of the most invaluable and unalienable rights of a religious society, to choose their own minister. And when they exercise this right, and freely choose a certain man to carry on the sacred work of the ministry among them, they pay great respect to him, and place great confidence in his fidelity. They justly expect, that he will naturally care for their state, and watch for their souls, as one who must give account; and a good minister cannot resist the force and obligation of these endearing motives to pastoral fidelity. The trust they have reposed in him, appears as important to him, as to them; and his concern for them is greater than their concern for themselves. He knows, better than they do, what tends to promote, or to obstruct their spiritual good; and feels a deep concern for them, when they imagine he has no occasion for the least anxiety or solicitude on their account. He feels concerned to instruct those, who do not wish to be instructed; to admonish those, who do not wish to be admonished; to reform those, who do not wish to be reformed; to guide those, who do not wish to be guided; to restrain those, who do not wish to be restrained; and to save those, who do not wish to be saved. Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, he feels himself bound to care for their spiritual state, and faithfully discharge every ministerial duty towards them. He is willing to spend, and to be spent for them, though the more abundantly he loves them, the less he be loved. Though some may wish, that he would relax his care and concern for them; yet this, instead of weakening, serves to increase his desires and exertions to promote the spiritual interests of all his people, who have placed so much confidence in his fidelity as to commit themselves to his pastoral watch and instruction. Like Paul, he can sincerely say to his flock, "Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all."

Thirdly: A pious minister feels a tender concern for his people, because he freely and solemnly engages to be their spiritual guide and watchman. He takes the oversight of his flock, "not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind." He cheerfully devotes his time, his talents, his interests, and his influence, to the service of his people. His concern for their highest good is paramouut to all his own private and personal concerns. He knows the worth of his own soul in the view of eternity, and he views his people in the same solemn and interesting light. He realizes that every soul which he has taken charge of, is worth more than the whole material world. This creates a deep and tender concern, lest any individual of his flock should perish through his unfaithfulness or neglect. He means to serve his people, rather than

himself. This Paul sincerely resolved to do. He says to christians, "Though I be free from all men, yet I have made myself servant to all." Again he says, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." And farthermore he says, "I seek not yours, but you." Every faithful minister is like minded, and considers himself as the servant of his people; and feels bound by his own voluntary vows and engagements, to guide every man, to teach every man, and to warn every man, that he may, if possible, present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. But the more solicitous he is to serve his people, and fulfil his own obligations to them, the more he is concerned, lest he should labor in vain, and spend his strength for nought and in vain. He knows that he must be to them, a savor of life unto life, or a savor of death unto death. This is a concern, which the apostle represents as too great for human strength to bear; for he asks, "Who is sufficient for these things?" It made the prophet weep in secret places, and it has drawn tears from the eyes, and sighs from the heart of many a faithful minister; who could not endure the thought of being instrumental of destroying those, whom he ardently desired and endeavored to save. Those who of choice take the charge of precious and immortal souls, continually carry upon their minds a weight of cares superior to that of any other men.

Fourthly: Every good minister feels a tender concern for the good of his people, because he knows that his interest is inseparably connected with theirs. The spiritual and important relation between him and his people, creates a mutual and inseparable connection between their spiritual and eternal interests and his. He therefore as naturally cares for their spiritual good, as for his own. Whatever he does sincerely to promote their spiritual benefit, will eventually promote his own spiritual benefit. This pleasing consideration had great influence upon the apostle Paul; and fired his breast with peculiar zeal and fortitude, in all his efforts and sufferings to promote the salvation of those, to whom he preached the saving truths of the gospel. He often mentioned this consoling and animating motive. To the Corinthians he said, "As ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus." To the Philippians he said, "My brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord." "Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice

in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain." "For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me." To the Thessalonians he said, "Brethren, we were comforted over you in all our afflictions and distress, by your faith; for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." And he anticipated much greater happiness in meeting them at the last day. "For 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." Under the impression of such hopes and expectations, every pious minister as naturally cares for the good of his people, as for his own good; because he knows that so far as he sincerely promotes their holiness and happiness, he will promote his own holiness and happiness to all eternity. His interests and theirs are inseparably connected; as they will be his, so he will be their crown of rejoicing, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Finally: Every good minister feels greatly concerned for the good of his people, because he views their eternal interests inseparably connected with the eternal interests of Christ. Christ has an interest in believers, as well as they an interest in him. They were promised to him, as the reward of his sufferings and death, in performing the work of redemption. They were the joy set before him, in the view of which he freely endured all the pains and reproaches of the cross. And just before his death, he claimed the fulfilment of his Father's promise. "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee; as thou hast given hin power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Whatever promotes the interests of believers, equally promotes the interests of Christ. And on the other side, whatever promotes the interests of Christ, equally promotes the interests of believers. Accordingly, the apostle says, "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Again he says, "Let no man glory in men; for all things are yours; whether Paul, or. Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." The pious minister, who undertakes to feed the sheep and lambs of Christ, loves him supremely, and seeks the interests of his kingdom above every other interest. His love to Christ excites his love to his people, and fills him with a tender concern to promote their eternal interests, which will infallibly promote the eternal interests of Christ. "Therefore," says the apostle, "I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they

may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." And he represents Timothy as naturally concerned for the spiritual interests of the Philippians, because their interests were connected with the interests of Christ. "For I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Timothy considered the things of believers, as the things of Christ; and felt a deep concern to promote their interests, because their interests were inseparably connected with the honor and glory and interests of Christ. It now appears, I trust, that every good minister feels a tender concern for the good of his people, from the purest and best motives.

I have endeavored to adapt my discourse to the present mournful occasion; and I am persuaded that every one has clearly perceived that I have had an eye, through the whole, to the most prominent and discriminating trait in the character of the late pious and excellent pastor of this people.

The Rev. Mr. CLEAVELAND descended from a highly respectable and pious family. His venerable father was a pattern of piety, and an ornament to the Christian and clerical profession. He stood high among the first of faithful preachers of the gospel, and zealous promoters of the cause of Christ and the good of souls. He had a tender concern for the best interests of his people, and for the best good of his family. He walked within his house with a perfect heart, and brought up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He originally designed to give his son, now deceased, a public education, and actually prepared him for admission into Yale College; but his purposes were broken by his son's low and languishing state of health. Though, like Timothy, he had been piously educated, and from his youth had well known the Holy Scriptures, which were able to make him wise unto salvation; yet he did not, in his own view, experience a saving change until he arrived to riper years. He had a capacity and taste for learning, and improved every advantage and opportunity afforded him, to cultivate his mind, and acquire useful and especially religious knowledge. While he was employed in the service and defence of his country, he saw human nature in its fairest and foulest forms, and gained an extensive acquaintance with the higher and lower grades of men in civil society. Being sanctified by divine grace, and enriched with a large portion of speculative, experimental, and practical knowledge, he was, in these respects, amply prepared for the good work for which he had an early and strong predilection. He venerated, as he said, the ministerial character, from his youth, and preferred the work of the ministry to any other employment in life. At

length, Providence opened the way for his pursuing the sacred calling, to which his heart was so warmly attached. In the year 1785, he was ordained over the church in Stoneham, where he faithfully discharged the duties of his office until the year 1794, when he was honorably dismissed from his pastoral relation to that religious society. In the year 1798, he was resettled in the work of the ministry in this place. From that period until last spring, which is a space of sixteen years, he constantly and faithfully performed the duties of his office among this people, and gave them unequivocal evidence, that his heart was in his work. He had a zeal according to knowledge; and his zeal directed and concentrated all his ministerial gifts and graces to one object, and that object was the good of his people. When any man confines his attention to one object, and employs all his powers and faculties in the pursuit of it, he is always zealously engaged to obtain it. Mr. Cleaveland was zealously affected in a good cause, which had a governing influence upon every thing he said and did. Though he was pleasant and entertaining in his private conversation, yet he always kept himself at a proper distance from every thing vain and trifling, and uniformly maintained that gravity of deportment which became his sacred office. No corrupt communication proceeded out of his mouth, but that which was good to the use of edifying, and which had a tendency to minister grace to the hearers. He possessed a singular talent at turning conversation to some useful subject, and at making pertinent and serious remarks with ease and propriety; which manifested his sincere and habitual concern to do good. Whether he went to the house of health, or to the house of sickness, or to the house of mourning, or to the house of joy and rejoicing, he seriously considered these seasons as so many opportu nities of promoting the benefit of his people, and improved them to this pious and benevolent purpose. There is, I presume, scarcely a family, or a person in this place, who has not heard some seasonable instruction, or some seasonable admonition, or some sympathizing and consoling observations drop from his lips, on such occasions. His parochial visits were designed, not so much to gratify, as to edify his people, and promote their spiritual welfare. He was not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, not only on the Sabbath, but on every day of the week, as opportunities presented. Though these private ministerial duties were lighter shades in his character, yet they served to display and brighten the evidence of that sincere and tender concern for the state of his flock, which shone more conspicuously in his public labors. These he performed with an undivided attention, and from the