1 Corinthians, Chapter 11, verses 31-34
25 Lastly, he calleth them to the first institution thereof1 Corinthians, Chapter 12, verses 1-6
1 Spiritual gifts, 4 are diverseMatthew, Chapter 18, verses 1-11
1 Christ warneth his disciples to be humble and harmless, 7 to avoid offences, and not to despise the little ones18
18:1 Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? - Which of us shall be thy prime minister? They still dreamed of a temporal kingdom.
18:2 And Jesus calling to him a little child - This is supposed to have been the great Ignatius, whom Trajan, the wise, the good Emperor Trajan, condemned to be cast to the wild beasts at Rome! Mar 9:36; Luk 9:47.
18:3 Except ye be converted - The first step toward entering into the kingdom of grace, is to become as little children: lowly in heart, knowing yourselves utterly ignorant and helpless, and hanging wholly on your Father who is in heaven, for a supply of all your wants. We may farther assert, (though it is doubtful whether this text implies so much,) except ye be turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God:, except ye be entirely, inwardly changed, renewed in the image of God, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of glory. Thus must every man be converted in this life, or he can never enter into life eternal.Ye shall in no wise enter - So far from being great in it. Mat 19:14.
18:5 And all who are in this sense little children are unspeakably dear to me. Therefore help them all you can, as if it were myself in person, and see that ye offend them not; that is, that ye turn them not out of the right way, neither hinder them in it. Mat 10:40; Luk 10:16; Joh 13:20.
18:6 See note ... Mat 18:5. Mar 9:42; Luk 17:1.
18:7 Wo to the world because of offences - That is, unspeakable misery will be in the world through them; for it must needs be that offences come - Such is the nature of things, and such the weakness, folly, and wickedness of mankind, that it cannot be but they will come; but wo to that man - That is, miserable is that man, by whom the offence cometh. Offences are, all things whereby any one is turned out of, or hindered in the way of God.
18:8 If thy hand, foot, eye, cause thee to offend - If the most dear enjoyment, the most beloved and useful person, turn thee out of, or hinder thee in the way Is not this a hard saying?Yes; if thou take counsel with flesh and blood. Mat 5:29; Mar 9:43.
18:9 See note ... Mat 18:8.
18:10 See that ye despise not one of these little ones - As if they were beneath your notice. Be careful to receive and not to offend, the very weakest believer in Christ: for as inconsiderable as some of these may appear to thee, the very angels of God have a peculiar charge over them: even those of the highest order, who continually appear at the throne of the Most High. To behold the face of God seems to signify the waiting near his throne; and to be an allusion to the office of chief ministers in earthly courts, who daily converse with their princes.
18:11 Another, and yet a stronger reason for your not despising them is, that I myself came into the world to save them. Luk 19:10.
11
11:31 If we would judge ourselves - As to our knowledge, and the design with which we approach the Lord's table. We should not be thus judged - That is, punished by God.
11:32 When we are thus judged, it is with this merciful design, that we may not be finally condemned with the world.
11:33 The rest - The other circumstances relating to the Lord's supper.
12
12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts - The abundance of these in the churches of Greece strongly refuted the idle learning of the Greek philosophers. But the Corinthians did not use them wisely, which occasioned St. Paul's writing concerning them.He describes,
12:2 Ye were heathens - Therefore, whatever gifts ye have received, it is from the free grace of God. Carried away - By a blind credulity. After dumb idols - The blind to the dumb; idols of wood and stone, unable to speak themselves, and much more to open your mouths, as God has done. As ye were led - By the subtlety of your priests.
12:3 Therefore - Since the heathen idols cannot speak themselves, much less give spiritual gifts to others, these must necessarily be among Christians only. As no one speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed - That is, as none who does this, (which all the Jews and heathens did,) speaketh by the Spirit of God - Is actuated by that Spirit, so as to speak with tongues, heal diseases, or cast out devils. So no one can say, Jesus is the Lord - None can receive him as such; for, in the scripture language, to say, or to believe, implies an experimental assurance. But by the Holy Ghost - The sum is, None have the Holy Spirit but Christians: all Christians have this Spirit.
12:4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit - Divers streams, but all from one fountain. This verse speaksof the Holy Ghost, the next of Christ, the sixth of God the Father. The apostle treats of the Spirit, Co1 12:7, etc ; of Christ, Co1 12:12, etc ; of God, Co1 12:28, etc
12:5 Administrations - Offices. But the same Lord appoints them all.
12:6 Operations - Effects produced. This word is of a larger extent than either of the former. But it is the same God who worketh all these effects in all the persons concerned.