There may be many reasons given why this calling is subject to base usage in the world, and esteem from the dispositions of men contrary to it, but indeed not much to follow the point. It is not so much at all times, nor in all places. God doth at some time give more liberty, and raise up a more excellent esteem of them than at other times ; but ordinarily it is thus, the more faithful, the more despised of carnal people.
If you ask a reason what raised popery to be so gaudy as it is, they saw the people of the world fools, and knew that children must have baubles, and fools trifles, and empty men must have empty things ; they saw what pleased them, and the cunning clergy thought, we will have religion fit for you. And because they would be somebody in the world, they devise a religion that is only outward, and such an one as dishonours God, by thinking him like to themselves, to delight in incense, and ornaments, and pictures, and the like ; and hereupon came all the outside of popery, whereby they labour to ingratiate themselves to the world. They fool the world with all toys to please themselves, and they had suitable clergies : like lips, like lettuce ; they had a religion suitable to their life. And hence came all that trash in popery to please the foolish heart of man. And because they will not be basely esteemed of, they get into the consciences of people by raising authority by false means and false conceits, that man can make his Maker, and turn bread into Christ's body by five words ; and the pope cannot err, and whatsoever comes from him thou must obey, though with denied obedience to thy lawful prince ; for they had seated themselves in the consciences of the people, and raised themselves by false means to avoid that which they saw would follow, the gospel. They knew the cross would follow the doctrine of the cross, the preaching of Christ crucified, and mortification and self-denial. And therefore they thought * Cf. John vii. 20, Mat. xi. 19, John xix. 12.— G.
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But it is clean contrary, where any that are won by God to the means, they have high esteems of it presently. As the jailor that had whipped and abused the apostles, Acts xvi. 33, used them very respectively,* and made them a feast. And so first [epistle of the] Cor. chap. xiv. 24, 25, When the simple man heareth the w^ord open his sinful estate, he presently falls down at the apostles' feet, and saith. Certainly God is in you. Ko man is won by the blessed truth of God, but hath high conceits of the pure ordinances of God ; and the more pure and close and home it is, the more he esteemeth of it. And therefore wo may take an estimate of ourselves by our esteem of it.
A sanctilied ear sheweth a sanctified heart, and a sanctified esteem of God's ordinance, as God's ordinance. From the power and virtue we find in it, working upon our souls, it is an argument we be wrought upon by the ministry ; for though we be counted ' earthen vessels,' by base earthly- minded men, yet they that be wrought upon have other estimations of us.
Their calling is to bring men's squIs to heaven, to be saviours of the people, to be God's own name, to be fathers. It is a calling that the angels may stoop under it. ' Who is sutficient for these things ?' 2 Cor. ii. IG, and yet the base slight it; but I say, respect must not be won by forced means, as in popery, but by opening the mysteries of God, and the Spirit accompanying the outw^ard ministry. This will work so effectually in the heart, as will raise the heart to a high esteem of these things, from the blessed experience they find of the Spirit of God working in them. But that will appear more in the next, where he saith, God's end of conveying heavenly things by earthen vessels is, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of man.
The first part of the verse we have unfolded, and have shewed,
1. That the gospel is ' a treasure.'
2. The ' treasurers,' they be the ' apostles and ministers.'
And then, 3. The ' vessels.' We cany it in ' earthen vessels,' earthly vessels for the matter and for their esteem.
Of this I will on!}' say, that w"hich concerneth every man.
1. It is not a secered condition, it is the condition of all. To be earth of itself is no such base condition. That it is a word of disgrace and frailty, it is from sin. For howsoever we be earthy, and of nothing, and so might fall to nothing, jet God would have suspended the incli- nation of the creature, which is prone to turn to its original, which is nothing, if Adam had not sinned. The heavens are made of nothing, and yet still continue their condition, because God preserveth them. And the angels made of nothing, and are subject to fall to nothing, as the angels that fell, they might have fallen. And they stand not by any strength of their own, but God's grace suspendeth that possibility of falling to nothing, and confirm eth them in that blessed condition. And so the baseness of the earthen vessels is from sin.