God had originally instituted the ministry for this very end —
[Under the law, the priest's lips were " to keep know- ledge," and to impart it to all who should come to inquire of them : but under the Gospel dispensation there was an order of men appointed to go forth into all the world, and, by them- selves or their successors in the ministerial office, to " preach the Gospel to every creature." This also was the end for which the Holy Spirit, in his miraculous and gracious influ- ences, was given unto men, even to fit them for the discharge of their ministerial functions ; or, in other words, " for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ ; till we all come, in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ*"
St. Paul too knew, by his own blessed experience, that the word, as delivered by him, had in many thousand instances produced this effect. Many Churches had been established by him : yea, in no place whatever had he been left to " run in vain or labour in vain ;" he was assured, therefore, that if ever he should have the happiness of going to Rome, he should see fruits of his labours there, as well as he had done among other nations. The Church of Rome too was already well prepared to receive all his instructions, seeing that al- ready both their faith and their obedience were so eminent as to have attracted the notice and admiration of the whole Christian world1. He could have no doubt, therefore, but that in such a soil, the seed which he should sow would spring up abundantly.]
The same assurance also every faithful minister
may have —
[God has said, that " if we stand in his counsel, and cause his people to hear his words, we shall be the means of turning them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings m." True it is, we are not authorized to expect such success as was vouchsafed to the Apostle Paul : but we are assured, that, if " faithful in the discharge of our office," we shall " not run in vain, or labour in vain." God has said, " As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and give bread to the eater and seed to the sower, so shall my word be, which goeth forth out of your mouth : it shall not return to me void; but it shall
k Eph. iv. 8, 12, 13.
1 Rom i. 8. and xvi. 19. See particularly his high commenda- tion of them, chap. xv. 14. m Jer. xxiii. 22.