496 ofConverften, or turningunto Ged. Su e r.IX fuch who are tobe Minifters, bechargeth thofeCommandments to bekept impair:: tially till the comingof Christ. a Tim. i. 2 I. Secondly, eels Godbath appointed this Office, fo its the exprefon ofhie wonder; full goodneJreand loveto mankind therein. Hence GodBoth fo often tell the7ewa of this hisgreat love to them, that he fent themhisProphets, rìfing early and war- ning of them : and inephef.4. they are called the gifts, which Chrift gave after his Afcenhon; and indeedthey are greater than any temporali mercies , if men could fpiritually judge. The giving of us the heavens and the earth, withall the abundance thereof,isnot like to the givingof faithful Minifteis to a people. There. fore God to comfortthe people of 1fragil when they werein great extremities,he tells them, Hewill give them 'techPalters atthud rule afterhis ownheart, Jer.3. t ç, And their eyesfliallfee their Teachers,thougbhe feedthemWith thebreadofafjliítion, Ifa. 30.20. Hence are thofe triumphing exprelrons to them by the godly ; How plea/ant are thefeet of thole who bring the glad tidings of the gold?ROM 10,15c; And how can it be but thought an exceeding great mercy, when Godwho needeth us not, (hall yet fend his Embaffadors daily tous, to intreat us to bereconciled un- tohim ? As ifaglorious Emperor should fendMeffengers towin theaffe@ions of a poor defpifed Beggar tobe.efpoufed tohim. Thirdly , The end of thisOffice is ropernaturad, ferdivine and Jfirittealleffeïlso The énd of And herein it difterethfrom all earthly imployments , who have only outward rho Minah.y i, happincile and proiperity for their end. Hence it is that they are called Angels; feeeinarurall, their employment being faired and heavenly, like that of the Angels. Now this and fear-fold. lupernarurall end is reduceable to a fourfold effea. Fun, They are appointedfor the Converficn, andfpiriteaall change of the hearts and lives of theft towhom they are fem. Whata wonderwas that of Peter, who Converted three thousand at one time from their former ignorance and wicked- neffe t Let not the Heathens any more boalt of their Orpheus and his Harp, which would make wild Beans tamd, andfollow him ; Here Peterdotla farce more by the fpiritualKeys of his Mining : and thus 7ames faith, names t. We are begot- ten ¿y his Word, ri,editsthe Ward of Regeneration. Hence they are called Fathers, fpiritually begetting Childrenunto them in the Lord. And if that be true, as it is, which Mullin faith , The Converfion of the foul is a greater wonder than any mi- racle; then where the Mininry bath this Divine etIca, its more admirable than to cureblind eyes, or deaf ears, or raisedead men from the grave. Oh then this is a nrongand mighty experiment of Gods work in the Mininry, when it cloth reach thus into the inward hearts and confciencesof men. Secondly, Another mainend is toconf+rm and(lrengthen chafe that are converted; To make them grow more and more, as Ephef. 4. till we come to a full nature in Cbrin. Its pride and arrogancy to think thy Pelffo knowing, or fogodly, as not to need a Mininry ; for fappole thou dolt hear no more than what thou knoweft, yet how dull are thyaffedions ? how apt to apoftatize, and back-flide ! and there- fore the righteous man heneeds EzekielsWatchman as well as the wicked, that he maynot turnfrom his righteoufneffe, Ezek, 3. And this is a noble fruitof the Mi- ning, to buildup, when a foundation is already laid, to beaddingcubits to thy na- ture, to bealways blowing upon thee with this fpiritual wind, that thy graces may be flourishing and fweerly fragrant alwaies. III. Thirdly, Anothereffeíl is to reviveand comfort chafe thataretoff down with the fenfe and burden of their fins. Hence they arePaid topreach glad-tidings, and this is called the tongueof the learned, to fpeak a word infeafon to thole that need comfort. Thefe are the good Samaritans, that bring precious oil, these apply the Balmof CJifead : And oh that we hadmore fubjeßs to improve thisglorious ef. fra of the Mininry upon: Awounded confcience forfin, is an unknown thing to menof theworld :Tofeel the Agonies offanne through Godsdifpleafure,becaufe ofour iniquities, is aRiddle to natural men t butwhere filchare, howwelcome are the glad tidings of a Clara untothem! Lanly, I. I f.
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