cern. No more agency should be employed than is abso-lutely necessary. But some must be employed to sustain and carry forward the work. And it is the best policy, the cheapest in the end, to employ agency enough. Without it, every thing will be embarrassed and retarded. There is, therefore, an absolute necessity of agency in any concern, and this must be in proportion to the greatness of the work to be accomplished. Says a distinguished clergyman, well acquainted with these subjects, "I am decided in my opinion, that Agents must be employed in promoting the great objects of benevolent enterprize at the present day. Means must be used, or the Christian community will not patronize these objects as they ought to do. Information must be given, and motives must be presented, or, the good work will not be prosecuted with the desired liberality. For this purpose, we want general and subordinate agents."

III. What is the nature of that agency required in the benevolent efforts of Christians in the present day? It is various. And it ought ever to be exactly such as is needed, such as will most effectually carry forward the enterprize. This subject may be illustrated in a single case. Take for instance the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. There is business for a Secretary. He must record all the to the correspondence. on him. There is business for an Editor. He must collect, digest, write, and prepare for the Missionary Herald what is published in it, from month to month. There is business for an Agent. It is his duty to organize the community into Societies, and to collect funds for the benefit of the Institution. He must take the oversight of this matter, and, if the Churches will not discharge their duty in contributing to the object without it, he must visit them,

doings of the Society and attend These duties peculiarly devolve

and address them on this subject. There is business for a Treasurer. He is to attend to the fiscal concerns of the Society. For every thing of a financial nature he is responsible. Now, if the Treasury department requires the time of one man, that service must be rendered or the enterprize cannot go forward. So in regard to the office of General Agent, the Editor, or Secretary. Whatever the business is, a man must be set apart for its accomplishment, and the time he is to occupy in the service, will be in proportion to the magnitude of the work to be performed. If the business be not too much for him to perform, one person may discharge the duty, naturally devolving on the Secretary and General Agent, or upon the Secretary and Editor, or a part of his time may be employed in some other way. The services attached to. these several offices must be performed. There is a connexion in the whole. Should one part of this work be neglected, the others will in time be deranged, just as the machinery of a factory would be thrown into disorder, if an important wheel should be removed. Such is the connexion and dependence of the different parts of one of our benevolent Societies, that if one part is touched the whole will be affected. Of this nature are some of the agencies to be performed in the Foreign Missionary Society. A great variety of other duties and services might be mentioned; but it is not necessary for my present purpose to descend to these particulars. Somewhat similar agencies are required in most of our benevolent institutions. These vary according to the nature and object of the Society.

IV. My next point of consideration, is the plan, or method of efforts, for sustaining and advancing the Christian enterprizes of the day.

Various methods have been adopted, and various methods will no doubt continue to be adopted, to instruct, im

press, and excite the Christian community in respect to the benevolent movements of the churches. Perhaps no one is so good as the following: Let the whole country be organized as shall be most convenient, into one great Society for each benevolent enterprize. This is very important for many reasons. A great Society will always command more respect, than a small one. There is something imposing in its very nature. Its influence is happy. It serves to unite and consolidate the whole community, to produce, more generally, brotherly love, and to impart strength and energy to its movements. There should be not only a National Society, but also State Branches-County Auxiliaries and Parish Associations.— The minister of each parish, assisted by the officers of the Associations, or, where none such exist, by a committee of gentlemen and a committee of ladies, chosen annually by the church, should manage the concerns of the Society within their limits. Distinguished laymen, as well as clergymen, should take an active part in the work. Here let it be remembered, that where suitable individuals can be found, different persons ought to be appointed as officers of these several societies. For while every officer should feel interested in all the benevolent movements of the present day, yet those who are to take the most active parts should possess a holy zeal, a sort of religious enthusiasm in the particular object for which they are severally engaged in order to accomplish the greatest amount of good. No individual can be devoted, as he ought to be, to more than one object of this nature at the same time. The labor and expense of such services will also be more justly apportioned; and, as ordinarily they are gratuitous, they ought to be divided, and more persons will be brought to engage actively, publicly, and particularly in the great enterprizes for the conversion of the world. This will

be also a school, in which to train them up for active services in these benevolent efforts. It is in vain to think of keeping up, for any length of time, an interest in the minds of the community, in relation to any benevolent operation, unless some organization of this nature exists. The Secretary of each County Society should have a superintendance of its affairs, and see that all due efforts are made on behalf of this cause. If he cannot attend to it, one or two ministers should be appointed annually to visit, during the year, the several towns, by exchanging with his brethren in the ministry, and present the subject fully before the people, and make what efforts may be deemed best in reference to the cause. In this way, objections to travelling agents will be removed, little or no expense will be incurred, the ministers who engage in this service will become better acquainted with the subject, and more deeply interested in it, and the people will be informed and excited to greater efforts on behalf of this cause. Says a devoted servant of Christ,“ Every minister should be a subordinate agent, without fee or reward, to act in his own parish, and in a neighboring one that is destitute of a pastor; and he should feel himself bound to exert his influence, and lay out his strength in the good cause. How can he better promote the spiritual interest of his own people, than by doing it. To water others is the way to be watered themselves. The general Agent will find much depending on his influence with the ministers, and so far as he can insure their active co-operation, he saves the expense of agents, prevents prejudices against the cause on account of expense, and promotes a greater willingness to contribute." These labors, with what efforts may be made in a general way, attended by a particular supervision of the whole concern, will best accomplish the object in view. Occasionally, the Secretary of

the Branch or Parent Society, or some agent, should visit the different County Auxiliaries, or Parish Associations, for the purpose of exciting them to greater efforts. "Every minister," remarks the above named clergyman, "will feel himself much aided by a visit from a general Agent, or by hearing him advocate, the cause on some public occasion. For this purpose, the general Agent should attend the annual meetings of Auxiliaries, either of Counties, or States, with a view of exciting a fresh impulse in favor of the cause, and also visit the principal, or more important places, for the same purpose." Each branch should be regularly organized, and have its public officers. These should discharge the duties incumbent on them. The national institution should have its complete organization, and its public functionaries, suited to the several and various services. The preceding remarks will apply to all the great benevolent National Societies. And, whether Parish Associations, County Auxiliaries, Branch Societies, or national institutions; these should celebrate their anniversaries at the same time and together. And then to these religious festivals the people would go up as did the Jews to the great festival at Jerusalem. On these occasions, large assemblies would ordinarily convene, and in every point of view, they would be most profitable seaThese anniversaries would be means of grace. A happy, powerful, and spiritual impulse would be given.

sons.

In the prosecution of agencies on behalf of these charitable institutions, great precaution should be taken, or much evil will arise, from an interference of one agent with another. If there is no concert in action between the different agents, there will be, at times, absolute confusion in their operations. Let a case be supposed, (and a case that may occur,) An agent for Foreign Missions preaches in a certain place in reference to his subject, say