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See Burnet’s Past. Care, ch. viii. Mr. Richmond’s Ministry may furnish a specimen of these ‘undefined extra-official obligations.’ Besides two complete services on the Sabbath—it consisted of a Sunday evening lecture for the young—Cottage lectures on Tuesday, and latterly, also, on Thursday evenings—a lecture in the church on Friday, with weekly instruction at the workhouse, and a monthly lecture before the sacrament. Combined with this system of public instruction was the constant fulfilment of the Apostolical injunction, of going from house to house. See his Life, pp. 114, 115, 588, 589. Many devoted Ministers would be “pressed out of measure, above strength,” and would shortly “have the sentence of death in themselves” from such incessant demands; and ‘Christ’ (as an excellent Minister said to his brother) ‘is too great a Master to need, and too good a Master to require, his servants to kill themselves in his service.’ Some, however, profess to be retained from these ‘extra-official ‘labours by the fear of entailing heavy burdens upon their successors. But the Lord will not require of them the same portion of work with diminished physical resources; while he justly demands of all his servants that, as is their strength, so their work shall be. While the higher and most reasonable demands of many of our Diocesans are stimulating us to increasing exertions, let us be careful that prospective considerations do not paralyze our present energies, and that we do not grudge to expend a healthful constitution in a service in which angels might think it an honour to be engaged. Where health, strength, talents, and opportunities are granted, who will say that such labours are uncalled-for by the exigency of the case, by the voice of conscience, by the constraining influence of our Master’s love (John 21.15-17), or by those solemn Ordination engagements which we have voluntarily undertaken?