Ministers Compared to Labourers

    MINISTERS COMPARED TO LABOURERS

    "The Labourer is worthy of his meat" Lu 10:7.

    THE Lord Christ compares his faithful servants, that preach his word, to Labourers, to such as externally work and labour with their hands.

    METAPHOR

    I. LABOURERS usually are hired, and then sent to work. We read of one that went to hire Labourers, &c., Mt 20.

    PARALLEL

    I. So Christ spiritually is said to hire Labourers, and send them into his vineyard; he assures them of a glorious reward, when they have done their work.

    METAPHOR

    II. Some men labour in the field, they are harvest men.

    PARALLEL

    II. Such Labourers are the preachers of the Gospel: "The harvest is great, and the Labourers are few," &c., Mt 9:37. They labour to make ready, and gather in Christ's wheat.

    METAPHOR

    III. Some labour so hard, that they wear out their frail bodies, and bring themselves quickly to the grave.

    PARALLEL

    III. So some of Christ's faithful and laborious servants labour so hard in their studies, in watching, praying, and preaching, that they spend themselves, or bring utter weakness upon their frail tabernacles, "I am willing," saith Paul, "to spend and be spent," &c., 2Co 12:15.

    MEAPHOR

    IV. Labourers are often hindered and obstructed in their work, like as the Jews were in building the temple.

    PARALLEL

    IV. So Christ's spiritual Labourers are often hindered in their work: Satan strives to hinder them, and false teachers strives to hinder them, and wicked persecutors endeavour to hinder them, and many times forbid them to preach any more in the name of Christ.

    METAPHOR

    V. Labourers observe the fittest time to do business in; they work hard by day, and whilst they have good weather.

    PARALLEL

    V. So Christ's Labourers observe the fittest time to do their work; like as Christ saith, "I must do the work of him that sent me whilst it is day; the night comes when no man can work," Joh 9:4.

    METAPHOR

    VI. A Labourer is worthy of his meat, and ought not to be denied it.

    PARALLEL

    VI. So the Ministers of Christ ought to have all things necessary provided for them, and their families: "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. So God hath ordained, that they that preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel," 1Co 9:9. And, since this duty is much neglected among some Christian Churches, I shall here transcribe a page or two, being part of a sermon preached by Mr. N. C. at the ordination of an elder in the city of London, 1681.

    "These words call not only for a maintenance of ministers, but for such a plentiful contribution, as may make them partakers with you in all good things. If God bless the congregation with a plentiful portion of this world's goods, it is their duty to make their Minister a party with them in their flourishing condition. And, considering the place and employment he is in, and the service he attends, it would be extremely unworthy to think you have done enough, if his pressing necessities be answered, while you abound in superfluities. If the congregation be poor, their Minister must be content to be poor with them, yea, rejoice to approve himself a Minister of Christ, by hunger and nakedness if the providence of God calls him thereto: but whilst it is in the power of your hand to provide better for him, God expects it from you; and, 'be not deceived, God is not mocked,' neither will he suffer his commands to be slighted and evaded, without rendering a just rebuke to the offender: "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

    "Now that you may the better understand how far you are concerned in. this duty, before I proceed to the farther pressing of it, let me put you in remembrance:

    " 1. That a Minister is bound to attend wholly and only upon his calling in the Ministry, and not to entangle himself in the affairs of this life, that he may please him by whom he is called to this spiritual warfare; and nothing but real necessity may dispense with the contrary. His whole time and strength is little enough to be employed in the work and service he is called to. He must give himself to the ministry of the Word and prayer; and continue in reading, meditation, &c., as a man wholly devoted unto Gospel service; and is therefore, by his call to the ministry, secluded from those ways and means of providing for his own subsistence, as the trades and secular employments of others furnish them with, that his mind, by the cares of worldly business, may not be diverted from that study of God's word, and care of souls, which the duty of his station engageth him to. And if he may not expose himself to the careful thoughts that accompany worldly business, though tending to his profit; certainly it is no way meet, that he should be left to conflict with the thorny cares of a necessitous condition, whilst those he ministers to, have means to prevent it.

    " 2. It is no less the duty of a Minister, than of other men, to provide for his family, and, what lies in him, to take care of his wife and children, that they may not be exposed to a thousand miseries and temptations, when he is gone, 1Ti 5:8. I confess, of all men in the world, a covetous, raking temper worst becomes a Minister: but we greatly mistake, if we think he must divest himself of the due affection of an husband towards his wife, or of a father towards his children; or, that those fruits thereof, which are justly esteemed commendable in others, should be a fault in him.

    " 3. An elder or bishop is under a special charge to use hospitality, and to set in himself a pattern of charity, and compassionate bounty to poor souls; and if it be his duty to be hospitable and charitable in an eminent degree, than without controversy the people are concerned to endeavour that he may be capable of giving proof of this grace in him, by the exercise of it as there is occasion.

    "These things being premised, I shall show you, that you lie under the strongest obligation imaginable to this duty:

    (1.) By the law of nature.

    (2.) By the express command and appointment of Christ.

    (3.) On the account of the great and manifest evil and inconvenience, that follows the neglect thereof.

    " First; The law and light of nature obligeth you to it, as to the matter of equity and justice. And from hence our apostle takes his first plea, in 1 Cor 9:7 &c., "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?" The ministry is a warfare, undertaken at the command of Christ, for the service of your souls; and it is as reasonable that the Minister should receive a supply of outward things from you, as that a faithful soldier should receive his pay from his captain, at the charge of the commonwealth, for whose good he militates. Shall a man feed a flock as a pastor does, and be denied to eat of the milk of that flock, which it is his work to keep and feed? Or, is it consistent with common justice, to deprive a man of the fruit of that vineyard, which is planted and manured by his own labour? Such is the case, in respect of maintenance, between a Minister and the people. It is not your charity that I ask for him, but justice and debt that I plead for: he is employed in your service, and of right should live upon your charge; nay, you have called him off from other business, and therefore his maintenance is due from you, as is the wages of your servant; though I fear some give more to the meanest servant in their house, than they are willing to do to their minister. Certainly, if you choose as you ought, your Ministers are not of the lowest of the people, but may be allowed to have a share of parts, common prudence, and ability for business, with other men; and could manage trades, or fall into other employments, and get estates as well as you, if they were not devoted to a better service: and must they needs be devoted to necessities and misery, in the same hour that they enter upon the ministry? My brethren, this ought not to be. Let your Ministers have as good a treatment at least, as the law provided for the ox that treads out the corn, who might not be muzzled. Neither was this written for the sake of oxen; for, doth God take care of oxen? or were there no higher end of this law, than that the brute creature should not be abused? Certainly there was; "And for our sakes no doubt was this written, that he that plougheth should plough in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope: for if we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a. great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" 1Co 9:8-11.

    "Secondly, The Lord hath not left us to argue this only from general principles of reason, and common equity; but, to put the matter beyond dispute, hath superadded his express command. Thus he provided for his ministers in the time of the law, which the apostle urgeth in the next place: 1Co 9:13, "Do ye not know, that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar?" God did no sooner separate the Levites to the service of the sanctuary, but he by law provided for their subsistence; and though they were but one tribe in twelve, yet the tenth of the increase of the whole land was given to them, besides the first-fruits and offerings, and divers other advantages; so that their lot might equal, yea, exceed that of their brethren. This law indeed is now abrogated, and we pretend to no right of tithing your estates; but the moral equity of it can never cease: neither hath Christ left Gospel Ministers to the wide world, but hath made provision for them also, so far as the interest of his command will go with them that profess his name; for so it follows, 1Co 9:14, ' Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel.' The Labourer is still worthy of his hire, and not the less worthy, because he labours in the Gospel. Though indeed, if men did fully come up to their duty, yet still, the charge of Gospel worship will appear very inconsiderable, when compared with that of the law; for, were that my business, I think I could demonstrate, that the fifth part of their estates was yearly to be spent in things relating to the temple service. And if we are sensible of the great privilege and blessing of the Gospel, on higher accounts than merely the ease of those burdens, we shall never think much to defray the moderate charge of a Gospel ministry, in such a manner as may give reputation to our profession.

    "Thirdly, That you may prevent the evil and inconvenience that follows the neglect of this duty, it concerns you cheerfully to practice it: I might have said, evils a,nd inconveniences, as of many, for many there are, and those of easy observations to an unprejudiced eye; but it is the discouragement of study, which at present I chiefly aim at. That study must needs be discouraged, I intend the study of theology, by the people's neglect to make a comfortable provision for their ministers, is too evident to require a proof. Who will apply himself to gather and lay up those stores of solid learning, which are needful to a Minister, when he can expect to purchase nothing to himself but poverty and distress thereby? Or, how shall a Minister he capable to furnish himself with universal knowledge of things relating to his work, that hath no means for providing for his own information, or no time free from cares and worldly business? And the disadvantage of this will at last fall to the share of the people that he ministers unto. He that considers, that the holy scriptures were originally written in Hebrew and Greek, must have a hard forehead, if he deny the usefulness of learning to a Minister; besides, many other things there are that call for it, in reference to the opening of the scriptures, which I cannot now insist upon. And it is not without diligent and continued study, that the deep things of God can be searched out, and so proposed to you, as to enrich your minds with the clear and solid knowledge of them. I confess, a little learning, and less study, may furnish a man with such a discourse, as may please some weak persons, that judge of a sermon by the loudness of the voice, and affectionate sentences, or can fancy themselves to be fed with the ashes of jingling words, and cadency of terms in a discourse. But alas! the seeming warmth of affection that is stirred by such means, is as short-lived, as a land-flood that hath no spring to feed it. He that will do the souls of his people good, and approve himself a pastor after God's own heart, must feed them with knowledge and understanding, and endeavour to maintain a constant zeal and affection in them, by well informing their judgments, and such an opening of the mind of God from the scriptures, as may command their consciences: and this is not to be expected, but from him, that labours in his study, as well as in the pulpit. Mistake me not; I know the success and fruit of all the studies and labours of men that preach the Gospel, is from the grace and power of the Holy Ghost; but the assistance of the Spirit is to be expected by us hi the way of our duty. These things might be yet applied more home to my present purpose; but perhaps some will think there is too much said already, though I heartily wish more were not needful, and my time calls me to put a period to this exercise; and therefore I will only add a word for the enforcement of this and the other duties which I have laid before you, by accommodating the same things to you, which were before touched, for the encouragement and quickening of your pastor in his duty.

    "First, remember your pastor is the Minister of Christ, one that dispenseth the mysteries of God to you in his name; and therefore, he acting in his place, according to his duty, the Lord Jesus will account that done to himself, that is done to his Minister; 'He that receiveth you,' saith he, receiveth me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth me,' &c., Mt 10:40, with Lu 10:16. If the name and authority of Christ will beget an awe in you, or his matchless and unspeakable love influence you, there is no want of motives to those duties that have been passed upon you. If you acknowledge a religious respect and reverence due to the Son of God, exercise it in humble obedience to his Word; and if you love him, and value his Gospel, treat not his Ministers in an unworthy manner; and forget not, that he, who gave his life a ransom for you, well deserves a return of the greatest love from you, and to be honoured by you, not only with good words, but ' with your substance, and the first-fruits of all your increase,' Pr 3:9.

    "Secondly, it is the business of your salvation, and the concern of your precious and immortal souls, that a Minister is employed in; and therefore it is much more your own interest than his, that you should make conscience of your duty. With this argument the apostle enforces his exhortation, Heb 13:17, 'For they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they do it with joy, and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.' The ministry can never be effectual to the saving of your souls, if you be not sincere in obedience under it. And will you be less careful for your souls, and their eternal welfare, than you are for your bodies, and the comforts of a temporal life? Can you be content to lay out your strength and substance to provide for these, and neglect the other? It is sad to consider, how many there are among professors, that live in the world, as if there were no truth in the report of that which is to come, and have the meanest esteem of the most necessary means of salvation, viz., the Word, and ordinances of Christ, and a Gospel ministry; can expend perhaps an hundred pounds per annum, more or less, for the convenience, ornament or delight of a frail carcase, but will not bestow half so much for the poor, or the support of Gospel worship."