portals of the sanctuary, bearing
fertility and healing to the world; they may, again, from loss of
virtue, fail to enrich the waiting land. There will be living trees by
the living stream. There will be barrenness where "the water is
nought"!

For preaching _has_ been effective and the story thereof is a story
full of glory. Within the single century of our own church history
what wonderful things have been done by the ministry of the Word. It
must never be forgotten by those of our fellowship that the Primitive
Methodist Church owes its existence to a revival of preaching. Our
founders were not seceders; they were preachers. They searched the
Scriptures not to find passages to hurl at theological antagonists, or
so-called ecclesiastical tyrants, but to find texts for sermons to save
sinners, build up saints and glorify the Saviour whom they loved better
than their own lives. These sermons they preached under the open
ceiling of the skies in Summer's heat, and Autumn's storms, and
Winter's snow. England had been waiting for just such preaching as
these rugged men came forth in God's name to deliver, and the common
people heard them gladly. Immediately succeeding our actual founders
came a race of preachers who carried the glad tidings East, West, North
and South, along the highways and byeways of England, gathering in the
lost and folding the gathered. Some of them, we remember, and could
mention them name by name but that the list is very long, and we would
insist upon lingering to speak of deeds as names came forth. We must
recall their triumphs, for the inspiration we will need as we pursue
the task before us now.

Another thing that must never be forgotten is that, as our Church was
founded by preaching, and has been built up by preaching, by preaching
will it be upheld and increased, or not at all. We are forward to
recognise the immense importance of other branches of service and the
great part they have played in our wondrous past. The pastor carrying
the message of salvation and consolation to the homes of the fallen and
stricken; the teacher gathering the little ones around him Sabbath by
Sabbath; the tract distributor, now, alas! too seldom seen about his
work, but of great usefulness in earlier days--these and a score of
differently named toilers have laboured in the uprearing of this city
of the Lord. But ever the preacher has been the leader of them
all--the pioneer, the quarryman, the insp