2.  Christ hath appointed who shall preach the word.  “How shall they preach except they be sent?” Rom. x. 15.  The qualifications of preaching elders see in 1 Tim. iii. 2-8, and Tit. i. 5-9.

3.  Christ hath appointed how the word shall be preached.  “Be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine,” 2 Tim. iv. 2.  “That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince gainsayers,” Tit. i. 9.  “He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully:  what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?” Jer. xxiii. 28.

4.  Christ hath made many encouraging promises to the preaching of his word, which he would not have done, were it not his own ordinance.  “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you every day to the end of the world,” Matt, xxviii. 20.  “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,” Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18.  “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them:  and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained,” John xx. 23.  Both these are partly meant of doctrinal binding and loosing, remitting and retaining.  “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:  for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city,” Acts xviii. 9, 10.

3.  The catechetical propounding or expounding of the word, viz. a plain, familiar laying down of the first principles of the oracles of God, is an ordinance of Christ also.  For, 1.  This was the apostolical way of teaching the churches at the first plantation thereof.  “When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat,” Heb. v. 12.  “Therefore, leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God,” &c., Heb. vi. 1,2.  “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able,” 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. 2.  And this is the sense of pastor and people which the Holy Ghost useth, setting forth the reciprocal relation and office between them, with his own approbation.  “Let him that is catechized in the word, communicate to him that catechizeth him, in all good things,” Gal. vi. 6.

4.  The administration of the sacraments is of divine institution.

1.  Of baptism.  “He that sent me to baptize with water,” John i. 33.  “Go ye therefore, disciple ye all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” Matt, xxviii. 18-20.

2.  Of the Lord’s supper, which Christ ordained the same night in which he was betrayed:  which institution is at large described, 1 Cor. xi. 20, 23, &c.; Matt. xxvi. 26-31; Mark xiv. 22-27; Luke xxii. 19, 20.