lefs than others) which may render them contemptible; yet it is the duty of all the Lord's people to be esteeming them very bigbly in love for their work's fake, 1 Theff. V. 13. and upon this account fhould their eftimation be founded, that they are carriers of the glad tidings of the gofpel; and where true and hearty love and eftimation is, it will be extended to all in that office, and that upon this account: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gofpel of peace!

and bring glad tidings of good things, fo as their feet ought to be beautiful; yet, alas! thefe glad tidings are not believed by all these to whom they come; They have not all believed the gospel. And this he confirmeth out of Ifaiah liii. 1. where he is complaining of the naughty welcome that the offers of Chrift got in his time, and would get in after times, when Christ was come in the flesh; for thus he breaketh out, Lord, who hath believed our rePart? Paul addeth, Lord, to fhew to VI. The more that minifters have been whom the prophet was making this reloofers through preaching of the golpel, gret. Then, verfe 17. he draws a congolpel,gret. having spent their strength and fubftance, clufion from his former difcourse, saying, and having incured reproach and obloquy So then, faith cometh by bearing, and bearbecause of their faithful deportment in fol- ing by the word of God; that is, the word lowing their commiffion, the more fhould of God, by being preached and heard, is they be loved and esteemed, tho' upon that the only mean whereby faith is begoten account they should be lefs accounted of in in the heart; and fo faith hath its rife from the world; even their feet, that are defil- God, who works it according to his own ed with duft, and are made to fuffer, are mighty power; and fo before a foul can beautiful: How beautiful are the feet of (in the Lord's ordinary way of difpenfafuch! tion) believe, the gospel must be preached to it; and fo I cannot be blamed for preaching, being fent and commiffioned unto the Gentiles, feeing without this they would never get faith, and fo would never be faved, contrary to God's promise,

VERSES 16. 17. But they have not all o-
beyed the gofpel. For Efaias faith,
Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hear-
ing by the word of God.

B

Efore that he draw a conclufion from his argument, verfes 14. 15. he cafts in a word, verse 16. partly to obviate an objection which might be moved from what he faid, verfe 14. viz. from these words, How ball they believe in him of whom they have not heard? The Jews might fay, that then it will follow, that all fuch as hear the gospel should certainly believe, and fo we who have heard the gofpel fhould not be rejected for unbelief; therefore fays he, But they have not all obeyed the gospel. Next, this word is partly caft in upon the back of that which was cited out of Ifa. lii. 7. to this purpose; Tho' the preachers of the gospel be fuch as preach the gofpel of peace,

OBSERVATIONS.

I. People being naturally rude and ignorant, and fo poffeffed with conceits of their own good condition, that they are ready to mifconftruct and mifapply truths, therefore ministers should be careful to remove every thing which may feem a fcru ple and doubt in peoples minds, and a ground to fofter their misconceptions; therefore doth Paul break out at a broadfide, as it were, to clear what he had faid touching preaching, left they should be rooted in their mistake: But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

II. Though public and authoritative preaching by men in office, be the ordinary mean appointed of God for begeting of faith in people, and bleffed of God for 3 G 2

the

V. The main duty which is called for from the hearers of the gofpel, is humble I. Chrift Jefus fhould be the theme and fubmiffion unto the terms of the covenant text of all the preaching of minifters; the of grace, and a willing and chearful em- fubject of all their difcourfe fhould be news bracing and taking on of Chrift, and a of Chrift; and Chrift is a theme fufficient choofing of him as our head and husband, for minifters in all ages; they will find and kindly fubmiting unto, and acquief-matter enough of difcourfe in him: he has cing in the great plot of falvation through Jefus Chrift; the gofpel must be obeyed: They have not all obeyed the gospel.

and all minifters fhould make report of him: Who bath believed our report? And their report fhould be fuch as they have heard and learned of God; for the Greek word fignifies, our bearing, or, that which we

have heard.

:

II. As it is the duty of all the hearers of the gofpel to give credit unto the report that is made of King Jefus; fo the faith which is required of them, is not a fpeculative knowledge of, and hiftorical belief given unto, the truths preached but it is a hearty embracing of the glad news, a yielding unto the offers, and condefcending unto the terms propofed, and yielding obedience unto the command that cometh along in the gofpel: fo that true and faving faith is a hearty welcoming of the offers of life made in the gofpel, and refting upon that great plot and contrivance of heaven; for what was before called, obedience, is here called, believing; Who bath believed our report?'

few believed his report; he hath belicoed our report?

VI. Minifters fhould be particularly acquainted with the condition of the people over which the Holy Ghoft hath made them overfeers; and they fhould not think enough to preach the gofpel, and never once look after it, to fee what fruits follow upon their pains; but, their main defign being to work the people up to an imbracement of the offers, they fhould try, whether their offers be welcomed or noi; Ifaiah faw that his auditors did generally caft at the gofpel, and therefore he crieth out, Who hath believed our report?

VH. It should affect the heart of a mi

nifter of the gofpel; and it will affect the hearts of any who are tender of, and defirous to fee the welfare of poor fouls, to fee the glad tidings of the gospel flighted, and caft behind backs as a matter of no concernment: this will go near a tender minifter's heart, and will grieve him III. Ministers should propofe no other much, yea, more than any thing that can end before them, in preaching of the go-occur: Who hath believed our report? was. fpel, but to have a hearty confent yielded the fad and heavy regret of Ifaiah. unto the bargain, and a hearty accepting of the offer made; and thould fo carry themfelves in that function, as may tend moft to the gaining of folks confents: Ifaiah, and others, made, and fhould make their report, to the end that people might believe: Who bath believed our report?

IV. Tho' the fin of unbelief be a great and a grievous fin; yet it is a fin which reigneth. in all ages; few in all ages and generations are to be found, who do heartily and chearfully fubmit unto the terms of the new covenant. This fin was rife in Ifaiah's days, and in the days of others after him; fo as it may be the common note of all minifters, in all ages, Who hath believed our report?

V. Many may live under powerful ordinances, and that for no fhort time; and yet remain difobedient and unwrought on at the heart: even Ifaiah complained, that

VIII. It is beft for a minifter to vent his grief of heart unto God, for the great contempt of the gofpel which appeareth among his people, and lay out his complaint to his Mafter; this will best ease him, and evidence his fincerity in going about his duty, and his dependence on the Lord as his Mafter, to whom he must give an account: therefore it is faid, Lord, who hath believed our report?

IX. Minifters of the gofpel, being all employed in the fame fervice, under one Master, and driving at the fame end, the falvation of fouls, fhould have a fellowfeeling of the burdens of one another, and fhould take a lift of another's difcouragement in the work of the ministry, and lay to their fhoulder to help them, left they faint under the load: therefore Ifaiah takes a lift of the condition of others, as well as of himfelf, faying, Who hath believed our report?

From

of

17. OBSERVE

I. Faith which is neceffary unto falvation, hath its rife from God, he is the principal and only worker thereof: Faith cometh by hearing of the word of God:

II. Tho' it be only the hand of omnipotence that can work faith in a foul, and nothing can change the heart but the power of God, and to this we ought to caft our eye; yet it hath feemed good in the Lord's eyes to work this by ordinary means, and particularly, by the preaching of the gofpel of Chrift: he hath appointed this ordinance of preaching for this end and effect, Faith cometh by hearing.

III. It is very neceffary and ufeful for people to be perfuaded of this, that the Lord hath appointed this ordinance of preaching for begeting of faving faith, that they may be moved to have high thoughts of this ordinance, and may ply it more carefully and diligently for the apoftle thought it worth his pains, to prove at length, and now to conclude, That faith cometh by hearing.

IV. It is not every difcourfe of a minifter, that will prove a mean for begeting of faith, even tho' it be most polished, and most for the people's palate; but the fincere unfolding of the mind of God recorded in his word, the free and faithful preaching of that will do, if any preaching do: Faith cometh by hearing, but it must be a bearing of the word of God.

V. The serious belief and confideration of the connection which God hath made between the preaching of the word, and that faith without which there is, no falvation, would ftill and calm folks fpirits, that fwell and rise against this ordinance as ufelefs and burdenfome: for this argument he ufeth to fatisfy the Jews who were offended with his preaching to the Gentiles; So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1

VERSE 18 But I fay. Have they not beard? Yes verily, their found went into

all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

B

Efore he close this argument, touch

which he has been fpeaking of from the ing the taking in of the Gentiles, 14th verfe, he cleareth one thing which was the ground of all, to wit, that the gofpel was now preached un'o the Gentiles: But I fay, Have they not heard? that is, Have not the Gentiles heard the found of the gofpel? Yes verily, fays he, went into all the earth, and their words there is no queftion of this: weir found and words of the apoftles, preaching the unto the end of the world; that is, the found gofpel, is gone far and wide; it is not now clofed within one kingdom, as fometime it was; but, as David fpeaks of the heavens, Pfal. xix. 4. (to which the apoftle doth allude) which speak not out God's glory to one people or language, but fend out exception, even to the ends of the earth: their line and their speech to all parts withexcellent light of the gofpel of the Sun fo this glorious work of redemption, and of righteoufnefs, is not now fending forth its line or beam, it is not now fpeaking, or fpoken, to one kingdom, but is gone thro' the earth, and to the end of the world, that is, to all kindreds and nations, without prefering one to another; there are none now excluded.

OBSERVATIONS.

ture expreffions, in venting our mind and I. We may lawfully make ufe of fcripjudgment touching any point of truth, providing it be done reverently and edifyingly, and fo allude unto fuch or fuch a place of fcripture, for the apostle doth fo allude here unto these words, Pfal. xix. 4. Their found went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world,

:

grace

II. Tho' God thought it fit, for his own kept for a long time within the compafs of holy ends, to have the means of Judea, for the most part, and thereby pri

vilege