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zeal for Grod, who has so distinguished you ; and it" you do not endeavour to impart to others the blessings which you yourselves enjoy. To you who are educating for the ministry I would particularly commend this subject, and say, Not only pray that God would send forth others into his harvest, but beg him to give you grace, that you may be ready to go yourselves.^
Matt. X. 5 — 7. These ttvelve Jesus sent forth, and commujided them, saying, Go not into the way of the Geyitiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not : hut go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
AFTER our blessed Lord had chosen his twelve servants, whom he called apostles, he gave them a commission to go forth and proclaim his advent, just as his forerunner, John the Baptist, had already done. But, considering the unbounded benevolence of our blessed Lord, and that he was really come in order to save the whole world, we are rather surprised at the charge he gave them, especially as contrasted with the commission which he gave them after he was risen from the dead, and which is now given to all who preach in his name. We propose to consider, I. The restriction imposed on them —
They were commanded to proclaim that the king- dom of heaven was at hand —
[By " the kingdom of heaven" was meant the kingdom which the Messiah was appointed to establish. The expression, " the kingdom of heaven," was generally so understood at that time ; and the people to whom the Apostles were sent, were in no danger of misapprehending the tidings which they heard. The whole nation of the Jews were then expecting their Mes- siah : and, though they formed veiy erroneous notions respect- ing the nature of his kingdom, they were persuaded that he was to be a King, and to reign over them, and to put all his enemies under his feet. The same proclamation, and in the very same terms, had been made by John the Baptist^, and by our Lord himself' : so that the office of the Apostles was not
a Matt. iii. 2. ^ Matt. iv. 17.