tihxaty of ^Ik ^Keolo^ical ^tminavy 
 
 PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY 
 
 A Donation from 
 Samuel Agnew 
 
 BV 660 .W54 1830 
 
 Wilks, Samuel Charles, 1789^ 
 
 1872. 
 The essay on "The signs of 
 conversion and unconversioL 
 
THE ESSAY 
 
 ON 
 
 ''THE SIGNS OF 
 
 CONVERSION AND UNCONVERSION IN 
 
 MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH " 
 
 TO WHICH THE SOCIETY 
 FOR 1'ROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE AND CHURCH UNION 
 IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. DAVID's 
 ADJUDGED THEIR PREMIUM FOR THE YEAH 1811. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. SAMUEL CHARLES WILKS, M.A. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "CHRISTIAN ESSAYS," 
 
 "CORRELATIVE CLAIMS AND DUTIES OF THE CHURCH," 
 
 &C. &c. &c. 
 
 Lest, having preached to others, I myself become a cast away. 
 
 C^uti 12D(tion. 
 JOHN HATCHARD AND SON, PICCADILLY, LONDON 
 
 MDCCCXXX. 
 
ELLERTON AND HENDERSON, PRINTERS, 
 COUGH SQUARE, LONDON. 
 

 .tt^ 
 
 / vaiiJCEio 
 
 ^ "^""a 
 
 \ 
 
 DEDICA 
 
 ^nr.or.cGioi^ 
 
 • v**Vfc • 
 
 TO THE RIGHT REVEREND . 
 
 THOMAS BURGESS, D.D. 
 
 LORD BISHOP OF SALISBURY, 
 
 chancellor to the order of the garter, 
 etc. etc. etc. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 It is about twenty years since, when 
 an under-graduate at college, that I learned 
 that, among the other plans devised by 
 youi Lordship for the benefit of the dio- 
 cese of St. David's, your Lordship had 
 formed a Society ** for promoting Chris- 
 tian Knowledge and Church Union," and 
 instituted, through the medium of that 
 Society, honorary premiums for Essays on 
 various important subjects ; some confined 
 to the students and clergy of the diocese, and 
 A -2 
 
IV DEDICATION. 
 
 Others open to the members of the English 
 universities, and indeed to the pubUc in ge- 
 neral. Among the latter class of premiums, 
 the first was for an Essay on the question 
 *' What are the Impediments which hinder 
 professing Christians, who believe the doc- 
 trines of the Church of England, from uniting 
 with the Established Church ;" which was 
 followed up by premiums for Essays on the 
 following subjects: 1. "What is Conver- 
 sion?" 2. " Can a Minister of the Church 
 be an unconverted character?" 3. '^ What 
 are the Marks of Conversion and Uncon- 
 version in a Minister of the Church?" and, 
 4. " What are the Means likely to excite in 
 the mind of such a Minister, if such there be, 
 a sense of his unconverted state? " On these 
 several subjects various compositions were, I 
 believe, sent in, and premiums adjudged ; but 
 I am not aware that any of the Essays were 
 ever published, except the following, on the 
 third question, which your Lordship and the 
 Society were pleased to send to press, think- 
 ing it might be useful for circulation among 
 the younger clergy and candidates for holy 
 
DEDICATION. V 
 
 orders. Being at the time of writing it a young 
 man, a layman, and an under-graduate, I 
 should not myself have ventured to publish 
 it ; but 1 do not regret that it saw the light, 
 as I have reason to believe, that, by the 
 blessing of God, it has been in several in- 
 stances rendered useful, both to candidates 
 for the sacred office, and to some who had 
 entered upon that office without due consi- 
 deration of its responsibility, by exciting a 
 spirit of serious inquiry and self-examination. 
 It was, indeed, but a juvenile essay, composed 
 when the writer was himself preparing for 
 orders ; but I trust written with a view to 
 his own edification; and therefore not the 
 less adapted to the case of persons similarly 
 circumstanced. It has obtained a somewhat 
 large circulation, and many kind suffrages ; 
 among others, that of your Lordship's revered 
 and now sainted friend. Bishop Barrington. 
 But the testimony not least consolatory to 
 the writer is, that your Lordship, and ano- 
 ther highly esteemed and beloved Prelate of 
 our Church, the pious and indefatigable 
 
VI DEDICATION. 
 
 Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, have for 
 many years been in the habitof presenting it 
 to your candidates for orders. I can only 
 earnestly pray, that the solicitude displayed 
 by your Lordship, and that Right Reverend 
 Prelate, and all who adorn the same elevated 
 office in the church of Christ, in regard to 
 that eminently important and interesting class 
 of persons, the Candidates for the Sacred 
 Ministry, may be abundantly rewarded, by 
 seeing this and every other " work of the 
 Lord prosper in your hands." 
 
 In the unhappily lax state of our church 
 discipline, and the absence of that specific 
 theological training for our clergy, which is 
 increasingly lamented by every true friend of 
 the Church, the most devout and zealous 
 Prelate cannot secure all that he would de- 
 sire, as respects the piety and qualifications 
 of those who come to him for ordination ; 
 but, still, much has of late years been 
 effected, both with regard to the attainments 
 and character of the candidates, and the 
 more adequate average standard of their ex- 
 
DEDICATION. VU 
 
 amination ; and one consolation will, at least, 
 remain to a faithful Prelate, that, if he has 
 not been able to do all that he wished, he has at 
 least endeavoured to do all that he could. In 
 reference to this subject it would not become 
 the individual who now addresses your Lord- 
 ship to say all that the voice of the friends of 
 Christianity and of our beloved Church will 
 one day record — that day, I trust, is yet far 
 distant — in memory of a Prelate whose long 
 and useful life has been so peculiarly de- 
 voted to the benefit of the younger clergy ; 
 and whose name, even were all his other 
 claims to public gratitude forgotten — were 
 his Biblical labours, his profound and elegant 
 learning, his zeal for the circulation of the 
 word of God, his exertions for the defence 
 of our revered Church and of our common Pro- 
 testantism, his benevolent efforts on behalf of 
 the poor, the ignorant, nay, even the despised 
 slave, his amiable deportment, his personal 
 piety, to lapse from remembrance — whose 
 name would still live as the revered Bishop 
 Bedell of the Principality of Wales, so long 
 
Vlll DEDICATION. 
 
 as the magnificent institution of St. David's 
 College shall remain to testify his enlightened 
 and pious munificence. 
 
 The circumstance of the following Essay 
 being one of a series, will account for its 
 somewhat abrupt and truncated form. As 
 the writer concluded that the former two 
 Essayists had answered the preliminary ques- 
 tions, and that the fourth Essayist would 
 point out the necessary practical conclu- 
 sions, he confined himself to his own sub- 
 ject; only suggesting in his preface a few 
 remarks, for the consideration of those who, 
 not having weighed the two former points, 
 might object to the enunciation of the 
 present Essay altogether. 
 
 I regret, my Lord, that the plan of offering 
 premiums of this nature has been disconti- 
 nued, and this just as it had begun to be 
 pubhcly known, and to excite the attention of 
 the younger clergy and the junior members 
 of our universities. In my own case, I am 
 bound to thank your Lordship for thus turn- 
 ing my attention strongly to subjects highly 
 
DEDICATION. IX 
 
 important to me in my profession. It may 
 not be uninteresting to your Lordship to 
 learn, that an Essay of this nature, which you 
 honoured with one of your premiums, was 
 immediately reprinted in America, in an edi- 
 tion of 3000 copies, of which 1500 were 
 ordered before it had left the press, on ac- 
 count of its being considered useful in places 
 where Socinianism was making rapid and 
 awful strides^. Your Lordship was also 
 pleased to adjudge your premium to another 
 Essay from my pen, On the Necessity and the 
 Duties of a Church Establishment in a Chris- 
 tian Country ; which was replied to inAmerica 
 by Mr. Bristed, in an octavo volume, which 
 was republished in London. I allude to this 
 Essay on the present occasion for the sake of 
 suggesting the importance of supplying a 
 plain tract, for popular distribution, on the 
 former part of this question, *' The Necessity 
 
 * The Essay was On the Effect of the Character and 
 Conduct in influencing the Judgment in Matters of 
 Faith. 
 
X DEDICATION. 
 
 of a Church Establishment," as the present 
 race of what are called Dissenters upon prin- 
 ciple do not object merely to Episcopacy, or 
 to the details of our doctrine and discipline, 
 but to all Church Establishments whatever ; 
 an objection to which the standard treatises 
 in defence of our Church offer scarcely any 
 reply, as the objection itself is mostly of 
 modern growth. 
 
 I have the honour to be, 
 My Lord, 
 With much gratitude and affection, 
 Your Lordship's most obedient 
 And dutiful servant, 
 
 SAMUEL CHARLES WILKS. 
 
 June 10, 1830. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 Preface ix 
 
 Definition of Conversion. 
 
 Technical Terms in Divinity defended. 
 
 Evidences of Conversion. 
 
 Chap. I. — Internal ^6 
 
 Sources of Self-deception. 
 
 Chap. II.— External 34- 
 
 Sect. 1.— Preaching 36-63 
 
 1. Doctrines: — Sin, original and actual ; the 
 
 Atonement ; Justification by Faith ; Di- 
 vinity and Influences of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 2. Practical Subjects :— Holiness, Sin, Obe- 
 
 dience to God, Influences of Scriptural 
 Doctrines upon the life. 
 
 Sect. 2.— Heart and Conduct 63-108 
 
 Devotion to the pastoral office ; zeal ; tithes, 
 residence ; pastoral visiting ; the sick, the 
 aged, the yoimg ; catechising and confir- 
 mation ; literary pursuits, recreations ; 
 views of the Ministry ; conducting the 
 Services ; giving religious advice ; meek- 
 ness, self-denial; associates; public life ; 
 views of C hristianity ; general spirit ; 
 willingness to endure the offence of the 
 cross. 
 
 Concluding Remarks 108-125 
 
 Due caution in applying the preceding tests- 
 Necessity for due discrimination of clerical 
 character— Hopeful symptoms. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The theological terms Conversion and Uncon- 
 version are used by divines in two senses, — 
 either in reference to conversion from Pa- 
 ganism to Christianity, which may or may 
 not be accompanied by true piety, and is not 
 the subject of consideration in this Essay ; or 
 in reference to the necessity of a spiritual 
 change of character among those who, 
 although admitted to the privileges of the 
 sacrament of Baptism, and ** professing and 
 calling themselves Christians," prove by their 
 conduct that they do not practically ^' hold 
 the faith," or walk *'in the way of truth," or 
 in "righteousness of life." Of such, Arch- 
 deacon Paley says, in one of his later publi- 
 cations : " The persons in our congregations 
 to whom we must preach conversion plainly 
 
XIV PREFACE. 
 
 and directly, are those who, with the name of 
 Christians, have passed their hves without 
 any internal religion. .. .These persons are 
 really in as unconverted a state as any Jew 
 or Gentile could be in our Saviour's time. 
 No person in this situation can be saved 
 without undergoing conversion." 
 
 Now it is assumed in the following Essay ^S 
 what, alas ! daily fact corroborates, that a bap- 
 tized person may be in this unhappy state, 
 and in this state may even undertake the 
 sacred office, and minister in holy things ; 
 that he may also be unconscious of his state ; 
 and may be vaguely trusting to the grace of 
 Baptism, while practically he is living with- 
 out God, and without hope, in the world. It 
 is therefore a matter of the highest moment 
 and interest to him, and to the people com- 
 
 * The reader is apprised that this Essay was but one 
 of a series, in which the preliminary questions, " what 
 is conversion ? " and " inay a clergyman be an uncon- 
 verted character?" had been discussed. This will ac- 
 count for the apparent abruptness of the present argu- 
 ment; the writer taking it for granted that the reader is 
 prepared to admit the previous points, which are ex- 
 trinsic to the particular inquiry in hand. 
 
PREFACE. XV 
 
 mitted to his charge, to endeavour to suggest 
 the most probable means of exciting in the 
 mind of such a minister, if such there be, a 
 consciousness of his unconverted state. To 
 do this is the subject of the following Essay ; 
 and it is endeavoured with every feeling of 
 delicacy which is due to the subject, and of 
 respect and reverence for the sacred order to 
 which it is addressed. 
 
 The author is aware that some persons, 
 who employ the terms conversion and uncon- 
 version in reference to the case of the hea- 
 then, would avoid the use of them in the 
 sense just explained, and particularly in re- 
 ference to the clerical character, where, 
 if truth were not also charity, they might 
 certainly appear invidious. But no other 
 words are equally appropriate : for some are 
 inadequate to convey the idea of that spi- 
 ritual renovation which is the foundation of 
 true piety ; while others are connected with 
 controversial discussions, which do not come 
 within the scope of the present Essay. 
 
 But in this reproach the terms conversion 
 and unconversion are not alone ; for almost 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 all those words which are connected with the 
 more unwelcome doctrines of Christianity are 
 equally assailed. To endeavour systemati- 
 cally to prove the necessity of what may 
 be called technical theological terms, would 
 be irrelevant to the subject in hand ; but* 
 since several of these terms may occur in 
 the following pages more frequently than a 
 person who is prejudiced against them might 
 be disposed to tolerate, a remark or two on 
 the subject may not be improper. 
 
 In the primitive church, the language of 
 Christians, in speaking of religious subjects, 
 was modelled from the language of the New 
 Testament. Among our own ministers, also, 
 both at the time of the Reformation and for 
 many years subsequent to that event, a 
 similar practice is observable. At length, 
 howe\er, by the influence of various causes, 
 Scripture language was disused, and even 
 studiously avoided. The obvious pretext for 
 this alteration in our theological style was, 
 that many of the phrases employed in the 
 common translation of the Bible, by being- 
 current among persons of enthusiastic minds 
 
PREFACE. XVU 
 
 had acquired a secondary meaning unintended 
 by the inspired writers, and were therefore to 
 be avoided, as much as possible, by all who 
 did not wish to appear favourers of Puritan- 
 ism or hypocrisy. The suppression of these 
 words and phrases was rendered easy and 
 common, by the general neglect of the doc- 
 trines with which they were connected. 
 Ethical subjects, it was found, might be com- 
 modiously discussed without the aid of the 
 terms peculiar to Christianity. If, however, 
 an idea occasionally occurred which seemed 
 naturally to suggest the use of the anti- 
 quated word, substitution was found to be a 
 safe and respectable method of avoiding the 
 difficulty. Thus, for example : virtue, refor- 
 mation, and moral consciousness, began to 
 be employed where less scrupulous divines 
 would have said sanctijication, conversion, or 
 conviction of sin ; till, at length, words once 
 current among us were almost exiled from 
 the pulpit, and might by this time have 
 been hardly known, had not the language of 
 our received Translation, and our Public For- 
 mularies, preserved them from oblivion. 
 a 
 
XVlll PREFACE. 
 
 The present age, however, is one in which 
 men are not anxious to conform to any prac- 
 tice, either good or bad, merely because their 
 fathers did so before them. Without, there- 
 fore, considering whether the language of the 
 New Testament were, or were not, sometimes 
 forced into the service of ignorance or hypo- 
 crisy; and without inquiring whether the neg- 
 lect of it did not arise far more on account 
 of hatred to the doctrines themselves, than 
 to the vehicle by which they were conveyed ; 
 let us view the subject simply as it concerns 
 ministers in the present day. 
 
 It is objected, that by using technical 
 terms in divinity men learn to substitute 
 words for ideas, to the great prejudice of real 
 rehgious knowledge. It may, however, be 
 obviously answered, that a technical term, 
 when once explained, is a sufficient symbol 
 of a complete idea ; and will, after such ex- 
 planation, recal the idea far more effectually 
 than could be done by circumlocution or pa- 
 raphrase. Why should that which facilitates 
 the knowledge of every other science pro- 
 
PREFACE. XIX 
 
 duce a contrary effect in divinity? The ob- 
 jection, indeed, shews the necessity of a mi- 
 nister's diligently explaining the signification 
 of the technical terms which he employs, but 
 is by no means an argument against a judi- 
 cious use of them. 
 
 It has been further objected, that these 
 peculiar phrases often prejudice men of re- 
 fined minds against the Gospel, and thus pre- 
 vent their afterwards examining its doctrines 
 with impartiality. But the fact is, that men 
 dislike the expressions only because they 
 dislike the ideas conveyed. No change of 
 language can make the doctrines of the Cross 
 of Christ agreeable to an '' unconverted " 
 man- It is from Deists, and Socinians, and 
 pseudo-philosophers, that the loudest com- 
 plaints are heard. But it would surely be 
 an excess of courtesy, to sacrifice words made 
 venerable by the lips of saints, confessors, 
 and martyrs, and considered by ages past as 
 the accredited representatives of specific re- 
 ligious ideas, to please the fastidious taste of 
 those who can have no motive for desiring; a 
 a 2 
 
XX PREFACE. 
 
 change in language, except as it may be a 
 prelude to a change in doctrines themselves. 
 Yet, although these and similar arguments 
 are far from proving the point intended, they 
 ought undoubtedly to make ministers cau- 
 tious of giving unnecessary offence by any 
 thing that may be justly denominated cant or 
 affectation. Why should not the general 
 language of ministers be that of other lite- 
 rary persons, so far, at least, as purity 
 and simplicity are concerned ? This is per- 
 fectly compatible with a free and unfettered 
 use of those terms which are peculiar to 
 Christianity, as a science. Scriptural phrases 
 may be quoted as such. They cannot ap- 
 pear stiff or improper, except when used as 
 our own language, instead of that of the 
 word of God. When judiciously introduced, 
 they are felt even by men of the world to be 
 highly elegant and pleasing. A medium 
 ought, of course, in this, as in other things, 
 to be preferred ; and a discreet minister may 
 easily shew that he is not ashamed either of 
 the language or the doctrines of Scripture, 
 
PREFACE. XXI 
 
 without giving just cause of disgust to the 
 most fastidious hearer by unnecessary pecu- 
 Harities of expression. That man must either 
 be a very imprudent advocate for the Gospel, 
 or else its deliberate enemy, who would not 
 endeavour to convey his ideas in the manner 
 which appears to him least likely to excite 
 prejudice. If, however, this is to be done by 
 softening down the ideas themselves ; or if, 
 as is usually the case, the absence of the ap- 
 propriate term should induce his hearers to 
 suspect that he disliked or disbelieved the 
 doctrine conveyed by that term, it surely be- 
 comes him to act with honest boldness, and 
 to use his own judgment, regardless of the 
 sneer of morbid delicacy, or the clamours of 
 Socinian refinement. 
 
 As a practical argument, it may be ob- 
 served, that those preachers who studiously 
 avoid scriptural phraseology are not found, 
 even in discourses addressed to the more cul- 
 tivated ranks of society, to be the most inte- 
 resting or useful : but, with regard to the 
 lower classes, the argument is far more pow- 
 erful ; for, among persons of this description. 
 
XXU PREFACE. 
 
 undisguised scriptural language is absolutely 
 necessary, if a minister wishes to be either 
 understood or believed. 
 
 In our own day it is, perhaps, more than 
 ever necessary to recur to Scripture language, 
 and to use it in its unrestricted, unsophisti- 
 cated meaning, since there appears among 
 many individuals an affectation of employing 
 it in a sort of refined and 'improved" sig- 
 nification. Should this practice become ge- 
 neral, it would be one of the most dangerous 
 expedients hitherto discovered for disguising 
 the genuine spirit of Christianity. Men who 
 evidently shun those Biblical expressions 
 which have been usually connected with the 
 more unwelcome truths of the Gospel, fur- 
 nish an argument against themselves ; and it 
 is not difficult to convince an unprejudiced 
 person, that such conduct implies a secret 
 conviction that their doctrines and sentiments 
 cannot be those of the Holy Scriptures ; for 
 who suppresses evidence that strengthens his 
 own cause ? But when, on the other hand, 
 the peculiar terms and phrases of the Sacred 
 Writings are employed liberally, and without 
 
PREFACE. XXIU 
 
 any apparent reservation, but at the same 
 time insidiously introduced in such a manner 
 or such a situation as to abridge or pervert 
 their true import, men are in far greater 
 danoer of beinfj; deceived than if new terms 
 were employed, and the language of Scripture 
 purposely suppressed. A minister who fre- 
 quently and boldly speaks of sanctification, 
 conversion, and faith in Christ, but always 
 uses these terms merely as opposed to open 
 profligacy and professed infidelity, employs 
 a method of undermining the Gospel as de- 
 structive and alarming as it is artful and dis- 
 ingenuous. How necessary, then, is it for 
 every true minister of Christ, and every person 
 writing or speaking on religious subjects, 
 to endeavour to preserve the language of the 
 Bible from forgetfulness on the one hand, 
 and misrepresentation on the other ; and to 
 strive to correct the religious fastidiousness 
 of the age, rather than by a servile submission 
 to encourage and increase it ! 
 
ON THE SIGNS 
 
 OF 
 
 CONVERSION AND UNCONVERSION 
 IN MINISTERS. 
 
 EVIDENCES ARE INTERNAL AND 
 EXTERNAL. 
 
 The evidences of conversion or unr 
 conversion in a minister are of two 
 kinds, — those which assist him in 
 judging of himself, and those which 
 develop his character in the sight of 
 others. 
 
 Of the former, little will be said ; 
 since a minister's rules for deter- 
 mining his own character do not 
 widely differ from those which apply 
 
26 INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 to a private Christian, and are there- 
 fore not the immediate subjects of 
 discussion in the present Essay. A 
 few remarks, however, may not be 
 inappropriate. 
 
 CHAPTER r. 
 INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 The pencil of inspiration so clearly 
 and frequently sketches the two classes 
 of character into which all mankind 
 are divided, that the most ignorant 
 reader cannot but perceive the con- 
 trast. It might therefore appear almost 
 impossible that any servant of the 
 sanctuary, who, from the peculiar du- 
 ties of his station, must necessarily 
 be in some degree conversant with the 
 sacred writings, should be ignorant of 
 
INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 27 
 
 the Scripture evidences of conversion ; 
 or, having discerned those evidences, 
 should be unsolicitous to ascertain in 
 what manner they affect himself. Yet 
 that there have been, in every age, 
 persons thus ignorant and thus in- 
 different, is a fact rather to be la- 
 mented than denied. An individual 
 in private life may often be impressed 
 with the injunctions of the Apostle, 
 ** Examine yourselves whether ye be 
 in the faith," *' try your own selves," 
 ** make your calling and election 
 sure ; " while the teacher who reads 
 them, and professes to explain their 
 import, is unaffected and unimproved. 
 Several concurring causes may pro- 
 duce this effect. 
 
 In the first place, a minister (espe- 
 cially a young minister) is liable to 
 come to consider faith, repentance, 
 conversion, and similar Christian ideas, 
 B 2 
 
28 INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 rather as literary topics which it is his 
 office to discuss, than as important 
 realities in which he himself is con- 
 cerned as much as his congregation ; 
 and when once a man begins to view 
 religion not as of personal, but merely 
 of professional importance, he has an 
 obstacle in his course with which a 
 private Christian is unacquainted. 
 
 The continual recurrence of reli- 
 gious duties may be assigned as ano- 
 ther cause of professional indifference ; 
 for, though nothing can be more 
 useful to a pious minister than the 
 frequency of the '' means of grace," 
 yet to an unconverted one nothing 
 can be more injurious; since the most 
 affecting things, by losing their no- 
 velty, lose their interest, and become 
 merely official functions. It is not 
 likely, humanly speaking, that what 
 has been habitually repeated with in- 
 
INTERXAL EVIDENCES. 29 
 
 difterence should at length appear 
 with the same striking importance with 
 which it impresses those to whom it is 
 new. 
 
 Again, a minister often deceives 
 himself with a vague dependence on 
 the sanctity of his office, forgetting 
 that it is very possible, that, after 
 preaching to others, he himself may 
 be a cast-away. He perhaps even 
 seems as if he took for granted, that 
 being a minister necessarily implies 
 being a true servant of God ; than 
 which nothing can be more unscrip- 
 tural or false. 
 
 Prejudice against the peculiar doc- 
 trines of the Gospel is one of the most 
 common obstacles in the way of con- 
 version ; and to this prejudice an irre- 
 ligious minister is more exposed than 
 a layman, since he has not only the 
 sources of prejudice and objection na- 
 tural to the hearts of all men, but some 
 
30 INTERNAL EVIDtNCES. 
 
 which are peculiar to himself. An un- 
 biassed person cannot easily withstand 
 the plain statements of Scripture ; but 
 he who knows something of religious 
 controversies may easily soften them 
 down, till they become of no value ; 
 and in this manner, by his preju- 
 dices, close every avenue to convic- 
 tion. A minister thus prepossessed, 
 instead of admitting the Scripture doc- 
 trine of conversion, of a total renova- 
 tion of heart, endeavours to neutralize 
 every text that explains its nature or 
 inculcates its necessity. 
 
 If, however, he be induced to ac- 
 knowledge the necessity of this spi- 
 ritual change, it surely becomes a 
 question of paramount importance, 
 whether or not it has been realized. 
 The subject will now appear to him 
 with a prominence which it never 
 before possessed. He will begin anxi- 
 ously to examine whether his religion 
 
INTERNAL EVIDENCES, 31 
 
 be merely the decency of professional 
 character, or whether it be in truth 
 the energetic influence of vital Chris- 
 tianity. He will inquire, if, com- 
 mencing in a consciousness of the 
 infinite guilt of sin, and the incompe- 
 tency of man to deserve salvation by 
 the best obedience which since the 
 Fall he is able to bestow, it have pro- 
 ceeded to self-renunciation, to faith in 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, and love to 
 God the Father ; and,, lastly, whether 
 it evidences itself by a life of holiness, 
 and a progressive conformity to the 
 Divine image. His thoughts, his 
 words, his actions, and, above all, his 
 motives, will be subjects of careful 
 investigation. He will pray for the 
 Divine guidance in ascertaining his 
 own character. He will immediately 
 perceive, that love to God and to holi- 
 ness, hatred to sin, an earnest desire 
 to obtain salvation himself and to be 
 
32 INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 the honoured instrument of conveying 
 it to others, are characteristic features 
 of a converted minister; and in pro- 
 portion as these are visible in himself, 
 he may judge favourably of his reli- 
 gious state. Agitated spirits and in- 
 explicable emotions are not the evi- 
 dences of piety. He must look rather 
 for a heavenly principle, active in its 
 tendency, purifying the affections, ex- 
 panding the soul, elevating the hopes 
 and desires, crucifying the corrupt 
 inclinations, fixing the heart on God, 
 moderating self-love, exciting to uni- 
 versal benevolence— in a word, rege- 
 nerating the whole man, and *' making 
 him meet for the inheritance of the 
 saints in light." He must expect 
 to see the efficacy of this principle 
 most conspicuous in the subjugation 
 of those sins to which he is naturally 
 most inclined, and which, under any 
 influence short of true religion, he 
 
INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 33 
 
 would be desirous of retaining. He 
 will learn to look not so much to his 
 zeal or delight in the public services of 
 religion, as to the sincerity of his 
 private devotions; since the former 
 may be influenced by social feelings, 
 while the latter are seldom cordial but 
 to a renovated mind. To these cha- 
 racteristics may be added, acqui- 
 escence in the Divine will, and filial 
 eagerness to perform the Divine com- 
 mands ; which are dispositions of mind 
 so exclusively appropriate to a genuine 
 Christian, that where they exist, or are 
 fervently implored, other evidences 
 will not be sought in vain. If, in a 
 word, to be a true Christian be the pre- 
 eminent desire of his soul, and if the 
 sincerity of this desire be correspond- 
 ently evinced in his life, he already 
 possesses an invaluable evidence of the 
 renovation of his nature. 
 
34 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 But the object of this Essay, as has 
 been already observed, is rather to 
 suggest the evidences by which others 
 may judge of a minister, than those by 
 w^hich he may estimate himself. The 
 difficulty here is, of course, greater than 
 in the former case, since it is impos- 
 sible to see the secret feelings of ano- 
 ther man's heart. Yet, although we 
 cannot pierce a minister's retirement, 
 or listen to the aspirations that ascend 
 from his closet ; though we cannot un- 
 fold his hidden motives, or witness the 
 silent struggle in his breast between 
 remaining sin and increasing holiness; 
 we may view the operation of his prin- 
 ciples on his conduct, and thus ascer- 
 tain the religious habit of his mind. 
 
EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 35 
 
 In forming our opinion, there are 
 two prejudices to be avoided; which, 
 although of a contrary nature, are 
 almost equally efficacious in perverting 
 the judgment. Persons whose dis- 
 positions are amiable, but who esti- 
 mate character rather by the standard 
 of the world than of the Bible, often 
 mistake mere professional decorum 
 for Christian piety, and are therefore 
 willing to consider many individuals as 
 faithful ambassadors for God, who are 
 decidedly the servants of the world. 
 Persons of a contrary temper, especi- 
 ally if much conversant with hypocrisy, 
 revert to the opposite extreme. No 
 consistency of character can gain their 
 approbation, or attract their confi- 
 dence: they impute the most exalted 
 piety to questionable motives, and 
 speak of religion in a clergyman in no 
 higher a view than of diligence in a 
 
36 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 merchant, or sagacity in a politician. 
 The first class will, in consequence, 
 consider the evidences of conversion 
 superfluous ; the last, inadequate and 
 unsatisfactory. But, avoiding these ex- 
 tremes, we may reasonably and scrip- 
 turally judge of the heart by the life; 
 and when we consider the various situa- 
 tions in which a minister is placed, and 
 the different aspects in which his con- 
 duct may be viewed, it is almost im- 
 possible he should be long concealed. 
 He is a city set on a hill, which cannot 
 be hid. 
 
 Let us, then, consider the evidences 
 of a minister's religious character, as 
 they relate to his preaching and his 
 conduct. 
 
 Section /. — Preaching. 
 If, with minds neither prejudiced by 
 education, nor rendered suspicious by 
 
PREACHING. 37 
 
 controversy, we were to collate our 
 Homilies, Articles, and Liturgy with 
 the unerring Standard oftruth, it would 
 be no difficult task to discover what 
 opinions a true Christian, a member of 
 the English Church, ought to cherish, 
 and, consequently, what doctrines her 
 ministers should inculcate and defend. 
 The religion of the Bible consists in 
 ** repentance toward God, and faith 
 in ourLordJesusChrist," accompanied, 
 as such faith and love will ever be, by 
 such a life of active and passive holi- 
 ness as will practically evince the soli- 
 dity and efficacy of our belief. Since, 
 however, such a religion is inseparably 
 connected with the doctrines of Scrip- 
 ture, every pious minister will think 
 those doctrines of immense importance 
 in his public ministrations. The general 
 feature by which the writings of the 
 Apostles and primitive saints are dis- 
 
38 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 tinguished from the productions of 
 moralists and philosophers, is evidently 
 a cordial belief in the fundamental 
 principles of the Gospel, and a practical 
 acquaintance with their nature and 
 effects. Every thing else is not only 
 rendered subordinate, but almost an- 
 nihilated. Natural religion, with its 
 motives and its hopes, its errors and 
 its excellencies, is eclipsed amidst 
 the glories of that dispensation which 
 *' brought life and immortality to 
 
 light." 
 
 Now, unless the condition of man, 
 or the nature of Christianity, be wholly 
 changed by subsequent refinements, 
 it obviously results, that those features 
 which characterized the discourses of 
 Christian ministers in purer ages will 
 be visible also in the discourses of 
 their successors in modern times. No- 
 thmg more, therefore, is necessary 
 
PREACHING. .39 
 
 to form an estimate of a minister, so 
 far as preaching is a just evidence, than 
 to ascertain what have been the uni- 
 formly received opinions of faithful 
 ministers of Christ in every age, and 
 what the distinguishing topics of their 
 pulpit instructions. Since, however, 
 those topics and opinions professed to 
 be derived from the volume of Inspira- 
 tion, and were correct or valuable only 
 in proportion as they corresponded to 
 their model, it is infinitely safer to refer 
 to the Scripture itself, than to the 
 practice of its most holy imitators : 
 and such a reference will prove, that 
 the design of Christianity, as it relates 
 to man, is either to convince him that 
 he is in a state of moral depravity, or 
 to shew him what means are provided 
 for his restoration to the Divine image, 
 and the re-attainment of his lost feli- 
 city and holiness. Here, then, is the 
 
40 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 substance of a pious minister's preach- 
 ing. The unity of design that exists 
 in every page of the Bible will always 
 be visible among the whole body of 
 its genuine converts. It may be said, 
 that, to a being fallible as man, error 
 is often unavoidable. This, so far as 
 it applies to the non-essentials of re- 
 ligion, is indeed true; but no consi- 
 derations of this nature ought to induce 
 us, in the wantonness of false candour, 
 to imagine that he can be a Christian 
 who disbelieves the essentials of Chris- 
 tianity, or he a converted minister in 
 whose preaching those essentials do 
 not habitually appear. A man who 
 derives all his own hopes and enjoy- 
 ments from the Gospel, as every true 
 Christian undoubtedly must, will not 
 substitute in his preaching the instruc- 
 tions of natural religion or heathen 
 philosophy, for the purifying, animat- 
 
PREACHING. 41 
 
 ing, and indispensable peculiarities of 
 the Christian revelation. 
 
 But what, it maybe asked, are these 
 peculiarities, the preaching of which 
 is so important a test of a minister's 
 piety ? 
 
 The most obvious is, that man has 
 departed from original righteousness, and 
 on account of sin is justly obnoxi- 
 ous to the Divine anger. This fact, 
 and the consequence deduced from 
 it, form the hypothesis on which the 
 preaching of every converted minister, 
 and indeed the whole scheme of 
 Christianity, is founded ; and which 
 being denied, Christianity and preach- 
 ing become utterly inappropriate and 
 useless. A minister who admits these 
 truths fully and unequivocally, must, 
 in consequence, admit the necessity 
 of the Atonement; and who, that ad- 
 mits its necessity, can be unconscious 
 c 
 
42 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 of its importance? or who, that allows 
 its importance, can fail to make it a 
 prominent topic in his parochial ad- 
 dresses ? 
 
 In addition to these points, Just'ifi- 
 cation solely and exclusively through 
 the infinitely meritorious obedience 
 unto death of Christ, has been always 
 considered, among men of piety, as a 
 doctrine plainly revealed in Scripture 
 and of essential value in the system of 
 human redemption. They have viewed 
 it, not as an appendage or corollary, 
 much less as an excrescence, but as 
 the sum, the substance, the life, the 
 spirit, of the whole dispensation. On 
 this only their own hopes of pardon 
 and acceptance have been founded, 
 and on this only have they exhorted 
 others, to depend. Having learned 
 from Revelation the nature of God and 
 the extent of the Divine requisitions, 
 
PHEACHING. 43 
 
 and having at the same time discovered 
 the utter incompetency of man since 
 the Fall to secure to himself a place in 
 heaven by sinless obedience, they have 
 acknowledged that nothing but a re- 
 velation of gratuitous mercy could 
 relieve our v^ants, or be w^orth our 
 acceptance. On these accounts, the 
 doctrine in question has, in every pure 
 church, been considered of supreme 
 importance ; and, whatever may be 
 the prevailing sentiment of any par- 
 ticular age, the Gospel and its effects 
 being always the same, the piety of 
 that minister is undoubtedly suspi- 
 cious whose preaching is defective on 
 this fundamental subject of justifica- 
 tion by faith through the vicarious 
 sacrifice and death of Christ. 
 
 Intimately connected with the last- 
 mentioned topic is that of the Divi- 
 nitij of our Savioiii^ : a doctrine which, 
 c 2 
 
44 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 beyond most others, has been ridiculed 
 and impugned; but which is so expli- 
 citly taught in the Sacred Writings, 
 and so necessarily implied in the whole 
 economy of human salvation, that it 
 would be spurious charity to denomi- 
 nate him a converted man who denies 
 its truth, or him a faithful minister 
 who forgets its importance. The dis- 
 belief of this doctrine virtually implies 
 a disbelief of Christianity (except so 
 far as it is a system of ethics), and must 
 therefore be a most fatal mistake. 
 
 The Divinity of the Holy Spirit 
 will hardly be denied, but by men 
 who have read the Scriptures with the 
 express design of perverting them ; or 
 His agency, but by those who have 
 previously concluded that it is not 
 necessary, and therefore is not pro- 
 mised. Every minister of the Church 
 of England has so solemnly attested 
 
PREACHIXG. 45 
 
 his belief on these two subjects* 
 (and, indeed, on all those before men- 
 tioned), that, even if unconverted, we 
 might reasonably expect him to be or- 
 thodox. In that very service, for ex- 
 ample, by which he is initiated into 
 the ministry, he distinctly acknow- 
 ledges the Sacred Spirit's influence ; 
 and that, not as a vague dogma, or a 
 mere *' article of peace," but as a 
 practical truth, and as the very bias 
 that incited him to become a Christian 
 pastor. This spiritual agency a pious 
 man will not be content to forget with 
 
 * See, for instance, Article V., Athanasian Creed, 
 Homily XVI., Sec. — It may be here proper to observe, 
 that particular references, either to the Scriptures them- 
 selves or to tiie formularies of the Church, have been 
 purposely omitted ; not because they could not readily 
 have been supplied, but because the statements here 
 made are so broad and general, that it is easy to decide 
 whether or not they are agreeable to the tenor of 
 Scripture and the doctrines of the Church, without 
 being in every instance furnished with specific citations 
 for that purpose. 
 
46 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 the day of his Ordination. He will, in- 
 deed, assiduously guard it against the 
 misconceptions of fanaticism, distin- 
 guish it from the more evident and mi- 
 raculous effusions of the primitive ages, 
 and teach his hearers to hope for it 
 only in the appointed use of means and 
 second causes ; but he will not deny 
 its existence, dispute its necessity, ex- 
 plain it away till it becomes useless, 
 or fail to implore it both for himself 
 and the people committed to his charge. 
 The man who denies the influences of 
 the Holy Spirit, can, of course, have no 
 reason for supposing that they have 
 been vouchsafed to himself; and since 
 they are represented in Scripture as 
 necessary to implant either the desire 
 or the ability to return to God, he can, 
 in consequence, have no just evidence 
 of his conversion. He, on the con- 
 trary, who is really and visibly bring- 
 
PREACHING. 47 
 
 ing forth the fruits of the Spirit, and 
 shewing his faith by his works, will 
 with humility acknowledge, that what- 
 ever is good in him flows from a higher 
 source than his own heart, and, with- 
 out the least semblance of enthusiasm, 
 will consider it as an emanation from 
 that Being ** from whom all holy de- 
 sires, all good counsels f and all just works 
 do proceed." 
 
 These, then, appear to be some of 
 the ** peculiarities" of the Christian 
 revelation; to which several others 
 might be added. It is by such doc- 
 trines that the Gospel is distinguished 
 from other systems of ethics or reli- 
 gion so called, and by such that the 
 preaching of its true disciples differs 
 from that of merely nominal Christian 
 ministers. An irreligious man, even 
 though he should be orthodox, will 
 usually shew so much indifference in 
 
48 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 defending, illustrating, and enforcing 
 these sublime doctrines, as to prove 
 he does not cordially admire them ; 
 but to the minister of piety they are 
 of inestimable value. A man of this 
 description will not dare to suppress, 
 pervert, or neutralize the statements 
 of the Bible, but will exhibit them, 
 as far as possible, in their genuine 
 colours, without attempting to lower 
 them to the standard of fashion, or to 
 supersede them by Deistical or Soci- 
 nian philosophy. When we perceive 
 a preacher evidently more anxious to 
 explain away the peculiarities of the 
 word of God than to unfold them and 
 shew their importance, we may surely 
 infer that he does not possess that im- 
 plicit belief of the truth, infallibility, 
 consistency, and sacredness of the in- 
 spired writings, which is a necessary 
 effect of real conversion. 
 
PKEACHING. 49 
 
 Hitherto doctrines only have been 
 mentioned ; but an anxiety for much 
 more than ihe inculcation of mere 
 speculative truth will be conspicuous 
 in a pious minister. Convinced, by 
 his own experience, that religion is a 
 practical and influential principle, he 
 will feel it his duty frequently to de- 
 scribe its nature and efl'ects. A con- 
 stant theme of his discourses will be 
 the necessity of that holiness ** with- 
 out which no man can see the Lord." 
 On this subject, however, he widely 
 differs from the unconverted minister, 
 who, not being practically acquainted 
 with any evangelical principle of obe- 
 dience, imagines there is no way of 
 evincing the importance of holiness 
 but by representing it as the pur- 
 chase of our salvation. Such a re- 
 presentation, however, argues rather 
 that pride which is inherent in fallen 
 
50 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 man, than that humility which is the 
 characteristic of a true believer. Be- 
 sides, it contradicts the direct testi- 
 mony of Scripture, which invariably 
 speaks of holiness, not as a procuring 
 cause, but as a necessary consequence ; 
 not as the price by which heaven is 
 purchased, but as the evidence of our 
 meetness to enjoy it, and indeed the 
 meetness itself by which we are qua- 
 lified for so doing. There is, therefore, 
 a great difference between the preach- 
 ing of the two characters on the sub- 
 ject in question. While the one, from 
 his partial and merely theoretical 
 knowledge, frigidly endeavours to re- 
 commend obedience to God by motives 
 of fear, or prudence, or expediency, 
 or at most bounden duty, the other 
 speaks of it with delight, as the plea- 
 surable service of a willing subject,- 
 the corresponding appetency of a re- 
 
PREACHING. 51 
 
 novated nature, the indispensable evi- 
 dence of Christian principle, the ne- 
 cessary result of faith, and the insepa- 
 rable concomitant of love. While he 
 possesses, in common vs^ith the former 
 character, those inducements to holi- 
 ness which arise from its intrinsic 
 beauty, and from its being enjoined by 
 Divine command as part of the moral 
 law, and therefore of iaimutable obli- 
 gation, he will insist chiefly, though not 
 exclusively, on those higher motives of 
 love and gratitude, which are so fre- 
 quently urged in the Apostolic writ- 
 ings, and which are always found in 
 practice to be far more efficacious than 
 mere abstract reasoning or philosophic 
 suasion. 
 
 In like manner, in speaking of sin 
 he stands on higher ground than the 
 moral declaimer. The topic may be 
 the same, but the method of discus- 
 
52 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 sion is different. His standard of re- 
 ference is more exalted. He is not 
 contented with having displayed the 
 dreadful consequences of vice, as they 
 affect the individual and society, but 
 dwells with holy earnestness on its 
 guilt in the sight of God, its contra- 
 riety to the Divine nature, and its 
 inevitable consequences in a future 
 world. 
 
 But the difference between the two 
 characters, on the subject of holiness, 
 does not rest here; for an unconverted 
 man has as little conception of the 
 extent of true obedience, as of its pro- 
 perties and nature. With the religioh 
 of the heart he is unacquainted. The 
 inculcation of a refined morality is the 
 highest object of his preaching ; and, 
 as if holiness did not include morality, 
 he even ventures to blame those who, 
 following the example of Christ and 
 
PREACHING. 53 
 
 his Apostles, endeavour to implant 
 good works on evangelical principles, 
 and to shew the necessity of a com- 
 plete renovation of heart in order that 
 the acceptable fruits of holiness may 
 appear in the life. 
 
 A similarity or difference of views 
 on the subject of true obedience to 
 God usually includes a similarity or 
 difference on other important topics. 
 No one, for example, whose ideas on 
 this point are scriptural, can doubt 
 the necessity of the Atonement, or the 
 value of the doctrine of Divine influ- 
 ences ; since he must obviously per- 
 ceive that his own defective righteous- 
 ness can be of no avail in justifying 
 him before the infinitely holy God ; 
 and that, even though justified by that 
 faith in Christ which is so frequently 
 mentioned in Scripture, and desirous 
 above all things of continuing the 
 
54 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 sacred course he has begun, still infi- 
 nitely more than the unassisted ener- 
 gies of human nature is requisite to 
 keep him from falling, and to preserve 
 him in the paths of holiness and obe- 
 dience. 
 
 In like manner, all the other essen- 
 tial doctrines of Christianity will ap- 
 pear, in the preaching of a pious mi- 
 nister, to be articles of great moral and 
 practical importance ; v^^hile to the op- 
 posite character a large portion of 
 Scripture is confused and unintelli- 
 gible : the doctrinal and preceptive 
 parts scarcely appear to have any ne- 
 cessary connexion. If he choose for 
 his subject one of the most essential 
 tenets of the Gospel, he seems uncon- 
 scious in what manner it applies to 
 the improvement of the conduct and 
 the heart: if, on the other hand, a 
 moral duty be his topic, he probably 
 
PKEACIIING. 55 
 
 mistakes the New-Testament motives 
 for enforcing it, forgets that proffered 
 assistance which is necessary for its 
 performance, and leaves unnoticed 
 that faith in Christ which alone can 
 make it acceptable or pure. In his 
 zeal for morality he forgets the source 
 from which all true morality flows. 
 He is even surprised that other mi- 
 nisters should so zealously and fre- 
 quently insist on doctrines, which to 
 himself appear of but little practical 
 value, and which, if admitted at all 
 into his system, are suffered to lie 
 dormant and unproductive. 
 
 But, surely, after the experience of 
 nearly two thousand years, it might, 
 without danger of mistake, be admitted 
 as a demonstrated fact, tha morality 
 has always advanced or declined in 
 proportion as the Gospel has been 
 preached in its genuine simplicity, or 
 
Ob EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 in a garbled form ; and, consequently, 
 that nothing but the undisguised doc- 
 trines of Christianity can accomplish 
 even that object which the man of the 
 world considers as the only end of the 
 clerical establishment. But this ob- 
 ject, great as it is, is far from being 
 the utmost that a pious minister pro- 
 poses to himself. His preaching is 
 founded on the supposition that a 
 man, though outwardly moral, may 
 fail of being a true Christian, and in 
 consequence fail of the rewards of 
 Christianity. Internal religion — a re- 
 ligion of motives and intentions, a re- 
 ligion corresponding to that which our 
 Saviour taught in his Sermon on the 
 Mount — he esteems necessary to make 
 the most brilliant or useful action ac- 
 ceptable to that Being whom ** with- 
 out faith it is impossible to please." 
 He conceives, therefore, that the 
 
PKEACPIING. 57 
 
 doctrinal parts of Christianity are es- 
 sentially necessary in his preaching. 
 Whether he argue from the practice 
 of the inspired writers, or from the 
 nature of the thing itself, he arrives at 
 the same conclusion, that an exhibition 
 of the moral precepts of the Gospel 
 without the doctrines on which they 
 depend, is as contrary to the intention 
 of its Author, as the opposite error of 
 inculcating its doctrines and forgetting 
 its commands. He insists, therefore, 
 on the necessity of faith no less than 
 of good works : the former, as that 
 by which we are justified ; the latter, 
 as the indispensable evidences of our 
 being in a state of grace. 
 
 It has been shewn, that, even as 
 relates to outward morality, the unso- 
 phisticated preaching of the Gospel is 
 necessary to effect any considerable 
 reform : but when to this circum- 
 
 D 
 
58 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 stance, which proves only the political 
 and moral expediency of such preach- 
 ing, are added those higher consi. 
 derations which shew its infinite im- 
 portance, as connected with the aw- 
 ful responsibility of the preacher and 
 with the eternal interests of the human 
 soul, it ceases to be a question what 
 manner of preaching a converted mi- 
 nister will feel it his duty to adopt. 
 
 The preceding observations are not 
 intended to be restrictedly personal. 
 In describing the preaching of a reli- 
 gious clergyman, the author would 
 detach it from accidents and localities, 
 and sketch only those features which 
 are common to the class in general. 
 Ministers of undoubted piety may 
 differ in their views on a thousand 
 unessential subjects: their sentiments 
 and style of preaching may be va- 
 riously modified by the schools in 
 
PREACHING. 59 
 
 which they have studied, the habits 
 they have formed, or the audiences 
 they address : but, amidst great va- 
 riety, there will be much in common ; 
 and it will always be evident that they 
 approach nearer each other in pro- 
 portion as each becomes more assimi- 
 lated to their Divine Exemplar. But to 
 draw the exact line of demarcation on 
 the subject of preaching is impossible, 
 since it cannot be ascertained what is 
 the smallest proportion in which a 
 good man, whose views are as yet 
 somewhat obscure, may exhibit even 
 the essentials of Christianity. Many, 
 perhaps, are pious and sincere, who 
 would not be considered by some 
 of their more advanced brethren as 
 exhibiting with sufficient clearness 
 '' the truth as it is in Jesus." Even 
 the disciples of our Lord were not, at 
 their first setting out, perfectly ac- 
 
 D 2 
 
60 EXTERNAL f:VIDENCES. 
 
 quainted with the whole system of 
 Revelation. The progress of religious 
 truth in various minds is various. The 
 inhabitant of the torrid zone, and of 
 the polar circle, both enjoy the light 
 of the celestial luminary, though on 
 the one it bursts suddenly with irre- 
 sistible splendour, and to the other is 
 preceded by a lengthened twilight. 
 
 These observations, however, are not 
 intended to encourage that spirit 
 of indifference and false candour 
 which is already too prevalent in the 
 world; but only to check that dog- 
 matizing, and perhaps uncharitable, 
 propensity, which is sometimes visible 
 among the best of men, and which 
 commonly arises, by a sort of moral 
 re-action, from the very indecision 
 and indifference of others. For, after 
 allowing every thing that a Christian 
 can concede, or that the most enlarged 
 
PREACHING. 61 
 
 and noble views of the subject may 
 suggest, it is still certain, that the 
 prominence of the Gospel system in 
 his preaching must ever remain a 
 conspicuous criterion of a converted 
 minister; — a criterion belonging so 
 necessarily to every individual of the 
 class, that, where it is wanting, no 
 regularity of morals, or even ardour 
 in defending the outworks of Chris- 
 tianity, ought to be considered a 
 sufficient evidence of genuine con- 
 version. A man may be sincere, he 
 may be gradually approaching the 
 right path ; but till he is actually in 
 it he must not be held up as an ex- 
 ample for others *. 
 
 * To many persons there may appear some contra- 
 riety of sentiment in the preceding remarks ; but they 
 are not in reality opposed to each other. An object 
 appears to vary as our points of observation change. 
 It was necessary to distinguish the preaching of the 
 true Christian from that of the Antinomian on the one 
 hand, and of the mere moralist on the other : so that, 
 
62 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 But the preaching of a minister 
 is far from being the only test of his 
 religious character. Were it so, we 
 might never come to a conclusion ; 
 since it is almost impossible to discover 
 characteristics of preaching so general 
 as to exclude no pious character, and, 
 at the same time, so exclusively appro- 
 priate as to admit no doubtful one. 
 In a given case, it is often easy to dis- 
 cover that the preaching of a certain 
 individual is erroneous or defective ; 
 and to shew that the error or defect is 
 so radical and extensive as to make it 
 
 to a person who is content to found his religion on 
 detached passages of Scripture, and to overlook the 
 general spirit and design of the whole, the writer may 
 have appeared alternately to advocate different sides 
 of the same question. The only reply, however, that 
 needs to be made to this unfounded charge of incon- 
 sistency, is, that a similar charge has been frequently 
 urged against two of the inspired writers themselves, 
 and still continues to be urged against every one who 
 follows their combined example. 
 
PREACHING. 63 
 
 incredible that the person under con- 
 sideration should be a sincere believer. 
 But a general question cannot so easily 
 be answered : for, after every caution, 
 and limitation, we shall discover in 
 practice that some unexpected pecu- 
 liarities occur to render our rules less 
 applicable than we had in theory 
 supposed. Error, we shall find, may 
 be modified till it becomes undefin- 
 able, and truth garbled till it loses its 
 characteristic properties : a hypocrite 
 may afi'ect orthodoxy, and partial error 
 be visible among the pious and sincere. 
 In order, therefore, to form a cor- 
 rect judgment, let us consider a mi- 
 nister's preaching, not exclusively, but 
 in connexion with the general tenor 
 of his life. 
 
64 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 Section 11,— Heart and Conduct. 
 The most conspicuous aim of a 
 pious minister, and that to which his 
 whole conduct may be reduced, is an 
 ardent desire *' to save himself and 
 those that hear him." No powers of 
 language can describe the intensity 
 with which this feeling often glows 
 in the bosom of a good man. Where 
 such a feeling exists, it will always be 
 evident to others. The natural dispo- 
 sition of a man, however cold or re- 
 served, will not be able to overcome 
 its influence. Some measure of holy 
 zeal is absolutely inseparable from the 
 office and character of a pious mini- 
 ster : it may vary with the different 
 tempers of men, or with the degrees 
 of their piety, but it will never be 
 extinct. It is impossible that he 
 who has imbibed even the smallest 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 65 
 
 portion of the Christian spirit — that 
 spirit which actuated Apostles, con- 
 fessors, and martyrs — can remain an 
 unconcerned spectator of the religious 
 wants of those whose souls are en- 
 trusted to his care. He must of ne- 
 cessity bring into his ministerial func- 
 tions something of that spirit which 
 characterized the primitive ages. He 
 w\\\ be anxious to know the state of 
 his flock; his preaching will be cor- 
 dial and affectionate ; his private la- 
 bours conscientious and unremitted ; 
 and in his whole conduct he will ap- 
 pear to value his bodily strength, and 
 his mental attainments, only as they 
 promote the cause of the Redeemer, 
 and the eternal interests of the human 
 soul. 
 
 But zeal, it may be said, is often 
 affected by the hypocrite, and is na- 
 tural to a man of warm feelings. This, 
 
66 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 indeed, is true : so that, from its ex- 
 istence, we cannot necessarily infer the 
 existence of true piety : still, if it be 
 conducted on apparently Christian 
 principles, and directed to a Christian 
 end, we ought to judge favourably, and 
 to leave to the Searcher of hearts 
 to determine whether or not we are 
 deceived. Negatively, however, the 
 rule is infallible, that where coldness 
 and indifference occupy the place of 
 ministerial zeal, there is always ground 
 for suspicion and distrust. 
 
 May I be allowed to observe, that a 
 minister's conduct with regard to such 
 points as tithes and residence will 
 often furnish an argument of this ne- 
 gative description ? If St. Paul was 
 willing even to labour, working with 
 his hands, rather than the Gospel 
 should be hindered, we may reason- 
 ably expect to find somewhat of the 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 67 
 
 same spirit in all who in any degree 
 partake of the same piety. What, 
 then, shall be said of a clergyman 
 who knowingly sacrifices his useful- 
 ness to a mere trifling dispute, or to 
 the gratification of a litigious spirit? 
 At best, it must be allowed he does 
 not give evidence of his deadness to 
 the world, or his devotedness to the 
 duties of the ministry. 
 
 It will, indeed, be confessed, with 
 sorrow, that, in consequence of the 
 avarice and injustice of mankind, even 
 persons of piety must be sometimes 
 engaged in litigations on the subject of 
 property ; but there is always an ob- 
 vious difference between the unwilling 
 prosecution of a just, moderate, and 
 legal claim, and that hard-hearted, 
 unchristian spirit, which eagerly seizes 
 on every means of advantage, and 
 makes the Gospel itself subservient to 
 
68 p:xteunal evidences. 
 
 the accumulation of wealth. The true 
 servant of God viev^s the emoluments 
 attached to the Church as designed 
 only to secure a perpetual and becom- 
 ing administration of a religion indis- 
 pensably necessary to the salvation of 
 men : whenever, therefore, his private 
 interest appears at variance with the 
 advancement of the Gospel, he dares 
 not hesitate whether of the two to 
 prefer. 
 
 With regard to residence, it will 
 surely not be denied, that a man who, 
 without lawful cause, neglects his 
 ministerial duties, and pursues a mode 
 of life more congenial to his inclina- 
 tions, affords occasion for suspecting 
 his piety. Judging from this one 
 circumstance alone, the decision of 
 every Christian will be against him. 
 Even among men of the world, the 
 neglect of an ecclesiastical charge 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 69 
 
 ought to be considered equally base 
 with the desertion of a military or 
 other responsible office ; but, viewed 
 in a religious light, it becomes a crime 
 of much greater magnitude. A ne- 
 cessity is laid upon a minister by the 
 Almighty himself; and woe is unto him 
 if he preach not the Gospel ! He has 
 so solemnly pledged his services in the 
 labours of the sanctuary, that nothing 
 but a conscientious discharge of those 
 labours (unless prevented by some 
 lawful cause j can exculpate him from 
 the guilt of " lying unto the Holy 
 Ghost." When a consideration so 
 awful produces no practical effects, 
 Charity herself must pause before she 
 pronounce the individual a converted 
 character. 
 
 The zeal of a good man will be 
 evident, not only in the attention he 
 giyes to the more obvious duties of his 
 
70 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 profession, but also in his performance 
 of various things which, to a v^orldly 
 man, might appear works of super- 
 erogation. He will use every present 
 means of benefiting his people, and 
 will ardently employ the energies of 
 his mind in discovering and pursuing 
 nev^ schemes of utility. 
 
 Pastoral visiting, so far as it is prac- 
 ticable, is universally considered, by 
 all who have treated of clerical obli- 
 gations, as of high importance and 
 indispensable obligation. In nume- 
 rous instances it is the best, and 
 often the only, mode of conveying in- 
 struction, reproof, warning, admoni- 
 tion, encouragement, or comfort. It 
 is therefore in some cases the chief 
 source of a minister's usefulness ; for 
 who is there that does not need to be 
 reminded of various things which can- 
 not be discussed in a mixed assembly, 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 71 
 
 but which are highly important for his 
 individual edification? Yet, notwith- 
 standing the acknowledged importance 
 of this duty, it is one so arduous, and 
 so completely opposed to the spirit of 
 the present age, that it will seldom be 
 faithfully performed but by a man of 
 pious character ; so that a diligent 
 discharge of it ought always to be 
 considered a favourable omen*. 
 
 * To discharge this duty faithfully, it is of course 
 necessary that a minister be well acquainted with the 
 circumstances of his parishioners. Hence arises a 
 considerable argument against the practice of some in- 
 dividuals, chiefly among the unbeneficed part of the 
 clergy, who, though in other respects perhaps faithful 
 and consistent, yet, not a,dverting to the necessity of 
 continued residence among the same people, are per- 
 petually changing their place of ministration. Suffi- 
 cient attention has not been paid to this subject. Mi- 
 nisters who cannot by any means be charged with 
 general indifference to the interests of religion, are 
 often seen to injure it by their conduct in this respect. 
 The most f.ivolous pretexts are sometimes pleaded by 
 the parties concerned, and admitted by others, in cases 
 where nothing but considerations of great urgency ought 
 
72 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 He who is habitually sensible of the 
 importance of eternity, as every good 
 
 to have been suffered to have any influence. To justify 
 a minister's removal, it is not enough that he leave, as 
 his successor, a man of piety and discretion : for a fre- 
 quent change of pastors must necessarily tend to injure 
 a parish, however careful each succeeding one may be 
 to prevent such a consequence. On the mind of a mi- 
 nister himself, this inconstancy must also produce an 
 injurious effect. His zeal, and diligence, and affection, 
 will, in most cases, become languid ; and he will labour 
 with reluctance, being no longer excited by that local 
 interest, that individual attachment, that personal solici- 
 tude, which often stimulate to exertion more effectually 
 than the most powerful general incitements. Yet were 
 he even to become more zealous and diligent after every 
 new change, his usefulness to others, so far as it de- 
 pends upon a knowledge of their pursuits, dispositions, 
 and individual temptations, would necessarily be di- 
 minished. 
 
 If a minister's health or worldly affairs indispensably 
 require his removal, and perhaps, in some instances, 
 if a scene of more extensive usefulness be open before 
 him, he may not be presumptuous in considering these 
 circumstances as the dictates of Providence. But what 
 excuse can be assigned for the conduct of him who quits 
 the station which Providence has appointed him to hold, 
 merely to gratify an avaricious or an inconstant dispo- 
 sition ? 
 
 At no time, perhaps, has the necessity of long-con- 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 73 
 
 man must be, will not neglect the 
 favourable opportunities afforded by 
 
 tinued residence been so great as at present. In former 
 ages men looked up to their pastors with prescriptive 
 reverence and regard, so that nothing but the most un- 
 clerical and profligate conduct could weaken their affec- 
 tions or their confidence. But in the present state of 
 things, owing to the prevalence of revolutionary and 
 infidel principles, or to other causes, which it is not 
 the object of this note to investigate, a minister enters 
 a parish under very different circumstances. Far from 
 finding his people obedient and attentive to him in 
 virtue of his ministerial oflSce, he discovers that he must 
 be indebted for his influence to his personal character. 
 If, however, he be properly attentive to the duties of his 
 station, he gradually acquires esteem and consideration : 
 his opportunities of doing good are now multiplied, 
 and his authority and example become of essential 
 service to the interests of religion. Personal friendship, 
 and long habits of union, at length confirm the bonds of 
 attachment that unite him to his people ; and, his general 
 knowledge of their characters being now complete, his 
 ministerial labours are performed under every circum- 
 stance that can be expected to give them their due effect. 
 The fickle character, on the contrary, encounters every 
 day new difficulties. He ploughs the ground, but stays 
 not to enjoy the harvest. After anxiously watching over 
 the tender infancy of his " children in the faith," he 
 suddenly leaves them exposed to " every wind of doc- 
 trine," and to the various snares and dangers with which 
 E 
 
74 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 the clerical office of attending the 
 sick, the aged, and the dying. It is not 
 conceivable that a man of such a cha- 
 racter can be informed that one of the 
 souls entrusted to his care is about to 
 appear at the tribunal of God, without 
 feeling an anxiety to point out once 
 more the only way in which its eternal 
 happiness can be secured, as well as 
 to console the dying Christian with 
 the hopes of the glory that awaits 
 him. Indifference on such occasions 
 
 they are surrounded. He is a stranger to the pleasures 
 of the venerable pastor, who, having been long station- 
 ary, has beheld a race of faithful and experienced Chris- 
 tians grovir up beneath his care, anxious to repay with 
 gratitude and affection his former labours, and to solace 
 his declining years by walking worthy of the profession he 
 has taught them to embrace, W^ere a minister seriously 
 to contrast these rational and elevated pleasures with 
 the joylessness of an old age spent amongst strangers, 
 to whom he is attached by no tie but that of interest, 
 he would begin to look with far less anxiety to the pros- 
 pect of new preferments, and would learn to rest content 
 with the station which Providence had assigned him. 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 75 
 
 is worse than mere cruelty ; and im- 
 plies either a disbelief of the awful 
 realities of a future world, or a prac- 
 tical disregard of their importance ; 
 neither of which is consistent with a 
 religious state of mind. 
 
 To a converted minister, who is 
 living in the spirit of his profession, 
 the religious instruction of the young, 
 and particularly the children of the 
 poor, will be an object of marked 
 attention. Many circumstances will 
 arise, in the course of his parochial 
 labours, by which we may discover his 
 views and feelings on this important 
 subject; for, in addition to catechising 
 (which, it should be remembered, is a 
 part of the regular and stipulated duty 
 consigned to ministers of the Esta- 
 blishment), he will on other convenient 
 occasions — such, for instance, as when 
 engaged in preparing them for Confir- 
 E 2 
 
76 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 matioii— evince his anxiety for their 
 spiritual improvement. Such a mi- 
 nister conceives it his duty to supply, 
 as far as possible, the deficiencies that 
 arise from the ignorance or irreligion 
 of parents and sponsors. He will be 
 anxious that every individual under 
 his pastoral controul should be well 
 acquainted with the nature and so- 
 lemnity of his baptismal engagements, 
 and that godfathers and godmothers 
 should be sensible of the awful respon- 
 sibility attached to the characters they 
 have assumed. He will use every effort 
 to rouse his auditors from that irre- 
 ligious indifference and imbecility 
 which too often prompt them to rely 
 on the rites and ceremonies of religion, 
 as if they were merely charms and in- 
 cantations ; and will instruct them in 
 the nature, the spirit, the vitality of 
 religion, as distinct from its outward 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 77 
 
 forms and observances. His exertions 
 being the effect, not of sentimental 
 fluctuations of feeling, but of perma- 
 nent Christian affection, and a sense of 
 religious duty, will not be occasional 
 acts, but settled habits. Like his 
 adorable Master, he will continually 
 go about doing good ; it will be his 
 meat and his drink to do the will of 
 his Father which is in heaven. This 
 is, or ought to be, the character of 
 every converted minister. And what 
 spectacle can be more sublime and 
 heavenly than a pastor thus actuated 
 by zeal for the glory of God and the 
 best interests of mankind ? What is 
 there in this unworthy of the scholar 
 or the gentleman ? Yet it is not un- 
 common to hear the less conspicuous 
 duties of the ministry, particularly 
 those that have been just detailed, 
 spoken of with contempt, as too ser- 
 
78 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 vile for a man of spirit, too common- 
 place for a scholar, and too humble 
 for a man of rank. Not, however, to 
 mention the absurdity of supposing 
 that any office can be degrading that 
 is dignified by its relation to God and 
 the celestial world, it may be observ- 
 ed, that where the Christian graces 
 are in their proper vigour, there will 
 always be a pleasure attending the dis- 
 charge of an acknowledged duty, which 
 will far more than compensate for any 
 natural inconveniences which may at- 
 tach to it. Constitutional indolence, 
 pride, diffidence, love of studious re- 
 tirement, and even health and interest, 
 will in vain conspire to check the con- 
 scientious ardour of that man who 
 estimates his ministerial duties by the 
 unerring Standard of Truth. Were we 
 to select as examples the primitive 
 Christians and fathers of the church. 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 79 
 
 we should discover in them a zeal and 
 y)hilanthropy the very reverse of that 
 cold, calculating, and selfish spirit, so 
 often visible in some of their succes- 
 sors. The ardour and affection of a 
 missionary are the legitimate feelings 
 of a Christian teacher ; for, although 
 just and proper considerations ought, 
 in most cases, to confine his personal 
 labours to a limited sphere, his zeal and 
 love should be universal. The Gospel 
 know^s not of a philanthropy bounded 
 by rocks, and circumscribed by rivers. 
 If, then, the affections of a pious mi- 
 nister be naturally so ardent, and so 
 widely extended, we may surely ex- 
 pect to see something of their eff"ects 
 when concentrated to a focus, and 
 brought to bear on one object. How, 
 then, can he, who never manifests any 
 anxiety or exertion in his parish, be 
 considered as under the influence of 
 
80 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 such Divine principles ? The man who 
 is living up to the standard of his 
 profession, must, in some degree, par- 
 take of that spirit v^hich has been 
 described. 
 
 The literary pursuits of a minister 
 will, in many cases, afford a strong 
 evidence of his religious character. 
 Secular studies, however congenial to 
 a person's taste, or necessary for his 
 recreation, cannot possibly be the chief 
 object of any minister who is con- 
 scientiously devoted to his pastoral 
 engagements. Whatever studies, on 
 the other hand, he conceives proper 
 to fit him for discharging more use- 
 fully the work of an evangelist, will 
 be objects of his diligent attention. 
 When we consider that clergymen are 
 usually persons of literary habits, it 
 will easily be perceived, that an ar- 
 dour for extra-professional studies is 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 81 
 
 a temptation exactly fitted to their 
 disposition, and one by which they 
 are more likely to be seduced than 
 by others of a less specious appear- 
 ance. A moderate attention to secular 
 studies, for the purpose of relaxation, 
 may not be reprehensible, especially as 
 every kind of knowledge, if properly 
 applied, is in some measure import- 
 ant. But, when such pursuits seize 
 on the mind, and become predominant, 
 while a minister's professional duties 
 are neglected in order to gain leisure 
 for them, and the souls committed to 
 his care are passing, unpitied and un- 
 instructed, into eternity, we may rea- 
 sonably conclude that there is some 
 important defect in his religious cha- 
 racter, and that he knows neither the 
 responsibility of his vocation, nor the 
 hazard he incurs of being condemned 
 at the tribunal of Heaven as an un- 
 
82 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 profitable servant. A clergyman must 
 beware that he does not make the 
 study of the Bible itself become 
 secular, a mere literary rather than a 
 religious pursuit. 
 
 The recreations, also, of a clergyman 
 are important tests of his character. 
 There are many amusements which, 
 if not flagrantly wrong, are at least 
 questionable, and which a pious mi- 
 nister, desirous of avoiding the ap- 
 pearance of evil, will not countenance 
 by his presence. There are others, 
 again, including several of the most 
 popular diversions of this country, 
 which are wholly incompatible with 
 the genuine spirit of Christianity, 
 though they are not, perhaps, ver- 
 bally and explicitly condemned by the 
 letter. A minister, therefore, who is 
 ** a lover of pleasure more than a lover 
 of God," may choose to defend by 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 83 
 
 arguments, not wholly implausible, 
 many amusements which he knows, 
 or ought to know, to be wrong ; and 
 which he defends to persuade himself 
 and others, that, in pursuing them, 
 he acts with the concurrence of his 
 deliberate judgment, when he merely 
 conforms to his unsanctified disposi- 
 tion. Not thus the true Christian mi- 
 nister. The man who deserves this 
 sacred name will abstain, not only 
 from those things which are overtly 
 flagitious, but from those also which 
 are unclerical, and which might, in 
 any degree, prevent the success of his 
 ministry. Jealous for the honour of 
 his God, he will consider no recrea- 
 tion justifiable which might offend the 
 weak, or give occasion of triumph to 
 the wicked. Besides, he has lost his 
 relish for those things which to an 
 unconverted minister are daily snares 
 
84 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 and temptations. His mind, being en- 
 grossed in higher pursuits, needs not 
 the stimulus of dissipation to prevent 
 its preying upon itself. He has re- 
 nounced the pomps and vanities of 
 this v^icked world, and feels no desire 
 to be again in bondage to its ** beg- 
 garly elements." Besides, he considers 
 his time as too sacred a deposit to 
 be spent in frivolity. Men of business, 
 indeed, often imagine that the time of 
 a clergyman is of far less value than 
 that ofother professional men. Whence 
 has arisen this unjust opinion? Why 
 is it that an invitation to a clergyman, 
 to spend a few weeks in a circle of 
 worldly and trifling acquaintances, 
 should be considered an ordinary com- 
 pliment ; while the same invitation to 
 a responsible statesman, or to an officer 
 on duty, would be esteemed a pre- 
 posterous request ? Is it that the func- 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 85 
 
 tions of the one are less sacred than 
 those of the others? Or, rather, is it 
 not, that, an unconverted minister 
 being as much and as evidently the 
 slave of pleasure as an unconverted 
 layman, the world, judging by the 
 conduct of the irreligious part of 
 the clergy, hastily imputes the same 
 disposition to the whole body ? But, 
 whatever may be the practice of those 
 who have impiously '' climbed into 
 the fold " without any intention of 
 becoming faithful pastors, the really 
 pious minister cannot be the slave 
 of the world. He has neither time 
 nor inclination to swell the proces- 
 sions of fashion. His spirit not being 
 secular, his amusements will not be 
 such. There are atmospheres which 
 he knows he cannot breathe without 
 contamination. Besides, he has a 
 definite object of pursuit, and is con- 
 
86 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 scious that the souls of his people will 
 be required at his hands. A man ha- 
 bitually thus impressed will not de- 
 vote his mornings to the chase, or his 
 evenings to the card-table ; he will not 
 feel ambitious of being the steward of a 
 race-ground, or the litigious guardian 
 of the game-laws ; he will neither ap- 
 pear the foppish and idle attendant of 
 female amusement, nor the boisterous 
 associate of Bacchanalian carousals. 
 Though these characters differ, it must 
 be confessed, among themselves, and 
 cordially despise the pursuits of each 
 other ; yet in the present instance 
 they ought to be classed together; 
 for, if a minister be evidently im- 
 mersed in worldly pleasures, it matters 
 little, as respects his religious or mi- 
 nisterial character, whether those plea- 
 sures be refined or rustic ; for, in 
 either case, he is equally far from 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 87 
 
 giving proof of his conversion to God, 
 or his devotedness to the duties of his 
 station. 
 
 Good and bad men usually differ in 
 their views of the ecclesiastical func- 
 tion. The former regard it chiefly in 
 relation to God ; the latter, as part of 
 the legal constitution of the country : 
 the one, as a political and temporal 
 concern ; the other, as a spiritual and 
 eternal one. A pious minister is not 
 ashamed of his vocation. He conceives 
 that even the lowest station in the 
 sanctuary, on account of its connexion 
 with the most awful and interesting of 
 human affairs, is of infinite importance: 
 he therefore magnifies his office, while 
 he debases himself. But the contrary 
 character appears ashamed of the 
 Gospel, viewed simply, and has re- 
 course to intrinsic considerations to 
 prove his respectability. His ideas 
 
88 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 of the honour of the profession are 
 connected with those of power, and 
 emolument, and patronage : he can- 
 not divest himself of these external 
 trifles, to survey the character of a 
 true minister in its native unassisted 
 dignity. But wherever there exists no 
 higher view of the Christian ministry 
 than one merely secular and profes- 
 sional, we may, without violation of 
 charity, infer that there is a serious 
 error ; for, among those who refer to 
 the Scriptures as their standard of 
 decision, the outward honours of the 
 ministerial character bear no propor- 
 tion whatever to its importance with 
 regard to the souls of men, and its 
 responsibility in the sight of God. 
 
 A considerable degree of prejudice 
 is often excited, either in favour of a 
 minister or against him, by his man- 
 ner of conducting the services of the 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 89 
 
 church, and by the general appear- 
 ance of his congregation. Nor is 
 this prejudice, perhaps, altogether un- 
 reasonable. The spirit of a minister 
 being naturally transfused into his 
 people, the attention and solemnity of 
 the latter are in some measure a pre- 
 sumptive evidence of the devout de- 
 portment of the former. There is also 
 a pathos in the manner and elocution 
 of a man who is religiously impressed 
 with the services in which he is en- 
 gaged, very different from the cold- 
 ness and indifference of him who con- 
 ducts them as mere official ceremonies. 
 The consequence is such as might 
 naturally be expected : for while, in 
 those congregations whose ministers 
 either fail to exhibit the peculiarities 
 of the Gospel, or conduct its ordi- 
 nances in an insipid and perfunctory 
 manner, there is observable, on the 
 
 F 
 
90 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 part of the people, a corresponding 
 indifference and inattention, we shall 
 perceive, in those where it is faithfully 
 taught, that the majority of the wor- 
 shippers seem interested in the service, 
 and evince an apparent spirit of devo- 
 tion, which, though it may be in many 
 cases nothing more than the natural 
 influence of good example, is certainly 
 much to be preferred to carelessness 
 and indecorum*. 
 
 * To what causes must it be ascribed, that many 
 congregations, among whom the services of religion 
 are conducted with general propriety, should be in- 
 attentive to the ordinance of singing, which is, without 
 doubt, a very important part of those services ? It will 
 not be denied, that congregational singing is highly 
 desirable ; and, yet, in many churches the people have 
 no share whatever in this ordinance, and seem to con- 
 sider it merely a display of professional skill. In some 
 country parishes it is employed, one might almost 
 imagine, for no purpose whatever but to afford the 
 officiating minister leisure to change his robes and 
 ascend the pulpit. Did the general indifference to this 
 part of religious worship arise from any doubts whether 
 or not it be of Divine appointment, and whether it be a 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 91 
 
 The difference between the two 
 characters in question is further con- 
 beneficial and appropriate method of expressing our 
 joys and sorrows, our prayers and our thanksgivings, it 
 would be easy to overcome all scruples by plain cita- 
 tions from Scripture ; and to prove, by the injunctions 
 of God, and the example of good men, that it is both 
 a duty and a privilege ; but while the propriety and 
 utility of singing are so readily acknowledged, is it not 
 strange that so little practical attention is paid to the 
 subject ? 
 
 Much of the blame, though not the whole, often 
 attaches to the minister himself. From those who 
 neglect every other duty, it might be useless to inquire 
 why they neglect this also ; but that converted ministers, 
 and men in other respects active and exemplary, should 
 be heedless of that part of social worship which most 
 nearly approaches the joys of heaven, is as surprising 
 as it is culpable. 
 
 In some country parishes, the minister is perhaps 
 deterred from endeavouring to introduce congregational 
 singing by a supposed inability in his people to conduct 
 it with propriety. Some degree of awkwardness may, 
 indeed, occur at first; but difficulties that arise solely 
 from want of practice will soon be surmounted. When 
 once congregational singing is established, every new 
 member insensibly acquires the habit of joining his 
 fellow-worshippers. The difficulty consists, therefore, 
 only in the first introduction. Are not the ears of a 
 minister often tortured, while he is employed in visiting 
 F 2 
 
92 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 spicuous in their general conduct to- 
 wards persons applying to them for 
 
 his people, by hearing from fields, and cottages, and 
 places of public resort, the hateful music of wanton 
 and licentious songs ? What physical difficulty, then, 
 exists to preclude these voices from being employed in 
 the service of that God for whose glory they were given ? 
 The most illiterate congregations are sometimes heard 
 to join unanimously in this delightful service : so that 
 it is evident no natural impediment exists to prevent the 
 practice becoming general. 
 
 But many ministers perhaps neglect to exert them- 
 selves in procuring more general attention to the singing, 
 from an opinion that the majority of the people have 
 been so long accustomed to consider it as the humble 
 duty of the parish-clerk, that no persuasions would 
 induce them to take their proper share in it. Let, 
 however, the clergyman be seen to consider it a matter 
 of importance ; let him appear personally interested ; 
 let him previously select the psalm himself, no longer 
 leaving the clerk, or the band of the singing gallery, to 
 choose the passage frequently least appropriate to the 
 occasion ; and, above all, let him urgently represent its 
 necessity to those of his congregation on whom he has 
 most influence, and who are best skilled to carry his 
 views into execution, and it cannot be long before he 
 will discover symptoms of reformation. Thousands, 
 who are now silent from false shame and fear of singu- 
 larity, would be glad of an excuse for doing their duty; 
 for, in an age when almost every family of re3pecta- 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 93 
 
 religious advice. The one considers 
 himself as the servant of God and 
 
 bility devotes some attention to music, it is really an 
 act of self-denial, particularly for the younger auditors, 
 to abstain from congregational singing, while taste and 
 melody are set at defiance by an ignorant parish-clerk, 
 or, what is worse, while devotion and propriety are 
 tortured by a band of self-sufficient itinerants. 
 
 But perhaps the most common excuse for the negli- 
 gence of ministers on this subject, is their want of a 
 musical ear, and their consequent incapability of 
 enjoying, like others, this means of grace. Admitting 
 this to be the fact, is self-satisfaction a minister's chief 
 object ? Is it nothing to set a good example to others ? 
 Is it nothing to shew, that, whatever may be our per- 
 sonal indifference so far as na^wrft/ pleasure is concerned, 
 we are still anxious for the ordinance of God, and alive 
 to those spiritual feelings which alone render it a reason- 
 able service ? Is it nothing to afford the true Christian 
 an opportunity of enjoying those pleasures which 
 singing the praises of his God was designed to inspire ? 
 Is it nothing to attract to Divine Service, by the 
 social discharge of this delightful duty, those idlers of 
 a parish who would otherwise be employed in openly 
 profaning the Sabbath? In a word, is it nothing to 
 prevent an important part of worship becoming a 
 solemn mockery, and to engage the feelings and habits 
 of a whole auditory on the side of religion rather than 
 against it ? 
 
 And yet, insensible of these and similar considerations, 
 
94 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 man, and is therefore happy that an 
 opportunity occurs of being useful in 
 
 many ministers are wholly inattentive to the singing in 
 their churches. With an apathy of countenance that indi- 
 cates their thoughts to be far otherwise engaged than in 
 the sublime service of the moment, they stand before a con- 
 gregation, and by their example damp, rather than assist, 
 either the fervency or the pleasures of devotion. It 
 is chilling to an audience, to say nothing of its being 
 irreverent in the presence of God, for a minister to 
 be seen with a negligent air composing his robes, or 
 folding the leaves of his manuscript, absent in thought, 
 evidently uninterested in the singing, and by various 
 little indications betraying the impatience he feels for 
 its conclusion. The sensation immediately spreads ; 
 and the people think themselves perfectly justified in 
 neglecting that which their minister, by his personal 
 conduct, evidences to be of little importance. To 
 prevent effects like these, it is not necessary that a 
 minister possess an ear attuned to harmony. Without 
 the least outward enjoyment of music, he may make 
 melody in his heart. Where this exists, nothing else is 
 wanting. If the mind be engaged, the behaviour will 
 be appropriate ; the countenance will conform to the 
 feelings of the soul : the man will naturally appear 
 interested : and what interests the minister will interest 
 the people. Let, therefore, a clergyman shew by his 
 own conduct that he values the singing equally with 
 the other parts of the service, and the sympathy natural 
 to public assemblies will usually complete the rest. 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 
 
 9i: 
 
 his important vocation : the other, 
 being ignorant of practical religion 
 himself, is unanxious to teach others, 
 and, in consequence, esteems every 
 inquirer, however modest or sincere, 
 as an intruder on his retirement. He 
 measurs the extent of his ecclesias- 
 tical duties by the public services that 
 devolve upon him, forgetful that he 
 ought to live in the spirit and practice 
 of his profession as much during the 
 intervals of public labour, as when 
 actually engaged in it. Let us ima- 
 gine that an individual, hitherto igno- 
 rant and careless, has been convinced, 
 either by reading the Scripture, by 
 the public ^* means of grace," or by 
 the conversation of a friend, that he 
 is a sinner before God, and that the 
 threatenings denounced against the 
 wicked are applicable to himself 
 Alarmed at the discovery, he properly 
 applies to his regular teacher for ad- 
 
96^ EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 vice or consolation. In this case, a 
 minister who has himself been *' con- 
 vinced of sin," and has obtained hope 
 and comfort from the promises of the 
 Gospel, will feel it his duty to direct 
 the inquirer to Him ''v^hotaketh away 
 the sin of the world," and to answer 
 those important questions which a sin- 
 cere penitent is always anxious to pro- 
 pose. The advice, the prayers, and 
 the scriptural exhortations of such a 
 pastor will usually be found to produce 
 the desired effect ; for the Spirit of 
 God is not unfaithful to his own pro- 
 mises made to ministers and their 
 people in the sincere use of the ap- 
 pointed means of grace. But the 
 merely nominal minister is, in such 
 cases, unavoidably embarrassed : not 
 being practically acquainted with the 
 subject himself, he knows not how to 
 act towards others, and perhaps even 
 views the inquirer as a hypocrite or 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 97 
 
 an enthusiast. That anxiety which is 
 the proper and legitimate effect of the 
 Divine threatenin^s against sin — the 
 effect produced on the Philippian jailor, 
 and on many other individuals men- 
 tioned in the Scriptures, and, in some 
 degree, on Christians in general — he 
 confounds with the hypochondriacal 
 depressions of melancholy, or the rav- 
 ings of self-torturing superstition. In- 
 stead, therefore, of imitating our Sa- 
 viour and his Apostles, by describing 
 the scriptural way of salvation, and 
 thus applying the only remedy for a 
 wounded conscience, he probably ad- 
 vises amusements, physicians, change 
 of scene, and the like ; and is pleased 
 if by any means he can divert the 
 attention of the penitent from that 
 which ought, more than all other sub- 
 jects, to awaken and engross it. Such 
 conduct is both cruel and unreason- 
 able ; for, however frequent or alarm- 
 
98 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 ing the examples of what is called 
 religious melancholy may be conceived 
 to be (a subject, by the way, on which 
 more has been asserted than has been 
 proved), we certainly ought not to 
 take for granted that every man who 
 appears in earnest about his salvation 
 is necessarily infected. A converted 
 minister will endeavour to distinguish 
 between a morbid imagination and a 
 contrite spirit ; whereas the uncon- 
 verted classes them together, and pre- 
 dicates of every person on whom the 
 Scriptures have produced their proper 
 and salutary effect, that he is an en- 
 thusiast or a madman. 
 
 Mildness and condescension belong 
 more or less to every pious minister ; 
 for the natural pride of the human 
 heart cannot controul the gentle influ- 
 ences of Christianity. A good man 
 will think no service degrading by 
 which he may promote the eternal 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 99 
 
 welfare of his flock. While he main- 
 tains the dignity of his character by 
 a firm and manly conduct, he will be 
 far from that harsh unfeeling super- 
 ciliousness which the world affects to 
 consider as a prominent feature in the 
 ecclesiastical character. His humility, 
 being combined with ardent zeal and 
 affection, will prompt him to sacrifices 
 of personal ease, pleasure, interest, 
 and natural feeling, of which other 
 men have no adequate idea ; but he 
 enjoys the smile of his God, and needs 
 not the applause of an ungrateful 
 world. 
 
 Every good man, and more espe- 
 cially a minister, will practise self- 
 denial. While he enjoys the blessings 
 of Providence, he will not abuse them, 
 but will study in all things to be an 
 example to the flock. Considered with 
 this view, even his table, his domestic 
 arrangements, and other things equally 
 
100 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 trivial, may be strong evidences of his 
 character. 
 
 The friends of a pious minister, so 
 far as selection depends upon himself, 
 will be Christian. He will mix with 
 the world only with a view to benefit 
 it, but his solace and delight will be 
 with *' the excellent of the earth." 
 Among companions of this character, 
 religious intercourse, which has been 
 long banished from society at large, 
 will find a delightful refuge. If it 
 were possible for an irreligious mi- 
 nister to appear in every other respect 
 undistinguishable from a religious one, 
 he might be detected by the general 
 tenor of his familiar, unsuspecting in- 
 tercourse. Whatever the world at 
 large might think of him, his intimate 
 associates would easily perceive that 
 his religion was merely a professional 
 garb, of which he was glad to divest 
 himself, in order to participate with 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 101 
 
 less incumbrance in the gaieties of 
 worldly conversation. On the other 
 hand, the opposite character would 
 give a new proof that his heart was 
 right with God, and that he valued the 
 moments of social, unrestrained con- 
 verse, not because he was then more 
 at liberty to drink into a worldly spirit 
 without hazarding his reputation, but 
 because he had an opportunity of con- 
 versing on many sublime and heavenly 
 subjects, which, if introduced into 
 promiscuous assemblies, might be 
 treated with insult and contempt. The 
 remarks of an unconverted minister 
 on religious topics, if not otherwise 
 reprehensible, will usually betray such 
 a degree of practical indifference to 
 the subject, as can scarcely comport 
 with a really religious habit of mind; 
 while the pious minister, without pa- 
 rade or affectation, incidentally shews 
 by his ordinary conversation, and by 
 
102 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 his habit of referring every thing to 
 the scriptural standard, that religion 
 is with him an important and personal 
 concern ; that it engrosses his thoughts, 
 inspires his motives, and regulates his 
 life. 
 
 If we follow the pious minister 
 from these more retired scenes, and 
 begin to examine his general commerce 
 with society, we shall perceive a cor- 
 rectness of principle, a susceptibility 
 of moral feeling, an integrity, purity, 
 and elevation of mind, which even 
 the man of the world must admire, 
 although he may not discover their 
 origin, or duly appreciate their value. 
 The maxims, and general tone of feel- 
 ing and manners, of such a minister, 
 will evidently surpass those of the 
 mere ecclesiastical functionary. He 
 has a higher standard of judging and 
 of acting, a finer relish for the sublime 
 in morals, and a more unqualified 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 103 
 
 hatred to sin ; under which name he 
 includes not only those things which 
 are notoriously disgraceful, but many 
 also which are even applauded and 
 admired. 
 
 His views of Christianity are ele- 
 vated and expansive. He considers it, 
 not as an improvement in moral phi- 
 losophy, but as something inconceiv- 
 ably above it and beyond it ; as that 
 which no human reason or ingenuity 
 could have suggested, but which, being 
 once revealed, becomes of infinite and 
 eternal importance. He is conse- 
 quently in earnest: for who that really 
 believes the scriptural threatenings 
 against indolent and wicked ministers, 
 and its promises to the diligent and 
 faithful, can possibly be otherwise ? 
 
 Thus, by a spirit humble, gentle, 
 and forgiving, a purity and upright- 
 ness of heart -and conduct, an indifter- 
 
104 EXTERNAL EVIDENCE. 
 
 ence to worldly estimation, a zeal and 
 affection for the temporal and eternal 
 interests of mankind, and by a course 
 of conversation uniformly spiritual and 
 consistent with his profession, he will 
 silently evidence the power of religion, 
 and often win souls when preaching 
 and arguments are ineffectual. The 
 man of the world beholds him, and is 
 astonished. While he scoffs, he feels 
 a respect which a wavering, ambiguous 
 conduct cannot procure. He begins 
 to reflect on the subject; and such 
 reflections are often the first opera- 
 tions of the Sacred Spirit on the heart, 
 by which an inquirer is gradually 
 conducted to newness of life, and a 
 profession of '' the truth as it is in 
 Jesus." 
 
 But one of the strongest tests of a 
 minister, and one which should by no 
 means be forgotten, is his willingness 
 
HEAKT AND CONDUCT. 105 
 
 or unwillingness to bear the reproach 
 of the cross of Christ ; for, even in 
 this happy country, where Christianity 
 in its purest form is the national reli- 
 gion, something of this reproach still 
 remains. The excellency of our po- 
 litical and ecclesiastical regulations 
 cannot prevent the accomplishment 
 of that prophecy, that " all who will 
 live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
 persecution." It is not possible for 
 the Gospel to be professed in its unso- 
 phisticated energy and spirit, without 
 exciting the opposition of mankind. 
 Let us imagine that an individual 
 among the lower orders of society, 
 from a course of life overtly flagitious, 
 should become a reformed and exem- 
 plary character. This change, being 
 imputed to merely moral causes, or to 
 motives of expediency, would most 
 certainly procure him a degree of 
 
 G 
 
106 EXTtKXAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 respect and encouragement which he 
 could not otherwise have enjoyed. It 
 is evident, therefore, that morality, 
 sim'ply considered, is far from being 
 an object of contempt or persecution. 
 But if the individual under conside- 
 ration should openly avov/ that it was 
 the denunciations of the Bible against 
 sin that first excited his alarm ; that, 
 despairing of salvation by his own 
 merits, he had learned to trust wholly 
 and implicitly to the merits of Him 
 who came to take away the sins of the 
 world ; and that, in correspondence to 
 his new nature, and as a proof of his 
 sincerity, he had solemnly resolved to 
 live no longer to himself, but to Him 
 who had bought him with the price 
 of his own blood ; and if in future he 
 weie to make it his undivided aim to 
 fulfil his baptismal engagements, to 
 confess the faith of Christ crucified, 
 
HEART AND CONDUCT. 107 
 
 to fight manfully under his banners, 
 and to continue his faithful servant and 
 soldier unto his life's end, and were to 
 exemplify in his conduct that holiness, 
 spirituality, and self-denial, which 
 such resolutions were calculated to 
 inspire ; would the same result take 
 place as in the former instance ? 
 Would he not rather be censured than 
 applauded by the world around him ? 
 ^yould not his name be often heard in 
 connexion with the terms hypocrite, 
 enthusiast, and others of similar im, 
 port? In a word, would he not be one 
 instance among many, that the offence 
 of the Cross has not ceased; but that, 
 wherever our holy religion appears 
 in its genuine form, the hatred of 
 mankind is sure to be excited against 
 it? The sarcastic hint, the retorted 
 sneer, the malice of the tongue, the 
 annoying vexations of petty insult, 
 G 2 
 
108 EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 are still employed, in place of more 
 formidable weapons, to oppose the 
 Gospel, as often as it is seen in its 
 natural energy and spirit; and the 
 wounds inflicted by these poisoned 
 arrows, though not worthy to be com- 
 pared with the persecutions of the first 
 Christians, are yet usually far more 
 than an unconverted minister will 
 consent to endure. No regularity of 
 deportment, no consistency with the 
 doctrines and discipline of the Esta- 
 blishment, no amiableness of manners 
 and disposition— nothing, in short, but 
 an unholy compliance with the world 
 — can entirely prevent the reproach 
 which every minister of Christ is 
 appointed to sustain. 
 
COXCLUSIOX. 109 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 There are, however, some clergy- 
 men of whom it is difficult to judge 
 without a very intimate acquaintance. 
 They are not heterodox in their creed, 
 they are not inattentive to their pro- 
 fessional duties, and their lives are not 
 openly inconsistent with their acknow- 
 ledged sentiments ; yet, amidst so much 
 that is excellent, there appears perhaps 
 some reason to doubt whether they are 
 decidedly pious. Their vices, indeed, 
 are chiefly legative; and their virtues, 
 perhaps, are of a similar character. 
 In cases of this kind, the test just 
 mentioned is one of the most appro- 
 priate. We shall almost always dis- 
 cover that persons of this description 
 are studious, of *' avoiding the offence 
 
110 CONCLUSION. 
 
 of the cross." They appear afraid of 
 being considered *' righteous over- 
 much;" they dread the reproach of 
 man more than the displeasure of God ; 
 they dare not be explicit on the more 
 unfashionable parts of Christianity ; 
 they hesitate to speak of the world as 
 consisting but of two classes, the good 
 and the bad — those that serve God, and 
 those that serve him not; and appear 
 above all things desirous of softening- 
 down what they imagine to be the 
 harsher features of the Gospel, and, 
 in consequence, are willing to accept 
 for true ])iety what the Bible would 
 condemn as practical unbelief. There 
 is. always something- wrong when a 
 person is thus anxious to confound 
 moral or religious distinctions. The 
 converted minister must necessarily be 
 a man of decided character. 
 
 This test ought, however, to be 
 
coxcLusioy* ] 1 1 
 
 applied with caution. Some men are 
 buffeted for their faults, and not for 
 their piety. Eccentricity, concealed 
 ambition, or affected humility, may 
 pretend that the reproach with which 
 they are deservedly assailed is the 
 hostility of the human heart to true 
 religion : but there is usually some- 
 thing in such characters to unfold the 
 secret, and to prove that they differ 
 essentially from the patient, unosten- 
 tatious disciple of the lowly Jesus. 
 
 These, then, appear to be some of 
 the chief evidences by which a con- 
 verted minij.ter may be distinguished 
 from an unconverted one. But to 
 delineate the ministerial character 
 adequately is impossible: for who can 
 fully conceive what that man ought 
 to be, who is sent by the Sovereign of 
 the Universe, as his herald to a world 
 in arms, with denunciations of wrath 
 
112 CONCLUSION. 
 
 which the tongue of angels might 
 falter to proclaim ; and with tidings 
 of love and mercy so ineffable and 
 divine that even imprisoned demons, 
 were they interested in them, would 
 melt with contrition, and rejoice once 
 more to employ the golden harps of 
 heaven in singing songs of glory and 
 praise to their beneficent Creator? 
 Were a minister to walk altogether 
 worthy of his high vocation, it would 
 be impossible to mistake his character. 
 He would appear among men as an 
 inhabitant of a superior world. His 
 conversation would be in heaven. 
 Elevated above earth, he would learn 
 to look down with equal eye on its 
 honours and its frowns, its sorrows 
 and its enjoyments. His spotless gar- 
 ments would be uncontaminated with 
 its pollutions. Employed in the same, 
 or even a higher, work than that of 
 
CONXLUSIOX. 113 
 
 angels, he would partake of their 
 spirit. His manners would be celestial. 
 Like the Redeemer himself, he would 
 appear on earth but as one come to 
 do good ; and when his course was 
 finished, would quit it with *' hope 
 full of immortality and glory." 
 
 But since ministers are men of 
 like passions with others, we must be 
 content to look for a degree of excel- 
 lence very far short of what the un- 
 equalled dignity and holiness of their 
 function might be supposed capable 
 of inspiring. Considered in this view, 
 the preceding characteristics of a con- 
 verted minister, however inadequate 
 to the full description of what he 
 ought to be, may not be found in ex- 
 periment wholly insufficient. 
 
 Yet how many fall short, I will 
 not say of what an ambassador for 
 God might be supposed to be, but 
 
114 CONCLUSION. 
 
 even of that character which it is 
 possible for the weakest of men, with 
 the Divine blessing, to attain ! Who, 
 that surveys any body of ministers 
 (the national clergy of England by no 
 means excepted), but will see many 
 whom the preceding characteristics, if 
 correct and scriptural, prove to be 
 unconverted, and without God in the 
 world ? Avoiding every thing like 
 vague and indiscriminate censure, 
 may it not be too truly asserted, that 
 there are individuals in the English 
 church, as in every other, who by 
 open immoralities are a disgrace to 
 themselves and their profession ? Are 
 there not those, who, heedless of the 
 anathemas so frequently and awfully 
 denounced in Scripture against un- 
 faithful guides, are indolent and un- 
 concerned, while the souls of their 
 people are perishing for lack of know- 
 
coxcLLsioy. 115 
 
 ledge ? Pre-eminent as we are among 
 nations and among churches, it would 
 be impossible to answer these ques- 
 tions without acknowledging a fact of 
 the most humiliating nature. It is 
 nothing, in the present argument, to 
 affirm that the English clergy, as a 
 body, are the highest in the scale of 
 excellence of all the national churches 
 now existing ; for, while there is but 
 one irreligious minister in the Church, 
 there is sufficient cause for shame, for 
 discrimination, and for prayer. 
 
 There are, however, many persons 
 who object to discussions of the pre- 
 sent nature, considering them as cal- 
 culated to expose the Established 
 Clergy in the eyes of those who are 
 already too much incensed against 
 them, and thus to diminish what still 
 remains among the body of the people 
 of confidence in their established 
 
IIG COXCLUSION". 
 
 pastors. If, indeed, the silence of the 
 members of the Church would impose 
 silence on its enemies, the argument 
 might be considered not wholly un- 
 plausible. But, in the present state 
 of things at least, it is surely better 
 to consider the subject at home, and 
 even to court inquiry, than to shut 
 our eyes and affect ignorance, till we 
 are roused by the clamours of our 
 opponents. In the Church of Rome 
 it was necessary that the characters 
 of ecclesiastics should be considered 
 as too sacred for animadversion, since 
 the Slightest exposure might acci- 
 dentally lead (as, indeed, afterwards 
 happened) to a development of the 
 whole internal system of Popery, 
 which its patrons were aware would 
 decline from the moment the public 
 became acquainted with its real na- 
 ture. But in a church pure in its 
 
CONCLUSIOX. 
 
 117 
 
 doctrines and liberal in its spirit ; a 
 church that seeks not temporal power 
 any further than it may tend to reli- 
 gious utility, and that has no ulti- 
 mate object in view but to ensure 
 the preaching of the Gospel to the 
 present and to future ages ; the dis- 
 cussion of its real state is not only a 
 duty, but an advantage. If it could 
 be even proved that every minister in 
 the Church was an unconverted mna, 
 the knowledge of this fact would be 
 preferable to the unfounded hope of 
 ignorance. The one would probably 
 rouse men from their slumbers, and 
 excite them to religious investigation ; 
 while the other would tranquillize them 
 with a deceitful peace, till the moment 
 for repentance and conversion was for 
 ever lost. So far, however, from the 
 proportion between the good and the 
 bad becoming more unfavourable as 
 
1J8 CONCLUSION'. 
 
 we proceed with our inquiries, it is 
 certain that the more we examine 
 the subject the more will the Church 
 of England triumph over the misre- 
 presentations of her calumniators. 
 However common instances of supine- 
 ness and profligacy among the clergy 
 may be, they certainly are far from 
 being so common as the enemies of 
 the Church would induce us to believe. 
 The character of a wicked minister is 
 notorious to all ; whereas the fame of 
 a pious one is often confined within 
 the small circle of his own parish. 
 The estimate, therefore, of a cursory 
 inquirer w^ill seldom be correct. He 
 catches the more prominent features of 
 deformity, while a thousand beauties 
 lie neglected in the shade: hence 
 all is confusion and gloom. But if 
 the signs of unconversion are not to 
 be suppressed, neither ought those 
 
COXCLUSIOX. 119 
 
 favourable circumstances to be sup- 
 pressed which the world is less willing 
 to observe. The language of the 
 clergy to their opponents must be 
 frank and manly. It is useless to 
 affect to take for granted that the 
 sacred profession can constitute him a 
 good man whom his life proves to be 
 a bad one. Let them state the truth 
 with mildness and impartiality. So 
 large a society as the clergy of this 
 land cannot, in the nature of things, 
 be free from unworthy members ; but 
 if it can be shewn to be encumbered 
 with a smaller proportion of them than 
 is generally conceived, an important 
 point will have been gained. And is 
 not that proportion daily decreasing? 
 As a proof that it is, I might refer to 
 that spirit of serious inquiry which 
 appears every where prevalent, and to 
 that assiduity with which the studies 
 
120 CONCLUSION. 
 
 proper for a Christian minister begin 
 to be pursued ; to that increasingly 
 scriptural tone of preaching which is 
 heard from our pulpits ; to those va- 
 rious societies which are springing up 
 amongst us for the promotion of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom ; and to that large 
 body of pious and learned men who 
 are continually entering the Church, 
 and who bid fair to carry it, with the 
 blessing of Heaven, to heights of re- 
 ligious prosperity hitherto unknown. 
 
 Ministers of the Church ought not 
 to shrink from a fair trial of their 
 principles and character, but should 
 rather endeavour to promote in each 
 other such a degree of piety and dis- 
 cretion as may stand the test of the 
 severest examination. Then, and then 
 only, will the weapons of their enemies 
 be useless. 
 
 The arguments of those who op- 
 
CONCLUSION. 121 
 
 pose all discussions of the present 
 nature, seem, therefore, to be of little 
 weight. We cannot, indeed, feel too 
 strongly the sacredness of individual 
 character ; but it surely implies a 
 morbid sensibility, not to say a more 
 unworthy feeling, when persons shrink 
 from the abstract discussion of im- 
 portant religious subjects, and are 
 afraid of the characters of men being 
 discussed, even in a general point of 
 view, lest some unpleasant conse- 
 quences should arise from the applica- 
 tion of theoretical truth to practical 
 researches. 
 
 But mere feeling is, or ought to be, 
 out of the question. The souls of men 
 are concerned, and minor considera- 
 tions must therefore disappear. If 
 those who profess to instruct others in 
 the way to heaven, be ignorant of it 
 themselves, the consequences are too 
 
 H 
 
122 CONCLUSION. 
 
 awful to be risked for the sake of gra- 
 tifying the false delicacy of indivi- 
 duals. It is essential to the interest 
 of the people at large, and also of 
 individual ministers themselves, that 
 '* the precious be separated from the 
 vile." If the blind lead the blind, 
 both must fall. The advantages of 
 serious examination into the characters 
 of the clergy must, therefore, alw^ays be 
 far more than commensurate with its 
 inconveniences. The unfaithful may, 
 indeed, be exposed to disgrace ; but 
 the pious will, at the same time, 
 be rewarded with the honour due to 
 their fidelity and labours. 
 
 If there be any person of whom 
 but faint hopes can be entertained, it 
 is surely that of a minister who has 
 been gradually hardened by the habi- 
 tual recurrence of those truths which 
 were intended to produce a contrary 
 
CONCLUSION. J23 
 
 effect, and who, never doubting of his 
 own conversion, refuses to institute an 
 investigation by which his real cha- 
 racter may be ascertained. Were it 
 not for those influences of the Holy 
 Spirit, which can silently produce the 
 most astonishing effects on the human 
 soul when suasion and advice have 
 been long exerted without apparent 
 success, the case of such a man 
 might be considered altogether hope- 
 less. But, admitting this Divine 
 agency, it is possible for the most 
 prejudiced individual to be convinced 
 of his error ; and even these remarks, 
 feeble as the writer feels and acknow- 
 ledges them to be, may not have been 
 written m vain. 
 
 A moment will arrive, even before 
 the day of final judgment, in which 
 every minister must learn to appre- 
 
124 CONCLUSION. 
 
 ciate the importance of such hiquiries 
 as those which have been suggested. 
 In his last hours, he will feel it to be 
 of little consequence that he has been 
 a teacher of others, if he be still un- 
 converted himself. His personal sal- 
 vation, the responsibility of his office, 
 and the fearful account he must render 
 for his neglect of the souls of men, 
 will then torture his mind with incon- 
 ceivable anxiety ; unless, which is far 
 more to be deprecated, he still remain 
 under the power of that strong delu- 
 sion which has beguiled him all his 
 life, and die with a presumptuous hope 
 which the Almighty has no where pro- 
 mised to realize. 
 
 Far different are the last moments 
 of a pious minister. Heaven appears 
 to burst on his view. His retrospect 
 is a life devoted to the service of his 
 
CONCLUSION. 125 
 
 God, and his prospect an eternity of 
 holiness and joy. *' Mark the perfect 
 man, and behold the upright, for the 
 end of that man is peace." 
 
 THE END. 
 
 EUerton and Henderson, Printers, 
 Gough Square, London. 
 
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