spend the remainder of our time in drawing some practical Inferences from the Discourse APPLICATION First therefore It appears from hence that they that nullifie the Ministry of such persons who have all that is necessary to prove their Mission are no real Friends to the Reformation Our first Reformers though they differed from the Foreign Protestant Churches acted from Catholick Principles that comprehended the Foreign Ordinations chusing rather to assert the Identity of Bishops and Presbyters than to expose those Churches that had thrown out our English Prelacy And though they pleaded for Episcopacy they acknowledged that it was not necessary to the being but only ad bene esse of the Church And it was not till our Reformation went backward by an endeavour to bring in a Coalition with the Church of Rome that Reordination was required of them that had been ordained before by Presbyters Peter Martyr at Oxford Martin Bucer at Cambridge had Ecclesiastical Preferments in the Church of England Cranmer that invited them hither never required Re-ordination of them Whittingham was made Dean of Durham though it was known that in his Exile in Queen Mary's time he had been ordain'd by Presbyters only Mr. Travers ordain'd by a Presbytery beyond the Sea was suffered quietly to hold the place of a Centurer at the Temple Mr. Camero ordain'd in France had the like liberty by the Permission of King James the First when that King was about to set up Episcopacy in Scotland it was argued whether the Bishops intended for Scotland should not be ordain'd first Ministers because they had not received Ordination by a Bishop and it was carried in the negative by the means of Bishop Boncroft Thus this matter went till Archbishop Laud whose great design it was to bring about a Reconciliation between the Church of England and the Church of Rome made it his business to please the Romanists and it could not but please them to see those that had the management of our Church affairs here in England declare a Nullity in our Ministry and Ministrations they knew it would be a good step towards Popery This design dying with him was reviv'd again upon the coming in of King Charles II. Surely those learned Men and Bishops that had been with that King in his Exile beyond the Seas must be supposed to know that King's Religion and what his designs were these were they that among other hard things that they imposed upon us to the exercise of our Ministry brought a necessity of Re-ordination Secondly Seeing the sincere desire of doing good to Souls is so necessary to prove Ministers to be sent of God I beg of you that are to be ordain'd this day to look to your Aims and Ends that they be such for Purity of intention is absolutely required to the acceptance of what we do so that though we do what is commanded but not because it is commanded it is as if we had not done it nay 't is in some respect as if God had not commanded it Remember the words of the Prophet concerning Jehu He was command-to destroy the house of Ahab and yet because he did what he was commanded but not with that Purity of Intention as was necessary to his acceptance not to destroy Idolatry as he pretended but to establish himself in the Kingdom therefore saith God I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu Hos 1.3 4. The more entirely we aim at this the doing of good the turning men from the evil of their ways and doings the more contented we shall be in our present circumstances in which though we have not that encouragement as we could desire yet we have more than the Primitive Preachers of the Gospel obtain'd for the space of three hundred years we have more encouragement than we expected or indeed could rationally expect enough therefore to make us thankfully to acknowledge it is the Lord 's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Thirdly Seeing the Gifts of Knowledge and Utterance are so highly necessary to the Ministry let us more endeavour to qualifie our selves with those Gifts that may evidence it to the People that we are sent of God and not trust to the Ceremony of Ordination which when it is applied to men utterly destitute of those Gifts may be a mere Nullity A Mute or an Idiot is no Minister though ordain'd Our care therefore should be ours that are in the Ministry and yours that stand as Candidates for the Ministry to keep and increase those Gifts that may enable us to the performance of all Ministerial Duties First We are the mouth of the people to God What! should a Minister look no further to accomplish himself for that part of his Ministry but to read out of the Book what he hath to pray for in behalf of the people God commandeth Christians to pray with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Eph. 6.18 And is the Ministry exempted should he not be able to do that which every private Christian is required to do A Minister should not be confin'd to the Fetters of other mens narrow defective Words and Books whatever may be said on behalf of such as need the help of a composed Form I wonder that men should think it necessary that all should be confin'd to them It can't be supposed that all do need them Let us not be affrighted out of our duty by a pretence that the thing is not attainable on a sudden to express our desires Remember the words of the Apostle Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our Infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought The Apostle doth not say the Book will tell you for then there was none for ought appears but the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities So that Spiritual Prayer was in the Church before the Jesuits brought it in This Gift of the Spirit all ought to pray for Ministers especially that they may not only desire graciously and acceptably things necessary but express these desires on behalf of the people that they by joyning with us may make them their own desires And we should endeavour to excell in this Gift that we may avoid all those Indecencies which those that idolize Forms are apt to take notice of and expose viz. a foolish Loquacity pouring out as one saith tumultuous indigested thoughts We are not rashly to utter any thing before the Lord Eccles 5.2 We should also avoid vain Repetitions for we shall not be heard for much speaking Matth. 6 7. We should also avoid affected Words and Phrases for certainly the more plain and familiar our words are the better they suit with the nature of Prayer In a word we should endeavour to observe the general rule of our Saviour not to be as the hypocrites Thus let us all endeavour to accomplish our selves for this part of our Ministry and if our Brethren out of a fondness to their own way of Devotion will ridicule our
the French King employed in that great Empire of China to convert them to Christianity in those parts He observes that he found more good done by those occasional Discourses than by his studied Performances People were more affected and wrought upon by what was said to them in particular concerning a future State the day of Judgment than of what he had said with more strength of reason in the Congregation Fourthly Let us then deliver and look after the success of that Message that God hath sent by us a faithfull Messenger ought to deliver the whole Message First let us deliver our Message with all faithfulness and without Partiality and respect of persons Say to the wicked it shall go ill with him say to the righteous it shall go well with him Have we a care of mincing the matter Matth. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you Our Saviour as sent of God kept within the bounds of his Commission John 12.49 I have not spoken of my self but the Father which hath sent me he hath given Commandment what I shall say and what I should speak And therefore surely Ministers should take heed that we may be able to say with our Saviour my Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Secondly And yet we should not only deliver but look after the success of our Message and to take care to do every thing that may promote and not hinder the success of our Ministry Coloss 1.28 Warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus And this we should endeavour First By a Life suitable to our Calling Surely our Relation to God as sent by him doth oblige us to take heed of our selves that our Ministry be not blamed for if we do not live well not only we in our Persons but our Ministry will be blam'd 2 Cor. 6.3 'T is true it should not be so why should the Ministry be blam'd for the faults of some men And yet because men will do it therefore we should take the more heed to our ways The people should not have abhorr'd the Lord's Offerings because Eli's Sons were wicked lewd men and yet it was an Aggravation of their Sin that they gave the people that occasion The Apostle saith to Timothy let no man despise thy youth 1 Tim 4.12 He doth not say it to the people because generally when we are despis'd the fault is in our selves and the way to prevent that the people may not despise such of us as are young or upon any other account is to do what the Apostle there exhorts Timothy to Be thou an example to believers in word in conversation in spirit in faith in purity The greatest Gifts of Ministers will never do that good as their bad example will do hurt The people not only that are ignorant but such as fear God will take bad Impressions and many times will be led away by the example of Ministers especially in things that are disputable the Apostle observes that many were carried away by the Dissimulation of Peter so that he was constrained to reprove him openly before the Church Gal. 2.14 In a word we should be the more carefull to give in all things a good example for they that scruple to hear us will be quick-sighted to observe what is amiss in us Secondly We should not only deliver but endeavour the success of our Message from God to the people by our incessant Prayers for 't is Prayer that renders our endeavours in the Ministry fruitfull and successfull Paul may plant and Apollos may water but 't is God that must give the increase Let a Minister be never so rational and convincing in his Discourses all his labour will be fruitless without divine Grace succeeding it A Key that is exactly fit to all the Wards of the Lock cannot open it without an hand to turn it Let the most proper and powerfull motives to work upon the heart be represented in the proper light and evidence to the utmost advantage they cannot open the heart this is God's work and this we should pray for It is observable that Abraham's Servant would not deliver the Message for which he was sent till he had first prayed to God to succeed it Gen. 21.12 And then just as he prayed so it fell out Thus when Nehemiah was to make his Request to the King he darted up a short Prayer to the God of Heaven before he would speak to the King Neh. 2.5 6. For what dost thou make thy request So I prayed to the God of Heaven and said to the King Let us do the like The Gospel is the power of God to Salvation but still Prayer is requisite to obtain the holy Spirit by whose influence the word proves effectual What is more worthy of our constant Prayers than precious immortal Souls I do remember what I read in the Life of that most eminent Man of God Mr. Walsh a Minister of Scotland who being to preach in the Afternoon he tarried so long at his house that the Congregation thought fit to send the Clerk to see what the matter was that Mr. Walsh staid beyond his usual time the Clerk drawing near the room where he was heard a very loud Voice and standing still he heard him with great importunity oft repeating those words of Moses to God If thy presence go not with me I will not go from hence as if he had determined not to preach till God should hear his Prayers for the success Accordingly it fell out he had never that success as at that time and yet none had greater at other times Lastly As for you the people that are assembled together upon this occasion I have a word or two to speak and I have done If Ministers thus dispos'd and qualified thus approv'd of and invested in the Ministry are sent of God your duty is to own them and receive them as such Pray consider two things viz. First Who it is that hath sent them We Ministers are in all other respects as you are but we are in God's stead 2 Cor. 5.19 We pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God God in this matter dealeth wisely in dealing familiarly with you he doth not speak immediately to you from Heaven that the terrors of his Majesty may not make you afraid but sendeth men men of like Passions with our selves who if they deceive you they must deceive their own Souls Take heed therefore of despising the methods of the Almighty that it is by the foolishness of Preaching or that it is by men that the Message of the Almighty is brought unto you In other matters the Messenger is received according to the respect we have to him that sent him Our Saviour doth much insist upon this that he came not in his own name but in the name of him that sent him And he tells his Disciples as the Father sent me into
the world so I send you abating only for what is extraordinary as Christ sent the first Apostles so he sends the ordinary Ministers of the Gospel lo I am with you to the end of the world with you as long as you shall live and with them that shall succeed you in the ordinary work of the Ministry The Apostles were sent with extraordinary Gifts endued with an infallible Spirit to write Scriptures with Gifts of Miracles Gifts of Tongues but for the main the substance of the Commission is the same viz. to testifie the Grace of God to every man and to reveal the Will of God Secondly Consider the Message that Ministers bring you God and man were at variance the Son of God hath done and suffered all that was necessary on his part to make peace Ministers are sent in the stead of Christ to perswade men to accept of those terms upon which peace may be had Behold we come as Abraham's Servant to propose a Match between the Son of God and the Sons of men to espouse you to Christ God hath sent us to invite you nay to compell you to come to the Marriage-Feast and to tell you that all things are ready on God's part We can shew you as Abraham's Servant did Gen. 24.22 the Bracelets and the Ear-rings and the precious things that God hath sent you by us I don't speak this to gain outward Respect and Precedence before men but you are to consider that whatever respect you show Ministers 't is infinitely short of what is due to them till the Message they bring you be entertain'd To receive us and entertain us as one Friend doth another at your Table alas what is this To receive a Prophet in the name of a Prophet is to receive the Message he brings you We are sent to perswade you to be reconcil'd to God your kindness to us is not enough till you are become the Friends of God that sent us When Ehud told Eglon that he had a Message from God to him he arose out of his seat Judg. 3.20 Our Message is not as his was but 't is a Message of Peace and good-will Surely therefore whatever the Messenger is the Message is weighty And whatever opposition we may meet with from oothers that condemn us and our Preaching as schismatical our Ministry as a Nullity though they accuse us for counterfeiting the great Seals of Heaven if we can prevail in our Message which is to perswade you to be reconcil'd to God to espouse you to Christ 't is this will support us under all the hard Speeches of men otherwise minded Now it lieth upon you to enable us to use the words of the Apostle to the Corinthians among whom there were some of their Ministers that did not only despise his Person and Gifts but did also question his Apostleship 1 Cor. 9.2 If I be not an Apostle to others yet doubtless I am to you for the Seal of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord. See you to it that you disprove them that nullifie our Ministry Perhaps you are not able to answer all the Objections that may be made against our Ministry and Preaching No more was the blind man in the Gospel able to answer all that the Jews said against Christ but he had an inartificial Argument drawn from the good he had receiv'd from him that put them all to silence Whereas I was born blind now I see Saith the Psalmist I will never forget thy precepts for by them thou hast quickned me Whilst others expose our Prayers as nonsensical or worse if by this Mode of Praying in which we lead you to the Throne of Grace you keep up the Spirit of Devotion if by our Ministry we perswade you to be reconcil'd to God and espouse you to Christ if our Ministry obtain its great end upon you which is to better Mankind by this means we shall be encouraged and you shall be established FINIS