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of his relatives, his people and his fellow laborers here, for the sake of some great public good. The man who has here acted so conspicuous a part in the missionary cause, and who has secured the strongest attachment of the Christian community, is removed from his family and friends, and is carried away to a spot in the wilderness a spot on which have centered so many charities, and labors, and prayers. He is carried to the place where our beloved Kingsbury, with so much ability and success, began to collect and teach the Indian children. Though a sick and dying man, he has this desire of his heart to see the consecrated place to see the missionary family to see and embrace the children of the forest, now the children of a Christian school, and in words faint and few, to give his last counsel, his dying benediction. There he is, in the most tender and interesting moments of his life. There he commits his soul to his God and Saviour. There his body lies in the dust. And now, brethren, the happy consequence will be, that all the esteem and love, which Christians in America have for his character, all their gratitude for his services, all their sympathy for his sufferings, and all their grief at his death, will be associated with that missionary establishment, and with the missionary cause. The recollection that a man so great, and wise, and good, went to die on missionary ground, must excite a new interest in the public mind. The place where Dr. Worcester died, and where he sleeps in the grave, will be a consecrated place. And who can ever go to that place, without emotions of mingled veneration and love and tenderness, at the remembrance of the devoted minister who came there to die. In the minds of Christians, that place will be closely united with the cause which is there to be promoted. And so that precious cause will hereafter stand out to public view, as having the nearest connection with all that was great and useful in the life, and all that was solemn and peaceful in the death of this beloved servant of Christ.

And now, brethren, shall we faint under this heavy stroke? Shall the friends of missions be disheartened, and say, what can we do?" Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the

264 SERMON ON THE DEATH OF DR. WORCESTER.

everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength."- Every instance in which he raises up a great and useful man to bless his church, is a new evidence of his goodness, and of his unalterable purpose to carry forward the work of love, till all flesh shall be saved. God will multiply these evidences of his goodness. Our beloved brother said in the last hours of his life, "Though I am taken away from this delightful labor, the Lord lives, and will raise up other instruments to carry on his work." In that day of glory to the church which is drawing near, God will raise up men, who will far outshine all who have gone before them. O could you but see in clear prospect, what will quickly be seen as a present reality, how would your hearts leap for joy. Friends of Zion,— friends of the missionary cause, lift your heads, for Jesus lives. Jesus, infinitely greater than all human agents-Jesus the Saviour of the world, lives and reigns forever. AMEN.

A SERMON

ON THE DEATH OF MOSES BROWN, ONE OF THE ASSOCIATE FOUNDERS OF THE THE OLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDOVER; DELIVERED IN NEWBURYPORT, FEB. 18, 1827.

1 Tim. 6: 17-19.- CHARGE THEM THAT ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD, THAT THEY BE NOT HIGH-MINDED, NOR TRUST IN UNCERTAIN RICHES, BUT IN THE LIVING GOD, WHO GIVETH US ALL THINGS RICHLY TO ENJOY; THAT THEY DO GOOD; THAT THEY BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS, READY TO DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO COMMUNICATE; LAYING UP IN STORE FOR THEмSELVES A GOOD FOUNDATION AGAINST THE TIME TO COME, THAT THEY MAY LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE.

THE duty of those who are rich, needs to be inculcated at the present day, as much as it did in the first age of Christianity. For, although we have seen many animating proofs of increasing benevolence in the Christian community; still the public benevo lence falls far below what the exigencies of the world and the spirit of our religion demand. This deficiency greatly impedes the progress of divine truth, and retards the approach of that day, when the world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. The various consequences which flow from the want of a more general and active benevolence, we have had many reasons to deplore.

The example of that friend of man, who has lately closed his eyes in death, will furnish a happy illustration of the principle which I shall aim to establish, and render more impressive the arguments by which I shall enforce it.

My position is, that those who are rich are under sacred obligations to devote a portion of their substance to benevolent purposes. I here speak of benevolence in its highest sense-benevolence directed to objects peculiarly Christian. The cause which I plead, is the cause of religious charity; charity exercised to promote the spiritual and eternal interests of men.

The first argument I urge is, that property is the gift of God. So it is represented in the text, "Charge them that are richthat they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy." How often has it been demonstrated, that no economy or foresight, no degree of skilfulness in our plans, or diligence in our efforts, can secure to us the possession of riches, or even of competence, without the blessing of God. Calamities, which no human care can prevent, frequently occur, and reduce men from wealth to poverty, or from a state of competence to embarrassment and suffering. If then you have been successful in your exertions to acquire and preserve property, you owe it to that Almighty Being, who controls the winds, and the seasons, and all the affairs of men. all his gift. And no obligation can be obligation to use a gift according to the will of the giver. To neglect this would betray an ungrateful heart. And if the gift was bestowed upon us with the express design that we should devote it to a particular object; we could not use it in any other way without palpable unfaithfulness. These remarks introduce my

Be it more or less, it is more evident, than our

Second argument; namely; that God has made it known to be his will, that we should use the property which he entrusts to our care, for benevolent purposes. He indeed permits and requires us to provide for ourselves and our households. But the precepts of his word constantly urge us beyond this, and present it, as a prominent duty of all men, especially of the rich, to give of their substance for charitable uses. "To do good and communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Again. "Let us do good unto all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith." God would have your benevolence expansive and uni

versal; but he would have its holy ardor exercised specially in advancing the interests of his kingdom. Our Lord directs us, to make to ourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that is, to make such a benevolent, pious use of riches, as to secure the friendship of God and his people. Besides this, he requires us, by general precepts, to devote ourselves and all that we possess, to him, and to do all things to his glory. Whenever he affords us an opportunity to do good, we are gladly to embrace it; considering that doing good is our great work. When he opens the way to send the Holy Scriptures or ministers of the gospel to those who are perishing in ignorance and wickedness; it is obviously his will, that we should devote to these objects a portion of the substance which he has given us. This is required by those comprehensive precepts: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;" and "Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you, do ye also the same unto them." For imagine, brethren, that you yourselves were in the wretched condition of the heathen world, without the light of the gospel, and enslaved to the basest idolatry; and let your consciences and your hearts say, whether it would not be an act of benevolence highly commendable in Christians, to send you the news of salvation, and to afford you the means of being delivered from the deepest ignorance and wretchedness. And if so, how can you neglect to perform the same act of benevolence towards those, who are in that very state of ignorance and wretchedness, and who have no prospect of deliverance, except through the influence of your pious charity? I here urge the duty on the ground of that divine precept, which requires us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to do to others as we would that they should do to us. There is no possibility of

evading this obligation.

This then is my argument with every one who is rich. Who made you rich? Who entrusted such an estate to your care? And for what purpose? By putting such an estate into your hands, God has constituted you his steward. And being his steward, you will endeavor to learn his will respecting the objects to which you should devote his property. This you may do by