"

To this we reply, by asking, whether our bleffed Lord did not give it as one distinguishing mark of the divinity of his religion, to the meffengers of John, that "the poor have the Gospel "preached to them?" And is it not the bufinefs and the duty of thofe, who wish to be like their Great Shepherd, under Him, and as his fervants, "to feek and to save them that were loft?" And doth not Chrift bid his minifters go forth into the highways and hedges," and constrain men to come in to the gospel banquet? As to the vulgar, their fouls are as precious as the fouls of them who are in the highest ftations; (fee pp. 10, 11, of this work ;) and as to the shame and reproach attending the bufinefs, wo be to us if we take not up our crofs, and follow a despised Mafter. (II. Tim. ii. 12.) But if our Itinerants be fet up as the objects of cenfure by their elder brethren, let them reply, as Paul,-" Now YE are full, now YE are rich: we are fools for Chrift's fake, but YE are wife in Chrift; we are weak, but YE 66 are ftrong; YE are honourable, but we are de fpifed." (I. Cor. iv. 8, 10.)

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"It

Others may fay,-" It is diforderly, and contrary to our ufual practice." The latter is granted; but perhaps it ought to be owned with regret and shame. O! what might thofe of us, who are in the advance of life, have done for the glory of Chrift, and the falvation of fouls, had

we

we been more zealous and diligent in our younger days! But the omiffions, even of good men, muft not be pleaded as precedents; and their examples must not be fet up as ftandards, from which no deviation is to be allowed. But yet, if we look back to the practice of our venerable and excellent forefathers, of the laft century, we fhall find numerous inftances among them, of a bleffed and self-denying zeal to diffuse the favour of the knowledge of Chrift around them, in their neighbouring villages and hamlets.-As to the objection refpecting order,-Is any divine inftitution, any part of the difcipline and rules of our churches, invaded or broken through by our excurfive endeavours? It has been an old practice with ftrict congregational churches, to call and fend forth men of talents and piety, and who have a defire to do good to fouls, to the work of the miniftry, fometimes before, fometimes after they have received instruction in their seminaries. -Are our Itinerants objected to ?-We feek after fuch as are the best qualified as to knowledge and talents; and we are not without the hope of providing fome further fuitable education for those who may need it. And it should be observed, that these unlearned men, who are occafionally employed in Village Service, are not engaged as Paftors over fettled Congregations, but are only employed as Helpers.*

Helpers, in breaking up the fallow ground, and preparing, under the divine bleffing, little plan

* Under the Law, when the Priefts were too few, or not prepared or fanctified for the performance of their office, Levites were called in to affift them; which was not ftrictly regular, but the neceffity of the cafe called for it. (II. Chron. xxix. 34.) In the primitive Church "God fet fome who were Apoftles; fecondarily, Prophets; 86 'thirdly, Teachers (i. e. Paftors of Churches); after that, Mira"cles; then, Gifts of Healing, HELPS," &c. Learned men have been much perplexed to discover what this word peculiarly pointed at. Being found in fuch honourable company, preceded by "mi"raculous healing," and followed with " governments," (meaning thofe who were endowed with the power of curing difeafes, and capacity for the rule of church affairs, we cannot suppose it to defcribe any menial office in the Church, which required neither gifts nor true religion. The original term imports the adminiftration of relief and affistance, conjointly with others; and as the connexion fpeaks of the gathering, uniting, and edifying of the members of the body of Christ, and of the regard that is to be paid to the meanest member, I presume we may refer this term, "Helps," to those perfons who affifted the fuperior officers of the Church in occafional fervices, and particularly in inftructing the ignorant, and in endeavouring to cultivate the knowledge of Chriftianity among the young and the poor. Such "Helpers in Chrift" were Priscilla and Aquila to the venerable Paul (Rom. xvi. 3.); fuch, perhaps, was Urbane alfo (Rom. xvi. 9.): and thus the Churches, after the days of the Apostles, had their Catechifts and Acolyths, persons appointed by the Church, chosen out of any order, to instruct the ignorant and the poor. (See Encyc. Britan. on both those words.) It is ftill more clear, however, that in the last days of the amiable and aged Apoftle John, there were those who 'went forth" for this fervice; left their comfortable habitations; gave up, for a season at least, their own private spiritual enjoy. ments, in the communion of faints, to labour, without any pecuniary reward, in fcattering the precious feed of truth; whom that hoary Elder cordially recommends to the hospitality and affiftance of his friend Gaius and others. (III. John, 6, 7, 8.)

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tations,

tations, hereafter, we truft, to be inclofed as gardens for God on earth, and nurseries for heaven.

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Again, it may be asked,-" If your Minifters engage in this fervice, muft it not occupy much of "their time, abridge their ftudies, and lessen their "attention to their own Flocks?" We acknowledge that, in pretending to provide for thofe abroad, it would be highly criminal to neglect those at home. But let it be ferioufly confidered, how many ministers there are, who, after having done what they have accounted their duty to their own Congregations, find yet fome time which they can spare for various occafions as they arife. Are there not many hours, my Brethren, which might be saved from unneceffary Лleep; from uselefs, defultory, or pernicious reading; from a fpecious indolence falfely called study; from idle and impertinent difcourfe; and from long unprofitable vifits, which might be spent to great advantage, if judiciously and confcientiously collected and arranged, in vifiting a neighbouring Village Congregation, and in dropping a word of exhortation or comfort to those who might be willing to hear? Brethren, diligence will beget diligence: the more we do, humbly and honestly, for the glory of our Mafter and the fervice of mankind, while health and ftrength continue, and spirits abound, the more we shall be difpofed and qualified to do. And will my younger bre

thren permit one, who has not been altogether inactive for five and thirty years, (though he fees abundant cause for fhame and felf-reprehenfion, for being fo lukewarm in the cause of fouls) to fay, that the labours of the ministry have, he thinks, lefs injured his health and fpirits, than the comparative eafe and quiet of his brethren, who have been afraid of weather and fatigue, have promoted theirs. However, it is not every man's duty to tread in the fteps of others. Elder men cannot follow their younger brethren in all their exertions. Their ftrength and fituations will not permit. But should they not rejoice in them; pray for them; advise, warn, and encourage them; and, inftead of pouring cold water on their zeal, and throwing out infinuations to their difadvantage, help forward the work of the Lord? In order, however, more fully to answer the objection, let it be observed, that in feveral parts of the County fupernumérary minifters are about to be provided, under the name of Itinerants, whofe bufinefs it will be to travel from place to place, and occafionally to affift our ftated paftors, while they vifit the Villages.

But will any fay, this is not a proper time for fuch exertions. Your activity will create alarm? We reply, it is always a time for doing good. The prefent only is our time. We must work.. while it is day; our night is coming when we

can