Book lV. 185 Chap. 3. SeE!. 2. enter into tbyc/ofet (laith Chri!l:) and whenthol< h.Jjl jhut thy door, pr.~y to thy Father which is in f ccret, a~d thy Fat her which feerh •n feo-e t jl,a/1 m~ard thee openly. Sometimes we find Cbri!l: praymg at mght : In the day r.me he WM" teachmg"' the Temple, a'?d L"ke ,,. 37• at night hewent ollt and abode in the Mount, that i1 called the mount of Olives: See Chn!l: in the exercife of his double Office, he preacheth all day, and prayes all m~ht; t.h" Text tells us, He continued all night in prayer. Night prayers have their /pcclal, fpmtual advantages. 1. It is a time fitter for compunction, and heart-conmuon, All the Pfal. 6. 6' night makE Jmy bed to fwim, Jwaur my conch with my rears. As fame thtngs are by heat parched in the day, but cooled in rhe night ; fo many fins contracted in the day, ar~ fea- · fonably repented at night ; night-tears arc as fwcet dews that cool the heat a~d,pnde of our fpirits. 2 • It is a rime of filence _aQd free from dlllrachon; then all tumults ceafe, and in the fecret of our fouls we may hlently go and fpeak With our heavenly Father. In this refpect we have a bldfed example of Chri!l: P.r:\ying at night, and efpecially now; 0 he was about the great work of fendmg h1sMmt!l:ers through all the world,and the.refore now he fpends all the night long in prayer to his Father; A great and extraordin.,ry work..is not to beJet upon, without e.<rraordinary prayer. +· The company out of whom they are chofen, He called umobim his difciples,tmdout of them he chafe melve:ADifciple ofChri!l: i~ one thing,and an Apo!lle of Chrilt is.another rhina. thofe wore Chrif\s Difciples that embraced Chrifts Doctrine of Faith and Re– .pem~~ce; it was not material to the co·n!l:ituring of a Difcip!e of Chrift, whether they followed Chri!l: as many did, or they returned to their own homes, as fame others did. The man out of. whom the legions of devils was caft, befought Chrift that he might be with Luke 8• 3 s, him, bm 'fe[us font h1maway, faytng, return to.Jhme ownhDJifi:, and jhew bowgreatthmgs l9• God bath donero th<e. I make ~oquefiion but Chri!l: at the electi®n of his Apofiks had many Difciple. both waiting on him, and abfcnr from him; and out of them that waitec( on him his Apoftles were chof<n, Chrijls Minifters j110t<ld be firft Difciples. 0 how unfit are any to take upon them the Minif\ry of Chri!l: that were n:ver yet the Difciples of Chrif\? firfi the grace of God within us, and then mull: that grace of God bedifcovered by us. . - · · ; 5. The number of them that were chofen ; they were twelve : very pro!lable it is that there was fome pecuUar reafon in this account, the num~er (fay fome) ..was 1 figured out. to us in many particulars, as in the twelve Patriarchs, i_n the twelve W~llsof Gen.>);,; Elim, m the twelve prec10usftoneson the brea!l:of the Pnc!l:, m the twelve Td5es of Ex0 d.rs.11 ; Jfra<l, in the twelve hours of the day; Chri!l: tells them of fitting on twelve"Thrones, and jtldgi>~g the tlvelve Tribes of Jfrael; but I delight not curioufly to defcarir on thefe M•tth. ,9,,g~ things. This I am fure, tlm the doings of Chri!l: were done in weight, tneafure, and • number. , .6. The end to which they were cliOfen, it was to an .1\pof\lelhip ( ;. ) that th~y mtght be Chrt!l:s Legates to the fons of men, that they might be fent up and down the world to perfwade men to falvauon. The <Jj.jfenfers of G.ods Word muft loolz_ to their mi[– fion, they m11ft not intmde upon (o [acreda b•lfine{j before they are fent. Now this million is either extraordinary by immediate in!l:inct, and reve)atiol\ from God,which is ever a<;– companied Wi\!' immediate and infufed gifts, an~ this was the qfe of the i\.pol1:les; or ordmary, by 1mpoliuon of hands and ecclefiafiiCal delignation: and in this likewife is required fidelity' and ability. . I. Fidelity' it is required of Stewards th:lt a man be found fmhful, that he defraud not Chrift of his purchafe, which is ~he fouls of men, nor men of their price and privlledge; which is the blood of Chritl: . that he watch as a Seer, that he fpeak as an Oracle, that he feed as a Shepherd, that h~ labour as an Huf– bandman, that he be m!l:ant m feafon and out of feofon, to exhort, rebuke, in!l:ruct, to de the work of an Evangeliil:; to makefull proof of hid.j:iniftry, becaufe he hath an account to make. 2. Abd1ry both for right information <;>f the confciences of men, and for the feafonable application of truth to particular circumftances, which is that wh1ch makes a wtfc bUilder. Ah! Who i< Jufficient for thefe things.' How fhould we, Cor; ,; rf; bur. dete!l: the prefumptton of thofe men, who run before they bdem, who leap from thetr manual.trad.es Into this farred and dreadful office, unto 1~hich hw!tofore the moll: learn~d and p1?us men have trembled to approach? , . , Th1s ~ay mform us of our duty : and this may ihform yoti of your happio~fs. V I. Heres ourdmy, I ';'<an ours of theMit1i!l:ry, Chrifl ordained his Apoftles to preach fo. -the Gofp:l; and Paul s motto may be ours, Wo unt• -me, if I preach not the Gofpel: 1 Cor. 9.16: tvhattbM)J IpreachtheGo[p:!, I have ?Jotilmt to glory of, for aneceflity i<laid 11ponrr.•. Cc z This
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