1817 Sept. 8

Not Paul Ch. Style Paul’s Nonsense

I Argument

Ch. Paul’s Style

§ Samples of his Nonsense

XI. Rom. XI. 1 to 6

Nonsense about Abraham and Benjamin— and Elias’s making intercession to God against Israel, and God’s answer about Baal, and grace that is not grace, and work that is not work.

XII. Rom. XI. 7 to 15.

Nonsense about David and Israel — how God gives men eyes that they may not see, and ears that they may not hear, and provokes the Jews to jealousy of the Gentiles.

XIII. Rom. XI 16 to 24.

Nonsense about first— fruit and lump, root and branches grafting and boasting — unbelief and faith —and high-mindedness and fear — goodness and severity.

XIV. Rom. XI. 25 to 36.

Nonsense about ignorance of a mystery — about self conceit — about the blindness of Israel, and the fulness of the Gentiles — about God’s calling men without repentance, and causing them not to believe that he may have mercy on them: and the unsearchableness

unsearchableness of the

judgments of God, and the mind of the Lord: and about his not recompensing any body who has ever given him any thing: and about his being glorified for this.

I. Cor. I 17 to 27

Self-contradictory nonsense — Folly and Wisdom the same thing. God’s weakness — man’s strength. God makes folly confound wisdom; — weakness, strength.

Add I. Cor. III. 18 to 20. I. Cor. X. 10: II Cor. XI. 16 to 23

I. Cor. I 28 to 13.

Nonsense about God’s choosing things that are not to confound things that are: about Christ Jesus’s being made into wisdom, righteousness sanctification and redemption:

about a minister work being burnt and himself saved by the fire

I. Cor. III. 13 to 15.

Nonsense about a man’s work being burnt, and himself saved by the fire.

I. Cor. III. 21 to 23

Nonsense telling informing the people he is writing to that they belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God: and that all things belong to them and amongst other things, Paul (himself) Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things present and things to come, for which reason no man is to glory in men.

I. Cor. X. 16. 17.

Nonsense about cup and blessing and communion and blood and breaking and body: the people he writes to are bread, and bless the cup of blessings and break a sort of bread which is the communion of the body of Christ, and being partakers of that bread, are one body.

I. Cor. XV. 39 to 41.

Nonsense about the different sorts of fleshes, bodies and glories.

I Cor. XV. 42 to 44.

Antithetical nonsense about the resurrection of the dead: it is a body, it is sown and raised.