between a people and the instrument of their spiritual blessings, which nothing on earth can equal. Something which identifies him with all their affections, and which they cannot easily transfer: something which creates a soothing pillow for him in every bosom; and for which every exchange is little better than a pillow of thorns. On this subject it is impossible for me to enlarge: could I summon up apathy enough, your own feelings would not endure it. Let me, therefore, rather invite you away from this touching theme to Paul's appeal to the consciences of his hearers. Thus runs its terrible, but affectionate language: "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men: for I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God." There is a most awful trust committed by the Lord Jesus to his ministering servants. It is nothing less than the blood of men. Oh that they felt this trust more than they sometimes do! You would not see the pulpit converted into a stage for the display of human ingenuity, or perverted to the display of human vanity. These things are lighter than a feather, and lose all their importance in the eyes of a man who remembers that he has an account to settle with God for blood; and that he knows not the moment when his account may be demanded. It is observable, and ought to sink deep into your hearts, and especially into the heart of every preacher of the Gospel, that Paul accounted himself pure from the blood of men, because he had not concealed from them any part of God's truth. He knew not that policy by which some pulpits have been disgraced, of deferring the declaration of the whole truth to a more convenient season. As if the native enmity of the heart were to be softened by delay -as if it could be reduced by any thing but by the truth itself as if men ever found their audiences more tractable by this kind of forbearance; or were themselves more instrumental in bringing sinners to God; or had the answer of a good conscience more complete in their own bosoms. God, my friends, knows infinitely better than we, what truths are suited to our circumstances, and has revealed them in his book; and accursed be that prudence which suggests the propriety of suppressing any one of them. If there is one trait of a faithful minister more obvious than another, it is this, that he is not afraid nor ashamed to say what God has said before him in his word.

Here, my beloved friends, is a breathing place for every honest messenger of God's truth: may I be permitted to say,

that I feel it to be so to myself? When the ministry of Paul is the subject, blushes and tears become the sense which I cannot but perceive of the immense disparity. But in this particular, I can stand even in the presence of God, and can say, that in so far as he has been pleased to enlighten me, I have never shunned to declare his whole counsel. You know that, in this matter, I have not "sought glory of men"-have not made their applause, not even your applause, how respectable soever, my object-have never baulked a truth, however unpopular; nor ever asked if it were acceptable or not. It has always been enough for me to have the word of God on my side. And when that has been clear, you cannot forget how frequently, nay, how habitually, you have been turned over to his tribunal. On this ground do I stand in this awful day of my life. Bear witness against me, if I have not told you the truth. Very feebly, I own; very imperfectly, I do confess; but corruptly never. And, O my friends, remember that you have a heavy account to render, an account for blood, for your own blood. I call heaven and earth, and your own consciences, to witness against you this day, that if you perish, "your blood will be upon your own heads, I am clean." With this cheering, but melancholy assurance, I close my ministry among you. Yet let me say, are there any of you, to whom that ministry has been sanctified? Bless the Father of mercies; and do not waste your anxieties upon the worthless instrument. "Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, to complete in you all the good pleasure of his goodness," till he bring you to his kingdom, shouting "grace, grace!" Are there none here, and those whom we respect and love for their amiable and social qualities, yet who never knew what it is to love the Lord Jesus Christ? To whom his truth, proclaimed day after day, has been like water poured into a sieve; all " spilled on the ground, and not gathered up." Let me say to you, my friends, perhaps it is the last time, the day of your reckoning cometh; and you will find that the things so lightly esteemed by you are not forgotten by your God. Who of you would escape going down to the pit? Who would not? Then hear, and hear it again, and hear it as for eternity-"There is forgiveness with God!" The doors of his mercy are not closed! The very chief of sinners may yet find acceptance with him through his dear Son. "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely;" yes, FREELY; with all the welcome of God's authority, and all

the riches of God's bounty, FREELY," so iniquity shall not be his ruin."

It may be expected that on this occasion I should deliver my thoughts concerning the person who is to take my place, and concerning your own part in the selection. How unfit I am for the discharge of these duties, I abundantly feel; and particularly how much easier it is to tell you what you should not do, than what you should. Yet, such as I have, give I unto you; and in that name which you should never hear quoted with lightness or irreverence-the name of

Jesus.

I trust you will not choose a vain man, who occupies the pulpit more to display himself, than to profit you. Of all the melancholy things seen among men, this is perhaps the most melancholy; a poor sinful being complimenting himself upon the discharge of his office, while the ministering angels look upon him with a mixture of dislike, of shame, and of horrour: and while his Judge, before whom he is shortly to appear, regards him with a frown, of which the interpretation is, "Ill done! thou bad and faithless servant; enter thou not into the joy of thy Lord!"

2. Do not choose a showy man. Many of these men there are who have only outside. You will be as sick of him at last, as you were enamoured of him at first. You will speedily find that he cannot instruct nor edify you; and will he heartily tired of seeing him show himself.

3. Do not choose a man who always preaches upon insulated texts. I care not how powerful or eloquent he may be in handling them. The effect of his power and eloquence will be, to banish a taste for the word of God, and to substitute the preacher in its place. You have been accustomed to hear that word preached to you in its connexion. Never permit that practice to drop. Foreign churches call it lecturing; and when done with discretion, I can assure you, that, while it is of all exercises the most difficult for the preacher, it is, in the same proportion, the most profitable for you. It has this peculiar advantage, that in going regularly through a book of Scripture, it spreads out before you all sorts of character, and all forms of opinion; and gives the preacher an opportunity of striking every kind of evil and of errour, without subjecting him to the invidious suspicion of aiming his discourses at individuals. 4. Do not choose a man of dubious principles. The truth of God was given to be proclaimed, not suppressed. It is a "city set on a hill"a light which must shine, not be

smothered under a bushel. When I hear of a man's preaching for years together in such a manner that his most attentive and intelligent hearers are unable to conjecture what his sentiments are upon the cardinal truths of revelation, I cannot avoid pronouncing him a traitor. His business is to preach Christ; and not to treat the Gospel as if it were a bundle of mere negations: and see his hearers sink down, one after another, in death, uninstructed, unwarned, unprepared, through his negligence: and himself following them with all the deep damnation" of their blood upon his soul! Oh! it is inconceivably fearful!

5. Above all things it is devoutly to be hoped, that you will never invite to the "care of your souls," a man who cares nothing about them. I mean, more particularly, for I would not be misunderstood, a man who belongs to that rank of traitors who miscal themselves "rational Christians." Against these men I have ever warned you, as the enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all that is valuable in his religion, and peculiar in his salvation. I know well that this congregation is considered by them as the very focus of what they term bigotry; and I do rejoice that thus far I and you have been counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Long may it continue so! Long may it be thought a hopeless case to attempt to bring you over to the fellow ship of devils. Though I would not slander the devil: he promotes his work, as the destroyer, not by tempting men to his belief, but by persuading them to embrace what he does not believe-what is too coarse and abominable for hell itself; and what the philosophical Christians shall find to be so, when they get to their own place. The pretences of these men to kindness, and candour, and love, are all hollow. They mean to make proselytes of you, and two-fold more the children of hell than themselves. O keep at a distance from them! Furthest from them, and their charity, is best. Come not near their ice, never to be melted but in that fire which shall not be quenched. This pulpit, this church, were destined to the glory of the Lord Jesus. Let them never be polluted by a foot, nor profaned by a tongue, which are not moved by his honour.

I cannot better describe the character of a profitable ministry than is done to my hand in a work too little known, The Directory for Public Worship, under the head of the Preaching of the Word. "Ordinarily, the subject of his sermon is to be some text of Scripture, holding forth some principle or head of religion, or suitable to some special

it;

occasion; or he may go on in some chapter, psalm, or book of the Holy Scripture, as he shall see fit. Let the introduction to his text be brief and perspicuous, drawn from the text itself, or context, or some parallel place, or general sentence of Scripture. If the text be long (as in histories or parables it sometimes must be,) let him give a brief sum of if short, a paraphrase thereof, if need be: in both, looking diligently to the scope of the text, and pointing at the chief heads and grounds of doctrine which he is to raise from it. In analyzing and dividing his text, he is to regard more the order of matter than of words and neither to burden the memory of the hearers in the beginning with too many members of division, nor to trouble their minds with obscure terms of art. In raising doctrines from the text, his care ought to be, First, That the matter be the truth of GOD. Secondly, That it be a truth contained in or grounded on that text, that the hearers may discern how God teacheth it from thence. Thirdly, That he chiefly insist upon those doctrines which are principally intended, and make most for the edification of the hearers. The doctrine is to be expressed in plain terms; or, if any thing in it need explication, it is to be opened, and the consequence also from the text cleared. The parallel places of Scripture confirming the doctrine are rather to be plain and pertinent than many, and (if need be) somewhat insisted upon, and applied to the purpose in hand. The arguments or reasons are to be solid, and, as much as may be, convincing. The illustrations, of what kind soever, ought to be full of light, and such as may convey the truth into the hearer's heart with spiritual delight. If any doubt, obvious from Scripture, reason, or prejudice of the hearers, seem to arise, it is very requisite to remove it, by reconciling the seeming differences, answering the reasons, and discovering and taking away the causes of prejudice and mistake. Otherwise it is not fit to detain the hearers with propounding or answering vain or wicked cavils, which, as they are endless, so the propounding and answering of them doth more hinder than promote edification. He is not to rest in general doctrine, although ever so much cleared and confirmed, but to bring it home to special use, by application to his hearers; which, although it prove a work of great difficulty to himself, requiring much prudence, zeal, and meditation, and to the natural and corrupt man will be very unpleasant; yet he is to endeavour to perform it in such a manner that his auditors may feel the word of God to be quick and powerful,