chapter, as one inftance of prophecying, as finging is mentioned as another, ver. 14-18. and as a doctrine, a revelation, and an interpretation, are mentioned as others, ver. 26. and is opposed to praying, finging, teaching, exhorting, or uttering a revelation in an unknown tongue; in which a man might speak to God, or his own spirit or understanding; but was a barbarian to the congregation, to whom he talked myfteries, or things not known or understood. 4. And for this reafon I think interpretation of tongues, mentioned ver. 6. is included under prophecying in this xivth chapter; as an interpretation was turning that with readinefs, beauty, and propriety, to the edification, exhortation, and comfort of the affembly; which in him who fpoke in a tongue unknown to the affembly was only for oftentation, or conviction of unbelievers; or at beft an act of fome devotion to God, and for his own private edification. And the Holy Ghost distributed his gifts in fuch measure and proportion, that he who had the gift or knowledge of a tongue, was not always able to interpret it readily and elegantly, whilft another who stood by could; especially if the prayer or discourfe that was to be interpreted was of any confiderable length, in which case the interpreter must be affifted with great judgment and a strong memory: for which reafon reafon the apostle directs, that in cafe any one fpoke in the church in an unknown tongue, that he should pray that he might interpret ; or, at leaft, if he could not, that others who had that gift fhould interpret for him. The gift of the Hebrew tongue was, perhaps, that which fome of the Corinthians, who had the gift of tongues in the church of Corinth, chiefly used, it being the tongue in which the - Old Teftament was written. For which reafon, if there was an interpreter, that is, one who could turn it readily and elegantly into Greek, it might be very properly used in the Corinthian church; as it had been in the Jewish affemblies in Ezra's time; when yet the people, after feventy years captivity, had difufed it. But if no interpreter was by, he who could speak that tongue, or any other unknown to the church, was to keep filence P. I understand the gift of interpreting to be, the ability to interpret an unknown tongue with readiness and elegance; because it cannot be fuppofed otherwife a gift different from the gift of tongues itself. For no man that fpeaks a tongue which he understands himfelf, but can, in fome fort, interpret it to him that does not understand it; though he may not be able to do it with propriety and beauty. And that he who had the gift of the tongue understood it himself, appears from ver. 4. PI Cor. xiv. 27, 28. for, for, fays the apostle," he that speaketh in an "unknown tongue edifieth himself;" fee alfo ver. 11, 14, 28. But there were not only apoftles, and prophets of the higher and lower orders in the church, but teachers : and pastors and teachers are faid to be among thofe to whom Chrift gave gifts; or whom he filled and qualified for their work, after he had afcended up on high'. I take pastors and teachers (or doctors, as the word didarxaλo is rendered, Acts xiii. 1.) to mean the fame thing: and that one is but a metaphorical name to denote the fame miniftry, which the other does in its natural fignification. For the very character of a pastor after God's own heart, is to feed his people with knowledge and understanding. For which reafon teachers are here fet but as exegetical, to fhew us more fully the meaning of paftors. And for that reafon paftors are omitted in 1 Cor. xii. 28. and Rom. xii. 7. (which may be confidered as parallel places), and teachers only mentioned. And I believe it will be very difficult to find any fenfe of paftors, agreeable to fcripture, diftinct from teachers, that will be at the fame time alfo diftinct from apostles, prophets, evangelifts, and other fpiritual men mentioned in fcripture. 91 Cor. xii. 28. 8 Ibid. ver. II. r Eph. iv. 10, 1I. t Jer. . 15. Now 7 Now as far as the Spirit's teaching paftors or teachers, may be fuppofed different from the illumination of the apostles, to whom was given the word of wisdom and knowledge; it muft either confift in a lower degree of the knowledge of the chriftian fcheme; or else, which I fhould rather think, in giving them a very clear view and full affurance of it (in which fenfe Mr. Locke understands faith, wiss, in his paraphrase and notes on 1 Cor. xii. 9.), and a peculiar aptnefs to teach others, what they thus knew themselves: and fo may perhaps he only teaching the true method and art of teaching; and enabling them to use it, in delivering what they had learnt of the chriftian fcheme from the apostles and others, with the affurance that became doctors and teachers; and perhaps it is this gift that St. Paul refers to, when he tells Timothy, that if any man among the Ephefians (fome of whom had received this grace according to the measure of the gift of Chrift"), he muft, among other qualifications, be a didaxlixos, apt or fit (by this gift) to teach". And I the rather incline, I confefs, to this opinion, that the gift of teaching was only an aptnefs to teach others, because the evangelift, who are ranked before pastors and teachers, do not feem to have had any reveW 1 Tim. iii. 2. " Eph. iv. 7. lation of doctrines, much lefs of the whole fcheme of the chriftian doctrine made to them; but to have received their knowledge from others; namely, the apoftles. For Timothy was to hold faft the form of found. words which he had heard of Paul ; and to continue in the things which he had learned, and had been affured of (from) knowing of whom he had learned them: and the things which he had heard of Paul before many witneffes, he was to commit to faithful men, who fhould be able to teach others". To others the Spirit taught the use of tongues and languages, that they might be able to teach people of different nations, and convince unbelievers; or, as St. Paul expreff es it, to be for a fign to them. And thefe were cither more or fewer, as the Spirit faw fit. For Paul tells the Corinthians, that he fpake with more tongues than them all. This was a gift which none of the prophets under the Old Teftament ever had any thing that refembled; but was entirely referved for chriftians under the New. By this gift the ruins of the world were repaired, and its face renewed. When mankind was of one speech, |
