I. CORINTHIANS 11, 33.34. 235

hunger. That is, they made it an ordinary meal. They thus sinned against their brethren, v. 22, and they sinned against Christ, V. 27. In the conclusion, therefore, of the whole discus- sion, he exhorts them to correct these evils ; to wait for each other, and make it a joint service ; and to satisfy their hunger at home, and come together only to commemorate the Lord's death. Mildly as this exhortation is expressed, it is enforced by the solemn warning already given, that ye come not to- gether to condemnation^ that is, so as to incur the displeasure of God. The rest loill I set in order when {ichenever ws av) I may come. There were, it seems, other irregularities of less importance than those above mentioned, which the apostle leaves to be corrected until he should again visit Corinth. The epistles of Paul abound in evidence of the plenary author- ity exercised by the apostles over the churches. The word Starao-o-o), to set hi order^ implies authoritative direction ; see 7, 17. 16, 1. Matt. 11, 1. The apostles were rendered infal- lible, as the representatives of Christ, to teach his doctrines, to organize the church and determine its form of government, and to regulate its worship. And what they ordained has binding force on the church to this day. What Paul teaches in this chapter concerning the nature and mode of celebrating the Lord's supper, has determined the views and practice of evangelical Christians in every part of the world. It is not at all wonderful, considering that the festivals of the Jews, and especially the Passover, as well as the sacrificial feasts of the Gentiles, were social repasts, and especially considering that our Lord instituted this ordinance in connection with the Paschal supper, that the early Christians should have so gener- ally combined it with a social meal ; or that this custom should have continued so long in the church. Nor is it a matter of surprise, that the social element in this combined service should so often have prevailed over the religious one. That this was to a lamentable degree the case in Corinth, is evident from this chapter; and it is probable from Jude 12, that the evil was by no means confined to Corinth. That apostle, speaking of certain sensual persons, says, " These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you without fear." Hence the unspeakable importance of the instructions and di- rections given by St. Paul, which are specially designed to separate the Lord's supper as a rehgious rite from the social element with which it was combined. The apostle urges that neither the sacrament itself, nor any feast with which it might