before him, and multitudes hailed him as their spiritual father he was even honoured with an admission into Heaven; still we hear him calling on the Church in Thessalonica, and saying, in the language of the text, Brethren, pray for us.' If one, who thus shone in all the glories of human attainment; who, under his Divine Lord, occupied a throne in the Christian Church, made such a request at the hands of his brethren, surely it becomes a minister of the Gospel of the present day, when no miraculous gifts are allowed, and no extraordinary helps are dispensed; and if any minister, it especially becomes him who now addresses you. "As I wish an immediate, as well as perpetual application and improvement of the subject involved in the text, I shall employ the time allotted in laying before you some arguments, proving it both your duty and your interest to pray for your minister. "And may the Holy Spirit so be to me a mouth and wisdom, that your minds may be convinced, and your hearts engaged in the work toward which I would fain direct them. "1st. Every believer has an interest at the throne of grace. * * * * * "2d. Possessing as you do this power, how can you exercise it with more prospect of usefulness, than in praying for the minister of the altar? "Survey, for a moment, the importance of his office. He is an ambassador sent to negotiate between God and man. His office leads him to unfold to immortal souls the claims their Maker has upon them, and their transgressions against those claims; to publish the free, full, and perfect salvation provided in the Gospel, and to urge by all that is terrible, and all that is tender, the importance of their embracing this offer of mercy. He stands as on the line which separates eternity from time, to arrest the attention of those who are rushing like a flood to the bar of judgment, and to fix it on that Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.' * * * * "3d. Not only is the office of a minister of the Gospel important; the duties of that office are also extremely arduous. "It is not merely by crying aloud and sparing not, that a minister of Jesus is to win souls, but by reproving, rebuking, exhorting, labouring in word and doctrine, studying to show himself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. He is so to form and fashion his whole life, his studies, and his very thoughts, as that all may continually invite sinners to the cross. * * * "4th. The necessity of your praying for me is enhanced, by the consideration that this important office, and these arduous duties, are committed to a frail mortal like yourselves. "Who is weak and I am not weak? Are you encompassed with infirmity? so am I. Are you partakers of a corrupt nature? Do you find reason to exclaim, 'O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' so have I. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, the house of Saul wareth against the house of David, as constantly in me as in any of you; and satan assaults me perhaps more vigorously than he does any of you."—" Surely I need your prayers. If it was necessary that the arm of Moses should be supported by Aaron and Hur, much more is it necessary that I should be supported by your united supplications." "5th. Consider farther, the consequences that must arise from any want of faithfulness, and let that prevail with you, as an additional reason why you should pray with all prayer and supplication in the spirit' for me. 6 "Consider the consequence of the want of faithfulness to my own soul." * * * * * * * To the souls of others. Those under my care, and who were to have been aroused through my labours, will remain asleep in their sins."- "It may naturally be expected, that many souls which might have been saved, will be lost; that the blind leading the blind, all will fall together; that the presence of God will leave our assemblies, Ichabod be written upon our altar, and instead of flourishing in all the graces of the Spirit, and sending forth an incense acceptable to Heaven, we shall be a valley of dry bones, abominable in the sight of both God and man. Oh! there is not a greater curse can be given to a congregation, than a faithless minister; pray therefore, for me, I beseech you, that this curse may not be yours. "God can work through the weakest instrument, and it does please him to work through the officers of His Church. You may then hope, if I be found true, that He, in his infinite mercy, will condescend to make the word in my mouth sharper than any two-edged sword; that He will build up his people in his most holy faith, that he will wake the slumberers in the valley of death, and that he will cause many a song to be heard in Heaven over sinners repenting within these walls. If I am enabled to make full proof of my ministry, we may expect that He will be present to bless. We shall all have seasons of sweet communion, not only with each other, but also with him. We shall be mutual helpers of each other's joy: Hand joining in hand, in the fellowship of the Gospel, we shall go from strength to strength. The young will spring up around us, as cedars planted by the power of the Most High; they will advance in the knowledge of the truth; and in the promise of their piety, their fathers shall perceive a pledge, that the ark of the Lord will not be deserted when their locks are in the dust. And through the abounding mercy of Him who is our strength, we may hope that the last glance of our dying eye will be upon a Church flourishing in all the fruits of the Spirit, and that, entering the eternal world, we shall meet before the throne, to unite our thanksgivings to Him who put it in your hearts to pray and enabled me to labour. "If then, beloved, you desire the prosperity of your own souls, or the safety of mine; if you wish our Zion to look abroad fair as the moon, clear as the sun, crowned with the presence and blessing of her God, let me entreat you to pray for your minister. I am importunate on this subject, because it is a subject I feel. I know that all my usefulness among you will depend entirely on the blessing of the Almighty; and I know that for this blessing he will be inquired of. I would fain, therefore, league your supplications with mine, that the windows of Heaven may be opened and such a measure of grace may be poured forth as shall cause a rejoicing throughout our whole land. "I have chosen to present this topic thus early to your attention, because it is one of perpetual importance.""Let me then hope, that when you bow the knee for yourselves, you will remember him who serves at your altar; that when you enter your closets and pray to your Father who is in Heaven, and when in the midst of your families you prostrate yourselves with your little ones and servants around you, and when you approach these courts to mingle in the great congregation, you will entreat for him who is to give an account of your souls. Let me enjoy this intercession, and I shall enter upon my labours with confidence ; I shall feel that the Lord God is already with me, and the strength of a host is around me. "To please you all, beloved hearers, I do not expect: if I can be the means of saving your souls, it is the utmost of my desire. "May the Spirit of the Most High, so assist you to pray for me, and me to labour, that after the short term of our pilgrimage is over, I may be enabled to present you faultless before the throne, with exceeding joy: And to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, be all the praise, the honour, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” The above extracts gratefully unfold the views and feelings of my brother at the beginning of his arduous duties. And there are those who can testify with what untiring devotion he held on his course to the end; from labour to labour, from strength to strength, and from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. His aged predecessor, the Rev. Joseph Pilmore, D. D., had served the people of St. Paul's through a long and laborious ministry. But he was subject to such infirmities during the last years of his pilgrimage, as to interfere much with his usefulness. My brother, therefore, in taking charge of the Church, found her spiritual concerns in a disorganized state; they were, in fact, in some respects, as sheep without a shepherd. His first object was to ascertain who were his people, what their character, and the peculiarity of their wants. He then made such arrangements, and formed such plans, as were designed to bring them under the most advantageous course of instruction, and insure the greatest success to his ministry. His early attention was directed to the instruction of the rising generation. He displayed peculiar interest in the catechising of the children, the directing of Sunday-schools, and Bibleclasses for those more advanced. Two Sunday-schools were in existence when he took charge of the Church, and he afterwards organized nine new Schools and Bible-classes. Thus he had eleven of these interesting nurseries of piety under his charge. ten. The coloured portion of his community were not forgotHe introduced a new mode of imparting instruction to those adults who could not read. By the means of a small work, entitled, "Prime Truths," he endeavoured to impress, by simple questions and answers, the prominent doctrines and duties of the Gospel upon their minds and hearts. And these questions and answers, often repeated, were made the instruments of benefitting, yea, converting |