plain command, and ſo neceſſary, v. 16. (and woe to me if I do it not) then all that can be ſaid of me is, that foreign, being intruſted with a Stewardſhip, I diſcharge it, foreign, it is manifeſt that I do it not ſpontaneouſly, but I performe my Lords command, for this is the meaning of involuntary; And ſo there is nothing of excellence in this, foreign this will bring me in no reward, Upon which it follows, foreign; What reward then ſhall be to me? i. e. What in this whole matter ſhall bring me in any reward? To which the Apoſtle anſwers, foreign, that preaching the Goſpell, I do it freely, without making it chargeable to the auditors, foreign, ſo that I make not uſe of (not as we render it, abuſe not) my power or liberty that I have in the Goſpell, i. e. the power of receiving maintenance from others, whether by hire from them to whom he preacht, (the labourer being worthy of that) or by way of aide from other pious perſons (ſuch as Phoebe and the like, intimated by the foreign, ſome Chriſtian women that attended and miniſtred to them v. 8.) without putting my ſelf to bodily labour to earn neceſſaries, v. 6.
The doing of this thus was that which would yeild him the reward, And although this was not obſerved by Cephas and other Apoſtles, v. 5. yet ſure Cephas is not conceived to have ſinned thereby, but 'tis poſitively ſaid that twas lawfull for all, v. 7. 11. 14. for as for Cephas and others, though onelyonly Paul would not uſe it, v. 12. and accordingly both there, v. 15. and after, 2 Cor. 11. 9, 10. he diſtinctly counts and calls this matter of rejoycing or boaſting, in reſpect to the reward which he was allowed to expect from God for it.
And ſo nothing can be more plain then that this was a foreign a voluntarie act of piety in that Apoſtle toward his Corinthians, and ſo ſure it was conceived by St Auguſtine, Potuit Beatus Panlus ex Evangelio ſibi victum quarere; quòd maluit operari, amplius erogabat, Bloſſed Paul might have had his food for his preaching; that he choſe rather to labour for it with his hands was a greater liberality then he was bound to. And In Act. 21. Tom. 4. p. 860. l. 12.St Chryſoſtome, foreign, he ſaid not thoſe words, Act. 20. 35. becauſe it was ill to receive, but becauſe it was better not to receive. And Ibid. lin. 20.again, that it is foreign the fourth and higheſt degree of munificence, foreign, for one that preacheth, and hath power to receive, yet not to receive. And on the place to the Corinthians, foreign, One was a praecept, the other a virtuous action of his own choice, foreign, above the Commandment, and foreign, in this very reſpect, foreign, it hath a plentifull reward; And again, of the word foreign neceſſity, he ſaith, that it pertains to the command by which it became neceſſary foreign in oppoſition to the freedome in receiving (i. e. the power to receive from the Corinthians, v. 12.) forementioned. So again. Theophylact, foreign, &c. preaching the Goſpell is a precept to me, and ſo a debt from me, and if I do it, there is no great matter of excellence in it, foreign, but to preach without charging them is the honor of my will, and in that reſpect there is place of boaſting, in this I may fitly rejoyce.
This I have ſet down thus largely to clear all difficulties or doubts in this matter, and to ſhew how punctually home it comes to the matter for which it was brought, to ſhew not onelyonly the lawfulneſs but acceptation of ſuch uncommanded performances now under the Goſpell, as well as the foreign under the Law.
The only exception he offers againſt this, is that from v. 18. where what he doth he ſaith was done that he abuſe not his power in the Goſpel; But ſaith he, to abuſe power is to ſin, &c. But that is already anſwered, that foreign ſignifies to uſe to his own advantage, and not only to abuſe; Thus in Lyſias, foreign, he took and uſed them, and in Iſocrates in Panegyr. foreign to make a ſeaſonable uſe of other mens actions, by way of example: in Plato, foreign, Ep. 8. he hath not rightly uſed the gift. And ſo 1 Cor. 7. 31. foreign, uſing the world as if they uſed it not, ſo it muſt be rendred in proportion to what goes before, weep as though they wept not, rejoyce as though they rejoiced not, buy as though they poſſeſſed not, and ſo the vulgar reads, tauquam non utantur, as if they uſed not. And ſo Chryſoſtome on Act. 21. in the place even now cited, doth thus paraphraſe it, foreign, not to receive what he hath power to receive, and ſo here Theophylact expreſſely interprets it, foreign, the word ſignifies ſimply to uſe; foreign, ſhewing that they which received, ſinned not a whit, which is the direct contrary to the concluſion of this Diatribiſt from the ſame premiſſe; And ſo Chryſoſtome alſo foreign, by this expreſſion he ſhewed, that they which received are not worthy of accuſations, guilty of any fault; which they muſt be, if they are bound by any ſpecial call, as the Diatribiſt cites from Chamier (but againſt the whole contexture of the place) to do what they did. And ſo this may ſuffice for the ſecond Inſtance, ſo particular, and that in the New Teſtament.