SERM. Angel only, has through all Ages put Man

X.

kind to the fame Fear and Dread; and therefore how would they be able to sustain themfelves in the Prefence of the Almighty? And as to the latter, there is ftill the same Occafion for instructing the Ignorant, for reclaiming the Vicious, for ftrengthening the Weak, for confirming the Strong, for quickening the Slothful, for encouraging the Timorous, for compofing the Scrupulous, and for fatisfying the Doubtful. And how fhall all this be done, but by applying to them the Word by the Ministry of Man? This is the Means GOD has appointed to be used on such Occafions, and therefore we are not to look now for the Miracle of a peculiar and extraordinary Affiftance: Much lefs may they expect it who affront and trample upon his ordinary Inftitutions. It is true indeed, Those who are appointed Preachers of the Word are no other than Men, than Men of like Paffions and Failings with ourselves: But still they have the Honour to bear a nearer Relation to GOD, whofe immediate Servants or Ministers they are. A Character, one would think, that should not render them lefs worthy of Regard, fince it is a natural Confequence of it, that to fet at Nought their Ministrations,

or

X.

or to make light of their Doctrine, is not fo SE RM. much an Injury to them, as it is an Affront to their Mafter. The Words they utter, fo long as they explain or enforce the Scriptures, are fuch as they are commanded by GoD to preach; and therefore the Dishonour redounds to him, if they are not received with Attention and Obedience. For our Saviour told his Difciples, He that heareth you, heareth me, and that the Neglect of hearing them, would be a Contempt not fo much to them, as to himself and his Father. For be, (faith our Saviour) that defpifeth you, defpifeth me; and he, that defpifeth me, defpifeth him that fent me, Luke x. 16. But this naturally. leads me to the next Head of my Difcourfe, under which I am to obferve,

II. SECONDLY, That left the Ministers of the Word, by being Men, like ourselves, fhould want Authority to enforce the Word they preach, GOD has thought fit to dignify them with a Divine Commiffion, and thereby to separate and diftinguish them from the reft of Mankind. And here it will be neceffary in the firft Place to obferve, that, as may be reasonably expected, that Minifters of the Word should be able to prove that

it

they

SERM. they act by GoD's Authority, even to the

X.

Satisfaction of those they preach to; so have
those who have been duly commiffioned been
always able to give Evidence of such Autho-
rity. This Evidence indeed has been diffe-
rent as the Occafion has required: For when-
ever God has made Use of any extraordina-
ry Meffengers, either to foretel any fignal
Mercy, or to denounce any fudden Judg-
ment, or to be the Authors of a new Difpen-
fation; he has impowered them to prove
their Miffion by external Signs and Wonders..
Thus Mofes, and thus Chrift, who came,
each of them, to establish a new Law, first
thewed their Divine Commiffion by the Fin-
ger of GOD.
And the Prophets, when they
foretold any fignal Mercy or Judgment not
before revealed, either left the Event of their
Prediction to fhew the Truth of their Miffi-
on, or, if there was Occafion for it, made
Ufe of a Miracle. But at other Times,
when God has given Men a ftanding Rule to
walk by, and has appointed an ordinary
Courfe of Minifters to interpret it to the Peo-
ple; these Ministers, being not to make any
new Revelation, but only to expound a Law
already given, have no Occafion to work
fresh Miracles to prove their Commiffion,

X.

but only to be able to fhew by that Law it- SER M. felf, that they are the Perfons appointed to preach it to the People. Thus when the Law of Mofes was given to the Ifraelites, it was made a perpetual Ordinance of that Law, that Aaron and his Sons, after him should teach the Children of Ifrael all the Statutes which the Lord had spoken unto them by the Hand of Mofes, Levit. x. II. So that their Commiffion to teach and expound the Law was attefted fufficiently, without further Evidence, by the Law itself. And fo again when our Saviour introduced a new Religion, and gave us the Gospel to walk by; he appointed the Apoftles, and those that should regularly derive their Commiffion from them, by a spiritual Generation, to be the ordinary Minifters of it, even to the End of the World, Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. And this general Commiffion being by his Command recorded in the Gospel itself; they that fo derive their Authority to preach the Word, can give as convincing Evidence of their Miffion (to those I mean who believe the Gospel) as if they could prove it by Signs and Wonders. Nor is it any Objection, that the Apostles worked Miracles to prove their Miffion, notwithstanding the Authority of the Gospel that they

re

X.

SER M. received it directly from Chrift himself; be cause those whom the Apoftles preached to, were fuch as had never heard of, or at least acknowledged, our Saviour; and confequently fuch as the Gospel was not known to. And therefore we may very reasonably fup. pose, that before any People or Nation would receive a new Religion, which quite overthrew or destroyed their old one, they would demand fome extraordinary Proof of the Truth of that Religion which was propofed in the Room of it. So that in Reality, the End of the Apostles working Miracles, was not fo much to prove they had received their Commiffion from Chrift, as to prove that Christ himself, who sent them, was no Impoftor; but that, though the unknown, he was yet the true GOD. Whereas with us the Cafe is quite different. We believe in Christ as our Saviour, and have received the Gospel ast his Word: And therefore fince that informs us that they who derive their Commiffion by Succeffion from the Apostles, and fo from Him, are by Him empowered to preach the Word; we are not to demand any extraordinary Test of their Miffion, but to acquiefce under the general Proof which the Gospel gives of their Authority. Since therefore