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»:

THE

• r-

FIRST AND LAST WORDS

O*-

'^J*^^''^^^ ^O HIS PEOPLE.

WATSON, PBINTEE.— KINGSTON.

MDCCCXUII.

1 ■>

< 5

(?)

TO THE CONGREGATION OF ST. GEftRGE'S CHURCH.

In offering, as a parting gift, to the Congregation amongst
whom for twelve years he laboured, and in whose service he
has been worn and spent, the last words ever uttered amongst
them by him, who has now gone to his rest ; I need not to
bespeak favour or indulgence.

They are words of simplicity and truth; they were preached
among you with deep emotion-they were preached in pain
and suffermg— and to many present they sounded then, as they
have smce proved to be, the dying words of your Pastor. Let
the heart searching enquiries therein made, now sound in your
ears as a voice from his grave-as a solemn appeal from that
World of Spirits into which he has entered. And may the
Spirit of God bring home to your hearts with power these last
words of your Minister-that in that day when you again
meet him face to face, they may not testify against any.

June 5th, 1843. ^* ^'

» I

r> ,1 •»]•'■>• '*.

■ I <\ »

;• ■' ii tT »i '. ff i: ■^y'^^'^,^^'

Extracts from Ihe Introductory Sermon of the Rev. U.
■, D.CARTWRiQHTf preached before the Congregation
.-<■. of St. George's Church, on his appointment as
' '^ Assistant Minister of Kingston ; March 20ih, 1831.

.■■')■■:■■

{ ,.»■•.■('..',

; • . . I ' ■ , « :

**Let a man so account of us, as of the Ministers of
Christ, and Stewards of the mysteries of God.** — 1st Ep.
to Cor. 4th chap. 1st verse.

■ : ^.1 ,.

♦■,• f" ■)•

Various are the means employed by a gracious Saviour
to encourage the weak disciple — reclaim and rouse the
thoughtless and indifferent professor — and awaken the
hardened sinner to a sense of his state. The Holy Spirit,
in its efforts to kindle faith within the heart, is not confined
to any definite rule ; still in every age its most prominent
instruments have been the Christian Ministers. They are
the ordained means appointed by God to convince man
of the danger of that spiritual indolence in which the soul
is ever too willing to repose ; they are the appointed
teachers whose duty it is plainly to shew the folly of
relying on vague notions of divine mercy, and supposed
Baptismal privileges; who are bound to lead men seriously
to enquire into the real demands of the Gospel, and the
method of salvation therein revealed ; whose warning
voice must rouse all to vigilance in working out their
salvation ; and persuade them to try and examine
themselves by the law and the testimony, so that they
may be able to give a reasonable answer of the hope that
is in them. My brethren, this is the nature of the com-

mission with which we are charged as Ministers of Christ,
and Stewards of the mysteries of God. How responsible
the situation ! How weighty the charge ! How sacred the
connection that subsists between a Minister of Christ and
the Flock of which he has the oversight ! Other connec-
tions are dissolved by death, but the influence of this will
extend beyond the grave ; it will be remembered when
every other is forgotten, and its effects will be felt one
way or other throughout eternity. And such is the
connection which is now to commence between you and
myself; it is a solemn and affecting consideration both to
you and to mc to contemplate it in all its consequences,
so awfully interesting to our everlasting state to carry
our thoughts onward to th^ consummation of all things,
when enquiry shall be made (by Him whom no one can
deceive) whether the Minister has been faithful to his
trust ? Whether the Flock has profited by his labour ?

Do I then unduly magnify my oflice when I assert, that
it is the most important to which a man can possibly be
called. Many I know will tell you that it is our profession,
our business; that we are paid to preach just as the lawyer
is paid for pleading for his client — the physician for
attending and relieving his patient, and that therefore
it is our interest. My brethren, I admit that it is our
profession ; we publicly profess at our ordination, never
to cease our care and diligence till we have done all that
lieth in us to bring to Christ those who are mtrusted to
our care. True, it is our business to teach every man the
value of his soul, and warn him of the danger to which
it is exposed by sin. Nay more, I allow that it is for our
own interest that we preach — that we have in it a deep
personal concern ; " For thus saith the Lord — I have set

thee as a watchman unto the house of Israel ; therefore,
when I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt
surely die, if thou doest not speak to warn the wicked
from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity,
but his blood will I require at thine hand." Is it matter
of wonder, then, with this plain denunciation before our
eyes, that we conceive it our business and interest to
declare plainly the whole counsel of God ? But do not
believe, as they would insinuate who call H our profes-
sional business, that we feel nothing ourselves at the
issue of our labours. Do not believe that we grieve not
when the warnings of God are in vain— that we rejoice
not when they are listened to. No, it is our greatest
comfort. Believe me, there are moments when a sense
of the awful responsibility we have assumed — when the
contemplation of that strict account, of every single soul
entrusted to our charge, which we must render unto
God — affects us deeply. It is then that we feel our own
insufficiency, and the vast importance of our office-~it is
then that we feel the need of support and consolation :
and where are we to look ? Our fii-st hope is in Him
whose instruments we are. We look with confidence to
Him, in full assurance that He who has sent us will, if we
be but sincere, give us power and ability to perform our
duty : we know that His grace is amply sufficient. Our
next is the comfort and encouragement which flows from
fi belief that oiar labours are not altogether in vain — that
we are instrumental in promoting the salvation of souls—
that we shall be enabled, with St. Paul, to thank God,
** that when ye received the word of God which ye heard
of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is
lii truth the word of God, which worketh effectually in
them that believe." " For what is our hope or joy, or

I-

crown of riBJoiciiig ? Arc nbl ovdn ye Iri thio prtfietic^ bl'
our Lord Jesus Christ, at hii coming ? For ye are bur

glory and joy."

#
initio

'^' The object of every minister ihould be, to endeavour

to persuade his flock that he is interested for them. My

brethrerif by GotVs help I will endeavour to obtain thi$

testimony. In the meanwhile^ all I aik ift that you believe

me sincere and earnest — that I really wish to prom ;te

your eternal interest. I expect no more than this at

present ; aiid this I have a right to expect, till you have

cause to think other>^ise. I have come amOhg you with

the determination, as far as is in my power, of continuing

ivith you. I enter upon my charge in the hope that 1

shall never leave you; but that I shallbtf permitted to

labour among you, until the day when I shall be called to

account; and I confess I think myself happy that my lot

is likely to be cast in a place endeared to me by the ties

of early recollections, and among so many who have

known me from my youth up. 1 look with confidence

for your assistance and support in my miniitty : ^nd

indulge the hope, that, by the blessing of Ood, I ihali

have the comfort of knowing that my labouv has not been

m vain. .f

, And now, brethren, in the preience of Him before
whom we mugt all ere long appear, let me lolemnly and
affectionately entreat your prayers in my behalf. Pray
for yourselves, and for me. For yourselves, that you
^may profit by my ministry ; fpr me, that I may have my
.conversation honest among you, so that, after ha,ving
preached to others, I may not be a cast away } — ^* tbat 1

16*

may speak the truth boldly, as I ought to speak, yet in
love ; — that I may rightly proclaim that great mystery
of godliness, God manifest in the flesh ; " so that when
the awful hour arrives, which is to fix the destiny of our
souls for ever, we may have cause to thank God for the
connection this day begun ; and when the Saviour shall
require at my hands an account of the souls over which
He has appointed me to watch, I may be able to say,
** iiord, of those whom thou gavest me, I have lost nope,"^

'/foil *- r;'.'>K5q' Vuiati v.j'u .'m;«: . •'iriMrf'^:^- ? Vthu::>c^ ^e<'i "to

'^.

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':';i i7r:;| ':'iflr i

u..

A-' ' '

1 H'-; '

Preached before the Congregation of ^' . George's
Church, Januay 29th, 1843.

ja^

" To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine
to give ; but it shall be given to them for whom it is
prepared of my Father." — Part of the 23rd verse of the
20th chap, of St. Matthew.

The words of the text are taken from the 2nd Lesson
of last Sunday morning; and, like many places of Holy
Scripture, are probably listened to without duly weighing
the full purport and meaning of the lesson they convey.
It is my intention to offer some remarks upon the passage,
which, when duly weighed, will be found well deserving
our attention. The occasion which caused our Lord to
give utterance to these words was a request made by the
mother of James and John, or by her in conjunction with
her two sons, that the ch^of places of honour should be
reserved for them in that kingdom which they supposed
to be approaching. This request seems to have been
dictated by worldly ambition, and the other disciples
undoubtedly understood it to be a desire, on the oart of
two brothers, to be exalted above them ; for we read
that, when the ten heard it, they were moved with indig-
nation against the two brethren, or, as it is in the parallel
place in Mark, they began to be much displeased with
James and John. Our blessed Lord, discovering this
feeling of indignation, repressed it at once. " He called

the twelve unto Him, and said : Ye know that the Princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they
that are great exercise authority upon them ; but it shall
not be so among you ; but whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant ; even as the Son of Man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ramsom for many." Let us observe in such
scenes as these the mind of Christ ; let us not pass over
this instance without confessing, that our Lord carried
out in his own example and daily practice the precept he
had previously given, "Blessed are the Peace Makers, for
they shall be called the Children of God." But our chief
concern is to consider the meaning of our Lord in his
reply to the request of the sons of Zebedee, " To sit on
my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give,
but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of
my Father." If you turn to the verse in your Bible you
will see that the words "it shall be given to thenit* are
printed in a different type from tho rest of the passage,
this shews that the words have been inserted by our
translators, and that they are not in the original Greek.
It is to be regretted that these words have been put in,
they are not cnlv not necessary, but they have the effect
of altering the meaning. The passage is perfectly intel-
ligible without the addition, " To sit on my right hand
and on my left is not mine to give but to them for whom
it has been prepared by my Father." My brethren, these
words plainly declare that heaven is not to be promis-
cuously thrown open ; they imply that future happiness
in the world to come can only be given to a certain class,
and that our Lord himself can bestow it on no others but
those for whom it has been prepared. I wish you to weigh

well this deduction, h not the inference a correct one ?

Does it not follow directly from our Lord's reply to

James and John '! U so, it is surely an important inquiry,

who they are for whom those things have been prepared.

Is there any place in Serif >turo that can give us a clue to

a question so momentous ? Yes, my brethren, Scripture

does furnish us with a csluo to our inquiry. Scripture

does plainly declare who they are for whom heavenly

happiness and honour have been prepared. Connect this

place of Scripture with that other place in this same

Gospel, where our Lord has given an account of the day

of Judgment. Compare his words, and see if you cannot

find the answer you require : " When the Son of Man

shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,

then shall he sit upon i\\Qjik(fonQ of his glory, and before

him shall be gathgyedaW nations, and he shall separate

Jhemjo»e--froTrranothor, as a shepherd divideth his sheep

from the goats ; and ho shall set the sheep on his right

hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say

unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my

Father, inherit the kingdom prepahed for you from the

foundation of the world : for / was an hungered, and

ye gave me meat," dec. Compare, my brethren, this

place with our text : weigh both together, and you

have your enquiry fully answered. Heaven has been

prepared for the faithful servants of Christ, and for

no other; — for those whoso faith in Him has worked

by love, the fruit of which has been in all goodness,

righteousnes.3, and truth. It is true our Lord has confined

his judgment lo one class of actions ; but observe the

principle of the procedure, as he has disclosed it, and you

will perceive that on it all depends. To one he speaks

with favour ; but why ? Because " / was an hungered,
and ye gave me meat," &c. To the other He speaks
with terrors of judgment ; and why does he do so ?
Because " / was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat,"
&c. In the one case, Christ was served — in the other,
Christ was neglected. This constitutes the all important
difference between the two great classes — those who are
saved, and those who are lost. Unless we serve Christ
here, we shall find, that, although "there are many
mansions in His Heavenly Father's house," not one has
been prepared for us ! I confess, taking this view of our
Lord's answer to James and John, nothing appears to
me more calculated to awaken, in every thinking mind,
the most serious reflections, both as to their conduct and
their hopes. The passage, so viewed, proves how gross
are the mistakes which prevail as to the practical nature
of the Gospel and the evidence of a true faith, and how
utterly delusive all those hopes must eventually prove
which are built on those mistaken views. First: We
learn what that faith is which Christ will, at the Judgment
day, acknowledge. It is an active, diligent, life-influencing
faith — that faith which governed the conduct of St. Paul,
when, speaking in defence of himself, he tells the Corin-
thians, " The love of Christ constraineth me; because I
thus judge, that, if one died for all, then were all dead ;
and that he died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died
for them, and rose again." (2nd Cor. v. 14, 15.) This is
the Gospel principle of faith : it is the practical application
of a belief of Christ's mercy towards ourselves — to the
regulation of our every day habits ; not the cold assent of
the understanding merely to truths which are considered

as abstract doctrines. Faith — real faith in Christ
Jesu& — MUST PRODUCE LOVE ; and love is a principle that
will shew itself. We cannot believe all that the Scrip-
tures tell us of ourselves — our corrupt nature, our lost
condition — we cannot believe what they reveal of Christ's
interposition to save us — and not love Him. We cannot
believe these things as we ought — cannot believe our-
selves so lost, or so saved — without loving the Saviour.
We may profess a thousand things; but if we really
believe in the heart what Christ has done for us, and our
need of his redemption, we will shew it. It will con-
strain us, as it did St. Paul, to live to Him. You cannot
prevent the soul, which loves Christ for what He has
done, from shewing that love. He may have little — of
silver and gold he may have none — but he will shew
that he is the servant of the Lord Jesus. My brethren,
do you love the Lord Jesus Christ ? Be not surprised at
the question ; but try and answer it. You do. Is it a
love in word and in tongue, or in deed and in truth ? —
fpi when St. John guards us against the former, it is
evident he had witnessed some examples of that shallow
sort of love, which was all words. It is evident likewise
that St. James had seen instances of a faith which shewed
no signs of love — no signs of life. Let us then beware of
the same deceit. I ask again. Do you love the Lord
Jesus Christ ? Take but the last week : try yourselves
by it. What evidence do its hours afford, that you are
Christ's servants, and that you have served Him ? I wis^
not to carry on the matter too minutely — to descend to
details ; but do you, in the secresy ot your own hearts,
and in the privacy of your own chamber, try honestly to
review the last six days ; and as each successive hour —

each successive action — comes before you in that review,
see what Christ has had to do with either ? If He has had
nothing to do with the manner in which you have spent
your time— ^the objects in which you have been engaged,
or the spirit by which you have been influenced — can
you be said to love the Lord ? Are not our thoughts
often on those whom we love, and who love us ; and the
more so, if absent from us for a season ! How necessary
— how appropriate the prayer in our Liturgy, "O Lord,
who hast prepared for them that love thee such good
things as pass man's understanding, send Thy Holy Spirit,
and pour into our hearts such love toward Thee, that we,
loving thee above all things, may obtain Thy promises,
which exceed all that we can desire, through Christ Jesus."

2nd. Observe the true Christian character, as the answer
of our Lord to James and John, compared with his prin-
ciple of judgment, reveals it. Is it the mere abstaining
from gross sins that qualifies for Heaven? Does the
meetness to partake of the inheritance of the saints in
light consist in not living as sinfully as some others — the
doing no harm to our fellow men, and such like, as so
many seem to suppose ? Is a man to be accounted safe
because he is no drunkard — is not unchaste — ^is not dis-
honest ? Will a man of mere amiable feelings, who has
been influenced by them alone, without regard to the
claims of Christ upon his talents — will he be safe ? Is it
not evident, my brethren, that a place in the heavenly
kingdom has not been prepared for that mere negative
character ; as the only principle there recognised is faith
working by love to Christ, so the only character there
accepted id the character which that principle engenders.
It is the most powerful of all principles where it rules ;

liticl it is the only pritKiiple powerful enough to overcomei
the World, purify the heart, and withstand the devil.
** Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that be-
lieveth that Jesus is the Son of God ? '* It must do thin
for us here in this life ; otherwise we shall have neither
part nor lot in the kingdom of God. Whence have arisen
those mistakes as to the nature and extent of Christian
holiness ? Whence comes it to pass that so many have
the name of Christ, but manifest no likeness to the ex-
ample he has set them ? It must be that they wholly
overlook or under-rate this expulsive and expansive prin-
ciple of faith and love. For what say the Scriptures—^
that nothing can be done without Christ, without his
spirit ; and that the fruit of that spirit is the test of true
discipleship. They tell us that Christ bore our sins, in his
own body, on the tree ; that we, being dead to sin, should
live unto righteousness ; that he died for us that we should
live to him. When St. Paul stated to the Corinthians,
that he determined to know nothing among them but
Christ, and Him crucified, he stated plainly, not merely
the subject of his preaching, but the principles of morality
which he every where taught, and which should ever
prevail in the Church of Christ ; holding forth Christ at
once as the object of faith to be loved, and the example
to be imitated and followed. We are mistaken, my
brethren — I feel we are too often — in our standard of
moral duty, and in our estimate of Christian obligation.
We look not enough to Christ as our example, because
we feel not enough our obligations for our redemption ;
and we feel not this, because we pray not enough to see
our sin, our condition naturally, and the glorious liberty
by the which he has set us free from the bondage of
corruption. The soul that most clearly perceives the

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benefit of redemption from this bondage will the most
carefully and studiously copy the example of his Re-
deemer. Much disputing has arisen about faith and good
works : they are not and cannot be separate Perplexi-
ties and strifes of words, men who wish to darken coun-
sel, will of course introduce ; but the principle on which
our Lord declares He will decide at the day of Judg-
ment seems, to my mind, to re love every difficulty.
You cannot really believe on the Lord without loving
Him for what He has done for your soul. You can-
not love Christ without serving Him : poor that service
is — astonished they are who are saved, to hear it esti-
mated so highly : " Lord, when saw we Thee an hun-
gred and fed Thee," &c. But they did love — they did
serve Him ; and He is not ashamed to acknowledge and
reward it. My dear brethren, let me beseech you to
reflect calmly on this scene of final trial. See the value',
the importance of living unto Jesus. Oh then try, labour
to serve Him : contemplate day by day His claims on
your obedince. Pray " Lord increase our faith — increase
our love " ; for as these increase, you will increase in
practical holiness ; — because you will labour to be con-
formed to the image of God's dear Son. You will try to
please him ; and you will daily, through His holy Spirit,
find that He helps you, till the fruit of a sound faith is
seen, and not the mere signs of an empty barren pro-
fession^

Lastly. How does our Lord's answer to James and
John, compared with His announcement of the principle
of Judgment at the great day, coincide with the hopes
formed of a death-bed repentance ? If the principle of
" faith working by love to Christ," and leading to Chris-
tian holiness — if this be the test on which all depends,

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what becomes of the expectation entertained by tome
that they may leave all to the last ? ** The expectation
of the wicked shall perish.^ Oh ! that men would calmly
weigh the moral purpose of the Gospel ! — '" the grace of
God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto ail men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this
present world,** Christ's people are a " peculiar people,
zealous of good works/' If this be so — if Christians are
to live in this world as the salt of it — what folly to leave
all to a dying hour, when there can be no time to try the
sincerity either of the repentance or faith which is then
professed. My brethren, although I could speak with
earnestness on this part of my subject, (for alas ! I have
had painful experience that men do, too often, put off the
great business till they are dying,) I shall content myself
with saying, that if the rule of judgment be considered,
together with our Lord's answer in *he text, there is but
little encouragement for such hopes. To the agonized
soul, trembling at the terrors of impendmg death, I wouldi
as the minister of Christ, speak with tenderness and com-
passion ; but I would, even then, deal faithfully : for if
any thing is to be done in such an extremity, I feel per-
suaded it is not by concealing the truth or speaking
smooth things ; and while I would point to the all^suffi-
ciency of Christ, I would yet endeavour to shew the
great hazard which has been incurred. But oh! my
brethren, do not peril your own souls so desperately as
this — do not try your minister so painfully. Live to
Christ, and then To die is gain ! Live to Christ — live
governed by faith and love to Him : that is the way to
prepare for death— that is the way to prepare for judg-
ment. At the hour of death you will want faith and
hope to sustain you. Do not then, for the first time, have
to seek them.

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