Not

faith in the death, burial and resurrection of him, in whom they believed. The ministers of Christ are here commanded to teach the saints "all the counsel of God" revealed in his word; and as an encouragement, he promised them his presence to the end of the world. withstanding these orders are so plain, yet many have endeavoured, from age to age, to prove that ministers ought to be confined within the limits of a town or parish. I believe if some who pretend to preach had what they merit, they would be confined to a smaller cirele than a town or parish; for they would be confined to some other business.

MODERN.

Go ye therefore into a town where there is no settled minister, and read piety and morality to all who come where you are; sprinkling their children in the room of circumcision, in the name of the Trinity, teaching them that the commands of Christ are not essential; and lo, rich worldly men will be with you as long as you live. Amen. HOW different is this modern text

from the ancient one! yet this is an exact description of the clergy in our day. After they have received their commission, (or license) from those who make such ministers, they set out in pursuit of a vacant parish, or town, with their morality in their saddle-bags; when employed by the town, they read over their rules of piety and morality to the people, whether they are asleep or awake. When any thing is mentioned concerning baptism, they read a discourse shewing that infant baptism came in the room of circumcision, and is a seal of the covenant; and as there is no proof of it in the scriptures, the people take their word for it, if they please! Their method of evading the commands of Christ, is, to do as all other rebels do; that is, to say Christ's commands are not essential. In so doing, the chief men of the city receive him, and oblige the poor to support him for life.

ANCIENT.

Withal, praying for us, that God would open a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.

Col. iv. 3.

THIS passage of scripture shews that even the Apostles, who had such great manifestations of divine things, stood in need of the prayers of the saints; not being sufficient to think any thing of themselves. They considered the gospel a mystery, and that they knew it only in part, and were suffering even unto bonds while they were preaching it unto sinful men.-If the Apostles needed the prayers of their brethren, surely the ministers of Jesus need the prayers of the saints. One of this sort was complained of for not preaching so well as he once did; he owned it, and told his brethren that the reason of it was, "that he had lost his prayer book." They asked him if he used one? he told them that the prayers of his brethren was the prayer book, which he had enjoyed for many years, and that if they could procure that for him again, he had no doubt but he should preach as well as ever.

MODERN.

Withal,praying for us, that the town would open unto us the door of the meeting-house, that we may speak the mystery of iniquity, which we are at liberty by law to do.

THIS text intimates that unconverted ministers ask their unconverted brethren to pray for them though it is not very common; when they do, they pray to the town, or court, that individuals or the town may be obliged to do that which they do not think the scripture commands them. They are sometimes heard to pray for themselves; their prayer is generally this, "that God would direct them to a suitable portion of his word, and enable them rightly to divide the word of truth:" and at the same time it is all divided, and wrote down, and must come from their notes whether their is force enough in it to reach the hearers or not. What they generally deliver is the mystery of iniquity, described in these words, "do as well as you can, and all will be well:" this is what the laws of men allow them to do.

ANCIENT.

The Elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an Elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God

which is among you; taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being Lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples of the flock; and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive, a crown of glory which fadeth not away, 1 Peter, v. 1, 2, 3, 4.

IN this ancient text are several things worthy of notice.--The first is the name given to Christ's ministers, which is ELDER. The words Elder, Bishop, and Overseer, all mean one thing. They signify one, appointed to take care of that which belongs to another: Paul says, "feed the flock of God which he has purchased with his own blood." These elders had no command of the churches. The elders belonged to the churches, and not the churches to them. They considered themselves servants of the churches, and not masters. They took the oversight of them, and their work was to feed the flock of God, that is, to instruct them from the word of God, taking the oversight out of love to Christ and his flock;