declared to be a copy of Christ's letter of recommendation in my favour, given you by me, written not with ink, as the false teacher's letter was, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, as Moses' letter of recommendation to the Israelites was, but on the fleshly tables of your heart. 4 Now a boasting of this kind, that ye are a copy of our letter of recommendation, we have in the presence of God, through the assistance of Christ. 5 I thus boast, not because I am fit of myself to find out by reasoning any thing effectual for convincing unbelievers, as from myself: but my fitness to convert mankind, is from God; 6 Who indeed, by inspiration and miraculous powers hath fitted me to be a minister of the new covenant, not of the letter or law of Moses, but of the covenant written by inspiration of the Spirit. Now the covenant of the letter killeth every sinner by its curse, but that of the Spirit maketh alive every believer by its promises. too difficult to be accomplished by human policy: and could only be brought to pass by the power of God. Ver. 6.-1. Not of the letter; that is, not of the Sinaitic covenant, called the covenant of the letter, in allusion to Exod. xxxiv. 28. where the ten commandments, written with letters on tables of stone, are called the words of the covenant. For the meaning of the phrase New covenant, see Heb. viii. 7. note 2. 2. But of the Spirit. The new covenant, on which the gospel church is built, and of which the apostles were the ministers, is called the covenant of the Spirit, in allusion to Jerem. xxxi. 33. where God promises under the new covenant, to put his laws in the inward parts, and to write them in the hearts of his people. It is called the covenant of the Spirit likewise, because it was published to the world by the inspiration of the Spirit, and confirmed by the gifts of the Spirit.-That dan is rightly translated covenant, see Heb. ix. 15. note 1. 7 But if the ministration of death written and engraven on stones, was glorious, so that the chil dren of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away; 8 How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious ? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. ΤΙ 7 Ει δε ή διακονία του θα νατου εν γραμμασιν, εντετυπωμένη εν λίθοις, εγενήθη εν δοξη, ώςε μη δυνασθαι ατενισαι τους υιούς Ισραηλ εις το προσωπον Μωσεως, δια την δοξαν του προσώπου αυτού, την καταργουμενην 8 Πως ουχι μαλλον ἡ δι ακόνια του πνευματος εξαι εν δόξη; 9 Ει γαρ ή διακονία της κατακρίσεως, δόξα, πολλῷ μαλλον περίσσευει ἡ διακονια της δικαιοσυνης εν δοξη. Ver. 7.1 If the ministry of death. This is an elliptical expression, which must be supplied by adding the words the adnuns, of the covenant, from ver. 6. so as to make this sentence, if the ministry of the covenant of death. This ministry consisted in Moses' bringing down from the Mount, the tables on which was written the covenant of the law, called here, the covenant of death, because it subjected every sinner to death without mercy, by its curse. 2. Was done with glory. The apostle here alludes to the light proceeding from the skin of Moses' face, after he conversed with God on the Mount, which shone with such brightness, that the Israelites could not look stedfastly on him, while he delivered to them the commandments which God had spoken to him, Exod. xxxiv. 29.-35.-This light was an emblem of the knowledge which the Israelites derived from the law. Ver. 8.-1. How shall not the ministry of the Spirit. The ministry of the covenant of the Spirit, consisted in the apostles publishing that covenant, and in building the Christian church thereon, by the miracles which they wrought in confirmation of their preaching. 2. Rather be with glory? The outward glory with which the ministry of the covenant of the Spirit was performed, was unspeakably greater than the outward glory wherewith Moses' face shone. For the inspiration and miraculous powers with which the apostles performed the ministry of the covenant of the Spirit, being communicated to them by the descent of the Holy Ghost in flames of fire which rested on each of them, it was an outward and sensible glory, far greater than the light which covered Moses' face. For by that glory, Moses had no new powers communicated to him, neither was it attended with any sensible consequences. Whereas, by the descent of the Holy Ghost on the ministers of the covenant of the Spirit, they preached the 7 Besides, if the bringing down from the Mount, the covenant which inflicted death on every sinner, and which was imprinted on stones with letters by God, was performed with such glory, that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly on the face of Moses, who carried these stones, because of the shining of his face occasioned by his looking on the glory of God; which shining was soon to be abolished, as a prefiguration of the abolition of the covenant of the letter; 8 Is it not fit, that the ministry of the covenant of the Spirit, which maketh sinners alive, should rather be performed with an outward glory? 9 And, if the ministry of the covenant which brought condemnation on sinners, clothed Moses with honour and authority, much more doth the ministry of the covenant which bringeth righteousness to believers, abound in honour and authority to its ministers. gospel by inspiration; the knowledge of foreign languages was communicated to them instantaneously; they obtained power to heal diseases miraculously; and to communicate to others the faculty of speaking foreign languages, and the power of working miracles: all which taken together, formed an outward glory, incomparably greater than that which Moses derived from the ministry of the covenant of the letter, even though his miracles were taken into the account; none of his miracles being equal to that which the apostles performed, when they communicated the spiritual gifts to others. Ver. 9.-1. If the ministry of condemnation was honour. So the word dea is translated, 2 Cor. vi. 8. and so it must be translated here; otherwise this, as in our translation, will be a repetition of the two preceding verses The apostle's meaning is, that besides the outward glory peculiar to each, with which the ministry of the two covenants was accompanied, the ministers of these covenants derived honour and authority, each from his own ministry, in proportion to the excellency of the covenant of which he was the minister. The honour and authority which Moses derived, from the minis ty of the covenant of the letter, consisted in his conversing with God in a familiar manner, and in his being commissioned to deliver the precepts, VOL. II. 43, 10 For even that which was made glorious, had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, 10 Και γαρ ουδε δεδοξα και το δεδοξασμενον, εν τουτῷ τῷ μερει, ἕνεκεν της υπερβαλ λουσης δοξης. 11 Ει γαρ το καταργουμενον, δια δοξης πολλῳ μαλ λον το μενον, εν δοξῃ. 12 Εχοντες ουν τοιαυτην ελπίδα, πολλη παρρησία χρωμɛda 13 And not as Moses, 13 Και 8 καθαπερ Μωwhich put a vail over his σης ετίθει καλυμμα επι το which in these conversations, God spake to him. Beyond these, Moses had no honour or authority. For the knowledge of the law, of which he was the minister, being given him entirely by the ear, and not by inspiration, he could add nothing by way of explication, to the words which God spake to him at least nothing which was of any authority. : 2. Abound in honour. The honour and authority which the apostles derived from the ministry of the covenant of the Spirit, consisted in their possessing the abiding inspiration of the Spirit, whereby they were enabled at all times, to declare the will of God on every point of religion infallibly, and, like living oracles, could give divine responses, concerning all the articles of the covenant of which they were the ministers, and were entitled to require implicit faith and obedience from mankind, in all things pertaining to religion. It consisted likewise, in their possessing an ability of imparting a portion of the inspiration and miraculous powers which they possessed, to others, to fit them for assisting in the ministry of the covenant of the Spirit ; which being designed, not for a single nation like the covenant of the letter, but for all mankind, it was necessary that the ministers thereof should have many assistants. In this respect Moses was far inferior to the apostles; for he could not impart to the elders of Israel, any part of the outward material glory with which his face shone; and far less could he impart to them the gift of inspiration. Ver. 10.-1. And therefore, that which was glorified. The apostle, in the preceding verses, having compared the glory of the ministry, and of the ministers of the two covenants with each other, goes on to consider the glory or excellence of the covenants themselves. And to shew that the covenant of the Spirit, is more excellent than the covenant of the letter, he observes, that the covenant of the letter, which was glorified by the shining of Moses' face, was not much glorified in that respect, when compared with the more excellent glory of the covenant of the Spirit; because the vanishing of the glory on Moses' face, shewed that the covenant of the letter, of which he was the minister, was to be abrogated. Whereas, the continuance of the 10 And therefore, the covenant of the letter which was glorified by the shining of Moses' face, was not much glorified in that respect; by reason of the far more excelling glory of the covenant of the Spirit, by which it is abolished. 11 Besides, if that covenant which is abolished, is abolished by the greater glory of the covenant of the Spirit, that covenant which remaineth, assuredly remaineth in glory, superior to any glory which the abolished covenant ever possessed. 12 Wherefore, having such a persuasion, that the apostles, the ministers of the gospel are much superior to Moses in respect of their inspiration, we use much plainness of speech in our preaching. 13 And do not put a veil on our face when preaching the gospel, as Moses put a veil upon his face when glory of inspiration with the apostles to the end of their lives, shewed that the covenant of the Spirit, of which they were the ministers, was always to remain. These observations, concerning the glory or excellence of the gospel above the law, the apostle made to convince the Corinthians, how ill-founded the boasting of the false teacher was, who assumed to himself great honour, on account of his knowledge of the law of Moses, and who erroneously enjoined obedience to the law, as necessary to salvation. Ver. 11.-1. If that which is abolished, is abolished (dia) by glory. The reader skilled in the Greek language, who considereth the order of the words in the original, must be sensible that they ought to be pointed and translated as I have done. The apostle's meaning is, that the excellence of the gospel above the law, is demonstrated by its putting an end to the law by its superior splendor, and by its remaining, without being superseded by any subsequent dispensation. Ver. 12.-1. Having, Tourny saida, such a persuasion or assurance, namely, that the gospel excels the law, in its nature and tendency; in the manner of its introduction; in the authority of its ministers; and in its duration. For this sense of the words, see 2 Cor. i. 7. Philip. i. 20. Titus i. 2. Ver. 13.-1. As Moses put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel, &c. Here the apostle insinuates, that Moses put a veil on his face while he |