should cli\·crt attention from its nil-important terms. It is recorded of ,Tames II. thnt ill' ,mce s:tt for his portrait to a great flower-painter, but so completely was the canvas lilied "·ith beautiful garlands of flowers, that the king himself was lost sight of. So 111any p:tint Christ in their sermons; when they preach Christ they preach everythin" except Christ. 2. It was not the impartation of human wisdom. Paul did not corn~ as a philosopher; he came as a herald. He had certain facts and truths to proclaim, and he would not philosophize about them, at all events until they were accepted, for until nccept,·d, their true philosophy could not be underst.ood. Human wisdom bad failed; Paul brought something which would not fail. Paul was no enemy to human wi,dom; be despised it only a.s a means of human 1·edemption; it was very con- temptible to him when it attempted to transcend its sphere. II. \\THAT IT wAS. It was the proclamation of " Christ and him crucified." This wa.u pre-eminent, excluding philosophies and subordinating all other things. The apostl1s would not know aught besides; this should fill his consciousness. If the Corinthians would not receive this, he had nothing more for them; he must turn to others more willing. .A. myriad other things had been presented to them by philosophers and Yarious teachers; all had failed. He would present Christ, and this Christ crucified, and stake eYerything upon the issue. That which was the sum and substance of Paul's preaching is, in much preaching, like the proverbial needle in the haystack-exceedingly ,iifiicult to discover at all. 1. His theme was: (1) The person of Christ. The subject of prophecy, of history, of the apostle's own knowledge. Christ the Sent of God. Christ the Son of God aud the Sou of man. (2) The office of Christ. Christ the Saviour of men. Exhibited as the Saviour especially in that tragedy of the cross, when " he was wounded for O'lr transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities." 2. This was "the testimony of God" (ver. 1). The revelation of Divine wisdom. God had nothing greater or better to disclose to men than this. Well might the apostle pass by the wisdom of man, since he was entrusted with the wisdom of God. 'l'he "mystery" of God. Thought of in past eternal ages, long hidden from men, tran- scending the poor flights of boastful human intellect, but now plainly declared. Paul spoke not his own words or thoughts, but God's. 3. Note a special feature of his preaching: it waG "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." It was tho utterance of certain truths with reliance upon the Divine ,Spirit to carry them to the heart. The apostle, in proclaiming the gospel, whilst using evidence and employing arp1ment, relied upon the conviction of the Spirit. Words and human wisdom could 1,ot effect what he desired-conviction of sin, of the need of a Saviour, conviction that Curist was the Saviour, the only Saviour, the "Mighty to save." Paul preached waiting for the witness of the Spirit-and that witness was given. It is sometimes not giYen because it is not sought. .A.11 preaching without it is useless, and yet it is often the last thing thought of. III. ITS ACCOMPANIMENTS ON THE OCCASION IN QUESTION. 1. Weakness. Possibly the "thom in the flesh" was at that time specially harassing, or the apostle may have beeu in special bodily weakness. But perhaps he was deeply conscious of weakness and iusufficieocy when he viewed the magnitude and importance of his work. Corinth was a stro □ g Satanic citadel to storm. 2. Fear. under a sense of responsibility, and the issues at stake. Apprehension lest mistakes should be made, and evil done instead of good. It might be well if there was more of this "fear" in some modern preachers. 0. Much trembling. There was much commotion in the apostle's spirit-he was deeply agitated. ·with no "light heart" did he set about hiH work. .A. very pathetic picture! JJut pl'Obaily the best condition for tl,e apostle under the circumstances. This apostolic condition has not a little to do with apostolic success. '!'he all-confident may suceed in the world, but they will fail sooner or later in the Church. Snch a state as that of Paul's wakes us feel that we are nothing, and that we can do nothing; and then God works. "\Vhen we are weak, then are we strong (2 Cor. xii. 10). The despondencies, humiliations, emptyings, of Christian workers have frequently been the preludes oi marked spiritual successes. We are often too strong and too confident for God to make any use of us. IV. ITS AIM. 1. The awakening of faith. This preaching was not a performance for applause, but earnest work for an all-important, spiritual result. Nothing less than l'ersonal savi □ g faith in Christ as the issue of his preaching could satisfy the apostle- ,11. u. 1-16.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 73
a faith which should indissolubly bind to Chri~t, and blossnm into the excellences and beauties of the Christian life. 2. Faith well founded. Not standing in the wisdom of men (vcr. 5).. Not built upon beautiful words or fine-spun theories, but having tho work of God m the heart as a sure foundation. The apostle desired divinely wrow1!,t <onviceion and conversion. So in his preaching he sought to make all room for Gorl. He did not desire to be personally prominent; he swept away philosophies and the cunning arts of rhetoric, fixed the attention upon the God-sent Saviour and his victoriou~ work upon the cross, and relied upon God to make this break down the opposition of the natural heart and to build up in the soul a steadfast, abiding faith in Christ. An important inquiry-What is our faith based upon? Do we know anything of the "power of God," the "demonstration of the Spirit"? The faith of not a few-such as it is-is based upon the imagination, eloquence, learning, or eccentricities of their ministers; upon the authority of their Church; or upon their mvn unsanctioned {ancies.-H.