approve himself to God a sweet savour of Christ, seek to testify continually of that blessed victim, who bled on Calvary,-who was slain for

a guilty world. Oh! glorious burthen, wel

come duty! to "preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." Well, like St. Paul, might we desire to know nothing among our people save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Herein is the comfort for every disquietude, the motive of every exertion, the realization of every promise, and the substance of every hope. How noble and at the same time how prolific a theme is the death of Christ for sinners. Traced backward it brings us at once to the love of God the Father and God the Son, that most powerful, that best of motives to constrain us to obedience; and pursuing it forward, our minds are led by it to the contemplation of its glorious consequences in our redemption from sin and misery. Oh! this is a sight indeed, which angels might well behold with amazement; and while they desire to look into it, shall man, whom it so vitally concerns, withdraw his glance? While the Hosts of Heaven gaze with wonder and delight upon

this stupendous scheme of love and mercy, shall man alone, whose salvation hangs on it, turn from it with indifference or contempt? No, my brethren, if we ourselves know, and would have others know the full worth of that gospel, which it is our happy privilege to publish, we shall humbly but earnestly endeavour to avail ourselves of every opportunity of intercourse with rich and poor, to preach "the cross, which is the power of God unto salvation;" so as to be in this sense, among our respective flocks, "a sweet savour of Christ."

For

But the minister, who would faithfully fulfil his duty, is bound not only to proclaim Christ crucified, and the free gift of salvation thereby procured for us, but also to live unto Christ continually in his life and conversation. as the perfume, which arose from the Jewish altars, not only ascended upward with a sweet smelling savour to the throne of the Most High, but likewise dispersed its odour all around, so that men were refreshed by it, while God accepted it, so in like manner although the chief business of a faithful minister is to offer the public incense of a grateful and devoted heart immediately to God, he must see that the fragrant influence of his spiritual walk and worship may be extended as widely as possible

about him. He must remember that he is a light set upon a hill, and he must "let his light so shine before men, that they may see his good works and glorify their Father, which is in Heaven." This duty of living unto Christ, as it is one of the most difficult, is likewise one of the most important for the Minister of Christ to perform. There is scarcely anything, which more deserves to be inculcated upon a young clergyman, than the obligation, which rests upon him, to be a clergyman at all times and in all places. Some I fear there have been, whose ministrations, if not their religion, have been almost entirely confined to the public ordinances, and whose piety and devotion seemed to be put on with their robes, like the prophet's spirit with Elijah's mantle,—but put off again, alas! with them as easily and as soon. But leaving such instances to the mercy, or the punishment of God, (for they are dry and barren spots in our church's prospect, upon which the eye of an anxious minister does not love to dwell, except now and then to admire their comparative rareness) leaving such instances, let us rather consider the case of those, who freely and sincerely acknowledge the obligation, under which they lie, to live continually unto Christ, differing only as to the degree of

devotedness and self-denial, which is required. And as these include a very large class indeed, (I would fain hope nearly the whole) of our clergy, we may expect of course to meet with very wide differences of opinion among them, some placing the standard of christian duty very high, some very low, while others, perhaps the majority, think that in this as in other things the middle course is the safest and the best. My reverend brethren, although I were even to stand alone, I would humbly but firmly raise my voice against the pernicious system of compromise with regard to personal holiness and practical piety. When will the clergy learn, that altho' they must be in the world, they must not be of the world; seeing that, as St. Paul says, they have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God." Of course I would not be understood to advocate the system of monastic seclusion or eremitical solitude. The servant of Christ is not obliged to lead a lazy, useless life, because he must not lead a worldly one; to bury his talent, because he must not squander it in dissipation. He must give evidence of his being born of God, by overcoming the world, and not by altogether fleeing from it. But then there is a great difference between the want of cou

rage, which would impel him to run from every danger, and the temerity, which leads him to dispense with caution, and mingle carelessly among God's enemies. It may perhaps appear at first sight very difficult to determine what dangers, then, the Christian Minister is permitted to flee from, and what he is required to meet and overcome; but in fact his course is a very simple one in this respect: he must not shrink from any trial or temptation, which he encounters in the narrow way, but he must never be enticed out of his course into the broad way, upon the vain pretence of exhibiting his Christian fortitude and resolution. The Christian's life in short is intended to be a warfare, and it must therefore be a watchful one, if he hope to gain the victory. Above all things he must bear in mind that there is no neutral ground-no room for parley with the enemy. And as no man having put his hand to the plough, should look back, so the servants of Jesus should beware of casting wishful or regretful glances behind them upon the vanities, which they profess to have conquered or forsworn; but they should take pattern from their blessed Master, who was always about his Father's business, and seek to employ all their waking thoughts, directly or indirectly,