pie up to lieaven ; we could Letter spare the sun out of its orb, than the preaching of the gospel out of the church. Souls might find the way to heaven, though the sun did not lend them its light ; but without the light of truth, they cannot take one step I'ight toward it : work ' while ye have light,' John xii. 36. The work of salvation cannot be done by the candle-light of a natural understand- ing, but by the sun-light of the gospel revelation ; this sun must rise, before man can go forth to this labour. Thirdly, It is in God's })ower to preserve the liberty of his gospel and messengers, in spite of the devil and his instru- ments; therefore, indeed, Paul sends them, not to court, to beg his liberty, but to heaven : God had Nero a closer prisoner than he had Paul : ' Behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it,' Rev. iii. 8. At Ephesus were many adversaries, yet the door Avas kept open ; Christ carries the keys of the church-door at his girdle : ' He that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth,' Rev. iii. 7. * The key of the house of David,' Isa. xxii. 22. The church is Christ's house, and the Master will keep the key of his own door. Fourthly, Prayer hath a mighty power with God to presei-ve or restore liberty to his gospel and messengers ; it hath fetched home his servants from banishment, it hath brought them out of their dungeon ; the prison could not hold Peter, when the church was at prayer for him. It hath had a mighty in- fluence in the church's affairs, when at the lowest ebb. It Avas a sad world to the church in Nero's time, when Paul set the saints to pray for kings, and those that were in authority; which prayers, though they were not answered in Nero, yet I doubt not but afterward they were in Constantine, and other christian princes, under whose royal wing the church of Christ was cherished and pro- tected. Lastly, Pray for the liberty, because when the gospel goes away, it goes not alone, but carries your other mercies with it. Where the minister hath not liberty to preach the truth, the people will not long have liberty to ])rofess it ; nor can that place expect long to enjoy its outward peace : when God removes his gospel, it is to make way for worse company, even all his sore plagues and judgments, Jer. vi. 8.
Section IV. — Secondly, When the apostle desires utterance to be given him, lie means, that he may have a word given him to preach ; according to that which Christ promiseth, Matt. x. 19 : 'It shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.' First, Note, that ministers have no ability of their own for their work. O, how long may they sit tumbling their books over, and puzzling their brains, until God comes to their help ! and then (as Jacob's venison) it is brought to their hand. If God drop not down his assistance, we write with a pen that hath no ink ; if any one need walk dependently upon God more than another, the minister is he. Secondly, Observe, that those who are most eminent for gifts and grace, have meanest thoughts of themselves, and are ac- quainted most with their own insufficiency. Paid himself is not ashamed to let Christians know that if God brings it not in to him, he cannot deal out to them ; he cannot speak a word to them, till he receives it from God. ' Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament,' 2 Cor. iii. 5, () : he is the able minister whom God enables. Thirdly, Observe the meanest Christian may, by his faithful prayers, help to make the minister's sermon for him : ' Pray,' saith the apostle, 'that utterance may be given me;' that I may have from God what I should deliver to others. O, what a useful instrument is a praying Christian ! He may not only help his own minister, but others, all the world over. Paul was now at Rome and sends for prayers as far as Ephesus.
Section V. — Thirdly, By ' utterance' he may mean a faculty of speech, a readiness and facility to deliver to others what he hath been enabled to conceive in his own mind of the will of God. Many eminent servants of God have been very sensible of, and much discouraged in consequence of, their deficiency of speech, and imperfect delivery. Now, this may proceed from a natural cause, or supernatural. First, From a natural cause; as, 1. From a defect in the instruments of speech, which some think was the cause of Moses's complaint, Exod. iv. 10 : 'I am not eloquent,' but ' slow of speech ;' and this discouraged him from being sent on God's errand. But God can make up for the imperfec- tion of the tongue with the Divine power of the matter delivered : thus Moses,
WQ/» THAT UTTERANCE MAV BE GIVEN TO ME.