that man, and have no company with him. Brand him as infamous; beware of him; let him see a strangeness in you towards him; that all may avoid him as one whose company is dangerous and infectious. Ah Christians, by your submission to their doctrine, you highly honour them, and you make their heavy task to be easy and sweet unto them.

Christians, it will be your honour and happiness in the day of Christ, that you have lived out what they have made out to you. I suppose you remember that happiness is not entailed to hearing, or knowing, or talking, but to doing, If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. There are some diseases that are called the reproaches of physicians; and there are some people that may be truly called the reproaches of ministers; and those are they who are great hearers, and talkers, and admirers of ministers, but never obey the doctrines delivered by them. The Corinthians were Paul's honour; they were his living epistles; they were his walking certificates; they were his letters testimonial, 2 Cor. iii. 2, 3. The obedience and fruitfulness of the people, is the minister's testimonial, as the profiting of the scholar is the master's commendation. O what an honour is it to a minister, when it shall be said of him, as one said once of Octavius,' When he came into Rome he found the walls all of base materials, but he left them walls of marble.' So, 'Here is a minister who found the people dark and blind, but left them enlightened; he found them dead, but he left them alive; he found them a proud people, but has left them humble; a profane people, but has left them holy; a carnal people, but has left them spiritual; a worldly people, but has left them heavenly; a wavering people, but has left them settled and rooted.' No honour to a faithful minister, like this. And thus you see what honour is due unto them.

And now let me make a word of use, Christians. If their office be so honourable, then honour them. O give them the honour that is due unto them. Will you make conscience to give others their due? and will you make no conscience of giving ministers. their due? Are there any that are greater blessings to a nation, than faithful ministers? Who have stood more in the gap to turn away

wrath, than they? Who have begotten you to Christ through the gospel, but they? Who have turned you from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, but they? Who have built you up in the light and love of Jesus, but they? O do not cast scorn and reproach upon them, but give them that honour that is due unto them?

III. But you will say to me, 'How shall we honour them?' I answer, you must honour them these five ways,

1. You must honour them; by hearing them, and giving credit to their message. The want of this honour troubled Jonah too much. Who hath believed our report? Not to believe the report that they make concerning God and Christ, is to cast the greatest dishonour that can be upon them. The wise men went many a weary hundred miles to find Christ at Jerusalem, some think nearly a thousand miles. The queen of Sheba, some say, went 964 miles, to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and what was Solomon's wisdom to that wisdom of Christ that is held forth to souls in the ministry of the gospel? The holy martyrs thought no weather too hot, no winter too cold, no journey too long, no torment too great, to enjoy the preaching of the gospel, though darkly. The heathen priests began with Hoc age;' they thought it a very irreligious thing to be remiss and vain, though in a vain religion. O that vain professors would remember this, and blush!

2. You may honour them by standing fast in the doctrine of the Lord delivered by them. Ye are our joy, our crown, if ye stand fast in the Lord, 1 Thess. iii. 8. Else,' says the apostle, ' ye kill our very hearts. If after all our studying, wrestling, sweating, and preaching, ye shall play apostates, and leave the precious ways of God, and run after notions and vain opinions which cannot profit you nor better you, you will kill many at once, your own souls. and our hearts.'

3. You should honour them by being followers of them, so far as they are followers of Christ. Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ, 1 Cor. iv. 16; 2 Thess. iii. 17; Phil. iii. 7. All these scriptures bespeak you to be followers of them, as they are followers of Christ.

Alexander had somewhat a wry neck, and his soldiers thought it an honour to be like him. O it is an honour to ministers, when their people are like them in knowledge, wisdom, love, humility, holiness!.

Plutarch said of Demosthenes, that he was excellent at praising the worthy acts of his ancestors, but not so at imitating them. Ah, many in these days are excellent at praising and commending the holy and gracious actings of their ministers, but not so at imitating them..

4. You must honour them by bearing them upon your hearts, when you appear before the Lord in the mount, Ephes. vi. 18, 19; 2 Thess. iii. 1, 2; 1 Thess. v. 25; Col. i. 4; Heb. xiii. 18; Acts xii. 5. All these scriptures do bespeak Christians to bear their faithful ministers upon their hearts when they are wrestling with God. None usually are opposed as they; their wants are many, their weaknesses are more, their work is great, their strength is small. O pray, pray more and more for them, yea, pray believingly, pray affectionately, pray fervently, pray unweariedly, that they may speak from the heart to the heart, that they may speak things that are seasonable and suitable to the capacities and conditions of his people. They can tell when they want your prayers, and when they enjoy your prayers. Did you pray more for them, they might do more for your internal and eternal good, than now they do.

5. You must honour them by adhering to them, and abiding with them in all their trials, afflictions, and tribulations, that do or shall attend them. It is brave to own them in a storm; to own them when others disown them, when others oppose them, and act highly against them. Paul looked upon himself as much honoured by Onesiphorus's owning of him in his chains. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well, 2 Tim. i. 16. Chrysostome in an oration, says of Christians, that they would not be kept from visiting the confessors in prison,

although it was forbidden with many threatening terrors, and was great danger to them.

But to draw to a close: You have heard that the office of a faithful minister is honourable, and you have heard what honour is due unto them, Let me therefore desire you all to take heed of scorning, contemning, and despising those that are faithful, that are qualified according to gospel rules.

That is a sad word in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15-18. God sent his messengers early and late to reclaim them, but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy, no healing. David never played such a harsh part all his days, as he did to the Ammonites that despitefully used his ambassadors, as you may see at large in 2 Sam. x. The Romans sacked the famous city of Corinth, and razed it to the ground, for a little discourtesy they offered to their ambassadors. And they slew many of the Illyrians, and the Tarentines, for misusing of their ambassadors. And do you think that the Lord is not as tender of the credit and honour of his faithful ministers, and that he will not avenge the affronts, wrongs, and injuries that are done unto them? Surely he will. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold I will send unto them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence. And I will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach among all nations, whither I have driven them. But why will God do this? Because they have not hearkened to my word, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord, Jer. xxix, 17—19. Now mark, though these temporal judgments are not visible among us, yet spiritual judgments, which are the worst of judgments, are very visible. Though there is no sword, no famine, no pestilence, yet there is spiritual madness, spiritual drunkenness, spiritual giddiness. O

the blind minds, the corrupt judgments, the hard hearts, the seared consciences, that are to be found among the professors of this age! As there are no mercies equal to spiritual mercies, so there are no judgments equal to spiritual judgments. O the slightness, the coldness, the deadness, the barrenness that are abroad in the world! God suits his judgments to men's sins; the greatest sins are always attended with the greatest judgments. In these days men sin against more glorious means, more great love, more clear light, more tender bowels of mercy, than formerly; and therefore God gives men up to more sad and dreadful spiritual judgments, than formerly.

They say when Hercules drew up Cerberus from hell, he led him in a chain, and he went quietly till he came to the horizon and saw the peeping of the light, but then he pulled so strongly, that he had like to have pulled the conqueror and all back again. Ah, it is sad when men had rather live in darkness, and die in darkness, and go to hell in darkness, than see the light, enjoy the light, and walk in the light. Many fret at the light, and at those that bring it, as the Ethiopians once a year solemnly curse the sun. Such souls stand in much need of pity, and prayer.

And thus, according to my weak measure, I have given out what God has given in from this scripture, and shall follow it with my prayers, that it may be a word of life and power, both to writer, reader, and hearer. Amen.