HIS GRACE CHARLES Lord CATHCART, HIS MAJESTY'S HIGH-COMMISSIONER TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND; The following Sermon is, with the greatest Respect, infcribed By His Grace's much obliged, and most obedient Humble Servant. WILLIAM LEECHMAN. THE WISDOM OF THE REVELATION of the GOSPEL. I CORINTH. i. 21. For after that, in the Wisdom of God, the World by Wisdom knew not God, it pleafed God by the foolishnefs of preaching to jave them that believe. W E learn from this Chapter, and feveral other places of the New Teftament, that the Jews and Gentiles urged different objections against Christianity, arifing from their respective characters and prejudices. The Learned among the Gentiles (to whom the Apoftle's difcourfe here refeis) entertained very lofty notions of the excellency of their philofophy, and of the noble effects it was capable of producing. According to their views, it was the only corrector of ignorance and vice, and the only conductor to truth and virtue: It alone formed great and good men : It af forded the only true means of enlightening and re forming the world. - In their opinion, it was excellent not only upon account of the matter, but also of the manner. They admired the ac curacy and ftrength of its realonings, and the beauty and elegance of the expreffions. On these accounts, they bestowed on it the honourable appellation of Wisdom, and from the force of these prejudices in favour of it, they accounted the Gofpel foolishness, because unlike to it in all refpects. The method which the Gofpel propofed, of instructing and reforming the world by faith, and not by philofophical theories, by illiterate fishermen and not by learned philofophers, was in their view a very foolish one, and which muft in the event prove unfuccefsful. They defpifed too the plain and artless fimplicity of the ftile of the Gofpel, when compared with their laboured compofitions and ftudied eloquence. The Apostle affuming it as a certain principle, That the true knowledge of God, was the . beft foundation on which real religion and virtue, and the most valuable reformation and improvements among mankind, could be built, replies to the objections of the Gentiles in the words of the text. For after that, in the wisdom of God (i. e. in the myfterious counfels of the Divine Will,) the World by wifdom (i. e. by their own reafon and philofophy) knew not God, it pleafed God by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that believe. In which words, there are two main affertions. First, That the much admired wifdom of the philofophers failed in a very effential point, the leading the world to the true knowledge of God. Secondly, That the doctrine of the Gospel, which they contemned, is ordained in the wifdom of God to be the effectual means of enlightening and faving thofe who believe it. All All that is further intended at prefent, is to offer fome obfervations for the illuftration or confirmation of the Apostle's two affertions; and then, if time will allow, to point out fome of the practical inftructions, (fuited to the occafion of our meeting) arifing from what fhall be faid. I. The first affertion is, That The World by Wif dom knew not God. As the Apostle was a man of unquestionable integrity, and had the beft opportunities of being fully acquainted with the state of the Heathen world, his teftimony, as to this charge of ignorance against it, might fafely be relied upon. But there is no need of refting the evidence of it upon his teftimony, however venerable and worthy of credit in all refpects. Every one who is acquainted with the hiftory of the antient world, muft acknowledge, that for many ages before Chrift it affords the most inconteftable proofs from fact, that the great body of mankind had not that true knowledge of God which did or could direct them to purity either of manners or of worship. It is true, that the greatest part of the Philofophers acknowledged one Supreme God; but they taught at the fame time, and with the fame fincerity, the doctrine of many fubordinate Deities, to whom worship was to be given; and, which is ftill worfe, fome of these inferior Gods, in the opinion of the people, and even of fome of the Philofophers themfeles, were of the most wicked. and immoral characters imaginable. Some of them were lewd and intemperate, others were envious and malignant, or fierce and cruel, real Demons in the worst fenfe of the word. This diftinction of good and evil Deities, was acknowledged in all Heathen nations, and the bad ones were worshipped not only with rites, but with actions correfpondent to their characters. |