If therefore the whole church
The whole congregation of believers incorporated together in a
Gospel church state, consisting of its officers and private
members; the church at Corinth is particularly designed:
be come together in one place;
to worship God, to pray unto him, sing his praise, preach and
hear the word, as were usually done. Hence may be observed the
custom of the primitive churches to meet together, in some
certain place, for divine worship; nor did the members of them in
common forsake the assembling of themselves together on that
account, though it was the evil practice of some of them; the
whole church, all the members of it, met together: and it may be
seen from hence, that the church, and the place where it met, are
two different things:
and all speak with tongues;
divers tongues, languages not understood; meaning, not that all
that came together spoke with tongues; but that as many as did
speak, should they speak with such, and without an interpreter.
And there come in those that are unlearned, or
unbelievers;
either private Christians, who, though they have learned Christ,
and understand the doctrines of the Gospel, yet are ignorant of
languages; or rather the same persons with unbelievers, Heathens
that have no knowledge of Christ, nor faith in him, and who also
understood no other language but the Greek: if any such persons
should come into the place where the church was met together, and
should hear him or them that spoke, speak in a language they
understood not, and which they were very well assured was equally
unknown to the whole congregation, and so could be of no service
to them:
will they not say ye are mad?
act like men in a frenzy, that have not the use of their reason;
since speaking in a strange language to a congregation that know
not one word of what is said, is speaking to the air, and to no
profit at all to them that hear; and who but a madman would do
this? The apostle here argues from the scandal and contempt that
would be poured upon them by such a practice; and the rather he
mentions this, because it seems as if their governing view was
the glory and applause of men, in which, he suggests, they would
be sadly disappointed.