What is the reason God brings us' to heaven by the ministiy of men, and doth not send angels, or do all by his Spirit without help ?
Amongst the rest, this is one, he would have one to glory in another, he would tie one to another. Therefore, it ties one man to another, this re- lation to see the need of God's ordinance, and that people might rejoice one in another as the gift of God. Therefore, he calls man by man, to knit man to man, and that they may see God's love to them in men. They saw Christ's love to them in St Paul. St Paul saw Christ's love to him in them, in their obedience. This is the reason that God useth men to call men.
Therefore, those that neglect the ordinance of God, let them never think of glory by Christ, that glory not in the minister that brings them to Christ. Therefore, 2 Cor. v. 19, they are excellently joined together, ' God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.' What then ? Wliat need the ministry if God be reconciled to the world in Christ ? God is merciful, and Christ died, and there is an end. No ; he hath put to us apostles, and after us to pastors and teachers, ' the word of reconciliation,' and we, ' as ambassadors, entreat you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God.' So there is no word of reconciliation effectual to any but we must have the efficacy of it by embassage, it must be ofiered by the ministry.
This ministry, contemned by the world, must be the means to bring us to Christ. We have no benefit iDrought to us from God unless it be by the
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 14. 319
word of reconciliation. Neglect the word, neglect reconciliation itself. Therefore it is called, ' the word of the kingdom,' ' the word of grace,' ' the word of life,' insinuating that if we neglect the word unfolded by God's ordinance in the church, we neglect grace, we neglect life, we neglect [the] kingdom, and all ; because we see they are joined together. I will not be long in this point in this place.
Use. Only this, when God doth vouchsafe any abroad wheresoever, or to any of us, to partake of his ordinance in an effectual, holy manner, to joi/ in it. As Solomon saith, Prov. xix. 14, ' Inheritance comes by parents, but a good wife is the gift of God.' So a good minister, or a true Christian friend, is the gift of God that he bestows on men, a special gift ; because it is in order to eternal happiness. It is such a gift as Christ gave when he ascended into heaven. So much for that point, ' We are your rejoicing.'
' As also ye ai'O ours.' There is an intercourse of joy. We are your re- joicing, ' and ye are ours,' in the day of the Lord.
How were they St Paul's rejoicing ?
They were St Paul's rejoicing as they were gained to God and to Christ by his ministry. When he looked on them, he looked on them as people given him by God. As God said to him of them in the ship when they suffered shipwreck, ' I have given thee all their lives,' Act xxvii. 23, seq.
It was a great honour to St Paul that God should give him the lives of all that were in the ship, but more honour that God gave him so many souls. Thou shalt have the honour of saving so many souls. Therefore, they were his rejoicing, in the day of the Lord especially, but nov/ they were his rejoicing, because by faith he apprehended that they should be his special rejoicing when he and they should stand together before the judg- ment seat of Christ. For faith makes things to come present. ' Ye are our rejoicing, because you shall be our rejoicing then more especially. This is the nature of faith, to present things absent. For blessed St Paul, now in heaven, when at the day of judgment he shall stand before Christ with all the rank about him of Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, &c., and all the churches he converted, — when he shall be environed with them as so many brought in triumph under the kingdom of Christ, and pulled from the bondage of Satan (as what a world of people did he bring to God, what triumph did he make over Satan and the corruption of men, bringing men into captivity to Christ!) — when all these shall be set before him, what a glory will this be for holy St Paul, when he shall look on all these blessed people as conquered and brought under Christ's government by him! And so for all the apostles, St Peter and the rest ; and so for eveiy minister, when he shall say, ' Here I am, and the souls that thou hast given me,' John xvii. 12. Thou hast honoured me so much as to be an instrument to gain them to Christ, to bring them to heaven, a special glory. The point of doctrine or truth I observe hence is this, that
Doct. The peojde's firoficiency in grace is the minister's joy.