the sufferings, death, and blood-shed of Christ: they ought to have knowledge of Christ, of his person and offices, and especially of him as crucified, and as being the propitiatory sacrifice for sin: they ought to have knowledge of God as their covenant God, whose covenant, testament, and will, is ratified and confirmed by the blood of Christ and they ought to be acquainted with the various doctrines of the gospel, which this ordinance has a connexion with; as justification, pardon of sin, reconciliation, atonement, &c.

IV. Persons scandalous in their lives and conversation, are by no means to be allowed subjects of this ordinance; with such we ought not to eat, described 1 Cor. v. 11; that is, at the Lord's table.

v. None but penitent sinners, and true believers, and those baptized, upon a profession of their repentance and faith, are to be allowed communicants at this ordinance; for such only can look to Christ whom they have pierced, and mourn, and exercise godly sorrow and evangelical repentance; such only can eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ in a spiritual sense by faith; to such only Christ's flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed; such only can by faith discern the Lord's body, and please him in this ordinance; for without faith it is impossible to please God; wherefore a man, before he eats, should examine himself, whether he has true repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; whether he is truly sensible of sin, and humbled for it, and believes in Christ for the remission of it, 1 Cor. xi. 28, 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

V. The ends of this ordinance; which are to be answered by it. 1. To show forth the death of Christ; to declare his death, that he did die for the sins of his people; to set forth the manner of his death, by crucifixion, by his being pierced, wounded, bruised, and broken; and to express the blessings and benefits of his death, and the faith of his people in them, and thankfulness for them; for in this ordinance Christ is evidently set forth as crucified and slain.2. To commemorate the sacrifice of Christ; Christ was once offered, and needs not to be offered up again; he has by one offering made perfect atonement for sin; but because Christ the pass-over is sacrificed for us, we should keep this feast as a memorial of his sacrifice, and through it look to Christ the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of men. -3. To remember the love of Christ in dying for us, and in becoming a sacrifice for sin; hence he directed his disciples both to eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of him, of his body being broken and of his blood being shed for them; that is, to remember his love to them, which he expressed thereby, 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25.-4. To show our love to Christ, and thankfulness to him, for the blessings of his grace, by an attendance on this ordinance; we should call upon our souls, and all within us, to bless his name, and not forget his benefits, especially the great benefit of the redemption of our lives from destruction, by his blood, sufferings, and death.5. Another end of it is to maintain love and unity with each other; for by joining together in holy fellowship in this ordinance, we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But by no means is this

ordinance to be used to qualify persons to bear any office under any government, and in any city or corporation. This is a vile and scandalous prostitution of it, which is only intended for sacred uses.

VI. The adjuncts of this ordinance, the circumstances attending it, and the concomitants and consequences of it.

h

1. The time of administering it is to be considered; not the time of day, morning, noon, or evening, which latter was the time of the first celebration of it, and is most suitable to a supper; but what day of the week or year, which in ancient times was variously observed; some were for keeping it every day in the week, and considered it as daily food; others were for observing it four times in the week; and others every Lord's day, which Dr. Goodwin thinks is the stated fixed time for it in Scripture; and so others. The disciples at Troas met together on the first day to break bread; but whether they did so for that purpose every first day, is not clear and certain. Some kept it once a month, as many churches do now; at length it came to be observed only three times in the year, at the three grand festivals ; and even to once a year. But though the precise time seems not to be ascertained in Scripture, yet it is plain that it ought to be often practised, as may be concluded from the apostle's words, As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, &c. And from the nature of the ordinance, it being in memory of Christ, which ought to be frequent; and a spiritual repast for souls, which ought to be often repeated.2. The gesture of the body to be used at it, whether kneeling, standing, or sitting; the former of these looks too much like the adoration of the host the papists plead for; standing is more eligible, being the gesture of servants, ready to do the will of their masters; but sitting is to be preferred, being a table-gesture, and conformable to the practice of Christ and his disciples, at the first institution of the ordinance.-3. The place where celebrated; not in private houses, unless when the churches were obliged to meet there in time of persecution; but in the public place of worship, where and when the church convened; so the disciples at Troas came together to break break bread; and the church at Corinth came together in one place to eat the Lord's supper, Acts xx. 7, 1 Cor. xi. 18, 20, 33; for this being a church-ordinance, is not to be administered privately to single persons; but to the church in a body, assembled for that purpose. 4. When the supper was ended, a hymn was sung by Christ and his apostles, Matt. xxiv. 30, which fulfilled what was prophetically spoken of Christ, and by him, Psalm xxii. 22; and to this Pliny may be thought to have respect when he says, that Christians at their meetings sang a hymn together to Christ, as to a God; and by a sacrament, bound themselves not to commit such and such sins.-5. A collection was made for the poor, and distributed to them, which, perhaps, the apostle may have some respect unto, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2; and so Justin says, "When prayer and thanksgiving were finished, the richer sort, and as many as would, freely contributed what they thought fit; and what was collected was deposited with the president, out of which were h Government of Churches, b. 7, ch. 5, p. 328, &c. 1 Epist. 1. 10, ep. 97.

k Ut supra.

relieved the fatherless and widows, the sick, and those in bonds, and strangers; and a very fit season this to make a collection for the poor, when the hearts of believers are regaled with the love of Christ, and enlarged by it.-6. The continuance of this ordinance is to the second coming of Christ, 1 Cor. xi. 26; and so, as it shows forth the end of his first coming to die for his people, it assures them of his second coming; and it is not to be made a question of, that this ordinance, and all other public ordinances of the present dispensation, and the ministers of them, will continue to the end of the world, to the second coming of Christ, and then all will cease.

OF THE PUBLIC MINISTRY.

NEXT to the ordinance of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, is the Public Ministration of the Word, which is an ordinance of Christ under the gospel dispensation, to be continued in the church unto the end of the world: Christ, as the ascended Lord and King, having received gifts for men, gives them to men, qualifying them for the work of the ministry; which work is to be exercised by them until all the elect of God are gathered in, the members of Christ's body, the church, completed, and the number of the saints perfected, and all brought to a state of maturity in grace, and to everlasting glory and happiness; all which and more may be observed in Eph. iv. 11-13.

I. The public ministry of the word is an ordinance of Christ in the New Testament, and to be continued till his second coming; it is not, indeed, confined to the New Testament, nor peculiar to it, though most eminent in it.

1. There was something similar to it from the beginning, during the Old Testament dispensation.

the

1. In the patriarchal state; the gospel was first preached by the Son of God to Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden; the great salvation first began to be spoken by him, who revealed himself as the Seed of the woman, that should bruise the head of the serpent, Gen. iii. 15, which was the grand text the patriarchs preached from; truths and doctrines contained in which, as handed down to them, they opened and explained to their posterity, according to the revelation of the mind and will of God made to them. In the times of Enos, the grandson of Adam, social worship was set up, and men began to perform the public exercises of religion, Gen. iv. 26. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied or preached of the second coming of Christ to judge the world; and no doubt, as he prophesied or preached of that, so of the first coming of Christ, to save men. Noah was the eighth preacher of righteousness; for so the words in 2 Pet. ii. 5 may be rendered; though they will admit of another sense, "Even a preacher of the righteousness of faith," of which he was an heir, Heb. xi. 7; and Christ, by his Spirit in him, preached to a disobedient multitude with much long-suffering and patience, 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. 1 Vide Poli Synopsin in loc. et alios criticos, Zegerum, Drusium, &c.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was one; who the other six preachers were, is not said. The first Adam, no doubt, was one, whom God made for this end, that he might be a witness, a preacher, and a praiser of his virtues and works, and, as the common master of mankind, might admonish and instruct his children and grandchildren what they might hope for, or fear, in this life and after it. And righteous Abel was another, who not only preached while alive, but being dead, yet speaketh: and perhaps it may not be very difficult to find out the other four. The distinction of the sons of God, professors of religion, and the sons of men, profane persons, obtained in the times of Noah, and before, Gen. vi. 2. Maimonides m observes, that their wise men say of the prophets that went before them, of the house of the judgment of Eber, and the school of Methuselah, that they were all prophets, and taught men as preachers, doctors, and preceptors do. As Abraham had the gospel preached to him, so he preached it to others, as he had opportunity; the three hundred and eighteen servants born in his house, were trained up, or instructed" by him in religious things, as the word used signifies, Gen. xiv. 14; and a testimony of this is borne of him by the Lord himself, Gen. xviii. 19. In the times of Job, who seems to have lived before the giving of the law, the sons of God, professors of religion, met together on a certain stated day, to present themselves, soul and body, to the Lord, in the performance of religious duties, which was but their reasonable service; and though then they had no written word to read or explain, yet they had a revelation of the mind and will of God to them, by one means or another; as in visions, by dreams, &c., which they kept not from, but made known to one another, Job vi. 10.

2. Under the Mosaic dispensation there was a tabernacle pitched, called, the tabernacle of the congregation; and by Onkelos, the tabernacle of the house of doctrine; where the people resorted and sought doctrine. Priests and Levites were appointed, among other things, to instruct the people of Israel; they were interpreters and expounders of the law of Moses to them; the tribe of Levi in general, Deut. xxxiii. 10; and the priests, the sons of Aaron particularly, Lev. x. 11; hence we read of a teaching priest, and that the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and publish it, 2 Chron. xv. 3, Mal. ii. 7. And the Levites also, who were dispersed among the tribes, were employed in this way; in the times of Jehoshaphat they taught the people the law of the Lord throughout all the cities of Judah; and in the times of Josiah they are described as those who taught all Israel what was holy to the Lord, and in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah they read the book of the law, in the hearing of all the people; and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading, Neh. viii. 8.

3. Under the first and second temples were prophets, who also were interpreters and expounders of the law, and instructors of the people; some of which were trained up for that purpose; hence we read of companies, colleges, or schools of the prophets, and of the sons or disciples of the prophets, at Naioth, Bethel, and Jericho some were Moreh Nevochim, par. 2, c. 39.

, Catechumenos suos, Drusius.

more immediately raised up and inspired by God. And these prophets had certain places and stated times, weekly and monthly, where and when the people resorted to them, for counsel, direction, and instruction; as appears from 2 Kings iv. 23; the note of Gersom on the place is, "It seems, that in those days, they used to come before great men, to hear their words; and they taught them in the way in which they should walk, and the work they should do;" see 2 Kings iv. 38, and vi. 32. The prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others, were delivered as the word of the Lord, and published separately and singly, as sermons and discourses to the people; and particularly it is observed of Ezekiel, that the people came in a body and sat before him, and heard him, and seemingly with great attention, and with much pleasure and delight; but it is complained of them, that they only heard his words, but did them not.

4. Some time after the Babylonish captivity, synagogues were erected, and synagogue-worship set up; one part of which lay in public reading and preaching the law in them every Sabbath day: and this was a practice which had obtained of old time, long before the times of Christ and his apostles; as appears from Acts xv. 21. In these synagogues our Lord himself taught, and it was a custom with him so to do, and which he was allowed; and we read of his going into the synagogue at Nazareth on a Sabbath day, where he stood up to read, and had the book of the prophet Isaiah delivered to him, which he opened, and out of it read his text, and then explained and applied it, Luke iv. 15-21. And so the apostles of Christ preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and which they were not only allowed, but were called upon by the rulers of the synagogue at a certain place, to give a word of exhortation to the people, if they had any; by which it appears, that it was not only usual to read the law, but to preach or deliver out a discourse to the people; and accordingly, we have an account of a sermon the apostle Paul preached in the synagogue, at their invitation, Acts xiii. 5, 15, 16, &c.; and this custom of the synagogue is confirmed by Philo the Jew, who says, that when 'they came to the holy places, called synagogues, according to their age in order, the young men sat under the elders (at their feet), and with a decent composure attended to hearing; when one taking the book, read; and another, one of the most skilful, explained what was not known," or was obscure.

II. The public ministry of the word more clearly and generally obtained under the New Testament, or gospel dispensation, according to the prophecy of it. The first public preacher of this kind, and under this dispensation, was John the Baptist; The law and the prophets were until John, Luke xvi. 16; he came first preaching in the wilderness of Judea, in a very loud and clamorous way; he was the voice of one crying, Bowvros, of one bellowing like an ox, as the word signifies. The doctrine he preached was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; which, though rejected by the scribes and Pharisees, was received by publicans and harlots; and this was called, his course, the

• Quod omnis probus, p. 877.