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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de I'angle supdrieur gauche, do gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I ^UJi' )t^ Toronto Public Library. ■« >* , Reference Department. THIS BOOK MUST NOT BETAKEN OUT OF THE ROOM V I V ^n TUX FQUNDATIUX AND CONSTITUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN xMINISTRY «|# 4lko 7HE GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE MINISTERIAL CHARACTER AND DUTIES COMStDERED |N AN 0RDIJV.4TWJV SERMOJV PIIEACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF QUEBEC ON SUNDAY yarn JULY 1826, BY THE REV. G. J. MOUNTAIN, D. D. AnCHDEACON OF QUEBEC, RECTOR OF QUEBEC, AND EXAMININa CHAPLAIK • TO THE LORD BISHOP OF QUEBEC. WITH REFERENCES AND NQTES. 1 t FUBPSHED BV TARTICULAB DESIRE OF THE GENTLEMEN ORDAINED. *:•■:■■ -3-. « When the day appointed bv the Bishop is come, after Morning Prayer j» f ndedthere ^^«u?ch or Ch^.st and a.so ^^^^^^^^^^.^o'l '^FoZT^'^ZZ:'''' V De SammAreiquamaUis persnadere volo P'-- ^«^ -^ -f^gj^r' "' iuin«" QUEBEC : PRINTED AND SOLD BY NEILSQN & COWAN BOOKSELtERS AND STATIONERS, NO. 3, MO"NT-lN JTIV«»T, 1826. ..Jidp .^ wa.- •■" r^ ~,y t)\1)ia SEP 2 71932 '^^ h TO THE HONORABLE & RIGHT REVEREND CHARLES JAMES, LORD BISHOP OF QUEBEC: THIS SERMON 15 NOW, BY HIS PERMISSION. INSCRIBE ■With SENTIMEHTS OF ItESrECT AND ESTEEM ^Vbicu are here left to be usderstood AND WHICH THE ORDlNARy FOUMS OF DEDICAT.OK, If TAKEN IN THEIR CURRENT VALUE AND SV.POSKB TO AV.I .' OK- ly IN THEIR FORMAL SENSE, Would moot imperfectly convey, By HIS OBLIGED, AND TAnHFUL. HUMBLE SeRVAVT. THE AUTHOR. vmi '^m^^ ADVERTISEiMKNt. « CONSIDERABLE portion of the following Sermon is substantially and often verbfitim the same with one which was preached by the Au- thor at the last Visitation of the late Bishop of this Diocese at Montreal^ and of which both his Lord- ship and the Clergy honoured him so far as to de- sire the publication. The yea 'ons for which he then ventured to excuse himself have been since stated in an Advertisement prefixed to a Sermon preached before the Diocesan Committee of the Snr.iet?/ for promolinf^ Cfiristinn Knozc- ledge in 1822, and afterwards published, — namely " that the Sermon in question formed part of a Se- " ries addressed to the Author's first flock, which if he ** should enjoy sufficient leisure for the task, he might " possibly one day revise, and prepare for the press." That leisure he has never yet enjoyed, and has so little prospect of enjoying that he will not again re- fuse himself to a desire which he has so much reason to respect ; but gives his Sermon to the public as well in dutiful and atfectionate remembrance of the past expression of this desire, as in thankful acknow- ledgement of its repetition, — and only prays that it may be instrumental to that good which has been anticipated by the indulgent judgement of his biie- thren. Upon the "pi-esent occasion, his particular thanks are due to the Rev. Messrs. J. Gribr and W. Ab- bott, Priests, and T. Creen and R. Elms, Deacons, for the very handsome manner in which their re- Qiiest was conveved. '"Tf?!^'' ilf^^^WHSHi ' "i^ iWif . r\mmmm'm I I CRMOiV, &0. MjTTjf. V. i:i.— !«.— " Ye arc the Sa/t oft/ir Karlh '^but if the Sail have lost its savour, ichcreioith shall it be salted F'—it is thenceforth good for nothingtbut to be cast oat and to be trodden under fool of men. — Ye are the light of the icorld. A CUij that is set on an hill cannot be hid. — Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlcstieh, audit giv eth the light unto all that are in the house. — Let j/our light so shine before men that the// may see ymr good zcorks and glorify ijour lather which is in J/eaien. X HESE words are the words of Jesus Christ. — They were spoken by tlie Son of God upon earth. — They are recorded as his words, by inspired writers, that we may receive them with the same reverence, with tlie same feeUng of obligation to hearken and obey, as if we heard them uttered by his holy lips.— They are capable of an application to all ('hristians — for all true Christians, — all who seriously propose to their own minds to be followers of Christ, — are to re- gard themselves as called out from an unthink- ing and disobedient world, and cjiarged, within the range of their influence and example, to cure its corruption, and to remo\'e its ignorance of God. They are, therefore, in a qualified sense, the Salt of the Earth, and the Light of the World. — They are destined to act upon tlie m^ass with a purifying and corrective influence, and, by their consciousness of a trust re})osed in them, by their circumspection, by tlieir concern for Religion, and, above all, by the good effects un- avoidably and plainly resulting from Chri,t«tian ' !| 1 1 |-nincij)l('N ihI r(>t'lin<'s, — to roconinuMid the lailh which lliey profess aiul make the Ciospel altraelive to iiuiiikiiul. Blt, If sucli he the task of all Christians who are Christians in earnest,— in how much higher luid more awful an acceptation does the text ap- ply to those who arc expressly consecrated and exclusively set apart to tlie Service of God!— lo them it is that the words are specially addressed— to them the charge is given by their Master, that they must produce an etfect upon the v/orld, — nuist work a clianu;e upon mankind,— to them the warning that if their efhcacy for these purposes be lost^, they are ht only ;' to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men." It is in this, which appears to be the proper and direct ap])lication of the words,— their ap- plication to the oHice and duty of the Chrtshan Minister.-^iWdi I i)ropose now to pursue the subject which they ])resent, and which divides itself under two distinct heads of enquiry. — 1 propose to clear the way by considering the nature, origin and constitution of the Christian Ministrv ; and to proceed thence to the examina- tion of \he oi)ject for which such a Ministry is apirointed,— the part which they are to sustain in human Society,— the duties which they are to discharge, — and the manner in which they are to execute their task. First, tlien, we are to consider what the Office is— how it originated— whence its powers are dcri\xHl and hmv comcyed — tvho and xchaf, in short, are this disthict Order of persons who are described as the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the AV Olid. ^MlT^ WL^^L { 'i ') The essence of Religion is its eO'ect u\)on live heart and life, and its infiiience upon the man- ners of the world, — but these fruits will not spontaneously spring up and come ' perfection: there must be labourers continually to sow the seed, and to watch it in all the stages of its growth There must be some outward marks to denote, as it were, to the eye, and some appointed remembrancers to perpetuate all insti- tutions in which men are parties concerned. — The Waters of Life could never be meant to be poured loosely abroad, once for all, and thus to waste themselves over the world, — there must be a known reservoir in which they are collected, and a regular channel by which' tliey are con- veyed and dispensed. — For these necessities the Divine Author of our Religion has expressly provided.— He has instituted a visible Church, the depository of his Dor*^" ines, the " Witness and keeper of Holy Wri- '^has beciueathed the Sacraments of Bap ' 'he Supper, as tokens of r-mcmbrance, ; ' g Ordinances of Grace ; — he has solen.. nissioned an Order of Men, — em])owering tiicm to administer these Sacraments,— to preach the Word of Life, and to guidvhat we believe is that the original Cathohc Church of Christ was framed and cemented to- gether as one Society under one form of Govern- ment which is our own, — the succession of the Ministry so provided ibr, — tiie barriers of the Sanctuary so secured against promiscuous intru- sion, and the foundation of discipUue so laid: — And what we lament is, that in consequence of the lawless usurpation over the whole Western Church by the Bishops of a particular City, and the many monstrous evils connected with it, which made a rupture in the Church plainly and impe- riously necessary,* — the original order of things was broken- through in some branches of the Reformation ; and the cause at large thus essen- tially weakened and distracted :— In the second place, — although we caniot, — certainly we cannot, — avoid thinking that this deviation from the Primitive Church exists in * The Author, under the particular cirtumstar es of this country, is anxious in the extreme to avoid all needless offence, but all Protcstanti must of course entertain this view of the subject, or they would cease to be i'roteslanls, and therefore there ran be no offence in staling it. — There are indued Roman Catholic Writers, particularly Flcury, who, although tiiey deny the iiecessi/i/ of the consequence, and refuse lO admit any corruption in doctrine, have stated the case itself in general terms little short of those which are here tinploved. B ; r I "%■ ( 10 ) some branches of the ReformatioL, even where there is a standing Order of National Clergy,*— and that with respect to those Sects, properly so called, which have formed themselves mto sepa- rate religious communities, their Mmistry is purely factitious and without warrant that can be shewn of divine authority,—altho' we wish and pray that all Churches might be united in the antient and regular bcmd of Episcopal Com- munion,— yet, far from despising or seeking to dem-ade, we love and respect other Churches ; we pray God to forgive and correct any faults of our own which may impede the return ot those who have gone out from us, and we wil- lino-ly believe that His blessing and grace may attend even a ministry in all points of view irre- gular, where there is a sincere intention to serve him, t and to promote the salvation of Souls, (still maintaining, however, that the general evils of Schism infinitely overbalance any such prrti- cular good :)— And far from teaching any man to rely upon supc.ior privileges m the sight ot God, simply because he is a member of our Communion, we should be the foremost to warn him ao-ainst sucli a reliance, and to say to him in the'words of the Prophet, *' Trust ye not in lying words, saying: T\e temple of the Lord,''— it was the temple of the Lord all the while, but a false and dangerous reliance was ""^hosc. however, who would strain the point so far as absohUely to 7nd!if}/ the Minis*?v of all Heligious Communities which are not Episcopal, will findiV hard ?o reconcile such a doctrine with the 23d Art. of our own ^"5" There are crrtain difficulties soir.etimcs felt, such for f^fample as the nuestionabie validity of Baptism administered by irregular hands, for tho Sief of which a precedent Lms to be established even under the rigours of the Law- ''But Hezekiah prayed for them saying, The good Lord pardon every one thsiprepareth his heart to seek God. the Lord God of his 1 aiher . thoSh he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary. ^ Chron XXX. v. 18 & 19. At the same time it would be a most dan- i:Su?perv rs?on of this precedent to convert it into « P'-"lf/f,;«^^ ^^J: fant for irregularities, or an excme for them when founded in no ne- (.-essity. I ( 11 where gy>*— lerlv so tosepa- istry is lat can ^'e wish nited in x\ Com- ?king to urches ; y faults iturn of we wil- ace may lew irre- to serve >f Souls, eral evils ch p; fti- any man sight of r of our ; to warn y to him : ye not i of the d all the mce was lUelyto mdlifi/ Episcopal, will [. of our own xample as tlie hands, for the the rigours of i Lord pardon of his Fathers, le Sanctuary." be a most dan- meditated war- ided in no ne- j I M 1 placed upon the circumstance of connection with it, — " the temple of tlie Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,... are these,'* ... but ''thoroughly amend your ways and your doings :" — In the third place, — ^ the question res- pecting Church Government and the title to the Ministry, were a question relating to things purelj/ indifferent, as it is regarded by those who claim, on account of their so regarding it, to be liberal,— there could in fact be Httle real libera- lity in treating them as indifferent. There is no great liberality in being temperate and disposed to concession about things which are confessedly of no moment. — True Liberality should rather appear in preserving our discretion and Christian love at the same time that we are called upon to maintain our conscientious conviction of the Truth, with constancy of purpose and with ear- nestness of mind : — In the fourth place, supposing our belief to be a prejudice, we claim privilege of shelter un- der the common Liberality, and have surely as much right to be attached to our own principles, as some" others to the principles which prompt them to dissent from us. — We must either differ from their dissent and think them wrong, or else condemn ourselves : — And in the last place, supposing that our belief upon these points is Jiot a mere prejudice, but is right — supposing that our opinion is well- founded and true,— then there is an end of all imputation upon our liberality — for it would be a strange Liberality w^hich would exact the sa- crifice of Truth. m ( I' ) This, then, is the point to which we m(is|. draw the enquiry.— We nuist endeavour to shew by what reasoning we can support our pre- tensions ; by what authorities and arguments we can make good the assertion, to be seen in our Prayer book, that " it is evident To *' ALL MEN DILIGENTLY BEADING THE HOLY " Scripture and antient authors, that from " the Apostles' times there hath been three " Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church," the Orders of " Bishops, Pr[ests and Dea- " CONS," whicli we retain.'^ But still as we approacli more closely to oiu' point, we see some objections to be first answ^er- ed, some prepossessions to be removed.— Let us beffin with these : — A prejudice is raised against us because we hold this F.piscopal succession in common with a Church against whose authority, practices and doctrines, by the very distinctive name ot our profession, we protest ; we receive these deri- ved powers through that Channel :— if these powers, then, resided in that Church, how could we cast off her authority, u})on any principle which will not equally justify all separation from ourselves ? * This general principle having been first aist'"Ctlv laid Article of Religion has been construed as ff ""'f ^ '?/"^^;. U,e notions of the Chri-^tian Church and Ministry, but he efe enc^, ,u^5;c.ited to the above-mentioned publication will s«rve bufliciently to ,<;rr'ect any iutli conilruciioii. I i i 13 ) to shew 3ur pre- guments be seen ^ENT To E HOLY [AT FROM ^,N THREE Church," Dea. ly to our \i answer- Let us cause we mon witli ctices and ne of oiu' hese deri- —if these low could principle ition from down, the Pre- lie rule that no ergyman of the ion or Consfcra- ) shew that the ity of Episcopal old ActoJFnr- e and unsettled Tiong the ruling iction upon the le Letter to Mr, 12, p. 163& seq. ourable to such jt the reference e aufficiently to 4 The objection is perhaps specious, but whei) Weighed in the balance, it amounts precisely to this : That if the branch of the ancient Catho- lic Church in Britain, — vdiich existed and had upwards of twenty Diocesan Bishops of its own long before the intrusion of those enuosaries who afterwards brought her under the yoke of Rome,* — had a right to revert to her original purity and independence, — therefore it must follow that it is lawful to set up at pleasure and without res- trictioii, doctrines, ministries and modes of wor- ship belbre unheard of upon earth ; and that men, (as the Avorld really seems last learning to think,) have nothing to do but to cut out the plan of a religions Society agreeably to their fancy, and to" fabricate a Ministry as they shall agree upon ; — and this is completely to consti- tute a Christian Church ! But as to another part of the objection — if what is pure and right in Religion is only to be measured by our distance from the Church of Rome, and we are to discard every thing which we hold in common with her, — we can never stop till we have eased ourselves of Christianity itself. — We must begin with Baptism, and the Christian Sabbath— we must go on to the doc- trines of the Trinity, and the atonement, and all the fundamental articles of our Faith — and finally w^e must abjure the Scriptures themselves, which, — although without much obligation toiler good- will in tliis point, — we have received tlirough the channel of that Church.— There were seve- * This and other points connected with the argument are in a small compass very satisfactorily established and sustained by incontrovertible authorities, in a publication which was printed in 179S, at Newfield, U. S., in the shape of ananswe. from Dr. Smith toa lettor from ^Alr. Blotchford-- Among recent publications see the Tracts of the learned iJishop ot St. David's, (now of Salisbury) and Hale's Origin, Purity and Independence r/ the ancient British Church. M 11. •^ y .ld have reminded their antagonists that the validity of infil.sh Ordi- Sons has been ably defended by Roman Catholics ihemselvc. ti i IS ! ( 1^^ ) not expressly iiistittited, in so many words, in the Bible : The Bible, as we all hold, is the foundation of our Religion, and contains all things necessary to Salvation : — Therefore we are msisting upon that which is not binding upon Christians. This objection may also have a plausible ap- pearance—but it is replete with fallacies which it is not difficult to expose. And first : The Bible itself as we receive the canonical Scriptures which compose it, " was compiled and sanctioned by an assembled body of Ecclesiastics of the Episcopal Order.t"— The Canon, therefore, which fixes the genuine books of Scripture, stands very near the foundations of Episcopacy ; and if we shake one the other will bescin to tremble too. Sf.condly : — Is God tied down to one means ! — Has he not, besides giving us the Scriptures, appointed external Sacraments in his Church ? — Why then should he not have regularly com- missioned a succession of men to minister in holy things ? — Where is the difference between the cases, with reference to the sufficiency of Scripture to our Salvation ? — If there can be no such connnissioned Order of men, as we con- tend for, because the Scriptures are sufficient to Salvation, then upon the same grounds we must reject the use of t^ie Sacraments also.— But cer- tainly, — it will be answered,— the Sacraments are more distinctly ordained in Scripture, than the Constitution of the Church. — True— but the Sacraments themselves prove a Church, as well as a Bible, provided for us. — We must re- * Smith's Answer to Blotchford, mentioned in the note upon pf»{»e 1 ">. ( l(^ ) ll .'II ceive these Sacraments from the hands of pei- sons who have authority to administer them. — Who then are those persons ? — how are we to ascertain their title ?--how was it transmitted ? where did it begin ?— We must go up to the fountain-liead to iind it, and we must trace its conveyance through legitimate steps all the way. It is plain that it cannot lawfully take 9; com- mencement at any intermediate point. The truth is that persons who advance these objections from the sufficiency of Scripture, do not act upon them themselves.*— No Sect ever yet endeavoured to leave its own members to the impressions which they might individually re- ceive from the bare letter of the Bible, without guide or help from habits of Education or pecu- liar doctrines impressed. — And if such a fning were practicable, — as unquestionably it is not, — a person so studying the Bible would not make out any thing at all resembling the Christian dis~ pensation. — He would be in the condition of the Eunucli reading the Prophet, to whom Phillip said, " Understandest thou what thoii readest ? — How can I, except some man should guide ine ?" — The Bible indeed bears evidence upon the face of it that Teachers are to go with it, and that it is often to be understood by compa- rison with things without. — Gro to a people who never heard of Christ. — Cast Bibles among them in their own tongue as fast as they can gathei" them up. — Will they, (un'ess it should please God to work a miracle in their favour,) arrive at a right knowledge and a proper use of Scrip- tural Truths ?" — *' How can they hear without a Preacher ? — And how can he preach except hf BE SENT ?" — i. e., surely, how can he take the Office upon him, except he has some authority reo'ularlv derived, — That the Bible, — which it is ( 17 ) of pel" hem. — 2 we to nitted ? to the •ace its lie way. 9; com- e these ure, do ^vev yet > to the lally re- without a tiling s not, — ot make jtian dis~ m of the 1 Philhp readest ? Id guide ce upon with it, i compa- 3ple w^io >ng them n gather id please r,) arrive of Scrip- without XCEPT HF take the authority 'hich it is » the duty of all men to search, and the comfort of the faithful to study, — that the Bible con- tains all things which are necessary to Salvation, is true. It is also true that all things iiecessary to Salvation are there plain to mean capacities — but not without some clue previously given. — There are many things in Scripture which would be now totally unintelligible without the lights of History and the knowledge of local Customs. — And, what is more directly to our purpose, — there are standing observances in the Christian Church, in which all national Churches, and some in which all Sects whatever concur, and which they hold to be binding, — whicli rest, — precisely like the doctrine which we are now maintaining, — not upon any express Sriptural command^ — not upon any distinct a7id authoritative institution of the Word of God, — but upon casual Scriptural notice^ compared with the early and cojitiniied practice of the Universal Church, and settled in its meaning, hy this comparison. Such are the observance of the First Day of the week, and the ])ractice of Infant Baptism. — We repeat it, that the observance of the Christian Sabbath, and the practice of Infant Baptism rest upon the same ground as Episcopal Church Govern- ment and the Apostolic Ordiiiance of Confirma- tion, which is also rejected by many of those who have rejected Episcopacy. — It was rather a bold experiment, and it has proved one of hurt- ful consequence, to resort in cases left without explicit direction in Scripture, — not to the ascer- tained and undeniable usages of the early Church, but to the ingenuity of independent interpreta- tions, made at the distance of many ages from the first introduction of the practice in dis- pute. .m^\ # T ( 18 ) We must not take it uU upon trust that in the Gospel itself there are no traces of Church tio- vernment and discipline, or of any provision for the regular succession of the Ministry.--The fact is quite otherwise.-The Pf «.«g«J J''"^'' ;^; late to these points, compared, in the manne. which we have been just considermg, with the Tubsequent practice of the Church, are such as we may venture to pronounce perfectly conclu- ^ve.-^f these passages I shall ^'^'f * °"ly. ,; part.-The solemn commission S'^^" *» *^„^1 ' postles. we have had occasion already to tonsi- ^er. As soon, then, as they were endued with power from on high, for the effusionof wh ch they Ld been directed to wait, we find in the account of their proceedings, the Origin of the three Orders of t'lie Clergy—They ordained the seven Deacons of the inferior Order, who are mentioned by name,* and who as we find from the example of Philip, were authorised to admi- nister baptism and to preach. t-.Paul and Barna- bus ordained Elders or Presbyters m eveiy Church.t-These were the Ordinary Mmisteis and Preachers of the Gospel..-and the name has come down, with the Order-for the word I nest is formed, in passing through different languages from Presbyter, v.hich in Greek signifies an i/- rfer.-A person in Priest's Orders, therefore, and an Elder are one and tlie same thing.-Samt Peter accordingly addresses the Elders as those who "feed and have the oversight of the flock; -Saint Paul speaks of them as those who la- bour in the word and doctrine." fd chargers them in the Acts, " to take heed to th^ flock over which the Holy Ghost hath maw._ *em Overseers, and to feed the Church of God. -Ut the Order of Bishops superior to Presbyters, and invested with superior powers, (besides the Ap- ,111. .', .ml 35, usq,,. ».l Smm. t .Arts «■«. !■ >■ Acts VI. f Acts hat in the lurch Go- ►vision for try.-The which re- e manner ;, with the re such as Iv conclu- !et only a to the Ap- y to consi- e endued m of which find in the gin of the •dained the ', who are 2 find from 3d to admi- and Barna- in every Y Ministers le name has vord Priest languages, ifies an El- irefore, and ing. — Saint ers as those the flock -," i who " la- nd charges th*^ flock mac.- them God."-Of ibyters, and ies the Ap- \ Acts XIV. i'.5. I ( ^9 ) pobtles, whose Office was in so many respects extraordinary and pecuUar,) we find particular examples in Timothy and Titus.— The word Bis?iop yvhich signifies simply an Over seer y* and the word Presbyter or Elder, are indeed used in- terchangeably in the New Testament to describe the same Office, as we apply the word Clergyman to Ecclesiastics of every rank. — But mark what a consequence will follow from the argument, — an argument which, has been made the foundation of changes in the Constitution of the Church of Christy — that there is therefore no distinction of Office. — Where we find the word Minister m the New Testament, which is frequently applied to the Apostles themselves, the word in the origi- nal is Deacon. — If we would prove therefore from the application of the word Bishop to ordi- nary Pastors that there must be no such superior Office as that to which we now apply it, we shall be driven to the inevitable conclusion that there is no distinction between the Apostolate and the Deaconship ! The question is not a question of names, which were plainly then taken in an unre- stricted and variable application, but of Offices and Grades in the Christian Ministry. — After the death of the Apostles, (though during the life of Saint John who survived the rest,) the Governors of the Church, succeeding with re- duced powers to their places, abstained from the name of Apostles, — assumed that of Bishops, which accordingly became the fixed title of those who ordain, confirm, and govern, and thus dis- tinguished themselves from the second Order to whom the title of Preshijter was once for all as- signed, as was that of Deacon to the third, or Order of Assistants. — Let us consider the func- • Episcopos is sometimes so rendered in our translation.— There is an ex- nrnple ir the passage just cited from the Actsxx. 28. I I I' tions exercised by Timuthy and Titus, who, Uhoujrh they werb Evangelists aud theietore no pe HKUien in one exclusive charge, yet Sbrd a cleir example of the «yf -;:»^ P^^^^^^^^ pie of Government introduced mto the Chuiches then forming over the world*. Timothy was sent to Ephesus to ordain 7nore Presbyters, because though it appears that there were Presbyters there, they had no i)ower to ordain without the Bishopt ;-he was set over the house of God ^-was to consecrate liesby- ters by imposition of hands ; to admit others in the same way to the Order of Deacons ; to command and ti,.xch u^ilh authority/ ; to charge others to teach no doctrine but such as they had received /-to regulate the maintenance of 1 res- byters -—to receive accusations against tliem and judicially to pass sentence upon the case ; and lastly - the things xvhicli he had heard trom Saint " Paul, the same he was to commit to taithtul *« men who should be able to teach others also or in other words, he was to constitute a succes- sion of ecclesiastical persons, and to send them to the work with power again to send others, as he had huaselfbeen sent by the Apostle,-tlie Apos. tic by Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ by God the Pacher —It is one continued stream from the source of all power in Hea^ en and in Earth.-As the Father hath sent me, says Christ himself, even so send I you.-He received power to delegate them-he save them power to delegate others.- Titus also was left in Crete, where there were , o.„,up P-eface to Epist : Tit: of the oxccllent, candid, and deeply lenrn^^d WhitbJ! S'ch S.ibics an invaluable con.pendium of tfns >vhole + Tho succession of Bishops constituted at Ephesus, reckoning from T.llth; in w£o .person it co'm.nenced. had amounted to the number of iSy .cvcii at the time of the Counil of Chalcedor.. I is, who* J to re not irge, yet d princi- Jhurches loin more luit there power to 5 set over 5 Presby- lit others icons ; to :o charge they had 3 of Pres- them and :ase ; and from Saint :o faithful h.ers also" ; a succes- id them to lers, as he -the Apos- y God the from the larth.— As mself, even :o delegate e others.— here were idid, and deeply m of this whole reckon ing from o the number of ! I c '^1 ; already Presbyters, Cdpresslij to " oi or Presbyters in every City •," ia set ordain EklevR in order the things which were wanting, and to exercise other specihc Acts of episcopal jurisdiction.— There are other passages of Scripture which throw light upon the subject,* but these may be sufficient for our purpose.— Prophets and other giftetl persons were raised up in those times to meet the exigencies of the infant Church, but these three are the stantling Orders, admitted by imposition of hands and having their respective duties assigned to each.— Tlie words of our Sa- viour Christ, *' Wiiose sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and wliose sins ye retain they are retained,"— are still used in the convey- ance of autliority to the Presbyter, as manifest!}- forming a part of the perpetual connnission vest- ed in tiie Church.— There are some persons who conceive an alarm at the idea of Sin remitted by onen-'hnt what then were they to whom the power was, in these words, originally given ?— *' Sirs we are men of like passions with you," was their own statement upon a different occa- sion. — The fact is that the words are to be un- derstood of ecclesiastical discipline, for the pre- servation of purity within the Churcli,— not of an arbitrary power given to man. over the safety of his brother,s soul,— and they are easily and simply explain ed if they are considered as con- veying to the Christian Church the power of ex- cluding and restoring her offending Members, ♦ The Angelf, of the Churches mentioned in the Revelation were Bishops. — An Angel is one who h deputeU, a Messenger or person in charge of an embassy, and it, is agreed, 1 believe, on all hands that tliese Angels were Pastors or Overseers of some sort.— Now as there were many Pastors esta- blished in these Churches, long before the Revelation was written, and as the admonition or reprehension is addressed to the Angel, not the Angels of each Church, it is ditRcult to conceive that there was a Parity among them ail, — that there was no one of eminenceat the head of each particular Church. —See Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, B. vn. Sect. v. 1 ! I "■ .ss.-'" ■ c< , *r \f f with a promise that the L'onural exercise o thoi ity, (under the condition, of c oiirse, f her of ::r -["b^n^ ^^ti;:;^ shaH l. ratified 1 HeaN-enT f he poweV oi' the keys, the uutho- rity to hind and to 'oose, and the express du'ec- tion that those who woukl not hear the Chiircli, shoukl he excoirjnunicated from spu'itiial i)rivi- Ic-es, are among the very phiinest thnigs in ScTipturc,-and they are hud down as matter of Sne by our own Church in the twenty- third Art. Rei.*— Powers therefore are seated in the Churcli beyond any that she exercises :--- Powers wliich may be disused or broken by the laxity of the times ; by the coklness and decayed respect of her chihken ; by the torgetfulness, possibly, of her guardians,-or their horror ot approaching the former usurpatioii,-and above all, by surrounding confusion from the multiplici- ty of Sects,-but powers which, save by the voice of God who gave them, can never be annulled. The sort of relations to be established between the Clergy and their flocks, is clearly pointed out../rhe Clergy on their side, are orbidden to - lor lit oi-x ihe heritage ;"-they have the ex- ample of the Apostle,-and the passage deserves particular remark,-to disclnim dominion over ?HEiR 1 UTii, and to profess 'lemselves instead .* the helpers of their joy ;"-tlu^r hearers also are warned by Christ himself .gains that b md reliance whidi, if the Cleip should happen o be blind also, would lead "both into the ditch, and again, - call no man yo^^^T^'p .d> Ca Master upon earth," wovds which alkide to a common Jewish custom of taking opinions m- T^Fiiere may perhaps, be some -aders who .ill -member to h^ve^hen^^^^ this passage.-lt is taken from one ot a Se, es f J^^f " f^Jfj.^.ed in the upon the Festivals and Fasts, "-h^ch P"''^»1«J .^/^'l';"^^ ''^JS^.g^ C-thedrai at Quebec i.pon the J^trst day of Lent ever> sccona >ea W- ( ^^ ) vUcitlu from somo particular Doctor, and call- ing him Father or Master."-On the other liaiid. they are taught to pay a just reverence to the spuitual autliority of the Ruhng Powers ni the Church •— '' Obey them which have the rule over you . . . . for they watch for your souls."- A'miii • " We beseech you, brethern, to know . them which labour among vouand are over you in the Lord, and admonish you...and to esteem them very highly in Ion < for then- work s sake. These are some of the Scriptural notices of the first formation and discipline of the Churcli. -..Now, if it could be shewn that m spite cf the meaning which we attach to the foregomg pas- sages, the early-founded Churches were dt^er^ ently constituted, and a different external admi- nistration was received over the wor d, or that these Churches varied one from another in tins point,*-then we would admit that we arc to put a different construction upon such parts of .'scrip- ture ;-"0r, if we cannot do that, must be content to leave the subject mze^i^/rt/z^e^/.-But vvhen all this, too-ether with the retrospection of all inter- veiling ages, is undeniably in our favor; when modern Ecclesiastical Historians, themselves not Members of Episcopal Churches, give u: ac- counts of the different Bishops, in our own sense of the word, who were placed over the first Churches, some of whom were cotem^ orary with the Apostles themselves ;.-when we have the writings of some of these very Bishops in our hands, in which alsc the three Orders of the Clergy are distinctly and repeatedly mentioned ;t ■"MFhe inference ir resist lolv following from the uniform nnd undcviatinR settlement oHhe early Chnrchos is put in.o tne form of a regular syllo^.s-n % I'arUculnrly in ih. KtMs-.les of Ignati.is. wlu. was th. ci.>npre aiulfa.v,^ liar fritnd of the Apos-iles. ■ f>J :.f*\'*[^ 111 u ( 24 ) ...and when we know that Catalogues were pi-e^ served in the Churches, of the Bishops from the Apostles downwards :— when, so far from bemg an invention of aspiring and worldly men, the Episcopal Grade was then the post of danger, and the Bishops were singled out for Martyrdom and persecution* :-When for fifteen successive Centuries from the first inclusive, it was the rule invariably acted upon in all Christendom, that none but Bishops, tracing back their own power to the fountain-liead, could impart the power ot ecclesiastical functions,-.there are some who may be olad to exclude such testimony from being recSved,-but xve surely may account it of some weio-ht, and without making tradition our Rule of Faith, may be justified in saying that we dare not depart from such precedcnts.-Men indeed who have been the chief ornaments of Cluirches reformed upon other models, have yet given us their most unqualified approbation. " I am cer- tain," says .cu., .^y. the celebrated Grotius, - that the English Liturgy,— the ceremony of Contirma- tion,— Presbyteries consisting of Pastors only,— mtk many other things of a like Nature^-^are perfectly conformable to the usage of the Primi- tive Church —from which we must needs con- fess there is a departure both in France (among the Huffuenots,) and in Belgium,"! (m the Dutch reformed Church.)-Innmnerable are the passa- ees which might be cited from writers ancient and modern,."and among these last some remark- * See Barrow's first Sermon on IIeb. xni. 17—11 i. impossible ever to menUon these old writers, Barrow, Chillinpworth, Hooker, &<-•. and to t^ink o? the host of others who have .raced the Church of En? U|nd w .h^- out beine forciblv reminded of the felicitous application of a Scrip ural text b^^he kte Kin? in his conversation with Doctor Johrson._37..r. were niants in the earth in those day.i. t I am indebted for this quotation to Smith's answer to Blotcbford already mentioned. the ( '^-5 ): able confessions of Calvin himself*, and his chief colleague,) — to support the argument which we maintain, but let us content ourselves with add- ing the challenge of Hooker, the early and unanswerable champion of our Zion: ** WE - REQUIRE YOU," he says, *' TO SHEW " BUT ONE CHURCH UPON THE FACE '' OF THE WHOLE EARTH, THAT WAS " ORDERED BY YOUR DISCIPLINE, OR " NOT ORDERED BY OURS, THAT IS " TO SAY BY EPISCOPAL REGIMENT, " SITHENCE THE TIME THAT THE " BLESSED APOSTLES WERE HERE " CONVERSANT."— The same system was kept entire by the Vaudois or Waldenses t * Speaking of the Hierarchy of the Church of England, he says, "Let her enjoy that singular blessing of God which I wish may be perpetual to her."— (Smith's answer to Biotchford.)— He was afterwards, under an evident bias of circumstances, induced to change his sentiments, but. even then, he is found making this extraordinary and valuable concession, That " such duty ns the Consuls executed wiih regard to the Senate in the days of Heathen Rome, s'ich charge had the Bishops in the assembly of other Ministers."— See Hooker, B. VII. f " The Government of the Church," says Mosheim, in his Ecclesiasti- cal History, *' was committed by the Waldenses to Bishops, Presbyters and " Deacons, for they acknowledged that these three Ecclesiastical Orders " were instituted by Christ hitnself." The Church Governmentand Ministry of the Vaudois are atthisday of a mixed character, and the name of Bishop has been changed for that of Mo- derator. — The .Mt)derator, however, recently deceased, a man eminent for his learning and piety, professed to regard his Office as still virtually Epis- copal, and the same principles have been avowed by his excellent and respectable successor.— ;ln the correspondence which has passed between this interesting portion of the true people of God and the Societt/ ,for pro. motiug Christian Knowledge, they have expressed their regret that their mis- fortunes should have deprived them of regular Episcopal Government which they seem to have no hope oF recovering, otherwise than by the re-establish- ment of a College among themselves. Their Pastors are now educated in the Swiss Universities, whose Church discipline is framed of course upon the Geneva Model. — Their whole popuhjition, after the havoc of successive agei, does not amount to twenty- thousand souls, and surely it maybe hoped that the wealth and liberality of England will shake enoug' f its superflux to this small community to enable them to rise above thei fliculties, — The Pas- tors receive a small annual allowance from tlie lncor<>orat-*,d i^w.iet;/ ftr the Propagation of the Gospel, and a fund has been I»*t)y;formed in £r^land under the direction of some of the Bishops and oihiw; distinguished per.'^ons, to which soine dissenting communities have contributed, for the general relief of their distresses.— They have also received assistance from some foreign Powers, and the late Emperor of Russia and 'be,. King of Prussia contri- buted to the erection of an hospital which they i^rij endeavouring to estab lish. — See a Narrative of an Excursion to the I^Iountains of Piemonl &f., by the Rev. W. S. Gilly, a work in the hignost degree interesting ai..^ entertaining. Since the publication of the seccnJ Edition of that wo k, D 1 ^«'V 1: It '( 26 ) who in the vallies of Piemont, preserved a pure faith and worship, in spite of persecution, ior many centuries before the Reformation.-- i he same Church-Polity is seen at this day in the Greek Church, within the immense Empire ot Russia, and in that quarter where her miseues now reproach the Christian Powers who stand by as passive spectators of her struggle, or secretly minister strength to her foes;— the same Church Polity is seen in Africa among the Egyptian and Abyssinian Christians, and in all the shattered remains of the once flourishing Churches of the East.— With all their differences, they have al- ways concurred in a transmitted Episcopacy ; and disown alike the Supremacy of Rome, (ex- cept in some instances where they have yielded in later aees to persecution and intrigue,*)-- and the idea, which they treat as strange and almost incredible, of Parity in the EcclesiasUcal Order.t— We may venture probably to affirm that no man, let his prepossessions be what they will, expects in his inmost mind, that, whatever Christian Communities may po->sibly be yet brought to light in the obscurity of remote coun- tries, they will exhibit any other face than this. It is an encouraging circumstance, that in the Protestant World, that country which occupies the first place in the scale of Nations,— which sets example in so many things to the world,— which has been so marked an instrument in the hands of Providence for the promotion of the best interests of mankind,— which commands iii^T^nsion from the King of England to the Vaudois Clergy jhichhHd been suspended from 1797, after they had become subjects of the Govern- ^^i^^^:^^::^^?^^!^::^^^ Kd^-See a^o Bucha. • "%"'L?BSnan'rCh'Sian Researches and the account of East India Missions of The Sociel.i/for promolins Chrishan Knowledge. 1 I a pure ion, for 1.— The f in the npire of miseiies 10 stand secretly ; Church )tian and ihattered es of the have al- icopacy ; )me, (ex- e yielded Lgue,*) — mge and lesiastical to affirm vhat they whatever ^ be yet lote coun- than this. hat in the 1 occupies IS, — which B world, — lent in the ion of the commands lerpy which hid s of the Govern- •Seealso Bucha- nt of East India i ( '27 ) ?;uch incalculable resources, which possesses sd prodigious an extent of territory in such differ- ent and distant portions of the Globe,— That Country has interwoven with its Empire the reformed or rather res^orec/ Episcopal Church, — the venerable and illustrious Church to which we belong,— and has established Protestant Dio- ceses not only in these Provinces, but in Western and Eastern India, comprising vast and remote dependencies, which will one day, according to all human anticipations, be covered with a popu- lation of Christian Worshippers. The other Protestant Countries of Europe, of which the Churches are strictly Episcopal, are Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Lutheran Churches of Germany resemble the Episcopal Church in their form of Church Government, but their Superintendants are not regular Bishops. Among our neighbours in the United States the Church is most decidedly in a flourishing and increasing condition,* and the Moravians, ad- mitted to be the best Missionaries in the world, are a true Episcopal Society, who preserve and record with great exactness the succession of their Bishops.t * I cannot forbear from taking this opportunity of ackoowledginp; the pdr- ticular kindness which I personally experienced fromsevcralot my brelhern of the Cler.rv in the United States, chiefly at New \ork, durmg a detention of three weeks in that Citv and iieighbourhood.-I believe that they will permit me to apply to our intercourse the scriptural description that "we took sweet rounsel^Egether and walked in the House of God as h.ends. -If anyt^s- timonv to Their public character from an individual Clergyman in a Colon al Establishment could be of value to them, it should be freely and cordially given. + It is surely a thing for many and obvious reasons devoutly to be wished, hat a close and intimate connexion and correspondence should be established bo ween all the Churches here mentioned— And it niay at least be res- ectfnlly submitted to the higher authorities of the Church of England, whether^ommunicauons might not be opened towards the formation of a Society whi.h inij;ht bear bome such name as 2 h.c bocieh/ of Uemral Lpu- £,-)}-al CoinmuHion, ^■mt *f^ IS/ m 111 Such is the present state oi' Episcopacy in the world.* — Our ranks are not contemptible nor few. — Our prospects are neitlier discouraging nor dark.—" O pray still for the peace of our Jerusalem—they shall prosper that love thee." —But while we are thankful for the encou- ragement, we do not mean to make numbers or outward prosperity the measure of saved Truth. —The profession of the Christian Eeligion itself, occupies as yet but a small proportion of the world ; of that small proportion by far the greater part does not profess it in a pure state : and of those who outwardly profess it in its pu- rity, — alas ! how few are genuiiie disciples of Jesus Christ ! It is our Inisiness,— my Christian Brethren in the Ministry,— (I turn now to you, with the pardon of my* audience at large,t— and enter upon the second division of my subject, — name- ly,— the task of the Christian Minister, and the part which he has to sustain in human Society,)— it is our business to make them genuine disci- ples of Jesus Christ.— It is for this that the Church was constituted,— for this that the Ordi- nances were given,— for this that the Ministry was founded and its perpetuity secured.— It is for this that you to whom I particularly address myself, have this day been invested with your « I did i.ot Ihiiik it necessary »o ninkc special mention of the little com- munity of Scotch Episcopalians, of whom, however, Btshop Horiie said that thev were perhaps, in his time, the most primitive oranch of the Church 6f Christupon earth— Although not possessing the character of an Establishment, they may be considered as included in the Episcopal Church of the British Isles.— They have six Bishops. . ^ , , ., , . + As this Sermon wiUbe read by some persons m England, it may not be improper to observe, that the circumstances under which it was preached were different from those of a general Ordination at home ; the number ot persons ordained having been only two Friestt -^nd as many Deacons, and the Congregation in proportion extremely large, (for the Cathedral at tiuc bee is used also as the Parish Church. ) The instruction delivered, therefore, from the Pulpit was naturally accommodated to these circumstances, and a fuller attention was paid to that part of the Rubric which directs the P-eachtr to shew koru necessary the Orders of the Clergy are in the Church theye-v'c r}:ght ir.estefm them .'"'"?"• Vjrce. \ C'lrut, ana ;;:i-" i Mil the ale nor iraging of our : thee." encou- bers or . Truth, n itself, I of the far the e state : 1 its pu- iples of brethren with tlie d enter — name- and the :iety,)— ne disci- that the he Ordi- Ministiy i.— It is T address ith your he little com- 3 Home said jranch of the aracter of an copal Church it may not be was preached ihe number of Deacons, and hedral at Q.uc- sred, therefore, ,m&tances. and ch directs the r in the Chu-ch I V. --^ .' high and holy caihng, and received your sokMnn commission trom regularly authorized hands. — It is impossible to enter otherwise than with fear and trembling upon the task of setting these duties before you — ibr who is there that can think his own discharge of duty correspondent to the standard which he would recommend to his brethren ? — but, as with respect to Christians at large, we confess ourselves unworthy instru- ments in the hands of God, and full of imperfec- tion, — yet instruments, we hope to be, of mending their imperfections and assisting them in what is good, — so may an elder brother in the service, neither unaware of his own deficiencies, nor dis- trustful of the zeal of tliose whom he addresses, still hope, with the divine blessing, to be of use to such as are in the beginning of their war- fare. Ye are the Salt of the Earth. — You should possess the property not only of continuing in a sound and pure state yourselves, but of commu- nicating that state to others ; of preserving them from the corruption of Nature, and reme- dying the taint and pollution of the world.— Your task is to turn Sinners to God ; to con- vince men first that they are sick, and to lead them to the mighty Physician of their Souls.— To you is committed '* tlie Ministry of Reconci- liation" ; You are to " beseech men, in Christ's stead,"— as his deputies,—" to be reconciled to God."— It is evident that no man can be in an actual state of Salvation, who is not awakened to an earnest concern for his souL If life is but the day of trial for Eternity,— if there is a re- surrection from the dead,— if there is a judg- ment to come,— if there is a Heaven,— if there is a Hell,— if Christ came down from Heaven '* to !i. . I ii>. m ( 30 ) seek and to save that which is lost," if we are ui ; condition, therefore, by nature to need such means of escue,-and if the duect although "ndiscernible contact of the Sp.uit of God with our Spirits be necessary to kindle within us an available repentance and a saving laith,-th^se are truths ot" a thrilling .nd ^^'f"' «'^'-f '>..*"^ it is indeed a serious employment to make them take effect upon the heart ot man.-- And if they who are expressly consecrated to this employ- ment, are themselves without strong and deep impressions of these truths, what else can be expected but that the Gospel, as they dispense it. will return void upon then: hands, or what can be their efficacy for the purposes to which they are professedly devoted ? ' If *f^Salt ha lost its savour, wherewith shidl it be salted ?-It rthenceforth good for nothing but to be cast ou and to be trodden unaer foot ot men. -It was longago said that we must first feel ourselves if we would make others feel'-and it is awfully tac as it applies to the Preachers of the word of God.-The Pulpit must be the great Engine of calling the Sinner to repentance and the unAink- inn to an acquaintance with his God. Eveiy teacher of the Gcspel. every time that he as- r^iids hi pulpit, ougit to be impressed with he feeling that "there he stands the Legate of the .Skies "...ought to have the thought then in his heart that he hopes to be an ^"f "™^"\°f Sal- vation to the souls of his hearers ;...and his pie- V ous preparation ought every time to be such a to induce a trust, under the divme bles^ng Hauvhat he delivers may produce such an effec . ...It is customary that the Clergy upon first^a . cending the pulpit should bow before God m ~* _ a Si vis mc Acre, doknduin es-t rrunum i^m ubi." Hi C 31 ) private prayer :— Let it not be supposed possible that any Minister can then seem to pray witliout being in reality so engaged,— but if ever prayer ought to be fervent and humble it is surely the prayer that is offered there. Prayer indeed for a blessing upon our pecu- liar work — prayer for the flocks committed to us — prayer for our Church and our fellow-labourers in her Service, and for the advancement of the kingdom of God at large— should be mingled with all our daily prayers.— We are, within our respective spheres, " the light of the World :" — If then the Ught which is in us be dark- ness, how trebly great is that darkness,and how deplorable are its effects! — All means therefore must be sedulously used to keep our lamps burn- ing and bright— to cultivate a sense of oiu* respon- sil^jlity and a spirit of Godliness and zeal. — A soldier who is -4, conspicuous coward has evi- dently mistaken his profession, but it is a more melancholy kind of contradiction which is exhi- bited by him who without any stamp of real piety or heavenly-mindedness, has enlisted himself in the immediate service of Jesus Christ. — We oua:ht constantly to have in mind our solemn consecra- tion to Almighty God ; that impressive state- ment of our duties, — that warning picture of the consequences of our neglect,— tliose awful vows and declarations on our own part, which have been heard in this house of God to-day.— Rule and method should be observed to aid us in keep- ing these things " pruited in our remembrance" — and it may be of service to us to establish a practice of attentively reading over this admira- ble form of our admission into Orders, upon every anniversary of our Ordination, and com- paring it, point by point, with our actual fulfil- ment of the charw which we have undertaken. J ':Jlk %iiWr' MP Mi i Studv, also — continued study — according la our leisure and without entrenching upon our active duties, should ibrin a part of our em- ployments. — Saint Paul with all the advantages of inspiration, was anxious for his " books and parchments ;" and he charges it upon Timothy to " give attention to reading." — A Clergyman can never exhaust the stores of reading connected with his profession, — and should be prepared always to '^'bring forth out of his treasures things new and old." — He should be ready to give an answer to every man, and furnished with arms to meet the Infidel, the Romanist, in the field of antiquity,* as well as iipon the ground of Scripture,— the cold Socinian, the visionary En- thusiast, perhaps also the seductive Empiric, and whoever else may stand in an attitude of oppo- sition to his work ; — carefully remembering at tlie same time that '' the servant of the Lord must not strive^ — but be gentle unto all men — apt to teach, — in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves." He should be prepared to relieve the scruples and perplexities of his own hearers, and to render an account of all the In- stitutions and usages of his own Church. Above all things, — my bretlu'cn, — above all things you should be familiar with the Word of God. — The leaves of that holy book you should turn over with a daily and a nightly hand,t — and acquire such a perfect acquaintance with the prevailing drift of the different books and the prevailing images and allusions of Scriptural language, as will itself supply a key to the interpretation of particular passages, and enable you to acquire the valuable faculty of not only preaching from, • An acquaintance witli the records and writinfrsof Kcclestastical antiquity, is of course highly desirable ; but perhaps there is no single work which more completely oversets theclaimsof the Church of Rome to support from these authorities, than Harrow's Trcati'seon the Pope's supremacy. f " Nocturna versate manu. versate diurna," ( ^^^ ) but readily expoimdim^' the word of (iod. ^t is thus tliat you will become ** Seribiv; instructed into the kingdom ol' Heaven ;" it is from the " Scriptures given by Inspiration" that *' the man ot' God" must be made *' perfect, thoroughly lurnished unto all good works," — it is there that you will not only find the materials of teaching, but the rules for discharging your own particu- lar duties, and forming your own characters as Ministers of Christ. — The different passages which describe the Aj)ostolic laboiu's and the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, ought, with this very view, to be particularly consulted and con- scientiously applied. — Let us select from them a very few specimens — (for I fear that we are much exceeding oiu' due limits,) and then con- clude. St. Paul in his address at Miletus reminds his hearers after what manner he had been with them at all seasons ; how he had taught them from house to house and warned them night and day, — And he charges it upon Timothy to be instant in season and out of season ;— 'to seize all possible opportunities of promoting the spiritual welfare of the flock. Far be it then from the followers of the Apostles to incur the reproach of thinking that — " their Sunday tas» Is all that God or man ran fairly ask :" Let it rather be said of them according to ano- ther description of the relation between a Pastor and !iis Flock, that, —"to them bis heart, his love, his grief were given." Let them establish and improve an affectionate intercourse with all classes of their hearers, obtain a close acquaintance with individuals, and carry E \ i J i ] i i.ji ( ^1 ) tl liter ally si lom house to house." — /v i.i.nu^^^^ "ot «"ly promote and encou- j-aee by his presence and personal attention, all iudicious Institutions for the public good, but wherever it is physically practicable, should visit every household within his charge at least once in every year,— and should accpnre the habit and facility of adapting his religious conversa- tion to theiV characters—" warning their thut are unruly"— insinuating tlie truths ot Salvation where they will not bear being broadly intro- duced— i^ently correcting erroneous views in Religion---and entering lully into the leelings of those who are advanced in Piety and Inuth.— A Cleroynian is associated with all the most en- dearing' and most touching occasions of domestic life— by his hands the marriage-knot was tied— it was he who set tlie mark of his Master upon the new-born infant— it was he who was called in to the bed of sickness— it was he who met the mourners and consigned the dead to the cham- bers of the Grave.— Let him turn all these cir- cumstances to account— let him habituate Ins congregation to regard him as their adviser and their Iriend,— and to have recourse to him in anxiety or distress. The Apostle directs that " supplications, pray- ers, intercessions and giving of thanks, be made for all men,"— with a special mention of *♦ Kings and all that are in authority."— The ancient Li- turoies were all framed after this rule, and in oui* own, which is in a great measure compiled from them, we find the same principle observed. —Let this service then be performed m a man- ner to impress reverence upon the people and to assist tlieir devotions.— A great writer* has per- . p,',„v in an Oidinalion-Sermon pvcaclicd in 1781 ; ,n which we may pre- ,umf nl:^ ;:: " .hat\h.re>re cau.,o.^gwen ..y this .^snr^^ v.ome v.ces which ought hardly to br .arpusexl m tlie Clergy, -or »t. I ( ••3.') ) MICOU- on, all d, but Id visit t once habit iivei'sa- h'jt are Ivation iiitro- ews ill eeliiigs aith.— lost eii- omestic > tied — ;r upon 4 called met the ; chani- lese cir- late liis iser and < him in IS, pray- 36 made *♦ Kings :ient Li- and in compiled bserved. I a man- ie and to has per- h we may jire- d man against ■or if, in that ? haps gone too far when, \\\ Ins reconnnendation of a simple and iniafVected manner of reading the prayers, he advises no alteration oi' our coninion method of speaking, or none hut such as is ne- cessary to being distinctly heard.— We are not sunply reaa:ng~h\it liniying^sitpplicating-^m- tercedmg— and giving of thanks ; we are directly addressing ourselves to the Throne of God.— If our hearts and understandings are engaged in these acts, it will give a solenniity and chastened fervour to our utterance which will conununicate itself to the Worshippers around. Under the head of thanksgiving we may no- tice the perforinancc of Psalmody in praise of God, a part of divine service which ought studi- ously to be encouraged, and that tlirotighout the Congregation ;— as eminently tending to produce or to assist devout feelings, and to warm the heart m the worship of the Almighty :— And in the promotion of this object, the Minister himself, if gifted with any nuisical powers, may find the purest refreshment and delight. It is an Apostolic rule with respect to divine service that - all things should be done decently iuid m order ;"--and it is of real im])orfance to Religion that, while we carefully avoid all mere pageantry and all stage-like artifice, a due atten- tion should be paid to exterior solemnity, deco- rum and effect.— And connected witli this sub- ject, IS the compliance of the Congivgation with the rules prescribing their part iii the ser- vice :— No labour should be spared to produce if possible the grateful sight of a kneeling conore- gation, and tlie animating sound of 'theii'^re- nil iiioiiger indtKi ot abliorrtiiic and sllrpli^e. t li.f ;:i sponsivc voices to tlio voice ot'their Pastor,— Our labours may iudced })rove vaiu — but it will al- ways be a consolation to reflect, where there is a laihue, that the fault is not our own. Saint Paul enunicrates it among the requisites ibr the oilice of an Ecclesiastic that '• he must have a oood rei)ort of them which are without." —This must be necessarily understood with some qualification, ibr the Ai)()stles themselves and their followers were exposed to the most malig- nant calunmies, and Christ had pronounced them blessed when men should revile them .... and say all manner of evil against them falsely for his sake ; (and in this respect, at least, our own Clergy in this very Diocese, have resem- bled the ^tirst planters of the Faith ; for most ibully and most falsely have they been re- viled.*)— But " through evil report and good re- port" we must j)ersevere in our discharge of duty, —and WT see that we are to gain a good report if xve caw.— We are to })ractice a guarded demea- nour,— we are to "see that we walk circumspect- ly knowing that many wait for our halting."— We are to '* abstain" not only from the reality but " from all appearmwe of evil."— We are dis- tinctly called u])on,— and among ourselves there are many occasions lor the exercise of the rule, to remember that " all things which are lawful arc not therefore expedienV' ; to forego some pursuits or indulgeucies whicli we may esteem * I had imeiuk'd at one time to have exposed in the shape of a note upon this passasc, not simply the tdlsehood of etrlain statements to which the al- liision is more immediately directed, and of which the history is sufficiently known, \mlth*i I'll rlicular and jwinlvd contrast which they exhibit m most instances, to the puts of the ca!,e — 15ut having some reason toi believe that to enter upon such a refiitati(m would very j^eiierally be regarded iis a task beneath the Clcrgv of the Kslablishment, noneof whom appear to have no- ticed the ealiimnie;, in question,— tonsidering also that the falsehood olmany of the statementr. is known to the public m fiiu Dioce.-c, and that the sub- 'fi»!<. Hvmc a>vav I "iMinglv foihcar from a distastehil task, and onl> ■lid vert to t'hfc cmumM,uiic forthc oppoilumly o! .-.aying, that if evti laust. ^hould be -iven to think that any ot the por.oii is Icll in the public mind, u ' j11 ,uiely"^)f«.omea duly toddminijtet the antidote. —Our vill al- ii ere is luisites e must thout." li some es luid malig- ounced em .... falsely ist, our resem- ir most een re- ^ood re- ofduty, I report . demea- mspect- ting."- e reality are dis- hes there the rule, e lawful go some ^ esteem F a note upon which the al- ls sufficiently ihibit in most to believe that rdcd as a task ar to have no- jhood of many i that the sub- la'k, and onlv t if evti cause, ublic mind, \i ( 'i'/ ) harmless ourselves ami teel to be no impediments to our piety, if they cause offence to weak bre- thren. — ** Wherefore if meat,"— says the gene- rous and devoted Apostle, alluding to some pre- judices of his day, — ** if meat make my brother " to offend, I will eat no meat while the world ** standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." My BuETHiiEN""ACity which is set upon a hill cannot be hid." — We occupy both a conspicuous and a difficult post, and it is impossible that we should be screened from observation The eyes of friends and foes are upon us — and above all, the eyes of our Master in Heaven. — ** Who," then, " is sufficient for these things ?"— None, most assuredly, but through the " sufficiency which is of God." — It is that promise which takes away despair ;— that blessed strength which sus- tains us in our task.— I will not say with Saint Chrysostom,* who, with all his various excel- lencies, is apt sometimes to be extravagant in his pictures, that a Clergyman ought to be as differ- ent from the general mass of mankind, as an ordinary man from the nuite creatures below him ; — but this I will say, that if tlie Ministers of Christ are at all times answerable to God and man for all tlie good which means are open to them to effect, the present circumstances of the Church in this Diocese are such i\s jJecidiarli/ to heighten tliat solemn responsibility, and to call lor the most genuine devotedness, the most unwearied exer- tion, the most exemplary piety, — the fullest exer- cise of the wisdom of the Serpent combined witli the innocence of the Dove. EvEKY individual Missionary in this Diocese is in a situation to produce important future el- * De Jjaceidutio, li. nu T-frm T~" ,t\ > f; !>: Ji i! C 38 ) fects. — His labours are connected with niterests which require to be vigilantly upheld ; and it IS 710*00 that he must sow those seeds of sound Religion and Loyalty which, according to his diligence, will spring up as the prevailing growth of a rapidly thickening population, or be choaked by the tares which an evil industry will be busy to disseminate. **0 Timothy" — says the Apostle to the be- loved pupil, whom he had trained to the Minis- try — *' keep that which is committed to thy trust." — Watchfulness and devotedness — real de- votedness of heart — are absolutely essential to constitute a faithful Pastor. — " No man putting his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God." — " No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." — But I persuade myself that your own thoughts and feelings echo back what I have ventured to suggest to you. — I persuade myself that your "candle will not be put under a bushel, but will give light into all that arc in the house." — I indulge the hope that ** your light will so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father whicli is in Hea- ven." — I trust that you will never know that remorse which if ever man can feel it, must be felt by the careless and unprofitable sliephei'd of the flock of Christ. — I Irust tliat you will enjoy tlie exalted consciousness of being instru- mental to tlie salvation of those immortal souls, the rescue of one of which from perdition causes "joy in the rilESENCE OF THE ANGELS OF GoD."— And at the close and consummation of all thhigs here, the voice of your Master will greet you at 1 ( 39 ) the Gate of Heaven, " Well done thou good AND FAITHFUL SERVANT I ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY Lord."* * In this concluding sentence I have inadvertently made use of part of the very same text with which the last chirge of the late Bishop of Quebec is also closed. — When 1 became aware of the co-incidence it u .; my Hrst im- pulse to alter the sentence before printing it, but although the adoption of the same mode of conclusion was perhaps purely accidental and not suggested by any unconscious recollection of the Charge, I reriected that there was no cause why I should not appear indebted to One to whom, next to Heaven, " I oice even mine own self," and every thing that can have me an instru- ment of the smallest good, and whose " own so7i" it was my high privilege and blessing to be '• in the faith" as well as " in the fesh." ERRATA In the Dedication, for INSCRIBE read INSCRIBED. Page 1L>. For THERE hath been three Orders, read therf hath been THESE OUDERS. Page 27. At the end of the second note, for Episcopal Communion read Episcopal inter-communion^ Page 29. ^^Jter instrument dele comvia.