Such is the desperate corruption of mans heart, that those very blessings of God which should oblige unto his service, do usually alienate and estrange the same from ⟨p. 2⟩Him, so that the very Table of wicked men is a snare, and the things which are for their good, do become unto them an occasion of falling, Psalm 69. 22. They no sooner wax fat, but they kick, Deut. 32. 15. Their wealth becomes the fuel of their lust, and their prosperity, the mother of their luxury and intemperance. When they are filled with their pastures, they forget God H•s. 13. 6. When the Lord feeds them to the full, they commit adultery, and assemble themselves by troops in the harlots houses, Jer. 5. 7. Thus it fared with the people to whom our Apostle writes in this Epistle. Corinth was a rich City in Peloponnesus, between the Ionian and the Aegean sea, the Head of Achaia, one of the principal Emporia, or Mart Towns of Greece, celebrated bya Homer, Strabo, Cicero, Florus: for the great wealth thereof. And as it was famous for Riches, so was it as infamous for those sins which plenty and prosperity use to produce, especially the sin of uncleanness and fornication, insomuch that [Greek or Hebrew] was an expression amongst the Greeks for Scortation: and they were wont,b as Athenaeus tells us,c when they prayed for success in their undertakings, dto vow, that they would bring Whores into the City, as if it had been an ⟨p. 3⟩honour and service unto it.5 And learned men are of opinion, that the Apostles in their Council at: Jerusalem did by letters, forbid unto the Gentiles Fornication, Acts 15. 20. because amongst them it was judged a free and lawful thing to make use of mercenary harlots, who for gain did prostitute themselves unto the lusts of men. How much this sin did prevail at Corinth, not only before their embracing of Christianity, as ver. 11. but even after they had been taught by the Apostle, and given entertainment unto the Gospel, as is evident by his complaint, 2 Cor. 12. 21. So we may further gather from the special arguments he furnisheth them with in this Chapter against it.
SUch is the desperate corruption of mans heart, that those very blessings of God which should oblige unto his service, do usually alienate and estrang the same from ⟨p. 2⟩Him, so that the very Table of wicked men is a snare, and the things which are for their good, do become unto them an occasion of falling, Psalm 69. 22. They no sooner wax fat, but they kick, Deut. 32. 15. Their wealth becomes the fuel of their lust, and their prosperity, the mother of their luxury and intemperance. When they are filled with their pastures, they forget God H•s. 13. 6. When the Lord feeds them to the full, they commit adultery, and assemble themselves by troops in the harlots houses, Jer. 5. 7. Thus it fared with the people to whom our Apostle writes in this Epistle. Corinth was a rich City in Peloponesus, between the Ionian and the Aegean sea, the Head of Achaia, one of the principal Emporia, or Mart Towns of Greece, celebrated bya Homer, Strabo, Cicero, Florus: for the great wealth thereof. And as it was famous for Riches, so was it as infamous for those sins which plenty and prosperity use to produce, especially the sinne of uncleannesse and fornication, insomuch that 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 was an expression amongst the Greeks for Scortation: and they were wont,b as Athenaeus tells us,c when they prayed for success in their undertakings, dto vow, that they would bring Whores into the City, as if it had been an ⟨p. 3⟩honour and service unto it.5 And learned men are of opinion, that the Apostles in their Council at: Jerusalem did by letters, forbid unto the Gentiles Fornication, Acts 15. 20. because amongst them it was judged a free and lawfull thing to make use of mercenary harlots, who for gain did prostitute themselves unto the lusts of men. How much this sinne did prevail at Corinth, not only before their embracing of Christianity, as ver. 11. but even after they had been taught by the Apostle, and given entertainment unto the Gospel, as is evident by his complaint,
- aHomer. Iliad. lib. 2. Strabo. lib. 8. Cicero Orat. pro. L. Manil L. Florus lib. 2. c. 16
- bEustath•us in Homer. Iliad. p. 290.
- cAthen. lib. 13.
- dAmbros. de Abra. l. b. 2. c. 11.
- 5Grot. in Act. 15 20. & Lo•in. ibid.
