- ---· ----------~--------- 424 Book. IV. ' ' 1 Cor. 9 · r6. Mmh. xo. 7. t.Cor. 4· 7· minil.l:ry, Chrifl: ordained hi~ Apoflles to preach the Gofpel- and P~uls motto may be ours, wo 11nto me, Jf I preach not the do,q;ef : what though I preach the Go[pel, I haw nothing to 11lory of for a :;ecejfity is laid Hpm me. This day hath Chnfl: fe~t me'on this errant,go,preach,[a;in:;, reprnt, jor the King dome of heavon is at . h.1nd. Surely the Lord hath put th'!s melfage into my mouth, repent Jwettrers, rtpent dmn'tards, repent Jinners, f or the KiniTdome rfher.v.cn ~ at hqnd ; ~.ofp~l-difcove~ies ar.e made ~every day, Chri£1: ts anl1ng and fhtntng mour honzon more and more clearly, that great defigne of Gods love. to our fouls is m,anifell:ed in .every Sermon, on every Sabbath : 1s not this Gofpel-preachm<'? what is the (jofjJe/, but the trea(tm ~~ qods love in Chrifl opwrJ'to w < ·Oh it is a pleafant work m tbts refpect to be a Minifrer of the Gofpel, to be alwaies fea.rching into the treafures oflove, and to make them known to poore fouls for t~ gaining of chern unto God. 2. Here is -sonr h}ppinelfe; Chrifr hath not ered:· ed any £l:and~ng fan8:uary, or City o.f refuge for men to flye to .for their fa\vation, but he hath app(}tnted Amba~adors to carry this treafure· unto mens houfes, where he enmes them and entreats them, and requires them, and comm~nds them' and compells them , to come in. Oh the unfearcha:ble riches of Chrifi! 1. In ref pea of the meffengers. ' 2. In refpect of their meffage. 1 • , 1 . In refpect of the meffengers; they were fir£1: Apoftles. now Minifters, poore earthen velfels. Had Chrifl: himlclfecorn~ in his glorified body, atten.d~:d w_ith his Apgels, it might in fome meafure have repre!entcd hts MaJeily, but alas ! bow would this ·have dazled your weakneffe ? or -if Chrifr had made ufe of his Angel~, as he di? at his birth to p~each his G?fpel; had they continually come tn frate and proclatmed falvatton to the fons of men, this would have fbewed more gt?ry, but ala§. how unfuic able had this been to your weak condtttOns? here then is the riches of hi'sgrace, that earthen velfels lliould carry this treafure, that falvation {hould come out of the months of finful creatures, that hearts {hould be broken, fonls fuould beleeve, life fhould be infufed by the minifierial breath of a weak worthleffe m<rn; J:!r have thu treafure in urthen vejJels, that the excellency of the p1wer may be of G,9d, ai{J mt of u1 ; G~ds p:nver · i.s more ho~oured this way,than ifan Aggel had come tn perfon ; 1t may be m that cafe . a
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