HOMILY XXI. 1 εἰπὼν conj. εἶσιν. 1 COR. ix. 1. Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus INASMUCH as he had been saying, If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend; a thing which he had not yet done, but professed he would do, if need require: lest any man should say, "Thou vauntest thyself at random, and art severe in discourse, and utterest words of promise, a thing easy to me or to any body; but if these sayings come from thy heart, shew by deeds something which thou hast slighted in order to avoid offending thy brother:" for this cause, I say, in what follows he is compelled to enter on the proof of this also, and to point out how he was used to forego even things permitted, that he might not give offence, although without any law to enforce his doing so. And we are not yet come to the admirable part of the matter: though it be admirable, his abstaining even from things lawful, to avoid offence: but it is his habit of doing so at the cost of so much trouble and danger. "For why," saith he, speak of the idol sacrifices? Since although Christ had enjoined that those who preach the Gospel should live at the charge of their disciples, I did not so, but chose, if need were, to end my life with famine, and die the most grievous of deaths, so I might avoid receiving of those whom I instruct." Not because they would otherwise be offended, but because his not receiving would edify them': a much greater thing a The reading here adopted is Savile's. b A slight transposition has been made here the sense seeming to require it. : St. Paul, an example of avoiding Scandal. 277 1. for him to do. And to witness this he summons themselves, 1 COR.9. among whom he was used to live in toil, and in hunger, nourished by others, and put to straits, in order not to offend them. And yet there was no ground for their taking offence, for it would but have been a law which he was fulfilling. But for all this, by a sort of supererogation1, he used to spare1 i them. ριουσίας. Now if he did more than was enacted, lest they should take offence, and abstained from permitted things to edify others; what must they deserve who abstain not from idol sacrifices? and that, when many perish thereby? a thing which even apart from all scandal one ought to shrink from, as being the Table of Devils. The sum therefore of this whole topic is this, which he works out in many verses. But we must resume it, and make a fresh entrance on what he hath alleged. For neither hath (2.) he set it down thus expressly, as I have worded it; nor doth he leap at once upon it; but begins from another topic, thus speaking; [2.] Am I not an Apostle? For besides all that hath been said, this also makes no small difference, that Paul himself is the person thus conducting himself. As thus: To prevent their alleging, " You may taste of the sacrifices, sealing yourself at the same time:" for a while he withstands not that statement, but argues, "Though it were lawful, your brethren's harm should keep you from doing so ;" and afterwards he proves that it is not even lawful. In this particular place, however, he is engaged in establishing the former point from circumstances relating to himself. And intending presently to say that he had received nothing from them, he sets it not down at once, but his own dignity is what he first affirms: Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? Thus, to hinder their saying, "True; thou didst not receive, but the reason thou didst not was its not being lawful;" he sets down therefore first the causes, why he might reasonably have received, had he been willing to do so. : Further that there might not seem to be any thing invidious in regard of Peter and such as Peter, in his saying ci. e. making the sign of the Cross: «QgayiÇovti. XXI. 278 St. Paul's modest Statement of his Claim HOMIL. these things, (for they did not use to decline receiving;) he first signifies that they had authority to receive, and then that no one might say, " Peter had authority to receive, but thou hadst not," he possesses the hearer beforehand with these high statements concerning himself. And perceiving that he must praise himself, (for that was the way to correct the Corinthians,) yet disliking to say any great thing of himself, see how he hath tempered both feelings as the occasion required: limiting his own panegyric, not by what he knew of himself, but by what the subject matter of necessity required. For he might have said, "I most of all had a right to receive, even more than they, because I laboured more abundantly than they." But this he omits, being a point wherein he surpassed them; and those points wherein they were great, and which were just grounds for their receiving, those only he sets down: as follows: 1 c.15.8. Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? i. e. "have I not authority over myself? am I under any, to overrule me, and forbid my receiving?" "But they have an advantage over you, in having been with Christ." "Nay, neither is this denied me." With a view to which he saith, Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? For last of all1, (saith he,) as unto one born out of due time, He appeared unto me also. Now this likewise was no small dignity: 2 S.Mat. since many Prophets', saith He, and righteous men have 13. 17. desired to see the things which ye see, and have not seen them: and, Days will come when ye shall desire to see one of 3S.Luke these days3. 17.22. "What then, though thou be an Apostle, and free, and hast seen Christ, if thou hast not exhibited any work of an Apostle; how then can it be right for thee to receive?" Wherefore after this he adds, Are not ye my work in the Lord? For this is the great thing; and those others avail nothing, apart from this. Even Judas himself was an Apostle, and free, and saw Christ; but because he had not the work of an Apostle, all those things profited him not. You see then why he adds this also, and calls themselves to be witnesses of it. to Support from the Corinthians. 279 Moreover, because it was a great thing which he had 1COR.9. uttered, see how he chastens it, adding, In the Lord: i. e. "the work is God's, not mine." Ver. 2. If I be not an Apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am unto you. Do you see how far he is from enlarging here without necessity? And yet he had the whole world to speak of, and barbarous nations, and sea, and land. However, he mentions none of these things, but carries his point at the first onset, and even granting more than he need. As if he had said, "Why need I dwell on things over and above, since these even alone are enough for my present purpose? I speak not, you will observe, of my achievements in other quarters, but of those which have you for witnesses. Upon which it follows, that if from no other quarter, yet from you I have a right to receive. Nevertheless, from whom I had most right to receive, even you whose teacher I was, from those I received not." If I be not an Apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. Again, he states his point as one coming to close quarters. For the whole world had him for its Apostle. "However," saith he, "I say not that, I am not contending nor disputing, but what concerns you so much, I lay down. For the seal of mine Apostleship are ye:" i. e. its proof. "Should any one, moreover, desire to learn whence I am an Apostle, you are the persons whom I bring forward: for all the signs of an Apostle have I exhibited among you, and not one have I failed in." As also he speaks in the Second Epistle, saying, 1Though I be nothing, yet the signs of an Apostle were 12 Cor. wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to the other Churches? Wherefore he saith, The seal of mine Apostleship are ye. "For I both exhibited miracles, and taught by word, and underwent dangers, and shewed forth a blameless life." And these topics you may see fully set forth by these two Epistles, how he lays before them the demonstration of each with all exactness. [3.] Ver. 3. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this. What is, Mine answer to them that do examine me is this? "To those who seek to know whereby I am proved to be an 12. 12. XXI. 280 The Apostles, a Precedent for receiving Reliej. HOMIL. Apostle, or who accuse me as receiving money, or inquire the cause of my not receiving, or would fain shew that I am not an Apostle to all such, my instruction given to you, and these things which I am about to say, may stand for a full explanation and apology." What then are these? Ver. 4, 5. Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife? Why, how are these sayings an apology? "Because, when it appears that I abstain even from things which are allowed, it cannot be just to look suspiciously on me, as on a deceiver, or one acting for gain." Wherefore, from what was before alleged, and from my having instructed you, and from this which I have now said, I have matter sufficient to make my apology to you: and all who examine me I meet upon this ground, alleging both what has gone before, and this which follows: Have we not power to eat and to drink? have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife? "Yet for all this, having it, I abstain ?" What then? did he not use to eat or to drink? It were most true to say, that in many places he really did not eat 1c.iii.11. nor drink: for 'in famine, saith he, and in thirst, and in nakedness we were abiding." Here, however, this is not his meaning; but what? "We eat not, nor drink, receiving of those whom we instruct, though we have a right so to receive." Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, even as the other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Observe his skilfulness. The leader of the choir stands last in his arrangement: since that is the time for laying down the strongest of all one's topics. Nor was it so wonderful for one to be able to point out examples of this conduct in the rest, as in the foremost champion, and in him who was entrusted with the keys of heaven. But neither does he mention Peter alone, but all of them: as if he had said, Whether you seek the inferior sort, or the more eminent, in all you find patterns of this sort drawn out for you. For the brethren too of the Lord, being freed from their 2 vid. S. first unbelief, had come to be among those who were approved, although they attained not to the Apostles. And John 7. 5. |