AN AFFECTIONATE FAREWELL ADDRESS, &c. Dear Friends, BEING about to return to my native land, I believe it will contribute to my peace, if I salute you in this way, and express a little of those feelings with which I have been often seriously impressed during my sojourning amongst you. Although I have travelled about five thousand miles, and attended a great many meetings in America, there are many settlements of friends, and probably thousands who are members of our religious society, where it has not been within the limits of my concern to go, and whose faces, of course, I have never seen. Notwithstanding these circumstances, I have known no bounds to my solicitude and frequent, earnest desire, that, however my dear Brethren may be outwardly scattered over this vast continent, they may be all built on the one only true foundation, and inwardly gathered to the one Shepherd, and into the one only true sheepfold; that so, as a people, we may continue to be one in discipline, in faith, and doctrine; harmoniously labouring together, that the pure testimonies of truth maintained by our worthy predecessors, may be handed down unsullied to posterity; that so, ages to come and generations yet unborn, may be encouraged to build on the same sure foundation, Christ Jesus the eternal rock of ages; who by the inward revelation of his power, can and will, as we are obedient, and as far as is needful for us in the way and work of salvation, unfold, from time to time, the mysterious operation of his redeeming love and power. My mind hath been often deeply tried while my lot hath been cast in this land, under the painful consideration, that there are many in our day, who are soaring with airy notions far above the simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus, and who are endeavouring to climb up some other way than that in which the way-faring men though fools (as to this world's wisdom) shall not err. But it remains a truth, "that he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." There is no way to the Father but by the Son, nor is MARY M JUL 9 1935 3 there any knowledge of the Father but through the Son, agreeably to our Lord's declaration-" I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me." This can never be comprehended by the carnal mind, which is enmity against God: and no marvel that those who are in this state are enquiring with one formerly "how can these things be? The longer I live the more I am confirmed in my belief, that if we are ever favored to understand the mystery of the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus, we must cease from our own works, and be brought into a teachable state, by the inward operation of the power of the Lord, and there learn the first rudiments of christian experience. These appear to me to be very simple, and it only wants simplicity on our parts to become proficients in this school. If we attend to the inwardly revealed power of him, who came to save us from the dominion of sin here, and from the guilt and punishment due to sin in an hereafter state, we shall have no need to go to man for instruction herein. If the sincere prayer of our souls be, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened," he who is full of compassion will unfold to our understanding what our state by nature is, and how we may be delivered from the hand of our souls' enemy. Here we shall be favoured to see that our "Redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name." He shall thoroughly plead our cause that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon." And for want of our coming under this awakening work, which a religion of tradition and education can never accomplish, many 1 fear are great strangers to themselves, and to the principles of pure religion; and although they may have known enough of the anointing to enable them to see 66 men as trees walking," yet for want of a due submission of their wills to the divine will, they have taken up a rest short of the true rest, and so become dwarfs in religious experience, and are endeavouring to seek an easier way to the kingdom than by the cross; hence often arises vain jangling about words to no profit, and a propensity to dispute about, more than to obey, the precepts of the everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Those who have been truly awakened to a sense of their need of a Saviour, those who have been convinced of the necessity of repentance from dead works, before they can be brought into a capacity to serve the living God, will be constrained to walk in deep humility before him, and be enabled frequently to pray, Lord, increase my faith, and the things 1 know not teach thou me: Here all high notions of ourselves and of our attainments will be brought low, and laid down at the feet of Jesus. When the mind is brought into this prepared state, the mystery of redeeming love will be so clearly understood, that the carnal enquiry, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses and of Juda, and Simon, and are not his sis ters here with us," will be heard no more; but in reverent abasement we shall be led to admire the goodness of Him, who "so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We shall then feel and know "that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself," and that beautiful description given of him by the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Philippians, will prove an unfailing source of consolation, when the poor mind may be tossed with tempest and not comforted, and is under the discouraging prospect, that there are many in our day who are endeavouring to invalidate the truths of the gospel, and who are denying the Divinity of the son of God. The apostle speaking of him, says--" Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Earnest indeed is the solicitude of my soul that we, in an especial manner as a religious society, may remain unmoved in these an cient doctrines of the gospel, and be enabled "to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." I have been much exercised on account of those who are engaged amongst us in the work of the ministry, that they all may have the blessed experience of these things in themselves, avoiding all ambiguous expressions in the exercise of their gifts, and holding fast the form of sound words," that so none may attempt to appear wise above what is written. There have been instances where individuals not abiding in the low valley of humility have soared above the preserving principle, and lost their gifts; and were these to minister from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the church would not be edified by their labours; and however such may become vain in their imaginations or high in their conceit of superior attainments, however they may endeavour to explain the way of man's redemption, and salvation, they will only be like such who beat the air, and perhaps ultimately be found amongst those who are stumbling blocks in the way of serious enquirers. How forcible are the expressions of the apostleFirst "no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." If any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ." If we speak from the ability which God giveth, we shall never contradict the outward testimony of the holy scriptures in any of the fundamental doctrines they contain.—We shall never reduce them to an allegory, so as to explain away any of the benefits intended by the coming and death of Christ Jesus, but we shall be enabled nobly to contend for the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints," and which is precious to all those who are rightly acquainted with its leavening operation. We shall not then be ashamed to acknowledge, that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost." Then the doctrine of a crucified Saviour will be precious to ourselves, and in the overflowings of that divine love which is the spring of all right gospel ministry, the ultimate end of all our labors will be to invite others, to "behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world;" to inculcate, as ability is mercifully vouchsafed, that there is not salvation in any other; that there is "none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved, but by the name of Jesus," which remains to be as ointment poured forth, and for the savour whereof the virgins love him. Thus would the ministry brighten amongst us; there would then be no divinations of our own, or any cause administered for the enemies of truth to triumph, and charge us (as is now frequently the case) with holding doctrines inconsistent with the plain truths of the gospel, I would therefore tenderly recommend to all who are engaged A 2 in the work of the ministry, to be frequent in the perusal of the holy scriptures, not that they may become ministers of the letter, but that they may be enabled to understand with clearness, the many precious and corresponding testimonies in the old and new testaments concerning the coming and office of Christ Jesus our Lord; that so we may strengthen the hands one of another, to maintain the ancient doctrines of our religious society, and be firm in our testimony against the insidious inroads of infidelity in all its disguised forms-We have been often accused of allegorising away the offering of Christ; that he came only to end the Jewish dispensation, and to become an example of righteousness; when our worthy predecessors maintained; and all who are living in the principle of truth, in the present day maintain, that our blessed Lord offered himself up on Calvary's mount, an holy propitiatory sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world, and that we have "redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" and this agrees not only with the ancient prophecies concerning him, but with the testimonies of the apostles in the purest age of the christian church. The prophet Isaiah in allusion to the offering of Christ, says, "He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes are we healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken." The apostle Paul in his espistle to the Galatians expresses himself in this feeling language, "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins." The apostle John declares, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."-" Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree," said Peter. I might multiply examples of this kind to a length that would far exceed the lunits I propose. The writings of our ancient friends are re : |