pit, was, not only that he had made the earth to tremble, and shaken kingdoms; that he had made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; but, which was worst of all, he opened not the house of his prisoners, that is, God's Israel, whom he detained in captivity, those poor to whom Daniel counselled him to show mercy, that it might have been a lengthening of his tranquillity."

Well, when he who spoileth though he was not spoiled, and dealt treacherously with those who dealt fairly with him, shall cease to spoil, and shall make an end to deal treacherously; not in a way of reformation, that we have more reason to pray for than hope for, but so as that his measure shall be full; then expect that he shall be spoiled, and men shall decal treacherously with him, that is, shall show him that he has wretchedly deceived himself. Babylon's doom is, Reward her as she rewarded you.

he that believeth doth not make haste. Many who | of the king of Babylon down to the sides of the have been peremptory in foretelling the time when the year of the redeemed would come, have had the mortification of living to see themselves mistaken. If we look into ourselves, we shall find a great deal to discourage us, and make us fear that this glorious year is yet a great way off; so conscious are we to ourselves of a frame and disposition of soul that renders us utterly unmeet to share in the joys of such a day. Our faith is weak; our spirits are narrow; our prayers are cold and customary; our conversation loose and careless; and the things which remain among us are ready to die. Îniquity abounds, and the love of many is waxen cold. Our own private interests, it is to be feared, lie nearer our hearts than the great and general interests of the kingdom of God among men. Our divisions are very threatening, especially the mismanagement of them: these are ill omens, and occasion many a melancholy thought to those who seek the good of the gospel Jerusalem. We now think ourselves within sight of Canaan: but how justly might God for our unbelief and murmuring hurry us back into the wilderness again, and swear in his wrath that we should never enter into his rest? We should have the more reason to fear these fatal consequences of our present distempers, but that it is intimated to us, that the Son of man will come at a time when he shall find little faith on the earth, that the divine fidelity be the more magnified.

But for all this, we are not altogether without hope, that the year of the redeemed may come shortly who knows but that this year, which we are now brought to the beginning of, may in some instances go far toward it? Though if it should set us back, and prove a year of disappointment, we must own that God is righteous; yet if it should set us forward, and make large advances towards it, we shall have this to add to the comfort of it, that it will be the answer of our prayers, and the crown of our hopes in God at the beginning of the year.

2. The present posture of affairs gives us a very hopeful prospect. The pride of the French king has been much humbled of late, and his power broken; and (which is very encouraging) the great things done against him, have been done chiefly by protestant armies, which, we hope, will animate protestant princes and states to unite for the support of the reformation, that it may recover the ground which in many places it has lost, and may gain more; for many, we hope, will join themselves to us, when they see that God favours our righteous cause, and that he is with us of a truth.

For our future safety, Manoah's wife shall be my prophetess: If the Lord had been pleased to kill us, he would not thus have accepted and answered our prayers, nor would he, as at this time, have showed us such things as these.P

And for our further success and victory, even Haman's wife shall be my prophetess: If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, there is no remedy; the seed of the Jews will without fail be victorious, whenever the scale turns in their favour; thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. As for God, his work is perfect; when he begins he will make an end. What we have received from God imboldens us to expect more; when God brake the

I dare not build much upon the opinion of Mr. Joseph Mede, and other learned men, (though I have a great value for their judgment,) who compute the period of 1260 days, that is, years, so often spoken of in the Revelation, which should end in the resurrection of the witnesses, and the downfall of Baby-heads of Leviathan' in pieces, he gave him to be meat lon, to fall not many years hence. However that be, 1. It is plain that the measure of the iniquity of the church's enemies fills apace: the powers we are contesting with, after all the mortifications they have been under, as if they had bid defiance to repentance, seem to grow more and more false and treacherous, cruel and barbarous; which cannot but ripen their vintage apace for the great wine-press of the wrath of God. That which hastened the descent

to the faith and hope of his people inhabiting the wilderness, and so encouraged them to expect, that they should inhabit Canaan shortly. God is plainly selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.

IV. Nothing remains now, but to tell you in a word or two, what is our duty in reference hereunto. Have we all this reason to think that the year of the redeemed will come, that surely it will come quickly?

1. Then let us be very earnest with God in prayer, | the reformation of our own hearts and lives and to hasten this glorious year. When Daniel under- families. Remember that law of Moses, When the host stood by books that the seventy years of Jerusalem's goeth forth against the enemy, then keep thyself from desolations were just expiring, then he set his face every wicked thing, lest you undo by your sins what with more than ordinary fervour and fixedness to they do by their swords. seek the Lord God by prayer and supplication, with fasting. When we see mercies coming toward us, let us go forth to meet them, with so much the more cheerfulness, by our prayers. Men ought always to pray, and not to faint; but, especially, at such a time, that when God's beloved is delivered, and he saves with his right hand, we each of us may have the pleasure of saying, with the Psalmist, God has therein answered me."

Let our closets and families witness for us, that we pray, that we pray daily, that we pray earnestly, for the peace of Jerusalem, as those who prefer it before our chief joy. Pray for the uniting of protestants at home, and for protestant princes and states abroad; pray for the prosperity of our armies and navies, and those of our allies; pray for the pouring out of the Spirit upon us from on high, and then the year of the redeemed would soon come.

2. Let us prepare ourselves for the comfort of those great things, which we hope God will do for his church in our days, by bringing every thought within us into obedience to those two royal laws of holiness and love. When we expect God to do wonders among us, it concerns us to sanctify ourselves. Let us carry on the holy war in our own bosoms against sin and Satan, the world and the flesh, with vigour, and pursuant to our baptismal vow, fight manfully under the banner of the Lord Jesus; then may we hope that our prayers for the prosperity of the war our nation is engaged in, will be acceptable, and prevalent in heaven. But what joy can we have of our triumphs over the French, if we suffer our own lusts to triumph over us? If indeed we desire the progress of the reformation in the churches of Christ, let us show it by carrying on • Dan. ix. 2. Luke xviii. 1.

u Ps. cviii. 6.

3. Let us with patience wait for the year of the redeemed. If the days of our brethren's affliction should yet be prolonged, and their deliverance be deferred, yet let us not be weary, nor faint in our minds. Though the year of the redeemed come not in our time, the time we looked for it, yet believe, it will come in the best time, the time that infinite wisdom has appointed; and when it does come, it will abundantly recompense us for all our waiting. The longest voyages make the richest returns; and the church's triumphs are the most welcome, when they are the crown of great and long expectations: So, this is our God, we have waited for him." Let us not upon every disappointment, arraign either the providence of God, or the conduct of those in public trusts. Leave it to God to govern the world, and to the queen and her councils under him, to govern the realm; and let us in our obscurity be easy and satisfied, and believe that all will end well at last.

But if the year of the redeemed should not come in our days; if the carcasses of this generation should fall in this wilderness, as justly they may for our unbelief and murmuring, and we should not go over Jordan to see that goodly mountain, and Lebanon: yet let it suffice us, that those who shall come after us shall enter into that rest. Joseph dies in Egypt, but lays his bones in confidence that God will surely visit Israel. Let us give all diligence to make sure our eternal redemption, and then we shall be happy, though we live not to see the glories of the year of the redeemed on earth; and may depart in the prophet Daniel's dismission, Go thou thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest; and, whatever thy lot be on earth, thou shalt stand in thy lot, (and it shall be a blessed lot,) in the end of the days.*

A SERMON

CONCERNING THE

WORK AND SUCCESS OF THE MINISTRY;

Preached at the Tuesday Lecture, at Salters' Hall, June 25, 1710.

being set before us, any of us should seem to come short of it, and lest while we preach to others, and show them the way to heaven, we ourselves should be shut out, and become cast away at last; and, being moved with this fear, let us walk very circumspectly, and take heed to ourselves, that we may not only save those who hear us, but ourselves in the first place. But,

satisfaction: for it shows us how we must do our duty, and then leave the success with the grace of God,-as in the affairs of this life, we are to leave it with the providence of God.

The text is part of the instructions which our Lord Jesus gave to the seventy disciples, when he gave them their commission; for those two will go together: Christ sends none on his errand, whom he does not give in some measure to understand their message. These instructions here are much the same with those he gave to the twelve apostles; and what he said to them both in exhortation and encouragement, he says in effect to all his ministers, excepting

work of those first preachers of the gospel.

My text will give us not only a fair occasion, but good help too, to consider two things:

I. The work and office of ministers; wherever they come, they are to say, Peace be here.

II. Their success in the discharge of this office; which is according as they do or do not meet with the sons of peace. And the opening of these two things, I trust, by the blessing of God, may be of some use both to ministers and people.

3. There is a particular good success besides this, which faithful ministers have in prospect, which they aim at, and animate themselves with, in their work, and that is, doing good to the souls of men; and, as instruments in the hand of God, serving the interests of Christ's kingdom in the world. We are shep-some few things that were peculiar to the state and herds, we are vine-dressers, and we reckon we have good success, if the flock increase, and the vineyard flourish, and be fruitful, to the honour of him who is the great Owner of both. We are Christ's soldiers, and if we be instrumental to curb and restrain the enemies of his kingdom, and to reduce and protect the subjects of it; if by the blessing of God on our ministry the ignorant be instructed, the simple made wise for their souls and eternity, and the wise made to increase in learning; if the bad be made good, and the good made better; then do we prosper, and then have we good success. This is that we should have in our eye, and which we should lay near our hearts, with seriousness and concern to the last degree. That is that, for the compassing of which we should study and use the most apt and proper means, and should willingly spend and be spent ; it is that fruit of the travail of our soul, which, if we see it, will be abundantly to our satisfaction,' and the pain will be forgotten for joy of it; but if we see it not, the case is more sad than that of a miscarrying womb and dry breasts, and because of it we go on in heaviness, nay, in bitterness of spirit."

But though so much of our comfort is bound up in the success of our labour, yet we lie under this disadvantage, above those of other professions, that we are at great uncertainty concerning it, and for the most part very much in the dark. The physician knows whether he cures his patient or no, and the lawyer whether he carries his client's cause or no but we preach, from day to day, to work upon the hearts of men; and though sometimes the effect is visible either one way or the other, some men's sins are open beforehand, and the good works of some are likewise manifest beforehand, some are much our joy and crown, others much our grief and shame; yet more often it is not so; we cannot tell who are savingly wrought upon, and who are not: but this makes the foundation of God to stand sure, The Lord knows them that are his, whether we do or no. And in this matter, which cannot but be very much upon our hearts, this text will give us both direction and

i Heb. iv. 1.

Hos. ix. 14.

I. We may observe here, what the charge and work of gospel ministers is, and what they are warranted and instructed to do; they are appointed by the Prince of peace to be the messengers of peace, and wherever they come, they are to say, Peace be here. If a minister be asked, as Samuel was, Comest thou peaceably, he may answer in the name of him who sent him, Yes, peaceably ; and such their temper and behaviour ought to be, as to be able to answer so for themselves. They are heralds indeed to proclaim war against sin; but to the children of men they are sent as ambassadors preaching peace by Jesus Christ; who himself first came (as one pleased he had such an errand to perform) and preached peace to them that were afar off, and to them that were nigh; and has appointed his ministers as residents to negociate this great affair, while time lasts, for so long the treaty will continue.

1. The ministers whom Christ here sends forth are supposed to enter into private houses; and that under the character of Christ's ambassadors, and in the exccution of their office, the business of which they must be carrying on, not only inte whatsoever synagogue, but into whatsoever house, they enter. We shall find them in private houses, either because thither their public preaching will be driven, or because thither they themselves will carry it.

(1.) Sometimes they were forced into such corners. Though the message they brought had every thing in it to recommend them to an universal acceptance, yet it is probable, in many places they were not permitted to preach in the synagogues; the rulers

there who had a jealous eye upon them would take | net. And if the words of the wise be as nails, this will help to fasten them, as nails in a sure place. Hereby we may come to know what people have to say against being religious, and what their excuses are with which they support themselves in a sinful way; and by giving suitable answers to both, may help them over the particular difficulty that lies in their way.