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•THE PASTOR'S DUTY IN THE PRESENT TIMES.' 
 
 A DISCOURSE 
 
 DELIVERED BEFOEE^THE 
 
 GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PRESBYTEIUAN CHURCH IN IRELAND, 
 
 AT THR OPENING OF ITS ANNUAL MEETING, 
 
 m BELFAST, JULY 4, 1848. 
 
 BY ^ 
 
 THE REV. 'WILLIAM M'CLURE, 
 
 OF LONDONDERRY. 
 
 BELFAST-. 
 PillNTED AT THE BANNER OF ULSTER OFFICE. 
 
 MD C C C X L V I II. 
 
DISCOURSE 
 
 1 TIM. iv. 16. 
 
 ** TAKE HEED UNTO TUYSELF, AND UNTO TUE DOCTRINE ; CONTINUB IN THEM r 
 FOR IN DOING THIS THOU SHALT BOTH SAVE THYSELF, AND THEM THAT 
 HEAR THEE." 
 
 Next to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul is the most 
 remarkable name connected with the earlj progress of the 
 truth. His heart and understanding had been enlightened 
 bj the Spirit. He had seen his lost and helpless state bj 
 nature, and had been led to that refuge which is opened in 
 the Gospel to the truly penitent and believing. He had 
 deeply felt the power of religion in his own experience, and 
 he anxiously desired that all within the sphere of his influ- 
 ence should feel it too. The world lay before him in the 
 darkness of heathenism ; a moral wilderness surrounded him 
 on every side ; his spirit was moved as he surveyed the mag- 
 nitude of the work, and the many obstacles that presented 
 themselves ; but, trusting to the grace of Him whose commis- 
 sioned messenger he was, he resolved to forget all earthly 
 considerations, and to devote his unfettered energies in ex- 
 tending the boundaries of the Messiah's kingdom, xinimated 
 by these reflections, and, no doubt, by the glories of that 
 heaven to which he is now ascended, he became an example 
 to us all — to all ministers of the Gospel and to all the fol- 
 lowers of Christ, whether serving at the altar or in the 
 
4 THE PASTOH'S DUTV 
 
 world. His firmness and determination, his devotednesis 
 and zeal, put to shame our feeble efforts. 
 
 Timothy, to whom this epistle was addressed, had been 
 brought up in the Jewish religion, and early instructed in the 
 Old Testament Scriptures. The preaching of the apostle 
 was the instrument of his conversion. From that period he 
 advanced so rapidly in the knowledge of divine things, and 
 was so distinguished for the amiableness of his dispositions, 
 for the holiness of his life, and his zeal in the cause of truth, 
 that he was greatly loved and esteemed among the brethren. 
 Their testimony to the excellence of his character was so 
 general and so strong, that when the apostle came from An- 
 tioch to Lystra the second time, *' him would Paul have to 
 go forth with him." The high opinion of the brethren was 
 not, however, the only reason for the apostle's choice. It 
 would appear, from the eighteenth verse of the first chapter 
 of this epistle, that he was specially pointed out by divine 
 revelation and authority as a person fitted to be ordained 
 to the ofiice of an evangelist. Accordingly, he was solemnly 
 set apart by the " laying on of the hands of the presbytery," 
 and afterwards the gift of the Holy Ghost was communi- 
 cated by the laying on of the apostles' hands. 
 
 Timothy was long- the friend and companion of the Apos- 
 tle Paul, and is often mentioned by him with affection- 
 ate interest and regard. Animated by love to him, and, 
 above all things, anxious for the success of the cause for 
 which he laboured, he addressed him on the nature, qualifi- 
 cations, and duties of the ministerial office. His solemn 
 counsels have been recorded in the book of inspiration to 
 direct and animate the ministry in every age and in every 
 land. Upon their character and conduct the welfare of the 
 Church, and the cause of the Gospel, are mainly suspended. 
 Let the pastors be careless, rehgion will languish, and cor- 
 ruption will creep in ; but let the Holy Spirit, the promise 
 of the ascended Saviour, descend upon those who till .the 
 sacred office, and purity and love will roigu — the Church will 
 
tN THK PRESENT TIMES. 5 
 
 arise in beauty and in strength. The great anxiety of the 
 apostle for the faithfuhiess of ministers is proved by various 
 parts of his conduct and writings. Witness his address to 
 the elders of Ephesus, where he besought them with so much 
 earnestness " to take heed unto themselves, and to all the 
 flock over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers." 
 Look again to the various admonitions to be met with in his 
 epistles addressed to the bishops and deacons of the early 
 Churches, and more especially to those directed to Timothy 
 and Titus, which are almost exclusively devoted to topics 
 connected with the sacred office. The admonition of the 
 inspired apostle in the text is suited to every minister, as 
 well as to the individual to whom it was originally addressed; 
 and I trust it may be a useful and appropriate commence- 
 ment of the proceedings of our General Assembly to consi- 
 der the duties suggested by this passage of Scripture. For 
 this purpose let us take up the different clauses of the text, 
 and, in humble dependence upon divine grace, try to ascer- 
 tain the lessons of instruction that they teach. 
 
 May the Great King and Head of the Church send down 
 His Holy Spirit to direct our meditations, and sanctify 
 every feeling of our hearts ! 
 
 When addressing you for a short time, I trust, my reve- 
 rend fathers and brethren, you will believe me that it is no 
 affectation of humility when I say that I enter upon the task 
 with diffidence. It would become me better to sit at the feet 
 of those who are of greater experience and age than myself, 
 and to listen to their instructions. And when speaking of the 
 character and duties of a Christian minister, I have reason to 
 fear that I may be only holding up a mirror to exhibit my 
 own deficiencies. But in pressing upon you the admonition 
 of the text, my diffidence is greatly relieved by the remem- 
 brance, that it is the admonition not only of an inspired 
 'apostle, but of one who laboured more abundantly than they 
 all— of the first and most successful among Christian minis- 
 
6 THE PASTOR S DUTY 
 
 ters. From him, then, fathers and brethren, suffer the word 
 of exhortation. 
 
 The words, " Take heed to thyself," imply, in the first 
 place, the necessity of personal piety. While our profession 
 has peculiar advantages, it has, at the same time, peculiar 
 dangers. In the ordinary discharge of our duties, our 
 thoughts are necessarily much engaged with Scriptural 
 truths, and our conversation much occupied with sacred 
 things. We are consequently in great danger of looking 
 on the doctrines of the Gospel in a cold and indifferent 
 manner — of regarding them merely as subjects of intellectual 
 exercise, which our profession requires us to study and defend 
 — of looking upon them in the same way as we do on the 
 revelations of astronomy, or the discoveries of any other 
 science. Religion may thus be studied only as a science to 
 qualify for public duty, and its forms observed merely as a 
 part of our worldly business. Let us guard against this 
 danger. Let us be impressed, my brethren, with the 
 necessity of pursuing the study of divine things in a proper 
 spirit — a spirit of prayerful dependence upon the promised 
 aid of the heavenly Comforter. The regenerated man alone 
 is qualified to be a proper student of the Bible. 
 
 Learning and industry are, indeed, important, yet even 
 these, though united with great natural powers, can effect 
 but little without decided piety. If this be wanting, all other 
 endowments are in vain. No matter what degree of talent 
 God may have conferred upon us — though lie may have be- 
 stowed such power of abstraction as may enable us to pene- 
 trate into the regions of abstruse thought and inquiry, and 
 though he may have blessed us with a quick and solid judg- 
 ment — with a memory susceptible, tenacious, and prompt — 
 with a bold yet chastened imagination — with tlie power of 
 language and ability of utterance ; and though to all these 
 He has added habits of patient industry and unwearied dili- 
 gence, and yet if, alas ! His grace has been withheld — if He 
 has not poured into our hearts His spirit of love, and light, and 
 
IX THE PRESEN'T TIMES. 7 
 
 lioliness — we are not prepared to understand or appreciate, 
 much less to interpret the Book of Life. Oh, let it be our 
 earnest effort and prayer that we may feel the power of 
 religion upon our own hearts ! Be not among those who 
 admire the external grandeur and magnificence of the 
 temple. Enter its gates, penetrate within the veil, and 
 behold the glory of Jehovah's presence overshadowing the 
 mercy-seat. Let it be deeply impressed upon our hearts 
 that the best preparation for understanding the inords of 
 Christ is to have the mind of Christ — that the best qualifi- 
 cation for bringing others to the knowledge of the Saviour 
 is to know Him ourselves. We cannot give to those who 
 hear us what we have not ourselves received — we cannot 
 water others if wc are not ourselves watered. The prospe- 
 rity of our ministry mainly depends upon the prosperity of 
 religion in our own souls. A man destitute of personal piety 
 is, therefore, utterly unfit for the ministerial oflice. He may, 
 indeed, be nominally clothed with it, but while he remains 
 in such a state he is guilty not only of sin, but of flagrant 
 and scandalous absurdity — an absurdity as great as if he had 
 lost the powers of intellect or of speech. The Scriptures 
 are accustomed to represent personal holiness as intimately 
 connected with usefulness to others. The priests under the 
 law were required to be holy unto their God.-— (Lev. xxi. G.) 
 They were required to be " clean that bear the vessels of 
 the Lord."— (Isaiah lii. 11.) This language is quoted by 
 the apostle in reference to Christian ministers in 2 Cor. 
 iv. 7 ; and, independent of this, it is evident that the cere- 
 monial purity required in the Jewish priesthood exhibits the 
 indispensable necessity of moral purity in the Christian mi- 
 nistry. 
 
 The royal Psalmist of Israel offers this prayer, as recorded 
 in the 51st Psalm—" Create in me a clean heart, God, and 
 renew a right spirit within me ! Then will I teach trans- 
 gressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." 
 After His resurrection from the dead, the compassionate Re- 
 deemer addressed Peter three several times—" Simon, son 
 
THE PASTOR S DUTY 
 
 of Jonas, lovest thou me ?" and it was not until after He liad 
 drawn from him an avowal of his affection — it was not until 
 then that He commissioned Peter to feed both the old and 
 young of his flock. See the close connexion between vital 
 godliness and the discharge of the ministerial work, as exem- 
 plified in the case of the Apostle Paul, 2 Tim. i. 12, " For 
 the which cause I suffer these things ; nevertheless I am 
 not ashamed ; for," and here mark the secret of his ardour, 
 the cause of all his heroism and boldness, " for I know whom 
 
 1 have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep 
 that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 
 And again, " The love of Christ constraineth us" — " That 
 which we have seen and heard declare we unto you" — *' Out 
 of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Now, 
 in pursuing this train of thought, we may, perhaps, discover 
 why it is that we are not more impressive. Coldness and 
 feebleness in the pulpit cannot be attributed to the want of 
 interesting topics. Oh, no I The word of God that we preach 
 presents subjects of transcendent importance, and gives us mo- 
 tives to urge the most tender, and solemn, and affecting. God 
 and angels, the creation, the ruin and the recovery of man, 
 the incarnation, the death, the resurrection, and the glorious 
 ascension of the Son of God, the day of judgment, a burn- 
 ing universe, a boundless eternity, a hell with all its terrors 
 to alarm, a heaven with all its glories to allure — these are 
 the topics of the Christian minister. What are the subjects 
 drawn from the scenes and changes of this fleeting world 
 to be compared with these ? Why is it, then, that we are not 
 more earnest and impressive ? There is one solution of the 
 difficulty, and, however deeply humbling, I fear it is the 
 true one — that we have not experienced suflEiciently the power 
 of religion in our own hearts, and are not living under the 
 felt influence of the world to come. Let us ever remem- 
 ber that personal religion is the ground-work of all useful- 
 ness, in the absence of which the most commanding gifts 
 will be but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 
 
 " Take heed to tliyself," may be viewed again as an ex- 
 
IN THE PRESENT TIMES. 9 
 
 hortation to improve the opportunities and talents which 
 God has bestowed upon us. Some have been tempted to 
 imagine that after a period of labour in the ministry they will 
 become so famihar with the doctrines of the Gospel, and have 
 acquired such a facility of expression concerning them, that 
 they will have less to attend to in the nature of study, and 
 that all henceforth will be comparatively easy. This is a 
 fatal and injurious error ; for such is the nature of our office, 
 rightly understood, that the longest practice, and the ma- 
 turest wisdom, and the loftiest faculties, will never supersede, 
 but rather the more insure a diligent, a careful, an anxious, 
 and devout employment in the unceasing duties of the 
 closet, not less than in our public labours. *' Give thyself to 
 reading," is the Scripture rule for ministerial study. It is 
 obviously of a general character, nor is there any reason 
 for restricting its application to the sacred volume. Mark 
 the exhortation contained in the verse immediately pre- 
 ceding the text — '* Meditate upon these things ; give thy- 
 self wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all." 
 Observe the peculiar force of this instruction. It was not 
 given to a " novice," but to a convert of at least twelve or 
 thirteen years standing, who had been blessed from his 
 earliest years with an excellent Scriptural education — who 
 was probably endowed with good natural talents, spiritual 
 gifts, and pre-eminent religious advantages — under the 
 apostle's personal instruction — and who, being raised to 
 an exalted station in the Church, must have made satis- 
 factory improvement of his privileges. Yet, notwithstand- 
 ing all this, he is warned to instruct himself well before he 
 attempted to instruct others ; to " give attendance " first ** to 
 reading," and then to " exhortation and to doctrine." We 
 must acquire knowledge before we can impart it ; and we 
 must bear in mind that light is as essential to the growth 
 of piety in the spiritual world, as it is to the growth of 
 vegetation in the natural one. 
 
 Comparisons are often instituted between personal piety 
 
 B 
 
10 THE pastor's DUTV 
 
 and human learning, as qualifications for ministers of the 
 Gospel. Perhaps such comparisons are injudicious, even 
 when the superior importance of personal pietj is acknow- 
 ledged, for thej tend to lead us to regard these qualifica- 
 tions as differing in degree rather than in kind, and thus to 
 lower in the estimation the peculiar and absolute necessity 
 of personal piety as distinguished from every other qualifi- 
 cation whatever. Human learning stands upon a different 
 footing, and its importance may be enforced on different 
 grounds. We are not warranted to assert that no man is 
 fitted for the Gospel ministry who does not possess it, for 
 doubtless the apostles ordained many who had it not ; but 
 we are fully entitled to say, that, in the age and country in 
 which our lot is cast, ministers of the Gospel are bound to 
 improve to the utmost the opportunities they enjoy of cul- 
 tivating general as well as sacred literature. 
 
 It becomes each individual minister to regard with atten- 
 tion the errors by which he is surrounded, the points at 
 which the faith may be assailed, and to be prepared not 
 only to give a reason of the hope that is in him, but to 
 repel with power and success every attack that may be 
 made against the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 The necessity for this is every day more apparent. Faci- 
 lities of communication are becoming greater, many are 
 going to and fro, knowledge is increasing, and the minister 
 who is ignorant will be regarded with contempt. We hear 
 of changes and revolutions, happily at a distance. Churches 
 are in the course of being remodelled, and the spirit of 
 inquiry is everywhere abroad. The subjects of controversy 
 that engage the attention of Continental Christians are, 
 in many respects, different from those that prevail here. 
 They are engaged, for instance, in the discussion of such 
 topics as the canon of Scripture, and the truth of miracles. 
 It is not at all unlikely but that such, to us new and un- 
 usual controversies, may ere long be imported into our 
 country. We may yet be called upon to contend for " the 
 
IN THE PRESENT TIMES. 11 
 
 faith once delivered to the saints " on fields of controversy 
 untravelled by those who have gone before us ; and the 
 battle may be far more fierce and deadly than we at all 
 anticipate. We may be called upon to contend with new 
 forms of degrading superstition and godless infidelity, and 
 new enemies may arise and assail the truth. How neces- 
 sary, then, that the watchmen on the walls of Zion be fully 
 equipped for the coming conflict — that the weapons com- 
 mitted to our care be ever bright and burnished — that we 
 be always ready to wield them against the enemies of 
 righteousness and truth ! 
 
 It has been observed by an eminent Scottish divine* as a 
 remarkable fact, that almost all the men whom God raised 
 up in the sixteenth century as His chief instruments in the 
 revival of evangelical doctrine, and the restoration of Scrip- 
 turally constituted Churches, were not only men of extensive 
 learning, but who had been permitted, in the providence of 
 God, to have leisure and opportunities for study before they 
 were called to engage in the great public work of reforma- 
 tion. This was the case, too, with the greatest benefactor 
 and the most successful reformer of modern times — with the 
 illustrious Chalmers. And he himself was accustomed to 
 inculcate the importance of every department of knowledge. 
 True, indeed, he was ever ready to encourage Christian men, 
 however lowly and illiterate, to labour for the spiritual good 
 of others. He was deeply impressed with the conviction 
 that the great and principal duty of ministers of the Gospel 
 was to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and, in the 
 sense the apostle uses it, to know nothing else. And yet, 
 all this time no one felt more deeply, or enforced more ear- 
 nestly, the necessity of ministers of the Gospel keeping up 
 with the science and literature of the age, as well as being 
 conversant in the knowledge of the truths and doctrines 
 of religion. 
 
 Of course it must be borne in mind that the improvement 
 
 * Dr. Cunningham, of Edinburgh. 
 
12 THE pastor's duty 
 
 of opportunities and talents, and the pursuit of knowledge in 
 any department, must all be made subservient to the great 
 ends of the ministry. If they be not subordinated to these, 
 they are worse than useless — in the minister of the Gospel 
 they are decidedly sinful. Upon this point, let me quote the 
 words of the amiable and pious Doddridge — " You must 
 judge for yourselves; but permit me to say, for my own part, 
 I would not for ten thousand worlds be that man who, when 
 God shall ask him at last how he has employed most of his 
 time while he continued a minister of His Church, and had 
 the care of souls, shall be obliged to reply — ' Lord, J. have 
 restored many cori'upted passages in the classics, and illus- 
 trated many that were before obscure. I have cleared up 
 many intricacies in chronology or geography. I have solved 
 many perplexed cases in algebra. I have refined on as- 
 tronomical calculations, and left behind me many sheets on 
 these curious and difficult subjects, and these are the em- 
 ployments in which my life has been worn out, while prepa- 
 rations for the pulpit, and ministrations in it, did not demand 
 my more immediate attendance.' Sirs ! as for the waters 
 that are drawn from these spring s^ how sweetly soever they 
 may taste to a curious mind that thirsts after them, or to an 
 ambitious mind that thirsts for the applause they sometimes 
 procure, I fear there is too often reason to pour them out be- 
 fore the Lord with rivers of penitential tears, as the blood of 
 souls which have been forgotten whilst these trifles have been 
 remembered and pursued." This is the language of a 
 scholar, and a man of varied knowledge, but whose piety 
 as a Christian, and devotedness as a minister, were equal to 
 his other attainments. 
 
 There is obviously contained in the words, " Take heed 
 unto thyself," a warning that the conduct of a minister be 
 blameless. Though the standard of holiness set forth in 
 God's word is the same to all believers, there are circum- 
 stances that demand peculiar circumspection and caution in 
 those who are invested with the ministerial office. If a life 
 
IN THE niESEXT TIMES. 13 
 
 and conversation becoming the Gospel be required of every 
 member of Christ's family, if even the appearance of evil is 
 to be shunned by all, if an indifference to the world is to be 
 cherished and exhibited by all, what circumspection is de- 
 manded in him who is God's ambassador ? We are en- 
 trusted, brethren, to a degree beyond all other men, with 
 tlie honour of truth and the glory of God, in a world where 
 the most powerful influences are ever in operation to destroy 
 them. Whatever our professions may be, our characters 
 will still be made the standard by which both will be judged 
 by mankind at large. A city set upon a hill cannot be hid ; 
 and hence our duty becomes so high and so imperative, that 
 if our path were marked by light,, and every step should 
 drop with blessings, we could not exceed either in dignity or 
 beneficence the distinction to which we are exalted. This 
 is in a great degree the condition of all believers, but in a 
 peculiar sense it is that of the ministers of Christ. The 
 station of a minister of o^ir Church, especially whose con- 
 nexion with the people is more close than in any other de- 
 nomination, gives a publicity to his conduct, and excites an 
 interest in otherwise trifling affairs concerning him, so that 
 what in others would be overlooked, in him is marked and 
 censured; and faults which, in another case, would never have 
 been heard of beyond his immediate neighbourhood, obtain 
 a notoriety which, while it grieves the godly, furnish mate- 
 rials for the sneer of the scorner. Nor is it for our conduct 
 only, or for the general tenor of our lives, but for everything 
 we utter even in our most unguarded moments, for all tliat we 
 do, or even seem to be, we are made extensively responsible. 
 Our walk and conversation will certainly exert a mighty in- 
 fluence either for good or for evil in the Church and in the 
 world. The faithful minister, like the star of Bethlehem, 
 will not only light the path but lead the way to Jesus. On 
 every part of his conduct will be inscribed " Holiness to the 
 Lord." In the language of an ancient father of the Church, 
 ** His soul should be purer than the rays of tlie sun, and he 
 
14 THE PASTORS DUTY 
 
 should walk among men as an angel of light ;" or, in the 
 words of an inspired apostle, he should be *' an ensample to 
 the flock." " What manner of persons ought we to be in all 
 holy conversation and godliness !" 
 
 Again, the caution, '* Take heed to thyself," may be viewed 
 in reference to the spirit that we cherish and manifest to- 
 wards others. The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of love. 
 How strikingly is this exemplified in the great Author and 
 Finisher of our faith, and how deeply did tlie primitive dis- 
 ciples imbibe the spirit of their Divine Master. " Love is 
 the fulfilling of the law." There is scarcely any feature of 
 Christian character to which greater importance is attached 
 in God's word than this. " The end of the commandment 
 is charity, or love." Charity is represented as greater than 
 even the possession of miraculous gifts. " Now abideth 
 faith, hope, charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is 
 charity." And how earnestly did the Redeemer, in his 
 parting discourses, press upon His followers obedience to the 
 new commandment of love one to another. 
 
 Where may we expect this spirit to be more especially mani- 
 fested ? Surely among those who are fellow-workers in build- 
 ing up the walls of Zion — among those accustomed to plead 
 with others the cause of charity and love. Where in this 
 earth, withered and blighted with the curse of human selfish- 
 ness and strife, where are we to look for tenderness and affec- 
 tion if not among the commissioned messengers of God — the 
 God of love ? What regard may we not expect for each other's 
 honour, what tenderness for each other's feelings, what readi- 
 ness to defend a brother from the attacks or sneers of the 
 ungodly, what kindness of look, what courtesy of demeanour, 
 what care to avoid the slightest act or expression that may 
 by possibility wound the feelings of a brother ! What a 
 manifestation of that charity that covereth a multitude of 
 sins. " Charity suffereth long, and is kind ; charity envieth 
 not ; charity vauntcth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not 
 l>ohave itself unsccmlv, seekcth not her own, is not easily 
 
IN THE PRESENT TIMES. ]5 
 
 provoked, thinketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
 rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all 
 things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."—! Corin- 
 thians, xiii. 4 — 7. 
 
 And if ever there be a time when the lovely graces of the 
 Christian character should be more especially manifested 
 than another, surely it is when the rulers of the Church are 
 met together in the name of their exalted Saviour, to con- 
 sult for the interests of His kingdom, and the eternal wel- 
 fare of those committed to their care. " How good and 
 pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." 
 The precious ointment that was poured upon the head of 
 the high priest, diffusing its fragrance over all his robes— 
 the dew of Hermon — the dew that descended upon the moun- 
 tains of Zion, in all its countless gems of gold, presented 
 not so grateful an image, produced not so pure, and re- 
 freshing, and delightful an impression, as the scene which 
 the Church exhibits when ** the multitude of them that be- 
 lieve are of one heart and of one soul." How forcibly should 
 we feel the exhortation of the Word of God—" Put on, 
 therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of 
 mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffer- 
 ing ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if 
 any man have a quarrel against any ; even as Christ for- 
 gave you so also do ye." " Be ye all of one mind ; love as 
 brethren, be pitiful, be courteous." Oh, let us ever re- 
 member that the eyes of an envious and a wicked world are 
 intently fixed upon us. There are men who watch for every 
 appearance of division, for every unkind act, every un- 
 guarded expression ; and there is another class, with whom 
 I deeply sympathise, who will mourn in secret, and shed 
 bitter tears of sorrow over scenes of contention and strife. 
 May the one class have no reason to exult ; may the other 
 — those who love the prosperity of Zion — have no cause for 
 sorrow. May our meetings ever shed abroad a hallowed in- 
 fluence over the Church and the people of our care. 
 
16 THE pastor's duty 
 
 Let us take heed also to the spirit that we cherish 
 towards those that are without. Though our views may bo 
 treated with contempt, and opprobrious names be applied to 
 our persons, still let our demeanour prove that we have im- 
 bibed the spirit of our Divine Master — the spirit of kindness 
 and love ; that we are under the blessed dominion of that 
 " charity which is the bond of perfectness." During the 
 present excited state of feeling among various denomina- 
 tions of professing Christians, surely it becomes every one 
 to whom the care of any part of the Church is intrusted to 
 exert himself to the utmost in the promotion of vital godliness 
 — in binding more closely the ties that unite in one spirit 
 the pious and the good, and repressing, with a firm and 
 steady hand the heats and eruptions of party spirit. While 
 our time and talents are employed in enforcing the great 
 truths of the Gospel, and endeavouring to *' form Christ in 
 our hearers" we should discountenance any who would blow 
 the flames of contention, which has long been the pest of 
 our country — the disgrace and calamity of the Christian 
 name. 
 
 The next department of duty to which the apostle directs 
 the attention of the evangelist Timothy is to the doctrine. 
 " Take heed to the doctrine," that is, to the kind of teaching 
 you give, or your public instructions. The meaning is, that 
 he should teach only the truth, and take heed to the whole 
 business of public instruction — to every department of duty 
 by which the people of his charge was to be edified. He 
 was to preach a full G-ospel — to make a full development of 
 the whole plan of divine truth, as revealed in the word of 
 God ; and, at the same time, to denounce with faithfulness 
 the errors and sins that prevailed around him. 
 
 The Church is set up in the world as the defender of the 
 faith — the pillar and the ground of truth — a living witness 
 for God ; and, therefore, the ministers of the Church are 
 bound to hold forth to an unbelieving world the profession 
 of the truth in all its brightness and all its purity. This is 
 
TN THE T'RESENT TIMES. 1 7 
 
 its first ami paramount dnty. If it effects; not tliis, it fails 
 in the one great object of its establishment. If darkness 
 pervade the appointed source of light and life, how great will 
 be that darkness ? If the fountain opened for the refresh- 
 ing of tlie nations sends forth the streams of bitterness and 
 pollution, how ruinous and deadly must be the results ? 
 When a Church departs from the essential truths of the 
 Gospel it becomes incapable of answering the end of its in- 
 stitution. It is no longer a useful liglit, but a delusive 
 meteor ; instead of guiding souls to heaven, it misleads and 
 betrays them to destruction. The attainment of outward 
 tranquillity and harmony among the professing followers of 
 the Redeemer, is an object at the present day e^^ecially 
 pursued ; and truly it is an object worthy of all the talents 
 and energ}^ expended in its pursuit. But however valuable 
 this kind of a peace may be, let it never be forgotten that 
 truth is more important still. Not one jot or tittle of the. 
 truth can be safely sacrificed^ It is a sacred trust — a trea- 
 sure committed to the care of the Church — the smallest 
 part of which she cannot, without the basest treachery, sur- 
 render. The wisdom that is from above is first pure — then 
 peaceable. No doubt the love of peace and the love of 
 truth are the two great principles that ought to be kept in 
 view by individual Christians and by the Church at large. 
 But if these principles come into collision, as they certainly 
 may, and as they often do, the love of peace must yield to 
 that of truth. The love of truth is of paramount authority. 
 To give up, or even to compromise the leading doctrines of 
 the Gospel for tlie sake of external quietude, is just as 
 criminal and base as to sacrifice them for the sake of per- 
 &^J^^ sonal^^or worldly advantage. 
 
 Ministers, when faithful, will ever be found holding forth 
 those truths which the Bible teaches, and which the apostles 
 and reformers confessed. Men change, but " Jesus Christ 
 is the same yesterday, to-daj'', and for ever." Human 
 systems alter, but the truth of God is immutable and 
 
 c 
 
1 8 THE pastor's duty 
 
 eternal. Let a Clmrcli be alive to a sense of its deep and 
 solemn responsibility — let it uphold, without shrinking, the 
 glorious banner entrusted to its care, and the great King of 
 Zion will bend from heaven's high throne with compla- 
 cence, and make her a praise and a glorj in^the earth. He 
 will fulfil to the united company of His people the promise 
 made to each individual — " Whosoever shall confess me be- 
 fore men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in 
 heaven." 
 
 The history of our own Church in this land illustrates, I 
 conceive, the correctness of these observations. Error was 
 permitted to creep in, though certainly not to the extent our 
 enemies would represent. Still, it had a sad and blighting 
 influence. Spiritual langour spread abroad, and efforts in 
 the cause of godliness were paralyzed and frustrated. But, 
 by a return to our standards, and — thanks to our fathers for 
 their honest and uncompromising character — by a return to 
 our standards, error was ejected. The result was beyond 
 all expectation — the trumpet no longer gave an uncertain 
 sound — new life was awakened — brethren long separated 
 were publicly united, and, with increased and increasing 
 energy, are now enabled to strive together for the faith of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 If ever there was a time when the Gospel required to be 
 more fully and faithfully preached than another, that time 
 is the present ; for the most remarkable and melancholy 
 feature of the present age is an indifference to the truth. 
 This indifference is manifested on all subjects, civil as well as 
 religious. With regard to civil affairs, the two great parties who 
 formerly opposed each other — who were accustomed to main- 
 tain certain distinctive principles, and pursue different lines 
 in the government of the nation — tliese parties have aban- 
 doned their ground so completely, that they are now in a 
 state of entire confusion. Their principles have been sacri- 
 ficed upon the altar of expediency. 
 
 But look at their proceedings in reference to religious in- 
 
IN THE I'RESENT ILMES. 19 
 
 terests, and joii will easily sec that their practice here is 
 distinguished by the same want of any settled principle. 
 A few instances will illustrate this. In the providence of 
 God our brethren in Scotland were called upon to maintain 
 the spiritual independence of the Church, and to uphold the 
 great principle that Christ is its only Head and King. The 
 civil courts interfered with this principle, ordered the admis- 
 sion of the immoral to the table of the Lord, commanded that 
 certain persons should be ordained to the sacred office of the 
 ministry, and that others, who had been degraded, should be 
 immediately restored. An appeal v/as made to the legis- 
 lature, that the Church might be secured from such unwar- 
 rantable interference. And what was the reply ? The law 
 must take its course. And the law did take its course, 
 and nearly five hundred ministers were deprived of their 
 churches, their incomes, and their homes. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, another case occurred with which all 
 of us are familiar. Certain properties had been bequeathed 
 for the promotion of orthodox principles in this kingdom. 
 These endowments, in time, fell into the possession of per- 
 sons who employed them to propagate doctrines at variance 
 with these principles. In this case, the law decided that 
 the known wishes of the pious donors should be respected, 
 and that the funds should be applied to the purposes for 
 which they were originally intended. An appeal was made 
 to the same tribunal that had deprived the Church of Scot- 
 land of her temporalities. And what was the reply ? Was 
 it as in the previous case ? The decision of the civil courts 
 must be respected — the law must take its course. Oh, no ! 
 Here the arm of the law was suddenly arrested — its sup- 
 posed majesty was insulted — the intentions of the pious 
 dead were frustrated, and funds, left for the advancement of 
 evangelical truth, were handed over to its avowed and inve- 
 terate enemies. Who does not perceive in all this, if not 
 something worse, at least an utter indiifcrencc to the truth ? 
 
 There is another case that I will only mention. If tlierc 
 
20 THE i'A.STOJl's DUTY 
 
 be anything fundamental in our constitution, as established 
 at the time of the Revolution, it is that Romanism is a deep 
 and dangerous error ; and our legislators, who profess to be 
 Protestants, are required to appeal to God with the solem- 
 nity of an oath, and declare that they believe Poperj to be 
 "damnable and idolatrous." No man and no Government 
 can hold Protestantism to be true, and hold Romanism to 
 be true also. Yet, notwithstanding this, the Church of Rome 
 is complimented and encouraged. Without any demand 
 upon the part of her hierarchy, a magnificent grant has been 
 forced upon them, amply sufficient to support their profes- 
 sors, and to board and educate the mass of those who are 
 aspirants to the priesthood — and this is done in such a way 
 that the system is now incorporated with the constitution 
 of the country. 
 
 Look again to the different cases to which I have advert- 
 ed, and mark the utter confusion of right and wrong by 
 which they are pervaded. The Church of Scotland came 
 into collision with the civil law on a point of conscience, 
 and the law was sternly, and to the uttermost, enforced 
 against them. The Arians and Socinians came into col- 
 lision with the law upon a point of covetousness, and it 
 was immediately altered to relieve them. The one party, 
 who were exalting the Redeemer, were degraded —the other 
 party, who were degrading the Redeemer, were exalted. 
 The Free Church maintained the supreme jurisdiction of 
 the civil law within its own province ; but because she was 
 unjustly charged with a wish to invade the territory of the 
 civil power, she was cast off and denuded of her property. 
 The Romish Church, on the contrary, openly and plainly 
 asserts that the temporal powers ought, in all things, to be 
 subordinate to the spiritual. And yet she is regarded with 
 complacency, carefully fostered, and the prospect is opened 
 before her of additional emoluments and increasing honours. 
 Now, what does all this mean ? It just means that the 
 rulers of our country are guided, not by the light of tiiith, 
 
I'S THE niESEXT TIMES. 21 
 
 but by a spirit of reckless cxpedieucj. And have we not rea- 
 son to fear that thcj only reflect the opinions of the mass 
 of the commnnitj, and that there is widely spread abroad 
 a spurious liberality that confounds the distinctions of right 
 and wrong, and, in opposition to the express declarations of 
 Scripture, asserts that religious opinions are matters of no 
 consequence whatever ? What does all this prove, but that 
 we live in a country and in an age the distinguishing cha- 
 racteristic of which is an indifference to the truth ? 
 
 Jt is not difiicult to see how the importance of the minis- 
 terial ofiice is increased by the aspect of the present time. 
 Those who are invested with it have an advantage over 
 mere worldly politicians. They form their estimate of pass- 
 ing events not as they influence the temporary concerns of 
 one party or another. They judge of them by a far higher 
 standard. They view them in connexion with the great 
 chain of Providence, and compare them with the unalter- 
 able rules of the divine v/ord. And placed, as they are, on 
 the high vantage ground of public instructors, their opinions 
 affect not only those committed to their care, but they leaven 
 the public mind to an extent far greater than might at first 
 be supposed. How necessary, then, that the ministers of 
 God at the present day should resemble the small tribe of 
 Issaclier, among the once favoured people of the Almighty — 
 " Men that had understanding of the times to know what 
 Israel ought to do." 
 
 At no period, and under no circumstances, are we justified 
 in holding back any part of the message with whicli we are 
 charged. But in these days of indifference, superstition, 
 and infidelity, we are called upon all the more loudly to pro- 
 claim to our country and the world the great principles of 
 divine truth in their distinct and uncompromising charac- 
 ter. It becomes each faithful minister of our Church to 
 adopt the language of her great Keformer — " I am in the 
 place where it is demanded of me to speak the truth, and, 
 therefore, the truth I speak, impugn it whoso list." Our 
 
j;2 TilE TAJiTOK S DUTY 
 
 Church holds forth in her standards the fundamental doc- 
 trines of the Gospel with honesty and plainness, and she pro- 
 tests against error without any cautious and doubting reser- 
 vations. There can be no disputes about her meaning. Her 
 testimony is abundantly explicit. I know, indeed, that the 
 fathers of our Church are regarded by many as having been 
 too stern and uncompromising in their conduct. But is 
 not the wisdom of the course they pursued remarkably ma- 
 nifested at the present day ? The standards of the Church 
 of England were drawn up in another spirit. Doctrines 
 were there so stated, that persons of different views might 
 each adopt their own interpretation of them ; and ceremonies, 
 thought innocent and harmless, were retained. No doubt 
 these arrangements were well intended ; they were origin- 
 ally made for the purpose of inducing as many as possible 
 to join in the same external forms, forgetting that unity of 
 form is of little moment without unity of spirit. But mark 
 the consequence. The essential doctrines of the Gospel are 
 now subjects of controversy among her own members, and 
 the system and ceremonies to which all along she has clung 
 so fondly are leading many of her sons back again to the 
 darkness of superstition. While, in common with all the 
 friends of evangelical truth, we mourn over these things, it 
 becomes us to be grateful that upon our standards the truth 
 is so plainly and distinctly inscribed. Worldly policy and 
 temporising views had no part in their formation ; the word 
 of God was the only guide, the sovereign arbiter. And now 
 when our venerated fathers are sleeping in the dust, and their 
 spirits rejoicing with God their Saviour, icc are called to up- 
 hold the standard which they have reared. The torch of 
 truth is committed for a season to our care ; let us see that 
 we transmit it in all its purity and brightness to a coming 
 generation. We are watchmen on the walls of Zion. Let the 
 trumpet give no uncertain sound when the hosts are gather- 
 ing to tiie battle. 
 
 " The doctrine" includes, also, a faithful exercise of dis- 
 
IN tiif: present times. 2o 
 
 cipline, and every other plan for imparting instruction to 
 the flock. Upon these T can only for a moment dwell. It 
 requires the faithful exercise of discipline for preserving the 
 purity of the Church. And here the elders, who rule, have 
 an equal responsibility with those who teach. There is a 
 great temptation to unfaithfulness from various circum- 
 stances —from our promixity to a Church where discipline is 
 unknown, and where all are welcomed. Ministers and elders, 
 besides, may be reluctant to incur the displeasure of their 
 neighbours — they may be eager to increase the numerical 
 strength of congregations, and from fear of driving away 
 or losing the aid of persons able and disposed to contribute, 
 they may throw open too widely the doors of admission, or 
 continue in the Church's privileges some who are unworthy 
 of them. " The fear of man," says the inspired writer, 
 "bringeth a snare," and increases the danger it was intended 
 to avoid ; "but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord," faithfully 
 dischai-ging his duty without fear of consequences, " shall be 
 safe." It is ours to fear God, and have no other fear — to 
 be faithful to Christ and to the souls of men. Let us ever 
 remember that a small but devoted band will effect more 
 for the cause of truth and godliness than a vast multitude 
 who are careless and indifferent. Thirty-two thousand 
 joined the standard of Gideon when going to the battle, 
 but he proclaimed, by the command of God, " Whosoever 
 is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart." Three 
 hundred only came down to the battle, and they completely 
 triumphed. 
 
 " Take heed to the doctrine," exhorts that instruction 
 be imparted to all the flock, according to their several 
 stations and circumstances. There should be no respect of 
 persons. The Church, like the grave, levels all distinctions. 
 The rich are to be warned, the poor to be comforted, 
 alike. In the eye of heaven the distinctions of this world 
 are as nothing. It would almost seem as if to the poor in 
 this world's good, a preference was given under tlie Gospel 
 
24 THE pastor's duty 
 
 ■dispensation, for, all along, "not many wise, not many 
 rich, not many noble, have been called." From the hut of 
 poverty and the bed of straw, the prayer of acceptance may 
 ascend to heaven. Despise not the meanest of the flock. 
 Look upon them all not according to the distinctions of this 
 world, but as immortal beings, travelling rapidly onwards to 
 eternity, and preparing to rise to happiness the most exalted, 
 or to sink into ruin the most appalling. We have it on the 
 authority of G-od's word, " Better is a poor and wise child 
 than an old and foolish king." We would look with sur- 
 prise upon the splendour of a monarch, and yet a tattered 
 and neglected child may be of greater real value in the 
 sight of heaven than the gorgeous inhabitant of a palace. In 
 the soul of the humblest individual there is the germ of im- 
 mortal blessedness — the meanest may be led to the cross and 
 fitted for eternal glory — the heart that beats with affection 
 to his fellow-man man may be expanded with love to the 
 divine Redeemer — the eye that has beheld beauty in the 
 rugged scenery of nature can surely be delighted by the 
 verdure and fertility of the plains of heaven — the ear that 
 has heard music in the mountain-blast will be cheered by the 
 zephyrs that sweep over the land of promise, and be charmed 
 into rapture with the anthems of the blessed. 
 
 We now pass on to the next clause of the verse — " Con- 
 tinue in them." This contains an exhortation to perseve- 
 rance and devotedness in the several departments of minis- 
 terial duty. Let every one Avho has thus commenced his 
 ministry in " declaring the whole counsel of God" — let him 
 continue his faithfulness, however despised and discouraged 
 he may be — let him take heed lest the world, and the things 
 of the world, withdraw his attention in any degree from the 
 one paramount object — the fulfilment of his ministry. The 
 apostle may here refer to the duties laid down in the pre- 
 vious verses — ** Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to 
 doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was 
 given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands 
 
IX THE PRESENT TIMES. 26 
 
 of tlie presbytery. Meditate upon these tilings, give tliyself 
 wholly to them." 
 
 The author of the well-known and valuable " Essay on 
 Decision of Character" refers to the singular fact in tlie life 
 of the illustrious Howard, that *' he turned not for a moment 
 from hi^ course when traversing those scenes, the most 
 fitted to enkindle curiosity, and to awaken enthusiasm, by 
 the associations of ancient glory with which they were con- 
 nected, and even Rome itself. The importance of his object 
 held his faculties in a state of excitement, which was too rigid 
 to be affected by lighter interests, and on it, therefore, the 
 beauties of nature and of art had no power, like the invi- 
 sible spirits who fulfil their commission of philanthropy 
 among mortals, and care not about pictures, statues and 
 sumptuous buildings. It implied an inconceivable severity 
 of conviction that he had one thing to do, and that he who 
 would do some great thing in this short life — must apply 
 himself to the work with such a concentration of his forces 
 as to idle spectators, who live only to amuse themselves, 
 looks like insanity. It was thus he made the trial, so sel- 
 dom made, what is the utmost effect which may be granted 
 to the last possible efforts of a human agent ; and, there- 
 fore, what he did not accomplish he might conclude to be 
 placed beyond the sphere of mortal activity, and calmly 
 leave to the immediate disposal of Omnipotence." 
 
 If objects of earthly benevolence thus excited so much 
 concentration of mind and perseverance of effort, what should 
 be the earnestness and devotedness of those to whose guar- 
 dianship the interests of immortal spirits are committed ? 
 Were the charge you have solemnly undertaken that only of 
 a single soul — its training and discipline for eternity, so far as 
 these can be intrusted to man — even then, how great would 
 be the responsibility, and how numerous the difficulties of 
 such a trust ! The various temptations and obstacles that 
 beset that solitary spirit would make the task of conducting 
 it along life's pilgrimage to immortality too great for an 
 
20 THE pastor's DUTY 
 
 angel, unless aided and sustained hy the Eternal Com- 
 forter. Its feebleness, its proneness to error and to sin, its 
 immersion in a world of wickedness, its fallen greatness 
 adding melancholy grandeur to its ruin, and its solemn 
 destination of misery or bliss eternal — all would combine 
 to invest that charge with an importance overpowering and 
 alarming. But how is its pressure augmented by the num- 
 ber and varieties included under the care of every Christian 
 pastor ? When I think of these things I can only express 
 my astonishment, mingled with the profoundest humiliation 
 on my own part, that this very obvious view of the work ap- 
 pointed to us fails to so awful an extent in the production 
 of its legitimate and natural effect — earnestness and devoted- 
 ness of purpose. 
 
 The interests of the Church, the salvation of the faithful, 
 and the honour of religion and of God, are committed spe- 
 cially to you. It is yours to *' teach every man, and warn 
 every man, that you may present every man perfect in Christ 
 Jesus." You receive from the Chief Shepherd not the in- 
 junction to perform a certain round of duty, but the guar- 
 dianship of so many ransomed spirits, each more precious 
 than the brightest luminary of heaven, and exposed to dan- 
 gers the most imminent, and enemies the most formidable. 
 Here is a garrison invested by the foe, ready to overwhelm 
 it with slaughter. You are the watchmen to guard against 
 surprise. It is a fortified but besieged city. You are ap- 
 pointed to stand upon its ramparts with your sword ready 
 for the conflict, and your trumpet for alarm. Slumber in 
 you is treachery, as cowardice would be defeat; and the life 
 of the citizens shall be demanded at your liands. But why 
 should I multiply images, when no comparison can repre- 
 sent, and no language can suitably express the tremendous, 
 the sublime reality ? I sum up all in words which alone 
 will not degrade so great a subject — " You watch for souls 
 as those that must give an account." 
 
 Now, I can well conceive, brethren, there may be some dan- 
 
IN THE TRESEXT TIMES. 27 
 
 ger ill the overwhelming nature of these reflections. They 
 may bring despondency where they should rouse to action. 
 We may feel like persons required to empty the ocean, drop 
 by drop, while a thousand rivers are pouring into its bosom. 
 We may do nothing, and hope for nothing, because the task is 
 too great for us. When thus bewildered and appalled, it 
 may be well for us to remember that the tribute demanded 
 of us is not success but diligence, not conquest but fidelity — 
 to have the heart right with God, the eye fixed upon eternity, 
 our whole mind devoted to the fulfilment of our ministry. 
 And remember, brethren, your sufiiciency is of God. Trust- 
 ing in His strength you are endued with the force of omni- 
 potence. As your day is, so will your strength be ; and 
 whatever be the aspect presented to yourselves of the results 
 of your ministry, it will be seen when the light of eternity 
 surrounds us, that you have been the instruments of greater 
 good than your imaginations had ever anticipated. AVho 
 can tell but you may meet in the abodes of blessedness 
 those to whom you have brought salvation — those over 
 whose obduracy you may have mourned as hopeless — or 
 those, perhaps, of whom you now know nothing, but with 
 whom you will yet rejoice together in the kingdom that is 
 above. " Be not weary in well doing ; for in due season yo 
 shall reap if you faint not." *' Continue in these things." 
 
 The last clause of the verse contains a cheering promise, 
 " For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them 
 that hear thee." We have it here upon the authority of 
 God's word that the labour of the faithful and devoted 
 minister shall not be in vain. He shall save himself and 
 his people — save them from defection in the hour of trial — 
 save them from misery eternal. 
 
 He shall save them from defection. This was what the 
 apostle appears to have greatly dreaded. Times of trial 
 were then fast approaching — times that were to test the 
 steadfastness both of ministers and people. He foretells some 
 of the coming events in tlie beginning of this chapter. " Now 
 
28 
 
 THE PASTOR S DUTY 
 
 the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some 
 shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, 
 and doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy ; having 
 their consciences seared with a hot iron." In '* the latter 
 times" there was to be a great departing from the faith, that 
 is, during the last dispensation ; and the destruction of the 
 world was not to happen until this should take place. There 
 was to be a departure from the great doctrines which consti- 
 tute the Christian faith. In 2 Timothy iv. 4, he foretells — 
 " They shall turn away their ears from the truth. " Believers 
 were to be subjected to trial and persecution for the cause of 
 Christ — they were to suffer loss of property, loss of friends, 
 and, in some cases, loss of life itself, for their adherence to 
 the truth. In these circumstances, there was great danger 
 of apostacy. But the faithful minister, the apostle inti- 
 mates, might, in some measure, save himself and his people 
 from that sad calamity. " By doing this" — by taking heed 
 to his life and doctrine — by devotedness to the duties of his 
 sacred calling — he might be the instrument of saving him- 
 self and his people in times of prevailing danger and defec- 
 tion. And, brethren, do not the descriptions of the apostle 
 apply, with wonderful exactness, to the present age ? "Pe- 
 rilous times have come." " Some have departed from the 
 faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." 
 " They have turned away their ears from the truth, and been 
 turned unto fables." And is there not heresy in practice as 
 well as heresy in doctrine ? Are not the commandments of 
 God in many cases openly disregarded ? Is not the Sabbath 
 profaned, and are not increasing arts bringing increasing 
 profanation along with them ? Is not the standard of mo- 
 rality becoming every day lower and lower, especially in the 
 commercial world ? Are uprightness and integrity respected 
 as they ought ? Are fraud and dishonesty visited with the 
 just condemnation they deserve ? Is not intemperance la- 
 mentably advancing ? As a natural consequence of vice 
 and immorality there are efforts being put forth for the pro- 
 
IN THE rilESEXT TIMES. 29 
 
 motion of infidelity. In the reading fnrnislied to the masses 
 there is an unconcealed opposition to the truth, and we have 
 reason to fear tliat with increasing knowledge the labouring 
 and humbler classes of society will become more and more 
 alienated^from the Gospel. 
 
 And is there no reason to fear that there may ere long 
 be open hostility to the profession of true religion — that per- 
 secution may be let loose, and that the Church, as in former 
 days, may be assailed and wasted by the enemies of right- 
 eousness? Even now, on the Continent we hear of the wor- 
 ship of God being forbidden, and the reading and expound- 
 ing of the Scriptures pronounced a crime against the State. 
 And nearer home, even in these kingdoms of boasted light 
 and liberty, there are sixteen thousand of our fellow- wor- 
 shippers in Scotland refused a spot of ground on which to 
 erect a house of prayer. And who can tell how soon such 
 trials, and others far greater, may visit us, and the faith and 
 steadfastness of ourselves and our people be severely tested ? 
 We may be brought into a condition where we too may be 
 called to suffering. The Gospel is not changed. The en- 
 mity of the carnal heart is not changed. The rancour of re- 
 ligious bigotry and the pride of intolerance are not changed. 
 The cruelty of an ignorant multitude is not changed. The 
 indifference of civil rulers to all that is vital in religion, 
 when it opposes their designs, is not changed. All that is 
 changed is the outward condition of society, and by what 
 convulsion this may be broken up is beyond all human fore- 
 sight, and is known to God alone. It is not, however, so 
 much our part to deal in conjectures with regard to the fu- 
 ture, but to have a solemn conviction as to what is present 
 duty, to continue in labouring more devotedly than ever, 
 so that when the time of trial comes, we and our people may 
 be saved from defection. 
 
 There is a source of danger, to which public attention 
 has lately been called, arising from the masses who are 
 sunk in ignorance and crime. The most appalling state- 
 
30 THE pastor's duty 
 
 ments have been made, and upon the most unquestion- 
 able authority, of the degradation of vast multitudes in 
 the metropolis of these kingdoms. It has been ascertained 
 that there are in London no less than 30,000 lawless 
 and deserted children. Hundreds of these have never 
 slept on a bed, and thousands live in lodgiag-houses that 
 are sinks of wretchedness and profligacy, utterly regard- 
 less of all decency and comfort, and their spiritual wel- 
 fare entirely neglected. In the year 1847, 62,181 persons 
 were taken into custody by the police. Of these 15,698 were 
 under twenty years of age. Of the whole, 22,075 could 
 neither read nor write, and almost all the remainder could 
 do so very imperfectly. 28,113 had no trade or occupation 
 whatever, and must have gained their livelihood by preying 
 upon the property of others. These returns embrace, you 
 will remember, only those who were apprehended, while 
 multitudes have been guilty of unseen and undetected 
 crimes. What an awful and dangerous state of society 
 does this exhibit, and we fear that this is but a picture of 
 what exists in most of our towns with crowded populations. 
 These are the persons, formed and trained for crime, who 
 are ready for every outbreak and excess. Such are the 
 persons who, in France, are now the willing instruments of 
 blood. Think how dreadful the miseries that civil discord 
 there carries in its train — how it desolates the country over 
 which it rolls — how all the rights of property, and all the 
 provisions of justice, give way before it — how unprincipled 
 licentiousness walks abroad, and all that is pure and holy 
 is trampled upon in bitterest derision. Think how many 
 thousands have been suddenly hurried into eternity. Tlie 
 stoutest heart among us would shudder to behold the de- 
 struction of a single individual by some deed of violence. 
 Were the person now beside you in health and strength to 
 be laid in a moment, by some deadly aim, a lifeless corpse 
 at your feet, there is not one that would not recoil at a spec- 
 tacle so dreadful. There are some would be haunted dav 
 
IN THE PRESENT TIMES. 31 
 
 and night by the image of horror they had witnessed, and 
 utterly unfitted for business and enjoyment. And how must 
 this horror be aggravated and increased when we think of a 
 vast multitude of victims — of the tears of many bereaved 
 parents, and the shrieks of thousands of desolated families. 
 Think of these things, and see the danger of a neglected, 
 irreligious, and lawless population, especially in our larger 
 towns. The duty of making inroads upon the territory of 
 wickedness and crime is not the point at present before us, 
 but rather the dut_y that we owe to ourselves and our people. 
 Let us see that we save them from the sad indijfference to 
 religion that these things are calculated to produce. Our 
 Saviour has foretold days of apostacy, and falsehood, and 
 crime : and he adds — (Matt. xxiv. 12) — " And because ini- 
 quity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But 
 he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." 
 Let us strive and pray that whatever clouds and tempests 
 may sweep over the world — whatever changes may befal us — 
 we and our people may rest securely upon the Rock of Ages, 
 and be enabled to trust with confidence in Him whose love 
 is everlasting, and whose power is infinite — of Him who can 
 bring light out of darkness, and good out of evil — of Him 
 who stilleth not only the waves of the sea, but also the 
 tumults of the people. 
 
 But, doubtless, the apostle presents in the text an object 
 far higher than any limited to this world. When he com- 
 mitted to writing the promise — " By doing this thou shalt 
 both save thyself and them that hear thee," his thoughts 
 were directed not merely to the sufferings of the present 
 world, but to the glory that was to be revealed — a glory to 
 which they were unworthy to be compared. The reward of 
 faithfulness in a Christian minister he declared to be the 
 salvation of himself and of those who hear him. Salvation ! 
 One word only, but containing millions of ideas. Salvation ! 
 Uttered in a moment, but requiring everlasting ages and all 
 the amplitude of heaven for the unfolding of its meaning. 
 
32 THE pastor's duty 
 
 We know not, we cannot conceive aright the horror and 
 misery of a state of alienation from God. We know not 
 the wretchedness and despair awaiting the impenitent in an 
 eternal world. We know not aright the privilege of friend- 
 ship with God. We cannot conceive the unutterable joy 
 awaiting the righteous in the mansions of our Father's house 
 in heaven. Not until the veil that hides the eternal world 
 be torn asunder, can we have any adequate conception of 
 the wretchedness of the one or the glory of the other, 
 and yet we are permitted to be fellow-workers with God, 
 and instruments in saving souls from death. What an 
 object does the apostle place before us — " Save thyself and 
 them that hear thee." Here is an object that cannot 
 fail — a hope that cannot be disappointed. In the pursuits 
 of this world misfortune waits upon our path, and all our 
 efforts may prove fruitless. But this design never can be 
 frustrated while we seek it in conformity to the will of God, 
 and rely upon His Almighty Spirit, Our object will be 
 certainly obtained. And that object, how infinitely glorious ! 
 It is that for which the covenant of peace was sealed from 
 everlasting — that for which the heavens and the earth are 
 preserved in being — that for which Christ is exalted to be 
 head over all things to the Church — that which excites 
 a deep interest in the breast of the once crucified but now 
 exalted Saviour, that for which angels minister, and the 
 spirits of the just made perfect look onward with solemn ex- 
 pectation, which, when it is finished, the desolations of sin 
 shall be repaired, the power of Satan utterly destroyed, and 
 the empire of death completely and for ever overthrown. 
 It shall be yours to rejoice with the wise and holy of other 
 generations, to meet in their assembly and partake of their 
 fellowship. Beneath the same shadow of the tree of life you 
 shall repose. Of the same stream that makes glad the city 
 of our God you shall drink. It shall be yours to exchange 
 the post of vigilance and warfare for scenes of eternal rest 
 and triumph — a conspicuous place of labour for a con- 
 
IX THE PRESENT TIMES. 33 
 
 spicuous sphere of glorj, and to sliiiie fortli offiilgeiit in tlie 
 kingdom of our Father, with many souls saved by your 
 blessed iiislrumentality circling around you in happiness 
 and giorj'. 
 
 Now, in conclusion, I trust the review of this subject will 
 excite in each of us a feeling of deep humiliation, when we 
 look back on our ministry. Let the exhortation of the 
 apostle, which we have been considering, lead us to examine 
 ourselves. What has been the state of religion in our own 
 hearts ? Remember, we must give an account of om'sch-^s to 
 <j}od. This account we are to render as strictly and as fully 
 as if we had never borne the ministerial character ; and we 
 must be judged equally with ©ther Christians by the depth 
 of our repentance, the simplicity of our faith, by the power 
 the Gospel has had upon our hearts, not by our knowledge 
 of its doctrines, by what we are not as teachers but as dis- 
 ciples, as liunible partakers of the grace of Jesus, not as 
 <;ommissi©ned messengers to proclaim his love. 
 
 Again, have we given dRo and prayerful attention to pre- 
 pare for the services of the sanctuary ? Has it been our 
 great aim to set before our people the Gospel in all its fui- 
 ness ? Can we in sincerity adopt the language of the apostle 
 in reference to those who hear us — "God is my record; 
 how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus 
 Christ" — " My little childi-en, of whom I travail in birtli, 
 until Christ be formed in you" — " Xow I live, if you stand 
 fast in the Lord." 
 
 I fear, brethren, that we have many sins of coldness and 
 indifference to acknowledge — that our time and our minds 
 liave been too much occu]^)ied in secular pursuits — that we 
 have had very faint impressions of the character and great 
 ends of our ministry — that we have been contented with 
 merely delivering the message, and not looking for an an- 
 swer in the conversion of sinners and in the advancement of 
 believers in knowledge and holiness. Purity of communion 
 is not sought after as it ought, and numbers of our people 
 
 E 
 
34 THE pastor's duty 
 
 neglect altogether the dying command of their Redeemer. 
 Ho w little are the ordinances of religion valued ? How many 
 forsake the assembling of themselves together on the Sab- 
 bath ? Our Missions, too, how inadequately supported ! 
 There is assuredly sin somewhere, and it becomes us whom 
 God has honoured to be put in trust with the ministry of 
 His Son — it becomes us to inquire how far our neglect and 
 sins may have been the cause of these things. 
 
 But humiliation alone is not enough. The great object 
 of our meeting will fail if we are not sent home animated 
 with new ardour and devotedness to the work. We have 
 peculiar advantages. We have wide fields of usefulness 
 open before us, and multitudes willing to hear. Our eccle- 
 siastical system is the best fitted for the advancement of the 
 truth. To us are bequeathed many dear-bought privileges. 
 It is no light matter to be the appointed maintainors of our 
 fathers' testimony in such a land, and at such a time as 
 this. Lamenting, therefore, the many sins and short-com- 
 ings with which we are chargeable, acknowledging the divine 
 goodness towards us, and praying for the aid and guidance 
 of the Holy Spirit, let us resolve to devote ourselves anew 
 to the cause of our Divine Master, to spend and be spent 
 in His service. Do we really believe that we are either 
 a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death to them 
 that hear us ? Do we really believe that there are beyond 
 the grave abodes of blessedness, and regions of despair — 
 that in a few short years we and our people shall all be in- 
 jiabitants either of the one or of the other ? Or is this mere 
 ofiicial language, never intended to be understood in its full 
 and ordinary import ? If these things be not true, then are 
 we false witnesses for Christ — then are we gross deceivers ; 
 for these are the common topics, the first principles of our 
 discourses. But if these things be indeed true and certain — 
 if heaven and hell be awful realities — if a boundless eternity 
 be yet before us, how can we be indifferent ? Can we slumber 
 over themes that wake the interest of angels' hearts in the 
 
lis liii: i'ilESENl ILMES. '^j 
 
 presence of their God, on which the anxious eye is fixed of 
 those who once on earth have joined the general assembly 
 of the Church of the first-born in heaven. Oh, is it pre- 
 sumption to believe that their spirits may even now be 
 bending from their seats on high, looking down with sym- 
 pathy upon us, and watching with all the anxiety of love, 
 the course we now pursue ! Let it be borne in mind that mi- 
 nisterial faithfulness, like Christian piety, is an individual 
 concern. Each individual should resolve to preach the 
 Word, and devote himself to the work with as much earnest- 
 ness as if the cause of truth were suspended upon his single 
 efforts. 
 
 From this subject let us learn the necessity of faithfulness. 
 There is, from obvious causes, a temptation to accommo- 
 date the truths of the Gospel to the prevailing sentiments of 
 the world, or to form a compromise between the doctrines of 
 the cross and the feelings of the natural heart. Every mi- 
 nister, when about to preach the Gospel, is perfectly aware 
 that he is about to deliver a message most ungrateful to the 
 ears of unregenerate men. In truth, there never was a re- 
 ligion that the world hates so much as it hates the pure Gos- 
 pel of Christ. When a minister is sensible of this fact, when 
 he knows that the message he is about to deliver will en- 
 counter so much opposition from the world, he is strongly 
 tempted to change, in some degree, the aspect of the mes- 
 sage, and to substitute a little of his own wisdom for the 
 wisdom of God. This he may do in a manner almost insen- 
 sible to himself. It is not necessary that he should preach 
 anything positively false. He may keep within the bounds 
 of orthodoxy ; and yet, by introducing those parts of the 
 system only which are least unpalatable, he may keep back 
 those truths which humble the pride of the human heart, 
 and thus fail to declare the whole counsel of God. And 
 shall he be hailed as the friend of man, and the faithful mi- 
 nister of Zion, who softly whispers " peace, peace," when. 
 
'Mf Tin: I'ASTOii's duty 
 
 all is the cheerless |>eaceof the sepulchre — who, by delusive 
 prospects of security, beguiles thousands into the snares of the 
 foul destroyer, or leaves them without a sigh, gaily to dance 
 around the brink of the bottomless pit, and plunge beneath, 
 the victims of perdition ? He may be hailed by the thoughtless 
 and giddy throng, the votaries of this world, the slaves of Sa- 
 tan. But hailed he shall not be by the sons of light and glory. 
 By saints and by the King of Saints he shall be arraigned 
 a traitor — to him shall be allotted a traitor's doom, and in 
 everlasting burnings he shall wear the memorials of a trai- 
 tor's crime. 
 
 The apostle, in another place, urges the solemn motive — 
 '* Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day 
 of salvation." This is a warning that we are accustomed 
 frequently to press upon our hearers in reference to their 
 preparation for eternity. We tell them of a God ready to 
 be reconciled, of a Saviour waiting to be gracious, of the 
 Holy Spirit ready to renew and sanctify the heart. But 
 we tell them, also, that it will not be always thus — that the 
 careless and obdurate will not always be plied with the over- 
 tures of pardon — that the day of salvation will not last for 
 ever — that the Saviour, who now bends from heaven's high 
 throne to win them to Himself, will soon come in the more aw- 
 ful character of a judge, to take vengeance on those who ne- 
 glect His great salvation. We have seen the sword come ; we 
 have blown the trumpet, and warned the people that the 
 means of grace are passing away rapidly and for ever. Let 
 this motive be felt by each of us in reference to our solemn 
 duties. Now is to us the day of usefulness and activity, 
 the night is coming when no man can work. The time is 
 short. Eternity is approaching. We see the countenances 
 of our people change from Sabbath to Sabbath, as we ad- 
 dress them in our respective congregations. We cannot but 
 remember that other feet have stood in our pulpits, and 
 otlier voices have sounded within the walls that encircle our 
 
IN THE PRESENT TIMES. 37 
 
 worshipping assemblies. Soon death will seal our lips in 
 the silence of the tomb. Soon new pastors and new people 
 will occupy our places. 
 
 Think, bi-ethren, of the solemn period when the last sands 
 of the numbered hour are running ; when, in the darkened 
 chamber, stretched on the bed from which you never will 
 arise, looking round upon the circle of your weeping friends, 
 and awfully conscious of your approaching end, what are 
 the views you then will take of the worth of Sabbaths, the 
 value of immortal souls. In what manner will you ^Aen esti- 
 mate the weight of your ministerial charges. What will be 
 your emotions, in the prospect of the last and dread account, 
 if, through your unfaithfulness, the cause of truth lias suf- 
 fered, and souls been left to perish. How awful your reflec- 
 tions, if, even in relation to the poorest of the flock, you 
 should become painfully alive to instances of neglect and 
 failure before unthought of, if you have neglected to " re- 
 prove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." 
 With what feelings will then be remembered days and weeks 
 wasted in worldliness and folly. With what feelings will 
 you then think of abused talents, a perverted Gospel, a 
 people lulled into the slumbers of indifference, and led on to 
 ruin. Ah I how will the remembrance of these seize upon 
 the heart with a chillness colder than the icy hand of death 
 itself. How darkly will their shadow fall upon the soul 
 now ready to depart, solitary and unattended, into the world 
 unknown. Oh, the remorse, the horror, the anguish unutte- 
 rable and hopeless I The cloud of darkness but I for- 
 bear. I draw a veil over a scene so awful. 
 
 How different your emotions as death the last messenger 
 draws nigh, if, amidst all your imperfection and infir- 
 mity, it has been your main object ever to be faithful — 
 if for this you have struggled, for this you have prayed, 
 being in season and out of season, always abounding in 
 the work of the Lord, keeping back nothing of the truth, 
 allured bv no secular ambition, and charueable with tlic 
 
38 THE pastor's duty 
 
 ruin of none. For yourselves, as lielpless sinners, this 
 plea will be all sufficient. " The blood of Jesus Christ 
 cleanseth from all sin," and in the review of jour ministry, 
 this shall inspire you with fortitude when advancing to give 
 in your last account, that you have not been careless of your 
 trust, that the people for whose salvation you laboured, 
 and from whom for a season you are to be separated, are a 
 company of pilgrims travelling on to Zion, and that you are 
 going only a little time before them. How soothing the re- 
 flection, the meanest you have not despised, the feeblest you 
 have not oppressed, the youngest you have not forgotten ; 
 your prayers have gone up for them in secret as a memorial 
 before the Lord. It is your privilege to go before, and when 
 arrived at the abodes of blessedness, your spirits will again 
 and again be cheered by the opening of heaven's gates, and 
 the admission of another and another of the flock that you 
 have left behind, to the sanctuary above, till at length the 
 whole family of the redeemed shall be assembled in the man- 
 sions of our Father's house, and be for ever with the Lord. 
 
 Who can tell the joy awaiting the faithful minister in the 
 abodes of blessedness ? Who can conceive the rapture that 
 will fill and dilate his soul as the accents of the Judge fall 
 upon his ear — " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord." Yes, his joy will be the joy 
 of his Lord — inferior in degree, but of the same nature, and 
 springing from the same sources. To have been himself the 
 object of mercy — to have been the instrument in the salva- 
 tion of others — will impart a pleasure that never can be 
 adequately understood till the morning of the resurrection 
 dawn, and *' the ransomed of the Lord shall return and 
 come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their 
 heads." And is this, he will exclaim, the end of all my 
 labours — is this the issue of the ministry under which I was 
 so often ready to faint — is this the glory of which I heard so 
 much, and of which I was accustomed to speak with so 
 much coldness ? Well might it be called " a glory to be 
 
TX THE PRESENT TIMES. 39 
 
 revealed." If to every disciple, faithful unto death, tliere 
 is in reserve a crown of life, how great must be the 
 reward of the faithful minister ! Oh, for that surpassing 
 crown, brightest among the bright coronets of glory ! With 
 what ecstacy shall we recognise among the countless mul- 
 titude the seals of our ministry — the persons to whom 
 we have brought salvation, and whom we have been the 
 means of conducting to blessedness eternal. Well am I con- 
 vinced that their companionship in the upper sanctuary will 
 be the source of joy unspeakable, and their gratitude pouring 
 forth during eternal ages will add — immeasurably add — to 
 the bliss and the brightness even of heaven itself. 
 
 How forcibly do these reflections press home upon each of 
 us the exhortation of the apostle — " Take heed unto thyself, 
 and unto the doctrine ; continue in them : for in doing this 
 thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 
 
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