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1 2 3

FABEW

Jk%i

SEEMOJT

PREACHED IN

*/'

ST. GEORGFS FREE CHURCH,

PAISLEY,

'//

m Tfif AFTEINOON OF SABBATH, f trd HABGl, 1845,

BY THE REV. ROBERT BURNS, D.D.

'4/

TORONTO:
PRINTEP AND SOLD AT THE BANNER OFFICE.

o
o

PREFATORY NOTICE.

'■■^ Circumstances having put it out of my power to comply
•^ with (he wish of friends at Paisley, that I should print
(i my Farewell Sermon before leaving Scotland, I have
-, endeavoured to follow out that wish by devoting part of
^ my leisure time on the voyage to the preparation of the
manuscript for the press at Toronto. My design is to send
it to my much-loved brethren and friends, as a small token
of remembrance endeared by distance. The wide Atlantic
now separates me from those to whom, for more than thirty
years, 1 stood in the relation of Pastor, and whose best
interests are still near my heart. While 1 write these lines,
the waves of the mighty deep are rolling around us. We
are entering the great Gulph of St. Lawrence. A few
days are expected to bring us within sight of some of the
most magnificent displays of the majesty of God. Already
have we witnessed his wonders in the great deep. Hitherto
he hath held us in the hollow of his hand. Amid the
howling of the storm, and the crashing of icebergs, we
have been mercifully preserved. The prayers of our
ship's company have regularly ascended with united voice
before the throne, morning and evening ; and in these we
have remembered our friends at home, as they, we believe,
have remembered us. May He who sitteth on the floods
reign in their hearts and in ours. May his testimonies,
which excel in faithfulness, be our united inheritance in
this the house of our pilgrimage ; and may His omnipotent
grace establish in each heart and ^perfect that '^ holiness
which becometh his house forever."

Gulf of St. Lawriitce,
May 1st, 1845.

/o^s^so

fir: '}i\

ymn

f* of-

^K'nn

'.is'.S.

FAREWELL SERMON.

" FlKALLT, BRETHREN, FAREWKLL. Bc PERFECT, BE OF GOOD
COMFORT, BK OF ONE MIND, LIVK IN PEACE ; AND THE GoD OF LOTX

AND PEACE SHALL BE WITH Tou.'* — 2 CoHnthians, Xlli. 11.

,.\i»l».i

Paul had written two letters of considerable length to the
members of the church at Corinth ; and as he began them
both with a prayer that " grace and peace from God the
Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" might be with them,
so he closes both with that comprehensive benediction which
all the churches have by silent agreement embodied in their
public service, — " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be
with you all. Amen." Such atTectionate wishes and
prayera are not at all inconsistent with faithfulness in the
discharge of duty ; for our Apostle had, in the course of
these Epistles, found cause to mingle admonition, and even
sharp reproof, with his expressions of affection. The
church at Corinth was first planted by Ppr;l himself, and for
the period of eighteen months its member; 4 had enjoyed the
benefits of his personal presence amongst them. He was
succeeded in the charge by Apollos " mighty in the scrip-
tures ;" while Aquila and Priscilla aided him by their
united labours. Notwithstanding these high advantages,
false teachers troubled the church. Party spirit divided its
members. Corruptions, both in doctrine and in discipline,
defaced its beauty. Heathen courts were appealed to in the
unseemly strife among Christians, and enemies were led to
speak reproachfully of Christ. St. Paul, in a spirit of
godly displeasure and faithful rebuke^ has in these inspired
epistles, condensed iii one the precepts and admonitions
which proved so. profitable ta those for whom they were

originally designed, and which remain as an invaluable
storehouse to the visible church of God.

In the words of the text, we have the " summing up'* of
the whole. Sweet are the accents of heaven-ilispired love
issuing from the lips of a holy messenger of the cross. The
spirit of his Master breathed in him. A holy love to their
immortal souls ; a tender anxiety for their spiritual progress ;
a noble-minded zeal foe the purity of the church ; a jealousy
for the honor of Christ ; — ^these are the elements which here,
centre as in one : And ** these things are written for our
learning," that as individual members of christian societies,
and as a branch of the Church of the living God which he
hath purchased with his own blood, we may truly abound " ia
all holy conversation and godliness."

I. When the Apostle exhorts the Corinthian brethren to
" be perfect,^* he just repeats in other words the sentiment
which he had uttered at the ninth verse of this chapter :
"This also we wish, even your perfection." In his ardent'
wishes for the spiritual benefit of the believing Hebrews,
the Apostle proposes " to leave the principles" or first
elements " of the doctrine of Christ, and go on unto per-
fection," in order that each of them may bft established in
the doctrines of grace, and not moved away from the hope
of the Gospel, and " that every one of them may show the
same diligence to the full assurance of hope."* In his epis-
tle 10 the churches of Colosse, the Apostle thus expresses
himself: "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of
Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in
prayers, that ye may be perfect and complete in all the
will of God.."f This was the object of his prayers, and
these prayers are described in language that beautifully in-
dicates their energetic earnestness. The man wrestled
with God ; and, like Jacob, he wrestled not for an unat-
tainable blessing. It is true, perfection, in the literal sense of
the term, can be affirmed of Him only in whom all excel-
lence centres in the highest possible degree. But there is a

• Heb. vi. I, 11, 12. tCol. ir. 12. *^W/iiaj4 ^

Illative perfectibn whibh is not only attainable by ChnV
tjans, but which they are bound to seek after. Even this
relative perfection indeed they never attain to on earth, for
the Church below is the Church militant. And yet it is a
perfection which they are to keep steadily in view, as the ob-
ject of all their aims, and as essential to their complete felicity.
They must seek to be fully established in the faith, and
hope, and holiness, of the (Gospel. They must not satisfy
themselves with slender progress and puny attainments.
They must avail themselves of all divinely-appointed means
in order that they may grow in grace and in knowledge ;
that they may live more near to the great source of all
mercy and love ; that they may obtain, day after day,
more deeply-affecting views of the glory of Christ ; that
their impressions of the enormity of all transgression may
be deepened ; that their sense of the utter worthlessness of
the world, and the pleasures of it, may be rendered more
acute ; and that the grand realities of eternity may be
brought to bear upon them with a livelier and a holier in-
fluence. In connexion with this exercise of diligence in the
use of means, there must be a growing earnestness in prayer
for the gracious communications of the Holy Spirit, by
which alone .can believers be enlightened in their views of
truth and invigorated in their graces of holiness. Moreover,
there must be exercised a holy jealousy over themselves ; a
habitual watchfulness against temptation ; a constant cir-
cumspection. With all this, there must be a growing fruit-
fulness in all good works ; " For herein," says Christ to
his people, " is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit." This is Christian establishment—" And thisalso w^
pray,. even your perfection."

But Paul addresses the Corinthian members as forming
a Church, or collected society of harmonious worshippers.
In this view, the duty here enjoined is that which is incum-
bent on every Church as a divinely-constituted body ; namely,
to seek its complete organization and its mati^red growth.
The Church of Corinth stood peculiarly in need of siicli an
admonttkin as this — "Be perfect." ^ Erroneous opinions

had crept in amongst them ; therefore must they be careful
to maintain sound doctrine. Corruptions in discipline had
been gradually superinduced ) therefore must they be care-
ful to " put away from them that wicked thing.'* The holy
ordinance of the Supper had been disgraced by vile intem-
perance ; therefore must they seek ** to be judged of the
Lord that they may not be condemned with the world." Vice
of every name had its powerful attractions and patrons in
the large commercial city where they dwelt ; therefore, as
Satan's seat was there, they must seek to have it overturned,
and the throne of God and of his holiness, set up in its place.
A high standard of purity must they rear, and to that stand-
ard must all the members be conformed. " Holiness be-
becometh thine house, O Lord, forever."

The Church of our fathers has of late undergone a great
and a blessed change. Truths which had well-nigh been
buried amid worldly attachments, have been brought out to
the blaze of day. The schemes of worldly policy to oppress
the Church, and to make her pander to secular interest, have
been successfully resisted. The rights of Zion's King have
been scripturally asserted, while the blood-bought privileges
of Zion's children have been triumphantly vindicated.
To the Church of our martyred ancestors thus redeemed
from her bondage, the command is given — " Be perfect.'*
To you, ray dearly-beloved brethren, as a branch of that
Church, is the precept addressed — "Be perfect." Study
your principles thoroughly — seek for them in the treasury of
the Bible. Entertain high and ccmmanding views of the
Headship of Christ and his peerless rights. Listen not to
the childish plea that the points in controversy are trifling. ,
Try them by the test of heaven's revealed will, and look
on them as reflected in the living light and flame of the
bush which burnt without being consumed. While your con- *
gregation is fully organized, and its oflice-bearers well }
appointed, let every man, whether in office or not, seek to ';
do his duty. Aim at a high standard of Scripture doctrine t
and of Christian liberality. Forget not that the success of '^
every scheme depends on the zeal, the unanimity, and the

vigour with which individual efTurt is applied. A congrega-
tion whose elders and deacons are faithful, active, and pray-
erful — whose Sabbath- School Teachers are well-instructed,
pious, and punctual — whose catechumens are ever ready to
wait on the instructions of their pastor — and whose families
are cheered by the voice of melody and salvation from their
happy abodes, — such a congregation is in a fair way of
realizing the import of the Apostle's command ; and the
Church which is composed of such congregations, is, beyond
doubt, part and parcel of that great Christian temple, against
which " the gates of Hell shall never prevail."

II. Of the members of the Primitive Church it is said,
that they " walked in the fear of the Lord and in the
comfort of the Holy Ghost, and were multiplied."* Paul,
we apprehend, has a direct reference to this when he
exhorts the Corinthian Church to " be of good comfort.^^
Believers in general live below their privileges. I question
much if even their expectations partake of that expansive
range — that heavenly bearing — that holy sublimity of tone
— which the testimony of God and the great and precious
promises of the everlasting covenant do unquestionably
warrant. There is among believers too great a tendency
to look upon the Gospel as on something future ; something
that resembles a light shining iVom afar, and reflecting rays
only few and feeble on their present path. Now, it is one
peculiar excellence of the Gospel that it sponks peace to the
soul even now ; and that it scatters many blessings on the
road that leads to heaven. A clear evidence of this is derived
not only from such exhortations as those of the Apostle,
"Rejoice in the Lord always ; and again I say, rejoice;"
but from those very numerous places of the New Testa-
ment where " comfort" is specially spoken of as the object
of prayer, or as matter of actual enjoyment. In praying
for the Romans, St. Paul thus pours forth his soul : " Now
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy
Ghost."f In the Qpistle from which our text is taken he

^ • AetB ix. 31. t Rom. xv. la

thus gives thanks for those present delights which cheer amid
the trials of life : '* Blessed be God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and the God of
all Comfort ; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that
we may have to comfort tho?*? which are in any trouble, by
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God :"
" and our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are
partakers of the suffering, so shall ye be also of the
consolation."* "Therefore," says he, in another place,
" we are comforted in your comfort, "f It is interesting
also to observe that in several passages of the Apostolic
writings edification and comfort are placed in immediate
connexion, thus indicating that wherever there is realized
Christian establishment in the faith and hope of tho
Gospel, or " perfection" as it is commonly termed, there a
high measure of comfort and joy may be reasonably
expected ; and on the other hand, that wherever we find a
believer walking in the "joy of the Lord" as " his strength,"
there we are warranted to expect also an established and
matured disciple. Paul, in addressing the Thessalonians,
speaks of "sending Timotheus his brother and minister of God,
and a fellow-labourer," for the two-fold object " of estab-
lishing them and comforting them concerning their faith. "J
And in perfect harmony with this resolution, he exhorts
them in the following chapter to act upon the principle of
such an union ; " Wherefore comfort yourselves together,
and edify one another, even as also ye do."|| In his second
epistle to the same church, he thus beautifully embraces
these kindred objects in one comprehensive prayer : " Now
our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God even our Father
which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting conso-
lation, and good hope through grace ; comfort your hearts,
and stablish you in every good work and work."§

The precept in our text, " Be of good comfort," is com-
plied with, when the members of Christian Churches

* 3 Cor. i. 3, 4, 7. t 3 Cor. vii. 13. 1 1 These, iii. 3.
II 1 Thesa. iv. U. $ 3 ThesB. iL 16, 17.

}'■

practically recognise the Holy Spirit the Comforter as the
source of all their joy. In those early times believers in
exact proportion as they were faithful, might expect the
severity of trial. Hence arose the duty of adhering closely
to the precept of their beloved Master, to lean on the
spirit of promise, whose wisdom cuid grace were designed to
guide and sustain them amid all trials. We are not exposed
to persecutions in the same sense with the primitive churcjh ;
but trials, more or less severe, await us ; and in the midst
of them all we are commanded to be of " good comfort."
We must steadily abstain from seeking consolation in for-
bidden paths. We must view all trials as coming from God,
and as designed to sweeten to us the glorious Gospel. We
must commit all our concerns into the hands of Him who
ordereth every thing in wisdom, and by earnest prayer for
the Spirit the Comforter, realize the blessedness of sanctified
affliction.

But the precept has to do with the Church as a collective
body, and in this view the Corinthians were enjoined to
encourage one another in the common faith. There were
many things in their own conduct and its results, over which
a scriptural and pure discipline might well sigh. And yet
there was much in the position of their Church to inspire
mutual comfort. Paul's affectionate counsels to them had
been eminently successful. The evil thing had been
promptly put away. Corruptions in administration had
been removed. Christ had been cheerfully recognised as
governor over his own house ; and his faithful followers, ** knit
together in love," had abundant cause given them to edify
and comfort one another. Our Church has passed through
a similar process of revival ; and our duty is the same.
We have had our trials, and we shall have many more.
The greatest of all will arise from our own want of faith-
fulness. But if we strive against all causes of declension ;
if we keep by the written word as our rule ; if we resist any
appeal that may be made to self-interest and worldly policy ;
if we contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the
saints ; if we cherish an enlarged and liberal and truly

•.T*»<^': /;^4"': >:'<<l)g-» ;'%fSij''=':i

catholic spirit ; if we act as becomes an evangelistic Church
in seeking the world's salvation ; and if we adorn the doc-
trine we profess by holy living, — then may we bid defiance
to all the snares of the adversary, and be of " good com-
fort," 9B the honored servants of the Lord of Sabaoth.

III. ^^ Be of one mind.^^ Our blessed Lord in his inter-
cessory prayer, assigned a very high place to unity in his
Church. " Neither," says he, " neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe in me through
their word ; that they all may be one, as thou Father art in
me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us ; that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me."* His Apostles
follow the example of their beloved Master. " Be of the
same mind one towards another. "f "Now the God of
patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one
toward another according to Christ Jesus."! " Endeavour
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." || "If
there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort
of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and
mercies ; fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one miwrf."§ The
Church at Corinth had special need of the exhortation,
"Be of one mind." Divisions had crept in amongst them,
and a spirit of sectarian bigotry led them to attach them-
selves to difierent leaders, as if they were not all marshalled
under one banner. In connexion with these divisions,
grievous errors had been superinduced on the simplicity of
the Gospel, to mar its beauty and to beguile unstable souls.
Judaizing teachera had successfully attempted to set up
the claims of an abrogated law, and thus to interfere with
the all-sufficiency of the Saviour's merits. The disciples
of a philosophy falsely so called had ti-ied to g'-aft their
oriental dreams upon the holy realities of inspi d truth.
The practical result was what it has always been — a lower-
ing Uie standard of evangelical purity, and a disunion

* John xvii. 20, 21. f Rom. xii. 16. t Rom. xv. 5. i-
II Eph. iv.3. $ Phil. iii. 1, 2. , , , ^ , , ,^.

.Md* ^ -,

lURiong the friends of the Redeemer. When such a ooh*
dition of thmgs as this is realized, it is high time for the
sincere lover of the Saviour to look around him and to ask,
What is the line of duty prescribed to us ? In a divided
state of the Church, an infidel and a latitudinarian spirit
would say. Leave each and all to take their own way, for in
the midst of such divisions no certainty can be found.
Verging to the opposite extreme. Popery and Puseyism
would say. An infallible head must be sought out and found
somewhere, and the rights of private judgment must be
surrendered. The spirit of inspiration speaking through St.
Paul says neither the one nor the other. "Be of one
mind." There is no allusion to any other infallibility than
that of the Great Head of the Church speaking through his
lively oracles ; and there is not the slightest hiut that union
amongst the friends of the Redeemer is absolutely unat-
tainable. There are matters on which even an inspired
Apostle recognises diversity of sentiment ^ but there are
matters also which constitute the substance of the Gospel
and the rallying point of its faithful adherents. ** There is
one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope
of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, oi^e
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all."* It is not so much identity of opinion on
every articlie of faith which the Apostle enjoins, for on that
principle no room would be lefl for the exercise of those
graces of patience and forbearance which he also i^ecom-
mends. It is rather an unity of dependence on the only
foundation, and an union of attachment to the common
Scviour ; for it is worthy of remark, that the divisions and
discords which disturbed the Corinthian Church are not
traced by the Apostle to variety of speculative tenets incul-
cated, but rather to the want of a right disposition of mind
in the members. It was self-conceit ; it was party spirit ;
it was a low tone of religious feeling ; it was selfishness
and worldly policy : it was an union of such evil influences
which caused division and defiled the purity of the Church.

- '-rr .

Eph. iv. 4. 5, 6.

:/■

OppcNsite causes will produce opposite effects. If you desiiv
that a congregation shall flourish — ^if you desire that thv
Church as a whole shall be lovely like the rose of Sharon,
let the love of Christ dwell richly in each heart ; let a
meek and humble spirit be the badge of membership ; and
let the aim of all be to spend and be spent for the take of
thehr beloved Lord. <* Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
qnh ye like men^ be strong. Let all your things be done
with, charity."*

IV. This view of the matter is confirmed by the concluding
exhortation of our text, ^^ Live in peace.^^ There could be
no foundation for such a precept had there been no causes in
operation to disturb the peace of the Church. We can con-*
ceive it possible indeed that the Church may. be still and at
rest, not only by means of the removal of all those causes
which occasion division, but from an absolute and entire
prohibition of thinking on religious matters at all ; a pros-
tration of the human intellect before the ascendancy of men"
tal despotism ; a surrender of man's noblest prerogative to
the cls^ms of arbitrary power. But such stillness is the
stillness of death ; such peace- is the peace of the grave.
The precept of the text is complied with, not when we
attempt forcibly to remove out. of the way all the real or
imaginary causes of disunion ; not when we seek to tie up
the capacity of man for thinkine, and reduce him to a
mere machine ; — ^but when in spite of all the sources of
varied sentiment and action, we nevertheless cherish forbear-*
ance and brotherly love. There is no surrender of princi-
ple called for, seeing *' the wisdom that is£rom above is first
pure, then peaceable*^ There is only a surrender of selfish
passion to be made, and a restraint to be put upon our own
spirits. The temper of Diotrephes in a Church must neces-
sarily disturb its peace and mar its interests. Such a tem*
per . must . be subdued, and ministers, ofiice-bearers, and
members must become fellow-helpers to the truth. Each
Qhnstianaocu^^^ in adhering

fii

* 1 Cor. xvi.J^, 14. t,J«inet iii. 17.

roudeniv
) that th*
►f Sharon,
irt; let a
ihip; and
le sake of
the faitfay
s be don«

including'

B could be

causes in

can cono

Hand at

se causes

nd entire

; a pros-

Y of men-

jative to

IS is the

le grave,

rhen we

real or

Co tie up

im to a

urces of

forbear-

* princi-

e is first

fseliish

>ur own

t neces-

a tem-

•a, and

Each

Ihering

firmly to its own avowed principles ; but the spirit which
breathes in all ought to be thai of the Apostle in'this beautiful
aspiration : " Grace, mercy, and peace be on all them that
love our Lord Jesus in sincerity. Amen.'* *"

The promise annexed to the text is couched in the lan-
guage of absolute assurance — " The God of love and oi*
peace shall be with you." A Church cannot prosper if
the God of love and of peace shall desert her, Ichabod will
in that case be inscribed on her ruined walls. She may
introduce no changes in her professed creed or form of
worship — she may retain her connexion with the civil gov-
ernment of the land — she may carry on her services of
worship nearly as before ; she may embrace a large proportion
of the learning of the age — andsomewhatof the^iety^of her
better days may be seen to linger with a flickering light
here and there amid her portals. But if, as a society, she
has dishonoured God, and if, in righteous recompense
he has forsaken her, no trifling remnants of individual
worth within her pale will form an effective redeeming trait.
On the other hand, the presence of the " God of love and
peace" in a Church will be the pledge and the prelude of great
events. " The God of love" will smile propitious on her
humblest eflforts put forth for the honour of his name. He will
bless her schools of theological literature, and cheer her
"sons of the prophets" on their way. He will go forth
with her Duffs, her MacKays, her MacDonalds, her Wilsons,'
on the broad field of Evangelistic and Missionary toil, and
herald them onward to a glorious victory of faith.
He will sharpen the arrows of her quiver and speed them
on their path to the conscience and the heart. "The God
of peace" will remove any causes of variance whi6h ttidy
exist within her pale. He will sweeten the fellowship '^f
her kindred spirits. He will shed the olive branch of p&de
around her dwellings. The hoarse sounds of war he Will
make to die away before the silver trampet of evarij^i^^l
love, " The mountains shall depart, and th6 hiilS W Vi^
moved, but my kindness," saithGod, "shall not depart from

thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."*

Beloved brethren,~^the circumstances of this day possess
an interest to pastor and to people of no ordinary kind. My
pastoral relation to you has been brought to a close, and I
am called by the Great Head of the Church to another and
far distant field. The event is replete with instruction. Let
us listen to the voice with which it speaks.

It calls to solemn retrospection. The transfer of ministerial
service from one province of the visible Church to another,
was, in other days, no uncommon thing. In primitive
times, the Great Head of the Church transferred, from time
to time, the services of Apostles and Evangelists from one
scene to another, while the instruments thus employed in
varied labour and in varied provinc€fs, listened to the Divine
commission with cheerfulness, and gave a ready compliance.
So it was in the days of the Protestant Reformation, both
in Germany and in Britain ; and when, two centuries ago,
our Scottish brethren settled on the continent of Europe, or
amid the woods of newly-discovered America, Scotland's
Church sent some of her choicest sons to look afler her scat-
tei'ed sheep in the wilderness. Assuredly if Paul was right
when his heart yearned for his kinsman, the Jews of the dis^
persion, we are ivrong when we have no tears to shed over
multitudes of our expatriated countrymen going down to
the grave amid the sadness and the gloom of spiritual death.
In the course of a century, I do not find more than two
ministers of standing in the Scottish Church who were called
ip transfer the benefits of a lengthened experience to their
countrymen of the western world. One of these held the
sanie relation to the people of this congregation, which it
f^ been my happiness to do, , I refer to the distinguished
Wjit^^ who, afler twenty-four years labour in the

ip^q^istifym Scotland, and eleven of these yeairs in this place,
w^^|3fi^l)ed to the Presidency of Princeton College, Newo
|(^rs(^^^ where bis iMinie stands n^sociated j^ith those of

hiis} ausi'iO iiUUhhi^iii '■'^

• Iwiah liv. 10.

'MW-iF''

1 ^.^ iii^^' ♦»/■ • » '

J^#

removed,

y possess
ind. My
e, and I
>ther and
ion. Let

inisterial
another,
jrimitive
om time
*om one
loyed in
3 Divine
ipliance,
3n, both
ries ago,
rope, or
iotland's
ler seat-
as right
thedis*
ed over
own to
1 death,
an two
) called
their
eld the
hioh It
Squished
in the
place,
New-.
ose of

Edwards, and Dickinson, and Davies ; and where, for twenty-
eight years, he was most usefully employed in training up
young men for the ministry. I presume there are few who
will now say that the settlement of Witherspoon in America,
even at the expense of his loss to Scotland, was an event to
be deplored. But the relation betwixt us and Canada js
closer than that betwixt Scotland and the North American
States in 1768 ; and the families whom we go to serve, are
many of them our own dear friends and kinsmen. Canada,
moreover, is a rapidly-rising country, and its moral educa-
tion and religious progress are destined to exert no slender
influence upon the world at large.

It was on the 19th of July, 1811, I was ordained as pas-
tor over you. The retrospective view of thirty-four years
is a mental exercise of awful solemnity. My personal and
ministerial responsibility I cannot reflect on without deep
emotion. How i^nany opportunities of usefulness neglected
or carelessly improved ! How feeble the impression of holy
truth on my own heart; and how pointless the appeals
which I may have attempted to make to the consciences of
my hearers ! How many delightful seasons of sacred fel-
lowship which have passed away without leaving any vivid
or lasting impression ! How few instances of conversion to
God ! Shall I plead that g minister is not personally res-
ponsible for the small measure of success which may attend
his ministry ? This is the ordinary refuge of indolence ;
the plausible ple^ of a low-toned personal religion. Suc-
cess, unquestionably, is of God ; but God works by means,
and man is responsible for the manner in which these
means are applied. The longer I live, the deeper do I
feel the importance of such injunctions as those which Fuller
addressed to the first Missionaries to Bengal — "Attempt
great things — expect great things." One cause of limited
success in the Mmistry is just mis — Ministers do not look
foi»success in the conversion of sinners. They are satisfied
with the dull round of duty decently performed ! And,- so
long as we content ourselves with a low standard of aim and

^^^^'mm-

effort, we may rest assured that our measure of success will
be proportionally small.

The period of my ministry embraces a generation of hu-
man beings. Of those who were office-bearers and
tnembers in full communion at the time of my settlement,
a fraction only survives. Of those whose names stand on
the lists appended to ** the call" then addressed to me, two
only remain. Many who were then the children and the
youth of families committed to my charge, have since
grown up, and occupy important stations in society. The
number admitted by me to communion at one hundred and
thirty-four sacramental occasions, falls little short of thirteen
hundred individuals — being nearly the ordinary number of
communicants twice told. Of these, several hundreds had
been catechumens at the weekly classes for religious in-
struction, and over many of these I have had cause to rejoice.
In the course of my ministry, God has permitted me to go
through the whole of the New Testament in the form of
expository lecture, together with the evangelical types and
prophecies and the larger part of the history of the old.
My aim has ever been to unfold to you the mind of the
spirit and to commend to every sinner the grace of the Divine
Redeemer. We have walked together amid the rich pastures
of Zion ; and my humble aim has been to direct you to the
chief Shepherd. Do such reflections as these suggest no
solemn responsibility on your part as on mine ? With the
generation that has passed away, we have now nothing to
do. They have gone to give in their account to the Judge
of all. But we have to answer each one for himself. How
many Sabbaths, with all their blissful associations, have
passed over us ! How many appeals have the Providence
and the Spirit of God made to your consciences and hearts i
How many affecting memorials of former days rise to view,
and, like the images of departed friends, remind you of ac-
knowledged duties neglected, and precious opportunities
misapplied! How often have the spirit and the bride said
to you — Come ; — and you would not come I " The harvest
is past ', the summer is ended ; and ye are not saved.'*

will

of hu-
rs and
lementy
tand on
ne, two
ind the
Q since
The
red and
thirteen
fiber of
eds had
ous in-
rejoice.
B to go
form of
368 and
he old.

of the
Divine
)astures
1 to the
^est no
ith the
ling to
5 Judge
How
3, have
k^idence
hearts I
o view,

of ac-

uni^es
de said

larvest
laved.'*

Time is on the wing. Precious davs of grace are now
numbered among the things which ha¥e been. ^* O that
thou hadst known in this thv day the things which belonged
unto thy peace ; but now they are hid from thine eyes.

It is possible that some may be my hearers this day, who^
for many years, sat under my ministry with professed satis*
faction, but who, when conscience and truth called on me
to make a sacrifice, have coolly and deliberately deserted
me. Surely they cannot plead that I had imbibed errone-
ous doctrine, or that I had ceased tq preach to them the whole
counsel of God. Is there not an awful responsibility
attached to those who willingly surrender the spiritual
privileges of the Church, and the honours o( her king, for
the sake of worldly emoluments and a secularised Estab-
lishment ? who, moreover, forsake the pastor of their
affections that they may place themselves under the minis-
try of those whose trustworthiness, foi*sooth, as guides to the
kingdom of Heaven, has been tested by the base dereliction
of principles, which they so lately counted it their honour and
their glory to uphold 1

But the solemn transactions of this day cast their shadows
before^— they suggest matter of devout anticipation. If any
one period of my ministry has been to my own mind hap-
pier than another, it has been the period from the eventful
era of the disruption of the Church till the present hour.
Difficulties which formerly stood in my way have been
rempved. Access to the people of my pastoral charge has
become much more easy ; and the tie of relationship, while
it had lost almost everything of its geographical character,
had realised more perfectly its spiritual bearings. On these
a^ccounts, assuredly, the breaking up of this tie must be to
me, as to you, doubly painful, while the remembrance of
many hallowed associations of kindred and of friends, must
add to the keenness of the separation. But the Church of
our fathers has now become, more than ever, a confessing
and witnessing Church. To hear witness to the same trulhS
in another land, is the duty to which your pastor is now
called, and the experience of the past may not be lost if it

-w^t^^^^^w^^

«i>

i^ tiiade to tell favourably'dft the future. You, deti
ren, maintain your principles, I trust, with a firmer grasp
tlian that they should be weakened by any such change of
circumstances as that which a change of pastoral ministry
involves ; and methinks, the very call which has been
made upon you, and to which you have considerately res-
ponded, in place of enfeebling their impression, will add
to it tenfold. It will augment their magnitude in your esteem.
The very fact that the impression of these principles
has been felt in its depth and intensity at the dis-
tance of many thousands of miles, and that, while our noble
band of missionaries in the East have cast in their lot with
us in their maintenance,, so many ministers and members
of the Church of Scotland in the Western Colonies, have,
for the soke of them, made sacrifices of a valuable nature,
—these very facts must rivet your conviction of the truth
of your principles ; while the record of them in the future
history of the Church must form one of the finest illustra-
tions of the " faith which overcometh the world."

Do you anticipate any injury to Zion from -her surrender
of a few of her office-bearers for the sake of the general
cause of Emanuel's kingdom 1 The Lord has many arrows
in his quiver ; and these he will polish and sharpen for his
own ends. He has taught us to pray, **Thy kingdom
come ;" and surely a petition so comprehensive in its range
must involve an obligation to do something in its behalf.
The command is, " Go, preach the Gospel to every crea-
ture :" and surely our own brethren and kinsmen according
to the flesh are not to be exempted from the classes of beings
in whose behalf the command was issued. A Church has
seldom flourished in spirituality which has shut herself up in
all the exclusiveness of a local or even national sectarianism.
If you require a test of success on the part of heralds of the
cross, you may seek it with by far the fairest prospects, among
the men of a missionary spirit ; among the Elliotts, the
Brainerds, the Whitefields, and the Wesleys of other times,
or those in our own day and in our own Church who have
drank at the same heavenly fountain. A Church will never

prosper, in the highest and best sense, until she shake her-
self from the dust, put on her beautiful garments, and go
forth as a heaven-born messenger to the nations.

vl congratulate you on the prospect of a faithful ministry*
Dark and depressing would have been my feelings had I
been called to leave my native shore under the fear that my
congregation might be disorganized, its peace disturbed by
internal division, and its prospects marred by a divided pas-
toral ^succession. I see the hand of God in the whole
management of the case. A faithful and disinterested band of
office-bearers have found in you a body of candid and ready
coadjutors ; and the measures adopted, promise, under God,
blessed results. My prayers for you and for those who may
be set over you in the Lord shall not be wanting at the
heavenly throne, that the seed already sown may not be
lost ; that the ministry over you may excel that which may
have preceded it in faithfulness, ability, and success ; that
your regular and full organization may be followed up by
the active discharge of duty on the part of each and all of
you ; that a larger measure of spirituality and of true
religion may characterize you as a people ; and that your
libeml contributions to the cause of God may be an example
and a stimulus to other churches of the saints.

In conclusion, present duty demands our serious care.
Let it be your steady determination to realize the principles
of the Free Church of Scotland, not only in mental appre-
hension but in practical use. Let not the scoffs and jeers of
the worldly and time-serving part of mankind any way
move you. Return not railing for railing, but contrari-
wise blessing. Above all, see that ye adorn the profession
you make by a high-toned spirit of piety. Cherish the
love of God and of the Redeemer in your hearts. Guard
against worldly-mindedness, and a narrow selfish temper of
mind. Let the voice of melody and rejoicing be heard
from day to day in your dwellings ; and let all me duties of
the closet and of the family be punctually exemplified in
you. Cultivate an enlightened and enlarged spirit of faith ;
ever hoping well for the church of God^ and ever ready to

give as God shall prosper you to the cause for which Jesus
oied. ** Only let your conversation be as it becometh the
Gospel of Christ ; that whether I come and see you, or else
be absent, I may hear of your afiairs, that ye stand fast in
one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of
the gospel."*

" Finally, brethren, farewell ; Be perfect, be of good
comfort, be of one mind ; live in peace ; and the God of
love and peace shall be with you." Amen.

• Phil. i. 97.

( »

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