be understood to disapprove of free discussion of every subject, whether sacred or profane, "Great is truth, and she will prevail," is a bulwark in which we may safely confide, amid the jars of debate and storms of controversy. Yet I cannot but feel a transient pang when I behold this same unbridled license of remark exciting profitless discussion and wordy war, in the bosom of a household whose great interest is to be at peace within itself. When, in the mere wantonness of liberty, men are induced to cavil at existing institutions; to pick offences where none were intended, and none can be substantiated, merely for the sake of proving their right of finding fault, I am sometimes ready to forfeit the privilege in order to escape the evil consequences of the abuse. Again, when the right to attend to every body's business but his own, has inspirited some petty scribbler to pull to pieces the conduct of his superior in station and in wisdom, and, clumsily connecting the disjointed parts after his own distorted fancy, to descant upon the ill-construction and defects of this fabric, which never existed but in his own imagination, I could even wish for a return of the time when " rex sum" was sufficient to extort the answer "nil ultra quæro," from the would-be judge. When all authority is denied to individuals filling the highest offices with the most unsullied reputation, and mere influence is but grudgingly allowed, I would fain recall the days of primitive subordination, when the rule of conduct was " % av επίσκοπος δοκιμαση, τουτο και τῷ Θεῷ ευαρεστον, ἵνα ασφαλες ᾗ και βεβαιον όταν ο waσσTal. But whither am I wandering? I had intended to plead prevailing practice as an excuse for my own presumption, and have sealed my condemnation! Be it so: I will nevertheless, confiding in good motives, proceed in my purpose. Although myself a layman, I cannot but regard the character of the clergy with the tenderest concern, inasmuch as I conceive it to be, next to the word of God,* and the perpetual presence of the Redeemer,t the chiefest bulwark of the church. In this spirit, I have been often led to Speret idem; sudet multum, frustraque laboret, When they exhort us to despise filthy eye be our ideas of their consistency or selfand the pride of life, what must αφωρισμένος, Rom. i. 1. conviction, when we behold them indulging, in a greater or less degree, in these forbidden pleasures? That which in ourselves we should (and without much injustice) consider as mere imprudence or neglect, becomes, when contrasted with the holiness of their assumed character, absolutely criminal. Their faults in this respect are magnified into crimes, their failings into sins. I make not these remarks, Messrs. Editors, in the flippancy of self-created censorship. I refer to no individual instances. I predicate no general necessity of censure. But, if haply the opinion of a single uninfluential individual can be of any weight, I would throw it into the scale of truth. Ecclesiastical history testifies most solemnly, that the character of the ministry is the nerve and marrow of the church. I would that THE church of my native soil might live for ever! These brief remarks were, if not suggested, at least elicited, by a perusal of the memoirs of a late prelate of our mother church, in whose story the want of the "unspotted purity" of St. James, was most egregiously manifested. If the surest path to rectitude be that recommended by the poet, "Ut fugerem exemplis vitiorum quæque notando," I would unhesitatingly recommend this book* to the perusal of the candidate for holy orders. Let him read and see what he ought not to be. A more disgusting picture of the worldly-minded, meddling, factious clergyman, (I had almost said, minister of the Gospel!) he can scarce perceive. And what was his reward? Neglect in life, cankering remorse in old age, vainly endeavour ing to solace itself with egotistic adulation, and this reflection as a solitary consolation on his death-bed! that "he had devoted himself to the noble pursuits of agriculture, as an honourable mean of providing for his family," that is to say, after his superiors had prevented an entire devotion of his talents to the still nobler pursuits of politics and preferment. Is this a shepherd of the flock of Christ? sim ego." "Talis non P. D. G. An Illustration of the General Confession in the Communion Service. As this is one of those days, when we receive the blessed sacrament of the Lord's supper, instead of addressing you, in the usual manner, from a text of Scripture, I have selected for the subject of an evening's meditation and improvement, the General Confession in the Communion Service. So excellent are all the different parts of our services-so minutely adapted to the occasions on which they are used, that should our members enter into their true meaning, and imbibe their spirit, we cannot doubt but the most happy results would ensue. The confession I have mentioned, stands thus:-"Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most greviously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine Majesty; provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant, that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." The different parts of this beautiful piece of devotional composition, follow one another with great propriety, and raise the mind to the exercise of such feelings and such affections, as suit the * "Anecdotes of the Life of Richard Watson." condition of all pious Christians. The invocation is grand and elevating, approaching near to the manner of the Lord's prayer. "Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men." It is the peculiar excellence of all the prayers and of all the addresses of our church, that they place us immediately before the throne of grace, and put such language in our mouths as is suitable to be used in such a situation. It is not the language of weak adulation, such as men apply to an earthly potentate-it is not the language of a vain imagination, or of a mind casting around for the applause of men; but it implies an humble appeal to God in that character and in those capacities, in which he has been pleased to reveal himself. The term Almighty, includes every thing that distinguishes the Deity with regard to power, and while there is in it an incomprehensible greatness, there is at the same time an inimitable simplicity. "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Nothing can be more suitable, than to address the Almighty in this style, when we are about to appropriate to ourselves the greatest benefit conferred upon us by Jesus Christ, the pardon of our sins through the redemption made by his blood. He is the Father of our blessed Redeemer. He so loved the race of mankind, that he gave his only-begotten Son for our salvation. To him we are indebted for all the benefits of redemption, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. men. "Maker of all things, Judge of all Of all things in nature as well as grace, he is the Author, and what is our high concern, he is Judge of all men. At his tribunal all must appear to receive a righteous sentence. Having placed ourselves before God, under these exalted and awful appellations, we then return to ourselves; and to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Maker of all things, and the Judge of all men, "we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed by thought, word, and deed, against his divine Majesty; provoking most justly his wrath and indignation against us." This, though a general, is a most comprehensive confession. Indeed all publick acts of devotion ought to be general. Individuals may allude to times and places-they may confess particular sins, and plead for grace to protect them from such temptations as too easily beset them; but the devotions of the church must be such as all can join in, and all apply. "Manifold sins" include every kind; "from time to time" imply any occasions. "By thought, word, and deed." Thought is the original source of all sin, and requires to be particularly guarded. For if we strive and pray against evil thoughts, they may be suppressed or conquered; but if we indulge them, they may produce evil deeds. If the murderer had stiffed his revenge, and prayed to God to enable him to subdue it, he might have been saved. If the covetous man had struggled and prayed to overcome his avaricious desires, he might neither have committed acts of injustice or fraud. Thought, therefore, as the great source of evil or of good, is to be carefully attended to. "Against thy divine Majesty." The ground of religious sorrow, the motive of Christian repentance, is, that we have sinned against God. We may, and indeed we ought to lament that we have offended or injured men, that we have violated the laws of our country, and incurred the punishment due to transgression. The Christian, however, is still to rise higher, and as he is to fulfil all duties" as unto the Lord, and not unto men, so he is to view all transgressions as against God." Provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. The true penitent does not pretend to extenuate his offences, or to varnish over his sins, but he readily admits, that they are the just objects of God's displeasure. And he is well aware, that it is only by sincere repentance and true faith, that we can be admitted to mercy. "We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable." This is the language of sincere repentance, and of a feeling sense of the weight of iniquity, which nothing but mercy can remove. To mercy, therefore, is there an appeal made in the most affectionate terms. "Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father." There is an emphasis in this repetition which nothing can surpass. It implies the highest degree of anxiety, and when connected with the appellation, merciful Father, it seems almost to reach the sublimity of divine inspiration. Nay, it unquestionably bears a similarity to the language of David, in a state of the deep. est contrition, or to that put into the mouth of the penitent publican by our Lord himself: "God be merciful to me a sinner." It is the unspeakable advantage of a Christian, that when depressed with a sense of sin, and anxious to obtain mercy, he clearly knows how mercy is to be secured. Its nature and its limits, the conditions on which it can be obtained, and the effects produced are no mere matters of conjecture. Jesus Christ died for sin, and faith in the efficacy of his death will secure pardon. This then is the ground of the succeed ing petition: "for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past." Still the sincere member of the church is not to rest here. Even after he has received the holy sacrament with true repentance and unfeigned faith, he remains in possession of a nature liable to sin, and in a world full of corruption. Pardon of all that is past is not sufficient, he needs grace to enable him to live a new life. "Grant, that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life." This too, was the course pursued by David. After he had prayed with great fervour for mercy, after he had expressed the most anxious desire to be cleansed from all his wickedness, he added, "stablish me with thy free Spirit." When we consider attentively every part of this confession, we find it to be exactly such as communicants, about to approach the Lord's table, ought to use. For it carries the mind through that process of devotion, in which every sincere Christian ought to exercise him self, with a feeling and contrite heart, before he present himself at the holy altar. Indeed, it would form an excellent daily religious exercise to all striving Christians, who are anxious to discipline their hearts, and prepare for a heavenly inheritance. And all is to be done "to the honour and glory of God's name." This is the high view, with which a Christian acts and prays. It is true, we can hardly be supposed to make any real addition to his glory, who is the Lord of the universe. But when his creatures advance in happiness or rise in greatness, the glory of their heavenly Father is then said to be promoted. And surely it is a glorious consideration to have a reference to God in all things. "Through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is what gives every confession and every prayer its Christian character. "Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." In the name of that gracious Being, who became Mediator between God and man, are we to ask for all blessings, and expect all comforts. Some of you at least have often used this excellent confession; and it would be highly gratifying, to find every member repeating it with all the fervour of a devout heart. But to enter fully into its spirit, it ought to be frequently pondered over before it is used; and seriously ought it to be considered, whether a course of conduct succeeds, fully corresponding with its character. Remember, my beloved communicants, that this day, to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Maker of all things, the Judge of all men, you have acknowledged and bewailed your manifold sins and wickedness. You have admitted that they deserve the wrath and indignation of the Almighty. Surely then, you will repeat them no more. You have in the presence of God and his holy church, declared your sincere repentance and your hearty sorrow for all your misdoings; surely then, your future life will be a life of obedience, You have in a most affectionate man ner pleaded for mercy and pardon, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Lord; and if your repentance has been sincere, and your faith in your Saviour complete, you need bave no fears with regard to forgiveness. For these conditions entitle you to a fulfilment of the plans and promises of God. But to lead a new life implies not only to forsake all sinful habits, but to supply all defects in your characters. Review then, your language, your motives, and your actions.. If you have profaned the name of God, or if your language has been polluted by any impassioned or indecent exclamations, reduce it to the simple yea, yea, and nay, nay, of the Gospel. But to bring the language right, the heart and the temper must be right. From the lips of a person of a mild temper, soft and correct language will naturally flow. It is true, ardour of feeling will express itself in ardent language: but in this there will be no sin, provided the feelings be of a right cast. And from a heart, in which the love of God and the love of man predominate, nothing impure will issue. To act always from right motives, requires much meditation and much religious chastisement. Even well disposed men are apt to rest satisfied with the actions; and so high is the Christian motive with regard to all things, that it is to be feared it is often lost sight of. To do all things as unto the Lord and not unto men, is the high, the overruling consideration, which is to form the basis of the conduct of a Christian. This consideration, however, will never operate with uniform and due force, unless we frequently contemplate the Supreme Being as the Author of all blessings, the Searcher of all hearts, and the Judge of all men. The principles of Christians must be fixed by meditation, and their hearts fortified by prayer, and then, in all the great, and in all the little transactions of life, these principles will govern. But, unless we read and digest the word of God, however pious our hearts, or however correct our motives, our actions may be wrong, for no kind of conduct is allowed to those who enjoy a divine revelation, but such as is there prescribed. It must next be considered, what defects are to be supplied, before the new character be completely formed. My communicants, have you been regular and sincere in your private devotions? Private prayer is to God a sweet-smelling savour; while it ascends to heaven in gentle exhalations, it returns in showers of grace to water the seeds of the Gospel. Nor let me omit to inquire, whether there be not much to supply as to family devotions. This is a point on what I fear there is great deficiency. And not barely with regard to prayers, but with regard to that family discipline and instruction, by which alone the young, in such a state of corruption, can be restrained from the most enormous vices, and trained in the school of virtue. The instances that have lately occurred in different parts of our country, of dreadful and desperate wickedness in the young and rising generation, 1 should imagine, would teach parents and masters a lesson that could not fail to sink deep in their hearts. Before it could have been supposed that much hardihood in iniquity could have been attained, to find mere lads, imbruing their hands in the blood of their fellow-creatures, is shocking to the Christian heart. And to see the best days of youth spent in a Penitentiary or on a tread-mill, is a sight which chills the very soul. Ye parents! ye masters! seriously consider what share of these crimes belong to you! But to enumerate every defect that must be supplied, would be impossible for the religious teacher. This must be a matter left, in a certain degree, to the conscience of every individual. Whoever has been defective in charity, in the support of religion, and in the extension of the Gospel-whoever has disregarded the cries of poverty, or the groans of misery, must do so no more. And let it never be supposed that we serve God in newness of life,.till every sin be forsaken, and every defect supplied. May the divine influence of God's Holy Spirit so sanctify the services of this day, that henceforth we may serve him in newness of life, and at last be admitted into his everlasting kingdom. |