Gospel are conveyed this is agreeable to what went before Some false Teachers in Corinth pleased themselves with eloquent and enticing words of worldly wisdom and so endeavoured to render Pauls preaching despicable in regard of the plainness of it therefore saith the Apostle we have this treasure in earthen vessels h. e. familiar conveyances that so we may easily understand it Thus I have explained this Earthen Vessel and so have done with the first considerable part viz. the dispensation it self This Treasure we have in Earthen Vessels I come now to the second viz. II. The account of this Dispensation That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us Which words may be considered two wayes 1. Either absolutely as lying in themselves Or 2. Connexively to the words before going 1. Take them absolutely as they lie in themselves and two things are exhibited 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry it self called Power 2. The Author and Original of it laid down two ways positively of God and negatively not of us 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry thereof called Power There is a great deal of power and efficecy in the Gospel 't is in its nature powerful and efficacious so the Ministry of it Rom. 1.16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth See 1 Cor. 2.4 Paul's preaching was in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power c. 'T is called the Arm of God's Power the sword of the Spirit Eph. 6.17 'T is quick and powerful and sharper then any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit c. Heb. 4.12 and many other places We may conceive it to be so according to the various effects and consequences of it viz. as to 1. Conviction 2. Coversion 3. Consolation 1. 'T is powerful in regard of conviction 't is a word of conviction and one part of the Work of the Ministry is by the Spirits co-operation to convince the world of sin to open mens eyes to shew them the vileness of their wayes to discover such courses to be sinful the Conscience is awakened by the Spirit in the Ministry of the Word herein 't is powerful and efficacious There are divers instances in Scripture how powerful the Word hath been in point of conviction in Foelix the Apostle Paul preached to him of righteousness and judgement to come c. He trembles The Judge on the Bench trembleth at the Word delivered by the Prisoner at the Bar Sa powerful is the Ministry of the Word as to discover our sinfulness So the Disciples going to Emans their hearts burnt within them when our Saviour opened to them the Prophets c. So it was with St. Peters Auditors Acts 2. they were pricked in the heart when they heard tha he did preach to them in the power and demoustration of the spirit and plainly discovered that sin that they were more especially guilty of and when they heard that they were pricked in the heart c. 2. It is a word of Conversion also Conviction is one thing and Conversion is another Sometimes men may be convinced but yet have no change wrought in them therefore conversion is another work it is a turning men from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God c. to receive an inheritance among them that are sanctified Herein is the Word powerful viz. in regeneration I have begotten you by the Word to a lively hope c. of his own will hath he begotten you c. 3. It is a word of comfort and consolation it is a powerful word and able to comfort the heart and the Ministry is very effectual herein when set on by the Spirit to quiet satisfie and pacific the consciences of men which declareth the remission of sin and whosoevers sins are forgiven must needs be comforted Indeed it is not in the power of men to forgive sint yet they can speak a word of comfort in season by the administration of the promises the Spirit of God going along with them and then they are not only declarative but operative Where I say it pleaseth God to bless and sanctifie the Word it is effectual for the quieting of the mind for pacifying of the conscience and setling of the troubled soul Thus you see how powerful the Ministry is and seeing it is so this should teach us how to behave our selves under it it is powerful in it self and powerful in its dispensation and hath none of that weakness mentioned before of the dispenser of it I was with you saith S. Paul in much weakness and in fear and intrembling 1 Cor. 2.3.4 and my speech was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power These may seem to be contradictory but 't is answered the Word is powerful in the demonstration of the Spirit though delivered by one of humane weakness as before is declared This spiritual power we should look at and labour after which power doth not consist in matter of elocution the enticing words of mans wisdom nor in matter of voice which indeed is a good thing and sutable to the nature of the matter a quick and powerful delivery is of great efficacie and power for the setting home of truths Yet this doth not make a powerful Ministry for a whisper in the ear may cause a thunderbolt in the conscience the power lies first in the nature of the matter the matter consists in the nature and condition of mankinde the certainty of judgment the necessity of Christ the covenant of Grace and the graces and priviledges thereof c. These carry a great deal of power and efficacie with them when they are carefully and frequently dispensed and Gods spirit going along with them so they become powerful for the Ministry consists not in empty notions and speculations that will only tickle the sancie but never reach the conscience Moral discourses though they be of great use yet if we rest in them they leave us as they found us Evangelical truths which are manifold are to be delivered in the Ministry Now as the matter of the Ministry must be powerful so the expressions must be powerful there should be sutableness of expression to the matter h. e. with gravity sobriety affection c. Strong lines make but weak preaching and take away the efficacie but delivering truths in the demonstration of the spirit and in power that is most effectual when we speak feelingly and from our hearts it comes then through the blessing of the Lord with it with power This is then to learn us of the Ministry viz. 1. Use Let us be careful that the matter of our Ministry be powerful so that the handling and dispensing thereof be powerful that so it may come home to the conscience thus we should deal with all the words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastned by the Masters
of assemblies c. Eccl. 12.11 So our words should have a force and power in them This as the Apostle says is mighty and powerful to the beating down of strong holds c. Use 2. Secondly in reference to hearers seeing the Ministry is powerful you must then submit your selves to the power of it Many people are Sermon proof and think to stand it out against the power of the Word but if it comes in power to the conscience they will not be able to resist it as it is said of them in the Gospel they were not able to resist the spirit by which he spake viz. Stephen And for those that desire the conversion of others what course should be taken by them for that end but by good counsel instruction prayer and good example to endeavour to convince them and more especially to bring them to the Word and administrations thereof which God hath sanctified for this end So much for the excellency of the Gospel viz. The excellency of the power c. I come to the second 2. The Author of it 1. Positively it is of God And 2. Negatively it is not of us First positively it is of God and that in all the considerations of it in the full extent of it it is of God So the Ministerial gifts the performances of it and the success of it are all from God First Ministerial gifts are from God it is he that makes us able Ministers of the New Testament there are saith the Apostle Paul diversity of gifts to one is given the Word of wisdom to another the Word of knowledge by the same Spirit c. 1 Cor. 12.4,5,6 It is God that bestows every good gift Secondly The performance also is from God his grace concurs and assists therein the habit and the act are both from him God gives gifts to men and he enables them to dispence them Ministerial employments are not only for general but particular applications and so need not only general but particular assistances That I might be enabled saith St. Paul to fulfil the work c. the Lord stood by me and strengthened me that my preaching might be fully accomplished It is God that makes the work powerful efficacious and successful Alas when we have used our best endeavours all the success is from him he must make it effectual it is said our Saviour went about doing good for God was with him enclining him to the work and assisting him therein So he is with all his servants their gifts employments and success thereof are all of God not of us Obj. But it may be objected Is all from God and nothing from us Are we not said to concur with him and is not then the power partly ours Ans I answer No 't is of God and not of us we are indeed subjects of the Ministry the Recipients thereof persons employed in the Work and therefore are said to be workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 but the power and efficacy thereof is from God alone Paul and Apollo are but Ministers 't is God that giveth the blessing 't is not of us in two respects 1. 'T is not merited by us 't is not of our deserving nor of our procuring 1 'T is not of our deserving the best most accomplisht do not merit it I received mercy saith Paul to be faithful he accounted it a mercy to be employed and to be faithful therein 2. 'T is not of our own procuring we do not obtain it by our own power as Peter said in the recovery of the lame man It is not by any power and holiness of ours that this man is restored c. and so it is not our gifts and industry onely that will make our Ministry powerful and therefore in this Work let us be looking up to God and desire him to assist us as Moses said If thou goest not O Lord up with us wherefore should we go hence so say I If the presence of God be not with us what can we do And further when we do partake of any measure of ability see where we must determinate it Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be all the glory We must not sacrifice to our own net nor give the honor to our own industry but wholly give the praise to God because the excellency is of God 2. But in the second place if you look upon the words reflexively or as having their connexion to the words going before and so they will agree and hold together and thus you may read them Therefore is this Treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the Power may be acknowledg'd to be of God and not of us If it were in Angels or had we never so strong bodies yet the excellency of the power of God would not be so clearly seen as it is now being laid up in poor frail Vessels Here 's the power of God here 's the lustre and glory of God most manifested for so much the more apparently it will be seen to be from God by so much the weaker the instrument is that is employed by God therefore if any thing doth act beyond its own power it must have some forreign powers for the producing such and such acts therefore when we see any great matte done by poor frail and contemptible persons of earthen vessels this doth plainly shew the excellency of the power to be of God and not of men therefore look from man to God it is God that doth these things we should overlook earthen Vessels we should I say overlook men that are these earthen vessels and look to God that makes the Ministry powerful in such conveyences as these are Furthermore It may satisfie us of the Ministry in that we are Vessels viz. men of frailty c. we are apt to be discouraged and to think hardly that we are followed with so many weaknesses that we have a hard matter that when we have taken such pains in the work of the Ministry we should be thus rewarded but this should satisfie us the more weakness in us the greater honor will come to Christ This Treasure we have in earthen Vessels that the excellency of the Power may be of God and not of us The weaker the Vessel the more honor will redound to Christ Furthermore this may take off the servants of Christ from unwillingness unto those works and performances which God calls them unto by reason of their weakness Thus it is when God calls to any work or employment the servants of God are apt to plead their own inability Moses sayes he is not eloquent Jeremiah sayes he is a child Jonah sayes he is a man of unclean lips Thus we have their delayes their excuses whereby they endeavour to discharge themselves from that Work that God calls them to by their own weakness c. but God refuses such excuses for who makes the blind to see the dumb to speak but God It is he that