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CHARGE &c.

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EING ingaged, my worthy Friend, by your request, to give you fome thoughts on the best method of discharging that honourable and important office, to which you have now, with the full approbation of all who know you, publickly devoted yourself, I shall regulate my advices on this fubject, by the excellent counsel which St. Paul gives to his beloved Son Timothy, in his first Epistle, Chap. iv. ver. 16.

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Take beed unto thyself, and unto thy doctrine continue in them; for in doing this, thou shalt both fave thyself, and them that hear thee.

The fubject is large, and the time will allow me to do little more than mention the principal things to which the Apoftle directs our thoughts. May God make what will be offered a means of exciting all of us, who have received this miniftry, to fo vigorous a * A 2 discharge

difcharge of it, that we may not only fave ourfelves, but, if poffible, all who hear us!

You will obferve with me, that St. Paul directs Timothy, firft to take heed to himself, and next to his doctrine. With regard to moral and religious truths, no qualification is more important, if we would difcover them ourfelves, or recommend them fucceffully to mankind, than a prevailing piety and goodnefs of heart. Our divine Mafter therefore places the practice of his moral Precepts, in order before the teaching them. * Whosoever Shall do, and teach them, fhall be called great in the kingdom of heaven; that is, he hall be eminently useful in my church, and eminently glorious and bleffed in my heavenly kingdom. The prevalence of any vicious paffion renders, a perfon averfe to the pure light of religious truth; fince, if it entered his mind, it would excite a painful self-disapprobation. He will therefore turn away his eyes, or, when it would force an entrance, will ftudiously bar it, by cherishing errors and prejudices favourable to the finful paffion.

Men come not to the light, leaft their deeds Should be reproved. And they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. Whereas if the love of God, and the love of holinefs are the prevailing affections, the truths of religion will be grateful to the foul, as light to a found eye, it will diligently feek, and readily receive them. Such a mind also * Matth. v. 19. ↑ John iii. 19.

is entitled to peculiar influences from the God of truth and holiness, by that encourag ing promise of our Lord *, If any man be willing to do his will, Geλn Toew, he skall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.

And as purity of heart and life is a neceffary qualification for difcovering the great doctrines and duties of chriftianity in their full beauty and extent, fo to our recommending them effectually to others. A preacher, who by a life of exemplary piety and goodness goes before his hearers in the path to eternal bleffedness, may with reafon expect that they will attend to his directions and exhortations, and will follow him. But what hope can a Minifter have, that his people will practise what he recommends to them, as neceffary in order to their becoming approved by God and happy forever, if by his conduct he manifefts that he himself does not believe, or regard his own moft folemn declarations?

In giving you therefore my thoughts on the method to be taken by those, who desire to be able and fuccefful Minifters of the New Covenant, in conformity to St. Paul's order,

I. I would advife fuch firft to take heed to themselves; and

II. To their doctrine.

III. To continue in this courfe; and then

IV. Briefly reprefent the encouragement, that in this way of acting, they will certainly fave themselves, and be moft likely to promote greatly the falvation of their hearers.

1. We must take heed to ourselves; not only that we be christians indeed, for this St. Paul knew Timothy to be, and this every one is fuppofed to be, whom the Paftors of the christian church by Ordination recommend to the people, as not unworthy of that office; but that we be eminent for the feveral graces and virtues of the chriftian temper. In enumerating thefe, I fhall be guided by the Apostle's inftructions to Timothy, and begin with what must be the foundation of all. A fincere piety. And my Friend and Brother, if we would proceed in our work with pleasure and fuccefs, our hearts must be animated with a warm and fteddy devotion. The principal means for cherishing this are faith, meditation, prayer, and reading the word of God. Paul often recommends these to Timothy, and proposes himself as an example of *Serving God with a pure confcience, and of praying night and day. A continual regard to God and prevailing concern to please him, a lively gratitude for his great benefits, a firm trust in his Providence, and a chearful refignation to his unbounded wifdom and goodness, are the chief part of a pious temper. In these it is justly expected that a Minifter fhould excel, who hath more leifure and advantages for