.

of evangelical Missions, are quite different from political clubs or revolutionary designs-that we are the friends of peace and good order-that we honour all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, and honour the King-that we are actuated by no other views than the advancement of the glory of God, and of the spiritual and eternal interests of mankind—that having the promise and means of salvation to the heathen, we look towards them with tender pity and anxious concern, and will not cease to pray and labour for their conversion -and that we endeavour through grace to manifest the character which we wish to form in them by our own conversation in the world, living harmless and blameless, soberly, righteously and godly.

Be animated, my dear friends, in this noble pursuit, by the hope of the glory of God. Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come and will not tarry-his reward is with him, he will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noon day. Let the great day of the Lord be familiar to your minds.

By the solemn realizing prospect of that day, you rise superior to every difficulty and all op

position you fear not enemies at home, nor

dangers abroad-you look not after the opera tions of Missionary zeal, with a suspicious eye, or doubting trembling heart. You see, not only the first exertions of that zeal, but its rapid progress and final success-You not only set out, or see others going forth to the arduous work, and perhaps weeping as they go, but you see to the end of their labours, you see them returning with joy and bringing their sheaves with them. Then "shall the Son of man send forth "his Angels, and they shall gather out of his

66

kingdom all things that offend, and them who "do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace "of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of "teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as "the Sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who "hath ears to hear let him hear!" "He who "testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come

66

quickly." He that believeth these things, yea all the converted heathen shall say, "Amen. "Even so come Lord Jesus.

The despisers of the heathen, and the mockers of Missionary zeal, will also be scoffers at this promise of our Lord's coming. Would such

persons but read and consider 2 Peter iii. chapter, it might restrain their scorn and alarm their fears. O that by these terrors of the Lord, I could persuade them to flee from the wrath to

come!

Let sinners in Zion tremble, and fearfulness seize the hypocrites, when they hear "that many "shall come from the east and from the west, "and from the north, and from the south, and "shall sit down in the kingdom of God; but the "children of the kingdom shall be cast into utter "darkness." O reject not the counsel of God against yourselves-repent ere it be too late, and believe the Gospel. Now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him, to go forth to meet him, appearing in his own and his Father's glory, with all the holy angels and with all his saints.

Shall I now be indulged in the liberty of mingl ing with a great public cause, which I believe shall have this glorious issue, the tears, and joys and hopes of parental sensibility? I cannot lay aside my pen, till I record my obligations to

Christian sympathy, divine mercy, and sovereign saving grace on that solemn day when I preached by appointment of the Glasgow Missionary Society.

Often had I looked towards that day with the liveliest expectations of high spiritual enjoyment, in a new liberality of Christian communion, and in a new direction and extension of Christian be nevolence. These presented to my mind so ma ny great and pleasing scenes, that I thought of nothing but unmixed happiness. That day, so bright in prospect, came-but to me and my family, dark with all the terrors of death. A favourite Child, my only Son, just eight years of age, was snatched from the tender embrace of loving weeping Parents- after a very short illness, only alarming that morning, he in the evening closed his eyes in death.-That mournful event was so connected in my mind with the revisal of my papers for the press, that for a long time I could not apply to it at all, and never have I been able to attend, as I wished, to all the nicities of language and arrangement. But it is not for the sake of such apology that I have called the attention of my readers to this domes

tic affliction-I mean by introducing it here, to acknowledge in the most public manner my obligations to the kind and tender sympathy so generally and so strongly expressed towards me and mine under that smarting trial, and to the very friendly attention and deep concern, as particularly testified by the Directors of the Glasgow Missionary Society. But especially, I do it to ascribe public praise to the God of all grace for the signal tokens of his love to my dear boyI will not mention the qualities of mind and manner, which had always endeared him to his parents, nor the various indications, which often before this, he had given of the influence of religion upon his heart, but I cannot be silent upon the visible remarkable efficacy of divine grace in him upon the day of his death.

He was enabled to think and speak of his approaching dissolution with manly composure and christian dignity, because he had laid hold on eternal life, and knew Christ Jesus to be the way, and the truth, and the life. He gave the most satisfying evidence of his knowledge of his own heart, and of the character and undertaking of Jesus Christ-though he had never been addicted to vicious practices, he felt strongly the

Ꮣ