THE CHURCH THE BRIDE OF CHRIST:
ft.n which the claims of Episcopacy to the title of the only
DELIVERED AT RANDOLPH, TENN., ON LORD'S DAY,
MAY 5, 1839,
BY REV. D. R. THOMASON-
Published by request.
M'PHERSON & RANKIN PR'S.
A
SERMON,
trne Church, are examined.
1839,
Ephesians 5th Chap. 25, 26 Sf27 Fs. Husbands, love, your wivesf even as
Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he
might present it, unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without
blemish.
"I determined," said the devoted Apostle of the Gentiles, in
one of his Epistles to the church at Corinth,"not to know any
thing among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." And
it Is impossible, my hearers, to peruse the writings or trace the
history of this noble champion of the cross, without perceiving
how fully he redeemed this high and holy pledge. In raising
even the simplest fabric of moral duty, we find him careful to
lay as the foundation, the doctrine of the cross; a crucified
Savionr he was ever mindful to exhibit as the Sun of that system
of religion which it was the business of his life to unfold before
his fellow men—the mighty centre around which every doc¬
trine and every precept, every duty and every virtuwf should
faithfully revolve. This constituted the peculiarity of his pub¬
lic teaching, and this gave to his ministry its mighty power.
The same moral truths which he exhibited had been recognized
by other teachers, and the same moral precepts which he incul¬
cated had been enforced with all the charms of philosophic ar¬
gument, and graces of classic orafory—"the excellency of speech
and of wisdom," which he not only did not attempt to imitate, but
scrupulously avoided. Yet he was the successful teacher. He
had secured what they could never find,—a fulcrum on .which to
place the moral lever that was designed to raise a fallen world*
They could reason, but tlfey could not persuade ; they could
argue from abstract principles, the fitness of things, the reasont-
ableness and expediency of moral duties; they could descant
most eloquently on the loveliness of virtue and the deforminy
of vice: but they were after all, "but as the very lovely song ol
4
one that has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instru¬
ment,—trien heard their words but did them not."—The constrain*
. ing influence of the lpve pf Christ was wanting. The story of
the cross must be told. The purest and warmest affectidhs of
the heart—the most powerful instrument of. moral suasion—are
thus alone secured, and, on the tide of the noblest passions, com¬
mands and exhortations are borne, burst the barriers of preju¬
dice and pride, and find their ready entrance to the heart.—
Through such a channel the Apostle bids to flow the valuable
precept of conjugal affection. This virtue had often been i'e-
cogni^d and enforced by ethical teachers1; but -never before
had it stood in connection with so exalted a subject, never had
it employed so sublime a simile, never had it been enforced by
so powerful an argument. The Apostle, brought thus, in search
of illustration, in contaat with the grand inspiring theme of his
.ministry, stays with raptured gaze, and indulges for a moment in
rich and heautjful amplification. Like the hand of a musician
on his favorite chord, he lingers there, and delights his own and
others' ears with the thrilling tones of harmony.
In discoursing from these words, we shall confine ourselves to
a single topic presented in them; namely, the object of the Sa¬
viour's affection—"the Church." The relation which Christ
sustains to his people, and the strength, purity and tenderness
pf his love to them, is represented by the conjugal relation.
The figure is not peculiar to the Apostle, nor indeed is it origin¬
al; though he has carried out the comparison with inimitable
beauty and effect. The 45th Rsalm contains an obvious allu¬
sion to Christ and'his church under the same metaphor—"Upon
thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken,
oh daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear"; forget also
thine own people, and thy father's house; so'shall the King
greatly desire thy beapty ; for he is thy -Lord; and worship
thou him." The Revelation ,of Jqhn also presents us with the
same image—"and I heard aSnt were the voice pf a great mul¬
titude, and as the voice of many waters, and ps the voice of
mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnir
potent. reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor
to him; for the marriage of the-Lamb is come; and his'wife
hath made herself ready. And fo her was granted that she
should, be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine
linen is the righteousness pf the saints."
A reference' to the mode pf celebrating the marriage rite
5
amongst oriental nations, will shew us the appropriateness aS
well as beauty of our text—"Christ loved the church and gave
himself for it, that he might sanctify artd; cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word. ""The ablutions prescribed by
the marriage ceremony for the bride" were, with imaginative
people, highly significant. The careful removal from her per¬
son of all possible defilement, together with the bridal attire
with which she decked herself for the occasion—of costly ma¬
terial and withal of snowy purity, glorious in its dazzling
whiteness, "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any stich thing,"
was designed to typify the spotlessness of her virgin character,
the purity of her affections, and the dignity and honor of the
new state into which she was about to enter.
The nature also of the relation which Christ sustains to his
people is, by this metaphor, clearly and strikingly illustrated.
The Church is the Bride of the Lamb. The union is sacred and
honorable; it is pure and holy, intimate and endearing, close and
indissoluble. The Apostle would teach us that the marriage re¬
lation is even more than mere union ; that it is identity. "He
that loveth his wife, loveth himself ; for no man ever yet hated
his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it; even as the Lord
the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and
his bones." It teaches us also the unity of the church.—The
church is the bride of Christ—one bride. Delightful thought!
Scattered as are the people of God over the face of the earth, and
divided by time and distance, distinguished by clime, by com¬
plexion, by kindred and tongue, and marked by peculiarities of
creed, of modes of worship, and forms of ecclesiastical govern¬
ment; and engaged as they may be in bringing their various
opinions into collision, and maintaining, oftentimes alas! thro'
the infirmity which attaches even to sanctified character, unholy
strife; yet are they one—one in Christ. Holding him as the
head, they are the body of Christ and members one of another ;
one irt spirit, in faith, in hope, in moral image. They have been
pardoned by the same precious blood, sanctified by the same
Holy Spirit"; in the midst of minor differences they have "one
Lord, one faith and one baptism;" they "do all eat of the same
spiritual meat, and drink of the same spiritual drink;" they are
heirs of the same promises, and are looking forward to the same
eternal rest. .
This church, according to its state or circumstances, is often
spoken of under different, appellations. When a number of
6
christians assemble together for worship, and unite as a society
to enjoy the ordinances of the sanctuary and privileges of the ,
gospel, they are called, in a restricted sense, and with reference
to their locality, a particular church: Thus we read of the
church of Rome, the church of Ephesus, &c., the church in the
house of Aquila and Priscilla, &c. When a body of christians
are united under some particular form of doctrines or discipline,
they are considered a sectarian church : Thus We say the Epis
copal church, the Methodist church, the Presbyterian church. We
speak of the Catholic or Universal church; and we mean all the elect
of God, of what nation soever who make but one body, whereof
Christ is head. Thus the Apostle Paul addressed one of his Epistles;
"unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
tifeirs and ours." The church on earth is termed the church
Militant, and the church in heaven the church Triumphant.—
Militant, because yet on the battle ground, engaged in the con¬
flict.—Triurhphant, because their warfare is over, their tri¬
umph complete ; and, transported from the scene of strife to the
mansions of bliss, where are prepared both the laurel and the
couch, they enjoy at once glory and repose. * We speak also of
the visible church, the apparent church on earth—christians of
every name, whether nominal or real, who have in any way
made public profession of their faith in Christ,; together with
their offspring. "The visible church of Christ is made up of all
those who profess the true religion, together with their children."
The Presbyterian, the Congregationalist, the Methodist, the
Baptist, the Episcopalian, the Independent; all who hold the
fundamentals of our holy religion, in whatever part of the globe
they may reside, are all members of the same visible community;
and, if they be sincere believers, will all finally be made par¬
takers of its eternal blessings.
Such, according to our view, is the church of Christ, for
which "he gave himself," and which will one day be presented
to ail admiring universe, as his joyful bride — "a glorious church
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but holy, and
without blemish."
But I must not forget, that the duty is, on this occasion, im¬
posed upon me not only to state, but to defend, the positions thus
advanced in' general, against sentim^ptyvowed by several
7
ttenonmnationg of professed christians, and especially, in opposi¬
tion to opinions, we doubt not most honest & conscientious, recent¬
ly promulgated frond the pulpit, and now circulated by the press
amongst us: — and that under the immediate sanction of a body
of professing christians in their conventional capacity ;—a body
of men too, in a high degree respectable, at once for their learn¬
ing and piety. And permit me, my respected audience, here
to premise, that while I bear cheerful testimony to the excellent
spirit in which that discourse is written, I pledge myself to the
effort, in this respect, to imitate it. Theological opinions for¬
eign to my own, I have been taught to examine fearlessly; to
discuss with manly courtesy; and oppose, if necessary, with
christian meekness. I am free to confess, that with that mor¬
bid sensitiveness or mistaken piety which shrinks at or discoun¬
tenances theological controversy, I have no sympathy. Such
collision of sentiment is reprehensible or praiseworthy, accor¬
ding to the design of the contest, and the spirit in which it is
conducted. Had I reason to apprehend that the motive which
prompted the expression, so general, of a wish for me to deliver
my sentiments on this subject, or which led me to a compliance
with the wish, was the mere love of contest, I should either
have not appeared before you at all, or, in doing so, should have
incurred conscious guilt of no/small magnitude. I believed it
when I heard it from many of you, that the minds of the in¬
telligent and thinking part of this community have been interes¬
ted by the sentiments, so novel as well as bold, which have been
propagated among you by men entitled in a high degree to your
regard, and pressed on your acceptance under the sanction of
an authority which you have been taught, to revere and obey—
"Thus saith the Lord." For my own part, if I could believe
that the opinions advanced by our Episcopal friends were sanc¬
tioned by the word of God, I would at once embrace them, and,
I trust, with an honesty and boldness'equal to their own, propa¬
gate them. But firmly believing as I do, that those opinions are
uuscriptural, and in their tendency injurious, should I not be
guilty of dereliction of duty in declining, either from indolence
or fear, the call thus made upon me, to attempt a refutation of
them? That the advocates of these doctrines are conscientious in
their belief, I do not for a moment doubt. Let as much be put
to my credit, and all will be well. The only unfavourable
consequence to bmjw^cmajgd from the discussion will be avoi¬
ded—unfriendly felmgf'VBut why should I employ this lan-
8
guage of conciliation and deprecation, seeming to imply a warn:
of confidence in the good sense or good feeling of those with
whom I am thus brought in collision? Conscious that they have
truth on their side, they will invite, rather than repel, investi¬
gation. Knowing that^heir cause; is safe behind the adaman¬
tine shield of truth, they would wish to see the choicest and
best directed missiles of opposition hurled, that new confidence
might be inspired by seeing how harmlessly they all fall at her
feet.
The position assumed by the Episcopal church in these
United States, or rather by a party in that church, is by no
means a new one. The idea of a paramount and exclusive
church, is too Congenial to the human heart, too flattering to its
natural pride and vanity, not to have found, long before her ex¬
istence, admittance into it. Nor is it ground undisputed.—
Jealous and powerful rivals have put in their counter claims to
the envied possession. The church of Rome, a party in the
church of England, and the Campbellite church in America.
1. ave attempted to secure this spiritual monopoly. The Papal
church excommunicates the Episcopal church of England, with'
all other Protestant churches; the church of England or rather
a party in her communion, £uts off" from the fold of Christ all
who dissent from her doctrines and discipline, and includes even
the Episcopal church of America in her pious proscription.—
And the Episcopal church of America, as it would seem from
the "sermon preached at the opening of the annual convention
of the Diocese of Tennessee,",, in her turn^too, consigns all who
have not the "certain marks" upon them, and those rparks made
by the hands of her own clergy, to the uncovenanted mercies
of God; to find their way perchance to heaven under a com¬
mon dispensation of mercy,!! which withholds the "sentence of
condemnation from those, who, owing to peculiar circumstan¬
ces beyond their control, have been educated without the limits
or knowledge of the church,"—that is, the church of Rome
with all her corruptions and abominations, the church of Eng¬
land, and the Episcopal church of the United .States of America:
for here alone are found the "certain marks," legitimate and
accredited, which identify the visible church of Christ. With
all the respect which men owe to their fellow men, and all the
kindness which christians should shew to their fellow christians,
without any pretensions, I will not say, infallibility t
for this would be idle, but to superiority of any kind I deny the poai-
g
tions thus advanced in the discourse referred to, and "pronounce
them unscriptural and pernicious.
Before, however, I proceed to present arguments on the main
point at issue, I desire to call the attention of my audience to the
fallacy which, if I mistake not, may be readily detected in the
preliminary remarks of the sermon in question. The reverend
author appears to suppose that differences in theological opin¬
ions are fatal to the unity of the church. This error in limine
is a serious one, and forms the basis on which the whole error
of high churchism is built. That the unity of the church is
not destroyed by sectarian peculiarities, how much soever its re¬
pose may be sometimes disturbed, is evident from the very na¬
ture of spiritual union to Christ, and the genius of true piety.
There is a bond of union which unites believers to one another,
and to Christ their common Head, that nothing on earth can
dissolve. Peculiarities of fdoctrinal views, of modes of worship
and forms of government, may bring them into collision, and
beget, at times, unholy strife. There may be "division and
separation and dissension;" ah! and "espionage" t oo; and sin
may be committed and guilt incurred; and the Saviour be
wounded and his cause dishonored; but the church's union is
nevertheless unbroken. There is a valuable and emphatic sense
in which they are indissolubly and eternally one. They are one
in heart, because one in moral likeness; they are one in Christ,
because they bear his image. This is union of infinitely more
moment and worth, than the mere nominal union of all Christen¬
dom, under any one of the ecclesiastical banners which bears
the distinctive name of the. party that rallies around it. Yes,
the genuine disciples of Christ are one, and the church they
unite to form, is one, under all the forms which that church may
assume, and in all the situations and circumstances in which it
maybe placed. When the Divine'Spirit of peace is poured out
in copious effusion, and a Saviour's love is shed abroad, then is
she one; and we behold her "walking with all godliness of mind,
with all lowliness of spirit, with due submission and humility of
heart: and, while agreeing to. differ in minor matters, still con¬
cerned to "hold the faith in the unity of the spirit, in the bond of
peace, and in righteousness of life." In these tranquil and joy¬
ous days, she is one ,* nor is she less so in her darker days of
spiritual desertion, when carnal-mindedness chills her love,
and party spirit begets contention and strife. While the billows
of ocean slumber in their coral caves; and her placid and trans-
10
parent bosom, like a mighty mirror, reflects, in unbroken radi¬
ance, the light of heaven; she is one. And when the tempest
demon spreads his sable wings, and careers rapid and irresisti¬
ble over her wide expanse, lifting fountain-high her angry
waves, and terrifying the beholder with the scene of wild dis¬
may and tumult and strife; then too is she one. Look, my hear¬
ers, over the political field which our own happy and beloved
country at the present moment presents to view. Count the
party banners which float in the air that a nation of freemen
breathe, and the hostile bands that are formed in martial array
around them: and yet are. we not, as a nation, one?—one, in
'ove to our constitution and in attachment to our free institutions?
Yes, let a foreign foe set his foot on our shores, designing to rob
the one or violate the other, and a million of swords would be
drawn from their scabbards as by the effort of a single arm, at
once to prevent the perpetration of the deed, and revenge the
attempt to perform it.
Far too much importance, if I mistake not, is attached, in some
quarters to divisions in the christian church. I have not read with
indifference or weighed without caution, the animadversions and
arguments (justly merited and sufficiently cogent without doubt
in the opinion of many) employed by the reverend advocate of
Episcopacy; but in respectful view of them, I am still disposed
to unite in sentiment with those who say, that "it is much bet¬
ter for the common cause of Christianity that there should be
differing sects existing in the world:" though, not so much for
the purpose of promoting the church's zeal, as preserving its
purity and vitality. Should it please the Great Head of the
church to alter the economy of his grace, and secure the im¬
mediate advances of his people to perfect knowledge and holi¬
ness, then indeed would it be happy for the church, and safe
for the world, to have one creed and one name: but could such
an anomaly in human character be produced, and such an im¬
possibility be made possible, that men, who from necessity dif¬
fer on all other subjects, shonld perfectly harmonize in their
religious views, while they retained in all other respects the in¬
firmities which are incident to fallen nature, the tendencies to
pride and ambition, indolence and self indulgence; what intelli¬
gent christian would not fear the consequences to the interests
of piety, of an ecclesiastical amalgamation of religious sects into
, qne body? What enlightened Statesman in our own country for
11
instance, would not confidently predict from such an event, the
inevitable final overthrow of the political constitution1? For
my own part,, warmly attached as I am to Presbyterianism, and
believing, as I firmly do, that it is more truly primitive and apos¬
tolical in its whole constitution of doctrine and discipline, than
any other church in existence; yet am I free to confess, that I
should earnestly deprecate the idea, even could it be rationally
entertained, of her becoming the only church in these United
States. Let her, I would say, stand conspicuous in purity even
more than magnitude, clad in her beautiful garments among
her sister churches; but never alone, her pale encircling the na¬
tion. Is it seriously offered as an argument against the senti¬
ment thus advanced, that the Head of the church has given
us no directions in his word respecting these divisions, or has
not "told us that it is necessary?" Is nothing true, we ask, but
what is revealed? Is nothing left for human reason to discover?
And in every case if Jehovah has not been pleased to reveal his
designs, is it presumption to conjecture them? It is surely not
necessary to shew for every opinion we hold, an express and
verbal warrant in the word of God ; it is often enough that the
gentiment is sanctioned by reason, aud not contradicted by scrip¬
ture. The memorable prayer of our Saviour, which is quoted
in proof, we cannot admit as argument, consistently with the
views already given of the unity of the church. Nov can the
exortation of the Apostle to the Corinthians, we think, be suc¬
cessfully quoted. That a church, newly formed and immedi¬
ately under the teaching of an inspired. Apostle, and which there¬
fore could have* no rational ground of dispute, and no conscien¬
tious cause for division, should be exhorted to harmony and re¬
proved for the want of it, is surely in no way inconsistent with
the opinions we have advanced ; since it is the unavoidable and
conscientious differences which exist among christians in the
Present day, that we refer to as being overruled, and made sub¬
servient to the welfare of the church at large.
But why does the Episcopal church thus vehemently preach
up unity, and decry sectarian divisions? Does she forget that
she has done her part to break the union which Papal Rome had
formed, and that she counts one among the sects into which the
protestant world is divided? What else means her name—"the
Episcopal church," what, her varied peculiarities? her ritual,fthe
sanctuary costume of her ministers, her holy days her God-fathers
and God-mothers, and the sign qf the cross, in baptism her rite ol
12
confirmation, her bowing at the name of Jesus, and reading the'
Apocryphal Books in public worship] The reply is ready: she be¬
lieves herself to be the Apostolic church, and so'do not we believe:
and because conscientiously excluded from her pale,—as conscien¬
tiously as she excludes herself from ours, may she charge us
with the guilt of schism, and at the same time with all imagina¬
ble confidence and complacency, wash her hands of the crime? ,
The stress, moreover, which the Episcopal church thus lays-
on union, is it not fatal to herself? Is she '"perfectly joined to¬
gether in the same mind, and in the same judgment speaking
the same thing?" Did not some of us, a short time since, listen
to a discourse from one of her ministers, repudiating, in no
measured terms, the Calvinistic doctrine, and at the same time
admitting, that this most hateful and pernicious heresy had
found, to a considerable, extent, admission into the mother
church of England, and that the disowned daughter of-America
was herself not perfectly immaculate?—that the article of her
faith which involves the knotted point, she suffers to be constru¬
ed that both the Calvinist and Arminian may call it, each his-
own?—that, in her liberal policy, she has constructed her plat¬
form snfficiently wide to cover this line; though it is well
known to be "a line broad and deep," and a dividing line be¬
tween all the other churches of protestant Christendom? And,
in reference to the point of controversy now before us, does
this church set a bright example of obedience to the Apostolic
injunction; which the. preacher so strictly construes, and rigidly
enforces op others?. In this respect, my esteemed Episcopal
friends, is there no division among you? are ye "perfectly joined
together in the same mind, and in the same judgment?" Is it
mistake or malice, or is it truth, which has assigned to you the
distinctive party appellations, High and Low church? Do not*
some adhere to the doctrines advocated in the "opening sermon
of the annual convention of the Diocese of Tennessee,' while
others unite with us in repudiating them, or at least in refusing
to endorse them? I ask not whether they are all honest and
conscientious and pious men; but whether on this subject they
are not divided. Can it be doubted that if the speaker or any
other minister not belonging to the Episcopal church, were to
seek admittance to the pulpit, say of "Immanuel church, La
Grange," "St. Paul's church, Randolph," that the request would,
on religious grounds, be kindly, but firmly denied? And yet
he can testify, that in other sections of the church, unsolicited
13
hy him, the privilege has been proffered, and after uniting in the
worship of the sanctuary according to the form prescribed by
that church, he lias broken to the congregation the bread of life
in the ministry of the word. What avails, we soberly ask,
mere nominal union? As much, as the name without the
thing; the pretension without the reality; the shadow without
the substance. The Papal church of Rome boasted of her un¬
ion and peace, when her Jesuits and Jansenists were meeting in
mortal polemic strife, and convulsing Europe with the shock
of the contest. The national church of England boasts too of'^er
union, while the heterogeneous materials of which her proud
fabric is composed, strikes the attentive and impartial observer
with surprise. The words of the British Senator, Sheridan, have
become memorable by their truth, as well as their point,—-"We
have a Calvinistic creed, a Popish Liturgy, and an Arminian
clergy."
But the main question for present solution is yet before us ;
are the pretensions of "the Convention of the Diocese of Tennes¬
see," as put forth in their "opening sermon," sustained by the
word of God? Is the church which that convention in part re¬
presents, of all the churches in these United States, the only true
visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ? We answer, that, in
our humble judgment, she is not; and we shall, as briefly and
clearly as possible, submit our reasons for this opinion. You
will listen to.me, my respected hearers, not as a judge to decide,
but simply as an advocate, an honest one I trust, to plead.—
No one can be farther removed from all claim to the title, and if
I approximated ever so near, you ha ve learnt too well a funda¬
mental principle of our common religion—"call no man master."
The church of Christ, we are told, is rendered visible by "cer¬
tain marks, whereby it may be known to the end of time."
These marks are the sacraments of baptism, and the Lord's sup¬
per. They must be affixed by men to whom this authority is
delegated, namely the regular successors of the Apostles.
Where this delegated authority is wanting, there can be no
sacrament, there can be no church. "The ministry and the
sacraments being the outward and visible signs, where they are
not, there the church cannot be."
In calling in question these positions, it is proper to remark,
that the term "visible," as applied to Christ's church, is not of
scriptural, but of human origin. It is a convenient conventional
term, arid must be taken in its common acceptation. 'Church'
14
means society, and a visible church is a society «that is cogniza¬
ble. The christian church is a society of the friends and disci¬
ples of Christ, and it becomes visible, when, in the judgment of
others, it wears the main features of its divine author; and
these features", we, apprehend, are the distinctive doctrines and
precepts and practice of Christianity. These, in primitive
times, made them known to the world, and rendered them more
obnoxious*than any institutions which they cherished, or rites
which they observed;—more than the ministry, and more than
the sacraments. These latter were "certain marks" indeed,
when the world had learnt them; but it was their avoidance of
idolatrous and sinful practices, and their inoffensive and holy
lives, which first drew them into notice, and invited attention to
what would otherwise have probably escaped observation,—the
peculiarities of their worship. It may be justly questioned
whether the primary design of the sacraments was to distin¬
guish the disciples of Christ from the rest of the world. They
were seals of the covenant, rather than badges of distinction—
"instituted by Christ in his church," says the Assembly's cate?
chism, "to signify, seal and exhibit unto those- that are withify
the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strength¬
en and increase their faith and all other graces; to oblige
them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and com¬
munion with one another; and to distinguish them from those
that are without."
There are other marks, besides the sacraments, which make
the disciples of Christ visible, and to which the New Testament
gives even more prominence. "Let your light so shine before
men, that they seeing your good works, may glorify your Father
who is in heaven." It is character and conduct, and not ordin-
ccs and rites, which form the best and most certain marks for the
world to gaze on—the bright reflection of a Saviour's image.—
Like the men who witnessed the boldness of Peter and John, the
world, when they observe the holy lives of christians, will tako
knowledge of them, "that they have been with Jesus." Was it
to the batismal or eucharistic marks that the Apostle called the
attention of the world, when he would challenge it with the
divinity of the gospel he preached? Was it to the sacraments
of the church, or even its miracles? No, it was the mighty
transforming power of the gospel. It was to the holy lives of
its professors, the" re-fnodelled character of its converts, that he
pointed, as pledges and proofs of what religion was, and what
15
religiori could do. , Whether he visited the most rude and bar¬
barous tribes of men, or entered the refined and voluptuous
and learned cities of Greece or Rome', he won, in the name of
his Divine Master, with equal ease, these trophies, and with
them challenged the world. Pointing to the converts of Christi¬
anity selected from the most abandoned of men, and referring to
their new and holy lives, "washed and sanctified and justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of his God,"
he triumphantly exclaimed, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth."
If the sacraments, and these administered by Episcopalians
alone, create a visible church, is it not an inscrutable mystery
that the Great Head of the church should have suffered the vast
majority of his friends and followers, through so many ages,
to-remain in error on this subject; thus rendering so small a'
fragment of his virtual church visible: especially when we re¬
member of what incalculable importance is its visibility. The
advancement of his own glory, and the growth of his owh king¬
dom, eminently demanded that his church should be seen, inas¬
much as she is the appointed instrument by which the kingdoms
of this world are eventually to become the kingdoms of God and
His Christ.
But are not the genuine disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ,
whether in the pale of the Episcopal church, or out of it,
necessarily conspicuous? They "are the light of the world,—a
city set upon a hill that cannot be hid." Arid in proportion as
they have the spirit of Christ and reflect his image, they will
be identified. "Blameless and harmless," they will be recog¬
nized as the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation, among whom they shine as lights
in the world.
Admitting then that professing christians of other denom¬
inations belong, if sincere in their professions, to the virtual
church of Christ, and that "when Christ, who is their life, shall
appear, they also will appear with him in glory," it is difficult
to conceive how they can be thus totally excluded from the visi¬
ble church. If not in the church, where are they? not in the
world ; for they have "come out from among the ungodly, and
are separate, and they touch not the unclean thing; they adorn,
in all things, the doctrine of .God their Saviour; and live lives
of faith in'the Son of God:' 'add they will pillow their heads-on:
16
hig promises in death, and their unfettered spirits will wing
their joyous way to the-church triumphant above. And yet, my
hearers, shall we, without hesitation, without a single misgiving
concerning the correctness of our favorite theory, gay, that
they are no part of Christ's visible church? shall we say (and
there are millions of them throughout the world, and, compared
with them in number, the church that thus bars the door against
them, is but a handful) shall we say, that tho' their names are
written in heaven, they cannot -be recorded among the saints on
earth? there are seats, and, it may be lofty ones too, prepared
in the mansions of bliss; but no place, not even the lowest seat,
can be found for them here?—that the great Shepherd may fold
them in his arms, and, with infinite tenderness, gather them in
his bosom; but the wrader-shepherds are bidden to close thefpld
against them! v.
I have not dared to suppose, that the idea, for a moment,
possessed the mind of the author of the "Convention sermon,"
that christians of other denominations might not possibly com¬
pose in part the virtual church of Christ; and yet 1 should have
been glad if, on this point, he had been more explicit. "Non-
Episcopal denominations," "are not excluded from the. pale of
heaven;" and, if in his mind, as we presume they are, heaven,
and the church in its glorified state, are identical, this is enough;
but in the subsequent sentence of the discourse, there is a
strange qualification and narrowing down of the admission,
which, he says, he wishes distinctly to be understood, that, we
are free to confess, is e'mbarrasing, if not suspicious. "God
forbid that we shonld uncharitably pronounce a sentence of con¬
demnation on those, who, owing to peculiar circumstances be¬
yond their control, have been educated without the limits or
Knowledge of the church." But how many, we ask, among
non-Episcopal denominations, can avail themselves of this plea
of justification or extenuation? How many have been educa¬
ted within the limits, and how many more within the knowledge
of this church, who have conscientiously come out from her
communion, or, in the light of all the knowledge which she has
been able to afford, conscientiously declined entering it? How,
for instance, would this charitable clause relieve the two thou¬
sand non-conformist ministers of England, who, when the terms
of communion in the church were finally fixed, and they found
■that with some of them, which they had hoped to see expunged,
they could not concientiously comply; separated themselves,
17
though penury and persecution were the sacrifice?
But let. us, my hearers, turn from this doubtful and fallible
decision, to "the more sure word of prophecy." Do genuine
christians of every name and denomination, belong to the church
of Christ,—"the general assembly and church of the first born,
who are written in heaven?" Listen to the memorable prayer
of our Lord, uttered in immediate view of the solemn scenes of
Gethsemane and Calvary: "Neither pray I for these alone;
but for them also which shall-believe on me through their word;
that they all may be orie." The church is the bride' of the
Lamb; and would we learn who are they that compose this
church? let us follow with John, the Angel; for "he will shew
us the bride, the Lambs wife. And he carried me away/' says
John, "in the Spirit to-a great and high mountain, and shewed-
■ me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heav¬
en from God. And the nations of them that are saved shall
walk in the light of it; and there-shall in no wise enter into
it any-thing that- defileth ; but they which are written in the
Lamb's book of life." In another vision, the same glorious
object was presented to the view of this venerable and favored
Apostle. . "After this I beheld and lo,a great multitude which
ho man could numberj of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb."
These passages alone are sufficient to shew us, that the church
of the living God which "he hath purchased with his blood,"
is not circumbscribed by the pale of any religious sect, but em¬
braces them sill.
On the subject of a duiy authorized ministry, we propose to1
submit a very few remarks. If episcopal ordination is neces¬
sary to constitute an accredited minister of the Lord Jesus Christ;
then one or other of these alternatives is indisputably true.
Either his presence is granted, and the aids of his Spirit are af¬
forded, to those whom he has never called and commissioned to
the work ; and that with the same uniformity, and to' all the ex¬
tent which the most ample fulfilment of his promise involves ;
Or, that divine presence and aid are in no way essential to- 'fideli¬
ty, or skill, or success in the task; and secures to the recipi¬
ent of the blessing, no advantages over those from whom the di¬
vine sanction and co-operation are withheld. Turn We to any
period in the history of ministerial labor, or fix our eye on any
portion of the field, and the fact every where meets, us, that
what our Episcopal friends arc pleased to deem unauthorized
R
18
ministers, have, in zeal and devotedness, in efficiency and suc¬
cess, been surpassed by none who have .gone forth from under
prelatic hands, and been clothed with all the powers which the
supposed successors of the Apostles are commissioned to bestow.
I disclaim any intention to institute invidious comparisons, when
I say, look at any episcopal and a non-episcopal ministry.
Look at them at home, or look at them abroad; as pastors or
evangelists in their native land, or as missionaries in foreign
countries. Look at the laborers, and look at their work. Com¬
pare their churches: in which are the power and the glory seen
in the sanctuary, most cornspicuous? In which is the Saviour's
presence most frequently and most graciously bestowed? And
on which are the converting and sanctifying influences of his
Spirit, most copiously poured forth? Where does vital - piety
most abound, and on whose altar does the fire of zeal and love,
burn with the purer and steadier and loftier flame? Remem¬
ber that we demand not for our argument a decision in this mat¬
ter, in our favor; grant, that the balance is even-; grant that
it is not in equipoise, —that our scale is the lighter; still the ar¬
gument is safe ; for where, after all, is the mighty difference?
where the vast superiority, which ought arid must attach to a
ministry, called by the Great Head of the church, furnished by
himself with credentials, endowed with the requisite gifts and
graces of His Spirit, and ever sustained and cheered by his pres¬
ence? where, we say is the overwhelming superiority over
those well meaning, but mistaken men, who labor at their side,
but uncommissioned by the Great Master of the vineyard per¬
form their self appointed task without a smile from heaven to
cheer or an influence to aid them? Shall we notice for a moment
tho other horn of the dilemma? If the Saviours promise, "Lo, I am
with you always even to the end of the-world," is intended
only for the prelatic church, then are we surprized by this most
marvellous fact, that the blessing has been bestowed, to a vast
extent, where it has never been promised. The cheering light
of a Saviour's presence has illumined a far wider spiritual track,
tKan that which his.own commissioned ministers have occupied,
or his church has covered; and his Holy Spirit has performed
more of his peculiar power to convert sinners and to confirm
saints, out of the church, for whose saving benefit alone his al¬
mighty power was originally engaged in the economy of- grace,
than he has ever performed within its pale. It is well to re¬
member how small a portion of Protestant Christendom has ever
19
been under Episcopal government. During the long, dark
reign of Popery, the Waldenses, a small but noble and devoted
band of .Christians, secured in their mountain fastnesses togeth¬
er with their liberties and lives, the pure word and worship of
God; and seemed alone to fulfil the Saviour's promise of per¬
petual presence in his church. But they were Presbyterians,
laying claim to no Episcopal ordination, to no Apostolic suc¬
cession save the succesion of a faithful ministry, and an uncorrupt-
ed worship. And who were the mighty spirits that with a strength
and a daring all from heaven, burst the chains which for centuries
had enthralled the world, and ushered in the glorious light of
the Reformation? who were LUTHER, and MELANCTHON,
and CALVIN, and ZUINGLE, and KNOX, with their noble
coadjutors in the mighty enterprise of renovating a world and,
needing for their task a double portion of the Spirit from on
high? were they Episcopalians? No; of all the churches of
Protestant Christendom, the church of England, at- the Refor¬
mation, alone raised the banner of Prelacy. She followed rath¬
er than led, in the glorious contest, and shared rather than won,
the spoils of victory. In subsequent periods of ecclesiastical his¬
tory, how eminently has the Saviour's presence been enjoyed,
and his Spirit's power been felt! and that too among non-Epis¬
copal churches, where, we are told, His presence has never
been promised—the Protestant churches of France, the non¬
conformist churches of England, the Presbyterian church of
Scotland; where, amidst proscription and banishment, prison
and torture, the stake and the scaffold, "pei'il and nakedness and
sword," the servants of the living God maintained inviolable
their faith, and preferred martyrdom to the surrender of their
consciences, and the abandonment of principle.
I3 it necessary, my respected audience, further to tax your
patience in multiplying arguments on this subject? Is not the
conviction already irresistably forced upon your minds, that
Episcopacy has no title whatever to the claims of exclusiveness
which some of her members set forth? Sure we are, that in
the reasoning which is employed to sustain these pretensions,
there is somewhere an error, since the result is at variance with
the proof. To detect the false link or links which make the
chain imperfect, is no part of our business, and, whenever at¬
tempted, must be considered a gratuitous and supererogatory
task. In declining, on the present occasion, the undertaking,
we shall venture a single suggestion : The existence of an or-
20
del* of prelatic ministers in the primitive churches, can never
be shown from the word of God, or the writings of the.Fathers
during the first two centuries of the Church; and even if it
could be made clear that Episcopacy was the original form of
church government, an unbroken succession of Bishops in the
church, from the time of the Apostles to the present time, can
jpever be historically proved. The much-cherished notion of
Apostolic succession, we cannot but regard as the veriest chi¬
mera that ever amused the fancy, or flattered' the pride and
vanity of men. The most patient and impartial researches,
both into the sacred oracles and the archives of history,.have
left it undiscovered; and we believe that it has no existence,
save in the fond dreams of its advocates.
It has been intimated that a portion only of the Episcopal
church, either in England or the United States, is possessed by
this unhappy sentiment; and every well-wisher to the church,
we think, must desire to believe that this portion is small, and
every day becoming smaller. Deeply do I regret, that the Din-
cese of Tennessee appears tp. have taken her place on this un¬
fortunate side. How does it mar her beauty, and impair her
strength! How calculated to repel and disgust those christians
around her, whose sympathies and good-will it is so desirable
that she should secure! What a stumbling-block in the way of
wordly and unconverted men! what a cause of triumph to the
infidel, to see" a christian society thus placing itself aloof, and
entrenching itself, not against the world, but against other
christian societies that ought to be kindred and one! How per¬
nicious the influence of such sentiments on her own members!
how gratifying to carnal pride and vanity! '.'the temple of the
Lord, the temple of the Lord are we." These remarks are
made, God is my judge, in no ill-will towards our Episcopal,
friends. I have none. There are no antipathies in my mind
against their doctrines or mode of worship. On the other hand,
as I have had occasion heretofore to remark, my predilections
are in their favor. Next to that of my own church, I shpuld
perhaps prefer communion with theirs; but this most obnox¬
ious doctrine of high-churchism, let the clergy of the Diocese
of Tennessee renounce it. Let them descend from this . high
and untenable position, and mingle with their brethren in the
ministry, on the common level, and we shall cordially hail them
as fellow-laborers in the gospel vineyard; embrace them as
comrades in holy arms; sympathize in 1heir difficulties, aid.
21-
them in their labors, and rejoiqe. in their -sudeess. As new al¬
lies, whose efficient forces are needed; and-whose arrival in ihe
field is most timely, we will-welcome them to our side; and our
distinctive, but not rival banners, shall advance, on the foe, and
mingle in the strife of "the sacramental host of God's; elect,"
called up by the Great "Captain of bur salvation, to the help
of the Lord against the mighty."
With these remarks, my.hearers, we .close the discussion^
but we cannot close the discourse', without offering a word of'
affectionate and solemn admonition. See to it that you make
not, of these divisions and controversies among the professors
of religion, a perverted and unholy use. If they lessen your
respect for religion, or weaken in your view its solemn obli¬
gations, and dispose you to treat- it with indifference or levity;
remember, that it is because a depraved heart seeks the occa¬
sion, and not because a sufficient reason furnishes you with an,
apology. If on these points of comparative insignificance, we
are seen to. differ, it cannot have escaped you, that, in all that
is fundamental and vital, we;agree. In all that bears practi--
catty on your state and prospects-and destiny, we perfectly
harmonize. We all unite to warn , you of the wrath to come,.
and to direct you to the only refuge,—an atoning Saviour.
We all conspire to tell you, that "you must be lorn again, that,
without faith, no .man can please the Lord, and that, unless
•you. repent, you must perish." We can bear witness, arid you
can bear-witness also, how plainly and faithfully these funda-r
mental truths were unfolded and enforced, in the various^ dis-.
courses to which we recently listened: how; in a mariner
worthy at once of our admiration and imitation, Christ and
him crucified was declared unto us. God in his mercy grant,,
.that these faithful labors "may not be in vain in the Lord."