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It is always a painftil duty to bid a last farewell to those we love ; but who can tell the vari ' emotions which fill a Pastor's bosom when called to separate from a faithful and attached people, among whom he has laboured, for whom he has prayed, and whose affectionate interest and co-operation have won his heart. St. Paul knew the feehng when he penned this Epistle to his beloved Philippians. He could say in the verses preceding the text : " God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ." " I thank my (lod upon every remembrance of r T JO II ; uhvajs iii every prayer of mine for yoii all maldiig request with joy." " And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment : that ye nuiy approve things that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." He had I)lantcd the Gospel at Philippi. Many had received ^vith gladness the truth which he j)reachod, abandoning their idols and giving themselves up to the service of the Lord Jesus. They were his sphitual children, over whose conversion he rejoiced, and for whose con- tinuance in well doing he earnestly prayed and laboured. Nor only this ; the Philippians had evinced the strongest attachment to his person, both by word and deed, even straitening them- selves (for i\\Qj were poor in this world's goods,) that they might again and again minister to his temporal necessities. No wonder then, that he grieved when called to separate from them, or that Avhen far away he continued to regard them with affectionate solicitude, Avatching over their spiritual interests, and exhorting them in such words as the text ; " Only let your con- versation be as it becometh the Gospel of % f 11 t Christ : that, wliether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel ;" As if he had said, " I can have no greater joy ^'^' than to hear of your devotion to that Gospel " which in Christian simphcity I have en- I'deavored to preach among you; of your II strict adherence to the truth as it is in Jesus 5 " of your holy and consistent walk ; of yoiu' " love to each other and to your divine head—- " I know that this my request will not be *| denied, that you Avill strive to walk so as not II to bring reproach upon your spiritual in- II structor, — nay, in such a way that yom- " whole conversation may redound to the glory " of God." The same exhortation, beloved brethren, you ^viU permit me, in bringing my ministry among yor .0 a close, to press with earnestness, and with the sincerest aifection: Let your doctrine and your life be consistent with the Gospel of Christ: that, whether I come to see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel. I. Let me entreat you to stand fast in Doc- trine. The importance of this point will clearly 8 appear, for unless our faith be sound, hi vain shall we look for correctness in practice. Unless a man believe his heart to be corrupt he will not seek its transformation. Unless he be sensible of his inability to turn to God he will not seek the aid of the Holy Spirit. If he think that he can work out his own right- eousness, he will not seek to be justified by the alone merits of Christ. If he call in question the proper Deity of Christ, he will not rest his hopes of salvation on a mere man or angelic being. He will not, as did St. Stephen, in the agonies of death, commit his soul into the keep- ing of his Redeemer. If he do not regard Holy Scripture as the inspked record of Divine truth, he will not come with child-like confi- dence to its hallowed page to be taught the way of life. Mence you see the imp. stance of keeping near to the sacred oracles, of holding fast the form of sound words which is contained in that blessed volume ; and which, I rejoice to say, lies embodied in the Liturgy, Articles and Homilies of the Church, under whose shadow it has pleased the Almighty to cast our lot. I refer to the great fundamental doctrines of our holy religion, such as, " The depraved nature of man since the fall, whereby," as our 9th Article says, " he is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of liis own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit:" — his justification by the alone merits of Christ, and not by any works or deservings of his OAvn : — his being accounted righteous by faith, as the instrument appropriating the righteousness of the Lord Jesus ; and that not a dead, but a living faith, working by love, manifesting its existence by its works, known just as the tree is, by its fruits: — the proper Deity of Christ, by which, though perfect God, of one substance with the Father, he condescended to take our human nature upon him, " so that," to adopt the lan- guage of our 2nd Article, "two w^hole and ^•erfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very man :" — the neces- sity of Divine influences, exerted by the agency of the Holy Ghost, the third person in the blessed Trinity, sent by, and co-operating with the Father and the Son in the work of re- demption: — the sufficiency of Scripture, as a Divine rule of faith, so that, to bon-ow the words of the Gth Article, " whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should — r-w^-. i. "iT S d'Ww a-. 10 be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." These are among the doctrines which have been preached to you, which lie at the foun- dation of the religion which you profess, and in reference to which we beseech you to " stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel." The advocacy of such views may bring you into reproach with men of the world ; nay, it may subject you to charges of enthusiasm, of uncha- ritablencss, or even of sustaining a false position in the Church of which you are members, by those too who profess to be animated by a proper zeal for the Lord of Hosts. Be it so : The tribunal at which we are to be judged wiU not be composed of fallible men, but of the omniscient Jehovah ; the test will be, not human opinions, but the sure word of Divine truth, prayerfully and conscientiously studied for ourselves. H. But secondly, my brethren, see to it, ihat your lives he consistent ivith the doctrines lohich you hold. There are some who, with loud professions of orthodoxy, fail entirely in their practice. They give no evidence in their lives of a heartfelt ap})reciation of the great .saving truths of the Gospel. Their faith is 11 destitute of fruit. Where arc the love, the libercality, the zeal, the active exertion, which ouo'ht to characterize the true followers of Christ? Where is that meek and forgiving spirit which shone forth so brightly in the victim on the road to Calvary, nay, even in the agonies of death. Where is that strict regard for truth and he sty in all their deal- ings with their fellow creatures ? The Apostle James appears to have had the character of such in his mind, when he wrote, " What doth it profit though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?"* That is, can an inoperative dead faith prove acceptable in the sight of God? No. " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works," as the evidence of its existence, " is dead also."f This is a danger against the approach of which, the Christian needs to be ever on his watch. He will be tempted to rest satisfied with the conceded orthodoxy of his views, and while he is priding himself upon it, may, as far as his life is concerned, be sinking into a soul-destroying lethargy, or breaking forth into acts of sin and folly. Aim, my brethren, at consistency of life, as avcU as sound- ness in doctrine. Let all the Avorld around ' Jafat's it. i i, t JilllH'n, 2. '.'n, J ii 12 take knowledge of you that you " walk with Jesus." Let it appear that there is a vitality in religion, from its influence upon your own personal conduct. I have often expressed the opinion to you, that there is more injury by far done to the cause of religion by the inconsis- tencies of communicants of the Church, than by any or all infidel attacks whatsoever. Re- member this, my beloved brethren, and " Let your conversation," in this particular, " be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ; that, whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may liear of ^ our affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel." in. But again, we exhort you to stand fast in one spirit with respect to a diligent use of the means of grace One of these is Prayer, the divinely appoint- ed channel of communication with Heaven. In prayer we obtain the strength necessary for sustaining us in our Christian course. It was this AN hich bore up the fainting spirit of the Saviour in the garden and upon the Cross. His exhortation to his disciples was, " Watch and i)ray that ye enter not into temptation." And so important is prayer to the Christian, tliat it has been very aj)tly termed "his 13 vital breatli, his native air." Let it be neglected, and the flame of vital religion will quickly flicker and die. I have so often preached to you on this subject that T need not dwell on it now further than to urge you to its diligent performance. Your strength lies in prayer— the work of declension in religion will invariably commence with neglect of secret prayer. As you value your eternal interests, therefore, be faithful, be serious, be regular in the performance of this duty, both in the retirement of your closet, and around the family altar. Near akin to this is the ivorship of the Sanctuary^ the pouring out of the soul in prayer and praise to God, in the great congregation. If, my brethren, the Christian cannot be kindled into a flame of devotion in the House of God on earth, how can he be prepared for an abode in the celestial courts in which the employment of the angelic host is unceasing adoration? Is it not painful to reflect what trifles will keep many even who are communi- cants from attendance at the Church. Do such persons remember that the vows of God are upon them ? that they are a spectacle unto angels and unto men ? that their example to their families is ruinous? the in.iurv to their 14 own souls unspeakable? Do they remember that this is a habit which will grow upon them that their conduct is without excuse, and ^vill certainly be severely judged at the day of account ? The preaching of the Word is another, and very special moans of grace,— by "the foolish- ness of preaching" it has pleased God to save them that believe; that is, by what the world esteems foolishness. The word is the instru- ment employed by the Holy Spirit, in the work of spiritual renovation. Three thousand souls were by one of St. Peter's Sermons aroused to a sense of their sinfulness. And it has been the universal experience that where the Gospel has been faithfully preached, souls have been born to God, sinners have been converted, and Saints edified, built up, estab- lished in the faith, and ripened for Eternity. I need hardly remark, that if such importance be attached to the preaching of the Word, the duty of attending to it is clear, and tl.at' full benefit can be derived from it, only when such attendance is regular and devout, and mixed with faith. There must be " line upon lino, and precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little." There nnist be prayer that our . 15 hearts may be opened, as was Lydia's,to receive the truth, and profit by it. So, also, are the Saa^ammts, a divinely ap- pointed means of grace, to aid the Cln-istian in his course. It is in the use of these, that we obtain the fresh supplies of strength which we need, and by which we are prepared for every earthly conflict. We find no mysterious efHcacy wrought upon our souls by a participation in these Ordinances. They are the channels through which faith draws down the covenant- ed blessings. To use the language of our 25th Article, '' They be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will toward us, I - the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in Him." And they are very import- ant. Instituted by Christ himself, they carry with them the weight of a Divine obligation. They are as our Catechism says, "generally necessary to Salvation." It is at our peril that we neglect them. A participation in them is indispensable to a healthy habit of the soul. Well does it become those of you, my brethren, who are neglecting these Sacraments, to consider your position. "Go ye therefore, and tcaoh all 16 nations," was the command of Onr Savioni-, " baptizing them in the name of the Father^ and of the Son, and of tlie Holy Ghost." * Baptism Avas to be the door of entrance into the visible Church. You have not entered in yourselves, or you are denying an entrance to your children ; they are not the recipients of the covenanted blessings. " TJiis do in remembrance of me;'-\ was the dying injunction of Christ, in reference to the other Sacrament. You are not to be found at the Lord's Table. How will the excuse that is keeping you away stand the test of the great day of account ? Is it a sense of unw^orthiness ? " Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world 1% " They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."|( Is it the fear of falling back in religion? What is such an apprehension but the mis- trusting of that Omnipotent agency which has inclined you to commence the work of religion ? Is it the unworthiness of those who would kneel by your side ? Alas ! who among us is peifect, or what has the unworthiness of my neighbour to do with my obedience to the Divme command? Is it because you are at t Liikr, xxiii. in. Matt, xxviii. if» X John, i, 29. Matf. ix. 12. 17 enmity with a fellow creature? Alas! brethren, how can you in that case pray to our Heavenly Father, " Fo; .^ive us our trespasses, as we for- give theui tliat trespass against us," or how could you hcaiicl before the bar of God's Judg- ment this night, if called into Eternity, being at enmity with your brother? But Ave nmst not forget the Study of the Scriptures, as another and all-important means of grace. This is the chart which can alone safely conduct us to Heaven. Here Ave fmd every difficulty solved, and the path made so clear, that the " Avayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err therein." It is by the study of this Sacred volume only, that Ave can hope to become Avise unto salvation. Here is rest lor the Avcary and lieaAy laden, comfort for the afflicted soul. Here are inexhaustible treasures open to all Avho Avill dig for them. Here says Bishop JcAvell, is " manna given to us from Heaven, to feed us in the desert of this Avorld." In the use of these various means of grace, beloved brethren, Ave beseech you to exercise all diligence, not resting upon the mere per- formance of them, as meritorious in the sight of God, but employing them in obedience to the Divine command, and for the rich blessings Avhieli they call doAvn upon your souls, regard- irr-^^ggSiff 18 ing them as indispensable to your running well the race that is set before you. Above all, m the use of tliese means, seek to possess such an eye of faith as will discern Christ every^^■here, —in the Sanctuary, in the Sacraments, in the Scriptures,— in the person of His sincere follow- ers, the branches of the living and true vine, the Members of +hat one great body, the Church, of which He is the head. Do you want a Prophet to instruct you in Heavenly wisdom ? Behold Christ—" the light of the world." Do you stand in need of a Priest to make an atonement for you, and to be your intercessor above? See in Christ the great High Priest of our profession, who has suffered death and passed into the Heavens. Are you in search of a king to rule over you ? Behold in Christ, one whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,' and whose sceptre is a right sceptre. To me, beloved brethren, there is a peculiar solemnity connected with this hour. I stand before you for the last time as your minister. In this uncertain and transitory life, our next meeting, for aught we know, may be in Eternity. The frequent deaths around us of the young and healthy, as well as of the aged and infirm, warn us to be ready for a summons at any moment, to attend thp ]}»r nCihn n.,-pnf r„,i™.. 19 an There we shall most certahily meet, Pastor and people, and there, oh ! is it not a soul-stirring reflection ! render up severally our account. It is now nearly three years since, in the Providence of God, it became my privilege statedly to minister to you in holy things. During that period we have had much ground for encouragement in our work, for which we desire to return our heartfelt acknowledgments to the great Head of the Church. In opening our labours in this portion of the Vineyard, our motto was, " Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord."* We set out with the determination of depending on the aid of the Holy Ghost, and of giving to God all the glory of any success with which He might be pleased to crown our eftbrts. And now that we look upon this congregation, increased nearly threefold in numbers and influence ; blessed too with a large and flourishing Sunday School, — when we mark the hold which the Gospel has taken upon many who were before in a state of rebellion against God: — when we observe how many who attended worship no where have found a home within the pre- cincts of this Sanctuary: — when we reflect upon tlie liberality with which every call has Zedi. MMm ump 1 20 been met by this Congregation: their kind- ness to tlieir Pastor and " Servant for Jesus' snke ;" their ready co-operation in all his plans for tlie good of the Church :— we do from our heart praise God for his goodness ; Ave acknow- ledge the presence and blessing of the Holy Spirit ; we cheerfully give Him all the glory. Yes, our heartfelt exclamation is, " not unto us, not unto us, but unto thj name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake".*' In my preaching, I have endeavored, as far as God has given me the ability, to hold up a crucified Saviour as your only hope. It has been my aim to keep continually before your minds, the necessity which existed for an atonement in the fall and guilt of man. I have pointed out to you the means by which that atonement could be made effectual to the sal- vation of our souls, by the exercise of a shnple faith ^ the casting aside of all self-righteousness, and the becoming clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I have never ceased to represent this faith, as " working hj love" yielding holiness as the fruit, though these good works are not in themselves in any degree meritorious in the matter of justification before God. I have reminded you of a judgment to come, and ex- * Psalms, oxv. I, •»■ i J i 21 hortecl yovi now at onco, to make the areat Judge your friend. I have endeavored clearly to point out the change which the unregenerate heart must undergo, before there can be any meetness for the enjoyment of Heaven ; the agency by which it is effected, the power of the Holy Ghost, and have exhort- ed the unconverted to make it their earnest prayer, that they might become thus rene"\ved. You will, I think, bear me witness, that I have striven to ])reach to you the whole truth, and that without respect to jicrsons — knowing that to God only have I been accountable for the due exercise of my ministry, and that I ought to endeavour so to labor as " to be free from the blood of all men." And now before the word is pronounced that severs the bond by which we have been united, let me ask in all solem- nity, and as in the presence of God, what has been the effect of my preaching ? " For," says St. Paul, " we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish : To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life."'' Have these Ser- mons been the means of helping you in your Christian course, of preparing you for * 1 Cnr. i XV. K,. I!f 22 the enjoyineut of Heaven, or have they had a hardening influence, serving by the oppor- tunities they have afforded you of repen- tance, to aggravate your everlasting condem- nation ? Dear Brethren, with joy and grati- tude we express our conviction, that to some we have been the " savour of hfe unto Hfe." You have been roused to a sense of your sin- fulness, and have found in a saving knowledge of Christ, the peace which you had so long sought in vain ; — others who were already communicants have, Ave bless God, been spiri- tually enlightened to behold more clearly the truths of the Gospel, and have been led to dedicate themselves more unreservedly to the cause of Christ. Testimonies like these, have from time to time, gladdened the heart of your Pastor, cheering him in his work, and enabling him to feel, that his labour has not been altogether in vain in the Lord, Yet, alas ! this cannot be said of all, — such bLsoed effects have not in every instance attended the preaching of the Gospel from this pulpit. No, be A/f'd Brethren, the sadness with which we purl . . u mr.ny of you, is increased tenfold by thcv.o r '-.iciation, t^.atas far as man can judge, our reacc.ing has ni your case been of small avail. I look around upon some of my congre- 4 H , ii 23 gation, who, noLwithstaiiclino; all the sermons they have lieard, and the rrovidcnces which have thickened around them, are still living in impenitency and sin. Intemperance has not been rooted out from among us, — the intoxica- ting draught is still poisoning the domestic bliss of many in ray congregation,— the Sabbath is still profaned, the name of Go'"" taken in vain, licentiousness is }^et rampant — oh ! can it be, my friends, that in the face of all the warnings which you have received from God, you will thus persist in heaping iniquity upon iniquity, selling your souls for naught, binding more closely around you the chains of Satan, dooming yourselves to everlasting misery? For the last time, as your Pastor, I urge you to repent of your sins, to fly from the wrath to come, to turn to Christ, that so iniquity may not prove your ruin. Stir yourselves up to call upon God in prayer, realize your danger — make the effort, and Christ who came " to seek and to save that which w^as lost," will give you strength. But there are others for whose spiritual welfare we feel deeply anxious. Those who are almost persuaded to be Christians, but who have not yet taken the step w^hich binds tht to the Lord. We have been waiting now tbi nearly mmmmmmm 24 tlirce years for some of you to stand forth boldly on the Lord's side, and now we must go Avithout the blessing being granted. For the last time, we stood this morning at the Lord's table, inviting you to come forward and partake of the heavenly banquet, bii^ there was no response. AYe leave you with sadness, for alas! what more can be said than has l)een said, what more can l)e done than has been done, to induce you to give your hearts to God? Oh! brethren, shall not this night witness the solemn resolution taken, the good work begun? AVill you not cheer your Pastor's heart, nay, Avill vou not cause joy to the angels of iKvnen, by determining now to choose and to follow the portion which shall never be taken fi-oni }'ou V Nor will 1 hide from myself that there are others in this congi'cgation, whose Christian course fills me with uneasiness; they are to be found among the connnunicants, tlie avowed followers of the Lord ; those who ])rofess to be animated by the si)irit of Christ, and engagetl in the service of Christ. iMy heart bleeds for the cause of my Divine j\Iaster; CJu'ist has been wounded in the house of his friends. Wliat, I ask in a s|)irit of atfection, what are worldly lookers on to think when they witness such inconsistencies i;; jjrofessuig Christians? 25 iiid lui'tli ^\Q, must :td. For