he beheld the city, he wept over it, faying, "O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the prophets, and ftoneft them which are fent unto thee; O that thou, even thou, in this thy day, hadst known the things which belong unto thy peace !"

2dly, Ministers of the gospel are not only ambaffadors of peace, but the ambaffadors for trade. In time of war between nations, trade fails and ceafes; but when peace is proclaimed, trade comes to be open again. As we have a commiffion to proclaim peace, fo likewife we are ordained to tell you, that there is a free trade opened unto Emmanuel's land; and to tell you, that the commodities of that heavenly country are infinitely better than all the riches, commodities, or accommodations of this prefent world: and therefore we come to encourage you to carry on a commerce, and to cry from the tops of the high places, that the market of heaven is opened, If. lv. 1. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, let him come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price." This is the fame with Chrift's counsel unto Laodicea, Rev. iii. 18. "I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayeft be clothed, and that the fhame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee." Sirs, we tell you that you may drive an advantageous trade with heaven, that the commodities thereof are cheap goods, and durable, and the King of that heavenly country guarantees your trade against all enemies that may annoy you. You that are merchants, when you trade with foreign countries in this world, your fhips are in danger of being feized by Turkish galleys, or Algerine robbers and pirates, or the like: but you fhall not be in any fuch danger, if you drive a trade with the heavenly country; the King whofe name is, "the Lord of hofts, and Lord of glory," hath given his parole of honour, that your trade fhall be protected by him, If. xxxiii. 21. "The glorious Lord fhall be unto us a place of broad rivers and ftreams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither fhall gallant ship pafs thereby." And therefore, dear Sirs, we beseech you to fet this heavenly trade on foot.

3dly, Minifters are ambaffadors from heaven for carrying on a marriage with the King's Son. He had a purpose of marriage from all eternity, between his own beloved Son, and a bride that he had chofen for him in Adam's tribe and family; he was fet up and fore-ordained as the Bridegroom of fouls from everlafting; from the beginning, ere ever the earth was, the heart of the Bridegroom, and of his royal Father, was fo

much

much fet upon the match, that infinite power and wisdom, infpired with infinite love, are fet a work to remove all impediments that obftructed the match.

For,

(1.) Because there was an infinite natural distance between the divine and human natures, therefore the Son of God he came into our tribe, and was made of a woman, his Father prepared a body for him, which accordingly he did put on, in the fulness of time; and thus he comes, as it were upon a kvel with the bride, faying, "Thy Maker is thine Hufband, whofe name is, 'The Lord of hofts. I will betrothe thee unto me for ever, yea, I will betrothe thee unto me in righteou nefs, and in judgement, and in loving-kindnefs, and in mercies. I will even betrothe thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord," Hof. ii. 19. 20.

(2.) Because the bride was drowned in debt to law and juftice, and under the curfe and condemnation of the first covenant, and fo at an infinite moral, as well as natural diftance; therefore the Bridegroom, in order to accomplish the match, becomes Surety for the payment of her debt; and accordingly, "the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all :" and it was exacted of him, and he answered for it, without opening his mouth, until he could fay, It is finifhed. He having paid the debt, tears the bond and hand-writing that was against us with the nails of his crofs, and brings forth the discharge of the debt in his refurrection from the dead; for " he died for our offences, and rofe again for our juftification."

(3.) Because the bride was a prifoner, by the order of juf tice, under the hand of the jailor and executioner, therefore he comes and spoils principalities and powers, and triumphs over them in his crofs; upon the footing of his fatisfactory obedience unto the death, he commands the prifoner to be difmiffed, and the captive bride to be fet at liberty: Zech ix. 11. "As for thee alfo, by the blood of thy covenant, I have fent forth thy prifoners out of the pit, wherein is no water." Thus the lawful captive is delivered, and the prey taken from the terrible.

(4.) Because the bride is in a diftant country, afar of, ig norant of the Bridegroom and his glory, therefore he fends his minifters, as his ambaffadors, to declare his glorious fulness and fufficiency, and how willing he is to have the match accomplished, and what he hath done and fuffered in order to bring it about. Minifters are called "the friends of the Bridegroom, who stand and hear him, and rejoice greatly be caufe of the Bridegroom's voice ;" and their joy is fulfilled when the happy match takes place, John iii. 29.

(5.) Because fuch is the enmity and alienation of the heart

of the bride from the match, that all moral fuafion proves utterly ineffectual, therefore the Bridegroom comes in a day of power, and by manifefting himself to her, in the glory of his perfon and mediation, and by touching the iron finew of her obftinate will with the rod of his ftrength, makes her willing in the day of his power, and thus gains the confent of the bride; upon which the cries out, I am the Lord's, and will be called by his name: Hof. ii. 16. "Thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no more Baali.”

Thus you fee that faithful minifters, however they be clay veffels, yet they are ambassadors from heaven, to carry on a peace, an advantageous trade, and an honourable match with the King's Son. And doth it not follow from all this, that a faithful minister of Chrift is worthy of all reception and entertainment.

Inf. 3. See from this doctrine, the folly and madness of a great many profeffed Chriftians and gofpel-hearers, who prefer lumber and trafh unto the precious treafure of the gofpel, freely and fully offered unto them.

Some prefer their worldly wealth, profits, pleasures, and honours of this life, to all the profits, pleafures, and honours of religion and true godlinefs. The cry of the generality is, "Who will fhew us any of this world's good? what fhall we eat? what fhall we drink? wherewithal thall we be clothed?" But as for the eternal treasures of the gofpel, they have no regard to them, they care for none of these things. I have known fome in this place, who fome years ago had a promising appearance of religion, and seemed to run well, but plunging themselves in the mire of worldly affairs, and grasping after the riches of this world, have ever fince run backward in religion, instead of going forward; fo that we may fay of them as Paul did of Demas, "He hath forfaken me, having loved this prefent world," and in fuch is fulfilled that word of the apostle, Tim, vi. 9. 10. "But they that will be rich fall into temptation, and a fnare, and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which, while fome coveted af- ter, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many forrows."

Some again (and very commonly it is fo with thefe of whom I fpoke laft), they prefer a jingle of words, a flourish of heathen morality, unto the gofpel of Chrift; they choose rather to have their ears tickled with the words of men's wifdom, than to have their hearts touched, and their fouls fed and nourished, with the plain and fimple truths of the everlasting

gofpel.

gofpel. They that are of this fpirit, they plainly declare that their palate is vitiate with fome dreadful foul-diftemper or other, their understandings are darkened, and their affections taken up with fome other thing than precious Chrift, and his unfearchable riches. And I may fay of fuch minifters as entertain their hearers with the flourishes of rhetoric and moral harangues, instead of preaching Chrift, and the fupernatural myfteries of Chriftianity, whatever be their character among their votaries, they are minifters of Satan, transforming themfelves into minifters of Christ, and that awful word is but too applicable to them and their abettors, Matth. xv. 14. “They are blind guides; and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Much of a kin with thefe, are they who set a great value upon their own righteousness by the law, preferring the fame unto the imputed righteoufnefs of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and all the riches and treafures of the gofpel. Many gofpel hearers, they are married unto the law as an hufband, and with the Jews, go about to establish their own righteoufness, and will not fubmit unto the righteoufnefs of God. Some, perhaps, may have very orthodox heads, while yet they have legal hearts; and thus they feek righteousness, not directly, as it were by the works of the law," Rom. ix. 32. They were never really" dead to the law by the body of Chrift, that they might be married to a better Husband, even to him who is raifed from the dead" and therefore can never bring forth fruit acceptable to God: but Ephraim's character is applicable to them, "They are empty vines, bringing forth fruit unto themselves."

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Now, of all fuch I may fay, as Chrift fays of felf-conceited Laodicea, who imagined herfelf to be rich and increafed with goods, and that the ftood in need of nothing, that, in reality, they are but "wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" you are feeding upon afhes; a deceived heart hath turned you afide, that you cannot deliver your foul, nor fay, Is there not a lie in my right hand? But what a melancholy pafs will you be found into, when you thall be laid and weighed in God's balances, and that awful hand-writing come forth against you, "MENE, TEKEL, Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting !" And therefore obferve how God expoftulates with you, becaufe of your folly in preferring your own counters unto the gospel gold and treasure, If. Iv. 2. Wherefore do ye fpend your money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which fatisfieth not?" And fee how he appeals unto the very heavens to bear teftimo. ny for him against your madness, Jer. ii. 12. 13. "Be afto

nished,

mihed, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be ye very defolate, faith the Lord. For my people have committed two great evils: they have forfaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water."

Inf. 4. Are minifters of the gospel earthen veffels, whereby the gospel-treasure is conveyed to God's family? This ferves to Inform us,

ft, Of the wonderful and amazing condefcenfion of God. owards poor finners of Adam's family; it is out of pity to us, that he conveys the treasure in earthen veffels of the like mould with yourfelves. When God fpake immediately, or by the miniftry of angels, at Mount Sinai, unto Ifrael, the whole camp fell a-trembling, and fo terrible was the fight, that Mofes himfelf faid, "I exceedingly fear and quake," Heb. xii. 19-21. The apostle John, Rev. xxii. 8. 9. when he had a meffage delivered to him by an angel of heaven, he was ready to fall into idolatry, or angel-worship, until the angel faid to him, "See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the fayings of this book; worship God." Thus you fee, that when God conveys the gospel of his grace unto you by earthen veffels, he thereby fuits himself unto the weakness and imbecility of man in his fallen estate.

2dly, See hence that death is in the marriage knot between minifters and their people, as well as between husband and wife. When a people get a minifter from the Lord, they are to lay their account with the want of him in God's appointed time, the earthen veffel must return again unto the earth: "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But though your faithful minifters die, yet their words do not die with them; no, "the word of the Lord endureth for ever;" it takes faft hold of you, as it did of your fathers, and will go either to heaven or hell with you, it will either be "the favour of life unto life, or the favour of death unto death."

3dly, See alfo that the minifters of Chrift are but tender ware, and had need to be tenderly handled; for an earthen veffel is foon ftaved, and broken into fhells, and then it is of no more ufe. Your minifters are men of like paffions and infirmities of body and mind like yourselves, and stand much in need of your fympathy, efpecially confidering that the strength of battle from hell and earth is against them. What dathing and harsh treatment fome of thefe earthen veffels have met with in Stirling, is pretty well known: fome of them have VOL. III.

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