1 ministers, persecutions of kings and magistrates, &c. ; obstacles in the Gospel itself, which exhibited one who was crucified, foolishness to the Greeks, and a stumbling-block to the Jews. Yet, notwithstanding all these difficulties, conversions abounded in every place. 2. The excellency of this power consists in that admirable and divine virtue which is in the doctrine of the Gospel, to humble man, to comfort, instruct, exhilarate, and embolden him, to fill him with faith and hope, to change and sanctify him; and, in one word, to convert and transform him into another man. 3. The excellency of this power consists in the miracles which accompanied the preaching of the apostles. These miracles were great, and worthy of all admiration. They healed the sick, they raised the dead, they foretold future events, &c; 4. The excellency of this power consists in the energy of the Holy Ghost, which accompanied the preaching of the Gospel. He was a Spirit of illumination, a Spirit of patience, a Spirit of peace, &c. and even with extraordinary gifts did he accompany the word, with the gift of tongues, &c. Having explained the excellence of this power, go on, 2dly, to shew the end that God proposed, which was, that this power might appear to be of him, and not of men: for this reason did he put this treasure into earthen vessels. St. Paul's reasoning proceeds upon this principle; that men are inclined to ascribe to second causes, effects, which belong only to the first cause. Whenever we see any great event which dazzles us, instead of elevating our thoughts to God, and giving him the glory, we meanly sink into creature attachments, as if the event were to be ascribed to instruments. This appears, 1. By the example of the heathens, who, seeing the marvels of nature, worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, with which St. Paul reproaches them. Beholding the sun and the astonishing effects which it produced in the world, they rose no higher, they took it for a god, not considering that it was only a servant, and an image of God, the invisible sun. 2. This appears by the Lycaonians, of whom we just now spoke; who, seeing Paul and Barnabas work a miracle, would fain have sacrificed to them as to gods, not considering that they were only instruments of the infinite power which reigns in the world. 3. This appears still farther by the example of the Jews, who, although they were instructed in the knowledge of the true God; yet, when they saw Peter and John restore a cripple, crowded about them, and obliged those apostles to say to them, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 4. This appears even by the example of St. John, who, all apostle as he was, suffered himself to be surprised by this imprudent inclination: so natural is it to all mankind! Being dazzled with the glory of the angel, who talked with him, he fell prostrate before him, and would have adored him, had not the angel corrected his folly by saying, See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant: worship God. And, after all these sad examples, we still see the same spirit of idolatry in the church of Rome; for thence proceed the adorations of relics, saints, angels, and I know not how many other superstitions, which attach them to creatures, imagining that by their means they receive some particular blessing. God then, in order to stem this torrent, and to preclude such an abuse of his apostles, as the attributing of the marvellous effects of his Gospel to them, was pleased, while he employed them to convert mankind, to attemper that honour with the meanness and frailty of their condition. He suffered them to appear earthen vessels, as they really were, in order that their dust and ashes, their weaknesses and imperfections, might serve for a corrective, or a counterpoise to the glory of such a great and admirable ministry. Moreover, it is certain, their meanness very much contributed to display the glory of the divine power in the work of the Gospel, and fully to convince mankind that the power was only of God. Never does God appear more conspicuous, than when he uses instruments, which have no proportion to the work that they perform. Never did the divine power appear more glorious, than when it abased the pride of Pharaoh and all Egypt by the simple rod of Moses. Had the Lord employed armies, how ever wonderful the success had been, human power would have diminished the divine splendor. Never did this power of God appear more than in the ruin of Jericho, the walls of which fell at the bare sound of Joshua's rams'horns. Apply to this the words of Mons. Cappel in his Theses, "Never did the power of Jesus Christ appear more, than when he subjugated principalities and powers, and triumphed over them by the ministry of the cross." The triumphs of the Gospel are the same. Sinners, taxgatherers, tent-makers, ignorant people without letters, without arms, without powers, without intrigues, without human help, without philosophy, without eloquence, contemptible, persecuted people, in one word, earthen vessels, triumphed over the whole world with the sound of their voice. Idols fell; Tempels were demolished; Oracles were struck dumb; the reign of the devil was abolished; the strongest inclinations of nature were diverted from their course; people's ancient habits were changed; old superstitions annihilated; all the devil's charms, wherewith he had stupefied mankind, were dissolved; people flocked in crowds to adore Jesus Christ; the great and the small, the learned and the ignorant, kings and subjects, whole provinces, presented themselves at the foot of the cross, and every thought was captivated to the obedience of Christ: It is not enough to say, This is the finger of God: we must rather exclaim, This is the outstretched arm of the Lord! O happy earthen vessels! glory, in that ye were only dust and ashes; your weakness, brittleness, and nothingness, display a thousand times more the glory of the great Master who employed you, than the greatest dignity could have displayed it, had ye been golden vessels, angels or cherubims, dominions or thrones!f The Editor has left this discourse in the same state as in the former editions, in order to illustrate his reason for altering or omitting some that follow. Mr. Claude's Rules are so good as scarcely to admit of any improvement; and he is, for the most part, happy in his illustration of them. But in some of the longer discourses he multiplies Subdivisions, so as to obscure, and almost destroy, the unity of the subject. This is the case, in a measure, in the preceding discourse. Under the first Subdivision of the first general head, he has no less than eight subdivisions more, (the four last of which, at best, are superfluous, and tend to perplex, rather than elucidate, the sub 77 Observe, farther there are two sorts of explications. The first is simple and plain, and needs only to be proposed, and enlivened with clear and agreeable elucidations." The other kind of explications must not only be stated and explained, but they must also be confirmed by sufficient evidence. Sometimes a text speaks of a fact, which can be confirmed only by proofs of fact: sometimes it is a matter of right, that must be established by proofs of right: and sometimes it is a subject made up of both fact ject;) and under the second Subdivision of the same head, he has sub- 1. The proposition; We have this treasure in earthen vessels treasure [There is no other treasure so valuable, so abundant, so substandtial Nor can it be possessed without joy, without jealousy, without caution And it was in the Apostles as in earthen vessels [They were not authors of the Gospel, but mere instruments to receive and dispense it Though honoured thus, they were still mean, and full of infirmities-] II. The reason which he gives for it; That the excellency, &c. [There is a divine virtue in the doctrine of the Gospel to hum- And, when confirmed by miracles and applied by the Holy Ghost, it had wonderful success in their conversion] God's design in committing such a treasure to earthen vessels was, that this power might appear to be of him, and not of men. [Men are ever inclined to ascribe to second causes, effects, which belong only to the first cause: e. g. The Heathens, the Lycaonians, the Jews, and even St. John himself And it was to preclude such an abuse of his Gospel, that he employed such weak instruments to propagate it throughout the world If the Reader will only bear in mind, that the discourses are introduced solely with a view to illustrate the rules, he will require no further apology for the alteration or omission of such as obstruct, rather than advance, the general design of this Essay. 1 and right; and consequently proofs of right, as well as proofs of fact, must be adduced. We will give an example of each. For the first, take this text, Phil. ii. 6. Jesus Christ, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Having explained what it is to be in the form of God, and to count it not robbery to be equal with God, namely; that it is to be God, essentially equal with the Father, and co-eternal with him, &c. you must needs make use of proofs of fact on this occasion; for every one sees it is a fact, which it is necessary to prove, not merely by the force of St. Paul's terms, but also by many other Scripture-proofs, which establish the divinity of Jesus Christ. But were you to preach from the 14th and 15th verses of the same chapter, Do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; it is evident, that, after you have explained the vices which St. Paul forbids, and the virtues which he recommends, the exhortation must be confirmed by reasons of right, which shew how unworthy and contrary to our calling these vices are; how much beauty and propriety in the virtues enjoined; and how strong our obligations are to abstain from the one, and to practise the other. Our third example includes proofs of both kinds. Take the 7th verse of the same chapter, Jesus Christ made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: or the 8th verse, And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to the death of the cross: or the 9th verse, which speaks of Christ's exaltation. Having explained the subject, you must endeavour to confirm it, not only by proofs of fact, but also by proofs of right; to which purpose you must prove, 1. That the fact is as St. Paul says. And, 2. That it ought to be as it is, by reasons taken from the wisdom of God, &c. In like manner, in discussing this text, Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth; after you have proposed in a few words the |