out of the Spirit on us, "that the Lord God "might dwell among us: "1 these are the proper and peculiar truths of the gospel.

The doctrine of the Holy Ghost,' which pro'ceedeth from the Father and the Son,' follows. "If ye being evil know how to give good gifts "unto your children, how much more shall your "Father which is in heaven give his Holy Spirit "to them that ask him."2 He "convinces men "of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment."3 He prepares the souls of men by his grace to welcome the salvation of Christ: he "glorifies "Christ." He is the Spirit of life, consolation, and sanctification. He that drinks of this water, shall find it a "well of water springing up into "everlasting life."5 The Holy Spirit makes us spiritually minded, and causes us to bring forth "the fruits of the Spirit," and abound in every good work.

4

Thus the sinner, taken from the borders of hell, is pardoned, justified, sanctified, and taught to lead a sober, righteous, and godly life. He depends on God's mercy for all he wants, and gives God all the glory.

I only give a general outline. We are all lost: it is glad tidings that there is a Saviour, and that he died to save the lost: we are ambassadors of Christ, beseeching you to be reconciled to God: the Spirit of God is promised to give success to the word; and thus men repent, believe, love

'Ps. Ixviii.

4 John xvi. 14.

"Luke xi. 13.

John iv. 14.

'John xvi. 8.

God, love one another, become examples to the world, and blessings to themselves and their families.

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I need say little respecting "the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ;" for all who agree with me in what I have already stated must understand this part of the subject. For what is there in man however wicked, bad, or fixed in strong habits of sin, which the gospel does not propose to remedy? What dost thou want, my fellow-sinner, which the gospel does not call upon thee and intreat thee most earnestly to accept? God becomes, as it were, thy suppliant, and begs of thee to be reconciled. And wilt thou refuse? "Hast thou an arm like God, canst thou thunder "with a voice like his?" Wilt thou dare to stand out? Wilt thou reject his offers of reconciliation?

Again, is there any blessing in the gospel which you do not want? Do you not need forgiveness of sins? You, who are coming to church and saying, 'Lord, have mercy upon me, and incline my heart to keep thy law?' if you did not need mercy before, yet you want it afterwards for the solemn mockery you have made of God. Is there any one, in like manner, who does not need illumination, strength, comfort, deliverance? There is no blessing which you do not want; there is no blessing which you can want to bring you to heaven, which the gospel does not confer; and so confer, that it is" without money and without "price."

It is not to be bought or carned, but to be

begged. This offends the proud; but the meek and contrite rejoice. If it were to be bought, they know they have no money: if it were to be obtained by merit, they know they have no goodness but, if it is to be freely received, then they have hope.

What it is for a minister "to come in the ful"ness of the blessing of the gospel," will now be readily understood.

It means, in general, that not only one or two obtain a blessing from his ministry, but that large numbers receive the blessing, yea, "the fulness "of the blessing of the gospel."

When Peter first preached the gospel of repentance and remission of sins, he went amongst the murderers of Christ in the fulness of this blessing. Three thousand were converted in one day; soon they became five thousand; and soon tens of thousands believed and " continued stead"fast in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and were of one heart and one soul, and great grace was upon them all."

Persecution afterwards" arose because of the "word," and the apostles were dispersed, and wherever they went they went as missionaries, and scattered the light of the gospel in all places around. They came to Antioch, and a company there believed and walked "in the fear of the "Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and "were multiplied." So, when the apostle Paul went to Thessalonica, we learn from his epistle, that "his entrance in was not in vain; but they "became an example to all that believe; and "from them sounded out the word of the Lord;"

for "they turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son "from heaven."1

From these instances you may see what I mean by a minister" coming in the fulness of the blessing "of the gospel of Christ." It is when hundreds are brought to repentance, faith, and newness of life; when all that appear converted, or almost all (for a few even in the primitive church were deceivers,) are of one heart and soul, and live in holy communion, and forget their worldly habits and connexions, and impart to each other, and walk in the fear of God and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and maintain an upright, cheerful, thankful, benevolent, heavenly mind and conversation; when "the Lord adds to the church daily "such as shall be saved;" when some are sent forth as ministers and missionaries to heathen lands; when new churches are founded; when at home and abroad truth kindles, like a fire, and spreads from heart to heart, from family to family, from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, from country to country: when the word of the Lord "runs " and is glorified:" when the gospel is "preached "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven."

Thus it was in the primitive times with Peter, Paul, and all the apostles. The "fishers of men" cast a wide net and took large shoals. Now the case is altered; we only catch a single fish now and then. But it was not merely in the primitive times, but, in various ages and in different parts of the Christian church since, there have been

' 1 Thess. i. 7--10.

revivals of religion, and great things have been done. In the days of St. Augustine, and at the blessed Reformation, this was the case. In the time of Mr. Whitefield, and Mr. Wesley, also, great numbers were truly converted, whatever errors were mixed with their proceedings. Whenever things like these are seen, whenever numbers are brought to fear God, and repent and love Christ, and live holy lives, then the gospel is preached in the "fulness of blessing."

But these are blessings of which our fathers have told us: we have scarcely ever seen them ourselves. I have been thirty-eight years a fisher of men, and not quite unsuccessful; but I never yet saw any of this "fulness of the blessing "of the gospel of Christ." Our profession, indeed, is such, that the least success in it is better than the greatest in any other. One soul brought to salvation is worth more than all the glories of the world. If but a single sinner repents, there is joy in heaven-the only event on earth that we know of, that occasions that joy. If a man were to labour thirty-eight years, and gain but one soul, he might consider himself as greatly honoured. Still, who, that loves his Saviour and has compassion for the souls of men, would not long for more enlarged success? I would thank God for even a single soul enlightened and pardoned and sanctified; but yet, if all my parish were converted, and there were only one left in his sins, I would have a struggle with the devil for that one. There are in the present day an increasing number of gospel-ministers, and by all some good is done; and in a course of years we get together