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<p>&quot;And my speech and my preaching were <strong>not <br />
    with enticing words of man's wisdom</strong>, but <br />
  in demonstration of the Spirit and of power&quot;<br />
  1 Cor. 2:4<br />
  <br />
  The word &quot;enticing&quot; is as we now say, &quot;persuasive.&quot; <br />
  It includes, therefore, every branch of skilful oratory,<br />
  whether it be logical reasoning to convince our <br />
  <strong>understanding</strong>—or appeals to our feelings to stir up <br />
  our <strong>passions</strong>—or new and striking ideas to delight<br />
  our <strong>intellect</strong>—or beautiful and eloquent language to <br />
  please and captivate our<strong> imagination</strong>. <br />
  <br />
  All these &quot;enticing words&quot; of man's wisdom—<strong>the very <br />
    things which our popular preachers most speak and aim <br />
    at</strong>—this great apostle renounced, discarded, and rejected!<br />
  <br />
  He might have used them all if he liked. He possessed<br />
  an almost unequalled share of natural ability and great <br />
  learning—a singularly keen, penetrating intellect—a <br />
  wonderful command of the Greek language—a flow of <br />
  ideas most varied, striking, and original—and powers of <br />
  oratory and eloquence such as have been given to few. <br />
  He might therefore have used enticing words of man's <br />
  wisdom, had he wished or thought it right to do so—but <br />
  he would not. He saw what deceptiveness was in them, <br />
  and at best they were mere arts of oratory. He saw that <br />
  these enticing words—though they might . . .<br />
  touch the natural <strong>feelings</strong>,<br />
  work upon the <strong>passions</strong>, <br />
  captivate the <strong>imagination</strong>,<br />
  convince the <strong>understanding</strong>, <br />
  persuade the <strong>judgment</strong>, and to a certain extent force <br />
  their way into men's minds—yet when all was done that <br />
  could thus be done, it was merely <strong>man's wisdom</strong> which <br />
  had done it.<br />
  <br />
  Earthly wisdom cannot communicate heavenly faith. <br />
  Paul would not therefore use enticing words of man's <br />
  wisdom, whether it were force of logical argument, or <br />
  appeal to natural passions, or the charms of vivid <br />
  eloquence, or the beauty of poetical composition, or <br />
  the subtle nicety of well arranged sentences. He would <br />
  not use any of these enticing words of man's wisdom <br />
  to draw people into a profession of religion—when their<br />
  heart was not really touched by God's grace, or their <br />
  consciences wrought upon by a divine power.<br />
  <br />
  He came to win souls for Jesus Christ, not converts <br />
  to his own powers of oratorical persuasion—to turn <br />
  men from darkness to light, and from the power of <br />
  Satan unto God—not to charm their ears by poetry <br />
  and eloquence—but to bring them out of the vilest <br />
  of sins that they might be washed, sanctified, and <br />
  justified by the Spirit of God—and <strong>not entertain <br />
    or amuse</strong> their minds while sin and Satan still <br />
  maintained dominion in their hearts!<br />
  <br />
  All the labor spent in bringing together a church <br />
  and congregation of professing people by the power <br />
  of logical argument and appeals to their natural <br />
  consciences would be utterly lost, as regards fruit <br />
  for eternity—for a profession so induced by him and <br />
  so made by them would leave them just as they were . . .<br />
  in all the depths of <strong>unregeneracy</strong>,<br />
  with their sins <strong>unpardoned</strong>,<br />
  their persons <strong>unjustified</strong>, <br />
  and their souls <strong>unsanctified</strong>.<br />
  <br />
  He therefore discarded all these ways of winning <br />
  over converts—as deceitful to the souls of men, <br />
  and as dishonouring to God. <br />
  <br />
  It required much grace to do this—to throw aside <br />
  what he might have used, and renounce what most <br />
  men, as gifted as he, would have gladly used.<br />
  <br />
  <strong>What a lesson is here for ministers!</strong> <br />
  <br />
  How anxious are some men to shine as great <br />
  preachers! How they covet and often aim at <br />
  some grand display of what they call eloquence <br />
  to charm their hearers—and win praise and honour <br />
  to <strong>self</strong>!<br />
  <br />
  How others try to argue men into religion, or by <br />
  appealing to their natural feelings, sometimes to <br />
  frighten them with pictures of hell, and sometimes <br />
  to allure them by descriptions of heaven.<br />
  <br />
  But all such arts, for they are no better, must be <br />
  discarded by a true servant of God. Only the Spirit <br />
  can reveal Christ, taking of the things of Christ, and <br />
  showing them unto us, applying the word with power <br />
  to our hearts, and bringing the sweetness, reality, <br />
  and blessedness of divine things into our soul.<br />
  <br />
  &quot;And my speech and my preaching were not <br />
  with enticing words of man's wisdom, <strong>but in <br />
    demonstration of the Spirit and of power</strong>.&quot;<br />
  <br />
  Unless we have a measure of the same demonstration <br />
  of the Spirit, all that is said by us in the pulpit drops to <br />
  the ground—it has no real effect—there is no true or <br />
  abiding fruit—no fruit unto eternal life. If there be in it <br />
  some enticing words of man's wisdom, it may please <br />
  the mind of those who are gratified by such arts—it may <br />
  stimulate and occupy the attention for the time—but <br />
  there it ceases, and all that has been heard fades away <br />
  like a dream of the night.
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