You are
You are

this work, not to fill the pews of the building, or the pockets of the Church officers. You are God's servant, and His work is to be your work. God's labourer in His vineyard, and its cultivation is your work. God's husbandman, you must plough the fallow ground, and sow in it the seed of the Word. You are God's master-builder; and you are to lay a sound and solid foundation in doctrine and faith, as a wise master-builder, and according to the wisdom and grace God hath given you.

3. You are God's STEWARD, and accountable to Him, to whom alone you will have to give an account of your stewardship. "Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel," &c. (Ezek. xxxiii. 7-9). "Study," then, "to shew thyself approved unto God." Discharge the duties of thy office in such a way as to meet His approval. Be less concerned about what man says, than what God thinks. There is the greater necessity to take heed to this counsel, that you will have many and strong temptations to please man rather than God, to curry popular favour than seek the approval of God. It is in human nature to stand well with one's fellows; the temptation, therefore, is the more carefully to be guarded against that it is so easy and so gratifying. "Study," therefore, "to shew thyself approved unto God." Make it thy business, thy care, thine aim, thy one great object and purpose, inasmuch as thou art God's servant and steward, and sent to do His work. Now look

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II. IN WHAT THAT APPROVAL CONSISTS, IN BEING A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETH NOT TO BE ASHAMED." This is so obvious as scarely to require a remark. No workman would be approved that performed his work improperly, or of which the master on overlooking it would be ashamed. God's workman is to do His work in such a way that neither God, nor His Church, nor even the world, shall be ashamed of it. Observe, the Christian ministry is a work, and the minister a workman. It is no sinecure, no mere profession just to make a man to pass through life genteelly. It is a work, and the minister a workman. It is the most difficult and arduous of all work, and the faithful minister the most laborious of all workmen. Now a workman that needeth not to be ashamed obviously is one :

1. Who does his work well-work which will bear inspection; which, when the master's eye has run over it, pronounces it well done. A man that does his work negligently or imperfectly, is a workman that bringeth shame upon himself and on those who employed him. But a man that turns out his work in a workmanlike manner cares not whose eye scrutinizes it; he is not ashamed of it, for it has been done well. And a minister who would be approved unto God must do his work well. The Master's eye will one day run over it, and then he will hear the commendation, "Well done, good and faithful," &c., or the withering rebuke, "O slothful servant, look at the vineyard that has not been cultivated, the hedge that is broken down, the vines that are running wild, the weeds that that have overrun the ground. I made thee keeper of the vineyard, but thou hast not kept it, or kept it slothfully." The apostles were wondrous workmen. They did their work well; they were workmen that were not ashamed. (1 Thess. ii. 4.) 2. That does his work diligently-not by fits and starts. "Seest thou a man diligent in business, he shall stand before kings"- a man always in the work, a man always at work-always, as Charles of Bala said, "with some

thing on the anvil." God approves of diligent workers. And it is as true in the ministry as in any other calling, "that the hand of the diligent shall be made rich!" Be always in your work, dear brother, if you would be a workman that needeth not be ashamed. You have a great work to do in your study, as well as in the congregation. Be diligent in every department, which you will find positively necessary to secure the approval of God.

3. A workman... is one also that doeth his work faithfully. Faithfulness is a characteristic of all work that would stand the test of oversight. Faithfulness is a leading characteristic of the Christian ministry. "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful;" the trust committed to him, the confidence reposed in him require this-you expect it. If in earthly positions of trust men expect this, how much more in concerns which have relation to God and eternity, to happiness or misery. It is required that a workman be faithful to God, faithful to men, faithful to truth, faithful to the Church, faithful to the world. But it is often a very difficult thing, you will find, to be always faithful, especially in circumstances when it is at the expense of favour, or friendship, or popularity. Micaiah paid for his faithfulness by a prison, and John Baptist with his head. But faithfulness is essential to the Divine approval. "Be thou faithful unto death," &c. "Well done, good and faithful servant"- not successful servant, but faithful! The servant with the one talent was not condemned because of his one talent, but that he had not been faithful in its use. He that is faithful in the least is also faithful in much. Faithfulness does not depend on great abilities or great opportunities, but in cultivating those we have faithfully. And a workman that needeth not to be ashamed is one like Daniel, who, on being overhauled, was found faithful both towards God and man. Observe, lastly :—

III. IN WHAT THIS WORK CONSISTS; and here we come to the very core of the passage. The work consists in rightly dividing the word of truth. Now we observe :

1. Your great work, and that of every minister of Christ, is to dispense the truth to men. You will have other work, arising out of this, but this I take it is a minister's great work. The apostles left the serving of tables to others, and "they gave themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Truth is God's great instrument in men's salvation. Truth is as essential to the soul as light is to the body, or air to the lungs. You cannot exist without light, or breathe without air; nor can man be saved without the truth. God is its source, Christ its sun, and the Holy Spirit its teacher; the Gospel its messenger, and God's servants its dispensers. It is truth he dispenses, not mere morality-truth, not vain philosophy-truth, not science falsely so called, and so worshipped in the present present day-truth, not intellectualism nor rationalism ritualism-truth, not falsehood-God's truth, not the devil's lie! Christ, not Strauss, or Rénan, or the Pope! What you have to dispense to men is the truth; and God give you grace in these days of incipient infidelity and superstition to preach the truth, live the truth, "and present the truth to every man's conscience as in the sight of God." I need not guard you, and yet I do, against the false, latitudinarian principle that is abroad, "that all religions are alike, and all equally good," "and, so men are sincere in their opinions," they should not be judged. Sincerity is no gua

or

rantee for truth. Besides, there is a broad distinction drawn between truth and error in God's Word; and it is truth, as opposed to all error, that you are to preach to men; and a grave responsibility rests on you and on all of us in this day that we are found faithful to God and to truth. You do not ask, of course, what is truth? But I would answer, "Thy word is truth." Preach Christ, then, who is the truth. Grasp the cross of Christ as St. Paul did, and say, "God forbid that I should glory," &c.

2. Observe How truth is to be presented-"rightly dividing the word of truth."

1. You are to divide it. Truth, indeed, is one, but it is divisible. It is neither all doctrine, nor all precept; neither all law, nor all Gospel; neither all duty, nor all privilege; neither all one thing, nor the other; but a combination of each. You must therefore divide it. You must not present the one to the exclusion of the other. Truth is not a part, but a whole; and you must give the whole, as St. Paul did—" the whole counsel of God." You are not to make your ministry all head and no body, or vice versâ; you are to study proportions, giving to every man severally as he needs. You are not to regard your hearers as all saints or all sinners; you must divide the truth according to your ability and the necessities of the case. You will have babes to feed, as well as young men and fathers; and you will divide the truth suited to each-milk to babes, meat to the strong, but truth to all, only truth divided.

(2.) But truth must be RIGHTLY divided. There is a right and a wrong way of doing almost everything, and so there is of dividing truth. Some make an unnatural division of the truth, and some an unwise one, and others an unscriptural division of it. The way to learn how to divide it is to study the truth itself, and to observe how the apostles did it. The Greek word (Oporoμés) means to cut straight, as you would divide a thing in the half, and in a straight line; and so, in your divisions of truth, you are to cut a straight line. You must draw a straight line between law and Gospel-between justification and sanctification-between grace and works-between moral responsibility and human inability-between the promises and precepts of the Gospel-between duty and privilege. Let there be a broad, firm, but scriptural foundation laid, on which the sinner's hope may rest securely, and in which the believer may rejoice constantly. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Let there be no "yea and nay" about that. Never preach the Gospel as if it were law, or the law as if it were Gospel, or jumble both together, as if a man's salvation were composed of a linsey-woolsey garment, part Gospel and part law, part grace and part works, part Christ and part man's doings. Cut straight between them. The Gospel is glad tidings; the law is condemnation and death to the guilty. Rightly divide between justification and sanctification. Let not your doctrine of justification spring out of sanctification. Keep clear of that rock. Let grace and works have their proper place assigned them in your ministry. Lay the foundation of a sinner's salvation in the grace of God and faith in Jesus; and works as the fruit and expression of bis gratitude and love. You are not only to divide the truth, but rightly to divide it. "Study," then, "to show thyself approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (3.) And, lastly, keep the work of the Spirit in this dispensing of the

truth in the foreground of your ministry. Expect all from His grace and influence, and depend only on Him for success and prosperity. "Not by might," &c. And now, to enable you to "rightly divide the word of truth," to avoid sameness in your ministry, and to give breadth and variety to your subjects, allow me to recommend to you, as one of the many advantages of a liturgical service, which you use, I believe, to take your subjects from the services of the day-the Lessons, Psalms, Epistles, or Gospels; this will give freshness to your ministry, impartiality to your teaching, and a wonderful scope to your subjects. And now, dear brother, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to make you an able and good minister of Jesus Christ."

We must not omit the very pleasant and profitable evening spent at the house of the Treasurer, where the conversation turned upon the revision of the Prayer Book, which had occupied the former part of the day.

Several influential adhesions were announced to the Free Church of England, and it was evident from many communications, that the country is now ready to welcome the movement. It was, therefore, resolved to raise forthwith a Free Church of England Fund, of at least 5,000l., for opening Free Churches, and for the preaching of the everlasting Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We append the Report of the Executive Committee:

Subjects of considerable interest have been brought before the Committee during the past year, to which they have endeavoured to give their best attention. Important openings are constantly being presented for preaching the Gospel, and, so far as their means have allowed, advantage has been taken of them. Several important meetings have been held in Birmingham with a view of forming a new congregation in that populous town, and there is every prospect of this effort being successful. A missionroom has been opened in that town during the past year, and the friends are hoping that this is only an introduction to the erection of a church. Congregations have been formed adopting our order of wor ship in several other places, most of which have expressed a wish to become identified with this branch of the Church of Christ. Arrangements have also been made for services at Llandudno, for the accommodation of visitors frequenting that part of Wales during the summer months. Grants of money have been made to several congregations during the year, thus keeping up one important feature of our Missionary Society, its being for home as well as abroad.

Since the last conference the Executive Committee have engaged the temporary services of the Rev. Frederick Newman, of Congleton, as Travelling Secretary, the son of one of our oldest ministers. He appeared peculiarly eligible for this service, and has already visited, with much acceptance and some success, the following places: Liverpool, Manchester and the neighbourhood, Birmingham, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, and Gloucester

shire.

His object has been to revive auxiliaries where they have been languish

ing, and to establish them where they have not hitherto been formed. Your Committee hope much from this arrangement.

The Magazine has appeared in a new form and with an additional name. It was thought by your Committee that the addition of the Free Church of England Magazine to that of the Harbinger of the late Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion would more fully express the present aggressive movement of the body, while the retention of the previous designation would show to its subscribers that it had undergone no change, either in its substance orits object.

The Commitee have felt much pleasure in being able to meet the several applications made towards assisting ministers in educating their children. In this respect the Educational Society has proved of great service, and deserves the liberal support both of our ministers and their congregations.

The sale of the Hymn-book continues to increase, and, for the accommodation of several fresh congregations, it has also been published specially as the "Hymn-book of the Free Church of England."

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The aspect of the times, especially in reference to the spread of Ritualism in this country, seems to call very loudly for help in endeavouring to suppress this wide-spreading heresy. The order of worship adopted by this body seems especially suited to the times which are passing over us. With Romanism on the one hand and Ritualism on the other, there is evidently rising up in our midst a strong and powerful foe to Protestantism. Both these systems are opposed to the Bible. With them it is the form, ours must be the power; their reliance is an arm of flesh, ours must be the living God. But for this conflict we need earnest-minded men-men of faith, men prayer, men of God. These, and such as these only, we desire to send forth, especially in those districts which are afflicted with this spiritual leprosy. Funds are needed for this enterprise, and the Committee earnestly appeal to the churches for help, and your Committee would direct special attention to the formation of the Guarantee and Sustentation Fund in connexion with the Free Church of England. The rapid rise of Romish principles and practices, and the consequent defection from Protestant truth, have become patent to all men. It has therefore become a matter of very grave inquiry to the Committee, in view of "the great door and effectual that is opening to them from various parts of the country, how they can best fulfil their mission as the representatives of a Christian body at this critical and important crisis.

It ill becomes the representatives and successors of the Countess of Huntingdon to be restrained in their efforts or crippled in their resources. At this moment there is not only a special need for the Free Church of England, but a loud and wide-spread call for it. Let us arise and come to the help of the Lord, the help of the Lord against the mighty.

IN MEMORIAM.

BATH.-Died, June 12, 1867, W. H. PIERPOINT, Esq., aged eightyeight years. He was for thirty years a Manager of the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, on the Vineyards. To a very superior mind, in him, was united great amiability of disposition. He was converted at the early age of seventeen, and maintained, by the grace of God, a course of consistent piety during the protracted period of seventy-one years. He peacefully departed this life in the faith and hope of the Gospel. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." He was for many years a Town Councillor and Alderman of the city of Bath, and was held in the highest esteem by the whole city.