Cor to Phil - Enter His Rest

An eminent divine has said that it requires three things to make a good preacher; study,temptation, and prayer. The latter, no man that lives near to God can neglect; the former, no manwho endeavours rightly to divide the word of truth will neglect; and with the second every man willbe more or less exercised whose whole aim is to save souls. Those of a different cast the devilpermits to pass quietly on in their own indolent and prayerless way.Verse 4. And my speech] `QýNQIQLýOQW, My doctrine; the matter of my preaching.And my preaching] VQýMJTWIOCýOQW, My proclamation, my manner of recommending the grandbut simple truths of the Gospel.Was not with enticing words of man's wisdom] GPRGKSQKL CPSTYRKPJLýUQHKCLýNQIQKL, Withpersuasive doctrines of human wisdom: in every case I left man out, that God might become themore evident. I used none of the means of which great orators avail themselves in order to becomepopular, and thereby to gain fame.But in demonstration of the Spirit] CRQFGKZGK, In the manifestation; or, as two ancient MSS.have it, CRQMCNW[GK, in the revelation of the Spirit. The doctrine that he preached was revealed bythe Spirit: that it was a revelation of the Spirit, the holiness, purity, and usefulness of the doctrinerendered manifest: and the overthrow of idolatry, and the conversion of souls, by the power andenergy of the preaching, were the demonstration that all was Divine. The greater part of the bestMSS., versions, and fathers, leave out the adjective CPSTYRKPJL, man's, before UQHKCL, wisdom: itis possible that the word may be a gloss, but it is necessarily implied in the clause. Not with thepersuasive discourses, or doctrines of wisdom; i.e. of human philosophy.Verse 5. That your faith should not stand] That the illumination of your souls and yourconversion to God might appear to have nothing human in it: your belief, therefore, of the truthswhich have been proposed to you is founded, not in human wisdom, but in Divine power: humanwisdom was not employed; and human power, if it had been employed, could not have produced thechange.Verse 6. We speak wisdom among them that are perfect] By the GPýVQKLýVGNGKQKL, amongthose that are perfect, we are to understand Christians of the highest knowledge and attainmentsthosewho were fully instructed in the knowledge of God through Christ Jesus. Nothing, in thejudgment of St. Paul, deserved the name of wisdom but this. And though he apologizes for his notcoming to them with excellency of speech or wisdom, yet he means what was reputed wisdomamong the Greeks, and which, in the sight of God, was mere folly when compared with that wisdomthat came from above. Dr. Lightfoot thinks that the apostle mentions a fourfold wisdom. 1. Heathenwisdom, or that of the Gentile philosophers, #1Co 1:22, which was termed by the Jews0%.0ý $"/ chokmah yevanith, Grecian wisdom; and which was so undervalued by them, that theyjoined these two under the same curse: Cursed is he that breeds hogs; and cursed is he who teacheshis son Grecian wisdom. Bava Kama, fol. 82.2. Jewish wisdom; that of the scribes and Pharisees, who crucified our Lord, #1Co 2:8.