SERMON XXIV. THE PREACHING OF CHRIST CRUCIFIED THE MEAN OF SALVATION. 1 COR. i. 22—24. For the Jews require a fign, and the Greeks feek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift the power of God, and the wifdom of God. I F we should confider Chriftianity only as an improvement of natural religion, containing a complete fyftem of morality, and prescribing a pure plan of worship, it is a matter of the utmost importance, and worthy of univerfal acceptance. In the one view, it is neceffary to inform the world in matters of fin and duty, and reform their vicious practices; and in the other, to put an end to that foolish and barbarous fuperftition which had over-run the earth, under the notion of religious worship. And these ends the Chriftian religion fully anfwers. Never was there fuch a finished fyftem of morality, or fuch a spiritual and divine model of worship invented or revealed, as by the despised Galilean, and the twelve fifhermen that received their inftructions from him. But this is not the principal excellency of the gofpel! and did it carry its difcoveries no farther, alas! it would be far from revealing a fuitable religion for finners. A religion for finners muft reveal a method of falvation for the loft; of pardon for the guilty, and of fanctifying grace for the weak and wicked. And, bleffed be God, the gofpel anfwers this end; and it is its peculiar excellency that it does fo. VOL. II. It is its its peculiar excellency that it publishes a crucified Christ as an all-fufficient Saviour to a guilty, perifhing world. It is its glorious peculiarity that it reveals a method of falvation every way honourable to God and his government, and every way fuitable to our neceffities; and that is, by the fufferings of Chrift, the Founder of this religion. This is the ground, the fubftance, and marrow of the gofpel; and it is this, above all other things, that its minifters ought to preach and inculcate. It fhould have the fame place in their fermons which it has in that gofpel which it is their business to preach; that is, it fhould be the foundation, the fubftance, the center, and drift of all. This was the practice of the most fuccefsful preacher of the gofpel that ever bore that commiffion: I mean St. Paul. And in this he was not fingular; his fellow-apoftles heartily concurred with him, We preach Christ crucified. The fufferings of Chrift, which had a dreadful confummation in his crucifixion, their neceffity, defign, and confequences, and the way of falvation thereby opened for a guilty world, thefe are the principal materials of our preaching; to inftruct mankind in these is the great object of our miniftry, and the unwearied labour of our lives. We might easily choose subjects more pleafing and popular, more fit to difplay our learning and abilities, and fet off the ftrong reafoner, or the fine orator: but our commiffion, as minifters of a crucified Jefus, binds us to the fubject; and the neceflity of the world peculiarly requires it. Further, this was not the apoftle's occafional practice, or an hafty wavering purpose; but he was determined upon it. I determined, fays he, not to know any thing among you, fave Jefus Chrift, and him crucified. 1 Cor. ii. 2. This theme, as it were, engroffed all his thoughts; he dwelt fo much upon it, 4 * as *Which Dr. Doddridge renders-Chrift Jefus, even that crucified one. Chrift Jefus, and that under the moft ignominious circumftances poffible, viz. as crucified, was the principal object of his study, and the fubftance of his preaching. as if he had known nothing elfe: and as if nothing elfe had been worth knowing. Indeed he openly avows fuch a neglect and contempt of all other knowledge, in comparison of this: I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jefus Chrift my Lord. Phil. iii. 8. The crucifixion of Chrift, which was the moft ignominious circumftance in the whole courfe of his abafement, was an object in which he gloried; and he is ftruck with horror at the thought of glorying in any thing elfe. God forbid, fays he, that I fhould glory, fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift! Gal. vi. 14. In fhort, he looked upon it as the perfection of his character as a chriftian and an apoftie, to be a conftant ftudent, and a zealous indefatigable preacher of the cross of Christ. But though a crucified Jefus was of fo much importance in a religion for finners; though this doctrine was the fubftance of the gofpel, and the principal object of the apoftle's miniftry; yet, as it was not the invention of human reafon, fo neither was it agreeable to the proud reafonings, or corrupt tafte of the world. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness. However, there were fome that had the fame fentiment of it with St. Paul; even as many as were in the way of falvation. Unto us that are faved, it is the power of God. ver. 18. To fuch, that weak and contemptible thing, the crofs, was the brighteft difplay of divine power to be found in the universe. Mankind had had time enough to try what expedients their reafon could find out for the reformation and falvation of a degenerate and perifhing world. The fages and philofophers of the heathen world had had a clear ftage for many hundreds of years; and they might have done their utmoft without controul. But, alas! did any of them, amid all their boasted improvements, fucceed in the experiment? Or could they fo much as find out a method in which finners might be reconciled to their God? No; No; in this most interesting point, they were either ftupidly thoughtlefs, or all their fearches iffued in perplexity, or in the most abfurd and impious contrivances. Where is the wife? where is the fcribe? where is the difputer of this world? Let them appear, and produce their schemes upon this head. But bath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (ver. 20.) Yes, indeed he has, by propofing a method moft perfectly adapted for this end, which they not only never would have once thought of, but which, when revealed, their wifdom cannot relifh. Their wifdom appears but folly, in that when they had the world to themselves about four thousand years, they could not in all that time find out any fuccefsful expedient to amend and fave it. And now, if any thing be done at all, it is time for God to do it; and how ftrange, how unexpected, how myfterious was his expedient! and yet how glorious and effectual! For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleafed God, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them that believe. ver. 21. This was the contrivance for effecting what all the wifdom and learning of the world could never effect; the plain unadorned preaching of Chrift crucified; which, both for the matter and manner of it, was counted foolishness. But how did the world bear this mortification of their intellectual pride? And what reception did this bounteous divine scheme meet with when revealed? Alas! I am forry to tell you: The prejudices of their education were different; but they were unitedly fet against the gospel. The Jews had been educated in a religion established by a series of miracles; and therefore they were extravagant in their demands of this fort of evidence. Notwithstanding all the miracles Christ was working daily before their eyes, they were perpetually asking him, What fign fhewest thou?Those that are refolved not to be convinced, will be always complaining of the want of proof, and demanding manding more to vindicate their infidelity. As for the Greeks, their prejudices were of another kind; it was even a proverb among them, that "miracles were for fools;" and therefore they did not defire that fort of evidence. But they feek after wisdom. They had been accustomed to fine orations, ftrong reafoning, and a parade of learning; and thefe were the evidences they defired to recommend a doctrine to them. And, finding the doctrine of Chrift crucified had none of these embellishments, they defpifed and rejected it as foolishness and nonfenfe. The method of falvation by the crucifixion of a fuppofed malefactor, was fo extremely oppofite to the reasoning, pride, and prejudices of Jews and Gentiles, that they could not bear it. The Jews expected the Meffiah would appear as a victorious temporal prince, who, instead of falling a prey to his enemies, would fubdue them all with an irrefiftible power, and advance the family of David to univerfal empire. And of all other deaths, that of crucifixion was the moft odious and abominable to them, because, according to the custom of the Romans, it was the punishment only of flaves; and by their own law it was pronounced accurfed; for it is written, curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Gal. iii. 13. Deut. xxi. 23. Hence, by way of contempt, the Jews called the bleffed Jefus, the Hanged Man.-Nay, this was a fhock to the faith of the apoftles themselves, until their Jewish prejudices were removed by better information. Finding that, inftead of fetting up a glorious kingdom, their Master was apprehended by his enemies, and hang upon a crofs, they had nothing to fay, but We trusted this was he that fhould have delivered Ifrael: we fimply thought fo; but, alas! now we fee our mistake. Luke xxiv. 21. No wonder the crofs of Chrift fhould be a ftumbling-block to fuch as had imbibed fuch notions of the Meffiah. When, inftead of the power of figns and miracles, which they * Thaumata morois. were |