/ A SERMON 3w DELIVERED EEFOKE THE MW-YOEK EAST CQEFEEENCE a OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, At Hartford, Conn., Jnne 13, 1852, m ON THE OCCASION OF THE ORDINATION OF ELDERS. I BY EEV. DANIEL mjRRY, A MEMBEK OP THAT CONFERENCE. FEINTED IN PURSUANCE OF A VOTE OF THE CONFERENCE. 23"£iD-||ork: PUBLISHED BY CABLTON & PHILLIPS, 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 1852. Cjp (%istra fprotrg ; A SERMON DELIVERED BEFORE THE NEW-YOEK EAST CONEEEENCE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, At Hartford, Conn., June 13, 1852, ON THE OCCASION OF THE ORDINATION OF ELDERS. BY REV. DANIEL CURRY, A MEMBER OP THAT CONFERENCE. PRINTED IN PURSUANCE OF A VOTE OF THE CONFERENCE. PUBLISHED BY CABLTON & PHILLIPS, 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 1852. ADVERTISEMENT. The substance of the following discourse was delivered, unwritten, in the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Hart ford, Connecticut, while the New -York East Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was in session at that place, in June, 1852, on the occasion of the ordination of elders. At that time the author had no expectation that its publi cation would be called for, and therefore no effort was made to retain the form of the sermon as spoken. As to the sub stance, however, there was no need of more care than was given it, in order to have it duly preserved in his memory. The notes used on the occasion were very brief, being only heads and divisions expressed in imperfect and abbreviated sentences. The next day a note was received by the au thor, signed by all the members of the class of young men* who had been ordained at that time, expressing a wish that the sermon might be published ; and a little later, the Con ference, by resolution, made the same request. The follow ing has accordingly been written out as the substance of that discourse; and though it is not pretended that the written and spoken sermons are identical in their details and ° The persons ordained on this occasion were Reverend Reuben H. Loomis, Benjamin Pillsbury, Levi S. Weed and Seneca Howland, for the regular work of the ministry ; and Rev. James W. Home, for the missionary work in Liberia, Western Africa. 4 ADVERTISEMENT. illustrations, yet it is believed that what is now given to the public is substantially the same that was spoken from the pulpit. For the favour to the spoken discourse, as evinced in the manner above indicated, the author is duly grateful, especially as it is an evidence that in the opinions and posi tions herein stated he has the concurrence of his brethren in the ministry, and he trusts of the great Methodist body generally. Nevertheless, for the views and opinions therein expressed, he holds himself alone responsible. Believing that so far as the sermon may lead any to a better under standing of the nature of the Christian ministry, and of the views on that subject which prevail in the Methodist Epis copal Church, its influence will be salutary, it is the more cheerfully submitted to the public, with humble reliance upon the blessing of the great Head of the Church, to whose cause it was originally devoted, and to whose glory it is now ascribed, by The Author. Hartford, Conn., October, 1852. TPIE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel : not with wisdom of words, lest the oross of Christ should be made of none effect. — 1 Cor. i, 17. The history of Saint Paul is among the most instructive portions ofthe sacred volume. His awakening, conversion, call to the ministry, and induction into the apostolic office, each illustrates the economy of divine grace in the dispensa tions of the gospel. The manner of his call to the apostle ship was unquestionably not accidental, nor of necessity, as though God could be driven by necessity to unusual expe dients. All was of set purpose ; and the incidents, as well as the chief fact in the case, were designed to teach us that God calls whom he wills to call, and sends by whom he will send. It is probable, however, that the singularity ¦ of the manner of his calling at times subjected the great apostle to inconveniences, and the distrust, or even open opposition, of his fellow-disciples ; but in proof of his own claims he ap peals with unvarying steadiness to the authority he had received directly from God, calling him to that office and ministry. He uniformly styles himself " the called apostle," and distinguishes his apostleship, as " not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father." He seems, indeed, to choose to dwell upon the singularity of his induction into the ministry, as constituting a peculiar evi dence in its favour, and to present him as an original apostle of Christ, rather than a second-hand dispenser of the word of life. It is granted that his case was in some particulars an 6 the christian ministry. extraordinary one, and therefore such as may not be ex pected to occur in the ordinary dispensations of grace. The supernatural light, the audible voice, the prostration of his body, and the superinduced blindness, were all extraordi nary, and therefore not to be expected in other cases. But we have no right to assume that, further than these, his awakening, conversion and call to the ministry were extra ordinary. The sacred narrative was written for our instruc tion, and in the history and character of this great apostle the ministers of Christ in all ages of the Church may see a truthful illustration of the nature of their calling, while the example of that eminent servant of God will ever tend to stimulate them to faith and patient zeal in his service. The portion of Scripture out of which our text is taken is, in several particulars, remarkable. In writing to the Co rinthians, the apostle had no need, as at other times, to de fend his apostleship, for that had been fully proved by his labours among them. He had preached the gospel at Corinth in the demonstration of the Spirit, and probably was more in danger of being regarded as a Saviour than that he should be rejected as an apostle. But strifes and divisions had arisen in the hitherto highly favoured Church of the Corinthi ans. Each of the messengers of grace through whom they had received the tidings of salvation became, unawares, the head of a party among them. Some were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas, and some, probably the most ex clusive bigots of the whole, were, or professed to be, of Christ. In this season of confusion, the interference and direction of the' apostle was solicited ; and we have his re sponse in the epistle now before us. In his address, Paul styles himself "an apostle, called by the will of God ;" and he recognises those whom he ad dresses as persons " called to be saints." These designations are probably designed to be understood as correlatives, implying his calling of God to minister to them, and their calling by the same grace to the benefits of his ministry ; THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 7 and, as we believe this scripture to be given to us for our guide in matters pertaining to the Christian ministry, we may apply its principles generally to the relations of the minister of the gospel to both his Lord and the Church. These relations, and the duties growing out of them, are concisely stated in the text. A Christian minister there declares of himself — yet not on account of anything peculiar in his case, but as universal characteristics of the ministry he had received — " Christ sent me ;" thus indicating the source of his authority and his official relations to the sub jects of his ministrations : the errand upon which he is sent, is shown to be especially "to preach the gospel," in contradistinction to the secondary ministerial functions that pertain to that office and ministry : and, finally, that duty is guarded against a perversion to which human infirmity and the opposition of the carnalmind are constantly inclined; the great Head of the Church has commissioned his min isters to preach the gospel, " not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be made of none effect." To present these several points with their proper arguments and illus trations, and to enforce the truths thus brought into view, shall be the purpose of our further remarks. From the text we deduce these general propositions : — • I. Christ himself is the perpetual source of the Chris tian Ministry. This proposition, thus unqualified, probably very few would deny. That Christ is in some manner Head of his own Church, is very generally conceded, even by such as may dissent from a more definite application of this great truth. That we may therefore more fully state and explain the sense in which we use the proposition, we will descend yet further into its details. 1. Christ is the original author of the institution of the ministry of the gospel. In his Messianic character he is termed the " messeno-er of the new covenant," and therefore is recognised as the 8 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. active Head of the Church. In this office, from the hour of man's apostasy, he has been the light of the world and the Saviour of men. It was he that spake to the patriarchs and prophets of former dispensations; and whatever we know of God, or our relations to him, we have learned from him, who, because he only reveals to us the Father, is called the Word of God ; and, further, in all ages of the world the divine Teacher has embodied his instructions in the form of ordinances. In the times of the patriarch the duty of giving religious instruction belonged to the father of the household ; in the Levitical code it was incorporated among the duties of the incumbents of the sacerdotal office — ¦" the priest's lips should keep knowledge " — yet not so confined there but that the less regular but more effective office of the prophets was often called into requisition. In all these cases the same divine authority was manifested to the Church, and the same guardian care for its welfare exercised over it. When Christ appeared in the flesh his first official acts were those of a preacher of the gospel. His baptism, fasting, and temptation, were rather steps preparatory to the great work of the incarnate Messiah, than constituent parts of that work itself. When he had gone through with these, he went forth preaching the kingdom of God, which he continued to do till he returned to Him that sent him. As a teacher ofthe truth, and a dispenser of the mysteries of grace, he was no man's disciple ; nor did he derive any share of his authority from any existing order of religious teachers, for he belonged to none. Not that he despised such orders — that he could not do, for they had ever been his own work — but, because he was Lord over all in his Church, he could act indepen dently of them, and disregard his former ordinances when he was about to replace them by a better one. When, there fore, he preached the gospel, he spake "as one having au thority, and not as the scribes." Because the Father had anointed him to preach the gospel, and for this purpose had endowed him with his Spirit, he proclaimed the truth of THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. » God, and revealed the purposes of divine goodness, according to the dictates of infinite wisdom and power. But he not only preached the gospel himself, and quite independently of all human authority, he also called others to assist him in the same great work, and thus instituted by his own authority an order of ministers subordinate to himself, and depending solely upon him for the authority by which they acted. At the time of his entering upon the work of the ministry of the gospel, we see him surrounding himself with a select body of disciples, whom he would have constantly with him, to receive his instructions and become depositaries of his doctrines for the benefit of his Church. These also, at length, he sent out to proclaim to others what they had heard, and to teach what they had learned, and especially to declare the present coming of the kingdom of God. Thus was commenced the peculiar race of gospel ministers. They were called by Christ alone, and by him instructed in the mysteries of salvation, and afterwards sent forth by his authority to teach to others the same saving truths that they themselves had heard from him. This ministry was designed to be a perpetual institution in the Church. When Christ had finished the work given him to do among men, and was about to be separated, as to his bodily presence, from his militant Church forever, he renewed and enlarged his promises to his ministering servants, and at the very instant of his exit he commanded them to " go and teach all nations " the things he had taught them, with the assurance : " Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Thus it is manifest that the incarnate Re deemer, by his own right and authority, originally instituted the ordinance of the ministry in his Church. 2. Advancing a step beyond the position just stated and defined, and still recognising the ascended and glorified Saviour fulfilling, as the Head of the Church, the promise of his perpetual presence with his ministers, we assume as our second subordinate proposition, that 10 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. Clirist personally directs the affairs of his Church, and especially he calls and ordains his own ministers. That this was the case in the beginning we have seen. His own declaration to his disciples was : " Ye have not chosen me ; but I have chosen you, and ordained you." We see him, in thus choosing and ordaining a new order of ministers, disre garding the old hierarchy, and also so ordering affairs that the new ministry shall be wholly and immediately depen dent on himself. Each member of that fraternity became such, not by virtue of his association with his brethren, but through his divine calling and ordination. So always, a minister of Christ is such because he has been called to that office by the Head of the Church. He is of the peculiar race, not because he has been recognised as such and received among them ; but rather, by virtue of the authority given from above, he challenges the place for himself, and demands so to be recognised by his brethren. Of this the apostleship of Saint Paul is an illustrious example. Though the Chris tian ministry existed as an organized body at the time of his conversion and entrance upon the ministry, yet was he called of God and made a minister of the gospel without the intervention of any human authority. Nor was this on ac count of any peculiar exigency rendering it difficult or im possible to pursue a more regular course ; for the Church at Jerusalem was then in its full vigour, and easily accessible from Damascus. But Paul nowhere speaks of his apostle ship as in any sense less authentic than that of his brethren, and even seems to glory that his apostleship was thus shown to be eminently of the power of God. That so important a prerogative, as the selection of his own ministers, should be relinquished by the great King of Zion, to any man or set of men, is certainly not to be sup posed. The prince or governor, who should in that particu lar divest himself of this essential prerogative of sovereignty, would indeed be judged to have stripped himself of his regal dignity. The minister must be the confidential servant of THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 11 his lord, and in order to this must be chosen by him for that especial service. In prosecuting the work of man's re demption, Christ condescended to employ human agents — not because he is dependent upon them, but such is his sovereign good pleasure. With their choice and appoint ment the Church has nothing to do. It must be plain that he either does this work solely or not at all ; for if he does it, he needs no human aid to perfect what he has begun. When, therefore, the Sovereign of the kingdom of heaven calls any one to his service in the ministry of reconciliation, such an appointment can neither be strengthened nor weak ened by human intervention. He who is so called is as fully a minister of the gospel when first the fact of the di vine designation is made known to him by the movings of the Holy Ghost, as when acknowledged by synods, and solemnly set apart to that work in the Church, by the im position of hands. It is, we grant, generally expedient that those who are thus called of God to serve his Church and call sinners to repentance, should cooperate with others who have received the same holy calling ; and, therefore, it be comes a duty with all such to submit to others the evidence of their calling of God. The recognition thus sought, how ever, though highly desirable, is not essential to the perfecting of the ministerial character ; and, when given, it is only a declaration of the conviction of those who receive him that he is called of God to that work, and an intimation of their fraternal confidence towards him. 3. The usages of Methodism relative to the ministry constantly imply this doctrine. The necessity of a divine call, as a warrant for assuming the office of the ministry, though not peculiar to Methodism, is eminently a Methodist doctrine. The first question that she proposes to every one that seeks a place among her ac credited ministers : " Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you the office of the ministry in the Church of Christ?" very clearly im- 12 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. plies this, and will admit of no other interpretation:. The fact that God really does, by inward intimations and im pulses, move men to take upon themselves the ministerial calling, is assumed ; and it is also conceded that this must be primarily apprehended by the person so influenced. At the same time, this divine impression is plainly distinguished from the common zeal of all genuine Christians for the ad vancement of true religion, and still more clearly from the suggestions of human prudence, or the invitations of the Church itself. The " rules for the trial of those who think they are moved by the Holy Ghost to preach," proceed upon the same presumption. They are first directed to ascertain whether the person professing to be thus moved is really a child of God — assuming that only such would be chosen of God to the ministry. His religious character being satis factorily determined, the next purpose is to ascertain whether God has endowed him with ability to perform the duties of the designated work — presuming that Christ would assign to no one a work that is beyond his ability. The Church has a right to require of all who shall claim to be recognised as called of God to the work of the ministry, some good degree of " understanding of the things of God," and that "they speak justly, readily and clearly." When there is a manifest deficiency in these things, it is just to conclude that the man is in error as to his call to the min istry. The inward intimation is to the individual exclu sively, and no one else is bound to receive that as sufficient evidence of his calling ; and though the Church has nothing to do with his calling, as between himself and his God, she is bound, on her fidelity, to recognise none who do not bring with them the proper evidence that the professed calling is real. But though these conditions are essential to the proof of the profession of a divine call to the ministry, they, of them selves, constitute no part of that call. The great Head of the Church is not compelled to employ, as ministers of the THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. IS mysteries of his grace, all who may seem to human wisdom to be suitable for his service. He who chose the least of the sons of Jesse to be the leader of his people, by the same sovereign authority chooses whom he will to be his minis ters in the gospel. A man may be deeply pious, intellec tual, and well-educated, and eloquent in speech, and yet have no right to the ministerial office. The Church should inquire for some further intimation of the divine will in the case, and this is done by observing whether his ministra tions are owned of God in the effusion of his grace upon the hearers. It is therefore further asked : " Has he fruit ?" and the conclusion of the whole is, " As long as these marks concur in any one, we believe he is called of God to preach ; these we receive as sufficient evidence that he is moved by the Holy Ghost." These things show with sufficient clear ness the position of Methodism as to the calling and consti tution of ministers of the gospel, and prove beyond a ques tion that the divine original of all the powers and immunities of their office must come directly from God. It should be further noticed that the language of the Church, in this matter, is applied to the ministry as a whole, and not to any grade or special order in that ministry. This want of discrimination is not, we apprehend, owing to any neglect or oversight, but it was designed to recognise the original unity of the ministry, and the parity of all the chosen servants of the Head of the Church. Distinctions and gradations of authority may, and indeed must, exist in any association of Christian ministers ; but these are only ecclesiastical arrangements, prudential expedients, that may be quite proper in themselves, but not essential to the per fection of the Christian ministry. Whoever, therefore, is admitted to so much of the duties of the ministry as pertains to the lowest order, is thereby acknowledged to be a minis ter of the gospel, and therefore to be entitled to the author ity of a perfect order. It may indeed seem best that, in certain cases, certain persons should confine their labours to 14 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. a part only of their functions ; and though one willingly assents to such an arrangement as to himself, he does not, in so doing, surrender his right to whatever pertains to the ministerial character. It may also seem good to an associ ated body of ministers to appoint some of their number to have the oversight of their common labours — thus constituting them bishops— not a superior kind of ministers, but minis ters of the one common grade, appointed to a more general supervision of the interests of the Church. And since such an arrangement is not a divine ordinance, but only a human expedient, the creature of the associated body, both as to the office and the incumbent, that body has the right, when ever it shall appear to be for the good of the Church, either to displace the incumbent or to abrogate the office. The sum of the whole matter is this : Christ, in his pres ent perpetual superintendence over the affairs of the Church, from time to time calls into his ministry such as it pleases him so to call ; and by the motions of his Spirit in the hearts of those so called, and by the direction of his Spirit and providence among others to whom the same work has been committed, causes them to recognise themselves, and to be recognised by the Church, as called of God to the ministry. The divine calling alone makes the minister ; and whether inducted into his office in the Church by one form or another, or by no form at all, he has an indefeasible right to "read the Holy Scriptures in the Church of God, and to preach the same," and also to " administer the holy sacraments in the congregation." When, however, a minister becomes a member of an ecclesiastical body, he surrenders his right of unlimited self-direction and discretionary action in the per formance of his ministerial functions. As a servant of Christ, to whom in all things he owes the first obedience, he may not so bind himself to the prejudice of his ministry ; but if the interests of religion demand it, he is bound to make the surrender, and to act in due subordination. To become a minister in any particular body of associated THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 15 Christians, one must submit to the order of that body ; but no ecclesiastical authority can make a gospel minister of one whom Christ has not already clothed with the authority of a messenger of salvation. II. Christ sends out his ministers — implying that : 1. Christianity is essentially aggressive, in both its char acter and its operations. Its relations to the world demand this of it. It came to make conquests, to invade the world lying in sin, and to set up the kingdom of Christ upon the ruins of Satan's kingdom. Hence our Lord's own declara tion, that he came " not to send peace into the world, but & sword." His purpose was to subvert and uproot the in stitutions and powers of sin in the world, and to establish in their stead the reign of righteousness. The armies of the Lord, " the sacramental hosts of God's elect," are an in vading body, going out to make aggressions upon the world, and to enlarge the dominions of him " whose right it is to rule." The essential spirit of Christianity adapts it to this mode of action. It ever reaches forth beyond its present attainments, and aspires to larger possessions. The love of Christ and a^zeal for his declarative glory unite with the direct influences of the indwelling Spirit, to cause in the renewed heart a yearning and tender solicitude for those who are perishing in their sins. As the grace of Christ in creases in the soul, these earnest longings of spirit grow more and more intense, till the whole heart is inflamed with an all-consuming zeal for the advancement of religion and the salvation of souls. It is the same spirit that induced the Eternal Word to become flesh for our redemption ; that impelled the holy apostles to brave persecution that they might proclaim Jesus and the resurrection ; that sustained the martyrs among tortures and in death ; that emboldened confessors before powerful and insulting persecutors ; that gives cheerfulness to the missionary of the cross in his exile from home and kindred, and encourages the heart of the faithful pastor ofthe flock of Christ in his arduous,, and often 16 the christian ministry. unrequited labours, for the souls of his fellow-men. Every where it is the same spirit of holy aggressive zeal ; and in every heart it awakens the same devout aspirations of soul. Instinct with this spirit, the Christian heart and the united Church of Christ spontaneously exclaim towards heaven : " O that the world might taste and see The riches of his grace ; The arms of love that compass me ' Would all mankind embrace." 2. Because Christ sends his ministers to " gather together his elect from the four winds," the relation of ministers to the subject of their ministrations is apostolic-— sent rather than called. That this was the case at the beginning is manifest, for otherwise the gospel had never been propagated beyond the walls of Jerusalem — perhaps not beyond the place where the disciples were met on the day of Pentecost. The gospel ministry is intrinsically and eminently missionary. The Mediator of the new covenant is at once the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession, and therefore he is styled the Sent. Jesus Christ was the first missionary of his own religion, and by his example he teaches the relation of his ministers to the objects of his merciful purposes. So the apostles received the divine instructions, and so they obeyed them. Not content to wait until called for, and to serve only as their services were invited, they came unasked to all to whom they could gain access, and to all alike they proclaimed the unsearchable riches of Christ. And some of them, burning with a loftier ambition, longed to bear the standard ofthe cross to regions unvisited by their predeces sor, and to be foremost in preaching Christ among those who had not heard his name ; so that their zeal outran the merchants' lust for gain, and their efficient energy actually subjected kingdoms and tribes to the yoke of Christ beyond the empire of the Caesars. There is a holy chivalry in the Christian ministry that commends it to the better principles of human nature. Here that instinct of our character which, when prostituted to the christian ministry. 17 baser purposes, renders men fools and scourges of their race, becomes subservient to the highest and holiest of purposes. This is heavenly knight-errantry. It moved the Prince of Glory to assume the form of a servant in order to rescue the fallen and to redeem the guilty. It lay so near his heart, that when he had the baptism of sorrow and of blood " wherewith to be baptized," as a preparation for the great work he had undertaken, how was he " straitened until it should be accomplished !" He burned with an inextin guishable zeal to encounter the Destroyer, and to grapple in fearful conflict with the monarch of the grave. Sustained by this spirit he " trod the wine-press alone," and exhausted the cup of expiatory agonies ! This spirit he commends to his followers, especially to those whom he calls to minister in holy things, commanding them in like manner to seek the wandering souls of men ; not waiting to be called, but going forth unasked and unwelcomed to offer Christ, and if possible to persuade men to be saved. Thus commis sioned and impelled to action, the minister of Christ goes forth in the name of his divine Master ; his allegiance is to Heaven, and thence only does he expect his reward. 3. By virtue of their divine commission, ministers of the gospel derive their administrative authority directly from Christ, and not from those whom they serve in their minis try. This authority is indeed purely spiritual, not at all affecting men's temporal rights, privileges or property. It is backed by no penalties reaching to men's worldly affairs. Their binding and loosing relate only to spiritual matters, and even in these nothing must be made to transgress the expressed authority of Christ, and nothing done at the dic tates of passion or caprice. And yet is that authority a venerable, an awful one. The call to " repent and . believe the gospel," is more than an invitation ; it is a solemn com mand, that none may despise with impunity. And when the language of invitation and entreaty is exchanged for the anathemas of despised and insulted mercy, how terrible is 18 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. the malediction ! Men may despise for a season the author ity that at farthest can only deprive them of the ordinances of religion; but let them remember that "whatsoever is bound on earth is also bound in heaven," and that divine judgment will fearfully vindicate God's injured law. But whether men will hear or forbear, the duty of the servant of Christ is the same. His work is to plant and to water ; it is God's to give the increase. A dispensation of the gos pel is committed to, him; yea, woe is his if he preach not the gospel. Nor may he be excused because " no man hath hired " him, since the Master has said : " Go work in my vineyard, and I will pay you." He is a steward of the grace of God, and may neither hide the treasures intrusted to him, nor squander them upon his own appetites. He must deliver the messages committed to him, in instruction, in invitations, in reproofs and . in consolation, as may be needed by those about him. He holds too the sacraments of the gospel in his hands, to be dispensed, not as men may determine, but as Christ directs. They are the children's meat, and may not be given to dogs ; they are holy things, and may not be made common. As to the nature of the duties of ministers to the people, the teachings of Scripture are full and explicit. On two occasions especially, our Lord formally set forth his will in the matter — once to Peter, when, at that disciple's thrice- repeated professions of love to his Master, he in each case answered : " Feed my sheep ;" and again to all the disciples, in the final and great commission : " Go, teach all nations." In the former case two words are used in the original, but evidently without even a shadow of difference of meaning. In their primary sense they signify respectively, the care of flocks and of herds ; but in their typical application they are quite synonymous. The duties of a Christian minister are presented under the figure of those of a keeper of flocks and herds. Those duties are called by the common name of feed ing ; not that they consist wholly in giving the necessary food, THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 19. but because the whole of his duties are thus indicated by a term strictly applicable only to a part of them. To guard and cherish are as really implied as to give food, and to do this he must be invested with the authority to govern. Discipline pertains essentially to the pastoral office, and the word rendered in this place "feed," is frequently used to express the fullest exercise of governmental authority ; and it is obvious that this authority is derived, not from the sheep, but from the Chief Shepherd, "whose own the sheep are." In the second case cited above, the command is to teach. There the figure is taken from the duties of an in-. structor of youth, including, of course, not only the impart ing of knowledge, but also the equally important offices of chastisement and discipline. But the teacher's authority is not derived from his pupils, but from him who made him their teacher. So the Christian minister derives his author ity in the Church, not from the Church, but from him who is the only lawgiver in the Church, who walks among the golden candlesticks, and holds the stars in his right hand. 4. The aggressive design of the Christian ministry re quires for it an organization adapted to that purpose. To minister to Christian congregations and to serve only those who so appreciate the gospel that they will effectually seek for it, is the least part of the duty of Christ's ministers; and any ecclesiastical organization is radically wrong in which aggression and extension is not an organic provision. For this end a central depository of power is necessary ; some eye should survey the whole field at a view, that so the in vading host may be directed and disposed to the best possi ble advantage. Such an overseer {episcopos) is necessary to give the needful unity and efficiency to the joint action of an associated body of ministers, and to adapt their move ments to the requirements of circumstances and occasions. And such a one too must be clothed with the requisite au thority "to say to this man, Go, and he goeth, and to an other, Come, and he cometh." Thus would be perfected a 20 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. genuine apostolical episcopacy, suclj as has always proved most effective of good in the ministrations of the gospel, and best adapted to enlarge the Redeemer's kingdom. It is also important to this purpose of extension that min isters be free from embarrassing entanglements with temporal affairs. Their work is one of no secondary importance, and should always have the first and fullest claims upon their time and energies. Hence ment in his speech, so that Aaron his brother Avas obliged to be his spokesman before Pharaoh ; and that, when God had purposed to publish the gospel to the Gentile world; — to Athens, Ephesus, Corinth and Rome, he was pleased to use Saul of Tarsus as the principal instrument — a man whose bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible. And thus it was proved that God sent him to preach, not with human eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect, but with demonstration and power of •his OAvn Spirit; and thus the excellence of the power ap peared to be of God and not of man." Such, brethren in the ministry of reconciliation, is the calling and such the commission, by authority of which we 32 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. occupy our places in the Church of the living God, which he has purchased with his own blood ; and such are the du ties to which we are called in this holy office. May Ave, dear brethren, each of us, be able at all times to say :. " Christ sent me," and thus to answer the objections of those who ask of us by Avhat authority Ave do these things. And may we not for a moment forget the errand on Avhich we' are sent, but " preach the word ; be instant in season and out of sea son ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, Avith all long-suffering and doctrine." Let us especially learn to have faith in the di vine efficiency of the truth ; being assured that it is alone and entirely adequate to the work committed to it, and that in its OAvn simple efficiency it is able to overthrow the king dom of darkness and to establish in its place the reign of the Prince of Peace. To you, young brethren, who are about to assume the full authorities of this ministry, and to Avhom your elder brethren now extend their hands in Christian greetings — to you Avho come to take part Avith us in the great business of gathering the elect of God from the four corners of the earth, do Ave commend these views and considerations of the work to which you have devoted yourselves. Always remember from Avhom you receive your authority- — Avhose ministers you are. Look to him for present support, and for your eternal recompense. Remember the vows now to be taken by you, and seek from Heaven the grace requisite to perform them. The Church has become satisfied that God has called you to this ministry ; and though she would not presume to touch the prerogatives of her Lord, yet she does gladly add the authority of her approval to the evidences of the divine commission ; and because the great Head of t*he Church has separated you to this work, the Church also is impelled to receive you to take part in this ministry. We therefore greet you as our fellow-labourers, and pray the Lord to pour upon you the Holy Spirit to qualify you for the work committed to your hands. Amen.