been ftoned; fome have had their hoary hairs brought to the grave with forrow; and another hath been caft out of the legal fynagogue and maintenance, for bearing teftimony against the fins of the place, and the tyranny and defection of the ju dicatories of the church of Scotland. These things I mention, not out of refentment, but that I may be found a faithful witnefs for the Lord against the fins of the place; the magistrates and town-council of Stirling muft answer unto God for what they have done in this matter. All that I fhall fay upon the head, is, with my royal Mafter, when they were taking away his life," Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do;" and with the proto-martyr Stephen, when they were ftoning him to death, and when he was going out of time into eternity, "Lord, lay not this fin unto their charge."

Inf. 5. See from this text and doctrine, what it is makes, (1.) an able, and, (2.) a fuccefsful minifter of the gofpel.

As to the first, the apoftle fays of himself, and his brethren in the fame office, that "God had made them able ministers of the New Teftament," 2 Cor. iii. 6. Now, if it be afked, What it is that makes a man an able minister of the New Teftament? The answer is, When he hath his earthen vessel well ftored and plenifhed with the treasure of that gospel grace and truth that comes by Chrift Jefus, fuch an one is called, by Chrift himself, "a fcribe well inftructed in the kingdom of God; he is like an householder, who brings forth out of his treafure things new and old," for the edification of the church of God, Matth. xiii. 52. He hath "milk for babes, and ftrong meat for them that are of riper age." But,

2dly, This text alfo lets us fee what it is that makes a man a fuccefsful minifler of the New Teftament. Many able minifters have had but very little fuccefs, as we fee in the cafe of Ifaiah, chap. liii. 1. "Who hath believed our report ?" and chap. xlix. 4. "I have laboured in vain, I have fpent my ftrength for nought, and in vain; for Ifrael is not gathered :" and Chrift himfelf, in the days of his humiliation, fays, with reference unto the Jews unto whom he preached, "We have piped unto you, but ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, but ye have not lamented." What then, fay you, makes a minifter fuccefsful? You have the answer in the words of the text, it is the excellent power of God going along with the difpenfation of the gospel treafure, and the "excellency of the power is of God, and not of us," 1 Cor. iii. 6. "Peul planted, and Apollos watered; but God gave the increafe." Some folk are ready to think all is well enough if they get minifters endowed with flourishing gifts; but people had little need to reft there, for although you had

Paul,

Paul, or Apollos, yea Chrift himself in the flesh, to preach to you, all would not do without the power of God coming along; and therefore, it highly concerns fuch; who regard the edification and falvation of their own foul, to be much at a throne of grace, pleading earnestly with the Lord, that he "in whom are hid all the treafures of wifdom and knowledge," may not only fill the earthen veffel with the treasure of the gofpel, but that the gospel may "come to them, not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghoft; for the weapons of our warfare are mighty only through God to the pulling down of strong holds," 2 Cor. x. 4. 5.

The aft inference I draw from this text and doctrine, is this, Hence we may fee the nature of that work we are just now to go about. What is the ordination of a minister, but juft the confecration or dedication of an earthen veffel, to the fervice of the church of Chrift, which is the houfe of the living God, that therein, or thereby, the treasure of the gospel may be conveyed unto the whole family? which dedication, according to fcripture warrant, is to be done by " fafting and prayer, and the laying on of the hands of the prefbytery," Acts xiv. 23. compared with 1 Tim. iv. 14.; which work we fhall now proceed to, referring the further application of this doctrine to fome other occafion.

[The preceding Sermon was preached at the Ordination of Mr JAMES ERSKINE as one of the Affociate Minifters of the Gospel at Stirling, 22d January, 1752.]

THE CHARACTER OF A FAITHFUL MINISTER OF CHRIST.

A SERMON, preached immediately after the forefaid Ordination, by JAMES FISHER, Minister of the Gospel in the Affociate Congregation at Glasgow.

COL. i. 7.

IT

-Epaphras-who is for you a faithful minifter of Christ.

T tends much to the intereft of religion, that people love and esteem their pastors, and entertain honourable sentiments of them; for, if once a minister comes to be despised by his flock, his ufefulnefs among them is over, and his doc

trine, however agreeable to the form of found words, will not be edifying to them: it is therefore the apostle's defign, in the words of our reading, to cultivate the regard of the Coloffians to Epaphras, their ordinary paftor, by giving him the just commendation and favourable character which he deferved, As ye have learned of Epaphras our dear fellow-fervant, who is for you a faithful minifter of Chrift.

Paffing that part of the character of Epaphras, which refpects his relation to the apoftle, as a dear fellow-fervant; in the branch of the verfe which we have read, as the subject of difcourfe, namely, Who is for you a faithful minister of Chrift, you have a threefold commendation of him. 1. From his office or calling, a minister of Chrift. 2. From his fidelity in the difcharge of that office, a faithful minifter of Chrift. 3. From the fcope and end of his miniftry among the Coloffians, it is you, that is, for your good, for your falvation. The defign of the whole of this commendation is, that the Coloffians might honour and efteem Epaphras for his work's fake; fo that we take up the scope of the words in the following

for

DOCT. "That faithful minifters of Christ, who aim at the edification and falvation of the people among whom they labour in the work of the ministry, ought to be honoured and efteemed by them." 1 Theff. v. 12. 13. "We befeech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to efteem them very highly in love for their work's fake."

In difcourfing on this fubject, we fhall effay,

I. To inquire into the fcripture-account of the character and duty of a faithful minister of Christ.

II. Give the reasons why fuch minifters ought to be honoured and esteemed by the people among whom they la

bour.

III. Deduce a few inferences for application.

I. The first thing is, to inquire into the fcripture-account of the character and duty of a faithful minifter of Christ.

1. He is one who fpeaks the things which become found doctrine, as the apoftle exhorts Titus, chap. ii. 1. "But fpeak thou the things which become fouud doctrine." That doctrine is found, which is a link of that chain of truth, revealed in the holy feriptures; for there is fuch a clofe concatenation or linking together of the truths of God, and fuch a beautiful

harmony

harmony among them all, that no error whatsoever can at any rate be foldered with them, any more than clay can be incorporated with gold. We speak then the words which become found doctrine, when we make all the divine perfections to harmonize in the contrivance of our redemption, when we give unto Christ in all things the pre-eminence, and when we lay the pride of finful men in the duft. And in order to our thus fpeaking the things which become found doctrine, it is nece fary that we be well acquainted with the holy fcriptures, with approven systems of divinity, and particularly with our own ftandards, our excellent Confeffion of Faith, and catechifms, which may well be called forms of found words.

2. A faithful minister of Chrift is one, who is fet for the defence of the gospel, as Paul was, Phil. i. 17. "I am fet (fays he) for the defence of the gospel." There is nothing more warmly inculcate in fcripture, than the defence of gospel-truths, Prov. xxiii. 23. " Buy the truth, and fell it not." Phil. i. 27. "Stand faft in one fpirit, with one mind, ftriving together for the faith of the gofpel." Heb. x. 23. "Let us hold faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering." Jude, ver. 3. "It was needful for me to exhort you (fays that apoftle), that ye fhould earneftly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the faints." And in order to the defence of the gofpel, it is neceffary that we be established in the present truth, as the expreffion is, 2 Pet. i. 12.; that is, in the truths prefently controverted, or which are the present subject of debate. And indeed, it is most lamentable, that in our day there are fcarce any of the peculiar doctrines of Chriftianity, which are not impugned and called in queftion by men of corrupt minds, and deftitute of the truth; fuch as, the divine authority of the fcriptures; the imputation of Adam's first fin to his pofterity; the univerfal corruption and depravation of our nature; the irrefiftible power and efficacy of the grace of God; the distinct perfonality and fupreme deity of the Son and Holy Ghoft; the reality of the incarnation of Chrift, or his affuming a holy human nature to his divine perfon; the abfolute perfection and infinite worth of his fatisfaction in our room; the neceffity of the imputation of his furety-righteoufnefs for our juftification; the free election of fome to eternal life; the perfeverance of the faints; and the eternity of hell torments; with many other important points which might be mentioned. There are others again, who profefs to own all the above truths, who yet fo blend the law and the gofpel, that they make the covenant of grace little better than another edition of the covenant of works; confound the finner's fanctification with his justifica

tion; cry up the neceffity of previous good qualifications in order to coming to Chrift; and are for leaning on something wrought in them, or done by them, as the ground in less or more of their acceptance before God. And with refpect to the govern ment of Christ's house, alas! the generality of the prefent age seem to be agreed, that it is a matter of mere indifferency and moonshine, whether a perfon be of the Epifcopalian, Independent, or Prefbyterial way of thinking about it; although it is the declared principle of this church, founded on the word of God, folemnly fworn unto and fealed by the blood of many of the Lord's witneffes, That the fpiritual power and authority, derived from Chrift the alone Head, for the edification of his church, is lodged, neither in the hand of the civil magistrate, nor in the community of the faithful, as they call them, but in church-officers, minifters and elders acting in parity, and judicatories fubordinate to one another. Now, we say, that a faithful minister of Chrift is set for the defence of the gospel, namely, both for the defence of gofpel-truth, and likewise of the hedge of government, which the glorious Head hath fet about it.

3. A faithful minister of Christ is one who does not shun to declare to his hearers all the counsel of God, as Paul testifies of himself to the elders of Ephefus, Acts xx. 27. " I have not fhunned to declare unto you all the counfel of God." He does not fay that he actually declared unto them all the coun fel of God, but only that he did not fhun to declare it all. For as we know only in part, and prophecy but in part, it is not to be fuppofed, that all the truths of God, which are compre hended in the unfathomable depth of divine revelation, could be brought forth by any, or even by all that ever preached the gospel; for if the world itself could not contain the books that might be written of Chrift, as the apostle John afferts, then all that ever were in the world (the Son of God only excepted) could never exhaust all that might be faid, upon what is contained within the volume of God's book; as may appear in fome measure, from the vaft number of commentaries, treatifes, and fermons, publifhed, and unpublished, these seventeen hundred and fifty years bygone, befides all the lectures of the Old Testament prophets; and yet the half of what might been said has not been told. Well, then, not to shun to declare all the counfel of God, is to keep back no truth which we know from our hearers; it is, to the utmost of our capacity and knowledge, to bring forth, what, we think, as before God, will be most for their fpiritual profiting, in the proper feafon of it, either for inftructing the ignorant, awakening the

fecure,