I cannot do otherwise."

You would laugh in his

face, in spite of your politeness.

"But then, I am nervous you know," says a third. It is a wonder so well-directed a pen as Paul's had not made the exception when he wrote certain letters to his disciples. Let us throw in the exception you claim, and see how it looks. "Put on, therefore, holy and beloved, meekness, long-suffering,"-except such of you Colossians as have weak nerves,-" forbearing one another,' save the irritable among you, since you cannot help it. Again, "I beseech you, Ephesian Christians, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering," save the nervous among you, who are exempted from this injunction. This way of correcting an apostle-how does it look!

I took still another view. I could see, as above stated, that fretfulness was scriptural, or lovely, or excusable; but I did see some things in it which should render it the deep aversion of every disciple of Christ.

It disgraces religion. It violates some of its most positive injunctions, and some which seemed to have been aimed at this very sin. And see, too, its perfect discordance with the spirit of Christ. The idea would be perfectly shocking to you, that there should ever have been anything like ill-nature or ill-temper in the Saviour. And you can have no idea of Christian character in which it would not be a reproach.Abraham in a passion! Isaiah in a fretful mood! John the Baptist out of temper! The Apostle Paul ill-natured, and Saint Peter a scolding! Just see how the thing looks; I think you had not better fret No! not about anything.

any more.

And for another reason. It will hinder prayer. Fretting and praying!

There never were any two things in more perfect contrast. "Men ought always to pray;" then they ought never to fret." cannot fret and then pray very well; though you

You

never more needed prayer then when in such a mood. The next time you find yourself in such a frame, (may you never have a chance for the trial, though,) just think of prayer and attempt it. You cannot

mingle such hostile elements. You will have to cast out the spirit of fretfulness before you can have the spirit of prayer. And if you succeed in the ejection, then take measures, I pray you, to keep it out, which is better than to cast it out.

"I think you have said enough about so small a matter."

Well, I will stop when I have done one thing more, and that is, to correct this last statement of yours. Fretfulness a small matter! Then it is a small matter to show the very contrast of the "meekness and gentleness of Christ"-to violate his express precept to dishonour your Christian profession -to cut off your soul from happy communion with God. No, it is not a small matter. He that thinks so, makes a very great and dangerous mistake. And if you have made it, I beg of you to correct it directly. SIMON.

SACRIFICES OF THE SINNER.

THE sinner is required to sacrifice all his time to the service of his Master. He enjoys not even the poor privilege of the ordinary slave. The Sabbath is no day of rest to him; the return of a holiday brings no relaxation of his labours; the hours of repose allow no peaceful slumbers to visit his pillow. The sinner's week has no Sabbath-the sinner's year no holiday-the sinner's night no hours of repose. The haggard image of vice haunts him, like the nightmare, even in his transient sleep. His tortured thoughts wander, like the troubled ghosts of fable, even in the dark and silent watches of the night. He is allowed no time for retirement or for reflection. Sin demands every moment of his life, and the master

who lays his votaries under eternal bonds, is to be defrauded of even the little span of time which this life affords.

And is not this enough? No, sin is not satisfied with all these sacrifices. After votaries have given up their time, their honour, their credit, their reputation, their property, their health, their peace, their comforts, all the enjoyments of life—and even life itself,-sin, like the grave, still cries for more-still is unsatisfied-until the soul is offered up at its unhallowed shrine! And, dreadful consideration! this demand is complied with.-The soul is sacrificed.

And from this sacrifice we learn the duration of the servitude of the sinner. It is expressed in one word that duration is eternal.

HINDERANCES TO MINISTERIAL USEFULNESS, NOTWITHSTANDING the worth of souls, the incalculable interests involved in the minister's success, and the promise of Christ to be with his ministers to the end of the world, we see their work advance very slowly. It should be a point of much interest to all who love the cause of Christ, to know why the ministry accomplishes so little. It will be our business at present to point out some of the reasons why so little is done by many ministers in our land.

1. Love of personal ease is one great reason of so little being done in the vineyard of the Lord. If any thing is accomplished, it must be by effort. The farmer who is idle during summer cannot expect a crop; so the minister who attempts nothing will accomplish nothing. Many never visit their people. Some visit the wealthy and pious families, but pass by those who have the greatest claim on their attention. "The

whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Some are entirely contented with preaching a dry didactic sermon or two on the Sabbath. That man

whose chief concern is his own ease will never accomplish much for Christ. We must deny ourselves— "take up the cross"-follow the Saviour in his untiring toils for perishing men. We must be "instant in season, and out of season." "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand." In this way alone can success be expected.

2. Too great a desire for the good opinion of men. A minister is sometimes afraid to tell the truth, lest it should give offence to some of the influential and wealthy amongst his people. This course the Lord will never bless. Paul says, "If I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." James says, "Whosoever will be a friend of the world is an enemy of God." We see the meaning of these passages illustrated in the conduct of Christ and his apostles. Their great concern was to please God by declaring the message which he had committed to them, regardless of whatever might be said, thought, or done, by the multitudes who heard them.

3. Another hinderance is an undue regard for the feelings of the people.-There are some men of dispositions naturally so very affectionate that even when they see their fellow-men sinking to hell, they cannot bear the thought of wounding their feelings by telling them their condition. A physician sometimes finds it necessary to give great pain to save the life of his patient. So the feelings of a sinner must not be regarded if his soul is at stake.

4. Ministers often do not like to condemn themselves. They have their faults-their imperfections. To preach the truth would condemn themselves. The truth is therefore often withheld. Such a minister cannot expect to be useful. God requires him first to obey the truth and then to preach it.

5. Too great a regard for temporal interests sometimes prevents ministers from the discharge of their duty. Fidelity in reproving sin might give offence to some, and thereby diminish their support.

So

little faith have some men in the promises and protecting care of God, that they had rather depend on the support of men-had rather offend God by unfaithfulness, than offend men by fidelity.

6. Some ministers allow themselves to be too much perplexed about unkind remarks made concerning them. Great pains are taken to vindicate their character, and everything must be explained to every enemy of God and the gospel who may choose to be offended, and wishes to vent his spleen by slandering the herald of the cross. The more concern a minister manifests about such things, the more ready the world will be to harass him in that way. Let him treat such things with the neglect which they deserve, and they will soon die.

7. Ministers are often so trammelled with the world that their usefulness is almost entirely destroyed. Sometimes they are to be blamed. They love the world-form many plans for acquiring its wealthemploy many hands-devote the whole week to the management of their worldly matters. So that when the Sabbath arrives they are entirely unprepared for its sacred and responsible duties-unprepared, both in heart and matter, for the instruction of the people. Sometimes the guilt and the responsibility rests on the people. They live in ease and affluence-clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day," whilst he that weeps, and prays, and toils, for their good, wants the necessaries of life. He must have food and raiment. It must come from his people, or he must resort to something else. He knows little about the world-succeeds badly-is pitied, but not relieved, by those who ought to sustain him, and who are the occasion of his difficulties. The same man cannot be devoted to the world and devoted to his work as a minister. One must be neglected.

8. Another important reason of ministers not being more successful is, the low standard of religion in their own hearts. They should exemplify to their