234 THE DIVINE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
give the least countenance or semblance to any such thing. The gospel calls us to nothing that hath any reproach in it. If men will esteem the strict profession of the gospel — praying, hearing the word, abstinence from sin — to be shameful things; if they will count it strange that we run not out into the same excess of riot with themselves ; shall we stand to the judgment of such sensualists, that live in a perpetual contradiction to themselves, — who profess that they honour Christ, and at the same time reproach every thing of Christ in the world ? We have no reason, then, to be ashamed of the gospel, which requires no shameful thing at our hands, — nothing that is evil and hurtful to man- kind; nothing but what is good, holy, beautiful, commendable, and useful unto all societies of mankind. And we dare not prostitute the least part of an ordinance to the encouraging any disorder in this world, and therein take the name of our God in vain.
4. The fourth reason is that which the apostle gives us, Heb. xii. 1, " We are compassed about with a cloud of witnesses/' to this very end and purpose. In the preceding chapter he had given a catalogue of many under the Old Testament, patriarchs and prophets (time would have failed him to reckon up all), who signally manifested they were not ashamed of the gospel, and the promises of it, whatever difficulties did befall them. " And now," saith the apostle, " you have ' a cloud of witnesses/ — the great examples of those holy souls that are now at rest with God, enjoying the triumphs of Christ over all his adversaries. They were, as you are, conflicting in this world with reproaches, ad- versaries, persecution ; and they had this issue by faith, — they made a conquest over all." And James says, " You have, my brethren, the prophets and apostles for your examples/' The Lord help us, to take the example they have set us, Acts v. 41, when they went away triumphing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame and. re- proach for the name of Christ ! The Lord help us, that we dishonour not the gospel by giving the world reason to say, that there is a race of professors risen up now who have no manner of conformity to them who went before them in the profession of the gospel !
5. The next reason I shall insist upon is taken out of the text, the particular reason the apostle here gives why he was not ashamed of it. " I am not ashamed," saith he, " of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God to salvation to all that believe." We talk of profession of the gospel. " What is it," say some, " but canting among yourselves, — speaking things unintelligible ?" Suchkind of expressions are cast upon it in the world. But, saith the apostle, "This gospel we profess is quite another thing than you dream or think of; and we profess it no other, nor ever will engage one day in the profession of the gospel any farther, than as it comes under this account, that ' it is the power of God unto salvation.'" Manifest to me that any way
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or parcel of the gospel which we do profess, or practise, hath not the power of God in it and upon it, towards the furtherance of salvation, and I will throw off that profession.
But you will ask, perhaps, " In what sense is the gospel the power of God ?" I answer, In a threefold sense : —
(1.) Negatively: there is not any other power in it. The world saw that there was a great efficacy in the gospel, and they knew not whence it was ; but they charged it upon two things : — First, Upon the matter of it, that it was a cunningly-devised fable. So the apostle Peter tells us, 2 Epist. i. 16, "We have not followed cunningly- devised fables, when we made known unto you the power of Christ." The world charged it so, and thought that gave it its efficacy. Se- condly, There was another thing to which they thought its efficacy was owing, and that was the eloquence and power of its preachers. " The preachers of it were surely eloquent, excellent men, that they could so prevail upon the people, and win them over to the gospel." No; saith the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5, "My speech and preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." But let not men mistake ; the efficacy of the gospel is owing to neither of these causes, but to the divine power that accompanies it.
(2.) It was the power of God declaratively ; it made known the power of God. So our apostle declares in the very next words to the text. " For therein," saith he, " is the righteousness of God revealed." It hath made a revelation of the way whereby God will save men. It makes a revelation of that power which God puts forth for the salvation of men.