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worse then nothing ! are our budding hopes Co Coon blafted and do yoor forward resolutions to quickly languish? You that would have counted it an injury not to be thought Chriftians and members of the Church, what do you mean to tear and rend the body in pieces ? Tou that would have been lookt upon as living tones, fic to build God an house, an habitation for the God of Jacob, do you now go about to demolish fo fair a ftru

a &ure, and to bring into the Temple the noise of axes and hammers ? Tou that would have been thought sharers in the com munion of Saints, and to have had a chief part in that Spiritual confort, do you now put all out of tune by your ftrifes and difsentions? while you shew no better fruits then these ; what ever

; you seem to be, are ye noj tarnal?

3. Some of you that are truly spiritual, yet here in this, are ye mot carnal ? Tis ißdonnay; who barb bewitcht you, o Corin.

éßdor thians ! that having begu.. in the Spirit, you mould end in the flesh? Tou that are reconciled to a God of Peace, and redeemed by a Saviour that breathd out nothing but love: You that are fan&i. fied and sealed by the Spirit of unity,and have embraced a Gospel of peace in all meekness and subje&ion of mind, laying down your weapons of defiance ; why do you now refft the goodnefs of so gracious a God, and kick againft the bowels of so sweet a Saviour ? why do you grieve the Holy Spirit, and disgrace the Gospel, as if that taught you to be contentious ? nay You that know thac r was the hand of omnipotency that pluckt you out, of the jaws of Helt and destruction; and how 'twas not in the power of man or Angel to unferter you of the leaft corruption ; Tou chat know how jealous God is of his honour, and how he takes it more heinously to be robbed of it by his own people ; whild

you now attribute all to men, as if they were the Authors and Finishers of your faith, are ge not nopo carnal ?

4. Even in, that which you think your selves spiritual, are ye Hot carnal? Perhaps you think you honour Paul, and reverence Apollo, and give duie respe& to the Minifters, but know that they are the friends of the bridegroom, and would have presenied Virgin-souls unto Chrift, and whilst you

dote loyes, and fix your thoughts on inferior obje&s, you breaks Paul's heart and discourage Apolls in his labour. · Paul took you for his Crown, and Joy, but you prove no better then a crown

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of thorns, and pierce him through with many sorrows. Paul called you his EpiAle, but you prove his blot,and now methinks you should corre& your own thoughts, and even acknowledge your selves carnal,

s. In all this I appeal to your selves : Are ye not carnal? Be your own Jodge, colle & your thoughts together : consider io but with a serious and composed Spirit: carry your selves to the rule, to the law, and to the testimony ; see whether this be to be carnal or no, if you deny it, why thus you prove your selves caroal, and more carnal chen we hope you are : No quedion buc you are carnal. And thus much may serve for clearing of the Text. We'l now fum up the words together, and then they will amount to this proposition.

That it is a gross and carnal thing to glory in the worthiness and excellencies of them that dispense the Mysteries of salvation. Aod (firft) as it seeks to eclipse and obscure the glory of God. Nams ca est conditio imperandi, ut non aliter ratio con tet, quam fi uni reddatur. God hath taken all means for the brightning of his:

. own Crown, and he thai dares set it upon a creatures, head; he that goes about to wreft the Golden Scepter quit of Gods own hand, and to place a creature in his Throne,mult needs be reus leSe Majestatis in a high degree. Nobis obfequii gloria reli&ta este As he in the forenamed Hiftorian told his Emperor, though a crue et Tyrant; this is all the honour left to us, and it is enough to be whoily subje& co Co.great and good a God, and to give all the glory unto him. Let not then the wise man glory in his wisdom; no neither let others glory in his wisdone for it is gross idolatry to attribute that to man which is due to God, to make them

even there Idols are ,אלילים which at the beft are but אלהים

nothing. Now God that made us, and knows our mold and fam shion, the weakness and frailty of our nature;how we use to pore upon the immediate agent, as present to our senses, and obvious to our apprehensions; though far inferior and of a more ignoble be'ng, as wholy dependent upon a higher cause : he therefore chose himself to weak an instrument, as we could not porfibly imagine, that I hat should have sufficient influence. for the producing of so great an effe& ; as by the few words of a weak frail man, a precious and an immorial foul should be eterpally saved, which moft make a greater work then that of the

creation; that so we might be necessitated to look higher to the powerful hand of God that brings so great things to pase. And this is his usual method and manner of dealing. Thus hach he chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise : and 'uis plain as they tell us in Opticks, that Mszanópbaa peal non sunt acuti vifus , they give the reasor., propter radios in illis disperfos magis disipatos : Men of va3 intelle&uals, of very fair eyes Mezarop. Janues they do but suomalar in spirituals; they have fome broken and scattered noticns, which cannot represent heavenly truths in their proper fpecies : when a: fome of a less

eyes oh how quick and piercing are they into these holy Mysteries and such as are dim-fighted.in Philosopliy become eagle-eyed in Divinity. Chryfojtomu tells (1s.of ticis his time, a Greek and a Chriftian, that were very hot in dispute, wheiher Pavlor Plato , were the better Schollar. The Christian he amplifies St. Paul's wisdom and excellency ,the Greek (corns him, as rude and simple, and his writings not comparable to Platu's Philosophical and lofty stile. The father he comes as 'were to moderately and when he had magnified St. Pauls learning, he feemas to chide the Chriftian, that he did not yield the other what he would have. Grant indeed that Paul came in a more plain and unlearned way, κατοικεία πιάντη εγκώμιον εσιν, και βλασφημία

૪ 8. Αποςόλων, αλλά εξα. 17

Nothing tended more to the advancement of the Gospel, to the ftopping of their mouths, then the conlideracions of this that a few weak med by the foolishness of preaching:the preaching of a crucified Saviour confounded the grand cope of the world, and more prevailed upon the hearts of men, though prepofleft with contrary, principles, then ever they could do with all their wisdom: For an handful of naked impotent men to conquer an whole hoft, of armed Champions. These are Aaunga's Tod'yexntágia, as he there speaks. Alas! Moses Atticisans båd bad a veil upon his face, and ó são could not see into lo divne a mystery; nay, God hath chosen ihe tail Morta, the meer Non entia of the world, to bring to nought the things that are. Attrange Paradex, and enough to amaze an Aristotle, co hear of 2 Non Ens annihilating an Ens ; and yet no principle furer, or clearer in alb his. Metaphyficks, if it be took in this spiritual meaning : and that because, God barb chosen the things which are not at all

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in mens apprehensions; and of a very thin and weak being in - themselves. He bath chosen these to bring to nought the things that

That thus his power may be the more eminent in their weakness, and his Majesty shine more gloriously in iheir contempribleness. God could have clothed some bright Serapbim with light as with a.garment, and sent him to have (parkled out Divinity amongst us. He could have made his Angels antasyenge nyíuun Tu, even in this sense miniftring Spirits, for the good of them that should have been heirs of Calvation : But then, we should have been took up too much with the glittering of the creatures, and our eyes dazled with their brightness, God therefore hath made these stars, even of the first magnitude to disappear, that the Sun may be all in all.

He hath hid the pearl in a Thel, and shut up his treasure iv og egxivers OXSÚSSI : by an infinite condescension he speaks to us by Moses, and thus delivers the Gospel too by the hand of a Mediator. He hath sent us men ola orelais Paul and Apollo, and these filhers of men they came not with their Gilken line, and their golden hook,. with the incicing words of mans wisdomzas they do that go about dacale ar úrás; no, they lay down the naked fimplicity of the Gospel. Paul doth but plant, and Apollos doch buc water; and God is pleased by so weak means, in so plain a way, to bring about his own glorious ends. Ipsum cælum Stultitia petimus, in a better sense then çr'e the Poet meant it, even by this foolishness of Preaching. Why then do you gaze on Paul, and glory io Apollos: as if it were Pauls great parts that raised the Gospel, and Apollos eloquence that let it off? What's this, but to oppose the Almighty, and to counterplot wisdom is self? God cook this as a main

way for the advancing of his glory, and you niake’t ( as much as in you lies) wholly derogatory from it:and judge you, whether this be to be carnal, or not.Eis wieger © Isw, ofs Baciaru's.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us : but unto thy Name be given the glory.

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upon the Tables of stone, they need then no humane polishing; and the Gospel is very gloriously cloathed with such ornaments as Chrift hath put upon it. The Image of God ftamped upon the word, and this superscription is that which hath made it so currant, and all other writings to be but rishaby ti in comparison of it. And in the plain preaching of the word, what a force and energy goes along with it; This is the voice of the Lord so powerful, that brings down the lofty Cedars in Lebanon, and crusheth the stronget Oaks in Bashan. Mans eloquence doth but weaken and soften the voice; and whilit it would mak is more pleasant, makes it less powerful

. That which Plutarch tells us of the Spartans , who for brevity were wont to speak as it were characters, and sentences in puntio ; and for the weightiness of speech, they speak in the jump and maffy sentences ; he fayes of them, i aiz Aarmvends óx 875 procòr ; 'cis true here, Verbum Dei eft fine cortice ; 'cis all pitch and Atrength, soquitou mis TÒ degsiproy, as he there goes on, it is edged into efficacy. God himself hath been pleased to wher his sword; as the Lacedemonian, when he was asked whether his sword was sharp or no; replyed that it was outéege Maßoans harper then a Calumny. ' "Tis like his sword was not so Charp as his expression; but to be fure this two.edged sword,as 'cis Tomas rieg omrip varur ne galery Co 'tis o Euries Terus Dabonēs, it can pierce through all oppositions, cut a sunder the contradi&ions of men, the mot Gordian knot, the moft nodosum ingeniumjas he calls Tiberius:but then the

quickning power of the Spirit muft go along with it ; as that famous Captain when he had lost his sword, he told his enemies it was not so much the sword, as the arm; unless the arm of the Lord be revealed, there is none will believe our report, unless this formative vertue go along with it: inftead of oreppu piroy, it becomes but onique exagmor. Our Apostle in the fecond Chapter of this Epistle , tells us of a demonftration of the Spirit; Now árb Sagis (as he hath it) is pas d'ambdas, the native gloss of truth, which clearly shews it, and presently convinceth a man, there's no dispucing againf a demonftration. The word that evidences it self, and ihe Ministers they may ftrongly perswade; but unless the Spirit demonstrate, the soul hath never compleat satisfa&ion; and the Spirit chat may save extraordinarily without the Word, but the Word cannot possibly fave without the Spirit :

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