channel. Curiosity has been fed, instead of faith and love, to the great injury of the Church. Let it be considered, that the real power of this great doctrine flows, not from its appurtenances, but from the believing apprehension of the event itself. Much care is needed, lest, in resting upon uncertain calculations, we loosen our foundation from the simple resting upon the testimony of God. The early Christians realized the nearness of the event even in the distant horizon, and that in the most safe and simple assurance. "Faith," was to them "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." This faith sees, as with the eye of God, "with whom a thousand years are as one day.” In the same faith we rejoice, that "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed," and, in the posture of constant readiness and "lively hope," we are loosed from earth; we have " our conversation in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus !" 3

4

Allow me to close with two or three practical recollections, which I pray God may enable me to apply to myself. There is no one among you that needs a word from God more than I do; and I never could stand up before you, if I did not look that God would speak to me the word that I am enabled to give to you. Well then, my dear friends, let us remember, The importance of living in the spirit of our Ministry. For, how clear is it, that, if we are living in this spirit, we must grow in grace, and in the the knowledge of Christ! Our work is to study Christ, in order that we may preach Christ. And, "in beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory." If, therefore, we are at a stand-still in our Ministry-if our statements are not marked by increasing fulness and unction, I fear that there is a neglect of the study of Christ; because we never can study him, without having the moulding of his Spirit in our souls, and communicating a rich mould upon our Ministrations. In the spirit of our work we should be like Moses, going up to God; receiving our message afresh from Him; and then, surely, when we stand up before our people, our faces would shine before them. Receiving much from God, we should impart more and more to our people, and thus we should grow and rejoice together. This is not the work of a single Sabbath, but of a whole life; and happy, indeed, is that life spent under the teaching of the Holy Spirit; learning to preach with more unction, love, more full and direct application to our people. The power of our Ministry is its simplicity, having only one object, living for this alone, subordinating every thing to it-Exalt Christ. All our privilege, dignity, happiness, centre here. This is the object for which we were separated, to which we were consecrated; the work in which we live, and in which we hope to "finish our course with joy." All our personal

1 Heb. xi. 1.
Rom. xiii. 11.

2 Phil. iii. 20.
42 Cor. iii. 18.

spirituality, all our ministerial effectiveness, depends, not upon talents, not upon adventitious endowments, not upon exemplary diligence and conscientiousness, but upon the singleness with which we devote every exercise of our mind, every feeling of our heart, every pulse of our soul, to this great object. A Divine influence will always be manifested on our character and message, only when we are simply devoted to exalt our Master. But this is not pulpit work, though it ought to be the work of every pulpit. It must be the exhibition of our characters before our people. We must be living epistles of our Ministry. Our people cannot understand our pulpit expositions, except as they are explained by our daily professions; and then, when they see the reflected holiness and happiness of the Gospel, what a mighty means will it be to draw them to the Saviour, and to bring them into union with him! But this is a spirit we cannot maintain, except as we are separate from the world. And here, I doubt not, you are involved in special difficulties. Obliged as you are, in the exercise of your rights (connected as they almost seem to be with the preservation of religion) to adhere to a party; what special care and watchfulness need you, to be separated from the spirit of party! As to the selfish politics of this world,-"Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth." Our Master's message is,-"Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou, and preach the kingdom of God." Ignorance of this country forbids me entering into detail, as to the spirit of your parochial Ministry. All that I would say is, that the Minister who is most full of tenderness, of yearning sympathy for the young, of affectionate confidence, self-devotedness to the interests of his people, is the Minister, who will make them one with himself, and win them most successfully to his Master.

I venture to add the importance of steadily prosecuting our work upon our own platform. One object of my desiring to see you was, under God to link myself with you in affectionate, increasing, intelligent attachment to our own Church. If a somewhat different system of discipline should open a door for Missionary preaching to our benighted countrymen, in consistency with canonical obedience and Christian consideration, I pray God to bless you a thousand-fold. Yet must you expect your love and ardency to be disciplined by many painful trials, and much patient waiting upon God. He openeth, and no man shutteth;"3 and I doubt not, but in diligently waiting upon Him, many a door that is now closed will be opened, and many stumbling-blocks that now hinder, will be removed. Meanwhile it is yours to listen to the word of wisdom, and the Word of God-"He that believeth will not make haste."4 Yet I cannot forbear reminding you of the importance of due "order" in a Christian Church. The sight of this was a matter of "joy" to the great Apostle, and with

good reason; for his own reflecting mind connected it with "stedfastness of faith in Christ." I feel there is great need of caution, lest a relaxation of discipline should produce a relaxation of the whole system. And, if you have greater liberty than your English brethren, you have so much greater need of watchfulness, lest it degenerate into disorder. I would entreat you to consider the importance of joining, with the full preaching of the Gospel, the distinct principles of your own Church-in the instruction of the young-in the circulation of proper tracts2-and in imbuing your sermons with the spirit and exposition of our formularies. In the defect of this, a generalized ministry in a country of political turmoil and hostility to the Church, may leave the next generations unprovided with any intelligent principles of attachment to the Establishment, and exposed to all the tossing instability and errors of Dissent. Be assured, you will never be fettered in preaching Christ, with such a system of doctrinal Articles as the foundation of your Gospel Ministrations. You never need fear your love to souls, or to the Saviour, being deadened, while you connect your specific ordination responsibilities, as Ministers of the Establishment, with the general dispensation of preaching the Gospel. I want no broader or more scriptural platform for preaching the Gospel, than the platform of the Church of England. I feel most thankful to my God for this definite ground. It saves me from wandering on the wide field of unsettled error, and affords the privilege of identifying myself with all the sympathies of my dear brethren in this country, who are living and working, serving God, and exalting Christ in the same interest with myself.

One more consideration, and I have done. I cannot forget to add a few words upon the special trials of your Ministry. As a Church, you are in the furnace, "heated" perhaps, seven times more than it is wont to be heated." But, be that as it may, "the Son of God is walking with you in the midst of the furnace,” and “not a hair of your heads shall perish." You are in the front of the fight, and you are called upon to descend from your lesser conflicts to the great battle of the Lord. You must stand on your principles-Love to Romanists, but no peace with Rome. Here you are prepared to suffer, yea, even to " resist unto blood, striving against sin."3 But though the conflict is awful, the victory is sure. The field is spread with the marks of defeat; but you are on the

1 Col. ii. 5.

* I name a few from the new list of the Christian Knowledge Society :-No. 51, “ Our Protestant Forefathers;" No. 71, "Oxford Catechism;" No. 424, "Wilks's Dialogues;" No. 448. "Nicholl's Sunday-school Exercises;" No. 464," Hey's Authority of a Threefold Ministry;" No. 500, "The Church, the Nursing Mother of her People." "The Homilies." I add, also, a popular tract, to be obtained at Messrs. Curry and Co's.-"I am a Churchman," for the use of the younger and unlearned members of the Church, by the Rev. Hugh Stowell.

3 Heb. xii. 4.

conquering side. The mystical "seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." Meanwhile, let me remind you that an enlarged Missionary spirit would greatly invigorate the principles, and strengthen the foundations of your own Church. Smyrna was the Church of Ireland in the primitive era. This was the Church, that, in the midst of her afflictions, sent her little band of martyrs across the Atlantic into Gaul. And this is the single Church of the Apocalyptic seven, that remaineth unto this day. Let the Church of Ireland read the lesson, and "go and do likewise."

As to your more individual trials, live as Christians, and you will not be much discouraged as Ministers. "The life of faith on the Son of God" will strengthen you to "fight the good fight of faith." Every thing ministers to humiliation-nothing to despondency. We have such a Ministry, and we have received such mercy, that how can we faint ?2 Remember, it is your privilege to rejoice in hope. Trials will come, but they will issue in a rich and abundant harvest. They will cast us off from ourselves upon our God. They will bring us nearer to God. They will become the riches and glory of our people. We are carrying now a little flock to heaven. If they burden us with anxiety by the way, they will be at the end "our crown of rejoicing, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming." "3 Meanwhile, all our trials, personal and ministerial, strengthen our joyous expectation as "partakers of the sufferings of Christ, that when he shall appear, we may be glad also with exceeding joy.”4

1 See Rev. ii. 8-10.
31 Thess. ii. 19, 20.

22 Cor. iv. 1.

41 Peter iv. 13.

INDEX.