of those, who, it might be expected, would be invigorated by its principle, and enlivened by its

ardour.

The Church is, with one description of men, á mere state of convenience; they enjoy its revenues from the patronage of the great, or the patrimony of their families; and are, therefore, they think, authorized to lead an indolent and voluptuous life; they consider their situation as a privilege which exempts them from the laborious duties of the ministry; and leave to the lower order of the Clergy, I had almost said, all concern for God's glory, for the honour of the Church, and for the salvation of those souls for whom Christ died. We might, therefore, conclude, that labourers are sent by compulsion into the Gospel-field; and that the Lord's Ministers need neither be prompted by love nor stimulated by zeal: we might, therefore, conclude, that to promote the work of Redemption, to aid the grand scheme which the Son of God came into the world to execute, was reserved for those whom indigence and poverty compelled to be employed in it.

Now, by partaking so abundantly of the reve nues of the Church, are you thereby exempted from the obligations of your profession? When you entered into the Ministry, did the Church confer upon you the privilege of being indolent? or did it include you in the number of its labourers and its Ministers? How! Because you have been more fortunate, though, perhaps, less deserving,

than other men; because the Church hath blessed you with its treasures, are you to be disobedient to its commands, and negligent of its duties? The abundance which you possess, as it would add authority to your remonstrances, and weight to your persuasion, ought to stimulate you to high exertions in the discharge of your ministerial engagements, and not to become a pretence for entrusting the salvation of souls to the care of others. Whether our ecclesiastical situation be exalted or obscure, it is equally incumbent on us to fulfil the ministry we have received of the Lord. The great Apostle considered it as a cause of glorying, and of the success of his apostleship, to have preached the Gospel without reward. To this noble disin terestedness, he attributed the abundant fruits which the Word of God had produced among mankind, by his ministry.

And indeed, does not a godly Pastor, who at once administers to the wants of the body, and is attentive to the salvation of the soul, excite a veneration for a profession, calculated to render those who have embraced it, liberal in the distribution of the emoluments they receive from it? With what blessings does a Minister of this character see his labours accompanied? What an impression do his words and his exhortations make, upon hearts already prepared, by his liberality, for the reception of the Gospel! Men reverence a Religion so compassionate towards the unhappy and they are equally affected with the blessings they receive from it, and with the sins they have committed against it.

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A second cause of want of zeal is the cold and languishing state of the heart; it is the want of love towards God, and of charity towards men. In vain do we flatter ourselves with unimpeachable regularity; in vain do we challenge the acuteness of enquiry to investigate our conduct; we are, notwithstanding, dead in the sight of God; the love of God, which is inseparable from the love of our neighbour, is extinct in our heart: THE VITAL PRINCIPLE IS WANTING. Did we, indeed, love God,-were we impressed with a sense of our duty to promote his glory, bound, as we are, by the spirit of our ministry,—is it possible that we could perceive, with indifference, his Majesty every day, and in every place, insulted by the excess, and outraged by the profligacy, which pervade the whole earth?

What are the characters, then, by which we may know how the principle of the love of God operates in the heart of a Minister of the Gospel ? He is impressed with a lively sorrow when he sees the sovereign of the universe provoked, and his law contemned, by the greater part of those, whom, with the most gracious design, and for the most benevolent purpose, the great Creator called into being: he is actuated by an ardent desire to confine to God alone the worship which is due to his Supreme Majesty, and inexhaustible goodness; he is impelled by an holy zeal to deliver up himself, to render his feeble talents subservient to extend the glory, and exalt the name, of Jehovah, and to inspire all men

with the same affections of fear, of love, of thanks. giving, which preside in his own heart. We cannot love an object, and be insensible to the insults offered to the object of our love: and we cannot be possessed of such sensibility, without employing every power, and exerting every faculty, to prevent, or, at least, to avert them, especially when, independent of the obligation common to all, our ministry enjoins it, as a personal and indispensable duty; a duty which is the very foun dation, and which comprises in it all the other obligations, of our sacred calling.

And although our zeal should not be productive of any very unusual effects; although the truths which we preach to sinners should fall upon hearts dead to all sense of Religion, we should possess the consolation of having contributed to the glory of God, by endeavouring, as much as possible, to bring all men to a knowledge of the truth. The Almighty doth not always comfort his Ministers with the appearance of immediate and visible success, lest man should attribute to himself that effect which is produced only by his grace: but his word always works in secret; the holy seed, which seems to have fallen upon an unprepared soil, is not entirely lost, but will, sooner or later, bring forth fruits of salvation. God has his moments: and it is not for us to arraign his wisdom, or attempt to prescribe bounds to his power: His spirit works where, and when he pleases: we see the changes he produces; but the hidden admirable

ways by which he produces them, no one knows : they are the profound mysteries of Providence, which will only be revealed in the great day of the Lord. Of us he demands solicitude, labour and toil; he reserves to himself the increase: he commands us to "teach, to exhort, to reprove; to

cry aloud, and not to spare ;" on himself alone depends the entrance of the good seed of the word into the heart duly prepared to receive it*.

But it is not the apprehension of want of success which makes us negligent of our duty. No! the true reason is, we ourselves are not impressed with a sense of God's glory, and of the blessings of salvation. And indeed, how should we, as St. James observes, be affected with the interests of the Lord's glory, whom we do not see, so long as we are insensible to the wants of our brethren, whom we do see? Can we, without emotion, without reaching

"Never despair, nor be immoderately grieved, if your success be small: but be not indifferent about it: do not content yourselves with the indolent plea that you have done your duty, and are not answerable for the event. You may have done it as far as the law requires: yet by no means have discharged your consciences. You may have done it conscientiously, yet not with the diligence or address that you ought. And as we are seldom easy in other cases, when we fail of our end; if we are so in this, it doth not look well. At least consult your hearts upon this point. And if you have been deficient, beg of God pardon, grace, and direction; endeavour to do more for your people: Consult your brethren about the means. Conversation of this nature will much better become Clergymen when they meet, than any which is not relative to their profession.”—Abp. SECKER.