the Perfons I am speaking of ought carefully to examine, whether this Impulfe, which fways, them to the Office of the Miniftry beyond any other Business of Life, flow from the Spirit of the Lord, or their own Spirits. To know this, if the Impulse is fpiritual, or flows from the Spirit of the Lord, it will have these three neceffary Properties; it will be fanctifying, regular, and qualifying; I Tay, if it is a fpiritual Im pulfe, it will be fandifying and bumbling, attended with an inward Defire of further Conformi ty to God in Holiness, both in Heart and Life, and low abafing Thoughts of ourselves, as no Way Sufficient for thefe Things. Again, it will be a regular Impulfe, inclining a Perfon to enter into the Office of the Miniftry, only accor ding to the Rules laid down in the Word, and not to run unfent. And, lastly, it this Impulle is from the Spirit of the Lord, it will be a fit ting and a qualifying Impulfe, determining to the Ufe of the Means which lead to fuch an End, fuch as reading, ftudying, praying, and the like; for the Spirit never divides the Means from the End; hence, when Paul exhorts Timothy to fulfil his Miniftry, he exhorts him, at the fame Time, to give himself to reading.

The outward Call confifts in the Eledion or Choice of the People, the Trial of a Man's Qualifications by the Presbytery, their Approbation of them, and authoritative Miffion, by Fafting, Prayer and Impofition of Hands; and where all thefe concur, (efpecially if the Perfon has the inward Call, as above defcribed) it is the Call of God; as is clear from the Inftance of the Elders of Ephefis, who had no other Call, and

yet

yet are owned to be fet over the Flock by the Holy Ghoft, Acts xx. 28. But then,

2. As Minifters are Servants of Chrift, fo they are the Servants of Adam's Family for Jefus Sake, in being inftant in Seafon and out of Seafon, befeeching and obtefting them in Chrift's Stead to be reconciled unto God. And that Minifters may ferve their Mafter faithfully, in ferving the Neceffities of the Souls of Sinners, we ought to conform and apply our Doctrine to the vari ous Cafes of our Hearers, fo as to awaken the Secure, ftrengthen the Weak, comfort thefe that mourn, and convince Gainfayers. Again, in ferving of Sinners for Jefus Sake, we fhould prepare the Way of the Lord, by removing all ftumbling Blocks out of the Way, or rather, by declaring from the Word, that they are already removed; the Law is magnified, Juftice fatisfied, God is reconciled, all Things are ready, therefore come to the Marriage. This is the great Service in which we ought to be employed about poor Sinners, and every faithful Minifter will rejoice when the Bridegroom has obtained the Heart and Hand of the Bride. I proceed now, from what has been faid, to deduce the following

Inferences, 1. Hence fee the Neceffity of preaching the Gofpel; fays the Apostle here, We preach Chrift Jefus the Lord, and elsewhere, Wo is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel. It is neceffary, by the exprefs Command of the Lord Jefus, the alone King and Lawgiver in his Church, Matth. xxviii. 18, 19. All Power is given unto me, in Heaven and in Earth; Go ye therefore and teach all Nations. And, in order to the Ferpetual Difcharge of this Duty, the Lord Chrift

not

not only gave Apostles, Prophets and Evangelifts, as extraordinary and temporary Officers, whofe Office was to expire with themfelves, but he alfo gave Paftors, or Teachers, to be ftanding Officers in his Church unto the End of the World, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Miniftry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ, Eph. iv. II. 12. And for the faithful Difcharge of this Truft, as well as for the Succeffion of a Gofpel-Miniftry, there is a special Order given to commit this Service unto faithful Men, who fhall be able to teach others alfo, 2 Tim. ii. 2. Again, the preaching of the Gospel is neceffary, as an inftituted Means for the Converfion and Salvation of Sinners; for where there is no Vifion the People perifh. Altho' the preaching of the Gofpel has not an intrinfick Virtue in itself, to effectuate the Salvation of Sinners, for many are called, but few are chofen, yet, by the Appointment of God, it is conftitute the great Means of our Reconciliation and Salvation, hence called the Word of this Salvation; and, by the Power of God going along with it, it is mighty to the pulling down of ftrong Holds, turning from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan to God: But then it must be remembred, that it is the preaching of the Gofpel by thefe who are orderly invested with an ecclefiaftical Office, that is, the ordinary inftituted Means for the Converfion of Sinners, or the Edification of Saints. For altho' private Chriftians may fometimes, in Providence, be inftrumental in the Converfion or Edification of their Fellow-Creatures, as in the Inftance of the Samaritans, who believed on Chrift for the Saying of

the

the Woman, which teftified he told me all that ever I did, John iv. 39. Yet the ordinary Means appointed of God, for gathering Sinners to Chrift, is the preaching of the Word, by thofe who are clothed with the Paftoral Office, the Reafon is, because Faith cometh by Hearing. But how hall they hear without a Preacher? And how ball they preach except they be fent? Rom. x. 14, 15. that is, unless they have an authoritative Miffion, whereby the Ministry is conferred, and Men authorised, as Ambassadors of Chrift, to preach the Word of Reconciliation. Hence it follows,

2. That, in the Church affembled, or in the Meeting of the Lord's People for publick Worfhip, none may, warrantably preach the Word of God, in the Name of Chrift, but fuch as have a divine Calling unto that Work: For, tho' it is the Duty of Chriftians to exhort and comfort one another in a private Capacity, for their mutual Edification, yet none can with Authority preach the Word, but fuch as have the ordinary Calling to the Office of the Miniftry, as is plain from many Places of Scripture, particularly Heb. v. 4. No Man taketh this Honour to himself, but he that is called of God; and the forecited Rom. x. 15. How fall they preach except they be fent? Befides, there are peculiar Duties required of Minifters, which are not required of other Chriftians, whatever Gifts of the Spirit they may be endowed with, fuch as feeding and taking the Overfight of the Flock, as they that must give Account of Souls, Ads xx. 28. Heb. xiii. 17. As Ambaffadors for Chrift, they are to pray Sinners in Chrift's Stead to be reconciled unto God, 2 Cor. v. 20. As faithful and wife Stewards, E

whom

whom the Lord hath made Rulers over his Houfhold, they are to give them their Portion of Meat in due Seafon, Luke xii. 42. Therefore you are to be aware of the dangerous Opinion of the Settarians and Entbufiafts, who affirm, that private Chriftians endowed with Gifts may preach in the Name of Chrift, altho' they bear no Church-Office.

3. Altho' Minifters are the Church's Servants for Jefus Sake, yet they do not derive their ec clefiaftical Power from the People, or from the Community of the Faithful, nor are they Servants and Deputies, who govern the Houfe of God, by an Authority derived from the Multitude, as the firft and immediate Subject of ecclefiaftical Power. It is true, Minifters are called the Church's Servants in our Text; but then, it is not because they derive their Power from the People, for in that Cafe they would be the Servants of Men and not of God, but becaufe they are to exercife their Office as Servants of Chrift, for the Good and Benefit of his Church. There is nothing indeed more plain in Scripture, than that the Power of chufing Paftors and other Officers to a particular Church, belongs to all the Members of it, Ads i. 23. vi. 5. xiv. 23. But then, by this Election (which is no Act of Jurifdiction) Church-Members do not confer the Power of the Keys on the Paftors or other Officers chofen, but only nominate or defign him or them, on whom the Power of that Office is to be conferred by ecclefiaftical Ordination; a is clear from Ads vi. 6. where you will find, that, after the whole Multitude had chofen fuch and fuch Perfons, they fet them before the Apoftles, who laid their Hands on them, or or dained