SERMON VIII.

I COR. i. 23, 24.

We preach Chrift crucified, unto the fews a ftumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness: But unto them which are called, both Jews, and Greeks, Chrift, the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God.

ROM the account which we have in

FR

St. Luke's history of the Acts of the Apoftles, and in St. Paul's Epiftles, we are reasonably enough, I think, led to conclude, that this holy Apostle had as large a share of human wisdom, as most of his contemporaries could boast of. He had been bred up in Jerufalem at the feet of Gamaliel, a celebrated Jewish Doctor, and had not only been taught accord

L2

1

according to the perfect manner of the law of the Fathers; but had in this branch of knowledge profited above many of his equals in his own nation. To fuch a treafure of science he had added likewife what fome at least of the best heathen writers had been able to furnifh him with, as appears by feveral quotations, drawn from them, which are found in his fpeeches and in his epiftles.

his con

And yet, thus inftructed as he was in the human and ufual way of attaining to wif dom, we find him, immediately upon verfion, and upon his receiving new, light in confequence of it, difclaiming it all, and de claring, that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, i. e. is fuch, as God looks upon to be no other than foolishnefs; nay, in his ftrong manner of expreffing things, he fays, that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men ; not acknowledging, that there is any foolishness in God, but meaning, that what appears to them, that perish, to be foolish in God, is, if revealed by him, wiser than what the higheft wisdom of men could produce.

a Acts xxii. b Gal. i. 14. 3. c Acts xvii. 28. 1 Cor. xv. 33. Tit. i. 12. di Cor. iii. 19. • Ibid. i. 25.

The

'The Greeks, fays this Apoftle, efteemed the preaching of the cross, and of a Chri fied to be foolishness: and fo do all fuch as now object against the divine authority of the Christian revelation. What weight their principal objections against the wisdom of God, difplayed in the gospel of Christ have, I propose now to confider: and having in the foregoing discourses fhewed you, what defects there are in natural religion, what want there was of a revelation from heaven, and what proofs might be produced, both from inward and outward evidence, that Chriftianity was fent by God into the world for the supply of all that natural religion was imperfect in, I fhall now close this fubject, with giving partly by way of recapitulation, fuch as I think fufficient anfwers to the cavils of unbelievers against this divine revelation.

The questions, which they put to us by way of objection, and which I fhall take notice of, are these four :

If the Chrftian revelation really came from God, 1. Why did it come fo late?

2. Why was it not given to all nations ?

3. How comes it, that Chriftians differ fo widely about the meaning of the facred books? 4. How comes it, that it has not had all its proper effect in reforming the world?

To each of these objections, thrown out in their writings by the enemies of our faith, and meant as pleas, or at least as apologies, for their continuing in unbelief, I shall endeavour to give a fatisfactory anfwer in the order recited.

should fatisfy him,

As to the firft, To him, who now makes this objection, or ever could at any former time make it, it may ferve for an answer, that the Christian revelation came not late to him: to him it came foon enough for all the benefits to be obtained by it. One would think, that this as far as he is concerned; and we may ask, nay we may demand, from whence arifes his zeal for those who lived before the preaching of the gofpel? If he can by Christianity be put into a way of pleafing God, and attaining eternal life, furely he should be fo far at least thankful, as not to vent complaints, that thofe, whom he never knew, and of whom he never heard, were not in the fame happy

2

happy fituation with himself. But for a farther answer we may ask,

Secondly, What is it, that the objector calls late?

It may be as well objected against God's having created the world, that he created it fo late with regard to eternity à parte ante. Is it that the bleffed Saviour of the world did not come with his doctrine till about four thousand, years after the creation? To us indeed, who know, that Christianity has not been revealed much above feventeen hundred years, it may feem to have come late with regard to the time paft but how do we know what length of time it may ftill fubfift? The age of the gofpel is called in fcripture the last age, and the last days; but what is there in reafon or in the New Teftament to make us conclude, that this last age will be of no longer duration, than the age before the law, and the age under the law of Mofes, each of which lafted but about two thousand years? This is a point, which, whatever fome mistaken expreffions of incline unwary unwary readers to think,

fcripture may

a The end of the world, Heb. ix. 26. i. e. the end of the

ages, or the laft age.