3 °6 Doffr. Benefits pur- chafed by Chrirt,applied by the Mini- ftery. a Cor. I. a. T. To injoy Chrift, make muchof the Gofpel. Gofpel, what. Doti. Inmens prea- ching, Chrift hath a part and pre fence. Reafou. Ephefiana,Chapoz. V s R, i 7. apply to to by theminiftery ofhit Word. It was not enough that Chrift had reconciled God tous ; but the minifiery of reconciliation mutt be betrufted to theApoftle,that this might be made to find place in them. For Chrift bath not fo purchafed thefe things in himfelf, that they fhould without any thing on our part have effeEt in us, but fo, that they fhall come (in us beleeving ) to finde accompiithment. Now therefore they muff be held out in aword of Faith which is the Word preached ; For how can we beleeve without hearing (Rom. to. 14, 17.) the Word of the Gofpel preached ? So that this, that between the procuring of all fpirituall things in Chrift , and the fruitful!effeét of this in us, there mutt come the Miniftery to this purpofe. It muff teach us , that as we would have any part in that which Chrift hath wrought, fo to cleave unto thepublifhing of the Gofpel. 15y the Gofpel wecome to be poffeffed of thofe unfearchable riches ofChrift,hy the glad tidingsofit, which God doth fendby his meflen- gers, z Tim. taw. our Saviour Ieficr chrifl hob brought life and im- mortality to light through the Go/pel. For look as we cannot know what is done in France, till fome come over thence , and tell us the news there; fowe cannot knowwhat is done in heaven, till God fend down the newsof it unto us. For the Gofpel indeed is nothing but news from heaven, touching righteoufneffe, and life eternal! throughFaith on Chrift Jefus. And as when things are loft, we cannot come by them,till we have word from the Cryeror others,thatthey arefound; fo our life, which we have all quite loft by nature, we cannot get it again, untill God by his xdteo.ec, viz. Preachers of his Gofpel,fend us word of it. We mutt therefore flit up our attention to this Word, whichdifcovereth fuck wealth. Ifone can tell us of force richput- chafe at a cheap rate, offorce gainful! bargain, &c. howwill we hear on that fide e The Gofpel tellethus ofall bleffedneffc in this life, and that to come, through Faith in Chrift, in comparifon of which, all the wealth in India is but droffe anddung; give therefore the more diligent heed, beleeve, and obey. Thirdly, that he faith, Chrifi preached to them afar off. Now he was never a Mini/ier, but of the Ctrcumcifion, Rom. 15.8. to'the loft /beep ofthehhef ofIfrael, Mat. r 5. 24. in his own perfon. Therefore we fee that Chrifl is prefent, and bath a part inpreaching, even when menpreach. Tefeka proofof Chri/l /peaking in me, z Cor. 13.2. It is notye that!peak, but the /pirit ofyou, Father which fpeaketh in you, Mat. Io. zo. TheSpirit ofthe Lord isuponme, andbarbanointed me, that Ifhaaldpreach, &c. Ifa. 61. 1. Paul was tent for execution of the miniftery of the Gofpel, vies z6. 1608. All is from the fpirit of Chrift, God exhorting by us: For this is the officeof Chrift our great Prophet, not onely in his own perfon , toopen to us the will of his Father, nor to furnifh out by his command,l`vliniftersofhis Word," but to be prefent, and teach inwardly in the heart with that Word which is outwardly founded unto the ear bymen extraordinary or ordinary, and thushe iswith them to the endof the world : This was his
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