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SERMON ΧΧΙΧ.*

The True Excellency of a Gospel Minister.

JOHN v. 35.

HE WAS A BURNING AND A SHINING LIGHT.

THAT discourse of our blessed Saviour we have

an account of in this chapter from the 17th verse to the end, was occasioned by the Jews' murmuring against him, and persecuting him for his healing the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, and bidding him take up his bed and walk on the Sabbath day. Christ largely vindicates himself in this discourse, by asserting his fellowship with God the Father in nature and operations, and thereby implicitly shewing himself to be Lord of the Sabbath, and by declaring to the Jews that God the Father, and he with him, did work hitherto, or even to this time; i. e. although it be said that God rested on the seventh day from all his works, yet indeed God continues to work hitherto, even to this very day, with respect to his greatest work, the work of redemption, or new creation, which he

* Preached at Pelham, August 30, 1744, at the ordination of the Rev. Mr. Robert Abercrombie to the work of the gospel ministry in that place.

carries on by Jesus Christ, his Son. Pursuant to the designs of which work was his shewing mercy to fallen men by healing their diseases, and delivering them from the calamities they brought on themselves by sin. This great work of redemption, God carries on from the beginning of the world to this time; and his rest from it will not come till the resurrection, which Christ speaks of in the 21st and following verses: The finishing of this redemption as to its procurement, being in his own resurrection; and as to the application, in the general resurrection and eternal judgment, spoken of from verse 20 to verse 30. So that notwithstanding both the rest on the seventh day, and also the rest that Joshua gave the children of Israel in Canaan; yet the great rest of the Redeemer from his work, and so of his people with him and in him, yet remains, as the apostle observes, Heb. chap.iv. This will be at the resurrection and general judgment; which Christ here teaches the Jews, was to be brought to pass by the Son of God, by the Father's appointment, and so the works of God to be finished by him.

And inasmuch as this vindication was so far from satisfying the Jews, that it did but further enrage them, because hereby he made himself equal with God, Christ therefore refers them to the witness of John the Baptist; whose testimony they must acquiesce in, or else be inconsistent with themselves; because they had generally acknowledged John to be a great prophet, and seemed for a while mightily affected and taken with it, that God, after so long a withholding the spirit of prophecy, had raised up so great a prophet among them....and it is concerning him that Christ speaks in this verse wherein is the text: "He was a burning and a shining light; and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light."

In order to a right understanding and improvement of the words of the text, we may observe,

1. What Christ here takes notice of in John, and declares concerning him, viz. That he was a burning and a shining

light. He was a light to the church of Israel, to reveal the mind and will of God to them, after a long continued dark season, and after they had been destitute of any prophet to instruct them, for some ages: He arose on Israel, as the morning star, the forerunner of the sun of righteousness, to introduce the day spring, or dawning of the gospel day, to give light to them that till then had sat in the darkness of perfect night, which was the shadow of death; to give them the knowledge of salvation; as Zecharias his father declares at his circumcision, Luke i. 76....79. "And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

And he was a burning light, as he was full of a spirit of fervent piety and holiness, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mother's womb, having his heart warmed and enflamed with a great love to Christ, being that friend of the bridegroom, that stood and heard him. and rejoiced greatly because of the bridegroom's voice; and was glad that Christ increased, though he decreased, John iii. 29, 30. And was animated with a holy zeal in the work of the ministry: He came in this respect, in the spirit and power of Elias; as Elius was zealous in bearing testimony against the corruption, apostacies, and idolatries of Israel in his day, so was John the Baptist in testifying against the wickedness of the Jews in his day: As Elias zealously reproved the sins of all sorts of persons in Israel, not only the sins of the common people, but of their great ones, Ahab, Ahaziah and Jezebel, and their false prophets; with what zeal did John the Baptist reprove all sorts of persons, not only the Publicans and Soldiers, but the Pharisees and Sadducees, telling them plainly that they were a generation of vipers, and rebuked the wickedness of Herod in his most beloved lust, though Herod sought his life for it, VOL. VIII.

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as Ahab and Ahaziah did Elijah's. As Elias was much in warning the people of God's approaching judgments, de nouncing God's awful wrath against Ahab, Jezebel and Ahaziah, and the Prophets of Baal, and the people in general: So was John the Baptist, much in warning the people to fly from the wrath to come, telling them in the most awakening manner, that the "axe was laid at the root of the tree, and that every tree that brought not forth good fruit should be hewn down and cast into the fire, and that he that came after him had his fan in his hand, and that he would thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

John the Baptist was not only a burning, but a shining light: He was so in his doctrine, having more of the gospel in his preaching than the former Prophets, or at least the gospel exhibited with greater light and clearness, more plainly pointing forth the person that was to be the great redeemer, and declaring his errand into the world, to take away the sin of the world, as a Lamb offered in sacrifice to God, and the necessity that all, even the most strictly moral and religious stood in of him, being by nature a generation of vipers; and the spiritual nature of his kingdom, consisting not in circumcision, or outward baptism, or any other external performance or privileges, but in the powerful influences of the Holy Ghost in their hearts, a being baptized with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.

In this clearness with which he gave knowledge of salvation to God's people, John was a bright light, and among them that had been born of women there had not arisen a greater than he. In this brightness this harbinger of the gospel day excelled all the other Prophets, as the morning star reflects more of the light of the sun than any other star, and is the brightest of all the stars.

He also shone bright in his conversation, and his eminent mortification and renunciation of the enjoyments of the world; his great diligence and laboriousness in his work, his impartiality in it, declaring the mind and will of God to all sorts

without distinction; his great humility, rejoicing in the increase of the honor of Christ, though his honor was diminished, as the brightness of the morning star diminishes, as the light of the sun increases; and in his faithfulness and courage, still declaring the mind and will of God, though it cost him his own life.

Thus his light shone before men.

2. We may observe to what purpose Christ declares these things of John in the text, viz. to shew how great and excellent a person he was, and worthy that the Jews should regard his testimony: Great are the things which Christ elsewhere says of John the Baptist, as in Matth. xi. 7.... 14. He speaks of him as a Prophet; and more than a Prophet; and one, than whom, there had not risen a greater among them that had been born of women. He observes how great and excellent a light he was in the text, to shew the Jews how inexcusable they were in not receiving the testimony he had given of him; as you may see, v. 31, 32, 33.

Therefore that which I would observe from the text to be the subject of my present discourse is this:

It is the excellency of a minister of the gospel to be both a burning and a shining light..

Thus we see it is in Christ's esteem, the great prophet of God, and light of the world, head of the church, and Lord of the harvest, and the great Lord and master whose messengers all ministers of the gospel are.

John the Baptist was a minister of the gospel; and he was so more eminently than the ancient prophets; for though God at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake the gospel by them; yet John the Baptist was a great minister of the gospel in a manner distinguished from them: He is reckoned in scripture the first that introduced the gospel day, after the law and the Prophets, Luke vi. 16. "The law and the Prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached." And his preaching is called the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Mark i. 1. He came on that errand, to give knowledge of salvation to God's people, through the remission of their sins; (as his