in the air, and who, when exhausted by flight, fell almost life lefs to the ground, acknowledging the folly of his with, and the juftice of his fate. The attempt of fome pulpit orators to furprife with novelty, and dazzle with brightness, ftrikingly exemplifies the art of finking, and exposes them to the mortification and confufion of juft contempt. "Bright and fparkling parts, when unaffected, are like diamonds, which may adorn the proprietors, but are not necessary for the good of the church; whereas common fenfe, and chriftian fimplicity are like current coin; we have every day, in the ordinary occurrences of life, occafion for it: and if we would but call them into action, they would carry us much greater lengths in ufefulne fs and happiness than we feem to be aware of."

Would you enjoy yourfelf in the work of the Lord? Always be beforehand with your preparations for it, that you may have time to familiarize your fubjects by frequent reviews; and not be liable to interruptions, which would leave you very partially furnished to difcharge your important truft. Do not commit more to memory than you can carry with ease. You will find yourfelf greatly affifted in acquiring a proper confidence for public fpeaking by opportunities of conversing with men of superior age and wisdom; and by endeavouring to express yourself with composure, ease, and accuracy on all common occasions. Diligently prac tife, in the private walks of life, every mean calculated to fecure the completion of your wishes, in publishing the salvation of Jefus among a perverfe generation.

There is, as you well know, a peculiar fympathy between the body and the mind; you fhould therefore be careful of your health. By inattention to regular exercife, by late fitting up, by the slavery of the pipe, and by other particulars which I have no need to mention, many of our brethren have, in the flower of their age, dragged to the pulpit a trembling and enervated frame, and have exhibited to the view of an affectionate people a miferable hypocondraical life, a growing incapacity for pastoral duties, and rapid approaches to diffolution.

But there are other rules which the gofpel itself fuggefts, which revelation enjoins, and the knowledge of which is ef fential to the character we fuftain, and to all the pleasures of usefulness.

No man is worthy of the miniftry, or capable of happinefs in it, who has no evidence upon which he can unpresumptuously rest the assurance of his own conversion. Am I a changed man? Am I perfonally interested in the fullness,

and glory of the Lord Jefus? Perfuaded that all is well with me for eternity, I fhall go to his fervice poffeffing myfelf in fupreme love to him, and in compaffion to the fouls of

men.

Impartially examine your motives and aims. If when you find your fpirits difcompofed, if when you walk in darkness, and have no light, you can with fincerity appeal to the omniprefent Head of the church, that all other confiderations are abforbed in the defire of enlarging the bounds of his empire, you will ftill exercise a steady confidence in him, and enjoy the peace which paffeth understanding.

Cultivate a deeper acquaintance with the word of God. Every day commit fome portions of it to memory. Become, as far as poffible, a living concordance. The increasing knowledge of, and an increafing familiarity with, the facred writings, must be of incalculable importance to felf-poffeffion in preaching. Here is an inexhauftible treafure to which we may apply in all our times of difficulty and need.

We must interest our own souls in all the truths we deliver to others. A wife and good preacher does not act a part before the people; he fpeaks to them from the abundance of his heart, on fubjects he knows to be infinitely interesting. The more folicitous we are to feel and enjoy the doctrines of our miniftry in our ftudies, the greater liberty and comfort will be ours when we draw near to God with our congregations.

Always pray before you engage in ministerial labours. This is the moft certain way of fecuring compofure of mind and freedom of utterance. Prayer, in this connexion, is going to receive inftructions and affiftance from God, without whom we can do nothing. Plutarch, fpeaking of Pericles, fays, "Such was his folicitude about his public orations, that before he addreffed the people, he always offered up a prayer to the gods, that nothing might efcape him unawares, unfuitable to the fubject on which he was to fpeak."

To poffefs ourselves in preaching, we must be anxious to obtain, and watchful to secure, purity of conscience-a confcience void of offence, both towards God and towards man. If a preacher's confcience is not his friend, he must be the flave of inward fhame and confufion in the duties of his profeffion.

Our pleasure in difpenfing the word of life, is very considerably dependant on our freedom from pecuniary embarras ments, from worldly folicitudes, and domeftic feuds. We, above all men, fhould guide our affairs with difcretion, fhould diveft ourfelves of inordinate earthly care, and guard

againft all irregularity and diforder in our own households. The Lord's day morning ought to be fanctified with peculiar order and tranquility.-On this day I would rife earlier than on any other day of the week, and, except in family worship, I would be wholly retired till the hour of public worship.

In the miniftry of the Gofpel, to experience its comforts, and honour its doctrines, you must poffefs and evidence the divine fpirit of it. We have feen fome men preach themfelves into bad tempers, and degrading paffions: by the indulgence of angry perfonalities, and party afperity, they have involved themfelves in tempefts, and left no pleasure for the calm of reflection.

As practice haftens the approach of perfection-as by per fevering practice we may overcome the greatest obstacles in ourfelves, or in the place where we ftatedly or occafionally labour, let us preach often; not allowing the dictates of pride or fear to prevail with us, refpecting opportunities where faith and zeal would fee the will of God. And to meet fudden emergencies with compofure, it will be well to keep the outlines of fome plain evangelical subject always in referve in the memory.

When we are favoured with opportunities of hearing our brethren, let us hear them with humble devotion.-He will leaft poffefs himself in preaching who is moft captious in hearing, I know fome great critics, in the few who go to the pulpit like culprits to the bar of juftice. Judging of others by themfelves, they expect and dread the mean feverity they have exercifed. Under the miniftry of your brethren maintain the fimplicity of a learner, and in your own miniftry you will be more able to appropriate the manly, placid dignity of an instructor. Why in fo many that pale countenance? Why that low and tremulous voice, during fo great a portion of the time devoted to preaching? why does this countenance afterwards affume an aspect fo much the reverfe, and this voice fo different a tone? Muft they have time to raise their animal fpirits up to a certain pitch of heat? Or muft there be time for the operation of ANOTHER SPIRIT than that by which alone they should be actuated? But I will not enlarge, Make your own reflections.

And

To crown all the fe rules with fuccefs, we must live under an abiding sense of our dependanee upon the all-sufficiency of our blessed master, Jehovah-Jesus. He hath chofen and called us: We are his fervants. This is his work in which we are engaged; and we have his word to encourage us, his

fmiles to animate us, his omnipotence to protect and invigo rate us, his fulness to enrich us, and an immortal crown to reward us when we have finifhed our courfe. Our preaching will be delightful to us indeed, when we lofe fight of every thing in man but his falvation, and when we can see all in the character of Chrift that is worthy of our prefent confidence, or effential to our final glory.

When I fat down to write I had no intention of entering fo fully into the fubject of your request; but as I could not difpenfe with any of the particulars that have occurred to me as unimportant or foreign, and am perfuaded that you will receive the whole as a tribute of my concern for your abounding prosperity and happiness in the work of the Lord, I fhall make no apology. Believe me your affectionate friend, P.

ADDRESS FROM THE DIRECTORS OF THE MISSIONARY SO.

CIETY TO A CANDIDATE FOR MISSIONARY LABOURS,

CHRISTIAN BROTHER,

YOU have expreffed to us your defire of being employed by the Miffionary Society, to inftruct the Heathen in the knowledge and fervice of God. The office of Miffionary is of great importance, and of great labour, and calls efpecially for a heart much crucified to worldly expectations, and deeply devoted to the promotion of the divine glory. It is our duty, in faithfulness to the interefts of our Saviour's kingdom, and to your own foul alfo, to recommend you to examine with great seriousness, what are your motives, what your qualifications, and what your expectations, in engaging in this work; for unless you are actuated by right views, you may prove incompetent to its duties, faint under its difficulties, and thus bring difhonour on the name of Chrift, and injure his facred caufe. Count then the cost, and estimate your ftrength, before you enter upon this warfare, Be not hafly in your determination, but when your refolution is deliberately formed, perfevere therein, and be faithful unto death. What then were your inducements to offer yourself to this work? Were your paffions excited by the folemnity of our public fervices, or the perufal of our addreffes? Were you actuated by the confideration, that the

office of a Miffionary confers upon you a diftinction, and raifes you above the level of common Chriftians? The heart, Brother, is deceitful; examine its fecret workings, and beware left you fhould be under,the influence of motives unfanctified in their nature, or infufficient to carry you through the conflicts to which you may be expofed.—It is only a fincere, deep and fleady love to Chrift, and a defire to promote his kingdom among men, even at the hazard of your life, and by the facrifice of worldly ease and intereft, that form the foundation of the true Miffionary character, and can fuftain you under its unknown trials and unforeseen difficulties. Confider, therefore, ferioufly, whether your motives are founded in the affections merely, or whether they have their feat alfo in the understanding. Unless they are the refult of your deliberate judgment, they are not likely to be fleady or permanent. Do you then defire to engage in this work, from a conviction that it is your duty to devote yourfelf therein to the fervice of God? that it is the most beneficial way of employing your exiftence? that it is your higheft wifdom to be thus confecrated to his glcry? and that this is the most fuitable expreffion of your gratitude to him, which you are capable of making for the ineflimable blefings of redemption which he has freely imparted to you? If these are your views, there is great reafon to hope that you will be fupported in your labours, and made fuccessful in your miniftry.

We recommend you alfo to confider how long it is fince the Miffionary work excited your attention. Is it but lately that you have formed the defire to engage in it? Then it would be proper to deliberate further upon it. Perhaps you may be confcious of great fincerity, and of great fervour in your fpirit, and may entertain no doubt of your stability; but examine yourfelf, Brother; it is poffible you may be conftitutionally variable in your difpofition, unsteady in your affections, or uneafy in your prefent lot, and difpofed to novelty. In this cafe it would be defirable that a longer space pafs away before you decide. Employ it in much prayer and felf-examination. Contemplate the nature of the work, confider its facrifices, eflimate its difficulties; and if, at the conclufion of that period, your mind fhould continue firmly fixed, and entirely devoted to the fervice of God among the Heathen, there will be great reafon to infer that it is the effect of a fuperior impulfe; that you are fuitably difpofed for this important work, and may therefore hope for the divine benediction in it.