SERMONS, &c. SERMON I. THE GREAT THEME OF PREACHING. 2 COR. iv. 5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. THE duties of the Christian ministry are many and various. They are sufficient to occupy all the time, to engross all the thoughts, to engage all the affections and to employ all the powers of those who are intrusted with its sacred functions. A consideration of all the obligations involved in the pastoral care, would open upon us a field too extensive for our limited time. We shall confine ourselves to a single, though a prominent part of the duties of the sacred office, 2 -that of public preaching, the great instrument, that has ever been used by the Holy Spirit in the conversion of the world. For it hath pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. Next to the great Preacher of righteousness, there are no better and safer models for ministers of the gospel to imitate than the apostles, particularly the apostle Paul. This truly great and holy man, this devoted and laborious servant of Christ, was eminently distinguished as a preacher. For strength of reasoning, for knowledge of the human heart, for commanding eloquence, his discourses are unrivalled. No man had clearer views of divine truth, and no one preached the gospel with greater fidelity or more success. He was instant in season and out of season. He labored more abundantly than any of his colleagues. He did not hesitate to declare the whole counsel of God. He was faithful unto death, and has long since received a crown of life that fadeth not away. Who then can be better qualified to teach ministers how to preach, than he, who was himself such an accomplished, powerful, and successful preacher? In the context the apostle attributes the want of success of the ministry to the influence of |