Majesty is so revealed-his Wisdom, Goodness, Power, and Glory--that every faculty of the soul, is held in awful, silent adoration!

Hence we consider silence, not only proper, as preparatory to worship, but congenial to the most sublime worship to which we can attain.

We are aware that individuals may sit down in silent meetings, without being benefited by it. They may suffer their minds to be occupied with improper objects, or they may sink down into a state of dulness and insensibility, totally incompatible with the important objects, for which they profess to assemble. But these are not the necessary consequences of silent waiting. Indeed they never are the consequences of it, but of an unprepared and lukewarm mind. The promise remains true to the present day, and will to all succeeding ages"they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Isa. 40. 31. The command is addressed to us, as forcibly as it was to the ancient Jews-"Be still, & know that I am God."—"Keep silence before me, Oh Islands! and let the people renew their strength."

"Without me," said our Lord, "ye can do nothing." Happy are they who know their own spirits brought into subjection, and an humble dependance on Him--not daring to "kindle a fire or compass themselves about with sparks," but humbly wait on God, for a qualification to worship him in Spirit and in Truth.

Though public and private devotion depend on the influences of the same Spirit, and have therefore been considered in connection, in the preceding part of this chapter, yet there is a distinction to be drawn; though the performance of the one cannot destroy the occasion for the other. On the contrary, they reciprocally promote each other. For

he that is properly engaged in secret, religious exercises from day to day, will thereby be better qualified for the performance of public worship: and on the other hand, the right performance of social worship, will greatly contribute to dispose the mind to hold on its way, in those secret desires after communion with God, to which the apostle alluded, when he admonished the believers, to "pray without ceasing."

The public assembling of christians, to wait upon & worship God, not only places them in a situation to be helpful to each other, by the communication of their feelings, under divine influence, in preaching and vocal prayer, and also by a secret communion of spirit, but it is a reasonable acknowledgment of the goodness of God, and our dependance upon him, for every thing we yet hope for, as well as of our gratitude for the blessings already conferred upon us. Well therefore did the apostle admonish the believers: "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is." Heb. 10. 24, 25. And again: "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Rom. 12. 1.

CHAPTER X.

Of the Ministry.

We believe, with the apostles, that "no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron," (Heb. 5. 4:) and that this call is not dependant on any human acquirements. We also believe the command of our blessed Lord, to his disciples, is of lasting obligation, "freely ye have received, freely give." Matt. 10. 8.

These are leading principles of our belief, concerning the ministry.

But in order to understand this subject, we must advert a little more particularly to the call & qualification of a gospel minister, and then bring into view the maintenance which is warranted on gospel principles.

The call of a minister, as already observed, must be of God. No man can enter into this dignified work, merely from his willing or running. He cannot preach the gospel unless he be sent. And if Christ send not, of course he is not a messenger or minister of Christ.

Hence no man can choose, for himself or his son, the work of the ministry, as he would a trade, by which to obtain emolument or reputation. The ministers of the gospel, to the present day, must be called by the same authority, and clothed with the same influence that the apostles had, though it may not be in the same degree. They, by virtue of their call and qualification, were messengers and embassadors of Jesus Christ. Who then can assume these

high titles, without having received a message to deliver, or a commission to fulfil from Christ? Without these, the very essentials are wanting.

And what is a minister of the gospel? Does not the very term itself assert the doctrine we have advanced? The gospel, is not a system of abstract truths or propositions-It "is the power of God to salvation." And he that receives a dispensation of it to preach to others, actually does minister it, to those whose hearts are prepared to receive it. Thus, according to another metaphor of the holy Scriptures, he becomes a vessel, through which this precious treasure passes, to the objects of Redeeming Love. But he that has not received such a dispensation of the gospel, to preach to others, cannot possibly be a minister of the gospel; because he has not the gospel to communicate. On the contrary, he "has neither part nor lot in the matter." He may be a minister of certain tenets or opinions. He may be a minister of the commandments and traditions of men, if he has indeed received these. But without the power of God, making him a minister of the Spirit and not of the letter, his preaching never can be of divine authority, nor in "the demonstration of the Spirit and Power."

It deserves to be noticed, that, in the records which have been left us of the first religious meetings of the primitive believers, it is particularly mentioned, when any of the apostles were engaged to speak in their religious assemblies, that they were "filled with the Holy Ghost." The manner in which it is expressed, is quite remarkable-"Then Peter," or James, or whoever it might be, "being filled with the Holy Ghost," stood up, &c., clearly implying, that without this immediate qualification, even the apostles did not enter on these important du

Our Lord, in giving instruction to his ministers, whom he sent out while he was on earth, gave them to understand, that they were to preach nothing but what they had heard from him. "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light, and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house tops." And even when brought before kings and governors, for the testimony, they bore, he charged them to take no thought how, or what they should speak for it should be given them in that same hour what they should speak; for it was not they that spoke, but the Spirit of their Father, that spoke in them. Matt. 10. 27, & v. 18-20. The instructions to the prophet, enjoined the same thing: "Thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me." Ezek. 33.7. And "other foundation" saith the apostle, "can no man lay, than that is laid," (1 Cor. 3. 11,) and on which the prophets and apostles were built. Eph. 2. 20. This living ministry, wholly from divine inspiration, was evidently introduced and established as the ministry of Jesus Christ; and we cannot suppose, that it ever was designed to be essentially or radically changed in its nature. We cannot, like the Galatians, in another case, (Gal. 3. 3,) suppose that gospel ministry was begun in the Spirit, and afterwards to be continued by the natural or acquired abilities of man. For the object is the same, through all ages: being to open the eyes of mankind, and "turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God," (Acts 26. 18,) and to edify the body of Christ. And no man, by his natural or acquired abilities, ever was or ever will be capable of this; as the apostle bore testimony: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God: who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament: not of the letter, but of the Spi