THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE ¥ORKS OF THE RIGHT IlEYEREXD JOHN STARK RAVENSCROFT, D. D., BISHOP OF THE TROTESTAXT EPISCOPAI- CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA, CONTAINING HIS SERMONS AND CHARGES, DBVISKD BY TilR AUTHOR TO THE AID OP THG MISSIONARY CAUSK IN NORTH CAROLINA; TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE. SECOND EDITION. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. PAYETTEVILLE, N. C: PRINTED BY EDWARD J. HALE & SON. 1856. 5937 V. i The first Edition of the "Works of Bishop Kavenscroft having been long since exhausted, the Diocese of North Ca- rolina, prompted by a bequest of five hundred dollars made by the late J. W. "Wright in aid of this purpose, now pre- sents this second Edition to the public. The present Edition contains the Sermons and Charges of the Bishop, with the interesting Memoir of his life, prefixed; being substantially the same as the first Edition,' — -the Controversial Tract in re- ply to Dr. Bice being omitted, because it was not deemed convenient or necessary to republish it at the present time. The matter here presented, having undergone a thorough revision by a Committee of the Convention, and the very nu- merous typographical errors of the first Edition having been corrected, it is hoped that the present Edition will in this re- spect be found to be an improvement upon the former. The proceeds of the sales of this Edition, as were those of the former, are devoted, agreeably to the design of Mr. "Wright, to the support of the Missions of the Protestant Epis- copal Church within the Diocese of North Carolina. April, 1856. v'" ^NSCROFT. John Stark, P. E. bishop, t\ "X* y^dr Blandford. Prince George co., Va., in 1772; 'V; in Williamsborough. X. C, 5 March, 1830. His father and family removed to Scotland soon after the boy's birth, and John was sent to school in the north of England. In January, 1789, he returned to Virginia on family affairs, and, having a de- sire to study law, he entered William and Mary, with this object ; but he never accomplished it. In 1792 he went to Scotland again, settled his fa- ther's estate, and, on coming back to Virginia, surren- dered himself to a country life in Lunenburg coun- ty, regardless of religion and relig- ious obligations. In 1810 he united with a body of pro- fessing Christians, called '• Republi- . can Methodists," but the connection did not last long. In 1815 he became a candidate for or- ders in the Prot- estant Episcopal church, and he was licensed as a lay reader in February, 1816. So ac- ceptable were his services that St. James's church, Mecklenburg county, chose him for its rector before he was admitted into the ministry. He was ordained deacon in the Monumental church, Richmond, Va., 25 April, 1817, by Bishop Richard C. Moore, and priest in St. George's church, Fredericksburg, 6 May, 1817, by the same bishop. He received the degree of D. D. from Columbia in 1823. This same year he was called to Norfolk, Va., but declined ; and also was invited to become assistant to Bishop Moore, in the Monumental church, Richmond. At this time he was elected first bishop of North Caxo- lina, and was consecrated in St. Paul's church, Philadelphia, 22 May, 1823. William and Mary also conferred upon him the degree of D. I), in 1823. In order to supplement his salary, he as- sumed the rectorship of Christ church, Raleigh, which he held for five years, during which time his health failed. He attended the general convention in Philadelphia in August, 1829, but. on his re- turn home, gradually sank until his death. Bishop Ravenscroft published numerous sermons that he preached on special occasions, and episcopal charges. After his decease these were republished, together with 61 sermons, selected by himself, and a memoir of his life, edited bv Di-. (afterward Bishop) Wainwright (2 vols.. New York. 1830). . v' ^^Ce^ij^c-^cyi^'t J*^f CONTENTS OF VOL. I. PAG*. Memoir, 1 A Farewell Discourse; preached in St. James's Church, Mecklenburg County, Virginia, 69 A Sermon on the Church; delivered before the Annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of North Carolina, 91 A Sermon on the Christian Ministry; delivered in St. Peter's Church, Washington, N. C, at an ordination, 113 Eevelation the Foundation of Faith; a Sermon preached in St. Luke's Church, Salisbury, N. C, at an ordination, 135 A Sermon preached before the Bible Society of North Carolina, 151 A Sermon on the Study and Interpretation of the Scriptures; delivered in the Episcopal Chapel, Raleigh, 167 A Sermon preached at the consecration of Christ Church, Raleigh, N. C, 181 An Episcopal Charge, delivered to the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, assembled in Washington, N. C, in April 1825,... 197 An Episcopal Charge, delivered to the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, assembled in Hillsborough, N. C, in May 1826,... 207 An Episcopal Charge, delivered to the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, assembled in Fayetteville, N. C, in May 1828,.... 215 SERMONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. SERMON I. BAPTISM. John iii. 5. — Jesus answered. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God 239 VI CONTENTS. PAQE. SERMON 11. confir:mation. ■ Acts xv. 41. — And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches 257 SERMON III. NATUKE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLT COMMUNION. Luke xxii. 19, last clause. — This do, in remembrance of me 271 SERMON lY. THE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF THE LOKd's SUPPEE. 1 Corinthians xi. 26. — For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come 285 SERMON Y. COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 1 Corinthians x. 17. — For we being many, are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread 297 SERMON YI. UNITY OF THE CHUKCH. Ephesians iv. 4. — There is one body 309 SERMON YII. CHRISTMAS. Matthew xi. 28. — Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy la- den, and I will give you rest 327 SERMON YIIL • new-year's day. Psalm xxxi. 15, frsi clause. — My times are in thy hand 341 SERMON IX. new-year's day. Hebrews i. 12, last clause. — But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail 855 SERMON X. ASCENSION OF CHRIST. John vi. 02. — What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up, where he was before? * ► 867 CONTENTS. Vll PAOB. SEHMOIs" XL TRINITY SUNDAY. 1 Timothy iii. 16. — And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory 877 SERMOIT XII. ORDINATION, OR INSTITUTION. 1 Thessalonians v. 26. — Brethren, pray for us 389 SERMON XIIL ORDINATION SERMON. 2 CoKiNTHiANS iv. 5. — For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake 401 SEEMON XIY. CONSECRATION. Psalm xciii. 5, last clause. — Holiness becometh thine house, Lord, for 415 SERMON XY. THE OLD paths: — A CONSECRATION SERMON*, PREACHED IN VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA. J«HEMiAH vi. 16. — Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk there- in, and ye shall find rest for your souls 427 SERMON XVI. THE REASONABLENESS OF RELIGION. 1 KiNQS xviii. 21. — And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, fol- low him; but if Baal, then follow him 443 SERMON XVII. THE NECESSITY OF EXERCISING A RIGHT JUDGMENT IN OUR RELIGIOUS CONCERNS. Luke xii. 57. — Yea, and why, even of yourselves, judge ye not what is right? ■... 457 Vlll CONTENTS. PAGK. SERMON XVIII. THE FOLLY AND WICKEDNESS OF EXCUSES AGAINST RELIGION. LujcB xiv. 18. — Aud they all, with one consent, began to make excuse. 469 SERMOISr XIX. god's ANGER AGAINST THE WICKED. Psalm vii. 11. — God is angry ■with the ■wicked every day 481 MEMOIR. John Stakk Ravensceoft, D. D., late Bishop of the dio- cese of ISTorth Carolina, was born in the year 1772, at an es- tate near Blandford, in the county of Prince George, Virginia, which had long been in the possession of his family. He was the only child of Dr. John Raveuscroft, a gentleman of for- tune, who had been educated for the practice of medicine. Dr. Ravenscroft's ample possessions and small family soon induced him to relinquish the practice of his laborious pro- fession, and within two months after the birth of his son, he removed to Great Britain, where he ultimately purchased a small landed estate in the south of Scotland, to the improve- nient of which he devoted the rest of his life. The mother of the subject of our memoir, was the daugli- ter of Mr. Hugh Miller, a Scotch gentleman who resided in the same county, and botli she and her husband, Dr. Ravens- croft, were descended maternally from the extensive and re- spectable family of the Boilings. It is not known, certainly, what were the chief induce- ments with Dr. Raveuscroft to remove to Europe, Though of Scotch descent and married into a Scottish family, it is not probable that the dissensions between the colonies and the mother country had any influence upon his determina- tion, for it will be recollected that, although great excitement had prevailed in the country for some years previous, the year 1772 and the early part of '73 was a season of remark- able tranquility, and the opinion was generally entertained that the conciliatory measures of the British government would ultimately subdue the spirit of disaffection in her col- onies. Be that as it may, however, it is certain that he re- garded his removal as final, having previously to his dej^art- ure empowered an attorney to dispose of the whole of his patrimonial and other property. The sale was effected, but owing to the unsettled state of the country at that period, 3 MEMOIR. and the subsequent very great depreciation in the value of the current money of the time, the doctor during his lifetime derived but very little benefit from it, and having in the purchase that he made in Scotland, relied upon the funds which he expected from Virginia, he was in consequence somewhat embarrassed during his whole life. He notwith- standing so far arranged his afl'airs before his death, as to leave his widow, wlio is still living, in easy circumstances. He died about the close of the year 1780. Mrs. Ravenscroft availed herself of the excellent opportu- nity which Scotland afforded, at that time as now, of giving her son a verj'- complete and thorough classical education; and after he had finished his com-se at one of the most re- spectable grammar schools in that country, she placed him at a seminary of somewhat liigher grade in the north of Eng- land, where, besides continuing liis classical studies, he was instructed in matliematics, natural philosophy, and other sciences. Soon after Mr. Ravenscroft had entered his seventeenth year, his friends thought it expedient that he should return to Virginia, for the purpose of looking after tlie remains of his father's property, which, from causes already mentioned, still remained in a very precarious condition. He accordingly left his friends in Scotland at the beginnipo; of the winter of 1788-9, and reached Virginia in the January following. He was here so far successful in recovering some remnants of his father's large property, as to be subsequently in easy, if not afiluent circumstances. Intending to devote himself to the profession of the law, he entered William and Mary col- lege, at Williamsburg, in Virginia, with a view to the prose- cution of that study, and to the acquisition of a more perfect acquaintance with the sciences. Mr. Wythe was at that pe- riod Professor of Law at Williamsburg, and of course the ad- vantages for students in that department were unusually great; but owing to the extreme relaxation of discipline in the college, joined to the large pecuniary allowance made to Mr. Ravenscroft by his guardian, and which induced habits of extravagance and dissipation, he did not derive that in- struction from the lectures of this eminent lawyer which his friends might have expected. It is not necessary here to MEMOIR. d dwell upon the time wasted, and the evil courses pursued, by j\fr. Ravenscroft during this dangerous period of his life: the reader will find in a subsequent part of this narrative, the candid account which that most ingenuous of men himself gives of it. It is to be remarked, however, that his convic- tion of sin was so strong in the latter part of his life, and his self-accusations so severe in respect to his misspent j'outh, that the picture which he has drawn of it, is, probably, too highly colored to convey a just idea of his character and conduct. Those who knew him at this and at a somewhat later period of life, are not aware of his addiction to any vi- ces, in i\iQ, ]jGj)xdar sense of that term, except profane swear- ing and a general contempt for religion. It is true that these vices go veiy far towards making a depraved character, but some palliation may be found fur them, in the peculiar cir- cumstances in which Mr. Ravenscroft v>-as placed. Separated by an ocean from his family — supplied by a too indulgent guardian with almost unlimited means of gratifying his in- clination — and placed at the earl}- age of seventeen at a sem- inary notorious at that period for its total want of discipline, it is not to be wondered at, that he should have indulged in excesses and contracted habits, which, in after years, ap- peared to his self-abhorring spirit to be of the most vicious kind. , At the same time, it is very certain that those habits and excesses were not of that nature, which is usually thought to be degrading to the youthful character. As might have been expected, however, his studies did not result in any very considerable acquaintance with the principles of the profession to which he had proposed devot- ing his chief attention, and though he remained for some time a member of the college, with the ostensible object of preparing himself for the practice of law, it does not appear that he ever procured a license to practice, or if he did it is certain that he never availed himself of it. Before Mr. Ra- venscroft left Williamsburg, an event took place which seems to have been, in the hand of God, the means of arresting him in that career of youthful dissipation, which, as he advanced towards manhood, was assuming the more alarming charac- ter of habitual vice. He formed an acquaintance with the lady who afterwards became his wife, and whose lovely cha- 4 MEilOIK. racter appears from that time to have exerted an influence over his wayward disposition, sufficiently powerful to coun- teract the adverse influence of his former bad habits and want of religious principle, and to make him the estimable- and respectable man he afterwards became, till the more powerful operations of God's grace brought him to the foot of the cross. This lady was the daughter of Lewis Burweli^ Esq. of Mecklenburg County, and was on a visit to her friends in Williamsburg, at the time of her first acquaintance with Mr. Ravenscroft. She is represented as having been remarkable for her personal beauty, and for what was of far greater value, especially in the particular station assigned her by Providence, a gentleness of disposition peculiarly adapted to a collision with the ardent temperament of her husband, and at the same time a firmness of character, and correctness of principle, which, while it enabled her to mould his less es- tablished character, jjreserved her from the contagion of his evil example. About the year 1792, Mr. Ravenscroft re-visited Scotland for the last time, with the view of converting the property which he had inherited from his father in that country, into money, preparatory to his final establishment in Virginia, This addition to his already competent estate rendered his sit- uation such as justified him in marrying, notwithstanding that he had now abandoned all thoughts of prosecuting the pro- fession of law. Accordingly, soon after his return from Scot- land, and a short time previous to his coming of age, he was married to Miss Burwell. ISTot having purchased any property prior to his marriage, and having no near relations residing in the vicinity of his birth-place, to make it a desirable resi- dence for himself, he was easily indueed to yield to the wishes of his wife in purchasing an estate in the more healthy dis- trict of country where his father-in-law lived. He settled in Lunenburgh County, not far from Mr. Burwell, and hence- forward devoted himself to the usual pursuits of a country life, until it pleased God to call him to be a laborer in his vineyard. During a period of eighteen years, Mr. Ravens- croft here continued to sustain his several relations towards his family and neighbors, in ^ manner that gave hun a high MEMOIR. and honorable reputation among men. The remark already made, respecting the hateful terms in which he was wont in after years to refer to this wasted period of life — wasted as to the chief 2yurpose of life, may here be repeated, and the im- pression very generally entertained, in consecjuenee, respect- ing his character and conduct at this time, be corrected. As ft husband, a master, a member of society — a husband to the widow, and in a peculiar sense, a father to the orphan, Mr. Ravenscroft was every thing that was estimable; and the absurd stories of his fondness for gaming and other low vices, are utterly groundless. It is true that his good qualities were all obscured by a more than ordinary neglect, and perhaps contempt, of religious obligations. And it is this that led him when his eyes became open, to loathe himself to the de- gree which was so remarkable a trait of his religious charac- ter. But, doubtless, many a mere moralist has built his claims for acceptance with his God upon a foundation more slender than the morality which Mr. Ravenscroft practised for years, though without any reference to his accountability. Mr. Ravenscroft was never blessed with children of his own, but towards five orphan children, who were placed un- der his care while infants, he for many years .discharged the duties of an affectionate and conscientious parent. The sur- vivors of these objects of his parental affection bear testimo- ny, in the warmest terms, to the undeviating kindness and judicious care which marked the conduct of their adopted father towards them, from their earliest recollection to the day of his death; and the filial respect uniformly manifested on their part, has afforded to all who witnessed it, a pleasing evidence of the sincerity of their gratitude. It is not consistent with the chief purposes of tliis memoir to dwell at much length upon this portion of Mr. Ravens- croft's life. That he lived utterly "without God in the world," he himself was ever most ready to acknowledge, and the mere details of an ordinary irreligious life, passed in the obscurity of the country, would possess neither novelty nor instruction. That he did not suffer his mind to languish, or his early ad- vantages to remain unimproved, is obvious from the large fund of acquired information which he carried MMth him into the ministry, and those habits of close and logical rea- D MEMOIK. soning whicli formed so striking a characteristic of bis pulpit oratory. Although he interested himself with his usual ardor in the politics of the day, and in the various objects of local interest which successively presented themselves, he was never induced to leave the retirement of private life, or to seek that kind of popularity which seems almost the natural food of tempers as active as his. In the bosom of his family, and in the diligent discharge of the numerous charities of life, he sought and found that happiness which this world can give. Though blessed with a wife, who seems to have found her own happiness in promoting his, with an estate that was equal to his utmost wishes, and with the respect and affec- tion of a large circle of friends, he yet experienced that truth which enters so largely into the experience of every man, that the happiness of this world is empty and unsatisfying; and his well informed mind was gradually brought, though after a long night of delusion, to the conviction that "here was not his rest." We are henceforth to consider the character of Mr. Ea- venscroft in a new aspect. So heartily and earnestly did he co-operate with the grace of God, when it had once broken down the vain opposition of his sinful and long cherished lusts, that the change in his views, his feelings, and his pur- suits, though far from being instantaneous or even very ra- pid, soon became marked and decisive. Some groundless stories respecting the immediate causes and manner of his conversion, have been related and even published; and it is well for the cause of truth, as also for Mr. Ravenscroft's own reputation, that he was prevailed upon to commit to writing during his last confinement, an authentic and detailed account of the rise and progress in his heart of that great change by which "he put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man," and "put on the new man, which after God is cre- ;ated in righteousness and true holiness." The stories referred to, very seriously implicated his private and domestic character, and if true, would have presented him in the odious light of a persecutor of religion in the pev" S071S of its professors, as well as in it& principles. That there was no foundation for these stories, either in the cjiaraptpr of MEMOIR. i Mr. Ravenscroft, or in any circumstances connected with his conversion, was well known to all who knew him, or who liad access to correct information on the subject; but the pub- lic have remained long deceived, and Mr. E.avenscroft, who always acted with a motive, was induced by a conscientious apprehension of doing harm to the cause of religion, to re- frain from undeceiving them during his life. As he says himself in a letter to a friend, who had requested information from him in relation to the great change in his heart and life, '"It is a subject I have never been fond of stirring, be- cause I was averse to putting myself forward, and because the peculiar circumstances of my case might have been used and perverted to strengthen the despisers of the means of grace, in tlieir neglect of all the outward appointments of God's wisdom and goodness, to beget consideration in their hearts, and lead them to repentance. Therefore it was, that when some person, both unknown to me, and ignorant of me, undertook to publish what was totally without foundation, I cared not to contradict it, otherwise tlian in conversation to the few friends who questioned me on the subject." This same disregard of his own reputation when brought into collision with the interests of his fellow-men, or -with the glory of his God, continued to actuate all Mr. Ravenscroft's motions until the day of his death. He was induced, how- ever, towards the close of his life, to believe, or rather to yield to the opinions of his friends, that a narrative of his re- ligious life, and of his life and character before he became a convert, would be useful: and the reader is here presented with the last records of that pen which has done so much for the sacred cause of religion. Although the hand of death ai-rested its autiior in his progress towards its completion, yet enough has been told in this memoir to vindicate him from the calunmies which, in connexion with the fictitious story of his conversion, were circulated much more widely than ]ii8 verbal contradictions of them. "In fulfilment of a promise made to several of my friends, who judged — whether rightly or not must be proved by the event. — that advantage might be derived to the cause of true religion, and the interests of the Clnirch promoted, from the b MEMOIE. circumstances attending my entering upon a religious course of life autbentically communicated; and that as a public man I owed it to the public, and particularly to the communion of "which I am a minister, to record the leading events of my religious life, I commit to writing what the memoranda I have preserved enable me to give of my personal history, so far as tliat is connected with edification to the members of the Church, and to all other serious and unprejudiced per- sons. In performing this promise, I rather yield to the rea- sonings of others than to the conviction of my own mind, having long been of opinion that effects which have not fol- lowed the living services of any uninspired minister of Christ, are hardly to be expected from posi/iumous endeavors. God, however, can give effect to whatever means seem good to him, and if it shall be his will to work by this for the salva- tion of even a single sinner, or to remove a single prejudice against his Church, to his holy and merciful name be all the glory both now and forever. "John S. Ravensceoft." "Though a native of Virginia, being born in the county of Prince George, in the year 1772, — of which State my proge- nitors, as far back as I have been able to trace them, with the exception of my maternal grandfather, were also natives — my first recollections are of Scotland, my parents having removed from Virginia the same year in which I was born; and, after an interval of about two years spent in the north of England, purchased and settled finally in the south of Scot- land, where my mother and two sisters still reside. Here I received the rudiments of my education; and I feel bound to record, that I owe much to the custom there established of making tlie Scriptures a school book — a custom, I am grieved to say it, not only abandoned in the schools and academies among us, but denounced as improper, if not injurious. Al- though I was unconscious, at the time, of any power or influ- ence over my thoughts or actions thence derived, yet what mere memory retained of their life-giving truths, proved of unspeakable advantage, when I became awakened on the MEMOIE. 9 subject of religion; and I am constrained to believe, that what was thus unconsciously sown in mj heart, though smothered and choked by the levity of youth, and abused and perverted by the negligence and sinfulness of my riper years, was nevertheless a preparation of Heaven's foresight and mercy, for grace to quicken me — a mighty help to my amazed and confounded soul, when brought to a just view of mj actual condition as a sinner, both by nature and by prac- tice. Without this help, I might, like thousands of others, have wandered in a bewildered state, the prey of many de- lusions — engendered by the anxieties of a disturbed and ig- norant mind, or by the fanaticism of those many well mean- ing, perhaps, but certainly most ignorant men, who yet ven- ture to become teachers of religion. For this reason it is that I have been earnest, during my ministry, in pressing upon parents, and upon those who have the care of youth, the great duty of furnishing their tender and pliant minds with the treasures of divine knowledge and saving truth, con- tained in God's revealed word. No matter what specious arguments may be brought against the practice, we can re- ply, that it is a means of grace of God's own appointment, and one too which he has promised to bless and make eifec- tual. No matter though it be objected, as it often is object- ed by the vain disputers of this world, that the minds of chil- dren can not comprehend such deep and unsearchable won- ders — God, we know, is able to open their understandings, and "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings to perfect his praise." No matter, though it be argued, that it is in vain, if not actually wrong, to force their minds to religion, and thus give them a distaste, and even an antipathy against it. Alas! what a flimsy subterfuge of unbelief and opposition to God; and yet what numbers are swayed by it? For, is it thought wrong, or even improper, to force their minds, if we must use the words, to any other branch of learning? and yet the danger of distaste, and even of antipathy, to human sci- ences, must be equally great. Besides, is not this distaste, and even antipathy, to divine things, the natural state of fallen creatures: and religion, the love of God, and goodness, a forced^ that is, an unnatural state, to us spiritually dead and undone creatures, and therefore to be counteracted by 10 MEMOIE. every possible means? Let no jDarent, then, be led away by this infidel sophistry, to withhold religious instruction from the earliest years of his children, or to trust them in a school where the Bible is excluded as a class book. "Having lost my father in my ninth year, it became ne- cessary to return to Virginia, to look after the wreck of his property. In my seventeenth year, accordingly, I was sepa- rated from all I had ever known, and that was dear to me, and landed in "Virginia on liew Year's day, 1789 — a stranger to all around me, and in great part my own master — at least without any control I had been accustomed to respect. That under such circumstances I should quickly overcome those habits which the restraints of education had imposed, and wander after the lusts of my sinful heart, and the desires of my darkened eyes, is hardly to be wondered at. "Wander indeed I did, not even waiting for temptation, but madly seeking it, and soon lost every early good impression, and even those fears and misgivings about futurity, of which all men are conscious occasionally. "In looking back upon this period of my life, I think it may be profitable to advert to a circumstance which had great influence in confirming me in the sinful course 1 was pursuing. It being determined by my friends that I should turn my attention to the profession of the law, as presenting the fairest prospects of honor and emolument, I entered the college of "William and Mary, that I might attend the law lectures of the celebrated Mr. "Wythe, together with the other courses of scientific acquirement there taught. The plan was doubtless good, and might have been of the greatest advan- tage to my prospects in life; but by tlirowing me still more upon my own guidance, and increasing my means of self- indulgence, by the liberal allowance for my expenses, it in- creased in an equal degreee the power of temptation, and I have to look back on the time spent in college as more marked by proficiency in extravagance, and juvenile vice, than in scientific attainment. Yet the means of improvement were fully within my reach, and that I did not profit more, is wholly my own fault. The professors in the different def>art- ments were able men, and the regulations of the institution good in themselves, but they were not enforced with the vigi- MEMOIR. 11 lance and precision necessary to make them efficient, in that moral discipline so supremely important at this period of life. Except at the hours appropriated to the lectures, my time was at my own disposal; and though expected to attend prayers every morning in the college chapel, absence was not strictly noticed, and very slight excuses were admitted. Attendance at church, on Sunday, was entirely optional, and the great subject of religion wholly unattended to. The stu- dents were required to board in college; but from the small number — not exceeding fifteen — from the low price of board, and the constant altercations with the steward — the public table was given up, and the students permitted to board in the taverns, or elsewhere, as suited them. This every way injuri- ous and most unwise permission, presented facilities for dis- sipation which would not otherwise have been found, and encouraged as they were by the readiness with which credit was obtained from persons whose calculations were formed on the heedlessness and improvidence of youth, temptation was divested of all present impediment to its power. This last is an evil which I believe attends all seminaries of learning, and forms one of the greatest obstacles to their real useful- ness, and one of the most fruitful nurseries of vice. As such, it ought to be met and resisted by the whole power of the community, and by the arm of the law inflicting severe pecu- niary penalty, independent of the loss of the debt contracted — and even imprisonment of the person convicted of giving credit to a student at any college, or other public seminary of learning. Some such provision, it appears to me, is essen- tial to the public usefulness of such institutions; and if en- forced with due vigilance by the professors, in whose name, and at whose instance, the prosecution should be carried on, would go far to counteract this increasing mischief. And when it is considered that the practice of giving credit to minors under such circumstances, is a stab at the very vitals of society, hardly any penalty can be considered too severe. "While I thus "walked according to the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind," the customs and manners of genteel society imposed some degree of restraint upon my outward deportment; and the respect I really entertained for some excellent persons, who favored 12 MEMOIR. me with their notice and regard, preserved me from open debauchery. -Strange creatures! we can submit to some re- straint, and command ourselves to some self-denial, for the praise of "man that is a worm," while we madly defy the omnipotent God! We can be influenced by the fear of a fel- low-creature, while there is "no fear of God before our eyes." What other proof do we need to convince us that we are fal- len creatures, spiritually dead, and must continue such, un- less quickened into life by God the Holy Ghost? "These restraints, however, could not have continued to operate for any length of time against the natural tendency of vice to wax worse and worse; and that I became not totally and irrecoverably sunk in its ruinous depths, I owe, under OoD, to a most excellent woman, who consented to become my wife in my 21st year. This event gave a new direction to the course of my life! I abandoned the study of law and embraced a country life, devoting myself to agricultural pur- suits. Thus removed from the temptations and facilities to vice, which our cities and towns present so readily, with regular and pleasant occupation on my farm, and my domes- tic happiness studied and promoted by the affectionate part- ner of my life, my years rolled on as happily — were the pre- sent life alone to be provided for — as could reasonably be desired. The personal regard I entertained for my wife, in- creased to the highest esteem, and even veneration, as the virtues of her character opened upon me, while the prudence and discretion of her conduct won me gradually from my previous dissipated habits. She was a woman of high prin- ciple and of a very independent character: what she did not approve of, she would not smile upon; yet she never gave me a cross word, or an ill-natured look in her life, and in the twenty -three years it pleased God to spare her to me, such was her discretion, that though I often acted otherwise than- she could have wished me to do, and though she \vas faithful to reprove me, there never was a quarrel or temporary es- trangement between us. "She opened her mouth with wis- dom, and in her tongue was tiie law of kindness." So that when she left me for a better world, it w^as an exceeding comfort to me that I could look back upon so little to re- proach myself with, respecting her; only this, that but for the MEMOIR, 13 last five years of our union, had I any sense of her real value^ or of God's goodness in giving her to me, or any communion with her in the love of that Saviour, who had been her hope and trust through life, (though she was not formally a pro- fessor — the Church in which she was baptised having been cast down before slie came to years of discretion) — and who was her stay and support in the hour of death. "O how good it is," would she say to me as I watched by her dying bed, "to have a Saviour, and such a Saviourl" ''But though my marriage certainly produced a great change in my outward conduct, I was nevertheless as far from God as ever; without even a thought of religion, or once opening the Bible for eighteen years, to learn what God the Lord should say, or once Ijending my knees in pra^'er to him, on whom my all depended; and though twice in this time brought to the gates of death by sickness, yet no uneasy thought of hereafter disturbed my mind. So true is the ex- pression of the Psalmist that "the wicked hath no bands in death." So great was my neglect, in fact disrespect, of even the outward forms of religion, that from the year 1792 to the year 1810, I was not present at any place of public worship more than six or seven times, and then not from choice, but from some accidental accommodation to propriety, in surren- dering to the opinions of others. "Indeed the kind of preaching I had in my power to hear^ was not of a description to engage the attention of any in- formed mind. I soon found that I knew more of the Scrip- tures from memory than the preachers, and was vain enough to think that I understood them better and could apply them more correctl}', than the well-meaning perhaps, but certainly most ignorant, unqualified, and of course injurious men, who appeared around in the character of ministers of religion. But as I had no spiritual senses as yet quickened in me, the preaching of the cross, even from an angel, would have been to me as to the Greeks of old — foolishness. Oh what a mir- acle of long sufiering, that in all this time God was not pro- voked to cut me oif! What a miracle of grace, that I am permitted to think and speak of it, and to adore the riches- of his mercy, in bringing me to a better mind! "It was in the year 1810 that it pleased God to set mj 14 MEMOIR. mind at work, and gradually to bring me to douLt the dark security of my unawakened state. But I am not conscious of any peculiar incident or circumstance, that first led me to considerations of the kind. "As I was the manager of my own estate, which comprised a set of mills, as well as a plantation, about two miles distant from each other, I was of coui-se much alone, at least in that kind of solitude which gives tiie mind opportunity to com- mune with itself. It was in my rides from one to the other, and while superintending the labors of my people, that a train of thought, to which I was previously altogether unac- customed, began to occupy my attention, and though dis- missed once and again wx)uld still return, and with every re- turn would interest me more and more. That the train of thought thus suggested, concerned my condition as an ac- countable creature, will be readily imagined, as also, that on the review I found it bad enough. This it was no difficult thing for me to feel and to admit, nor as yet did there appear much difficulty in reforming what I could not justify. "An impatient and passionate temper, with a most sinful and hateful habit of profane swearing, in which I was a great proficient, were my most open and besetting sins. These, however, I considered as within my own control, and as such, set forthwith about amending them, but without any reliance upon God for help, or without much if any impression that it was at all needful. In this endeavor at reformation, which it pleased God thus to permit me to make, I went on pros- perously for a season, and began to pride myself in that self- command I seemed to possess. But jny own weakness was yet to be showed me, and when temptation again assailed me, all my boasted self-command was but as a rush against the wall. I surrendered to passion, and from passion to blas- phemy. When I came to reflect upon this, then it was that, for the first time in my life, I was sensible of something like concern — some consciousness of wrong beyond what was ap- parent. But without waiting to examine farther, I hastily concluded to exert myself more heartily, and yet to command myself thoroughly. "During these my endeavors, however, the Scriptures were more and more the object of my attention, and from them I MEMOm. 15 began gradiiallj to discover (what I was very loth to admit) the true state and condition of human nature. What little I had lately come to know of myself, however, and all tha.t I knew of the world, seemed to rise up as strong proofs that tlie doctrine of our natural depravity was true. Willing, however, to escape from it, I resorted to the subterfuge of too many among us — that what we find in the Scriptures is figuratively expressed, and is, therefore, not to be taken in the strictness of the letter. But my own experience was to be the expositor of the word. Again and again were my self righteous endeavors foiled and defeated, much as at the first; and humbled and confounded, I became alarmed at what must be the issue — if I was thus to remain the sport of passions I could not command, the prey of sin I could not conquer. Something like prayer would flow from my lips, but it was the prayer of a heart tiiat yet knew not aright, its own plague. One more effort was to be made, and with great circumspection did I watch over myself for some weeks. Still did I continue, however, my search in and meditation upon the Scriptures: and here it was that I found the benefit of my early acquaintance with them. I had not to look afar off for their doctrines, they were familiar to my memory from a child; I had known them thus far, though now it was that their living proof was to be experienced. The whole, I be- lieve, was to be made to depend on my acquiescence in the turning point of all religion — that we are lost and undone, spiritually dead and helpless in ourselves; and so I found it. "Again and dreadfully did I fall from my own steadfast- ness — temptation, like "a mighty man that shouteth by rea- son of wine," swept my strength before it, carried away my resolutions as Samson did the gates of Gaza. I returned to the house convinced of my own helplessness, of my native depravity, and that to spiritual things I was incompetent. I now found of a truth that "in me dwelt no good thins;." I threw myself upon my bed in my private room — I wept — I prayed. Then was showed unto me my folly in trusting to an arm of flesh. Then did it please the Lord to ^^oint my bewildered view to him who is "the Lokd our righteousness." Then was I enabled in another strength to commit myself unto his way. From that moment my besetting sin of pro- 16 MEMOIR. fane swearing was overcome, and to this moment has troubled me no more. But much was jet to be done, which the same gracious friend of poor sinners continued to supply; and to lead me step by step, to proclaim his saving name, and de- clare his mighty power openly to the world. "In making an outward profession of religion, I acted as multitudes, alas, do, without considering that any thing de- 2)ended on my being a member of the Church of Christ, or that any dijEficulty existed as to what was and what was not truly such. In choosing between the diflerent denominations into which the Christian world is split up, I considered no- thing moi-e to be necessary than agreement in points of faith and practical religion, with such a system of discipline as was calculated to promote the peace and edification of the society. This I thought I found in a body of Christians called Republican Methodists; and influenced in no small degree by personal friendship for one of their preachers, Mr. John Robinson, of Charlotte county, my wife and mj^self took mem- bership with them. At this time, however, they had no church organized within reach of my dwelling, only a month- ly appointment for preaching at one of the old churches, eight miles distant. "It was not very long, however, before this want was sup- plied in the gathering together of a sufficient number to con- stitute a church according to their rule, in which I was ap- pointed a lay elder, and labored for tiie benefit of the mem.- bers by meeting them on the vacant Sundays, and reading to them such printed discourses as I thought calculated to instruct and impress them; and these meetings were well at- tended, considering the prevalent delusion on the subject of preaching, and the wide and deep objection to prepared ser- mons. "When I had been engaged in this way about tliree years, increasing in knowledge myself, as I endeavored to impart it to others, I gradually began to be exercised on the subject of the ministry, and to entertain the frequently returning thought, that I might be more useful to the souls of my fel- low-sinners than as I then was, and that I owed it to God. To this step, however, there appeared objections insurmount- able, from my worldly condition, and from my want of pub- MEMOIR. 17 lie qualifications. Yet I could not conceal from myself, that if the men with whom I occasionally associated, and those of whom I had obtained any acquaintance as ministers of reli- gion, were qualified to fill the station, I was behind none, and superior to most of them, in acquired knowledge, if not in Christian attainment. ]\[y objections were, therefore, chiefly from my personal interests, and personal accommo- dation, cloaked under the want of the necessary qualifications for a public speaker, and some obscure views of the great re- sponsibility of the ofiice. I felt that I dreaded it, and there- fore, did not encourage either the private exercises of my own mind, or the open intimations of my brethren. Yet I could not escape from the often returning meditation of the spiritual wants of all around me, of the never to be paid ob- ligation I was under to the divine mercy, and of the duty I owed to give myself in any and in every way to God's dis- posal. "Of this I entertained no dispute; yet the toils and j)riva- tions, the sacrifices of worldly interest, and the contempt for the calling itself, manifested by the wealthier and better in- formed classes of society, which I once felt myself, and now witnessed in others, were a severe stumbling-block; and I was willing to resort to any subterfuge to escape encounter- ing it. Yet I would sometimes think, that a great part of this was more owincj- to the men than to the ofiice." Thus abruptly terminates this interesting narrative, to the composition of which Mr. Ravenscroft devoted the intervals of strength and leisure that he enjoyed during his last illness. Among the memoranda to which he i-eferred in the prepara- tion of it, is found one written by himself, in the Tear 1819, which is here subjoined, as a continuation of the history of his motives and views in entering the ministry of the Pro- testant Episcopal Church, and the causes of his dissatisfaction with the communion to which he had first attached himself. "In the year 1815, being much exercised on the subject of the ministry, and believing myself called to a public station 18 aiEMOIK. in the clnircb, as well as pressed by the solicitations of my brethren, I began to revolve the question of orders in my inind, and to seek for information on a subject which I felt was of the last consequence to my comfort, and I may say usefulness as a minister of Christ, viz: the authority by which I should be commissioned to perform the duties of the min- istry. To rest it upon the assurance I felt, that I was called of God to the work, was personal to myself, but could not weigh with others beyond my own opinion; and something more than that was essential to prevent me from feeling my- self an intruder into the sacred oiSce. "On mentioning my difficulty to the pastor of the congre- gation to which I belonged, an able and sensible, though not a learned man, I found that it was a question he could not entertain, being, like Dissenters in general, little if at all im- pressed with the importance (not to themselves alone, but to those under their ciiarge,) of valid and authorized ministra- tions in the Church. Being thus left to my own resources, and the word of God, I became fully convinced that the aw- ful deposit of the AYord, by which we sliall all be judged, could never be thrown out into the world to be scrambled for, and picked up by wliosoevei* pleased to take hold of it; and though tliis objection might in some sort be met by the manifestation of an internal call, yet as that internal call could not now be demonstrated to others, something more was needed, which could only be found in the outward dele- gation of authority, from that source to which it was origi- nally committed. Of the necessity of this verifiable author- ity to the comfort and assurance of Christians in the present day, the Sacrament of Baptism presented itself to me as de- monstrative truth. Being tlie only possible mode by which fallen creatures can become interested in the covenant of grace, and entitled to the benefit of Cheist's gracious under- taking for the salvation of sinners, it must be of the last im- portance to parents and children to be satisfied and assured that such unspeakable blessings should be authoritatively conveyed. And as the authority of Christ is the very es- sence of Baptism, in the assurance of its pledges to those to whom it is administered, and as this assurance can only be such by the verification of the requisite power and authority MEMOIR. 19 to administer the rite, it appeared clear to me, that no as- sumptiou of tliat power bv any man, or body of men, neither any consequent delegation of it, could by any possibility an- SM'er the intention and purpose of the Author and Finisher of our faith, in making Baptism the door of admission into his Church. "In this view of the subject, I was compelled to lay before the district meeting of the Republican Methodist Church, so called, my reasons for requiring an autiiority to minister in the Church of Cueist, wliich tliey had not to give, and to re- quest a letter of dismission from their communion. This was granted me b}' the congregation of which I was a member, in the most friendly and afi'ectionate manner. The other dis- senting denominations among us I found in the same situa- tion; all of them, according to my view, acting upon usurped authority; though I paused a while on the Presbyterian claim to apostolic succession — but as that claim could date no far- ther back than the era of the Reformation, and in its first lines labors under the dispute whether it has actually the autiiority which mere Preshjters can bestow, (for it does not appear satisfactorily that Calvin ever had orders of any kind,) I liad to turn my attention to the Protestant Episcopal Church for that deposit of apostolic succession, in which alone verifiable power to minister in sacred things was to be found in these United States. "I presented myself accordingly to Bishop Moore, in the city of Richmond, together with my credentials, and was by him received as a candidate for holy orders. The canons of the Church requiring that peisons applying for orders shall have their names inscribed in the books, as candidates, for one year previous to their ordination, I was furnished by Bishop Moore with letters of licence as a lay-reader in the Church, which are dated the 17th of February 1816. Having labored during the year in the parishes of Cumberland, in Lunenburg county, and of St. James, in the county of Meck- lenburg, with acceptance, and, by the blessing of God, with effect, particularly in St. James's parish, 1 was most ear- nestly invited to take charge of the latter congregation, as their minister. This invitation I accepted; and having re- ceived the necessary testimonials from the Standing Com- 20 MEMOIK. mittee of the Diocese, and passed the requisite trials, I was admitted to the ofBce of Deacon in the Church, on Friday, the 25th day of April 1817, in the Monumental Church, in the city of Richmond; and for reasons satisfactory to the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese, by virtue of the canon in such case made and provided, I was admitted to the order of Priest; and ordained thei-eto in the church in the town of Fredericksburg, on Tuesday, the 6th day of May following, during the session of the Convention in that phice. On returning to my parish, deej^ly impressed with the awful commission intrusted to me, and with the laborious task of rescuing from iu'veterate prejudice the doctrines, discipline, and worship of the Church, and of reviving among the peo- ple that regard for it, to. which it is truly entitled, I com- menced my ministerial labors, as the only real business I now had in life, relying on God's mercy and goodness, through the LoKD Jesus Christ, for fruit to his praise." The most obvious reflection which occurs on the reading of this history of the motions of Mr. Ravenscroft's mind, when he was about to assume the character of a minister in the Church, is, that he was brought to the result he men- tions, contrary to established prejudices, and without any extraneous influence. The simple fact of his having first joined a body of Christians, the fundamental principle of whose society is the rejection of all order and all creeds, shows how far removed in attachment he was from that Church wdiich subsequently became so dear to him. Having become so far bound to that society as to be a prominent leader in it, and entertaining the warmest personal regard for many of those with wliom he was in communion, it is probable that his inclinations, so far from according with the dictates of his reason and judgment, on the important subject of Orders, would have rather prompted him to resist them, and that the conclusion to which he ultimately came, in favor of the Church, was forced upon his conscience, by the pres- sure of truth alone^ unaided by any adventitious circum- stances. MEMOIE. 21 The clergyman of the parish in wliose bounds he resided, died about the same time wlien he seems to have been first exercised on the subject of the ministry, and tliough Mr. Ka- venscroft felt for that gentleman the sincerest attachment, and on many occasions souglit his aid and counsel in his reli- «-ious coui'se, yet his deatli deprived him of the assistance he might have otherwise looked for from that quarter, in his more enlarged inquiries. He was thus left, to use his own expression, "to his own resources and the word of God," and guided alone by the light of the latter, he attained that per- fect conviction of the exclusive Divine right, appertaining to Episcopal ministrations, which he asserted so unwaveringly in liis after life. A reference to these circumstances has been here made, as they account, in some measure, for the inflexibility of Mr. Ravenscroft on the subject of Episcopac}' ever afterwards. iJad he been trained up from a child to love and to venerate tlie Church, or luid he been led by the mere force of educa- tion or of expediency to become a member and a minister of it, it is ])0isible that liis feelings in i-elation to it might have been somewliat different from wliat they were. An ingenu- ^ ous mind like his, would have made some allowances for the prejudices of education, even in regard to its own reasonings, and still more for the bias given by inclination or accidental circumstances. Conscious of the general effect of these cau- ses, it inight have sometimes faltered in urging the exclusive truth of opinions formed under their influence, and have oc- casional misgivings that its conclusions were not necessarily correct. But there were no sucli sources of indecision to operate upon Mr. Ravenscroft's conduct. He had arrived at a conclusion adverse to established opinions, and contrary, as may be presumed, to his own wishes. He had to make the painful and often humiliating sacrifice of sentiments al- ready avowed and acted upon — to separate himself from a Society to which he was warmly attached, and which had evidenced its attachment to him, by an appointment to a re- sponsible station; and on the other hand, was drawn by the word of God to a Church, whose principles (so far, at least, as regards the necessity of government and established creeds) were as much opposed to those of the society to which he 22 MEMOIR. belonged, as two communions professing to worship the same God, could be. It is very apparent, that under circumstances like these, Mr. Ravenscroi't must have been actuated by the most assured conviction that the opinions he embraced were in strict and exclusive accordance with the Bible, and that he was not justifiable in holding, and still less in preaching, any others. And when once the veil of prejudice was re- moved from his eyes, his vigorous mind clearl}^ discerned that these opinions, if true, and if taught by God himself, were not to be covered up and kept out of view because they differed from the vain imaginations of men. As a faithful servant, he paid more regard to the injunctions of his Master, than to the clamors of those whose errors he denounced; and believing the opinions referred to, to be, without question, distinctly revealed, he shrunk not from what he conceived to be his imperative duty, in preaching them. From the hour that he connected himself witli the Church, his opinions respecting its charactei", its doctrine, and its discipline, were decidedly and avowedly of that kind known by the appel- lation of Iligli Church principles, and as he progressed in Christian experience, and in the knowledge of the word of God, and of the writings of those fathers who are considered its best interpreters, his opinions only became the more clear and confirmed. In preaching in public, and advocating in private, these opinions, which he regarded as essential to the validity of the ministrations that he exercised, Mr. Kavenscroft still re- tained that earnestness of manner and ardor of expression, which, besides being constitutional, had been habitual with him for near forty years; and many who had no opportunities of knowing the kindliness of his nature and the warmth of his Christian benevolence, \vere disposed to regard him as overbearing and uncharita1)le; but in his case, as in many others, the character of the Christian was modified, \vithout being spoiled b\'' the constitution of the tnaii; and his ear- nestness and ardor were certainly unaccompanied with the defilements of malice or of bigotr}-. The circumstances al- ready mentioned, attending his union with the Church, made him repose unusual confidence in the conclusions at which he had arrived, and the ardent gratitude to God, for his long MEMOIR. 9oint of force of manner, and richness of thought, he even exceeded his more deliberate pulpit exercises. But I must here put an end to these hasty and disjointed; sketches. Not that I have nothing more to say of that great and good man, or that I am weary of my subject. But that I fear I have already exceeded the limits which you have iLxed for my reply. One further remark, and I have done. It is reported of Bishop Home, that such was his admiration of the character of good old Bishop Andrews, that he prayed that he might hereafter be j^ermitted to sit at the feet of that righteous man in glory. For my own part, I have often pi-ayed that I might die as Bishop Ravenscroft died; and now, most heartily do I supplicate our Father in heaven, to permit me to occupy, in the Churcli triumphant, what I have ever esteemed one of the greatest privileges of my past life — a seat at the feet of Bishop Ravenscroft. Yours,, in Christ, ever and truly. SERMONS, A FAREWELL DISCOURSE, DELIVERED TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE PARISH OF ST. JAMES, MECKLENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA. 1 Corinthians, xv. 58. ♦'Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abound- ing in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Many considerations, mj brethren and friends, unite in condemning that neglect of reveLation, and indifference to the aM'ful sanctions and encouraging hopes of tlie gospel, which is so prominent a feature in the character of the pre- sent day; hut none more directly than that which forms the subject matter of this chapter. That another state of being awaits us, in which we shall live for ever, no more capable of change or decay, is a doc- trine, at one and the same time grateful and encouraging to our hopes, and awful and overwhelming to our fears. Be- cause the mind at once passes forward to the purpose which such an appointment may be made to answer — to the bearing it will have on our individual condition, and to tho&e appre- hensions which flow from our natural knowledge of God, and our actual acquaintance with our own nature. But whatever may be considered the influence of this im- pression of a future state, on those who either have not, or regard not, the word of revelation; it presents to the Christian a subject of the most sublime and encouraging contemplation — of the most earnest and devoted self-dedication. Kealizing not only eternal life for himself, but the possible re-union of all that was dear to him in this life — no more liable to change or separation; the holy hope re-acts upon the duties of his station, gives to them a character of eternity, and strengthens him to that firm and unshaken discharge of them, which shall not be disappointed of its reward. TO A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. What, then, my brethren, must it be to the Christian min- ister, who knows that he must answer with his own soul, for his faithfulness towards the souls of others, when he comes to realize the awful meeting of the risen dead, and the judg- ment that awaits him? Alas! who can paint the anxious fear and holy hope with which the contemplation is mixed up? especially, when the connexion between a pastor and his flock is about to determine — when he looks back on the course of his labors among them — and calls to mind how much is left undone, how much might have been better done — and that ere long they will meet him at the bar of God, and be his crown, or his condemnation! Oh, it is a feeling which no language can express, under which no human for- titude could bear up, unless strengthened by that grace of God, which is made perfect in weakness, and from which all our sufficiency is derived. Thanks be to God for this his help and mercy! Under the influence of this feeling I meet you this morn- ing, my brethren, to give you my last exhortation, my last warning as your immediate pastor — once more to eat of that bread and drink of that cup, by which, when duly partaken of, we are made one body with our blessed Lord — humbly trusting, that, however imperfectly, I have not failed to de- clare unto you that truth by which we are saved; to counsel yoiT to stand fast in those doctrines, which the holy apostolic Church of which you are members hath set forth, as "the faith once committed to the saints" — and to continue in the use of that "form of sound words" which she hath provided for the public worship) of God — that "with the spirit and with the understanding — with one heart and one mouth'' ye may glorify his holy name, and with "one hope of your calling" look joyfully forward to that great day when "this mortal shall put on immortality," and the redeemed of the Lord, with crowns of glory on their heads, and harps of triumph in their hands, shall raise the enraptured song, of glory, honor, and salvation, to him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmo- vable, always abounding in the work of the Lord — forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." A FAEEWELL DISOOUKSE. Tl A-s tlie text naturally divides itself into three heads, I shall follow them in their order, and consider, FiKST, the duty of steadfastness or establishment in religion, with an application of it to some few points of doctrine: — "Be ye steadfast, unmovable." Secondly, I shall lay before yon iftie necessity and advan- tage of diligence and engagement in all your Christian duties: — "Always abounding in the work of the Lord." Thiedlt, I shall conclude with a view of the reward which awaits the faithful: — "Forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I. First, I am to consider the duty of steadfastness or es- tablishment in religion, with an application of it to some few points of doctrine. "Be ye steadfast, unmovable." By steadfastness or establishment in religion, we are to understand that lull j)ersuasiGn of the mind which is the re- sult of knowledge, consideration, and experience; made effectual by divine gr-ace, to the full assurance of hope unto the end. Of this persuasion and assurance, the word which "God in these last days hath spoken to us by his Son,"«,s recorded in the holy Scriptures, is the only foundation — as it also is, the only standard, by which to try the truth of our condition, not only as to soundness in doctrine, and holiness of life, but as to our conformitj' likewise, to those appointments of outward order, in the Church, the ministry, and the sacraments, which our Redeemer has established, as helps to faith, and visible signs and means of that grace, by which he "works in us to will and to do" — ^and with us, in working out our everlasting salvation. Of the truth and soundness of this doctrine, it might be supposed there could be no doubt on the mind of any well- informed professor of religion; because whatever claim we may have on the divine mercy, is by virtue of that covenant made with Christ for us, which is revealed in the Scriptures; and it is just as necessary to comply with the appointments of our Redeemer, in matters of outward order, as in the un- disputed attainments of righteousness and true holiness. But further, upon the fundamental principle of the gospel, that "we are saved by gra^e," it urast follow, that whatever re- 72 A FAREWELL DISCOURSE. lates to our salvation must be ordered, directed, and deter- mined, by divine wisdom; and so ordered, as not to be sub- ject to any discretion of ours, other than to receive or reject it when proposed. Were it otlierwise, there could be no such thing as certainty in this weighty affair: one man's discretion would be as good as another's, and all religion be upturned from the foundation. Keither could there be any kind of ground for steadfastness or establishment in the faith, were it left to man's option, what to take in, or what to leave out, in the appointments of God fur the salvation of sinners. It hence appears undeniably, m}' bj'ethren, that tije duty of steadfastness is grounded on conformity in our religious state to the toliole counsel of God, revealed in his word. Otherwise it would be the duty of ministers to exhort men to continue steadfast in what was clearly unwarranted by the word of God, yea, contrary to it: which is blasphemy even to think of. This is so clear to tlie reason of every unprejudiced mind, that it is very wonderful it should be so little attended to; more especially, wlien the subject is so differently treated in those Scriptures, which all Christians profess to follow as their guide. In them the exhortations to steadfastness are very frequent; while no latitude or discretion is so much as hinted at, as to what they were to be steadfast in. St. Paul in exhorting Timothy to this duty, does it in these words, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of — knowing of whom thou hast learned them." ISTo^w let us ask ourselves, my brethren, Could Timothy l)ave been as well certified of the truth and certainty of what he M-as to believe, had he received the doc- trines from any other than an apostle of Christ? You will answer, No. But wliy not, if truth is the same by whomso- ever spoken? Because the truths of revelation, being articles of faith, must have a divine waiTant; and as such, admit of no discretion to interpret or practice them contrary to tlie standard. Upon the same princij^le the apostle presses this duty upon the Colossians, nearly in the words of our text. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesds the Lord, so walk ye A FAKEWELL DKCOHESE. 'TS in him, rooted and built up in bim, and establisbed in the faitb as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanks- giving." Adding this most salutary caution, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chkist." It is in his Epistle to the Ephesians, however, that we find this duty of steadfastness in the faith pressed, upon the sole foundation on which it can be required or practised. "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Loed, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. And he gave some apostles, and some pi'ophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifj'ing of the bod)' of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning crafti- ness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Hence it would appear, as well from tJje nature of the thing, as from the letter and tiie spirit of Scripture, that steadfastness or establishment in religion, does not refer singly to the spiritual doctrines of the gospel, but to the whole scheme of our redemption — including those appoint- ments of our LoKD and his apostles, which are outward and visible; such as the Church, the mijiistry, and the sacraments, which are devised and ordered by the wisdom of God, as means to an end, for our attainment of those higher and more spiritual qualifications which form the life and power of religion; or, as it is better expressed in this same Epistle, "till we all come, in the unity of the faith and of the know- ledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the mea.- sure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Hence, my brethren, we are instructed, that the steadfast- ness to which we are exhorted in the text, does not refer to a part, but to the whole of our dut}' as redeemed creatures,, made wise unto salvation b}' the revealed word of God; and that only as we are thus found submitting ourselves to the righteousness of God, can we witli any propriety be exhorted to persevere unto the end. If in any thing we be found at 74 A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. variance with this rule, the exhortation must be, to consider and amend our ways, and seek for that good way, which the wisdom of God hath marked out for us to walk in, and iu which only can we find rest to our souls — "For it is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." To be entitled to that mercy, on the only safe ground, his revealed word, we must be found within the rule which includes it as a covenant stipulation. Of any other state or condition dift'erent from this, we can say no- thing, because we know nothing. There may be mercy, but it is not revealed: it is no where promised. Let us cleave then, my brethren, "to the law and to the testimony," and in imitation of the primitive Christians — "continue steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers." Thus, and thus only, shall we walk with assurance through our pilgrimage here, finish our course with joy, lie down in peace, awake to glory, and meet at the right hand of God — where trial shall be ended, duty be free from hindrance, and love and peace, from the presence of Fathee, Son, and Holy Ghost, grow and inci'ease through the endless ages of eternity. I come now to apply this duty of steadfastness, to some particular doctrines of our holy religion. And first to the doctrine of the Church, as that on which the minds of men in the present day are most unsettled; and, together with many Episcopalians, farthest led away from the truth of Scripture. By the doctrine of the Church, I mean that article of our public creed, in which we profess our belief "in the Holy Catholic Church," or as it is more definitely expressed in the Nicene Creed, "in one Catholic and Apostolic Church." Before I go into the subject, I must explain tlie meaning of the words Catholic and Apostolic^ for such is the ignorance which is fast spreading over us, on this and similar subjects, that many, when they hear us express our belief in the Holy Catholic Church, associate us with the Church of Eome, and are thereby the more easily prejudiced against our claims to their notice. By the word Catlwlic^ as used in the Creeds, and applied to the Church of Christ, is to be understood Universal; and A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. To Universal in sucli a sense, as is opposed to national or par- ticular. By the word Apostolic is to be understood, the derivation of that authority which was committed to the apostles by Christ himself, for the founding, extending, establishing and ordering his Church to the end of the world; and this in such a sense, as is opposed to every other derivation of authority whatever. That we should have a right understanding of this doctrine, of which we regularly profess our belief, is surely very im- portant, my brethren, inasmuch as the full persuasion, grounded on the testimony of Scripture, that we are mem- bers of that one spouse and body of Christ, of which he is the Head — of that Church, which he "bought with his own blood, and built on the foundation of the apostles and pro- phets, himself being the chief corner stone'' — that one fold, of which he is the Shepherd — that household of which he is the Master — that kingdom, of which he is the King — that vineyard, of which he is the Lord — is the first foundation of any hope in the revealed promises of God. For, however it may have fallen into disrepute, in these latter days, as a nar- row minded and bigoted doctrine, yet certain it is, tliat there is not a promise from Gon, in the gospel, to fallen man, which is not tied to the condition, that he be a member of Christ's visible Church on earth. And we would do well to bear in mind, my brethren, that one "thus saith the Lord," is of more weight, than all the notions, and reasonings, and crooked inventions, and contrivances, of man's wisdom. On this doctrine of the Church, then, we are instructed from Scripture — First, that it is but one. "There is one body." Accord- ingly, we never find it spoken of, in these same Scriptures, indefinitely, as a Church; but definitely, as the Church. This oneness^ however, is not to be understood of any par- ticular location; for in this respect, it hath no limit but the gracious purpose of its divine Founder, to gather together in one the children of God scattered ahroad. Hence it is com- pared to a vine, which, with but one root, has many branches. Secondly, we learn from the same source, that the unity of this one Body consists in the belief and profession of the one 76 A FAREWELL DISCOURSE. faith or system of doctrine, revealed by the one Spirit of God, and once committed to the saints, or associated mem- bers of the Church of CnRisT, by the preaching of the apos- tles; in the service, or obedience to the laws, of the one Lord or Head of this body; in the participation of the same sacra- ments, as means and pledges of divine grace, and of that brotherly love and Christian fellowship in which we are joined together, in the worship of "the one God and Father of the spirits of all flesh;" and in "the one hope of our calling." Thirdly, we are instructed from the same word of God, that in this one body or Church of Curist, there is but one source of authority for administering the word and sacraments; and, that this authority is of divine appointment. "All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth; Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost — teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Fourthly, we are taught by the "more sure word of pro- phecy," that unto the Church, thus divinely constituted, and *'built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets," the solemn promise is made, that "the gates of hell shall not pre- vail against it;" the Holt Spirit given, to abide with it for ever, to enlighten, convince, comfort, and sanctify the chil- dren of God: and that only as we are members of this one body, fruitful branches of this one vine, are "the promises of God in Christ, to us yea, and to us. Amen." And now let us ask ourselves seriously, my brethren. What ground of steadfastness and assurance, in the great work of our salvation, can there be to creatures such as we are, other than that of divine authority? Can that which is merely human, offer any security to our souls? Or, can any mixture of human wisdom amend the appointments of heaven, and render them more effectual to our "food? Alas! what is there of endurance in the work or wisdom of man? My brethren, is it not written, that "the wisdom of this world cometh to naught?" How then can steadfastness be exhorted to, on a ground which is in itself changeable; which our own obser- vation proves to be so, by the present state of the Christian world, which having once separated from the root of Unity, A FAEEWELL DISCOURSE, 77 in the one authority of Christ transmitted through his apos- tles, goes on dividing and subdividing, till every original fea- ture of the Church is lost, and the great and gracious purpose of Christian union and brotherly love, rendered impracticable. But it may be asked, and very properly, How is a plain man to settle a question on which the learned and the pious are so divided? To which I answer, first — "Search the Scrip- tures" with a sincere and honest desire to find the truth; re- membering, "that the Scripture cannot be broken," and therefore every conclusion we come to, to be safe and agree- able to "the mind of the Spirit," must be in agreement with its whole purpose, and not merely with partial and insulated passages of the word. And this course I can recommend from my own experience. It was sufficient for me, even against prejudice, prepossession, and profession. But, secondly, there is a shorter method, my brethren, and that is, on the ground of authority. If the authority by which any denomination of Christians ministers in sacred things, cannot be shown to be derived from the apostles of Christ — that is, cannot be verified as a fact, — such denomi- nation cannot be a branch of that catholic apostolic Church, in which we profess to believe. And I will venture to say, had this been more attended to, in the controversies on this subject, there would have been less confusion in the minds of men, and less unscriptural hope among professors of religion. In thus framing my last address to you, my brethren, I know that I am treading on what is considered forbidden ground; yet I am actuated by a deep sense of the responsibil- ity under which I am placed, lest I should be charged with keeping back aught that was profitable for you; and, with something of St. Peter's spirit, I trust, "I would not be neg- ligent to put you always in remembrance of tliese things which are most surely believed among us — And to endeavor, moreover, that ye may be able, after my departure, to have these things always in remembrance — For we have not fol- lowed cunningly devised fables." Being aware, also, that mistaken views of Christian chari- ty, and erroneous notions of liberality of sentiment, have shaken many of you from that steadfastness, on this doctrine, which is the only security for consistency and perseverence 78 A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. as clmrcbmen, I am drawn out the more earnestly to lay be- fore you that whole truth in defence of which I am set. And may God pardon me for not having done it sooner, and for- give all his ministers, who, from love of peace, and false ten- derness to the feelings of others, have kept back these funda- mental doctrines from those of their charge. For let us consider, was this the course pursued by St. Paul and other apostles, towards those who separated themselves from the Church? Did they own such as fellow Christians, and their teachers as ministers of Jesus Christ? Or did they warn them of their danger, endeavor to reclaim them to their duty, and pronounce their schism a deadly sin? Thank God, my brethren, that we have the record of their conduct in this very case to appeal to. Did St. Paul consider the divisions and separations into parties in the Corinthian Church as venial faults, as points on which private judgment was at liberty to follow its own notions, without guilt and danger? Or does he denounce them as proofs of a carnal mind, and as the actual sin of rending the body of Christ? "Search the Scriptures." Does he acknowledge the teachers, who had thus disturbed the harmony of the Church, and sown the seeds of strife and con- tention among them, as fellow laborers with him in the gos- pel, or does he severely condemn them, and charge them as ministers of Satan? "Search the Scriptures." Does he tell the Galatians, that it was a matter of no mo- ment by whom the gospel was preached to them, or what additions or alterations were made in the ordinances of reli- gion, so that they were believers? Or does he put the proof of the fact, that they were believers, on their steadfastness to the doctrine he had preached to them, and the order he had established among them? Again I say, "Search the Scrip- tures." Does he speak to them of any other ground of assu- rance in the faith, than tlie authority' by which he was ac- credited to them as the minister of Christ? Does he define Christian liberty to be a principle of dissent from established order, at every man's j^rivate discretion — a privilege to go where we will, follow whom we like, and believe what suits our particular views, in the Christian revelation? Once more I say, "Search the Scriptures." Jso, my brethren, Ko. "What A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. 79 then, let me ask, becomes of the specious cant of tlie present day, the spurious liberality of opinion, so eagerly contended for in this question, that it matters not to what communion of professing Christians a man unites himself; that he is equal- ly safe in one as in another? Is it warranted by either rea- son or Scripture; or is it not rather one of those deceits, where- witli "Satan, transformed into an ano;el of light," is cunninir- ly contriving to defeat the efficacy of the gospel? With such high authority, then, for our belief and prac- tice, and with even such arguments as I am able to bring- forward in confirmation thereof — shall any of you yet halt between two opinions, my brethren; and by continuing to give countenance to separation and division in the Church of Christ, contribute to confirm the delusion, under which so many are led away from the only foundation, and deceived into "crying Peace, where there is no peace" — certainly none revealed? God forbid! No, let us rather consider afresh the foundation on which such opinions are built, whether on the word of God, or the wisdom of man; and, separating the pre- cious from the vile, be so grounded and settled in the faith of the gospel order and doctrine, that we may be steadfast, unmovable, adorning the doctrine we profess, by lives and conversation void of offence. And you, my dissenting hearers, am I your enemy, because I tell you the truth? God knoweth. But whether it is the truth, is the question. Try it, then, by the touchstone of eter- nal truth, the word of God, and as you find it, receive it; for in the words of St. Paul, "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." Secondly, to the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. On steadfastness, or establishment in the belief of this doc- trine, the whole comfort and efficacy of the Christian religion depend. For if Jesus Christ of Nazareth is a creature, that is, any thing less than "God manifest in the flesh," no matter how high he may be exalted in the scale of being, no just confidence can be placed in the atonement he hath made for our sins by his death upon the cross, on the virtue of his intercession for sinners, and on his ability "to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him." On the essential divinity of our Lord, also, depends our 80 A FAREWELL DISCOURSE. liojje of eternal life; for it is expressly said by St. John, "tbat God hatli given, to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son." Our Lord himself also declares the same thing, ''Mj sheep hear my voice, and I give unto them eternal life." Now without any dispute whatever, if our blessed Lord hath not this life in himself, but bj^ delegation from another in such wise as belongs to the condition of a created being, the security of the believer for the attainment of it is not only weakened, but shaken to its very foundation. Because faith cannot rationally rely upon any thing less than infinite, for the fulfilment of what is promised; and because all certainty in the revealed word of God, as the only ground of faith, is hereby defeated — and the Scriptures rendered of no more value than a novel or a newspaper. And I put the question thus, to show you, my brethren, how much dejjends upon it; and to warn you against all careless reception of the doctrines of our religion, because no steadfastness can be relied upon, without such conviction as springs from examination and consideration. A man may indeed adhere most firmlj^ to a doctrine or opinion, for which he can give no reason, and for which, in fact, none can be given; but such adherence is either obstinacy^ or implicit faith: it is not what the apostle means by steadfastness. This doctrine of the essential divinity of Jesus Christ, be- ing at once the foundation and the corner stone of Christian hope, — "on this rock wnll I build my Church," — has from the beginning been a favorite point of attack to the enemy of our souls; because success here, rendered all other tempta- tions needless — it being an actual and fatal denial of Christ, to den}' his essential divinity; and because also, the enter- tainment of this heresy is quite compatible with, in fact leads to, that self-righteousness, which apes the morality of the gospel, and lulls into a fatal security those who, from con- stitutional temperament or worldly condition, are less ex- posed to those temptations which lead to gross sin, and out- breaking wickedness. In the commencement of Christianity, the attack upon this doctrine was supported chiefly by metaphysical argu- ments, drawn from the nature of God; from tlie expressly re- vealed, and by all Christians acknowledged, doctrine of the A FAREWELL DISCOURSE, 81 unity of the divine essence; and from the impossibility of understanding, so as to believe, the catholic doctrine of the Trinity of persons, in the unity of the Godhead. In the present day, however, thougli these weapons are not abandoned, the main reliance seems to be on the resources of learning and critical acuteness, to explain away, or even to expunge, those texts of Scripture which either directly or by conse- quence assert this vital doctrine. Against both these modes of attack, therefore, it behooves every Christian, and especially every Christian minister, to be guarded; and thankful we should be, my brethren and hearers, that unless we believe men rather than God — unless we prefer a creature, that is, a created being, to the Most High God, as our Saviour — unless we yield to the pride of the carnal mind, choose to be our own Saviour, and risk meeting God in judgment, in our own righteousness; we are amply furnished to withstand the many vain talkers and deceivers, who are now "banded together against the Lord and against his anointed," and are busy to upturn this cardi- nal point of "the faith once committed to the saints,'' and, with an earnestness that would be commendable in a better cause, are endeavoring to instill the poison of this damnable heres}'' into the minds of the ignorant, the simple, and the unwary. ISow the means with which we are provided to withstand this master delusion of the devil, are, the word of God, and Christian experience. In the revelation made to us from Heaven by the Holy GnosT, speaking through the Prophets — by Jesus Christ, declaring the wnll of the Father — and by his Apostles, under the visible and sensible guidance and direction of the Spirit of truth; we find the Redeemer and Saviour of sinful man, represented at once as the Son of God, and the Son of man; and in the personal history of Jesus of Nazareth, and in him only, do we perceive the perfect union of this wonderful designation. For we behold in bis birth, in his life, in his death and resurrection, the infinite attributes of Jehovah, and the finite condition of our mortal nature, exemplified. Kow, why should this be thought a thing impossible witk God, or incredible with men? Is the union of the divine [Vol. 1,— *u.] S2 A FAEEWELL DISCOURSE. witli the human nature, either more incredible o-r more in> possible, than that of an immortal soul with a mortal body? In no wise, except in degree^ which operates not at all against omnipotence. All ai'guments, therefore, framed against the divinity of Christ from this source, and from our inability to comprehend the manner of such an existence, are equally good against the being of God, and against our own being; they are therefore good for nothing, but to sliow the daring impiety of men, who would be "wise above what is written." In the purpose which such a mysterious union was to answer, as revealed to us, is there any thing discordant, superfluous, or unnecessary? In no shape or sense whatever, my brethren: for the purpose was to reconcile God and man, separated and put at enmity by sin; therefore none could be competent to this work, but such an one as was partaker oi both natures, and as a mediator, or daysman, as Job styles liim, qualified to lay his hand upon both parties in this awful controversy.. Ife was also in the purpose of this appointment of God's rich redeeming love, to procure mercy for man, a sinner, consistently with the dignity of God, an offended sovereign. Now this could no otherwise be done, than by the nature which had sinned, suffering the penalty of the law it had broken;, so that full satisfaction might thereby be made to divine justice, and the offender brought within the reach of pardon. But this satisfaction, to be full and complete, must be commensurate with the offence; whicli, as against God, was infinite. But no finite or created being can perform an infinite condition; therefore, if we are redeemed at ail — if Christianity is not a fable — that being who took our nature upon him, appeared in the world in the jDcrson of a man, and according to the predictions of the prophets, suffered and died upon the cross for our salvation, must have been \QYy and eternal God. From this argument there is no escape, as- the opponents of Christ's divinity are well aware; they there- fore cut the knot which tliey cannot untie, and cast away from tlieir system of unbelief, all the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity, denying the fall, and consequent depravity of man's nature, the atonement of the cross, the meritorious' righteousness of the Redeemer, as the only ground of our A FAREWELL DISCOUESE. 83 justification and acceptance with God, and the fifift of the Holt Spirit, as the only root whence all holv desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed, in redeemed man. Ob, what a desperate delusion that must be, which thus turns light into darkness, hope into despair, and mercy into condemnation! From this union of the divine and human nature in the man Christ Jesus, results the manner in which he is spoken of in the Scriptures. We read of him as God; as the Son of God; as equal to the Father; as one wi(;h the Father: and we read of him as man; as the son of man; as lower than the Father; as acting by commission from the Father. Of this necessary manner of speaking of him, the adversaries of his religion would take advantage against his divinity. But what is there in it to stumble any fair mind? What is there in it inconsistent with eitlier the power or the purpose of God in the great work of man's redemption? Yea, what is there spoken of our Redeemer in the Scriptures, which if unsaid, would not involve the subject in tenfold greater difficulty, and furnish a much more powerful (yea, and reasonable too) ground of opposition and unbelief of this doc- trine — the uniform faitli of tlie Catholic Apostolic Church from the day of the Pentecost to the present moment? The truth is, my brethren, that there is no difficulty in the question, unless to those who seek occasion against the Gos- pel. The fact of our Lord's divinity being revealed, is all that we are concerned with. The mystery of the incarnation of God the Son, must remain such, while we remain what we are; but our belief of the fact depends in no degree on our being able to solve this mystery. l^Tor are the benefits to be derived from it, limited upon any such condition. Yea, rather may we observe — and observe to take the warning — that this presumptuous intruding into the secret things of God, is most commonly visited with that strojig delusion, which leads to believing a lie, or which is the same thing, to unljelief. On the question of fact, then, it is, that this doctrine must ever rest, for its reception or rejection among Christians. This its opponents well know, as also that the fact is against them. To obscure this fact, therefore, and if possible, to dis- 84 A FAREWELL DISC0UE8E. prove it, by invalidating the testimony for it in the "record whicli God hath given to us of his Son," has been their main object. To this end, the learning, the critical skill and in- genuity of the whole body of unbelievers, has been put in requisition. The original text of the Scriptures has been twisted into every contortion of various reading; the sound and acknowledged canons of criticism liave been disregarded and perverted; the established rules of grammatical construc- tion have been violated: but all in vain, except to "preten- ders to science falsely so called," to superficial sciolists, and proud contemners of the wisdom of God, and of the wants of our fallen nature. To the sound scholar, and at tiie same time fair and candid man, the weakness of their cause, and futility of the arguments with which they would support it, are apparent; because no otherwise than by a combined vio- lation of the meaning of language, of the rules of grammar, and of the dictates of common sense, can they obtain even a show of success to their cause. To such an one, the word of revelation is strengthened and confirmed by their abortive attempts. It stands amid this war of infidels, like an un- shaken rock in the raging ocean, whose proud waves lash themselves to froth against its base, while its summit shines serene and peaceful amid the sunbeams of heaven. But it is not only to the learned, that it is given to enjoy this satisfactory proof of the divinity of our blessed Redeemer. No, my brethren, thanks be to God, every real Christian, whether learned or not, is furnished with it, in his experience of that gospel in which it is revealed, and which is "the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth." For there is no one, who has been truly convinced of sin by the Spirit of God — who has been brought to feel what it is, in its malignity, as an off'ence against God, how infinite in its guilt, and damnable in its very nature — and has been enabled by the same Holy Spirit to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the great sin-oflering, through whom only pardon and grace can be obtained — who can entertain any doubt of the infinite virtue of that atonement (and, of course, of the infinite nature of him who made it,) wherel^y "God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Being thus furnished, my brethren, in the express revela- A FAREWELL DISCOURSE. 85 tion wliicli God liatb made to us concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, and (if we are Christians indeed) in our experience of the efficacy of his word and grace upon our liearts and lives, with the most irrefragable testimony for the divinity of our Lord and Saviour, let us cleave to this true and faithful witness; and building ourselves up in our most lioly faith, ''continue steadfast and unmovable," in the belief of this article of the catholic faith, as the only doctrine whicli makes Christianity consistent with itself — with its author — with its object; as the only foundation on which faith can be fixed with assurance, hope entertained with reason, and eternal life realized by the sinners who descend from Adam. If tiiere are any in this world descended from another stock, they may sport with this doctrine: but to us, my brethren, there is hope only in "the Lord our righteousness;" and in him no otherwise than as he is "God over all, blessed for evei'," and therefore "able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him." I did intq^id, my brethren, to have applied this duty to the belief of tlie doctrine of the Trinity, as the faith of the one Catholic Apostolic Church: but the time will not permit. This, however, is the less to be regretted, as whatever tends to establisli the divinity of the Saviour, is conclusive, so ftir, for the Trinity of persons in the unity of the Godiiead. Let iiie say this mucii, however; that it is a doctrine, like that of tlie incarnation, or the being of God himself, revealed to our fa'ith only; that is, dependent for its reception and obliga- tion, solely on the authority of the revealer, and not on any ca])acity in us to understand and unravel its mysteries. 1 come now to the IL Second head of my text, which is, to lay before you the necessity and advantage of diligence and engagement in all your Christian duties. It is a humbling reflection, my brethren, but one which may be very profitably applied, that the constant tendency of our fallen natures is, rather to become remiss, to faint and grow weary in the Christian race, than to "press towards the mark, lor the i)rize of our high calling of God in Christ -Jesus." To this various causes contribute; the corruption of our nature, the Aveakness of our faith, the temptations of the S6 A FAREWELL DISCOURSE. world, the care of onr necessaiy business, and the use made of all these by the enemy of our souls, ever on the watch to ensnare us. There is, however, one more, not often thought of; and that is, the measuring oui'sclves by others, the taking a standard of Christian attainment from those around us, and not from the word of God. In exhorting you, then, to diligence and earnestness in all your Christian duties, let rae warn you against the insidious influence of this false estimate; let me beseech you to guard against it with care, for it is tiie commencement of that slothfulness which begets indifference, and ends in "a form of godliness without the power." My brethren, it is not sufficient that our lives be orderly and decent, free from the crying enormities of the openly proi'ane and ungodly. This will not fulfill the injunction of "abounding always in the work of the Lord." A higher ex- ample is called for, from the Christian, both in his own pri- vate deportment, and in his connexion with others. He is to "let his light shine before men;" which cert^iinly implies such a marked and decided preference of his eternal interests, and such a constant and habitual pursuit of them, as shows that he is "seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." Yes, my brethren, tlie religion of the Gospel is a living, practical principle, of love to God, of obedience to his holy laws, of faith in his revealed word, and hope in his precious promises, through Jesus Christ, wrought in the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost, pervading our whole condition, operating on all our concerns, and manifesting its sanctified influence by fruits of righteousness in the life and conver- sation of the man. Yet while it is thus heavenly and spiritual in its origin and nature, it is a principle wisely adapted to our condition as moral beings, requiring our hearty con- currence and co-operation — our laithful and diligent improve- ment of grace given. It is God indeed "that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure," or, rather, as the word should be translated, of his "goodness;" but it is for this very reason that he requires us "to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," that is, with care and diligence; and enforces this practical principle of all godli* A FAREWELL t»ISCOtJESE. ST ness with the solemn and equitable declaration, "unto every one that hath, shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath." Hence the necessity of diligence and earnestness in re- ligion, is just the necessity of being saved at all; without these, there can be no progress, no advancement, no growth in grace, no improvement, and, as we learn from the parable of the talents, no salvation. "Cast ye the unprofitable ser- vant into outer darkness," because he slothfully hid his talent in the earth, and gave not my money to the exchangers. And the advantage of thus "abounding in the work of the Lord," is i^recisely the advantage of greater inclination to, and enlarged ability for, the performance of our various duties; with increased enjoyment of that inward peace and satisfaction of spirit, which flows from conformity to the will of God. And herein, my brethren, the appointments of divine wisdom in the kingdom of grace are directed upon the same principle with those in the kingdom of nature. As knowledge, industry, care and diligence, yea and self-denial too, are essential to success in worldly undertakings; so are they indispensable to the same end, in those which are heavenly; and we may just as reasonably exj^ect to reap where we have not sowed, as to hope for the reward of glory, without earnest and persevering endeavor. Shall, then, the children of this world still be wiser in their generation tlian the children of light? Shall they bring every thonght into obedience, every passion into subjection, and every elFort to bear upon the master-wish of their souls? and' Christians remain cold and languid, and indifferent to the holy hope which they profess to entertain? Shall the ser- vants of the god of this world, by theii' zeal and earnestness, put to shame the servants of the God of heaven? Shall they who strive for an earthly croWn, leave behind them in the race, those who strive for one heavenly and eternal? God forbid! Yet how is it with us, my brethren, in this respect? Where are our atfections laid up; in heaven, or upon earth, or mixed of both? O, purge out the dross, "that ye may grow up an holy temple un-t-o the Lord," O, keep near your hearts tha 88 A FAKEWELL DISCOURSE. solemn thonglit of that awful morning, when tbe voice of tlie archangel and the trump of God shall call up our sleeping dust, to meet the judgment of Chkist; and let it re-act to stir you up to that diligence, without which there is no crowH of glory — to diligence in personal religion — to diligence in those duties which you have solemnlj- engaged, before God, to perform towards your children — to diligence in watchful- ness against the deluding and dangerous pleasures of that world, which you have openly renounced for them and for yourselves — to diligence in the performance of all the charities of life, which spread peace and good-will around you, and mark jou as the disciple of that master "w.ho went about doing good." Seek no release from the full measure of your duties; yield to no compromise with the world and the flesh; fear no reproach for tlie name of Christ; but "continue stead- fast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Loei>, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the LOKD." Which brings me to the last head of my discourse, to-wit: III. The reward which awaits the faithful. To what this is in itself, my feeble tongue can add nothing, ray brethren; for even inspiration shrinks from the attem]>t^ as beyond the reach both of utterance and imagination: but the reward is not, therefore, either the less sure, or the less glorious. Suffice it, then, to say, that it will l)e happiness — unmixed felicity — flowing from tiie unclouded presence and favor of God, upon creatures sublimated and prepared for its recep- tion and enjoyment. It will be unalloyed bliss, increased by the presence of that merciful Saviour, who "loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," and drawing forth from every heart tlmse rapturous ascriptions of glorj and praise to God and the Lamb, of which immortal natures alone are capable; adding even to the blessedness of our Ee- deemer, when he thus "sees of the travail of his soul, ' and reaps the full fruit of his mighty conflict with sin and death. in the millions for ever rescued from their power. It will moreover be eternal; liable to no diminution, sub- ject to no change, free from all interruptions, and knowing BO end, for ever blessed, and for ever increasing in blessed- A FAREWELL DISCOUKSE. 89 ness: and what can I say more, mj brethren, but this? Who then shall separate ns from the love of Christ, which hath purchased so lively a hope for ijs? Shall imbelief freeze up our hearts against the love of God in Christ Jesus? Shall indolence and carelessness beget indifference to so un- speakable a reward; shall the cares of this life shut out the cure of our immortal souls; shall the pleasures or the profits of the world ensnare us to barter eternity for time? In a word, shall Christ die in vain for any of us, to whom he is ottered as a Saviour? God forbid! Keep, then, ever present to you, my brethren, that special doctrine, upon which the exhortation of my text is founded, resurrection of the hody. This gives to that eternal life which we hope for, a peculiar character, and to the religion of the gospel, a singular in- fluence. We shall meet again, dear brethren, and with a personal knowledge of each other. We shall meet again with a clear recollection of all that we have enjoyed or suffer- ed together here. We shall meet again under the influence of all those sweet charities, which constitute the happiness of the present life, refined and spiritualized to the nature of immortals, yet forming a part of the blessedness of heaven. Upon these, therefore, it is, that the practical duties of re- ligion are made to bear. Our love to God must be mani- fested by love to each other, and our fitness for heaven de- termined by its influence on our lives here. Let, tlien, this solemn and encouraging doctrine be realized in all its extent; for by this, we look forward with hope and joy, to a re-union with those who have already fallen asleep in Christ before us: by this, we are enabled to surrender to God, without murmuring, those he sees fit to take from us, however dear: by this, the duties we are prompted to by natural afiection, towards our families, friends, and neighbors, are sanctified to a holier purpose: by this, the narrow boundary of time is overstepped, and what we now are, is united with what we shall be, when time shall be no longer, and "God shall be all in all." And now, dear brethren, what remains, but thati "commend you to God and the word of his grace" — which I do most heartily. The near relation in which we have stood to each other for the last seven years, is about to determine. But 90 A PAEEWELL DISCOUKSE. nothing, I think, can determine the aflPection I bear towards jou, but that stroke, which shall determine all earthly things. *'Ye are in our heart to live and die with you;" but the provi- dence of God hath ordered otherwise: for I sought neither the change nor the promotion. In many things, doubtless, I Lave come short in the duty I owed you, but not with inten- tion: for all which I humbly crave pardon of God, and of you: but in notliing have you failed that you owed to me, save, onl}^, in carrying your respect for me too far; and would you make me more your debtor, continue your regard to my successor, in whom I feel a confidence which lessens my anxiety in leaving you. Under the pain of separating from you, it is pleasant, how- ever, to reflect, that during the whole time I have been in charge of this parish, I have had no necessity to resort to public censure upon any of the members of the Church — private admonition having been sufficient: and even to that, but in a few instances. Continue thus, then, my brethren, that your own comfort and peace may be increased, and that the God of love and peace may be with you. "Now, unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen." A SERMON ON THE CHURCH, DELIVERED BEFORE THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE CHURCH IN NORTH CAROLINA, ■ IN ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, WILLIAMSBOROUGH, GRANVILLE COUNTY, Mat 6, 1824. Amos, vu, 5, latter clause. "By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small." The providences and dealings of Almighty God, for and with his Church, form a very conspicuous and instructive portion of the inspired writings. Indeed we might be justi- fied in observing, that the whole scheme of revelation and prophecy is predicated on the existence of a body or society of men, distinct from and called out of the world, as the pe- culiar jyeople o/'God; and that the dealings of God, whether in acts of mercy, or in the infliction of judgments, refer pri- marily to this his inheritance; through that, to the rest of mankind, and ultimately, as we are warranted in believing and saying, to the higher intelligences of the unseen world. "To the intent," (says the apostle to the Ephesians, iii. 10.) "that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God." Thus divine in its origin, influential in its character, and single in its designation, it presents a subject of the most im- pressive consideration to all mankind; inasmuch, as it is only in connexion with this body or society, that the revealed pro- mises and hopes given in and by Jesus Christ, are assured to men, and the appointed means of grace and salvation brought within their reach. Under this view, a brief notice of the distinctive character of the Church, as presented in the Scriptures, will prepare the way for an appropriate improvement of the text. That this point has been greatly neglected, and held back from the public edification of Christians, even by those who were nevertheless entrusted with its defence and support, is 92 A SERMON ON THE CHUKCH. unhappily too evident, and tlie consequences are such, as to warn both ministers and people, that it is time to retrace their steps; and by considering this vital doctrine in its ap- plication to the hope of man as a sinner, to learn its influ- ential bearing on the advancement of pure and undefiled religion in the world. I feel, my reverend brethren, as I doubt not you also do — the full difficulty with which long neglect, and the conse- quent prevalence, and almost establishment, of erroneous opinion, invests the subject. But I trust that I feel, and that you feel, the awful responsibility of our i-espective steward- ships, and are prepared to meet whatever may be required by a conscientious discharge of duty. And I trust also, that you, my brethren of the laity, feel that lively interest in the cause we have in hand, which shall ensure your hearty co- operation in such plans for the revival of the Church in her pure and primitive character, as its present condition, aTid the means in our control, shall render advisable; while I cannot permit myself to suppose, that amid the variety of opinions on this subject now before me, there can one be found, by whom it will be considered an unnecessary or un- profitable discussion. Error, my dear hearers, however sanc- tioned b}' time and numbers, still retains its character: truth, however obscured by ignorance or prejudice, or rejected by men, is yet eternal and uncliangeable as its author. And when eternity, with all its glories, or with all its horrors, is suspended upon truth or error, here received and followed; the astounded exclamation of Pilate, before our blessed Lokd, "What is truth?" should burst from all our lips, and engage our inquiries. To every class of m}' hearers, then, I must believe that a candid and scriptural, though necessarily brief, inquiry into the origin and purpose of the Church, and of the appoint- ments of Heaven in it, for the salvation of man, must be both desirable and profitable. Wliile to us, my clerical and lay brethren of this convention, it is essential to the right per- formance of the duties devolved on us, that we view the sub- ject in this light, as well as in the causes which contributed to its decline; otherwise, with the best intentions, our efibrts may prove abortive, because erroneously devised and impro- A SERMON ON THE CHURCH. 93 perly directed, li Jacob is ever to arise, it must be as Jacob, and not as Esau. First, as to the origiii of the Church. That the Church is divine in its origin, and in the appoint- ments connected with it, is so generally admitted a doctrine, that the less may sutiice on this point; yet it ought ever to be borne in mind, that this divine institution of the wisdom and goodness of God, is not an abstract idea to be entertained in the mind; but an actual, visible, accessible body or society, for practical use; deriving its constitution, laws and authori- ity, directly from God. As such, it is placed beyond the reach of any human appointment, addition, or alteration; and this so strictly, that all the wisdom, piety, and authority in the world, congregated together, is just as incompetent to originate a Church, as to call another universe into existence. This, however, will be more evident, when we come, in the next j^lace, to consider the purpose of such an institution. And as this is the key which unlocks all the difficulties that sur- round this subject, from the divided state of the Christian world, it will be necessary to consider what led to the ap- pointment of the Church as a distinct body, with a visible and verifiable character. The dispensations of Heaven's mercy and wisdom for the salvation of fallen man, are presented to us under various aspects; all of which are closely connected with each other; yet with marks of distinct discrimination, manifesting, never- theless, that it is the same plan, modified and fitted by the Almighty himself, to the condition of that poor, perverse, and opposing being, for whose benefit it was all provided, and who has never ceased to corrupt and depart from it, in every age of the world. Under i\\Q first, or Patriarchal dispensation, as it is called, of religion, as the benefits of the covenant of redemption were to be continued in their knowledge and operation, by the influence of parental instruction, and a family priesthood, no particular designation as a Church, or visible society, with privileges and obligations, promises and helps, of a special description, was marked out. Each family composed a Church for the worship of God, and was furnished with the necessary means of grace within itself, in the offering of that sacrifice 94 A SERMON ON THE CHUKCH. which prefigured "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and was appointed and intended, to keep alive in the minds of men the knowledge of their fallen condition, and of the only method of recovery from it. When, however, an experience of one thousand and five hundred years had proved that the corruption of human na- ture was too powerful to be withstood and counteracted by this method of continuing the influence of religion in the world; and when a farther trial of the same means, for the space of five hundred years more, under the fresh remem- brance, too, of the recent destruction of the ungodly by the general deluge, and the still more recent visitation of the dispersion at Babel, had demonstrated, that they "did not like to retain God in their knowledge;" but had "corrupted their way before him," and departed from both the letter and spirit of his institutions — then it pleased the merciful Saviour of poor sinners again to interpose; and by selecting from this mass of corruption, another family, through that to restore, and continue in the world, the true knowledge of God, of the worship acceptable to him, of the expectation of a Deliverer, in the promised seed of the woman, and of the means of that grace by which only can fallen man be "renewed in the spirit of his mind," delivered from the guilt and power of sin, and from that eternal death which is its only wages. In this, the second dispensation of true religion provided for mankind, the distinction from that which preceded it, to be most carefully marked and considered by us, is, its cove- nanted and peculiar character; in other words, the limited and prescribed conditions, on which, only, its privileges and advantages can be obtained. If we overlook this, we over- look its most distinguishing feature, lose that deeply imj^res- sive lesson, which it was intended to teach us, and pass over the most interesting, because most influential part of the whole transaction; that of a new relation to God, conferred upon men by outward and visible marks, and henceforth confined and limited within this institution. For it is this, and this only, my brethren and friends, which marks its sep- aration from the rest of the world, as the Church, the pecu- lium, the elect of God. Because of this its distinctive cha- racter it was made the risible and only depository of his A SERMON ON THE CHUECII. 95 revealed will and precious promises. For certainty and as- surance, to this Cliurch were committed those lively oracles of divine truth, which were corrupted and lost under the cus- tody of tradition. And in it was prepared and established that body of testimony to the person and offices of Jesus Christ, as the promised seed of the woman, which shines so brio-ht, so enlivening, comfortable, and irrefragable to us, under the gospel. Through this channel only, was to flow hereafter, that chain of revelation, prophecy, and providence, which constitutes and confirms the hope of man. And to mark its dignity and pre-eminence, and to fulfill the wise purposes of its founder, the condition of the rest of the world, in the rise and fall of its kingdoms, and in the operation of its various events, is overruled, and made subservient to the advancement, enlargement, and final establishment of this kingdom of C4od upon the earth, against all the opposition of men and devils combined. For the order and uniformity of the public, prescribed, and, therefore, only acceptable service of God, in this his sanctuary, a divinely constituted priesthood was appointed, through which alone, were the people permitted to present their united worship, to offer up the proper sacrifice for per- sonal as well as general sin, and to draw assurance of for- giveness, through the efficacy of that great sin-offering, atone- ment, and expiation, which all their sacrifices represented. Hence, my brethren, the singular and personal character under which it is spoken of, throughout the Scriptures; that sacred unity with which it is invested: hence that zeal for its purity and interest, so constantlj^ manifested, and that care with which its constitution and government were fenced against all intrusion. Hence also, the strono- lano-uao-e in which its endurance or everlasting continuance is spoken of in the Scriptures; which proves that it was not a temporary appointment; but insepa- rably connected with the wonderful plan of man's redemp- tion, and to run parallel with it, and to be efficient in it, "until the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the great de^p — and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." 96 A SERMON OX THE CHURCH. Here, then, my brethren and friends, let us pause a mo- ment, and look back and reflect, what would have been the state of the world, what woukl have been our individual con- dition, had this wise and merciful provision of the love of God never been appointed; had men been left, as justly they might have been, to the influence of traditional knowledge, as tiie ground and the means of salvatiou fur sinners — and let the awful religious blank which the thought reflects back upon the mind, awaken us to consider more carefully the foundation on which we arc building fur eternity; whether on this certified and verifiable basis of God's appointment, or on some presumptuous imitation of its lineaments, by the weak and incompetent intrusion of human wisdom. — "1 speak as unto wise men, judge ye what I say." But to proceed. Thus divine in its origin, constitution, and appointments, definite in its purpose, and singular in its character, the Old Testament Church stands alone in the world, like the ark on the waters of the deluge, the sole de- pository of the truth and of the people of God; nor is their access to it, nor admission within its saving enclosure, other- wise than according to the institution of its founder. It was competent to no man — not even to Lot, or to Melchizedec — to obtain its privileges, without its seal. Whatever of mercy might be in store for them and the rest of mankind observing "the law written in the heart," it was not the pledged and promised mercy made over to the Church. Whatever the truth or reasonableness of any religious duty might be; how- over well founded the hope of God's favor, from conformity to the dictates of natural conscience; it was not the truth con- firmed by express revelation: it was not the hope which springs from the promise of God, certified by outward, visi- ble, and appointed ordinances, as helps to faith, means of grace, and assurances of a relationship to God in which none other stood, transacted through an authorized and accredited ager.t. This, my brethren and hearers, is that deeply impressive and influential character in which "the Church of the living God" is presented to our notice and use, in working out our eternal salvation. This is that commanding feature, by which it is to be distinguished by us from all imitations of it by A SEKMOX ON THE CHURCH. 97 either the piety or the presumption of fallible men; and it is by tracing it, according to this its specific character, through all the dealings and providences of its founder, that we, at this day, are enabled to discover and distinguish this ark of safety, this special deposit of the promises of God to a fallen world, this authorized source of agency between heaven and earth. For the Church of Christ, under the Kew Testament dispensation, is not a new or fre^h appointment of God, in the sense and meaning too commonly entertained; but a con- tinuation of the old, in all its essential provisions. The same, and not a new divine origination; the same, and not a fresh devised constitution of government, administration, and au- thority; with the same and not another holy purpose of sepa- ration, certainty and assurance to men, in things spiritual and invisible; and this, upon the sure ground, that Jesus Christ "is the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever." From not attending to this essential point to the very be- ing of a Church, room has been given for the intrusion of man's presumption into this sacred appointment, and to deal with it as the creature of his contrivance, as a thing subject to his alteration and amendment. By losing sight of the intimate relation and analogy between the Old and Xew Testament dispensations; by failing to consider the one as perfective of the other, confusion and obscurity on this sub- ject have spread over the Christian world; and division and distraction, instead of union and peace, have been the bitter fruit; while the event has fulfilled the prediction of our Lord, in impeding the progress of the gospel, and encouraging that infidel spirit which turns away from the truth because those who call themselves the disciples of Christ, bite and devour one another. Above all, by neglecting to apply the test which God himself has provided, whereby to determine the certainty with which we are transacting our spiritual aftairs, in the very natural inquiry — "By what authority doest thou these things?" and substituting, in lieu thereof, the reputed piety and holiness of particular men, has the darkness be- come thicker and blacker, and the powerful prejudices of pride and profession been enlisted against the truth; so that men — reasonable beings, with the light of God's word in their [Vol. 1,— *7.] 9-S A SERMON ON THE CHUKCHT. Lands — contentedly trust their souls to a security, on whicTs they would not risk their estates. Yet the truth reniaineth, my brethren and friends, unaf- fected in its lieavenly and unchangeable nature by. any pei'- verseness and opposition of men. And to us it is given, by the distinguishing mercy of God, to know and ascertain the truth, to the comfort and health of our souls. The Churcb also — "the pillar and ground of the truth," the peculium of God — by the same distinguishing mercy, yet remaineth, lin- gering as it were, with us, and verifiable, by the same hea- venly original, divine authority, and saving purpose, which constitute its sacred character. As such, it is presented to your consideration this day, my hearers, in a point of view in which you may never have regarded it; briefly, it is true;, yet sufficiently plain to enable every man, with his Bible in his hand, to determine the question for himself. And sure I am, that this is the only representation of the subject which can correct erroneous notions, or confirm those which are true; the only ground on which there is any foundation for faith to rest upon, any assurance of hope in the revealed mercy of God. For I am yet to learn, where- a promise of God to fallen man is to be found, that is not limited on the previous condition, that he be a member of Christ's visible Church upon earth. Having thus given a faint outline of the origin, purpose,, and importance of the Church, as an appointment of Al- mighty God in the gracious plan of our redemption, I will make a few remarks on that branch of the true vine which has been planted in this portion of the Lord's vineyard. Of the early state of the Church in this diocese, the notices are so scanty, and my information so limited, that there i* no safe ground on which to form an estimate of the state of religion within our communion, previous to the recent efibrt to revive the cause in the year 1817. The journals of the General Convention, and the lists of the clergy in each State therein j)ublished, give no notice tiuit the Episcopal Church was even knowai by name in North Carolina. It is nevertheless certain, that the Church was co- eval with the establishment of a regular government, and bad spread the knowledge of her doctrines and liturgy, and. A SERMON OX THE CHUECH. 99 formed regular congregations for the worship of God, as far west as the middle counties of the State. We must, therefore, refer the decline, and almost extin- guishment of the Church here, to the same causes which operated throughout this vast continent, to-wit: the just judg- ment of Almighty God, on the sins and iniquities of his peo- ple. To ascribe the depression of the Church to political causes solely^ is to reverse the order of His providence who over-rules and directs the aifairs of the world, to the final triumph of his spiritual kingdom. The long period, however, during which the people were deprived of the services of the sanctuary, could not fail to operate injuriously. We gradually forget our dearest friends, my brethren, when removed from all intercourse with them. We soon seek to form new connexions, and we cleave to them the closer, perhaps, because of previous privation. And thus it fared with the Church. Multitudes, who would never have deserted the fold, were forced by want and jirivation into strange pastures. Still greater numbers have grown up in ignorance of her claims, and even of her existence; while the pride of opinion, reluctance to acknowledge an error, and the modern fallacies of liberality in religious opinion, and equal safety in all religious denominations, keej) back many who once enjoyed the benefit of her sound and safe minis- trations, and bid fair to establish the notion, that no religious profession is necessary — thus demonstrating by experience, that in proportion as you weaken the vital doctrine of the visible unity of the Church of Christ, by acknowledging communions erected by human authority, you encourage the growth of infidelity and impiety. And it requires but a fair consideration of the efiects which have followed the divisions among Christians, and the consequent adoption of liberal opinions, to demonstrate the alarming fact, that if the Church of God may be found every where, it will soon be sought no where. Indifference to religion is the inevitable result of such pestilent notions; and this is the sum total of gain from this so much boasted system of liberal opinions. Yet the arm stretched out upon his inheritance was, and is, an arm of mercy. A remnant was left. "Jacob," indeed, *'was made thin, and the fatness of his flesh became lean;" 100 A SEEMON ON THE CHUKCH. yet "gleaning grapes were left in the vineyard, as the shaking of an olive tree; two or three berries in the top of the upper- most bough." It was a praying remnant, and it pleased God to open his ear to liearken. For that remnant, then, it is, and for those whom God hath added to them, and for the deluded multitudes who are living "without God in the world," we are met, in the fear of God, I trust, and in the hope of his guidance and direction in our counsels, to consult and devise things profitable, prosperous, and iiappy; the things which accompany salvation. Let us then inquire. Thirdly, by whom shall Jacob arise? And by whom, my brethren and friends, can Zion "arise and shake herself from the dust, and put on lier beautiful garments, and become the praise of the whole earth," but by that Almighty arm which upliolds the universe; by that ever living Head, who hath pledged his promise, that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against her?" On that promise I am built: on that providence I am staid: and when I consider the marked interposition of his hand in the commencement and progress of this work; when I reflect, that by him who ins23ireth the counsels and ordereth the doings of the children of men, I meet you here this day, in the station wdiich I fill in his Church, I bend in humble adoration before his wonder working power; I rely, with un- shaken confidence, in his abiding faithfulness; and give my- self to the work, in the firm belief that the set time to favor Zion is come. Well may we say, dear brethren, "What liath God wrought?" and in contemplation of what he hath already done, be strengthened and encouraged to be workers to- gether with him, in "building up the waste places of Jerusa- lem." I have been among them, my brethren — among the earliest records of the piety of our forefathers; and my heart yearned over the ancient, and decaying, and now too often silent temples. I have been among the ancient Simeons and Annas, servants of the Lord, who "take pleasure in the stones, and favor even the dust of Zion;" who have prayed and fainted not, through a long night of darkness and bereavement; and I have seen the smile of transport, and the flush of hope, and the fervor of devout and grateful praise, light up their patri- A SERMON ON THE CHURCH. 101 avclial countenances as the promise of a brighter clay dawned upon their children; and I felt that it would not be disappointed. In this lioly hope, then, let us continually look up to our great covenant Head, and ever merciful Redeemer; beseech- ing him to inspire our prayers, direct our counsels, and pros- per our endeavors, "to the advancement of his glory, tlie good of Ills Church, the safety, honor, and welfare of his people." But while it is by the Lord only, that "Jacob can arise," it is by the use of means within our reach — by joining our earnest endeavors to our united prayers, that this most de- sirable work is to be carried on and effected. First, then, because of the highest concernment, let us. my brethren, ever bear in mind, from what causes the depression and downfall of the Church originally proceeded, and guard carefully against a return of the same evil. Throughout the whole historj- of God's dealings with his Churcli, we may see, that the light of his countenance upon his people, or the Iiidinofs of his face from them; the communication of his favor to them, or the infliction of his judgments on them; have ever been regulated, according as ])iety or ungodliness prevailed among them. Now, all these things, we are instructed, ^'happened unto thejn for ensamples, and are written for our adniDuition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." llai>py, then, will it be for us, my brethren and hearers, if we take warning by this more recent example and proof, that the same order of his providence yet subsists; and keep ourselves fi-om the evil way of profession without practice, religion without holiness. Many suppose, that in the Epis- copal Chui-ch a greater laxity is allowed than in other de- nominations. But tliis manifests a total ignorance of all our institutions. Xo countenance is given or allowed to what is sinful; nor can any denomination pretend to greater strict- ness, than is required by the Canons and Kubricks of the Church. We cannot help it, my brethren, if persons whose conduct is a scandal to all Christian profession, will call themselves Episcopalians: the discipline of the Church can be ap])lied only to those who are known and received as com- municants; and by those, compared with any other denomi- nation, we fear not to be tested; yet with us, whatever may be the case with other professions, we know and confess, that 102 A SEEMON ON THE CIIUKCII. much of the old leaven has to be purged out; and this will \vq do, if God permit. To this point, then, my brethren, let us bend our united attention; taking away occasion from those wlio seek it, and wiping out the reproach against us; firmly setting our faces against all conformit}' with the world in its ungodliness; and withholding our fellowship from all who walk disorderly. This we owe to our own souls, to the honor of God, to the credit and advancement of the Church, and to the souls of others: we owe it to that forbearino; goodness which has once more revived us, and in agreement with which only, we can hope to prosper. As holiness is the mark of God's children, we are called to holiness, to severance from the world, its idolatrous pursuits, its vain and vicious pleasures, in ourselves and in our families, '^Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. — Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." This is the doctrine of tiie Episcopal Church; this is the practice in the life, which all her precepts inculcate upon her members; which her discipline is constructed to enforce, and which no endeavors of mine shall be wanting, God being my helper, to bring to full effect. And here I am truly thank- ful that so many circumstances concur to favor us in this essential work, l^o wide spread, inveterate habit of ungod- liness, has yet had time to take root among us, and cause alarm at the extent of the excision required. Jacobs indeed, is small^ but he is young also, and comparatively free from the great transgression. Be it our care, then, one and all, dear brethren, that as he increases in stature, he may "grow in grace," and "increase" also "in favor both with God and man." Whatever reproach of this nature is brought against our commimion as yet, is brought from a distance, and there let us resolve that it shall remain; whatever is now to perform of the painful duty of reproof and correction, is comparatively light; and (blessed be God for it) there is no diversity of A SEEMON ON THE CHUECH. lOS •opinion among those who have the care of the flock. United iai tliis, as in all other points which concern the peace and prosperity of our Zion, we may humbly trust to build up those committed to our charge, "an holy temple unto the Loed." Second!}', that "Jacob may arise" as Jacob, it is essential that the doctrines and worship prescribed in the articles and liturgy of the Church, be faithfully preache,d and adhered to by all of her communion. On you, ray brethren of the clergy, depend the hopes of the Church in this diocese, for this means of resuscitation. This precious deposit she has committed to your fidelity, and at your hands does she recpiire that it be exercised for the increase of the body. And here again I have to bless God, that "the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places" — that however small the number, it is a little phalanx of men sound in faith, and united with me in oue mind, and in one doctrine; that on no point is there such a division of sentiment as leads to a di- versity of practice; but all can go hand in hand to the object before us; that however feeble in the eyes of the world, it is a band of brothers, who have themselves experienced the j)ower and efficacy of the truths they preach — who know and feel that they are "the power of God unto salvation," and are therefore able to teach others also — who admire and love the scriptural simplicity, devotional sublimity, and doctrinal se- curity, of that form of sound words, in which they lead the public worship of the sanctuary — who know that the liturgy of the Church is the great bulwark of "the faith once com- mitted to the saints;" the tried safeguard against the heresies of the day, of all who use it with the understanding and the affections. Tiius favored of God, my burden, dear brethren, is com- paratively light — while my hope is animated, that with such workmen, the edifice will arise, beautiful in its proportions, resplendent in holiness, and "the praise of the whole earth." The foundation on which it rests, is "the rock Cheist,'' con- fessed, and believed on, as "God over all, blessed for ever" — "who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us, 104 A SEKMON ON TDE CnUECH. under Pontius Pilate." The beauty of its proportions con- sists in the harmony of tliat unsearcliable wisdom — whereby "mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace liave kissed each otlier" — in the unspeakable mystery of God made sin^ that man might "be made the righteousness of God in him." And the splendor of its embellishment, in the union of all its members, in the "faith which w^orketh by love," the "hope which maketh not asliamed," and the "charity whicli never failetli." This is the blessed fruit of the doctrine of the Gospel, and of the Church, "truly preached, truly received, and truly followed." The myster}'- of godliness, tluTt "God was nuini- fest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preach- ed unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory," is the "new sharp threshing instrument" pre- dicted by the jirophet, M'herewith to break down the kingdom of sin, Satan, and death. "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will keep thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument, having teeth. Thou slialt thresh the mountains, and beat tliem small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel." On the doctrines of the cross, then, as you have taken, maintain your stand, my reverend brethren. Preach then^ in the simplicity and sincerity of hearts that feel them, with the earnestness of men who wish to save their own souls, and the souls of others. The entire spiritual death, and alienation of man from God, by the entertainment of sin; the recon- ciliation of God to the world, by the sufferings and deatii of his only begotten Son; the atonement of his blood; justifica- tion by faith; acceptance through the merits of the Saviour; conversion of the heart to God; holiness of life, the only evi- dence of it; and tlie grace of God, in the renewal of the Holy GiiosT, the sole agent from first to last, in working out our salvation from sin here, and from hell hereafter. In fewer Words, "salvation by grace, through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast." A SERMON ON THE CHURCH. 105 But with these vital and heaven-blessed doctrines, other points of edification to those of your charge, and to 3'our gen- eral hearers, will require your attention, my reverend bro- thers; particularly that of the distinctive cliaracter of the Church. On this, a most lamentable ignorance prevails, and most unfounded opinions are becoming established, not only among Episcopalians, but at large. To permit this ignorance to continue undisturbed, is to be false to our ordination vows, to our acknowledged principles, to the interests of our com- munion, and to the souls committed to our care; and however amiable in appearance the principle on which we act may be, reflection shows it to be a mistahen one, and experience proves it to have been injurious. If we hold principles that are indefensible, let us abandon them. But if they are our principles, interwoven into the vevj frame of our polity, im- pregnable in their truth, and essential in the great work we have in hand; let us not appear ashamed of them, or weakly afraid of the consequences, and thus become parties to that miserable delusion, which weakens us as a body, strengthens the ranks of our adversaries, and, I will fearlessly say, weak- ens the cause of true religion, by tacitly owning one division after another, until the great master principle of the Church of God, its unity, is merged in the mass of Christian names, and swallowed up by the indifference and infidelity thus fostered. If, then, we would be found faithful to ourselves, to the Church whose commission we bear, and to the souls commit- ted to. our trust; this doctrine of the distinctive character of the Church must be fully unfolded, and laid before our peo- ple. Their attention must be called to it, on the grounds of scriptural reason. The purpose of this wise and merciful appointment of ALivnoHTY God, in the salvation of sinners, must be dwelt upon and enforced, by all those weighty argu- ments and authorities wliich the word of God so richly sup- plies. The importance and efficacy of authorized ministra- tions — of valid sacraments, — must be elucidated and con- firmed, by the analogies which govern men in temporary things, and by the method so demonstrably resorted to by God himself, both under the law and under the gospel; to give certainty and assurance to men in things so mispeaka- bly important. These are the points to be presented to our 106 A SEEMON ON THE CHUECH. peojjle, to be pressed upon the understandings and the feelings of our hearers, in connexion with the other doctrines of the gospel — that they may learn to estimate aright their privileges; and valuing, to cleave to them. Thirdly, that "Jacob may arise" in his true character, a steadfast and uniform adherence to the liturgy and offices of the Church, as set forth in the book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, must be observed. In this duty it is my happiness to believe that you, my reverend brethren, are found faithful. As honest men, inde- pendent of your Christian character, I could expect no less. But in this liberal and latitudinarian age, this duty is some- times rendered painful, by the wish to yield in some degree to the prejudices of a mixed congregation; and by the hope that conforming in this respect, they may be won over. In aid of this dereliction of duty, the points objected are artfullj'' re23resented as things indifferent in themselves, and therefore, to be yielded in favor of Christian fellowship. All this, however, is mere pretence; for, if they are points really indif- ferent, the fault must ever be with those who on such grounds separate themselves from what never can be viewed with in- diffei'ence by any serious person. And whatever j)retences may be urged, they are all fallacious, and proved to be so by experience. For whatever the principle of accommodation may be capable'of in others, it has ever failed in points of religious dissent; and I am yet to learn, in what instances the surrender of principles, or even of distinctive points, has pro- fited those who have tried the dangerous experiment. My brethren, the attempt has ever been in vain, and has issued in weakening and degrading those who have resorted to it; and the reason is obvious: principles, religious principles es- pecially, are presumed to be well considered — adopted as the best, and on the highest authority. To hold thera, then, as things that may be dispensed witii, may be accommodated, may he yielded, is viewed as the mark of a weak or an in- sincere mind. To act uijun this expectation, then, is to court defeat, while it is at tlie same time to ex]»use ourselves to contempt, as men of lax iinnciples, and designing conduct; — a stigma of all othei's the most severe upcju a minister of religion; who, in coiiiiiKin with all Christians, \mt in a higher degree, ought to A SEKMON ON THE CHUECH. 107 "have his conversation in the world, in simplicity, and godly sincerity." And what has been the eflect of such a course, in the trials that have unhappily been made by Episcopal clergymen? Has our communion gained or lost by it? Where is the addition obtained by this surrender of private and pub- lic principle? It has lost, my reverend and lay brethren, by this Judas-like method of betraying it into the hands of its enemies, with a kiss. And what have the individuals, who have thus acted, gained by it? They have gained the name, perhaps, of lib- eral and charitable; and have lost the esteem of all sound churchmen; while they have not gained the confidence of those, who, nevertheless, flattered their enlarged views of Christian liberty, and evangelical piety; because, in the midst of this flattery, they are obliged to view them as false to the most solemn pledges that can be given of sincerity of opin- ion, and integrity of practice. In all such cases, the question with an Episcopal clergy- man is not, whether our general principles, or our method of conducting public worship by a fixed form, be scriptural, profitable, or even evangelical; this ought to have been set- tled on the most serious investigation, before he assumes the orders of the Church. Whatever discretion he had as to this and other points of required conformity, is then given up; nor can he continue to wear the livery of the Church, and thus act, without the guilt of the most sublimated perjury. Alas! that it should be necessary to warn against the influ- ence of such an example elsewhere. But as the evil exists, and this view of the subject includes every plea for noncon- formity to the doctrines and worship of the Protestant Epis- copal Church in the United States, I think it due to you, and to the sincerity with which I am bound to act, to show dis- tinctly, at the commencement of my administration, the prin- ciples by wliich I am guided. Fourthly, for the increase and advancement of true godli- ness, let me recommend the observance and cultivation of family religion. Without this root and spring, under God, of "all holy de- sires, all good counsels, and all just works," hope is vain for the Church and the State; we shall sink into a nation of infi- dels. 108 A SERMON ON THE CHURCH. That the practice has declined in tlie families of professing Christians; that it is abandoned in all others, is known by all who hear rae at tliis moment. And that the conseqnences are the bitter fruit of increasing crime and profaneness, is recorded in every court, and witnessed by every Sabbath. But, my brethren and hearers, could this be so, were the principles of our holy religion early and carefully instilled into tlie minds of the rising hope of this great and growing Christian nation? Were tlie fear of God, and the reverence of his most holy name, and the observance of his worship, and the knowledge of his life-giving precepts, inculcated and manifested in our families, would so little of it be seen in the world? Awake, then, from this torpor, ye Christian fathers and mothers — from this deadly delusion of adulterated reli- gion, which is so fast swallowing up the dearest hope you can entertain of a happy eternity, with those who are dearest to you here. Trample under your feet those pestilent doc- trines which inevitably lead to this criminal neglect, by con- fiding the hope, and by necessary consequence, the duties of the gospel, to a chosen few. Arise to the blessed assurance of God's public message by his only begotten Son — "that he hath not appointed you or them to wrath, but to obtain sal- vation by our Lord Jesus Christ; — who, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man." Believe this, his true and faithful word, against all the sophistry of men; diligently use and apply the means provided by the wisdom and goodness of God, for your advancement in knowledge, and growth in grace; and no longer suffer your cliild)-en to grow up like the wild ass's colt, alike ignorant of God and of themselves, of the word of his grace, of his Sabbaths, his ordinances, his mercies, his judgments, and that eternity, in which all these end, and where you and they must meet, to enjoy or to suffer for ever, according to the improvement or abuse here, of the talents committed to your trust. Oh! it is an awakening thought to contemplate a family, godless, under the gospel, assembled before the judgment seat of Christ, and to carry out the consequence to the mis- ery that awaits them; and that misery doubled by the near and dear ties which connect them; hell made hotter by the endless reproach — we neglected our children's souls — my A SEEMON ON THE CHUECH. 109 father and motlier hardened me against God — they trained me to pei'dition. OhI it is a lieart-cheering, soul-enlivening vision, to go in the mind's meditation, with the faithful father and mother, to the same awful tribunal, and see the holy confidence with which thej stand and say — "Behold us Loed, and the chil- dren thou hast given us." "\Ve have taught them thy fear; and by thy grace kept them in the way; we surrender them to thy mercy, through thy dear Son. "Well done, good and faithful servants, ye have been faithful in a few things, enter ye into the joy of you*' Lord." But who can spe«ak that joy, when all the dear ties of nature in this life shall be refined, purified and perpetuated in glory; when conjugal, parental, and filial love, shall be swallowed up, but not lost, in the love and enjoyment of God for ever? And is this, dear brethren, a result in the one case to be shunned as destruction; in the other to be desired as life? O, if it bel — (and what Christian parent does not feel that it is all this?) — let the plain and certain road to the attainment of this blessedness be pursued by all. Discard for ever, my brethren and hearers, this murderous neglect of the souls of your children and servants; and as you are able, call them round the family altar, and invoke the blessing, the promised blessing of God, upon your holy purpose: restrain them from all violations of the Loed's day; cultivate his fear in their hearts; and show, by the example of your lives, that you fear his name, and hope in his mercy. Especially upon you, my Episcopal bretliren, is this pi-i- mary duty enforced, by every principle you profess, by every obligation that can be undertaken, and by every sanction known to time and to eternity. Your baptismal sponsion for your children involves it, by the solemn stipulations then en- tered into; and the promises of God therein sealed to them is your full and sufficient warrant to engage in this fruitful work, with assurance of success. Let, then, the inscriptions on your dwellings be, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Loed." To this source of supply the Church looks, for the enlargement of her border, the extension of her com- munion — for the spread of the gospel, and its triumph over all its enemies. And to what other source can we reasonably look, my 110 A SERMON ON THE CHURCH. bretlirea, not only for the advancement, but for the continu- ance of religion among us? Let us ask ourseh^es, and reflect seriously upon it — what proportion do the conversions, wiiich we occasionally hear of, bear to the nurjibers annually com- ing into and going out of life? In this State, do they amount to five hundred in the year — to one for every thousand of its population? I know not; but I doubt it. But say they amount to five times this number, and are all sound conversions of the heart to God — what is this to the annual drain by death, of souls dead to God, unprepared for eternity? "What to the multitudes "who know not God, and fbey not the gospel ul our Lord Jesus Cheist;" who have grown up without him, and must in all probability die without him? What is this to the thousands coming forward into life, the hope of days to come, equally unfurnished? O, let the alarming calcula- tion startle us from this delusion of double death, and convert us from dependence on the extraordinary, to the serious use of the ordinary means which God has provided, commanded, and promised to bless, in "training up our chil- dren in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" that his converting grace may change their hearts, transform their lives, and enrich the Church and the world with sound and instructed believers, serious and experienced Christians, and firm j^rofessors of the hope of the gospel. Thus, and thus only, shall the objections of the infidel be done away; the vain reasonings of the disjDuter of this world be answered and refuted; and the means corresponding with the end, and the fruit crowning the work, make all men see, that "God is with us of a truth." Thus "adorning the doctrine of God our Sa- viour," by the union of profession and practice, "Jacob shall arise," and his light shine. Thus shall "his seed possess the gate of his enemies, and the Lord whom we seek shall sud- denly come to his temple, and the glory of this latter liouse shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of Hosts." Lastly. — Our pecuuiarj' means must be reserved for the wants of our own communion. This is so plain and obvious a duty, that at first sight it M'ould appear superfluous to mention it; yet certain it is, that in this respect Episcopalians have manifested an easiness in j-ielding to the solicitations of. other denominations, which can be justified on no sound principle of regard for the Church, A SEKMOX ON THE CHUKCHi. Ill or feeling sense of the wants and privations of their im- mediate brethren; and the time I think is come, when it is- absolutely necessary to act diiferentlv. "Jacob is small," and he must continue so, if his patrimony is squandered upon strangers. It is the dictate of inspired wisdom, my brethren^ "that if SLuy provide not for his own, especially those of his- own house — he hath denied tlie faith, and is worse than an infidel." This rule, both of reason and religion, will apply in the closest manner to the present condition of the Churcli in this diocese, and to the present duty of all the members and friends of our communion, and should regulate and re- strain the indiscriminate expenditure of her means, for pur- poses which, if not hostile, are certainly unj)rofitable. If I could paint to you, as vividly as I have witnessed and now feel, the destitute condition of our brethren — men agree- ing in faith, doctrine, and worship with ourselves — and the general call there is, "come over and help us;" the necessity as well as propriety, in the truest religious sense, of adopting and acting henceforth upon this principle, would need no en- forcement from me. Tour hearts would feel for congrega- tions destitute of ministers and ordinances; Jacob's feeble liands would not be lifted up in vain; the Church of your fathers and of your affections would no longer be dry nursed, to succor her opponents; but all would be united for one ob- ject, and your bounty flow in one enriching stream of nourish- ment, growth, and strength to our Zion. Oh! if I had but the thousands, which have heretofore been drawn away from her exigencies, how easily would all our wants of this kind be supplied. It is gone, however, and regret will not bring it back. But if it shall teach us to adopt and adhere 'to a different course for the time to come, it will so far be a gain^ and there is yet enough left in the piety, and affection, and afQuence of the EjDiscopal body in this diocese, to meet all our reasonable demands. All that is required, is to act upon principle, by system. Much will be said against this my advice to you, my brethren, and I doubt not it will be called illiberal, un- charitable, perhaps unchristian. But by whom will such truly unchristian terms be applied to it? By those only, whose interest it is that you should not discriminate. By those, who act themselves, as a body^ and rigidly too,. 112 A SEKMON ON THE CIIUECH. upon this very principle — who have drawn largely on the easiness, or inditferencc of your liberality; but have never returned a cent for the dollar, to our wants, and never will; or by those who cloak real disregard to all religion, under the motley mask of equal regard for all denominations. Ee- gard them not, therefore, my brethren; but strong in the soundness of the principle, and the obligation of the duty, as Christians and Churchmen, reserve what you have to spare in the service of religion, fur the wants of your own com- munion. That certaiidy has the first and highest claim upon your abilit}', upon your bounty; a claim which no sophistry can invalidate — which no mistaken views of liberality and charity towards the opinions or the j)ractices of others, should either weaken or defeat. According, then, as the distinctive character of the Church is understood in its principles, applied in the use, and regarded in the liearts of its members, will it be cherished and will flourish. According as the walk and conversation in the world of those who call themselves Episcopalians, shall be "as becometh the gospel of Christ," will its high, because heaven-descended claims, be owned, acknowledged, and acted upon, in the re- generation of a fallen world; and according as we show, that it is all this in our estimation, my clerical and lay brethren, by the zeal and earnestness with which we unite and persevere in the work we have in hand, "will Jacob arise — will a little one become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation." To this work you have called me; to this work the Lord through you hath devoted me; and to 3^our service, such as I am, I give myself without reserve. Accept, then, the first fruits of the deep concern I feel for your advancement; of the observation and experience I have had opportunity for, and of that sacred regard for your present and eternal welfare, which occupies my thoughts, my prayers, my labors. And may He that "holdeth the seven stars in his right hand," who "walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks," be with us in all our undertakings, to bless and prosper us in "building up the old waste places; in raising up the foundations of many generations; that we may indeed be called the re- pairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in." Now unto Him, &c. A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, DELIVERED IN ST. PETER'S CHURCH, WASHINGTON, Sunday, April 24, 1825, at the ordination of the REV. JOSEPH PIERSON AS PRIEST, AND OF THE REV. C. C. BRAINERD AS DEACON. John xx. 21. "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." "The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?" was tlie answer made by our blessed Lord to the Jews, who inquired into the authority of his ministry. And in the effect it produced upon them, we learn, my brethren and hearers, to estimate the power of prejudice upon the human mind, by seeing it able to resist at once the evidence of sense and the conviction of reason. "We learn, also, from this example, that the excuses we are apt to make for error, from the influence of established habits of thought and action, are not always — perhaps we may safely say, are rarely — of that justifiable character we would willingly persuade our- selves; there being something in the very sound of truth, especially divine truth, to alarm the prejudice that is opposed to it — to set it instantly at work to provide a defence, and, by this very effort, (would we permit it thus to re-act,) to con- vince us of the fallacy and folly of such a sacrifice to pride. In the case before us, we have a pregnant instance, how readily truth, even when indirectly proposed, will flash upon its object — how equally quick its bearing will be seen, and, when there is no other escape, how prejudice will resist it, even at the extra expense of a falsehood. Hence we learn, my friends, of what great importance a fair mind is to the attainment of truth generally; and, also, how this qualification is enhanced by the unspeakable value cf religious truth. But in this, alas! it is, that our prejudices are both most numerous and most powerful. [Vol. 1,— *8.] 114 A SEEMON ON THE CHKISTIAN MINISTRY, Yet is there no necessity that it should be so, my hearers. Prejudice, in a great degree at least, is voluntary, and, after all the allowances which can be asked for the influence of education, and other circumstances of a like nature, there is provision made to counteract its sway over the mind, did we faithfully and humbly seek the truth in its great Author, and not in the systems and inventions of men. In our religious concerns especially — the care of our souls, — is this a para- mount duty; and, as we are fully provided for it, by the wis- dom and goodness of Almighty God, and furnished with the law of faith and life in his holy word, there can be no excuse, either for the neglect or perversion of the Scriptures, which, as men, we can apply with confidence, either to ourselves or others. What may be in reserve for such cases, in the equity and mercy of our omniscient Judge, as he has not seen fit to reveal, so we can say nothing, unless to warn against specu- lations into the secret things of God^ or against remaining satisfied with a dej^endeuce which rests for its foundation, rather on our own vain reasonings, than on the declared counsel of his revealed will. It is not, however, to evidence the power of prejudice over the mind, that I have noticed this awakening answer of our LoKD to the chief priests and elders of the Jews. By trans- posing the question contained in the answer, and applying it to the gosj)el, we obtain the governing principle which per- vades every advance in religion, and is alone competent to arrest the power of prejudice, and give solid comfort to the soul, in the awful intei*ests of eternity. The gospel of Cheist, whence is it? From heaven, or of men? Now, while there will be but one answer to this ques- tion, from this assembly of Christian people, to many, it is^ to be feared, were it pressed home, it would be equally em- barrassing as the original question to the Jews. If we shall say, from heaven, — may be the musing of some minds present, — we are met by the unanswerable inquiry. Why, then, dO' you not believe and profess it? But, if we shall say, it is of men, a mere human production, we rank at once with in- fidels. And why not, my hearers? Where else can you, or would you, rank, seeing there is no middle ground on which you can take your stand? In the sight of God, and in the- A SEKMON ON THE CHKISTIAX MINISTKT. 115 judgment of right reason, there is no medium between re- ceiving unqualifiedly, and rejecting- absolutely, his public message to the world, by his only begotten Son. No man can be, at the same time, both a believer and an unbeliever. "He that believeth not, is condemned already. — He that is not for me, is against me." This is an awakening thought, and I ]->ray God it may be sanctified to those whose con- dition it meets. But it is not only to the gospel as a whole, that this inquiry is applicable. Every particular doctrine, every prescribed ordinance, every point of instituted order, with every per- sonal duty as Ghristians — all rest, for their sacredness to us, on the governing j^rinciple. Is it from heaven, or of men? !No conceivable fitness, or reasonableness, or expediency, or accommodation to external circumstances, can be allowed to supersede the fixed, unchangeable nature of what God hath appointed. And the reason is obvious: as it proceeded from God, no human power or wisdom can intermeddle without impiety. As faith can rest only on the authority of God, and that authority capable of being verified; as faith constitutes the essence of every religious act; the foundation on which it is built must be fixed and unchangeable as God himself. These positions, which, it appears to me, my brethren and hearers, cannot be controverted with any show of reason or Scripture authority, prejjare the way for that improvement of the words of my text, which I propose to make of them; and, as they directly refer to the Ministerial Commission under the gospel, furnish a subject of general as well as par- ticular edification, not so frequently presented to the con- sideration of professing Christians, as, from its great im23or- tance, it deserves to be; and on which there is as much erroneous and unsettled opinion as upon any other doctrines of the Christian revelation. And my apology, if apology can be needed, is to be sought and found in this fact, and in the particular duty now before me. And here, my friends, I must take leave to enter my pub- lic protest, in behalf of the Church, against the unjust and ungenerous denial to us of what is so fully conceded to other denominations, and very freely exercised — the privilege of presenting, and pressing upon their members, the distinctive 116 A SEEMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTKY. tenets of their several creeds. In this respect, we claim to stand upon that ground which is equally the privilege of all in this free and happy land; nor do we wish to stand upon any other or higher ground than is due to the soundness of our doctrine and principles; to their agreement with Scriptu- ral truth and order; and to their tendency to promote and ensure the three great blessings of civil liberty, social hap- piness, and pure and undefiled religion. If any represent us otherwise, we only say, that we sincerely pity their ignorance or malevolence, and heartily beg of God to give them re- pentance, and better minds. I now proceed to the consideration of the words of my text, "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." That these words refer to the ministerial commission, is clear, from the context, and from the parallel passages of Scripture. According to the testimony of St. John, they were uttered by our Lord after his resurrection, and on the evening of that day, at his first appearance to the eleven. And what farther took place at that time, puts beyond dis- pute our Lord's intention: "And when he had said this, [the words of my text,] he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Heceive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." This application of the words of the text is further con- firmed by the parallel passages in the other gospels. In St. Luke's gospel the same commission is conferred in these "words: "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me." In St. Matthew's gospel, the ground of the authority to send, or appoint, and the com- mission itself, are thus expressed: "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you." And according to St. Mark, the commission is the same as in St. Matthew, with a slight variation of the phraseology: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; ' nt he that believeth not, shall be damned." i A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN ISHNISTRT. 117 In addition to tlys, it may be helpful to state, that this commission was addressed exclusively to the eleven. Neither the hundred and twenty disciples, mentioned in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, who followed our Lord during the latter part of his personal ministry, nor the five hundred brethren, who saw him alive after his passion, as St. Paul assures us, are included in it, as is abundantly evi- dent from the historical part of the New Testament. To form a just estimate, therefore, of this very important subject, it will be necessary to consider. First, The nature and extent of our Lord's own commis- sion, as the Messenger, the Apostle, of God the Father, to a sin-ruined, but redeemed world. Secondly, The connexion, or parallel, between this and the commission conferred on the Apostles, as the messengers of Christ to the same world. Thirdly, The continuance of this commission in the world. Fourthly, The object or purpose of a divinely authorized ministry, in the Church, or Kingdom of Christ. And then conclude with such practical inferences from the whole, as shall be suitable to the solemn duty we have this day to perform. "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." I. First, to consider the nature and extent of uur Lord's own commission, as the Messenger, the Apostle, of God the Father, to a sin-ruined, but redeemed world. To avoid confusion of mind, and, of course, error of judg- ment, by blending distinct and separate things in one view, it is necessary to confine our consideration to that part of our Saviour's ofiice which could be transferred. In what pertains to the inherent divinity of his nature, as he received no commission, so there was none to be con- tinued. In his merciful undertaking to suffer the penalty of sin, by tasting "death for every man," there could be no transfer. It is therefore to the administration of that kinsr- dom which the Father hath appointed unto him, as the Son of Man, that we are to direct our attention, on the point under consideration; indeed, to bear constantly in mind, my breth- ren, that, as it was by the assuming of the human nature into union with the divine, by the Son of God, that the purposes 118 A SERMON ON THE CHEISTIAN MINISTKT. of Heaven's mercy to man Avere to be accomplished — so tlie wliole economy and management of the gospel dispensation is committed to the Lord Jesus Cubist, in this his assumed character; in whicli, for an appointed period, he stands in equal relation to God and man, and thus competent to meet the claims of the one, and the necessities of the other. And were this duly attended to, my hearers, there would be less difficulty in detecting the vain reasonings of those who, from the mystery of his incarnation, and the necessary reference to both natures, in the language of Scripture, dispute and deny his essential divinity. To obtain this kingdom, however — this intermediate dis- 2)ensation, rendered necessary by the entrance of sin into the world, — conditions were to be performed. The oblation of himself, therefore, to the justice of God, b}'' our Redeemer, was to precede iiis assumption of the kingly office, and was, in fact, the price paid for his exaltation to that kingdom, "in which," says St. Paul, "he rules as a son in his own house." Hence he is said to have "purchased a Church with his own blood;" to liave "bought us" (the subjects of this his kingdom) "with a price." It was, therefore, subsequent to his resur- rection, that his exaltation as the Son of Man commenced; it was then that he received the kingdom appointed unto him of his Father; and it was then that he commenced tlie exer- cise of his authorit3^, l)y commissioning his apostles for its es- tablishment and government in the world. In this view of the subject, my brethren, we shall find the question simplified, freed from many difficulties which other- wise attend it, consistent with all that is said in Scripture concerning it, and profitable to correct some prominent errors which prevail on the sul)ject of the Christian ministry. Our Lord's own commission, tlien, as the messenger (the apostle) of God the Father, of a sin-ruined, but redeemed world, is derivative in its nature. Hence St Paul, discours- ing of our Lord's priestly office, in the Epistle to the He- brews, speaks in this wise: "And no man taketh this honor iinto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So, also, Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest; but he that said unto him. Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art 1 A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 11^ ■3, Priest forever, after the order of Melcliizedek." And again it is repeated, with the same reference to the Old Testament priesthood, "For the ]aw maketh men High Priests, which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forevermore." That it is derivative in its nature, we learn further from the cir- cumstance of its being limited in duration of time. This St. Paul also informs us of, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, "Then cometh the end, when he shall Iiave delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; and when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also be subject unto liim that did put all things under him, that God may be all in all." The extent of our Lord's commission embraces whatever is needful to the fulfilment of the purpose he has undertaken. Within this it is unlimited and omnipotent; beyond this it does not reach. Thus, we read in the Epistle to the Ephesians, that "God hath set him at his own right hand, in the heavenly places, tar above all principality, and power, and might, and do- minion; and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church." And St. Peter tells us, that "angels, and authorities) and powers, are made subject unto him." And St. Paul again^ in his Epistle to the Philippians, lays down the same doc- trine: "Wherefore," says he, that is, because Christ became obedient to the death of the cross, "wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above ever}'^ name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." These Scriptures, with many others to the same amount, which might be produced out of both the Testaments, declare sufficiently, though in general terms, the extent and impor- tance of that ofiice which the Lord Jesus Christ sustains, in the economy of man's redemption and salvation. It is by the particulars, however, that we shall best discern its practical use to ourselves. And these consist in his Prophetic, Priestly, and Regal offices. 120 A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. As the Prophet or Teacher of his Church, he was commis- sioned to make a full disclosure of the will of God to the world. And this he has done, partly by his own preachings but more full}^ by the revelation made through the prophets and apostles, in the Old and New Testaments, which contain all things necessary to be known, believed, and done, by men, in order to secure their eternal salvation. As the great High Priest of our profession, "He has passed into the heavens, there to appear in the presence of God for us:" to present the prayers and praises of his people, whether public or private, purified from their imperfection by the merit of his name, and rendered acceptable to God the Father, by the prevailing intercession of God the Son. In his regal office, he exercises all power in heaven and in earth, with reference to his Church. He rules it by his laws, and appoints his servants to their several stations; he defends it by his power; sustains it by his providence; directs it by his wisdom; extends it by his word; sanctifies it by his Spirit; and, when the number of his elect shall be accomplished, will judge it in righteousness, according to the word spoken unto it in the gospel, and reward or punish everlastingly, ac- cording as every man's work shall be. And for tiiis great and awful purpose, his commission extends to raising the dead. "Yerily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have don© good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." In the extent of its operation, our Lord's commission in- cludes the Church triumphant, as well as the Church mili- tant — the Church in heaven, as well as the Church on earth. Being the same body, of which he is the living Head, they are both under his jurisdiction; and, as the purpose of the Church upon earth is to prepare members for the Church in heaven, to this end all its laws, and orders, and worship, and A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 121 appointments, are directed. All have a close connexion with the moral and spiritual condition of his pe^^ple, and are cal- culated to sustain faith, and defeat sin, and increase holiness. And tis our Lord's undertakinu' for mankind embraced the whole human family, so does his commission include the boundary of this world in this operation. "Ask of me," says the Almighty, through his prophet, in the 2d Psalm. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee tlie Heathen for thine inherit- ance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.' From all which we learn, my brethren and hearers, that the Lord Jesus Christ, by the appointment of God the Fa- ther, is, to his Church, the source of all wisdom, in the know- ledge of divine things; the ground of all hope, in the inter- cession of his priestly character; and the root or foundation of all authority for administering the affairs of this his king- dom, by virtue of the supreme dominion of his regal otfice. And if to these we add, my brethren, all tiiat he is to us, in the full splendor of his mediatorial character, well may we exclaim, "What hath God wrought!" and learn to realize the depth and importance of his affectionate admonition, "with- out me ye can do nothing." II. Secondly, I am to consider the connexion, or parallel, between this and the commission conferred on the apostles, as the messengers of Christ Jesus to the same world of sinners. And here, my brethren, the more we examine into this subject, according to the limitation ali'eady laid down, the more satisfied we shall be of the exactness of the parallel, and of the importance of a right view of it, to the full com- fort of our religious condition, as redeemed by the blood of Christ, and called to this state of salvation by the Gospel. First, then, as our Lord Jesus Christ derived his coujmis- sion and authority immediately fi'om God tiie Father, so did the apostles derive theii's immediately tVom tiie Lord Jksus Christ: "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him," said the voice from heaven. "And 1 a])point unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me." Next, as the man Christ Jesus was visibly anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with power from on high, j>reviuus to commencing his ministerial office, so were his apostles bap- 122 A SEEMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTET. tized with the Holt Ghost on the day of Pentecost, from their ascended and glorified Master, according to his promise. "Ye shall he baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence;" and according to St. Peter's argument with the Jews, on that day, "Tliis Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses; therefore, being by the right hand of God ex- alted, and having received of the Father the j)romise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Thirdly, as the Lokd Jesus Christ evinced the divine au- thority of his commission by the miracles which he wrought, in like manner were his apostles provided with this testimo- ny to their commission, as the Ambassadors of Christ. "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true," said our Lord. "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness of the truth; but I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. "Yerily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto ray Father. — And with great power, gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people, and believers were the more added to the Lord." Fourthly, as the commission of our Lord and Saviour Je- sus Christ, (as the revealer of the will of God,) included the race he came to redeem and save, so, also, is the commission to his apostles alike comprehensive in the extent of its juris- diction. "As by the oft'ence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so, b}' the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men, unto justification of life. — Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations. — Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Fifthly, as our Lord is ordained and commissioned as the Judge of quick and dead, by the "God and Father of the spirits of all flesh," so, also, lias the great Head of the Church clothed his ajwstles with a similar distinction. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels A SEEMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTET. 123 with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before liim shall be gathered all nations, and he shall sepa- rate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And Jesus said unto them, Yerily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regenera- tion, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." From the connexion and parallel thus shown, my brethren, (and doubtless it might be more minutely traced,) what can we infer, but that the Christian ministry is of that important and influential character to revealed religion — so connected with its divine original, and so bound up with the hope of man, in the administration of its saving ordinances — as to claim, from every rational believer, that verification which alone can give to any agency the stamp of assurance. And we have but to suppose the apostles of Christ, at the first promulgation of Christianity, unable to prove their divine commission by its then proper testimony, to learn how im- possible it would have been for the gospel to have prevailed against established superstition, and the vices thereby gene- rated, and even consecrated, among the heathen nations of the world; and thence to derive those conclusive arguments which demonstrate the continual necessity of a like verifiable authority to every generation of men, in transacting what God requires at their hands in order to their becoming and continuing parties to this great salvation, as a system of re- ciprocal covenants, between God and man. Indeed, my brethren and hearers, it is only as a scheme of covenanted mercy, on declared conditions, that any outward order and appointment, any Church ministry and sacraments, are requisite to religion. Abstracted from this, every man might be his own administrator in religious things, and all hope and assurance be vacated, until the judgment of the great day. Disjoined from this, also, every thing like union and fellowship in the Saviour's religion would be an impos- sible requirement, inasmuch as there would be nothing out- ward and visible, to test internal agreement in faith and charity; and man would be left to travel through his pilgrim- age here, solitary, unconnected, unaided, and unencouraged, 124: A SERMON ON THE CHEISTIAN MINISTRY. towards eternity. It is a cold and comfortless thought, ray hearers, yet it is inseparable from the denial of a verifiable divine commission to the Christian ministry. It is a ciieer- less, gloomy condition, my brethren, to which a merciful God has not consigned us, notwithstanding such numbers adopt it; to which the Scriptures of our faith give no countenance, and to which the searching question — "By what authority doest thou these things?" if seriously applied, would unmask the disguises, and tear away the sophistry, wherewith the right and the efficiency of a ministry not apostolically de- rived, is covered up and defended. III. Thirdly, I am to consider the continuation of this com- mission in the world. That it was to accompany the gospel in its progress, as an integral part of the dispensation, may be shown from a va- riety of considerations, but chiefly from this: That to every generation of men, as it comes forward to accountable life, the gospel is in fact a revelation; has to be considered, in its evidences, its authority, its obligations, its benefits, as the personal concern of each individual; has to be met or reject- ed, in its faith, its duties, its grace, its ordinances, as the pre- scribed conditions of salvation. Nor do the advantages of early initiation into its hope, or nurture and admonition in its precepts, at all alter the case, except as these are advan- tages — additional talents increasing responsibility for their improvement. Christianity is for ever a substantive consid- eration, my brethren, and religion a personal attainment, to all who are called by the gospel to the knowledge of this grace. It does, indeed, derive confirmation from the accu- mulating testimony of centuries and numbers, in behalf of its truth and divine original. But it is, nevertheless, inde- pendent of this aid, resting on its own evidences for the wis- dom or the folly of receiving or rejecting it. For it was just as ti'ue and divine, at its first j)romulgation, as at any subse- quent time. Had, then, the gospel commission been confined to a few persons, a few generations only could have reaped the advan- tage of their ministry. Unless, therefore, the lives of such persons were miraculously continued, all who came after them must be deprived of the benefit of authorized religious A SEEMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MNISTET. 125 ministrations. Hence, if there is any connexion between Christianity and its anthor; if there be any dependence, for religious benefit, on religious instruction, on religious ordi- nances duly administered — in short, on keeping alive in the world "the knowledge of the only true God, and of Jesus Cheist whom he hath sent," it can only be done (miracle al- ways excepted) by a continued succession in the ministry, from the one original root of all authority to minister in the atfairs of Cueist's kingdom. And such, in fact, is the method infinite wisdom hath adopted. "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world," are the words of encouragement and perpetuity, which our Loed addressed to the apostles for their personal comfort, and to the Church for its lasting assurance that "the gates of hell should not prevail against it;" and no other or reasonable interpretation can be given of them, than as ap- plicable to their successors in the ministry. The apostles, individually, soon finished their laborious and painful, but heaven-blessed and glorious race. They had this treasure in earthen vessels, materials which could not last. But before they finished their course, respectively, they committed unto faithful men, by divine direction, that commission and au- thority for the rule and government of the Church, for the guardianship of the faith, and fulfilment of the gospel dis- pensation, which they received from Christ, and Christ from the Father. In which transfer, they gave instructions for the due and faithful performance of the duties peculiar to their office; with directions that they also should, in like manner, "commit the same to faithful men, who should be able to teach others," and thus continue the line of apostolical suc- cession, unbroken, to the end. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Cheist, by the commandment of God our Saviour, and the Lord Jesus Cheist, according to the gospel of the ever blessed God, which was committed to my trust, whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy; and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. ' This is the language of St. Paul to Timothy, when trans- 126 A SEEMON ON THE CUEISTIAN MINISTRY. ferring to liiin tlie authority to rule, censure, restrain, and ordain in the Church; which manifests in what sense he under- stood the continuance of the apostolic commission; and, in connexion with the uniform, undeniable practice of the Church of Cueist for fifteen hundred years, might put at rest, forever, all dispute upon this subject, as a matter of fact, as a point to be tried by its pro2)er evidence. But, independent of this, from the words of my text, and the parallel passages of Scripture, it would appear that a con- trary conclusion does violence to the only possible purpose and design in the appointment of a visible Church with an authorized ministry. These, if they mean and effect any thing in the salvation of men, must be considered as pro- visions in aid of union and assurance of faith among Chris- tians. And in what way this purpose can be answered, other than by a fixed and unchangeable standard of unity, in faith, doctrine, and worship, referable to a derived, transmitted, and thereby verifiable, authority, to act as "ambassadors of Cheist, and stewards of the mysteries of God," is difficult to conceive, and still harder to make appear. "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath a]3pointed unto me." Hence it is clear, First, That whatever the authority of Cheist in the gospel dispensation was, with reference to the Church, of the same extent was that of his apostles. As he alone could purchase, so they only could plant and govern his Church. All others were interdicted from any interference. Secondly, As the Church and ministry, in this dispen- sation, were intended for perpetuity, "even till the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Loed;" therefore, this authority must also continue, and run parallel with it, through all generations. As Cheist's commission and authority, de- rived from the Father, admitted a transfer of it to his apos- tles, in like manner the commission and authority of the apostles, derived from Cheist, admitted, and in fact included, a like transmission to others, and equally verifiable with theirs. Each were invested with powers and qualifications suited to the exigences of the Church — to its condition at the time; and as there were many things in which the apostles « A SEKMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MIXISTET. 12'T ■vrere inferior to their Master, as tlie^liead, but yet truly his successors in tkiugs necessary to the Church, so are there many things in which the subsequent governors of the Church were inferior to the apostles; yet were they truly, and to all necessary purposes, their successors. And this may serve as an answer to the childish cavil so much relied upon, that the apostles, as inspired men, endowed with miraculous power, and eye witnesses of the resurrection and ascended glory of Jesus Christ, could have no successors. In thesQ things^ indeed, they could have no successors; neither was the continuance of such qualifications needed by the Church. The apostles lived to establish the Church, and complete the canon of Scripture, as the standard of faith. Their extraor- dinary powers were given for this end, which being answered, they were withdrawn. But in the necessary powers and qualifications for its government, preservation in unity, and extension in the world; as these were continually needed, essential to the very being of the Church, as a visible society; so, in them the apostles both could have, and did have, suc- cessors; which have continued in an unbroken line of trans- mitted authority to this day, through the order of Bishops, as the only lawful and verifiable source of spiritual rule, in the kingdom of Christ. lY. Fourthly, I am to consider the object, or purpose, of a divinely constituted ministry in the Church, or kingdom, of Christ. That every regular society, whether civil or religious, to be either permanent or profitable, must be administered by its proper officers, duly authorized, is too obvious to require either proof or illustration. The Church of Christ, therefore, differs in no respect from all other societies, as to this neces- sity. Order, and not confusion, is the signature of the Al- mighty on all his works, and equally conspicuous in the con- stitution of his holy Church, which he has put under the regular subordination of a government suited to the objects of such an institution. Neither does the Church differ from other societies in the application of the rule, inseparable from every regular government, "no man taketh this honor unto himself;" a self constituted or irregularly appointed magistrate being, in 128 A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. every sense, an intruder, whether in the Church or in the state. The Church differs, however, in the source from which the honor or authority is derived. As civil societies derive altogether from common consent of the parties as- sociated; the Church on the contrary, as a spiritual society, derives directly from its divine Head: "My kingdom is not of this world," saith the Saviour. Another design of a divinely constituted ministry in the Church, with a verifiable authority, is, for assurance in the administration of the ordinances of religion. Without this. there can be no more certainty and assurance, no more validity and effect, in the sacraments of religion, than there can be in civil affairs, from transacting the requisitions of government with self appointed officei's; and as, in the latter case, though the men may be very competent, and the per- son transacting perfectly sincere in his intentions, yet, for want of due authority, the whole is a nullity, and cannot be recognized; so, in the former case, if we would act with as- surance, we must act according to the rule and order laid down for the government of the Church, as a divinely con- stituted society, under its proper officers. And did men allow this plain analogy its proper weight, there would be less danger of being seduced into the pernicious paths of division and discord. It is, therefore, for the benefit of third persons, for those who desire the aids and the hopes which Christ's religion pre- sents to mortals, that a fixed and authorized ministry is an integral part of the gospel. As it is a communication from heaven to man, through men of like passions with others, some mark of discrimination, some distinctive character, of a higher order than man can supply, is necessary to designate those to whom is committed the ministry of reconciliation, and dispensing the mysteries of God's grace in the sacraments of the gospel. But where would be the benefit, had we no means of determining the true from the surreptitious author- ity? The very reason of the thing, therefore, points to trans- mitted succession from the apostles. This the divine wisdom has seen fit to provide and appoint, and this we are bound to follow, if we would have our religion what it is intended to he, to-wit, a reasonable service, and a source of comfort A SERMON ON THE CHEISTIAN MINISTRY. 129 and assurance during our journej through life, and of re- vealed hope for eternity. The apostles of our Lord gave to the world the incontestible evidence of miraculous power, that they were messengers of heaven, commissioned servants of the Saviour, to show unto men the way of salvation. And though, from the very nature of things, this mode of proof could not continue, inasmuch as a perpetual miracle would cease to be such, from constant recurrence; yet we are not deprived of sufficiently satisfactory evidence on this leading point of revealed religion. The au- thority of the Church planted and ordered by these very apostles, regularly transmitted from them, and attested by the public ordination of her ministry, being the true and only substitute for miraculous attestation to ministerial commis- sion. Since the cessation of miraculous gifts in the Church, no man can prove a jpriori that he is called of God — moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon him this ministry. But an a priori proof of this as a fact, must precede the very first ministerial act, if we would avoid uncertainty and confusion. Therefore, the authority of the Church, regularly deduced from the apostles who founded it, as it is the only verifiable, so it is the only valid proof of ministerial commission. The sum is this: The Christian ministry is either at large, that is, the right and privilege of every private Christian, to assume at his pleasure; or it is limited, that is, confined to a particular order of men, acting under apostolical authority. But, according to the Scriptures, Christ limited his author- ity to preach and baptize — to found and govern his Church — to the apostlefe. Therefore, if there is a Christian ministry upiin this earth, if the promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world," has not failed, that ministry must be sought in apostolical succession. From this position there is no escape, but a determined adherence to the oppo- site notion, in defiance of Scripture and reason. "Where, and with whom it is. to be found, is the deep and previous question, which every man, as serious for his soul as for his estate, has to settle at his entrance on a religious course of life. One thing, however, is beyond dispute: no apostle has appeared in the interval which has elapsed since those first appointed finished their course. No subsequent [Vol. 1,— *9.] 130 A SERMON ON THE CURISTIAN MINISTEY. origination of names and orders in the Christian community^ tlierefove, can claim the sanction of aj^ostolic origin. Y. I come now to conclude, with such practical inferences from the wliole, as are naturally suggested by the solemn duty we have this day to perform. And first: If the view I have taken of this subject be at all founded on Scripture and reason, it is not of that unimpor- tant, indifl'erent nature, which some endeavor to represent it, but so intimately connected with the certahity or uncertainty^ the safety or insecurity of our eternal condition, according to the public stipulation of the gospel, as to give that color to our religious condition in this world which is entitled to as- surance, or divested of revealed hope. Secondly, if the order of the gospel is as much a part of God's revealed will as the faith of the gospel, it is equally entitled to otr reverence and observance; and no reasonings should be listened to, which go, in any way, to separate what God in his wisdom hath seen fit to connect together, for the comfort and edification of his creatui*es. It is ever at our personal peril, my friends, if we venture to stretch our mea- sure beyond its projDcr limit, and create a standard for the gospel, instead of making the gospel the safe standard to our thoughts and actions. Thirdly, if the means of determining the lawfulness of the authority by which our sj^iritual guides act, be thus furnished to all, under the gospel dispensation, there can be no excuse for negligence or remissness on such a commanding interest; for the very first religious ordinance, by which we obtain a title to the covenanted mercies of the redemption that is in Cheist Jesus for ourselves and om* children, prompts the in- quiry, as to the administrator, "By what authority doest thou these things?." And, while no worldly-wise man will pur- chase, for himself or his children, an earthly inheritance, without careful scrutiny into his right and title who conveys it to him; no serious Christian can be justified, even in the eye of reasom who accepts a title to a heavenly inheritance, either for himself or his children, without an equally careful examination of his right to convey who proflers to transfer it. Thus, my brethren and hearers, do we find the maxims and the prudence of common life our schoolmasters, to teach us A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 131 our duty in this infinite interest, of our claim to, and rightful Scriptural expectation of God's revealed mercies in Christ Jesfs. And, in laying them before you on this occasion, I fulfil an imperious duty, for which I feel and know that I am responsible to God; but on which there is a guarded si- lence preserved by those whose very existence depends on keeping this inquiry from general attention, and who stig- matize every attempt to give information, as an uncharitable effort to disturb tlie peace and harmony of the professing world. But, my brethren, such railing accusations have no weight with me. The truth — "the truth as it is in Jesus," — is all I live for; is what, by the grace of God, I would die for; and nothing else, how specious soever in its structure, will avail either you or me, in the great day of eternity. I am not calling your attention to the title to your estates, but to that title on which your souls rest for their hope of a heavenly in- heritance. And could I but rouse you to feel the same inter- est for the one, which you manifest for the other, God would be glorified in the triumphs of divine truth, and an evange- lized world resound his praise, who, "when he ascended up on high, led cajDtivnty captive, and gave gifts unto men; and he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evan- gelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come, in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the sta- ture of the fullness of Christ." To you, my brethren, whose purpose it is, by the good mo- tions of the Holt Ghost, to devote yourselves to this minis- try, and, in the presence of God and of this congregation, to pledge yourselves this day, to the advancement of the Re- deemer's kingdom, I now turn, and, from the consideration of the high authority under which you will be commissioned to act, would call your attention to the proportionally high and solemn obligations under which you are about to come. "Separated to the gospel of God," henceforth all profane and secular occupations, beyond those indispensable to the common duties of life, in every calling, are put beneath your notice. 133 A SERMON ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. Your ambition must now be directed to tlie attainment of "the honor that cometh of God." Your labor and diligence must henceforth be applied to approve yourselves faithful to him who hath called you into the spiritual vineyard. Your riches must now consist in accountable souls won over from darkness and death of sin, to glory, honor, and immortality, by the power and grace of Christ, through the word preached unto them. All conformity to the world is henceforth peculiarly inter- dicted to you. To the Ministers of Christ, and Messengers of salvation to a sin-ruined world, its vain and vicious plea- sures, its ensnaring temptations and unhallowed pursuits, •must be guarded against, with that care and watchfulness, which the deepest conviction of their danger and fallacy alone can supply. "Ye are not of the world," said our Lord, to his first disciples; and it is yet true, in the just application of the words to all who are moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon them this office and ministration. Let your deport- ment, then, show, that you can so use the world as not abus- ing it; that your treasure is elsewhere laid up, and your af- fections settled on another and a better country, even an heavenly. Ambassadors of Christ! A station more dignified and ex- alted, more influential and extensive, than the kingdoms of this world can match; but withal, my brothers, more highly responsible, by all the difference between time and eternity. As envoys of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ministry of recon- ciliation is committed to you. You have to negotiate terms of peace between earthly rebels and their heavenly Sove- reign; between dying sinners and their living Saviour; and diligence and faithfulness alone can offer you the hope of success, and enable you to deliver your own souls. In this labor of love, bear ever in mind, my brothers, the instructions for your embassy, contained in the word of God; and, within that gracious limit, draw out every affection of nature and grace, to win immortal souls to eternal life. Con- template your merciful Master, loving them, even unto the death of the cross, and cultivate the mind that was in him. Use the "terrors of the Lord to persuade men;" the promises of God, to engage them; the love of Christ to constrain them; A SERMON" ON TIIE CHEISTIAN" MINISTRY. 133 and the example of your own lives to encourage them to lay down the weapons of a mad rebellion, and embrace the mercy that spares and saves. Assure them, with all the earnestness of personal experience, that none were ever rejected who sincerely and penitently sought unto God, through his only begotten Son; and that, through faith in his blood, pardon, grace, and everlasting life, are the rich exchange you are authorized to offer them for guilt, and sin, and eternal death, the only fruit of their rebellion, if persisted in. Address their hopes, their fears, tiieir reason, tlieir self-love, if by any means you may save some, making full proof of your ministry. Stewards of the mysteries of God! Intrusted with the rich deposit of his gn.ce, in the word and sacraments of the gos- pel! That grace, witliout which fallen creatures can do no- thing in the great work of spiritual renewal, and in working out their evei'lasting salvation. That grace, which is the purchase of Christ's death, the root of all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, in redeemed man, which is given to every man to profit withal, and shines bright and cheering in those very offers of mercy you are commissioned to bear forth among your fellow sinners. This you have to deal out in measure and season to the household of faith, watching that all be duly supplied according to their several wants, and that none be deprived, by your negligence, of that spiritual nourishment which is the food of the soul. Re- member then, my brothers, that it is "required of stewards, that a man be found faithful;" and keep full before you '"the prize of your high calling," that, giving yourselves wholh'- to this work, your crown may be bright witli jewels, in the day of the Lord Jesus. To whose holy keeping and all-sufficient grace, I commit and commend you; and to wdjose holy name, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one only and ever- living God, be glory and praise from redeemed man, world without end. Amen. REVELATION THE FjOUNDATION OF FAITH; A SERMON, PEEACHED IX ST. LUKE'S CHURCH, SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA, AT THE ORDINATION OF THE REV. PHILIP B. WILEY, Sunday, May 24, 1829. Romans x. 14, and part of 15, "How, then, shall they call on him, in whom they hare not believed? and liow shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear, without a Preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent?" In this series of questions, it appears to be the apostle's ■object to show, that revelation is the only foundation on which religion can be either required of, or practised by, fallen creatures; and as it is of the highest importance to the inter- ests of our souls, my hearers, that men should be fully con- vinced of this primary truth, I shall endeavor to explain an^ confirm it, by showing, First, that discoveries are made in the gospel of Cheist, which were otherwise impossible to men. Secondly, that these discoveries are adapted to a state or condition of the world, from which it was desirable to be de- livered. Thirdly, that the preaching of the word is the regular ap- pointed means for making known to the world the methods of God's grace, in the salvation of sinners. — "How, then, shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? and how shall tbey believe in him, of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear, without a preacher?" Fourthly, that as the discoveries of the gospel are of di- vine revelation, so are the preaching of the word and the ad- ministration of the gospel, by a divine- commission — "And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" 136 EEVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. I. First, I am to sbov/ that discoveries are made in the gos- pel of CiiKisT, which were otherwise impossible to men. To those who are acquainted with that gospel, this propo- sition would seem to require no proof. But on a little more consideration, we shall lind that the actual condition of the religious world renders it both necessary and proper, to vin- dicate the claims of revealed religion, against religion in the general or abstract notion of the unbelieving indifference of too many, in this latter-day state of the gospel. It is a part of our weakness, my brethren, against which we should be steadily on our guard, that admitted truths, however high their importance, lose by length of time, that relish and impression, which the freshness of discovery imparts to them. Hence, though the acknowledgment is general, in all Chris- tian lands, of those truths, which by revelation are made our own — and though the awful consequences which depend upon them, are just the same now, as at the beginning — yet it is past all conti'adiction true, that they are not listened to with that reverence and attention — they do not occupy and fill the minds of men with that deep and serious interest, which so tremendous an alternative, as salvation or damnation, must present to every reflecting mind. Having been so long in possession, we are apt to overlook the source from whence we derive them — to consider them as antiquated, and far aistant, in their application; when, nevertheless, in their vi- tal influence upon the heart, they are to this day, and will be to the end of days, as new and as fresh as when first pro- mulgated. To this cause it is owing, that experimental religion is so little sought after — that so many are satisfied with the know- ledge of the truth, and are careless about the effect — that numbers rest contented with the form, while they ai-e stran- gers to the power of godliness; forgetting that "the letter kill- ■eth" — that mere acquaintance with religious truth possesses no saving power, being equally in reach of the worst and of the best of men; and not bearing in mind, that "the Spirit giveth life," in the saving application of truth to the heart, and from thence to the conversation, of every believer. To this cause, also, I am disposed to refer that trait in the free-thinking philosophy of the present day, which Ijoldly EEVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. 1S7 assumes as its own the deep things of God, deals with them as with mere natural verities, and putting iu the back ground the only source of truth and wisdom, presumptuously specu- lates on the condition of man, and on the purposes of God respecting him, as if the counsels of him who is perfect in knowledge were within the grasp of a finite and fallen crea- ture. Hence much of that indifference, not to say deadness, to the religion of the gospel, which marks men of literary pretensions in the present, as well as in primitive times. Full of the "wisdom of the world," but empty of that "wisdom which Cometh down from above," they overlook the never to be shaken truth, that, but for the pag5 of revelation, the boasted powers of human reason could never have advanced a single step in tlie science of salvation. "The world by wis- dom knew not God." To this, also, I doubt not, it is owing, that "not many wise, not many noble, are now called — be- cause that, though they profess to know God, they glorify him not as God, neither are thankful, but become vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart is darkened," so that God permits strong delusion to lay hold of them — even to believing the impossible lie, that they can be their own Saviours. And were this evil confined to this description of persons, thougli deeply to be deplored, it might be submitted to; but unhappily the example is spreading among the rising hope of future days — in the young men of this genei'ation, who are caught by the glitter of false learning, and seduced by the "great swelling words of vanity," according to the description of the apostle, "wherewith they promise them liberty" from what they are pleased to call the trammels of superstition, and whei'eby they are seduced to doubt, and to deny, the truth "which is according to godliness." But were the revelation of the gospel fairly considered — what it is that it brings to our knowledge, with what it pro- poses to our attainment — it could not ftiil, I think, to interest and engage, even the commanding and commendable ac- quirements of literature, unreservedly in its behalf. For it meets us, with its soul cheering discoveries, exactly where the powers of human reason come to a full stop. When ob- servation and experience introduce us fully to that confusion and disorder which pervade equally the natural and the 138 REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. moral world, they can go no farther; and just at this point, the discoveries of revelation step in to save us from the gloomy conclusions of fate and necessity — of chance-creation, and Atheism. One single example out of many may serve, my hearers, to confirm this remark. How are we to account for the ori- g\n and existence of evil, either natural or moral, in the cre- ation of a perfectly good, wise, and omnipotent Being? Can reason and philosophy account for this? Alas, it is power- less. We may conjecture and speculate, and build up theo- 'ry upon theory, till we lose ourselves in thought, but still we have only the miserable certainty, that evil is present with us. To revelation alone, therefore, are we indebted for this discovery. But admitting for the moment, that it is possible to be sa- tisfied on this point, without the aid of revelation — let me ask, what are we the better for it? Can this knowledge, however attained, furnish a remedy for, or arrest, the mortal malady under whicli the world labors? No, not at all. "Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the living — the depth saith it is not in me, and the sea saith it is not with me. But God understandeth the way thereof," and hath showed unto us in the gospel of his Son, "the place where wisdom may be found" — that wisdom, com- pared with which, all the wisdom of the world is foolishness: — that truth, in the light of which the wisest systems of hu- man contrivance vanish into their original darkness: — that truth, which shall endure, and shine brighter and brighter, when this world, with all its wisdom and philosophy, "shall pass away with a great noise," and be no more seen for ever. To the gospel, then, my brethren and hearers, and to the gospel alone, must we look for the solution of every difiicul- ty, and of ever}^ doubt, which attends our present condition. To that also must we come — and, thanks be to God for the blessed privilege, to that may we freely come — for help and deliverance, for comfort and consolation, for grace and truth, through Jesus Chkist our Lord. Man, tlie favored creature of Almighty God, made in the image of his Creator, and amply jjrovided with all that was needful for his happiness, by wilful disobedience drew down upon himself, and upon creation, KEYELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. 139 the curse of God. Hence the origin of that sin and misery, which prevails in this world. But mercy, in the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal and (#ily begotten Son of God, in- terposed in behalf of the condemned criminal, arrested the uplifted stroke of infinite justice by the substitution of him- self; and thereby converted the present life, with all its load of guilt and suffering, of sorrow and disappointment, into a state of renewed trial and probation for the attainment of eternal life, on the condition of faith and renewed obedience. To satisfy the demands of infinite justice, purity, and holi- ness, invaded by the presence of sin; to bear the punishment, which the broken law inexorably demanded, and without which no propitiation could be efiected — ior without shedding of hlood there is no remissio?i; to teach us authoritatively the will of God, and to set before us an example of all holiness, humility, and patience, in the very nature which had sinned — the Son of God took our nature upon him, became the representative of the human race, paid with his own spotless life the ransom of their forfeited lives, and ratified in the blood of his cross a new covenant of grace and mercy be- tween God and man, in which repentance is accepted, and made available to the pardon of sin, through faith in the atoning virtue of his blood poured out upon the cross for the sins of the whole world. And the sincere though imperfect obedience of sinful creatures, is accepted before God, through his mediation and intercession. This, my brethren, is the "gospel of the ever blessed God — the glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" — to the blessings and benefits of which state of salvation, it hath pleased God to call you, my friends. This is the "wisdom of God in a mystery" — the revelation of "the hidden mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the com- mandment of the everlasting God, is made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." These are the high dis- coveries which the gospel makes to our faith, and which nothing but infinite love and wisdom could have so adapted to our wants and wishes, that in the fullness and fi'ceness of gospel grace, there is a sufllciency, even for the chief of sin- ners. "0, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 140 KEVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. knowledge of God." Sin condemned and atoned for, by the same act — the law satisfied, its rigor relaxed, and "the righteousness which is of fa»th" established — "life and im- mortality brought to light," by the clear and full discovery of another life after this — a judgment day declared, and the very manner of that judgment represented, wherein all who have ever lived shall "give account of themselves to God," and be rewarded or punished everlastingly, "according to the deeds done in the body." Now let me ask, in what wilderness of thought could the wisdom of the world have stumbled on such discoveries as these, and so put them together as to harmonize with the per- fections of God, and the imperfections of his fallen, sinful creature, as is manifested in the glorious plan of our redemp- tion by Jesus Chkist? O ye disputers of this world, who vainly strive to bolster up the misgivings of your own hearts, by an affectation of doubt on the i-evelation of the gospel — but in the hour of danger give the lie to your own vain talk- ings, and flee to the consolations and hopes which that alone can give — why do you thus sin against your own souls? Is there any thing disgraceful in accepting mercy or receiving favor at the hand of Ahnighty God? Is there any thing low or unbecoming in humbling yourselves to submit to the righteousness of God, that he may save you by a way you know not of? Come on now, bring your boasted reason to the trial, and let us see what you can substitute for "that grace of God which bringeth salvation," Suit yourselves every way, so that no earthly objection shall be found against your metiiod of salvation — and what then! Alas, yourselves dare not trust it. It is of man, the production of a perishing creature, and must go, with its autlior, to a tribunal that is eternal. For it is written, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." II. Secondly, I am to show that these discoveries are adapted to a state or condition of the world, from which it was desirable to be delivered. The condition of man as a sinner, and consequently liable to wrath and punishment, and conscious that he is thus liable, is demonstrated by all that has hitherto been dis- covered concerning him. "Wherever he is found, whether EEVELATION THE FOUXDATION OF FAITH, 141 civilized or savage, a seuse of guilt cleaving to him is mani- fested; and religion, in some shape or other, is the refuge to which he flees for relief and comfort. Conscious that he is under the control and within the power of an invisible and omnipotent Eeing, with wliom he is at variance, and whom it is both his duty and his interest to propitiate, every device which ignorance and fear can prompt superstition to invent, has been resorted to, to appease the wrath and avert the in- dignation of that Supreme Being who is thus ignorantly worshipped. In this universal worsliip there is one circum- stance, my bretiiren, which is common to all the shapes and forms with which it has been invested: which is this — the vicarious substitution of man or animal, as a sacrifice, to avert wrath from the worshipper himself. Wherever man is found, even in the most degraded and brutal state in which recent discovery has represented him to our notice, where no other trace of religion is to be seen, the victim bleeds, and life is offered up to appease and propitiate. An experience thus general, my hearers, is with me a most conclusive argu- ment for the truth of revelation; for it is not to be accounted for, that such should be the universal impression and practice, but from the identity of the human race, the community of guilt, and the tradition of that sacrifice which was instituted upon the entrance of sin, as a type of that great sin-offering presented on Calvary, "which taketh away the sins of the world." The great volume of nature, my brethren, unquestionably points the creature to the Creator, and as God, it is his first duty to honor and to worship ZT^'m, who "giveth to all his creatures life and breath and all things." But alas, the power of sin hath so weakened and corrupted his faculties, that this grand and universally legible record of God is a sealed book to him, as to himself. Amid the beauties and bounties of nature, man sees and feels the effects of the curse, and shrinks in terror and dismay from that awful being, who rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm. If he re- flects at all, be perceives that himself is nothing, even here, where he is lord of all below. And if an anxious thought should burst the barrier of sensible things, and inquire be- yond the grave, nature has no sweet discovery wherewith to 14:2 KEVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. relieve the anxious soul, which pants for immortality. If ho lias advanced to the supreme and eternal Cause of all being by the study of his works, he beholds God in all the pleni- tude of his incommunicable attributes, he beholds himself without any claim to his notice and regard, but what he has in common with every otlier creature to whom life is given. Nature's volume contains no record of sympathy and com- passion for deceived and ruined mortals. Yet something within him would claim a nearer relationship — the immortal aspii'ing principle, which God breathed into him with the breath of life, would soar to its original kindred in the heavens. But guilt, the guilt of sin, hath put a bar between them, which nature cannot remove. No, dear brethren, without the gospel, there is neither help nor hope for sinners. Thus surrounded by a power which ho cannot escape; con- scious of a guilt, which he cannot remove; desirous to pro- pitiate, but ignorant of what will be acceptable; exposed to the evil which sin hath entailed upon the present life; death, sooner or later, certain and inevitable; another state of being, after this, shrouded from his view in all the uncertainty of unrevealed conjecture, yet nevetheless what gives shape and substance to all his fears: — what is there in such a condition desirable? or, rather, my friends, what is there in it, from which it is not above all things desirable to be delivered? And, thanks be to God, by the revelation of Jesus Cueist in the gospel, we are delivered from this dark and dismal state of doubt and dismay. It is our unspeakable blessing, my dear hearers, to know the gracious purpose of Almighty God, in permitting that mixed state of moral and natural evil which this present world presents to our notice. It is ours to know, that his power and providence stand engaged to make it work together for his glory and our good. It is ours to look up to him with reverence and love, as our reconciled father in Chkist Jesus. It is ours to know the propitiation which is always acceptable in his sight, even the blood of his only begotten Son, "which cleanseth from all sin." It is ours to know his will, and to have power to do it, through the grace given us in Christ Jesus. It is ours to look be- yond the grave, to a never-ending existence, in which the awful sanctions of religion shall be applied to the deeds done REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OP FAITH. liS in this body, by the righteous judgment of God, in the re- wards and punishments of eternity. And it is our high, privilege, my brethren in the Lord, by virtue of the victory given us over death, hell, and the grave, through the resur- rection of Christ, to look forward with humble yet joyful hope, with lively and assured faith, "to an inheritance incor- ruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away," reserved in heaven for us. These are the discoveries of the gospel, and of the gospel alone. These are the otherwise impossible discoveries, made to mankind by revelation, adapted to that destitute and help- less condition in which sin had sunk the world; from which it was surely most desirable to be delivered: and which God hath "commanded to be preached among all nations for the obedience, of faith." Which brings me to what was pro- posed as the third head of this discourse. III. Thirdly, I am to show, that the preaching of the word is the regular, appointed means for making known to the world the methods of God's grace in the salvation of sinners. To our habits of thought and action, my hearers, the pro- position stands in need of no proof: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," is the com- mission of the author of our religion to his ministers: But to impress upon you more deeply, the great importance of the appointment, and to point out the benefits which in every age of the world mankind have derived, and will yet derive, from a preached gospel, it will be necessary to consider more at large, the fitness of the means to the end. It is certainly not for us to say, by what various methods the wisdom and the power of Almighty God might have pro- vided for the spread of the gospel in the world. But this we may say, that unless by resorting once more to the al- ready abortive channel of tradition, or by the intervention of a perpetual miracle, the appointment he hath been pleased to make of public preacliiug of the gospel, is the wisest and best, because best adapted to the nature and condition of those for whom it is designed. For, had it pleased God, that this revelation of his will should have been made to all men, in every place and in every age of the world — to every generation of men, and to 14i REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITn. every individual in eacli generation — we cannot comprebend how this could be done, without involving a standing miracle: whicli circumstance, independent of tlie infringement it would be of tliat freedom vviiich alone constitutes us moral agents, must soon cease, from the very nature of things, to be miraculous to us; for to apprehensions such as ours, a perpetual miracle involves a contradiction. Besides, on the plan of a perpetually renewed revelation, "must Chbist often have suffered since the foundation of the world." On the other hand, had tradition again been resorted to for the spread, and continuance in tlie world, of the revelation made by the Son of God, all experience went to prove, that however high and holy tlie de])osit — however express tlie command, to transmit it down from generation to generation — it would speedily have been corrupted, and become as im- pure as the channel through which it flowed, as uncertain and inefficient as any other legend. But now, my bretliren, by a fixed revelation of his will, attested and verified with a precision which renders criminal the obstinacy that will not receive it as the truth of God; and by the appointment of public preaching of the word, by per- sons having his commission therefor; Goohatii graciously re- moved every difficulty, and wisely provided, that every gene- ration as it comes forward on the great theatre of life shall, in this respect, be equal — and that to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people that dwell on the face of the whole earth," the word of this salvation shall thus be sent, and all mankind be furnished with the high discoveries and holy hope of the gospel of Christ — that high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, as they all stand in the same rela- tion to God, may alike be partakers of the riches of his grace, and of the means and of the hope of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. But not only to make known the terms and conditions of the gospel for salvation to sinners, is the preaching of the word appointed; but to keep alive, also, the impressions of •livine grace, to convey and confer that grace in the sacra- ments of salvation, and to further and help — to instruct and ])uild up — the disciples of Christ, in the most holy faith, is the office and duty of those "who are put in trust with the REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. 145 gospel." As it also is, to call sinners to repentance, to warn the unruly, to reprove the disobedient, to rebuke the rebellious, to encourage the timid, to strengthen the feeble minded, and to comfort the mourner, "warning every man, (says the ajiostle,) and teaching every man, that we may pre- sent every man perfect, in Jesus Christ." With so high and holy a purpose, dependent on this pro- vision of the wisdom of God for our salvation, the interest we all have that it should be encouraged and promoted, is ex- actly equal to the consequences which are connected with it. And as these are infinite and eternal, most presumptuously do those ofiend against God, and sin against their own souls, who needlessly absent themselves from the public appoint- ments of religion, or attend U23on them without reverence. "When we consider, moreover, my friends, that "faith" itself "cometh by hearing," and that God hath specially promised the light and comfort of his Holt Spirit to the devout and reverent hearing of his word preached, it might serve to con- vince many, who are negligent in this respect, what a risk they run, of never "coming to the knowledge of the truth, that they may be saved;" and how foolish, and even impious, it is, to expect God's blessing, while they neglect the very means he has appointed for obtaining it. But let me not be misunderstood, as if I confined our duty, under the blessing of God's word, to the mere hearing of it preached. No, my brethren; what is preached according to "the mind of the Spmrr," must be retained and acted upon. !Nor yet, that I confine the influences of the Holy Spirit to the word preached. 1n''o, my hearers; reading the Scriptures, with meditation and prayer, is an excellent and fruitful means of grace. Neither our private nor our public religious du- ties, are substitutes the one for the other. When they go hand in hand together — when, like the Bereans of primitive times, we search the Scriptures to see whether what we hear preached is the truth of God, and as such receive it; then it is, that the full benefit of the gospel is most surely to be ex- pected, and is most generally found. . lY. Fourthly, as the discoveries of the gospel are of divine revelation, so is the preaching of the word and the adminis- [Vol. 1,— *10.] i4(> REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. tration of the gospel by a divine commission — "And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" On this point but little would be required to be said, were it not for the operation of tliose dissensions and divisions in Christianity, which by length of time, and the established habit of thought, and the power of prejudice, and the perti- nacity of party feeling, and, I may add, tlje apathy and in- diflerence of an unbelieving age, have fulfilled the predictions of the Author and Finisher of our faith, defaced the beauty and simplicity of the gospel, and cut the nerves of revealed religion. Yet, my hearers, in this, as in all other the appointments of heaven tor our good, God hath not left himself without witness, or placed his creatures under any necessity of erring from his way, or of defeating the comfort and assurance de- rived from the gospel^ by reason of uncertainty in the admin- istration of the word of his truth, and the means of his grace. By an undeniable appointment of the first preachers of the gospel, certainty and assurance were given to the first converts to Christianity, that their faith was not built on a cunningly devised fable, the contrivance of human wisdom, but on the power of God, certified to their senses by the mighty power of the Holt Ghost. On this foundation the Church of Christ was planted and built up; and on this foundation it must con- tinue to the end of the world, or cease to be the Church of the living God. For, while faith shall continue to be the essence of religion, it must be derived from the same source; while revelation shall continue to be the only ground of laith, it must be derived from the word of God; while the word of God shall continue supreme for the direction of man in his spiritual concerns, it must be certified to his senses, as the standard of all duty and of all hope; and, while it shall con- tinue to be preached to all nations for the obedience of faith, it must be accompanied with the same divine commission and authority by which it was verified at the beginning, as the truth of God, for man's salvation. Now as faith, consid- ered as a religious principle, is inseparable from divine ope- ration and divine warrant for what is believed, not only is the revelation itself, but all other ministrations connected with the religion thus established, dependent for certainty REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. 14:7 and effect on the same principle. As it is competent to uo man to declare the will of God without revelation, so neither is it competent for any to administer the affairs of Cheist's kingdom, "except he be sent" — that is, as the apostle evi- dently means, except he be duly authorized thereto: a con- clusion so clear and so reasonable, and at the same time so wise, and so profitable to creatures dependent on the use of means for spiritual attainment, as to create wonder that it should ever have been, or yet continue to be, overlooked and disregarded by Christian people. Hence is derived the importance of all the services here to be performed this day — the worship of God — his law pro- claimed — his word preached — his sacraments administered — and his commission transferred to an approved servant, pro- fessing to be moved by the Holt Ghost to take upon him this office and ministry, but outwardly commissioned for the assurance of tliose to whom he shall minister. What, my brethren and hearers, would they all be worth, separate from the divine authority, whereby they are certified as the ap- pointments of God for your salvation? "How shall they preach except they be sent?" Sucli, my brethren and friends, being "the gospel of the ever blessed God," which hath reached so far as even unto us, bringing with it the grand and profitable discovery of our wants, and of God's mercies — and such the appointment of his wisdom for continuing the knowledge of his will and the help of liis grace among men, by the ministry of the word; — what becomes us, who are so highly favored, and so richly provided for in our greatest interest? Shall it be a dead let- ter to us through neglect, or life and power unto salvation, through attention? This question it is your part to answer; and "I beseech you, by the mercies of God," to lay it near your heart. Every thing will depend on the temper and spirit with which you consider it. For the apostle tells us, that in the preaching of the gospel the ministers of Christ "are a savour of life, or a savour of death," according as "the word preached is mixed with faith in them that hear it." I have met you to-day, my brethren and hearers, in the sim- plicity of that gospel in which you stand, and have laid it before you, in its first lines, as it were. Shall I then be the 148 KEVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. savour of life, or of death, to you, or any of you? This also will depend greatly on yourselves; and I jDray to God, to help you to a right understanding of what may turn, perhaps, on the choice of this hour — even your future and eternal con- dition. The gospel is your salvation or condemnation, as you receive or reject it; you cannot escape from that fixed rule by which you must be judged and sentenced everlast- ingly. But a little while, my friends, and '4ie that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." He comes to take ac- count of his servants, according to what he hath committed unto each man's trust. At your hands he will demand an improvement of gospel light, gospel privileges, and gospel grace — and nothing short of improvement will answer. The unprofitable servant, remember, returned his lord's talent safe and uninjured; but was consigned to outer darkness be- cause he had not made an increase of it. "What then must be the portion of those, who not only have not improved, but have abused, wasted and dissipated, profaned and despised, this richest gift of God's love? And think me not your enemy, my friends, because I thus speak — No: God knoweth, that for your souls I would spend and be spent — and O that I had a tongue of fire, that I might consume every opposing thought, and bring every soul now before me, to know the gospel of Cheist to be "the power of God unto salvation!'^ Ton are here, my brethren, this day, in the house of God, and as the people of God. The everlasting gospel is pro- posed to you; and what hindereth, that yon should not close in with its most gracious oflTers? "All things are now ready; come to the marriaoje." O befrin not "with one consent to make excuse, and go away, one to his farm, another to his merchandize, and another" to his profession! For there is an awful threat in this very gospel, that those who make such excuses, shall not taste of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Oh! it is a fearful thought, my brethren and hearers, to re- flect on the heedlessness and inadvertence of redeemed sinners, under this rich provision of the love of God in Christ Jesus for their salvation! It is a heart-sinking prospect to behold the thousands of accountable immortals, who, Gallio like, "care for none of these things," but follow the carnal mind in its rejection of God, and preference of the world. Yet if REVELATION THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH. 149 we have hearts awakened for ourselves, they must feel for the sin deceived multitudes, who madly put away from them the words of eternal life. And what they thus feel, they must manifest; for there is no middle ground on which we can contemplate man in any moment of his existence, other than as in the favor, or under the curse of his Maker. This, my brethren of the clergy, is the anxious oppressive thought, which weighs down the spirit of the ministers of Christ, under the apathy and indifference wherewith the gos- pel is received. But "whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear — necessity is laid upon us; yea, woe be to us if we preach not the gospel." Arm yourself, therefore, my brother, who will this day be invested with Christ's com- mission to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments of the grace of Gtod. Arm yourself with a steadfast mind, fully and faithfully to administer the trust committed you. You have to go forth among this heedless and unconcerned race of fallen creatures. You have to rouse them from the lethargy of unbelief — to awaken them from the dream of mortality, and point their thoughts, their anxieties, their exertions, to the realities of another being — and to apply the sanctions of eternity to the pursuits and occupations of time. You pro- fess to be called of God to this great work. Believing this, we this day clothe you with Christ's commission, derived from his holy apostles, to "call sinners to repentance." Com- mending you to the grace of God, and exhorting you to "make full proof of the ministry," and to bear in mind that you have to account for immortal souls; we bid you God speed. And may he who hath the remainder of the Spirit, and who alone givetli the increase, be with you in your work, to the advancement of his glory, the good of his Church, the safety, honor, and welfare of his people. Now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost — the only living and true God — be all honor and glory, now and forever. A SERMON, PREACHED BEFORE THE BIBLE SOCIETY OF NORTH CAROLINA, On Sunday, December 12, 1824. PREFACE. In presenting the following discourse to the public, no other view is entertained, than that of enabling every person who chooses to pass upon the question, to have the question itself, and not the misrepresentations of either editors or ene- mies to found his judgment upon. That the view taken of the subject is novel, is, in one sense of the w^ord, true; in the more general meaning of that word, it is not true. It is novel or new, in that sense only, in which it is in opposition to the current in which the public mind has long been directed by the tenor of the public or pulpit instruction given to it. But it is not novel or new, as respects the fundamental and irrefragable principles of that religion, on w^hich the hope of man for hereafter is founded; nor yet is it novel or new, in the sense of being first presented by the author. Hundreds, whose names will never perish, have stood forth to stay the plague, and have in substance, though not perhaps in manner, advocated the same cause. If these publications have not reached this length, the greater the pity, and the greater the necessity that the thousands of im- mortal souls who live in trust of the integrity of their spirit- ual guides, should be informed and induced to examine for themselves. But this they will not do, so long as those to whom they naturally look up, are themselves the advocates of a specious but dangerous error. And when an erroneous principle has received the sanction of great names, and nu- merous associations, it is next to impossible to stem the tide of popular prejudice. Yet the obligation is not thereby les- sened on the part of those, whose exclusive duty it is to deal with divine truth — who in the emphatic language of Scrip- ture "are put in trust with tlie gospel." On this ground the author rests, for the defence of the 152 PEEFACE, course he has taken in the following discourse. He has long lamented the injurious tendency of the favorite principle of the Bible Societies in question. He thinks he has witnessed its dangerous, because irreligious, effect; and he took the op- portunity afforded by the Anniversary Sermon, to lay before this Bible Society, and all who should be present, what he believes to be a just view of the subject, without once reflect- ing on any collateral propriety. It has been attempted on former occasions, as well as on the present, to deny the interpretation given to the words "without note or comment." But that it is the only true in- terpretation — the only practical meaning of the phrase — is evident, from the unanimity with which all descriptions of Eeligionists adopt it; and even the enemies of Christianity subscribe to it. It leaves the field free for their respective emissaries to give their separate and opposite constructions to the one faitli of the gospel. Yet certain it is — Emperors, and Kings, and Princes, and nobles, and opposing religious denominations, amalgamated into Bible Societies, to the con- trary notwithstanding: — certain it is, there is but one saving interpretation of divine truth, one prescribed channel of hope, and means of grace, revealed to fallen man. That the interpretation of the words "without note or com- ment," adhered to by the author of the Sermon, is in deed and truth, that of the Societies themselves, he offers to sub- mit to the following test: Let any Bible Society, not an auxiliary — let the great mo- ther of all, the British and Foreign Bible Society — be con- vened, to decide on which of the various denominations of Christians sliall be authorized by them, as a body, to inter- pret the faith, and administer the sacraments of the gospel — yea, to present some single commentator as a safe guide to the ignorant and unlearned — and then see whether they can agree. If they can, or, if in the mind of a.j\y reasonable man there is the remotest probability of it — on the contrary, if it does not split them into shivers, — then i& the author wrong in the view he has taken of it. Otherwise, he must retain the meaning he has annexed to the talismanic words "with- out note or comment." Let the North Carolina Bible Society try it at their next general meeting, and thus prove or disr PKEFACE. 153 prove what this enemy to Bible Societies has had the temer- ity to call in question. This will refute the Sermon better than all the railings of men who vainly think that the truth of God is th^' creature of human opinion, and to take its cha- racter from the fluctuations of such a standard. If theirs is the truth of this controversy, let them meet this ordeal. Of the injurious effect of this principle upon religion at large, in lowering the importance of the Bible, lessening the reverence due to the sacraments of the gospel, and encour- aging the infidel notions exposed in the body of the Sermon, the author, unhappily, can desire no more striking proof, than the sentiments expressed in the first of that series of newspaper publications, which followed the delivery of the sermon.* As it seems to be the determination of many, who write and speak on this subject, to denounce the author as an ene- my to the distribution of the Scriptures, notwithstanding hia express declarations to the contrary, he thinks proper to re- peat, most solemnly, that the charge is wholly unfounded. He is opposed only to the erroneous and injurious principle, on which the greater number and most efficient, but not all, Bible Societies act: there being, both in Europe and Ameri- ca, Bible Societies, who are operating with zeal and effect, in disseminating the word of God to all who are in want, both Heathen and Christian, accompanied with the authority of God, and with the sacraments of consolation and assu- rance. And nothing but tlie poverty and depression of the Episcopal Church in this Diocese has prevented the attempt to unite her exertions with them, in so sacred a cause. Nor yet is the author opposed to the reading of the Scrip- tures without a commentator, as is falsely charged against him. On the contrary, he has many witnesses, how earnest- ly and repeatedly he presses the study of the word of God upon his hearers; and it is his invariable rule, when consulted *The following are the sentiments refeiTcd to. "Nor do we consider the diversity «f opinion among men on the subject of religion, as an evil to be lamented. All that is necessary to produce happiness under such circum- stances is, that men should think charitably of each other, and agree to differ, believing that every one who professes himself to be guided by the principles of the gospel, leads a good life, is sincere in his profession, and will here- after be approved by his Maker." 154 PREFACE. vvLat commentator to begin the reading of the Scriptures with, to answer, none; recommending to all, to be first well grounded in the Scriptures themselves, by reading, medita- tion, and prayer, when a sound and judicious commentator may be helpful; but previous to which, he will onl}-- lead the beginner into his own particular views, whatever these may be, so that, if he happens to be right, it is not understand- ingly — he may easily be shaken; if he happens to be wrong, h'e is fortified in error, and cannot readily be set right. It is due to the subject, and to the public also, to state, that the short compass of a sermon is inadequate to the full developement of the principle and its consequences. The author, therefore, confined himself to those objections which lie most level to every apprehension, and can be most readily understood and felt by every serious Christian. JOHX S. EAYENSCEOFT. Ealeigh, Dec. 24, 1824. A SERMON, BEFORE THE BIBLE SOCIETY OF NORTH CAROLINA. Acts vni. 30, 31. "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the Prophet Esaias; and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?" The circumstances which precede and follow the relation of this fact, in the history of our religion, for the details of which I refer you to the chapter itself, point out the connex- ion of my text with the more special purpose of this day. Favored as we are, ray brethren and hearers, with the word of life, with those "Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus," it would be a libel on our Christian name, were neither wish or effort manifested, to supply the manna of souls to the needy and the destitute. From this reproach, however, the Christian community has long been released; and, as if to atone for former remissness, seems now to be absorbed, as it were, in the one object of disseminating the Scriptures "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people under heaven." And what heart that circulates Christian blood, but must prompt both to approve and to aid a purpose so divine? What Christian, who has himself "tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," but must wish and pray, and, if consistent, strive to promote that blessed and promised period, "when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the great deep." That a purpose so glorious — a plan so beneficent — should have captivated the public mind, and rushed forward to its accomplishment, with an impetus which left far behind those more sober considerations, which alone can give effect and permanence to the good intended, is not to be wondered at, my hearers; for it is the very nature of high wrought i)uljlic feeling to outstrip reflection — it is of the essence of general 156 A SEEMON BEFOEE THE BIBLE SOCIETY as well as personal enthusiasm, that it cannot be trammelled with details. Of the Bible cause, therefore, it may be said, as was happily said of a similar excitement, (that which pro- duced the crusades for the recovery of the holy land,) "a nerve was touched of exquisite feeling, and it vibrated to the heart of Christendom." Nor yet is it to be wondered at, that the same cause should have produced a like oversight of those precautions, which are indispensable to the success of every moral efibrt. But it is not to excitement alone, that we are to ascribe the adoption of what is here considered an error, in the original principle of the most extensive Bible Society in the world, and recognized by the one I am now addressing, in the second article of its Constitution. To the unhappy di- visions in the Christian world must we, in great part, attribute the currency — I had almost said, the consecration, — of the dogma, "that the distribution of the Bible, without note or comment, is the only just principle on which to disseminate the Scriptures of our faith." This specious position, while it seemed to give to the word of God that pre-eminence which it challenges, as exclusively saving truth, and to leave, also, exclusively to the Spirit of God, which inspired them, the effect to be produced on the hearts and lives of those to whom it was sent, presented to Christians of every denomination, one point, where they could all meet. And as it recognized, what is considered, the leading Protestant principle, "that the Bible is the re- ligion of Protestants," less consideration than it deserved was given to the principle itself. Great and good men of every persuasion, sick of the dissensions which deform the fair face of Christianity, were glad to find one object, in the forwarding of which all could cordially unite — which promised the extension of blessings beyond all price — and in the mag- nificent issue of an evangelized world, held out the fulfilment of their daily prayer, "thy kingdom come." Under the influence of such feelings, the Bible itself was overlooked, in the clear directions v/hich may be drawn from it, as to the only safe and effectual manner of disseminating its saving knowledge: and a mark of reproach was fastened upon all who ventured to call in question the soundness of OF NOETH CAKOLIffA. 157 the favorite notion. Their sentiments are held in contempt, as narrow and bigoted. Their authorities and argmuents are met, not bj reason and Scripture, but by splendid details of Bible society extensions — by gorgeous declamation of Heathen nations furnished with the bread of lite — and by overwlielm- ing catalogues of the names enlisted, and the millions dis- bursed, for this despotic favorite. Yet, my brethren and hearers, the march of truth, though slow, is sure, and her victory certain. Examination of the subject has given a juster direction to the minds of many; and, though they cannot equal the numbers of those who follow the direction of the first impetus, they are sensible of a progressive accession of strength, and look forward with confidence to that j^eriod, when principles, equally impreg- nable with revelation itself, will be owned and acted upon; and to this they look with the greater confidence, because, though inconsiderately and injudiciously charged with being opposed to the spread of the Scriptures, the}^ yield to none in the sincere desire and earnest endeavor to place in every hand, and instill into every heart in this sin-struck world, "the saving knowledge of God, and of Jesus Chkist, whom he hath sent." In these prefatory remarks — very different, perhaps, from what you have heretofore been accustomed to on such an oc- casion — my object is, to present the subject to your thoughts in a connexion in which you have not been taught to view it. My wish and intention is, to lead you to the serious consideration of the purpose for which you are associated, for which your affections are enlisted, and your contributions expected; to compare the declared principle of your opera- tions, with the instrument jon have undertaken to wield; to estimate the means used, in connexion with the end pro- posed; and by the result of such an examination, to place your feelings under the control of your understandings, as the only safe principle of moral conduct. I might, indeed, my hearers, have taken the beaten track, with more ease to myself, and perhaps with greater satisfac- tion to many of you. It presents a wide field for affecting- declamation, a plenteous magazine of facts and figures to work upon the feelings — yea, a well furnished store house, 158 A SERMON BEFOEE THE BIBLE SOCIETY from which to draw materials to confirm the prejudices of an erroneous judgment. But such is not mj office — such is not the purpose wherefore I am "separated unto the gospel of God." a higher tribunal will pass upon the faithfulness of tliis da}^, both to you and to me. Under a j^resent sense, then, of the awful account we have mutually to give in, let us now speak and hear. "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me." From these words I propose to show, that the principle recognized and acted upon, by this and other Bible Societies, "that tlie Scriptures are exclusively sufficient for their own interpretation," is unfounded and dangerous, and, ultimately, subversive of all revealed religion. I. First, from the structure of the Scriptures themselves. The purpose of revelation being to bring to our knowledge things divine and spiritual, and which otherwise are entirely out of our reach, the language made use of must be appro- priate to the subject matter of the communication, and to our capacity of apprehension. And since there is an infinite disproportion between the things themselves and the caj^a- city of men, the use of figure or metaphor is resorted to, to convey this knowledge. Under the letter of Scripture, there- fore, is couched that spiritual meaning and application, which constitutes their value and importance to us as saving truth. Hence we find, that while the perceptive parts of revelation are plain and perspicuous, so as to be immediately appre- hended, those which are doctrinal partake of different degrees of clearness, according to the nature of the doctrine incul- cated; and those which are mysterious, are clothed, in an ob- scurity which even "the angels desire to look into." Yet they are all made the subject matter of our faith and obedience, my hearers, and operative, according to our diligence, in pre- paring us for still higher and brighter spiritual attainments. Unless, therefore, it can be made out, that the mysterious and obscure parts of revelation can be safely and truly inter- preted by those which are clear, (for that is the amount of the principle acted upon as fundamental, by the Bible Socie- OF NORTH CAEOLmA. 159 ties in question,) the very structure of tlie Scriptures shows the fallacy of the proposition. On this point, which is of great importance to a just view of the subject, and, I presume, new to many of you, the ob- servations of a prelate of high character for ability and piety, are so clear and convincing, that I shall lay them before you in his own words: "The principle (says the writer) of explaining those parts of Iioly Scripture which appear more obscure, by those which are manifest and clear, involves a very serious inconvenience. It is obvious that, in the sacred word, different degrees of clearness and obscurity can have arisen only from the vari- ous nature of the subject matter. In promulgating a design so vast, comprehensive and profound, as the design of Chris- tianity, what St. Paul terms "the deep things of God" must frequently come into view. In every enunciation of these great mysteries, an awful obscurity must unquestionably overhang the subject; still, however, all the instances may not be equally inaccessible: some may reward research, though others may baffle investigation. But if passages of obvious plainness are to limit the import of profounder passages, it is manifest that all profounder passages must be at least com- paratively, and in many cases totally, neglected. On the assumption that the profounder and the plainer language re- fer to the same subject, and express the same, or nearly the same idea, it would be difficult, perhaps, to defend the wis- dom, and sometimes even the humanity of the Holy Spirit, who indited the Scriptures; for why employ dark and doubt- ful sayings where obvious and familiar sayings would have answered every reasonable purpose? But the fact is far other- wise. Simple truths are simply expressed, majestic truths are clothed in appropriate majesty of language, and mysteri- ous truths are invested with that sacred veil which they alone may venture to penetrate who are at once illuminated by Christian grace, animated by Christian love, and regulated by Christian humility. Such spirits are invited, and expect- ed, to search out the wonders of God's word, no less than tiie works of his creation. But what an obstacle will be opposed to their researches, what a bar to their spiritual improve- ment, if the highest truths are to be measured by the lowest 160 A SERMON BEFOEE THE BIBLE SOCIETY Standard! If the depths are to be sounded with a plummet, which can scarcely reach the bottom of the shallows!" "But a still more serious consequence may be dreaded. The clearer passages of Scripture will, in general, be those which recognize principles deducible from nature and providence; and, by parity of reason, the obscurer passages will com- monly be those in which pure matter of revelation is pro- mulgated. If, therefore, it be adopted as the leading prin- ciple of interpretation, that the sense of this latter class of passages should be limited or settled by the sense of the former class, it may be reckoned upon, that through the con- tinual application of this rule the appropriate and peculiar truths of revelation will gradually be absorbed in mere natu- ral verities." "The question may now be asked, have not these consequences been actually realized? Is it not but too certain, that a diminishing scale of interpretation detracts from the fullness of Christian belief; and that where the less appropriate and peculiar parts of revelation are made the limits of all the rest, the system commonly terminates in Socinianism; perhaps in something, if jjossible, more re- moved from the semblance of Christianity?" Thus writes the present Bishop of Limerick, not on the subject of Bible Societies, but ujDon the principle which dis- tinguishes the British from the reformed continental Churches; and it is for the observation and experience of those who now hear me, to apply the reasoning, and to consider whether similar effects are not following to us, and whether, upon the whole, the reverence due to the Bible as the word of God, is not declining, under the operation of this unwise and un- warranted assumption? But it may be said, since the canon of Scripture is com- plete, and admitted by all to be in itself sufficient for every Christian purpose, what more can be needed? To this it is replied by a Christian father of the fifth century, "That, from the very depth of holy Scripture, all men cannot receive it in one and the same sense. One person interprets the divine oracle in one manner; another person in a manner totally different; insomuch, that from the same source, almost as many opinions may be elicited as there are men. Therefore, amidst so great perplexity of such various error, it is ex- OF NOETH CAEOLINA. 161 iremelj necessary that the line of prophetic and apostolic interpretation be regulated by the standard of ecclesiastical and catholic judgment." To close this head of my discourse, I would observe, that if the foregoing arguments needed any confirmation, it is to be found in the order pursued by the Divine Wisdom in making known his will to his creatures. Under each dis- pensation of his grace, the revelation made has been accom- panied by authorized and accredited interpreters and admin- istrators of spiritual tilings. In no case is the word of God disjoined from the Church of God — tlie grace of God from the sacraments of the Church — and the end proposed and promised, separated from the means provided and command- ed. All of which the present system keeps entirely out of view; and is, therefore, so far, at variance with the wisdom of God. II, Secondly, the fallacy of the principle will be further evidenced by the condition of man as a fallen creature. As such, his tendency has uniformly been to corrupt reve- lation — to bring it down to his own unholy standard. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." With difl&culty does he retain them even when received, and slowly do they grow and increase, under the most diligent instruction. What, then, are we reasonably to expect when he is deprived of these advantages, and thrown back upon himself, to search out the mystery of godliness from the un- aided word? What must be the result, but either total ne- glect, or as many and various systems of belief, as there are varieties of mental capacity? Unless, therefore, it can be shown that it is a matter of perfect indifference what system of religious opinions we draw from the Scriptures; and that we are equally safe, as regards another life, under an erroneous, as under a true in- terpretation of the word of life; the condition of man as a fallen creature, in connexion with the structure of the Scrip- tures, is yet further in opposition to the principle in question. For, as the apostle tells us, there is but "one faith," or sys- tem of saving truth, to all Christians; and when we further consider, that to man religion is a forced state, that is, not his natural state, the calculation is very wild, that he will [Vol. 1,— *ll.] 162 A SERMON BEFOEE THE BIBLE SOCIETY seek and find it in the naked knowledge of the facts and doctrines of the Scriptures. But, III, Thirdly, from tlie agency of the Holy Spieit in giving effect to the word of God, the principle under consideration is shown to be erroneous, dangerous, and eventually destruc- tive of all revealed relig-ion. No doctrine of Christianity is more fiirmly established, than that of the exclusive necessity of spiritual illumination to a right understanding and application of the Scriptures; and it is equally sure that the Holy Spirit is given to lead us into all needful truth. Is it thence to be assumed, how- ever, that the simple volume is necessarily accompanied by the Spirit of God, and that every impression made on the mind of the reader of that volume, is "the witness of the Spirit" to the truth and certainty of the interpretation he comes to? Have we any warrant, from what is revealed to us of the connexion of spiritual influence with the written word of God, to believe that such is the agency of the Holy Ghost upon uninspired men? Yet such is unavoidably the extent to which the favorite principle of this and other Bible Societies carries the essential doctrine of Spiritual influence. According to the principle, the Bible is to be exclusively interpreted from itself: according to the doctrine of tlie Scrip- tures, no saving knowledge and application of divine truth can be had, but by the operation of the Holy Ghost. It therefore follows, if the principle be true, that the effect pro- duced through the word of God read, must be received aa the immediate dictate of the Spirit by the person under its influence, and, indeed, by all others. This, it appears to me, is the unavoidable conclusion, as- suming the principle to be well founded. Whether it is in- tended to be carried this far, may reasonably be doubted; but whetlier intended or not, an awful responsibility is in- curred, by sanctioning so dangerous a position, on a subject of such vital interest, by such an imposing weight of charac- ter as Europe and America have leagued in its favor. With whatever intention, however, a more erroneous no- tion could not be suggested; for it goes the whole length of making every man's private imagination the test to him of saving truth, and sanctions the destructive, but prevailing. OF NORTH CAROLINA. 163 notion, that the discordant and opposite views of Christian faith and practice Avhich deform the gospel, have all alike the witness of the Spirit of God that they are the truths of God, and equally to be relied upon for salvation. But is such the doctrine of the religion we profess? Is the hope given to man, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, built upon so sandy a foundation? Are its fundamental doctrines, wise directions, and bright examples, of so vague and indetermi- nate a character as to give countenance to so broad a delu- sion? I ask Christian men — I ask men who stand forward as Christian teachers — I ask men who say they reverence the Bible, and wish to present it as the best of all gifts to their fellow-men; and I beseech them to meet the question, not under the influence of assaulted feeling — not under the cal- culation of party interests — but under the solemn influence of that account which we must all give in to God: in parti- cular, I intreat those who are capable of embracing the ar- gument in its extent — who are competent to try its tputh and soundness — to reflect, that they owe to others, not so gifted, the benefit of their counsel and examj^le; and that, however popular an error may be, it is not, therefore, the less, but the more, injurious, and demands the united efibrts of the wise and good to counteract its eflects. In the case before us, it appears to your preacher, that the best interests of pure and undefiled religion are at stake — that they are compromised on grounds most ditiicult to meet, because ostensibly fortified with zeal for the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. Yet there is a zeal without knowledge, which is to be guarded against, and the surest guard must forever be a close adhe- rence to that system of divine truth, and prescribed minis- trations, which God hath indissolubly joined together, for the assurance of faith to man in the hope of the gospel. Under the influence of this principle, I have taken the view of the subject now submitted, conscious that I throw myself in the face of high authority, of strong prejudice, and inconsiderate feeling. But what then? If this is never to be done, where is the stopping place for error to be found? And if the ministers of the sanctuary shrink from this duty, who else shall stand in the gap? On this, and on all other points, I hold and act upon the principle, that the temperate arraign- 164: A SERMON BEFOEE THE BIBLE SOCIETY ment of what we believe to be error at the bar of public opin- ion, is the truest friendship to those who entertain the error, and the only lawful means of defeating its influence. I speak not a word this day, my hearers, against the free and full distribution of the word of God. No, God forbid! I speak only against an unfounded and dangerous principle, which Bible Societies have adopted and consecrated, and declared unalterable, in the articles of their constitutiou. I speak not a word to repress your zeal and liberality in the cause of re- ligion; but, according to my poor ability, to give to that zeal a right direction, and to make that liberality fruitful and lasting in its effects; to preserve it from evaporating in hypo- thetical good; and to return it back into your own bosoms tenfold, in the happy fruits of sound knowledge and pure re- ligion, instilled and established in your own hearts, in the hearts of your children, your neighbors, your countrymen, and the world. This must all be done from the Bible. It is our only warrant — it is our only weapon. The Bible is alone sufficient to heal the divisions among Christians; but this surely never can come to pass, under the operation of a prin- ciple which sanctions division without limit, and consequent- ly ends in the subversion of all revealed religion. Nor can it be brought to pass, by carelessly casting out a dollar, or an hundred or a thousand of dollars, to aid in printing and cir- culating the Scriptures. No: to obtain this blessed end, the Bible must be imprinted upon our own hearts, and reprinted in our lives — its tj-pes must be set in the hearts of our chil- dren, and the same impression struck off, in each succeeding generation. There is no new version, no new edition, of the spirit of religion — "it is the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" and thus must its triumphs extend, from families to kindred, to country, to the universe. It is the order which God, "the only wise God," hath appointed; which he hath promised to bless: it is the order of all other events, under the control of his providence: and only by conforming there- to, can we entertain a reasonable hope of success. Let us not, then, depart from it, in the great concern of our own souls, and the souls of others, however specious the theory may seem. Let our liberality in the things of God be regu- lated by the terms of that trust-deed, whereby they are com- OF NOKTH CAKOLINA. 165 mitted to our stewardship; and our sense of its true meaning and interpretation be guided and directed by the universal consent of that body of holy men, who heard with their own ears the exposition of those to whom were committed the words of eternal life, by the Great Head of the Church. Then shall the Bible, indeed, speak "the mind of the Spirit" and the gospel be found "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." In conclusion, I recur to my text. It has been kept out of view — but not, I trust, out of remembrance — by the course of the argument. Its application, however, cannot be mis- taken. "Understandest thou what thou readest?" This is a ques- tion, m}' friends, which enters into the very essence of spirit- ual attainment from the Scriptures. Religion is, throughout, a reasonable service. Nothing connected with its hope, and its comfort, its assurance and its reward, is divested of this distinguishing feature. JSTor can these rightly be claimed or entertained, without rendering a reason for them. Suppose the Scriptures in the hands of one, of whom, to our shame as a Christian nation be it spoken, we have multitudes. He can read, perhaps; yet with such incoherence, that atten- tion is absorbed in mastering letters and syllables. AVhatto hiiu is the word of life? It is a task book — a work of labor — which, after a few efforts, he abandons. Suppose this done away — that he reads fluently, yet without intellectual cultivation: what can he gatlier, beyond the law written in his own and every other heart by the finger of God, except a mass of vague and undigested notions, equally at war with reason and religion? "Understandest thou what thou readest?" must ever bring from him, if he is an honest inquirer after truth, the answer of the Ethiopian — "How can I, except some man siiould guide me?" My Christian hearers, I think I have but to appeal to your own experience on this subject. With all your advantages, understand you what you read, in your daily application to tiie Scriptures? Are there no depths wljich you cannot fathom — no mysteries which you cannot penetrate — no connexions which you cannot make out? How, then, are those into whose hands they fall, in fact, as a revelation; and who are refused all guidance, but 166 A SERMON BEFORE THE BIBLE SOCIETY, &C. from the word itself — how are they to compass what is at- tainable "of the length, and breadth, and depth, and height, of God's rich redeeming love;" and trace the connexion and de- pendence of prophecy, promise, and fulfilment, as bound up with the hope of man; and in this boundless field of heaven's mercy, find "the strait and narrow way which leadeth unto life?" Does heaven warn us needlessly "that few there be which find it?" Are there no parallel paths marked out by the invention of men, which an uninstructed traveller may mistake for the King's high-way — the royal road, trodden by the King of kings himself, in faith and obedience, and marked with tlie assurance of a verifiable signature? Are there no cross roads and intricate divergencies, all professing to point to the City of Refuge, which are, nevertheless, un- marked and unverifiable, unless by a counterfeit signature; and, though much trodden, are yet, comparatively, but newly opened? Is there no need of a pilot — an instructer, a guide, through this labyrinth? Are we to turn loose the ignorant in Christian lands, and the Heathen in Pagan lands, to wander unguided through the mysteries of revelation — op- pressed by its discoveries — uncomforted by its ministrations — and deprived of those authorized guides and interpreters of his word, whom God hath bound to faithfulness at the peril of their own souls? No, my Christian- brethren, let us hear them calling unto us in the words of the Ethiopian in my text — '"How can I, except some man should guide me?'' and, with the word of God, send them the Church, and the ministers, and the, sacraments of God. Then shall the end and the means correspond, and the ravishing spectacle be presented to an admiring and adoring universe, of a redeemed world, furnished with the light of life, and made wise unto salvation, with one heart and one mouth ascribing "glory, honor, and dominion, unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever," A SERMON ON THE STUDY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. John t. 39. "Search the Scriptures." Much, ray brethren, depends upon the importance we at- tach to the Bible, and the unqualified dependence we place in it, as the infallible word of God. Much also depends upon the disposition with which, and the manner in which, we consult the divine oracles, to draw from them that "know- ledo^e which is able to make us wise unto salvation." That they are the well spring of life and hope to fallen man, and the infallible rule of his faith and practice to every Christian, is assented to by all. Yet that the Scriptures are so framed, that we ma}'- pervert them to support and defend almost any preconceived system of doctrine, is equally evident, from the actual condition of the Christian world. Hence the great importance of sound and correct views of divine truth, and of such information as shall render the duty enjoined in my text both pleasant and profitable, and guard you against the awful ruin of building your hope for hereafter upon perverted Scripture. And hence my duty, rendered more imperious by recent circumstances, to take up this subject for your edi- fication, and, as I humbly trust, for the edification of many, on a subject of vital interest to all, embarrassed by many specious, but fatal errors. I sliall therefore, in the First place, lay before yon some observations calculated to direct you to a safe and satisfactory compliance v/ith the Christian duty of searching the Scriptures. Secondly, I shall endeavor to obviate some prevailing and pojular errore on this fundamental subject. And then Conclude with some plain and practical inferences from the whole. And may the Spirit of truth preside over my meditations; and your attention. "Search the Scriptures." 168 ON THE STUDY Aim I. First, I am to lay before you some observations, calcis- lated to direct yon to a safe and satisfactory compliance with the Christian duty of searching the Scriptures. 1. As the Scriptures to which our blessed Lord- referred^ in giving this direction to those to whom the words were spoken, were the Scriptures of the Old Testament — that tes- timony of Jesus, which God was pleased to commit to the keeping of the Old Testament Church; — we are fully war- ranted in asserting the identity of the two dispensations, and in considering the New Testament as perfective of the old. This is a point of great importance, my brethren, to any ra- tional fulfilment of the duty enjoined in the text; inasmuch as by separating the two dispensations, we neutralize bothy and expose ourselves to every variety of deception which in- terested ingenuity can draw from a partial view of divine truth. To search the Scriptures, therefore, to any profitable purpose, we must begin with the foundation, and regularly go on to the finishing of the superstructure; and "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" — that is, a recorded purpose with its exact fulfilment — obtain that full conviction of the infallible truth and divine authority of revelation, which is indispensable to any thing worthy the name of rational assu- rance, in working out our everlasting salvation. For, as no- thing can induce us to commence this work but the full per- suasion, drawn from God's public message to the world by his only begotten Son, that God invites and commands us to it; so nothing can encourage to perseverence, amid the trials and disappointments of our condition, but an equally fixed reliance on the promised guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. From first to last, my brethren, "we walk by faith and not by sight." And faith, to deserve the name, and be- come a foundation for eternity, must, in its commencement, and throughout its whole progress, rest upon a divine and verifiable warrant — "Thus saith the Lord." 2. To search the Scriptures, however, does not mean sim- ply to read them, and acquaint ourselves with the facts and doctrines therein contained. Hundreds have done, and yet are doing this, without profit. The duty enjoined and under consideration, involves the careful examination and compar- ison, not only of the several parts with each other, but of INTEEPKETATION OF THE SCKIPTURES. 169 each part with the whole. This is evident, not only from the reason of the thing, and the general purpose of revelation, but also from the particular circumstances under which the words were spoken. The unbelieving Jews, having rejected the evidence of John the Baptist to the person and office of Jesus as the promised Messiah, and resisted the testimony of our Lord's own miraculous power in attestation of the same fact, are by him referred to their Scriptures. "Search the Scriptures," said he; "for in them ye think ye have eter- nal life, and they are they which testify of me." In which reference to the Scriptures, it must be clear that our Lord meant such a careful consideration and comparison of what was foretold by the prophets concerning the Messiah, with the events then fulfilling before their eyes, as must be suffi- cient for correcting their erroneous prejudices, and for pro- ducino; a rational conviction of the truth. Li like manner, my hearers, must we lay aside our prejudices, and with sin- cere and ready minds desire the whole truth, if we would search the Scriptures to advantage, and draw from them the bread of life. 3. Another consideration, my brethren and hearers, of the last importance to a safe and profitable fulfilment of this duty, is a just view of the unity of Scripture — that is, of the con- nexion and dependence of all the parts with and upon each other, and of the end and design of the communication, as a whole. Of this unity, I have no hesitation in asserting, that it is as complete as that of its glorious Author. "The Scrip- ture cannot be broken," says our blessed Lord, It cannot be taken to pieces, and made to subserve systems of conflict- ing doctrine and practice in the religious world. This must be evident to the slightest reflection, from its acknowledged purpose, as a standard — an infallible measure — of saving truth; which it never could be, were it allowable and safe to take a part here and a part there, in order to patch up the semblance of a support for those many inventions which pre- sumptuous men have sought out. As this is a cardinal point, my brethren, standing upon such undeniable grounds of authority and reason, th none can excusably be ignorant of it, or neglect it, I feel bound to press it upon your most serious attention and observance; 170 ON THE STUDY AND and this the rather, because it is beyond contradiction, that a broken Scripture is the root of those divisions which deface and defeat Christianity, and the prevailing snare in which tlie ignorant and unwary are taken captive "by the cunning craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive them;" and be- cause it is equally beyond dispute, that the carelessness or easiness of public opinion is yielding to the assertion of a contrary doctrine by those whose foundation can only be found in a partial or mutilated vnew of divine truth. In searching the Scriptures, therefore, their unity is never to be lost sight of; for it is this alone which can preserve ns from being led away by false doctrine, and seduced into the specious, but dangerous delusion, of marking out a plan of salvation for ourselves, at variance, in some of its features, with that which heaven has revealed and prescribed. From this sacred unity also, duly estimated and applied, we learn, that no conflicting or opposite doctrines can equally claim the warrant of God's holy word. If, therefore, we are at any time inclined to construe any part of the Scriptures in such wise as to conflict with any other part, or with its gen- eral import, we may be sure beforehand that such construc- tion is, to say the least, doubtful, and not to be relied upon as an article of the faith. Deep and mature examination is necessarj^ before we commit our souls on the truth and cer- tainty of a doctrine which has any thing opposed to it, in the letter of Scripture even — to say nothing of the general tenor and design of that blessed communication to sinners. All reasonings, however specious, must go for nought, if in their result the Scripture shall be broken, and the unity of its purpose and meaning be severed or perverted. Bearing in mind then, my brethren, these three essential rules, to-wit: the identity of the Old and New Testament dis- pensations; the careful comparison of the more obscure de- lineations of tlie gospel contained in the Law and the Prophets, with their fulfilment and completion in the person and doc- trine of Jesus Christ, and the teaching of his apostles, and the unity of Scripture in the connexion and dependence of all its parts as a whole; you will be furnished to fulfil the duties enjoined in my text with advantage: while at the same time, you will be guarded against the ruinous influence of a INTEEPKETATION OF THE SCEIPTUEES. 171 partial and unconnected view of divine truth, that fruitful source of all the divisions which deform Christianity, and which encourage and increase the infidelity of a "world that lieth in wickedness." Profitable, however, as these rules unquestionably are, and essential to any just and saving view of the word of life? there is yet one more of the deepest interest, and without attention to which, those before mentioned are neutraiized, if not defeated. And that is the rule of interpretation of Scripture, as the one standard of the one faith of the gospel. Now, my brethren and hearers, while it is indubitably cer- tain, that "holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation," as it is expressed in the sixth article of the Church; it is nevertheless equally certain, that uniformity of belief and practice among men — in other words. Christian unity — must depend upon the interpretation given to the Scriptures — upon the sense and application made of the doctrines and precepts therein revealed. It is, therefore, of the last importance to the very being of the Scriptures as the only standard of saving faith, as well as to the comfort of your own souls, that your minds should be grounded and settled on this point. To this end I shall give the rule, and then explain and enforce it by some plain and obvious examples. The rule then is, "That interpretation of Scripture is to be followed and relied upon as the true sense and meaning which has invariably been held and acted upon by the one Catholic and Apostolic Chui-ch of Christ." In explanation of this rule, it is to be borne in mind, my brethren, that while God hath fully and clearly revealed his will to us, yet he hath so done it as to form a part of our trial. While all things necessary to salvation are set forth in his word for onr learning. Scripture is nevertheless so con- structed, that "the unlearned and the unstable can wrest it to their own destruction;" and the word of the gospel is either "a savour of life or a savour of deatli," as we receive and ap- ply it. Now if this was the case in the apostolic age, as St. 172 ON THE STUDY AND Peter and St. Paul both declare that it was, much more is it possible, and to be expected, in these days of multiplied di- visions and latitudinarian departure from the faith: and, therefore, the more earnestly to be contended against by those who are "set for the defence of the gospel." If the inquiry then be, which of two or more conflicting doctrines or systems of religion be tlie right one, and to be received and relied upon as the truth of God? I answer, first, "How readest thou? "What saith the Scripture?" Is one of the doctrines or systems clearly revealed therein; or reasonably, without force and refinement, to be deduced from what is thus revealed? Is it free from opposition to the other doctrines and general design of revelation? If so, there need be no difficulty. The doctrine or system thus supported is to be received as true. But suppose the ingenuity of man's wisdom, in support of some favorite system, shall have thrown over the subject such a gloss of perverted Scripture and specious reasoning, as to render it difficult for a plain mind to disentangle the sophistry of the argument, and for a humble mind to resist the authority of great and learned names and numerous bo- dies of professing christians built upon this system: what then is the only standard to which we can have recourse? To this, I answer: the word of God, as received, believed, and acted upon universally, by the primitive church — that body of holy confessors and martyrs, who received the true interpretation of every doctrine from the lips of inspired and infallible men — who themselves kept the faith and order of the gospel, and committed it, pure and unadulterated, to faithful men, their successors in this mighty trust — who watched against every innovation, fearlessly denounced every heresy, and kept the Church, what it was constituted by its Almighty Head, and what it is called in the inspired volume, "the pillar and ground of the truth." And I hazard nothing, my friends, by asserting in the most unqualified terms, that this method of determining disputed doctrine must be admitted and acted upon as the only safe rule, or the Scriptures be abandoned as containing any prac- tical standard of faith. There is no medium, my brethren, between this standard and none. For, however desirable, IKTEEPEETATION OF THE SCEIPTUKES. 173 however necessary it may be to the comfort of those nuraer- ous bodies of professing christians, whose systems of doctrine are opposed to each other thougli drawn from the same Bi- ble, that the standard of faith should not be determined by this rule; yet certain it is — nor can the principle be contro- verted — that of opposite views of divine truth, one only can be the true one. From the nature of things, both cannot be right; and which of them is so, can no otherwise be deter- mined, than by comparing them with the standard, as above explained. As this is a point of great importance to you, my brethren, and indeed to all who hear me, I shall endeavor to illustrate it, by some examples of opposing doctrine. "Whether the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the unity of the Godhead, or the opponent doctrine of a unity not thus constituted, be the true interpretation of what is revealed to us concerning this point of the faith; evident must it be, from the very opposition of the terms, that both doctrines cannot be true, and equally safe to those who entertain them. "Whether the essential divinity of the man Christ Jesus, or his mere humanity, be the true doctrine of the Scriptures; certain it is, that one must be false, and false in such wise as to be fatal to those who hold it. "Whether the redemption wrought out for sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of Goo, be general, that is, for all mankind; or particular, that is, embracing only certain persons styled the elect; is a question of the true or false interpretation of Scripture, involving the very possibility of religion, as the highest duty of rational redeemed creatures. Yet one of those doctrines, with all that is built upon it, must be false and unfounded. "Whether the punishment of the impenitent and ungodly, in a future state, shall be eternal, or only for a limited dura- tion, issuing in universal salvation, is a question of Scripture well or ill interpreted, which involves the very essence of moral obligation from man to his Maker, and from man toman. Yet, my brethren and hearers, it is within your own obser- vation, that these opposing doctrines, with many others which I have not time to notice, are all held by diflFerent bodies of professing Christians, as the infallible truth of revelation — 174 ON THE STUDY AND who declare the most unqualified belief of their truth and certainty, and claim, without a blush, the witness of the Holy Ghost in their favor, from their success in making ^jroselytes. In like manner of those doctrines of revelation which re- late to the Church of God, as a means of grace and assurance to man, in working out his eternal salvation. Whether tlie Churcli of Cukist, which he "purchased with his own blood," is a divinely instituted, visible society, built on the same foundation, professing the same faith, and united in the same doctrine, discipline and worship; or a loose, un- connected medley of separate assemblies, the creatures of human presumption or convenience, holding opposite doc- trines, and inculcating opposite practices; is a vital question to the hope of man for hereafter, which depends on the inter- pretation of Scripture, and can be true only of one. Whether the ministry of the Church of Christ is by divine appointment, and of three orders; or of human convenience, and of one grade; is a question which meets the Christian at the very entrance of his course, and can only be settled by the word of God rightly understood, and cannot be true of both. Whether a divine and verifiable commission and authority is requisite, to give efiect to the sacraments of the gospel, as instituted means of grace; or whether they are equally valid and efficacious, by whomsoever administered; is an inquiry which enters into the continually recurring duties of the Christian, and involves his title to the covenanted mercies of God: one of which must be false. Yet these doctrines, you also know, my brethren, are vari- ously held, and even considered as secondary and unim- portant points, by numerous bodies in the Christian world. Yet surely they are a part of that revelation which God hath given us, and dependent for their truth or falsehood on the interpretation of his word! Now, let us suppose, for a moment, a plain, sincere person, truly desirous of the truth of God, but perplexed with these conflicting doctrines, of all of which he finds something said in tlie Bible, yet sees them differently held by the various religious denominations around him: how is he to find, among them, the rule of faith — that standard of belief and practice, which all, nevertheless, admit is to be found in the word of mTEEPEETATION OF THE SCEIPTUKES. 175 God? Is he to expect a miraculous direction of the Holy Ghost, as some most ignorantly and dangerously teach? Even under this direction, he is no nearer his object, for all claim the witness of the Spirit of God for their respective systems: but it is utterly impossible that all should have it, without admitting the horrid blasphemj^, that the Holy Ghost gives equal testimony to the truth of doctrines so op- posite, that both cannot be true. Is he, in this case, to have recom'se to the judgment of men? ' The difficulty still con- tinues. The men themselves are at variance, and one will deny what another affirms. Is he then to consider it a mat- ter of such entire indifference what system of belief he em- braces, that personal preference and convenience may de- termine his choice? This would be to reverse all certainty, in a matter of such moment: inasmuch, as it exalts human opinion in religion into a standard of the Scriptures, instead of bringing down human opinion to the word of God, as the only standard in matters of saving faith. What then, my hearers, is the only resort? To what quarter can he turn his perplexed mind, but to that cloud of Chris- tian witnesses who "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" — that is, to the primitive Church — as the best ex- positor of the obscure parts of Scripture — the sure and safest guide to the truth of conflicting doctrines and practices. But it may be said, this, after all, is an appeal to the judgment of men. In one sense, it is so. But to what sort of men? To men, who saw with their eyes the miracles which established the gospel; who heard with their ears the instructions of in- fallible guides; who spent their lives in the faith and order established in the Church by the apostles, and sealed the truth of that faith and order with their blood. Whether they are competent to decide, judge ye. Thus have I shown you, ray hearers, the importance and the application of the rule given for determining the true sense of Scripture, as the one only standard jof faith and obedience; and though the view taken has necessarily been brief, I think I can appeal to the understandings of all present, whether it is not both reasonable and effectual; and compe- tent, moreover, if duly observed, not only to preserve every 176 ON THE STDDT AND sincere person from departing from "the faith once commit- ted to the s. lints," but to . rre t the spreading mischief, and to awaken and bring back the multitudes who blindly and inconsiderately, but not excusably, have committed their souls to a security on which they would not risk their worldly interest. II. I come now, as was proposed in the second place, to obviate some prevailing and popular errors, on this funda- mental subject, 1. And first (because most extensive and injurious in its operation,) the principle acknowledged and acted upon by all anti-episcopal denominations, that "the scriptures are exclu- sively suflficient for their own interpretation." Now, my brethren and hearers, if these words have any practical mean- ing, it must be this: not that men nrnay draw from the Bible those directions which shall be sufficient to secure their sal- vation, if faithfully followed, but they loill do so. As this, however, must depend on the true or erroneous interpretation given to the Scriptures by each individual person, the prin- ciple itself is hereby shown to be, both theoretically and practically, unfounded. Of this, I conceive, there needs no other proof than the actual condition of the Christian world, with its hundreds of discordant and conflicting professions of faith and practice — all drawn from the same word of God — when contrasted with the spirit of Christianity, and with the alfecting prayer of the great head of the Church, at tlie close of his ministry upon earth — "that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one, in us." But were other proof required, it is easily found in those summaries of doctrine which many of those bodies who assert the principle have nevertheless provided, to instruct their respective members in what they conceive to be the true meaning of scripture; thus manifesting, either the insufficiency of the principle, or its dangerous tendency: and, beyond dispute, nothing but disunion and division, without limi^, can grow from such a root. 2. In support of this principle, and as a kind of corollary from it, it has come to be considered as the dictate and the duty of an enlightened charity to look upon all varieties of religious profession as right — that is, right in such a sense as INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 177 to be safe for salvation. And it is beyond denial, that wlio- ever attempts to expose the fallacy of this notion, lays him- self liable to the charge of bigotry and intolerance — not only from Christian denominations, but from infidel contenders for some share of the Christian name. 'Now, my brethren and hearers, as this is one of the most specious deceptions with which revealed religion has to contend — as it is fortified in its operation by an erroneous and modern view of the doc- trine of Christian charity — as it is rendered captivating, to the young and thoughtless, by being tricked off with the epithet oflibei'ality, and meets in the secret chambers of the heart something like the wish, that it could be so — I feel it my bounden duty, to arm you against its seducing influence, and to furnish you, and all who choose to profit by it, with such a short and convincing refutation, as can be met by no fiiir argument of reason, or authority of revealed religion. If all varieties of Christian profession are right, in the sense of being safe for salvation, then none are right — there is no such thing as revealed religion in the world — there is no assurance of faith — there is no comfort of hope, to man, for hereafter: and this I say upon the sure ground, that no power, not even omnipotence (with reverence be it spoken) can make contradictions to be the same tiling. If all are right in the above sense, the Scriptures cannot be an infallible standard of faith and duty. They only serve to give us in- formation, which every man is at liberty to use as he pleases; and from this the transition is easy, to the entire neglect of them. 3. But it is said — and it is relied upon by those who have a miserable interest in the prevalence, and establishment, of a misdirected judgment — that all the conflicting denomi- nations of Christian profession, nevertheless, hold the great fundamental doctrines of the Christian revelation, and differ only in non-essentials — as they venture to call them. But, my hearers, this is not the fact, as respects the funda- mental doctrines of the gospel; unless, indeed, actual, known, and published, opposition of professed belief, on some, if not all, of those doctrines, be to hold them as a common stock. Is the extent of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus — that is, whether it extends to all, or only a part of mankind — a [Vol. 1,— *12.] 178 ON THE STUDY AND fundamental doctrine of the Christian revelation? And can those who are opposed to each other on this point, be said, ■with any show of common sense, to hold the doctrine in common? ' Is the essential divinity, or the mere hmiianity, of our Redeemer, (considered as conclusive of the doctrine of the Trinity,) a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, or a non- essential? And can the opposite oj^inions upon this article of the faith, be said to hold it in common? Wiiy, where i& the resentment of the public understanding, at such a bare- faced insult to its power of discrimination? But it may be said, that the Unitarians stand alone, and incur the censure of all other denominations of professing Christians. But why so? Upon the principle, that Scrip- ture is exclusively sufficient for its own interpretation, and that all varieties of belief are equally right, that is, safe for salvation; 1 ask, and I wait the answer — What privilege has the Calvinist or Arminian, in the interpretation of Scripture, which is not equally due to the Unitarian or the Univei'salist? And thus, perhaps, may be seen and felt, iiow unfounded, and fallacious — how dangerous, and destructive of all revealed religion, such an erroneous principle must be. With respect to those points called non-essential, to which their diflerences are affirmed to be confined, there is a com- plete deception, either of themselves or of others; for it be- trays an unpardonable ignorance of the nature and design of religion, to assert that the only wise God, who doeth nothing in vain, hath revealed any thing to the faith and obedience of his creatures, which they are at liberty to treat as non- essential — that is, of no practical importance. But it is de- nounced as uncharitable and illiberal, to deny the soundness of such opinions; and many who doubt them, are deterred from following out their doubts, by reason of this popular notion. Yet sure I am, my brethren and hearers, that it is not Christian charity that is hereby wounded; for the charity of the gospel, properly understood, has no application to- opinions. It can have no fellowship with error in faith, or corruption of doctrine. In fact, it is bound to oppose them. It is to i:>er8ons only, especially to those laboring under the' fatal consequences of religious error^ that the beauty and efficacy of this divine grace can be manifested; whereas, the INTEEPEETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 179 modem notion of this doctrine is the reverse of this, instill- ing the persuasion that its right exercise regards opinions chiefly. But were this so, who does not see, that religious truth and error would be of no importance? It is, therefore, a perversion of the doctrine of Christian charity, and fatal to its very existence, as a Christian duty: its certain and only fruit being indifference, and not love. With respect to the illioeralitij of denouncing error, either in doctrine or practice — as the Scriptures know nothing of this word in such a connexion, nor yet of what is meant by it, so neither do I: I will, therefore, only say, that those are commonly most earnest in requiring liberality, who, whether they know it not, stand most in need of its exercise towards their own opinions on religious subjects. III. I might j^ursue this investigation, my brethren, to many other delusions of the same kind; but as time fails me, and they are all to be detected by the application of the prin- ciples laid down for your guidance in searching the Scrip- tures, I shall conclude with a few plain and practical in- ferences from what has been said. 1. If such be the effectual nature of the provision made for (.tur religious comfort and edification in the word of God, it must be our bounden duty to cleave to it with earnestness, aftection, and diligence. To remain wilfully ignorant of, or unaffected by, the mighty discoveries of revelation, betrays such a disregard of God, and our own souls — such a contempt of his promises and threatenings, and so great a preference of the world — as deserves to be given over to a reprobate mind; and, as this is threatened — has been inflicted — and is yet in operation, it should awaken and alarm all, who are conscious of this neglect, to escape from the snare, "before the things which make for their peace, are for ever hid from their eyes.'' 2. As the Scriptures are so constructed as to form a part of our trial; and offer and supply the treasures of divine wis- dom, in 2:)reference, to the humble, teachable, and desirous soul; it should be our constant care to acquire and retain this temper and habit of mind — carefully guarding against all prejudices, whether of natural disposition, or acquired incli- nation — ever ready to receive instruction from those who are qualified, or authorized, to impart it; yet not blindly and im- 180 ON THE STUDY, &C. plicitly, but with concurrence of tlie understanding, certified by obvious agreement with "the hiw and the testimony" of Scripture; that so, "the word being received into an honest and good heart," and nourished witli prayer for divine grace and direction, may "bring forth fruit with patience." For mysteries are yet revealed unto the meek, while, in the order of the divine wisdom, they are Md from those whom our Saviour styles "the wise and prudent." Lastly. As the holy Scriptures contain the standard, or only infallible rule, of faith and practice; our chief care should be, to be in all things conformed to this pattern: not, as the manner of some is, considering some parts more important than others; but wisely judging all to be of such vital con- sequence, that only as we are found in agreement therewith, can we take to ourselves the comfort and assurance of those jpromises^ which are then, and not otherwise, "yea and amen to us, in Christ Jesfs." "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, as ye are "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone," and are "made wise unto salvation," through the word of life furnished in the Scriptures; "therefore, be ye steadfast, unmoveable — not carried about by every wind of doctrine — always abounding in the work of the Lord; for as much as ye know, that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." To whose holy name be glory and praise, now and ever, world without end. Amen. A SERMON, PREACHED AT THE CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH, RALEIGH, N. C Sunday, December 20, 1829. 1 Kings vi. 11, 12, 13. "And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, 'Concerning this liouse which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statiites, and exe- cute my judgments, and keep all my commandments, to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.' " The connexion of the text with the purpose which we have met to accomplish, and the services in which we have been engaged, must be sufficiently obvious, I presume, to all ])resent; and the train of thought necessarily thereby sug- gested to every serious and well ordered mind, must lead to the solemn considerations which are connected with our re- ligious condition, as the provision and appointment of the most wise and merciful God, for the present and eternal good of his rational creation. The range is indeed a wide one, my brethren and hearers; too M'ide and extended to be fully fol- lowed out in the reasonable compass of a single discourse: yet, in the leading particulars which it suggests to our medita- tions, there will be found abundant matter for edification to all present; while there will not be wanting sufficient grounds of encouragement and satisfaction to those who have devoted their time and their substance to j)rovide this appropriate ac- commodation for the public worship of Almighty God. "And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, 'Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all ray commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And 182 A SERMON, PEE ACHED AT THE CONSECKATION I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.' " The reflections suggested by this passage of Scripture, and by the context in connexion with the present occasion, point to three subjects of general edification, which I shall present in their order; and then conclude with an application of the whole. I. First, the subject of religion in general is necessarily presented to our consideration, by the particular circumstance to which the text refers. On this subject, it is all important, ray brethren and hearers, that we entertain just views; a mistake, either as to its nature, .its derivation, or its application to moral condition, must be attended with danger, and can only lead to some false and spurious exhibition of an unfounded hope. Yet on no other subject, j)erhaps, with which men engage, is there less pre- vious thought bestowed, even by serious persons; and, as a natural consequence, upon no other is there so great a variety, both of opinion and practice. If, then, it be inquired, "What is religion?*' the answer is ready. That it is the cultivation of the divine nature and image, impressed upon moral beings at their creation. It is the rendering to the glorious and underived Author of all being the homage of the affections, the conformity of the will, and the obedience of the conduct, singly and unceasingly. This is religion as exhibited before the throne of God, by those pure and holy beings who have never swerved from the love of their Creator. This is religion, as enjoyed and prac- tised by our first parents, before their apostacy from God, and will be that of their posterity, when, purified from the corruption of their nature, and recovered to holiness by the grace of the gospel, they shall be restored to the bright in- heritance forfeited by sin. But such is not, cannot be, the religion of sinners. A religion calculated for fallen, de- praved, and corrupt creatures, alienated from God, must be suitable to their condition, commensurate with their powers of moral improvement, and calculated to try and to prove the sincerity and strength of their faith. Faith, as a moral virtue, as a religious duty, is unknown to the religion of heaven. But on earth, it is the foundation on which the en- OF CHEIST CHUECH, RAJLEIGIl. ISS tire superstructure is built up, and without which the whole aim, purpose, and design of religion is defeated, and its at- tainments rendered impossible. The religion of heaven is neither derived from revelation, nor enforced by command, nor produced with effort, nor assisted by sacraments as means of grace, nor encumbered with ministers and places, and times and seasons for the performance of its holy duties. I^o, my brethren; the love of God is the unmixed element of their being, and its exhibition in adoration and praise, the spontane- ous offering, the overflowing of the ravished spirit, the unceas- ing and happy employment of those pure and uncontaminated spirits who dwell for ever in the presence of God, and derive from the unveiled brigh'tness of the heavenly glory, continual increase of love, and joy, and ]D€ace, and blessedness unspeak- able; whereas the religion of redeemed sinners is a prescribed and limited institution, with ritual observances, and outward and visible ordinances in the hands of an appointed ministry; all derived from express revelation — authorized by divine appointment — enforced by positive command — attainable only through the painful efforts of watclifulness, self-denial, and mortiiication of the natural inclinations — and after all, prompted and wrought out in the desire, and enlightened and assisted in the endeavor, of the fallen creature, by the divine grace of a divine Saviour, as the source and spring of *'all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works." In our estimate of religion, therefore, to confound what is peculiar to our condition as a state of trial and moral im- provement, with what belongs to the same thing, under op- posite circumstances; and thence to decry, undervalue, and cast away ritual observances and positive institutions as weak and beggarly elements, unworthy of our care and observance; is to make shipwreck of the faith, and, in the unbridled license of a heated imagination, to surrender the soul to the deceits of an inexplicable mysticism, or to the equally dangerous de- lusions of an entliusiastic and unbalanced mind. AYhile, on the otlier hand, to be wise above what is written, in depart- ing from the revealed appointments and commanded duties of the wisdom of God for the attainment of eternal salvation^ is to vacate revelation as the foundation of faith, and to incur the awful risk of being surrendered to that strong delusion 184 A SERMON, PREACHED AT THE COKSECRATION which God threatens to send upon those "who receive not the love of the trntli that they might be saved." Yet all wisli to be saved — yea, we may say with truth, that all li(ype to be saved — that there is not one in this con- gregation — no, iiot one, even in the wide range where the Christian revelation is known, or in the still wider range, where "darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people" — who does not hope, on some principle, true or false, that another state of being will place him in unchangeable enjoyment. For, my hearers, in the very elements of his nature, man is a religious being; and though fallen, degraded, and blinded, and, over the greater part of this poor world, alike ignorant of God and of himsQlf, yet claims relation- ship with eternity, and intuitively seeks to propitiate and appease the unknown God, whom he fears, but cannot love. And it is well worthy of your serious notice, my friends, that man never has been found in the circumference of this world, so devoid of intellect, and degraded in condition, as to be divested of all religious impression. Yea, more than this — he hath no where been found collected into a community,, without exhibiting the shadow of that substance contained in the revelation we are favored with. The temple, the priest^ the altar, and the victim, of the grossest and most disgusting; superstition, set the seal of universal humanity to the funda- mental truth that sinners can approach God acceptably only through a representative, and be cleansed from guilt no otherwise than by an atonement of blood, wasliiug away the defilement of sin. To a, testimony thus universal, in favor of religion, we re- fer, on the present occasion, as calculated, in the judgment of your preacher, to an-est the prevailing disposition of the present day to strip the religion of the gospel of its peculiar distinctions and external rites, to divest them of the sacred character of divine appointments, equally bound upon our observance with the body of revealed doctrine, and to reduce the Christian system to the nakedness of an abstraction which may safely be modified according to the convenience or the caprice of individual inclination. That the influence of som©, such mistaken principle is at work in the world is rendered! certain, not only by the existence of those divisions which OF CHRIST CHUKCH, EALEIGH. 185 deform the beautj, and destroy the unity of the gospel, but still more by the indifference and disregard manifested by the great majority of our population to any mode or form, under which it has been attempted to render Christianity more palatable to the pride and prejudice of a depraved na- ture. That this exists to an alarming degree, in all Christian lands, cannot justly be questioned; and to account for it, we must resort either to absolute infidelity, or to indifference, on the grounds just mentioned. And the consciences of all present, who are, unhappily for themselves and for their country, unconnected with the gospel, can best witness to which of these two causes their disregard of God's gracious and only provision for the salvation of sinners is to be refer- red. For it is not my province to judge, my hearers; but it is strictly so to give you grounds on which to examine and judge yourselves. Of absolute infidelity — that is, of actual rejection of reve- lation — none present, I trust, stand convicted to themselves. On the contrarv , I am almost sure, that belief of the Scriptures, as a revelation from God for the good of mankind, would be the serious confession of all who hear me. To the delusion, then, that the great purj)ose of the gospel, in their eternal salvation, can be answered without the external profession, the practice, the fellowship, and the sacraments of religion, must this neglect be referred. Otherwise, rational beings must be convicted of the desperate folly of deliberately choos- ing and following out their own perdition. Yet, my dear friends and fellow sinners, what but per- dition of soul and body in hell, must be the consequence to those who, under the "grace and truth which came by Jesus Cheist," pass their short and uncertain period of probation and improvement for eternity unconnected with the require- ments of the gospel, and regardless of the conditions on which alone the mercy of God is tendered to a world of sinners? Kemember, I beseech you, in the first place, "that God hath no need of the sinful man;" therefore, salvation is wholly of grace. "Of his mercy he saved us by the washing of regen- eration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." In the second place, remember that "God now commandeth all men, every where, to repent and believe the gospel;" because "he hath 186 A SEEMON, PREACHED AT THE CONSECRATION appointed a clay in tlie which he will judge the world in righteousness." And in the third place, bear in mind, that "except a man be born again," except he be "born of water and of the Spirit," and do "eat the flesh and drink the blood" of the divine Saviour, in the sacraments of his death and resurrection, this salvation is unattainable. And most ear- nestly and affectionately are we cautioned by the Holy Spirit, in the word of God, not to be wise in our own conceits — not to listen to the self-righteous pride of our corrupt hearts, tempting us to hew out cisterns of salvation for ourselves, and by departing from prescribed conditions, to cast away from our hope the precious promises of God, ratified in the blood of Christ. II. Secondly, from this passage of Scripture, in connexion with the building of the temple at Jerusalem, we are led to inquire into the design and obligation of ritual and cere- monial appointments in religion. I think it must be admitted, my brethren and friends, that in the degree in which the circumstantials of any positive in- stitution are respected, will the institution itself be esteemed, or lightly regarded. The inquiry, therefore, I trust, will not be without its use, as a subject of general edification on the great concern which I wish to impress upon your consciences this day. It is very true, that though religion is in itself prior to, and independent of, all ritual appointments, and external accom- modations — yet, never in this world has it been presented to mankind abstracted from outward and visible observances, as a part, and an essential part too, of every dispensation re- vealed to the faith and obedience of redeemed man. The patriarchal, the Jewish, and the Christian dispensations, of "grace given us, in Christ Jesus, before the world began," had, and have, each of them, peculiar rites and positive in- stitutions, which, under some variety of modification, have continued integral parts of each succeeding dispensation of revealed religion; and as their origin was the same, so was the purpose they were intended to answer, in the economy of divine grace. In their origin they come from God; they are of his ap- pointment; and only as such can they be the objects of faith OF CHBIST CHUKCH, EALEIGH. 187 to rational beings, or be required of them as religious duties. Their obligation, therefore, is supreme, and binds every soul under the particular dispensation to a faithful observance of what is thus appointed. Of this, we have a very instructive example given us in the earliest record of the worship of his Creator enjoined upon fallen man. The rite of sacrifice, be- ing the chief external observance of the patriarchal religion, and the animal and the manner of the offering being expressly designated, a departure on the part of Cain, the first-born from Adam, from what the Almighty had prescribed for his observance, was visited by rejection of his unbidden offering — jjresenting an awful warning to will worshippers of every age, and a most pointed condemnation of those many inven- tions of men, wherewith the gospel is both disfigured and impeded. The positive institutions, common to every dispensation of revealed religion, are five in number — viz: The day of rest, or Sabbath, or Lord's day; as it has successively been called, in commemoration of the finishing of the works of creation; marriage, or the union of one man and one woman in holy matrimony; the rite of sacrifice; the priestly office, to minister in holy things; and the temple, or place set apart for the public offices of religion. And by considering the design or purpose of Almighty God in the appointment of the three last mentioned, as more directl}^ connected with the subject, we shall more clearly understand their obligation for our observance. 1. And first, of the rite of sacrifice as a divine institution. Now this was evidently, in the first place, to show to the sinner the utter hopelessness of his condition, from any thing in himself, — that he had become unworthy to approach God, even as a worshipper. And that, as his own life was for- feited to the divine justice, by his disobedience, he could never henceforward be heard or accepted, but through a di- vine Mediator. In the second place, the appointment of an animal slain by the shedding of its blood, was intended to keep alive among mankind the knowledge and effect of the first and most gracious promise made to fallen man: that in the fullness of time the seed of the woman should overcome the enemy 188 A SERMON, PEEAOHED AT THE CONSECBATION of the human race, deliver mankind from the power and do- minion of sin, and by offering an adequate atonement to the offended justice of God, restore them to his favor, and recover for them the bright inheritance which was forfeited by sin. And, in the third place, to furnish a visible channel or means of divine grace, through which only can fallen, spirit- ually dead creatures, be regenerated; that is, restored to moral competency, and rendered capable of religious attainments. This is a design, my brethren and hearers, which, while the world shall continue to be peopled with successive gene- rations of sinners, must needs be continued in operation; and only as it is truly realized, and heartily embraced and fol- lowed out, can those successive generations escape from the curse and condemnation which rest upon unbelief, with the superadded guilt of rejected salvation. 2. Secondly — Of the priestly office. To minister in holy things, and especially to serve at the altar, offering gifts and sacrifices to God for man, is the na- tural right of no sinful mortal. It must be conferred by the Almighty, and be certified to be so conferred, not only to avoid presumptuous sin on the part of the offender, but to give certainiy and effect to those outward and visible reli- gious ordinances, which by the appointment of God, have an inward and spiritual grace annexed to their due administra- tion and reception. From the beginning, therefore, it has been so ordered, that "no man taketh this honor unto him- self." Under the patriarchal period, the priestly office was the privilege of the first-born son. Under the Jewish econ- omy, a particular tribe, that of Levi, was set apart by divine direction for the service of religion generally; and in that tribe a particular family, that of Aaron, was specially select- ed for the succession to the highest grade of the priesthood, as then modified. And under the Christian dispensation, the Author and finisher of our faith selected the twelve apos- tles, who were eye witnesses of his resurrection and ascension into heaven, as the visible and verifiable root from which the succession of the Christian priesthood should be derived, to the end of the world. When, therefore, we consider the in- separable connexion betwixt a sacrifice or a sacrament, as divine institutions, and a priest or divinely authorized per- OF CHKIST CHURCH, EALEIGH. 189 son, to offer them to God on the part of others; when we re- flect on the signal manner in which the contempt of this high distinction — as in the case of Esau — or the invasion of its sa- cred rights — as in the case of Corah and his company in the wilderness, and of king Uzziah, who was smitten with lepro- sy because he attempted to burn incense upon the altar — was vindicated; the obligation to reverence the oflice, and to jDrofit by this provision of the wisdom of God for the regular and effectual administration and participation of the sacra- ments of the gospel, must be understood and felt by every serious jDcrson. It has indeed been contended, that the jjriestly oflice ceased with the Jewish dispensation; and that, as there are no longer proper sacrifices to be offered up to God, the min- isterial oflice under the gospel is not a proper priesthood — not to be estimated according to what was particular to it under the law. Into this question I enter not on the present occasion, fur- ther than to observe, that the assertion itself, and the argu- ment constructed for its support, are derived from the neces- sity of those who, in comparatively modern times, have as- sumed the ministerial oflice without due warrant and author- ity: and that the whole is founded on the erroneous notion that the priestly character is confined to the acts of sacrificing and offering the victim; whereas, in truth, the priestly cha- racter is derived altogether from its being a representative oflice, instituted to administer the things of God to and with men; dependent wholly on the mediatorial scheme of reli- gion, to continue until that scheme shall be completed, and of the same sacredness and obligation, whether the sacrifice offered be proper, as of a slain animal, or symbolical, as in the eucharist. Every priest, lawfully called and set apart to his holy office, from the first-born under the patriarchal dispensation, to the apostolic succession of the present day, has been, and was intended to be, a representative of our great High Priest, the man Chkist Jesus. The material sa- crifices of slain beasts, and purification by the sprinkling of actual blood, have indeed been abrogated by the offering up of the body of Christ, once for aU. But the representative sacrifice of his death, and of the purification of his atoning 190 A SEEMON, PREACHED AT TUE CONSECRATION blood, still continue to be administered in the sacraments of the Church; and derive their whole benefit to ns as instituted means of grace — receive their true character as sacraments — from the authoritj^ to consecrate and administer them as divine appointments. God hath indeed most wonderfully provided Himself and us with a Lamb for a burnt oifering. This "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world," the worthy Chris- ^tian communicant discerns by faith, as slain for him, in the sacrifice of the cross. By faith he offers this to God, through the appointed channel of the Christian priesthood, as the substitute for his own forfeited life, a spiritual sacrifice, ac- ceptable to God; and partaking of the bread of life, by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the great sin offering, un- der the appointed symbols of consecrated bread and wine, he derives therefrom the strength and consolation which faitli imparts to the soul, and that measure of divine grace which enables him to hold fast his profession without waver- ing, and to "press towards the mark for the j)rize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 3. Thirdly — Of the temple, or place solemnly set apart for the public offices of religion. That proper accommodations for the performance of the public duties of religion are indispensable to a visible society of professing believers, we are taught, my brethren, not only by the precepts and example of former dispensations, but by the reason of the thing. As we are commanded "not to for- sake the assembling of ourselves together," there must be a suitable place-to assemble at. And as the Christian sacrifice of the Eucharist is continually to be offered, "until our Lord shall come again," there must be an altar and a priesthood for the sacred purpose. In the infancy of the world, indeed, and before it became expedient to institute the Church as a visible society, every family, every particular household, pos- sessed an altar, and a priesthood thereat to serve, in the per- son of the head of the family or of the first-born son. But when the corruption of religion, the increase of idolatry and wick- edness, and the approach of the appointed time for the fulfil- ment of the original promise, rendered it necessary to select a particular family from which the Messiah should spring; the OF CHKIST CHUECH, EALEIGH. l&l Chiircli, in its distinctive and particular cliaracter, was called into being, and constituted tlie sole depository of the revealed will, prescribed worship, precious promises, and enlivening* presence of their God and Saviour. And when, in process of time, the increase of their number and their deliverance from Eg'jptian bondage, rendered a place of public assembly for the performance of their religious services necessary, God was pleased to command the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and afterwards, of the temple at Jerusalem, as habitations for his holy name; as places to receive the offer- ings of his worshipper, and to dispense his blessings to his people, through the divinely appointed office of the priest- hood: as he also was pleased to manifest his acceptance of the buildings, by a visible display of his glory at their respective dedications. In like manner, when our blessed Loed had purchased to himself a kingdom, by finishing the work which his Father had given him to do, he founded his Church, his mystical body, and sent forth his servants, the apostles, to teach all nations — to proclaim the glad tidings of a reconciled God, of the pardon of sin, and of eternal life through faith in his name; and to receive into his Church by baptism all who should embrace their doctrine. These, his faithful servants, accordingly went forth and preached every where; "God, also, bearing them witness, both in signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost,, according to his own will; — so that believers were the more added to the Church." And as their numbers increased, and the cir- cumstances of the times permitted, they^ too, erected places- of worship, and solemnly dedicated them to the service of Almighty God. It is true, we read of no miracles indicating the acceptance of their houses of prayer, on the part of Al- mighty God; neither have we any certain information of fixed places for the performance of Christian worship, during the period that miracles were ■\vrought in confirmation of the gos- pel. While exposed to the persecuting Heathen power. Christians were obliged to meet secretly and as they could^ for the performance of their sacred solemnities. Yet, whether in private houses, in the recesses of some forest, or in the concealment of some cavern of the earth, they were still the 193 A SERMON, TEEACHED AT THE CONSECRATION Cliurcli, the peculium of God; and wlietlier in Rome or Jeru- salem, in Greece or in l^gvpt, in Asia or in Africa, they col- lectively formed that one visible body, of which Christ is the Supreme Head and Almighty Saviour; of which every national Church, derived from the apostles of Christ, is a branch, and every particular congregation a member; against which no weapon formed shall prosper; against which the gates of hell shall not prevail; and with which Christ hath pro- mised to ho. 2^'^'^sent^ by his Spirit, "to the end of the world." Such, my brethren and hearers, is the gracious and merci- ful provision which the wisdom of God hath made in the ex- ternal and positive institutions of religion, for the furtherance and help of our faith. A Church, a ministry, and sacra- ments, are indispensable to the religious condition of fallen, sinful beings, reprieved from condemnation, and placed in the hand of a Divine Mediator for recovery and salvation. The whole economy of grace, therefore, is so constructed as to keep before their eyes, in the boldest relief, this master- principle of encouragement, exertion, and success; and with a design so gracious, a provision so excellent, and an obliga- tion so commanding, it is deeply to be lamented that so few, comparatively, are drawn by these cords of love to the Father of Mercies, for that eternal life which is in his only begotten Son — that under the light of the gospel multitudes of ac- countable immortals pass through their day of trial and grace without opening their eyes to the light — and, that under the preaching of the gospel, still greater numl3ers resist the con- victions of divine truth, and say to their consciences, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." III. In the third and last place — From this passage of Scripture we have confirmed in a very striking manner the reasonable and unchangeable conditions on which alone the promises of God can be attained by us. The conditions are, la full, unreserved, and sincere obedience to the revealed will of God — a thankful reception of his offered mercy, through our Lord Jesus Christ; and a diligent cultivation of the means of grace, for the attainment of that "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." "And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, Con- OF CHKIST CHURCH, KALEIGH. 193 cerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments, to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people, Israel." These are the conditions on which, to you also, my friends and hearers, as to Israel of old, the promises of God are sus- pended; and you must fulfil the conditions, on your part, otherwise you forfeit the glorious reward held out to your hopes. Revealed religion, remember, is a matter of strict covenant engagement, and to every baptized person is strictly a personal contract. In this contract you have solemnly en- gaged, on your part, to "renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh;" and "'diligently to keep God's holy command- ments:" and on his part, your Heavenly Father hath engaged to give you the assistance of his Holy Spirit, to enable you to perform your engagement; and to reward your faith and obedience with eternal life. To expect it, therefore, on any other conditions, is the grievous folly of expecting to reap where you have not sowed, and to be transferred to a situ- ation for which you have made no preparation. That the promises of God are conditioned on our faithful- ness to the baptismal engagements, is an awakening thought at all times: and particularly so on the present occasion, my brethren of the Church, when the cloud which has so long hovered over your prospects appears to be withdrawn, and the promise of a brighter day to be dawning around you. Almost against hope, and through various disappointments, the zeal and liberality of a few praiseworthy individuals have succeeded in erecting a commodious and respectable build- ing, in which to worship the God of your fathers and to par- ticipate in those sacred ordinances which are the divinely appointed channels of grace to your souls. This building you have surrendered to God, and called upon me, in virtue of mine office, to consecrate and set it apart, exclusively, to the worship and service of his holy name. This duty I have performed this day, before many witnesses, and before God the Judge of all. I have laid before you the nature of your religion — the design and obligation of the positive institu- 19^4: A SERMON, PREACHED AT THE CONSECBATION" tions connected with it — and the conditions on which alone can this or any other religious advantage be truly profitable to you. Before these witnesses, then, and before that heart- searching Eye, which now looks down upon us, I charge you. to bear in mind and faithfully to fulfil the conditions on which only will his promised blessings continue with you. Bear in mind, my brethren, that this house is now separated. from all unhallowed and common uses. Be diligent there- fore, to discharge from youi' hearts the unhallowed love of the world, and from your lives the too, too frequent con- formity with its vain and vicious practices; lest by your irreverent coming into his presence, you protkne that which is now "holiness unto the Lord." "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God," says the wise preacher and king of Israel to his people. That is, prepare for the solemn ser- vice of God, by searching your hearts, and trying your spirits^ and examining your lives, in the retirement of your private devotions. This will preserve you from "ofiering the sacri- fice of fools" in a mere unmeaning lip service — will enable and prepare you to pray with the understanding for the re- lief of particular wants, and with the fervency of spirit for general blessings. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean things and I will receive you; and I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." And thus preached the inspired apostle St. Paul, to the fashional>le Christians of the dissolute city of Corinth. From his Epistles to them, it would appear that they were fond of the shows and feasts made in the idolatrous temples; of the exhibitions and games presented in the amphitheatre and circus; and of the other vanities in which wealth, idleness, and irreligion, sport away the burden of their superfluity. But such, St. Paul well knew, "was not the spot of God's/ children;" and to reclaim them from this vicious and ruinous conformity to the world, he showed them, by ai'guments of reason, how every way inconsistent such conduct was with their holy profession. "What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" And to stir them up to higher and better things, he sets before OF OHEIST CHCTRCH, EALEIGH. 195 them the promises of God, and reminds them of the high privileges thej were entitled to as his adopted children. And the same precious promises, and the same exalted privileges, are yours, my brethren; but on the same conditions of dis- tinct separation from the vanity and ungodliness of the times. Therefore, my beloved brethren, "touch not, taste not, handle not;" but "come out" from among the votaries of the world, "and be separate;" as in profession, so likewise in practice. Study to "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things," keeping ever before you "the hope of your high calling," and the unchangeable conditions on which only "the promises of God are Yea and Amen to us, in Christ Jesus." I come now to apply what has been said. If I have not failed altogether in my object, I cannot but hope that the attention with which I have been favored, must already have suggested this reflection to many, who are yet strangers to the power and influence of religion: — "Why have I been so long negligent of that which is of such infinite impoitance and immeasurable obligation?" And have' you been able, my brother, to answer the question otherwise than by confessing it to be by your own proper fault? And if not, what is the improvement which both reason and in- terest will tell you should be made of the discovery? Surely it must be the part of every ingenuous mind, which has been betrayed into carelessness and indifference, hitherto, on the great interests of eternity, or into an erroneous view of re- vealed religion, to rouse from the delusion, and to search and look into those things which are presented to its considera- tion, with such a show of reason, and on such high authority. Surely it may be expected, that those for whom a gracious God hath done so much, will at least inquire what their part and duty is as redeemed to God, called to the knowledge of bis grace, and furnished for the attainment 'of eternal life, through faith in the Loed Jesus Cheist. Otherwise, eternal life and endless felicity in the presence of God 'San have no attractions, and everlasting misery and despair np terrors, to rational beings. Yet, reasonable as this expectation surely is — and God grant it may be realized even in one insfifcnce this day — I fear it will be in vain. Practical unbelief is so common — disre- 196 A SEEMON, PKEACHED AT THE CONSECEATION, &C. gard and indifference to religion so general — and the love of the world, and exclusive engagement with its pursuits so prevalent; as to stifle and silence the occasional awakenings of the conscience. But let me entreat you, my dear hearers, to reflect where this disregard of God, and of your immortal souls, must end — to consider how conscience w'ill be quieted "when it awakes upon a death-bed, under the agonies of an unprovided-for eternity — under the remorse of abused mer- cies, disregarded warnings, and a rejected Saviour. O, that I could raise up a spirit of consideration and inquiry on this unspeakable interest. Surely there is yet left to us so much of Christian knowledge, of enlightened reason, and of moral worth, as might form a wall of defence for what remains of Christian principle and Christian practice, could it but be prevailed upon to step out and avow itself as on the Lord's side. But alas! my brethren, we must take up the lamenta- tion of the prophet, over Israel of old — "The whole Tiead is sick" — the learned, the noble, and the wealthy of the land — the heads of society, with a few shining exceptions — for which God be praised — are "ashamed of the gospel of Christ." "The whole Jieart is faint" — the middle class of society, the Jieart and strength of our country, are doubting and divided, scattered and peeled by every wind of doctrine which can blow from misguided zeal, misplaced ignorance, honest er- ror, and dishonest deceit; while all helow^ the poor and the ignorant of our population, is "full of the wounds and bruises andputrifying sores" of blasphemy, drunkenness, and sensu- ality. Oh! what an account has this every w ay favored land to give in to God the judge of all! But it must be given, re- member, my dear hearers, by its iyidividual population; for nations^ as such, cannot answer at the judgment seat; and in the dread account which awaits this generation, the influence of example will not be overlooked. And may God in mercy, impress his truth upon every heart present. Now to God the Father, God the Son, &c. AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE DELITERED TO THE CONVENTION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Assembled in Washington, N. C, in April 1825. The period lias arrived, my brethren, when personal ob- servation of the state of this diocese enables me to fulfil a duty of my station, in an Address, by way of Charge, to the clergy and laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in North Carolina; and I very gladly embrace the opportunity of this annual assemblage of the representatives of the Church in Convention, to present to their consideration those particu- lars which are of greatest importance, at present, to the pro- gress and success of the cause we have in hand. From the information given to this Convention in my Epis- copal Journal, and the subsequent Parochial Reports, the gradual improvement in the external circumstances of the Ciiurch is very evident; and it is no more than a reasonable expectation, that a continuance of the same course of labor and diligence in the clergy, and attention on the part of the laity, will be followed by a like favorable result. There are some causes, however, more remote from gene- ral observation, which operate injuriously to the advance- ment of the Church, but which are in the reach of a remedy, and which it is our joint duty to endeavor to remove. The first I shall mention is want of information in the people at large, and in too great a degree among those of our own communion, on the distinctive character of the CHURCH of Christ, and the obligations which thence follow to man, thus furnished with this means of grace. That it exists in a very extensive and injurious degree, is a point which needs no proof; it being the daily experience of most of those who hear me. And while it can be account- 198 AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. ed for very satisfactorily, in my opinion, it is from the causes producing it that we shall best learn what is most proper to counteract it. We have, then, but to direct our attention to the- state of things produced by the downfall of the Church at the period of our revolution, and to what has followed progressively since, until within a very few years, to find ample means of accounting for this state of the public mind. The Episcopal Church, never very strong in this State, was reduced by that great event to a condition of actual silence. Political feel- ings were associated with its very name, which operated as a complete bar to any useful or comfortable exercise of duty, by the very few clergymen, perhaps not more than three or four, who were left. The public instruction of the people in religion, therefore^ fell exclusively into other hands, and into hands disposed, both by principle and interest, to complete the ruin of the Church; and, by their particular systems of doctrine, preclu- ded from treating, with any precision, that branch of Chris- tian edification which refers to the unity of the Church of Christ, its distinctive character and religious purpose, and to the authority of the Christian ministry, as an integral part of that system of faith and order revealed in the Gospel. On such points of doctrine, those who have separated from the Church are necessarily silent; or, if they are occasionally hinted at, it is in such vague and indefinite terms as tend rather to obscure than to elucidate the subject. It is not to be wondered at, then, my brethren, that these doctrines, as held by the Episcopal Church, should gradually lose their impression on those who entertained tliem, be lost sight of by the peojjle at large, and at length be forgotten; and that a prescription of forty years should possess an influence dif- ficult to dislodge from the minds of those who have been taught to view every thing relating to the external order of the Church as unimjx.irtant and non-essential. That this is the more general state of tlie public mind, I have all the certainty which observation and declared opinion can give; and the very painful knuwledge, that many who call them- selves Episcopalians cherish such every way inconsistent no- tions, and are further led into this error by the modern but AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. erroneous views of charity and liberal opinions. While this state of things continues, we shall deceive ourselves egre- giouslv if we expect any real or extensive increase of the Church; our numbers may indeed be added to, but the nu- merical is not always the real strength either of the Church or of an army. On you, then, my brethren of the clergy, will devolve the imperious duty of so framing and directing your public min- istrations, as well as yowr private instructions among your respective charges, as to embrace these long neglected but vital doctrines, and to explain and enforce them, from the word of God and the reason of the thing, as parts of that sj'S- tera of revealed truth, which forms but one whole, and can- not bo broken up to suit the particular notions of any man or body -of men. In coming to this duty, however, my reve- rend brethren, it is my part to warn you to set your faces, like a flint, against the misrepresentations and reproaches of pretended friends and real enemies, who will be sure to com- bine against you, and to throw every obstacle in the way. But, for your encouragement, let me remind you that it is a work of necessity, mercy, and charity: of necessity, as to the edilication of your own flock; of mercy, as to those multitudes who are perishing for lack of knowledge; of charity, as to those who have embraced the error, in presenting them with the Tneans of detecting and escaping from it. But, further, as you are to "declare the whole counsel of God," and to *'keep back nothing that is profitable" to your hearers, so are you bound by your ordination vow, "to be ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away from the Church all erroneous and strange doctrines, contrary to God's word." Against this, my admonition to you, and against your at- tention to it, you must be prepared to meet and to disregard the odium attached to a controversial spirit; because it can in no sense be made to apply to the duty every pastor owes to his flock, in wai-ning them against error, however that er- ror may be sanctioned by others; and it is high time that this cumiing method, of giving religious error time to establish itself and eventually interdicting the only possible method of refuting and overturning it, be resisted. Those, and those only, who have a miserable interest in the prevalence of er- 200 AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. ror, will resort to such an untenable argument against tlie discussion of those points on which the professing world is so divided; and when it is evident that the operation of this and similar deceptive principles is gradually producing an indifference, coldness, and deadness, to revealed religion, which indicate the temper predicted of the latter day, it surely becomes the duty of the ministers of Christ to "con- tend earnestly for the faith" — to remember that they are watchmen in Zion, and that if they give no warning, the price of blood will be required at their hands. But it does not follow, my reverend brothers, that in exposing error an angry and acrimonious temper or style is necessary. Nor on the contrary, it is to be avoided, both for our own sakes and the sake of others; and the only just objection to religious controversy is the intemperance into which it is too apt to degenerate. This, then, is to be guarded against, while we equally bear in mind, that the time is come when great plainness of speech is required, if we hope to rouse men to the serious consideration of those things which make for their peace; if we would, indeed, draw that line between divine truth and human error, whereby all may profit who are dis- posed to come to the light. A second point, on which a cloud has been thrown over the public mind, injurious to, and, in the end, destructive of, revealed religion, is the lowering of the Scriptures of our FAITH IN GENERAL ESTIMATION, BY HOLDING THEM OUT AS EQUAL- LY CONCLUSIVE IN FAVOR OF OPPOSITE SYSTEMS OF DOCTRINES. This, by men of any reflection, especially by men desirous of some escape from the obligation all feel they are under to hear the word of God, and to keep it, is seized upon as an argument against the Scriptures themselves, as the only rule of faith and duty; and not, as in justice it ought, as an argu- ment of the strongest kind against all such perversion of their use and neglect of their warning. Hence the deplora- ble ignorance of the Bible itself, which is so visible among the better informed and more active part of society, and the consequent indifference to the claims of revealed religion. Hence the approximations to infidelity, in the various shades of unbelief which the different systems of morality, as a sub- AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 201 stitute for revealed religion, exhibit. And hence the preva- lence of that liberality of opinion in which they tolerate eve- ry thing as true, but "the truth as it is in Jesus." Upon men of less information of mind, and of little leisure for reading and reflection from the pressure of laborious oc- cupation, the injury is doubled; they not only become remiss in procuring and acquainting themselves with the Bible, but, from the example of those above them, to whom they more or less look up, are encouraged in that neglect of reli- gion — that surrender of themselves to the world and its pur- suits, and to the indulgence of the flesh, which, like the worm at the root of Jonah's gourd, separates the hope of man from its foundation, cuts asunder the ligaments of society, and blasts and withers the overshadowing love of God revealed in the gospel of his Son. Here, again, my reverend brethren, you are called upon to interpose, and, with all the earnestness and diligence which the love of souls and a deep sense of accountable duty can beget, to meet this wide-spread delusion with every ar- gument which revelation and reason can supply; to call back your flocks to the only foundation, in the word of God; to exhort them to the diligent perusal and study of its inspired wisdom; and, with the Bible in your hand, and the love of God in your heart, explain and point out to them the con- nexion and dependence of its parts, the harmony of its doc- trines, the efficacy of its sacraments, the beauty and fitness of its order, and its sufficiency to answer the great purpose of its divine Author, in giving light — the light of life — to a benighted world, in order to "make them wise unto sah^a- tion." In fulfilling this imperious duty, fear not to expose tiiose fallacious inventions of men which have obscured the simplicity and efficacy of the doctrine of Cueist — which have led men's minds into the devious mazes of error and unset- tled opinion, and call loudly for the united eflbrts of all who value religious and civil liberty, to engage heartily in this work. Take St. Paul's rule, as expressed in the first E])istle to the Thessalonians, to govern and encourage you in this part of your duty in particular: — "But, as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts." And 202 AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. thus shall you be fortified against that "fear of man," which *'bringeth a snare." We are but a small body, my reverend brethren; but, by the good l)lessing of our God upon us, we are increasing. Help hath come forth for us from his right hand, during the past Conventional year; and, if we continue fiiithful, we may confidently look for its continuance. Let this hope, then, animate us all to renewed diligence in those duties, in the faithful discharge of which only can we expect "to save our own souls and the souls of those who hear us." To you, my brethren of the laity, it is also my duty to pre- sent such admonition, on those interests of the Church which depend on your co-operation, and can be promoted by the countenance and support you give to her ministrations. Now, this is confined chiefly to three things: First, TouE OWN deportment, whether as members and friends, or members and communicants of the Church. The most eflicient support which the members of the Church can give to her advancement, is by their own per- sonal religion. This is literally "manifesting the tree by its fruit," and is "an epistle of Christ, to be read of all men." If therefore you really and truly desire the prosperity of the Church, from whatever cause this desire may proceed, labor, and strive, and pray, that you may imbibe the spirit of her doctrines; that you may manifest the purity of her discipline; that you may experience the efficacy of her means of grace; and, by thus promoting the cause of the Church, which is one and the same with the cause of true religion, promote and secure, at the same time, the salvation of your own soul. Another very effectual means of pi'omoting the interests and advancement of the Church, is, exact conformity to the COURSE AND ORDER SHE HATH PRESCRIBED FOR HER PUBLIC SER- vicKS. And in this there will be no difliculty, while her dis- tinctive character is understood and felt; because this gives a point and impression to her ministrations, which belongs not to those who have separated themselves from her com- munion. Occasional conformity, tlierefore, by which is meant, a mixed attendance upon the Church and upon those who dissent from her — sometimes with the one, sometimes AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. 203 with the other — is so far in opposition to her advancement, as it is sure to keep the person thus acting unfixed and wa- vering. Where there is no settled principle there can be no consistent conduct; and experience teaches us, that it is only what we love that we lay ourselves out for. The peculiar situation of the Church at present, and for many years back, whereby the congregations can only be oc- casionally supplied, has had a tendency to lessen the danger of this practice, in the opinions of Christians, and to induce many who nevertheless have a true regard for the Church, to attend the services of others, when they had none of their own. Now, while it may be said, that hereby a good example was given of reverence for the Sabbath, and good instruction was received from the Sermon delivered, it is not considered, on the other hand, that countenance has also been given to ministrations which the Church considers irregular and in- valid — not to say schismatical; and that, by this kind of con- duct, we actually encourage the dangerous delusion, that one system of doctrine is as true as another, and one Church just as safe as another; and thus, without meaning it, perhaps, pull down with one hand the fabric we are rearing with another. For, according to St. Paul's reasoning, in a parallel case, "If any man see thee, which hast knowledge, sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols? — and, through thy knowledge, shall the weak brother perish, for whom Cheist died?" But, though it is to be lamented that the different congregations cannot be supplied with regular services on every Sunday, yet is every family provided with the means of spending the vacant day profitably and to edification at home, in the Liturgy, Scrip- tures, and standard writers of the Church; so that every member of the family may have this advantage, which some must be deprived of if they have any distance to travel to the place of meeting. As this want of conformity, therefore, to principle and order as Churchmen, is not defended by any necessity, is well provided against in the use of the Liturgy, Scriptures, and standard writers, and has an evident tendency to retard, rather than to promote the advancement of the Church, I 204 AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. trust that you, my lay brethren, will take in good part the admonition now given, and, by future steadfastness, show that you are members of the Church rather from principle than from mere choice and convenience; and that, as your affection, understanding, and interests, are all on the side of the Church, so will your conduct declare it, by "continuing steadfast in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers." A third and most important means for the advancement of the Church, exclusively in the power of the laity, is found in THE EDUCATION OF THE RISING GENERATION. But a little while, my clerical and lay brethren, and the place that now knows us will know us no more. Who, then, is to succeed to that blessed hope, through the power of which we contemplate this awful change without dismay, if not with desire? Surely it is bound upon every father, upon every mother, upon every Christian who himself rejoices "in hope of the glory of God," to do what in him lies to perpetu- ate that foundation on which this hope is built. To education, then, we must look, not only for the future advancement, but for the very being of the Church. If re- ligion is not instilled in early life, if it begin not in our fam- ilies, and continue not to be carefully cultivated throughout the whole period of juvenile instruction, we shall in vain look for its prevalence in the world. Not to detain you on what is so evident — what yon are so solemnly pledged to in the baptismal covenant — I will mention what I consider as in- jurious and inconsistent, in the performance of this duty. First — The neglect of early catechetical instruction; that is, preparing your children for public examination on the Cate- chism, in the Church, by the clergyman. This, my own ex- perience tells me, is sadly neglected in many places; and thus is lost the most favorable time to lay a good foundation, and to implant those sound and saving principles, which grow with their growth, and strengthen with their strength. Secondly — An alarming carelessness as to the religious tenets of those to whom that part of the education of our children is committed, which has to be completed at a dis- tance from the parents and guardians of youth. That this also is a negligence which calls loudly for a remedy, must be AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. 205 most evident. That it betrays an indifierence, a deadness to religion, a want of serious heartfelt impression of its awful realities, is to me the most distressing symptom. And it is my duty, my brethren, to direct my attention rather to those things which mark the (jeneral than the ■particular indica- tions of religious impression among the members of the Church. When, therefore, we see Christians, so called, sending their children to Jews, to educate; when we see Protestants trust- ing their offspring to Roman Catholics to train up; when we see believers in the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ surren- dering their sons and their daughters to professed Unitarian teachei-s; and Episcopalians committing the hope of the Church to Dissenters; what can be the conclusion, but that such an indifierence on the subject of religion generally, and such carelessness on its particular distinctions, prevails, as is sufficient to alarm every serious mind? And as no necessity, nor yet commanding convenience, can be pleaded for this in- consistency, (for it is the wealthy who thus risk their children, and by a little concert with each other might remove the re- proach,) it calls the more loudly for this notice from me to the lay members of the Church. I pretend not to insinuate that the general advantages of education may not thus be ob- tained; nor yet do I say that any system of proselyting is in these schools carried on. But this I say, without the slightest fear of contradiction, that either there is no attention paid to religious instruction at all, or it partakes of the character of that which is professed by the teachers. Upon you in par- ticular, my Episcopal brethren, I am bound to press this subject, as of the last importance to tlie well-being of the Church; and to warn you, that however careful you may be in laying the foundation in infancy, if you afterwards com- mit your children to those who are the enemies of your faith, the most you can hope for is, that it will not be pulled down. You cannot reasonably expect that it will be built up, as you would have it to be, if sincere in your own profession. To your serious consideration, then, my brethren of the clergy and laity, I commit these remarks, trusting that their deep importance to our general and particular well-being, as a religious body, will gain them that attention which they 206 AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. deserve. And, wishing you a safe return to your respective places of abode, I beg you to take with you the assurance of the deep interest I feel in your prosperity and happiness individually, and of the prosperity and increase of the Church over which I am called to watch. AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE, DELIVERED TO THE CONVENTION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Assembled in Hir,LSBOROUOH, N. C, in May 1826. jMy brethren- of the Clergy and Laity: — The important interests to which jour attention has been directed during the session of this Convention, are calculated to engage the most earnest endeavors that the counsels agreed upon for the advancement of the Church, and the kingdom of the Re- deemer, should be successful. But to this end it is not only- necessary that the measures directed by this body should be correct in pi-inciple, and required by the interests of the Church, but practically attainable, also, by the reasonable ability of the members. That such is the character of the resolutions you have now come to, must be evident to all who consider the magnitude of the objects to be attained, with the means which are at the reasonable disposal of the represen- tatives of the Church. Past experience, however, teaches us, that neither the necessity nor the advantage of a particular measure, nor yet the ability to carry it into eft'ect, are in themselves sufficient to insure general co-operation. The Convention of the Church, though the proper representative of the particular congrega- tions comprising it, and in fact a legislative body; yet, as it is clothed with no coercive power, is liable to find its best de- vised and best intended measures paralyzed, if not altogether defeated, by the negligence or indifference of its constituents. That this every way indefensible, and, if much longer con- tinued, most ruinous state of insubordination to the funda- mental principle of all regularly associated bodies, is, in our particular case, my brethren, the consequence of inconside- ration in some, and want of proper information in others, I am well persuaded; and am, therefore, induced to give my annual Charge to the diocese such a direction as may tend 208 AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. to obviate this evil, by laying before the members of the Church such a plain, yet concise view of the popular nature of our frame of ecclesiastical government, as shall tend to engage and secure the ready coucun-ence and co-operation of all our members in favor of the measures agreed upon, either for particular or general good, by the regularly elected rep- resentatives of the particular congregations ot the diocese at large. The first delegation of power and authority by the mem- bers individually, is that committed to the Vestries of each particular congregation. These are bodies of men, varying in number according to the constitution of particular dio- ceses, but most commonly limited to twelve, annually chosen by a majority of the votes of each particular congregation; and form, as it were, the legislative council of the parish or congregation by which they are elected. To the Vestries it appertains to direct and transact tlie secular concerns of the congregation; to assess and collect tlje pecuniary contributions required of the members; to appoint the delegates to the diocesan Conventions; to elect the church-wardens out of their own body; and to act as counsellors and assessors with their clergyman, if required, in cases of discipline, and other mat- ters of common concern. They are also required to keep a regular record of the members of the congregation, of the marriages, baptisms, and burials, in the parish or congrega- tion, and to enter a statement of their proceedings at every meeting. To the Church-wardens it more especially belongs, to take care of the church buildings; of the communion plate, books and vestments; to provide the elements for the holy com- munion, at the common expense; to maintain order and de- corum dnriug public worship; and to regulate the necessary provision for the poor of the parish. It is their duty also, in the absence, or at the desire of the minister, to preside ac- cording to seniority of appointment, at all meetings of the vestry; to direct the entries to be made by the secretary ac- cording to the determination of the majority; to sign the pro- ceedings of each meeting; and to certify all extracts from the records, particularly all certificates of delegation to the dio- cesan Conventions. AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 209 From tliis brief view of the appointment and purpose of vestries it must be evident, I think, tliat provision is made for the administration of parochial affairs upon the most popular model compatible with order and effect. The vestry- men being themselves members of the congregation, must be intimately acquainted with the condition and circumstances of their constituents; and as they must themselves be affected, in a propoi'tional degree, by the resolves of tlie vestry, every security is obtained that nothing like oppression or injustice towards the rest of the members will be attempted. But even if such a case should occur, the con oTeo;:ation retains the remedy in their 'own Jiands, in the annual elections. The next delegation of power and authority from the mem- bers of tlie Church, is that which is exercised mediately, through the vestries, in tlie appointment of lay delegates to the diocesan Conventions. These bodies are, to the dioceses at large, what the par- ticular vestries are to the several congregations composing them: the only difierence between them being that which arises from the charge and management of general and par- ticular interests, and the consequently superior importance of their determinations. To the diocesan Conventions, and of course to this body as such, it appertains to consult and provide for the general interests of the diocese; to enact, amend, or repeal canons, or laws ecclesiastical, for the regulation of the members at large; to elect the Bishop, to appoint the standing committee, or council of advice for the Bishop, to choose the clerical and lay delegates to represent the diocese in the triennial Con- ventions of the General Church in these United States; and to assess and regulate the pecuniary contributions which are required for the general interests. And as the particular vestries are the organs through which the enactments of the diocesan Conventions are carried into efiect, so are the dio- cesan conventions also the organs whereby the General Con- vention fulfils its still higher and more comprehensive duties. Through these, as links in the chain, the frame of our eccle- siastical government is compacted together by joints and bands which are essentially popular. It is based upon the will of the majority of the members, personally exercised in [Vol. 1,— *14.] 21© AN EPISCOPAL CHAKG-E. the immediate election of the vestries, and it returns to them again in the annual control which they )"etain over those elections; and that they may act with judgment on their af- fairs, provision is made for their full iufurujation by the pub- lic manner in which the conventions hold their sessions, and by the general dissemination of the annual journals of their proceedings. AVith a frame of ecclesiastical government as directly as- similated to, and equally as congenial with, the civil institu- tions of our country as that of any other known religious de- nomination in it, Episcopalians may surely be permitted to express their sori'ow that so persevering-an elfort should have been made to impress upon the public mind the false and unfounded persuasion, that the principles of their govern- ment and the tenets of their religious belief, are alike hos- tile to the free and happy institutions of this favored land: and to indulge the hope, that both those who circulate and those who receive so injurious and uncharitable a misrepre- sentation, will at least take the pains to be more truly in- formed. As, however, the remainder of a most unhappy prejudice has been widely spread, and long entertained, I teel it due to the interests committed to me, to show further^ that in the administration of the frame of government adopted by the Protestant Episcopal Church in these United States, nothing contrary to tlie will of the individual members of the Church, expressed by a majority of their representatives, can be forced upon them. Every Bishop is elected by the votes of the Clergy and laity of the diocese, assembled in Convention; every pastor of a particular parish or congrega- tion, is called to the charge by the vestry of the parisli; and the vestry being elected by the members themselves, every precaution is taken, that as the whole is instituted for the common benefit, common consent shall be the basis from which all necessary power and authority to administer the system with advantage and effect, shall spring, l^othing despotic, nothing unregulated by laws passed by the repre- sentatives of the members of the Church, is admitted in the constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Even the Bishop is only an executive officer, restrained and directed by express canons in the exercise of the authority committed AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 211 to him; the only absolute power possessed by him being that of a negative nature, and this confined to matters purely conscientious — such as the refusal to admit a candidate for ordination, although recommended by the examiners as in their judgment qualified to receive orders; and cases of a like nature. A bishop can neither suspend, displace, nor degrade a clergyman, otherwise than as the canons direct. Kor can a clergyman exercise the discipline of the Church upon a communicant, except according to the rubrics and canons, and ultimately liable to the decision of the bishop, to whom, in every such case, an appeal lies. Every security being thus taken against the oppressive exercise of the authority confided to the different officers who are appointed to administer its affairs, and no authority be- ing conferred but what is absolutely necessary for the edifi- cation of the body, it should surely be a prevailing argument with Episcopalians to respect and support their ecclesiastical constitution, by the observance of all the duties it imposes upon them. And first, they owe to their own interest, to the credit and welfare of the Church, and to the advancement of true reli- gion, a CONSCIENTIOUS PEKFOEMANCE OF THEIE RIGHT AND DUTY IN THE ELECTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE VESTRY. On this every thing may be said to depend, because to the vestries all subsequent measures for the year are referred. And not only is it a conscientious duty that every member of the Church should perso7iall^ attend on the annual election day, but that he should vote also for those persons who, for their piety, their standing in public estimation, and other qualifi- cations combined, give the best assurance of a faithful and profitable performance of the trust committed to them. In electing these men, respect should be had, in the first place, to their standing as Christians; — a Christian body should surely be represented by Cliristians. In truth, it is desirable, that in every case the representatives of the Church should be communicants. But as this unhappily is ncit in all cases possible, it is therefore not insisted upon; nor is any particu- lar congregation, or the Church at large, debarred by any regulation from the servicea of those friendly laymen, whose 212 AK EPISCOPAL CHARGE. orderly lives, and respect for reiigion, encourage the liappy hope that they are "not far from the kingdom of God." Secondly, tliey owe it to conscience and to consistency, to obey the regulations, to carry into effect the lawful re- solutions AND ENACTMENTS OF TUEIR REPRESENTATIVES. As the members of a particular Church are morally bound by the acts of their vestry, so are all the congregations in a dio- cese, equally bound by the acts of their Convention; and all the Conventions of this country by the acts of the General Conventions of this Church. And the ground of this obli- gation is plain and obvious. As the individual members are bound by every principle of right reason to perform the du- ties and fulfil the engagements growing out of the lawful acts of their immediate representatives, so are these also, in the same maimer, equally bound by the lawful acts of their im- mediate representatives, up to the highest judicatory known to the Church. From this very brief but just statement of the popular principle upon which the frame of our ecclesiastical govern- ment is fotiuded, the members of the Church in this diocese, I trust, will be induced to pay more attention to the election of their immediate representatives, and feel that the care- lessness and indifference, too frequently manifested as to this duty, is, in fact, a surrender at once of private and public obligation, and a mark of great laxity of principle, both as churchmen and Christians. As an additional and very powerful reason to give the ■whole of this subject the serious consideration its real im- portance demands, I would remark, that as the whole power possessed by the administrative bodies of the Church is of a moral nature, and dependant for its effect on the influence of this principle over the members, all unnecessary neglect of the personal duties consequent on the right of election by them, of the relative duty of representatives, with all refusal to carry into effect the decisions of the vestries and Conven- tions, is, so far, very conclusive proof of the weakness of the moral principle — of indifference to the interests of religion — and of disregard for the only just and safe ground on which AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 213 either civil or religious liberty can be maintained, viz: sub- mission to the will of the majority, constitutionally declared. Let not, then, the Church of which we are happily mem- bers, have to take up the reproach of her great Founder and Head, as expressed by the prophet Isaiah, "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." Our nursing mother appeals to us for support; let us not prove ourselves unnatural children by devouring the breasts which we have sucked, and refusing the support and defence which our spiritual parent requires in the day of her need. Slie has given all to her children; she has reserved nothing for herself, but the comfort and consolation which spring from unfeigned love and devoted attachment in them, grounded on the irrefragable testimony of heaven and earth united in favor of her divine origin and saving purpose, as held and maintained by the Protestant Episcopal Church in these United States. AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE DELIVERED TO THE CONVENTION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Assembled in Fayetteville, N. C, in May 1828. jMy Brethres- of this Convention: Among the various subjects of general interest to the Church in this Diocese, which your own observation, the Episcopal Journal, and the Parochial Reports, present for particular consideration, none seems more worthy of special notice, or more called for by existing circumstances, than the relation in which the minis- try and the members of the Church stand to each other, and the obligations thence mutually arising. From various causes, the difficulty of obtaining and retain- ing a supply of clergymen for our fixed congregations, seems to be increasing. This necessarily adds heavily to the many other anxieties which press upon me; and more especially when I look forwaid to the more than probable removal of more of our very limited number. Under so serious an obstacle to the progress and prosperity of the Church in this diocese, my thoughts have necessarily been much occupied in searching out the cause, and in providing to counteract it; and I feel constrained by a sense of duty, dee})ened by my increasing bodily infirmities, to present the result in this way, to the attention of this body — in the hope that it may prove bene- ficial, not only by conveying information, but by bringing this vital, but certainl)- much neglected subject, closer, both to the understanding and to the feelings of those interested, than it can possibly be, while viewed with the inditference and want of interest which our poi)ulation manifests. Religion in the abstract, and revealed religion with insti- tuted means of grace, are things totally different from each other, my brethren. Natural religion, as it has been called, is a mere creature of the imagination, which never did, and 21G AN EnSCOPAL CIIAEGE. wLich never could, exist in a fallen world, laboring under the ijahy of spiritual death. In whatever degree, therefore, we assume the gratuitous reasonings derived from either ab- stract or natural religion as the ground of duty and hope to- wards God, we depart from the only foundation, and prepare the way for infidelity and indiflerence to triumph under the guise of external morality. Nor are there wanting in the judgment of him who addresses you, strong indications, from the actual condition of society in Christian lands in regard to revealed religion, that some such deleterious principle is in operation, indisposing the minds of men to give that close and earnest attention to the subject, which it most surely merits, as a special institution and appointment of the wis- dom of God; and seducing them to rest satisfied with the hasty conclusions of indolent or ill-directed research, and to receive unquestioned, the comparatively modern inventions of men, as "the faith once delivered to the saints." To cor- rect this dangerous delusion, therefore — or rather to avert its pestiferous influence from tlie charge committed to my accountability — and to prepare the way for the particular subject of this address, the following preliminary remarks are submitted. To derive advantage from any institution of a moral and spiritual nature, it is evident that the institution must be un- derstood and applied in the extent and integrity of its ap- }jointments. Hence, as religion is the most commanding in- terest which moral beings can either reflect or act upon, it claims tlie most serious investigation, and the most diligent and unreserved ap[)licatIon of its directions and precepts. To expect to reap the benefits which it is intended to confer, without resorting to the ineans appointed to that end, is to vacate religion as a reasonable service, and to reduce the first duty and the highest attainment of accountable man to such an uncertainty as paralyzes the one, and renders the •other altogether fortuitous; a state of things, when considered in connexion with moral condition, productive only of heart- less disregard, or of wild enthusiasm. Like its Almighty Author, religion must be sought unto; for the happiness of a future state is proposed to mankind, not as the fate of their AN EPISCOPAL CHAliGE. 217 nature, but as the reward of tlieir duty, faithfully and reli- giously performed. The same obvious and rational principle pervades what- ever is connected with religion as a practical duty. Hence, in the provision which the wisdom of God hath made, that the ordinances of his grace for the salvation of sinners shall be ministered to their fellows by men of like passions with, themselves, the same foundation for confidence and assurance is given, with that on which the religion itself rests for its obligation upon men, viz: the authority and appointment of heaven — that authority and designation to office, which was originally certified to the world "by signs and wonders and mighty works," by "the power of the Holt Ghost," and is to be verified to the end of time no otherwise than by deri- vation from this root. As, therefore, no well informed and serious man will take his religion on a lower authority than from God, the reason is equally strong, that he should require from those who un- dertake tu administer its ordinances to him, that their au- thority for so doing shall be derived from the same source. And as, in the one case, the ground of his belief that his re- ligion is divine and true, rests on the proper testimony that it came forth from God; so likewise in the other case, the authority to act for God, in the external appointments of re- ligion, should first be ascertained by its proper testimony, before any rational confidence can be derived from partici- pation of its ordinances, as means of grace. These appear to be principles which carry their truth and certainty, and consequently their obligation to moral beings, so undeniably in the very terms in which they are expressed; and are, moreover, so intimately connected with the comfort and assurance of religious condition; that it may be conceived superfluous to present them to such a body as that now be- fore me. Yet when it is considered, that many equally un- deniable truths are assented to in terms, and forthwith laid aside — that many most concerning truths are rendered null and void, by the influence of ignorance, prejudice, and pre- possession — that the efi'ect of popular opinion, moulded into a particular form, can clothe error, and particularly religious error, with the properties of truth — and that the as yet loose 21 S AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. and ill-considered views of many who call themselves epis- copalians, are all interested to escape from this close scrutiny into religion as a revealed appointment of God, I trust, that neither m}'^ intention in presenting them, nor their own in- trinsic importance, will be mistaken or overlooked by those to whom I address myself, and with whose comfort here, and hope hereafter, they are so closely allied. Moreover, when it is taken into consideration that loose, indefinite, and mere general notions, on so momentous a subject as salvation, ope- rate to produce indifference and disregard as to the external appointments of religion; and to induce a supine acquiescence in whatever bears a resemblance to the gospel, and is pro- fessed with a claim to superior sanctity; and that this is in truth the prevalent state of the public mind, in the present day; it is hoped that what has been said, wnth the views about to be submitted on the subject of the Christian Ministrj^, will neither be deemed superfluous nor out of season, in the pre- sent circumstances of the Church in this diocese. The Christian ministry being an appointment of Almighty God for the benefit of redeemed man, the connexion between the pastor and his flock is spiritual in its nature — refers ex- clusively to the care of their souls, and has no concern with their temporal affairs, only as these affect their religious con- dition. Its object and purpose is accordingly expressed in Scripture by the word "edification," which comprises instruc- tion, exhortation, warning, reproof, correction, and example — and, as necessary, indeed indispensable preliminaries, knowledge, experience, piety, and authority. So very obvi- ous is this, as justly to excite surprise that the qualifications derived from education should come to be so lightly esteemed, and the importance of a lawful commission disregarded, by any who call themselves Christians, Yet it is the unhappy condition of much of Christendom, as well as of our own country, to labor under the delusion, that piety, however ig- norant, with pretensions to the ministerial office destitute of all proof — indeed utterly incapable of any other proof than the mere assertion of the party — are safe and allowable sub- stitutes for such plain and necessary pre-requisites, in who- ever undertakes to act between God and man in high con- cerns of salvation. AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. 219 This office being spiritual in its nature, and concerned ex- clusively with spiritual things, must be derived from God, there being no other source of spiritual communication and authority to mankind, but God the Holy Ghost. Being de- I'ived from God, it must be the object of faith, that is, of firm and considered confidence, that it is thence derived; and be- ing the object of faith, it must be grounded on, and be in conformity with the revealed word of God; that being to men the only ground and rule of faith, as to all spiritual things, God himself excepted, who is necessarily prior to and inde- pendent of any communication of himself to created beings. Considered in this light, which is submitted as the just and scriptural view of the nature and object of the Christian ministry, the high responsibility of the pastoral office is evi- denced by its origin, by its purpose, and by the sanctions wherewith it is enforced. And as the resj)onsibility of the office refers chiefly to you, ray brethren of the clergy, and its importance and use refers in like manner to you, my breth- ren of the laity, I shall be guided by this distinction in what I propose to say on this subject. First, ITS ORIGIN. This being divine, and the office to be no otherwise undertaken than by the direct influence of God the Holy Ghost, imagination can ascend no higher, as re- spects either the responsibility or the dignity of the Chris- tian priesthood. As ambassadors from Christ, and acting in his stead in the awful controversy between heaven and earth, occasioned by sin; as entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, and authorized to declare the conditions, and to administer the divinely instituted pledges, of pardon and acceptance, to a world that lieth in rebellion and wickedness; your office, my reverend brothers, is eminently one of un- ceasing labor, of constant watchfulness, of deep anxiety, and of unshaken fidelity; requiring that entire surrender of your- selves to this great work, and that abiding sense of the re- sponsibility you are under, without which the expectation is vain that it will be so exercised as to be profitable either to yourselves or to others. But it is likewise an office in which the most powerful motives to exertion are presented, and supported by the brightest hopes, the most unfailing assu- 220 AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. ranees; and energy and activity in tlie performance of duty are prompted and encouraged by the highest considerations which an accountable being can contemplate. The balance, therefore, is held with an even hand by the wisdom of God in this appointment. As your responsibility is great, so is 3''0ur help mighty: as your labor is unceasing, so is your wa- ges beyond all price: as your privations are many, so are your consolations firm and steadfast as His word, who hath pro. mised to "be with you always, even unto the end of the world." Of the same divine character is the evidence by which the designation of particular persons to this office and ministry by the Holy Ghost is certified to men. The ministerial of- fice being for the benefit of third persons in things pertain- ing to God, must, from the very nature of the office, be the subject matter of proper proof that it is derived from him; otherwise, that faith, "without which it is impossible to please God," and according to which the effect of the ordi- nances of religion, as divinely instituted means of grace, is expressly limited, must be wanting, and its place be supplied either by the formality of customary assent, or by the con- fused workings of an unbalanced mind rushing without dis- cernment to assumed assurance of spiritual benefit. Hence, at the commencement of Christianity, miraculous gifts point- ed out to an astonished world the particular persons to whom Christ had previously committed the charge of establishing and governing his Church. These were incontestible proofs of a divine commission — and it was to these that the apostle referred the obligation of Jew and Gentile to believe and embrace the gospel. The first ministers of Christ went not forth claiming to be sent of God without credentials suitable to their high and holy office. The world was not required to believe them on their naked assertion that they were called of God and sent to preach the gospel. Nor is it now required to receive any as ministers of Christ upon so uncertain a se- curity as an unsupported and unproveable assertion. For as Christ's commission to teach and baptize the nations was originally certified to the world by miraculous attestation to his apostles personally; it is only as derived from them, by a verifiable succession, that a true and lawful ministry is to be ascertained since miracles have ceased. And as the fact is AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 221 equally certain to third persons by the one testimony as by tbe other, the ground of Christian assurance is neither changed or lessened, nor the obligation or the eificacy of religious or- dinances impaired. And let it never be forgotten, my reve- rend and lay brethren, that the revealed religion of the Lord Jesus Christ, from its commencement to its close, in all its appointments, in all its requirements, in all its attainments, and in all its hopes, is a "reasonable service," resting upon divine faith pervading its whole structure. Its ministry and sacraments, then, as integral parts of the religion, and with- out which it cannot be savingly administered, must forever derive their authority and efficacy from divine institution; and the assurance of faith prove a delusion or a reality, ac- cording as it is built upon the foundation Christ hath laid, as exhibited to the world by his holy apostles, received and acted upon by the primitive Church, and recorded in the in- spired Scriptures of our faith; or as it is assumed upon some invention of man, utterly devoid of that testimony to divine origin and authority, upon which alone a rational being is pre- sumed to rest the unspeakable interests of eternal condition. To place the ministerial office, then, upon any other, or upon lower ground, than as derived from God, is at once to vacate the responsibility of the office to him who holds it, and to defeat its use and efficacy to those for whose benefit it is instituted. For if less than divine in its origin, it is not perceived how any man can with truth and understanding- say, that he is moved by the Holt Ghost to undertake it; or where the only proper testimony to this its divine origin is wanting, how any thing deserving the name of Christian as- surance can be derived to those whose spiritual condition is inseparably connected with the visible sacraments of the visible Church of Christ. Nor need we be in the smallest degree afraid to assign the low and erroneous views as to the origin and proof of the Christian ministry, which the divi- sions and separations among Christians have forced into cur- rency, as one of the chief causes of the disregard of religious ordinances, and indifference to and disuse of the instituted means of grace, and of the consequent decline of vital godli- ness, which casts so awful a shade over the otherwise happy condition of this favored country. Q9.9 AN EnSCOPAL CHARGE. But, luy reverend brothers, it is a part of the responsibili- ty of 3^our sacred office, to magnify that office — not only by adorning- your divine commission as ambassadors of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God, by a holy life, and by unwearied and faithful exertions for the advancement of his kingdom, but by asserting its high derivation, and by de- monstrating its inseparable connexion with the revealed hope of the gospel. To be silent on this fundamental subject to those of your charge, is to be unfaithful to them, and unjust to yourselves; while it serves to cherish the delusion in others, that because pretensions to ministerial character unsupported by verifiable succession from the apostles of Christ as the only root of unitj^ in his visible Church, are unquestioned, that therefore they may be relied on. We can look back, reverend brothers, on a wide and wasteful desolation of the fold of CuRisT, through remissness on this primary and fun- damental subject. Let past experience, then, teach us to pursue a wise course for the time to come. We can look forward to a most powerful host of prejudice and party ar- rayed against us; but let us not therefore be cast down. Truth must at last prevail over error — and by turning the public mind to a sounder judgment on the concerning subject of re- ligion, prepare the way for its final triumph over all opposi- tion, and for that union among Christians, which forms the beauty and the strength of the gospel. If we consider, in the second place, the turpose of the Christian ministry, the view here taken of its origin, and of the proof by which it is verified, will, it is humbly conceived, be confirmed. IsTow this purpose is threefold. The first is, the communication of the discoveries of the gospel to man- kind, in order to recover them from the ruin and misery of sin, and from eternal death as its wages. The second is, to transact the conditions of this recovery, receiving the sub- mission of penitent sinners, and by administering to such the divinely instituted pledges of pardon and adoption into the family of God. The third is, to watch over the liousehold of faith, thus gathered into one body; to provide for their in- struction in righteousness, and to exercise the discipline of Christ, for the peace and edification of the Church. Now, AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 223 to either of these purposes singly — and much more to all of them collectively, as the sum of ministerial dntj — a divine commission and authority to act is indispensable, too, prior to any performance of the duty. For, "How shall they preach except they be sent?" Or, "Who has any natural right to ad- minister the sacraments of the gospel? Or, -who are bound to submit themselves to discipline, "svhere no lawful authority to inflict censure is possessed? Above all, who will be found to regard the discipline of Christ, unless upon the firm per- suasion, amounting to fixed faith, that to be justly cut off from the peace and privileges of his visible Church upon earth, is a virtual excision of such persons from the "Church of the first-born, which are written in heaven?" Evident as this must be to every reasonable mind, and confirmed as it is by the analogies of all social bodies, the subject presents itself with the highest interest to the con- sideration of believers, when viewed as the express appoint- ment of the wisdom of God, in the structure of that religion which he hath revealed to fallen man for his salvation. In that religion as established by its divine Author, the unity of the Church, and tlie assurance of faith, are insej^arably connected with Christ's commission to preach and baptize the nations. But this commission was not given to the whole body of believers who embraced the gospel during his per- sonal ministry; nor yet to his Church, properly so called: for the Church of Christ was not organized and set up in this world until the day of Pentecost. Christ's commission was given exclusively to the eleven, who continued with him in his temptations, and with whom he continued for forty days after his resurrection, "speaking to them of the things per- taining to the kingdom of God." It was to them, and to them only, that he said, "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." His passion being accomplished, the pur- chase of redemption completed, and a kingdom conquered from sin and death, then it was, that he conferred on the eleven, and on their successors to the end of the world, au- thority to plant and govern his Church. "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me — All power is given unto nie in heaven and upon earth," said the Saviour. i6 ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel to 224: AX EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned." It was when liis resurrection had demonstrated bis triumpb over death and hell, that he transferred his divine commission to his eleven apostles; that he "breathed on them, and said unto them, Keceive ye the Holy Ghost. "Whosesoever sins ye re- mit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." And it M-as when his glorious ascension into heaven had established his supreme dominion over a redeemed world, tbat he poured out upon them the Holy Ghost, to qualify them for their great work, and to certify to the world that they were messengers of heaven, and the depositaries of all lawful authority in "the kingdom of God's dear Son." In like manner, the sanctions by which ministerial duty is enforced, furnish a strong contiimation of the divine charac- ter of the Christian priesthood, and of its vital importance to the hope of man as derived from the gospel of Christ. As "no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron," the sanctions by which its duties are bound upon the conscience, are all of a spiritual and eternal character. "My kingdom is not of this world," said our blessed Lord. This world, therefore, and the things that are in it, are equally excluded from the motives to undertake office in the kingdom of Christ, and from the sanctions by which official duty is enforced. Eternity alone can furnish the reward, or inflict the punishment, which await the faith- ful, or the unfaithful, steward of the mysteries of God. As nothing of a temporal nature enters into the derivation of the Christian ministry, nothing of worldly enjoyment or suffering is referred to, as the end to be kept in view. You watch for Bouls, my reverend brothers, and for souls you must give ac- count; not with the loss or gain of worldly honors, dignities, and emoluments, but with your own souls. There is no alter- native — there is no escape from this condition, on which you hold and exercise your holy office. If, then, these things are so, and most surely believed among us: if they are confirmed by the standard of revealed truth, and by the stream of testimony in the Church, un- broken from the apostles through a period of fifteen hundred AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 225 years and subsequently asserted and contended for by the confessors, martyrs, and fathers of that Church through which we derive our succession: if they form the distinctive principles of our communion, and constitute the very foun- dation on which we can either claim or be recognized as a true branch of the one catholic and apostolic Church in whicli we profess to believe; they surely form a part of that necessary edification which the pastor owes to his flock, and without which the expectation is vain, as woful experience proves to us, that they should continue steadfast, and be en- abled to resist the various artifices now resorted to, to bring these fundamental principles into contempt, as illiberal and uncharitable — as infringements upon Christian liberty, and unsupported by the word of God. These are daring assertions, and though totally unfounded, and demonstrably opposed to the plainest principles of the docti'ine of Chkist, nevertheless the temerity and pertinacity with which they are announced, have given them an in- fluence over the ignorant and prejudiced, under the opera- tion of which, the gracious purposes of an infallible Scri^oture, a visible Church, and a divinely authorised ministry, in th6 salvation of sinners, are dei^rived of their appointed use; and the various shades of infidelity are fast ripening those bitter fruits of irreligion and departure from God, which shall com- plete the predicted apostacy of this latter day. Shall we, then, my reverend brethren, become accessory to this moral death of the immortal souls around us, by with- holding from the ignorant that instruction which they' will no where else receive, and from the presumptuous, that warning without which their blood will be required at our hands? May God forbid. Shall we sit with folded hands, and see the Church of our faith and of our affections de- clining around us, under the influence of an infidel liberality which claims the concession, and brands as unchristian and uncharitable the refusal to acknowledge the most opposite systems of faith, as equally the doctrine of Christ — the most forced and discordant interpretations of Scripture, as equally the truth of God's most holy word — and the multiplied and disagreeing divisions of professed Christianitj', as equally true branches of the Church of Christ, equally entitled to [Vol. 1,— -15.] 226 AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. the promises of God, and equally safe for salvation — without an efl'ort in the fear of God, to arrest so deadly a delusion? 1^0, my fellow laborers in the vineyard of the Loed, far be such apathy and indifierence to the interests of our Zion, from our hearts and from our conduct. Let us then, take "the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith," and go forth against this modern Eaal, to which so many of our sons and our daughters have been sacrificed. These are strictly the weapons of our warfare, and they are '■'"mighty, through God, to pull down the strong holds of Satan." Especially are they mighty to meet this particular error, in all it& various shapes; for it is from a broken and perverted Scripture only that it derives any semblance of support. The RELATION IN WHICH THIS SACRED OFFICE STANDS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE Church, comes ucxt to be considered. This has already been stated to \>q purely spiritual^ and as such, to be of a more sacred character than the mere consent and agreement of the parties to stand in this relation to each other, could possibly give to it. A connection whose results are to be determined chiefly in another life, and with which the peace and comfort of the present life are very closely united, must undoubtedly carry along with it the highest claims to the serious consideration of every Christian people. Por it is not a connection of choice or convenience merely, but one of indispensable necessity; without which, the ad- vantages of religious condition can neither be obtained nor continued. Viewed in this light, which is submitted as the just and scriptural view of the subject, the first obligation which this- divine appointment for the administration of the grace of the gospel to men involves, is, that men provide themselves with ministers. No body of Christian people can continue to prosper in their religious concerns, when deprived, for any length of time, of the services of the sanctuary. And ex- perience proves, that the most flourishing congregations- quickly decline from the power of religion, and dwindle into- utter decay, under this privation. The next obligation involved is, that the persons thus em- ployed to minister to the spiritual wants of the people, b©' AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 227 true and lawful ministers of Christ. And this obligation rests upon the same ground of reason and propriety, whereby all other agencies are held to be valid or void, vis. power and autliorit}' from the principal to act in his behalf. As in temporal aifairs, no qualifications for any particular ofiice, however great; no desire to do good, and promote the wel- fare of the community, however sincere; nor yet any willing- ness on the part of others to reap the benefit of such qualifi- cations; can confer the right to assume ofiice, and bind the State to recognize acts thus performed: in like manner in things spiritual, no qualifications of natural or acquired ability, however great; no piety, however ardent; no ac- knowledgment or solicitation of others, however general; can authorize the assumption of ofiice in the kingdom of Christ, or give any reasonable ground of assurance as to the benefit to be derived from it; for the benefit or advantage to third persons, is as inseparably tied to the authority to perform the act in things religious, as in the afiTairs of civil life. And just as certainly as confusion, disorder, and ultimate disso- lution of the frame and purpose of civil government, would follow the adoption of the principle that the qualifications for, or the desire to fill, an ofiice, authorized the assumption thereof, and rendered the actings and doings of such agents obligatory upon the State; so sure it is, that the same dis- astrous consequences will follow the adoption of this prin- ciple in the administration of the gospel. And so obvious is this principle to common sense, and so clear the analogy by which it is supported, that it may well excite some feeling stronger than surprize, that Christians, with the Bible in their hands, should ever have given countenance to so pal- pable a delusion; and in particular, that episcopalians should so far have been blinded by this deceit, as to allow their prime distinction as a religious body to be undermined, undervalued, and finally exploded, by its operation. And notwithstanding the numbers who assert these liberal novelties — notwithstanding the reproach which attends those who denounce them as dangerous and destructive errors — I should be false to my solemn consecration vows, and to your eternal interests, my brethren of this convention, did I fail to assert, and to warn you, that the question of ministerial 228 AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. commission is a vital question; that is, is a question of the es- sence of revealed religion, and fundamental to the hope of the gospel. For this hope cannot be separated from the saci'aments of the visible Church, any more than the sacra- ments can be separated from the right to administer them, as things pertaining to God. If men can be saved without the sacraments of the Church of Christ, where they may be had, wherefore were they ordained by Christ himself for perpetual observance, and whence their acknowledged character as means of grace to the souls of men? And if they are equally sa- craments and means of grace, with and without the authority of Christ to administer them, wherefore the institution of a visible Church, to be entered into and continued in, no otherwise than by participation of the sacraments, rightly administered by men duly commissioned to act as stewards OF the mysteries of God? These are questions which bring this subject home to the reason and to the conscience of every sincere and informed Christian, and are calculated to fortify the less informed against the plausible, but unfounded, reason- ings, by which so many have been led away from the ti'uth. Nor are there wanting other grounds, on which to show the fallacy of all such innovations upon primitive truth and order. On the principle here argued against as unscripturai and dangerous to the souls of men, the unity of the Church; the fellowship of believers in one body, by the operation of- one spirit; and the assurance of faith — all of them fundament- al doctrines of Christ's religion — are no longer blessed and comfortable realities in religious condition, grounded on the divine character of the Church, the Ministry, and the Sacra- ments, as the channels of that grace through which the heart has been renewed to God, and the life recovered from sin to holiness; but mere imagination and assumptions of such benefits, grounded on ministrations incapable of being verified as divine and true, and consequently not to be relied on, in the awful concern of the loss or salvation of the soul. On this liberal principle, instead of "one body and one spirit, one Lord, one ftiith, one baptism" — which St. Paul asserts as the characteristic of Christ's religion, there must be as many of each of these, as there are existing divisions on the faith and order of the gospel. AN EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 229 On this modern system of general comprehension, it is not perceived possible to give any good reason why every man. may not be his own priest, and minister to himself in spiritual things. For if one division from the body of Chkist is justi- fiable, why not one hundred, or one hundred million? If one man has a right to take the ministerial office unto himself, upon some impulse or persuasion of his own mind, why not another — why not every other, until the Church of Chkist is scattered into the dust of individuality? And if men, rational beings, who have an eternity of misery or bliss before them, on the specified conditions of tlie gospel, were but as watch- ful as to the security of their title to spiritual privileges, as they are to that by which their temporal interests are held; no place would have been found for the entertainment of this dangerous error, nor would the sophistry wherewith it is attempted to be defended in the present day avail to continue the delusion, could Christians be roused to "compare spirit- ual things with spiritual" — to consider well the foundation on which they are building for eternity; and by bringing their entire religious condition to the standard of revealed truth, thence be taught the important lesson, that as the faith and (yrder of the gospel are equally from God, l)oih must combine to give assurance to that hope which the Lord Jesus Christ has purchased, by the sacrifice of the cross, for a world of sinners. A third obligation, growing out of the pastoral relation, is, that the members of the Church attend regularly on his minis- trations; that they make him acquainted with their spiritual condition, and consul t freely with him thereupon; that they hear with reverence, and judge with candor, his expositions of Christian doctrine, and his admonitions and exhortations to holiness of life; and that they practice diligently the duties and obligations of Christian profession. This is so plain an obligation, or rather class of obligations, and so indispensable to any reason or use in the ministerial office, that it may suffice merely to state it, with this single remark: — thus to improve the advantages of the external ordinances of Christianity, is not only a religious obligation, but it is the only ground on which any reasonable expecta- 230 AN EPISCOPAL CnAEGE. tion can be entertained of edification and establishment in the faith. St. Paul sjieaks of a class of Christians, as abound- ing in the latter day, who "will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears:" and he further informs iis, what the certain consequence would be, "and they shall turn away their ears from the truth," says the Apostle, "and shall be turned unto fables." JSTow as observation confirms the truth of this prediction, so should it incline us to take heed to the warning; nothing being better established than the fact, that those persons who are so very liberal, or so fond of variety, as to attend the services of all denominations, do rarely or never themselves make any profession of religion, or manifest any other sense of its importance, than by thus running about to hear preaching, as it is called; and conse- quently they are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth," as the same inspired apostle testifies. A fourth obligation of the pastoral relation, is the decent and comfortable support of the Minister, in a suitable and certain provision for the temporal wants of himself and his family. This also is so plain an obligation, and enforced by such express warrant of God's word, that the simple mention of it might be sufficient, were it not that a growing indifl^erence as to this duty begins to manifest itself, and suggests the fear that our clergy may be driven away by absolute inability to provide for their necessary wants, from their salaries. That this is in some degree to be attributed to the present pecuniary pressure upon all classes of the community, I have no doubt; nor would I contend for any exemj)tion of the clergy from the operation of those vicissitudes to which all human afiairs are liable. In times of public distress, they ought to submit to the privations which are forced upon all; and I can answer for my reverend brothers of this diocese, that they will do it cheerfully. But where the remuneration promised is far below a reasonable compensation for their services, and afibrds at the best but a subsistence, it ought not to be curtailed but on the most evident necessity; and AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. 231 Christian parents need not surely to be told, that a clergy- man feels the same anxieties for his growing family that others do — or that as his family increases and grows up, his expenses unavoidably also increase. Above all, it ought sacredly to be borne in mind, that what is contributed to the support of religion ought not to be the first, and never the sole retrenchment of expenditure among Cliristians. This is a delicate subject, ray brethren of the laity, both to you and to me, and therefore I forbear to extend it. But if it is taken into serious consideration, upon Christian prin- cij)les, what I have said will suffice to produce a change in this respect, creditable at once to yourselves as Christians, and encouraging to your ministers — not because of the gain, but because it will manifest a more earnest and lively sense of the importance of religion, and of your attachment to the Church, which otherwise may, and will, be justly questioned. Nothing, my brethren, marks a dead and decaying state of religious profession more surely, than backwardness and in- difference to provide for the regular services of the sanctuary. Permit me, however, to observe — what I think is loudly called for by the present pressure upon our ecclesiastical and civil condition, — that you owe it to the community, both as Christians and as citizens, to set the example of retrench- ment, in all those useless extravagances of annual expendi- ture, which the fashion of the world hath entailed upon soci- ety, which is the real cause of the present distress, and which the retributive providence of Almighty God is making the instrument of a sore chastisement. Excess of apparel, fash- ionable decoration, and profuse living, add nothing to our real comfort or respectability, rny Christian brethren; while they take much from our means of doing good, are seriously hostile to the inculcation of religious principle in' the i*ising generation, and grievously impair the confidence entertained of the truth and sincerity of our Christian profession. Let it therefore be put away from among us, a& men and women professing godliness; and by so doing we shall be gainers every way; we shall speedily relieve our temporal necessities, while at the same time -we promote the advance- ment of the Church, by giving the most convincing testimo- ny to the purity and sincerity of our faith, and to the powei' 232 AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. and tendency of our distinctive principles to enforce that holiness without which no man, be his profession what it may, shall ever see the Lord. A fifth obligation which I will mention, not directly the result of the pastoral relation, but growing out of your con- nexion with the Church, is a faithful observance of the di- rections and canons of your convention. This is a duty as binding upon the conscience of the churchman, as obedience to tlie laws of the land is upon the conscience of the citizen. For both are enacted by representatives, chosen to consult and provide for the common good; the only diflerence is, that what in the one case is enforced by the civil power of the State, in the other is entrusted to the moral principle of the man. This, if rightly considered, ought to ensure the more exact obedience of the two; and if applied to the pecu- niary affairs of the diocese, will produce hereafter a stricter attention in paying up the assessments laid upon the differ- ent congregations, whether for general or special purposes. There is yet, however, another obligation, the combined result of the pastoral relation and of your profession as epis- copalians, of such commanding influence, not only upon the advancement, but upon tlie very being of the Church in this diocese, that my duty calls upon me imperiously to present it to your most serious consideration — and that is, the educa- tion of your families in the faith of their fathers, in the prin- ciples of the Church, of which by their baptism they are members. Ti)at great laxity is exhibited by episcopalians, on this most obvious duty, is unhappily beyond dispute. And while I admit that it is in some degree the result of what may be termed necessity, from tlie circumstances in which our semi- naries of learning are almost exclusively found, I must, nev- ■ertheless, record my fear that it proceeds in a greater degree from indifference on the subject of distinctive principles in religion. Is it, then, consistent with our public profession, my breth- ren — with any vital impression of the divine truth of our re- ligious doctrines; is it consistent with integrity of principle AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. 233 as parents; to commit the tuition of the rising hope of the Church, where the most that can be hoped for is, that if no pains shall be taken to impress their religious principles deeper upon their hearts, no inroad shall be made upon them? Who are to succeed us, my Christian brethren, when the few and fast waning years of our earthly pilgrimage shall be closed? Who are to occupy our places in the sanctuary, and transmit to posterity, in the integrity of primitive adoption, the "faith once delivered to the saints," as set forth in that "form of sound words" in which our fathers worshipped God, and enjoyed the comfort of his grace and heavenly benedic- tion? If our children are not to be trained up with this view, and taught to love the Church the more, because it is the Church of their fathers; if the principles of primitive truth and order, recovered from Romish corruption, asserted against sectarian innovation, and recorded as "the lively oracles of God," in the blood of the martyrs and confessors of the Brit- ish Church, our spiritual mother, are now to be abandoned to the fostering care of their professed opponents, vain are your labors and self-denials, my l)rethren of the clergy — vain are your exertions and sacrifices, my brethren of the laity. We shall soon be gone; — soon shall the place that now knows us, know us no more. And then, strangei'S shall enter upon this fair inheritance, and pull down the landmarks of its most holy faith, and prohibit the ordinances of its rational spirit- stirring worship, and lay waste the goodly proportions of its apostolic order, and scatter the assurance of its heaven-de- rived institutions to the wild intemperance of misguided zeal and fanatical delusion. Pardon me, my brethren, if I seem to you to anticipate an ideal danger. T am indeed no prophet, to look into futurity, and draw from thence its hidden events. But as your watch- man in chief, and charged with all the interests of the Church, I have to keep my eye upon remote as well as upon imme- diate consequences, and to give the warning from the quar- ter whence danger threatens. Our danger, at the present time, seems to me to arise from a decline in the spirit and power of religion — from loose and erroneous views of the prescribed and covenanted character of revealed religion — from consequent indifference to our dis- 234 AN EPISCOPAL CHAEGE. tinctive principles — and from an over conformity with the spirit of the world, which, if not arrested, must soon, and certainly, produce that moral death which precedes the re- moval of our light from the candlestick. Against this dan- ger, what is to be our resort, my brethren? Anxiously have I cast about for tlie most eft'ectual remedy, and my judgment can find that no where, under God, but in a return to first principles. Tliese, through his blessing, may yet revive us to "the power of godliness," and sustain us against the oppo- sition of our enemies — yea, may turn those enemies into friends and favorers of our righteous cause, through the pow- er of truth plainly announced, and faithfully exhibited in practice. Pardon me, also, if I seem to any to have spoken more forcibly than the occasion called for. Alas, my brethren, that the desire to conciliate, where experience demonstrates that concession only increases demand, should have so pre- vailed as to enervate and neutralize the truth, by the quali- fied and doubting terms in which it is expressed! But a more powerful motive than the fear or the praise of men, constrains me. This may be my last address to a convention of this di- ocese — of which frequently recurring disease, and increasing difliculty to relieve the symptoms, give serious notice. I therefore have to speak as a dying man to those for whom he has to give account — recalling them, as Christians and churchmen, to those pure principles of primitive truth and order, which alone give to the religion of the gospel its prac- tical importance as the prescribed institution of the wisdom of God for the salvation of sinners — which alone give to the visible Church, ministry, and sacraments, any definite pur- pose, in the economy of grace — which alone give to the faith of the gospel its covenanted character, and to the hope of eternal life through the merits of the divine Saviour the sup- port of divine assurance. On these principles, derived from the Bible, and from the Bible alone — searched for among the various accessible denominations of Christian profession, but found, in their integrity, only in the Church — I shall go, God being my helper, to my account. On these principles, pro- fessed and acted on, or compromised and surrendered, will AN EPISCOPAL CHAKGE. 235 the Churcli, the Protestant Episcopal Church, flourish or de- cline, continue or melt away into a sect: and I commit them to this convention for the diocese, as the highest proof I can give of mj deep and sincere concern for your spiritual and temporal welfare, with my earnest prayers to the great Ilead of the Church, that through his heavenly grace they may be considered, approved, and applied, only as they are in agree- ment with His revealed will. SERMONS, ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS SERMONS. sermo:n" I, BAPTISM. John hi. 5. "Jesus aaswered, verily, Terily, I say unto thee, except a man be bom of water, and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." The divisions and dissensions among Christians are at once the I'eproach of the gospel and the proof of its divine origin, in the fulfilment of the prophecy of its author and founder. "Think not that I am come to send peace upon the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." The foresight and declaration of this perversion of the gospel of peace tends in no degree however, my brethren and hearers, to lessen the guilt and responsibility of those who separate themselves from the visible communion of that one spouse and body of Christ, here called the kingdom of God, and by which is meant that Church of Christ, which he purchased with hia own blood — which he hath built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, himself being the chief corner stone — with which he hath left the sacraments of his grace, and in which only are the promises of God, yea and amen to us, in Christ Jesus. "Woe unto the world because of offences. It must needs be that offences come, but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh. Many shall come in my name, and shall say, I am Christ; but believe them not, for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall deceive many, but go ye not after them — behold I have told you be- fore." If these passages of Scripture, then, mean any thing, and are intended for our warning and instruction, it must be to teach us that it is not a matter of that indifference we are Bo prone to think it, in what way, or by what means we 240 BAPTISM. attach ourselves to the gospel in the outward communion of Christian privileges — that among such direct opposition in doctrine and practice as now obtains in the Christian world, all cannot be right — that as there may be false Curists and false prophets, there may also be false hopes and unfounded expectations — and that, as the consequences are eternal, every care and diligence should be adopted tliat we build on a foundation which cannot be shaken, and use as much cau- tion not to be imposed upon in our spiritual concerns as we do to avoid it in temporal affairs. This, it appears to me, is so very reasonable a duty, that all must assent to the pro- priety of being guided by it; and as all are furnished in the word of God, and in the purpose of visible ordinances in re- ligion, when rightly considered, to make this necessary in- quiry, I would hope that the principle will be remembered and acted upon by all who are seriously concerned for the salvation of their souls. 'Among the existing divisions in the religious opinion and practice which prevail in the present day, there is none more pointed or more injurious in its effects than that on the doc- trine of baptism, as to the subject, the mode, and the effects. As by reason of this difference many are unsettled in their minds, and not a few disposed to neglect it altogether — as the solemnity and importance of the ordinance is lessened in general estimation, and the obligations growing out of it im- paired and neglected in those who use it — and as I am in the practice of admitting to the sacrament of baptism the infant or other children of those who apply to me for that purpose, and there is a denomination of Christians who consider this as unscriptural and a corruption of Christianit}^ — for these reasons, I have considered it ray duty on this occasion, to make known the foundation on which, with a good con- science, I thus act. And tliat what I may say on the subject may be to your edification, I shall consider, First, the ordinance itself. Secondly, the subject, or description of persons entitled to its administration. Thirdly, the mode, or manner of administering it. And then, Conclude with an application of the subject. BAPTISM. 241 "Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." I. First, the ordinance itself. TJiere can be no difficulty, I should suppose, as to the meaning of the expression in the text — "Being born of water," — that it recognizes and establishes in the most point- ed terras the institution of water baptism in the Church of Christ. Neither can there be a doubt in any serious mind, I think, of the absolute necessity which all who would be- come Christians are under, of being thus baptized. A more solemn and express declaration is not to be found in the Scriptures, to any point of faith and practice. But if any doubt could reasonably be entertained, it must be done away when it is considered that the concluding injunction of the Author of our religion to his apostles, was "to teach all na- tions — baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," And when to this solemn command was added a declaration no less express, of the awful consequences depending on the observance or rejection of this institution — "IIo that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; he that believeth not, shall be damned" — it must be a hardier mind than I possess, that can lightly esteem this sacred ordinance and nitiating sacrament in the Church of Cubist. Tlie obligation of the ordinance, therefore, in the outward application of water in some way, to all who would be, or even be called. Christians, being out of all reasonable dispute, I will say a few words on its natm-e and use. Wlien the terms and conditions of the covenant of mercy in the Son of God were made known to our first parents after their fall, the Scriptures do not inform us that any particular token or outward seal was given to them; and it is not for us to conjectm*e where the Scripture is silent. Wlien the same covenant, however, was renewed with Abraham, and it pleased God to appoint and define the channel or course in which the promised seed of the woman should come, a special outward sign, token, and seal of the covenant was appointed by the Almighty, to designate and keep separate this channel, and to confirm to the chosen people the assurance of God's [Vol. 1,— *16.] 242 BAPTISM. fiivor in tlieir obedience to the terms thereof. "^Tliis is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee: every man child among yon shall be circum- cised, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt mo and you; and he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generation, and the uncircum- cised man child shall be cut off from his people — he hath broken my covenant." Hence we learn, my hearers, that circumcision, as the out- ward sign of the covenant, was strictly in the nature of a signature to a contract, that it conferred special privileges which could no otherwise be obtained, and its use was to de- termine by a visible mark, who were, and who were not, parties to the covenant. In like manner under the gospel dispensation, when it pleased God to put an end to the shadows of the law, by the offering up the body of Christ once for all, and to call all nations, as well the Gentiles as the Jews, to the hope of eternal life, by the obedience of faith, the same method was pursued by appointing a seal to the covenant of grace also, which seal is baptism, and is of the same nature and use as the previous seal of circumcision, and as certainly determines our interest in the covenant of redemption, as the former de- termined tlie interest of the seed of Abraham in the covenant of promise. As it was the same mercy founded on the original covenant, "that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent," so those to whom it was proposed under either of its subsequent forms, could only become parties to it, and be made partakers of its benefits, by personally sub- scribing to the terms, and conforming to the conditions, on which it was tendered to them. As the descendants of Abraham were not parties to the first covenant by their natural birth, but by the application of the seal or token annexed to it; in like manner the children of Christian parents cannot be parties to the second or new covenant otherwise than by the aj^plication of the appointed seal in the sacrament of baptism. And the reason and con- nexion of the appointment, with the express declarations of the word of God, most undeniably teaches — that there is no revealed method of entering into covenant with God, of be- BAPTISM, 243 coming entitled to the benefits of the death of Cheist, in the forgiveness of sin, the renewal of the Holy Ghost, and the reward of eternal life, but bv the water of baptism. I therefore do not wonder that baptism should have oc- cupied so much the attention of Christians, even in the cir- cumstantials belonging to it, as a rite or ceremony. All I re- gret is, that attention has not been rightly directed, and that in disputing about circumstantials, the end and design of it, which is newness of life, has too far been lost sight of. That the arguments drawn from the analogy between Chris- tian baptism and Jewish circumcision, have been objected to and considered irrelevant by those who deny to infants the privileges of baptism, is very certain, as it also is, that this objection has been pushed so far by ignorant and heated minds as to se]3arate the Kew from the Old Testament al- together. But this proves only to what lengths men will go in favor of a particular notion, and that they will even risk the certainty and oljligation of the Bible, rather than yield a distinguishing though untenable point For, beyond dispute, if you destroy the connexion between the Old and ISTew Tes- taments, you deprive us of the whole Bible. Uncertainty or disagreement in the revelation of God's will deprives us of it entirely. Yet nothing is more plain and certain, than that our Lord himself and his inspired apostles viewed this point very differently, ^nd continually refer to the Old Testament, as the ground and authority of those transactions which after- wards formed the Xew. And St. Paul himself argues this very point on the analogy of the two ordinances, styling Christian's the circumcision made without hands. And if we would only bear in mind, my friends, that in the days of our Lord and his apostles there was no such book as that which we call the New Testament, it might serve to convince us, how dangerous it is to separate the Scriptures from the unity of their purpose, and how certainly unsound and unsafe that form of doctrine must be which requires so desperate a support. From the words of my text also, we leani the connexion cif spiritual regeneration with the baptism of water; "except a man be born of water and of the Spntn." Tliis has been a fruitful theme of opposition and even of ridicule on the sub- ject of baptism, not only from those who are opposed to in- 244 BAPTISM. fant baptism, l)ut eren from some who i')ractice it. Yet no- thing is more clear from tlie express words of Scripture, than the connexion of regeneration with tlie sacrament of baptism. Tlie words of my text connect them inseparably. The apostle St. Paul expressly styles baptism the washing of regenera- tion, and it is every where spoken of and set forth in Scrip- ture as a new state, a new life, commenced on new princii)leSy and actuated by new motives. jSTothing is more clear from the actual condition of man, as a fallen creature, spiritually dead, than that at some time, and by some means, he must be rendered capable of spiritual gi'owth and advancement, otherwise the gospel is preached to stocks and stones. Now this we are certiiied by our baptism is then done for us; such a measure of divine grace being then imparted, as renders us once more capable of trial and improvement, if duly culti- vated. To this amount the Scriptures speak, "Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." Nor is there a single instance in the acts of the apostles, the case of Cornelius excepted, which was for a special purpose, where spiritual communica- tion of any kind was obtained, except at and after baptism... Li the primitive Church, immediately after the days of the- apostles, the word baptism was hardly ever used, but instead thereof some word wliich expressed its spiritual accompani- ments — such as regeneration, re-creation, 'renovation, resur- rection, renewal, with many others, which all expressed a communication of spiritual benefit annexed to the right ad- ministration of this ordinance. Nor is there a single denom- ination of Christians who have set forth the articles of their common belief, as the principle of their particular union, who do not recognise this doctrine in connection with water bap- tism: K there are any such I have not met with them. Tliat the Protestant Episcopal Church recognises it in the fullest manner, you have witnessed in the service of this day; and' though attempts have been made to explain away the true- meaning of the words as used in the baptismal office, they are unauthorized and indefensible from any just view of the- subject. But however certain iit is, that tliis view of the connexion of spiritual regeneration, with the sacrameni of baptism,, is BAPTISM. 243 that set forth in the articles and declarations of their faith by the great majority of reformed Christian denominations, it has within no very distant period come to he qnestioned, so that the faith of many is unsettled, and the ordinance itself lowered in estimation, and lessened in the nse. Oonsiderino- tliis, therefore, to he a most dangerous corruption of Chris- tianity, inasmuch as it strikes at the only revealed and ap- pointed means of entering into cox'^enant with God, and be- coming partakei's of his grace; it is my duty to show you, both tlie true gomid on which the doctrine rests, and also the fallacy of that on which the opposite notion is supported. Xow this fallacy is two fold — First, an alteration in the meaning attached to the word regeneration. Originally, as I have showed you, it was always used to express the spiritual benefit conferred by baptism in connec- tion with the change of outward condition thereby accom- plished; and as the spiritual benefit was infinitely the most valuable, that was chiefly in view in the use and application of the word. By degrees, however, the word has become to be generally used as synonymous with convei*sion, or the turning of a sin- ner to God by repentance and faith. And this change it is, which creates the chief difficulty in the question. Accus- tomed to use the word in a particular sense, it sounds strange when used in a difierent one, as I doubt not was felt by many of you toda^" during the baptismal service. To give thanks to God for the conversion of an infant, which common sense told you could not possibly be the case, must have soimded strange in your ears, and contributed to lessen your respect for the ordinance itself. But take the word regeneration in its scriptural, primitive, and only just meaning, as the com- munication of that principle of a new and spiritual life wliich every child of Adam nmst receive from God, to render him capable of religions attainment, and consequently of salva- tion; all is consistent and harmonious, and is , calculated to produce a deep and histing impression upon the mind, of the goodness of God, of the reasonableness of religion, and of the worth and efficacy of this sacrament. Secondly^ — Tliose views of the doctrine of grace, Avhich are commonly called Calvinistic. 246 BAPTissr. As it is tlie opinion and l)elief of tliose wlio tlins think, that tlie grace of God, when given, cannot fail, but must operate in prodncing holiness of life; and as much the greater num- ber of baptized persons, who live to years of discretion, not only fall into sin, but continue therein through life, therefore they cannot admit, that the grace of God is bestowed on every baptized person. And had they established this doctrine, had they proved their point, that the grace of God is of this nature, and ne- cessitating in its operation, the conclusion would be a just one. But as they have not done this, and never can do it but at the exj^ense of all religion, the scriptural connexion of regeneration with baptism stands firm for the confirmation of that reasonable service which the gospel requires, for the comfort and edification of parents, in the religious education of their children, and for the encouragement of all baptized persons, to work out their salvation with care and diligence^ inasmuch as they are certified by this sacrament, lawfully administered, that it is God that worketh in them both to- will and to do. That regeneration and conversion are not the same thing, is evident from this: that regeneration, or imparting spiritual life, to a creature spiritually dead, must l)e previous to the conversion of such a person from a state of actual sin; it be- ing clear and beyond dispute, that an unregenerate person never could be converted. Tliat the grace of God does not act upon us in a manner necessitating and compulsory, is shown from our condition as accountable beings, hereafter to be judged, and punished or rewarded according to the improvement or abuse of the grace given to every one of us in Christ Jesus, whereof bap- tism is the only seal and certificate. Having thus showed you the obligation of the ordinance, together with its nature and use, as an appointment of Jesus Christ in his Church; and noticed some of the corruptions and perversions of the doctrines which prevail in the present day; I come now to the incpiiry, who are the proper subjects of this ordinance — that is, who are entitled to it? Secondly then — Every denomination of Christians is agreed, that all who can with understanding profess their faith in BAPTISM. 247 Christ, are fit subjects of tliis ordinance. Li other words, that believers' baptism is hiwful and scriptural. On this subject there is no dispute. Every denomination of Christians, with the exception of one, is further agreed, that the infants, and other children of believing parents, are entitled to this onlj seal of the cove- nant of grace, and are in the practice of receiving them to Church membership by baptism. And being of the number of those who thus act, I shall now lay before you the grounds on which I think myself warranted in so doing, by the word of God. First — As the covenant of mercy established in the blood of Christ, is one and the same, under every dispensation of religion, and embraces every description of persons, (every creature under heaven, is the strong expression of St. Paul) it must embrace infants as well as adults. But as tiiere are no revealed means of becoming parties to the Christian cov- enant, but by the waters of baptism, I consider infants enti- tled to tliis benefit. "For the promise is unto you and to your children." Secondly — As it pleased God, in constituting the Old Tes- tament Church, to command tlie membership of infants, and to direct them to be taken into covenant with him, by receiv- ing the seal thereof at eight days old; I consider, that an al- teration in the seal merely, without any alteration in the con- ditions of the covenant, does not make such a change as to exclude those who were before admissible. I therefore re- ceive infants to membership in the Church of Christ, by the HOW appointed seal of baptism. Thirdly — as the covenant is an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, no change, in any thing that relates to its essence, can be made, from the very nature of the j)arties to it. Almighty God, and mortal man. As therefore, the benefits of this covenant were once extended to infants by divine appointment, and no notice of any repeal of this privi- lege is either known or pleaded, as a minister of Christ I dare not take upon me to narrow or curtail the grace of God, by -refusing its seal now, to those who were once clearly en- titled to it, upon any presumed inconsistency, or specious reasonings of an incai^acity of which I cannot judge. I there- fore baptize them. 248 BAPTISM. Fourthly — As it is only by the influence of the Holy Spirit that we are rendered capable of any thing good and acceptable in the sight of Gon — as this help and influ- ence is essential to our growth in grace — and as it is only to persons rightly baptized that this grace is promised and given, according to the authority of God's word, which is the more sure word of prophecy — I therefore receive and baptize them, that they may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost — that the spirit of grace may early (Occupy their hearts, and work in them, and with their parents and friends, in training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, that they may be guided into all necessary truth, and strengthened unto all required duty. Fifthly — As "that which is born of the flesh is flesh" — as by natural birth we have no ])art in the covenant of grace, but are under a sentence of condemnation, which can' be re- moved only by the merits of Christ's death, applied in the appointed means, by being baptized into his death, — I there- fore receive them into the ark of Christ's Church, that they may be made partakers of the promises, and nourished up unto eternal life: for "it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of tJiese little ones should perish." On these scriptural and reasonable gi-ounds, brethren and friends, do I, as a minister of Christ, with a good conscience administer the sacrament of baptism to the subject, and after the manner, ye have this day Avitnessed; and it is your part carefully to consider and ai)i)ly them. But it may reasonably enough be expected that the objec- tions of those who are opposed to this practice should not pass without notice, more especially as it might be said, that they could not be answered, and therefore were not met: for I know by long experience, that Avhat I have this day said in discharge of my duty, will be considered as an attack upon a favorite notion, and withstood in every way that can be debased. As there are two main objections to the practice of infant baptism, and chiefly made use of by those who are opposed to the practice, I shall conflne myself to them; and this the rather because they contain all of ditficulty on the question. The first objection is, that there is no warrant in Scrij^ture, BAPTISM, 249 no Tims saitli tlie Loed, for administering tliis ordinance to infants. And I admit that there is no such express command as, Thus saith the Lord, thou shalt baptize thy children: but in reply I observe, that it was not necessary to give any such command. Eeflect a moment, my hearers, what description of persons it was to whom the gospel was first preached. "Was it not to Jews? — to descendants of Abraham, the Israel of God, who for nineteen hmidred years had been accustomed to the church membership of infants, by ex|)ress command of God, in the application of the outward seal of the covenant, with a severe penalty denounced against the neglect of it? In what sense then would those Jews to whom Peter preached the gosjoel on the day of Pentecost receive his exhortation to repent and be baptized, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, with his declaration that the promise of this benefit was to them, and to their chikb-en? Would they understand it as exclud- ing their infants from the benefits of the Christian covenant and membership in the church of Cheist, or as continuing to them the privilege they were already in possession of and ac- customed to? I think there cannot be a reasonable doubt in any mind as to what their understanding of it would be. For it was a Jew preaching to Jews, and as such, would be under- stood according to the general and long accustomed impres- sion among them, on this point; and the reason is equally good for a like understanding and practice on our part. But further. Had it been in the counsel of the unchange- able God to alter the tenns of his covenant, on the revelation of the gospel, so as to exclude infants, then would an express prohibition of the former practice have been made. ]N^o such prohibition, however, being to be found, and no express com- mand being necessary to those who were already accustomed to the membership of infants, I conclude that the objecrion is not of that serious nature which those who rely upc»n it would have it thought, nor suflicient to warrant the danger- ous and injurious innovation of denying the sacrament of regeneration to infants. But further yet. Was a Tims saith the Lord indispensalde to the circumstantials of a positive institution? Tliere arc many things in om- common Christianity to which we attach 250 BAPTISM. a very high degree of reverence and sanctity, and as to- which we are equally deficient of this particular kind of authority. Where, for instance, shall we find a Tlius saith the Lord — a positive command — to observe the first day of the week, in- stead of the seventh, as the day of rest and holiness to the LoKD? Where is the command obliging us to attend public worship on this or any other day? Where is there a like au- thority for admitting females to the Lord's Supper? None of these are thus provided for in the New Testament. Are they therefore corruptions of Christianity, and to be abandon- ed and put down in the use and observance? God forbid! and yet if the objection is good in the case of infant baptism, it is good as to these also, and the opponents of the one ought to be equally so of the others, to be consistent with their principles. How then stands the authority of all these re- ligious observances? To this I answer: on the same ground on which the Scriptures themselves stand, as the word of God — that is, on the testimony, authority, and practice, of the primitive Church under the unerring guidance of the in- spired apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, than which, I think, we need no better security for the quiet and assurance of our consciences in any religious observance. Tlie next objection is. That faith and repentance being necessary preparations for baptism, therefore, as infants are incapable of either, they ought not to be baptized. To this I reply: that faith and repentance are absolutely necessary, and strictly required, of all M'ho are capable of them; and I would no more baptize an adult, a person come to years of dis- cretion, without a profession of faith, than my opponents would. But where do we learn, either from Scripture or reason, that these are required of those who iVoni the natm-e of things have nothing to repent of, and cannot believe? IIoM^ stands the case, as resj^ects these qualifications for the seal of the first covenant? Of Abraham and all who were capable of it, faith was required; but of those who were in- ca])able it was not required, nevertheless we know assuredly that they Avere entitled to the seal and all its benefits. Shall we then, my hearers, venture to apply the Scripture differ- ently in a similar case, and, without an express warrant, say tliat the words of my text require an impossibility Avhen they BAPTISM. 251 declare, "that except a man be born of water and of tbe si^irit, lie cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In defence of this objection, the sti*ong hold of the oppo- nents of infant baptism, is a text from St. Mark's gospel — "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Be- lieving, they say, is put before baptism, and therefore none but believers ought to be baptized. ]S^ow, my friends, to show you the weakness and fiillacy of all such arguments, I will oppose my text to theirs; in that it is said, and very ex- pressly too, "except a man be born of water and of the spirit." Here baptism is put before spiritual influence of any kind, of course before faith and repentance, which are fruits of the spirit; and therefore, if the views of our opponents are just, there is a contradiction in the Scriptures. In this case what is to be done? Tlie same mouth spake both passages of Scrip- ture, and the same mouth hath told us that the Scripture can- not be broken. Shall we reject either of the texts? We dare not. Shall we prefer one to the other? They are of the same authority. Shall we, then, force them to suit some particular notion of our own? Gou forbid! jSTo, my brethren, let us learn to treat the word of God with more reverence, and comparing spiritual things with spiritual — that is, the two Testaments with each other — so expound and understand our Bible, that the whole purpose of God in the salvation of simiers may present one unbroken chain of wisdom and mercy from beginning to end; which can no otherwise be done, than by understanding that pm-pose to be the same, and applied to the same objects in every dispensation of re- ligion. And let this difficulty from the two texts, according to the ol)jection above noticed, show you the childishness of thus treating so weighty a subject, and warn you against all partial interpretation of Scripture. It is one, my lie;irers, like its great Author, and cannot safely, or without sin, be broken up into separate authorities for disagreeing doctrine. The two main objections to the practice of infant ba])tism being thus shown to have no foundation in either Scri]>ture or reason, it is the less necessary to take up your time with those of a minor order. There are two more observations, however, closely connected with Scripture authority, and ap- plying to the objections under notice, which I will lay before you. 252 " BAPTISM. The first is, that for fifteen hundred years, that is, from the days of the apostles to the reformation of religion in the sixteenth century, the practice of inftint baptism was unques- tioned in the Church of Christ. Now we know that the different religious parties watched each other as closely then, as they do now. We know that every attem2)t to corrupt the gospel was denounced by some of them. If, then, the practice of admitting infants to baptism is a corruption, a departure from apostolic precept and practice in the religion of Jesus Christ, how unaccountable, my hearers, that no notice should be taken of it in all that time, and tliat only in the last three hundred years it should have been discovered and opj)osed. The second is, that in a period of sixty-five years, that is from the ascension of our Lord to the death of the apostle St. John, there is no mention )nade, either in the Acts or in the Epistles, of any child or children of the first converts to Christianity being baptized when they came to years of dis- cretion. Now, they were either baj^tized in infancy, or at adult age, or rehapsed into Heathenism. But we read no- thing, as I have said, of their being baptized when they came to a proper age — and we do read of whole households beii.g baptized at once. Therefore, T conclude, "that the rot»t being holy, the branches are so likewise" — that the ])romise being to them and to their children, every parental feeling would urge Christian parents to procure for their infants, as early as possible, the Grace of God, in the baptismal seal of the new covenant. With tliese remarks I leave the question of the proper subjects of this sacrament to the judgment and the feelings of every Christian father and mother present, with the word of God for their guide, in preference to the vain reasoning of men, in favor of their own inventions, and proceed III. Tliirdh', to consider the mode, or manner of adminis- tering baptism. The opponents of infant baptism are also opposed to the application of water to tlie subject in that sacrament, in any but one mode. They consider immersion, or plunging the whole body under the water, as the only Scriptural mode; and that the practice of applying the water by pouring or BAPTISM. 253 sprinkling, as used by other denominations, is such a corrup- tion as vitiates and renders null and of no effect the rite it- self, ev*en when applied to a proper subject. Though I do not subscribe to tliis opinion, yet fortunately there is no necessity that I should take up more of your at- tention upon a matter of so little real consequence. Tlie mode of any ritual performance is not a point of saving faith, though it may and ought to be, under the same reasons, a jDoint of dutiful observance. No Christian denomination thinks it an essential i)art of the Lord's supper to eat it at night, or to observe a fixed posture of the body; yet certainly we have more exact information of the mode of administer- ing that sacrament than the other; and had such circumstan- ces been of tlie essence of the ordinance, there would have been a clear direction in the Scriptures, which there is not. The Church of which I am a minister, however, authorizes the administration of baj^tism by immersion; and I am free to administer it in this way to any who scruple to receive it by the more usual, and equally efficacious mode, of pouring or sprinkling. On this contested point, and the more contested, perhaps, because so little depends upon it, Scripture authority is not decisive of the mode, there' being as much ground to infer that they went down into the water for the purpose of more easily pouring it on the multitudes, as for the purpose of im- mersing them. In the case of St. Paul's own baptism, there is no evidence that he was immersed, or that there was any convenience for it in a private house. And in the baptism of the jailer by St. Paul in the prison at midnight, together with his whole house, all the circumstances are against the conclusion that immersion was the mode, and in favor of the supposition that infants or children funned a part of those baptized by St. Paul. Indeed, so very indefinite are the authorities relied upon on those points, that it is difQcult to conceive how sin- cere men can find in tliem a justification for separating from the Church, and adding to the divisions which deform the Christian world. I will, therefore, conclude what I have to say on the mode of baptism, with these two remarks — 254: BAPTISM. First, whatever is said in the gospel respecting John's baptism, the baj^tism of our Lokd in the river Jordan, or any other baptizings there mentioned, has nothing to do with Christian baptism, which was nut instituted until after our Saviour's resurrection, nor administered until the day of Pen- tecost. So that all reasonings from one to the other are in- consequent, and all analogies unfounded. Secondly, as it is not the quantity of wax, or the size of the seal, that makes an instrument legal and eliectual, so it is not the quantity of water in baptism, but the authority by which it is applied, that gives it its eifect. Oceans of water without the authority of Christ to administer it, signify no- thing, can bring no persons into covenant with God through him — while the smallest quantity duly applied is effectual to convey over all the blessed fruits of his most gracious under- taking for the salvation of sinners. Hence arises a most se- rious consideration, my friends, in this inquiry: whether all who venture to administer baptism to any of the subjects, or in any of the modes in which it is used, have such authority for what they do, as to render valid and worthy to be de- pended on, the high privileges contained in the authorized application of water, in the name of the Fathek, and of the Son, and of the FIoly Ghost? The application of what has been said is, I. To those who, by reason of the contentions which have grown out of this subject, have become unsettled in their minds as to the nature and necessity of the ordinance, and have therefore neglected it either as to themselves or their families. Upon such let me press the words of my text; they speak volumes in a small compass — "Except a man l)e born of water and of the Spirit," both baptized outwardly, and renewed inwardly, "he cannot enter the kingdom of God" — he can neither become a member of the Church militant upon earth, or of the Church triumphant in heaven. By the ex- press appointment of God, baptism with water is the seal of that covenant in which the mercies of redemption are made over to men. Let no man, therefore, deceive you with vain reasonings, lessening the obligation and importance of this sacred ordinance. Reflect, my friends, on the awful condi- tion of those who are without any title to the covenanted BArxiSM. 2oa mercy of the gospel, and "come thou and all tliy Louse into the ark." jSText, to those who, baptized in the name of the Fatuer, the Sox, and the Holy Ghost, and thereby most solemnly pledged to the service of God, have nevertheless broken tlieir baptismal engagements, and walking according to the course of tiiis world, set at nouglit the promises and threatenings of God in the gospel. Alas, my brethren, are you aware of your danger, of the double guilt you are heaping upon your souls, by thus i-ejecting Jesus Christ and him crucified for you? Hear, therefore, the warning this day given you. God is yet merciful, and calls you to repentance, and Christ ever liveth to make intercession for you. While this your day of grace lasts, therefore, be zealous, and repent, that your sins may be blotted out, and your spiritual strength be renewed to escape from the snare of the devil, and from that eternal death whicli is the only wages of his service. Lastly, to those who have this day pledged their children to God in the sacrament of baptism. Let the solemn engagements this day entered into pervade your whole duty to your children and to yourselves. "What- ever you plan and contrive fur their welfare, let the affecting remembrance that you have given them to God, and j)romised to train them for his service both here and hereafter, rule over your conduct. And let the blessed assurance that in all you now undertake for their well being and advancement, either as respects the present life or that which is to come, you have the promise of Him who cannot fail you, that they are his peculiar care; that his blessing will be upon them and upon your faithful endeavors to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; that his good providence will so direct and order their cause through this troublesome and evil world, that they will be an ornament to their family, a credit to their friends, useful to their country, and a comfort and support to the declining years of tlieir parents. And in the great day of eternity he bids you look forward to such a re-union with those who are most dear to you in this life, as shall never be interrupted or done away. Take courage then from the word of Him, all whose promises are }-ea and amen to us in Christ Jesus. They are pledged to you this day in 256 BAPTISM. the covenant of his rich redeeming love, and may they strengthen you to a faitliful discharge of all your duties. And now, my bretliren and hearers, let me appeal both to your hearts and to 3'our understandings, whether this solemn reception of these children to the benefits of the Christian salvation has any thing in it that savours of folly, or is liable to ridicule — whetlier it is mere baby sprinkling, as some profanely call it, or a most efficacious means of grace b()th to parents and children? Consider what the eflect upon society would be, were all parents and children really under the in- fluence of these solemn engagements, and diligent to fulfil their vows to God. Consider further, who can look forward to comfort and satisfaction in his family, with the best hope — the parent who dedicates, or he who withholds his family from God? And tlien look round and see what the neglect of this and of other religious duty has brought the morals of the people to, and let the awful absence of the fear of God every where visiljle, warn you to try another course, and en- gage you to "ask for the old paths — where is the good way, and to walk therein, that you may find rest for your souls." And may God bless this endeavor to state plainly his truth, and recall you to the right ways of the Lord, for Jesus Chkist's sake. Amen. SERMON II. CONFIRMATION. Acts xv. 41. * "And be went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." Tl)e person here spoken of, my brethren and hearers, is the apostle St. Paul; and the work he is represented as engaged in, must be considered as of importance to their religious advancement, and in sucli a sense important, as connected with the assurance of their Faith. This I trust will appear evident to you, my hearers, when you recollect that, at the time here spoken of, the Gentile Christians had no Scriptures of any kind, as a fixed standard to which to refer for the trial of their laith. More particularly they had not as yet the Scriptures of the New Testament, to which to bring both their faith and hope. Everything depended on the evidence the ministers of Christ were enabled to give, of the authority by which they spake and acted. Without this there could have been no claim on their obedience, iior could the guilt of unbelief and rejection of the gospel have been charged upon them. Hence we discern the importance of St. Paul's personal ministry to these newly planted Churches, and how much depended upon the authority by which he acted, for the assurance of their faith. To suppose, however, that the promulgation and spread of the Scriptures has done away the importance of this evidence to us, and that the Bible is a substitute for it, can proceed only from ignorance, prejudice, or interested motive; because the ordinances of the gospel, from the very nature of the things they are connected with, derive their whole certainty, and by consequence their efficacy, from the authority by which they are administered. Having before us then tliis day the performance of tlie like duty, it appeared re:usonable for the edification and assurance [Vol. 1,— ''^17.] 258 CONFIRMATION. of those most interested, to take this brief notice of a point now too much overlooked iu the Christian conimnnity, that they might with the greater confidence, both dedicate them- selves to God, and expect those spiritual blessings which he has been pleased to annex, in the ordinary administrations of his grace, to the use of outward means. The words of my text may be thought, by some, remote from the particular obj'ect now before us. But whether we take the expression "confirming the churches," in the extend- ed sense of animating and encouraging them by his exhort- ations, by his counsel, by his example and authority, to steadfastness and increase in faith and holiness; or use it in the more restrained sense of administering those sacred rites and holy ordinances of Christ's religion, which are by divine appointment, at one and the same time, outward and visible signs of God's mercy and grace, and means or channels whereby we receive the same; we are equally furnished with the warrant of apostolic usage, for the performance of a like duty to the same gracious end. The text therefore needs no- forcing to suit my purpose, more especially as I trust to show, beyond all reasonable ground of objection, that the more special purpose of our assembling together at this time, formed a part of that duty which the apostle performed in this visit to the churches of Syria and Cilicia. The subject under consideration being the ordinance or rite of confirmation, I shall discourse upon it, for your edifi- cation, under the following heads: FiKST. The origin and authority of this ordinance, as used Id the Church of Christ from the very beginning of Christianity. Secondly. The purpose or design ■vrith which it was ad- ministered in the primitive Church. Thirdly. Its use and propriety, as continued in the Church to this day. FocRTHLY. I shall point out the qualifications necessaiy to those who would receive it with advantage. "And he went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the Churches." First, I am to lay before you the origin and authority of this ordinance of confirmation, as used in the Church of Christ from the very beginning of Christianity. CONFIEMATION. 259 For this, my brethren and hearers, as for all the other appointments of God's wisdom and mercy, in the redemption and salvation of sinners, we must go to the Scriptures of our faith; whatever is not there set forth for our learning, or commanded for our obedience, cannot be essential in our practice. !Nor yet, on the other hand, can it be safe for us to reject or lay aside what is there set forth, as an ordinance of our religion, which has the sanction of apostolic usage, and a reasonable and profitable application. Coeval, then, with the administration of the ordinance of religion in the Church of Cueist, we find it to have been the practice of his apostles to follow the sacrament of baptism, sometimes immediately, sometimes more remotely in point of time, with the imposition of their hands, together with prayer, that the persons who by baptism had become the dis- ciples of Christ, might in this, the ordinary and appointed mode, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, whether that was in the communication of those extraordinary operations which at the first evidenced the divine original of the gospel, and of the authority of those to whom it was recommitted; or in the more ordinary, more necessary, and more frequent eflects of his presence as the promised comforter, guide, and santifier of Christ's disciples. And the first instance of its adminis- tration is mentioned in the eiglith chapter of the Acts of the apostles, under these circumstances. Philip, who was ordained one of the seven deacons, or in- ferior ministers of the Church, driven by the persecution con- sequent on the death of Stephen, from Jerusalem, went down to Samaria, and preached Christ unto them; and by the power of his doctrine, and the evidence of the miracles which lie wrought in proof of its divine origin, converted them to the faith, and baptized them. We learn further, however, my hearers, that though they were converted and baptized, there was yet something more provided for their furtherance in the faith, which Philip, though a minister of Christ, and clothed with miraculous power, could not confer upon them. Hence we read, that when the apostles, who were at Jeru- salem, heard that a Church was gathered at Samaria, they sent two of their body, Peter and John, who went down to them, and prayed for them, and laid their hands upon them,. 260 CONTIKMATION. and then and tliereby, as tbe aj)pointed means, they received the Holy Ghost. The next instance of the exercise of this apostolic ordinance, recorded in the Scriptures, is in the nineteentli chapter of the same book, where St. Paul having baptized some of the dis- ciples of John the baptist, afterwards laid his hands upon them, by M'hich act they received tlie Holy Ghost, and spake with tongues, and prophesied. From these two instances then, we learn, my brethren and hearers, that a sacred and significant ordinance or religious rite, subsequent to and connected with the sacrament of bap- tism, has the same origin and authority with our holy religion, and is as much a part of it, as the sabbath and the sacra- ments. And when we are further informed, as Ave are by this same apostle, that this ordinance or rite, under the name of laying on of hands, is among the first principles of the doc- trine of Christ, our regard for, and observance of it, must be greatly increased; as must also be our admiration tliat in so large a portion of the professing Christian world it should be so lightly esteemed, and abandoned in the use; for without any dispute, first principles, in all institutions, whether civil or religious, are sacred, and can neither be departed from without danger, nor abrogated without guilt. In the sixth chajjter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, we find that apostle, in enumerating the principles of the doctrine of Christ, including laying on of hands, in connexion with baptism. And in the third chapter of his Epistle to Titus, he speaks of the washing of regeneration, together with the renewing of the Holy Ghost, as parts or principles in that salvation, which "God our Saviour hath shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." From all which, and from the practice of every apostolic Church, con- tinued unto this day; we feel and believe that it was intended so to be continued, and that b}' abandoning it, we should de- prive the Church of an appointed means of grace, and of a ground of assurance to all her devout members. Our hojje of salvation, my brethren and friends, if it be a good hope, is so interwoven with conformity to the gospel, and the assu- rance of faith so dependent for its reality on the authoiity by which the outward and sensible signs of invisible things, CONFIRMATION. 261 the sacraments and ordinances of the Church, are adminis- tered and received, that we dare not venture to add to, or diminish from, the pattern given us in the jDrimitive Church; or to cast oif a practice, which tlien was, and now is, so help- ful, in confirming to believers the promises of the gospel; which rests upon such clear declarations of God's hoi j word, and such safe interpretation of their meaning, as that of apos- tolic usage. Eememl)er, I praj jou, my brethren, that it is one thing to take assurance in matters of faith, it is quite a different thing to be entitled to it. More especially is the continuance of this ordinance in the Church, at the present day, of the highest use and impor- tance; by reason that in the natural and regular course of things, the saci'ament of baptism, which at the first was ad- ministered chiefly, thougli not solely, to adults, or grown up persons, came to be administered to their children. For as the promise was to them and to their children, there can be no reasonable doubt, that as soon as there were those, in any Christian society-, who could be the subjects of this grace, its benefits were applied to them. And I appeal to everj' Chris- tian mother present, whether she would not just as soon with- hold the breast from the infant, as the infant from the grace of God given in baptism duly and rightly administei'ed. When these infants, therefore, came to years of discretion, to understand the nature and extent of the Christian obliga- tion, and M-ere desirous iu their own persons to make profes- sion of their faith in Chkist, to take upon themselves their baptismal vows, and dedicate themselves to the cause of God and religion, the}' were provided, in this apostolic ordinance, with the means of doing so, in a manner calculated both to impress and encourage them. It is calculated to impress them with the deepest reverence, from the solemn nature of the engagements entered into, and from tiie preparatiun required, from its being transacted in public, with the Bishop or chief governor of the Church, by whom in person could. this office alone be performed. It is calculated to encourage them, by the fullest assurance of all spiritual help given them for the performance of their Christian duties, by the prayers of the whole Church in their behalf, and by the laying on of the hands of him, to whom is 262 CONFIRlMATIOTSr. committed, according to the appointment of Christ, the dis- pensing of his mysteries in the Chnrch. Hence it is called Confirmation, because it is a public rat- ifying or confirming of the joint obligation entered into at baptism, between God and his creature; and because it is, to every true believer, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, certified by an appropriate sign. With these scriptural, reasonable, and profitable claims on the observance of all Christian people, it is surely worthy of the most serious consideration, why it has been abandoned by any denomination, or how it is possible to find a substi- tute for it, in any of those inventions of men, wlio, wise in their own conceits, venture to sit in judgment on the appoint- ment of heaven, and to alter and amend the gospel, and its ordinances, as if it were a constitution of civil government, or a regulation of civil society. We are told by way of warning, my hearers, by Him who knew to its root the pride and j)resumption of our fallen natures' — "that there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Let us ever reverently bear in mind, my brethren and friends, that our religion, in all its parts, is the appointment of heaven for our good; that in its every office there is a purpose of divine wisdom to be answered, and that we never can be safe, (safe in such a sense as alone ought to satisfy a rational being, on the unspeakable interests of eter- nity,) unless we are built on the joint agreement of God's word and God's authority. These two he hath seen good to join indissolubly together, for our comfort and assurance. That which God hath joined, therefore, let no man ventui'e to put asunder. Secondly, I come now, in the second place, to poiiit out to you the purpose and design with which it was administered in the primitive Church. This, as has been already showed in part, was to draw down upon the person or persons confirmed, the blessing of God, in the gift of the Holy Ghost, as the seal of their cove- nant state, the witness to their adoption into the family of Christ, and the root or spring whence all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed. This was al- ways the chief design of this ordinance — whether the pre- CONFIRMATION. 263 sence of the Holt Spirit was manifested bv those extraordi- nary gifts which were for signs to them that believed not. and for the spread and advancement of the gospel; or bv those ordinary, but more essential operations of his power, b}^ which the heart is sanctified to God, and the life devoted to his service. But another purpose also was intended to be answered by this ordinance of confirmation — which was, to establish be- lievers in the vital doctrine of the unity of the Church. A doctrine which our Lord laid down with the utmost plain- ness and precision, as decisive of the fellowship to which we are called by the gospel, and which his apostles pressed upon their converts with the utmost earnestness, but which seems now to be nearly lost sight of, in a divided Christian world. "There is one body," says St. Paul to the Ephesians, "and one Spirit, even as ye are called with one hope of your call- ing," Therefore the poM-er to impart the gifts of the Spirft, whether ordinary or extraordinary, was confined, after the ascension of Christ, to his apostles, and to such as they com- missioned to govern the Churches in his name. Hence we find St. Paul appealing to tliis, the sign or mark of an apos- tle of Christ, manifested in his person, as an argument with the Corinthian and Galatian Ciinrches, to recover them from the heresy and schism into which they had been seduced. (Have Christians of the present day lost the meaning of these words — or has any revelation been made b}^ which the crime is no longer possible?) "I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy," says he to the Corinthian Church, "lest by any means your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity tliat is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, or if ye receive another Spirit, or another gospel," then may you reasonably dispute ray claim. "But such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. For truly the signs of an apos- tle were wrougiit among you (by me) in all patience, in signs and wonders, and mighty deeds." In like manner he argues with the Galatians on the same subject. "I marvel (says he) that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the Grace of Christ, unto another gospel. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched 264 CONFIKMATION. you? This only would I learn of you, Eeceived ye the Spir- it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? He, therefore, that ministereth the Spirit to you, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" And thus could every individual Christian, as well as every Christian Church, determine sa- tisfactorily on the truth and certainty of their interest in Christ, by this standing witness to the Divine Authority of those by whom the gospel was preached, and the sacraments and ordinances of the Church administered to them. And well would it be for Christians of the present day to consider whether they have any other, or better, means of determin- ing such important questions. At this stage of the subject, we are prepared to inquire, whether this particular ordinance of confirmation, known in the apostles' days by the name of laying on of hands, formed part of the duty performed by St. Paul in this visit to the Churches of Syria and Cilicia. The opinion that it did, rests on the following circumstan- ces. An interval of seven yeare, at the least, had passed, according to the chronology of the Bible, from the time tiiey had first received the gospel nntil this visit from Paul and Barnabas. In that space of time many converts were doubt- less added to the Church, who required, and were equally entitled to the benefit and assurance of apostolic ministra- tions with those who preceded them — to say nothing of those younger members of baptized households, who must in this time have grown up in the nurture and admonition of tlie Lord, and been prepared to make a public profession of Christianity. When, therefore, we find this ordinance, un- der the name of laying on of hands, set forth in the Scriptures as one of the first principles of the doctrine of Christ — when we find that it was practiced b}'' the apostles, in cojmexion with the sacrament of baptism — that it was used by St. Paul himself: when we hear hira appealing to the Corinthian and Galatian Churches, led away into heresy and schism — by this personal proof to them of his authority as a minister of Christ, under the name of ministering and receiving the Spirit — when, above all, we reflect that to apostolic hands was com- mitted the power of communicating the Spirit, whether in CONFIEMATIOISr. 265 his ordinary or extraordinary operations — you, my hearers, must jndge whether the text is forced to the subject, or whe- ther it is such a fair and reasonable inference, as it is our duty to make from the known cliaracter of the apostles and the circumstances of the case. There was yet a further purpose, however, to which this ordinance was applied in the primitive Church, but subse- quent to the times of the apostles, which I will mention. It was believed to obviate and cure any defects, either of irregularity or want of authority, in the administration of baptism. Hence, such persons as had been baptized in in- fancy either by laymen or by ministers of heretical Churches, when they came afterwards to a better mind on the subject of religion, and were desirous to join the true apostolic Church of Christ, had the deficiencies of their baptism remedied by the toying on of the iiands of the Bishop: for it was an early decision of the Council uf the Church, that as there was but one baptism, it ought nut to be repeated, even where irregu- larity and defect of authority attended it. Observations of this description appear strange, and of an obsolete character, to many of you, I doubt not, my hearers; but they belong to the sul)ject — they are necessary to ex])lain and enforce it, as a Chi'istian ordinance, and a Christian duty; and in their just application they belong to thousands, who are accountable tor gos])el privileges, fur the light of life in the word of Chkist, and for saving ordinances — but who quench them all, in the pride and poverty of human author- ity; — who search not the Scriptures for thus saith the Lord, but blindly follow the thus saith the sect or leader, to whom they have attached themselves — and they are mentioned on this occasion to awaken your attention to what can never pi-e- judice your eternal interest, to-wit: the ground of your hope, the foundation on which you are all building it, with this ad- ditional remark, which I beseech you to take to your niost serious consideration — that the sacraments and ordinances of the gopel are of divine appointment, and can only be lawfully administered by divine authority — that Christian privileges, gospel hope, and Scri])tural assurance, are all founded on covenant engagements, and are only to be enjoyed by us as we are faithful to the engagement on our part — that sincerity ^6 CONFIRMATION. in error is no excuse for it, and that all this flows from the unalterable Scripture declaration, "Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Curist." III. Thirdly, I am to point out its use and propriety, as continued in the Church to this day. ]!!v^ow, whatever this was in the primitive Church, the same in its degree is it in the present day, "For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." The only difficulty on the subject grows out of the close connexion of this ordinance with miraculous gifts as used in the primitive Church. But when we know, as we do, my brethren, from the word of God, that this was not the sole purpose of its administration, but that it was the appointed means of obtaining the Holy Spirit, in those gifts and graces "whicii are universally necessary to salvation, the difficulty should be done away, and all stand prepared to submit tiiem- selves to the righteousness of God in any and every ai^jioint- ment of his wisdom for the communication of his grace. The unity of the Churcli also, — by which is meant the union, fellowship, or agreement of believers in the faith, doc- trine, worship, and authority of that one spouse and body of Christ, which he bought with his own blood, and in com- munion with which only, are the promises of God yea and amen to us in Christ, — is of as great importance to us now as to the primitive Christians. And though vre cannot evi- dence our title to this distinction b}' miraculous powers, yet we can avouch the authority of those to whom miracles were given for the establishment of the Church, transmitted down to us by a verifiable succession for your benefit. And by the orders of the ministry, the sacraments of the Church, and this ordinance, we show that we continue "in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and prayers;" and we only ask tliose who in any of these particu- lars act difierently, to show an equally safe and satisfactory ground of trust in matters of faith. In the application of the sacrament of baptism to infants, however, (a practice which stands on the same ground of divine authority with the Scriptures and the Christian sab- bath,) both the use and the propriety of continuing this rite in the Church is most clearly evidenced. CONFIEMATION. 267 That those who have been dedicated to God in their in- fancy, and by the providence and permission of the great Head of the Church have been admitted to become parties to the covenant of grace, should, on obtaiDinJ^a suitable sense of the benefits conferred on them, and of the weighty obliga- tions they have come under, manifest their thankfulness, and ratify in their own persons the engagements entered into for them, is the dictate both of reason and religion. From the days of the apostles, therefore, it has been the rule of the Church to receive such as were baptized in infancy, to full fellowship and communion by this ordinance of confirmation, in which the person confirmed renews or ratifies, before the assembled congregation, the baptismal covenant, with a full understanding of the nature and extent of the obligations he or she comes under — enters into a most solemn engagement to fulfil the duties of the Christian life, and, before many witnesses, makes that good confession of Christ, which is re- quired of every believer. And the Church receiving this accession to her communion, invokes the blessing of God on the engagement made, and by the imposition of the hands of her chief oflicers, imparts that Holy Spirit which was given to abide with her for ever, for the comfort, strength, and sanctification of all her members. In the sacrament of baptism rightly administered, we re- ceive by the Holy Ghost, spiritual regeneration, together with remission of sins, whether original or actual. But un- less we cast away from us the authority of God's word, and seek to be wise above what is written, it is by this divine ap- pointment of laying on of hands, that we receive such mea- sure of the Holy Ghost as is required to enable us to over- come the world, to resist the devil, deny the flesh, to figlit the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life. By the continuance of this ordinance in the administra- tions of the Church, a strong objection against the ba])tism of infants is removed. It is objected, that it is a mockery to administer a soleum sacrament to a creature unconscious of any thing that is done; and that it is unjust to bind any one by the assent of another, without the privity and concurrence of the person bound. These objections, my brethren, are more specious than solid, and carry on their face the mark of this world's wisdom. 268 CONFIRMATION. In reply, it may briefly be observed, that it is nevertheless just such a mockery as God commanded and countenanced in the Old Testament Church in the ordinance of circum- cision, which is«o where forbidden in the gospel, which the apostles of Christ sanctioned, and which the records of the Church show to have been the practice- from the days of St. John the beloved disciple. And just such a piece of injustice as is most readily allowed in temporal things for their benefit. But whatever weight any may be disposed to give to ob- jections of this character, must be removed by the provision made in this ordinance for their taking upon themselves with, understanding and seriousness, the obligations and privileges of that sacrament. While there is abundant cause of thanks- giving to God that by this mockery, as it is profanely called, these unconscious creatures have been taken care of, trained up and nurtured in the fear of the Lord, prayed for, and prepared for those fuller communications of bis grace and good Spirit, promised to carry them onward in the divine life "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Having thus, my brethren and hearers, laid before you — though in a very brief and inadequate manner, — the origin, authority, and use of this ordinance in the Church of Christ, I will now, as was proposed in the fourth place, point out the qualifications necessary to those who would receive it with advantage. The first qualification I will mention, is knowledge, by which is meant such an acquaintance with what God hath revealed to us of the condition of man, of his purposes of mercy in Christ, of the means of grace, and of the duties and obligations of a Christian, as all may attain to from reading the Sci-iptures, and the instructions of pious friends. Secondl}^ a devout and serious spirit, or religious frame of mind. This is essential to any expectation of advantage from this or any other ordinance of religion. And if any thing can produce such a frame of mind, it surely must be present when we come forward in the face of the Church, to enter into solemn covenant with God in Christ, and in the terms and spirit of the baptismal vow, to renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil, to believe in God and to serve him, with CONFIEMATIOlSr. 269 tlie firm though humble expectation of being enabled, by his good Spieit, to keep this vow, unto our life's end. Thirdly, repentance, by which is meant a hearty and sin- cere sorrow for all the sins, negligences, ancl ignorances, we Ijave been personally guilty of against God and our neighbor, with real purpose of amended life. And this evidenced by luimble confession of them to God, with prayer for pardon of them through the merits of Ciikist — by earnest endeavors to repair any wrong done or oifence committed against our neighbor — and by a change or alteration in our former course of bfe. The last fpialification I shall mention is faith; by which is to be understood, in this case, such a belief of what God hath spoken unto us by his Son, with such reliance on the promises made us througli him, as to lead us to desire and earnestly to expect the fulfilment of them; and with such trust and con- fidence in the means he hath appointed for the communica- tion of his grace, as enables us cordially and joyfully to use them. Examine yourselves, then, my brethren, who now mean to ratity and confirm your baptismal engagements, whether you are thus prepared, whether you can now, with a good con- science, makeihat full and unreserved surrender of yourselves to God, which his service requii'es, that open ccmfession of Jesus Christ as your God, your saviour and your king, which Jiis religion demands from all who would be his disciples in- deed, and that firm determination to obey the gospel which its precepts enjoin. For confirmation is only another name for your solemn dedication of yourselves to God and his Sox — an open renunciation of the world, and separation of your- selves, from henceforth, from its unlawful and unhallowed pursuits. If you are thus cjualified and pre})ared, I can answer for tlie eifect — the blessing awaits you, and there is help at hand to go on \mto perfection. If you are not thus qualified, make not a mockery of sacred things, but let your deficiency deepen your penitence, and quicken your endeavor in preparing to meet your Saviour in the appointments of his grace upon earth, that you may thereby be prepared to meet him with joy, and not with grief, in his heavenly kingdom. 270 CONFIKMATION. Yet let none be deterred by timidity of spirit, humility of mind, or unreasonable fears, that tbey are not good enough to offer themselves to God; you can surely tell whether you sincerely desire and seek the favor of God, and the life of the world to come. If you do long for this happy frame of mind, let your wants be your warrant to come to Christ, for this is a gracious ordinance: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Unto this man will I look, saith the Lord, even to him tliat is of a con- trite heart, and of an humble spirit, and tliat trembleth at my word." Heaven and earth are full of encouragement to the penitent — to such "the Spirit and the bride say, come — and let him that heareth say, come — and let him that is athirst, come — and whosoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely." seemo:n" III, NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COMMUNION. St. Lcke XXII. 19. (last clause.) "This do in remembrance of me." Few things of such prime importance to our religious con- dition are so little understood, it is to be feared, as the nature and design of the sacraments of the Church. Of the small number, comparatively speaking, who come to them, the number is still smaller of those who rightly apprehend their purpose, and perceive distinctly the solemn obligation entered into by their observance. This is more esj^ecially the case with the sacrament of baptism, which has declined in the estimation of the great majority of those who bring their children to this ordinance, into a mere ceremony for giving its name to an infant, coupled perhaps with somewhat of a superstitious feeling. But it is also true, in a degree greatly to be lamented, of the higlier sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, as is evidenced by the slight influence produced upon the life, in numbers who partake of it; it being by far too conamon, for the credit of the Christian profession, to see in those who are communicants, as much eiigagement with the world as if they had not renounced it in their baptism, and solemnly under- taken, over the broken bod}^ and shed blood of their Saviour, to walk in newness of life. If to this we add, that entire neglect and disregard of this divinely appointed ordinance, which the great majority in Christian lands manifest, it presents an awful proof of the de- clining state of religion among ns, and calls for the united exertions of ministers and members to withstand this evil; the one by explaining the nature and design of the institution, with the obligation to observe it, in all who would be saved — the other by showing, in the example of their lives, its in- fluence and effect as a means of grace. 272 NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COMMUNION. That it is a duty which no baptized person can excusably neglect, there can be no question. "This do in remembrance of me" being as nnich a command of the gospel, as "Thou shalt not kill" is of the decalogue; and let us ever bear in mind, that they proceeded from the same mouth, ar.d will bo enforced by that supreme authority which governs all things, in heaven and upon earth. And I mention this to awaken the consciences of that great multitude who, though they are partakers of the benefits of the gospel, are yet unaffected by them, and in an especial manner withhold themselves from this ordinance. Kow though this unjustifiable neglect most commonly proceeds from a real and visible preference of the pleasures of sin, in some of its many and deceitful allure- ments; vet in some cases, and those not infrequent, ignorance of the nature and design of the institution, and a consequent erroneous view of all that relates to it as a positive appoint- ment of Christianity, keeps back some who might otherwise be induced to make this good confession of the Lord Jesus CuKisT as their only hope of acceptance with God. This therefore I shall endeavor to remove by laying before you. First: A brief explanation of the word Sacrament. Secondly: I shall point out the nature and design of the ordinance; And then conclude with an enforcement of the duty. "This do in remembrance of me." I. First, I am to lay before you a brief explanation of the word sacrament. It may perhaps appear strange to you, iny brethren and Iiearers, that the word sacrament is not used in the Scrip- cures as applied either to baptism or the Lord's Supper, and that the original word in the Latin language translated sacra ment in our version, lias little or no affinity with that in the original Greek in the JSTew Testament, for which it has been substituted. It is nevertheless the case, while it is by no means clear that the exchange has been advantageous. In its most common use the original Latin word, trans- lated sacrament, was applied to the military oath by which the Roman soldiers pledged themselves to their general, and jn which, being heathens, they devoted themselves to the in- NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLT COMMUNION. 273 fernal Gods if they proved unfaithful; whereas the Greek word for which this was substituted denotes what we express by the word mystery; that is, something of a spiritual and invisible nature, figured out by an external and visible rep- resentation. And as the word mystery was chiefly applied to the higher and more sublime superstitions of heathen re- ligion, to which none were admitted but with proper qualifi- cations, and under the most solemn obligations, it was natu- rally and properly made use of by the Apostle to express, in like manner, both the obligations and the expectations con- tained in the most sublime appointments of the Christian religion. The doubt expressed, that the exchange of the words has not been advantageous, is grounded upon this, that by reason of this change, the obligations incurred are mainly respected, while the means of fulfilling them through the aid of divine grace, specially annexed to the sacraments of the gospel, and an integral part of their value to us, is not suffi- ciently set forth. Especially true is this of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which is not an initiating ordinance like the sacrament of baptism, to be but once performed, but a continually returning duty, involving the original obligations entered into at baptism, with the assurance thereby pledged of the spiritual help, necessary to fulfil them. This however is only so far of im|)ortance, my brethren, as it may serve to keep your minds evenly balanced; equally free from a low, and too familiar, view of the ordinance, as a mere memorial of the death of Christ, and from an inflated and enthusiastic notion of a superstitious sanctity, alike de- structive of all rational performance of this, or of any other religious duty. For the word sacrament is now understood, by all well instructed Christians, to mean, when applied to the Lord's supper, not simply the commemoration of our Saviour's passion for us, nor yet the renewal of our baptismal engagements; nor as a fresh vow of fidelity to the captain of our salvation, as soldiers of the cross; nor yet as a visible pledge of heaven's mercy and favor, to all who worthily partake of it; but as combining all these, in one sublime and sacred mystery, accompanied by visible and significant sym- bols, ordained by Christ himself, for the perpetual comfort and assurance of all his faithful disciples. [Vol. 1,— *18 J 274 NATTIEE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLT COMMUNION, With tliis brief explanation of the word Sacrament, we shall be better prepared, I trust, to apprehend the nature and design of the ordinance; which was what I proposed, iii the second place, to point out to you. II. All appointments of a ritual and ceremonial description, in religion, are rendered necessary by the corrupt and fallen condition of human nature. Through this depravation of our faculties, we naturally prefer things present and sensible, however transitory in their nature, to those which are remote and invisible, however satisfied we may be of their superi- ority, both in degree and duration. Of this the proof is, alas, but too easy; there being none present, who aire not fully persuaded of the infinite disproportion between thing's tem- poral and eternal, while there are many, who are in no way influenced or affected by this acknowledged difference. A religion therefore wholly spiritual, and abstracted from sen- sible things, would have been impracticable to creatures so continually acted upon by external objects, while their spiritual faculties were deadened and perverted by the enter- tainment of sin. To meet this, the actual condition of human nature, the religion Goo hath revealed to us, is most wisely and mercifully adapted. The evidence that it is divine, is so full, clear, and convincing, as to render inexcusable all who reject or neglect it, when fairly proposed to them. The doctrines it teaches are so consistent with the perfections of God, and so fitted to the imperfections of man, so adapted to increase his happiness in this life, and to perpetuate it in eternity, that faith and obedience are enforced by the purest and highest reason, while the external appointments of the gospel in things ritual and positive are not only orderly and decent in themselves, but calculated moreover to give vigor and effect to tilings moral and spiritual, of which they are a figure. The Church, the ministry, and the sacraments, thereforcy are helps to faith; resting 23laces, as it were, and sensible objects, on which our poor earthly and grovelling minds may repose, while contemplating the substance of those shadows, as we journey onwards to eternity; and they are therefore of divine institution, that om- assurance may be full and com- plete. It is not, however, as helps to faith only, that these NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLT COMMUNION. 275 diyine appointments are limited; a wise and merciful God hath been graciously pleased to constitute tliem channels, or means, of that spiritual grace, or divine assistance, without wliich we can do nothing, in working out our everlasting salvation. With respect, therefore, to the particular ordinance under consideration, as all the benefits and advantages we derive from the mercy of God are the consequences of Christ's undertaking for us; and as his death upon the cross was in full satisfaction of the penalty we had incurred; and at once, a proof of the highest love towards us, both on the part of God the Father, in laying upon his beloved Son "the iniquities of us all;" and on the part of this beloved Son, in freely con- senting "to bear our sins in his own body upon the tree;" this particular circumstance, of his humiliation and sufferings in our behalf, has been consecrated into the highest and most comprehensive, the most solemn and efficacious appointment, of the religion he has established in the world, • Tlie Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, therefore, is in the nature of a memorial, or solemn religious commemoration, of this great and influential event, to be pei*petually cele- brated by all his true disciples and worshippers, until the end of time. Of this its commemorative nature, we have an example and exposition in the institution of the passover'in the Old Testament Church. For as that was to the Jews a constant annual memorial of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and particularly of the distinguishing mercy of God in sparing those households which were marked with the blood of the Paschal Lamb, when he smote the first born of the land of Egypt with death; in like manner, and by the closest analogy, the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross is to Christians the perpetual memorial of their deliverance from the bondage of sin; and the application of his blood, who is the true Paschal Lamb„the only shield from the penalty of eternal death, denounced against every transgression of the holy law of God. To limit this solemn ordinance, however, my brethren, to the natui'e of a mere memorial, after the manner of an an- niversary commemoration of some memorable temporal event, is altogether to lose sight of its sacramental character. For it is, further, in the»nature of a feast upon a sacrifice, 276 NATUEE AND DESIGN OF TDE HOLY COMMUNION. that is, a tliankful and joyful religions participation of in- stituted emblems — or outward and visible signs of a sacrilice already offered — from the efScacy of which sacrifice, all •beneiits and blessings are derived to redeemed man. Tims is this ordinance every way adapted to our condition, my hearers; what is outward and visible, is appointed and in- tended as a remembrancer, a help to faith — while what is signihed thereby, calls forth the spiritual faculties of the soul, to realize the exceeding greatness of that love, wherewith "Cukist hath loved us, and given himself for us," and stirs up the w^ll, and engages the affections, to cleave to his blessed example and holy truth, and walk worthy of him who hath purchased for ns, j^ardon, grace, and everlasting life. Li the design of this sacrament, also, we shall hnd the same infinite wisdom put forth to render it effectual to all the spiritual wants of our condition; and in this, as in all other, the com^nands of God, to render our obedience the source of our comfort and happiness. Tlie design, therefore, of the institution of this, the most solemn ordinance of Chkist's religion, and of the command — "Do this, in remembrance of me," is, First, to fix and im- print in our minds a deep and abiding impression of his pas- sion and death, as the most effectual motive to universal obedience. And what, ni}" dear hearers, can be considered a more power- ful argument, to persuade and prevail upon men to pursue the paths of peace and holiness, than a due consideration of the exemplary life, and meritorious death, of our blessed Saviour. His life is so complete a pattern of all vu'tue, and his death so conclusive an evidence of the hatred which God bears towards sin, that whosoever frequently and seriously meditates upon these things, can be at no loss either for suf- ficient direction or for the most powerful motives, to a holy life upon the principles of the doctrine of Christ. "Wliat more powerful antidote to temptation than to behold Jesus Christ, and him. crucified, evidently set forth among us in the sacramental elements? What more persuasive ex- hortation against all the deceits of sin, than the proof to be dra^vn from the death of Christ, of God's hatred of sin, and compassion for the sinner? And what more aflecting argu- NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLT COJIMUNION. 277 ment for the observance of this, and all our Saviour's injunc- tions, than to consider that it was his dying command — dying too for our sakes — to do this in remembrance of him, as the most effectual means to fill our hearts with devout affections, and adorn our lives with fruits of righteousness. Oh what cords of love do the careless and thoughtless votaries of the world, who turn away from this sacrament, break through! "What painfully purchased means of mercy and salvation, do they contemptuously cast from them! Alas, for those im- mortal souls, who will not be saved. 2. Secondly, partaking of the sacramental elements in com- memoration of the death of Christ, is designed to impress upon our hearts, that the atonement thereby made upon the cross for sin, is to fallen man the only ground of hojDe, and assurance of pardon and acceptance. The receiving this sacrament, therefore, is a continual ac- knowledgment, that that pardon of sin, which God vouch- safes us upon the condition of unfeigned repentance, is the purchase of the death of Christ, and the effect of that gi*eat and eternal sacrifice, once oft'ered as an exj^iation for the sins of the whole world. And sincere penitents can never, with more reasonable and well-grounded faith, hope to have ap- plied to themselves, the benefit of the grace and forgiveness purchased for all, by that great propitiation, than when they are, with true devotion, and with full purpose of amended life, commemorating their Saviour's sufterings, in that solemn manner, which he himself has appointed. They can never with more lively hope express their full trust and humble dependance upon God, that "he will also give them freely all other things," than when they are worthily and devoutly commemorating, according to our Lord's own institution — how God "spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." One main design of this ordinance, then, my brethren and hearers, is to encourage men to repent, and to enable them to perfect their repentance. It is not, therefore, to be con- fined as a privilege to confirmed believers, as some teach, and is too generally admitted. Tlie blood of Christ, in the language of Scripture, is a fountain opened for sin and for nncleanness — that is, for sin truly repented of; and the benefit 278 NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COMMUNION. thereof is never more likely to be effectually applied, than when, with sincere resolutions of renewed obedience, we obey the injunction of my text, by partaking of these holy mysteries. What an awful account, then, will those have to give, who are called to the knowledge of this grace, and yet, with a careless indifference, neglect this appointment of a Saviour's dying love! — and what excuse can be made, even for the sinner, who thus shows that he prefers to continue in sin, with eternal death as its wages, rather than to repent and be saved? 3. A third design of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, is to continue down to all generations the memory of "the love of God our Saviour, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour," And as this is what is to be understood in the more con- fined sense of the word memorial, when applied to this in- stitution of religion, so observation and experience teach us, my brethren, that without some such solemn observance, the memory even of this great event might have been lost among men. To communicate, therefore, in remembrance of Christ, is to profess publicly our faith in his death, as that full satis- faction to- the broken law, which the justice of God required as the condition of forgiveness, while it is also a perpetuating or keeping up in the world, the memory of this great event, as the ground of mercy and reconciliation with God to every generation of sinners. It is on our part "showing forth the Lord's death until he come." 4. Another and very important design of this institution, as a public ordinance of religion, is to give to Christians a very impressive and affecting opportunity to unite with one heart and one voice in returning thanks to God for his un- speakable mercy, in the gift of his only begotten Son, for the redemption of mankind; whence the whole of this service is usually called the eucharist, that is, the solemn thanksgiving. And if we are at all times bound to return thanks to God for all his mercies, for the mercies of every day, and of every hour, with how much greater earnestness ought we to express the same thankful disposition of soul, when we are commemo- rating that mercy, my brethren, which is not only the greatest NATURE AlsD DESIGN OF THE HOLY COiEflUNION. 279 •of all Others, but the fountain also and foundation of them all? As it is an ungrateful heart which receives the blessings of God's fatherly providence, day by day, without one tribute of a thankful spirit offered up to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, so it must be an ice-cold, infidel disposition, which can contemplate this precious gift of God's love, and hear the thanksgivings of his people, without being moved to go and do likewise, and to add his voice and his heart to the eucharistical hymn, with which we conclude our sacramental service. "We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty." Yet, alas! though all are redeemed, such is the enmity of the carnal mind, that ten tongues are silent, or lifted up in blasphemy, for one that returns to give glory to the God of our salvation. 5. A fifth design of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is, the confirming and renewing of the covenant with God, entered into at om- baptism; and thus to keep alive and fresh in our minds the obligations we have come under by being baptized into the death of Christ, and the promises of God of the succor and help of his Holy Splrit, sealed to us in that sacrament, and renewed in this. And who that considers what poor, frail, sinful, and cor- rupt creatures we are — who that knows how compassed about with infirmity, and exposed to temptation our whole pil- grimage is — but must admire and adore the wisdom and goodness of God our Sa^aour, in making this provision for our comfort and assm'ance. As there is no man that liveth and sinneth not; as the grace given in baptism decays, by reason of sin wilfully committed; and as without repentance there is no return to God, and re- newal of spiritual strength, and no available repentance with- out faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore is this wise and effectual provision of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ made, that the sincere penitent and humble be- liever, beholding by faith, "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world," may have a visible and sensible pledge of God's promised mercy and favor, in the use of the means through which he hath been pleased to appoint that 280 NATURE AJJD DESIG±Y OF THE HOLT COMMUNIOK. we are to receive tliem. Tlierefore it is of perpetual obliga- tion and continuance in the Churcli, for the nourishment and sustenance of his followers, until "he shall appear the second time, without sin unto salvation." And what an awful thought it is, my brethren, to reflect how those will then meet him who have been baptized into his name and death, have had the light of his blessed gospel shining around them, the means of his grace freely offered and pressed upon them, and yet have made light of it, and never once confessed him be- fore men, or acknowledged any obligation to him, as their Redeemer, by obeying this his dying command. Oh! what an aggravation of our guilt it is, to add contempt to ingratitude. The last purpose I shall mention as designed by the insti- tution of this ordinance, is a profession of our communion one with another, and a strong obligation to mutual love, charity, and good will. As the death of Chkist is the means whereby we are re- conciled to God, so it is intended also to reconcile men to each other — that is, to enforce all those motives by which peace and union are promoted, forgiveness of injuries en- couraged, and loving kindness extended. With gi-eat reason, therefore, it is, that the commemoration of his death for us all, should be accompanied, in our degree, by that temper and mind which was in Chkist Jesus — "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." That creatures of the same God, partakers of the same ruin, and lieirs of the same hope, springing from the one only mediator between God and man, should be of one mind and of one doctrine in the great affair of religion, and in all things kindly aflectioned one towards another, is the most reason- able of all expectations, the most natural of all duties. That it is not so, is greatly to be dejjlored. It therefore behooves us, my brethren, to be very careful on Scripture principles, and under Scripture directions, that we be not of the number who violate this obligation. Nor is the obligation of that difficult nature which many suppose; for Christan charity in- volves no sm-render of Christian 'principle, neither does it demand any accommodation with error, either in the doc- trines or order of the gospel. In its exercise it is confined exclusively to persons. Opinions are not, neither can be, the NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COMlVrUNION. 281 objects of its operation. And if thus understood, and acted upon, it would fully answer the great and gracious purpose of its enactment, in maintaining peace and good will, even amidst the dissolution of that unity among Christians, which marks tlie latter day of the gospel dispensation, I shall now conclude with an enforcement of the duty, en- joined in my text, "Do this in remembrance of me." And First, to whom are these afiectionate words addressed, my hearers? Primarily to the twelve disciples, certainly, Avho had been with him from the beginning, and were there- fore the better qualified to be his witnesses, and to make known his will and intention to the rest of the world, as our LoED himself told them, "And ye also shall bear witness, be- cause ye have been with me from the beginning." As these witnesses, therefore, taught and commanded, that this commemoration of the death of Christ was to be consid- ered as a standing ordinance in the Church; as the primitive Christians received and practiced it as of general obligation; and the canon of Scripture hath recorded it as an integral part of Christianity; these circumstances, independent of any reason or benefit to us from the ordinance itself, put all who have been and vet continue necjlio-ent of it, in the class of transgressors, not only of a plain law of the gospel, but of a law enforced by every motive which can have weight, either with a grateful or a selfish nature. Every way, therefore, they are without excuse, who from year to year hear the in- vitations of the ministers of Christ to prepare themselves for this duty, and yet turn away from it with indifierence, as from something they were at perfect liberty to observe or refuse. Secondly, as it is clearly revealed to us that there i^^ no approach to God for us sinners, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ, as our saving relation to him, our new or affi- liated state, in contradiction to our state by nature, is begun in the sacrament of baptism and continued in that of tlie eu- charist, by \'irtue of our union with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and is no otherwise even to be hoj^ed for under the gospel: Where shall those appear who are wilfully strangers to this saving ordinance of his express appointment, when he shall arise to shake terribly the earth, and to execute his threatenings upon the ungodly? Who is then to release them 282 NATUEE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COMMUNION. from the obligations of tlieir baptismal vow, and put in a plea to defend them from the just demands of God's violated law? Who is to present an atonement for them adequate to the infinite demerit of sin in the sight of God? Can thej ap- ply to the Lord Jesus to plead for them? Alas, he then sits as their judge, not as their advocate, and must say according to truth — I never knew you, you formed no acquaintance with me, in that state of reprieve and probation my suffer- ings purchased for you. Can they plead for themselves ei- ther ignorance or penitence, or procrastinated good intentions cut short by death? Alas, before that dread tribunal every human mouth shall be stopped by the consciousness that there can be no excuse for rejection of the means of grace, no voice shall be heard but that of the man Chkist Jesus, nor any other sentence be passed but that of, "come ye blessed, or depart ye cursed." Oh, my poor fellow sinners, would ye but hear it, "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation" — now your crucified Loed can plead for you and with you — now he offers you the free and full ben- efit of all his tears, and groans, and blood, and beseeches you by the mercies of God, to lay to heart the things which make for your peace, before they are forever hid from your eyes. "Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die." But you will say, perhaps, that we are unworthy to par- take of so sacred an ordinance. It is invested with such an awful sanctity that we consider it unapproachable by mor- tals, without the danger of incurring extreme guilt. And is it really so, that any present are deterred by this erroneous estimate of a means of grace? Are any so misled as to think that a gracious God would appoint and command an ordi- nance of his religion, either dangerous or unprofitable in it- self, to his creatures? Far, very far, be such an impious thought from every soul present. No, my brethren and hearers, whatever the most merciful God hath provided for us, and connnanded to be observed, is both animating and profitable, when duly considered. We may be unworthy, and in one sense the very best of us is unworthy, of the least of all God's mercies. But if we are unworthy in the more common use of the word, it is our own fault; we can have taken no pains to prepare ourselves — we must be in the aw- NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE HOLY COirMUNION. 283 ful condition of preferring sin to God, tlie world to heaven, or at the best, our o'wn righteousness to the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Cheist. And what ground have those who thus make faith of none effect, by resting on their own righteousness, to suppose that it will stand them in any stead in the great and dreadful day of the IpED? Has heaven spoken of any such dependence? Does the revelation God has made to us through his Son give countenance to such a presumptuous hope? If it does not, where do you find it, unless in the whispers of the father of lies to the desperately wicked heart of the natural man? Oh trust not to it, my hearers, for it will deceive you — trust ra- ther to him who hath bought you with his own blood — who invites you to peace here and glory hereafter, through faith in his only saving name, and who tells you, in words which cannot fail, "I^o man cometh unto the Father but by me — Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." My dear hearers, if under the gospel men can be saved without the sacraments of the Church of Chkist, wherefore did God appoint them? If the spiritual grace indispensable to the salvation of a fallen sin- ner is to be had, independently of the means to which it is expressly annexed by divine institution, whereto serveth the Christian dispensation, or what is the use of revealed religion? Cast away from you, therefore, tliis fruit of unbelief and death, and build upon that tried foundation stone, which neither the storms of time, nor the tempest of a dissolving world, shall be able to shake, even Jesus Christ and him crucified for us. To whom, &c. &c. SEEMON IV. THE OBLIGATION TO PAP.TAKE OF THE LOKD's SFPPEK. 1 Corinthians, xi. 26. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." To apprehend aright the jDurj^ose and design -of a religious ordinance, is the best means to feel, as we ought to feel, the obligation we are under to observe it, and to enable us, un- derstand ingly, and so far acceptably, to perform it. This is rendered peculiarly necessary, my brethren, from another consideration, which is this, that the external appointments of Christianity are not only duties, because of institution and command, but means of grace; that is, channels of personal t3enefit and advantage^ in the communication of spiritual blessings, and helps to faith also; that is, divinely authorized, outward and visible representations and assurances, of things at present invisible. This distinctive character is derived tO them aitogetber irom the appointment of the institutor, and this so strictly, tjiat there can be no rational grounds of confidence in their efficacy, when severed from the authority of their original institution Imagination, stretched to enthusiasm, may in- deed supply this defect, but it (cannot cure it; and the persua- sion of an erroneous judgment may altogether disregard it; but no persuasion of mind can make that to be, which is not, or alter the fixed order of revealed truth, or give to imita- tions of religious mysteries, however exact the copy. l)ie sanctified character of the means of grace As God alone can appoint to what external religious ob- servances his grace shall be annexed, and by what marks they are to be verified to us, as di/ine; it can never be a mat- ter of indifierence to a serious mind, upon what its assurance rests, that religious ordinances are what they profess to be . Could this view cf the subject be reasonably disputed, it may 286 THE OBLIGATION TO PAETAKE OF THE LORd's SUPPEE. be further confirmed by tliis; that as in the celebration of re- ligious ordinances, particuhxrly of the sacraments, there is an administrator, as well as recipient of what he administers, there must be an authority, or right to act in this case, in the administrator, which is not in the recipients. And this au- thority, or right to act, in things divine, must surely partake of the nature of the things acted, and be itself divine. In the very serious exercises of mind which should pre- cede religious observances, and particularly the higher solem- nities of religion, it is very important, especially to young communicants — and, in the present circumstances of the gos- pel, may I not venture to say, to old communicants too — that this should form such a part of that consideration of the sub- ject, as shall enable them to act with a rational confidence, not only that they are duly qualified with proper dispositions of heart, but with such an understanding of the nature and design of the ordinance, and with such a full persuasion of the divine character of its administration, as is worthy of the name of faith. For faith, in the just and scriptural meaning of that word, is not any, or every persuasion of the mind, however full and strong, which a person may entertain on the subject of religion; for then would the greatest errors be the highest points ol faith. But true faith is the recep- tion of divine truth, U2)on divine testimony, adherence to divine direction upon divine command, and reliance upon divine promises, upon divine authority to administer the seals of the covenant of grace in the sacraments of the Church. This being once ascertained upon just and scriptural grounds, the mind is settled, and the ordinances of religion are met and engaged in, with that union of the understanding and the afi'ections, which render them at once a reasonable and a j^rofitable service, performed towards God. Apjjlying these observations to the solemn purpose we Lave before us- this day, my brethren, will at once, I trust, confirm their soundness and practical utility, and impress npon all our hearts, that deep personal interest, which every individual favored with the gospel actually has, and should feel, in the event commemorated. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Loed's death till he come." THE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF THE LOEd's SUPPEE. 287 That tliese words of the apostle present to us the death of Christ, as the object of our perpetual commemoration; that they require this commemoration to be made publicly through the medium of material symbols or emblems; and that each one of us has the highest personal interest in the eifect pro- duced by this death, upon the condition of the world; I con- sider such plain and obvious inferences, as to stand in no need of any proof: but at the same time, so little heeded by the great majority for whose benefit they are revealed, and so superficially considered by many who make the commemo- ration, as to demand both exposition and enforcement. I shall therefore make them the subjects of our consideration and improvement on the present occasion. FiEST, then, the death of Cheist is here presented to us as the object of our perpetual commemoration. This is confirmed to us by these words of the text — "Ye do show the Loed's death till he come" — which plainly extend its observance to the close of the Christian dispensation; when the crucified Jesus will come in the full glory of the Godhead to inquire into the fruits of his suflferings for sinners, and to reward or punish them everlastingly, according to the efiects produced upon their hearts and lives, by the truth of his doc- trine, the laws of his religion, and the grace of his Holt Spirit. And this is enforced by whatever is elsewhere set forth in the Scriptures, of the cause and the purpose of his death, and of the end and design of its being set apart, as a solemn ordinance of religion. To a reasonable and profitable observance of this sacred mystery, then, it must be evident, my brethren and hearers, it is necessary that we be so far informed and instructed in the fundamental truths of revealed religion, as to apprehend, in some good degree, the connexion of Cheist's death with our personal condition, as respects Almighty God; because, with- out this there can be no ground at all, either for requiring or rendering the commanded observance. And equally evident it must be, that to this information and instruction in re- ligious truth must be added faith, or that full and entire per- suasion of the mind, which applies the truth received per- sonally to ourselves, and so applies it, as to overbear and cast down all objection and opposition, whether suggested by 288 THE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF THE LORD's SUPPER. our own pride aucl vanity, countenanced by the course of this present evil world, or supported by interests and regards of tlie highest temporal concernment. Tiie knowledge that man is a fallen, spiritually dead, creature by nature, may be obtained from the Scriptures, and credit may be given to it, as to a general and admitted truth. The same may be said of man's recovery from this fallen condition, through the satis- faction made to the Divine Justice by the sacrifice of the cross. But to make these truths profitable to our souls, and influential to the commanded commemoration of them, it is indispensable that a higher j^rinciple than knowledge and assent, even that principle which quickens knowledge, and gives life to testimony, shall.be wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God. Now faith, we are told from the highest au- thority, is at once a fruit of the Spirit, and an attainment of our own diligence, and earnest endeavors, in the use of the appointed means. For, "faith cometh by hearing, and hear- ing by the word of God." And the gift of the Spirit, we are also told, is the fruit of prayer and supplication to God. "Ask and ye shall receive — seek and ye shall find — knock and it shall be opened unto you." Hence the want of faith is never considered and spoken of in the Scriptures as a pitiable, and, therefore, pardonable infirmity, but as a wilful, and, there- fore, criminal denial or neglect of revealed truth. Because God's public message to mankind is warrant sufficient for ever}^ man to whom it comes, to verify his actual condition by, and so to appropriate the promises and helps therein set forth for his encouragement, as to act upon them, and there- by reap the full benefit of their personal application. But it is an inseparable quality of faith, that a course cor- responding with what is professed to be believed, should mark the life; otherwise it is mere assent to abstract truth, of no moral value whatever. Hence, the man who admits the two fundamental doctrines of Christianity, in the fall of man by sin, and his recovery by the death of Christ, and yet manifests no active sense, either of the danger of his fallen condition, or of love of God, in providing for his redemption from it, through the Lord Jesus Christ, must stand con- demned by his own heart, as an unbeliever. For so tremen- dous are the consequences of separation from God, rendered THE OBLIGATION TO PAKTAKE OF THE LORd's SUPPEK. 289 eternal by neglect of the gospel, and so infinite the value of restoration to his favor, rendered everlasting by faith in his only begotten Son, that the doctrines which involve these awful sanctions, if really believed, will be acted upon, and if truly felt in their personal application, will draw out the life in a grateful, thankful, commemoration of that surpassing mystery, the death of Christ — through which, the door of mercy is opened to sinful mortals. "The love of Christ con- straineth us," says St. Paul; and the true believer will in like manner "show the Lord's death till he come," not only be- cause it is a command — "Do this in remembrance of me," but because his heart feels the benefit conferred, and longs to ofler this homage to its benefactor. Secondly, This commemoration is required to be made pub- licly, tlirougli the medium of material symbols or emblems. "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do sliow the Lord's death till he come." The elements of bread and wine were chosen and appointed by our Lord himself, as the symbol of his body broken and blood slied upon the cross for our redemption. They are, therefure, in such wise, integral parts of this religious ordi- nance, that without them there cannot be that special com- memoration of his death which he commanded his followers to observe. Bread and wine, however, being in the number uf those good things which God has graciously bestowed for our daily nourishment, their sacramental quality cannot be referred to their nature, but must be sought for in their solemn consecration, or setting apart to this special purpose. That the elements used by our Lord were a part of that provision of which he had just partaken with his disciples in the paschal Supper, is very evident from the account given by all the evangelists. It was, therefore, by his particular designation of them as representations of his passion, and by the solemn offering of them to Almighty God, as figures of the sacrifice of himself upon the cross, that they were made to difl"er from what had previously been partaken of. This is my body, this is my blood of the New Testament, said our blessed Lord, after he had given thanks, or solemnly conse- crated the bread and wine, which he took from the table. This bread which I break and distribute among you, repre- [Vol. 1,— *if.] 290 THE OBLIGATION TO PAETAKE OF THE LOED's SUPPER, sents my body, about to be broken upon the cross for the sins of mankind. — "Do this in remembrance of me." In like manner this cup, or the wine in this cup, represents my blood, about to be shed upon the cross for you and for many, for the remission of sins. — "Du this as oft as you shall drink it in remembrance of me." To their consecration, therefore, must the sacramental character of these elements be referred. And though no change takes place in their nature, though they continue as before, bread and wine, yet a change is made' in their use or purpose to us, which ought to be under- stood and felt by all who partake of them. Otherwise the same profanation takes place which St. Paul is reproving in the Corinthian Churcli — "Tlicy do not discern the Lokd's body." "We eat, it is true, my brethren, bread, actual bread, unchanged in its nature, and we drink wine equrJly un- changed in its nature, as is verified to our senses, and with- out surrendering our senses we cannot think otherwise. But by the institution of heaven, — and who shall say unto God, What doest thou? — we eat and drink bread and wine, to which is annexed by its consecration, the mysterious quality' of conveying to worthy partakers, the full benefit of the actual communication of the body and blood of Christ. And as this benefit consists in the forgiveness of repented and for- saken sin, and the renewal of divine grace, we learn of what great importance it is, in coming forward to this ordinance, that Christians should possess, not only suitable dispositions of heart, but such just expectations also, as to free them from the weakness of superstitious ignorance, or the rashness of a presumptuous confidence. As the substitution, then, of other elements would change, so as to divest this ordinance of its proper character, the ground is still stronger for affirming that the substitution of • any other authority than that of Christ, in their consecration and administration, must render null and void v/hatever belongs to the religious and spiritual nature of a sacrament. It was in his priestly character that our Lord consecrated the elements of bread and wine, and impressed upon them^ the sanctified quality of representing his body and blood given for us. And it is by virtue of the priestly character derived from him, through his apostles, that the same sancti- THE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF THE LORd's SUPPEE. 291 fied qualit}^ is still impressed, and the same benefits derived, in all ages under the gospel dispensation. Hence we learn, my brethren, how very important it is, and how conducive to their growth in grace, and to their individual comfort, that Christians should well consider all that relates to the administration of the sacraments of the gospel — that they should diligently search out and ascertain, not only their own qualifications for the participation of them, but the qualifi- cations of those also who profess to administer them. For unless we assume, that the promises of God are so annexed to the outward and visible signs of his grace in the sacra- ments, that they pass with them, whether administered with or without his authority, we must admit, that to any such reliance upon their efficacy as is worthy of the name of faith, there must be divine warrant. But to assume such a prin- ciple, is contrary to the whole tenor and example of the Scriptures, and to the very nature and design of positive institutions in religion. These are intended, not only as means of grace, but as helps to faith — as visible assurances of things divine and invisible. And since our obligation to observe them is derived solely from the appointment uf God, their efiicacy to us is in like manner dependent on his au- thority to administer them, Without this, they are not in /act sacraments, but at the best, imitations only, of holy mys- teries, from wliicli a deluded mind alone can draw either comfort or assurance. This may be exemplified in various wa^'s: for instance, if any number of private Christians were to meet together for a religious purpose, and it M'ere proposed that they should commemorate the death of Christ, by partaking together of bread and wine, and should do so, would this constitute a sacrament, in the scriptural meaning of that word? Every well informed Christian will say no. But wherefore not? The answer will readily be given, because theie is no author- ized administrator — and the answer is just. But suppose some one of the number should undertake, or be requested, to consecrate and administer the bread and wine to the rest: would this at all change the character of the act, and consti- tute that a sacrament, which before was not a sacrament? If t.he answer shall be yes^ from any, as I dare say it would be 292 THE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF THE LOKd's SUPPEK. from some, I then desire to know, why every private Chris- tian may n(.»t just as well consecrate and administer to him and lierself, and the communion of saints be expunged from the Apostles' creed. For in the case sn])posed, the adminis- trator must either assume tiie authurity, or derive it. But to assume divine authority is sacrilege; and the acts per- formed under it, are not only nullities, but profanations, which no piety of intention can cure, because the ignorance which alone can excuse such a proceeding, is itself inexcusa- ble. If the authority is considered good, because derived from others, it is still insufficient, because those from whom it professes to be derived, have it not themselves, and tliere- fore cannot confer it upon another. If the answer shall be no, as from every well instructed Christian it must and will be, it can no otherwise be sustained as the correct one, tiian from defect of authority in the administrator. But to bring the whole of this vital subject more directly under your serious consideration, my brethren, and to show the fallacy, and the danger too, of the latitudinarian notions so current, and so much favored in this latter day, suppose we were to substitute some other article of our bodily nour- ishment, pulse and water, for instance, instead of bread and wine, as the outward and visible signs, in the administration of this sacrament, would the most autiiorized consecration of such elements impress upon them the sacred character of our Lord's body and blood, or could any Christian be prevailed upon to partake of them in commemoration of Christ's death, or be induced by any reasonings to expect the benefits of his passion to be thereby transferred and made over to him? Assuredly no such delusion could faisten U])on any of your minds, my brethren. Upon what ground of scripture or rea- Bon then is it founded, that bread and wine, consecrated and administered without divine authority, are nevertheless ef- fectual to the high and holy purposes of the sacramental commemoration of that death, which is our life? Surely, if a change in the elements would vitiate either of the saci'a- ments, much more must defect of divine authority to conse- crate and administer those which are divinely instituted, ren- der all such administrations void and of none effect. And these observations are addressed to you, my breth- TUE OBLIGATION TO PARTAKE OF TUE LORD's SUPPER. 293 ren, at this particular time, in tlie hope, that the occasion it- self will furm a practical enforcement of the points presented to 3'our consideration; and in connexion with the real im- portance of steadl'astness in yonr religious views and opin- ions, and of union, both in sentiment and practice, lead to such an unprejudiced examination of the subject as shall bi'ing the members of the Church to be of one mind and of one heart, in all her services. Willi this view they are ad- dressed to your understandings, and not to your feelings, that when weighed and tried bj' the only unerring standard, the word of God, vour hearts niav be established and knit too:e- ther, in the ojie faith of the gospel, and in the one hope of your high calling, certified by the sacraments of the gospel duly and rightly administered. Thirdly — The words of my text present to our considera- ation, the personal iriterest we all have in the effects produced by the death of Christ, on the condition of the v.'orkl. Of the im])ortance of the gift of Jesus Christ to mankind in genera], we are all, without exception, in some good de- gree aware. But M'ith the great majoritj' of men under the light of tlie gospel, and v\-it!i many of you, my hearers, this is all; you carry it no fui-thei'; you do not receive it as a di- vine and infallible connnunication from heaven, for your in- dividual benefit. You do not dwell upon it in your thoughts, anrsonal condition. You do not consider it in the cause which rendered it necessary, and in the effects which flow from it. Above all, the death of Christ is not dwelt upon, as in itself the most important and influential part of his undertaking for us — indeed that part without which all the rest would have been of no avail to make our peace with God. Hence it is, that sin is esteemed s