ministerial instruction upon the waters; in the morning of youth to sow the seed, and in the evening of life not to withdraw our hand. It is, indeed, ever our privilege to work while yet it is day, yea, to sow in hope, looking more to the excellency of the seed than to the weakness of the hand to which the great Husbandman commits it; for the more we contemplate the nature of the ministry with which we are entrusted, and the extent of the mercy we ourselves have received, the more shall we be strengthened to run without being weary, and to walk without fainting. The apostle was refreshed from this source of encouragement, when, in the language of my text, he said, "Therefore, seeing we have received this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." And so may we be refreshed also. In the expression," seeing we have received this ministry," St. Paul alludes to that ministration of the Spirit spoken of in the preceding chapter; and one ground of encouragement which he had in view was this, that the ministry received was of Divine institution.

The preaching of the Gospel in itself is a weak instrument, which never could prove effectual for the proposed object, were it not for the promised blessing of Him who hath appointed it. Let us never lose sight of this truth; a truth so frequently illustrated and set forth in holy Scripture. We know, for instance, that the rod of Moses possessed no power in itself either to divide the Red Sea, or to bring water from the stony rock; we know, too, that Jordan's stream possessed no inherent virtue to cleanse the Syrian leper; nor yet the mere blowing of the rams' horns any power to bring down by their blast the high walls of Jericho: yet the Red Sea was divided, and Israel's thirst quenched; the leper was cleansed, and the walls of Jericho were overthrown, through the intervention of means in themselves altogether inefficient for the work. If, then, it be asked, wherefore means so feeble and powerless were accompanied with such irresistible energy, the reply is, that their appointment was divine. And does not the same appointment render the ministry we have received as a rod of strength placed in our hands? In each case weak means are designedly required to be employed, even with this express view, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and that none may say, "Mine own hand has done the work." The language of the apostle on this point is very clear; he tells us, that for this cause "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty: that

no flesh should glory in his presence; that, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Cor. i. 27-31.) Our privilege, then, my reverend brethren, is, in the exercise of faith in the Divine promise, to stretch forth the rod-to deliver our message in all its primitive simplicity-ever recollecting, that would we rejoice in a successful ministry, and possess that wisdom which winneth souls, it is not to peculiar refinement of thought, not to the subtlety of reasoning, nor yet to the power of eloquence, that we must have recourse; for the efficacy of our labours depends altogether upon the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father through the Son, in the use of those means which have the sanction and authority of the Divine appointment.

A second encouraging consideration suggested by the text is, that the ministry we have received is a dispensation of the Spirit. The apostle refers to this in the context, in which he contrasts the legal and evangelical dispensations, and at the same time states to the Corinthians that his own sufficiency for the work, in common with that of his brethren, "was of God; who," he adds, “hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. And if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?"

We know that the miraculous gifts which accompanied the introduction of the Christian dispensation, and which were intended for a sign to unbelievers, and to confirm the doctrines of the Gospel during its first struggles with the powers of Pagan darkness, have long since ceased, with the exigency in which their necessity was found; but we are assured by Scripture and experience, that the renewing agency and sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit are still continued; and the promise of Him who cannot lie, is, that they shall never cease while one ransomed sinner remains to be brought, through an appointed instrumentality, into the fold of that true church of God" which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts, xx. 28.) “I will pray the Father," said Jesus to those who were soon to go forth into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, “and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." And again, just before his ascension into heaven, he said unto them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew, xxviii. 20.)

Having, therefore, brethren, such promises, and seeing that the ministry we have

received is a dispensation of the Spirit, let us take courage, knowing that though we ourselves are only feeble instruments, yet God is pleased, by and through us, to display his own divine power, and to enable us, in apostolic language, to exclaim, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."

per

Let us not compare the duties to be formed, the dangers to be surmounted, or the difficulties to be overcome, with the weak resources of human strength, but with the power of that almighty arm with which nothing is impossible. Let us remind each other, that under all our inward weaknesses and outward discouragements, the communication of the Spirit to render the Gospel the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," is the very promise of the Father, in which faith recognises a full and sure security for its final triumph. Until, indeed, the Spirit be poured out from on high, the wilderness of the human heart, notwithstanding the greatest care and culture on our part, must and will remain a wilderness still; for it is only when the heavens "distil as dew, and drop as rain," that this wilderness becomes the fruitful field, and the moral desert blossoms as the rose. Let this recollection lead us continually to bow the knee to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would ever accompany our ministrations with the abundant outpouring of his Holy Spirit; so shall we be neither faint nor weary while discharging the duties of our heavenly vocation.

The more we live in the spirit of faith and prayer, the more we look at the nature of the ministry we have received, and at the promises of God given to every humble labourer in his vineyard, the less shall we despond, and the more shall we feel it our privilege to go forth in simple dependence upon the Spirit's agency, saying to every difficulty opposing our course, "Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." (Zechariah, iv. 7.) Let us then be strong and of a good courage; for, with such a ministry and such a Helper, true faith will certainly triumph over all opposition, until every promise in the book of God shall have received its complete fulfilment, and every purpose its final accomplishment; yea, until the headstone of Zion shall be brought forth "with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." (Zechariah, iv. 7.)

It only now remains that I advert, in a few words, to one other encouraging consideration, named in the last clause of the text, which is, that "as we have received mercy, we faint not.'

The apostle, though here speaking in the name of his brethren in the ministry in com mon with his own, seems to have had more particularly in view the abundant mercy which he himself had received. While contemplating the amazing grace which had been displayed in the conversion of such a one as himself, who had been before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious, he felt encouraged in proclaiming to his fellow-sinners at Corinth the richness and freeness of that grace which, in a case so apparently hopeless, had proved so effectual. He seemed to view himself as a monument upon which the hand of mercy had inscribed those words he delighted to proclaim to Timothy, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them who should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." (1 Tim. i. 15, 16.)

Who, indeed, could ever have thought that the young man at whose feet the witnesses laid down their clothes, when Stephen sealed the truth with his blood, would himself become a witness of the same truth, and declare at a future day, that he "counted not his life dear to him, that he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry he had received of the Lord?" Who would have thought that the same Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughters against the disciples of the Lord, and obtaining letters from the high-priest to Damascus, that if he found any of this way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem, would himself become a humble follower of that way; yea, and a zealous preacher, too, of the very faith he once sought to destroy? Well, indeed, might he exclaim, out of the fulness of his grateful heart, "Seeing we have received mercy, we faint not." I trust some of us can adopt the same language, and that the reception of the same mercy, and the same ministry, emboldens us in declaring to our respective flocks what baneful distempers the skill of the heavenly physician can heal; what stubborn rebellion his power can subdue; and what aggravated sins his mercy can forgive! The apostle loved much, and laboured much, because much had been forgiven. May we, like him, while reviewing the mercy and grace we ourselves have received, take courage, and be more abundant in our labours, cherishing the hope that, through our instrumentality, many from among those that hear us may, with ourselves, receive the saving knowledge of the truth, and an inheritance among all them that are sanctified by faith which is in Christ Jesus our only Saviour.

Seeing, then, we have such a powerful instrument placed in our hands, such a dispensation of the Spirit committed to our trust, let us not faint in prayer, that, being endued with power from on high, we may, both by our life and doctrine, set forth the glory of God, and set forward the salvation of all men, thus "making full proof of our ministry, and shewing ourselves able ministers of the new testament, and workmen that need not to be ashamed."

Let us not faint in watchfulness, remembering it forms no small part of our pastoral character to watch in all things-" to watch for souls, as those that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief;" let us, as watchmen unto the house of Israel, guard and caution the people committed to our charge against all iniquity, error, and spiritual danger of every kind; and let us be the more diligent, knowing "that our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Let us not faint in our work, but be in labours more abundant, as well as in watchings often. Let us work while yet it is day, for that night is approaching in which no man can work; and that the momentous period may be very near at hand with some of us, and may come at an hour we think not, we learn by the mournful providences that are continually taking place around us.

Let us not faint in self-denial, in patience, or in hope. As much as lieth in us, let us be "all things to all men," that we may, by all lawful means, save some. Let us willingly subjugate our most favourite pursuits to the design of our office and vocation, even though no moral evil may be attached to them, when it appears that either the weakness of a brother's faith, or the success and blamelessness of our ministry, may require it. Let patience have its perfect work; and let us, like Abraham, when circumstances call for it, "believe in hope, even against hope."

Lastly, my reverend brethren, let us not faint in thanksgiving and praise. Our privilege is to do the work, our duty to give the glory and the praise to One to whom alone it is due. Let us, then, whenever success shall in any small degree attend our labours, in themselves so weak and full of imperfection, humbly acknowledge whose alone is the power, and to whom alone therefore is to be ascribed the glory and the praise. Let us continually say, Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name, O Lord-to thy unmerited mercy in Christ Jesus-be all the glory, the praise, might, majesty, and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Cabinet.

THE GLORY AND COMPLETENESS OF THE SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. Suppose, then, the period arrived, when the scaffolding is struck down, and the rubbish moved away; that is, suppose this earth, which was the stage of its erection, now removed from beneath it, and the wicked, the refuse of mankind, cast far away out of sight. Conceive that you see nothing but the building. Lo! it stands high in view, for the admiration of the surrounding universe. "Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof: Mark ye well her bulwarks; consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following." (Ps. xlviii. 12, 13). What is her foundation? the rock of ages! Who is her inhabitant? her inhabitant is God! Not a flaw, not a blemish is to be seen: every stone is in its proper place, and all contributing to general outline and plan; nothing imperfect in the the beauty of the whole. No want of symmetry in the execution of each part: behold it stands an eternal monument, to the glory of God, of his power, and wisdom, and grace! It is all bright and glorious, wherever you take your view of it, radiating in every part with the beamings of divine glory! Her light is like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper! It is a temple of souls: every stone is a living soula blood-bought spirit: every one is a chosen warrior, who has fought his battle in his days, and has conquered! They have come out of great tribulation, to be stones for this building! Affliction gave them their polish, and the cement which unites them is love! But while we admire its beauty, let not the suspicion arise that any thing should happen to mar its form or impair its glory. Earthly fabrics have, indeed, every thing to fear from the effects of inclement skies; for they must all in their turn become like those ancient cities, where thorns come up in the palaces, nettles mouldering arches and half-remaining walls shew the devastating hand of time. But our Zion hath nought to fear from time, for time ceases when her glory begins; and though she must be exposed to the storm and beating of the rain during the dark watches of the night, yet when the morning of the resurrection cometh, it will be as clear as sunshine after rain, even a morning without clouds. (2 Sam. xxiii. 4). As she shall suffer by no natural causes of dissolution, so neither shall she fall by hostile violence. It was truly said by Christ, to those who spoke of the temple at Jerusalem, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, that the day should come upon her when one stone should not be left upon another which should not be thrown down; but it shall not be so with our spiritual temple. Even now we may ask, Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Even now we may look at her foundation and ask,

and brambles in the fortresses thereof-where the

"What shall shake thy sure repose?"

Resting on Him, she mocks the assaults of besiegers even in her weakness; but when the day of her perfection is come, the very sound of the shoutings of her enemies can be heard no more. Satan and his agents must first break through their chains of darkness ere they can again plant their engines against

her.

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee." (Is. liv. 14).-Rev. H. Martyn.

BENEFITS OF FAMILY PRAYER.-AS connected in the bonds of the domestic charities, we are called upon to hallow these charities, by meeting as a family in the presence of God, and thus declaring, in the holy and decided spirit of Joshua: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." If the richest and purest pleasures are to be found in the endearing ties of kin

dred, surely the incense of gratitude should arise as a morning and evening sacrifice from the domestic altar. The father surrounded by his children, who humbly supplicate the guidance and the spirit of God, may draw down the dew of his blessings upon them, even when they are far removed from the paternal hearth and home. If he who guides the devotions of his children and servants stands pledged to the watchful and consistent conduct which becomes a Christian; so the children, for whom the divine blessing is daily and earnestly invoked (beside the encouraging promises vouchsafed to such petitions), are secured, by the powerful chain of habit, from the danger of being numbered among the many who forget God. Haply when in distant scenes, and exposed to the trials and temptations of life-when harassed by its cares, or tired with its glittering show-the recollection of that early home, hallowed by the sanctity of parental piety, may steal over their hearts with no unprofitable remembrance: it may kindle up the flame of devotion, which had become dim and almost extinct in the atmosphere of the world, and, blending with feelings of tenderness, may quicken the emotions of repentance, or confirm the virtuous resolve; for it must be remembered, that the grace of God operates through the medium of our natural affections and sympathies, and that in proportion as they are blended with holy recollections, they become auxiliaries and stimulants in our Christian progress. From Second Series of Lectures on Parables, by Mary Jane M'Kenzie.

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY NOT TO BE MADE A PLEA FOR CARELESSNESS.-The sovereignty of God, "from whom all holy desires proceed," is no extenuation of man's guilty carelessness. It never interferes with man's duty. As well might the husbandman refuse to sow his seed, because only a divine power can nourish it and make it fruitful, as the sinner refuse to bend his knee in prayer, because the Lord alone can shed forth on him the "spirit of grace and supplication." The means of grace must, for our part, be diligently and actively employed, if we hope to attain God's blessing. -Liturgica, by Rev. John Ayre.

WORKS OF FICTION.-Many works of fiction may be read with safety, some even with profit; but the constant familiarity even with such as are not exceptionable in themselves, relaxes the mind that needs hardening, dissolves the heart which wants fortifying, stirs the imagination which wants quieting, irritates the passions which want calming, and, above all, disinclines and disqualifies for active virtues and for spiritual exercises. Though all these books may not be wicked, yet the habitual indulgence in such reading is a silent mining mischief. Though there is no act, and no moment, in which any open assault on the mind is made, yet the constant habit performs the work of a mental atrophy-it produces all the symptoms of decay; and the danger is not less for being more gradual, and therefore less suspected.-Hannah More.

"HIS BLOOD BE ON US, AND ON OUR CHILDREN," Matt. xxvii. 25.-This was the imprecation of those barbarous Jews, who, with importunity, demanded the death of Jesus Christ, and glutted themselves with his sufferings: but it was, in a far different sense, the interior voice of those believing souls who entered into the design of God, who, by faith, sprinkled themselves with this blood, which was to form the bond of union between heaven and earth. "His blood be on us, and on our children." This is the voice which now resounds from ear to ear, and which must be accomplished on this assembly, in one sense or another. Yes, this blood shall be upon you, in vengeance and malediction, as it was upon ungrateful Jerusalem; in your families, to trouble their peace; in your plans, to defeat them; in your establishments, to sap them to the foundation; in your consciences, to harrow them

up; in your death-bed, to darken it with horror and despair; and through all periods of eternity, demanding the expiation of the crime of having trampled under foot the blood of the Son of God, and of having crucified afresh the Lord of glory. Or it will be upon you-yes, this blood will be upon you, to strengthen you under all your infirmities, to preserve you in the hour of temptation, to console you under the pressure of calamity, to speak peace to the troubled conscience, to support you in dying agony, to render your death blessed, and eternity triumphant.-Saurin.

Poetry.

THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM.

THE God of love my Shepherd is,

And he that doth me feed; While he is mine and I am his,

What can I want or need? He leads me to the tender grass, Where I both feed and rest; Then to the streams that gently pass; In both I have the best.

Or if I stray, he doth convert

And bring my mind in frame; And all this not for my desert,

But for his holy name.

Yea, in death's shady black abode

Well may I walk, not fear;
For thou art with me; and thy rod

To guide, thy staff to bear.

Nay, thou dost make me sit and dine,
E'en in my enemies' sight;
My head with oil, my cup with wine,
Runs over day and night.

Surely thy sweet and wondrous love

Shall measure all my days; And as it never shall remove, So neither shall my praise.

HERBERT.

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS IN EARTH AND HEAVEN.

(For the "Church of England Magazine.")
"THE Church triumphant!" Animating word,
Waking the mind to visions of the skies;
Touching each string of the soul's harmonies,
Like to the trumpet John in Patmos heard.
"The Church triumphant!" In its golden zone

What throng of glorious things assembled shine!
Bright, holy, pure, celestial, and divine,

Such as no thought hath reach'd, nor heart hath known.
A city where the sun makes not the day,
But God himself the everlasting light;
Where comes no even, nor the shades of night,
And where the golden hours pass not away.
Angels are there, and saints, and, happy thought!
Those whom we loved and walk'd with, heart to heart
Still in communion, for death cannot part-
One bond encircles all-the blood that bought,

ALPHAGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.-When Alphage was informed that the Danes were besieging Canterbury, and was entreated by his friends to endeavour to save his life, he exclaimed, “God forbid that I should tarnish my character by so inglorious a conduct; and should be afraid of. going to heaven, because a violent death Jies across the passage. have been the instrument of drawing over several considerable persons among those Danes to the Gospel; if this be a fault, I shall be happy in suffering for it. I have ransomed some of my countrymen, and supported others, when in captivity. If the Danes be angry because I have reproved their sins, it behoves me to remember who hath said,' If thou give not the wicked warning, his blood will I require at thine hand.' It is the character of a hireling to leave the sheep when he sees the wolf is coming. I mean, therefore, to stand the shock, and submit to the order of Divine Providence." Trusting in the defence of the Almighty, and resolving not to swerve from the conceived path of duty, the archbishop remained in the city exhorting and animating the people with all the warmth and energy of one who felt that his cause was good, and that he had a fearful account to render to God for the firmness with which he should act. The Danes entered the city by violence, exercised the most horrid cruelties, particularly on ladies of the highest ranks, whom they dragged to the stake and burnt to death, not even sparing infants. Alphage expostulated with them for their barbarity, and so exasperated the Danes, that they seized and bound him, and kept him a prisoner for seven months. Liberty was offered him, on condition of large payments being made by him; but this he strenuously resisted, refusing to expend, for his own liberation, the money which had been collected for religious and charitable purposes. His merciless persecutors, still more enraged, stoned him while praying for the Church and his enemies; and at last, to release him from his sufferings, he was despatched by a Dane lately converted to Christianity. How much is there to admire in such intrepid boldness, and such zeal for the honour of God; for it was this zeal which induced him to refuse to listen to the proposal of his enemies, and which led him so faithfully to admonish them. It cannot be doubted, that even amidst the gross darkness of the period at which he lived (A.D. 1013), there were many in whose bosoms the flame of true religion was kindled; and who, in life and in death, bore their decided testimony that the Gospel alone can refresh and support the fainting soul, even in the hour of bitterest calamity; and can open to the eye of the believer the inheritance of a better country, purchased by a Saviour's blood, for those who, found "faithful unto death," shall, through unmerited favour, receive a crown of life."

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PROVIDENCE. I remember reading the history of some good man who was persecuted by the Papists, and obliged to fly for his life: he suddenly espied a cave, into which he entered, and soon after observed a spider busily employed in weaving his web across its mouth. His enemies came to the place; and one of them observing, "He cannot be there, for there is a spider's web," they left the spot, and continued their search. Is it presumptuous to think that the spider, on this occasion, had been more expeditious than usual? He was engaged in a new work, in shielding a saint of God, in protecting one of the family of heaven.-Howels' Sermons.

REV. C. WOLFE." On his return from Scotland, the writer met him at a friend's house within a few miles of his own residence; and, on the following Sunday, accompanied him through the principal part of his parish to the church; and never can he forget the scene he witnessed as they drove together along the road, and through the village. It must give a more lively idea of his character and conduct as a parish clergyman than any laboured delineation, or than a mere detail of particular facts. As he quickly passed by, all the poor people and children ran out to their cabin-doors to welcome him, with looks and expressions of the most ardent affection, and with all that wild devotion of gratitude so characteristic of the Irish peasantry. Many fell upon their knees invoking blessings upon him; and long after they were out of hearing, they remained in the same attitude, shewing by their gestures that they were still offering up prayers for him; and some even followed the carriage a long distance, making the most anxious inquiries about his health. He was sensibly moved by this manifestation of feeling, and met it with all that heartiness of expression, and that affectionate simplicity of manner, which made him as much an object of love, as his exalted virtues rendered him an object of respect. The intimate knowledge he seemed to have acquired of all their domestic histories, appeared from the short but significant inquiries he made of each individual as he was hurried along; while, at the same time, he gave a rapid sketch of the particular characters of several who presented themselves-pointing to one with a sigh, and to another with looks of fond congratulation. It was, indeed, impossible to behold a scene like this (which can scarcely be described) without the deepest but most pleasing emotions. It seemed to realise the often-imagined picture of a primitive minister of the Gospel of Christ, living in the hearts of his flock, willing to spend and to be spent' for them, and enjoying the happy interchange of mutual affection. It clearly shewed the kind of intercourse that habitually existed between him and his parishioners; and afforded a pleasing proof, that a faithful and firm discharge of duty, when accompanied by kindly sympathies and gracious manners, can scarcely fail to gain the hearts of the humbler ranks of the people."

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