believers are a " holy priesthood* :" and all of them " are begotten of God by the word of truth, that they may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures1." But it is "by the Holy Ghost that they are sanctified," even by his Almighty opera- tion on their souls : " He sanctifies them wholly, in body, soul, and spirit"1;" and thus renders them altogether "accept- able to God, by Jesus Christ"."]
But though this office was assigned to Paul in the first instance, yet we hesitate not to affirm, II. The acceptableness of it, by whomsoever exe- cuted—
We mean not to say, that any one at this day is to arrogate to himself the apostolic office : that has long since passed away ; nor can be revived, without a special revelation from heaven. But preachers to men, and priests to God, we may all be ; though some in a more subordinate sense than others.
We may all labour for the conversion of the Gentile
world —
[Some of us may engage in that holy work in our own persons : and a nobler or more honourable vocation cannot be exercised on earth. Christians, in general, have by no means such exalted notions of the missionary office as they ought to have. Even those who look up with reverence to stated ministers who superintend one particular charge, are apt to regard a missionary as a sort of vagrant, that occupies a very subordinate office in the Church of God. But the very reverse of this is true. The missionary approximates far more to the apostolic office ; and is elevated in honour above the stationary minister, in proportion as his self-denial is greater and his work more arduous. And I cannot but earnestly recommend to those who are educating for the ministry, to consider whether they may not render to God a and to the world a more acceptable service, by devoting them- selves to that high employment of preaching the Gospel to
some portion of the Gentile world
But all of us may labour in this good work, through the in- strumentality of others. Persons of either sex, and of every quality, contributed towards the constructing and furnishing of the Tabernacle0: the same also concurred in the rebuilding of Jerusalem p. And, in raising the spiritual Jerusalem, too,
k 1 Pet. ii. 9. i Jam. i. 18. m 1 Thess. v. 23.
11 1 Pet. ii. 5. with the text. ° Exod. xxxv. 21 — 29.
p Neh. iii. 1 2.