nation and appointment, that they should be "a sweet savour of Christ, both in them that are saved, and in them that perish;" by a manifestation of the truth," commending themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." And who is sufficient for these things? They are not sufficient in themselves, to think any thing as of themselves: all their sufficiency is the grace, the operation, the gift of Him who holdeth the seven stars in His hand. One may indeed plant, and another may water; but He only can give the increase. They can see nothing more of the truth than that proportion of it, be it greater or less, which is especially revealed to them from heaven: they can only speak it, as they are moved by the Holy Ghost; and, indeed, all that they can call their ministerial "treasure," they have "in earthen vessels," frangible, and corruptible bodies, that the whole "power," the whole effect of their calling, may be evidently of God, and not of themselves. These, my brethren, I conceive, are most humbling considerations, as well for those who declare the gospel, as for those to whom it is declared: considerations which

place in their proper light the mistaken views of those people, who think and speak of the ministerial office as if it were something upon which men might arrogantly and confidently presume. These considerations show the importance of sincere, constant, and devoted prayer on the part of the whole church, that the dispensers of the gospel may indeed be "separated unto their work whereto they are called;" that utterance may be given to them to make "known the mystery of the gospel; and that therein they may speak boldly, as they ought to speak."

Now, the preaching of the religion of Jesus Christ appears to comprise many particulars, which may be summed up under two heads-faithfulness to Him whose religion it is; and faithfulness to those to whom it is proposed. "Let a man," says the apostle St. Paul, "so account of us, as the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." By being faithful to God, I would understand, amongst other things, a full and unreserved and unqualified declaration of all the peculiar truths of the gospel. In this age of

religious declension, there are many power. ful inducements to shrink from an obliga tion like this. The natural mind of man does not like, because it does not understand, and cannot enter into, these peculiar truths; and very strong temptations exist to flatter and gratify the natural mind. May God ever defend His ministering servants from a conformity so awfully unprincipled! It is not to be denied, that the doctrines by which our blessed Saviour's religion is especially distinguished, are those which men are most reluctant to receive. The Scriptures state this fact in the plainest and most unequivocal language: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him." There is a denial of these truths, or if not a denial, at least a keeping of them in the back ground; and a torturing and a straining of the Scriptures, with a view of making them conformable to the ideas of worldly-minded men, not uncommon at this day, which only serve to show how much our religion is degenerated from the religion of our forefathers, who certainly were not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

It is thus that the Lord Jesus, who is the beginning, the middle, and the end of Bible truth, is most dangerously lost sight of; and men are raised to become their own saviours, and venture to speak of their own. holiness, and their own works. May it ever be given to those, my brethren, who shall stand before you, to advocate, with a single eye to the glory of Christ, in your salvation, those great and peculiar doctrines which form such a grand and glorious constellation in the firmament of holy writ; and which, with such admirable wisdom, are embodied in the Articles and Homilies, and form the groundwork of all the devotional offices of our established communion! May it ever be their desire and their prayer and their endeavour to set forth the whole counsel of God:" in exclusive reliance upon that Arm which is not shortened, that it cannot save; the strength of which is perfected in their weakness, so that they

may rather glory in their infirmities, while the power of Christ rests upon

them !"

But the preaching of the gospel includes also, as another of its grand constituent

parts, faithfulness in regard to those to whom it is delivered. By faithfulness, in this view of it, we may understand, not only an open and undisguised declaration of the doctrines and obligations of the gospel, but an attempt, by every Scriptural means, to convince men of their sins, and to bring the conviction closely home to their hearts and to their consciences. And not only so, but also a searching and a probing for sin, in the hearts of the Lord's people themselves, and a display of it before their eyes, in order that they may be increasingly persuaded that their salvation is not in themselves, but in the Saviour only, who, by such discoveries, becomes more and more precious in their esteem. It is no part of the duty of the ministers of Christ, to conceal from those to whom they speak, the things which they believe to be standing in the way of their eternal salvation. Rather does it concern them to represent those hindrances in the most vivid colours. If they could see the judgments of God falling on the heads of those whom they are under every obligation to love, and yet remain silent, and give them no warning, truly they