fheep, and oppreffed heritage, thro' the violent measures of church judicatories*. But my business, at present, is to give a hint at the nature of that minifterial work to which one is to be fet apart here: and the text I have read, lays before us a fum of their work, as it relates to the finners with whom they have to do: their orders are, Compel them to come in, that my boufe may be filled.

These words are part of a parable, wherein the free grace of God, in Chrift, is reprefented by a rich man. making a great fupper; that is, the rich and bountiful Lord providing all the treasures and bleffings of the new covenant, and inviting all poor, indigent finners, to whom the gospel comes, to come and fhare of thefe bleffings of everlasting life and happiness, to be had in Chrift Jefus.

The entertainment, that this kind offer gets, is various; fome reject it, and others embrace it. The rejecters make trifling excufes, preferring their ground, their oxen, their wives; that is, their worldly poffeffions and fenfual enjoyments, to all the bleffings of the everlasting gofpel.

Hereupon care is taken to furnifh his table; Go, fays: he, to his fervants, pick up the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind; by whom might be meant the defpifed, out-caft Gentiles, who were taken in, when the Jews, who flighted Chrift, were rejected of him.

But tho' many of this fort came in and embraced the offer, yet the fervant is brought in telling his Lord, faying, "It is done as thou haft commanded; and yet there is room." Minifters are to give account to Christ, relating to their minifterial commiffion: 1. Of the execution of it; "It is done as thou haft commanded." 2. Of the fuccefs thereof; "Yet there is room :" intimating, that though several were come in, yet there was entertainment for many more.

Upon this a new warrant is given out to the fervants, to go to the high-ways and hedges, fince none among the

Mr. Hunter was the first probationer licensed by the Associate Prefbytery; and his fettlement in this new-erected congregation, the first of its kind that had taken place among them. What these violent measures were, which occafioned this ftep, may be feen laid open, Vol. V. p. 298. 351. 389. 419. N3

Jews,

is not by force of arms, but by force of arguments, men are to be compelled; for, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pul ling down of ftrong holds, cafting down imaginations,' 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. It is not by cudgels, but by confiderations, that the will can be compelled: when the Lord concurs with thefe confiderations that are fpiritual, then they are cogent and compelling to the foul. The very opening to men the riches of divine grace, fitted to their loft and undone ftate, is, through grace, a compelling of them: for,

4. It is not a natural, but a gracious compulfion. It is not by the power of natural abilities and free-will, which is the Arminian arms, that men are compelled; but by the power of free grace: therefore, in compelling. finners to come in, we are not to tell them what they can do; (for, indeed, they can do nothing fpiritually, nothing acceptably; they can do nothing but destroy themfelves;) but we are to tell them what grace can do, and how all their help lies here; "O Ifrael, thou haft deftroyed thyfelf; but in me is thy help."

5. It is not a legal, but an evangelical compulfion. It is true, By the law is the knowledge of fin' and mifery. By the command of the law applied, is the knowledge of fin; and by the curfe of the law apprehended is the knowJedge of mifery: and fo, by the law we may have the knowledge of the need we have of Chrift. The law, therefore, is to be used in a subserviency to the gospel; but the law, tho' it may compel finners to come down from their lofty thoughts of their own natural power and ability to help themselves; yet it is only the gofpel that will compel them to come in: for, the more they fee of their finfulness and mifery by the law, the more will they ftand at a distance from coming to God; but will run away hopeless from him, until once the grace of God, manifefted in the gofpel, and the love of Chrift constrain, and compel them to come in. Hence,

6. It is not a rigid, harsh and unpleasant, but a kindly and affectionate compulfion. It is a drawing with the cords of love, and the bands of a man. Here we may fay the kingdom of heaven fuffers violence, and the vio

lent

lent take it by force. The minifter is to use violence and force; but it is not the force of fire and fword, but the force of love, and the violence of reafon, fpiritual and fcriptural reafon. And becaufe man's reafon now is out of reason, therefore,

7. It is not a merely rational and argumentative, but a divine compulfion, in the demonftration of the Spirit, and with power; 1 Cor. ii. 4." My fpeech, and my preaching was not with the enticing words of man's wif dom, but in demonftration of the Spirit, and with power; that your faith fhould not stand in the wifdom of man, but in the power of God:" that it might not be merely rational faith, ftanding upon a human teftimony, or human reasoning, but a divine faith, ftanding upon a divine tef timony, a divine demonstration. Many have no other but a merely rational religion, and a faith grounded only upon rational arguments, by the force of which they are com pelled to own and acknowledge this or that gofpel-truth; but what comes of that faith, when a better arguer appears on the other fide? Down their faith must go, that ftands upon fuch a fandy foundation, as human wisdom. and reafon. You may get a poor, illiterate man or woman, that never learned philofophy, nor any thing of the art of arguing, that will have a better faith, a firmer perfuafion of the truth as it is in Jefus, than all these rational believers, and learned Rabbies ever could be mafters of. Why? because thefe poor, unlearned, yet true believers, are datos, taught of God; and the golpel hath come to them, not in word, but in power, and in the Holy Ghoft, and with much affurance.

This, then, is the compulfion that gofpel-ministers fhould aim at, in preaching and teaching, namely, that it be in the demonftration of the Spirit, and with power; but without this, men's effays and flourishing harangues. whereby they think to compel men with the mere force and strength of their reasoning, will be found but a carnal weapon, not mighty through God, but weak or unavailable; "Not by ftrength, nor by might, but by my SPIRIT, faith the Lord of hofts." Let us never expect, that the exterior call in the ministry of the word will avail, without the efficacious operation of the Spirit of

God.

God. And, therefore, let us feek to pray in the Spirit, and preach in the Spirit, that through him we may do valiantly, in conquering finners, and compelling them. Hence,

8. It is not a despicable, lawless, and unwarrantable, but an authoritative compulfion. Go, fays the great Malter, and compel them. It is in his name and authority, who is the great King in Zion, that they are to do it. As they are to deal with finners with all fincerity and earneftnefs, fo with all authority and boldness: both thefe are joined together, 2 Cor. v. 20. "Now then, we are ambaffadors for Chrift, as tho' God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled unto God." While they prefent his bowels and compaffion, they are alfo to reprefent his authority, as anibaffadors for him. But this leads to another question on this head.

[2.] What power and authority doth this compulfion,. they are warranted to ufe, import? I think it imports all that power and authority that belongs to them, as the fervants and minifters of Chrift. I cannot enlarge upon all the particulars here, that might be treated; I fhalt only mention what occurs.

The minifterial power is either that which they have jointly, in conjunction with one-another, or that which they can exercife feparately, when invefted with that facred office.

1. There is a power they have jointly, in conjunction with one-another, and with the other officers, or office bearers in the church, when judicially met, and constitute as courts of Chrift; fuch as a power of ordaining minif ters, which is prefbyterial; "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the prefbytery," 1 Tim. iv. 14 A power of difcipline and government, they being fuch fervants as are alfo rulers, and said to have rule, Helx. xiii. 17. according to the commiffion given unto them, Mat. xvi. 19. and xviii. 18.-A power, hence refulting, of adminiftring ecclefiaftical cenfures, excommunications, c. clearing up marches wifely between the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of Cæfar.-A power of making

laws

laws for the good of the church, agreeable to the law of Chrift, and relating to the orderly government of his houfe, that all things be done decently and in order.They have no power indeed, or authority to do any thing against the truth, but only for it, 2 Cor. xiii. 8. 10. and for the edification of the church. When their power is otherwise employed, it is not to be regarded, but to be reckoned void and null; as many pretended acts of judicatories in our days are *. But this ecclefiaftical power of judicatories, and courts of Chrift, lawfully conftitute, is fufficiently exemplified, Acts xv. and xvi. where, notwithstanding the wrangling of these that deviate to the Independent and Sectarian way, alledging, that the congregation of believers was equally the members of the court with the apofiles and elders, because fometimes the brethren are mentioned with them: I think, to me it seems unanfwerably evident, that the apoftles and elders only were the conftituent members of the court, by whofe judicial determinations alone the decrees of the court were rendered valid, whofoever elfe were present there as confenters or approvers. This, to me, I say, is plain, in that, (1.) The queftion that was in hand was referred to none for decifion but to the apoftles and elders; Acts xv. 2. "They determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, fhould go up to Jerufalem unto the apoftles and elders about this queftion." (2.) The apostles and elders only are mentioned as thefe that came together, to confider of that matter, ver. 6. (3.) The apofiles and elders only are they, by whom the decrees of the court are faid to be ordained, Acts xvi. 4. But this by the bye.

2. There is a power and authority, here alfo imported, that minifters have, which they can and may exer

* It is probable our Author here, among other Acts, hath his eye upon the Acts of Affembly, 1720. 1722. condemning the Marrow of Modern Divinity; the Act 1730. against recording Protefiations; the A& 1732. concerning Patronage; the A&t 1733. reftricting minifterial freedom and faithfulness, the different Acts of the refpective judicatories, viz. Synod, Affembly, and Commiffion, against the Affociate Brethren. Some of thefe affairs may be feen more fully laid-open, Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304. Vol. V. p. 108. 298, 309, 310, 311. 351. 389. 419.