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Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur lu dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included \n one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. Th^ following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de I'angle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I W'/l^^'^^' />^^>^^;^/r. VALEDICTORY SERMON, PREACHED IN CHRIST CHURCH, FREDERICTON, 0^f THE 29TH JUNE, 1817. . i By the Reverend GEORGE J. MOUNTAIN. «« Holdfast the faithful word as you have been taught." «« A^n I therefore your enemy because I teUyou the truth? FREDERICTON, PRINTED BY GEO. K. LUGR,I»N, s r 1 • K r- TO THE PARISHIONERS OF FREDERICTON, AND ESPECIALLY TO THE MEMBERS OF THE VESTRY, (by whose desire it is made rUSLIC.) I » ^ This Sermon, composed under circum.- stances of extreme hurry, of which the raarks are too evident in the stile and ar- rangement But containing no fruits of hasty or un- advised proceeding in the princ.^les and sen- iimcnts which it expresses, Is inscribed by their faithful and ever affectionate servant, GEO. J. MOUNTAIN. Quebec, Sept. 1, 1817. « 4 * ^ V » t ThF entreaty and exhortation thus enforced JL Hb tntreaty a delivered by an in- i„ the name ot o^^Lord a^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^.. spired Apostle « P^"°f „^der different circum- ""^ '° ^^"rS very d.tferent pretensions to stances, and with ^ery ^^ j ^^^y authority, every ^mister m ^^^^^rding adopt ^he --e bnguage underst^^ ^^^ .to the character ana situ ^^^^_ With all the earnestness of those w ^^^^^ ards of the Mysteries of G^^^^' ^'^'^ ^j^^ all the i, to ^'ivance the salvat^^^^^^^^^^ ^^, ^ anxiety ot taithfu ^hep^ier ^^^^ ^j^^^ ^ the flock; ^^'tV''u °' !^t anart to stand, as it ought to be felt by f Xhf wovld, he may were, between God and t, ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ « beseech and exhort them W w i^^ .^ God as they ^-ve -med ^-^^. j^; ,ffiee more than a mere lecturer ' ^f virtue is more than to set forth t'le advantag with the ill consequences of Vice^"^ ^^-^ men that they are destined to be immo ._^ 6 is a part, and a very important part of his OfficCj but it is far from being all. There are indeed among the Professors of Christianity many who keep m the back ground what are, in fact, its prominent and distinguishing points ; and receive them, if presented to their notice with neglect if not with averseness : There are many, to whom its prospects appear in a dim and dubious light, and a haze seems to rest over a great part of its extent. But the defect is in then' own vision. Were there no evil propensities and prejudices of wordly attachment intervening to darken the scene, they would never take a partial and con- fined view of the Christian Religion, nor be de- sirous of abating its high pretensions, and redu- cing its exalted character to something more re- sembling the systems of human Philosophy. It never can be, that we should find, fii'st, a long^ train of prepoBttory dispensations— a series of Prophets and Delegates of God — a people select- ed to be the depositories of his oracles, and to convey the chosen seed from which the Messiah was to spring after the flesh, and conducted through various struggles " by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm" — and then, at length, this Messiah appearing; this "Desire of all nati- ons" and " hope of the ends of the earth" born miraculously into the world ; conversing familiar- ly with mankind; displaying many wonders of divine power; submitting to suffer and to die: re-appearing alive among his followers ; sending them to preach the everlasting gospel; enduing them personally with supernatural qualiHcations for the work; providing for the perpetuity oF their office, and instituting a visible Church and Sacraments ;--- * ■ 4' V i i Sacraments ;-it never can be that all this was proiected and executed in the Counsels of D,v.ne Wisdom, if things N.ere to be left, after all, nearly m the state in which they were before and it was simply intended to improve ihe moral light ot the world -No— To proclaim redemption to fallen man: To shew him the orig..i and the cure of all that Sin and evil of which the most wicked and light-minded must acknowledge the existence, that perversencss of nature by which men^re impelled to act in a way contrary to their hap- piness, and contrary to their inward convictions : •f o encourage him by great and gracious promi- ses as well as to arm him with sound principles . To warn him against the snares of temptation and the deceitfulness of sin: To impress upon him the necessity of vigildnce and exertion: To exhort him to resist his spiritual enemies, and prav for the assistance of the promised Comfort- er which will ena! ' '^ to do so: To unfold a brge the variov >ts of Christian duty, private, relative an upon obedience to which our salvation ■., and to urge the condition of " adorning the doctrine of our ba- viour by good works :" To explain and open the -vord ofGod.-the actual communications receiy- ;d hL Heaven by mankinjl: To officiate in public worship, to administer^ordmances ot Re- Lion, and dispense the appointed means o Grace,-all these are duties appropriated to that s^andi^g Order of men who are called the Clergy These are the duties which during the period ot niy labours among you I have, although imper- fei-tlv, discharged ; and these the principles which I liave endeavoured to maintam : And these prin- '^ ' ciples V>' V 8 S ' i J ciples now that I address you for the last time, I „.Lt solemnly, most earnestly recommend. I beseech you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received from us" (according to the measure ot nnuence which may have been reasonably aMow- ed me,) " how ye ought to walk and p'ease God. so ve would abound thercm more and more. - k would be happy if this were all. t wou d be a great consolation if the Clergy had or,lv to Enforce the tr Uis of Christianity ; to check he nrojress of Vice, and to lead those committed to E in the way of life by the ordinary and pre- scribed means. But their situation in these day is oreciselv that of the Jews who rebuilt the walh Xru alem under the inspection of Nehem.ah °Thev which builded on the wall, and they which bare burdens, with those that laded, every one ^ith one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. In vam would they hope for success in pfoceeding regu- Sy w^th\heir work, and edr/yrng the.r Congre- gations ; in vain would they expect th- whole to become " fitly framed together unless they le- pelled in some\vay -he inroads of their numerous fcomoetitors. " He that is not f ga>nst us, is to us" says our Saviour. And to the benefit of th. rule we may admit those regular reformed Churches, (though we could by no means con- form to them in Sertain points) which do not in- terfere with us, and never were comprised ^vlthn^ our iurisdiction:-"But our Saviour also says, upon another occasion. " He .hat is not with me is^against me"-and we sec and iecl but too wel how this declaration may be reconciled v.nth 1 . former, and where the Church may apnly no w i< I i . \ . hcv i „ . We see and led but uv . ,;p\1 how her own case .—we see an ^j,^^^ grievously the ^^-7 "^ .i;^ ^ ,;4. u's; who by tvho have separated '^^"''^'^^^J^,. ^ho are not that very ^^P^f I"" ^!" fclarc n^i .o./A us, but only agamd ^^^''''^'l ^^ l,^,,^ and uuweaned against us in the ^-^^-P^ "' disc.jles" and lUnv- o|,p«ncnts. '• ''^r^^^XllhcZc that 1 have lately entered at ^"^n leng pardoned rhc question between "^' «"" \;", J, ^U ^^''"^^ for now calling to m'"<i 1^^ £ ' P ^ arguments werethenexpla.ned; in order tia ^b^^ ^^^^^_ v/nich were advanced. (« t":_j Jf^^ose who factory,) may '^^-^^^^^t^^' hemention ot the found them to be so, "P^" " .j_ The neces- severai subjects which ^^"f "^'dai-er of an ac- sity of a settle! laith »"^^.,^'^,^/^;tigion, were commodating and temi o ,. ng ^ b j^^,^ ;. first shown: ^.e ehara..cr.su^^^ ^ ous delusion m .is vano"^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ,ndus effects upon ht mm se.^^^y.^^ ^^^^,.,„^, pointed out: V y ,Tdefended: The pnnci- lo which we «'i'^=f ;^ ,ii"S^ Govern- ples of Unity, and ^''P ;'^"P^' ,^^,,,; conneciion fnent -re laid cW.-^^^^ ^c Church, their between ili'^, ^V' ^f, rcvod: The nature and authentic vehicle, ^^^^'^l' _,^,,^^,, ,he propiiety ted. 1 ;„r,nr<;«in"- these subjects, tne Iflhave assertea. n P' ^i^ -^....^ive power ot claims ofVneChuvch, ^^:^'^Sl;,^cJ^hwiV^^ the regular Clergy to I'-.c-.d. .-i - \ . to have not asserted them for myself. — Neither have I asserted them in order to excite animosities and disputes, or a contempt of others because we cannot agree with them ; a feeling more to be deprecated than the very errors which are the object of it.— If we judge our brethren personal- ly, let us beware of the judgment to be passed upon ourselves.™ To leave a strong and serious impression of the foregoing truths has been the object of my solicitude, and it was one advantage of my approaching removal that it enabled mc to ** speak boldly as I ought to speak" upon points which, from motives of delicacy, I niight have hesitated to enforce, had I remained with you, As it is possible that some time, (though I trust no considerable time) may elapse before my place is filled up, the interval will try the constancy of many, and the zeal of our Competitors will not fail to make advantage of the opening. It is a a inconvenience much to be regretted, but una- voidable in the present state of these Provinces, that the Church of England is so sparingly sup- plied with Ministers, and that, where vacancies occur, they sometimes continue open so lont^- As it is impossible, in consequerre of arrange- ments long ago made, that I should now wait the arrival of my successor, (which otherwise I would willingly do,) I trust that you will bear the incon- venience, and consider it as a far less evil than those which infallibly result where there is more popular voice and influence in matters regarding the Ministry. In proportion as the Minister is dependent upon his Congregation, or subject to their controuj; in proportion as their pride is flattered by a share m the regulation of religious afRtirs,-- I i . f I , . 11 affairs,---2''i such proportion his real fidelity and usefulness will be impaired; he will be tempted to abstain from those topics in regard to which they most need admonition ; he will fail to insist, — (at least such will be the natural consequence,) — upon those duties which are repugnant to their particular interests and inclinations ; and, declaim- ing against follies and vices to which they are not solicited, or warming them by highly-coloured de- scriptions of the more awful and sublime things in Scripture, to neglect the cultivation of a sub- stantial integrity, and singleness of heart; of a Piety content to be unseen; of an Humility wil- liner to move only in its proper sphere.—'' My Brethren," says the Apostle, " be not many Mas- ters" — The advice was more wholesome than soothing. For there were not wanting, in those <lays, " unruly and vain teachers, who subverted whole houses teaching things which they ought not." There were many who " desiring to be teachers of the Law, liad turned aside unto vain jangling, understanding neither what they said, nor whereof they alHrmed." Is the world much changed?--And are there no traces of the same thing to-day? It would be easy enough, no doubt, for this Congregation to provide itself a Minister. There is no occasion to wait for one regularly educated; canonically ordained; sent by due authority; or for any such troublesome requisites:— Not the smallest. — For, once admit the principle, that these are not essential to the Ministerial Hmctions, and there can be no lack of Ministers. 'I'he only wonder is that the Preachers do not out-number the hearers. For where can there be a more opea read, 12 ioad. a more direct, inviting avenue for the am- bition of all whose lot is cast in obscurity and toil, or who tread a dull routine of unvarying and un- noticed employments, than in the assumption of the Ministry? The Clergy are, very generally speaking, men wliose worldly motives would lead them to the choice of some other profession. But it is directly the reverse with their Competitors ; and, in such a state of things, we may well expect that the one will bear ihdit proporiion to the other which subsisted in the days of Elijah, between the Pro- phets of Baal and of the Lord—" I, even I only, am the Prophet of the Lord, but the Prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men." I take no pleasure in reviving this subject, and willingly quit it with one more observation : — That it is perfectly impossible--perfectly impos- sible—that the Power of Ordination should reside any where but in the regular Clergy. For how can persons convey or confer ordination who have not received it? Suppose a succession of persons exercising the functions of the Ministry :— Sup- pose that, in our day, we hold that a person can- not exercise them without being ordained — then, the Person who preceded him, lay under the same previous incapacity,— and the person again who preceded A?m— and so on, trace it as far back as yon v;iii. Wherever you are obliged to stof)\ and fird your ordination commencing in incom- petent persons, it must inevitably vitiate the whole.— 77zLf alternative, therefore, is tolerably clear to conrmon sense:— £z//26T, that cidinatiou is not necessary at all— is a mere idle mockery— or, tliat it r-'-ust be transmitted by a succession of rcclesiri.stical persons. And all ot/ier Ministry t ■ muqt ( J i • Wb #. 1^ ,r • r ' i must be unlawful, and all the ordinances of sucli Ministry null and void.— And, whatever may have been the faults of the ecclesiastical body, (for they are a body o^ men,) — where should we have been at this day, without them? How should we have emerged from a worse tlian Egyptian darkness? Who were the persons that translated the Scrip- tures, and gave them to the People? To whose learning and researches are we indebted for un- derstanding many important points of Scripture, not to be understood at all, without a knowledge of antiquity and the learned languages? Who si- lences the Patrons of Superstition, and exposes the sophistry of the Infidell— Whoever they are who have rendered these services to the Christian world, they at least do not deserve to be displa- ced from its respect and affection in favour ot any who cannot do the same. We do not plead our individual merits, but we are persuaded that, as a body, " he that despisetli us, despiseth" our Master, and " Him that sent' our Master. • There are one or two points- -Oi f.ubordinate tnomcnt— which I venture, hov/ever, to recom- mend to your favourable attention.— We have now commenced an attempt to enlarge the ac- commodatidni and improve the appearance of this Church. And I hope that those among you who have the immediate management of its in- terests and property, will consider that you have a sacred truat reposed in your hands; and will never suffer it to lose the advantage v/hich it owes to tlic liberality of the Civil Fov/ei^ by any remiss- ness, or any regard to personal considerations,— The truest service is in the temple of the inner man, and the most acceptable sacrifice is offered unon 1 t 14 upon tne altar of the>heart:— True—But it can- not indicate a very zealous respect for the honour of God, that his house should be neglected, and his Courts should wear an aspect of meanness. And it does not look well, thai the Church at the seat of Government in this Province, should be still unlinished, still destitute of various usual and decent appendages— without a steeple, without sacramental plate, without a font for the admini- stration of Baptism, without any external enclo- sure to prevent its immediate precincts from be- coming a harbour for cattle. All these wants will, 1 trust, be supplied, and the means of the Church so husbanded as to supply them soon : And I an> not the less anxious that they should be so, because I shall not see it. For in this and all other points, I shall never cease to take a lively interest in the affairs of that flock to which I have once borne the relation of Pastor. There is another. improvement which regards, not ihe place of Divine w-orship, but the numner of its stated p^riorimince^—m which those w^ho have concurred with me deserve, (and I beg them to accept.) my cordial thanks,— the improvement in the peribrinancc of our Psalmody. In this I trust you v/ill persevere: to drop it would be worse than never to have attempted it— but I need not now enlarge upon its importance which has been fully represented upon a former occasion. And now 1 bid you farewell, and^ay the bles- sing of Almighty Cod be with you!— Were this the place to do it, I could assure you sincere- ly, that that rec'ret whicii many of you have been pleased to express for my departure, is fully met ]i',- corrcspcsr/Ji'^o; fccliii'.^s on mv side; and I will not If ''i 15 ^1 (• I i <-P not pretend to be so above human weakness, as to deny that I am gratified by such testimony of your approbation, though conscious that it is greatly beyond my deserts. I could assure you that neither I, nor mine, will soon forget the kindness and attention which we have experien- ced here. But I shall only once again entreat you to *' abound more and more in walking that will please God ;" and if you are disposed to bear in mmd " what ye have received from us it is summarily this: In the general conduct of life " to do justice, and to love: mercv, and to walk humbly vvrith God:" ' In your social and political capacity to abide by the wise man's advice — " My son fear thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them that are given to change:" To " fear God, ho- nour the King, and love the brotherhood," are three things which always go together— In the guidance of religious opinion, " stand ye in the way and see, and ask for the old paths i where is the good way; and ye shall find rest for your souls." Ik •^* It will probably be thought that too large a portion of this Sermon is devoted to the subject of Church-Communion. — But here was the par- ticular danger to which the Congregation were immediately to be exposed.— And there were cir- cumstances at the time which left no room for hesitation or reserve. y