Huccecdcd in accomplishing this? Who amongst the wise will come forward to give one single instance? II. Philosophy CONFOUNDED by the gospel. "Hath not God made fooli8h the wiHtlom of this world?" 1. By doing what philosophy could not do. "The world by wisdom knew not God." Though the pages of nature lay open to the eye, with G,Jcl's siunature on the whole, man failed to discover him. 2. By doing by the simplest instm- m~ntality what philosophy could not do. The proclamation of the history of .Jesus of Nazareth, and that by a few simple men regarded as the offsconring of all things, did the work. Hath not God in this way "macle foolish the wisdom of the world "? III. Philosophy SUPERSEDED by the gospel. " It pleased God by the foolishness of preachi~g to save them that ?elieve." 'l'he preaching is not fo~lish in i_tself, only in the estima.t1on of the would-be wise men. The great want of men 1s salvat10n-the restorn- tion of the soul to the knowledge, the likeness, the fellowship of God. This want philosophy cannot supply; but the gospel does. It has done so, it is doing so, and it will continue to do so. Vers. 22-25.-0lwistianity viewed in three aspects. "For the Jews require a sign," etc. Our subject is Christianity ; and here we see it in three aspects. I. As associated with a GREAT FACT. "Christ crucified." This fact may be looked at: 1. Historically. As an historical fact, it is the most famous, influential, and best a11thenticated in the annals of time. 2. Theologically. It unfolds the Divine, it rends the veil in the great temple of theological truth, and exposes the inmost and holiest sanctuary; it is a. mighty expression of God's idea., government, and heart. 3. 2rlorally. It is fraught with the most quickening, elevating, and sanctifying suggestions. II. As associated with POPULAR OPINION. It was a" stumbling-block" to the Jew; it was "foolishness" to the Greek. It had not sufficient of the gorgeous philosophical ritualism for the speculative and pedantic Greek, nor sufficient of the gorgeous religious ritualism for the sensuous and bigoted Jew. What is it in popular sentiment now? To the millions it is nothing. They have formed no idea of it; they do not think about it. To the sceptic it is a fable; to the formalist it is a creed to be repeated, and a ceremony to be attended to on certa.in occasions, and nothing more. III. As associated with CHRISTIAN CONSCIOUSNESS. "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God." The Christian sees the highest wisdom in a system which, in saving the sinner, does four things. 1. Manifests the righteousness of the insulted Sovereign. 2. Augments the influence of moral government. 3. Maintains intact all the principles of moral freedom. 4. Develops, strengthens, and perfects all the original powers of the individual soul. He sees, too, the highest power in the difficulties it surmounts, the revolutions it effects, the deeds to which it stimulates, the hopes it inspires, and the deep fountains of pleasure which it opens up. He feels it is both wise and powerful. What is Christianity to us? As a fact, there it is in the archives of humanity, for ever independent of us ; nothing will ever blot it out from the page of history. As a fact, though centuries old, it is more influential than ever. It will be a fact eternally. What is it to us? ls it folly and weakness ; or is it wisdom and power? This is the question. Vers. 2G-29.-God destroying the conventionally great by the conventionally contemp- 'ible. "For ye see your calling, brethren," etc. These verses remind us of two facts. I. EVIL EXISTS HERE UNDER CONVENTIONALLY RESPECTABLE FORMS. Evil is spoken of in these verses as the "wise" and the "mighty." In Corinth dangerous errors wore the costume of wisdom. Power was also on their side. Sages, poets, artists, statesmen, :,vealth, and influence stood by them, and they appeared "mighty." Men in England, as in Corinth, have robed evils in attractive costumes, and labelled them with brilliant names. Often, indeed, has religion itself been used as a means of covering vices, allll of raising the vilest passions of the human heart into the spheres of worship. Every- :,vhere evil assumes a respectable garb. 1. 11,fidelity. This great evil writes and speaks Jn the stately formularies of philosophy and science; borrows its sanctions from astronomy, chronology, criticism, and metaphysics. It is a "wise" thing of the world. 2. Licen- tiousness. 'l'his evil, which involves the utter neglect of all social obligations, and the unrestrained development of the base a.nd vicious lusts of the soul, passes nllller the· !4 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORlNTIUANS. [cH. 1. 1-31.
gran,l name of liberty. The vaunted religious liberty of England's population means often only power to neglect sacred ordinances, profane the holy sabbath, etc. 3. Social in.f11stice. This is a demon which works in every sphere of life, leading the crafty to take adrnntage of the ignorant, the strong of the weak, the rich of the poor; and this -does most of its fiendish work in the name of law. 4. Selfishness. 'l'his goes under the name of prudence. The man whose heart knows no throb of sympathy for another passes through life with the reputation of a prudent man. 6. Bigotry. This, which leads men to brand all who differ from them as heretics and doom them to perdition, wears the sacred name of religion. 6. War. This, which by the common consent of all Christian philosophers is the pandemonium where all evil passions of the human heart run riot in their most fiendish forms, is called glory. 'l'hus here and now, as eYerywhere and e-ver, eYil appears as the "wise" and the "mighty." That errors and e,·ils should appear in respectable forms is one of the most unfavourable symptoms in all the history of man. Could we but take from sin the mantle of respectability that societ\' has thrown o-ver it, we should do .much towards its annihilation. 0