ceed to a brief consideration of the apostle's estimate of the privilege of preaching these "unsearchable riches."

To me, he says, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. THIS GRACE-THIS GRACE—as if the inspired apostle felt that amidst the many blessings freely bestowed upon him by the Lord, this was a very peculiar privilege, one which he should specially prize and dwell upon with adoring gratitude. To this estimate he might well be led,

1st. FROM A DEEP SENSE OF HIS OWN UNWORTH1NESS. In what striking language does he express this: "Less than the least of all saints." Forming, as I mentioned, a new word-departing from the general rules of grammar, no ordinary forms sufficing to express his meaning. This sense of his personal unworthiness he had derived from reflecting upon his past conduct on that period of his life when he had been "a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious;" and these reflections deepened by an accurate acquaintance with the spirituality of the divine law, and by an earnest desire to follow the footsteps of his Lord and Saviour.

For as one who is in a well-lighted chamber sees objects with far greater clearness than he does who is in a dark apartment; or as one

who is eagerly pressing forward in a race, with a desire to win the prize, views his distance from the mark far differently from a mere spectator; thus the Christian, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, sees with a keen eye his numerous deviations from the perfect standard of that law which is "holy, just, and good;" and becomes increasingly sensible of his distance from Him who "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;" but was "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners"-" the holy child, Jesus."

Such reflections might have led the apostle to those deep feelings of his own unworthiness; and this humility would cause him to admire the grace which had bestowed on him so dignified an office. For true humility leads the possessor highly to esteem the smallest gifts of the divine bounty.

Why is it, my dear friends, that we who have broken God's commandments, and rebelled against his authority ?-Why is it that we are now sitting in health and peace in this house of prayer, when so many are enduring sorrow and suffering? Is it not to be ascribed to the divine favour alone? And shall we not, as we are sensible of our own unworthiness, be led to a thankful remembrance of these ordinary gifts of his providence? How much more then would the apostle admire the grace of preaching "the unsearchable riches of Christ."

C

For as David, when Saul's daughter was offered to him in marriage, said to his servants, "Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?"* Well might the apostle express in such strong language, his grateful sense of the grace given to him, when he was chosen to be the servant of" the King of kings, and Lord of lords."

Of this high privilege you, my beloved brethren, will be reminded in the ordination service; you are directed to have in remembrance "into how high a dignity, and to how weighty an office and charge ye are called—that is to say, to be messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord; to teach and to premonish, to feed and provide for the Lord's family; to seek for Christ's sheep that are dispersed abroad, and for his children who are in the midst of this naughty world, that they may be saved through Christ for ever."

Another reason for the apostle's high estimate of this grace would be, THE BLESSED PRIVILEGES

CONNECTED WITH THIS OFFICE.

Whilst persons consider the preaching of the Gospel, as they would estimate the delivery of a philosophical essay; or whilst they view it as a test of the different talents of men, and compare

* 1 Samuel xviii. 23.

one minister with another, principally in this manner, it is not surprising that they have but low sentiments of the office. The apostle knew that this gift was entrusted to him for a far, far higher purpose; that it was an ordinance of God for the salvation of the soul.

For as he declares in his epistle to the Corinthians, "After that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."*

This made him highly prize this gift of God,

that thus he was made instrumental to confer the highest conceivable benefits upon his fellow sinners and upon those who most needed them, the Gentile world. By declaring to men their lost state as sinners, and the remedy provided for them in "the unsearchable riches of Christ," he was plucking" brands from the burning," to place them as jewels in Emanuel's crown. His love to his fellow men would therefore aid in his estimate of his privilege of preaching" the unsearchable riches of Christ." For as it is a source of great pleasure to the Lord's faithful ministers, as I have no doubt some of you, my dear brethren, know by experience, when anything like a change is visible in any of their people who have been living according to the course of this world; still more * 1 Corinthians i. 21.

so when the Lord blesses the preaching of the Gospel to them, brings them to a sense of their sin, and to such a dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, as to bear marks of their being new creatures—this, this is the pastor's joy. It is not the mere delivery of a discourse, or having any of their hearers as they leave the Church, say, what a splendid sermon we have heard-this is not their object, but that when called to visit the sick, they may hear such words as these uttered by dying man, as I have known to be spoken: "Sir, "it has been a blessing to me that I ever saw

your face, or heard your voice. You have been "God's instrument to teach me the way of salva"tion; and now I die in hope, through the merits "of my Saviour, of a joyful resurrection." If such should be my privilege this day-if any of you who are present at this interesting service, should be able to salute me with such words, or if in that day when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, you should be amongst my crowns of rejoicing, what language can set forth the privilege of having this morning this grace given to me, to preach unto you the unsearchable riches of Christ?

I might mention another reason for the apostle's high estimate of this grace given to him, that it afforded the privilege of doing that which is the joy and great delight of all who love his