Ought not tutors and others then, who have influence over young men preparing for the ministry, to bring this question fully before them-lest they should form home engagements unadvisedly, and begin to think of missionary service when it may be too late, or at least when they must engage in it under disadvantages?

I have no idea however that many pastors will determine to take the step I have ventured to hint at. At any rate, sure I am that there will arise from it no danger of the churches at home being left without instructors by such desertions; and I am equally sure that as to those devoted men who do go as missionaries to the heathen, they will never be suffered to want any good thing the friends they leave can supply, or their prayers draw down from the God of all grace: or should their friends neglect and forget them, the Lord whom they serve will raise up for them fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers, and give them a hundred-fold more than they have forsaken, with persecutions--and, in the world to come, everlasting life.

I know that the attachments of ministers and people are not to be treated lightly. Nor is the argument altogether without weight which might be urged, that the affection of a people to him who labours among them renders his services really of more value to them than they can be to any other people; and, as they think, more useful than the

labours of any other individual, however qualified, could be. But I would submit it to the calm judgment, and to the faith of such a church, whether their cheerfully giving up the instrument by which God was pleased to edify and comfort their souls, would not warrant them confidently to expect that he for whose sake they had thus " denied themselves" would not suffer them to be spiritual losers by the transaction. And so far as the pastor himself might be concerned, I would submit it to his faith, whether in such a case, whatever might be his feelings in parting with an affectionate people, not however leaving them destitute, but seeing them entrusted to the care of another faithful "shepherd," he might not "assuredly gather" that he might warrantably join the company of them who go" to call the sheep that wander yet :" nay, that it would be shrinking from duty, and declining a noble and generous service to stay behind.

One of our best practical writers says, "The day is near when unfaithful ministers will wish they had never known their charge; but that they had been employed in the meanest occupation, instead of being pastors of Christ's flock, when, beside all the rest of their sins, they shall have the blood of so many souls to answer for." But this observation suggests a query, If any one, in order to shift off the responsibilty, and escape the possible guilt of unfaithfulness as a christian minister or missionary,

decline the office, hiding his talent and spending his days in useless security, is he guiltless? or is he chargeable with the blood of the souls that might have been warned and instructed, and for whose salvation he might and should have laboured? I doubt not but he is. O! it is a solemn thing to be entrusted with a talent! It is not at our own option to employ it or not; nor are we at liberty to employ it where it may gain half a talent more if we might have laid it out where it could have gained double.

The author just now referred to says in another place to the same effect. "It will not serve your turn to run out of the vineyard on pretence that you cannot do the work. [God] can follow you and overtake you as he did Jonah with such a storm as shall lay you in the belly of hell.' Totally to cast off duty because you cannot endure to be faithful in the performance of it, will prove but a poor excuse at last."*

To sum up the whole, I am clearly of opinion that many individuals, ministers, students and private members of churches of various ranks who are staying at home, ought "to forsake all" and follow Christ as preachers of the gospel to the poor dying heathen. This is an awfully serious subject. It involves nothing less, so far as human agents are concerned, than the question, whether these

Baxter's Reformed Pastor.

millions upon millions of idolaters shall live and die, "without Christ and without hope in the world," or whether " they shall hear the gospel and believe and be saved?" O what a tremendous responsibility rests with them who have the bread of life! I make no allusion to individuals. I have no particular body of christians in my eye. But I cannot help thinking that I see in this want of real practical effective concern for the souls of perishing men-this want of zeal in spreading the gospel among the heathen-ONE reason why the faithful preaching of it is so little blessed at home. Is there not room to suspect that God may be looking with a frown instead of a smile upon the labours of a man, who, faithfully as he may be preaching the gospel to a congregation of professed christians, is hiding in a corner among them the talent that might have told with effect against the fabric of heathen idolatry? Is there not reason to suspect that he may here find the secret cause of his labouring from sabbath to sabbath, and from year to year without seeing much, if any, actual

派

* Query, How would it do for a minister in such circumstances to preach to his people by way of accommodation from Acts xiii. 46.--(" It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles,") and act accordingly? Comp. chap. xviii. 6. and xxviii. 28.

fruit of his labours?

Is there not reason to suspect that the church, sitting under its own vine and fig tree, but after the example of its pastor, little caring for others, should have little of the presence of God in their souls and little manifestation of his blessing among them as a body? "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth, and there is that withholdeth more than is meet and it tendeth to poverty." If they concern not themselves about sending food to them that are perishing of hunger, is it to be wondered at if God command the clouds that they rain no rain upon their vineyard; and that he withholds his blessing both from their basket and their store?

P. S. It may occur to you that the strain of this letter is at variance with what I have said in another place about a predilection for the missionary work as one of the qualifications of a proper candidate for that department of labour, inasmuch as I have now been attempting to show that various descriptions of persons otherwise qualified ought to become missionaries, while, according to the supposition we make of the state of their minds, they want this characteristic mark. But I take this predilection to be a thing. which may be acquired, and acquired simply by a pious and devoted mind being directed with due attention to