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to a refined and polite taſte in theſe matters. And the reaſon for this part of his conduct is aſſigned in the text: I determined not to know anything among you ſave Jeſus Chriſt, and him crucified.
In which words, two things are obſervable:
1. The ſubject matter of Paul's preaching, ⟨namely⟩, Jeſus Chriſtː I determined to know nothing ⟨among⟩ ⟨you⟩, ſave Jeſus Chriſt. This ſurely is not to be ⟨understood⟩ as if the Apoſtle ſimply condemned all other ⟨knowledge⟩ but that of Jeſus Chriſt. We find the Holy ⟨Ghost⟩ (illegible text) recorded it to the honour of Moſes, "that he was ⟨learned⟩ in all the wiſdom of the Egyptains." Beſides, Paul himſelf had a very liberal education before his converſion, being bred up at the feet of Gamaliel an eminent doctor of the law. Yea, he was not only acquainted with the Jewiſh laws, rites and traditions, but likewiſe with the Heathen poets and philoſophers, as appears by paſſages quoted from them in his writings*[1]. However, he condemns all ſorts of knowledge, in ſo far as they
- ↑ *There are three paſſages of this kind commonly alledged. The firſt is, Acts xvii. 28. "As certain alſo of your own poets have ſaid" He mentions many of them; becauſe in Homer, Heſiod, Menander, Callimachus, and Pindar, are ſome things which make to this purpoſe. But Paul being a Cilician, vites only the words of his own countryman, Aratus the Cilician:
For we are all his offspring.
This half verſe is read in Aratus his Phaenomena, the moſt eſteemed of all his works, and which were tranſlated out of Greek into Latin by Cicero, while he was but very young. See Dr Du Veil on Acts, xvii. 28.
The ſecond is, 1 Cor. xv. 33.
Evil communications corrupt good manners.
This ſentence, ſome tell us, is quoted from Menander an old Greek poet, and that it is to be found in his comedy called Thadia, or Thais. (illegible text) ſays, he found this remark in an ancient copy of the New Teſtament. His own words are, Lambicus eſt ſenarius in Menandri comedia, nomine Thadia; ut annotatum inveni in uno vetuſto codice. Now this ſays plainly this he found no ſuch remark in any other ancient copy, though it is well known he had a large collection of them. Eraſmus, in his Annotations on the text makes it a quotation from Menander, and that upon the authority of Jerom. But neither Dr Hammond nor Dr Whithy, in their Paraphraſes and Annotations, point their readers to Menander or any other Heathen as the Author of this ſentiment: and they were both eminent for the ſkill in critical learning.
