1 Corinthians · Chapter 13

V. 1. Though I speak with all the tongues-Which are upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel.

And have not love-The love of God, and of all mankind for his sake, I am no better before God than the sounding instruments of brass, used in the worship of some of the heathen gods.

Or a tinkling cymbal-This was made of two pieces of hollow brass, which, being struck together, made a tinkling, but very little variety of sound.

Verse 1. Though I speak, &c.] At the conclusion of the preceding chapter the apostle promised to show the Corinthians a more excellent way than that in which they were now proceeding. They were so distracted with contentions, divided by parties, and envious of each other’s gifts, that unity was nearly destroyed. This was a full proof that love to God and man was wanting; and that without this, their numerous gifts and other graces were nothing in the eyes of God; for it was evident that they did not love one another, which is a proof that they did not love God; and consequently, that they had not true religion. Having, by his advices and directions, corrected many abuses, and having shown them how in outward things they should walk so as to please God, he now shows them the spirit, temper, and disposition in which this should be done, and without which all the rest must be ineffectual.

Before I proceed to the consideration of the different parts of this chapter, it may be necessary to examine whether the word agaph be best translated by charity or love. Wiclif, translating from the Vulgate, has the word charity; and him our authorized version follows. But Coverdale, Matthews, Cranmer, and the Geneva Bible, have love; which is adopted by recent translators and commentators in general; among whom the chief are Dodd, Pearce, Purver, Wakefield, and Wesley; all these strenuously contend that the word charity, which is now confined to almsgiving, is utterly improper; and that the word love, alone expresses the apostle’s sense. As the word charity seems now to express little else than almsgiving, which, performed even to the uttermost of a man’s power, is nothing if he lack what the apostle terms agaph, and which we here translate charity; it is best to omit the use of a word in this place which, taken in its ordinary signification, makes the apostle contradict himself; see 1 Corinthians 13:3: Though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. That is: “Though I have the utmost charity, and act in every respect according to its dictates, yet, if I have not charity, my utmost charity is unprofitable.” Therefore, to shun this contradiction, and the probable misapplication of the term, LOVE had better be substituted for CHARITY!

The word agaph, love, I have already considered at large in Clarke’s note on “Matthew 22:37”; and to that place I beg leave to refer the reader for its derivation and import. Our English word love we have from the Teutonic leben to live, because love is the means, dispenser, and preserver of life; and without it life would have nothing desirable, nor indeed any thing even supportable: or it may be taken immediately from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.] and [A.S.] love, from [A.S.] and [A.S.], to desire, to love, to favour. It would be ridiculous to look to the Greek verb filein for its derivation.

Having said so much about the word love, we should say something of the word charity, which is supposed to be improper in this place. Charity comes to us immediately from the French charite, who borrowed it from the Latin charitas, which is probably borrowed from the Greek cariv, signifying grace or favour, or cara, joy, as a benefit bestowed is a favour that inspires him who receives it with joy; and so far contributes to his happiness. The proper meaning of the word CHARUS, is dear, costly; and CRARITAS, is dearth, scarcity, a high price, or dearness. Hence, as in times of dearth or scarcity, many, especially the poor, must be in want, and the benevolent will be excited to relieve them; the term which expressed the cause of this want was applied to the disposition which was excited in behalf of the sufferer. Now, as he who relieves a person in distress, and preserves his life by communicating a portion of his property to him, will feel a sort of interest in the person thus preserved; Hence he is said to be dear to him: i.e. he has cost him something; and he values him in proportion to the trouble or expense he has cost him. Thus charity properly expresses that affectionate attachment we may feel to a person whose wants we have been enabled to relieve; but originally it signified that want of the necessaries of life which produced dearth or dearness of those necessaries; and brought the poor man into that state in which he stood so much in need of the active benevolence of his richer neighbour. If the word be applied to God’s benevolence towards man, it comes in with all propriety and force: we are dear to God, for we have not been purchased with silver or gold, but with the precious (timiw aimati, costly) blood of Christ, who so loved us as to give his life a ransom for ours. As Christians in general acknowledge that this chapter is the most important in the whole New Testament, I shall give here the first translation of it into the English language which is known to exist, extracted from an ancient and noble MS. in my own possession, which seems to exhibit both a text and language, if not prior to the time of Wiclif, yet certainly not posterior to his days. The reader will please to observe that there are no divisions of verses in the MS.

The XIII. Chapter of I. Corinthians, from an ancient MS.

Gyf I speke with tungis of men and aungels sotheli I have not charitee: I am maad as brasse sounynge, or a symbale tynking. And gif I schal habe prophecie and habe knowen alle mysteries and alle hunynge or science. and gif I schal have al feith so that I oder bere hills fRomans oo place to an other. forsothe gif I schal not have charite: I am nought. And gif I schal deperte al my goodid into metis of pore men. And gif I schal bitake my body so that I brenne forsothe gif I schal not have charite it profitith to me no thing. Charite is pacient or sufferinge. It is benyngne or of good wille. Charite envyeth not. It doth not gyle: it is not inblowen with pride it is not ambyciouse or coveitouse of wirschippis. It seeketh not the thingis that ben her owne. It is not stirid to wrath it thinkith not yvil. it joyeth not on wickidnesse forsothe it joyeth to gydre to treuthe. It suffreth all thingis. it bileeveth alle thingis. it hopith alle thingis it susteeneth alle things. Charite fallith not doun. Whether prophecies schuln be bolde eyther langagis schuln ceese: eyther science schul be distruyed. Forsothe of the party we ban knowen: and of partye prophecien. Forsothe whenne that schal cum to that is perfit: that thing that is of partye schal be avoydid. Whenne I was a litil chiilde: I spake as a litil chiilde. I understode as a litil chiilde: I thougte as a litil chiild. Forsothe whenne I was a maad a mam: I avoydid tho thingis that weren of a litil chiild. Forsothe we seen now bi a moror in dercness: thanne forsothe face to face. Nowe I know of partye: thanne forsothe I schal know and as I am knowen. Nowe forsothe dwellen feith hoope charite. These three: forsothe the more of hem is charite.

This is the whole of the chapter as it exists in the MS., with all its peculiar orthography, points, and lines. The words with lines under may be considered the translator’s marginal readings; for, though incorporated with the text, they are distinguished from it by those lines. I had thought once of giving a literal translation of the whole chapter from all the ancient versions. This would be both curious and useful; but the reader might think it would take up too much of his time, and the writer has none to spare.

The tongues of men] All human languages, with all the eloquence of the most accomplished orator.

And of angels] i.e. Though a man knew the language of the eternal world so well that he could hold conversation with its inhabitants, and find out the secrets of their kingdom. Or, probably, the apostle refers to a notion that was common among the Jews, that there was a language by which angels might be invoked, adjured, collected, and dispersed; and by the means of which many secrets might be found out, and curious arts and sciences known.

There is much of this kind to be found in their cabalistical books, and in the books of many called Christians. Cornelius Agrippa’s occult philosophy abounds in this; and it was the main object of Dr. Dee’s actions with spirits to get a complete vocabulary of this language. See what has been published of his work by Dr. Casaubon; and the remaining manuscript parts in the Sloane library, in the British museum.

In Bava Bathra, fol. 134, mention is made of a famous rabbin, Jochanan ben Zaccai, who understood the language of devils, trees, and angels. Some think that the apostle means only the most splendid eloquence; as we sometimes apply the word angelic to signify any thing sublime, grand, beautiful, &c.; but it is more likely that he speaks here after the manner of his countrymen, who imagined that there was an angelic language which was the key to many mysteries; a language which might be acquired, and which, they say, had been learned by several.

Sounding brass] calkov hcwn. That is, like a trumpet made of brass; for although; calkov signifies brass, and æs signifies the same, yet we know the latter is often employed to signify the trumpet, because generally made of this metal. Thus Virgil, when he represents Misenus endeavouring to fright away the harpies with the sound of his trumpet:—

Ergo, ubi delapsæ sonitum per curva dedere

Littora, dat signum specula Misenus ab alta

Ære cavo: invadunt socii, et nova prælia tentant,

Obscœnas pelagi ferRomans fædare volucres.

Æneid, lib. iii. ver. 238.

Then as the harpies from the hills once more

Poured shrieking down, and crowded round the shore,

On his high stand Misenus sounds from far

The brazen trump, the signal of the war.

With unaccustomed fight, we flew to slay

The forms obscene, dread monsters of the sea.-Pitt.

The metal of which the instrument was made is used again for the instrument itself, in that fine passage of the same poet, Æneid, lib. ix. ver. 603, where he represents the Trojans rushing to battle against the Volsciane:—

At tuba terribilem sonitum procul ære canoro

Increpuit: sequitur clamor, cælumque remugit.

And now the trumpets, terrible from far,

With rattling clangour rouse the sleepy war.

The soldiers’ shouts succeed the brazen sounds

And heaven from pole to pole their noise rebounds.

Dryden.

And again, in his Battle of the Bees, Geor., lib. iv. ver. 70:— ————————————namque morantes

Martius ille æris rauci canor increpat, et vox

Auditur fractos sonitus imitata tubarum.

With shouts the cowards’ courage they excite,

And martial clangours call them out to fight;

With hoarse alarms the hollow camp rebounds,

That imitate the trumpet’s angry sounds.

Dryden.

Examples of the same figure might be multiplied; but these are sufficient. Tinkling cymbal.] “The cymbal was a concavo-convex plate of brass, the concave side of which being struck against another plate of the same kind produced a tinkling, inharmonious sound.” We may understand the apostle thus: “Though I possessed the knowledge of all languages, and could deliver even the truth of God in them in the most eloquent manner, and had not a heart full of love to God and man, producing piety and obedience to the ONE, and benevolence and beneficence to the other, doing unto all as I would wish them to do to me were our situations reversed, my religion is no more to my salvation than the sounds emitted by the brazen trumpet, or the jingling of the cymbals could contribute intellectual pleasure to the instruments which produce them; and, in the sight of God, I am of no more moral worth than those sounds are. I have, it is true, a profession; but, destitute of a heart filled with love to God and man, producing meekness, gentleness, long-suffering, &c., I am without the soul and essence of religion.”

I have quoted several passages from heathens of the most cultivated minds in Greece and Rome to illustrate passages of the sacred writers. I shall now quote one from an illiterate collier of Paulton, in Somerset; and, as I have named Homer, Horace, Virgil, and others, I will quote Josiah Gregory, whose mind might be compared to a diamond of the first water, whose native splendour broke in various places through its incrustations, but whose brilliancy was not brought out for want of the hand of the lapidary. Among various energetic sayings of this great, unlettered man, I remember to have heard the following: “People of little religion are always noisy; he who has not the love of God and man filling his heart is like an empty wagon coming violently down a hill: it makes a great noise, because there is nothing in it.”

Verses 1-3. Though, &c. — The apostle having observed in the last verse of the preceding chapter, (with which this chapter is closely connected,) that he would show them a more excellent way, that is, a way more wise, holy, and useful, than that of striving to excel each other in miraculous gifts, now proceeds to do this, directing them to pursue the divine grace of love to God and man, as of the highest excellence, and of absolute necessity. Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels — That is, all the languages which are spoken upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel; and have not charity — Agaphn, love; namely, the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost given to me, and the love of all mankind for his sake; I am become — Gegona, I am, or have been, before God; as sounding brass — No better than the sounding instruments of brass used in the worship of some of the heathen gods; or a tinkling cymbal — This was made of two pieces of hollow brass, which being struck together made a tinkling, but with very little variety of sound. Some have thought that the apostle mentions the tongues of angels, because in he patriarchal ages angels often spake with men. But as they then spake in the language of men, their tongues, thus understood, are the same with the tongues of men. And therefore by the tongues of angels, the apostle doubtless meant the methods, whatever they are, by which angels communicate their thoughts to each other, and which must be a much more excellent language than any that is spoken by men. And though I have the gift of prophecy — Of foretelling future events; and understand all mysteries — Both of God’s word and providence; and all knowledge — Of things human and divine, that ever any mortal attained to; and have all faith — The highest degree of miracle-working faith; so that I could remove mountains — From their bases, and transport them from one part of the earth to another, and thus change the whole face of nature with a word; and have not charity — Agaphn de mh ecw, but have not love, I am nothing — In the sight of God with respect to piety: I not only have not true religion enough, but in reality I have none at all. And — To go further; though I bestow — Ean ywmizw, though I distribute deliberately, piece by piece, with the greatest prudence and care; all my goods to feed the poor: and though I give my body to be burned — Rather than renounce my religion, or any truth or duty of the gospel; and have not the love, hereafter described, it profiteth me nothing — With respect to life eternal. It neither proves my title to it, nor prepares me for the enjoyment of it. Without love, whatever I speak, whatever I have, whatever I know, whatever I do, whatever I suffer, is nothing.

Verse 1. Though I speak with the tongues of men, whose eloquence raised them from humble birth to the highest rank in the senate; men who could seize on assembled multitudes, and turn them as rivers of water. And of angels. Paul may here have special reference to the choristers in the celestial courts. Though angels speak to one another in their own language, yet no doubt they are acquainted with all the languages spoken amongst men.

And have not charity. If I do not love the Lord supremely, with a love emanating from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The cymbals are well known, being chiefly used in military bands. They are generally made of tin, mixed with other sonorous metals; and in the figure of a plate having a cavity in the middle, which is grasped by the hand. One being held in each hand, they beat time to the music, and far exceed the trumpet in sound.

1. Though I speak—A case, it is said, which never will happen; but the particle though, or if, (ean,) here used, implies a case objectively possible, and which experience will decide as to its real occurrence.—WINER, Grammar, page 291. See the note on verse 2. Tongues—The Corinthians’ favourite charism, first mentioned in order to humble it before love. Of men—Though my tongue could speak every language of the entire human race. Of angels—Whether the gifted Corinthians claimed that one of their charisms was to speak in angel dialect is more than we know. St. Paul himself, (2 Corinthians 12:4,) when caught up into paradise, “heard unspeakable words,” apparently the speech of higher natures. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus implies speech of disembodied spirits, so telegraphic as to reach from paradise to hades inferior. I am become—To this, if gifted yet loveless, I am brought. Sounding brass—Corinthian brass (a metal formed by the mixture of silver and gold) was proverbially famed for its ringing sound when struck, or blown as a trumpet. Tinkling—Clanging is better, as more truly denoting the sound produced. Cymbal—Two concave metallic plates struck against each other, and giving a sound varying with the size of the instrument. Possessing no variation of tone or mellowness, they served as a fit illustration of a vain clatter, while the richer ring of the sounding brass indicated the vainglory of the ostentation of tongues.

Cymbals were used (1 Chronicles 13:8) in the most ancient times, with other instruments, in religious service. The old Egyptians used wooden cymbals, (crotala,) and the modern Spaniards use castanets, so called because made of chestnut wood.

Ver. 1. The word rendered love is unknown, as its significance was unknown, in classic literature. In a few places, oftener of things than men, its cognate verb is found. In the LXX. the verb is frequent, the substantive very rare. This word has the unique honor of being the only substantive noting a moral attribute which is predicated, simply and without explanation or limitation, of God Himself: for God is Love. Paul here teaches that this unique attribute of God is also the one moral quality which is itself all we need to be. All this was obscured by the old rendering charity, which cannot be predicated of God and has no corresponding verb, and conveys to most Englishmen a sense quite different from that intended by Paul. Of this a bad example is found in (A.V.) Romans 14:15 which receives its force from Romans 13:9, 10. Unfortunately, the word love has with us lower associations from which the Greek word is quite free. But it is our best rendering.

From the tongues of men and of angels we cannot infer anything about the nature of the gift of tongues. For these words refer, not to actual fact, but to mere supposition. Nor does the words tongues necessarily denote “languages.” Paul means, “If I utter every kind of voice which rises from the lips of men and of angels.” So Homer Iliad bk. ii. 489: “Not even if I had ten tongues and ten mouths.”

Of the angels: separated for emphasis from of men, and making the summit of possibility in this gift.

Love: to our fellow-men, as proved by 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. So usually when not otherwise defined: 1 Corinthians 8:1; 16:14; Romans 12:9; 14:15.

Bronze: a word denoting always in the Bible copper, either pure or containing as usual a small proportion of other metal generally tin. Just so, with us “gold” denotes both the pure metal and the alloy used for jewelry and coinage. Copper was wrought (Genesis 4:22) in very early times, probably (Hesiod, Works and Days 1. 151) earlier than iron; and for hardness and fusibility was alloyed with tin. Brass, i.e. an alloy of copper and zinc, has not, I believe, been found among the many metallic relics of the past.

Sounding bronze: pieces of metal, manufactured or crude, giving forth any kind of sound.

Cymbal: an instrument consisting of two half gloves, mostly of bronze which the performer struck together. Same word, (LXX.,) 1 Chronicles 13:8; 15:16; 2 Chronicles 5:12, etc.

Noisy: giving forth any loud unmeaning sound. Since those who spoke with a tongue merely gave forth, under impulse of the Spirit, a sound which in some cases (1 Corinthians 14:14ff) neither they nor any one else understood, they were, unless love gave them moral worth, only like pieces of bronze, or at best instruments of music, struck by a player.

V. 2. And though I have the gift of prophecy-Of foretelling future events.

And understand all the mysteries-Both of God's word and providence. And all knowledge-Of things divine and human, that ever any mortal attained to.

And though I have the highest degree of miracle working faith, and have not this love, I am nothing.

Verse 2. And though I have the gift of prophecy] Though I should have received from God the knowledge of future events, so that I could correctly foretell what is coming to pass in the world and in the Church:— And understand all mysteries] The meaning of all the types and figures in the Old Testament, and all the unexplored secrets of nature; and all knowledge-every human art and science; and though I have all faith-such miraculous faith as would enable me even to remove mountains; or had such powerful discernment in sacred things that I could solve the greatest difficulties, see Clarke’s note on “Matthew 21:21”, and have not charity-this love to God and man, as the principle and motive of all my conduct, the characteristics of which are given in the following verses; I am nothing-nothing in myself, nothing in the sight of God, nothing in the Church, and good for nothing to mankind. Balaam, and several others not under the influence of this love of God, prophesied; and we daily see many men, who are profound scholars, and well skilled in arts and sciences, and yet not only careless about religion but downright infidels! It does not require the tongue of the inspired to say that these men, in the sight of God, are nothing; nor can their literary or scientific acquisitions give them a passport to glory.

Verses 1-3. Though, &c. — The apostle having observed in the last verse of the preceding chapter, (with which this chapter is closely connected,) that he would show them a more excellent way, that is, a way more wise, holy, and useful, than that of striving to excel each other in miraculous gifts, now proceeds to do this, directing them to pursue the divine grace of love to God and man, as of the highest excellence, and of absolute necessity. Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels — That is, all the languages which are spoken upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel; and have not charity — Agaphn, love; namely, the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost given to me, and the love of all mankind for his sake; I am become — Gegona, I am, or have been, before God; as sounding brass — No better than the sounding instruments of brass used in the worship of some of the heathen gods; or a tinkling cymbal — This was made of two pieces of hollow brass, which being struck together made a tinkling, but with very little variety of sound. Some have thought that the apostle mentions the tongues of angels, because in he patriarchal ages angels often spake with men. But as they then spake in the language of men, their tongues, thus understood, are the same with the tongues of men. And therefore by the tongues of angels, the apostle doubtless meant the methods, whatever they are, by which angels communicate their thoughts to each other, and which must be a much more excellent language than any that is spoken by men. And though I have the gift of prophecy — Of foretelling future events; and understand all mysteries — Both of God’s word and providence; and all knowledge — Of things human and divine, that ever any mortal attained to; and have all faith — The highest degree of miracle-working faith; so that I could remove mountains — From their bases, and transport them from one part of the earth to another, and thus change the whole face of nature with a word; and have not charity — Agaphn de mh ecw, but have not love, I am nothing — In the sight of God with respect to piety: I not only have not true religion enough, but in reality I have none at all. And — To go further; though I bestow — Ean ywmizw, though I distribute deliberately, piece by piece, with the greatest prudence and care; all my goods to feed the poor: and though I give my body to be burned — Rather than renounce my religion, or any truth or duty of the gospel; and have not the love, hereafter described, it profiteth me nothing — With respect to life eternal. It neither proves my title to it, nor prepares me for the enjoyment of it. Without love, whatever I speak, whatever I have, whatever I know, whatever I do, whatever I suffer, is nothing.

Ver. 2. And have all knowledge, elementary knowledge of the sciences, including Hebrew learning in general. Dr. Lightfoot translates here, that “Hillel the elder had eighty pupils, thirty worthy of the Holy Spirit to rest upon them, as it rested upon Moses. Thirty for whom the sun might stop his course, as it did for Joshua. The remaining twenty held a middle rank. The chief of these was Jochanan, learned in the Scriptures, the Mishnah, the Gemara, the idioms of the law. The scribes understood illustrations, comparisons, equations, geometry, parable, &c.”

If I had faith to remove mountains, to surmount impossibilities; yet without charity all would be unavailing.

2. All mysteries—Blessed mysteries, such as Jesus indicated, Mark 4:11, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven;” namely, the revelations unfolded by Christianity to man. These mysteries were for ages concealed. Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:26. There are also mysteries of iniquity. 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Faith—A divinely energized power of will, so that it moves external nature as the ordinary volition moves the body. See note on Matthew 17:20. Have not charity—That miraculous endowments are not confined to the holy is indicated by the cases of Balaam, Samson, and the witch of Endor. Note on Acts 8:24. The apostle only supposes a possible thing in a most extraordinary degree. Nothing—All these endowments put together leave me a moral cypher.

Ver. 2. Prophecy: the gift most like that of tongues, but (see § 25) superior to it.

All the mysteries: see note, 1 Corinthians 3:4: all the truths revealed by God to man through the secret teaching of the Holy Spirit. All the knowledge: evidently different from, and not implied in, the mysteries; but not necessarily, or probably, superior. Probably the mysteries and the knowledge here correspond with “wisdom” (see 1 Corinthians 2:7) and “knowledge” in 1 Corinthians 12:8. If so, all the knowledge denotes whatever the mind of man has acquired by ordinary methods of study, these not excluding (1 Corinthians 12:8) the special assistance of the Spirit. Such knowledge would neither include, nor be included in, all the mysteries. Paul's supposition is that all the secrets of the divine purpose and all the knowledge possessed by man were known to one person. That the conspicuous word if (5 times in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) is not put before know, suggests that mysteries and knowledge were closely related to prophecy; but does not prove that they were necessarily included in it. The prophet's words always conveyed knowledge; and, since he spoke under impulse of the Spirit, his words frequently announced (1 Corinthians 2:10) “the deep things of God.” But prophecy was a voice caused apparently by an occasional impulse of the spirit: mysteries and knowledge were abiding intellectual possessions. The faith: an assurance that through the believer's agency God is about to work a miracle. Such faith arose “in the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:9) and was a condition (Mark 11:22) of the exercise of miraculous power. The close coincidence of faith so as to remove mountains confirms the testimony of Matthew 17:20; 21:21; Mark 11:22, that similar words fell from the lips of Christ. Notice that effective faith is a belief, not of anything, but of that which God has promised. It presupposes, and cannot extend beyond the word of God. Consequently, Mark 11:23f is limited, by the gospel use of the word “believe,” to benefits actually promised by God. And it has no other limit.

Nothing am I: (differently used, 2 Corinthians 12:11:) “my character has no real worth.” This suggests, (the hypothetical form of the sentence forbids us to say that it proves,) and the cases of Balaam and Samson prove, that a man may have superhuman gifts and yet be destitute of spiritual life. A solemn warning to the Corinthians, who (1 Corinthians 1:7) “fell short in no gift.”

V. 3. And though I-Deliberately, piece by piece. Give all my goods to feed the poor, yea, though I deliver up my body to be burned-Rather than I would renounce my religion. And have not the love-Hereafter described.

It profiteth me nothing-Without this, whatever I speak, whatever I have, whatever I know, whatever I do, whatever I suffer, is nothing.

Verse 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor] This is a proof that charity, in our sense of the word, is not what the apostle means; for surely almsgiving can go no farther than to give up all that a man possesses in order to relieve the wants of others. The word ywmizw, which we translate to feed the poor, signifies to divide into morsels, and put into the mouth; which implies carefulness and tenderness in applying the bounty thus freely given.

And though I give my body to be burned] iJna kauqhsomai. Mr. Wakefield renders this clause thus: And though I give up my body so as to have cause of boasting: in vindication of which he, first, refers to Daniel 3:28; Acts 15:26; Romans 8:32; Philippians 1:20.

2. He says that there is no such word as kauqhswmai. 3. That kauchswmai, that I may boast, is the reading of the Æthiopic and Coptic, and he might have added of the Codex Alexandrinus; several Greek and Latin MSS. referred to by St. Jerome; of Ephraim; and of St. Jerome himself, who translates the passage thus: Si tradideRomans corpus meum ut glorier: i.e. “If I deliver up my body that I may glory, or have cause of boasting.” 4. He adds that burning, though a common punishment in after times, was not prevalent when this epistle was written. Some of the foreign critics, particularly Schulzius, translate it thus: Si traderem corpus, ut mihi stigma inureretur: “If I should deliver up my body to receive a stigma with a hot iron;” which may mean, If I should, in order to redeem another, willingly give up myself to slavery, and receive the mark of my owner, by having my flesh stamped with a hot iron, and have not love, as before specified, it profits me nothing. This gives a good sense; but will the passage bear it? In the MSS. there are several various readings, which plainly show the original copyists scarcely knew what to make of the word kauqhswmai, which they found in the text generally. The various readings are, kauqhsomai, which Griesbach seems to prefer; kauqhsetai; and kauqh; all of which give little variation of meaning. Which should be preferred I can scarcely venture to say. If we take the commonly received word, it states a possible case; a man may be so obstinately wedded to a particular opinion, demonstrably false in itself, as to give up his body to be burned in its defence, as was literally the case with Vanini, who, for his obstinate atheism, was burnt alive at Paris, February l9th, A. D. 1619. In such a cause, his giving his body to be burned certainly profited him nothing.

“We may observe,” says Dr. Lightfoot, “in those instances which are compared with charity, and are as good as nothing if charity be absent, that the apostle mentions those which were of the noblest esteem in the Jewish nation; and also that the most precious things that could be named by them were compared with this more precious, and were of no account in comparison of it.

“1. To speak with the tongues of men, among the Jewish

interpreters, means, to speak the languages of the seventy nations. To the praise of Mordecai, they say that he understood all those languages; and they require that the fathers of the Sanhedrin should be skilled in many languages that they may not be obliged to hear any thing by an interpreter. Maim. in Sanh., c. 2.

“2. To speak with the tongues of angels, they thought to be not only an excellent gift, but to be possible; and highly extol Jochanan ben Zaccai because he understood them: see Clarke’s note on “1 Corinthians 13:1”.

“3. To know all mysteries and all knowledge was not only prized but affected by them. Of Hillel, the elder, they say he had eighty disciples: thirty who were worthy to have the Holy Spirit dwell upon them, as it did upon Moses; thirty who were worthy that the sun should stop his course for them, as it did for Joshua; and there were twenty between both. The greatest of all was Jonathan ben Uzziel; the least was Jochanan ben Zaccai. He omitted not (i.e. perfectly understood) the Scripture, the Mishna, the Gemara, the idiotisms of the law, and the scribes, traditions, illustrations, comparisons, equalities, gematries, parables, &c.

“4. The moving or rooting up of mountains, which among them signified the removing of the greatest difficulties, especially from the sacred text, they considered also a high and glorious attainment: see Clarke’s note on “Matthew 21:21”. And of his salvation, who had it, they could not have formed the slightest doubt. But the apostle says, a man might have and enjoy all those gifts, &c., and be nothing in himself, and be nothing profited by them.” The reader will consider that the charity or love, concerning which the apostle speaks, is that which is described from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, inclusive: it is not left to the conjectures of men to find it out. What the apostle means is generally allowed to be true religion; but if he had not described it, this true religion would have been as various as the parties are who suppose they have it. Let the reader also observe that, not only the things which are in the highest repute among the Jews, but the things which are in the highest repute among Christians and Gentiles are those which the apostle shows to be of no use, if the love hereafter described be wanting. And yet, who can suppose that the man already described can be destitute of true religion, as he must be under an especial influence of God; else, how, 1st, could he speak all the languages of men? for this was allowed to be one of the extraordinary gifts of God’s Spirit. 2. He must have Divine teaching to know the language of angels, and thus to get acquainted with the economy of the invisible world. 3. Without immediate influence from God he could not be a prophet, and predict future events. 4. Without this he could not understand all the mysteries of the Divine word, nor those of Providence. 5. All knowledge, suppose this to be confined to human arts and sciences, could not be acquired without especial assistance. 6. And without the most powerful and extraordinary assistance, he could not have a faith that could remove mountains, or miraculous faith of any kind: and the apostle supposes that a man might have all these six things, and not possess that religion which could save his soul! And may we not say that, if all these could not avail for salvation, a thousand times less surely cannot. How blindly, therefore, are multitudes of persons trusting in that which is almost infinitely less than that which the apostle says would profit them nothing!

The charity or love which God recommends, the apostle describes in sixteen particulars, which are the following:—

Verses 1-3. Though, &c. — The apostle having observed in the last verse of the preceding chapter, (with which this chapter is closely connected,) that he would show them a more excellent way, that is, a way more wise, holy, and useful, than that of striving to excel each other in miraculous gifts, now proceeds to do this, directing them to pursue the divine grace of love to God and man, as of the highest excellence, and of absolute necessity. Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels — That is, all the languages which are spoken upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel; and have not charity — Agaphn, love; namely, the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost given to me, and the love of all mankind for his sake; I am become — Gegona, I am, or have been, before God; as sounding brass — No better than the sounding instruments of brass used in the worship of some of the heathen gods; or a tinkling cymbal — This was made of two pieces of hollow brass, which being struck together made a tinkling, but with very little variety of sound. Some have thought that the apostle mentions the tongues of angels, because in he patriarchal ages angels often spake with men. But as they then spake in the language of men, their tongues, thus understood, are the same with the tongues of men. And therefore by the tongues of angels, the apostle doubtless meant the methods, whatever they are, by which angels communicate their thoughts to each other, and which must be a much more excellent language than any that is spoken by men. And though I have the gift of prophecy — Of foretelling future events; and understand all mysteries — Both of God’s word and providence; and all knowledge — Of things human and divine, that ever any mortal attained to; and have all faith — The highest degree of miracle-working faith; so that I could remove mountains — From their bases, and transport them from one part of the earth to another, and thus change the whole face of nature with a word; and have not charity — Agaphn de mh ecw, but have not love, I am nothing — In the sight of God with respect to piety: I not only have not true religion enough, but in reality I have none at all. And — To go further; though I bestow — Ean ywmizw, though I distribute deliberately, piece by piece, with the greatest prudence and care; all my goods to feed the poor: and though I give my body to be burned — Rather than renounce my religion, or any truth or duty of the gospel; and have not the love, hereafter described, it profiteth me nothing — With respect to life eternal. It neither proves my title to it, nor prepares me for the enjoyment of it. Without love, whatever I speak, whatever I have, whatever I know, whatever I do, whatever I suffer, is nothing.

Ver. 3. Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. The prodigal gives all his riches through folly, and the concupiscence of his heart, and leaves reproaches on his memory. The good man, on the contrary, distributes his harvests and his riches in imitation of God. Philanthropic characters merit a record in the church. The benevolent Thornton, of London, imitated by John Crosse, vicar of Bradford; the philanthropic Reynolds, of Bristol, imitated by his neighbour Bonville; a Howard, the admiration of Europe; all these are names “as ointment poured forth.”

Though I give my body to be burned; literally, to be consumed in fire, as the martyrs, to attest the truth of religion, it profitteth nothing, unless I suffer for the love of Christ. To be “scorched with fire” deterrogates from the sense of the text, and from the glosses of the fathers.

3. Bestow… goods—It is curious that the word charity has come to signify just that alms-giving which Paul here declares may be performed without it. Churches, colleges, alms-houses, asylums, may all be founded by loveless men to perpetuate a name, or, vainly, to expiate their sins. Body to be burned—Mr. Barnes pertinently remarks that martyrdoms in ancient times were not by burning, but by axe or sword, by stoning or crucifixion. Burning, first introduced by Nero, was adopted by the Romish Inquisition, and by Queen Mary in England. The words of the apostle were almost prophetical. Yet the fiery furnace was the penalty visited on Shadrach and his comrades in Babylon.

The braving certain death by burning or otherwise is often displayed by men from motives excluding love. There are crises in which men prefer death to life, especially, for instance, when stimulated by a point of honour. For this the North American Indian dares and defies the cruelest of tortures; the Hindu widow mounts the funeral pyre of her dead husband; and the Japanese gentleman executes the hari-kari by ripping open his own body in the presence of a public assembly gathered to witness and honour the deed. These actions may have their own proper reward. But in the apostle’s sense, if loveless, they profit nothing so far as salvation is concerned. Our Lord, in commanding his disciples to flee from persecution, divested martyrdom of its vainglory. Yet in times of bloodiest persecution by pagan powers the expectant victim often rejoiced in the hope of the martyr’s crown. There were those who would have rushed to that end by exposing themselves to arrest, but, instructed by our Lord’s words, the Christian leaders dissuaded such a course.

b. Picture of Love in daily life, 4-7.

The hyperboles of the apostle in the last paragraph rush like a cataract; the descriptions of this paragraph flow like a gentle and limpid stream. He does not describe love in its heroic moods, dying for its loved objects, but in the aspects of ordinary life, and particularly in references to those vain glories and bickers among his Corinthians, of which love would be the corrective. He gives fifteen traits of love. The first three touch the patient kindness of love; the next eight are negatives, describing qualities which love does not exhibit, but which, unfortunately, the tempers of the Corinthians did; then four traits which our apostle’s conduct was exhibiting towards them. The passage is no fancy piece, but aims at practical life.

Ver. 3. Give away as food: an action highly esteemed (Matthew 6:2) by the Jews.

Give up my body: same words in Josephus, Wars bk. vii. 8. 7; where, by the example of the Indians who, “having given up their body to fire that most pure they may separate the soul from the body, die singing hymns,” Eleazar urges his companions besieged at Masada to a similar self-sacrifice. Dr. Lightfoot suggests (Colossians p. 394) that this highest possible grade of self-sacrifice and of supposed merit was suggested to Paul by a boastful inscription on a tomb at Athens (see Strabo, bk. xv. 1. 73) which he may have seen, in memory of a fanatic who in the time of Augustus publicly devoted himself to death there by leaping with a smile on the funeral pyre: “Here lies Zarmanochegas an Indian from Bargose, who according to the paternal customs of Indians immortalized himself.” Such cases enable us to conceive not only gifts to the poor but self-immolation without love, and with real excellence.

Nothing profited: no reward from God, Matthew 6:1. By these extreme cases Paul makes us feel that actions have no intrinsic value, that their worth, both as manifestations of character and as spiritual gain to the actor, depends entirely upon their motive, and that the one motive essential to reward is love. On the variation that I may glory, see Appendix B. Notice in 1 Corinthians 13:2, 3 an appropriate change of expression. Without love, they who “have” prophecy and miracle-working faith “are” nothing: for these gifts do not of themselves enter into, and ennoble, the inner man. And, without love, they who give up not only their goods but their bodies are no gainers: for spiritual wealth cannot be purchased even at this price. (Cp. Galatians 5:6.) The supposed combination of various merits in one man is made conspicuous by the recurring words and if; but is ruined by the melancholy refrain in each verse but have not love. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 love stands apart from all other virtues as an essential element of all human excellence. For Paul's words imply that without it, not only knowledge and almsgiving, but righteousness and truth are valueless, or cannot exist. With this unique dignity of love in man corresponds its unique position ( 1 John 4:8, 16) among the moral attributes of God. In other words, human excellence is not, as many think it is, composite; but, like all great principles and like the moral nature of God, absolutely simple. This Paul makes us feel by portraying a man in whom are accumulated all sorts of supposed excellences except love, and by placing beside him (in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7) a man whose whole being is an impersonation of love. The one portrait we recognize at once as the most perfect we have seen. From the other we turn in disgust as utterly worthless.

The assertion of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 receive, if not complete proof, yet considerable support from the delineations of character therein contained. For absence of love implies selfishness; it may be an intelligent and respectable, or even spiritual, selfishness. But a selfish man, even though used by the Spirit as a medium of wonderful utterances, is morally no better than a trumpet giving forth an inarticulate sound. Nor does his knowledge or his liberality ever command real respect. For the one is used to advance, and the other is prompted by, unworthy purposes. The above teaching guards from abuse, and is guarded by, the teaching of Romans 1:16; 3:22. We venture to believe that we are now forgiven, even though we be nothing and have no merit, simply because in the Gospel God proclaims righteousness through faith for all that believe. And, since love is the one measure of Christian stature, we venture to believe that God will work in us even this gift by revealing to us through the Spirit His own love to us and to all men. According to our faith it is done to us. And the love to our fellows which we find in our hearts confirms the faith with which, when conscious of nothing but sin, we dared first to believe the promise of God. But the ultimate ground of our confidence is our consciousness, not of our own love, but of God's love to us revealed on the cross, and in the words, of Jesus.

V. 4. The love of God, and of our neighbour for God's sake, is patient toward, all men. It, suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world: and all this, not only for a time, but to the end. And in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind, soft, mild, benign. It inspires the sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent and tender affection.

Love acteth not rashly-Does not hastily condemn any one; never passes a severe sentence on a slight or sudden view of things. Nor does it ever act or behave in a violent, headstrong, or precipitate manner. Is not puffed up-Yea, humbles the soul to the dust.

Verse 5. It doth not behave indecently-Is not rude, or willingly offensive, to any.

It renders to all their due-Suitable to time, person, and all other circumstances.

Seeketh not her own-Ease, pleasure, honour, or temporal advantage. Nay, sometimes the lover of mankind seeketh not, in some sense, even his own spiritual advantage; does not think of himself, so long as a zeal for the glory of God and the souls of men swallows him up. But, though he is all on fire for these ends, yet he is not provoked to sharpness or unkindness toward any one. Outward provocations indeed will frequently occur; but he triumphs over all.

Love thinketh no evil-Indeed it cannot but see and hear evil things, and know that they are so; but it does not willingly think evil of any; neither infer evil where it does not appear. It tears up, root and branch, all imagining of what we have not proof. It casts out all jealousies, all evil surmises, all readiness to believe evil.

Verse 4. (1.) Charity suffereth long] makroqumei, Has a long mind; to the end of which neither trials, adversities, persecutions, nor provocations, can reach. The love of God, and of our neighbour for God’s sake, is patient towards all men: it suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; and all the malice and wickedness of the children of this world; and all this, not merely for a time, but long, without end; for it is still a mind or disposition, to the end of which trials, difficulties, &c., can never reach. It also waits God’s time of accomplishing his gracious or providential purposes, without murmuring or repining; and bears its own infirmities, as well as those of others, with humble submission to the will of God.

(2.) Is kind] crhsteuetai. It is tender and compassionate in itself, and kind and obliging to others; it is mild, gentle, and benign; and, if called to suffer, inspires the sufferer with the most amiable sweetness, and the most tender affection. It is also submissive to all the dispensations of God; and creates trouble to no one.

(3.) Charity envieth not] ou zhloi. Is not grieved because another possesses a greater portion of earthly, intellectual, or spiritual blessings. Those who have this pure love rejoice as much at the happiness, the honour, and comfort of others, as they can do in their own. They are ever willing that others should be preferred before them.

(4.) Charity vaunteth not itself] ou perpereuetai. This word is variously translated; acteth not rashly, insolently; is not inconstant, &c. It is not agreed by learned men whether it be Greek, Latin, or Arabic. Bishop Pearce derived it from the latter language; and translates it, is not inconstant. There is a phrase in our own language that expresses what I think to be the meaning of the original, does not set itself forward-does not desire to be noticed or applauded; but wishes that God may be all in all.

(5.) Is not puffed up] ou fusioutai. Is not inflated with a sense of its own importance; for it knows it has nothing but what it has received; and that it deserves nothing that it has got. Every man, whose heart is full of the love of God, is full of humility; for there is no man so humble as he whose heart is cleansed from all sin. It has been said that indwelling sin humbles us; never was there a greater falsity: PRIDE is the very essence of sin; he who has sin has pride, and pride too in proportion to his sin: this is a mere popish doctrine; and, strange to tell, the doctrine in which their doctrine of merit is founded! They say God leaves concupiscence in the heart of every Christian, that, in striving with and overcoming it from time to time, he may have an accumulation of meritorious acts: Certain Protestants say, it is a true sign of a very gracious state when a man feels and deplores his inbred corruptions. How near do these come to the Papists, whose doctrine they profess to detest and abhor! The truth is, it is no sign of grace whatever; it only argues, as they use it, that the man has got light to show him his corruptions; but he has not yet got grace to destroy them. He is convinced that he should have the mind of Christ, but he feels that he has the mind of Satan; he deplores it, and, if his bad doctrine do not prevent him, he will not rest till he feels the blood of Christ cleansing him from all sin.

True humility arises from a sense of the fulness of God in the soul; abasement from a sense of corruption is a widely different thing; but this has been put in the place of humility, and even called grace; many, very many, verify the saying of the poet:—

“Proud I am my wants to see;

Proud of my humility.”

Verses 4, 5. Love suffereth long — Here the apostle attributes to love the qualities and actions of a person, in order to render his account of that divine grace the more lively and affecting. The love of God, and of our neighbour for God’s sake, is patient toward all men. It suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; and all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world; and all this not only for a time, but to the end; and in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind — Mild, gentle, benign; inspiring the sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent and tender affection. Love envieth not — The advantages, gifts, or graces, which others possess, but rather takes pleasure in them, and by friendly participation makes them its own. Love vaunteth not itself — Greek, ou perpereuetai, acteth not rashly, as the expression is translated by many critics, following Phavorinus. Indeed, to render it as our translators do, is to make it signify the same thing with the next clause. The lover of God and mankind does not hastily condemn any one; never passes a severe sentence on a slight or sudden view of things. Nor does he act or behave in a violent, headstrong, or precipitate manner. Is not puffed up — With pride or self-conceit on account of any endowments or qualifications, mental or corporal, natural or acquired, civil or religious. On the contrary, love to God, whereby we esteem him as the greatest and best of beings, desire him as our chief good, delight in him as our portion and treasure in time and in eternity, cannot but humble us in the dust before him, while we contrast our various weaknesses, imperfections, and sins, with his infinite excellences and matchless glories, and compare his superlative goodness with our great unworthiness. And the love of our neighbour, naturally leading us to dwell on his virtues, and overlook his defects, must also, though in a lower degree, produce the same effect, and cause us to prefer others to ourselves in a variety of respects. Doth not behave itself unseemly — Or indecently, as ouk aschmonei properly signifies; that is, it is not rude or willingly offensive to any one, but renders to all their dues, suitable to time, place, person, and all other circumstances. Seeketh not her own — Ease, pleasure, honour, or temporal advantage. Nay, sometimes the lover of God and of mankind seeketh not, in some sense, even his own spiritual advantage; does not think of himself, so long as a zeal for the glory of God and the souls of men swallows him up. But though he is all on fire for these ends, yet he is not provoked, (the word easily is not in the original,) to sharpness or unkindness toward any one. Outward provocations indeed will frequently occur, but he triumphs over them. Thinketh no evil — The loving man indeed cannot but see and hear evil things, and know that they are so; but he does not willingly think evil of any, neither infer evil where none appears. The love in his heart prevents his imagining that of which he has no proof, and casts out all jealousies, evil surmises, readiness to believe evil, and induces him to put the kindest constructions upon the actions of others, and on the principles from whence they proceed, which the nature of circumstances will by any means allow.

Ver. 4. Charity suffereth long, restrains anger, is patient, lenient, as Ambrose reads, even as God has borne with us. — And is kind. There is an urbanity, a sweetness, and a grace about christians who have lived long in the enjoyment of true religion, which far surpasses description. Charity under wrongs, frauds and injuries, seeks not her own by raising feuds in society, and vexatious suits at law: she prefers to suffer wrong.

4. Charity—The love of the apostle is not merely an emotion, but also a principle and purpose. It is, indeed, more or less grounded in the moral and sentimental feeling, but it often exists in full action in unemotional persons. It is a strong wish, desire, and purpose for the happiness of another or others, and a happiness in seeing that other’s happiness accomplished. It is verified by the blessed Spirit; it co-exists with the love of God. The two great commandments are, supreme love to God, and love to our fellow as to ourself. It is the primal virtue, of which all other virtues are but varying forms. This love, though unknown to heathendom, was taught in the Old Testament, and appears in full glory in the New, incarnated in Christ and registered in his evangelic law. Suffereth long—The stronger that love the greater the suffering it will endure, both for and from its object, and still remain kind in feeling and manner. Love is the parent of patience, forbearance, and firmness. Envieth not—In the eight negatives now following Paul reprehends the various forms of selfishness which lovelessness assumes, namely: envy, braggartism, ostentation, offensiveness, self-interest, irritability, suspicion, injuriousness. This selfishness is not identical with, but is the exaggeration of, that self-love or desire of happiness which is the right and duty of every intelligent being. The primal law does not forbid us to love ourself, nor require us to love our neighbour more than ourself. Indeed, duty to ourself, the obligation of self-love, stands first. We owe and must perform duties to ourselves which we cannot perform for others, nor others for us. This the law of love, the golden rule, presupposes. If we love our neighbour as ourself we will not require him to do for us what we should do for ourself; and we should concede to him the right to perform to himself solely the duties each one owes solely to himself. There is thus an equal circle of right and duty drawn around every individual self. But selfishness undertakes to secure one’s own advantage in disregard, or at the expense of, the rights of others. It violates the law of equal love for every one. Vaunteth not itself—Brags not of personal superiorities, false or real. Not puffed up— Imaginary assumption of personal importance.

Verse 4b.-6. Jealous: evidently an idle vexation at the superiority of others. See under 1 Corinthians 12:31. We are never vexed at the excellence or success of those whom we love. Nor do we vaunt ourselves: i.e. parade before them any supposed superiority of our own. For boasted superiority separates; whereas love unites.

Puffed-up: as in 1 Corinthians 8:1. In view of those we love, we never indulge inflated opinions about ourselves. And we are thus saved, in reference to them, from unseemly conduct.

Does not seek her own: exemplified in Paul himself, 1 Corinthians 10:33. Contrast Philippians 2:20f.

Anger: not here a simple purpose to punish, as in Ephesians 4:26, but the vindictiveness which so often accompanies it. To this, love never prompts; though it often compels us to punish.

Does not reckon etc.: 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 4:8; Philemon 1:18: does not calculate injury as a debt to be paid off. Does not rejoice in unrighteousness; reveals the moral worth of love. We are not pleased at the wrong-doing of those whom we intelligently love. For we feel instinctively that by wrong-doing they injure themselves. E.g., many a bad father is sorry to see his children walking in his steps. Rejoices with the truth: similar to Romans 7:22, “I am pleased together with the Law.” The truth, (Romans 1:18,) here impersonated, rejoices when it realizes itself in human conduct, i.e. when men do that which corresponds with the eternal reality, viz. the nature of God. Now love is the essence of God: and truth is love manifested. Therefore, whatever conduct gratifies, i.e. agrees with, the one, gratifies also the other.

Verse 5. (6.) Doth not behave itself unseemly] ouk aschmonei, from a, negative, and schma, figure, mein; love never acts out of its place or character; observes due decorum and good manners; is never rude, bearish, or brutish; and is ever willing to become all things to all men, that it may please them for their good to edification. No ill-bred man, or what is termed rude or unmannerly, is a Christian. A man may have a natural bluntness, or be a clown, and yet there be nothing boorish or hoggish in his manner. I must apologize for using such words; they best express the evil against which I wish both powerfully and successfully to declaim. I never wish to meet with those who affect to be called “blunt, honest men;” who feel themselves above all the forms of respect and civility, and care not how many they put to pain, or how many they displease. But let me not be misunderstood; I do not contend for ridiculous ceremonies, and hollow compliments; there is surely a medium: and a sensible Christian man will not be long at a loss to find it out. Even that people who profess to be above all worldly forms, and are generally stiff enough, yet are rarely found to be rude, uncivil, or ill-bred.

(7.) Seeketh not her own] ou zhtei ta eauthv. Is not desirous of her own spiritual welfare only, but of her neighbour’s also: for the writers of the Old and New Testament do, almost every where, agreeably to their Hebrew idiom, express a preference given to one thing before another by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negative of that which is contrary to it. See Bishop Pearce, and see the notes on 1 Corinthians 1:17; 10:24, 33. Love is never satisfied but in the welfare, comfort, and salvation of all. That man is no Christian who is solicitous for his own happiness alone; and cares not how the world goes, so that himself be comfortable.

(8.) Is not easily provoked] ou paroxunetai. Is not provoked, is not irritated, is not made sour or bitter. How the word easily got into our translation it is hard to say; but, however it got in, it is utterly improper, and has nothing in the original to countenance it. By the transcript from my old MS., which certainly contains the first translation ever made in English, we find that the word did not exist there, the conscientious translator rendering it thus:-It is not stirid to wrath.

The New Testament, printed in 1547, 4to., the first year of Edward VI., in English and Latin, has simply, is not provokeed to angre. The edition published in English in the following year, 1548, has the same rendering, but the orthography better: is not provoked to anger. The Bible in folio, with notes, published the next year, 1549, by Edmund Becke, preserves nearly the same reading, is not provoketh to anger. The large folio printed by Richard Cardmarden, at Rouen, 1566, has the same reading. The translation made and printed by the command of King James I., fol., 1611, &c. departs from all these, and improperly inserts the word easily, which might have been his majesty’s own; and yet this translation was not followed by some subsequent editions; for the 4to. Bible printed at London four years after, 1615, not only retains this original and correct reading, it is not provoked to anger, but has the word love every where in this chapter instead of charity, in which all the preceding versions and editions agree. In short, this is the reading of Coverdale, Matthews, Cranmer, the Geneva, and others; and our own authorized version is the only one which I have seen where this false reading appears.

As to the ancient versions, they all, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, Æthiopic, Coptic, and Itala, strictly follow the Greek text; and supply no word that tends to abate the signification of the apostle’s ou paroxunetai, is not provoked; nor is there a various reading here in all the numerous MSS. It is of importance to make these observations, because the common version of this place destroys the meaning of the apostle, and makes him speak very improperly. If love is provoked at all; it then ceases to be love; and if it be not easily provoked, this grants, as almost all the commentators say, that in special cases it may be provoked; and this they instance in the case of Paul and Barnabas, Acts 15:39; but I have sufficiently vindicated this passage in my note on that place, and given at large the meaning of the word paroxunw; and to that place I beg leave to refer the reader. The apostle’s own words in 1 Corinthians 13:7, are a sufficient proof that the love of which he speaks can never be provoked. When the man who possesses this love gives way to provocation, he loses the balance of his soul, and grieves the Spirit of God. In that instant he ceases from loving God with all his soul, mind, and strength; and surely if he get embittered against his neighbour, he does not love him as himself. It is generally said that, though a man may feel himself highly irritated against the sin, he may feel tender concern for the sinner. Irritation of any kind is inconsistent with self-government, and consequently with internal peace and communion with God. However favourably we may think of our own state, and however industrious we may be to find out excuses for sallies of passion, &c., still the testimony of God is, Love is not provoked; and if I have not such a love, whatever else I may possess, it profiteth me nothing.

(9.) Thinketh no evil] oulogizetai to kakon. “Believes no evil where no evil seems.” Never supposes that a good action may have a bad motive; gives every man credit for his profession of religion, uprightness, godly zeal, &c., while nothing is seen in his conduct or in his spirit inconsistent with this profession. His heart is so governed and influenced by the love of God, that he cannot think of evil but where it appears. The original implies that he does not invent or devise any evil; or, does not reason on any particular act or word so as to infer evil from it; for this would destroy his love to his brother; it would be ruinous to charity and benevolence.

Verses 4, 5. Love suffereth long — Here the apostle attributes to love the qualities and actions of a person, in order to render his account of that divine grace the more lively and affecting. The love of God, and of our neighbour for God’s sake, is patient toward all men. It suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; and all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world; and all this not only for a time, but to the end; and in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind — Mild, gentle, benign; inspiring the sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent and tender affection. Love envieth not — The advantages, gifts, or graces, which others possess, but rather takes pleasure in them, and by friendly participation makes them its own. Love vaunteth not itself — Greek, ou perpereuetai, acteth not rashly, as the expression is translated by many critics, following Phavorinus. Indeed, to render it as our translators do, is to make it signify the same thing with the next clause. The lover of God and mankind does not hastily condemn any one; never passes a severe sentence on a slight or sudden view of things. Nor does he act or behave in a violent, headstrong, or precipitate manner. Is not puffed up — With pride or self-conceit on account of any endowments or qualifications, mental or corporal, natural or acquired, civil or religious. On the contrary, love to God, whereby we esteem him as the greatest and best of beings, desire him as our chief good, delight in him as our portion and treasure in time and in eternity, cannot but humble us in the dust before him, while we contrast our various weaknesses, imperfections, and sins, with his infinite excellences and matchless glories, and compare his superlative goodness with our great unworthiness. And the love of our neighbour, naturally leading us to dwell on his virtues, and overlook his defects, must also, though in a lower degree, produce the same effect, and cause us to prefer others to ourselves in a variety of respects. Doth not behave itself unseemly — Or indecently, as ouk aschmonei properly signifies; that is, it is not rude or willingly offensive to any one, but renders to all their dues, suitable to time, place, person, and all other circumstances. Seeketh not her own — Ease, pleasure, honour, or temporal advantage. Nay, sometimes the lover of God and of mankind seeketh not, in some sense, even his own spiritual advantage; does not think of himself, so long as a zeal for the glory of God and the souls of men swallows him up. But though he is all on fire for these ends, yet he is not provoked, (the word easily is not in the original,) to sharpness or unkindness toward any one. Outward provocations indeed will frequently occur, but he triumphs over them. Thinketh no evil — The loving man indeed cannot but see and hear evil things, and know that they are so; but he does not willingly think evil of any, neither infer evil where none appears. The love in his heart prevents his imagining that of which he has no proof, and casts out all jealousies, evil surmises, readiness to believe evil, and induces him to put the kindest constructions upon the actions of others, and on the principles from whence they proceed, which the nature of circumstances will by any means allow.

Ver. 5. Charity doth not behave itself unseemly, “indecorously,” (as all the versions read) in whatever state or station it may be placed. Is not easily provoked: poroxunetai, is not irritated, non exacerbatur. Tremellius. Ne s’ aigrit point. Mons’ version. The Arabic, and all the other versions agree. But Tirinus, the jesuit, gives another comment. Non facilè concitatur ad iram, not easily excited to anger; but a gloss is not a version. The obtrusive adverb, easily, turns the reading, and perverts the sense. The Greek word occurs in Acts 17:16. Paul’s spirit was stirred within him, when he saw Athens wholly given to idolatry. Also in Acts 15:39, it is said “the contention was so sharp,” between Paul and Barnabas. Anger, like all the other passions, is holy and noble, while under the reins of judgment; but when it gains the ascendancy, a man blushes as though he had been overcome of wine.

5. Behave… unseemly—Lovelessness cares not how offensive its demeanour towards others. It cares not how much mortification it creates in other breasts by its coarse, offensive, or haughty style. Even religious people often clothe their religion in a hard, stiff, legal aspect, rendering it unattractive, and producing rejection by those whom it should win. On the contrary, true love, brought to the surface, seeks to please, and thereby sheds a winsomeness over the manners and character. And it is wonderful how this quality does win its way; not by fighting a fierce battle, but by disarming beforehand, and rendering, the battle unnecessary. Worldly self-interest, policy, diplomacy, and courtliness often put on this manner. The gentleman is a gentle man. It is one of the benefits, indeed, of a common interest that it creates a common desire to please, and thus promotes more or less courtesy and cordiality of temper. It is thus that trade and commerce are, as intended by Providence, wonderful promoters of peace, civilization, and humanity. There is a contest between commerce and war, in which the former is gaining a gradual and most humane victory. Not… provoked—Not exasperated. For just so far as the exasperation extends love is neutralized. Hence the easily, inserted by the translators, without Greek, is unnecessary. But the not being exasperated now and then requires a permanent and perfected love. That is very necessary, indeed, to soothe by anticipation the irritability and prevent the exasperation. This irritability is often a sin of the disordered and sensitive nerves. It is a physiological sin. It requires an immense deal of love to neutralize the sharp sensations that sting the irritable nerves of some persons to fretfulness and exasperated words. This is the trial of some temperaments. And such persons should be careful how they excuse themselves for their sin on the ground of temperament. The moment they do this they are in great danger of giving themselves the privilege of the sin, and so making the sin of the nerves the sin of the will and the consent. We should, like a skilful general, rather concentrate our strongest force at our weakest spot. Seeketh not her own—Love may arise from common interest, and even from self-interest. It is provided by God that these should be productive of this good result. But love, just so far as it is pure love, thinks not of itself. It is happy in the happiness of others, having no regard for any happiness of its own, excepting this very delight in the others’ well-being. Its very excellence is, that it places its own happiness in the happiness of others. Thinketh no evil—An unfortunate translation. Literally, imputeth not the evil. Not, as Alford, “the evil which is, but love does not impute it;” but rather the evil imputation when the good one was equally probable. For love, as will soon be said, rejoices in the truth. Even love prefers the truth above the friend. But love imputeth not the evil construction where truth will permit the good.

Verse 4b.-6. Jealous: evidently an idle vexation at the superiority of others. See under 1 Corinthians 12:31. We are never vexed at the excellence or success of those whom we love. Nor do we vaunt ourselves: i.e. parade before them any supposed superiority of our own. For boasted superiority separates; whereas love unites.

Puffed-up: as in 1 Corinthians 8:1. In view of those we love, we never indulge inflated opinions about ourselves. And we are thus saved, in reference to them, from unseemly conduct.

Does not seek her own: exemplified in Paul himself, 1 Corinthians 10:33. Contrast Philippians 2:20f.

Anger: not here a simple purpose to punish, as in Ephesians 4:26, but the vindictiveness which so often accompanies it. To this, love never prompts; though it often compels us to punish.

Does not reckon etc.: 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 4:8; Philemon 1:18: does not calculate injury as a debt to be paid off. Does not rejoice in unrighteousness; reveals the moral worth of love. We are not pleased at the wrong-doing of those whom we intelligently love. For we feel instinctively that by wrong-doing they injure themselves. E.g., many a bad father is sorry to see his children walking in his steps. Rejoices with the truth: similar to Romans 7:22, “I am pleased together with the Law.” The truth, (Romans 1:18,) here impersonated, rejoices when it realizes itself in human conduct, i.e. when men do that which corresponds with the eternal reality, viz. the nature of God. Now love is the essence of God: and truth is love manifested. Therefore, whatever conduct gratifies, i.e. agrees with, the one, gratifies also the other.

V. 6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity-Yea, weeps at either the sin or folly of even an enemy; takes no pleasure in hearing or in repeating it, but desires it may be forgotten for ever.

But rejoiceth in the truth-Bringing forth its proper fruit, holiness of heart and life. Good in general is its glory and joy, wherever diffused in all the world.

Verse 6. (10.) Rejoiceth not in iniquity] ou cairei epi th adikia. Rejoiceth not in falsehood, but on the contrary, rejoiceth in the truth: this meaning adikia has in different parts of the Scriptures. At first view, this character of love seems to say but little in its favour; for who can rejoice in unrighteousness or falsity? But is it not a frequent case that persons, who have received any kind of injury, and have forborne to avenge themselves, but perhaps have left it to God; when evil falls upon the sinner do console themselves with what appears to them an evidence that God has avenged their quarrels; and do at least secretly rejoice that the man is suffering for his misdeeds? Is not this, in some sort, rejoicing in iniquity? Again: is it not common for interested persons to rejoice in the successes of an unjust and sanguinary war, in the sackage and burning of cities and towns; and is not the joy always in proportion to the slaughter that has been made of the enemy? And do these call themselves Christians? Then we may expect that Moloch and his sub-devils are not so far behind this description of Christians as to render their case utterly desperate. If such Christians can be saved, demons need not despair!

(11.) But rejoiceth in the truth] alhqeia. Every thing that is opposite to falsehood and irreligion. Those who are filled with the love of God and man rejoice in the propagation and extension of Divine truth-in the spread of true religion, by which alone peace and good will can be diffused throughout the earth. And because they rejoice in the truth, therefore they do not persecute nor hinder true religion, but help it forward with all their might and power.

Verses 6, 7. Love rejoiceth not in iniquity — Takes no pleasure to see an adversary fall into an error or sin, by which his reputation should be blasted, and his interest ruined. On the contrary, the man influenced by this love, is truly sorry for either the sin or folly of even an enemy; takes no pleasure in hearing or in repeating it, but desires it may be forgotten for ever. But rejoiceth in the truth — Good in general is its glory and joy, wherever diffused through the world; while it brings forth its proper fruit, holiness of heart and life, with constancy and perseverance. Beareth — Or rather covereth all things, as panta stegei ought undoubtedly to be here rendered: because the common translation, beareth all things, is not different in sense from endureth all things, in the last clause of the verse. The lover of mankind conceals, as far as may be, the failings and faults of others; whatever evil he sees, hears, or knows of any one, he mentions it to none; it never goes out of his lips, unless where absolute duty constrains to speak. Believeth all things — Puts the most favourable construction on every thing, and is ever ready to believe whatever may tend to the advantage of any one’s character. And when it can no longer believe well, it hopes whatever may excuse or extenuate the fault which cannot be denied. Where it cannot even excuse, it hopes God will at length give repentance unto life. Meantime it endureth all things — Whatever the injustice, malice, or cruelty of men can inflict. And as it is long-suffering with regard to human provocations, so it bears with patience whatever afflictions come immediately from the hand of God, acquiescing in his will, trusting in his care, and rejoicing if its own sufferings may be a means of consolation and edification to others. By this description of love, it evidently appears to be that divine grace, which renders men most like to God, and which is the best preparation of them for admission into heaven: the golden key, (says Milton, in his Comus,) which opes the palace of eternity. Nor does it cease to exist, when it has introduced us into the eternal kingdom of our heavenly Father. For,

Ver. 6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity. To rejoice at sin is a most profane and malignant passion, and is put here in opposition to the truth, or righteousness. To walk in the truth is to serve God in holiness and righteousness.

6. Rejoiceth… iniquity—The word rendered iniquity, properly signifies injustice, wrong. And here, as in all the clauses of this paragraph, we must keep the special person or persons loved in mind, and not rise too far into generality. Love sympathizes not in the wrong-doing committed by its object. This, the true and a most important sense, seems to have been lost sight of by the commentators. While love imputes the most favourable construction possible to its object, it does not rejoice in his real wrong doing. Rejoiceth in the truth—Instead of rejoicing in the wrong, it sympathetically rejoices in the truth by which the wrong is reproved, exposed, and corrected. It plainly tells the corrective truth to the loved wrongdoer, as Nathan did to David.

Verse 4b.-6. Jealous: evidently an idle vexation at the superiority of others. See under 1 Corinthians 12:31. We are never vexed at the excellence or success of those whom we love. Nor do we vaunt ourselves: i.e. parade before them any supposed superiority of our own. For boasted superiority separates; whereas love unites.

Puffed-up: as in 1 Corinthians 8:1. In view of those we love, we never indulge inflated opinions about ourselves. And we are thus saved, in reference to them, from unseemly conduct.

Does not seek her own: exemplified in Paul himself, 1 Corinthians 10:33. Contrast Philippians 2:20f.

Anger: not here a simple purpose to punish, as in Ephesians 4:26, but the vindictiveness which so often accompanies it. To this, love never prompts; though it often compels us to punish.

Does not reckon etc.: 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 4:8; Philemon 1:18: does not calculate injury as a debt to be paid off. Does not rejoice in unrighteousness; reveals the moral worth of love. We are not pleased at the wrong-doing of those whom we intelligently love. For we feel instinctively that by wrong-doing they injure themselves. E.g., many a bad father is sorry to see his children walking in his steps. Rejoices with the truth: similar to Romans 7:22, “I am pleased together with the Law.” The truth, (Romans 1:18,) here impersonated, rejoices when it realizes itself in human conduct, i.e. when men do that which corresponds with the eternal reality, viz. the nature of God. Now love is the essence of God: and truth is love manifested. Therefore, whatever conduct gratifies, i.e. agrees with, the one, gratifies also the other.

V. 7. Love covereth all things-Whatever evil the lover of mankind sees, hears, or knows of any one, he mentions it to none; it never goes out of his lips, unless where absolute duty constrains to speak.

Believeth all things-Puts the most favourable construction on everything, and is ever ready to believe whatever may tend to the advantage of any one character. And when it can no longer believe well, it hopes whatever may excuse or extenuate the fault which cannot be denied. Where it cannot even excuse, it hopes God will at length give repentance unto life. Meantime it endureth all things-Whatever the injustice, the malice, the cruelty of men can inflict. He can not only do, but likewise suffer, all things, through Christ who strengtheneth him.

Verse 7. (12.) Beareth all things] panta stegei. This word is also variously interpreted: to endure, bear, sustain, cover, conceal, contain. Bishop Pearce contends that it should be translated covereth all things, and produces several plausible reasons for this translation; the most forcible of which is, that the common translation confounds it with endureth all things, in the same verse. We well know that it is a grand and distinguishing property of love to cover and conceal the fault of another; and it is certainly better to consider the passage in this light than in that which our common version holds out; and this perfectly agrees with what St. Peter says of charity, 1 Peter 4:8: It shall cover the multitude of sins; but there is not sufficient evidence that the original will fully bear this sense; and perhaps it would be better to take it in the sense of contain, keep in, as a vessel does liquor; thus Plato compared the souls of foolish men to a sieve, and not able, stegein dia apistian te kai lhqhn, to contain any thing through unfaithfulness and forgetfulness. See Parkhurst and Wetstein. Some of the versions have stergei, loveth, or is warmly affectioned to all things or persons. But the true import must be found either in cover or contain. Love conceals every thing that should be concealed; betrays no secret; retains the grace given; and goes on to continual increase. A person under the influence of this love never makes the sins, follies, faults, or imperfections of any man, the subject either of censure or conversation. He covers them as far as he can; and if alone privy to them, he retains the knowledge of them in his own bosom as far as he ought.

(13.) Believeth all things] panta pisteuei. Is ever ready to believe the best of every person, and will credit no evil of any but on the most positive evidence; gladly receives whatever may tend to the advantage of any person whose character may have suffered from obloquy and detraction; or even justly, because of his misconduct.

(14.) Hopeth all things.] panta elpizei. When there is no place left for believing good of a person, then love comes in with its hope, where it could not work by its faith; and begins immediately to make allowances and excuses, as far as a good conscience can permit; and farther, anticipates the repentance of the transgressor, and his restoration to the good opinion of society and his place in the Church of God, from which he had fallen.

(15.) Endureth all things.] panta upomenei. Bears up under all persecutions and mal-treatment from open enemies and professed friends; bears adversities with an even mind, as it submits with perfect resignation to every dispensation of the providence of God; and never says of any trial, affliction, or insult, this cannot be endured.

Verses 6, 7. Love rejoiceth not in iniquity — Takes no pleasure to see an adversary fall into an error or sin, by which his reputation should be blasted, and his interest ruined. On the contrary, the man influenced by this love, is truly sorry for either the sin or folly of even an enemy; takes no pleasure in hearing or in repeating it, but desires it may be forgotten for ever. But rejoiceth in the truth — Good in general is its glory and joy, wherever diffused through the world; while it brings forth its proper fruit, holiness of heart and life, with constancy and perseverance. Beareth — Or rather covereth all things, as panta stegei ought undoubtedly to be here rendered: because the common translation, beareth all things, is not different in sense from endureth all things, in the last clause of the verse. The lover of mankind conceals, as far as may be, the failings and faults of others; whatever evil he sees, hears, or knows of any one, he mentions it to none; it never goes out of his lips, unless where absolute duty constrains to speak. Believeth all things — Puts the most favourable construction on every thing, and is ever ready to believe whatever may tend to the advantage of any one’s character. And when it can no longer believe well, it hopes whatever may excuse or extenuate the fault which cannot be denied. Where it cannot even excuse, it hopes God will at length give repentance unto life. Meantime it endureth all things — Whatever the injustice, malice, or cruelty of men can inflict. And as it is long-suffering with regard to human provocations, so it bears with patience whatever afflictions come immediately from the hand of God, acquiescing in his will, trusting in his care, and rejoicing if its own sufferings may be a means of consolation and edification to others. By this description of love, it evidently appears to be that divine grace, which renders men most like to God, and which is the best preparation of them for admission into heaven: the golden key, (says Milton, in his Comus,) which opes the palace of eternity. Nor does it cease to exist, when it has introduced us into the eternal kingdom of our heavenly Father. For,

7. In rendering the clauses of this verse we must, with the apostle, keep the loved object in view; as, for instance, his dear Corinthian Church. The verses picture to the life, for example, the persistent love of a mother for an erring son—the most beautiful of all human loves. The all things four times said are, of course, to be limited by the law of truth and justice just given, and made appropriate to the verb which each follows in the clause. Beareth all things—Rather covereth all things. Such is the strict meaning of the Greek word. To render it beareth gives the same sense as endureth in the last clause. The word covereth implies the idea expressed by Pope in his Universal Prayer:

“Teach me to feel another’s woe,

To hide the fault I see;

That mercy I to others show,

That mercy show to me.”

So does a mother seek to cover the faults of her child; so would Paul rather cover than expose the errors of his Corinthians. Believeth all things— Favourable to the beloved object. Such is the temper of deep love, limited in action by the laws of truth. Hopeth all things—All future good for its object. Endureth all things—How often is it said of a mother in regard to a son, “She bears every thing from him.” Paul bore countless things from the Corinthians, and sought to correct their faults for their own sake. c. The transiency of all charisms contrasted with the permanency and supremacy of Love, 8-13.

Ver. 7. Bears all things: is not shaken by any sort of ingratitude. And we are ever ready to believe all things from those we love; and to cherish all sorts of expectations of good about them.

Endures: see Romans 2:7. Love prompts us to continue doing good to those we love in spite of difficulties and perils. Paul's own example: 2 Timothy 2:10. The word bear refers probably to ungrateful conduct in the person loved, and is thus parallel to “longsuffering” in 1 Corinthians 13:4; endures refers to any hardship involved in helping those we love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 define clearly Paul's use in 1 Corinthians 13. of the word love. It is a principle of action prompting us to use our powers and opportunities for the good of others, and to draw them to us that we may share, and thus remove, their sorrow, and that they may share our good. This principle appears, more or less perfect and intelligent, in all true human love. It is the mainspring of the entire activity of God. And so far as it rules our conduct are we like God. Of this principle, these verses are the strongest commendation. For the man in whom these traits of character meet commands, even though he have no special gifts, our highest respect. And all these traits of character are a natural outworking of the one principle of love. For a lack of any one of them proves that love is deficient. This practical picture of love also makes us feel by contrast the worthlessness of the character described in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. For shorter, but similar, personifications of love, see 1 Corinthians 8:1; Romans 13:10. In Clement's Epistle, ch. 49, (see appendix A,) is an evident copy of these verses. Compare also the praise of “wisdom” in Prov. 8. and 9.

V. 8. Love never faileth-It accompanies to, and adorns us in, eternity; it prepares us for, and constitutes, heaven.

But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail-When all things are fulfilled, and God is all in all.

Whether there be tongues, they shall cease-One language shall prevail among all the inhabitants of heaven, and the low and imperfect languages of earth be forgotten.

The knowledge likewise which we now so eagerly pursue, shall then vanish away-As starlight is lost in that of the midday sun, so our present knowledge in the light of eternity.

Verse 8. (16.) Charity never faileth] hJ agaph oudepote ekpiptei. This love never falleth off, because it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things; and while it does so it cannot fail; it is the means of preserving all other graces; indeed, properly speaking, it includes them all; and all receive their perfection from it. Love to God and man can never be dispensed with. It is essential to social and religious life; without it no communion can be kept up with God; nor can any man have a preparation for eternal glory whose heart and soul are not deeply imbued with it. Without it there never was true religion, nor ever can be; and it not only is necessary through life, but will exist throughout eternity. What were a state of blessedness if it did not comprehend love to God and human spirits in the most exquisite, refined, and perfect degrees?

Prophecies-shall fail] Whether the word imply predicting future events, or teaching the truths of religion to men, all such shall soon be rendered useless. Though the accurate prophet and the eloquent, persuasive preacher be useful in their day, they shall not be always so; nor shall their gifts fit them for glory; nothing short of the love above described can fit a soul for the kingdom of God.

Tongues-shall cease] The miraculous gift of different languages, that soon shall cease, as being unnecessary.

Knowledge-shall vanish away.] All human arts and sciences, as being utterly useless in the eternal world, though so highly extolled and useful here.

Verses 8-10. Love never faileth — It accompanies us to, prepares us for, and adorns us in eternity; nay, it is the very felicity of heaven. In these respects it materially differs from, and has an apparent advantage over, many of those gifts which some are so ready to emulate and pursue, to the neglect and injury of this love. For whether there be prophecies, they shall fail — When all things foretold are accomplished, and God is all in all. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease — For one language shall prevail among all the inhabitants of heaven, and all the low and imperfect languages of earth shall be forgotten. Whether there be knowledge — Such as we now pursue with the greatest eagerness, the knowledge of the fleeting, transitory things of earth, and affairs of men, conducive as it is to our present usefulness; it shall vanish away — As starlight is lost in that of the mid-day sun, so our present knowledge in the light of eternity. For we know in part, we prophesy in part — The wisest of men have here but short, narrow, and imperfect conceptions, even of the things round about them, and much more of the deep things of God. And even the prophecies which men deliver from God are far from taking in the whole of future events, or of that wisdom and knowledge of God which is treasured up in the Scripture revelation. But when that which is perfect is come — As in the heavenly state it shall; then that which is only in part shall be done away — Both that poor, low, imperfect, glimmering light, which is all the knowledge we now can attain to, and these slow and unsatisfactory methods of attaining it, as well as of imparting it to others.

Ver. 8. Charity never faileth, ekpiptei; that is, says Theophylact, it never deviates, it accomplishes all, and aims at the consummation. It never recedes from its proper character, and this is said in opposition to the gifts in the preseding chapter; to prophecies which shall be superseded, to tongues which shall cease, and to knowledge which shall vanish away.

8. Never faileth—From divine love in its daily life, Paul now springs at once into its transcendent and eternal nature. The charisms—prophecies, tongues, knowledge—are all provisional and partial; soon to be merged in the perfect and the universal.

Verse 8b.-12. Will-come-to-nought: become inoperative, cease to produce results. Same word in 1 Corinthians 1:28: see also Romans 3:3.

Knowledge: i.e. the special gift of knowledge, 1 Corinthians 13:2; 12:8. Notice that the gift of tongues will cease absolutely, when the tongue is silent in death; the gifts of prophecy and knowledge will cease practically. Of this last assertion 1 Corinthians 13:9, 10 are a proof. That tongues will cease, needs no proof.

In part: in contrast to the fully developed. Our knowledge now embraces only fragments. This is true universally; but refers here to the special gift of knowledge.

In part we prophesy: we announce under the special influence of the Spirit only a part of the truth.

The fully-developed: the complete or full-grown, in contrast to the fragmentary. See note, 1 Corinthians 2:6. 1 Corinthians 13:10 states a universal principle; but refers specially to 1 Corinthians 13:9. It proves will-come-to-nought in 1 Corinthians 13:8. Knowledge and prophecy are but torches giving amid general darkness a partial light. Therefore, when dawns the eternal Day they will become useless. They who now know most and speak most fluently will then have no advantage over others.

V. 9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part-The wisest of men have here but short, narrow, imperfect conceptions, even of the things round about them, and much more of the deep things of God. And even the prophecies which men deliver from God are far from taking in the whole of future events, or of that wisdom and knowledge of God which is treasured up in the scripture revelation.

Verse 9. For we know in part] We have here but little knowledge even of earthly, and much less of heavenly, things. He that knows most knows little in comparison of what is known by angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. And as we know so very little, how deficient must we be if we have not much love! Angels may wonder at the imperfection of our knowledge; and separate spirits may wonder at the perfection of their own, having obtained so much more in consequence of being separated from the body, than they could conceive to be possible while in that body. When Sir Isaac Newton had made such astonishing discoveries in the laws of nature, far surpassing any thing that had been done by all his predecessors in science from the days of Solomon; one of our poets, considering the scantiness of human knowledge when compared with that which is possessed by the inhabitants of heaven, reduced his meditations on the subject to the following nervous and expressive epigram:— Superior beings, when of late they saw

A mortal man explain all nature’s law,

Admired such wisdom in an earthly shape,

And show’d our NEWTON as we show an ape.

These fine lines are a paraphrase from a saying of Plato, from whom our poet borrows without acknowledging the debt. The words are these: anqrwpon o sofwtatov prov qeon piqhkov faneitai. “The wisest of mortals will appear but an ape in the estimation of God.” Vid. Hipp. Maj. vol. xi. p. 21. Edit. Bipont.

We prophesy in part] Even the sublimest prophets have been able to say but little of the heavenly state; and the best preachers have left the Spirit of God very much to supply. And had we no more religious knowledge than we can derive from men and books, and had we no farther instruction in the knowledge of God and ourselves than we derive from preaching, our religious experience would be low indeed. Yet it is our duty to acquire all the knowledge we possibly can; and as preaching is the ordinary means by which God is pleased to instruct and convert the soul, we should diligently and thankfully use it. For we have neither reason nor Scripture to suppose that God will give us that immediately from himself which he has promised to convey only by the use of means. Even this his blessing makes effectual; and, after all, his Spirit supplies much that man cannot teach. Every preacher should take care to inculcate this on the hearts of his hearers. When you have learned all you can from your ministers, remember you have much to learn from God; and for this you should diligently wait on him by the reading of his word, and by incessant prayer.

Verses 8-10. Love never faileth — It accompanies us to, prepares us for, and adorns us in eternity; nay, it is the very felicity of heaven. In these respects it materially differs from, and has an apparent advantage over, many of those gifts which some are so ready to emulate and pursue, to the neglect and injury of this love. For whether there be prophecies, they shall fail — When all things foretold are accomplished, and God is all in all. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease — For one language shall prevail among all the inhabitants of heaven, and all the low and imperfect languages of earth shall be forgotten. Whether there be knowledge — Such as we now pursue with the greatest eagerness, the knowledge of the fleeting, transitory things of earth, and affairs of men, conducive as it is to our present usefulness; it shall vanish away — As starlight is lost in that of the mid-day sun, so our present knowledge in the light of eternity. For we know in part, we prophesy in part — The wisest of men have here but short, narrow, and imperfect conceptions, even of the things round about them, and much more of the deep things of God. And even the prophecies which men deliver from God are far from taking in the whole of future events, or of that wisdom and knowledge of God which is treasured up in the Scripture revelation. But when that which is perfect is come — As in the heavenly state it shall; then that which is only in part shall be done away — Both that poor, low, imperfect, glimmering light, which is all the knowledge we now can attain to, and these slow and unsatisfactory methods of attaining it, as well as of imparting it to others.

9. In part—Our knowledge and our prophecies, based upon our knowledge, are alike limited and temporary.

Verse 8b.-12. Will-come-to-nought: become inoperative, cease to produce results. Same word in 1 Corinthians 1:28: see also Romans 3:3.

Knowledge: i.e. the special gift of knowledge, 1 Corinthians 13:2; 12:8. Notice that the gift of tongues will cease absolutely, when the tongue is silent in death; the gifts of prophecy and knowledge will cease practically. Of this last assertion 1 Corinthians 13:9, 10 are a proof. That tongues will cease, needs no proof.

In part: in contrast to the fully developed. Our knowledge now embraces only fragments. This is true universally; but refers here to the special gift of knowledge.

In part we prophesy: we announce under the special influence of the Spirit only a part of the truth.

The fully-developed: the complete or full-grown, in contrast to the fragmentary. See note, 1 Corinthians 2:6. 1 Corinthians 13:10 states a universal principle; but refers specially to 1 Corinthians 13:9. It proves will-come-to-nought in 1 Corinthians 13:8. Knowledge and prophecy are but torches giving amid general darkness a partial light. Therefore, when dawns the eternal Day they will become useless. They who now know most and speak most fluently will then have no advantage over others.

V. 10. But when that which is perfect is come-At death and in the last day.

That which is in part shall vanish away-Both that poor, low, imperfect, glimmering light, which is all the knowledge we now can attain to; and these slow and unsatisfactory methods of attaining, as well as of imparting it to others.

Verse 10. But when that which is perfect] The state of eternal blessedness; then that which is in part-that which is imperfect, shall be done away; the imperfect as well as the probationary state shall cease for ever.

Verses 8-10. Love never faileth — It accompanies us to, prepares us for, and adorns us in eternity; nay, it is the very felicity of heaven. In these respects it materially differs from, and has an apparent advantage over, many of those gifts which some are so ready to emulate and pursue, to the neglect and injury of this love. For whether there be prophecies, they shall fail — When all things foretold are accomplished, and God is all in all. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease — For one language shall prevail among all the inhabitants of heaven, and all the low and imperfect languages of earth shall be forgotten. Whether there be knowledge — Such as we now pursue with the greatest eagerness, the knowledge of the fleeting, transitory things of earth, and affairs of men, conducive as it is to our present usefulness; it shall vanish away — As starlight is lost in that of the mid-day sun, so our present knowledge in the light of eternity. For we know in part, we prophesy in part — The wisest of men have here but short, narrow, and imperfect conceptions, even of the things round about them, and much more of the deep things of God. And even the prophecies which men deliver from God are far from taking in the whole of future events, or of that wisdom and knowledge of God which is treasured up in the Scripture revelation. But when that which is perfect is come — As in the heavenly state it shall; then that which is only in part shall be done away — Both that poor, low, imperfect, glimmering light, which is all the knowledge we now can attain to, and these slow and unsatisfactory methods of attaining it, as well as of imparting it to others.

10. The perfect will in due time supersede these partial gifts and performances. This does not mean that the gifts shall cease in the Church on earth in process of time, though that may be implied; but that they will be outgrown in eternity. Nor does it mean that our knowledge as a faculty will disappear; or that we shall cease to know any thing we now know in the future; but that our knowledge as a special gift, supernaturally bestowed over others, of which some Corinthians were so proud, should disappear. These, like glittering but needless ornaments, would drop off in our advancing stages of existence.

Verse 8b.-12. Will-come-to-nought: become inoperative, cease to produce results. Same word in 1 Corinthians 1:28: see also Romans 3:3.

Knowledge: i.e. the special gift of knowledge, 1 Corinthians 13:2; 12:8. Notice that the gift of tongues will cease absolutely, when the tongue is silent in death; the gifts of prophecy and knowledge will cease practically. Of this last assertion 1 Corinthians 13:9, 10 are a proof. That tongues will cease, needs no proof.

In part: in contrast to the fully developed. Our knowledge now embraces only fragments. This is true universally; but refers here to the special gift of knowledge.

In part we prophesy: we announce under the special influence of the Spirit only a part of the truth.

The fully-developed: the complete or full-grown, in contrast to the fragmentary. See note, 1 Corinthians 2:6. 1 Corinthians 13:10 states a universal principle; but refers specially to 1 Corinthians 13:9. It proves will-come-to-nought in 1 Corinthians 13:8. Knowledge and prophecy are but torches giving amid general darkness a partial light. Therefore, when dawns the eternal Day they will become useless. They who now know most and speak most fluently will then have no advantage over others.

V. 11. In our present state we are mere infants in point of knowledge, compared to what we shall be hereafter.

I put away childish things-Of my own accord, willingly, without trouble.

Verse 11. When I was a child] This future state of blessedness is as far beyond the utmost perfection that can be attained in this world, as our adult state of Christianity is above our state of natural infancy, in which we understand only as children understand; speak only a few broken articulate words, and reason only as children reason; having few ideas, little knowledge but what may be called mere instinct, and that much less perfect than the instinct of the brute creation; and having no experience. But when we became men-adults, having gained much knowledge of men and things, we spoke and reasoned more correctly, having left off all the manners and habits of our childhood.

Verses 11, 12. When I was a child, &c. — The difference between our present and future conceptions of spiritual things may be illustrated by the knowledge of a child compared to that of a man. For in our present state, we are mere infants in knowledge, in comparison of what we shall be hereafter. I spake as a child — Would naturally do, words hardly intelligible, and often unmeaning; I understood — Or was affected, as efronoun may be rendered; as a child — That is, thrown into transports of joy or grief on trifling occasions, which manly reason soon taught me to despise. I thought — Elogizomhn, I reasoned; as a child — In a weak, inconclusive, and sometimes ridiculous manner. But when I became a man — My faculties being ripened; I put away childish things — Of my own accord, willingly, without trouble; and entertained sentiments, and engaged in pursuits, correspondent to such advancements of age and reason. Such shall be the improvements of the heavenly state, in comparison with those which the most eminent Christians can attain on earth. For now we see — Even the things that surround us; through a glass — The expression, di’ esoptrou, thus rendered, Dr. Pearce thinks, “signifies any of those transparent substances which the ancients used in their windows, such as thin plates of horn, transparent stone, and the like, through which they saw the objects without obscurely. But others are of opinion that the word denotes a brazen mirror, like those of which Moses made the laver, Exodus 38:8; and that the apostle’s meaning is, that we see things as it were by images reflected from a mirror. But this does not accord with seeing things obscurely. Darkly — En ainigmati, literally, in an enigma, or riddle. A riddle being a discourse in which one thing is put for another, which is in some respects like it, we are said to see things at present in a riddle, because in the revelations of God, invisible things are represented by visible, and spiritual things by natural, and eternal things by such as are temporal.” But then — We shall see, not a faint reflection, or an obscure resemblance, but the objects themselves, in a clear and distinct manner; face to face — As men see each other, when they behold each the other’s face. Now I know in part — Even when God himself reveals things to me, a great part of them is still kept under the veil; but then shall I know even as also I am known — In a clear, full, comprehensive manner; in some measure like God, who penetrates the centre of every object, and sees at one glance through my soul and all things. It is justly observed by Dr. Macknight here, “that the darkness in which things at present are involved, is in some respects necessary; for as in childhood our knowledge and conception of things are wisely made imperfect, that we may the more easily submit to the exercises and discipline which are proper to our childish state; so in the present life, which in relation to the whole of our existence may be called childhood, our knowledge of invisible things is appointed to be imperfect, that we may employ ourselves with pleasure in the occupations of the present life. But when the season of childhood is over, and the grand scenes of the heavenly world open upon us, we shall no more see spiritual things darkly as in a riddle, but we shall see them clearly, and shall fully know even as we ourselves are fully known of superior beings, or of our most familiar friends. In short, we shall leave off all those imperfect methods of acquiring knowledge which we made use of on earth.”

11. When—The specialties will all be superseded by eternal things, as childhood joys are superseded by manhood. Was—Whately says the emphasis should be placed in reading on was, to imply that the playthings of childhood are suitable and right for childhood. As Pope says, “Behold the child, by nature’s kindly law,

Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw.”

It was said by Lord Brougham that the human being learns more during his ten first years than in all his life afterwards. His infantile and puerile sports are but experiments of things by which he gains his first amount of knowledge.

Ver. 11. Illustrates and confirms 1 Corinthians 13:8b-10. I thought: formed conceptions.

I reckoned: drew inferences. The child first speaks, then gives evidence of observation, and then of reasoning.

When I became: or “now that I-am-become,” “have-set-aside.” [The Greek perfects assert the permanence of the change from childhood to manhood, and the permanent dismissal of childish things.] I-made-as-nought: as in 1 Corinthians 13:8, 10: laid aside as useless the toys or schoolbooks which once I prized and used. This comparison, suggested probably by the word “full-grown,” (cp. Ephesians 4:13,) is an argument from the greater to the less. For the things of eternity are much more completely above and beyond our present thought than are the things of manhood to a child. Yet the mature knowledge of manhood makes schoolbooks etc. quite useless.

V. 12. Now we see-Even the things that surround us. But by means of a glass-Or mirror, which reflects only their imperfect forms, in a dim, faint, obscure manner; so that our thoughts about them are puzzling and intricate, and everything is a kind of riddle to us. But then-We shall see, not a faint reflection, but the objects themselves. Face to face-Distinctly.

Now I know in part-Even when God himself reveals things to me, great part of them is still kept under the veil.

But then I shall know even as also I am known-In a clear, full, comprehensive manner; in some measure like God, who penetrates the centre of every object, and sees at one glance through my soul and all things.

Verse 12. Now we see through a glass, darkly] diJ esoptrou en ainigmati. Of these words some literal explanation is necessary. The word esoptron which we translate a glass, literally signifies a mirror or reflector, from eiv, into, and optomai, I look; and among the ancients mirrors were certainly made of fine polished metal. The word here may signify any thing by which the image of a person is reflected, as in our looking, or look in glass. The word is not used for a glass to look through; nor would such an image have suited with the apostle’s design. The esoptron or mirror, is mentioned by some of the most ancient Greek writers; so Anacreon, Ode xi. ver. 1:—

legousin ai gunaikev,

anakrewn, gerwn ei.

labwn ESOPTRON aqrei

komav men ouketJ ousav.

The women tell me,

Anacreon, thou art grown old;

Take thy mirror, and view

How few of thy hairs remain.

And again, in Ode xx. ver. 5:—

ego dJ esoptron eihn,

opwv aei blephv me.

I wish I were a mirror

That thou mightst always look into me.

In Exodus 38:8, we meet with the term looking glasses; but the original is tarm maroth, and should be translated mirrors; as out of those very articles, which we absurdly translate looking GLASSES, the brazen laver was made!

In the Greek version the word esoptron is not found but twice, and that in the apocryphal books.

In the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, chap. 7:26, speaking of wisdom the author says: “She is the brightness of the everlasting light, kai esoptron akhlidwton, and the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.”

In Ecclus. xii. 11, exhorting to put no trust in an enemy, he says: “Though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good heed and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him, wv ekmemacwv esoptron, as if thou hadst wiped a looking glass, (mirror,) and thou shalt know that his rust hath not altogether been wiped away.” All these passages must be understood of polished metal, not of glass, which, though it existed among the Romans and others, yet was brought to very little perfection; and as to grinding and silvering of glass, they are modern inventions. Some have thought that the apostle refers to something of the telescopic kind, by which distant and small objects become visible, although their surfaces become dim in proportion to the quantum of the magnifying power; but this is too refined; he appears simply to refer to a mirror by which images were rejected, and not to any diaphanous and magnifying powers, through which objects were perceived.

Possibly the true meaning of the words diJ esoptrou en ainigmati, through a glass darkly, may be found among the Jewish writers, who use a similar term to express nearly the same thing to which the apostle refers. A revelation of the will of God, in clear and express terms, is called by them hryam ayrlqpsa aspecularia maira, a clear or lucid glass, or specular in reference, specularibus lapidibus, to the diaphanous polished stones, used by the ancients for windows instead of glass. An obscure prophecy they termed ayrhn ald ayrlqpsa aspecularia dela naharia, “a specular which is not clear.”

Numbers 12:6: If there be a prophet-I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and I will speak unto him in a dream; Rab. Tanchum thus explains: “My Shechinah shall not be revealed to him, hryam ayrlqpsab beaspecularia maira, in a lucid specular, but only in a dream and a vision.”

On Ezekiel 1:4, 5: And I looked, and behold a whirlwind-a great cloud, and a fire unfolding itself, &c.; Sohar Chadash, fol. 33, says: “This is a vision arhn ald ayrlqpsab beaspecularia dela nahara, by an obscure or dark specular.”

From a great variety of examples produced by Schoettgen it appears that the rabbins make a great deal of difference between seeing through the lucid glass or specular, and seeing through the obscure one. The first is attributed only to Moses, who conversed with God face to face, i.e. through the lucid specular; and between the other prophets, who saw him in dreams and visions, i.e. through the obscure specular. In these distinctions and sayings of the ancient Jews we must seek for that to which the apostle alludes. See Schoettgen.

The word ainigmati, which we render darkly, will help us to the true meaning of the place. The following is Mr. Parkhurst’s definition of the term and of the thing: “ainigma, from hnigmai, the perfect passive of isuittw, to hint, intimate, signify with some degree of obscurity; an enigma, in which one thing answers or stands in correspondence to, or as the representative of, another, which is in some respects similar to it; occurs 1 Corinthians 13:12: Now-in this life, we see by means of a mirror reflecting the images of heavenly and spiritual things, en ainigmati, in an enigmatical manner, invisible things being represented by visible, spiritual by natural, eternal by temporal; but then-in the eternal world, face to face, every thing being seen in itself, and not by means of a representative or similitude.”

Now I know in part] Though I have an immediate revelation from God concerning his great design in the dispensation of the Gospel, yet there are lengths, breadths, depths, and heights of this design, which even that revelation has not discovered; nor can they be known and apprehended in the present imperfect state. Eternity alone can unfold the whole scheme of the Gospel.

As-I am known.] In the same manner in which disembodied spirits know and understand.

Verses 11, 12. When I was a child, &c. — The difference between our present and future conceptions of spiritual things may be illustrated by the knowledge of a child compared to that of a man. For in our present state, we are mere infants in knowledge, in comparison of what we shall be hereafter. I spake as a child — Would naturally do, words hardly intelligible, and often unmeaning; I understood — Or was affected, as efronoun may be rendered; as a child — That is, thrown into transports of joy or grief on trifling occasions, which manly reason soon taught me to despise. I thought — Elogizomhn, I reasoned; as a child — In a weak, inconclusive, and sometimes ridiculous manner. But when I became a man — My faculties being ripened; I put away childish things — Of my own accord, willingly, without trouble; and entertained sentiments, and engaged in pursuits, correspondent to such advancements of age and reason. Such shall be the improvements of the heavenly state, in comparison with those which the most eminent Christians can attain on earth. For now we see — Even the things that surround us; through a glass — The expression, di’ esoptrou, thus rendered, Dr. Pearce thinks, “signifies any of those transparent substances which the ancients used in their windows, such as thin plates of horn, transparent stone, and the like, through which they saw the objects without obscurely. But others are of opinion that the word denotes a brazen mirror, like those of which Moses made the laver, Exodus 38:8; and that the apostle’s meaning is, that we see things as it were by images reflected from a mirror. But this does not accord with seeing things obscurely. Darkly — En ainigmati, literally, in an enigma, or riddle. A riddle being a discourse in which one thing is put for another, which is in some respects like it, we are said to see things at present in a riddle, because in the revelations of God, invisible things are represented by visible, and spiritual things by natural, and eternal things by such as are temporal.” But then — We shall see, not a faint reflection, or an obscure resemblance, but the objects themselves, in a clear and distinct manner; face to face — As men see each other, when they behold each the other’s face. Now I know in part — Even when God himself reveals things to me, a great part of them is still kept under the veil; but then shall I know even as also I am known — In a clear, full, comprehensive manner; in some measure like God, who penetrates the centre of every object, and sees at one glance through my soul and all things. It is justly observed by Dr. Macknight here, “that the darkness in which things at present are involved, is in some respects necessary; for as in childhood our knowledge and conception of things are wisely made imperfect, that we may the more easily submit to the exercises and discipline which are proper to our childish state; so in the present life, which in relation to the whole of our existence may be called childhood, our knowledge of invisible things is appointed to be imperfect, that we may employ ourselves with pleasure in the occupations of the present life. But when the season of childhood is over, and the grand scenes of the heavenly world open upon us, we shall no more see spiritual things darkly as in a riddle, but we shall see them clearly, and shall fully know even as we ourselves are fully known of superior beings, or of our most familiar friends. In short, we shall leave off all those imperfect methods of acquiring knowledge which we made use of on earth.”

Ver. 12. Now, we see through a glass darkly. The word glass disturbs the sense; it was but lately discovered when Paul wrote. The literal reading is, Now we see in a speculum, (a polished metalic mirror) in ænigmas; for in an earthly father, we see the heavenly Father, and in all the figurative language of the scriptures, we see heavenly glory designated. Milton gives us a beautiful verse on Eve, when she came home to Adam, and told him what a figure she had seen in the pool of water, of a woman who moved as she moved, and when she retired, the figure retired.

12. Through a glass—Not through a transparent glass, as window glass, but through or in a mirror. The word through is used because the objects seen in a mirror seem to be back of it, and we to look through the glass. The mirrors of antiquity were made not of glass, but of polished metal; and hence the image was seen darkly. Darkly—Literally, in enigma. We can no more clearly understand the realities of eternity than childhood can understand the experiences of manhood. No words, however plain, can make him realize them as they really are. And so, to us, heaven and eternity are problems and mysteries, illustrated only by analogies which after all are enigmas. Face to face—By direct, clear sight; not in mirror and enigma. As… known—As I was known by God in my earthly existence, just so in eternity shall I, with perfect exactness, know the realities.

Ver. 12. Proof that the comparison of childhood applies to the matter of 1 Corinthians 13:8; and thus parallel to 1 Corinthians 13:9. Mirror: James 1:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18: known in the earliest times, Exodus 38:8; Wisdom 7:26; Sirach 12:11. They were usually circular plates of metal, with a handle. Their imperfect reflection suggested this metaphor. The Gospel is a mirror (2 Corinthians 3:18) showing us as in a camera obscura, but imperfectly, the things of eternity. Dark-saying: the Greek original of our word “enigma.” It explains the foregoing metaphor. Our knowledge of eternity comes through the Gospel, which is, compared with the full light of eternity, a riddle difficult to solve: in other words, we see now through a mirror.

Face to face: Genesis 32:30; cp. Numbers 12:8. We shall stand before God, and look upon His face; (Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 12:14;) and, seeing Him, we shall see all things.

Now I know etc.; continues the contrast, which is individualized and thus intensified by the change, as in 1 Corinthians 13:11, from we to I. The change was prompted by Paul's intense and personal conception of his own thought.

Understood: an intelligent comprehension which looks down upon and through a matter. Same word in 1 Corinthians 14:37; 16:18; 2 Corinthians 1:13f; 2 Corinthians 6:9; 13:5; Romans 1:28, 32; 3:20; 10:2.

I-have-been-understood: a silent reference to Him by whom all things are fully known. Cp. 1 Corinthians 8:3.

According as etc.: corresponding with God's perfect knowledge of him. In other words, the light of eternity, which is the outshining of the mind of God, will reveal fully and accurately to each man his own inner self. Those who now know most, and, moved by the Spirit, proclaim most fully the things of God, know and speak only a fragment of what will in that Day be known universally. Consequently, their gifts, so valuable now, will then be of no worth. For, compared with that time, our present life is but childhood; and the gifts we prize now will then be thrown aside as useless, like the toys we have already thrown aside. If so, knowledge and prophecy have only a passing value. And the gift of tongues will evidently cease soon in the silence of death.

From 1 Corinthians 13:12 it is quite clear that the light which will supersede the gifts of knowledge and prophecy is that of eternity. Consequently, 1 Corinthians 13:8 refers, not to the cessation of extraordinary gifts in the later ages of the Church, but to the end of the present life, either at death or at the coming of Christ. But it would be unfair to infer from this that Paul expected these gifts to continue till Christ comes. For, about this he says nothing; but declares only that sooner or later, to the individual and to the race, these gifts will pass away.

V. 13. Faith, hope, love-Are the sum of perfection on earth; love alone is the sum of perfection in heaven.

Verse 13. And now [in this present life] abideth faith, hope, charity] These three supply the place of that direct vision which no human embodied spirit can have; these abide or remain for the present state. Faith, by which we apprehend spiritual blessings, and walk with God. Hope, by which we view and expect eternal blessedness, and pass through things temporal so as not to lose those which are eternal. Charity or love, by which we show forth the virtues of the grace which we receive by faith in living a life of obedience to God, and of good will and usefulness to man.

But the greatest of these is charity.] Without faith it is impossible to please God; and without it, we can not partake of the grace of our Lord Jesus: without hope we could not endure, as seeing him who is invisible; nor have any adequate notion of the eternal world; nor bear up under the afflictions and difficulties of life: but great and useful and indispensably necessary as these are, yet charity or love is greater: LOVE is the fulfilling of the law; but this is never said of faith or hope.

IT may be necessary to enter more particularly into a consideration of the conclusion of this very important chapter.

1. Love is properly the image of God in the soul; for God is LOVE. By faith we receive from our Maker; by hope we expect a future and eternal good; but by love we resemble God; and by it alone are we qualified to enjoy heaven, and be one with him throughout eternity. Faith, says one, is the foundation of the Christian life, and of good works; hope rears the superstructure; but love finishes, completes, and crowns it in a blessed eternity. Faith and hope respect ourselves alone; love takes in both GOD and MAN. Faith helps, and hope sustains us; but love to God and man makes us obedient and useful. This one consideration is sufficient to show that love is greater than either faith or hope.

2. Some say love is the greatest because it remains throughout eternity, whereas faith and hope proceed only through life; hence we say that there faith is lost in sight, and hope in fruition. But does the apostle say so? Or does any man inspired by God say so? I believe not. Faith and hope will as necessarily enter into eternal glory as love will. The perfections of God are absolute in their nature, infinite in number, and eternal in their duration. However high, glorious, or sublime the soul may be in that eternal state, it will ever, in respect to God, be limited in its powers, and must be improved and expanded by the communications of the supreme Being. Hence it will have infinite glories in the nature of God to apprehend by faith, to anticipate by hope, and enjoy by love.

3. From the nature of the Divine perfections there must be infinite glories in them which must be objects of faith to disembodied spirits; because it is impossible that they should be experimentally or possessively known by any creature. Even in the heaven of heavens we shall, in reference to the infinite and eternal excellences of God, walk by faith, and not by sight. We shall credit the existence of infinite and illimitable glories in him, which, from their absolute and infinite nature, must be incommunicable. And as the very nature of the soul shows it to be capable of eternal growth and improvement; so the communications from the Deity, which are to produce this growth, and effect this improvement, must be objects of faith to the pure spirit; and, if objects of faith, consequently objects of hope; for as hope is “the expectation of future good,” it is inseparable from the nature of the soul, to know of the existence of any attainable good without making it immediately the object of desire or hope. And is it not this that shall constitute the eternal and progressive happiness of the immortal spirit; viz. knowing, from what it has received, that there is infinitely more to be received; and desiring to be put in possession of every communicable good which it knows to exist?

4. As faith goes forward to view, so hope goes forward to desire; and God continues to communicate, every communication making way for another, by preparing the soul for greater enjoyment, and this enjoyment must produce love. To say that the soul can have neither faith nor hope in a future state is to say that, as soon as it enters heaven, it is as happy as it can possibly be; and this goes to exclude all growth in the eternal state, and all progressive manifestations and communications of God; and consequently to fix a spirit, which is a composition of infinite desires, in a state of eternal sameness, in which it must be greatly changed in its constitution to find endless gratification.

5. To sum up the reasoning on this subject I think it necessary to observe,

1. That the term faith is here to be taken in the general sense of the word, for that belief which a soul has of the infinite sufficiency and goodness of God, in consequence of the discoveries he has made of himself and his designs, either by revelation, or immediately by his Spirit. Now we know that God has revealed himself not only in reference to this world, but in reference to eternity; and much of our faith is employed in things pertaining to the eternal world, and the enjoyments in that state. 2. That hope is to be taken in its common acceptation, the expectation of future good; which expectation is necessarily founded on faith, as faith is founded on knowledge. God gives a revelation which concerns both worlds, containing exceeding great and precious promises relative to both. We believe what he has said on his own veracity; and we hope to enjoy the promised blessings in both worlds, because he is faithful who has promised. 3. As the promises stand in reference to both worlds, so also must the faith and hope to which these promises stand as objects. 4. The enjoyments in the eternal world are all spiritual, and must proceed immediately from God himself. 5. God, in the plenitude of his excellences, is as incomprehensible to a glorified spirit, as he is to a spirit resident in flesh and blood. 6. Every created, intellectual nature is capable of eternal improvement. 7. If seeing God as he is be essential to the eternal happiness of beatified spirits, then the discoveries which he makes of himself must be gradual; forasmuch as it is impossible that an infinite, eternal nature can be manifested to a created and limited nature in any other way. 8. As the perfections of God are infinite, they are capable of being eternally manifested, and, after all manifestations, there must be an infinitude of perfections still to be brought to view. 9. As every soul that has any just notion of God must know that he is possessed of all possible perfections, so these perfections, being objects of knowledge, must be objects of faith.

10. Every holy spirit feels itself possessed of unlimited desires for the enjoyment of spiritual good, and faith in the infinite goodness of God necessarily implies that he will satisfy every desire he has excited. 11. The power to gratify, in the Divine Being, and the capacity to be gratified, in the immortal spirit, will necessarily excite continual desires, which desires, on the evidence of faith, will as necessarily produce hope, which is the expectation of future good. 12. All possible perfections in God are the objects of faith; and the communication of all possible blessedness, the object of hope. 13. Faith goes forward to apprehend, and hope to anticipate, as God continues to discover his unbounded glories and perfections. 14. Thus discovered and desired, their influences become communicated, love possesses them, and is excited and increased by the communication. 15. With respect to those which are communicated, faith and hope cease, and go forward to new apprehensions and anticipations, while love continues to retain and enjoy the whole. 16. Thus an eternal interest is kept up, and infinite blessings, in endless succession, apprehended, anticipated and enjoyed.

6. My opinion that faith and hope, as well as love, will continue in a future state, will no doubt appear singular to many who have generally considered the two former as necessarily terminating in this lower world; but this arises from an improper notion of the beatified state, and from inattention to the state and capacity of the soul. If it have the same faculties there which it has here, howsoever improved they may be, it must acquire its happiness from the supreme Being in the way of communication, and this communication must necessarily be gradual for the reasons already alleged; and if gradual, then there must be (if in that state we have any knowledge at all of the Divine nature) faith that such things exist, and may be communicated; desire to possess them because they are good; and hope that these good things shall be communicated.

7. I conclude, therefore, from these and a multitude of other reasonings which might be brought to bear on this subject, that faith and hope will exist in the eternal world as well as love; and that there, as well as here, it may endlessly be said, the greatest of these is love. With great propriety therefore does the apostle exhort, Follow after love, it being so essential to our comfort and happiness here, and to our beatification in the eternal world; and how necessary faith and hope are to the same end we have already seen.

I CORINTHIANS

Verse 13. And now — In the present world; abideth — In the hearts of holy persons, and influencing their lives, even all their tempers, words, and works; faith, hope, love, these three — The principal and radical saving graces, of most frequent use in the Christian life, and productive of all the others. 1st, Faith, whereby we receive as infallibly true, and infinitely important, the testimony of God, contained in his word concerning things past, present, and to come; especially all the truths of his holy gospel; whereby being penitent, and believing on Jesus with our heart unto righteousness, we are persuaded of God’s love to us in Christ, rely on his promises, and stand in awe of his threatenings; faith, elegcov ou blepomenwn, the evidence, conviction, or persuasion of things not seen; elpizomenwn upostasiv, the confidence, namely, of receiving, (so the latter word is rendered Hebrews 3:14,) or the anticipation, of things hoped for; giving them a present subsistence, as the word also signifies, in the heart. 2d, Hope, namely, of eternal life, Titus 1:2; of an incorruptible inheritance, 1 Peter 1:3; an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory, 2 Corinthians 4:17; hope, founded on our being heirs of these blessings, in consequence of our being children of God by adoption and regeneration, John 1:12, 13; Romans 8:17: hope, productive of gratitude, joy, patience, purity, and all good works: see 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 John 3:3; 1 Corinthians 15:58. 3d, Love, namely, to God and man, described in this chapter. It is justly observed by Dr. Macknight here, that “the clause, now abideth, &c., implies, that the graces spoken of are not always to abide; at least the graces of faith and hope.” For faith, by which we walk, that is, are directed and governed, while we are at home in the body and absent from the Lord, is (2 Corinthians 5:7) opposed to sight, by which we shall walk, when, being present with him, we shall see him as he is; (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 3:2;) and as it is a confidence, or persuasion, of receiving things hoped for, when those things are actually seen and received, it must cease of course. Hope, likewise, that is seen, as the apostle observes, or the hope of blessings already possessed, is not hope: therefore, when the eternal life, the heavenly inheritance, &c., which were the objects of our hope, (the true and only Christian hope,) are enjoyed by us, the hope we entertained of them can have place in us no more, its object being attained. It is, however, far otherwise with love. The objects of this grace exist in the greatest perfection in heaven, and will exist there to all eternity, in a degree of fervour and purity of which we can now form no adequate idea.

“Thus constant faith and holy hope shall die,

One lost in certainty, and one in joy:

While thou, more happy power, fair charity,

Triumphant sister, greatest of the three,

Thy office and thy nature still the same,

Lasting thy lamp, and unconsumed thy flame,

Shalt still survive;

Shalt stand before the host of heaven confess’d,

For ever blessing, and for ever blest.”

— PRIOR.

The greatest of these, therefore, is love — The greatest, because the most durable, and also for divers other reasons: as, 1st, Faith and hope are graces chiefly suited to our fallen state, and intended to raise us from our fall: love was in man in his state of innocence and perfection, and was then his chief excellence, as it now is, and ever has been, the chief excellence of angels. 2d, Faith and hope are only means of salvation: love is the end to which these means are intended to bring us. 3d, Faith and hope may be termed selfish graces; particularly the latter is such, having our own interest in view: love is generous, disinterested, noble, and carries us out beyond ourselves. 4th, Faith and hope are human: love is divine; it exists, always has existed, and ever will exist, in God himself, in whom the former graces can have no place, and is in him his highest glory.

Ver. 13. The greatest of these is charity, in regard of excellence of nature, and permanency of duration. Charity is the parent of faith and hope. Charity shall subsist when faith receives its consummation in promises, and hope in fruition of eternal glory.

13. And now—As the net result from all these premises. Abideth—In endless permanence. Faith—Not the transient charism of ver. 12, (where see note,) but the sure reliance on God that will be ever sure in heaven. Hope—That even amid the highest good looks for a still higher. We cannot remember any other passage in the Bible that indicates the existence of progress for the soul in heaven than this word in this place. These three—In view of the many passages of Paul in which the trinity is shadowed without being fully expressed, we cannot quite reject the opinion of Grotius, that Paul means a trinity of graces. Greatest… is charity— Love is not only an eternal grace, but the highest among the eternal. Faith is indeed the condition to our Christian life, but love is its completion. Faith but unlocks the door by which we enter into the blessedness of its superior, love. Other graces contribute to heaven; love constitutes heaven: for a heart of love in a world of love is heaven. If love is a happiness derived from the happiness of others, how rich must be that happiness where countless millions are as happy as the boundaries of their finite natures permit! And this love is but a continuance and enlargement of a grace here possessed. If a spark of God’s love beams now in our heart, it is of the nature of heaven. If not, then we have no true faith, no well-grounded hope, no godlike love. These three go hand in hand, and never can be separated; nor can one exist without the others.

Ver. 13. But now etc.: as contrast to 1 Corinthians 13:8b-12, as in 1 Corinthians 12:18. While prophecy etc. will pass away, faith, hope, love, remain. This is evidently equivalent to “never falls,” in 1 Corinthians 13:8; and therefore denotes continuance in the life to come. For it is a clear contrast to “will be set aside” in 1 Corinthians 13:8; which declares, as we have seen, that the partial knowledge of time will be displaced by the perfect knowledge of eternity.

Faith: assurance that God's word will come true, as a general principle. This will remain, although the special application of it in 1 Corinthians 13:2 will pass away.

Hope: that which looks forward to, and grasps before hand, things to come. Paul leaves us to test for ourselves the assertion of 1 Corinthians 13:13a. But the contrast of knowledge and prophecy enables us to do so. For it is evident that the change which will make these valueless will not set aside faith, hope, love. That our happy state will continue for ever, we shall know simply because God has promised it, i.e. by a faith similar to our present belief of the Gospel. And we shall have the joy of looking forward to a further and ceaseless and infinite development of happiness and glory. Thus, amid glory already seen and possessed there will still be further glories not yet seen, (Romans 8:24,) and matter of continued faith and hope. And mutual love, animating and binding together the many members of that glorified family, will shine through every face and breathe in a thousand ever recurring words and acts of heavenly kindness.

These three; seems to imply that these are in some sense a complete description of our abiding state. Among these three continuing gifts love stands out as greater than the others. This is implied in “but have not love,” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; and is proved by 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which surpass anything that can be said of faith or hope. The passing mention of these strengthens the contrast between love and spiritual gifts. For these last, as passing away, are evidently inferior to faith and hope; which nevertheless are inferior to love.

The argument of 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 involves the important truth that the continuity of human character is not broken either by death or judgment, any more than it is now broken by change of circumstances. For we are told explicitly that when human knowledge fades in the light of eternity even then love will abide. Now knowledge refers, not to the abstract principle, which will never pass away, but to the superiority of knowledge possessed now by an individual. And, to give force to Paul's argument, love must refer to the degree of Christian love attained here by each individual. Only thus can the permanence of love be a motive for the pursuit of it. Moreover, what is true of knowledge and prophecy is true of all other capacities for usefulness, wealth, rank, learning, eloquence, mental power. We learn, therefore that although before the gates of death we shall lay down for ever the various weapons with which God has armed us to fight for Him, we shall carry through those gates the moral character which the conflict of life has developed within us. And this gives to moral excellence an infinite superiority over the most brilliant powers for usefulness.

With love, which in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 had a place absolutely unique, are now associated, though in a subordinate place, faith and hope. Yet, though subordinate, they are here mentioned before love. Notice a similar association in Romans 5:1-5. All this suggests that faith, the entrance (Romans 5:1) into the Christian life, and hope, the immediate result (Romans 5:2) of faith, are designed to lead to love; and that the degree in which they do this is the measure of their abiding and practical worth.

That Paul says nothing about the eternal results of a right use of knowledge and prophecy, results which seem at first sight to place these gifts on a par with love, suggests that these results will be of eternal worth to us only so far as they have been an outcome of Christian love. And if so they do not in the least degree lessen the superiority of love.