The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 227

the prophesied " woes of the Messiah" river of earthly gifts, but drink them (Mntt. xxiv. 3, etc.). For a man; rather,for sparingly, and as it were with the palm or a perfon-whether man orwomnn. Soto be; the hand. The fashion of this world paeseth that is, "unmarried." The words are not away. So St. John so.ye, "'l'he worl,l improbably a quotation from the Corinthian pnsseth away, and the lust thereof" (l letter. Otherwise we might explain the John i. 18). It is but as the shifting scene "so" to mean "as he is-whether married vr ~f a theatre, or as a melting vapour (Jas. unn1nrried." IV. 14). Ver. 2i.-Seek not a wife. It is entirely Ver. 32.-But I would have you without alien from St. Paul's purpose to take this as oaret'ulnese. In these words he reverts to• an abstract or universal rule. He gives his ver. 28, after the digression about the reasons for it as a temporary necessity. transiency of earthly relations. If they were- Ver. 28.-But and if thou marry, thou hast "overcharged . . . with cares of this life," the- not sinned. This advice merely touches on day of the Lord might easily "come upon the question of expediency, not on questions them unawares" (Luke xxi. 34). of absolute right and wrong. Such. Those Ver. 33.-Careth for the things that are or who marry. Trouble in the 1lesh. Their the world. St. Paul's language must not. marriage will in these days necessarily be extravagantly pressed. It only applies involve much trouble and discomfort. Com- absolutely to times in which the conditions mon experience shows that in days of are the same as thev then wwe. 'fhe "troubh, aud rebuke and blasphemy " the "anxious cares" which n:io.rriageinvolves may cares and anxieties of those who have to be more innocent and lees distracting than bear the burden of many besides themselves, those which attack the celibate condition; and those dearer to them than their own and when that is the case, marriage, on St. selves, are far the most trying. Perhaps St. Paul's own principle, becomes a duty. Thus Paul was thinking of the" Woe unto them some of the beet and greatest of our mis- that are with child, and to them that give sionaries have found their usefulness as God's suck in those days," of our Lord (Luke xxi. messengers vastly increased by marriage, in 23). But I spare you. I desire to spare you spite of the awful trials which marriage often from adding to the inevitable distress which involves. The apostles and brethren of the will fall upon you in " the great tribulation" Lord felt the same. St. Paul's opinions here -" the travail-throes of the Messiah," which are, as he tells us, opinion• only, and admit we all expect. of many modifications. Advice given to Ver. 29.-But this I say. I will not dwell men and women when Christians believed. on those coming trials, but will only remind that the Lord was coming, perhaps in that. you that they are imminent, and that when very age, to judge the world, is not univer• they come all earthly distinctions will sally applicable to all nges. In St. Paul's rnuish into insignifiance. The time is later Epistles he does not revert to this short; literally, the Beason has been contracted; ad vice, but assumes that marriage is the • in other words, "The end of all things is at normal condition. hand" (1 Pet. iv. 7). The word eunest- Ver. 34.-There is differenoe also, etc. almenos cannot mean "diBastrous." The The reading, punctuation, and exact sense verb is used for "folding up" in Acts v. 6: are surrounded with uncertainty, which does "Tempue in collecto eat" (Tertullian). It not, however, affect the general meaning. remaineth, that. The reading and punctua- This is probably giveu correctly in ou1· tion are here uncertain. The best reading English Version. He implies that the seems to be " The time bas been shortened married woman must of necessity be more of henceforth, in order that," etc. The very a Mo.1·tha than o. Mary. Nevertheless, two• object of the hastened end is that Christians things are certain: (1) that God intended should sit loose to earthly interests. As marriage to be the normal lot: and (2) that though they had none. They would thus be marriage is by no means incompatible with nearer to the condition of the "angels in the most absolute saintliness. It is probable heaven." that most, if not all, of the apostles were Ver. 30.-They that weep, etc. Earthly married men (eh. ix. 5). The spirit of St. sorrow and joy and wealth are things Paul's advice-the avoidance of distraction. which are merely transient and unreal when and the determination thni our duty tci God compared with the awful. eternal, permanent shall not be impaired by earthly relationships realities which we shall all soon have to -remo.in8 eternally ei~nificant. Another face. common way of punctuating the words is, Ver. 31.-As no'. ab11Bi.ng it; rather, as not "The manicd man cares ... how he may u,in_q it to thefiill-nut draining dry the cup please hie wife, and is divided [in interests]." of rnrthly advantages (comp. eh. ix. 18). Ver. 35.-For your own profit, My Like Gi<leon's true heroes, we must not fling advice turns simply on questions of expe- our,elrns down to drink greedily of the dience. Not tha.t I may oa.st a s11are upon . <JH, vu. 1-40.J THE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'0 THE CORINTHIANS. 229