1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12:1

NOW concerning spirituall gifts] Here he entereth into a rproofe of the Corinthains for their abusE of spirituall gifts, For they that excelled in them, brag’d ambitiously of them, and so rob’d God of the praise of his gifts, and having no consideration of their brethrens benefit, used them to van ostentation, and so rob’d the Church of the use of those gifts. On the other sle, the inferiour sort envied the better, and went about to ame a departure from them, and rent in the Church: so that all that body was as it were scattered and torne in pieces. So then he going about to remedy this abuse, willeth them first to consider diligntly that they have not these gifts of themselves, but from the free grace and liberalitie of God, to whose glory they ought to referre them. Of this he would not have them ignorant to what purpose those gifts were given unto them.

1 Corinthians 12:2

ye were Gentiles] Gr. Tec. when ye.

carried away] Gr. ye were carried.

dumbe dols] Though the devill sometimes spake in and by the idol, yet the diols themselves, as the Prophet David truly affirmeth of them, Psalms 115:5. had mouthes and spake not; the work-men who made the mouthes, could not give them speech. This therefore is spoken by way of aggravation, to shew what an absurd thing idolatry is, which as Lactantius observeth, so besotteth men, ut adorent insensibilia qui sentiunt, irrationalia qui sapiunt, &c. That reasonable men worship unreasonable creatures, sensible men adore senselesse stocks, they who can speake, call upon dumb image and pictures.

1 Corinthians 12:3

calleth Jesus accursed] Gr. Tec. saith Jesus is. Or, anathema. Or, make an anathema, or, count him as an execrable thing, Esa. 30. 22. To curse hm in whom all the kindreds of the earth are blessed, can proceed from no other then from the accursed and damned spirit the devill himself. In this speech the Apostle either brandeth the priests and false prophets of the Gentiles, or the Jews who pretended to the gifts of the Spirit, and by forcery, and witchraft uttered strang eprophesies, and did seeming wonders, yet both joyned in cursing Christ, as the blasphemous Jews do at this day.

Jesus is the Lord, but &c.] By the Lord, either the Apostle meaneth Jehovah the essentiall name of God, which the Seventie in the translation of the Old Testament expresse by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the word here used: or the Lord who hath bought and redeemed us. And most true it is, that no man out of sincere affection and true faith can professe that Christ is the Lord in either of these senses, but by the instinct of the holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 12:4

There are diversitics of gifts] See Romans 12:4. &C. The gifts are diverse, as the offices and functions in the Church are diverse: yet one and the self same Spirit of God, is the giver of all those gifts, and that to one end, to wit, for the profit of all.

1 Corinthians 12:5

administrations] Or, ministeries.

1 Corinthians 12:6

diversities of operations] By operations here, he meaneth miraculous works, in which the Spirit of God manifested his divine power.

1 Corinthians 12:8

the word of wisdome] Wisdome is a most excellent gift, very requisite not only for them which teach, but also for them that exhort and comfort.

by the same Spirit] Gr. according to the same.

1 Corinthians 12:9

To another faith by the same Spirit] By faith he meaneth not here the common faith of all Christians, but a speciall faith given to some, whereby they wrought miracles, of which the Apostle speaketh, Chapter 13. If I had all faith; so that I could remove mountains

1 Corinthians 12:10

the working of miracles] The gift of healing spoken of in the former verse was miraculous, but here by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Apostle meaneth, the greater workings of Gods mightie power, which passed and excelled among his miracles: as the delivery of the people of Israel by the hand of Moses, and that which he did by Elias against the priests of Baal, in sending down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, and licking up all the water, and that which he did by Peter in the matter of Ananias and Saphira, and such like.

1 Corinthians 12:11

But] Or, And.

1 Corinthians 12:12

so also is Christ] One body having many members, which thought they are very diverse, and have different offces and operations, yet they allmake but one body, not naturall, but spirituall, not politique, but mysticall.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body] Or, in one. By the two Sacraments of the Christian Church, he proveth the union of the faithfull in one and the same mysticall body, by the vertue of the holy Spirit, who alone doth ratifie both the one and the other Sacrament; by Baprisme to unite them to Christ, and all of them together in Christ: by the holy communion, to animate and move that whole body, and to operate in all the members thereof, by diverse gifts and operatons, to one and the same end, and for the common good and benefit of all. All the faithfull, as members of the self same body, have the same means of common generation by Baptisme, and nutrition by the holy Spirit, They are baptized into one body, that is, by Baptisme and the spirituall efficacie thereof, we are mcorporated into one body, the body, of Christ, and we are made to drinke into one Spirit that is, by one quicking drinke of the Lords blood, we are made partakers of his Spirit, And here though he mention but one signe in the Lords Supper, to wit, wine in the cup, yet we are to understand the other sign of the bread also: but if seemeth, that he useth this of the wine especially, in regard of the Spirit; because in the nourishment of our bodies, the wine or drinke, is that part of our aliment which doth most breed and revive the spirits.

Gentiles] Go. Greeks.

and have been all] Gr. Tec. and are all one body.

1 Corinthians 12:15

f the foot shall say] Now he buildeth his doctrine upon the foundation, which he hath laid, and first of all he speaketh unto them which would have separated themselves from those whom they envied, because they had not such excellent gifts as they: this is all one, saith he, as if the foot should say, that it were not of the body, because it is not the haud; or the eare that it is not of the body, because it is not the eye, therefore all parts oought rather to defend the unitie of the body, being coupled together to serve one the other.

1 Corinthians 12:17

If the whole body were an eye] Again, speaking to the same men, who wee discontented at the meannesse of their gifts in comparison of others, he sheweth them, that if that should come to passe which they desired, to wit, that all should be equall one to another, there would follow a destruction of the whole body, and consequently of themselves. For it could not be a body, unlesse it were made of many members knit together, and diverse one from the other. And other. And that no man might finde fault with this division as unequall, he addeth, that God himself hath coupled all these together, therefore all must remaine coupled together, that the body may remain in safetie.

1 Corinthians 12:19

workers] Or, powers.

1 Corinthians 12:21

And the eye cannot say unto the hand &c.] Now on the other side, he speaketh unto them who were endued with more excellent gifts, willing them not to despise the inferiours as unprositable, nor as though they served for no use. For God, saith he, hath in such sort tempered this inequalitie, that the more excellent and beautifull members, can in no wise lack the more abject and such as we are ashamed of, and that they should have more care to see unto them and cover them, that by this means the necessitie which is on both parts, might keep the whole body in peace and concord; that although if each member he considered apart, they are of diverse degrees and conditions, yet because they are joyned together, they have a communitie both in commodities and discommodities.

1 Corinthians 12:22

seeme to be more feeble] Of the smallest and vilest Offices, who had least power, and therefore least accounted of among the rest.

1 Corinthians 12:23

bestow] Or, put on.

1 Corinthians 12:25

schisme] Or, division,

that the members should have the same care one for another] Should bestow their operations and offices to the preservation of the whole body.

1 Corinthians 12:27

and members in particular] Or, particularly. or, in part. In the Originall word for word it is members of a part, that is, members of this Church of Corinth. which is but a part of the Catholike Christian Church: fo all the faithfull wheresoever they are make the whole body: you Corinthians are not the whole body: but members onely, neither all the members, but a part onely of them. Or, each one for his part, and in his place,

1 Corinthians 12:28

God hath set some, &c.] See Ephesians 4:11.

first apostles] The first and uppermost place is given to the Apostles, for that they were called unto that Office immediately by Christ without any intermediate humane authoritie; Galatians 1:1. they had manifold preheminenies above other Doctors and Pastours, they could not erre in matter of doctrine, their Commission was generall to preach to all Nations; they were endued with speciall power to work miracles, and punish the disobedient in an extraordinary manner.

secondarily prophets] Those who by a speciall and extraordinary gift interpreted propheticall Scriptures to edification, exhortation, and consolation, 1 Corinthians 14:3. Or those who foretold infallibly things to come, as Agabus, Acts 21:10. and the daughters of Philip the Evangelist, Acts 21:9. If it be objected that the Law and the Prophets were but untill John; the answer is easie, tha tChrist there speaketh of such Propherts who foretold his coming in the flesh.

thirdiy teachers] That is, those which were ordinarily and orderly called to expound the Seriptures for the edification of the Church, and to maintain th truth against false teachers, Ephesians 4:11.

after that miracles] As we call those Justices which are to execute justice, so the Apostle calleth here miracles those who had power to work miracles, both in curing diseases that were simply incurable by naturall means, and in inflicting miraculously fearfull punisHments upon those who opposed the truth and lyed to the holy Spirit, as Paul inflicted upon Elymas the Sorcerer, and Peter upon Ananias and Saphira.

then the gifts of healings] The gift of healing mmay be distinguished from the gift of miracles mentioned before in this, that those who had the gift of healing onely could do no other miracles, but the other of whom the Apostle spake before, wrought many other miracles, and they not onely coured incurable diseases, but raised also the dead, whereas these onely cured diseases, and for the most part such as were ordinarie, yet they cured them not by ordinarie means or medicines, but onely with a word or a touch, or the like.

helps] Assistants to the principall officers of the Church, as Deacons, who took care of the poore sick strangers and orphans, and widowes, &c.

diversities of tongues] Or, kinds. Because the Corinthians were proud of this gift, to take down their crest, and abate their high conceit of themselves, in regard of this gift of the Spirit, it seemeth that he nameth it in the last place, it being as they used the matter of least Use in the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:31

But covet earnestly the, &c.] He teacheth them that are ambitious a holy ambition to strive for the best gifts, and such as are most profitable in the Church, especially to contend to excell one another inlove, which farre supasseth all other gifts, as he proverth in the ensuing Chapter, and in that regard calleth it a more excellent way.