A55299:290
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thus to proceed, 1Christ is the Power of God, and the wisdom of God, and the Gospel is the wisdom and power of God: 1 Cor. 1.24. Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God, that is the Doctrine of a crucified Christ, as appears by the verses before; The Jews require a Sign, and the Greeks seek after Wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God: The Jews were all for Signs and Miracles, the Greeks for curious Philosophical Speculations; neither of them could relish the plain simple Doctrine of a crucified Christ: But the Apostle tells us, that this Doctrine is the power and wisdom of God; the most powerful method which was ever used by God for the reforming of the world, and the contrivance of excellent wisdom; ⟨p. 283⟩thus the Gospel is called, the power of God to them that believe: Rom. 1.16. And by this foolishness of preaching, that is, by preaching this foolish Doctrine (as it was accounted by the world) of a crucified Christ; it pleased God to save them that believe: Christ being exalted to the right hand of Majesty, may in a proper sense be called the power of God, because all power is given to him in Heaven and earth, and he hath the supreme Government of all the affairs of this spiritual Kingdom, and this is a personal power inherent in him; but the exercise of it is confined to the Rules of the Gospel; he hath power to save those that believe and obey, and to destroy his enemies; this power cannot save any man whom the Gospel condemns; we have no reason to trust to his personal power, unless we first obey his Gospel; however omnipotent he be, his Gospel is the measure of his actings, if that condemn us, his omnipotent power will not save us.
Thus to proceed, 1Christ is the Power of God, and the wisdom of God, and the Gospel is the wisdom and power of God: 1 Cor. 1.24