bear down the insurrections of sin in his heart; and to discharge all the ordinary duties of the christian life, towards God, his neighbour, and himself. This work is as necessary, as important, as difficult to him, as to his hearers. And I appeal to such of you as have ever engaged in it, whether this alone be not ex. tremely difficult and laborious. It is, indeed, noble and delightful but still it is laborious. But besides this, there is a great, an arduous and laborious work peculiar to the office of a bishop, or minister of the gospel, which not only is sufficient to exhaust all his time and abilities, but which requires daily supplies of strength from above to enable him to perform it. To employ his hours at home, not in idleness, or worldly pursuits, but in study and devotion, that his head and heart may be furnished for the discharge of his office-to preach the word, instant in season and out of season, with that vigorous exertion, and those agonies of zeal, which exhaust the spirits, and throw the whole frame into such a ferment as hardly any other labour can produce-to visit the sick, and to teach his people in general, from house to house, in the more social and familiar forms of private instruction to do all this, not as a thing by the bye, or a matter of form, but with zeal, fidelity, prudence, and incessant application, as the main business of life; deeply solicitous about the important con sequences to do this with fortitude and perseverance, in spite of all the discouragements of unsuccessfulness, and the various forms of opposition that may arise from earth and hell—to abide steady and unshaken under the strong gales of popular applause, and the storms of persecution-to bless, when reviled; to forbear, when persecuted; to entreat, when defamed; to be abased as the filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things ;* to give no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed ; but in all things to approve himself as the minister of God ;†~ to preach christianity out of the pulpit, by his example, as well as in it, by his discourses; and to make his life a constant sermon. This, this, my brethren, is the work of a bishop, or a minister of the gospel. "And who is sufficient for these things? Is not this a work that would require the strength of an angel? And yet this work must be done-done habitually, honestly, conscientiously, by us frail mortals, that sustain this office; or else

we shall be condemned as slothful and wicked servants.

This thought must forever sink our spirits, were it not that Christ is our strength and life. Yes, my dear fellow labourers, such weaklings as we may spring up, and lay hold of his strength; and we can do all things through Christ strengthening us.* This you have experienced in hours of dejection; and " unless the Lord had been your help, your souls, ere now, had dwelt in silence." Hence, by the bye, you may see the reason why the Lord hath appointed, that they who preach the gospel should live by it it is because, that time, those abilities, and those la. bours, which others lay out in providing for themselves and their dependants, must be laid out by them in serving others, by a faithful discharge of their office. If they thus devote themselves to the duties of their function, it is but just and reasonable that those for whom they labour, should provide for their subsistence while they are serving them. But if those who style themselves ministers, do not suffer their office to restrain them from secular pursuits; if it only employ an hour or two once a week, upon a day in which it is unlawful even for the laity to mind their worldly affairs; in short, if, notwithstanding their office, they have the same opportunities with other people, to provide themselves a living, I see no reason why they should be supported at the public charge-supported at the public charge, to serve themselves! They are a kind of supernumerary placemen, or pensioners, and drones in society. "The labourer is worthy of his hire;" but the loiterer deserves none. But this I mention by the bye.

You see, my brother,§ what it is you are now to engage in. You have desired the office of a bishop; and after many struggles and disappointments, the object of your desire appears now within your reach. But remember, it is not a post of honour, profit, or ease, that you are about to be advanced to; but it is e work. You are now entering upon a life of painful labour, fatigue, and mortification. Now you have nothing to do but to work for your Lord and Master : to work, not merely for an hour or two once a week, but every day, in every week, and through your whole life. If you enter into your closet, it must be to pray. If you enter your study, it must be to think what

§ Here the address was particularly directed to Mr. Martin.

you shall say to recommend your Master, not yourself; and to save the souls that hear you. If you enter the pulpit, it must be not to "preach yourself, but Christ Jesus the Lord ;"* not to set yourself off as a fine speaker, a great scholar, or a profound reasoner, but to preach Christ crucified, and the humble, unpopular doctrines of Jesus of Galilee; and to beseech men, in his stead, to be reconciled to God; "to warn every man, and teach every man, that you may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." If you go into the world, and mingle in conversation, it must be to drop a word for Christ; and let mankind see, that you live, as well as talk, like a christian. If you travel about from place to place, among necessitous vacancies, it must be to diffuse the vital savour of your Master's name, and not your own. If you settle, and undertake a particular charge, it must be to "watch for souls, as one that must give account ;" and industriously to plant and water that spot, which is laid out for you in the Lord's vineyard. Here, my friend, here is your work; and while you survey it, I doubt not but you are ready to renew the exclamation, "Who is sufficient for these things ?"S This work will leave no blanks in your time, but is sufficient to employ it well. It will leave none of your powers idle, but requires the utmost exertion of them every one. It is the work. of your Sundays, and of your week days.-The work of your retirement, and of your social hours-the work of soul and bodyof the head and the heart-the work of life and death: a laborious, anxious, uninterrupted work. But, blessed be God! it is, after all, a good work.

It is a good work, whether you consider-for whom-with whom or for what you work.

who is carrying

His immediate Their office calls

The ministers of the gospel work for GoD, on the grand scheme of salvation in our world. service is the peculiar business of their lives. them to minister at his altar, while others are called even in duty to mind the labours and pursuits of this world. Of them it may be said, in a peculiar degree, what holds true of christians in common, in a lower sense, They neither live to themselves, nor die to themselves; but whether they live, they live unto the Lord; or whether they die, they die unto the Lord: so that living and dying, they are the Lord's." Now, who would not

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* 2 Cor. iv. 5.

† Col. i. 28. Heb. xiii. 17. § 2 Cor. ii. 16.

Rom. xiv. 7,

work for the God that made them, that gives them all their bless. ings, and that alone can make them happy through an immor. tal duration? Who would not work for so good, so excellent, so munificent a master? Oh! how good a work is this?

Ministers also work for Jesus Christ. It was he that originally gave them their commission; it was he that assigned them their work it is he that is interested in their success. It is his work they are engaged in; the great work of saving sinners, in which he himself worked, for three and thirty painful, laborious years: and to promote which, he suffered all the agonies of crucifixion. And, blessed Jesus! who would not work for thee? for thee, who didst work and suffer so much for us! Oh! while we feel the constraints of thy love, who can forbear crying out with Isaiah, "Here am I; send me."* Send me to the ends of the earth; send me among savage barbarians; send me through fire and water; send me where thou wilt if it be for thee, here, Lord, I go: I would undertake the hardest work, if it be for thee for Oh! what work can be so good, so grateful, so pleasant?

:

Again, the ministers of the gospel work for the souls of men. To do good to mankind, is the great purpose of their office. It is their business, to serve the best interests of others, to endeav our to make men wise and good, and consequently happy, in time and eternity; to make them useful members of civil and religious society, in this world; and prepared heirs of the inheri tance of the saints in light : in short, to refine and advance hu man nature to the highest possible degree of moral excellence, glory, and happiness. Is not this the most generous beneficent office in all the world? And how good, how pleasing, and how delightful must it be, in this view, to a benevolent soul! It is an office the most friendly to civil government, and the happiness of the world in general. And if ecclesiastics have often proved firebrands in society, and disturbers of the peace of mankind, it has not been owing to the nature, design and tendency of their office, but to their being carried headlong by their own avarice or ambition, or some other sordid lust, to abuse it to purposes directly contrary to those for which it was intended and adapted. Every minister of the gospel ought to have a benevolent, generous, patriotic spirit, and be the friend of human nature, from noble and disinterested views otherwise, his temper and his office appear a shocking contrariety to each other. But when they agree,

* Isa. vi. S.

he is a public blessing to the world, and an immortal blessing to the souls of men. Thus, you see, this office is a good work, if we consider for whom the work is done.

Let us next consider, with whom the ministers of the gospel work; and we shall see how good their employment is. They are workers together with God,* engaged in carrying on the same gracious design, which lay so near his heart from eternity; for the execution of which, he sent his Son into the world; has appointed various means of grace, under the various dispensations of religion, during the space of near six thousand years; and manages all the events of time, by his all-ruling providence.

They are also co-workers with Jesus Christ: promoting the same cause, for which he became man; for which he lived the life of a servant, and died the death of a malefactor and a slave. Jesus, their Lord and master, condescended to be their predecessor in office, and to become the preacher of his own gospel. They are engaged, though in an humbler sphere, in that work, which he is now carrying on, since his return to his native heaven. And whenever the pleasure of the Lord prospers in their hands, he actually works with them, and is the author of all their successes. He sends his Spirit to "convince the world, by their means, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment," and to make his gospel powerful for the salvation of those that hear it. Oh! were it not for his concurrence, all the little religion which is in the world, would immediately expire; and the united efforts of all the ministers upon earth, would not be able to preserve one spark of it alive.

They may also be called fellow-workers with the Holy Spirit, whose great office it is to sanctify depraved creatures, and prepare them for the refined happiness of heaven. While they are speaking to the ear, He speaks to the heart; and causes men to feel, as well as to hear, the gospel of salvation.

They also act in concert with angels: for what are these glorious creatures, but "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them, that shall be heirs of salvation?"‡ An angel once condescended to call a minister of the gospel his fellow-servant. "I am thy fellow-servant," says the angel to John, (the fellow-servant) of thy brethren the prophets."S And when these servants of an humbler order have finished their painful ministration on earth, they shall join their fellow-servants of a higher class in the * 2 Cor. vi. 1. † John xvi. 8. Heb. i. 14. § Rev. xix. 10.