The

putting me into the ministry." And with the Psalmist, "What shall I render to the Lord for this benefit?" spirit of the under shepherd should be that of the chief Shepherd, who, when called according to his covenant engagement to lay down his life for the sheep, was "not rebellious, neither turned away back," but said, "Lo, I come;" "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" "There may be," as Archbishop Leighton says, "in a Christian elder, very great reluctance in engaging and adhering to the work, from a sense of the excellence of it, and his unfitness; and the deep apprehension of those high interests, the glory of God and the salvation of souls; and yet he enters and continues in it with this willingness of mind, with most single and earnest desires of doing all he can for God and the flock of God; only grieved that there is in him so little suitableness of heart, so little holiness and acquaintance with God for enabling him to it; but might he find that, he were satisfied; and in attendance upon that, goes on and waits, and is doing according to his little skill and strength, and cannot leave it; is constrained indeed, but all the constraint is love to Jesus, and for the sake of the souls He hath bought; a constraint far different from the constraint here discharged; yea, indeed, that very willingness which is opposed to that other constraint."

§2. "Not for filthy lucre, but of a willing mind."

Christian elders are to shepherd the flock, and superintend the family of God, not "from filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;" as well as "not from constraint, but willingly." The former clause, as we have just seen, is equivalent to not reluctantly, but cheerfully. This seems equivalent to, not in a self-interested, mercenary disposition, but in a disinterested spirit of gratitude to God and love to the brethren.

There is nothing wrong in a Christian elder, who devotes

1 Tim. i. 12. Isa. 1. 5. Psal. xl. 7. Luke xii. 50.

his time and talents to the promotion of the good of the church over which he is placed, receiving, from the church's sense of justice and gratitude of his claims on them, and their obligations to him, temporal support. It is the command of the Apostle, "Let him who is taught, communicate to him that teacheth in all good things." It is the ordination of our Lord, "that they who preach the gospel should live on the gospel," just as "they who ministered at the altar lived by the altar." "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God care for oxen? or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thrasheth in hope should be partakers of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" These passages seem to refer to the teaching elder, whose whole attention is to be directed to reading and meditation in private, and to "word and doctrine," both publicly, and from house to house; but it is plain that the elders who rule, if they are in circumstances in which they cannot devote the time necessary to the service of the church, without injustice to themselves and families, are equally entitled to support. This is implied in the injunction, "let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour," obviously not excluding the honour of voluntary support, espepecially those who labour in word or in doctrine.

But while all this is true, it is not less true that the duties of Christian elders must be performed "not for filthy lucre.” No man must convert the Christian eldership into a trade, in this way "making gain of godliness." Even with those

11 Cor. ix. 7-11.

elders who are entirely dependent on their labours, who have no source of income but the effect of the authority and grace of Christ on the minds, and consciences, and hearts of those to whom they minister, the principle must be, “freely we have received, freely we give." And wherever sacred duties are performed from a regard to worldly gain, in whatever form, whether in the form of fixed stipend, or occasional gifts, or increased respectability of character and worldly influence, leading to success in worldly business, there is fearful desecration. The Apostle obviously lays much stress on this point. In his Epistle to Timothy iii. 3, he says, a bishop must not be greedy of filthy lucre, nor covetous; and in his Epistle to Titus i. 7, he repeats the declaration. Such repeated warnings were not more than the case required. There has been too much of this in every age of the church, and the evil is not unknown even in our own times; nor is it confined within the limits of richly endowed churches, where its existence, if not less criminal than elsewhere, is less wonderful. It is a most deplorable thing when a regard to secular interest is allowed to interfere either with the declaration of Christian doctrine, or the administration of Christian discipline; when professed Christian teachers "prepare war against him that putteth not into their mouths," and "teach things that they ought not for filthy lucre's sake, through covetousness, with feigned words, making merchandise of their people, having hearts exercised to covetous practices, serving not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly ;" and when the rulers of the church, from secular considerations, prefer one before another, and do any thing in the administration of discipline by partiality; when "the watchmen are greedy dogs that can never have enough, all looking to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter;" and when Malachi's question is an appropriate one, "Who is there among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle the fire on my altar for nought." Balaam's resolution should be formed and kept, not only as it was by him in the letter, but as it was

not by him, in the spirit. "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more." Yet it is very delightful to perceive that so many of our ministers are men who, with the same talents, and education, and effort, might have secured for themselves far higher secular advantages than they possess, or ever can expect to possess, as Christian elders; and the disinterestedness of many of our Christian elders who rule, but do not labour in word and doctrine, in not only cheerfully giving their unpaid, and often ill-estimated labour, to the churches, but, in addition, being patterns to the believers in liberally giving of their substance to promote the support and extension of the cause of Christ, makes it very evident that they shepherd the flock, they superintend the family of God, "not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind." The Christian elder, when he becomes old and grey-headed, should be able to say with Samuel, “Behold, here I am; witness against me before the Lord; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded?" or with Paul, "I have coveted no man's silver or gold; I seek not yours, but you.” 1

Disinterestedness, in opposition to mercenariness, should characterise the labours of the Christian elder. Regard to the Divine glory, gratitude for the Divine grace, love to the Saviour who died, and to those for whom he died, eager desire that his name may not be blasphemed, through the inconsistent conduct of those who are called by it, and that it may be glorified in the holiness and happiness of his bloodbought heritage, and in bringing down the people in subjection to him, making them willing in the day of his power; these are the principles which should preside in the mind and heart of the Christian elder, and make him alert and cheerful in all the duties, however burdensome, of his official calling; producing a forwardness of mind far superior to what the stimulus of covetousness can create. Yes, as the good

1 Numb. xxii. 18. 1 Sam. xii. 3.

Acts xx. 33.

VOL. III.

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Archbishop says, "It is love, much love, which gives much unwearied care, and much skill in this charge. How sweet is it to him that loves to bestow himself, 'to spend and be spent,' upon his service whom he loves! Jacob, in the same kind of service, endured all, and found it light by reason of love, the cold of the nights and the heat of the days seven years for his Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days, because he loved her. Love is the great endowment of a shepherd of Christ's flock. He says not to Peter, art thou wise, or learned, or eloquent? but lovest thou me? lovest thou me ? lovest thou me? Art thou of a ready mind? Feed my sheep feed my lambs."

§ 3. Not as lords of God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

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Christian elders are to shepherd the flock, and oversee the children of God, "not as lords of God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." These duties are to be performed not in a proud overbearing spirit. They are duties of rule, and therefore there is a temptation to pride in performing them. But the elders are to remember that, though they are rulers in, they are not lords over, the family of God. The Son alone is lord over his own house. We proclaim not ourselves lords, says the Apostle Paul; we preach Jesus the Lord," the only Lord, the One Master and Proprietor. There were rulers in Israel; but Jehovah alone, in the highest sense of the word, was Israel's king. The soil was his, and so were the people. Of the spiritual Israel, Jehovah-Jesus is the proprietor and lord. He is Lord of all: he is our Lord, and we are all brethren. For the good of the whole, some of the brethren are called by him to rule under him, to administer his laws; but this lays no foundation for claiming to be lords of their faith. "The bride is the bridegroom's;" the church is the Lord's. The church does not belong to the elders, but the elders to the church. "All things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." Diotrephes, who loved the pre