SERMON XV.

The Duty of MINISTERS, and their Obligations to it.

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Ordination SERMON,

ACTS XX. 28.

Take heed therefore unto your felves, and to all the Flock, over the which the Holy Ghoft hath made you Overfeers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchas'd with his own Blood.

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Will not enter into the Dif- Vol. II. pute whether the Perfons

St. Paul makes this Exhortation to were Bishops or Presbyters of Ephefus, or Bishops at least of the neighbouring Parts

to

Vol. II. to Ephesus; whether the Flock and the Church in my Text were the Congregation of Ephefus, under one Bifhop, or the feveral Diocesan Churches of Afia: I will not, I fay, fpend my Time in this Difpute, because the Dignity and Authority of Bishops has been fo thoroughly canvaffed and afferted, that this would be an unneceffary Work, but especially here, where I am confident there is no one that calls this Matter into Question, none who do not wifh the Honour and Power of Bishops were not rather greater than lefs. Befides, the Refolution of this Queftion is not neceffary to my Purpofe, for the Exhortation of my Text is, without any Force, applicable to Presbyters as well as Bishops; for the one have a Flock committed to them as well as the other, tho' not equally great and numerous; the one are Overfeers as well as the other, tho' not of the fame Dignity; and therefore our Tranflation has render'd the Word mons Overfeers (which fignifies a Duty common to both Presbyters and Bishops) and not Bifhops, which in our modern Ufe of the Word would have confin'd and limited the Exhortation to the fuperior Order of Paftors in Christ's Church

:

This being faid, it's plain that I fhall Serm. not deviate from the Defign of my Text, XV. if (addreffing my felf to you my Brethren of the Clergy) I infift upon the Two Things recommended in it, namely,

1. Our Duty. And,

II. Our Obligations to it.

Our Duty is laid down in thefe Words, Take heed unto your felves, and to all the Flock, to feed the Church of God.

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The Obligations we lie under to this are,

ift, This is a Care or Charge which God has committed to us, and of which he will one Day require an Account of us; over the which the Holy Ghoft hath made you Overfeers.

2dly, The Importance of this Care or Charge; it is converfant about that Church which God has purchas'd with his own Blood; nothing lefs is concern'd in it, nothing lefs depends upon our faithful or unfaithful Difcharge of this Duty, than the eternal Salvation or Damnation of thofe Souls for which Chrift died.

To thefe Two I may, if it be needful, add Two other Motives, which I find in the Context, the one taken from the Example of St. Paul, the other from the

Danger

Vol. II. Danger the Flock we are to feed is continually in But I believe there is more Matter in the Text than I fhall have Time thoroughly to exhaust. I begin with,

I. The Duty. Take heed unto your felves, and to all the Flock.

Unto your felves, firft; this deferves well to be obferv'd, for he that takes no heed to himself, can hardly be fuppos'd to take heed to his Flock; he that is unconcern'd for his own Salvation, can ne ver be follicitous for that of others; and if it could be fuppos'd that Ambition, Covetousness, or Reputation, might engage a Man to fome Diligence in his Station, and oblige him to fome Caution in his Conduct, yet how far fhort would this fall of answering the Ends of Religion? And how little reafon have we to imagine that Performances proceeding from fuch Principles fhould have the fame Success with thofe which fpring from Zeal for God's Glory, and Charity for the Souls of Men? If then we will be useful in our Station, and ferviceable to the Church of Chrift, we muft, in the first place, take heed unto our felves, viz. this must be our firft Endeavour and moft earnest Care, firft to implant and cherish

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Religion in our own Hearts, and next to Serm. attain to thofe Endowments which qua- XV. lify us for the great Work of the Miniftry. Thefe are the two Things that will make us not only able and useful, but diligent and faithful in our Charge. These are the Things that will render our Lives and Difcourfes edifying, that will beget a Reverence for our Perfons, and preserve the Reputation of our Order, even when without them neither the Laws of the State nor the Revenues of the Church Virtue then and Learning are the first Things that a Paftor is diligently to labour after. By these you will moft effectually promote the Converfion of Sinners, the Improvement and Confolation of the Regenerate. By thefe you will baffle Atheism and Infidelity, Herefy and Faction, and stop the Mouths of Gainfayers. But I can't more perfuafively inculcate this part of our Duty than in the Words of St. Paul, which carry in them all the Force of Reason and the Authori

ever can.

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ty of Infpiration. Let no Man defpife thy 1 Tim. iv. Youth, but be thou an Example of the Belie- 12-16. vers, in Word, in Converfation, in Charity, in Spirit, in Faith, in Purity. Till I come give Attendance to Reading, to Exhortation, to Doctrine. Neglect not the Gift that is in thee, which was given thee by Prophefy, with

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