It hath pleased God to put the Gospel Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Hyperbole of the Power: so it is in the Original, May be, may appear to be, may be known to be of GOD, and not of Men that it may be seen, and acknowledged that the Powerful 〈◊〉 of the Gospel are not wrought by Man as the chief 〈◊〉 but by God.
That the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We have the Reason of this Dispensation given, and are told why God is pleased to put such a Treasure in Earthen Vessels. Gospel Ministers are of the same Mould with others They are Fragil, Brittle Vessels: Mortal Dying Creatures.ģ. The Expression denotes their Meanness and Frailty.
Now the Light of the Glorious Gospel by which the King|dom of Darkness is destroyed, is held forth out of Earthen Vessels Vessels of baked Earth. The Gospel is compared, in the Context, to Light. And sometimes Lamps themselves are made of Earth. Some suppose here may be an Al|lusion to the Pitchers in which Gideon's Soldiers carried their Lamps. And many Learned Men render it by Testaceis, a word of the same La|titude. The Word signisieth Vessels of Shells or Earth. We have the Character of the Ministers of the Gospel in whom this Treasure is laid up, Earthen Vessels. It denotes a Plenty and Abundance of things Precious and Valuable.Ģ. A Treasure, says One, is an Abundance of Things Reposited or laid up for the supply of future It is that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.ġ. (3) We have the Reason of this Dispensation and are told why God is pleased to put such a Treasure into Earthen Vessels. (2) The Character of the Dispen|sers of it. We have in the Words of our Text, (1) A further Description of the Gospel. And truly this work of God in the new Creation in forming a New and Divine Light in the Heart of a Sin|ner, is as truly the Effect of Almighty Power, as that was when God said, Let there be Light and there was Light. This miraculous Irradiation of the mind, the Apostle compares with that Creating work of God in commanding the Light to shine out of Darkness at first. The Apostle doth also mention a won|derful Effect of God's Glorious Power in which the Gospel is made use of as an Instrument, ver. This the Apostle answers, that the fault lay in themselves Satan the ruler of the darkness of this World had blinded their minds, lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God, should shine into them. He then answers an Objection which might be made against the Gospel in that Multitudes who live un|der the Dispensation of it, are not savingly Enlightened, but perish in their Ignorance. IN the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle doth declare that he, and his Fellow-Labourers did fulfil their Mi|nistry with unfainting Diligence, and godly Sincerity. But we have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of GOD, and not of us.
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