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 in struct them, for some ages: He arose on Israel, as the morn ing 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 be cause 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 Elis was zealous in bearing testimony against the corruption, aposta cies, 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 în his most beloved lust, though Herod sought his life for it, VOL. VIII. 2 W

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 Aha ziah, 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 salva tion 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 impar tiality 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 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 begin ning 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

father Zecharias observes, Luke i. 77,) and to preach these glad tidings that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

John being thus eminently a minister of the gospel, and a burning and shining light being taken notice of by Christ as his great excellency, we may justly hence observe, that herein consists the proper excellency of ministers of the gospel.

I would, by divine assistance, handle the subject in the following method.

I. I would shew that Christ's design, in the appointment of the order and office of ministers of the gospel is, that they may be lights to the souls of men.

II. I would shew what is implied in their being burning lights.

III. I would shew what is implied in their being shining lights.

IV. I would shew that it is the proper excellency of ministers of the gospel to have these things united in them, to be both burning and shining lights.

V. I would apply these things to all that Christ has called to the work of the gospel ministry, shewing how much it concerns them earnestly to endeavor that they may be burning and shining lights.

VI. Show what ministers of the gospel ought to do that they may be so.

VII. Say something briefly concerning the duty of a people that are under the care of a gospel minister, correspondent to those things that Christ has taught us concerning the end and excellency of a gospel minister.

I. I would observe that Christ's design in the appoint. ment of the order and office of ministers of the gospel was that they might be lights to the souls of men.

Satan's kingdom is a kingdom of darkness; the Devils are the rulers of the darkness of this world. But Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of light; the designs of his kingdom are carried on by light;, his people are not of the night, nor of darkness, but are the children of the light, as they are the children of God, who is the Father of lights, and as it were a boundless fountain of infinitely pure and bright light, 1 John i. 5. James i. 17.

Man by the fall extinguished that divine light that shone in this world in its first estate. The scripture represents the wickedness of man as reducing the world to that state wherein it was when it was yet without form and void, and darkness filled it. Jer. iv. 22, 23. "For my people is foolish, they have not known me: They are sottish children; and they have none understanding: They are wise to do evil; but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." But God in infinite mercy has made glorious provision for the restoration of light to this fallen dark world; he has sent him who is the brightness of his own glory, into the world, to be the light of the world. "He is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world," i. e. Every man in the world that ever has any true light. But in his wisdom and mercy, he is pleased to convey his light to men by means and instruments; and has sent forth his messengers, and appointed ministers in his church to be subordinate lights, and to shine with the communications of his light, and to reflect the beams of his glory on the souls of men.

There is an analogy between the divine constitution and disposition of things in the natural and in the spiritual world. The wise Creator has not left the natural world without light; but in this our solar system has set one great light, immensely exceeding all the rest, shining perpetually with a transcendent fulness and strength, to enlighten the whole; and he