ESSAY X. ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL, AND ON THE NEW BIRTH. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. 1 Cor. 4. 15. THE church of God at Corinth was the most renowned of all the churches: it was the most remarkable for its gifts, and the apostle himself thanked God for the grace given to them by Jesus Christ, that in every thing they were enriched by him; and they were the greatest in number. The Lord Jesus himself informed Paul, by a vision, soon after he arrived at Corinth, that he had much people in this city, which caused him. to continue there longer than he did amongst any of the churches after he had left Antioch; and no doubt it encouraged him to preach the Gospel with all boldness there" For I am with thee," said our Lord, "and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city.*' It was the first Scripture that fully convinced me of the doctrine of election; For there was no need of a vision, thought I, to tell Paul that there were very many inhabitants in that city, for this was evident to his senses; neither was there any need of a vision to inform him that there were many of the Lord's called people there, who made an open profession of the truth, and required his staying among them a year and six months, to build them up in their most holy faith; for these too were well known to him: but that there was a great number of God's elect there, who were unknown to any but himself, this can only account for the vision: and now the Lord's time was fully come that they were to be called to the know * Acts 18. ledge of himself by the preaching of the Gospel; therefore Paul might very justly say-" In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." If these words were well understood, it would save us from a great many cavils and disputes about preaching to the unconverted--the matter or subject to be preached to them. The Devil blinds the eyes of men, and cherishes disputes on this subject, to answer one of his grand purposes. He persuades ministers that they must first preach the thunders of mount Sinai for some time, or in some great part of the sermon, in order that men may be alarmed, well knowing that our legal hearts easily fall in with the delusion. He knows too that Christ is held back all this time;* and that if he is never" held forth" till evident marks of contrition appear by the It is worthy remark, that Adam, the first sinner, heard Christ preached before that he heard the awful sentence, "Cursed," &c. † Phil. 2. preaching of the law, or in an alarming manner, he knows that he will never be held forth at all, and therefore he gains his point. This is giving place to the Devil indeed!-a fundamental error, and Satan's master-piece. According to our legal views of the subject, the Corinthians seemed, of all others, the persons most requiring this alarm. They were amongst the worst of mankind. There were some of those in the church, who were begotten by the Gospel, who had been before guilty of crimes of the deepest dye. There were those who had been "fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners;*" and yet Paul "determined not to know any thing amongst them, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.†” He wrought evidently at Corinth in the occupation of a tent-maker; but amongst * 1 Corinth. 6. + Ibid. 2, the church he determined, before he en tered the city, not to know any thing, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Let them have been great sinners or little sinners, moral sinners or profane, it was a fixed point in the apostle's mind, before he was acquainted with the character of the people," not to know any thing among them, save Jesus Christ, and especially him crucified." Here was the darling theme. All of Christ; the unsearchable riches of Christ he would, from time to time, preach among them; but in the atonement, in the glad tidings of great joy, in preaching pardon and peace through the blood of the Lamb, here he would excel.* He knew that this would suit them all, more especially where sin had abounded, as it evidently had at * “A faithful saying! and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, to the end, That they which have bclieved in God might be careful to maintain good works: these things," the things spoken of in the preceding verses, called a faithful saying, or a faithful discourse, are good and profitable to men." Titus 3. & 66 |