* If by a _great divine_, is only meant a person well skilled in _critical contention_, who can artfully defend a set of notions, amongst which he happened to be born and bred, such a divine, I own, may be very _impatient_, and _much cooled_ in his zeal, unless he finds himself well rewarded. But if an eminent divine is to be understood in a sense suitable to the gospel, he is that _particular person_ that must needs have the greatest contempt and dislike of every thing, that has but the appearance of the pomp and vanity of this world in it. If therefore it was urged, that this conjunction of preferments and dignifying rewards was necessary to bring _ambitious scholars_ into the church, or to keep them in it, there would be some sense, tho’ no gospel in the pretence; but to talk of them as necessary to be the rewards of eminent piety and apostolic labour, is as absurd, as to say, that those who have truly put on Christ, who stand in the highest degree of a renewed nature, who best know and feel the blessing of a mortified, heavenly spirit, have less reason to be _content with food and raiment_, than those who stand in a lower degree of the Christian life; ’tis saying, that a _bishop_, because he has most of the spirit and office of an apostle, may well desire more of the _pride_ and _figure_ of this world, than the lower clergy, who have less of the apostolic spirit and perfection in them. To want to stand in some degree of worldly figure, is the state of a _babe_ in the Christian life, and therefore can no way become those, who are to lead others to fulness of stature in Christ Jesus. A _great divine_ is but a _cant_ expression, unless it signifies a man _greatly advanced_ in the divine life, whose own experience and example is a demonstration of the _reality_ of all the graces of the gospel. No divine has any more of the gospel in him, than that which proves itself by the spirit, and form of his life: if therefore poverty of spirit, a disregard of worldly figure, a total self-denial is any part of the gospel, an eminent divine, can have no wish with regard to the figure, pride and pomp of life, but to be placed out of every appearance of it: and if the highest in divine knowledge are not the foremost in poverty of spirit, and the outward humility of Christ and his apostles; if they desire to have a dignity of worldly figure, to have respect by any other means than by a divine evangelical spirit and conversation, and are not content with all the contempt that such a life can expose them to, they may be _great scholars_, but they are _little divines_, and are wanting in that which is the chief part of the ministers of Jesus Christ. The next thing I said to the young clergy, was this; “Consider yourselves _merely_ as the messengers of God, that are sent into the world _solely_ on his errand; and think it happiness enough that you are called to the same business for which the Son of God was born into the world.” _p._ 81.