and let them not lose it. In short, "whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Are we entering upon new time, time so precious that nought on carth can purchase a single moment? then surely the Christian will strive to improve the coming year better, by taking none of the sins he fell into during the past year, into the new one. He will watch and pray to put them off, like a garment that is worthless and polluted. He is rising in his character, in his hopes, and in his prospects; and shall he not rise this year in the internal power, and dignity, and purity of his principles? Shall not his affections reach a higher and serener sky? He is on the eve of full age-of passing from his minority to the possession of his inheritance; and shall he not leave off childish things? Shall not his spirit and his hopes rise to a glory above the carth, as his body totters downward in feebleness and darkness to the grave?

The new year may well suggest to the aged Christian-to the wayworn traveller in Zion's path, "the year of release," which now stands nearer than ever before. We are all anticipating it with faith and hope, but it is nearer to some than they imagine. To the aged and experienced Christian, it cannot be far off. What a bright scene is before such! Eternity with all its treasures! Heaven with all its glories! God with all his mysteries! A spring whose flowers will never lose their freshness and their fragrance. A summer whose sun will never decline. An autumn whose fruits will suffer no decay and its leaves never wither. Here,-time is the measure and the sphere of our existence-the bane, and yet the being of our pleasures. There-we shall have a being out of the bounds of time -a scope without and not within its circle-pleasures that will not so much be in us, as we in them. Here we make progression in grace, progression in life-and hold our existence only by the help of time; we snatch our pleasures like gleams of sunshine, or sudden catches of light, between clouds, upon a gloomy landscape;- There—we shall have stopped the flight of time itself,shall find progression without succession of moments, and joys which no time could contain-as well as a being which no time could destroy. Soon! soon! fearful Christian, you will begin this new year of eternity, the first day of which will contain more than all time; and the first sense of which, as the rising ray of its glory will strike your immortal faculty, will obliterate the recollection of crowded years of sorrow. The new year we are now beginning to enjoy is a pledge to you of the near approach of your felicity, and ought, therefore, to lighten your burden, and mitigate your woes ;-as each return of the heir's birthday brightens and confirms his hopes, while it assures and reminds him of their approaching consummation. And, O, what an inheritance of joy, and purity, and life, have you in view, when a few more years, perhaps days, have run their round. Not like the earthly joys you have here tasted, or the earthly scenes over which your spirit is sometimes prone to linger with delight, and which, from their nature, can afford but a brief and barren satisfaction; there you shall enjoy a blissful, steady, and invariable con

The

nexion with the infinite, communicative source of all Excellence. immortal Howe has well observed of all sensible objects" they first tempt, then please a little, then disappoint, and lastly, vex. The eye that beholds them, blasts them quickly, rifles and deflowers their glory; and views them with no more delight at first, than disdain afterwards. Creature enjoyments have a bottom, are soon drained and drawn dry. Hence, there must be frequent diversions; other pleasures must be sought out and are chosen, not because they are better, but because they are new. This demonstrates the emptiness and vanity of the creature. Affection of variety only proceeds from sense of want; and is a confession, upon trial, that there is not such enjoyment found as was expected. Proportionably in the state of glory, a constant indeficient fulness renders the blessed soul undesirous of any change. There is no need of varieties of diversions; what did once please, can never cease to do so. This glory cannot fade, or lose any thing of its attractive power. The faculty cannot languish, or lose the disposition, by which it is contempered, and made proportionable thereto. Hence, no weariness can ensue. What! a soul, in which the love of God is perfected, grow weary of beholding him! The sun will sooner grow weary of shining; the touched needle of turning itself to its wonted point; every thing will sooner grow weary of its centre, and the most fundamental laws of nature be sooner antiquated, and made void for ever." With such a hope in view, we may well " endure, as seeing Him who is invisible." Let but the Christian pursue this shining path of grace and light, and like the sun, though he set in brilliancy and glory, in one hemisphere, it will be to rise with far higher lustre in another.

EXTRACT.

A GOOD MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST.

An Address to the Ministers received into Full Connexion at the ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WESLEYAN METHODIST ASSOCIATION: Delivered in Bailie St. Chapel, Rochdale, August, 9th, 1842.

BY MR. R. ECKETT, Ex-President.

Published at the request of the Annual Assembly.

That thou mayest be a good minister of Jesus Christ. 1 Tim. iv. 16.

FROM the letters written by the Apostle Paul, to Timothy his beloved son in the Gospel, it is most obvious, that the Apostle was truly solicitous that Timothy should prove himself to be, "A good minister of Jesus Christ." This also I trust my dear brethren, those of you whom I am now more particularly called to address, is what you most ardently and supremely desire to be. To acquire renown as scholars, as men of talent, as philosophers, as legislators, statesmen, or even as the chief rulers of empires, would, I trust, in your estimation, be as nothing compared with the high honour and happiness of prov

ing yourselves to be "Good ministers of Jesus Christ." If I were to turn to the other ministers now present, and to the other representatives of our churches now assembled, and were to ask them what is their most fervent desire and prayer to God for you? doubtless they would reply, It is "That you may be good ministers of Jesus Christ."

If I ask myself-How ought I to discharge the solemn duty which now officially devolves upon me? the answer prompted by my understanding and heart is, that I ought affectionately and earnestly to exhort and encourage you ardently and perseveringly to pray, labour, and strive that you may become "Good ministers of Jesus Christ;" and therefore, I now invite your serious attention while we consider— The qualifications and duties of "Ministers of Christ," and the means by which those qualifications may be acquired, and by which those duties may be faithfully and efficiently discharged. I remark

I. That PERSONAL PIETY is indispensable to "A GOOD MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST."

1. This implies that-He must be a CONVERTED MAN.

An unconverted man may be an accomplished scholar,—a learned, acute, and accurate critic,-a good logician,-a profound metaphysician,-a powerful reasoner,-may possess a rich and chaste imagination, may be an impressive and eloquent orator,-may be able to speak accurately and effectively upon religious topics,-may be able to fix the attention of listening multitudes, and move their passions as he pleases, and may be occasionally even the means of the Conversion of sinners; but he cannot be "A Good minister of Jesus Christ."

A Good man is one who has been convinced of sin-he must have put away sin-he must have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, and consequently have received the love of God into his heart, making him to be a new creature in Jesus Christ.

On the subject of Conversion, it is not needful that I should enlarge; each of you, my dear brethren, have been closely examined upon this topic, and you have been enabled to make a good confession before many witnesses; I therefore pass on to remark-.

2. "To be Good ministers of Christ," you must Continue to maintain the life of God in your own souls.

Never let it be forgotten by you that your first, your paramount duty, is to guard the holy treasure of grace which you have received, and constantly to obtain an increase of grace.

Unless your personal enjoyment of the grace of God continue to increase, you will be in danger of losing your spirituality of mind, and then you will engage in the sacred duties of the ministry, from a mere professional sense of duty-then, the ordinances of religion, which you conduct, will not afford nourishment to your own souls, nor will they be likely to be generally productive of benefit to others. A Christian minister whose own soul is not alive to the vast importance of holiness of heart and of life, is not likely to be very useful either in the conversion of sinners or the edification of believers.

As Ministers of Christ you are exposed to powerful temptations. Satan will direct his most potent attacks against you. There is even danger of evil resulting from a minister's almost constant engagement

in conducting the ordinances of religion. There is danger of a minister's mind becoming so familiarized with engaging in conducting the most solemn devotional exercises, as to lead him to engage in them without due consideration; and consequently without that holy thoughtfulness and prayerfulness which are so important to render the services of religion spiritual and profitable. Under such circumstances, he may perform religious service, but it will be only a performance; and if any person should derive spiritual profit, the minister will nevertheless have failed in the right discharge of his duty, and will have brought himself under condemnation as an unfaithful minister. To avoid this, I entreat you to attend to the state of your own hearts-frequently engage in the duty of self-examination-exercise a godly jealousy over your ownselves-try your motives, see that you are not influenced by any improper consideration-guard against the influence of pride-be not vain of your own persons, or of your talents, either natural or acquired ;-cultivate humility-remember God abhorreth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble. Take care that you are not envious of the reputation or success of otherslet every one of you learn in honour to prefer others to himself; and rejoice whenever good is done through the agency of others.

Brethren, in order that you may be "Good ministers of Jesus Christ," you must take Him for your Example-you must be partakers of His Spirit. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant."

Remember that,-You are required to be Men of Prayer. You ought to live in the constant spirit of prayer. By earnest prayer seek a larger measure of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. "In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgivings, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of Christ Jesus our Lord."

It is also important that-You should be Men of Strong Faith. You should not only exercise that faith by which you cast your souls upon Jesus Christ for pardon; you should lay hold of every promise suited to your state and work-you should live a life of faith-you should pray in faith, and preach in faith-this will give you nearness of access to the throne of grace-and this will make your labours effectual. In a word, you must seek to be full of faith and of the Holy Ghost--this will bring you into the possession of the glorious fulness of Gospel salvation. You will not only rejoice in God as your Father, but you will also go on to "perfect holiness in the fear of God," and thus become living epistles, written by the Holy Spirit, known and read of all men. You" are called with a high and holy calling, that as He who hath called you is holy, ye also should be holy in all manner of conversation." You are required to be "blameless and harmless, children of God without rebuke." To be "sanctified throughout spirit, soul, and body," and thus to be conformed to the image of Him whose ministers ye are. Let then Holiness to the Lord be written upon your foreheads, and then God will be glorified in you and by you.

Permit me now before I quit this part of the subject, earnestly to urge upon you, in reference to your Personal piety, and consequent greater usefulness in the church, to avail yourselves of the privilege of attending those valuable means of grace established among us, designated class-meetings. I hesitate not to avow it as my settled conviction, that every minister among us ought, if possible, either to meet a class, or meet in a class. It will be profitable to you to have to express the state of your own experience. You will thereby be stimulated to the duty of self-examination, and be stirred up to give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. Besides which, you will thus be able, with more consistency and effect, to urge others to avail themselves of the same means of grace, and to admonish those members of our churches who are negligent in their attendance thereon.

I now proceed to observe

II. That, "A GOOD MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST "Is one whom Christ has Called to the office and work of the Ministry.

Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, requires that every one of his disciples should be a witness for him, and endeavour to bring others to the acknowledgment of the truth. Nevertheless, from the commencement of the Christian era, he has also qualified and raised up men for the special work of the ministry. "And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Not all christians, but only some of them, are called to be" apostles, or prophets, or evangelists, or pastors and teachers." Those whom Christ calls to the work of the ministry are by Him enriched with suitable endowments, by the proper use of which they become fitted for the work to which they are called.

It is the prerogative of the Head of the Church to Call men to the Work of the Ministry. This he does

1. By bestowing upon them gifts by which they may become qualified for the work. There are many devoted Christians who are not possessed of suitable qualifications for becoming public teachers. Mentally or physically they are not adapted to the work and office of the ministry. Those whom Christ calls to become his ministers to the churches are enriched, not only with piety, but also have mental and physical endowments, which are suited to the duties in which they have to engage. God never calls a man to a work, and yet denies him the means by which he may accomplish it.

2. Jesus Christ calls men to the work of the ministry, by producing a conviction in their minds, that it is His will they should engage in the work. They feel the love of Christ constraining them to seek to save immortal souls; they are made to feel an ardent desire to engage in the work of proclaiming the joyful message of the Gospel; and some are made to feel that woe rests upon them if they preach not the Gospel. Under these feelings they are led to pray to God to make plain their way before them; and they endeavour to obtain an increase of divine knowledge, and such other qualifications as are requisite for the work of the ministry.

3. Jesus Christ opens the way for those whom he calls to the work of