THE 
 
 MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, 
 
 1 . 
 
 ITS Al'TlIORITT AND RESPONSIBILITY : 
 
 THR 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE 
 
 DELIVERED 
 
 TO THE CLERGY OF INDIANA. 
 
 DELIVERED IN ST. PAUL’S CHURCH, NEW ALBAN. 
 AT THE OPENING OF THE ANNUAL DIOCESAN 
 CONVENTION, ON THURSDAY, 
 
 AIAY 11, 1854. 
 
 BY GEORGE UPFOLD, D.D., 
 
 BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE. 
 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS: 
 
 AUSTIN H. BROWN & CO., PRINTERS. 
 
 1854. 
 
 
 ■V 
 
THE 
 
 MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, 
 
 ITS AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY: 
 
 ^ THE 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE 
 
 DELIVERED 
 
 TO THE CLERGY OF INDIANA, 
 
 DELIVERED IN ST. PAUL’S CHURCH, NEW ALBANY, 
 AT THE OPENING OF THE ANNUAL DIOCESAN 
 CONVENTION, ON THURSDAY, 
 
 4 MAY 11, 1854. 
 
 BY GEORGE UPFOLD, D. D., 
 
 BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE. 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS: 
 
 AUSTIN H. BROWN & CO., PRINTERS 
 
 1854. 
 
1 
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 ' in 2016 
 
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 https://archive.org/details/ministryofreconcOOupfo 
 
 i. 
 

 ^ 5 
 
 2 . ^ 
 
 PKIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 My Brethren of the Clergy: 
 
 In the Providence of God, we occupy a position, both 
 in its social and moral relations, of no little importance 
 and influence. To us is given the ministry of reconcil- 
 iation,” by which we are made ambassadors for Christ,” 
 ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of 
 God.” And in the solemn “form and manner,” by which 
 we are publicly and authoritatively placed in this posi- 
 tion, we are especially exhorted, among other things, “ in 
 the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to have in remem- 
 brance into how high a dignity, and to how weighty an 
 office and charge we are called : that is to say, to be 
 messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord, to 
 teach and to premonish, to feed and provide for the 
 Lord’s family ; to seek for Christ’s sheep that are dis- 
 persed abroad, and for His children who are in the midst 
 
4 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 of this naughty world, that they may be saved through 
 Christ forever. 
 
 Our position and office being of such weighty impor- 
 tance, and of such extensive influence, in addressing you 
 on the present occasion, in compliance with the Canon 
 which “ declares it to be proper that every Bishop of this 
 Church shall deliver, at least once in three years, a charge 
 to the clergy of his diocese, the Ministry of Eecon- 
 ciLiATioN, ITS Authority and Responsibility, hath com- 
 mended itself to my mind as an appropriate and instruc- 
 tive theme of discourse ; and to a consideration thereof 
 I invite your attention. 
 
 I. The kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
 according to ancient prophecy, was to be a visible, spirit- 
 ual society on earth. Such a society, those inspired men 
 who have recorded the fulfilment of prophecy in this re- 
 spect, teach us, that kingdom, in its manifestation as the 
 visible church of God, is, and that by the appointment of 
 the predicted King himself. 
 
 In human affairs, every society has its officers. This, 
 relative to secular societies, is, in principle, an axiom, 
 and in practice of universal usage. The Church of 
 Christ being a society, the same principle applies to it 
 
 * Form and manner of ordering priests. 
 
PRBIARY CHARGE. 
 
 as such. It must have officers. They are necessary to 
 exemplify its visibility ; to govern and regulate its 
 affairs ; and to extend and perpetuate it in the world. 
 And as in secular societies, the officers of such societies 
 are not self-appointed, but chosen and invested with 
 authority, according to some law, and by some agency 
 recognized by the respective societies ; so it is with this 
 spiritual society, ^Hhe Church of the living God,” and 
 its officers. They may not assume the office. They 
 must not send themselves, but be sent ^^by men who 
 have public authority given unto them in the congrega- 
 tion, to call and send ministers into the Lord’s vine- 
 yard.” 
 
 These officers constitute the ministry of Christ’s 
 church, the ministry of reconciliation.” This ministr}^, 
 as is the church itself, is of Divine institution. It did 
 not originate with the apostles, but with the Lord and 
 Master, whose disciples they were. The great Shep- 
 herd and Bishop of our souls,” the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 manifested His great love and unceasing care for the 
 sheep who were to be gathered out of the world into 
 His spiritual fold, by instituting and appointing shep- 
 herds, to be perpetuated through all time, to feed, nur- 
 ture, guide, watch over, and protect His flock, and 
 prepare them for those ‘^green pastures and those still 
 
 * Article xxni. 
 
G 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 waters,” which are the promised inheritance of the 
 faithful. He did not, as some seem to imagine, leave 
 His religion to propagate and perpetuate itself at 
 hap-hazard; nor commit its extension and perpetua- 
 tion among all nations to human devices and order- 
 ing. He provided, in His own infinite wisdom, and 
 by His own Divine authority, an agency for such ex- 
 tension and perpetuation. He instituted in His church 
 a ministry; invested an order of men with authority to 
 teach, edify, govern, and propagate the church ; gave 
 them command and power to transmit to others, the 
 office and authority wherewith He had invested them ; 
 and added withal, a promise of His perpetual presence 
 with them, with those whom they should commission 
 to succeed them, and with their commissioned suc- 
 cessors from generation to generation, until the end 
 of time. 
 
 The commission runs thus : — All power,” said the 
 Lord Jesus, ^4s given unto me in heaven and in earth. 
 Go ye, therefore,” addressing the eleven disciples, ^^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 whatsover I have com- 
 manded you : and Lo ! I am with you always, even 
 unto the end of the world.” This institution of a visi- 
 ble and permanent ministry, is recorded besides, with 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 7 
 
 a slight variation of terms, but substantially the same, 
 by St. Mark and St. John. The gi'eatest variation is 
 in St. John’s account of the transaction, in which, after 
 declaring the mission of the apostles in general terms, 
 he narrates the form and manner of the investiture of 
 the eleven with their office and authority; together 
 with the equal gift to all and each, of a disciplinary 
 power, in the absolving of penitents in the name of 
 Christ, and in the exclusion and restoration of offend- 
 ing members of the Church; technically called ‘^the 
 power of the keys.” He teaches, moreover, clearly 
 and authoritatively, the necessity that the ministers of 
 Christ should be Bent^ by those who have authority to 
 8end^ and that they may not assume the office, and 
 send themselves. “ Then said Jesus, Peace be unto 
 you. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I 
 
 you. And when he had said this, he breathed on 
 
 them, and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy 
 Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted 
 unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are 
 retained.” 
 
 This commission was given to the eleven Apostles 
 officially; and was designed to constitute in and through 
 them a visible and permanent ministry^ with the power 
 of perpetuating said ministry, through their official 
 successors^ until the end of the Gospel dispensation. 
 
8 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 The terms of the commission, as they are given by St. 
 Matthew, clearly prove this ; and especially the accom- 
 panying promise. Neither of these could possibly 
 apply and be restricted to the Apostles in their per- 
 sonal, but only in their official capacity, and to the 
 ministry with which they were invested. For, how 
 could they 'personally ^Heach all nations, baptizing 
 them ?” And, how could the promise, Lo ! I am 
 with you always, even unto the end of the world,” 
 apply exclusively and be restricted to men, mortal like 
 other men, and who actually survived this investiture 
 with ministerial authority, only a few years ? It was 
 the ministry they had obtained and were invested with, 
 to which the terms of the commission necessarily apply 
 and are restricted ; terms designed to express its pur- 
 pose and its perpetuity as ^^an ordinance of divine 
 service,” the divinely appointed agency for propagating 
 the gospel of the grace of God ;” building up, extend- 
 ing, nurturing, governing, and perpetuating the church, 
 and ordering all things therein unto the edification of 
 its members in their most holy faith, and to their final 
 salvation. 
 
 This ministry began in the off dal commissioning of 
 the eleven Apostles, but not ending in them, and 
 from them transmitted “ through the ages all along ” 
 unto the present day, by the order of which they were 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 9 
 
 the original possessors : — this ministry ; — and that 
 doubtless from the personal instruction of our blessed 
 Lord/ during His intercourse of forty days with the 
 ministry of His church, between His resurrection and 
 ascension, when He ‘^commanded them many things 
 which they were to teach and do;” things not expressly 
 recorded in the brief narrative of the New Testament 
 but which may be surely gathered from the teaching 
 and doings of the apostles in accordance with their 
 Master’s instruction, which are recorded : — this min- 
 istry partook, in its organization, of the general form 
 and features -of the preceding dispensation. Whilst 
 the apostles lived, it subsisted, and has ever since 
 subsisted, in three orders ; of Bishops, at first called 
 Apostles and sometimes Angels, possessed of and exer- 
 cising the supreme authority and the peculiar func- 
 tions which were conferred on the eleven disciples ; 
 of Presbyters or Elders, sometimes called Bishops, 
 but invested only with subordinate authority and 
 functions; and of Deacons, with authority and func- 
 tions subordinate to both ; equivalent to the Three 
 fold ministry in the Jewish Church, of High Priests, 
 Priests, and Levites. 
 
 The ^^ministry of reconciliation” we are thus taught 
 is of Divine institution and appointment, and its 
 authority not of man, but of God. We perceive too, 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 from the farther teaching of the New Testament, that 
 the office and the authority are the considerations which 
 commend it to reverence and obedience, and not the 
 persons, nor the personal qualifications of the individuals 
 invested with it. This is the express instruction of 
 the great Apostle of the Gentiles: ‘^God hath given 
 to us the ministry of reconciliation; now then we are 
 ambassadors for Christ^ Let a man so account of us 
 as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the myste- 
 ries of God.” ^^Make full proof of thy ministry ^ 
 Taking heed that the ministry be not blamed.” 
 They which are over you in the Lord and admonish 
 you, esteem very highly in love for their ivories' sake.” 
 The official position and authority, ^rihe ministry which 
 they had received of the Lord,” constituted the only 
 claim and at the same time the rightful claim of St. 
 Paul, and his co-workers in the ministiy of each order 
 or grade, to reverence and obedience. It was not on 
 account of any superior personal qualifications, though 
 these they eminently possessed; nor was it because 
 they were godly, learned, or eloquent; but simply 
 and solely because they ^^had this ministry f and 
 were ^^ambassadors for Christ;" men invested with 
 authority by the great Head of the Church, through 
 His appointed agency, to minister in the word and 
 sacraments; men called and sent to their several min- 
 istries, not by any self assumption based on some 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 11 
 
 imaginary inward prompting, but called of God as 
 were the ministers of the preceding dispensation, and 
 as was our Lord and Saviour Ilimself in His humanity 
 to His priestly office, as the same Apostle teaches, 
 when he says: ^^And no man taketh this honor unto 
 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; this day have I begotten thee ;” and as our 
 Lord expressly taught when He commissioned the 
 eleven Apostles, ^^As my Father hath sent me, even 
 so send I you.” 
 
 Authority from Christ, derived in the way of His 
 revealed appointment, is essential to invest a man 
 with ^Hhe ministry of reconciliation.” This was the 
 doctrine and practice of the inspired Apostles; this 
 is, and from the beginning ever hath been, the teach- 
 ing and usage of the Church catholic every where; 
 and it is the teaching and usage of our branch of 
 that one. Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, on 
 ^^sure warrant of Holy Scripture and the ancient 
 authors,” as is dogmatically declared in the Preface 
 to the Ordinal. And the principal and usage receives 
 an incontrovertible sanction, and confirmation, in the 
 known and established usage of all secular govern- 
 ments in relation to their officers; to which, if the 
 
12 
 
 PRDI Aliy CHARGE. 
 
 flimiliaiity of the example be allowable, I would advert 
 ill the way of illustration. 
 
 In the general government under which we are 
 priviledged to live, — and the same principle applies 
 equally to each State government, of the Union — 
 the power to appoint to office under that government, 
 is vested in the chief magistrate, the executive officer 
 of that government, by and with the advice and con- 
 sent of the Senate. A commission from that chief 
 magistrate is indispensable to constitute a person an 
 officer, whether civil, judicial, diplomatic, or military; 
 and essential to the legality and validity of any 
 official act. It is not peculiar and acknowledged 
 personal fitness for the office, but a commission under 
 the broad seal of the United States, given by the 
 constitutional appointing power. Without such com- 
 mission and so derived, no person claiming to be a 
 government officer, would be recognized as such, nor 
 however personally competent, would his official acts 
 be legal or be accounted valid. 
 
 A member of the bar, for instance, from superior 
 talents and extensive and profound legal lore, might 
 be much more competent to discharge the duties of a 
 judge, than the individual holding a commission to 
 that office. But, if on this account, he was to assume 
 
PRIMARY. CHARGE. 
 
 13 
 
 the office of judge, and take his seat on the bench 
 as a judge, would he be a judge? And supposing 
 that from his known superior personal and professional 
 qualifications, his assumption of the office should re- 
 ceive the sanction of his associates at the bar, and 
 by the suitors in court besides, would this invest him 
 with lawful judicial authority? He might call him- 
 self a judge, and be recognized by his friends as a 
 judge; but would this make him a judge, and give 
 his official acts and judgments as such, any validity, 
 or any value whatever? 
 
 A private soldier, or a subordinate officer of the 
 army, might be a man of superior courage and mili- 
 tary skill, and in all respects better qualified to com- 
 mand the army, than its lawfully commissioned general. 
 But if this private or subaltern, was, on the strength 
 of his superior qualifications, to assume the command 
 of the army ; and if the whole army were so convinced 
 of his superior qualifications, as to submit to his as- 
 sumption of the office; would this acquiescence consti- 
 tute him a lawful general, invest him as such with 
 rightful authority, and give validity to his official 
 orders and acts? 
 
 Suppose further, that this self-constituted general 
 should attempt to perpetuate his office and authority, 
 
14 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 ^ and for this purpose should appoint another subaltern 
 officer or private soldier as his coadjutor and succes- 
 sor, and should commission him as a general ; could 
 he give rank and authority to another which he himself 
 had merely assumed, and did not lawfully possess? 
 And would this coadjutor and successor, whatever 
 might be his personal qualifications, and however 
 unanimously the army might acquiesce in the appoint- 
 ment, be any more a general than the former, and his 
 official orders and acts any more valid? 
 
 And suppose further still, that the perpetuation of 
 an original unconstitutional and self-assumed office and 
 authority, should extend over a period of many years, 
 during which time the circumstances of the original 
 appointment had been lost sight of, or was wilfully 
 ignored; and that this perpetuation should embrace 
 many successors ; would these successors, calling them- 
 selves generals, acting as such, and being recognized 
 as such by their adherents, be any more lawful gene- 
 rals than the one who had first assumed the office? 
 Would lapse of time cure the original defect ? Would 
 a sort of prescriptive right, growing out of long allowed 
 usage, be equivalent to a commission from the consti- 
 tutional source and agent of official authority? And 
 would eminent or superior personal and professional 
 qualifications in the individuals, together with the 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 15 
 
 acquiescence and approval of those over whom they 
 exercised authority, confer on them lawful rank and 
 authority, sustain then: claim to authority, and give 
 validity to their orders and acts? 
 
 Thus it is with ^^the ministry of reconciliation.” A 
 layman from personal piety and zeal, from eminent 
 talents and extensive attainments, miy be well quali- 
 fied for the exercise of this ^‘’ministry.” He may be 
 equally or better qualified than some, than many, who 
 are duly and lawfully invested with the sacred office. 
 But were he, on the strength of his equal or superior 
 personal and professional qualifications, to assume the 
 office, without investiture with authority from the 
 great Head of the Church, in the way which He has 
 clearly instituted, appointed and restricted authoiity 
 to, as is taught and exemplified in the scriptures of 
 the New Testament, would he be ^‘an ambassador for 
 Christ,” ^^a minister of Christ and steward of the 
 mysteries of God? ’ Would he have any authority 
 to minister in the w'ord and sacraments; and would 
 his ministrations and official acts of any kind, be 
 valid? And admitting him to be successful in his 
 assumed office, eminently successful, would this suc- 
 cess make any difference, be in any way equivalent for 
 a lawful commission, invest him with lawful authority, 
 and give validity and value to his official acts? 
 
16 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 Suppose further, that a lawfully appointed and or- 
 dained minister of Christ” of a subordinate order, 
 should assume the office or at least the authority of 
 the superior order, to which the great Head of the 
 Church hath committed and restricted the ordaining 
 and governing power; and should proceed to confer 
 the superior office on another person of the same 
 subordinate order with himself, or on a mere layman; 
 could he give to another authority which he himself 
 did not possess and never had? And would the 
 peculiar personal fitness of the giver or the receiver, 
 or both; or any alleged necessity; or their successful 
 ministrations; or long usage and the consent or assent 
 of those to whom they ministered, make any differ- 
 ence? Would these circumstances, any or all of 
 them, supercede a lawful commission, establish their 
 claim to the authority and functions of the superior 
 office, and give validity to their official acts and 
 ministrations ? 
 
 The instances adduced, so far as the principle is 
 concerned, are parallel, and one illustrates the other. 
 It is indisputable, that authority must first be ob- 
 tained from the lawful source of authority, before a 
 person can lawfully and validly exercise official func- 
 tions of any kind, under a secular government. And 
 is it not incontrovertible, that a similar necessity 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 17 
 
 exists, in relation to the lawful exercise of official 
 functions, under a spiritual government, such as the 
 visible kingdom and Church of Christ our Lord? A 
 man may claim to participate ^^the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation,” may call himself a minister of Christ and 
 steward of the mysteries of God,” may act as such, 
 be recognized as such, nay, be eminently successful 
 in his assumed ministrations ; yet, unless invested 
 with authority from Christ, he has no part in that 
 ‘^ministry,” and is no more a minister of Christ,” 
 than is the man who, without a commission from the 
 constitutional appointing power of the State, is a Judge 
 or a General, though he calls himself such, presumes 
 to act as such, and is recognized as such by his 
 adherents, whether numerous or few. 
 
 We come next, to an important inquiry connected 
 with the consideration of the necessity of a lawful 
 commission for investing a man with ^^the ministry 
 of reconciliation,” and with authority to minister in 
 the word and sacraments. How is this ministry” 
 and its authority derived and acquired ? It can only 
 be derived and acquired in two ways : by immediate 
 inspiration of God; or hy trammission from those 
 who received it originally and immediately from our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, with command and power to trans- 
 mit it from age to age. 
 
18 
 
 PRBIARY CHARGE. 
 
 The former way, no one, except occasionally some 
 wild fanatic, makes any pretence to; and even he, if 
 he succeeds in getting followers^ forming a sect, and 
 setting up a church, adopts and acts upon the prin- 
 ciple of transmission, in perpetuating the ministry of 
 the sect, such as it is. Nor can any one, with any 
 show of reason, make such pretence. For its only 
 proof is the possession and exercise of miraculous 
 powers. And miraculous powers have long since 
 ceased, by God’s ordering, with the necessity for 
 their exercise, and the causes which in the earlier 
 days of our most holy faith, called them forth. And 
 even then, the possession and exercise of miraculous 
 powers, was never regarded as a substitute or an 
 equivalent for a lawful ministerial commission. It 
 was only ' corroborative of such commission. 
 
 We are, therefore, restrained in the inquiry as to 
 the source and mode of deriving and acquiring ^^the 
 ministry of reconciliation” and its authority, to the 
 way of transmission, by and from those who were 
 originally invested with authority by the great Head 
 of the Church, to transmit and perpetuate that min- 
 istry.” And it is the way which the scriptures of 
 the New Testament clearly indicate and exemplify. 
 Thus it was that Matthias was numbered with the 
 eleven Apostles.” For although the precise mode 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 19 
 
 of bis investiture is not recorded in the purposely 
 brief narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, which 
 purports to relate, not all things, but only mm things 
 done by the Apostles, and they mostly on account of 
 their peculiar bearing on the common faith; and is con- 
 fined principally to the acts of only one of the Apostles, 
 St. Paul ; yet it is evident that Matthias, after his desig- 
 nation to the Apostolic office by lot, was invested 
 with authority by the agency of the Apostles; that 
 he did not send himself but was sent by them. In 
 the same way and by the same agency, it is clear 
 the seven deacons were set apart to the work of their 
 subordinate grade and functions in ^^the ministry of 
 reconciliation.” So also in the case of St. Paul, 
 though his designation to his ministry and apostle- 
 ship” was supernatural, yet there was manifestly no 
 self-assumption of the office. He was ^^an Apostle, 
 not of men, neither by man.” He was sent as were 
 all others. And although in the narrative of liis 
 miraculous conversion, there is no record of his formal 
 ordination, yet from the fact which is revealed, that 
 Barnabas, himself an Apostle, ^‘took him and brought 
 him to the Apostles” at Jerusalem, and announced 
 to them his supernatural call to the ministry, there 
 is good reason to suppose that there was such an 
 ordination at that time; and there is no reason to 
 suppose, and no proof there was not. And the pre- 
 
20 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 sumption is sanctioned and strengthened by his sub- 
 sequent teaching and practice in the premises. Thus 
 also were Timothy and Titus, historically the first Bis- 
 hops respectively of Ephesus and Crete, invested with 
 the office and authority of Apostles or Bishops, with 
 commission and command to transmit ministerial au- 
 thority, in its several grades or orders. “ The things 
 that thou hast h3ard of me among many witnesses, 
 the Same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be 
 able to teach others also but lay hands suddenly 
 on no man,” writes St. Paul to the former Bishop who 
 had “received the gift” of apostolical authority by 
 “ the putting on of the hands ” of that eminent Apos- 
 tle. And to the Bishop of Crete, the same apostle 
 writes: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou 
 shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and 
 ordain eiders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” 
 And thus also, “Paul and Barnabas” as apostles of 
 Christ, “ ordained them elders in every church.” 
 
 Now this is the principle of apostolic succession, for 
 holding and teaching which, we are not only censured, 
 but reproached, and accused of holding one of the worst 
 errors of Popery. I say it is the principle ; for of the 
 channel, which the instances adduced teach and exem- 
 plify, I shall speak presently. And so far as the prin- 
 ciple is concerned, they who repudiate and condemn 
 
PRDIARY CHARGE. 
 
 21 
 
 it, practically adopt and act upon, just as much as we 
 do who avow and maintain it. And they do so of 
 necessity ; for unless the principle is acted upon, there 
 can be no pretence to any ministerial authority what- 
 ever, and no evidence thereof It is notorious, there- 
 fore, that such is the usage of the various religious 
 denominations in the land, with scarcely an exception.* 
 They do not account or recognize any man as a min- 
 ister among them, unless he has been formally ordained 
 and set apart to the office, by one or more accredited 
 ministers who have been ordained and set apart in the 
 same way. And what is this, but derivation of min- 
 isterial authority by transmission and succession ? No 
 matter how remote or how near the original source of 
 such ministerial authority ; whether it is traced back 
 three hundred, or one hundred, or fifty, or twenty, or 
 ten years, it is in prlncijjle, succession. Practically, aU 
 who pretend to authority as ^-ministers of Christ,” de- 
 rive such authority as they deem themselves to possess, 
 in this way, and can derive it in no other way, save by 
 immediate inspiration of God, the proof and test of 
 which, as before remarked, is the power of working, 
 and the actual working of undeniable miracles. 
 
 So far, then, as the principle of succession is con- 
 cerned, and, indeed, an actual succession of its kind, 
 
 * “The Society of Friends/’ or Quakers, and one sect of Baptists, it is believed 
 form the only exception. 
 
22 
 
 PRBIARY CHARGE. 
 
 there is no difference between the church, and they 
 who are, by their own will and act, outside of the 
 church. The. only difference is the channel of this 
 transmission and succession. This we hold and teach 
 to be, in the superior order of ‘^the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation,” the order of Bishops, at first called Apostles, 
 and that it is restricted to that order, x^nd we so 
 hold and teach, because the authority and power to 
 transmit the office and authority of that ministry, was 
 o’iginally conferred on and restricted to that superior 
 order by the great Head of the Church, our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, in his recorded commission to 
 the eleven apostles, as its terms manifestly imply ; and 
 as is further evident from the fact, that apostles 
 exclusively, without any exception, exercised that 
 authority and power, in every recorded instance of 
 ordination to ^Hhe ministry of reconciliation” in the 
 scriptures of the New Testament. There is also addi- 
 tional proof, in the silence of those Scriptures in their 
 general teaching concerning the church and its minis- 
 try, of the possession or exercise of the authority and 
 power, by any others than apostles ; while in the par- 
 ticular teaching of St. Paul, in his epistles to the two 
 apostles or bishops who were ordained and set apart to 
 that office and dignity by the ‘^laying on of his hands,” 
 Timothy and Titus, its exercise is expressly restricted 
 to them in that, their official capacity. 
 
PRMARY CHARGE. 
 
 23 
 
 We so hold and teach, moreover, because such was 
 the teaching and usage of the Church of God, quod 
 mn'per^ quod iihlque, et quod ah omnibus^'' as is clearly 
 proven in the works of the early Christian writers, his- 
 torical, didactic, and devotional : those who were cotem- 
 poraries of the original apostles, and received the doc- 
 trine and usage directly from them ; and those who lived 
 in the age immediately succeeding, when the teaching 
 of the apostles was green in the memory of all, and who 
 could no more be mistaken as to what the apostles taught 
 and did, and as to the usage of the church every 
 where, an usage established by their teaching and 
 example, than we can be mistaken as to what trans- 
 pired in the transmission and conveyance of the apos- 
 tolic succession to our branch of the church, in the 
 consecration in Scotland and in England of our first 
 three Bishops. The evidence, indeed, that the superior 
 order of Bishops was and is the rightful and restricted 
 channel of the succession, is the same that we possess 
 and are of necessity restricted to, in proof of the gen- 
 uineness and authenticity of the scriptures of the New 
 Testament: the testimony of those who were living 
 when those scriptures were written, and received by 
 the church, as the inspired word of God ; and of those 
 who were living in the age immediately succeeding, 
 and were cognizant of the fact of their universal recog- 
 nition and reception as such. Without such testimony 
 
24 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 we cannot prove, except by inference from the charac- 
 ter of their contents, and that is imperfect evidence, 
 the genuineness, authenticity, and authority of the 
 scriptures of the New Testament. With and by such 
 testimony we prove the fact of the doctrine and usage 
 of the succession in the superior order of Bishops. If 
 the proof is sufficient, as all who receive those scrip- 
 tures as the inspired word of God admit, in the one 
 case, is it insufficient and of no weight of authority, 
 seeing it is precisely the same, in the other case ? 
 
 That which we hold and teach to be the exclusive 
 channel of the transmission of authority to minister in 
 the word and sacraments in the Church of God, our 
 branch of that one, holy. Catholic, and Apostolic 
 Church, does most surely possess. We have this succes- 
 sion from the original Apostles, entire and unbroken, 
 with its necessary and accompanying mission. It is no 
 fanciful claim, no absurd pretence, no arrogant assump- 
 tion. We derive our office and authority as partici- 
 pants of the ministry of reconciliation,” lawfully and 
 rightly, from the Divine fountain of authority, in unin- 
 terrupted transmission through the superior order of 
 Bishops or Apostles. And this transmission and suc- 
 cession we trace back to the original Apostles, not 
 through one but several lines of descent, extending 
 down to the latest consecrated bishop in our Deformed 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 25 
 
 and Protestant branch of the church. There are in 
 our possession well authenticated, nay indisputable, 
 catalogues of this uninterrupted succession of Bishops 
 in several distinct channels from several of the original 
 Apostles:* and that, too, independent of the succes- 
 sion through the Church of Pome, which, however, 
 the perversions of, and additions to the faith, of that 
 branch of the Catholic Church, its vicious morality and 
 corrupt practice, could not break nor vitiate, any more 
 than some rusted links in a chain could destroy the 
 integrity of the chain ; or the mudding or the freezing 
 over of any portion of a stream could affect its iden- 
 tity and prevent it from flowing on from its fountain 
 head to the ocean. 
 
 Besides, if these historical documents, the records 
 of the succession of Bishops in certain prominent Sees 
 were lost, or were justly liable to suspicion in any 
 portion of their details, we stand, nevertheless, on the 
 same unshaken foundation of authority. For the suc- 
 cession we teach and maintain, is not, as is commonly 
 and erroneously supposed, a descent of ministerial 
 authority from the Apostles by one single chain of 
 successive links, or in one single channel of transmis- 
 sion; but a descent from the original fountain in in- 
 numerable streams flowing there from the main stream, 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
26 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 ramifying in all directions from the main stream, and 
 multiplying as the church extended itself throughout 
 the world. Such is the succession we teach and have. 
 And besides the promise of our blessed Lord, of the 
 permanence and perpetuity of this ministiy of His 
 divine institution and appointment, included in His 
 commission to the eleven Apostles, a promise as immu- 
 table as Himself, and which cannot fail ; the moral 
 impossibility of a failure in the succession, may be per- 
 ceived from a moment s consideration of the law and 
 usage of the church universal from the beginning, rela- 
 tive to the ordination and consecration of Bishops. 
 This law and usage requh’e as essential to a canonical 
 consecration, in every branch of the church, the pre- 
 sence and co-operation of at least three Bishops, in ^Hhe 
 laying on of hands ” in such solemnity; each of whom 
 has been consecrated and set apart to the office in 
 the same way by three Bishops. Now estimate this 
 law and usage, in its practical operation, on the prin- 
 ciple of simple arithmetical progression, carried over a 
 space of more than eighteen hundred years, and in 
 constant operation, as history proves, in various parts 
 of the world ; and say, whether a succession so perpet- 
 uated, is exposed to failure, or can possibly fail? 
 
 II. This " ministry of reconciliation,” derived as we 
 have seen from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is ^^Head 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 27 
 
 over all things to the church, which is His body,” and 
 the onhj^ because the divine fountain of authority; and 
 derived in unbroken succession in the superior order 
 of Bishops through the ages all along,” is an inestim- 
 able possession and privilege. We may with pro- 
 priety and very justly magnify our office,” and value 
 ourselves upon a gift so precious. But it becomes us, 
 at the same time, to take earnest heed that we stir 
 up the gift of God which is in us, by the putting of 
 hands ” invested with apostolic authority ; and be dili- 
 gent and faithful in making full proof of a ministry” 
 so derived and obtained. Othenvise, the valuing of 
 ourselves on its possession, is only vain boasting and 
 sinful pride. 
 
 Let me, then, trespass a little longer on your atten- 
 tion, while, with as much brevity as possible, I lead 
 you to consider the responsibility of “the ministry 
 of reconciliation,” and that in particular reference to 
 the prominent duties of the pastoral office. 
 
 This RESPONSIBILITY Springs from the very nature 
 and purpose of our ministry, as set forth in the scrip- 
 tures of the New Testament. We, are “laborers to- 
 gether with God,” co-workers with the “High and lofty 
 One who inhabiteth eternity, and whose name is Holy,” 
 in evangelizing the world, irradiating it with moral light, 
 
28 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 emancipating it from the bondage of sin, and Satan, 
 and “bringing it into the glorious liberty of the chil- 
 dren of God.” We are “ambassadors for Christ,” 
 charged by Him our Lord and King, with an embassy 
 of amity and good will to His rebellious subjects; 
 appointed to bear a message of “grace, mercy, and 
 peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus 
 Christ,” to a race of depraved intelligences, the “enemies 
 of God by wicked works,” involved in guilt and sin, 
 condemned and “ready to perish.” We are “minis- 
 isters of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God,” 
 commissioned to offer to sinful men, pardon, recon- 
 ciliation, and salvation, tln’ough that precious blood 
 of atonement and propitiation shed upon the cross; 
 and dispense the sacramental pledges thereof to the 
 penitent and believing. The eternal interests of our 
 fellow men are entrusted to us, and we are “ to watch 
 for their souls as they who must give account.” We 
 are to initiate them by the divinely appointed sacra- 
 ment of initiation. Holy Baptism, into the covenant 
 of grace and salvation; enroll them as members of 
 “the household of faith,” the one visible Church of 
 the Redeemer on earth; and as “stewards” of that 
 spiritual household, impart unto them “their portion 
 of meat in due season ;” “build them up in their most 
 holy faith;” “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long 
 suffering and doctrine;” comfort, console, encourage, 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 29 . 
 
 strengthen them in all godliness of living; dispense 
 to them sacramentally, the bread of life,” and the 
 
 cup of salvation and thus feed them with food 
 convenient for them,” nurture them in holiness, good- 
 ness, and truth, and train them for heaven. 
 
 Entrusted with such a ^^weighty charge,” involving 
 consequences of spiritual life or death, our office is 
 truly of deep responsibility. While, as the sw^orn sol- 
 diers of the cross of Christ, to shrink from this respon- 
 sibility, throw down our arms, and desert our colors, 
 wnuld be rank cowardice, it surel}^ becomes us to ^diave 
 it in constant remembrance,” and make it an ever pre- 
 sent and influential motive to fidelity in our high 
 trust; to untiring zeal and diligence in our endeavors 
 to fulfil to the uttermost our sacred mission; and to 
 frequent and fervent prayer for Divine counsel, guid- 
 ance, and strength. 
 
 With a view, then, to a more definite conceptio i of 
 the responsibility that rests upon us, a consideration 
 of some of the prominent duties of our office and min- 
 istry, as pastors of the flock of Christ, is important. 
 And to this I proceed. 
 
 One prominent duty is ^^prayer and the ministry of 
 the word :” in other words, the exercise of our ministry 
 
30 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 in celebrating the worship of the church, and in right- 
 ly and duly administering God’s holy sacraments;” in 
 offering, as orators for the people, confession, sunj lica- 
 tion, praise, and thanksgiving; in reading lessons of holy 
 scripture; and in explaining, illustrating, and enforc- 
 ing the doctrinal and preceptive truths thereof, by the 
 public “preaching of the word.” 
 
 Responsibility rests on the “ministers of Christ,” 
 relative to the manner of celebrating divine worship. 
 They are bound to celebrate it, so as most to promote 
 the glory of God, and the edification of the wor- 
 shippers; not in a pompous and affected, nor in a 
 careless and slovenly manner; but reverently, under 
 an abiding sense of God’s presence ; decorously, as 
 becometh creatures addressing the Creator ; fervently, 
 unaffectedly, in “all simplicity and godly sincerity,” 
 as feeling in the depths of their own hearts, the desires 
 to which they give utterance ; the sin, guilt, and un- 
 worthiness they confess and deprecate; the necessity 
 for the pardoning, purifying, enlightening, and envigo- 
 rating grace they invoke ; and the blessings of good- 
 ness and mercy they acknowledge, in fitting words of 
 praise and thanksgiving. 
 
 In the preaching of the word also, there is a weighty 
 responsibility; a responsibility growing out of the very 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 31 
 
 nature and purpose of the duty, which is, to warn the 
 sinner of the error of his ways; convict the conscience 
 and move the heart of the careless and impenitent ; 
 awaken the spiritual slumberer from his sleep of death; 
 comfort, encourage, strengthen for duty and conflict, 
 and inspire with invigorated faith and holy hope, the 
 humble believer; inform the understanding and excite 
 the devout affections of all; win immortal souls to 
 Christ, and keep them “steadfast, immoveable, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord, that so their labor 
 may not be in vain in the Lord.” 
 
 Our responsibility in this respect, is enhanced by the 
 peculiar moral condition and circumstances of the times 
 in which we live. These are generally antagonistical 
 to the true faith of Christ. Serious error in religion, 
 great worldliness, with alas! viciousness of life, exten- 
 sively prevail. Infidelity, open and avowed, or work- 
 ing its malign influence under the insidious guise of 
 newly developed religious truth, and a one virtue, tran- 
 scendental morality, made a substitute or an equivalent 
 for faith, holiness, brotherly kindness, charity, and all 
 the other virtues and graces of the Christian character, 
 abounds. A vitiated public taste, vitiated from these 
 causes, demands either the concealment of “the truth 
 as it is in Jesus,” or the explaining it away and soft- 
 ening its alleged asperity and uncompromising stern- 
 
32 
 
 rillMARY CHARGE. 
 
 ness; and tlie adaptation of religious teaching to the 
 boasted intellectual refinement, superior intelligence, 
 and social progress of the age. Popular themes, em- 
 bracing the various and cumulating moral theories, 
 schemes, ^^causes,” and of the day, are re- 
 
 garded as desirable substitutes for the wholesome doc- 
 trines of the cross, and the pure, integral, and practical 
 morality of the gospel. These demands of a vitiated 
 public taste, are yielded to, in too many instances, by 
 the recognized teachers of religion. From a love of 
 popularity, or from a dread of unpopularity, they intro- 
 duce themes extraneous to the legitimate themes of the 
 pulpit; accommodate holy scripture to novel notions 
 and plans of human invention; pander to the sickly 
 sentimentality, the perverted habits of thought and 
 action, and the pseudo philanthropy of the times. 
 Thus recreant to their trust as professed teachers of 
 religion, and turning often traitors to the Bible, they 
 have, in many instances, gradually descended into 
 various sorts and degrees of error, introduced social 
 strife and contention, where before there was charity, 
 peace, and good will, “brought in damnable heresies, 
 even denying the Lord that bought them,” and opened 
 a wide door to the most pernicious infidelity. 
 
 The church, with whose ministry we are entrusted, 
 from its conservative principles and purer taste, derived 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 33 
 
 from its permanent liturgic forms, and its stricter order 
 of worship, has, for the most part, and generally, 
 escaped these evils. But the temptation exists ; and it 
 becomes us to take warning from the melancholy ex- 
 amples around us; and see to it, as we shall answer to 
 our consciences and to our God, that we preach the 
 word faithfully, in its purity and integrity, without 
 reserve, without admixture ; keeping back nothing 
 that is profitable,” yet adding nothing extraneous and 
 secular, because it may chance to be popular; with- 
 holding no scriptural truth whether relating to doctrine 
 or to practice; ^Gightly dividing the ivord of truth;” 
 and declaring fearlessly, yet prudently and with due 
 discrimination,” the whole counsel of God.” 
 
 As a gniide to our duty in the premises, and a safe- 
 guard from error, let the subject matter of our preach- 
 ing be, directly or indirectly, that which St. Paul 
 determined only to know ” among those to whom he 
 ministered — “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” in all 
 the bearings and relations of that glorious and com- 
 prehensive thepie; in all its fulness; in all its affecting 
 appeals to the heart and to the conscience ; in all its 
 consoling and hope inspiring encouragement to the 
 troubled soul. Christ the atoning sacrifice for sin; 
 “ the one” and only “mediator between God and men;” 
 our “advocate with the Father,” and all-prevailing 
 
34 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 intercessor ; our diyine example ; our final Judge ; are 
 prominent themes of the gospel revelation; and they 
 ought to be the conspicuous and prevailing topics of 
 discourse in the teaching and preaching of the word 
 of reconciliation.” The “ministers of Christ” must 
 proclaim and commend Him to faith and obedience, in 
 the essential divinity of His nature ; in the dignity of 
 His person ; in the glory of His character ; in the 
 wonders of His love ; in the plenteousness of His 
 •mercy ; in the tenderness of His compassion ; in the 
 condescension and omnipotence of His grace; in the 
 efficacy of His sufferings; in the prevailment of His 
 intercession ; in the immensity and all-compensating 
 glory of His rewards. We must “preach, not our- 
 selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord,” in His willingness 
 and power to save ; communicating through His insti- 
 tuted sacraments, as the appointed means of grace, the 
 manifold gifts of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, reno- 
 vating and purifying the heart and its affections, con- 
 trolling the passions, and converting the soul. He is 
 declared in the inspired word to be “the way, the 
 truth, and the life ;” the only hope of the sinner; the 
 consolation of the mourning penitent; the stay, sup- 
 port, and confidence of the confirmed believer: and 
 vain, and worse than vain, is that preaching, which fails 
 to exhibit Him as the great object of the love, the 
 faith, the obedience, and the imitation of* those to 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 35 
 
 wtom it is addressed. In dispensing pastoral instruc- 
 tion, to ignore in anywise, or throw into shade the 
 author and finisher of our faith;” to expend our 
 strength on curious criticism, metaphysical subtleties, 
 extraneous discussions, the popular topics of the day, 
 or mere dry morality; to respond to the anxious 
 inquiry, What must I do to be saved ?” by an array 
 . of cold abstractions, speculative novelties, or pseudo 
 moral and philanthropic harangues, to the neglect of 
 the only satisfying answer in the practical truths of 
 redeeming love; to omit, or obscurely present, the 
 only source of pardon to the. penitent, of comfort to 
 the broken-hearted, of encouraging motive and anima- 
 ting hope to the awakened conscience : — oh ! what 'a 
 throwing away of opportunity ! what a mockery of 
 spiritual misery ! what a prostitution of office ! what 
 treachery and cruel wrong to immortal souls ! Shame- 
 fully and sinfully do the ministers of Christ and 
 stewards of the mysteries of God ” betray their sacred 
 trust, who thus attempt to feed those who are “ hunger- 
 ing and thirsting after righteousness,” with husks in- 
 stead of bread, and withhold the priceless gem of a 
 Saviour’s grace and mercy, in the spiritual treasure 
 given them to dispense to the poor and needy. If we 
 would feed the flocks committed to our pastoral care 
 with satisfying food, we shall lead them in penitence 
 and faith to that “good shepherd who laid down His 
 
30 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 life for the sheep,” and who giveth them ^^the bread 
 of life;” point the sinner for relief, and the saint for 
 comfort, and both for salvation, to Him who gave him- 
 self a ransom for the spiritually enslaved, and a sin- 
 offering for the guilty; whose ‘^precious blood cleanseth 
 from all sin;” and whose most affecting, attractive, 
 significant, and glorious designation is — “Jesus,” “Sa- 
 viour,” “ the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin 
 of the world.” 
 
 The duties of the sanctuary, however, are not all 
 that impose responsibility on the pastors of Christ’s 
 flock. There is our general intercourse with the world, 
 involving no ordinary responsibility. The eye of the 
 world is fixed upon us, keen, searching, vigilant, obser- 
 vant of every movement, ready and disposed to con- 
 strue an equivocal word or act to ‘ our discredit, and 
 to the prejudice of the sacred cause of which we are 
 the accredited advocates and conservators. Its gaze, 
 generally stern, its scrutiny unkind and harsh, and 
 both frequently malevolent, rejoicing to catch us 
 tripping, and eager to spread abroad our real or sup- 
 posed delinquencies; is to be met by the strictest 
 integrity and the utmost circumspection; by “abstain- 
 ing from all appearance of evil ;” studiously avoiding 
 every thing, in word, in conduct, in social intercourse, 
 in our walk and conversation, which may afford just 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 37 
 
 ground for accusation or complaint; “giving no offence 
 in any thing that the ministry be not blamed, but in 
 all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God.” 
 
 To our respective flocks, also, we stand, in this 
 respect, in a position of great responsibility : a position 
 in which one false step, one imprudent, injudicious, 
 unguarded word, may impair our usefulness, and in- 
 volve us in serious difflculties. It becomes us, there- 
 fore, in our intercourse with the people of our pastoral 
 charge, to be especially circumspect in our conduct, 
 and give no reasonable cause for prejudice, offence, nor 
 even suspicion. We are to be examples to them, “ in 
 word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity 
 gentle, courteous, considerate, kind, affectionate; manly 
 but not obsequiously attentive ; “ in meekness instruc- 
 ting those that oppose themselves ;” taking heed that 
 “ no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth, 
 but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it 
 may minister grace unto the hearers;” cheerful, and 
 sociable, not morose and gloomy, yet avoiding all light 
 and trifling behaviour ; prudent and guarded in speech 
 and act, causing our conduct and familiar discourse to 
 be not only consistent with our sacred calling, but 
 co-operative in our public labours; and “ceasing not 
 in every house,” as well as in the house of God, “to 
 teach and preach Jesus Christ.” 
 
38 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 The services of the ‘^ministers of Christ” are re- 
 quired in the chamber of Lhe sick and dying. These 
 services^ while they involve a most weighty responsi- 
 bility, are, from a variety of causes, among the most 
 difficult, if not the most difficult and perplexing, of all 
 our pastoral functions. Besides ^Hhe fear of man 
 which bringeth a snare,” peculiarly influential at the 
 bed side of the sick, with sympathy for physical 
 suffering which makes reproof painful, if it does not 
 disarm it; and the false anxiety of kindred and friends, 
 backed at times by the warning of the medical atten- 
 dant, lest any thing should be spoken to disturb and 
 alarm ; we have to contend with the great diversity of 
 cases, calling forth a difficult, but necessary, discrimi- 
 nating judgment. The soul is sometimes as lethargic 
 in its spiritual, as the body in its physical sensibilities. 
 We meet with one tremblingly alive to the things that 
 belong to his peace, and another insensate from igno- 
 rance or apathy. One is agitated with a full perception 
 of all the awful truths of God’s word; while another is 
 obdurate to warning, admonition, and reproof. There 
 is in one a fatal presuming on infinite mercy, and in 
 another as perilous a distrusting of omnipotent grace. 
 Some are relying on ^^the flattering unction they lay 
 to their souls,” that they have never done any harm, 
 and have, in their own estimation, led a tolerably 
 blameless life; and others are constantly writing 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 39 
 
 hitter things against themselves,” and, in a morbid 
 sense of unworthiness resisting the application to them 
 of any and all the promises of the gospel. The soul of 
 one is loaded with manifold transgressions, and yet at 
 ease; while that of another is sinking under the burden 
 of its conscious iniquities into the depths and agonies 
 of despair. Some are impenitent, insensate, obdurate, 
 though they know and feel that death is fast approach- 
 ing and inevitable; others convulsed with the anguish 
 of remorse, without contrition, and deprecating the 
 summons of departure ; and others bowing with Chris- 
 tian submission to the will of God, counting it gain 
 to die,” and in the exercise of a living faith, and a 
 ^Treasonable, religious, and holy hope,” ready, nay 
 desirous, to/Tlepart and be with Christ.” How per- 
 plexing and trying the scene, often, to the faithful, 
 conscientious pastor! What a fearful responsibility 
 rests upon him 1 How assiduous, and yet how cautious 
 need he be, in applying the remedies of spiritual heal- 
 ing with which he is entrusted 1 How wisely discrimin- 
 ating does it become him to be, in dispensing the 
 warnings and denunciations, the invitations and pro- 
 mises of the gospel ; in exhibiting the justice and the 
 mercy of God, the compassionate grace of the Saviour, 
 the stern indignation of the Judge 1 If earnest suppli- 
 cation for Divine counsel and guidance, for a right 
 judgment and discriminating wisdom, is essential to 
 
40 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 the success of our ministerial labors in general, it is 
 indispensable at such times, under such circumstances, 
 and amid such trying and perplexing scenes. 
 
 The presence of the Christian pastor is required in 
 ^Hhe house of mourning.” There he is to go in a 
 spirit of unaffected kindness; tenderly sympathizing 
 with the afflicted, sorrowing with the sorrowers, and 
 weeping with them that weep.” This is a service, 
 too, of deep responsibility. Here is afforded no ordinary 
 opportunity for awakening dormant spiritual sensibili- 
 ties, and pressing home the practical truths of religion. 
 Here and now, when the heart is wrung with anguish, 
 or tender and susceptible from chastened grief, and 
 affliction hath measurably weakened the influence of 
 the world, and shown the vanity and worthlessness of 
 its attractions and pursuits ; is an opening of peculiar 
 promise and hope, to address the conscience of the sin- 
 ner, impress him with a due sense of his sinfulness, 
 guilt, and accountability, and lead him humbled, sub- 
 dued, and penitent to a compassionate, gracious, and 
 long-suffering Saviour. Here, and now, while with the 
 soothing, consoHng, teaching of God’s word, the pastor 
 binds up the broken-hearted, and comforts them that 
 mourn,” does it become him, earnestly and diligently 
 to employ his office and ministry, in turning the be- 
 reaved or the afflicted from the shadows they have 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 41 
 
 hitherto pursued;” in impressing the lesson, so much 
 and generally ignored in prosperity, that ^4iere we 
 have no abiding city, but- must seek one to come;” and 
 in commending, in all its solemn warnings, in all its 
 * affecting appeals, in all its gracious invitations and 
 precious promises, in all its consoling hopes, ^Hhe 
 gospel of the grace of God,” and the Divine author of 
 the gospel, as the object of faith, reverence, obedience, 
 and love. And as he faithfully discharges this func- 
 tion of his pastoral office, will he prove a minister of 
 light to the house of mourning, a messenger of comfort 
 and peace to the stricken bosom, or a minister of dark- 
 ness and despair. 
 
 The lambs of the flock, moreover, demand the special 
 care and attention of the Christian pastor. They are to 
 be sedulously fed, nurtured, and watched over by him. 
 No ordinary responsibility rests on him to be faithful 
 to the youth of his pastoral charge ; considerate of their 
 spiritual interests ; diligent in training them up in the 
 way they should go,” impressing them early with a 
 filial, reverential fear of God, with a sense of their duty 
 to Him as His children by adoption and grace,” and 
 with the obligations and responsibilities of their baptism 
 into Christ. They are to be faithfully instructed by 
 him in all that relates to their spiritual well-being, 
 carefully indoctrinated in the great principles of the 
 
42 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 gospel, as embodied and set forth in the creeds, articles 
 and catechism of the church ; an attachment created 
 and cherished in their young minds, for its hallowed 
 institutions, its worship and discipline, its “ordinances 
 of divine service;” and its claims upon their allegiance 
 and confidence conspicuously presented, asserted and 
 confirmed. They are his pupils by their relative posi- 
 tion, and are to be “brought up by him in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord.” Here is an especial 
 sphere of duty, and an extensive opportunity for use- 
 fulness. Here is a most interesting and promising 
 field of labor, and a soil prepared to receive efficaciously 
 the seed of evangelical truth, and bring forth precious 
 fruit. And the duty may not be performed by proxy, 
 through the medium of the Sunday School, but person- 
 ally. It is the pastor s ovm hiisiness. He may receive 
 the assistance of others, but the work must be done 
 under his personal supervision. Catechetical instruc- 
 tion strictly and canonically belongs to him ; it is his 
 peculiar province; and he cannot delegate it, as is 
 sometimes done almost exclusively, to comparatively 
 irresponsible agents, however well qualified, without 
 involving himself in the just condemnation of pastoral 
 negligence and unfaithfulness. 
 
 Finally, above all, and including all, a weighty re- 
 sponsibility rests upon the “ministers of Christ and 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 43 
 
 stewards of tlie mysteries of God,” to be faithful to 
 their own souls. Is the suggestion uncalled for, out of 
 place, unnecessary? Have we not ^Hhis treasure in 
 earthen vessels?” Are we not men, frail, sinful men, 
 compassed about with the infirmities of a corrupt nature, 
 prone as others to sin, and exposed to manifold temp- 
 tations? Is there not, too, in the position we occupy, 
 peculiar danger to our spiritual welfare, and an especial 
 call to watchfulness and prayer? Has not our very 
 familiarity with spiritual things, a tendency to diminish 
 their impression, and impair their influence ? Teach- 
 ing, warning, reproving, and admonishing others, we 
 are apt to become more or less insensible to teaching, 
 warning, reproof, and admonition ourselves. Our duties, 
 if we are not careful, degenerate into a sort of perfunc- 
 tive observance, and the spirituality of our minds degen- 
 erates with them. How watchful, then, does it become 
 us to be over our wayward, treacherous hearts ! How 
 sedulous in cultivating the spiritual soil in ourselves! 
 How earnest in working out our own salvation, with 
 fear and trembling,” and in ^^giving all diligence to 
 make our calling and election sure!” What a monitory 
 thought is that expressed by St. Paul, in his memg^lle 
 caution : ^flest that when I have preached to othSPy I 
 myself should be a cast away ! ’ If it be essential to the 
 members of the “household of God,” that they be not 
 conformed to this world, but transformed in the renew- 
 
44 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 ing of their minds;” that they ^^walk not after the 
 flesh, but after the spirit;” that they ^^abound in all 
 the fruits of holiness,” and ^^grow in grace, and in 
 the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;” 
 that they crucify the flesh, with the affections and 
 lusts,” and denying all ungodliness and wordly lusts, 
 live soberly, righteously and godly in this present 
 world ;” how indispensable are these things to the 
 stewards” of the household! Surely we have need 
 ‘^fto watch over our own souls, as they who must give 
 account;” take heed that we impair not, in any way, 
 the lustre of our looked-for example ; see to it, that the 
 world, its seductive blandishments, and its fascinating 
 })leasures, allure us not from our integrity and pro- 
 priety ; be careful, that while we ^4iold forth the word 
 of life ” to others, as the light of their path, all within 
 ourselves be light also, and not darkness. 
 
 Independently, too, of personal consideration, how 
 earnest, practical, luminous should be the piety of the 
 minister of Christ,” and how carefully cherished and 
 cultivated, in regard of his public labors 1 Such piety, 
 de|p toned, sincere, exemplary yet not ostentatious, 
 al|^, /removed from aceticism and levity, is essential 
 to our official success. How shall we teach others 
 efficiently, if we ourselves are not taught of God ? How 
 shall we commend the love of Christ, and ^Hhe ui> 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 45 
 
 searchable riches of His grace ” to others, if we our- 
 selves do not realize and cherish their constraining and 
 restraining influence ? Professional piety, unenlivened 
 and unsustained by personal piety, will make us only 
 as ^^the sounding brass, and the tinkling cymbal.” 
 ^^Out of the abundance of the heart, must the mouth 
 speak,” or we shall speak to little purpose, and with 
 little effect, to the hearts and consciences of our 
 hearers. We may be flattered for our eloquence, be 
 popular preachers, attract a crowd, but we shall not be 
 faithful to ourselves, nor to our high trust. We may 
 emit a dazzling light, but it will be the cold glare of 
 the iceberg, not the warming and invigorating light of 
 the sun. Barren and unprofitable will be our most 
 splendid efforts; and, fearful thought! the souls we are 
 charged to feed with the bread of life,” surfeited with 
 such frothy and unsubstantial aliment, may, whilst we 
 are ^‘preaching not the Lord Jesus Christ, but our- 
 selves;” courting popular applause, pandering to a 
 vitiated public taste ; uttering with an admired elo- 
 quence truths we do not feel, or little feel ; — the im- 
 mortal souls for whom Christ died, committed to our 
 care and culture, to be nurtured and prepared for hea- 
 ven, may perish through our vanity, by our negligence 
 and fault. 
 
 My brethren of the clergy, it is truly a ‘^weighty 
 
46 
 
 PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 office and charge ” that is devolved upon us, as “ min- 
 isters of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God 
 an office involving a deep and awful responsibility. 
 In contemplation thereof, ‘Gvho is sufficient for these 
 things?” is a thought that arises spontaneously in every 
 mind, filling the soul with fear and trembling. But 
 there is an answer to this question of fearful anxiety. 
 ‘‘Our sufficiency is of God.” True and faithful to our 
 sacred trust. He will sustain and further us with His 
 abounding grace ; “make us able ministers of the New 
 Testament;” bestow upon us wisdom, strength, patience, 
 perseverance, and every needed gift; and crown our 
 efforts with acceptance and success. “Therefore, see- 
 ing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, 
 let us faint not ; but renouncing the hidden things of 
 dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the 
 word of God deceitfully, by manifestation of the truth, 
 commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the 
 sight of God.” “Strong in the Lord, and in the power 
 of His might,” let us do our duty and trust God for the 
 issue. Darkness may occasionally overspread our path, 
 and make us sad ; but light is ever at hand, in answer 
 to prayer, to revive, animate, encourage and gladden 
 us. And at length the sun, which to the eye of faith, 
 already decks the distant mountain tops with a golden 
 radiance, will break forth in all the effulgence of the 
 perfect day; and entering “the kingdom prepared of 
 
PRIMARY CHARGE. 
 
 47 
 
 our Father,” we shall receive our great and glorious 
 recompense of reward;” and behold, through a tear- 
 less eternity, and brighter and brighter forever, the 
 light of the knowlege of the glory of God in the face of 
 Jesus Christ.” — Amen. 
 

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APPENDIX. 
 
 OF THE ORIGIN OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 
 
 The preachers and members of our society in general, 
 being convinced that there was a great deficiency of vital 
 religion in the Church of England in America, and being 
 in many places destitute of the Christian sacraments, as 
 several of the clergy had forsaken their churches, re- 
 quested the late Eev. John Wesley to take such meas- 
 ures, in his wisdom and prudence, as would afford them 
 suitable relief in their distress. 
 
 In consequence of this, our venerable friend, who, 
 under God, had been the father of the great revival of 
 religion now extending over the earth, by the means 
 of the Methodists, determined to ordain ministers for 
 America ; and for this purpose, in the year 1784, sent 
 over three regularly ordained clergy; but preferring the 
 Episcopal mode of church government to any other, he 
 solemnly set apart, by the imposition of his hands and 
 prayer, one of them, viz : Thomas Coke^ Doctor of Civil 
 
50 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Law, late of Jesus College, in the University of Oxford, 
 and a Presbyter of the Church of England, for the Epis- 
 copal office; and having delivered to him letters of 
 Episcopal orders, commissioned and directed him to set 
 apart Francis Ashury, then general assistant of the 
 Methodist Society in America, for the same Episcopal 
 office; he, the said Francis Ashury, being first ordained 
 deacon and elder. In consequence of which, the said 
 Francis Ashury was solemnly set apart for the said 
 Episcopal office by prayer, and the imposition of the 
 hands of the said Thomas Coke, other regularly or- 
 dained ministers assisting in the sacred ceremony. At 
 which time the General Conference, held at Baltimore, 
 did unanimously receive the said Thomas Coke and 
 Francis Ashury as their bishops, being fully satisfied 
 of the validity of their Episcopal ordination. 
 
 The following lists of the succession of ‘Hhe ministry 
 of reconciliation,” through the superior order of Bis- 
 hops, are appended, in illustration and corroboration of 
 the argument, relative to the derivation of ministerial 
 authority, in the foregoing charge. They are taken 
 from a valuable Tract by a Presbyter of Maryland, 
 published a few years ago, and addressed particularly 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 51 
 
 to’ the members of a prominent religious denomination 
 in that diocese. To these, the Author of the Charge, 
 had designed to add other and various lists, contained 
 in the tract on “Apostolic Succession,” by the late Hon. 
 and Rev. Mr. Perceval of the Church in England; but 
 not having that Tract at hand, and being unable to 
 obtain it in time for printing the Charge, he is obliged 
 to omit it, and can only refer to it. 
 
 The first of the subjoined lists names the Bishops 
 successively of the four principal Christian cities and 
 Episcopal Sees, as given by Eusebius, extending to 
 A.D. 302. The second is the succession of the Bishops 
 of our Reformed and Protestant Branch of the Church, 
 traced from our present Presiding Bishop, the Right 
 Rev. Dr. Brownell, through the Church in England, to 
 St. John the Apostle. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE SUCCESSION IN THE SEES OF ROME, ALEXANDRIA, 
 JERUSALEM AND ANTIOCH. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 Linus, 
 
 Cletus, 
 
 Clement, 
 
 Evaristus, 
 
 Alexander, 
 
 Sixtus, 
 
 Telesphorus, 
 
 Hyginus, 
 
 Pius, 
 
 Anicetus, 
 
 Soter, 
 
 Eleutherus, 
 
 Alexandria. 
 
 Anianus, 
 
 Avilius, 
 
 Cerdon, 
 
 Primus, 
 
 Justus, 
 
 Eumenes, 
 
 Marcus, 
 
 Celadin, 
 
 Agrippinus, 
 
 Julius, 
 
 Demetrius, 
 
 Heraclas, 
 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 James, 
 
 Simon, 
 
 Justus, 
 
 Zacheus, 
 
 Tobias, 
 
 Benjamin, 
 
 John, 
 
 Matt hew, 
 
 Philip, 
 
 Seneca, 
 
 Justus, 
 
 Levi, 
 
 Antioch. 
 
 Evodius, 
 
 Ignatius, 
 
 Heros, 
 
 Cornelius, 
 
 Eros, 
 
 Theophilus, 
 
 Maximus, 
 
 Serapion, 
 
 Asclepiades, 
 
 Philetus, 
 
 Zebinus, 
 
 Babylus, 
 
52 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Eomk. Alexandria. 
 
 Victor, Dionysius, 
 
 Zephrynns, Maximus, 
 
 Calixtus, Tlieonus, 
 
 Urban, Peter, 
 
 Pontianus, A.D. 302. 
 
 Anteros, 
 
 Fabian, 
 
 Cornelius, 
 
 Lucius, 
 
 Stephen, 
 
 Sixtus, 
 
 Dionysius, 
 
 Felix, 
 
 Eutychianus, 
 
 Caius, 
 
 Marcellinus, 
 
 A.D. 296. 
 
 i^ERUSALEM. 
 
 Ephrem, 
 
 Joseph, 
 
 Judas, 
 
 Marcus, 
 
 Cassianus, 
 
 Publius, 
 
 Maximus, 
 
 Julian, 
 
 Caius, 
 
 Syramachus, 
 Caius, 
 Julian, 
 Maximus, 
 Antonius, 
 Capito, 
 Valens, 
 Dolchianus, 
 Narcissus, 
 Dius, 
 Germanio, 
 Gordius, 
 [Narcissus,] 
 Alexander, 
 Mazabanas, 
 Hymengeus, 
 Zambdas, 
 Her m on, 
 A.D. 300. 
 
 Antioch. 
 Fabus, 
 Demetrianus, 
 Paul, 
 Domnus, 
 Timoeus, 
 Cyrillus, 
 Tyrannus, 
 A.D. 302. 
 
 II. 
 
 THE SUCCESSION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
 IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 St, John ordained Polycarp Apostle^ or Bishop, or 
 
 Angel of the Church at Smyrna, who ordained Irenmus 
 
 Bishop of the Church at Lyons, in France, 
 cession is, then, as follows : 
 
 ST. JOHN. 
 
 1. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. 
 Bishops of Lyons. 
 
 1. Pothinus, 
 
 2. Irenseus, 
 
 3. Zacharias, 
 
 4. Elias, 
 
 5. Faustinas, 
 
 6. Verus, 
 
 7. Julius, 
 
 8. Ptolemy, 
 
 9. Vocius, 
 
 10. Maximus, 
 
 11. Tetradus, 
 
 12. Verissimus, 
 
 13. Justus, 
 
 14. Albinus, 
 
 15. Martin, 
 
 16. Antiochus. 
 
 17. Elpidius. 
 
 18. Sicarius. 
 
 19. Eucherius, I. 
 
 20. Patiens. 
 
 21. Lupicinus. 
 
 22. Rusticus. 
 
 23. Stephanas. 
 
 24. Viventiolus. 
 
 25. Eucherius, 2. 
 
 The sue- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 63 
 
 26. Lupus. 
 
 27. Licontius. 
 
 28. Sacerdos. 
 
 29. Nicetus. 
 
 30. Prescus. 
 
 31. .^THERius. A.D. 589. 
 
 CANTERBURY. 
 
 32. A.D. 596. Augustine, mission- 
 f ary to the Anglo-Saxons, 
 
 33d from 
 St.John. 
 
 was consecrated by Vir- 
 GiLius, 24th Bishop of Ar- 
 les, assisted by -Tiberi- 
 us, 31st Bishop of Lyons. 
 
 34. Lawrence, 
 
 35. Mellitus, 
 
 36. Justus, 
 
 37. Honorius, 
 
 38. Adeodatus, 
 
 39. Theodore, 
 
 40. Brithwald, 
 
 41. Tatwine, 
 
 42. Nothelm, 
 
 43. Cuthbert, 
 
 44. Bregwin, 
 
 45. Lambert, 
 
 46. Ethelred, I. 
 
 47. Wulfred, 
 
 605 
 
 619 
 
 624 
 
 634 
 
 654 
 
 668 
 
 693 
 
 731 
 
 735 
 
 742 
 
 759 
 
 763 
 
 793 
 
 803 
 
 48. Theogild, or Feogild, conse- 
 crated 5th of June, and died 
 
 September 3d. 830 
 
 49. Ceolnoth, Sept. 830 
 
 50. uEthelred, 2d, 871 
 
 51. Phlegmund, 891 
 
 52. Athelm or Adelm, 923 
 
 53. Wulfelm, 928 
 
 54. Odo Severus, 941 
 
 55. Dunstan, 959 
 
 56. -Tthelgar, 988 
 
 57. Siricus, 989 
 
 58. Aluricus or Alfricus, 996 
 
 59 Elphege, 1005 
 
 60. Living, or Leoning, or Elk- 
 
 skan, 1013 
 
 61. Agelmoth or -Tthelnot, 1020 
 
 62. Edsin, or Elsin, 1038 
 
 63. Robert Gemeticensis, 1050 
 
 64. Stigand, 1052 
 
 65. Lanfranc. 1070 
 
 66. Anselm, 1093 
 
 67. Rodulph, 1114 
 
 68. Wm. Corbell, 1122 
 
 69. Theobold, 1138 
 
 70. Thomas a Becket, 1162 
 
 71. Richard, 1174 
 
 72. Baldwin Fordensis, 1184 
 
 73. Reginald Fitz-Joceline, 1191 
 
 74. Hubert Walten, 1193 
 
 75. Stephen Langton, 1207 
 
 76. Richard Wethersfield, 1229 
 
 77. Edmund, 1234 
 
 78. Boniface, 1245 
 
 79. Robert Kilwardy, 1272 
 
 80. John Peckham. 1278 
 
 81. Robert Winchelsea, 1294 
 
 82. Walter Reynold, 1313 
 
 83. Simon Mepham, 1328 
 
 84. John Stratford, 1333 
 
 85. Thomas Bradwardine, 1348 
 
 86. Simon Islip, 1349 
 
 87. Simon Langham, 1366 
 
 88. Wm. Whittlesey, 1368 
 
 89. Simon Sudbury, 1375 
 
 90. Wm. Courtnay, 1381 
 
 91. Thomas Arundel, 1396 
 
 92. Henry Chichely, 1414 
 
 93. John Stafford, 1443 
 
 94. John Kemp. 1452 
 
 95. Thomas Bourcher, 1454 
 
 96. John Morton, i486 
 
 97. Henry Dean, 1^01 
 
 98. Wm. Wareham, 1503 
 
 99. Thos. Cranmee, 1533 
 
 100. Reginald Pole, 1555 
 
 101. Matthew Parker, 1559 
 
 102. Ed. Grindall, December, 1573 
 
 103. John Whitgift, 1583 
 
 104. Richard Bancroft, 1604 
 
 105. George Abbot, 1611 
 
 106* William Laud, 1633 
 
 107. William Juxon, 1660 
 
 108. Gilbert Sheldon, 1663 
 
 109. William Sancroft, 1677 
 
 110. John Tillotson, 1691 
 
 111. Thomas Tennison, 1694 
 
 112. William Wake, 1715 
 
 113. John Potter, 1737 
 
 114. Thomas Seeker, 1738 
 
 115. Thomas Hemng, 1747 
 
 116. Matthew Hutton, 1757 
 
 117. Fred. Cornwallis, 1768 
 
 118. John Moore, 1783 
 
 American Bishops. 
 
 119. From St. John is William 
 White, of Pa., consecrated 
 Februaiy4, 1787, by John 
 Moore, Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, assisted by the 
 Archbishop of York, the 
 Bishop of Bath and Wells, 
 and the Bishop of Peter - 
 borough. 
 
 120. Alex. V. Griswald, 1811 
 
 121. Philander Chase, 1819 
 
 122. Thos. Church Brownell, 1819 
 
54 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE TO PAGE 19. 
 
 That St. Paul, notwithstanding his miraculous conversion, was sent, as 
 were the other Apostles, received an outward and visible commission to the 
 
 ministry of reconciliation,” is, in the absence of any positive proof to the 
 contrary, probable, from the following considerations : 1. The analogy of 
 the faith which requires such a commission. 2. His own teaching in the 
 premises, of the necessity of such a commission in all cases, “And no man 
 taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.” 
 Hebrews v.4; and “ How shall they preach except they be sent ?” Romans 
 X. 15. 3. His uniform practice as an Apostle invested with authority to 
 
 send others, in accordance with this teaching, as set forth in the inspired 
 record. 4. The fact, that his miraculous conversion and designation to 
 the ministry, did not exempt him from the obligation of initiation into the 
 visible church by baptism, prior to any exercise of his ministry ; from 
 which it is reasonable to infer, neither did it exempt him from the obliga- 
 tion of receiving an outward and visible commission to the ministry. 5. 
 The fact, that in one instance. Acts xiii. 2, 3, he did receive an external 
 and visible commission to a special work of the ministry, by the laying 
 on of hands, with prayer ; whence it is reasonable to infer, that as his 
 miraculous conversion and designation, did not exempt him from the 
 necessity of receiving an external and visible commission in this instance, 
 neither did it relative to his ministry generally. And as corroborative of 
 the probability suggested, the remarks of Bishop Blomfield on this inci- 
 dent are apposite and forcible ; though he supposes it to have been “ a 
 special ordination,” which, however, as Barnabas and Saul were ministers 
 of Christ already, “prophets and teachers,” it could not strictly have been, 
 if at all, unless to a higher grade of the ministry. 
 
 “ In the 13th chapter it is related,” says he, “that while certain prophets 
 and teachers in the church at Antioch were ministering unto the Lord, the 
 Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I 
 have called them ; that is, for the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles. 
 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent 
 them away. With reference, first to his miraculous conversion, and secondly 
 to this special ordination, St. Paul speaks of himself, Romans i. I, as a 
 servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the Gospel of 
 God. From this incident it appears that a public and formal calling to the 
 office of preaching the gospel was necessary, even to those who had the 
 extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost ; necessary, that is, not on account 
 of any intrinsic virtue in the outward form, but rendered so by the declared 
 will of God. Our Saviour sent His disciples, as His Father had sent Him; 
 and He sent them with an outward and visible act of commission. He 
 breathed on them and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. And, quoting the 
 words of Bishop Burnet — though Saul and Barnabas were effectuallly 
 called by the Holy Spirit to the Apostleship of the Gentiles, they did not 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 55 
 
 enter upon the discharge of their function, till, under the direction of the 
 same spirit, they had been separated to the work of the ministry, by 
 prayer and the imposition of hands. Lect. vii. pp. 128, 129. 
 
 The language of St. Par.l, Galatians i. 1, “An apostle, not of men, neither 
 by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the 
 dead,” is sometimes adduced as proof that he did not receive an external 
 and visible commission. That declaration, however, is not such proof, for 
 it relates, as the context shows, not to the mode ox form of his commission, 
 but to the source whence he derived his authority, which, as was the case 
 with all the Apostles, was not human, but divine. They, all of them, 
 might with equal propriety and tiuth have said, we are Apostles, “not 
 of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.” Xor 
 does St. Paul’s subsequent narration in the same chapter, preclude the 
 probability of his having had an outward and visible commission ; while 
 it goes to show that he might have received such commission at the time 
 and on the occasion supposed, when Barnabas presented him to the Apos- 
 tles at Jerusalem and announced his miraculous conversion and designa- 
 tion to the ministry, and “how he had seen the Lord in the way and 
 when, as he himself says, he “abode with Peter fifteen days,” and had 
 intercourse with “James the Lord’s brother,” historically the Bishop of 
 the Church at Jerusalem at that time. 
 
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THE 
 
 MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, 
 
 THE DIVINELY APPOINTED INSTRUMENTALITY FOR THE 
 CONVERSION OF THE WORLD: 
 
 THE 
 
 SECOND CHARGE 
 
 TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF INDIANA, DELIVERED 
 IN CHRIST CHURCH, INDIANAPOLIS, AT THE OPENING 
 OF THE ANNUAL DIOCESAN CONVENTION, ON 
 WEDNESDAY, JUNE M, 1861. 
 
 BY GEORGE UPFOLD, DD. L. L. D., 
 
 BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE. 
 
 INDIAN'APOLIS: 
 
 BINGHAM, DOUGHTY & CO., STEA3I PRINTERS', 
 
 1861 . 
 
THE 
 
 MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, 
 
 THE DIVINELY APPOINTED INSTRUMENTALITY FOR THE 
 CONVERSION OF THE WORLD: 
 
 TH E 
 
 SECOND CHAKGE 
 
 TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF INDIANA, DELIVERED 
 IN CHRIST CHURCH, INDIANAPOLIS, AT THE OPENING 
 OF THE ANNUAL DIOCESAN CONVENTION, ON 
 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 1861. 
 
 BY GEORGE UPFOLD, DD. L. L. D., 
 
 BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE. 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS: 
 
 BINGHAM, DOUGHTY & CO., STEAM PRINTERS. 
 
 1861 . 
 

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 *':■. ji 'r >mLL 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 My Brethren of the Clergy': 
 
 It is now several years since I have 
 addressed you in a formal Charge, having been - pre- 
 vented by reasonable cause.” That cause, through 
 the Divine goodness, being removed, I proceed to 
 discharge the duty. 
 
 In my Primary Charge, the theme on which I 
 addressed you was — The Ministry' of Reconcili- 
 ation, ITS AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. This 
 theme I propose to continue in this my second 
 CHARGE, in another aspect, by discoursing of the 
 Ministry of Reconciliation as the divinely' 
 APPOINTED instrumentality FOR THE CONVER- 
 SION OF THE WORLD. The subject is intrinsically 
 important ; and it is particularly so now, from the 
 prevalence of an adverse opinion and practice, 
 which have become popularized to an injurious ex- 
 tent ; in some instances to an almost entire ignoring 
 of the sacred ministry as the agency for teaching 
 religious truth, reforming the evil habits of men, 
 and spreading the glad tidings of salvation among 
 the nations of the earth. Many and various are 
 the substitutes for the ministry of divine appoint- 
 ment, which have of late years been invented and 
 
4 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 commended to public favor ; not perhaps avowedly, 
 but practically. In the advocacy of all of them, a 
 just appreciation of, and reverence for the ministry 
 have been seriously impaired ; and its sufficiency 
 for the work of evangelizing the world, reforming 
 prevailing vices ; feeding the sheep and the lambs 
 of Christ’s flock, and building up the members of 
 Christ in their holy faith, questioned, and by some 
 denied and denounced. 
 
 It is from much and painful observation of the 
 injurious effects on religion and morals both, pro- 
 duced by these modern innovations, that I deem it 
 my duty to address you on the theme I have an- 
 nounced. In its prosecution your attention is par- 
 ticularly solicited to the Scriptural and Historical 
 evidence, that the “ministry of reconciliation” is 
 not only the divinely appointed instrumentality for 
 converting and reforming the world, and edifying 
 the Body of Christ ; but the only instrumentality 
 commended to us for that purpose, which bears, so 
 to speak, the broad seal of heaven. 
 
 This instrumentality was originated by our Lord 
 and Savior Jesus Christ, Himself, soon after He 
 “began to preach,” and gather disciples around 
 Him. Certain of those disciples He set apart and 
 sent as the ministers of His word and ordinances, 
 “while he was yet with them,” to instruct, guide, 
 and govern them in their work ; first the Twelve, 
 afterwards the Seventy also. Thus He established 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 the principle and initiated the agency of the com- 
 missioned living teacher to minister in His church, 
 and admit converts into it by baptism ; for we read, 
 “ Jesus baptized not, but his disciples to proclaim 
 His actual advent and the inauguration of His visi- 
 ble spiritual kingdom on earth ; “ preach repent- 
 ance and remission of sins ” through him ; call men 
 to faith in and obedience of Him ; introduce them 
 into the consecrated fold over which He proclaimed 
 Himself to be the good Shepherd ; ” and there 
 feed them with “the bread of life,” and nurture 
 them in all holiness and goodness. 
 
 After His resurrection, and in the interval be- 
 tween that event and His ascension, our blessed 
 Lord inculcated the principle more definitely, and 
 renewed the appointment under more impressive 
 circumstances, and with the extension of official 
 functions and authority. “ All power,” said He “ 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.” 
 “ Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to 
 every creature ; he that belie veth and is baptized 
 shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be 
 damned.” “ As my Father hath sent me, even so 
 send I you. And when he had said this, he 
 
6 
 
 CHAKGE. 
 
 breathed on them, and saith unto them ‘Receive ye 
 the Holy Ghost whosoever sins ye remit, they are 
 remitted unto them ; and whosoever sins ye retain, 
 they are retained.’’ 
 
 Such was the principle established, the purpose 
 indicated, and the instrumentality initiated by the 
 great Head of the Church Himself, for establishing, 
 extending, and perpetuating that Church, His visi- 
 ble spiritual kingdom on earth ; and for carrying 
 on His work of marvellous grace. It was an exclu- 
 sive instrumentality. So it appears on the face of 
 the inspired narrative, and in all the circumstances 
 of its institution. We perceive no intimation and 
 no allowance of any other. In His Church, and by 
 His Church, through its divinely appointed minis- 
 try, and the divinely appointed ordinances com- 
 mitted unto them to dispense, the work of convert- 
 ing the nations was to be accomplished, and “ a 
 world lying in wickedness and ready to perish,” be 
 enlightened, instructed, converted, reformed, and 
 saved. Living teachers, sent of Christ, the Lord, 
 with functions designated by Him, and by Him en- 
 dowed with fitting gifts were the agents. To such, 
 so commissioned and qualified for the work, was 
 the work committed ; and to none else or beside. 
 
 Our Lord and Saviour having ascended to heaven, 
 the work of evangelizing the world, with the govern- 
 ment of the church, and the perpetuation of its min- 
 istry was devolved on “the apostles whom he had 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 7 
 
 chosen.” What was their teaching and what their 
 practice in the premises ? Do we discern any depar- 
 ture from His instruction and example ? Did they 
 not adopt and act upon the principle in its integ- 
 rity ? Is there in the practice of the apostles as 
 recorded in the book of their Acts, or in the subse- 
 quent teaching of certain of their company in their 
 epistles, any allowance, any intimation of any other 
 agency? None whatever. At the very outset we 
 find them perpetuating their own order of the min- 
 istry as a necessity, and doubtless by their Lord’s 
 command, in the election and admission of Matthias, 
 that, as they declared, he “ might take part of this 
 ministry and apostleship, from which Judas, by 
 transgression fell.” Soon after, they ordained 
 seven Deacons, as a subordinate order of the same 
 ministry. Subsequently, certain of their -number 
 are related to have “ ordained elders,” or presby- 
 ters, “in every city,” for the work of the ministry 
 and the edifying the body of Christ, His one vis- 
 ible church, as it was extended and converts were 
 multiplied. 
 
 The ministry of divine appointment was the in- 
 strumentality, and the sole instrumentality, em- 
 ployed by the apostles in propagating the religion 
 of Christ, the gospel of his grace. Its nature and 
 functions may be gathered in part from the brief 
 narrative of the ministry of St. Philip, one of the 
 seven deacons. From this we learn that it con- 
 
8 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 sisted in nacre than mere preaching: that it in- 
 volved the dispensing of “ordinances of Divine 
 service,” also. “Philip went down to Samaria and 
 preached Christ unto them.” He did more than 
 this — he baptized also all who received and be- 
 lieved the truths he taught. Nor was this all. The 
 work he performed in his subordinate order was 
 completed by the apostles St. Peter and St. John, 
 of the highest order; who, on tidings of Philip’s 
 successful ministry having reached the apostles 
 congregated at Jerusalem, were deputed by their 
 associates to go to Samaria, and lay their hands 
 upon “those whom Philip had baptized, and who 
 by that act ‘ received the Holy Ghost.’ ” Thus we 
 perceive the administration of a rite as the supple- 
 ment of baptism, and an authoritative renewal of 
 the gifts and grace of baptism, constituting a func- 
 tion of the ministry, and restricted to the Apostles; 
 which, on the authority of this and another specific 
 example of the same kind, the Church has ever 
 since retained, and calls confirmation. 
 
 In the interview of St. Philip with the Ethio- 
 pian Eunuch, immediately after, we perceive a far- 
 ther illustration of the nature and necessity of the 
 ministry as the Divine instrumentality for the con- 
 version of men. “Understandest thou what thou 
 readest ? How can I, except some man should 
 guide me? Then Philip opened his mouth, and 
 began at the same time scripture, and preached 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 9 
 
 unto him Jesus.” And when the convert, thus in- 
 structed, confessed his faith in Christ, and proposed 
 to Philip to baptize him, he did not say “ Oh, that 
 is of no consequence, that is non-essential; it is suf- 
 ficient for you to believe,” but he immediately in- 
 itiated him into the covenant of grace and salva- 
 tion by the sacrament of baptism, and thus added 
 him to the visible church, the embodiment of that 
 covenant. 
 
 The same procedure we discern in other recorded 
 instances of conversion, in the brief narrative of 
 the Acts of the Apostles, which purport to relate, 
 not all things which the apostles did, but only some 
 things, and they of the most consequence in their 
 bearing on the Christian faith, and the progress of 
 the gospel. As it was with the Eunuch, so it was 
 with St. Paul, Cornelius, Lydia, the Jailor at Phil- 
 lippi, and others. On the confession of their faith 
 in Christ, baptism was immediately administered 
 to them, and to their households also, when they 
 had any, including their children and dependants. 
 
 Such was “the ministry of reconciliation,” in its 
 principle, purpose, and practical exercise, in the 
 days of the Apostles. It consisted in the preach- 
 ing of the word, with the administration of the sa- 
 craments of Christ’s institution and commanded 
 observance. Without such an exercise of the min- 
 istry, the work, in the estimation of the inspired 
 
 apostles, was necessarily incomplete. They aimed 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 in their ministry, at something more than a 
 mere emotional faith — something more definite and 
 permanent; something that exemplified their faith 
 and obedience both, and manifested to all without 
 their union with Christ. In those days there was 
 never presented the painful spectacle, which to an 
 alarming extent is presented in these modern days 
 and in our own land, as the result of the undue im- 
 portance given to mere preaching, and that of an 
 exciting and emotional kind; and of the deprecia- 
 tion of the Christian sacraments as the divinely 
 appointed means and channels of grace to the soul : 
 the melancholy, the inconsistent spectacle of thou- 
 sands in communities nominally Christian, and 
 claiming the name of Christians, living and dying 
 unbaptized, and their children also; and never 
 feeding on the eucharistic “bread of life,” nor 
 drinking of the cup of salvation. 
 
 The teaching of St. Paul in relation to the sub- 
 ject under consideration, is direct and ample. In 
 his opinion, as gathered from his several epistles, 
 the living teacher, endowed with authority by the 
 great Head of the Church; sent by those whom He 
 had commissioned to send^ was designed to be, and 
 was the sole instrumentality in the moral revolu- 
 tion the gospel was intended to accomplish. For 
 while he does not intimate any other instrumental- 
 ity, he dwells with marked emphasis on the minis- 
 try as such instrumentality, expatiates on its dig- 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 11 
 
 nity and responsibility, and in this sense, “magni- 
 fies the office ” committed to him and his associates 
 in the work. It is unnecessary to multiply instan- 
 ces. They must be familiar to you all. It may be 
 well, however, to adduce a few of the more ])romi- 
 nent. Thus, in connection with his memorable dec- 
 laration of the fullness and freeness of the salva- 
 tion revealed and prufifered in the gospel, that “who- 
 soever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be 
 saved we read, “ How then shall they call on him 
 in whom they have not believed? and how 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 ?” Then, 
 as to the office itself, its nature, purpose, and dig- 
 nity ; “ Let a man so account of us as the ministers 
 of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 
 “ God of whom are all thinsrs * * * hath aiven 
 
 unto us the ministry of reconciliation * * * * 
 
 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though 
 God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s 
 stead, be ye reconciled to God.” Then of himself 
 and his associates, in contrast with the Aaronic min- 
 istry, which “ the ministry of reconciliation ” had 
 superseded, he says — “ We are of God made able 
 ministers of the Testament,” of the “new and bet- 
 ter covenant founded on better promises.” He di- 
 rects the church at Colosse to say to Archippus ; — 
 “ Take heed to the ministry which thou hast re- 
 
12 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 ceived in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. To Timo- 
 thy, who had been invested with Apostolic or Epis- 
 copal authority, by “the laying on of his” — St. 
 Paul’s — “hands,” he exhorts, “make /kZ/ proof of 
 thy ministry.” 
 
 It is evident, then, from the scriptures of the 
 New" Testament, incontrovertibly evident, that “ the 
 ministry of reconciliation,” alone and exclusively, 
 was the divinely appointed instrumentality for 
 evangelizing the w"orld ; that in the days of the 
 apostles and primitive Christians, no other instru- 
 mentality w^as know", recognized, or conceived ; that 
 by, and through it, sinners were brought to repen- 
 tance and amendment of life, were converted, and 
 indoctrinated in “the truth as it is in Jesus ;” and 
 this being done, were immediately initiated by holy 
 baptism into the covenant of grace and salvation ; 
 added to the Church, not an invisible and intangi- 
 ble Church, but the one visible Church of Christ the 
 Lord; and within its consecrated pale were in- 
 structed, nurtured in the ways and works of godli- 
 ness, built up in their most holy faith, and fed with 
 spiritual aliment in “the breaking of bread” the 
 eucharistic sacrament ; and in the worship of the 
 Church, by the preaching of the word, and personal 
 pastoral care and watchfulness, were led on in the 
 way of eternal life, and “ made meet for the inheri- 
 tance of the saints in light.” The commissioned 
 ministry, “ went every where preaching the word,” 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 13 
 
 ministering the word and sacraments ; and thus, 
 through the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, 
 working in them and with them, sent of Christ, to 
 guide them into all truth and further and sanctify 
 their ministry, the Kingdom of God in its visibil- 
 ity was established and extended ; and “the grain 
 of mustard seed ” sown by its great and glorious 
 King, made to germinate and expand into a monarch 
 of the forest, with its branches overspreading the 
 earth. 
 
 In the age immediately succeeding the apostles’ 
 days, and in the subsequent “ ages all along,” we 
 discern no change in the principle and practice 
 originated by our blessed Lord, and adopted and 
 followed, as we have seen, by the apostles immedi- 
 ately commissioned by Him, in accordance with 
 His instruction and example. No other agency be- 
 side “the ministry of reconciliation ” was known 
 or recognized. The work was carried on by that 
 ministry in its several orders, and in a way which 
 no other but those divinely commissioned agents, 
 endowed with official gifts and grace as the}^ were, 
 could have done, and with such results as followed 
 their' ministrations. The rapid spread of Chris- 
 tianity, which realized the splendid visions of 
 prophecy, and proved it to have originated not in 
 man but in God, was the achievement of living- 
 teachers, bearing a divine commission as ambassa- 
 dors for Christ to a guilty world. It was a rapid 
 
14 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 growth, indeed, a marvellous increase, from, to hu- 
 man conception, a most humble, inauspicious and un- 
 promising beginning. In little more than a century, 
 the light of evangelical truth had penetrated the dark- 
 ness of the ancient heathenism in its entire limits. 
 In less than four centuries it had dispelled that dark- 
 ness. The idols in their magnificent temples, adorned 
 with all the gorgeousness of Grecian and iloinan art, 
 were overthrown, and their shrines deserted. The 
 false oracles were sealed in eternal silence ; and the 
 true oracles, the oracles of God, collected together, 
 and endorsed by the Church Catholic as the inspired 
 scriptures, and read, expounded and enforced by 
 living teachers, were made the rule of faith and 
 duty, and the authoritative test of truth. The gos- 
 pel in its illuminating power shone forth as the sun 
 in noontide etfulgence. The kings and princes of 
 the earth had come to the brightness of its culmi- 
 nation. The palace of the Caesars was the citadel 
 of the faith. The occupant of the imperial throne 
 was its disciple, patron and defender. His empire 
 at that period, an unit in the sovereignty of the 
 world, heretofore the strong hold of idolatry, was 
 in all its extensive provinces and dependencies the 
 domain of Christ; in religion, in laws, in influ- 
 ences, an integral and commanding portion of the 
 Kingdom of the Prince of Peace. 
 
 In its rapid progress and its permanent conquest, 
 the gospel as embodied in the Church, and “made 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 15 
 
 known the Church,” through its divinely com- 
 missioned ministry, demonstrated itself to be both 
 “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” The 
 debasing superstition of ages melted away before 
 the light and warmth of “the sun of righteousness 
 risen on the earth with healing in his wings be- 
 fore the personal appeals and convincing reasoning 
 of living teachers who “ went every where preaching 
 the word,” and ministering in their several colla- 
 teral functions to all who believed and received that 
 word ; so that in the lapse of a few centuries, there 
 was left neither temple, altar, shrine, nor statue, 
 dedicated to the false divinities of heathen worship, 
 and only here and there a solitary worshipper. 
 “So mightily grew the word of God and pre- 
 vailed.” 
 
 Xow in this moral revolution, the living teacher, 
 the minister of Christ, was not only a fact, hut a 
 necessity. Xo other instrumentality could have 
 done the work ; for so had God in His providence 
 ordered the circumstances which marked the era of 
 the gospel dispensation. Direct personal instruc- 
 tion, 2^^1'suasion, and argument ; personal inter- 
 course and example ; official personal authority, 
 were absolutely required. Commissioned “ambassa- 
 dors for Christ ; men set apart and ordained for the 
 purpose, and clothed with divine authority, were in- 
 dispensable agents in commending the religion of 
 the Cross to acceptance, 'in the then moral, social. 
 
16 
 
 CHARGP]. 
 
 and intellectual condition of the world. For it had 
 to encounter formidable, and seemingly insuperable 
 obstacles, requiring personal effort to surmount and 
 overcome. It was a religion, not only novel in its 
 principles and usages, but in all its features adverse 
 to all existing religions, and proclaimed itself to be 
 so. It sought its advancements, not by com- 
 promise or attempted affiliation with the prevailing 
 popular systems, but by their entire prostration and 
 annihilation. It inculcated doctrines and enjoined 
 precepts utterly opposed to the cherished passions, 
 propensities, habits and pleasures of a corrupt na- 
 ture. It held out to its proselytes, as the almost 
 certain consequences of embracing it, present re- 
 proach, affliction, persecution, and death in its most 
 horrid forms ; while it promised them, as its chief 
 recompence, a future, distant, and except to the ap- 
 prehension of faith, an inconceivable, though glori- 
 ous reward. It proposed as the object of their faith, 
 and adoration, an object the most revolting to hu- 
 man pride, a crucified malefactor ; for such our 
 blessed Lord appeared to those who knew not His 
 claims to divinity. Its first accredited teachers, in 
 the eye of the world its originators and founders, it 
 did not conceal were Jewish peasants, “ poor fisher- 
 men of Galilee,” regarded by their own nation as 
 “ unlearned and ignorant men,” and reviled, de- 
 nounced and persecuted us, “ deceivers of the peo- 
 ple.” Under such untoward circumstances, with 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 17 
 
 every thing calculated to repel, and nothing human 
 to attract, there was a manifest necessity for the 
 living teacher, commissioned by God, and endowed 
 with divine gifts, to meet this prejudice, reproach, 
 and antagonism ; convince the understanding and 
 inform and impress the mind by personal instruc- 
 tion and reasoning ; and then, by personal appeals 
 to the heart and conscience, commend the gospel to 
 acceptance, and by administering its “ordinances 
 of divine service,” embody its converts, and estab- 
 lish it in their practical embrace. 
 
 There was a further necessity for this particular 
 agency. Unlike the Mahomedan imposture of a 
 later day, the religion of Christ our Lord, did not 
 spring up in an age of intellectual darkness and 
 mental torpidity, among an ignorant and unculti- 
 vated people. On the contrary it arose, made its 
 way, and achieved its conquests, amid the brilliant 
 light and mental activity of a classic age ; in the 
 palmy days of Grecian and Koman cultivation. Xor 
 was it addressed alone or chiefly, to the ignorant 
 and unintelligent, but equally to the educated and 
 intelligent. In this refined and inquiring age, amid 
 the general intellectual culture that prevailed, the 
 gospel was promulged to the world ; mysterious in 
 its doctrines, ungenial in its precepts, sublime yet 
 inconceivable in its hopes, uncompromising in its 
 demands, claiming to be a substitute for all existing 
 
 svstems of religion, antagonistic to their authority, 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 CHAEGE. 
 
 a direct revelation from God. It appealed to the 
 understanding and the judgment, as well as to the 
 conscience and the heart. It addressed itself to the 
 intellectual, as much as to the moral and emotional 
 instincts of the soul. It invited examination, chal- 
 lenged investigation, enjoined its ministers and their 
 converts to he “ always ready to give a reason for 
 the hope that was in them.” It was examined, in- 
 vestigated, sifted, with the most critical severity, 
 and tried by the most stringent tests. ‘‘Subjected to 
 the ordeal of a self-interested, subtle, prejudiced 
 and imperious priesthood, among both Jews and 
 Gentiles ; and to the alembic of an ingenious, 
 acute, jealous and proud philosophy ; it came forth 
 from the former in the power of its innate truth and 
 divinity ; and from the latter, like gold from the re- 
 finer’s fire, with surpassing brilliancy and splendor.” 
 Propounded, explained, advocoted and defended by 
 living teachers, divinely commissioned and accred- 
 ited, it made its way despite of all opposing obsta- 
 cles, and demonstrated itself to be “the power of 
 God unto salvation to everv one that belie veth 
 the long desired remedy for the healing of the na- 
 tions ; the very medicament which philosophy had 
 sought, but sought in vain, for the cure of moral 
 evils which all felt, and thoughtful moralists especi- 
 ally deplored ; but which unassisted human reason 
 was utterly powerless to devise. Stamped with the 
 veritable impress of heaven, it advanced quietly, 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 19 
 
 unostentatiously, but surely, until it became a per- 
 manence in the world, diffusing its benign influ- 
 ence far and wide, and pervading the souls of 
 myriads, once distracted and despairing under the 
 dominion of sin, with peace and joy and glorious 
 hope. 
 
 This war with a world polluted and imbruted by 
 sin and guilt, was waged, successfully and triumph- 
 antly waged, by the ministry of reconciliation.” 
 They who exercised it were humble and unpretend- 
 ing, save in official authority ; weak in themselves, 
 but “strong in the Lord and in the power of his 
 might.” The “ weapons of their warfare were not 
 carnal but spiritual, yet mighty to the pulling down 
 of strong holds,” the entrenchments of the Evil 
 One, and the all pervading and stubborn wickedness 
 he had engendered and perpetuated. Armed with 
 the panoply of Grod, they went forth boldly and 
 resolutely to the conflict ; and through the promised 
 co-operatioii of the Holy Ghost in His great might, 
 they grappled with error, superstition and sin in the 
 zenith of their power and influence, deep rooted in 
 the moral soil by centuries of unrestrained indul- 
 gence, and came off conquerors. 
 
 The subsequent progress of the faith and Church 
 of Christ, was effected by the same divinely ap- 
 pointed instrumentality, and by no other. For 
 fifteen centuries, at least, the principle originated 
 aud the agency initiated by our blessed Lord, Him- 
 
20 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 self, remained unchanged, without a thought or con- 
 ception of any other. The “ministers of Christ 
 and stewards of the mysteries of God,” dispensing 
 the word and sacraments, were the only recognized 
 laborers in the Lord’s vineyard, the only shepherds 
 of Christ’s flock, the only “ ambassadors for Christ” 
 to a guilty world. About that period, a change, for 
 the first time, was attempted, and unauthorized 
 men, puffed up with self-conceit and spiritual pride, 
 and overflowing with fanatical zeal, thrust them= 
 selves into the work, denouncing the commissioned 
 workmen as insufficient, decrying their functions, 
 repudiating their authority, proclaiming their own 
 superiority, and claiming to supersede them as 
 teachers and guides in things spiritual. From this, 
 and partaking of the same leaven, have sprung the 
 notion and the action of other and independent 
 agencies of various kinds, which in modern days, 
 and particularly within the past forty or fifty years, 
 have become extensively popularized ; and have 
 had the effect to lower still further the estimation 
 of God’s divinely appointed ministry and throw it 
 practically into shade. 
 
 But unless it can be shown — and this is not even 
 pretended, except in the very madness of fanaticism 
 which has possessed certain sects — unless it can be 
 shown that a new revelation from heaven has been 
 made, establishing a new principle, inaugurating 
 another practice, and authorizing other agencies ; 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 21 
 
 the ministry of divine institution remains, and 
 must of necessity remain, the only legitimate in- 
 strumentality for evangelizing the world, and ex- 
 tending and perpetuating the visible Kingdom .of 
 Christ, in its several branches, the one holy, catholic, 
 and apostolic Church of the living Grod, “ the pillar 
 and ground of truth.” 
 
 Such an instrumentality, “ the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation” has ever proved, and is proving itself to be, 
 by its results. The victories of the Cross, in later as 
 in the earlier days of Christianity, have been won 
 mainly by its commissioned soldiers and servants, 
 weilding God’s weapons, and not man’s. In every 
 part of the world, living teachers sent of Christ the 
 Lord, mediately, by those invested by Him with 
 authority to send, have chiefly done the work that 
 has been accomplished. We have only to survey 
 the field, and examine the details of the enterprize 
 for the past half century, to be satisfied of this. 
 In countries nominally Christian, where the work, 
 as in England and its dependencies and in this 
 country, has been so signally revived ; and in hea- 
 then lands which has called forth so much Christian 
 sympathy and charitable effort ; the gospel, as em- 
 bodied in the Church, has been spread most surely 
 and successfully and embraced and established in 
 the hearts of men most permanently, through the 
 agency of “the ministers of Christ and stewards of 
 the mysteries of God.” They in their several of- 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 ‘i2 
 
 fices and functions have been the moving and effi- 
 cient power. All other agencies of man’s inven- 
 tion ; ^ the best of them greatly exaggerated as to 
 their influence and effects, in “Annual Reports ’’and 
 by platform orators at the popular May gatherings 
 of modern days, are at the farthest only auxiliary, 
 and can be nothing more. Some few of them, Grod 
 m.Ry have blessed to some extent; this is not denied ; 
 but He hath blessed and continues to bless Plis own 
 appointed agency far more. Results prove this; 
 and from the very nature and peculiar functions of 
 such agency must be the case. Instituted and or- 
 dained by the great Head of the Church Himself ; 
 to promulge and perpetuate his religion in the 
 world as holy scripture clearly teaches, it must of 
 necessity be the means best adapted and most 
 likely to advance the enterprize and secure the end ; 
 promote and conserve all that is truly reformatory 
 and of virtuous and godly influence ; contend suc- 
 cessfully in the battle with sin and with the powers of 
 darkness ; and diffuse most surely and extensively 
 the glorious gospel of the grace of God, in its illu- 
 minating, converting, reforming, purifying energy, 
 throughout the world. 
 
 It is our- privilege, beloved brethren, “to have 
 part in this ministry ; ” to share in this divinely 
 appointed instrumentality. Be it our care to form 
 and cherish a right estimate of its nature, purpose, 
 and responsibility; ever “ having in remembrance 
 
 ■^•Appendix. Note A. 
 
CHARGE. 
 
 23 
 
 into how high a dignity, and to how weighty an office 
 and charge we are called.” Mindful that we have 
 this “treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency 
 of the power may be of God and not of us while 
 we sedulously repress all personal pride and vain 
 glory, and cultivate and cherish humbleness of 
 mind ; it becomes us, nevertheless, so to “ magnify 
 our office ” to ourselves, as to create an influential 
 and abiding motive to discharge it with all diligence 
 and fidelity ; to “make full proof of our ministry;” 
 and “ by manifestation of the truth ” in its integrity 
 and with earnestness in its advmcacy and enforce- 
 ment, “commend ourselves to every man’s con- 
 science in the sight of God.” Avoiding all extra- 
 neous topics, especially such as have a bearing on 
 the political discussions of the day, and the various 
 “isms” which agitate the public mind, let our 
 theme be, in itself and its correlatives, only “Jesus 
 Christ and Him crucified,” “the way, the truth, 
 and the life.” Thus let us dispense the sacred 
 treasure of which we are the commissioned “ stew- 
 ards ;” thus “hold forth the word of life.” Let the 
 admonition of the inspired apostle to Timothy, his 
 “own son in the gospel,” be deeply, constantly, and 
 profitably impressed on our minds, as at once an 
 incentive and guide to our duty ; “ neglect not the 
 gift that is in thee ; stir up the gift of God which 
 is in thee by putting on of my hands ; by the laying 
 on of the hands of Iffie presbytery.* Meditate upon 
 
 ^Appendix. Note B. 
 
24 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 these things ; give thyself wholly to them, that thy 
 profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thy- 
 self and unto the doctrine ; continue in them ; for 
 in doing this, thou shalt save thyself and them that 
 hear thee. Study to show thyself approved unto 
 God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
 rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun pro- 
 fane and vain babblings ; for they will increase to 
 more ungodliness. I charge thee, therefore, before 
 God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the 
 quick and the dead at his appearing and his King- 
 dom ; joreach the word ; be instant in season, out 
 of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long- 
 suffering and doctrine.” 
 
 Kor is this all our duty. Far from it. What 
 our blessed Lord said of and to His immediate 
 ministering servants while he was yet with them,” 
 He says of and to us, their official successors. “Ye 
 are the light of the world. Let your light so shine 
 before men, that they may see your good works, and 
 glorify your Father who is in heaven.” These 
 significant words express and enforce the necessity 
 and obligtion of a consistent life and conversation 
 in the ministers of Christ; and at the same time 
 contain a warning against indolence and negligence 
 in the discharge of our official functions. Of what 
 use is light if it be hidden, or in any degree ob- 
 scured ? We must let our light shine; and so shine 
 as to attract men to Christ, and lead them to glorify 
 
CHARaE. 
 
 25 
 
 God in the obedience of faith. We who are com- 
 missioned of Christ to teach His holy will to others, 
 must take earnest heed that we do that will our- 
 selves in all things ; that our light be a clear, bril- 
 liant, and attractive radiance, and not an ignis 
 fatuus, leading astray and misguiding those, whom 
 it is our province and our solemn engagement, to 
 guide in the paths of righteousness, and for whose 
 “ souls we watch as those who must give account.” 
 While we preach to others, we need to preach to 
 ourselves ; — oh how much we need to do so ! — 
 reminding ourselves, that to be formally the light 
 of the world is easy, but to be truly so, is not easy, 
 is difficult, is the fruit of faith and prayer and earn- 
 est searching of heart ; that a life of practical god- 
 liness is not only the test of our sincerity, but an 
 indispensable instrument to any hope of success and 
 usefulness ; that by this, which springs from pious 
 principle, sanctified affections, and holy desires and 
 purposes, we cause our light to shine so as to attract to 
 the Saviour, and not repel ; so as to tell influentially 
 to the conviction, conversion and edification of those 
 to whom we minister, and to the advancement of 
 the holy cause, of which we are the divinely com- 
 missioned promoters, defenders and conservators. 
 
 Be it our care, then, beloved brethren, to give to 
 the truths we teach, and the grace and salvation we 
 proffer in the name and in behalf of Christ our Lord, 
 
 the full benefit of a consistent Christian example, 
 
 4 
 
26 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 and by our life and doctrine, set forth His true and 
 lively word, and rightly and duly administer His 
 holy sacraments.” Let us commend the gospel we 
 appeal to men to embrace and obey, by showing 
 that we ourselves are obeying it in the integrity of 
 its demands ; that it is making us more and more 
 humble, devout, gentle, kind, compassionate, dili- 
 gent and zealous ; more and more Grod fearing, and 
 less and less man fearing ; more and more men of 
 prayer, as well as men of action. If these and kin- 
 dred fruits of faith and of the Holy Spirit, are 
 manifested in our personal example, who can meas- 
 ure their salutary influence ? Who can set a limit 
 to their effect in winning immortal souls to Christ, 
 and in attracting guilty, perishing sinners, to the 
 life-giving, healing and purifying fountain opened 
 in Him for “ sin and for uncleanness ? ” But, how 
 awful will be our condemnation, if any are led 
 astray, or drawn into sinful compliances, or hindered 
 in their approach to Him who is alone able to save, 
 or confirmed in sin, impenitence, and unbelief, by 
 any inconsistencies on our part, any vicious habits, 
 any worldliness and palpable ungodliness, any ap- 
 athy, indifference and negligence ? It is the inner 
 life, in its reflex influence on the outer life, that tells 
 on our ministry. . Let, then, the inner life in our- 
 selves, be a permanent object of attention and culti- 
 vation ; the subject of earnest, fervent, importunate, 
 constant prayer, with corresponding watchfulness. 
 
CHAKGE. 
 
 27 
 
 Let us ever bear in monitory remembrance what 
 we are, and whose we are ; and in the discharge of 
 the work devolved on us, see to it, that our life and 
 doctrine correspond ; “ giving no offence in anything 
 that the ministry be not blamed but in all things 
 endeavoring to approve ourselves to God as His 
 true and faithful agents in proclaiming His grace 
 and truth, and in advancing, building up, and ex- 
 tending His spiritual Kingdom. Then, when our 
 work is done, and we are summoned to give an ac- 
 count of our stewardship, we may indulge the con- 
 soling hope of approval and reward from the Chief 
 Shepherd of the Sheep, and of hearing the precious 
 words of welcome to His presence and His glory, 
 “Well done, good and faithful servants, enter ye 
 into the joy of your Lord.” Amen. 
 
J^T»PEND.TX 
 
 NOTE A— Pace 22. 
 
 All other Agencies, The circulation of the Bible without note or com- 
 ment is one of these agencies, and prominent in position and influence. 
 Originating in a desire to promote union among Christians of every name 
 in its mode of operation; a union which as yet has never been accom- 
 plished; and never can be, except in the unity of the one visible Body of 
 Christ, the Church of His divine institution, recognizing one ministry of 
 His appointment; “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and 
 Father of all ;” and setting out with great pretensions to be liberal. Catho- 
 lic and unsectarian, it caught the fancy and imagination extensively, 
 from the start, and on this professed basis, has commended itself to a large 
 share of popular favor. The claims made in its behalf as an instrumen- 
 tality for evangelizing the world are and have ever been extravagant, and 
 unwarranted by actual results. That it has done some good is admitted ; 
 but then it must have been alone among those who could read, which a 
 vast majority of those who receive the Bible as a gift or obtain it by pur- 
 chase, can not. And those who can read it, are for the most part in the 
 condition of the Ethiopian Eunuch, who when asked, “ Understandest thou 
 what thou readest?” replied, “How can I except some man should guide 
 me ?” This guidance, therefore, is a necessity ; and it is met by the 
 agents employed in its circulation, and who for the most part are of one 
 class of religionists; who give their guidance their own denominational 
 hue ; and if they are honest in their doctrinal views, are not perhaps to 
 be faulted for thus guiding those whom they address into what they be- 
 lieve to be the truth. But to carry out the professed purpose of this 
 agency, they ought to be silent distributors. In this way, therefore, 
 through these commenting agents, the plausible pretensions of the Bible 
 Society, are manifestly violated, and through the comments given, — and 
 that they are given is notorious — its boasted purpose of circulating the 
 unadulterated word of God, without note or comment, is seriously perverted, 
 and made practically a lie. 
 
 The distribution of Religious Tracts, “ the Tract Cause ” as it is called, 
 is another popular agency, in behalf oL which very extravagant claims are 
 put forth, and that to the depreciation of the ministry as the instrumentality 
 for converting the world. It is to be done by the circulation of Tracts 
 say its advocates. They can penetrate where the ministers of the gospel 
 can not go. Yet like the former, it is manifest, they can be useful only to 
 such as can read. And they who can not read ; unless a few printed 
 
30 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 leaves bearing the impress of the American Tract Society possess some 
 magical pawer^?er se, need a teacher; which teacher they get in the dis- 
 tributing agent. Professing to inculcate only such doctrines as all evan- 
 gelical Christians agree upon, excluding all sectarian peculiarities, they 
 teach, to say the least, an eclectic gospel, and present the truth not as it 
 is in Jesus in its entireness, but in vague generalities. Such is the case 
 in profession. While practically, this agency like the former, in perver- 
 sion of its professed purpose, does, nevertheless, in its mode of operation, 
 through the colporteurs and other agents employed, teach doctrinal and 
 denominational peculiarities; these agents being all, or chiefly of one or 
 two sects, only slightly differing in their notions and usages, and invari- 
 ably inculcating their own religious views and opinions, and discoursing 
 in the Shibboleth of their sects. It may have done good; it may be doing 
 good; it ought to have done something to repay the immense expenditure 
 annually lavished upon it. But the good it has done, and is doing, is of a 
 very questionable and uncertain character ; certainly undeserving of the 
 extravagant laudation commonly bestowed upon it. 
 
 Temperance associations, constitute another popular agency ; organized 
 and advocated on the utterly false pretence, that the Church and ministry 
 were not only inadequate, but powerless, in arresting the one solitary vice, 
 and promoting the one solitary virtue, which they contemplate. The 
 Church and ministry, therefore, are depreciated as insufficient, and by 
 many repudiated and denounced ; and all virtue and all piety made to 
 consist, not in temperance, which implies the moderate use, but in total 
 abstinence from all intoxicating liquors, extending to wine in the participa- 
 tion of the Lord’s Supper. A pledge of total abstinence is regarded as more 
 efficient in restraining men from intemperance, than the vows and prom- 
 ises of baptism ; and reformed drunkards, fresh from their debauch, better 
 lecturers on morals than God’s appointed ministers; and the pulpit a 
 proper place for the relation of their drunken experience. 
 
 Of late, moreover, another agency has sprung up and been initiated in 
 some of our large cities, and particularly in the West; a new order of ' 
 spiritual Knight Errants, composed chiefly of young men, though aided and 
 abetted by older but not wiser men. With no qualifications save fluency 
 of speech, inordinate self-conceit and indomitable spiritual pride, they not 
 only ignore the ministry, but boldly decry it as inefficient ; and thrusting 
 themselves forward in their unauthofized ministrations, harangue in the 
 public places of the city, traverse the country, preaching, exhorting and 
 exercising their gifts, leading at “business men’s prayer meetings,” so 
 called, and other similar gatherings. Merchants leaving their counting 
 houses, and sometimes grave and learned Judges forsaking their seats on 
 the bench, are found actively engaged as leaders in this crusade, aiding 
 and abetting this novel agency purely of man’s invention, conducting this 
 “Flying Artillery,” as it is sometimes called, in its perambulations; hold- 
 ing meetings for preaching and praying independent of and in opposition . 
 to the ministry, and denouncing all who hesitate to admit their preten- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 31 
 
 sions and refuse to unite with them, as unconverted and ungodly, and in 
 certain peril of damnation. Suppose a minister should enter the counting 
 house of a merchant, with other ministers, and say — “We know more 
 about your business than you do, and can conduct it with more efficiency; 
 go home, and leave your mercantile transactions to us.” Or, suppose the 
 same to approach a Judge on the bench and say — “We understand the 
 law and its administration far better than you do. Retire and make way 
 for us; or remain and see how much better we can administer the law and 
 dispense justice, than you.” What in either case would be the answer? 
 Yet the assumption and presumption are the same, and the parallel strictly 
 just; except that ministers might with far greater propriety and more 
 abundant reason, rebuke the interference, and bid the offender mind his 
 own business. 
 
 Nothing in the preceding remarks, however, is intended to disparage 
 true lay co-operation, particularly in the parochial work. In its genuine- 
 ness its advantages are manifest, in strengthening the hands of the pas- 
 tor and aiding him in his arduous work. If there was any doubt in this 
 respect, it must be removed by the practical example of lay co-operation, 
 and its telling results, in a recent instance near Philadelphia, in the 
 parish of St. iMarks Church, Frankfort. It is to be hoped that example 
 will be extensively followed, modified perhaps to suit different circum- 
 stances, but in the main carried out. The clergy in this diocese will find 
 such an organization a valuable auxiliary in their parochial labors, and it 
 is earnestly commended to their attention. 
 
 NOTE B— Page 23. 
 
 With the laying on of the hands, ^'c . — The gift and authority of the min- 
 istry was communicated to Timothy and was in him by the laying on of 
 the hands of St. Paul, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 
 This is the usage of our branch of the Church as also of other reformed 
 branches o/the Church, in the ordination of Priests, derived it may be 
 supposed from this example. The Bishop in the ordination of Deacons 
 lays on hands alone. In the ordination of Priests he is assisted by one 
 or more Presbyters. He by the laying on of his hands conveys the min- 
 isterial gift and commission; they lay on hands together with him, not as 
 conveying any ,{iuthority, but to signify their assent and consent to the 
 ordination.