to be well assured, that they set before their people " the sincere unadulterated milk of the word ;" that in no respect they " corrupt the word of God," or " handle it deceitfully ; but by manifestation of the truth commend themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God\"
Hence it appears that we all are deeply mterested in this one question. What is truth ? what is that truth, which ministers are bound to preach, and which their people should be anxious to hear ? There will however be no difficulty in answering this ques- tion, if only we consult the passage before us ; wherein St. Paul explicitly declares what was the great scope of his ministry, and the one subject which he. laboured to unfold. He regarded not the subtleties which had occupied the attention of philosophers ; nor did he affect that species of knowledge which was in high repute among men : on the contrary, he studiously avoided all that gratified the pride of human wisdom, and determined to adhere simply to one subject, the crucifixion of Christ for the sins of men: " I came not unto you," says he, '^ with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God : for I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified."
To explain and vindicate this determination of the Apostle is our intention in this discourse.
I. To explain it —
By preaching Christ crucified, we are not to under- stand that he dwelt continually on t\\efact or history of the crucifixion ; for though he speaks of having " set forth Christ as it were crucified before the eyes" of the Galatians, and may therefore be supposed occasionally to have enlarged upon the sufferings of Christ as the means of exciting gratitude towards liim in their hearts, yet we have no reason to think that he contented himself with exhibiting to their view a tragical scene, as though he hoped by that to
« See 2 Cor, ii. 15 — 17. and iv. 2.