Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 40
CHAP. 40. Why God choſe Men rather than Angels to diſpence the Myſtery of Reconciliation. The Reaſons thereof.
NOw it is to be enquired after, Firſt, why God would chooſe men rather, to be the diſpencers of of the great Myſtery of Reconciliation then the Angels? God hath not committed unto them this word of Reconciliation (though it is true the Angels they do go about, and they ſomtimes witneſs to the Goſpel) as you may read afterwards) But they are not choſen by way of office to the Miniſtery of the Goſpel; that is not the office they are appointed to, ſo as the Miniſters of the Goſpel are; God hath not choſen Angels in an ordinary way to come and diſpence thoſe great and glorious things unto the Children of Men.
Object. You wil ſay, had it not been better that God ſhould have choſen the Angels to come in and preach Jeſus Chriſt, than men? for they are poor weak Creatures, and like our ſelves, and now when they come to ſtand up and Preach Jeſus Chriſt, the great things about reconciling men to God, ſhould we think that they know more then we ourſelves?
Anſw. You muſt not think that there is no good to be done till one comes and tels you that you never heard of.
But you muſt know; that it is by vertue of the ordinance of Chriſt: becauſe he hath appointed a Miniſter of the Goſpel to come, and in ſuch a way to preach, though the inſtrument be like your ſelves, and perhaps may not have a deeper underſtanding then ſome of you, yet you are to look upon it beyond the matter that he ſpeaks, you are to look upon it as the ordinance of Chriſt, and ſo to expect, and look at al means whatſoever. But now the great ſtanding ordinance in the Church of God is the Miniſtery of the Goſpel, It is this that is committed to us to Preach, and this therefore is to be looked upon as the power of God to ſalvation in thoſe that God intends Salvation to: God hath not choſen the Angels, but Men, and upon this reaſon, becauſe we are not ſo capable of converſing with Angels as men; we are not able to ſtand before them; when an Angel hath ſomtimes appeared to a gratious Servant of God he hath not been able to bear the glory of it, but to fal down, and when the Angels came in the 2 of Luk. and ſaid, Glory to God on high &c. The Angels ſtruck the Shephards with amazment.
And in the ſecond place, the Miniſtrey of the Angels could not be ſo effectual, Angels do not ſo fully underſtand the windings & turnings of the hearts of men ſo as men do, A Man is more conſcious to the turnings and windings of his own heart then any Angel can be, he may know his own heart more then Angels can, and by knowing his own heart he may be able to ſpeak more ſuitable; we do not in read the word that Angels knew the thoughts of the heart of men any further then they are ſome way expreſt; nor the Devils. That is made to be the property of God, to be the ſearcher of the heart; but a Man may ſearch his own heart in a great meaſure furthen the Angels, and ſo they may the better ſpeak unto the hearts of others, and ſo God in Wiſdome rather commits the Miniſtery of Reconciliation to men then Angels.
But a third is this, and that is a ſpecial one, that the power of God may the more appeare in the converſion of ſouls unto Jeſus Chriſt; and in this one thing, the power of God doth appear a great deal more then in making Heaven, and Earth.
Firſt, The Doctrine of Reconciliation, is the moſt high ſupernatural thing that is in the world, it is above the reach of a creature.
Secondly, It is that that doth beat down mans nature as much as can be, But now that a few poor fiſher men at firſt, to whom was committed the word of Reconciliation, and a few of the Apoſtles that were in a poore meane contemptible condition, that ſometimes had ſcarce raggs to hang upon them, were whipt up & down, & put in the ſtocks as if they had been the vileſt Rogues that had been in all the world, and yet that God ſhould ſubdue ſo many nations upon the face of the earth, and in time ſhould bring the whole world in general to receive this Doctrine by ſuch poor and weak meanes, O! the infinite power and glory of God that doth appeare. In this God uſes weak meanes, to ſhew the greatneſs of his power, and for that you have a cleare text in 2 Cor. 4 7. But we have this treaſure in Earthen Veſſels, that is the Miniſtery of Reconciliation. O! it is a treaſure indeed in earthen veſſels, the word is in the greek, in veſſels of ſhells, there were ſome rich ſhells, that had on the outſide a plaine ſhel, that when you came to the Seaſhore you ſhould look upon them, and they looked meanly as if they had not been worth a farthing, but within the ſhel there was a pretious Pearle that was worth many thouſands of pounds, ſo ſaith he, we have this treaſure in a ſhel, that is in a poor weak fraile veſſel man, a contemptible veſſel we have this pearle, And why ſo? the Apoſtle gives the reaſon, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. There is a mighty power of God that goes together with the Miniſtery of Reconciliation. Whenſoever any ſoul is brought home to be reconciled unto God, certainly there goes a mighty power, yea, there goes an hyperbolical power together with it.
Object, But how wil this appeare, that there is ſuch a mighty power of God that goes with the Miniſtery of Reconciliation?
It appeares in this, that there is ſuch mighty things done by ſuch poor weak and contemptible means that men ſhould be willing to part with any thing in the world, yea their very lives, and beare the greateſt torments of the moſt cruel Tyrants, and that for the witneſs of this truth. Now this appeares to be the mighty power of God, and this ſeemes to be a ſecret anſwer to any objection in 3 Cor. Is it ſo that the Miniſters of the Goſpel are far more Glorious then the Miniſters of the Law? What is the reaſon that the Miniſters of the Goſpel are in ſuch a meane condition, ſo much meaner then the Miniſters of the Law? There was an high Prieſt, and he had glorious Robes, and had pretious ſtones upon his breſt and ſhoulders, now we have no ſuch things, Here is a company of poor Fiſher-men, weak meane men that the world regards not, ſuerly the Miniſters of the Law were more Glorious then theſe Miniſters of the Goſpel. No ſaith the Apoſtle for al this, we have this treaſure in earthen veſſels that the excellency of the power of God might appeare, and not of man, and we are willing (as if the Apoſtle ſhould ſay) that the power of God may appeare more, that the glory of God may ſhine bright, we are willing to be Earthen Veſſels.
Another Reaſon may be this, why God committs this Miniſtery to poor [Men] rather than to Angels; ſurely God hath a further end then wee imagine, it is (in juſt judgment) to be a ſtumbling block to wicked, and ungodly men, whoſe hearts are oppoſite unto the Glorious Goſpel; that (as we know) Chriſt ſaid he preached in parables, that in ſeeing they might not ſee, and in hearing they might not underſtand; as a juſt judgment of God againſt the Phariſees, and others whoſe hearts were wicked, and unclean, and oppoſite unto Chriſt, that the glorious things of the Goſpel might be hid under thoſe parables. So I make no queſtion but the means of the Miniſtery of the Goſpel, (which the world counts Fooliſhneſs) and the mean condition of the profeſſors of the Goſpel is made by God as a ſtumbling block to ungodly men, who God intends ſhould periſh eternally, becauſe their hearts are wicked and perverſe, & I hate them (ſaith God) therefore wil hide this rich treaſure from them; But thoſe that I love, I wil open the inſide unto them, but others ſhal have nothing but the outſide, they ſhal only have the viſible part. But now there are others whom God intends to ſave, and they come, and the Lord (together with their outward Miniſtery) ſpeaks to their hearts, and opens the inward treaſure to them, and they ſe the Glory of it, and admire at it, and they come to taſt the ſweet promiſes of the Goſpel, and they adore God in receiving ſuch things as theſe are: ſo that God fetches about his ends this way, but (in his juſt judgment) hides his Goſpel from ſome, and reveales it to others, and therefore ſaith the Apoſtle in 2 Cor. 4. If our Goſpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loſt, the miniſtery of the Goſpel it is hid to ſome, but it is to thoſe that are loſt; he hides it from them by this outward meanes, the outſide; Thus you ſee why God doth commit the Miniſtery of Reconciliation unto men rather then unto Angells.