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must deliver their own souls; and the sincere faithful labourer will: but the careless unsanctified instrument, after having preached the gospel to others, shall himself be cast away. The hearer of the word, who mixes faith with the hearing, who believes with the heart unto righteousness, and makes confession with the mouth, shall obtain salvation. As to him, the preacher is the savour of life unto life; whereas, the wicked who turns not from his evil way shall perish, but his blood shall be upon his own head.

But this responsibility, and the consequent guilt of unfaithfulness in doing the work of the Lord, ought to be viewed as attaching not merely to the immediate labourers in the field, but also, in a degree, to all at home, who are required to set their hands to the cause, and may be assisting in it even in the humblest degree. The sin of doing the work of the Lord deceitfully is not peculiar to the labourers in one department only. Lukewarmness may be the sin of the weekly or annual contributor, as well as of the missionary. I do not say that the guilt is equal; but the least degree of it will be found heavy enough one day. It were awful in a missionary to be pampering himself, and living at his ease, and neglecting the souls of men perishing around him-his fellow men, whose extreme wretchedness was making the most touching appeals to his humanity, to say nothing of his christian benevolence and imperious obligations! But

does it argue no guilt to live at ease in Great Britain, and not concern oneself about who is perishing, who is calling for help, who is tossed with the tempest of an alarmed conscience and not comforted? It were an instance of depravity almost as great as could be found in the heathen world itself, if a man sent on purpose to distribute the bread of life to the perishing, should go to them, but neglect to fulfil his commission! Keep his stores locked up, and suffer them to perish for want before his eyes! But is there no depravity in the case of those who know that there are millions upon millions thus perishing, and scarcely move a finger to help them?-Who never once denied themselves one sensual indulgence-never made one sacrifice-never put forth one hearty self-denied exertion to communicate of their abundance?

When men unite in a commercial enterprize, or for the purpose of prosecuting discoveries in natural history, or any other favourite branch of human knowledge, there is seldom room to complain of want of devotement to the object. The common interest all the parties feel in it, is a sufficient guarantee for each member of the society acting his part. They imbibe the same sentiments and feelings-they breathe one spirit, and their success in general corresponds to their willing unwearied exertions. This is as it should be-we neither decry such pursuits, nor envy the reward

of such exertions; but we may learn a lesson from the spirit of devotedness to their object which the men of this world, we may say, uniformly display.

But O how little (I had almost said how childish) are the most dignified and praiseworthy exertions of human intellect and human passions for the attainment of some earthly transitory good, when brought into comparison with the godlike, beneficent design of changing the face of the moral world, by the extirpation of ignorance and idolatry, root and branch, and filling the earth with the knowledge of the Lord! If the generous philanthropy of this design should fire every breast with zeal in the prosecution of it, the unspeakable misery of the objects of our compassion, the danger of failure from mistake or inactivity, or from engaging in it in an improper spirit, should give double emphasis to the obligation we are under to seek grace from God to be faithful and diligent in obeying his own command.

If these things be so, what manner of persons ought we to be in serious devotedness to this cause ! When a plague is raging in a country, there is little thought of diversion; there is no heart for merriment; and in devising and employing means that the plague be stayed, there is deep solemnity in every countenance. The image of death every where presents itself. Hearts are lifted up in secret to the almighty Disposer of life and death. There are earnest cries for the

display of his mercy, for direction as to the use of means, and strength and courage to fulfil the melancholy but necessary duty of those who go between the living and the dead. Such a calamity as the plague makes people forget their little differences and private interests. And they who are mercifully delivered from it will feel it to be the most proper expression of their gratitude to God, to do all they can, and that immediately, to help the unhappy persons who are still exposed to the pestilence. An hour's delay would be felt to be criminal-the total neglect of the sufferers, while a remedy was at hand, the most preposterous and inhuman cruelty.

Such, I conceive, is somewhat like the spirit of solemnity, diligence, dependance upon God, gratitude for his mercy, and humility before him, which should characterize all who are concerned in the great work to which these Letters refer. While it is not shaded with the gloom and despondency that hang over the scene of a pestilence, concerning which we have no intimation whether it may be stayed, or whether all means will be alike ineffectual, we have but the greater reason to labour in hope. We have the gracious assurance that" our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord," if we set ourselves in good earnest to the work of saving souls. Right impressions of the duty will lead to deep seriousness in the performance of it. A work, to which the proper introduction is

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fasting and prayer," ought to be prosecuted in a corresponding spirit of self-denial and devotion.

The consideration of the partial success of missions in general, and an intense feeling of the need of divine influence, have of late years excited many to the duty of more frequent, special, earnest prayer for the Spirit of light and life to be poured out on all flesh. The church, "the garden walled around" needs these influences-and they are needed on the barren wastes of heathenism. That many have been thus stirred up to pray is a good sign, so far as it goes. But I have always thought that, unaccompanied with other signs of improvement, there is room to question how far such impressions of the need of divine aid practically affect those who profess to be under them. With regard to such a blessing, if we really ask it, we have it; and if we have it, we have also its necessary concomitants. What I mean is, that if there be so deep and universal a feeling of the importance of obtaining a more abundant measure of that Spirit of God, the residue of which is with him, the blessing is already in a good degree obtained. But as these influences are not to supersede, but to animate, our labours, the enjoyment of them implies more zealous exertion-more unreserved consecration-more simplicity of aim-more heavenliness of temper in all we say and do. Hence, to prove that this spirit of supplication, which has been in some degree manifested, has come from God, and

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