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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est f iimd d partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Las diagrammas suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^FAINT, YET PURSUING;' ^ XV ORDINATION SERMON PREACHED IN THE ^CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST CHURCH, TREDERICTON M THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, 1856, AND PUBLISHED AT THE REUUEST OF SOME MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION, BT JOHN, BISHOP OF FREDERICTON. PREDERICTON; J. €IMPSON, PRINTER TO THE QUEEN S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1856. 1\I CO all yo elf fai ev (le I I un To the Ilononiblc John Simcoe Siiumicrs. M.L.C, &c. .vr. IVIy dear Sir, A request was conveyed to me by yourself and others of the congregation, who lieard the foUowing Discourse, that I would allow it to be printed. I have much pleasure in acceding to your request, because I am conscious that the Sermon lays claim to no other merit than that of being a plain, and I hope faithful exposition of doctrine and duty ; and I have, therefore, every reason to believe that the request proceeded from a desire to profit by the truths which the text enforces on us all. I may add, that it is more brief than usual, having been written under great bodily depression and weakness. Commending myself to the prayers of all who may read it. I am, My dear Sir, Yours very faithfully, JOHN FREDERICTON. SERMOX. Judges viii. 4. — ** And Gideon came to Jordan^ and passed overt he, and the three hundred men that icere with him, faint, yet pursuing. ^^ In the various accounts which the sacred writers have left us of the deUvcrances of the IsraeHtes from tlicir op- pressors, one idea is prominently put forward, and seems designed to be impressed on tlie mind of the reader, that their deliverance was wholly owing to the power of God. As their punishment came from God, though inflicted by human agents, so their deliverance came from God, though wrought by human agents. Many of the actors in these scenes were men of remarkable intellectual powers, and possessed of no common strength, skill, and sagacity; yet had they trusted to these powers alone, they would have been over-matched. Could Moses, though mighty in words and deeds, hpve contended successfully with the hosts of Pharaoh ? Would Joshua have proved himself equal to the contest with the warlike tribes of Canaan 1 Would Gideon have overcome the Midianitish host with three hundred men ? Could Samson, by brute force, or cunning, have discomfited the Philistines ? The answer is the same in every instance. Not by their own power or might was this triumph gained, but thine arm, O Lord, hath gotten Thee the victory. In this respect we desire you, my brethren, to observe a great diflerence between the Bible, and the turn of thought adopted by Wi iters of our own day. The Bible, though it never multiplies miracles needlessly, nor deals in mere 6 wondors to {^riUify curiosity, over traces second causes to the first, and leads us up to things supernatund. Its lessons arc ohjectivc. It ^ives our faith '\\\ olfjoct to l)uild upon hejond ourselves. Writers in our own age desire to veihice ail supernalnral uvCounts to tlie ]e\('l of conunou occurrences : aserihe all thin;^s to sef;()ndiuy causes ; put out of sight the agency of Divine Providence; and would make trnth entirely ^iuhjcctlrc. In o;her words, such writers would \\A\ii us hL'licvc iiothiu'' hevond our own self-consciousness, and the discoveries attaiuahlc by man hinisidf Tliis reaction from believing too much to believ- ing too little, is, however, as nuich to be dreaded, as the credulity of the su])erstitions. Aiul j)erhaps even credulity is chiefly dang(Mous, \vh"n it ascribes second causes to beings lower than (u)d ; to the Divine Creator we can scarcely ascribe too nuich, or consider his inlluence as too wide, taking care never to ascribe to Him what is litlle, mean, or inorallv evil. But (he disposition which buds in qxqyw event the superintending hand vS Providence, which marks its path in bi«^tory, discovers it in tiie fulfilment of j)rf'phecy, and above all in llic history of Israel, vvhich derives from it lessons for its own conduct adaj)ted to totally different circumstances, is surely far bettiu* than the disj)osition which ever doubts the supernatural, ascribes great results to the unaided power of mun, and is unable to fmd any object above the er.rth to rest its h.opes u{)on. God has indited implanted in every maidy breast the })rinciple of selt'- reliance ; ami there is no n^an wlio is not the better for beinir forced to exert all tlie eiu^r",ies of which his nature is capable. Jjut we nuist be very careful to understand when self-reliance is a virtue, and when it becomes dantrerous, and even anti-christian. The self-reliance of St. Paul was the energy of a christian martyr, when he said, " I can do all things ;" but had he stopped there, his virtue would not oidy have boon incomplete, but might have degenerated into self confidence. But he says, " I can do all things fhrnugh Christ lohich sfrengthcneth me!* The union of tliese clauses constitutes chri.stian virtue. Before we can ;cly on ourselves, we must know and acknowledge our weakness, guiltiness, yea, nothing- ness, in the sight of God. Having made this acknow- ledgment we mast rely wliolly on His aid. Having sought His aid, we must also di.scovcr our duty, and see our way clearly on this point. And having seen our duty clearly, we must then put forth all our energies, conscious of hidden strength from above. But without this humble dependence on CJod, and single eye to duty, self-reliance is only another name for self-conceit, and it will fail us where we want it most, at the end of our course. For the end of life is the test of life, and until that end many things assume a disproportionate importance ! How many characters do we find in history which seemed great to iheir conteniporaries, but whicli dwindled into insignifi- cance as soon as they were estimated by posterity ! Their end is to be speedily luiried in oblivion. Their names possibly are recorded, but little more is known of their actions. After these introductory remarks, I shall endeavour to explain furlher the meaning, and apply the spirit of the text ; feti;, to the general aims and objects of the christian life ; a«4-«ecoiuliv,- tt) tlteJife of the christian ministw. A general reference only is required to shew you how entirely the description here given of Gideon and his three hundred men, accords with the life of the christian. Gideon was the chosen rnptain of the Lord's liost, and a deliverer ot' Israel from their oppressors. He was called to contend with niunherless adversaries encompassing him on every side. His small army, originally only a few thousands, was redivceolitical life, or who engages in trade, n ist be very ignorant of himself and of all that is going ou around him, not to see how many and various are the temptalions that beset him ;. and how difficult it is to preserve an upright, honest course, neither allured by profit, nor turned aside by fear. The love of the world and the fear of the world present then elves to us in a thousand shapes, and the contest is carried on every day. Some are allured by the lust o£ tlio c)'C ; some I)}' tlic (Iclms'mg dosiro oi intciiiporairco"/ .some by greediness and gluttony — a liait perliaps evei:' more deceitful ; some arc masicriMl bv the all-rulin"; lovt- of power, or even by tbe wisb to hr. thongbt groat aiK^ powerful. Witb some tiie basting to be ricb by all means; bonest or nor, j)rcvails to tbeir dcslru(!tlon. Ob, wbo cai: count ibo snares ^^bicb Satan biyji, "like limetw'gs si t to catcb tbe winged soul," and lure it to its ruin? Ani^ as in tliat terrib'e assault at tbe Crimean fortress not a moment passed for tbree wbolc days wiibout a missile of destruction, so, perba])s, if w n could see it, tbe spiritual conflict is maintained, not for tlirce days, but during oui* wiiolc lives, witb scarc(? any intermission. Sunday is no day of rest for Satan, but a ver\' busy day indeed ibr bini, lie follows us to ebureb; be a -^nils i]:; nt our prayers, for prayer is bis destruction, lli .urns tbe food of llic on! into poison. And if be cannot imluce us to turn a deaf ear to counsel, be binders its effect by prejiulice, careless- ness, by])ocrisy, vanity, or some olber sin ; and succeeds loo effectually in removing tbe impression from our minds. No sooner are we out of cburcb, iban jjolities and busines»: begin again, and .scarce sto]) f(.'V an instant all the rest of tbe day. Tben bow small is tbe benefit of tbe sermon or tbe prayers ! Alas I are we all aware tliat tbis game is being played out, and tliat our souls are at bazard I Wbat are all our political ct)iu|uests or losses. c(nnpare(' with this one great success: or lailiire I But there are those, blessed be CUxl. wbo, by tbe grace of Christ, arc "conquerors through Him that bath loved us" You, my brethren, know your danger, and the power of your adversary. You have taken to you the whole ar- mour of God. You have put on truth as a girdle, and righteousness as a breastplate, and tbe hope of salvatior^ 10 as a helmet, and the Word of God is your sword, and faith in an unseen but ever present Saviour is your shield against the fiery darts of the wicked one. You know in whom you have beHeved. Every year that you live, you know more of your own helplessness, and more of the power of Christ dwelling in you. Your love of prayer and your hatred of sin grow stronger. Your desires find ready wings and fly away t.) yor.v heavenly home, where your chief hope is, where your older brethren are, where a vast multitude of the redeemed have entered in before you, and having once wrestled, as you do now, with sins, and doubts, and fears, have at length possessed the pro- mised rest. Well then may you thank God, and take courage. Great is he who fights against you ; but greater is He who fights for you. The one is the strong man armed ; but the other is He who hath " taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and hath divided his spoils." The one is the fallen archangel ; but the other is the Lord of Glory. The one is like the raging stream whose waters cast up mire and dirt ; but the other is that God who controls the ocean in its fury, sets bars and doors to its proud waters, and says, " hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther." How unspeakably blessed are the pos- sessors of that living faith, which has Omnipotence on its side ; the followers of that Jesus who walked the waves, and stretched out His band to save the sinking Apostle, and descended into hell, and rose again triumphant from the grave ; whom all the legions of hell could not bind, nor detain from ascending into glory as your Saviour and fore- runner. Yet you feel your weakness, you feel it daily and painfully. How often, like Gideon's troop, are you faint though st'iW 2^iirsuing ; sometimes weary of bodily toil, almost beyond your strength, of pains and anxieties which seem more than a match for you, of afflictions which find n no issue, of sorrows which have no vent, of tears which nc friendly hand altogether wipes away. And when your body is not oppressed, your mind grows faint under the weight o( temptation, and sinks under the remembrance of duties omitted, or half discharged, of sleepy prayers, and sad failures, of hasty words, and defiling thoughts, and sins known only to your Judge. You kiiow the weight of those words which careless sinners utter to their perdition, " the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable," and they press heavily upon your soul. Yet, though faint, you must not, you will not turn back The contest once begun, the u ord is, Onward. There is no halting, no remission, no resting-place but the grave. The battle rngcs till our Master calls us, and our fight is over, and we see what we have won, and how well it was worth the contest. The soldiers who enter the breach see nothing but the enemy, and the smoke and confusion of the battle; but the General knows the importance of the position. So js it with tlie Christian Warrior. Though faint, let us be faithful unto death, and our King will crown us with a crown not made by human hands, nor to be estimated bv measures of human value, but a crown of life; life spiritual and eternal, in the full fruition of God's glorious presence, in the contemplation of His wondrous perfections, in active and endless obedience to HisA\iseand righteous laws, in absolute and peaceful con- formity to His most holy Vv'ill. Then all that is His will be ours ; ours never to lose, ours ever to retain, and increase in the enjoyment of it world without end. Let me now shew in the second place, how applicable the text is to the life of the Cliristian Pastor, And you, 12 my younger brother, now set apart for this groat and holy work, ^^ill find, if you be sincere and earnest in your vocation, as I hope and believe you to be, that this text, explained at your ordination, very fitly describes what will befai you in your ministerial life. Most of your trials are yet to come. Yours is no gay holiday task, easily performed, and abundantly rewarded. Your temporal reward is not likely to be great; nor by any means so large as that of the laymen who surround you : and your labour will often be great, and, in this world, unrequited. Nor are you sent to minister to large and fashionable cougregations of eager })artizans, hanging on your lips, nodding with approving smiles, and applauding the words you utter, Avhether they be words of truth and soberness or no. You arc sent to look after a lew sheep in the wildtrness, scattered, poor, and often ignorant, unhappily surrounded by a great number of sects, and amongst these the members of the Church of England lie here and there, scattered up and down, and in no one ])lace many together. It will be your duty to collect, to assist, lo feed, to support, to invite and win them to the truth, and warn them against heresy and error. And these poor people will not bo always, it is to be feared, men of right n)inds and good dispositions. Some may be intemj)erate and lawless ; some so wilful and self- conceited, that they will he with difficulty won to submit to any thing but their own will. Some will listen to you for a while gladly, and on the first difference of opinion from them will, perhaps, forsake you. 15 ut what would that Pastor be worth who should make his standard of doctrine the changing opinion of each member of his flock, instead of delivering to them the message of God in all its fulness and integrity ? Shun this coward fear. Thus you will have your trials. Weary and worn, you 13 maybe faint; yet ihowgh faint, always pursue. Never tire of the work itself; nor look back, for your hand is at the plough. A Clergyman cannot lawfully desert bis calling for secular business, still less can he suffer himself to be wearied out by evils arising from his own heart, or from the lives of others. Every day give yourself to solema prayer, before you begin the work of the day. Let your household or the place where you reside be a little centre of piety to the district, and the source from which the blessings of salvation flow silently around. And remember above all things that not criminal indulgence only, but that sloth and vacillation are ruinous to a Pastor's welfare. In conclusion, how certainly is It your duty, my brethren of the laity, to offer up at this time, and at all such sea- sons, humble and hearty prayers to God for the success of this our brother, and of all who have been, or shall be set apart to the work of the Ministry by the due imposition of hands. Exchange, I beseech you, the light and frivo- lous criticisms which men hastily pass on our manner or outward appearance, for real humble prayer. Your souls will then be as much benefited as our own. You are bo'ind in particular to pray for the Bishops and Clergy of your own Communion. When the Ember-days come round,* do you so pray for them ? I very much fear that there are some so little acquainted with their Prayer Books as scarcely to know what the Ember-days mean, or at all events, unaccustomed to make a proper use of them. Surely at these solemn seasons appointed by the Church for general Prayer, when most Bishops make a point of ordaining, (and I have never ordained at any other season, except in cases of necessity), you ought to • The Ember-days at the Four seasoni are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Firtt Suadi^ in Lent, the Feast of Pentecost, September 14, December 13. 14 De fervent and humble both in private and public prayer, that a larger blessing may descend upon such ministrations appointed by the Lord for the edifying of His Church. Thus then, labour to be " perfect," to be " of one mind," to "live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you." ayer, Ltions urch. lind," all be