Are You a Good Minister or a Bad Minister? Thomas Hodges Explains...

The Necessity, Dignity and Duty of Gospel Ministers – by Thomas Hodges (1600-1672).

Thomas Hodges (1600-1672) was a fiery puritan, a Covenanter, a dedicated minister of the Gospel and an active member of the Westminster Assembly.

From Matthew 5:13, “Ye are the salt of the earth,” Hodges demonstrates remarkable clarity expounding the reality that ministers must be the salt of the earth.

He shows us that Christ teaches the disciples to be this preserving and medicinal agent for the good of the church. Good ministers are given to God’s people as a gift of mercy from Jesus Christ.

Hodges shows how Gospel ministers are necessary, and why their duty before God is so important in six areas: 1. Ministers are the salt of the earth, and that it is their duty to be savory salt. 2. It is possible that some ministers may prove to be unsavory salt. 3. By what means this salt becomes unsavory. 4. That this unsavory salt is hardly curable. 5. That in this condition it is useless and unprofitable. 6. That unsavory salt, or bad ministers, unfaithful in their office, are liable to ejection and contempt, or to be deprived and scorned, and to be trodden underfoot of men. He says that preachers must realize, being salt, that they are a preservative, and a medicinal, where their preaching must be sharp, truthful, biblical, doctrinal and applicable.

The Scriptures emphatically teach that ministers are gifts to God’s people in mercy, who have hearts that beat along with God’s for truth, who are one in a thousand, who are the salt of the earth, and who are necessary under the Gospel ministry. The ministry, then is the fulfillment promised by God through the Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, Jesus Christ, for the good of God’s people.

(This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.)

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Them? as in pastors are to be salt, and does this include the multitude?.... "And seeing the multitudes"

Sounds like good stuff. At the same time, probably one of the most important things ministers especially need to be reminded of is there's grace even for them too when they fail (Zech. 3). I know that's true for me.

earl40 said:

Them? as in pastors are to be salt, and does this include the multitude?.... "And seeing the multitudes"

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Hodges makes the case, as most of the commentators in his day, that this was directed to the disciples, "them". But towards the end of the work he also, graciously in his way, includes other commentators to be inclusive of "them" also.

JTB.SDG said:

Sounds like good stuff. At the same time, probably one of the most important things ministers especially need to be reminded of is there's grace even for them too when they fail (Zech. 3). I know that's true for me.

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This is true. Hodges, though, is not dealing with that as an issue. He is dealing with ministers, who, when they become unseasonable, i.e. they neglect, reject or are utterly ignorant of their duties in preaching properly and praying, that they become useless to the kingdom and are exposed to be "trodden underfoot" like saltless salt.

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