it for the precious seed. 2. The proper state of muid in which to preach the gospel is the opposite of self-confidence or care- lessness. The gospel should be preached with a sense of weakness and with great anxiety and solicitude. 3. The suc- cess of the gospel does not depend on the skill of the preacher, but on the demonstration of the Spirit. 4. The foundation of saving faith is not reason, i. e. not arguments addressed to the understanding, biit the power of God as exerted with and by the truth upon the heart.
6. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect : yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought.
Paul had m the preceding chapter, vs. 17-31, asserted the insufficiency of human wisdom, and in vs. 1-5 of this chapter, he had said he was not a teacher of human wisdom. Was it to be inferred from this that he despised knowledge, that he was an illiterate contemner of letters, or that he taught nonsense ? Far from it ; he taught the highest wisdom. It is plain from this whole discussion, that by the wisdom of the world, Paul means that knowledge of God and divine things which men derive from reason. It is also plain that what he says of the worthlessness of that knowledge has reference to it as a means of salvation. The objection urged against him was, that he did not teach philosophy. His answer is, philosophy cannot save men. "Whatever may be its value within its own sphere and for its own ends, it is worse than useless as a substitute for the gospel. He was not for banishing philosophy from the schools, but from the pulpit. Let the dead bury the dead ; but do not let them pretend to impart life.
Ilowheit^ nevertheless^ i. e. ' although we do not teach hu- man wisdom, we teach the true wisdom.' Amo7ig them that are perfect (iv rots rcXciots), i. e. the mature, the full-gro"svn, the competent. The iv here is not redundant as though the sense were to the perfect ; but has its proper force among. Among one class of men the doctrine which he preached was regarded as foolishness, but among another it was seen to be divine wis- dom. Who are meant by the perfect ? There are two an- swers to this question. Some say they were the advanced or mature Christians as distinguished from the babes in Christ. Others say, they were believers as opposed to unbelievers ; those taught by the Spirit and thus enabled to understand the 2*