The collection was to be made every Lord's day ; eveiy one was to contribute ; and the contributions were to be in proportion to the means of the giver. These are the three principles which the apostle had established among the churches of Galatia, and which he urged the Corinthians to adopt. Upon the first day of the week^ Hterally, upon one of the Sabbath, according to the Jewish method of designating the days of the week. The Hebrew word, sabbath [rest), is used not only in the singular, but also in the plural form, both for the seventh day, and for the whole week, Luke 18, 12. That the first day of the week was, by divine appointment, made the sacred day for Christians, maybe inferred, 1. From the distinction put upon that day by our Lord himself, John 20, 19. 26. 2. From the greatness of the event which its ob- servance was intended to commemorate. The sanctification of the seventh day of the week was intended to keep in mind the great truth of the creation of the world, on which the whole system of revealed religion was founded ; and as Chris- tianity is founded on the resurrection of Christ, the day on which Christ rose became for that reason the Christian Sab- bath. 3. From its being called by the apostle John the Lord's day, i. e. the day set apart for the service of the Lord, Rev. 1, 10. 4. From the evidence that it was from the beginning the day on which Christians assembled for worship. Acts 20, 7. 5. From the uniform practice of the whole church, which practice, having the clear evidence of apostolic sanction, is authoritative.
Xet every one of you. It was an important feature of these apostolic arrangements, that the contributions were not to be confined to any one class of the people. The same amount might perhaps have been raised from the rich few. But this would not have answered one important end which the apostle had in view. It was the religious effect which these gifts were to produce in promoting Christian fellowship, in evinciug the truth and power of the gospel, and in calling forth grati- tude and praise to God, even more than the relief of the tem- poral necessities of the poor, that Paul desired to see accom- phshed, 2 Cor. 9, 12-14. Every one was to lay by himself i. e. most modern commentators say, at home. Trap' iavrw. Com- pare Trpos iavTov, in Luke 24, 12 ; see also John 20, 10. The direction then is that every one should, on the first day of the week, lay aside at home whatever he was able to give, thus treasuring up his contribution. To this interpretation it may