A Goodly Heritage

One great want of the times is a commanding ministry--a ministry of a piety at once sober and earnest, and of mightiest moral power. Give us these men, "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," who will proclaim old truths with new energy, not cumbering them with massive drapery nor hiding them beneath piles of rubbish. Give us these men! men of sound speech, who will preach the truth as it is in Jesus, not with faltering tongue and averted eye, as if the mind blushed at its own credulity--not distilling into it an essence so subtle and so speedily decomposed that a chemical analysis alone can detect the faint odor which tells it has been there--but who will preach it apostlewise, that is "first of all," at once a principle shrined in the heart and a motive mighty in the life--the source of all morals and the inspiration of all charity--the sanctifier of every relationship, and the sweetener of every toil. Give us these men! men of zeal untiring--whose hearts of const

2Timothy 2. 11-12   The first branch of this "faithful saying" is, "If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him." There seem to be two ways chiefly in which the soul "is dead with Christ." If we look at the operation of the law as a manifestation of the justice of God, the law was the cause of the death of Christ — that is to say, the law being broken by the Church in whose place Christ stood, He, as a Substitute and a Surety, stood under its curse, and that curse was death. If, then, we are to die with Christ, we must die under the law just as Jesus died under the law, or else there is no union with Christ in His death. But further, Christ died under the weight of sin and transgression. Every living soul then that shall die with Christ spiritually and experimentally, must die too under the weight of sin — that is, he must know what it is so to experience the power and presence of sin in his carnal mind, so to feel the burden of his iniquities upo

 The blessing was put into the mouth of Aaron the high priest, in this as in other points a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Aaron could only pronounce the blessing; Jesus gives it.  Observe how, by implication, the doctrine of the Trinity is here set forth. "The LORD BLESS THEE." The blessings meant would seem to be chiefly spiritual. Not that we are to think lightly of temporal favours. They are left-hand blessings, if not right-hand mercies; they are gifts to be thankful for on earth, if not graces that take to heaven; provision for the perishing body, if not food for the immortal soul. Health, strength, such a measure of worldly goods as shall keep the wolf from the door and enable us to owe no man anything but love, children growing up to be a comfort to their parents, a kind and affectionate partner, warm and faithful friends, an untarnished name, who shall say that these are not blessings for which God is to be praised? And yet how infinitely short do the

You have been called as minister in this congregation and you have been ordained in pursuance of that call. There are many functions which devolve upon you in that particular capacity, but I want to draw your attention particularly to two of these functions because I believe they are the two main functions which devolve upon the minister of the gospel. And these two functions are  the preaching of the Word  and  pastoral care . NOW FIRST OF ALL THERE IS THIS DUTY OF  PREACHING OR TEACHING THE WORD . YOU ARE TO LABOUR IN THE WORD AND DOCTRINE. And in connection with that function I want to mention three things. First, do not burden yourself and do not allow others to burden you with other business so that you are deprived of the time and energy necessary to prepare adequately for your preaching and teaching administration.  The Word of God indeed, in all its richness and in all its sufficiency, is in your hands. It lies before you. But in order that you may discover the richness

"I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Psa 119:75). This is the Christian's acknowledgment-fully satisfied with the dispensation of God. This is his confidence; so invigorating to his own soul; so cheering to the church. The Lord's dealings are called his judgments, not as having judicial curses, but as the acts of his justice in the chastening of sin. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17). Perhaps also; as the administration of his wise judgments in their measure and application. "O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing" (Jer 10:24). But here is not only the confession of the Lord's general judgment, but of his especial faithfulness to himself. And this he knew; not from the dictates of

"For our  light affliction , which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and  eternal  weight of  glory ; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen– for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:17, 18 From the cradle to the coffin, affliction and sorrow are the appointed lot of man. He comes into the world with a wailing cry, and he often leaves it with an agonizing groan. Well is this earth called "a valley of tears," for it is wet with them in infancy, youth, manhood, and old age. In every land, in every climate, scenes of misery and wretchedness everywhere meet the eye, besides those deeper griefs and heart-rending sorrows which lie concealed from all observation; so that we may well say of  the life of man  that, like Ezekiel's scroll, it is "written within and without, and there is written therein lamentations, and mourning and woe.&q