Verse 10. Yet not altogether, etc. In my direction not "to company" with them, I did not mean that you should refuse all kinds of intercourse with them; that you should not treat them with civility, or be engaged with them in any of the transactions of life, or in the ordinary intercourse of society between man and man, for this would be impossible; but that you should not so associate with them as to be esteemed to belong to them, or so as to be corrupted by their example. You are not to make them companions and friends.

With the fornicators. Most heathen were of this description, and particularly at Corinth. See the Introduction to this epistle.

Of this world. Of those who are out of the church; or who are not professed Christians.

Or with the covetous. The avaricious; those greedy of gain. Probably his direction in the former epistle had been that they should avoid them.

Or extortioners. Rapacious persons; greedy of gain, and oppressing the poor, the needy, and the fatherless, to obtain money.

Or with idolaters. All the Corinthians before the gospel was preached there worshipped idols.

Then must ye needs, etc. It would be necessary to leave the world. The world is full of such persons. You meet them everywhere. You cannot avoid them in the ordinary transactions of life, unless you either destroy yourselves, or withdraw wholly from society. This passage shows,

(1.) that that society was full of the licentious and the covetous, of idolaters and extortioners. See Barnes "Ro 1:1".

(2.) That it is not right either to take our own lives to avoid them, or to withdraw from society and become monks; and, therefore, that the whole monastic system is contrary to Christianity. And,

(3.) that it is needful we should have some intercourse with the men of the world; and to have dealings with them as neighbours, and as members of the community. How far we are to have intercourse with them is not settled here. The general principles may be,

(1.) that it is only so far as is necessary for the purposes of good society, or to show kindness to them as neighbours and as members of the community.

(2.) We are to deal justly with them in all our transactions.

(3.) We may be connected with them in regard to the things which we have in common -- as public improvements, the business of education, etc.

(4.) We are to endeavour to do them good, and for that purpose we are not to shun their society. But,

(5.) we are not to make them our companions; or to associate with them in their wickedness, or as idolaters, or covetous, or licentious; we are not to be known as partakers with them in these things. And for the same reason we are not to associate with the gay in their gaiety; with the proud in their pride; with the fashionable in their regard to fashion; with the friends of the theatre, the ball-room, or the splendid party, in their attachment to these amusements. In all these things we are to be separate; and are to be connected with them only in those things which we may have in common with them, and which are not inconsistent with the holy rules of the Christian religion.

(6.) We are not so to associate with them as to be corrupted by their example; or so as to be led by that example to neglect prayer and the sanctuary, and the deeds of charity, and the effort to do good to the souls of men. We are to make it a great point that our piety is not to suffer by that intercourse; and we are never to do anything, or conform to any custom, or to have any such intercourse with them as to lessen our growth in grace; divert our attention from the humble duties of religion; or mar our Christian enjoyment.

{*} "fornicators" "The impure" {+} "extortioners" "Oppressors"