"for Salvation to the ends of the earth." It was the revealed purpose of God, to break down the partitionwall between Jews and Gentiles; to revive the power of godliness among a large number of the former, and by their means to bring into the church an immense multitude of the latter: so that, in a short time, the true worshippers of the living God should be increased a thousand, nay, ten thousand fold. This was the plenteous harvest, to which our blessed Lord referred, in the words of my text.

But the labourers were few, very few, compared with the harvest. There were, indeed, many priests and scribes, who were ministers of religion according to the immediate appointment of God; or teachers of the people, who sat in Moses's chair; and why should not these be employed?

Do you ask, Why? the answer is obvious:-Because they set themselves against the Messiah and his cause. And in every age, they who follow their steps, and persevere in so doing, will be laid aside and excluded from any share in the honourable service, however regular their external appointment: and others from a different quarter, will be sent forth as labourers into the harvest, amidst the objections and opposition of those who are thus superseded.

At that awful crisis, when the scribes, and priests, and rulers stood around the cross of Immanuel, and joined with the multitude in scoffing at his dying agonies, and making even his undeniable and beneficent miracles the subject of their cruel and impious mockery; when the apostles concealed themselves through fear; the seventy disciples seemed finally dispersed, VOL. III. Dd

and almost every favourer of the cause was led to despair of it: had any one, at that crisis, I say, stood forth and predicted, that within two months many thousands would trust in the crucified Nazarene, as their almighty Saviour, worship him as their God; obey him as their exalted King, and wait for his com ing as their omniscient Judge; and that within twenty or thirty years, unnumbered millions, through a vast extent of countries, inhabited by tribes most discordant in their manners and interests, would determine to glory in him and in his cross alone: and should he have added, that all this would be accomplished by means of heralds or preachers sent forth among the nations, who would so love the despised and insulted Nazarene, as not to value even their lives, in comparison of his honour, and his cause, and the conversion of the nations to him: would not this, my brethren, have been derided, as the illusion of partial regard, or the dream of frantick enthusiasm? Yet all this was even vastly exceeded!-The disciples, recovered from their stupor, prayed to the Lord of the harvest, and he sent forth labourers, by hundreds and by thousands, whose zeal, courage, patience, philanthropy, wisdom, and self-denial, are above all praise, and even exceed the imagination of most christians, in this Laodicean age. Many, who at the time of our Lord's crucifixion, or long after, were either totally indifferent, or determined opposers, became zealous heralds of Immanuel's glory: a multitude of the priests were obedient to the faith; and in all probability employed, as reconciled themselves to God, to proclaim the word of reconciliation. And though the perse

cutor Saul by no means closed the list of that company, who at length preached the faith which once they destroyed; yet he stands so pre-eminent and distinguished above the rest, that it would be highly improper not to mention such a signal instance of the omnipotent grace of God, and the efficacy of believing prayer. For doubtless, many, with dying Ste phen, prayed for the murderers of that first martyr, and the persecutors of the infant church, among whom Saul stood forth the most active and violent zealot.

From the time that the apostles and the remnant of believers saw and adored their risen Lord, it may reasonably be supposed that they recollected and obeyed the injunction of our text. But it should especially be noted, that from his ascension, to the day of Pentecost, the whole company continued in unremitting prayer and supplication; and on the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place, doubtless engaged in the same manner, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. Immediately, not only were the apostles endued with the gift of tongues, and animated to a degree of zeal and courage, far beyond what they had before manifested; but the prophecy of Joel, as quoted by St. Peter, was literally fulfilled, and multitudes, like Isaiah when the Seraph had touched his lips with a coal from the altar, were ready to say, " Here am I, send me:" though just before, many of them were involved in the guilt of murdering, or consenting to the murder, of the

Joel ii. 28, 29. Acts ii.

Prince of Life! Such effects were then produced by the Lord of the harvest, in answer to the prayers of a small company! Let us not forget that he is "the same "yesterday, to-day, and for ever."

The zeal, the courage, the compassion for perish. ing sinners, cannot be so low at present, as it was when Christ died on the cross; believers are immensely, more numerous; and prejudices cannot be so strong and general against his cause, nor can the minds of men be so repugnant to the work, and danger, and hardship, of attempting to evangelize the Gentiles, as at that crisis. Who then can say, but that within a few years, or even months, hundreds, yea, thousands of labourers, like the first evangelists, may be sent forth into the harvest?

To fix the impression, which I should hope this plain statement of facts from the sacred records has made, I shall,

I. Briefly consider the largeness of the har

vest.

II. The small number of the labourers.

III. The duty and efficacy of prayer in this behalf.

I. The largeness of the harvest.

And here, my brethren, I must assume those principles, which pervade the scripture; namely, man's fallen and depraved state and character, in whatever part of the globe he inhabits, and his exposedness to the righteous indignation of God on that account: insomuch that, as his soul is immortal, and his body shall rise again, he must be finally lost and for ever miserable, unless he be reconciled to God, and renew

ed to holiness. Every unconverted sinner on earth, viewed in connexion with the gospel, and the command of Christ to his disciples, to preach it to every creature, and the hope that he may be converted and saved, should in this respect be considered as a part of the harvest.

Now, you well know, my beloved brethren, that even in christian countries, even in Britain, there are vast multitudes of this description. If indeed regeneration, repentance, faith, love of God and man, and holiness, be necessary to salvation, who can help exclaiming, “How strait is the gate, how narrow is the 46 way that leadeth unto life! how few there be that "find it!" How few among my acquaintance seem to know any thing of it! Ignorance, irreligion, formality; damnable heresies or barren orthodoxy; ab. surd superstition, or wild enthusiasm; pharisaical selfrighteousness, or some kind or other of antinomian abuse of the gospel, occupy a very large proportion of the christian world; in which infidelity of late has made extensive depredations.

View the vast proportion of professed christians, who still support the tottering cause of the papal Antichrist; and that multitude, who are hood-winked in the half popery of the Greek church! Then view the reformed and protestant churches: and ask yourselves, whether, in case the multitudes of nominal christians, should ever become true christians, the harvest even here, be not very plenteous?

Then cast your eye on the poor, the pitiable and yet generally unpitied, Jews. Through them we have all our light and hope: yet the darkness in which they