of far richer men are attached to no greater sum. If you judge by these signs, you may conclude the minister to be rich, when it is not his property, but his liberality which is thus proved.

But a second reply demands notice. If it should be true, and a minister should be rich, what can that have to do with the payment of your just debts? If you enter the shop of a tradesman, you never inquire after his private property, before you pay your bills. When a medical man has given you his time and talents, you would not think of refusing to reward him, because he was a man of fortune.

And by what rule of righteousness is a minister to be the only person whose services are to be unpaid, because he happens to be rich? When Christ says, the spiritual "labourer is worthy of his reward," he does not add, except he should be rich ;" and why should you add this exception! But you say, "he does not need to receive it." To which I reply, but you need to give it. Do your duty, and let him judge concerning his. But you think, that if Providence has blessed him with abundance, he ought to give away as much as his salary would produce. Well, let him give it away. Do not assume to yourself the right to give it for him. And if you do not pay it to him, do you really give it away to the poor, or to the heathen? Äre there not instances in which it is retained for yourselves? What, then, are you the poor persons whom he is to relieve, because he is rich? The very persons who, perhaps, are, after all, richer than himself.

But, supposing him to be able to labour, without receiving his full recompense, to whom should he give that advantage. To a rich and covetous people? Not, if he values his accountability to Him who entrusted him with property; who has said, "he that robbeth the poor, and he that giveth to the rich," are alike guilty in his sight. No: if I spend my life and labours for nothing, it must be to benefit u people who cannot repay them; not for those who will not. And he is not worthy of the name and office of a Christian minister, who would not esteem it a high privilege to be able thus to preach to a flock, who could not otherwise enjoy the Gospel of Christ. Yet even there, he would be their best friend, who would see that they

20

THE GOSPEL MINISTRY ENTITLED TO SUPPORT. [308 did all they could to repay their minister, though he should give it back among them a hundred fold.

I cannot close without recurring to the solicitude with which I commenced. Some may harden themselves in their sins, by pretending to think that this has been a mercenary discourse. But I would most tenderly warn you, my friends, that you will find at the last day, that many a pious youth has sacrificed the prospect of a fortune, and many a minister endured severe poverty, to devote their lives to win you from that love of the world, to which you are sacrificing your soul. But how precious must be your soul, and how desirable your salvation, for the sake of which others will endure that poverty which you would rather lose your soul than bear!

Nor can I conclude without reminding my brethren in the ministry, that though I have endeavoured to prove our claims on the liberality of our flocks, no pen of man, or tongue of angel, can declare all that intensity of mind, or fidelity of labour, which we owe to the souls committed to our care. Let not any mercenary attention to your temporal dues, shed a blighting mildew over the pasture to which you lead your flock. You can scarcely ever say or do much about your own income, without injuring yourselves and your charge. Consecrate yourselves to serve Christ's interest, and trust him to take care of yours.

For the liberal friends, whose hearts have echoed, as I know some do, to all that I have said on the ministers' behalf, I return to Heaven our grateful vows, that the generous sacrifices you have made for our support may be abundantly repaid.-"But this I say, he who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and be who soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

END.

AND SOLD AT THEIR DEPOSITORY, NO. 144 NASSAU-STREET, NEAR THE CITY-HALL, NEW-YORK; AND BY AGENTS OF THE

SOCIETY, ITS BRANCHES, AND AUXILIARIES, IN

THE PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS

THE

BARREN FIG-TREE.

ONE morning, about the close of December, a farmer went into his orchard to cut down an apple-tree, which for several years past had yielded no fruit. Whilst employed in the work, the minister, walking near, was induced to stop; and after the usual salutations, inquired why he destroyed the tree, as it did not appear a very old one? Farmer. It is like a good many people, Sir; it looks better than it is. I have these ten years been looking for fruit from it, and not one apple has it ever borne: all my other trees of the same planting, generally do well; and this in the spring blossoms, but never bears. I have been tempted several times to cut it down and plant another in the place, but have every time thought, I will try it another season: so it has stood till now, and is just as barren as ever. I determined, therefore, to wait no longer, but to cut

it down and burn it.

Minister. Your judgment, sentence, and destruction of this fruitless tree remind me of our Lord's parable of the Barren Fig-Tree. He tells us, 66 A certain man had a figtree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years, I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none; cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Like your tree, it was not planted in a barren and neglected waste, where it might be injured both by man and beast, or storm and tempest; but it stood in a vineyard, in a spot surrounded by a fence, in the midst of an inclosure; and so situated as to be cultivated by the overseer of the vineyard, pruned when needful, whilst it possessed all the advantages of summer and winter, rain and sunshine. That parable, however, was designed to remind us of what God has done for us; of what he requires of us; and how we disobey him. It shows us his patience; he waits for us year after year-but at last, if we continue his enemies, the sentence will be pronounced, Cut them down, why cumber

they the ground. Have you ever thought, my friend, of what God requires of you? he has planted you in his vineyard, and he looks for fruit; he has created you, and he preserves you, giving you life, and health, and all things; and he has given you a law to keep, and the fruit he requires is obedience to that law; and do you think you have yielded him any?

Farmer. Why, Sir, I have a large family to provide for; and I find, if people do not work they cannot get along: one must attend to his business. I thank God, I give every man his due; what I get comes by hard earning; I am not one of them who would wish to get any thing by cheating my neighbours. As for being very religious, which is what you mean, I suppose, I cannot say that I am; at night I am glad to get to rest, and on Sunday I think sometimes I would like to go to church; but we farmers have so much to look after, that we cannot get out.

Minister. Perhaps you mean you will not get out; for where there is a will there will generally be a way. If you were to set your heart upon going to church and reading the Bible with prayer, you would find time to do it. I know the farmer has a laborious life; and if he be one, like you, honest and industrious, he will always find enough to do; but he cannot be excused from serving God. From your own confession, then, it appears you are as barren, in a Scriptural sense, as this tree; and in your conduct towards it, you have been passing sentence against yourself. Now, my friend, allow me to point out the resemblance between your case and that of the barren fig-tree in the parable of our Lord, which I mentioned: you live in a highly favoured land, emphatically the land of freedom; we may all say the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage; God has hitherto been as a wall of fire round about us, and the glory in the midst of us; we live in a land of Bibles; the light of Christ shines around us; we have God's word, which we may procure at a small expense, and read in our own language; that blessed word, too, is made the wisdom of God, and the power of God unto salvation, to many among us; and we see it. We have our Sabbaths in regular order, when we may attend the house of God, receive his blessing, enjoy his favour, obtain the forgiveness of our sins, and a