Chap.
wor of the Will of man, but of God; of God, as the principal effici-| And this was Pa4/s, and ſhould be every godly Miniſter's work,
cnt Cauſe, bY a ; 11 1.1y, and by the Spirit of Chriſt, azally, hath reconciled us unto
himfelf; of Enemies hath made us Friends. 7 Ard hath giv us the Miniſtry of Reconiilietion, hath berruſted us with rhe Preaching |
of the Goſpel: Ir is God thar hath reconciled us ; ir is Chriſt by whom we are reconciled, his Blood is the Price ot our Reconcilia- rion : Bur he committed ro his Apoſtles, and ſo ro the ſucceſſive Mi- niſters-of the Goſpel, the XMiniſtry of Reconciliation, that 15, the Mi- niſtry of che Goſpel, by which this Reconciliatian is publiſhed ro ſuch as are as yer Enemies ro God. They have bur a Mim(tration in it 3 God hath appointed them to publifh and to declare 1r, and to intrear men to be reconciled unto him. | :
19 To wit, * that God was in Chriſt reconciling
the World to himſelf k, not imputing their treſpalles
þ Who, by the Blood of his Son Jeſus Chriſt, merito-,
unto them 7, and hath -- committed unto us the word
of reconciliation m2.
þ By World here, ſome would underſtand al! Mankind, and by Re- conciling, no more than making God reconcileable 3 bur this proceed- ch from an over-fondneſs of their Principle of Chyiſts dying for all, aud every man. For as it is maniteſt from a multitude of Scrip- tures, that World is many times taken in a much more limited and reſtrained ſenſe ; ſo there is nothing here thar guides us co inter- pret 1: in ſuch a larirude; nay, that which followerh, doth manifeſt- ly ſo reftrainit ; for God was not in Chriſt, reconciling the World to him- {{lf, that is, every man and woman in the World, ſo as not to im- pute their ſms ro them, ! This the Apoſtle here afhrmeth 3 which makes it manifeft, chat by World here 1s meant many, ſome of all ſorts, as well Gentiles as Jews; even ſo many as he pleaſerh not ro impure their ſins unro. » Now (faith the Apoſtle) the diſpenſing and publiſhing that Word, by which this Reconciliation 15 made known to the Children of men, God hath commitred to us 3; to us thar are Apoſtles, and ſo ro the Miniſters of the Goſpel char ſhall ſucceed us in the Work of the Miniſtry. This mightily commend- eththe Goſpel, and the preaching of ir, thacir1s che word by which, as a-mean+, Souls are reconciled unto God,
20 Now then we are * amballadors for Chriſt, as though God did beſeech you by us : we pray you In
not with roughneſs, bur with all mildneſs and gentleneſs, ro beſeech ' thole to whom thcy preach the Goſpel, that chey would believe and embrace It, and live up to the Holy Rules of ir ; without which (as co their Souls benefic) all the kindneſs of God, in affording then the Goſpel and means of Grace, is in vain and loſt ; (chough God yer hath his End, and his Miniſters ſhall be a ſweet ſavour to God as well with reference to them that periſh, as thoſe who ſha! be ſaved.) For the effeQual Grace of God in the hearr, char cannot be reccived in vain; nor is thar here ſpoken of. ;
2 For he faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted
. . 9 and 1n the day of ſalvation have I ſuccourcd thees : behold, now # the acceptcd time, behold, now #5 the day of ſalvation d.
c The words here quoted, are taken our of the Prophet [uah, 49+ 8. accordivg ro the Septuagint's Tranſlation. Though ſome think, chat the Apoſtle here doth bur accommodate to the Spiri- rual Salvation brought 1n by Chriſt, a temporal Salvation menctoned, and primarily intended ; yer the moſt and beſt Interpreters rather Judg, that «hole Chapter in Jaiah to refer to Chriſt, and that the Salvation there mentioned, is to be underftood of the Spiritual Sal. vation of the Goſpel 3 of which allo che Apoſtle ſpeaketh here, and maketh theſe words (as in the Propher) the words of God the Farher to Chriſt his Son, reſtifying both his Aſſiſtance of him in the accom pliſhmenr of rhe work of mans redempriob, and hisaccep- rance of him; According to which ſenſe, the Accepted time is the ſame with what the Apoſtle calls, The fulneſs of time (though ir may alſo be ſo called in the ſame ſenſe rhar the Apoſtle calleth the Go- ſpel a ſaithful Saying, worthy of all acceptation, 1 Tim. 1. 15.) in which ſenſe che Goſpel-rime was propheſied of as an acceptable time, Ge, 49. 10. Haggai 1.8, d Now 1s that accepted, or acceptable time, now 15 that day of ſalvation ſpoken of by the Propher ; therefore you are concerned to receivethis Grace of rhe Goſpel, and co live up to the Rule of 1t,
3 Giving no offence in any thing e, that the Mini- ſtry be not blamed F.
To give n0 offence ſignifies to avoid all ations which may be
z The Apoſtle here giverh us a true Notion, not only of Apo- ſtles, which were che firſt and principal Miniſters of the Goſpel, buc of all orher Minifters ; reaching us whar all Miniſters ſhould be, and what all true Miniſters of che Goſpel are. They are 4m- baſſadors for Chriſt ; there is by Nature an enmity betwixt the Crea- ture and God ; he naturally haterh God, and God is angry with him. Thoſe that were ſometimes alienated, and Enemies in their minds by wicked works, Chriſt hath reconciled in the body of his fleſh through atath, Col. 1. 21, 22. He hath purchaſed a 72conciliation for them, Bur yet, till they have received Chriſt as their Lord and Saviour, they are not actually recoyered to God by him. God does by men, as great Princes do by ſuch as they are ar Enmity with; he ſends his Miniſters to them who are his Ambaſſadors ; and as all Anivalla- dors repreſent the Perſon ot him whoſe Ambaſladors they are, and ipeak in his nzme, and as in his ſtead, perſwading to peace ; ſo theſe ſpeak as in Chriſt's name, and in God's ſtead; their buſineſs 1s to beech men to be reconciled unto God, to lay down their Arms, and t0accepr of the terms of the Goſpel for peace and reconciliation,
21 For * he hath made him #0 be lin for us, who knew no ſin o, that we might be made the * righteouſneſs of God in him p.