Today we start a new section where Perkins teaches us about pastorate using the vision of God from Isaiah 6:5-9.
Firstly in Chapter One we learn about Isaiah's fear and amazement as a minister of God. Perkins encourages us to have the same fear as pastors. Thus Perkins teaches us that the signs of godly fear are:
(ii) a note of extreme dejection about himself, 'I am undone'.
Secondly Perkins starts to teach us the two causes for Isaiah's fear which should be our causes too. We look at the first one this week, the second one will remain for next week.
So Perkins explains that the first cause for Isaiah's amazement is that he was an unclean man, and dwelt among unclean people.
I appreciated Perkins' comments about the minister's conscience: 'From this we learn, first of all, what a tender conscience godly ministers should have. They must make a matter of conscience not only of great and offensive sins, but even of the lowest and least sins. A minister must endeavour in his calling not only to be free of great crimes, but as far as possible be free from the least expression of evil and the least negligence. For a small fault in other men is a great one in ministers, and what may be a certain extent pardonable in other men is not so in them. They must therefore watch over themselves very carefully and guard all their ways. With this in view, a minister in godly wisdom must often deprive himself even of things which it may be lawful for him to use, lest his liberty be an occasion of evil to others. He must abstain from the least sins lest they be blemishes to his calling, and burdens to his conscience. Consequently a minister cannot be too careful about his words, diet, company, recreation, apparel, gestures, and his whole bearing because little sins are magnified in him.'
With great privilege comes great responsibility.
Conclude Chapter 1 (The vision of God).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment