Cor to Phil - Enter His Rest

Boyle, Pascal, and many others. But all the skeptics and deists, by their schemes of natural religionand morality, have not been able to save one soul! No sinner has ever been converted from the errorof his ways by their preaching or writings.Verse 20. Where is the wise-the scribe-the disputer of this world?] These words mostmanifestly refer to the Jews; as the places (#Isa 29:14; 33:18; 44:25) to which he refers cannot beunderstood of any but the Jews.The wise man UQHQL, of the apostle, is the é"/ chakam of the prophet; whose office it was toteach others.The scribe, ITCOOCVGWL, of the apostle, is the )'& sopher of the prophet; this signifies any manof learning, as distinguished from the common people, especially any master of the traditions.The disputer, UW\JVJVJL, answers to the -)ã derosh, or è-)ã darshan, the propounder ofquestions; the seeker of allegorical, mystical, and cabalistical senses from the Holy Scriptures. Nowas all these are characters well known among the Jews, and as the words CKYPQLýVQWVQW, of this worldare a simple translation of 1 ýé#.â olam hazzeh, which is repeatedly used to designate theJewish republic, there is no doubt that the apostle has the Jews immediately in view. This wisdomof theirs induced them to seek out of the sacred oracles any sense but the true one; and they madethe word of God of none effect by their traditions. After them, and precisely on their model, theschoolmen arose; and they rendered the doctrine of the Gospel of no effect by their hypercriticalquestions, and endless distinctions without differences. By the preaching of Christ crucified Godmade foolish the wisdom of the Jewish wise men; and, after that the pure religion of Christ had beencorrupted by a Church that was of this world, God rendered the wisdom and disputing of theschoolmen foolishness, by the revival of pure Christianity at the Reformation. The Jews themselvesallow that nothing is wise, nothing strong, nothing rich, without God."Our rabbins teach that there were two wise men in this world; one was an Israelite, Achitophel,the other was a Gentile, Balaam; but both were miserable in this world.""There were also two strong men in the world; one an Israelite, Samson, the other a Gentile,Goliah; but they were both miserable in this world.""There were two rich men in the world; one an Israelite, Korah, the other a Gentile, Haman; butboth these were miserable in this world. And why? Because their gifts came not from God." SeeSchoettgen.In truth the world has derived very little, if any, moral good, either from the Jewish rabbins or theGentile philosophers.Verse 21. For after that in the wisdom of God] Dr. Lightfoot observes, "That UQHKCýVQWýSGQW,the wisdom of God, is not to be understood of that wisdom which had God for its author, but thatwisdom which had God for its object. There was, among the heathen, UQHKCýVJLýHWUGYL, wisdomabout natural things, that is, philosophy; and UQHKCýVQWýSGQW, wisdom about God; that is, divinity.