The ministerial work must be carried on purely for God and the salvation of souls, not for any private ends of our own...Hard studies, much knowledge, and excellent preaching, if the ends be not right is but more glorious hypocritical sinning.

How comes it that they who have neither ability nor wisdom often aspire so confidently to hold the reins of government, but because they rush forward with their eyes shut? On this subject Quintilian remarked, that the ignorant speak boldly, while the greatest orators tremble.

"Bishop" is a title which intimates more of labour than of honour,' says Polydore Virgil. To be a bishop, or pastor, is not to be set up as an idol for the people to bow down to, or as idle "slow bellies," to live to our fleshly delight and ease; but to be the guide of sinners to heaven.

Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, my dear brother; pray, pray, pray.

Every time we look upon our congregations, let us believingly remember that they are the purchase of Christ's blood, and therfore should be regarded by us with the deepest interest and the most tender affection.

He that serves God for money will serve the devil for better wages.

A holy calling will not save an unholy man.

When God's sheep are in danger, the shepherd must not gaze at the stars and meditate on "inspirational" themes. He is morally obliged to grab his weapon and run to their defense.

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.

It is a palpable error of some ministers, who make such a disproportion between their preaching and their living; who study hard to preach exactly, and study little or not at all to live exactly.

Many a church thinks it needs a new pastor when it needs the same pastor renewed.

A schoolmaster must take a personal account of his scholars, or else he is like to do little good. If physicians should read a public lecture on physic, their patients would not be much the better of them; nor would a lawyer secure your estate by reading a lecture on law. Now, the charge of a pastor requireth personal dealing, as well as any of these.

Many of us wish we had an apostle Paul to travel with, not realizing how much the leader also needs the close follower.

Those that are good ministers themselves wish that there were more good ministers, for there is work for more. It is common for tradesmen not to care how few there are of their own trade; but Christ would have the labourers in his vineyard reckon it a matter of complaint when the labourers are so few.

The work of the sacred ministry is enough to take up the whole man, if he had the strength and parts of many men...In the primitive Church every congregation had many ministers; but covetousness of clergy and people will now allow scarce two to very great parishes...Believe it, he that will have a wife must spend much of his time in her conference, prayer, and other family duties...And if he have children, O how much care, time and labour they will require.

They forget that elders, as Christ's undershepherds, must also stand to minister to the saints; they must walk (and sometimes run) to seek Christ's wandering sheep; they must kneel daily to lift up the flock before the throne of grace in prayer.

The Ministerial work must be managed purely for God and the salvation of people, and not for any private ends of our own...Hard studies, much knowledge, and excellent preaching, is but more glorious hypocritical sinning, if the ends be not right.

If any minister can be satisfied without conversions, he shall have no conversions.

A schoolmaster must take a personal account of his scholars, or else he is like to do little good. If physicians should read a public lecture on physic, their patients would not be much the better of them; nor would a lawyer secure your estate by reading a lecture on law. Now, the charge of a pastor requireth personal dealing, as well as any of these.

What are the theological schools but nurseries for pastors?

I seldom see ministers strive so furiously, who shall go first to a poor man's cottage to teach him and his family the way to heaven; or who shall first endeavor the conversion of a sinner, or first become the servant of all.

This is our real "Program": faith in Christ, fellowship with Christ, faithfulness to Christ, fruitfulness for Christ.

Ministers must give an account of the success of their ministry. They must do it now at the throne of grace. If they see of the travail of their soul , they must go to God with their thanks; if they labour in vain , they must go to God with their complaints. They will do it hereafter at the judgement seat of Christ: they shall be produced as witnesses against those who persist and perish in their unbelief, to prove that they were fairly invited; and for those who accepted the call, Behold, I and the children thou hast given me .

Till, however, the healing age come, we cannot expect that healing truths will be entertained, because there are not healing spirits in the leaders of the Church.

Teach in thy church, not to get the applause of the people, but to set in motion the groan; the tears of the hearers are thy praises.

If we fight the Lord's battles merely by duplicating the way the world does its work, we are like little boys playing with wooden swords pretending they are in the battle while their big brothers are away in some distant bloody land. Death in the City (Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press: 1969) 142

Alas! can we think that the reformation is wrought, when we cast out a few ceremonies, and changed some vestures,and gestures, and forms! Oh no, sirs! it is the converting and saving of souls that is our business.

Goodness makes greatness truly valuable, and greatness make goodness much more serviceable.

All the minister's efforts will be vanity if he have not unction. Unction must come down from heaven and spread a savor and feeling and relish over his ministry; and among the other means of qualifying himself for his office, the Bible must hold the first place, and the last place also must be given to the Bible and prayer.

If God would but reform the ministry, and set them on their duties zealously and faithfully, the people would certainly be reformed.

The world is my parish.

...none are more liable to slanders and calumnies than godly teachers. Not only does it arise from the difficulties of their office, that sometimes they either sink under it, or stagger, or halt, or blunder, in consequence of which wicked men seize many occasions for finding fault with them; but there is this additional vexation, that, although they perform their duty correctly, so as not to commit any error whatever, they never escape a thousand censures. And this is the craftiness of Satan, to draw away the hearts of men from ministers, that instruction may gradually fall into contempt. Thus not only is wrong done to innocent persons, in having their reputation unjustly wounded, (which is exceedingly base in regard to those who hold so honourable a rank,) but the authority of the sacred doctrine of God is diminished...Not only so, but as soon as any charge against ministers of the word has gone abroad, it is believed as fully as if they were already convicted.

O, happy had it been for the Church...that pastors had been multiplied as churches increased, and the number of overseers had been proportioned to the number of souls, that they might not have let the work be undone, while they assume empty titles and undertook impossibilities!

Will it not awaken us to compassion, to look on a languishing man, and to think that within a few days his soul will be in heaven or in hell? Surely it will try the faith and seriousness of ministers, to be much about dying men! They will thus have opportunity to discern whether they themselves are in good ernest about the matters of the life to come.