A Lesson to All

"And my speech and my preaching were not


with enticing words of man's wisdom, but

in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"

1 Cor. 2:4



The word "enticing" is as we now say, "persuasive."

It includes, therefore, every branch of skillful oratory,

whether it be logical reasoning to convince our

understanding—or appeals to our feelings to stir up

our passions—or new and striking ideas to delight

our intellect—or beautiful and eloquent language to

please and captivate our imagination.



All these "enticing words" of man's wisdom—the very

things which our popular preachers most speak and aim

at—this great apostle renounced, discarded, and rejected!



He might have used them all if he liked. He possessed

an almost unequalled share of natural ability and great

learning—a singularly keen, penetrating intellect—a

wonderful command of the Greek language—a flow of

ideas most varied, striking, and original—and powers of

oratory and eloquence such as have been given to few.

He might therefore have used enticing words of man's

wisdom, had he wished or thought it right to do so—but

he would not. He saw what deceptiveness was in them,

and at best they were mere arts of oratory. He saw that

these enticing words—though they might . . .

touch the natural feelings,

work upon the passions,

captivate the imagination,

convince the understanding,

persuade the judgment, and to a certain extent force

their way into men's minds—yet when all was done that

could thus be done, it was merely man's wisdom which

had done it.



Earthly wisdom cannot communicate heavenly faith.

Paul would not therefore use enticing words of man's

wisdom, whether it were force of logical argument, or

appeal to natural passions, or the charms of vivid

eloquence, or the beauty of poetical composition, or

the subtle nicety of well arranged sentences. He would

not use any of these enticing words of man's wisdom

to draw people into a profession of religion—when their

heart was not really touched by God's grace, or their

consciences wrought upon by a divine power.



He came to win souls for Jesus Christ, not converts

to his own powers of oratorical persuasion—to turn

men from darkness to light, and from the power of

Satan unto God—not to charm their ears by poetry

and eloquence—but to bring them out of the vilest

of sins that they might be washed, sanctified, and

justified by the Spirit of God—and not entertain

or amuse their minds while sin and Satan still

maintained dominion in their hearts!



All the labor spent in bringing together a church

and congregation of professing people by the power

of logical argument and appeals to their natural

consciences would be utterly lost, as regards fruit

for eternity—for a profession so induced by him and

so made by them would leave them just as they were . . .

in all the depths of unregeneracy,

with their sins unpardoned,

their persons unjustified,

and their souls unsanctified.



He therefore discarded all these ways of winning

over converts—as deceitful to the souls of men,

and as dishonoring to God.



It required much grace to do this—to throw aside

what he might have used, and renounce what most

men, as gifted as he, would have gladly used.



What a lesson is here for ministers!



How anxious are some men to shine as great

preachers! How they covet and often aim at

some grand display of what they call eloquence

to charm their hearers—and win praise and honor

to self!



How others try to argue men into religion, or by

appealing to their natural feelings, sometimes to

frighten them with pictures of hell, and sometimes

to allure them by descriptions of heaven.



But all such arts, for they are no better, must be

discarded by a true servant of God. Only the Spirit

can reveal Christ, taking of the things of Christ, and

showing them unto us, applying the word with power

to our hearts, and bringing the sweetness, reality,

and blessedness of divine things into our soul.



"And my speech and my preaching were not

with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in

demonstration of the Spirit and of power."



Unless we have a measure of the same demonstration

of the Spirit, all that is said by us in the pulpit drops to

the ground—it has no real effect—there is no true or

abiding fruit—no fruit unto eternal life. If there be in it

some enticing words of man's wisdom, it may please

the mind of those who are gratified by such arts—it may

stimulate and occupy the attention for the time—but

there it ceases, and all that has been heard fades away

like a dream of the night.