may be thus injudiciously expended. Numbers may thus be concentrated at a given point, not working to the best advantage, and leaving vacant other places that ought to be supplied, and where the talents here unnecessarily expended, could accomplish far more for the general cause.

One more remark. In asking how to make the most out of the present ministry, we are not hastily to think we can solve the problem, by simply giving the ministry more to do. This, in general, I might say, is an impossibility. Idle ministers, who try to live as easily as possible, there may be; but as a body, the evangelical ministers are hard-working and hard-worked men, with their hands full to overflowing; and it were a much more rational plan to think of increasing their usefulness by diminishing their burdens, than by adding to them. Coming now directly to the discussion of the subject, I might readily divide what I propose to say into two parts, one for the people, and the other for the ministers. But I prefer to unite them, and let each make his own appropriation.

I. My first remark, then is: That one way of making the present number of ministers most available, is to employ them entirely in their specific and appropriate work.

Their proper work is the preaching of the Gospel and the care of souls. I lay no stress on the technical meaning of the word preaching, and do not overlook the fact, that in the work given him to do, the minister may make use of various means and instrumentalities. He may legitimately employ the press and the school in the spread and circulation of christian knowledge. Preaching is not confined to oral utterances from the pulpit, nor the cure of souls to pastoral oversight. Still, to explain and enforce the word of God, to proclaim "the unsearchable riches of Christ" to those who can be brought to hear, must be regarded as the appropriate work of him who has been ordained to the ministry of Christ-a work for which nothing else can be a substitute. Yet, as men and citizens, ministers are connected with human society by many ties of interest and association. Their investiture with the office of the ministry does not disrobe them of their privileges and duties as men and citizens. Though their office be a spiritual one, and their affections should be heavenly, they have a part to bear in the secularities of life, and they are especially expected to be interested in all those secularities which belong to the province of morals: in all those departments of social well-being which are most obviously affected by moral and intellectual influences. Naturally, by the very humanizing and elevating spirit of the religion which they preach, they feel themselves drawn towards efforts for the reformation of manners and morals, the spread of virtue, and of sound learning. And society seems by a sort of instinct to look to them to take a vigorous hold of such things, and to be, if not leaders, yet earnest supporters and favorers of such efforts. These seem to fall naturally within their province; and the people, confiding in their ability, and their interest in them, commit these things largely to their charge. And they on their part, feel themselves impelled by their own feelings of interest in them, and their conviction of the serious bearing of all these things on the work of the world's evangelization, and by the calls of the people, to take in some measure the oversight of them.

But it is a question whether too much is not expected of the ministry in these respects; and whether strength is not expended on some of them,

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which might be employed to better purpose in the more specific work of studying and preaching the gospel. It is a question whether too much of ministerial strength is not expended in schools and academies, and colleges, and seminaries, and benevolent institutions. Is it absolutely necessary that secretaries and agents of our numerous and excellent religious and benevolent institutions, the professors in our colleges, the teachers in our academies, the editors of our religious newspapers and periodicals, should be clergymen? I cannot see the necessity for this. I can see advantages in such an arrangement. But I can also see advantages in having pious and intelligent laymen occupying these posts. Men acquainted with the practical business of life, moving in various currents of society, having advantages for knowing men and things, which the secluded habits and the professional character of the minister prevent his obtaining. There would be the advantage of drawing out into active. service for the cause of religion much power that would otherwise be but imperfectly used. And there would be, I think, the advantage of linking more closely together various departments of social christian life,—of making the members of the church feel more the responsibility and the privileges of membership. It would take away from many of these matters what sometimes seems to be professional, and official; as if falling within the line of ministerial duty, but apart from the duty of private christians who must be busy about their secular affairs. When men see that these offices may be filled with laymen, they will feel that to attend to these things, to work for them, is their work, not simply the work of the ministry.

Facts testify to the practicability and utility of filling many of these positions with laymen. We can all readily point to men in almost all these department, not invested with the ministerial office, laboring in the spirit of Christ with great success. With regard to our theological seminaries we must make some exception to this position. Perhaps the peculiar training and experience of ministerial education and life, are essential qualifications for those who are to educate ministers. But here we may seriously ask whether there is not an unjustifiable waste of ministers as well as of money, by the multiplication of these seminaries on denominational and local grounds? Do we need so many seminaries? Have we a right so to appropriate so many of our best ministers? Grant that ministers in almost all the positions alluded to may do well; that it is very desirable to have them; that in some respects they may do far more than laymen,-still, what if we can employ them to better advantage in their own specific field of labor? Grant that a minister may do far more good in one of these positions, than he could as a pastor. Still, if we can put in the place which he occupies a layman, who would do just as much there as himself, but who otherwise would be doing comparatively little for the cause of Christ, and let him be employed in the specific work of the ministry, has not the ministry and the church been so much the gainer?

I am far from saying that no ministers should be employed in any of the cases under consideration. There are ministers now engaged in some of our religious and benevolent, and educational institutions, who are accomplishing a work of unspeakable importance, and whom we could ill afford to spare to fill any pastoral charge to which they might be called. It is very desirable, perhaps, that in some of the cases alluded to, ministers and laymen should be associated. Still, the exception does not make the rule; and it does not hinder our looking at the subject in its general as34

pects. And if we should grant what is by no means apparent,-that ministers would make better presidents of colleges, professors, teachers, secretaries, agents for the collecting of money, for the publishing and distributing of bibles, tracts, and other religious books, editors of religious periodicals, lecturers on temperance, &c., than laymen,-still it is a question deserving a fair consideration, whether it would not be better on the whole (I do not stop to consider the exceptional cases), to put all these at work in the specific duties of the ministry, and fill their places with pious, able, energetic laymen.

It may be said," But would you put all these affairs beyond the su pervision and control of the ministry?" I answer, No. But this control should be exercised through the legitimate channel of the pulpit, and the pastoral care; by such an influence as a faithful and able ministry will ever exert over intelligent and pious laymen. The pulpit is to strike the key note for all our church action. The ministry will do most there.

Again, it may be said,-" It is impossible to find laymen to do this work willing to encounter the self-denial and sacrifice necessary." To this we may reply that is the very thing that we want. We want such a spirit of devotion throughout our churches, as will lead men readily to consecrate themselves to God's service. I know very well that we need laymen engaged in secular business who may be accumulating wealth for the support of the gospel and its institutions. But the resources of the church will ever be sufficient to meet her wants, provided there be a right heart in her members. Her workmen, whether lay or clerical, ought to receive remuneration for their work. But there is no reason why pious and intelligent laymen, should not make sacrifices, and voluntarily encounter toil, and live on small salaries, for the sake of Christ, as well as ministers. The call to self-denial, to unreserved self-dedication, does not belong to the ministerial office. It lies farther back. It belongs to the christian. When a man takes upon him the vows of the Lord, then he gives himself up to the Lord. The ministry, to which various considerations of duty direct him, is only one way of fulfilling that vow. Church members, who it may be feared, sometimes feel a sort of superiority and self-satisfaction in the payment of the minister's salary, or in contributing to some cause for which he has been pleading, ought to know that they are just as much bound as he is to give up fair prospects of ease, and wealth, and honor, and self-indulgence, when the cause of Christ demands it.

men.

Finally, it may be said," That what is here proposed is virtually making ministers of laymen, and therefore what is gained?" The answer is, Not so! We do propose that pious laymen should be well educated, and induced to do much of the work that is now given to the ministry to do. But it is on the very position, that they are, and will continue to be layThe ministry is a distinct office of divine appointment, with its own allotted and marked work. And it will even stand out as such before the church and the world. There are hundreds of pious educated men, who would shrink from assuming the responsibilities of that office,-who do not feel called of God to do it,-who believe themselves not adapted to be preachers and pastors,-men, who would never by any probability be ministers. They fully realize the importance of the ministerial work, but do not regard it as their work. Now what we plead for is that they will do that share of service which they can appropriately and advantageously do, and leave to ministers their specific work.

II.—But I must pass to another, though kindred topic. The ministry is to be strengthened by the co-operation of the members of the churches.

Under the previous head, we have looked at the subject in its more general relations to the church at large. I speak now of that co-operation which should be found in every congregation. There are many things which church members may do to promote the efficiency of the minister, and which they cannot expect him to do. There is, for instance, the care of the sabbath school, the support of prayer meetings, the conducting of missionary and charitable operations. There is much to be done by them in the very way of visiting each other; of paying attention to strangers, of promoting brotherly love and harmony. The elders and deacons of a church may greatly relieve the pastor in many respects. The members may do much. His mind being free from anxiety, and his time. from unnecessary drafts, he will be able to give himself more fully to study, and prayer and preaching: and so his profiting will appear unto all men. We all know that the highest prosperity of the whole is secured, when each man does faithfully his part. The wall of Jerusalem went up because each man worked faithfully in his place, over against his house, while all were organized and united by a controlling leader, and a common spirit. Aaron and Hur sustained the fainting strength of the great leader of Israel, and so the wavering army was rallied, and at the going down of the sun, they pealed the song of victory. Moses had his work to do. But he could not have done so much but for the aid of the elders, while in his ability to do good their interests were involved. The whole work of evangelizing does not depend on the ministry. There is much to be done which pastors cannot do. There are the exploration of destitute localities, the inducing of persons to come to hear the gospel preached, the oversight of the young; and other things by which any faithful, working congregation can do much to enhance the real efficiency of the minister. Whereas if the whole burden is thrown on him, his strength is taxed beyond endurance, his appropriate work is not done so well, and much is left undone that would contribute to the spread of the gospel.

III. The efficiency of the ministry might be increased by the practical prevalence of sound views on the subject of pastoral duty.

A

The performance of pastoral visitation, especially in large parishes, is a heavy tax on the ministry. Of course it is a tax that must be paid. For it is essential to the healthful sustenance of the pastoral relation. man cannot well be a pastor, acquainted with the wants of his people, and rightly dividing to them the word of life, who has not some personal acquaintance with them. He cannot in his preaching lay his touch upon the right chord of the many-stringed harp in man, or properly "minister to a mind diseased." He may not know when to lead to Sinai's fiery front, and when to Siloa's gentle brook. He may be hurling the arrows of judgment, when he should be applying the balm of Gilead. He may be building up the wall without, when some secret foe is poisoning the souls in their quietude. And then, for want of a word fitly spoken,-for want of a friendly voice speaking to the soul in private,-of the clasp of a loving hand amid the familiarities of home, where all that is merely professional, all that is ceremonial in the church and the pulpit, and the public preacher, is merged in the christian friend and pastor,-for want of this some poor soul may be stifling its convictions, hiding its sorrow, starving in the famine of a strange land, which might be lifted up and comforted, and filled with peace in communion with Christ. Pastoral visiting rightly performed has an important relation to the usefulness of him, to whom the Master gives the charge; "Feed my sheep-feed my lambs." But then, on the one hand the people must not be too exacting in these respects, and draw the minister away from those studies without which his

ministrations cannot be profitable to them. It is more important that he should preach well than that he should visit often. On the other hand, it becomes the minister to guard himself against spending too much time in visiting; but more especially against allowing his visiting to lose altogether the character of religious or pastoral visitation. This is a point difficult of management: and, I presume, very few of us escape bitter regrets at our deficiency in this respect. The early ministers preached the gospel from house to house. But this was probably not formal preaching, but rather religious conversation, social and friendly expositions of the truth, and expressions of sympathy, and kind counsel and exhortation. If with a systematic arrangement we can so preach the gospel from house to house, our ministry will be rendered, with God's blessing, very useful. This is perhaps one of the needs of the ministry at the present day. The people have a vague wish to see the minister often. But it would be very difficult, in many cases to say why they wish to see him. They have a feeling that they are slighted if he does not call on them. And the minister feels that he must call to see his people. Yet how often is it a merely formal call that he makes? having this good, I acknowledge, that it keeps alive a friendly feeling between him and them, a great good in itself, but failing to reach the highest end at which the ambassador of Christ should ever aim.

IV.-It is highly important that we should give due power to the fact that preaching the gospel is the grand function of the christian ministry.

The christian ministry is of divine appointment, and in the work of the conversion of the world is not to be superseded by any other agency. There are diversities of gifts for the edifying of the body of Christ. It has already been admitted that other instrumentalities may rightly be employed for the spread of the gospel. But the oral instructions and exhortations of the preacher hold a place peculiar and above them all. We will not now pause to consider the divine wisdom displayed in this appointment,-in having a distinct body of men to represent and care for the cause of religion,-in committing to men "the ministry of reconciliation,” -in using all the influence that resides in looks, and tone, and gesture, in human sympathy, in the going forth of heart to heart, to subdue men to love, and to reliance on Him, who became man, that with a man's voice, and a man's heart, He might win us back to his Father and ours. But, taking the fact as it is, we must set a high estimate on the function of the ministry, and not allow it to be brought down from the position. which God has given it. We were not called to serve tables, to collect money, and superintend its disbursement, to write books, to edit papers, to teach schools, but we were called to preach the gospel. The pulpit is our place. The pulpit is our throne. There is to be the shining forth of our power. All those other things are good in their place. We may attend to them as Providence directs, and by some of them accomplish great good, honorably to the ministry. But they are not the good thing which has been committed to us by the gift of God, and the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. And it is a fair question whether many of our ecclesiastical and evangelical operations have not had a tendency to lower our estimate of the character of the ministry, to obscure this its great office, by mingling it too much with secular matters, by making ministers beggars of money, managers of funds and business houses, and by sometimes attributing to tract distributers, family visitors, colporteurs, excellent and most praiseworthy laborers, a position above even the divine institution. Again, I say, the ministry has a function of its own, for which nothing else can be a substitute. And that function is preaching THE GOSPEL,