Business of a Gospel-Minister Simon Peter lovest thou me Feed my Sheep feed my Lambs As Stewards of the Houshold they are to provide for the Family as Shepherds to feed by Teaching And it is in great Wisdom and Mercy to the Souls of Men that our Blessed Lord has appointed some Persons on purpose to devote themselves to this Work that they may be able to instruct the Ignorant and establish the Wavering and comsort the Sad and recover the Backslider to awaken warn convince and encourage Others in the Christian Warfare And whatever some pretend that there is no such need of Preaching now as there was in the Infancy of the Church yet in all Ages this is the ordinary Means which God hath appointed and is wont to bless for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls 1 Cor. 1.21 It pleaseth God now as well as formerly by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe And it is the Commission of our Saviour for the Ministerial Office that they Preach the Gospel to every Creature And this not only to plant a Church but to carry on its growth it is for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the Body of Christ The Ministry of the Gospel may be needful to Converts and Believers and real Saints and is so there being something still lacking to their Faith and Comfort And they had need to be put always in Remembrance of the things they do know that they may be rooted and established in the Truth 1 Pet. 2.12 IT is wonderful to Observe how our Saviour rather chose to Convert Men by the Preaching and Miracles of his Apostles than by his own how he would not fully convert Paul without the Ministry of Annanias tho' he spake to him from Heaven himself and reasoned with him against his Persecution how he would not fully convert Cornelius and his Houshold without the Ministry of Peter tho' he sent an Angel to direct him to a Teacher nor would he convert the Ethiopian Eunuch without the Ministery of Phillip nor the Goaler without the Ministery of Paul and Silas tho' he wrought a Miracle to prepare for his Conversion Our Lord knew the Necessity that the Infants of his Family had of such Nurses and he will keep up the Honour of his own Officers whom he hath appointed for such an End and Use HOW much the Welfare of the Church depends upon the Ministers and Teachers of the Word and how little the Beauty and Glory of Religion can ever be kept up in the World if Ministers do not labour in the Word and Doctrine will very easily appear to such as consider how Religion has declined and been lost by the Ignorance and Unfaithfulness and Negligence of those that ought to have Preached the Gospel of Christ And how the Denial or Contempt of the Ministry hath alway been accompanied with the growth of Atheism Infidelity and Prophaness How solemnly does the Apostle charge the Elders of the Church of Ephesus Acts 20.28 30. Take heed unto your selves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood and to warn every man lest they be perverted by false Teachers c. And how expresly to the like purpose are they required to labour with their utmost strength in this Work 1 Tim. 1.17 1 Cor. 16.16 1 Thes 5.12 They are To give themselves continually to Prayer and the Ministry of the Word Acts 6.4 AND how needful is it that they should do so who are to unfold the Mind of God to others to teach them what they must know believe and do avoid and hope for who have so many difficulties to explain and so often need the Tongue of the Learned and a good share of Prudence to speak a Word in Season To acquaint their Hearers with their several Maladies and Remedies Dangers and Duties to hold forth the Excellency of Christ so as to make him receiv'd and obey'd admired and loved and to be diligent in such Work in season and out of season managing all as under an Awe of God and with sincere Compassion and Love to Souls SUPPOSING the Word of God here to be the Written Word I need not enquire curiously how much of Divine Revelation or the Written Word was then extant when the Apostle wrote this Epistle which is thought to be about the fifty seventh or fifty eighth year of our Blessed Lord while he was a Prisoner at Rome and towards the end of his first Imprisonment there All the New Testament seems to be then written save the Epistles of St. John and his Revelations and the Second Epistle of St. Peter 'T is certain that the whole Word of God in the Holy Scriptures is to be explained and applyed by Preaching and that this is a principal part of a Ministers Work They therefore who pretend to the Ministerial Office according to the order of Christ and yet either despise or neglect the Preaching of the Word one would think either do not understand their Office or are not faithful to it 3. ANOTHER Thing concerning these Deceased Ministers the Apostle mentions is their Exemplary Faith They would not have been proposed as Patterns with respect to Faith if they had not been Famous and Exemplary as to the Clearness of their Minds and the Soundness of their Doctrine Follow their Faith Doubtless he means it of such who as to Knowledg and firmness of Perswasion concerning the Truths of the Gospel and fruitfulness in suitable Effects did in Spirit and Practice shew themselves Believers They would not otherwise have been named as fit Examples for the People to follow as to their Faith You find Ministers are exhorted to Take heed to their Doctrine 1 Tim. IV. 16. and to continue therein that they May save themselves and them that hear them and to speak the things that become sound Doctrine 1 Tim. VI. 3. They are to keep the Doctrine of the Gospel pure and uncorrupt and to feed the People with the sincere Milk of the Word For if the Doctrine which should promote Faith and Holiness should be depraved by the Ministers of the Word how is it possible that true Christianity should spread and flourish or be preserved and continued What need have we to beg that God would give and continue such Pastors after his own Heart as may feed his People with Good Knowledge and Sound Vnderstanding They must hold fast the faithful Word that they have been taught that they may be able by sound Doctrine to exhort and convince Gain-sayers Tit. 1.6 9. Chap. 2.1 Such Speech that cannot be condemned that he who is of the contrary party may be ashamed And how comfortably and usefully may they preach to others who are firmly perswaded of the Truth of what they say who believe and live the Truths they deliver This is a great help to Ministers in their Work and a great
the Lord and several of them in one Church making use sometimes of the one Name sometimes of the other OUR Blessed Saviour is called the Head the Husband the Shepherd the Lord of his Church which imports Authority and the Church is his Body his Spouse his Flock his Family and Houshold and his Ministers are called Rulers of his Houshold Mat. 24.45 When he was about to leave the World he declared that all Power in Heaven and Earth was committed to him and commissioned his Apostles to make Disciples by baptizing and teaching promising his presence with them therein to the end of the World And when he ascended up on high he gave Gifts to Men as part of his Dowry not only Prophets and Apostles and Evangelists who were empowered by Miracles as a Divine Attestation to prove their Authority to reveal and publish the Rule of Faith and Life but Pastors and Teachers to open and apply the Rule they sealed and delivered HE hath determined in his Word that every Church should have a Pastor one or more he hath stated the Nature of the Ministerial Office and Power to proclaim Repentance and Remission of Sins to turn Men from the power of Satan to God to edifie the Body of Christ and to gather feed and govern the Churches of Christ to rule as well as teach the Flock to judge who should be publickly taken into the Church by Baptism or cast out to rebuke those that are disorderly and see that all things be done to the Edification of the Church to bind over the impenitent who are contumacious to the Bar of Christ and reject 'em from the Communion of the Church and to absolve the penitent and comfort 'em and by themselves or others to look after the Poor and visit the Sick c. He hath described the Persons that he would have to be such Officers by their requisite Qualifications he did not appoint a necessary Work to be done and leave it to the wide World who should do it And that will help to determine who are the individual Persons that are fittest according to Christ's Description I DISPUTE not whether there hath not been and ought not to be a distinction of Powers and Persons in Ecclesiastical Government or whether an absolute Equality must not necessarily be attended with very ill consequences or whether Ministers do not need Order and Rule and Government among themselves as well as every other Company and Society of Men in the World But that which I argue from this Text is this That they who preach the Gospel are to Guide Oversee and Rule their own Flock according to the Holy Scripture THEY are the Servants of Christ in his Work and your Servants for Jesus sake They pretend not to Dominion over your Faith or to be Lords or Owners of the Flock but to be Helpers of your Joy by their care the Sheep are to be sed guided preserved healed and brought home They are Rulers over Christ's Houshold but not by secular Force and Rigour not to compel Men to the Faith and Obedience of the Gospel otherwise than by Truth and Love by Instruction and Perswasion and declaring the Mind of Christ in his Word You are not to obey Ministers as Civil Magistrates that rule by the Sword but thankfully receive the Truths they teach and the Mercies they offer Our Weapons in the Christian Warfare are not Carnal but Spiritual to Edification not destruction not coercive but ministerial We are to instruct and warn to reprove and exhort with Faithfulness and Seriousness in the Name of Christ and with his Authority which as it is another thing from the Power of a * See Dr. Hammond's Paraphrase and Annotations on 1 Pet. 5.1 2 3. Acts 11.30 Acts 20.28 Heb. 12.7 17. 1 Tim. 1.17 1 Thes 5.12 Tit. 3.10 1 Cor. 12.28 c. Magistrate so by vertue of the Order and Institution of Christ it is very different from the private Counsel and Admonitions of one Friend to another The same works are not done with the same Authority Efficacy Certainty or Order by a private hand as by publick Officers For in this case you are obliged to Submit your selves in the Lord to whatever is made known to you to be according to the Will of God revealed in his Word 'T is true if we exceed our Commission you are not to receive us but if we keep to the Words of Christ he that despiseth our Message Despiseth not Man but God You know how earnestly the Apostle admonishes to this purpose 1 Thes 5.12 13. We beseech you Brethren to mind them who labour amongst you and preside over you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Lord i. e. in the things of the Lord and according to his Order and that admonish you and to esteem them more than exceedingly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in love for their Work or Office sake And let the Elders who rule well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be counted worthy of double Honour or Recompence as the Original Word often signifies 1 Tim. 5.17 18. I MAY be blamed by some for saying thus much but there are certain Seasons when it is expedient at least not unfit for a Man to praise the Country or the Family to which he belongs or the Society to which he is related And therefore I here take the Liberty to Magnifie mine Office tho' I should become a Fool in glorying 2 Cor. 12.11 As to the Institution Commission and Authority of the Ministry it is not of Men or by Man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead Gal. 1.1 they received their Ministry from the Lord Col. 4.17 he makes 'em Oversers Acts 20.28 Timothy is called the Servant of the Lord 2 Tim. 2.24 Ministers by their Office are as it were his Menial Servants that approach nearer to his Person than others and are employed in his particular Business They are Stewards over the House and Family of God Tit. 1.7 Luke 12.42 which is no mean station They are called Presidents Guides Rulers Shepherds Planters Husbandmen Pastors Ambassadors for Christ and the Glory of Christ and the Ministers of his Spiritual Kingdom Angels of the Churches Builders of his Church c. By Baptism to initiate Disciples unto Christ and by the other Sacrament to confirm them to feed 'em with the sincere Milk of the Word to intercede for them in Prayer to bless them in the Name of Christ to convey his Messages Instructions Counsels and Comforts to 'em which without his Institution and Appointment they could no more do than a Messenger can carry a Pardon to a condemned Person which his Prince never sent No man taketh the Honour to himself but he that is called of God 2. THEY are described to be such as have spoken unto you the Word of God To feed the Flock by sound Doctrine Serious Study of the Holy Scriptures and diligent Preaching of the Word is no little part of the
great deal of Industry in hope of Divine Assistance He knew the Difficulty of his Work to evidence Truth to the Conscience to awaken Sinners to Repentance and then to manifest Christ the Redeemer and Saviour of Sinners to Reprove some with Meekness and others with Sharpness to pour Balm into Wounded Spirits and to speak a Word in season to the Wearied Soul to difference the Sheep from the Goats the Precious from the Vile c. And to manage all this with a deep sense of the Worth of Souls and the inestimable Price wherewith they were purchased and the Aweful Account that he must hereafter give to the Great Shepherd The Consideration of these things made him Diligent and resolved and unwearied in what he undertook so long as he was Able THO' he were as well able as most with very little Preparation to speak pertinently and usefully upon any Subject yet he made Conscience not to give to God that which cost him nothing He would not utter that in publick which he had not considered and digested and prayed over He durst not presume in the Name of Christ to vent raw and indigested Notions which he had not well thought of or to entertain his Hearers with any loose and rambling Thoughts that came next into his Head AS to his Style he was not for an affected Strain of Words yet far from taking any such Liberty as argued Indiscretion or exposed to Contempt He hath given sufficient Proof upon several Occasions that he was Master of the best Language whenever he pleased to make use of it but had the Wisdom to suit his Words as well as Matter so as might best answer the End of doing Good to those to whom he Preached YOU know very well that Preaching was that part of his Work wherein his Heart was more especially engaged And that he durst not speak to secure drowsie Sinners concerning God and Christ Heaven and Hell in a cold and careless manner He knew the weightiest Matter without lively Application to enforce it is but like Bullet without Powder With what tender Affection would he invite Sinners to Christ With what moving Expostulations would he address himself to all sorts In fuitable Expressions to Young and Old With Clearness he would Open and Apply the Doctrinal Articles of Religion and by Catechising instruct the Ignorant With Strength and variety of Arguments he enforced the Duties of Christian Practice And how readily did he embrace all Opportunities of doing good in this kind to the utmost of his Strength and beyond it HE would often use the Expression of the Apostle I am not sent to baptize comparatively but to preach the Gospel which is the Power of God to the Salvation of the Soul Not that he neglected the Administration of the Sacraments For besides the Lord's Supper which he administred every Month he had great Success in bringing many Adult Persons to be Baptized in the publick Congregation sometimes several in one day HE was careful to follow his Publick Teaching with Private Instruction and Visits especially of the Sick so far as his Relation to so many and bodily weakness would permit With Tenderness would he apply Comfort to the Mourners in Sion He was skilful in binding up the Broken in Heart Many resorted to him upon that Account And with Compassion and Gentleness he would deal with Offenders in order to their Recovery How earnestly did he desire and seek the Peace and Holiness of his People His very Soul was grieved if he heard of any of them walking disorderly He could say with the Apostle I have you in my heart and God is witness how greatly I long after you all in the Bowels of Jesus Christ 1 Phil. 7.8 YOU Remember concerning his Preaching how practically both for Matter and Manner he insisted on the Great Things of Religion He did not amuse his Hearers whom he considered as near the Grave and the Eternal World with Controversies which they need not understand and concerning which Wise and Good Men may have different Sentiments and yet be Wise and Good be accepted of God and bear with one another He carefully avoided Extrems in opening and applying the Truths of the Gospel He was wont to exhort Men to work out their Salvation with all Diligence and to strive to the utmost to enter into Heaven and yet after all to trust and relye only on the Mediation and Righteousness of Christ He preach'd and prov'd the Necessity of an Imputed Righteousness and yet urg'd the necessity of an Inherent One. That the Priestly Office of Christ and his Sacrifice for Sin might be honoured and yet the Holy Ghost in his sanctifying Influence may be honoured too He did not make Morality the whole Duty of Man nor yet deceive the People by saying that Christ repented for them and Believed for them He magnified the Special Grace of God in the Conversion of a Sinner and yet preached Repentance towards God as necessary to Forgiveness with Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Without curiously determining which is first when both are needful and never parted He laid the whole stress of our Salvation on Jesus Christ He ascribed the Beginning Progress and Finishing of all Spiritual Good entirely to the Free-grace of God And yet the Impenitence Unbelief and Damnation of Sinners he justly charged on their own Wilfulness in hearkening to the Devil And if this be Legal Preaching what is it to preach the Gospel of Christ ACCORDINGLY we find that God honoured him with great Success He had Eminent Seals of his Ministry at his first Beginning and many more afterwards He was a good Man and full of the Holy Ghost and Faith and much People were added to the Lord. There are many of you who bless God that you ever saw or heard him You are his Witnesses that he did not run in vain nor labour in vain His Preaching was made effectual to the Conversion of many His Tongâ—â— was a Tree of Life unto many You will be his Crown of Rejoycing in the day of the Lord. And if they that be wise shall â—â—ine as the brightness of the Firmament and They that turn many to Righteousness shall shine as the Stars for ever Dan. XII 3. We may believe he will have a proportionable Reward HIS extraordinary Application to his Work and Diligence in it which hastened his Death may increase his Glory Tho' some make a Question whether a Minister who Converts many Souls here or another that is as faithful and diligent and yet hath not such Success Which of these shall have the most Glory in Heaven Some think the Second because the one had much Encouragement and Comfort here which the other had not for want of Success and yet might say Tho' I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my Work with my God I shall not lose my Labour Isa XLIX 4. And as the Apostle