186 BookiV. !Lootttng unto 'jjtfuS'. Chap 3.Secr.2. M•tth. 10, 7•; !This day hath Chriftfent me on this<rrand, Go, pre~~eh, favil~[, repent for the Kingdom. t of Heaven i& at /,.,,d. Surely the Lord bath put this meffage into my momh, Repent fwtarers, repent dnmk.!trds" repent fimu:rs, for the Kingdom of He:tven is at b.-md. Go– fpel-difcoveries are made every day, Chrill is ariling and ll1ining in our Horizo~ more and more clearly, that great defign of Gods love to our fouls is manife!led in every Ser– mon, on every Sabbath: !t not thts Gofpel-preaching? what is the Gofpel, but the trta[ure of Gods love .n Chrij/ •pened t"o ,., ? Oh lt IS a pleafam work in this refped to be a Minifter of the Gofpel, to be alwayes fearching into the treafures of love, and to - mak~ them kno~n to poor fouls for the gaining of them unto God. 2. Here is your happmefs; Chrt~ h:tth n?t erectea .tly !landtng Sanctuary, or City of refuge for men to By to for thetr falvanon, _b~t he hath appointed Ambalfadors to carry this treafure unto mens houfes, where he tnvttes them, and entreats them, and requires them, and commands them, and compels them to come in. Oh the unfearchable riches of Chrift 1 1. In refpeCl: of the Meffengers. 2, In refpeCl: of their Melfage. I. In refpeCl: of the Melfengers; they were fir!l Apoflles- now Miniflers poor earthe? ve_ffels: Had Ghri!l himfelf come in his glorified body: attended with his ,\n. gels, lt m1ghc m fome meafure have reprefenred his Maje!ly, but a!-.ts! how would this h~ve dazled your weaknefs? or if Chrifl had 1 made ufe of his Angels, as he did at his btrth, to preach his Gofpel; had they continually come in !tare and proclaimed falvari– on to the foRs of men, this would h1ve thewed more glory, bur al~s, how unfuitable had this been to your weak conditions? here then is the riches of his grace, that earthen velfels llwuld carry this 'treafure, that falvation thould come out of the mouths of li,nful creatures, that hearts llwuld be broken, fouls fhould believe, life llwuld be infufed by 2 Cor. 4; 1: the mir.i!lerial breath.of a weak worrhlefs man ; We have thi& trea[Jtre in earthen vef!e/s,. that the excellency of the po1vcr may be of G•1, and Hot of,.,; Gods power is more ho– noured thi. way, than if an Angel had come in perfon; it may be in that cafe a !inners converfion would have been attributed to the power and efficacy ofrhe Angel ; but ro prefent this, and to preferve the glory of his power and grace, Chrifl cakes the trea– fure, and he puts it into earthen veffels; it is in the Original vef!els of jl!e/1, as preci– ous Pearls are feund in ll1ells, fo the Pearl is the Gofpel, and rbe the!I or Mother of Pearl are the Apoflles and Pallors; it is true, they are velfels of fmall price, and fubjeC!: ,to mauy knocks and falls, yet in them is the moft excellent tteafures of rhe Wifdom of God, and of the Gofpel of Chrifl. And it is in them on purpofe, char the e~cdlency may reflect on God, and not on them. 2. In refpeCl: of the Melfage; 0 the unfearchable riches of Chrift! What is the mef– fage of thefe men? what is the treafure they bring, but the Blood of Chri!.l, the Pro– mifes of the Gofpel, the Word ef Grace? I might fum up all in one word, They bring Hnto men an invittltion from heaven, to heaven; Obferve it Chri!lians; the Gofpel is a meffage, the Lord fends his Son up and down, carries him from place to place; he is fer forth before mens eyes, he comes, and flarnls, and calls, and knocks attberr doors, and befeecheth them to be reconciled : 0 the free grace of God! 0 that mercy, pardon, preferment, eternal life and falvation lhould go a begging, and fuing for acceptance! 0 the love of fin, and madnefs of folly in wicked men, to trample on fuch Pearls, and c_o neglect fo great falvation when it is tendered unto them! 0 what a heavy charge wllllt be for men at the !aft day, to have the mercy of God, che humility of Chrifl,_ the en– treaties of the Spirit, the proclamations of pardon, che approaches of falvauon, the dayes, the years, the ages of peace, the miniftry of the Word, .the Bo~k of ~od, rh~ great miftery of Godlinefs, to rife up in judgment, and to tefl1fie agamfl thm fouls. 0 the condefcenrions of Chrifi! who are ye that the Lord lJJOuld fend after you? what need ha.rh God of you? fuppofe you lhould go on in the wayes ofdearh, and penlh - cverlaflingly, wharthall God lofeby it? Chrift might fay, If you wtll go ow, go •n a;: pt~i(h; if JOII love {in fo wen, tale! your pleafure '.n tt' andbe d~mmdevmr.ore. Ah ~ fauh the mercy 0 ( God, and the mercy of Chnft, before that_ be, melfage afrer m1~;~ If•. l8.JO. fage, Precept upon precept, preceptupon precept; it~• upon /me, lme upon /me; here_ a . M k ~ , tie and there alittle Thiswas the deliPn of Chnlls chufing hts Apoftles, Go ye mto all ar 1v,1,. ' • " l (' rnfromfin the world, and preach the Gojpeluntoevery cre~~mre, c1ac poor mners may tu ' and be faved. sECT.
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