1. To purchase and gain the world for a kingdom and an inherit- ance for Jesus Christ.
2. To conquer all the enemies of Christ.
Secondly, Private, so it is to convert souls. The appointment of tiie gospel for these ends showeth there is the arm of God in it.
First, Public, which are —
1. To purchase the whole world for a kingdom and an inheritance for Jesus Christ. This is the main end of the gospel, and therefore it is called, Ps. ex. 2, ' The sceptre and rod of Christ's strength.' The
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gospel is the sceptre of Christ ; it was by the word that he was to sway the nations ; and so Mat. xiii. 19, it is called ' the word of the kingdom.' Now, how should a man purchase a kingdom but by his arm ? Great enterprises require proportionable strength, and there- fore such a glorious design as this necessarily calleth for the arm and power of God. That this reason may have its due force on you, do but consider what it is to purchase the world for Christ, and what prejudices and difficulties there are against it that must be overcome.
[1.] The report of Jesus Christ was a despised truth. If a man woukl win others to his conceits and opinions, |)olicy requireth that he should make them as plausible as he can. It is difficult to win a people from their old religion, though a new one that is proposed be never so agreeable to reason. But now, when this is utterly inconsistent with our former apprehensions and notions about religion, the mind riseth against it ; it stoppeth all further inquiry after the truth of it. Now such was the report of Jesus Christ to all the world : you may divide them into Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were to be brought off from their fond esteem of Moses and the prophets ; the Gentiles were to be won from their old vain religions, received by traditions from their fathers : and we well know by experience how ill changes in re- ligion are brooked in the world. But that was not all ; they were to leave their religion that they had so long professed, and to expect (what they thought very absurd) eternal life and happiness by him whom they looked on as an object of misery, and who suffered such a shameful death himself : 1 Cor. i. 18, ' The preaching of the cross was to them that perished foolishness.' It might well be so among them that perished ; the prejudice was as great among them that pro- fessed : Mat. xxvii. 42, ' He saved others ; himself he cannot save : if he be the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.'
[2.] It was given forth by despised persons. If a man would be prevailed with by any, he would be by men of some repute and renown in the world. 13ut now, Ps. viii. 6, ' Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength.' If babes and sucklings could prevail so much by the use of their mouths, certainly there is some secret and invisible force in such doctrines, or else it would not prevail for babes and sucklings to speak so prevailingly as Christ promised: Luke xxi. 15, ' I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall never be able to gainsay nor resist.' So much power in so much appearing weakness argucth a divine arm.
2. The next end was to conquer the enemies of Christ. To conquer their minds, or destroy their bodies, the best weapon is the gospel, especially to do the former. This is the ark that beats all the IJagons in pieces. It is said, Isa. xi. 4, ' He sliall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and witli the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.' Mark, it is with the rod of his mouth ; the gospel slayeth the outward enemies, and the mists of error do inwardly vanish before this sun. As—
[1.] The paganish rites and worship were forced to give place to it, as the oracle of Delphos, which had voice enough left to proclaim its own silence, and also that among the rocks of Sicily. But then —
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[2.] As to anticliristianism, God hath appointed the word to be a weapon against it : 2 Thes. ii. 8, it is said, ' Grod shall consume them with the spirit of his mouth, and with the brightness of his coming,' God bloweth in the mouth of his ministers the force of their words against Antichrist ; it is the spirit or breath of his mouth. When the gospel was a little revived by Luther, how many of his kingdom did Antichrist lose ? The goose-quill gave him a deadly wound, saith Beza ; Rev. xi. 13 : when the witnesses had finished their testimony, ' the tenth part of the city fell.' This is a most powerful engine to shake the strongholds of that city, these blasts of the gospel. The great policy of that party is to withhold people from the knowledge of the gospel. When Dr Day discoursed with Stephen Gardiner con- cerning free justification by Christ, saith he, ' 0 Mr Doctor, open that gap to the people, and we are undone !' The more gospel there is dis- covered, the more Antichrist is discovered. Free grace puts the foundation of that way out of course.