not see that these duties will at best be but indifferently performed by the local visitor, who is unacquainted with the youth belonging to the respective church: but the regular pastor who is in some measure acquainted with them, their estate, connexions and abilities, may let his doctrine distil upon them like the dew.

Another duty belonging to the ministerial charge is, that watchful care and encouragement which he ought to give to the establishing and conducting of religious meetings for the dissemination of the doctrines of truth, and for the edification of the church. These, when properly and ably conducted, are capable of doing much good, and of bringing others within the pale. Local visitation will here again be inefficient. This brings me, thirdly, to consider a minister's private duties respecting individuals; this department of duty is so extensive than I can do little more than make a brief statement of its respective branches; "It seems to be an opinion too prevalent, that the only essential duty of a minister is preaching and dispensing the sacraments, yet a very little reflection will convince us, that there are many private duties essential to the pastoral office. Merely to appear in public at certain stated times to deliver a set discourse, to put up prayers, and to preside in the ritual parts of worship, cannot possibly either be adequate to the difficulties of that office, and the importance of its end, or come up to the lowest sense of many of the expressions which the scripture uses in describing it. His public duties are doubtless of very great importance and utility: but his private duties are of no less, perhaps of greater; the private duties of the pastoral office are likewise, more difficult than the public." But not to dwell upon these duties much longer, I shall proceed briefly to state them in the following order" 1. Example, 2. instruction, 3. exhortation, 4. counselling, 5. visiting the afflicted, 6. reproving, 7. convincing, 8. reconciling differences, 9. and regard to the poor." 1. It can require no argument " to evince, that, though all christians are under a real obligation to give a good example, yet ministers are under peculiar obligations to it, as especially their duty; for it is the very end and design of their office to recommend goodness to the love and practice of men. A shining example of all real goodness is the most effectual means of reaching its end. 2. Private instruction is a duty of the pastoral office, and the slightest attention to its nature and its consequences is sufficient to prove that it is a very important duty." 3. "Exhortation is often joined in scripture with teaching or instruction; and often separately recommended as a duty incumbent upon pastors. There is the same evidence from scripture that it should be performed privately VOL. 1.-No. 2

E

as well as publicly; to exhort men, is to excite them to the prac tice of their several duties; hence the necessity that a minister should endeavour almost every day to meet with some or other of his people:" and here it may be remarked, that great delicacy and discretion are abundantly needful. 4. Counselling is "another private duty of the ministerial charge, which may indeed be regarded as a branch of the former, but is at the same time so peculiar in its nature, as to deserve separate consideration." It is no less, than "counselling, or giving people advice in cases of conscience which they may propose to their minister." But into the doctrines of curiosity I shall not at present enter: nevertheless it is very Ievident that many cases occur in life where our christian friends often stand in need of this kind of comfort and counsel, to allay their fears, doubts, and conscientious troubles. "To be often thus employed in directing the conduct of others in difficult emergencies, in teaching them what judgment they ought to form of their past behaviour and their state, in distinguishing needless scruples from conscientious ones, in stripping off false disguises from what is really evil, has a plain tendency to dispose a minister himself to act with a constant regard to the rules of duty, to live correctly, and frequently to review and examine his own temper and actions," as well as to be constantly useful to those of his charge; I need not here again particularly urge, that these duties are incompatible with the character of a local visitor or missionary; who suddenly makes his appearance, pronounces a discourse or two, and immediately makes his exit. Howsoever useful this procedure, under certain restrictive circumstances, may be, it cannot possibly be all that is fully and ultimately needful.

"Nature

5. But I proceed to notice the visitation of the afflicted. itself prompts all men so strongly to this, as might itself convince us, that it is particularly the duty of a minister. The scripture likewise expressly makes it a part of his duty, and directs christians to call for him in this situation." Hence the necessity of his presence that he may sympathize with the distressed, in their varied calamities, that he may instruct, advise, console or strengthen them by all christian means in his power. This duty of the ministerial office "is both important and of a very delicate nature," as it has intimately to do with the springs of human nature, the affections of the heart, and the states and circumstances of a great variety of men; and it is evident that a minister ought to be acquainted with the subjects or individuals whom he is called to visit, that he the better may be enabled to perform this duty to the lasting and spiritual advantage of the afflicted, as well as to the healthy, who may be witnesses of the pious scene.

6. "Another duty of the ministerial charge is to reprove and rebuke." "To rebuke in such a manner as may give a probability of its answering a good end, will require a very considerable degree of prudence and address, and will always require much care to suit it, both to the nature of the offence, and to the circumstances in which the rebuke is given;" but these things cannot be further noticed.

7. "There is another duty of the ministerial office, somewhat akin to reproving, I mean convincing. Rebuking regards the practice of men, convincing regards their principles. Paul exhorts a minister to hold fast the faithful word, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. A minister may sometimes have occasion to convince those of his own communion, sometimes he will have occasion to confute and. convince those who are not of our persuasion." In either case his watchfulness and presence are necessary in order to effect much lasting good.

8. "It is often another duty incumbent on a minister to endeavour to reconcile differences, and extinguish animosities among those under his charge." A minister may often here be essentially useful, but it is needful that he be possessed of much prudence, lest he should do mischief, be thought busy, or meddling, and thus make himself enemies, instead of being considered as a peace maker," who is called the child of God. And who cannot here again perceive the necessity of a minister's access and fixedness? for how can he presume to meddle with those persons with whom he is in a great measure unacquainted? this duty presupposes a knowledge of temper, disposition and circumstances, which can. only be acquired by intimacy and consociation. And

9. The "care of the poor is incumbent on a minister," in order that he may, if in his power, contrive means for the comfort of the sincere and indigent in his church. That they be not lightly esteemed, nor overlooked; that they be treated with charity, that something be done for their good both temporally and spiritually; that he exercise his influence with the more affluent in their favour, and that he point out, and endeavour to lead them more effectually to the source of all consolation and true riches. It is again evident that this important duty cannot be exercised by local visitation, but by a regular and permanent minister, aided and assisted by a feeling, discerning, and charitable congregation.*

Many extraets it will be discovered are contained in the above paper, which have been purposely designed, in order that the nature of the work from which they have been taken may the better appear to your readers. It is "Gerard's Pastoral Care." 8vo. When I first read the work I was surprised to find so many good ideas in it. It is well worthy the perusal of our Ministers and Preachers; it is pretty free from peculiarities of doctrine, hence it will be more acceptable, being chiefly of a practical nature, as it relates to the ministry and if now and then an objectionable word or passage occurs, or something not immediately applicable to our church, it will be an easy matter to carefully blot out such objectionable parts, and to in

But, before I dismiss this subject, let me plainly observe that what has been said, is not in the least intended to decry, discourage, or blame judicious local missionary efforts; but on the contrary, rather to stimulate all those societies that are able, or shall be able, to zealously strive to attain a higher, a more orderly, and a more complete state of church economy, which will redound to their own good, consolidate them as a body, and more efficiently strengthen and establish the general church, which is the kingdom of God upon earth. Hence we view mere missionary efforts as auxiliary, local, and temporary, but genuine church economy and constitution as a worthy, laudable, and orderly attainment, and one promotive of the greatest good.

MONITUS.

ON THE VARIOUS DEGREES OF WHICH THE HUMAN MIND CONSISTS.

(continued from page 17.)

"MAN know thyself," is an ancient and an important maxim, whatever, therefore, will contribute to this end, is deserving of public attention. The rapid improvements which have recently taken place in the SCIENCES, shew in some degree the capabilities of the human mind, the great progress which has been made in Astronomy, Chemistry, and Mechanics, &c. has been matter of astonishment even to the learned, but the knowledge of such things belongs to the lowest degree only of the mind; the degrees of the mind, as before stated, are three in number, (see page 16) and the first or lowest with the regenerate and the unregenerate is alike formed to traverse the fields of science. Wisdom, therefore, cannot be predicated of any, nor of all, the acquisitions of this lowest degree, however various or however profound they may appear; this degree is threefold in itself, consisting of the rational, the natural, and the corporeal principle.

The corporeal principle is thus described :-"It is a known thing that the external senses, or those of the body, are five, viz. seeing, hearing, smelling, the taste, and the touch, and also that these constitute all the vitality of the body, for without those senses the body hath nothing at all of life, wherefore also when it is deprived of them, it dies and becomes a carcase; the very corporeal principle of man therefore is nothing else but a receptacle of sensations, consequently of the life derived from them; the terline the place, or add notes at the foot of the page; of what is more congenial, Nor let any one think that this method of proceeding will spoil the book. A revised and corrected edition of this work I should like to see published. The general topics which are but just touched in the above paper, the reader will find discussed at considerable length in The Pas toral Care," with many other matters well worthy of notice by a minister of the Church, It is the best work of the kind I have yet met with; but should a better be in print, notice thereof would be an obligation.

sensitive [principle] is the principal, and the corporeal is the instrumental; the instrumental, without its principal to which is is adapted, cannot even be called the corporeal principle such at man carries about him during his life in the world, but the instrumental together with the principal, when they act in unity [may be so called]; this therefore is the corporeal principle. All the external sensual things of man have relation to his internal sensual things, for they are given to man and placed in the body, that they may serve the internal man whilst he is in the world, and be subject to the sensual things thereof; wherefore when man's external sensual things begin to rule over his internal sensual things, it is all over with man; for in this case, the internal sensual things are considered no otherwise than as servants, to serve for confirming those things which the external sensual things with authority command; when the external sensual things are in this state, they are then in the inverted order. The external sensual things of man have relation, as was said, to internal things, in general to the intellectual principle, and to the will-principle; wherefore there are external sensual things, which are subject or subordinate to the intellectual part of man, and there are which are subject to the will-part; the sensual, [or sense,] which is subject to the intellectual part, is especially the sense of seeing, that which is subject to the intellectual part and next to the will part, is the sense of hearing, that which is subject to both together is the smell, and still more the taste, but that which is subject to the will-part is the touch; that the external sensual things are subject to those parts, might be abundantly shewn, and also how they are subject; but it would be too prolix here to extend the explication to those points.

"There are three principles in common appertaining to man, viz. the corporeal principle, the natural, and the rational; the corporeal principle is the outermost, the natural is the middle, the rational is the interior; so far as one prevails with man above the other, so far he is said to be either corporeal, or natural, or rational; these three parts of man wonderfully communicate, viz. the corporeal with the natural, and the natural with the rational; when man is first born, he is merely corporeal, but there is a faculty in him rendering him capable of being perfected; afterwards he becomes natural, at length rational, whence it may appear that there is a communication of one principle with the other; the corporeal principle communicates with the natural by sensuals (things of sense), and this distinctly by those things which appertain to the understanding, and which appertain to the will, for each principle is to be perfected with man, that he may be made and be a man; the