never knew you; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." How terrible for every one; but how unspeakably terrible to him who has "preached to others," whose whole employment has been about religion-whose business was to conduct others in the way to heaven, to bring them acquainted with Jesus the Saviour, whose blood cleanseth from all sin-for him to be cast away-to have it declared that he never truly believed in the Saviour he preached to others, never practised the repentance and the holiness of life he inculcated on themnever kept under his body and brought it into subjection, but while he preached self-denial, and mortification, and renunciation of sensual gratifications to others, was secretly under the power of those very things himself, and is only fit to be rejected and cast away from God, and from Christ, and from heaven, into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, to be for ever the companion of the Devil and his angels.

My brethren, you, perhaps, are sometimes ready to look up to those who are ministers, with a kind of envy, as if we had peculiar advantages,—and so undoubtedly we have, if we have but grace to improve them. But we have also peculiar dangers and disadvantages, which counterbalance our privileges. We have temptations, which others know nothing of, and who can tell how much more awful will be our doom, should we "fail of the grace of God." No zeal in preaching the gospel,

no nor the most enlarged success in converting sinners, will do any thing towards saving a man's own soul. His very preaching may prove his condemnation; the very persons he has been the means of bringing to Christ, may rise up against him and cover him with confusion, because he did not for himself keep under the body and bring it into subjection. What a motive then do these considerations supply, to urge us onward in imitating the conduct of St. Paul, as set forth in my

text.

But, as I said before, though the motive applies with special force to those who sustain the ministerial office, it is not their's exclusively. Every man who knows anything of religion, and can answer the question, "What must I do to be saved?" ought in his station to be, if not a preacher, yet a teacher and instructor of the ignorant, and so he shares in the peril of teaching others, and being himself " a cast away."

I trust that there are here before me parents, who feel something of the awful charge given them (alas! how little is it generally felt) to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. You endeavour to teach them the fear of the Lord-to make them know the Saviourto lead them away from sin, and to serve the Lord. As masters and mistresses of families, I trust that others of you feel that the souls of your servants and domestics are committed to your care;

and

that therefore you maintain a constant habit of family worship, and endeavour to render that worship as instructive and impressive as you know how. Others again, I hope, are occasionally employed in visiting their poor and afflicted neighbours, and leading them to the fountain of mercy and comfort; or endeavouring to instruct their children to read the Holy Scriptures-all these are important duties, duties which I would urge upon you in the strongest manner. Yet at the same time they bring you under the influence of the motive which governed St. Paul.

These children-these servants-these poor persons-these sick neighbours, may all receive incalculable benefit from your instructions, and yet you may be "cast away." They may all learn from you to know the "only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent," and yet you may have no practical saving acquaintance with him. And it will be so, if, with your superior knowledge, you fail to keep under the body and bring it into subjection.

Oh! then, my brethren, let us all cultivate personal, practical, experimental religion. Let not knowledge, nor even warm and excited feelings satisfy us. But let all our lusts and passions, yea even our most lawful desires, be brought into subjection, into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

SERMON XI.

2 CORINTHIANS XII. 14.

FOR I SEEK NOT YOUR'S, BUT YOU.

THERE was one part of the Apostle Paul's conduct which appeared strange to the Corinthians, especially as it evidently was not intended that other ministers should be required in this respect to follow his steps. This, was a fixed determination, that while he preached the Gospel at Corinth, he would take no reward or emolument from the people, but would do it freely without putting them to any charge. As he was a poor man possessed of no worldly property, he could only do this by spending a considerable part of his time in working as a tent-maker to support himself, and those who were with him. His determination was evidently owing to something which he had observed in the Corinthians-for we know with what pleasure and thankfulness he received the supplies sent him by the Philippians. He even tells the Corinthians that he had robbed

other churches, by accepting their liberality, while preaching the gospel at Corinth without any remuneration; and he tells them further, that as it had been ordered that the priests who ministered at the altar, should be supported out of the offerings and sacrifices, so the Lord had ordained that they who preached the gospel, should live of the gospel; yet he was determined that at Corinth at least, it should not be so done to him, but he would make the gospel without charge to them.

We are not very exactly informed of the reasons which induced St. Paul so determinately to adhere to this resolution; but he takes occasion to tell the Corinthians, in the words of my text, that he had a much higher object in view than the obtaining any portion of their wealth, however ready they might be to impart to him of their abundance; "Behold the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not your's but you.'

Our text affords much important instruction both to ministers and people. May the Lord enable us to derive that instruction, and to apply it to our own cases.

The passage before us teaches us

I. WHAT THE MINISTERS' OBJECT SHOULD NOT BE; and

II. WHAT IT SHOULD BE.

After having briefly considered these two points, we will,