THE

SER M MON.

I COR. iv. I.

LET A MAN SO ACCOUNT OF US AS OF THE MINISTERS OF CHRIST, AND STEWARDS OF THE MYSTERIES OF GOD.

T

HE contending parties and factions which distracted the Church of Corinth, owed their rife to the attempts of fome judaizing teachers, to incorporate and confolidate the law of Mofes and the gofpel of Chrift into one system; inasmuch as they supposed the former requifite to be obferved even by the Gentile converts, in order to their acceptance with God. But being ftrenuously opposed in this defign by the apostle Paul, who was fet for the defence of the Gospel against all innovations and corrupt mixtures, and who on all occafions fignalized himself in afferting its purity and perfection, its independence on and fuperiority to the law; which, as the fhadow of future good things, was abolished, now the C fubftance

substance was come; they thereupon used all their endeavours, by an affected contempt of him, and by the most artful and invidious infinuations against him, to weaken his credit, and impair and fink his reputation among the Corinthians; that they might meet with the less obstruction, in fpreading their opinion of the neceffity of the observation of the Jewish ritual.

Cn this account there were two points, which the apostle kept fteadily in view; of which the first and principal was to restore and establish among them, the purity and fimplicity of the gofpel; and then, to vindicate his own character, as a difinterefted and faithful apoftle and preacher of the gofpel, ordained "not of

men, nor by men, but by Jefus Christ *,” the great head of the church. And this latter he was under ftrong engagements and obligations to do, not merely from that just regard which man oweth to his own private reputation; but in order that his authority, and confequently his influence and usefulness in the church, might not be utterly ruined, or at least greatly diminished.

It is, indeed, a very difficult task for any man to plead his own caufe, to maintain his own just rights, and the integrity of his own views, when they are called in queftion, with

out the appearance or imputation of vanity or partiality. We have reafon therefore to admire the confummate fkill and addrefs, with which the apoftle toucheth this nice and delicate fubject; confeffing, with unaffected humility, his own meannefs and weakness, as a chriftian and a minister; and not concealing the natural difadvantages under which he had laboured, in preaching the gospel among them; and taking notice of the plain and artlefs manner in which he had difpenfed divine truth; inferring from hence, as he justly might, notwithstanding his enemies were ready to object it to his difhonour, that the divine energy had fignally cooperated with his endeavours, and that their "faith did not ftand in the wifdom of men, "but" had been established by " the power" and Spirit "of God *.” After this he taketh

courage to affert his apoftolical commiffion and authority in the most exprefs terms: "we are "fellow-labourers, faith he, of God: ye are "God's husbandry, ye are God's building +." And then he cautioneth others, having the judaizing teachers particularly in his eye, to take heed what kind of fuperftructure they reared on the ground-work he had laid: "according " to the grace of God which is given unto me, "as a wife mafter-builder," faith he, "I "have laid the foundation, and another build"eth thereon. But let every man take heed "how he buildeth thereupon. For other foun† 1 Cor. iii. 9.

* I Cor. ii. 5.

"dation can no man lay than that is laid, "which is Jefus Chrift. Now if any man "build upon this foundation, gold, filver,

precious ftones, wood, hay, ftubble, every "man's work fhall be made manifeft. For "the day fhall declare it, because it fhall be "revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every "man's work of what fort it is. If any man's "work abide, which he hath built thereupon, "he fhall receive a reward. If any man's "work fhall be burnt, he fhall fuffer lofs, but "he himself fhall be faved, yet fo as by fire ."

But what is it Paul could aim at, might his oppofers demand, by this undue felf-examination? as if the very being, at least the fuccefs and profperity, of the chriftian religion folely depended on him! Was be alone vefted with Christ's commiffion and authority? Would he be fole vicar and delegate of Chrift, and fupreme head of the church, and fo fecure the Implicit faith and obedience of all chriftians to himself? To preclude and obviate all fuch unfair and uncandid inferences from, and conftructions of, what he had just affirmed, of his having laid the foundation of the church at Corinth, and of the neceffity of all who fucceeded. him in that work proceeding upon his plan, making ufe of the fame materials, and building after his ftile and manner; he remindeth them, that they were "not to glory in men," to 1 Cor. iii. 10-15.

boast

boaft of any men or minifters above, or to the prejudice or difparagement of, other minifters.

For," faith he, "all things are yours," or for the benefit of chriftians," whether Paul, ઠંડ or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or "life, or death, or things prefent, or things "to come, all are yours, and ye are Chrift's, "and Christ is God's *:" that is, ministers are ordained for the fervice of the church, not the church for the aggrandizing of minifters.

All, therefore, which he contended for, was, that he might be acknowledged as a true and genuine apoftle and fervant of Chrift, fully instructed in the scheme of the gospel, and well able to inftruct others; the confequence of which was, that without any undue affuming, or arrogance, or fetting up himself above others, he might juftly expect the labours of thofe, who came after him in the vineyard, fhould not be inconfiftent and contradictory, but entirely conformable to his. He therefore, in the words of the text, imparteth to them his whole intention, and informeth them in what light they should confider him, and all others, who preached the gospel to them, whether they were more or lefs acceptable as to their perfonal endowments: "let a man fo "account of us as of the minifters of Chrift, " and stewards of the myfteries of God." And * I Cor. iii. 21-23.

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