It is not essential to a sermon that it be half an hour or an hour long. Some preach more in ten minutes than others do in sixty. At any rate, the length of time spent in preaching can never compensate for the want of matter: and the evil is doubled when a man brings forth little, and is long about it. There are some who sing long hymns, and pray long prayers, merely to fill up the time this is a shocking profanation of these sacred ordinances, and has the most direct tendency to bring them into contempt."

:

Therefore, never sing long hymns, pray long prayers, nor preach long sermons; these last are intolerable, unless there be a great variety of interesting matter in them, accompanied with great animation. I have often preached only ten or fifteen minutes at a time. Why? Because I had no more to say on that subject; and I did not think that what I had already uttered was of consequence enough to entitle it, then and there, to a second hearing."

"While you are engaged in the pulpit in recommending the salvation of God, endeavour to feel the truth you preach, and diffuse a Divine animation through every part. As the preacher appears to preach, the people hear and believe. You may set it down as an incontrovertible truth, that none of your hearers will be more affected with your discourse than yourself. A dull, dead preacher

makes a dull, dead congregation."

"A sentence or two of affectionate prayer in different parts of the discourse has a wonderful tendency to enliven it, and to make the people hear with concern and interest." "Never disappoint a place; this would be contrary to your covenant with God, your agreement with your bre

thren, and your engagements to the people. Keep your own watch always to true time, and begin precisely at the time appointed. Never be a minute later than true time, except in the country, where there is no public clock; then five minutes may be allowed for the difference between clocks and watches. But these five minutes may be as well before as after common time in other places."* A great responsibility rests upon him whose office it is to expound, and to impress upon the minds of others, the oracles of God. He may give the meaning unskilfully, and thus, in the minds of the ignorant and irreligious, excite prejudice against the great truths of the Gospel. Or he may give it partially, and thus be guilty of keeping back some parts of the Council of God.' Or he may give it so much mingled with the dictates of human wisdom as to render it on the hearts of his hearers of none effect. Or he may give it so contaminated with the earthliness of his own mind, and so void of that spirit and life which it originally possesses, that it awakens no interest, and produces no impression."

"The measure of evil arising from this imperfect statement of the truths of the Gospel is incalculable, because it reaches into eternity, and its effects there can never terminate; and surely the guilt of him whose ignorance or unfaithfulness is the occasion of so much evil is of sufficient magnitude to deter any one from engaging in a work so arduous without due self-examination, earnest prayer, and intense application to labour and study."

"There is a world of fallen and condemned sinners. Many of these sit under the ministry of the Word in this

* Dr. A. Clarke.

awful condition, and for the one day they are listening to the Gospel, they arc six days exposed to the temptations of the world, and to the snares which drown men in destruction and perdition, and hastening as fast as time can carry them to that death which introduces them into the presence of the 'Judge of all the earth.' And when we seriously think of these things, can we do otherwise that speak to them that Word fully, impressively, and faithfully, by which they may be saved? O man of God, follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

And now, brethren, fare ye well! I charge you “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." And may God Almighty assist you in your "labour of love," and may He give you an abundant increase of souls for your hire! So prays your affectionate brother and fellow-servant,

1

June, 1854.

*Dr. D. Dewar,

B. B.

THE

LOCAL PREACHERS' OWN BOOK.

OUR ANCESTORS.

GEN. i. 27.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

THERE was a period when this world was not, and when the sun and the heavenly bodies belonging to our system had no existence. Previously, time was not-all was eternity but who can comprehend eternity? What occupied the expanse which the sun and system now occupy, who can tell? Perhaps pure space, but what the precise nature and properties of space are we know not, having never been beyond the boundaries of the earth's atmosphere. It is, however, of no importance to us what was in the place where the sun and planets now exist: it is sufficient for us to know that at a period which was most eligible to infinite wisdom, it pleased the Almighty Creator to call into existence the Heavens and the Earth, the latter of which he designed as the residence of rational and intelligent beings. "So," when the dwelling-place was made perfectly complete, "God created man in his own

In considering this most interesting passage of Holy Scripture, let us enquire

I. When did God make man?