the Lord. In a word, a faithful minister of Christ is one who endeavours singly to view the glory of his Lord and Master in all his ministrations, to be wholly devoted to his service, and the good of the souls committed to his trust; he carries his people upon his breast before the Lord, and has an inward heart concern for their spiritual and eternal welfare. He is one who “preaches not himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord," and who “determines to know nothing" among his people, save Christ, and him crucified.” He is one who sees himself to be an unprofitable servant, and that his sufficiency stands only in the Lord; for, indeed, “who is sufficient for these things ?" II. The second thing proposed was, to give the reasons why faithful ministers of Christ ought to be honoured and eşteemed by the people among whom they labour. 1. They ought to be esteemed for the sake of him whose message they bear. They are ambassadors for Christ, 2 Cor. v. 20. They receive their commission and authority from him: John xx. 21: “As my father hath sent me, even so send I v you.” Matth. xxviii. 18, 19: “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations : -and lo, I am with you always." Ambassadors haye their honour and respect according to the rank of their masters who send them; the greater the prince be, the more honourable is his messenger. Ministers of the gospel are the ambassadors of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who has a name given him above every name; and you cannot despise the messenger, if honour the Master that sends him: Matth. X. 40, says Christ, “ He that receiveth you receiveth me.” 2. Faithful ministers of Christ ought to be esteemed for their work's sake, or for the sake of the message itself which they bear. It is a message of peace, Rom. x. 15: "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things !" And how wonderful is it, that the God against whom we have sinned should proclaim peace on earth, and good will towards men! A minister's message is a treaty of marriage with the King's Son; and how amazing is it, that our Maker should be our Husband, that he should say to such guilty rebels as we are, “I will betroth thee unto me for ever!" It is a message for a free commerce and trade with heaven; and surely that must be a gainful trade, which brings in the richest treasure at no expense; for here all the riches of heaven are to be had, and yet no money required for the purchase, Is. Iv. 1: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk 66 without money and without price.” So that faithful ministers are to be honoured, both on Christ's account, who sends them, and on account of the message which they bring from him; which, as it is a treaty of peace, marriage, and traffic, you heard at large explained in the preceding discourse; and therefore I insist not farther upon it, but proceed to deduce a few inferences from what has been said. 1. Then, Hence see that a gospel ministry is of divine institution ; Epaphras is here called a minister of Christ, which plainly says, that he had his commission from him. That a gospel ministry is of divine institution, is plain from the express designation of some to that office by our Lord Jesus ; he ordained twelve, and afterwards appointed other seventy also, to labour in his harvest : and though it should be said, that these were extraordinary officers, yet the same glorious Lord, who gave some to be a postles, prophets, and evangelists, gave some also to be pastors and teachers, with an express order to “ commit the word to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2. Hence see, that the office of the ministry is perpetually useful and necessary. What Epaphras was to the Colossians, other ministers will, through grace, be to 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 necessary in the church, and therefore there must be a mi. nistry to dispense them, as is evident from the promise of Christ's presence with his ministers, in teaching and baptizing, to the end of the world. The ends for which a gospel ministry is appointed are perpetually necessary; the elect are to be gathered, the mouths of gainsayers are to be stopped, the saints 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 stature of the fulness of Christ. 3. Hence see that a corrupt erroneous ministry is one of the worst of plagues; for in this case people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The apostle Peter tells us, 2 Pet. ii. 1, that “ there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, and many shall follow their pernicious ways.” This is sadly verified at this day, in this poor church and land, which is now crammed with a lax and corrupt ministry, intruded upon the heritage of God; and, alas! the generality of the people are, like Issachar, “couching under the burden." 4. Hence see that the removal of the gospel is a sore judg. ment: “Wo unto you," says God, "if I depart from you." " Where there is no vision, the people perish.” “A famine of hearing the word of the Lord” is unspeakably worse than a famine of natural bread, Amos viii. 11. 5. If ministers are faithful in the discharge of their office, people will have much to account for who despise their message; for they who despise them despise Him that sent them; and “how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" Any farther application of this subject shall be in a word of Exhortation, first, to the minister presently ordained, and then to the people over whom he has the charge. This task having been laid on me by your aged pastor, who, if his strength had permitted bim, should have done it, it being a usual branch of an ordination sermon. 1st, Then, I shall essay to speak a word to the brother presently ordained. Rev. and dear Brother, You are now ordained a minister of Christ, and it is your duty and mine to study that we be faithful. 1. Be faithful, in the first place, to your Lord and Master, whose message you bear; see that you keep close to the instructions which he has given you in his word, that you may be in condition 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 those you labour among see that you are in earnest about your Master's business, that your heart is so intent upon it, that nothing will give you satisfaction, unless they deal kindly with your Master, by believing the gospel report concerning him, as the gift of God for salvation to all the ends of the earth. 3. Let nothing bribe or scare you from the faithful discharge of your trust; 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 say, in some measure, as it is, 1 Thess. ii. 4, 5: “ As we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness, nor of men sought we glory." 4. If you be a faithful minister of Christ, you must lay your account with much opposition in your work; you must not imagine that you will always sail 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 striving to inflate you with self-es timation, and at another, to sink you in the depth of discouragement. · 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 sometimes 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 resentment from them likewise. So that, if you are a faithful minister, you must lay your account with opposition on all hands. “Behold," says ” Christ, “ I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves," Matth. X. 16. 5. Remember that the faithful discharge of your ministry is a most laborious work, such labour as frequently makes 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 exercise to nature, but a minister's work spends his vital spirits, and makes him like the candle, to waste, while he is shining; hence are ministers compared to soldiers, and watchmen, who are exposed both to hard labour and great danger. 6. As you would desire to be a faithful minister of Christ, be sure 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 apostle says to Timothy, 2 Tim. ii. 1, so say I to you,“ Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Though your work be laborious and difficult, yet he sends none a warfare upon their own charges. In the use of appointed means, trust that his grace shall be sufficient for you, and that his strength shall be made perfect in weakness. Fasten, therefore, upon the promises of his presence, for your support 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 also surely bring thee up again." Gen. xlvi. 4. 7. Lastly, Next to the promised presence and aid of the glorious Head, it may be a considerable encouragement to you, that you are called to take part of this ministry, with an aged and experienced servant of Jesus Christ, who will always be ready to give you his best advice: and, to be sure, your entire harmony, mutual love, and joint counsels, will contribute much to strengthen your hands, as colleagues in this part of the Lord's vineyard. DEAR BROTHER-I conclude what I have to say to you, with repeating a few of the advices the apostle gives to Timothy. Well then, “Refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself to godliness.— I charge thee,” says the apostle, “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect a pure angels, that thou observe these things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called.—Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. -Hold fast the form of sound words.-Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.–Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.-Flee also youthful lusts : but follow after righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of heart.--Be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.- Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.-Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, make full proof of thy ministry." And, finally,—"Give thyself wholly to these things, that thy profiting may appear unto all.-Continue in them, for, in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.” These and several other instructions, necessary to ministers, both for teaching and ruling their flocks, are to be found in the epistles to Timothy and Titus, which you and I, and every other minister, ought to be frequently perusing, as we would be found faithful ministers of Christ. I come now, in the Second place, To speak a word to you of this congregation. My dear friends, Your eyes this day see your teachers, and I trust, that God has, according to his promise, given you pastors according to his heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." You are at present privileged with two of them, when some corners have not so much as one; and, to be sure, of them to whom much is given much will be required. One of your pastors is stooping under the infirmities of old age, having laboured about fifty years in the Lord's vineyard, and about twenty years of that time among you; O beware of bringing his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, by jecting the counsel of God against yourselves," and refusing to receive the message which he brings you from the mouth of God. If in Christ Jesus he has begotten any of you, through the gospel, (as I hope has been the case with not a few,) then he will have “no greater joy than to hear that his children walk in truth,” as the expression is, 3 John 4; and if he can say with Paul, 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20, “ What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming? for ye are our glory and joy." Your other pastor as to years is but a youth; and with re 48 66 re VOL. III. |