To the one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life." It is a mistake then to think that our ministry is wasted, that the object of our ministry is lost, when our testimony is not believed, our message not received. Our ministry is wasted, as far as they who reject it are concerned. But it is not wasted with God. The object of our ministry is not lost to God. He is still glorified. His goodness is still magnified. We are in either case "unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish."

"To the one we are the savour of death unto death." For God will be glorified at the last day, yea is glorified even now, in spite of the perversity of the unbelieving; He is glorified even in their unbelief. There is no evil that man can do, out of which God will not work good. And whilst the wicked transgress his will, and obstinately resist his grace, and madly refuse to close with the tenders of his mercy in Christ Jesus; there are beings who look on with wonder and with love, at the

longsuffering and goodness of the Lord; and there is a day at hand, in which an assembled world will acknowledge, in the everlasting destruction of the ungodly, that God is righteous, and true, and good. Every word which we utter, and you will not hear, every exhortation which we give and you refuse to receive, every message of mercy which we repeat, and which you reject against your own souls, is thus unto God "a sweet savour of Christ." It is a savour of Christ's love in dying for you, of his goodness in dying for sinners so obdurate, of his patience in bearing with sin so wilful and so great, on the part of those to whom his Gospel is made known. Thus are we a savour of Christ unto God, whilst to the wicked we are a savour of death unto death.

But to the other a savour of life unto life." This is our glory and our joy. Here we have unmingled satisfaction. With this consideration I rejoice to conclude," A savour of life unto life." Let us hope that we are such to many amongst What glory to be put on mortal

you.

164 The office of the Christian ministry.

man, that he helps his fellow mortals towards immortality! What happiness, to be in any wise an instrument or means of your being happy for ever! What a

triumph, to have contributed to swell the triumphant train, which will enter with Jesus into heaven! Help forward, we pray you, this our joy. Live in holiness now, that you may live in heaven hereafter. This is "life unto life;" godliness now, gladness for evermore. It is of this we testify, in this that we try to lead the way; for this that we are ambassadors, rulers, watchmen; that ye may be prepared for the coming of the Lord, and that He, when He comes, may find you a people prepared for his coming. Oh that you may by that day be prepared to glorify his holy name, not by being condemned but by being justified! Oh that we may then appear to have been unto God a sweet savour of Christ in you; not in your perishing for ever, but in your partaking of everlasting salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom be glory for evermore!

SERMON X.

HOLY SCRIPTURE.

ROM. 15. 4.

Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

ST. Paul begins this chapter with declaring, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." (Ver. 1.) He then proceeds, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification." (Ver. 2.) And by way of urging this counsel further, he pleads Christ's example, "For even Christ pleased not his own self; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." (Ver. 3.) Now these words are

taken from one of the Psalms of David. And it might be thought, that they applied only to him, and not to Christ. As if therefore to obviate this objection, St. Paul remarks, in the text, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Here then we are plainly taught, that the Scriptures of the Old Testament, much more those of the New, were all written for the learning of us Christians; in order that we, guided by the counsel, and comforted by the promises, which they contain, may wait, at once patiently and hopefully, for the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Let me then now try to impress you with a due sense of the value of God's word, as applicable by every Christian to himself. But let me first say a few words on the connexion between this ordinance, the written word, and that other chief ordinance, for the gathering together and edifying of the church, namely, the ministry of man. There is an intimate