old age and youth to meet together. The Jews took Christ to be fifty years old, John viii. 57. when he was little above thirty. The most other callings are only an exercife to nature, but a minifter's work fpends his vital fpirits, and makes him like the candle, to waite, while he is fhining: hence are minifters compared to foldiers, and watchmen, who are expofed both to hard labour and great danger.

6. As you would defire to be a faithful minifter of Christ, be fure to look for furniture, for the whole of your work, from the hands of the glorious Head, who has received gifts for men. As the apoftle fays to Timothy, 2 epiftle ii. 1. fo fay I to you," Thou therefore, my fon, be strong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus." Though your work be laborious and difficult, yet he fends none a warfare upon their own charges. In the ufe of appointed means, truft that his grace shall be fufficient for you, and that his ftrength fhall be made perfeâ in weaknefs. Faften therefore upon the promifes of his prefence, for your fupport and through-bearing, under all difficulties, "Lo I am with you always. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will go down with thee, and I will alfo furely bring thee up again," Gen. xlvi. 4.

7. Laftly, Next unto the promised prefence and aid of the glorious Head, it may be a confiderable encouragement unto you, that you are called to take part of this miniftry, with an aged and experienced fervant of Jefus Chrift, who will always be ready to give you his beft advice: and to be fure your entire harmony, mutual love, and joint counfels, will contribute much to ftrengthen your hands, as colleagues, in this part of the Lord's vineyard.

D. B.

I conclude what I have to fay to you, with repeating a few of the advices the apoftle gives to Timothy. Well then, “ Refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercife thyfelf to godliness.

I charge thee (fays the apoftle) before God, and the Lord Jefus Chritt, and the clect angels, that thou obferve these things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partia Jity. Follow after righteoufnefs, godlinefs, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art a fo cailed.- Be not ashamed of the teftimony of our Lord.- Hold fast the form of found words. Endure hardacfs as a good foldier of Jefus Chrift.

Study to fhew thyilt approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be athamed, rightly dividing the word of truch. Fice alio youthful lufts: but follow after righteoulnefs, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord -out of a pure heart. →Be gentle unto all men, apt to teach,

patient,

patient, in meeknefs inftructing thofe that oppofe themfelves.

-Preach the word, be inftant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-fuffering and doctrine.

-Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, make fuil proof of thy miniftry." And, finally,-" Give thyfelf wholly to these things, that thy profiting may appear unto all.Continue in them, for, in doing this, thou fhalt both fave thyfelf and them that hear thee." Thefe and feveral other inftructions, neceflary to minifters, both for teaching and ruling their flocks, are to be found in the epiftles to Timothy and Titus, which you and I, and every other minifter, ought to be frequently perufing, as we would be found faithful minifters of Christ. I come now, in the

Second place, To speak a word to you of this congregation. My dear friends, Your eyes do this day fee your teachers, and I trust, that God has, according to his promife, given you paftors according to his heart, who fhall feed you with knowledge and understanding. You are at prefent privileged with two of them, when fome corners have not fo much as one; and, to be fure, of them to whom much is given much will be required.

One of your paftors is ftooping under the infirmities of old age, having laboured about fifty years in the Lord's vineyard, and about twenty years thereof among you; O beware of bringing his gray hairs with forrow to the grave, by rejecting the counfel of God against yourselves, and refusing to receive the meffage which he brings you from the mouth of God. If in Christ Jefus he has begotten any of you, through the gospel, (as I hope has been the cafe with not a few), then he will have no greater joy than to hear that his children walk in truth," as the expreffion is, 3 John 4.; and if he can fay with Paul, 1 Theff. ii. at the clofe, "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift, at his coming? for ye are our glory and joy."

Your other paftor as to years is but a youth; and with reference to him, I would fay unto you, as Paul faid with reference to Timothy, "Let no man defpife his youth." Remember that David was but a youth or ftripling (as Saul calls him) when he encountered Goliah the Philistine; yet because he went out against him in the name of the Lord of hofts, "the God of the armies of Ifrael," he came off the field a conqueror. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet or teacher in his youth, as appears from the firft chapter of his prophecy, and yet the Lord fitted that young prophet for the difficult task that was put into his hand.

There

There are only a few things I would fay to you with re fpect to your duty towards both your minifters."

1. If your minifters fhould be faithful in declaring the Lord's mind, then you ought to be ready and willing to believe and practise it. It is a fad charge which the Lord lays againft Ezekiel's hearers, chap. xxxiii. 31. "They fit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they do them not: for with their mouth they fhew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetoufnefs." If you remain barren and unfruitful under fuch means of grace as you enjoy, it will be more tolerable for hundreds of congregations than for you, in regard they are not fo highly privileged.

2. The more faithful your minifters are in point of fin and duty, the welcomer ought their meilage to be unto you. Some cannot endure to be touched upon the fore heel, or to have the finfulness of their practices laid in broad-band before them; but if matters be right with you, the closer your minifters come to your confciences by the word, the more fearching and trying their fermons be, the more will you love both their perfons and doctrine: "Search me, O God (lays the Pfalmift), and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and fee if there be any wicked way in me," Pfal. cxxxix. at

the close.

3. Pray much for your minifters, that utterance may be gi ven them, that they may open their mouth boldly, and make known the mystery of the gofpel. The more you pray for them, the more profit you may expect under their ministry. If you have any fpiritual wants to fupply, or foul-perplexing doubts to folve; if you be under the prevalency of any temptation, from which you want to be delivered; in a word, if you be defiring the fincere milk of the word, that you may live thereby, then you will certainly be employed in prayer, that your minifters may be directed to speak a word in season unto you, and that the power of the Lord may come along there with, for conviction or confolation, as your need requires.

4. If you would defire the faithfulness of your ministers to be ufeful unto you, be fure to keep them in their own room; do not expect from them what you are to receive only from the Lord himfelf. Remember that the "treasure is in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us," as you were hearing by the former fpeaker. But, at the fame time, though you are not to idolize your minifters, yet a more peculiar love is due from you to them than to any elfe. Though you ought to love all the faithful minifters of Chrift, yet a more fpecial love is due to your own paftors, who labour in word and doctrine among you, as is clear from the forecited Theff. v. 12. "Know them that labour among

you

you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and esteem them very highly in love for their work's fake." And Heb. xiii. 17. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourselves: for they watch for your fouls, as they that must give an account: that they may do it with joy, and not with grief.

I conclude with that prayer of the apoftle's, 2 Cor. ix. 10. "Now he that miniftereth feed to the fower, both minister bread for your food, and multiply your feed fown, and increase the fruits of your righteoufnefs." Which is founded upon that promife, If. lv. 10. 11. "For as the rain cometh down, and the fnow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it fhall not return unto me void, but it thall accomplish that which I please (or which is well pleafing unto me), and it fhall profper in the thing whereto I fent it."

CHRIST IN THE CLOUDS COMING TO JUDGEMENT.

A SERMON, BY THE REV. MR. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

MATTH. XVI. 37.-Then fall he reward every man according to his works.

TH

HE text gives us an account of the day of doom, which is the last day of affize, wherein every man fhall be tried at the bar of God's juftice, and every man thall then and there receive according to his works, whether they be good, or whe ther they be evil.

I fhall not trouble myfelf or you with the terrors of this day, becaufe I have not time, but will proceed.

It is most certain the day of judgement will come, and that it will be dreadful to all the wicked. But feeing these things must be, what fort of perfons ought we to be in all manner of converfation,

converfation, always looking for the coming of Christ, at whofe coming the fun fhall be darkened, and the moon fhall not give her light, the ftars fhall fall from heaven, the powers of heaven fhall be fhaken, the elements fhall melt with fervent heat. Who can hear all this, and not be wonderfully difmayed? O who dares eat, drink, or fleep, or take a minute's reft? Be sure, that day fhall come. "O awake, ye drunkards! and weep, all ye drinkers of wine! because of the new wine; for it fhall be pulled from your mouth. Gird yourselves and lament, ye priests! howl, ye minifters of the altar! Alas! the fore terrible day of the Lord is at hand."

DocT. "This is a gofpel truth, that Chrift, who came into the world in the form of a fervant, will one day come as a judge, attended with his holy angels.”

And if this be fo, then, firft, for an use of exhortation. 1ft, Let us all be warned, and, while we have time, provide for that day; yet, the weather is fair, we may frame an ark to fave us from the flood; yet are the angels at the gate of Sodom, and yet is Jonah in the ftreets of Nineveh; yet the prophet laments, crying, "O Judah! how fhall I intreat thee?" Yea, the apoftle prays, nay, we pray you in Chrift's stead, that ye be reconciled unto God. But here a question will arife, How will Chrift appear?

I anfwer, He who, as man, once appeared to be judged, will then appear to judge all mankind. Confider this, ye that are going to the bar; what a dreadful fight will this be to the faithlefs Jews, ftubborn Gentiles, and wicked Christians, when every eye fhall fee him, and they alfo that pierced him? This is the man, fhall they fay, that was crucified for us, and again crucified by us. Why, alas! every fin is a crofs, and every oath is a fpear; and when that day is come, you must behold

e Man, whom thus you do crucify by your daily fin; fure the will be a fearful fight. Where is the bloody fwearer, that can tear his wounds, heart, and blood? At that day, all thefe words will appear, the heart be vifible, and the body and the blood be fenfible of good and evil: then fhall the fearful voice proceed from his throne, Where is the blood thou fpilled? Here is the woful and terrible judgement, when thou that art the murderer, fhall fee the flain Man be thy Judge. What favours canft thou think to expect at his hand, whom thou haft fo vilely and treacherously ufed by thy daily fins? Be fure, the Son of man will come, as it is written, "but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed; it

had