its affections and lusts; to die to sin, to the world, and to themselves, and to become holy, spiritual, and divine. These were hard sayings indeed, and insuperable obstacles in the way of their embracing the new religion. And are they not hard sayings still to all infidels and freethinkers? nay, and to all the unawakened and unregenerate; to "the earthly and sensual," and even to as many as are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God?" Add to this, that the testimony of the apostles respecting the necessity of having "fellowship with Christ in his sufferings," and "being conformed to his death;" or, in other words, that all his true and genuine disciples must deny themselves, and take up their cross, and follow him through sufferings to glory, being prepared, if called to it, to seal his truth with their blood, and not only to suffer, but even to die for his sake.-This doctrine, I say, was in a higher sense still a stumbling-block to both Pharisees and Sadducees. Even those of them who partly believed the gospel, made this, as we find from the epistle to the Galatians, an objection to their relinquishing Judaism, and embracing pure and genuine Christianity; they were afraid of "suffering persecution for the cross of Christ.” And is not the fear of reproach and persecution, in our time, one very principal reason why many disown the truth, and stand aloof from its steady and consistent professors? Let us all be on our guard, my brethren, lest we should be found among those fearful ones, spoken of in the Revelation by St. John, those timid and cowardly disciples of Jesus, if such can be termed his disciples, who prefer their property, or character, or liberty, or life, to the Lord Jesus, and that truth which he sealed with his blood, and who, therefore, "shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." Let us remember, and lay to heart, the awful and important declaration of our suffering and crucified Master: He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me and he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth not after me," that does not prepare, if the will of God be so, even to die like me upon a cross, "is not worthy of me;" for " except a man forsake even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." 5. To proceed: That doctrine concerning Christ crucified, which was to the Jews a stumbling-block, was to the Greeks foolishness. The Greeks, in general, were great admirers of wisdom, of the depths of philosophy, and the charms of eloquence. By them the simple unadorned preaching of the apostles, was viewed as foolishness. The apostles, in their doctrine, attended only to truth and facts, waiving all the studied forms and ornaments of speech. Their preaching, as appears from the context, from other parts of their epistles, and from those abridgments of their discourses contained in "The Acts of the Apostles," was chiefly historical: It consisted of a plain relation of certain important matters of fact, to which they bore testimony, and of obvious inferences drawn from them. They affirmed, that a poor, despised, and persecuted man, who had lived and taught publicly in Judea, confirming his doctrine by an holy life, and by great miracles, had been crucified for men's sins, to procure pardon for them, had risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and was now at the right hand of God making intercession. This story, "told without wisdom of words," and recommended by no elegance of language, nor embellishments of diction, was foolishness to these vain, and selfconceited Greeks, as containing nothing they admired, neither depth of reasoning, nor subtlety of argument, nor flowers of rhetoric. And on the same ground many of the admirers of philosophical knowledge, of the refinements of science, and ornaments of discourse, now object to and despise the simple, plain, and practi- . cal preaching of those ministers of the Lord Jesus, who bear an unadorned, but true testimony to the genuine and infinitely momentous doctrines of his gospel. 6. Again. To worship "a crucified malefactor" or impostor, (as they deemed Christ,) and to depend for salvation on one that was hanged on a tree, and who, as they thought, could not save himself, seemed foolishness to them. They account us mad, saith Justin Martyr, that after the immutable and eternal God, the Father of all things, we give the second place to a man that was crucified." "It is wicked and abominable," saith Celsus. "The wise men of the world insult over us," saith St. Austin; (and is it not the practice of such still?) "and ask, 'Where is your understanding, who worship for a God him that was crucified.'"* Lucian also, it is well known, profanely insults the Christians on this account; and many of the ancient Fathers of the Christian church speak of the same reproach as being cast upon them by the heathen. It has been said, and according to Archbishop Tillotson, not without foundation, that the Jesuits who were sent as missionaries into China, when preaching to the Chinese, concealed this branch of Christian doctrine, that they might avoid * Dr. Whitby on the passage. † See Doddridge's Note here. See Tillotson's Works, Voll. II. p. 284. giving offence; denied that Christ was crucified, and represented it as an invention of the Jews to asperse Christianity. No wonder they had not success! For it is the cross of Christ that subdues the nations, according to the vision which Constantine is said to have had, (when marching towards Rome, to attack Maxentius,) of a cross in the air, with this inscription: Hac vince: i. e. in this conquer.* Let us, my brethren, who speak in the name of the Lord, not forget this. Let us not expect to conquer either the world or sin, whether in ourselves or others, but in and by the cross of Christ. 7. Again: The doctrine of justification and salvation by the merit of another, and merely by believing in him, was deemed foolishness by those vain and self-sufficient philosophers of Greece, who entertained a high opinion of their own moral virtue, and imagined that their goodness could, strictly speaking, merit, and would ensure the favour and approbation of their gods, and a high degree of future felicity. And, in this particular, they are but too closely followed, in the present day, by all the self-dependent and self-righteous professors of Christianity. Equally foolish did some sects among them, especially the Epicureans, judge that branch of gospel doctrine which inculcates the necessity of denying our appetites, passions, and carnal desires. For these, they contended, are implanted in our nature by its Author, in order to their being gratified, and that to refuse to indulge them, is, in fact, to oppose God and nature. And have not the libertines and votaries of pleasure, of every age and nation, always been of their mind? I shall only add on this head, that the apostolic testimony respecting the reproach and persecution which, in all ages, accompany genuine piety and virtue, was also foolishness to these wise and honourable men of the world, whose good name and reputation were their idols, and whose opinion was, that religion and virtue are the sure way to worldly honour and prosperity. And in this point, also, they are imitated by all "The doubts concerning the MIRACULOUS CROSS, that Constantine solemnly declared he had seen in the air, are many and considerable. It is easy, indeed, to refute the opinion of those, who look upon this prodigy as a fiction invented by the emperor to animate his troops, or who consider the narration as wholly fabulous. The sentiment, also, of those who imagine that this cross was no more than a natural phenomenon, is more ingenious than solid. Yet it is not certain, that the divine power interposed to confirm the wavering faith of Constantine. Most probably, it was presented to the emperor in a dream." MOSHEIM, Abridged by Mr. Wesley, p. 152. who are of the same worldly spirit, in whatever country, even although they may profess Christianity. III. Very different, however, (and this is the third and last topic we have to discuss,) is the light in which this doctrine is viewed by all that obey the call of God, and are made his people; and very different is the effect which it has upon them. But" unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God." 1. Those that believed and obeyed the gospel were frequently termed The Called, by the Evangelists and Apostles. Thus, Romans i. 6. speaking of "obedience to the faith among all nations for the name of Christ," St. Paul adds, Among whom are ye also (at Rome,) the called of Jesus Christ." In the 8th chapter he observes, “All things shall work for good to them that love God, to them that are, or xano, the called according to his purpose." He speaks of the Corinthians, in this chapter, as "called to be saints," and of the Thessalonians, as "called by the gospel." In this last-mentioned passage,* the Apostle explains this matter. "We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath, from the beginning, chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Mankind are called to repentance, to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and to new obedience by the gospel: or, as it is here expressed, to "the sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." That they may attend to, and obey this call of the gospel, God adds the call of his Providence and of his Spirit. His kind, superintending, and watchful Providence, dispen⚫ses sickness or health, honour or dishonour, prosperity or adversity, according as he knows any of these things is most adapted to bring men to the knowledge of his truth, and the experience of his love. His Spirit, also, co-operates with his Providence and his Word; opens the eyes of our understanding, gives spiritual discernment, inclines the will, draws the affections, regenerates the soul, and produces "a death to sin, and a new birth to righteousness." Thus are we made obedient to the heavenly call, and answer the character which the apostles give of the called, in their Epistles. * 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14. 2. Now, to these, that same doctrine concerning Christ crucified, which was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness," is the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God. They esteem it an infinitely wise contrivance of God for the salvation of a lost world, and calculated to display his divine Wisdom, as well as Goodness, beyond any system of philosophy that was ever invented. In this scheme of redemption and salvation, they see that all the divine attributes are glorified, and act in sweet harmony to accomplish man's restoration to the divine favour and likeness: That Mercy and Truth meet together; Righteousness and Peace kiss each other:" That, while the guilty, weak, and wretched posterity of fallen Adam are saved, God's holy law is magnified, and the rights of his moral government asserted. Thus Dr. Young, "O'er guilt, how mountainous! with outstretch'd arms, Supporting in full majesty thy throne, Or That, or Man inevitably lost: The wondrous deed! or, shall I call it more? A mystery no less to gods* than men!" 3. But not only is the redemption of mankind, by the crucifixion of Christ, an astonishing contrivance and display of divine wisdom, but it is also a source from which knowledge and wisdom are derived to us. Hereby we are made acquainted with the great evil of sin, its odious nature and destructive consequences, together with our own extreme sinfulness and guilt, which were so great as absolutely to preclude our salvation, unless our sins were expiated by the sacrifice of the Son of God. Here we learn, on the one hand, the holiness and justice of God, and are taught to stand in awe, and not sin; and on the other, his mercy and grace, in order that, notwithstanding all our past transgressions, and present infirmities, we may "trust" in him for pardon and peace, being reconciled in Christ," and not be afraid." And, above all, here we are enlightened to know the great love that he hath to us, and are enabled to * Angels. |