fecure, ftrengthening of the weak, recovering of these that are gone aftray; or for comforting the mourners in Zion, and raifing up thefe that are bowed down under fpiritual distress of any kind; and thus studying rightly to divide the word of God, and give every one their portion of meat in due season, so as that none may be foothed or flattered in their fin upon the one hand, or that any get occafion for defponding fears on the other.

4. A faithful minister of Chrift is one that gives attendance to reading and meditation on what he delivers, according to the apoftle's advice to Timothy, 1 epift. iv. 13. 15. " Give attendance to reading; meditate upon these things;" that is, study them before hand. The apoftle had advised him, in another place, to ftir up the gift that was in him, which could not be done without reading and meditation; and if close ap plication to fludy was enjoined to an evangelift of uncommon endowments, it must be much more our duty, now, when the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit are ceased, to digest into order and method what we are to deliver in public, and not to entertain our people with that which cofts us nothing.

5. A faithful minister of Chrift is one who feeks to find out acceptable words. This was Solomon's ftudy, Eccl. xii. 10. "The preacher fought to find out acceptable words;" on the margin, words of delight. We should endeavour to deliver the truths of God in fuch a plain and easy manner, as that the weak and ignorant may understand them, fhunning all crabbed and bombastic expreflions on the one hand, and coarfe and clumfy ones upon the other. The fcripture ftile is by far the fmootheft, and at the fame time the most elegant for the pulpit; and the more fully we understand any doctrine, the more able will we be to deliver it plainly unto others.

6. A faithful minister of Chrift is one who takes heed to himself, as well as to his doctrine, left, when he preach Chrift to others, he himself be a caft-away. It is given as one of the characters and qualifications of a minifter, that he be boly, Tit. i. 8. For a minifter may have both gifts and learning, and likewise some measure of fuccefs, and yet want grace, as is plain enough in thefe who preached Chrift out of envy and ftrife, Phil. i. 15. And yet grace is a very material branch of the ministerial character; for without this we can have no experience on our own fouls of the truths we preach to others, nor can we have true fympathy with thefe who are in any fpiritual diftrefs: without grace we can never be in cafe to fay with the apoftle, 2 Cor. i. 3. 4. "Bleffed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who comforteth us in all our tribulations,

tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Again, as a minifter is to take heed to himfelf by inquiring into the state of his own foul; fo likewife he is to take heed to his outward walk, to be "an example to believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity;" as the apoftle exhorts Timothy, 1 epift. iv. 12. Examples fometimes do good, where precepts are of little force. It were good for us who are minifters, if we could fay in fome meafure with the apoftle, Phil. iv. 9. "Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and feen in me, do." As we are to beseech others, that they receive not the grace of God in vain, fo we should take fpecial care to give no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed, but essay to practise ourselves what we preach unto others, and thus in fome degree make proof of our mi nistry.

7. As a faithful minister of Chrift will take heed to himfelf, fo likewife to the particular flock over which the Holy Ghoft hath made him an overfeer. For, although every minifter has a relation to the church univerfal, yet he has a more special concern in that particular flock among whom he is called to labour in the work of the miniftry. He is to be instant among them, in season, and out of season, sparing no pains nor labour in the discharge of his minifterial duty, being glad to spend and be spent, watching for their fouls, as one that muft give an account; for a faithful minifter ftudies to give a daily account of the state of his flock to the Lord Jefus : if they are flourishing and thriving, he gives an account of them in a way of rejoicing, and blefling him for the outlettings of his grace unto them: if they are languishing or decaying, or guilty of any miscarriages, he gives an account thereof in a way of mourning and forrowing before the Lord. In a word, a faithful minifter of Chrift is one who endeavours fingly to eye the glory of his Lord and Mafter in all his miniftrations, to be wholly devoted to his fervice, and the good of the fouls committed to his truft; he carries his people upon his breaft before the Lord, and has an inward heart concern for their fpiritual and eternal welfare. He is one who preaches not himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and who determines to know nothing among his people, but Chrift, and him crucified. He is one who fees himself to be an unprofitable fervant, and that his fufficiency stands only in the Lord; for indeed "who is fufficient for these things?"

II. The Second thing propofed was, to give the reafons why faithful

faithful minifters of Chrift ought to be honoured and esteemed by the people among whom they labour.

1. They ought to be efteemed for the fake of him whose meffage they bear. They are amballadors for Christ, 2 Cor. v. 20. They receive their commiffion and authority from him: John xx. 21. "As my father hath fent me, even fo fend I you." Matth. xxviii. 18. 19. " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations :—and lo, I am with you always." Ambaffadors have their honour and refpect according to the rank of their mafters who send them; the greater the prince be, the more honourable is his meflenger. Minifters of the gospel are the ambaflàdors of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who has a name given him above every name; and you cannot defpife the meflenger, if you honour the Mafter that fends him: Matth. x. 40. fays Christ, "He that receiveth you receiveth me."

2. Faithful minifters of Chrift ought to be efteemed for their work's fake, or for the fake of the meffage itself which they bear. It is a meffage of peace, Rom. x. 15. "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gofpel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" And how wonderful is it, that the God against whom we have finned fhould proclaim peace on earth, and good will towards men! A minifter's meffage is a treaty of marriage with the King's Son; and how amazing is it, that our Maker fhould be our Husband, that he fhould fay to fuch guilty rebels as we are, "I will betrothe thee unto me for ever!" It is a meffage for a free commerce and trade with heaven; and furely that must be a gainful trade, which brings in the richest treasure at no expence; for here all the riches of heaven are to be had, and yet no money required for the purchafe, If. lv. 1. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters," &c. So that faithful minifters are to be honoured, both on Chrift's account who fends them, and on account of the meffage which they bring from him, which, as it is a treaty of peace, marriage, and traffic, you heard at large explained in the preceding difcourfe; and therefore I infift not further upon it, but proceed to deduce a few inferences from what has been faid.

1. then, Hence fee that a gofpel miniftry is of divine inftitution; Epaphras is here called a minifter of Chrift, which plainly fays, that he had his commiflion from him. That a gofpel miniftry is of divine inflitution, is plain from the exprefsdefignation of fome to that oflice by our Lord Jefus, be ordained twelve, and afterwards appointed other feventy alfo, to labour in his harvest: and though it should be faid, that thefe were VOL. III. extraordinary

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extraordinary officers, yet the fame glorious Lord, who gave fome to be apoftles, prophets, and evangelifts, gave some also to be paftors and teachers, with an exprefs order to "commit the word to faithful men, who fhall be able to teach others alfo."

2. Hence fee, that the office of the miniftry is perpetually ufeful and neceffary. What Epaphras was to the Coloffians, other minifters will, through grace, be unto other churches, till the end of time; he was a faithful minister for them, that is, for their profit, for their good. Ordinances are perpetually neceffary in the church, and therefore there must be a ministry to dispense them, as is evident from the promise of Chrift's prefence with his minifters, in teaching and baptizing, to the end of the world. The ends for which a gofpel miniftry is appointed are perpetually neceffary; the elect are to be gathered, the mouths of gainfayers are to be ftopped, the faints are to be edified and established, till they all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Christ.

3. Hence fee that a corrupt erroneous miniftry is one of the worft of plagues; for in this cafe people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The apoftle Peter tells us, 2 epift. ii. 1. that "there were falfe prophets among the people, even as there fhall be falfe teachers among you, who privily fhall bring in damnable herefies, and many thall follow their pernicions ways." This is fadly verified at this day, in this poor church and land, which is now crammed with a lax and corrupt miniftry, intruded upon the heritage of God; and, alas! the generality of the people are, like Iffachar, "couching under the burden."

4. Hence fee that the removal of the gofpel is a fore judge. ment: "Wo unto you, (faith God) if I depart from you. Where there is no vifion, the people perifh." A famine of hearing the word of the Lord is unfpeakably worse than a famine of natural bread, Amos viii. 11.

5. If minifters are faithful in the discharge of their office, people will have much to account for who despise their mesfage, for they who defpife them defpife him that fent them; and "how fhall we efcape, if we neglect this great falvation?"

Any further application of this fubject shall be in a word of Exhortation, firit to the minifter prefently ordained, and then to the people over whom he has the charge; this task having been laid on me by your aged paftor, who, if his ftrength had permitted him, fhould have done it, it being an ufual branch of an ordination fermen.

ift, then, I shall effay to speak a word unto the brother prefently ordained.

R. D. B.

You are now ordained a minister of Chrift, and it is your duty and mine to ftudy that we be faithful ones.

1. Be faithful, in the firft place, to your Lord and Master, whofe meffage you bear; fee that you keep clofe to the inftructions which he has given you in his word, that you may be in cafe to say to your people, what Paul did to the Corinthians, "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you." For you are to hear the word at his mouth, and to give warning from him.

2. Let these you labour among fee that you are in earnest about your Master's business, that your heart is fo intent upon it, that nothing will give you fatisfaction, unless they deal kindly with your Mafter, by believing the gospel report concerning him, as the gift of God for falvation to all the ends of the earth.

3. Let nothing bribe or scare you from the faithful difcharge of your truft; let neither the fear nor favour, frowns or flatteries of people hinder you from declaring the counsel of God unto them. See if you can attain to fay, in fome measure, as it is, 1 Theff. ii. 4. 5. "As we were allowed of God to be put in truft with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleafing men, but God, who trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetoufnefs, God is witness, nor of men fought we glory."

4. If you be a faithful minister of Chrift, you must lay your account with much oppofition in your work; you must not imagine that you will always fail before the wind; you will meet with storms from Satan, from wicked men, and even perhaps from good men themselves. Satan will be at your right hand to disturb you, both in your closet, and in the pulpit; at one time ftriving to blow you up with felf-eftimation, and at another, to fink you in the depth of difcouragement. As for wicked men, the more faithful you are, the more of their wrath and fury will you draw upon yourself. And even good men may have fometimes unreasonable schemes, which they want to pursue to unwarrantable heights, and which if you oppose, as you are bound in faithfulness to do, you may meet with abundance of refentment from them likewife. So that, if you are a faithful minifter, you must lay your account with oppofition on all hands. "Behold (fays Chrift), I fend you forth as fheep in the midft of wolves," Matth. x. 16.

5. Remember that the faithful difcharge of your miniftry is a moft laborious work, fuch labour as frequently makes

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