the whole world would Rot and Perish without it All the Hearts of men and women in the World that live without the Gospel they are to God as rotten and stinking meat as filthy carrion is to you Indeed when once the hearts and minds of People are seasoned with the Gospel now they become sweet and savoury to God so Vers 14. What would this World be without the Sun in the Firmament shining upon it but a dark Dungeon Such my Brethren and no other are all the Kingdoms Nations Cities Countries Parishes Villages in the World where the light of the Gospel doth not shine Where they have not had the Ministry of the Word neither Prophets nor Apostles nor faithful Ministers of Christ to preach the Gospel and to make known the mind and will of God to them they are but as so many dark dungeons where the Prince of darkness reigns where unbelief Idolatry Superstition and all manner of wickedness and profaness reigns I say the state of nature is a state of darkness all the world doth but grope in darkness as the Egyptians did till they come to have the Gospel preached to them Alas they know little of God and nothing of Jesus Christ nor of the Gospel nor of the Covenant of Grace nor of the way to salvation by a Redeemer nor what the new Creature is and the work of Regeneration is How great a blessing and great gift therefore is it to have the Ministry of the Gospel You may see it by that promise God gives out in Jer. 3.15 And I will give you Pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding As if he had said Here is the Blessing the Blessing of Blessings I will bestow upon you for there is none comparable to it Suppose a man should have his habitation or dwelling in never so pure an Air and never so good a soil where he hath his Garden and his Fish-ponds and all outward Contentment his heart can desire but doth not the Sun of the Gospel shine there the Air and Wind of the Spirit breath there the clouds of Gods Ordinances drop there then I say it is but a dark and black place If the best things be not to be had there what is it for a man to be fatted to destruction what is a life without a life of Grace Again what a Blessing it is may appear in that it was the fruit of Christs prayer of his death blood and intercession Ephes 4.8 11. you read there of Christs ascending to Glory when he ascended up on high he gave gifts to men You know Kings and Emperours upon the day of their Coronation they use to scatter Money and let Conduits run with Wine give gifts to their friends this was the day Christ went up to Heaven and went to take his Crown of Glory now he gave gifts to men Vers 11. What did he give them for for the Perfecting Saints As if here was the greatest gifts the Son of God had to bestow on the Children of men here was the fruit of his Blood as well as Intercession Had it not been for the Blood of Christ there had never been any such thing as a Gospel-Ministry or Church or Ordinances In a word If you consider the great ends for which the Ministry is given it is for the bringing about the greatest good of the Children of men it is for the bringing you to the knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ whom to know is eternal life it is to reveal the great Counsels of God to the Children of men The Preaching of the Gospel it is not only to civilize men and women though that were good if it were no more and many times where it hath not its saving work it hath the Authority to make people civil but I say the Preaching of the Gospel it is not only to make you civil but to make you Saints new Creatures 2. Pray ye the Lord of the Harvest that he would send forth more Labourers into his Harvest Why it belongs to the great Lord of the Harvest to give these Labourers The sending of Labourers into this Harvest is not only an Act of Grace and Mercy but of Power and greatest Authority Therefore Matth. 28. when Christ sends forth his Disciples to Preach mark the Preface Vers 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Mark how Christ doth begin with the preamble of all power being given to him in Heaven and in Earth It is as if he had said I am sending you about the greatest work that ever any Creatures were imployed in the Angels in Heaven were not imployed in a greater work than this of Preaching the Gospel for your Incouragement know all power in Heaven and in Earth is given into my hands and I will be with you and second you Here I might shew you how the Lord of the Harvest doth send forth his Labourers 1. It is he that calls them he that gives them their Mission and Commission they have their Commission on from Christ from Father Son and holy Spirit all their names are in the Commission though it is more Immediately from the Son Indeed did not God send them they could never expect to do any good in the World to convert one soul were not Preaching Gods Ordinance 2. It is he must gift and qualifie these Labourers for the work As in Nehem. 9.10 saith Nehemiah there Thou gavest thy holy Spirit Vers 20. Thou gavest also thy good Spirit The meaning is in the Prophets which he gave them whereby they were fitted for the Work they were set about So it is still under the Gospel 1 Cor. 12.4 5. Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of Administrations but the same Lord. Whence are these diversities of gifts and ministerial Abilities they are from God This indeed my Brethren is very wonderful to be considered As you see a multitude of faces in the world yet every one differs from another so to consider that diversity that variety of gifts and spiritual Abilities God hath given to men in this work yet none hath the same gift To one the gift of Doctrine to another the gift of Exhortation One he is as a Son of Thunder to awaken another is a Son of Consolation to comfort I say variety of gifts and why to profit withall It is all for your profit that if you are not taken with one mans gifts you may be with anothers 3. It is the Lord of the Harvest that doth send forth and design every Labourer to his particular place and station wherein he is to labour it is he that appoints them the bounds of their habitation The Apostle he bids them feed the Church of God over which the H. Ghost had made them Overseers the holy Ghost placed them there If a Sparrow fall not to the ground without the power
of God much less doth a Minister preach a Sermon but there is a providence in it When God sends a Minister to a Congregation he doth lett out a piece of Land or bids him husband that for me Levit. 27.26 You read there how God would have them to value their Land dedicated to God to be worth more or less according to the Seed of it as it was capable of receiving much or less seed so the Minister should value his Land according to his opportunity he hath to sow Seed there 4. It is the Lord of the Harvest that must give success to these Labourers or else all their Preaching and labouring will be but as Plowing and Sowing among the Rocks You must not think Preaching of the Gospel doth work upon souls by any inherent vertue in the Word as Fire warms and Food nourishes and Physick heals If the Spirit of the Lord doth not go along with the Word it will be but as Musick to the Deaf c. 1 Cor. 3. Paul may plant Apollos may water but God gives the increase Now if the husbandman cannot command Seed to grow out of the Ground how much less can Ministers create Grace in Souls If in Natural things it is God that makes the Grass to spring how much more in spiritual things It is he makes the Soul to fructifie Alas it is not the parts and Eloquence of the Minister can beget Grace that must be the work of Gods Spirit 3. Here is our Duty or work in order to the obtaining this Gift that is to Pray the Lord of the Harvest that he would send forth more Labourers into his Harvest Prayers you know that is the prevailing course for the removing any evil that lies upon us or obtaining any good we stand in need of Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear you Such and such things God promises to do for his People But for this I will be sought unto saith the Lord. God will do good things for his Church and People but he will do things in his own order Here I might shew you the great power the Prayers of Gods People have with him The fervent effectual Prayer of the righteous prevaileth much Acts 12. You read there how Herod had put to death one of the Apostles And Peter was likewise taken up too and the Church go to Prayer what was the issue Peter was delivered Likewise what became of Herod He was smitten of God As one said Wo be to the Birds of prey when Gods Turtles begin to cry and mourn before him O that we were perswaded of this that there is such a great deal of power and prevalency in Prayer how should we be more exercised in this Duty both in publick and private and to be representing the state of the Church to God as they did of Lazarus to Christ He whom thou lovest is dead so should we say He whom thou lovest thy Church is sick and languishing ready to give up the Ghost I would come to the last thing There are only two or three Uses I would make of it Use 1. If it be the duty of every good Christian Man and Woman thus to pray and cry to God for the sending more Labourers into his Harvest then it shews us 1. The necessity of a Gospel Ministry What do you think of the Husbandmans Calling is that a necessary Calling to Plow and sow the Land that ye may have Bread to eat What would your Houses and Families do without Bread No more can a Church of God subsist in this world without the Ministry of the Word I know there are some ready to say What need is there of mens Preaching what need of the Ministry of Man cannot God do it alone Yea we have Christ and the teaching of the Spirit what need is there of mans teaching is not the Spirit above man is not Christ above Ministers I grant there is no necessity of Preaching the Word with respect to God he is able to save men and women without the Preaching of the Word as well as with it he doth not need the gifts and parts and tongue of any man for bringing souls home to himself As Israel in the Wilderness when they had no Plowing yet God could feed them he could bring them Bread from Heaven But yet as Gods ordinary way of maintaining and feeding your Bodies it is by Plowing and sowing the Field so it is the ordinary way God hath set in his Church for feeding your souls It pleased him 1 Cor. 1.21 by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe and God will keep close to his own Ordinance and honour his own Institution As Acts 9. when Paul was converted it was in an extraordinary way It is true Christ did speak to him out of the Clouds Saul Saul why persecutest c. and he said Who art thou Lord Christ you know Preached himself to Paul and he trembled and was astonished and said Lord what wouldst thou have me to do and Christ said Arise and go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou must do Could not Christ have as well told him his own work and business See how Christ begins the work but would have Paul to wait upon him in his own way therefore Ananias must be sent to Paul The like instance you have in the next Chapter there you read of Cornelius a devout man yet knew little of Christ and God sent an Angel to him Thy Prayer is heard and thine Alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God send therefore to Joppa and call Simon whose Surname is Peter and he shall speak unto thee What was not the Angel as well able to have taught Cornelius as Peter yea doubtless but as if he had said That is none of my Commission therefore send for such a person he shall speak to thee Here I might spend time to shew you the necessity of the Ministry of the Word 1. In order to Conversion Regeneration and bringing sinners to Christ Faith comes by hearing Who is Paul c. but Ministers by whom ye believed Do you look for seed-time without Plowing the Ground No more must you expect Grace without hearing the Word 2. I might shew you the necessity hereof for the building up of those that are Converted When we are in Christ when we are Believers we are not now above the Ministry of the Word above Ordinances No my Brethren this Ministry of the Word and Ordinances must continue in the Church as long as there is one soul to be saved as long as one soul is out of Heaven it must continue till the coming of Christ Again 2. If the sending forth of Labourers into the Harvest be such a desirable mercy then it shews us how much we should prize a faithful Ministry If God hath sent us faithful Ministers we should look upon it as a great and wonderful blessing It is the
fruit of the Prayers and Blood of Christ therefore if Christ hath disposed of us in such a place where we have a faithful Ministry we should exceedingly bless God for it as David Psal 147.20 He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so by any Nation Other Nations had as much wealth plenty of Gold and Silver and more than they but this is more than all outward blessings So how great a blessing this is too you may see in that Prophet Jeremy 30.20 God promises his People there Though he should feed them with Bread of Adversity and Water of Affliction yet they should have this Mercy that their teachers c. A promise to a carnal heart is of no worth or esteem but of great worth to a gracious heart Though you should see sad times here shall be your mercy and blessing 3. If it be such a desirable blessing for God to send forth Labourers into his Harvest then sure it is a matter greatly to be lamented when God is calling his faithful Labourers apace out of his Harvest instead of increasing them he is diminishing of them he is removing the Teachers not only into corners but into Graves Here is just matter of lamentation and sorrow to us when we consider how many faithful Labourers and eminent Preachers of the Word God hath of late removed out of his Harvest You know when Samuel died 1 Sam. 28.3 it is said They that buried him made a great lamentation for him And in Acts 8.2 you read of devout men that carried Stephen to his Burial and made great lamentation over him And in Acts 20. when Paul tells them they were like to see his face no more that it was the last time he should ever Pray or Preach with them it sets them all a weeping and a mourning I have read of one that when he heard of the death of any godly man he would fall a weeping to think of the great loss there was to the Church and People of God in the death of every good Christian and gracious person Brethren if you look on the loss of a godly Parent or Husband a godly Friend or Neighbour if you look upon such a loss as a great loss as David mourned for his friend Jonathan and Christ himself weeps over the Grave of Lazarus What is then the death and loss of a godly Minister yea of so many godly Ministers when you have loss upon loss death upon death one week carrying one godly Minister to his Grave and the next week carrying another I am afraid we do not lay these sad rebukes of God to heart as we ought to do It is not enough when you hear of such a Minister dead to be asking how long was he sick or what disease he died of to say he was a good man a good Preacher and alas it was a great loss but we should seriously consider such strokes and lay it to heart for the Living will lay it to heart If we are living indeed we should and shall lay them to heart Why so Because the loss of so many faithful Labourers as you have of late lost in these few years in this City it looks like a heavy Judgement of God against you I do not say a Judgement to them it may be a mercy to them Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord Death is their gain and advantage but the great loss is ours 1. Are you not thereby deprived of any further fruit or benefit of their holy Labours When the Vessel is broken the Treasure that is removed to Heaven and you can be no more enriched by it When the Tree is cut down it yields no more fruit How many faithful Preachers are gone under whose shaddow you did use to sit and feed with great delight How many whose Preaching used to be to you as a lovely sound and pleasant voice whose Mouths are now stopped with Dust so that you shall hear them Preach and Pray no more your hearts shall be no more warmed by their Prayers and Sermons 2. It is a Judgement for sometimes yea many times when a faithful Labourer is taken away there is it may be some loyterer comes in his room Acts 20.17 Paul tells them after his departure Wolves would come instead of the Myrtle Tree cometh up a Bryar or Thorn as it is with many people and Congregations who formerly had a godly painful Minister among them and it may be were a weary of him and this godly Minister is taken away and there is a pricking Nettle cometh in his room instead of faithful Seers they are blind Guides and where the blind leads the blind Christ tells you the issue The Scripture speaks much of these idle Shepherds as a Judgement instead of faithful Teachers they shall have those to give them a Stone instead of Bread 3. It 's a Judgement to be greatly lamented when faithful Ministers are taken away because it is commonly the sins of the People that do procure and have a hand in the death of their Minister Here we might be enquiring What are those sins by which God is so often provoked to take away his Ministers from a People There are two extreams people are apt to run into either to over-value or under-value their Ministers The Scripture doth take notice of such an evil as that of having the persons of men in admiration when we receive and love the Truth for the persons sake and not the person for the Truths sake when one is for Paul another for Apollos We may lose our enjoyments by our too high as well as too low prizing of them Indeed the fault commonly lies on the other hand that is their undervaluing the Ministry of the Word their unprofitableness unthankfulness barrenness under the droppings of the Word this provokes God to make the Heavens as Brass to them when they play with the Bâ—ead and Light then God comes and removes the Light and takes away the Bread 4. It 's a Judgement to be greatly lamented when faithful Ministers are taken away out of the Harvest because it is a sad prognostick of some greater Judgements and some heavier evils that are coming upon a people You know what the Prophet saith Isa 57.1 The righteous perish and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that the nighteous is taken away from the evil to come Oh those Words of Christ my Brethren come into my thoughts when he was a dying and some were weeping for him Weep not for me saith he but for your selves and children because of those miseries and calamities that are drawing nigh to you Methinks it is the language of our dying Ministers Weep not for us c. When the Labourers are called home from the Harvest it is a sign the night is a coming When chirping Birds are removed into their nest it is a sign the shadows of the evening are