Cor to Phil - Enter His Rest

whom they had been brought out of heathenish darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel. Ihave already supposed it possible that Diotrephes was one of the ringleaders in these schisms atCorinth. See Clarke on "1Co 1:14".Verse 7. For who maketh thee to differ] It is likely that the apostle is here addressing himselfto some one of those puffed up teachers, who was glorying in his gifts, and in the knowledge he hadof the Gospel, &c. As if he had said: If thou hast all that knowledge which thou professest to have,didst thou not receive it from myself or some other of my fellow helpers who first preached theGospel at Corinth? God never spoke to thee to make thee an apostle. Hast thou a particle of lightthat thou hast not received from our preaching? Why then dost thou glory, boast, and exult, as ifGod had first spoken by thee, and not by us?This is the most likely meaning of this verse; and a meaning that is suitable to the whole of thecontext. It has been applied in a more general sense by religious people, and the doctrine they buildon it is true in itself, though it does not appear to me to be any part of the apostle's meaning in thisplace. The doctrine I refer to is this: God is the foundation of all good; no man possesses any goodbut what he has derived from God. If any man possess that grace which saves him from scandalousenormities, let him consider that he has received it as a mere free gift from God's mercy. Let himnot despise his neighbour who has it not; there was a time when he himself did not possess it; anda time may come when the man whom he now affects to despise, and on whose conduct he isunmerciful and severe, may receive it, and probably may make a more evangelical use of it than heis now doing. This caution is necessary to many religious people, who imagine that they have beeneternal objects of God's favour, and that others have been eternal objects of his hate, for no reasonthat they can show for either the one, or the other. He can have little acquaintance with his ownheart, who is not aware of the possibility of pride lurking under the exclamation, Why me! whencomparing his own gracious state with the unregenerate state of another.Verse 8. Now ye] Corinthians are full of secular wisdom; now ye are rich, both in wealth andspiritual gifts; (#1Co 14:26:) ye have reigned as kings, flourishing in the enjoyment of these things,in all tranquillity and honour; without any want of us: and I would to God ye did reign, in deed, andnot in conceit only, that we also, poor, persecuted, and despised apostles, might reign withyou.-Whitby.Though this paraphrase appears natural, yet I am of opinion that the apostle here intends a strongirony; and one which, when taken in conjunction with what he had said before, must have stung themto the heart. It is not an unusual thing for many people to forget, if not despise, the men by whomthey were brought to the knowledge of the truth; and take up with others to whom, in the things ofGod, they owe nothing. Reader, is this thy case?Verse 9. God hath set forth us the apostles last] This whole passage is well explained by Dr.Whitby. "Here the apostle seems to allude to the Roman spectacles, VJLýVYPýSJTKQOCEYPõýMCKOQPQOCEKCLýCPFTQHQPQW, that of the Bestiarii and the gladiators, where in the morning men werebrought upon the theatres to fight with wild beasts, and to them was allowed armour to defendthemselves and smite the beasts that assailed them; but in the meridian or noon-day spectacles thegladiators were brought forth naked, and without any thing to defend themselves from the sword of