rom Christ. If you
are living in His faith and fear, you are kings--kings in God's unseen
and spiritual kingdom; and that, though like David, you are but keeping
sheep, or driving cattle, or, again, working with your hands, or
serving in a family, or at any other lowly labour. God seeth not as
man seeth. He hath chosen you.

3. Next, observe God chose David by means of the Prophet Samuel. He
did not think it enough to choose him silently, but He called him by a
voice. And, in like manner, when God calls us, He does so openly; He
sent His minister, the Prophet Samuel, to David, and He sends His
ministers to us. He said to Samuel, "Fill thy horn with oil, and go,
and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided Me
a king among his sons." God was looking out for a king, and sent
Samuel to David. And so, in like manner, God is looking out now for
kings to fill thrones in His Son's eternal kingdom, and to sit at His
right hand and His left; and He sends His ministers to those whom He
hath from eternity chosen. He does not say to them, "Fill thy horn
with oil," but "Fill thy font with water;" for as He chose David by
pouring oil upon his head, so does He choose us by Baptism. So far,
then, God chooses now as He did then, by an outward sign. Samuel was
told to do then, what Christ's ministers are told to do now. The one
chose David by means of oil, and the other choose Christians by means
of water. In this, however, there is a difference. Samuel could
choose but one. He was not allowed to choose more than one; him,
namely, whom God pointed out; but now Christ's ministers (blessed be
His name!) may choose and baptize all whom they meet with; there is no
restriction, no narrowness; they need not wait to be told whom to
choose. Christ says, "Compel them to come in." Again, the Prophet
says, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." Now every
one by nature thirsteth; every soul born into the world is in a
spiritual sickness, in a wasting fever of mind; he has no rest, no
ease, no peace, no true happiness. Till he is made partaker of Christ
he is hopeless and miserable. Christ then, in His mercy, having died
for all, gives His ministers leave to apply His saving death to all
whom they can find. Not one or two, but thousands upon thousands are
gifted with His high blessings. "Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed" David "in the midst of his brethren." And so Christ's
minist