vealed Word of God. There is his com miffion to preach there is the religion which he is to preach. He is to preach the Gofpel. He is to preach Jefus Christ, and him crucified. He is to unfold the great plan of falvation for fallen man through faith in the atoning blood of a Redeemer. He is to teach the indifpenfable neceffity of the renewal of the heart unto holiness through the fanctification of the Spirit of grace. The corner ftone on which he is to build is Jefus Chrift. On that corner ftone he is to build, not hay and stubble, but found and precious materials, materials which will endure the trial even of fire; pure and genuine Christianity, the unchangeable doctrines and commandments of the Son of God.

Again; the Chriftian Preacher is to preach the whole of the Gofpel. He is to magnify the justice no lefs confpicuously than the mercy of Jehovah. He is to proclaim the eternal vengeance reserved for the impenitent no lefs loudly than the glories prepared for the juftified fervants of Chrift He is not to dwell chiefly upon doctrines. to the neglect of practice; nor on practice to the difparagement of doctrines. He is to preach true doctrine as the ground-work of holy practice and to inculcate holy practice

6.

practice as the fruit of true doctrine, He is to labour to be the inftrument of enlight ening the understanding, and alfo of purifying the heart. While he teaches that man is juftified by faith alone, not by the deeds of the law; he is to convince his hearers that their hope will be vain, unless they add to their faith virtue. How fhall the architect raise the palace, unless an immovable foundation fhall firft have been established? But how fhall the pile be completed, if year after year his mind be wholly abforbed in illuftrating and dif playing the foundation? With his plummet and his fquare continually in his hand, he unremittingly proves every part of his work whether it refts on the foundation. To the foundation every apartment, even every ornament, of the ftructure has an ultimate and a difcernible reference, But he fails not to beftow diftinct and due regard on the form, the proportion, and the purpose, of every apartment; on the nature and the pofition of every ornament. How fhall the preacher, like a wise masterbuilder, edify his hearers into a fpiritual boufe, a living and holy temple in the Lord(b); unless he founds it on the appointed rock,

(b) Pet, ii. 5. Cor. iii. 16, 17. Ephef. ii, 21.

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even

even Jefus Chrift? And how shall the preacher, like a wife mafter-builder, prepare them to be an habitation of God through the Spirit (c); unless, while in every part of his labour of edification he inceffantly refers them to the fundamental doctrines of the Crofs, and to those doctrines traces backward every motive, warning, admonition, and encouragement; he affigns feparate and adequate attention to every Chriftian grace, to every form of fin: unless he specifically developes the characteristic marks and customary bearings of each; the occafions on which the virtue is moft needed and most difficult, the fin moft frequent and most enfnaring; the delufions by which the range of the virtue will apparently be curtailed, and the pretences by which its obligation will be plausibly undermined; the disguises under which the fin will veil itself, and the palliations by which it will extenuate the guilt of conceffion?

Farther: The Chriftian Preacher is zealoufly to allot an extraordinary measure of exertion to thofe branches of religion, whether doctrinal or practical, which he discovers to be grofsly misunderstood, or lightly regarded, by many of his congrega (c) Eph. ii, 22,

tion. To all whom he is appointed to feed he is to give their portion of meat in duc feafon (d) and he is to diftribute spiritual food in a manner fuited to the ability which different individuals poffefs of digesting it, and to the need which they have of it; ftrong meat to the adult, milk to babes (e). Some of the doctrines which he inculcates as of the highest importance; fome of the practical duties which he defcribes as requifite marks of a real Chriftian, will be extremely unpalatable to numbers among those whom he addreffes. At the humbling picture which a faithful minifter cannot but draw of the utter weakness and corruption of human nature; at his delineation of the unwearied vigilance, of the purity of life, which he cannot but pronounce indifpenfable; pride, felf-righteoufnefs, worldly-mindedness, will affuredly take offence. At one period the Galatians were fo fondly attached to St. Paul, that the Apoftle impreffively represents them as defirous, had it been poffible, to have plucked out their own eyes and given them unto him. Afterwards their fentiments' were completely changed. They were alienated from the Apoftle. They regarded him as

(d) Luke, xii. 42.

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(e) Hebr. v. 12. 14.

their

their enemy. Why? St. Paul difclofes the reason. The Galatians regarded him as an enemy because he told them the truth (f). He spoke to them without dif guife. He humoured not their prejudices. He declared that which was right, however unacceptable, however offenfive, he knewthat the truth would prove to them. If to his own converts St. Paul himself could not preach the truth without giving offence, let not the faithful minifter of the prefent day hope that his difcourfes fhall offend none. If he perceive that fome are offended, what fhall be his conduct? He fhall pity them. He fhall pray for them. But he cannot change his courfe. He must persevere. He reads in the difcontented eye of his auditor, "I approve not thy doctrine. I relish not thy ftrictness." He turns his ear to the voice of the Moft High: Son of man! I have made thee a watchman to the boufe of Ifrael: therefore bear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. Speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (g). Is he to obey Man or God? Is he to be a pleaser of men, or of God? He is to approve himself to his own master. He is to persist in ex

(ƒ) Gal. iv. 15, 16.

(8) Ezek. ii. 7. iii. 17.

plaining