The true excellency of a minister of the Gospel. A sermon preached at Pelham,…The true excellency of a minister of the Gospel. A sermon preach'd at Pelham,…

1. What Christ here takes Notice of in John, and declares concerning him, viz. That he was a burning and a shining Light. He was a Light to the Church of Israel, to reveal the Mind and Will of God to them, after a long continued dark Season, and after they had been destitute of any Prophet to instruct 'em, for some Ages: He arose on Israel, as the Morning Star, the Forerunner of the Sun of Righteousness, to introduce the Day-spring, or Dawning of the Gospel-Day, to give Light to them that 'till then had sat in the Darkness of perfect Night, which was the Shadow of Death; to give them the Knowledge of Salvation; as Zecharias his Father declares at his Circumcision, Luke 1.76, 77, 78, 79. And thou Child shall be called the Prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the Face of the Lord, to prepare his Ways; to give Knowledge of Salvation unto his People, by the Remission of their Sins, through the tender Mercy of our God; whereby the Day spring from on high hath visited us, to give Light to them that sit in Darkness, and in the Shadow of Death, to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace.

And he was a burning Light, as he was full of a Spirit of fervent Piety and Holiness, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mother's Womb, having his Heart warmed and inflamed with a great Love to Christ, being that Friend of the Bridegroom, that stood and heard him, and rejoiced greatly because of the Bridegroom's Voice; and was glad that Christ increased, though he decreased, John 3.29, 30. ⟨p. 5⟩And was animated with a Holy Zeal in the Work of the Ministry: He came in this Respect in the Spirit and Power of Elijah; as Elijah was zealous in bearing Testimony against the Corruption, Apostasies, and Idolatries of Israel in his Day, so was John the Baptist in testifying against the Wickedness of the Jews in his Day: As Elijah zealously reproved the Sins of all Sorts of Persons in Israel, not only the Sins of the common People, but of their great ones, Ahab, Ahaziah and Jezebel, and their false Prophets; with what Zeal did John the Baptist reprove all Sorts of Persons, not only the Publicans and Soldiers, but the Pharisees and Sadducees, telling them plainly that they were a Generation of Vipers, and rebuked the Wickedness of Herod in his most beloved Lust, tho' Herod sought his Life for it, as Ahab and Ahaziah did Elijah's. As Elijah was much in warning the People of God's approaching Judgments, denouncing God's awful Wrath against Ahab, Jezebel and Ahaziah, and the Prophets of Baal, and the People in general: So was John the Baptist, much in warning the People to fly from the Wrath to come, telling them in the most awakening Manner, that the Axe was laid at the Root of the Tree, and that every Tree that brought not forth good Fruit should be hewn down and cast into the Fire, and that he that came after him had his Fan in his Hand, and that he would throughly purge his Floor, and gather his Wheat into the Garner, and burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire.