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those who were to contend in them. But the apostle intimates, that there was this peculiar circumstance attending the christian contest, that the person who proclaimed its laws and rewards to others was also to engage himself, and that there would be a peculiar infamy and misery in miscarrying. Adonios, which we render cast away, signifies one who is disapproved by the judge of the games, as not having fairly deserved the prize.

No. 523.-xi. 14, 15. Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him; but if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her ; for her hair is given her for a covering.] The eastern ladies are remarkable for the length, and the great number of the tresses of their hair. The men there, on the contrary, wear very little hair on their heads. Lady M. W. Montague thus speaks concerning the hair of the women. "Their hair hangs at full length behind, divided into tresses, braided with pearl or ribbon, which is always in great quantity. I never saw in my life so many fine heads of hair. In one lady's I have counted one hundred and ten of the tresses, all natural; but it must be owned that every kind of beauty is more common here than with us." (Lett. vol. ii. p. 31.)

The men there, on the contrary, shave all the hair off their heads, excepting one lock; and those that wear. their hair are thought effeminate. Both these particulars are mentioned by Chardin, who says, they are agreeable to the custom of the East: the men are shaved, the women nourish their hair with great fondness, which they lengthen, by tresses and tufts of silk, down to the heels. The young men who wear their hair in the East are looked upon as effeminate and infamous.

HARMER, vol. ii. p. 398.

No. 524.-xv. 29. Baptized for the dead.] Many interpretations have been given of this difficult passage, of which a few only will here be adverted to. Chrysostom says, that among the Marcionites, when any one of their catechumens die, they lay a living person under the bed of the deceased, and then advancing toward the dead body, ask, whether he be willing to receive baptism. The person under the bed answers for him, that he desires earnestly to be baptized, and accordingly he is so, instead of the dead person. Epiphanius asserts, that the Marcionites received baptism not only once, but as often as they thought proper; that they procured themselves to be baptized in the name of such as died without baptism, and that St. Paul had these heretics in view. But this opinion Doddridge entirely discards, observing, that it is more likely to have arisen from a mistake of the passage, than that the custom spoken of should have been so early prevalent. He translates the passage, who are baptized in the room of the dead, and adopts the opinion of Sir RICHARD ELLYS (see Fortuita Sacra, p. 137.) which is thus expressed in the paraphrase: Such are our views and hopes as christians; else, if it were not so, what should they do, who are baptized in token of their embracing the christian faith, in the room of the dead, who are just fallen in the cause of Christ, but are yet supported by a succession of new converts, who immediately offer themselves to fill up their places, as ranks of soldiers that advance to the combat in the room of their companions, who have just been slain in their sight? In this interpretation other commentators of great eminence have likewise concurred.

No. 525.-xvi. 9. A great door and effectual is opened unto me.] It is thought that here is an allusion to the door of the circus, from whence chariots were let out when the races were to begin; and that the word

vxELEVO, which is translated adversaries, but which Doddridge renders opposers, signifies the same with antagonists, with whom the apostle was to contend as in a course. (Acts xix. 20.) This opposition rendered his presence more necessary, to preserve those that were already converted, and to increase the number, if God should bless his ministry. Accordingly a celebrated church was planted at Ephesus; and so far as we can learn from the tenor of his epistle to it, there was less to reprove and correct among them, than in most of the other churches to which he wrote.

No. 526.-xvi. 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maranatha.] When the Jews lost the power of life and death, they used nevertheless to pronounce an anathema on persons who, according to the Mosiac law, should have been executed; and such a person became an anathema, or cherem, or accursed, for the expressions are equivalent. They had a full persuasion that the curse would not be in vain; and indeed it appears they expected some judgment, corresponding to that which the law pronounced, would befal the offender; for instance, that a man to be stoned would be killed by the falling of a stone or other heavy body upon him; a man to be strangled would be choked; or one whom the law sentenced to the flames would be burnt in his house, and the like. Now to express their faith, that God would one way or another, and probably in some remarkable manner, interpose, to add that efficacy to his own sentence, which they could not give it, it is very probable they might use the words maran-atha, that is, in Syriac, the Lord cometh, or he will surely and quickly come to put this sentence in execution, and to shew that the person on whom it falls is indeed anathema, accursed. In beautiful allusion to this, when the apostle

was speaking of a secret alienation from Christ, maintained under the forms of christianity, (which might perhaps be the case among many of the Corinthians) as this was not a crime capable of being convicted and censured in the christian church, he reminds them, that the Lord Jesus Christ will come at length, and find it out, and punish it in a proper manner. This weighty sentence the apostle chose to write with his own hand, and insert between his general salutation and benediction, that it might be the more attentively regarded. DODDRIDGE, in loc.

No. 527.-2 CORINTHIANS iii. 1,

Epistles of commendation.

COMMENDATORY epistles, certifying the piety and good character of the person to whom they were given, and recommending him to an hospitable reception in the places to which he travelled, were an ancient custom in the primitive church. Whether they took their rise from the tessera hospitalitatis of the heathens, or from the Jews, among whom the same custom prevailed, is an undecided point. HAMMOND, in loc.

No. 528.-v. 20. We are ambassadors.] Ambassa dors were usually persons of great worth or eminent station that by their quality and deportment they might command respect and attention from their very enemies; and what injuries or affronts soever had been committed, their persons were held sacred by all sides. Gods and men were thought to be concerned to prosecute with the utmost vengeance all injuries done to them; whence we read that the Lacedæmonians having inhumanly murdered Xerxes' ambassadors, the gods would accept none of their oblations and sacrifices, which were all found polluted with direful omens, till two noblemen of Sparta were sent as an expiatory sacrifice to Xerxes, to atone for the death of his ambassadors by their own. Whence this holiness was derived upon ambassadors has been a matter of dispute. Fabulous authors deduce it from the honour paid by the ancients to the xpunes or heralds, who were either themselves ambassadors, or when others were deputed to that service, accompanied them, being held sacred on account of their original,

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