1 Corinthians 13

THough I speak with the tongues of men and of angels The Apostle had promised in the close of the former Chapter, to show them a more excellent thing than Gifts, or a more excellent course, than that they were so hotly pursuing, in their emulation of the best Gifts; he now cometh to show them that way, that course: the way was that of Love, the course was the study and pursuing methods how to show their Love to God, and to one another; for (says the Apostle) though I speak, that is, if I could speak, or admit I did speak, with the Tongues used in all the Nations of the World, and with the Tongues of Angels; by which some understand the best and most excellent ways of expressing our selves. Angels have no tongues, nor make any articulate audible sounds, by which they understand one another; but yet there is certainly a Society, or intercourse among Angels, which could not be upheld without some way amongst them, to communicate their minds and wills each to other. How this is we cannot tell: some of the Schoolmen say, it is by way of Impression; that way God indeed communicates his Mind sometimes to his people, making secret impressions of his Will upon their minds and understandings; but whether Angels can do the like, or what their way is of communicating their minds each to other, is a great Secret, and we ought to be willingly ignorant of what God has not pleased, in any part of his revealed Will, to tell us. Neither do I judge it a question proper to this place, where the Tongues of Angels unquestionably signifie the best and most excellent ways of expressing and communicating our selves to others, as Manna is called Angels food, Psal. 78.25. that is, the most excellent food; for Angels being spiritual Substances, need no food, have no mouths to eat, nor bellies to fill, and this the Apostle meaneth. Though I could express my self, or communicate my mind to others in the most excellent way, or in the greatest variety of expression, yet if I have not (, which we translate) Charity, but possibly might be better translated Love, because we usually by Charity (in common speech) understand that indication of brotherly Love, which is in acts of bounty, feeding the hungry, cloathing the naked, giving to those that are in want, which it is possible that men may do out of mere humanity, or a superstitious opinion of meriting thereby, without any true root of love to our Neighbours; which is never true, if it does not grow out of a Love to God., and have not charity b, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal If I want Love (says the Apostle) a true root of love to men, flowing from a true Love to God, and out of obedience to his Precept, I am but as sounding brass, &c. that is, I only make a noise, but it will conduce nothing to my Salvation, it will be of no use to me: But if I have this true root of Love, then it will be of avail to me. And thus the Apostle proveth, that the habit of Love to God and man in the heart, is far more excellent than the gift of Tongues, which many of the Corinthians had, or coveted, or boasted in, despising those who had it not..

And though I have the gift of prophecy It has been before showed, that the Gift of Prophecy signifieth an extraordinary power or faculty, by which men in those Primitive Times were inabled to reveal the Mind and Will of God, either as to future contingencies, or things which should afterwards come to pass in the World, or by further explication or application of the Mind and Will of God already revealed in holy Writ., and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge Though, says the Apostle, I had a vast knowledge, and could in any notion comprehend the most sublime and hidden things, whether Divine, or humane:, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains And though I had all Faith (except that which is saving and justifying): he further opens what Faith he meant, viz. Faith of Miracles, a firm persuasion, that God would upon my prayer work things beyond the power, and contrary to the course of Nature, (the Apostle alludeth to the words of our Saviour, Matt. 17.20) yet, says he, if I have not Love, that true Love to God and men, by which that Faith, which is profitable to Salvation, worketh and shows it self:, and have not charity, I am nothing it will all signifie nothing, be of no profit nor avail unto me in order to my eternal Salvation. I may perish for ever notwithstanding such gifts..

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor The Apostle proceedeth from common gifts, powers, and habits, to actions, and instanceth in two; the first of which might be a great service to men; the latter, an appearance of a great service to God. Though, says he, I feed the poor with my goods, and that not sparingly, but liberally, so as I spend all my Estate in that way, and make my self as poor as they., and though I give my body to be burned Though I die in the Cause of Christ, for the Testimony of his Gospel, or for owning of his Ways, and that by the sharpest and most cruel ort of death, burning, and be not dragged to the stake, but freely give up my self to that cruel kind of death., and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing Yet if I have not a root and Principle of Love to God in my heart, that carrieth me out to these actions and these sufferings, they all will signifie nothing to me, as to my eternal Salvation and Happiness. From whence we may observe, That, 1. The highest acts of beneficence or bounty towards men, (which we usually call good Works) are not meritorious at the hand of God, and may be separated from a true root of saving Grace in the Soul. 2. That the greatest sufferings for and in the Cause of Religion, may be separated from a true root and Principle of saving Grace. 3. That no actions, no sufferings, are sufficient to intitle any Soul to Heaven, further than they proceed from a Principle of true Love to God, and a desire to obey and to please him in what we do. Faith and Love must be the roots and Principles of all those works which are truly good, and acceptable to God, and which will be of any profit or avail to us with reference to our eternal happiness..

Charity suffereth long Lest the Corinthians shou d say to the Apostle, What is this Love you discourse of? Or how shall we know if we have it? The Apostle here gives thirteen notes of a charitable person. By Love or Charity he either meaneth a charitable person, a Soul possessed of that love, which he had been commending: Or if we take the term plainly, to signifie the habit it self; the meaning is, it is an habit or power in the Soul, inabling and inclining it to do these things: To suffer long, not to be too quick and eachy with brethren that may offend or displease us; the charitable man will withhold and restrain his wrath, not be rash in the expressions of it, and hasty to revenge., and is kind And is kind, it disposeth a man to desire to deserve well of all, and to do good to all, as he has occasion and opportunity, so as it is impossible there should be in a man any thing more opposite to this Grace, than a currish, churlish temper, with a study and desire to do others mischief.: charity envieth not Though a charitable person seeth others in an higher and more prosperous condition than himself, yet it does not trouble him, but he is glad at the preferment, good, and prosperity of other men, however it fareth with himself. Every envious man, that is displeased and angry at anothers aring well, is an uncharitable man, there is no true root of Love to God or to his Neighbour in his heart., charity vaunteth not it self He does not prefer himself before others, ambitiously glorying or boasting, and acting rashly to promote his own glory, and satisfie his own intemperate desires or lusts., is not puffed up He is not puffed up, proudly lifting up himself above others, and swelling with high conceits of himself.,

Does not behave it self unseemly He does not behave himself towards any in an uncomely or unbeseeming manner, and will do nothing towards his brother, which in the opinion of men shall be a filthy or indecent action., seeketh not her own He does not seek what is his own, that is, what is for his own profit or advantage only; he has an eye to the good, and advantage of his brother, as well as his own profit and advantage., is not easily provoked Such a man is not easily provoked; he is not without his passions, but he is not governed by his passions, and over-ruled by them to fly out extravagantly against his brother upon every light and trivial occasion; he knows how to bear injuries, and is willing rather to bear lesser wrongs, losses, and injuries, than to do any thing in revenge of himself, or to the more remarkable prejudice of his neighbour., thinketh no evil He thinketh no evil, that is, no mischief, nothing that may be hurtful and prejudicial to his neighbour. Or else, he does not rashly suspect his neighbour for doing evil, (which possibly may be the better interpretation); and so it teacheth us, That lightly to take up evil reports of our neighbours, is a violation of Charity; for the man that has a true love to his brother, though he may believe evil of his brother, and charge him with evil, when it evidently appears to him that he is guilty; yet before that be evident to him, he will not suspect, nor think any such things of him.,

Rejoyceth not in iniquity He does not rejoyce in the sinful falls of others., but rejoyceth in the truth But he rejoyceth in all truth, and the success and prospering of truth in the World, or in the manifestation of any persons truth, or innocency, and righteousness.,

Beareth all things The charitable man beareth all injuries with patience., believeth all things He believeth all things that are good of his brother, so far is he from being credulous to his prejudice., hopeth all things, endureth all things He endureth all things that a good man ought to endure, that is, any evils done to himself. In the same sense Solomon says, Prov. 10.12. Love covereth all sins.

Charity never faileth The Apostle, from another Argument, commendeth the Grace of Love, viz. its never ailing, it shall go with us into another World, and have its use and exercise there; where there will be no prophesying, no speaking with divers Tongues, but there the Saints shall love God. And this maketh it evident, that by Charity or Love (before mentioned) the Apostle does not singly mean bounty or beneficence to those that stand in need of those good things of this life, in which we can help them.: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease b; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away By Knowledge here, some understand the communicating of knowledge to the Church by preaching: others, the means we now have by meditating in, and study of the Scriptures: others better, of the imperfect degrees of our knowledge, or the way of our procuring it; the following verses would incline us to interpret it of the former, though it be true also of the latter..

For we know in part It was truly said, as to things humane, That the greatest part of those things that we know, is the least part of those things which we are ignorant of. A great measure of Divine things is also unknown to us, and the knowledge of them reserved for the Resurrection and Day of Judgment, Ioh. 14.20., and we prophesie in part Nor can the communication of our knowledge to that, be larger than what we by Prophecy communicate, we having our selves but a short and imperfect communication of Divine things, we can communicate but an imperfect degree of knowledge to others..

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away But when we come to Heaven, we shall be in such a state, as nothing shall or can be added to us; then our partial and imperfect knowledge shall be swallowed up in a knowledge perfect and complete..

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things The Apostle compareth the state of Believers in this life, compared with their state in another life, to the state of a child, compared with that of a man. Look as one, when he is a child, knoweth things imperfectly, and discourseth of them in the stile, and according to the knowledge of a child: But when he is grown up, he discourseth of them at another rate, according to the degree of knowledge which he has acquired by instruction of others, or his own experience and observation. So it is with all of us, in this life we, like children, have a poor, low, imperfect knowledge of spiritual things, and accordingly discourse of them: But when we come to Heaven, we shall know them, and discourse of them in a more perfect manner..

For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know, even as I am also known The Apostle pursues his former Theme, comparing the imperfect state of Believers, as to knowledge in this life, with what shall be in the life that is to come. In this life it is as in a Looking-glass, (where we only see the images and imperfect representations of things) and darkly, in a riddle; it is but a little knowledge that we have, and what we have we get with a great deal of difficulty, but in Heaven we shall have such knowledge as two men have, who see one another face to face, and shall know God fully, in some measure, though not in the same degree, of the fulness and perfections wherein God knoweth us..

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity Take us according to our state in this life, we have, and shall have the exercise of three Graces; Faith, to evidence unto us those things which we do not see, either by the eye of Sense or Reason: Hope, by which we wait for the receiving of them; and Love, by which we delight our selves in God, and show obedience to the Will of God. But of all these, Love is the greatest, either in respect of its use and profitableness unto men, or in respect of its duration and abiding, (which last the Apostle seemeth chiefly to intend). Faith shall cease, when we come to the vision of God; and Hope, when we come to the ruition of God in Glory; Love also will cease, as to some acts, but never as to a pleasure and a delighting in God; that will be to Eternity..