Church of our fathers the most efficient organ of Christian beneficence which the world ever saw. Allow me, sir, to say, as being specially connected with another great Scheme of the Church of Scotland,* that we are both alike free of those jealousies which are sometimes felt between one philanthropic society and another. They proceed, it appears to me, on a false arithmetic, or rather on a misapprehension, in virtue of which it is that the natural and what may be called the moral arithmetic, are confounded with each other. It is by the natural that you estimate the means-it is by the moral that you estimate the motives; and it is quite a possible thing that the process by which the means of benevolence are somewhat abridged, may be the very process by which a tenfold force is given to the motives of benevolence. Nothing more palpably true than that the guinea which has been parted with for some object of foreign charity, is no longer in reserve for an object of home charity. But the same application which drew the guinea from the hand, sent an impulse to the heart, insomuch that he who has been so operated upon is a more hopeful subject for a fresh application than the man whose purse has never yet been opened-and just because his sensibilities have never yet been addressed in the cause of liberality. It is true, in fact, that our two causes, our two committees, might work into each other's hands. Should the first take the precedency, and traverse for collections the whole of Scotland, the second would only find the ground more softened and prepared for an abundant produce to itself. It acts not by exhaustion-it acts by fermentation. It is preposterous to speak of exhaustion. Who exhausts himself?-who carries his charities so far as to abridge by them the general habit of his expenditure?—who does more than cast into the treasury some unmissed fraction of that fund which is familiarly known by the name of pocket-money?— who, after such a surrender, does not feel himself to all sense as entire as before for a new application, and only the more inured by it to the self-denial and the sacrifices of charity. Let there be two towns of equal wealth and population, the first of which has The Church Extension Scheme. never been addressed in behalf of any philanthropic object, and the second of which is plied every fortnight for one or other of those numerous societies that are now in operation-to which of them would the patrons of some new enterprise repair with the greatest hope of success? All experience replies to the latter of them. They are mainly, in fact, the same names which recur and are prominent in all the most distinguished charities of our land. By each distinct contribution the fund of charity is doubtless somewhat impaired; but all the feelings of charitya willingness to distribute-a readiness to communicate these are enhanced by the exercise; and we are yet very far from the maximum to which, under the operation of these various elements, the liberalities of our population might be carried. With the slight encroachment that is made by one society on the matériel of benevolence, there is a quickening and an excitement given to the morale of it-and the other societies just speed in proportion the more that they follow in the direction. of that predecessor which has opened a way for them. We are not counting on the powers of that alchemy which transmutes everything into gold,—ours is a higher and a nobler alchemy -the alchemy of the heart-in virtue of which the charity which in behalf of some one object is kindled there, expands at length from one object to another, till it has learned to cast a wide and a wakeful eye over all the sufferings and all the necessities of our species. They therefore who would represent our two committees as of adverse influence and operation upon each other, have never attended either to the facts or to the philosophy of the subject, and evince the same gross misunderstanding of the true mechanism of our nature that is done by those who would repress the liberality of the working-classes in behalf of Bible or missionary objects, lest it should haste their descent to a lower level, and fill the neighbourhood with pauperism. The fact is, that it widens their distance from pauperism, and translates into the moral habit and elevation of generosity those who otherwise might be degraded into that sloth or that sordidness which turn so many into receivers. It is on these grounds that I would have the two committees to join hand in hand, and to act in perfect fearlessness and perfect friendship the one with the other. The success of the first will be the best security or guarantee for the success of the second-they will grow with each other's growth-they will strengthen with each other's strength. But I ought to apologize for expatiating on this topic so long, while you, sir, are standing before me. It is for the purpose of expressing my hope, that under the inspiration of that principle which under God you have done so much to awaken, both the prayers and the liberalities of this your native land will follow you where you are going. I confidently feel that I am but the organ for the expressing of the collective and unanimous mind of this congregation, when I say that their prayers and their wishes go along with you. In the language of Paul to his converts, we would commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you and all your spiritual children an inheritance among them which are sanctified. It is not for us to lift that veil which overhangs the secrets of futurity, or with prophetic inspiration to utter these words of the apostle for which His disciples sorrowed most of all-that we shall see your face no more. To God alone is reserved the knowledge of the times and of the seasons, and to us belongs a solemn sense of the uncertainty of these things. Enough for us that we know our present duty, and the certainty of their future heaven to every faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus; yet without presumption, I trust, may we give utterance to the impression that is upon our spirits, of the aspectthe singularly prophetic aspect, not merely of the days in which we live, but both of Christendom, that region you are about to leave, and of Eastern Asia, that region of ancient idolatry whither you are going; for we can notice on that distant horizon the faint breakings of evangelical light, which, like the dawn of early morn, may perhaps increase more and more till the drying up of the Euphrates, that the way of the kings of the East may be prepared. And here, in strong and immediate manifestation, do we see the heavings of a general and wayward restlessness till all the ancient kingdoms of authority have been loosened and perhaps through a midway passage of desolations and judgments, the kingdoms of this world are soon to become the kingdoms of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But we shall enter no further on these topics of yet unfulfilled prophecy, or attempt to grope our way through not a total, but a twilight darkness-a darkness visible over the perspective which lies before us. Duties are ours-events are God's; and while we meddle not with the matters too high for us—with the secret things which belong to Him, let us ever bear in mind, that one of the most clearly revealed things which belong to us and to our children, is to preach the gospel to every creature under heaven. God grant that each of us in his own proper vocation may be found faithful in that day, giving full proof of his ministry; and whether in churches at home or by missionaries abroad, may both you and we have grace to acquit ourselves as faithful labourers throughout this seed-time of the earth's coming regeneration, in the full development of which it is that the cross of Christ shall behold the consummation of its triumphs. SERMON XXXII. ["I HAD the high satisfaction," says Dr. Merle d'Aubigné, in his work entitled "Germany, England, and Scotland," "of hearing Dr. Chalmers. You know that he was minister of Glasgow first in the Tron Church, and afterwards in St. John's. Dr. Brown, his friend and successor in the latter church, having left the Establishment in 1843, his people built him a Free Church, in which they studiously endeavoured to give the architecture a certain style of elegance, in order, no doubt, to shew what can be done in our own day by the free contributions of Christians. The steeple, tower, and façade of this church make it one of the finest in Scotland. I will not here repeat passages of the sermon; I have already spoken of Chalmers, and besides, some of his discourses, translated into French by Professor Diodati, one of the best preachers of Geneva, are known to everybody. But what I would say is, that it was the last time that Chalmers preached in Glasgow, where he had first begun to be known to the Christian world. You can imagine the desire felt in that city to hear him-the crowds that gathered from all quarters; but you can have no idea of the order and the devotion of the assembly. The collection on leaving the church amounted to 40,000 francs-£1600-for the morning service only. There was another in the afternoon, and one in the evening." The sermon which follows was the one thus alluded to-preached at the opening of Free St. John's, Glasgow, on June 8, 1845. The whole sum contributed on that occasion at the different services amounted to £1778, 14s. 11 d.] MARK IV. 24. "Take heed what ye hear." LUKE VIII. 18. THE mightiest effects are ascribed to hearing in Scripture. That little organ, the human ear, is spoken of as the duct or |