285 AAAAAAAAAAA 9009500990099009900950050 SERMON XV. The Duty of MINISTERS, and their Obligations to it. AN Ordination SERMON, ACTS xx. 28. Take heed therefore unto your selves, and to all the Flock, over the which the Holy Ghost bath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchas'd with his own Blood. I ~ Will not enter into the Dif- Vol. II. Presbyters of Ephesus, 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 Ephesus, under one Bifhop, or the several Diocesan Churches of Afia: I will not, I say, fpend my Time in this Difpute, because the Dignity and Authority of Bishops has been so thoroughly canvassed and afferted, that this would be an unnecessary Work, but especially here, where I am confident there is no one that calls this Matter into Question, none who do not wish the Honour and Power of Bishops were not rather greater than lefs. Besides, the Resolution of this Queftion is not necessary to my Purpose, 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 Overseers as well as the other, tho' not of the fame Dignity; and therefore our Tranflation has render'd the Word ἐπισκόπες Overseers (which signifies a Duty common to both Presbyters and Bishops) and not Bishops, which in our modern Use of the Word would have confin'd and limited the Exhortation to the fuperior Order of Paftors in Christ's Church. This This being faid, it's plain that I shall Serm. not deviate from the Design of my Text, XV. if (addressing my felf to you my Brethren of the Clergy) I infift upon the Two Things recommended in it, namely, I. Our Duty. And, II. Our Obligations to it. Our Duty is laid down in these Words, Take heed unto your selves, and to all the Flock, to feed the Church of God. 11 The Obligations we lie under to this are, 1ft, 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 Ghost hath made you Overseers. 2dly, The Importance of this Care or Charge; it is converfant about that Church which God has purchas'd with his own Blood; nothing less is concern'd in it, nothing lefs depends upon our faithful or unfaithful Discharge of this Duty, than the eternal Salvation or Damnation of those Souls for which Chrift died. To these 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 shall have Time thoroughly to exhauft. I begin with, I. The Duty. Take heed unto your selves, and to all the Flock. Unto your felves, first; this deserves well to be observ'd', for he that takes no heed to himself, can hardly be suppos'd to take heed to his Flock; he that is unconcern'd for his own Salvation, can never be follicitous for that of others; and if it could be suppos'd that Ambition, Covetousness, or Reputation, might engage a Man to fome Diligence in his Station, and oblige him to some Caution in his Conduct, yet how far short would this fall of answering the Ends of Religion? And how little reason have we to imagine that Performances proceeding from such Principles should have the fame Success with those which spring from Zeal for God's Glory, and Charity for the Souls of Men? If then we will be useful in our Station, and serviceable to the Church of Christ, we must, in the first place, take heed unto our selves, viz. this must be our first Endeavour and most earnest Care, first to implant and cherish Reli Religion in our own Hearts, and next to Serm. ever can. 1 Virtue then and Learning are the first Things that a Paftor is diligently to labour after. By these you will most effectually promote the Conversion of Sinners, the Improvement and Confolation of the Regenerate. By these you will baffle Atheism and Infidelity, Heresy and Faction, and stop the Mouths of GainSayers. But I can't more persuasively inculcate this part of our Duty than in the Words of St. Paul, which carry in them all the Force of Reason and the Authority of Inspiration. Let no Man despise thy 1 Tim. iv. Youth, but be thou an Example of the Belie-12-16. vers, in Word, in Conversation, 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 Prophesy, with the U |