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True, the bishop of a church must be given to hospitality, and that without beggary for the means. He should lack none of the necessaries, if not the comforts of life. I do not say that he should conform to any of its extravagancies; nor should his household affairs be narrowly looked into, or become the subject of criticism; nor should he, in receiving his annual stipend, whatever it may be, either appear or feel like one asking or receiving alms. It is but his due; and when the last farthing is paid, he must not feel that he has received any favour. On the contrary he may, should an occasion require it, say with Paul, "If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing that we should reap your carnal things?" The seed is more precious than the harvest, however rich. It was always so, since there was an organized people of God in the world, typical or real. To conclude, we say with Paul to every delinquent: "Do ye not know that they who minister about holy things, live on the things of the temple? And they that wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel."

NUMBER III.

A. C.

WE concluded our last essay on this subject, with a very pointed and impressive quotation from Paul. He associates the maintenance of the Christian ministry with the maintenance of the Levitical priesthood, while officiating at the altar; they being, as he alleges, participants with the altar itself. Whatever was devoted to the altar or to God, was divided, by God's appointment, between him and the priesthood. Whatever went into the temple, of the good things of this life, was, by divine institution, participated with those who served in the temple. God had no other use for it. And so the Lord has ordained, that they who preach the gospel should participate of its fruits through those who embrace it.

The Lord needs nothing in his own person, but he needs much in the persons of those whom he has employed to give effect, by their labours, to the sacrifice which he made of himself to God. If the gospel be not preached, Christ has died in vain, so far as the salvation of all men, capable of believing it, is concerned. How important, then, that the gospel be preached! "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" "How shall they hear without a preacher?" was, indeed, true, in the beginning, and must be true in every beginning where the gospel is already known.

Printed gospels, read in the vernacular of any people, is, in some sense, a preached gospel. But still, the Bible must be printed and sent where it is not. And it must also be admitted, that the living voice of a living Christian man, is the most successful way of preaching it to any people. Our Lord, in his commission, did not command that the gospel be written, printed, or published, in our sense of these terms, but proclaimed with the living voice of a living man, accompanied with all the life, earnestness, and zeal, which it could receive from his person, manner, and spirit. And these are matters of great

account.

Evident it is, that the gospel was designed to be announced to all the world, and great must, therefore, be the company of those who published it. Now, as 66 no man goes into a warfare upon his own charges," the nation, the whole nation of Christians-the church of the Living God-the monument and the support of the truth-must send her ministers, and not merely commission, but sustain them, their wives and their children, too. For since the husband and the father labours for the Lord, the Lord's people must, by their love and allegiance to the Lord, sustain him; not starve him, nor make him a sacrifice on the altar of their parsimoniousness. They must labour for this special purpose, as they labour to pay their imposts to the governments of this world, and

to do so with a much more enlarged benevolence and freedom. Christians are much more bound to support the gospel than the State. They are bound by a higher justice, a nobler honour, and an infinitely higher gratitude. They owe person, estate, and whatever bounties they enjoy, to the Lord; and all their hopes of immortality are in him, and in him alone; and therefore, if they had no philanthropy, allegiance to him would constrain a large offering; but these combined, become a mighty influence to eall forth their greatest energy in their hearts, their time, their money, their prayers.

Nothing is stronger proof of the little interest persons have in Christ, than their mere pittance contributed to his cause. If they realize his great salvation in their own hearts, they could not withhold a liberal, generous, magnanimous support to his cause. In fact and in truth, the enlightened Christian man regards the church and the Christian ministry as the only true SAVINGS BANK on earth. Whatever is deposited there, will be always safe, and yield a large interest to all eternity. There is no other fire insurance corporation against the universal conflagration but the church of Christ. Whatever is locked up in her golden safe, will yield an everlasting revenue. It is a treasure hid in the elect and not in a field; and though heaven and earth pass away, they and their consecrated property will be for ever secure as the throne of God.

This would be
But while it is

But how is the Christian ministry to be regularly and sufficiently provided for? This is a question of human prudence, left to the wisdom and discretion of the church. There is no system, because there could be no system prescribed in the Christian revelation. It is not said that any one shall contribute so much per head, or so much per cent. on his income or capital stock. making it a mere duty, a claim of mere justice, and no more. both a duty and a claim of justice, the Lord, because he loves a cheerful and a liberal giver, prefers to have it not a mere work of necessity and justice, but a work of generosity and liberality. Still, it is expedient that there be system in church, as well as in personal, family, or state finance. There must be a sum understood, stipulated, and, above all, a time of payment. The public Christian servant, minister, missionary, or evangelist, whatever he may be called, must, to be a man of honour, a man of veracity and good faith, be able punctually to meet all his engagements. My theory is that he should be paid quarterly, in advance. For this purpose, every member of the church, from the widow and her two mites up to the man of hundreds of dollars, should, weekly or monthly, make his contribution to the treasurer or deacon of the church appointed to do the service. Let men pay their ad valorem tax, or whatever Christian tax they may agree upon, as punctually as the merchant or the farmer must his bank engagements. Let him lay by in store, against the day of payment, his stipulated sum, with the faith and liberality of a Christian man,

As just stewards, let every man give as God has prospered them. Riches, as well as salvation, come from the Lord. Both in the use of lawful and honourable means. It is God that gives all increase. Of this we are but stewards. Some can only spare a few cents a week for the Lord's treasury; others, as well one or two or more dollars. The poorest may give something. None have a right to monopolize the honours of the church. No one ought to give so as to make the bounty of all not necessary. This would be to defraud them of enduring riches and honour. Every member of a church, not living absolutely on its bounty, should give, regularly and systematically, something. It is good and blessed to give anything to the Lord. He receives only through the persons he sends to us. His ministers of salvation are his choicest friends and favourites. Hence while the "righteous shall shine as the firmament, his ministers shall shine as stars for ever and ever." Of different magnitudes, too, but without envy on one side, or pride on the other. Each, as he has turned men to righteousness and honour, shall shine in comparative splendour and glory in the highest heavens.

The state tax amounts to a large sum per annum; but the poor pay their equitable portion of it. The annual revenue to the Lord, in the form of meeting-houses and their expenses, evangelists and their expenses, the poor fund and the contingent fund, should be much greater, because the privileges enjoyed from the throne of heaven, incomparably transcend those enjoyed under any throne or government on earth, of a political or a temporal character. And as the advantages accruing from the taxes paid to civil government are but the safety of our persons and property from human wrongs and violence, while those accruing from the throne of Christ are spiritual, eternal, and celestial-boundless as the universe and lasting as eternity-our liberality, our annual revenue, should be greatly above that which we are compelled to pay to Cæsar for the transcient pittance he gives us in return for it.

But I am not writing a treatise on ecclesiastic finance, or the best ways and means of discharging our obligations, and securing our rights and privileges under Christ. I am writing with a free pen, on the support of a Christian Ministry. I write, too. on this topic, to call the attention of our brethren to this subject, because it has been neglected too long, and because some of our best evangelists have quitted the field, like Peter, for a while, and gone a fishing. They do not find a Saviour standing on the shore with their dinner cooked, when they land in a new territory. Therefore, they go a fishing for a living. One has gone to school keeping, another to shop keeping, and another to physic, and, worse than all, some are talking of studying the art and mystery of wrangling, alias, civil law; and that, too, not as a science, but as an art to be practised for an honey comb!

We are asked more frequently than new moons return, for evangelists; but the evangelists ask twice as often for bread, and do not receive it. Some are well supported, it is true. But we find not a few travelling and preaching on their dentistry, physiology, pathology, pedagogy, grammar, and music; thus taxing flesh, blood and bones, as well as ignorance and folly, for revenue to promulgate the word of life to the world!!

I add no more. Let our brethren every where consider this great subject with an interest and concentration of mind worthy of its immediate importance and paramount claims. Thousands of evangelists are demanded, and unless supplied, the ground open to us, at home and abroad, cannot be cultivated, and will not produce that revenue of blessedness and glory which it now promises. We only want a competency of well qualified evangelists, to possess and hold the length and breadth of this continent. There is a growing conviction, deep and extensive, that what they call our "theory," is the best, the most rational, scriptural, intelligible and practical, in Christendom. Shall we, then, or shall we not, suffer this great cause to languish and totter along, or, rising in the greatness of our strength, add to our faith courage and a generous liberality, and with all our energies, double our numbers in a few years, thus bringing many sons to glory! "I speak as to wise men-judge you what I say."

PUBLIC SENTIMENT.

A. C.

WITH just as much certainty can the public sentiment be formed and put in motion, as the waves can be moved by the breath of heaven, or the massy rock, balanced on the precipice, can be pushed from its centre of motion: and when public sentiment once begins to move, its march will be as resistless as the same rock thundering down the precipice. Let no man think or say, therefore, that nothing can be done.

NEW ARGUMENT.

An argument to show that were there no hint nor allusion to remission of sins, as connected with immersion, in the Scriptures; it is from other considerations, and from the concessions of almost every sect in christendom, fairly to be inferred that in immersion there is remission:

THAT all men are sinners is confessed by all who admit the truth of the Christian Religion. That no person to whom the gospel is preached, who is capable of hearing and believing it, can be saved with an eternal salvation, unless pardoned before death, is admitted by all Protestants. From these two propositions it is conceded that during the continuance of this life, sometime or other, remission of sins is granted to all the saved.

That which is granted and received in this life, must be granted and received at some given time; and, consequently, there is a moment before and a moment after the favour is obtained. That which is bestowed and received at any moment of time, must, for some reason which did not exist before. be bestowed and received at that moment of time for to suppose that any thing is granted without any reason, is to make it an unreasonable grant on the part of the donor; and to suppose that the reason of an act existed before, and not at the instant in which it is done, is to suppose that an act is done without a reason; and this again would make it an unreasonable act. From which it follows, that the reason, or consideration from which remission is bestowed, must immediately precede or accompany the act of remission.

That this reason, or consideration of forgiveness, must be something done by the subject of remission, is admitted by all Protestants of every name. Some say the agent is active-others say he is passive in the doing of it; but all agree that something must be done : for that no person is pardoned while asleep, or in a state of mental and corporeal inactivity, is, as far as I know, universally conceded. Remission, then, is consequent upon some act of the subject. So far we reason upon the principles and concessions of at least the Protestant world.

All acts are acts of obedience or acts of disobedience; and as no person will claim remission for an act of disobedience, it must follow that the act on which remission is consequent is an act of obedience. But there can be no obedience where there is no law: for where no law is, no transgression is; and wherever there can be no transgression, there can be no obedience. If, then, the act on which remission is consequent, be an act of obedience; and if there can be no obedience where there is no command, it follows that in the gospel there

must be some command through obedience to which the gospel is obeyed and remission obtained. A command concerning remission, obedience to which secures the blessing of pardon, is, then, essential to the character of the gospel.

A question here arises: Who now forgives sins? In answering this question we have the concessions of christendom-Jesus is now the person who forgives sins. God has granted to him this power.

He has exalted him a Prince and a Saviour to bestow reformation and forgiveness of sins. What he does, it is true, God does. But God having made him Lawgiyer, Governor, and Judge of men, it is Jesus the Saviour, who while on earth, had power to forgive sins, since his exaltation to universal dominion, is alone possessed of this power. He has all judgment committed to him, is ordained of God the Judge of the living and the dead, and is exalted to confer remission on those who submit to his government, as well as to punish the disobedient. Jesus is now Lord of all, placed on the throne of the Universe; angels, authorities, principalities, and powers are subjected to him. His exaltation to this supreme authority, honour, and glory, was consequent upon his humiliation unto death. Because he humbled himself, God has exalted him, and sworn, that " to him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess." This exaltation and coronation as Lord of all, followed upon his ascension to heaven; since which time it follows, that a new economy, or arrangement in the Universe, has commenced. No man can now come to God, or obtain pardon and life, but by him, as the way and the life. He is the way new and living." From these scripture premises, so generally understood and regarded, it follows, that if Jesus forgives sins, and if forgiveness be consequent upon some act of obedience, that command or act upon which it is consequent, must be a command issuing from him as invested with all this authority.

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These premises being all conceded to us. (and if they were not, they are all capable of unequivocal proof,) it follows that the command concerning remission must be one emanating from Jesus as Lord, or as having all authority in heaven and in earth," and that the act of obedience, on which remission is consequent, is an act of obedience, or submission to that command, whatever it may be.

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If Jesus as Lord must be obeyed, Jesus must issue a command as Lord, which command must be a positive one, because one recognizing his sovereign authority, and for the purpose of bringing men under his government. No act commanded by Moses, by John, or by any messenger, prophet, priest, or king, can constitute this act; for if emanating from them as God's servants, it could not be an act of obedience to Jesus as God's Son. Jesus is a Son over his own house. No moral or religious duty enjoined before the coronation of Jesus, could be an act of obedience to him as Lord. Faith as a prin

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