^" IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y 7. % 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^1^ l££ 2.2 1^ 1^ u 2.0 ||||| m 1.4 Hi 1.6 '1 Sciences Corporadon iV iV ^^ \\ % 6^ '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 i T CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. « Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreprcductions historiques It 1 Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy availabSe for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checl., the example of our Savioiu' : who always rjgaruod the situation, and habits, of'the i)ersons he addresj ed j — who made continual allusion to incidents, as they occurred,— and even to the objects, by which he liappened to be surrounded ;— and adapted liis teaching both to the faults, and defects, — and to the particular circumstances, and wants, of those who heard hun. I will conclude what I had to say, relative to the choice of subjects for your Sermons, by again ob- serving, that they should not only be selected to meet whatever more particularly calls for animad- version, instruct io'^, or exhortation, in the charac- ter and conduct of your people ; but also to seize, and to apply to purposes of edification, whatever may be suited to such purposes in the circumstan- ces, and occurrences, of the times, the country, and the neighbourhood in which you live : — most carefully, however, and scrupulously, guarding against the admission of every thing that might in reality be, or might appear to be, pointed against any individual ; or be, or seem to be, in any man- ner or degree, intentionally personal. I would further recommend it to you never to omit the occasion which the celebration of the principal Festivals, or Fasts, affords, of explaining to your people, and endeavouring to impress upon their their minds, the particular doctrine, instruction, or example, which it is the purpose of the Church, in these observances, to enforce. If this be omitted, your Congregation will be apt to impute it to in- difference, or negligence : — if it be observed, they will give your Discourse a willing, and respectful attention ; and scarcely fail to receive some spiritu- al advantage from it. The Gospels, and Epistles, and the Lessons of the day, afford also subjects for the Prlpit, which, I believe, never fail- to be ac- ceptable to the people, and, when competently treated, to dispose them to a favourable opinion of the judgment, and capacity, as well as of the zeal, and diligence of their Pastor : and I need iot ob- serve that this opinion will in a high degree <^on- tribute to the success of all your endeavours. Thus much, for the choice of subjects. With respect to the manner of preaching, a great deal might be said ; — for it offers a wide field for obser- vation : but it is a matter of nice and difKcult man- agement : I will comprise what I wish to suggest to you upon it, in as few words as I can. Under this heiid are to be classed, the Composition, and the Delivei'y, of your Sermons. The preaching of written Discourses, has many advantages ; and they are so obvious, that I do not think it necessary to take up your time in enlarg- ing upon them. But there is one advantage of preaching I f ■1 25 preaching without Notes, which it would be well if you could transfer, to the habit of preaching with them : I mean the advantage of using language easy to be understood. In written language, even where there is a de- sire to be perfectly intelligible, there is too often, from the greater elevation of stile, from the invert- ed collocation of words, and from the length, and complexity of sentences, a degree of obscurity, which renders the sense doubtful, to plain, unlet- tered persons, and sometimes places it entirely out of the reach of their minds. I therefore strongly recommend it to you, to use plain language, — (I do not mean, as you will sup- pose, low, or vulgarly familiar language), — with as little inversion, and involution, as possible ; and without any mixture, of what the people call hard words — words derived from other tongues, and not in ordinary use : — For tho' these may be proper, in productions, where elegance or loftiness of stile, are expected, and required, they are out of their place, when you are addressing persons of humble station, and limited intelligence ; — upon topics too of vital importance ; — from which they can derive little benefit, if they do not distinctly comprehend you. To be intelligible, is, (to use a familiar phrase), a sine qua non. You should studiously sacrifice the D pride 26 pride of skilful composition, the taste for elegant, and polished diction, the love of graceful arrange- ment, and of well rounded periods, to the wiser, and better ambition, of being distinctly understood. There are however some of the best qualities of correct Writing, which instead of tending to per- plex the minds of your hearers, will be great helps to them, both in seizing your meaning, and in keep* ing it in memory. Such are, method, perspicuity, and an adherence, — even a rigorous adherence, — to the subject of your Text, I might enlarge upon these points : — ^but it cannot be necessary : — ^you can be at no loss fully to understand my meaning ; and will, I hope, concur with me 5 and regulate your practice accordingly. With respect to the Delivery of your Sermons, — it would be difficult to lay down rules, that might be so clear in their application, as to be in any con- siderable degree useful. I must confess my own opinion is, that many of the Clergy of our Church, — ^whether from a deli- cacy of mind, that makes them fearful of appearing to assume a pompous, or theatrical tone, and man- ner ; or from a dread, (weakly entertained I think), of being suspected of imitating, or of being thought to resemble, enthusiastic, and methodistical Preach- ers, — if they are energetic, or earnest, in their man- ner j— or, from whatever other cause,— many of our Clergy, i 27 Clergy, are too indifFerent,-— too little ambitious to excel, — where excellence is so pre-eminently bene- ficial, — too tame, and inanimate, in their addresses to their people. Yet, if he, who speaks, appear to take small in- terest in what he says, how can he expect that great interest sboulu be excited in the minds of those who hear him. If he suffer himself to appear cold, and to become dull, how can he reasonably hope to warm, and move the hearts of others ? If it be not evident, that his own mind is penetrated, with the importanpe of what he is teaching, how can he think to penetrate the hardened, or the wayward mind, of the habitual, or the heedless sinner ? It must be admitted, that here, as in all other ca- ses, talents are unequally bestowed. Natiue docs much more, in this respect, for some than others. But, to have a just, and feeling sense, of the im- portance of the duty to be performed ; — to have the heart in that duty ; — to have a sincere, an af- fectionate, a pious desire, top*, note the salvation of souls ; — will go far, to enable the man, least fa- voured by nature, (if he be otherwise duly qualifi- ed), to surmount all ordinary impediments, and to preach the Gospel with effect. Who is there, that in urging any point, in which his own feelings are deeply concerned, or which (learly touches the interests, or the safety of those whom ^ 28 whom most he loves, — who is tliere, that does not speak with energy, or pathos ? — with that native eloquence, which as it comes from the heart, sel- dom fails to reach the hearts, of all to whom it is addressed ? So will it be with him, who, with like interest, preaches the word of God. But if we suppose obstacles, of the most dis- couraging nature, arising from feelings not easily excited, or from painful diffidence, or insurmounta- ble shyness, — or any other disqualifying cause, — still, there are few men who are not able, if they choose to be at the pains, lo speak with becoming gravity, deliberation, and distinctness . who may not, by careful, and persevering industry, divest themselves of any unnatural tone, or vicious mode of pronuntiation ; who may not, by giving a fre- quent previous consideration to their Sermons, have every part of them so present to their minds, that tho' their delivery be but reading, it will still ap- proach the natuial tones of speech. This degree of proficiency every man may at- tain, who will sincerely labour to attain it : and if that which must constitute so main a part of his usefulness in his ministry, be not, in his estima- tion, worthy of such labour, it would be difficult to conjecture what he would consider to be so. What I have now said respecting the manner in which Sermons should be read, will apply, I think even 4 'i s J 29 even with augmented force, to the manner of read- ing the Liturgy. "Weighty as is your subject, yet still when you preach, you speak to men : when you read the Liturgy, you address yourselves to God. You are the organ, of the Prayers, of all. In the presence, of the all-wise, all-powerful, and all-holy Creator, you plead, for his dependent, and offending crea- tures : — ^your voice is the voice of the assembled people : — ^you offer to their God, their humble penitence, their fervent supplications, their grate- ful thanksgivings : — you express, — to Him, — their fears, their wants, their hopes, their piety, their faith : — Thro* you, they present to God their Sa- viour, their petition for all spiritual blessings, ne- cessary to their salvation ; for all temporal mer- cies, conducive to their peace : and, in his name, and by his authority, you pronounce the pardon, of the sins which they confess, and abjure. How awful is this privilege ! — How exalted are the functions you perform ! — It is not in the power of thought, to place a human being in a position more solemn, more affecting, more calculated to fill the heart with the deepest feelings of adoration, hope, and trust j of piety to God, and love to man. Is this an office to be hurried over, with an ap- pearance of careless disregard ? — or to be perform- ed with a merely decent degree of serious atten- tion ? ■ii 'if i 30 tion ? I trust you estimate it in a diifercnt man- ner. Yet nothing can be more clear, — (I make the observation, my Reverend Brethren, with re- luctance, and regret), — nothing can be more clear, than tha^, with many people, the Prayers of the Church are considered as a tedious, or, at least as no very interesting, or important part of the Ser- vice : — they come to them late ; they go thro' them "with but little appearance of reverent devotion ; and when there is no Sermon, or Lecture, there are but few who come at all. Do they Jorge t, that the Lord's Day, (to say nothing of other days, solemnly to be observed by the Church,) is set apart ^r the Worship of Al- mighty God ? — Do they forget, that the Church is the place, expressly dedicated to the purpose, of offering their public adorations, to his Divine Ma- jesty ? — Do they forget, that the main object of their attendance in that Church, is, humbly to con- fess their offences to God ? — to receive, — if this be done with true contrition, — the assurance of his pardon, — the absolution of their sins ? — to unite in Prayer, and Praise ? — to hear the word of life, in the selected Lessons, the Epistles, and Gospels, of the day ? — and to seek, and find, that spiritual com- fort, that assisting grace, of which these services are the appointed means ; and without which, tho' they may deem themselves Religious, their Reli- gion must be vain ? If T 81 If they do forget these things, 1 lear, — I fear, my Reverend Brethren, — it must he, because they are not duly remembered by those, who are appoint- ed to perform this Service ; — because it is too often performed with less solemnity, less feeling, less de- votion, than it ought. Be not therefore surprised, that I exhort you carefully to consider this subject j and to use your best ability, to lead the Devotions of your Con- gregation, with impressive, recollected, and judi- cious zeal : — neither cold, nor languid, on the one hand, nor vehement, and enthusiastic, on the other j but serious, humble, fervent, and sincere. Doing this, — you will satisfy your own conscien- ces J you will edify, and comfort you'' people ; and your Churches will not be deserted for the Meet- ing-house. There are two branches of duty, common to all Parochial Ministers, which I will barely mention, before I proceed to another part of my subject, because, altho* too important to be passed in si- lence, they are too obvious to require prolonged discussion. I mean. Catechising children, and Visiting the sick. You cannot avoid seeing, that, by omitting the first, you would lose the best, per- haps the only opportunity you possess, of impres- sing upon the minds of youth, the simple elements of Christian knowledge, and the plain precepts of Religious 32 Religious duty, — and thereby render yourselves responsible, for the ignorance of first principles, the perverseness of opinion, and the obliquity of conduct, in their future lives, which will inevitably flow from the want of early instruction : — and by neglecting the lacier, you would forego the most iiivourable occasion of impressing the necessity of Repentance, and Belief j of carrying to the heart subdued by sickness, a strong feeling of the im- portance of Religion ; of awakening it to an alarm- ing sense of the consequences of sin ; of softening the obdurate, confirming the wavering, and com- forting the penitent ; of pouring into the willing mind that pious instruction, and of pressing upon it that seasonable exhortation, which might render contrition effectual, and, — if time be given, — re- formation complete. Very precious are such occasions : — and luke- warm indeed in Christian sentiment, and hard of heart, must that Minister of the Gospel be, who can incur the blame of wilfully neglecting them. . I now come to advert to duties, which are more or less connected with your peculiar situation. The imperfect state of our Establishment, tends, in a considerable degree, to diminish the influence of the Clergy, as a body j and, as individuals, places some obstacles in their way, which under more 33 more favourable circumstances would either not occur at all, or would be easily surmounted. What these are, — ^you feel : — I need not dwell upon them. I trust that the goodness of God will gradually remove them. In the mean time, the servants of Christ are not to suffer themselves to be discouraged. His Church may have difficulties to encounter, may suffer oc- casional depression, but it will never be over- thrown : ** The Gates of Hell shall not prevail ** against it." Assured of this, it is the part of those, who have the honour to be Ministers of that Church, under adverse circumstances, to " fight, " the good fight of Faith'* : secure, in doing so, of effectual support. You must experience, I am aware, my Rever- end Brethren, certain privations, and discourage- ments ; — and, among these, that of being, for the most part, widely separated from each other, and of thereby losing the assistance, and comfort, that might be derived from mutual counsel, and sup- port. But there is One, who, in your sincere en- deavours to do your duty, ** will never leave you, nor forsake you" ;— One, whose ** strength, will be niade perfect, in your weakness." And amid the most doubtful, and most painful labours, you may be cheered by the reflection, that the more arduous the trials are to which you are exposed, E the n (< 34 the greater will be the recompcnce of persevering fidelity. It is a fashion among many, in these times, and in tliis country, to look without respect, to the most venerable Institutions, and even to question the validity of the most sacred Ordinances. Who does not know, the proneness of mankind, to rush into extremes ? Freed as the Church of England is from all bur- thensome exteriour observances, one would think that her simple, yet expressive, and dignified In- stitutions, might find favour with all, who will ad- mit that the visible Church of Christ cannot exist, without the use of the Sacraments ; without an order of men, duly appointed to minister those Sacraments ; without certain exteriour Forms, of Public Worship ; and certain Rules, of Govern- ment, and Discipline. But if in former times men relied too much upon the virtue, and efficacy of exteriour ordinances, and in that reliance lost sight of a due regard to the spiritual character of the Christian Worship, not only is that error sufficiently exploded, but we are in danger of embracing error of a contrary kind. There is, in the temper of the times, and among ourselves, not merely a contempt for superstitious pageantry, S5 pageantry, and an ahhorrcnco of spiritiiiil usurpa- tion, — tlie natural results of the unfettered exer- cise of reason, — but a dangerous disposition to shake off all respect, for all established authorities, however venerable for their antiquity, just in their principles, and wise, and liberal, in their constitu- tion, and government. There is a scepticism, ca- pable of withholding its assent from the expedien- cy, and the duty, of conforming to Rites, prac- tised, and therefore forever consecrated as a part of our Religion, by the Apostles of Christ : nay,— • worse than this, — there is an audacity, which ques- tions the necessity even of those Rites, which were instituted by Jesus Christ himself. From the situation of these Provinces, and the various origin, and mixed character of the persons who inhabit them, and from the constant inter- course with a neighbouring country, in which much laxity of Religious opinion is known prevail, there is great room to fear, that we are not a little in- fected with loose notions upon the subjects just mentioned ; and cannot rely with security upon any general attachment to our Church. In this case, what is it that we have to do ? — to fold our arms in passive acquiescence ? — to give way to indifference, or disgust ? — or to throw up our cause in despair? — God forbid ! — As it is the bounden duty, so should it be the fixed determi- nation, of the Clergy of that Church, which, with the 36 the form, lias preserved the purity, of the earliest Christian Churches, to ** contend earnestly for the ** Faith that was once delivered to the Saints.'* — Knowing well, the vaUie of their sacred Institu- tions, and loving, as they know them, they must surely ^eef the duty of defending them, tho* with becoming moderation, yet, with unshaken con- stancy ; tho' with Christian charity, and Christian meekness, yet with undeviating, and unblenching resolution. In this spirit, you will endeavour to guard your people not only against errors, which are the pro- duce of your own soil, and which gain strength from the natural habits of yet unsettled life, but against those loose opinions also, that are the growth of other lands, and that by contiguity, and inter- mixture, are easily disseminated, and readily take root, and grow amongst us. Circumstanced as you are, my Reverend Breth- ren, it will not be sufficient, that you discharge, with punctuality, the regular, and stated offices of your respective Cures, — you must enlarge the Pas- toral functions, and be solicitous not only duly to feed the sheep of Christ, but to reclaim them from their wanderings ; to watch ov-er their regi- men ; and to acquire skill to medicate the disor- ders, which they may unhappily contract. For these exertions, you will, I hope, find amply sufficient 37 sufficient motives, 'ii your own sense of duty, and in your faithiul devotion to your Master's service : But other motives m«ay be mentioned, which, — WyyhMM^tho* of much inferior moment, — are still by no means unworthy of subordinate regard. In the yet inefficient state of the provision made by Parliament for the support of a Protestant Cler- gy in this country, the means of that support are piously, and nobly supplied by the Sovereign, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. That gracious Sovereign, and that venerable Society, — the Government of England, — and the Parent State itself, — the Governments of these Provinces, — and the worthy, wise, and good among the people, have their eyes upon you. — It is the general expectation, that an abundant harvest is to spring from the Seed, which you have thus been appointed, and enabled to sow. — Something of high import to your Country, and yourselves, is anxiously looked for, in evidence, of the just es- timation, in which the protection that you have re- ceived is held by you ; and of your sincere devotion to the cause, in which you have engaged. — God grant that these may be manifested, in the spiritual improvement, the corrected morals, and the stea- dy loyalty, of the people committed to your charge! In considering the most probable means of pro- ducing 38 ducing these effects, I should recur, first, to the preaching of tlie wiiole Gospel of Christ : — and se- condly, to contending, — as occasion ^hall require, — against the extension of Heresy, and Schism. I have already made some observations, respect- ing the manner iii which the Gospel is to be preach- ed ; — but I must, notwithstanding, at the hazard of some repetition, remind you, (vith reference to the point which I am now treating), that to preach the Gospel, 'n the estimation of the Church of England, whatever may be pretended by ad- versaries V, 'thuul, or by weak b'^thren within her pole, is to preach Redemption : — the doctrine of Atonement ; the satisf^iction made for sinners by the blood of Christ : — It is, to lay open the cor- ruption of human nature ; the insufficiency of man, unassisted by Divine Grace, for any thing that is good ; the efficacy of the prayer of faith ; and the purifying, directing, sustaining, and sanc- tifying influence of the Holy Spirit. The Ministers of our Church, are frequently ac- cused of neglecting, these essential, and vital parts of Christianity : and to such accusations, I cannot consider silence to be a satisfactory, or sufficient answer. There are Words, I am aware, that carry with them a sort of charm, in the present day, by which the faculty of reason, and the principle of duty, 39 duty, are so perverted, or benumbed, that men are brought to think, when various, and contradicto- ry opinions on Religious subjects generally pre- vail, that the safest, and the wisest thing that can be done, is to remain tranquil, and let each opinion take its course, without gainsaying, or disturbance. The potent Words are these — " an enlightened at- " tachment to civil, and religious Liberty : — an en- " larged, and generous Liberality ofsentiment :*' — Good things these, no doubt, in themselves, and when clearly understood, and correctly applied ; but singularly apt to bewilder weak heads, and to inflame tempers, naturally ambitious, and impa- tient of all wholesome, and legitimate restraint. If you ** love the praise of men," you will be tempted, to yield to this delusive influence ; — but where then v/ill be your regard to the charge of the Apostle, to the Minister of Christ's Religion, that he " take heed to himself, and to the doc- ** crine"? where will be your observance of his Exhortation, to maintain both the purity, and the unity y of the Faith ; and stedfastly to adhere to the ** Form of sound words," in which that "Faith " was first delivered to the Saints" ? Liberality of sentiment, upon Religious sub- jects, is truly lovely, and respectable, when it is guided by clear views, and placed under the regu- lation of a just restraint : but unrestrained, or ill- conceived, it is not only an unsteady, but a dange- ro.^s guide- It 40 It is trite to observe, — but it should, neverthe- less, be carefully remembered by every true friend to our Religious Establishment, — that as Political Liberty, unless it be Avatchfully guarded, is prone to exceed its just limits, and degenerate into Li- centiousness, so Liberality in Religion, which dis^ regards that uniformity of plan, on which the Church of Christ was founded, — is generally ob- served to unite itself with laxity of principle, to plunge into all the uncertainty of doubt, and to merge, at last, in profligate indifference. Tenderness of disposition, — it may be said, — fiiendly motives of personal regard, respect for the sentiments, and feelings of others, (and more especially in matters in which conscience is con- cerned,) indulgence for the errors incident to hu- man weakness, — these, and other like considera- tions, may, and indeed must, render it more oi less painful, to impugn the tenets, and conduct of others ^ or even decidedly to defend our own : — Be it so: — ^but are we therefore to desert our cause; and set aside our duti/, as Ministers of the Church ? We are, for the most part, the persons attacked. Where is the fold, into which, under the pretence that the appointed Shepherd is not faithful to his trust, unauthorized, and ill-instructed Teachers, do not endeavour to intrude themselves ; calum- niating the conduct of the regular Clergy, and tearing ?Gunder, the bonds of union, between the Pastor, and his people ? Is 41 Is there a want of charity, or liberality,— in con- sidering this, to be a crying evil ; and in strenu- ously endeavouring to resist its progress ? — Then was St. Paul, — the eloquent Eulogist of charifj/, — the most uncharitable, and the most illiberal of men ! Believe me, my Reverend Brethren, it is our duty to our Divine Master, and to that Church, whose Constitution we have most solemnly pledg- ed ourselves to maintain, to meet, and disprove, the accusations brought against us, as unsound Ministers of the Gospel : — to meet them, — with temper, and fairness, certainly ; — ^but with firm- ness, and decision :— to disprove them, by clear, and candid reasoning, and by sound, and scriptu- ral Dx>^trine. God forbid, that I should encourage you to any breach of charity ; to any violation of gentleness^, or candour : — I have not so far lost sight of the sen- timents, which I forme- 'y recommended to your attention : — but when our Doctrine is misrepre- sented, and our mode of teaching vilified ; when our people are not only seduced from us, but taught to believe that we do not preach the Gospel of Christ ; — can v/e, if we contend against the mis- chief, be justly censured, as narrow-minded bi- gots ? — No, surely : Censure, can only justly at- tach to those, who compel us to the contest. F If 42 If we were voluntary, and unprovoked aggres- sors, we might indeed expose ourselves to rebuke : but surely we may stand, unblamed, on our de- fence ; and may unblamed refute the accusations, so unreasonably broupjht against us. This is, in- deed, so clear, that to deny it, would be virtually to assert, that to uphold the modes of faith which men profess, and the soundness of the doctrines they maintain, are subjects, only to be touched by our adversaries ; subjects sacred, in their hands ; — in the hands of all others, illiberal, oppressive, and unchristian ! In discussions - his sort, our exertions, should be proportioned to our danger : We should not spare to declare the whole truth : We should take, and maintain, the high, and strong position, of the Apostolic Institution of our Church : We should call the evidence of History to our aid : We should insist upon the uniform practice of the Church, for many ages : We should shew, that we derive our authority to " preach the Gospel, " and minister the holy Sacraments in the Con* " gregation," from the Apostles themselves. The people will find no difficulty in understand- ing this, if it be properly explained to them. We are able to exhibit our Credentials, as " Am- " hassadorsfor Christ** : — Let the adversaries, who would force themselves into ou. office, and who pretend 48 pretend to a like authority, produce their Commis- sion : — let them shew something, beyond their own assertion, to prove, that they act for Hinit by his authority/, A spirit of indulgence, and conciliation, is na- tural, no doubt, to the most amiable minds : but, like many other qualities, it is not only weak, but productive of much mischief, when it is carried to excess. Under a vain imagination, that they are winning men over to be favourably disposed to the Church, such persons unthinkingly throw open a door, through which many are daily seduced to forsake it. A similar error is that, by which members of our Church are induced to unite themselves, and to form one body, with persons, really hostile to her Ecclesiastical Institutions, (and whose vigilance to take occasion of undermining them never sleeps,) whenever they imagine that they see means of pro- moting objects, which they suppose likely to ad- vance Religion, generally ; tho' the very same ob- jects, might be as effectually, and more safely, and more wisely promoted, in union with, and under the exclusive conduct, of their own body. They do not consider, how easily, and to what extent, the arms which they thus freely furnish, may be turned against themselves. They do not reflect, that when we act as if we did not ourselves con- sider 41. aider the differences between us, and those that are without, as being really essential, we become virtually advocates of Schism, and depreciators of our own Establishment. But, whatever may be thought, in this matter, with respect to Laymen, such conduct as this, in you, my Reverend Brethren, would be nothing less than a manifest desertion of an imperious duty. Our blessed Saviour, fervently 'prayed^ for the Unity of the Church, which he formed upon the earth. What are we to understand by this Unity ? A general consent, merely, in the belief, that Je- sus is the Christ ? — Is this all ? — If it be, we must endeavour to reconcile the ideas, of absolute Uni- ty, and infinite Diversity. The Apostles of Christ also earnestly exhorted the Church to preserve " the unity of the Spirit, " in the bond of Peace." Does this mean, that it matters not how discordant our opinions, and pro- fessions are, provided we do not contend about them ? — How does St. Paul convey his sense, of the meaning of such unity ? — " Now I beseech " you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus ** Christ, that you all speak the same thing : and ** that there be no divisions among you : but that " ye be perfectly joined together, in the same mindf ** and in the same judgment,** And again, " Let (( us 45 ** us walk by the same Rule : let lis mind the same « thing "-^i Cor. 1, 10.— 3 Phil. 16.— 1 Tit. 9.) Shall we then look without concern at the alarm- ing progress of Schism : and *' lay that flattering ** unction to our soul," that we are evincing a freedom from narrow prejudices, and a superiour liberality of mind, by extending the fullest indul- gence to innovation, and division ; and by actual- ly mixing ourselves, in the proceedings of those, whose first object it is to promote them ? — Shall we fondly persuade ourselves, that we demonstrate our Charity, by an indolent forbearance from all efforts, to support our Church, and vindicate the Divine origin of her Institutions, and the purity, and integrity, of her Doctrine, and her Discipline ? How lamentably inconsistent would this be, with the engagement into which we all enter, at our Ordination j when, ** in the name of God, and of " his Church," we solemnly pledge ourselves, — as you must well remember,—** to be ready y with all *^ faithful diligence i to banish, and drive away, all ** erroneous, and strange doctrines, contrary to " God's word." I place this before you, then, as your acknow- ledged, and your bounden duty. To give any particular directions, as to the man- ner in which this is to be executed, would, upon this 46 this occasion, be impracticable, and if it were prac- ticable, would not be necessary. Every man must be left to the exercise of his own judgment, in this matter : and to ihat, I am satisfied, I may safely refer you. I have thought it my duty, to call your atten- tion to the general principle : — the application of what I have said, to particular circumstances, and to events as they may occur, must be made by yourselves. It is time that I draw to a conclusion : — and I will close what I have been last urging, by observ- ing, that, whatever a fictitious liberality may say, nothing is so destructive of Charity, as Schism. That Evangelical Charity, which glowed in the breast of iSt. Paul, — of which he gives so beauti- ful a description, and which he expressly prefers even to Hope, and Faith, — that very Charity it was, which prompted him, resolutely to encounter Heresy ; severely to reprove the spirit of Divi- sion ; and to class Schism, among offences of the deepest die. Animated by his example, be ye watchful, not to let Indifference, and a desire of Ease, impose themselves upon you, for Moderation, and a love of Peace : — be watchful, not to suffer Timidity, to assume the garb of Charity. Charity, V 47 Charity, will inspire you with inexhaustible en- ergy in the cause of Truth ; will make you vigi- lant to discover, and " ready, with all faithful dili- " gence, to drive away," all heretical error, that may invade your flock ; and will prepare you to sacrifice the praise of liberaUtij^ to a just sense of your sacred duty, and the safety of the souls, com- mitted to your care. Weigh well, my Reverend Brethren, the supe- riour advantages you possess ; and be studious to make the most of those advantages. Be ye " burn- ** ing, and shining Lights," in the world: — Lights, ** burning" with holy zeal for the salvation of souls ; ** shining," (under the guidance of the Spirit), with superiour knowledge : by a clear exposition of the Doctrines and Precepts of the Gospel, enlighten- ing your hearers ; by the earnestness of your ex- hortations, and the influence of your example, warming them, to the love, and the practice of their duty. You are " Stewards of the Mysteries of God" :— " Now it is required of Stewards, that a man be « found faithful." You are the Ministers of Religion, according to the Establishment of the Church of England : — " Keep that, which is committed to your charge." Do V 4S Do you ask, ** who is sufficient for these things'* ? ** You know, in whom you have believed.** You know, that, if you duly seek it, " his strength ** will be sufficient for you.** What if your sacred office demands unremitted vigilance in feeding the flock of Christ ? " Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when " he Cometh shall find so doing." What if your labours are arduous, and manifold ? •* They that turn many to righteousness, shall " shine as the stars, for ever, and ever.** What if your situation be retired, and obscure : offering little that can promise distinction, or gra- tify the desires of ambition ? Look to Him, who has, thus, promised to re* ceive those, whose first object it is, faithfully to employ the talents which he hath entrusted to their use : " Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou " hast been faithful over a few things, I will make " thee ruler over many things j enter thou into " the joy of thy Lord.*' f I s"? igth ted ben Id? lall re: ra- re, to to ou ke to