glory hath God put by the greatest See his choise But the foolish things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle alters his phrase he saith not the foolish men of the world but the foolish things that is the most foolish men and such as are scarse esteemed men sometimes because of their simplicity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non videre vel a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non cura vel nulla providentia Etymol Men that the world will not vouchsafe to look upon or men that have no manner of forecast to provide such an honourable condition for themselves by their foresight and providence And therefore must needs have it cast upon them by the providence of God So low doth God descend in his choise among the sons of men that he may advance his own honour Peradventure may some man say God chose the foolish things because there were no wiser to choose The Apostle stops this gap in the next word Of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No doubt but the world had choise of worldly wise men It hath its name from ornament and neatness in the Greek and in the Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gr. ornatus et mundus Mundus Lat. orbis et purus As in the heavens then there are bright starres as well as darke clouds and in the earth there are sweet flowers as well as noysome weeds so questionlesse in the world there are wise men as well as fools Gods choise therefore is the more admirable because he chuseth not foolish men for lacke of wise but rather then the wise that not they but he might have the greatest honout But who hath made this choise this strange choise the Apostle here mentions God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And no marvail for it is not like the choise of men If a man were to chuse he would take a wise friend rather then a foolish a powerfull favourite rather then a weak one a wife of a honourable stock rather then of a mean God who is wiser then all men doth otherwise they chuse like men he chuseth like a God they make choise of such as may be helpfull to them he makes choise of such as he may be helpefull to and not they to him The next thing considerable is the action of God Hath chosen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is in the world as in his orchyard he gathereth one apple of a tree and leaveth the rest or as in his garden where he crops one flower and leaves the rest where he found them So God chuseth some foolish men and omits many wiser then they The chusing which the Apostle here speaks of may be taken for Gods eternall choise before the world was made And then the Apostle gives 〈◊〉 a reason why God calls not the wise but the foolish for the most part because he had chosen them from all eternity And God is no changeling It may be taken also for Gods selecting in time rather then for his electing before time and then the Apostle confounds calling and chusing and takes them for one and the same thing even for a work of Gods Spirit in our souls bringing mean men to true faith in Christ which many greater never attain unto for all their greatnesse Come we now to the end why God prefers the foolish before the wise To confound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Greek word signifies to make a man ashamed by putting some disgrace upon him so that he blush or hold down his head for shame And well may wise men be ashamed to shew their faces when they shall see very idiots learn the way to true felicity which they having studiously sought after and spent many houres in disputing about the chiefest good could yet never attain unto with all the wisdome and learning the world could afford them The persons confounded come next into our consideration The wise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It were no great wonder for God to confound a fool by a wise man It were strange to confound one wise man by another It were stranger to confound one fool by another But it is strangest of all to confound a wise man by a fool In the former men have some share in the commendation in the latter all the praise must needs be Gods For there is nothing in fools to procure it but there is much in wise men to hinder it Thus God takes the wise in their subtilty and robs the proud of all their glory Thus then hath God chosen the foolish rather then the wise But he hath refused the mighty as well as the prudent Whom hath he chosen in their room And God hath chosen the weak things of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non possum Those that are able to do least God hath chosen So the word signifies such as are of no force or can do nothing to wit in comparison of such as God hath refused To what end God hath chosen these weakest ones the Apostle declares unto us in the words following To confound the things which are mighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hereby God shewes us the vanity of all worldly power and force when those that are mightiest are through his over-ruling hand confounded and brought low by such as are weakest and have most need of strength to do it We see how ill the wise and mighty speed fares it any better with the noble no surely for as God hath rejected many of them so he hath chosen base and mean men 〈◊〉 their room for so it followes Ad base things of the world hath God chosen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine genere That is such men as are bred of so mean a stock that there are no Chronicles of their predecessours nor no pedegrees to be found for them upon record for it is the fashion of the world to keep account of the genealogies of Princes and Noblemen but other meaner men scarse know any thing of their predecessors These men then whom God chooseth in the room of nobles are men without stock that is such whose genealogies are not observed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as the Syriack Testament reads it whose kindred is small or of no reckoning in the world That he may the better expresse their meannesse the Apostle addes And things which are despised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such men as go for nobody in the world and are despised as esteemed worthy of no account Nay that he may bring them as low as may be he proceeds further as if no words were sufficient to expresse their former baseness except he should put them quite out of the world and saith of them Yea and things which are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men that are so mean and so vile that they are as much slighted in the world as if they had no being at all
nor never had any Behold how low a foundation God hath laid to raise so high a building See how deep he digs in the earth to finde out heires for the kingdome of heaven And why doth God make choise of these things that are not The words following give an answer To bring to nought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is somewhat more then confounding or making ashamed He doth it to bring them to desperation in themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reddo◠to make them give over working and studying for so the word imports And what can wise men do lesse and great and noble but cast away all their naturall and carnall studies and labours and priviledges and despaire of attaining heaven by them when they see foolish weak and mean persons attain to Gods favour without them Thus the word used elsewhere by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Rom. 3.31 Do we their make void the Law or idle through faith God forbid that is we do not take away the operation of the Law when we preach faith in Christ but leave it a work still fit for it So in the text by chusing base men God makes idle the labours and prerogatives of great men even in their own account which when they perceive they either give over all seeking for heaven or see themselves forced to seek it another way But who are they whom God intends to confound by calling these contemptible people Things that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By things that are the Apostle means things that are in price in the world and greatest estimation Things of no reckning in the Scripture phrase are called things that are not and such as are of greatest account are called the things that are 1 Joh. 2.16 So St. John reckons the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life to be all that is in the World meaning all that is in greatest account amongst wordly men St. Paul then by Gods bringing to nought things that are by things that are not intends his overthrowing the vain hopes of men of greatest reckning by such as are accountlesse in the world Now to what end and purpose is all this say the great ones of the world Wherefore doth God refuse us to chuse such as these be Doth he envie at our prosperity Or is he like to the men of this world that compassionate the poor whether their cause be right or wrong Surely no saith our Apostle God doth not envie your greatnesse for he need not fear any evill you can do unto him neither doth he want any thing that he need be beholding to your greatnesse to procure He doth it not on the other side out of too much pity to the poor as if he respected their persons because they are poor but the main reason that moves him to his choise is his own glory That no flesh should glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is that no man should boast himself of his wisdome his power or his honour He saith not no man but no flesh that he may shew us what little cause we have to be proud or to boast that are but flesh Mortall we are and corruptible our worser part is here put for the whole man that we may not be lifted up Thus when we with the Peacock spread our feathers the Apostle gives us just cause to look down to our black feet The wisest are but flesh as well as the foolishest of the sons of men the greatest as well as the weakest the noblest as well as the basest Thus the Prophet puls down that confidence which the Jewes put in the horses of Egypt Their horses are flesh and not spirit Isa 31.3 And so the Apostle warns us by the weakness of our nature not to glory in our selves Another Argument to keep us low the Apostle takes from Gods greatness opposed to our weakness in the last words In his presence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great men must remember that they are in Gods presence and comparing their weakness with his power they have little reason to be lifted up but much to be humbled The word may be passed a little further Before him that is over against him or in opposition to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur parietes domus qui sunt e regione januae vel ad utrumque ejus latus Hom. ll θ et Od. χ. And so the phrase in the first Commandement may well be understood Thou shalt have no other Gods before me that is over against me or to set in opposition against me We must not then advance our own good parts and set them in opposition to God as if our happiness came from our selves and not from him This were to set God on the one side and our selves on the other to derogate from God that we may attribute to much to our selves And this is the finall reason why God chuseth the meanest and basest passing by the greatest that all may give him the glory of their salvation and not rob him of it to magnifie themselves Thus ye see the sense of the words as if the Apostle should have said God hath shewed his wisdome wonderfully in his choise Ye Corinthians are lively patterns of it ye see how few wise or mighty or noble personages how many simple feeble and base men in the worlds account dayly joyn themselves to your Congregation This cannot come to passe without Gods wonderfull work who by this means humbles the great men of the world by preferring the meanest before them and gives cause to all flesh to see their own weaknesse that they may not set themselves in opposition to God nor glory in their prerogatives but give to God the whole glory of all their felicity And thus the text justifies the title and shews us what we must drive at in all this discourse Gods glory in Mans happiness Now that we may the more orderly proceed in the handling of the words we may well observe Two parts 1. St. Pauls Compellation 2. St Pauls Application In the first he bestowes a loving title upon his beloved Corinthians In the second he produceth them for patterns of Gods favour in chusing mean persons before great ones The title our Apostle bestowes upon them is a very loving and amiable title Brethren There are in the Scriptures divers kinds of Brethren mentioned First there are Brethren in the flesh These are not only such as are borne immediately of the same parents but all our kindred also Thus Abraham and Lot are styled Gen. 13.8 Let there be no strife between me and thee for we are Brethren So the kinsfolkes of our Saviour Christ are called Mat. 12.47 Thy Brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee Secondly there are Brethren in evill Gen. 49.5 6. 34.25 Such were Simeon and Levi who are called Brethen not because they were born of the same parents
out of which Gods calling delivers us So Davids preferment was the greater when he was made a King because he was taken from following the Ewes with young Psal 78.70 71 72. Gen. 32.10 Jacobs two bands were the greater riches because with his staffe only he went over Jordan The mercy of the caller is the greater because of the misery the called did endure before Our condition was obscure before now it is famous It was servil before now it is free It was full of impiety formerly but now God hath planted piety in us It was loaden with impiety at first yet now our hearts are set upon equity and righteousnesse This promotion of ours cals for the more inspection because of the high honour and great riches we are called unto What greater honour then to be Gods children What greater riches then the inheritance of the kingdome of heaven 1 Thess 2.12 Walke worthy of Goâ— who hath called you unto his kingdomâ— and glory Great disproportion there iâ— betwixt darknesse and light Eph. 5.8 Ye werâ— sometimes darknesse but now are ye lighâ— in the Lord. No lesse difference between life and death 1 Joh. 3.14 Yet we know that we have passed from death to life Every man is willing to understand his own honours And we count them but bad husbands that dive not into their own Estates and are ignorant of their own Possessions Look then how far spirituall honours and treasures goe beyond temporall the soul beyond the body immortall possessions beyond mortall so much the more reason have we to pry carefully into our vocation and all the circumstances of it and dependences upon it Lastly consider we the way which God cals us by and that is his word Great is the power of Gods word and worthy to be lookt into By it God made the world and all the creatures in it By it he brought all things out of nothing By it he brought light out of darknesse Yet hath Gods word a very different operation in calling of sinners The same Sermon reclaimes one and offends another One man obeyes it and another resists This diversity of operation proceeds not out of the diversity of the soil for we are all naturally corrupted But it comes from the assistance of Gods Spirit joyned to the Preaching of the Word or restrained from it And are not all these things worthy of admiration Vse 1 A sort of secure persons come here to be censured who slight Gods choise and calling They never look into the worth nor the price of it Yet are they wonderfull curious in observation of earthly things They fully understand what belongs to their inheritances There is no corner of their offices unsearched If new honours be bestowed upon them they know quickly how to take state upon them But although God dayly call men by the mystery of the Word yet do they never look into the worth of that heavenly calling Hence it comes to passe that this spirituall honour is slighted This is the cause why the means of salvation is neglected because men never look into the worth of our vocation Yet in the mean while worldly studies are embraced all means of gain and new projects are attended Yea such as often end in losse are embraced in hope of gaine because men enriously pry into every hole where worldly profit may hide her self but neglect to take to peeces and view the severall parts of our divine vocation Vse 2 Yet let their carelesnesse make us the more carefull Let their negligence make us the more diligent in searching the mysteries of our calling Let us looke into all the parts of it This is the way to make us thankfull to God that hath called us This is the way to make us profitable to men that are not yet called Let us when we look up to God that cals us remember his greatnesse Let us when we look downward to the misery out of which he hath called us remember the depth of it Let us when we look forward to the honour unto which he hath called us ponder upon the height of it Let us when we look backward upon the means whereby he hath called us consider the ineffectualnesse of them upon others So shall we finde the totall sum to be this That the highest God hath called us out of the lowest degree of misery to the greatest step of glory out of his own grace and free mercy One thing more ere we leave St. Pauls exhortation offers it self to our meditation He bids them not look upon other mens calling but their own Look upon your calling Remember how mean ye were once and how miserable whom God by his calling hath now made so high and glorious Such as be exalted by God must often call to minde their former meannâ—sse Such a meditation it was that made David a King to cry out Who am I O Lord God 2 Sam. 7.18 and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto And St. Paul a glorious Apostle remembers himself and leaves it written for others to read that he had been a blasphemer 1 Tim. 1.13 a persecutour and injurious A low meditation for an high Apostle yet very profitable to himself and exemplary to others Many and great are the commodities that arise to the highest of men from such low meditations as these Benefits of remembring our low estate First 1 Thankfulnesse it breeds thankfulnesse to God that hath preferd them As for generall favours that are common to us and others they do not so much affect us much lesse make us thankfull to God as those peculiar mercies which are proper to us and which others have no share in Thus the remembrance of our own particular basenesse first affects us with joy and then stirs us up to thankfulnesse towards God Secondly 2 Admiration of Gods providence it breeds admiration of Gods providence in us who raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill Psal 113.7 8. that he may set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people The changes that are wrought in others do not commend Gods providence to our cogitations so much as those that are wrought in our selves Gods providence then which though it work many strange things for others and it may be more strange then it works for us is slighted and neglected by us by calling to minde our former lownesse is highly wondered at by us and admired Thirdly 3 Patience it brings forth patience in all adversities that can happen unto us There can nothing happen to such as are exalted from a low to an high estate but the same or the like they have had experience of before If poverty fall upon them they have been poor before If want trouble them they have been in want before Experience makes a man better able to bear any calamity These things may be strange to such as never