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1994.THE
TRUE GBOFJVD OF ESTEEM
/	FOR
STUB	i soiriMmm
	A DISCOURSE
Delivered in Murray Street Church, New York, on Thursday Evening.
January 31, 1833,
AT THE INSTALLATION
THOMAS	. OF M‘AULEY, D.D. L.L.D.
	
BY WILLIAM D. SNODGRASS, D.D.
Late Pastor of said Church.
Seto SPorfc:
JOHN P. HAVEN, NASSAU STREET.
1833.“ At a meeting of the Session of Murray Street Church, on the
evening of the 31st January, 1833,—It was resolved, that the Rev. Dr.
Snodgrass be requested to furnish the Session with a copy of his Sermon,
delivered at the Installation of the Rev. Dr. M4Auley as Pastor of this
Church, for publication.”
Extract from the Minutes.
S. WALKER, Clerk.
Clark & Raser, Printers.The Author of the following Discourse has consented to
its publication, not because he supposes it to be entitled to
this distinction on account of its merits, but because he was
not willing to frustrate the wishes of the officers and mem-
bers of the congregation to which it was delivered. His
connexion with them, as their Pastor, for a period of more
than nine years—his voluntary separation from them in a
state of entire cordiality and kindness of feeling—and the
satisfaction with which he contemplated their choice of a
successor, all combined to render the occasion one of deep
and pleasing interest to him, as well as to them. He is happy
in the opportunity of perpetuating the recollection of this
interest, as far as it can be done by committing the substance
of the exercise, in which he was invited to engage, to the
press. And he hopes that those who received his remarks
with so much favour at the time of their delivery, will be in
some measure profited, as well as gratified, by perusing them
in their present form.DISCOURSE
% 1 Thess. v. 12,13. il We beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and
to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.”
1 Cor. iii. 5—7. “ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers
by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is
he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth.”
You ought to be aware, my hearers, that in regulating
your regard for the ministers of Christ, there are two ex-
tremes to which you are exposed. They lie in opposite di-
rections from each other, and are to be avoided with equal
care. One is the extreme of placing too low an estimate
upon their office and labours; and the other is the extreme
of thinking inare highly of their persons and performances
than you ought to think.—Both these extremes were exem-
plified in the errors of judgment and feeling which some-
times appeared in the days of the Apostles; and, whether
we consult the subsequent history of the church or observe
her present condition, we must acknowledge that the human
mind is characterized by an evident proneness to these evils
in every age. I give a true account, not only of my own
experience but also of the experience of others who are
near me, when I say, that there are many hearers of the
Gospel from whom we receive no sympathy or assistance;
and some who are even betrayed into the sin of giving us
to understand, both in word and action, that they have but6
little regard either for us or for the employment in which
we are engaged. And yet perhaps we can all testify, on
the other hand, that we have met with cases of attachment
to our persons and ministrations, which have been strong,
even to an excessive and unwarrantable degree—inasmuch
as they have seemed to indicate too much reliance upon us
to the exclusion of a proper degree of dependence upon
God.
Now the two passages, to which I call your attention
this evening, may be considered as meeting these evils in
their respective directions; and, when properly interpreted
in the light of each other, they will serve to remove them
both, and to exhibit the true ground which the ministry
should occupy in the affectionate regards of their fellow-
men.—The one which is taken from the Epistle to the
Thessalonians will teach, that when your attachment to
them grows out of a proper estimation of the work in which
they are engaged, there is scarcely any danger of excess;
—because the apostle not only permits but expressly re-
quires you, “for their work’s sake,” “to know them,” and
“to esteem them very highly in love.” And the one which
is taken from the Epistle to the Corinthians will show, that
when your affection for them is founded upon any thing else
than a right valuation of their work—upon such grounds,
for example, as some peculiarity in their personal appear-
ance, or in the character and style of their public ministra-
tions—then they are in danger of being overrated, or of
assuming a degree of importance in your estimation which
they do not actually possess in the estimation of God.
“ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by
whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ?
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he
that watereth.”7
The truth and propriety of these views, I shall endea-
vour, on the present occasion, to establish and illustrate,—
believing that, if we walk in the light of these scriptures,
we shall be guided to proper apprehensions in reference to
this general subject $ and believing, also, that no subject
could be more suitable to the design for which we are now
assembled and to the special transaction in which we are
this evening to engage.
1. In the first place, then, I declare on the authority of
the apostle to the Thessalonians, that the work, in which
the faithful ministers of Christ are employed, shouxd
RAISE THEM TO AN EXALTED PLACE IN THE ESTEEM
AND AFFECTIONS OF THEIR FELLOW-MEN.
I say the faithful ministers of Christ, because they
ure the only persons of whom the apostle speaks. An un-
faithful minister is one who neglects the work to which he
professes to have been called; and therefore to expect him
to be esteemed for his “work’s sake,” would involve a con-
tradiction in terms. In yielding to this suggestion, how-
ever, you are not to go to the opposite extreme and sup-
pose, that the labours of a minister must be attended by
any prescribed degree of popularity and success, before he
can be accounted faithful, and therefore entitled to the es-
teem and affection of which we now speak. This would be
equally far from the meaning and foreign from the design
of the apostle. It is the work itself, and not the manner of
its performance or the results to which it leads, which he
exhibits as the ground of your respect and attachment*
And, that you may know what this work is and therefore
whether it is or is not performed by those who sustain the
office of the ministry among you, you are furnished with
plain and ample descriptions of it, both in its general na-
ture and in its particular departments. In its general na-8
ture, it is the work of converting sinners as well as of per-
fecting the saints and edifying the body of Christ. And in
its particular departments, there is the work of preaching
the Gospel—which consists, not only in declaring “ the
whole counsel of God” in the public ministrations of the
sanctuary, but also in improving every other appropriate
opportunity of “ dividing the word of truth” in such a man-
ner that every one may receive a portion in due season—
proceeding for this purpose, according to time and circum-
stances, “from house to house”—approaching the rich and
the poor, and dispensing advice and admonition to parents
and children and masters and servants—directing the
minds of the young to the peculiar counsels which the di-
vine oracles have addressed to them—calling the attention
of the old and the middle-aged to their duties and dangers
—and bearing to those who are afflicted, either by sickness
or by any other adversity, the instructions and consolations
which are adapted to their case.—There is also the work
of administering the sacraments of the church of Christ $
and of doing this in such a way as to guard their purity
and promote the edifying influence which they were in-
tended to exert.—And, finally, there is the work of em-
ploying the discipline of the house of God for the correction
of offenders—endeavouring, by all argument and persua-
sion, to reclaim those who have gone out of the way; and,
at last, if they refuse to hear and repent, cutting them off
and placing them, as to their connexion with the visible
church, in the situation of “ a Heathen man and a Publi-
can.”
Now, it is your province, to determine in the exercise of
charity and a sound judgment, whether those who profess
to “labour among you” and to be “ over you in the Lord”
and to “admonish you,” are really engaged in the habitual9
and faithful discharge of these duties. And if they are,
you are then bound, without any regard to the popularity of
their ministrations or the measure of their apparent suc-
cess, to receive and obey the exhortation of the Apostle-—
not only to “ know” them, by recognizing them as ministers
of Christ in your deportment towards them j but, in the ex-
ercise of a positive feeling of regard, to ** esteem” them—
and not only so, but to esteem them “ highly”—yea, more
than this, to esteem thbm “ very” highly—and, as if this
were not sufficient to express the whole truth, you are
called upon to esteem them very highly “ in love,” for the
sake of that work which they are performing with the abi-
lity and success which God giveth.
If you are disposed to inquire what there is in this work,
which entitles those who enter upon it to this high degree
of esteem and affection, I answer,
1. Its object is to promote your happiness, from a higher
motive and in afar greater measure, than can be claimed
by any other employment in which you are served by your
fellow-men. Compare it, for example, with the work of a
well qualified instructor of youth—whom you regard as a
blessing to yourselves and the community, because he is la-
bouring to discipline the minds of your children, and prepare
them for the active duties of the present life. Or compare
it with the employment of an eminent and conscientious
Jurist—to whom you resort for advice, when your rights
and property are in danger. Or compare it with the busi-
ness of an experienced and skilful Physician—to whom you
look, in times of sickness, for the means of arresting the
progress of disease and restoring yourselves and those who
are dear to you to the enjoyment of health. AH these vo-
cations are important in their respective spheres, and they
often furnish examples of integrity and faithfulness and
B10
kindness, which are worthy of all praise. But those who
pursue them are, in general, actuated by the same motive
which impels the merchant in the transaction of his business,
or the farmer in the cultivation of his grounds. They have
selected these professions, in preference to other worldly
employments, and are labouring in the discharge of the
duties which they impose as an honourable and lawful means
of worldly gain. In the case of the faithful minister of
Christ, however, it is not so. All that he anticipates, in
the form of pecuniary compensation, is measured out to him
in the one rule, “ which the Lord hath ordained, that they
which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.” Every
expectation, beyond this, he has offered up as a sacrifice at
the commencement of his work. He has yielded his heart
to the influence of a motive which is drawn—not from 66 cor-
ruptible things, as silver and gold”—but from the prospect
of a crown of glory which-fadeth not away. He has thought
of his obligations to the Saviour of his own soul, and of the
service which he might render to the souls of his fellow-
creatures. And, turning his back upon the prospect of
worldly gain, he is looking for a recompense in the peace
of his own conscience and in the approbation of God.
Under the influence of this high and peculiar motive, he
is labouring to promote your happiness in an eminent and
singular degree. While the men of other professions are
acting for you in reference to the interests of time, he is
endeavouring to make you possessors of that which has
“ promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come.” As a worker together with God, he comes into
your sanctuary with “a balm for every wound and a cordial
for every fear:”—In sickness, he brings you a Physician
who can heal diseases of the mind as well as of the bodyj
and, in.all seasons of adversity, he points you to ** a friend11
that sticketh closer than a brother;”—Regarding you as
inhabitants of this world, he sets before you “ a light unto
your feet and a lamp unto your path,” which, if followed
implicitly, will guide you into ways of pleasantness and
paths of peace:—And, viewing you as travellers to another
state of existence, his object is to bring you into connexion
with Jesus Christ as “ joint-heirs” to an incorruptible and
undefiled inheritance:—If he sees you slumbering in secu-
rity on the brink of eternal ruin, he comes to admonish you
of your situation and rouse you to a sense of your danger:—
If he finds you in a state of conviction for sin—weary and
heavy laden under the burden of its guilt—he sets before
you “ the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world,” in all the winning aspects of his love and willing-
ness to save:—If he discovers that any obstacle is keeping
you away from the arms of this bleeding and compassionate
Saviour, he endeavours, by all appropriate instruction, to
remove it:—And if, as the children of God, he hears of your
sighs and lamentations over departed light and consolation
and joy, he reminds you of the faithfulness of Him “ who
hath called you to his kingdom and glory,” and exhibits
the ample provisions of the “ everlasting covenant” in such
a light that you cannot but exclaim, “ Why art thou east
down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the
health of my countenance, and my God.” In short, his
whole deportment towards you, is directed and controlled
by the belief that it will “ profit a man nothing to gain the
whole world and lose his own soul.” And, therefore, he
“reproves and rebukes and exhorts, with all long-suffering
and doctrine:”—He labours “in season” and “out of sea-
son/5 and endeavours to' adapt his deportment and instruc-
tions to the varieties of character and condition which are12
to be found among you—in the hope that you “ may not
perish but have everlasting life.” So that, in proportion
as the soul is of more value than the body, and the interests
of eternity are more to be regarded than the possessions
and events of time, in the same proportion is a faithful mi-
nistry of more importance to your welfare than any of the
other employments of men, which are conferring their be-
nefits upon you.
And, as falling in with the truth of this representation,
it is interesting to observe, that wherever the comparative
worth of a faithful ministry is referred to in the language
of the Bible, it is set forth to our view as the greatest bless-
ing which any country or community can enjoy; while the
absence of it is regarded as the greatest curse which can
fall upon the human race. In what language, for example,
did Jehovah himself speak, when describing the most pro-
pitious of all the circumstances which were to attend the
return of the Jews from their long captivity in Babylon ?
As recorded by his own Prophet, His declaration was, “l
will give them pastors—after mine own heart—who shall
feed them with knowledge and understanding.” What was
it that He taught Isaiah to consider as sufficient to counter-
balance every form and degree of earthly suffering which
he might be called to endure ?	“ Though the Lord give thee
the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall
not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more: but
thine eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear
a voice behind thee saying; This is the way, walk ye in it,
when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the
left.” What was it that he instructed the Prophet Amos
to regard as a heavier calamity than any of the desolating
consequences of famine or drought? “ Behold the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land,13
—and it shall not be a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wan-
der from sea to sea and from the North even to the East;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord and
shall not find it.” Or, to come down to a still later period,
what was it that the glorified Redeemer singled out as the
most alarming of all judgments, when his object was to
rouse a slumbering church to the discharge of its duty?
“ Remember whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works ; or else I will come unto thee quickly and re-
move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.”
The “ candlestick” was the well known emblem of the mi-
nistry of the word; and, supposing that this backsliding
community still retained some sense of the infinite value of
this blessing, He threatens them with its removal, as the
best means of indicating his displeasure and bringing them
to repentance.
2. The work of the faithful ministers of Christ should
raise them to an exalted place in the esteem and affections
of their fellow-men; because it is a work, in which they
have great difficulties to encounter, and severe
trials to endure. Some, I know, are disposed to believe
that this remark has but little foundation in fact, and that
the practical operation of it is principally confined to the
imaginations of the ministry themselves. This, however,
was not the impression of the great apostle whose language
we are now considering; nor is it the opinion of any of
those who have made “ full proof” of their ministry by en-
deavouring to walk in his steps.—I have a deep conviction,
that if the peculiar discouragements which encompass the
duties of this office could be fully known and estimated be-
forehand, the number of those who seek it would be greatly
diminished. And, therefore, I regard it as a wise appoint-14
ment that we are conducted to an acquaintance with these
discouragements, only by experience and by slow degrees.
In consecrating ourselves to the work, our minds are prin-
cipally occupied by a view of its attractions. We are al-
lured into it by the love of Christ* by his promises of assist-
ance, and by the prospect of usefulness. And, having en-
tered upon it, we pass unconsciously from one scene of its
peculiar perplexities to another, until we are fairly and
fully committed—until we have gone too far to retreat
without dishonour to ourselves and obvious injury to the
cause of our Divine Master—until our way is so completely
hedged up on every side, by the providence of God and our
own voluntary engagements, that we feel compelled to ex-
claim, “Necessity is laid upon us; yea woe be unto us if
we preach not the Gospel !”
I cannot pretend, at present, to occupy the whole field of
illustration in which the difficulties and trials of the minis-
try are embraqed. In order, however, that this field may
open before you, allow me to recall to your recollection
some of the prominent characteristics by which this work is
distinguished from all others.—Think, for a moment, of the
difficult duty which devolves upon the minister of Christ in
reference to the spiritual condition of his own soul. If he
desires to be useful, he must not only be a “ man of God”
as to the fact of his conversion, but he must exhibit an emi-
nent degree of piety and growth in grace;—He must fix
upon his own mind a becoming and habitual sense of the
presence of God, of his accountability to Him, and of the
infinite value of the souls which are committed to his charge:
—He must keep the flame of those affections, which he en-
deavours to raise in the minds of others, continually burn-
ing upon the altar of his own breast:—He must put far
from him all exhibitions of pride and vanity and self-suffi-15
ciency; and, penetrated with a deep feeling of love to Christ
and compassion towards men, he must show forth the con-
trary virtues of humility and condescension and love. And,
in a world in which so many opposite influences and temp-
tations are continually at work, “ who is sufficient for these
things?”—Think, again, of the difficult work which he has
to perform in the great department of preaching the Gospel
—the difficulty of exhibiting its doctrines and duties and
promises and threatenings, in all their variety and propor-
tions and fulness—the difficulty of always delivering its
message with a proper degree of simplicity and courage and
earnestness and affection—the difficulty of adapting its in-
structions to the varied dispensations of Providence and the
diversified conditions of human life—-the difficulty of declar-
ing the whole truth to all, without being influenced by the
fear or incurring the displeasure of any—the difficulty of
instructing the ignorant, of awakening the careless, of de-
tecting the hypocrite,; of comforting the mourner, of re-
viving the dejected, of restoring the backslider, and of
leading the inquiring sinner to the cross of Christ. Re-
member, too, that while living under the pressing obligation
of these duties, there are various other engagements which
break in upon his time and draw largely upon the anxiety
of his mind and the feelings of his heart. Some of these
proceed from his domestic and social relations—others, from
the public benevolent institutions which distinguish the age
and place in which he lives—and others, again, from the
obligations of his office as pastor of the flock over which the
Holy Ghost has made him an overseer. As one who de-
sires to be faithful in this office, he must attend to the wants
of particular parts, as well as to the welfare of the whole;
—He must take care of the lambs, as well as of the sheep
which are fully grown; and, for this purpose, he must call16
them around him at convenient seasons and feed them with
food adapted to their age and strength;—He must counsel
and admonish in private, as well as in public;—He must
answer the calls which are made upon him from the cham-
ber of sickness and from the house of mourning:—And if,
after this, he has nothing left but an exhausted mind and
the fragments of a broken hour to prepare him for the high
duties of the sanctuary, he must still throw himself upon
the help of God and go forward in the prosecution of his
work.
Of those things which assume more directly the form of
trials, there are many which befall the minister of Christ,
to which other men and Christians are not exposed; or, if
exposed, not in the same degree. In consequence of the
peculiar position which he occupies in the public eye, he is
especially in the way of the various forms of evil speaking
which are abroad in the community. It is of the peculiar
nature of his work, to “ testify of the world, that the deeds
thereof are evil ;” and, for this reason, he is often re-
proached by those who “ hate the light” and will not come
to the light lest their “ deeds should be reproved.” In
their practical judgment and daily conversation, he is ac-
cused, sometimes of illiberality and bigotry, and sometimes
of enthusiasm and fanaticism. He is regarded and spoken
of, as a narrow-minded enemy of all innocent recreations
and enjoyments—or as a credulous believer in doctrines
and mysteries which throw an unnecessary gloom over the
domestic and social relations of life—or as a designing hy-
pocrite, who is governed by no higher motive than the
prospect of human popularity and worldly gain. Among
the very people who attend upon his ministrations, he some-
times meets with those who assist in turning the current of
defamation against him. Having become his enemies, either17
because he has told them the truth or for some other rea-
son, they avail themselves of all convenient opportunities
of whispering unfavourable suggestions into the ears of
others, in reference to his official character and conduct—
of condemning him on account of things which he does and
things which he does not—and, sometimes, of even origi-
nating and giving currency to unfounded reports, which are
calculated to undermine his reputation as a Christian, as well
as to circumscribe his usefulness in the peculiar service to
which he has devoted his life.—In connexion with these ef-
forts of his enemies, he has sometimes much to endure from
those who profess to be his friends—from fluctuations in their
temper and deportment—from irregularity in their attend-
ance upon the mdans of grace—from backwardness to assist
and encourage him in his labours—from the want of har-
mony and mutual love among themselves—and from other
evident signs of a general and growing insensibility to the
concerns of the soul. In coming into the Sanctuary or the
place of social prayer, his heart is often chilled by the ab-
sence of those whom he expected to meet. The message
from God, in the preparation of which lie had wept and
prayed, is delivered without producing any visible impres-
sion. At the close of one Sabbath after another, he retires
to his closet and exclaims, “ Who hath believed our report?
and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
He sees those, to whom he would gladly become the means
of salvation, apparently ripening under his ministry for a
more aggravated and awful perdition. Though never so
faithful in proclaiming to them “ the acceptable year of the
Lord and the day of the vengeance of our God,” they re-
main in a state of indifference and unconcern \ and are
thereby filled up as “ vessels of wrath fitted for destruc-
tion.” Andy while he mourns over them, his soul is often
c18
pained within him, by the inconsistency and unfaithfulness
of some who belong externally to “ the household of faith.”
They walk in such a manner as to compel him to suspect,
and sometimes to say “even weeping’’ that they are “the
enemies of the cross of Christ.” And here, let it not be
forgotten, that, while surrounded by these sources of trial,
he must continue in the discharge of his regularly return-
ing duties, day after day and week after week, as if there
were nothing to perplex or discourage him. When the
hour appointed for his ministrations arrives, he must come
forward, whatever may have been his opportunities of pre-
paration before-hand and whatever may be the frame of his
mind at the moment. He must stand up for the avowed
purpose of instructing and comforting others, though he
feels the need of light and consolation for himself. He
must attempt to awaken the feelings and inflame the zeal of
his fellow-Christians, though he is condemning his own
heart for its insensibility and coldness.—And, at some sea-
sons, these various considerations and feelings gather upon
him so thick and fast and lie upon his spirit with such an
oppressive weight, that he is well prepared to exclaim “ Q
that, I had the wings of a dove that I might fly away and
be at rest!”
Now, if it be true, that there are difficulties and trials in
this work, at which these remarks furnish only a super-
ficial glance, then there is good reason for saying that those
who enter upon it for the purpose of doing good to their
fellow-men and promoting the glory of God, are deserving
of that deep and heart-felt regard of which the apostle
speaks.
To these considerations, I shall only add
3. That the ministers of Christ should be esteemed
“very highlybecause their work is one, in the faithful19
undertaking and performance of which they subject them-
selves to a peculiar degree of responsibility. “Every
one of us shall give an account of himself to God/*—but,
in every individual case, this account will proceed accord-
ing to the 'rule*-“unto whomsoever much is given of the
same will much be required.” And it is easy to see that
while this rule imposes one degree of responsibility upon
you, it imposes another and a higher degree of responsibi-
lity upon us. In God’s own estimation, while you are the
inhabitants of Zion, we are the Watchmen who stand upon
her walls—while you are the subjects with whom the Prince
of Peace is negotiating, we are the ambassadors to whom
he has committed the treaty and terms of reconciliation—
and while you are the sheep of the pasture over which the
1 Redeemer presides, we are the under-shepherds whom he has
appointed to protect you from danger and provide you with
food. In what solemn and awful language does the Pro-
phet exhibit the bearing of one of these similitudes,—when
he says, “ Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the
house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt hear the word at my
mouth and warn them from me* When I say unto the
wicked, O wicked man! thou shalt surely die; if thou dost
not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked
man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require
at thine hand ?” This, my hearers, is our responsibility—
and this responsibility, we bear, for your sakes. We watch
for your souls “ as those who must give account” in an
eminent and peculiar sense. And, for this reason, we are
not using “ swelling words of vanity” to exalt ourselves
above measure, but are uttering “ the words of truth and
soberness” when we call upon you to “ know” us, and
“esteem” us “very highly in love” for our “work’s
sake.”20
I should be glad, if our time on this occasion would per-
mit, to bring before you the principal ways in which your
esteem for the ministers of Christ ought to be shown, and
to point out those respects in which there is the greatest
danger of failure in the discharge of this duty. These par-
ticulars, however, we are compelled to omit, in order to
afford room for the next main topic of consideration,—
which suggests the idea	,
II. That, WHEN ANY THING ELSE THAN THEIR WORE
BECOMES THE GROUND OF ATTACHMENT TO THEM, THEY
are in danger of being over-valued ; because, in any
other view, it is scarcely possible to estimate them at too
low a rate. 66 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to
every man ? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God
gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that watereth.”
This language was intended for the rebuke of certain
members of the Corinthian church, who had fallen into the
habit of disputing with one another as to the comparative
merits of different persons who had been preaching the
Gospel among them. Some awarded the palm of superior-
ity, in point of talent and eloquence, to one; and some, to
another. One declared that the ministrations of Paul were
the most able and likely to be the most successful, while
another contended that he was altogether inferior to Apol-
los ; and, therefore, less worthy of being supported by the
affections and co-operation of the people.—Now the Apos-
tle declares, that in all this they were actuated by corrupt
and carnal motives—that they had lost sight entirely of the
correct and Christian view of the subject—and that they
were expressing their preference for their respective fa-
vourites, on account of things for which they deserved no21
credit at all. Paul and Apollos were not the authors of
their own peculiarities of mind and manner, or of the dif-
ferent degrees of success which attended their labours.
The former, could no more have preached in the style and
with the voice of the latter, than he could have made “one
hair of his head white or black ;” nor could Cephas have
calculated with any degree of confidence, that the same ef-
fects would follow his ministrations in one place, which had
accompanied the exertions of his fellow-labourers in ano-
ther. God, himself and alone, was the efficient agent in
the production of all these diversities of character and de-
grees of success. He not only created Paul and Apollos
and Cephas, as men; but he moulded and superintended
them, as ministers of Christ. And the very fact, that he
made them different from each other, was of itself a suffi-
cient proof that these differences did not essentially affect
the ministerial character and qualifications of either. If
the “person” of Paul was “mean” and “his speech con-
temptible,” he was not less a minister of Christ on that ac-
count. And, if Apollos was adorned with all the natural
accomplishments which were opposed to these defects, he
was not more a minister of Christ for this reason. And
therefore, in allowing these minor peculiarities to become
the scale according to which their esteem and affection were
graduated, the people of Corinth were influenced by insuf-
ficient considerations and were departing from the line of
their duty.	'
In view of this fact, then, I remark,
1. That the ministers of Christ are overrated when there
is great importance attached to their personal appear-
ance, to their naturae talents, or to their acquired
accomplishments as men. I have, indeed, but little
hope of gaining for this remark the attention and favour22
which it deserves. It strikes at the root of an evil which
began to spring up, as we have seen, under the very eye
and management of inspired men, and which has continued
to grow until its existence has become almost universal.
The church has been accustomed to cherish this evil so
long, that the contrary truth is an item of “ sound doc-
trine” which she will “ not endure.” And, for one, I have
no hope of seeing the light and feeling the warmth of the mil-
lennial day, until a visible and thorough revolution of senti-
ment and conduct shall occur in reference to this particular.
At the present time, it must be obvious to every one, who
will inquire after the truth for a single moment, that the
greater part of all the professed esteem for the ministry
which exists in our country—especially in large and popu-
lous places, where they are to be found in the greatest num-
bers—is an esteem for them on account of things which do
not enter essentially into the constitution of the ministerial
character and Work. Go into almost any congregation, in
which all hearts are united in the love and all voices in the
praise of him who conducts the devotions of the sanctuary:
listen to their expressions of attachment: analyze their
feelings until you have ascertained the ground upon which
this attachment rests. And what is it? It is not the great
and single fact that he is a faithful minister of the Gospel;
but, in most cases, it is that he is an interesting and per-
haps an eloquent man—a man whose peculiar cast of mind
and manners they admire—a man who preaches the Gospel
in a way which is adapted to their taste—a man who ren-
ders himself agreeable and engaging in the intercourse of
social and private life—a man who possesses the faculty of
managing his fellow-men—or a man who is distinguished
by a peculiar talent for other departments of labour than
those which appertain immediately to this service. And23
this is not all. For, while their esteem for their favourite
is built exclusively upon such grounds as these, they are of
course prepared to entertain a low opinion of all others in
proportion as they are supposed to differ from him in these
respects. Another man may preach the Gospel with as
much simplicity and faithfulness and affection; and yet
they cannot relish his exhibitions of truth, either because
his manner does not please, or because their minds are pre-
judiced against him on account of some other consideration
which is equally unimportant in itself. If providentially
thrown in the way of his ministrations, they manifest an
air of indifference, and sometimes of positive dislike, which
seems to say, 4 God could not bless such labours, if he
would V In this way the apostle’s rule of judgment is
either forgotten or reversed. The affections of men, in-
stead of reaching the work of the ministry, terminate upon
the instrument by which the work is performed; and the
instrument, instead of being valued for the “work's sake,”
is esteemed and loved on its own account. Few are found
to agree in the truth, “neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that waterethbut many are heard to
say, in the language of “them of old time,” “I am of Paul;
and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas.”
It is no part of my intention, in these remarks, to inti-
mate that you are necessarily committing sin, when you
prefer the ministrations of one servant of Christ to those of
another. Instead of this I maintain that, under proper
Circumstances, this is not only to be allowed but even com-
mended. Suppose the case of one, with whose ministerial
and devoted labours you are especially acquainted: sup-
pose him to be the man, who was the instrument of conver-
sion to your own soul, or the means of salvation to, multi-
tudes in the community in whicb-you reside. If you did24
not entertain a peculiar affection for him, you would not
only impose an unnatural check upon the exercise of your
social feelings, but you would fail in the duty of esteeming
him for his 66 work’s sake.” His work has been brought
into closer contact with your mind and heart than the works
of others; and therefore your sentiments and feelings to-
wards him should be characterized by a corresponding de-
gree of liveliness and strength.—My object, then, is not to
condemn a preference on proper grounds; but only to exhi-
bit the prominent fact that this preference, as we sec it
around us, is generally based upon grounds which are
improper.—And, while I speak of this as an extensive evil
in the church at large, I cannot but regard it as a promi-
nent sin of the denomination to which we belong. I believe
candour will compel us to acknowledge, that there is no
other, in which congregations are so often thrown into con-
fusion by differences in opinion and taste as to the minor
peculiarities by which the faithful ministers of Christ are
distinguished from one another. It frequently happens, on
this account, that parties are formed and dividing lines are
drawn throughout the entire circle of a worshipping as-
sembly. Some declare in favour of the services of one in-
dividual, and some in favour of those of another. And,
in some cases, the controversy proceeds and increases in
warmth and bitterness, until an incurable alienation of feel-
ing obtains, between those who ought to be “ one, even as
Christ and the Father are one.”
In view of this evil I feel disposed, this evening, to thank
God that those of you who belong to this congregation have
escaped it, in coming to the choice of one who is to occupy
the place where I now stand and where I have often stood
before. When I resolved to resign this place to the occupa-
tion and care of whomsoever the Lord might send, I was25
not alone in the apprehension that collisions of opinion and
taste might occur in the choice of a successor, and lead
to unpleasant results. I was forewarned by some, who
were unwilling to be persuaded of the propriety of the step
which I was about to take, that, before the necessity for
such a service as that in which we are now engaged would
arise, there would be “ divisions among you :5* to use the
simple language of an Apostle “ I partly believed it:5* and,
for a while, there were some indications which seemed to
imply that this anticipation was about to be realized. But
the God of love and of peace has been better to you than
our fears. And it now demands a tribute of praise, that
within the lapse of so short a time your eyes are again to
see your teacher, in harmony with one another, and in the
immediate prospect of his labours among you.
2. The fault of overrating the ministry appears, in laying
too much stress upon the importance of this institution,
as viewed in comparison with other means of doing good.
And this remark I regard as one of no inconsiderable de-
gree of practical importance $ because it comes in contact
with many cases which occur in real life;—I mean the cases
of those who are not contented to labour in any other employ-
ment than the ministry—although, in entering upon it, they
are compelled to run counter to the external indications of
Divine providence. God forbid! that I should utter a
word to chill the affections or change the purpose of any
rising aspirant to this office, whom the Lord has called. I
know that whosoever desireth the office of a bishop desireth
a good work; and I believe that the harvest truly is great
while the labourers are few. But I also believe, that the
incumbent of this office should be “ apt to teach”—that he
should be able “ rightly to divide the word of truth”—and
that he should not “ be entangled with the affairs of this
D26
life” that he “ may please him who has called him to be a
soldier.” And therefore, when I see an individual press-
ing into it without even a moderate share of that aptness to
teach which an inspired Apostle declares to be essential, or
when I find him willing for the sake of entering upon it to
involve himself in pecuniary or other worldly embarrass-
ments which are likely to follow him through life and to
prey upon his spirits until the hour of his death, I regard
him as contending against the providence of God and as
running away from a sphere in which he ought to remain,
under the false impression that the ministry is the only em-
ployment in which he can expect to be useful.—And, of the
same general class to which these examples belong, there is
another case, which, perhaps, you have often seen—I mean
the case of an individual who is brought to the knowledge
of the truth comparatively late in life; and who, after his
conversion, regards himself as called to abandon his esta^
blished vocation and to devote the remainder of his life to
the work of preaching the Gospel.—Now I do not affirm,
that in all such cases the path of duty has been mistaken;
but I believe that many who have pursued this course have
diminished, instead of increasing, their facilities for doing
good.—Let the ministry have all the importance to which it
is fairly entitled, (and when properly viewed it is scarcely
possible, as we have seen, to consider it too important) but
let it never be viewed in such an exclusive and all-absorbing
light as to cast other opportunities and means of usefulness
into the shade. There are numerous other ways of ad-
vancing the interests of the cause of Christ, which are
equally acceptable to God, and better fitted to the talents
and circumstances of the great majority of men. The
Apostle Paul refers with as genuine satisfaction to the co-
operation of “ those women,” who had laboured with him27
in the Gospel, as he does to the services of his proper com-
panions in the higher office which he sustained. And I
have now in the eye of my mind many followers of Christ,
who are occupying their respective places—on the bench
and at the bar—in our halls of legislation and in the ranks
of mercantile and commercial life—in our Sunday Schools
and other associations for the spread of the Gospel—whom
I should be sorry to see, abandoning the spheres in which
they now move and entering upon the office of the ministry.
In taking this step, they would throw away means and
close up doors of usefulness, for which nothing in their new
relation could afford any adequate compensation. And
therefore, instead of encouraging changes like these, except
in extraordinary cases, I had rather use all influence to
prevent them. While the church is confessedly in need of
*tf more labourers” for the harvest, this harvest is quite
as much in danger of suffering for the want of more piety
in the other departments of life, as for the want of a greater
increase in the numbers of the ministry. Let the day once
come in which examples of devotion to the service of God
shall be so numerous in the various walks of worldly busi-
ness as to exercise a controlling influence—and then, can-
didates for the ministry will come up from every quarter—
the means of qualifying them for the sacred office will be
provided in abundance—and all other things in human
society, will so work together, that “ righteousness will go
forth as brightness and salvation as a lamp that burnetii.”
Under this department of the subject* I remark
3. That the ministers of the Gospel are overrated by
those who expect them to succeed in their labours without
THE FAITHFUL CO-OPERATION OF THE PEOPLE. And by
the people, I now mean especially, the members of the
visible church, who are associated with them, either as sub*28
ordinate officers or as private members.—A ministry, which
is intended to operate by itself and alone9 is an institution
of which there are no traces to be found in any part of the
Scriptures. That c which they establish and require is a
ministry which has helps” intimately and essentially con-
nected with it. And these helps are of various kinds, as
well as of different degrees of importance. To use lan-
guage adapted to our own ecclesiastical organization, there
is, for example, the help to be derived from the Elders of the
Church,—who occupy the situation of“ overseers,” as well
as of rulers,—and who are expected, in a variety of ways,
to increase the efficiency, as well as to lighten the labours
of the Pastoral office. If qualified for their station, they*
may be of essential service by their grave and consistent
deportment—by their wise and seasonable counsel—by their
uniformity and activity in works of faith and labours of love.
Occupying as they do an intermediate place between the
pastor and the people, they may do much to guard his re-
putation and give direction to his labours, to lift up his
hands when they hang down and confirm his knees when
they are feeble. They may assist, in instructing the young,
in visiting the sick, in forming and conducting associations
for prayer, and in bringing the whole body under the ce-
menting influence of that love, which is 66 the fulfilling of
the law.”—And in addition to their co-operation, there is
also the assistance to be derived, from the affectionate coun-
tenance, the upright conduct, the well regulated activity,
and the persevering prayers, of all the other members of
“ the household of faith.” Without help from this quarter,
the great Apostle himself could not proceed, with feelings
of satisfaction or with hopes of success. Any thing like
unkindness from his fellow Christians always discouraged
him, while their affectionate attentions refreshed and re-29
vived his spirit:—If they stood “fast in the Lord,” he
could exclaim, “ Now we live;” but, if their conduct gave
room for the suspicion that, notwithstanding their profes-
sion, they were “ the enemies of the cross of Christ,” he
could not refrain from Sweeping:”—No one can peruse
his history without perceiving that he attached great im-
portance to their activity and zeal;—-and, as an evidence
that he could not dispense with their prayers, how often
does he exclaim, in substance, “ Brethren, jpray for us, that
the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified!”
In these respects all faithful ministers are like-minded with
him. And, for this reason, every member of their respec-
tive churches may do something to help, as well as to hinder
them, in the performance of their duty. They may all
show, by the affection and kindness of their demeanour,
that they appreciate his labours and sincerely bid him ■“ God
speedThey may all exhibit such a high and commanding
tone of piety in their lives, as to furnish him with so many
“ Epistles of Christ,” which he may submit to the perusal
of his impenitent hearers for their instruction and convic-
tion -They may all be active in promoting the great in-
terests of the Kingdom of Christ,—some in one department
and some in another—-one in conversing with his friend or
neighbour about the things pertaining to salvation—another
in superintending or conducting the exercises of a Sabbath
School—and another in managing some of the various de-
tails which are connected with the successful progress of
the Missionary, Tract, or Bible cause:—And, finally, they
may all pray for him with enlarged desires, and “ watch
thereto with all perseverance;” they may bear him and his
ministrations to the throne of grace, in the closet, in the
family, in the social assembly, and in the public sanctuary;
and they may say, with an anxiety which will not be de-30
nied: “ 0 God, save thy people! and give not thine heri-
tage to reproach !” 66 Let thy work appear unto thy ser-
vants and thy glory unto their children: and let the beauty
of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the
work of our hands upon us; yea the work of our hands es-
tablish thou it.”—Happy is the man ! who is called to the
service of a church, the members of which are thus em- x
ployed in their respective spheres. It is like a “ whole
body, fitly joined together, and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth.” And, under the promised blessing
of its Great Head, it “ maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love.”
But I hasten to say
4. That the ministry are overrated by those who expect
them to succeed in their work, without the effectual influences
of the spirit op god. And I am sorry that the limits of
this exercise will not allow us to dwell upon the important
bearings of this remark. For, if I do not greatly misap-
prehend the signs of the times, it inculcates a practical
truth, in reference to which, there ought, at this moment,/
to be “ line upon line—line upon line—precept upon pre-
cept—and precept upon precept.” In an age of so much
Christian enterprise and activity, we may expect the enemy
to be on the alert—watching for all convenient opportuni-
ties of sowing “ tares among the wheat.” And, if he can
succeed in no other way, he will do it by transforming
himself into an angel of light. This is the way in which
he is approaching the minds of the ministry, in some parts
of our Zion, in reference to the present subject. He is
persuading them that, in order to accomplish the great end
of their preaching in reference to sinners, they must first
convince them that they are able in their natural state to
repent of their sins and obey the Gospel—that, until they31
are convinced of this, they will never feel the proper
weight of their responsibility and obligation—and therefore
that this idea ought to be kept prominently before their
minds in its simple, naked, and unconnected form. And,
in carrying out this view, there are many who use such
language as fairly implies, if it does not positively assert,
that the influences of the Holy Spirit are not necessary in
the great work of repentance towards God and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning every representation
which has even a tendency to lead the minds of men in this
direction, I wish to say, on the present occasion, that the
sound of my voice and the feelings of my heart are against
it;—and, if I could ascend a watch-tower sufficiently high
to command the attention of all “ the sacramental host of
God,” I should be glad to call upon “ every one that hath
an ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.5’ It
is a leading purpose of Jehovali5s infinite mind, that the
scheme of human redemption shall be so executed that no
flesh shall have reason to “ glory in his presence.55 Keep-
ing this purpose in view, he has “ chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and weak things of the
world to confound the things that are mighty.55 He has
committed “the treasure55 of the Gospel to “earthen ves-
sels,55 that all the universe may see that “ the excellency
of the power55 is of Him and not of us. And therefore
those who attempt to take “the power55 from Him, either
directly or by implication, will ere long be brought to their
proper place:—They will be humbled, either here or here-
after:—They will be brought to confess in eternity, if not
in time, that, from the beginning to the end, the work of
human salvation is “not by might nor by power, but by
the spirit of the Lord of Hosts,55
But, in order that we may not even seem to go to an ex-32
treme, of which some perhaps may be ready to accuse us>
I remark, once more
5. That the ministry is overrated by those who expect
to he benefited by it without personae activity and ex-
ertion in working out their own salvation. And, I have
no doubt, there are multitudes in relation to whom this re-
mark is not only appropriate, but even deeply and vitally
important. Indeed, it is a common practical impression
among unawakened and impenitent men, that their free
agency and active powers have nothing to do with the ef-
fects which this institution is intended to'produce. They
seem to regard themselves as beings, who are to be ope-
rated upon by the power of God, in something like the
same way, in which a physical cause operates in the pro-
duction of a physical effect—by the mere force or momen-
tum of the cause itself, without any design or effort of will,
on the part of the subject on which it is brought to bear.
And therefore, when pressed with the obligation to imme
diate repentance—when called upon to believe and obey the
Gospel now,—they are prone to excuse themselves, by say-
ing, that repentance and faith are the gifts of God> and that
God has never yet been pleased to operate upon them by
the saving influences of his spirit. The consequence is
that, instead of being benefited by the preaching of the
Gospel, their spiritual condition waxes worse and worse:
—The error which they have embraced, stands in the way
of the very first step which they must take, if they would
return to God;—It is the means of neutralizing the force
of all the admonitions and counsels which are addressed to
their1 outward ears -.—However urgent may be the argu-
ments and motives which are brought against them—from
the flight of time and from the approach of death—from
the love of Christ and from the wrath of God—from the33
glories of Heaven and from the miseries of Hell—they con-
tinue to call for “ a little more sleep! a little more slumber!
a little more folding of the hands to sleep!”
Against this practical error,, my impenitent hearers, I
have often warned you in times past:—And, I embrace the
opportunity, afforded in the providence of God, of doing so,
with all affection, once more. God is calling upon you, as
well as upon “ all men everywhere, to repentand* is
persuading you to this duty by considerations of a high and
peculiar kind. In the light of these considerations, he is
expressing his strong desire that you would “ return from
your evil ways and live.” But He has given you no reason
to expect, that any thing will occur in your favour, while
you refuse the exhortation which calls upon you to “ work
out your own salvation.” This is your duty;—And your
encouragement to engage in it without delay and with con-
fident expectations of success, is contained in the declara-
tion—“ It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to
do of his good pleasure.” You are not called to run the
race in your own strength, “ God,** Almighty, “ who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness,” has under-
taken to interpose and prosper you in your course. While
He calls upon you with his voice, He holds out to your view
his omnipotent arm;—And if, with this arm extended over
you for your assistance, you will not arise and begin the
work, you will indeed be “without excuse •”—you will be
“ speechless” in the judgment of the great dayf because
you will stand before Him, not merely as inexcusable trans-
gressors of his law, but as wilful despisers of his offered
grace:—And, therefore, He will be just in what He judges
and righteous in what He speaks, when He shall say to the
ministers of his vengeance, “ Take ye the unprofitable ser-
E34
vant—bind him hand and foot—and cast him into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I have now done all that I intended in the illustration of
this important subject; and have only farther to request—
that you will receive what has been said with a teachable
and candid spirit—that you will turn it all into the form of
a practical lesson for the present occasion—and that you
will improve it, not only to your own spiritual profit, but
also to the encouragement and usefulness of him who is now
to be set over you in the Lord. Esteem him 66 very highly
in love, for his work’s sake.” Think of the measure in
which he is labouring to promote your happiness;—think
of the difficulties which he has to encounter and the trials
which he has to endure;—think of the responsibility which
rests upon him, as one whose account is with God;—And,
when you remember that he yields himself to all this, from
a motive of love to Christ and to your souls, let him have
an exalted place in your affectionate regard-—afford
him your sympathy, your countenance, your co-operation,
and your prayers. But beware, on the other hand, of that
kind of esteem and affection which grows up and rests upon
false and forbidden ground. Don’t overrate him—by at-
taching too much importance to the minor peculiarities of
character which distinguish him from other faithful Ininis-
ters of Christ—by laying so much stress upon hie public
ministrations as to undervalue the importance of other
means of doing good—by expecting him to succeed in his
labours without your constant, persevering, and faithful co-
operation in your several places and relations—by antici-
pating good results from his ministry without the influences
of the Holy Spirit to render it effectual—or by supposing
that he can be the instrument of your conversion or sancti-35
fication, while you make no effort on your own behalf.—In
relation to these sources of danger “keep your hearts
with all diligence; for out of it” may be “the issues of
life,” while the neglect of it may terminate in your eternal
death.
With these observations, I resign you to the care of him,
whom you have chosen to “labour among you,” and to be
“ over you in the Lord,” and to “ admonish you”—thank-
ful for the privilege of meeting you in company with him
this evening—and praying that, in connexion with him and
under the guidance and blessing of the Chief Shepherd, you
may “bring forth abundantly the fruits of righteousness
which are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God.”
—-Amen!