was wasted upon a vain and impious project, sanctioned neither by the voice of God nor of right reason. But suppose for a moment that all that mighty stir of preparation and equipment, and embarkation of a powerful armament was directed purely against the empire of heathen darknessthat the weapons of their warfare were not carnal but spiritual-that instead of their accumulated stores of arms and ammunition in the shape of actual instruments of destruction, they had gone out with a grand apparatus of Bibles, printing presses, paper, and, if you will pardon the anachronism still farther, stereotype plates, and all the other requisite machinery for commencing and carrying on the great process of giving the light of knowledge and truth to the people of the whole world; and, to complete the picture, suppose the warriors clad in armour of steel that followed as the living agents of the enterprise, to be transformed into simple missionaries-men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," having their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; having for their helmet the hope of salvation, bearing the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, having their loins girt about with truth, and above all armed with the shield of faith, whereby they were able to quench the fiery darts of the devil." And suppose all the zeal and enthusiasm that possessed the warlike knights to be transferred into these true soldiers of the cross, but directed towards the

sublime and merciful object of preaching the gospel of peace to men of every country and of every language; and will the magnitude of the preparations or the zeal of the agents employed in it be reckoned excessive? Will not the grandeur of the object now appear adequate to all the sacrifice of life and treasure and talent embarked in it?

I am sure that in the judgment of every one capable of estimating the greatness of the occasion, the glory and the mercy of the design, scarcely any conceivable sacrifice can be an error in the way excess. And by the same rule, all that we are now doing is a lamentable error in the way of defect.

of

O what a different appearance would the church assume, were such a spirit of zeal for the spread of the gospel now to descend upon it as possessed the minds of all ranks throughout almost the whole of Christendom in the times alluded to! How much more of the character of reality would religion put on, where it is now but a form! How would it operate like a living principle, instead of lying dead as a cold system of speculative belief! How much more of the presence of Christ would be felt and enjoyed by all his true disciples, and how soon might we expect to see the aspect of the world beginning to change-the heathen idols fallingtheir temples trembling to their foundation-the worshippers deserting them, ashamed of their folly, mourning over their guilt and wretchedness, yet betaking themselves in humble faith to the

refuge. Then would the brilliant but bloodless triumphs of the cross begin to be celebrated over the fallen shrines of the east and the west, and the north and the south, and speedily should all nations "be blessed in Jesus and call him blessed."

But to return to the argument from which we have insensibly digressed. If you comprehend the drift and effect of the observations I have offered on the reasons which may justify a man qualified to become a missionary spending his life at home, you will perceive that the limits of the ground on which many think they stand fairly exempted from actual service are narrowing fast, that many, if they admit our views of the paramount claims of the work of Christ among the heathen, will feel themselves shut up to the necessity of engaging in it, or of doing violence to their convictions of duty.

The claims of dependant relatives will not exempt a man, if those relatives may be provided for in the event of his going abroad. The opinions or wishes of relatives or other interested persons cannot be sustained as sufficient ground of exemption. The plea of being useful in the cause by pecuniary aid, and the employment of a portion of time and influence cannot be admitted; neither can assistance, rendered even to the amount of supporting a labourer in the field, exempt a man who is qualified to serve in his own person; neither will the plea of intended devotement to the cause of Christ at home, where labourers are abundant, and

where men who cannot go abroad ought to be stationed. So long as there is a great scarcity of men for foreign service, the obligation to go is doubly imperious.

Bnt what shall we say of a minister of sterling piety, various learning, good talents, of sound constitution, in the prime of life, and without relative ties that forbid his removal? This I feel to be delicate-sacred ground, and therefore I would enter upon it tenderly and with diffidence. But in my humble opinion, there may be cases (perhaps not a few) where a christian pastor is comfortably settled, beloved by his people, and his labours blessed among them, while, nevertheless, both he and the church would ultimately be gainers by his forsaking all for Christ. His place would be supplied-his people would feel themselves more than ever identified with the cause of missions. They would follow him with their prayers, and sympathise in his joys and sorrows as in some sense their own. It would be long before they forgot the joy and the grief of that moment when they were enabled by the grace of God to part with a beloved pastor, and say, "The will of the Lord be done." when they gave him up in generous love to the souls of heathen who had more need of such a teacher than themselves; and it would be long before they would cease, "at morning time" to re

member him.

It is proper to observe at the same time, that in

ordinary cases it is a very questionable step for a minister at home to break up his engagements, which it is to be presumed he entered into after solemn deliberation, much prayer, and entire conviction of duty. But it is possible to conceive, nay perhaps it is not uncommon for ministers to have entered upon their work without ever seriously weighing the question, whether it might be their duty to go abroad as missionaries to the heathen. And this may very easily have happened, since even to this day the subject is kept so much in the background, and the duty of properly qualified persons devoting themselves to the service so seldom pressed upon the attention of those whom it concerns. Hence the present suggestion that qualified men, although settled as pastors, may be called to quit their flocks and go to seek the sheep that are wandering without a shepherd, is but a temporary measure; that is, a measure rendered necessary by the error of entering upon home service from a defective knowledge of their duty to serve their master in a different sphere. If from this time henceforth the subject shall be so well understood that no man shall enter upon the work of the ministry at home before he has satisfied his own mind that he has no call to become a missionary-the measure now alluded to of a pastor leaving his people, which, considering all circumstances, is not unlikely to be the duty of some, will never need to be resorted to.