eousness; so called, because therein is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith, Rom. i. 17; the grand and principal doctrine of it, is justification by the righteousness of Christ, Acts xiii. 39. 4. The ministry of reconciliation, which is no other than the gospel of peace; the word preaching peace by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, Eph. vi. 15, Acts x. 36; which does not propose to men to make their with God; but declares that peace is made by the blood of Christ, and that reconciliation, atonement, and satisfaction for sin, are made by the sufferings, death, and sacrifice of Christ. peace II. What this ministry is may be learnt from what the ministers of Christ are directed to preach, and which they make the subject of their ministrations. As, : 1. The gospel: of the gospel they are ministers; their commission is to preach the gospel; it is the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which is committed to their trust; and there is a woe upon them if they preach not the gospel. Which is called,-The gospel of the grace of God, Acts xx. 24; it being a declaration of the grace and favour of God in Christ; that salvation is entirely of grace, and not of works, from first to last; that the first step to it, election, is the election of grace; that justification is, freely by the grace of God; that forgiveness of sins, is according to the riches of grace; that adoption is owing to the amazing love of God; and that eternal life is the gift, the freegrace gift of God through Christ all which are the subjects of the gospel ministry. It is often called the gospel of Christ, the word of Christ, and the doctrine of Christ; which treats of his person, as the Son of God; of his offices, as Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King; and of the grace that is in him; and of the blessings of grace that come by him and whoever brings not this doctrine, is not to be received and encouraged, 2 John 9, 10.-The gospel of salvation, the word of salvation, and salvation itself; it is a publication of salvation by Christ; it is the faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners; it declares, that there is salvation in him, and in no other; and that whoever believes in him shall be saved: this is the gospel every faithful minister preaches, and every sensible sinner desires to hear. 2. Christ and him crucified is the subject-matter, the sum and substance of the gospel ministry; We preach Christ crucified; this is the preaching of the doctrine of the cross; the doctrine of salvation by a crucified Christ; of peace by the blood of his cross; of the reconciliation of God's elect in one body, by the cross; of the atonement and expiation of their sins by his sufferings and death upon it; this the apostle Paul determined to make the subject, and the alone subject, of his ministrations. III. The ministry of the word takes in every thing respecting doctrine; and in general it is required, that it be sound; the words of faith and sound doctrine, the form of sound words, sound speech, which cannot be condemned; and things which become sound doctrine, which are healthful and salutary, the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus; and which are opposed to unsound, unhealthful doctrines, false doctrines, which eat as do a canker: and sound doctrine is such as is according to the Scriptures, which are profitable for doctrine; from whence every doctrine is to be fetched, and thereby proved and confirmed, according to which every minister of the word is to preach, Isa. viii. 20; and it is by this rule every hearer is to judge of the soundness or unsoundness of it, as the Bereans did, Acts xvii. 11; the doctrine delivered in the ministry of the word should be the same that was preached by Christ and his apostles; the first Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine; and indeed if any other doctrine is preached, it is not to be received, Gal. i. 8, 9; and this is the doctrine which is according to godliness; which teaches it, encourages, promotes, and enforces it; such as the doctrines of election, of free justification by Christ's righteousness, of full pardon of sin by his blood, and of the final perseverance of the saints; which are no licentious doctrines, though slanderously so charged; but constrain men to live to Christ, who died for them and rose again; and to which every minister of the gospel should take heed; this is the apostle's advice to Timothy, Take heed to thyself, and to thy doctrine, 1 Tim. iv. 16; that it be pure and incorrupt, agreeable to the Scriptures, the same with the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, and which promotes holiness of life and conversation. IV. The ministry of the word takes in the several duties of religion, which are to be insisted on in their course; and saints are to be exhorted to the exercise of them upon evangelical principles and motives; they are to be taught to observe whatsoever Christ has commanded, every ordinance of his, and every duty both with respect to God and men; they are to be put in mind to be ready to every good work, and to be careful to maintain them for necessary uses; every duty, public and private, personal, relative, and domestic, as well as every doctrine, are to be inculcated throughout the course of the gospel ministry. V. The manner in which the work of the ministry is to be performed may be next observed. 1. It should be done diligently and constantly, with great sedulity and perseverance, in season and out of season, 2 Tim. iv. 2; and the apostle having mentioned several important doctrines of the gospel, thus charges Titus; These things I will, that thou affirm constantly, publicly, and privately, and from house to house, as he did, Tit. iii. 8. 2. With great plainness and perspicuity, 2 Cor. iii. 12 and iv. 2, delivering out truth in a clear and open manner, without disguise; not using ambiguous expressions, phrases of a doubtful or double meaning, and an unintelligible jargon of words; but language plain and easy to be understood by those of the meanest capacity; yet not base and sordid, but above contempt; should speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in the words of the Holy Ghost, in Scripture language, or what is agreeable to it.-3. Fully and completely; which is done when every truth is preached, and none concealed, and no duty omitted; when nothing that is profitable is kept back, and the whole counsel of God is declared; and when it is preached fully, as it was by the apostle Paul; and full proof of the ministry is made, which he directs to; and the ministry received of the Lord Jesus is fulfilled, in the several parts and branches of it, 2 Tim. iv. 5, Col. iv. 17.4. Faithfully; ministers are stewards of the mysteries of God, and of his grace, and it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful, as well as wise, 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2; a more honourable character cannot well be had, than what is given of Tychicus, that he was a beloved brother, and faithful minister in the Lord; and nothing can be more desirable, or confer a greater degree of honour, than at last to hear from Christ, Well done, good and faithful servant! Eph. vi. 21, Matt. xxv. 21, 23.— 5. Sincerely, delivering out the sincere milk of the word; not corrupting it; not using any artful methods to colour things, and put a false gloss upon them, but exposing truth to public view in its native simplicity, without any sinister ends and selfish views; without any strife and contention, but of good will, to the glory of Christ, and the welfare of immortal souls, 2 Cor. ii. 17 and iv. 2, Phil. i. 15, 16.6. Fervently; it is said of Apollos, that being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, Acts xviii. 25; and the apostle Paul served God with his Spirit in the gospel of his Son; that is, his whole heart and soul were engaged in the ministration of it, Rom. i. 9.7. The gospel, and the truths of it, should be ministered with certainty, and not with doubtfulness; there is such a thing as the full assurance of understanding in private Christians, Col. ii. 2, and much more should be in ministers of the word; who should not be afraid of being reckoned dogmatical; they should be so, that is, they ought to be at a point about, and be assured of, the truths they deliver to others; We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God, said the apostles of Christ; and so with respect to every other truth; We believe, and therefore speak, with certainty and confidence, 2 Tim. iii. 14.8. And so they may, as they should, speak boldly, as they ought to speak, without the fear of men, which brings a snare; and not seeking to please them, for then they would not be the servants of Christ: thus the apostle, not intimidated with the threats and menaces of men, the persecutions of wicked men, and the opposition of false teachers, was bold in his God to speak the gospel of God with much contention.-9. The gospel should be preached consistently; it should be uniform, and all of a piece; no contradiction, no yea and nay in it; the trumpet should not give an uncertain sound, otherwise it will occasion great confusion in the minds of those that hear it, and throw them into the utmost perplexity, not knowing what to believe. -10. The word should be dispensed wisely; the ministers of it should be wise, as well as faithful, to give to every one their portion, and that in due season; they should study to be skilful workmen, rightly dividing the word of truth; it requires that they should have the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to him that is weary; he that winneth souls is wise; and being crafty, the apostle says, he caught the Corinthians with guile, not with a sinful, but a laudable and commendable one. VI. The utility of the public ministry of the word may be next considered. 1. In general; its use is for the enlargement of the interest of Christ in the world; and it is by means of the gospel being preached to all nations in all the world, that the kingdom of Christ has been spread everywhere; not only in Judea, where the gospel was first preached, but throughout the Gentile world, multitudes were converted, and churches were set up everywhere, Christianity triumphed, and heathenism everywhere abolished. Julian observing this, in imitation of the Christians, and thinking thereby to increase and establish heathenism, appointed lectures and expositions of heathenish dogmas, respecting morality and things more abstruse, and public prayers, and singing at stated hours, in pagan temples.-2. The ministry of the word is for the conversion of sinners; without which churches would not be increased nor supported, and must in course fail, and come to nothing; but the hand of the Lord being with his ministers, many in every age believe and turn to the Lord, and are added to the churches; by which means they are kept up and preserved and hence it is necessary in the ministers of the word, to set forth the lost and miserable estate and condition of men by nature, the danger they are in, the necessity of regeneration and repentance, and of a better righteousness than their own, and of faith in Christ; which things are blessed for the turning of men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. 3. Another use of it is, For the perfecting of the saints; for the completing of the number of the elect, in effectual vocation, even of those who are sanctified, or set apart by God the Father, by that eternal act of his, choosing them in Christ; or for the jointing in of the saints, as it may be rendered; who were disjointed and scattered abroad by the fall of Adam; these are gathered in by the ministry of the word; so that none shall perish, but all come to repentance; and be inserted into the body of the church, and presented perfect in Christ Jesus: hence, after this, and previous to what follows, the phrase, for the work of the ministry, is placed; pointing out this two-fold use of it; as for the perfecting of the saints, so,-4. For the edifying of the body of Christ, Eph. iv. 12; that is, his church: for it is by means of the word, it maketh increase unto the edifying of itself in love, verse 16; and thus the churches in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, having rest, and peace, and blessed with the ministration of the gospel, were edified, and built up in their most holy faith, as individuals are.5. The principal end and use of it, to which all the others tend, is the glory of God, and which ought to be chiefly in view in the performance of it, 1 Pet. iv. 11. - OF PUBLIC HEARING THE WORD. THE Public Hearing of the Word is another ordinance of divine. service under the gospel dispensation. Public reading of the Scriptures was a part of synagogue-worship, Acts xiii. 15 and xv. 21; and reading the Scriptures publicly obtained in the primitive times of Christianity; as appears from Justin Martyr P and Tertullian; and in P Apolog. 2, p. 98. a De Anima, c. 9. after-times there was a particular officer appointed to this service, called the Lector, or reader. Public hearing is connected with the public ministry of the word; they go together, and suppose each other, and the one cannot be without the other: under the former dispensation, there was a public hearing of the law, or word of the Lord, at certain stated times and seasons at the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, the law was to be read before all Israel in their hearing; men, women, and children, were to be gathered together, that they might hear and learn to fear the Lord their God, Deut. xxxi. 10-13; at certain times, as at new moons and Sabbaths, the people used to come and sit before the prophets, and hear the word of the Lord from their mouths; and even in the Babylonish captivity, it is said to Ezekiel, of the people of the Jews, they come unto thee as the people cometh; whence it appears it was a custom, and usual so to do. When that people were returned from their captivity, in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, the book of the law was brought forth publicly and read, in the open street, from morning till noon, before men and women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to it, Neh. viii. 2, 3. In some periods of time, under the former dispensation, there was a great scarcity of hearing the word; in the times of Eli, and when Samuel was young, the word of the Lord was precious; that is, scarce and rare, as such usually be that are so; for there was no open vision; no public prophet, to whom the Lord spoke in vision, and to whom the people could have recourse, to hear and learn, and know the word and will of God. In the times of Asa, the people of Israel had been for a long season without a teaching priest; and so without hearing the law, or word of the Lord from his mouth; they had, as it was sometimes threatened, a famine, not a famine of bread, nor of thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord, 1 Sam. iii. 1, 2 Chron. xv. 3, Amos viii. 11. Under the gospel dispensation, opportunities of hearing the word have been more frequent, and of hearing it more clearly, plainly, and fully; of hearing what kings and prophets desired to hear, but heard not; and that by all sorts of people, and oftentimes in great numbers; the law and the prophets were, until John, read, explained, and heard publicly; Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, the gospel of the kingdom, in a clearer manner, and every man presseth into it, to hear it, Luke xvi. 16; there were great flockings to hear John when he came preaching in the wilderness of Judea; and multitudes attended the ministry of Christ and his apostles; in process of time, the Jews indeed put away the word of God from them, and showed themselves unworthy of it, and even of everlasting life; when the apostles, as they were ordered, turned to the Gentiles, and they gladly received it, Acts xxviii. 28; and it is both the duty and privilege of all, who have the opportunity of hearing it, to hear it; for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Rom. x. 17; and this is what is to be treated of; concerning which may be observed the following things. I. The object of hearing, or what is to be heard; this is a matter |