in such cases, to promote their mutual comfort, edification, and the honour of GoD and his ways.

Friendly. But where there is harmony in a church, there may be fome very difficult cafes wherein they may be at a loss to know the mind of CHRIST, particularly in the choice of a minifter, and many other cafes: how then muft the church act?

Truth. In fuch cafes of difficulty, the church must folemnly fet apart days of fafting and prayer, that the LORD would, in the weighty affair, which concerns his glory and their com fort, guide them as his flock, to act agreeably to his will; and if things ftill appear dark, infomuch that they are ftill at a lofs how to act, then they may, with an unbiaffed defire to know the mind of CHRIST, confult with other churches and neighbouring ministers, for their fatisfaction in their proceedings, Gal. vi. 2. Bear ye one anothers burthens and fo fulfil the law of Chrift.

Friendly What is further the duty of a church?

Truth. The church, is CHRIST's nursery, his orchard of delights, his garden, his bed of fpices, where he causeth to grow trees of righteousness, eminently laden with divine fruit ; mean, he raiseth up therein his miniftering fervants, replete with divine qualifications, which appears fometimes in their lively zeal for GOD, at other times in their humility and enlargement in prayer, and in fome it fhines in their judicious and diftinguishing underftanding of the fcriptures; in others their watchfulness for the fpiritual welfare of poor fouls, difcovers that God has fet them apart for peculiar usefulness in their day; it is the duty of the church to take notice of these gifts, encourage them by appointing times of prayer, in setting apart meetings for fpiritual converfe, and opening texts of fcripture; at which, the Paftor of the church ought to be prefent, in order to judge of their faith and gifts. If there be more than one of thefe gifts, they ought to speak from a text, in order, one after the other, according to their proportion of faith and understanding. This is what the fcripture calls prophecying, fuch I humbly conceive, are under the diving teaching, for as the fpirit taught and prompted the Prophets under the Old Testament, to fpeak with life and zeal for GOD, in things then appertaining to his glory, fo in like manner, the HOLY GHOST teaches and divinely instructs the gifted brethren to speak and act with diftinguished knowledge, for GOD, Rom. xii. 6. Having then gifts according to the grace that is given unto us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according

the proportion of faith. 1 Cor. xiv. 29, 31. Let the Prophets Speak two or three, and let the other judge, for ye may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

Friendly. Should part of the church judge a perfon to have qualifications from Gon for the work of the ministry, and others think the contrary, in fuch a cafe what must the church do?

Truth. I acknowledge that in this cafe members of churches are too apt to judge from affection, or from prejudice, which caufe divifions; but this thing ought not to be, for members in this refpect, above all others, fhould lay afide ill-will of every kind, and let GoD work by whom he will; none ought to judge out of affection, but purely according as there appears divine qualifications for the work, in understanding the word of Gon, zeal for his glory, and affection to poor fouls. Now thefe perfons, who appear thus gifted, ought for a confiderable time, to be trained up by fpiritual conferences, opening the word, and prayer; and when they have attained to ripeness of judgment in the knowledge of the Scriptures, agreeably to the analogy of faith, then it is the duty of the church, with gladnefs and joy, to call them forth, and teftify that they are at liberty to preach the gospel wherefoever GoD in his providence fhall call them to the work, Acts xiii. 2, 3, 45. As they miniftered unto the Lord, and fafted, the Holy Ghoft faid, feparate me Barnabas and Saul, unto the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fafted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they fent them away. So they being fent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they failed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the fynagogues of the Jews.

Friendly. What are the qualifications of a minister of CHRIST.

Truth. Natural, fpiritual, and ornamental, or acquired; but he effential qualification of a minifter of CHRIST is, I appre tend, a diftinguished gift from CHRIST, to qualify him, as is Ambaffador and Steward of the myfteries of the kingdom of leaven.

By natural qualifications, I mean, fuch persons that have good atural capacities, whofe abilities are truly commendable; op may, and I believe does, make ideots Chriftians, or lievers in CHRIST, but we do not find that any of the tophets, Seers, men of GoD in the Old Testament difpen, tion, or Priests under the law, were ideots, but on the con

trary, they appear to be men of deep and profound abilities, Though under the New Teftament economy, our dear Lord, to fhew his fovereignty and power, made ufe of mean inftru ments (as to outward appearance) yet they were men of good understandings, fome of them eminently great as to their natural abilities, and fo it has continued for fucceeding generations.

By fpiritual qualifications, I mean the communication of the grace of GoD to the foul, being endued with power from on high; for without this divine and fupernatural gift, the man of genius and acquired abilities, the most eloquent orator in the world, is not fit to preach the gospel, no more than a natural ideot is fit to be an orator; for they, with all their fine elegant tafte, profound reafoning, and extenfive understanding, are but fpiritual ideots, and fuch will appear to men of spiritual underftanding, when they dwell upon the myfteries, experience, and the glory of the gofpel; for they then really discover (whether they think fo or not) that they are fools, men void of fpiritual knowledge, I Cor. ii. 14, 15. The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually difcerned. But he that is fpiritual judgeth all things.

But the particular and diftinguishing qualification of a minifter of CHRIST is, a fuper-additional gift to the grace of GoD, a gift peculiar to the work, which enlivens them in their employment and office; I apprehend it to be a special and peculiar illumination of the HOLY GHOST upon the mind in the enlarged understanding of the word of God; a peculiar readiness in elucidating and explaining it, an extraordinary love to, and delight therein; for if only the grace of God, and divine experience, be the neceffary and alone qualification for the work of the miniftry, then confequently every Chriftian isqualified for the work; but on the other hand, we may obferve, that the Apoftle fpeaks of minifterial qualifications, 25 peculiar and diftinguifhing gifts, fuper-additional to the grace of GoD, though they are gifts of grace, yet it is a greater. measure of grace, by way of gift, Eph. iv. 8. Wherefore be faith, when he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men; which gifts appear evidently to be mi nifterial gifts; that is, gifts and qualifications over and above what they had as Chriftians, ver. 11, 12. And he gave fomes Apaftles; and fome, Prophets; and fome, Evangelifts; and jams Pafters and Teachers; for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the miniftry, for the edifying the body of Chrift. From

hence I would obferve, that I am far from falling in with a Tearned Doctor's maxim, "that the grace of GoD makes a "man a Chriftian, but learning makes him a minifter of "CHRIST." I acknowledge, that the grace of God makes a man a Chriftian, but that learning, added to the grace which he has received, makes him a minifter of CHRIST, I deny; for then it would follow, that every learned Chriftian is qualified to be a minifter; and that learning is an effential qualification to preach the gofpel. This affertion is certainly erroneous, for I knew a young man, whofe parents intended him to be the most eminent and learned minifter in the prefent age; they fpared no coft or pains to accomplish their defign; the young man drank in greedily the knowledge of all the languages, and made very great progrefs in every branch of human literature: But, when he came to ftudy divinity, he turned out an accomplished deift, and continued fo for fome years; however, afterwards, it pleafed the LORD, by the foolishness of preaching, to call him by his grace, and communicate fpiritual life and understanding to his foul; by which happy means, he is now become a zealous Chriftian; and though he is eminently qualified, as to learning, and likewife with the grace of GoD, yet he doth not appear to have any ministerial abilities at all; which makes it manifeft, that a minifterial quailification is a pecular gift by itself.

Learning, I own, is an ornamental qualification to a minifter, it enables him to deliver himself in a masterly manner, with proper emphafis and elocution; is a noble embellishment in a preacher; the knowledge of the fciences and languages are very amiable in their places, and quite neceffary for a polemical theologician, yet, I fear, it has made more proud than happy. It was the pleasure of a very great fcholar to fay (in my hearing) "That all his learing never helped him to one spiritual "idea of the gospel." I alfo knew a good man, who intended his fon for the miniftry, but was greatly difappointed in his expectations; for upon the young man's return from school, the church defired he might preach to them; but his father, perceiving he was not poffeffed of proper minifterial abilities, made excufe for him. Being ftill preffed hard, that his fon night preach, he faid, "Brethren, my fon, though he can "read his bible in feven languages, yet he hath not learned "his bible." All which corroborates this idea, that the qualification of a true minifter of CHRIST, is not only fpiritual, but a diftinguished gift from CHRIST, Gal. i, 11, 12.

But I certify to you, brethren, that the gospel, which was preached of me, is not after man; for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jefus Chrift.

Friendly. What duty do the members of a church owe to

each other?

Truth. Firft, Love, as they are brethren of the fame family, heirs of the fame inheritance, bought with the fame precious blood, loved by GoD with the fame everlasting love, partakers of the fame bleffings and promises; but more espe cially, as they are congregated together as an epitome of the family of Heaven, a fpiritual corporation, and a body divinely politic, therefore they ought to abound in love to each other. Secondly, It is their duty to watch over one another, and when there appears to be an occafion, to admonish, and provoke one another to love and good works.

Friendly. What ordinances has CHRIST inftituted in his word for the benefit of his church?

Truth. The preaching of the word, and the administration of his ordinances.

Friendly. Whofe particular work is it to preach the word? Truth. The Paftor, whofe office is, to labour in the word and doctrine, especially in the public congregation to divide the word aright,-to fhew himself a workman that needeth not to be afhamed,-and being an able minifter of the New Teftament, he fhould feelingly, and with clearness, explain the doctrine of the covenant of grace, and the myfteries of redeeming love; as he may, under a divine bleffing, promote holine's of life, and a conformity to the ways of GOD; the whole being defigned, in infinite wisdom, for the edification of the body of Chrift.

Friendly. What ordinances has CHRIST inftituted, to be continued in the church till his fecond coming?

Truth. Baptifm, and the Lord's Supper.

Friendly. Wherein doth it appear that Baptifm is an inititution of CHRIST?

Truth. In his commiffion to his Difciples, Matt. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And we have not only his authority, but likewife his own example, which you may find in Matt. iii. 13, &c. Then cometh Jefus from Galilee to Fardan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John for bad him, Javing. Ive need to be baptized of thee, and cometh thou to me? And Jefus anfwering, faid unto him, fuffer it to be fo now: thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then be fuffered him.

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