from your heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you Every minister may say, "I am set for the fall and rising again of many." *** To perish from under the cross is tremendous!

Interesting, then, to promote it among others.--Christians are a confederacy-general diffusion

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What do you not owe to the Gospel? What would you receive in exchange for it? Then give liberally for its diffusion. *

SERMON XLV.

PAUL'S RESOLVE.

■ Corinthians, ii., 2.—For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

1. WEIGHTY causes must have conspired to make St. Paul utter so determined a resolution; for, he could be all things to all men, that he might save some. The Corinthian Church objected to the Gospel preached by him; not because he wanted refinement in delivery, &c., for he was versed in all this, &c.-they objected more to the substance than the manner; not that they were averse to being instructed in the principles of the faith, for they had teachers of it, but they wished Paul to mix with it the wisdom of words, wordy wisdom, which he calls "the wisdom of the world." Abstruse themes which would lead to philosophical discussions, &c.

2. It seems Paul's practice was to dwell on the atonement; and this doctrine was incapable of embellishmentit was too awful! too simple! (Lomas.) Other preachers among them had accommodated their teachings to their views; but Paul did not-he is now in a dilemma, either to yield to their taste, or lose his popularity. With him there is no hesitancy; popularity is not the end of a preacher whose work is with the Lord: "For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

3. The reason of this resolution was not self-will, but because he considered the preaching of Jesus and the cross as the vital point of Christianity. Take this away, and the Gospel is nothing; nothing saving even in Christianity but this-comprehends all!!

I. The meaning of the phrase, "Jesus Christ, and hum crucified;" and,

II. Consider the sentiment in the text as the apostle's proposition, &c.

I. The meaning of the phrase, "Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

The orthodox Church of Christ who believe in the atone. ment interpret the phrase as not to the fact of the crucifixion, but as a sacrifice for sin, and consider faith in it, necessary to salvation.

Others, who deny the atonement, think he merely announces the fact the Jews might come under this class.-But some professing Christians go but a shade farther, and suppose that by his death he witnessed to the truth, was a good man, and died a martyr.

We are at no loss to determine the apostle's meaning by his own explanation, which is the fairest way in all authors. See chapter i., verses 23, 24; he says, "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God:" now his meaning must take in these expressions. Apply them to the low phrase believed in by many!

"To the Jews a stumbling-block." Was it the fact? No, they acknowledged the fact; and how, then, could they stumble if this were the meaning? They might, indeed, be angry at assuming that his death was the seal of his truth; but there was nothing in this on which to stumble! (Observe, I confine my remarks to "Christ crucified"-not the resurrection.)—Again, if so, how was it foolishness to the Greeks, that a moral teacher should be put to death? The same had been witnessed among themselves. Socrates was

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so put to death, and many of his disciples remained, still fond of their master and his sayings. Again, how, if this be the sense, is "the power of God" manifested? It would have been rather displayed in preventing the crucifixion: the best of men was dying, and his enemies had tried the power of his God, when they said, come from the cross; and Jesus had said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"-Again, His wisdom would be shown in planning his escape.-What incentive to virtue would there be in all this? None.

But take the other view of the phrase, and see how this text explains its meaning. It was a stumbling-block to the Jews, who sought to be justified by works, and had lost the doctrine of justification by faith, for which Paul contends with them so much in Romans; nay, they saw nothing through their own sacrifices; they had lost their design, and knew nothing of the doctrine of atonement.-It was foolishness to the Greeks to tell them they could only be saved by believing in a Jew, rather than in any of their own deities; and a Jew who was rejected and put to death by his own countrymen.

See, again, "the wisdom of God." Wisdom is knowledge in action, and is displayed in devising suitable means to accomplish the end; it implies difficulty in the way to be removed or overcome.-Now, the end is the salvation of sinners. See God's wisdom in accomplishing this through all difficulties; and what were they? They arose from the moral government of God; how to pardon without justifying the sinner; how to show his mercy, and yet his abhorrence to sin. See how Christ's cross removes it. God's holiness and justice are awfully displayed, and more so than if all men had been damned; his hatred to sin is such as to sacrifice his Son!! Surely no encouragement is given to sin now, though he do pardon.-How does it illustrate the Divine power? God attained no increase of actual power, but his power was restrained.-Our king can pardon all, but his own laws restrain him.-So God, but the law of his government must be honoured. But when the sacrifice was made, see what an illustration of Divine power follow

ed; at Pentecost it descended "like a rushing mighty wind ;" and it is yet, and always will be, with us!! It now rolls on over the world, and all the energies of Deity are put forth to save man! Before, he was mighty to destroynow, mighty to save! three thousand at once!-Thus our text explains,

II. The proposition that this is the only doctrine, not to say in the world, but even in Christianity, which is saving! All others are built on this, the sacrificial death of Christ! To show this, grant that there must be an adaptation in the Gospel to produce the end, the salvation of men! For example, God might have filled the Bible with other truth, say philosophical; and it would have been as much truth as the present; but nobody would expect salvation by it; there would be in it no adaptation to our case. The Eastern merchant must fail in the desert if no water be found; yet his treasure is the same, but of no use: so we, with all this treasure of wisdom, if no living water.-Grant then, I say, that in the revelation of God there must be an adaptation to our case.-God has two ways of effecting his purposes: what we call ordinary and extraordinary. Of the first are miracles; in these he acts with or without means, and often contrary to means, as in the case of the blind man anointed with clay; but in the gift of a revelation, he has laid aside miracles, and proposed the subject to our reason; it must, then, adapt to us. Now, what is in the Gospel that adapts itself to our condition? First, what is our condition? 1. We are corrupted! Those who interpret the phrase in the text to its low acceptation, deny this.-Then account for the evil in the world. Vice does exist, and it cannot be the natural growth; if no fall, the natural growth would have been virtue. Not able to deny its existence, they say it is the effect of example; but why, then, is it universal? Why is it that no virtuous posterity of a virtuous ancestor, who never saw evil example, was ever discovered? The Bible gives the only reply: that mankind fell at its root, and all are corrupt. Do they say still, that human nature is equally capable of good and evil? Why, then, the greater propensity to evil?-Still we say, because all are corrupt. Now,

if so, then leave Divine aid out of the question, and we sink still lower, for we have in us no regenerating principle.

2. We are guilty also; actually criminal; and this is the cause of eternal death: "The wages of sin is death." See, then, our case-altogether helpless, through corruption, without strength, and exposed, moreover, to future and eternal punishment.

Now, this very condition it is which adapts the Gospel to us. Try every other doctrine revealed in the Gospel, and see if it will do. 1. True, it reveals more of the glory of God; but what avails all our knowledge of God, if no sacrifice? The Gospel discovers his goodness in glowing characters; but, while this rises on the scene, it is shaded by his justice! Ask the damned? They have more views of God's majesty than we, but it eases no sorrow; they might see this goodness as for the obedient, but for them, helpless and guilty, his justice has a darker shade-darker, even for the brightness of that goodness!" Dark with excessive bright!"" Salvation, then, does not lie in this view of God.

2. But you say, the Gospel is a beautiful moral law for our guide! True; there is more law in the Gospel than in the Old Testament; yea, more than in any other dispensation. The Gospel is not compared with the law as being less strict in its requirements: no; it is the same; yea, the holiness and spirituality of God are set forth under a brighter glow! But it is compared with the law as a system of grace; it "gives grace to help in every time of need." But see man as corrupt and guilty; and does this apply to these morals? What comfort can they give? We do not want law: go to the victim condemned to die; take the statutebook; expatiate on the law he has violated; alas! he wants pardon, not law.-Miserable comforters!

3. You say, there is the example of Jesus! Granted.We cannot study it too much; yet the salvation of guilty men is not by this. Example is only law in action, and the former answer applies to this; if the law is unwelcome, so is its exhibition.And what is the fact? See the Jews: what did they benefit by his example? They heard his gracious words, and yet hated him the more. The mind of man