fast his profession—and shines as gold, silver, and precious stones, in the building of God.

"If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon.” Mark the word "thereupon:" that is, upon the foundationJesus Christ. This refers only to the sifting work of a faithful preaching of Jesus Christ, and faith in him; and not to the idle preaching of bare moral truths-not to the reprobation of broad immorality, and telling persons they must be good. Such, brethren, is not the "work" spoken of: such would be an idle teaching—a wasting of the minister's office, and a playing with the souls of men. Such is not the " work" at all.

But the true "work" is that plain and close preaching of Christ Jesus by which each person is forced to examine himself, so that when they profess to be, not "good people,” but " Christians," it may be because they know that they have crucified Christ, and that He has redeemed them. And when they strive to act as Christians, it may be because they trust to the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ, to work in them and with them. And when they look for and expect that help, it may be because they are resting upon Jesus Christ, who has received the Spirit for them, and who is the true and sure foundation of their hopes, and of their power.

If any man's work so abide which he hath built thereupon, " he shall receive a reward." My brethren, I desire to pause here; because I do feel that as the subject we are now entering upon is one of the most important points, so it is also one of the most difficult subjects that a minister can bring before his people. It is one which calls for special prayer; and needs, in a peculiar manner, the guidance of the Spirit of God. It is a subject so extraordinary, so beyond all expectation; and yet so certainly true, so important for the people to understand; that it behoves the minister to

"If any

watch his own heart well, while he speaks on it. man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward:" this reward is spoken of a little more fully in the 9th chapter of this same Epistle. We must observe that it is not a reward of wages, but of encouragement: not given because it was earned, but out of the free love of Him who employs us. This reward is referred to in the 9th chapter and 16th verse, thus-"Though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me." God has commanded it, and I must do it. This the Apostle knew and felt-"Yea" (he goes on to say) woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel." And therefore you see, whether there were a reward or not, at the peril of his own soul, the minister must preach the Gospel. "For, if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward." If willingly, he has the reward, not as so much wages given for so much work done; but as a free gift. God has commanded His Gospel to be preached, and it must be done; if the heart of His minister be made willing to do it, and he cheerfully does it, then a reward is given; but "if against my will" (says the Apostle,) "a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me." He must do it, whether with, or against the will. But what is the reward? The Apostle first states that he had not used the power he possessed by taking any thing from the Corinthians for his preaching; but it was his comfort, in ministering amongst them, that he had delivered the Gospel of Christ without charge, and had not abused the power which that Gospel gave him in this respect. But for what object was all this? He declares it in the 19th verse, "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant of all, "that I might gain the more"-that he might gather more abiding souls to Christ. This was his grand object, and for which he was willing to do, or to suffer any thing. To the Jews he became as a Jew that he might gain them.

To those that

were under the law, as under the law, that he might gain them. To them that were without law (to the heathen) he would do or become any thing he conscientiously could, that he might gain them: to the weak he would become as weak, that he might gain the weak; yea he became all things to all men, that by all means he might save some-that he might save souls, (1 Cor. ix. 19-22.) What then was the reward, upon which his eye and his heart was fixed? Turn to 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20. "What is our hope or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy." Again, he says of his converts to the Lord, "ye are our rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus." (2 Cor. i. 14.) We are told in Dan. xii. 3, that "they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." There are a great many other texts of scripture explaining this same point, which I will not stop to bring before you now. But I would very earnestly beg of you to make those that I have mentioned serve merely as an index to assist you, when you go home, in looking into the word of God for yourselves to find others like them. Just, however, let us look to the 1st Chapter of the Romans, and the 13th verse; there we find St. Paul expressing his earnest desire to see them that he might gain some of their souls. "I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (but was let hitherto), that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles." So then we find the great object of the Apostle Paul-one of the master-builders-was to use every consistent means, and to become all things to all men, and to do any thing, if after all, by any means he might gain souls; because God of His infinite mercy and free love has promised a reward to the ministers; and that reward is to be according to the number of souls they shall have gathered and placed

upon the true foundation-who have been tried in the fire and have borne it; and have proved in the end to be gold, silver, and precious stones :-permanent, solid, enduring, glorious. These shall we present to the Lord at His coming, "Lord! here am I and the souls whom thou hast

and say, given me." And according to their number will be the number of the jewels in the crown of the minister, which he will place at the feet of the Saviour :-they will be his glory and joy.

This is a subject entirely overlooked by the world; but it is a subject so full of deep interest, and of joyful, yet anxious anticipation to the ministers of Christ, that no one who is taught by the Spirit of God can overlook it. Remember, brethren, this is a reward, not of wages, but of encouragement. The Lord sends His ministers forth into the world. He says, go and gather souls into the Church by the preaching of my Gospel-build them upon the foundation, and lo! I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. He adds, take care how you do this; and, to make you very earnest and diligent, as many souls as you can gather into the church by profession, and that turn out in the fiery trial which shall come upon them, to be true and spiritual members upon the foundation-cemented to it by the Holy Ghost, these shall be a crown for you, and with which you shall shine with the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars in the heavens for evermore.

It seems wonderful that a man-a poor sinner-should have to expect such things, under such promises. But if it be true (and I have shewn you, by the word of God, that it is true), then would it not be strange indeed if we were either ashamed or afraid to entertain and declare our expectations. As well, brethren, might any one who has been employed by the king of his country in some important service, and has been honoured by his master with some singular badge of

distinction, be ashamed of the royal favour, and say, I will not be called by the title conferred-I will not wear the coronet of my peerage, not the star of my order with which I have been dignified, as a free gift by my sovereign. As well might a military commander act thus, as a minister be ashamed or afraid to speak of the crown which the Lord will give to him-a crown studded with precious jewels, the redeemed souls to whom he preached the Gospel by which they were gathered into Christ's church by His Spirit-the tried ones, whose profession was not mere outward words, but the open acknowledgment of the hidden principle in the heart. will be jewels in the crown of the minister-his joy and crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus.

IX. But there follows a contrast in the last part of the subject: "If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." This contains the power of the application-" If any man's work shall be burned-" not in the fire of hell, as I have already shewn you, but in the fire of trial here in this present life-he shall suffer loss. If after a minister has been labouring diligently, and using all possible means to put the truth before his people—if after he has shewn them the folly of mocking God, by making an unmeant and unfelt profession; and has pressed upon their consciences the powerful meaning of the words they themselves make use of, and the inconsistency of not striving to live after the measure of their own statements :-if after he has done all this, a member in communion with the Church goes forth to the fiery trial that is arranged, or permitted, in order to try the sincerity of his profession, and by his acts denies his words; declares with his lips the power and readiness of Christ to redeem him from all sin, but under temptation says, I cannot help giving way to this sin-I must follow that wrong course or worldly custom-I shall lose so much if I do not-my business would suffer and my friends