every
truly and sincerely and genuinely Christian man watches himself in that
way? For as the one essential and distinguishing mark of a New Testament
minister is not that he is an able man, or a studious man, or an eloquent
man, but that he is a pastor and watches for souls, so it is the chiefest
and the best mark, and to himself the only safe and infallible mark, that
any man is a sincere and true Christian man, that he watches himself
always and in all things looks first and last to himself.

SINCERE

'In all things showing sincerity.'--Paul to Titus.

Charles Bennett has a delightful drawing of Sincere in Charles Kingsley's
beautiful edition of _The Pilgrim's Progress_. You feel that you could
look all day into those clear eyes. Your eyes would begin to quail
before you had looked long into the fourth shepherd's deep eyes; but
those eyes of his have no cause to quail under yours. This man has
nothing to hide from you. He never had. He loves you, and his love to
you is wholly without dissimulation. He absolutely and unreservedly
means and intends by you and yours all that he has ever said to you and
yours, and much more than he has ever been able to say. The owner of
those deep blue eyes is as true to you when he is among your enemies as
he is true to the truth itself when he is among your friends. Mark also
the unobtrusive strength of his mouth, all suffused over as it is with a
most winning and reassuring sweetness. The fourth shepherd of the
Delectable Mountains is one of the very best of Bennett's excellent
portraits. But Mr. Kerr Bain's pen-and-ink portrait of Sincere in his
_People of the Pilgrimage_ is even better than Bennett's excellent
drawing. 'Sincere is softer in outline and feature than Watchful. His
eye is full-open and lucid, with a face of mingled expressiveness and
strength--a lovable, lowly, pure-spirited man--candid, considerate,
willing, cheerful--not speaking many words, and never any but true
words.' Happy sheep that have such a shepherd! Happy people! if only
any people in the Church of Christ could have such a pastor.

It is surely too late, too late or too early, to begin to put tests to a
minister's sincerity after he has been licensed and called and is now
standing in the presence of his presbytery and surrounded with his
congregation. It is a tremendous enough question to put to any man at
any time: 'Are not zeal for the honour of God, love to Jesus Christ,