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in the things of Jesus Christ, will always have larger provision than he who does the reverse. Who that has tasted of the heavenly gift, and the powers of the world to come, and by foretaste been partaker of its joys, could look upon the pastor by whose hand he had received such blessings, and leave him in want of worldly comforts: If we feed our flocks, my Brethren, they will feed us. If we feed not our flocks, neither will they feed us. And we are set to feed our flocks, not to feed ourselves off them. There are, however, trials on this head peculiar to the ministry; and one, I may say, peculiar to the ministry of our communion; a trial which does not exist so much in this, as in other Dioceses of our Church. allude to the riches of our people, and the fact that they are but little employed for the furtherance of the ministry. Much of this trial we owe to our own supineness, much to the uncertain position of our Church, but most of all to the fact that the rich are far from the kingdom of God. Not that there is in riches anything incompatible with "the kingdom," but there is that in the possession of riches which, setting their possessor above the exercise of faith for his daily bread, removeth him in so far from that which is the life of that kingdom, and which, making him comfortable here, disinclines him from making a provision for any thing hereafter.

The two first causes of the trial of which we speak, we have it in our power to do much to remove. The last is but in the power of God. A power doubtless,

however, to be exercised in our favour at our request. Let it be our constant prayer that he will, my Brethren, help us in this respect.

Some trials incidental to the ministry, and trials peculiar to the present day, we escape here from the nature of the position we are called upon to occupy, and most of us are engaged in the care of large, ignorant, and scattered flocks. And our chief work is to seek and to save the lost, to lay hold of and minister unto perishing souls, and as we can effect this only by constant and unvarying labour, by attention to our common duties, we are delivered from some of the most dangerous trials of the present time. And first, from what I may call a dilletante religion, or a discharge of its duties in a shadowy, unreal, representative, or amateur way: a temptation under which many have fallen. Here, my Brethren, we cannot treat religion as a matter of elegant amusement or theatrical show, or as an imitation of early Christianity, or as a matter dependent on antiquarian accuracy, or architectural design. The pressure of evident and crying duty, the care of perishing souls, delivers us from these and similar temptations, as it might have delivered others in the ministry, whom the want of such absolute and unmistakeable work has given up to the enemy. Our great temptation is to discharge our common and primary duties in a negligent, slovenly, or perfunctory manner. Be on your guard, my Brethren, against this temptation; it my office and duty to warn you against this snare.

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Remember my Brethren, that the lists of figures you annually present to me, as representing the amounts of your various congregations, represent an amount of immortal souls, and of souls under your care, souls for which one day you must give an account, souls of which you have the cure, souls which if not cured are lost. Remember that your services do nothing unless they save your people, that if carelessly performed they do not save yourselves. Content not yourselves with reading or preaching over your people; deal with them privately and individually, as well as collectively and in public. While conversing with them on worldly topics, do not forget the heavenly, and remember that your business with them respects the things of eternity, not of time. Be not put off with commonplaces and trifling words in your conversations with them; remind them that there is more between you and them than such things, and that you cannot be satisfied, nor they safe, until such be attended to. Scrutinize the moral condition of your flock. Remember that if any perish from moral disorder, you are responsible for the loss. If you dislike the responsibility, there is no need ye should bear it; but so long as ye undertake the pastoral office, you must bear the pastoral burden. Remember that your word and deed is the rule and beacon of your flock. Ye are the light of the world; if the light which is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness ! You are not only going to perdition yourselves, but dragging thither others with you. It is

impossible you can be too careful or scrupulous, my Brethren, in your attention to the public services of the Church, whether as to rubrical strictness, correctness, and manner of delivery, or as to punctuality in attention to the fixed times appointed for divine service. Observe in your places of worship the services for the fasts and festivals of the Church, wherever it is possible, and there are few cases wherein it is impossible.

Frequently administer the holy Communion; not less frequently than six times in the year, and oftener if in your power.

Baptize, as a rule, in public. Endeavour to raise the standards of chanting and singing in your Churches.

Set the example in yourselves of teaching in your Sunday Schools, and frequently visit your daily Schools.

Be exact and regular in keeping the Registers of your Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, and have the Register Books ready for inspection on every Visitation of the Bishop.

Endeavour to introduce Family Prayer into those families in your congregations where it does not already exist, and where it does, seek to elevate and sustain its character.

There is much to be done, my Brethren, in our Diocese, in the way of providing additional pastors, schoolmasters, and schoolmistresses, churches, parsonage, and school-houses, bibles, and prayer-books; much which cannot be accomplished speedily, or with our present means; but in time, and with a bless

ing upon us, many of these things we hope will be attained. I have begun a Fund, the Highland and Island Episcopal Fund, for the furtherance of such objects, a Fund which is still, however, but in its early infancy. It will ever lie much at my heart, my Brethren, in every way in my power to assist and help forward the Clergy of the Diocese over which the will of God has placed me; especially those who are most distinguished for zeal and selfdenial in their Master's cause.

There is a snare, my Brethren, against which I would warn you ere I have done,-the snare and danger of party spirit, a temptation to which we are all more or less exposed, from the discussions of the day. Party spirit is a great evil in itself, my Brethren, and highly demoralizing in its consequences. On such vast and complicated subjects as are embraced by the holy ministry, it is impossible that all, although they may agree as to the truth of the various doctrines of our faith, should agree as to the relative importance which ought to be assigned to them severally. There must always be, as there always has been, difference of opinion on this score, among the Clergy of the Church. Now, although I would not, even for the sake of peace, have any man change his opinion without conscientious conviction; yet I would have every clergyman who differs with another in the Diocese always to remember, that his adversary is probably as sincere and conscientious in his opinion

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