Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 48
CHAP. 48. The ſecond Doctrine, (Propounded in the 45. Chapter) proſecuted.
Doct. 2. That a Miniſter of the Goſpel when he comes, is an Embaſſador; he comes in Chriſts ſtead, and what he ſhal deliver (according to his Commiſsion,) is to be looked at as if God, and as if Jeſus Chriſt did preach unto you.
For want of the right knowledg of this point it is that there are ſo many ſermons loſt. If people had but this text in their hearts, and looked upon al the faithful Miniſters of the Goſpel as if God and Jeſus Chriſt were preſent ſpeaking; how much good would be done? When God doth intend good to any Soul he wil cauſe it to look upon the preaching of the Goſpel, as the very voice of God and Jeſus Chriſt to the Soul. Though many a poor creature that (perhaps) hath heard a thouſand Sermons) looked upon preaching as what a man would ſay) but at length when the time of love came, he ſaw an authority, and majeſty of God himſelf, and of Jeſus Chriſt in the Miniſtry, and did feel God ſpeaking to his heart and then it did prevail; that is plain in the text. As though God did beſeech you by us, that; that we do, it is as if God did it; and do we pray you? It is in Chriſts ſtead. Now this is not only the Miniſters of the Goſpel ſince Chriſts time: but formerly what was done. Thoſe that were ſent by God to be his Meſſengers, it was as if God and Chriſt did it. You have that proofe of it in the 1 Peter, the 3. Chap. 18, 19. verſ. For Chriſt alſo hath once ſuffered for ſin, the juſt for the unjuſt, that he might bring us to God, being put to Death in the Fleſh, but quickned by the ſpirit, by which alſo he went and preached to the ſpirits which are in Priſon. That is vainly made uſe of by ſome, to prove that Chriſts Soul did deſcend into Hell, to go and preach to the damned in Hell, but certainly that is a vain conceite, if you obſerve the text, you ſhal find that this is the meaning of it, obſerve the 20. verſe, It was to thoſe ſpirits which ſomtimes were diſobedient, when once the long ſuffering of God, waited in the daies of Noah. Thoſe Spirits that did live in the daies of Noah, and Noahs preaching unto them; Now (ſaith the text) they are in priſon, Jeſus Chriſt went & preached to the ſpirits that were diſobedient in the times of Noah, that now are in pryſon. How did he go but by his Spirit? by his Servant Noah, [by Noah] The preaching of Noah was the preaching of Chriſt. As if he ſhould ſay, There is ſuch a Congregation ſo many a years ago had a faithful Miniſter; Chriſt was preaching ſo many years to thoſe Souls that are now in Priſon: now alas they are gone, they are in Hel: but there was a time that Chriſt was preaching to them. I ſee I muſt not Name many texts. I wil give you one text or two more; in the 1 Theſſ. 2.13. You did not receive it as the word of Man; you looked beyond man: But how did you receive it? from God; and therefore it doth effectually work; that makes the effectual working upon the heart: when the people receive the word as the word of God. And the 4 Gal. 14. Mark how the Galatians received the Apoſtle, ſaith he there, And my tentation which was in my fleſh you deſpiſed not, nor rejected: but received me as an Angel of God; even as Chriſt Jeſus. Here he ſpeaks in way of commendation of the Galatians, you receive me as an Angel of God, even as Jeſus Chriſt, as if you had received Chriſt Jeſus; and mark, the Apoſtle was in a poor mean condition in reſpect of his outward eſtate. [My tentation that was in my fleſh] In my outward man I was very low; and this might have been a tentation to you for to have cauſed you to have rejected me when I ſpake. Oh! this hath been a tentation to many men becauſe the preacher is an Earthen Veſſel, though he hath brought the right treaſure of the Goſpel, yet this hath been a tentation. But ſaith he, it was not ſo with you, you received me; though poor, weak, a mean man that had ſcarce bread to eate: yet you received me as an Angel of God, yea beyond that: as Chriſt Jeſus himſelf. But yet you ſhal obſerve in the next words, that it ſeems their hearts began to be drawn aſide; i… the 15. verſ. There was a time when I came firſt amongſt you, when you wer ready to have pluct out your very eyes for me, and you cryed out; O! this bleſſed doctrine of the goſpel that we now hear! but where is the bleſſedneſs? It ſeems that ſome falſ teachers had come, and inveigled them, and had taken them off from the Apoſtle. Oh! Where is the bleſſedneſs you ſpake of? as if that were now gone: but that is the Duty of people, and then, and only then it is like that the Miniſtry of the word can do any great good: When, the people look upon it as if God ſpake, and Jeſus Chriſt ſpake unto them. I wil only conclude with this one thing; that til you do come to apprehend this, it is not like that ever any great good, to any purpoſe wil be done; Its like it wil be with you, as it was with Samuel; you know God called to Samuel; Samuel, Samuel ſaith God, he runs to Ely; ſaith he, my Son, I did not cal thee, wel, he went again and ſlept and God calls again; He did not know it was Gods voice; he runs to Ely again: but then the text faith, that Ely perceived that God called the Child, & Ely gave him this inſtruction that if he called again, he ſhould ſay, Lord ſpeak, for thy ſervant heareth. And then he went and ſlept again, and the Lord came, and called to him, and then he ſaid, ſpeak Lord thy Servant heareth: And then God opened his heart unto him. Oh! God called the firſt time, and he thought it had been Ely, and looked no further. God ſaid no more to him but left him, and ſo again, the ſecond time: But when he came to underſtand that it was Gods voice, then you ſhal obſerve; that God opened himſelf wonderfully to him, and ſhewed him [then] his minde to the ful. So juſt thus it is with people, they come [now] to hear the Miniſtry of the word; they hear a ſound in their ears, and what they hear is very good: but they look only at a man; the man ſpeak, and they may perhaps commend the man, and commend his Sermon, & al this whil God ſpeaks not to their hearts. And then they wil go the ſecond time, and it is true, God doth ſpeak to them: but they do not know it is Gods Voice, and becauſe they do not know it is Gods voice, God doth not make known himſelf unto them: But when the time of Gods Love comes, this is the great Embaſſage that is ſent to the Children of men, And when he pleads with you, you ſhould think that it is Chriſt that is pleading with you; when he is opening of any Scripturre to you, you ſhould think that it is Chriſt that is pleading with you; when he is opening of any ſcripture to you, you ſhould think that Jeſus Chriſt is opening that Scripture to you, and when you com with ſuch a heart, then God opens al his mind to you. I appeal to you whether it hath not been juſt thus; the dealings of God with you as it it was with Samuel; you have come once and again to a ſermon, but have looked no further then Ely; to the miniſter: but when you have come to the word with the diſpoſition, and ſaid Lord ſpeake for thy ſervant hears, Lord reveal what thou wilt; I ſe it is thine one ordinance, and the miniſter, (though he be but a poor weak man) yet he comes and ſtands in thy ſtead, and ſpeaks in thy name, and I ſay, when you come thus you ſhal find more in one ſermon let out to you, then in a thouſand before, and here is the ground that many have lived thirty or forty years under a powerful miniſtry and it hath ſounded in their eares, but they never have heard the mind of God ſavingly revealed unto them. Becauſe they never have fallen down, and ſaid, lord speak for thy ſervant hears O! do this, and thou ſhalt hear the great meſſuage from God: then you ſhal have God oppening himſelfe unto you to the ful.