[3.] God dealeth more familiarly with us in this way, conveying his
288 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXXVIl.
mind to us by our brethren, who are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone ; such with whom we have ordinary and visible commerce. We read, Exod. xx. 18, 19, that the people when they heard the thunder- ings, they stood afar off, and said unto Moses, ' Speak thou unto us and we will hear ; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.' It is a great mercy to man, that seeing he cannot endure that God should in glori- ous majesty speak to him, that he will depute men in his stead : Deut. xviii. 15, ' The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him shall ye hearken ; according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not ; ' that is, Christ principally, and all those sent in his name, and come in his stead. Nay, we are not able to bear the glori- ous ministry of the angels ; they would affright us, rather than draw to God. As Elihu saith to Job, chap, xxxiii. 6, 7, ' I that am formed out of the clay, am come to thee in God's stead ; my terror shall not make thee afraid ; ' so may the ministers of the gospel say, We that are of the same mould and making, we are ambabsadors in God's stead, come to pray you to be reconciled to God. You need not be afraid of us nor shy of us.
[4.] There is more certainty this way, because by those whose fidelity in other things is approved to us, who cannot deceive us but they must deceive their own souls ; they know the desert of sin, and the danger by reason of it; those who have had experience of the grace they preach ; as Paul was an instance of the gospel, as well as a preacher of it, 1 Tim. i. 17 ; and he saith, ' He did comfort others with the comforts wherewith he himself was comforted of Cod,' 2 Cor. i. 4 ; spake from a sense and taste, commended his apostleship from his own knowledge ; who come not with a report of a report, who con- firm their doctrines by their practice ; for they are to be examples to the flock ; and sometimes by their blood and sufferings, if need be, it is their duty at least — would these deceive us ? There are more rational, inducing grounds of probability in this way, than any extra- ordinary course that can be taken.
Use 1. Let us respect God's institution the more. We see the reason of it, and the love and wisdom which God hath showed in it, and especially regard the way of reconciliation. Peace and life are tendered in his name to self-condemning and penitent sinners, through the mediation of Jesus Christ. This circumstance of the means teacheth us several things.
1. That it is not enough to look to the purchase, price, and ransom, that was given for our peace, but also the application of it ; for the apostle doth not only insist upon the giving of Christ, but also on the word of reconciliation by which it is ofiered to us. In the 18th ver., this text and the 20 ver., * God may be in Christ reconciling the world to himself,' and yet we perish for ever, unless we be reconciled to God ; and therefore the means of application must be regarded, as well as the means of impetration ; and as we bless God for Christ, so also for the ministry and ordinances.
2. It showeth that God hath not only a good will to us, but this
VeR. 19.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 289
good will is carried on with great care and solicitude, that it may not miscarry at last. Here is wisdom mixed with love. As God was careful in laying a foundation of it by Christ, so you see with what wisdom the means are appointed, that this peace may be dispensed to us in the most taking way, Now God hath travailed so much in this matter, shall the gospel be cast away upon you ? He hath set up an ordinance on purpose to treat with sinners.
3. That those things which God hath joined must not be separated, nor any part dispersed — Christ, Spirit, ministry. Christ purchaseth all, the Spirit applieth all, the ministry offereth all by the word. If we go to God for grace, if it were not for Christ, he would not look towards us ; he sendeth us therefore to Christ, who is the golden pipe through which all the fatherly goodness of God passeth out imto us. If we go to Christ, he accomplisheth all by his Spirit ; it is the Spirit that by his powerful illumination must enlighten our minds, and open our hearts, and eflfectually renew and change the soul, Tit. iii. 5, 6. If we look to the Spirit, he sendeth us to the ordinances ; there we shall hear of him in the word written and j)reached. Despise that course, and all stoppeth ; therefore you must be meditating on his word, which is the seed of life ; ' be swift to hear ; ' make more conscience to attend seriously to the dispensation of it. This last is most likely to be de- spised ; men will pretend a love to Christ and the Spirit, a reverence to the word written, but despise the ministry, because they are men of like passions with ourselves. No ; it is God's condescension to our weakness, which cannot. admit of other messengers, to employ such ; therefore receive them as messengers of Christ : they work together with God, 1 Cor. iii, 9, they are labourers together with God : 2 Cor. vi. 1, 'As workers together with God, we beseech you, receive not this grace in vain ; ' and Christ saith, ' he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me,' Luke x. 16. What is done to a man's apostle is done to himself; and Mat. x. 40, * He that receiveth you receiveth me,' Christ meant not to stay upon earth visibly and personally to teach men himself ; therefore he com- mitted this dispensation to others, left it with faithful men, who are to manage it in his name,