Ghoft witnessed in every city, that bonds and afflictions abode him, or waited for him. This he knew, not only from the common lot of Christ's ministers, and his own experience, but from the holy Ghost in the prophets, which were in every city where there was a church; who were all in this tone, having a spirit of prophecy in them, that he was going to endure great fufferings for the fake of Chrift and the gofpel; or the holy Ghoft in himself teftified beforehand to him of his fufferings, affuring him that in every city he came unto, and particularly in Jerufalem, perfecution and affliction would attend him; and which, by the way, is no inconfiderable proof of the Deity of the bleffed Spirit. But none of these things moved him from his intended journey to Jerufalem, which he was refolved upon; nor from preaching the gospel as he went along; nor did they disturb and distress his mind; neither did he count his life dear unto himself, than which nothing is dearer to men: Skin for fkin, yea all that a man bath, will be give for his life. Yet this he made no account of; he did not value or regard it; he was willing to lay it down, fo that he might but testify the gospel of the grace of God; or bear a testimony to it, which he was willing to do both by life and by death; even to that gofpel, which is a declaration of the love, grace, and mercy of God, which afferts falvation to be all of grace, and is the means of conveying and implanting the grace of God in the hearts of men; and in fo doing fulfil the miniftry he had received of the Lord Jefus; and which he had, as alfo gifts for it, as well as a commiffion to enter upon it, and execute it; and by all which he would finif his course, the race of his life, and course of his ministry, with joy, as he did; for a little before his death he could fay, I have fought a good fight; I have finished my courfe; I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, fhall give me at that day. Now who could forbear fhedding tears at parting with such a brave and courageous minifter of the gofpel; fo undaunted at fufferings, fo willing to lay down his life for the fake of the gospel, and the dear intereft of the Redeemer ?

4. The next thing obfervable in this moving speech, is the apostle's folemn appeal to those to whom he addreffed himself for his faithfulness in the ministration of the gospel to them, ver. 25-27. which is introduced after this manner; he tells them, that he knew, and was affured, and which therefore was not a mere conjecture of his, but he had it by revelation, that none of them all, meaning not only thofe before him, but all the chriftians in Afia, among whom he had gone preaching the kingdom of God; the kingdom of the Messiah, the kingdom of grace and glory, more especially the latter, and the things appertaining to it; as what is a man's meetness for it, regeneration by the Spirit of God; and what is his right unto it, the justifying righteousness of Chrift; and what

what the glories of it, which are in fome measure brought to light by the gofpel; all such persons to whom he had preached these things in Afia, he affirms, fhould fee his face no more; which was the cutting, wounding ftroke, which touched them to the quick, pierced to the very heart, and set them a weeping and forrowing as they did. And this is the word referred to in our text: upon which he calls them to bear witness that day, that he was pure from the blood of all men; he had acted the part of a faithful watchman, in giving warning from the mouth of the Lord; he had laid before men their state and danger; he had truly reprefented their condition to them; he had told them, that without repentance towards God, and faith in Chrift, they would die in their fins; he had pointed out the only way of life and falvation by Chrift unto them, fo that they would not perish for want of knowledge and the means of it; nor was he any ways acceffary to their ruin; their deftruction was of themselves; their blood was upon their own heads; he had nothing to answer for, he had faithfully discharged his duty to them: for, fays he, I have not shunned to declare to you all the counfel of God; not the fecret purposes and decrees of God, thofe counfels of old which are faithfulness and truth, which are only known by prophecy, or by the difpenfations of providence; but the gospel-revelation, and the whole scheme of it, which is the produce of divine wisdom; this he fully made known to all to whom he miniftered, fo that they, as well as Timothy, knew fully his doctrine as well as manner of life: he made ufe of no artful methods to conceal his principles, no ambiguous phrases, or words of double, or doubtful meaning; he renounced all fuch bidden things of dishonesty, and by manifeftation of the truth, commended himself to every man's confcience in the fight of God: and now is it at all marvellous, that the perfons to whom the apoftle faid these things, fhould have their hearts filled with forrow, or that there fhould not be a dry eye among them, when a minifter, so honeft and ingenuous, so faithful and open-hearted, was taking his leave of them; and especially when they are told, that they should fee his face no more?

5. Next follows the preffing exhortation of the apostle, ver. 28-31. to the elders of the church at Ephesus, to take heed to themselves; to their doctrine, that it be agreeable to the word of God; and to their converfation, that it was becoming the gospel of Chrift: and to all the flock; the whole church of God, and every member of it, and watch over them, and preserve them from the error of the wicked: over the which the holy Ghost had made them overseers; by bestowing gifts upon them, qualifying of them for fuch an office, and inclining their hearts to take the overfight of them chearfully; and which is an argument why they should be careful of them, to feed the church of God; with wholeVOL. I. 3 Q fom

fom food, with the fubftantial truths of the gofpel, which hold forth Chrift and his grace, as the bread of life, and water of life; and the rather they fhould. look upon themselves under obligation fo to do, fince Chrift, who is God over all, bleffed for ever, has purchased this flock or church, not with corruptible things, as filver and gold, but with his own blood; which is exceeding precious, and of great value and efficacy. And the reafon why the apoftle was fo importunate, and fo preffing in this matter, was, because he knew by divine revelation, that after his departing from hence, or by death, grievous wolves, falfe teachers, wolves in sheeps cloathing, fierce, ravenous, and greedy ones, would enter in among them privily; not sparing the flock; but fleecing and worrying it: yea, not only fuch fhould enter from without, but even of themselves, out of their own community, there fhould rife up men fpeaking perverse things; contrary to the scriptures, to the gospel, and things very pernicious to the fouls of men, whereby they would draw away the difciples after them; make rents and fchifms. in the church, form new parties, and fet up themselves at the head of them: now of this the apoftle had warned them inceffantly for the three years last past, in the moft tender and preffing manner, even with tears, which he defires them carefully to remember. And can it be thought that fuch an affectionate fervant of Christ could be parted with, without tears fhed for him, who had fo great a regard both to the present and future well-being of the church, to which thefe elders belonged?

6. In the most affecting manner he takes his farewel of them, ver. 32. commending them to God; to his grace to fupply and fupport them, to his wifdom to direct them, and to his power to preserve and keep them; and to the word of his grace; either the written word, the fame with the gospel of the grace of God, to make it the rule and fubject of their ministration; or Chrift the effential Word, who is full of grace and truth; each of which, both God, and his word, were able to build them up on their most holy faith, and carry on and finish the work of grace upon their fouls, and make them ufeful to build up others on the rock of ages; and when they had done their work, to give them an inheritance among all them which are fanctified; both a meetnefs for, and a right unto the incorruptible and undefiled inheritance, that fades not away, and is referved in the heavens, and will be only enjoyed by fanctified perfons; for it is an inheritance of the faints in light. And the whole fpeech is concluded with the apostle's declaration of his being free from the fin of covetousness; for the truth of which he appeals to the perfons prefent, and exhorts them to imitate him, provide for themfelves, and fupport others; to which he animates them by the words of our Lord Jefus Chrift, ver. 33-35. and then clofes all in prayer to God with them, and for them; upon which they all burft out into tears, and lift up their

voice

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voice and weep, and one after another fall upon the apostle's neck and kiss him, ver. 36, 37. A moft moving scene this! It is hard to form juft and adequate ideas of it, and ftill more difficult to exprefs them in proper language; I cannot do it better than in the words of a very spiritual and affectionate commentator on the place, who represents it in the following manner. "How can I part with this dear creature, this bleffed Paul, faith one, in whom my life is " in a manner bound up? Farewel, my dear friend, faith another, a thousand "thanks to thee, and ten thousand to God for thee, and for all the pains thou "haft taken with me for my good: And muft we part? faith another, muft I "lose my spiritual father, nurse, and guide? What will become of us now, “faith another, when we shall no more have him to apply to, and receive di"rections from? What shall I do, if the Lord take away my master from my "bead? My father, my father, the chariot of Ifrael, and the horsemen thereof." And then follow the words I first read, Sorrowing most of all for the word which he fpake, that they should fee his face no more. There were several things in this farewel-discourse, which affected them, and filled their hearts with grief and trouble; as what the apostle was like to fuffer for the fake of Christ and his gofpel, and what fad havock falfe teachers would make in the church under their care hereafter; but what most of all afflicted them was, that they were now just going to part with the apostle, and should never see him more. What I fhall further do with these words, will be,

I. To confider what that is which chiefly and principally affects and afflicts a people at parting with a gospel-minister, which is, that they shall fee bis face no more.

II. Shew the nature of that forrow which is, and may be expreffed on fuch an occcafion.

III. Observe some reasons which induce fuch a forrow, and which will ferve to justify it when it is within due bounds.

IV. Offer fome things to confideration, in order to abate it, on the above account, and to regulate it, and keep it within proper limits.

I. I shall confider what that is, which of all things does moftly affect and afflict a people at parting with a gospel-minifter, which is, that they shall see his face no more. And let it be observed,

1. That there are many cafes which affect, but not so much affect, as this: as for instance, to part with a minister for a while, for a few weeks or months, when his urgent affairs call him elsewhere, or his presence is neceffary in another branch of Chrift's intereft, for the service of it; this is not grateful to a people by

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by whom he is beloved; it is with fome reluctance he departs from them for a feafon; but then they hope for his return, and, with as much patience as they can, wait for it: had this been the cafe here, it would have been bearable. The faints at Ephefus had an experience of this before. When the apostle was first with them, his ftay was fhort; they would fain have had him continued. longer with them, but he refufed, which no doubt was grieving to them; but he returned again, and abode with them for the fpace of two years, and then was obliged to leave them through an uproar, but not without expreffions of their tender regard to him; they embraced him in their arms, and no doubt wept over him and now a third time he vifits them, by fending for them at Miletus, and tells them, that they shall fee his face no more; had he given some hopes of vifiting them again, though he should for the prefent depart, or fignified his intentions to do fo, if it was the will of God, this would have been tolerable; but to affure them they fhould never fee him again, this cut them to the heart.

Again, To part with a gofpel-minifter wholly, to have him removed from one part of a country to another, from one church to another, there to abide, and not return again; this is more affecting and afflicting than the other cafe, but not like this in the text. This may be, and fometimes is the cafe, that a minifter does, and lawfully may remove from one people to another; as when errors and herefies obtain, and they cannot be rooted out; or immorality prevails, and no reformation can be made, the difcipline of Chrift's house is neglected, and the people will not fuffer his laws to be put in execution; or when a due maintenance is not, or cannot be provided for him, but both he and reli-gion are exposed to the reproach of the world; or difaffection between him and the people rises fo high, on one account or another, that peace and fellowship cannot be maintained, nor the ends of the miniftration of the word, and administration of ordinances be answered: but then in such a case as this, as there may be fome perfons to whom he has been a fpiritual father, or who have received comfort and edification by his miniftry, and confequently must be greatly troubled and diftreffed at his removal from them; fo they may, if convenience will permit, go along with him; or however they may hope to fee his face, and hear his voice again one time or other.

Moreover, to have a gospel-minifter drove away by the force of persecution, and removed into a corner, fo that a people cannot behold their teacher in the place where they were wont to fee him; this must be very grieving and distressing, but not like this, feeing his face no more; because in fuch times of perfecution, they may both fee and hear him in private houses, in cellars, and folitary places, in fields and woods, as our forefathers did. The witnesses pro

phefy,