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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 mm '•t-m SERMONS H PREACHED m TORONTO DURING THE SESSIOIn OF THE Wli^SLEYAN CONFERENCE, ASi' pilbllgi|ie^ Bg ||ie:i}Mst, i#l AM A MEMORIAL OF THK^^TOKUNTO CONFERENCE OF 1870. ■' TUllONTO : \v E s /. /; r A A' V' K n o o m, k i a '. ru /■; /■' v K^t s 'l 1870. 2^-^ t>Ley (e -Si-'- * t \ ^ # as j HUnvdvial tis,n. There are, furthermore, two other grounds on which this Conference may be regarded us a Memorial Conference. The arrangements and regulations were finally adopted by which the Wesieyan Missionary Society in this country and its Missions are entirely independent of the Society in En.- ^nd, self-supporting and self-managed; and the Book of Doctrines and Discipline of our Church, after several years deUberation and much careful labour, has been finally ... v.sed; so that an authorised and more accurate and con.plete ed:t,o„ o that important Sook is to be printed for general use than ha. ever been published in Canada. Ko netv dol ..nes or dogmas have been attempted to be created or declared, as in Rome-the doctrines of faith not being left to tl. decrees of man, but declared perfect from the beginning "y the Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles ; nor have ne^ rules been introduced, but verbal errors have been cor,«ted - .such modifications in the phraseology of certain plr^: of the pubhc saeramenfj forms of service as to adopt them ^prevalent modes of speech, and render them more simple -d less hable to misapprehension. There have also been forms added-chiefly derived from the discipline of th Me ^d.st Episcopal Church in the United States-for lay adm,tt,ng persons to the full men.bership of the Ch,n-ch f PREFACE. ix • n In spirit, likewise, this Conference may be regarded as a Memorial as well as a Model Conference, as no unkind word escaped the lips of any member during the discussions, and as a very ^racious influence rested upon all the proceedings and services. As a Memorial, and for the edification and gratification of great numbei-s of the Ministers and members of our Church, the Conference requested written copies of the four principal discourses delivered by distinguished Ministers during the session, with a -iew to their publication in a Memorial volume. The first of these discourses is a sermon of great eloquence and value by the Rev. W. Morley Punshon, A.M., President of the Conference, on the Objects, Work, &c., of the Christian Ministry, addressed to candidates before their ordination. The second is a sermon of great excellence on the Atonement, by the Eev. Gervase Smith, A.M., of England, who, though simply on a private tour of health and friendship, contributed much to the delight and profit of the public services of the Conference by his ad- dresses and discourses. The third discourse is by the Rev. J. W. Lindsay, D.D., Professor in the Methodist Boston Theological Seminary, and Representative to the Canadian Conference of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. The subject of i^his sMlmirable discourse is Self-consecration. The fourth dis- course is by a second Representative of the same Church, * PREFACE. the Rev. Dr. Lowrey, of Ohio, whose discourse and addresses afforded great satisfaction to all who had the privilege of listening to them. The subject of this excellent sermon is the Divine Beauty as displayed in the Church. It is believed that these instructive and eloquent sermous thus collected and published in this little volume, will be read with profit and pleasure by thousands who had not the opportunity of hearing them. -'$ Toronto, Juno 20th, 1870. The The The 4 The h W -i COI^TENTS % PAGE 1 1 I The Ministerial Commission • i By tub Uev. W. Morlby Punsuon, M.A. II. 25 The Sacrifice and Session of Chnst By tub Rkv. Gkrvask Smixu, M.A. III. 55 The Christian Law of Mutual Dependence By the Eev. J. W. Lindsay, D.D. IV. 70 The Church the Perfection of Beauty By tub Rbv. a. p. Lowrey, D.D. M"' t'. n FRBAC r i THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. A SERMON PRBACIIED AT TUB OROmATION OF CANDIDATES FOR TUB MINISTRY, IN EICUMOND STRKBT CHURCH, TORONTO, On SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 5tii, 1870. BY THE REV. WILLIAM MORLEY PUJJSHON, M.A. -♦-•- i w "-#, TORONTO : WESLEYAN BOOK-ROOM, 30 KING STREET EAST. 1870 w TORONTO : PRINTED AT THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE OFFICE, KING STREET EAST. ^Sn THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION : A SEIlMON BY TIIK 2Y. WILLIAM Mel .EY PUNSHON, A.M., NE 5TH. 1870, IN THE RICHMOND StaEET CHURCH, REV PREACHED ON SABBATH MORNING, JU TORONTO. ...vr ,TPOV TrtY FEET. FOR I HAVE APPEARED UNTO THEE FOR THt9 .< BUT RISE, AND STAN. UPON T^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ,„.«« THINGS WHICH '^^''''^''''::'Z:rZT.nZl.:^ ,„, wmcHnvu. appear unto thee; THOU H..r «^^^''/;^^^^;,^ ';" ,p,,, ,,„ .HOM THB GEKTILKS, UNTO WHOM NOW I 13 IN ME."-ACTS XXVi. 1^18. I. the emotion of sublimity be aroused, as the old Greek critic said, by that "otwhicli the conception is vast the eff iUisaUe, and the impression lasting," it mus have heen a sublime scene when in Agrippa's judgment ha 1, the Apostle Paul described the sublimov scene among the avenues of Damascus, where Jesus met him by the way^ Two years of suspense had not abated the anger of he Jews Linit Paul. As violently a-s in the days ot Fehx, they ehunoured for his arraignment and death. The Aj^stle by a master-stroke of policy, removed himself from their hands, THE MlNlSTEniAL COMAIlSSlOiV. H and exorted liis allowed privilogc of appeal unto Cajsar Ferftus, the new Governor, a law-abiding Roman, anxio* is to be at once conciliatory and just, and withal sharing somewhat in the national contempt with -which the llonians looked down upon the Jews, found himself in some perplexity aa to the report which should accorr.pany the appellant to Rooie. He, the cold, i)roud, sceptical man of the world, knew nothing, as he confessed, of Jewish theology, and tidked uncertainly, as s>uch a one would be likely to do, of " one Jesus, which was dead, but whom Taul affirmed to bo alive." Herod Agrippa, second of that name, had como with his sister Berenice, on a complimentary visit to Ciesarea. He had been familiar with the Jewish law from youth, and was at thi3 very time superintendent of the temple, in whom rested the appointment of the High Priest himself. Of his superior knowledge Festus was glad to avail liimseli, that he might draw up the indictment in pro- per form. Hence sprang the opjiortunity for the apostle to vindicate his Master, and to deliver his own soul. You can image the scene : the Jewish accusers, livid with race and scorn ; the ])omp of soldiery, haughty and careless in their burnished armour ; the chief men of the city, earnest and wondering; the stern Roman Governor; the royal vol- uptuary, with the beautiful harlot by ins side,— making up the audience thus strangely gathered together ; and in the midst, small of stature, but great in soul, the unfriended Apostle, lifting the hand by which he was chained to the soldier beside him, recounting his conversion, his call, his hope, his purpose: bewildering the intellect of one, startling the conscience of another: and at last tinishin*^ with that inimitable climax which ]nust have sunk straiirht into the hearts of all, as thunder drops upon a sleepinf' sea, TIIK MINTSTETIIAL COMMIF^SION. 5 I am, except those bonds." ^_^^^ ^f It is a sceno on wl.eU ^vo lovo t" "^S^^ ^^,^^^„„ yot ,vo.ter .«Ui,ni.y -'™";<";;;: 7„.,ri..l.,oe and theoUestcityiutho wovW '»' "^"^ J"' °^^ ;, ,o„„ ralmvn., and surviving then. ; a city that I :i-e:-«-M.de...«^^ t„e e-;?f;:::;-: 1 ;^^^^^^^ not :„natn,.any, ** Abaiia" and ' Ihaiiur, w ^^^.e are both its .refevreU to the ^^^^^^ ^ rive, are t„o ovnan.ent and it. hfo. ^n the ^« ^^^ „f gav,len», which are the pndo o feym, w o^^-dung ,,„o, and fruits of every ^"-''J^'^^^Zy « was here, .,,ade, stretching int5 long "«f ~ ^^^ f,„„, „,o„r, i„ the hush of noon, when the »'«« ;~ .^„^„ ^„„ -' the hirds from song, ^;::^:::;^... .Uy ^Tu :. :rtT C — Ued vision, seemed " ahovo a light, wliieh to tin _^ ^^^^^ .^ ^^,^^ ^ ^^^^._ the hright^ss of the sun. io m tent without significance, coufusrng th ^n - » no trace upon the mind But upon one pios r.^e Ught hvoUe .ith terrihle -ng.ng l>owe ' -^ '^^j^,^^ which sealed the outer work for a season, ^^ eye inward-that, like the drowning, he mi ,t f,,.timeiu a mon.ent-and recall — fu ly B. P < „„a .crversioii of years. He saw a sorro.f^^l t ^ » winch their eyes were blimled. He heard a upioacutul voice, which fell not upon common ear XMulc to . . 1 fi.nv*. W.S but a bliiulincf lig^^t and an un pauions ui travel tiicve A\afe nut ^ ^ e THE MINISTERIAL LUAMllHSION. P ! certain sound, he saw the face of Jesns whom he perse- cuted, and heard, out of the heavens, the voice of the Sun of God. Subdued ami contrite, and ready for all the will of the Master whom he was at once o unstrained to acknow^ ledge, he rose frooi the ground with blinded eyes, but with enlightened soul. For three days the outer world was seal- ed to hiui, but the inner eye becanie i)urged fronv its filuiH, and opene(i gradually to the brightnoMS of celestial vision. In those three days, — more memorable to the world than any other three in its history, save only those during whicJi the sepulchre hf-ld the Saviour, — the Gospel achieved one of its grandest trhio.phs, for the blasphemer became the apostle, who went forth to preach the faith which he once destroyed. The zeal which lately burned with the fiery heat o7 passion, was now the holy flame which prompted to t\w consecration of a life; and baptized in those "rivers of Damascus," which had been ineffectual to cleanse the leprosy of Naaman, he rose from the flood a confessor for Jesus, and His minister and witness among men. There is something notable in the words which -.vere spoken on this memorable occasion. The commission which was given to the apostle was a commission given by Christ Himself, and in the ♦^^erms in which it was couched we may read Christ's own estimate of what constitutes Christ's own Gospel. It is but rarely in the Scripture that we can gatlivr doctrinal statements from the lips of the Saviour. We look to the E))istles for our fullest views nf the truth, and our richest contributions to what we call systemacic theology. When Paul writes, to the Colossians, of the ^ > son and Avork of Jesus, or, to the Ephesians, of the nat> -j of his kingdom, or to the Hebrews of the fulness of his sacrifice, or, to the Rovjuiuk, of the means bv whicli it is made % *»-« tl THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. .A ih^t we may know all ihat our avaiUWe for "---'^^^f; „7JiL a.a solemn; and , i ^r. irnnw of mattere so suuiin* souls covet to know, oi ni«pnver what the words i. the writings of the --" "^^^J I, „,ed not go of the Mast... havo often fat «Uo . . _^^^^ ^_^^^^^^ f- to fi-' 0"' «-;7» "; X„L who cleaves by hi. do not often write it. il"> j ^^iteB trusty swoid his -«»'''';'; „tr tt forth the principles the record ef h.s "^'^^^'^^^^ .» the embodied „.hichnrgedluni othew.r « ,^1,^ His apostles glad ti'l-g"'-"'"^ , iXCas too brief and bui^dened, .vrote and spoke «- '"-^^^^j^^, ,„ the elaboration of his life too active and tenevol ^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^.^^^^ Bchemes of doctrine from H s Lps. ^^ ^^^^^_ - the world's S-^ ™^!/J 'X» - H'^ "^^^ «"' i„g was unappro^.lmble in it p ^^i^i^j, t„nt his utterances were -— \ ;"*[ ^^^.^^c teaching was into the hearts of men, "fj^^'^^^" J ^^^^ of those ^^T'T:'":^^^:t^^-^ t,-oi.id. what living lips which -ta tied an preaching, was there, for exan,ple, m the w o.e o l" ^ ^^. 1 ;» vnn'htui to his veteran ministiy, wuici from hi. yoii-htui ^ ^^^,^ ^^^^ ^ tacd -.^^^j'^'^^ ; ;'™ ded by sanctions of «wer Gods order, the T.uth con ^. ^^^^^^, ,^^ ^^^ '"rite and'mty become ; you find them all in these mar- '"n Id inlirin. wds, fastened ineffaceably upon the ,ellou andini»^n .esoaed from oblivion by ri—otH^ru^- vindication, and .maining, a '^rL^'irhitlier, dear brethren, I am pe^nLd without much searching of heart and I I THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSIOX. 11 ii prayer. On the threshold of yo„r .separation to the most liononrable office upon earth, you would be shame- fully unfit for the service, if you had not - pondered m your Hearts" both the ' aaracters which you are to bear, and the work which you have to do. In the need and solemnity of the occasion, and in humble dependence on the Divine blessing, we may all be stimulated and instructed by these words of tH ascended Saviour, spoken, not from earth, but from the midst of the " excellent glory." It would be quite impossible to exhaust, or even fully to consider, a passage so comprehensive in a sermon ; but we may crystallize some truth from it which may counsel and bless us all. There is — 1. The apostle's call and character. (1) The source of ministerial authority is distinctli/ stated in the passacje. " Unto whom now / send thee." The apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians anxiously vindicates the divine origin of his apostleship. "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man." Gal 1. 11, J 2). It is from Christ alone, the exalted Lord of the new covenant, the head over all things to His church that all the ministers of the covenant derive their official ex- istence. His spirit speaks in their hearts to impress them to constrain them into the field. The office of the mi listry IS not a profession for which men can be educated in col- eges, and which they may lawfully assume at will-still ess is to be entered as a means of preferment, or with the hope of gain. Following that delusive misnomer which con- nects a cure of souls with a "living," a father may designate his child to serve at the altar of the Lord : to that end he may be tauglit to direct his studies, he may become eloquent }lgCR, THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. ., n, . i„g of t.,0 Holy Gl,ost-he is but an -'7^- ,f ^t rr.lav who refusixl to l.caAon, when the voice, »poke :;:* "na'lot^y witl>in tl.e.n, and thoy vvande.- through a r , Ui-lt^ V^pe and vuinea fortune, and whde thou- gh te at rlt and g,o. strong, they are witheved ::^LveUod, and nothU, ahout the. ^-^^ -o,.,. :^j^::er^:;::S=-:they.o.u«or. roTbvouL piece, of the ship" to get safe to land at h.t. 11. The extent of the «u,d.terial co,a,nimou is «Uo MeJ^ ■ \, , „„ " DeUvering tlice fn-nn the people, ai>a in. Ihe iiamuje, Uemci „ t ...,„1 thee " The term IVou, the Gentil<.s, nr.to whom now I .end th . 1 " (|,.„tile." is " nations" in the ongnial, and is intended to J;:;;i; In those ot whatever ciinie, or eoloui, or tongue. K''> 10 THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. ii iiii who are not of tl,e family of Ismd. You observe the specUty with wluch the call to the Gentile,, .as proolaim- ed. Tliore IS someUnug here whicli underlies all that was mdnulual and temporary in the case of the Apostle Paul Ihere is the assurance that the revelation of God was to be «o onger a Jewish heritage-but a world-wide gift of grace -that the dispensation of the restrictive was to end. and the dispensation of the catholic to begin ; that the light which .ad aforetime shone upon one favoured people, and upon them obscurely, would hereafter fling forth its rays without hmdmiioe, broad as the firmament, and bright as the stara And this IS the genius of Christianity. It recks not of par- tia lordship or permitted sovereignty. It duims the empire of the world. It overleaps all boundaries, and disdains all limitations. It admits no exclusion of character, or condi tion, or colour It fling, over the feeblest its comfort as a seven-fold shield; and its most royal satisfactions are when it presses upon the vilest and most rebel, the welcome of for giveness and peace. A nd this is your work still. You - . ^ to preach to ail. Particular circumstances and church rc'-u- ations may limit your sphere of action; but you are boi^iU to minis er to .he Gentiles until the fulness of the Gentiles The 1-:;^ '"• ,"'-.«''-'^'-" -=-' -..t always sl^ike the light from his wiugs, as he flies through the midst of Heaven. You mistake the .spirit of your calling if you deem that any are out of your parish, or beyond tire pale of your mission of mercy. In the highways Jd hedg., '„ hj nnue, in the cell in the ,a, aretto where the lepers tire' e.xi e^ f.om he world, among the wounded whom the world l-asses by ; there, where the fools make mock at sin and the scofl-ei. deri e the godly; where the rich are haughty and 1 e i.oor are sullen, where earthly law is powei.less,\„d c ly i THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. 11 erve the procLiim- ihixt was tie Paul. ^^as to bo ' of grace ; and the ht which id upon witliout he stars, t of par- ■ empire lains all r condi- ort as a when it 3 of for- ^OU cue h. regu- * bound rentiles 1 shake lidst of if you pale of in the exiled world id the id the irthly charity turns abashed and despondent away; there where- „ve Le can find a door, or love an object, or toh an m- ; ation, or courage an opportunity for danng,-yo„r Xster Jnd Lord has sent you to preach h. gospel tUre. lit The reiuWer^^nt. of ministerial charaeter are also .toM in ZfO^m'- "^ --^'^-^ and a witness/ The word minister is used in various senses in the Scnp- turllt is used of the ancient priesthood. "Every high- Xt standeth daily ministering and offering o"- *« ^ -fi .«" Tt is used of those who wait and serve, TZXZ alW:-ing spirits." Itlsused of magis^ trft" 1 'term of authority. "For they are «od's m.n.ster, auending continually upon this very thmg^ It J „«ed to express tender attention and oare^ Thus the apostle kys of E^'hroditus, "He tha mrn- tered to my wants;" and of the Gentiles^ "Their tovls also to minister to them in eamal things., tu tlL Ib of the word are expres,sive of some function or sS of the ministerial office, as its obligations ^ve Men upon yc. Do they minister who stand at the altar. Yoi l>a!e, not indeed to offer a sacrifice, but to point tea Tcrifice ^hich has been offered once for all ; a sacrifi e nn- Cihexl. complete, accepted, availing for the most atr^ CO," sin of the most atrocious sinner, and retaining it. c Ln through the iUiu.itable yeai.. Do .hey minister riit and serve ! You are to wait upon your minuter- :^.ith an absorption of energy, and with a fruga i y of tiL, • with a devotion intenser than is given te aught be- * ,U. and with a patience which wearies not, though the e ! ;is are dark and though the harvest tarry Do they luster who have authority te a^ljudicate and te repi^ve? 12 THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. il You are called to the oversight of the church, to reprove the erring, and to quicken the languid, to chide tb- .veless and to hearten the faint of soul, not arrogantb lords over God's heritagc,-but as those to whom a stewardship has been committed, whose responsibilities you may not transfer, and of whose rule a strict account will be exacted by the Master at last. Do they minister who abound in loving watchfulness? Ycu must have, as one of the chief- est qualifications for your office, a loving sympathy for sin- ners, that yearning human tenderness which will shed its balm of spikenard upon all, by which the erring will not be harshly eluded, which will moan over the unrepentant and the prodigal. '^ My brother ! ah ! my brother I" and which feels as though it would not spare, were sinners but reached and saved-tUe costly offerings of the life and of the blood, ^^ Then you are not only to be the minister, but the " witness." Paul was chosen to testify of the things which he had seen, of the rise and spread of the new faith, based i^pon the death and resurrection of Jesus, and of those mat- ters of fuller revelation which were yet to be vouchsafed to him, but his testimony embraced not only matters of fact but matters of experience. He told of the wondrous circumstances of his own conversion, of the in fluences wlnoh had touched his heart, and changed his life, and had brought him into those new rela' tions which glorified existence with the inspirations of the immortality beyond. This is indeed the chief idea which the word " witness " embodies. A witness speaks of something which he knows, has realized, has felt; and you when you go forth as God's messengers, in His name, aud ith His tidings, must be able to sp.ak thus : that th« THE MINISTEIIIAL COMMISSICN. 13 ^^ t].P hktorv an'l that the truth, en- ,„an-s conscience m the s,ght of God. I^- to t a. His testimony rings outuron n,eB Jha bur, e of.hi.as,,c*Wo.-'-J>-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ delivered, I liave felt xt, and its -Oa rt ^^^ borne. That crnBhing sense IK g-ult and w. ath , *„ flpp its teiTors fell upon my soul. Ihat 'r^'Tnt'If s! V wl h the ..y L been cleared, and atonement of Jesus ny future been made *v"r h^JomrlT a^trusted in it, and it avails T TL'"of kindness to which I invite you to :;rii' ^1 upon my temi^st-tossed spiHt. liUe a hus^ ,,r.nn vexcd biHows of ocean, and theie was a ^le f 1 ntv which it anticipates and uniolds. Ihat sal\ auon of the covenant angel, and beai tliem iji lrt,.,.rize" Ye see yoor calling, brethren. Thus, ri'srsn witnesses, you are to sj^ak to dying men ; rrtice clear as a clarion in its summons and warnn^ your heart glowing as a seraph in the fulness of worshrp and love, IV ne compass of mhnstM teaching is emlmced in thlJis. M.Ws helplessness, the method of h,s recovery ltd L completeness and freedom of «.e - Uv^-- «,-ousht out for him ; the proclamation of these I 14 THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. work of the Christian preacher. In their Divine fulness, and m their Divine mv/er, he is to dechire them unto men. " To open their eyes." The world is represented in the scripture, as in darkness, and content in darkness. As when the night wraps all things in its embrace, we close our ejes for slumber, with no sense of constraint, nor fear of harm, so men live in moral darkness, as their soul's con- genial element. As when s«ne anodyne hath sealed the eye-lids, the sleeper is not awakened by the mornin^, but prolongs through the glare and the tumult his desperate re- pose, so in the moral world the eyes are closed even amid the noon-tide of privilege; ''the light shineth in darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not." The minister's earliest duty, therefore, is to convince men of their need and of their danger. The Pharisee mind is yet as haughty m Its disbelief, ^and the Pharisee lips will be .^ indignant in their denial as in the days of the incarnate Saviour. " This people which knoweth not the law are cursed, but we rigid and reputable; we, who from the minarets of the temple cast our cold bright glances upon the worshippers below and have so much keener and more sweeping vision, are J blind also r You will have to answer in the words of the Master. " If ye were blind, ye should have no sin; but now ye sa>/, we see, therefore your sin remaineth." Dear brethren, you will meet with instances of this marvellous self-deception in your every-day intercourse with the world Men will ask you to credit them with Christianity, who have never felt the plague of their own hearts, and are therefore Ignorant of the foundation fact on winch all the scheme of atonement rests. M.n will dr.am of heaven through a life- time, who have never accpiired the faintest uieasure of pre- paration for its enjoyment. You will have many in your ^#li THE MINISTERIAL COMMISSlOr 15 iness. c„„.ro.atlo„s, sriritual somnaml>ulists, walking aUmd ICh the darkne.,, with wide-open eye, and a gha.. y :„,:nce of life, who will fcad with seeding safety ..pon a .iddy parapet, fro,, which, waking, they wou d shrmk tith IL: now, how are y^^^: ^ i IX- '"''^ tz ^a:;:; tTj:::.: ';:« that t^ir quious echo 1 Arc you ^^ disastrous slumber may continue 1 Will you »hock and startle then, if they may t'^-^'^y ^J^^ ^, Would you rather they be destroyed than disturbed^ bl a I,, forbear to probe the wound, because modern empiricB I ivou that the patient must be healed first, and eel the I'tLdthe stiJging afterwards, NO atho..and t»,ie. No . If the soul is not aroused to its need it will never flee to its Saviour. If the eyes are closed to the realities of the r own condition, the.-e will be no imploring for the light forTe loss of it will never be felt, and it will stream forth Lte sunlight on a sepulchre, which wakes no reliance on the faces of the dead. Your duty, your first duty- Christ has told you so from heaven-is to " open" he world 3 eyes; Christ sends you to preach repentance --'remission of sins, to preach repentance in order to remission of sins and in spii of gainsayers who will scoff at your igotry a,^ false teachers who will counterwork y-'/f ' ^^f^ you, pause not in your Gospel warning, but le the words Lme, tenderly but bravely, upon the ears of all men, with Tour honest eyes straight flashing into theirs..-"E..cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." .■And to turn them from darkness unto light So soon as the disease is felt you are to be ready with the annonncemcit of the remedy; when the eyes long accusto.ned to the darkness, are nnpvessed 16 Tlli^ MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. With desires for the .superior ehmieiifc, yon ure to exliil)it the liglit for which tliey long. Light is the great scriptural emblem of knowledge, of favour, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all excellencies cluster, and through whom alone the knowledge of God can be imparted, and the favour of God shine forth upon the soul. Hence to turn men from darkness to light is to bi-ing them to Christ, to instruct them in the knowledge, and to introduce them to the favour of God. And this is the glorious privilege to which, under the name of work, you are called. Formerly ignorant of the character of God, and of their own relations to Ilim, of their i)ersonal sinfulness and tlie death in which it is naturally " finished," of the work of Christ and its mag- nificent piovision, it is yours to pour into their wistful ears the "truth which maketh free"— heralds of the " true Light, which, coming into the world, enlighteneth every man." Formerly under the condemnation of a broken law, their life a stupid security or a feverish searching after rest, with darkness in the destiny, an.t remorse, an avenging spectre, preying upon the unreal joy; it is yours to bear th^.:i tidnigs of pardon, of a peace that is deep as an ocean, and of a hope that is golden as a sunset, of ])leasures, whose jiei'ennial rap- tures leave no sting behind, and of the Saviour whose love makes all the jn-esent radiant, and the fulness of whose un- utterable salvation they must die to know. From darkness to light ! What a comprehensive and blessed transition ! The mind, enchained formerly by a long bondage in error, receiving intellectual freedom, its nuestions answered in the light of the -vord and of the throne ; the conscience, once an unfaithful guardian, bribed into slumber, or seared by the neglect of years, now wise to discriminate, and quick to re- prove, a warder on the towers of the spiiitual citadel, watch- ■-'•^'-r '-'-"-' • THE MINISTERJAL COMMISSIOS. 17 f„l as "in tho »i?U of O0.I." Tl,e l.eart awhile ago con- 1,1 r„a agonLd, now vocal with the joy of veeove.y " „tt^- h t you are ,,ern,ittel-- : soLwing'fellow, these glad tiding, o joa J ^J There is no lofuer honour on earth, no dea.-er task could bt ^llitted to archangel hands.than to be " the „>e..enger of the covenant" to a world ^^J^^ ^„, ,„^forte. Thus aroused to r sense 01 y •^ ^ ^ith the tidings of pardon, it is your n„ss,on t«r : ' ttturn ;,eu in.tn™entally ''fro«^ ti.e po..er Tsln unto God." They are to ho no longer under {e rule of the evil one. Tl,eir. is to bo not only an : notional but a practical godliness. They are t^ jece.ve not only the sense of light and of grace, bu "f ;-^™ ?t mastery over sin. The great purpose of Christ s commg s Tdld to be "to bless you by turning every one of you f^rhis iniciuiti^;" and the practical deliverance from the powev of sin is as essential to the gospel, and must be as Clusly insisted on as the removal of the curse The faith indeed, which does not vimUcate its existence by a hly lite, is profitless and dead. If a man comes to me boastful of tie treasures of a rich experience, of a comfoit so clstant that he fears no penalty, of a peace that flc^s La river, of a close and enrapturing fellowship with God how am I to judge him ! I an. no discerner ot .Tints I cannot enter into the secrets of tho inner man. All th.lt is cannoieii , , . ^ ,1 ;■, •, scaled book to me, a hievo- bbtweenliimalidbis bodi!> ascdlui uu Iph which I possess but one ciph.r to unrave . Hat S'^l'"' ,,... Out in the broad world, m thti cii ,her is his outward life. 18 THE MINISTKRIAI, COMMISSrON, haunts and homes of men, this i., ground which is common to both of us. I ask of his habits, of his conversation, of his dealings ».th his fellou-s. Do they bear ont his profes- sion Js Ins life a sermon which the scotfei^ cannot gain- say ? Does he speak honestly and act rightly, ti.ongh loss and shanie should follo^v sj-eech and deed ? I. his piety always fragrant, like the violet which flings its odours as Ireely over swamp and hedge-row as in the Parian vases of the patrician household? If so, I honour him, I will accredit his expc-ience, I will gladly sit at his feet ; but if his life beotierwise-ifthcrebe no exemplary testimony in the record of every day-then I have a right to say that the faith which shows no fruits above, has very slender roots below He may speak as he pleases about the intimacy of h.s fellowship with God, but if when he walks among men no glory lingers on his countenance, it is difficult to believe that he ha. been on the summit of the mountain at all. feee to it, my brethren, that you preach a thoroughly pmc- foal gospel, niere is no Autiiiomianism in the Apostle's utterances. There must be none in yours. In the ed t rrerd/t" ?7'""' ^^^"'^'"'™- with the truti so generally difiused, there must be downright earnestness could p..... them, like another Babel, to the heavens; but if Ufe be spared, and opportunity given, there can be no 1 . vation wu'ioutthem, for they are the fruits of a;ivin?Ii^ the orthputting of the new nature, and the eviden:e of ^ good conscience toward God. Holiness to the Lord, as n the ancient prophecy, must be " upon the bells of tl e i rse " to wh ch the chariot speed.s, there can " in no wise enter n">-thmS that dolileth, or that loveth or ni.Ucth „ U I lie. THR MINISTERIAL COMMISSION. 10 common sat ion, of s profes- lot giiiu- Vgh loss lis piety dours as vases of accredit ills life ' in the /hat tlie er roots liacy of g men believe at all. Y prac- oostle's se days ruth is jstness a man but if 10 sal- faith, 3 of a in the or.ses" e citj'- enter lie." I The "fruit" of every day must be " holiness," if the glorious " end" is to be everlasting life. But a word can bespoken upon the rcmm which are pro- mised from a fa. hful ministry to those who hearken to its n^essace. How rich and rare the promise ! that they may receive " forgiveness of sins." This is the earliest blessing which you are en.powered to proclaim. You may pro- claim (tjred,u the removal of the blighting curse which sha.lows the lives of men, the lifting from tlie spirit of t mt sore condemnation which blanches the cheek of the stout- hearted, and loosens the limbs of the warrior into a palsy of terror You may proclaim it fearlessly, for the law is vin- dicated, and there is no weak yielding of claim, nor caprice of undiscriminating tenderness ; but pardon for a reason, a reason which justice sanctions, and in which mercy tri- umphs You may proclaim it unto all, for the blessing has aone forth widely as the curse; and there is none so foul, so feeble, so remote, so leprous, as to be beyond the reach of the bountiful provision. Oh, most enviable work in which man can ever be engaged, to be set apart to proclaim for" c^iveness of sins! Cry aloud and spare not, brethren, it is tvorth some waste of lungs and labour. Pardon ! Sound it out through n\\ the avenues of this vast Necropolis of a world, tha. ( .0 dead souls may hear it and live,, Pardon ! Let the echoes of it roll up the far arches of the sky, that seraphs may gather from it loftier praise and sweeter song, for the most exquisite melody of angel harps is struck yet to that old, old story: "This my son was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found." The words swell into still higher privilege. A man may be forgiven,-and forsaken;- brought out of prison, but left to starve oi" to ste.d ;-saved from the penalty 20 TiiK Mf^vrsTEUfAL fOMMrs^roy. " 'HIUIO, hilt tJle rroSMf. wlifnl. r>gl' thorn into thi., Canaan of perfect lov'f ° ."^ "«" o- Of ..«.„, .„„..e sint I? i ;/^rI:,oTr ^::;: ;r:!a' '"'""'^ ^ w..e.o t,.:,:;.::: ::;;:::::f e~r t^ ■•'•- -• - not in with „„t in " , ,f r Tn ''T T"'""^' ™'' ^n,. then .hat ..nain, Jth": nSC 1"T' T chosen woH I " \r,.t i ■, '"'"-""nee. Oh, aptly Boating ••exc,l,e;'M'"'r, 'f ""•"' -"' "^ -»l'«on. been eaL in w i , h. > "" P'""' '^''"^« ''-<> i»'"»t of a^ :™' " ' "S"' "r""^ ''"^ ^'" '-'y "Pon the l.oliesta.™J ",, ,:\r *'?' ''' ''"'"■■ '-■■™- I'l'o ^ S5'^^ US ijas no otaor claim- f-l.n amM^o*. nue(]receding chapter is devoted to a subject on which it was •necessary to dwell, if he intended his argument to have weight with the Hebrews, viz., the inefficacy of Levitical sacrifices to take away sin. On this their views were most erroneous. Well nigh indelibly was the notioa fixed that these offerings were availing to the removal of sin, both as to its guilt and penalty. Whoever, therefore, should undertake to supersede them, must be able to show with the force of demonstration that they were insufficient. Nor are we sur- prised at the tenacity with which the Jews clung to their ritual. They had been educated in the conviction of its 28 THE SACRIFICE A^•D SESSION OF CHRIST. m efficacy, so that St. Paul's first duty is to remove their wrong impressions, and to put before them in clearest light the in- adequacy of that ritual as a spiritual agency. The commencement of this chapter may be regarded both as a supplement to that which precedes and an introduction to this which follows. "For the law having a shadow/' &c., (V. 1). In the law there was a shadoio of gospel blessing but It was a mere sketch-the first pencillings of the artist shewing in rude outline his future work. There was only an adumbmtion, not a "full image," as is here intimated of the good now offered to us ; so that even the offer' mgs of the great day of Atonement, which were regarded as the most efficacious, could not take away the guilt, nor ease the conscience of the temple worshipper. In proof of this St. Paul refers to the frequency with which they had to be offered. "For then," putting his proof in the form of a question, " would they not have ceased to be offered?" If they we-e perfect they needed not repetition. " Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience," or consciousness, "of sins. But," because of their imperfection, "in those sacrifices there is a remem- brance again made of sins ev^ry year," for as oft as the oftermgs are presented is there an implication of guilt "For* it^is not possible," &c. Theirs was blood of another nature ot an mfenor nature, of a nature that had not committed and could not commit sin. So that while that blood cleansed the worshipper from legal, ceremonial defilement, it could not remove moral impurity. The Apostle then draws an important inference. " Wherefore when he " Christ " eometh," &a, (v. 5-9). " The amount of this reasoning '' IS thus stated:-" Ritual sacrifices for sin are not accepted by Uou as suilicient to " ■ - re move the penalty due to the moral TCE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OF CIIllIST. 29 turpitude of sin. But the obedience of the Messiah unto dX the offeHng of his body on the cross, . suffic.n and fully supersedes the other sacriBces. Ihe wnoie i„ien[ is now brought to a close by a pertinent and con- vincing contrast, "And every high r--st staM da^^ nunistering, and offering ofterai.,es tU same «cr,/- ^ ..But this ,.m.,- after he had offered one sacrihce for sms for ever, sat" &c. I. The SAcniFicE, and, II. The Session op Christ. I. " But tWs man . . . offered," &c. The person who offers this sacrifice is Jesus, " the High Priest of our profession." The word " man" is in c,ur trans- haion, but there is nothing in the passage to mark distmctly either humanity or divinity. It is evidently put antith- tiealW with the term " priest" in the preceding verse. T e Jowiii priest offered ritual sacrifice, but this man-tlus priest— offered the one sacrifice for sms. 1 Mark its Natnre.-T\.. word is of freanent use in the Scriptures, and has three generic signifacations. There i^ the Christian's sacrifice of heart and hfe, which , \ • t- „i ..„,! rledicatorv ; the Levitieal sacrifice, is both euchanstical and deaicatory offered at various times, and on specified occasions, and * vi^arimts ami perfect sacrifice of Christ. This is the rffering of His own life as an atonemen to satisfy the claims of justice on account of -- »™-;^';^ and as a provision for the future and final salvation of the :::ier. ^0 a,, two things re,ui.d in a l-l---^^ it must be vohmtary and actually ofiered np. ih; *™; is sometimes said to be His own bo.Uj and Uood, somet mes His sora, and sometimes and pre-eminently it is said to be I 30 THE SACRIFICE ACT SESSION OP CHRIST. /W/ Tl,is wns done volantarihj. Tl.ero was no abso tTTr\ "No „.„ takoU. » Vife from »: i I lay It down of myscjf. I have power " &,- Tl,« T • i crowds, lieaded by the priests and \Z ■ V "■"'' for His rl,..,n> I I , Pliarisees, uiiglit clamour dlb i; L : '■;"- ™'i«» -ould have struck then, befoi' h;! " "" '"""^*''' '""'' ""^'"I" t° «ei.e Him Stiller] ,-n . ! r '^^ ^''"^' '^^^««« ormiific word sWled n a n.oment the foamings of the Galilean sea coul m as short a space have cahred the tnrnnlf f ''^''' ''^"^^^ peonle Wifi. .• ,. tumult of an excited &»i^ty woild. In some sort this mav be r.«ll«-i P<^^ into which the Father and Son vol^ll* .:;:;:- g'lgmg a successful issue and vocf ,.^ ainrv T ^venues of praise and «aith, ''Tiierefore will T r • / '• -^'''^ *^'^ ^^*^^^^' ^^niesuii^^r;^;:;--:::-:;,^^ .ng of death, now crowned with glory and honour." inis sacrifice was actMally offered Tn tl,„ o-Oinary acceptation of the tlfXl ^ VrriM '■ antecedent c „ I-l.^f^^I^J^ ^.^ P'^- «'^'« t-^e we aver tint tl -n ' foUowu.g" as you think fit ™' ""^* *''»y ^"" apply to the death of Christ unon th» cross as sti.ctl, as they „,„ appl, to the death 7l:Z^ ->icl/e..,,re:™ :•;,;,. ;;,,f:f ■'7''- r ''^ -««-d, an ^'i'i"> tiiat he endured a true, real, pro- *j TOE SACRIFICE ASD SESSION OF CHRIST. 31 i<,.tV, The bv-standers, both enemies and friends, con- C«d n thS, for tho'one uttered a shout of savage : at thl consu,nn,ation of their cruelty, and the other Zl Idy to perform their last offices rf kindness in pr. JL a decent interment of His body." The Ban in moum- ::! proof of its reality. The deserted graves the trem- " Unl . .■ und, the enfissured rock, all nature in upheavemen ! d diCler is our confirmation. You do not suppose that : is vere influenced by pity to their jictim^hen ^'trained from those act, of violence with which they visited the malefactors, iney uri s their murderous purpose was already accomplished. Their oi, ect w- His death, and when that object wa. secured, even their blood-thirstiness was quenched. Tins death was both pretignified and predicted. That the Jte'l sacri«ces pointed to Christ is certain from the facts «t the New Testament wi-iters often use them as represen- *:::: of gospd Uessmg, that me.ly ^^V^^^f^^^ needed not to be washed away by blood, and tha,t the con tai b tween the two is so minute and exact, that it cannc^ l: ^ntedforiuanyotherway. Thetraino p™phets,,.th t::: m^h ru™U that Chnst shoiUd suffer, he S so fulfiUed." .ohn ^e ^^^^T^ZI^^ rvio:L^S.";-erftoHisdeath. Bothat "e no doubt as to the reality of the sacrifice offered : IsacHfioe possessing virtue which extends in every direc- ti „ ^!d ineets every case, perfuming a desert world with its r..auce, and producing a rich harvest of millennial glory. S2 THE SACniFFCE AND SESSION OP CHRIST, 2. The specific eUracte,- of lhumcrif,ce.--UU "a sacrifice forsa^. The word «« b ,„erca as guarantees for the fulfilment of act. by thc.r coun- tvy.nen are not said to be treated unjustly, if, on the breach of treaty, their lives are sacrificed. The objection as to the in- itistice ^ / substitution vanishes, if the sacrifice have these 'three inarks upon it :-'' 1. That the party, l>earing the nunishnient of others, do it by his own consent . Ihat he have the right thus to dispose of himself; and, 3. ihat the ends of punishment be as effectually answered by such a transfer of it as they could have been by inflicting it upon the principals themselves. Suj^pose full consent, and the party suflering cannot receive wrong ; suppose full power of consent, and no other party receives wrong ; suppose the ends of penal laws as effectually served by such an expedient, and the public receives no wrong.'> That all these marks are upon the sacrifice of Christ there is no doubt, so that with- out hesitation we accept and embrace and cling to this atonement which has been made - for the sins of the wovh . The evidence of its vicariousness we trace retrogressively. The statements of the Apostle's are strong and convincing ; with a freshness and power known only to inspiration, do they discourse of the suflerings and death of Christ ; and of all the features of the atonement there is none- upon which 'they insist more strenuously than the one before us But the life of our Lord furnishes abundant proof. What make you of that mental conflict, of those soul agonies, of the in- ternal and hidden struggle alternating in its cause between heaven and hell ; of those mysterious pangs, sometimes in- flicted by the divine and loving Father, and sometimes by the concentrated malignity of devils 1 Is there a human be- i,,. .0 fallen on earth, or a spirit so blasted in the bottomless pit that would even insinuate that these suflerings were for UU oivn sins ? The man would be loathed who should 34 THE SArUIFlCE AND SESSION OP CHRIST, Bay tl.af. Josus deserved His agony. The conclusion is irresistible that He snflcred on Miaff of others, -to reconcile (iod and man. The voice of i)ropheoy on this subject is neither indistinct nor uncertain. There are many emphatic testimonies, but the mind wings itself at once to the Sun and rentre of Isaiah's predictions. Here '«all other glory is excluded by reason of the glory that excolleth." " Surely he hath borne " etc. (liii.3,4, 5, 0, 8, 10,11, 12). Tiie man hus a most un- gracious and unenviable propensity to cavil, who can in face of this chapter object to the death of Christ as an expiation. Every sound principle of criticism must be invaded- every sensibility of the heart must be stunned, and every dictate of common sense must be held in abeyance. Look now at the facts of the great day of atonement as detailed in IGth chapter of Leviticus. The high priest com- menced the proceedings of the day with certain personal preparations which the ritual enjoined He then offered a bullock with special reference to his own sins and those of his family. Ho next cast lots upon two goats. That upon which the Lord's lot fell was slain as a siu offering. Upon the head of the scape-goat he laid his hands, confessed over it the sins of the people, and sent it away into the wilder- ness. In this latter ceremony is our i>roof of expiation. Let it be remembered that the two goats constituted the one sin offering. The scape-goat was as indispensable as the slain goat. That there was a symbolical substitution is evident from the imposition of hands. " And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel," &c. (Lev. xvi. 21, 22). The sins of the people were put upon and con- fessed over the head of the victim, and with thes3 sins on THE SACniFICE AND SESSION OP CHRIST. 35 its head was it led away. Mark the change which this cere, moiiy produced.* The goat was both clean and perfect when brought to the priest. Immediately on the imposition of hands it was i)olluted. Whoever touched it was defiled, and even the man who led it away had to undergo the legal pro- cess of purification. The humiliating treatment which the scape-goat received from the people is another proof. They lieniKid on it contumely, they spat ui>on it, they pulled and clipped off its hair. And to this day do the Jews cling to lb 3 doctrine of propitiation. They are not in circumstances to keep up all the ancient ritual. But on each anniversary of this solemn day does the head of the family take a bird, and putting his hand upon it say, " Let this bird be a sub- stitution for me, let death be allotted to it, but to me and all Israel a happy life." Its external parts are then consumed by fire, but the internal— rep, ;senting sin- -are exposed on the roof of the house to be carried away by the fowls of heaven, just as the scai^e-goat convey .3d the sin of the t)eople into the wilderness. We may also add that heathen nations ar6 not unacquainted with this practice. The Egyptians, ac- cording to an old historian, never eat the head of a living creature; and when one was sacrificed they uttered over it a solemn execration, and prayed that all evil by falling on it might be a-erted from their country. If then the sacrifices of the Mosaic law were typical of Christ's atonement, and ^i those sacrifices are thus shown to be expiatory, it indubitably follows that this is one of the features of the death of Jesus. A step farther back brings us to the dispensation of the Patriarchs. It is difficult to understand the objection, as raised by an orthodox Chri&tian, that the doctrine of atone- ment was unknown to the ^';orld previous to the delivery of the law by Moses. The fact is on record that when the 36 THE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OF CIIIUST. Israelites entered Canaan, tliey found its population in the regular practice of offering human sacrifices ; and that these offerings were supposed to be vicarious is the teaching of in- spiration, for when tlie prophet refers to them he asks, " Shall I give my firfet-born an offering/or 7mj transgression the fruit of my I .dy a siii-qfering for my soul ?" The notion of e.xjjiation was in the world long before the promul- gation of the law. In the book of Job there are two dis- tinct instances of sacrifice, and in each case there is presented the piacular victim. Noah, after his miraculous deliverance, offered not only the Eucharist, but the substitution, and the Lord " smelled a sweet odour of rest." Abel's sacrifice was for his own sin and a type cf Christ. Almost as soon as man became a smner, he was pointed to a Siwiour. By some divine intimation or express command was he led to the rite of sacrifice, so that from the first days of manhood he was directed to the cross. A few collateral remarks, in addition to the historic evi- dence, will close the argument. There is the practice of heathen nations. And let not heathen testimony be disre- garded, for though neither the instincts of nature nor tradi- tion may be looked upon as a religious rule, they may both confirm a higher revelation. It is confidently asserted that " throughout the world the religion of paganism maintained the expiatory power of animal sacrifice." It required that "kings and ruler^s should, in the event of great public calamities, devote as a ransom to the avenging demons the best beloved of their children in the place of the des- truction of the whole community." One of the early Phenician kings sacrificed in time of war his only son vicari- ously, and the historian adds very remarkably that per- sons thus: devoted were sacrificed mijsUcallt/. THE SACillFICE AND SE{ ION OF CHRIST. 37 The word denothuj suhstiiution is constantly used by the inspired writer " He died the just for the unjust." " He suffered for us." He " tasted death for every man." He "gave himself a ransom /;r all" He "is the propitiation for," &c. That this particle denotes substitution who 'r^n doubt? What meant the high priest by it wlien he said, '' It is ex- pedient that one should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not ?" Either Christ or the nation must suffer, and the Saviour's death is evidently regarded as a substitution for that of the people. And, finallv, the inno- cency of the Bedeemer is a powerful proof of His piacular atonement. It was a sacrifice for sins. This great truth was taught by the Apostles and the Saviour himself. It was predicted by the Seers. It was set forth, not only on the solemn day of atonement, but by the more than ten thousand victims which were offered for about four thousiind years. The Patriarchs beheld the cross. Noah and Job, and Abraham and Melchisedek, looked on to Calvary. The imn.ediate off- Rprincr of our first parents were told of Jesus, and Abel brought his lamb, looking towards Zion. The practices of the Gentiles, the very terms of the Bible, and the character of Christ, are so many coniirumtions of the text. God was an-ry with the sinner. The sinner dared God's vengeance. Justice claimed satisfaction. The gleaming sword was wielded. Our Saviour met the stroke. He " offered one sacrifice for sins for ever." 3. The sacrifice in its perfectness.—K two-fold view of it is given It is perfect m its unity, for it is om sacrifice. It is perfect in its efiicacy, in that it has not to be repeated. It is " one sacrifice for ever.'' It is one in opposition to the many sacrifices of the law. It is for ever in contrast with the iVequeut repetitiuu of the ritual victims. 1 ho 1 apal 38 THE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OF CHRIST. r;eroniony of the mass is not only imperfect because of repeti- tion, but it is sinful in that it attempts to supersede the one complete and eternal sacrifice of Christ. Tiie glory of Christianity is a perfect atonement. We deny not to former dispensations a degree of glory. If our religion must be adjudged by its ritual and external services, we shall have to put it second to Judaism. It is confessed that in the routine of that economy— its ablutions, its voice of song, its fiimiug incense, its flowing and sprinkled blood- there was a sensuousness, an imposing magnificence and grandeur which belong not to Christianity. But is it not m this very particular that the superior glory of the gospel is ma;aifest ? Any ceremony which shall seriously impress the mind, and show the aggravation of sin, and reflect the out- beamings of mercy, may be a blessing to us. But if instead of making the impression through the senses, there is now a spiwtiial agency which makes its way directly to the heart, and offers pardon on simpler conditions, there surely can be no question as to which of the two is the better economy. No doubt the Jewish multitude gazed with blended rever- ence .nd joy on their high p,-iest as he, arrayed in gorgeous robes, and bearing in his hand the reeking blood, went into the holiest to make the jiropitiation for sin. But is there a Christian who is not more impressed as, climbing the hill of Calvary, he beholds that sacrifice to which all other had reference, and in which all were lost ; and as he thinks that without the intervention of human priest he may come at once and boldly into the holy of holies, and feel on his conscience the sprinkled blood 1 Those sacriHces have i,assed away : this is now being offered. Their blood availed only to the purifying of tlie flesh : this blood cleanseth from all sin. THE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OP CHRIST. 39 They were chiefly for the benefit of a small nation ; this for a world. " His blood atoned for all our race, And sprhikles now the throne of grace." II. The Session.— He " sat clown," (fee. The incidents of the Redeemer's life are clothed with sur- passing interest. No product of the imagination merely can ever rival the sublimity of fact. Works of fiction may pro- duce a momentary thrill of pleasure, but the result is un- satisfactory. Time is lost, the imagination is intoxicated, the intellect is weakened, the heart is seduced, and this chiefly because you are brought in contact with that which is not true. The gospels are inspired histories of fact. Every successive scene of our Saviour's life more deeply rivets your attention, and as the drama nears its end you become lost in sublimest ecstacy. The events of His public life brought Him to the cross. His death was quickly followed by the resurrection. The interval between His resurrection and ascension— that glorious supplement of His earthly existence— was crowded and interspersed with in- terview and travel and teaching. The day of parting came —a day full of sorrow to the disciples, but of blessing to the world. " Cherubic legions guard him home, And shout him welcome to the skies." And then for purposes bearing Ui)on His own glory, and the destinies of men, He entered upon His session at the riglit hand of the Father. 1. The place of His session.—" On the right hand of God." It is scarcely needful to say that this is one of those meta- 40 THE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OF CHKIST. phors wliicli, from consideration to liunum infirmity, the angel of inspiriition litis sanctitied as the medium of com- municating truth. You will not degrade tlie divine Being l)y clothing Him in human attributes. His spiritual exist- ence knows nothing of corporeal faculties ; but as those faculties are to us the representatives of thought, He con- descendingly assumes them while He speaks to man. The Jtand is that member which is the most })rominent, the most active, and is sometimes put for the whole body. The right liand is by liabit more in exercise than the left, and thereby acquires a firmer strength. TJie genei'al idea of the text is taken from royalty. The throne-room of the palace is sug- gested. The science of its aichitecture, the skill of its arrangements, and the beauty of its decorations may not be overlooked. But its living occupants arrest the attention, (for there is in the human face a study such as you meet not elsewhere), and the centre of attraction is the monarch him- self. What he says is caught with eagerness, and what he does is noted and applauded. His servants stand behind him, his ministers stand around him, but the seat at his right hand is reserved for the royal heir, or the favoured guest whom " the king deligliteth to honour." There a'e tln'ce thoughts in this expression. The right hand is the place of Jiajypincss, where favours are bestowed and the guerdon is awarded. " In thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there aro," kc. It is also tlie place o? powe7% for in the midst of the Saviour's passion, and when the priests and scribes tempted Him with the question, " Art thou the Christ 1" He replied, '' Hereafter shall tlie Son of j\Ian sit on the right hand of the power of God." It is, moreover, the place of honour. When Bath-sheba under- took to mediate between Adonijah and the Icing, she went THE SACRIFICE AND SEf^SION OF CHKTST. 41 into Solomon's presence. " And the king fo^e up to meet her, and bowed himself imto her, and sat down on his throne, and cansetl a seat to be set for the king's mother, and sho sut on his right hand." When Clivist, " who being the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his pereon, and npholding all things by the word of his power, had by himself purged our sins," he " sac down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Because he submitted to the dishonour and in- dignities which men inflict, he is now raised to honour and power and felicity at "the right hand of God." The depth of his humiliation cannot be embodied in human language. " Though he was rich"— in all the manifested glory of the Godhead, in the dignity of divine and un'versal beiixloia, and in the grateful ascriptions of unfallen spirits—" for our sakos he became poor," divesting Hnnself, not of tlie Deity, but of ihofortn of it ; reducing Himself to beggary, and descending to the lowest level of human wretcheilness ; exi>osing Him- self to contumely, bondage, sufferings, death — the death of the cross, " that we," who were Y>oor indeed, " through hi» poverty might be made rich" in the possession of grace on earth and glo] - in heaven. He ought to be exalted. The Father recog.. js and ratifies His claim. All heaven in jubilant procession comes forth to meet Him as He returns from his scenes of sorrow. Some of the angels had left heaven sooner to attend Him all the way. These, as tliey neared the portals, chanted the request, "Lift up your heads,'* &c. The gates were opcmed, and at the point of meeting between the ascending convoy and the desoendiiig ho:it, the choral swell was perfect. The gates were passed in triumph. Jesus was conducted to the thixmo, and amid rejoicing shouts 42 THE SACRIFICE AND SESSION OF CHRIST. E3H1 and hallelujahs, He was installed in mt liatorial dignity at the right hand of God. 2. The act of His session. — He sat down, too much to say that even the smallest duty imposed '^pon tlie humblest Christian has its intimate bearing upon the salvation of the whcle world. Each moment of your his- tory the Saviour's eye is fixed on you. He looks expecting. He has linked your effort with his own victory, and his own victory will not be complete till you have had a full opj)or- tiuiity of taking your share in it. In the midst of your usefulness you are pushing on the triumph. In your supine- ness and inditierence you are holding back thr chariot. He 50 THE SACEIFICE AND CONFESSION oF CilRlBf. ill has commanded you to^ ctiltivate the work of personal holi- ness as a preparation for Tature usefulness > and he now sits^ expecting your entire sanctity. He has set before you dif- ferent spheres of duty, but all are associated with his purposes of grace. He lays upon the mind o£ one the care of the young, to another he commits the sick and needy ; and now haying ahown you your duty, he sits on the throne expect- ing you to fulfil it. If you hesitate or vefuse, the world's happiness and the Saviour's claims are kept back * that extent. You do a damage to the interests of human! and tarnish your Master's honour every moment you are net at the post of duty. It may be that He hap given to some young man a commis- sion to preach His gospel. You are called to go into "the highways and hedges" of your own neighbourhood, or to give up fVe comforts of home and the privileges of your fatherland, and preach among the heathen " the unsearchable riches of Christ." Your compliance is interwoven with his great designs. He is now looking upon you and expecting you to do the work. Do you object ? He is stili ex- pecting. If you won't go, he wUl send another ; but that wUl not lighten your responsibility. Who can conceive the agony which will be realized at the judgment day on the review of opportunity miiimproved and duty neglected ? Who can think, without a shudder, of souls destroyed and the earth's great jubilee retarded, because we were unfaith- ful to our trust and disobedient to the heavenly call, " In- asmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." But on the other hand, who can express the joy of the humble and devoted Christian, when at the last tribunal he looks upon tiic past ; ixe knows tuat theve is no merit in his li sees '. and ; the 6 *'W able, as y( THE SACRIFICE AND CONFESSION OF CHRIST. 51 his life, except as Jesus has made it meritorious. But he sees his unworthy efforts joined to the Saviour's mediation, and from the lips of Him who spoke his pardon, he now hears the sentence, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." *' Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immove- able, al\/ays abounding in the work of the Lord j forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." -*-*t—- PRIKXBD AX THb UUAKDiAW OFFiCB, KIKQ oXlvECf, lORuMXO. 1 iMi'^ 1 » K ^^K ( 1 1 w ' I } til rsK BECEOA] THE CHRISTIAN LiW OF MUTUAL DEPENDENCK A SERMON rSKACnED IN THB KI,K STREET WE3LEYAN METHODIST CHURCH, TORONTO, On- SUNDAY EVENIMG, JUNE 5th, 1870, BY THE REV. J. W. LINDSAY, D.D., BMOAIE rcoa TUB M. E. CHOI.™ m trk vm-,m statb, to tub WESLBTiH CONFERENCE IN CANADA. ♦ » TORONTO : WKSLEYAN BOOK-ROOM, 80 KINO STREET EAST. 1870. Toronto: printed at tiie wkkikyan confkrf.xcp oittce, king strekt kami', ||! IHf THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF MUTUAL DEPENDENCE. A SERMON BY TIIK REV. J. W. LINDSAY, D.D., PREACHBD ON HABBATH EVENINO, JUNE 5TII, 1870, IN THE ELM STREET CHURCH, TORONTO. I «' For none of ns livbth to himself."— Romans xiv. 7. We are all placed under a law of mutual dependence, unerring in its operations, yet liable to be affected by so many different forces, that we do not always observe the regularity of its sequences. By unseen bonds we are con- nected with others so constituted, that we give and receive influences for good or evil continually. God has ordained the social relations of life. He " has set the solitary in families." His delight is in the habitable parts of the earth, and the nations aro appointed of God. From the highest to the lowest there are sympathies and interests which show relationship and dependence. All necessary one to the other, if there is to be a harmonious working of the whole. The eye cannot say unto the hand *3 ^8 THE CIIllISTIAN LAW OF MUTUAL DEPENDENCE. i,iiffi^ifibi I have no need of thee, nor, again, the head to the foot, I have no need of thee. If one member suffer, all the mem' hers i^aSer with it ; if one member be honored, all rejoice with it. — 1 Cor. xii. 2l. No one can isolate himself from his fellow-men. A per- verted conscience may have led men to make the attempt, but in their very efforts they have shown both that they needed human society and were affected by it. And have shown that their fellow-men needed them and were influ- enced by them even in their apparent isolation. In the early ages of the Christian Church there was a St. Simon dwelling on a lonely column, day and night, in solitary meditation, with no word to comfort nor cheer the thousands that were perishing in their sins. A St. Anthony, of wealthy and noble parentage, bestows all his goods to feed the poor, yea, is ready to give his body to be burred, and yet, with great harvest-fields all around him, waiting for the reaper, lie turns to the solitude of the desert, and for twenty years hardly seen by his fellow-men, holds imaginary conflicts with imaginary fiends. These mistaken men in their isolation were wielding an influence potent in their own age ; were sending out, to act upon the Charch, a great moral force which hay not spent itself during all these past centuries. They almost peopled the solitude of the desert of Upper Thebes with deluded followei\s. Though a lofty, self-denying spirituality prompted the founders, how soon the system degenerated into corrupt asceticism ! How closely tlie past is connected with the present ! The history of the race shows that no generation has in itself the power to develop its own v^ulture. Nations receive their wide inhoritaiice, not legacies of territory, of institutions, [11 THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF MUTUAL DEPENDJINOE. 59 laws, literature, noble deeds of ancestors. The present gathers into itself the results of the past. " No man liveth to himself." He has liefore him a thou- sand influences that go to model his life and develop his character. In him the culture of the great may centre. The men who lived ages ago are modifying his thoughts, are making his creeds. There is no indejMJudent isolated life. Man is to-day the product of the past ! he is a factor of tJie future, setting in motion forces that shall go on pro- ducing their results. Whatever he says and does cannot be inoperative. All his acts and words have become living forces, working for good or evil. Endowed with life, he cannot recall them. Moving with accumulating power, they become immeasurably mightier than their author. Not long ago, a writer in seeking to illustrate the omni- science of God, beautifully carried out the thought that all our acts are possibly to be seen somewliere in the universe of God. That the whole history of the world, biographies of all men, may be read to-day in the moveable air. That light has taken notes, and is bearing them to far-oflP realms. So are we impressing upon the sensitive human souls around us our tlioughts, the images of our moral character. In daily communings with our fellow-men, at times when all unconscious of emitting power, there have flashed from us rays pf tJie light of our own moral nature, that have brought out in strong outline and coloring a moral image in the soul of ajiother. If. is the natural impulse of the soul to utter its joys and sorrows. They come from the heart as spontaneous as the song of the bird. Heart answereth to heart, and soul ^q soul. Our common nature is like the wire along which runs the magnetic current of sympathy which speaks of guy iVi"* ■ CO THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF MUTUAL DEPENDENCE. ''ri'IH common brotherhood. We must have communion with our kind : in solitude we die. We long for those to whom we cun impart the dec|X)st feelings of our souls. Joys benm brighter when reflected back from the heart of a friend, and sorrow seems lighter if we tell our heart's burden to another. No one can live to himself. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee. The power of influencing others exists in very different degrees. The parable of the talent illustrating this, also shows us that God will require of us an account of the manner in which we use tnis power. To the gifted few, God has given influence in the posses- sion of lofty intellect. Some men have left their mark, not only on their own age, but have swayed sceptres of thought long after they were in their graves. But it is a rare prerogative to be able to control the human mind for centuries, like an Aristotle or a Bacon. These few great minds that have appeared at intervals in the world's history, have set in motion influences that are still living and acting. And yet we sue all immeasurably more afiected by the living thinking men of our own day, who lay their hands upon us, who imbue us with their spirit. To some God has given influence from rank and position in society. We may think that these will be the leading minds. Yet how often others arise who are to be far mightier. As Paul stood before Agrippa in that procon- sular court, who dreamed of the mighty power that lay in that prisoner in bonds ? All through the history of the Church, how fully has it been snown that " the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men !" — 1 Cor. i. 25. Not many wise men, not many mighty, not many THE CIIIIISTIAN LAW OF MUTUAL DEPKNDENCE. CI noble were called ; and yet how soon the religion of Christ took possession of the nations ! It had no wealth, position or state inliuence to aid it. All these w a^d in prison and ye visited me not." Then shall thej answer, '« Lord, when saw we thee anhungered, or athirst, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister vnto thee?" Then shall he answer them saying, " Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal."— Matt. xxv. 34, pS'NTfci) AT TlIK GUARDIAN OFFICE, KINO STREET, TORONTO. IMI 1 ^m Tl FREACIi BELEGA] THE CHURCH THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY. A SEEMON PREACHED rB THE RICHMOND STREET WESIiBYAN METHODIST CHURCH, TORONTO, On SUNDAY EVENING, JUNE- 5th, 1870. BY THE REV. A. LOWRY, D.D., DEUEGATE FROM THE M. E. CHt'RCH IN THE UNITED STATES, TC THE WESLETAS CONFERENCE IN CANADA. TOUONTO ; WESLEYAN BOOK-ROOM, 8C KING STREET EA ST. 1870. 'I TORONTO : raUiTBD AT TIIK WKSbKYAN CONFKRESCE OFllCE, KIXO STREET EAST, THE THE CHUllCll THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY. A SEUMON b: tub REV. A. P. LOWREY, D.D., TOEJCUB. OK BABBAIII EV™.»«, «»» 6™, 18,0, IH TOE RICIMOHD 8TMK WB8I1KYAN CHUaCU, TORONTO. " OUT OF ZiON, THK PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD UATU SUINED/'-Ps. 50 : 2. This text contains two propositions: 1st. The church is the perfection of beauty. 2nd. Divinity shines out through it. The ancient temple and its surroundings symbolized the Church of God. Nor could a more fitting symbol have been selected. The range of mountains on which that august structure lifted its pinnacle to the skies is the most sacred spot on our planet. There Abraham gave the tender test of his faith. There David pitched the tent for the ark of the Lord, and fixed the seat of his government when he re- moved from Hebron and became king over all Israel ; there weie the city and tomb of this great king, captain, and poet, and prophet— a man of great moral contrast— a rare genius— and the most illustrious progenitor of our Lord's family ; there were located the holy of holies, and the altar on which heaven-lit fire continually burned ; there shone the She- chinah or manifestation of the divine presence ; above all, there was the tragic scene of redemption— a scene which in- cluded the midnight and morning of human hopes, because it necessitated the greatest depression and highest exaltation 74 THE CHURCH THE PERFECTION OF BEAt/Tr. of God-hcad ; tliore sin was canceled by strange and awfitf blood shedding— the grave blessed by a divine but transient visitant, and life and immortality brought to light by tho transmission of a risen botly to lieaven, as the fii-st fruit and l)ledge of a general resuscitation. The church thus sym- bolized is not only a thing of beauty, but tho perfection of beauty. Among all the varieties of esthetic objects and grades of perfection, tl.'C church takes the highest place. On her brow is written excelsior. There ai» other objects of beauty. The sun and moon that walk the heavens in robes of gold and silver brightness, and the stars that twinkle sweetly on and on with undiminished lustre from age to age, are beautiful. The earth, with its diversities of hill and glen, field, forest, flower, and fruitage, is beauti- ful. The birds in form and feather and song are beautiful, and the flowers in their tints and hues and graceful foldings. The human face and figure and voice, together with man's mental outgiving and works of art and genius, are almost divinely beautiful. But among all these specimens the perfection of beauty is not found. The cabinet remains in- complete until the church crowns the dazzling gradations. It is not, however, the beauty of a grand exterior nor that of impobing ritual. Nor is it chiefly the perfection of intellectualism, eloquence and learning. These belong to the church, but not as organic elements. They wait on her as ministering servants. They are the golden bowls and tongs and candlesticks, not her real excellence. Her silver vases and lamp fixtures, not her shew-bread, her oil, her salt and her light. They are her sandals and staflT, not her diadem of glory. The ofiice of culture is not to create, but to lift up and move the panoramic picture of her beauty before the eye of the world. THE CnUnCH THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY. 75 The perfection of beauty in the church h the perfection of moral qualities. 'J'heso are the media through which God shines. Like a jet of flame located witliin a transparency Ins beams gleam forth. These qualities being pure and un- mixed like clear glass and crystal water allow the peneti-a- tions of the Divine rays. Perhaps a translucent substance will more correctly represent the media through which God ahines— a substance which conceals the es. . -md glory. She takes a hostile attitiule towards all moral evil, and meditates a violent rupture and revolution of all hearts and societies. Christ said, " Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword." Though the Prince of peat 3, though the Author of the gospel of peace, yet He wages a war of conquest against the nations of the earth, and a war of extermination against all sin. The Church is s})oken to as an embattled host, clad in the armour of God. Her weapons are not carnal but spiritual, and mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. The arena of ti, ■ le is nob without, but within. Its nature is nc but spiritual and holy. It is a crusav*' the flesh, and the devil. Its object I governments, but to supplant the kinfrd' sin, by setting up the kingdom of God in the li«art, wlioRe laws and animus arc righteousness, peaee and joy ht the Holy Ghost. The leader is no human chieftain, but the Captain of our salvation : — " Who brings a liberty, unsung By pnet8, by senators unpraised, Which monarchs cannot grant, nor all the powers Of earth and hell confederate, take away. A liberty which persecution, fraud. Oppression, prisons, have no power to bind, Which whoso tastes can be enslaved no more. 'Tis liberty of heart derived from heaven, Bought with His blood who gave it to mankind, And sealed it with the same token." The Church is the seat of pitriti/.—Kev body of truth, her system of instrumentalities, her sacrificial commemora- tions, her s[)iritual and divine endowmonts, were all ap- pointed to evolve holiness, to operate the perfect salvation THE CHURCH THE PERFECTION OP BEAUTY. 83 Of all wLo enter her sacred enclosures. She is a crucible, over which Jesus sits and watches the process of purgation and refinement until her unmixed purity mii-rors back the face of God. The Lord says to his Church, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a pe- culiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvel ous Ikht » She is a diamond in the darkness of surrounding sinfulness, a jewel among the debris of moral ruins Un- challenged chastity symbolizes the sanctity of the Church, and holy wedlock indicates her delicate relation to Jesus. "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved tho Cluirch and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and cleanse it by tho washing of water by the word. That ho might present it to himself a glorious Church, not haying spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be l!oly, and without blemish."^Eph. v. 25. She is a bride on whom the affections of Jesus are lavished, a bride for whose cleansing and spotless adornment He sacrificed His life A true Church is an aggregation of sanctified person- alities; a peculiar people who, being made free from sm and become the sei^ants of God, have their fruit unto holi- ness, and the end everlasting life. Such is the perfection of beauty. Not the beauty of the moon a^ she travels in her lustre, not the beauty of the stars as they are marshalled in the firmament, not he beauty of the earth as she sweeps along her orbit, mantled with vegetation and blushing with flowers ', but the beauty of holiness, the beauty of heaven, the beauty of angels and God. , , t j 4. Out of this God hath shined. It has pleased the Lord to gather to Himself, into His Church as the seat of His 84 THE CUUaCII THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY. power and centre of His irradiations. From this point. IIo sends forth His luminous expansions : He photographs Himself objectively before the eyes of the world. God hath shined in the past, and down through the ages, but with increasing intensity. Hath shined in prophecy, in miracle, in successive dispensations, in the gift of His Son and Spirit, in His works of mercy and grace, and in the promise of a world-wide diffusion of His light and salva- tion. This is being realized. The horizon of Gospel-day is fast enlarging. The light oi Christianity now belts the world, and the corruscations of truth, like meteoric showers, are breaking over all lands. "Trav'ler, o'er yon mountain height. See the glory-beaming star ; Watchman, does its beauteous ray Ought of hope or joy fortell ? Trav'ler, yes, it brings the day, Promised day of Israel." Soon righteousness will cover the earth as the waters do the sea. This done, the Church militant will brighten to the Church triumphant, and mingle and blend with the spirits of just men made perfect, and the Church of the first-born which are written in heaven. FRIiHTBO AV tUU GUAUDIiVN OiTlCK, KINO STllKET, 'rOUONTO. RB^