rect Meridian Light it becomes none at all: 'Tis fo with our Opinion of our felves; while the good influences of God are at the greatest distance from us, 'tis then always that we conceive beft of our felves; but still as God Approaches, the Conceit leffens; till fuch time as we receive the fuller measures of his Graces, and then we become abfolutely voided, pure Nothing in our own Conceit, and God appears to be (as really he is) All

in all.

To whom, &c.

A

A

SERMON

Concerning the

Church Governour's PATTERN.

Preached at

LAMBETH.

January the 25. 1684.

2 ΤΙ Μ. Ι. 6.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou ftir up the Gift of God, which is in thee by the laying on of my hands.

TH

HEY are the words of St. Paul, the Apostle, for whose Doctrine and Example we this day peculiarly give

God

4

De Cur Gr&c.

God thanks; They are his words to
Timothy, whom, after he had planted
the Church of Ephefus, he did by the
Laying on of his Hands confecrate and
appoint Bishop of that Church: Of
which St. Paul, Theodoret tells
us, That he likewife planted this Affet. Serm 9.
Church of Ours: And if fo (Moft Re-
verend Fathers,) You bear a Relation
to the very Hands in the Text, from
which through a long and venerable
Succeffion you derive your Authority
However, you bear an equal Relation
to the Advice of the Text; and Favour
me therefore, I beseech you, while I
make some Reflections upon it, with an
Humility as great as is my Unworthiness
for such an Undertaking.

1.

The words do, r. Offer to our Con-
fideration the Solemnity of Laying on of
Hands, that Ancient Rite of Bleffing by
Prayer; and thence accommodated by
Divine Authority to the Defigning of
Men to any peculiar Charge in the Ser-
vice of God.
L 2. They

2. They offer to our Confideration the Charge or Office conferr'd by this Solemnity, and that is the Office Epifcopal; St. Paul Confecrating a Bilhop and Invefting Him with fuch Rights and Powers as we never find committed to a Simple Prieft.

3. The Perfon on whom hands were lay'd, Timothy, whose Character is given in the foregoing Verfe, That He was a Man of unfeigned Faith. Buc thefe are Heads I fhall not infift on; I fhall only take occafion from them to bless God for the great Happiness and Glory of our Church, in the Legitimate Miffion of Her Clergy; The Due Diftinction of Her Orders; and the Virtue and Worthiness of Her Governours : And in (that which, under Providence is the great occafion of all this) the Pious care of Her Sovereign Guardian the King; Whofe eyes are upon fuch as are Faithful, Who, as God made choice of Joshua to lead the Ifraelites into Canaan,

because

because he had dar'd, against the Wishes of the People, to give a True Report of that Good Land; So He (by whom Providence has defigned to make us Happy, if we will be Happy) chooseth such to lead us, as by their ardent Love and zealous Contention towards Heaven, have given a True Report of the Defirableness of that Good Land: A Truth which, were it not for fome few fuch Reports, the World lies always under a propenfion to diftruft.

I fhall pass over these several Heads, and infift only on the remaining matter of the words, and that is, the Gift conferr'd on Timothy at his Confecration: Stir up the Gift of God that is in thee by the laying on of my Hands.

The word here render'd, Gift, does, in its General fenfe, fignifie any thing that God does gracioufly beftow upon Men; But in this place it fignifies that which we more peculiarly call Grace, i, e. the Sanctifying Gift of God; and fo the FaLa

thers