it, shall seek to level it in vain.

What if dark

and threatening clouds, then, seem gathering on the christian's horizon, he still looks forward tranquilly with the eye of faith, assured that he shall discover some ray of sunshine piercing through the gloom, sufficient to display the bow of God, as it were, imprinted in bright colours on the very storm itself, the seal of His Church's Safety!

It cannot be denied, my reverend brethren, that our lot, as Christian Ministers, is cast in critical times; and although as we have seen it is our privilege to rest with the assurance of faith upon the protection of our blessed Lord, who has promised to be with his disciples "always, even unto the end of the world," although we are encouraged humbly to cast all our care upon Him who graciously careth for us-yet it is at the same time our duty to avail ourselves of all human resources and take all human means, in strict dependence upon the Most High, for the protection of the Ark of God entrusted to us. It might, perhaps, in older hands than mine be a profitable undertaking to determine whether, with reference to secondary and intermediate causes, the pre. sent threatening aspect of our church's affairs might not be traced to a careless disregard in

times past of the solemnity of their ordination vows on the part of the clergy themselves. I say in times past, because I am convinced that whether aroused to watchfulness by a sense of duty, or a sense of danger, a very marked difference has been for some time discoverable in all parts of the country with respect to the conduct of the parochial clergy. May God of His mercy give to all of us grace, my brethren, to partake of this general improvement, so that with a deep sense of the solemn responsibility, which lies upon us, and from which we cannot escape, we may labour earnestly and diligently so to "feed the flock of God, which is among us," that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, we may receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away!

Without then searching more deeply into the causes, which have contributed to raise up so many adversaries of different sorts against our church, we will endeavour, in humble dependence upon the Divine blessing, to ascertain wherein the safety of our establishment chiefly consists; what are the best weapons of defence; what is the armour, which will best serve us, as Servants and Soldiers of Jesus Christ. And herein we must be extremely cautious not to be led directly or indirectly, openly or covertly,

to place our reliance upon an arm of flesh. We must go forth to the battle with the same spirit, and in the same manner as David went to meet the haughty Philistine,—not trusting to any unaccustomed, untried, or novel weapons, but in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Secure in the encouraging assurance that "the battle is the Lord's," we should be neither moved by the taunts, nor intimidated by the threats of our opponents; but while our hearts are filled with a holy confidence, our lips should be full of "thanks unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ."

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Christ.'

Which always causeth us to triumph in This, my brethren, directs our attention to the source, from which all our defence must spring. If our church triumph by God's goodness, it must triumph in Christ. Human talents, precautions, legislation, are of no use to us, unless Christ Jesus be the one foundation of every exertion, the end of every victory we aspire to. If in any contest, which may threaten us, the object, which we chiefly aim at, be worldly gain, or worldly honor, or worldly supremacy, our efforts, alas! cannot but fail; the very honor of God is concerned to defeat them; but if we strive in Christ, and with Christ, and for Christ, though

the struggle be permitted to be an arduous one, the issue never can be doubtful, because the Lord is on our side, who will, we are sure, eventually, for His blessed promise sake, “always cause us to triumph in Christ!"

Let us consider, then, how we must strive in Christ and with Christ, so that our labours may be graciously blest to his honor and glory, and by consequence to our Church's welfare. The passage of St. Paul, which I have chosen for our text, may well serve as our guide in this respect. For altho' the Apostle is primarily referring with rapturous gratitude to the wonderful manifestations of God's goodness towards himself, and to the blessing, which had attended his labours at Troas and in Macedonia, yet the words may well be understood as applicable to the Church of Christ in every age. "For we are (he says) unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish." What metaphor could have been chosen more beautiful than that, by which the Apostle compares a Christian minister in his life and conversation to a sweet savour? And a sweet savour too of what?-of Christ.

To enter fully into the merits of this comparison, it may be worth while to remark that in the sin-offerings of the Jewish law, which

were an eminent type of the one great and all sufficient sacrifice of Christ, the victim having been slain with the regular formalities, certain portions of it were consumed by fire upon the altar of burnt offerings, and the smoke of it, as we are told repeatedly in the Book of Leviticus was "of a sweet savour unto the Lord"; that is, it was graciously accepted by Him, as a testimony of the sincere devotion of the sacrificer. With an obvious reference to this, therefore, the Apostle Paul, speaking of Jesus, tells the Ephesians, that "He gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." And as then a grateful odour accompanied the Jewish offerings, rising gradually like the pillar of the cloud direct to Heaven, so we may look for a corresponding figurative perfume to attend this precious sacrifice of the Lamb of God; such for instance as springs from the sweet incense of zealous exertions and a devoted heart unto the Lord. And this the faithful servant of Jesus, by a two-fold resemblance, is privileged and required to supply.

For, first of all, the odour which sprang from the Jewish altars, bore testimony to a victim slain. In like manner should the Gospel Minister, who would be faithful to his trust and