charge, 1 YET not I, but the Lord; 2 Let not a wife depart from HER husband:

11 But if she even depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to HER husband; and a husband MUST not put away HIS wife.1 Matt. xix. 9.

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persons may leave each other when they please; for those who have ma ried, I charge, yet not I only, but the Lord, Mark x. 12. Let not a wife depart from her husband, except for adultery.

11 However, if she even depart, let her remain unmarried: or if she cannot live chastely in a state of separation, let her be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not put away his wife; but if he puts her away, let him remain unmarried, or be reconciled to his wife.

not recorded by any of the evangelists, Acts xx. 35.-Farther, that the apostle's intention in distinguishing the Lord's commandments, from what he calls his own commandments, was not to shew us what things he spake by inspiration, and what not, I think evident from his adding certain circumstances, which prove that in delivering his own commandments he was really inspired. Thus when he says, ver. 25. Now concerning virgins I have not a commandment of the Lord, but I give my judgment as having obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful, by affirming that he had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful, he certainly meant to tell us, that in giving his judgment concerning virgins he was inspired.—So also when he gave his judgment that a widow was at liberty to marry a second time, by adding, ver. 40. She is happier if she so abide, according to my judgment. And I am certain, that even I have the Spirit of God, he plainly asserted, that he was inspired in giving that judgment or determination.-Lastly, when he called on these among the Corinthians who had the gift of discerning spirits, to declare whether or not all the doctrines and precepts which he had delivered in this his first epistle to the Corinthians, were the commandments of the Lord, he certainly, in the most express manner, asserted that he had delivered these doctrines and precepts by the inspiration of the Spirit. 1 Cor. xiv. 37. If any one is really a prophet, or a spiritual person, let him acknowledge the things which I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord.— Upon the whole, I appeal to every candid reader, whether the apostle could have said these things, if the judgment which he delivered on the different subjects in this chapter, had been a mere human or uninspired judgment, and not a judgment dictated by the Spirit of God.

Ver. 11.-1. A husband must not put away his wife. Because the obligations lying on husbands and wives are mutual and equal, the apostle, after saying to the wife, If she even depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, did not think it necessary to add in his command to the husband, If he put her away, let him remain unmarried, or be reconciled to his

wife. Yet for the sake of plainness, I have supplied this in the commentary. Ver. 12. Let him not put her away. Perhaps some of the more zealous Jewish converts, on the authority of Ezra's example, recorded Ezra x. 3. contended, that the Corinthians who before their conversion had been married to idolaters, were bound to put away their spouses if they continued in idolatry. Wherefore the sincere part of the church having consulted the apostle on that question, he ordered such marriages to be continued, if the parties were willing to abide together. But as difference in religion, often proves an occasion of family quarrels, the apostle in his second epistle advised them in contracting marriages after their conversion, by no means to marry idolaters. 2 Cor. vi. 14.

Ver. 14.1. Otherwise certainly your children were unclean. Our translators seem here to have understood the terms sanctified, unclean, and holy, in a federal sense, which indeed is the common opinion. But first, it is not true in a federal sense, that the unbelieving party in a marriage is sanctified by the believing party; for evidently no one hath any right to the blessings of the gospel covenant, by the faith of those to whom they are married. In the second place, it is as little true, that the children procreated between believing and unbelieving parents, become unclean by the separation of their parents, and clean, by their continuing together, as the apostle asserts, if by unclean we understand exclusion from the covenant, and by clean, admission into it. For the title which children have to be members of the covenant, depends not on their parents living together, but on the faith of the believing parent. I therefore think with Elsner, that the words in this verse have

12 But the rest (ya λEyw, 55.) I command, not the Lord, If any brother have an infidel wife, (xa auτn, 219,65.) who herself is well pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.1

13 And a woman who hath an infidel husband, (xas) who himself is well pleased to dwell with her, let her not put him away.

14 For the infidel husband is sanctified (ev, 163.) to the wife, and the infidel wife is sanctified to the husband; otherwise, certainly, your children were unclean; whereas, indeed, they are holy.

12 But the rest who are married to infidels, I command, not the Lord, (See ver. 10. note 2.) who, during his ministry, gave no commandment concerning the matter, If any Christian have an infidel wife, who herself is willing to dwell with him, let him not put her away, on account of her being of a different religion from him.

13 And a Christian woman, who hath an infidel husband, whether he be a Jew or a Gentile, who himself is willing to dwell with her, let her not put him arvay: neither let her maliciously desert him.

14 For the infidel husband is sanctified, is fitted to remain married to the believing wife, by his affection for her; and the infidel wife is sanctified, to the believing husband, by her affection for him, otherwise certainly your children would be neglected by you as unclean : whereas, indeed, they are clean; they are the objects of your affection and care.

neither a federal nor a moral meaning, but are used in the idiom of the Hebrews, who by sanctified, understood what was fitted for a particular use; (see Ess. iv. 53.) and by unclean, what was unfit for use, (Ess. iv. 38.) and therefore to be cast away. In that sense, the apostle speaking of meat says, 1 Tim. iv. 5. It is sanctified (fitted for your use) by the word of God and prayer.—ver. 4. Every creature of God fit for food is good, and nothing fit for food is to be cast away as unclean. The terms in the verse thus understood, afford a rational meaning; namely, that when infidels are married to Christians, if they have a strong affection for their Christian spouses, they are thereby sanctified to them, they are fitted to continue married to them; because their affection to the Christian party, will insure to that party the faithful performance of every duty; and that if the marriages of infidels and Christians were to be dissolved, they would cast away their children as unclean, that is, losing their affection for them, they would expose them after the barbarous custom of the Greeks, or at least neglect their education : But that by continuing their marriages, their children are boly, they are preserved as sacred pledges of their mutual love, and educated with care. 14

VOL. II.

15 But if the unbeliev

15 Ει δε ὁ απιςος χωρίζε

ing depart, let him depart. ται, χωρίζεσθω

A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called

us to peace.

16 For what knowest thou, Ο wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

17 But as God hath dis

tributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every

one, so let him walk : and so ordain I in all churches.

18 Is any man called being circumcised? let

him not become uncir

ου δεδουλω ται ὁ αδελφος η η αδελφη εν τοις τοιουτοις εν δε ειρηνη κεκληκεν ἡμας ὁ Θεός.

16 Τι γαρ οιδας, γυναι, ει τον ανδρα σωσεις; Η τι οιδας, ανερ, ει την γυναίκα σεις ;

σω

Ver. 15.1. The brother or the sister, ο δεδηλωται εν τοις τοικτοις, is not in bondage with such. The apostle had declared, ver. 11. that the married party, who maliciously deserted the other, was not at liberty to marry during the other's life. Here he declares that the party who was willing to continue the marriage, but who was deserted notwithstanding a reconciliation had been attempted, was at liberty to marry. And his decision is just, because there is no reason why the innocent party, through the fault of the guilty party, should be exposed to the danger of committing adultery.

Ver. 16.-1. Save thy busband? The word save, signifies to convert to the belief and profession of the gospel. Thus Rom. xi. 26. And so all Israel shall be saved. See 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2. where the same argument is used to persuade wives to do their duty.

Ver. 17. 1. But as God, &c. Here ει μη, stands for αλλά. See Ess. iv. 36. Le Clerc supposing an ellipsis here, supplies it thus : • I have nothing further to add on this subject, except, that as God bath distributed, &c. Some join us to the end of the foregoing verse thus: Whether thou shalt save thy wife, ει μη, or not ? Consequently, ver. 17. will begin as verses 20. 24. with the word ekas. But if this were the construction, the words would have been ή μη, which Erasmus says is the reading in some copies.

2. As the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. By declaring here, and ver. 20. 24. that men were bound after their conversion, to continue under all the moral and just political obligations, which lay on them before their conversion, the apostle condemned the error of the Judaizers, who taught that by embracing the true religion, all the former obligations, under

15 But if the infidel depart, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not in bondage (v, 162.) with such; but God hath called us (8, 163.) to peace. (See ver. 12, 13.)

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16 (Tiyag, 302.) For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save 1 THY husband? And how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save THY wife?

17 But as God hath distributed to every one, AND as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk; and so in all the churches, I ordain.

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15 But if the infidel party, offended at the other for becoming a Christian, depart, let him depart: the Christian brother or the sister, thus maliciously deserted, is not in the bondage of matrimony with such persons. But I do not speak of the believing parties departing, because God hath commanded us to live in peace with our infidel spouses.

16 Continue with your infidel spouses, who are willing to dwell with you, for how knowest thou, O Christian wife, whether thou shalt convert thy husband? (See 1 Pet. iii. 1.) And how knowest thou, O Christian husband, whether thou shalt convert thy wife, if thou continue with her?

17 But though this should not be the case, yet as God hath distributed to every one his lot, and in the state wherein the Lord Christ hath called every one, so let him continue, fulfilling the duties thereof, unless he can change his condition lawfully. And so in all the churches I ordain. See the illustration.

18 Hath any circumcised 18 To apply this rule: Hath any one been called? let him circumcised person, who is under the not be uncircumcised. law of Moses as the municipal law Hath any one been called of Judea, been called? Let him not in uncircumcision? let be uncircumcised, by renouncing that

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which the convert lay, were dissolved. The gospel, instead of weakening any moral or just political obligation, strengthens them all.

Ver. 18.-1. Let him not be uncircumcised. M» 71072o9w, literally ne attrabat, scil. præputium. This Symmachus tells us the Jews did, who went over to the Samaritans. And Celsus the physician, lib. vii. cap. 25. shews how it might be done. By recovering their foreskins, the apostate Jews fancied they freed themselves from their obligation to obey the law of Moses. 1 Maccab. i. 15.

2. Let him not be circumcised. The Judaizing teachers, urged the Gentile converts, to receive circumcision as necessary to salvation. This the apostle declared to be a renouncing of the gospel, Gal. v. 2, 3.