visable to remove them from their several stations, even to employ them as missionaries. In various ways, especially by adorning the gospel, and promoting the purity and peace of the church, and by constant prayers, vast multitudes may concur, who have neither that vigour of constitution, nor that ardour and strength of mind, nor those rare and peculiar endowments, which are requisite to constitute such a missionary, as may hope for per manent success. But should any one be led to think that he ought to engage in this service; or should the eyes of his pastor, or pious friends, be turned on him as a suitable person; it would be his duty earnestly to pray that God would enable him to divest himself of all prejudice, arising from worldly hopes and fears; to examine impartially his own motives and spirit; to consult competent judges; to deliberate on their advice, as in the sight of God; to view the subject steadily and on every side; and thus to determine how he ought to act, and then to follow his conviction, leaving all consequences in the hands of the Lord. In short, if a man attempts what, all things considered, he deems incumbent on him; and endeavours by proper means to learn more fully "what the will of the Lord is;" he is not in this respect chargeable with guilt: but, if his conscience testifies, that sloth, self-indulgence, and a disregard to the glory of God and the salvation of his fellow creatures, compared with worldly objects, induce him to neglect what he might do, and what he ought to do, he is doubtless criminal: and it may seriously be apprehended that all Christians, dur ing many ages, have been chargeable with great neglect in this particular: and it especially forms no inconsiderable part of our national guilt; in that professing the Christian religion, we have carried our merchandize and our vices into all the regions of the earth, and have almost entirely failed of improving our peculiar advantages, for communicating to those who are strangers to them the blessings of our holy religion. A remnant, I trust, has sighed and mourned on this account, as well as over the other prevailing iniquities of our land: yet a selfish torpor, a Laodicean lukewarmness, seems to have seized upon the hearts of most of us; from which I pray God that we may at length be finally and effectually delivered, so that our love" and zeal " may abound more and more " in knowledge and in all judgment!" 66 III. I proceed to suggest some hints concerning the performance of our duties in respect of the conversion of the heathen. But indeed, if the Gentiles are living" without "Christ, without hope, and without God in the "world;" it might be supposed that they who by providence and grace have been made to differ, whom God hath "reconciled to himself by Jesus "Christ," and who now rejoice in the hope of eternal glory, would be all alive to the feelings of compassion towards their poor fellow-sinners, as well as filled with grateful zeal for the honour of their beloved Lord and Saviour; and that, having experienced the blessings of his gospel themselves, they would be eager to communicate them to those who are perishing in pagan darkness. Thus the primitive Christians and ministers evidently felt and acted. Hence all their zealous labours, and constant self-denial, and patient sufferings. They did not coldly say, What is my bounden duty? But, What can I do? "Here I am, Lord, send me." The apostles and evangelists were ready to go any whither, and to venture and suffer any thing, provided they might have the invaluable favour granted them, of " preaching among the Gentiles "the unsearchable riches of Christ." They were often so zealous in the cause, that it was needful for their brethren to moderate their ardour; and numbers, with St. Paul might have said, "None of "these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course "with joy, and the ministry which I have received "of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." And indeed the Christians in general, who were not called to this special service, seem to have been animated by the same holy fervency, in aiding the exertions of their brethren to the utmost of their ability. When we think of nearly a thousand millions of our species at once inhabiting this globe; all sinners, all having immortal souls, all to stand before God in judgment, all soon to die, yet to live for ever in another world, either in happiness or misery; and few (alas, how very few in comparison !) having any ground to hope for happiness in that eternal state when we reflect that another thousand millions will in a few years have succeeded the present generation: all born in sin, and the children of wrath and disobedience, to be soon swept away into eternity, and that this is the case from age to age and when we remember that "God 66 "has so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him "should not perish but have everlasting life;" that in infinite mercy he has sent us the gospel, and led us to embrace it; that we possess a good hope through grace; and that the same gospel is suitable, free, and sufficient for all throughout the world, if all heard and believed it: surely the mind that was in Christ, love to him and his cause, a desire to imitate his example, and genuine philanthropy, will combine to excite us to use all our influence, in every way which may tend, either directly or more remotely, to promote the great ends of Emmanuel's incarnation, and death upon the cross! Our life is short; a large proportion of it is already spent; we have lived too much and too long to ourselves; and "there is no work, nor "device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, "whither we are going." Let us then not merely inquire what we are bound to do, but what we can do; and how any of our labours, efforts, or contributions, according to our several talents, may produce some effect in spreading our holy religion; and how we, feeble and insignificant individuals, by combining our influence, and exciting others to join us, may extend its blessings to the remotest nations, and to those who shall exist in future ages. Surely this is the grand end for which we ought to value life, after we "have known the grace of God in truth;" and all that respects our temporal interests, should be entirely subordinated to the desire of glorifying God, and doing good to mankind, above all in their eternal concerns! If we would conduct undertakings of this kind in that manner which may eventually be most useful, we should endeavour to acquire enlarged views of the subject. A soul in China, or Africa, is of as much value as one in our own families or congregations, and its salvation is as important: and, in like manner, a soul that shall exist in the next century, or ages after we are dead, will be of as much value as the soul of any man now living. We should therefore make up our minds to lay ourselves out with persevering diligence, amidst delays and discouragements, as well as in the face of dangers and difficulties. We may never see or hear of the fruit of our exertions; but it may perhaps hereafter be said concerning them, to those who shall succeed us, "Other men laboured, and 66 ye are entered into their labours." The sacred writers were as really instruments in our salvation, seventeen hundred years at least after their death, as" the ministers by whom we believed;" and so were they who first brought the inestimable treasure of the holy scriptures into our island; and they too who translated them into our language. The persons, who form good roads through regions before impassable, as much assist future travellers as they who supply them with convenient vehicles. And endeavours to acquire an acquaintance with the languages of the heathen nations; to translate the whole or any part of the scriptures into those languages; to circulate them in the proper places; to teach the natives to read them; and in any way to furnish means of faith and grace where there are none; are preparing the road for missionaries; and may eventually as much sub |