so many delay? I can think of but two reasons: the defection of those who have been with us, and thewhat shall I call it?-indolence? pride? ambition?—I have no precise word at command. I mean those who blow up here, and burst up there, or run down in some other place, simply because they ran up too fast and too high, who are grumbling about the ingratitude, want of zeal, stinginess of Societies, moving here and moving there, to find a people willing to praise their poor old sermons, instead of studying new and more interesting ones. I haye no patience with these clerical loafers-minister vagabonds-who go about killing Societies by their inattention to the real duties of their vocation, as faithful ministers of the New Testamentand then try to shirk a merited condemnation by finding fault with Societies.

"With such a country as ours, and in such an age as this, there is no need of this state of things. There is not, and never was-I trust there never will be-any occasion, any justification, for a good, capable, faithful preacher of Universalism, to be idle, out of employto sink into the cities to beg their way through life.There are hundreds of places to-day where men, duly qualified, could find abundant encouragement, to sustain themselves and families. Yes, a thousand, more desirable than those into which most of our preachers, twenty years ago, entered when they commenced their missions. New England and New York could support twice as many as they have,-the Western States four times, and the Southern States ten times as many. All that is wanting is men of the right stamp. For want of them our cause languishes. Pray the Lord to send more laborers into the field.""

He declares that " clergymen are solemnly ordained to a specific work. Thereafter they have vowed unto God to live and work for the ministry; to persuade men unto holiness; to comfort those in affliction, and

do good as they have opportunity. Whenever any worldly object or interest comes between them and the duties of their vocation, they act unworthily, and on no good ground of fairness can they pretend to belong to the ministry. He who becomes worldly, and prefers business, honor, pleasure, to that of godliness, deserves not to retain his standing."

CHAPTER XV.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND BURIAL.

Brother Balch naturally had a hardy constitution, and was descended from a family of more than ordinary length of life. And yet most of the early years of his ministry were darkened by a terrible struggle with painful disease, induced by over-study and unacquaintance of the laws of health, to be borne with most marked submission; and his preaching during all this time was kept beautifully radiant with the hopes and joys of the Gospel. I remember him in some of those years in which he calls himself "a poor, nervous, shadowy dyspeptic, and a wonder to himself, till he learned to use the world as not abusing it, and then doing as well as knowing, despite fashions, luxuries and habits." His disease would frequently come upon him with great violence, and he would suffer for weeks beyond description.

I find in a published sermon of his, "Forty Years in the Ministry," in which he says:

"For the first twenty years of my ministry, I suffered much from disease, induced by ignorance of God's holy law written all over and through my being. Overtaxing the brain, restraining the body by sedentary habits, regardless of diet, and abusing a naturally strong constitution, I passed through all the horrors of a miserable dyspeptic, made worse by medical ignorance prevailing at the time in such cases. During

As he can not control the wor to make the best of everythin inappropriate anywhere.

"The City of Mexico is de romantically situated of any I Constantinople and Damascus down all one sees and hears a in our own country, would task. To one familiar with cil Old World, all is plainer a hended. Mexico is not an A acteristics. It is an exotic, in bears a near resemblance to it visitor sees and feels at every eign land. Very few thing own country. The look and the streets and houses, chur carriages and horses-everyt strange. The cookery and as anything he encounters. character and manners of the tasks.

"The gathered multitud streets, in the churches, in every where, present picture tremest poverty and almost attire and gaudiest display ments of the churches and priests, the latter surpass seen staggering under heav shoulders wardrobes, bi square blocks of stone f water laid upon their hips their foreheads, with and front from the main stra bales and boxes of goods bundles on their heads, as well as four-legged b

ICKNESS, DEATH AND BURIAL.

lch naturally had a hardy constitution, ended from a family of more than ordin

life. And yet most of the early years try were darkened by a terrible struggle disease, induced by over-study and unacof the laws of health, to be borne with od submission; and his preaching durtime was kept beautifully radiant with the oys of the Gospel. I remember him in ose years in which he calls himself "a poor, dowy dyspeptic, and a wonder to himself, ned to use the world as not abusing it, and

as well as knowing, despite fashions, luxurbits." His disease would frequently come with great violence, and he would suffer for yond description.

in a published sermon of his, "Forty Years inistry," in which he says:

the first twenty years of my ministry, I sufach from disease, induced by ignorance of God's written all over and through my being. Overthe brain, restraining the body by sedentary regardless of Constitution, I able dyspept

abusing a naturally all the horrors of medical ignoS. During