[4.] Fourthly, The honourable account that the Lord hath of them in this employment, speaks out this truth, that their office is lionourable. In Mat. X. 41, 42, compared, ' He that receiveth you, receiveth me ; he
' 0 anima Dei insignita imagine, desponsata fide, donata Spiritu, &c., 0 divine soul, invested witli the image of God, espoused to him by faith, &c. — Bernard. [Sermona on Canticles, at before. — U.]
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 225
that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shalV receive a pro- phet's reward ;' and Luke x. 16, ' He that receiveth you, receiveth nie ; and he that despises you, despises me.' This honourable account God hath of all his faithful servants in this employment. Kings and princes have their ambassadors in very high accoi.mt : so has God his.
[5.] The fifth thing that speaks out this truth is this, they serve an honourable master. They serve him that is all ear to hear, all hand to punish, all power to protect, all wisdom to direct, all goodness to relieve, and all mercy to pardon. They serve that God that is optimum, tnaximum, the best and greatest. God hath within himself all the good of angels, men, and universal nature ; he hath all dignity, all glory, all riches, all treasure, all pleasure, all delight, all joy, all beati- tudes. Mark, abstracts do better express God than concretes and adjectives.^ God is being, bonity,^ beauty, power, wisdom, justice, mercy, and love itself. ' God is love,' saith the apostle, in the very abstract. God is one infinite perfection in himself, which is eminently and virtually all perfections of the creatures. And oh then, what an honour must it be to those that are employed under so honourable a master P
[6.] Sixthly, Their very work and service is honourable. Why else did the apostle cry out, ' Who is sufficient for these things ?' There is no such embassage in the world as this is in which they are employed: Eph. vi. 19, 20, 'Pray for me, that I may make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds.'* Faithful ministers do represent the person of the King of kings and Lord of lords ; their work is to treat of peace between God and man, or of open hostility between the Creator and the creature, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20.
[7.] Seventhly, and lastly. Their reward from God is honourable. Though the world crown them with thorns, as it did their Lord and master before them, yet God will crown them with honour : Dan. xii. 3, * They shall shine as the stars in the firmament.' You know ambas- sadors have not preferments while they are abroad, but when they come home into their own country, then their princes prefer them, and put much honour upon them. So will God deal with his ambassadors : 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, ' I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.' So in Isa. xlix. 4, 5. 'I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain ; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my reward with my God. Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.' So in 2 Cor. ii. 15, 'For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish.'^ Ministers shall be rewarded according to their faithfulness and diligence, though some perish. It shall be with them as with vine-dressers. You know vine-dressers are rewarded according to their diligence and faithfulness,
^ Hahet omnia qui habef habentem omnia, He hath all that hath the haver of all. — Augus- tine. 2 Goodness. — G. ^ It is truly said of God that he is omnia super omnia.
* Their main work is to treat with sinners about eternity, &c.
* God will at last highly reward those very services that men don't regard, &c. VOL. III. P
226 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
though some vines never bear, nor bring forth fiTiit at all. As ministers are diligent and faithful, so the reward, the crown, shall be given forth at last. You know the barber is as much rewarded for trimmins: a blackamore, though all his pains in rubbing him can never make him white, as he is for trimming and rubbing another man that is white, and by a little pains is made more white. This is many a faithful minister's grief, that he takes a great deal of pains in rubbing and washing, as it were, to make souls white and clean, pure and holy, and yet they remain after all as black as hell ; but surely their reward shall be never the less with God.^ The nurse looks not for her wages from the child, but from the parent. If ministers, like clouds, sweat them- selves to death that souls may be brought to life, great will be their reward, though their souls should perish for ever, for" whom they have wept, sweat, and bled.
God won't deal by faithful ministers, as Xerxes did by his steerman, who crowned him in the morning, and beheaded him in the evening of the same day. No ; God will set an everlasting crown upon their heads who remain laborious and faithful to the death. The world for all their pains will crown them with thorns, but God at last will crowTi them with glory ; he will set a crown of pure gold upon their heads for ever. And thus you have the point proved.
The second thing that I am to do is to shew you,
2. What honour that is which is justly due to faithful ministers.
Now, this I shall shew you in three things. There is a threefold honour that is due unto them.