The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 538

EXPOSITION, CHAPTER XVL was done at home, bnt when the money was accumule.ted, it was doubtless brought to the VtJrs. 1-18.-Directions and arrange• nssembly nn<l handed over to the presbyters. ments. As God ha.th prospered him ; rather, what- Ver. 1.-Now concerning the collection soever he has been prospered in; i.e. all that for the saints. "The saints" are here the his prosperity may permit. That there be poor Christians e.t Jerusalem (Rom. xv. 26). no gatherings when I come; rather, that, The subject weighed much on St. Paul's when I came, there may then be no collections. mind. First, there we.s real need for their When he came he did not wish his attention charity. for at Je!'usalem there was as sharp to be absorbed in serving tables. a contrast between the lots of the rich and Ver. 3.-Whomsoever ye shall approve by poor as there is in London, and the " poor your letters, them will I send. It is difficult saints," being the poorest of the poor (Jas. to see why the translators rendered the ii. 5), must have often been in deep dis- clause thus, unless they disliked to face tress. Not many years before this time, in the certainty that the apostle must have the famine of Claudius, (Acts xi. 27-30), written many letters which ure no longer Queen Helena of Adie.bene had kept the extant. The true rendering is, Whomsoever paupers of Jerusalem alive by importing ye approve, these I icill send with letters. oal'goes of dried grapes and figs. Besides The letters would be letters of introduction the periodical famines, the political troubles or commendation (Acts xviii. 27; Rom. xd. of J udroa had recently increased the general 1; 2 Cor. iii. 1) to the npostles e.t Jeruso.lem. distress. Secondly, the tender heart of St. Your liberality; litere.lly, your grace or Paul we.e keenly alive to this distress. favour; i.e. the token of your voluntary Thirdly, it was tl,e only we.y in which the affection. Gentile Churches could show their gratitude Ver. 4.-lf it be meet that I go e.lso. to the mother Church. Lastly, the Apostle Unless the collection were a substantial St. Paul had solemnly promised the apo,tlcs proof of the generosity of the Gentile at Jerusalem the.t he wouhl remember the Churches, it would be hnrdly worth while poor (Gal. ii. 10). Hence he frequently (li(we) for St. Pnul to go too. With me. St. alludes to this collection (2 Cor. viii., ix.; Pnul would not take this money himself. Rom. xv. 26; Acts xxiv.17, etc.). The enthu- His "religious" enemies were many, bitter, siastic communism of the en1·liest Chl'istian nnd unscrupulolll!, and he would ~ve them society in Jerusalem had soon ceased, no possibility of II h11ndle o.gainst him. He being, 11s all experience proves. an impossible makes such urro.ng-ements e.s should plo.ce experiment under the conditions which him nbove suspicion (2 Cur. viii. 20). It regulnte nil human life, nnd it may have tumed out tho.t the subscriplion was nu t1ggmv11ted tho chronic distress. As I have ndequato one, and St. Pnul e.ccompnnied the given order; rnther, as I a,,·cmged. To the Coriuthiau deleg11tes (Rom. xv. 23; Acts Churohes of Ge.le.tie.. Not in his extant xx. 4). 'fhe thought thnt they might visit letter to the Gale.tinns, but either in a visit Jerusnlem nnd see some of the twelve would. three years beforn this time (Acts xviii. 28), uct us 11n incentive to the Corinthians. or by letter. It o.ppee.rs from 2 Oor. viii. 10 Ver. 5.-When I shall pass throngh Mace- that St, Po.ul hnd nlreo.dy o.sked for the con• donia; rather, ichen I have passed through tributions of the Curinthie.ns. "To the Co- Macedonia. For I do pass throngh M11oe- rinthians ho proposes the exnmplo of the doliie.; rather, for 1 mean to pass through Gnlatians; to the l\lacedonio.ns the example Macedonia. \Vo leo.rn from 2 Cor. i. 15, 16, Ill' the Corinthians; to the Rome.us thnt of that it hnd been St. Pcrnl's intention to sail the M11cedo11i11ns and Col'inthinns. Greo.t from Ephesus to Corinth, thence, uftcr 11 is the power of example" (Dengel). Even brief stay, to proceed to l\lncedonia, o.nd on 10 do ye, The eorist implies that they his return to come again for II longer sto.y should do it nt once. nt Corinth on his wny to Judwa. Ho hu,l Ver. 2.-Upon the fint day of the week. in 11n Epistle, now lost (see eh. v. 9), This verse Cltn hardly ho said to imply o.ny announced to them this intention. He religious observe.nee of U1e Sundny, which changed his plan becnuse, in the present rests rather on Acts xx. 7; Rev. i. 10; Johu disgmceful stnte of disorganizntion into x.x. 19, 2G. Lay by him in store. The which tho Church hnd fallen. he felt thut Greek phruse imJ>lies that the lo.ying up he could not visit them without being 550 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cH. xvr. 1-24.