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 EDIFICATION. 
 
 A Sermon, 
 
 PREACHED IN THE CUURCIl OF S. ALDAN 
 THE MARTYR, OTTAWA, 
 
 ON S U N D A Y, JAN U A R Y ,. 2, 1 876 
 
 BY THK 
 
 REV. CANON BEDFORD JONES, L L. D. 
 
 RECTOR OP THE CHURCH. 
 
 PRINTED BY REQUEST. 
 
 C 
 
 ©ttaba : 
 
 t;ii; ciri/sv I'uiNiisti axu puuushinu companv, spauks sthket. 
 
 1876. 
 
I/I UQ 
 
 AS.v i' 
 
 vy.r.^1^^''' 
 
 i 
 
EDIFICATION. 
 
 I 
 
 :\ 
 
 " Let \u thereforo follow aftor the things which make for iMifuc, 
 and things wherewith one may edify anotlior." (Horn. xiv. 19). 
 
 " Let all tilings be done unto ed'fying." (1 Cor. xiv. 20). 
 
 In selecting" a subject miuI choosing- :i text for a Xew 
 Year's sermon n great deal has to bo considered. These 
 a_o occasions when hearts seem especially open to ini-. 
 pressions. Indeed, it would be strange, were it othei'- 
 wise, when everything seen and heard in (Jhnvch presents 
 tlie most affecting of all themes to eye and heart, the 
 mercy and love of God to sinnert? — that mercy and 
 love shown most wondrously in God Himself coming to 
 earth to be a I^rother, a Babe, One of ourselves, and so to 
 draw us to and unite us to Himself by the tie of a 
 Common Humanity. This must touch all our hearts. 
 Add to this that wn are sjiared to see another epoch 
 of time, bronglit safely through the changes and 
 chances, the sor^-ovvs and joys, of a whole year. 
 Then a new and a very impressive motive of gratitude 
 still further opens our hearts to receive the message that 
 He may put it into His minister's mind to deliver. And 
 as we meet together on the first Lord's Day of the new 
 year, a faithful priest will endeavour to plant in the 
 prepared soil of his people's souls, such seed as will be 
 likely to take root and bear fruit most to their own ad- 
 vantage, and to the glory of God. 
 
 Now, my dear brethren, for some time past I have had 
 little doubt as to the Subject I should like to present to 
 you as most profitable to-day. But when I came to the 
 Text, I hesitated between that verse of S. Paul in his 
 letter to the Komans, and that in his first letter to the 
 Corinthians. One was lon£»'er than the other. That 
 other was more epigrammatic, more likely to be remem- 
 bered as our watchword or motto for 187G. Yet the 
 longer verse convoyed a good deal more of what I wished 
 
 
to s!iy, 1 1 sjH-a!\s, not only of tiling's, 1ml jxn'sons. It is 
 im jidiiionilioii not coiifliiotl to the J\finistoi'.s and Services 
 of the Suncdiai'v, il applies the })rL'Copt to every iiionii>er 
 of the (V)n,i;Tei>,-a!i()n at iiome as well as in church. So ! 
 iesolve<l Jit, last to (Mil inv diiHcultv hy takiiii-- A,')//t the 
 verses as my new >'eai''s 'Vaxt, wliile div Siihject inav he 
 hrietly eoinprehen<Je.l in a sinL;-h> woi'd, '"KDI KlCATlUN.' 
 Now, as 1 have Just, said, this i'lditieation of Christian 
 ])eoj)!e is tlie husiness, not oidy of the priests of (lod's 
 rhui'eh, it is tlie iiu-^iness of the ('hi'istian peo|)le them- 
 selves, it is a solemn duty they owe to oiu' another. 
 S. I'aul sa^'s, t'nal in sundry matters ahoiit whieli a variet}- 
 of opinion was likely to arise aniono- hrethren, tlie >:^rand 
 I'ule to l»e followed was '• J^et all thini-'s he <lone U]do 
 ('dlfuhiiiy I'eaee anrl harinoir^' were to he followed and 
 elierished witli a view to the miituai cdijicailon of one 
 another. It is woi'lhy of notice tliat the Apostle does 
 not (M)ndemn the ditlerence of opinion on matters in 
 whicii no ])rinciple was involved. Jle knew that while 
 men wei'e men, it was not fi-'xl's desii;,-!), that every man 
 was to see evei'ythlnL!; exactlv as ev<^:•^' other ma.n saw it. 
 There would advravs he Iri'ethren to v/hom, some lhinL''s 
 would appeal" <^f more eonserpience than these thiiig-s did 
 to others ; some woiiid place valu<> on mattcM-s which to 
 otlicrs seemed th(> nuvrest trifles. Soine v/ould have 
 scruples a!)out lldni^'s (al)out fouvhhvi, tastiiuj and 
 handlinf/), th;U. t.> stj'onger minds were no stumhlini;' 
 Mock whatever. Tin^se matters for the most part were 
 compai'ativoly trii!i;i,i;' matters of individnal or personal 
 la,--te and feeling':, and as loni;- as tliey <lid not disturh the 
 yA-;ae<M)f tlio (M)inriiunity, a^; ionic as they did wot dimlifij 
 {]\Q hrethren and eni>'ender strife, there shoidd he fihertv 
 and no pronouncing of censorious jud<2:ineut. Xo man, said 
 the Ai)ost!e, had a rifxht, no man had ajiv husiness to 
 Judii;e iiis brother al) out ti;e>e matters of individual oh- 
 servancc, such as the keopin!.c of a ])articidar dc.y, the 
 ealinpc of flesh, o.' hein<^*a simp!<> vei>'etariiin. These things 
 you observe refer to coiuluct in private life, to wluit 
 (/'liristians should or might do at Ivome. There was to 
 bo u i>-enerous libertv of thou'.;iit and action in all thinu's 
 tJiat did not affect [)ri!iciple. But still what all should 
 
I 
 
 i) 
 
 keep ill view \v:is Iho LCdifirathn oi' llie Brothcrliood, Even 
 in [)rivato lite, (jliristitins should control their coiKhiet, >^o 
 as to pro'crve peace and love towards one another. Foi-, 
 says »S. 1/aul, '' iione of us livetli unto liimselt'und no man 
 dieth t'/> hiiuseli"; " " we are all luvinihers one of anotlier," 
 and '' if one meniher sutlers, ail tiie inonibei'S siiiVei' with 
 it." AVlien (as in the J'.j)istle to the (Joi'inthlans) the 
 Apostle conies to s])ea!v of C*hi'istiaii behaviour in public, 
 (I mean in the ineetin<;* together f«)i'pul>Iic worshi[)) tliis 
 same rule is si ill laid down. The inv'ividual taste or 
 indeed, the individual henetit must he subordinate to the 
 ertilicatioii of the whole (.Vnun'eiijation. Nothinji; Bhouid 
 be done to disturb the ii^enci'al harm ■)ny, order and peace. 
 All things must be dune unto edifyln'j. 
 
 Xow leaving laid down plainlv this gr(>rd j);'inci])le, let us 
 for a moment consider the full import of this word cdifijing 
 Or edification. It is ii vciy favorite word witli t he Apostle 
 I^iul, it signitios literally /rnildinf/ np, and Ihe Apostle 
 "pplies this word to tlie ( 'liurch and its members. The 
 Church is (rod's Temple in which Christians are living 
 st-uies continually being laiiit uj). ])o]ished, cut into one 
 sliapc or Jinothe:', and tiually set in tlicir [)roj)er ]>laces, 
 some more oi'namental, some more ])lain, some more 
 prominent, some more hidden iVoni view, but all the 
 while the process of buildim*' <i:oinL>" on day l)y dav and 
 vcar and year, until at last some dav — vrhcn we know 
 not — this beautiful Tem-ple of (rod shall be tinished to the 
 very topmost stono, anil tlie Lord Jesus will come again, 
 and dwell in it for ever and ever. I^ow. my dear 
 tu'ethrcn, we ai'e ly Coal's j)i'Ovidence placed here 
 as a party of builders employed at a sjiecial worlc of 
 our own. Our congregation is as it were a separate 
 worldng pis.rty under the direction of one master 
 builder, as S. i*aul calls tlie clv']"gyman. AVe are begin- 
 ning a new year ot vrork ; we are engtiged for a new 
 term, and our jjuilding concerns ( rich and every oiie of 
 the congregation, (lod sets us all to work at His (p'cat 
 biiildintj for another year, and all thf time lie tells us He is 
 Himself workimf in us and worlnnij'' with u -. And as 
 our work for (Jod and with (lod goes on, as goon it must, 
 it is well to renicmljer one or tw<> things. Tliat (as with 
 
() 
 
 all noble structures) tlic raising of tjie Christian Temple 
 is a matter of time, of patience and of onkr. It is not to 
 he clone in a liurry. The Lord Jesus Himself laid tlio 
 foundation long ago in His A])o^(le8 and Pi'ophots, and 
 on it we have every one of us to go on, generation after 
 generation and year a<'ter year, building and beautifying 
 each of the three gi-eat stories of Faith, Hope and Love. 
 We have to go on working at each of these parts of our 
 Lord's Temple, woi'king patiently and with pains, care- 
 i'ully measuring each stone and beam and lltting each 
 exactly into its place according to the architect's design. 
 Ill fact, the more time, pains and patience ai-e given to 
 everything even the smallest details, the more perfect "will 
 the building be in the end. But, my brethi'en, thei'O is one 
 thing which is indispensable to any building, whcthei' it 
 1)0 a cottage or a palace, be it of stone or brick or 
 wood, and it is to this I wish especially to call your 
 attention to-da}'. There is one tiling which if neglected 
 will hinder tlie progress of any woi'k, no matter with 
 Avhat skill or designetl, or no matter how excellent, or 
 hownumei'ous be the woi'kmen enq^loyed, and its neglect 
 will certainly hinder the j^rogress of God's work also. 
 This one thing, my bi'ethren, is the good will of the 
 woiiJvMEN TOWARDS EACH OEiiER. If tlieworlvnicn fall out 
 and quarrel ; if they interfere with one another's special 
 work, if in their several trades and occupations, there be 
 not harmony of procedure and mutual concessions, then 
 everything must go wrong, there can be no progress. 
 Here, suppose, is a huge stone brought from the (quarry, 
 and tw^o excellent stone-cutters are set to work ; one is 
 to chi]) away at one side, and the other man at the other 
 side. Fancy the result of these two good fellows stopping 
 to quarrel about the length of their leather aprons, or 
 refusing to go on with their work until they ])rocured 
 chisels that w^eighed precisely the same number of grains, 
 Or suppose the mason and the mortar man fell out, be- 
 cause the latter carried his hod on the right shoulder, 
 instead of the loft, or because his assistant Avith the 
 mortar thouglit the mason was putting too big a stone 
 here and too little a stone there, and refused to l)ring 
 another hod until A 's ideas were consulted. Fancy what 
 
■ 
 
 (he result would \)c it' cvoiy one of the ineri eni[)loye(l 
 were the jud/L^e of every others woi'k ; no one sulijeet t(> 
 any authority ; no one doini;' iinythinu:, hut jn^it when 
 iind what he |)leased ; and no resjject i)ui<l to the tbi'eman, 
 I he clerk of works or lothe j)lans aiid spooilleations of the 
 architect. It is l)ec'ause hannonij an<l ordvr and discipline 
 (unowj the icorkmrn Jire so esscMilial to the pro^'ress of 
 the buildin<j;, that S. I*aid and his fellow Apo-^tles, all 
 throu_i>-h tlieir Epislles wi'itlen under the inspiration of 
 the llolv (rhost insist stronn'K- on low and hannoiu' 
 amon^ the bi'cthi'eii, on obedience to authority, on 
 all tilings being done to edifying, in other woivls, the 
 Building itself must be the chief coneoi'n of everybody. 
 The Buildini) must in its advancement, its adornment, 
 occupy the main place in the mind of each woi'kman, the 
 Bailaing I repeat, not the individual tasie-;of each man, the 
 Buildiinj itself in its gi'owth, its strength, its beauty, its 
 completeness; this should be tlie great object to be ever 
 before the mind, in compai'ison with Avhich every thing 
 else is subordinate, and of little coirse(pienco. And this 
 [treat object we dnu'ch of Kngland jjeople are by our 
 ( 'hureh directed to keep particularly before our minds ; 
 this grand princij)le of subordinating individual tastes, 
 opinions and jn'ejudices to what will edify the great body 
 is laid down clearly in our l*rayer J^ooks. Our learned 
 lieformers, in IS-iO, unbiased then by any foreign in- 
 fUienee, distinetly state in the l*refare about (^eremoriies 
 Icept in our prayer book in all the various revisions, that 
 they resorvcvl those wdiich (though devised by man) 
 tended to maintain a decent order in the Church, for 
 wdiich they were first devised, as well as that they per- 
 tained to edification, whereunto (and these ai-e the very 
 significant w^ords to which I ask your attention), '' edifica- 
 tion, whereunto all thin</s done in the Church (as the 
 Apostle teacheth) oujhi to be referred'' Botli Bible and 
 Prayer Book, then, my brethren, unite in enjoining this 
 most salutary rule on us as a coni>:i*eii'ation <d' (Christians, 
 and I think every one should ask himself the question 
 about every action in public and private— ztuY/ this edify 
 my brother Christian as well as myself f 1 say in private as 
 well as public life, tor fS. Paul lays down the rule for one 
 
8 
 
 as well as tho other, luid 1 am jioi'siiadctl it is a good ni!o 
 for us all, as cvor working and building in our houses 
 and our families, as well as when we meet together in the 
 House of Pra^'or as a congregation. 
 
 And now to bo practical, lot us ask : — 
 
 I. How may wo edify one another inrlwidually 1 How 
 are we to build ourselves up in Faith and Hopo and Love, 
 and while wo build ourselves up, help our families, our 
 children, our servants, to go on building also? This is 
 not my main point, but it cannot be overlooked when 
 one is speaking of ^^edification,'' of which a most im- 
 portant part is the work of building \\\) oneself as an in- 
 dividual. I have no hesitation whatever in summing uj) 
 under four heads, tho unquestionable means of building 
 up one's own soul in the grace of Gotl, in the love of 
 Christ, and in tho hop© of glory. 
 
 1. Prayer, YQgwlar private prayer, morning and night; 
 Mild family prayer, as a substitute for the Public Prayer, 
 Avhenand only when the latter cannot be attended. And 
 I am quite sure that no brother will be disedified by this 
 means of individual edification. 
 
 2. The daily reading of some portion of God's word, I 
 <lo not mean a more perfunctorj' reading through of 
 a chapter, as if there was some charm in just going over 
 so many verses ; but the perusal, the thoughtful perusal 
 of some portion — even a verse or two — with a ])raycr for 
 the enlightening grace of the Holy Ghost. I am sure, 
 my brethren, that is a most important means of edifica- 
 tion for oneself. - i 
 
 3. Attendance at the ChurcJis services on Sundays 
 and week days. Tho experience of all God's most 
 faithful servants in all past ages testifies to the bless- 
 ing to be found in the Sanctuary, in the meeting 
 oven of two or three together in tho Name of the Lord. 
 It is my solemn duty to toll you this ; and to state my 
 own earnest conviction that you neglect and lose a most 
 ])recious means of edification, a means of building up 
 your souls in God's faith and fear, and to be blessed spe- 
 cially by God, when you absent yourselves from tho 
 House of Pj-avor all the week or on the Lord's Day. 
 Oh how many of you are there wlio by a very little 
 

 
 \ 
 
 oxci'lion, Ji voi'v Irifliiii^,' soir-(lcnijil inii^lil Ik> \\vvv rvoiy 
 mornin«^ ! My brethren, there is u la::incss tlmt is a very 
 near relation to infidelity, lot mo rather say a stcppiii'i 
 stone to infidelity ; Oh bowaro how you indulge it. At 
 all events the Sunday services and t!ie week day services 
 of tho Church are certainly means, by which you 
 may edify yourselves without disedifying any one 
 else. 
 
 4. Lastly, there is the the frequent nommuninatinj 
 in the Sacrament of the Botly and Blood of tho Lord. 
 Preparing week by week for this, and partaking wocic 
 by week of this, and remembering and reflecting week' 
 by week over so solemn an action, must surel)' 
 influence tho Avholo conduct of the (Miristiaii, must 
 influence tho words, the dee Is, the thoughts of each 
 communicant. And this was just what tho Loi'd 
 intended it should do ; exercise a controlling, guard- 
 ing, guiding, grace-giving, influence over tho whole 
 life, tho conversation, the habits of His disciples. Surely, 
 wo should not be afraid of such a Divino influence being 
 exercised I Is it not just what we all need ? Well, then, 
 my brethren, this is how you may certainly build your- 
 selves up in Faith, Hope, and Love, week by week and day 
 by day throughout this year, — b)^ Prayer, Bible, Churchy 
 Sacrament. — AVith these you will in your private capaci- 
 ties as fathers, mothers, sons or daughters, masters or 
 servants, neighbours or friends, edify yourselves and one 
 another, and with these you will most surely disedify n<^ 
 one. None of those, Avill be, or ought to be, a stumbling- 
 block to your brethren. 
 
 IL But it remains that I should say a word about how 
 you should odiff or build up one another as a congregation. 
 Hero I am reminded of that famous saying attributed to 
 St. Augustine, and for a thousand years a icatchword to 
 tho Church: — 
 
 '• Jn nece.sHariiii — unilas ; 
 
 III dub lis — fibertas ; 
 
 fn omnibus — charitas.'^ 
 "In esfcntial things — unity ; 
 
 Tn doubtful things — lilK^ity ; 
 
 lu all things — cliarity." 
 
10 
 
 All, my dour Brclhicii, this is u guidon rule, ii splendid 
 summary of our Apo.stlcs' teaching. It will do us all 
 good to keep it in mind. We all need it continually to 
 direct us in our religious ditterences and arguments, and 
 with us here, as a congregation, I think it is a rule not 
 difficult to be followed ; foi*, are we not most of us 
 educated, liberal-minded Christian men and women, l)y 
 whom a truth clearly stated is readily appreciated ? For 
 it is a pleasant thing to know that thei'e is in this 
 congregation a veiy happy unity about essential things. 1 
 am sure if w^e were all to be on our death beds to-night 
 there Avould be no dilfoi-ence between us as to our Failh, 
 our Hope, our Love; — our Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 our Hope as resting solely on IJis Sacrifice on Calvary, 
 His glorious Kesnrrection and Ascension, His Interces- 
 sion and Mediation, His union with us and our union 
 Avith Him, and as lookini>- forward to beini»- with the 
 Lord and seeing Him as He is wdiere the wicked cease 
 from troubling and the weary are at rest — the Hope of 
 Immortality ! And then wT)uld not our hearts be full ot 
 Love to one another as well as to our Lord ? And then, 
 would we not be at peace with all the world and 
 Ibi'give every enemy, forgive as we ourselves hope 
 to be forgiven for His Sake ! These, dear Brethren, 
 are the essential things, and on these have we not unity ? 
 For ten years past I have been kneeling by many many 
 death bods. From the first to the last the same prayers, 
 the same doctrine, the same words of comfort, warning 
 and exhortation have been uttered, and not in one 
 solitar}^ instance have I had an ai-gument about the 
 essentials of the Faith. I am, therefore, persuaded we 
 are united in Essentials. Thank God for this unitv. 
 
 " In doubtful things libertg.'' 
 
 There are a ffreat many thiii<>'s about which neither 
 the Bible nor the Church have laid down definite rules, 
 and about which men, who hold (piite as strongly as 
 other men the essentials of the Faith, hold and are 
 allowe<l to hold diU'eient views which they look at from 
 different standpoints, just as they have been differently 
 tj'ained and educated, or according to the constitutional 
 bias of their temporumentor disposition. St. Paul speaks 
 
 \ 
 
 
s 
 
 11 
 
 ()(■ these (louhtfal {\\\\v^^^ luid concedes liberty ul' thought; 
 and action. Wc ought to do the same. 
 
 Now to take a ])ractical example of what I mean, I may 
 mention the use of the Cross in or out of a church, or the 
 making the- sign of the Cross on the 'person. I confess 1 take 
 a very broad view myself of this cross wearing or cross 
 making. As a matter of plain, historical fact, we all know 
 that in tiie very earliest ages of Christianity, the disciples 
 of our Lord used crosses — ])ray remember not crucifixes 
 — and in coming in and going out of their houses, Avhile 
 sitting down to their meals or getting uj), while meeting 
 each other in the streets, when lying dovrn to rest or rising 
 up, made the sign of the cross. (1 am giving you as 
 neaily as 1 can remember the ver}' words of Tertullian 
 in the second century.)-'- It was to these poor disciples 
 of Jesus, escaped from the general degradation and filthi- 
 ness of the surrounding heathenism, their constant 
 reminder of Whose servants they were, of lEim in whom 
 they believed, and of what He had left behind to them to 
 carrv after Him — a Cross. And a verv terrible cross it 
 ofted proved, a cross of sutlcring and shame, a cross ot 
 daily persecution and of martyrdom. Now, I do not 
 suppose that they — any more than you or I — had the 
 faintest idea that there was any inherent virtue in wear- 
 ing a cross, or making the Sacred Sign. It was no 
 Means of grace. But beyond a doubt thousands and 
 thou.sands of the most faithful followers of our Lord, 
 from that time to the present, have found it edifying 
 to themselves. Some of you may have read how the 
 ])ious Presbyterian mother of the famous Hugh Miller, in 
 the North of Scotland, taught her little son with his 
 prayers to make the sign of the cross. Now, my 
 Brethren, here is a doubtful matter, and I for one am 
 quite willing to let Christian people exercise their liberty 
 about it, and as a rule I find that this is the view taken 
 by most sensible Christian men among us. J know that 
 many of us have been accustomed to associate what we 
 
 * Ad onuiein progrossum at<ino pvomotuni, ad oimiom adituin et oxitum, ad 
 calciatnm, ad lavacru, ad mcnsus, ad liimina, ad cubilia, ad sedilia, quacunujne 
 nor, converaalio exercrt, IVonteiu crucis signaeulo tcriiims. — TcvtnUian. de 
 ('orona, Jj ;J, 
 
mm 
 
 12 
 
 cull '• fiii/irrsfidou" will) tlu' cioss niid (!io ^;^;mi of llio 
 (•i*o.ss. Well, suppo.^c it is 8ii])crsli(ion, it i.- a very Jitirm- 
 lesis .superstition, and i'emcml)cr ihat this was just what 
 some of the (yhvistians of S. Paul's timo said about othci' 
 Christians, and yet the Apostle, on behalf of the weak 
 !)i'ethren, pleaded for toleratioii and coneession in a mat- 
 ter that did not compromise princi])]c or endanger the 
 iaith. It was a weakness on the right side, on the side 
 of faith, not of un1)elief I am not sure that ho Avould 
 have as earnestly pleaded on behalfof weakness of a ditfcr- 
 ent kind tliat is far more common among us in these 
 daj's. Permit me to contrast them. llerc in the 
 same church are two woi'ship[)ers. One of them comes 
 in just as he Avould to a concert ro(mi or club room, 
 he stands up while other ])eop]e stand up, and because 
 Ihej stand n\), he never kneels down for ])rayer, but sits 
 and lounges all through the solemn addresses of thecon- 
 li'reiiiation to Almightv God ; durinf*' tho singing of can- 
 tides and hvmns he nevei' tries to sing a line, but looks 
 about him and criticises cvorvthini*' and evervbodv. He 
 is a man, su])]X)se, Avho, in a drawing room or at a supper 
 table, has voice enough, l)ut — to shuj In church ! that is not 
 to be thought of, luj more than res]»onding above his 
 I>reath, or in a scarce audiltle mui'mur, it he tvoul)les 
 liimself about it at all ; and altogetiier his belmvioiir and 
 attitude betoken fi'om first to last the utmost indifference 
 and coldness, not to say irreverence, in the House of 
 Prayer and in the ])resence of the Lord G od of Hosts. 1 lerc 
 is a weak bi'othei", whom we all readily tolerate. AVould 
 8. Paul have tolerated him ? Suppose smother m;ni 
 who, as he enters the Church, bows his head and oilers a 
 ])raver. lor he feels that he is coming into the Presence- 
 chamber of his God; that he is about to engage in a most 
 solenm business, j'e([uiring every faculty of mind ar.d 
 body; that his very heai-t and thoughts are all (piite open 
 to tlie l']ve of th.e Holv Being, ho is about to address, and 
 then all thi'«)ugh the Service strives to remember witli 
 every sentence uttered irhcrc he is (Oid irJuif he is doinu ; 
 s])etd<s out an<lil)bf with loud ^■oice (as hs is told tod') 
 by hisC'hurch) the IJesponsos ; siDgs out heai'lily llu; 
 ll\niiisand l*-^alins : kneels down in all hun;ilit\'; reads 
 
[.*] 
 
 ' 
 
 the ClKipfers uUoiilivcly aloiii^* with the clorij^ymaii ; and 
 s( rives to lioar Avilli incokiioss the ciii^-rjif'ted word, this, 
 hccauso he helieves that here al! the Lime (Jod'.s iSpirit, 
 the iloly (ihost, is hiiilding u]) his son! in ^Tiice and iov^e 
 and iailh and liope, an<l (hat (hd exp'sds him to co- 
 operate u'lth thnf ijood Spirit. JSTow suppose that this 
 \voi',>hipj)er as he enters and as he leaves the House oi' 
 Prayer makes the sign oftlio cross (o remind himself of 
 the iclceminn' love of his Savioui*, the grace and media- 
 lio',1 of the Lord Who died for him ; — 1. ask you, of ^"hich 
 of the tv/o men, shall we as honest Christians tl^ink most 
 favourably? If. we concede to llie one tlio liberty of 
 sloth, indifference and irrevei'cnce, how much more shall 
 we not concede to the other liberty in an act that edifies 
 him and surely need not disedify or disturb anybody else ? 
 Nay, has not he a very fair right to turn round to the 
 clergyman and say : " Sir, before you r(d)uke me for su- 
 pci'stition, rebuke this other, and' alas! many others, 
 for irreverence, for indifference and sloth, that look 
 vei-y like iiiMdelity '' ? These ai-e, you may think, 
 the extremes, J>ut we know the}' exist, and are 
 allowed to exist in the (' hurch, and as I have said, f 
 vx-ould have you tnke with me and with S. Augustine and 
 S. Paul the Apostle of Christ, a broad and^i charitable 
 view of these doubtful things. Ve> : '• in doubtful things 
 liberty, and in all thinr/s C/iari.t>/.'' Oh, my Brethren, n'ly 
 object to-day is to unite you all in charity to each other, 
 so that 3'ou may Avhen you meet together hei-e durin<'- 
 the 3'ear, try to edify one another following after the 
 things that make for peace : and believe that nothing will 
 do this more than the spirit of C7/m^Vf/« chariiij, " the very 
 l)ond of peace and of all vii'tues." I had anotlicr text 
 that J was nearly taking to-daj*, it was, " Love as 
 Brethren,'' and it means almost the same thijigas "Let 
 all things be done unto edifying.'' Por if we love each 
 othei' without dissimulation, and love as brothers and 
 sisters of one I'amil}^ should, then, indeed, we shall try 
 to edify one another, and be evei* ready to give U]) oiir 
 own fancies or prejudices in many unessential things for 
 the sake of the genoral edljkotioa. We shall mutually 
 boar and ioi-b^'Ui', lidiowjng the examj)le of Our Lord 
 
14 
 
 Jesus, who pleased not Himself in thintjfs that never 
 could be wrong, and this for the sake of His weak sinful 
 brethren of earth. 
 
 EDIFICATION. J^^WFYJNd. BUILDING. The 
 words remind mo that there is a material as well as a 
 spiritual work that calls for the united efforts of this 
 congregation. It is to us one of the essential things 
 that requires unity. That is an edifying in a very 
 literal sense which I cannot forget, and you Avill, I 
 hope, excuse my putting 3-ou in mind of it to-day. I do 
 earnestly hope that something may soon be done 
 towards this building which Clod has entrusted to us. 
 I wished to say something on this important 
 matter, but I luive exceeded my limits and already 
 too long taxed your indulgence. I have now only 
 to pray that 3'ou will think over the Apostle's words, 
 and in your jiublic and your private life this year, 
 that you may ^'follow after the things that make for j^eace, 
 and things ivherewith one may edify another," that we 
 shall all work together as Christian men and women 
 should w^ork, ti'ying always to find out not how and where 
 we differ, but how and where we agree, and then I believe 
 our work, which will bo a labor of love in every sense of 
 the word, love for our common Lord and love for one 
 another, will prosper and progress, for we shall have the 
 Blessing of G-oa over us, and the Grace of Christ with us, 
 and the Holy Spirit in us.