ficiently praise God for it. We have infinite caufe to praise him for his incarnation, his birth, his life and death; how much more, if it were poffible, for his refurrection, without which the other would have avail'd us nothing; though he took our flesh, we could not have had his fpirit; though he was born once, we could not have been born again; though he liv'd upon earth, we could not have liv'd in heaven; and though he died for our fins, we must have died too, unless he had risen again, to apply the merits of his death to us, and to wafh us in the blood which he had fhed for us. Let us now therefore go unto the altar of God, and there offer up unto him the facrifice of praise and thanksgiving for all the wonderful works that he hath done for the fons of men, and especially for his raifing up Jefus Chrift our faviour from the dead; and in the mean while let us

all from the bottom of our hearts join?!

the apostle in the words of my text, faying, Bleed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead; to whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory now and for ever.

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Gg

SERMON

The TENTH.:

Minifters of the Gospel, Chrift's Ambassadors.

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2 COR. V. 20.

Now then we are ambassadors for Chrift, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's fiead, be ye reconciled to God.

W

E live in an age, and among a people that place a great part, if not the whole of their religion in hearing fermons;

and yet we find but few that are ever the more religious for all they hear, moft contenting themselves with coming to church, and continuing, or perhaps fitting down there all the while that the prayers are read, and a fermon preached, and then going home again, without ever concerning themfelves any further about what they have heard, nor fo much as think of it any more and then it is no wonder that they are never the wiser, nor the better for it. But it may juftly feem a great wonder, how it comes to pass, that the word of God, which of itself is

Sharper

fharper than a two-edged fword, fhould notwithstanding, make fo little impreflion upon thofe who hear it: but though they hear it over and over again, they are never pricked in their hearts, as St. Peter's hearers were, nor any way touched or affected with it; but ftill continue juft as they were, careless and unconcerned about their future ftate, and every thing relating to it, how plainly, how powerfully foever it is preffed upon them.

THIS may juftly feem ftrange to one that. confiders, how commonly the word of God is preached among us, both in the city and country, but feveral reafons may be affigned for it; one of the chief is, that men in hearing the word preached, ufually look no further than to him. that preacheth it; taking what he faith to them as coming only from their fellow-creature, a man of like paffions with themselves; and therefore regard it no more than what is faid by any other man: whereas if thy really believe and confider, that the word they bear, is the word of God himfelf; and that he who preacheth it, preacheth not in his own name, but God's, and accordingly received it as the Theffalonians did, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh in them that' believe, Thef. ii. 13. they would foon find it working effectually alfo upon them: it would then come with that power and force upon them, that it would cut them to the heart, and make

I

them.

them cry out as St. Peter's hearers did, Men and brethren what shall we do? A&s. ii. 37.

THIS therefore is that which St. Paul in my text, puts the Corinthians in mind of; and the better to prepare them for it, he first acquaints them in the foregoing veries, that God hath reconciled mankind to himself by Jefus Christ, and that he hath committed the word and miniftry of this reconciliation to us, the apofiles and their fucceffors in all ages; that we, in his name, and by his authority, might publish it to the world, and perfuade men to accept of the peace which he now offers to them, fo as to be reconciled to him, as he is to them by Jefus Chrift. And having faid this, the apoftle draws this conclufion from it, Now then we are ambassadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's head,; be ye reconciled to God.

THIS truths fo neceffary for chriftians to know, that it is the first thing that St. Paul put thofe he wrote to in mind of in all his epiftles, ( which he wrote as from himself only, without joyning any other with him) beginning them with faying, Paul the apostle of Fefus Chrift, or Paul called to be an apoftle, or the like; that they to whom he wrote might know, that he did not write to them as a private perfon, but as an apofile of Fefus Chrift, that is as the word fignifies a legate or mesenger of Chrift, fent and empowered by him to write: that fo they might

recerce

receive what he was about to write to them, not as coming from him, but from Chrift himself; an apostle being in effect the fame with an ambajador. But foreseeing that this name would in process of time be appropriated only to the twelve, and fuch as were called immediately by Christ, himself, as he and fome others were; therefore in my text, fpeaking not only of these, but fuch alfo as fhould fucceed them in any part of their apoftolical offices in all ages, he alters the phrafe, not faying, we are apostles, but we are ambafadors for Chrift. A word that is commonly known to fignify fuch as are fent by a prince into a foreign country, to treat in his name about matters of ftate, as particularly about peace and war. And fo Christ himself useth the word, where, fpeaking of a king going to make war with another king, he faith, that he fits down firft, and confults whether he be able to meet him or no: or else, while the other is a great way off, be fends an emballage, and defires conditions of peace, Luke. xiv. 32. So here, altho' almighty God can meet us when he pleaseth, and we are no way able to withstand him; yet howfoever he is graciously pleased to fend fome men to treat with others in his name about peace with him, to acquaint them with the cafy conditions that he hath made and expects from them, and to affure them, that upon their performance of the faid conditions, he will be reconciled to them, and at peace with them. And therefore

all