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I V
';V
V
I'.
THE HOPE OF THE CHURCH.
'■H
SERMON,
PREACUED DM
THE REV. WILLIAM STAUNTON,
RECTOR OF ST. PETER's, MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY,
IN TIIK
CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. JAMES,
TORONTO,
ON SUNDAY, THE 5th JUNE, 1842.
POBLISHED BT RffiQCTEST.
TORONTO:
PRINTED AT THE DIOCESAN PRESS,
DY JI. & W. ROWSELL, KINO STREET.
1842.
v
SERMON, kc.
There is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy childrm shall
come again to their own border. — Jj!:remiah, xxxi. 17.
\'
On no topic is tlie Bible more clear and explicit than in
setting forth the everlasting love of God for his Church.
Maniiold as were the sins, and grievous the apostacies of the
Church before the coming of Christ, yet, we may read how
tlie Almighty, in the m^dst of his just judgments, always
remembered mercy, declaring again and again that those sea-
sons of awfiul declension should be succeeded by times of
refreshing, and periods in which, through the gracious influ-
ences of hiB spirit, the decayed places of Zion should be
restored, and the temple of the Lord shine forth in its beauty.
The tyranny of the enemies of '^od might trample the holiest
things in the dust, and defile the sanctuary, for a time, with
abominable idolatries; but after the painful discipline thus
forced out for the rebuke of men's wickedness had lulfilled its
purpose, In the humiliation of a sinful Church, the Lord was
ever ready to stay the Imnd of punishment, and not to suffer
his whole displeasure to arise, seeing that to Abraham and his
seed were the promises made, — promises of ultimate pros-
perity, and of a renown which should fill the whole earth with
evidences that there was indeed a God in Israel,
Nor did this remarkable feature in the course of providence
cease to manifest itself on the dissolution of the Jewish Church.
For God is ever the same in the r'^ministration of his moral
government — allotting to bodies of men, as well as to individu-
als, the just reward of their sins and the penalty of their
declensions. Thus, when the seven Churches of Asia began
to fall from their first love, immediately the warning came,
that unless tliey should repent and do their first works, the
cjindlostick would he roniovcd from tlieir midst, and tlu* Lord
would spiHMllly visit tlu'm with the sword of his mouth. Yet,
couph'd witli those throats, wo do not fail to meet tho ovidoii-
ces of God's ondurini;" h)VP, in a train of oncourafi^infj^ promises
of l)lossinj^s on their obedience, fully equal in strength to the
calamities denounced aj^ainst the inexcusable failure of their
zeal.
So also at a later period; when the ambition and worldly
power of Konie had sj^ained access to the Apostolical Church
of England, and brought in a ti<le of corruption, destructive
of the purity of the ancient faith, and crowdinjj down the
souls of men with a burden of errors, superinduced on the
intei>Tity of tlie primitive system, — Gwl permitted the wilful-
ness of man to be the instrument of His wrath upon the
Church; and sorely was it j)unishcd for aj^es by the natural
and necessary results of those errors, which, though remon-
strated against in successive periods by the rulers of the
Church, were too much encouraged by the servile Spirit,
covertly, or by threatening influences, infused into the great
mass of its members. Still, bad as the case was, Christ had
not forsaken his Church, nor had his blessed promise failed.
A time of restoration came; and after the Church had borne
with the iniexampled tyranny of the Roman pontiffs for six
hundred years, she was made able, in God's strength, to purge
her temples, and to become purely Catholic, by getting rid of
Popery.
It seems, then, from these examples, (to which many others
might be added), that though Goif may visit the Church, for
her sins, with a long course of tribulations and adversities, yet
there is hope in the end, that his mercy will interpose, and,
by some remarkable turn of providence, revive again the
faded beauty of Zion, and build up her waste places in greater
glory than at the first.
Let us now bear this maxim in mind, and reverently inquire
whether there are not strong evidences, tha^at this very day
the spirit of God is abroad, working with a mighty power for
the deliverance of his Church from the evils, which, for many
years, have kept her wandering and weeping like an exile in
the wilderness. Let us first inquire —
L What is the present state of what is called "the Christian
world?" Is it such as it ought to be, — the New Testament
being judge? The glory of the Church is, that it should
;i])poar as a city that is at unity with itself. Rut vhen- is this
6
unity? No nhert' ! Larj^e numbers of men, who profess the
name of Christ, iu:e rent and torn into a thousand parties, —
each boastinjj^ of its own inilopendence, — all claiming the
IJible, and yet believing or not believinjf just what they
pleaiie, — some contending for this creed, others for thatj and
many spurning the restraint of any creed at all; while another
Bturciy race, in the hind of Calvin and Luther, honestly tell us
they have found out that Moses and Homer, St. Paul and
Cicero, David an<l Milton, were all moved by the same kind
of inspiration, and that one-half of the Bible is nothing but a
series of fine oriental fables. This is the kind of unity we
have now to contemplate. A man or woman, with a fluent
tongue, starts up, — modestly asserts that the Church is, and
ever has been, in the wrong, — digests a new scheme of faith,
— proclaims it with all tlie authority of a messei:ger from the
skies, — and forthwith a new sect comes to life; — men call it a
Churc/if — it grows, — makes its own ministers, — rears its pul-
pits, — becomes wealthy, and therefore respected, — and, in a
few years, falls into the tnun of older brotherhoods, silencing
every rebuke by its noisy appeals for charity, and branding
the reprover with the title of bigot. This is not fancy, but
what we may see and read with our own eyes. Nay, so little
do men fear the awful sin of schism, that they pride themselves
on the privilege of c(mimitting it; and so far may division
extend itself in the existing forgetfuluess of accountability to
God, that the case may arise of a man originating a new
system of doctrine, and, in the iailure of getting disciples,
becoming a Church to himself.
And, worst of all, myriads of children now rising up, are
taught from infancy (especially in this sect-ridden land) to
look u})on the Gospel as a religion in which there is no cer-
tainty, aiul upon salvation as equally sure whether a man does
the will of God, or follows the devices and desires of his own
heart. I say, that this is and will be the practical result
flowing from the present state of things.
But, if all this be true, you inquire, how is it that pious and
sensible men are willing to bear with the grievances and
hazards imposed upon them by the systems to whose support
they have committed themselves? 1 answer, that every day
brings fresh proofs of the very reverse. Such men are to be
found in every denomination of the age, who groan for
tleliverance from their liability to be " tossed to and fro with
every wind of doctrine," — who are heartily wearied and
y
\ i
6
dispirited under the contentions which rob their souls of rest,
Jinn convert the religion of Christ into u scene of pious
quarellin^, for which no counterpart can be found in the feuds
of either Jew or Mahometan. Yes, there is evidence enough
that in every sectarian body there are men of integrity and
courage who liave set themselves to inquire why these things
are so, and what is the remedy for them ; — men who, with the
fear of God before their eyes, and with the history of the
Church and the ancient Fathers in their hands, begin to see
the everlasting foundations of primitive truth, and from before
whose eyes the mists arc rapidly dispersing, which had hither-
to hidden from them the glorious beauty of the Church of the
living God. I speak thus confidently, because the appeal is
to facts, and because facts are truth, and because truth can
offend none but the dishonest, and because I take for granted
that none such are here present before God.
Throughout what is commonly called the religious world,
there is at this time an appetite, growing every day more
and more intense among men who "love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity," for certain views of religion which shall
satisfy the soul, and leave no anxious doubts to distress the
mind, or apprehensions that the will of Christ has not been
fairly and fully met. And, taking the simple facts of the
case, it is not difficult to see what it is that men want, and
what at all hazards they are resolved to have. For instance,
they want, and will have, ainore truly catholic spirit and feeling.
They learn from the New Testament that the Redeemer
founded one Church and no more, — that all Christians through-
out the world were to be of one name, thoroughly joined
together in the same mind and in the same fellowship.
Divisions and strifes were to be unknown — nay, they were
denounced by the Apostles with a vehemence which was truly
alarming. And, by consulting the Acts of the Apostles and
the history of the Church, these inquiring men have found
that for many centuries this state of universal harmony did
pervade the whole christian body. A man who was a member
of the Church anyichere, was a member of the Church every-
where. He might travel from pole to pole, and from one end
of the earth to the other, and find himself at home in every
Christian temple, and as fully in the enjoyment of all his
privileges in one place as in another. Every baptized man
m Europe, Asia, or Africa, was his brother. From every
pulpit he heard the same doctrines. He might kneel at every
^
M
"^
ultar, niul no man would usk him waetlier he belonj^ed to this
ur thill ''tltMioinination/' for the simple reason tliat there were
no ^'(irnoniinations hut one," — for all were strivinjf toj^ether
for tlie uni' oviu "faith of the Gospel." And from the same
Ki»un-(>s of intormation, he learns that thin lovely spirit of
unity pervaded the whole mass of the Clerj^y. A Minister
of (iod need(>d only to show the testimonials of his ordination
hy a Catholic IJiMhon, and however distant from his native
land, he would find his iiuthority respected, and every brother
C'lerj^yman would give him the right hand of fellowship, and
a free participation in all ministerial office-. There was no
schism in the body, and the spirit of peace bound the host of
(Jod's elect into one firm and compact body.
Now, as I have said, there is at this time, a rapidly increa-
sing desire for the restoration of this undivided communion,
among all classes of religious men who read the New Testa-
ment seriously, and who are convinced that godliness cannot
flourish amidst strife and separation. And it is not in the
1»)wer of men to check the movement to which this feeling
las given rise. Satisfied that nothing less than unity in the
one Church, is to obey the will of Christ, they are determined,
so far as their individual exertions can go, to have it. Hence
the numbers who are forsaking the societies of their former
attachment, and reverently seeking for the old paths and the
ancient ways, that they may walk therein.
II. Men who have courage enough to face the prejudices
of the age, arc looking for something that shall satisfy them
as to the real authority of those who claim to have the rule
over them, as ambassadors of the Lord — the head of the
Church. It is clear that no man can say he has a natural
rii/ht to feed and govern the flock of Christ. The right must
he (/iven to him. Hut who is to give it? — certainly not the
projdf^ for the Lord Jesus alone is the source of ministerial
power. No congregation of laymen can make or constitute a
Minister of Christ. For, what is such a Minister? Is he
simply an educated man who has the ability to preach sermons?
But many a layman could do this. Is he simply a pious person
who has the faculty of being useful ? — But many a religious
woman may have tne same faculty. Is he simply a person of
ready utterance, who can make prayers and speak consolatory
words to the sick, and set forth to sinners the threats and
1)romises of God's word? Why, surely all this may be done
jy many who never thought of claiming a part and lot in the
8
Ministry. So then, though a Minister ought undoubtedly to
possess all these qualifications, yet there must be somethirijr
besides these, on which he shall ground his^right to appear
before the Church in God's name, and as Christ's ambassador.
For the people might very naturally inquire, " by tcfiat
authority/ doest thou these things, and who gave thee this
authority?" And if he should refer them simply to his rtpu-
tation for piety and usefulness, still the people might say,
"no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called
of God, as was Aaron;" and their question would yet remain
unanswered. And it he should allege that he was ordained
by such and such men, the people might have good sense
enough to go back to the previous question, and ask, "who
ordained them?" And, if this were answered in the same
way, it is not unlikely that intelligent laymen might have
their curiosity excited, to know ho7o Jar back this series of
ordinations reached, — and who hegan it, — and whether he who
did begin it, had aiithoritf/ so to do; for if he had not this
authority, he could communicate nothing to those whom he
ordained, nor could they to their successors; and so, the whole
series to the world's end would be claiming powers which
their founder himself had no title to c(nivey.
Now, as I have intimated, there are at this moment thousands
of men in Europe and America, who {!re looking into this vcrif
serious question; — they are inquiring for the pinfccful Church
of the Redeemer, and for the pastoral authority of those who,
beyond all donht, can trace their title to feed and rule the flock
from no other hands than those of Jesus Christ, and his inspired
Apostles. And, not a few of ti.em have found out, that the
Apostolic office has actimlly been contitnicd to the present
day, in the persons of those called Bishops; and als(», tiiat
(Scripture and the united voice of the world for 1500 years
being witness) to these alone, and to those onlained by them,
is the promise given, "whatsoever ye shall bind on earth,
shall be bound in h.eaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on
earth, shall be loosed in heaven." As a result of this spirit
of inquiry, we hear almost every week of preachers, belonging
to various denominations of Christians, resigning their offices,
and soliciting ordination at the hands of the Bishops. "There
is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall
come again to their own border."
III. There is another fact wliich goes to prove that a
beneficial change is rapidly taking place in religious scnti-
<)
uls
lO,
le
•lit
lat
ars
Mn,
tl.,
oil
rit
es,
?re
all
ti-
ment. I refer to the revival of those sound, reverential, and
scriptural views of the Sacuamknts, which men were accus-
tomed to entertain in the purer a^os of the Church. 'J\»
satisfy any one that there is ahiimlant room for such a revival,
it is only necessary to compare with the words of Scripture,
the common practice and phraseology of the dsiy respecting"
these ordinances of the Hedeemer. Thus, baptism is consi-
dered by many, and so spoken of, as the act of giving a name
to a child ; or as an ancient religious custom, which, on the
whole, it is better to observe than to neglect. And hence,
the grand point of spiritual blessings connected with it7 as a
Sacrament^ is altogether overlooked; so that many men no
longer regard it, in serious truth, as "an outward and visible
sign, of an inward ami spiritual grace.^^ Nay, some have pro-
ceeded so far as to question the necessity of it at all; and
thousands pass from childhood to adult age, and even through
a long life, without receiving that ordinance which, in the
very lowest view, is yet a badge to distinguish them from the
heathen. And yet we have bibles tolling us, that "as many
as are baptized, have put on Christ," — that we are buried
with Christ in baptism unto death, — that we must be baptized
for the remission of sins, — that he that believcth and is bap-
tized, shall be saved, — that baptism doth even now save us, by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, — that it is the laver of
regeneration, and that "except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Can any thing be more striking and alarming than the
contrast !
Nor will our sorrow for this falling away from the truth bo
alleviated by viewing the errors which have grown up respec-
ting the Lord's Supper. How many have reduced it to a
simple exercise of the memory, — a mere rememhering of the
death of the Saviour, and the soeiniiigly superfluous partaking
of bread and wine ! No doubt it is a memorial, "in remem-
brance" of Christ; but it is also vastly more. What means
the Apostle when he calls it the "communion'' and the
"communication" of the body and blood of Christ? — when he
charges some with not discerning the Lord's body? — when he
speaks of men eating and drinking damnation or condemnation
to themselves? — and of those who were guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord ? What means the Saviour when he says,
"except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his
Wood, ye have no life in you?" Let it be realized, that this
10
is the very language of inspiration. Let it be seen by intel-
ligent men how tenderly such Scriptures are used, — how they
are evaded, — how they are explained away, — how they are
made to bow to public sentiment, instead of making public
sentim«ent bow to them; and can such men do otherwise than
look with longing interest to that ancient Church, which has
embodied all these gems of holy writ in her sweet liturgy,
and at every Communion gives full play to thcip faith,
unchilLed by the interposition of frigid comments and meta-
physical theorizing on the manner in which all this can be true?
\\. Men are inquiring for some system of public worship,
which shall call forth and inflame their devotional feelings,
and give them ample security that their rights, as participants
in that worship, shall not be invaded. Every Christian man
has an inaUenabU> right and title, not merely to a passive but to
an active part \\\ the celebration of divine service. He does not
go to Church to hear his Minister jtray, but to offer up prayers
wtitedly tcith his Minister. And, in the nature of things, it is
nex"^ to impossible that this can be done without the use of a
form. There are extemjmre forms, and there are u-ritten forms;
but in all cases a congregation must follow a form, so long as
one man only gives the words, and the others are expected to
give their assent to it. But in public extempore prayer, how
can the worshipper be assured that his devotions will not be
disturbed by some expression, some local allusion, some
doctrinal error, to which he cannot freely say, " Amen ?" —
He is committed entirely to the course of thought in which
the speaker chooses to indulge. And even if he were safe on
this point, yet, one-hp,lf of his attention, at the least, must be
given to the lanyuaye and sentiment of the prayer; thereby
abstracting his thoughts from the right object, and quenching
the ardour of that spirit of supplication, on which depends all
the benefit he can hope for at the throne t)f grace. And
besides, where is his active participation in the offering of the
sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving? Is he not altogether
deprived of it ? since he knows not beforehand wJiat he is to
pray, and at the very time has no part assigned him but a
solitary and forlorn " Amen." Worse than all, if the Minister
should happen to be under depression of niind, — if he should
happen to be languid, cold, slow of speech, deficient in talent,
or easily affected with private griefs and anxieties, it is certain
that his feelings will give colour to his prayers, and influence
tlieir style far more perhaps than he would wish ; aiul all this
11
transfers itself immediately to the conp;re«j^atioii, ctoadeiiinq^
their devotion, distractinj^ their thouj^hts, making them ploo
their weary way to heaven's gate, when, it' ever, they should rise
"on faith's sublimest wing" to the presence of "the majesty
on high."
No wonder that men have begun to look with a loving eye to
the ancient liturgies of the Church, where they may realize
all that their hearts can wish for, — prayers, which touch their
souls with "a beam of light divine, to guide their upward
aim," — prayers, which bring consolation to the weeping peni-
tent, and confirm the joys of the ripest saint, — prayers, which
call into action both the hearts and voices of all the Lord's
people, from the little child to the veteran in Christ, — and
prayers, too, which raise an insurmountable barrier against
the intrusion of petitions and allusions expressive of the
peculiar opinions, or arising from the personal frailties and
griefs, of the Minister who offers them.
Would the time permit, 1 might go on to show that inquiring
men, of every religious name, are not only looking for satis-
faction in the points now enumerated, but are also resolved to
embrace some systein of religion which shall make them
confident in the persuasion that they are in the enjoyment of
the whole Gospel of Christ. Doubtfulness is one of the worst
of all spiritual diseases, — eating into the soul "as doth a
canker." To enjoy true peace in believing, a man must not
only suppose that he mat/ be in the right, because many others
agree with him ; but he must have the best assurance the case
admits of, that he reallt/ is in the right. And, to be sure of
this, he must so receive and practise the gospel, that if any
one text raises in his mind a suspicion that he may be in error,
he will take no rest till, in God's help, he has found and
conformed to the truth. Not only is this true in Christian
doctrine and morals, but also in relation to all things ordained
by the Saviour for the building up of men "in their most holy
faith." If, then, any one should read in every part of the New
Testament that Christ founded a Church, into which all good
men were to be gathered, and to which his promises were
made, such a person wUl honestly see to it that he is actually
in that Church; and he will cease to regard this as a trivial
inquiry, when ho observes how the Apostles speak of the
sinfulness of schism, and of the importance of preserving
unity in the body of Christ.
If
I mention this, as an example to show fiow every man is
bound to act, who desires to suomit in all things to the will of
the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls. It is true, that such
a course may not be the most popular; it may even excite
odium, and meet with much resistance from prejudice; the
man may be accounted exclusive, or even bigotted, because
he sees certain truths in a clearer light than others who have
not accompanied liim in his investigations. But all this is
only a necessary evil which time will wear out, and which, at
'••ly rate, will not disturb his death-bed. He will remember
these words of Christ, "Wo unto you, when all men speak
well of you;" and will meet reproach by asking, "Am I
become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"
Thank God, we do not need merely to mppose a case. We
have arrived at a period in which the powerful energies of the
Church are again breaking forth in the sight of a wondering
world, while, at the same time, those who have wandered from
her care, are hastening to throng her courts. How beautifully
do the words of the Prophet apply, "Tliore is hope in thine
end, saith tlie Lord, that thy children shall come again to tfaeii*
own border." "7%y children," and "their own border:"
because as the Church was designed to embrace the whole
company of the faithful, all good men are hers by right, and
her privileges are theirs : therefore, in fleeing to the Church,
they do not transfer themselves to some other sect or party,
but they return to the noble heritage which their fathers, m
the infirmity of their ji dgment, forsook; — they return to their
ancient home, and to the fostering care of tlicir own true Mother.
Let religious men think of this, — let them compare the
blessings of peace, concord, and Christian unity, with the
appalliiig evils of division, and the time may be hastened
when God will cease to punish the Church, ^d when, as in
the Apostles' days, there will be no schism in the body ; but,
under that authority which Christ gave "for the perfecting ojf
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ, we [shall] all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."