Secondly, To the ministers of the gospel. You see, brethren, yovn- calling ; lot it be your care to comport with this your honourable employment.
CHAPTER XIV.
now MINISTCKS saOULO DO THE DUTY OT A.MUASSADORS.
Stain not the dignity of your office by any base unworthy practices. O lay not the dignity of your function in the dirt by any sordid, unholy actions ! Paul magnified his office ; do not you do that which should make others vilify and de- base it : that which makes others bad, will make you worse : ' Have not 1 choseji you twelve, and one of 3011 is a devil ?' John vi. 70. You are called angels, hut if wicked, you become devils. We read of a ' prophet's reward, ' Matt. x. 1 1 , which amounts to more tlian a private disciple's; and do you not think tliere will be a prophet's punishment in hell, as well as reward in heaven ? One saith, If any were born without original sin, it should be the minister ; if any could live without actual sin, it shoukl be the minister ; if there were such a thing as a venial sin, it should be in the minister : they are more the servants of God than others, should not they then be more holy than others? Art thou fit to be an ambassador who art not a good subject — to be a minister who art not a good Cin-istian? Secondly, Keep close to thy instructions. Ambassadors are bound up by their commission what they are to say ; be sure, therefore, to take thy errand right before thou ascendest the pulpit to deliver it. ' I have received of the Lord that which I delivered to you.' God says to the prophet, — ' Hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me,' Ezek. iii. 17. It must be from him, or it is not right. Take heed thou dost not set the royal stamp upon thy own base metal. Come not to thy people with, 'Thus saith the Lord,' when it is the divination of thy own brain. There is no lie so base as that which is told in the pulpit ; and as thou must not speak what he never gave thee in connnission, so thou must not conceal what thou hast in command to deliver. It is as danger- ous to blot out, as put in anything to our message. Job comforted himself with this, that he had 'not concealed the words of the Holy One,' chap. vi. 10. And Paul from this washeth his hands from the blood of all, — ' I am pure from the blood of all men ; for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God,' Acts XX. 26, 27. Pray observe, he doth not say he had declared all the counsel of God; no, who can, but God himself? The same apostle saith, ' We prophesy but in part.' There are in the Scriptures mysteries that were never yet fully discovered ; we cannot declare all, who know not all. But he saith, ' He shunned not to declare all.' When he met a truth, he did not step back to shun it. The holy apostle was not afraid to speak what he knew to be the mind of God ; as he had it from God, so should they from him ; he did not keep back in his preaching what was profitable for them to know. Caleb (one of the spies sent to Canaan) could not give them a full account of every parti- cular place in the land, but he made the best observation he could, and then brought Moses word again, ' as it was in his heart,' Josh. xiv. 7 ; while others basely concealed what they knew, because they had no mind to the journey ; and this gained him the testimony from God's own mouth, to be a man that followed him fully. Numb. xiv. 24. So he that doth his utmost to search the Scripture, and then brings word to the people, as it is in his heart, preaching what he hath learnt from it, without garbling his conscience, and detaining what he knows, for fear or favour, this is the man that fulfils his ministry, and shall have the eulogium of a faithful servant. Thirdly, Think it not enough that thou deliverest thy message from God, but show a zeal for thy Master. Shoidd an ambassador, after finding his errand coolly received, give himself up to the pleasures of the court where he is resident, and not much care how his master's business succeeds, it could not be said that he had done his duty as a faithful servant; no, his head and heart must be both at work, to put life into the business, and bring it to the desired issue. Abraham's servant would neither eat iu)r drink till he saw which way his message worked, and how they would deal with his master. Thus should ministers let those they are sent to see that they arc in earnest, and that their hearts arc deeply engaged in their embassy. When their people shew respect lo their persons, they are to let them know
g04, AN AMBASSADOU IN BONDS,