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JUNE, MDCCCXI*Vll, ■.. , ■ ■ ■ ' ■■ . >l ■;, on TOE occAiion or tiw ."■ : ■ : \ \ ■ ■ \ ■ ■ - ! TRIENNIAL ViSITATioN' .■V , .:. ..■ \ ;, s ■.■ ' . - ■ ' OF THE, . , .- \ . ■ • ■. - ■■■" ■ •' ■ ■ ' ■■ ■,-.■■' \ ■' - ■■ "^ : LORD BISHOP OF THE *IOCE§E. ■ ... ' : & J- THE REV. ARTHUR PALMER, "A. B. BKCTOR or OUBLPJi. (PUDUSBED BT BBftUEST OF THE LOBD Bli^HOF AMP ClARGlr.) TORONTO: PRINTEp AT THE DIOCESAN PRESS. MOCCGSbVII. ■A- A -4:V— ^ / 7 ^\ i t •' i • / W ) 4f % 'tr^S^^^-^lt^ • <» i t ■• t ^, ^ ) 4f % SERMON, &c. Our .ufflciency i. of God.-2 Cir/m. lofter port */(»• «tt •^w. Many and conclusive are the evideuccB by which it hat pleased God to ettablish the truth df our holy reUgion. But there is, perhaps, none more stjriking than that deduced from the manner in which our blessed Lord addressed the first heralds df the Cross, in reference to ^he difficulty and danger of the work in which they were about to engage, and from the fortitude and unwavering constancy with which they ezecuUjd their high commission, and encountered thoM tnals which Christ forewarned them they would have to endure. Remembering whom I am addjpssing, 1 feel that little need be said in illustn^tion of this argument, except as introductory to the subject of this discourse. An impostor, in order to gather followers around him, and to secure their devotion, would not only have appealed to the self-rightfious pride, or corrupt passions of our nature, but he would have taken carc^ not to represent his service as involving the necessity of con- tinual self-denial, and would have cautiously abstained from the use of language likely to excite, in the minds of his disci- ples, fears of personal danger, and even of death itself, as the certain consequences of adherence to his cause. Butweknow that our blessed Lord pursued a directly opposite course.— Not only did He, with the hand of Divine authority, lay the axe to the root of human pride and passion, not only did H^ expose the delusion of all human pretence to merit in the sight of a heart-searching God, while He exhorted His dis- cipl^s to aim at that perfection which is the attribute of God ,'■ 1. &^: Sifa -^^^_ ' . -/^i^ ^x I V p himself, but He declared that if any man would come after Him, " he muMt take up hit Crotts ^ ■f^-i f f •T'^^ fW • htf* to yield up our UtMt bresUi, *' not having r«cclv«d tk« promiMti but Ktill p<)piuMl«d of them, wid embnMnng th«iB« and confening that wa ara •tmug*" •»<* pilgnmi on tfc« earth." (Heb. xL 18). That then, brethren, wa — that tka ' ipiritual character of the religion of which we ar« Mi nia tw % . would in iUelf be enough to render our task a kopeleii 0P% wert it not that "c# ■ufficiency la of Ood,** But again, in delivering the ineMage with wkiek w« arti charged, we have to addreii neii as fallen, guilty^ corriipt» and under the wrath of God, and while we point them to ih^y atonement aud righteousness of Christ aa the sole proenrinf \^ cause of our pardon and reconcinatioo with God, we hire t« |.. show themthat in themselves they are utterly dewid of rigt-, teousneu and strepgth, and that ««^e are accounted righteoot before God, only for the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our works or deserviogs."* This, br^thraiH ' is a truth which, while it contains within it the Msenoe of th« i Gospel, has ever been unpalatable to hum^n pride. In tha Apostle's day it was one of the main obatioles to his snocess that men went about <* to establish their own righteousness, not -submiuing themselves to the righteousness of God** (Ro^. J. 3); and to the present hour, one of the great diffi- culties with which the Minister of Christ has to contend in bringing \sinners unto God, continues lo be t^e innate self- righteousness of the human heart But while this spirit, whether ia an active or dormant static naturally exists in all men, neither is it, any more than the cause previously assigned, the only impediment to our sno- cess. For alas t painful experience proves to us, that there may be a high sounding profession, and not only a ready ad- mission of the insufficiency of human merit, but su8h seeming sensitiveness on this poitat, as to ascribe the careful obiervw ance of duty, and especially of the ordinances of tlie Chureh, to a legal and self-righteous spirit while at the samo tine, .Vm-- * EleVcntli Artiole. ' ^ ■-^I « •. 4» .-4 —il , B ■1 ■■ - V 1 > '^A^,, ;..< ' I I' •.•hn^UritltH^ 'di -«^|r™^.- • 1' , ( -\ . W.I theie ii un alter absence of that self-denial which is required of those who would be Christ's disciples indeed. And if we put •Side the course thus pursued by too many reMgious profes- •M« and contemplate the objects which those, to whom wc ••ddress ourselves, naturally pursue, do we not find them to be ireahh, pleasufe, ease, self-aggrandizement, of self-graUr Aeation, not to speak of those things on which the word of Ckid has more legibly stamped the character of sin ; and then when we phiee in contrast to this state of things the solemn and emphatic words of Christ, «If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and fol- low me:" (Luke ix. 23.) the difficulty with which r«^a^« to contend iii bringing men into subjection to religious^^tPuth, becomes obvious. The niind is preH>ccupied. The care of thi^ world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things wintering in choke the woid, and itbecomeUi unfruitful. Christ calls for self-denial : man, for self-indul- gence. And these are contrary the one to the other, so that tt» often, when the Minister of Christ delivers his Master's me8M«e, he finds in those whom he addresses, that love of 81% and dislike of self-denial, which impel them to reject it Such, then. Brethren, are the ordinary obstacles that pre- sent themselves in the way of the successful execution of our sacred office. Wherever the ministerial office is exercised, and the truth of Christ proclaimed, there these obstacles ex- ist, for human nature is every where |he same; but besides ^ these, there are generally others also of a local nature, and to some of thirclass it may not be amiss, that I should here for a few moments ask your indulgent attention. I will not stop to advert to the unfavourable manner in which, in a new country like this, an over eager desire for the possession of prtperty, engendered by the facilities of acquiring it, bears upon the spiritual welfare of its inhabitants.-how an mordi- Hate pursuit of this world's good,_and a constant spirit of specubtion, with its feverish anxieties and calculations, and' not unfrequentiy pecuniary embarrassment,— its attendant v^ifi^^m^* t ^-^^^ -W^f *" \ . )g puiiiihinent,— iibgorbB the^wiind, and leaves neither time nor thought for the care of th^ «oul, for the loss of which the gain of the whole world wouli be no recompense. Passing from this point, on which time will not permit me to dwell, I come to one of our greatest discouragements, I mean the divisiona existing among, professing Christians, and the ignorance too generally prevalent of the nature and constitution of Chrifti visible Church, or rather, perhaps Uhould say, the prejudi- ces industriously instilled upon this important subject; for not only is religious division sinful in itself, not only does it seriously- impede the diffusion of true religion, and prove the fruitful parent of strife and dissension, but the ignorance of the true doctrine of the Church, from which it springs, leads to a denial of that authority, which belongs to the duly or- dained Minister of CSirist, V at least to a want of that rever- ence for his minuitratidns, without which those who attend them cadnot expect to profit Accordingly when God's ap- pointed Minister goes forth for the first time into a new part of the country, he finds a state of things which may well cast him down; he finds that (except by those members of the Church whose attachment to her communion has survived their destitution of her ordinances,) a ready volubility, and a confident assertion of being sent by the Spiri^ are held to constitute an ordination quite as good, if not better, than his own;— tiiat the Sacraments are considered to beboth as regu- larly and as validly administered by some self-appointed teacher, as by one who had received a lawful authority to dispense them ;-and tiiat the crude and too often irreverent effusions of a private spirit are deemed to constitute a purer worship than tiiat form of sound words compiled by those martyred Bishops and Reformers of our Church, to whom they ^ho form tiiis judgment, are indebted for the very Pro- testantism which tiiey abu8e>«nd for the very S^jriptures which they pervert in order to oppose or maUgn that Church for which tiiose Martyrs bled. Nor does the eVil or discou- ragement stop here; for, Sect^anism having cast off aU re- b2 -">. ■' ■■ *j 1 '+-■ 4' "4 ■/". n ,. V/ «ira for the omHy of the Church, has no principle of consirt- ency within itself, and sect splits oiT from sect, nntil division and confuMon have become so grievous and interminable, that even the more respectable societies which have forsaken the communion of the Church have become conscious of the evil, but which^having themselves set the example, Mey cannot BOW hope to cure. i •* u u„* tJnder discouragements of this and other kinds, it is \mt natural that we should look for the support of the influential laity of the Church. But here, brethren, although there arc many bright exceptions, do we not often find disappointment ^„here we looked for hope?/ Do we not often find some, of whom we ought to expect be£ler, sacrificing the principles of consistent Churchmanship to the acquisition of a hollow popu- krity, and by thjiir copduct and example neutralizing to a greirt degree the prin^ples we inculcate?^ Thus, one, after pmying on the Sab^iath against the sin of schism, and with tSL Ae e^ls of reUglous division before his eyes, presides, or ainsts, on the weA-day at a meeting convened to propagate it Another, caUing himself a Protestant, contributes to Ae Effusion of Romish error. A third evinces his liberaUty^lry occasional attendance on the ministrations of dissent; while many others, in stations of high executive or legisUittvc authority, would rather destroy a great seat of learning, than permit their own Church to retain some slight privilege in a University originally chartered a^ her own; and refuse either to allow the Church the management of the remnant of her own property Uiat jealousy hai( left her; or to give her so much control in the matter pf public education, as would sirf- fice to secure the reUgious instruction of her own children, in accordance with her own fmth. And that, though m making iliese demands, the Church asks for ioAing unjusj^ nothing exclusive; ««a Church, which," to use the words of Br. South, "as it is obedient to the civil power, without any treacherous dSstbctions or reserves, so would be glad to have the counte- nance and protection of that power in return for her hearty l"^ \ If i.-?f=»"^' r-^\K;" -* .. \"^ \ \ .■■--, ■'■■ ■ 13^ ■■ /v" ;■'■■ ^ «bedien« t. it; tl.«ogK.rfteriJl,in» cannot be p««^ by it, it i> yet revived to be peaceable and q»'«» »»f' 'J* ^ " '"•r:*::!*! me now further, Reverend Breth»n.wMM „fe, to one other cause of perplexity and d.Ko«.jgem«W mL I pa« on to the remaining portion of th.. d.«.»»e., I ISnde n.e dUtre^ing aceonnu wl^ch you have fr.m«« L rime wen, of the departure of » f«W. and thank, be to &^ rfb^.tw of ri.e aergy <^f -^ehurch, from her p»»J»d timidve faith, to the corrupt communion of the Church of Ce T^e movement which/of tete year. ha. taken ph« TZ. Church has. I firml/belie«. Ujen i^*?* -* L.7beneficial result., b^there ha. «>Hom«ccnr,ed«.y !™t movement, without b^ing. through the infirmity rf our CeTaTthe device, of Sa.«.. cried to exee-. «.d^» « C^en in the p^nt »•««•<»• I" . ^^P^^tll^ ^ient «mon of Tertulliin, «M e«. veram <»». .PP««* «» 'h" *"^^Zte tion, of the Chnrch of Rome. And whUe -«^»f """r ifct the event, that have occurred, A»d 8«m», oitttled, -EcdeAWicil CraHilirtM. to ». Ifcto ."'t^rtdl. tdr. Pnl. i »■ Oper. p. 40S. t \ J^^ ,*i:L^'. «i„„^.&i4ri&^ S-!)W8»eMM5SBH!^5^9^>i'" X-itS'T' ■■■I- ^- 14 . - -.^ ooMidered m taking too mock upon me, when I say tliat, di»y bare add^ much to the burden of the diifibulties arising from ordinary W local ^uses which press upon us as Ministers of the Church of England, and thut they are well calculated to make us feel more and more, J^at **our sufficiency is of God." ".' ' i ^: 1 now come to the consideration of those grounds of support which sustain us in the execudop„of our sacred office. And the first which I shall name is a iiriii persuasion that the sub- ject raattcfroff our teaching and ministrations is the truth which God hasievealed for the salvation of men. It is obvious that if we had any doubt' on this point, our ministry could give no certain 8Dumi,-^we could have no heart for our work, — we could have neither boldness nor constancy, nor fervent zeal in preaching the Gospel of Christ. It was because the first preachers of the Gospel possessed this firm assurance that what they taught was truth, and that truth was "the power of God onto sal^tion to every one Uiat believeth," (Rom. i. 16), that they peijsevered amidst every discouragement; and, brethren, it is a djmilar persuasion Uiat must excite us to a similar per- aetrerani^. Their persuasion was indeed obtuned in a diffe- rent way from ours. Theirs^ sprang from beholding miracles performed before their eyes; yet ours is derived from aosource no less sure, the certain warrant of Holy Scripture, proved by a great chain of external and internal evidence to be the in- spired^rord of the living God. Here then is our rule of faith, ** the sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well that we take beted, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,*' (2 Pet i. 19); ever remembering that in the interpretation of that word, the exercise of the right of private judgment is to he ooBtrolled and regulated by a just deference to the Judg- ment a|id testimony of the primitive Church. It was on this prinoye that the Keformation in England was conducted threug|iou^ nor can error, whether Rmiiish, or Puritan, or Batfbnklist, be successfully refuted on any other. It is the privileijre of the faithful member of the Church of England IZ \ * :y M^M^i ;UsiS&a=yi r ^A' ^'■V 1.5 \- r that he finds the j&dgment of the primitive Church, on all esseatial and important points, expressed with sufficient ful- ness and cleariiess iu the standards of his' own branch of the Catholje Church. This is all that is needful as regards him- telf. He knows that the pious and learned Reformers of the English Church framed her standards with reference to th(B judgment of the primitive Church, and therefore I repeat as < regards himself, it is sufficient to know that the standards which contain the profession of his faith, express tlie voice pf the Catholic Church. But as regards those who gainsay a^d resist the truth, it wiH not be enough to appeal either to the ■ Scriptures or to our own standards ; because they reject the latter, and deny our interpretation of the former. Phunly, then, in 9uch a case there remains no other meaof; of settling a controverted point, but by a reference to the prevailing judgment and testimony of the primitive. Church, whi<;h» when clearly ascertained, id it generally may be, ought i* fiurneis to decide the question in dispute. It is on this strong ground that we rest our defence c^ Episcopacy, iQfant Baptism, a^4 many other tenets and ji^es of the Church ; and it U on jtbe same ground we reject the novelties of Rome. But wl^le the Church of England has ever pursued this truly Conser- vative courscy " yet,'V to quote the words of high anthority addressed to us in this sacred edifice three years iigo, ** the r^ apect which she pays to the dechired voice of the primitive Ca- tholic Church, as a help and guide for interpreting the Scrifi: tures, and judging of Uie Christian doctrines, is a respect siib- ordinate to that which she pays to the yfritten word pf Qod; which she regards, and rightly regards, aa the onlydivifif source and standard of religious truth/'* Such, tb^ Brethren, is the source whence w?. t-^ 'jT^'S 'i~z:b'sd^t>i^ii^t~'-Sis^^ ')W"npvaB *'^™*^>^r|" ■ ff?V H .J1" 16 \ '^ 'i. t^ \ ■. fiudiof Cbriit crucified is tlie power of God unto the salTa- tion of finnerf, — that through it all who believe are washed, jditified, and sanctified, and so made meet for their inheri- tance in heaveii>— and that however that faith may be opposed ^ perverted now, it sfiall at last be surely and eternally triifmphant, we are animated to persevere amidst every dis- ^boragement, and fimidst evil report and good report, whether flkoi irill hear or whether they will forbear, we shall by God'i giadd eontinQe to bear our testimony to the truth as it is iii Jcain^ and in hit name beseech men to be reconciled unto Again, brethren, we are supported and encouraged in Ike '(B|!|M!Utiou of oar sacred office by the consideration that we ltf« duly called and commissioned by God to minister in Hia Mmto. Without thii, no one may venture, whatever may be ihe truth of the doctrines which he holds, or whatever iria iribility and leal, to assume the name of a Minister of Christ mdi lew to expect a blessing on his ministrations. *< I snit theoi'iiot, nor cornmanded them, therefore they shall notpMH !fit diis people at all, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah zxiiL 92.) '^Ihider the old dispensation it was marked as the moit diliigeroai ptretumption to touch the ark of God ^thout i Atrae waitaat, nor b it a less direct act of usurpation lo iMtQiDBe authority in the Church of Christ withditt liviMMuiiiwion from our Divine Head. Christ himself l|i|kter0d with delegated, not with self-commissioned pow^ eti^' nor can ^e conceive of an ambasttidor, a steward, a wim^man, a meflsenger, with self-oonstitiited apthority^"* 1lM«e it it that the question is asked, how shaH they preach Vklti^ IhOy be tent? hence our Lord- to tolemnly conferred 1ll|jdii ihe twelve tiieir Apostolic authority ; hence it was tint iflief^ero to earefid to enMain elderv in every city, and to Idillige tlMte to n«boitt they eonuMuricated Epitoq[Nil powerl W ^^nait the thingff which they had heard of them Utftb ■ ■ - ■■ ' *.-■■■ ■ . ' '■ ! * Bribes, on Uie Chrlitiu Minittry. S i I i.^'p^^,^ r-?*, ^I^«^!W^' ■wraip/g^nis^ jlj^,m^-^' rV f fittthfttl men, who should be able to teaeh others also** (2 Tim, ii. 2.) ; that so a successive Ministry might be con«* tinned unto the end of the world. And thus it is that the oommiinon to minister in the name of Christ has been tran»- mitted to us ; a commission which, although conferred throagh humim instrumentality, is yet derived from no human power, a commission which invests the ministry of him who bears it while faithfully teaching the truth of Christ with the solemn •anedon, <* He that heareth you heareth me, and he that de«> fpiaetir you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despisetk Him that sent me" (Luke x. 16.) ; a commiision in the ab^ •enee of which more harm is commonly done by the divisiomi, aad eonfjasion caused by the usurpation of Uie ministerilll office, than is likely to be compensated by any good effected by an nnauthorised teaching even of the trnth,--Hind finally, a commisiidn in the faithful discharge of which they Vho bear it are ant'ioriied to look for, at the hands of the Chief Skep^ herd «*the crown of glory which fadeth not away." (1 Petl V. 4.) "Therefore," brethren, "seeing we have this.ministry, as we have received mercy we &int not, but ha|« renounced the hidden things of dish<^esty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of Gud deceitfully, but by manifeMa- tion bf the truth lommending ourselves to every man's coti- soience in the sight of God." (8 Cor. iv. 1, 2.) The last general ground of support and enconragement that I shall mention, is one whose'importance cannot be over^ rated; and I feel well assailed, brethren, that you have already anticipated me, when I state this to be, the promised blessing of the Holy Spirit of God: For as without the influence of l&e Holy Spirit upon the soul, it is impossible to obtain ik$ necessary qualification for the Ministerial office, so the sfan« Divine influence is indispensable to the successful exeentioii of it. * In Tain may our teaching be orthodox, and onrodnii minion, as the Ministers of Christ,, reguhur and valid, uintesi^ while we seryie before Him in our holy office, He is pleased to bless otor ministration. Were the Apostles now on earthy ■'$" U^i&t-tS' :± 18 without thist their preachlnji^ would be in vain, for " Paul may plant and Apollo« water, but God giveth the increase; so then neither \» he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God who giveth the increase" (I Cor. iii. 6-7.); but, with ity the weakest of Gotl's ministering servants becones the honoured instrument of extending the boundaries of the Redeemer's kingdom, and saving the souls of men. What hope could we have of success in our ministry, if we could not look up to God to **send down upon the congregations (Munmitted to our charge the healthful Spirit of His g^ce, and to pour upon them the continual dew of His blessing ??' But knowing that it is the office of the Spifit of God to blesf His own word, to open the heart to attend to thote thingir that we deliver ** out' of God's most holy word or agreeable to the same," to bestow fa\jth and repentance, and all those fruits that are so' peculiarly His own, we are encouraged to go forward in the path of duty, supported by the assurance that, however weak and unworthy may be our ministrations, ** the word of God shall not return unto Him void, but sliall accom* pUsh that whicli He pleases, and shall prosper in the thing whereto He sent it." (Isa. Iv, 1 1.) . Su^, brethren, you will, I think, agree with me in regardr ing as the great leading principles which are to support and encourage us in the execution of ouri^red office, — principles, wh6^ truth are like Him from whom they emanate, ever un- varying and unchangeable, — in no degree affected by the measure of our success, — capable of yielding as rich support and consolation to the faithful servant of Christ, whose labours ■eem unproductive of fruit, as tf him upon whose ministry there rests a visible and signal blessing from on high. With the truth of God to preach, with God's commission to preach itt fnd with the promise of God to bless it, in the manure thit.seemeUi Him good, the Minister of Christ may well be atedHistand unmoveable, even though, like Elijah, he seem toatand alone and the whole world to be against him. But, idthough it is the will of God sometimes thus to try His minis- tering servants, because He has given them principles that , f :.» 'K «»ai«.y> 19 , f :a' iHU support tliem under any trial, sUU He does not always subject their faith to so severe a test On the contrary, He not unfrequently vouchsafes to them manifest tokens of His presence and favour, and enables them to apply to themselves, in its 'spirit, the art(ument of the wife of Manoah, ** If the Lord were pleased to kill us. He would not have received a burnt offering arid a meat offering at our hands, neither would He have shewed us all these things, nor' would, as at this tim«» have told us such things as these," (Judges xiii. 23). And having, brethren, in a preceding part of this discourse, alluded to some of the local discouragements with which we have to contend in this Diocese, you will permit me briefly to advert also to a few of those cheering indications of the Divine bless- ing, which ar^ so well adapted to make us thank God and take courage ' Of the state of the Church in Canada, previous to the period when tlie humble individual who now addresses you entered this Diocese, hi^ pannot of course speak from personal obser- vation; though, ^.from oral histories of the Canadian Church, he has learned to honour as well the faithful men who pre- ceded him, as those in whose ranks he was permitted to take a place; and he will ever esteem it a cause of thankfulness that his eiltrance into the Diocese was suflSciently early to gain for him the acquaintance and honoured friendship of two Right Reverend Fathers in God,^one of whom has long since entered into his sainted rest, and the other, faithfully fulfilling his course in a neighbouring Diocese, is still journeying towards the same bright and glorious inheritance. But taking , the.period gi which I have spoken, let me contrast the then condition of this portion of the Church, with the state i|ij •M^ch, by the providence and grace of God, it is at the pre-| senrtoioment Well then, brethren, fifteen years ago th« Clergy were but few (about forty) In number, so widely scatf tered and dispersed, that personal communication was rar^ indeed, arid the existence of niany known to the others only from 9 printed report. Nor were they only few in number, *, .X .si 'I I 1: * The bite Bitliop of Quebec and the present Bishop of Montreal ^0 ft / but their hearts were cast down and diimayed by those dark clouds that lowered over the Church, — without combination "^ among themselves and with but little recognition by the laity of the principles of distinctive Churchmanship,— while the enemies of th^ Church were active and virulent, heapinf^ upon her iind her Ministers every species of calumny, and clamor- ing for the spoliation of her property, until that wicked rebel- lion broke out that was so promptly put down by the unaided loyalty of the people. And most of you, brethren, remember tluit it was at the juncture to which I have referred, that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel was obliged to issue die announcement of an immediate reduction in the salaries of the Clergy, and of tie ultimate withdrawal, of its assistance almost entirely from this portion of the/bolonial Church, so thiat the future maintenance of the Church in Canada became a question of painful interest, while the prospect of Upper Canada becoming a separate Diocese, with a Bishop of its liwn, seemed remote indeed. What, let me ask, is our condi- tion now? Is it (not a fact that, within the period I have mendoned, the number of the Clergy was nearly tripled,* and that a combined action for th^ promotion of true religion and the welfare of tli^e Church has been established among them, partly by means of Clerical Associations, but more especially by the Church Society of this Diocese, whose fifth cheering anniversary we yesterday celebrated, and whose progressive •access ha^ been so signal as to have .called for the especial JMjktce of theiSociety^or Propagating the GoJBpel, in its Re- port for 1846, 'as an instance of «the independent exertions ',of The Church Societies in the Colonies." Nor is the con- trasl less striking in re'ference to the sounder tone of feeling that now pre&ls with regard to the true principles of the Church. We now find the doctrine of Christ's visible Church 'becoming more and more recognised, together with the imporr taODtce of maintaining its unity, and the evil and sin of religious ffirlsion; and, as a necessary consequence, instead of the con- , 'I I i I . 1 , I ,1 * ^J!" wcent Charge of the Lord BUhop. the number of the Clergy now in the Diacfse of Toronto was stated to be 118. .»r t \v S^^'tXl^i.\\ "• .V^'lf^ i-^^i - 91 It ■Mr f tribuUons of (he mcmbera of die Cliurcli being (Htiribated« with thoughtleM iucouiinteticy, towards the prumotitfn of r«U- gious ttror in its various shades, they are now, witi^ a tu more liberal hand, as well as with a better ronsciehce, ploured into the treasury of the Church ; and, hence, the Church baa acquired that moral weight and influence, which, while they enable her to be more extensively useful, render it indispen- sable that her feelings and wishes should be consulted on allx matters of a public nature aifecUng the interests of religion within this Diocese. But, brethren, it is impossible for me to conclude this hasty review without noUcing one of the moal encouraging circumstances to which I could advert, I mean, that, since the period I have mentioned, Upper Canada hat been constituted a separate Diocese, under the Episcopal government of one, of whom, if I were to presume to speak, I should not know whether to say, first, that his truly paternal kindness to his Clergy has secured for him their gratitude and love, or that his indefatigable labours and unwearied devoted- nets in the discharge of his high and sacred office, have won for him the tribute of their respect and admiration ; and now that a provision has at length, with tardy justice, been made for the maintenance of the Episcopate, we miy, on this occtp sion, use the language of mutual congratulation and thankful- ness, upon Vhat we may regard as the permanent organi^on of the Church in this Diocese, (rendered still more complete by the preservation of the Archdeaconry of York), not for- getting to add our fervent aspirations for its still further ex- tension, until every portion of this immense Diocese shall be fully and efl&ciently supplied with the ministrations of the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And now, brethren, what though our ojffice be an arduous one, and our difficulties and discouragements many, greater is He that is for us than all that are against us. What thoogli in addition to the ordinary obsjtaclfes attending the execndoii: of the ministerial office, we have to contend. with thiat ezcee- sive care of this world, and that too ^ager desire foir this world's good, which.are perhaps m^>i«K '" <^y <{ Mftimt-t JUlfiimi \ i-.i. ,T- -I ■■■ ( / ■•■ u fence to her fundamental principles, she yet, with the cdo- scMusneM of truth, allows her children a certain Udtude on ainor points, neitlier insisting;, as does each of the subdiTi- ucNDd of sectarianisni, oii a rigid conformity of modes of expression and even of thought, nor suppressing all ditciuh non as does the spiritual despotism of the Church of Rome } for, to adopt the words of a distinguished li?ing dirine, <* within certain limits the dhurch of England permits her chi^ren piously to inquire! and fearlessly to discuss; for unless this were ao, either a(l discussion would cease, and the result would be a spiritual sjiagnation and apathy, than which few things can be more iiijurious to the cause of tnjtth, or discussion would always leild to a breach of communion, and split us into Actions and sects."* May we, then, in the exercise of this liberty, Jver preserve "the unity dT the Spirit in the bond of peace." May the efforts of Rome on the one hand, and of Dissent on the other, impress upon us the 4uty of "standing fast in one mind, with one spirit, striving together foj/ tlie iaith of the Gospel," "with one mind and one mouth glorifying God," taking our stand on what we all acknowledge ti) be the best exponent of Sacred Scripture, the Book of Common Prayer. And when at leiigth we shi^l be called to give an account of our steward- ship (last month's awful summoris of a fellow-labourer warns UB we know not how soon this may bef ), when we are resign- ing at once our spirits and pur ministry into the hands of God, may we be supported lin the review of our manifold luiworthiness and imperfectidn, by an undivided reliance on the blood-bought salvation of lour Redeemer, Christ, and by th^ blessed truth, Ihat whether as members or ministers of th* Chnrch of Christ, whether /or time or for eternity, off Hour sufficiency is of God." ■' — — ^ — -4 . ^J. ♦The ttev. 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