IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) h A A I/a 1.0 I.I |50 '""^" IM 2.0 11.25 i 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ ,v ^^\ ^^ o 6^ ^^L f/j CIHM Microfiche Series (l\/lonograplis) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques I f\f\ Technical and Bibliographic iSlotes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques 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. 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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ♦- signifie "A SUIVRE " '- symbole V signifie "FIN ". le Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Stre film6s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Stre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de I'angle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 TEIE Christian Ministry ITS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. PREAOHED IN THE CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY TRINITY, QXJ3E13B35C, At the Opening of the Diocesan Synod, June 8th, 1888, I'.V TIIK RIGHT REV. J. W. WILLIAMS, D.D., Lord Bishop of Quebec. Pl'BLISIIKD BY REQUEST. QUEBEC: PRISTKD AT TllK "MORNING CHRONICLE" OFFICE. 18S8. u .'.0. 0'i^5 1*1 ■•;'':"">'l Lbt,!,! B.t.li6mr.,jue iial.onrflM Canada 4. ^. i 2 Tim. IV. 5—" M;ilmnly plin-htcd on that solemn clay, one by ouo, and, in the presence ol" God, seanhingly, to try our lile and ministry by them. That we all do this IVom time to time, I suj/pose. But what I want to ur!,^e now is the necessity of doing' it with regularity and method. And it seems tome, that it will be helpful, if I o-o brieily over what should, in our life and ministry, be the outcome of such self-examination. I shall not adhere, in what I have to say, to the precise order of the questions I have referred to. It will be more conven- ient to take the general subjects arising out of them, and to discuss these. Now, the general subjects arising out of those questions put to the candidate for the Triesthood, which I have cited, fall naturally under the heads of, 1. Services in Church, 2. Pastoral Visitation, and 3. Personal Religion. Let me say a word, then, about each of these. 1. And iirst of the Services. These will be (a) Daily Ser- vices. {/)} Services on Sundays and Holydays. Of Daily Service. Upon this point the rule of the Church IS plain, and our vow was that we would administer the discipline of Christ— as this Church hath received the same. Well, the discipline of Christ " as this Church hath re- ceived the same," requires that " all Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayers, either privately or openly, not being let by sickness or some other urgent cause ;" and to say these in the Church publicly, if they be not reasonably hindered. Now, wh;it constitutes a reasonable hindrance, it must be left to each man's conscience to say. But it is quite plain, that he is bound in conscience to say daily prayers in his Church when he can. And it is equally clear that, in default of the feasibility of daily prayers in the Church, each Priest and Deacon is in conscience bound to say the « » ^^ 6 moniing- andovoning-offieo in privaio. unl(>ss the thing be on any occasion impossible. That is the cloriiyman's rule and duty ; and that shouhl be .'uoug-h. r.iit I ciinnot puss IVoni the subject without adding a Avord as to the benelits of the jn-actice. That the daily service, where it can be had, is a help to religious life, no one, I suppose, will question. IJut the laity are not, as we are, under any solemnly given promise to use the daily service. And unless the Church is daily open for prayer, they are not likely to use the morning or even- ing office. And if we, who ought to have been in our Church to pray with them, are not there, the hurt and hin- drance that comes to their spiritual lile, by such loss ol'op- portunity, comes by our negligence. And if, from whatever cause, there cannot well be in any particular parish a daily service in the Church, the daily use of the morning and even- ing offices is not only a duty enjoined, but an inestimalde benelit to the clergyman himself. And here I may siiy, that the remedy for the grievous fault of a dry, insipid, perfunctory user ^jhe Church's prayers in pu])Iic, is a deeply meditated use t( them in private, the habituating of our minds, by the patient, thoughtful, devout, study of each separate prayer, to realize the lull solemnity and import of its every word. And the more we make the forms of the Prayer-book the suggestive lines along which stretch, and from which radiate, at all points, our own pecu- liar prayers, personal thanksgivings, hopes, joys, fears, and aspirations, the more living, and spiritual a .service will our saying of the same prayers be, when, with our brothers and sister.s in Christ, we are met together for Common I'rayer, and for our public reading of the t;crii)tures. This ouo-ht never to be a perfunctory performance. It ought always to be the reverent, intelligent, rendering of our previous inter- pretation, and meditation. After private study and prayer- 6 fill meditation alono, can wo ho])o to imbu(>, first ourselves, aiulthi'uour Icllovv-worshippcM-.s with the meaning, and spirit, and leeling, of the lessons which we read. This way of studying and using the Prayer-book, and the Lectionary, will give us the answer of a good conscience when we question ourseiv(>s concernini.- that promise of ours to be diligent in prayer, and in reading of the Holy Scriptures. Concerning the services of the Sunday, little surely need be said. That every clergyman holds on the Sunday as many services in his parish, or mission, as his phvsical strength allows, I take for certain. And that, in so doing, he duly emphasizes the great themes of the Church's year,"! hope I may also assume. One word, however, concerning the celebration of the Holy Communion, I should like to say. The Order of our Prayer-book presumes, that in every parish, there will be a cele])ration of the Holy Communion every Sunday ; and in some cases requires of Priests and Deacons that they communicate every Sunday, at the least. Now, without the laying down of any rigid rule, I would urge you, my brethren, to consider with yourselves, whether you are not bound to carry out the spirit and intention of the Prayer-book, by endeavouring, wherever the same is leasible, to partake yourselves, and to give your people the opportunity of partaking, every Sunday, either in Midday Service, or at an earlier hour, of the spiritually strengthening and refreshing food of the Body and Blood of Christ. And every clergyman, who is charged with the cure of souls, ought to be careful to observe the Holy-days appoint- ed by the Church. Let no scantiness of attendance deter you from this duty. Men may be so immersed in their worldly work, as to neglect these days, and even to de- spise them. But that is no reason why you should acqu- ■^•V •f I « 1^ .^•rv iesce in their estimate, or join in their nei^ligenee. The vis- ible orjfanization ol' Chrisf.s Cliurch, ol which you are an appointed ollicer, exists as a perpetual protest against the spirit ol' the world. And, whether the attendance be large or small, the regular, persistent observance of these days will be an inlluence eflective for the education of the people amongst whom you live, in respect and reverence lor " the things that are above." All the days appointed by the Church to be kept holy, we should ol)serve. But on no ac- count whatever, should the clergynian fail to be in his Church on the morning' of Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Ascension Day. I now turn to the matter of pastoral visitation, and the close, personal contact with individual souls, involved in our ordination vow. There is so much that thrusts the col- lective prosperity, or collective failure of a parish into prom- inence, that a clergyman's thought is always liable to be drawn off from individual cases. If the Communicants are few in number, and infrequent in attendance ; if the young are not careful about Conhrraation, if the Sunday School dwindles, if the people value so little the minis- tration' of the Church, that thoy will give nothing for them, if the vjiurch is empty, the facts at once come home to the Minister. And delicioncies, in some of those points, do pre- sent themselves so continually, that his time, thought, and euergy are largely expended in remedying them. But the mischief is, that whilst he is remedying these, his enthu- siasm is apt to expend itself. And when his toil is crowned with success, and his Churches are full, his Communicants increased, his Confirmation classes numerous, his schools well attended, a complacency, the natural attendant of suc- cess, comes over him ; and he reposes in the belief that his work now at length is being done. It is only beginning. These are but the preliminaries, necessary, but still prelim- iiiurio8 only. The work itself is tho coiivcM'.siou ol' individ- ual souls. Oh! noverceaso, my bictiirtMi, uovor ccuso your hihour, your care and dili-cncc, until you hav done all that lieth in you, according to your houndeu duty, to bring all such as are, or shall be, committed to your chaigo, unto that agree- ment in the faith and Jcno\vh;dgo of God ; and to that ripe- ness and perloedies.s of age in Christ, that th.n-e be m) place lel't among you, either for error in religion or for viciousnes.s of life. If I am aslced liow a clergyman is to bring himself so close to his people as to deal eliectually with individual souls, I should say : Tell your people plainly, in your .ser- inons, and in your conversations, that this is what you want to do. Ask them, entreat f'.em to speak freely to you of their hopes, their fears, their doubts and distresses. And when they come to do so, make everything give way to their necessiti(>s. Let even important l)usiness go, rather than lose the opportunity of winning—of helping a soul— rather than freeze expanding sympathies by any Indication of inconvenience or hurry. And I would say, too, endeav- our to make your pastoral visits the means of spiritual ediii- cation. There are difficulties he-e, perhaps ; but very often we make them for ourselves. Yery often, that spiritual char- acrer, which we shrink from impressing upon our visit, is just what those visited expect and desire. Begin, and a spiritual confidence will grow up, that will bring you and your parishioners close together soul to soul. And then it is, when souls touch, that the divine spark of converting grace passes between them. And here we come to that other point upon which I pro- posed to speak— the state of our own personal religion. To kindle others, we must iirst burn ourselves. The^ preach- 9 ing and the teaching of aclev.M- man, who has pivpared him- sein)y human means, and natural industry, mav dazzle and delight, inform and instruct, hut the hrcakin-.- out into voice and utterance ofa lile that is " hid with God in Christ " converts and saves the soul. A life lived in secret com- raunion with God is the mightiest instrument Go.l is pleas- ed to use lor the salvation of souls. Instruction is not every- thing, and precepts touch hut single points ; exhortation by ivpetition lo.ses its elfect ; ami denunciation only irri- tates; hut a holy life is 11,'ver inelfectual-its- inlluence is freshen.Hl and deepened by every renewal of contact ; and It takes hold by a thousand points. An incident of which I have read somew^here will illustrate this. A letter was once written to an old clergyman, whose ministry had been greatly blessed. " My people," said the writer, •' are cold and heartless; tell me how I can effect a revival of religion in my parish." The answer was brief^^" My brother," he said, " revive thyself." If, in prayer and devout meditation, our life be spent in the perpetual renewal of our own spirituality, w^e are in the very best way of preparation for doing the work of Evangelists -for making full proof of our ministry— for con- verting souls to God. 1 have spoken of devout meditation. Of course we all meditate : we cannot help it. When our hearts are set upon some object, w^e think of it long and often. We vi- vidly apprehend the thing itself, with all the surroundings of it, and all the details of the ways by which it is to be reached, and the obstacles to be encountered in the en- deavour to reach it. But by meditation as an act of devotion I mean tho limi- tation of ^his exercise to the realization of communion be- tween the soul and God. As in prayer we speak to God ; 10 so in meditation God speaks to us. We stand face to face with Cxod. The practice begets the habit. The habit be- gets tlie faculty. And he, who possesses the habit and the taculty of mental communion with God, has gone far in the art of holy living. To attain the habit of devout meditation then, we should with regularity and frequency, select some one of the o-reat thoughts pertaining to salvation ; and, having selected our subject, then, with intenseness of concentration, exclude all other thoughts, and with iixedness of contemplation, raise before the mind's eye a vivid picture of that which we think about. Then wait ; wait in patience, with our gaze fixed always upon the picture so raised. And a still small voice will be heard-a voice that will tell the application of these things to the state of our own souls. Wait yet, and the voice will crystallize into a precept of duty. ^ Wait yet again, and in your own heart will arise the an- i swering echo of a resolution to do it. Then, meditation has done its work. The notions and abstractions of religious doctrine have become real thin-s The power of religion is upon you. There will be a dep^th of spirituality in all you do that day. You have met the Lord, and your face will shine, as did that of Moses w^hen he came down from the Mount. "Retreats" and "quiet days" are much in use now among the clergy, for the reminding themselves of the con- secration of their lives ; and for the renewal of their minds in spirituality, and detachment from the world. The value of such opportunities for the cultivation of a recollectedness of spirit, which may serve as an antidote to the secularizing distractions of business and routine, to which we are inevitably exposed, and which may prevent the constant iteration of sacred words, and sacred thoughts I \ 4i 1 'i 11 frorii hardening- upon our souls an incrustation of indiffer- ence, or of inattention to the awful responsibilities of our calling, can hardly be overrated. And I rejoice to think, that such an opportunity will be afforded in the retreat to be conducted by the Trovost of Trinity, at Bishop's College, in September next. In connexion with this, my only re- gret is, that I shall bo unable to share its blessings. But I shall not forget, and though alisent in body, I shall be present with you in the spirit. Such opportunities indeed may not, in a community like ours, always be feasible or available. Still, I think that we might all do f lething for ourselves in any case. On a former occasion I described, and I will repeat again, the practice of Dr. Hook : When Vicar of Leeds— though he found more time than most men can find for literary labour— and though he was a man all his lifelong much in prayer— he was immersed, if ever a man was, in the multifarious occupations of paro- chial work. Always at work, but always accessible— liv- ing literally "m ore vulgi" he was, from ten in the morn- ing till ten at night, at the beck and call of his parishioners. But, through the din of all this business, his spirit heard, too, the Master's call : " Come ye apart, and rest awhile" ;— heard and heeded. His plan was, to betake himself, where he could attend the daily service in the Church, but where he was not known ; and there to spend the day devoutly- alone with Grod. I give this as an illustration to shew that something may be done, where there is a mind to do it ; not as a pattern to be followed. That might not be possible— or, if possible, not suitable. But something of the kind we might surely do= The great thing is to secure freedom from the inter- ruption of ordinary calls and distractions. Well, if no other means can be found, I think a clergy- 12 man may spend a day now and then, with great advantage to his soul's health— unknown to any— in his own Church, —with no interruption, and no fear of interruption, in pro-' tracted meditation and prayer. By the use of these means, it seems to me, my Brethren, that we may do much to obviate the danger of spiritual deterioration, resulting from the distraction of petty cares and calls, and the benumbing familiarity with sacred things, to which we are inevitably and constantly exposed. Laus Deo.