SERM.

I. First, I will take notice of the unhappy VI. Man, by whofe Apoftacy and Death the Vacancy was made.

II. Secondly, I fhall confider the Manner,

and Method which the Apoftles made use of
to fill
his Place. And,

up

III. Thirdly, I fhall give you what Account I can learn of the Saint, upon whom the Election fell.

And these Heads, with fome practical Inferences as I go along, will be a proper Improvement of the present Solemnity.

I. First, I fhall take notice of the unhappy Man, by whofe Apoftacy and Death the Vacancy was made. And in doing this, St Peter fhall be my Guide; who opens the Way for the Election and Ordination of a new Apostle, by a Notification of the dreadful Fall, and Death of the old one. Men and Brethren, (faith he) the Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghoft by the Mouth of David, Spake before concerning Judas, which was Guide to them that took Jefus: For he was numbered with us, and had obtained Part of the Minikry: Now this Man purchased a Field with

K 3

SEK M. with the Reward of Iniquity, and falling headVI. long, be burft afunder in the midft, and all his Bowels gufbed out. And it was known unto all the Dwellers in Jerufalem; infomuch as, that Field is called in their proper Tongue, ACELDAMA, that is to fay, The Field of Blood, ver. 16-19. Now from hence we learn, that the Apostle (whofe Place the Saint of this Day was chofen to fupply) was the Apostle Judas. But it appears by the Catalogue given by St Luke, firft in his Gospel, Luke vi. 16. and then here in the Acts, that, there were two of that Name among the Twelve, one of which, our English Tranflation calls the Brother of fames (who is elsewhere called Thaddeus) Matt. x. 3. the other is diftinguished by the Title of Ifcariot; Mark iii. 19. The latter of the two is here fpoken of, who was thus diftinguifhed (as it is probably thought) from the Place of his Nativity: Ifcariot fignifying in the Hebrew Language, a Man of Kerioth, which was anciently a City in the Tribe of Judah. This Man our Lord thought fit to call, to be one of his moft intimate Disciples, to advance him even to the Honour of an Apostle, and to impower and

1

*He fhould rather be called the Son of James. See WHISTON'S Sermons and Effays, p. 194

commiffion

commiffion him, to preach and work Mira- SER M. cles equally with the reft. He was numbered VI. (faith St Peter) with us (the Apostles) and had obtained Part of the Ministry. And yet we find, from all the Accounts of him in the Gospel, that he was a Man of ill Principles, and wicked Designs, charged by St John with being a Thief, John xii. 6. and branded by our Bleffed Lord himself with no better, a Title, than that of Devil. Have I not (faith he) chofen you twelve? and one of you is a Devil; ch. vi. 70. A Devil indeed, as he afterwards proved, a Satan, a Tempter to the worst of Evils! He barters for his Lord, and betrays. him to his Enemies! He heads the Party, conducts the Officers, and fees him delivered fafe into their Hands! He was Guide to them that took Jefus !

Now this Difpofition and Temper of Mind, the Holy Jefus (who needed not that any should testify of Man, because he himself knew what was in Man) John ji. 25. faw in him when first he chose him. He knew from the Beginning, who they were that believed not, and who fhould betray him; ch. vi. 64. And yet our Lord, paffing by thoufands, whom he knew to have honester and better Hearts, chufes this Judas, this Thief, this Devil, to be one of his

SERM. few and intimate Followers; takes him into a VI. Fellowship of his Doctrine and Powers, fends

him forth to preach the Doctrine, and Kingdom of Chrift, which, for any thing we know, he performed with as much Earneftness, Zeal, and Succefs, as the best and holiest of all the Difciples.

Our Lord had. probably, many fecret and deep Defigns unknown to us, that moved, and influenced him to make this Choice: But there is one obvious Inftruction, which it affords to us all viz. It fhews, that there may be bad Servants in Chrift's own Family; and, that the Wickedness of an Officer does not vacate his Commiffion, nor render his Office ufelefs and ineffectual. The Unworthiness of a Minister, hinders not the End propofed by his Miniftration: The Efficacy of the Ordinance about which he is employed, not depending upon the Quality of the Perfon, but upon the Bleffing which God has entailed upon the Inftitution. So that, the fame Obfervance is certainly due to the Ministers of Chrift, which is generally paid to the Minifters, or Ambafiadors of earthly Princes. If the Deportment and Behaviour of an earthly Embaffador fink ever fo much below his Character; yet, that Behaviour by no means eva

cuates

cuates the Power of his Commiffion, or nulls s E R M. what he does in his Mafter's Name. It is VI. just the fame with the Minifters of Chrift, who are now the Embaffadors of God in Chrift's ftead, 2 Cor. v. 20. Such a Minister, at the laft Day, will certainly be accountable for the Wickednefs of his Life, and without doubt will undergo a feverer Punishment, for having been a Stumbling-Block, instead of a good and laudable Example, to the People to whom his Mafter fent him. But the People notwithstanding, muft anfwer for the Neglect of his Ministry and Preaching, which were never the less to be attended to, because he did not lead a Life suitable to them. For though the Wickedness of his Life may render him. one of the worft of Men; yet it by no means proves that he is a falfe Teacher. For as the Water is the fame and as full of Refreshment, whether it be a leaden Pipe, or a golden one that conveys it, and as a Jewel fuffers nothing in it's Luftre and Worth, because it is laid up in a wooden Cafket; fo neither are the Doctrines or Ordinances of Christ, ever the less the Power of God to Salvation, to those that believe and embrace them, because fome Failings, or even Vices, may attend Perfons who preach and administer them.

But