The Words I have now read to you, concern the Apostles of Chrift, and their Succeffors, the Bishops and Paftors of the Church, who are as much obliged to this Watchfulness, as any other fort of Perfons, becaufe as they have a greater Truft, fo they have a greater Account to give. This we learn from Luke 12. 42, 43. where our Saviour having given that general Advice to all his Difciples, to watch for the coming of their Lord, St. Peter particularly enquires, how far he, and the rest of the Apostles were concerned in it: Lord, Speakeft thou this Parable unto us, or even to all? ver. 41. To which our Saviour anfwers, Who then is that faithful and wife Steward, whom his Lord fhall make Ruler of his Houfbold, to give them their Portion of Meat in due feafon? Blessed is that Servant, whom bis Lord when he cometh fhall find fo doing. Wherein our Saviour does particularly apply that general Advice to his Apostles and their Succeffors, his Servants, Stewards, and Minifters of the Gofpel: and indeed thofe particular Expreffions which are here used, do fufficiently acquaint us to whom this Advice belongs.

We need not queftion who is here meant by the Lord, which is the peculiar Title of Christ in the New Teftament; and it is as evident, what this Houfhold is, which is the Church of Chrift, The House and Temple of the living God, 1 Cor. 3. 16. The Houfhold of Faith, 2 Cor. 6. 16. The Houfhold of

God,

God, Gal, 6. 10. And Chrift is faid to be faithful as a Son, or Lord, over his own Houfe; whofe Houfe are we, if we hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the Hope firm unto the end; Heb. 3.5, 6. in diftinction from Mofes, who was faithful as a Servant.

The Rulers of the Houfhold, or the Stewards in St. Luke, are the Apostles, Bishops, Presbyters, who are the Governors of the Church, no, the Overfeers, Acts 20. 28. The Minifters of Chrift, the Stewards of the Myfteries of God, 1 Cor. 4. 1. The Meat, which they are to give in feafon, is the Word of Life; which, with refpect to the different degrees and perfection of Knowledg, is compared to Milk, 1 Cor. 3.2. and to ftrong Meat, Heb. 5.12. 1 Pet. 2. 2. and therefore they are commanded to feed the Flock, to preach the Word, to be inftant in feafon, out of feafon, to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all Long-fuf-. fering and Doctrine; 2 Tim. 4. 2.

This is fufficient to fhew you, that my Text does principally concern the Bishops and Minifters of the Church, who are in an eminent manner the Servants of Chrift in the Inftruction and Government of his Church, which is his House. And in speaking to these words, I fhall obferve this following Method.

I. Confider the Duty of Gofpel-Bishops and Pastors; which is to feed, and to govern Houfhold of Chrift..

the

II. The

II. The Qualifications of Gofpel-Minifters, which are Faithfulness and Prudence; a faithful and wife Servant.

III. The great Rewards of fuch Men Bleed is that Servant.

find

1. The Duty of Gospel-Ministers, whether Bishops or others; and that confifts of two Parts:

1. To Feed. 2. To Govern the Houfhold or Church of Chrift. They are appointed Rulers of his Houshold, to give them Meat in due feafon.

feed my Lambs, feed my Sheep; then

f

1. To feed the Flock of Chrift; Acts 20. 28. This Command Chrift gave to Peter, and repeated it three times: Simon, Son of Jonas, Loveft thou me more than thefe ? then John 21. 15, 16, 17. Now to feed, fignifies to inftruct d Men in the Knowledg of Chrift; for Knowledg is the proper Food and Nourishment of the Soul, by which it grows in spiritual Wif dom, and all Virtue and Goodness, r Pet.2.2. and is as neceffary to our fpiritual Life, as natural Food is to the Life of our Bodies. This is Life eternal, faith our Saviour, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent; John 17. 3.

For this reafon our Saviour appointed Stewards and Difpenfers of the Myfteries of his Kingdom, whofe whole Bufinefs it fhould be to ftudy the Divine Will themselves, and to inftruct others: For this is a Knowledg which

muft

must be taught. Nature may inftruct us in the Being of a God, and the Differences between Good and Evil, and the plain Rules of Morality; but the Mysteries of the Kingdom, the whole Oeconomy of Man's Salvation by Jefus Chrift, is to be known only by Revelation. Chrift came down from Heaven to reveal this to us, and he inftructed his Apostles; and his Apoftles, by their Preaching and Writings, inftructed the Church, and have left us a ftanding Rule of Faith and Manners: but yet it is neceffary there fhould be fome peculiarly devoted to the Service of Religion, the Study of the Scriptures, and the Work of the Ministry, to inftruct and teach those who have neither leifure nor opportunities for Enquiry, nor capacity to learn without a Guide, which is the cafe of the generality of Chriftians; ef pecially fince Religion has been clogg'd with fuch infinite Difputes, and there has been fo much Art ufed to make the plaineft Truths difficult, obfcure and uncertain, to corrupt the Christian Faith, and to make it comply with Mens fenfual Lufts, or fecular Interefts. A Guide and Inftructor is abfolutely neceffary, when there are fo many Turnings and Labyrinths, wherein Men may lose themselves, and their way to Heaven.

But tho there were no Disputes in Religion, no difficulty in understanding it, tho all Men were agreed about the way to Heaven; tho the meancft Chriftian understood the Myfteries of Christianity, as well as the greatest Divine:

་

yet

yet there would be constant need of a spiritual Guide, while Men are apt to be unmindful of their Duty, and careless in the Practice of it. The Work of an Evangelical Paftor is not merely to inftruct the Ignorant, but to exhort, to reprove, to admonifh, to watch over the Lives and Manners of Chriftians, to make seasonable Applications to their Confciences, to adminifter Comfort to afflicted Spirits, to excite and quicken the flothful, and to encou rage the fearful and timorous, and to assist and direct Men in their spiritual Warfare, how to obtain a glorious Victory over the World and the Flesh. This is to feed the Flock of Chrift, and to give them Meat in due feafon, to inftruct them in thofe things of which they are ignorant, and to put them in mind of thofe things which they already know, that their Faith may be turned into a Principle of Life and Action, and this heavenly Food may be digefted into Blood and Spirits, to the edifying of the Body of Chrift in all Christian Graces and Vertues.

2. Another part of the Ministerial Office confifts in Acts of Difcipline and Government: Chrift has made thefe Minifters and Servants, Rulers over his Houfhold. No Society can be preserved without Order and Government, which is as abfolutely neceffary in the Church, as in the State. Chrift is the Head of the Church, Eph. 5.23. the Husband, the Shepherd, John 10. 14. the Lord; which are all Names of Authority and Power: and the

Church

4