were their own, to be ordered and disposed as they please. This is the character which the apostle giveth of the man of sin, 'That he sitteth, as God, in the temple of God,' usurping a divine authority over the souls of men, (2 Thess. ii. 4) and exercising a bloody tyranny over their bodies. And therefore both our Saviour and his apostles, to prevent the danger of so tempting an ambition, have left strict and severe provision against it. 'Be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your master, even Christ.' (Mat. xxiii. 8-12) We have not dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; (2 Cor. i. 24) not as being lords over God's heritage, but ensamples to the flock.' (1 Pet. v. 3)

2. When they make themselves the authors of their own ministry, undertaking so weighty an employment of their own heads, and running before they are sent; as many did in the prophet Jeremiah's time: (Jer. xxiii. 21) and many more in the late licentious days amongst us: of whom we may say, as the historian said of an obscure person, that he was homo ex se natus;' they were concionatores ex semetipsis nati;' self-created preachers; as Agathocles, a prince, of a potter,-a preacher, of a trooper :-men who made it the principal business of their usurped preaching, to disgrace and pull down legitimate preachers, and beget an undervaluing of those serious principles, which (they knew) sober and fixed divines would never desert, and contrary unto which they were resolved to act.

3. When they make themselves the matter of their preaching; prophesying lies, and the deceits of their own hearts; (Jer. xxiii. 16, 26) teaching for doctrines the traditions or commandments of men; (Matth. xv. 9) making sad the righteous, and strengthening the hands of the wicked by their lies; following their own spirits, (Ezek. xiii. 3, 22) venting, in the place and name of Christ, their own passions and animosities, their own interests and jealousies, their own private opinions and paradoxes; fomenting distempers, ingenerating discontents and divisions in the hearts of the people; corrupting the minds, perverting the judgements, ensnaring and entangling the consciences, of those that hear them; turning aside to vain jangling; departing from the faith; giving heed to seducing spirits; speaking lies in hypocrisy; teaching things which they ought not; leading cap

tive, and deceiving the hearts of the simple; sowing tares in the Lord's field; being the snare of a fowler in all their ways; walking in the Spirit and in falsehood; prophesying of wine and strong drink; causing the people to err through their lies and their lightness.'-That you may keep yourselves from this crimson and bloody sin, often recount that dreadful intermination, Deut. xviii. 20: The prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.'-[See also Jer. xiv. 14, 15, and xxiii. 11, 12, 15, 30, 31, 32, 39, 40. Ezek. xiii. and xxxiv. Hos. iv. 6, 9, and v. 1, and ix. 7. Mic. iii. 5, 6, 7. Mal. ii. 1, 2, 3, and viii. 9. Matth. xxiii. 13-29. 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14, 15. Gal. i. 8, 9. 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2, 3.]

4. When they make themselves the end of their preaching; making so holy an ordinance subservient to their vain glory, or ambitious pursuits, or filthy lucre, or plausible compliance, or private interests: as the Pharisees, who for a pretence made long prayers, that they might devour widows' houses;'-'supposing gain to be godliness,' as the apostle speaks: (1 Tim. vi. 5)-when they pursue crooked and indirect aims of their own, ostentation of learning, enticing words of men's wisdom, commending themselves, pleasing others; (1 Cor. ii. 4. 2 Cor. x. 12. Gal. i. 10) quite contrary to the practice of the holy apostle, who, in his function and ministry, walked not in craftiness, handled not the word of God deceitfully; (2 Cor. iv. 2) did not exhort out of uncleanness, or in guile; used not flattering words, nor a cloak of covetousness; pleased not men, nor sought glory of any;' (1 Thess. ii. 3-6) but made it his only end to please God, and by all means to save souls; to manage his master's interest, and not his own, that Christ alone might be glorified in the hearts of men: for how much soever we attribute to ourselves, so much we detract from Christ; whom the apostle makes the sole matter of his preaching.

Which leads to the positive part of our preaching, Christ Jesus the Lord;' whereby is intimated, that the Lord Jesus is both the author, the object, and the end, of all our preaching.

1. The Lord Jesus is the author and institutor of this church. How high a presumption it is for men to intrude

into a ministry without a call and warrant from God, the sad examples of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, Uzziah, the vagabond exorcists, (Acts xix. 13-16) and others, do abundantly testify. And therefore as Aaron was solemnly separated to minister to the Lord, (1 Chron. xxiii. 13) and, in like manner, Christ was called of God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedec; (Heb. v. 5, 6, 7, 10) even so were his apostles sent by him; (Matth. xxviii. 19) and by authority from him, did they ordain others unto the same service, (Acts xiv. 23) and direct the same course to be observed afterwards. (2 Tim. ii. 2. Tit. i. 5) From him then, and those whom he hath appointed, must we receive both our mission and our message. Our whole ministry we must receive in the Lord,' as it is said of Archippus, Col. iv. 17. It must be given and committed to us, before we presume to take unto ourselves the styles of ambassadors for Christ.' (2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20. John iii. 27)

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I. From him we must have our mission: for 'how shall they preach, except they be sent?' saith the apostle, Rom. x. 14. An honour must not be undertaken without a call. No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God:' (Heb. v. 4) the ministerial function is an honour, as the apostle sheweth, 1 Tim. v. 17.-A trust must not be undertaken without a call: the ministry is a trust and economy. (1 Cor. ix. 17) Great would be the disorder and confusion, great the mischief and danger, if heretics and seducers might, of their own heads, sow their tares, and subvert the souls of men; if ignorant and self-conceited men may heap up to themselves hearers; if giddy and unstable. people may run after novelties, and be carried about with divers and strange doctrines; if so honourable an office. should be exposed to contempt, and be destitute of divine. blessing and assistance, by the invasion of unqualified and worthless intruders.

A call then is necessary; and this call, though mediate and by the ministry of men, is from Christ. Pastors and teachers, who have only a mediate call, are set up by him, as well as apostles and prophets. (Ephes. iv. 11) The elders. of Ephesus, though appointed by an ordinary call, are said to be made overseers by the Holy Ghost.' (Acts xx. 28) This call is twofold, internal and external.

1. Internal, standing,

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(1.) In an evidence of fit qualifications for so weighty a work, viz. 1. Sanctity of life: which may fit and dispose for the faithful and conscionable discharge of the office, to make a man zealous for the glory of God; sensible of the interest of souls'; exemplary to the flock; able to speak experimentally of the ways of God, the devices of Satan 4, the deception of lust, the issues of temptation, the consolations of the Holy Spirit, and other the deep mysteries of salvation. 2. Soundness of doctrine, and such able parts of substantial learning, as that he may be apt to teach"; to speak a word in season ; to show a man his uprightness *; to convince gainsayers'; to use sound speech which cannot be condemned. It is not a little measure of learning which will serve to open the scriptures, to confute errors, to resolve cases, to speak with demonstration and authority to the consciences of sinners. The Lord hath been pleased to intersperse something of almost all kind of other learning, beside divine, in the scriptures:-Physick, in what is reported of beasts, birds, plants, meteors, precious stones, &c.; ethicks and politicks, in Solomon's proverbs and Ecclesiastes; logick and rhetorick, in the strong reasonings, and powerful elegancies of prophets and apostles: mathematics and architecture, in the structure of Noah's ark, and of Solomon's and Ezekiel's temple: languages, the Old Testament being written in Hebrew and Chaldee, and the New in Greek: allusions to exotick and profane history and antiquity; mythologies, parables, poetry, quotations out of profane writers. And all this to instruct us what abundance of learning is requisite unto him, who will rightly understand and divide the Word of Truth. 3. Aptness to teach; spiritual skill and wisdom to show himself a scribe instructed to the kingdom of heaven;' (Matth. xv. 32) didantixòs et ixavòs dá, as the apostle's expressions are, 1 Tim. iii. 2. 2 Tim. ii. 2.

(2.) This internal call standeth in a sincere desire, by the secret work of God on the heart, to serve him and his

church in the work of the ministry; and that not out of ambition, covetousness, or carnal affections, but out of an entire regard to the glory of God, and salvation of souls. The Apostle calleth it opes, (1 Tim. iii. 1) a willingness unto it; (1 Cor. ix. 17) an addicting one's-self unto it; (1 Cor. xvi. 15) an offering a man's self to be sent by God. (Isa. vi. 8.)

2. The external call, instituted by Christ in his Apostles, is managed by their successors, the bishops and pastors of the church; 1. In examination of the fitness of those who judge themselves thus inwardly called, by the preceding qualifications, that the office may not be invaded by ignorant or unworthy persons. (1 Tim. iii. 10) 2. In approbation; when, upon trial, men are found able, willing, apt, faithful, the church by her officers declareth them such, and giveth testimony unto them, as the Apostle doth unto Epaphras and Tychicus. (Colos. i. 7, and iv. 7)

3. In separation and solemn consecration unto the function by fasting and prayer, commending the persons so approved, unto the grace of God. (Acts xiii. 2, and 14, 23) And this done in the church-assembly, 'præsente plebe,' whose assent and testimony was anciently required; of which we read in S. Cyprian, Ep. 68. Concil. Carthag. 4. Can. 22 and in Leo, Ep. 89. Hereby the church are witnesses, and (not declaring their dissent and dissatisfaction) approvers of what is done. And it was done with the rite and ceremony of imposition of hands, (1 Tim. v. 22) as importing; 1. A dedication and devoting the person to the office. (Numb. xxvii. 18) 2. A deriving authority to administer the office. 3. An imploring the gifts, blessing, protection, custody of the Holy Spirit upon them, and commending them to the grace of God. (Acts xiv. 26) Thus from Christ, and according to his institution, ministers of the gospel have their mission.

I. From him they must receive their message. He is king in the church; and they his ambassadours, who must, from him only, receive their instructions. (2 Cor. v. 20) They must speak his words; (Ezek. ii. 7) that the church may have a proof of Christ speaking in them, (2 Cor. xiii. 3) and of the counsel of God delivered by them; (Acts xx. 27) teaching the people the things which he hath commanded,