IMAGE EVALUATSON TEST TARGET (MT-3) /> :a fA ^ ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 IS 50 '""== r^ ilia !i: iiiiiM I- lilAO 11^ |||M III— lA 111.6 •c^ % n r^rW//,, Photographic Sciences Corporation €^ i\ 4^ v\ \ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 1458C (716) 872-4503 '% V O' ^ ■-.■^ A^ "% ^ (/j w CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The to t The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available 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 checked below. D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicul^e Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ D D D n Planches at/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relid avec d'autres documents Tight bindlnij may causa shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree peut cau&er de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6ti film^es. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplementaires; L'Institut a microfilme le meilleur exemplaire qui! lui a ete possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thode normale de 'ilmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagees □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurees et/ou pelliculees Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ ' Pages decolorees, tachetdes ou piquees The pos oft film Ori£ beg the sion oth( first sion or it □Pages detached/ Pages detachees "~7] Showthrough/ ^lJ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Qu Qualite indgale de ('impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible The shall TIIMl whi( Map diffe entir begii right requ meth Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalament ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure. etc., ont 6t6 film^es d nouveau de facon a obtenir la meilteure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X J 12X 16X 20X 26X SOX 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: L'exemplaire fllm6 fut reprodult grAce A la g6n6ro8ltA de: e etaiis IS du nodifier ir une llmage New Brunswick Museum St. John The images appearmg here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ♦- (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning In the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as ■ required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: New Brunswick IVIuseum St. John Les images suivantes ont dt6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont filmds en commengant par le premier plat at en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaTtre sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reprodult en un seul ciich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. irrata to pelure, n a 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 w !■-, :i <^ /^ 1^ ^'MZj^ THEfCFORMATION. ' ._ ITS NATURE, ITS NECESSITY, AND ITS BENEFITS, A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL \ ■ OF CHIUST GHURCII, JREDERIOTON, ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1847, BY if®2sa ^m^m m s^ssiissES??®^, m AND PUBLISHED MY REQUEST. We desirea the reformation of an old Religion— not i5ie formation of-u ne^^."— Bishop Halt- FREDERlCTONi JAMES P. A. PHILLIPS, PRINTER. J 847. N ■>v "«p wmtm wr /:M TO THE HONORABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE, His Honor the MASTER OF THE ROLLS, The Honorable Mr. JUSTICE STREET, The Honorable the PRESIDENT and other MEMBERS of the Legislative Council, The Hon. The SPEAKER and other MEMBERS of the House of Assembly, Who, having been present at the delivery of this Discourse, in the Cathedral of Christ Church, Fredericton, requested its Publication, It is now respectfully dedicated by their obliged servant and Bishop, JOHN FREDERICTON. Fredericton, Feb. 18, 1847. _.-tf€- cor refl thi' wis im] sio fell SOI COl Gc eqi be ipmiii^^oii; It is impossible for an English Churchman to write on a controversial fact, like the Reformation, without seeming to reflect upon others. 1 desire, however, to be considered, in this Sermon, as acting solely on the defensive, and as only wishing to give information to those under my charge, on important principles of action ; but if there be any expres- sion which may seem uncourteous or unkind to any of my fellow-christians, I regi'et it, and as far as the objection is sound, I retract it. 1 have only now to commend all who may read this dis- course to the divine blessing, and to intreat their prayers for God's guidance and direction, in times when it seems equally dangeious to speak when we ought to be silent, or to be silent when we ought to speak. J. FREDERICTON. ii SI§2iSiI(2)3SJ; •• Hearken unto me, ye Ihai follow after righteouBne»s, ye that seek the Lord: look unto th« rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." — Isaiah, tl), I. The advice which the Prophet here gives to tlie Jews, in refer- ence to their ex|oectations of the coming Saviour, resembles much which we find elsewhere in the Holy Scriptures. It is an earnest recommendation to consider the marvellous mercies of God in former times, and our own unworthiness of them, and from such meditations to derive comfort in perplexity, confidence in the wisdom and goodness of God, liuniility and repentance for our neglect and abuse of his goodness, and motives to diligence, upright- ness, and perseverance in the path of duty. Now, if such a course of meditation were useful to the Jew, it must be of still greater use to the Christian, who has not only before him the whole course of God's providential dealing with his elder brother, with his fearful and continued (aW — continued to this very hour: but the still more won- derful blessings vouchsafed to himself. Every Christian is, or should be, a kind of wonder to himself: the whole history of Christ's love to us from his birth to his ascension into Glory, is so stupendous, that it would fill us with wonder and admiration all the y^ar round, if we had a proper sense of the Divine goodness. And our incorporation into the Chmrh of Christ, so far from diminishing, does in fact add to the value of the gift, by shewing that God did not leave his plan (so to speak,) to take care of itself, but provided in the most ample manner for its being sustained, con- tinued, and completed. Now, to view the whole of this plan oneself, or to endeavor to display it to others, as a whole, at any one lime, is impossible. Its very magnitude and the mmaber of its parts com- pletely overwhelm the mind ; and a great many persons fail of understanding the real blessings of the Gospel, because they will not take the pains to number them one by one, and try to count them up, though they " pass man's understanding." Now, the blessings which God has vouchsafed us, in connexion with the Church, may be said to be these : Its original foundation by Christ himself: the means which our blessed Lord took for its continuance : the assurance which he gave of his own perpetual "K'^ia.-.^.iwao-faa ■ .'u^i»-um^ - or a|,|,;,ren.ly „, a state of dcTlcsion a„,| ,|,,-ny *°'""' 1st. It was not the luyinj il,„ (i„„i(li,ii„n of ll,e En.-lisl, Clun-^h For ,„ tl,at case, the Cl,u,-cl, wouM have In.en /JLT/ nM -S " erf Wo cannot c-l™„„, p„,il> „„cl renew what has no previous eK{°e^cl oonen. an,, antiai.ie oivir,',^- ?,: /Ill " .:';;;ar„ , ■c.:?:,,' r„:^;. by God's .race reform ^ re In d 1 s , Sfn w ^ I'"' °^""" envious spirits allej-e. For mv ,,r, I ' "'" "'.'" ™"'" earth v,i,l' shan.e, wl en Ihea ,■ , t hL 'i T^ '° ?''' "'° "'^■ your Clunch hef^ro Lu, e ? ' e ri^ Tl7rr''' l" "V" ye cavillers; we desired the ref„r,;;:,[L: , ' dV I" • ' „ Z fcr,,K, ,on ol a new The Clunch was reforn.ed, no. new (vrou' It IS Ihcsnne Church that ,, was hcforc.only nursed fron, so„"e?,n„ ' fluous and pcrniemus a.ldita.nents. Is it a niw face tl w s elv :Sd">- ui;,;iri?™';r '"" 't'-'! --■„ h<re':rat'is { iu tee'.l, "* 1;, ,1!., ? H -""^ '''T' ''^"' "•"' f"'"")' "« 'Ilis in r F„ i'l. A ','» """ '•° '"<"■" '"''«■'■'■■" 'l™ 10 tall, of ™acle hy n,a„. Christ w^tVciL :'' I '^retK" 0^;!;;,';::; C^un^eh^nu^st trace their origin to hiu,, and to his ApUe" r,' * Bi.shop riiill's Works, vol. V, p. 177 .,,,,1 |„ „ 900 „ , „. , "~~ • X, p. 132. , '< That whi... .vj-l,;.: ;;'::;^',c;,''^:,. ^lii^:;?^^;!^';'!; ^^'-'f ^^-i^^. tivpiJiiiiTh did ackiiow- vol. X I) is2 " Tl,. 1 • ' ' , " '• •■""' '"' P- 233. So al.so, B i..iseu.\;,ti.fadoc,u!t!:r^:;2irSvn::,i;.^^ suilkient tt, go ,0 Heave,, in, is «• v I C ,1 ^ ■■■ 'I '""'"i' '' "f ""-^' "'"«'' "'^T «1'""KI.< m.t p„l.lish a„d impose in.o l.ls f.i h", i, , T- T'^^'' "'''" """'y '"'" ""' '^"'l'. "«-■ do wc use also, a-Ki we use no other j'!,' '"''fy/'"'"^!;^ '"""-doctrine which they used, ot Rome believes, except thee thins 1 -hh- h- "''""" i'^''^''^'"^^'''^^ "'"^■'' "''^ Clmrrl in which they have innovated .1'""^''^'"^'' """.v h'»ve superinduced upon the old religion, and did lliu Rcroriuers over sot tip so propostoious ii claim as llic power to make or round the Cliuich of (iod. All that llioy professed to do was to purify it from its corruptions. Indeed, if thenj were no Church before the lime of the Reformers, from what source did they ohtam it? VViience had they tlus Scriptures to which they appealed r* Did they invent or discover them for themselves r Whence did they obtain the three Creeds f or the form of Church government? jJut this notion is as contrary to fact, as to reason. In the year ."){)(>, A. D., we know that Saint Augustine was sent by Gregory, Bishop ot Uotno, to conv(!rl the English nation, a large part of which was heathen, to the Christian faith, and that when he came, he found several British Bishops (who resided chiefly in Wales) already m possession of the held. % We know also, that to his pious labor a lar^e portion of b^iigland is indebted for the Gospel, and lor the Scriptures which he brought with him. '^ The corruptions afterwards introduced (many of which in his lime were unknown) did not make the Knglish Church to be no Church : they only rendered it neces- sary that it should be reformod and purified. ^. It is to be remembered that tin; Keformaiion was not the work of a few pious individuals only, but the act of the whole British Church in conjunction wiih the State.|| To brinir our pr.?sent Eccle- siastical constitution to what we fuul it in the l-'rayer liook, it was considered necessary first, that ii should be submitted to the Convo- cation of the Clergy ; secondly, ihak it should be ratified by Parlia- ment, or by the Luity and representative- of the Clergy together ; and finally, that it should be approved by the Crown. And having these three sanctions it became the Law of the land, and remains such to this day. So that ihe works of the Reformers do not bind iis as authoritv, any more than the writings of other pious and able Di- vines of the Church of England. The authority is the Book of Com- mon Prayer, which expresses the mind of the Church, and is binding on the Bishop as well as the Priest, on the Crown and the ordinary Layman alike. riie Scriptures were prrseivcdliy the C'hurdi, thoiisU it «iis corrupted; but until tlie ■ ■■ ixn'sona were iiliie to rcuil. art of tirintinn; wns discovered, lew ixn-sona were iilile to rciiil. + or the Apostles Creed, (or tlie (aeed wliicli lje:irs tluir uiime,) we have evideuce that a ureat part of it was «se<l as eavlv as 160, alter Christ. The Nirene Creed was drawn u|) from the general confessions of all Churches, A. U. 32.5, and tlie Creed wluch l)ears the name of Athanasius, in the .^th century. ., , , , , , » r» o. i i ± The names of three Britisii Bishops occur in the Conned held at Aries, A. U. .il4, nearly three centuries lK;fore St. Ausnstine came over inlo Britain; and S(. Athanasnis seenis to allude to some having been present, or who sent in their adhesion to the great Council ot [N ice, ' "s The whole section of the Southern, Western, Midland, and some portion of the Northern partofEiigland, Cornwall and Wales only excepted, .are iiidel.led lor the .ospe to Saint Augustine. Some portions of the North and North-I'^ast were evanfjehzed by Bishops, who did'aot at first submit themselves to the llonian See, nor keep ilk- I- east ot Laster at tlie tiinie time. „ , , i^' - N For in those days the Nation was the Chnrcli. ami the ( hiurli the Nation, B ^\U'j . c1:.HT '^''^ ^"-^ '^^^^-'^^ ^0 all .ho conauue in ner 3 Ai^ain, it has been supposed, that tl,e Reformation was little else shin InJ T' ^ , expression be meant, the liberty to wor- l^p God according to the dictates of conscienc; without persecu S:'™'C^ ,^" ^'°-; ^"- >^ 'li^i., ■:,:=. '^tr;; 1 o hb„ ^:, ""■'»:'»'''•• "■""'■i'^:) "f wl,cse na,n. lo,l,i,is ,l,e sup- Ill, , ? . °' toinnions with boins; sent ,o the Tower (J r Rom-fn C„IT ' ;°™-V"V™""^ ™'— -J numbers o £ Uoman Catholic suhjecls for their reliijion, and finallv „ut the h:Zj^^:%'° -f"''' ^'"'"> '■^•- "'« -.0 cause' N« Not^i^ri :^;cr,°'''r''.'''''^'\°f.^"si=ndi„; private ;.„i^^^^^^^^ lie trin '^„ "ev. ritv r ■' ^.ocond ,f we draw our iulbrences fron, Tmtn, r,„ ^ ""' "" ^""^O"''' «■'» '™' "'" seven Birliops to the arter the Kerorinat olrtin!;! ^t\°:;:;ef:rthLiihr;'ii;;^ iVf ecclesiasticah A nd even our brethren of the laity were quite as ex- "»„•, i;„„iii,,, ,„„, „,i ;,| ,,'ij. ' , ''""'T' i'""i« ?"-i'"'i». "r ..ir„*,Kd ij „ol,io. an,! clic v„„ ,„»■.; rfopiM,,,, Oral „',.„„ iS' ,',"*' "'''■."=■' '•"' ''> Co™'". I» »■■■., l»Ee:!!l3. o»to.iMi„,,.i„. _tollici-s Hi.toiy of Cieai nrilain, vokme 6 Tlip IviiKT ill 1.;.. .i„-.i ._' T^ . . vi.i., page iii)3. b'--',„„.„.. — v^oiiicr's History of Great Rritaii poarcof ,'l,e KU^^:Um>'vn^J^{!^Z^'::'^^^^^^ '!o not di ■ , ^ -.111. ■ iiiKT lavop, wnvi HuutJs st.uu ,,„( a ,top lo lihaly of coi.scienw. tnrbed or idtiirb tile exasperated I II ufvt la the use of Uiese carnal weapons astl.eclergy,if we may judge Lin the lives of Lord Chancellors Audley, Rich and Wnothesley, and Mr. Attorney Coke, one of v horn lent the use even ol his phy- sical powers to aid the weakness of the secular arm. But, perhaps it was wisely permitted by providence, that the Reformation should be a struggle not for toleration, but for truth. In more tolerant times, though men might be more christianly disposed towards each other, iheir^ninds would not have been so determined " earnestly to con- tend for the taith once delivered to the Saints," and toleration would probably have produced indifference. Whereas by a century and a half of fierce struggles and bitter contests, through the mfirmity and corruption of our nature, it was at last discovered, that persecution for religion is a religious crime and a political blunder : a crime lu relioion, because it is not the weapon by which the truth should be defended ; and a blunder in politics, because it increases the number of bad subjects, who do not scruple publicly to profess what in pri- vate they disdain to believe : and diminishes the number of good subiects, who are too honest to affirm with their lips what m their hearts they deny * We, however, who have lived to see universal toleration, or at least prolessed toleration, must bewaic lest we confound toleration with scepticism : or lest we jmagine that unfettered private judgment is the unlimited power oi public abuse • for it is no very uncommon case to find those who are very eatrer for their own right clamouring down all exercise ot it m others, and denying them the power of seeing, hearing, thinking, and judging for themselves. . . 4 Further, we must not confound the Reformation with the abuses of the times in which it was brought about. In all revolutions the evil will probably outnumber the good ; and it was one of the greatest mis- fortunes of the kingdom, that the steps which lead to the Reforma- tion wore full of the most heartless perfidy and grossest duplicity tliat ever disgraced a Monarch on the Throne : and that in the first separa- tion from Rome, as well in the dissolution of the Monasteries, some of the principal agents seem to have had no other motives but the lust of concupiscence, and the blinding love of mammon .f These acts were not, however, the Reformation, though they are often charged on it by Roman Catholic writers. The separation from Rome * It is a rurious and l.iimiliatins fact, that the only man w >.. piopoun.loa tins li xity at the time of the RVforrnatlou, wa« Sir Thomas More, in a hook then very l,tt o heecle.!, an.i wind. Vrve • km V any one who ha.l rea.l, railed Ufojnu. The «in«„lar,ty of hus opinions n.ay he Judged or hy the lord havin, passed into a I'roverl, to .i,nily any ^ •■»! -Monury an.Un. practicable: See I,ord CamphellV l>ives of the Chancellors, vol. i., p. 593. ^i et even Moie did not nractice what he roconinicnde<i. ,. , •, . t A Kss.,lntion of Monasteries, Kins Henry divided part ^ / f^X^irZiJ m lumdred and sixty gentlemen of families, in one part of Ln«land and ( ke '"«^J| « '^^^ bv Moses,) they 1 .me corses both on the famdics and estate* of the owners.-Fnlle. « Church History, bnult vi., 371. 12 nerc.., |,o,.ecutors of those who hold I differen fc t^^ f7^'" i^mhm:r wlio wrote the .iiost stroii-Hy in hi, honl- n. V„ ■ Au . ?! fJr Ffl-'"'''''''^ ^''^ same opinions; and the bill was ca I wr "STrT^^' ^rf ^"^ voting Against it.)^utu^^t^ tl^all'^ ouirB^lo"^- ^' ^^'^ ^asno .„. Jnnsdic^ion in Enjand ■nJSJH' 'r\l 'o"r''' "^' '■'" ^'^"'■'^^'' ^^^'^ "'^t ^'^« work, in the first stance, of the Reforn.ors, l,nt of Cardinal VVolsey, who per uaded im master to the act, and he having once tasted of^ bCl could no . t rwards be restrained. But the persons to whom he sold o l"ve Ihese facts do not seem to me to be sufficiently insisted on in W? °\"V'' ■"'''' '"^ ^"^^- ^" '""^'^ °^^'- ■^PoliJtion of the R " ZT u ^V''/^^''"' "'^" ^^ "° ^'^"'^t ^'''-^t i^i'lley and Latimer held ir''"i' 'f "'"'' •'' '""'''■''''^' ^^'^^ Q"^^" Mary, whose name is to tv T' / ^'^^^^^^^f*°"' '^^^ ^h^ only one of her Lily who eems inv no.- .' ^-°"^^'«"ce towards Church property, or to have Ind him ?r", "' " '"T ,"''""° ^° '-"^ ^«d ^^ ^-J^^t was once given o h m . for she restored the estates of the Bishopric of Durham after they had been all alienated to the Crown, at a inie wbeV he revenues were so in^poverished that she scare ly knew wh. e to find R ?oI.don ":v:"'"*^7T'^"^^-^ "'^^'"^^ ''^'"^' then th" to tteionnation was not, let us proceed to show that the Re- tormation was an act justifiable in itself. Two things rendered the Ffospitnl Snl,ool, Loi;! "'""' ^"'' »^'"'«''«'".) ''"" the noble f,.„,„latio„ of Cl.ris,'!, J Af.or tl,n C.„nn.i.ssio„ors, appoin.c.l l,y Protoc.or Su.norso., had plundered every Parish . he hunger . «o„l,i make a 'considerabicTldi.'L u,'7urcT'' '"' "^'''T' "''""^ ^•^'^' ^"chrllin" Southern sight, and Ihcref re Me Innnn "%^'"^ "I .'''>m"te H'e -situation thereof, out of Mary rest.rld il'i Ri^ ie /o it e^^^^ ^^/*^'" *«•" -V^-« "''"' Q-'en HiMory, vol. vii., p. n^^ '^"' ''^"'"^"''"P ^H '1'^ I'inds on the sanie.-_Fu!Ier'« Church 13 Reformation necessary : First, the enormity of the evils to be re- formed, and Secondly, the impossibility of obtammg redress m any other way. The evils to be redressed were cornipions ol doctrine and corruptions of manners. , • , .1 It i= impossible, I think, to conceive that the system which the Roman Catholic Church retains to this day could have been the system recognized by St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. John, witlmut any allusion to the prmcipal parts of it in the iNew Testament, lo sup- pose, for example, that St. Paul or St. Peter knew Uiat all Apostles and Bishops were to be subject to St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome, and all Churches to tlie Church of Rome, or that prayers were to be offered to the Blessed Virgin as our great mediatrix and intercessor with Christ, and yet thaf they should pass over in entire silence doctrines so unspeakably important (if true) for the faith ol all Christians, and for the government of all Churches is to suppose either that the Gospel was bv them most impcrlectly known, or it perfectly known, most imperfectly delivered. And this absolute silence of tlie Church in respect of these two leading features ot the Papal system, was confirmed by an appeal to the practice o( the Church itself, which the nearer we draw to the times in ^yhlch Chris- tianity flourished most, seems to have known the least either ot the supremacy of the Pope, or the intercession of the Virgin. i\ow, it was found at the Reformation, that these two doctrines were so deeply rooted in the Papal system, that no appeals to reason, or Scripture, short of an absolute breach with the Papacy, could be ot any avail. There were indeed other corruptions, if not so prominent, vet not less injurious in their tendency, which were gradually and succe'.sively renounced. These are, the definition ot the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper to be the conversion of tbe whole sub- stance of bread and wine into the whole substance of Christ s Ijocly and blood, thus overthrowing the nature of the Sacrament, which consists not only of invisible grace, (that is, as our Church Catechism teaches us,) the body and blood of Christ, but of a visible sign, that is the bread and wine, which must remain in their nature bread and wine, in order that there may be a visible sign.* Further, the denial *Archlnsho,) Usher, a name .lesorvedly dear to all men of w:sclom ami p.ety , t h.s stnk ngl> ex- nlunsX V ewof tl,e Churrh of Englan.l in this matter, in his sermon preached hetore t^^o Lorn- ^nn Hnnse of 1' r 4ent in the year 1620. " The bread an.l wine are not dv.m^cA in their sub- ^aLe fn^ie .^ hrsl" i^^^^ which is found at ordinary table; but in respect of the Bacred u e" elnto they are consecrated, such a change is made that they differ as much ^mnco^mrn Sand wine, as Heaven from earth. Neitlier are they to be accounted b"relvT.S r bn r.ly cMlntne, also of those Heavenly things whereto they have rela- ttn L be 5t, poi ed b/ood to be! a means of conveying the same unto us, and P"tt"ig us n actua p ssessfon thereof. So that in the use of this lioly ordinance, as 7'; v ;'^ J^ "?^"' with hi" l«dily hand an.l mouth, receiveth the earthly creatures, so venly doth he ^v ,th h s «niri. nl hand and mouth, if any such he have, receive the bo<ly and blood ol Christ, and thi« L^tl a r.«f a.ur,«i^«" m/, resence which are affirmed to be in the inward part "f l^^^-x-red Tctit. irtrSX^^ must be held, is this, that we do not here rece.ve only the benefit. us i 14 or Sc,ip,u,.e; ;/,e c„,,;rio;cLr::f'Sr^ ""'"'""•'-- Canon tlie express words of St. Paul in I 7r ' ,r Z^^' '" °PP'>^'''"'n to the pracice of St. Pe,„ ' !'| „ '! k'™"?/'' T"™">y "'"> Titus, tile permission of our Savinnr „ "''"^ '■" """'"'<' "'="." and 'imitation, " titat air^fe / 7„U T ^e "1"™''' "'''' ™ ^'=P-- whom ,t is given ;" tlm insistin" on t Hi L h""^' '"'? ""'^ "• n tongue unltnown to tlie i,ec„\Z 1 '^""rgy being performed in /- Cor., V. 14, an., the^eiri Sonhrcl"'^, ^' f '^ ^^"'' Hon of a state after death distinr ft. u ^ll"""'' ' '^^'^ «sser- in which souls are triec b^ f . u I ''?".' ^^^■•^^•^^' ^'^ Hell, almsofthe Church; teai,t:>fourT'T''^ ^^ '^'' ^'''y^'' «"d 3-- remit they are\.e.n?tteT un o ,;:; ri^^^r "'^^^^^^^^ openly for money; the .unno.in r ti ^ ', ^'J .^^"'"S indulgences <ora.ance of workV n i„;rdrdl l" c" ^""f' ^>^ ''^^''^ P^- out of love of God can dn L Commandments, but done tion, and that H^ Z.': !^"J^,''''t.''''' ^^^ -Iva- .^••V and finally, the assign V ^ifiAtL^:/ '""^" ''"^"^^^ ^° inherent righteousness, wrou.h'I in u lw . « • "". '° ^^^ °^^" to the merits of Christ imDuted to . 7 ^P'"' °^ ^°^' «"d not All these corru,niL;7orl;„7thrr 1'r?^"^ agamst and renounced at the r2\1 ^"f''S ^'^"''^'^ P'"otested 1st, That the entire silence of Scr Ire ' f"'' '^" °" ^^^° g'-^""^^ = direct declaration of ScH, tu.' a.a nst nn . fT^ °^^^^'"' ^"^ *>'« condemn them, inasmuch as nothinf . . °^ '^^''"' '^'^^ ^"^^'ent to eluded from Scripture'hou d b ""^etS '""^^ '^ proved or con- held to be necessary to salvadon S ^1?"^' °' '""''' °^ such doctrines could be traced tn o ^ !?, ^', "^"^^ ^^^ry one of and the four first Genera Council rnrco''" '"'^^ and unacknowledged in the eal'sratT^r^rc'^^ have been part of the holv treasnrv nfr\ • . Church, could not speaks of as '^ the faith once '' onj/b « 7" f ,^.r"th, which St. Jude So that our Church, in r^akinlthl j ' ''"'•""'"^ ^° ^'^^ faints." in^on of separating herrelS^St%ttrSS "^^1 Tf k I and 55 15 Chrnt, but united herself the more strongly to it by throwing oil' those later inventions, for which there is no warrant ni antiquity, and, in point of fact, the ultimate act of separation came from the Roman Church, not from our own, the greater part o( the Ivoman Catholic laity having attended the services of the English Church du^n. the liL twelve years of Queen Elizabeth's Reign, and never bavin" been excommunicated by us. And she is thus both Fro- testant and Catholic, and not in any respect inconsistent '"/rl^'^^^g to be both one and the other. A Protestant Church is nothing less or more than a true Church protesting againt the introduction ot error. Thus when Arius arose and taught a new doctrine, the great Council at Nice, in 325, protested, in tlje words of the Nicene Creed. When other errors crept into the Church, she again protested in the words of the Athanasian Creed. These are the protests of the universal Church against particular ermrs respecl- in.r ihe true doctrine of the unity of God, and the truth ot our Lon s incarnation ; as our articles are the protests of our own branch of the Church against other errors of a different kind, affecung vitally the doctrines of Christianity. There is no difference in principle between the two protests. The difference lies in the degree ol autlionty possessed bv the Creeds, and the thirty-nine Articles. The Creeds are of higher authority, because they are the decrees of the Church universal before its unhappy division. The Articles have no au- thoritv in any Church but our own ; nor do we seek to impose them on others. And even in our own Church they are not regarded as necessary to salvation. They are protests, necessary by reason ot the abundance of error, but only necessary as long as the error asts And that a particular branch of the Church does not lose its title to Catholicity, when, in a lawful manner, consistently with Us divine institution, it protests against the errors of another branch of the vine, is implied in St. Paul's " withstanding St. Peter to the face, because he was to be blamed," and is proved historically by ample evidence ""^BeS' then, our Church is Protestant, does she therefore cease to claim the title of Catholic 1 1 confess, I never could understand the real meaning of this language. As otten as there is any morning or evening prayer amongst us, we are- all bid to stand up and say aloud, - I believe m the Holy Catholic Church " But what belief we can have in it, unless we are mem- bers of it, that is, unless we profess co be Catholics ? not of course Roman Catholics, but Catholics, tbit h, members of a true branch # 4=in^t f'vnrian and the African Cliurch protesting against the Decrees of Stephen Bilhop^rfRomeTvrtllg^^^^^^^ '" ^'^ P^""^ '"' ^""^'^ h« contPndcd. J6 oi Christ's Holy Ci.tholic Church, ibdrulcd hv r\„.\ , . • . • ^ '>4t any person shou/d say this and nL ^ '^'•' '"'"'"''• any difficulty, and vet for.rlr nr,? f ?^'' '''>^'"- '^ ^^i^'^out allow those i:ho Jt i^^ .d U itthollZ,?" "^"'"^'f ' ^"'^ 'M?P'-opriate the nan.e, and se n, etelm to b 'I" .'T'''^ ""^ ^" oi n, IS to me incomprehensible uZ ^ "''"''''>' ashamed not Protestants ? i^/o, 1 w^^^ '' '"'>', ^^ f^'^, what, are we not occur in any one «; o^ ttes .^sl ''^^ 'T' '^^'^ we must, and wo shall only cease to be Pm . T^ ^'^^h^rofest en-or left to protest againsf ; b !r i"„p^ i^'^f "^^ ^^'''-' ^^^-'^ is no THK TRUK PnOTESTVVT Ho u 1 1^ CathOLIC IS IN FACT Church teaches and the Sciimure n T '"''^'^ '^^« ""i^'^rsal (to be consistent) pro est a'd In Tr^ T ^''' '"^ "« '"^'-^-^ '«"«^ or the takin, awiA:m^;,;r;1.:l;^f ^^^^ ^'^^ addin, to, .he^l^t::;- :;t; H'- ::- ^zt: '" ^r'^- ^^"'- -^^^^^ tions in practice. It wou?d de'tain . 7" "''° '"'''"'^'^'^' ^^''''^P* point,andthou.hmanv ™^^ ^° f"J-ge on this rehearsing the Ion, 1- J wSS / ^niWiritef'r""" ■" Cardmals, ambitbus Prelates rnv,n..t f^^^^y^l"^} ^P'^sjiceiuious the recital must be ,)ai Rifto^'' XfT ' "^^'''•^1^'°>'' >'^^ ■^"'•^'y believer in Christianity tn 4 ^tn^'l" '"'"^'- ^^^'^^ P'^"' successful crime ^ ThaJ the n / I'?''' ' '" '"'^''^^ mysteries of with a forced cehb.c v Te 1 n^ wea th and power of t4 Clergy, of the Clergy in the times i^e io'^to h P 'f"' '"^ '''^'' ^^^^""^ him believe who can. I bo r^f Reformation are true, let Church, and the darkest a^s n nf . ^^^^^'^^^ ^'ff^'->y ^rsakes his .i.e';ilr;."z Lr^Srj- "'?;,;i': 'if ^'™- r^™ ^'-^ «- inm.edia.cly preceding oRefom'ln f ™''™'"H^ "'"l i" times tool of l,is will, werecoZiufd L' A?'l'rV" "'^ >»'l'^«vie„, Bishoprics of L „coln Dud Z, W- 1 '^'^'^'■''"I'fP'K; of York, iho F.a„c'e, and the Abtv o's.i" ":'.'" !'' .T'' '''" ''°"'™^' '" out (he revenues of ,|,'reo o Lr R .ll' '^"'"'/»r man farmed ..ever saw their flocks ™r ,e ded^ l?'-''°f- '° ""'""' P"^'='=. ^vho lives, and .bat this was i:::'^'^]^"^^:'.^ 1°"' "' "'!''" Popes ; when we remember that to ■, .1,; ' i , ,^ successive legative power of the Pope, and t : C an ' HoTstifo V «' ,"'° a.X^b: ^,::^,;;t:^:S^ r ^'r ^^r" 'OKL me iicdit of an amiable and hirrh f n man, .roincr down to his dishonorable g^-^y^\'?^^-'^" '' \\ , Ji^^^ h, 847 m tl,c mild and pcacelul sceptre oqu.lablc laws.u d o> ,etl c virtues of Queen Victoim.-wliom, Ood preserve, fel U, w^ever st id Usllv considers all ll.ese fads, will eeasc lo wonder : V Ron Catholics, who have been langht to call tins the hegm- ,i,l, nil «l..d, hi. i.m,.l». V"""';''.'' '. ,' . .^; , , ,t favcr «o.i. " H aem., iMgWy ,,,m,i,,to ..r.te lt.r.,ra,alioi.. V^,™ , S, . Vl ^1^ ".i."l- Sir J. M»>ki»l".li. ■» b;^:;;;"SS"i!;v;"™;-;;;;"s;;™«;5: £„„«,.. or»„„ «.„»i .1.™ =. to resist crimes, but never de^nc.l tu do evil, f 'riio Earl ol'i^urrcy. 5 Si!!:"!"':^... r wi..»..i»....';. """»■"- >^ '" '"•'■■" " "" " -I,,' iiRi.l .ureeiiu- ineeci.. oflli.lory cvrr .■.uiupo.ed. It 13 ning of the R.»fonnation, regaid our religion with prejudice, distrust, and aversion.* Thank God, however, these crimes are not the Reformation. Its benefits are to be looked for, lyoliticollj/, in the exemption from a foreit^n and usurped dominion ; from acts of legal violence and tyrannical power ; in the lair, open, and equitable administration of the laws ; in the universal diftlision of useful knowledge ; in the general increase and comfort among all classes of society, and in a far greater amount of public principle, and real eflbrts to benefit mankind. The real practical result of the Reformation, iheohgknlly, is to be looked for in the English Prayer Book — a book wliich has been more tried in the furnace of adversity than any book in the world, not professing to be inspired. Once it was all but interpolated by the influence of Foreign Re- formers. Once it was cast out by fire and sword under the influence of Bishops Gardiner and Bonner. Again it was restored and revised by Convocation in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Once more it suffered shipwreck in the disastrous times of Cromwell. Again it re-appeared with monarchy and order in its train. Once more did Puritan presumption endeavor entirely to break it up, and substitute a composition of about ten days' thought in its stead. And a^ain it withstood the power of King James The Second, and proved stronger than the Monarch on his Throne.f It has lasted unimpaired for three centuries of unexampled conflict of force, passion, and opinion ; and it is now the only stay (under God) that keeps the members of the Church of England together, scattered as they are, and increas- ing throughout the world. Dynasties have arisen and have ceased ; revolutions have come and passed away upon the wings of time ; the * " III a word, it may hv truly said lliat Ilenrv, as if ho had intended to lew war against every various sort of natural virtue, prorlaiined \)y the executions of More and "Anne, that he henceforward bade dcliance to compassion, afl'ection, and veneration. — A man without a good quality would perhaps be in tlie condition of a monster in the physical world, where distortion and deformity in every organ seemed to be incompatible with life. — Rut, in these two direful deeds, Henry, perhaps, a|)proaclied as nearly to the ideal standar J of perfi.'ct wieljcdness as the infirmities of huMiaa nature will allow."— Mackintosh's History of England, vol. 2, p. 204. t The compilation of th(? Reformed Ollice-Book was cntrusteri "to a C'onnnittee of seven Bishops, of whom Cranmer and Ridley were two, and other learned men, in 1518. The whole Prayer Rook was (irst put forth iii the year 1549. The second Book in 1552. It was cast out in 15.53. It was restored after revision, more nearly as wo have it no\», in 1557, Once more revised in 1604. It was lemoved to make way lor the Directory in 1645. It was restored and again revi.^ed in 1662, after which period" we find no alleration. But it is a great mistake to suppose that the I'rayer Book was made even at the earliest of these dates. It is almost entirely a con-.pilation from earlier limes, judiciously framed. This will appear by the following brief summary ot evidence (from Palmer,) respecting some portions of it. The verses and responses after the Absolution, are found in ihe six.li century. Read- ing of Psalms and Lessons alternately, was appointed by the Coiuicil of Laodicca, in the fourth centiu}-. The Te Demn and Alhanasian VycvA were composed in the same century. The Prayers follo,vinj; the Responses are found in oftices of the sixth century. The Collects tor Grace, for Peace, and for the Clcrf^y and Peojt!,, have lieen tised by the English Church for above twelve hundred years. The prayer of St. Chrysostom is also verv ancient. Litanies iiinilar to our <i\Mi «en' <:crlaiidv used in the ('hnrch siNtoeit centuries anjo ; id we hare _ - . i«Wi n il m )i »ii imM.aj i ]n;ii». irj^ I has undergone an eniue auu t- Praver Book remains unalterca. "Id is .his *e book •l-'C',u.i,,„en tamper wi,^^ .„.iqu.ted j«..book, - » ;M . fo, on n »l ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^ ^^^_ when Iheir own names he b^necl m u ^^^ ^^^f„„ the Reformation, and that .s, to ^"^"'^YX^^,.,, ,„a corruption of ,n.peratively called for 'y ^'m d^f o e^^^^^^^^^^ by the adoption, manners-a change so !'«?''> "^fj/l^^a p'ious a guide as the ratification, and ^onUnuance of so oly a p .^ ^^^ Prayer Book, embodying a laige FJ^^ °' ^^ " ^nscriptural, should not ancient service, and rejecting all th t w^^ J"^ ^^^^ , ^ted ; have produced eftects equa ° ;^\^,";'^f' ,,pose among bodies but that there exists, I \'f' ''}Z\Z^ ^^Zi^le, than ourselves. who (we are apt to think) enjoy ^^^T^^^^.^^ "^^i ^r religious, for Many causes riight, no doubt, be ^^^'f;^'., P^^! ^^f , ° sons/ 1 shall ^is 'weakness, and different ^^^^ .^^ /j^l^^rto me to be, at all content myself with assigning on wh c s^e ^^^ p Soolc events, not ummpor ant.* I s th's .mc J ^j ^^^ p ,r arc not taken in their natural sense «"« . .7„f " %ook are not honestly hmbly, j!^f^« '"J V,: ^Cut^ tl- natural practised. A great dea has be«n heaul ^t a e ^^^^^ ^^ Ldnon-naturalsenseof heT^.ty.nn^^^^^ ,^^^^^^ ^^ an attempt to prove ^^a Jt w^. po ^^l^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ Roman doctrine to sign the ^'^^'^;"' '"/' mpil^ never intended. fact, to strain them into a l^-^^^^l ^^^^ P ' ,,i„k, generally felt As soon as this doctrine was b^^^^'^'^'J'nhu ch of England, to be ^^-°^r"'t;t = :n il'diafel occur^ if Juch be the Z^:::^sI:^^^o^^^^^^^^ is it to subscribe P^na>^f \°2a year "'^lerels cadence e-ugh fo-.y ^--jf J,^^^^^^^^^^ Original Litur. HXbut re-formed " But -h-^ev - ^e^ ^^^J^^^^ ^,,j,,„ed Church- gies, Curdwell's Conferences, ^"^ Documcntarj * * See Note at the end of the Sermon. 'Hi wliat use are ilie A.iiclcs ihenisdvos: This .sdieine, ili..,. ^^}uvU was not altouvilior n.,\v in iis principl... Iinvii.n heon bioi.ch.Ml l.y no less a porsr.n iluu, Aiclideacon Palcy, bni .suin,nvl.a( mn,-\ i„ i,s appliciilion, was soon felt to be untenable, and the leaine.l and in- geinons antliorofit must have perceived, that be liad only eiit the yround fioni under bis own leet, witliout doin- any of llie -rood be nitended. It seems, bowever, not to bave oceuiicd to nianv who liave been loudest in reprobation of tliis suoyestion, ibat tjieie is auotlier tinng to be condemned besides a non-natural sense of the Arlieies nn(i that is a non-7,ah(raf sense of l/,c whole Prai/cr Hook ami oj all its serriccs. Are we at liberty to take tbc Articles in a real sense, and the liaptisinal service m a fictitious sense? or to take only tiiose Articles wbieii make agamst Rome, and pass by those which make against Ueneva :; Js the Article a.,rainst Pur-atorv n truth, and thJ" sen- tences oi the OHertory a fiction ? Is the protest aijainst induloonces a reality, and the visitation for the sick a dead letter?— and alUhese you will observe, drawn up, revised, ratified, and enforced by the same authority, and included in the same book. But. in fact, there is sonieihing more to be said in i)alliatiun of a non-natural sense of the Articles than of the services. The Articles are most of them con- troversial, some ol them so worded as to include men of diirerent innuls_as the 17th. The servicis are uncontroversial, devotional, and generally very plain and uuambionous. VVbut reason can be assigned for not taking such words in their natural sense ? Certainly none that would not apply with greater force to the Articles. Here then, seeins to me to lie on.- source of the practical weakness of the Church ol England, that so many of her professed members, or attendants,— lor members without Communion I can scarcely call them,— cither use the services of the Prayer Hook only to explain them away, or submit to them to save themselves the trouble of thinking, but do not really believe them. A Roman Catholic be- Jieves with all his heart and soul in the authority of his Piiest. and the unity of bis Church. A Wesleyan believes heartily in the cfiiciency and unity of Wesleyanism, and the truth of Wesley's Hymns. A Bajitist is a thorough believer in the necessity of adult Baptism. They all support and help each other ; but how many are there of our own j^eople, who can give no rational account why they are not Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Baptists, or Presbyterians. All they know is what they are not ; but what they are, it would puzzle them sorely to tell. All they are agreed en, is the desirable- ness of coming to no fixed conclusion on matters of religion. This kmd of disposition, which I consider to be an extensive application ot the doctrine of the non-natural sense, or in other words, the doc- trine of no sense at all, is a perpetual source of weakness, suspicion, I I }, ,vUI. our own »J ''^' ' ^,,„ view Uny •"l<'-' "' ^ „ ,„„ „„t all np \Vl,c-,c;« •" "" ^° „ •,„,,■„,. nolo .. >«='"' • '^J' £'„ ^ Clunclnnan t;:;;-;.,ie'lpt-:i[j':,ru:^v^ will, than any oth^i «'y „„d w.lli each °"J' . ;.„„ ■ want or ^yn";, >; - 'i ° d',:>,e of all o.be,- bcd.e. UnBt ^^^^ _^^^^ - ir : ;r 3 "«,.. •« *e .,,.. y «-> ,- , , ,n „>. or,\',„, /=l.all monuon^n. • -- ;,,„,.„„„,„y ,u, y *;, ^^^0. C nncli, would only un" ' J . , ^onrcos, o.' il I 'y , ,„ U,.,n. own l'«y«' J^-^J™: ,„ 3,-., wonW -^^ -- j ' , f^, ^onUl t'.me nclination, oi nibcii ;= w ser than tliemscivL. , Sl-cb or J-'S'-''- ';S s o'r *:'Roro,n,anon a. .hoy find U- „„,.ec to act on >' « P ""^ P'' ^ hiing to Chnvch, U>en^ ^_, ■„t that book ,'•^1'^ '' .' "^,„,„e sntallev maltc-s, wo ^ °"^^ °-^„ „,„ though we ™g 'V''f4™, ; „cl those princples »nld ot ^_^,_, S0-™\ I"':rf;a,°yh "cause wh..n "'-yg^-r .n^ "O- -' ^-^ -T '" '"' 'sS Ao arc good a"",""":' Se °f -""". -ith in despan- b"!' '" . , |-,^ed eudurmg 1'""=' ;° . enlightened ber than .nan can ^«-> J , ,„. „„„ sonls, and a sou« land en ^^_^^^^_ „ veal earnestness abou ' ,,.,,i, ,|,ey avcnembets As ,Utachn.ent to ''";, C;'"' ^l'^," i„„e„s to the ...ark. t^" ^^f,,. fe^^stin .boir die is cast be., a fV „„ ,,„,eh they have - l'-;„pj,„,e. :;;er:. IX rUrXo or Ood. Eternal Day. NOTE TO P^^'^ 19. •'4- ^^""1' VaZ vve fi.>J »" >vhere eU«. ^,,i,' because '» ^'"^'y/^^^v U. il'^"" ^'>« concepl.on3 ot U « »« ,,„i, ,,r ''';^: 'Task i-o fmU.cr H"'^^^''^"^',,,^, .selves, °" ^'T'7v and" o a temporal prov;-' ^^ ^ ,\,'^t long ngo >■-;.';;, 'X'"p,ote.lnnt own body, unu I J j been, wey ^,„ng., xv iin ui , j , the Cburch " J^^g , a,, Catholics, ""'^yj, is pS.ple is "cted «" ^y ;' ^J ean devised of a sHtPty-\> I •i\ w(>'-(U wore yet. niigiii!; in lacirti curd, •' Wlmlevcr yuii do. ioavc not the Cluiicli," bt'luro eHlnuigcmeiU became cerUiiii, and separation unavoidable. Wby siiould men be driven iVom tlio Cliurcli because tbey cannot express Uiem.seive3 gen- teelly ? because llieir iiajids are rougi.' and tiieir voice is over ioudP l.s no man tu get to Heaven who cannot sj>cak in a wiiisper? To snni up, then, this part of the subject: — Tlie Papal strengiii lies in devoted obedience to one ruling wiij. The strength of religious bodies at the c'hor extremity of the horn, lies in their sway over the aHections of the multitude ; the strength of the Church of England lies in lior reason, hor moderation, and the hold \.'hich a body constituted as sKi happily is must ever possess over the judgment of the better educatc(l ot man- ki'id. Hero -.i^, as it were, the jwwer of the will, t.;e powci of the u;.derstand- ing, and the nower of the affections disunited. i3ut in the Apostolic Church these elements were in union, for there was " the spirit of power, and the spirit o\' love, and the spirit of a sound mind.^^ Tliero was rule vested in the Apostles, but limited by the pastoral and loving nature of their conunission— limited 1 y the ollico of I'rosbviers being aiUanced close to their own, (the administering oi the two great ordinances of the (Jhristian religion being placed in the hnnds of all priests,) limited by the will, advice, and co-operation of the laity, which was always taken in great public assemblies of the Church. Why, then, should it 1)0 a dream to suppose that these elements may be again re-composed .' that borrowing from the I'apacy and the Creek Church, whatever their system has of strength of obedience; from the Church of England, whatever she has of wise and iScripluial nuuleration ; and from the other religious communities, whatever lies in them of burning zeal and true nfTection, purified from its disorder and excess, the will, the understanding, and the affections of the wiiolc Church may form one " perfect man," and without sacrificing one point of essential faith, necessary discipline, or Apostolic order, may return to its original constitution at Jerusalem, on a scale commensurate with tlie necessities of the world ? Then might the Church write once more on the margin of her decrees, '■ II seemed ^ood to the Hoh] Ghost and to us." This may be only a dream. It may be too good for fallen earth to see. lUit whether the words of Prophets and Apostles are to be taken in this sense or not, at all events it is not a delusive dream. For it will not load ns out of the path in which God has placed us as members of the Church of England, but will rather shew us that ive have onr own dulij tofulfd in Oity own bodi/, and tital our part is palienlhj to do that dulij, and stand Jdst in it to Ihc end. O that God would hasten it in his time. — Amen. There is another cause ot the strength of these bodies, which has been often eiiLiroly overlooked. Their members are much more nearly on a level in point of education, intelligence, antl station, than the members of the Church of Eng- land. Their natural affinities and sympathies are therefore all linked together. There are very low class distinctions, feelings, and prerogatives. They who attain to a more than ordinary degree of learning or wealth, often leave the l?ody, or by way of compromise, send their sons into the Church of England. Those who remain behind are not much elevated one above another. There is therefore no natural dilliculty in exciting and moving the mass. It is easily leavened and indoctrinated. There arc no prejudices of caste, no hereditary tra- ditions to be got over. There is therefore no condescension on the one part, nor obligation on the other. Each man makes or fancies himself to be the hero of the piece, and acts as if he thought that the standing or falling of dissent depend- ed on his own personal exertions. To the zeal of such liodies too mueh praise cannot he sj^ivcn. It is the great lesson J'or lis to copi/. They do everything for themselves; and we want to have everything done for us, and then, looking on with magnanimous approbation, wo say, " Well done !" Now, the secret of their strength has been, in some degree, the secret of our weakness. First, the polar star of the Reformed Anglican Church was truth. That being secured, (after a century or more of bitter struggle,) men seemed to think that truth would take care of itself. With such a body of theology, the (Jhurcli ot l^ngland must prosper. Miit the nation and the constitution began •■)"=1 ; ", case. Ti>oir l"' '"f '"" "L-^iot ocquit llicn, of Wa.™ ; '"..'i'^.,",,, Rome bill there is nnicli Urieft Itr"Uo not acquit U>e.uj^™- ^J^ ,,^,,een Rome .. ....^.».,-, ^^^y Secondly, our posUiou m ^> ° "~, ^./j vnoral position, ha3 its peculiar pel 13. .'^ "^, ,^, ,■ .' labor, nicH ot lougU .^' U seems 10 them to _be /■'•.ai.nm_g ^^^\^_,^^_,^^„^ ^.^^ ^^^ ,,_ _^j,^ clo^_>^ou l,,^^ ^j. j^^,.^,„ ,,t .vc reach the gaor--^^j.j^ doubt and perplexity, Jf^-J/^'^elove.'' But ''"r'fnnHncl V on each other : ,„„dg us last to ^'«^'-\t\ou members sometimes lo^^^^f ^'^J^Sis ,Tian more oacofourdifficuUieb.liatour I ^^.^^^ „,,,„ l^ "'';.,« uigg lies in 'Z not this man "--.l*-" ' t, ,.er ' Another --'-;, ,";>^,-t4land K - than half a Dissenter .^ Xtv which constitute the Chi.rcli ow^. ^^^^ ^,j. to different classes « «°^'; y,;\rJ; , source of «lre"gth the -^^^y (,,,,,.,,,, ^'"t:"r'tha'^ -!-°^^3oiSsnppUethr that U^ but our imperfection turns it ?»to an cvjl. 1 he ^ ^^^ .^ .^^^ ^ ,^^„ to sit near Alas', is not one lar much more ^"' °"Vp low -''ti^ey complain of U. ^'^"yr;- paction. AU fpo^ mro^ a in of c^lor or a person ot 1. ex^ ^^^^^ r/ave good enough for us all . Mu ,,^„ body can ^PPe^^^^^ . j^,,,> t athsome to the eyes of Go n a^ ,,^^ ,„d .'^'^^.f. t 'ilmrt ^'id ? The Did the Lord of ^}^'y ''''\']:,a l^e we above doing ''\'l\l^^\ ^nd deceive ^sorld has no power to binU ne ^^^^,_ ^^ ^,^^ liw. Second y, ^leSovejj^n e^^ /J^j^Si and appoints ^1'^'^ ,^'^, ^'^P';', es to maintain the fabric of th. J o ^ U.e Realm in Englanp.^ a^c ^^ ,,^^^, ,,,, to intennent -n t he ,^,.^^ ^--;.tom.ntainthei..r^^ ' \^ ,.,c tn foru ,,„l,ppoarton,e ", pait^olj ^^ „„, „„o«o,e, anJ secured . rrSS'Sw^ntcri'cIs on,.o^c,..c,, on.„.a.a. '26 Province rccognizo no compulsory nte, payable either by them or by any other bodies, for the^crcction or continuance of the buiidinii ; and consequently the ("hurcli Yards are not, (except by special enactment,) property held in trust for the use of all. The principal features, therefore, of an establishmenl in England, viz: the acknowledgment of the Churcii as such by the Sovereign, and the sub- mission of the Church to the Sovereign as her temporal head, and the taxation of the people, generally, for such end, are here in one important respect wanting. Again, the Canons which bind the Clergy in England, all proceed on the strict- est rcirimcn of an Fslablishment, but where there is no J'jstablishment, or only the name, it is a question yet undecided, whether they bind the Clergy, as i'>ngland, or no. I only mention tlieso things to show how much the undefined, anomalous state of our Church hampers us. Men's minds have been used to State-notions and State-assistance, and they are suddenly thrown into a new position, (without being positively assured of any thing,) and loft to their own unaided resources, except so far as the voluntary charity of our English brethren steps in to help lis. But unfortunately, the ancient notion clings to the mind when the reality is irone, and therefore, instead of helping themselves, many of us are trying to linger on in the dreamy security of an Establishment. We may be quite cer- tain, however, to bo rouglilv shaken out of our slumbers. Help ourselves we must, if we mean to increase, or even to stand. We, (I mean the Clergy and the Laity.j must do more, work harder, give more largely, live better, and be more zealous and more consistent than we have been hitherto. For as every instance of an unfaithful, or even amiably indolent Clergyman, does far more injury where the nuiidier is small: so every Layman, immoral in his life, cr manifestly wanting in zeal for the interests of the Communion to which ho pro- fessedly belongs, not only occasions a blemish, but inflicts a wound. Even the very toleration°of the Church of England has proved some hindrance to us. In our progress from Egvpt to Zion we are accompanied by a "mixed multitude," who add nothing to our strength, and only encumber the order of our march— who continually fall a-lusting after the " cucumbers, and the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlick" of Egypt, and have no desire for the clustering grapes of the Heavenly Canaan. Yet were these unhappy men, who have no llxed religious principles, and who live only for a world whose brightest glories lire short,°and whose speedy ruin is certain, might, possibly, if we were to thrust them out from us, only sink down into more callous indifference— more hopeless infidelity. I need only name other causes of our weakness, peculiar to the Province, or common to tiie other Provinces of British North America, because they lie on the surface of things. Such are the pains taken by the Government of England to send out emigrants without the benefits of art, of order, and religion, and to find or lose them "on the hills and in the valleys, and under every green tree :" the constant influx of settlers, some of one religion and some of another, and some of no religion at all ; the unsettled state of our whole border-line, from our constant contact with the worst class of American citizens ; the want of public spirit, hopeful entcrprizo, and useful literature, which is felt by every thinking mind among us ; the scattered nature of the population, and the fearful number of persons" who attend occasionally at one place of worship, occasionally at another, but are equally indifferent to any and to all. I have now traced at some length what I conceive to be co-operating causes of that degree of weakness and want of vital sympathy which seems to me to re- tard the progress of the Church of England here and elsewhere. Some of them may be partTal or temporary ; some of them may be in course of remedy ; but all are greatly aggravated by the heavy curse that lies up us all— the divided state of cliriste'ndom. Those who requested me to publish the Sermon, are not pLdged to take the same view of things, because they did not hear it. But T have^thought it right to lay it before them, because the Sermon is hardly com- pietc V lay ob: may a true r 'I'o de eiitcm of liv who ( > „y obsurvauou tor -o^uu y^but the only question '''^'^yxl^f':^' for ourselves. CRKA'J'A. •"'igo -^t;, Line ;J3.-For " Yd wen " rpn,l ^. v , -, v>