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Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la m^thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 :5ia;«£iU Farewell sermon preached in St. John's Church, Greenwich, on Sunday, July 28th, and in St. Peters Church, Westfield, on Sunday, August )+th, l833; with a hymn composed for the occasion, By the Revd. Gilbert L. Wiggins. iSiiaASA^t?^^ ^ __« *!r' X tt^. -- (.tJfci^ (4.j« ™ ) f. ■Sf>^ . J •V So tnjj IBeat JTrtentiB, THE PARISHIONERS OP WESTFIELD and GREENWICli It was my intention that this Sermon should have bt printed previously to taking my departure from St. Joh but finding that the printer required a much longer time thai had supposed necessary ; and being desirous of setting off \ fore it could have been accomplished, I concluded to defer if ^ ^ publication till I should arrive at this place. In committing to the press the following pages, though at your particr^ar request* I am only d^ing what my own f Ings of incl ation had suggested. I liave been de&iroy^ leavmg with you some visible token of pastoral affection aua remembrance ; and perhaps none could be more suitable than a discourse delivered under circumstances, and on a subject, calculated to awaken such solemn and affecting recollections. With many prayers, I commend it to the blessing of \.\\^ Ho- ly Spirit ; and beg that you will permit this little messenger, • in the name ol one who can no longer personally address you, to bring to remembrance the truths I endeavored to teach " when I was yet with you." . .. Always, with unchanging affection, Your true friend, G. L. W. Boston^ (Ms.) nth Sep. 1833. • O i .i'-i f c ^e IHI \ \ ,iii *, f #.?' -^/ :4.. <• ( mMimmni ■'■- > .».' #■■ -K t. > '■*5 '% SERMON. Acts ::x. 2 5. and now, behold, i know that ye all, among whom i have gone preaching the kingdom of god, shall see my face no more. The relation between the spiritual shepherd and the flock o^ his care, is one the most aolemn ; and, when the obligations of it are reciprocally felt and appreciated, the most endearing. The trial, therefore, to the aifectionate minister, when called up- on to dissolve this relationship, can only be fully understood by one standing in the situation of the friend who is now, for the last time, addressing you. You, my dear brethren, are not ignorant of the circumstan- ces which have led to this trying event. You are aware, that the extensive and important parish of Greenwich, * being without a clergyman themselves, have looked entirely to the minister of this parish for the administration of the divine ordinances. You, with kind solicitude, have marked my declining health. You have contemplated it, not without feelings of deep concern, in what- ever point of view it has been regarded ; and while deploring the * It will be perceived that the introductory part of this discourse here stands as it was addressed to the congregation at Westjield. In delivering it the preceding Sunday at Greenwich, the author had of course, in this particular, adapted it to the circumstaiiceB of that parish. unhappy consequences to the people of Greenwich and to your- selves, have evinced toward your minister those affectionate and consoling sympathies, of which he can never cease to cherish a grateful remembrance. Viewing, as I continually must, the spiritual wants even of this pariah, especially in the more sccludeil districts, and under an un- happy consciousness that the state of my health rendered it im- possible to supply those wants in any degree as l could desire — this alone has been sufticiontly painful : but when, moreover, I have thought of Greenwich, when I have looked at its inhabitants, now left * as sheep without a shepherd,' asking for the bread of life — supplicating * Come over and help us,' without being able to extend to them the assistance ♦hat they need — my feelings have been such as are known only to Him * who seeth in secret.' * * Sliould these simple pages be read beyond tlie Immblc circle for which they are particularly designed ; and esjiecially by any unacquainted with the peculiar circumstances of ///p Established C/iureh in the Colonies, anez- jjlanatory remark or two may here perhaps be requisite — Ml the parochial Clergy of this Chiuclj, in the provlucos of JNova Scotia and New Brunswick, arc missionaries of the tiocicly for the projiriraiion qf the Gospel in foreign parts ; and, except in towns, are supported ahiiost exclusively by the bounty of that bcnoficent institution. Tliere are in- deed instances, even in the country parishes, where the missionary, beside the liberal salary afforded by tlie Society, receives a stipend from the peo- ple ; but this, in the writer's opinion, does not generally obtain, at least to any considerable amount, beyond the mere providing of a residence. Cases in fact might be mentioned, and that too, in districts far from being the most indigent, in which even this provision is not made, nor anything whatever contributed for their pastor — possibly because they may never have con- sidered themselves called upon to make such effort. At the same time, i' is equally true — and we trust that the fact will never cease to awaken the concern, to touch the sympathies, and to call forth the beneficence "of Brit- ish Christians, in behalf of multitudes who are perishing for lack of know- ledge in the dark places of these provinces — that there are many parts of this country, in which wide fields for usefulness present themselves, where the ministrations of our Church would scarcely be known, if the Clergy were not supported entirely, or almost entirely, by foreign bounty, and where, by the never-to-be-forgotten exertions of the Society P. G. F., her ministering servants have, through the blessing of the Most High, plant- ed the standard of the Cross in the waste places of the wilderness, and op- ened in the desert a highway for cur God. It is true, that either of these parishes presents, in itself, a fiehl more than siilhcicnt for all the zeal and cllort of the most devotcil minister of Christ, however vigorous his constitution. But since the Society cannot atVord a missionary for (jreenwich, it seemed unavoidahle, while 1 should retain m; situation hero, that that particular parish must remain without the privilege of a Gospel ministry. Accordingly, it has been my earnest prayer, that lie, " from whom all good counsels proceed," would he pleased to point out my own path of duty under the peculiarly trying circumstances in which I have been jdaced. I iiave considered the destitute state of that congregation — the pressing wants of the many im- mortal souls scattered over a wide-spread population; and, after giving the subject all the investigation in my power, have come ,. 'lit however theso tilings miiy be — as the attempt to support a clergyman A the established Church by the people theinselvea, i ■«, with us, never yet actually been made, and as the Society's means do not admit of in- creasing the number of their missionary stations — many populous parish- es are, in consequence, lelt without minibUio. Such puiishes are there- forp dependant upon the missionary in their nearest vicinity, and are thus, in a manner, considered a part of his charge. (Although it must of course be obvious, that, except when he officiates on week days, tiiey can receive the benefit of his services only in proportion as the spiiore for liiu more im- mediate labors is neglected.) This was the case with Greenwich, adjoin- ing Westfield. Indeed, for a number of years after the writer entered up- on his late charge, several remote, though flourishing, settlements, in an extensive circumjacent parish beyond Greenwich — then without a resi- dent minister — were In a condition almost equally destitute. Those set- 'lemonts, while the state of his health allowed, he occasionally visited; officiating, in such cases, uniformly on week days. Nor can he now, with- out feelings of touching interest, indulge the recollection of those days that are gone, on which the people would leave their occupations, fre- quently at the most busy seasons of the year, and flock in such numbert from the surrounding country, to welcome with glad hearts the messenger of salvation. In scenes like those, have been performed some of the most affecting exercises of his ministry J and i* was not without many painful struggles of feeling, that the urgent solicitations from that affectionate people were successively resisted, and the writer's visits to that interesting portion of the Lord's vineyard ultimately discontinued. But of late years, his Sunday duties atGreenwich alone, and occasional visits through the week to the distant parts of that parish, added to the immediate claims of the one uader his more particular care — have beau too much for his constitution, to the deliberate and solemn conclusion of resigning my present charge, and of thus removing, as far as I may be concerned, every impediment to the supplying of this station with a more compe- tent missionary : and, as no other situation is aflbrded mo in this Diocese, under the constraining convictions of religious duty, I have resorted to the only remaining alternative, and resigned my office as a missionary of the Society. In having done this, I am indeed lefl without any definite prospect of support for my family ; but, to ray own conviction, it is the only line of conduct which, as a consistent servant of the Redeemer ^ •-.ould adopt. To the care of that gracious Being, who has taugnt us to repose on him for the supply of our temporal wants, I commend myself with those whom he has given me ; and, in the consoling consciousness of having sought to know ( 'I , especially during the winter season — long and frequent exposures to its cold and inclemency being more than his enfeebled health could now sus- ' y tain ; inscmuch, that during the past winter he did not attempt visiting Greenwich at all, and subsequently gave it up altogether. It was an af- fecting regard to the ronspqiimf. canUltlon of tliai parish, winch induced him to the step he has so recently taken, trying beyond measure as it has been to resign his office as a missionary of that venerable Society, in whuue service he has had the honor of being engaged for about thirteen yeai-s. Let it not hence be inferred, that the Society require or expect from their missionaries, efforts which may not be made consistently with their Btate of health, or other inevitable circumstances. This is by no means the case; nor is the salary which they receive affected by the extent or limits of their missionary operations. Nay, had his health continued to decline BO far as to render the discharge of his duties even more irregular and par- tial than they have been for the several years last past, the writer is persuad- ed that his salary would never have been in any degree diminished, in con- sequence thereof, by that venerable and benevolent body who watch with such kind and parental care over the missionaries employed in their service. Still, when the conscientious labourer in the vineyard of Christ, looks round upon an extensive and desolate portion of this vineyard, dependant, as it were, upon his efforts ; and while he feels himself unequal to its suc- cessful cultivation, has reason to suppose that some one, fitted by strength of constitution for more vigorous exertion, would be likely to succeed to his place — it becomes, with him, a grave and momentous question, wheth- er, under such circumstances, he be not called upon by the indications of Divine Providence, to relinquish for another, a post, to the duties of which he is no longer adequate, and to seek for himself what might seem a more suitable situation in the Church of God. '■>.. ■ i "> -i and do his will, liiiml»ly trust, that, through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, 1 ^hnll fuel culiiily resigned to his dispensations con- cerning ino whiitovcr they miiy he. It has been my endeavour, to /v-exaininc the motives which first induced me to enter the sanctuary, and to serve at the altar of (/'hrist. Those vows of God which arc upon mc, I have cordinUif renewed — have, through his grace, solemnly .^v'^ /"■"Vii4#^ t J^-. L strained to acknowledge the loving kindness of God, in ordaining, that the minister of his Son's Gospel, should be taken from among that same fallen race to whom he is commissioned to preach? — that he should be one who has himself felt the load of sin and guilt, in order that he may sympathize with the penitent sinner, and lead him to that Saviour in whom he has found rest 1 — " one who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for th^t he himself also is compassed with infir- mity." In selecting such instruments, moreover, the Most High prob- ably intends to teach us, that the success of their efforts is owing entirely to a divine influence — that the vork of salvation, from beginning to end, is his work " who commanded the light to shine out of darkness." " We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." The ministers of Jesus Christ feel, or ought to feel, that they are "not sufficient, of themselves, to think any thing as of themselves," Their " sufficiency is of God." He, and He only can make them ** able ministers of the New Testament." The consideration of i,hese affecting truths should awaken the sympathies, and excite i^ fervent prayers, of God's people, iu behalf of those who are cha ed with an office so momentous and responsible. In thenselves, weak and helpless — they have no strength except wh.at they derive from that great Shepherd, by whom the most feeble of the flock is sustained. Having been " by nature the children of wratl ven as others," and being still polluted with the remains of sin, they have no source of comfort or confidence, but in looking to "the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world " — that same compassionate friend of sinners, to whom they would direct every penitent transgressor for pardon and peace. Should it be their unhapplness to have little visible fruit of their labours — to seem to address themselves to eyes that will not see, and ears that will not hear, and hearts that will not understand — while they pray for those who receive not their message, they must leave events with Him who has said, that his word shall not return unto him void ; and, with whatever success their efforts should appear- to be crowned — they, the unworthy, though honored, instruments, must prostrate themselves in the dust, and say — ** Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name, give the praise." 14 III. Having thus briefly explained the meaning of the expres sion, "The kingdom of God," and, hence, endeavoured to show what is meant by *• preaching " the kingdom of God — I proceed, in the last place, to make sitch application of this subject, as may seem suggested by the solemn occasion upon which we are this day assembled. '* It would not become me, brethren, confidently to say with the Apostle, in the words connected with the text — " I am pure from the blood of all men." More appropriate, perhaps, would be his language upon another occasion — "I have been with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." But though I would not say, that " I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God ; " or, that I have fully obeyed the solemn charge addressed to Timothy, and applicable to every minister of the Gospel, " Be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine " — yet this much I humbly hope I may venture to affirm, — that, wherein I have fail- ed, it has not been through want of a sincere intention to " make full proof of my ministry," by testifying to you " the Gospel of the -Vie of God." My " prayer " for you has hnen, that " you might a^ved J " and it has been my desire to be instrumental in pro- moting 'your salvation. This desire, I confess, has not always' been equally fervent ; nor perhaps, ai any time, of that constrain- ing degree which the ministers of Christ ought continually to feel. Not bnly, has the discharge oim^ duties, in late years, been great- ly interrupted by ill health ; but, throughout the whole course of my ministry among you, I feel conscious that those duties have been very, imperfectly performed, and I pray God that my own deficiences may not be permitted to operate as a hinderance to any of your souls. I beg also, herein, ray dear brethren an inter- est in the prayers of those among you who frequent the throne of grace. Still, " I take you to record," that, however feebly and imper- fectly, I have preached to you from this pulpit, the " everlasting Gospel " of our Lord'and Saviour Jesus Christ ; and, in some de- gree, as far as the circumstances of such a widely-scattered pop- ulation would admit, have exhorted you ** from house to house," beseeching you to attend to *' the things which belong to your peace," before they should be for ever " hid from your eyes," as your own consciences must this day testify. <; w.~ / 16 I- M' I have sought to erjjlain and ci\forrr the leading dortrinra and precepts of the Bible. I have aimed to bring you to that know- ledge of yourselves, which alone can lead to the knowledge ofGod and to that spiritual acquaintance with him, which is the only source of true happiness. This has led me to invite you to the con- templation of his glorious attributes, as far as wc ma^ comprehend them; and, thus, to convince you of the necessity of that "holi- ness without which no man shall see the Lord." You have been taught, that of such holiness afl are by nature destitute — that " the carnal mind is enmity against God ;" and that, therefore, "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The nature and evidences of this change have been set before you. You have been warned of the i\angcr of pharisnieal presumption on the one hand, and of antinomian delusion on the other ; that is, you have b^en taught, that a correct outward de- portment, or, in the common me? ;g of the phrase, a moral life can never supply the place, or preclude the necessity, of that en- tire conversion of the heart unto God, without which, the com- paratively virtuous, as well as the completely vi " >t»d/are "in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity" — " dead in tr?«pass- es and sins ; " — and, on the contrary, 'lat ail pretensions to tlk^ change, unaccompanied with an entire conversion of the herrt unto God, spirituality of affections, and holiness of life — are vain and delusive. In lew words — religion has been represented to you, as having its seat in the heart — as possessing a power and reality, which, in order to be understood, must be felt and expe- rienced ; while those who are brought under its transforming influ- ence, have been described — as separated from a world that " lieth in wickedness," " sanctified in Christ Jesus," as having become " partakers of the divine nature," made "a peculiar people zealous of good works," showing forth " the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light." You have been taught, that all, who remain destitute of these evidences, stop short of true religion; that, whatever may be their character in other respects, they are not disciples of Jesus, and, consequently, have no scriptural ground for hoping that they " shall escape the damnation of hell." The more particular duties of the Christian life — devotional and practical — have not been forgotten. Believers have been 10 ..i^' exhorted, as their duty and privilege, to "grow in grace " — to seek for increasingly higher attainments in the divine life — tn adopt for their motto the language of the Apostle, ** This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towar*W»W 18 \if> m I*- thiness, think of his mercy and love. He shed for you his aton- ing blood. 11c died for you on the cross of Calvary. He now intercedes for you before his Father, and your Father — his Qod, and your God. lie sees you from his throne in the heavens, and says to you — " Fear not ; I am the first and the last : I am he that liveth and was dead ; and behold I am alive for evermore." Look, then, to him in persevering prayer ; and regard not the suggestions of Satan, when he would tempt you to fear that you are cast out from his sight. " Ask and receive, that your joy may be full." But while endeavouring to comfort and encourage the weak in faith ; let me, at the same time, exhort all who suppose them- selves to belong to Christ, to search and see whether they be verily and in truth his disciples. " Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith : prove your own selves." Rest not without clear and satisfactory evidences, that you really belong to that "little flock," to whom it is the ** Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom." If, brethren, ye be Christians indeed, how distinguished and exalted is your character ! you have turned your backs on a wicked world ; and have set your faces toward Zion, the city of the living God. You have a hope which you would not exchange for empires. Having then begun well in the ways of God, show ** all diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end : that ye be not slothful ; but followers of them, who through faith and patience, inherit the promises." The limits of this discourse will not allow me to be very mi- nute ; but some particular dangers that may beset you, I would briefly point out ; and say a few words to animate you in your Christian course — 1. First — beware o( false pretenders to religion. If you meet with persons who make high pretensions to experience in the things of God, whose prevailing, habits, notwithstanding, are not agreeable to the precepts of the Gospel, however fluently or plau- sible they may speak on religious subjects, — regard them not. Remember the words of Christ, " By their fruits ye shall know them." 2. Again : suspect those who love to cherish a party spirit. When such as profess to be Christians, seem mainly anxious to range themselves under the banners of a party, contending, ear- I 19 ncstly perhaps, for this or that point of doctrine, wljcthcr impor- tant or not — while they are indiflcrcnt and coUl with regard to cultivating in themselves, or promoting in the hearts and lives of others, the " fruits of holiness," destitute of humility and the love of Christ — " from such turn away." These several classes of characters have proved to many a stumhiing-block. Be not ye, however, disturbed or perplexed on account of such things ; for there have always been those who " profess to know God, but who in works deny him ; " and there may be the zeal of Jehu, while the " heart is not right with God." " Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, be- ware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." 3. A third source of danger, the greater because less likely to be suspected, is this — jifflffing of i/oiir own spiritual ctate by roinparitiir yourselves with those whom yon regard as establishca Christians. This danger is particularly great in the present day. There is too much deference given to the supposed experience, and aetufd practice, of eminent professors ; and too little to the unerring standard — the word of God. For instance : — ' Such a christian brother says, that his mi^i- is dark, that his affections are earthly, that he has little rel- ish for prayer or communion with God. Need I then, who am by no means so far advanced in the divine life — need I wonder that it should be so with me? ' Now, the apostle speaks of some in his day, who thus compared " themselves amongst them- selves." But does he approve their conduct? No : — he says of them, that " they are not wise." Take another instance : * Such a one mingles a good deal in the society of worldly persons, nor do his life and conversation seem to give offence : nay, he occasionally joins in their vain re- creations. Or, he is fond of gain, and sometimes shows a dispo- sition to take advantage of the ignorance or necessity of those with whom he has dealings — does unto others, what he would not have others do unto him. Or, he sadly deviates from sim- plicity and sincerity in his conversation. Or, he is of an unkind and even resentful or implacable disposition. And still he seems to be a pious man !' But is this the testimony of God concerning him ? Hear the declarations of his own word with regard to such things — " Come out from among them and be ye separate, and .-.I- I 30 touch not the unclean thing " — " Love not the world, neither the tilings that are in the world : if any man love tho world, the lovo of tho Father is not in him" — "All things whatHocver yo would that inon should do to you, do yo even so to them " — " Speak yo cvory man truth with his neighbour " — " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Brethren ! *' These arc spots in your feasts of charity." I cannot enlarge. Those brief hints may perhaps assist in il- lustrating my meaning. My dear brethren ! watch ye against snares so insidious, or ye may become entangled and hindered. Judge as charitably as ye consistent 1 1/ cun of the character of oth- ers. But for youselves, follow none, except so far as they follow Christ — no matter what their professions; what their seeming piety in many respects ; or their religious state, in the estimation of Christians in general. While, therefore, you cherish an " un- feigned love of the brethren," while you " love one another with a pure heart fervently" — lean only upon God. Expect not here to find models for your imitation ; but look to your great exemplar — Jesus Christ, and seek " to walk even as he also walked." 4. But the greatest danger is trom within — frotn your otcn de- ".itful hearts. To this point direct your chief attention. Re- membering continually your own weakness, and that you are •* kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation " — walk humbly with him. Call yourselves frequently to an account, praying to him to search you. Seek to ascertain whether you be growing in grace; for if not advancing, you are declining. Let not a day pass without solemn self-examination, taking the word of God continually for your guide — for " a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your paths." Much will be gained by this practice. It will, through the divine blessing, lead you to know more of yourselves ; and to discover, as you penetrate the dark and winding recesses within, that there — there — lie the great enemies of your peace. Your consciences will thus be more enlightened and tender. You will feel more of your own vileness, and Christ will become more exceedingly precious. You will see more of the hatefulness of sin, and the beauty of holiness ; and will increasingly long to have " the mind that was in Christ Jesus." The duties of the closnt will become more delightful ; and the spirit which you there imbibe in your intercourse with Jeho- vah, will be manifested in your life and conversation among your 21 fellow creatures. You will thus be oim''U;lie Lord," and (), what peace — what joy — what iHNivenly-iiiindt'diiess you Hhall attain ! — a foretaste ami earnest of the joys of heaven ! Such, my christian brethren, shall you htid to be sonic of the blessed fruits of walkinj^ with God, lookiiijr (o his word for the only standard of truth and holiness, and leading a life of watch- fulness and prayer. For the encourajreinent, however, of all who are engaged in this warfare, I would add — liv iiitf dif^roiirn^ril, fhoiigh yc meet with (/ijfiniltha. Diniciilties ye must expect, but fear them not. " The Canaanite is still in the land " — The world, the flesh, and the devil oppose every step of your {)rogress. Corruptions from within and temptations from without, will, through the power of your spiritual enemy, bend their united elforts to draw you asid- from God — to induce worldly-mindedness, neglect of prayer, and of other secret duties; and in prnporflun as you yield to their injluenrr, you shall be exposed to " the fiery darts of the devil." There is, it is true, a heavenly Physician, who can heal every wound those darts may inflict ; and who, if you .apply to him, " will heal your backslidings, and love ynu freely." Should you, therefore, be thus unhappily prevailed upon to turn away from that gracious and omnipotent Being whose power "iione can sustain you — return at once, and humble yourselves in contri- tion before him. But sink not with despondency, though your adversaries may seem to triumph. Rather adopt the language of the prophet — *' Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy : when I fall, I shall arise ; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him — ". Rise again to the contest, made wiser, through grace, by past experience. Look unto Jesus, the author and Jinishcr of your faith. Renew your covenant with hiYn, and he will say — " Son, be of good cheer j thy sins be for- given thee." Recollect for your comfort, that others have gone i * j» 99 I before you through the same difRculties. " They overca>iie througli the blood of the Lamb " — and so shall you. They have entered into their Master's joy. " Be faithful unto death," and ye also shall receive " a crown of life." Lastly : in addition to the diligent use of all those other means tending to invigorate your graces, and to animate you in pursu- ing the path that lies before you, — avail yourselves o(i <^ery op- portunity of commemorating the dying love of Jesus, fh that holy sacrament of which, to-day, we are to partake together for the last time. Do this in remembrance of him who has done so much for you ; and let this memorial of his infinite compassion and i. jandloss grace, constrain you to live more devotedly to him, and unite you one to another by the most endearing ties of Christian affection. May the Lamb that was slain to redeem us to God by his blood, be with us, upon the present occasion, to blesf us ! — to comfort, strengthen, stohlish us ! May the trials of o'lr present separation, lead us to think much of that fam y, whose happy members, however scattered abroad in this house of the^r pilgrimage, shall meet in their Father's house above, to part no more — to drink new wine with their Redeemer in the king- '''^ai of God! "And now, brethren, 1 commend you to God, nd to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." 2. But I have a duty yet to perform, more painful than lan- guage can express — to take a final leave of those in this congre- gation, who, for so many years have heard the Gospel, and, to the present hour, have never embraced its offers of mercy. And O, my heart sinks as the fearful apprehension comes over me — that a vast proportion of the numerous assembly before me, who now fill this holy placo, are included in this unhappy description. For you — my feelings of deepest concern are awakened ; and im- pressed with a sense of the solemnities of this day, I desire faith- fully and affectionately to give you my parting counsels. In or- der that these, through the divine blessing, may apply themselves as closely as possible, I shall address you according to the sever- al classes of which you may be supposed to consist ; and I charge you, before God, to remember tjje account that you must give. 1. There are some, it is to be feared, v/ho, so far from re- ceiving the message ^vhich has been delivered in the name of , >.v X //. <^- /:^^ /. .^' J J- 23 Kt'-' " il Jesus have, opposed the doctrines of his Gospel, and thrown hin- derances in the vjay of my ministry. It is my grief to ♦hink that any of you should act a part so aw- ful in its consequences. Consider, I entreat you, what you have been doing. In opposing his ministers, it is Gud, and rot man, with whom you contend. It is not our own cause that we de- fend, but his who has said to the preachers of his Gospel — " He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, des- piseth me ; " and who has declared, that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for those who receive not the messengers whom he sends. Alas ! is not the unhappy secret this — that you love your delusions, and therefore are unwilling ■: he disturbed in them 1 Have you not regarded me as your enemy, because I have told you the truth ? Has not the language of your hearts been like that of Ahab respecting Micai- ah — * As for this man, " I hate him ; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil " ' ? Well — now I am about to leave you. " Ye shall see my face no more." No more shall my coua- sels and exhortations offend you. Remember, however, that I have delivered a message from God. I have told you before, ard now repeat thp solemn warning — In vain shall you seek for any road J heaven, out the " narrow way" which Christ has markod out. Every other leads to hell. ** If thou return at all in peace " — if you find peace here or happiness hereafter in the path you are pursuing — " then the Lord hath not spoken by me." * O, that my last words might penetiate your conscience, and awaken you to a discovery of your delusions. Pause, and examine your- selves, I affectionately beseech you. Tremble, while you think of the possibility of being mistaken, on a subject which involves the eternal destinies of the soul. Contemplate the conduct of those " noble " Bereans whose example is recorded for your imi- tation. Like them, search the Scriptures. Search them dili- gently — search them " daily." Bring our doctrines to that m- fallihle touchstone. Implore the grace of the Holy Spirit, to give you humble and teachable minds ; and, like those Bereans, you shall be taught of God — like them, you shall have your under- standings opened to understand those scriptures which you now pervert, and which alone can make you " wise unto salvation." r r. «» * See 1 Kings zxii. 28. f '"MW '-^'■•i--^-^^^^ -■* t^jA; i. 34 I / 2. There aro others, who have " cared Jor none of these things." You may not positively have opposed your minister ; but you have disregarded his instructions. You have either imagined yourselves " whole," and to " have no need of the physician ; " or you have professed an .issent (but it has been a cold unmean- ing assent) to the preacher's words. His instructions and exhor- tations have been " like water spilt upon the ground ; " or, rath- er, like the seed which " fell by the way side." The Gospel of God has been preached — the threatenings of the Almighty have sounded in your ears : you have been told of his mercy and grace, and intreated to seek him while he may be found. Sabbath af- ter sabbath, and year after year — you have heard these things. But they have been heard, only to be forgotten. The enemy of souls has taken away the word sown in your hearts, and left you prayerless and careless still. The business or the pleasures of life have occupied your thoughts or engaged your affections ; and God, the soul, and eternity — have been lightly regarded. But think you, that you shall have no account to give of the counsels and warnings you have received 1 Think you, because i/ou have forgotten them, that they are therefore forgotten in heaven — that because you remember them not, they are rememl oTed Sy God ? Ah ! be assured they are written in tiie book of his everlasting remembrance ; and unless you awake from the slum- bers of sin and seeh redemption through a Saviour's blood, the record will appear against you in the day of judgment. Then — memory will faithfully perform its office. Then — conscience will bring forward the catalogue of long-forgotten sins, and fasten upon you her agonising stings of guilt and remorse. Listen, then, now to her voice. Be careless no longer. '* Awake thou sleeper, and call upon thy God ; " lest you awake at last to la- ment — " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and I am not saved." 3. There is a third class, to whom your departing pastor must make his last appeal — -tJiose who have put their hand to the plough and are looking back. There was a time when you seemed awakened to a sense of your si g, and earnestly desirous of fleeing " from tl ^ wrath to come." As the preacher reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come — you trembled. When he spoke of the blessedness of religion, the compassion of a dying Redeemer, the ( 1 fr r. ■■!* ^AriU^, Imt/-.-. ( ^r^' 27 now you know not the value ? — for one of those precious Sab- baths, which you allowed to pass away in the cares of the world, or in the follies and pleasures and vanities of life ? What would you then give for one more opportunity of attending the house of God, of seeking him in prayer, and hearing o^ice more that long- neglected Gospel ? But alas ! your Sabbath and Sanctuary priv- ■'leges shall then have come to an end, and this long-neglected Gospel will have ceased to sound its glad tidings in your ears. You shall then look beyond the impassable gulph, to the heaven that you have lost — and lost for ever. What ! and must I in- dulge the dismal apprehension, that this shall indeed be the case with any of you, to whom your pastor is now making his last ap- peal — that that blessed Gospel which might be a savour of life unto life, shall thus prove a savour of death unto death ? How can I leave you, — and leave you in your sins ! How can 1 say "farewell" — if it must be an everlasting farewell! We have often met together here j have heard of hell and heaven ; of him who came to burst the chains of sin, and set the r-^ntn'osfree — we have often met togetht here, and shaL ve # foi rt — to m" ■a % 10 more? Distressing thought ! Oh, c < nstances ; or even in some few instance instance, my last exhortations should i as years -xhortation have not been, how would it com- > heart of your departing pastor ; and with what feelings of gratitude and joy, should we remember this day throughout Eter- nity ! Refuse me not, t>«^n, one last request. It is the last that I shaU ever make , and 1 mtreat you — I beseech you, refuse me not. Will you meet me to-day at that throne of grace, where my supplications shall be offered for you ? and where the prayer of the repenting sinner shall never be presented in vain ? Will you there surrender your hearts to God, and implore the grace of his Holy Spirit, to break the power of sin within you — to take away the heart of stone, and give you an heart of flesh — to plead the ofli- cacy of that blood of Jesus which cleanseth from all sin ? Say, will you meet me there, that we may meet at last in heaven ? J >'' ' <: W- },r. ^^■: ^U.€ 28 .y HYMN. t . - M} \t f^lA ?*■ This house — this sacred house of prayer Together we have trod : Oft liave the pastor and his flock Met in this house of'God. Plere we have heard tiie (j(i<»pers sound — The '* new and living way :" The wandering sinner here hath learned To weep, repent, and pray. The " worshippers of Jacob's God " Have tasted of his love — Here has the fainting pilgrilh found The manna from above. But still, within these walls ^ — 44as ! Seen by i. omniscient eye, W^byKt souls, .ii vain h|ve heard tlie C{(U--r^ ^ W7^y, sinners! loill ye die ? * •■* We part — on earth to meet no more ; Ah, say ! shall it be given, To meet before Jehovah's throne — TLaJ glorious throne in heaven ? Thine holy arm, O Lord 1 make bare ! Thy holy Spirit give ! That sinners now thy voice may hear — May hear thy voice, and live ! * Yea^now we hear thine awful roice, And, trembling, seek thy face. To our poor souls, great God ! impart The riches of thy grace. * Long — long have we relentless stood: In mercy thou dost spare — O, may our hearts, through grace, this day Begin a life of prayer 1 ' ■^.■ i,v,. ■ m '.:)r -\ ■' * ' " : "^. I