attention to the New Testament will show that the first ministers were men of discernment, sound mind, and good judgment. But they complained of some who knew nothing, prated against them, understanding neither what they said, nor whereof they affirmed. It would be better for the church if no such pretenders were within her borders at this day. 3. A natural aptness, and disposition to be firm, industrious, and persevering, seem absolutely necessary and indispensable in the minister of the New Testament. Such were all those whose history is given in the book of God. Such, Is I say, seems to have been their natural turn, and to have characterized them before they entered the ministry. Matthew faithfully filled his office as receiver of the customs, till Jesus called him. Simon and Andrew, James and John, industriously pursued the fishing business, when fishes could be caught, and mended their nets at intervals; and when other business seemed to fail, we hear Peter say, I go a fishing; and the others at once say, "We also will go with thee." And their perseverance led them to toil all night, though they caught nothing. This natural turn of mind was of incalculable service to them in the ministry, and is clearly seen in all their history. Paul showed the same aptness, and perseverance, in persecuting the church of God, that he did in building it up, in after life. A dull, dronish, stupid, and undecided man, seems quite unfit for the gospel ministry, and does not at all compare with the natural turn and temperament of those whose history is recorded in the Bible.

III. The gospel ministry should employ all the time and powers of those who engage in it. Paul said to a young minister, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them." Peter said, "We have left all, and followed thee." Although Paul wrought occasionally with his hands, yet it was only when he saw no door open to employ all his time in preaching, or when his own wants, or the good of the cause, required it. So Peter, and others, continued in the work of preaching, regardless of all worldly considerations, till a short respite gave them time to spend one night in fishing. Then, the moment he heard his master say, “Feed my sheep," he was ready to enter upon the work, employing all his time and talents in the great cause. There is work enough in the ministry to employ all the time and powers of any man of God; and the wants of Zion call for it. It is true, those who give themselves wholly to the work of the ministry, must receive a support from some source or other, than the labor of their own hands. But God has made ample provisions for this. He does not send a man into the war at his own charges. He does not require his servants to feed the flock, and not eat of the milk of the flock. But they that wait at the altar, are partakers of the altar. So God has ordained that those who preach the gospel, should live of the gospel. Paul clearly represents that God has given his servants this power over the churches; and that, if they are partakers of the

spiritual things communicated by the gospel minister, he ought also to receive of their earthly substance, sufficient to supply his temporal wants. But if they fail to do this when able, or if duty calls him where there are no friends able to do it, then the circumstances justify the preacher in procuring his own sustenance, by pursuing, for the time being, some lawful business, sufficient to relieve him from present want. But when present wants are supplied, he is bound to go on with his master's work, and give himself wholly to it. The fact that Paul wrought at tent-making, and Peter went a fishing, is no sort or degree of justification for those ministers, who leave the work of the ministry, and plunge into worldly projects to get rich. Nothing but stern necessity can justify a preacher in relaxing his labors, to attend to worldly pursuits. The first preachers said it was not meet that they should leave the word of God to serve tables. But, said they, "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."

IV. As to the private character of a New Testament preacher, it should be kept in mind, that he is bound to the strictest observance of those rules of private life, plainly laid down in the book of God. It is the maintenance of this private character, that gives the gospel minister confidence and hope, in common with other Christians; and it is this that gives him influence in the community, while they behold in him every mark of an honest Christian, and the strongest possible proof that he fully believes the truth of what he preaches. The New Testament sets forth this private character in the following particulars: 1. He must be blameless-that is, he must be guiltless, innocent. Without a clear moral character, a preacher falls into reproach, and brings dishonor upon the cause he pleads. Blameless is a sweeping word; it condemns every species of wrong, and enjoins every kind, and every degree, of honesty, uprightness, morality, and piety. 2. He must be sober-that is, he must be calm, free from inordinate passion; serious, solemn, grave. This is an important trait in the preacher's character. A light, trifling, vain appearance, in a minister, not only proves his heart not to be imbued with the spirit of the gospel, and prevents his holding communion with heaven, but it necessarily prevents sinners from receiving good at the hands of such a man. 3. He must be given to hospitality—that is, he must be in the practice of entertaining strangers. No other man has a better opportunity to exercise hospitality, and no other man is more bound to do it. Not that it is right for every traveller to live upon him, or that he is bound to feed and lodge every one who may take advantage of his office. But placed as he is, he should not feel disposed to free himself from the obligation to entertain strangers, to a reasonable extent. 4. He must not be given to wine. He must be a perfectly temperate man, abandoning and avoiding whatever intoxicates. 5. He must not be a brawler-that is, he must not wrangle and quarrel. A contentious, disputing, quarrelling preacher, is a curse to the church,

and should reform, or be deposed. A mild, kind, gentle spirit, is the spirit of Christ, and his gospel. 6. He must not be covetousthat is, he must not be avaricious, or greedy of gain. No man is qualified to preach who is not so dead to the world as to be content with food and raiment. Many a good preacher has been ruined by cultivating the love of wealth, and plunging into specu lations, or employing his powers to gain property, which ought to have been fully enlisted in the work of saving souls. 7. He must rule his own house well-that is, he must maintain family government as head, by teaching, leading, and ordering his household, according to the gospel: not being a tyrant, nor yet being the slave of his family. 8. He must have a good report of them which are without-that is, his general character and deportment must be so unexceptionable as to command the respect of those who are not Christians; they having no evil thing to say of him. 9. He must not be self-willed. A greater fault can hardly be found in a minister, than a determination to have his will and his way, right or wrong. If he would be useful and prosperous, he must be courteous, condescending, and yielding. While he is not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, he, like Paul, should be made all things to all men, that he may by all means save some.

These are a few of the many traits in the daily life and character of the New Testament preacher. Other qualifications, great and numerous, are to be sought, possessed, and employed; but nothing that can be named or conceived, can supply the place of a true heart and a holy life.

V. The motives which incite to action, and which urge on the New Testament preacher in his work. 1. The danger of the wicked, and the "fiery indignation that shall devour the adversaries," are strong motives that move him to engage and continue in the work. "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men," and warn them to flee from the wrath to come; because, "he that believeth not shall be damned;" for God has appointed a day of judgment, which shall be the day of perdition of ungodly men. While this motive acts in its full force upon the heart, the preacher feels to wave all minor considerations, to save souls from going down to utter darkness. When this motive ceases to affect the heart, the man ceases to be a New Testament preacher, for this was a powerful motive with the apostles; and we have seen many, either leave the work, or speak lies in the name of the Lord, wholly because they ceased to know the terrors of the Lord. 2. The prospect of saving souls is another motive. God has made the gospel the greatest of all instruments to accomplish so great a work. This is shown in the promises of Christ his ministers; in the success that attended their labors, as recorded in the book of God; in the ecclesiastical history of all ages of the church; and in the astonishing reformations which are now spreading through the world. No man can be a New Testament preacher who does not

preach to save souls. "I endure all things for the elect's sake." "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren." "My heart's desire is, that they may be saved." 3. The true minister preaches because God requires it of him. "He hath commanded us to preach unto the people." "We ought to obey God rather than man." The New Testament preacher is sent forth by the Holy Ghost, and feels that he is not under the authority of man, but that he acts under the authority of the Most High. While this motive acts upon him in its full force, neither tribulation, poverty, nor persecution, can shut his mouth. He is not subject to the casualties of this world, nor to the whims of mortals; but so long as the divine commission remains in force, its authority impels him on in his holy work.

VI. The New Testament preacher is constantly making advancement and improvement. He grows from a youth to a strong man. He grows in grace, in experience, and in knowledge. And in proportion as they increase, his usefulnesss increases; and in proportion as he ceases to improve in these respects, he ceases to be a New Testament preacher.

The means of improvement are numerous and should be improved; some of which are the following: 1. Meditation. "Meditate on these things." This was Paul's direction to Timothy. Reflection and thought must be bestowed upon the gospel in general, and upon its parts in particular. Retirement is important, to give opportunity for meditation. It is in this way that errors are expurgated, and truth is arranged and matured. By this means, hurried conclusions are avoided, and sound truth systematized. That man meditates but little who usually speaks his first thoughts. The sober second thought is the result of close investigation, and calm meditation. 2. Prayer is a mighty means of improvement. Personal, secret prayer, aids and improves the spiritual state of the soul; and it is an auxiliary not to be dispensed with. The Messiah himself set an example of secret prayer. Peter employed the interval of his public labors in prayer. The imprisoned apostles prayed at midnight, and the released lifted up their voice in prayer. Communion with God is the spring of life to the soul; without this all is cold, contracted, and dead. 3. Another means of improvement, is reading. "Give attendance to reading." This is the direction Paul gave to his son Timothy. To search the Scriptures is the first and last of all reading, and should be daily attended to by every preacher. Other books, calculated to improve the mind, are at hand, and should not be neglected. Such books should be read as are calculated to improve the heart, elevate the affection, instruct the understanding, store the mind with valuable ideas, and enable the preacher to communicate his ideas properly and profitably. Although Timothy had, from a child, known the holy Scriptures, still he was directed to continue to give attendance to reading. Paul was a great reader, and left some of his books at Troas, with

Carpus. These he directed Timothy to bring to him, that he might still read them, and through them be benefited, and benefit others. Paul was a reader of heathen poetry, for in Acts xvii., 28, he says: "As certain also of your own poets have said, For we also are his offspring." This proves that works may be read by ministers, which are not particularly of a theological nature, and that to profit. Habits of reading may be formed and continued by use; so also these habits may be diverted into a wrong channel. For instance: the world seems full of light and trivial reading-thousands of newspaper articles, and a flood of trifling books, pamphlets, and hand-bills, which contain nothing that is solid or valuable. These are always thrown in our way, and the temptation to read them is strong, especially to a man whose reading habits are confirmed. Hence, the New Testament preacher should give himself to reading, but, at the same time, studiously avoid such as can add nothing to his stock of useful knowledge. Another reason why he should study and read much is, that we all are constantly forgetting, especially after we arrive at the meridian of life. Therefore, if there is not a constant replenishing by reading and study, the fund will be exhausted, and the style, matter, and language, will become stale repetition; and, of course, little interest will be felt, and his usefulness will come to an end. 4. Writing is a valuable means of improvement. It is certain that primitive ministers wrote much. The New Testament is made up of the writings of nine individuals; and these books mention many epistles, and commendatory papers, written by churches and individuals. It is also evident that the early preachers of the church wrote much, else materials could not have been found for those apocryphal books still extant. There are many advantages which a preacher derives from penning his thoughts. He thereby secures them for future reference and for future use. He also is thereby enabled to systematize his thoughts. Writing enables him in correcting his language and style, and often strengthens the memory. But the advantages are not confined to himself. The habit will enable him to benefit the world by the productions of his pen-the result of experience and reflection. Indeed, the preacher should seize upon every means and every opportunity within his reach, both to improve his heart, and to add to his qualifications to communicate the greatest amount of truth, in such a manner as to produce the greatest amount of good. A vast variety of other means of improvement lie in the path of every preacher, none of which should be suffered to pass unimproved.

VII. The real object of the New Testament preacher should be one and undivided. That object shall be the final and eternal salvation of the children of men. It was to accomplish this object that Christ came from heaven, suffered in life, and endured the cross; preached the gospel, and wrought miracles; arose from the dead, and now fills the mediatorial seat. It was to accomplish