the honour, that is proper to their Maſter, for rs [1 a ency in the converſion and building up. of Souls, bo ffict. to them. They are Miniſters of Chrift, fo have their ca og tionto him, and only a ſecondary relation to the Church ws, = they are Miniſters; they are Miniſters of Chriſt, and in _ ic! nitration can only execute what are originally hi; co-- Mt. though thoſe commands of Chriſt may alſo be enforced Paigns Miniſters of the Goſpel, nor of the Law, upon wclins 1. Men, mary obligation to preach Chriſt and his Goſpel unto —_
*udgm:nr.) The Ph:loſophers and wife men of the Worid iy porter thavpineſs of man as their end, which indeed 1s the true end which | a!l men aim ar and do propound to themſelves, true wiſdom dt-
-e&tcth the beſt means in order to the beſt end. Whatſoever di- : -2&2th not to the beſt end, or to whar is not the beſt mean n | order to that end, is not wiſdom, but real folly ; wordly wiſdom |
- . L . 0 Ml \cither direterth to the beſt end, for it looks at no further wed 5. 16. The Myſtcrie of Chriſt, here, and Fph. 3.4, The 0]
pincſs than that of this life, nor yet to the be/? means, and there- tore is truly what God accounts it, fool:ihnels. m And ro ice the wile and learned men of the world thus ©» both in their judg- ment and practice, is r.0 wonder at all; for God is ſet out of old by El'p+#2z, as one that takoth the wiſe in their own craftineſs, tTob 5. 13. ;
29 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wiſe, that they are vain *.
-.* And again it wasſaid by the Plalmiſt, Pſal. gg. 11. That the Lord bnoweth that the thoughts of man are vanity: man's counſels, imaginations, re :ſonings,they are all vanity ; they propoſeto them- ſ-Ives ends which they cannot attain, and purſue them by means art are inziFcacious with reference to their ends.
2: Therefore let no man 8lory in men ”: for all things are yours 9
» Szeins therefore that Chriſt is but one, his Miniſters but one, and nomore than Miniſters, by whom you believed, v. 5. and the p:incipal efficiency ofany ſaving work begun,or carried on in your Souls 70 any degree of perfeQtion, is from God and the Miniſters work in that efte& nothing, compared with his, ſeeing you are God's husbandry, God's building, not meerly man's, and the 7:m- pie of Goa, nor mens Temple ; leave your glorying in men, and ſaying, I am of Pax!, or I amof Ap9//os, glory only in this, that you are Chrit'©: beſides, o why do you glory in a particular Mi- niſter when all is yours, asif two joynt heirs in an Eſtate ſhould &! ry in this or that particular houſe or incloſure, when the whole Eftate is joynrly theirs, all theirs.
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things preſent, or things to come, all are yours. ;
23 And *ye are Chrilt's, and Ghriſt x God's p.
p Here are in theſe two verſes three things aſſerted : 1 72 B. lievers Title to all things, 2. The ſpecialty of their Title. 3. The force
He had faid before, 4! :hings are yours, which he repeats again, V. 22. They have a right and title to all things, and all things are fer their good, uſe, and advantage. Amongſt theſe he fiſt
; God hath committed his Word and Sacram:n's to diſh:
k - | .» i Call:mg of the Gentiles, Eph. 3. 44 The R-ſurref#/om from 5;
6 They are alſo Stewards of the Myſteries of God, ſych tg whorg | on | : "IFP>ICC. Out un,
to his Church. The word Myſtery ſignifies any thing that is (; ay but more ſpecially it fignifierh a Divin? Secret, repretenred h; -_ and figures; or a Religions Secret, not obvious ro every Wal city or underſtanding. Thus we read of the 1, fr:-; Fr Kingdom of Heaven, Matt. 13 11. The Myſter;; of Gid'in: { Thos q ' it
Fe*fy 3 uy 8 »
f Goa, Col. 2.2. The Incarnation of Chri?, 1 Tim, 3, 1G Ti.
r Cor. 15. 21, Chriſt's myſtical Union and Communion wi:; has W Eph. 5. 32. The ſublime Counſcls of God, 1 Cor. 13,2, ave al} (6 led MyRſteries. Miniſters are the Stewards of rhe myſterigy; ph, &rines and Inſtitutions of Chriſt, which we uſually comn-ov.." , Mi Preacng
under the terms of the Word ani Sacraments. 2 Moreover, it is required of ſtewards, that a n;
tound faichful c.
c It is required of all Servants, but eſpecially of chief Sery ſuch as Stewards are, who are intruſted with their Mafters-goog; to be diſpenſed our ro others. The. faichfuineſs of a Steward j, diſpenſing out his Maſters goods, lies in his giving them oy: ., cording to his Maſters order,giving to every one their portion, rv" detaining any thing from others, which it is his Maſters willthz, ſhould have. ( As Pax] gloried, 47s 20. 20, 27. Thar he h;3 kept back from the Epheſians nothing that was profitable for, my bg. ned to declare to them all the connſel of God, nit giving holy this 11 aogs, or caſting pearls before [win?, contrary to Chriſt's direGign Matt. 7.6.
3 But with me it is a very ſmall thing, that I ſhqg be judged of you, or of man's [judment : d yea, ] juz; not my own elf e. d@ Thoſe who ſaid, 1 am of Apollos, and 7 am of Cephas, Gd x leaſt tacicly judge Parl, and preferr 4pollos and Cep/-ar before him: and it is probable, and will appear alſo from other parts of thoſ: Epiſtles, that they paſled very indecent cenſures concernins ?3:: he therefore tells them, that he valued very little what they 0: any other men faid of him. In the Greek it is of man'; dzy; butir is generally thought, that our Tranſlators have giveq us the true ſenſe, in tranſlating it man's judgmcnr, day being pur for judgment as Jer. 17.16, where woeful! day ſignifies woeful judgment, Sothe dy of the Lord in Scripture often ſignifieth the Lord's judgment: the reaſon of that form of ſpeech ſeems to be, becauſe perſonscited to a Court of Judgment uſe to be cited ro appear on a certain day, e Yea faith the Apoſtle, I pronounce no Sentence for my (:f ] leave my ſelf ro the Judgment of God. I may be deceived in my
an he
ants,