1 Corinthians 13

Good works should shine, but not blaze. If I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). The same I may say of a sincere aim; if I obey however much, and have not a sincere aim, it profits me nothing.

Secondly, he submits to God's will. If God will have him suffer for him, he does not dispute but obey (1 Corinthians 13:7). Love endures all things.

Love is a holy expansion or enlargement of soul, whereby it is carried with delight after God, as the chief good: So Aquinas defines love, Complacentia amantis in amato; love is a complacential delighting in God as in our treasure: love is the soul of religion, it is a grace hig…

Our ignorance is more than our knowledge. 2. Our divine knowledge is imperfect; we know but in part, said Paul (1 Corinthians 13:9), though he had many revelations, and was wrapped up into the third heaven. We have but dark conceptions of the Trinity (Job 11:7). Can you by searc…

Love is a lovely grace. Love thinks no evil (1 Corinthians 13:5). It makes the best interpretation of another's words.

Knowledge is the pillar of fire to give light to practice; but though knowledge is requisite, yet the knowing of God's will is not enough without doing of his will: your will be done. If one had a system of divinity in his head, if he had 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, all knowledge…

Christ in the Parable calls some at the 11th hour, Matthew 20:6: and so God calls men to grace in their old age. We must therefore spare these sharp and unsavoury censures, which some unadvisedly cast upon such men; for charity thinks not evil, 1 Corinthians 13, where it may thi…

After this manner: It is the property of faith, to persuade the conscience, of God's love and favor in Christ; and upon this persuasion, the heart begins to love God again. Now, by this love does faith work, and make a man able to bear all torments that can be inflicted for reli…

Now the Church of Rome says, A man may be justified by this. But it is not so, as appears by these reasons: First, this righteousness is in this life imperfect: and that is proved by the Apostle, where he says, We do here know but in part, 1 Corinthians 13:12. Therefore, our und…

Though a Christian has not a perfect knowledge of the Mysteries of the Gospel, yet he has a certain knowledge. We see through a glass darkly, 1 Corinthians 13:12. therefore we have not perfection of knowledge; but we behold with open face, 2 Corinthians 3:18. therefore we have a…

Exodus 23: Moses may not see God's face, but his hinder parts. 1 Corinthians 13:12: We may see God as men do, through spectacles in his word, sacraments, and creatures. And therefore as Paul prayed for the Colossians (Colossians 1:10), that they might increase in the knowledge o…

Good words are but a cold kind of Charity; the poor cannot live as the Chameleon upon this air. Let your words be as smooth as oil, they will not heal the wounded, let them drop as the honeycomb, they will not feed the hungry, 1 Corinthians 13. 1. Though I speak with the tongue…

There are but two ways of the soul's living known in Scripture — the life of faith and the life of vision — 2 Corinthians 5:7. Those two divide all time, both present and future, between them — 1 Corinthians 13:12. If when faith fails, sight should not immediately succeed, what…

This conjunction therefore of absent from the body, and present with the Lord, falls out in no state else, but only in that interim or space of time between. And let us also view this place in the light, (by bringing the one to the other) which that passage, 1 Corinthians 13:12,…

2. Then, if ever, a man's flesh and his heart fails (Psalm 73:26). 3. And (which is worse) a man's faith fails or ceases after death, and all his spiritual knowledge as in this life — it is the express phrase used in 1 Corinthians 13:8, and which is prosecuted to the end of that…

Hence it is said, many shall come to me in that day, and shall say, we have cast out devils in your name, to whom he will say, depart from me you workers of iniquity. And the Apostle says (1 Corinthians 13:2), if I had all faith, and could remove mountains, if I lack charity, it…

And the reason of this is, 1. Because there is nothing that is not saving, but a natural man may have it; now, this doctrinal faith is not saving, and so a natural man may have it — yea, the devils believe and tremble; and James does not dispute with these to whom he writes on t…

Nor is that true, whatever an inferior power can do, that a superior can much more do; if there be orders in angels, a superior angel cannot determine the will of an inferior, as he himself can do. Sure my knowledge and will are inferior powers, in comparison of angels (1 Corint…

1. That our deliverance from sin in Christ is, in a devilish and hellish spirituality (as Calvin speaks); as that wicked Priest Anto Pocquius said, was in judging neither murders, adulteries, perjury, lying, oppression, to be sins, when once the pardoned and justified person com…

In blessedness there is a confluence of all good; our joys are full and eternal. 1. There is the immediate sight and presence of God, and Jesus Christ, who shall be all in all to them (1 Corinthians 13:12): Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in…

In things of this world, persons are apt to grudge others any benefit by what they have stolen from others' view, but in spiritual advantages there is no envy, and if there be, it proceeds not from grace, but from corrupt nature; the more grace the less envy; and when envy is go…

Seeing then there are vices in every state of life and in all men, therefore Paul sets forth the law of Christ to the faithful, by which he exhorts them to bear one another's burden. They which do not so, do plainly witness that they understand not one jot of the law of Christ,…

It had been enough to have said "Love" and no more: for love extends itself to all the fruits of the Spirit. And in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul attributes to love all the fruits which are done in the Spirit, when he says: Love is patient, courteous, etc. Notwithstanding, he would set…

Who although he has done me some wrong, or hurt me by any manner of way: yet notwithstanding he has not put off the nature of man, or ceased to be flesh and blood, and the creature of God most like to myself: briefly, he ceases not to be my neighbor. As long then as the nature o…

For all judgment is God's (Romans 14:10): if this judgment be in truth: if it be in charity, for the amendment of the parties, and for the good of others. Otherwise, if these grounds fail us, we may not give judgment against any man, but must follow the judgment of charity which…

5. There is danger of God's anger, for unless we forgive, we are not forgiven, and we crave forgiveness, as we forgive. 6. It is the duty of love to suffer and bear (1 Corinthians 13). 7. It is a point of injustice, to revenge ourselves, for then we take to ourselves the honor o…

For it is not sufficient to do good to men, unless it proceed from a frank and willing mind. If I distribute all my goods to the poor, says Saint Paul, and have not love; I am nothing: (1 Corinthians 13:3). Thus then to pour out the soul, signifies nothing else but to pity our b…

And certainly, as "tongues shall then cease, and prophecies shall be abolished," (1 Corinthians 13:8,) I think that the written law, as well as the exposition of it, will come to an end; but, as I am of opinion that Christ spoke more simply, I do not choose to feed the ears of r…

Alms are called in Scripture sacrifices of a sweet smell, (Philippians 4:18;) and we learn from the mouth of Paul, that he who "spends all his substance on the poor, if he have not charity, is nothing," (1 Corinthians 13:3.) Lastly, God does not receive and acknowledge, as his s…

Besides, the half of his goods he dedicates to the poor. A man might indeed bestow all his goods on the poor, (1 Corinthians 13:3) And yet his generosity might be of no value in the sight of God; but, though no mention is here made of inward repentance, yet Luke means that the g…

And this is further to be noted, that this love covers not one or two sins only, but the multitude of sins: it cannot be drawn by any provocation to be so angry, but that it covers all. The same also has saint Paul, 1 Corinthians 13, where he does (as it were) expound this place…

So Hope in God and in the Promises of his Word, is often spoken of in the Scripture, as a very considerable Part of true Religion. 'Tis mentioned as one of the three great Things of which Religion consists, 1 Corinthians 13. 13. Hope in the Lord is also frequently mentioned as t…

It is possible that a Man might know how to interpret all the Types, Parables, Enigmas, and Allegories in the Bible and not have one Beam of spiritual Light in his Mind; because he may not have the least Degree of that spiritual Sense of the holy Beauty of divine Things which ha…

Cain's Sacrifice and Ahab's Repentance, were signal single Acts of Obedience materially; yet no Acts of Holiness formally, nor did either make or denominate them Holy. And our Apostle tells us, that men may give all their Goods to the Poor, and their Bodies to be burned, and yet…

Now has not that soul a spring of pleasure within itself, that is in these respects as God would have it be? That is conscious to itself of nothing but righteousness, goodness, benignity, candor towards any man, and is in all things acted by a spirit of love, that suffers long,…

Joy shall forever be before the eye, and therefore joy shall forever fill the heart. The joy of Heaven consists in vision, in seeing God as he is (1 John 3:2) or in seeing face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) which is the beatific vision. So likewise there is an afflicting vision.

Observation 1. There is an excellent day coming to believers, wherein Christ shall be immediately enjoyed and seen, and wherein the soul shall be comforted with no mediate object, or created excellence, but shall see his face, and be filled with the fullness of God. 2. While her…

Love being the principle within, from which all our performances should flow, it is not opposed to sacrifice simply, or to obedience; but, 1. Supposing these to be separate, he prefers love; if it were to cast in but a mite of duty out of love, it will be more acceptable than th…

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us— 1 Corinthians 13:13. And now abides faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

God being the immortal soul's chief good, it must needs follow, that what unites the soul to God, must be the soul's chief ornament and grace: and such is love, that Principium uniens, or principle uniting the soul to God: from where it is, that even in good, spiritual and eleva…

It may be you will say, though the difference be not easily discernible in their active obedience; yet, when it shall come to suffering, there every eye may discern it: the false heart will then flinch, and cannot brook that work. And yet, even this is no infallible rule neither…

The surest Character of true divine supernatural Love, distinguishing it from Counterfeits that do arise from a natural Self-Love, is that That Christian Virtue shines in it, that does above all others renounce and abase and annihilate Self, namely Humility. Christian Love, or t…

And the reason is, because all excellency and good that is in the creature is eminently in God; for all the good of the effects must needs be eminently in all the principles, and the good of all principles in the first principle: If all good in the creature be eminently in God,…

SEcondly, they shall have the Beatifical Vision of God, we shall be where he is, and we shall see his face. Says Christ, Father, I will, that those which you hast given me, be where I am, that is a blessing; but in Rev. 22:4 it is said, They shall see his face, and that is more,…

NOw we come to the fourth thing, Communion with God, and this is more then the other three things. Union is the ground of communion; communion is that which rises from both parts being united, and the Saints shall have a glorious communion with God and the Trinity; in this life…

Their charge is especially and above all, to seek the good of their wives: as wives are the chief and greatest charge of husbands, so their chief and greatest care must be for them: the parents and friends of wives as they give over all their authority to their husbands, so they…

3. The Apostle exalting to the utmost this glory of Gospel light above that of the law, manifesting that now the veil causing darkness is taken away; so that with open or uncovered face we behold the glory of the Lord; tells us how: As in a glass (2 Corinthians 3:18). In a glass…

Mortification the duty of the best believers (Colossians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 9:27). Indwelling sin always abides: no perfection in this life (Philippians 3:12; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Peter 3:18; Galatians 5:17; etc.). The activity of abiding sin in believers (Romans 7:23; James 4…

Whatever your Pretenses of Truth be, this is but lying against the Truth: This Wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, carnal, devilish, James 3:14, et cetera. It is impossible there should be true Faith without sincere Love: If I understand all Mysteries, and h…

When the soul finds that all its obedience, and endeavor to keep the commands of Jesus Christ, which himself makes its character, do flow from love, then it is true and sincere: for do, or suffer what you will, without love, all passes for nothing. All are ciphers without it, th…