fall asleep in Christ is to die in faith, or in communion with Christ for salvation. See 1 Thess. 4, 14. Rev. 14, 13. Are perished ; rather, they perished. 'They perished when they died.' Perdition, according to Scripture, is not annihilation, but everlasting misery and sin. It is the loss of holiness and happiness for ever. If Christ did not rise for the justification of those who died in him, they found no advocate at the bar of God ; and have incurred the fate of those who perish in their sins. Rather than admit such conclusions as these, the Corinthians might well allow philosophers to say what they pleased about the impossibility of a resurrection. It was enough for them that Christ had risen, whether they could understand how it can be that the dead should rise, or not.
19. If in this life onl^ we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Not only the future, but even the present is lost, if Christ be not risen. Not only did the departed sink into perdition when they died, but we, who are alive, are more miserable than other men. This is the last conclusion which the apostle draws from the denial of the resurrection. If in this life only, the word /xovoi/, only^ admits of a threefold connection. Al- though it stands at the end of the clause it may be connected, as in our translation, with the words " in this life." ' If in this i life only.' That is, if all the good we expect from Christ is to \ be enjoyed in this life, we are more miserable than other men. We are constantly exposed to all manner of persecutions and sufferings, while they are at their ease. 2. It may be connect- ed with the word Christ. This is a very natural construction, according to the position of the words in the common text, for (cj/ Xpto-Tw /Aovoi/), in Christ only^ stand together. The sense would then be, ' If we have set all our hopes on Christ, and he fails us, we are of all men most miserable.' This, however, supposes the important clause, on which every thing depends (if he fails us), to be omitted. It also leaves the words in this life without importance. 3. Recent editors, following the older manuscripts, place ev Xpwrrw before the verb, and make /xovov qualify the whole clause. ' If we have only hoped in Christ, and there is to be no fulfilling of our hopes, we are more miserable than others.' Or, ' If we are only such (nothing more than such) who in life, and not in death, have hope in Christ,' &c. The apposition between the