(5.) The ministry is ' the salt of the world,' Mat. v. 13. Without salt, things putrif3\ So salt preserveth them, and eats out the corruption. It hath a cleansing, purifying power. What were the souls of God's people without it ? Kotten and stinking in God's nostrils, with pride and self- conceitedness.
(6.) So we are called * the light of the world,' Mat. v. 14. We are in darkness, and were not God's light held out, what were the world but an Egypt ?* Nothing but palpable darkness. As in times of popery, when there was no ministry, but instead of it mass, and other empty things.
(7.) And therefore in the Revelations and other places they are compared to ' stars.' The church is as a firmament, and heaven. And antichrist, in opposition, is compared ' to earth.' And the ' stars in heaven' be those that be set to shine in the darkness of the night of the world, to give aim to others which way to walk.f
But I might be large in this. I only speak of it for a general use to us all, that we may better conceive of God's love, not only to give to his church rich treasures, but likewise a calling w^hereby these things may be unfolded to us, that our love and affection may be stirred up to them. And therefore, Eph. iv. 8, when Christ ascended to heaven in triumph, intend- ing to leave the richest things in the world (as emperors and kings in triumph scatter gold and silver), ' he gave gifts to men.' What were these gifts ? petty mean things ? No. But ' some evangelists, some prophets, pastors and teachers,' Eph. iv. 11. And how long ? ' To the end of the world,' ver. 13. Not only for the laying of the foundation of religion (as some will have the word only used to lay the foundation, and then to leave them to I know not what), but to edify and build them up more and more.
Therefore the greatest gift Christ in triumph will scatter to his church, is gifts, and men furnished with gifts for the service of the church, Jer. iii. ver. 15. When God promiseth to bless his people, he saith, ' I will give you pastors according to mine own heart,' as if that were a blessing of blessings. And therefore, they that live under the ministry of the gospel, let them
* Cf. Exod. I. 21.— G. t Cf. Rev. i. 16, 20, ii. 1, iii. 1, and xvi. 2.--G.
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know the good things of the gospel aro not only treasures, but tho ordi- nances of God, vlierein that treasure is conveyed, it is a treasure. We ministers carry this treasure in earthen vessels.
The church where means are, is as it were Goshen, a place of light, and all other places are places of darkness, Exod. x. '22, 23. How pitiful is it to live in places where means of salvation arc not, that have no light shin- ing in their hearts at all ? I would enforce this point if I were to speak in another place, and to another auditory ; but I cannot unfold my text without opening it in some degrees, and therefore wo will hasten.
' We have these treasures in earthen vessels.'
The condition of all ministers, they be men, and carry these treasures in earthen vessels. In earthen vessels, in what sense ?
First, It is true fundamcntaUii. And for the matter whereof ministers and all other men consist, it is but earth.
Secondly, It is true of their coiidilion. Earth is the basest of all elements, and they are counted of carnal foolish men, the basest callings of all. They be poor and despised, and thereupon ' earthen vessels' in the regard of the esteem of the world, and usage in the world. Earth in matter, earth in condition, earth in esteem, earth in usage suitable to their esteem, earthen vessels eveiy way.
[l.J For the matter irhereqf ice consist, the foundation of all the rest. It is the common condition of all. The rest are more peculiar to the minis- ters. ^ We are all but ' earthen vessels.' You know the story of our creation. Gen. ii. 7. God made us of the earth ; but if we had not sinned, though v.-e had been made of the earth, Ave should never have been turned to the earth again, but our states should have been changed.
God's gracious power w^ould have suspended that mortality which our nature of itself was subject to ; for man jjeing made of earth, was subject to have turned to earth again, though he had not sinned. But by the door and gate of sin, death entered into the world.
Tlie angels were subject to fall as well as the devils, for every created thing is changeable, and so the angels, only God suspendeth that possibility of sin, and establisheth them in grace, but he withdrew his support from the devils and suftered them to fall. So man, if he had not sinned, God would have continued him in grace, that though mortal by natm^e, yet his mortality should have been so suspended, that the subjection to mortality should never have come to act. But since sin, the curse is on us, ' Of earth thou art, and to earth thou shalt return ; dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt re- turn,' Gen. iii. 19. We be all ' earthen vessels' in our original, and in our end, ' earth to earth, dust to dust ;' as we say of ice, ' water thou art, and to water thou shalt return,' because it riseth of water, and is dissolved into water again. So a man that consisteth of earth, ' dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.' Thou shalt be resolved into thy first principle whereof thou wast made ; so that we are but ' earthen vessels,' by reason of the curse inflicted on us since the fall.