two wifdoms gave way, that which the world CHap, treated as folly, or that which the ministers of III. 1 Chrift looked upon as fenfelefs? which gained the victory, human eloquence, or chriftian fimplicity? was there any neceffity to hide o the cross of Chrift, to say nothing of it, to embellish it by fictions, to leffen its fcandal and difgrace by fubtle reafoning? could the idols ftand before the cross of Chrift? was not idolatry abashed, and its profeffors forced to glofs and paint it over with falfe allegories, invented after their defeat, to extenuate their fhame, which, after the promulgation of the gospel, became infupportable? Did not the world, proftrated before Chrift, acknowledge the apparent folly and weakness of his cross, to be the fource of ftrength and wisdom? was it not constrained to blush at the fenfelefs worship, which it had paid fo long to devils, who could only make them partake of their mifery and blindness?

CHAP,

PART

V.

CHA P. IV.

Important reflections on the predication of the apofiles, who, far from being ashamed of the folly of the cross, placed their whole confidence in it and on their weakness in which they gloried. The divinity of Chrift clearly evinced by the efficacy of the gospel, and by the weakness of its minifters. The apostles knew very well, that it was impoffible to fucceed by human means, in perfuading the belief of Christ crucified. They even made the fuccefs of their predication depend on the fcandal of the cross. Tho' they wrought many miracles yet they attributed the efficacy of their words only to the cross of Chrift. Ofpofitions of every kind to the fuccefs of the gospel increafed in the time of the apostles, who triumphed over all, and were fully perfuaded they should be victorious. The apostles in a very little time made a furprizing progress, without making ufe of any human affiftance. God's defign in employing only weak men, and confcious of their difability, in conducting a work infinitely above human ftrength and wisdom. Invincible force of the demonftration founded on the plan and defign of Chrift, on the means he chofe, on his predictions contrary in all refpects to probability, and on the events which clearly juftified them.

UT tho' it be of no ufe to examine fo

B notorious a fact, as the triumph of the

apostles over all human wisdom, yet it is the

intereft

intereft of truth to confider fome of the cir-CHAP. cumftances with a fresh attention.

ARTICLE I.

The apostles knew very well, that it was impoffible to fucceed by human means, in perfuading the belief of Chrift crucified.

F

IRST I confider, that the apoftles knew very well how impoffible it was for them to fucceed by any human means, to perfuade people into a belief of the doctrine of Christ crucified, which was a ftumbling-block to the Jews, and folly to the Gentiles. They knew that the Jews, accustomed to ancient prodigies, and who expected a deliverer, capable like Mofes to conquer the kings of the earth, could allow of nothing but miracles, and fuch a deliverance as they had from the Egyptian bondage: that a deliverer, who could not fave himself from death, and even a death of the most ignominious kind, was to them an inexplicable paradox: and that it was a ftumbling-block to them, which neither their understanding nor their ears could bear, to be obliged to confess, that they had killed him who was promised to their fore-fathers, and that they had tied him to the cross as accurfed, in whom all nations were to be bleffed.

They

IV.

PART

V.

They knew likewife, that the Gentiles, who were ignorant of the fcriptures, and of divine revelation, believed nothing but what was obvious to reason, efteemed nothing but the fciences, and could not be convinced but by arguments and fatisfactory proofs; and that they were more unlikely than the Jews to believe him a Saviour, by whom they faw no miracle performed, and who was rejected by his own people.

ARTICLE II.

They even made the fuccefs of their predication depend on the fcandal of the cross.

N the fecond place I confider, that the

apoftles, very far from being frightened at thefe difficulties, founded their confidence on them, and it was even from the fcandal of the crofs and the apparent folly of preaching Christ crucified, that they expected the fuccefs of their predication *. That instead of extenuating and tempering this kind of scandal by artificial difcourfes and human reasoning, they thought it would be lofing all to weaken the efficacy of the crofs, by making use + of any other means, and were perfuaded, that

God

"Left the crofs of Chrift fhould be made of none "effect." Cor. i. 17.

"Then is the offence of the cross ceafed." Gal. v. 11,

I

God having chofen ignominy and the cross to CHAP. convert the world, and to render it faithful, IV. it would appear as if they had altered his defign, and condemned his thoughts, to expect from eloquence and human wisdom the faith and falvation which he was pleafed to annex to the crofs and opprobrious fufferings of his Son.

ARTICLE III.

Tho' they wrought many miracles, yet they attributed the efficacy of their words only to the cross of Chrift.

IN

N the third place I confider, that the apostles, who were invefted with the power of working miracles, and who performed numberlefs prodigies, never divided the success of their predication between the proof of their miracles and the efficacy of the crofs. But they attributed all to the powerful virtue of Christ crucified, "Who of God, fays "Saint Paul, is made unto us wisdom, and " righteoufnefs, and fanctification, and re

demption: That, according as it is written, "He that glorieth, let him glory in the "Lord." The miracles having no other effect but what he gives them, infomuch that they might have left all the Jews and Gentiles in incredulity and obftinacy, as in fact they have left an infinite number, ARTICLE

1 Cor. i. 30, &c.