king arise out of his seat, but Ehud seized a dagger, which had been purposely concealed, and thrust it into his body and slew him.

In reading this history, let us not suppose that it is related for our imitation. We are not, in this manner, to free ourselves, even from oppression and tyranny. Nothing but a divine commission could have justified Ehud in thus taking away the life of the king of Moab. Without such a commission, the whole proceeding would have been very sinful. The Lord however is not confined in his use of means. He may employ any that he pleases. And whether he execute his judgments by one instrument, or by another, by sickness and disease, by storm and tempest, by the hand of a man, or by the sword of an angel, he is still "righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." Let us then rather learn from this narrative to fear God and his judgments; to dread provoking the Lord to anger; and to pray that we may not be cut off in our sins. "From sudden death, good Lord deliver us."

But though such was the occasion on which these words were spoken, they need not, in our application of them, be limited to it. We may consider them as spoken by all the Lord's servants. Every minister of the Gospel in one sense may use them. And in this view, there is not a single individual in any congregation to whom the minister may not solemnly address himself, and truly say, "I have a message from God unto thee." This is the use which I now purpose to make of these words; and to do it with a greater effect, I shall first offer some few observations, which will

help to explain and justify this application of the passage. I observe then,

I. That the ministers of the Gospel are God's messengers. They are not indeed his messengers in the -the sense in which Ehud was his messenger. They do not claim to themselves, as he might have done, an express and a personal commission from God. Neither are they his messengers in the sense in which the Prophets and Apostles were his messengers. They. have nothing to reveal to men. They do not profess to make any new communication of the divine will. They make no pretensions to any miraculous power or inspiration, nor to any such authority as that which the first Christian Preachers possessed. Still, however, they may be truly said to be God's messengers: for they are sent by Him to remind men of his will. They are especially appointed to the office of teachers and remembrancers. They come in God's name; and are sent to declare his truths. The Scriptures are the book from which they profess to receive their instructions : and so far as they comply with these instructions, and preach according to this Book, so far the message which they deliver is in fact God's message. Though delivered by man, it yet virtually comes from God and in this sense then, those who bring it are his messengers. "It is in the same sense, that they are sometimes said to be "workers together with God," and at other times his Ambassadors," who address men in his stead, and by whom, as it were, God is said to beseech them. I observe,

II. That the ministers of the Gospel must be faithful in delivering their message. Being God's messengers, being put in trust with the Gospel of Christ, they must discharge their trust with boldness and fidelity, as those that must give account. There is no choice left to them in this matter. They are not at liberty to do as they please; to withhold the message or not, as their own inclination may lead them: but they are to speak boldly, as they ought to speak; with "great plainness of speech," "not handling the word of God deceitfully," nor" keeping back any thing that may be profitable" to their hearers. This is the duty required of them; a duty, which by the most powerful motives, they are constrained to discharge. St. Paul tells us, for his part, that "necessity was laid upon him; yea,” he adds, 66 woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel."a The unwillingness of men to hear the truth will be no excuse for keeping it back from them. However

unpleasant it may be, still they must hear it. Hearken what was the commission, which the Lord gave to his servant Ezekiel: "And thou Son of Man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words.-Thou shalt speak iny words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.-And thou, Son of Man, hear what I say unto thee: be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious house." And in another place, "Son of Man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee, receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears: and go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus a 1 Cor. ix. 16.

saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.” While in another passage the danger which the Prophet would incur, by not delivering the message committed to him, is thus forcibly declared; "When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand."b And to revert again to the case of St. Paul, re calls the elders of the church at Ephesus to witness, that he was

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pure from the blood of all inen;" 66 for," says he, (and mark the reason) "I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." His faithfulness in having delivered the message entrusted to him, was the ground of his confidence, because it was the proof of his integrity. Of such vast importance is fidelity in this great office. I observe

III. That if men refuse to attend to the message thus delivered to them, it is at their own peril. This inference naturally springs from the foregoing observations. For if the ministers of the Gospel are God's messengers, and are required to be faithful in delivering their message; then doubtless those, to whom it is sent, are equally required to receive it with attention and submission; and cannot reject it without the greatest danger to themselves. Our Saviour has put this matter beyond all doubt: for he expressly said, to his Apostles, when he sent them to preach the gospel, "He

b Ezek. ii. 6, 7, 8.-iii. 10, 11. 20.

e Acts xx. 26, 27. VOL. II.

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that receiveth you receiveth me. "But on the other hand, "Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words; Verily, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city." And though this declaration was made immediately to the Apostles themselves, yet from what has been already said, we may clearly infer, that it is in a great degree applicable to all other ministers of the gospel. For since the word which they preach is the same which the Apostles preached, so not to receive them, nor to hear their words, will equally expose those, who are liable to such a charge, to the righteous anger of God. Hence it is, that these admonitions are so frequently given. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." "Take heed how ye bear:" seeing that to hear the word of God without receiving and profiting by it, will sink persons into so much deeper condemnation. And hence also it is, that the preaching of the gospel is called not only "the savour of life unto life," but also "the savour of death unto death." All this indeed must be plain and level to the meanest understanding. Who does not see, that to reject, or which is the same thing, to refuse to attend to a message sent from God, is of itself a sin of a crimson dye, and greatly adds to a man's guilt? It is a principle strongly laid down by Christ' himself, and no less strongly confirmed by reason, that "to whomsoever much is given, of him much will be required" that is, every man will be called to account for the privileges and opportunities which he has

d Matt. xiv. 15.