discovers or applies a principle-the philanthropist, who leads on a reform, often changes the aspect of the times. Davy was, no doubt, thought a useless drone by thousands, who smiled to see a human being wasting his days in fantastic theories and idle experiments; but he invented the safetylamp, by which millions have since been safely guided amid the deadly damps and gases of the mines. The same truth may be illustrated by the discoveries and inventions of Watt, Fulton, Arkwright, and others, who have become the benefactors of nations by the result of inquiries and experiments deemed by their early contemporaries frivolous or idle.

The leaders in great moral reforms illustrate the same principle. The first reformed drunkard, when he rose from the ditch and washed himself, and resolved to go forth on a mission of mercy to his fellow-outcasts, conceived an idea over the development of which Heaven and earth rejoice. What has he done? He has wiped tears from the eyes of half a million of women and children, who, through his agency, have bread enough, are clad in warmer garments, and sit around brighter fires during these wintery months.

I hasten to apply my subject to the Church, where the text finds illustration yet more pertinent and affecting. The Church is a community, organized, with special ends to be accomplished, and endowed with special capabilities and adaptations, yet having many points of resemblance to human society in general. The application of this analogy to the Church has been directly made by the apostle. "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it, therefore, not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it, therefore, not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they

were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye can not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor, again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary; and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need; but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Church -first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. prophets? Are all teachers? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret ?"* The justness of this reasoning, if it were not revelation also, is so very obvious, and the inferences so palpable, that I need not add a single word to this beautiful, powerful statement. All the members, and all the officers of the Church, are appointed and honored of God to be coworkers with himself-co-agents with the Holy Ghost in the edification of the body of Christ. The pastor, not less in the study, when he gathers things new and old from books holy and common, than in the pulpit, or in breaking the bread of the sacrament at the altar, or in the sick-chamber-all the subordinate lay ministries devoted to godly counsel, to faithful admonition, or to the management and conservation of the material interests of the Church-the pious mother nur

Are all apostles? Are all
Are all workers of miracles?

* 1 Cor., xii., 14-30.

turing up her children in God's love-the sufferer on a bed of languishing, giving forth blessed examples of patience, and resignation, and faith-the teacher of the Sabbath-schoolthey who, in the Spirit, lift up our joyous songs of praise in the sanctuary-all who pray in the closet or in the congregation, are, and should be deemed, essential parts of that good, great system, through whose wondrous, harmonious working God is pleased to renew and sanctify souls, and train them up to be heirs of glory. Who, in this great co-partnership for honoring Christ, has any ground of complaint? the foot, that it is not the head? the eye, that it is too feeble to do the functions of the brawny arm? the ears, that they can not do the office of locomotion? Every part is indispensable. None can say which is most important in God's plan; and achievements, ascribed hastily to the eloquence of the preacher, often stand credited, in the record kept above, to the prayer of faith, offered up in the class-room or the closet.

Let us notice the growth intimated in the text. The increase of the body unto the edifying of itself” has a noble exemplification in the history of our own Church. This self-edification is the special point to which I invite your attention. When Mr. Wesley began his career in England, and his early followers here, where was the great denomination of spiritual Christians which now fill the land? The simple-hearted men who came to our shores were like mariners who had escaped, naked, from a wreck. Without influence, unknown, with no appliances, all they had was their faith and their doctrine. Their inheritance, their embryo Church, was in the by-ways of the town, and in the interminable forest, among the sheep which were without a shepherd. This was the beginning. The cloud was not bigger than a man's hand. Their grain of mustard was verily the least of all seeds. Their love -their creed-their Church, were all comprised in one brief saying, Salvation by faith." This saying, however, was divine, and it shook the land from end to end like an earth

quake. The seed sown was as coals snatched from God's altar, and an inextinguishable fire blazed along every valley and mountain-side.

Here was the germ of the Church. These converted people, who first assembled in kitchens and barns, and, as they got more power, in school-houses and markets, soon leagued together and built churches. Guided by Providence, they organized classes, and provided for the perpetuation of the ordinances and the ministry. They began to institute schools for their children, and to provide funds for the aged and destitute. They felt the want of books free from the errors of a bad theology, and adapted to build up themselves and their children in the faith, and made provision for the supply of this want. Missionary from its origin and in its spirit, the fathers felt the duty of diffusing the Gospel, and they sent out their missionaries accordingly. I abstain from more particulars. Enough has been said to illustrate the notion of "self-edification." This Church has made itself what it is. It has enjoyed no state patronage. It inherited nothing from the past but God's truth, and now the little cloud covers the heavens the mustard-seed is a great tree; it stretches out its long branches from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

What is the secret of our success ? Next after the might of our foundation-truth, I rank the system. Every body has been enlisted. The body has been compacted by that which every joint supplieth. The working has been effectual in every part. The poorest congregations have built churches, because every one helped. Plain preaching has been irresistible, because it was true, and every body prayed. The heart of all the people has been in the movements of the Church, and it went on to conquest. I know many congregations and churches established by female operatives in factories; and I once heard a minister say these were the surest supporters in the world, because their hearts were in the thing, and all helped.

I am always filled with astonishment and exultation in thinking of our past history, and I never fear for the future except when I fear that we shall forget the teachings of our own history. We are now a great people, and have great duties. They come on us, not because we are unfortunate, but successful. We are more than a million. Our adherents are one fourth of the population of the United States. We owe it to God and man to do for all this multitude and their children all that so great a Church ought to do. We must beautify them with truth and holiness. We must provide for the old and the young. We must provide moral and intellectual training, and Christian literature. We are called on to survey the vast field which we occupy, and to do our duty. We want a large policy and liberal devisings. Once our only duty was to gain the victory. Now we have the additional one of keeping and cultivating our conquests. To speak of nothing else, we have an army of youth to provide for. We are no bigots, but we wish our children to be Methodists-to worship God in the houses we have built -to go in and out before the altars where we have vowed. They are the hope of the Church, and its care. The whole Church is interested in the proper training of all its youth —the rich, that the sons of the poor are properly trained— the poor, no less for the rich. We want men fit to represent our doctrines, and show forth our piety in all departments of life-in the walks of business-on exchange-as teachersas authors-as ministers-in the professions on the bench --in the halls of legislation. We are freemen, and it is our right-we are Christ's disciples, and it is our duty. It is suicidal to leave all posts of influence-all agencies by which society is to be fashioned and guided, to be monopolized by others.

Above all, we are not at liberty, as Christians, to subject our sons to influences unfavorable to their piety.