hinted, in the early part of this discourse, at the necessity of "taking heed to ourselves," lest attention to the work of our ministry should injure or destroy our own personal Christianity. But there is not necessarily any discord between the two; but rather a friendly harmony, when each is in its proper place. For the subject of the minister's work is the same with that of his people's. And he, above all other men, is called on to take heed to himself; to watch and be sober; to be careful of his heart and intentions, that all be pure and spiritual, "giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed." No man, in any work to which he is called, is under so strict a necessity of" adorning the doctrine of his God and Saviour in all things." No man, therefore, stands in such urgent need of continual application to the throne of grace for the influence and assistance of the Holy Spirit to enable him to speak and to act consistently with his profession, and to fulfil the requirements of his solemn office, as the Minister of the Gospel. And thus, by a kind of necessary connection, as means to an end, does faithfulness in the ministry further the minister's own salvation. The very duty in which we are engaged in ministering to others, if faithfully and consistently discharged, has this blessed result attached to it-"Thou shalt save thyself." And, indeed, this is but in accordance with those gracious promises of Scripture,-promises true to all real Christians, -but especially true as regards the faithful minister of Christ," He that watereth shall be watered also himself." "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

But the motive-"So

Apostle encourages us by another doing, thou shalt save them that hear thee." The great end of our preaching, and of the work of the ministry in general, whether in our public

or private ministrations, is the salvation of souls; the winning of souls to Christ. This is to be regarded by us as the one great object of our mission; not in a spirit of rivalry to bring men over from one particular communion to another, but to bring them out of a state of nature into a state of grace; out of darkness and the shadow of death, into light and life everlasting: not in the spirit of the Sectarian, who confounds the circumstantials with the essentials of piety, to seek for converts to the mere externals of religion, but to make them acquainted with its spirit and its power in the conversion of their own souls; to lead them to the knowledge of the ever blessed truth as it is in Jesus, and thus to fit and prepare them for God's service on earth, and for the enjoyment of his presence in glory. Such is the end, such is the object of our vocation and ministry; nothing less than the salvation of those who hear us. Every other part of our teaching and ministry must be in subserviency to this. It is indeed wonderful that our God should have connected such a glorious end with such a mean instrumentality; that the salvation of immortal souls should be made to depend instrumentally on our ministry; that in this great business, not angels but men, the sons of earth, by nature the children of wrath even as others, should be selected to the high office of "workers together with God!" Yet so it is. Such is the divine appointment. It is through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ by our unworthy lips, God blessing the word by his Spirit, that our fellow-sinners repent, believe, and are saved. It pleases God by the "foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”—“ So doing thou shalt save them that hear thee; " thou shalt, by the Lord's blessing on thy ministry, be successful in converting sinners from the error of their ways and saving souls from death. And what does the Lord teach us by condescending to make use of such agency as ours "for gathering

together the sheep of Christ out of the midst of this naughty world that they may be saved through Christ for ever?" (Ordination Service.) What does he teach us, but that the success is his own, not ours?—that "neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." "We have this treasure," says St. Paul," in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, not of us." Still let us never forget the solemn truth revealed in Scripture, that though the power be of God, not of man, yet that in the purposes and operations of his grace, the eternal salvation of our hearers is made to depend instrumentally on our teaching and ministry; that as our unfaithfulness may prove the ruin of their souls, so our faithfulness may prove their salvation! What a motive have we here! what an encouragement to take heed to ourselves and to our doctrine! The salvation of our people is involved in it! To some of us is committed a larger, to some a smaller portion of the Lord's vineyard; but whatever it be, only let us be concerned to execute faithfully the trust committed to our care, and we have the promise of God, that we shall have " souls for our hire." If we should be the means of saving but one soul from the horrors of eternal death, of winning but one soul to Christ, this would be a sufficient recompence for all the toils and trials, the contempt and opposition, we may have met with in our ministry. But what minister of the Gospel is there, who is at all faithful to his trust, who is not made the honoured though unworthy instrument of the salvation of many more than one. Few are the devoted ministers of Christ who are not permitted to see evidence, even here, of this blessed result of their labours. Few, whose fainting hearts it does not please the great Lord of the harvest to gladden with that joy even here, which is felt in Heaven over a sinner that repenteth; and to cheer and encourage with the bright

reward of another and another gem to be added to their eternal crown "in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming." But what, though these precious tokens of our success be few while we are on earth; what, though we labour long, and see but little fruit while we live, still, let not the really faithful minister be discouraged. Still, let him labour on, and be assured that the seed which he sows in faith, in hope, in prayers, in tears, shall not be sown in vain. If mindful of his trust, he be watching for souls, taking heed to himself and to his doctrine; if in faith, though in much weakness, he be sincerely and earnestly labouring for the salvation of souls, such a shepherd shall not be disappointed of his hope, he shall not lose the pastor's crown. Let this assurance animate and encourage us while we are engaged in the work which the Lord hath assigned us. In the midst of many difficulties, and it may be of rebuke and blasphemy, we still have in the nature of our work, and in the promise of its success, enough to cheer, support, and comfort us. God has never forsaken those who faithfully serve him. He will not forsake us. We must, indeed, the very best of us, see enough in our past ministrations,—our deficiencies, our failures, our unworthiness, our guilt, to fill us with shame and humiliation, and to make us say "enter not into judgment with thy servants, O Lord;" "if thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who could abide it ?" But, blessed be God, the work is His own, and he will prosper it. The mercy of the Saviour will pardon all our lamented imperfections and sins, and his strength shall be perfected in our weakness. Blessed, too, be God, the recompence we look for is of grace, not of debt. The Lord will graciously accept, and graciously reward our services for his name's sake, as he will graciously pardon their sins, so that not one work or labour of love will be forgotten. Encouraged, then, by these con

siderations, animated by these hopes, let us not be weary in our work, knowing that in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Let us be "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord."

And now, my reverend brethren, in concluding these remarks, for the length of which I have to claim your indulgence, let me invite you, and all here assembled, to unite with me in prayer to the God of all grace, that he would be pleased to pour out upon us, his unworthy ministers, the healthful spirit of his grace, that we may indeed "take heed to ourselves and to our doctrine;" that we may be ourselves examples of the value of those principles which we would impart to others; "building up ourselves" and our people on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Thus, receiving Christ into our own hearts, and making him known to others, may we rely on the sure word of promise, that we shall both save ourselves and them that hear us.

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