25 Because the foolish

25 Ότι το μωρον του Θεου,

ness of God is wiser than σοφώτερον των ανθρώπων εςι

men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,

not many noble, are called. 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the

world, to confound the things which are mighty;

και το ασθενες του Θεου, ισο χυρότερον των ανθρωπων εςι.

26 Βλεπετε γαρ την κλησιν ύμων, αδελφοι, ότι ου πολλοι σοφοι κατα σαρκα, ου πολλοι δυνατοι, ου πολλοι ευγενεις

27 Αλλα τα μωρα του κοσμου εξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, ἵνα τους σοφους καταισχυνη και τα ασθενη του κοσμου εξελε ξατο ὁ Θεος, ἵνα ó iva καταισχύνη

τα ισχυρα

Son of God, whose coming into the world they foretold, the Christian preachers, by applying it to their master, declared him to be the Son of God. Of this use of the name Christ, the following are examples, John x. 24. How long dost thou make us to doubt ? If thou be the Christ tell us plainly. John xi. 27. I believe thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come.

Ver. 26. 1-Call you. These words I have supplied from the first clause of the verse Our translators have supplied the words, are called, which convey a sentiment neither true nor suitable to the apostle's design. It is not true for even in Judea among the chief rulers, many believed on him, John xii. 42. particularly Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Othe Jews likewise of rank and learning were called; such as the nobleman, whose sick son Jesus cured, John iv. 53. and Manaen, Herod's foster-brother, and Cornelius, and Gamaliel, and that great company of priests mentioned, Acts vi. 7. Who were obedient to the faith. At Ephesus, many who used the arts of magic and divination were called, and who were men of learning, as appears from the number and value of their books which they burned after embracing the gospel, Acts xix. 19. And in such numerous churches as those of Antioch, Thessalonica, Corinth and Rome, it can hardly be doubted that there were disciples in the higher ranks of life. There were brethren even in the emperor's family, Philip. iv. 22. In short the precepts in the epistles, to masters to treat their slaves with humanity, and to women concerning their not adorning themselves with gold and silver and costly raiment, shew that many wealthy persons had embraced the gospel-On the other hand, though it were true, That not many wise men, &c were called, it did not suit the apostle's argument to mention it here. For surely God's not calling many of the wise, &c. joined with his calling the foolish ones of the world to believe, did not put to shame the wise and strong, &c. Whereas, if the discourse is understood of the preachers of the gospel, who

25 Therefore, the foolishness of God, the method chosen by God, which men reckon foolishness, is wiser, as being more effectual, than any method devised by men; and the weak instruments employed by God, are stronger than those thought strong by men.

26 (Tag) For ye see the calling of you, brethren, that not many persons remarkable for human literature, not many mighty by their offices, not many eminent for their noble birth, are chosen to call you into the fellowship of the gospel, ver. 9.

27 But the illiterate ones of the world, God hath chosen to call you, that he might put to shame the learned; and the weak ones of the world, persons possessed of no worldly power, God hath chosen to call you, that he might put to shame those, who, by their rank and office, were strong ones, persons who, by their authority and example, might have successfully reformed others.

were employed to convert the world, all is clear and pertinent. God chose not the learned, the mighty, and the noble ones of this world to preach the gospel, but illiterate and weak men, and men of low birth : and by making them successful in reforming mankind, he put to shame the legislators, statesmen, and philosophers among the heathens, and the learned scribes and doctors among the Jews, who never had done any thing to the purpose in that matter.

Ver. 27.-1. But, тa μæрa, sup. πpoσawa, the foolish ones of the world. In this passage, the apostle imitated the contemptuous language in which the Greek philosophers affected to speak of the Christian preachers. Yet as he does it in irony, he thereby aggrandized them. The first preachers of the gospel, as Dr. Newton observes on Prophecy, vol. 1. p. 237. "Were chiefly a few poor fishermen, of low parentage and education, of no learn"ing or eloquence, of no reputation or authority, despised as Jews by the "rest of mankind, and by the Jews as the meanest and worst of themselves. "What improper instruments were these to contend with the prejudices of "the world, the superstition of the people, the interests of the priests, the

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are :

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,

and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption :

31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

28 Και τα αγενη του κοσμου και τα εξουθενημενα εξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, και τα μη οντα, ἵνα τα οντα καταργηση

29 Όπως μη καυχήσηται πασα σαρξ ενώπιον αυτου

30 Εξ αυτου δε ύμεις εςε εν Χριςῳ Ιησου, ὃς εγενήθη ήμιν σοφια απο Θεου, δικαιοσυνη τε και ἁγιασμος και απολύτρωσις·

31 Ινα, καθώς γεγραπται· Ὁ καυχωμενος, εν Κυρίῳ καυ χασθω.

• vanity of the philosophers, the pride of the rulers, the malice of the Jews, « the learning of the Greeks, and the power of Rome !” But the weaker the instruments who converted the world, the greater was the display of the power of God by which they acted. See 2 Cor. iv. 7. notes.

Ver. 281. Those who are not, are dead persons. Matth. ii. 18. Rachel weeping for her children, because they are not; because they are dead. Now in the eastern phrase, dead ones are those who, in comparison of others, are to the purposes for which they are chosen, as unfit as if they were dead.

Ver. 30.—1. Wisdom from God, is that scheme of religion, which the wis. dom of God hath contrived for the salvation of the world. See chap. ii. 6. note 1. chap. xii. 8. note 1.

2. Righteousness also ; that is, the author of the righteousness of faith. For it is on his account, that God counts men's faith for righteousness.

28 And persons of low birth in the vorld, and despised persons, God hath chosen to call you, and persons who, in the opinion of the scribes and philosophers, were no persons, persons utterly unfit for the work, that he might bring to nought the boasting of those who thought themselves the only persons proper for such an undertaking:

29 That no man might boast in his presence, either as having contrived the gospel, or as having by his own power brought any one to receive it.

30 It is owing to God, therefore, and not to the ability of us preachers, that ye are believers in Christ Jesus, who is become to us the author of the gospel, which is wisdom from God, a wisdom better than any scheme of philosophy; the author of righteousness also, and sanctification, and redemption, blessings not to be obtained by philosophy.

31 So that, as it is written, he who boasteth, on account of his being a christian, let him boast, not in the preachers who converted him, but in the Lord who hath brought him into his church.

3. And sanctification: Not an external and relative, but a real internal sanctification. See Ephes. iv. 24.

4. And redemption; namely, from death the punishment of sin, by a glorious resurrection. This is called, The redemption of our body, Rom. viii. 23.

CHAPTER II.

View and Illustration of the Reasonings in this Chapter. BECAUSE the learned Greeks had objected to the gospel, the foolishness (as they were pleased to call it) of its doctrines, and the weakness of its preachers, the apostle made answer in the foregoing chapter, that by these foolish doctrines and weak preachers, a reformation had been wrought in the minds and manners of multitudes, which the boasted philosophy of the Greeks, and the eloquence of their orators, had not been able to accomplish. But this being a matter of great importance, and the faction having upbraided Paul in particular, with his want of eloquence, he now proceeded in this chapter, to tell the Corinthians, that Christ having sent him to preach, not with the wisdom of speech, (See chap. i. 17.) he acted agreeably to his commission, when he came to them, not with the excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring the testimony of God, ver. 1.— By thus disclaiming the Grecian philosophy and rhetoric, and by calling the gospel the testimony of God, the apostle insinuated, that the credibility of the gospel depended neither on its conformity to the philosophy of the Greeks, nor on the eloquence of its preachers, but on the attestation of God, who confirmed it by miracles. And therefore, however ridiculous it might appear in their eyes, he determined to make known nothing among the Corinthians, either in his private conversations, or in his public discourses, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified for the sins of men, ver. 2.-At the same time, knowing the opinion which the learned Greeks would form of that doctrine in particular, as well as that his discourses were neither composed nor pronounced according to the rules of the Grecian rhetoric, his first addresses to them were in weakness, and in fear, and with much trembling, ver. 3.-Yet they were accompanied with the powerful demonstration of the Spirit, who enabled him to prove the things which he preached, by miracles, ver. 4.-that the faith of mankind might be founded, not in the wisdom of men, that method of reasoning and speaking, which human wisdom dictates as best calculated to persuade, but in the power of God, ver. 5.

However, lest the things which are said in the preceding chapter, concerning the foolishness of the doctrines of the gospel, and in this chapter concerning its having no relation to any of the schemes of the Greek philosophy, might have led the Corinthians to think meanly of it; the apostle told them, that in the gospel, he and his brethren made known a scheme of doc