Arg. 1. In respect of Gol Arg. 2. In respect of foules. truth: The Arguments i'le caft into 4 heads. 2. In refpect of the Object. And 4ly, In refpect of the reward. 1. In refpect of God. God hath a tender care of his own glory: and this must be the end of the whole creation. And above all, the reasonable creature must act in every thing for the attainment of the last end, the glory of God. Now wherein is God more glorified,then in the converfion of foules. Its faid,John 15.8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye beare much fruit. And amidst variety of good fruit, this is one of the moft fweet and acceptable to God,to pluck a finner out of the Devils fnare, and convert him to Jefus Chrift. And this fhould be the fole end and defigne of every one that enters into the Minifteriall function to promote the glory of God in faving of their own foules,and thofe that heare them: when this end is firft in thine eye, and accompanied with a confciencious fedulity in the exercife of the meanes, thou mayeft expect the beffing of God crowning thy endeaves with good fucceffe. And fuch a perfon is a man of wifdome, who is fo highly honoured by God as to be an inftrument to convert but one foule unto God. The fecond Argument is in respect of the object,foules, and that rationall foules endowed with noble faculties, the understanding and the will the very breath of God, Gen. 2.7. The peculiar creation of God, not ex traduce, not by propagation, it's God that formeth the spirit of man within him, Zech.12.1. And God is terminus à quo & ad quem both, Eccl. 12. 7. The fpirit shall returne unto God that gave it. The foule is immateriall and fpirituall, a Heavenly borne being,not made of the earth as the body was,but infufed Animacreando by creation, and created by infufion and though the body moulder into infunditur, & duft and fee corruption, yet the foule runs parallel with the longest infundendo line of eternity. Men and Divels banding together cannot kill the foule. And hereupon against perplexing feares and cares, Chrift gives a feasonable caution, Matth. 10. 28. Feare not them, which Kill the body, but are not able to kill the foule, but rather feare him, which is able to destroy both body and foule in Hell. creatur. Aug. Arg, 3. In respect of the wout C. Now then in the third place in respect of the excellent work, employed upon fo noble an object as an immortall foule, the wif dome dome of the worker will be more enhaunc't. We must know that God is the fole efficient cause of the salvation of a sinner, man onlyan inftrument fubfervient to Gods commands. To preach,pray,conierre,& meditate is the Minifters duty, but the fucceffe is the work of God. We are earthen veffels encompaffed with infirmities, men of like paffions, but in the weakneffe of the inftrument, the ftrength of God more eminently appeares; and God works by weake meanes, men of meane prefence and low efteeme amongst men, that no flesh may glory in his prefence, and all the honour may redound to God. But" the Lord had never any speciall service but he raised up perfons of fuitable fpirits for the performance of it. Bezaleel and Aboliab were filled with wifdome for building of the tabernacle: God raifed up the fpirits of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zachari, Zerubbabel for the reedifying of the temple. And now adaies God raiseth up men of heroicall fpirits both of the Magistracy and Ministry, to carry on the worke of reformation both in Church and State, maugre all the hoftile oppofitions, plots and projects of Sanballats and Tobiahs,even all Jefuiticall Malignant factions,which are the Pests and Gangrenes of the kingdome, Remora's and obftructions of reformation. That prophefy doth afford many hopes against in any feares, Dan. 9.25. The street shall be built againe, and the walls in troublous times. Thus then I argue. To conquer potent enemies, to subdue places of great ftrength, and reduce them to outward obedience, is an argument of wifdome in the conquerours: but to fubdue unruly affections,to conquer mens fpirits, to winne foules unto Christ, this mult be a higher piece of wifdome indeed. 4. And lastly, In refpect of the reward, the excellency of this wifdome fhines forth more clearly. He that gaines a foule doch Arg. 4. an excellent worke, fo fames fets it forth, James 5.19,20. Brethren, In respect of the if any one of you do erre from the truth, and one convert him: let him reward. know that he which converteth a finner, from the errour of his way, shall fave a foule from death, and shall hide a multitude of fins. The very worke it felfe is fometime counted a reward, the work and the reward are used asfynonymous termes, Ifay 49 4.Yet furely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. And befides no man ever did, nor fhall ever goe away a loofer by Gods fervice: God keeps the wages 'till afterwards: Here we may have an earnest, part of payment, but the great fumme is referved for another world. And 2. Head. The CharaЯers of him that win netb foules. Chirat. 1. He must abound in love. And they that honour God in bringing converts to the Gofpell, and making Profelytes to Jefus Chrift, they are highly honoured of God. Them that honour me (faith God)I will honour, 1Sam.2.30. And what honour God will one day put upon them, you may read, Dan. 12. 3. And they that be wife shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament,and they that turne many to righteoufnelle,as the stars for ever and ever: fuch honour bath all his Saints. When Andrew fhall come in with Achaia,by him converted to the truth, John with Asia, Thomas with India, Peter with the Jewes, and Paul with the Gentiles,and all the Minifters of the Gofpell, and others whom God hath made inftrumentall in this great fervice: when thefe fhall be able to fay, Behold Lord, here we are,and the children which thou hast given ,then will the Lord fay to them, well done good and faithfull fervants, enter into your masters joy. And thus I have dispatcht the first head propounded, in the second place I am to give in the character of him who of all others is likelieft to win foules, how fuch a one fhould be qualified, I shall reprefent unto you in these ensuing Characters. 1. He must abound in the grace of love, his heart must be enflamed with feraphicall love unto Jefus Chrift. It's a paffage frequently used in Ignatius Epiftles,i iews èuòs ésaupama, my love is crucified. It's an excellent faying in Paul, 2 Cor. 5. 14. HayάTH T Xpesÿ ouréxe npãs, the love of Christ constraines us. A faithfull Minifter acts altogether from a principle of love to Jefus Chrift. He prayeth, preacheth, giveth almes, falteth, watcheth, and hee's indefatigable in his labours, and what's the reason or ground of all, Becaule the love of Chrift constrains him. Then onely are we upon fure grounds, when the love of Chrift is that primum mobile that fets all the other orbes in their motion, and where there's a principle of love to Jefus Chrift,there will be fhed abroad mutuall love towards our brethren: fuch love was unparalleld in Mofes, who wish'd himfelfe blotted out of the bok of life, Exod. 32. 3. And in Paul, who wished himselfe an Anathema for the fewes, Rom.9.3. Here's foule love indeed beyond compare. O what an ardent affection and tender compaffion ought Minifters to have to the foules of their people! Love to their foules will make them runne through fire and water,grapple with bealts of Ephesus,sons of Anak, even Hercul.an labours, But where's love to the fleece onely, Mercenary hopes hopes of promotions, dignities, carnal interest, all such self-ends and finifter refpects, will be but as so many Ignes fatui, to lead men away into dangerous and deftructive ways: It's onely love to the foul that will fet thee a working to good purpofe. And further, he that is thus fet on fire with love to Chrift, and to his Brethrens fouls, must be a man of fuch wisdom, as to temper all his counsels in love: In all his Meditations and Exhortations, Love is one main Ingredient in the compofition: He abhors fin in any, and reproves it, but whileft he hates the fin, he loves the perfon; and whileft he endeavors to flay and utterly to deftroy the fin, he would gladly be inftrumental to save the foul of the finner: This is the rule which the Apoflle gives, Eph. 4. 15. Andedortes ir dzáwn, fome render it fpeaking, fome following, fome, doing the truth: But if the Englith word may be admitted, it's rendred most suitable to the Original, truthing of it in love. 2 Chro. 12.154 2. He must be a man of a willing minde: God expects his offer- Charact. 2. ing of the willing hearted, Exod. 35.5. And the people are com- A man of a wilmended for willingly offering themselves, Judg. 5.2. The question ling minde. was asked, 1 Chron. 29. 5. Who then is willing to confecrate his service to the Lord, and it's faid, v. 6. Then the chief of the Fathers, and the Princes of the tribes of Ifrael, &c. offered willingly: And Gods people are a willing people, people of willingn fe, Pfalm 110. 3. Every one fet apart for the Miniftry must have fuch a Spirit as Amafab the Son of Zichri had, who willingly offered himself unto the Lord: And this was as eminent in Paul, And I will very gladly spend 2 Chro.17. 16. and be spent for you: Neceffity and constraint may not put any upon a Ministerial Function, Quafi ultimum refugium, not an Adyowfon purchased by the Father, and intended for the Son; nor an impropriator, who intends his Son for his Substitute at a venture. ftrange Soloecifm (faith Mr. Bolton, that holy man of God) a LayRector and not Preach, nor a Collegiate Education, by Statute, enjoyning at such a standing to enter into Orders, whereas, alafs many venter thus upon this calling, who have neither heart nor hand to put forth to the work, but onely that they might keep their places I fay, none of those can be a fufficient warrant in poinc of confcience to take upon them fo high a Calling This Calling must be took upon choice and ferious deliberation: It must be wil lingly entred upon, and willingly performed: No thinking of pur A Charact. 3. A man of a meck spirit. Charact. 4. He must be a man of real and courage. ting thy hand to the Plough, and looking back, such are not fit for the Service of the Lord: This must be thy refolution, come good report, come evil report, honor, dif honor, profperity or adverfity, I will give my felf up to God (as Hannah gave Samuel) for a loan all the days of my life. 2 3. He must be a man of a meek spirit, fuch a fingular fpirit was. in Mofes, Numb. 12.3. And beyond all parallel in Chrift: He propounds himself the pattern of our imitation, Matth. 1.1.29. How muft the fervant of the Lord be qualified, 2 Timothy 2. 24, 25. And the fervant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves : And how muft an erring brother be dealt withal, you may cbferve. the rule Gal. 6. Ι. ὑμεῖς οι γευματικόν καταρλίζετε, στ. -4. He must be a man of zeal and courage in the cause of God: E-. very thing is beautiful in its feafon: There's a feafon for meeknefs, and a feafon for zeal. Mofes, who was meek in his own caufe, yet was highly tranfported with zeal in the caufe of God: Some are Boanergeffes, Sons of Thunder, and others are Barnabaffes, fons of confolation: It's obferved, that notwithstanding many failings, there's fome good spoken of all the Churches of Afia, onely Laos Rev. 3.16,19. dicea excepted, because they wanted zeal, they were luk-warm, nither cold nor hot, and therefore God will spew them out of his mouth: Wherefore God commands the Angel or Minifter of the Church, V. 19. Be zealous, and repent: He that will gain fouls, mut have his heart boyling in zeal to Gods glory. Paul, when he came to A thens, and obferving their Superftition, was not afraid of the Phi-. lofophers encounter; neither was he mealy-mouthed for all their Aas 17. 22. reproaches, but tells them plainly to their faces, Yemen of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too fuperftitions: Sin mult not be connived at, though in Athens,nay rather the more to be reproved be cause in fuch a place, eminent for Learning, more is given, and more is to be required; and be tha knoweth his masters will, ant deth it not, fhall be beaten with more ftripes. Who can refrain fpeaking in the cause of God, unless he be fpiritually tupified, and have a Melch. Ad. in dumb Devil within him? It was Luthers brave refolution, to go to visa Lutheri. Wormes, and preach the Gospel, though every stile was a Dovil to oppofe him: However zeal may be cenfured for phrenzy, its but the fame Livery that Feftes bestowed on Paul And thou mayeft urge Pauls . Apology, |