day assembled to commemorate. Let, there fore, your whole souls burn with the ardours of love to this Jesus; and under these delightful feelings, keep the gospel-feast with unspeakable joy. Amen.

SERMON

SERMON V.

ON THE DUTIES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS OF THE

CHRISTIAN PASTOR.

(Preached at the Admission of a Minister.)

1 TIMOTHY iv. 15.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all.

THE intellectual powers with which man is endowed, make him capable of great research; enable him to attend to a variety of objects, to engage in many pursuits, and to derive pleasure from a thousand different sources.

When these powers are cultivated by education, and enlarged by science, a man even of

common

common talents may rise superior to the multitude around him; may be fitted for filling the highest stations of society, and may acquire influence, power, or wealth, by which he shall be enabled to extend his fame, and aggrandise his family. Persons of this description, possessing those capacities, and favoured with those advantages, may perhaps think the command in the text unreasonably severe, and may murmur at the restrictions laid on their ambitious projects; and even declaim on the inexpediency of devoting all their talents to the pursuit of one object, of directing their attention to one employment, and of limiting all their exertions to ministerial usefulness. But though such worldly men may object, there is in the text a plain rule of duty, which it becomes us to keep constantly in view. The authority by which it is prescribed is too great for us to oppose; the occupation which it proposes is too important to be neglected. The conviction of this authority, and this importance, should be so strongly imprinted on our minds, as to produce a willing compliance with the important duty here required.

Men and brethren, the authority is su

preme,

preme, give yourselves wholly to these things. This is the will, not of Paul, but of inspiration; the law, not of man, but of God; the line of conduct recommended, not to Timothy only, but to every minister of Christ, in every nation, every church, and through every period of time. The work here referred to is important and honourable; my text addresses men to whom is committed the ministry of reconciliation, who are ambassadors of Christ, and fellow workers with God; these are titles of distinction that cannot be given to any other employment of mortal men. Every view of the nature, the influence, the efficacy, or the consequences of the pastoral office, cannot but confirm your persuasion, that unreserved devotedness to its honourable and arduous duties is our reasonable service, that its end is the profit of many, that they may be saved, and that its exercise yields to ministers themselves the purest joys, and the noblest hopes. Hence the inspired apostle, with sacred ardour, and heavenly zeal, says, Give thyself wholly to these things, that thy profiting may appear. What things? those mentioned in the former verses of this chapter, and in the verses following my text,

VOL. II.

F

Take

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them, for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Be a good minister of Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained; be thou an example of believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity; give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Meditate on these things, give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Such is our duty, as declared in the text; but there are feelings and principles in the human mind productive of a very opposite conduct. The love of ease, of affluence, or of praise, exposes us to the danger of complying with the insinuating solicitations of avarice, indolence, or ambition.

A conviction of this tendency in mankind to the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, or the pride of life; and the experience of the fatal influence of the hour of temptation, over even the best characters, seem to have dictated this affectionate and earnest exhortation. It is addressed to ministers of the gospel in every age of the church, and I acknowledge I feel anxious to impress upon

your