' As ye have acknowledged us in part.' You acknowledge us ministers, you acknowledge our doctrine, you acknowledge Christ by us.
How do these Corinthians acknowledge St Paul in part ?
' That ive are your rejoicing, even as ye are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.' ' You have acknowledged us, that we are your rejoicing.' What * Qu. ' but where ?' — Ed.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 14. 317
is the meaning of that ? You have acknowledged us, that you have cause to rejoice much, to the day of judgment, and then you shall rejoice to pur- pose, that ever I was your apostle, that ever you had grace to hearken to me ; that ever you had such a sincere downright apostle, that would tell you the truth, and gain you to Christ.
' That we are your rejoicing.' Whence we may observe, that —
Doct. AfaitJifid mi)ustcr is the rejoicing of the people.
Those people that are good, and have any grace in them, and not only here, but they will be so at the day of judgment.
Why?
Beason. Because a foithful minister brings to them him that is the cause of all joy ; him that is Isaac, ' laughter,' Christ Jesus, at whose very birth there was a message of joy from heaven.
For all joy and all glory is originally and fundamentally in God recon- ciled. That is certain. There is our joy in God reconciled. For naturally, before God be reconciled, our hearts are full of confusion ; they are so far from joy and glory, that they are full of horror. Now God is reconciled by Christ's satisfaction and obedience, his full satisfaction witnessed by his resurrection ; and thereupon comes our glorying, to be in Christ, who hath brought us to be at one with God, with the God of glory. ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,' saith St Peter, * that hath be- gotten us to a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,' &c., 1 Pet. i. 3. Now we have a lively hope, we have a glorious hope, we may gloiy in it, in the resui-rection of Christ ; considering that his resurrection is an evidence that the debt is paid, our Surety being out of prison, he being risen again.
But all this must be opened to us, and offered to us, and applied to us, by the ministry. What Christ hath done, and what he will do, it must be opened to us, and offered to us ; to receive Christ thus graciously bringing us to God. And faith must be wrought in us, to join us to Christ ; and this is by the ministry.
Now in the next place, when the ministry doth this, it doth teach ns that God is reconciled by the satisfaction of Christ, and teacheth tJie nature and offices of Christ, and the benefits ice have by Christ. It unfolds ' the un- searchable riches of Christ,' Eph. iii. 8. The ministry offers Christ ; and God by his Spirit works grace in the ministry, to believe, and to walk worthy of Christ. Hereupon comes glorjdng in the ministry ; in the preaching of Christ faithfully, crucified and risen, and teaching us to walk worthy of Christ.
So it is not that any man should glory in the minister for himself ; but in that he brings us to Christ, which Christ brings us to God, in whom is aU our glory. So we see the ground of it, how St Paul was the rejoicing of the Corinthians, because he brought them to Christ.
The office of the minister is to be wooers, to make up the marriage be- tween Christ and Christians' souls. Now herein is the rejoicing in a good minister, when we are brought to Chi'ist ; and then see the riches of our husband unfolded by the ministry. Here is matter of joy, especially at the day of judgment. Then we shall joy indeed that ever we knew such a minister, that ever we knew such a holy man, that was a means to bring us to Christ, and to God.
Hereupon it is that the ministers are said to be a special gift of God, Eph. iv. 11. ' Christ when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.' What gifts ? ' Some apostles, some prophets,
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some pastors, some teat-hcrs, to the end of the world, for the building of his church.' Christ when he went in triumph, after his resurrection, when in his ascension he went triumphantly to heaven (as the great empe- rors, on the day of their triumph, they scattered money, so), he scattered j^ifts ; and they were not moan ^'ifts, mcmey, and such trifling things ; but when he went in his triumphant chariot to heaven, he had no better gifts to leave to the world, than to give such kind of gifts as these — he left ministers, apostles, to found a church ; he kift pastors and teachers to the end of the world. These were the gifts that Christ gave when he went in triumph to heaven ; therefore well may they joy in the ministers as a special gift of God.
So there is a notable place, Jer. iii. 14, 15. There is a promise, if they would turn to God, and be a gracious people, what he would do. * I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and feed you with knowledge and understanding,' insinuating that it is a special blessing ; it is a blessing above all blessings in this world, indeed, none comparable. To live in a place where all solaces are, where all worldly contentments ; j'et to be there where the sound of the gospel is not, where the best things are not, it is but a dead place. What is it to be fatted to destraction ? what life to the life of gi-ace ? and how is the life of grace begun and strengthened, but by the means of salvation ? When God gives pastors according to his own heart, to feed his people with understanding and judgment, it is a great blessing, and so it is matter of rejoicing and gloiying. For may not the soul reason thus ? — Who am I ? that when thousands sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, God should send his ambassadors to me, to offer Christ Jesus with all his riches to me ; and by his Holy Spirit effect it, by such and such a ministry working grace in me, to give me the first fruits of glory, the pledge of salvation, the beginning of gi'ace here, when miUiona of other people sit in darkness ? Thus a Christian rejoiceth in God first, and then rejoiceth in the minister. He rejoiceth in everything that is an occasion to bring him to heaven.