Second place, to enquire how a people thould make it appear that they were acting upon these designs in their calling a gospel minifter. This enquiry might be understood either to refpect their own fatisfaction, or the fatisfaction of the world, or of the minifter himself, as to this matter; but time not allowing us to be fo particular, we shall hold the enquiry in the general, and in anfwer to it we fay...

1. A people should discover their designs to be fuch as we have mentioned, by a punctual attendance upon all the ordinances, to be by him difpenfed in public or private. Thus we fee it was with Cornelius; he not only waited on himfelf, but he called together thefe on whom he had any influence. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinfmen and near friends, Acts x. 24. Thefe who will not give attendance to the public difpenfation of the word, and the private inftructions, either family or perfonal, but withdraw, we cannot think these per fons had the right end before them in calling a gospel minifter: furely had they been right in their aims, they would have been ready to fay with Cornelius, We are all here prefent, etc.

2. They fhould not only prefent their bodies upon fuch occafions, but they fhould fift them. felves as in God's fight, to hear all things whatever are commanded of God by his fervants. We are all here prefent, fays Cornelius to Peter, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. ver. 33. To give attendance to the ordinances, either more public or private, on any other defign than this, is to offer the facrifice of fools, contrary to that injunction of the wife man, Ecclef. v. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goeft to the house of

God,

に

God, and be more ready to hear than to give the facrifice of fools. When we are come to God's ordinances, we must come to hear what he speaks

to us.

3. They fhould evidence the honefty of their defigns, by obeying the word which they hear at his mouth; they fhould comply with all the commands of God, and fay to their minifter as the people of Ifrael faid to Mofes, Deut. v. 27. Go thou near and hear all that the Lord our God fhall fay, and fpeak thou unto us all that the Lord our God fhall fpeak unto thee, and we will hear it and do it. For as the apostle James, well obferves, It is not the bearer of the word but the doer who is bleffed of God, James i. 25. As we muft hear and do, fo our attendance must not be limited, but our ear must be opened to reproofs, and the moft terrible denunciations of wrath from God, as well as to the fweet promifes and charming difcoveries of the glory of Chrift, the beauties of religi on, the furprizing happiness of the faints in heayen; and there muft not only be obedience to thefe commands which may bring in honour, external gain and pleafure by our compliance, but thefe alfo must be obeyed, which may bring us under the lafh of wicked mens tongues, and expofe us to reproach, hazard and ignominy in the world. All things whatever are commanded of God must be punctually obeyed without referve.

4. There must be a fubmitting to all the ordinances of God. Both this obedience and fubmiffion you will find fpoken of, Heb. xiii. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourfelves, for they watch for your fouls, as those who must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for this is unprofitable

for

for you. The word rendered obey, fignifies properly a believing upon perfuafion, and refpects our belief of the truths propofed by them, and a compliance with our duty that way; and on the other hand this fubmiffion has a refpect to the power they have over their people for edification and not for deftruction, that is, that authority they have for admonishing, reproving, rebuking, and cenfuring offenders; and by a fubmiffion to them in the difpenfation of thefe ordinances of Chrift, reproof and cenfure I mean, they are to evidence to all the uprightness and christian sincerity of their defigns.

5. They are to evidence their defigns to be juftifiable by a careful diligence in applying to their minister upon all occafions; when they are under difficulties, when they are in the dark as to duty, when they have to do with corruptions which they cannot get mastered, when under the Lord's hand, and fo of all other exigencies of the like. nature. For as the priest's lips fhould preferve or keep knowlege, fo the people fhould ask the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hofts, Mal. ii. 7. And thefe who are sick, are bid fend for the elders or minifter of the church to pray over them. Jam. v. 14. Thefe who have the advantage of a gofpel minifter, are indifpenfably obliged to acquaint him with the ftate of their fouls, when there is any thing peculiar in it, and when they are reduced to any strait or extremity; and that, 1. Because God has laid it upon them as a duty in that forecited Mal. ii. 7. The people fhould ask the law at his mouth. 2. Becaufe otherwife he will be at a lofs in his bringing meffages to you, if he mistake your cafe, or be unacquainted with it; how can he direct you if

he

he underftand not your state and condition? The Lord gives no immediate revelation now, we have no warrant to expect any fuch thing; and therefore, the way wherein minifters ordinarily come to understand their people's condition, is by themfelves, who upon this ground are called to have recourfe to their minifters. 3. They fhould ac-` quaint their minifters with their circumftances, because they are the people's mouth to God; and if they be not acquainted with the circumftances and condition of the flock, how fhall they, ac cording to their duty, hold up the cafe of their people to God, as they are indifpenfibly obliged to do, and that both in public, and fecret, and private?

6. Once more, and we have done, a people may, and should prove their intentions honeft, by a diligent application to their own proper work and bufinefs, with refpect to his furtherance in thefe great defigns. Every member of the congregation fhould be helpful to him, in contributing their utmost assistance to him in his work. A minister may spend his ftrength in vain, if elders in their place, mafters of families in theirs, and every particular perfon in his ftation, do not join by prayer and otherwife, in affifting their minifters. Then do men appear fincere in their defigns, for the glory of God, and their own falvation, when every one puts to his hand to the work, and endeavours the removal of what may retard and obftruct its progrefs and fuccefs; and likewife ftudies by all means to ftrengthen the minifter's hands, that he may not be difcouraged, diverted, or taken off from his work. In fine, then do a people appear fingle in their aims, when their words, their hearts, their hands, go

one

one way, and all they do is levelled at the ends mentioned, the glory of God, in the converfion, edification, and falvation of fouls. I proceed now Thirdly. To enquire into the reasons of the doctrine, why a faithful gospel minifter coming amongst a people, will be careful to understand their defign or intent in calling him. And,

1. This will be the defire of a gospel minifter, because a mistake in this matter will be of very dangerous confequence to the people. That people may be influenced by wrong and finiftrous ends and motives in this matter, is beyond all peradventure. They may defign the gratification of their itching ears by the preacher's gifts, as the prophet Ezekiel's hearers did; they may feek the gofpel ordinances for a charm as it were, that they may fit down and reft upon them, as manypeople do, like thefe with whom the prophet Jeremiah had to do, who faid, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. Or they may design the ftrengthening of factions and parties; or to get occafion to mock, as many do now in our days. Thefe and the like finiftrous defigns may a people go upon: and there can be nothing more prejudicial to a people than to be under the influence of fuch intentions; fince, paft all peradventure, God will not fit with fuch an affront as is done him by this means, when that ordinance of the miniftry, which he designed for the good of fouls, and his glory, is proftitute and made fubfervient to quite different, nay, opposite designs: and furely a faithful gofpel minister, who will have a tender regard to the falvation of his people, cannot choofe but be folicitous to understand that they are not in fo dangerous a miftake.

2. The knowlege of this will be of great use to

clear