professedly preach the Gospel, and a call to honour the ministry, and personally to apply it, on the part of those who listen to it.

In conclusion, let me remind you of the awful danger that will be incurred on your part by the rejection of the Gospel. Is it possible that you will reject the Gospel? Just consider what is involved in those simple words-" Reject the Gospel!"—the medicine that will cure your diseases, the light that will dissipate your darkness, the balm that will soothe your sorrows, the refuge that will shield you from peril, the life that will save you from death, the heaven that will save you from hell. Reject the Gospel! My hearers, if there be one amongst you who is yet inclined to depart from these walls as a rejector of the Gospel, I remind thee that there will be a term in that tremendous futurity to which thou art recklessly hastening, the equal of which cannot be imparted to any one dwelling among the darkest places of the earth: "He that knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew not his Lord's will, and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes, for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." Ask yourselves whether you are prepared to encounter that far "sorer punishment" which God is to render against those who have trampled the blood of the covenant under their feet as an unholy thing.

And, finally, let me remind you, having yourselves a part in the Gospel, of your duty to assist in its propagation. My brethren, the calls of many voices are around you, urging you yet to consider the wants and the miseries of men; shew them that the Gospel is the ordained instrument for preventing their misery and promoting their welfare. Are you not called on as men, as philanthropists, and as Christians, to strive your utmost that the Gospel may be carried to the ends of the earth? It is my lot and my privilege to plead the cause of the institution for which your charitable contributions are now to be freely rendered, the cause of "THE IRISH EVANGELICAL SOCIETY;" a society formed for the propagation of the Gospel in Ireland. You, my friends, may be aware, that at this moment, according to ordinary computation, there is a population of no less than six millions in that interesting and important part of our empire, devoted to what must be called the follies and the crimes of Popery. The "Irish Evangelical Society" has been forined for carrying the Gospel there, not by means of the reading of the Scriptures only, but by that specific instrumentality which has been referred to this evening, even the oral teaching, or ministry of the Gospel; directing their exertions to the three provinces where Popery almost entirely abounds. There is one feature in the character of this institution that may be mentioned as generally urging its claims-it is not a sectarian institution; it was formed for the purpose of combining the exertions of Evangelical ministers of the Established Church, as well as the various denominations of Dissenting churches who hold the Head, even Christ. And, my friends, if there be persons of different denominations here, it ought to be remembered by them, they are giving to what is strictly a catholic institution, designed to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and without sowing divisions in the Church, to help the conquest of the world. Between fifty and sixty agents are employed by the society; and many of the statements, which, under some circumstances, 1 might perhaps have been able to read to you this evening, with regard to the work of God, are cheering and delightful. There is one other circumstance 1

would mention, namely-that the treasurer is now in advance to the amount of more than six hundred pounds: a debt which has been incurred by the necessity of answering claims which could not have been neglected, excepting by a sacrifice of feeling which no Christian could desire to exist. With these brief remarks, I now leave the claims of this important institution in your hands, praying that you will give from a sense of your obligation to the Gospel, and from a conviction of the necessity of its propagation to secure the happiness and well-being of their souls. I have only to pray that God may cause his blessing both to the giver and the gift. Amen.

THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS.

As "the ambassadors of Christ, we pray you in Christ's stead that ye be reconciled unto God." I am truly aware that we may urge this solemn entreaty in vain if we urge it solely on the authority of our office without making the whole of our doctrine and living conformable to the character. I am aware that if there be not a deeply-rooted conviction in the minds of our hearers that we are, in the first place, qualified to discern, and in the second place, earnest and sincere in setting it forth, our ministry cannot be a profitable or a fruitful ministry. It is necessary, therefore, that we be first competently learned. With respect to the first preachers of the Gospel, the absence of all human learning rendered more conspicuous and unquestionable the miraculous interposition of the Spirit, by which they were enabled to confound the most acute, baffle the most learned, and silence the most eloquent of their opponents. God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. The absence of all acquired endowments gave scope for the full and free manifestation of the Spirit in all its miraculous energies; but the ordinary gifts of the Spirit are to be expected in proportion only to our diligence in cultivating the natural faculties of our minds. And whatever branches of knowledge may be supposed to lie within the circle which a learned minister of the Word has traversed and explored, there is one to which even the humblest must aspire-he must be mighty in the Scriptures. And what is it to be mighty in the Scriptures? It is not to repeat merely verse on verse, or chapter on chapter; but to have well considered the meaning and coherence of all the different parts of Holy Writ; to understand their intent and application; to be able to press them on the understanding and conscience of others with the convincing clearness of reason, without any of those forced and unauthorized interpretations, those mystical speculations, which perplex the weak and offend the strong; but with an earnestness of application to every man's conscience, which does indeed make the learned and discreet minister mighty in the Scriptures: for it enables him to throw down the prejudice of pride and worldly-mindedness; to force open, as it were, the doors of grace; and so to wield the sword of the Spirit, as to give demonstration of the truth, that the Word of God, when rightly applied, is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.

But then it must be the whole counsel of God which we must recommend and enforce-not some of its features to the neglect and disparagement of the others. We are not merely to convince men of their own sinfulness, but to persuade them of the free mercy of God. If we teach them that he has foreknown, and consequently fore-ordained, from eternity, the salvation of those who are to be saved, and the condemnation of those who are to be condemned; we shall but foster a dangerous assurance in the presumptuous, and drive to despair the timid, unless we convince them that in the revelation of his will he deals with all men as free agents, at liberty to choose the good or evil, and answerable for the choice, able to come to him, and to work out their own salvation, albeit with fear and trembling.

But the theme of our preaching, the basis of our arguments, the ornaments of our eloquence must be Christ-Christ crucified. We may tell you that you may come unto God, but it must be through Christ: that you may obey him

and please him, but only in Christ: that he has promised to abide in you, but only as ye abide in Christ; that you may perform works good and acceptable to him, but good only as the fruit of faith in Christ, and acceptable only as Christ has purchased their acceptance by his death. I do not advise you to usurp the office of judge over any of those whom you are commanded to honour and obey; nor ought you to be offended with the peculiarities of those preachers whose mode of instruction may be unsuited to your judgment, or contrary to your taste. But I cannot desire you to honour those who do not preach Christ, and him crucified. Let no man deprive you of that sure and certain anchor of the soul, that sole foundation of your hopes as responsible sinful beings, that only real source of strength in this life, and of hope in that to come. For what is the language of the great Apostle? "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." "We preach Christ crucified." "I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." "We preach not

ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for his sake." "Christ in you the hope of glory."

It is the consideration of Christ crucified, my brethren, the thoughts of what he suffered, and the object for which he suffered, that constitute the sacredness and the dearness of that spiritual relationship which binds a faithful pastor to his flock. What a constraining, what an overpowering motive have we to vigilance in the duties of our holy calling in this one consideration, that the church of God which we are appointed to feed is that church which he hath purchased with his blood. The redemption for which he paid so dear a price is offered freely to all men; all are called into his fold out of a wicked world. It is not the will of our Father that one of his little ones perish. It is our province to repeat and enforce the call, to urge and persuade you by every possible argument and motive, by reason, by entreaty, by rebuke, by example, to make a personal application to yourselves of the benefits of redemption, as ambassadors for our Heavenly Master; praying you, in Christ's stead, that ye will be reconciled unto God. And if by reason of our apathy or negligence, one soul be lost of those whom Jesus died to save, have we not the sinfulness of our folly and the greatness of our punishment recorded already in the sentence of eternal judgment:-" Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

BISHOP OF LONDON'S FAREWELL SERMON, AT ST. BOTOLPH'S,

BISHOPSGATE.

THE CONNEXION BETWEEN BELIEVING THE GOSPEL AND MAKING IT KNOWN.

REV. W. LUCY.

BRISTOL MONTHLY MEETING, JULY 14, 1830.

"For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."-ACTs, iv. 20.

SUCH was the language of the Apostles Peter and John, under circumstances of a peculiar kind, which we do well to notice. From the second chapter of this Book, we learn that they had cheering demonstrations of the Saviour's presence, in the powerful and saving influence of the Holy Spirit accompanying the message they delivered, thousands being pricked to the heart, and induced to cry "Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved?" and at length giving themselves to the Lord and to his Church by the will of God; " and the Lord adding to the Church daily such as should be saved." They were now to experience trial; and having entered the Temple at the hour of prayer, they saw a poor man who had been lame from his birth; on whom they took compassion, and for whom they effected a cure. This excited considerable stir; and great numbers came about them. Peter embraced the opportunity afforded, and preached unto them Jesus Christ, exhorting them to repent, and to be converted, that their sins might be blotted out, when the times of refreshing should come from the presence of the Lord. About five thousand believed, turned from their iniquities, sought the Lord with purpose of heart, and obtained salvation. This enraged the priests, and rulers, and Sadducees, who took hold of the Apostles Peter and John, and put them in confinement. The next day, having assembled a company, they brought them forth and set them in the midst, demanding how they had effected the cure on the poor man. Peter, with all boldness, informed them, that it was through the name of that Saviour, the only Saviour of men, whom they had rejected and despised. Beholding the conduct of the Apostles, they were constrained to acknowledge that they had been with Jesus, and had learned of him; but desirous of preventing their future success, though they could but acknowledge that a wonderful cure had been performed, after consultation with each other, they commanded them no more to speak in the name of Jesus. Then the Apostles, knowing that their commission was from Heaven, answered, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

The subject announced for this evening, is neither "believing the Gospel," nor “making it known;" but "the connexion between the two." To see it clearly, however, it will be necessary to dwell a little on each of the former. We shall, therefore, first, state what we conceive to be believing the Gospel. Secondly, What is included in making it known. Thirdly, The intimate relation of the one to the other. May your hearts be lifted up to God the