Charity suffereth long
The apostle, in this and some following verses, enumerates the
several properties and characters of the grace of love; and all
along represents it as if it was a person, and no doubt designs
one who is possessed of it, and in whose heart it is implanted
and reigns; such an one is said to "suffer long", or be
"patient", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read; not
only under afflictions by the hand of God, which such an one
considers as arising from love; but under the reproaches and
persecutions of men, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, and
in imitation of him; such a person is slow to anger when abused,
not quick of resentment, nor hasty to revenge when affronted; but
exercises forbearance, suffers long, and bears much, and is ready
to forgive:
and is kind;
liberal, and bountiful, does good to all men, even to enemies,
and especially to the household of faith; he is gentle to all
men, affable and courteous to his brethren, and not morose,
churlish, and ill natured; he is easy and yielding to the tempers
and humours of men; accommodates himself to their infirmities,
capacities, manners, and circumstances, in everything he can,
that is not contrary to the glory of God, the interest of Christ,
the honour of religion, his own con science, and the good of men;
charity envieth not;
or he that has the grace of love to God, Christ, and the saints,
does not envy the temporal happiness of others, though it is what
he has not, or is greater than he enjoys; as Rachel envied her
sister, because she had children when she herself had none; as
Joseph's brethren envied him because he had a greater share in
his father's affections than they had; or as good men may be
tempted to envy the prosperity of the wicked, when they
themselves are in adversity; but this grace, when in exercise,
will not suffer a person to do: nor will such an one envy the
superior measures of grace, the more excellent spiritual gifts,
or the greater degree of usefulness, and of success in any
spiritual undertaking, and so of greater honour and respect, in
any of the saints and servants of Christ to themselves, of which
Moses and John the Baptist are remarkable instances, ( Numbers
11:28 Numbers
11:29 ) ( John
3:27-31 ) ,
charity vaunteth not itself,
is not ostentatious, a proud boaster; either of what he has, the
things of nature, as wisdom, riches, honour, strength or
spiritual gifts; or of what he does, since what such an one does,
he does from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of
God, and not to be seen of men, or to gain their esteem and
applause: or is not rash, and precipitant; does not run headlong
into measures, to promote his own honour and interest, without
considering what will be the consequence of things; nor is he
rash with his mouth, or hasty with his lips, to utter anything
unbecoming before God or men. The Arabic version renders it,
"does not speak deceitfully"; or hypocritically, for nothing is
more contrary to true genuine love than this; the Syriac version
renders it, "is not tumultuous"; noisy and seditious: such an one
is not troublesome in a commonwealth, nor does he go into parties
and factions in churches, but is all the reverse:
is not puffed up
swelled with pride, and elated with a vain conceit of himself, of
his parts and abilities, of his learning, eloquence, wisdom, and
knowledge, as the false teachers in this church were; knowledge
without grace, unsanctified knowledge, mere notional speculative
knowledge, puffeth up; but charity, or the grace of love, does
not; that edifies and preserves persons from being puffed up with
themselves, or one against another.