n support, or forced to invent that
wretched, accursed worship now prevalent throughout the world and
whereby the preachers have attained lordly position. With the revival
of the Gospel the financial difficulty mentioned is recurring, and it
will continue to recur. One hundred dollars cannot now be raised for
the support of a good schoolmaster or preacher where formerly a
thousand dollars--yes, incomputible sums--were contributed toward
churches, institutions, masses, vigils and the like. Once more God
punishes ingratitude by permitting his preachers to withdraw wholly
from the ministry and to engage in their own support, or by sending
upon the people even greater delusions than ever, which defraud them
of wealth and destroy body and soul. For they refuse to let the Word
of God dwell among them richly. Paul adds the modifying phrase,

"In all wisdom."

27. Were we to have the Word of God so richly as to ring in every
street corner, to be sung everywhere by all children--as they designed
who into the pulpits and the lessons introduced canonical prayers and
singing and reading--what would all this profit without an
understanding mind--without wisdom? For the Word of God was given to
make us wise. It was intended that we should understand it; that it
should be preached and sung intelligibly. And they who minister it,
who sing and speak it, ought to be wise, understanding everything
pertaining to the salvation of the soul and the honor of God. That is
what it means to have the Word of God dwell among us in all wisdom.
Here Paul briefly overthrows the vociferous practices of the churches
and monasteries where so much preaching and reading obtain while at
the same time the Gospel is not understood. He seems to have foreseen
the coming time when the Word of God should freely prevail, but with
no resulting wisdom; the time when men should daily increase in
ignorance and fanaticism until they should become mere dolts, so
completely void of wisdom as to call vociferation and boasting divine
worship, and to regard that preaching the salvation of souls.

28. What it is to teach and to admonish has been frequently explained.
Here Paul makes the duty of instruction common to all
Christians--"teaching and admonishing one another." That is, aside
from the regular office of preaching, each is to teach himself and
others, thus making everyday use of the Word of God, publicly and
privately, generally and specially.

29. As I see it,