are more eminently useful to the whole. Therefore the apostle, having enlarged into a general precept, adds a word in special reference to these special parts, the preachers of the word, and the other assistant officers of the church of God.

These are co-ordained by Jesus Christ, as Lord of his own house, to be serviceable to him in it. He fits and sanctifies for this great work all who are called unto it by himself. And they are directed for the acquitting of their great work, I. by a clear rule of the due manner; II. by the main end of its appointment.

I. Particular rules for the preaching of the word may be many, but this is a most comprehensive one which the apostle gives; If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.

It is a chief thing in all serious actions, to understand the nature of them aright; for this mainly regulates them, and directs in their performance. And this especially should be regarded in those things that are of highest worth and greatest weight, in spiritual employments, wherein it is most dangerous, and yet with us most ordinary, to mistake and miscarry. Were prayer considered as presence and speech with the great God, the King of glory, O how would this mould the mind! What a watchful, holy, and humble deportment would it teach! So that truly all directions for prayer might be summed up, after this same model, in this one, If any man pray, let him speak as speaking with God; just as here for preaching, If any man speak, let him do it as speaking from God, that is, as the oracles of God. Under this, all the due qualifications of this holy work are comprised. I shall name but these three, which are primary, and others may be easily reduced to these; 1, faithfully; 2, holily; 3, wisely.

1. In fidelity, it is supposed that a man should have a competent insight and knowledge in the divine oracles, that first he learn before he teach. He that would faithfully teach of God, must be taught of God, and this will help to all the rest; will help him to be faithful in delivering the message as he receives it, not detracting, or adding, or altering.

2. A minister must speak holily, with that high esteem and reverence of the great Majesty whose message he carries, that becomes the divinity of the messsage itself, those deep mysteries that no created spirits are able to fathom. This would make us tremble in the dispen sing of these oracles, considering our impurities, and weaknesses, and unspeakable disproportion to so high a task. He had reason who said, "I am seized with amazement and horror as often as I begin to speak of God." And with this humble reverence is to be joined ardent love to our Lord, to his truth, to his glory, and his people's souls. These holy affections stand opposite to our blind boldness in rushing on this sublime exercise as a common work, and our dead coldness in speaking of things which our hearts are not warmed with; and so no wonder what we say seldom reaches further than the ear, or, at furthest, than the understanding and memory of our hearers. There is a correspondence; it is the heart speaks to the heart, and the understanding and memory the same, and the tongue speaks but to the

ear.

3. The word is to be spoken wisely. By this I mean, in the way of delivering it, that it be done gravely and decently; that light expressions, and affected florishes, and unseemly gestures, be avoided; and that there be a sweet contemperature of authority and mildness. But who is sufficient for these things?

Now you that hear should certainly meet and agree in this too. If any hear, let him hear as the oracles of God: not as a well-tuned sound, to help you to sleep an hour; not as a human speech or oration, to displease or please you for an hour, according to the suiting of its strain and your palate; not as a school lesson, to add somewhat to your stock of knowledge, to tell you somewhat you knew not before, or as a feast of new notions: but hear as the oracles of God. The discovery of sin and death lying on us, and the discovery of a Saviour, that takes these off-the sweet word of reconciliation, God wooing man the great King entreating for peace with a company of rebels; not that they are too strong for

him; O no! but, on the contrary, he could utterly destroy them in one moment-these are the things brought you in this word. Therefore come to it with suitable reverence, with ardent desires, and hearts open to receive it with meekness, as the ingrafted word that is able to save your souls.

In the other rule, of ministering as of the ability that God giveth, we may observe-ability, and that received from God; and the using of this ability received from him for them.

And this truly is a chief thing for ministers and for individual Christians, still to depend on the influence and strength of God; to do all his works in that strength. The humblest Christian, how weak soever, is the strong. est. There is a natural wretched independency in us, that we would be the authors of our own works, and do all without him, without whom indeed we can do nothing. Let us learn to go more out of ourselves, and we shall find more strength for our duties, and against our temptations. Faith's great work is to renounce self-power, and to bring in the power of God to be ours. Happy they that are weakest in themselves! That word of the apostle is theirs; they know what it means, though a riddle to the world; When I am weak, then am I strong.

II. The end of all this appointment is, that in all, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ; that in all, in all persons and all things; the word includes both, and the thing itself extends to both.

All persons and all things shall pay this tribute, even they that most wickedly seek to withhold it; but this is the happiness of the saints, that they move willingly thus, are sweetly drawn, not forced or driven. This is God's due, and the declining from this, the turning from this view to self-ends, especially in God's own peculiar work, is high treason. Yet the base heart of man leads naturally this way, to intend himself in all, to raise his own esteem or advantage in some way. And in this the heart is so subtle, that it will deceive the most discerning, if they be not constant in suspecting and watching it.

This is the great task, to overcome in this point; to have self under our feet, and God only in our eye and pur pose.

Through Jesus Christ. The Christian in covenant with God, receives all this way, and returns all this way. And Christ possesses and hath equal right with the Father to this glory, as he is equally the spring of it with him, as God. But it is conveyed through him as Mediator, who obtains all the grace we receive; and all the glory we return and all our praise, as our spiritual sacrifice, are put into his hand as our High-Priest, to offer up for us, that they may be accepted.

Now the holy ardor of the Apostle's affections, taken with the mention of this glory of God, carries him to a doxology, a rendering of glory, in the middle of his discourse. Thus often we find in St. Paul likewise. Poor and short-lived is the glory and grandeur of men; like themselves, it is a shadow, and nothing: but this is solid and lasting, it is supreme, and abideth for ever. Aud the apostles, full of divine affections and admiring nothing but God, do delight in this, and cannot refrain from this at any time in their discourse: it is always sweet and seasonable, and they find it so. And thus are spiritual minds: a word of this nature falls on them as a spark on some matter that readily takes fire; they are straight inflamed with it. But, alas, with us how much is it otherwise! The mention of the praises and glory of our God, is to our hearts, as a spark falling into water, or, at least, upon green timber that much fire will not kindle. All dies out with us, and we remain cold and dead.

But were not this a high and blessed condition, to be in all estates in some willing readiness to bear a part in this song, to acknowledge the greatness and goodness of our God, and to wish him glory in all? What are the angels doing? This is their business, and that without end. And seeing we hope to partake with them, we should even here, though in a lower key and not so tunably neither, yet, as we may, begin it; and upon all occasions, our hearts should be often following in this sweet

note, or offering at it, to him be glory and dominion for

ever.

Ver. 12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

THE words to the end of this chapter contain grounds of encouragement and consolation for the children of God in sufferings, especially in suffering for God.

These two verses have these two things, I. the close conjunction of sufferings with the estate, of a Christian; II. the due composure of a Christian towards suffering.

I. It is no new, and therefore no strange thing, that sufferings, hot sufferings, fiery ones, be the companions of religion. Besides the common miseries of human life, there is an accession of troubles and hatreds for that holiness of life to which the children of God are called. It was and is the lot of the church from her wicked neighbours, and in the church, the lot of the most holy and peculiar servants of God from the profane multitude.

Now this, if we look to inferior causes, is not strange, the malignant ungodly world hating holiness, hating the light, yea, the very shadow of it. And the more the children of God walk like their Father and their bome, the more unlike must they of necesssity become to the world about them, and therefore become the very mark of all their enmities and malice.

The exact holy walking of a Christian really condemns the world about him; shows the disorder and foulness of their profane ways. The life of religion, set by the side of dead formality, discovers it to be a carcass, a lifeless appearance; and, on this account, neither grossly wicked, nor decent formal persons, can well digest it. There is