organizations enabling pastors confined to a particular charge, still to make their influence felt, through the benefactions of their people, to the ends of the world? Moving in their respective orbits, their attraction operates and their light shines through the whole system. In adopting a narrow, selfish policy, the moral energies of a minister are prostrated, his viewsbecome more and more contracted, until, if he survives to ad vanced years, his solicitude converges to a point upon himself and his family," what shall they eat, what they shall drink, and wherewithal they shall be clothed," an ambassador of God transformed into a shrivelled spectre of worldly anxiety.

III. The VARIETY of DISPOSITIONS and CHARACTERS of persons to be conciliated, requires a knowledge not only of the prominent features, but of the minute shades of human nature-a knowledge attainable only by close observation, deep reflection and long experience.

The lurking prejudices of early education and habits, and the views originating in the occupations and pursuits of life, are to be detected. In the feelings of unsuspecting youth, of manhood, and of decrepid age, the minister must sympathize, weeping with them that weep, and rejoicing with them that rejoice. Yet this spirit of accommodation, this wisdom of the serpent, is not to prevail at the expense of the harmlessness of the dove. Not an article of his divine commission may be compromised, nor an item of truth yielded to the adversary. For the purpose of exposing the hearts of individuals, the sagacity here referred to was often exhibited by the Saviour. Take for example the young man who had kept the whole law from his youth up: "Yet," said Christ, "one thing thou lackest; sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow me." By this simple application to the ruling passion, without a harsh word, the legalist's deficiency was disclosed. He went away sorrowful. So to call into exercise the pious emotions of the woman who besought the Lord to heal her daughter, at first he seemed not to notice her. As she continued her importunity he said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs." This apparently cold repulse broke up the fountains of her religious sensibility, and humility and faith flowed forth in the expression, "Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table." The usefulness and success of a minister depend, in a great degree, under God, upon this nice adaptation of truth to characters.

IV. As a minister would hope for SUCCESS, let him give himself wholly to his work. The divine blessing upon our labors is usually proportioned to our devotedness. From lips that kiss an idol, exhortations fall powerless; while a conviction on

the part of an audience that their preacher counts all things but dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, imparts weight to all he says and does. A faithful minister

may doubtless have reason to mourn over the spiritual barrenness of his congregation; what else can an unfaithful minister expect? The example or one who resolves to know nothing but Christ and him crucified is a living sermon more powerful than words can express. To truth thus communicated, people cannot long remain indifferent. God gives increase to the planting and watering-not of Judas Iscariot, but of Paul and Apollos.

V. The remembrance of what CHRIST has endured to introduce on earth the ministry of reconciliation, should prove an incitement to exclusive devotion in his service. Does the love of applause, of worldly honor and of personal ease, tempt the minister to unfaithfulness? Let him visit the manager of Bethlehem and the cold mountains where at midnight his Master's prayers were offered; let him contemplate the Son of God sitting in the lowly habitations of poverty, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, often not having where to lay his head; let him mark the readiness of the Saviour to resist every clamorous demand of appetite, every impulse of nature, that he might please Him on whose errand of mercy he became incarnate and entered our world. Yet when duty called he could urge his passage through a host of foes. On his way to Jerusalem going up to suffer death, he went before his disciples, and in the garden of Gethsemane, where the vitals of his Father's wrath against sin were poured upon his head, though shrinking humanity exclaimed, let this cup pass me," he auded, "nevertheless, (how much that word nieant ! "nevertheless," notwithstanding all I endure, this bloody sweat, these excruciating agonies" not my will, but thine be done." Through mockery and insult was he led to the execution, as a lamb to the slaughter; reviled and not reviling. As a sheep before the shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. From his first breath in the manger to his last gasp on the cross, his aim was one; and never aid the expiatory victim start back from the altar. Shall such a Saviour be put off with half our heart or half our services? Has he not a claim to our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind? From the heights of Calvary there comes a voice, servant of the living God, minister of Christ, give thyself wholly to the work.

VI. What infinite CONSEQUENCES are connected with the ministry! "We are," says the apostle, "a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish; to the one we are a savor of life unto life, and to the other a savor of death unto death. Who is sufficient for these things ?" The

minister of Christ deals with souls that are to exist through eternity. His labors are consummated in the bliss of heaven or in the miseries of hell. When time shall be no more, his name will be pronounced with gratitude or with execrations. Are such responsibilities to be thoughtlessly assumed or partially met?

VII. In view of the solemn ACCOUNT to be rendered at the bar of God, let the minister give himself wholly to his work. The day of judgment, to all an occasion of intense interest, will be peculiarly so to him who has been ordained to watch for souls. There will he meet the people of his charge, whether his ministrations contributed to their salvation or to their ruin. What an interview! Against the unfaithful minister what allegations will be preferred! To redeem the souls with whom he trifled, the blood of Him who now sits as Judge was poured out like water. How will one look of that Judge wither his strength! Unreproved, unwarned, were dying sinners left to go on in their trangrassions, and there stands the murderer who inflicted eternal death !

"He swore in sight of God

"And man to preach his Master, Jesus Christ,
"Yet preach'd himself; he swore that love of souls
"Alone had drawn him to the church, yet strewed

The path that led to hell with tempting flowers;

"And in the ears of sinners, as they took

The way to death he whispered peace.

"He has a wolf in clothing of the lamb,
"That stole into the fold of God, and on

"The blood of souls, which he did sell to death,
"Grew fat."

Lift thy head, devoted minister of Jesus, from thy longpressed pillow in the grave, and shout, for thy redemption is come !-While we sojourned on earth, he approved himself "in much patience, in affliction, in necessities, in distresses, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report,"-and now the vintage is come, and the fruits of his toils are to be gathered for eternal life; the award to be apportioned by the Master whom he conscientiously and devoutly served. The tenderness which distinguished the demeanor of the Saviour toward his disciples in his humiliation-those looks of familiar kindness-will still prevail above the rigid features of justice, as he says to the self-denying minister, I was an hungered and you gave me meat, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in, sick and in prison and you came unto me. No law of nature is more firmly fixed than the affection of Christ to his children. Suns may be extinguished and worlds

annihilated, but the fire of redeeming love can never go out. Whether accused as a culprit at the bar of Pilate, or sitting as a judge to decide the destiny of the universe, whether mocked upon a cross or adored upon a throne, the Saviour's language to the daughter of Zion is,-thou has ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse. And on beholding the wounds in the hands, upon the temples, and in the side of his Redeemer, will not the approved minister of Christ, as he stands to be judged in the company of prophets, apostles, and martyrs, exclaim with Thomas, in tones of overflowing love and gratitude, "My Lord and my God," when saw I thee an hungered and gave thee meat, or thirsty and gave thee drink, a stranger and took thee in, or sick and in prison and came unto thee? From domes of worldly pomp, the votaries of wealth and fame may look sarcastically down upon the unassuming pastor in his peregrinations from house to house, speaking of Jesus and his salvation, comforting the sick and the afflicted, sustaining the feeble hands and the tottering knees; but how will it be at the judgment day? Who will be regarded as the wise man then?

What a divine employment is the Christian ministry! what an enviable character a faithful ambassador of the Saviour! how sublime his motives, how heavenly his hopes! whether on his knees in his closet, or over his books in his study; whether urging the claims of God from the pulpit or at the firesides of his people, his labors have reference to results unseen an eternal-crowns of glory that fade not away, for himself and for others-religion his business, God his portion, his shield, his exceeding great reward.

And is the world's regeneration, under God, committed entirely to the ministry? Has the CHURCH nothing to do? In order to the success of the ministry, the co-operation of the friends of the Redeemer, is indispensable. Without it, the hands of a pastor are comparatively weak. Nor do I allude here merely to a pecuniary competence, without which, of course, he cannot give himself wholly to his work. Such provision may be cheerfully made by a people, and yet assistance far more important be withheld.

Not a few who are accustomed to lead in social prayer-meetings, while almost every thing, from the river to the ends of the earth, is remembered, offer not a passing petition to God for their pastor; an omission it is to be feared resulting from a similar negligence in the closet; for what chiefly interests our minds in retirement will not be uniformly forgotten in public. How can a blessing be expected to follow the ministrations of the word, when the interest felt is too little to induce us to ask? Strange that the most efficient instrumentality appointed of God for saving sinners should be forgotten,

With a view to call the attention of a negligent people to this duty, a pastor once preached from the text- Brethren, pray for us." Before a week elapsed he had evidence in his own experience, that the evil had ceased. He was strengthened in the inner man; his heart was drawn out toward Zion; and the next Sabbath the people percieved, from the increased fervor in his public performance, that their supplications had been heard. Would to God that Christians knew how much they lose by not praying for their minister; selfishness itself would lead to a reform.

Christians moreover may help their minister by visiting and conversing from house to house. By these visits a variety of desirable objects, all connected with the pastor's work, may be accomplished. Destitute families may be supplied with the Bible; temperance pledges may be taken; children may be gathered into Sabbath-schools; such as neglect public worship may be induced to attend church; sinners may be arrested in their mad career to endless death, and brought to consideration, and, through the influence of the Holy Ghost, to repenThe gospel-leaven is thus diffused through a community; and until each Christian shall thus say to his neighbor and to his brother, "know the Lord," he will not be savingly known by all from the least to the greatest. Such Christian effort, systematically and periodically performed, is the pastor's strength, the church's life, and, under God, the sinner's hope.

Above all things let a minister be sustained in doing his work faithfully. In the animadversions of worldly men against plain and cutting exhibitions of truth let members of the church never join. Ministers may doubtless err; but too much zeal, if well directed, for the salvation of souls, is hardly possible. While sinners remain unconverted-exposed to hell, put no damper upon the ardor of your minister. Knowing the terrors of the Lord, let him persuade men; let him lift up his voice like a trumpet, and spare not. Sinners have but one probation, and if that be neglected they are gone for ever. Whether they will hear or forbear the whole truth without disguise, must be proclaimed. Nay, though the professing disciples of Christ should cry, hold-as a minister of Christ, he must do his duty-fulfil his commission. An awful account has he to render; tempt him not to heal the hurt of the people slightly. No, brethren, help him to press the weapon home to the conscience; all is depending-eternity is at stake; 'tis but an hour, and every thing is lost or gained. But I forbear! Other duties might be specified; for indeed there is scarcely a department of labor where a pastor may not, either directly or indirectly, be aided by his church, or where