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," A&s x. 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, Eccl. v. 1. "Keep thy foot when thou goeft to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the facrifice of fools." When we come to God's ordinances, we must come to hear what he Speaks to us.

v. 27.

3. They should evidence the honefty of their designs, by obeying the word which they hear at his mouth; they fhould comply with all the commands of Ged, and fay to their minifter, as the people of Ifrael faid to Mofes, Deut. "Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God thall 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 hearer of the word, but the doer who is bleffed of God," James i. 25. As we must hear and do, fo our attendance must not be limited, but our ear must be opened to reproofs, and the most terrible denunciations of wrath from God, as well as to the fweet promifes and charming difcoveries of the glory of Chrift, the beauties of religion, the furprising happinefs of the faints in heaven; and there muft not only be obedience to thefe commands, which may bring in honour, external gain, and pleasure, by our compliance, but thefe alfo must be obeyed, which may bring us under the lafh of wicked men's tongues, and expofe us to reproach, hazard, and ignominy, in the world. All things whatsoever 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 thofe who must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for this is unpro fitable for you." The word rendered obey, fignifies pro. perly a believing upon perfuafion, and refpects our belief of the truths propofed by them, and a compliance with

our

our duty that way; and, on the other hand, this fubmiffion has a respect to the power they have over their people for edification, and not for destruction; that is, that authority they have for admonishing, reproving, rebuking, and cenfuring offenders; and by a fubmiflion to them in the difpenfation of these ordinances of Chrift, reproof and cenfure, I mean, they are to evidence to all the uprightness and Chriftian fincerity of their defigus.

5. They are to evidence their defigns to be justifiable, by a careful diligence in applying to their minifter upon all accafions; 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 so of all other exigencies of the like natare. For as the "prieft's lips fhould preferve or keep knowledge, fo the people fhould ask the law at his mouth, for he is the meffenger of the Lord of hofts," Mal. ii. 7. And these who are fick, are bid "fend for the elders or minifters of the church to pray over them," James v. 14. Thofe who have the advantage of a gofpel-minifter, are indifpenfibly 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 ftrait or extremity. And that, 1. Because God has laid it open to them as a duty, in that fore-cited Mal. ii. 7. "The people fhould afk the law at his mouth." 2. Because otherwife he will be at a loss in his bringing meffages to you, if he mistake your cafe, or be unacquainted with it; how can he direct you, if he understand not your state and condition? The Lord gives no immediate revelation now, we have no war. rant 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 acquaint their minifters with their circumftances, because they are the people's mouth to God? and if they be not acquainted with the circumstances and conditions of the flock, how fhall they, according to their du ty, hold up the cafe of their people to God, as they are indifpenfibly obliged to do, and that both in public, in fecret, and in private.

6. Once more, and we have done: A people may and

fhould

fhould prove their intentions honeft, by a diligent application to their own proper work and bufinefs, with refpect to his furtherance in these great defigns. Every member of the congregation should be helpful to him, in contributing their utmost affiftance to him in his work. A minifter may spend "his ftrength in vain," if elders in in their place, mafters of families in theirs, and every particular perfon in his ftation, do not join, by prayer and otherwife, in affifling 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 obAtruct 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 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 inquire into the reasons of the doctrine, why a faithful gofpel-minifter coming amongst a people, will be careful to understand their defign or intent in calling him. And,

I. 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 seek the gospelordinances for a charm as it were, that they may fit down and rest upon them, as many people do, like thofe with whom the prophet Jeremiah had to do, who faid, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are thefe." Or they may design the firengthening of factions and parties, or to get occafion to mock, as many do now in our days. These 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, past all peradventure, God will not fit with fuch an affront as is done him by this means, when the ordinance of the min

ftry, which he defigned for the gocd of fouls, and his glory, is prostituted, and made fubfervient to quite different, nay, oppofite defigns: and furely a faithful gospelminifter, who will have a tender regard to the falvation of his people, cannot chufe but be folicitous to understand that they are not in fo dangerous a mistake.

2. The knowledge of this will be of great use to clear his call. It is a great evidence that God defigns good to a people when they call a gofpel.minifter upon fuch de. figns; and cannot but go a great length towards his fatis. faction as to God's calling him to work among them, in order to the compaffing the great defigns of his miniftry. When Peter got the account before fpoken of from Cornelius, he is further confirmed as to the hand of God in his coming to him, in compliance with his defire.

3. If upon inquiry they be found to be fuch as we have mentioned, it will be a great comfort to him, in grappling with the difficulties he may meet with in the discharge of his duty. It will give a great deal of fatisfaction to him, to know that thofe for whofe fakes he runs those hazards, and grapples with thefe difficulties, have the fame aims, and are joining in the fame defign with him. In fine, the right management of his whole work depends very much upon this knowledge of his people's intentions; and therefore it is no wonder he be inquifitive into them, fince by his acquaintance with these he may be capacitated to further both his own and their falvations.

We might, for improvement of this point, difcourse to you at length of the neceflity of a gofpel-minifter's inquiring into his own defigns in undertaking the charge of a people. The arguments made ufe of to difcover the reasonablene fs of inquiring after the people's defigne, conclude no lefs ftrongly with refpect to the minifter's. We might likewife difcourfe to you of the way how he is to manifest the integrity and fincerity of his aims; but time will not allow us to enter upon these things, and you heard the minifter's duty fo fully and largely difcourfed of within these few days, viz. at the ordination, that we judge it needless to enter upon that fubje&t; and therefore all the improvement we defign, of what has been faid, fhall be dispatched in a fhort addrefs to you of this congregation.

You have called me to labour among you in the work of

the

the gofpel; upon your call I have come; I ask therefore to what intent fent ye for me? What did ye defign in this matter? Was it to hear what God has to lay to you, that God's worship may be ordered according to his own appointment, that you may be brought to acquaintance with Chrift, or that you may be eftablished in his ways? Were thefe and the like the defigns you had in view? Were these the motives that influenced you? If you narrowly look into your own heart, and make an impartial inquiry, you may readily come to understand what your aims have been ; and for your help, I would only, in God's name, pofe your confciences with a queftion or two, that may be of ufe. 1. Dare you, without heart-condemning, as in the fight of God, fay, that in calling a minifter you had refpect to the command of God? Was it duty that moved you, or did custom and your own ease, influence you? 2. Dare you hold up your faces and fay, that it was a taste of God's goodness in ordinances, that made you defire them, that you might grow thereby? 3. Did this defire lead you much to the throne of grace to pray for a minifter, that God might fend you one according to his own heart, that might feed you with knowledge and understanding?" 4. When you faw any profpect of the return of your prayers, as to a gofpel-miniftry, were you careful to plead that the bleffing might come along? What fay ye to these things? Give God, give con. fcience justice; let confcience speak freely, and tell whether things be fo or not. They muft either own, that there was not a regard to the command, that there was not a defire after the fincere milk of the word, occafioned by a taste of the Lord's gooduefs, that there was not that ferious application to God by prayer, either for a minifter, or for the bleffing of the ordinance; or that there was; and this will caft you all into two claffes. 1ft, Thofe who have not been fo employed in this matter, and confequently have not been acting for right ends. And, 2dly, Those who have been bufied in duty, in the way just now mentioned. To each of the fe a word. And,

ift, As for you who have not had a regard to your duty in this matter, who have not been wrestling with God in prayer, that God might fend you a minifter, with the fulness of the bleffing of the gospel, to you we fay,

C

1. Your