I Corinthians - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 1188

I. CORINTHIANS.

1*3

3 iu every place. Grace and peace to you from our Father God and Lord ]esus Christ. IO II I2 16 18 21 I always give thanks to my God et

all times for the Divine gift granted to you in Christ ]esus : by which you are enriched with Him in all things; and as with full reason and full kn0w· ledge the evidence of Christ was confirmed among you, that you may not be deficient in any spiritual gift; having received the revelation of our Lord jesus Christ, which will also support you until absolutely perfect for the day of our Lord jesus. For that God is faithful, by Whom you were chosen into a fellowship with His Son, jesus Christ our Lord. But I beg of you, brothers, by the

name of our Lord jesus Christ, that you would all reason alike, and that there may be no dissension among you; but that you may be trained in the same mind and into the same judgment. For it has been made known to me- respecting you, my brothers, by Chloe's people, that there are disputes among you. What I mean is this : that you each declare, ; or, **1 am for ; or, Can you gamble upon Christ? Paul

was not crucified for you l or were you baptized in the name of Paul ? Thank God, that I baptized none of you, ex- cept Crispus and Gains; so that no one should say that I baptized into my own name. Yet I baptized the family of Stephanas; beyond this I do not recollect if I baptized any others. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to evangelize-—not with philosophical argument, so that the cross of Christ might not be fruitless. For the reason ofthe cross is certainly folly to the reprobate; but to us, the saved, it isa Divinelpower. For it is written: I WILL DESIROY THE PH1L0s0PuY 01* THE PHILOSQPHERS, AND UPSET THE CLEVERNBSS 01* THE cLBvaR. Where is the philosopher ? Where

is the professor? Where is the in- vestigator of this age? Has not God made folly of the philosophy of this world? For when, in the Divine philosophy, the world did not per- ceive the God through the philosophy, l Isaiah xxix x4. it pleased God to save the faithful by means of the folly of preaching. While the jews demand a sign, and Greeks search after philosophy, we proclaim a crucified Messiahv-a certain offence to the jews, and folly to the heathen; but to the ·chosen, whether jews or Greeks, Christ a Di- vine power, and a Divine philosophy. For the folly of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. For, contemplate your vocation,

brothers; that not many eminent philosophers, not many powerful, not many high-born···-—on the contrary, God has chosen the foolish of the world, so that He might shame the philosophic ; and God has chosen the weak of the world, so that He might shame the strong; and God has chosen the low-born, and despised of the world, and the poor, to depose the possessors of power. Therefore, none can boast in the presence of God. But from Him you exist in Christ jesus, Who has brought aphilosophy from God to us, as well as righteous- ness, and purity, and redemption ; so that, as it is written, LE': THE TRIUM- PHANT :rR1UMP1-1 wrri-1 THE Loan. And whenl came to you, brethren,

I came not proclaiming the evidence of God with grand reasoning or philosophies ;· for I decided to know nothing among you, except jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I came to you with weakness, and fear, and great timidity. And my thoughts and my language were not clothed in captivating philosophical phrase- ology ; but in demonstrated spirit and power, so that your faithmight not be in human philosophy, but in Divine power. But we can speak philosophy

among the perfect ; but a philo- sophy not of this age, nor of the use- less leaders of this time. We speak, instead, a Divine philosophy in the hidden mystery which God ordained before the ages for our rectification, which none of the leaders of this age recognised ; for if they had recognised, they would not have crucified the Master of that rectification. But as it is written: Wear are nan Nor SEEN, AND nan HAD Nor HEARD, AND WHAT HAD NOT ENTERED INT0 THE HUMAN HEART, GOD HAD PREPARED 1 Jeremiah ix. 24. 1r88 22 26 28