Trait 8.

TRAIT 8.

The earnestness with which he began, and continued to fill up the duties of his vocation.

THE true penitent, having renounced himself for the honour of following his exalted Lord, stands faithfully in his own vocation, whether it be secular or ecclesiastic. He is prepared, upon all occasions, to perform the will of his gracious Master: and if he is commissioned to act as a minister of Christ, after furnishing himself with “the whole armour of God,” he will expose himself, without fear, to the most threatening dangers, that he may compel sinners to come in to the marriage supper of the Lamb. “I rejoice,” saith St. Paul, “in my sufferings for the body of Christ, which is the Church, whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery, which hath been hid from ages, but which is now made manifest to his saints; to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you,” and for all those among whom the word of God is preached, “that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, even of the Father and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” Colossians 1:24, 29; 2:1, 2, 3. Such are the great ideas which the Apostle Paul entertained of the ministry he had received; and observe the assiduity with which he discharged the duties of so important an office: “Ye know,” says he, speaking to the pastors, to whom he committed the care of one of his flocks, “from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations: and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves; for I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves,” unfaithful pastors, “enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Therefore, watch; and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears,” Acts 20:18, 31. In every place he discharged the obligations of a minister with the same application and zeal, travelling from city to city, and from church to church, bearing testimony to “the redemption that is in Jesus,” and declaring the great truths of the Gospel. When the synagogues were shut against him, he preached in the schools of philosophers, upon the sea shore, on shipboard, and even in prisons; and while he dwelt a prisoner in his own house at Rome, “he received all that came in unto him, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening,” Acts 28:23.

Thus the Son of God himself once publicly laboured for the conversion of sinners, sometimes going through all “Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel,” Matthew 6:31. And at other times instructing the multitudes, who either followed him into the fields, or resorted to the house where he lodged; “for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat;” Mark 6:31. And when, through the pleasure of bringing the Samaritans acquainted with spiritual truth, he disregarded the necessities of nature, his disciples requesting him to partake of the food they had prepared, received from him this memorable answer: “I have meat to eat that ye know not of: my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work,” viz. the glorious work of enlightening and saving of sinners, John 4:31, 34. Thus St. Paul was diligently and daily occupied in fulfilling the duties of his apostolic vocation; and thus every minister of the Gospel is called to labour in his appointed sphere. It remains to be known, whether all who do not labour, according to their ability, are not condemned by the following general rule: “If any will not work, neither should he eat,” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. For these words signify, applied to the present case, that they who will not labour as pastors, should by no means be permitted to eat the bread of pastors; an evangelical precept this, which deserves the strictest attention, as the bread of pastors is, in some sort, sacred bread, since it is that which the piety of the public has set apart for the support of those who have abandoned every worldly pursuit, that they might dedicate themselves freely and fully to the service of the Church.