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done to them, reflect upon, and are reckoned to the person of their master, Luke x. 16. "He that heareth you, heareth me; "and he that defpifeth you, defpifeth me."

Neither their perfons, nor parts, are the proper ground and reafon of our refpects to them; but their office and commiffion from Jefus Chrift.

We are fallen into the dregs of time, wherein a vile contempt is poured, not only upon the perfons, but the very office of the ministry; and I could heartily with that scripture, Mal. ii. 7, 8, 9. were thoroughly confidered by us; poffibly it might inform us of the true caufe and reason of this fore judgment; but furely Chrift's faithful minifters deferve a better entertainment than they ordinarily find in the world; and if we did but ferioufly bethink ourfelves, in whofe name they come, and in whofe ftead they stand, we fhould receive them as the Galatians did Paul, Gal. iv. 14. as angels of God, even as Christ Jesus.

4. Chrift's treating with finners by his minifters, who are his ambaffadors, implies the ftrict obligation they are under to be faithful in their minifterial employment. Chrift counts upon their faithfulness whom he puts into the miniftry, 1 Tim. i. 12. They are accountable to him for all acts of their office, Heb. xiii. 17. If they be filent, they cannot be innocent: "Neceffity is laid up"on them, and woe to them, if they preach not the gofpel," I Cor. ix. 16.

Yea, neceffity is not only laid upon them to preach, but to keep clofe to their commiffion in preaching the gofpel, 1 Thef. ii. 3, 4, 5. Our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleannefs, nor «in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in truft with the "gofpel, even fo we fpeak, not as pleafing men, but God who trieth

our hearts:" the word is not to be corrupted to please men, 2 Cor. ii. 17. their bufinefs is not to make them their difciples, but Chrift's; not to feek theirs, but them, 2 Cor xii. 14. to keep close to their inftructions, both in the matter, manner, and end of their miniftry. So did Chrift himself, the treasure of wisdom and knowledge; yet, being fent by God, he faith, John vii. 16. "My doc❝trine is not mine, but his that fent me." And fo he expects and requires that his ambaffadors keep close to the commiffion he hath given them, and be (according to their measure) faithful to their truft, as he was to his. Paul is to deliver to the people, that which he also received from the Lord, 1 Cor. xi. And Timothy must keep that which was committed to him, 2 Tim. i. 14.

5. It implies the removal of the gofpel-miniftry to be a very great judgment to the people. The remanding of ambaffadors prefages an enfuing war. If the reconciling of fouls to God be the greatest work, then the removal of the means and inftruments

thereof, must be the foreft judgment. Some account "the falling of the falt upon the table" ominous; but furely the falling of them whom Chrift calls the falt of the earth, is so indeed.

What now are thofe once famous and renowned places, from whence Chrift, (as he threatened) hath removed the candlestick, but magna latrocinia, dens of robbers, and mountains of prey!

6. And lastly, It implies both the wifdom and condefcenfion of God to finful men, in carrying on a treaty of peace with them by fuch ambaffadors, negociating betwixt him and them. Without a treaty, there would be no reconciliation; and no method to carry on fuch a treaty like this: for had the Lord treated with finners perfonally, and immediately, they had been overwhelmed with his awful Majefty. The appearances of God confound the creature, "Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, (faith "Ifrael) neither let me fee this great fire any more, that I die not: "Yea, fo terrible was that fight, that Mofes faid, I exceedingly "fear and quake," Deut. xviii. 16. Heb. xii. 21.

Or, had he commiffioned angels for this employment, though they ftand not at fuch an infinite distance from us as God doth, yet fuch is the excellence of their glory (being the highest species and order of creatures) that their appearances would be more apt to aftonith than perfuade us : befides, they being creatures of another rank and kind, and not partaking with us, either in the mifery of the fall, or benefit of the recovery by Chrift, it is not to be fuppofed they fhould fpeak to us fo feelingly and experimentally, as thefe his minifters do; they can open to you the myfteries of fin, feeling the workings thereof daily in their own hearts; they can difcover to you the conflicts of the flesh and Spirit, as being daily exercised in that warfare; and then, being men of the fame mould and temper, they can fay to you as Elihu did to Job, chap. xxxiii. 6, 7. " Behold, I am according to thy with, in God's “stead, I also am formed out of the clay; behold, my terror "fhall not make thee afraid, neither fhall my hand be heavy up" on thee."

So that, in this appointment, much of the Divine wisdom and condefcenfion to finners is manifefted: "We have this treasure "in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of "God, and not of us," z Cor. iv. 7. God's glory and man's advantage are both promoted by this difpenfation.

Secondly, Next we are to confider that great concernment about which thefe ambaffadors of Chrift are to treat with finners; and that (as the text informs us) is their reconciliation to God.

Now reconciliation with God, is the reftoring of men to that former friendship they had with God, which was broken by the

fall*, and is ftill continued by our enmity and averfation whilst we continue in our natural and unregenerate eftate. Now this is the greatest and most bleffed defign that ever God had in the world; an aftonishing and invaluable mercy to men, as will clearly appear, by confidering these particulars following.

Firt, That God fhould be reconciled after fuch a dreadful breach as the fall of man made, is wonderful; no fin, all things confidered, was ever like to this fin: other fins, like a fingle bullet, kill particular perfons, but this, like a chain-fhot, cuts off multitudes as the fand upon the fea-shore, which no man can number.

If all the pofterity of Adam in their feveral generations, fhould do nothing else but bewail and lament this fin of his, whilft this world continues, yet would it not be enough lamented; for a man fo newly created out of nothing, and admitted the first moment into the highest order, crowned a king over the works of God's hands, Pfal. viii. 5. a man perfect and upright, without the leaft inordinate motion, or finful inclination: a man whofe mind was moft clear, bright, and apprehenfive of the will of God, whofe will was free, and able to have easily put by the strongest temptation: a man in a paradife of delights, where nothing was left to defire for advancing the happiness of foul or body: a man understanding himself to be a public, complexive perfon, carrying not only his own, but the happiness of the whole world in his hand : fo foon, upon fo flight a temptation, to violate the law of his God, and involve himself and all his pofterity with him, in fuch a gulf of guilt and mifery; all which he might fo eafily have prevented! Ŏ wonderful amazing mercy, that ever God fhould think of being reconciled, or have any purpofes of peace towards fo vile an apof

tate creature as man.

Secondly, That God fhould be reconciled to men, and not to angels, a more high and excellent order of creatures, is yet more aftonishing; when the angels fell they were loft irrecoverably; no hand of mercy was ftretched out to fave one of thofe myriads of excellent beings, but chains of darkness were immediately clap-. ped on them, to referve them to the judgment of the great day, Jude 6.

That the milder attribute fhould be exercifed to the inferior, and the feverer attribute to the more excellent creature, is juft matter, for eternal admiration. Who would caft away veffels of gold, and fave earthen potfherds! Some indeed undertake to fhew us the reafons, why the wifdon of God made no provision for the recovery of angels by a Mediator of reconciliation; partly from the

To reconcile is nothing else than to make up that friendship which was broke by fome grievous offence, and thus to bring enemies back into their former state of concord. Dan, on Cel. i. 20.

high degree of the malignity of their fin, who finned in the light of heaven; partly becaufe it was decent, that the firft breach of the Divine law thould be punished, to fecure obedience for the future. And befides, the angelical nature was not entirely loft, myriads of angels ftill continuing in their innocency and glory; when as all mankind was loft in Adam.

But we must remember ftill the law made no diftinction, but awarded the fame punifhment, and therefore it was mercy alone that made the difference, and mercy for ever is to be admired by men; how astonishing is the grace of God, that moves in a way of reconciliation to us, out of design to fill up the vacant places in heaven, from which angels fell, with fuch poor worms as we are!. Angels excluded, and men received. O ftupendous mercy !

Thirdly, That God fhould be wholly and thoroughly reconciled to man, for that no fury remains in him against us; according to that fcripture, Ifa. xxvii. 4. is ftill matter of farther wonder.

The defign he fends his ambassadors to you about, is not the allaying and mitigating of his wrath, (which yet would be matter of great joy to the damned) but thoroughly to quench all his wrath, fo that no degree thereof fhall ever be felt by you. O bleffed embaffy! Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that "bring fuch tidings." God offers you a full reconciliation, a plenary remiffion.

Fourthly, That God fhould be freely reconciled to finners, and difcharge them without any, the leaft fatisfaction to his juftice from. them, is, and for ever will be, marvellous in their eyes.

✪ what mercy would the damned account it, if after a thousand years torment in hell, God would at laft be reconciled to them, and put an end to their mifery! But believers are discharged without bearing any part of the curfe, not one farthing of that debt is levied upon

them.

Object. If you fay, how can this be, when God stands upon full fatisfaction to his juftice before any foul be difcharged and restored to favour? freely reconciled, and yet fully fatisfied, how can this be?

Solut. Very well, for this mercy comes freely to your hands, how coftly foever it proved to Chrift; and that free remiffion, and full fatisfaction, are not contradictory and inconfiftent things, is plain enough from that fcripture, Rom. iii. 24. “Being justified "freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chrift Je"fus:" freely, and yet in the way of redemption.

For though Chrift, your Surety, hath made fatisfaction in_your name and ftead, yet it was his life, his blood, and not yours, that went for it, and this Surety was of God's own appointment, and VOL. II. H

providing, without your thoughts or contrivance. O bleffed reconciliation! happy is the people that hear the joyful found

of it.

Fifthly, and laftly, That God fhould be finally reconciled to finners, so that never any new breach fhall happen betwixt him and them any more, fo as to diffolve the league of friendship, is a moft ravishing and tranfporting meffage.

Two things give confirmation and full fecurity to reconciled ones, viz. the terms of the covenant, and the interceffion of the Mediator.

The covenant of grace gives great fecurity to believers, againft new breaches betwixt God and them. It is faid, Jer. xxxii. 40. “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will "not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my "fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me.' The fear of the Lord is a choice prefervative against second revolts, and therefore taken into the covenant. It is no hinderance, but a fpecial guard to affurance.

There is no doubt of God's faithfulness: that part of the promife is eafily believed, that he will not turn away from us to do us good: all the doubt is of the inconftancy of our hearts with God, and against that danger, this promife makes provifion.

Moreover, the interceffion of Chrift in heaven fecures the faints in their reconciled state, 1 John ii. 1, 2. "If any man fin, we have an "Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is "the Propitiation." He continually appears in heaven before the Father," as a lamb that had been flain," Rev. v. 6. And as the bow in the clouds, Rev. iv. 3. So that as long as Chrift thus appears in the prefence of God for us, it is not poffible our state of juftification and reconciliation can be again diffolved.

And this is that bleffed embaffy gofpel-minifters are employed about; he hath committed to them the word of this reconciliation.

In the laft place, we are to enquire what, and whence is this efficacy of preaching, to reconcile and bring home finners to Chritt.

That its efficacy is great in convincing, humbling, and changing the hearts of men, is paft all debate and question. "The wea"pons of our warfare (faith the apoftle) are not carnal, but migh"ty through God, to the pulling down of ftrong holds, caft"ing down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth «itfelf against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity "every thought to the obedience of Chrift," 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. No heart to hard, no confcience fo ftupid, but this fword can pierce and wound; in an inftant it can caft down all thofe vain reafon