SERM. esteemed equal to the Barons; and were VI. admitted to all the Offices of Ho

nour and Truft: And fo it continued, even till the last Century, when Atheism and Deism, Immorality and Profaneness, like a Deluge, had overflown thefe Kingdoms, and fwelled to fo prodigious an Heighth, that it overturned the most facred Things, and difcompofed the venerable Face of our Government, both in Church and State.

I SHALI. not attempt to give you a Catalogue of Clergymen, who have been advanced to the highest Honours in the Kingdom, or fhew with what Juftice and Fidelity they discharged thofe Trufts; but only remark that, in the Catalogue of Lord Chancellors given us by Spelman of one Hundred and feventy, near one Hundred of them were Clergymen.

BUT left it should be faid, that those Honours and Privileges were conferred only on those Clergymen who move in a fuperior Orb, thofe Angels of the Church, who have the Government committed to their Care, I fhall inftance in those Honours which they enjoy, in common, with the inferior Clergy, and what thefe

are,

(1.) THE

Luke xii.

(1.) THE Titles which are bestowed SE RM. upon them in the Holy Scripture. They are VI. called the Stewards whom God has fet over his Family, the Shepherds of the Flock, the Oracles of God, the Light of the Pet. iv. World, the Stars in the Right-hand of 10: Chrift, the Angels of the Churches.

42.

I

Tit. i. 7.

Ezek.

I

1 Pet. ii.

(2.) LET us confider the Perfon whose xxxiv. 10. Meffengers they are, and whom they re- 25. prefent. They are the Ambaffadors of Pet. iv. Jefus Chrift, the Ministers of God in a pe- Mat. v. culiar Manner, not only as Magiftrates by 14. Way of Subordination, but because it is Rev. i. from Chrift alone, the fupreme Head of the Church, that they derive their Authority, and receive their Commiffion, as to fpiritual Matters, and not from Men.

(3.) THE Bufineffes in which they are employed are, the difpenfing the Divine Myfteries, the conveying down those spiritual Mercies; which at the fame Time fill the Soul of the Devout with Joy and Gladness, and ftrike the debauched and profligate Wretch, with Horror and Amazement; the difpenfing those Sacraments which feal to us a Title to our eternal Inheritance in the heavenly Canaan, and the Abfolution of our Sins. Hear what the judicious Hooker fays upon this Subject: The executing the Ministerial VOL. II.

K

Office

SERM.
VI.

Office tranflateth out of Darkness into Glory, raifeth Men from Earth, and bringeth down God himself from Heaven; by bleffing the vifible Elements, it maketh them invifible Grace; it giveth daily the Holy Ghost, and difposes of that Flesh which was given for the World, that Blood which was poured out to redeem Souls; when it curfeth, the Wicked perish, and, when it revoketh the fame, they revive.'

FROM all which it appears, that, in all Ages, the Priesthood has been had in great Honour and Efteem; and, if the Worth and Dignity of it is to be rated from its Usefulness, there is the higheft Reason that its Profeffors fhould be had in double Honour, and reverenced Yixçiooũ, exceeding abundantly, as it ought to be renTheff. dered, for their Work's Sake, because v. 13. this excels all other Profeffions, as much as the Soul excels the Body or Estate.

AND now, methinks, I hear the profane Deift objecting against what has been said, that this is preaching up ourfelves, instead of preaching the Gofpel; that, of all Men, it doth not become a Clergyman to be the Herald of his own Praife and Glory. But let thefe Men know, that there was a Time, when e

ven an Apostle thought fit to glory; and, SERM. if any Time is proper and feasonable, it is VI. then, when there are fo many Tongues and Pens at Work to vilify and defame them; that hereby they may render their Office useless, by making their Perfons contemptible; it is for the Glory of God, whofe Ministers they are, that Men should be made sensible of the Dignity of their Calling; and it conduces very much to the Benefit of their Hearers, and to the Succefs of their Doctrine, that Men should entertain a just Efteem and due Refpect to the Perfons who deliver it. And as they will be answerable for it, if they do any Thing whereby they give juft Occafion for Men to defpife them; fo will those Perfons be called to a fevere Account, who caufelefly pour down Contempt upon them, for our bleffed Saviour has told us, Whofo defpifeth you defpifeth me, and whoso defpifeth me defpifeth him that fent me.

II. OUR natural Infufficiency for the Execution of the Minifterial Office will become more evident, by reflecting on the Difficulty which attends it; which proceeds,

I. FROM Our natural Indifpofition to apply our Minds to fpiritual Matters. It is the Bufinefs of a Clergyman, in a great Measure, to fequefter his Thoughts from

K 2

fen

SERM. fenfual Objects, and to fix them upon thofe
VI. which are fpiritual; and fince our Souls

are fo clofely united to our Bodies, and
our Affections wedded to the Pleasures of
Sense, it must needs be a very difficult
Matter to fue out a Divorce between them.
For a Man to bid Adieu to all the Vani-
ties of the World, to divert the Current
of his Appetites, and to turn it into ano-
ther Channel; to take his Affections off
from a prefent delightful Object, and to
fix them on one afar off, which he is
wholly a Stranger to, and incapable of
comprehending; and finally to give up
himfelf to Acts of Self-denial and Morti-
fication, when the reft of the World is
immerfed in Senfuality; cannot be effected,
without putting Violence on our Natures,
and the fame Reluctancy with which a
Stream is forced back to its Fountain.

2. THE Minifterial Calling will appear more difficult, by confidering the Business which we undertake, which is no less than to enter into the Holy of Holies, to go between God and the People, to be God's Mouth to the People, and the People's Mouth to God; to be the Interpreter of the antient Law of the Old Teftament and the everlasting Gospel of the New; to ftand in the Room, and bear the Office

of