tians, than on ourselves. There was scarcely greater moral desolation in the world around them; souls were not more precious; nor sin more odious; nor the Saviour's love a more inspiring theme in the days of the Apostles, than in our own age. Oh let Apostolic zeal inspire our ministers and missionaries, and let primitive self-denial and prayerfulness characterise the lay members of our churches, and the appearance of the world will soon, under God's blessing, be widely different! With the present numbers and resources of the Church, and with the opening facilities presented by Providence for the extension of the Gospel, we might hope for great things in a very little time.

III. We may consider also, in support of the ground assumed, the general principle taught by our Saviour to regulate our intercourse with our fellow-men." As ye would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them." In order to see the force of this precept, we have simply to make the case of our heathen fellow-creatures our own; and then to ask ourselves, could they do too much for us? Suppose that our own minds were in darkness, and our souls in bondage, with no support in life, and no hope in death; our children in ignorance, our wives in degradation; ourselves, in a word, and all that were dearest to us, going to the grave in despair; and that we could realize this dreadful condition how would we then wish those who enjoyed the Gospel to act towards us? Would we think they had done their duty, while they had not done all that they possibly could? And if on the great day of judgment, we could see those who had thus neglected our eternal welfare, going to enjoy the full blessedness of God, whilst we and our families were just departing into the blackness of darkness for ever, would we not load them, if it were possible, with our bitterest reproaches, and charge them with the blood of our souls?

sorrow.

But this is the actual case before us. Millions of our fellowcreatures are now living destitute of the light and consolation and hopes of the Gospel-and are assuredly hastening to remediless We have the blessed Gospel, whose provisions are ample, and adapted precisely to their wants. Can we withhold it? Can we spare one single effort, or leave unpresented one single prayer, which might be owned for their good? It is obvious that this principle admits of equal application to the condition of all unregenerate men. The illustration of it may easily be made by any person.

IV. I wish to present one additional view of this subject, derived from the covenant engagements of Christians. In the solemn hour, fellow professing Christians, of your surrender to the Saviour, what were your feelings, and what your purposes? You felt that your lives, and all your possessions and interests, were forfeited by sin; and that God might justly deprive you of all

your substance, and punish your souls for ever. Yet hoping for pardon through the Saviour, you felt that it was no less a privilege than a duty, to consecrate all to his service and himself. Your body and your spirit you presented as a living sacrifice, and prayed that it might be holy and acceptable in his sight. Your talents and your influence, your time and your property, were all given up to him; and if he gave them back into your possession, you felt that it was that they might be employed for him in promoting his glory.

You know, also, that the best way to promote the Redeemer's glory, is to promote the diffusion of the Gospel and the influence of its precepts. The Saviour "shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." He has been in great distress of soul; he has trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath alone; he has endured the punishment due to sin, althongh it occasioned an agony of which we can form no adequate conception, and which, if sinful man had been required to sustain, would have crushed the whole human family in bitterest and hopeless misery. The gracious Redeemer has done and suffered all this for the salvation of men ; and now he has returned to his throne in the heavens, and he waits for the fruit of his labors and his agonies, his life and his death, on earth. He has given his commission to his people; he has entrusted all the glory of his redemption to them, to make it known; and he waits for their obedience, and he expects the fruit of the distress of his soul, through their agency.

What affecting considerations are these! Do we indeed owe ourselves, soul, body, and spirit, life, possessions, influence-all to the Saviour, by voluntary covenant engagement; and has he committed his glory in the progress of redemption to our instrumentality? Surely we must feel that every possible effort is required of us to manifest our obedience and our gratitude; every effort to make known the preciousness of the name of Jesus, and to secure for him the full honor of his redeeming compassion. If love to the Saviour inspires our hearts at all, it must be supreme love; and supreme love will prompt every exertion to glorify his name.

In the view of such considerations as these, without referring to others, it may not be improper to inquire, what can we do towards the conversion of the world?

The answer must be different to different persons. Providence, if not grace, has enabled one to perform more than another. One has mind, and can exert influence over individuals by his conversation, in the public assembly by his eloquence, and through the press in various ways. Another has the gift of teaching, and can interest and instruct the rising race. Others have facilities for doing good afforded by birth, office, or station. Others again are entrusted with a portion of their Lord's money; it may be ten, five, or two pounds, or perhaps it may be only one pound

All are stewards, and it is required in a steward that he be found faithful. Concerning these different gifts, it is obvious that no rule can be laid down which will be equally applicable. Some can serve God in all these ways, and some perhaps in only one of them. We should be grateful that we live under a dispensation where" mercy is required, and not sacrifice," and that "a man is accepted according to what he hath, not according to what he hath not.”

66

66

There is however one other way in which all can unite, and all find ample employment. It is in prayer. "When the last efficacy of prayer has been expended," says Foster, "the world will be converted." Prayer is in a certain sense almighty," says another writer," for it is the obtaining from Almighty God all needed aid through a way of communication which he himself has established." Concerning the means by which the spread of the Gospel shall be accomplished, Henry Martyn says, "Long seasons of prayer, I am sure, are necessary;" and his own practice, as well as that of Brainerd, and others, was quite in accordance with this sentiment. But we can appeal to higher authority than human; our Lord has enforced this duty as a commandment," Pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest ;" and this for a reason which still characterises the condition of the world, and the efforts of the Church, truly the harvest is plenteous, and the labourers are few." Indeed prayer is essential to success; for the influences of the Holy Spirit are given in answer to prayer. Luke xi. 13, and his aid is indispensable. 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7. Perhaps it is not too much to say, that the great reason why primitive success does not attend modern exertions to propagate the Gospel, is simply that the spirit of prayer, with which all classes in the primitive church were imbued, prompting to corresponding efforts, seems by no means to characterise the great body of modern Christians. The mercy of God in Christ Jesus is the same; the provisions of the Gospel are the same; the work of conversion is the same; its difficulties are not greater; and the great leading means are substantially the same but alas, the success is very different! We cannot speak with tongues by power above that of nature, but we have a better substitute in the power of translating the written Scriptures, and of the press. We cannot work miracles, but the Holy Spirit can perform the greatest miracle, the renewal of the depraved heart; and the promises to impart his influence, seem absolutely unlimited. Why then do we not see the same results now, as during the first days of the church, from the preaching of the Gospel? Would that every Christian would ponder, and pray over, the questions. In the mean time, receive the word of exhortation, that every one who loves the Saviour be much engaged at the throne of grace in holy wrestling for the blessing of God upon this dying world.

Christian friends, the work in which we are engaged is very simple in its object, but it is inconceivably vast in every aspect under which we can view it. Its object is simply to obey the Saviour's last commandment, and to exemplify Gospel principles by making known the Gospel to every creature. But how immense the work enjoined in this commandment! In order to a proper estimation of it, consider its nature; preaching the Gospel, that is, making fully known the fallen condition of man, and the mournful consequences connected with it, to prepare the way for announcing the plan of recovery and all the great truths which are bound up in the scheme of redemption. Notice, again, the extent of this work; it is to every creature, not merely to a few in every country, but to every creature, in every land. It is a great work to preach the Gospel fully to one soul; and when we hear of a revival of religion, in which perhaps 50 or 100, or it may be 200 or 300, are converted, the tidings fill the whole church with joy. But here, not merely a few hundreds, or a few thousands, or even a few millions, but hundreds of millions are concerned, and their generations, to the end of time. How numerous, also, the diffi culties! how many things oppose the conversion of a sinner, even in a Christian land! A depraved and desperately wicked heart, evil habits, erroneous views, evil examples, loss of earthly interests, it may be, and hatred of friends. But all these obstacles exist in greater power among the Heathen, and manifold more;-languages to be acquired, books to be prepared, prejudice to be removed, opposition of civil authorities to be overcome in countries entirely Pagan, &c. It is affecting, also, to recollect how short is the period in which, so far as the present generation is concerned, this work must be performed, if performed at all. A right calculation will show, that on the average more than 2,500 human beings pass every hour into the eternal world, of whom nearly 2,000 are heathen, and more than that number are unacquainted with the saving influence of the name of Jesus. How soon will the immense multitude of unrenewed men now on the earth pass beyond the reach of our exertions for their eternal welfare! How soon must we ourselves leave this scene of prayer and Christian benevolence, for that of praise and heavenly blessedness, if we are indeed all that we hope!

But the greatness of the work is not itself a motive to action. It would be a vast work to convert the fallen spirits; but it does not concern us at all, because our duty has no connection with their restoration. In the conversion of our fallen fellow-men, it is the greatness of the work in connection with our agency in accomplishing it, which should arouse all our energies. While so many millions of beings, inheriting the same nature and immortal as ourselves, are hastening down to the grave in darkness of soul, we dare not sit still with calm indifference. We hold in our hands the

book of light and life, which would disperse all their darkness, even the darkness which broods over their graves and all their future; and God requires us to give it to them. We are acquainted with the balm that is in Gilead, not for ourselves and our friends merely, but for the world; and we are to proclaim its healing virtue. We have been pointed to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,— whose Gospel contains ample provisions of pardon, peace, and future glory for all; and we are to preach this Saviour and his blessed Gospel to every creature. From the first page of the Bible, to the last, no other means or instrumentality is revealed by which the influence of true religion is to be universally diffused than what is already in the possession of the church, accompanied by the influence of the Holy Spirit. All the immense interests, then, of the millions of heathen are suspended around the Christian church; let the church perform all her duty, and the world will be saved; but let the church fail, and the generations of the heathen will go down to the grave as their fathers have gone, in all their blindness, in all their despair.

It is true, the cause in which we are engaged shall surely triumph; "the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High." The infallible word of the God of truth places the final result beyond any doubt. Yet although the final victory is certain, the conflict is still to be fought.

Let us therefore "take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all diligence. This may we ever regard as a sacred duty to all men, and thus may we approve ourselves in the sight of God! And while we labor and pray for the coming of the Redeemer's kingdom amongst others, may we ever keep in mind, and prove in our own experience, that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!" C.

IV.-Remarks on the Metrical Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer.

"Father of all! we bow to thee,

Who dwell'st in heaven ador'd,

But present still through all thy works,

The universal Lord."

&c. &c.

This verse reminds us of the commencing stanza of Pope's "Universal Prayer."