Happiness is it fit and rational for Dust and Ashes to Dispute and to be angry with the Judge of all the Earth Gen. 18.25 And for poor Wormes to rebel against their Maker at whose Presence both Heaven and Earth doth tremble Here 's Gods great Condescention because of the weakness of our apprehension And if there be humility of greatest Poverty yet here is an attestation of preatest glory That no man might be offended but rather stand astonished with an holy admiration at the infinite grace wisdom mercy and goodness of God First That his own Son God blessed for ever should assume humane nature to save us to unite a Clod of Earth unto his Divine Person That Christ should give this World so glorious so magnificently great and so happy a Visitation Greater Condescention then if some great Prince should go into an Hospital to look on a lothsome diseased Creature Here 's superabundant love of God in Jesus Christ which transcends all the degrees of Comparison And then that God should entreat wooe and beseech us by the Ministry of his Ambassadors that we would save our selves from everlasting ruine That God should look upon all the Children of men in their fallen lost sinful and miserable Condition with such pity and compassion who have made themselves liable to eternal Wrath which they understand not which they are not able to bear That God out of his infinite grace and wisdom should find out and provide a way and means of Salvation For the Children of men his professed Enemies In the words we have these particulars to be considered First The Apostles illation drawn from the Premisses by which the Text hath his Coherence with the precedent verses And presents us with this instruction That we are not bound to accept matters of Religion meely without all reason and probable inducements Secondly the assertion of the Subjects by plain Enunciation We are Ambassadours Thirdly the honourable Dignity of these Ambassadours they are for Christ Ambassadours of Christ Fourthly the Authority of God the Father confirming this excellent Dignity as though God did beseech you by us and as if Christ himself stood by and prayed men We pray you in Christs stead Fiftly here is res considerata modus considerandi The Gospel Embassie it self Secondly the way and manner of Gospel Ministers delivering of Gods Message and Errand unto the People and that not in a way of severity and rigour but beseeching and intreating to be reconciled to God Now the Doctrinal truths which are to be Collected and deduced hence are these First that the Foundation of our eternal Salvation is laid by God in Christ God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself Secondly Gods Ministers have their Commission from Heaven they come in the Name of the great King of Heaven and Earth and are his Commission-Officers Thirdly that God who might come in flaming Fire to consume us in a moment cometh to us in the greatest Mercy Tenderness and Condescention Praying and Beseeching us to be reconciled unto him Fourthly that God and Man are at a great distance Fiftly Reconciliation unto God was the most glorious work that ever was wrought and the most blessed word that ever was heard But I must not think to grasp all these But the truth that I intend to insist upon is this That it is the great Honour and Dignity of the Ministers of the Gospel to be the Ambassadours of Jesus Christ But I will first speak something of their Duty and then Secondly of their Dignity Thirdly of mans reconciliation to God in the Application The words of my Text as you have heard are an illative Conclusion drawn from the Premises vers 19 there is set forth the Reconciliatiation on Gods part He though Pars laesa the Party greatly and grievously injured and offended the greatness of an offence growing from the dignity and excellency of the person offended and this makes it Crimen laesa majestatis so hainous and Capital high Treason indeed against the Crown and Dignity of Heaven yet contrives and designs this great work of Reconciliation God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself namely by his Merit and Intercession for as the greatness of the injury grows from the dignity of the person offended because there the worth of the offended person is hurt so the worth of him that makes satisfaction doth grow from him that makes satisfaction because here the yielding of honour is looked into which depends upon the Dignity of him that yields the honour And hath committed unto us the word of attonement or reconciliation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing that a Minister of the Gospel should have the Doctrine of Reconciliation first fixed and placed in his own heart and so speak from his own heart to the hearts of others and comfort others with those comforts wherewith he himself hath been comforted of God When a man is no stranger unto those things he delivereth unto others how many are there who onely have a humane knowledge of divine things There is nothing more easie saith Bishop Hall Cent. 2. Med. 91. then to say Divinity by rote and to discourse of Spiritual matters from the Tongue or Pen of others but to hear God speak it to the Soul and to Feel the Power of Religion in our selves and to express it out of the truth of experience within is both rare and hard All that we feel not in the matters of God is but hypocrisie and therefore the more we profess the more we sin Luther felt what he spake and had experience of what he wrote and being to speak of our Justification by Faith in Christ saith he In my heart this one Article reigneth even the Faith of Christ from whom and unto whom all my divine studies have recourse to and through continually Saith S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and who is sufficient for these things Who is sufficient for the ministry of Life Who hath fit and particular qualifications for such places for matters of such weighty and great importance for so great a charge as is committed to them If a man were to paint the Sun or to limn out the nature of a Soul who could instruct him what Colours he must use It is not enough that men have publick vote for publick places but they must have suitable Endowments He that thinks to act for God must have qualifications from God There must proceed a mission and Commission or else whosoever runs abroad had better have staid at home 1 Tim. 3. The Apostle lays down their particular qualifications who shall be fit for such places and he would have us look to whom he hath qualified That our most Reverend Bishops most instructed in the Government of the Church and most highly dignified in it should take great heed whom they bless Such as may know how to behave themselves in the Church This calling by man is not to be despised For it is not enough
belongeth to the office of a good Shepherd to his sheep either young and tender or strong and well grown This is also a sure argument of the Ministers love to Christ when he doth Conscionably labour to Edifie those whom Christ loveth and for whom he dyed When we labour to approve our selves abundantly to the Church of God and to the Consciences of men But not unto their humours To answer the end of our Education the Cost and expence of God Parents and School-masters the expectation of Friends and any who have shewed us kindness And now what infinite pity is it that any one way of sin should ever stand up to hinder us from serving of God in the Gospel of his Son or rob us of our Excellency and Beauty and Strength and Glory So much sin and lusts so much loss of excellency Gen. 49.4 When there is either lewdness or negligence of them that are able to do well in their Ministry and yet do contrary although your words be never so loud yet if your works be lewd though you were sons of Thunder yet a crack in the Instrument will spoil the sound Sin even in Ignorance is a talent of Lead but sin in Knowledge is a Milstone to sink a man to the lowest Bona noscere mala facere to know good and do ill makes a mans own mittimus to Hell The pleasures of sin are dear bought in any but especially in a Minister Heb. 6.6 This doth a world of mischief and hurt both in heaven and earth The Minister that spends himself like a Taper to give light unto others must not himself go out with an ill savour When such a one as David sinned he gave great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme others may swear and swagger and they matter not nor wonder not 2 Sam. 12.4 This was the reason why the Indians refused the Gospel brought by the Spaniards because their lives were more savage then those Savages It is said of Hophni and Phinehas that although they were the Lords Priests yet they were sons of Belial they knew not the Lord and by their sinful and corrupt Sacrificing they made the People abhor the Sacrifice 1 Sam. 2.12 So many by their raw indigested slubbering of the Word for want of study and meditation do make men think that there is no more Wisdom Purity Perfection Majesty and Glory then they shew out of it And therefore they stay at home and say They know as much as the Minister could tell them When in a whole Sermon the hearer could not pick out one Note more then he could gather himself Good Matter slubbered up in rude and careless words is made lothsome to the hearer as a body mis-shapen with unhandsome Clothes B. Hall A good Minister as he maketh Conscience of Preparing his heart to serve the Lord so he will not serve God with that which cost him nothing He converses much with God that he may be holy as the Object of his Preaching is Christ and the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven so he labours to be heavenly also O how graciously should we deliver Gods Errand to the People and they hear it with fear and trembling Holy Duties call for holy Preparation David washed his hands in innocency before he compassed Gods Altar Psal 26.6 And Job intending to sacrifice to God in the behalf of himself and his Children sends to them solemnly to Prepare themselves And if this be not done if they sin not against more light yet certainly against greater obligations Nay the very Heathens themselves would not admit any to come to their Religious Services unless they were prepared as that of Aeneas to his Father Anchises upon his return from the Wars Tu genitor cape sacra manu Patriosque penates Me bello è tanto digressum caede recenti Virg. lib. 2. Aenead p. 176. Therefore they had one that cried out to the people Procul hinc este prophani All you that are unclean and prophane depart hence and come not near us And shall Christians who have learnt better things touch holy things with unholy hands or unholy hearts no they must not they ought not Holy Duties call for holy Preparation and in a most special manner of a Minister that cometh so near unto the Lord. Men must be sanctified within and without before they come to the performances of any holy duty It is true that the Duty sanctifies but men must be sanctified for the duty Again a Minister must be active and vigorous in the reproof of sin Preach the Word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4.2 Young Timothy must Reprove and Rebuke Preaching the same Truths with aged Paul It is Gods Charge unto Isaiah to Cry aloud to spare not to lift up his Voice like a Trumpet shewing the People their Transgressions and sins Isa 58.1 A Minister must sometimes change his note differ from himself sharpening his speech dipping his words in gall as our Saviour himself did Ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Whom yet we may find in another place Matt. 5. as it were Piping and Dancing and all melodious sweetness When Elymas the Sorcerer would have obstructed Saint Paul's Preaching and have turned the Deputy from the Faith Paul set his eyes on him and cryes out O full of all subtilty and all mischief thou child of the Devil thou enemy of all righteousness It 's true the Gospel hath not one hard and unkind word against a Child of God but always Grace and Peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ This is the Voice of the Ministers of the Gospel Peace be to you and Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy Luke 2.10 Saith the holy Apostle Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear But ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 It is never a Spirit of Bondage again in that sense and meaning as it was before But now on the contrary there is nothing but woe unto sinful and prophane ungodly wretches There is a time to reprove sinners and workers of iniquity most sharply as well as to comfort Saints God is content sometimes that we should derive from his Throne Thunderings and Lightnings and louder sounds Rev. 4.5 When Israel in Moses his absence corrupted themselves in making a molten Calf Moses did not dance after their pipe and laugh at their Idolatrous Image and superstitious merriment but with great zeal reproved their folly and with indignation confounded their Idol So if the whole Nation be grown Sermon-proof sitteth still and is at rest settled on the lees prophane Athiestical should we not be false Prophets to cry nothing but Peace Certainly we must now Cry with Isaia Wo to a sinful Nation When mens lives proclaim Wars against God must we not
denounce Gods Judgments against them We would be glad at every Sermon to say nothing but Peace to this Audience but our God saith There is no Peace to the wicked We would sing with the Angels Peace on Earth and good will towards men but how shall we sing the Lords Song in a strange Land Ps 137.4 We have Preached Glory Honour and Peace and Salvation and an incorruptible Crown and the choycest delights that heart could wish and were not regarded What remains then but to Preach Indignation and Wrath tribulation and angnish upon every Soul of man that doth evil Rom. 2.8,9 Fire from Heaven Plague Sword and Famine Captivity Emptied from vessel to vessel hurried from place to place Mists and Clouds and Darkness and Torments for days and nights and eternal generations of Years We have Piped unto you and ye have not Danced Matt. 11.7 we have sung With thee O Lord is mercy that thou mayest be feared Psal 130.4 But now we must change our note With thee is Vengeance that thou mayest be feared If the Spirit of Gentleness can do no good a Rod must come if the Songs of Sion cannot Mollifie the Thunders of mount Sinai must Terrifie Eli though a good man yet his Reproof wanted life and indignation against sin Nay my Sons for it is no good report that I hear 1 Sam. 2.24 In the matter of Preaching O what weighty things doth the Word contain Truths that should make the very bowels of the Minister to yern and pour out his affections in the Pulpit to rouze up the Peoples thoughts and awaken them from the sleep of sin and security wherein they have lain so long a time Otherwise when they hear of matters of Life and Death Salvation and Damnation they sit like blocks in their Seats as though it were no great matter Thus the golden Bells of Aaron must be rung in several tunes A Minister must labour to be like John Baptist to be a burning and a shining Light more then a Voice there must be life and heat in his Ministry Job 5.35 A Minister had need of many rare and excellent gifts to open the Scriptures to deduce from them to convince of sin to lay a good foundation to move the affections which the holy Scripture is so full of And most certain it is that they which are of the most prodigious wonderful and incomparable parts are most sensible of their own inabilities When God told Moses he would send him to deliver Israel saith Moses to God Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh Exod. 3.10 When none in all Israel or Midian was comparably fit for this Embassage Which of the Israelites had been brought up a Courtier 1 Schollar an Israelite by Blood by Education an Egyptian Learned in all the Wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and is deeds Acts 7.22 So that he was Learned Wise Valiant Experienced Yet he saith Who am I 'T is to be feared there is few amongst us look Moses his way first upon himself his own insufficiencies How few amongst us that are named to any place begins at Moses What am I where have I Studied and Practiced sufficiently before that I should fill such or such a place of Judicature where have I served and laboured and Preached in inferiour places of the Church that I should fill such or such a place of Dignity or Prelacy there How few like Abram left to say in all humility I am but Dust and Ashes or Jacob Non sum dignus I am not worthy of the least of these Preferments But every man is vapour'd up into Air and as the Air can he thinks he can fill any place Many run into the Magistracy many into the Ministry but who is sufficient for any one Who is sufficient for these things saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Master of Speech 2 Cor. 2.16 This is spoken in the high Commendation of Apollos that he was an Eloquent man and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 powerful and mighty in the Scriptures Acts 18.24 fervent in the Spirit teaching diligently the things of the Lord. Therefore a Minister must have his senses exercised in the holy Scripture even beyond the common sort of believers so that he may be said with Apollos Mighty in the Scriptures And though he may and ought to make use of Councils Schoolmen and Fathers with reverence yet Apostolical Writings are onely to be appealed to as the last Rule of Faith Thus having spoken something of the Ministers Duty though in this Grave Worthy and Learned Audience not to be Your Instructor but so as to bring things to your remembrance Now it remains that I should speak something of the Ministers Dignity and for that you see it falls in my Text. There is no Duty but the Lord crowneth it with some Priviledge Blessing and Dignity and that duty and service of the Ministry is not excluded but expressed more eminently and emphatically Now then We are Ambassadours for Christ This is the great Honour and Dignity of the Ministers of the Gospel to be the Ambassadours of Jesus Christ Therefore we magnifie our Office and this heightens our Calling from the preciousness of the Truth which is to be manifested by us The greatest Mystery in Heaven and Earth that upon which depends the great weight of Salvation a glorious and great dispensation is committed unto us First Ministers are called Watchmen Son of man I have made thee a Watchman unto the house of Israel Ezek. 3.17 a Minister hath relation and is debter unto the whole Church of God This shews the Churches danger and the Ministers duty carefully to watch and to warn to foresee and foretell danger this is the Watchmans duty as not to be blind watchmen given to sleep and slumber Isa 16.10 And upon this very ground the Apostle exhorts the Hebrews that they should give Honour and Obedience unto the Guides Leaders Governours and publick Officers of the Church because they watch for your souls as they that must give account Heb. 13.17 therefore Honour Reverence Obedience and high Estimation is due unto them as the Servants of the most High God which shew unto men the way of Salvation Acts 16.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nomen quaesivit ab omni ambitione prorsus remotum tamen authoritat is maximae si quis suo munere sanctè fungatur Beza in loc Non dubito quin de Pastoribus loquatur reliquis Ecclesiae gubernatoribus Nam neque tunc Christiani Magistratus erant quod vigilare cos dicit pro animabus ad spirituale regimen propriè pertinet Primo obedientiam deinde honorem illis deferre jubet Haec duo necessario requiruntur ut plebs fidem ao simul reverentiam Pastoribus habeat Nam quo quisque plus laboris suscipit nostra causa quo majori difficultate vel periculo se nobis impendit eo sumus illi magis obstricti Cal. in Loc. Secondly Because this obedience
's a demonsiration Feed the hungry relieve the Poor There 's another demonstration When this is done in Faith and in Obedience to the Commandements of God 't is one excellent way for rich men to lay up some of their treasures in heaven and then let their hearts follow their treasure thither This is a brave noble way of giving Earth a translation and to improve every Alms and Penny to the best laying up in store for themselves a good Foundation against the time to come That they may lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6.17,18,19 Secondly Unto Angels by hidden and secret signs which are sighs and groans Angelorum delitiae Poenitententium lacrymae and other signs of repentance which please and delight the Angels who are sent about Gods Messages to this Earth There is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth Luke 15.10 And good Ministers are glad too when they can perceive it How glad was the holy Apostle when he perceived it in the Romans and asked them What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6 21. Certainly sin is not a gainful way without doubt more men are impoverished and beggered by sinful courses then enriched sin cannot be the way to Glory and Honour for we dare not avow our sins but are ashamed of them when they are done fruitless unprofitable before shame and dishonour after Mens Souls are desperately sick of sin and at Deaths door must we tell them of Heaven and an immortal Crown and Kingdom before repenting of their wickednesses till they be first recovered in some measure from the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Acts 8.22 from the jaws of Hell and snare of the Devil Revive them with the Gospel before they be humbled with the Law Without any humiliation repentance sighs and grones certainly we cannot give you comfort We dare not apply the oyl of Consolation till we have scoured your festred wounds with the sharp wine of Reprehension Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap Gal. 6.7 If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye Rom. 8.13 When Iniquity hath played her part then shall Vengeance leap upon the Stage The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God Psal 9.17 And that with a Go ye Cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels Mat. 25.41 Could we behold your Cheeks blubbered with Tears your Hands beating your Breasts like the poor penitent Publican Luke 18.13 your Cryes resounding at Heaven Gates for mercy or any way but perceive your Repentance and Indignation against Sin Then should we think it high time and seasonable to sing as sweetly as we can of the tender mercies of God and the Riches of his grace unto afflicted and broken spirits Thirdly We must be reconciled to God by Purity singleness and sincerity of heart wherein the perfection of the Gospel doth consist Mat. 5.8 And now Men Brethren and Fathers with what words shall I bespeak you all to live to that God from whom you shine That when the Grave shall be open for you Heaven may not be shut against you O you that are yet asleep in sin is it not high time for you to awake Rom. 13.11 And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep The time of the light of the Gospel which is as it were the Dawning of that great everlasting Day the words are an Alarm or Summons unto spiritual vigilancy an appeal to Conscience for the necessity of the Duty And now knowing the time the Propinquity and nearness of salvation The night is far spent Shall the Heavens be all in flaming fire 2 Thes 1.8 and the Elements melt with servent heat before you will begin to fear God The Sun shined upon Sodom in the morning and yet the horrible wrath of God fell upon them before evening and thy Soul may be in Hell before the next morning as that rich Churls who reckoned upon many years and had not a day to live Luke 12.20 Shall the great Luminaries of Heaven the Sun and the Moon be darkened Mat. 24 29. before that soul of thine be inlightened And the Stars fall down from Heaven before thou wilt fall down in all humility before thy Maker confessing and forsaking thy sins Shall the Sea give up her Dead before thou art alive and the Harvest of the world to come before the Seeds of grace and eternal life be sown in thy heart art thou so dead and buried in sin that no Sermon shall stir nor awaken thee but the last Trumpet shall sound before thou wilt hear O wo to thee when thy days are ended Then the great Judgment and Visitation will fall most dreadfully upon thee And yet I declare unto you this truth in the name of God that there is not the worst the vilest in the Congregation that is come through the Providence of God before God this day but for ought we know it is possible for thy sins to be pardoned for God to be reconciled unto thee and thy soul to be saved though even now an enemy a rebel against God a slave of sin and Satan O therefore prize this Doctrine of Reconciliation prefer it above your appointed food as Job did the holy Scripture yea before thousands of gold and silver Job 23.12 For upon your forsaking a Course of sin God will not onely pardon you let all Suits fall cancel all Bonds quit all scores but also receive you into favour Now herein the Lord infinitely excelleth all the Princes of the Earth If a Subject offend his Prince and his offence be hainous and capital be accounteth it a singular and great favour from his Prince if he can be pardoned but he shall never be honoured more never be trusted more But now the Lord doth not onely pardon great sinners upon true repentance but he highly honours them and Crowns them with very glorious Rewards and the choicest Joys and Delights that heart can wish And this may be said with all grateful commemoration and great truth that when by Divine Providence Almighty God the Father of all Mercies returned our most dread Sovereign unto us the People of England to the execution of his Kingly Office he did not onely pardon many Offenders but hath also honoured them with titles of quality and places of trust I will Answer but one Objection and so I will draw to a Conclusion What infinite Pity is it to consider how some forsake all Religion because the Preachers do not Agree or because the Lives of Professors give some offence But certainly there is no Cause why they should mislike the Word for the Preacher or why they should despise Religion for the Professor Because the Word and Religion are not theirs which Preach it and Profess it but Gods The Seed sown in good Ground may grow