THE

MISSIONARY CHARTER;

OR,

MESSIAH'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE FIRST MISSIONARIES, BEING THE GROUND-WORK OF THE FOLLOWING ORATIONS.

MATTHEW, CHAP. X. VER. 5-42.

THESE twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses; nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; (for the workman is worthy of his meat.) And into whatsoever in it is worthy; and

city or town ye shall enter, inquire who there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver the brother to death, and the father the child: ar the children shall rise up

B

8

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against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: For verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house-tops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against the mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

FOR

MISSIONARIES

AFTER THE

APOSTOLICAL SCHOOL.

THE OCCASION AND METHOD OF THE ORATIONS.

MEN, BRETHREN, AND FATHERS,

of that

er before a

Society

form, is

Ir hath never been my lot to be present on The nature occasions like this, so as to gather for myself, duty which and the labours of my ministry have hindered me the Preach from going about to learn of others, what is the Missionary use and wont, and common expectation connec- hath to perted with the annual discourses, which are preached before the guardians and friends of the Missionary Cause; so that I stand up, inexperienced and ignorant, to attempt a work from which able ministers have shrunk back abashed, and to which the ablest within the land have approached with fear and trembling. It is, therefore, no less necessary for the re-assurance of my own mind, than it is expedient for the edification of this enlightened and spiritual convocation (if, indeed, I may hope without presumption to edify such), that I should meditate beforehand the nature of the office which I have undertaken; what is the measure of my responsibility to Christ the head of the Church; and to the venerable Society which hath intrusted me with this charge; and what is the nature of my commission to the, multitude now assembled to hear what I shall speak.

not to eu

logize the

rate the

The high and seated dignity which this Soservices, ciety hath attained in the judgment of the Christian church, and the weighty and wellearned reputation which it hath obtained, not in Christendom alone, but over the widest bounds of the habitable earth, relieve its advocate from the dangerous office of eulogy and panegyric, which he may safely leave to the isles and the inhabitants thereof, to the wilderness and the cities thereof, to the villages which Kedar doth inhabit, and to the tenants of the rock." Its labours also, and nor to nar- the labours of its servants, on every foreign proceedings; shore, its blessed toil among the barbarous people with the fruits thereof, the sufferings and deaths of its true and trusty messengers, or their return in godly triumph, attended with the spoils of idolatry and crowned with the olive crown of peace, their gifts of tongues, and their interpretations of tongues, all the pious rehearsal of its story, with the pleasing task of justifying, approving, and applauding its various proceedings, he may likewise decline to touch, as rightfully belonging to another place and to another meeting, expressly set apart for that more secular end. Holy assemblies, like counsel and this, which are opened and concluded with office- praise and prayer, and wherein a minister of members of the blessed Gospel is called to discourse from

but to

instruct the

bearers and

the Word of God, before the Patrons, Presidents, Guardians, Office-bearers and Friends of the Missionary Cause, ought to be taken up with higher and more sacred discourse than the

praising of men, or the upholding of man's imperfect works. The preacher hath before him the spiritual counsellors of the heathen, the propagators of the faith of Christ; who, being conscious of their insufficiency for such a trust, and knowing how they are liable to decay, and fail under the difficulties of spiritual work, if not refreshed from the everlasting fountain of life and truth, judge it wise (and most wise surely it is,) to select from the churches ordained ministers of Christ, who may discourse to them freely and largely upon the cause which they have set their hearts and strengthened their hands to carry forward. For such an end they place him in the chair of verity, and put into his hands the oracles of God, and without let or hinderance or instructions of any kind, they say, Brother, as thou hast freely received, to us freely bestow of the gift that is given unto thee.

burdensome

Now, at any time, it is a high commission which is a for a frail mortal to publish the Gospel of difficult and Christ, and he should seek for his soul every trust. pious help; but to counsel the counsellors, to judge the judges, and prophesy to one of the great witnesses of the church, is an overwhelming duty, whose approach I have long dreaded, as of a mountain-billow which threatened to overwhelm my scarce sea-worthy bark; and now that it is at hand I scarce can summon strength to face it, or know how to steer through it safely. God be my help! I have hardly proved the armour of this warfare, before