Corinth was a city of Achaia, situate on the isthmus which joins Peloponnesus, now called the Morea, to the rest of Greece. Being so advantageously situated for trade, the inhabitants of it abounded in riches, which, by too natural a consequence, led them into luxury, lewdness, and all manner of vice. Yet even here St. Paul planted a numerous church, chiefly of heathen converts; to whom, about three years after he had left Corinth, he wrote this epistle from Ephesus; as well to correct various disorders of which they were guilty, as to answer some questions which they bad proposed to him.

The Epistle consists of

I. The inscription, C. i. 1-3
II. The treatise itself, in which is,
1. An exhortation to concord, beating down all glorying in the flesh, 4-C. iv. 21
2. A reproof,
1. For not excommunicating the incestuous person, C. v. 1-12
2. For going to law before heathen judges, C. vi. 1-11
3. A dissuasive from fornication, 12-20
4. An answer to the questions they had proposed concerning marriage, C. vii. 1, 10, 25, 36, 39
5. Concerning things sacrificed to idols, C. viii. 1-C. ix. 1
6. Concerning the veiling of women, 2-16
7. Concerning the Lord's supper, 17-34
8. Concerning spiritual gifts, C. xii. xiii. xiv
9. Concerning the resurrection, C. xv. 1-58
10.Concerning the collection for the poor, the coming of himself, of Timothy, of Apollos, the sum of all, C. xvi, 1, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14
II. The conclusion, 15, 17, 19-24