their hostility to the doctrines of grace, sinners are only verifying
the description, which inspiration gave long ago, of their blindness and
perverseness. By all their vain reasonings and presumptuous objections,
they just corroborate revealed truth, and evince the desperate
wickedness of the natural heart.

As in the days of the apostles, so in this period of increased light,
_the preaching of the cross_ is esteemed _foolishness_. The message of
redeeming mercy is often received with utter listlessness--often with an
evident disgust--and sometimes with an openly avowed hostility. In the
apostolic age, it might be supposed that the resistance, with which the
Gospel had to contend, arose from the prejudices of a Heathen or Jewish
education, and from a very imperfect knowledge of Christianity. But, at
the present period, the undiminished hostility, which is displayed
against the pure doctrines of redemption, can be attributed to nothing,
but that hatred to the ways of God, which the Scriptures represent as
rankling in the natural heart, and for which they contain the only
remedy.

It requires but a transient view of the religious state, even of
enlightened and refined society, to see that to very many, now, _the
preaching of the cross is foolishness_. While any temporal interest
excites feeling, this theme is listened to with apathy. O, how often are
those statements, which fill heaven with ecstasy, rehearsed to vacant,
listless hearers! How many weep at fictitious woes, who contemplate the
bloody scene of Calvary without a tear! How many hearts glow in
admiration of the benevolence or heroism of a fellow worm, while
entirely unaffected alike by the sacrifice or the triumph of the Son of
God! How often do men express sentiments of the most fervent gratitude
towards earthly benefactors, who would be ashamed of uttering one