Some would have antichrist down, yea, they would have him down root and branch, but there is no such way for his total and final over- throw as the preaching of Christ; for the more the glory, fulness, perfec- tion, and excellency of Christ is discovered, the more the horrid vileness and matchless wickedness of the man of sin will be discovered and ab- horred, &c. : 2 Thes. ii. 8, 4, 7-10, ' And then shall that wicked one be revealed.' The Greek word properly signifies a lawless, yokeless, masterless monster ; one that holdeth himself subject to no law.^
Pope Nicholas the First said ' that he was above law,' because Con- stantino styled the pope God ; and of the same opinion were most of the popes.
' Whom he shall consume.' The Greek word signifies to consume by little and little, till a thing come to nothing.
' With the spirit of his mouth.' That is, with the evidence and glory of his word in the mouths of his messengers. The ministers of the word are as a mouth whereby the Lord breatheth out that glorious, mighty, and everlasting gospel which shall by degrees bruise anti- christ and all his adherents, and break them in sunder like a rod of iron, &c.
When Christ was born, all the idols that were set up in the world, as historians write, fell down. When Jesus Christ comes to be lifted up in a nation, in a city, in a town, in a family, yea, in any heart, then al] idols without and within will fall before the power, presence, and glory of Jesus. Since Luther began to lift up Christ in the gospel, what a deal of ground has antichrist lost ! and he does and will lose more and more, as Christ comes to be more and more manifested and lifted up in the chariot of his word. Many in these days that speak much against antichrist, have much of antichrist within them. And certainly there is no such way to cast him out of men's hearts, and out of the world, as the preaching and making known of Christ, as the ex- alting or lifting up of Christ in the gospel of grace.^
[4.] A fourth reason why they are to preach Christ to the people is this, because else they contract upon themselves the blood of souls.
There is no other way for them to avoid the contracting of the blood of men and women's souls upon them, but the preaching of Christ unto them.* Now, a man were better to have all the blood of the world upon him than the blood of one soul. The blood of souls, of all blood, cries loudest and wounds deepest. The lowest, the darkest, and the hottest place in hell will be the sad and dreadful portion of such upon whose skirts the blood of souls shall be found at last. Hence that pas-
' In the canon law the pope is said to be solutus omni lege htimana.
2 Bellarmine confesseth, to his great grief, that ever since the Lutherans have declared the pope to be antichrist, his kingdom hath not only not increased, but every day more and more decreased and decayed. — Lib. iii. de Papa Rom., cap. 31.
' The Germans have this proverb : say they, The pavement of hell is made of the bare skulls of priests and the glorious crests of gallants. Their meaning is, that the more eminent any one is in church or state, and doth not employ his eminency accordingly, the more low shall they lie in hell, Rev. xviii. 11-14.
210 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
sage of Paul in 1 Cor. ix. 16, ' Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel.' The motto that should be writ upon preachers' study-doors, and on their walls, and on all the books they look on, on the beds they lie on, and on the seats they sit on, &c., should be this, ' The blood of souls, the blood of souls.' The soul is the better, the noble part of man ; it bears most of the image of God ; it is capable of union and communion with God. Christ sweat for it, and bled for it ; and therefore woe to those merchants that make merchandise of the souls of men. This was a comfort and an honour to Paul, that he kept himself from the blood of souls. Acts XX. 25-27. He appeals to them that they were witnesses that ' he was free from the blood of all men.* Paul had held out Jesus Christ in his natures, in his names, in his offices, and in all his excel- lencies and perfections, and so frees himself from the blood of all men. And ministers can no way secure themselves from the blood of souls, but by preaching up and living out a crucified Jesus.
[5.] The last reason is this, because the preaching of Chnst con- tributes most to their comfoH here, and to their reward hereafter ; therefore they are to preach the Lord Christ to the people.
When Luther was upon a dying bed, this was no small joy and com- fort to his spirit. ' Thee, O Lord,' saith he, ' have I known, thee have I loved, thee have I taught, thee have I trusted, and now into thy hand I commend my spirit.' There can be no greater joy to a minister than, by preaching Christ, to win souls to Christ : 1 Thes. ii. 19, 20, ' For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye iix the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. Ye are our glory and joy.' They that by preaching Christ win souls to Christ shall shine as the stars in the firmament, Dan. xii. 3. Every soul won to Christ is a glorious pearl added to a preacher's crown : 1 Peter v. 4, ' And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory.' A crown imports perpetuity, plenty, and dignity, the height of human ambition.'
It is the opinion of some that there are three places of exaltation in heaven :
The first and highest is for converting ministers.
The second is for suffering martyrs.
The third is for persevering Christians.
Without doubt, those ministers shall be high in heaven who make it their heaven to hold forth Christ, and to win souls to Christ ; who are willing to be anything, to be nothing, that Christ may be all in all to poor souls. And thus I have given you the reasons of the point.
I shall now come to the second thing, which is the main, and that is, to shew you,
II. Hoiu ministers are to preach ChHst to the people.
Many weak and slight spirits in these days think that it is as easy to preach as to play, and so they hop from one thing to another, and those that are not qualified nor fit for the least and lowest employment, yet judge themselves fit enough for the greatest and the weightiest em- ployment in the world, and that which would certainly break the backs, not only of the best and strongest men, but even of the very angels,
' Bernard comfortably observes that ministers have their reward secundum labor»n, not tecundum proventum.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 211
should not God put under his ' everlasting arms.' No labour to that of the mind, no travail to that of the soul, and those that are faithful in the Lord's vineyard find it so. Luther was wont to say that if he were again to choose his calling, he would dig, or do anything, rather than take upon him the office of a minister.^ And many other eminent lights have been of the same opinion with him.^