motive, works as he who has not this motive cannot work, i. e. the works of God. No motive but the Gospel motive leads to godly work, or to right obedience, as, sayeth St Augustine, "Lex non evacuatur, sed statuitur per fidem, quia fides impetrat Gratiam quâ lex impleatur."

If the Gospel, my Brethren, seems to be proclaimed and received, and good works do not follow, we must believe either that it has been imperfectly declared, or that it has been imperfectly comprehended, and not that God has given us an instrument incapable of accomplishing the objects for which He designed it. The Gospel is perfect in itself, and infallible in its accomplishment of the purposes for which it was

sent.

We can only frustrate its purposes by using it imperfectly, or rejecting the instrument.

Be not afraid of the Gospel of Christ, it is alone the power of God unto salvation. If any of us have hitherto failed in attaining the ends of our ministry, let us consider whether we have used the proper mean, and used it exclusively or aright. Woe unto us if we preach not the Gospel! It is our commission to do so. Woe to us if it be not the Gospel which we preach. Nothing else but the Gospel will attain the end of our vocation.

Let us, however, preach it as leading to morality. Religion, my Brethren, does not, properly speaking, consist in morality, but a religion which does not lead to it is valueless. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is no such religion, it ever leads, when properly set forth

and received, to true morality. Yea, true morality is indeed obtainable in no other way. Ye cannot preach the Gospel aright without enjoining morality; the Gospel cannot be received aright without good works following; fear not to preach the Gospel as the cause, fear not to enjoin morality as the consequence. Morality as the fruit of faith ye cannot enjoin too earnestly; confound not, however, the result with that which produces it. Remember the aphorism of Augustine," Per fidem venitur ad opera, non per opera venitur ad fidem." Exalt morality, enjoin true labour. Only beware of exalting the labour and morality of the Fakeer.

There is, perhaps, no desire nearer to our hearts, my Brethren, than the elevation and increase of that branch of the Church to which we belong. We have it in our power to contribute much towards this object. Our most effectual means will be the exaltation of our Lord and Master, and personal righteousness. This mean may not appear so speedy, or visible, in its operation, as some others, but it is more real and permanent in its effects. It has the authority of the Word of God to ensure its success. Righteousness, it is written, exalteth a nation, and whoso honoureth me I will honour, saith our Lord. The means I have recommended contains the substance of our religion, and doubtless, in desiring the exaltation of our communion, it is the exaltation of the substance of religion which we have at heart. Christian minister can seriously propose to himself the

No

exaltation of aught else. We may, by exalting other things, render our communion distinguished by such exaltation, but we do not elevate it thereby in that wherein it ought to be elevated; we do not elevate it thereby in the substantials of Christianity, and such false elevation ought not to be desired, neither will it continue to benefit long. For it is to the Church, as making prominent the confession,-" Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," that triumph and exaltation are promised over opposition, and if this be not our distinguishing mark, we shall not be exalted long. Let us be chiefly occupied with the substance of religion, and, doubtless, we shall exalt the communion wherein we labour,-wherein we labour, because we believe the substance of religion is contained therein.

We are to deal with the great and substantial verities of religion; those truths which are in accordance with the analogy of faith and the general tenor of Scripture. We are to avoid subjects, not of this sort, subjects not clearly in accordance with the analogy of faith and the general tenor of Scripture, subjects only deducible by probable inference from particular texts of Scripture; and especially must we avoid teaching as the revelation of God, that which we have gathered only from the traditions of men.

As such things are not the things which the ambassadors of Jesus Christ are commissioned to offer to the world, so the world will not receive such things when offered by their hands. The world knows what

things the ambassadors of Jesus Christ are commissioned to offer, although it may not desire them; and when the grace of God prompts it to desire them, nothing other and nothing less will satisfy it from their hands.

In the language of commerce, provide a good article, provide the right thing, and you will have demand enough. The apostles, although persecuted, never wanted hearers.

Further, if the world, by the grace of God, is led to seek spiritual food, and finds it not where it ought to be found, it will seek until it finds it, and rest wherever that may be, wherever that which has the nourishment, if not the proper aspect of food, seems to be discovered. As saith the saintly Bishop Horne, "If the people hear not the Gospel from our pulpits, where they expect to hear it, they are tempted to wander in search of it to other places of worship."

If our minds and discourses, my Brethren, are set on things which are apart from the chief verities of our religion, we may amuse but shall not save our people; and I question if a continuance of such things will detain, as it cannot satisfy, immortal souls.

Let us deal with the substance, not the accidents of our faith. Let ministers give themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer, and leave other things to those they more concern.

The very erection of churches is but a secondary, a very secondary, not primary, part of the ministerial office. For we are set to communicate that which

giveth spiritual life, and that which giveth spiritual life must always be of the nature of spirit. We are to beget our people again with the word of life, we are to afford subject-matter for the Divine Spirit to operate on, when he illuminates the eyes of our people, to put forth a scene for them to see, when the light from above is shed abroad upon them; we are to deal in causes, not in effects; we are to implant motives, rather than to provide results.

Now, a material fabric is always a result.

The churches which cover Christendom are the effects of causes, not causes in themselves, they are the effects of causes which preceded them; like causes, wherever they exist, will always produce like effects, but can never themselves be produced by their effects. Let us be occupied, my Brethren, with such causes, and doubt not that they will be followed by such effects. Let us communicate spiritual life, and doubt not that it will be followed by its appropriate consequence, material labour.

Let us give ourselves to spiritual things and the material effect will follow,-will follow from the hands from which it ought to follow, from the hands of those in whom we, by our office, have implanted or developed the divine life, the non-ministerial portion of the Church-the laity.

Exalt the head, my Brethren, and in every way the body will be exalted. Even on so low a ground as making provision for the ministry, this is the most successful course. He who evidently forgets his own