Not with fleshly wisdom
Not with fleshly wisdom. As if he had said: We cannot live in this way in the world by your natural strength or understanding, nor by any knowledge or wisdom acquired by nature. We cannot gain this simplicity, or practice this sincerity, by the force of good sense, good nature, or good breeding. It overshoots all our native courage and resolution, as well as all our rules of philosophy. The power of custom is not able to train us up to this, nor are the most exact rules of human education. Neither could I, Paul, ever reach it, notwithstanding all the advantages I enjoyed, so long as I was in the flesh, in my natural state, and pursued it only by fleshly, natural wisdom.
And yet surely, if any man could, Paul himself might have reached it by that wisdom. For we can hardly conceive of anyone who was more highly favored with all the gifts both of nature and of education. Besides his natural abilities, probably not inferior to those of any person then upon the earth, he had all the benefits of learning, studying at the university of Tarsus, and afterward brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. Gamaliel was the person of the greatest account, both for knowledge and for integrity, in the whole Jewish nation at that time. And Paul had all the possible advantages of religious education, being a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, trained up in the very strictest sect or profession, distinguished from all others by a more eminent strictness.
And in this he had profited above many others who were his equals in years, being more abundantly zealous of whatever he thought would please God, and, as to the righteousness of the law, blameless. But it could not be that he should reach this simplicity and godly sincerity by that means. It was all lost labor. In a deep, piercing sense of this, he was at length constrained to cry out, The things which were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yes, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:7-8.
1771 text
14. Not with fleshly wisdom. As if he had said, We cannot thus converse in the world, by thy natural strength or understanding, neither by any naturally-acquired knowledge or wisdom. We cannot gain this simplicity, or practise this sincerity, by the force either of good sense, good nature, or good breeding. It overshoots all our native courage and resolution, as well as all our precepts of philosophy. The power of custom is not able to train us up to this, nor the most exquisite rules of human education. Neither could I Paul ever attain hereto, notwithstanding all the advantages I enjoyed, so long as I was in the flesh, in my natural state, and pursued it only by fleshly, natural wisdom.
And yet surely, if any man could, Paul himself might have attained thereto by that wisdom. For we can hardly conceive any, who was more highly favoured with all the gifts both of nature and education. Besides his natural abilities, probably not inferior to those of any person then upon the earth, he had all the benefits of learning, studying at the university of Tarsus, afterwards brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, the person of the greatest account both for knowledge and integrity, that was then in the whole Jewish nation. And he had all the possible advantages of religious education, being a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, trained up in the very straitest sect or profession, distinguished from all others by a more eminent strictness. And herein he had profited above many others, who were his equals in years, being more abundantly zealous of whatever he thought would please God, and as touching the righteousness of the law blameless. But it could not be, that he should hereby attain this simplicity and godly sincerity. It was all but lost labour; in a deep, piercing sense of which he was at length constrained to cry out, The things which were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Phil. iii. 7, 8.
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 12 in the 1771 Works. Second Corinthians 1:12.
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