IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TA??GET (MT-3) ^ «^ '^o <^ % / i/.x 4' 1.0 Iriia lllllM I.I L25 ! '^ IM III 22 H: 1^ ill 2.0 1.8 U IIIIII.6 & w /a / 'm e I ^'^ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^> V '^ \ \ o' 6^ % ^^ '% i" MP.. .R HAVE THE OOSrEL PREACHBB TO TBBM."— JWI. si. 6. HALIFAX : JAMES BOWES & SONS, HOLLIS STREET. 1807. NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS TO THE CONGREGATION or i( TRINITY CHURCH," HALIFAX, N. S. ' THE rOOn IIAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.'— JTaa. xi. 6. {^ ^ond when a call is made, and thus share the satisfaction of helping in so good a cause. The collec- tions this day I hope will shew, that you desire thus to be fellow helpers with them; and I trust on all future occasions the contri- butions will be such as to shew that you ^re sensible of the great boon which has been bestowed upon this community, in having such an edifice as this, free for ever, to the poor and the stranger for the .orship of their God. It^must be remembered, that while other Churches are gene- rally supported by the sale or rental of pews, no such source of revenue exists here. By the law of the land, "Trinity" must ever be free to all who enter these doors, and so should it be, like that Gospel which is without money and without price, offered to every believ- ing soul. But still, it 'is not reasonable that those who enjoy the prTvileges of holy worship in this place, should contribute nothing. Certain expenses must be met from week to week, and therefore all should be ready to contribute according to the ability which God has given them, like those who passed in and out of the Tem- ple of God at Jerusalem, and gave, some more and some less, into the Treasury of the Lord, opposite to which, you will remember, our Lord was one day sitting, and watching what each one put in, just as He looks down upon you to day, and will mark how you bestow upon him your goods, whether grudgingly and of necessity or as cheerful and thankful givers. While alluding to these matters it is 10 NEW YEAR S ADDRESS. most fitting that I should make grateful mention of that aged and venerable member cf our Church without whose munificent gift of$4000itis very doubtful whether at this moment this good work would have been accomplished. That noble donation power- fully stimulated others, and thus secured success. It is to be hoped that this respected individual, now verging to a century of years, while yet his eye is not dim, nor his natural force abated— may yet be spared for the further exercise of Christian liberality — and to see the fruit of his works. I had hoped to have seen him among us to-day, but he would not leave the Table of his Lord, whi'^h is spread at this time in his Parish Church. But his heart is with us, and he has taken a deep interest in this Church from the beginning, and is very thankful that his life has been pro- longed to see its completion. In this connexion let us not forget that two other individuals gave each S2,000, others $800 and $400, there being only 41 names in a list of S16, 000 — let us remember too that in our own oono-reo-ation numbering none of the rich ones of the land, between £500 and £600 have been subscribed, and I hope will be paid ere long, nor shouhl we omit to mention that in our Lord's estimation the willin '•offerinffs of the poorest are as acceptable as the largest gifts of the richest. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath. ^ Perhaps it may be necessary to mention here, for the informa- tion of some who may wonder why the ceremony of consecration is not performed to-day, that, according to custom, that ceremony is not used until the building is free from debt, or nearly so. But this Church is virtually consecrated to-day, by our united prayers and by the thankful aspirations of many hearts before me, which have ascended up on high. It is actually set apart now, from all unholy and profane uses, dedicated to the worship of the Hoiy, Blessed and glorious Trinity. Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth' has resound- ed for the first time to day, through the arches of this House of Prayer, together with those other glorious ascriptions of praise which the holy Church throughout the world has been offering froni age to age in every land. " Thou art the King of Glory, Christ," which has gone up in such pleasing melody on this blessed morning, we trust will be echoed by the voices of future generations, long after we have gone to our rest. And the Gospel of that same blcnsed Saviour, which it falls to my happy lot to be the first to proclaim from this place, we trust and pray may never cease to be heard while this house shall stand. That pure Gospel, which as our Saviour declared, is to be preached to the poor forever- -the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; that God was in Christ re- A.- NEW YEAR S ADDRESS. 11 Concilinnf the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them ; that being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ; that except a man be born again he cannot enter the Kingdom of God ; that the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, is necessary to turn our hearts to God and to sanctify our souls for ever ; that there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin ; that Christ has made one sufficient atonement for the sins of the whole world — and we_ are complete in Him. These and other kindred doctrines, which make up the blessed Gosp*^! of Christ, which have been handed down to us, and which only can bring life and salvation to our souls, I trust will continue to be preached, with simplicity and fervour in this place so long as one stone of it remains upon another. Here we have united for the first time to-day, in that beautiful Liturg;, .vhich has been tested and admired for ages — and which has this niorning been offered up in every clime. Far from us be for ever kept, those errors in doctrine, faith and practice, which have in former times disturbed the peace of the Church, and diluted the Gospel, and which are still creeping in and subverting the faith of many. God forbid that they should be preached here ; God forbid that the faith for which our Bishops and Martyrs suffered at the stake, should ever be denied in this place. I who am addressing you to- day am but a poor and unworthy preacher of that most holy faith ; but such as 1 have, I would give unto you. I desire to know nothing among you, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I desire, as long as God gives me strength, to declare Him unto you as the way, the truth, and the life, the all in all of your salvation — and to spend and be spent in his service, and in yours. While enforcing the duty and the privilege of celebrating all the ordinances of God's appointment, far from you and me be the error, of exalting the Sacraments above their proper place as means of grace. The one, as no " Sacrifice" but a memorial of the great Sacrifice of Calta- ry ; the other as the sign of the washing of Regeneration, and renewal of the Holy Ghost. In short, I desire to stand in the " old paths," to preserve the good old Church of England, in forms, and ceremonies as well as in teaching, such as we received them from our fathers. J. want nothing different, nothing better, and this I hope is the case with you. " Hold fast then the profession of your faith without wavering." To the law, and to the testimony be ever our appeal, — not to the traditions of men — ever looking unto Jesus, as every thing to your souls, his blood as your only plea, his robe of righteousness as the only one worth having. This day which begins the Church's year, well coincides with the beginning of Divine services in this place, and suggests to us solemn thoughts, — thoughts of him who is to ( ome again to judge the quick and dead, — who, as related in the Gospol of to-day, cast I Ig NEW year's address. out all Liiat profaned his House of prayer, — thoughto of the day sure to come " ,vhen we must all appear before the Judgoment seat of Christ," when earthly Sanctuaries will be closed for ever, and there will remain none but the Holy of Holies above. When Christ the Almighty judge will come to take account of his servants, and will say to them on his right hand, " Come, ye bless- ed of my Father," and to them on his left, " Depart, ye cursed." God forbid that this last should be addressed to any who are here to-day. May He grant that thio House may be the gate of heaven to us all ; that none be missing then, who are here now; that the poor among us who may resort to these courts from time to time, may turn out to be rich towards God ; — that the stranger and the wayfaring man for whom a place is provided here, may no longer be strangers to God, but through its instrumentality may find a place provided for him there, a home " in the House not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." May such be our blessed portion, when this short life is ended, and the Second Advent is actually upon us. And to the blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be honor and glory forever." I sliall add to this extract from my sermon but little more. But I must remind you of the abundant causes of thankfulness which we have in this favored land. While elsewhere, in the last two years, wars and commotions have raged, we have been blest with peace ; "hile famine has prevailed in some countries, especially in India to the loss of 2 millions and a half of lives, we have been favored with more than a sufficiency for the wants of our people. While pestilence has swept away its hundreds of thousands, — we have had it only within sight of us, and have seen it pass on to other lands, leaving indeed, its sad marks behind in the graves of our citizens, and the deposit of hundreds of poor foreigners beneath our soil. While conflagrations and hurricanes, and earthquakes, and explosions have been heard of by us, our country has been mercifully spared. Surely for all this, wo ought to praise our gracious God And then, how many and how rich are our civil and religious privileges still continued to us. Clmrches, and "Bibles, and Ministers to spread and maintain the light of the blessed Gospel in our midst ; edu- cation brought within the reach of the poorest. "What shall we rentier unto the Lord for all his benefits," should bo the eager enquiry of each one among us. And remember the best return is to "shew forth His praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, giving up ourselves to his service, and walking before Him in holiness and righteousness all our days." Be this more and more your endeavour. li NEW YE\kl S ADDRESS. In O I trust you will aim at a larger measure of holiness ; and in order to this, cultivate with increasing earnestness all means of grace. Let nothing but impossibility keep you from God's House, not waiting, either, for the shades of night, if you can come in the blessed morning, so that you may indeed feel that you do not keep back any part of the day from God. And while I trust you need not be told, that unless you *' worship Him in spirit and in truth" your service is empty and worthless, let me remind you, that every churchman, woman, and child, has a part assigned them in the Sanctuary. The responses should be far louder than they are. There should be a hearty, loud Amen, and not a timid whisper. You will thus shew that you are at work ; you will animate yourselves, your minister, and your fel- low worshippers, and the stranger coming in, will be constrained to feel that " God is with us of a truth," — May I beg your special attention to this ? Then again let me once more implore you, who are not yet communicants, to neglect that important duty and blessed privilege no 1 ;nger. I cannot feel satisfied while so many habitually turn their backs on the Lord's table, as if He had not said in the last hours of his loving life, " This i/O in remembrance of me." Be reminded, that it is as much a com- mand as any of the Ten, even more touching, as being a dying injunction, — and also, that it is a fruitful privilege — " for the strengthening and refreshing of the soul." Moreover, it is •designed not for saints made perfect, nor for sinless angels, but for poor sinners. If we feel ourselves such, and bewail it, and resolve to amend our lives, we have the best elements of fitness for that Holy table. The bread and the wine indeed, are not to be adored, as if they were the very body and blood of Jesus, and as if the sacrifice of the Cross, was to be repeated every time we partake. They are not changed by any mysterious power of the Priest, or by any words he may utter, — they remain bread and wine still. They are simply memorials of the Saviour's sacrifice, blest only to " the faithful" in the receiving. To such there is indeed a " real presence" of Christ, but spiritually in the heart; and you must receive the Holy communion when possible, if you would claim to be joined to Christ. Come then, beloved, in larger numbers than ever. Come, for all things are ready. Life is ebbing away ; you may not be hero " next time." Scatter your vain pleas to the winds, lleraember, no excuse will be sufl&cient unless it will pass in the .Judgment day. If my counsel can 14 NEW YEARS ADDRESS. help you, you knew how freely you can command it. Come, not for confession, but for guidance, and tell me all your doubts. We ought, instead of 150 eomni'inicants in " Trinity." to have at least double that number. Then again my friends read your Bibles, I entreat you, more than ever, at least every morning and evening, a purtion, however short, and read with prayer for the Spirit's all essential help. And above all, let private prayer be your unfailing practice, at least twice a day. This lies at the very root of the matter of your personal religion. Your spiritual life depends upon it. Nor should an hour of the day pass witliout " the upward glancing of the eye when none but God is near." Swift-winged thought niay ascend, you know, from the midst of household work, from the workshop, from the office, from the counter, and from the very street itself, amid the busy crowd. Then again is the duty of family prayer, incumbent on every head of a household — full of benolit at the time — and of future blessing to each member of the family, long after parents are laid low. Oh that I could sec God thus honored in every house. That house would be surely blest of Him in return. How good, if in place of the unhallowed sounds which shock our ears, as we traverse tlie streets, at morn and eve, the passer by could hear the voice of prayer and praise ascending up to the God of all the families of the earth. May the Lord hasten the time ! There is another exercise of prayer which I fear is too much neglected on all sides. Too many fiiniilies of professing christians sit down to the meal which God has piovid- cd for them, and got up from it, without a word of prayer for a blessing at first, or of thanks afterwards. If such is the godless practice of any who read this, I hope it will be so no longer. The two short words "thank God" if coming from the heart, will not be lost on the family circle, nor despised by the great Provider for every want. If thus, dear brethren, you begin, continue and end your days, making rolii^ion to leaven all your every-Jay emplnynjonts and conversation, and associations, you will do well fur your own souls, and by the light of your example shining before men, they also may be led to " glorify your father which is in heaven." Let that be the aim of us all, " The life wo are now living iu the flesh, let us live by faith in the Son of God," As parents, husbands, wives, children, brothers and sisters, maslei\s and servants, rulers and ruled, let it be our endeavour to fulfil every NEW YEAR S ADDRESS. 15 social and relative duty to the glory of God, and the welfare and happiness of each other, remembering the account we are soon to give. The experience of every year shews us the great uncertainty of life and all the world can give. Many of us have been called to mourn the loss of some one dear to our hearts. Wo have not had it all sunshine in the past, and we must not expect it to be unclouded in the future. Who are marlced out for the call to Eternity in the present year, neither you nor I, nor angel nor archangel can tell. Let us all then awake from the slumber of sin and carelessness, let us watch and be sober — the night is far spent and the day is at hand, and now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The present moment flies And bears our life away. Lord make thy servants truly wise. That they may live to-day. Since on this winged hour, Eternity is hung, Awaken, l)y tliy mighty pow'r, The aged and the young. And now my dear people, young and old, of all sorts and conditions, accept the best wishes, for your present and eternal welfare, of Your affectionate Pastor, J. C. CoCIlRAN. Halifax, Jan. 18G7.