Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

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 poor mean contemptible condition, that sometimes had scarce rags to hang upon them, were whipped 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 means, O! the infinite power and glory of God that doth appear. In this God uses weak means, to show the greatness of his power, and for that you have a clear text in 2 Cor. 4 7. But we have this treasure in Earthen Vessels, that is the Ministry 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 plain shell, 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 shell there was a precious Pearl that was worth many thousands of pounds, so saith he, we have this treasure in a shell, that is in a poor weak frail vessel man, a contemptible vessel we have this pearl, And why so? the Apostle gives the reason, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. There ⟨p. 262⟩is a mighty power of God that goes together with the Ministry 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.

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