That our Lord will fend to them the fame Spirit which he fent to the Apoftles, to affift them in all Difficulties, and comfort them in all Dangers.-That as they carry on the fame Work, and must expect more or less to meet with the fame Oppofition and Ill-treatment from the unbelieving World, as the Apostles did; the fame Governor will protect, the same Spirit fupport them; or, in the Words of our Lord himself, that because he lives, therefore they fhall live alfo (John xiv. 19.)-Because he ftill prefides over and governs his Church, therefore he will impart to every one that is duly fent, and minifters faithfully in it, all that Strength, Fortitude, and Joy, which are neceffary and convenient for him.-And this he ftill more plainly declares in the Metaphor he used on the fame Occafion, of the Vine and the Branches.-If their Relation to him, as the Branches to the Body of the Tree, implies their abfolute Dependance upon him, in as much as the Branch cannot bear Fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; fo, on the other hand, his Relation to them, as the Body to the Branches, muft equally imply his conveying to them all that spiritual Nourishment, Strength, and Vigour, without which they must be unfruitful. For this Allufion is as strictly true of their Succeffors, as of the Apostles themfelves, and therefore they alfo may expect the Benefits implied in it; and their Hearts may reasonably rejoice in this their Expectation, be3

cause

caufe this their foy no Man can take from them. Again; as this Promife fignifies the Derivation of all Spiritual Graces from Chrift, as Head of his Church, fo may it likewife imply his vouchfafing his Minifters the Protection of bis Providence as the Governor of the World. -I mean, that he will grant them fuch a Share of earthly good things, and fo far influence the Powers of the World to favour and encourage them, as he knows will best enable them to answer the Ends of their Inftitution.

His being with them to comfort them, may well be understood to import Bleffings of every Kind that fhall be needful and convenient for them. Whether Profperity or Adverfity, Peace or Perfecution fhall be the Portion of any particular Age or Part of his Church, must be left to his infinite Wisdom to determine. But whenever the State of Things will admit of it, whenever the Purposes of his allwife Government and Providence may be anfwered by it, of which he alone is the proper Judge, it may then, I prefume, be expected that this Peace and Profperity will be granted to it. It may be expected from this general Promife, that he who governs the Powers of the World, and directs all Occurrences in it according to his good Will and Pleasure, will have a particular Regard and View to those who act by his Authority and Commiffion; will not leave them comfortless in any Senfe, but will grant them continual Marks of his

Favour and Protection.-And the great Comfort of this Expectation is, that the Lord himfelf is the Judge and Difpenfer of these things; that to him who left this Peace to his Apo.ftles is all Power given in Heaven and in Earth; and that he will not, cannot fuffer his Truth or Faithfulness to fail.

The third thing implied in this Promise is, that our Lord will fo be with thofe he has fent, as to bestow peculiar Bleffings on their Miniftrations. This is neceffary to answer the Purposes of their Miffion, and must be therefore one Part of the Encouragement given to it.-Their Business being to build Men up in the Knowledge and Practice of the Gospel, and the Ordinances here commanded to be continued, being appointed as the Means to affift them in this Practice; either the End propofed must fail, or the Means must be made equal and correfpondent to it. And fince this cannot be effected without a peculiar Bleffing attending them; fince no Man can come to Chrift, except his Father draws bim, neither can any Man become a new Creature without his Strength and Affistance; they therefore who devoutly attend the Offices of those whom he has fent, may juftly conclude from this very Promife, that his Grace and peculiar Bleffing will attend them in those Offices. They may from thence expect, that the Word spoken by them, if duly attended to, will bring forth Fruit in their Lives

and

and Conversations; and they may justly expect, that the Sacraments administered by them, if duly received, will effectually convey to them the Forgiveness of their Sins, build them up in an Union and Communion with the mystical Body of Chrift here, and entitle them to a Participation of his eternal Glory hereafter.

Thus it may appear, that the Commiffion, here granted to the Apostles, implies a Power and Authority in them and their Succeffors, as long as the World fhall laft, to preach the Doctrines and adminifter the Sacraments of the Gofpel; and the Promife imports a Supply of Spiritual and Temporal Comforts to themselves, and of the peculiar Bleffing and Grace of his Holy Spirit to those that hear them. -And fince the Promife and the Commiffion are given only to thofe whom Chrift has fent, we, I truft, have our Share in them.

In Proof of this, we have in some Sense the Authority of the Apostles themselves, and the Teftimony of all the authentick Records of the Chriftian Church from their Age to the prefent. -If the Apoftles understood the Meaning of this their Commiffion, and we may judge by their Practice what they underftood by it, it was, that they should convey thefe Powers to fucceeding Ages by a regular Series and Succeffion of Epifcopal Ordinations. -Such they appointed; fuch were practifed by those who lived with them, and immedi

ately

ately fucceeded them; and fuch have been continued through all Ages of the Church to this very Day.-Whatever Difficulties or Objections may be started or imagined concerning Interruptions in this Succeffion, it muft be allowed by every impartial Enquirer into Ecclefiaftical Antiquity, that this has all along been the fettled and regular Method of fending Labourers into the Vineyard of Chrift.There was no other pretended to be regular for above 1500 Years; and if such an imaginary Interruption could be proved, which none that I know of has yet been bold enough to attempt; yet fince it must be allowed, that even then we come nearest to the Method appointed by the Apoftles, we may confidently conclude, as our Church directs us, that we are called to our Order and Miniftry according to the Will of our Lord Jefus Chrift. [Ordin. Office.]

And fince then to us is this Commission and Promife fent, what can follow but that we be diligent and faithful in the Execution of the one, and bold and refolved in Dependance on the other?-We have great Encouragement to this Dependance from the providential Bleffings before mentioned; our Lord has often been with this Part of his Church, and delivered her out of her Diftreffes in a very wonderful Manner; and almost every Day produces fresh Instances which should increase our Gratitude for the Bleffings we enjoy, and

may