Feed the flock of God

 The Duty enjoined. Every step of the way of our sal vation hath on it the print of infinite majesty, wisdom, and goodness, and this amongst the rest ; that men, sinful, weak men, are made subservient in that great work of bringing Christ and souls to meet ; that by the foolishness of preaching (or what appears so to carnal wisdom,) the chosen of God are called, and come unto Jesus, and are made wise unto salvation ; and that the life which is conveyed to them by the word oflife in the hands of poor men, is by the same means preserved and ad vanced. This is the standing work of the ministry, and this the thing here bound upon them that are employed in it, to feed the flock of God that is among them. Jesus Christ descended to purchase a Church, and ascended to provide and furnish it, to send down his Spirit : He ascended and gave gifts, parti cularly for the work of the ministry ; and the great use of them is this, feed the flock of God. Not to say any more of this usual resemblance of a flock, as importing the weakness and tenderness of the Church, the con tinual need she stands in of inspection, and guidance, and defence, and the tender care of the Chief Shepherd for these things ; the phrase enforces the present duty of subordinate pastors, their care and diligence in feeding that flock. The due rule of discipline not excluded, the main part of this duty, is by doctrine, the leading them into the wholesome and green pastures of saving truths revealed in the Gospel, accommodating the way of teaching to their condition and capacity ; and with this they should be, as much as possible, particularly acquainted, and suit diligently and prudently their doctrine to it. They are to feed the sheep, those more advanced; to feed the lambs, the younger and weaker ; to have special care of the infirm ; to learn of their Master, the great Shepherd, to bind up that which is broken, and strengthen that which is sick, (Ezek. xxxiv. 16)—those that are broken in spirit, that are exercised with temptations ; and gently to lead those that are with young, (Isa. xl. 11)—those in whom the inward work of grace is as in the conception, and they heavy and weak with the weight of it, and the many difficulties and doubtings which are frequent companions and symptoms of that work. Oh, what dexterity and skilfulness, what diligence, and, above all, what affection and bowels of compassion, are needful for this task! Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. ii. 16. Who would not faint and give over in it, were not our Lord the Chief Shepherd; were not all our sufficiency laid up in His rich fulness, and all our insufficiency covered in His gracious acceptance ? Inf. 1. This is the thing we have to eye and study, to set Him before us, and to apply ourselves in His strength to this work :—not to seek to please, but to feed ; not to delight the ears, but to feed the souls of His people ; to see that the food be according to His appointment ; not empty or subtile notions, not light affected expressions, but wholesome truths, solid food, spiritual things spiritually conceived, and uttered with holy understanding and affection. And we are to consider this, wherein lies a very pressing motive ; it is the flock of God : not our own, to use as we please, but committed to our custody by Him, who loves highly and prizes His flock, and will require an account of us concerning it ; His bought, His purchased flock, and at so dear a rate, as the Apostle St. Paul uses this same consideration, in the same argument, Acts xx. 28. The flock of God that He hath bought with His own blood. How reasonable is it that we bestow our strength and life on that flock for which our Lord laid down His life; that we be most ready to draw out our spirits for them for whom He let out His blood ! Had I, says that holy man, Bernard, some of that blood poured forth on the cross, how carefully would 1 carry it! And ought I not to be as careful of those souls that it was shed for ? (Advent Serm. 3.) Oh, that price which was paid for souls, which He, who was no foolish merchant, but wisdom itself, gave for them ! Were that price more in our eyes, and more in yours, nothing would so much take either you or us, as the matter of our souls. In this would our desires and endeavours meet, we to use, and you to improve, the means of saving your precious souls. Inf. 2. This mainly concerns us indeed, who have charge of many, especially finding the right cure of one soul within us so hard : but you are concerned in it, each for one. At least remember, this is the end of the ministry, that you may be brought unto Christ ; that you may be led to the sweet pastures and pleasant streams of the Gospel : that you may be spiritually fed, and may grow in that heavenly life, which is here begun in ail those in whom it shall hereafter be perfected. And as we ought in preaching, so ought you in hearing, to propound this end to yourselves, that you may be spiritually refreshed, and walk in the strength of that Divine nourishment. Is this your purpose when you come hither ? Inquire of your  own hearts, and see what you seek, and what you find, in the public ordinances of God's house. Certainly, the most do not so much as think on the due design of them ; they aim at no end, and therefore can attain none ; they seek nothing, but sit out their hour, asleep or awake, as it may happen. Or, possibly, some seek to be delighted for the time, as the Lord tells the Prophet, to hear, as it were, a pleasant song, Ezek. xxxiii. 32, if the gifts and strain of the speaker be any thing pleasing. Or, it may be, they seek to gain some new notions, to add somewhat to their stock of knowledge, either that they may be enabled for discourse, or, simply, that they may know. Some, it may be, go a little further ; they like to be stirred and moved for the time, and to have some touch of good affection kindled in them : but this lasts but for a while, till their other thoughts and affairs get in, and smother and quench it ; they are not careful to blow it up and improve it. How many, when they have been a little affected with the word, go out and fall into other discourses and thoughts : they either take in their affairs secretly, as it were under their cloak, and their hearts keep up a conference with them, or, if they forbear this, yet, as soon as they go out, they plunge themselves over head and ears in the world, and lose all which might have any way advantaged their spiritual condition. It may be, one will say, It was a good sermon. Is that to the purpose ? But what think you it hath for your praise or dispraise ? Instead of say ing, Oh, how well was that spoken ! you should say, Oh, how hard is repentance ! how sweet a thing is faith ! how excellent the love of Jesus Christ ! That were your best and most real commendation of the sermon, with true benefit to yourselves. If some of you be careful of repeating, yet, rest not on that : if you be able to speak of it afterwards upon occasion, there is somewhat requisite beside and beyond this, to evidence that you are indeed fed by the word, as the flock of God. As when sheep, you know, or other creatures, are nourished by their pasture, the food they have eaten appears, not in the same fashion upon them, not in grass, but in growth of flesh   and fleece ; thus the word would truly appear to feed you, not by the bare discoursing of the word over again, but by the temper of your spirits and actions, if in them you really grow more spiritual, if humility, self-denial, charity, and holiness, are increased in you by it ; otherwise, whatsoever literal know ledge you attain, it avails you nothing. Though you heard many sermons every day, and attained further light by them, and carried a plausible profession of religion, yet, unless by the Gospel you be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and grace be indeed growing in you, you are but, as one says of the cypress-trees, fair and tall, but fruitless *.  Robert Leighton