% THE LIBRARY 8F THE uaiiftfliiiF i-'F ikmm * ; - ■ 9 Sailor THE, PAStVM3 ¥£0T3 j'/J Dj n J Y THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. RECTOR OF ST. ANDREWS’ CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. FIFTH EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED BY THE AUTHOR. NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, AND PITTSBURG, 56 MARKET STREET. 1845. I Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1835, by W. Marshall and Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Penn- sylvania. ^ "“ S 1 1 ^.23 Rju PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. . \ T i® no less true ln elation to religious books than to ministe- rial effort, that “ Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God alone giveth the increase.” And the apostle’s inference is no less appli- cable to authors than it is to preachers, “ so then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God tint giveth the increase.” It should be the sole object of a religious author as well as of the Christian minister, to promote the glory of God and the spiritual interests of mankind. But it is a fact, of which there are a thou- sand proofs around us in the world, that an author may have the best intentions, he may possess highly cultivated intellectual powers, and produce a work of great intrinsic excellence and merit— and yet, owing to a variety of causes, his book may never have an extensive circulation, nor be productive of much good in the world. On the other hand, a work of inferior merit, owing to some apparently accidental cause, may gain a wide circulation, and be instrumental in effecting great good to the whole human race. It is profitable to trace the movements of divine providence as developed in the history of a single volume issued from the press, and sent forth on an errand of mercy. The same unseen hand which moves all the complicated machinery of the universe, shapes the destiny of every volume sent forth from the press. And so humble an instrument as a single volume, written “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling,” may, through divine direc- tion, be made tributary to the accomplishment of some of the great and eternal purposes of God. Take the following instance. A work may have owed its existence or publication to an apparently trivial or accidental circumstance. That work is sent forth into the world. A single copy of it finds its way to a remote village. It there falls into the hands of a minister of the gospel. He reads it. A new direction is immediately given to the whole train of his thoughts. His views become changed. He alters his style of 3 067161 4 PREFACE. preaching. The word which goes out of his mouth, that was before dead and inefficacious, now becomes “ quick and powerful.” His congregation, who were before asleep, are now awakened to the importance of eternal things. Many become anxious about their salvation. They are pointed to “ the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world they embrace the Saviour, and enter into life. I have not been drawing upon my imagination, but have given a simple statement of facts connected with the history of a religious volume. In the case above stated, it would seem at first sight as though the everlasting salvation of a number of immortal souls were made to turn upon one or two events, that were merely accidental. But for a certain trivial occurrence, the book would never have been published — but for another occurrence, equally fortuitous, the book would never have found its way to the hands of that minister — and but for that book, that minister would not have been enlightened, nor those souls awakened and converted to God. Now let it here be borne in mind, that with God there can be nothing fortuitous or accidental — that he sees all things from the beginning to the end — and that these apparently fortuitous events constituted a part of the instrumentality by which he determined to accomplish his purposes of grace. And in like manner can God, in ten thousand ways unknown to us, make the productions of the press instrumental in gathering for him a vast revenue of glory. And the fact, that God does often put honour upon very humble efforts to advance his cause, through the medium of the press, is a very great encouragement to prompt those who feel inclined to try to do something in this way “ to cast their bread upon the waters.” The present work has been before the public about eighteen months, and has now reached the fourth edition. The author desires to feel truly grateful to God for the good this volume may have effected. He has received from different parts of the country, through private letters, many pleasing testimonies of the spiritual benefit it has been the instrument of conveying. It is his earnest prayer to almighty God, that it may again go forth on the same blessed errand, conveying spiritual light to the darkened, and leading many to love and serve the great Redeemer. J. A. C. Vestry Room of St. Andrew’s Church , Philadelphia, Dec. 1, 1835. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Pago Introduction : — The adaptedness of Christianity to the moral condition of the world, a proof of its divine origin — The tenden- cies of the gospel prove the same thing — The views which the Bible and infidelity take of the present life contrasted — The moral nature of man— The religion of Christ gives expansion to intellect, purifies and elevates the social affections 9 CHAPTER II Motives of the work: — Infidelity — Causes that contribute to it — Origin of the present volume — Utility of modern books — Let- ter to a friend, the writer of which, converted several years after confirmation, attributes the change to the third lecture in this series — Exercises previous and subsequent to conversion 16 CHAPTER III. Objections to this testimony : — The sentiments here advocated sus- tained by Bishop Burnet — Archbishop Seeker — Bishop Wilson — Bishops Hobart — Ravenscroft — Griswold — Meade — Smith — Mcllvaine — An argument from a clerical friend 24 CHAPTER IV. Sectarianism : — Common ground of Christianity — Liberal views of the Church — Essential doctrines — Principles of Catholicism 39 LECTURE I. Confirmation: — View of death — Confirmation — Reason of the name — Its origin apostolic — Testimony of the primitive Church 6 a . 6 CONTENTS. — Design of confirmation — Propriety — Advantages — Bishop Meade’s sermon — Happy effect of this rite upon ministers — Upon parents and sponsors — Narrative of a western village — History of Laura F Death-bed scene LECTURE II. Confirmation: — Lax principles of admission into churches, cause of the decline of religion — Illustrated by letters to the author — By a view of the state of the Congregational churches fifty years since — The advantage of confirmation — This rite effica- cious through the Holy Spirit — Holy Spirit accompanies it when worthily received — Confirmation a profession of religion — The white robe — Elpidiphorus and Muritta — Duty of con- fessing Christ — Narrative — The Kailer family — Death-bed scene — The Conley family — Inference from the preceding narrative. . LECTURE III. Love, the fulfilling of the law : — The covenant vow — Made to God — Motives for entering into covenant — Narrative — The Christian in death — The Christian beggar — Awakened self- deceiver — The love of God LECTURE IV. Preliminary considerations : — Ruth, the Moabitess — Reasonable- ness of the service of God — The interests of eternity — False excuses — History of young C History of Mr. D — His death — The covenant everlasting — History of young B The apostate’s death -bed LECTURE V. The vow of renunciation — Blindness of the natural mind — Vow of renunciation — Renunciation of Satan — Vanities of the world — Narrative — God’s word does not return void — His- tory of Mrs. M The closing scene LECTURE VI. Vow of renunciation — Change of heart — Sinful desires of the flesh — Reasonableness of this vow — The two sisters — Design of Christianity Page 43 69 89 99 114 130 CONTENTS. 7 LECTURE VII. Pago Faith : — Profession of faith — The apostle’s creed — Prophecy — Miracles — A corrupt heart the cause of infidelity — Narrative — Religious impressions of Jane S Her death — History of Mrs. S The inference 139 LECTURE VIII. The truth of Christianity: — The Syrian leper — Effects of the gospel — Conversion of Saul of Tarsus — The power of the cross — The converted sailor — Narrative — MaryV John the Hottentot — Onim — Inference , 154 LECTURE IX. Faith: — Simon the magician — Faith preceded by awakened sen- sibility — Justification by Christ alone — Faith leads to humility — Gratitude — Obedience — Comfort — N arrative — Mr. F Change in Mrs. F- Importance of decision 174 LECTURE X. Christian obedience : — Counting the cost — Obedience — Know- ledge of God’s will — Obedience universal — Partial — Perpetual — The danger of a backslidden state — Need of Divine grace — Reliance upon Christ — History of J Conclusion — Ap- peal to the undecided 185 LECTURE XI. Christian advancement : — The first attributes of Christian cha- racter — Advancement in all religious duties — Public and family worship — The Lord’s supper — Progressive sanctification — Influence of a holy life — Christ the believer’s light — Con- clusion 203 LECTURE XII. The Christian life : — Biographical sketch of Miss Anzonetta Peters — Visits to the poor — Love of children — Faithfulness in the Sunday-school — Anzonetta — Her sickness — Christian patience — Address to the Bible-class — Death of Anzonetta — Conclusion 217 PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Christianity being once proved to be a system emanat- ing from the all-wise God, objections to it of every kind must cease. For this point being conceded, men might just as well rail at the arrangements of the natural world, the laws of motion, or the attraction of gravity, as at the requirements of the Bible. The adaptedness of the Christian religion to the actually existing state of things in our world is no slight argument in favour of its divine origin. It is a religion designed, not for angels, but for men, and for men under peculiar circum- stances. This earth at its first creation bore such striking corres- pondence with the other parts of the divine empire, and was adorned by the hand of its Creator with such resplen- dent beauties, that when the attention of the heavenly host was first directed towards it, “ the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted aloud for joy.” That which drew forth such a burst of long and loud ac- claim among all the hierarchs of heaven, was not the ma- terial garniture with which our earth was clad, but the mo- ral intelligences with which it was peopled, who bore such a striking family resemblance to their great common parent, and were, with them, subjects under the same moral govern- ment. But the bright sunny scene over which they rejoiced was soon changed. The law of God was broken. From that moment, celestial beauty, and peace, and happiness fled from the earth. The heavens immediately grew dark with impending wrath. Every moral and physical evil crowd 9 10 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Excellence of the gospel. ed around the path of man, and became incorporated with his very being. Thus fallen from his high eminence, he would have been swept from the earth with the besom of de- struction, had not divine mercy interposed, and divine com- passion caused the bright bow of promise to arch down the angry sky. That bow pointed to a plan of redemption, an expedient emanating from the Supreme Intelligence, to rescue from death eternal erring man, and bring him back to the paths of holiness ; and, at the same time, uphold the di- vine government, and vindicate the honour of God’s violat- ed law. That plan of redemption the gospel undertakes to unfold. And we argue that it is the product of the di- vine Mind from its striking adaptedness to the moral condi- tion of the beings for whom it was intended. As we before remarked, the gospel was not designed for angels, nor for a community of unfallen intelligences, but for sinners. Contemplated under this aspect, it will be seen to be indeed “ the wisdom of God,” and “ the power ot God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” It will be found to be exactly adapted to the state and case of every sinner on the globe, whether he be the de- graded hottentot of South Africa, or the most refined and intellectual scholar of civilized Europe. In whatever tends to elevate the human character in the scale of moral excellence, the gospel will be found to be in advance of the discoveries of the most enlightened men of the most enlightened age. Should the world go on pro- gressing in intellectual improvement for thousands of years, the latest generation will find, that in whatever relates to moral excellence, the gospel is still in advance of them. And what, I would ask, but the wisdom of God could have thus anticipated the highest discoveries of human in- tellect 1 Can we suppose that the uneducated son of a carpenter and a few illiterate fishermen of Galilee, independently of divine illumination, could have originated a system like that of the gospel ? The solution of this question is one of “ the difficulties of infidelity .” Again : the manifest tendencies of the gospel bespeak its high and heavenly origin. Those tendencies can be seen either by studying its doctrines, or observing its influence upon human conduct. CH. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 11 The benign tendency of the gospel. While the gospel sheds a benign and heavenly radiance over all the walks of human duty, and invests all the rela- tions of domestic life with a sweetness and sacredness be- fore unknown ; it distinctly holds up to view the fact that this life is only to be regarded as preparatory to another and higher state of being. The Bible teaches us to view this world as a sort of campus martius , or gymnasium, where we are to be trained and fitted for other scenes of action, and the society of a different order of beings. It distinctly advertises us that there is nothing here, either in the objects or pursuits of earth, worthy of our supreme regard ; that our high destination imposes upon us an obligation to live for other objects and other scenes, better suited to the aspirings of an immortal mind ; that the glorious Creator made us for himself ; and that, if we follow after holiness, we shall ultimately reach such a point of elevation as to stand amid the beatitudes of the celestial world, clothed in the brightness of immortality. Do not such views tend to expand and elevate the mind ? Compare with them the views of those who reject divine revelation. Instead of regarding the present life as a state preparatory to future and unending being, they look upon it as the term and boundary of man’s existence. They teach us, that beyond the present life all is dark uncertain- ty, and that it is the part of wisdom to make the most of the passing scene. In other words, in their view, the whole object of our being is attained during the short period of our earthly existence. The only purpose for which we were created was to plow, and weave, and traffic, and get money, and then to die : . . . .“ To die, and go we know not where, — To lie in cold obstruction, and to rot.” Can any one be at a loss which set of views tends most to elevate the human character ! The benign tendency of the gospel appears from the view it takes of the moral nature of man. Almost all other systems regard human creatures as being possessed only of an animal and intellectual nature. 12 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. LCH. I. Christianity contrasted with atheism. The Bible regards man as a creature of dignity and ex- cellence, chiefly on account of his moral nature, on ac- count of his being made susceptible of knowing, loving, and serving God. If the human family were distinguished from the brute creation only by their higher intellectual powers, they would stand but a very small remove from them. For many species of animal tribes exhibit a degree of intelli- gence little short of that possessed by human beings. And so, on the other hand, if human creatures had no- thing in the substratum of their being to assimilate them with the angelic nature , save the few feeble glimmerings of intellect which they possess, they would stand sepa- rated by an impassable gulf from the humblest of the be- ings that tread the celestial courts. But when there is brought to view the moral nature with which man is endowed, his relative position in the scale of being is instantly changed. Contemplated under this aspect, we see him occupying a point at an infinite remove from the most sagacious of the animal tribes. Not any one of them are capable of knowing, loving, or serving their Maker. Of all the beings that move on this earth, man alone pos- sesses this peculiarity. And this it is which places him almost on a level, as to the nobleness of his nature, with angelic beings. “ Thou hast made man a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” Infidelity would strip man of this glory and honour, and reduce him to a level with the ox that grazes the field. Finally, we may remark that Christianity tends to aug- ment human happiness, by the expansion it gives to intel- lect, and the strength, kindliness, and elevation it imparts to the social affections. Did it consist with the plan of these introductory remarks to enter into a full illustration of these points, it would be an easy matter to show that they are entirely sustained by abundant existing facts ; md equally easy would it be to show, by the same mode of illustration, that atheism, and every system of infidel philosophy, tends to dwarf intellect, to contract the heart, and extinguish the social feelings. But the plan which we have proposed to ourselves will admit only of a single pass- ing illustration. C1I. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 13 The unrenewed mind. All those systems which conflict with divine revelation, adopt false and erroneous views of the human character. The only book which lays open with perfect accuracy the great principles of human nature, is the Bible. Unless its views in reference to human corruption be received as un- doubted verities, he who attempts to investigate intellectual Dr moral philosophy, history, or political science, will grope his way through a region filled with mist and darkness. He is precisely in the predicament of one who undertakes to examine the great principles of natural philosophy tram- melled with a false theory. On the other hand, the higher we ascend that ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, the broader will be the field of our vision. The more fully one places himself under the subduing and illuminating in- fluence of the gospel, the better will he be fitted for every high intellectual effort. Such an one will have a just view of himself, of the divine character, and of the relation he bears to the Supreme Being. “ Man, while he continues unregenerate, does not know himself. The inbred infatuation which prevents his seeing his relation to God, and his destination to another life, spreads itself as a spirit of blindness through his soul, and brings with it endless confusions and mistakes. No- thing of the inner world is simply and correctly understood ; the heart is a maze of preposterous suppositions, the var- nished motives and the conceits of self-love. The world reflects itself on the mirror of the mind in distorted pro- portions, or appears in phantasm ; and the imagina- tion, erroneously moved by these images of things unreal or exaggerated, breeds an abundance of vanities. More- over, the conscience, turbid with hidden evils, and not ap- peased by the flattery itself prepares, refuses to have the abyss of the soul exposed and explored, and the mind be- takes itself to any diversion that may interrupt the dreaded inquiry.”* But when divine truth finds a lodgement in the heart, light becomes diffused through all its chambers, and the hidden world is explored. The man who is the subject of this divine illumination thus gains admittance into one * Saturday Evening. B 14 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. I„ Christian unity and affection. field of knowledge which before was shut up and dark. Consequently, his views on all other subjects will be more just, accurate, and enlarged. The tendency of the gospel to invigorate the social affections might be shown in ten thousand ways. The gospel has brought life and immortality to light. The idea of a future state seems almost essential to the exist- ence of permanent attachment. There is nothing short of this which can raise the benign emotions, called forth by a view of our fellow creatures, above mere animal instincts. And one has well remarked, “ It is only in religion that one can find the true philosophy of love ; for love, apart from the belief of an after state, has neither substance nor purity.” The idea of a companionship which is to con- tinue and be perpetuated in the scenes of a future world, adds strength and permanency to affection. “ The men whose thoughts are bounded by the present life, hurry along upon the broad way of pleasure and business, ex- changing, as they go, the trivial courtesies of the moment, but naturally indifferent, as those must needs be who soon are to part by plunging severally and alone into the shoreless obli vion of death. Not so with the followers of Christ. They stand in close order, as a phalanx that has yet a foe to meet, a victory to achieve, and a triumph to enjoy. A common hope binds their hearts together. Death divides them ; but it is only as the successive ranks of a host are divided, when summoned, in turn, to advance and pass singly a perilous defile. Beyond that strait of momentary gloom and danger all are again to be marshalled, and every one to join his commander. Christian affection, therefore, has the permanency it derives from an indissoluble bond, the vigour given it by a participation in sufferings and re- proaches, and the depth it receives from the prospect of an unbounded future.”* If the gospel^ at the first glance we turn towards it, has so many things to commend it to our esteem ; if so many forms of beauty and loveliness meet us at its very entrance and porch ; what constraining motives must press upon every intelligent and ingenuous mind to enter its inner Saturday Evening. ;h. i.1 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Vo Invitation to the reader. courts to behold the resplendent glories it unveils, and the undying radiance it pours forth on all the surrounding spectators. Let us, therefore, dear reader, go in “ to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” The design of this volume is to point out and interpret some of the scenery of that inner temple, where God sits revealed and encircled amid the glories of redeeming love. 16 THE TASTOR’s TESTIMONY. [CH TT Characteristics of the present age. CHAPTER II. MOTIVES OF THE WORK. “ Declaring unto you the testimony of God .” — From the 2 d Epistle to the Corinthians. The present is a peculiar age, distinguished alike by the triumphs of the cross, and the open and organized opposi- tion that is everywhere arraying itself against the truth. Infidelity has become so rife and rampant in every part of our country, that its apostles no longer lurk in the dark, or whisper its crude and blasphemous dogmas in the ears of the ignorant, but stand forth in the broad light of day, and proclaim upon the house-top that the Bible is a forgery, man’s accountability a tale of the nursery, and God a nonentity. And as long as depravity abounds in our earth, and men possess “ the carnal mind which is enmity against God,” such preachers will have hear- ers, and such systems, adherents and advocates. They will not be vanquished by all the intellectual strength of the Christian world. The infidelity of the present age is not so much an error of the head as an obliquity of the heart. It will not therefore be convinced or put down by arguments, though they be never so conclusive. It will not look to see what religion is in the Bible, but what it is in the conduct and character of its professors. And here it will not take the best , but the worst specimens that are to be found. Hence there never has J?een a time when it was more important for the ministers of Christ, faithfully to re- mind all who have “ subscribed with their hand unto the Lord,” and entered the Christian covenant, that they are “ an holy priesthood and to say to them, with a voice loud as the trumpet of' God, “ be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” Men, will in this age, form their notions of Christianity from the conduct of its professed CH. II. ] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 17 Causes of infidelity. disciples; and for this very reason, never did the followers of the Redeemer stand in a more responsible attitude. It is very observable, that at the present moment the great effort of infidelity is, to turn the attention of men from the oracles of truth, and to lead them to judge of what the gospel is, from the lowest exhibitions of it which they can find among its professed subjects. How unspeakably important then is it, that all who bear the name of Christ should walk worthy of their high calling. But to ensure this, the door of entrance into the Christian church must be strictly guarded. Decided and unequivocal evidences of real conversion to God must in all cases be demanded. There must be no temporizing to swell the list of communicants ; no letting down of the high standard of scriptural requirement, under the delusive idea that if persons are brought into the church, and embrace the ordi- nances, they will soon attain light and the converting grace of God. It is in this way that the ranks of the Redeemer have often been filled with men who were, in fact, cherishing enmity and opposition in their hearts to God, and furnish- ing, in their worldliness and wickedness, ample occasion for the railings and scoffs of the infidel. Christ will con- tinue to be “wounded in the house of his friends,” and infidelity to utter the song of triumph, until the ministers of Jesus plant themselves at the door of his fold, with the fixed determination to shut that door upon all who cannot exhibit decided evidence that they are “ his sheep” The present volume is the result of an humble effort of this sort. It was a sincere desire to act in accordance with the principle above stated, that gave existence to the fol- lowing series of lectures. At a recent season of confirmation, when many thought of presenting themselves as candidates for this sacred ordi- nance, the writer of the following lectures, anxious to guard strictly that door of entrance into the Redeemer’s fold at which he was stationed, and desirous that all the members of the church over whom he was placed should be living members of the spiritual body of Christ, proposed to ad- dress the candidates in a series of lectures, which should exhibit the indispensable qualifications for admission to this b 2 18 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [ CH. II. The design of the author. holy rite. He wished to bear his solemn testimony against the delusive idea, that persons are in a fit state to enter into covenant with Jehovah, before they have exercised true, genuine, evangelical “ repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” This was the original object for which these lectures were composed ; and the hope is cherished, that the end aimed at was in some degree attained. During their de- livery, several of the author’s friends, in whose judgment he reposed confidence, expressed a wish that this series of lectures might be given to the world. And when the course was finished, the following request was presented, in an of- ficial manner, from the wardens and vestry of the church : “ Having, in connexion with the other members of the congregation, listened with high satisfaction to the series of lectures on confirmation, and believing not only that they embrace just and scriptural views of the requisite qualifications for church membership, but that the happy and diversified illustrations contained in them, drawn from the experience of individual Christians, and the incidents of real life, will, if sent forth into the world, be productive of great good in promoting personal piety and detecting self-delusion, our board have unanimously resolved to re- quest you to permit these lectures to be published for the benefit of your own parish and the church at large.” The writer, though he has yielded to this request, is fully conscious that these lectures possess no excellence, either in point of style or in originality of thought, to render them worthy of this public appearance. Many of them were written with great haste, amid the constant pressure of multiplied professional engagements. He can say, therefore, with truth, that it is not with the expectation of earning a literary reputation, but under the humble hope of doing some slight service to Christ, and of improving some immortal soul, that he presumes to publish this volume. It has often fallen to the lot of the writer to stand before an audience, to proclaim unto them the unsearchable riches of Christ, when he felt oppressed with such conviction of his insufficiency for the proper discharge of the duty, that nothing but the “ necessity” he felt “ laid upon him to preach the gospel,” could have induced him to have CH. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 19 Modern bopks. opened his mouth. At such times he has always found elief in the thought, that it is “ not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.” And it is this same thought which emboldens him to spread these pages before the public. Although the human mind, in its great essential features, is the same in every age and under every din>c, yet men’s trains of thought and modes of thinking are very much influenced by the objects and circumstances that lie imme diately around them. As therefoie these objects and cir cumstances are continually changing, if truth is made tr produce the greatest possible effect upon the human mine, the mode of its presentation must be varied with thesu continually varying circumstances. Every age and coun- try must have books adapted to the existing peculiarities in men’s modes of thinking. And this will account foi the fact, that modern books are read with vastly more pleasure, and decidedly greater effect, than those possess ing far richer mines of thought, which belong to a by gone age. This idea is happily expressed by the Bishop of Ken- tucky, in a communication to the author, in alluding to the publication of this volume. “ The difference between the sermons of a living ministry and the superior printed productions of men of other days, is acknowledged by all. I am strongly in- clined to make a like distinction between productions of the living press and even the superior fruits of its early efforts. We must have the freshness and adaptation of re- cent authors.” Among the considerations that have led the writer to hope that these pages might in some degree advance the interests of religion, are the accounts which he has re- ceived from several sources of the good effect that attended them at the time of their delivery. To illustrate this re- mark, he will here introduce an extract from a letter, sent a few months since, by a friend to whom that letter was addressed.* * The substance of four or five of these lectures was delivered in 1829, in the lecture-room of Christ Church, New York. It was at that time that the writer of this letter heard the narrative to which allusion is here made. The lecture referred to is the third in this course. 20 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. II. Letter to a friend. This extract will present a brief sketch of a religious experience, which it may be well to contemplate in con- nexion with the views advocated in this volume. “After confirmation,” says the writer of this letter to her friend — and here I would add, that she received con- firmation, as is evident from another part of her communi- cation, in a state of mind in which no person should re- ceive it, impenitent, unpardoned, and unreconciled to God — “after confirmation I remained until I had attained the age of twenty. I then, while still in a dark and impeni- tent state, went to the holy communion. For the next four years I struggled on, trying to serve the Lord in my own righteousness, when it pleased Him, through affliction and by the preaching of a minister of the cross whom he had sent to our city, to open my eyes to the realities of reli- gion. It was the fear of being lost, and an earnest desire of doing something to secure the favour of God, that in- duced me to go to the table of the Lord, and partake of the symbols of the Saviour’s dying love. I had no just, no ade- quate view of the nature of sin, or of the depravity of the hu- man heart. God was viewed in no other light than as the judge of the earth. I could not lay my hand upon my heart, and say, ‘it is my delight to do thy will, O my God.’ “ In this way I lived four years, when the Almighty was pleased to awaken me from my delusion. The follow- ing occurrence led me to look into my own heart more closely. A young, gay, beautiful girl — a friend of mine — was brought down to a bed of sickness and of death. She became alarmed for her soul. Though a minister had called to see her, she received no light or comfort from his visit, and was distressed by the thought of death. “ I was much with her, and often felt convinced it was my duty to talk to her. She thought me a Christian ; and I thought if I were a Christian, I ought not to see her going into eternity without any knowledge of what was before her. I resolved from time to time to begin this important duty, but still did not know how. I often wept in retire- ment to think that I had not only attended upon a preached gospel from childhood, but was also a professor of religion, and yet could not tell a poor sinner how to escape eternal death. At this time I felt more serious in the house of CH. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 21 Confirmation lecture. God than ever I had done ; listened more attentively to his holy word ; and heard preaching with a deeper interest. The Spirit of God was evidently moving over the dark chaos of my soul. The necessity of a new birth was deeply impressed upon my mind. For three months there was constantly sounding in my ears, ‘ ye must be born again.’ “ Wherever I went, whatever I did, when I lay down, or rose up, the same solemn voice still rang in my ears, * ye must be born again.’ “ While under these impressions, I was led to attend upon the preaching of one whom I had heard several times, but always wilh dissatisfaction. How strange it is that God did not give me up to the rebellion of my own wicked heart. I cannot enough admire his mercy, and forbear- ance, and goodness. For when my feet had well nigh slipped, his mercy held me up ; yes, it was his mercy that brought me from the paths of darkness and death, to the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. And it was this minister he was pleased to make the messenger of salva- tion and peace to ihy soul. “ The discourse I heard from him at this time was upon confirmation. In one of the illustrations which he in- troduced, he gave an account of a lady who had given her- self up to God in confirmation and the Lord’s supper, and had been endeavouring to secure to herself the joys of heaven by her own righteousness. This lady was awakened from her delusion by the instrumentality of a beggar, who replied to some inquiry she proposed to him, “ ‘ Lady, I fear you are not born of God.’ “ This remark, with some others, made a deep impres- sion upon her mind. For a long while the echo seemed ringing in her ears, ‘ I fear you are not born of God.’ The occurrence returned again and again to her ; she tried to banish it from her thoughts, but it rose with increased vividness before her. She began to suspect the hopes in which she had been resting. She studied her Bible with an earnest desire to find the truth, and soon she began to read it with new views and feelings, and was brought to see herself in the character of a lost sinner ; to renounce all righteousness of her own ; and seek salvation through the only hope for sinners, Jesus Christ the righteous. 22 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. XI. Exercises previous to conversion. “ I was much impressed with this lecture. I was made to see that I was indeed lacking ; that I was destitute of that faith which justifies the ungodly. I had an over- whelming view of my own sinfulness ; and for the first time saw myself in the light of divine truth ; saw that I had merited, and was exposed to God’s wrath, and that he might in perfect justice cast me away from his presence, and shut me up for ever in the prison-house of hell. Under what an altered aspect did the divine character now come up before me ! I saw that in that character there was not only holiness, justice, and truth, but mercy, forbearance, long suffering, and great goodness. When I reflected that every breath I drew, the food I ate, the clothes I wore, yea, that every comfort I possessed, proceeded from his hands; that his power had created me at first, and pre- served me from ten thousand dangers, and I had never given him unreservedly my heart, with all its powers and faculties, I was ready to give up all hope. I felt that I was the chiefest of sinners ; that there was hope for every one but me. Still from day to day I unceasingly inquired, ‘ What must I do to be saved?’ “ When I saw others going to this minister of Christ, and asking him ‘What must I do to be saved?’ I desired to go too, but dared not. I felt that I was not of his flock, and that I was unworthy of the favour of man, as well as of God. But that arm of mercy that had encircled me all my life long, was still around me. As I continued to ask ‘ what must I do to be saved ?’ the Lord brought me to himself with the inquiry. He pointed me to the crucified Jesus, the Saviour who was inviting heavy-laden sinners to come unto him, that they might find rest for their souls. “ That Saviour received me ; took from me my burden; breathed into my soul new life ; enlightened my darkened mind ; led me to see something of the wonderful love of God ; taught me to love the Bible ; and led me to experi- ence that the ways of God are ways of peace, and his ser- vice perfect freedom. “ The sacred volume was no longer a sealed book. No ! its every page beamed with divine light and knowledge. Prayer became a holy privilege. Its hour was sought with eagerness and delight. The sanctuary now appeared none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven. CH. II.] THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. 23 Duty of ministers. I think I can truly say, that I in some measure understood the words of our blessed Saviour, ‘ It is my meat to do the will of him that sent me.’ ” In reference to the letter from which the preceding ex- tract has been made, the reader ought to be apprized, that it was not written for the eye of the author, nor for the public. It has here been introduced to show that God sometimes employs a simple statement of facts, connected with Christian experience, to the conversion and renewal of the heart. If the Most High shall see fit, in his infinite goodness, to make this volume the honoured instrument of opening the eyes of one self-deceived Christian, or in rescuing one immortal soul from the pathway of perdition, the writer will feel that he has not laboured in vain. He is free to acknowledge, that among the considerations that have in- duced him to spread these pages before the public, is the deep and solemn conviction which rests upon his mind, that it is the duty of every herald of the cross to bear his firm and decided testimony against the admission of persons to the ordinances of the church, without their exhibiting de- cided evidence of true, heartfelt piety, and vital god- liness. He has therefore entitled this volume The Pas- tor's Testimony . 24 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. III. Objection and answer. CHAPTER III. OBJECTIONS TO THIS TESTIMONY. As a general principle, perhaps it is well never to an- ticipate objections to that which we feel confident is the truth. There are cases, however, where the cause of truth will be better subserved by anticipating and fully meeting objections, than by going upon the assumed principle, that what is true needs no defence. The suggestion has been made, that there will be raised against this testimony the objection — “ that the writer’s views are at variance with those generally held by the denomination to which he be- longs.” Now if what is affirmed in this objection were true, it does not appear to me that it would in the slightest degree invalidate, or in any way affect, this testimony. If the views advocated in these lectures are scriptural — if it is obviously contrary to the word of God, that men, previous to their being born again, should participate in an act by which they make a solemn profession of religion — though there was but one watchman on the walls of Zion through the whole length and breadth of the land to proclaim the truth, I ask, would his testimony be any the less needful or valuable on this account? But we rejoice that we are un- der no necessity of resorting to this argument. Although there has been at times, unquestionably, a deplorable laxity in the practice of some clergymen in admitting candidates to confirmation, still there have been, in every age of the church, some faithful witnesses, who, in relation to this matter, have “ lifted up their voices like a trumpet, and cried aloud.” And even were not this the case, the baptismal and con- firmation services might be referred to in proof that the positions advanced in this volume are in accordance with the views of the church. We would ask of such of our readers as are not fully convinced upon this point, to give THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 25 c II. J Archbishop Seeker’s remarks. Dr. Tyng’s Guide to Confirmation, and the section in Bridges’ workfupon the “ Christian Ministry,” entitled, r< Practical Suggestions on Confirmation,” an attentive pe- rusal, and we feel confident that they will then be satisfied that the ground which we have taken in this series of lec- tures is not only scriptural, but that which the church her- self assumes. It is no slight corroboration of the truth of this position, that so many distinguished prelates in our church have left their recorded testimony to the same point. Bishop Burnet remarks, “ Till one is of an age and dis- position fit to receive the holy sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and desires to be confirmed as a solemn prepara- tion and qualification to it, he is not ready for it.”* Archbishop Seeker, speaking of the impropriety of chil- dren coming to this sacred rite, though they “ can say the creed, the Lord’s prayer, and the ten commandments,” re- marks — “No persons ought to make promises for themselves till they reasonably well understand the nature of them, and are capable of forming serious purposes ; therefore, in the present case, being able to say the words of their catechism is by no means enough, without a competent, general know- ledge of their meaning, and an intention of behaving as it requires them, which, doubtless, they are supposed to have at the same time. And if they have not, making a profession of it is declaring with their mouths what they feel not in their hearts at the instant, and will much less reflect upon afterwards ; it is hoping to please God by the empty outward performance of a religious rite. There- fore, I hope that neither ministers nor parents will be too eager for bringing children very early for confirmation, but first teach them carefully to know their duty sufficiently and resolve upon the practice of it heartily , then introduce them to this ordinance. Again, in another part of the same discourse, he says, “ You that are to be confirmed must either do your own * Burnet’s Pastoral Care, page 190. f The reader will find an example of this in Rev. T. Escreet curate of Stisted, Essex, and also in Mr. Robinson, of Leicester. See Bridge’s Christian Ministry, vol. 2. pp. 222.224. f Seeker’s Works, vol. iv. sermon 140 c 26 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. III. Bishop of Calcutta’s opinion. part, or the whole of the previous preparation will be utterly thrown away upon you. If you make the answer which is directed without sincerity , it is lying to God ! if you make it without attention, it is trifling with him ! Watch over your own hearts therefore, and let them go along with your lips. The two short words, I do, are soon said ; but they comprehend much in them. Utter them then with the truest seriousness, and say to your- selves, each of you afterwards, as Moses did to the Jews, ‘ Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God , to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes , and to hearken to his voice, and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, that thou shouldst keep all his com- mandments, and be holy unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken .’ It is a certain truth ; call it therefore often to mind, and fix it on your souls, that if breaking a solemn promise to men be a sin, breaking that which you make thus deliberately to God, would be unspeakably a greater sin.” The next name that I would introduce to the reader is that of the Rev. Daniel Wilson, present Bishop of Cal- cutta. In the first place, it is evident that he views confirma- tion as a solemn profession of religion. This will be seen at a glance from the following extract. “ You will by confirmation be admitted to the privilege of confessing your Saviour, Christ, before men. You then come forward, in the face of the church, to acknowledge yourself a Christian, to profess your faith in the merits of your Saviour, and your subjection to his laws. You take your side ; you publicly choose God as your heavenly Father, Master, and Lord ; you no longer halt between two opinions, but determine to follow Christ fully. ”* It is also evident that, in his view, those who come with the requisite qualifications to this ordinance, are in a fit state to approach the table of the Lord ; in proof of which I would call the attention of the reader to the following re- marks. “ When, by the rite of confirmation, you have engaged * This and the following extracts, are from “ An Address to Young Person* about to be Confirmed,” Sermons and Tracts. Vol. 2d. CH. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 27 Qualifications requisite for confirmatio . to renounce the service of sin ; to believe in the merits and death of Christ; and to walk in newness of life, you are fully entitled to the seal and pledge of that dying love of the incarnate Saviour, which he commanded to be taken in remembrance of him. You may approach his table ; you may feast on the banquet which he hath prepared ; you may there continually renew your vows ; there obtain fresh strength ; there receive, from time to time, the pardon of sin, and thus be built up to everlasting life.” What were the qualifications which he deemed requisite in order to approach this ordinance with divine acceptance, are evident from the following inquiries. “ What do you propose to yourself in coming to be con- firmed ? Is it with a hearty sense of your lost and perish- ing estate by nature ? Is it with an entire reliance on the merit and death of the Son of God ? Is it with a holy in- tention of serving and obeying your Saviour and Redeem- er ? Or are you about to perform this duty formally and merely from custom, or the fear and favour of men? Make this inquiry, I beseech you, as in the sight of God. Form your mind to a resolution which embraces an entire separation from the proud and malicious works of the devil ; the sinful pomps of the world ; and the corrupt de- sires of the flesh ; which binds you to an humble faith in the doctrine of a crucified Saviour ; and which pledges you to an undeviating course of devoted love and obedience.” Once more, “ A contrite heart deeply penetrated with its own unworthiness ; and sensible of the infinite conde- scension of God in the gospel of his Son ; and reposing all its confidence in divine grace and forgiveness, is the only right disposition of mind for entering upon the solemn duty of ratifying your covenant with God by the rite of confirmation.” To show that the views of the American church accord with this plain and explicit testimony, I desire to call the attention of the reader to the following statements. According to the views of the late Bishop Hobart, as expressed in a sermon explaining this rite, confirmation is, on the part of those who come to it, “ a solemn devotion of themselves to God.”* And in another sermon, addressing * The Candidate for Confirmation instructed, page 9. 28 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. Ill Expectations of the church from candidates. those that were about to give themselves up to God in this rite, referring to the state of their hearts, he remarks — “ The infinitely perfect and almighty Being, whom you promise to serve, would be insulted by the offer of a heart whose affections are imperfectly devoted to him, or of a life divided in its homage and obedience between him and the world. His demand is ‘ give me thy heart.’ And it is the declaration of the eternal Son of God, of him who is finally to decide our eternal doom, ‘ no man can serve two mas- ters : ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ ”* Again, speaking of the wisdom of the church “ in guard- ing the administration of this rite from an ignorant, rash, and irreverent reception, and in inducing the clergy dili- gently and faithfully to prepare the young members of their folds for this solemn devotion of themselves to God he says, alluding to the preface of the confirmation service, “ by this order the church evidently designs more than that candidates for confirmation should be able to say the words of the catechism. They must have a full know- ledge of their meaning, and as it (the catechism) embraces a comprehensive view of the plan of redemption, of Chris- tian doctrine and duty, and of the privileges of Christians, these must be understood and realized ” t And again, speaking of the spiritual qualifications, with out which none can be prepared for this ordinance, he says, “ They constitute those exercises of repentance and faith which are the conditions of baptismal privileges. They constitute that renewing of the mind which is necessary to render us acceptable to God and meet for heaven. Let no one deceive himself with the hope, that destitute of these qualifications, his receiving confirmation will prove a benefit to him.”! And those who have received confirmation, while they are still standing around the chancel, are thus addressed : — “ Embrace, without delay, that inestimable privilege of the baptismal covenant which you have now ratified. Come to the table of the Lord, and feed with your brethren on the banquet of that most heavenly food. Now while * Hobart’s Works, vol. 2, page 121. f Candidate for Confirmation, page 11. $ Ibid, page 17. CH. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 29 Bishops Ravenscroft and Griswold. the vows of God are fresh in your hearts, cherish the blessed impulse that hath led you to engage in his service. In the memorials of his body and his blood, perfect the work of your devotion to him.”* Bishop Ravenscroft, who too soon followed into the eternal world his friend, to whose pen we are indebted for the preceding quotations, having described the qualifica- tions of this ordinance, and insisted upon repentance and faith, proceeds to address candidates for this rite in the following language. “Examine yourselves then, you who now mean to ratify and confirm your baptismal engagements, whether you are thus prepared ; whether you can now ; , with a good conscience, make that full unreserved surrender of yourselves to God which his service requires ; that open confession of Jesus Christ as your God, your Saviour, and your king, which his religion demands from all who be his disciples indeed ; and that firm determination to obey the gospel, which its precepts enjoin. For confirmation is only another name for solemn dedication of yourselves to God and his Son ; an open renunciation of the world, and separation of yourselves from henceforth from its unlawful and unhallowed pursuits.”! Among those who still stand at the altar — who are still engaged in bearing onward the consecrated ark of Jehovah, that have uniformly borne a firm and decided testimony in perfect accordance with the views advocated in this volume, I am happy to record the name of my own beloved and venerable diocesan, the Right Rev. Bishop Griswold. In his address at the annual convention of the eastern diocess, in 1833, speaking of confirmation he says — “ It has become, we have reason to believe, the general practice of our clergy in this diocess, not to present for confirmation, nor encourage any to come to that solemn rite, but such as appear to understand its nature and use, and to be possessed of sincere piety and a right faith. And this is what ought to be the practice of all. The ordinance is designed to be a confirmation of one sacrament, and a preparation for the other. And it is evident that the quali- * Candidates for Confirmation, p. 33. f Bishop Ravenscroft’s Sermon on Confirmation, c 2 30 THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. [CH. III. Dr. Meade — Bishop Smith. fications should be the same as for adult baptism, and for the Lord’s supper; and these, in a few words, are, repent - ance towards God , and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the principal causes of the unfavourable opinion of confirmation and of our church, which has so prevailed, has been the frequent practice, in former times, of urging, or at least admitting to confirmation, children and others who had little knowledge or sense of religion, whose affections are worldly, and their minds unrenewed.” The copious extracts that will be found in this volume from Dr. Meade, the present assistant bishop of Virginia, on confirmation, most conclusively show what are his views. I will, however, here subjoin the following addi- tional remarks, which are directly to my purpose. “ It is most evident that our church demands of those who come to confirmation as much real piety as any church is authorized to demand of those who seek admission to their communion.” Again, after an examination of the confirmation service, ne remarks : “ What method could the church have adopt- ed, or what language could she have chosen, better calcu- lated to show that she requires genuine and enlightened piety, than the language here used ? So far from the standard of piety, here erected, being too low, some of the most truly conscientious have hesitated to make ‘ such a solemn vow, promise, and profession,’ and have feared lest they were acting presumptuously in permitting such prayers and thanksgivings to be offered up over their heads. How, then, must the irreligious feel, while going through what in their case must be a solemn mockery ? Surely the church never could have framed this service, or designed this rite for them. It may then be confidently affirmed, that she re- quires true piety of all who come to be confirmed.” Bishop Smith, of Kentucky, in a letter to the author, remarks — “ On the subject of confirmation I have of late been in the habit of taking the following view : In the earliest times, it pleased God to spread throughout the world the rumour of the hope of forgiveness of sins. In process of time, he gave an express promise of forgiveness, and caused it to be committed to writing. But in his perfect dispensation of mercy, he has not only perpetuated the record of this cove- CH. III.] THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. 31 Bishop Mcllvaine’s views. nanc, but he hath also affixed to it divine and infallible seals — baptism and the Lord’s supper — by which the promise is not only made to us more strong and sure, but by which it is particularized and applied to the individual. The seal of baptism is affixed to his covenant in a lower court, by an inferior officer. In due time the baptized person appears in a higher court, and the covenant is sealed again to him by the highest earthly officer of the church, with what the ancients often called the seal , by way of emphasis. Con- firmation, then, is the renewal of the seal of the promise of the forgiveness of sins. “ How, then, can any come to confirmation seriously and worthily, save those who are indeed ‘ grieved and wearied with the burden of their sins,’ who are sighing and plead- ing for the hope of pardon, and unto whom any new assur- ance of the promise of God to them in particular will prove glad tidings of great joy?” He adds farther, “If you de- sire the expression of my opinion, that good evidence of real conversion to God ought to be required of all persons presented to the bishop for confirmation, you have perfect liberty to state these as my sentiments.” The views of Bishop Mcllvaine may be gathered from a tract that came from his pen while Rector of St. Ann’s Church, Brooklyn, entitled “ The Pastor's Address to a Candidate for Confirmation .” “ Repentance, whereby we forsake sin, and faith, where- by we embrace the promises of the gospel, are the spiritual qualifications prescribed for baptism, and are consequently necessary for confirmation. Nothing, indeed, is necessary as a qualification for the Lord’s supper that is not also for confirmation. He who repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, is prepared for both; and he who does not, is prepared for neither. If you will look at the service for confirmation, you will see that those who come to it are considered not as intending to enter upon the Christian life, but as having done so already. In the prayer offered up in their behalf, they are spoken of as being regenerated by the Holy Ghost, and as having obtained the forgiveness of all their sins. The supplication for them is not that they may become the children of God ; but that, being considered as such already, they may continue his for ever, and daily increase in his Spirit more and more.” 32 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. III. Bishop Mcllvaine’s proposed inquiries. He afterwards proceeds to propose the following inqui- ries, to enable the candidate to determine whether he ought to receive this ordinance. “ 1st. Have you been brought to true repentance ? “ In order to answer this question satisfactorily to your- self, let it be divided into the following particulars : “ Do you see yourself to be so sinful as to deserve God’s wrath and condemnation ? Do you see that your sinfulness lies not merely in particular acts of transgres- sion, but chiefly in your heart ; that your heart is the fountain of sin, so that in you naturally dwells no good thing? Is your heart, humbled before God on account of your sinfulness ? Do you cordially hate it, and desire to be delivered from all sin ? Are your affections set upon God and upon holiness ? Are you heartily striving to be more and more free from sin, and to be transformed more and more in the image of Christ? " 2d. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? “ Consider this question by dividing it into the follow- ing : “ Have you been brought to renounce all reliance upon your own strength and righteousness for acceptance with God ? Do you place any reliance for mercy upon your reformation, your prayers, your religious efforts, your at- tention to religious duties, or any works or feelings of your own ? Or do you feel that all your help and hope are to be sought in Christ ? Have you fled to him and committed your soul to him as all your refuge and righteousness ? Is he precious to your soul, and do you desire and determine to live wholly unto him ? “3d. Are you willing to follow Christ , whatever it may cost you ? “ Are you prepared to give up all vain amusements — all sinful conformity to the world whatever which is opposed to the maintenance of a spiritual frame of mind, and a holy walk and conversation ? “ 4th. Are you resolved to endeavour conscientiously to perform your whole duty to God and your fellow crea- tures ? Is it your solemn determination to make the will of God, as revealed in his word, the rule and guide of your spirit and life all your days ? “ 5th. Do you earnestly desire to glorify God and to CH. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 33 Bishop Mcllvaine’s proposed inquiries. honour his service by an example becoming the Gospel ? Do you realize the great responsibility of that public pro- fession of religion which you contemplate, and will it be your earnest prayer and effort to live consistently with what the world has reason to look for in a Christian ? “ 6th. Do you lean to your own wisdom or strength for ability to live as above described ? Or do you feel that your own strength is perfect weakness — that your sufficiency is only of God? Will you look to him for all your strength, and yet strive to follow Christ, as if your success were en- tirely dependant upon your owrf efforts ? “ 7th. Do you find habitual pleasure and profit in secret prayer and in reading the Scriptures ? Do you heartily love these duties ? Do you feel the absolute necessity of their frequent and regular observance to all steadfastness in your religious walk, and all prosperity in your soul ? Will you make it a matter of conscientious observance daily to read the Scriptures in a devout manner, and daily to wait upon God in secret and earnest prayer? If you are able, with a comfortable degree of satisfaction, to an- swer these questions in the affirmative, you have reason to trust that you know by experience what it is to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. You may have no hesita- tion in this case, about the propriety of your coming to the ordinance of confirmation. I bid you in the name of the Lord, Come” And in his address to the Ohio Convention in 1834, the Bishop remarks, “ One thing has encouraged me much — I refer to the views entertained by the clergy, and very ge- nerally by their people, of the spiritual qualifications required in candidates for confirmation. Loose ideas on this subject, and a loose practice in admitting and encourag- ing to confirmation, the worldly-minded and impenitent, as if a sufficient age and a mere knowledge of the most ele- mentary truths of religion, without any pretension to a serious consecration of heart and life to Christ, were all the Church expected in her members ; the wide separation practically made between the candidate for confirmation and the communicant at the Lord’s table, as if one might acceptably receive the former, without imagining that he is prepared or expected to approach the latter, has done more than almost any thing else, to injure the spiritual character 34 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. IIL The design of the author. and influence of our church, and to encourage the idea, so prevalent in many parts of the land, that formality is all we desire in the service of God. Insist, brethren of the clergy, upon newness of heart and the decided embracing of the whole will of God, as much in reference to confir- mation, as to a preparation for the sacrament to which it is only the admission-door. Unspeakably would I prefer that you should tell me when I visit you, that you have none to present for the laying on of hands, than that you should array before me a spectacle of candidates, which however beautiful and interesting in appearance, would be a mere show of unintended profession and dead formality.” I would by no means convey the impression that they whose names I have here introduced, are the only bishops in our country that hold these opinions respecting confir- mation. I have selected the preceding testimony, for the simple reason that these authors’ writings were accessible to me, and that I am not aware that any other American bishops have published any thing on the subject of confirma- tion.* The candid reader, I am confident, will now see that there is no force in the objection, or truth in the statement, that the views advocated in this volume are at variance with those generally held by the Episcopal Church. After the preceding pages were prepared for the press, the author received from one of his clerical brethren who occupies an important post in the church, the following communication, which contains an able and every way con- clusive argument in favour of the views advocated in this chapter. “ Ever since I began seriously to reflect on the subject of qualifications for the rite of confirmation, I have been of opinion that nothing short of the appropriate evidences of true repentance and a living faith should be accepted of those who propose to become recipients of that rite ; in short, that the qualifications for confirmation should be the same with those for communion — the true Christian cha- * To the above list I ought to add the name of Bishop Dehone > from whose work on confirmation, I have several extracts, in this work. *!H. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 35 Views of a Clerical Friend. racter — the character of a truly renewed, believing, hum- ble, obedient, affectionate, world-renouncing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. “ The chief reasons for a lower standard of qualifications seem to be found in the address at the close of the office for infant baptism ; in the third rubric at the close of the catechism, and in the preface to the order of confirmation. The import of the language here referred to, is, that child- ren should be brought to confirmation, so soon as they are of competent age ; and so well instructed in the catechism as to be able to answer all its questions , and to repeat the creed , and the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments . But, that this language is not to be understood in the strict sense of its terms, and as strictly and universally impera- tive, may be concluded from three considerations : that, thus understood, the directions of the church are conti- nually disregarded by both her bishops and her presbyters ; that, thus understood, the ministers of the church are under obligation to procure the confirmation of even her most vicious baptized youth; and that, thus understood, the language is inconsistent with that sound Christian discre- tion, which, by the last rubric after the catechism , appears to be lodged with the minister of every parish, who is there required to give in writing to the bishop, at the time of confirmation, “ the names of such persons within his parish,” and of course the names of such only, “ as he shall think Jit to be presented” for confirmation. “ All these considerations show, that the language referred to is not to be understood strictly , and enforced impera- tively j but, in the words of the preface to the order of confirmation, is to be regarded as an “ order very conve- nient to be observed ” in the case of those baptized in in- fancy, provided other qualifications concur to render them fit subjects of the rite. What those other qualifications are, we are left to gather from the nature of the baptismal office, from the design of the catechism, and from the na- ture of confirmation itself. “ The baptismal office , then, is an actual renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil, by either the person baptized, or his proper representative acting for him, an actual profession by him of a true Christian faith ; and an aciual promise , or vow, obediently to keep God’s holy will 36 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [ch. m. Views of a Clerical Friend. and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life: Or, as it is said in that office, “ Baptism doth represent unto us our profession ; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour, Christ, and to be made like unto him, that, as he died and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin and rise again unto righte- ousness.” “ The catechism is a brief, but comprehensive summary of Christian doctrine, and Christian duty ; and is designed as a means in the hand of the Holy Spirit to bring baptized children to, not only a knowledge of this doctrine and duty, but also a 'practical experience of the power of this doctrine, and a practical obedience to the requirements of this duty. “ And the nature of confirmation itself is, on the part of those baptized in involuntary infancy, a voluntary ratifying and confirming of what they did, or of what was done for them, in that sacrament. It is a sincere, intelligent, and religious assumption, before God and the church, of the whole covenant sealed in baptism. “ Baptism , then, is a significant and sealing rite, to be ad- ministered upon involuntary infants. Confirmation is a voluntary, intelligent, and religious ratifying and confirm- ing of that rite, when arrived at years of discretion. And the catechism stands between the two in the relation of a means , to be used by the spirit of God, in preparing the subjects of the former for the reception of the latter. When, therefore, the means have been made effectual to the end , when the truths and doctrines contained in the catechism, however, and whenever applied, have been so blessed by the spirit, as that the subject of baptism actually makes that renunciation of the world, the flesh and the devil, and actually exercises that true Christian faith, which are signified and professed in that sacrament, when he is actually following the example of our Saviour, Christ, and is made like unto Him ; when he has indeed died unto sin and risen again unto righteousness ; then it would seem, and not till then, is he to be considered a fit subject of confirmation. The significancy of baptism being realized, and the end of the catechism being answered, confirmation comes in, in its right place ; and the recipient of it can sincerely, intelligently, and religiously ratify and CH. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 37 Views of a clerical friend. confirm the promise or vow which is resting on him, to keep God’s holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life. “ This view of the subject is sustained by the considera- tion, that without the true repentance and faith here requir- ed, the subject of confirmation cannot sincerely, intelli- gently, and religiously ratify and confirm the engagements of his baptismal covenant. If he take the ratifying and confirming words, “ 1 do” into his mouth, without their meaning , the very act of renunciation, of repentance and faith in his heart, he does but offer solemn mockery to God, and ought to expect — not a blessing, but a curse, in so doing. “ This view of the requisites for confirmation is sustained by another consideration. From the rubric after confirma- tion, and from the first rubric after the office of baptism, of such as are of riper years, it will be seen that the church considers confirmation as a rite immediately preparatory to the communion. The qualifications for the former, there fore, are the same with those for the latter. And what are the requisites for communion, as established by the church? By referring to the last answer in the catechism, it will be seen that they are, true repentance for sin, a steadfast pur- pose to lead a new life, a living faith in the atonement by Christ, a thankful sense of this benefit, and the principle of universal charity, or holy love. This, the church being judge, and nothing less than this, qualifies for communion. This, therefore, by the same decision, and nothing less than this, qualifies for confirmation. “ Nor is it irrelevant to the view now taken of the requi- sites for confirmation, that the practice of admitting persons to the rite upon lower qualifications, has operated, long and deeply, to the injury and scandal of the church, and thus, to the prejudice of true religion in the world. How often are those, who, by an act the most impressive, have assumed vows the most solemn, seen to indulge without scruple in those pursuits and vanities which are sufficient to mark the identity of their characters with those of the allowedly irre- ligious : one day, with solemn attitude, kneeling in the pre- sence of God, and in the view of heaven professing to re- nounce the world, the flesh, and the devil, with all their vain pomp and glory — all their covetous and sinful desires, 38 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. LCH. III. Views of a clerical friend. and to believe all the articles of the Christian faith, as the disciples of a meek and lowly Saviour — one day professing all this, and prom is ing, moreover, with all the solemnities of a heaven-recorded vow, obediently to keep God’s holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of their lives — and the next , returning to their still- loved ways of mere worldly enjoyment; sitting, at one time, in view of the corrupting and too often licentious ex- hibitions of the theatre ; and moving at another, amidst the splendid and ensnaring follies of the ball-room ; at one time devoted to the engrossing and dissipating games of the card- table, and at another, occupied in some other of the num- berless vanities in which are exhibited the very spirit and character of the unconverted mind ! How often are these or similar things witnessed in those who have ‘ vowed a vow unto God, and deferred to pay it who have openly taken a part in one of the highest solemnities of religion, and yet continue to live without any of the world-renounc- ing spirit of that religion ! Hereby hath the church too often bled, and through her veins hath religion herself poured out her very heart’s blood upon the earth. By no- thing hath the church been more humbled, or brought into deeper scorn, before good and holy men, than the practice of confirming before the altar the giddy children of the dance and the revel. It is time that these things should cease ; and that confirmation should become, what it may so easily be made, a well guarded door to the holy com- munion, protecting the church, at once, in the truth of her doctrines, and in the purity of her members.” CH. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 39 Objects of this testimony. CHAPTER IV. SECTARIANISM. This testimony is not sectarian. The object aimed at is not to bring men to a particular religious party, but to bring them to the love and practice of the truth as it is in Jesus. From the character of these lectures, the author was led to speak of confirmation , and to show its apostolic origin. In speaking of the administration of this rite, he was also led to the incidental notice of the constitution of the ministry , under the three orders of bishops, priests, and deacons. While the writer would be distinctly understood as record- ing his solemn conviction that this form of the Christian ministry, as well as the rite of confirmation, is of divine appointment, he would by no means sit in judgment upon those who may dissent from this opinion. His primary object in these pages is to show the great essential features of religious experience, and to indicate the scriptural quali- fications which those should possess who personally enter into covenant with God. This, therefore, is common ground, on which all Christians can and must meet. Whatever diversities of opinion there may be among the followers of the Redeemer, in subordinate matters, here they must all think and speak alike. The character of a child of God is just as unique and marked, as the character of the Great Supreme. And if Christians will only look into the mirror of divine truth, they will all agree in what constitutes the great outlines and essential features of that man’s character who has been “ created anew in Christ Jesus.” It is delightful to find that there is common ground on which Christians can stand in one broad united phalanx, and together bear their testimony to the same point. Such united testimony strengthens the cause of the Redeemer, and knits the hearts of believers together in the bands of Christian fellowship and love. Standing, therefore, on this common ground, the author 40 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. ["CH. IV. Doctrines of the Episcopal church. would deprecate the idea that there is any thing sectarian in this testimony. Were he conscious that there was a single line that breathed unkindness to any that hold the truth as it is in Jesus, he would instantly erase it. He fully believes that all who have the mind that was in Christ, cherish a kind and catholic spirit. He fully believes that the church in whose bosom he was nurtured, and at whose altar he has been permitted for several years to minister, possesses in an eminent degree this lovely spirit of the gospel. She opens wide her arms to receive all whom Christ receives. There may be within her pale those who are inflamed with the fire of sectarian zeal ; but they have taken this fire not from her consecrated altar, but from the altar of their own corrupt hearts. There is not a church on earth farther removed from illiberal sectarianism and narrow minded bigotry. To be convinced of this, “ walk about this Zion, and go round about her ; tell the towers thereof, mark well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following.” This church regards episcopacy and the rite of confirma- tion as of apostolic appointment. But she does not on this account shut the door against those who do not view these as essential to the existence of a Christian church. This church also holds the doctrine that infants are fit subjects to be received into the Christian covenant, and expects that parents will offer up their children in faith to God through the ordinance of baptism. But the church by no means excludes from her pale, or subjects to disci- pline, those Christian parents who may have conscientious scruples as to the duty and propriety of this act. And so in relation to the mode of baptism ; though cus- tom has established the sprinkling or pouring on of water as the usual form, she leaves it to the choice of the recipi- ent whether it shall be either of these modes or immersion. The Christian world has been long divided in relation to the doctrine of divine decrees, and of predestination and election. Men of equal piety and worth have taken differ- ent sides on these points. The views which the church has taught, as expressed in her articles, are unquestionably what in the present day are termed moderate Calvinism. Still, she has expressed her views with such moderation CH. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 41 Essential Doctrines. and strict conformity to Scripture, that those who have taken different sides on those questions, have found no dif- ficulty in subscribing to the same articles. In all this there is certainly evinced a liberal and truly catholic spirit. But as to the great essential doctrines of the cross — the main pillars of evangelical truth — she holds them with a firm and unyielding grasp. And in this, the author trusts, he has sought to tread in her footsteps. He would recoil with horror from the thought of lowering or letting down one of the essential truths of the gospel, in order to convey the impression that he possesses great liberality of feeling. Such an act, in his view, would be treason against the Au- thor of the gospel. Neither can he conceive how any ex- tended religious instruction could be delivered, by any one who holds the truth as it is in Jesus, without the constant recognition of thetollowing fundamental truths : That Jesus Christ, the author of our salvation, is divine, and one of the adorable persons in the undivided Deity : That the great purpose for which he took upon him our nature, was to become the mediator between God and man, and to make atonement for the sins of the world : That mankind are by nature estranged from God, and utterly corrupt, and completely ruined and undone : That all who are saved must be saved by free grace and sovereign mercy : That the sinner has nothing to depend upon but the righteousness of Chiist, and that he is justified by faith alone : That the soul of man is in a state of moral ruin, the understanding dark- ened, the will perverted, and the affections alienated from God, and that in it, there must be a complete new moral creation, before it can become an object of divine compla- cency : That the condition of man, since the fall, is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God ; and therefore, that there is absolute need of the direct ope- ration of the Holy Spirit : That all the good that is wrought in us, is attributable to its divine influence : That holiness of life, and obedience to the precepts of the gospel, are evidences indispensably requisite to show that the heart has been renewed and made right in the sight of God. These form the great characteristic features in the sys- tem of doctrine held by the Episcopal church. And if these are considered as sectarian views, then the author of d 2 42 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [CH. IV. Principles of Catholicism. these pages glories in sectarianism, and in being the minis- ter of a sectarian church. For, in his view, these doctrines constitute the very elements of the gospel, the great essen- tial frame work of Christianity ; and should there ever come a time when these doctrines are expunged from the creed of the church to which he belongs, it is his devout prayer, that that church may then cease to have a name upon the earth, for she will then have “ denied the Lord that bought her,” and the doom she will have richly merited, will be “ swift destruction.” But most unquestionably these views will not be con- sidered sectarian, by any save those whose minds have be- come “ corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” These doctrines constitute the broad area on which all evangelical Christians can meet; an area like that which Moses and the seventy elders saw under the feet of the God of Israel, “a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” # Here, on this glorious foundation, Christians can stand together, and speak one language ; and the oftener they meet on this holy ground, the sooner will all envying and strife and di- visions cease. Recognizing in each other the image of their common master, they will be constrained to love one another for Christ’s sake. They will learn to examine those points of difference, by which they are separated, with candour, meekness, and Christian forbearance. And when brought to this temper of mind, if they cannot per- fectly agree in all things, they will be able while they hold their separate opinions, mutually to lay aside “ all bitter- ness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, with all malice.” LECT. 1.3 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 43 Prospective probabilities. LECTURE I. CONFIRMATION. “ The doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands .” — From the sixth of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 'Jhe thought which involuntarily rises in my mind in coming before you this evening, is, where will my present hearers be, and what will be their state and condition, when it again becomes my duty to address the people of my charge in a series of discourses on the subject of con- firmation. Before that period arrives, there may arrive to some who now hear me, the solemn hour which will seal up their doom, and fix their allotment for eternity. Who can say what will transpire ere another two years shall have passed ! * Ah ! two years hence, the voice of him who now addresses you may be silent in death ! And how many of those who sit before me may then be num- bered with the sleeping dead ! In preparing this lecture, as I have thought over the past, and looked forward to the future, — to the day when I shall stand before the tribunal of heaven to give an account of my stewardship, — the thought has come up again and again, where will these my hearers be, and what their state, two years hence ? Alas, if my own fleeting life be spared, and I am permitted again to address you on this subject, many of my present hearers I shall not then find in the land of the living ! This conviction sinks the more deeply into mv soul when I look back, and memory calls up the assembly I last addressed, on a similar interesting occasion. It is true, those to whom I refer were not convened within these * As confirmation is only once received, and then from the hands of the chief minister of the church, it is not usually administered in oui congregations, especially where the dioceses are large, oftener than once in two years. 44 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. J, General plan. walls : but my auditors on that occasion were as young, and had as bright prospects of life, as any in this assembly. And yet many of those who then sat before me, as you now do, full of vigour, and health, and bright expectation, are this evening in the eternal world ! I desire that this thought may constrain me to be faithful in declaring to you the whole counsel of God, and may lead you to be attentive in listen- ing to the views and statements which I purpose to make. I desire that this solemn consideration may lead me to bear the same faithful testimony to the truth as it is in Jesus, which I should, did I know that this was the last opportu- nity I should have to address you before you go to the judgment bar of Christ, to testify in what manner I have preached unto you the gospel of Jesus. In entering upon a series of lectures explanatory of a re- ligious rite, with whose nature and design I may suppose that a portion of my hearers are but slightly acquainted, it may seem incumbent upon me to offer some remarks upon the name applied to it — its origin , design , propriety , and advantages. These , therefore, will constitute the several heads under which my remarks in the present lecture will be arranged. Allow me, however, first to observe, that it is my intention, as far as in me lies, to exhibit in these lectures such spiritual views of experimental religion as will be instructive and profitable to every class of hearers — I wish to present to the bosom of every careless sinner the naked point of the sword of the Spirit ; and by the help of that sword , which is the word of God , to cut away from the mere nominal professor all that gilded covering which appears so fair to the outward eye ; but which, when removed, will be found to conceal a mass of rottenness and death. I wish to cut away that gilded covering, as well as to indicate to the can- didate for confirmation, the state of mind and the disposi- tions of heart he should possess, before he presumes to receive this solemn rite. That I may be successful in this effort, I am sure will be the united prayer of all those among us who love the gates of Zion. 1. First we are to consider the name applied to this rite. Confirmation , as the word implies, refers to the act of establishing one in his religious course. Consequently the LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 45 Confirmation — reason of the name. very name by which this rite is designated, shows that it is to be administered only to Christians — only to the truly converted — only to those who have exercised “ repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,” and have actually set out in the way of life. “ If an impenitent and unbelieving person presents him- self for confirmation, in what can he be confirmed ? Not in Christian faith ; for he is destitute of that gracious prin- ciple. Not in Christian holiness ; for he is manifestly un- holy. If confirmed in any thing, it must be in the violation of his sacred vows, and in his disobedience to the com- mandments of God.”* This rite, therefore, is to be admi- nistered only to the penitent and believing ; and it is to be administered to them for the purpose of strengthening their faith, establishing their hopes, and confirming them in their unalterable determination to walk in the way of God’s commandments. Young Christians need to have their principles strength- ened and established. After Paul had made a circuit through ,the whole of Syria and Asia Minor, preaching the everlast- ing gospel, “ he determined to go again and visit his bre- thren in every city where he had preached the word of the Lord.” And we read that “ he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” The power by which, in this rite, the soul is expected to be strengthened, settled, and established in the love and service of the Redeemer, is sought directly from God. The administrator, laying his hands upon the head of the reci- pient, and looking up to heaven with the eyes of faith, thus invokes the Eternal : “ Defend, 0 Lord, this thy child, with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine for ever, and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he comes unto thy everlasting kingdom.” Again, this rite is properly denominated confirmation , from the fact that the person who receives it, thus ratifies and confirms the covenant obligation previously made to the Lord Jesus Christ. None but baptized persons are deemed fit subjects for this ordinance. In baptism, we make a solemn vow and covenant-promise to God, that we * Dr. Henshaw’s Instructions on Confirmation, p. 32. — An admira- ble work. 46 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Origin of confirmation. will be his people. In the rite of confirmation, we renew the promise, and ratify this vow. Those who were bap- tized in infancy, thus voluntarily assume the covenant en- gagement that was entered into in their name, and avow themselves, by their own act, disciples and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, by their own mouth, and deli- berate choice, they ratify and confirm what had before been done on their behalf. In this rite, “ they make a declaration, not of what they wish to do, but of what they actually do ; not of what they would be, but of what they are. The grace that is prayed for at this ordinance is not that they may be able to devote themselves to God, but that, having devoted themselves, and now making the profession of it, they may be able to main- tain their course to the end.”* 2. But, secondly, we are naturally led to inquire, Is this scriptural, or is it the invention of men ; what was the ori- gin of this rite ? It would not necessarily follow that confirmation is wrong, though it had not its origin in divine appointment. It has been found expedient and useful to establish many things in our churches which cannot claim a divine origin. But we do not offer a defence for confirmation on this ground. We fully believe that this rite originated with the apostles themselves. They were empowered by the Saviour to settle and arrange every thing connected with the spirit- ual well-being of his church. They were not permitted to go out from Jerusalem, or to enter upon their work, until they were endowed from on high with that divine Spirit which was to lead them into all truth. Acting under such a guid- ance, they could not err. Let us then attend to the recorded history of their acts, and see whether we are warranted to conclude that the rite of confirmation is of apostolic origin. The slightest acquaintance with the evangelical history contained in the New Testament must convince every one, that from the beginning there were different grades in the Christian ministry. The Saviour, during his public minis- try, chose not only the twelve, as the heralds of the gospel, but he “ appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face, into every city and place whither * See Bridge’s Christian Ministry, vol. ii. p. 220 LECT. I.] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. 47 Origin of confirmation. he himself should come,” to proclaim “ the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” There was an evident dis- tinction between these two sets of men. After his glorious resurrection from the dead, the divine Redeemer solemnly invested the twelve with apostolic power, authorizing them to send others, even as he had sent them. The exigences of the church speedily required the exercise of this high official right. A lower order of men in the ministry was needed, who should attend particularly to the concerns of the poor. This, however, was not the whole of their duty. They were to be employed as missionaries, and in various ways as coadjutors to the higher grades in the ministry. Ac- cordingly, the seven deacons were appointed, and set apart to their office by a solemn ordination, of which transaction we have a particular account in the early history of the church contained in the Acts of the Apostles. From the same inspired historic record we learn that Philip, one of the seven deacons, shortly after having entered upon his holy office, “ went down to the city of Samaria, and preach- ed Christ unto them.” His hearers were not altogether inattentive to his message. Many believed, and these im- mediately received the sacrament of baptism, both men and women. “ When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John ; who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost ; for as yet he was fallen upon none of them ; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them , and they received the Holy Ghost.” Let us here notice, that the sacred rite of imposition of hands was one that required for its perform- ance an apostolic order of men. Jerome informs us that in his day “ the bishops visited all the lesser cities, and by imposition of hands, invoked the Holy Spirit upon those who had been baptized by the presbyters and deacons.” “ Its administration is confined to the highest officer of the church, because we read no instance in the Scripture in which the power was exercised by any subordinate mi- nister. And, because it is peculiarly fitting that they who have been led by the instrumentality of a subordinate 48 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Confirmation designed to be continued in the church. preacher to give themselves thus up to the service of God, should make their profession — an act so serious, and never to be repeated — under circumstances the best calculated to impress their minds with a sense of its solemnity, and to record it as the subject of testimony for the whole church.”* Another instance incidentally introduced in the nineteenth chapter shows that this was an established rite in the mi- nistrations of the apostles. St. Paul, in one of his mis- sionary tours, having entered Ephesus, and found there cer- tain disciples who had received John’s baptism, but were still, to a very great extent, ignorant of the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, unfolded to them the design of his mission, and the importance of embracing him by faith. “ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them.” And that this rite was designed to be continued in the church, is abundantly evident — First, From a declaration in the epistle to the Hebrews. St. Paul, in addressing the Hebrew Christians, notices the distinguished and eminent advantages for religious instruc- tion which they for a long time had enjoyed, and at the same time the little proficiency they had made in divine knowledge. “ When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.” Regarding them as in the school of Christ, which, like all other schools, has its elementary instruction, he exhorts them to endeavour to advance beyond the incipient stage of their Christian education, and try to attain to some knowledge of the higher mysteries of the gospel. The lan guage which he uses is the following : “ Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection ; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrec tion of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Now it is evident that the apostle regarded all these enu- merated particulars as the elementary principles of the doc- Guide to Confirmation. Dr. Tyng. LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 49 Testimony of the primitive church. trines of Christ. Men introduced into the school of Christ, were called upon to repent, to exercise faith, to be baptized, and then followed “ the laying on of hands .” If this was really one of the principles of the doctrines of Christ, then “ the laying on of hands” was necessary for all Christians, and for all ages of the Christian church. For one has most judiciously remarked, that “ without any dispute, first principles in all institutions, whether civil or religious, are sacred, and can neither be departed from without danger, nor abrogated without guilt.”* Who will pretend to say, that the other enumerated particulars, re- pentance , faith , and baptism , are not necessary for all Christians, and for every period in the Christian church ? Secondly, This conclusion is strengthened by the fact, that this rite was universally practised in the Christian church in the age immediately succeeding that of the Apostles. Tertullian, w.ho lived only eighty years after the apostle John, speaks of it as a custom universally prevalent in his time. “ Hands were laid upon those who were baptized, by benediction, calling for and invoking the Holy Spirit. St. Cyprian who lived only fifty years later, traces the origin of confirmation which was practised in the churches, to the imposition of hands by the apostles. And Jerome, who lived three hundred years after the apostles, as we have already seen, concurs in the same testimony. “As to the existence of this rite in the church in the first ages of Christianity, we had as well doubt whether baptism or the Lord’s supper were practised in those days ; for the same books which speak of the latter, speak of the former; and the same councils which legislated on the latter, legislated on the former.”! We therefore feel confident that this sacred rite originated in the practice of those holy and divinely inspired men, who were the chosen disciples of our Saviour, commissioned by him to preach the gospel, and to establish all necessary ordinances and regulations in the Christian church. This, like baptism, was designed to be continued to the end of time. It was continued up * Bishop Ravenscroft on Confirmation, j- Meade on Confirmation. An invaluable work. E 50 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Drs. Owen and Clarke’s sentiments. to the period of the reformation, and I know not that any Protestant churches at that time laid aside this rite, except the followers of Calvin ; and even that eminent reformer and divine, expresses his decided conviction that this was an apostolic institution, as I shall show in a subsequent part of this lecture. This rite has been retained by the Lutherans, the church- es of Bohemia, or the United Brethren, and one sect of the Baptist. The ancient church of the Waldenses retained the substance of it as an apostolic institution. The most eminent lights of the Reformed churches, among whom are Peter Martyr, Rivet, and Peter des Moulin, give it the weight of their authority. Dr. Owen, who is widely known as a dissenter, and a man of eminent learning and piety, acknowledges that this practice existed at a very early period in the church, and thus describes it. “ When the children of believers, baptized in infancy, were esta- blished in those necessary truths, and had resolved on per- sonal obedience unto the gospel, they were offered unto the fellowship of the faithful ; and here, on giving the same ac- count of their faith and repentance which others had done before, they were baptized, they were admitted into the communion of the church : the elders thereof laying on their hands in token of their acceptance, and praying for their confirmation in the faith.” Dr. Clarke, the commentator, an eminent divine in the Methodist church, in his autobiography thus speaks of this rite. “ It was at this time that the Bishop of Bristol held a confirmation in the collegiate church. I had never been confirmed, and as I had a high respect for all the rites and ceremonies of the church, I wished to embrace this oppor- tunity to get the blessing of that amiable and apostolic- looking prelate, Dr. Lewis Bagot. I asked permission ; several of the preacher’s sons went with me, and I felt much satisfaction in this ordinance ; to me it was very so- lemn, and the whole was well conducted. Mrs. S. who was a Presbyterian, pitied my being so long ‘ held in the oldness of the letter.’ I have lived forty years since ; and upon this point my sentiments are not changed.” 3. We are now prepared to inquire what was the design of confirmation. The name itself conveys a just conception of the pur- LECT. I.J THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 51 Apostolic imposition of hands. pose for which this ordinance was established. The can- didates for this ordinance had previously entered upon the Christian course. If they had received baptism in infancy, having now arrived at years of discretion, and felt the re- novating power of God’s glorious grace upon their hearts, they thus had an opportunity of assuming in their own person the obligations of the Christian covenant, and of publicly professing their faith in Christ. If they had re- ceived baptism in adult years, until they received the ordinance of confirmation, they were still regarded as pro- bationers. Having walked for a while onward in their heavenly journey, it seemed proper that they should be called upon to certify whether it continued to be their fixed and unchangeable determination to serve the Lord. In this rite, therefore, they again declared to the world their determination to be the followers of Christ, and their conviction from actual experience that the ways of religion were pleasant, and all her paths peace. They needed the grace of God to confirm them in this purpose and strength- en them in their heavenly course. This grace was sought for them, by the chief minister of the church, by laying his hands solemnly on their heads, and looking up to God in fervent prayer. They were thus solemnly set apart to the service of Him who had bought them with his blood; and the spirit of the living God descended to dwell in them, as temples consecrated to his use. “ The laying on of hands ,” therefore, was one of the appointed means, through which the influences of the Holy Spirit were imparted. Hence we can understand, why “ laying on of hands ,” is enumerated among the fundamen- tal principles or elements of Christianity ; and that it is a matter in which all Christians are concerned, as they are in repentance, faith, and baptism. And this also clearly shows that the laying on of hands was intended to be con- tinued in the Christian church to the latest period of time. For to the latest period of time, every member of the Christian church will stand in equal need of the sacred influences of the divine spirit. “ And here let it be observed, that the Apostles’ ‘ hands were laid upon Christian converts, to commuicate to them, not simply the miraculous gifts, but more generally, the ordinary influences of the Holy Spirit.* It would be pre- 52 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Aposto’ic imposition of hands. posterous to suppose that the whole church at Samaria were endowed with the power of working miracles. Yet to all those who had been baptized, both men and women, the Holy Ghost was given by the laying on of the Apostles’ hands. They experienced the same divine influence that all Christians need at the present day ; and this shows the importance and necessity of continuing this sacred rite. “ Of the graces and comforts which are the fruits of the spirit, our blessed Lord prayed that not only his twelve disciples might partake, but ‘ all who should believe on him through their word.’ And there are facts which show that all Christians did participate in the gift which was signified by the ‘laying on of hands.’ The Apostle, in writing to the Corinthians, refers to their having ‘ re- ceived the Spirit’ by his instrumentality ; to the Galatians, to his ‘ ministering the Spirit’ unto them. And when he expresses his wish to visit the Christians at Rome, ‘ in order that he might impart unto them some spiritual gift,’ it is difficult to conceive why the gift might not have been communicated by message or letter, unless it were to be connected with some bodily act on his part. As it is evi- dent, therefore, that all Christians did receive this gift which was signified by ‘ the laying on of hands,’ it be- comes more than probable, that they all obtained it in the way which is recorded in reference to some individual in- stances ; and that that which was done to the believers of Samaria and Ephesus, was also done to ‘ all that in every place called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.’ Unless this be allowed, it will be impos- sible to find in the sacred volume, any trace of such an imposition of hands, as could be with any propriety deno- minated, a ‘ first principle’ and * foundation’ of the doctrine of Christ.”* Do not suppose that we mean to teach the absurd doc trine, that bishops have the power of conferring the Holy Spirit arbitrarily on whomsoever they please. All they can do, is to invoke those spiritual gifts which God alone can bestow. But as in the case of baptism, if the candi- date comes forward with suitable dispositions of mind, sincerely desiring the promised blessing, we believe God Dr. Tyng’s Guide to Confirmation. LECT. I.] the pastor’s testimony. 53 Propriety of confirmation. will honour this institution by a descent of the Holy Spirit ; so also in this sacred rite instituted by the apostles, if they who come forward to ratify their baptismal vows sincerely and earnestly desire the enlightening and sanctifying influ- ence of the Holy Spirit, we doubt not it will prove a chan- nel of grace to their souls. 4. The propriety of this rite will not be questioned by any, even though they are not convinced of its divine ori- gin. All Christian churches have some form by which members become connected with their body. The rite of confirmation is the specified mode by which persons be- come avowedly and formally introduced as members into communion with the Episcopal Church. But there is an- other consideration which will show the propriety of such an ordinance in the church. We, and most of the Chris- tian world, believe that God designed, that, under the new as well as under the old dispensation, infants should be received into covenant with him. They who are baptized in infancy, certainly stand in a different light from those who have never been initiated into the fold of the Redeemer. They are nominally members of the family of Christ. They bear a covenant relation to God. And this external relation with Jehovah they ought, when they become moral agents capable of transacting for themselves, to be called upon either to ratify or renounce. Confirmation addresses to those baptized in infancy such a call. It gives them an opportunity to make a personal confession of faith in Christ, and to receive from the hands of the chief minister a public recognition of their admission into the full communion and fellowship of the church. This recognition, being accompanied with solemn prayers for the descent of the Holy Spirit to confirm and strengthen those now entering upon a personal and public profession of reli- gion, is very appropriately denominated confirmation. This view of confirmation, as it relates to those baptized in infancy, is particularly and repeatedly noticed by early writers in the Christian church. They consider* it as a renewal and ratification, on the part of God, of the covenant and privileges of baptism ; and on the part of the recipient, of the vows, promises, and professions made in that sacra- ment. Those who declined receiving confirmation, by this very neglect virtually renounced their covenant allegiance e 2 54 THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. [lect. I Testimony of Calvin. to God, and voluntarily severed their connexion with the Christian church. The distinguished reformer, Calvin, saw the expediency and necessity of such an ordinance in the church. And although, from peculiar circumstances, it was not retained in the church of Geneva, he bears his testimony in favour of its apostolic origin. “ St. Paul,” says he, “joins the imposition of hands with baptism. But the children of believers, since they were adopted from the womb, and belonged to the body of the church by the right of promise, were baptized while they were yet infants. The period of infancy being passed, after they had been initiated in the faith, they offered them- selves for instruction, which in them was posterior to bap- tism. But the other sign was also added, to wit, the impo- sition of hands. This one place (Heb. vi. 2) abundantly proves the origin of this ceremony to have proceeded from the apostles. Let us know, therefore, that it was instituted by its first authors that it might be a common rite of prayer. Therefore the institution ought still to be retained in its purity.” Allow me here to offer the passing remark, that the ex- istence of this rite in the Christian church seems to me a strong corroborative proof that infant baptism was practised in the purest and earliest ages of Christianity ; and the evi- dence that we have, that infant baptism was practised by the apostles and their successors, corroborates the conclu- sion that this rite was of apostolic origin. There seems an obvious correspondence and connexion between infant bap- tism and confirmation. 5. Among the advantages that have ever appeared to me as necessarily connected with this ordinance, is the oppor- tunity it affords ministers to appeal directly to the younger members of their flock. When the minister of a parish receives notice from his bishop that confirmation is about to be administered in his church, it becomes his bounden duty to call upon the young to choose whom they will serve. The inquiry is then put to every baptized youth, Will you be a disciple of Christ, and publicly profess his name, or will you renounce and disown your covenant bonds ? This inquiry, faithfully pressed upon the consciences of the young, ha* been in a LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 55 Influence of confirmation upon ministers. thousand instances the means, under God, of awakening - a whole community to a deep and abiding sense of religion. The approaching solemnity renders it necessary that each one should decide : and every baptized person finds it ne- cessary either to decide for Christ, or to take his stand in the ranks of apostacy and rebellion. The happy influence that this ordinance is calculated to exert upon ministers and parents, is thus glowingly portrayed by Bishop Meade : “ The bishop is regarded as the general pastor of all the churches, the care of which should daily be on his soul. He is the elder brother and father of all the ministers who have the spiritual charge of the congregations within the bounds allotted to him. At set times he comes round to inspect the state of the churches, and to receive the account of each flock at the minister’s hands, to inquire how the work of the Lord has prospered with him — how many are ready to be added to the church, of such as he trusts shall be saved. He calls for their names ; he writes them down in a book, that he may present them to the assembly of the church ; he calls upon them to approach the altar where he stands, in the presence of God, of angels, and of men ; he demands of them, in a solemn form of words, whether they are prepared unreservedly to devote themselves to the ser- vice of their God and Saviour ; he invites them to kneel before the Lord ; he kneels with them ; he lifts up his voice in prayer to God for them ; he rises from his knees ; he lays his hands on the head of each one, offering up a few words of supplication ; he then prays for all, and after some fatherly counsel, ‘“dismisses them with the apostolic bene- diction. “ Now let us see what effect this is calculated to have on those who are concerned in it. “And first, on the ministers of the church. The expect- ation of such a day of trial would certainly have a tendency to quicken the exertions of each minister, and make him look forward to it with anxiety as a day of joy or grief, of triumph or shame to him. It would lead to a more special consideration of the case of all those whose baptismal vows were yet unredeemed, and more particularly would it turn his heart to the young, for whom the service is so happily designed. It would impose an obligation on him to make a special and more earnest appeal to the unconverted, and 50 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Happy effects upon ministers. to use all means for bringing them to serious consideration, to exhort, encourage, instruct, warn, upbraid, and condemn; and thus make full trial of his ministry. It would put him on more earnest prayer for his people, lead him to more heart-searching conversation with them, and thus make him better acquainted with them, and more useful among them. “ But what will be the probable effect of the very occa- sion itself upon those whose work will now be made mani- fest ? Surely, while he is now rendering to one of God’s unworthy ministers some account of his stewardship, while in the act of presenting some hopeful converts for admission to all the privileges of the church, his thoughts will be led forward to that awful day when he will stand with the peo- ple of his charge before the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls above ; and he will ask himself, How many shall 1 have to present to God on that day, as my joy and crown of rejoicing ? “ Surely he will be led into some solemn reflections on the fearful responsibility of the office with which God has entrusted him. He will remember the account which will be demanded for the souls committed to his care. He will remember the promise to him who gives himself wholly to his duty, taking heed to himself and his doctrine ; that his profiting might appear to all, and that he should both save himself and those who hear him. 1 Tim. iv. 15, 16. “ He will with fear and trembling ask himself, If this be true, how can I possibly be saved if any of my people be lost ? Must not mine have been the fault, and will not the voice of their blood cry unto God against me ? “ He will enter into strict judgment with himself, and inquire, Have I indeed made full, trial of my ministry, in all those ways and means which God has made effectual to the salvation of sinners ? Has it been the most anxious desire and prayer of my heart that my people might all be saved ? Have I declared the whole counsel of God to them faithfully, fearlessly, yet affectionately? Can I call them all to witness this day that I am free from their blood, that I am in no wise partaker of their guilt, and that I could have done nothing more than I have done, to bring them to the knowledge and confession of the truth ? “ Especially will he examine himself as to the manner in which he has discharged his duty to the young, and to LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 57 Feelings of an unworthy minister. those who have the care of their souls. Have I exhorted parents, sponsors, and all the guardians of youth, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ? Have I entreated them, have I warned them on this subject, and have I instructed them how to perform their duty most effectually ? Have I performed my part towards them faithfully ? Have I been a “ teacher of babes ?” Have I obeyed that most pathetic, affectionate, and oft re- peated injunction of our Lord to Peter, “ feed my lambs?” Have I delighted to take them in my arms, and present them by prayer to the Lord ? Have I fed them, while yet babes, with the milk of God’s word ? “ As they grew up, have I exhorted them continually to remember their Creator, in the days of their youth ; to seek him early, ever urging the promise that they shall surely find him ? Have I diligently used all those means with the young, which in every age, but especially in these latter years, have proved most effectual ? Is my delight in the Sunday-school ? Am I never so happy as when sur- rounded by a Bible-class, and instructing dear youths in the blessed word of God ? Have I also regarded all as chil- dren, whatever be their age, who are yet without the know- ledge of true religion ; and have I, as far as they would permit me, dealt with them accordingly ? “ Have I, in all my intercourse with my people, when visiting from house to house, been seeking this same ob- ject, their spiritual improvement ? Have I especially sought to prepare them for an open profession of their faith, not failing often to warn them, that so long as they continue in a state which unfits them for an humble declaration of their hope in Christ, the gospel has no promise of salva- tion to them ; but as they would not own their Saviour be- fore men, they must prepare to be disowned by him on the trying day. “ O my brethren, what must be the feelings of an unwor- thy, indolent, faithless, temporizing minister of the gospel, on such an occasion ; when he who is placed over him in the Lord, shall call on him thus to examine hiiftself before God and his people, when he asks for the fruit of his labours, for those whom he hopes one day to present as his joy and crown of rejoicing before the throne.of God? “ Ah, what must be his feelings if he has none to present. 58 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. £lect. i. Duty of sponsors and parents. or only those of whom he ought to be ashamed, whom God will refuse ; or if perchance there be some faithful ones, he is nevertheless conscious that it is not through his instrumentality they have become so ? “ Ah, what must be his feelings, when he is conscious that neither in his private intercourse nor in his public ministry, has he been the pious and faithful pastor ; that he has neither instructed the children, nor entreated the parents, nor warned the ungodly, nor done any thing as he ought to have done it ; when he dares not lift up his eyes and look upon his people ; for he knows that, in the face of every child, and every parent, and every saint, and every sinner before him, he beholds a witness of his un- faithfulness ; when he dares not look up to his God, for his own heart condemns him ; and what can he expect but condemnation from Him who is greater than his heart ! “ And, O my brethren, if he be not utterly hardened, and his conscience seared, with what horror must he look forward to that day, when he and his people shall appear in judgment before the awful tribunal of heaven, when those who have died under his care, and died unconverted, unwarned, shall be summoned as swift witnesses against him, and when even the pious who have lived under his ministry, but are not ‘his joy and rejoicing,’ when even they cannot put in one plea in his behalf! Surely, my dear hearers, if there be any thing which, under God, can awaken an unworthy minister to a deep sense of his guilty and wretched condition, it must be such an occasion, and the due improvement thereof. “ Now let us inquire of what use this part of our disci- pline may be to the rising generation, by stimulating pa- rents and sponsors to their duty. “ Holy, indeed, is the relation which God has esta- blished between parents and their offspring. Great is the in- fluence which he has given to the former over the latter, and great must be the guilt of neglecting to improve it. There is a docility and credulity implanted in the minds of the young, which inclines them to receive, believe, and do whatever shall be taught them by those to whom Provi- dence has entrusted their education. And wo be to those who shall neglect to make the best use of this wise an gracious constitution of their nature. LECT. I.] THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. 59 Duty of sponsors and parents. “ The church seeks to do her part. At baptism she solemnly dedicates them to Heaven, then confides them to the arms of parents or other suitable persons, to be trained up for God, with most positive injunction to do their parts faithfully. “ In confirmation, she sends one of her ministers to see how those duties have been performed, and what has been the fruit thereof. And ought it not to be an occasion of anxious self-examination to parents and sponsors. If the expectation thereof should fail to lead them beforehand to co-operate with ministers in more special and earnest prayers, instructions, and entreaties in behalf of their chil- dren, surely the solemnity itself must force some serious thoughts and painful exercises upon their minds. “ When the appointed officer shall stand in his place, and call for all those who have reached the fearful age of discretion to come forward, and fulfil those solemn engage- ments made in their behalf ; and when there are so many who dare not rise from their seats to move one step towards him, what must be the thoughts and feelings of all the guardians of youth, but especially of parents ? Will they not then (especially if moved to it by a few faithful words from him whose duty it is to speak to them) enter into judgment with themselves, and ask, how have we per- formed our parts and duties? Have we, indeed, taught them, so soon as they were able to learn , what a solemn vow, promise, and profession they once made by us ? “ Have we continually been instructing them in the principles of our holy religion as set forth in Scripture, and those formularies appointed for that purpose ? Have we taught them all that they ought to know to their soul’s health ? Have we, in all their education, regarded religion as the most important branch, the one thing needful ? Have we often asked ourselves the fearful question, what shall it profit if we gain the whole world for them, and yet suffer them to lose their souls ? Has the chief desire and prayer of our heart for them been, that they might be saved ? Are we guiltless this day of their ignorance and indifference ? Can we say that it is not, in any degree, our fault that they are not this day prepared to renew their baptismal vows ; but that we have done all that God or his church could reasonably expect of us, to bring these, our 60 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Important questions— Unfaithful parents. children, to the knowledge and confession of the truth ? Are we willing, even now, to appear before God and deli- ver up our charge ? “ Happy those who can answer these questions, and not utterly condemn themselves. But where are they ? Who are these faithful ones ? Here again the most faithful are the most ready to condemn themselves. Let me propose to you a few questions. From the moment God gave these dear children unto your arms, what has been youi most anxious desire, your most diligent endeavour for them ? Have you been seeking their eternal welfare above all other things ? Look into your hearts, and see what is your chief daily care and concern for them. Is it that they may grow in grace, that they may be better and better prepared for death ? or is it not rather what shall they eat, what shall they drink, wherewithal shall they be clothed ? What are your most anxious thoughts and painful feelings concerning your children ? Are they, lest their souls be lost, and they be consigned to everlasting shame and suffer- ing? Or are you not concerning yourselves about their condition in this world, lest they meet with sorrow, and shame, and poverty ? What are your most pleasing thoughts, your fondest anticipations, in regard to your children ? Do your hearts kindle into joy at the thought of seeing them kneeling around the altar, or at hearing them renew those vows you once made in their name, of the holy and useful lives they may lead, the happy deaths they may die ; and the glorious eternity which you and they will spend with the blessed angels, and in the presence of the Redeemer ? Or do you not exult at the thought of the figure your children may one day make in this world : how learned, how eloquent, how rich, how honourable your sons may be ; how lovely, how graceful, how ad- mired, how caressed your daughters may be ? “ Be faithful to yourselves, O parents, in this examina- tion, and see whether your desires and endeavours agree with what you promised for them in baptism. There are some parents who, from the moment of making these pro- mises, do the very reverse of them. They not only most criminally neglect the religious instruction of their child- ren, thus leaving them in the hands of the wicked one, but their hearts are filled with the vainest thoughts and most LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 01 Animadversion on common hindrances. unholy desires with regard to them. To sing, to dance, to play well on an instrument of music, to dress fashiona- bly, and to trifle in vain conversation with the gay and the thoughtless : this is almost the only education of their daughters. To go to school and colleges, to learn lan- guages and sciences in order to the acquisition of wealth, fame, or office, is the chief education of their sons. “ The piety of either sons or daughters is the thing least desired, least sought for. They are brought up for this world, and for this world only. It is not to be expected that such should be prepared for this holy rite. It would, indeed, be wonderful to see them here, for their parents never really desired it. And yet, blessed be God, we do sometimes see such plucked by a miracle of grace out of their parents’ hands, like brands from the burning. Are there any of these worldly-minded parents present, whose chief desire has been to obtain riches, honours, and station for their children ? It may be there are some such, and it may be that the desire and prayer of their hearts have been granted. It may be that their children have prospered, that they are rich, honoured, admired, caressed. But it may be, also, that they are undone, eternally undone ; and that the very things which were so eagerly sought for by them have been the causes of their undoing. Their fond parents have been their chief destroyers. While seeking for them the vanities of this world, they have utterly neglected the things which make for their everlasting peace. Their pa- rents have been their worst foes. In all their wanderings through this wide world of sin and misery, though they may meet with many enemies and much unkindness, none can harm them like their parents, to whom God hath given such power to bless. Mere negligence in them may be perdition to their children ; what then, must be the crime of betraying them to their enemy ! “ My dear friends, I hope none of you are thus guilty. I come this day to receive your assurance to the contrary. I come, in the name of God, to inquire concerning those children whom you once dedicated to him — on whom you put his seal. The church then delivered them back into your hands, with solemn injunctions to train them up for God, and at an early day to bring them again before the altar, that all might see how well you have executed the high F 62 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I. Calamities of neglect. trust reposed in you, and how well you have educated these children of a King. Come forward, honoured parents, with your interesting charge, and present them unto God before this congregation. They have come to the years of discre- tion ; some of them long since. I am now ready to receive their vows, and a waiting assembly will delight to hear them, and God and his angels will look down with holy pleasure. “ Again, I say, we bid you approach. Why do you delay ? Wherefore this hesitation ? Why do you look thus one upon another ? Wherefore this confusion ? Why do you now hang your heads and cover your faces ? Have your limbs refused their office, or are ye fast bound to your seats ? Ah, parents ! cruel, negligent parents ! have not you done this, or at least your full share of it? What if your children were to die, even now, and just as they are ; must they not perish for ever ? But at whose hands would God require their blood ? Let your hearts answer this day. And let me now take leave of you, by entreating you to remember that awful day when you and your chil- dren will stand before the tribunal of one whose authority none can question, and whose judgment none will despise. And surely, of all the dreadful spectacles which the ima- gination of man can picture to itself, the most dreadful must be that of irreligious parents trembling before the bar of God, at the approach of their own wicked children, who are summoned to bear witness against them for their un- faithfulness, and soon to receive, with them, from an angry Judge, the fearful sentence, * Depart, ye accursed, into everlasting fire.’ 0, what a sight, to behold them going away together into perdition ! O, what a sound, to hear the children, though self-condemned, yet heaping curses on their parents’ heads for having contributed to that perdi- tion ! ‘ O my soul, come not thou into their secret !’ ” I had intended to have offered some further remarks, showing the advantages resulting from the observance of this ordinance ; but so much time has been already occu- pied, I must hasten to a close, reserving for the next lecture those additional considerations which I purposed to bring before you this evening. But before I close, allow me to call your attention to an occurrence which is strikingly illustrative of the solemn truths presented in the touching LECT. 1.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 63 Occurrence in a western village. appeal of Bishop Meade, to which you have been listen- ing. One of the most beautiful villages in the distant West — those villages which are so thickly strewn along the great road leading from the Hudson to Lake Erie — now stands on the spot which was the scene of the little narrative I am about to relate. It was then a comparatively wild and un- cultivated region. The striking beauties, however, which now never fail to arrest the attention of the passing travel- ler, the richness and fertility of the soil, the luxuriant growth of vegetation, the ever-varying aspect of the lake, stretching into one wide expanse of pure transparency, hnd the beautifully undulating character of the surrounding country, were even then obvious to the eye of the most superficial observer. At the time to which I refer, there might have been some three or four hundred inhabitants in this place. On almost all subjects, however, they entertained variant and conflicting sentiments. This was to be attributed to the fact that they were a community but recently congregated, and that they had come from almost every quarter of the globe. It is not surprising, therefore, that they did not harmonize in their religious opinions. Indeed, so much discrepancy prevailed in relation to this matter, that for some time they dispensed altogether with religious wor- ship. But as the population increased, while the state of morals continually deteriorated, it became obvious to all, that the bands of society could not be held together with- out the salutary restraints of religion. A missionary of the Episcopal church was procured, owing principally to the circumstance that the most wealthy and influential indi- vidual of the place, a land agent, Colonel F , was a nominal Episcopalian. This gentleman had formerly re- sided in one of the cities of the eastern states, had been edu- cated in the Episcopal church, and thought it proper that his children should be received by baptism into its bosom. But though he had a general respect for religion, and some of its external observances, he was still devoted to the world. The circumstance of his residing in a new coun- try, cut off from religious privileges, had a tendency to render him and his family careless and indifferent as to the things that concerned their everlasting peace. The mis- 64 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY,. [lect. I Account of Laura F . sionary who was procured, was successful in organizing and rearing up a small Episcopal church in the place. In many respects he was a most worthy man. His chief de- fect was a want of firmness — of that apostolic boldness which leads a man conscientiously to discharge his duty without any regard to consequences. He had not the moral courage to rebuke sin in its high places. Colonel F and his family and their connexions were among his chief patrons. They affected great state, and lived a gay, pleasure-taking life. Though on the Lord’s-day, they were usually at the house of worship in the morning, the after- noon was not unfrequently spent amid the festivities of a dinner party. This gross violation of the sanctity of God’s holy day was never animadverted upon with sufficient faith- fulness by the pastor. Colonel F was distinguished for hospitality. His house was ever thronged with company. It was a place of resort for gentlemen from every part of the country. There was scarcely a night in -which they had not a dance. To the inmates of his family, life was one continued round of fashion, and gayety, and dissipation. He had an only daughter, who was brought up in the midst of this scene of worldliness. She was indeed a most lovely girl. Her sylph-like form, and sweet amiable features, as she moved with winning grace through the circles assembled in her father’s hall, seemed to bespeak a creature of unearthly origin. In all worldly accomplishments Laura F had been most thoroughly instructed. Having now entered her six- teenth year, young, beautiful, and every way prepossess- ing in her manners, she was the idol of her parents, the charm of her friends, and an object of admiration in every circle in which she moved. But the fell destroyer had se- lected her as his victim. She was suddenly and violently seized with disease. Medical advice was immediately obtained. But all the skill of the healing art could not arrest the steady, onward ra- vages of the destroyer. And now, when her case began to be looked upon as hopeless, the minister of God was sent for. He came with haste. It was indeed a solemn scene. That dwelling, where pleasure had so long kept her court, and held her banqueting-house, was now a house of mourn- LECT. I.] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. 65 Laura’s sickness. ing. And oh, the scene in the sick and dying chamber ! the parents weeping in all the agony of inconsolable grief ; the physician standing mute by the bed-side of his patient, with an air of despondency ; and the young, fair, and once beautiful Laura, now lying all pale and ghastly, her coun- tenance racked with pain, and turning an imploring look to one and another in vain for relief! This must have been an awful moment to those parents. They would now have given worlds had they been as assiduous in their endeavours to train -their child for hea- ven, as they had been unwearied in fitting her to shine and to be admired among men. But they had totally neglected her religious education. Though they had brought her in infancy to baptism, they had never sought to acquaint her with her character as a sinner, or to lead her to the feet of Jesus, that she might hear the gracious words that pro- ceeded out of his mouth. And this, too, must have been a trying moment to that minister. For, alas! neither had he spoken to Laura in private about her never-dying soul. He plainly saw the time was short. He therefore took his stand by the bed, and kindly addressing himself to the dying girl, said : “ I have come to do for you all that is in my power. You are very sick. We ought to consider, when any sickness comes upon us, this may be our last sickness. I suppose you have often thought about dying, and reflected that you must die ?” “ What !” said Laura with a sharp startling accent, that operated like an electric shock upon every one in the room, “ do you think I am going to die V r The agitated pastor replied : “It is always profitable to think, that any sickness that is upon us may be our last : have you never thought of dying ?” “ O, no, no,” said she, with a shrill, piercing voice; “surely I never thought of dying! O mother, mother, must I die !” So deeply were all overwhelmed with feeling, that at first none could reply. At length, the minister thus again com- menced his remarks. “The great business which you have to attend to, f 2 66 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I Last hours anti Laura, is to be prepared for death : and if you are only prepared, it is of little consequence whether you die now or at some future time.” “ 0, yes, it is ; I cannot die. Doctor, cannot you cure me ? Is there not something you can do for me ?” The minister went on to say : “ Do not let the thought of dying distract your mind so as to lose sight of a preparation for death. Do you not know that you are a sinner, that you ought to repent, that you must obtain pardon from God, through Christ, in order to die in peace ?” “ No, I do not know any thing about these things ; I never thought about dying.” “ But will you not try to think of them now ?” “ I cannot think, I cannot; I am in so much pain.” “ Will you not pray to God that he will ease your pains ; and, above all, that he will pardon your sins, and give you a new heart.” “ I cannot pray.” “ Shall I pray for you ?” “ Yes. And O, pray that I may not die.” Amid this agonizing scene the minister of Christ kneeled down, and offered up a most fervent supplication to God. The solemn tones of prayer were now heard along those walls, which before had so often rung to the sounds of revelry. There was an humble confession of past unfaith- fulness, and a deep fervent strain of petition, for mercy and help in this moment of need. In the intensity of his feel- ings, the minister was led to wrestle long with God for the desired blessing — for the conversion of a dying sinner. When he rose from his knees, and returned to the bed, he perceived that Laura was greatly changed. But it was not the change of the inner man. It was the demolition of the tenement in which the struggling soul still lingered, while the spirit, just stretching its wings to take its flight, was wrapt in darkness, all “ unanointecl and unannealed . ” To the dying Laura, who seemed now more free from bodily pain, he again spoke : “ Do you not feel that you can now look to Christ, and hope through his atoning blood for the pardon of your sins ?” LECT. I.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 67 Death of Laura F , and application. “ I do not know that I can,” said she, with a faint and feeble voice, and with all the frankness of infantine simpli- city. “But are you not now praying to him to have mercy upon you, and to give you a new heart?” “Ido not know that I am,” said she, with a feeblei tone, while the current of life was evidently every moment rapidly ebbing. These were her last words. The minister went home. He humbled himself before God. He now saw where he had neglected his duty. He began to seek out the lambs of his flock. He sought to instruct them in the way of godliness. His efforts were blessed. Often did he mourn over his former unfaithfulness, and think in bit- terness of Laura, poor Laura F . About this time he received a notice of a visitation from his diocesan. He went from house to house to converse with the young, and to beseech them to remember their Creator in the days of their youth. He met them regular- ly once a week to give them religious instruction. He bore them continually in his heart before God in prayer. He reminded their parents of the sacred obligations that rested upon them. Thus the whole parish was stirred. up. And when the chief minister of the church arrived, Hhis pastor had the satisfaction of presenting to him a goodly number who gave decided evidence of true conversion and deep piety. As they stood up before the bishop, to make a solemn profession of Christ, the thoughts of their minister very naturally were carried forward to that solemn, happy hour when Christ would own them, crowned in glory as his friends before his Father, and all his holy angels. There was one thought only to sadden the scene, and im- bitter his reflections. As his eye moved over the congre- gation it fell upon the sable weeds and weeping counte- nances that were assembled in the family pew of Col. F Their Laura, O their Laura, where was she ? The application I would now make of this narrative to the subject before us, is, that where the rite of confirma- tion is regularly administered, at stated periods, by a faith- ful diocesan, it is likely to call ministers and parents to a sense of their duty and obligations, and prevent the occur- 68 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. I Exhortation to promptness. rence of a scene so mournful and heart rending as the one I have related. And let the statements I have now made remind me of my duty to the young in this parish. And may God grant that the course of instruction on which I am about to enter, may be blessed to their never-dying souls. Solemnly would I bid you, my young friends, in the name of God, attend at once to the things that concern your everlasting peace. And if you are the children of pious parents, who dedicated you to Christ in infancy, I am coming to each one of you in private, to ask you with all the tenderness of a kind friend, whether you will now confess your Sa- viour or deny him ! O remember that he has said — “ Who- soever shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is m heaven.” nECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 69 Two common errors. LECTURE II. CONFIRMATION. “ Happy is the people whose God is the Lord .” — From the 144 th Psalm. There are two errors into which mankind are perpetu- ally falling in reference to religious rites. They attach either too much or too little importance to them. The adoption of either of these errors leads to hurtful and ruinous consequences. On the one hand, they who attach undue importance to any of the external rites of religion, will very soon lose sight of the spirituality of the gospel, and become cold, heartless formalists. We see an illustration of this in the Romish church. While they cherish the most profound veneration for all the external forms of religion, and are most conscientious and strict in the observance of all those rites and ceremonies which the superstition of ages has gathered around their church, the great mass of the people, who so conscientiously go through all this mummery and show, seem to have no more idea of the simple religion of Jesus, than those who are living amid the densest shades of pagan darkness. And some Protestant churches also might be referred to, as illustrative of the sad effects of dependence upon mere external observances. These churches, marked with an awful destitution of spiritual life, which in vain seeks con- cealment beneath the gay and gilded trappings of worldly splendour, stand like uplifted beacons to warn us of the danger of looking to mere rites, while the heart is left un- purified and uncleansed. Would to God that this picture had no prototype among the churches of our own commu- nion. But I fear that in former days there have been among us too many sad illustrations of this melancholy * truth. I hope and believe a happy change has commenced 70 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. Causes repressing true piety. and is progressing. The fault was not that of the church. It was a departure from her pure and evangelical prin- ciples. And when the practice of the ministers and members of our communion shall be brought back to her principles, as plainly asserted in our articles and liturgy, — the principles which animated her sons at the time of the reformation, a period in which this church threw off the shackles of popery, and though baptized in blood stood up fearlessly to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints, — when her ministers and members shall be brought back to those principles, then the church will stand fore- most in the ranks of spirituality, and be “ a praise in the whole earth.” Perhaps nothing has more tended to deaden true piety in our church, than the loose practice which has in some instances been adopted in reference to the admission of candidates to the rite of confirmation. This is the door that must be strictly guarded if we would keep the church pure. The declaration made at confirmation is one of the most solemn professions of religion that can be conceived. And no one who has not been converted to God can make that declaration without offering insult to heaven. But in a thousand instances, confirmation has been considered as a religious ceremony which custom has imposed, and which at a certain age it is proper to receive, without any special reference to religious qualifications. No questions have been proposed to the recipient by the minister, and nothing has been known of his religious views and feelings. I am not now speaking at random. From several communica- tions now in my possession, written by eminently pious persons, deploring the lax practice that has prevailed in reference to this matter in some of our churches, I make the following extracts. “ The only instructions that I had till I attained my six- teenth year were, to repeat the catechism by rote, attend the service of the sanctuary, and rigidly observe the Sab- bath. At this time I was confirmed. I then determined, by my own good deeds and in dependence upon my own strength, to escape the punishment of hell, and obtain ad- mission into the joys of heaven. There never was one word spoken to me on the duties of religion by either LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 71 Instances of unprepared candidates. friend, relation or minister. Had there then oeen presented to mv view the ruined and lost condition of a sinner, with the love of the dying Jesus, I might have known something of my own sinfulness ; I might have seen that I was a child of wrath, and justly condemned to the eternal torments of hell*, and have sought to obtain an interest in Christ. What a fearful omission of duty is it to neglect the instruction of the young in the things which belong to their eternal safety!” Another thus writes : “ I had been early taught to pray and read the word of God, and from the mere force of habit practised these duties daily ; and when scarcely fourteen, being urged by my parents, I presented myself a candidate for confirmation, and after some preparatory exercises, ratified my baptismal vows. I believe I then first seriously felt the operations of the Holy Spirit. I had not even read the service ; and when called upon among the other candidates to give my assent to the several require- ments, I was greatly agitated, and would have retired to my seat, being deeply sensible that I had never even in- tended to dedicate myself to the service of God. I re- flected a moment ; perhaps I might displease my parents, perhaps draw remarks that I was unable to meet from others, being known to many around me. At length, in- fluenced by these motives, I determined to remain ; and to quiet my conscience, I determined by many resolves on the spot, and in my own strength, to keep the solemn pro- mises.” From a third, I make the following extract: “I cannot look back to the season of my confirmation but with feel- ings of sorrow. I was totally ignorant of the nature of the vows I was taking upon me : I tremble, I shudder, to think Mow careless I then went into the presence of God ; I wonder that the wrath of God did not consume me. I was led to go by the persuasion of my friends. They told me, that I was old enough, and that I ought to go. I shall never forget when I first felt the bishop’s hand on my head, and heard those solemn words uttered, ‘Defend, O Lord, this thy servant.’ Surely I was not the servant of God, but of Satan. I had not given up my darling lusts, and though I sometimes tried to pray, it was always a wearisome task, and I soon forgot all the obligations I as- sumed.” 72 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. Laxity not confined to one sect. The testimony from a fourth shall close these extracts : “ At the age of fourteen, I presented myself a candidate for confirmation, agreeably to the custom of the church, without one serious thought on the subject. So far from it, I believe it was the gayest period of my life. I was not examined by any minister, nor did I have a personal inter- view with any. My name was handed to the Rev. — by my father, and he simply asked my age. Thus I was confirmed at the giddiest period in my whole history. I believe I came very little behind Miss , who had a hair-dresser to arrange her head on Sunday morning, and came in a carriage without a hat, just in time to kneel at the altar. I do not mean to say that I went through all this ceremony, but my heart was just as vain and worldly. Naturally of a quick temper and volatile disposition, I never dreamed of debarring myself from any pleasure suited to my age and taste. I contented myself with the mere form of godliness, while I was ignorant of its power.” These statements are from persons who now have an experimental knowledge of the divine life, but whose con- version was several years subsequent to their confirmation. I have introduced these extracts for the purpose of exhibit- ing facts to illustrate the lax mode in which ministers have in some instances presented persons for confirmation: and also to account for the deadness of some churches in all that appertains to vital godliness. This will be the case whenever external ordinances are regarded as every thing, and where they are received as the only tests of piety. The evils to which I have adverted are not peculiar to the Episcopal church. From a view of the state of the Congregational churches in New England fifty year* since, a writer of that denomination complains of the same dif- ficulty. “ The easy terms,” says this writer, “ on which persons were often admitted into the church, may be mentioned as another cause of the religious declension. The churches were mostly very small, and some of them on the borders of extinction. Revivals being of rare occurrence, and cases of conversion exceedingly few, recruits were obtained to a fearful extent by lowering the standard of admission so as to accord with qualifications which consisted chiefly LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 73 Danger from disregarding ordinances. in a fair exterior, and a desire to approach the table of the Lord. It became somewhat common for pastors to admit persons thus qualified, without asking more than two or three questions respecting their religious experience. Sometimes only one inquiry was made, and that no less general, and indecisive of inward piety, than whether they assented to the standard of faith adopted by the church which they wished to join. Seldom did any make a pub- lic profession of religion till they were of an age to be sur- rounded by a family of children ; and then, a large propor- tion of them did it principally, it is to be feared, from a desire to procure for their offspring the privilege of baptism. Indeed, we have been told, by various aged persons in dif- ferent part's of New England, who united with orthodox churches in those days, that this was their chief motive in the transaction ; and also, that being known to possess a fair moral character, they were received with scarcely the shadow of examination as to their experimental acquaint- ance with religion. “ It needs not another word on this topic to show that the cause of religion was low. For if churches, gathered on the strictest principles of admission, contain unworthy members, and exert too little healthful influence on the surrounding world, how deplorable must be the state of things within the fold, and without, when its entrance is furnished with scarcely the semblance of a guard, but is left an open pathway for the ingress of all persons, how- ever destitute of spiritual qualifications, provided they cast away the external name of hostility.”* Thus we see the great danger of undue reliance upon mere external ordinances. But 1 am sensible that there are dangers on the other hand — of regarding too lightly the ordinances and institu- tions of God. We are so constituted that we need external symbols to impress and influence us in religion, as well as in other things. The great Founder of Christianity, aware of this peculiarity in our nature, has constituted his church with reference to this fact. And hence they who disregard the ordinances of Christ will soon find themselves removed £t no slight distance from the faith and spirit of the gospel. * Christian Spectator, vol. v. No. 2, p. 228, G 74 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. This rite efficacious through the Holy Spirit. We have had a striking illustration of this in the schism that has recently rent in sunder a large body of Christians in our land — a sure evidence that the rejection of the di- vinely instituted ordinances opens a door to scepticism, and ultimately leads to broad infidelity. While, on the one hand, therefore, I would warn you of the danger of resting upon any external rite, I would, on the other hand, admo- nish you not to esteem lightly the ordinances of Christ. In our last lecture we were led to the conclusion that “ the laying on of hands” was a rite of apostolic origin, and was designed to be continued in the Christian church. We stated a number of advantages resulting from the proper reception of this rite, and intimated that we should resume the same consideration in this lecture. Previous to entering upon this consideration, however, allow me to remove an erroneous idea that may exist in some minds, that Episcopalians teach that there is some- thing like a magical charm in this ceremony, or some pe- culiar virtue in the hands of him who administers it, by which the Holy Spirit is conveyed to the recipient. And I cannot do this better than in the language of one of our own bishops. “ In order to ascertain the real views of the church on this subject, we must refer to her articles and services. In the twenty-fifth article only, is any thing said on this sub- ject, and there nothing is affirmed as to its virtue or effi- cacy ; it is merely declared not to belong to the sacraments, as the Romanists contend. We must therefore turn to the confirmation service, in which alone are we to look for the doctrine of the church in relation to it. The reader is re- quested to examine that service carefully, and he will not fail to perceive, from every word of the same, that nothing is further from its design than to encourage presumption in the officer to whom its celebration is committed, or to lead any one to suppose that he, by virtue of his office, or of the ceremony used, bestows the Holy Ghost in any other way than God is pleased to grant it, in answer to humble prayer, and as a blessing attendant upon the due perform- ance of a solemn religious rite by his appointed ministers. It is impossible that a service and prayers could be framed expressive of more entire dependence upon God, and refer ring the whole more humbly to his grace. 75 LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Manner of performing the rite. “ On first entering upon the duty, the bishop looks up to heaven and says, ‘ Our help is in the name of the Lord ; Lord, hear our prayer.’ The candidates also look up, not to the bishop, but to the Lord, and exclaim, ‘ Let our cry come unto thee.’ The bishop then, instead of professing to impart the Holy Ghost, as to those who have never heard of it, returns thanks to God for the gift of his Spirit to them in times past ; yea, supposes them to have pos- sessed a measure of the manifold gifts of the Spirit which belong to believers now, and prays to God for an increase of the same, and that they may continue to be thus blessed to the end. Not trusting to the virtue of his own hands, he cries to God, Let thy fatherly hand ever be over them, let thy Holy Spirit ever be with them. Nor is there any prayer of thanksgiving afterwards, as though God had granted the Holy Spirit, so as to give even plausibility to the charge of a presumptuous belief that the bishop confers the Holy Ghost. He is nothing but an humble suppliant to Heaven for God’s gracious favour on those who kneel around him. “ God forbid that we should think thus arrogantly of our- selves, as though by our own power we could do any thing, when even the apostles presumed not to impart any gift as of themselves. It was by means of prayer they obtained the Holy Ghost; and they called it the gift of God. But while we ought indeed to beware of any thing like pre- sumption, and be sure to attribute nothing to ourselves, we should, on the other hand, beware, through a false modesty or humility, of doubting God’s readiness to bestow the greatest gifts on the poorest of his creatures when they ask in faith. We must go to his word, and see what that en- courages us to expect, and not fear to hope for it. “ What does that word say concerning this Holy Ghost, which we almost fear to name, and think it presumptuous to expect through any medium, appropriating it almost en- tirely to the apostles and primitive times ? Of all the gifts which God is so ready to bestow, this is the freest. He begs us to ask for it ; he waits to be gracious with it ; he declares that he is more desirous to give his Spirit to those who ask it, than tender parents are to give good things to their children. Of this it is written, ‘ Every one that ask- eth receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth.’ 76 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II Influences of the Spirit. “ Let us not, then, through unbelief, lose the blessing. What Christian but daily prays for this Spirit? and is it presumptuous to expect to receive it? Can his soul live without it ? What Christian minister but prays that this Spirit may descend upon his people ? and except it descend, are any of his people quickened into new life, or those who have been renewed, strengthened to hold on their way? And especially on certain solemn occasions, when God’s ministers and people meet together to perform holy ordi- nances, and prepare their hearts to ask a great blessing ; when they cry mightily unto God, and plead his promises, and exhort one another earnestly, may they not look for a richer portion from above ? Thus do we look for the blessing of God on those who have been preparing their hearts for this solemn occasion, and who now, in the presence of God and his people, bind themselves by holy vows, ‘ whereunto im- position of hands and prayer being added, our warrant for the great good effect thereof (says the pious and judicious Hooker) is the same which patriarchs, prophets, priests, apostles, fathers, and men of God have had for such their particular invocations and benedictions, as no man, I sup- pose, professing truth and religion, will easily think to have been without fruit.’ ”* All the institutions of God confer great and exalted blessings upon those who through them seek his favour and regard. Streams of divine mercy may be expected richly to descend upon those heads that are lowly bent around the chancel to receive the solemn laying on of hands. Even were this not a divine institution, it ought to be regarded as an exalted privilege to be permitted to stand up before God, and angels, and men, and testify our determination to renounce the devil, and devote ourselves to the service of the Most High. Even were this not a divine institution, is there not an evident fitness and propriety on the part of those baptized in infancy, in their coming forward and sig- nifying, by an act of their own, their determination to be on the Lord’s side ? Even on the supposition that it is a human institution, might not the divine blessing be expect- ed on a transaction so sacred, and strictly in keeping with the various exhortations of the word of God ? * Meade on Confirmation, p. 26. LKCT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 77 Confirmation, a profession of religion. Consider, for a moment, the scene. The young gathered together from various families, in one solemn group, prepared to go forward in one united company, to testify their faith in and devotion to the Saviour. The hearts of their parents, ready to burst with deep emotion, lifted up in devout aspiration to God for these their beloved offspring. And in the midst, clothed in sacerdotal vest- ments, the highest dignitary in the church, looking up to the great Eternal’s throne, in earnest prayer for the descent of his heavenly grace upon these young immortals, to strengthen them in their holy resolutions, that they may “ continue his for ever, and daily increase in his Holy Spi- rit more and more, until they come unto his everlasting kingdom then solemnly laying his hands upon their heads, and earnestly supplicating for them the influences of the life-giving Spirit. O happy group ! Methinks, if sincere, and having Jesus for their intercessor at the right hand of the Most High, they cannot fail, in this interesting attitude, to draw down upon them the delighted gaze of angels and the smile of God. But, after all, this is but an external rite ; and whether it be a channel of grace to the soul or not, depends entirely upon the disposition of mind and the internal purposes of the individual who comes forward to receive it. Hence, in this series of lectures, } r our attention will be particularly directed to the qualifications absolutely requisite to form the basts of any reasonable expectation of benefit derived from this holy ordinance. My object is not so much to prove the apostolic origin of this rite, as to exhibit the qualifications which those who receive it should possess. I regard the declaration made in this rite, a profession of religion. In relation to this form of religious profession, I will only add, that “ all denominations of Christians have adopted for themselves some peculiar form in which this public per- sonal profession, which is common to all, shall be made, previous to the admission to the Lord’s supper, of those who apply for this privilege. By some there is demanded a public acknowledgment, in the presence of the church, of adherence to certain articles of faith. By others there is required a public account of religious experience, a history of the candidate’s conversion. By others the form of im- o 2 78 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. The white robe. position of hands is used by the minister of the congrega- tion. These and various other methods have been selected by different Christian denominations, according to their own views of propriety and right : and God has doubtless been pleased to bless them all, and to make them all more or less effectual for good. Upon the same ground that others have selected a special form for profession of per- sonal religion, according to their own views of duty, might the Episcopal church be allowed to require of all can- didates for admission to her communion such a mode of 1 profession before many witnesses,’ as seemed most ade- quate to answer the end in view. The form which has been actually selected for this purpose is the Rite of Con- firmation.”* I have no doubt, however, that this rite, established for so wise a purpose, has neverthless been to many “ a savour of death unto death.” They have rushed heedlessly to the altar, neither understanding the nature or design of this ordinance. Their subsequent career has furnished melan- choly proof that in receiving the imposition of hands, they were only confirmed in sin. I would, if possible, prevent any of those committed to my charge from making such rash vows. I would bear my solemn testimony against the reception of this rite without decided evidence of conversion to God. In the primitive church a custom prevailed, at a very early period, of arraying those who had received baptism, previous and sometimes subsequent to their confirmation, in white garments, which were usually worn the whole of the following week. This was to represent their having “ put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new man, Christ Jesus.” There might also have been an allusion to the promises of the Saviour, “ that they who overcame should walk with him in white” or to that au- gust assembly which the beloved disciple beheld in the apocalyptic vision, “ a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white.” These »vhite vestments, with which the followers of the * Guide to Confirmation, p. 24. LECT. II. 3 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 79 Elpidiphorus and Muritta. Lamb are to be clothed, convey to us the idea, not only of purity, — not only that they had been washed in the cleans- ing fountain of a Saviour’s blood, but, as this was the appro- priate sacerdotal robe, that they were to be “ made kings and priests unto God.” That the moral significancy of the custom which prevailed in the primitive church might not be lost, when these white garments were taken off, they were carefully preserved in the vestries of the church as an evidence against men, if afterwards they violated those professions they made at baptism, and ratified at the time of their confirmation. A striking instance of this is related of Elpidiphorus, a citizen of Carthage. He was in the hey-day of youth, with bright prospects before him, and thoughtless of a world to come. But it so happened, that he fell in com- pany with one of the humble and self-denying ministers of Jesus Christ, who were at that period traversing every quarter of the habitable globe. This faithful minister, in- tent upon his master’s business, and anxious to rescue an immortal soul from death, entreated Elpidiphorus to con- sider his standing in the sight of God, and to embrace the merciful provisions of the gospel. The appeal was made with a warmth and earnestness that touched his heart. From that moment, the hall of banqueting and revelry was deserted, and Elpidiphorus was found, evening after evening, in the assembly of the Christians, kneeling at the foot of the cross, and attentively listening to the words of eternal life. Being at length fully instructed in the prin- ciples of the gospel of Christ, he asked of the church the privilege of baptism. Muritta was at that time a pious youth, residing in Car- thage, from whose religious conversation he had derived much satisfaction and improvement. A strong attachment had grown up between them, and it was natural, therefore, that Elpidiphorus should request Muritta to stand as his witness at the holy font. This sacrament was adminis- tered with all its usual solemnities. The imposition of hands was shortly after conferred. The white garment was laid up in the church, and Elpidiphorus for a long time to all appearance lived a religious life, “ adorning the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things.” These young men, however, had entered upon different 80 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. £lect. II. The faithful Christian — The apostate. pursuits of life. Muritta could find in his heart no sympa- thy with the bustle and business of a world so fleeting and transitory, and bearing upon all its possessions, in deep and legible characters, the significant inscription, “ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” His thoughts were continually drawn to the work of the ministry, and he was already ad- mitted to the holy order of deacons, and successfully labouring in the vineyard of his divine Master. Elpidi- phorus, on the other hand, mingled largely in civil affairs, and was now promoted to the office of a judge. Many years had passed by, and the former intimacy between these friends had entirely ceased. Their occupations led them in different walks, and the influence of the world had quite alienated Elpidiphorus from the divine life. He was no longer the eminent and exemplary Christian, but a man of pleasure and of the world. About this time the Arian heresy sprung up, and as the notions of its adherents on the subject of worldly confor- mity were much less strict than those of the orthodox church, he became a warm partisan with them, caring very little whether he dethroned the Saviour or not, so that he could find some plausible pretext to continue in that lax and pleasure-taking course of life in which he was indulging. With these views, it is not wonderful that he should have taken an active part in the Vandalic persecu- tion. As a judge, he had it in his power to make dreadful havoc in the orthodox church ; and among others that he summoned before him, was Muritta. Forgetful of all former ties of friendship, he ordered him to be stretched on the rack. Muritta at the moment stepped forward, holding in his hand the white robe with which Elpidiphorus had been clothed at his baptism ; and with words that made every heart feel, and tears trickle down every cheek, thus ad- dressed him : — “ These are the garments, O Elpidiphorus, thou minis- ter of error, which shall accuse thee, when thou shalt be arraigned before the dread bar of the Judge Eternal. These I will diligently keep as a witness of thy ruin, which shall depress thee to the bottom of that awful lake that burns with fire and brimstone. — These are they that were girt about thee, when thou earnest immaculate out of the EECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 81 The duty of confessing Christ. holy font : these are they that shall bitterly pursue thee, when thou shalt begin to take thy portion in the flames of hell, because thou hast clothed thyself with cursings as with a garment, and hast cast off the sacred obligations of thy baptism, and the true faith which thou didst then pro- fess, and take upon thee.”* If this custom now prevailed in the church, against how many should we have to produce the white robe as a wit- ness of baptismal obligations most solemnly assumed, and most wickedly and thoughtlessly trampled upon and re- nounced ! Though we produce no such witness against you, remember, my young friends, that your confirmation will be a matter of record in the court of heaven ; and if the vows that you are soon to assume are at any subsequent period wantonly disregarded, and you revert back to your former course, there is a day, an awful day coming, when that record will be produced against you, as the pledge of your eternal ruin. And before bringing this lecture to a close, allow me to press upon the consideration of each of my hearers that has not yet made a profession of religion, the importance of immediately surrendering himself up to the service of God. Whatever may be your age or station in life, God calls you to enter at once upon the narrow path. If you were consecrated to the service of Jehovah by pious pa- rents in infancy, surely you are under the strongest obliga- tions to enter immediately upon a Christian life. The cir- cumstance that your parents brought you in infancy to the baptismal font, and solemnly promised in your name, that you should renounce sin and Satan, embrace Jesus Christ, and devote yourselves to the service of God, ought at least to awaken grateful recollections for this act of kindness and evidence of their concern for your eternal well being. And if your hearts are not callous to every tender senti- ment of love and filial affection, you will feel that it has placed you under obligations that ought to be sacred and inviolable. But this is not the consideration that I intend to press upon your attention at this time. For whether your pa- rents had made this promise for you or not, as the crea- Bingham’s Antiq. vol. 4, page 413. 82 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. The obligation not to be evaded. tures of God, you are under an eternal obligation to love and serve him. As beings redeemed by the blood of his Son, you are under the most sacred obligation to break in sunder the bonds of corruption, to renounce all connexion with sin, and to live to the glory of Him who died for you. This is an obligation which you cannot throw off. You may refuse to acknowledge it ; and though it has been acknowledged for you by others, you may refuse to confirm and ratify their acts, — still this does not release you from that obligation, nor will it shield you from the dread ven- geance that will finally overtake all those who say, “ De- part thou from me, I desire not the knowledge of thy laws, neither will I have thee to reign over me.” “Yes, go and cancel every pledge that was given in your behalf, erase from your forehead the sign of salva- tion, renounce the church and dominion of your Redeemer; renounce his temple, his altar, his sacrifice ; be an infidel of the deepest dye; and when you have done all this, done all which man can do to get rid of moral obligation, know that you have not lightened the weight of your accountabi- lity the least : you are still one in the vast creation of God, and a subject of his government; one over whom he had from the beginning a right of control, which no act of yours can destroy or impair.”* As the creatures of God, and ransomed by the blood of Christ, you are bound, by the most solemn obligation, to yield yourselves to the service of your Creator and Re- deemer. It is true you have it in your power to refuse this reasonable demand, but you will certainly sooner or later reap the bitter consequences. No man refuses to obey God that does not ultimately bring upon himself de- struction, and that without remedy. All past history is full of illustrations of this truth. A strong case this moment occurs to me, which I will briefly relate. Allow me however to premise, that any little incidents or narratives which I may introduce in these lectures, will have no other quality to recommend them, than simply that they are facts with which I myself have been acquainted, or have received from sources of * A Pastor’s Address to the young People of his Charge, on the Rite of Confirmation, page 15. LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 83 The Kailer family. undoubted authority. I cannot expect that they will awaken interest on any other ground than simply that they tend to illustrate the truth of the Bible, and justify the ways of God to man. I have often thought that there is con- stantly occurring, in every city, and town, and neighbour- hood, in the various dealings and dispensations of divine Providence, abundant and satisfactory proof of the truth of all the great doctrines of the Bible, if those dealings and dispensations were only observed and recorded in con- nexion with the conduct of the individuals whom they principally affect. There was a family of whom I had some knowledge in my childhood, that resided on the margin of one of those beautiful little lakes that give increased beauty to the up- land and undulating scenery of the remote western range of towns in the state of Massachusetts. There was much in the scene spread around — the finely cultivated fields, the rich orchards laden with fruit, the still and glassy waters of the lake, and the distant rugged mountain side, upon which sometimes the sunbeams played, and at others the dark storm was cradled — there was much to lift up the heart to God and holy things. But though the natural scenery of the spot was so beautiful, the voice of instruc- tion, that seemed to emanate from every surrounding object, was lost upon the family to whom I have alluded. Mr. Kailer was the father of five sons and one daughter, all of whom had passed the period of childhood, and were entering upon life. The family were in possession of con- siderable property; and Mr. K. in the commencement of his career, was regarded as a respectable man. Very soon, however, after he became a father, he absented himself altogether from the house of God. The Sabbath became a day of amusement. His children were permitted to grow up with loose views of religious obligation ; they soon be- came addicted to profanity ; their Sunday frolics led them to many acts of aggression upon the property of the sur- rounding neighbours. The mother and father seemed alike indifferent to the moral character of their children ; they were allowed to take free range, unrestrained by parental authority ; they consequently grew up in idleness, without any ideas whatever of self-government, or scarcely of moral accountability. That the depraved propensities of the hu- 84 the pastor’s testimony. [lect. II. " History of the Kailer family. man heart, unchecked and unrestrained, should burst forth at an early period into many acts of malignity and guilt, is precisely what might have been expected. Mr. Kailer had always been distinguished for a species of artifice and double-dealing in all his business transac- tions. But now, when his sons had grown up around him, with depraved dispositions fully developed, all his tact and cunning were constantly put into requisition to screen them from public indignation and the righteous vengeance of the law. By this very circumstance his own character was continually deteriorating ; and his children, countenanced by such an example, and unchecked by any parental re- proof, made rapid strides in the highway of sin. They had a natural quickness of wit and brightness of intellect, but all their powers were directed to purposes of evil. This family became the bane of the neighbourhood in which they resided, and the dread of the whole town. It might be literally said of them, that “ their hand was against every man.” Commencing with acts of petty aggression, through mere wantonness, or to dissipate the ennui of a life of idleness, they kept on in the way of iniquity till they became proficients in crime, and a most abandoned set of desperadoes. Such was this family twenty years since. I recently visited the place of their former residence, and was strik- ingly reminded of the graphic delineation which the psalmist has given of the end of such men. “ I myself have seen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing like a green bay tree. I went by, and lo ! he was gone ; I sought him, but he could nowhere be found.” This was literally true of the family I have described. There was but one of the name left ; and I found him in the hut of poverty, clothed with rags, and the victim of in- temperance. And as he stood before me, awakening the recollection of past events that were identified with his name and character, I seemed to see a practical commentary upon the declaration, “ transgressors shall be destroyed to- gether ; and the end of the ungodly is, that they shall be rooted out at the last.” His father and mother had died a wretched death. His sister had married a man like her brothers, hardened in crime ; and the grass had long grown over her mouldered bones. His brothers had all been con- LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 85 Visit to Mrs. Kailer at the time of her death. victed of offences of a high penal character ; and the last lingering associates of his childhood had recently died in the state’s prison. What a proof are these facts, that the way of transgres- sors is hard. What a demonstration, that parents who neglect the religious instruction of their children, and set before them examples of carelessness and irreligion, will inevitably in the end bring their offspring along with them- selves down to hell ! Do you wish to know what were the views and reflec- tions of these individuals in their last dying moments ? In all this dark group, there was not one that had so many softening shades and redeeming traits of character as the mother, Mrs. Kailer. One who was present when she ex- pired thus describes the death-bed scene : “ It was in the depth of winter ; the snow had buried the earth in one deep incrustation of white ; and the wind swept bleakly around my dwelling, when I was roused, at the hour of four in the morning, with a message that Mrs. K. was dying, and that she desired that some one should pray with her. As there was no minister in the place, I immediately obeyed the summons. “ The moon had set, but the stars, which shone with un- common brightness, and the snow with which the earth was covered, enabled me to pursue my course without dif- ficulty. Still there was a solemn and shadowy appearance that hung over the whole face of nature, which filled me with indescribable emotions of melancholy. I could not but think of the sad errand on which I was going. The stillness of the hour, the dreariness of the surrounding scene, and the peculiar associations that were connected in my mind with the dusky walls of the habitation to which I was directing my steps, together with the antici- pated scene of a sinner dying in despair, caused me to start back with momentary indecision as I placed my foot upon the threshold of the Kailer dwelling. It was, however, the call of duty. I entered. Every part of the house seemed in confusion. In the room of the sick and dying woman, was the husband traversing the floor backwards and for- wards, in apparent agitation. By the fire sat two of the sons, seemingly vacant in thought, and indifferent to the scene passing around them. The daughter stood by the H 86 THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. [lect. II. An impenitent sinner’s death-bed. bed-side, as though waiting to render some further office of kindness to her dying mother. I went in as noiselessly as possible, and sat down by the fire. “ The scene I then witnessed I shall never forget. I never saw such an expression of inward torture depicted upon any features. The dark history of this family came up before me in an instant. I could not but remember that these parents had abetted and connived at all the wicked- ness and guilt with which their children had been stained. I addressed myself to Mrs. Kailer; spoke of the purity and holiness of God, of the accountability of man, his corrup- tion and need of a new birth, and the rich provisions of the gospel. While I was speaking, the working of the mus- cles of her countenance seemed as though the recollection of all her past sin was rising to view, and as though con- science, awakened from her slumbers, was charging upon a mother’s neglect the ruin of her family. My own heart almost died within me at the thought. I spoke to her of Jesus — his mercy and love to perishing sinners. But she shook her head, as though she thought there was no mercy for her. I inquired, “ ‘ Do you feel resigned to the idea of dying V “ Her reply was, ‘ I must be reconciled to it, for I feel that even now I am dying.’ “ ‘ But, Mrs. Kailer, if our hearts are given up to God, and we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a pro- mise that ‘ though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Can you not look to the Saviour for refuge and protection ?’ “ She again shook her head and groaned, but made no reply. I kneeled down and prayed, commending her spirit to the compassionate Jesus. When I arose, I again asked, “ ‘ Can you not look unto Christ, and will you not lift up your soul to him for mercy V “ But the ear I was addressing could no longer hear human sounds. Her eyes, now glassy, were rolling in death. For a little moment the vital principle seemed to linger ; and then it was gone for ever. As 1 thought of the account she had gone to render, a fearful darkness came over me, and I hurried away from the gloomy scene, lest my feelings should quite overcome me.” LECT. II.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. n Accountjof the Conley family. Such was the account given me of the last moments of Mrs. Kailer. Allow me briefly to sketch the outlines of the history of another family that resided in the same neigh- bourhood. Mr. Conley lived upon an adjoining farm. He had the same number of children, but less pecuniary means than his neighbour. In one important particular, his character was in striking contrast with that of Mr. Kailer’s. He was a pious man. He acknowledged Cod in all his ways. He worshipped him in his own dwelling. He honoured him by hallowing his Sabbaths, and visiting his temple. He and his partner were united in the service of the Re- deemer. They gave up their children in infancy to the Lord. They trained them in his “ nurture and admoni- tion.” And the result was, that their children chose the ways of religion, and in early life entered upon the service of the Redeemer. Twenty years had brought about great changes in this family. Several of them had fallen beneath the strong hand of death. But I learned that every member of the fa- mily had lived respected and beloved, and that those who had passed from the present scene had left the brightest evidence that they had gone to their eternal rest. An eye- witness gave me the following account of Mrs. Conley’s death : “ She had been an eminently pious woman, and had ex- erted all of a mother’s influence to train her children in the way they should go. Her last illness was a violent attack of fever, which rendered her delirious and insensible till near the close of life. A few days before her decease the cloud passed from her mind, and her reason was fully re- stored. One of her sons at the time was in the room. She called him to her side, inquired how long she had been sick, what was her complaint, and what the prospect of her recovery. She then asked to be left alone for a few moments, which she spent in solemn prayer to God, that he would prepare her soul for an entrance into his blessed kingdom. After this, she requested that her husband and all the family might be assembled. She then told them, with the utmost composure, that she was convinced that this was her last sickness, and that she wished to have all hei 88 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. II Mrs. Conley's death— Improvement. thoughts henceforth in heaven. She remarked to Mr. Conley, “ You have been to mo a most kind and devoted husband: continue to put your trust in the Lord;” and then turning to the other members of the family, she said, “ I can never be sufficiently thankful to God that he has given me such affectionate children, and that his grace hath brought them into the way of life. I die with the blessed prospect of meeting my husband and all my children in the skies. My only hope of acceptance is through the blood of Christ. I have nothing else to look to or lean upon. I never before had such an humbling view of my own unworthiness, and the utter unprofitableness of my own life. But, blessed be my covenant-keeping God ! in Christ my Redeemer, I see there is an infinite fulness. O the preciousness of Christ ! tell it, tell it to all the world.” In this happy and composed state of mind she continued, till her spirit, loosed from its clay tenement, fled to the realms of celestial light. This narrative shows you, my friends, the advantage of choosing the Lord for your portion, and choosing him at the commencement of life. I have not been painting from imagination, but rehearsing to you well-authenticated facts. And what is the conclusion to be drawn from all that we have heard ? That if we enter at once upon the service of the Lord, ours will be a useful life and happy death. But if we put off the work of salvation, and “ cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts,” we shall live to no purpose, our death will be wretched, and ere long we shall lift up our eyes in hell, being in unceasing torments. LECT. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 89 The question propounded before confirmation. LECTURE III. LOVE, THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW. “ I delight to do Thy will, O my God .” — From the 40 th Psalm. The first question proposed to the candidate for confir- mation, as lie approaches the rails of the altar to meet his blessed Saviour, is, — “Do ye here, in the presence of God and of this congregation, renew the solemn promise and vow that ye made, or that was made in your name, at your baptism ; ratifying and confirming the same, and ac- knowledging yourselves bound to believe and do all those things which ye then undertook, or your sponsors then undertook for you.” — Every one that stands there is ex- pected audibly to answer, “I do.” If the nature and obligation of this vow and promise be understood, and its renewal be pledged understandingly and in good faith, doubtless the person thus coming for- ward to confirmation possesses the qualifications requisite to constitute him a fit subject for this sacred rite. Before entering into an explanation of the nature and obligations of that vow and promise, however, the follow- ing inquiries naturally present themselves. 1. To whom are that vow and promise made or re- newed? 2. And what are the motives that prompt us to make or renew them ? To answer and illustrate these inquiries will occupy our attention during the present lecture. “ Do ye here, in the presence of God and of this congre- gation, renew the solemn promise and vow ?” We see in whose august and majestic presence this promise and vow are made, — even in the presence of the great and incompre- hensibly glorious Supreme, — and of an assembly of men convened in the courts of his sacred temple. We see that h 2 90 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. III. Allusion to the reign of king Asa. it is a promise and vow renewed under high and peculiar solemnities. And the inquiry immediately before us is, 1. To whom are that vow and promise made or re newed ? When arranged around the chancel, previous to receiv- ing the laying on of hands, you will be called upon to renew a solemn promise and vow. To whom was that promise originally made — to whom is the renewal of it to be made ? Is it to one of your fellow mortals ? — to the minister of Christ ? — or to the church which he purchased with his blood ? Men may make solemn engagements to each other. Such was that covenant into which the people entered during the reign of Asa, king of Judah. The state of re- ligion at that time was inconceivably low. “ For a long season Israel had been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” But at length “ The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, — Hear ye me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, — The Lord is with you, while ye be with him ; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you ; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” The pointed address of this messenger of the Lord made a deep impression. And the king and people assembled at Jerusalem, and “ entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.” This was indeed a most in- teresting time in Judah. Solemn was the pledge that had been given. The result was glorious. A great and ex- tended reformation followed. They kept their vow. They sought the Lord. And the words of the prophet were verified. The Lord was found of them. But this solemn vow and promise that you, my young friends, are about to renew, is not an engagement with your fellow men. Promises made to the minister of Christ are often of a very solemn character. That young man, whose name is engraved on the marble slab that stands over the mouldered ashes of the dead, most solemnly pledged his word to the LECT. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 91 The covenant vow is made to God. minister of Christ, as he lay stretched on the couch of languishing, that if he could but once more be raised up from the borders of the grave, he would consecrate the re- mainder of his days to the service of God. A merciful heaven interposed, and revived his drooping form. But with returning health, returned former purposes and feel- ings. All his sick-bed vows were forgotten and disre- garded. The paths of pleasure were retrod, and the tinsel and gaudy images of this world’s vanities again danced be- fore his eyes. And thus he continued to eat and to drink, to revel and to dissipate, — and knew not until death came, and took him away in “ the twinkling of an eye.” But the vow you are soon to renew is not to any mortal man. It is true, that pledges given to the church should be regarded as sacred and inviolable. And such pledges does every one either expressly or tacitly give, who is admitted within the pale of her communion, receives any of her sa- cred rites, or enjoys any of her exalted privileges. But it is not to the church, nor to the minister, nor to men, that you are about to renew this solemn vow and promise, but to the great and eternal Lord God. He is the party with whom you covenant, — to whom you pro- mise, — to whom you offer the renewal of your solemn vow . He is omniscient. He cannot be deceived. He looks into the very heart, and discovers the secrets of the thoughts. The motives which influence us are all open to his view. He loves holiness, and hates sin. He is infinitely rich, — infinitely happy in himself, Our best services cannot enrich him, or increase his feli- city. He is infinite in power, and infinitely true to his word. 2. What are the motives, then, that prompt you to desire to make this solemn promise and vow to this great and majestic Being? Does the circumstance, that many of your companions are designing to go forward to receive confirmation, exert no inconsiderable influence in determining you to take this step ? This is not the right motive. Doubtless when deep solemnity rests upon the minds cf our young friends, and the inquiry begins to arise among them, “ What shall I do to be saved ?” the season is peci- 92 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. III. Motives for entering into covenant. liarly favourable to the commencement of a new life, — a thousand difficulties that we imagined in the way are now removed. But let us remember, that the bare circum- stance that we mingle in the crowd with those who are in- quiring the way to Zion, will not make our peace with God. The business of religion is a personal concern be- tween us and God. For ourselves we must repent, and for ourselves we must believe. Let it be remembered that God searcheth the heart, and that with him the mere out- ward profession of religion, while the heart is not right in his sight, will only increase our guilt, and aggravate our eternal condemnation. Are you designing to come to confirmation to gratify the wishes of your friends ? This is not the proper motive. Doubtless much is due to the wishes and pious counsel of our parents. And if any thing can arrest us in our career of thoughtlessness, or strike religious sensibility into our hearts, the tears and prayers of a beloved parent must: tears shed over our follies, and prayers devoutly offered up to heaven for our salvation. But let it not be forgotten that filial affection and divine grace are not one and the same thing. We may tenderly love our parents, and be very desirous to comply with their wishes, while at the same time we carry within us an unsanctified spirit, and a heart at enmity with God. Are you about to make this solemn promise and vow, because, in view of a coming judgment and a burning hell, into which all the finally impenitent and unsanctified are to be cast, the terrors of the Lord have taken hold of you ? You are not influenced by a scriptural motive. Doubt- less, all those terrific scenes, which have come up in such appalling colours before your startled imagination, exist in awful reality. You have indeed violated God’s most per- fect and holy law, times without number. The sentence of divine wrath has gone out against you. If you have not been washed in the blood of Christ, you are each one of you standing on the very margin of the burning lake, and the next step you take may be into its fiery waves ! I do not wonder that the unwashed and unsanctified sin ner trembles, and is filled with awful dismay and dread. But will God look with complacency upon vows and pro- mises made to Him under the influence of these feelings LECT. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 93 Love, the true motive for obedience. alone ? No ; no. If you have formed such an opinion of the Eternal One, you have entirely mistaken his character. The image under which God delights to represent him- self to us is that of a father. Now what father would be happy in his children if he knew that their obedience to him proceeded not from filial affection, but from servile fear? No matter though, upon the slightest intimation of his wishes, every thing was performed according to his commands ; still, if that father knew that all this was done merely to avoid punishment ; that while his children were performing these acts, they cherished not one kind or cor- dial feeling towards him ; that they executed his commands with the feelings of bond-slaves, and hated him at the very moment that they did him homage — I ask, would that father be satisfied with this constrained service? No; no- thing can compensate for the want of love. Until we love God, just as an affectionate child loves his father; until this love abides in our hearts, and animates all our actions, the service of God will be but toilsome drudgery to us ; and all the homage we can render him will be but an abomination in his sight. When we can adopt the language of the psalmist, or the language of the Redeemer, whom the psalmist personates, and say “/ delight to do thy will , O my God,” then we shall have the right motive ; then we shall most acceptably renew our solemn promise and vow to the Most High. Convinced that it is God’s will that we should make that solemn vow in his presence, and from love to his character, delighting to do his will, we shall be sure to meet the smile of his reconciled countenance when we stand to pledge our word in the presence of his people. To illustrate some of the foregoing thoughts, allow me to give you a brief sketch of the religious experience of one who is now at rest. It was in one of the autumnal months— the frost having already stripped the forest of its foliage, and the fields of their verdure — that the last lingering rays of the setting sun, streaming through the window of a mansion situated in the country, fell upon the faded and death-stricken face of Mrs. H . That face at the moment was lit up, from internal feeling, with a more heavenly radiance than that shed upon it by the golden beams of departing day 94 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. Ill The Christian in death. A solemn feeling pervaded the whole room ; and the cheeks of many that stood by were wet with tears. The servant of God had just been administering to the sick and dying woman the hallowed symbols of redeeming love. Some one that sat near had asked Mrs. H whether she found her soul sustained in this her last trying hour, by an unshaken faith in the divine promises ; whether the pros- pect before her seemed dark or luminous. It was then that a celestial light seemed to play upon every feature of her death-stricken countenance as she replied : “ Till this moment I have never so fully comprehended the meaning of that declaration of St. John, ‘He that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 I know that my hold upon life is breaking ; but I am well persuaded that I am going to sit beneath the smile, and to feast upon the gaze of infinite love. I can utter but a few words more while I am in the body, and I would fain con- secrate them to some good purpose. I wish you, my friends, to avoid a rock on which my everlasting salva- tion was well-nigh wrecked. “ It is many years since I made a profession of religion, by ratifying my baptismal vows in the rite of confirmation. From reading the Bible, and listening to the godly instruc- tion of a pious minister, I became alarmingly impressed with the belief that unless I did something to secure the favour of God, I should be for ever lost. The Almighty, in my conception, was clad in all the awful and terrific majesty with which he descended upon mount Sinai. I found no rest, day nor night, from a troubled and sin-accus- ing conscience. Wherever I went, a gaping hell seemed opening right before me. “ And yet I had no just or adequate view of the nature or evil of sin, or of the deep depravity of my own heart. It was only the fear of being damned that so unceasingly troubled me. To avoid this, I determined to become a Christian. An opportunity presenting, I gave myself up to God in the apostolic rite of confirmation, and in that solemn ordinance ratified my baptismal vow. I did not forget the promise I had made. I immediately separated myself from the gay and the thoughtless, and outwardly renounced the pomps and vanities of the world, though my LECT. III.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 95 Morality mistaken for true religion. heart still clung to them with all its former attachment. I attended to all the external duties of a holy life with the utmost exactness. A stated portion of every day I spent in prayer; another, in reading the Bible. I never failed to visit the house of God at the regular and stated seasons for divine worship. “ But in the midst of these engagements I could not say, ‘ I delight to do thy will, O my God.’ All these duties were performed as a task ; they furnished me no pleasure except the reflection that by them I was securing heaven. Hence it was always a great relief to me when I got through them. And all this time I regarded myself as very religious, and as having an unquestionable title to the glories of heaven. “It is true, I was a stranger to spiritual enjoyment; I knew nothing of the spirit of adoption, and had not learned to lisp forth, in the most unformed sounds, my Abba Fa- ther. At times, I was filled with the greatest gloom and despondency; still, I most preposterously clung to the belief that my bark was firmly anchored in the safe moor- ings of eternal life : and I might have been slumbering in this false hope to the present moment, had not God in his infinite mercy made use of an humble instrument to awaken me from my delusion. “ One bleak wintry night my husband brought in a beg- gar whom he found near our door, perishing with cold. The next morning, as this poor creature was about taking his leave, he appeared so deeply affected with a sense of gratitude for the favour of that night’s shelter, that I became exceedingly interested in him. To some inquiries which I proposed, he replied, “ ‘ Notwithstanding these privations, and this outward wretchedness, I am very happy, and feel that I have cause to offer continual thanks for the many mercies I enjoy.’ “ Upon my expressing surprise that he should entertain such sentiments, he turned, and said with much feeling and apparent kindness, “ ‘ Then I fear that you have not been born of God ; for if you had, you would know, that with a right heart, one may be as happy in the tattered garments of Lazarus as in the rich purple and fine linen of Dives. Believe me, I have found in my solitary midnight walks, without a friend on 96 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. III. The awakened self-deceiver. this earth — or when sheltered in some half open shed — I have found in communing with God, and contemplating the wonders of redeeming love, more happiness than I ever enjoyed in the days of my prosperity, amid the circle of cheering friends, and when lodged in the mansion of splen- dour and wealth.’ “ These remarks made a deep impression upon my mind. For a long time the echo seemed sounding in my ears, ‘7 fear that you have not been born of God .’ I tried to banish the occurrence from my thoughts, but the whole scene returned again and again, with increased vividness before me. One reflection was continually forced upon my mind — that while that poor houseless vagrant was happy, I was wretched ; and that what constituted his feli- city, furnished me no pleasure. He could spend whole nights in the unsheltered face of heaven, in prayer, and felt his soul borne away with delight; while to me, under circumstances of the greatest comfort, the shortest form of devotion was a burden and a task. “ I began to doubt whether I was as safe as I had hitherto thought myself. To obtain satisfaction, I commenced read ing the Scriptures with reference to this point. The more I read and reflected, the more I suspected the hopes in which I had been resting. The veil was now torn off, the band- age removed from my eyes, and I saw my wretched self in the light of divine truth. The more I discovered of the true nature of sin, and its exceeding sinfulness in the sight of God, the deeper I was plunged into despondency. I now saw that I had merited and deserved God’s wrath and con- demnation, and that he might in perfect justice shake me from his hand, and lock me up in the gloomy prison-house of hell. “ When the thought of God’s mercy came into my mind, and I recollected that every breath I drew, and every com- fort I enjoyed, proceeded from his hand ; when I reflected that his goodness had created me at first, his power pre- served, and his mercy shielded me amid a thousand dan- gers ; and that all this time I had regarded him in no other light than as a being clad in terror, and never sent up one warm aspiration of love or gratitude to his throne — O, in what colours did the guilt and turpitude of my conduct rise before me ! Then I was ready to sink in despair. LECT. in.] THE pastor’s TESTIMONY. 97 Experience of a converted person. “ But at this moment, all sinful and guilty as I was, — driven from every shelter, and every dependence, — and forced to give up all as lost, the voice of the crucified Son of God reached my ears in these heavenly accents, — ‘ Come unto me, thou weary and heavy laden one, and i. will give thee rest.’ That voice struck new light and new existence into my soul. A new class of feelings was aroused within me. A new and unspeakably resplendent glory appeared to gather around the throne of God. Je- sus, hanging on the cross, and pouring out his blood for lost sinners, now seemed ‘ chiefest among ten thousand, and al- together lovely.’ The love of God took entire possession of all the faculties of my being. The longer I gazed upon the divine character, and dwelt in thought upon the divine attributes, the more I found myself lost in admiration and love. “ Prayer was no longer a burden. Oh, no ! I could now spend hours, with increased and continually increasing de- light, in communion with him, whom I loved and regarded as my Father. And the Bible, oh how changed in my view ! How rich and luminous seemed its every page ! All the ways of religion now became ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace. “ This great change was wrought in me, not by any power of my own, but by a divine and almighty Agent, — by ‘ the love of God’s being shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost.’ From that happy hour, though my soul at times has been cast down, and my thoughts disquieted within me ; though I have met with difficulties, and had to pass through sore trials, I have ever been able to say, — * / delight to do thy will , O my God /’ “ In reflecting upon the divine dealings with me, and the instrument which God saw fit to employ to arouse me from the stupor of sin, I have felt peculiarly incited to acts of charity, and regarded the occurrence as a beautiful com- mentary on the passage, — ‘ Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels un- awares.’ I have often wished to meet that beggar again, to tell him how deeply I felt indebted to him. But his re- ward is with the Saviour. “ Yes, I can now comprehend the truth, that ‘ God’s service is perfect freedom.’ Had I ten thousand lives to I 98 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. Ill, Motive that should influence the act. live over again, I would spend them all in his service, and seek to love him more and more ; for his goodness en- dure th for ever. ‘ God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.’ Oh, it is love that makes all the music of heaven, and tunes every se- raph’s golden lyre. All unworthy as I am, I trust I shall soon stand before the throne, and mingle my voice in that eternal chorus of love, ‘ Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ ” She spake no more. The unearthly brightness, that during this narration had irradiated her countenance, sud- denly faded away, and the impress of death’s cold signet was upon her brow. The inquiry again returns, what are the motives that prompt you to desire make this solemn promise and vow unto God? You see that the only proper motive is, su- preme love. Oh God, thou art the object of my supreme regard. There is none that I desire in comparison with thee, and therefore “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” If this be not the motive that influences you, your vow will not be accepted, and you will find the duties of religion more irksome than the bond service of Egypt. I entreat you, however, to reflect much upon the cha- racter of the Eternal One, and consider the illimitable extent of his goodness ; and then see if you can lay your hand upon your heart, and looking up in the face of heaven say, “ I do not, I will not love God !” LECT. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 99 Conduct of Ruth. LECTURE IV. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. “ Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David .” — From the 55th of Isaiah. Truly commendable and praiseworthy, and evincive of more than filial piety, was the decision and vow of the amiable Moabitess, — “ Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God ; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” We are told by the sacred historian, that in consequence of a famine in Palestine during the days of the judges, a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. His family consisted of himself, his wife, and two sons. His name was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The two sons, from their resi- dence in that country, took them wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and that of the other Ruth. This family were destined to share the com- mon lot of humanity, and experience a series of painful reverses. Though they were united by the most sacred and interesting ties, and were happy in themselves, — though they had before them the prospect of long and un- interrupted enjoyment, the dream of their felicity vanished as suddenly as melts away the morning mist that wreathed around the mountain top. The afflicting hand of the Al- mighty fell heavily upon them. Death was in their dwell- ing. The father was borne to his grave, and the two sons lay stretched by his side. The afflicted Naomi resolved to return to the land of her fathers and the home of her childhood ; and having come to this determination, she thus addressed herself to her bereaved daughters-in-law : — “ Go, return, each to your mother’s house. The Lord 100 THE pastor’s TESTIMONY. [lECT. IV. Ruth an example. deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again my daughters, why will ye go with me ? go your way ; for it grieveth me much for your sakes, that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and departed, but Ruth clave unto her : and Naomi said, Behold thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods, return thou after thy sister- in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee ; for whither thou goest, 1 will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy peo- ple shall be my people, and thy God my God : where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” To all the youth in this assembly, — to all of every age, woo have not “ subscribed with their hand unto the Lord, and sirnamed themselves by the name of Israel,” I propose (he example of Ruth, the affectionate Moabitess, for their instruction and imitation. Will you not now decide, here in the presence of the Almighty, to bind yourself by a covenant engagement to the service of God ? Will any of you act the part of Orpah ? She kissed her mother-in-law, and went back unto her people, and unto her gods. There are many who respect religion, who admire its purity and loveliness, but yet are not willing to sacrifice their darling sins in order to obtain this -pearl of great price. There are many who at times feel deeply convinced of the im- portance of immediately securing the salvation of their souls ; but when they come to learn, that to accomplish this, they must “renounce the devil and all his works ; the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous de- sires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh ;” when they come to learn, that to accomplish this, they must leave their people and their gods, their companions and the objects of their attachment, they often hesitate, and act the part of Orpah. And will any of the immortal and un- dying beings whom I am addressing resolve upon this course ? May I not hope that your determination is taken ; LECT. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 101 God’s right to our services. that you feel fully resolved to avail yourselves of the pre- sent opportunity to make a surrender of yourselves to the Lord, and that even now you have made a solemn vow in your heart, that “ neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,” shall ever part between you and Him. In our last lecture we observed, that in the rite of con- firmation there was a solemn engagement entered into , that this engagement was made to God ; and that, in order that he might look upon us with approbation, in the act of our making it, it was necessary for us to cultivate and cherish feelings of love and affection to him. In the baptismal promise, which we renew at confirmation, there are three things which will constitute separate topics for considera- tion in our subsequent lectures : — what we renounce ; what we believe ; what we engage to do. We shall not enter upon either of these considerations at the present time, but direct your attention, 1 . To some of the reasons which should prompt you to renew your baptismal vow, if you are still undecided. 2. To the fact, that the covenant you enter into when renewing that vow is an everlasting covenant. 1. The truth once admitted, that we owe our being to God, and we cannot evade the conclusion that he has a right to our services. Natural religion forced this truth upon the understanding of those who were enveloped in heathen darkness ; and hence says a writer, speaking upon this subject, “ In Persia their youths are required, when they come to man’s estate, to take a solemn oath that they would despise all filthy lucre, bodily pleasure, and vain glory ; that they would be emulous of virtue, worship God, and honour their parents ; that they would speak truth, do good, and never wilfully violate any of these things. Among the Athenians, when their young men were en- rolled according to the usage of their nation, they bound themselves by a solemn obligation to observe the perpetual solemnities and received customs of their country, and to defend and reverence the religion in which they were born. Among the Jews — that people so highly favoured, and so fully instructed of God — we find a similar practice. When the Jewish children came to be thirteen years of age, and i 2 102 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [_lect. IV. Reasonableness of the service of God. had learned the law and their prayers, they were presented by their father before a holy assembly, and there solemnly took upon themselves the observance of the law, and were from henceforth to answer for their own faults. And did the youthful Jew study assiduously the shadowy religion and voluminous law of his fathers, and rejoice publicly to take upon himself that which was so laborious and painful to bear? Yea, did the heathens, by a formal act, profess the dark unsatisfying religions of their country, and promise to reverence and defend them ? And shall Christian youth, they who are born and nurtured amid the splendours of gospel day, not openly avow their attachment to the reli- gion which bringeth unto them salvation, and sheds a clear and benign light upon all the paths of life ? Shall they to whom the Son of God has come to instruct them, who have been redeemed by his blood, who are taught the way to eternal life by the words of his mouth — shall they neglect to choose him for their Lord, and to devote themselves openly to his service?”* For your own safety and success in this world, it is of the highest consequence, my young friends, that you should renew your baptismal promise ; that you should bind your- selves to the service of God by covenant engagement. You pass the first years of your existence in a state in which there is every thing to mislead your opinions and endanger your virtue. Your glowing imagination, and ardent hopes, and warm desires, invest the prospect before you with all that is enchanting and delightful. And veterans in vice, leagued with the adversary of your souls, will avail them- selves of your inexperience and this delusive view of things, to ensnare you in the strong toils of sin. The success, usefulness, and reputation of every man depends upon the purity of his morals. But religion is the only sure prop to morality. Its principles can alone enable us to withstand the allurements of vice. If, then, you would carry a character immaculate through life ; if you would not disappoint the hopes of parents ; if you would not blight your prospects for this world ; if you would not go down to an early grave with the curse of hea- ven resting upon your head, or drag out a miserable exist- * Dehone on Confirmation, pp. 41. 43. 103 LECT. IV. ^ THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. The interests of eternity. ence, bereft of all that now makes your heart joyous, shun- ned by the virtuous, and your doom sealed up for an undone eternity — draw around you the safeguard of religion, avail yourself of the opportunity soon to be offered, and renew to your Maker your baptismal vow. But the interests and destinies of man are not confined to the present world : he is to exist through eternity ; and the preparation for that eternity is to be made during the present life. We are sinners, and therefore aliens from the family of God, and no longer objects of divine favour. We can never be admitted into the family of God, or become objects of his favour, until we enter into covenant with him. The plan of salvation revealed in the gospel is the great proposed covenant of mercy. The sacraments are the signs and seals of this covenant. As God placed his bow in the clouds as a sign of the covenant which he made that he would no more drown the earth with a flood, so has he appointed baptism, by which we are initiated into the ark of Christ’s church, a sign of that covenant, by which he promises that all his children shall be conveyed in safety over the fiery waves of perdition to the haven of eternal rest. By receiving the rite of confirmation, and thus rati- fying our baptismal vow, we acknowledge the covenant re- lation in which we stand to God. And if we do this with proper dispositions of heart, we may expect to realize all the blessings promised by the covenant. There is not a single promise in the gospel to any except those who enter into covenant with God, through faith in Christ. Out of Christ, “ God is a consuming fire.” In making up your mind, therefore, whether you will be in covenant with God or not ; whether you will renew your baptismal vow or not ; remember, you are deciding whether you will be saved or lost. Perhaps some whom I am addressing are thus silently reasoning in their minds : ‘ I should like to come to this ordinance, and enter into covenant with the Most High, but I am not in a fit state. Feeling as I now do, I dare not presume to take such a step.’ We shall be the last to encourage any one to enter into this solemn engagement with God rashly or prematurely. But is not this excuse made as a sort of apology for con- 104 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. IV. False excuses. tinuing in sin without any purpose of amendment — without any deep overwhelming distress that you are not in a fit state to enter into covenant with God ? If you are weighed down with sorrow and grief by the recollection of this un- fitness, then can we point you to the healing waters of life, and assure you that even now the angel of mercy has come down to move those waters. But let me inquire, my hearer, If you have not piety enough to render you a lit subject for confirmation, have you piety enough to carry you to hea- ven ? You who make this objection, allow me to ask, Do you think, if you should die to-night, you would drop into hell ! Certainly you would, else you would be a fit subject for this sacred ordinance. Now I leave it to your own consciences to decide whether you can with safety continue one moment longer in this state. Ah, it appears to me, if I saw myself standing on the brink of an undone eternity, I should not close my eyes in sleep till I had found some way of escape ! Perhaps some whom I am addressing are thus reasoning : * I do not mean to die without the comforts of religion, but I do not feel at present disposed to engage in this matter. At some future time I can avail myself of the opportunity of confirmation, and secure the advantages of religion.’ Ah, deluded hearer, who can tell what events will trans- pire before the expiration of another year ? Ere another annual revolution, thy name may be inscribed upon a sculp- tured stone, standing to mark the spot where thy body has mouldered into dust, cut down in all thy thoughtlessness and gayety, and hurried away in all thy unpreparedness to the judgment bar ! Then thou wilt recollect the walls of this sanctuary ; the truths that were brought to view this evening; the solemnity that was spread over the assembly; the warning, counsel, and entreaty of thy pastor ; the striv- ings of the Holy Spirit in thy own bosom ; the affecting scene of many hearts pierced with convictions of sin, and looking up to the mercy-seat of Jesus for pardon ! O, in that hour, when all is lost, for ever lost, how sadly will the recollection of this evening come over thy memory ! ‘ On that evening,’ thou wilt say, 4 on that evening hea- ven was within my reach ; Jesus invited, and the Holy Ghost urged me ; but my pride, the fear of the world, or the love of pleasure, induced me to defer the work LECf. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 105 Narrative of young G . of my salvation, and now the door of mercy is for ever shut.’ To prevent this painful catastrophe, will you not this very evening, here in the house and presence of God, resolve that you will immediately enter upon the work of your sal- vation ; and that if you attain a suitable frame of mind, through the transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit, you will, at the approaching season of confirmation, take upon you your baptismal vows, and seek to hold a covenant re- lation to God ? That such a determination is of the utmost importance to every one that is out of Christ, can be made evident by a thousand proofs. When men have received repeated calls, and still go on in impenitence, heedless of the warn- ing voice of God, they have nothing to expect but that an arrow of destruction will soon cut them down. How many painful instances, — how many melancholy illustra- tions of this solemn truth have I witnessed during my short life ! Allow me to select, from a great number that this mo- ment occur to me, two cases that are directly in point. The one a youth by the name of G . The circumstances which I am about to mention were re- lated to me by one who knew this young man, and attended his funeral. I received no information respecting his early life, or the means of religious instruction which he enjoyed under the paternal roof. But at the period when my informant became acquainted with G , he had left the home of his childhood, and was mingling in the busy scenes of a gay and dissipated city. His manners were amiable, and his deportment apparently every way correct. The acknowledged excellencies of his character had won him the regard and esteem of a large circle of friends. He regularly attended public worship, and the solemn truths of religion had made some impression upon his mind. This was so obvious, that it became perceptible to the pastor upon whose ministration he attended. He had several interviews with him, and the fond hope began to be cherished that he would be brought speedily to a saving knowledge of the truth. But the worldly influences that were pressing upon him stifled those faint motions of 106 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IV. Continuation of young G *s narrative. spiritual life, and turned his eye away from the interests of eternity. As his seriousness passed away, he seemed to gird himself up to tread, with a more determined step, the whole round of earthly pleasure. Onward he went through all the gay and glittering scenes of fashion and amusement, forgetful of God and eternity. But a kind Heaven, that watched over him in mercy, was about to sound another note of alarm in his ear, and press upon his attention this admonition, — “ Prepare to meet thy God.” He was suddenly laid upon the bed of sickness, and brought down to the very borders of the grave. Here he had time to reflect. He bitterly lamented the career of folly he had been run- ning. He plainly saw it must end in perdition. He resolved to enter at once upon a new and religious life. The min- ister who had formerly sought to lead him to the feet of the Saviour, called at this time to see him. He faithfully warned and counselled him; and young G solemnly promised, that if his life was spared, and he was raised from that sick bed, the Lord should be his God. He was spared, he was raised up, and yet his vow was not kept. But a few weeks had elapsed after he left his sick room, before he was again immersed in the pleasures and amuse- ments of the world as much as ever. Mr. M , the minister who had been so much his friend, hearing of his return to the paths of folly, shortly called to pay him a visit. G had made a previous ar- rangement to spend the evening of that very day amid a scene of reckless gayety and dissipation. Mr. M , with the fearlessness of a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, told G that the course he was taking would ruin his soul. He reminded him of the divine declaration, “ He that be- ing often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” He told him that his broken vows and violated promises would one day rise up in judgment against him ; that if provoked much longer, God would swear in his wrath that he should never enter his rest. “ Now,” said Mr. M , with deep solemnity, “ now, my young friend, allow me to say, that I have come to you as the messenger of God. In his name I bid you escape 107 LECT. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Case of Mr. D . the coming wrath. Give yourself up at once to the Lord. If you hesitate, remember that this may be the last call that God will ever send to you.” After his departure, when G found himself alone, and thought of all the past, he could not refrain from tears, which gushed forth amid the bitterness of his soul. He could not but admit the truth of all that had been said to him ; still he was undecided. While absorbed in these re- flections, and still in this state of indecision, it was an- nounced to him that a gentleman was waiting to see him. It was one of his gay companions. He had called to make some arrangements in reference to the anticipated party. They had not been discussing their plans long, before all serious impressions were effaced from young G ’s mind, and he entered the illuminated festal-hall that evening with a light and bounding heart. But ah ! he was truly an object for angels to look down upon and weep. The last call of God had indeed reached his ear, and been rejected, and now he was going like an ox to the slaughter. In the midst of that intoxicating scene of plea- sure, where the splendid and gay costume of each passing group reflected back rays coming from an hundred bril- liant lamps, and where music poured forth her enchanting strains, in the very act of passing through the varied move- ments of a spirited waltz, young G suddenly drooped, and fell lifeless to the floor ! Though the sound of the viol was hushed, and many anxious hearts instantly gathered around to proffer aid, the extinct vital principle could not be recalled. His disembodied soul had been summoned away to stand before the bar of the Judge Eternal. The other case to which I refer was of a still more me- lancholy character. Mr. D had accumulated consi- derable property, and lived in fashionable style. He was altogether a worldly man. Though educated by a pious mother, he seemed to live only for the present. Seldom did he ever visit the house of God. Still the Lord sent one warning after another, to apprize him of the ruin that was before him, and reclaim him from his wanderings. Bat the divine admonition was unheeded. He had two sweet and interesting children. One night, while the parents were absent, both these children 108 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IV. Mr. D ’s end. perished by suffocation. And now one would have thought that these childless parents would have gone to God for comfort. But they again turned to the world, heedless of the solemn call from heaven. A Christian friend who visited the family during this season of sore trial, with the hope of directing their minds to the things of eternity, remarked, “ The parents, heed- less of this solemn warning, seemed to have encompassed themselves about with abundance of this world’s goods ; with flowers, and birds, and pictures, as if to drown the re- collection of their loss by these trifling vanities.” The Lord, still waiting to be gracious, sent them another warning. The mother of Mr. D suddenly sickened and died. This call was also unheeded. All serious thoughts were shaken off, and those places carefully avoided where religious reflection would be awakened. Thus did Mr. D , as many perhaps whom I am ad- dressing have hitherto done, turn a deaf ear to all the calls of God. The decree at length went forth, in reference to this useless cumberer in God’s vineyard, “Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?” I will here read you an extract from a letter I received immediately after this melancholy event, from one that re- sided in an adjoining house. “ My heart sickens while I write it. Mr. D died very suddenly yesterday in a delirium, and his distressed wife, crushed to the earth by this heavy blow, is laid upon a bed of sickness and agony. Preparations are now mak- ing for his funeral, which is to take place this afternoon. He was an amiable and intelligent man. The colour of the rose was ever on his cheek : and in social life, Mr. D was peculiarly pleasing and interesting. But alas, alas ! what will all this avail him now ? But ten days since he was taken with slight intermittent fever. An inflammation of the brain followed, which produced deliri- um. From this he never recovered. So that from the moment he was seriously ill to his last breath, he was not allowed even a brief interval in which to cry, ‘ God be merciful to me a sinner.’ The night previous to his death, I was awakened from my slumbers by groans and cries most heart rending. It was his ravings. His at- tendants were compelled to confine him to his bed by LECT. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 109 Covenant entered into at confirmation, everlasting. force. I cannot describe to you, nor would I if I could, the awful impression made upon my mind by what I heard that night. It seemed to me like the wailings of a lost spirit, conscious of being upon the brink of a ruined eter- nity. He seemed to be shrinking back from the realities that were just before him. I never felt more deeply the necessity of giving all diligence to make my calling and election sure. “ Oh, let me * be wise to-day ; ’tis madness to defer.’ His grave seems wrapped in tenfold darkness. Not a ray of light pierces through the thick gloom, so long as this passage stands recorded in God’s word, ‘ without holiness no man shall see the Lord.’ ” Now, I wish to say to you, my hearers, that it is very possible that I may be addressing some this evening, to whom this may be the last call that God will ever vouch- safe. In view of the facts I have stated, I would affection- ately warn you to “ flee from the wrath to come,” and seek to make your peace with God at once. 2. Remember, the covenant you enter into when renew- ing your vow is an everlasting covenant. YVe often enter upon pursuits that at first furnish us high satisfaction ; but after a short time our interest flags, and we relinquish them. YY'e often form friendships which at first promise much happiness, and from which, for a while, we realize all that we anticipated ; but a longer and more intimate acquaintance discloses defects and features of character which detract largely from the pleasures that we felt in the earlier stages of the acquaintance. All our earthly connexions and engagements are transient and mu- table ; but the vow which we make at baptism, and renew in the rite of confirmation, is a vow for time and for eter- nity ; it is a perpetual covenant, which is never to be for- gotten : what you renounce, you renounce for your whole life ; what you engage to do, you engage to do all the days of your life. There is nothing that you can ever do after confirmation that you might not do with equal propriety the next hour after receiving this solemn ordinance. The eternal One has declared, “ No man, putting his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” “ The just shall live by faith ; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” 110 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IV Illustration in the career of young B . Doubtless it is infinitely to our advantage to render oui covenant with God perpetual. The more we become ac- quainted with his character, the more we shall love, ad- mire, and adore him. The longer we continue in his ser- vice, the more delightful we shall find that service. And, unless our vow is kept inviolate, and we can claim a cove- nant relation to God, we shall not be able to meet the king of terrors with calmness. Doubtless you will not be so rash as to renew your baptismal vow without intending that it shall have an influence over all your future life. But the world is full of temptations ; and many who have set out in the right way have turned aside quicldy into the paths of folly. To induce you to resolve that the dedica- tion of yourselves to God shall be for time and eternity, and to remind you of the great importance of a Christian’s avoiding the very appearance of evil, I will give you a hasty sketch of the career of young B . The village of M had for many years been distin- guished for looseness of morals and increasing habits of irreligion. There was nothing in the physical aspect of the place that would have intimated to the passing traveller that this was the theatre of high-handed and heaven-daring iniquity. On the contrary, it seemed designed by the Cre- ator for the abode of innocence and purity. Nature, in the scenery and choice assemblage of objects she had thrown around it, had done every thing to render it one of the most chastened, and beautiful, and lovely spots in the wide amphitheatre of her works. But here depravity rioted and revelled, and iniquity held her court. This is but another proof that the fairest works of God may be polluted and marred by human guilt. At the time of which we speak, an unusual seriousness was spread over the minds of a large portion of the inha- bitants of that place. The external means by which this had been effected, was the plain and faithful preaching of the word of God. Many who had previously been extremely dissipated, had been brought to a stand, and made to pause on the brink of that awful gulf into which they were plung- ing. Among the number was young B . Highly gifted in intellectual capacity, he had devoted his juvenile days to studies which had both enriched and adorned his mind. He had been drawn into the vortex of dissipation by the infec- LECT. 1V.J THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Ill B ’s narrative continued. tious example of those with whom he associated. The remonstrance, and counsel, and tears of an affectionate mother could not deter him from visiting the revel, or withdraw him from the party convened for the purpose of deep and midnight gaming. But now he was missing from the revel. There was a night his voice did not swell the tide of profaneness that rolled through that profligate company. That night he was alone in his chamber, crushed to the earth by a sense of sin, and pouring out his soul to God in penitence, and prayer, and supplication. From thenceforward his vicious companions were abandoned, and in their place was sought the society of the people of God. To all who were in- terested in the cause of righteousness, the marked change wrought in the habits of this young man was a subject of unfeigned joy. There was rejoicing in the church below, as well as among the angels of heaven, in witnessing the prodigal son in the act of returning to his father’s house. Every pious heart throbbed with a new emotion of thank- fulness in beholding one so young and so full of promise turning from the paths of vice, misery, and destruction, and giving himself up to God. The occasion on which he publicly testified, in the so- lemn ordinance of confirmation, his determination to turn from every evil way, and devote himself to the service of God, was one that will long be remembered by the inhabit- ants of M . At that time there were many around the chancel, who, a few months before, had been companions in scenes of deep and daring wickedness. Now on their knees, all penitent and broken-hearted, they were vowing eternal allegiance to the most high God. Among that group, none appeared more humble, none more interesting than young B- . The eyes of many parents were dim with tears, but the emotions of no heart in that assembly were more deep and unutterable than those of his pious and affectionate mother. The ardent prayer she had so often breathed to heaven seemed now answered. None but a mother, and a mother who has seen an only and darl- ing child sporting on the very brink of endless ruin, and just when hope was expiring, has seen that child re- claimed, can conceive her feelings. For more than a year B seemed unshaken in his 112 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IV. Termination of young B ’s career. resolutions. His conduct was in all respects exemplary, and he appeared truly devoted to God. Business at length threw him in the way of his former associates. By de- grees the intimacy that once subsisted was renewed. From that time his religious character began to decline. At first the change was so gradual, that it was unknown to himself. Some time elapsed before he consented to be- come one in their party of pleasure. But that time did come ; and from that hour, he rapidly and fearfully re- lapsed. He now went to far greater excess than ever. Business was neglected. His property was soon spent in dissipation. His mother died of a broken heart. He at length left the scene of his early dissipation, and sought a residence in a city in a remote part of the union. A number of years subsequent, one who had known him in his early and better days, on a visit to that city, acci- dentally heard there was dying in a miserable hut in the neighbourhood, a man who had formerly resided in the village of M . He immediately called, and found, amid rags and wretchedness, stretched on the bed of death, the once young and talented, but now fallen and for ever ruined B ! The dying man recognised his early friend. The recollections of the past were all bitter, and the pros- pect before him was dark and comfortless. His friend endeavoured to soothe him by directing his attention to the merciful Jesus, who was able and willing to pardon the chiefest of sinners. His reply was firm, and accom- panied with all the calmness of fixed despair. “It is too late,” said he, “to talk of pardon. To be pardoned we must be penitent. I am not penitent. I have lived in dissipation and guilt up to the present hour ; and if I was again restored, I feel confident I should return to my former practices. For though standing on the brink of hell, with eternity yawning upon me, I love them still. I still have the heart of a rebel. There was a time when I might have been saved. I once entered into cove- nant with God. That was the happiest time of my life. It was the only happiness that I ever enjoyed. O that I had then clung to the cross, and kept my vow. Then I should not have run this foolish career of guilt. Then I should not have plunged a dagger into that kind bosom upon which I was pillowed in infancy. Then I should LECT. IV.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 113 Closing catastrophe. not have had to have made my bed in hell, and dwelt amid everlasting burnings. But now it is too late. I die in despair.” These were his last words ! How awful his end ! What a solemn admonition is this to you, that the cove- nant which you are about to renew is an everlasting cove- nant, never to be forgotten ! 114 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. f LECT. V. Hazael’s interview with Elisha. LECTURE V. THE VOW OF RENUNCIATION. Creatures no more divide my choice, I bid them all depart. — Though the capital of Syria was situated far to the east of the remote northern boundary of the Holy Land, the name of Elisha was not unknown there. The wondrous cure that he had effected upon the leprous Naaman gave to him a notoriety that would not soon pass away. Years had elapsed ; another general occupied the place of Naa- man, and Syria had repeatedly rolled the crimson tide of battle over the fields of Pales'ire ; still the memory of the man of God was cherished with the highest reverence. But now the Syrian monarch was stretched upon the bed of sickness ; and hearing that Elisha was about to pay a visit to Damascus, he sent Hazael, the captain of his host, and prime minister, to tender to him every mark of respect, and make inquiries of him in reference to the issue of his present illness. The prophet, having replied to his inquiries, fixed his eye upon Hazael with an inten- sity of gaze, that quite discomposed and embarrassed the Syrian general. Though Hazael would have shrunk away from this searching look, he could not; for the keen piercing eye of Elisha was still riveted upon him. At length, the prophet’s countenance became more expressive of grief than displeasure, and tears of anguish in torrents coursed down his manly cheeks. Hazael’s curiosity was now all awake to know the cause of these various emotions, and he therefore in- quired : “ Why weepest my lord?” And Elisha answered, “ Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel.” He then proceeded to inform him, that looking into the LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 115 Unrenewed persons compared to Hazael. future he perceived that he would become the successor of the present Syrian monarch, and exercise the most horrid and heaven-daring cruelties upon God’s chosen people. And Hazael said, “ But what, is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing?” My hearers, the minister of Jesus Christ who stands up in the midst of an audience of impenitent men, has greater reason to weep than Elisha had. With the lamp of God which he holds in his hand, throwing its rays of light over that audience, what does he not see ? Those hearts that appear to the natural eye lovely and attractive, he sees, by the light of divine truth, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. And like Hazael, unrenewed sinners are totally ignorant of their own character, and the prevailing dispositions of their heart. They are ready to exclaim, Am I a dog, that I should be supposed to possess such guilt and vileness? Perhaps there is no stronger proof, nor one more demonstrably evincive of the corrup- tion of our moral nature, and the absolute necessity of an entire and radical change of heart, than the different views which men entertain of themselves anterior and subsequent to an illumination from above. Until men are thus enlightened, they have very elevated views of themselves. Their great desire and constant study is self-exaltation. To give consequence to them- selves, to justify their own conduct, and gain the admira- tion of their fellow-men, seems to be the great and exclu- sive object for which they live and labour. Hence we see how quick they are to resent injuries, how susceptible of flattery, and how readily they become inflated with super- ciliousness and pride. But when the scales drop from the eyes of an unregenerate sinner, when God takes away the veil from his heart, and the light of divine truth darts in upon his mind, as he turns his gaze inward upon himself, his first exclamation is, undean , unclean , “ wo is me /” And then when, by the aid of the same divine light, he looks up to the Eternal, and beholds in contrast the stain- less purity of His character, the words that rise sponta- neous to his lips will be those of an eastern patriarch : “ I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” “ Wo is me, for I am a man of un- 116 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V. Consideration of the vow of renuno a'Jon. clean lips, and dwell in die midst of a people of unclean lips.” The first ray of divine light that dawns upon the dark- ened soul of the sinner will reveal to him the unquestion- able fact, that all is wrong with him. His heart is wrong, his affections wrong, his pursuits wrong, and the objects of his attachment are wrong. There must be a great, en- tire, universal renunciation. Sin must be renounced ; self must be renounced; every thing that is hostile to God must be renounced. It is remarked by a writer upon the antiquities of the Christian church, that three things were indispensably re- quired of Catechumens, before they were admitted to the ordinance of baptism : “ A formal and solemn renunciation of the devil, — a profession of faith made in the words of some received creed, — and a promise or engagement to live in obedience to Christ, or by the laws and rules of the Christian religion.” They who are acquainted with our baptismal service will instantly perceive that these are precisely the three things required of those who stand before the font to receive the baptismal water. Those qualifications which constitute one a fit subject for this ordinance are comprehended in these three requirements ; and these will form the three great divisions under which we shall consider the qualifications of fitness for the ordi- nance of confirmation. In the first place, then, we are to consider the vow of renunciation. The candidate who presents himself to receive the waters of baptism is not permitted to approach the sacred font until interrogated as to his present views and future purposes, until he has “ professed a good profession before many witnesses.” The first question proposed is, “ Dost thou renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow nor be led by them.” The candidate’s reply is, “ I renounce them all, and by God’s help will endeavour not to follow, nor be led by them.” _ They who are confirmed voluntarily and cor- dially make this same renunciation. For the inquiry is put to each one of them, “ Do ye here, in the presence of God, 117 LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. The object of this lecture. and of this congregation, renew the solemn promise and vow that ye made, or that was made in your name at your baptism, ratifying and confirming the same, and acknow- ledging yourselves bound to believe and to do all those things which ye then undertook, or your sponsors then undertook for you ?” And the audible answer of each one is, “/ DO” The first qualification required of those who present themselves to receive the imposition of hands, then, is “a death unto sin.” There must be an open, frank, cordial, and eternal renunciation of sin, and the author of it. This renunciation, to be acceptable with God, must not be sim- ply the declaration of the lips. The honest feelings of the heart must prompt us to say, “ I renounce the devil, and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that by the help of God I will endeavour not to follow nor be led by them.” Now, if we make this re- nunciation cordially, understandingly, and with full pur- pose of heart to abide for ever by what we aver, looking unto God for his heavenly grace to enable us to keep the solemn promise and vow, we may indeed be regarded as being “ dead unto sin,” and as having received the great blessing of the gospel in being “turned away from our iniquity.” The object of the present lecture will be to explain and illustrate this vow of renunciation, so far as relates to exter- nal agencies and things. We pledge ourselves to renounce, or rather we declare that we have renounced, “ the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world.” In this declaration there is recognised separate evil in- fluences exerted upon us from two distinct quarters. It is true that the works of the devil comprehend whatever is contrary to religion and good morals, whatever God for- bids, every sin of every kind. And it is also true, that the Scriptures ascribe all sin to the agency of the devil, and consider every sort of wickedness appropriately denomi- nated his work. For every sort of wickedness is often suggested by him, and always acceptable to him ; and therefore may be considered so much service done, and obedience paid to him. The subsequent clauses, there- I IS THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V Power of the devil. fore, following this annunciation, “ I renounce the devil and all his works,” are a mere amplification of what is there avowed, and they do not strictly contain any thing but what is comprehended in that clause. Still there is an ad- vantage in considering that which we -are to renouuce under three distinct heads. Whatever we do amiss pro- ceeds either from the secret suggestions of an invisible enemy, from the temptations thrown in our way by the visible objects around us, or from the bad disposition of our own nature. That is, from the devil , the world , or the flesh . Our attention in the present lecture is to be confined to a consideration of the evil influences that emanate from the first two named sources, the devil and the world. 1 . I renounce the devil. There is but one Being in the wide universe that acts entirely independent of all othei beings, and that Being is the uncreated, self-existent, and all perfect God. But yet there is a class of beings, and they constitute a multitude which no man can number, who stand above the reach of the seductive influence of-apostate spirits, and over whose pure and God-like nature, the visible objects of the mate- rial universe can exert no malign or deadly spell. But it is far different with the moral and intelligent beings that dwell on this earth. There are two reasons for this. The one is, that mankind are sinful beings, and the other that they are in a state of trial. Now from the very circumstance that mankind are in a sinful state, Satan has an almost unlimited control over them. The bonds of corruption which are around them when they come into the world, are the meshes and toils of the net in which they are taken, and with which he ex- pects to drag them down to the shore of the burning lake. Man’s love of sin renders him an easy prey to the enemy of his soul. For though this enemy is continually tra- versing the earth, seeking whom he may devour, his ap- pearance is always under the deceptive form of an angel of light. He studies continually to know what will please the human heart. And through that pleasing me- dium he conveys to our inmost soul the deadly poison of sin. The first and most frequent falsehood which he endea- LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 119 Renunciation of the devil. vours to fasten upon the minds of men is, that he doeS^pt exist ; that there is no devil. If he can make them belief this, he feels confident that he shall be able to carry on and consummate, unopposed and unresisted, his plans of de- struction. But as long as the Bible is regarded as the work of God, all who are not absolutely mad and infa- tuated must admit that there is a fearful apostate spirit walking the earth, seeking whom he may devour. And, alas ! as we have already intimated, our eyes are so blinded, and our whole moral nature so disordered by sin, that we become willing confederates with this infernal leader, in acts of rebellion against heaven’s Sovereign ; acts of rebel- lion which musj ultimately involve us in the flames of hell. We can hardly estimate or compute the amount of bad influence which he exerts over the minds of men, and this often too while they are all unconscious of its source. He possesses the power of enticing us just in the same way that wicked men do, only much more effectually. We know that one man may tempt another by bringing before him enticements corresponding to his frailties. So Satan may present to the mind ideas and images which are suited and have a tendency to call into action the bad dispositions and desires of the persons tempted. But when we make a profession of religion in the ordi- nance of adult baptism, or renew that profession in the rite of confirmation, we renounce Satan. This has been prau tised from the earliest ages of Christianity. In the primi- tive church this renunciation was accompanied with many striking and significant ceremonies. The candidate for baptism, standing before many witnesses, with his face turned to the west, — the point in the heavens where the natural sun disappears, and darkness, the emblem and type of Satan, comes rolling in sable gloom over the earth, — publicly, distinctly, and with violence of gesticulation, re- nounced the devil for ever and ever. From that moment, every bond of union, every connexion, every relation be- tween him and the powers of darkness was considered as severed and broken. And just in the same manner, we have a right to expect that they who present themselves for confirmation have broken every connexion that once held them under the power and dominion of this prince of evil. In this very 120 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V. Renunciation of the vanities of the world. act of public renunciation they declare an eternal war with him. It is therefore presumed that this warfare has pre- viously commenced ; that they have already taken their stand to resist the devil ; that they have determined to fol- low another and a new leader ; that under his heavenly conduct and guidance, they are determined to watch unto prayer lest they enter into temptation ; that they have done with Satan for ever ; that they will be no more his bond slaves. They renounce him and his works ; pride, envy, malice, and all that host of evil passions which are roused and kept alive by the secret influence and agency of that invisible enemy. 2. We declare that we renounce “ the pomps and vani- ties of the world.” No one of reflection can look into society, without 'seeing that there are in the world two classes of men, living and labouring for two entirely different and distinct objects. The one class, which are comparatively few in number, seem living only for eternity. Their minds appear to be fixed upon some distant invisible good. They seem ready to make any sacrifices, which, if not made, would interfere with that object, or to undergo any labour that will contri- bute to its attainment. The other class are manifestly liv- ing just for the present. Whatever promises to make them happy at once, is regarded as their chief good. All the means of being happy which the present life offers, they deem it their wisdom to secure. Self-idolatry is the besetting sin of our fallen nature. To be admired, and regarded as something more than human, is the envied height at which the corrupt heart is always aiming. And all the glitter and show, all the pomp and pageantry which any individual ever drew around him, were invented to gratify this wicked propensity of the cor- rupt human heart. We see at once, therefore, the pro- priety of renouncing these things, which are a part of that extended machinery through which Satan operates to de- stroy the souls of men. In renouncing the pomps and vani- ties of the world, we renounce all the evil influences that may emanate upon us from that quarter ; whether these influences come from the example, the customs, the maxims, amusements, or pursuits of the world. The heathen world had its idolatrous pomps, its public tECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 121 Character of true renunciation. spectacles, and its immoral vanities. These, the early Christians publicly and specifically renounced. The mis- called Christian world is full of things from which the Chris- tian must utterly abstain, if he would save his soul. For it is equally true, now as formerly, that the whole world lieth in wickedness . In this solemn act of renunciation, therefore, we renounce all methods of being powerful or popular, inconsistent with our integrity : all arts of being agreeable at the expense or hazard of our innocence : all ways of encroaching on the property of others, and all immoderate desires of adding to our own. All diversions, entertainments, and acquaint- ances that have a tendency to hurt our morals, or our piety ; all disposition to make common custom the rule of our conduct, without considering whether it be right or wrong ; the practice of filling up our time in such a man- ner either with business or amusements, be they ever so innocent, as not to leave room for the main business of life, the improvement of our hearts in piety, the serious exercise of religion, and a principal attention to the great concerns of eternity. These are the things in which consists “ that friendship of the world which is enmity with God and these are the things which we renounce. Now we may make this renunciation with our lips, while our hearts, all unchanged, are still under the influ- ence of Satan, and completely wedded to the vain pomp and glitter of earth. Such a profession will be mockery in the sight of heaven, and will only augment our guilt, and increase our condemnation. Yet there are those who de- ceive themselves in this way, who utter solemn vows, and pledge their veracity before the altar of Jehovah, for a course of conduct which they never expect to pursue. This, in many instances, they do ignorantly, because a de- ceived heart has blinded and perverted the judgment. To illustrate my meaning, and show you the danger of making a profession of religion, without a previous under- standing of what you bind yourself to renounce, I will give you a rapid sketch of the history of one, whose errors may serve to impart salutary admonition and warning. All who have passed a summer in New York know how delightful it is to leave, even for a few hours, the dust, and noise, and heat of the city, and in some retired, rural spot, 122 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V. Descant on a country village. to inhale the fresh air, and gaze upon the surrounding beauty and verdure of the quiet fields. Hence, during the hot months of summer, the inhabitants of that great com- mercial city are seen travelling in every direction, in quest of those simple enjoyments which all the gathered luxuries of the globe and the wealth of nations cannot furnish. During this season, all the neighbouring villages are filled to overflowing, and many a retired, quiet little town, where all the rest of the year things keep on in the same uniform course, then assumes for a brief space the aspect of fashion and gayety. During the summer of 1830, 1 was spending a few weeks, for the benefit of my health, in a retired country village situated on the banks of the Hudson. There was much in the cool limpid springs that gushed from the rocks, the in- vigorating mountain air, the scenery that spread in bold majesty around, embracing in its ample sweep every fea- ture of beauty and sublimity ; presenting to view, dark, far stretching forests, rich cultivated fields, distant mountains lifting up their heads to the clouds, in all the gigantic di- mensions of the pillars of the universe ; and then the waters of the broad Hudson rolling on in majesty, and bearing a hundred sails to the ocean ; there was much in all these surrounding objects to lift the heart to God. But as from day to day I looked to behold the evidences of piety, I was strikingly reminded of a verse in Heber’s beautiful hymn : “ What though the spicy breezes Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle; Though every prospect pleases, And only man is vile : In vain with lavish kindness The gifts of God are strown ; The heathen in his blindness Bows down to wood and stone.” it is true that the people around me were not avowed heathen, and did not literally bow down before wood and »*tone ; but a large proportion of them appeared as unmind- m 1 of the God of Heaven as the inhabitants of Hindostan, &nd paid their homage to no other being but mammon. There were a few souls there, however, who remem- LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 123 Proceedings in the village of S . bered the Most High, and made frequent mention of his name. It was pleasant, amid so much prevailing indiffer- ence and irreligion, to find some whose hearts were filled with the love of God. By their request I frequently preached in the place, during my temporary stay there. At first, there was but a handful gathered together ; but soon there was as many as could be well accommodated in the house. The place of our meeting was a plain Metho- dist church ; and from time to time I perceived among those who frequented these assemblies people of fashion, whose gay costume and whole appearance showed they belonged to the city, and that they stopped here merely for purposes of retirement and health. It was my desire and endeavour on these occasions to pro- claim the plain fundamental truths of the gospel. It did not appear at the time that any particular benefits resulted from these efforts. And when I left this village, I did not know that any soul had been improved by my residence there. More than three months had elapsed ; I was actively engaged in the various pastoral duties connected with a large city congregation. One day, a carriage drove to my door, and a stranger was announced, as desirous to see me. The circumstance excited no surprise, as it was one of al- most daily occurrence. Scarcely a day passes in New York in which the Christian minister is not called upon to perform some parochial duty for those whom he has never before seen, and whom he will never again meet. This stranger, however, desired the privilege of a private audi- ence ; when he briefly informed me that he had called to request me to pay a visit to a sister of his, who was sink- ing rapidly down to death. Many years since she had made a profession of religion, but now she felt wretched and almost in a state of despair. And her present feelings she in some measure attributed to a sermon she had heard from me, during the preceding summer, in the village of I immediately stepped into the carriage, and soon reached one of the most fashionable parts of the city. There, as I entered a princely mansion, and passed through its elegant drawing-rooms, fitted up by their decorations and furniture with a degree of splendour and style that would have graced 124 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V. Visit to Mrs. M . a palace, I felt how awfully responsible was my situation, and could not but lift up my heart in secret to God, that he would enable me to speak out the plain, unvarnished truth , that he would deliver me from that “ fear of man which bringeth a snare.” I was at length conducted to the cham- ber of Mrs. M . My first impression was that of sad disappointment. Every thing looked totally unlike what I had ever before seen in a sick room. In the rooms occupied by Mrs. M , there was a small elegant couch, which was the only thing that indicated that these rooms were the apart- ments of an invalid. In all other respects these apartments bore the appearance of magnificent and costly drawing- rooms. Mrs. M , who was sitting in an easy chair, rose to receive me with all the assumed cheerfulness of one who was welcoming a fashionable guest to the hospitalities of her house. My heart sickened within me at this pomp and parade. The reflection instantly rose to my mind, How sad it is, that the thoughts of a poor, dying creature, who, in a few days will stand before the bar of God, should be occupied with such trifles and vanities! Yet Mrs. M was truly a kind, amiable, and lovely woman. And all this parade was rather the result of habit than of any studied arrangement. Determined to be faithful to my Master, I told Mrs. M I made this visit in compliance with her request, and should deem myself happy, could I in any way contri- bute to the promotion and furtherance of her eternal salva- tion. I was struck with the sudden change which her coun- tenance and whole demeanour underwent. She no longer sat before me as one studying to make herself agreeable by the usual artifices of etiquette and form, but as a plain, simple-hearted woman, occupied with one great and en- grossing subject. That single remark seemed to have called up before her, in an instant, all the unseen realities of the eternal world. With deep feeling and half choked utterance she re- plied, — “I do need the prayers and counsel of some one to direct me to the way of life.” I then begged her to tell me what her present feelings were, and give me a brief sketch of the past. LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 125 Mrs. M ’s experience. “ The reason I sent for you,” said she, “ was that I heard a strange sermon from you at S , last summer, and I have never been at ease since.” “ And what was there strange in the sermon ?” said I. “ I know not,” she replied, “ but the same things had before been proclaimed in my hearing, but they never till then struck me in that light. I was spending several weeks at S , and hearing that there was to be preaching at the Methodist chapel, merely to obtain some variety in the mo- notonous mode of life I was spending, I determined to go. Your sermon took in these several subjects ; the utter depravity of mankind ; the need of an entire moral renova- tion ; the operation of the Holy Spirit in accomplishing this work; and justification alone by faith in Christ. You stated, in broad terms, that the most amiable and virtuous were ‘ by nature the children of wrath,’ and that unless they were changed by the renewing grace of God, and led to build all their hopes upon Christ crucified, they would go down to drink for ever the wrath of Jehovah. You then described the feelings and views of one brought into a state of justification and life. 1 felt that I knew nothing about such a state. The thought troubled me. I tried to get rid of the impression. I said to myself, this is all rant and enthusiasm. “ But still, I know not why, I felt alarmed about myself. What I had heard occurred to me after I returned home. I repeated my prayers as usual, and tried to sleep ; but sleep fled from my eyes. The thought was constantly darting in upon mind, and the sound ringing in my ear, you are on the way to ruin. Several days had now passed by, and the uneasiness I had at first felt had in some mea- sure subsided, when returning from a morning’s walk, I carelessly threw myself on the sofa, at one end of which I found a tract. To pass away a few idle moments, I began to read it. Soon my attention became riveted. Precisely the same views I had heard in your sermon were set forth. 1 could not but say to myself, surely what so many are try- ing to inculcate as truth deserves an examination, I will, therefore, look seriously into the matter. “ As soon as I returned to the city, however, I again be- gan to move in the same track of gayety, and to figure in the same circles of fashion. But being suddenly seized *2 126 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V. Second visit to Mrs. M . with an inflammation in the lungs, my physician told me I must not think of venturing out again during the fall or winter. This restriction somewhat alarmed me, and I de- termined that I would avail myself of the present season to examine the foundation of my hopes. I accordingly be- gan to read the Bible with a direct reference to the truth or falsehood of the doctrines that had troubled me, but with the full hope and expectation that I should find all my ap- prehensions put to rest. I soon perceived, however, that those obnoxious doctrines were plainly taught in the sacred volume. The conclusion which then irresistibly fixed itself upon my mind was- I am all wrong, and shall be eternally ruined. The more I read the Bible, the more I was convinced of this. “ As to my health, what at first appeared temporary dis- ease has now acquired the fixed character of pulmonary affection. I see that I am soon to die, and I feel that I am all unprepared. I am now convinced that the doctrines you preached are true. My own vileness, and guilt, and ruin, now stare me in the face. And I have sent for you, to inquire whether you think that there is any hope, that one whose sins are so numberless as mine can attain to a state of justification in Christ ?” Such was the substance of the communication I received at the first interview. On a second visit, Mrs. M gave me some account of her early history, and the manner in which she was led to make a profession of religion. It was in a season of affliction and sore bereavement. Her beloved mother had been torn from the family circle, and committed to the silent sepulchre. Grief had rived Mrs. M ’s heart. Already was she clad in the habili- ments of mourning, and by the usages of society would be excluded for many months from the scenes of gayety and fashion. The minister of God counselled her to seek re- lief and solace in the consolations of religion. Under the influence of these feelings, and without a single adequate idea of the nature or evil of sin, or of the need of a Saviour, she united with the church, and was admitted to its ordi- nances. As her grief subsided, the love of the world re- turned. Soon she entered the giddy circle of pleasure, and there was no scene of amusement in a dissipated city, from the theatre to the card party, in which she did not 127 LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Mrs. M- — -’s review of her life. make a conspicuous figure. Adverting to this, she re- marked, “ Though I had solemnly professed to renounce the pomps and vanities of the world, and was month after month approaching the table of the Lord, I was all the time living this vain, wicked, pleasure-taking life. Indeed, while I was still in darkness, the inconsistency of my con- duct appeared so palpable to me, that I determined that I would approach the communion table no more. What led me to this determination was the following incident: I had just returned from church, where I had been participating in the solemn ordinance of the Lord’s supper, when a ser- vant came in, and by an act of carelessness broke an orna- ment standing on the mantle-piece. I rebuked her in a tone of highly irritated feeling. My husband, who did not profess to be a religious man, laughingly said to me, ‘ I do not see but you religious people are as quickly ruffled, and are as much attached to the pomps and vanities of the world, as the rest of us.’ I felt that this was a stinging reproof ; but it was productive of no other result than the angry determination that I would no more partake of the sacrament. O, it is wonderful that I am yet in the land of the living, and that God’s wrath has not been poured out upon me to the uttermost. And, alas ! I fear there are many in this gay city living in the same way that I was, and under the same fatal delusion. Why do not ministers tell them the truth more plainly?” At a third interview, when the first rays of hope be- gan to dawn upon her troubled soul, while the ravages of disease were making rapid advances towards the seat of life, she remarked, “ If I should attain this great blessing — justification through the blood of Christ — if, in the infinite mercy of God, I should be taken up into heaven, and placed with the followers of the Lamb — Oh, if through the blood of Jesus, I shall be rescued from the darkness of the pit and the prison of despair, I feel confident that through all eter- nity I shall look back with new ascriptions of praise to God that I ever heard those plain gospel truths from your lips. I have troubled you much, and I trust that the Sa- viour will recompense you for all your kindness. I have one more favour to ask. — Repeatedly have I desecrated the holy symbols of the broken and bleeding body of Jesus, by 128 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. V The closing scene. receiving that sacrament in a state of unregeneracy and sin. I now feel that I have renounced the devil and all his works. 1 think I see the emptiness of all the vain pomp and glitter of the world. I feel” (and these words were spoken with a pathos and depth of feeling of which I can convey no conception), “I feel, O how deeply do I feel, the need of a Saviour ! And when I am told that he came to save the chiefest of sinners, I cannot but hope that his eye will rest in compassion upon me. I hope I feel, in some slight degree, the preciousness of Christ ; and if it can be — if such a vile and worthless worm may think of so bold an approach to the feet of Jehovah — I do desire once more before I die to receive, with just views of the nature of this ordinance, the hallowed memorial of my Saviour’s dying love. I have apprized my pastor of this intention, and he has named to-morrow as a convenient time. He desires you to be present, and you will confer a peculiar favour upon me by complying with this request. I desire to eat this last passover in the same company with you ; and I pray to God that this may be a token and pledge that we shall ultimately sit down together at the blessed feast of the Lamb.” At the appointed time I went to witness and participate in the interesting solemnity that was to take place in the chamber of death. The family and near friends were as- sembled. In the two communicating rooms there might have been as many as twenty individuals. At a considera- ble distance from the bed sat Mr. M , apparently be- numbed with grief, his head bent over, and his face buried in his hands. The children were near their father : they were young, and they looked around with an inquiring gaze, as though they were ready to ask the meaning of the signs of sorrow and grief which they beheld on every side; for many eyes were streaming with tears. Yet, through all this melancholy group, there was the stillness and silence of death. Mrs. M appeared beautiful and lovely as she lay stretched on the bed of death. There was a slight hectic flush upon her cheek, and an unearthly lustre in her eye, as she silently and meekly gazed around upon the company, and then looked towards the table on which were placed the elements that were soon to be con- secrated. LECT. V.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 129 Application of the foregoing case. The service commenced, and its usual solemn effect was produced. Mrs. M remained silent and singularly- composed through the whole scene. After she had par- taken of the sacred elements, her eyes were closed, the hectic flush was gone, and tears gushed forth in torrents from between the closed lids, and rolled down her marble cheeks. After the administration of the ordinance, we all for a while sat in silence. At length I went to take my leave. As I approached the bed, Mrs. M extended her feeble hand, with a smile that seemed full of peace and eternal blessedness, and softly whispered, “We meet in heaven.” It was the last time I ever saw her. The next day she expired, calmly confiding in the Saviour. The use I wish to make of the account I have given you, is, to direct your attention to the fact that persons do sometimes renounce the devil and the pomps of the world by profession , when in truth they are the slaves of sin and of Satan. You see that such a renunciation with the lips will not make you a Christian ; will not bring you peace in a dying hour ; will not bring you into a state of recon- ciliation with God. It must be a hearty and real renunci- ation ; yon must die unto sin. The act of renunciation must come from the bottom of the heart; it must be the work of the Holy Spirit, slaying the enmity of the carnal mind, and purifying your souls by his sacred influence. In this matter, then, let me entreat you to look continu- ally to God, with this hearty desire, “ Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 130 THE PASTOR'S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. St. Paul’s fortitude instanced. LECTURE VI. VOW OF RENUNCIATION. " Whom have I in heaven but thee 1 and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee .” — From the 73 d Psalm. W e are informed that during one of St. Paul’s tours to Jerusalem, he stopped a short time at Cesarea ; and that while there, “ there came down from Judea a certain pro- phet named Agabus. And he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Lord, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” Upon hearing this, the companions of this eminent herald of the cross, together with the disciples that were at Cesarea, earnestly besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. But he, having previously counted the cost, regarded his life as nothing in comparison with the salvation of souls, and the extension of the Redeemer’s kingdom. His prompt reply, therefore, was, “ What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart ? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus.” The candidates for confirmation, who have been attend- ing this series of lectures, have, I trust, already so far felt their need of a Saviour, that they will not be shaken in their resolution, or deterred from their purpose of devoting themselves to his service, from a view of the sacrifices they must make, and the attachments they must necessarily sur- render in becoming his disciples. To every temptation of Satan, to every secret suggestion of their own evil hearts, and to every argument offered by their worldly friends to dissuade them from this solemn consecration of themselves to the service of Christ, they will promptly answer, ‘ What mean ye, thus to sport with my immorti well-being, and LECT. VI. J THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 131 Scope of the renunciation. throw hindrances in my path to eternal glory ? I am ready not to make these sacrifices only, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ They whose minds are enlightened with wisdom from on high, cannot fail to adopt these sentiments. They will naturally be led to inquire, What would not the lost soul that has gone down to drink the cup of trembling for ever Ir—and ever — what would not that soul give for the salvation of the gospel ? Those very pomps and vanities of the world — those sinful desires of the flesh, which it was called upon to renounce, have borne it down to the gates of eter- nal death, and plunged it into the fiery gulf ! How bitterly will the lost soul, when chained down to the bottom of the fiery pit, curse those lying vanities which led it forward, deaf to the voice of a beseeching God, that called upon it to turn from the pathway of destruction ! What a mere nothing will all the sacrifices that Christianity now re- quires then appear ! In the preceding lecture, our attention was directed to what the candidate for confirmation was called upon to re- nounce. And we entered so far upon the consideration of the vow of renunciation, which is made in that solemn ordinance, as related to external agencies and things. Having explained what it is to “ renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world,” we are on the present occasion to consider what is compre- hended in the remainder of this vow of renunciation, “ with all covetous desires of the same , and the sinful de- sires of the flesh , so that we will not follow nor he led by them.” We may make a formal and external renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and train our outward acts into a partial consistency with this profession, while the heart is still “in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of in- quity.” But to have this renunciation acceptable to God, there must be a thorough and radical change in the inner man. If the vain pomps and glory of the world are to be given up before we can become Christians, it is not enough to re- nounce these by profession ; it is not enough to throw them aside so as not to have any visible connexion with them. The heart must no longer turn with secret desire 132 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Scope of the renunciation. towards them. There must not only be a renunciation of these, but of “ all covetous desires of the same.” The heart must be radically changed and renewed. This is evident from the fact, that until such a change does occur, “ the sinful desires of the flesh ” will preponderate and pre- vail. “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” And what is this carnal mind ? Is it not another name for what in the vow of renunciation is denominated the “ sin- ful desires of the flesh,” the inclinations of our corrupt na- ture, which are drawing us perpetually contrary to the will of God? Before we can say in truth, “I renounce the sinful desires of the flesh,” this carnal mind must be taken away, and we must have a new heart. So that every one who makes this vow of renunciation professes to have a new heart ; a heart that has been purified by the Holy Spirit ; a heart that has implanted in it the love of God ; a heart that recoils from sin under every form, and is fully resolved to have no more to do with it for ever. The question is frequently put to members of our church, whether they believe in a change of heart? Here is the answer to this question. No one ever becomes a member of this church, until he has solemnly declared before earth and heaven, that he has renounced the sinful desires of the flesh. If, therefore, any man whose heart is not changed, stands up and makes this declaration, he stands before God with a lie upon his lips. “ If the sinful desires of the flesh” be really renounced, the man is a “ new creature.” He is what he was not by nature. He has a new heart. He abhors what he once loved. He takes pleasure and delight in what he once shunned and dreaded. His great anxiety now is, to walk so as to please God, to do nothing to offend him, or alien- ate his favour. And these heavenly desires have been wrought in him by the power of the Holy Ghost. Not only does this part of the vow of renunciation imply that we have been born again, but it is a positive declara- tion that it is our fixed purpose, that none of the evil passions or propensities of our corrupt nature, which still remain with us, shall be permitted to sway or influence our conduct. Though these remains of depravity si ill linger in our bosoms, and are every now and then spring- ing up to gain the ascendency over us, we do not intend LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 133 Encouragement to make it. “ to follow nor be led by them.” They are not our ac- knowledged guides. We renounce them. We desire never to be influenced by them. We renounce every thought, purpose, and feeling that lifts itself up against God, every inclination that is con- trary to his will, every gratification that even by its remote consequences would cause us to transgress the divine law. We therefore renounce every thing which would inflame corrupt passions, injure the health, or lead to prodigality and wastefulness either of property or time : all sloth, in- dolence, luxury, and pampering of the body : all wanton- ness, impurity, indelicacy, both of thought and action, with whatever tempts to it : all vanity, self-conceit, immo- derate anger, ill temper, hard heartedness, and repining at the good of others, or at our own disadvantages ; in short, whatever dispositions of soul are dishonourable to God, prejudicial to our neighbour, or unreasonable in them- selves. All these are renounced under the head of “ sin- ful desires of the flesh.” The renunciation here contemplated necessarily implies that godly sorrow for sin which worketh repentance unto salvation ; and it comes in my way here to add, that such a repentance is among the indispensable qualifications for confirmation. This ordinance is based upon the implied ground that there is an inward work of grace commenced in the soul of its recipients, and that there is on their part a full purpose and fixed determination to live a holy and godly life. They solemnly, unreservedly, and eternally abjure sin. In view of this solemn vow, let not the true penitent, though timid and hesitating, be alarmed, or prevented from assuming it. Christ will have all those whom he owns take upon them this vow. Let it be understood that he who makes this renunciation does not declare that the tempta- tions of the devil shall never beset or molest him, but that he will not knowingly or willingly yield to them. He does not declare that the vain show of the world shall never ap- pear attractive or inviting, or that the remains of corruption within him shall never awaken unholy desires, and incli- nations to evil ; but that he will not cherish those desires, yield to those inclinations, or allow the deceptive illusions of the world to draw him away from God. He utterly 134 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Reasonableness of this vow. renounces these influences, and no longer acknowledges them as principles of action. His language is, “ I re- nounce them all ; I will not knowingly or intentionally yield to them. Conscious that I am weak, and unable to per- form these things in my own strength, I come to God for divine assistance. By his help, I will endeavour not to follow nor be led by them.” You see that this promise is made in humble dependence upon God’s grace ; and a pledge is given, that we will con- stantly use our best endeavours to avoid whatever is con- trary to the Bible and the will of God. Looking at our own weakness, we might well say, who is sufficient for these things ? But looking at him in whom all fulness dwells, we can add, “ Through Christ which strength- eneth me, I can do all things.” Is there any thing unreasonable in this vow of renuncia- tion ? Does not sin of every kind lower and degrade the character? Is it not our highest interest to abjure the devil and all his works ? Has not God a right to the love and service of his creatures ? Do not the Scriptures affirm, that unless our hearts be converted to God, unless we abandon sin, unless we exercise true repentance, we can never enter the kingdom of heaven? In asking you whether you will make this vow of renunciation, then, I am not simply asking you whether you intend to embrace the ordinance of confirmation, but whether you intend to save or lose your soul ? Unless you renounce the things enumerated in this vow of renunciation, you cannot be saved. You must be saved from your sins. You can never be saved in them. If you will not bear the cross, you cannot wear the crown. If you will not cut off* the offending hand, and pluck out the offending eye, it is the decision of God himself, that your whole body must be cast into hell. O, shall any one of those whom I am addressing, pos- sessing, as they do, souls which are capable, under the purifying and expanding influences of divine grace, of acquiring a capacity and meetness to enjoy the rapturous and high-toned felicity that swells the bosoms of angels, capable of advancing in moral and intellectual improve- ment, and of attaining such a heighth of perfection as to become stars of the first magnitude around the throne of LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 135 The two sisters. God shall any one of these immortal beings whom I am addressing, and for whom many a parental streaming eye has been lifted up to God, — shall any of these be lost for ever, take up their abode with the damned, and dwell amid everlasting burnings ? My friends, the decision rests with you, and very likely upon your determination this evening. I ask you, then, in the fear and presence of the great Searcher of hearts, will you renounce the devil and all his works ; the vain pomps and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow nor be led by them ? I feel confident, that many whom I am addressing are ready to respond, “ I renounce them all, and by God’s help I will endeavour not to follow nor be led by them.” Allow me to admonish you again, that this renunciation must be from the heart, cordial and voluntary, else it will be of no avail. To illustrate and exhibit this point with still greater clearness, I will give you a brief account of two sisters, who, in the solemn rite of confirmation, made this vow of renunciation, and leave you to judge which actually and from the heart renounced the devil and his works, the pomps of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh. Mr. C was a gentleman distinguished by his uni- form exemplary conduct, and dignified Christian deport- ment. His piety was thoroughly practical. While it was calm and rational, it was deep-toned and ardent. The partner of his early days was sleeping in the grave. The chief objects of his earthly affection were two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. A visitation of the diocesan through that part of the country where this gentleman resided, was attended with the happy result, as it often is, of awakening the attention of the young to a deep concern about their soul’s salvation. The two daughters of this gentleman became seriously impressed, and apparently the subjects of divine grace. They accordingly testified, in the ordinance of con- firmation, their determination to renounce a life of sin and commence a life of holiness. Mary, the younger sister, from the hour she pledged her word at the altar, seemed to look upon herself as given up to God. She no longer visited places distinguished by levity, frivolity, and fashionable dissipation, but sought her 136 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Difference of practice in happiness in the more sober and quiet scenes of domestic life. All the tempers of her mind were made the subjects of watchfulness and strict discipline. Although cheerful, she did not allow herself to be giddy. She was affec- tionate to all her friends, and ever ready to comply with the wishes of her only surviving parent. And all this seemed to be the result of the adoption of a new principle in her heart. Elizabeth, on the other hand, after a few months had elapsed, seemed as gay and as fond of the vanities of the world as ever. The renewing of her baptismal vow seemed to have the same influence upon her mind that the putting on mourning for a distant connexion would have had. It was merely the compliance with a custom which, when past, was forgotten. The world had the same hold upon her affections, and the tempers of her mind were just as unrestrained as ever. One incident, which I will relate, will illustrate this re- mark. A few months only had elapsed since confirmation, when the sisters received an invitation to be present at a place where there was to be great gayety, and a scene of amusement hardly suited to the taste of a truly devotional mind. Mary immediately declined the invitation. She had two reasons. First, she questioned whether participation in such scenes was compatible with her profession ; and, secondly, on the evening of the intended party there was divine service ; and when the question was between the house of pleasure and the house of God, she thought there should be no hesitation. Her sister, however, immediately con- sented to go. When their father was apprized of Eliza- beth’s determination, he told her that he had serious objections to her arrangement. He could not think the scene of amusement of a very rational character, and it was calculated to dissipate every thing like seriousness. “You will, my child,” said he, “wound my feelings inexpressibly, if you persist, although I shall not lay my commands upon you. Would it not be more compatible with your late vow to go to church this evening, than to that scene of thoughtless gayety ?” Elizabeth said, she had engaged to go, and she could not break her engagement. 137 LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Two sisters detailed. “ But,” said her father, “ have you not engaged to re- nounce the pomps and vanities of the world?” She said she did not consider that her confirmation en- gagement was to be any barrier in the way of her enjoy- ment ; and if she did not go, her heart would be there, which would be the same thing. “ Go with me, my child,” said her father ; “ go with me to church, and, perhaps, your heart will be recalled to God.” This proposal was evaded by many excuses, till at last, in much ill-temper, and under high irritation, she declared, if she could not have her own way, she would not, unless absolutely commanded, go to church. The affectionate father, with a heavy heart, bade her take her own course, but not without expressing a hope that she would soon be convinced of her folly. And now Elizabeth was in the hall of mirth and gayety ; but she was not happy. A rival received more attention, and was more admired than herself. A thousand untoward things were occurring to mar her enjoyment. At length she became deeply engaged in frivolous conversation with one who, a few years before, had been apparently very de- voted to God. He had now gone back to the paths of folly. The subject of religion was incidentally alluded to, and this heaven-daring apostate, for the amusement of a group that were gathered around him, gave several speci- mens of prayer that he had offered up “ when he was pious,” as he sneeringly remarked. All this furnished high glee to the thoughtless circle, and Elizabeth joined in the loud laugh with others. Upon her return home, as her sister and herself occupied the same apartment, she found Mary kneeling by the bed-side in the attitude of prayer ; her face covered with her hands. She very abruptly, and in a tone of reproof, said, “I would not be always saying my prayers. I wonder what you have been doing all this evening.” Mary rose, her eyes streaming with tears, with the deep- est emotions depicted on her countenance, and in a tone of voice made up of grief and tenderness, she said, “ What have I been doing ? I have been thinking of you, my dear sister. I returned from church, and took up my m 2 138 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Great object of Christianity. Bible, and was reading the account of our Saviour’s mani- festation of himself to his disciples after his resurrection : when I read this passage, ‘ He showed them his hands and his feet,’ I immediately thought of you. I seemed to see you standing before the chancel, renouncing the pomps and vanities of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh — then the scene of this evening came into my mind — you was standing before your dear father, opposing his wishes, your countenance swollen with anger — then rushing into a scene of dissipation and levity — I seemed to see you at the judg- ment day before the bar of Christ ; and he said nothing to you, but showed you his hands and his feet. I have heard that we can wound Christ, and I thought he lifted up his bleeding hands, and showed them to you, and then I wept and prayed for you.” You may well imagine this overpowered the heart of Elizabeth. She flung herself into the arms of her sister, and sobbed aloud. A change commenced in her character from that time. The impression that I wish to leave upon your minds is, that before this vow of renunciation can be sincerely made, there must be a real change in the heart. God must be loved above all other things ; we must delight to do his will. We must leave all our broken cisterns, and come back to the fountain of living waters. We must submit our hearts to God, and become voluntary subjects of his government. When we have made this surrender of ourselves, and have once drank from the fountain of living waters, and have tasted that the Lord is gracious — when we have caught even but a faint glimpse of the beauty of holiness, and of the matchless perfection of the great and glorious God — we shall most willingly renounce sin and every thing that would take off our affections from him. The great object and business of Christianity is to bring us back to God, to make us holy and fit us for the society and enjoyments of heaven. If this object be ever accom- plished, our hearts must be given up to God, purified by his Spirit, and filled with longing desires and unceasing aspirations after holiness. May we find this evidence in ourselves, that we have been born from above, and are bound to a world of glory. LECT. VII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 139 Character of the audience. LECTURE VII. FAITH. The Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. — From the 5th of St. John. On a memorable occasion, when Paul was called from his prison cell, and required to stand up in chains, and vin- dicate his character, he congratulated himself upon the cir- cumstance, that the judge before whom he was arraigned had some knowledge of facts that would tend to throw light upon his case. “ I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews : especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews.” With equal truth I may say, that I think myself happy that I am addressing a Christian audience, who receive the Bible as the rule of their conduct and faith. Were the audience I am addressing dwellers in China, Thibet, Turkey, or Hindostan — had the youth assembled here this evening been taught from infancy that they could wash away their sins by frequent ablutions in the river Ganges ; that they could obtain a seat among the blessed by adoring the idol Fo ; or by prostrating themselves be- fore the Lama ; or by lisping with profound reverence the name of Mahomet ; or by bowing before the bloody car of Juggernaut, it might be necessary to enter with much detail into all the articles of the Christian faith, and exhibit every item of the proof upon which this system rests. But, thanks to God ! I stand to-night, not amid the scenes and pollutions of idolatry, to witness, with aching heart and tearful eye, the offer of salvation through Christ spurned, rejected, and despised — I stand in the midst of beings who, from earliest infancy, have been taught to reverence and adore the one living and true God ; to believe in Jesus 140 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lECT. VII Profession of faith. Christ whom he hath sen f . and regard him as the friend of sinners and the Saviour of their souls. The task that I have before me is comparatively light. In a former lecture it was remarked, that in the primitive church, three things were required of candidates before they were admitted to the privilege of baptism : — “ A formal and solemn renunciation of the devil ; a profession of faith made in the words of some received creed ; a promise or engagement to live in obedience to Christ, or by the laws and rules of the Christian religion.” In connexion with this remark, it was also observed that our baptismal service makes the same requisitions ; and it was proposed to consider the qualifications of candidates for confirmation under these three heads. We have con- sidered the first of these requisitions— *-what the disciple is expected to renounce. We are now to enter upon the consideration of the second thing required — a profession of faith made in the words of some received creed. This creed is specified in our baptis- mal service ; the second question in the demand addressed to the candidate being as follows : “Dost thou believe all the articles of the Christian’s faith, as contained in the Apostle’s creed ?” And the per- son to be baptized answers — “ / Z)0.” This declaration is solemnly renewed at confirmation. “ Do ye here, in the presence of God, and of this congre- gation” — is the inquiry proposed to each one — “renew the solemn promise and vow that ye made, or that was made in your name, at baptism ; ratifying and confirming the same, and acknowledging yourselves bound to believe and to do all these things which ye then undertook, or your sponsors then undertook for you.” They who receive confirmation acknowledge themselves bound to believe wlfatthey declared was their belief at bap- tism. Believers renew in this ordinance their profession of faith. The division of the subject upon which we are entering therefore embraces a wide field. It takes in the whole sub- ject of religious faith in all its various parts and ramifica- tions. It calls up the question, as to the truth and credi- bility of Christianity, and of the Sacred Scriptures, upon which this system is based. We can barely glance at LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 141 Necessity of perfect conviction. these topics, referring you to other sources for fuller eluci- * dation. By the simple affirmative reply “7 do,” which you make to the inquiry of the bishop, you declare your full and entire belief of all the articles contained in the apostle’s creed. Had I time to enter into a particular consideration of each one of these, it would be a profitable exercise ; but as this will not be practicable, I will here simply remark, that the creed inserted in our liturgy, and repeated by us on every occasion of public worship, is a concise and compre- hensive summary of the Christian doctrines. It is deno- minated the apostle’s creed, either because it was composed by the apostles, an idea maintained by several learned men ; or because it contains all the essential doctrines which the apostles preached. In answering the inquiry, therefore — “ dost thou believe all the articles of the Christian faith, as contained in the apostle’s creed” — in the affirmative, you declare your belief in the truths and doctrines of the New Testament. Unless you do credit and cordially embrace the truths and doctrines taught in the New Testament, there can be no possible inducement for you to participate in the ordi- nances and sacraments of Christianity. Unless you heartily believe what is revealed in the New Testament, you can have no confidence in the promises of salvation there made. You cannot have that “ hope which is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Without a firm belief in the truth of the gospel, and a realizing sense of dependence upon Christ, for your accept- ance before heaven, you cannot be saved. The Scriptures declare, that “ without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Now a person might have a theoretic belief in the Scrip- tures : his understanding may assent to the truth of all that is recorded in the Bible, while at the same time his heart may be alienated from God, and wrapt up in insensibility and unbelief. In a subsequent lecture we shall undertake to show the utter worthlessness of such a faith. In the present lecture we wish to direct your attention to that faith by which the 142 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VI. Characteristics of prophecy. understanding is constrained to assent to the truth of the gospel. Faith, in its ordinary acceptation, consists in the mind’s admitting and fully assenting to the truth of a fact or pro- position, upon satisfactory evidence. Now there are many sources whence we may draw evidence to substan- tiate the truth and credibility of the Bible. I shall direct your attention, on the present occasion, to three of these sources : Prophecy , miracles , the character of the divine record itself. 1. Prophecy. Prophecy is the prediction of an event contingent in its nature, and beyond human calculation. To foretell with perfect accuracy the birth of a certain per- sonage, the fall of empires and the rise of nations, centu- ries before their occurrence, is prophecy. We are not en- dowed with the faculty of prescience. We cannot tell what will be on the morrow. The future is all concealed from our view ; over it hangs a veil which no eye but that of Omniscience can pierce. If, therefore, any one is enabled to predict future events, it must be through an illu- mination from on high. If an individual were to foretell, with circumstantial exactness, a number of events that were not to occur under three or four hundred years, and those events should occur precisely according to his pre- diction, this would be a conclusive proof of the inspiration of that individual, and his teaching might with propriety be regarded as the word of the Lord. If one should de- clare, that within a given number of years, London, Paris, or New York would be entirely destroyed, — its business operations suspended, its inhabitants gone, its houses demolished, its streets blocked up, and the whole extent of its territory one solitary waste, — the prediction would be re- garded as one of the wild dreams of a disordered imagina- tion, and the event as utterly improbable ; but should the event accord with the prediction, all who witnessed its fulfilment would be forced to admit that the person who uttered it was divinely inspired. This is one of the claims that we put in for the inspiration of the Scriptures. Those sacred writings are full of predictions. The events foretold were declared hundreds of years before their occurrence, and many of those events were far more im- probable than the one to which allusion has just been made 143 LECT. VI. ] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Proofs of the truth of Christianity. But at the predicted time there was an exact and circum- stantial fulfilment. This could not have been the result of accident, nor the achievement of human sagacity. It must have been a supernatural illumination from God, and therefore the communications that stand in connexion with with such divine attestations of truth must be regarded as the revelation of God. The prophecies relating to the birth, life, and death of our Saviour are so full and complete, that when put toge* ther, they form a connected history, exactly coinciding with that written after these events had taken place. The manner in which these prophecies have been pre- served is worthy of observation. The Jews themselves were the depositories to whom they were committed : and they surely would have been the last persons to have con- nived at a forgery, which, if admitted as true, would have implicated their character as murderers, and overturned their whole system ; a forgery that went contrary to all their preconceived opinions, and proclaimed him Messiah whom they hated and had crucified. It may also be further remarked in relation to the pro- phecies, that there is an intimate and close connexion be- tween them throughout, though written by different men, at different periods of the world, and by individuals having no knowledge of, or intercourse with each other. The subjects of these several prophecies are connected, being evidently parts of one great and glorious plan. They who would wish to investigate this branch of evidence still fur- ther would do well to consult Bishop Newton’s Disserta- tions on the Prophecies, a most able, judicious, and satis- factory work. 2. Miracles is another source of proof upon which we rely, to show the inspiration of the Bible and the truth of Christianity. A miracle is an act beyond the limits of hu- man power, evidencing the immediate agency of God in suspending or counteracting the laws of nature. God would not exert a supernatural agency to accredit the statement of a company of impostors, who had banded them- selves together for the very purpose of deceiving the world. It is absolutely certain that a holy God would not coun- tenance an imposture, or what was opposite both to his 144 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Evidence of the Divine origin ofthe Scriptures. nature and worship, by appending to it the confirmation of miracles. If, then, one claims to be a teacher sent from God, and in proof of this claim, works undoubted miracles, cures disease by a touch, raises the dead by a word, and hushes to repose the wind and the storm by a single command, he gives undoubted evidence that he is divinely inspired. This is the evidence which Christ and his apostles exhi- bited in proof of their divine commission. The miracles which they wrought were done in public, in the face of their enemies, exposed to the notice and observation of all, and addressed to the external senses. These miracles, therefore, which are God’s own seal, afford irrefragable proof of the inspiration of the Bible and the truth of Chris- tianity. They who desire to look into this subject more at large would do well to consult Paley on the Evidences of Christianity. 3. I remark, that the character of the sacred record itself evinces its divine origin. Bad men would not go to work to make the world bet- ter, or to persuade men to become holy. But the whole design of the Bible, most obviously, from beginning to end, is to make men virtuous and holy. Those who wrote this book, therefore, must have been good men. But they could not have been good men unless they were divinely inspired, because they every where claim this in- spiration. They distinctly say, that “ liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with brimstone and fire.” And yet if they were not sent of God, and did not reveal what he showed to them, they were the great- est of liars ; for they profess to have been commissioned and sent by the Most High, that they came as his mes- sengers, and communicated only what they had received in solemn charge from Him. Thus have I briefly glanced at some of the prominent arguments that may be brought forward to substantiate the truth of the gospel. The subject is one of wide extent and vast importance ; and I wish that all my hearers who have leisure and opportunity, among other authors, would read Bishop Mcllvaine’s Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity. I am sure that no man who examines this LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 145 Self-deceiving illusions. subject with candour and an honest desire to arrive at the truth, will have a single doubt resting upon his mind. To me the truth of Christianity is just as demonstrable as that the globe on which I dwell revolves on its axis. I never knew a man sit down to the investigation of this subject, with an honest desire to ascertain the truth, that did not find all his doubts dissipated. And I will say fur- ther, I never knew a man that had any acquaintance with the Bible, who was a confirmed skeptic or infidel. The great mass of unbelievers are totally ignorant of the truths which the Bible contains. They have never taken the pains to read it : and there are hundreds of instances where men have sat down to read the Bible, with the de- sire and expectation of finding something very absurd and contradictory in it, who have found the truth emanating upon them with so many rays of brightness from that sacred volume, that they have been forced to admit that it was the word of God and the “ sword of the Spirit.” There are very few who have ever given the subject any examination that continue unbelievers. The corrupt heart is the great source of unbelief. There are thousands who court skepticism because it offers a shelter to them while indulging in their darling pleasures and vices. The Bible being true, every man that is not changed by divine grace, brought into a living union with Christ, and renewed by the Holy Spirit, will, dying in this state, infallibly sink into the pit of never-ending ruin. Now, do the sons and daughters of gayety believe this ? They admit the Bible is true ; but they act precisely in the same way they would if they believed it false. There is a secret hope cherished, that God will not be as good as his word ; that he will not inflict the punishment which he has threatened ; that there is no reason to be alarmed ; that in the end all will be well. These conclusions are set up in the very face of God’s most positive declaration, “ that the wicked and all who forget God shall be turned into hell.” While their bark is gayly floating down the stream of prosperity, their skepticism may give them no uneasiness ; but when death shall come and lay his icy hand upon them, then the Bible will be believed, and its hopes sought for. Then that lip which was curled in scorn when the name of Jesus was mentioned, will strive to breathe a N 146 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Narrative exemplifying prayer on high ; that sneer and look of contempt which was cast upon the penitent, that bowed at the foot of the cross, will be exchanged for one of confusion and dismay. Men of vicious and dissolute habits often become unbe- lievers merely to quiet the fears of conscience. They see, if the Bible is true, their case is hopeless ; if the Bible is true, they must either abandon their evil courses, or at last take up their abode in hell. Their vicious courses they will not abandon ; and in order to quiet their fears, they resolve to disbelieve the Bible. But this infidelity will not avail in a dying hour. Then the certainty of their condemnation will press upon their thoughts with over- whelming conviction. A little narrative which came into my hands some two years since, will illustrate the truth of the foregoing ob- servations, and most conclusively show that infidelity, in a great majority of cases, results from a love of sin, and will in the trying hour of death desert the miserable wretch who cherishes it, and leave him to struggle with all the horrors of unalleviated despair. Some few years since, says the writer of this narra- tive, in passing through one of the mountainous districts of New England, I entered a secluded and solitary glen,- which, being hemmed in by lofty and precipitous ranges of hills, and overhung by continuous shade, awakened feelings of a solemn and somewhat melancholy cast. I had been previously apprized that this glen, through which my road lay, after winding in serpentine course round the base of several wild and cloud-capt mountains, opened into a bold champaign country ; and that just at this point, there stood a little hamlet or village. It was near the decline of day : and as I designed to make that village my resting place for the night, I rode on leisurely through this wild and solitary glen, indulging in those sober trains of thought which the scene was pecu- liarly calculated to inspire. Just before reaching the Camlet which I have mentioned, my attention was arrested by the appearance of an aged and venerable man, who seemed engaged in putting up a stone at the head of a LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 147 The foregoing proposition. grave. The field in which this grave was situated, was an enclosure of considerable extent, interspersed with trees, and skirted on two sides by a forest. I soon perceived, however, there were other graves in the neighbourhood, and readily came to the conclusion that this was the com- mon burial ground where the villagers interred the remains of their departed friends. These resting places of the dead have always appeared, in my view, invested with a sacred character. I never could pass these spots, hallowed by the crumbled dust of those who once moved amid the circles of the living, without having peculiar trains of thought awakened in my mind. The scene through which I had just passed, and the reflections which I had been indulging, were such as were exactly suited to the enjoyment of an half hour’s stroll amid the gray and moss-covered stones that stood over the mouldered ashes of the dead. There was something, too, in the appearance of the old man, of whom I have just spoke, that deeply interested me. In height he was below the middle stature, though in the general structure of his frame he appeared exceed- ingly muscular and athletic, and all his movements indi- cated one of an ardent and sanguine temperament. It was abundantly obvious, the moment I approached him, that he was under the influence of deep and absorbing feeling. And why should not all the tender sensibilities of his nature have been awake ? He was setting up a stone to mark the grave of the last of his family ! “ I had thought,” said he, in the course of an interesting conversation — and as the remark dropped from his lips, it occurred to me that, with locks as white as the driven snow, and a countenance worked up into an expression of the highest emotions, his was a form, and attitude, and aspect, that should have been immortalized by the hand of a Raphael — “ I had thought that this son would have performed this mournful office for me. But an infinitely wise Providence has seen fit to ordain that I shall stand, in the winter of age, over the grave of my last remaining child.” Seeing, in the same cluster, the names of another family, I inquired if they were his relatives ? “You see there,” he replied, “the names of Mr. and 148 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Conduct of Mrs. S . She, who lies there, poor girl, wasjny only daughter. You see she died young; and her husband died young ; but, alas ! their history is fraught with remem- brances that wring this old and withered heart of mine with keen and unspeakable anguish.” To an effort to offer him condolence, he mournfully re- plied, “ You cannot comfort me ; I will tell you their his- tory, and then you will see that you cannot comfort me. “ Jane, as I have said, was my only daughter; and in natural endowments, in amiability, and sweetness of temper, she was all that a fond father could have desired. She married young, and in the opinion of the world, well . Her husband, Mr. S , was of a highly respectable family, and in easy circumstances. “ But my dear child still wanted one thing, the absence of which occasioned me inconceivable distress. Often, on my bended knees, did I fervently implore for her the gift of God’s heavenly grace ; often did I warn and entreat her to seek the salvation of her never-dying soul. But, like thousands of others, while I expostulated with her, she seemed affected ; and the next moment, as she turned to the world, she became spell-bound by its fascinations, and drawn into the midst of its gayeties and follies. This worldly influence the more readily predominated over her, from the circumstance that her husband was exceedingly fond of a life of gayety and pleasure. And I now learned, for the first time, that he held very loose notions upon the subject of experimental religion, having embraced the unscriptural and preposterous belief, that all men, in a future world, will be equally happy, whatever may have been their lives and habits in this. Still, Mr. S proved a kind and affectionate husband, and maintained in society a character for great integrity. He was also usually an attendant upon public worship. “ About four years after the marriage of my daughter, the Rev. Mr. A , who is now settled among us, came to our village. He is a man who preaches with eternity full in his view ; and as though heaven and hell were passing right before his eyes. His preaching was greatly blessed through the whole parish. Many aged sinners were roused from their long slumbers of sin, and led for the first time anxiously to inquire what they should do to LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 149 Mr. and Mrs. S . be saved. His words went home to the breasts of the young with power and effect. I shall never forget the ear- nestness of his appearance, the impressiveness of his man- ner, the overwhelming force of his appeals, and the solemnity of the audience, one Sunday afternoon. His discourse was upon * the danger of deferring the business of religion .’ I believe that he made every procrastinator feel that he stood upon the most dangerous ground. “ ‘ I preach,’ said he, ‘ to a dying people ; I preach to some who will never again hear the message of life proclaimed to them. It has been so on former occasions. I can dis- tinctly recollect several individuals, who within three months were my auditors, that are now in eternity. And I have no doubt there are individuals here who will never again enter an earthly temple, but will go to the judgment bar of Christ with this very sermon ringing in their ears. And are you ready to go ? Are you prepared to meet your God?’ “Proceeding in this strain, he drew with awful distinct- ness the last judgment scene, and represented himself as standing in the midst of his flock as they were ranged be- fore that dread bar. There remained few dry eyes in the house. My dear Jane was among the hearers. I per- ceived that her heart was touched. “ The next morning sfre came to me, in great distress, to know how she might escape the wrath to come. She seemed deeply impressed with the conviction that this was the last opportunity she would ever enjoy to turn to God. The Rev. Mr. A saw her frequently, and endeavoured to give permanency to her religious impressions. There were many that felt anxious for her salvation, and that called to speak to her about the great interests of eternity. All this, however, displeased and irritated her husband ; and in order to remove her entirely from the circle of this religious influence, he started with her upon a journey to a distant place, and there most sedulously sought to win her back again to her former thoughtlessness, and life of pleasure. And, alas ! by the daily contact and influence of a circle of fashionable friends, his effort proved too success- ful. When Jane returned, all her seriousness was gone, and she was the same gay and thoughtless being as before. She had, indeed, slighted the last call of divine mercy ! N 2 150 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. VI. Death of Mrs. S . “ The third day after her return, she was seized with a violent fever, from which she never recovered. In the first attack of her disease she became delirious, and continued so through the whole of her illness. During all that time there was but one short lucid interval in which she saw things as they were, and realized the actual state of her situation. This occurred about two hours before her death She seemed to have just awoke from a dream. She had a distinct recollection of the solemn warnings that had been addressed to her — the effort that the Holy Spirit had made to draw her from the paths of death — the deep concern she had experienced — and the heaven-provoking expedients to which she had resorted, to disencumber her mind from the distress which had been occasioned by a view of her sins. “ She was soon made to comprehend that her illness was very severe, and that but small hopes could be entertained for her recovery. And then the thought seemed instantly to dart across her mind, that her case was hopeless and her doom sealed. We all stood around her bed as she asked her husband to come close by her side, and mourn- fully said, “ ‘ I wish to speak to you a few words with my dying breath. I shall not live. I feel that my days are num- bered. And then I fear that my soul will sink down into everlasting burnings. I have from my childhood re- sisted the strivings of God’s Spirit, and slighted all the calls of mercy ; and a few weeks since, when I was so deeply impressed with a view of my sinfulness, I had the fullest persuasion, that if I did not then turn to God with my whole heart, I should perish for ever. And so it will turn out. Oh, my husband, believe me — there is a heaven — there is a hell ! Do not trifle with your salvation any longer. Look upon me, and see how wretched is the being who dies without hope. My day of grace is over — and I am going, I am going, impenitent, unchanged, unpardoned, to the judgment bar to receive my awful sentence. Oh, how shall I go ! Hold me — hold me.’ “ Here her mind again wandered; reason was no longer at the helm, and her eyes continued to roll in wild vacancy, until they became glassy and motionless in death. Thus did my Jane, the pride and idol of my heart, sink down LECT. VI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 151 Account of Mr. S . amid clouds and darkness, leaving not a gleam of hope be- hind to cheer and comfort the sad heart of a fond father ! “ Her death, however, and her last appeal seemed to pro- duce a great and decided effect upon Mr. S . From the day of her funeral he appeared to be another man. He renounced his skeptical notions, bid adieu to the scenes of gayety, and seemed in earnest in his purposes to lead a new and holy life. Still he took no step, by which he might give a pledge of his future devotedness to the service of his Maker, and impart increased permanency to his present purposes of amendment. On this subject I at several times expostulated with him, and represented to him the danger of keeping back, and not coming out boldly on the Lord’s side. “ The last conversation of this kind that I had with him, was just before the administration of the rite of confirma- tion in our village. Many, who had once been companions with him in pleasure and dissipation, were now bowed to the earth in penitence, and were intending to dedicate them- selves to God in that holy ordinance, in a solemn covenant never to be forgotten. I urged it upon him to be one of the number. The reason he assigned for hesitating was, that he had not yet had sufficient time to test the sincerity of his own heart in the matter. “ The truth was, that he had never submitted his heart to God. His affections still clung to the world. He was too proud to bow at the foot of the cross. This the issue showed. By degrees his serious impressions wore off. He imperceptibly glided into his former practices, and fell in with his former associates ; and but a few years had elapsed, before Mr. S was as far gone in the way of perdition as ever. “ I once undertook to expostulate with him, but it was of no avail. He frankly avowed to me, that it was his full belief that our conduct here could not exert the slightest influence upon our happiness or unhappiness hereafter, and that he very much questioned whether there were any here- after. These sentiments I was confident he had embraced, not from reason and reflection, but for the purpose of quiet- ing a tortured conscience. He had become greatly ad- dicted to gaming. This led to the kindred vices of drink- ing and dissoluteness. It was his attachment to these 152 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VI. Mr. S ’s death-bed. pleasures and this mode of life, that drove him to the adop- tion of these skeptical views. This appeared at last by his own voluntary confession. “ One cold, dark night I was called out of bed to go to see Mr. S , who was thought to be dying. I threw on my clothes and hurried to his lodgings, where I found him suffering great pain of body, and inconceivable agony of mind. His habits had brought on a sudden inflammatory attack, which threatened immediate dissolution. I went in, and sat silently down by his bed. He stretched out his hand, and convulsively clasped mine, and then said, “ ‘ I hardly know why I have sent for you ; for you can do me no good. No one can any longer do any thing for me. I believe you have been my friend, and have ever sought my well-being. I am conscious I have ill re- quited your kindness. Perhaps, however, I should have been reckless even of this, did I not remember that you was the father of her who was all the world to me, and who, with her dying breath, adjured me to seek the salva- tion of my soul. That counsel, as you well know, I have not heeded. It has not been, however, because I did not be- lieve in the truths of the Bible, and the realities of eternity, although I often assigned this to you as the reason. But with all my efforts to disbelieve the word of God — and this I have most sedulously endeavoured to do, for I plainly .perceived that if that volume declared the truth, I was sure of perdition ; — yet with all my efforts to disbelieve the re- cord of God, I could never divest myself of the awful apprehension of the realities of a judgment bar. And now I feel as assured that there is a judgment to come, and a burning hell into which the wicked will be plunged, I feel as fully assured of it, as though they were objects of actual vision ! It was pride, and the natural rebellion of my un- subdued heart, that led me to reject your counsel when you urged me to bind myself to the service of God in the rite of confirmation. Oh had I done it — had I then cherished my seriousness, and put myself under the salutary restraint of an assumed baptismal vow, I might have been saved from this hour of despair, and frpm the unending horrors that hang over the history of the damned ! It was pride, and the natural rebellion of my unsubdued heart, that led me to neglect the dying counsel of my dear , and I fear for ever LECT. VII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 153 Last words of Mr. S , and closing reflections. ruined wife ! Yes, and her ruin will be chargeable upon me ! I cruelly tore her away from awakened Christian sympathies, and the influence of the Holy Spirit. I would not have her religious, and therefore sought to banish every serious impression from her mind. In this I suc- ceeded ; and, as you know, she died in despair. And can there be hope for me ? O no ; my doom has long since been sealed up. Both God’s mercy and justice will be vindicated in my destruction. Leave me now, sir, I have unburthened my mind. I have no further communication to make to any individual. I have well nigh arrived at the edge of the precipice from which I make the fatal, the irre- coverable plunge !’ “ It was in vain that I sought to point this guilt-stained and despairing sinner to the cross of Christ. He did not, he would not hear me. Death was making rapid advances upon him. And soon the motionless pulse, the glazed eye, the livid and distorted lip showed that all was over. “ And now,” said my venerable informant, as he wiped away the big drops that moistened his wrinkled cheeks. “ And now you see, that in relation to those who sleep there in death together, you cannot comfort me !” To this remark I could make no reply, but left him with feelings full of sadness, and under the confirmed convic- tion, that the corrupt heart is the great seat of infidelity, and that they who slight the invitations of mercy, and ne- glect to cherish the influences of divine grace, run the tre- mendous risk of ruining their souls for ever. The incidents contained in this narrative are strikingly illustrative of the truth of the position laid down in this lecture. While the narrative shows, most conclusively, that the origin of infidelity is the corrupt heart, it presents to the heedless sinner an exemplification of the awful truth, that “ he that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” 154 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Naaman, the leper, LECTURE VIII. THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. Who are these in bright array ! This innumerable throng, Round the altar night and day, Tuning their triumphant song ! — We are told that “ the captain of the host of the king 01 Syria was a great man with his master and honourable, and that he was also a mighty man in valour : but he was a leper.” Having heard, through a captive maid-servant brought from the land of Israel, of a distinguished prophet in Samaria, he went, under the sanction of the king of Sy- ria, to pay him a visit. That he might the more certainly secure his object, he sought to impress the prophet with an idea of his dignity and greatness. And hence he took along with him, to be disposed of in gifts, “ ten talents of silver and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.” And “ so Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.” Doubtless, by the splendour and magnificence of his equipage, he expected to make a powerful impression upon the mind of the prophet. But Elisha did not deign even to look upon all this pomp and parade, but simply “ sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again unto thee, and thou shalt be clean.” This reception was so unlike what this proud and vain- glorious general had anticipated, that we can hardly con- ceive his disappointment and chagrin. “ Behold I thought,” said he, “ he will surely come to me , and stand , and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than LECT. VIII.J THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 155 A resemblance of hesitating sinners. all the waters of Jordan ? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.” Though he had travelled so far to be healed of his leprosy, and now had the means of cure in his power, yet his ex- pectations were so disappointed, that he was about to re- turn, and lose all the benefit of the proffered cure. But his servant, who reasoned infinitely better than the master, drew near, and said, “ My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it ? How much rather, then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean ? Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God ; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a lit tie child, and he was clean.” The conduct of the leprous Naaman is strikingly ana- logous to that of the unregenerate sinner when first led to think of coming to Christ for salvation. The very simpli- city of the remedy proposed in the gospel often causes men to turn away from it with contempt. If the Redeemer required of them some pompous worldly sacrifice, some rigorous penance, or painful pilgrimage, if “ he bid them do some great thing,” then they would be ready to act ; their pride would be soothed, and their heart elated with the idea of working out, by some effort of theirs, their own salvation. But when they learn that the sum total of the* gospel’s requirements, by which their souls are to be cleansed, and saved, is “ believe “ believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ,” like Naaman they often turn away in a rage. Still, after all, there is no other way to purity and peace. Unless the sinner will renounce every other de- pendence, and simply “ look unto Jesus,” he will die in his leprosy, and never gain admission into that kingdom of blessedness into which nothing that defileth can enter. Simple faith in Christ , accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, produces a change as marked and wondrous in the moral man, as did the septenary dipping in the stream of Jordan upon the flesh of Naaman. The effects of the gospel, the transforming power of divine grace, as exhibited in the character of different indi- viduals, most clearly attests the truth and divine origin of Christianity. The present lecture will be principally 156 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Power of the gospel. occupied in the exhibition and illustration of this species of testimony. When I say, that the effects of the gospel most clearly attest the truth and divine origin of Christianity, I do not mean, simply, that they who embrace Christianity show a corresponding elevation of moral character, and that just in proportion as the gospel is extended is the cause of mo- rality advanced. This would barely show that the gospel was a system of pure and exalted ethics, adapted to the human character, and calculated to promote the best interests of society. But I mean that there is a divine and celestial power accompanying the gospel , producing strik- ing and marked moral transformations, which is evidently the seal of God, declaring in the face of the whole world that Christianity is from above. Every single instance of conversion proclaims this truth with trumpet tongue. And we should all see and acknow- ledge the fact, could there be presented to us a just view of that “ carnal mind,” which, though it is decided “ en- mity against God,” is often hid and concealed beneath the civilities of life, and the external decorums of morality. The Ithuriel touch of the Holy Spirit reveals its true cha- racter. But then perhaps this “ deadly evil” becomes revealed only to the individual within whom it rages. Though it has been crushed through the power of the Holy Spirit, there may be but few external indications of the extent and magnitude of the change that has been ef- fected. It is not always so, however. There are numerous instances where this moral transformation is so marked and striking, that it must be obvious to the most superficial observer that nothing could have produced it but the power of Omnipotence. The instance of Saul of Tarsus is exactly in point. He was a young man of no ordinary intellectual endowments. He had already distinguished himself by unusual profi- ciency in a department of learning that was held in the highest esteem among his countrymen. The state of affairs were such in Judea, that one with talents, and ener- gy, and ambition, and devoted attachment to the Jewish institutions, could rise to almost any pitch of eminence. The whole nation were devotedly attached to every thing LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 157 Sketch of Saul of Tarsus. peculiar to their own institutions. Their splendour and glory as a people were not a little obscured by their sub- jection to the Roman government. The claims that Jesus of Nazareth set up seemed entirely hostile to all their national establishments. They had, therefore, determined to crush him and his cause. They accordingly procured his death. But still his followers were undaunted, and boldly proclaimed that he had risen from the dead. Their cause seemed advancing ; and it was deemed, therefore, the greatest service that could be done to true religion, to frown down this reputed imposture and lie. They needed at this time some master spirit to rouse into action the dor- mant and declining energies of the nation. Saul of Tarsus was a young man of precisely the kind of talents adapted to this crisis of affairs. He thought he saw where duty and interest led him. He gave himself up to the work of exterminating Christianity. That was the path that would assuredly lead him to wealth, and influence, and glory, and renown. He fully believed the Christian religion to be false, and its founder an impostor. He was, therefore, impressed with the idea that he was doing God service, by trampling down what he regarded as a system of deception. He accordingly addressed himself to this work with all the ardour of youth, and all the zeal of the most devoted bigotry. On all occasions he appeared as the champion of Judaism, and the avowed enemy of Chris- tianity. He had no idea of toleration. As far as his in- fluence reached, men were to renounce Christ or die. He stood by and gloried in the death of the firstmartyr, Stephen. His zeal knew no bounds. Not content with bringing every sort of persecution against the Christians at Jerusa- lem, shutting them up in prison, punishing them oft in every synagogue, and compelling them to blaspheme ; but still breathing out threatenings and slaughter, he went unto the high-priest, and obtained from him commission and authority to go to Damascus on this same errand of perse- cution, and if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, to bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Going on such an errand, animated with such sentiments, and influenced by such feelings, an instantaneous revolu- tion was wrought in his views and purposes. While yet on the way, he abandoned his murderous plans ! He gave O 158 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Effect of the gospel on Saul. up all thoughts of farther persecution. He was bowed down with grief to think of the part he had been acting. And no sooner had he arrived at Damascus than he cast in his lot with the people whom he had persecuted, stood forth a defender of Christianity, and was ready to lay down his life in its behalf! The fact of his sudden conversion is undeniable. Start- ing on a mission to Damascus to search out and bring to punishment every one that called on the name of the Lord Jesus, no sooner has he arrived there than we see him on his knees, full of contrition and penitence, and receiving baptism in the name of that same Jesus whom he had per- secuted. And in a few days we hear him publishing salvation to the lost, through the name of that same, and heretofore despised, Jesus. What has produced this revolution in this man’s senti- ments ? Let infidelity, if it can, answer this question. This change can be accounted for on no worldly princi- ples. It is an anomaly for which no ordinary motives of human action can be assigned. Will it be suggested that Saul of Tarsus was desirous of making money and acquiring wealth , and therefore he resorted to this imposture ? If this had been his object, he would have remained a Jew, and pursuing the course in which he set out, he would have been sure to have attained it. But the disciples of Christ were poor, and had no prospect of worldly possessions. And then, too, Paul’s whole course gives the lie to this supposition. He would receive nothing for his services. “ Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place, and labour, working with our own hands.” See 2 Cor. xii. 14. 1 Thess. ii. 4 — 9. 2 Thess. iii. 8. Acts xx. 33, 34. Was it credit or reputation ? There was no way in which he could have so perfectly defeated his object. The Christians were “ everywhere spoken against.” The founder of Christianity had been publicly executed as a malefactor. His immediate followers were illiterate fisher- men. They had no accomplishments to give them popu- larity. Their miracles were ascribed to magic ; and them- selves were universally despised. To join such a com- munity was not the road to reputation. Distinction and 159 LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. No other motive for Saul’s conversion. eminence he might have attained, had he remained with the Jews. But in becoming a Christian, he became one among a set of men who were regarded “ as the filth of the world and the oflfscouring of all things.” Could the love of power have led him to take this step ? Power over whom ? Over a body of men already marked out for slaughter ; a body of men, poor, persecuted, and despised, and with whom no man could join his fortune without expecting to meet with stripes, imprisonment, and death. Had Saul remained a Jew, he might have obtained unbounded influence and power ; but in abandoning the Jews and espousing the Christian cause, he most eflectu- ally and for ever defeated this object. His conduct, how- ever, through the whole period of his life, shows that he was never influenced by such a motive. He declares himself “less than the least of all saints.” He never attempted to lord it over any one. His language is, “ we preach not ourselves , but Christ Jesus the Lord, and our- selves your servants, for Jesus’ sake.” Now we say that nothing that infidelity can suggest can account for the sudden conversion of this individual. It is a perfect enigma and riddle, and utterly at variance with all the known laws and operations of the human mind, unless we receive the solution which the sacred page furnishes ; and then all appears clear, luminous, and manifest as open day. The plain, simple story which this individual himself relates in his speech before king Agrippa, satisfactorily ac- counts for this change. “ As I went to Damascus, with authority and commis- sion from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them who journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying, in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks ; and I said, who art thou Lord ? and he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee : delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send 160 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII Saul’s conversion a testimony for Christianity. thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, 1 was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Here is an argument in favour of Christianity, drawn from the fact of Saul’s conversion, which no cavilling can weaken, nor sophistry overthrow. But it is not a solitary instance. Hundreds of a similar character may be found in every community where the gospel is faithfully preached. It is no uncommon occurrence for men who have been noto- rious scoffers, altogether skeptical as to the truth of Chris- tianity, and cherishing avowed and determined opposition to experimental religion, depraved in their character, pro- fligate in their habits, abandoned in their lives, setting the Bible, and ministers, and religion itself at defiance ; it is no uncommon occurrence for such men, under the power of God’s all-subduing grace, to become totally changed. This change is often effected in a few days, and continues through life. What the man a few days before hated, he now affectionately loves. What was then his glory and delight, he now detests and abhors. He has abandoned sin and his sinful comrades. His heart, which was once so obdurate, is now subdued and full of tenderness. His temper, which was once so irritable and quick to resent every injury, is now gentle, pacific, and forgiving. The company and intercourse of Christians, which was once exceedingly disagreeable, is now the highest source of pleasure to him. Prayer is his delight ; and holiness is the desire of his heart. His language is, “ I delight to do thy will, O God.” This is a drawing from life. “ That such cases have frequently occurred, and been followed by all the perma- nent blessings of a holy life, in thousands of places, and before witnesses of all descriptions,” says Bishop Mcll- vaine, in one of his lectures upon the Evidences of Chris- tianity, “ it were a mockery of human testimony and of the faith of history, to question.” He then goes on to LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 161 Account of a converted sailor. specify certain instances; among others is the follow- ing : — “ Since I commenced the preparation of this lecture, a case in point has come to my view. Called from my study to see a man who had come on business, I found in the par- lour a well dressed person, of respectable appearance, good manners, and sensible conversation — a stranger. After a little while he looked at me earnestly, and said, “ ‘ I think, sir, I have seen your face before.’ “ ‘ Probably,’ said I, supposing he had seen me in the pulpit. “ 4 Did you not once preach in the receiving ship at the navy yard, on the prodigal son, sir?’ “ ‘ Yes.’ “ 4 Did you not afterwards go to a sailor sitting on the chest, and take his hand and say — 44 Friend, do you love to read your Bible ?” ’ 44 4 Yes.’ 4 4 4 1, sir, was that sailor ; but then I knew nothing about the Bible or about God : I was a poor, ignorant, degraded sinner.’ 44 1 learned his history in substance as follows : — He had been twenty-five years a sailor, and nearly all that time in the service of the British navy, indulging in all the extremes of a sailor’s vices. Drunkenness, debauch- ery, profanity, made up his character. The fear of death, or hell, or God, had not entered his mind. Such was he — a sink of depravity — when an humble preacher, of the Methodist denomination, one day assembled a little con- gregation of sailors in the ship to which he was attached, and spoke on the text — 4 Behold now is the accepted time : behold now is the day of salvation.’ He listened, merely because the preacher was once a sailor. Soon it appeared to him that the latter saw and knew him, though he was sitting where he supposed himself concealed. Every word seemed to be meant for a description of him. To avoid being seen and marked, he several times changed his place, carefully getting behind the others. But wherever he went the preacher seemed to follow him, and to describe his course of life, as if he knew it all. At length the dis- course was ended ; and the poor sailor, assured that he had been the single object of the speaker’s labours, went up and seized his hand, and said, o2 162 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII Instances of conversion frequent. “ ‘ Sir, I am the very man. That’s just the life I have led. I am a poor miserable man ; but I feel a desire to be good, and will thank you for some of your advice on the subject.’ “ The preacher bade him pray. “ He answered, ‘ I have never prayed in my life, but that I might be damned, as when I was swearing; and I don’t know how to pray.’ “He was instructed. “ It was a day or two after this, while his mind was anx- ious but unenlightened, that Providence led me to him sit- ting on his chest. He said I showed him a verse in the Bible, as one that would guide him. I asked him if he remembered which it was ? ‘“Yes, it was — Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.’ “ Soon after this his mind was comforted with a hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. His vices were all aban- doned. He became from that time a new creature in all his dispositions and habits ; took special care to be scru- pulously attentive to every duty in his station, gained the confidence of his officers, and having left the service, has continued ever since (more than three years) an exemplary member of society, and of the church of Christ. He is so entirely renewed that no one could imagine, from his ap- pearance or manners, that he had been for twenty-five years a drunken, abandoned sailor.” I presume that almost every Christian minister can re- collect several instances that have come within his know- ledge, as pertinent and striking as the case just stated; and the persons who have been the subjects of this moral transformation, in all instances, ascribe “ the total change in their hearts and lives to the direct influence of the word and Spirit of God, as set forth in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” I might refer to many cases that are now before me There are many living witnesses in this congregation, who, in the transformation they have undergone in their views, feelings, dispositions, hopes, and affections, within one year, furnish indubitable proof that Christianity is di- vine — that there is such a thing as experimental religion — LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 163 Account of Mary V . and that the power of the Omnipotent God has been put forth as a seal to attest the truth of the gospel. To illustrate this idea still further, I will now relate to you an instance which fell under my own observation : The winter of 1829 was a season of uncommon gayety in the city of New York. The amateurs in pleasure had introduced several new kinds of amusement, and there seemed among the devotees of fashion and gayety an un- tiring strife, who should go to the greatest extravagance and excess. Among the gayest of the gay, who sought to tread every path of pleasure, and drink from every stream of earthly bliss, was Miss Mary Y . Her family were of the highest respectability. She had been brought up amid ease and affluence. Her sky had ever been bright and her path strewn with perennial flowers. She was now in the May morning of life, young, beautiful, and admired. With an elasticity of spirits and buoyancy of mind pecu- liar to her age, she looked upon the world as one wide field of pleasure, where she was to take her pastime and seek her happiness. Like thousands of others, she had no idea in living, only to please and gratify herself. A pious relative of hers had sought to lead her mind to serious things. At first she pretended to listen to his advice with attention and respect ; but it was only to find a new source of frolic and fun. All the well meant efforts of her friend were, in his absence, the subject of ridicule and mirth. When those efforts were repeated, and the solemn realities of eternity were pressed upon her attention again and again, she soon became highly displeased, and told her adviser that she did not wish to have her life clouded and her enjoyments marred with the moping melancholy of religion ; that it would be time enough to be troubled with such things when she was old, and could no longer enjoy the world. Her relative, finding her heart utterly opposed to divine things, and that she became indignant upon the slightest allusion to any thing of a serious nature, was obliged to desist. Such was Mary V , on the evening to which I shall directly have occasion to make special reference. Her heart was completely set on vanity, the world had fast hold of it, and God was in none of her thoughts. It was the Lord’s day ; and the sacred hours had been passed as too many 164 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Account of Mary V . of her Sabbaths had previously been — cither in light read- ing or drowsy listlessnes^. The evening had now arrived Mary determined to go to church merely as to a place of fashionable resort; for no other object than to while away the time, to see and be seen, and enjoy the society of her young friends. She was accompanied by a young gentle- man to whom she was attached, of similar views and cha- racter with herself. When the service was concluded, she could not have told a word that had been uttered. While the congregation had been offering their petitions to that God in whose temple they had assembled, her thoughts had been occupied with anticipated scenes of pleasure. The next evening she purposed to attend a fancy ball, and many bright visions of expected pleasure were floating be- fore her mind. The minister ascended the pulpit, and announced his text, “ Escape for thy life .” These were the first words that arrested her attention. Her startled mind seemed as if awoke from the slumbers of a dream. Though she had always attended public worship, she never before had heard a sermon. The minister’s voice had been like the unmeaning sound of some distant waterfall. But the fin- ger of God had now touched her heart. She heard every word. And every word entered like iron into her soul, and seemed to describe exactly her case. She plainly saw that she was a rebel against God ; that her soul was ex- posed to infinite wrath ; and that if she did not flee and escape for her life, she must be lost for ever. She became so agitated that she wept, and could not conceal her feel- ings from her young and gay companions. Before she left the church, she determined that she would not go on the morrow to the fancy ball, with which her thoughts had been so much occupied. After she retired, and was alone with herself and God, her sins rose to view in such vivid and awful colours, that she never closed her eyes in sleep till the dawn of day. Still she struggled against these feelings. She expected and hoped that they would wear off. But they continued with undiminished impression upon her mind. When she found that neither gay company, nor scenes of amusement, nor light reading, could banish these reflections ; but that there rose continually before her the thought that she was LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 165 Her anxious concern. a sinner against God, and that his terrible frown rested upon her, and the echo of the solemn warning that she had heard, “ Escape for thy life” still rung in her ears, she determined to seek for comfort in religion. She began to read her Bible. She became a strict attendant upon the ministrations of the preacher from whose lips she at first had heard the truths that aroused her to reflection. Her convictions now deepened: and though at times she strove hard to shake them off, she still was constant in her at- tendance upon a preached gospel. Several weeks thus passed on, and her mind continued like the troubled ocean when it cannot rest. She felt that she was a lost sinner, and that she must “ flee from the wrath to come.” Yet she knew not the way. A thick darkness surrounded her. A little more than two months had now elapsed. She came to church Easter Sunday with a heavy heart. The communion was to be administered. The minister, in the conclusion of his discourse, adverted to the circumstance of the probable separation of the worshippers in that house, on the resurrection morn. It might be the same separa- tion that was about to occur. The table of the Lord was spread. All were invited to come and feed on the heavenly banquet. A portion of the congregation would come for- ward in obedience to the divine mandate, and take their places at the feet of Jesus their Redeemer. Another, and perhaps a larger portion, would decline the invitation, and turn their back upon the table of the Lord. And as the invitation of Jesus was about to separate families, brothers and sisters, parents and children, husbands and wives, that morning, who could say that it would not be precisely the same separation which would take place at that awful hour when the same Jesus should sit in the judgment seat, and make an eternal separation between earth’s inhabitants ? The one division is to be placed on the right hand, and the other on the left. “And where,” said he, “do you choose your place ? Your conduct this very hour will decide that question. By kneeling at that altar you will say, ‘ Lord Jesus, when thou comest into thy kingdom remember me .’ By slighting this invitation, you practically proclaim that you are content to be found among those who will be eter- nally excluded from the bright abode of blessedness.” These words pierced like a dagger through Mary’s 166 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII Account of Mary V . bosom. The echo was still ringing in her ears, “ Escape for thy life.” When the communicants gathered around the consecrated table of Jesus, she, almost unconscious of what she did, joined their company.* She knelt down. Darkness rested upon her mind ; she wished to escape the coming wrath ; she stretched out her hand to receive the memorials of the Saviour’s dying love. Her feelings had well nigh overpowered her. She could hardly rise from the altar to return to her pew. Her whole appearance attracted the attention of the minister who was distributing the ele- ments. It was his first business the next morning to seek her out. Her mind was still dark and confused. He un- folded to her the simple way of salvation through Christ. He bid her go and roll all her sorrows and her sins on Je- sus, to look to him with faith as an infinite and all-sufficient Saviour ; to cry unto him in prayer and earnest supplica- tion, until he lifted upon her the light of his reconciled countenance. In a few days her mind became enlightened, her feelings tranquillized, and her soul calm and happy. And now she feared not to take her stand on the Lord’s side. Her young friends had done every thing to discourage her attendance upon lectures and evening meetings. But when she came to tell them plainly that she had found peace and happiness in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that she was determined to be a decided Christian, they laughed outright, and employed all the power of ridicule to dissuade her from her purpose. She had a most difficult part to act. She was a great favourite with two or three of her brothers who were older than herself. They were gay young men, and determined that she should not be pious. They used every argument, persuasion, and threat to turn her from her purpose. They were joined in these efforts by the young friend to whom she was already betrothed. Added to this, a beloved sister and a very intimate friend, who, as companions, had run with her the round of gayety and fashion, felt, and hesitated * This is stated as a simple fact. As a general principle, no one should presume to come to the table of the Lord, nor to confirmation, until by personal conference with their pastor, they have satisfied him that they are fit subjects for that holy ordinance. LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 167 Her conduct after conversion. not to give utterance to their feelings, that they had rather see her die than become religious. All these opposed her from day to day and week to week. And when they saw that they could not alter her determination, they tried to convince her that she was deluded, that she might be reli- gious, and at the same time enjoy the pleasures of the world. They sought to dissuade her from attending upon the ministrations of the person under whose preaching she had been awakened, declaring that he was methodistical and an enthusiast. All this opposition and these efforts, were wisely per- mitted by divine providence, to try her character and fur- nish an opportunity for the exercise of the temper and dis- position of a Christian. She was firm and unmoved, but at the same time meek, gentle, and forbearing. She never answered them angrily. The tear would sometimes trickle down her cheek, and that was all the reply that she made to their harshness. And when they sought to ridicule and deride serious things, she would say, “ Well, if I can do nothing else, I can pray for you.” Though this opposition continued for several months, Mary remained steadfast. She was evidently daily growing in grace. There was a consistency about all her conduct. From true Christian principle she became plain in her dress and retiring in her manners. Her leisure hours were spent in communion with God, or occupied in the kind offices of charity and benevolence. The transformation that her character had undergone was observable to all. But it was most observable in the retire- ment of her home. Her family could not but see that she was indeed changed, and made infinitely more lovely by the change. Her whole delight was now in the holy ex- ercises of religion, and in doing the will of her heavenly Father. Her heart, changed and purified by regenerating grace, became filled with ardent desires for the conversion of her family and friends. Evening after evening, while they were engaged in scenes of fashion, and gayety, and dissipation, she was on her bended knees imploring God to open their eyes, and show them their ruin. Her prayers were heard. The marked change in her character had compelled several of her gay friends to admit that there must be a divine reality in religion. 168 TIIE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Power of the gospel on savages. Iii less than one year, her sister, the intimate friend whom we mentioned, and her lover, who afterwards became her husband, were all seen kneeling, weeping suppliants at the feet of Jesus. Like her they became decided and devoted followers of Christ, and to this day they ascribe their first religious impressions to the change so strikingly observa- ble in her character. I might fill volumes with similar facts. Taking up a work just at hand, containing “ Historical Sketches of the Missions of the United Brethren,” I find innumerable facts of conversion among the heathen equally in point. The same gospel, preached to the natives of South America and Labrador, to the Hottentots and Greenlanders, to the South Sea Islanders and the savages that roam our Western wilds, produces precisely the same effect. We see the rudest and most ferocious of the Aborigines of South America, who were indeed tigers in human shape, tamed by the word of the cross, and made as meek and gentle as the lamb. One of those barbarians, after the gos- pel had been a while proclaimed among them, bore this testimony : — “ Having arrived at manhood, I spent many years with- out any knowledge of my Saviour. When I afterwards became desirous to experience what I heard, it was granted me. Jesus has cleansed me in his blood, and delivered me from my disobedience . This truth, that he died and shed his blood for me, hath conquered and captivated my heart: this I can never forget ; and therefore will I love him with all my soul, and daily give my whole heart to him. I fer- vently pray that he will keep me and never suffer me to stray from him, or lose the impression of his death and sufferings. His love to me is astonishingly great, therefore hath he drawn me to himself.” And another speaks in this manner : “ I love my Creator with my whole heart, and I rejoice that when I leave this earth I shall go to him, and worship at his feet, who hath redeemed me from my sins in his own blood. He gives me eternal life. He knows my heart. I had gone astray from him ; but he appeared and took away my polluted, evil, and flinty heart, and gave me a heart of flesh ; for his blood hath purified and softened it. It remains indelibly impressed upon my mind that he hath shed his blood for LECT. VIII.] the pastor’s testimony. 169 John, the Hottentot. me, and hath granted me the grace that I can leave this world in assured hope, and full of joy go to him, and behold him as he is.” The conduct and conversation of these converted pagans were every way consistent with their Christian profession ; and they at last died in peace and full of joy. Take another instance in South Africa. Among the wildest and rudest Hottentots was an old man, by the name of John, who came and heard the word of God. He did not long sit under the sound of the gospel before he began to cry aloud under a powerful sense of his sins. “ He had indeed been a notorious offender. He compared his transgressions for number to the sands of the desert, and for some time mourned bitterly on account of them. At length the love of Christ became his darling theme, and so entirely was his heart filled with the things of God, that he could scarcely speak of any thing else, while his eyes streamed with love and gratitude. When worldly business was introduced, he would say, ‘ 0, I have spoken too much about the world, let me now speak of Christ and his walk and conversation were such as became his pro- fession. After a short but lively course of five or six months, he was laid upon a sick bed, from which he never rose ; but he insisted upon being carried to the place of worship, saying, ‘ as long as he could hear, he would en- deavour to catch some of the words of life.’ ” Two days before his death he was troubled by doubts about his acceptance with Christ ; but on the day of his departure he joyfully burst out, when the missionary called — “ O, sir, I now see that the J^ord Jesus loves me with an everlasting love ; that he has accepted of me ; that he will be my portion for ever ; and now, though the vilest sinner on earth, I will die and go to Christ, and there I will wait for you.” I might transcribe similar accounts of conversions amid the polar regions of the north, where for many years the hearts of the inhabitants seemed as cold as the frozen soil on which they trod ; but which, after a while, melted be- neath the sound of Christ crucified for perishing sinners. I will not, however, prolong this statement by adducing any more instances, save one which occurred much nearer home. The subject of divine grace to whom T allude was P 170 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. History of Onim. an Indian, by the name of Onim, living at Monsy town, who from his earliest youth had been a pagan, and an avowed enemy to Christianity. While yet a lad, he wore a tomahawk in his girdle, and when questioned what he intended to do with it, replied, “ Cleave the missionaries’ skulls for deceiving the In- dians.” This hostility to the missionaries who were in his neighbourhood, he manifested on all occasions. He set himself up as a preacher of paganism, to dissuade his countrymen from embracing the Christian doctrines. He advocated all the heathen abominations, and especially that of sorcery, which he professed to practise. He ridiculed and opposed the gospel doctrine of the remission of sins, declaring that those who live according to the will of the great good Spirit would after this life go to him, but those who act differently would be banished to the haunts of the evil spirit. His life was vicious in the extreme. He had grown old in dissipation and debauchery. On the 10th of March, 1816, having been taken ill in the neighbourhood of New Fairfield, a missionary station, he sent for a Christian Indian, who was an assistant at that mission. As he had been in this neighbourhood some time, the Christian Indians had frequently spoken to him about his immortal soul. Indeed, he had enjoyed opportunities all his life of hearing the gospel. But he had uniformly opposed, and tried to dissuade all from embracing it. The Indian missionary, according to the request, went to his cabin, and sat down by the side of him, when Onim remarked, “ A word lately spoken by one of your Chris- tian Indians, has laid hold of my soul. I begin to be trou- bled in my soul, and to grow doubtful concerning my spiritual state. My constant cry is, oh for some one to show me the right way.' I am in darkness and doubt. I have brought terror on my mind in being so wicked.” He spoke more to the same effect. The Indian missionary thus replied : “ Thou hast now told me a great deal. I will tell thee something too. Listen to me, Onim. I well remember, ever since I was a little child, thou hast often been with the congregation of Chris- tian Indians, always going from and coming again to us. LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 171 History of Onim. For many years thou hast heard the gospel which we believe. But till now thou hast despised and ridiculed it, saying, ‘ I have another way to be saved according to my creation.’ But now, when thou art here in a miserable situation, lying on hard boards ; unable to help thyself ; thy little property spent in drinking ; nobody taking care of thee ; and death seeming to be at hand ; now dost thou say at last, ‘ I have brought terror on my mind , because I have been so wicked /’ O that these words were but true. Would to God that thou didst but feel real anxiety about thy condition, for then thy soul might yet be saved! In the days of thy health thou hast despised and mocked at the word of God ; thou hast dissuaded and prevented others who were disposed to believe ; and thou hast tried to entice those away who joined the congregation. Thou hast made thy jest of the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins. But know thou, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, became a man : this is the truth. He suffered, was tormented to death, and shed his pre- cious blood for the remission of sins : this is also the truth. And unless thou obtain pardon of thy many and great sins through faith in his blood, and thy heart be cleansed there- with, believe me, thou shalt after death go straightway to hell, into everlasting perdition. And there thou wilt find cause to accuse no one, neither men nor God, who made thee, but thyself , thyself alone.” The next day the missionary Dencke visited him, and spoke to him in the same earnest and faithful manner. He acknowledged that the sorcery which he had attempted to practise was nought but a deceit of the devil. With many tears he lamented his past wicked life, and made so affecting a confession of his faith in Jesus, that all present were melted to tears. The work of grace wrought in his heart was now most strikingly manifest. He was told that the mere rite of baptism, which he desired, could avail him nothing, unless he experienced in his heart, through faith, the purifying power of the blood of Christ. To this he replied : “ I believe, I believe ! Do ye also have pity on me.” His repentance appearing truly sincere, and his earnest request for baptism, to proceed from an ardent desire of receiving this rite as a seal of the forgiveness of his sins, 172 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. VIII. Transforming power of Christianity. and of acceptance with God through the sacrifice of Jesus, he was baptized in the name of the holy Trinity, and called Leonard. All his former doubts and fears now vanished. He truly enjoyed the peace of God in his soul, and continued in prayer day and night, almost till he drew his last breath, exalting the mercy of his Redeemer, and inviting all to come unto him, that they might obtain pardon and remission of sin. Addressing his countrymen, he said — “ Formerly I spoke evil words to you when you showed any desire to be converted, trying to dissuade you from it. Forgive me for so doing, and follow my dying advice, which is, to forsake your wicked ways, or else you will be lost. Turn to your Saviour, and experience what I now feel, and you shall live.” What was it, I ask, that produced this wonderful change in this hardened heathen, who had gloried in persecuting and opposing Christianity. Was it the fear of death? Who ever heard of an Indian’s shrinking from his fate on account of the fear of death ? It is a notorious fact that in the hour of suffering and death, he will summon to his aid such iron sternness of purpose, as to allow every inch of flesh to be hewed from his bones without scarcely moving a muscle. And Onim, too, was the head and leader of a party. All his native pride was concerned in holding out against that gospel which he had opposed through life. Every native passion of his heart was arrayed against it. What could have produced this revolution in his views and feelings, and transformed the brute barbarian into a gentle, subdued, believing disciple of Christ ? I answer, nothing but the power of Omnipotence. In every one of these instances that I have mentioned, the gospel was the instrument, in the hands of God, of pro- ducing these astonishing transformations. These changes can be accounted for upon no human principles. They are occurring around us every day. And God is saying by every instance of real conversion, with just as much dis- tinctness as though he spoke in an audible voice from hea- ven — “ The religion of Jesus Christ is the religion of truth, and the allotments of every man for eternity shall be set- tled according to its terms.” In this lecture I have been more diffuse and discursive than I intended, but upon the whole I do not regret that 1 LECT. VIII.] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. 173 Inference. have taken the course I have. My object was to hold forth this one idea, — that God is attesting the truth of the gospel, in whatever classes of society, and among whatever nations it is preached, by the divine power that accompanies it, evidencing itself by the marked and striking transforma- tions of character which it produces. Upon every regenerated disciple of Christ you can read, inscribed in letters of sunbeam, that the gospel is divine, and the Bible the truth of God. May I not cherish the hope, that I shall be able to look to you, my hearers, as year after year passes away, for increasing proof of the truth of what I say ? May I not address you as St. Paul did the Corinthian converts — “ Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men, inasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God?” p2 174 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. IX Simon the magician. LECTURE IX. FAITH. “ Follow him whithersoever he goeth — take no denial ; through the veil — that is to say, his flesh torn from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet — through this mysterious veil, rent from the top to the bottom, rush into the blood-besprinkled sanctuary ; embrace the horns of the golden altar ; lay all thy guilt on the head of the sin-atoning vic- tim ; read thy name on the breast of thy merciful High-priest ; claim the safety ; demand the blessing ; receive the consolations bestowed on all that fly to him for refuge ; and begin a new, delightful life under the healing and peaceful shadow of his wings.” — Fletcher. When Philip proclaimed the unsearchable riches of Christ in Samaria, and by the divine power which accom- panied his words, was enabled to cause them to give heed unto the things which he spoke — among the number whose attention was arrested, and who surrendered themselves as disciples of Christ, and received the symbolic rite of bap- tism, was Simon the magician. He, through sorcery, and all the mysterious arts of necromancy, had for a long time exerted a most potent sway in Samaria, and held the asto- nished inhabitants of that city in wonder, impressing them with the idea that he was “ the great power of God.” But when the first missionary of the cross published the glad tidings of salvation in his hearing, and put forth a sim- ple, miraculous exhibition of divine power in attestation of the truth of what had been delivered, the magician became as much astonished as ever were the people of Samaria by his pretended charms and spells. He saw that the preach- ers of Christ were gifted with a magic that he knew no- thing of. He therefore at once became a convert to Chris- tianity, believed, and was baptized. And yet it is evident from the whole account that he had no just conceptions of the gospel, and that he was a stranger to that evangelical faith that works by love and purifies the heart. His great object in becoming a Christian was, that he might thereby become a greater magician. He supposed that the Holy LECT. IX.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 175 Retrospect — Dead faith. Spirit which the apostle communicated, was a part and par- cel of that dark science of necromancy in which he had made some proficiency ; and he therefore offered a large sum of money to the apostles, that they might let him into their secret. It is worthy of notice and admiration, with what pity and scorn the heavenly-minded Peter dashed from him the filthy bribe, exclaiming — “ Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be pur- chased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” Simon had not apprehended the true nature or object of Christianity. He himself had undergone no moral change He was in an unregenerated state. And though in a cer- tain sense he had believed, and had been signed with the sign of the cross, still was he “ in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity.” His heart was still turned away from God. And, alas ! it is to be feared, that many who ’are baptized, and in connexion with the visible church at the present day, are in the same dangerous and unchanged state. They are destitute of that evangelical faith “ without which it is impossible to please God.” Though they declare that they believe all the articles of the Christian faith, as contained in the apostles’ creed, their faith is like that of Simon’s — dead and inoperative ; and will, in the end, only sink them deeper into the bottomless pit. It is my intention, in the present lecture, to call your at- tention to some considerations in reference to that saving faith , through which the sinner is justified in the sight of God. In a preceding lecture, while considering what the candi- date for confirmation professed to believe, we glanced at the evidence which goes to support the credibility of the Chris- tian Scriptures. While discoursing on that topic, we ob- served that one might have a general and speculative belief in these, while at the same time his heart was wrapped up in spiritual indifference, apathy, and unbelief. And this is what St. James denominates dead faith — a faith that does not appropriate to the soul the benefit of Christ’s atone- ment, that barely admits the truth of the gospel, and there leaves the matter. 170 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY [lect. IX. Faith preceded by awakened sensibility. In contradistinction to this, the Scriptures assure us that there is a living and operati ve faith, which brings the soul into a vital union with the Son of God, quickens all its powers, gathers up all its energies in one great effort after holiness. This is the kind of faith which the sinner must have in or- der to be justified and saved. “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 . In reference to this true and living faith, I would re- mark, in the first place, that it is preceded by a state of awakened sensibility, and supreme anxiousness about the soul’s eternal welfare. A certain class of individuals that assemble in the sanctuary on the Sabbath, and repeat the apostles’ creed, and who undoubtedly assent in their minds to the truth of what they repeat, nevertheless live from day to day without evincing any proof that their belief exerts the slightest influence upon their views or feelings. They profess to believe that they are sinners ; that they have violated the divine law times without number ; that they are guilty and condemned in the sight of God, and standing on the very brink of endless ruin ; that they may die to-morrow, and dying in their present state, they must sink to perdition ; that there is a way in which they can be saved ; that Christ has died for them, invites, entreats, and beseeches them not to perish. They profess to believe all this, and yet go to their business and their pleasures just as gay and light-hearted as if they believed not one word of it. But when the Holy Spirit has opened the eyes of the sinner, and shown him the awful perdition before him ; when the truth is sent home to his heart in demon- stration of the Spirit and of power, he begins to feel : he is is alarmed, he is unhappy, he cannot rest ; God’s revealed wrath is continually before him ; he trembles as on the very brink of a ruined eternity ; he renounces all dependence upon himself, and stretches out his hand to the blood- stained cross : the supreme anxiety of his soul is, “ What must I do to be saved?” 2. I remark, that when the soul is thus awakened to a sense of its danger, if it does not relapse again into the apathy and insensibility of spiritual death, it can find no relief till it submits itself unto God, makes a complete LECT. IX.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 177 Justification by Christ alone. surrender of itself into his hands, and looks to the Lord Jesus Christ for safety and protection. This is faith, — sav- ing faith. An entire submission of the heart to God, and an exclusive trusting in Christ for salvation, is essential to that exercise of mind denominated faith. One may have all the fear, and concern, and deep anxiety which we have described, and yet have not the slightest degree of evangeli- cal faith. The character of sin must be known and de- tested. It must be abhorred on account of its infinite offen- siveness in the sight of God. The heart must turn from it, and be turned with submission and confidence unto the Lord. “ With the heart man believeth unto righteous- ness.” There must be a cordial and hearty acceptance of the salvation of the gospel. The heart must withdraw its confidence from all other modes of salvation, and rely ex- clusively upon the one revealed in the gospel, and it must do this cheerfully and joyfully. “ This is believing with the heart.” That we cannot be saved by our own obedience, is abundantly evident from Scripture, “ By the works of the law no flesh can he justified .” — “ If righteousnes^t'ame by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily right- eousness should have been by the law, but the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Consonant with the doctrine here taught is the declara- tion contained in the tenth of the thirty-nine articles of our church. “We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith ; and not for our own works and deservings, therefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.” I wish each one of my hearers would ask themselves, do I believe this? If you do, then, you have notone particle of dependence upon yourself ; the conviction of your mind is, if God does not save me entirely and solely by grace, I must perish. When brought to this state, your mind is prepared for the reception of evangelical faith, that faith which leads you to repose exclusively in the atonement of Christ for your salvation. It was this kind of faith that Abraham exercised when he believed God, and it was 178 THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. £lect. IX. Faith accompanied with love. counted to him for righteousness. “ By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed , — And he went out , not knowing whither he went." He did not know to what country, or among what people he was going, whether they would be friends or foes. He knew not what would be the situation of his family, whether they would be comfortable, or exposed to suffering. Ignorant of all these things he went forth. And why did he take this step ? Because he had faith ; he had that unbounded confidence in God, which led him to give himself up to his direction entirely. Now the Lord Jesus Christ offers to save us in a way peculiarly his own, “not by works of righteousness which we have done,” or can do, but by pure mercy, by free un- merited grace. And the only condition required is, that we have confidence in, and venture upon this promise. By this simple act of faith, which takes Christ at his word, renouncing dependence upon every thing else, and resting noon his simple and naked promise, by this faith we are jusii5°d. Our justification then is a free and unmerited gift, the result of unbounded love and infinite mercy. 3. He who has this faith will be humble. Says the apostle, after having given some account of this mode of salvation, “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what law ? — of works ? nay, but by the law of faith.” If all the good deeds that I ever have done or can do, can- not have the least influence in meriting the favour of Jeho- vah, this thought must make me humble, and keep me low at the foot of the cross. The very terms on which life is received pulls down the pride and haughtiness of the hu- man heart. The sinner comes as a criminal to be par- doned, — as a rebel to make his submission, and cast himself upon the mercy of his prince. “ By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” 4. The man who has this faith will have a heart filled with deep gratitude to God. Our salvation not being the work of our own hands, but the unmerited gift of God, cannot fail to awaken the deepest emotions of gratitude ; and as the grace of Christ is sufficient for the chiefest of sin- ners, they who were the fartherest gone in the pathway of LECT. IX.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 179 Faith the only source of solid comfort. destruction will have the greatest reasons to adore the mercy, and the strongest inducements to continue in the service of God. “ Simon,” said the Saviour to one who did not compre- hend this mode of salvation, “Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. There was a certain creditor who had two debtors ; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty, and when he had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.” There is no need of a commentary to show how fully this goes to illustrate the remark we just made. And what encouragement is there here for the chiefest of sinners ! Whatever be the debt of your sins, come unto Christ, penitent and believing, and he will frankly forgive you all. 5. The faith which we have been considering is the only source of true obedience and holiness. Every one who reads attentively the eleventh chapter in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we think, will be fully convinced of this. All those enumerated worthies are represented as having “ wrought righteousness,” and accomplished the great works there recorded, through faith. In that chapter the apostle had undertaken to explain the nature of faith. This he does by showing how it influenced all those holy men to obedience and holiness. Faith was the moving and sustaining principle which led them to sacrifice all their comforts, and life itself, in order to obey God. Faith is that act by which the believer not only casts himself upon the mercy, but places himself as a willing and obedient subject under the government of God. Lastly. This faith is the only source of solid comfort to the Christian. If my salvation is to depend upon my own righteousness, even in the smallest degree, I have no hope. Every one that examines the workings of his own heart must be deeply convinced of what St. Paul says, “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing” I see so many corrupt inclinations, and so much proneness to sin, if God do not, for Christ’s sake, pardon me out of pure mercy, if he do not save me entirely by grace, I shall be lost. But he promises thus to save me. Christ, therefore, 180 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IX. Narrative of Mr. F . is the sheet anchor of my hopes. I know that “ he that has promised is faithful,” and that through him 1 shall “ come off more than conqueror.” To illustrate some of the thoughts that have been pre- sented in this lecture, the following sketch may not be without use. “ Mr. F , in early life, had unusually bright pros- pects. Nursed in the lap of prosperity, he found himself at a very early period in possession of an immense fortune. His parents were now no more. They had endeavoured to instil into the mind of their child, principles of piety. Al- though gay and full of spirits, he was not vicious. He be- came interested in, and married a young lady of very opposite character to himself. Several years previous to her marriage, she had profes- sedly renounced the pomps and vanities of the world. She had really been desirous to save her soul. All the exter- nal duties of religion were most faithfully and conscien- tiously discharged. Her hours of devotion were regularly observed. Her seclusion from the gay world, considering her age, and the circle in which she moved, was remarka- ble. She was constantly engaged in works of charity. She had all the tempers of her mind under the strictest and most rigid discipline. To the close observer, however, it was discoverable that she was not exactly happy. There was an aspect of mournfulness that sat upon her countenance, and a tinge of gloom that pervaded all her conversation. Mr. F , after their marriage, embarked all his capital in trade. A singular concurrence of untoward events wrested from him his whole estate, and left him absolutely poor. He retired into the country, sick of the world and disgusted with business. He had naturally great faults of temper, and these were increased by his misfortunes. Mrs. F , however, martyr-like, bore every thing with great patience and meekness. And he in a short time began to think of seeking happiness in religion. He read the sacred volume regularly, and commenced worship in his family. These duties he faithfully performed for a number of years. He began to persuade himself at length that he was truly a Christian, and upon the whole very religious. His cha- racter, however, had undergone no change. He was LECT. IX.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 181 Change in Mr. F ’s views. always moral, and his faults of temper remained the same. Often the slightest thing that crossed his wishes would throw him into such a rage, that he appeared more like a maniac than a rational being. In this state of irritation he would treat all around him with the greatest unkindness. His religion left him with the same proud, obstinate, and unsubdued spirit with which it found him. Several years elapsed. At length, a very humble instru- ment was made use of to awaken the community in which he resided, to a concern about the salvation of their souls. For some weeks Mr. F seemed not to partake in the slightest degree of the newly-excited religious feeling that surrounded him. But suddenly his deportment was changed ; the hauteur that had hitherto marked his charac- ter was gone ; he was more than usually grave ; he did not give loose to his temper ; his whole demeanour was so altered, that it was observable to all who had ever known him that something had deeply affected his mind. All this time, however, he remained taciturn, and absolutely im- penetrable. A number of weeks had passed away, and as yet he had not communicated to Mrs. F — — , by the slightest hint, that his views had undergone any change. About this time he was, perhaps involuntarily, drawn into conversation with the clergyman upon whose ministry he attended. The conversation on the part of the clergy- man had taken an animated turn — the subject was personal religion. And the question had been asked, in a tone and with an emphasis that indicated deep feeling, — “ Is there any hope that will abide in a dying hour, or stand the test of the last day, that does not grow out of en- tire and exclusive trust in Christ?” “ No,” said Mr. F , the workings of the muscles in his countenance showing the deep emotions of his soul ; “ No, there is no other hope that will abide in that hour, or stand the test of that day. There is no other hope that will abide when the Lord sitteth as a refiner and purifier of silver. I view these things differently from what I once did. The Bible is a new book to me. I cannot better describe my feelings than by relating to you the reflections that occurred to me while reading Peter’s going on the water to meet Jesus. I had read the passage a thousand times, but it now appeared new to me. ‘ When Q 182 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. IX. Mr. F ’s experience— Happy results. he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.’ I felt that my situation in some respects resembled Peter’s. I had left the ship : the ship in which I thought myself safe, and sure of reaching the haven of rest, was my good works. I had been made to see the folly of such a hope ; that there was no good way in me : I had left the ship ; the night was dark ; I was walking on the troubled sea ; I know not that I had resolved to go to Jesus ; the wind was boister- ous ; my sins had stirred up the storm of divine anger ; I was beginning to sink. In this state of mind I sat down to read my Bible : I came to this passage. For the first time a Saviour was distinctly presented to me : I saw that Jesus was able to reach Peter, and save him ; and I cried unto him to save me. I renounced all dependence upon myself, and laid hold of the outstretched hand of the Sa- viour. I know not how it is, since that time my mind has been perfectly relieved ; Christ appears all and in all to me. I am happy, yet I do not dare to think that I am renewed ; but I mean to serve and follow Christ as long as I live.” All this was said with so meek and childlike a spirit, that his whole deportment was a beautiful illustration of the precept of “ being converted and becoming like a little child.” His subsequent life and conduct were a still more forcible and striking exemplification of that precept. Being led to trust in Christ alone, his religion was now a reli- gion of the heart, — a religion that transformed, subdued, and regulated all the affections and tempers of his soul, — a religion that made him really a new man. Mrs. F could not fail to rejoice in this change. But from the conversation of her husband she was led to doubt whether she had not always been deceiving herself. She had been very exemplary, and knowingly neglected no duty. “ But, alas !” — was her conclusion — “ I have done all this with the idea that I was purchasing heaven by it ; Christ has not been the sole foundation of my hope. I have been leaning on my own works, and looking to Christ only to supply their deficiency. But now I see that he must save me just as he saves the greatest sinner.” This discovery, of course, led to an entire change in the views and feelings of Mrs. F . And after she once LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 183 Appeal to the audience. found comfort in an exclusive confidence in Christ cruci- fied, the aspect of mournfulness was no longer on her countenance ; but heaven-born serenity and cheerfulness sat there. They were a new family ; they were a happy family. And all this was accomplished “ by grace through faith ; not of themselves, it was the gift of God,” which gift each one of us may have, if we seek it with a sincere heart. And may I not hope, my hearers, that many of you have truly set out to obtain this gift of God ? Alas, you can hardly comprehend the anxiety with which I ask this ques- tion. The minister of Christ, notwithstanding he has many things to cheer and encourage him, often meets with scenes and occurrences of so awful a character that time can never erase them from his memory. In looking back a few years he can recollect occasions, when he pleaded with a certain audience as a man for his life. He warned those who were in the pathway to perdition, that death would soon arrest their footsteps ; that in a few weeks H would be for ever too late. His counsel was disregarded ; but, alas ! the event furnished most melancholy proof that he uttered the truth. Many who were present in that audience, when he thus lifted the voice of warning, are now no longer numbered among the living. They went just as he predicted ; cut down in impenitence, and in all their unpreparedness to appear before God. And perhaps there may be some whom I am addressing this evening, whose end will be equally disastrous, and whose future history will be recorded in the dark chroni- cles of the prison-house below ! They are in our midst this evening, with minds somewhat seriously impressed. Still they have not fully resolved to surrender themselves up to the service of Christ. The fear of the world, the shame of the cross, the love of sin, the expectation that “ to-morrow will be as this day, and much more abundant” in religious opportunities, or some other soul-ruining delu- sion, will induce them to resist this call which God has sent them to-night. Perhaps he will never send them an- other. We shall soon be invited to the house of mourning.* Disconsolate friends, inconsolable parents ! This relative, this child of yours, is dead ! He attended our lectures, he 184 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. IX. The importance of instant decision. was warned ; the Spirit of God strove with him : he was slightly affected ; he shed some tears ; but his heart was still stout against God. He would not yield. He would not submit. The Spirit was resisted, and grieved, and re- pelled. He came not forward to take upon him his bap- tismal vows. He remained impenitent. He died unre- newed. He went into eternity destitute of that holiness “ without which no man shall see the Lord.” O discon- solate friends, inconsolable parents, our hearts bleed for you ; but we can give you no comfort. Let me warn you, my hearers, to prevent this awful catastrophe, by giving up your hearts this very moment to the Lord. He, the great Eternal, even now waits to be gracious. From his exalted throne he stoops to offer you pardon and life. He even beseeches you to turn and live. He has besought you a thousand times before. And now he waits to see what will be your decision. Remember that this decision is for eternity; thqit it cannot be revoked; that, by what you now do, you will either open or shut the gate of heaven for ever against your own soul. Sinner, what then is your decision ? Lift up your eyes, and gaze upon heaven, and hell, and the judgment, and then make up your mind ! LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 185 Counting the cost. LECTURE X. CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination . — From the 28 th of the book of Proverbs. It was when great multitudes were thronging around the Saviour, and following him wherever he went, that he turned and said unto them — “If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yea, and his own life also” — that is, if he does not love these less than he does me — if he is not willing to give them all up, in order to save his soul, and gain eternal life — “ he cannot be my disciple .” Jesus Christ did not wish that men should be brought to declare themselves his followers, without understanding the nature of the service in which they were to be engaged. He did not wish that any momentary excitement, or tran- sient popularity that might seem to gather around his cause, should lead them to take a step which they should afterwards regret. On the other hand, he wished them to have a full, clear, and deliberate understanding, that they could not be his disciples without sacrifices and self-denials ; that in following him, they would have to travel a rough and thorny road, and bear a burden of sorrow and shame. Hence said he, in continuation of his remarks — “ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, can- not be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it ? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that be- hold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war with another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand. Or Q2 186 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Sinful indulgencies must be relinquished. else while the other is a great way off, he sendeth an am- bassage and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise whosoever he he of you that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot he my disciple .” We are here taught that the religion of the gospel is a work of thought, and of calm and fixed purpose ; that the man who embraces it must deliberately look at all the dif- ficulties he will be called upon to encounter, and be pre- pared to meet them. And whosoever does not deliberately resolve to suffer all things that may be laid upon him, and to persevere to the end of his days in the service of Christ, — whosoever is not willing to bear his cross, and meet con- tempt, and poverty, and pain, and death, without turning back, — cannot be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. The language of Christ which meets us on every page of the sacred volume is — “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” There is but one path to heaven, and that is through the strait gate , and on the narrow way. Men may love their sins ; they may have their particular indulgencies, which they are unwilling to give up, and which they can- not relinquish without the greatest interest and self-denial ; but these sins and indulgencies are, the offending eye, which they are required to pluck out — the offending hand, which they are required to cut off. “ If thy hand or foot offend thee,” says the Saviour, “ cut them off and cast them from thee : It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire.” O that the giddy multi- tude — that the thoughtless lovers of pleasure, would think of this ! They will not become disciples of Christ, be- cause the duties which his religion enjoins would inter- fere with their indulgencies. Walking in the ways of their own heart, they choose for one short hour the phantom of pleasure, and end their career by plunging into a ruined eternity. Surely it is better to give up every forbidden in- dulgence, though it cost us as much pain as to pluck out a right eye, or cut off a right hand ; it is better to give up every forbidden indulgence, and enter the abodes of eternal LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Holy obedience. 187 bliss, than to revel in that indulgence for a few short days, and then be cast down to hell ! I trust that there are many, who have been attending this series of lectures, that have been led to see and feel that they are sinners ; that they are guilty and condemned in the sight of God ; that, inasmuch as they have no merit of their own, their case without a Saviour is hopeless ; and that every prop on which they have been hitherto leaning will, at the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, be swept from under- neath them. I trust there are many in the audience whom I now address, that having been led to see that they were on the very brink of perdition, and that Christ was the only be- ing who could rescue them, have made an entire surrender of themselves to him, and determined to submit to him, as their Prophet, that he may instruct them in their duty, and point out the path that leadeth unto eternal life, — as their Priest, that he may make atonement for their sins, and in- tercede for them at the right hand of God, — as their King, that he may reign in their hearts, and by the precepts of his gospel rule and regulate their lives. Such, I am confident, will readily subscribe to the last thing proposed to the candidate for baptism : “Wilt thou obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments ; and walk in the same all the days of thy life ?” Every sinner whose heart has been changed by the re- newing grace of God, will be constrained to reply to this interrogatory, in the language of the baptismal service — “ 1 will , by God's help." This promise and covenant engage- ment of obedience to the will and commandments of God, is solemnly renewed and ratified at confirmation. This was the third thing required in the primitive church, of the candidates for baptism — a solemn and formal promise or engagement to live in obedience to Christ , or by the laws and rules of the Christian religion. They who adhere to this promise do verily exhibit that personal holi- ness “ without which no man shall see the Lord.” The last qualification which the candidate for confirmation must pos- sess is, a sincere and ardent desire to do the will of God, and a fixed and unalterable determination to obey every di- vine command. Such a desire and determination will lead to holiness of life. They who purpose on the next Lord’s day to renew in 188 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Knowledge of God’s will. this apostolic rite their baptismal engagement, have come to the calm, fixed, and deliberate determination, “ obedi- ently to keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of their life.” Thrice happy are they, who have come to this noble determination : and still more happy will they be if they adhere to it in all their subsequent life. And, my dear friends, that you may never swerve from this straight, onward path of Christian recti- tude, allow me to direct your attention to a few brief con- siderations, intimately connected with this part of your covenant engagement. 1. In the first place, as you bind yourself “ obediently to keep God's holy will and commandments ,” it is every way important that you should seek to know and under- stand his will and commandments. The Bible was written for the very purpose of revealing God’s will and command- ments. You must then faithfully and diligently study that sacred volume. You cannot have knowledge to guide you in the way of your duty, unless you draw it from those pages. There will be a thousand occasions when you will be at a loss to know how to act, and be in danger of going directly contrary to the divine will, unless your memory be stored, and your understanding enlightened with the sacred truths of the Bible. The Scriptures must be your daily study. Had you bound yourself, or did filial affec- tion prompt you, to act in perfect accordance with the wishes of a kind parent, would you not every day consult that pa- rent, and seek to ascertain his wishes ? And having bound yourself to keep God’s holy will and commandments, how can you ascertain his will unless you daily study his word? It is also necessary to read the Scriptures with prayer. Every time you open the sacred volume, you should look up to God for his Spirit to illuminate and instruct you. And whenever you come to any precept or command re- specting your conduct, or the temper of your mind, or the state of your affections, pause, and look up to God in prayer, that he will enable you “ obediently to keep,” in those seve- ral particulars, his will and commandments. And inasmuch as the great Jehovah, to whom we give ourselves up in covenant engagement, is the God of Provi- dence as well as of the Bible, we should attentively con- LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 189 Universal obedience. sider the dealings of his hand in reference to us, and seek to know his will in those events which are transpiring around us. And here again, by prayer and supplication, we must seek for guidance and divine illumination. Every day, upon our bended knees, we must lift our eyes to heaven, and inquire, “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do 1” And in the midst of the most afflictive dispensations, we must bow submissively to the divine decision, and say, “ Thy will be done” 2. I remark, that having learned what the will of the Lord is, you must seek to act in conformity with it to the utmost — your obedience must be universcd. Should a man “ obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments,” in every respect and particular, with one exception , and in that one case knowingly and intentionally go contrary to the divine will, he would most obviously be guilty of a breach of his baptismal engagement. That single indul- gence would show that he had an idol, which he loved more than God ; and therefore that he was not his servant. “ No man can serve two masters.” The divine Saviour will have no reserves. You must make an unconditional surrender of yourself to him ; you must give him your whole heart; you must submit entirely to his will ; you must be prepared to make every sacrifice, to give up fa- ther, and mother, and wife, and children, brothers and sisters, yea, and your own life also, if these stand in the way of your obedience, in order to be the disciple of Christ — in order to fulfil this part of your covenant en- gagement. You must be ready to deny yourself — to sub- mit to that which is as painful as the amputation of a limb, if you would not depart from the commandments of the Lord. One thing must be unalterably settled in your determi- nation — that whatever sacrifice it may cost, whatever world- ly losses you may thereby encounter — though it be property, reputation, or life itself — you will never, never knowingly or intentionally commit sin ; you will never knowingly or intentionally offend God, or act contrary to his blessed will. This will enable you to possess a tender and an en- lightened conscience, and to avoid the very appearance of evil. Having pledged your vows at the foot of the cross, you must regard yourself as no longer your own, but as be- 190 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Partial obedience— Illustration. longing to Jesus Christ, and therefore bound to glorify him in your body and in your spirit which are his. Many, it is to be feared, who make a profession of reli- gion, unhappily mistake the extent of their obligations, and think that a partial obedience will meet the divine requisi- tions under the mild and more lenient dispensation of the gospel. I have seen many instances of persons striving to yield obedience to all the divine commands but one , and pleading the infirmity of human nature, for the habitual neglect and violation of that one command. I once met with an instance of an old man, his head covered with silver locks, and he tottering on the verge of eternity, in whose character I found a striking and melan- choly illustration of the truth of the preceding remark. This venerable looking man, who had many excellencies of character, was constant in his attendance upon divine wor- ship ; delighted with plain and practical preaching ; ready at all times, and gratified with an opportunity, to converse upon experimental religion, upon the necessity of holiness of heart and of life ; punctual and regular, morning and evening, in calling his family together for prayer : and yet, strange inconsistency ! he indulged himself habitually, day after day, in the intemperate use of ardent spirits, — that mingled poison which has cut off thousands of lives, and landed countless multitudes in hell. He could not be con- vinced but what it was right and proper that he should be allowed this indulgence. He trusted, that if he erred in this respect, the divine Being would look with compassion upon the infirmity of his nature. The truth was, this was his darling sin : this was the offending limb which, the Saviour says, we must amputate, or else the whole body must sink down to hell. This single indulgence, notwith- standing all his other virtues, was in the eye of heaven the very “ mark of the beast” showing that he was a child of perdition. While he was flattering himself that he was safe, that the Most High wou\d look with clemency upon his infirmity, and not be greatly strict to mark what was done amiss, he had forgotten that it was the unalterable decision of the Almighty, that “no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.” I have seen men full of zeal for the glory of God, who were ready to make great sacrifices to extend the Redeem- LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 191 Inconsistent professors. er’s kingdom ; forward in all efforts having for their object the alleviation of human misery, and the salvation of im- mortal souls ; uniform and regular in the discharge of the duties of the family and the closet ; and yet these very men allowed themselves to take the advantage of the ignorance or necessity of those with whom they trafficked, so as to be actually guilty of deception and fraud, and at the same time flattered themselves with the delusive impression that this was a trifling error, for which they would never be called to an account. Again, I have known others, who in the leading features of their character were apparently devoted to God, and lovely examples of piety, yet in their intercourse with their fellow men evincing most lamentable duplicity, and the malignant disposition to defame and calumniate their neigh- bours. I recollect a striking instance of a young, beautiful, and interesting female, who made a solemn profession of reli- gion by ratifying her baptismal engagement, and receiving the imposition of hands. I had an opportunity of observ- ing her subsequent course. She seemed to live agreeably to her vow in most things. Yet to the close observer it was obvious that, in this act of dedicating herself to God, the surrender had not been without some reserves. She wished to be saved. She was willing to make many sa- crifices. But she thought she might still mingle in scenes of worldly pleasure, and visit those places of fashionable amusement, which never fail to dissipate serious reflec- tion, create a disrelish for the enjoyment of religion, and render one’s devotions cold and heartless. In addition to all these evils, such worldly conformity never fails to ex- pose the cause of Christ to reproach. Thus while she was acting in direct contravention of the most solemn en- gagements, and especially of the divine injunction, “i?e not conformed to this world” and was thus bringing down the bleeding Saviour, to trample him under her feet ; she was persuading herself that her conduct was proper and consistent, and a necessary compliance with the usages of refined society. The result was, she became imbued with the spirit of the world, and lost all her religious enjoyments. Now I have stated these several cases, to show that those who have any reserves in their obedience, who do 192 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Perpetual obedience. not give themselves up unconditionally, do not “ obedient- ly keep God’s holy will and commandments.” Your obe- dience must be universal. This you bind yourself to, by covenant engagement. If you pursue any other course but this narrow path, you cannot walk so as to please God. By no other way can you reach heaven and save your soul. While you trust entirely to the merits of Christ, you must give this evidence of your love and devotion to him, — that you indulge in no known sin, and neglect no known duty. 3. I remark, that these efforts to obey God and keep his holy commandments, must be unremitted, and continue through life. This is a part of your covenant engagement. You promise not only “ obediently to keep God’s holy will and commandments, but to walk in the same all the days of your life.” The covenant you enter into is an everlast- ing covenant, never to be forgotten. It is expected that your course will be progressive and onward. As soldiers of Jesus Christ, it is expected that you will be faithful in the service of the great Captain of your salvation ; that you will never desert the standard under which you march, or prove recreant in the day of battle, but that you will fight manfully the good fight of faith, and finally die with your armour on. The promise is only to them that endure to the end. “ Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give iheea crown of life.” The Scriptures everywhere warn us against backsliding and apostasy. The situation of one in this relapsed and fallen condition is truly alarming. In the first place , this backslidden is a most dangerous state, from the fact that the subject of it is offering daily insult to heaven. In professing to come out from the world, and choose the service of Christ, the man acted vo- luntarily and without constraint. Having tried that service, and then again returned to the world, his conduct is a practical declaration that he prefers the service of Satan to the service of God ; and is not this an insult to the Most High ? If God is angry every day with the transgressor, who is still walking in darkness, in what light will he re- gard that man who has once been illuminated from on high, and tasted of the heavenly gift, and been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost, and has afterwards gone back to his former course, “ like the dog to his vomit, and the sow that LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 193 The danger of a backslidden state. was washed to her wallowing in the mire ?” No wonder that he has proclaimed, in accents terrible as thunder, “ If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him !” — “ No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Secondly. This backslidden is well nigh a hopeless state, from the difficulty of renewing the subject of it again to repentance. We all know, that in cases of physical disease, where the patient which was convalescent suffers a relapse, the disease fastens itself upon him with in- creased malignity, and recovery is hardly to be expected. Precisely analogous to this, is a relapse into the malady of sin. When the mind has been aroused to seriousness, and led to seek comfort in the Saviour ; if it is subsequently enticed and drawn away, the heart seems ten thousand times harder, and more opposed to God, than it was before. The man, having thus broken loose from his allegiance to God, and given himself up to the guidance of Satan, pro- ceeds with rapid strides in his downward course to the chambers of death. Nothing now seems to move him. Those solemn appeals, which would once have melted his heart, and led him to the feet of the Saviour, he now hears with the utmost apathy and indifference. Amid a thousand voices of warning and admonition, he goes on careless and unconcerned to the judgment bar. This is in accordance with the testimony of Scripture. “ If, after they have es- caped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again en- tangled therein, the latter end with them is worse than the beginning.” Another consideration, showing the danger of the back- slidden state, is the wide and irreparable injury that is thereby inflicted upon the cause of Christ. One unfaithful Christian, relapsing into sin and worldly conformity, does more injury to the cause of vital religion than a whole army of infidels. The unbelieving world seize upon the conduct and testimony of one who has thus left following Christ with the greatest avidity, and with an air of triumph, as though it were an unanswerable argument to show that religion produces no change in the heart and conduct. And what gives a seeming plausibility to this argument is the fact to which I just alluded, — that whenever one, who R 194 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Apostacy— Mr. D . has entered upon a religious life, returns again to the world, his course is usually more wicked and depraved than ever. “ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest ; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out; and when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first” There is nothing that so effectually opposes the progress of the gospel as backslidden Christians. I once visited a place where I found a large portion of the most respectable of its inhabitants skeptics and infidels. Upon inquiry, I ascertained the following facts, which, in my mind, accounted for the state of things then existing there. About six years previous there had been a great attention to religion in the place. Most of the leading men became temporarily interested. The excitement ran high. Under the influence of excited animal feeling, many who had been vicious and abandoned came forward, and pro- fessed repentance and amendment of life. In less than two years many of these individuals returned to their for- mer courses, and became vastly more worldly and wicked than before. They called conversion delusion, and were now ready to embrace every species of infidelity. Con- science would not let them rest as long as they regarded the Bible as the word of God. They therefore sought relief in broad infidelity. One individual, Mr. D , who had been loud in his profession of godliness, and no less bold in his subsequent avowals of infidelity, died in the neighbourhood during my stay at this place. He had become intemperate in his habits, and profane in his ordinary conversation. He was absent several miles from home, superintending the con- struction of a canal, by which operation he was accumulat- ing much property. So sudden was the attack of disease by which he fell, that he lived only a few hours after he was seized. He sent for his family. He bade them seek that Saviour whom he had neglected — that Saviour whom he had crucified afresh, and put to an open shame. Amid the distress and agonies of his mind, he seemed insensible to those excruciating pains of body that were cutting away LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 195 Need of divine grace. the very sinews and ligaments of life. He freely renounced his infidelity, and declared his belief in the truth of the Christian religion. But while his soul wr-s racked with the agonizing throes of despair, and he was bitterly lament- ing his apostasy from Christ, and was in the very act of exclaiming, in reference to himself — lost , lost , the silver cord was broken, and the next moment his naked soul stood before the bar of God to receive its unalterable doom. In this community, though there was much faithful preaching, little fruit seemed to attend ministerial labour. The grand reason we have already adverted to — the apos- tasy of many who once had joined themselves to the Lord. And, my dear friends, may all the solemn considerations that have just passed before you, lead you to strive to en- dure to the end ; being well persuaded that it would have been “ better for you not to have known the way of right- eousness, than, after you have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto you.” 4. I remark, that in the performance of this part of your covenant vow, as well as in every other Christian duty, you will need the assisting grace of God. You cannot walk a single step in the narrow way without the aid of the Spirit. Hence, in answering this inquiry, whether you will obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same unto your life’s end, your reply shows that you are to look to God for your ability to do it — “ 1 willy hy God's help." Be well assured that you can never keep this vow in your own strength. You must live day by day upon the Son of God. You must lean upon his arm, and stand up in his strength. God must “ walk in you and dwell in you,” else you cannot be his people. The Holy Spirit must help your infirmities, and his strength be made perfect in your weakness ; else you will at last appear before God having nothing to offer but broken vows and violated promises. Look up to God, then, day by day for his Holy Spirit. The gracious influences of that Spirit you can neither expect nor obtain, unless you seek for them by fervent and persevering prayer. If you wish to enjoy the exalted pleasures of the religion of Jesus, you must go frequently to his feet in earnest prayer. If you desire to be strengthened in the inner man, so that you may be enabled to resist temptation, and run 190 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Importance of prayer — Reliance upon Christ. in the way of God’s commandments, you must be often found on your knees before the throne of divine mercy. You cannot keep your vow — you cannot perform your Christian duties— you cannot escape the devouring flames of Almighty wrath — you cannot enter the bright portals of glory, unless the all-powerful Spirit of the living God is continually present with you, to enlighten, purify, invi- gorate, and guide your soul. And this blessed Spirit will dwell only in an humble and contrite heart; a heart that is looking unceasingly to God with faith and prayer. O be instant then in prayer, and learn, agreeably to the apostolic injunction, to “ pray without ceasing .” You will cer- tainly wander from the Redeemer’s fold — you will assuredly fall away from your steadfastness, and relapse into sin, un- less you cherish and cultivate a devout and prayerful frame of mind. Seek, I entreat you, to have a realizing sense of your own weakness and entire dependence upon God, and go to him daily and hourly for succour and help. And for your encouragement to be faithful in this duty, allow me to add, that if there ever be granted to mortals a foretaste of those pure and exalted pleasures which flow from God’s right hand, it is when they are before the mercy-seat, seeking communion with that glorious Being. In those consecrated moments in which the believer pours out his heart in earnest supplication to God, he tastes the heavenly manna — drinks from the smitten rock, and catches a glimpse of the celestial land that lies beyond the stream of death. 5. The last consideration which I shall present, in connex- ion with this part of your covenant obligation, is the impor- tance of entire reliance upon Christ for your acceptance. Though you are to strive to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, and are to be fully purposed in your own hearts, never to commit a single sin — never to deviate, in a single instance, from the divine pre- cepts — still the humbling discovery will often flash upon your view, that you have fallen ; that notwithstanding all your resolutions, and all your efforts, sin has marked your every step, and stained your best and most holy perform- ances with defilement. And now but for the rich provisions of the gospel, you would sink into utter despair. But listen to its sweet and heavenly accents of mercy — to its LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 197 History of J . astonishing treasures of grace. “ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for our sins.” While, on the one hand, we should seek to avoid the very appearance of evil, and recoil from sin as our dead- liest foe, at the same time we should be continually mind- ful, that it is through the infinite grace of God that we are enabled to walk in any way worthy of our high calling ; and that through our whole course, and on to the very last moment, we shall have to confess ourselves wretched sin- ners, and look entirely and exclusively to Christ for our salvation. Whatever degree of sanctification we may attain, to whatever extent we may be able to keep the will and commandments of God, we shall at last have to stand be- fore the Lord Jesus Christ with this acknowledgment : — Thou must save, and thou alone ; In my hand no price I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling.” While this constant liability to sin should make us hum- ble, and lowly, and watchful, and circumspect, the thought that we have an advocate with the Father should keep us from despondency, and lead us to press forward in the nar- row way with thankful and rejoicing hearts. In illustra- tion of these remarks under this last head, allow me to give you a sketch of one whom I knew in early life. J was educated by Christian parents, and taught to remember his Creator in the days of his youth. At an early period in life, his name was enrolled with the mem- bers of a Christian church. The views which he heard of the gospel were not the most distinct and perspicuous ; and, at this time, though he was not aware of it, his Chris- tian experience had not advanced farther than the obscure and dim twilightof morning. For a while he seemed to glide along smoothly on the stream of Christian profession. But affliction came, and his Christian principles were put to the test. A beloved sister, who was the companion of his childhood, and now in the bloom and May-morning of her existence, suddenly sickened and died. His grief was lamost inconsolable, and led him frequently to murmur, as r2 198 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. J ’s mind awakened, though “ to order all things after the counsel of his own will” were not the right and prerogative of God. Inconsistent as was this state of feeling with true piety, it did not lead J to suspect that there was any thing radically defective in his Christian character. But God designed that this dispensation should be blessed to his eternal well-being. The removal of his sister led him to think much upon the subject of death. One day, as he sat meditating upon that solemn event, the thought darted into his mind, “ Are you this moment ready to die ?” This inquiry awoke him in an instant, as it were, from a sleep. He felt that he was not prepared to die. The more he reflected upon himself, the more he shrunk from the thought of appear- ing before God in judgment. He was led to ask himself, how this was ? As a Christian he ought to be prepared for this event. Yet when he looked in upon himself, he felt that he had no prop, no stay ; that there was nothing for hope to lean upon. He became dejected and melancholy. He strove still more earnestly to keep the pure and perfect law of God. He watched all his actions, and scrutinized all his motives. But the more he looked inward, and tried to live entirely to God, the more he saw his own sinful- ness, and felt plunged into the depths of despondency. At length he conversed with several Christian friends, told them how wretched he felt, and assured them that he looked upon death with the greatest dread and horror. They did not seem to understand his difficulty. One ad- vised him to fact one day in every week, and spend that day in prayer to God, for a preparation to die. Another told him, he thought, as a Christian, he ought not to distress himself with apprehensions about death ; that when the event came, God would take away his fears, and give him the grace of dying. A third advised him to spend a por- tion of every day in thinking upon the subject of death; and thus, by familiarizing his mind to it, he would find his fears to fall off. But he derived no sort of satisfaction oi comfort from this counsel, or the expedients suggested. While he was trying “ obediently to keep God’s holy will and commandments,” and bending all his efforts to this point, his mind was “ like the troubled sea when it cannot rest.” The only relief that he found was in dismissing all JLECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 199 And enlightened. thoughts about religion. Hence he fell into the habit of performing all his religious duties in a heartless and me- chanical way. He repeated his prayers and went to church without thinking much about God, or heaven, or hell. But at times, and especially on communion seasons, the realities of eternity would rise most vividly before him, and wrap his soul in midnight darkness. At such times, he felt all the bitterness and anguish of a wounded spirit. He did not yet know his malady, nor how to obtain relief. His only resource was to resolve to live more holy. Thus several years passed away. A part of the time his attention was diverted from his own wretchedness by the intellectual efforts in which he was engaged. But having completed his collegiate course, and enjoying a season of comparative leisure, he was led to study the word of God, with a view to find relief to his mind. To this he joined prayer. By degrees the light began to dawn upon his mind. At first, it was like the faint streaks of morning on the eastern sky. But soon it kindled into the broad light of day. He now saw what his difficulty was. He had been trying to save himself ; to work out justification by a righteousness of his own. While he theoretically embraced Christ as his Saviour, he had no realizing sense of entire dependence upon him. When he thought of dying and appearing in judgment, he immediately began to summon around him his virtues, and to consider what excuse he could render for his delinquencies and failure of duty. And this is what troubled him and filled him with despair. He saw he could not answer for one of a thousand of his faults ; and his heart died within him, as well it might, when he thought of standing before the piercing gaze of an infinitely holy God. But now his views were entirely changed. He saw that the sinner was to be saved “ by grace through faith, and that not of himself, but that it was the gift of God.” And feeling that he was a sinner, a lost and ruined sinner, he came to the feet of Jesus, and begged him to save him by grace alone. He now saw that his imperfect obedience was not at all to be taken into the account of his justifica- tion ; that he was to be “justified freely by grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” And now looking unto Jesus, he could behold the grisly king of 200 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. J surrenders himself to the Lord. terrors, and feel no alarm. He could contemplate the judgment hour and still feel tranquil. His hope now was — not that he should be justified when he stood before the Judge, because he was less sinful than others, though it was his constant study to avoid all sin — but that when he stood arraigned before that awful tribunal, Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, would appear as his advo- cate, and throwing over him the mantle of his own perfect righteousness, would claim him as the purchase of his blood, and on that ground demand for him an admission into the courts of blessedness. Having surrendered himself unconditionally to the Lord Jesus Christ, he felt that he might hush all his fears to repose by this inquiry of the apostle — “ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect ? It is God that justi- fied. Who is he that condemned ? It is Christ that died ; yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Therefore, being justified by faith, J felt that he had peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. He now began to understand those parts of God’s holy word which speak of divine comfort, of peace, of rest, and of joy : yes, he now went on his way rejoicing “ with joy un- speakable and full of glory.” And all this change was produced by the fact, that he had now surrendered himself up to the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour and everlasting friend. There were times when his mind was clouded and his hopes obscured ; but he invariably found, when at such times he humbled himself low at the feet of Jesus, and rolled upon him all his sorrows and his sins, the darkness soon passed away, and the bright beams of glory again shone upon his path. I have now stated what I conceive to be essential quali- fications, in order to confess Christ acceptably in the ordi- nance of confirmation. In the statements I have made, you see that I deem a change of heart , and conversion to God , as necessarily implied in the profession which you will take upon you by this solemn act. To be in a fit state to ratify your baptismal engagement, you must be a LECT. X.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 201 Appeal to the undecided. partaker of that “ inward and spiritual grace,” by which there is effected “ a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.” In the prayer that precedes the imposition of hands, the bishop approaches God, and supplicates divine mercy on you on the implied fact that you have been “ regenerated not only with water, but with the Holy Ghost;” and that you have obtained “ the forgiveness of all your sins.” By the profession that is made in this ordinance, you bind yourselves to all that is pledged and implied in baptism, “ which is to follow the example of our Saviour, Christ, and to be made like unto him, that as he died and rose again for us, so should we who are baptized, die from sin and rise again unto righteousness, continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.” Before I bring this lecture to a close, allow me to in- quire, am I not addressing some who have been listening to all this instruction, that do not expect to be among those who will surrender themselves to Christ on the coming Sabbath, but who still feel almost persuaded to be Chris- tians ? If there be any such before me, I would say, hearer, you are standing on awfully dangerous ground ! While you are deliberating, the sentence that cuts you off may go forth never to be recalled ! You know your duty ; the way of salvation has been opened before you ; the boon of everlasting life has been laid at your feet. You cannot depart from this assembly to-night, impenitent and unpar- doned, undecided and undetermined whether you will serve the Lord, without rejecting the counsel of God against your own soul. Something seems to tell me that there is a soul in this assembly that has not yet given itself up to Christ, and that will perish for ever. Eternal God ! what shall I say to that soul ? I have proclaimed, upon the authority of thy word, that there is an awful hell, into which the wicked shall be cast. I have told it that there is a bright and glo- rious heaven, into which the pardoned and purified will enter ; that Christ waits to shed upon its darkened vision his celestial light ; that eternity is approaching , and death coming with rapid strides, and will soon lay his iron hand upon the mortal tenement it inhabits ; I have pointed it to 202 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. X. Appeal to the undecided. the dread judgment bar, where, when it arrives, if not found clothed in the Redeemer’s righteousness, it will be banished for ever from the presence of God and the Lamb ! And what more can I say ? Eternal God direct me ; I know not what to say ! An immortal, never-dying soul, as yet undetermined to surrender itself to Christ, is now before me, and in all human probability will perish for ever ! Methinks I hear, from the portals of the sky, another and the last invitation, “ Come, for all things are ready l" Do you hesitate? Hark! the doors are even now clos- ing ; another moment, and it will be too late ! O, merciful heaven ! the door is shut, — the day of grace has gone ! I would by no means be understood to say in reference to any individual here, that his day of grace has actually passed : but I do say that if I have not been reading to you from the book of the recording angel, the statement I have made will soon be read there. The eye of some passing angel will read this brief notice of your end, “ He rejected the invitation of mercy ; he refused to submit to Christ, and has gone down to the bottomless pit to drink for ever the wrath of God.” Oh, my dying hearer, if thou art the man, if thou art un- reconciled to God, if thy heart has not yet been surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ, may the Eternal Spirit smite thy soul this very hour with pungent conviction on account of sin ; may the pillow on which thy head will be placed to- night seem planted with thorns ; and may comfort never again visit thy troubled bosom till it comes from a sense of pardoned sin, and a persuasion that God is reconciled to thee through the atoning blood of Jesus ! May the Spirit of the living God point thy eye to that scene which will soon burst upon thee, and lead thee feelingly to exclaim, — “ Great God, what do I see and hear ! The end of things created ! The Judge of man I see appear, On clouds of glory seated : The trumpet sounds ; the graves restore The dead which they contained before : Prepare, my soul, to meet him !” LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. 203 Necessity of perseverance. LECTURE XI. CHRISTIAN ADVANCEMENT. [, Addressed to the recently confirmed.] Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward . — From the 14th of Exodus. St. Paul, speaking in one of his epistles of the conduct of the Israelites in the wilderness, and of certain events that befell them, remarks, “ These things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admo- nition.” Viewed in this light, the five books of Moses form one of the most interesting and instructive portions of the Holy Scriptures. Of all the useful lessons conveyed to us by those historic books, none is more worthy of our attention than this idea, which we find every where promi- nent,— Me necessity of perseverance, of advancing in the path of duty , whatever difficulties or discouragements may stand in our way. The children of Israel had scarcely passed the confines of that land, which had been to them a land of bondage, when they were pursued and overtaken by their enemies just as they had entered a narrow defile. On either side were high and impassable mountains ; before them, the deep waves of the Red Sea ; and behind, pressing on with exas- perated fury, the thousand war-chariots of Egypt. No wonder that the hearts of many now failed and waxed faint. For the Israelites as yet had but little faith. They did not, like their legislator and leader, “ endure as seeing Him who is invisible.” This occurrence, however, was designed to confirm and establish their faith ; to convince them of their entire dependence upon his almighty arm ; to convince them that when he undertook to point out their path and be their guide, it was their duty to go forward , 204 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. XI. First attributes of Christian character. leaving all consequences with him. Hence the command to Moses was, “ Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” And this is precisely the command which the ambassa- dors for Christ have received in relation to all those who have set out in the way everlasting, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” I feel myself called upon at this time to deliver this, as a special message, to those who last Lord’s-day stood before this chancel to ratify, in the apostolic rite of confirmation, their covenant engagement to God, and who declared that it was their fixed and set- tled determination to walk in the way of God’s command- ments. Advancement and continual progress are expected of every one that names the name of Christ. In the course of instruction that I delivered preparatory to confirmation, it was my object to hold up prominently to view the solemn truth, that no one could be in a fit state to receive this ordinance who had not exercised “ repent- ance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ no one whose heart had not been changed by the transforming power of divine grace ; no one who had not been converted to God, and made a new creature in Christ Jesus. 1. In reference to the attainment of these first attributes of Christian character, the command of God is, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” We trust, and humbly hope, that all those who have received this sacred ordi- nance, do stand on the rock Christ Jesus, and are born from above. But it must not be forgotten, that the human “ heart is deceitful above all things,” and that the most advanced Christians find it necessary to seek constantly to deepen their repentance, and render more vigorous and operative their faith. Allow me then to ask you, to exa- mine yourselves anew ; to survey your whole past histo- ry ; your repentance ; your submission to God ; your sur- render of yourselves to the Saviour, and to see what is your present prevailing disposition of mind. If you find the determination of Joshua to be truly the response of your heart, “ As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” then let the animating watchword to arouse and impel you onward be,- 205 LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Advancement in all religious duties. “ Awake my soul, stretch every nerve, And press with vigour on : A heavenly race demands thy zeal, And an immortal crown.” And to this end, dear hearer, daily examine your own heart. Do not be afraid to see yourself in the broad light of divine truth. Seek to acquire still deeper and more humbling views of your own sinfulness, and to feel from the very bottom of your heart that “godly sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of.” Endeavour to realize more and more that your salvation is entirely in Christ. Look to him as the source and foun- tain of all spiritual life. Strive daily to make a new, en- tire, and unconditional surrender of yourself into his hands, and not only to confide and trust in him as your Advocate and Saviour, but to follow and obey him as your Lord and Master. In short, seek “ the life you henceforth live in the flesh, to live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved you and gave himself for you.” 2. In reference to the uniform and conscientious dis- charge of all the various duties of life, the divine command is, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” Having solemnly dedicated yourselves to the service of God, the sincerity of this act will be evinced by the general tenor of your conduct. What has passed within your own breast the world knows not, only as it is exhibited by outward acts. In the ordinary and every-day transactions of life, there are a thousand indications which testify, whether we are labouring “ to bring under the body and keep it in sub- jection ;” whether we are striving to bring the tempers and dispositions of our minds into conformity with the pure and holy precepts of the gospel ; and whether we are constantly seeking, in all the various relations of life, to perform the numerous duties that grow out of those several relations. They that are truly the workmanship of God, “ are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that they should walk in them.” They will be just and upright in their dealings, obedient to pa- rents, affectionate to brothers and sisters, kind to the poor, patient of evil, forgiving injuries, active in the cause of Christ, and will make the will of God in all things their 206 THE PASTOR'S TESTIMONY. [lect. XI Family prayer indispensable. rule of conduct. If you, then, are what you profess to be, these things will be in you and abound yet more and more. 3. In reference to all your religious duties, the voice that comes from the divine throne, is, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” If you have hitherto found pleasure in reading the word of God, how much delight may you promise yourself from the future perusal of that sacred volume ! As you bend over those pages, ever and anon lifting an eye to heaven for the illumination of the Spirit, how will one and another discovery of redeeming grace break upon your ravished view ! You must continue to study the word and works of God, that you may learn more of his character, and better understand how to render unto him the honour that is due to his name. In prayer you must become more and more engaged. In the retirement and secrecy of your closet, you must seek to draw nearer and still nearer to God. You must seek for that daily and hourly communion with him, by which your soul will be continually cheered, and animated with a sense of his glorious presence. You may innocent- ly forget to eat your food ; but you cannot for a single day, without the greatest loss and injury to your soul, forget to seek the face of God in secret prayer. The warm love to Jesus, that now glows in your bosom, will soon wax cold unless daily fanned by the breath of secret prayer. Family prayer is also another duty incumbent upon every one of you who are placed at the head of a house- hold. Let no one imagine that he can live a consistent Christian life without family worship. That professor of religion, sustaining the relation of a father or mother, that has no family worship, is every day giving the lie to his profession. I know that the Christian wife, whose hus- band “ cares for none of these things,” may have many difficulties to encounter in establishing family worship. But yet she must establish it, if she would save her own soul, and the souls of her children. Let her announce her purpose ; invite all the senior members of the family to be present, and at all events, have her little ones around her, morning and evening, as she bows down to adore the great Jehovah, and supplicate his blessing. The effect of this LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 207 Public worship a Christian duty. faithful performance of duty will be most salutary upon all the members of the household. I have known many in- stances, where, when the Christian mother and wife has not shrunk from her duty, she has been made the honoured instrument of conversion to her best and dearest friends. In this matter the command of Jehovah is, “ Speak unto her, that she go forward.” I need not here say, that public worship is a duty , which the Christian cannot neglect without endangering his spiritual and eternal interests. It is a most sacredly enjoined duty. “ Forsake not the assembling of your- selves together, as the manner of some is.” It is one of the most powerful means of grace. It is a testimony which Christians are expected to bear of the pleasure and delight which they take in divine things. And there can be no higher evidence that one is “ still in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity,” than that he has no love or relish for the worship of God’s holy temple. When the house of God is open, and people are invited to come into his presence, the vacant and unoccupied seat of any professor of religion is a startling object to my eye. I am led at once to fear that some temporal calamity has befallen him or his family, or that he has begun to depart from the living God. And when I see the seats of many professors of our holy religion vacant around me, I confess I preach with an agony of feeling, and with the terrible ap- prehension upon my mind, that some whom I hoped would be my crown of rejoicing, I shall at last behold driven away into “ outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.” But of you, who have recently come up to the help of the Lord, we hope “ better things, and things which accompany salvation.” For your comfort and encouragement, and to refresh and invigorate you in your heavenly journey, the great Captain of your salvation has mercifully established the sacrament of the holy supper. And in reference to this holy feast, my message to you is, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” I am well aware that every one of you who stood be- fore this chancel last Lord’s-day, to ratify your baptismal engagement, did it with the full expectation of commemo- rating this day the dying love of Jesus around the sacra- 208 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. XI. The Lord’s supper. mental table. Had not such been your purpose, this act of dedicating yourself to God, in my view, would have been most unwarrantable and inconsistent. What object can one have in giving himself up thus solemnly to the Lord, unless in very deed he purposes to be his servant and child ? And what propriety can there be in obeying God in one ordinance, and not in another? Why promise in the rite of confirmation, “ obediently to keep God’s holy will and commandments,” and then refuse to keep a com- mandment so strictly and sacredly enjoined as that of com- memorating the love of a dying Saviour in the holy eucha- rist ? The absurdity of such a course is too glaring to need the slightest comment. But though your purpose, my friends, remains unsha- ken, yet I can well conceive, how a view of your own sin- fulness almost inclines you to shrink from so holy an ap- proach to God ! Most earnestly do I desire that each one of you may be led to see your own exceeding sinfulness, and destitution of all that is good or meritorious in the sight of God. Most earnestly do I desire that each one of you may, from an internal survey of yourselves, become humbled in the very dust ; for never till then — till pressed down by a sense of your own unworthiness, can you fully receive Christ into your heart the hope of glory, or embrace him as one who saves you by grace alone, and that with- out any thing on your part to recommend you to him. And see, see how exactly, how admirably the promises and provisions of the gospel are suited to such sorrowing and sin-burdened souls : — “ This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Timid Christian, trembling believer, what more do you need ? From these promises, sinful and unworthy as I feel myself, I can draw streams of heavenly comfort, that will cheer and gladden my heart all the days of my pilgrimage, and in a dying hour refresh my soul with hopes bright as the unclouded sun. In going to the table of the Lord, we do not go with the impression that we have any merit of our own. The lan- guage of our hearts must be in accordance with the lan- guage of the communion service. “ We do not presume LECT. XI. ]] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. 209 The Lord’s supper. to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table. But thou art the same Lord, whose pro- perty is always to have mercy.” The sentiments of every true disciple of Christ in approaching the holy table, are in unison with those of the apostle : “ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended ; but this one thing I do ; for- getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Jesus calls you to the feast — invites you to the heavenly banquet ; and if you go humble, penitent, and believing, he will provide you with a wedding garment. That communi- cant will be most acceptable at the table of the crucified Redeemer, who has the deepest sense of his own unworthi- ness, if at the same time the imploring eye of faith be turned towards Christ. It is just such sinners that Jesus came to save, and from amid the hallowed memorials of his dying love, his voice will go forth in accents sweet as the melody of heaven — “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I can well conceive that in view of this holy ordinance and the solemn reflections it calls up, you should feel oppressed with the painful apprehension that you may sub- sequently fall into sin, and thus bring dishonour on the cause of Christ. But you have already taken your stand on the Lord’s side. You have already made a profession. You have already buckled on the armour to go forth to battle. You need this heavenly food to strengthen you for the conflict. If you wait till you can live without sin be- fore you presume to come to the table of the Lord, you will never come. “ There is no man that sinneth not.” The Christian, it is true, aims at a sinless walk with God. To this object he constantly bends all his efforts. To attain this, is the ever-recurring burden of his petitions to his heavenly Father. And when he falls into sin, he is filled with distress, and mourns over his transgression in all the bitterness of soul with which the fond and bereaved mother mourns over a first-born child. But blessed be God — “ There is an advocate with the Father, even Jesus s 2 210 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [jLECT. XI. A foretaste of the joys of heaven. Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins.” To hesitate to do what Christ has commanded, from a fear that we shall not be able to accomplish it, is to ques- tion either his goodness or his power. Has he not said, “ My grace is sufficient for thee?” Then venture upon that promise, and go forward. The commemorating of the death of Christ in the holy supper is not only a duty most solemnly enjoined, but a rich channel of grace to the soul. It is there that Jesus in a peculiar manner meets his disciples, and “ manifests himself unto them as he does not unto the world.” O then surely you will permit him to meet you there, and lift upon you the light of his glori- ous countenance. As I saw you last Lord’s-day collecting round that vene- rable man of God, to receive the solemn imposition of hands, methought, thus will the children of God in the last day gather around the Lord Jesus ; and oh, may these pre- cious souls be among the number ! How great will be my joy, as your pastor, if your souls are finally saved, and to each one of you the Lord Jesus Christ shall give a crown of life ! Shall I indeed enjoy the exalted felicity of hear- ing Christ say to you — “ Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” Yes, I hear him this moment addressing this invitation to you ! With all the affection and winning kindness of a dying and risen Saviour, he invites you to come and sit down at his table, and experience a foretaste of the joys that are in reserve for you in his blessed and glorious kingdom. “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” Though the waves of the Red Sea are before you, do not be alarmed ; remember that God is your protector and guide, and that his ever- lasting word is pledged for your safeguard and deliver- ance. “ What is required of those who come to the Lord’s sup- per ?” “ To examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life, have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death, and be in charity with all men.” Such are the qualifications as defined by the church in her catechism. These are precisely the qualifications that we have been insisting upon as essential LECT. XI.] the pastor’s Testimony. 211 Progressive sanctification. for you to possess previous to confirmation. “ Truly our hearts’ desire and prayer to God for you is, that you may be saved,” and therefore we would not wish any person to approach the table of the Lord without these qualifi- cations. 4. Once more I remark, that in reference to the work of sanctification, the command of the Lord is, “ Speak unto them , that they go forward .” When Christians first come out from the world, and pro- fess to be the people of God, they are then so far from having attained maturity, that they rather resemble little children. They have a thousand things to learn from ex- perience, from encounters with sin and Satan. They need to be taught by the Holy Spirit, and nourished with divine grace. Thus will they go on from strength to strength. In their daily intercourse with heaven, they will find greater and increased delight. The promises will daily become more precious, their affections more elevated and heavenly, their desires after God and holiness will be more ardent and increasing ; and the language of their hearts, as they strive more and more every hour to have their walk close with the Saviour, will be, “ whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire in compari- son of thee.” True Christians must be continually ad- vancing in the divine life. There are several reasons for this. And I therefore beg leave to call your attention for a moment to the importance of this onward, progressive movement in “ the way everlasting.” In the first place, you must be either advancing or going back. Experience and the word of God, as well as all the analogies of the natural world, prove this. In your Chris- tian course you cannot stand still. It is a race which you are to run, and never stop till you reach the goal. The moment you slacken your pace and come to a stand, you are borne on in an opposite direction by a secret but malig- nant influence that will carry you down to the gates of per- dition. It is only while you “run with patience” — while you fight with all your armour on, while you press forward in the narrow path as for your life, that you are safe. The cry comes continually on our ear — “ Speak unto them, that they go forward.” Secondly , it is only by advancing in the narrow path, 212 THE PASTOR S TESTIMONY. [lect. XI. Influence of a holy life. that Christians can have great and exalted enjoyments. There is no idea more erroneous and false, than that the happiness of the Christian, when first converted and brought to rejoice in the pardoning love of Christ, is greater than at any subsequent stage of his experience. It is true that his happiness then is wonderful and passeth knowledge. “ He was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.” He was polluted, and on the very brink of hell, but he is now washed, and encircled with the arms of the Almighty Jesus. He feels that he is “ a brand plucked from the burning that it is the boundless love, the infinite grace of Cod that has snatched him away from death; and in looking up to Christ, and gazing upon the excellencies of his character, and the finished salvation that is in him, the thrilling sensations of gratitude and love are felt in his heart, and his soul is filled with joy “ unspeakable and full of glory.” But one view of the loveliness of Christ does not satisfy his soul. Like those finished works of taste, those magnificent specimens of architecture, the longer we look at them the more beautiful do they appear ; so does Christ appear to the believer. The nearer he draws to Him, the more lovely does He appear, and the more com- plete does he find his own happiness. As his knowledge increases and extends, new sources of enjoyment continu- ally open to his soul. Every true believer is ascending daily higher and higher in that upward path that grows brighter and brighter until it breaks into the full effulgence of heaven itself. The true reason why so many think that the Christian is happiest in his “ first love,” or during the early stages of his Christian experience is, that so many stop almost as soon as they begin. They do not go for- ward, and therefore they do not find the manna and the smitten rock ; nor behold, from every mountain-peak they cross, the richness and glory of the heavenly Canaan. But, my friends, the message which I am to deliver unto you from the great God is — “ Speak unto them, that they go forward.” Thirdly , this is important, from the influence which your conduct and example will have upon the world, and especially upon those who meet with you in this sacred temple, where you have made these solemn vows. They have heard your profession, they will now observe LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 213 Preparation for death. your course and conduct. I feel that my future use- fulness among this people now depends in no incon- siderable degree upon you. If the company of believ- ers that last Lord’s-day stood up to ratify their cove- nant vow to God, will every one of them be faithful, we shall see this precious work of God’s Holy Spirit, which we trust has been going on in our midst, extending itself, until there shall not be one that visits these sacred courts, which is not in the fold of Christ. Oh, if you will only go forward in the narrow path, and illustrate and exemplify in all your conduct the precepts of the gospel, there is not a heart here, so hard or stubborn, that can hold out against this practical and resistless demonstration of the truth as it is in Jesus. But if you slide back into a cold and careless state, if you do not go forward, you will stand as so many stum- bling-blocks in men’s way to heaven ; you will effectually paralyze all our efforts, and make our ministry of none ef- fect. See what an awful responsibility rests upon you ! Look around you, and see how many souls you are about to save or ruin ! Among them are the loved ones of your heart, — your children, your husbands, your wives, your parents, your brothers, your sisters ! Their salvation very much depends upon the course you now take. Let all your con- duct show that you are determined to be consistent ; de- termined ever to be found in the way of duty. Let us ever bear in mind that the world is continually observing our conduct, to see whether it corresponds with our profession. There is only one way in which we can silence the cavils of infidelity, and save the souls of our fellow men, and that is, by a consistent onward course in the path of Christian duty. Finally , I remark, that to press onward in the narrow path is of infinite importance, in reference to a preparation and readiness for death. That Christian does infinite injury to the cause of the Redeemer, who evinces as much fear on account of the advancing footsteps of death as does the unrenewed sinner whose portion is in this world. If, therefore, you would honour Christ by your death as well as by your life, and if it be your desire to meet that solemn hour in peace, 214 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Llect. XI. Christ a glorious luminary. let no day pass without making some progress in godli- ness. We can never enjoy heaven without a meetness for it. And one of the great purposes for which Christ estab- lished his church was, to train and fit us for the society of the blessed above. And just in proportion as we cultivate a spirit of deep piety, and become assimilated, in the moral attributes of our character, with the inhabit- ants of the celestial world, will death be stripped of his terrors. In order thus to hold on our way, and continually go forward in the path of Christian duty, acquiring a meet- ness for heaven, we must keep our eye at every step of our course steadily fixed on Christ. He is the sun that warms, and animates, and kindles into life that vital spark of spiritual existence, which, by the breath of his Spirit, shall wake up in the soul a flame of love that will burn on, and at last enable us to vie in the brightness and intensity of our devotions with the burning seraphs around the throne of God. Christ is the glorious luminary that irradiates the path of the believer, and guides the bewil- dered wanderer through this region of death. The Chris- tian, walking through this world, resembles the visiter who descends into one of those subterranean cities peopled with the gathered bones of former generations ; those vast catacombs, where myriads of human skeletons are piled up to remain in silence and darkness till the echo of the judgment trumpet is heard through those sepulchral re- gions.* He who walks through one of these shaded * A traveller thus describes the catacombs at Paris : — “ Underneath the ground you pass through innumerable streets and lanes, whose buildings, if one may so speak, are composed of human bones, col- lected from the different cemeteries of Paris, and arranged according to the receptacles whence they were collected. It is indeed a Golgotha ; a place of skulls ! You pass through parishes of the dead. It is Paris in the grave. Here its once gay and busy people lie ranged in their last house, according to the houses which they occupied whilst living. It is an affecting sight ; it is like going down into the very heart of the empire of death, and intruding into the capital of the king of terrors ! One pile alone contains two millions four hundred thousand human skulls, and the different heaps extend for a mile in length. Nothing LECT. XI.] THE PASTOR^ TESTIMONY. 215 Christ the believer’s light. cities of death has no light except what is emitted from the taper he carries in his hand. And the only clue that guides his footsteps, and enables him, amid the multipli- city of streets and lanes, to find his way up again to the living world, is a black line drawn along the roof of the cavern. Christian, through such a Golgotha are you passing, Christ is the light that guides you. By this light you are enabled to trace the black line and follow the narrow path, which will guide you to the upper regions of life and day. But oh ! if your light should go out ; if you should lose sight of Christ, then will you in vain wander and grope your way through the various lanes and streets of death, bewildered and lost, and left to add another trophy to that frightful pile of immortal ruins which are already heaped up in this great charnel-house of sin. Let me beg of you then, to live continually united to Christ, even as the branch is to the vine ; and may “ he dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the fulness of God.” I would conclude this lecture with the solemn words in which the Greek church addresses her young members on a like occasion. — “ The bonds are now sealed , and Christ , who is in heaven , hath received them ; remember your promise and fulfil your engagement, which will be produced openly in the day of judgment. Take heed you blush not at Christ's awful tribunal, where all the can be conceived more solemn and affecting than a visit to these dreary- abodes. The indistinctness with which objects are seen by the feeble light of the tapers you carry in your hand ; the intricacy and uncer- tainty of the path you traverse, and which is only indicated as the right one, by a black line drawn along the roof of the cavern, the loss of which clue might be fatal to the party ; the thick and palpable dark- ness into which the innumerable passages branch out ; the ghastly and affecting materials of which the walls that on every side enclose you are composed; the deep silence that reigns around, broken only by the voices of the visiters in curiosity or terror, conspire to render this the most interesting and instructive of all the exhibitions I have ever seen.” — Raffles’ Tour. 216 THE, PASTOR S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. The Christian character. powers of heaven tremble , and all mankind must stand to be judged ; where the devil will be present to accuse you , saying , Lord , this wretch in word renounced me , but in deed was my servant. Then angels will sigh , and holy men bewail your misery. But father and mother cannot help you ; brethreri and friends will not own you ; but every man will be naked and destitute. Consider , therefore , and provide for your own safety.” LECTURE XII. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. [, Addressed to the recently confirmed, after having renewed their vow at the table of the Lord.] And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth ; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. — From the 14 th of the Apocalypse. I have been endeavouring for so many weeks to guide you, as a distinct part of the flock, in “ the way ever- lasting,” that I feel unwilling that you should lose this distinct character, though you are now in full communion with the church, until I have addressed you once more. It has been my object, in this series of lectures, to delineate and present to you each of the essential features of the Christian character. Unless we possess these, we can exhibit no evidence that we are the children of God. I trust that there are none of you destitute of these evidences of your adoption into the divine family. But, beloved friends, if you would be truly happy in yourselves, useful to the world, and approved of God, you must seek to possess all the several parts of the Christian character in just and due proportion. These parts are all lovely in themselves, but when symmetrically combined and harmoniously blended together, they constitute a living illustration of the truth and excellence of Christianity. Such an illustration was seen in the character of Jesus Christ, when he tabernacled in a house of clay and so- LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 217 Biographical sketch of Anzonetta R. Peters. journed upon earth. Even the bitterest enemies of the gospel are forced to acknowledge that the character of Jesus is more lovely than that of any other being that ever bore the human form. Those heavenly tempers ; those holy affections ; and that sinless walk with God*, which the blessed Redeemer exhibited, evince traits of moral ex- cellence which, meeting in constellated brightness in his character, place him before us an object of unrivalled love- liness ; and a model after which every Christian should seek to fashion his life. It is my earnest wish to hold up before you Christ as your only hope of glory, and Christ the only pattern for your imitation. Let no one shrink from aiming, and ceaselessly striving to reach this high standard. Let no one relinquish the hope of being able, through divine grace, to tread in the Redeemer’s footsteps. Only imbibe his Spirit, and press with all your vigour on “ towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God,” and you will have your walk close with him, and gather upon your character all the graces and virtues of the gospel. There is no need of discouragement, though you start at a low point, though you feel that you are now no better than a “ bruised reed, or the smoking flax.” He who is able to make all grace abound unto us, will, if you look to him with earnest importunity, and at the same time put forth unwearied efforts, ultimately conduct you to the highest attainments in the divine life. In illustration of the truth of this remark, I intend in this lecture to give you a short biographical sketch of one who formerly attended upon my ministry, but has recently been called to her rest. I allude to Anzonetta R. Peters, whose name is known to some of you. She was early taught by her devoted and affectionate mother to fear God, and walk in the way of his com- mandments. When a child she exhibited many wayward dispositions, especially great irritability and impatience under restraint. These early outbreakings of a rebellious spirit, awakened many painful apprehensions in the bosom of her mother, and led her to carry her child often to the feet of the Saviour, entreating him that she might be sub- dued by divine grace. The Most High listened to her prayers. Anzonetta grew up an amiable and a lovely child. T 218 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. Her conversion and growth in grace At the age of fifteen she yielded up her affections to the Saviour, and took her stand at the foot of the cross. There was nothing very marked or peculiar in her conver- sion. Her convictions of sin were deep and pungent, and it was a long time before she obtained any relief. When light and peace did dawn upon her mind, it was not the sudden blaze of noon, but the twilight of morning gradu- ally brightening into day. 1 recollect well the first conver- sation I had with her after this event. She felt an earnest desire to draw near the Saviour, and to place herself at his feet — to tell him, in the hearing of the world, that she was determined to be his follower. Yet she shrunk from so holy an approach, and felt oppressed under a view of her own exceeding unworthiness. Her appearance at this time was uncommonly interesting. Her form was slender and delicate, and her features bore an expression of unusual feminine sweetness. A pensive air rested upon her coun- tenance. She was naturally taciturn, retiring, and diffident. She had come to speak with her pastor upon the concerns of her undying soul. The tear of contrition glistened in her eye, and the day-star of hope had shot its first glim- mering rays athwart her darkened mind. It was observa- ble at this early stage of her religious course, that she had caught a view of the beauty of holiness, and was panting after the perfect image and likeness of Christ. I wish to be particular in stating that Anzonetta pos- sessed no uncommon intellectual endowments : neither in the commencement of her religious course was her mind illuminated by any extraordinary manifestation of the divine Spirit. And on this very account her history is far more instructive and valuable. For the spiritual attain- ments she made are within the reach of the feeblest Chris- tian I am addressing. That same blessed Spirit which conducted her step by step up to the very summit of the holy mount, from whence her disencumbered soul winged its way to the regions of celestial light, is now ready and waiting to conduct each one of you to the same elevated point of holiness. “ For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.” His promise is, “ open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Anzonetta’s growth in grace was rapid and uninter- rupted. Perhaps few in the present age have, in the short period of three years, attained such high maturity in all the LECT. XII. ] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 219 Her attention on religious worship. Christian graces as she exhibited. There are two assign- able causes which we are confident exerted no inconsider able influence in contributing to these results. The first was this. At the very outset she placed her standard high. She “ hungered and thirsted after right- eousness.” Her soul was animated with an all-absorbing desire to become like unto the Son of God in purity and holiness. She looked not to Christians , but to Christ for a pattern. She understood the meaning and felt the force of the declaration, “ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Secondly , The object for which she lived and laboured was to be holy. With her the great business of life was to be a Christian ; to stand approved in the sight of God. Whatever were her engagements at any time, she never forgot that she was acting beneath the all-searching eye of God, and living for eternity. She had now “ become as a little child.” She was ready to sit down at the feet of Jesus as a learner. She daily read her Bible with a meek and childlike spirit, lingering over every verse to extract its full and entire meaning. She greatly prized the privilege of going to the house of God. She was not satisfied with barely conveying her body there. Her thoughts seemed all withdrawn from the world and fixed upon divine things. She joined in the service with a fervour and engagedness which showed that all the faculties of her soul were absorbed in holy contem- plation. No slight obstacle would keep her away from the sanctuary, when its sacred doors were opened. She regarded every sermon or lecture which she missed of hearing as an irreparable loss, and the silent musings of her heart, when necessarily detained from the courts of the sanctuary, were, “ How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even panteth for the courts of the Lord.” What she heard on the Sabbath was treasured up as a subject for meditation throughout the following week. It was the food upon which her soul was to feast, till she was again permitted to enter the sanctuary, and receive a new supply of the bread of life. In listening to sermons, she seemed to have no other object in view, but her own spi- ritual improvement. And so in all her intercourse with her Christian friends, the only motive which appeared to influ- 220 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. Seeking the Lord daily. ence her, was to receive or communicate good. She never allowed herself to utter the language of censure. She seemed to have no feelings toward her fellow-beings but those of unbounded kindness. It was her unceasing aim to walk so as to please God. Every thing was made subordinate to this. She was most strict and conscientious in seeking the Lord daily in her closet. She had stated and regular sea- sons for retirement, and nothing could induce her to forego these opportunities of sweet and solemn converse with her heavenly Father. She was in the habit of rising very early, and she rose to pray. “The morning,” says her mother in a communication to me, “ the morning never dawned upon her sleeping couch. It ever found her on her knees before the mercy- seat. She always rose before the morning light, and lit her lamp that she might peruse the sacred page, and hold converse with the God she loved. She had a race to run, and a prize to win, and she never slackened her course till her hand clasped the crown of glory. This had been her practice ever since she first began to seek an interest in Christ. No severity of weather would prevent her spend- ing hours in her closet, and when remonstrated with refer- ence to the exposure of her health, she would reply, with a sweet smile, ‘ Do not allow any fears to disturb you on that account : my health is in no danger. And I find my mind prepared in the closet for all the duties of the day. Every day I discover much in my heart that is wrong, and needs to be brought under the subduing power of divine grace. I have every day much to praise the Lord for. Besides, my little Sunday-school children daily need the prayers of their teacher. And you know that my friends and relatives, and the church, must not be forgotten. To think over all these subjects, and bring them in a suitable manner before the mercy-seat, requires some little time.’ ” Her mother remarks still further, that — “ If any particu- lar employment required her attention early in the morning, she rose earlier than customary on that morning to secure some time for her closet ; and after the work in which she had been engaged had been accomplished, she again retired to hold further converse with God. If at any time doubts disturbed her mind, or cares interrupted her peace, she sought relief in her closet. If she had new subjects for 221 LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Anzonetta’s sympathy for the poor. praise, she retired to pour out in secret the offering of her soul to God.” I have been thus particular in specifying some of the means through which Anzonetta sought the influences of the divine Spirit, that you, my beloved hearers, may go and do likewise. We are told that, “ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength — that they shall mount up with wings as eagles — that they shall run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.” In her case there was a most eminent fulfilment of this promise. Her progress in the divine life was astonishing. She became a most exalted and heavenly-minded Christian. And yet her humility was so great, that she never thought that she had attained any thing more than the lowest stage of Christian experience. While she daily went on from strength to strength, her heart burned within her to do something for the immor- tal souls of her fellow-creatures. She had often prayed for them. She now felt that she wished to do something for their benefit. Her natural timidity previous to her sick ness frequently prevented her from speaking to her young friends, whose salvation lay very near her heart. There was, however, a powerful and eloquent appeal emanating from her consistent heavenly walk and conversation. The earnest desire of her heart also found many vents, notwith- standingher natural timidity, through which they burst forth. She resided in the family of her Aunt D . It often devolved upon her to superintend and direct her young cousins in their juvenile studies and employments : and she never failed to seize upon every opportunity to tell them of the love of Christ, of the ruin in which they were involved by sin, and the need they had of repentance and divine pardon. The poor and the ignorant shared her tenderest sympa- thies. She spent many of her leisure hours in visiting the abodes of wretchedness, threading her Way up narrow pas- sages to the dark garret — or descending into the dismal cellar, to carry some little article of food or clothing that would contribute to the comfort of the sick and dying, and above all, to tell them of Jesus, who is “ the resurrection and the life.” Imagine a young, delicate female, scarcely having as yet attained her seventeenth year, shrinking almost from her own shadow, and yet led by the love of souls to T 2 222 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. Visits to the poor. enter the tenements of want, and to sit down amid all the filth and squalid wretchedness that are often found in those abodes, to read a tract — to entreat the wretched inmates to think of their never-dying souls, or to lift up her voice in the midst of them in prayer to her heavenly Father, — and you will have it in your power to form a correct idea of the depth and sincerity of Anzonetta’s desire to benefit those for whom Christ died. These visits brought to her notice so many objects that needed pecuniary relief, that she found it utterly out of her power to extend to them the required assistance, and often felt greatly pained to know what to do. In order to in- crease her ability to meet those numerous demands on her charity, she retrenched every unnecessary expenditure, and appropriated the avails to this object. She had a stated annual allowance : and she found that by retrenching every thing ornamental, and using great economy in the article of dress, she could save from what was usually ex- pended in this way, an amount that would enable her to dry up many tears and spread the signs of joy over many sorrowing countenances. It was her delight to go on these errands of mercy. A brief extract from the letter of a friend who sometimes ac- companied her on these visits, will illustrate this part of her character. “ She loved to bend her steps to the abodes of poverty and wretchedness. During the fall of 1831, she led me to the apartment of an aged coloured woman. As she invited me to accompany her, she said, “ ‘ We will converse with her upon religion, for I am not sure that she has the right Christian faith.’ “We soon found to our joy, that Catherine was an old disciple, and had fully learned the way of salvation by Christ. She talked freely, narrated the history of her re- ligious experience, told of her many trials, and of the sup- port religion had afforded ; spoke of her great love for the Bible, and how she had learned to read, after having arrived at an adult age. She dwelt particularly upon the happi- ness she enjoyed in communion with her Saviour, of the full confidence she reposed in him, and that she looked forward with delight to the day of her death, because she then hoped to see him, not ‘ through a glass darkly, but face to face, and to be changed into the same image.’ 223 LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. Visits to the poor. “ Anzonetta listened with fixed attention, while a tear often stood in her eye. As we retired, she remarked, “ 4 What simplicity, and faith, and love, that woman dis- plays. Where did she learn all this ? Do you not think the Holy Spirit has been her teacher?’ Then she said-~ 4 This interview has done me more good than a sermon, for the preacher tells me what a Christian should be, but in her I see what a Christian is .’ 44 We repeated our visit, and joined in singing and prayer with her. A few months after she died in the Lord, and entered into his rest. 44 Another instance I well remember. It occurred the following spring. Anzonetta came in one day and said' — 4 There is a poor woman living some distance up town, will you go with me to see her?’ We started immedi- ately. On our way she told me, that the person was labour- ing under severe disease, which would probably prove fatal, and that she was unprepared to die. In a little room, we found a coloured woman alone, suffering acutely from a cancer. She was not able to sit up, but recognising in Anzonetta a friend, who had been kind to her, she re- ceived us cordially. We asked poor Betsey what her hopes were beyond the grave. Her mind was dark and comfort- less. She wept much as she related the hardships she had undergone during her past life. Though she did not clearly realize the extreme peril of her situation, yet uncertainty and gloom rested upon the future. During the recital, the deepest commiseration and sympathy were depicted upon the countenance of Anzonetta. Her heart bled for her. She bent over her pillow, and in a soft voice told her of heaven, where tears shall for ever be wiped away. Then she tried to point out to her the way to gain that blessed abode, and sought to lead her to repentance. Betsey, however, did not seem willing to acknowledge her sinfulness, but repeated again and again her favourite re- mark — 4 That she had always tried to do the best she could.’ Anzonetta’s efforts were then directed to one point, to convince her of her native depravity, and of her need of Christ. She prayed for the enlightening influences of the Holy Spirit to come and shed illumination into this benighted mind. Her whole heart was engaged in her be- half. But not content with her own endeavours, she went 224 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. XII. The love of children. to her pastor, and conducted him to the bedside of this object of her solicitude. Her visits and his were oft re- peated for several weeks — she read to her the Bible and repeated hymns. One day she had the satisfaction of hear- ing Betsey declare, “ ‘ I have been praying many times since you were here, God be merciful to me a sinner .’ “After this, Anzonetta took great'delight in revealing to her the only way of access to the Father. She told her the story of a Saviour’s dying love, and mentioned the simple condition of salvation to the penitent — ‘ Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ The poor woman was enabled to embrace the offer of mercy through this Redeemer. Her mind became peaceful, the fear of death was taken away ; she looked to him ‘ who is mighty to save.’ There was hope in her end.” Anzonetta had naturally a great love for children, and after she had surrendered her heart to the Saviour, there was given to this amiable affection a proper and heavenly direction. It became her great and constant delight to lead little children to the feet of the Saviour, and teach them to lisp his praise. “ She looked upon them,” says her mother, “ as the lambs of Christ ; and her aim was to bring all those over whom she could exert any influence, to the fold of the good Shepherd. Her love to them was of the most gentle and devoted nature. Her little cousins en- gaged a large portion of her time and attention. She marked the dawning of their intellect, observed the bent of their minds, and the force of their tempers, and endea- voured to instil into their infant hearts love to the Saviour. In her manners toward them she was kind, affectionate, and firm ; and her patience was untiring. She taught them to lisp the infant prayer, to repeat the infant hymn, and told them of a Saviour’s love to little children ; that he left the bright throne of his glory, and came to this earth to die upon the cross, that these little children might be washed in his blood from their sins, and clothed in white raiment to dwell with him for ever. When angry or im- proper tempers disturbed their peace, she tried to make them feel contrition for their fault, as an offence against LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 225 Attention as a Sunday-school teacher. God. Her prayers were offered with them and for them. She once observed in reference to one of these little ones, “ ‘ This child gives promise of becoming an early subject of divine grace. My instructions are the same to them all, but this little one treasures up in he^memory what I tell her, and divine truth seems to influence her actions. When I reprove her in reference to the risings of self-will, she sometimes is very unyielding, but when her temper is subdued she shows great contrition. Her conscience is tender. When made sensible of having done wrong, her mind is distressed until she thinks God has forgiven her.” On these occasions she would come to me and say, “ ‘ Cousin, will you please to let me kneel down by you and pray to God to forgive me, and make me a good child? I have been very naughty, and I am afraid God is angry with me ; and I can’t go to heaven if I am naughty.’ “ ‘After repeating her little prayer, she would ask me,’ “ ‘ Will God forgive me now, and wash me in Jesus Christ’s blood, and let me be one of his little lambs ?’ “ She is always ready to listen to me when I tell her of the Saviour’s love, and will often leave her play to ask me something of God and holy things. ” What a beautiful stamp and impression does this love of children have when it becomes thus consecrated to Christ. This amiable affection, so sweetly allied to the spirit of the gospel, found an appropriate field for its full development in the Sunday-school. The manner in which she dis- charged her duty in that field of labour, is thus happily portrayed by one of her coadjutors. “ As a Sunday-school teacher she was most assiduous and exemplary. She was a pattern for punctuality. The superintendent at the opening of the school, found her at her post. When unavoidably detained, she invariably ex- pressed her regret, saying, ‘ I have suffered loss this morn - ing , for the preparatory exercises always tend to so- lemnize my mind , and Jit me to discharge my duty' Her whole time while in the school was devoted to her class. Not only did she use her utmost diligence to ex- plain the lesson, but her chief object was to apply the truth they were considering to the consciences of her scholars. The little girls soon learned to love her, and listened with 226 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. XII. Faithfulness in the Sunday-school. attention to her gentle instructions. She was very con- scientious in the regular visiting of her class, and though this, owing to her natural timidity and diffidence, and her youth, was a trial to her feelings, yet she did not suffer herself to shrink from it. “ Perhaps no one ever felt more deeply the solemn responsibilities of this station. She used to act in this matter under the impression, that she must give an account of the manner in which she instructed her class. Her main object was to bring them to Christ. By many expe- dients she sought to allure them to seek their Saviour’s pardoning love. On new year’s day, she presented each one with a little book, bound in a neat attractive form, en- titled ‘ The Dew Drop,’ containing one verse of Scripture for each day in the year. She remarked to me, ‘ My little girls are not much acquainted with the word of God, and this only can make them wise unto salvation. When I gave them “ The Dew Drop,” they promised to learn one verse every day. In this way they will lay up a treasure of texts, and perhaps it will induce them to love their Bibles more.’ “ There were times when her class lay with great weight upon her heart. It was during the last summer that her health allowed her to attend the school, that she felt a peculiar anxiety for the salvation of their souls. She prayed much for them in private. She has sometimes ex- pressed to me these deep tender feelings which were too often hid within the recesses of her own breast. One day she came to me looking very sad. Soon after entering she burst into tears ; then said, “ ‘ Oh ! what shall I do for my class, my little girls are so thoughtless, and the impressions they receive on Sunday, not being cherished by their parents at home, are soon effaced, and when they come to me the next Sunday, they are giddy as ever. But,’ said she, ‘ / cannot do the work, I desire to give them all up into His hands, who has said, “ Suffer little children to come unto me” Will you not join me in praying for them?’ “ And when she witnessed any token for good, any growing seriousness, any improvement in their deportment, or any increased diligence, she rejoiced and gave thanks with great joy.” LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 227 Sketch of Anzonetia. One who knew her intimately, and had an opportunity of observing her daily walk, remarks, “ She took no human being for her standard, but re- solved to follow the meek and lowly Jesus. She was often depressed with a view of her own sinfulness, and yet none that knew her ever witnessed in her after she began to tread the narrow path, one act of impatience, of self-will, or of unkindness. She never relaxed her Christian duties ; she never lost sight for one moment of the paramount and priceless value of eternal things. She felt and acted upon the conviction that religion is not to be confined to the clo- set or the sanctuary ; that it is not to be put on as a garment for the occasional service of God, and then laid aside for the pleasures of the world, but to be an abiding principle of action, and the great business of life. While religion was made to have a bearing upon all her words and actions, and her walk was indeed close with God, she had no idea that she was in any respect a pattern, or example for others. There was no display ; no vain glorying in herself ; no harsh censure of others who walked not as she walked. Indeed she was ever ready to esteem others better than herself. When she saw professing Christians showing, by their worldly-mindedness and unsanctified passions, that the same mind was not in them that was in Christ, her heart was then pained, and tears would gush in silent grief from her eyes, to think that her divine Master was wounded in the house of his friends.” To convey a still more accurate idea of the character of this young, lovely and devoted Christian, I will here intro- duce some remarks from a female friend of hers, to whom she was much attached. “ Her whole appearance was peculiarly interesting from the first. Of her I could emphatically say at the first inter- view, “ Stranger, I read it in thine eye, And in thine accents meek and mild, And in thy faith and charity, That God hath chosen thee, his child.” I loved the other girls with whom we at this time associ- ated, but not as I loved her. My heart was drawn out towards her, as it never was towards any other. There 228 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII Sketch of Anzonetta. was an entire accordance in our views, and, I was going to say .feelings. But no, her feelings were far deeper than mine. Still our sentiments were all in unison, our pur- suits one. “ Oh ! what a tender heart she had. I used sometimes to think she was all sensibility ; but there was strength of mind and vigour of intellect combined with it. And then in her there was such sincerity ! It was the result, of the Spirit’s operations. She was honest and true ; she was %i ‘ Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile.’ She was ex- tremely timid and reserved. Generally her words were few, but they were weighty, and to the purpose. I do not remember ever to have heard her speak one idle word. The peculiar sweetness and gentleness of her manners were irresistible in winning the sympathy and affection of all who witnessed them, and imparted to her society a charm that is indescribable. “ Oh ! she loved her Saviour. He was the theme of her meditations. Of him she delighted to speak. She loved to tread in his footsteps. Especially, her mind bore the divine impress, in that she was meek and lowly. From the time that she devoted her heart to the service of her God, she sought to find the strait and narrow way. She practised much self-denial, and took up her daily cross. As her Saviour rose up a great while before day, and re- tired to a desert place and there prayed, so it was her uni- form custom, to rise up hours before the family, and seek her Father’s blessing at the early dawn. And often during the, day she retired to her chamber, to wait upon the Lord, that she might renew her strength. And so fervent was she, at these seasons, and so anxious to obtain the blessing she was petitioning for, that her words would escape her unawares, and be heard in the adjoining apartment. In her was fulfilled the gracious promise, 4 They that seek me early shall find me.’ Several different times I well re- collect that she has come to see me, having her counte- nance illuminated with joy, and her eyes glistening with meek gratitude, and said, 4 How good the Lord is. He manifested himself to me when at prayer. 1 could lay hold of the promises , and feel them mine.' Often she would say, 4 The Saviour has manifested himself to my soul to - LECT. XII. ] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 229 Sketch of Anzonetta. “ Oh ! how very tender was her conscience. She had studied the Bible closely, and formed her standard of duty from its broad and holy precepts, and she brought her con- duct regularly to the test of this holy law. What wonder is it then that she always had to complain of herself. By looking into the perfect law and upon the perfect pattern, she had continually before her eyes a sense of her own deficiency. This produced constant self-abasement, and a penitential sorrow, and caused her to have repeated recourse Urthe blood of sprinkling, and greatly endeared to her the' Saviour. “ Oh ! how deep was her humility. It seemed as if she could never get low enough before God. She was clothed — yes, she was clothed with humility. This humility, with her meek and lowly temper, shone most conspicuous throughout her Christian course. It was remarked of her by one who knew her well — * She was the most humble Christian I have ever seen.' She was little, Oh ! how little in her own eyes. Even after having received those rich consolations which the Saviour imparted, and a good hope through grace, she would often say, ‘ Mine is a wan- dering heart, I have not lived so strictly to-day as I ought.’ Again she would say, « Mine is a hard heart , Oh that it was more penitent, more broken for sin.' “ I could often learn the state of her mind by a single expression. AVhen with Christians she was generally silent, but listened with great interest. It was her frequent practice to call for me and accompany me to church. As we went she would speak of the great privileges we were favoured with, and anticipated the sacred service with de- light. But often we walked silently along, with hearts uplifted, that God would smile upon our pastor, and bless his labours. I loved to have her sit by my side in the sanctuary, for the entire devotion of her behaviour showed that her mind was abstracted from earthly things, and fixed in holy contemplation. She was never afraid of carrying matters too far in religion. She was dead to the world and alive to God ; yes, her piety was of the first order. Faithfulness was characteristic of Anzonetta. I have found it profitable to trace her character by the light of God’s word, and been delighted to find all the fruits of the Spirit U 230 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. Sketch of Anzonetta. flourishing there. ‘Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen- tleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ “ As she advanced in the divine life she became more fully aware of the deep-rooted depravity of her nature, of the hidden evils lurking in her heart. Month after month she would repeat the remark, ‘ I see more and more of my sinfulness , I see how exceeding sinful the least sin is.’ Hence her prayers ascended without ceasing — ‘ Make me a clean heart, O Lord ; cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.’ During the spring and summer of 1832 she grew in grace rapidly, proportioned to the ardour of her pursuit. She attained a great degree #f heavenly mindedness. While engaged in ordinary duties and occupations, it was noticed by those around her that her mind was elevated in reflections upon things above. Yes, her heart was with her Saviour, and her conversation in heaven. She had learned the happy art of living above the world, while busily occupied with it. She was ever diligent, very diligent in her employments, at the same time fervent in spirit. It was during this summer, which was the last that I saw of her, until upon her sick bed, that I observed a peculiar love and tenderness, and softness of manner, towards her Christian friends. She was soft and gentle as a dove. I observed an increased relish for devo- tional duties. It was at this time, you will recollect, that our little morning meetings were held.* She enjoyed them very much ; she expressed to me her great desire that the impenitent might be led to seek salvation. She longed to see the cause of Christ prosper, and his church enlarged. For her aunts and uncles she expressed great anxiety, and especially for her Sunday-school class, watching over them, praying and weeping over them. She had her walk at this time very close with God. There was a loftiness of pur- pose about her, a noble spirit, and a high aim, which was displayed in all she said and did. She was elevated above the little pursuits and fashions of this world. There was purity residing within and shining forth : yes, nothing de- scribes that nameless something about her so well as purity. Apparently there was nought of the alloy of earth connected Meetings for prayer at sunrise during the season of the cholera. LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 231 Sickness of Anzonetta. with her. She towered above, like a purified spirit, yet she was low in the vale of humility.” Though I should be happy to extend this sketch still fur ther, I must hasten to give you a view of this young Chris- tian upon her sick and dying bed. Her last illness was pro- tracted. Many days of pain and wearisome nights were appointed unto her. She lay long on the couch of lan- guishing, her frame wasting down to death, till, in the lan- guage of the psalmist, “ her beauty had departed,” — “ her strength was dried up like a potsherd, and her tongue clave to her jaws.” Still she counted it all joy that she had been brought into these trials, knowing, as she did, that the trying of her faith would work patience. She was well persuade! that this trial was necessary, and she remembered with much comfort these words : “ The trial of your faith being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” And of him, in her case, it might well be said, “ whom not having seen she loved ; in whom, though now she saw him not, yet believing, she rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” A slight attack of the cholera, in the summer of 1832, shattered her delicate constitution, and induced a debility and decline from which she never recovered. Her health gradually gave way, till at length she could scarcely rise from her bed. She became so feeble that the slightest effort would bring on such a complete prostration of all the powers of nature as to threaten immediate dissolution. During these paroxysms of exhaustion, the senses seemed locked up, and the soul, though retaining its powers of thought, memory and consciousness, usually became utterly insensible to external objects. For many months previous to her decease, she was not free from these attacks for a single day, and life with her seemed every hour like an ex- piring taper, which the slightest breath might put out. She suffered much, no one can tell how much ; but she never complained. If at any time, in answer to inquiries put to her, she acknowledged that her body was racked with pain, she would immediately check herself and say, “But this is not suffering — my Saviour suffered , and 232 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [lect. XII. Sickness of Anzonetta. when I think of the garden of Gethsemane and the hill of Calvary, all my anguish is soothed.” In early life she had been much distressed with the fear of death. Indeed it was this that first led her to serious reflection. At the commencement of her illness, occasional shadows of gloom were thrown over her mind in view of approaching dissolution, but they were soon entirely dis- persed beneath the bright and steady beaming and full- orbed splendour of the sun of righteousness. From memoranda put into my hands, I copy the follow- ing record, dated the fourth of August. Her decease did not occur till November. She was? very weak throughout the whole of this day. In the evening her debility increased. An alarming ex- haustion, accompanied with cold sweat, came on. During this paroxysm, her limbs stiffened as if in death. Her feel- ings were new to her, and she said, “ ‘ Mother, I feel very strangely, very strangely ; what do you think this is ? Do you think this is death V “ Her mother replied, ‘Very probably it is.’ “ ‘ I think it is,’ said she, ‘ and if this is death it is not hard to die. I have been afraid of death, but God is with me, and all fear is removed. At times I have thought it would be hard to part with you, dear mother, for I have loved you tenderly. I wished to live to contribute to your comfort, and in some measure to repay your kind atten- tions. This, probably, is very short sighted in me. I ought to leave every thing in the hands of God, and I now feel that I am going to Him, and I know that his love sur- passeth that of any earthly parent : for he says, ‘ Can a mother’s tender care Cease towards the child she bare Yes, she may forgetful be, Yet will I remember thee. Mine is an unchanging love, Higher than the heighth above, Deeper than the depths beneath, Free and faithful, strong as death. The love of a kind and devoted mother appears to me very great, but the love of God is still greater.’ “The exhaustion which at this time came over her LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 233 Christian patience. seemed indeed like death. When at length she revived and saw that her life was to be prolonged, she seemed disap- pointed, but meekly replied, “ ‘ I will wait patiently, and see what the will of the Lord is.’ “ During her whole sickness she seemed not only pa- tient and uncomplaining, but frequently distressed with anxiety, lest her mother's untiring attentions toward her should prove a serious injury to her health. While in health, she had found her greatest comforts flowing from the word and worship of God. These, too, were her support in the hour of trial. She had committed large portions of Scripture to memory ; and often for days together, her thoughts and feelings were expressed in the very words which the Holy Ghost teacheth. Perpetually with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, she made melody in her heart unto the Lord. Scriptural truth flowed from her lips, as from a treasure house. She would repeat text after text, promise after promise, hymn after hymn, until her frail strength would compel her to desist. On one occasion, after having repeated the hymn, Who are these in bright array, &c. she observed, “ ‘ Dear mother, this hymn was the first I learned after I knew what it was to love God. I then looked forward with joyful anticipation to the period when I should be made perfect through Jesus, who is the author, and will be the finisher of my faith ; that then, sealed with his eternal name, and clad in the spotless robes of his righteousness ; the victor palm in my hand, which.his blood had purchased for me ; and I, standing more than conqueror by his power, would ascribe all the glory and honour to him. He was then teaching me to endure the suffering of this sickness : for on this bed I have felt hunger, thirst,* and all the power of wasting disease. But the hope of a blessed immortality, and the enjoyment of the perfect love of God, has sustained and cheered me.’ ” Amid all the pains and sufferings she endured, she never lost sight of the cause and glory of her Redeemer. She * Her disease was of such a nature, that it was with the greatest difficulty that she could take food sufficient to sustain life. v 2 234 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII Affectionate farewell to her aunt. seemed constantly in prayer for the enlargement of his kingdom. She was very anxious that her nurse, who appeared to be a stranger to the renewing grace of God, should no longer live without Christ. She would often speak to her about her soul, and when she had not strengtli to do this, she would beg her mother to urge upon her the necessity of immediate repentance. She appeared anxious to consecrate the little intervals of time during her sick- ness, in which she could do any thing, to the Lord. She made frequent attempts of this sort, but her strength usually was not adequate to her exertion, and she thus found her- self compelled to desist. In illustration of the remark I just made, in relation to her anxiety to benefit the souls of others, and thus promote the glory of Christ, I will briefly advert to two incidents, and then hasten to a close. The first, is the following. In the latter part of Septem- ber an aunt of her’s that resided at a distance, but was on a visit to the city, called to take leave of her. Anzonetta took her hand in her’s, and said, “Aunt Elizabeth, this is our final leave taking. We shall meet no more in this world, but I feel the sweet as- surance that when ‘ the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved , I have a building of God , a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens f and will you not strive to meet me there ? The Saviour’s precious blood, by which I hope to gain an entrance into those blissful regions, is freely offered to you. The same Spirit of his grace is ready to sanctify you and make you holy ; and I trust you will close with this offer, and that we shall meet in glorified happiness before the throne of God.” She then turned to her aunt’s little boy, and said, “ Dear little Willie, I trust he will love God, and be a chosen vessel of mercy. Bring him up, dear aunt, in the love and fear of God ; for he has said, ‘ of such is his kingdom.’ He will not that any of the lambs should perish. Oh, teach him early to read his Bible, and tell him of a Saviour’s love. And now, dear aunt, farewell.” The second incident alluded to, is one of a very in- teresting character, particularly to some of my hearers. Three or four days before Anzonetta’s decease, while her heart was enlarged to pray for the extension of Christ’s LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 23f Message to the Bible-class. kingdom, the thought occurred to her, that perhaps God woulc. bless her last words to the members of the Young Ladies Bible-class of this church.* Though she had no personal acquaintance with any of them, she loved their souls, and cherished the fond hope that she should meet them one day in celestial glory. She accordingly sent them this, as her dying message : — “ Make the Bible the study of your lives ; read it with humble, fervent prayer for wisdom to understand its sacred truths, and grace to receive its precious promises. Be not discouraged if darkness or dulness cloud the mind ; if you are in earnest to secure the salvation of your souls, the Spirit of God can, and will, remove all difficulties. Lay up large portions of it in your memories while in health, for the Bible abounds in the richest consolations, which the sick bed , the death bed , alone can enable us to appre- ciate. Volumes cannot express the exceeding great rich-^ ness of its consolationstome. They have been my meat and drink. You may not now feel the value of them, but they will be revived to the recollection and blessed to the soul, when all other supports fail. The promises are as marrow and fatness to me. When disease wastes this tabernacle of clay, and lays its remaining strength prostrate, that I have not power to move for hours, promise after promise of the love of God rises to my mind and sustains my soul. Oh ! that I could tell you of the value of the Bible. It is my manna, my more than angels’ food, for it tells me of redeeming love ; it tells me ‘ that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin,’ and ‘ that God is in Christ recon- ciling the world unto himself.’ It tells me, that ‘ eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things that God hath laid up for them that love him.’ Oh ! it fills my soul with joy and gladness at the glorious prospect beyond the grave. “ Read a Bible with references. The Polyglott Bible has been a treasure to me ; one text so beautifully illus- trates and explains another. And let me recommend to you the perusal of a little book, called ‘ Advice to a Young Christian.’ That book has, with the blessing of God, Grace Church, Providence. R. I. 236 THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. [LECT. XII. Message to the Bible-class. taught me to read my Bible with advantage. It impressed upon my mind the duty of persevering to read my Bible in difficulties and discouragements. “ Be regular in attending the Bible-class. Let not tri- fles prevent you, nor even lateness keep you frpm its pre- cious instructions; even though the bell may have given the last toll ; go, you may hear that which will be the savour of life unto your souls. Not that I would encourage ^.late attendance; but if your detention is unavoidable, go late, rather than not at all. But before you go, enter into your closet, and wrestle with God, that the Holy Spirit may seal instruction upon your hearts, that ye may hear asfor your life, and that the word may be as light and life to your souls. And when you return, fail not to retire and pray for a blessing to attend to what you have heard. Our God is a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God. He has not said — ‘seek ye me in vain.’ You will find the advantage of having the mind prepared by prayer. J have found it so. Oh ! when I have heard that bell, I have felt as if I could take wings to obey its blessed call. And when its lasj, note has fallen upon my ear, my heart has been ready to burst at the thought that I should be absent from that little band. Often, when circumstances appeared against my going, even at the last minute, my heart has been lifted up in prayer to God, and then some one has been provided to accompany me.* ‘ Trust in the Lord, yea, I say, trust in the Lord,’ it was his overruling providence. I have not to condemn myself for wilful absence or indifference. It was no burden to me to listen to the word of life ; oh ! no, I went with increasing de- light ; I felt that the sacred Bible-class room was my home ; I felt that there I was to be fed for heaven. And truly I was fed. My soul now feasts upon what it then received. And so, my dear young friends, it may be with you. Oh ! that Bible-class ; I shall bless God through the countless ages of eternity, for the instructions of that Bible-class. I speak not thus of myself, to seek my own honour, but the glory of Him who hath redeemed me unto God by his blood. The praise and glory is God’s, to him be ascribed all the honour. Oh ! that it might re- The Bible-class was held in the evening. LECT. XII.] THE PASTOR’S TESTIMONY. 2.37 Message to the Bible-class. dound to his glory, in bringing one of the members of Grace Church Bible-class to lay hold of the hope set before us. Despise not the preaching of the cross ; it may be foolishness to the giddy and thoughtless, but on the bed of death, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God. How can the sinner be just before God, but through the atoning blood of the Lamb. The sweetest consolations and the strongest hopes upon the bed of death, flow from the cross. ‘ God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Christ.’ “ And oh ! let one who expects shortly to appear before God, and hopes to appear washed in the blood and clothed in the righteousness of Christ, let such an one plead \vi