ΤΟ THE RIGHT REVEREND THE LORD BISHOP OF LINCOLN, AND THE CLERGY OF THE DEANERIES OF HITCHIN AND BALDOCK, This Sermon, PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, BY THEIR FAITHFUL BROTHER IN CHRIST, SAMUEL HINDS. SERMO N. JOHN XVI. 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. I WISH to observe, that these words are the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that they were spoken only a few hours before his death; and that the persons to whom he was addressing himself were his Apostles-the representatives of his church-his then church. I specify these points, not because I suppose any one here to be ignorant of them, but because on them will turn much of what I have to say about the words themselves. We naturally ask, on reading these words, what those many things were, which He, who came to be" the light of the world," had not made known to his disciples almost up to the time of his quitting the world? Did he ever make them known? When? How? - We naturally ask another question too, What he meant by his disciples not being able to bear being told these "many things?" Before we enter, however, upon either of these inquiries, in order that you may see at once the bearing I intend them to have on the occasion of our meeting here to-day, I must request your attention to one particular view of our Lord's life and ministry. I must venture to claim for one particular view of our Lord's life and ministry more attention than is generally, I think, bestowed on it. He is our Saviour-our God-the one Mediator between God the Father and us all-the Author of all that is good in us, and the Pattern of every exertion we can make to perfect in us that righteousness which is his. But I wish you to consider him now as the great Example for the Christian Minister in his professional life. There can be no doubt, I think, that he designed to leave this impression of himself upon us? In fulfilling the common duties of life, He is the great Example of conduct for all Christians alike; but, as the Minister of his own Gospel |