458 THE DUTY OF A PASTOR.
perish ; we fight at hazard, for all the efficacy of the ordinances of preaching and praying doth not depend upon any thing in ourselves, — on our gifts, notions, parts, fervency, — but it depends only upon the presence of Christ. Make this your business, to pray mightily for it in the congregation, to make all these effectual.
3. Our prayers should b3 with respect unto the state and condition of the church. It is supposed he that is a minister is satisfied he hath some measure of understanding and knowledge in the mysteries of the gospel ; that he is able to conduct the best of the congregation unto salvation; that he knows their measure, their weakness, and their temptations; that he knows the times and seasons in which they are exercised and exposed, whether times of adversity or pros- perity; and, as far as possible, knows how it is with their persons. And we ought to suit our prayers according to all we know concern- ing them, and be satisfied in it that Christ himself will come in to recover them who are fallen, to establish them who stand, to heal them who do backslide, to strengthen them who are tempted, to en- courage them who are running and pressing forward to perfection, to relieve them who are disconsolate and in the dark : and we have of all these sorts in our churches. And our prayers should be for a communication of supplies unto them continually, in all these cases.
Thirdly. It is incumbent on men who are pastors and teachers of churches, to preserve the truth and doctrine of the gospel, that is committed to the church, — to keep it entire, and defend it against all opposition. See the weighty words wherewith the apostle gives this in charge unto Timothy, 1 Tim. vi. 20, " 0 Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust;" and 2 Tim. i. 14, " That good thing" (r^v xaXriv Kapaxaradyxriv, — that good depositum, that good treasure) " that is committed to thee keep by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in us." This charge is~given to all of us who are ministers, " Keep the truth, that good, that blessed thing." " It is," saith the apostle, " the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust," 1 Tim. i. 11. And it is committed to all our trust; and we are to keep it against all opposition. The church is the ground and pillar of truth, to hold up and declare the truth, in and by its ministers. But is that all? No ; the church " is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men," Cant. iv. 4. The ministers of the gospel are shields and bucklers to defend the truth against all adversaries and opposers. The church hath had thousands of bucklers and shields of mighty men, or else the truth had been lost. They are not only to declare it in the preaching of the gospel ; but to defend and preserve it against all opposition, — to hold up the shield and buckler of faith against all opposers.
THE DUTY OF A PASTOR. 459
But what is required hereunto'?
1. There is required a clear apprehension in ourselves of those doctrines and truths which we are so to defend. Truth may be lost by weakness as well as by wickedness : if we have not a full appre- hension of the truth, and that upon its own proper grounds and prin- ciples, we shall never be able to defend it. This is to be attained by all ways and means, — by the use, especially, of diligent prayer and study, — so that we may be able to stop the mouth of gainsayers.
2. There is required love of the truth. We shall never contend earnestly for the truth, we shall never " buy it and not sell it," what- ever we know of it, unless our love and value of it arise from a sense and experience of it in our own souls. I fear there is much loss of truth, not for want of light, knowledge, and ability, but for want of love.
I have the advantage of most here present in this, that I know the contest we had for the truths of the gospel before our troubles began, and was an early person engaged in them; and knew those godly ministers that did contend for them as for their lives and souls, and that all the opposition that was made against them was never able to discourage them. What were these doctrines? — the doctrines of eternal predestination, effectual conversion to God, and the obdura- tion of wicked reprobates by the providence of God. These truths are not lost for want of skill, but for want of love. We scarce hear one word of them ; we are almost ashamed to mention them in the church ; and he that doth it will be sure to expose himself to public obloquy and scorn : but we must not be ashamed of truth. Formerly we could not meet with a godly minister, but the error of Arminian- ism was looked upon by him as the ruin and poison of the souls of men : such did tremble at it, — wrote and disputed against it. But now it is not so; the doctrine of the gospel is owned still, though little taken notice of by some among ourselves, the love of it being greatly decayed, — the sense and the power of it almost lost. But we have got no ground by it; we are not more holy, more fruitful, than we were in the preaching those doctrines, and attending diligently unto them.