whilst the wicked are fellow-workers with the devil in promoting the destruction of souls.

We are also workmen generally; and it is our duty to be approved of God as such, as workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth'.

We are to be wise master-builders", who lay the true foundation of all doctrine, Jesus Christ, and him crucified; and who build on it gold, silver, precious stones.

But (2d), What does the Scripture say to these ministers? Thrice did our Lord say to Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? and thrice enjoined on him, as the greatest proof of that love, Feed my sheep, feed my lambs 8. The love of Christ is to be our supreme motive in our ministry, so that we may take delight in feeding his flock.

The same Apostle who received this command, speaks thus: The elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away. This address I have endeavoured to make my rule throughout my ministry. Especially consider the words -not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind-Lucre is always joined in the New Testament with the epithet filthy, and is always used of ministers, pointing out one principal snare to which they would be exposed.

Again, St. Paul said to the elders of Ephesus, Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers—that is, bishops —for it is agreed, I believe, that the word was used at first both of bishops and elders-to feed the flock purchased with his own blood-for grievous wolves would enter in, not sparing the flock; and of their own selves would men

arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

But I must forbear. I will only quote two or three passages more from the Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus-Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee........ Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear unto all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine: continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.

Again, But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness 3.

Lastly, In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you a.

My brethren, I would magnify mine office, though I would abase myself. The work of the ministry appears to me so great, that nothing else comparatively seems worth doing. Christ would not lead an army, nor divide an inheritance, nor be made a king, nor sit in the great council of his nation; but he would preach the Gospel to the poor.

This Gospel tends immediately to promote all that is good and praiseworthy among men. It not only teaches men to save their souls, but it makes them good subjects, obedient servants, faithful friends, upright tradesmen, just and equal masters. It does more to bind men to each other by the strongest bonds of moral obligation, and thus to preserve good order in civil society, than parliaments, and laws, and magistrates, and prisons. gentleman of large landed property lately declared, that on one of his estates the people were quiet, and sober, and industrious, and were never disposed to injure his property; whilst on another they were turbulent and

Acts, xx. 28-30. 31 Tim. vi. 11.

21 Tim. iv. 12-16.
4 1 Titus, ii. 7.

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profligate, and idle, and injurious. And he publicly confessed, that the difference arose from the one people having the instruction of faithful, pious ministers, and the other not. If pure Christianity were universally known and obeyed, the whole face of human society would be changed.

But, who is sufficient for these things for preaching a doctrine so pure, for living a life so holy, for answering the demands which the passages I have quoted clearly make on them? Especially when we consider further, that all this is to be done by them in a wicked and corrupt world. When men in general are engaged in a great and arduous work, they commonly are supported by the honour and praise of men. Fame is their stimulus and reward. But we have often to preach the Gos pel, under hardship, ill-usage, and misrepresentation. We have to go through evil report and through good report. We have to bear the calumny and unkindness of men, for declaring the very truths which our Articles require us to preach, and which we have solemnly promised to preach. And in return, we are to arm ourselves with meekness, patience, prudence, and fortitude. To persevere in faithfully preaching the Gospel, requires more courage and boldness than to be a hero, and as much meekness and willingness to endure suffering as a martyr.

But I must not dwell longer on these points; I come, secondly, to consider who we are that are employed about these things. Whom does God commission to preach the Gospel?

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Not angels-though we might have thought that this office would best have become them-but us men. gels could not have spoken in the same manner as sinners, who had tasted the bitterness of sin, and the sweetness of mercy. We, my brethren, whom God condescends to use, are of the same nature as yourselves, born in sin, children and vessels of wrath in ourselves; vessels of mercy by the alone grace of God. We were enemies and alienated in our minds by wicked works; but God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, and sent us to say to our fellow-sinners, Be ye also reconciled to God.

We are men of like passions with you; not men of like passions in the sense of being men under the influence of sinful affections like the worst of mankind, but men of the same fallen nature with you; the same evil propensities, the same appetites, the same sin dwelling in them, the same dislike of shame, hardship, reproach, and pain, as others; men just like others, except as the grace of God has made them to differ, and as they possess qualifications for their peculiar work.

But many of us have not been like Samuel, John the Baptist, and Timothy, who served God from their earliest infancy, and entered on their ministry with all the advantages of long habits of piety, and with a previous stock of knowledge, and who had happily been preserved from sinful habits and connexions. Many of us have entered the ministry with corrupt and worldly motives, and have afterwards been awakened to a sense of our duties. Or, if we have begun our ministry in some measure aright, yet we have to look back with shame on our youth wasted in folly and sin; and thus, though we have to adore that grace of God which first converted and pardoned us, and then condescended to send us out for the conversion and salvation of others; yet we have to lament opportunity and time lost beyond recovery, and mischief done to ourselves and others.

The reason why we have this treasure of the Gospel in earthen vessels is, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of man; and this excellency often appears most clearly when the frailty and weakness of the instrument are most apparent, perhaps even when the vessel itself is broken to pieces. Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called. There are a few ministers in every age who are men of considerable talents and learning, and some have natural powers of persuasion and eloquence; but in general ministers are men of an ordinary stamp, and not remarkable for genius, learning or accomplishments. I doubt much whether St. Paul had the extraordinary genius which it is the fashion to ascribe to him. He was undoubtedly a man of sound understanding, a conclusive reasoner; and capable of delivering his message in a commanding and most impressive manner. The force of his language is

also at times surprising. But he does not appear to me to have been a man of brilliant genius and first-rate talents. He tells us himself that he was rude in speech. This plainness of speech arose, no doubt, in part from his determining to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified; but I confess I see nothing in his natural endowments beyond what was solid and manly. I find something like the energy of Demosthenes in his writings, but little of the splendid genius of some other writers.

In this indeed I may be wrong; but it is quite certain that the ministers of God in general are not men of very great learning or attainments, as to worldly matters. God never indeed sent a man on a message who was naturally incompetent to the delivery of it, and all means of study and improvement are to be diligently used; but our trust is not in the flesh; we claim no human ability or skill, but are content to be poor and lowly.

If there are two ministers; the one brilliant and admired, the other of inferior parts, but fervent devotion; the more pious man will on the whole be decidedly the most useful-and for this plain reason, that the excellency of the power is of God, and not of men.

Still, if we united all the wisdom of Solomon with all the meekness of Moses, and all the courage and zeal of St. Paul; if we possessed, besides, all the talents and learning and powers of persuasion-and, what is more, all the holiness and love to the Saviour of all the saints in every age; we might even yet well exclaim, Who is sufficient for these things?

I come now to show, thirdly,

The effect which these considerations should have, not to dismay us, but to humble us, and to teach us that our sufficiency is of God.

What we have been stating should not lead to despondency or distress, but should quicken us from our sloth and self-dependence, and show us where our sufficiency must be, and excite us to diligence and prayer. You cannot derive your sufficiency from universities and schools of learning; nor, on the other hand, from an untaught genius which despises them. It is not the learning, nor the want of learning, which is dangerous in itself.