energy and life, whereby one, as affected himself,
declares the truths of God, in a simple, serious, bold, and
conscience-touching manner. The difference of this, from human
eloquence, loud bawling, and theatrical action, is evident. These may
touch the passions, and not affect the conscience: they may procure
esteem to the preacher, none to Christ. These are the product of natural
art: this the distinguished gift of God, without which, in a certain
degree, none can have evidence that he was divinely sent to minister the
gospel of Christ.

No appearance of furniture, real or pretended, can warrant a man's
exercising of the ministry, unless he have a regular call. That _all may
prophesy one by one_ is indeed hinted in the sacred records: but there
it is evident inspiration treats of what pertains to extraordinary
officers in the church; hence there is mentioned _the gift of tongues_,
extraordinary _psalms, revelations_: the _all_ that might prophesy are,
therefore, not _all_ the members of the church; not _women_, who are
forbid to speak in the church; but _all_ the extraordinary officers
called prophets, 1 Cor. xiv. 31. The _all_ that were scattered abroad
from Jerusalem, and _went about preaching the gospel_, Acts viii. 2,
could not be _all_ the believers; for there remained at Jerusalem a
church of believers for Saul to make havoc of. It must therefore have
been _all_ the preachers, besides the apostles. To strengthen this, let
it be observed, that the word here rendered _preaching_ is nowhere in
Scripture referred to one out of office: that every one of this
dispersion, we afterward hear of, are represented as evangelists,
pastors, or teachers, Acts ix. 1, 11, 19, and xiii. 1. Parents and
masters convey the same instruction that ministers do; but with a
different authority: not as ministers of Christ, or officers in his
Church. If other gifts or saintship entitled to preach the gospel, wo
would be unto every gifted person, every saint, that did not preach it.
If our adored Redeemer refused the work of a civil judge because not
humanly vested with such power, will he allow his followers to exercise
an office far more important, without any regular call? His oracles
distinguish between the mission of persons, and their gifts, sometimes
called a receiving of the Holy Ghost, John xx. 21, 23.

To render the point incontestably evident, he demands, how men shall
preach _except they be sent_? declares, that _no man_ right