iSkm : ffl . "" .-•'. V.' • IlPL " ■■■' ■■•''w-ilP ..... , , ... K -hV ^ V V -^ .\, djantcll Htuuctsttg 2Jihratg Ht^ara, JJem fork LIBRARY OF LEWIS BINGLEY WYNNE A.B.A.M.. COLUMBIAN COLLEGE. '71 ,73 WASHINGTON. D. C. THE GIFT OF MRS. MARY A. WYNNE AND JOHN H. WYNNE CORNELL '98 1922 Cornell University Library arV1681 Notes on the principles and practices of 3 1924 031 195 237 olin.anx Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031195237 NOTES PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES BAPTIST CHURCHES. BY FRANCIS WAYLAND NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY SHELDON -in- a meeting called to consider the wants of the ministry, Gould a man utter precisely these sentiments without giving grave offense, nay, where he would not be stigmatized as an enemy to ministerial education?, In meetings of this kind are not ministers who have not received what is called " a thorough training," treated, in fact, almost as " outsiders," as men who, to be sure, are in the ministry, but have a very questionable right to be there ? I do not believe that this is intended 54 CHANGE OF VIEWS. unkindly, or probably intended at all, but tbe fact is, we have been so much in the habit of hearing other denominations talk in this way, that we have fallen into it without being aware of its bearing. When any question comes up respecting the supply of ministers for our Home or Foreign Missions, wc are presented with an array of statistics from our Colleges and Theo- logical Seminaries, in order to estimate the number that may be relied on. It is manifestly taken for granted, that from these sources alone our wants are to be supplied. We are urged to endow institutions of learn- ing as the means, if not the only means, by which our ministerial ranks may be filled. It is exceedingly pain- ful to observe how, on occasions such as I have alluded to, the feelings of the large number of our most pious, useful, and faithful ministers must be wounded by the remarks of a small number of those who have enjoyed the advantages of a collegiate or theological diploma, or who have taken this subject under their immediate supervision. It is surprising to remark how greatly we have changed in this respect within thirty or thirty-five years. About thirty-five years since, a distinguished minister of the Congregational church, in order to show the need of Education Societies, published a report, in which he set forth the destitution of the means of grace in the various States of the Union. In States swarm- ing with Baptists he enumerated but a handful of ministers. When an explanation was requested, it was stated that he only counted educated ministers, and that, of course, he left the Baptists not educated out of his estimate. There arose throughout the denomina- DESIGN OF CHRIST'S BTTLE. 55 Hon a storm of indignation, and the case was ably argued in an elaborate review of the report. I have, however, lived to see ground tacitly taken, in many of our educational meetings, which would have fully justi- fied the most offensive features of this very report. Yet this has not been done from unkindness, or arro- gance, or intentional swerving from principle, but from an unfortunate disposition which we too often exhibit, to follow the example of other denominations, instead of holding fearlessly to the rule of the Master. The reason why the Saviour adopted this rule is, I think, obvious. He meant to make it evident that his church stood, not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God ; that the conversion of men was the work of the Spirit, and that nothing which man could add to the simple manifestation of the truth, 'was essential to its divine efficiency. Hence, .he chose the things which men called weak, to confound the things which men called mighty. Hence, also, the apostle Paul, though a well educated man, preaching in the midst of a most refined and cultivated society, laid aside the " wisdom of words," and preached Christ crucified, though it was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but unto them that were called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of Godi Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and* the weakness of God is stronger than men. That no flesh should glory in his presence." But it will be asked, May not learned and " thor- oughly trained" men be holy, humble, meek, self-deny- ing, and apt to teach ? Undoubtedly. They' reason of their peculiar advantages, under gr 56 FBUITS OF THE ADOPTION gations to be such. They may be able to do some part of the work better than others. But I ask, also, may not men, nojfc thoroughly trained, be holy, humble, meek, self-denying, and apt to teach also ? Are they not, then, as highly esteemed by the Master as their breth- ren, and should they not' be as highly esteemed by us ? And is there not work in the vineyard to be done, which they can do better than the others ? Has not the greater part of the work of building up and extending the church of Christ been done by men of whose learn- ing the world at least has never heard ? And besides. Where the New Testament plan has been adopted, it has been always attended with wonder- ful success. It was so in our own denomination in former times. When every church had its licentiates in large numbers, when every man who possessed the qualifications demanded -by the New Testament was called to the exercise of his gifts, when religious meet- ings took the place of the amusements which now draw away so many of the unwary, we multiplied beyond all example. So it is now in Germany. The little church of seven members, organized and carried on upon these principles, has spread from Hamburg to the borders of Eussia, and now numbers its churches and stations by hundreds, and their converts by thousands ; and this work has been accomplished by the use of such gifts and graces as God gave them, improved as they were able to improve them. The Karen and Burman mis- sions furnish a similar example. For a series of years these missions seemed almost stationary. As soon as we began to call to the ministry and ordain all those who seemed endowed with suitable gifts and Christian graces, OF THE -NEW TESTAMENT PLAN. 57, the missions arose and burst forth as though revived from the dead, and are at the present moment, so far as I know, the most flourishing of all the missions to the heathen. Brethren, are not these things deserving of serious reflection ? May not notions have crept in' among us, which require to be examined with Christian independence and deliberate caution ? XII. BY CARRYING OUT THESE YIEWS WE SHOULD HAVE SUCH A MINISTRY AS CHRIST HAS APPOINTED, A MORE NUMEROUS MINISTRY, A MINISTRY ADAPTED TO THE VARIOUS WANTS OP MEN. — CONSEQUENCES OP THH OPPOSITE VIEW. B\jt it will be asked, If we adopt these sentiments, what sort of a ministry shall we have ? I answer, 1. We shall, in my opinion, have such a ministry as Christ has appointed.- Could we have a better? If he has established the qualifications which he requires in a minister of the gospel, can we improve upon them? ' Have we a right to modifythem, or in any respect to alter them ? Who will dare to change the constitution which Christ has given to his church ? If we may do it in this case, we may do it in all cases, and we assume the very worst badge of the Papacy. 2. I answer, secondly, we shall have a ministry ten times as numerous as we have at present. The minis- terial gifts which Christ has bestowed upon the church are now almost hidden. By imposing restrictions such as Christ' has not imposed, we are reducing our minis- 3* 58 ADVANTAGE OF ADOPTING try to the absolute minimum. In large and intelligent churches, embracing men in every department of life, men capable of addressing their fellow-citizens on al- most any other topic of interest, we can scarcely find one who will dare to speak publicly on the subject of man's salvation. They universally excuse themselves because they have not had a theological, education, and no one opens his mouth for God but the pastor of the church. We can find few only who are willing even to speak in a conference meeting. Were we to propose that they should go into a destitute neighborhood and conduct a religious meeting, they would probably, with great self-complacency, tell us that they never inter- fered with the duties of the minister. We frequently hear this very notion indirectly encouraged by ministers themselves. We hear preachers tell mer Congre- gationalists, that it is not of necessity perfect for Bap- tists. Our views of the ministry, and the conditions of our denomination, are not those of Congregationalists. Would it not be worth while for some one to take up this whole subject and examine it anew, and show what is needed in order to render these institutions far more effective, by adapting them to our own wants, and our own peculiar exigences ? At present, the number of young men whom they educate, in comparison with our needs, is but a drop in the bucket, while the expense to the denomination, of each graduate, is very great. Could they not be popularized ? Could they not so arrange their instruction as to render it service- able to men of different degrees of preparation ? In- stead of educating eight, ten, or twelve, annually, could they not educate fifty or a hundred ? With due at- tention to learning, could they not also labor to make preachers — men of popular address, capable of " think- NEED OP INCKEA8ED EFFICIENCY. 77 ing on their legs," and able to move an audience by solemn, earnest, stirring, and persuasive address ? Our present means for educating ministers are certainly not so successful as to preclude the inquiry, whether they might not be rendered, with the same expense, vastly more efficient. Is it not worth while to ask two very simple questions, first, What do we, the -Baptists of the United States, really need? and secondly, By what means may our needs be best supplied ? I shall not pretend to answer these questions, but I say that he who will answer them successfully, will do a great serv- ice to the denomination. If, then, it be said, that these views are opposed to an educated ministry, we reply : 1. Is it opposition to an educated ministry, to affirm that every man whom God calls to the ministry should cultivate himself, just so far as God has given him the opportunity ? Is it opposition to an educated ministry to urge every minister to labor to improve to the utmost his. younger brethren, in whom he perceives gifts for usefulness ? Is it opposition to an educated ministry to labor to improve the hundred instead of .only the ten ? All that we propose is this, that every one be encouraged to enter upon this work who possesses the qualifications which the New Testament has established, and that every one who enters upon this work be urged and aided to give himself all the means of improvement which the providence of God places in his power. 2. If it be said that the apostle Paul urges Timothy and Titus to give attention to doctrine, or learning, or study, we answer, very good, we do the same. He advises those who have devoted themselves to the min- 78 .EDUCATION OF THE MANY. istry to improve themselves to the utmost. We urge this as'strongly as he has done it. A man would never be apt to teach who did otherwise. This is, however, a very different thing from prescribing any amount of classical learning as a necessary qualification in a can- didate, for the ministry. Horace, Virgil, Homer, iEschy- lus, and Euclid, were as well known to the apostle as to us. But does he make the study of these authors a prerequisite to admission to the work of preaching the gospel of regeneration ? We say, let every one im- prove himself as far as God gives the opportunity, but we dare not prescribe any qualification for the ministry which inspiration has not prescribed. 3. Which has the appearance of opposition to an educated ministry, an effort to educate the whole min- istry, so far as it is practicable, or an effort to educate some twenty or thirty a year, and leave the thousand unprovided with any means of cultivation ? Bo not the multitude, whose advantages have been small, need our aid in this respect more than those who have already received the advantages of a liberal education ? While we provide for the one class, shall the larger class be wholly neglected ? If education is good for a part, is it not good for the whole ministry ? 4. But in this respect, there need be no controversy or unkindness. If some consider it their duty to labor for the good of the few, they surely can not be grieved with us, if we desire to labor for the many. If some men labor for colleges, they surely would, not disparage the motives of those who labor for common schools and academies, without which colleges themselves could not exist. So while some are laboring for seminaries, as it DUTY OF PERSONAL EFFORT. 79 » is said, " of a high order," they will, of course, look kindly on those who desire to introduce to the ministry every one whom God has called, and to give to every one all the advantages which God has placed in our power. XV. UNIVERSAL OBLIGATION BESTING ON AH THE DISCIPLES OP CHRIST TO LABOR PERSONALLY FOR HIM. — SUNDAY SCHOOLS. — COLPORTEURS. — GENERAL INEFFICIENCY OF PROFESSORS OF RELIGION. • I have already extended these notes on the subject of the ministry very far beyond my intention. It is time to bring them to a close. To sum up what we have said, in a few words. We believe that every individual whom God has called by his grace is under the most solemn and imperative obli- gations to labor not only indirectly but directly, for the extension of the causa of Christ. No man can be religious, unless he be a religionist. To this work he . must consecrate his whole being, and this work he can not delegate to another. In this work there are various departments of service, each one having his own gift, one after this manner, and another after that. To suppose Christ to call a man to be his servant, and have nothing for him to do, is absurd. Among these gifts is aptness to teach, or a power bestowed, in different degrees, to address men on the subject of their souls' salvation. On some men this gift'is bestowed so largely that they are called to devote their whole time to this service. 'On others - it is less largely bestowed, and these may very properly combine 80 CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE DECLINING. * labor in the ministry with some secular pursuit. It is surely sufficiently common for a man to*begin with the ministry and end by uniting it with a secular calling ; why may not a man, with equal propriety, commence with a secular calling, and end by combining with it the work of the ministry ? That this is the apostolic plan, is, I think, evident to any one who will candidly read the New Testament. That this view of the ministry is according to the mind of the Spirit, is, I think, evident from the success that has attended it wherever it has been adopted, whether in heathen or in Christian lands. It is in vain to say that to adopt these views is to place ourselves in oppo- sition to. the public opinion of the world, and of the various denominations of Protestant Christianity. The opinions and practice of Protestant Christianity are by no means as sure a guide as the precepts and examples of the New Testament. It can scarcely be denied that, at the present moment, Christianity is everywhere los- ing its hold upon the masses of the population, Our ministry and our houses of worship are becoming the ministry and the houses of worship of the rich and the educated, while the whole body of the people is uncared for and forgotten. Jesus Christ taught us that one of the evidences of his divine mission was, that to the poor the gospel was preached. If we do not preach to the poor as well as to the rich, we lose this badge of disci- pleship. Shall we then follow the example of a declin- ing Christianity, or shall we tread in the footsteps of the Master ? The fact is, if we must speak the truth,, almost all oar denominations are sinking down into the belief thai UNCOMMISSIONED MESSENGEB.fl. 81 all the direct work for the conversion of the world iB to be done by the ministry ; thus making a broad distinc- tion between the clergy and the laity (I use these terms, not because I approve of them, bat because they are so much in vogue). We are coming to think the minister is to do the work of the Lord, and the business of the private brother is simply to pay him for it. I say we are coming to this belief, we have not yet exactly arrived at it. Our Sabbath-schools form an exception. It is still held that the uncommissioned messengers of Christ may, and ought to labor here. But these are 'conducted mainly by the young, especially, as I have before remarked, by young women. Had it not been for Eichard Eaikes, I do not see what employment could have been found for our young disciples. But, as it is, as a Christian advances in age he gradually leaves even this service, and thus this work really finds employ- ment for but a small portion of the Lord's host. Another exception is in the case of colportage. It is strange that we are governed so much by names. The introduction of a French word has here wrought almost a miracle. A colporteur is generally a man, as our Episcopalian brethren would say, not in holy orders, who travels from town to town, and goes from house to house to distribute ■ tracts, converse with families, hold religious meetings, and by every means but formally taking a text and pronouncing the benediction, does precisely the work of a minister. He is to all intents and purposes a lay preacher. Yet, call him a lay preacher, and thousands would tremble for the respect- ability of the ministry. Call him a colporteur, and every one- subscribes to sustain him, and all acknowl- 4* 82 CAUSE OF SPIRITUAL DECAY. edge that his agency is of vital importance to the church of Christ. * Yet this work is confined to young men, frequently to illiterate men, to foreigners, and in general to those whose time can be purchased at the cheapest rate. What would our merchants and lawyers and men of property and worldly standing think if we should urge them to undertake this same labor ? What would they say if we should ask them to spend their vacations and intervals of leisure in the summer months in doing substantially the labor of a colporteur, or to use the offensive term, of a lay preacher ? They would tell us ■ they will give their money. Yes, but God requires not your money but yourselves. And how much of your money do you give ? Why, two or three men worth some hundreds of thousands apiece, will unite in sup- porting one such laborer, when they might each one support ten or twenty, by denying themselves of some expenditure for useless and soul-destroying luxury. The fact is that our most intelligent, able, middle- aged, private brethren have little to do, and they do little. This broad distinction which has grown up between them and the ministry, has reduced their effort for the cause of Christ to its minimum. Our lawyers, merchants, men of business in the several departments of active life, our teachers and professors have no spirit;- ual work before them beyond caring "for their own souls. Hence their piety languishes, they become entangled in the world, they follow its customs, they adopt its max- ims, they share jn its amusements, simply because they have no spiritual work to do by which their religious -principles may be invigorated. Let any one look over EIGHTS AND DUTIES. . 83 one of our churches at a communion season, especially over an old and wealthy, and, as it is called, a most re- spectable church, and say whether in what I have said I have overstated the facts. Monopoly is a curse, either in state or church. This growing monopoly must be broken up, or the whole church will, sink into fatal worldliness. The private brethren of the church have rights. Jesus Christ has called them to be his servants, and he has conferred on every one the privilege of working in his vineyard, and has promised to each laborer a rich reward. He has given to each. servant some particular gift, and, permitted him to use that gift for him. Of this right no man, or body of men, or ecclesiastical au- thority may deprive him. Every Christian is Christ's freeman, and he . has a right to labor for Christ in any place where his Master opens a door, and he is to seek diligently to ascertain where the door is opened for him. If the private brethren of our churches have rights, then it follows that they have also duties. If Christ has given them the right to labor for him, then he has imposed upon them the corresponding duty. It is the imperative duty of every brother who has any power of public address to use it for Christ. You say that you have not this gift. Did you ever try ? When you was first converted you had it, and was willing at all times to tell men of the excellency of Christ. Had you continued to do so, like James Shelburne, you would now have become a Christian of a very different charac- ter from what we now behold. You have so long buried your talent in the ea-th that you do not know 84 PREVALENCE OP UNGODLINESS. where to find it, and your whole spiritual nature is suf- fering on account of it. Let me ask you a plain ques- tion. Dp you believe that Christ called you that you might go forth and bear fruit, or that you might be a branch that beareth no fruit, whose end is to be burned ? Do jou believe that Christ called you by his grace, 'that you might be a very respectable, influential citizen, a kind and worthy neighbor, willing to attend church twice on Sunday, pay your pew tax y and sub- scribe to beautify your house of worship, and give per- haps the interest of your income to advance his cause, and has nothing more for you to do ? And are you to excuse yourself for your disobedience to Christ,- by pleading that you pay your minister for laboring for souls, and that you are not in " holy orders ?" Brethren, beloved in the Lord, excuse my plainness in this matter. I write not_ to please you, but to do you good. I humbly hope that " the love of Christ constraineth me." Look abroad upon Zion ; consider her desolations. Iniquity abounds. The love of many waxes cold. Our youth are growing up without any regard for religion, and are yielding themselves up to all the allurements of a soul-destroying world. The masses of our people are not under the influence of the institutions of religion. Multitudes among us, even at our own doors, are pressing on to the judgment day, as ignorant of the way of salvation as the heathen in India or in Africa. Foreigners by hundreds of thousands are landing upon our shores, the decided and avowed ene- mies of the cross of Christ. The governments of the world acknowledging the name are enemies to the power of the religion of Jesus. And at such a time as NEED OF A REVIVAL. 85 this, are we all to sit down quietly and satisfy ourselves with doing nothing for Christ, because we pay the min- ister's salary that he may do it for us ? No ! the cause, at this emergency, requires the most active employ- ment of every talent of every true disciple. The masses of the church must he aroused, or the enemy will come in like a flood, and there will be neither, faith nor power to raise up a standard against him. But, while we do this, we must rely on something in- finitely better than an arm of flesh. Let us meditate over these things, and ask the Master to show us our duty. Let us with one heart pray 'for a universal de- scent of the Holy Spirit upon all his churches. Should the dayspring from on high visit us once more, we could not remain in our present condition. We should be constrained to arise and make sacrifices for God. Then the feeblest among us would be as the house of David, and the house of David as the angel of the Lord. XVI. BAPTISTS ACKNOWLEDGE THE SOLE AUTHORITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN OPPOSITION TO TRADITION AND DECREES OE COUNCILS. — BAPTISM: THE MODE OF ADMINISTERING THIS ORDINANCE WHICH WE CONSIDER OBLIGATORY. I have, for the present at least, concluded my re- marks on the subject of the Baptist ministry. I pro- ceed to some other of our distinguishing ,tenets. The fundamental principle on which our difference from other evangelical denominations depends, is this : we profess to take for our guide, in all matters of 86 AUTHOEITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. religious belief and practice, the New Testament, the whole New Testament, and nothing but the New Testa- ment. Whatever we find there we esteem binding upon the conscience. What is not there commanded, is not binding. No matter by what reverence for antiquity, by what tradition, by what councils, by what consent of any branches of the church, or of the whole church, at any particular period, an opinion or practice may be sustained, if it be not sustained by the command or the example of Christ, or of his apoBtles, we value it only as an opinion or a precept of man, and we treat it accordingly. We disavow the authority of man to add to, or take from the teachings of inspiration as they are found in the New Testament. Hence, to a Baptist, all appeals to the Fathers, or to antiquity, or genera- practice in the early centuries, or in later times, are irrelevant and frivolous. He asks for divine authority as his guide in all matters of religion, and if this be not produced, his answer is, "in vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." It is from adherence to this principle that our diver- gency from other denominations of Christians originates. We do not make this assertion in any invidious senset Other Christians may believe as firmly as we, that they also adhere to this principle ; and, in fact, did. they not claim such to be their belief, they would cease to be Protestants. We fully concede these to be their senti- ments, and therefore we love and honor them. We can not, however, divest ourselves of the opinion, that we have escaped some of the errors which crept into the church at the time of the Reformation, and in this respect, how much soever we may fail in other respects. MODEOF BAPTISM. 87 that we are nearer to the New Testament than many of our Christian brethren, whom. we love as heirs with us of the glory which shall be revealed. As I have before remarked, we agree in holding the general doctrines of the plan of salvation with the other evangelical denominations in this country, and through- out the world. The Westminster Confession of Faith probably expresses our sentiments on these subjects as nearly as almost any other document. With the thirty- nine Articles of the Episcopal church, we should find but little at which we could take exception. With the Orthodox Friends we are, on most points, closely in harmony. From the Methodists we differ principally in our views of the sovereignty of God, and the doctrine of election. The Congregationalists of the North, in their general teachings, express our sentiments in all important particulars. With all these Christian breth- ren we delight to take sweet counsel, and walk to the house of God in company. We rejoice in their success. We grieve in their affliction, and we gladly cooperate with them in every good work, just so far as we can do it without compromising our fidelity to conscience. The difference which separates us from other de- nominations of Christians arises, mainly, from our views of the ordinance of baptism ; and from the results which naturally flow from that difference. What our views are on this subject, it will be proper for -me hefe briefly to explain. First, then, as to the mode of baptism. We believe that the ordinance of baptism is to be administered by the immersion of the body in water ; baptizing the candidate " into the name of the Father, 88 IMPOST OF BAPTISM. the Son, and the Holy Ghost." We much prefer the simple formula as given in the Evangelists, though of late, some of our ministers have here and there added a phrase or two to it, after the example of other denomi- nations, or in explanation of their own views of the subject. We prefer the preposition into to in, in the apostolic formula. Into is the proper translation of the original word. This is a sufficient reason for our preference. Nor is this all. It expresses, as we believe, the mean- ing of the ordinance, which the other word does not. In the name of any one means merely by the authority of, and nothing more. The word name here, however, has a totally different signification. The name " of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" is only the Hebrew mode .of signifying "the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Thus, "we will trust in the name of the Lord our God." " Hallowed be thy name;" that is, we will trust in the Lord our God. Hallowed be our Father in heaven, etc. The idea 'of the formula of baptism is, then, baptizing into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Thus, says Robinson, "to baptize, or to be baptized into any one is, into a profession of faith of any one, and sincere obedience to him." (See Robinson on this word.) So the children of Israel were " bap- tized into Moses," that is, into discipleship to him. They thus took him for their leader and lawgiver, promising to obey and follow him. Precisely thus do we understand the formula of baptism. The person baptized abjures the world, and enters into covenant with God. He was an enemy to God by wicked works, he is now a child of God through faith in his Son ; be* AUTHOBITT FOR IMMERSION. 89 was dead in sin, he is now alive to God ; the Spirit of God dwells in his heart, and. to that Spirit he professes to subject every thought and purpose, every motive and action. This is what we suppose is meant to be sym- bolized in the ordinance of baptism, and hence the meaning of the expression, baptized into the name of, or into the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The difference between the two expressions is thus clearly . manifest. We could baptize any thing in the name of the Father, Son, and 'Holy Ghost. The Episcopalian service usesthis expression (we think very improperly) in the ceremony of marriage. The Komanists baptize bells, standards, or any thing whatever in the name of, etc. We can not, however, baptize into the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, any thing but a National being, a sinner repenting of his sins, and now. entering into covenant with the Father of his spirit. In the administration of this ordinance we immerse the whole body in water, instead of merely sprinkling water upon the face. The reason for this is briefly stated. We believe this to be the meaning of our Saviour's command, when he directs us to go forth to baptize the nations. In this belief we are confirmed by the testimony of all antiquity, by the practice of the Greek church, by all the indirect allusions to the ordinance of baptism in the New Testament, and by the almost universal consent of scholars, from the re- rival of letters in Europe to Conybeare and Howson of the present day. We know it is said, Suppose this be so, yet any pre- cept of this kind is to be modified according to the customs of the age and country in which we live. To 90 OBJECTIONS OF PEDOBAPTISIS. this we reply, that we do not fed at liberty to institute such changes, in a matter which Christ has commanded. Besides, were this so, our brethren who differ from us should abide by their principle. Among Greeks, among Orientals, and Mohammedans, where batting the whole body is a matter of daily practice, they should certainly follow the apostolic example. The manner of obedience to the command of Christ, would thus become a matter of climate and of public opinion. We do not feel at liberty to adopt such principles of interpretation. But it is said again, The manner is of no consequence, every thing- depends upon the spiritual act, the state of mind of the candidate. If he renounces sin, and sub- mits himself to God, this is the essence of the act, and all else is " mim, anise and cummin." Here, however, it Beems to us that our brethren who differ from us relieve themselves of one difficulty by plunging into a . greater. If the manner be nothing, and the state of mind every thing ; if baptism be essentially the profes- sion of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, how can that be baptism which is administered to unconscious infants, who are absolutely incapable of these spiritual exercises. We well remember to have seen the father of exeget- ical study in this country sorely embarrassed in the lecture-room by a question of* this kind. Nor have we ever been able to perceive how these two views can pos- sibly exist together. It may, however, be said, that a public profession by an act in itself so noticeable, is a severe trial to persons of delicacy and refinement. It is a cross which they will not .take up, and if we adhere to what is here sup- posed to be a command of Christ, we shall keep many BAPTISM A OBOSS.' - 91 of the most .intelligent and influential persons out of the church of Christ. Of all this we are perfectly aware, and yet it does not move us. Men and women living in sin, are perfectly willing in the most open and noticeable way to profess their allegiance to the enemy of souls. They do not go to theaters or operas hy stealth, but glory in the service which they have chosen. They do not shrink from per- forming dances, at which modesty .must blush, in the- presence of a whole assembly. And when they put off all these things, renounce the service of Satan, and assume the livery of Christ, is it not proper that this should be done by the performance of a public and no- ticeable act ? If they have denied Christ before men, is it not right that they should also confess him before men ? Is it not meet, that at the commencement of the Christian's life, he should take up his cross in the presence '.of those who by his example, may have been led into sin ? "Would not a disciple in a right state of mind do this from choice, and insist upon doing it ? But this is not all. If we believe that Christ has commanded any thing, be it ever so small, it is morally dangerous to decline the doing of it, because we choose to call it a little thing. This principle once admitted, where shall it end? Why shall we not repeat this plea, as often as it suits our convenience, until every precept which we wish to escape seems a little one, and therefore we may be at liberty to ignore it ? With these views, whatever be the consequences, we prefer to obey the simple command of the Saviour. Few things are more impressive than the act of Christian baptism. In the sight of the whole world, the • 92 IMPKESSIVENESS 01 BAPTISM. candidate is buried with Christ, with him renouncing allegiance to the world which he formerly served. He rises from the water as Christ rose from the dead, to live a new life, the life of which Christ is the author and finisher. The act may be an offense to the world, but it is glorious in the sight of God, of angels in heaven, and of saints on. earth. I do not, however, propose to enter into this contro- versy. My object is merely to set forth the views which we entertain on this subject. The correctness of our opinions on the apostolic mode of baptism is now so generally conceded, that argument in its favor is almost a work of supererogation. NOTE. — In this and a following number, the New Testament is refer- red to as our only guide in matters of religious faith and practice. It was intended by this assertion, as the context will show, to exclude the authority of tradition and of all uninspired men claiming the power to legislate for the church of Christ Several writers, in commenting on these remarks, have thought it their duty to state that the author denies the divine inspiration of the Old Testament. To such an imputation he does not think himself called on to reply. He, however, believes the New Testament to be the standard by which the precepts and teachings of the former revelation are to be judged, and that, thus, it is our only rule of feith and practice. Its relation to the Old Testament is very dif- ferent from its relation to the doctrines and traditions of men: In the one case it is the relation of the meridian sun to the preceding twilight, in the other, the relation of the meridian sun to perfect darkness. It is my intention to discuss this ■subject at large, as soon as previous engago ments will permit. SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 93 XVII. SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. — REASON 'WHY BAPTISTS ifO NOT BAPTIZE INFANTS. — WE ARE NOT CONVINCED BT THE VIEWS GIVEN IN FAVOR OF INFANT BAPTISM. — ITS EFFECT UPON THE CHURCH. In my last paper, I referred to the mode of baptism,, as a distinguishing feature of the religious practice of Baptists. We also differ from other denominations of Christians, in respect to the subjects of this ordinance. 1. The rule which we adopt in our interpretation of religious duty, governs us in this case also. We bap- tize by immersion, simply because this mode was, as we believe, commanded by Christ, and practiced by his apostles. So, on the other hand, we decline to bap- tize children, because we can find no command on this subject in the teachings of Christ, and we find neither precept nor example of such baptism in the history of the apostles. Here we rest ; and until such precept or such example can be produced, we must continue to be- lieve such baptism to be without scriptural authority. To this authority we hope that we shall always willing- ly submit, but to nothing else can we bow in the mat- ter of religion, without doing violence to our conscience, and being unfaithful to our Master. 2. But we go further. We conceive that if the bap- tism of infants had beeu the practice of the apostolic .p.ge, it could not possibly have escaped mention either in the Acts of the Apostles or the Epistles. But it is never in a single instance alluded to. We hear of believers being baptized, both men and women, but we hear not a word of children. It is true, that In some 94 SEASONS FOE EBJBCTING two or three cases the baptism of households is recorded; but, even here, the Holy Spirit has seemed to take peculiar pains to prevent misconception, by informing us in some way or other tha 1 ^ these households were be- lievers. " 3. To the same effect is the command of our ascend- ing Saviour, G-o ye therefore and teach all nations, bap- tizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the^ Holy. Ghost. Baptism is evidently meant to be restricted to those who are taught, or made dis- ciples. We can therefore baptize no one who is incapa- ble of being thus taught or made a disciple. 4. All the allusions to the ordinance of baptism in the New Testament, refer to the baptized as regenerate persons, who have been buried With Christ and are risen with him, who have put off the filth of the flesh, etc., etc. This could not certainly be said of unconscious infants, who couM have no spiritual exercises, and who could by no possibility make them known. For these reasons, we feel ourselves bound to decline all semblance of infant baptism, and to bear "our testi- mony against it soberly but firmly, as an innovation up- on the doctrines and example of Christ and his apostles. If it be said that this is intended as a consecration of the child to God, a manifest duty of pious parents ; we reply, it is undoubtedly the duty of every pious parent to consecrate himself, his children, and all that he has to God. This is well ; but what has this to do with baptism ? Suppose this done, what should prevent the person so baptized as an act of his parents, from being afterward baptized, if ever he professed faith as an act of his own ? The two acts are essentially different in INFANT BAPTISM. 95 character, and surely, without, a special command, the, one should never be substituted for the other. Suppose, then, this were the ground for the baptism of infants, it has no connection whatever with the baptism of adults. And yet more, we ask who has required this at our hands ? Where, in the Scigptures, is this consecration, a general duty applying to every thing as well as chil- dren, in any manner associated with the ordinance of baptism ? The formula is, I baptize thee into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is understood by all evangelical Christians to mean, in the case of adults, just what we understand by it. But in the case of children, our brethren of other de- nominations understand it to mean, I consecrate this child to God, as I do every thing else that God- has given me. Can the same words be intended by the Holy Spirit to mean ideas so essentially different ? Were there two distinct ordinances, would there not have been two different formulas of baptism ? But we are told that we ought to baptize our chil-* dren, because baptism came in the room of circumcision. To this, again we reply, We do not find this asserted anywhere in the New Testament. We see no ground for even an inference that this is the case. And even were there ground for an inference, we dare not, on our inference, command as a precept of Christ what he has never commanded. The worst corruptions of the Bomish church are founded on precisely such inferences. We, as -Protestants, hold this to be a sufficient reason why we can not conform to the opinions and practice of our brethren of other denominations in this matter. But we go further. If baptism took the place of 96 CIECUMOISION AND BAPTISM circumcision, it must have taken that place either in a physical or spiritual sense. If in a physical sense, it must follow the same law, and be attended hy the same consequences. Thus, every Hebrew was commanded to circumcise his children, and every Christian parent, it is said, in the same manner is commanded to baptize his children. But the child thus circumcised was at once a member of the Jewish church, entitled to all its ordi- nances. The church of the Old Testament was an hereditary church, it followed directly in the line of blood. If in this sense baptism came in the room of circumcision, then the church of Christ is an hereditary church, and all the children of the members of a church and their descendants forever, are members of the church of Christ, just as Jews are at the present day by descent members of the Jewish church. If it be said that baptism takes the place of the Abrahamic covenant, we reply in the same manner. If it is governed by the same law, then not only a Chris- tian's, children, but all the males in his family, must be baptized ; and they and. their posterity are, by natural descent, members of the church of Christ. If, how- ever, it be said, that baptism takes the place of circum- cision in a spiritual sense, then hereditary descent is thrown out of the question. Abraham is the type of a believer. Every true believer is a child of Abraham, and is, for this cause, entitled to baptism. If ye be of faith, then are ye Abraham's children according to the promise. To this doctrine we do not object. It is what we believe, though we suppose ourselves to have a much more direct way of arriving at the same conclusion. If it be urged upon us that infant baptism is spoken TENDENCY OF INFANT BAPTISM. - 97 of by the writers of the second or third century, we are willing to grant all on this subject that can be legiti- mately proved ; but we can not fail to observe, that among the early writers, it rests not on the command of Christ, but on the doctrine of the necessity of baptism to salvation. We reject the foundation and the super- structure that is built upon it. Besides, what error is there, either in doctrine or practice, that can not be supported on the same authority ? If we go beyond the New Testament for our authority in matters of faith or practice, where shall we stop short of all the errors of Eomanism ? The' ground on which the argu- ment for infant baptism is frequently founded is, as it seems to us, large enough to sustain the doctrine of ex- treme Unction, the various orders of the priesthood, auricular confession, and the most corrupt errors of the Catholic church. And finally, we seriously believe that the general tendency to hereditary membership has been the great curse of the Christian church. This has laid the foun- dation of established and national churches, and its universal result must be, in a few generations, to break down all distinction between the church and the world. If the principles on which infant baptism is founded be carried to their true result, they must inevitably end here. We believe m a spiritual church, and we would exclude from it every thing that does not worship G-od in spirit and in truth.- The reason why infant baptism, in this country, does not work out these results is, in our opinion, that the principles on which the practice is founded, are not carried to their, legitimate conse- quences. We think our brethren are in these respects* 5 98 BESTR.CTED C M&TJ NION. inconsistent With* themselves. We rejoice that they are so, for it is infinitely better to be inconsistent in doing right, than consistent in doing wrong. Such are some of our reasons for differing from our brethren of other denominations on the subject of bap- tism. We baptize by immersion, because we believe it was so commanded. We do not baptize infants, because we find for such an ordinance neither example nor com- mand in the New Testament. And still further in the case of infants, as neither the manner of the act, nor the. Spiritual exercises essential to the act, as we under- stand it, are present, we do not perceive how we can recognize such an act as the baptism of the New Testa- ment. For this reason v/e were formerly designated Ana- baptists. We baptize those who have been sprinkled in infancy, because we do not consider them to have been baptized. We consider ourselves not to baptize again, but to baptize those who have never yet submit- ted themselves to this ordinance. So with respect to restricted communion, the doctrine held by most Bap- tists in this- country. We, with most other denomina- tions, believe that a person must be baptized before he is admitted to the ordinance of the Supper. If, then, we do not admit to the table of the Lord those whom we do not belive to be baptized, we do precisely the same as our brethren who differ from us. The question may yet be raised among us all, whether this is the true limit to communion ; but as we hold it in common with our brethren of other Christian denominations, it is a gen- eral question, in which we are no more interested than others ADMISSION TO THE MIHISIRJ. 99 These remarks are not made in the spirit of contro- versy. Inasmuch as inquiry is frequently made respect- ing our views on these subjects, it has seemed proper, in a plain manner, thus to set forth what we believe is com- monly received among us. As we differ from the greater part of the Christian world in these respects, it is well that the reasons of this difference should be distinctly seen. We believe that we act conscientiously. We freely concede the same belief to others. We will cooperate with them in all that does not compromise fidelity to the Master. We can go no further, nor should they require it of us. We are by no means particularly anxious to propagate our sentiments. We freely and frankly bear our testimony to what we believe «to be the truth, referring those who differ from us to the teach- ings of Christ and his apostles for our justification. We believe the points of difference to be important in themselves, but vastly more important on account of the principles which they involve. To us they seem to hold a place among the corner-stones of Protestantism. XYIII. MODE OP ADMISSION 10 THE MINISTRY BY THE CHURCH. — NO BETTER ♦ METHOD. — BUT CHURCHES MUST DO THEIR DUTY IN THIS MATTER. — ENTERING THE MINISTRY MEREL Y AS AN AGREEABLE PROFESSION. I intended, at an earlier period, to have offered some suggestions on the subject of the licensure and ordina- tion of ministers. What I should perhaps have done before, I will endeavor to do now. I have often heard our mode of licensing ministers 100 VARIOUS MODES OF ADMISSION spoken of with marked disrespect. It has been said, How. can we have any improvement in the ministry while the authority of licensing ministers is held by the church ? What do common, uneducated brethren know about the fitness of a man to preach the gospel ? I do not say that other men have heard such questions, I only say I have heard them myself. Now with this whole course of remark I have not the remotest sympathy. I believe that our mode is not only as good as any other, but further than this, that if is,. more nearly than any other, conformed to the principles of the New Testament. Let our churches, then, never surrender this authority to single ministers, or to councils, or to any other organization whatever. I believe that Christ has placed it in their hands, and they have no right to delegate it. Let them use it in the manner required by the Master, and it can be placed in no safer hands. In, the Episcopal Church the candidate is admitted to the ministry by the Bishop. In the Lutheran Church, I believe, substantially in the same manner. In the Presbyterian Church, it is done by Presbyteries. Have these means been successful in keeping the min- istry pure in doctrine and holy in practice ? How is it in the Established Church of England ? How is it in the Lutheran churches in Germany, -of whose tender mercies our own brother Oncken has had so large an experience ? How is it with the old Presbyterian Church of Scotland ? Of the former condition of this church we may inform ourselves by reading " Wither- spoon's Characteristics." How much they have im- proved of late years, the secession of the Free Church TO TAB MINISTBT. 101 might possibly inform us. But to bring this matter to a test, would we exchange our ministry, just as it is, for the ministry of either of these churches at the present day ? Or, . take our own country, where freedom of opinion, and the watchfulness of other denominations has had a powerful influence over these churches in matters of admission to the ministry, and look at the result. The object of a church of Christ is to subdue the world to God. Which mode of admitting men to the ministry has here been most successful in this re- spect ? For a long time after the settlement of the colonies, Baptist sentiments were confined almost ex- clusively to Bhode Island. Some of our Bhode Island ministers were whipped and imprisoned for holding a private religious meeting in Lynn, Massachusetts. The Bevolution, however, abolished, for the most part, the power of the established orders, and our sentiments be- gan to extend. At this period we were few and feeble. The men have but recently died who remembered when our whole denomination embraced but two or three as- sociations. The land was filled with Congregational, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian churches. We now, I presume, outnumber them all, and we should have out- numbered them to- a vastly greater extent, had we not swerved from our original practices 'and principles for the sake of imitating those of our neighbors. We need not certainly speak lightly of a ministry, or of a mode of introducing men to the ministry, which has led to such remarkable results. We want no change in our mode of licensing candi- dates. We do, however, need that the subject should receive more attention, and that in this, as in every 102 DUTY Of CHUBCHES thing connected with the church of Christ,*we should specially act in the fear of God. "If a church will act in this matter, with conscientious desire to please the Master, we know of no better hands into which we could intrust the power of admission to the ministry. Some twenty-five years since, I knew a church refuse a license to two young men, to whom, I presume, it would have been readily granted by almost any Bishop or Pres- bytery. Both were graduates of college ; one was among the first scholars in his class, but his delivery was so exceedingly dull that he could by no possibility interest an audience. He was refused a license because the brethren could obtain no evidence that he was called to the work, inasmuch as he had no aptness to teach. He, however, persevered, obtained a license from some church less scrupulous, and if I mistake not, went through a Theological Seminary, and received what is called a thorough training, but I think he was never called to be the pastor of any church, and so far as I know, never entered upon the work of the ministry. The other was the case of a young man of brilliant powers of elocution, and very respectable scholarship, but of erratic and ecoentric character. The same church refused to license him, because they deemed him wanting in the sobriety of character and consist- ency of example which are required in a minister of Jesus Christ. Subsequent events proved that they did not act without good reason. If all our churches would act in this manner, we should want to go no further to find a safe depository of the power of admitting men to the ministry. If, on the other hand, we are false to ■ourselves, and treat this subjept as a matter of form, to TO CANDIDATES. 103 ft be acted upon without thoughj or consideration, it is not our principles but ourselves that are in fault. Any system that man could devise would make mischief, if it were treated with the thoughtlessness which I fear is f$.st overspreading many of our churches. Let us,'then, look for a moment upon this subject as our churches profess to understand it. We believe that there is such a thing as a call to the ministry ; that is, that a man is moved to enter upon this work by the Holy Spirit. This call is manifested in two ways ; first, in his own heart, and secondly, in the hearts of his brethren. So far as he himself is concerned, it appears in the form of a solemn conviction of duty resting upon him with such weight that he believes it impossible for him to please Christ in any other way than in preaching the gospel. He dares not enter upon any other pur- suit until he has made every effort in his power to be admitted to this work. I beg these remarks to be re- membered. They may be considered by many as obso- lete and behind the age. It may be so, and yet the age may be wrong. There is a word of prophecy surer than this age or than any age. . I know it is common to hear men, even among Baptists,, talk of the choice of a profession, and of balancing in their mipds whether they should be lawyers, ministers, teachers, or physi- cians. They will say, perhaps, they dislike the turmoil of politics, the hard and irregular labor of a physician,, .the monotony of teaching ; they are fond of study, of writing, and of quiet mental improvement ; and be- sides, they can enter the ministry, be married and set- tled .so much earlier and so much more easily than would be possible in any other profession, that they, on 104 OF CHOOSING THE MINISTEY • the whole, prefer it„ Now I would always dissuade such a man from entering the ministry at all. If he could, with just as clear a conscience, be a' lawyer as a minister, let him be a lawyer by all means. The church of Christ can do without him. He proposes to enter the ministry of reconciliation from merely selfish mo- tives, and the Saviour has no occasion for his . services. He makes a convenience of the ministry of the word ; he uses it to promote his own objects ; he is a hireling whose own the sheep are not. If he begins in this way, in this way he will, unless the grace of God prevent, so continue. He will soon tire of the work and leave it for something else, Or he will continue in it to shed around him on every side the example of well-educated, cold, -worldly-minded selfishness. And here, at the risk of being considered a Puritan of the deepest dye, I must hazard another remark. This notion of considering the ministry in the same light as any other profession, to be preferred merely on the ground of personal advantage, is working very grave evils in the ehurch o«f Christ. I rejoice, however, to declare that I believe these views to be much less prevalent among Baptists than among other denomina- tions. A young man preparing for the ministry with these views, feels himself much in the condition of any other professional student. He takes frequently a pride in sinking every thing that smacks of the cloth. He is anxious to appear a man of the world. He will talk over fashionable insipidity and personal gossip, with the most amusing volubility. He converses about his ser- mons as a young lawyer would about his pleas or political harangues He is more at home at the even- AS A PEOPESSION, 105 ing party than at the bed-side of the dying, and is oftener seen at the concert than the prayer-meeting If any one should suggest that such a life was not quite consistent with*the character of a young evangelist, he would probably ask, with, most amusing innocence, What is the harm of all this ? He means to discharge his professional duties, and this being done, why should he not indulge his tastes and love of society just as well as any other professional man ? The apostle James seemed to think his question unanswerable, when he asked, " Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter ? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, either a vine figs ? So can no fount- ain both yield salt water and fresh." Many of our young evangelists, however, have found out the way in which this qan be done. The same lips can discuss the insipidities of fashion during the week,- and the solemn truths of repentance toward God and the eternal judg- ment, on the Sabbath. Brethren, these things ought not so to be. Suppose such a man enter's the ministry and assumes" the care of souls. He is continually comparing himself with men of other professions. They strive to advance themselves, why. should he not do the same ? His object is not to convert souls, but to distinguish*!! im self as a writer or speaker, and thus to secure some more eligible professional situation, a church in a city, a splendid edifice, a congregation of the rich, the fashion- able, and the well-conditioned. Or, he may desire the fame of a lecturer, or may seek for any other form of distinction and notoriety to which success in the pulpit may conduct him. If the 'ministry of the gospel is like 5* 106 EVIDENCES fl? A 0A1L . other professions, why should he not ? But if the Holy Ghost has called him to follow in the footseps of Christ, and -has committed immortal souk to his charge, and if he will be called to account for the 'proof which he has given of the ministry ; in a word, if religion be a reality and no sham, if the crown of glory be bestowed only on those who fight fbe good fight, if only those who turn sinners to righteousness shall shine as the star? forever— why, then, it is a very different matter. XIX. BVTDETOES OF A CALL TO THE MINISTRY OUR OTOT CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE CONSCIOUSNESS OP OUR BRETHREN. — DUTT OP A CHURCH TO A CANDIDATE. — MISTAKES IN THIS MATTER. In my last paper, I referred to the conviction in a man's own mind of his duty to preach the gospel, as one of the evidences of a call to the ministry. I en- deavored to show that this was essential. If a man has no other feeling than a desire to enter the ministry because he thinks it a more agreeable calling than law or medicine, he had better not enter it. His motive is wholly selfish. His desire is simply to please himself. He wilt never labor in earnest, for his motive is low, worldly, and sinful ; for it is surely sinful to profess to undertake the work of God, from a desire to please ourselves. And besides, the same motive which led a man into the ministry would as easily lead him out of it. If he found that the ministry was a very different thing from what he had supposed, if he found that it would not elevate him to Ihe position after which he aspired, what TO THE MINISTRY. 107 is there to prevent him from abandoning it altogether and seeking some more congenial occupation ? Is not this the reason why, at the present time, so many are leaving the ministry" and engaging in secular or semi- secular pursuits. But suppose a man convinced "that he is called of God to preaeh. He could not turn a deaf ear to this impression without doing violence to his conscience, and, in his own view, disobeying God. He feels that a woe would rest upon him if he did not preach the gospel, and that a curse would rest upon all his en- deavors if he left this duty unfulfilled. Here, then, is one evidence of his call. But this istoot enough. We may frequently mistake our motives. We may overrate our capacity. We may thus run before we are sent. Hence we frequently see men in the ministry who have manifestly mistaken their calling, who are useless as preachers, while they might have bee,n very useful in some other situation. What then, in addition, is needed, in order to assure a man that he has not mistaken the voice of God in this matter ? ' I answer, he in the next place lays his convictions before his brethren, who know his walk and conversa- tion. He asks them to tell him, in the fear of God, whether or not their convictions correspond with his own, whether or not they in truth believe that he . is called to undertake this work. They are bound to take up this subject with solemn deliberation. They do wrong, if they do not employ all the means in their 'power to come to a right decision. They must hear him preach, until they are .able to form an opinion of his gifts, his knowledge of the Scriptures, and hia 108 OF DIVINE GUIDANCE aptness to teach. If, after a sufficient trial, they can not be convinced that the hrother possesses ministerial gifts, they must honestly tell him so. He may then conclude that he has mistaken his" duty, and that with ' a good conscience he may devote himself to some, other calling. It was well that it was in his heart to build the temple of the Lord, and he shall have his reward, though the Master sees fit to commit the work to another.- If, on the other hand, his brethren are con- vinced by their knowledge of his Christian character, aptness to teach, and acquaintance with the Scriptures, that he is called to tbe ministry, this union and har- mony of his convictions with theirs may assure him that he has not mistaken the voice speaking wfthin him, but that it is his duty to devote himself, either wholly or in part, to the ministration of the word. It is not improbable that to some of my readers all this may seem nothing, better than fanaticism, mysti- cism, and, as they may possibly call it, humbug. They will ask how. a church meeting can judge of the quali- fications of a man who has Bpent half of his life in studies of which they know nothing, and may intimate that this notion of the interference of God, for the sake of enabling men to decide such a question, is childish and impertinent. I am prepared to meet all this. There are truths which some men can never see, but they may be truths notwithstanding. The natural mind understandeth not the things of the Spirit, neither' can he understand them, for they are spiritually dis- cerned. To all such objections I reply by asking the simple question, Is there any Holy Ghost ? In the face of all this ridicule, I maintain that .he who has IN ASCEKTAINING A CALL. 109 ascended on high, at the present moment confers gifts upon his disciples for the building up of his church ; and that he reveals the presence of these gifts by the conviction which he awakens in the mind of the indi- vidual, and in the minds of his brethren concerning him. I know of no better way than this by which a man may be introduced to the work of serving Christ in the gos- pel of regeneration. If any man knows of any better, let him propose it. It is not sufficient that he think lightly of this way. This is not enough. Let him propose his more exceJent way. Let him do it openly, plainly, without disguise, and make no higgling about it. Let us have both ways plainly set before us ; let the people of God place them side by^side, and determine which is according to the teachings of the New Testament. It will be seen, from what I have said, that the act of a church in licensing a candidate, is one requiring grave and serious consideration. It is a matter of great consequence, both to the can- didate and to the church of Christ. To him it involves frequently a change in his whole course of life, and a new direction to all his energies. If he enter upon a calling for which he has no aptitude, his' life is, for the most part, thrown away. When a Christian brother asks our advice on a subject of so much magnitude, we are surely bound to give him the soundest and most delib- erate opinion in our power. To the church of Christ it is a matter of moment. To advise a brother to leave his present field of usefulness and enter upon another, for which he has no adaptation, is to throw away an important helper, and burden the ministry with a . brother who, in that situation, can render it no service. 11) RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHUEOHES. But this is not all. The brother asks for our con- viction as to his call to the work of the ministry. When we vote to grant him a license, we deliberately say that we, in the fear of God, belieye him to be called by the Holy Spirit to this work. We can not say this in truth, unless we have taken means to ascertain his qualificar tions. We can not say it in truth, unless, having taken ' means to ascertain the "factSj we have arrived at this deliberate conclusion. If we have arrived at the con- clusion, we shall with pleasure make it known to our brother. If we have not arrived at it ; we can not say that we have, without incurring the guilt of falsehood, It may give us pain to disappoint the expectations of a brother. This, to be sure, we would gladly avoid, but we can not make a lie about* it. We can not say that we believe one thing, when, in our hearts ; we believe the opposite. Such seems to me to be the nature of the obligation under which we are placed in the act of licensing a can-;, didate for the ministry. I fear, however, that we have become very thoughtless on this "subject. It is fre- quently said, if the brother wants to preach, let him preach, and on this ground a license is voted. Now this is manifestly wrong, If he wants to preach, he can preach without our sanction, if he can 'find any one to hear him, and if he preach no heresy we can not prevent 'him by any ecclesiastical proceeding. This is not what he wants. He desires to know whether his brethren recognize in him the gifts which will render him useful in this peculiar field of labor, and this is the question which, in the fear of God, they are called upon to an- swer. Again : I have seen license granted without any PROSPECTIVE CHFTS. Ill inquiry, on the ground that the license is Only for a year. This is merely trifling with a brother. He asks us for our conviction, and we give him what is no con- viction at all, because the license is' only for a limited time. Sometimes the fear of offending friends and relations, urges a church to the same result. All this is bad. It is acting falsehoods. We are asked to an- swer one question, and we answer another, when truth add the love of Christ would clearly teach us to speak in simplicity and godly sincerity. Another error on this subject is creeping into our churches, of a mischievous character. A young man, perhaps even a boy, gives evidence of piety and joins a church. He, with the natural fervor of youth, exhorijs his companions in a conference meeting, or he may have distinguished himself in school as a promising pupil. It is at once suggested that he should study for the ministry. The Education Society is ready to receive him, if he can present a testimonial from the church. He is too young to furnish any evidence of adaptedness to the ministry. To license such a petson would be ab- surd. The following course is adopted : the church certifies that they believe him to have talents, which, with proper education, will fit him for the ministry ; that is, they do not believe him now to possess minis- terial gifts, but that education will .either furnish or develop them. With this certificate he is admitted a beneficiary, and it is certain that, unless some .gross immorality prevent, he will become a minister. In the course of six or eight years he presents himself for a license. He has learned to write a religious discourse. At the recommendation of the church, he has spent a 112 EVIL OF EDUCATING VEET YOUNG MEN large part of his life in a preparation which has, to a great extent, disqualified him for any other calling. They seem to have no choice, and a license is a matter of course. The evil here is alarming. The mere youth is placed in a course which decides his calling for life ; a calling which he can not leave without seeming to have aposta- tized, and he must go through it or he disgraced. Young persons are not unfrequently placed in this course at 'an age when no judicious parent would allow a son to choose for himself irrevocably a Secular profession. And yet we urge young persons, under these circumstances, to pledge themselves to the ministry. Of their course of life while pursuing their education, the church knows nothing. Whether, they have been thoughtful or thoughtless, industrious or idle, earnest "Christians or mere formal professors, but few ever make any inquiry. The license is granted, and the young man is, by their authority, a candidate for ordination. Can this be the way to build up a spiritual and earnest ministry ? Of the temptations which beset a young man when pursuing a course of education, few persons are aware; and it requires deeper piety, and a more matured char-, acter, to resist them, than is commonly supposed. The beneficiaries of Education Societies possess, in general, the same moral and religious standing as other young rner in college who profess personal piety. Now, sup- pose" twenty young men, professors of religion, to enter college, and pursue their course to the close. It will be well if five of these twenty maintain a consistent relig- ious character, attending meetings for prayer with con- stancy, on every occasion standing up fearlessly for what AS MINISTERIAL CANDIDATES. 113 they know to be fight, and bearing testimony, every- where in favor of religion. Of the remainder, a part would rank among the timidly conscientious, willing to be on the side of right, where there was nothing to lose. Some would become Christians only in name,, known to profess Christ only by their presence at the communion table ; some would be seen equally active for Christ and for the world, and a few would be known as the worst enemies of ^religion, taking part with the irreligious and profane, «nd furnishing by their participation in it, an excuse to others for every form of ill-doing. I do not think that, in this statement I exaggerate the facts. In specially favored localities it may be otherwise, but I think, after some consideration, that I have made the supposition no more unfavorable than the reality. Now, is it safe to take these twenty together, and place them under circumstances in which they will all, if they choose, enter the ministry ; nay, where they must enter it, or lose character among their friends ? Does not a system of this kind require some modification ? Can we thus fill the ministry with such laborers as the Lord will bless ? Are we not expecting from education what •education can never do, nay, what it is very liable to undo ? Would it not be better to wait a little longer; and try our candidates further, before we. place them in such a course ? Are we not in danger of laying our hands upon novices, and thus doing an irreparable in- jury both to them and to the church of Christ ? I write these things with-pain. I am, however, deal- ing with facts, and facts which should be in the posses- sion of every one who is called to form a judgment in this matter. 114 OBPINATION. XX. OKBIVATION. — ITS NATUBE. — IMPORTANCE OP EXAMINATION OP THE OAS- DIDATB. — IN NO OTHEB MANNER OAN THE MINISTEY BE IMPEOVED. In my last number I alluded to the manner in which the Baptist churches grant licenses to preach the gospel. It may not be amiss to add a few words on the subject of ordination. The license is generally given at first with limitation in respect to time. It is renewable every year, and ex- presses merely, that the church of which the candidate ' is a member, approves of his design to preach whenever an opportunity may be offerred. By ordination, a licen- tiate is admitted permanently to the pastoral office, and it is generally understood that he is to make this the great work of his life. A single church does not ordain. It calls a council, generally representing the churches in the vicinity, who are present by' then- minister and such private, brethren as they may select At the time ap- pointed, these delegates meet and organize themselves by the choice of a Moderator and Clerk The doings of the church calling the council are read. The candi- date gives a narration of his conversion, views of the ministry, and of his call to the ministerial office, and presents a brief synopsis of the doctrines which he be- lieves, and purposes to preach. If these are satisfactory tq his brethren, they resolve to proceed to his ordination. The various services are assigned to the several brethren composing the council. The candidate is set apart by prayer and laying on of hands. The minutes of the council are recorded in the church books, and thus the service is completed. MODIFICATIONS SUGGESTED. 115 So far as the tfieory is concerned, we seem, in* this matter, to need no change. The churches in the vicinity may be considered as the representatives of all the Bap- tist churches. The churches represented appear, as is proper, by ministers and private members. They obtain such evidence as satieties them that the candidate is called, not merely to preach, but to devote himself to the work of preaching, and they get him apart to this work accordingly. I do not perceive how our custom, in this respect, could be improved. Were Lto suggest any alteration, it would be in the ordination seryiee. Following more and more closely in the footsteps of Congregationalists and Pjresbyterians, we have made it much longer and more complicated than formerly. And besides, it seems to be taken for granted, that a part, as it is called, must be assigned to every member of the council. This seems a little puerile, and might' proper- ly be corrected. It will be at once apprehended that the act of a coun- cil in this matter is one of no ordinary solemnity. The candidate has previously asked the church, whether, in their opinion, the Holy Grhost has called him to pub- lish the good news of salvation, wherever he may have opportunity. They have decided in the affirmative. After a sufficient time for trial, in the presence of the churches, a council of elders and private brethren. is assembled, and of them he inquires, whether, in their judgment he is called of God to devote his life to the work of an evangelist or a pastor. It is natural to sup- pose that, before answering this question, the council would take pains to ascertain the facts on which their opinion must be founded; that they would inquire into 116 DUTIES OF A COUNCIL ^ the Christian walk and conversation, of the candidate , his manner of life since he contemplated entering the ministry ; his character as a man of piety in the acad- emy, college, or seminary, in which, if he have heen a student, the last few years of his life have been passed ; the impression which he has made on the churches among whom he has labored; and, besides all this, that they would hear him themselves, in order to be able to judge from his gifts whether he be called to the work. Besides, it would be expected that a company of grave and solid men would desire to ascertain the knowledge possessed by the candidate of the way of salvation, and that they would minutely and carefully examine him in some of the cardinal doctrines of revelation. The strict- ness of this examination would depend much on the ad- vantages of the candidate. The greater his advantages, the stricter should be the examination. No precise amount of knowledge should be specified as absolutely necessary, but the fact should be determined, that the candidate was a sober and earnest inquirer into the truth of the New Testament, and that, besides knowing what was necessary to his own salvation, he was able to teach others also. It is natural to expect that an ordina- tion would be a season of moral thoughtfulness, solemn deliberation, and earnest prayer for divine direction ; that the elder brethren would point out any thing de- fective in their younger brother, and unite in ah effort, as far as was in their power, to render him a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. Wpuld not such a course do much to improve the character of the ministry ? Where is there a minister of Jesus Christ who would riot now thank God, if such a course had been pursued TOO OFTEN NEGLECTED. ** 117 when he was entering upon his work ? It is somewhat Btrange that, while so much is said at present about raising the standard of ministerial qualifications, so little attention is paid to this Subject. The Methodists carry out very thoroughly a system of examination for all their licentiates, and this is one reason of their un- paralleled success? I fear, however, that these important considerations are frequently neglected. The council ordinarily con- venes on the day that has been publicly announced for the ordination. They have no time for any such in- quiries as I have suggested, and they are, therefore, never made. It frequently happens that not a member of the council has ever heard the candidate preach, or has the means of knowing any thing of importance re- specting his qualifications. The statement of the can- didate's call to the ministry, and of his views of doctrine, have almost passed into-a stereotype form. An ordina- tion, in short, is in danger of being considered merely a pleasant meeting of ministers — the private brethren in attendance being very few — to transact a matter of form, to be kindly entertained, and attend the ordina- tion service in the afternoon. Is this the nature of ordination as it is set before us in the New Testament? Is this the answer of a good conscience, when a brother solemnly inquires of us whether we believe "that God has set him apart for the pastoral office ? To illustrate what I mean on this subject, allow me to refer to an ordination which I attended but a few years since, in New England. The candidate was a young man of good education and religious standing, and he had preached as a candidate for the church that 118 EXAMPLE OF THE called him to ordination, for a reasonable length of time. Letters were sent out inviting a council, composed of delegates from the neighboring churches, and as usual, the parts were assigned to the several members in ad- vance. The council was to meet in the morning, and the ordination services were appointed for the afternoon. At the time .specified but few members appeared, but they dropped in one by one, on the arrival of the cars. A considerable period had . elapsed, after the hour of meeting, before the council was called to order. When the church was called on to state to the council its ac- tion in the premises, hardly any member was present ; the clerk had not yet arrived ; he could not be found ; and there were really no documents on which the coun- cil could properly proceed. It was determined to com- mence without them, and read them as soon as they could be produced. When the candidate was called upon, it appeared that he was not a member of the church over which he was to be ordained, his letter of dismission from the church in the town where he had been residing, not having yet come to hand. There was, therefore, no documentary evidence that he was a member of any church at all. After giving an account of his conversion, and the usual statement of his call to •the ministry, and a very general view of the doctrines which he' believed, the council was invited to ask the candidate any questions they thought fit. After a short pause, an elderly minister who happened to be present, began to question the candidate on some of the fundamental doctrines of the New Testament. The questions were such as any person who had studied the word of G-od carefully, should be able to answer on PRACTICE OP COUNCILS. 119 the instant, and yet I heard them spoken of as consti- tuting a very searching examination. They had, how- ever, been continued but a short time, when it was evident that the business would not be completed in season for dinner, if they were much longer protracted. The question came up for admitting the candidate' to ordination. ' The records of the church had, in the mean time, been produced, and found to be satisfactory. Several members testified that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the brother was a member in good standing, and it was resolved unanimously to pro- ceed with the ordination. It seemed'tobe taken for granted that the act of the council was merely a matter ef form. This is, I presume, very much like a large portion of the ordinations among us, in many parts of this country. I ought, perhaps, to add, that I was not a member of the council, but being present, was politely invited to a seat. * My brethren, we hear frequent complaint of a dete- rioration of the ministry ; that our young ministers are not as grave, devout, and as well acquainted with the Scriptures as formerly. I ask at whose door shall the blame be laid. If we make the licensing and ordaining of ministers a mere matter of form ; if the churches turn this duty over to the Committees of the Education Societies, and the Education Societies neglect it be- cause it is the duty of the churches ; and if councils meet merely to record what has been theoretically done, but practically left undone by both churches and Edu- cation Societies, what is to become of the ministry ? In whatever business we are engaged, if any thing is going wrong, it is always wise to ask first - of all, What part 120 SUGGESTIONS IN BEFERENOE of the blame rests upon ourselves ? Whatever de- ficiencies there are in the ministry, it is in the power of the churches to correct, and the power exists nowhere else on earth. If we agree to admit every one who chooses into the ministry, why should we turn about and complain that every one who chooses is admitted ? We must all begin at home, if we would see the evils of which we complain corrected. Here, as I have had occasion so often to observe, we have been led astray by following the example of other denominations. We believe that a man is moved by the Holy Ghost lo enter the ministry, and that when he is thus moved, the mind of the Spirit is made manifest . to him and to his brethren. A great part of our Pedo- baptist brethren consider the ministry merely as a pro- fession, which any church member of sufficient educa- tion may enter. The two views are entirely dissimilar. They have constructed ■ their system of preparation for and entrance to the ministry on their own views. We, while holding radically dissimilar opinions, have, -I had almost said, servilely adopted their system in almost all of its parts. Hence our doctrine and our practice are at variance with each other, and there is danger lest our practice undermine and subvert our doctrine altogether. Would it not be better to reverse this order, and con- form our practice to what we believe to be according to- the mind of the Spirit ? In conclusion, let me ask, First, would it not be bet- ter for no church to grant a license, or semblance of a license, until they have taken all reasonable means to ascertain that the applicant was designed by the Master to be a preacher of the gospel ? TO ADMITTING MINISTERS. 121 . 2. Is it not incumbent on a council, in a correspond- ing manner, to satisfy themselves that the candidate possesses the qualifications required in the New Testa- ment for th'e office of a pastor or an evangelist ? 3. Ought ordinations ever to he held on the day of the meeting of the council ? 4. Should not the council, besides fully, examining the candidate, hear him preach themselves, at least so often that they may be able to form a judgment con- cerning his qualifications for the work ? „ 5. Would it not be well to render ordinations and ^meetings of councils, seasons ofieolemn and united prayer for the blessing of God on the candidate and the church? This, it is said, will take much time. I have, how- ever, found that the very shortest time in which it is possible to do any thing, is just so much time as is necessary to do it well. XXI. THE POINTS IN WHICH WE DIFFER FROM OTHER SECTS IMPORTANT. — THE MANNER IN WHICH WE HATE ESCAPED TH%; ERRORS INTO WHICH OTHERS HATE FALLEN. I have, on several occasions, alluded to the fact that we have suffered loss, as Baptists, by following the ex- amples of other denominations. It would almost seem to an observer that we were ashamed of our own pecu- liar sentiments, and took pleasure in testifying that be- tween us and other sects there were no real points of difference. I think the points of difference aife import- ant, and that our whole history is, in the highest de- 6 122 points or differed CE between gree, honorable to us as a Christian sect. If any sect " has occasion to glory, we more." If any man among us does not feel a manly pride in the sentiments which have distinguished us, and in the manner in which we have maintained them, there must exist something pe- culiar either in his head or his heart. The nature of the difference which distinguishes us from others, is on this wise :.it is evident that all dis- ciples of Christ must hold essentially the same belief respecting the character of Grod, the obligations and character of man, and the way of salvation through the merits and atonement of the Redeemer. But it is also evident that, holding these truths, men may adopt sentiments at practical variance with them. These sentiments, in process of time, may encroach upon and undermine the truth, so that it becomes more and more inoperative, until, at last, a church once spiritual and heavenly-minded becomes formal, ritual, and worldly. Of course "we are to judge of any denomination not merely by what it believes, but also by the contradic- tory elements which it has associated with its belief, and which, in thalong run, may cause it to swerve from the simplicity of the truth as it is -in Jesus., This, we think, has been the misfortune of many of our Christian brethren, whose belief, according to their formularies, agrees quite closely with our own. We, on the other hand, think that, by the grace of Grod, we have been enabled to exclude from our belief many of those principles which. have exerted a delete- rious influence on some of our brethren. In a word, we hope that we have followed more closely in the steps of the Master, excluding the errors derived from the ti*- BAPTISTS AND PED OB APT I STS. 123 ditions of the fathers, the decisions of councils, and the > enactments of state, and cleaving more firmly to the simple teachings of. Ohrist and his apostles. We utter this in no spirit of arrogance or self-esteem, but in de- vout thankfulness to the Great Teacher, who, we be- lieve, has condescended to make known to us the truth more perfectly. But it will be said, How can you ascribe this more perfect knowledge of the word of God to yourselves ? Tou have not numbered among you profound philos- ophersj learned philologists, acute logicians, or any of those gigantic intellects to whom we look up as the lights of the advancing ages. I answer, we have ar- rived at a clearer knowledge of divine truth, for the very reason that we have had no such guides to follow. Our fathers were, for the most part, plain, unlearned men. , Having nowhere else to look, they looked up in humility to the Holy Spirit to teach them the meaning of the word of God. They had no learned authorities to lead them astray. They mingled in no aristocratic circles, whose overwhelming public sentiment might crush the first buddings of earnest and honest inquiry. As little children they took up the Bible^ supposing it to mean just what it said, and willing to practice what- ever it taught. Thus they arrived at truth which es- caped the notice of the learned and the intellectually mighty. This is just whatf we might have expected* The New Testament was given as a revelation, not to the learned or the philosophically wise, but to every one born of woman. In it, God speaks to every individual. of our raoe, as much as though .that individual was the 124 INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. •only .being whom it addressed. Such a communication must evidently be made as plain and simple as language could make it. In the New Testament, Infinite Wis- dom has put forth its power to render the truth by which we must bo saved easy to be understood. Such being the nature of the revelation, it is manifest that the best of all interpreters must be a humble and child- like disposition. The mind which is most thoroughly purified from every desire to conform the word of God to its preconceived opinions or biases, will be, of all others* the most likely to discover the truth which the Spirit intended to convey. Such is clearly the teaching of our Saviour on this subject. "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven- and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast ■ revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."- I hope I have all due respect for learning, *and especially for philological learn- ing. I trust I am not wanting in reverence for the wise and good of our own and of preceding ages. But I would ask, in that age of robust scholars, which of them had so deep and thorough an understanding of the mind of the Spirit in the New Testament as John Bunyan ? Shut up for twelve years in Bedford jail for the testi- mony of Jesus, his soul wrung with anguish by the tears of his starving. wife and helpless babes, with no book but the Bible, a ray of light from the throne of God shone down on the sacred oracles, as he looked upon them, and revealed to him mysteries which the learned could not see, and which 'he has unfolded to the admiring gaze of all the coming ages. Take another case of a different character. Neander was learned in CONCESSIONS OP PEDOBAPTISTS. 125 philosophy, and in the history of the church, beyond any man of this age, perhaps of any age. Take up now his Commentary on John's First Epistle, the best of his works, of this character, with which I am ac- quainted. The excellency of this exposition is not at all owing to his marvelous learning, -but to the child- like and loving temper which places him in so delight- ful harmony of spirit with the beloved apostle. If such be the law of the divine dispensation, it is not remark- able that the truth which was hidden from the wise and prudent has been revealed unto babes. And that this nas been so, would seem to be evident, from the fact that the sentiments which we have maintained for gen- erations, amid oblbquy and contempt, are now admitted to be truths by the profoundest thinkers and the most learned Christian philosophers of the present age ; by men of the logical acumen of a Whately, and the philological and historical learning of a Bunsen and a Neander. XXII. HEREDITARY MEMBERSHIP AT VARIANCE WITH THE IDEA OP THE SPIRIT- UALITY OP THE CHURCH. — TENDENCY , OP INPANT BAPTISM TO ESTAB- LISH HEREDITARY MEMBERSHIP. In my last paper I stated, in general, the reasons why a Baptist should be thankful to Cod for the past history of his denomination. It may be expected that I should present the case more in detail. I trust I am prepared to do so, and will illustrate my meaning by examples. 126 HEBEDITAflY MEMBERSHIP In common with other evangelical denominations, we hold the doctrines of the depravity of man, the necessity of piety to church membership, and the necessity of regeneration, in order to render a man fit for the king* dom of God in heaven, or the church of Christ on earth. That is, we believe that the heart of man is estranged entirely from God, and is," therefore, in its natural state, incapable of holy affections, or of any act which fulfills the requirements of the law ; that the church of Christ is made up, not of those who are members by profession^ but only of those who are changed in their affections, who love God with a filial temper, and submit them- selves in all things to the precepts and example of Christ, relying wholly on his merits for salvation. This change of heart is called, in the Scriptures, regenera- tion, and hence our belief is, that the church of Christ is made up wholly of regenerated persons. To the truth of these doctrines we have always borne testi- mony, and we have always intended to reject every practice and ordinance at variance with them. On these doctrines rests the superstructure of a spiritual church, of that church whose members are "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." Suffer them, for any cause, to be obscured or undermined, and the dividing line between the church and the world is removed, and .what was once a church of Christ in reality, becomes such only in name. I do not say that such will be the result within a single generation, but such is the tendency, and as surely as things follow their tendencies, they must sooner or later arrive at this ter- mination. For instance, suppose a church of Christ, holding OPPOSED TO SPIRITUALITY. 127 the doctrines I have referred to above, also admits the practice of infant baptism. It is granted that there is no precept commanding, or example sanctioning this rite in the New Testament. It must, therefore, if a duty, be such in consequence of some other truth which necessitates the obligation to perform it. What, then, are the doctrines on which this obligation rests ? Is it the-covcnant with Abraham ? Birt all the children of Abraham, and the servants born in his house, were members of the patriarchal church. Why, then, should Jhey not be members also of the Christian church, if it be formed on the same model ? Or, is the ground of infant baptism the rite of circumcision, under the Mosaic law ? Every male, by this rite, and every female without it, became a member of the Hebrew church, entitled to eat the Passover, and enjoy all the immunities belonging to the theocratic commonwealth. If this be our model, why should not corresponding . privileges be accorded to the children baptized under the New Testament dispensation ? Here the door is at once opened to hereditary membership. The practice and the principles of Christians holding these beliefs .are at variance, and, in such cases, it commonly happens that the practice encroaches on the principle. This occurred in the time of President Edwards. In the first place, the children of those who were . not church' mernbers were admitted to baptism. Then persons who had been baptized, and we're of moral life, who professed a desire to be converted, were admitted to the church. And thus it came to pass that, at one period, every respectable householder of the town was expected to be a member of the church. Thus, at the same 128 EXPEBIENCE OF THE QUAKERS. time, in the Eeformed Dutch churches in this country, Mrs. Grant tells us that every young man, at the age of twenty-one, was married and joined the church, as a matter of course. In the Established Church of En- land, confirmation, by which a "person is admitted to communion, is expected of every one on arriving at a suitable age. In the Lutheran churches the custom is universal. Thus the doctrine of the spirituality of the church is, in the end, subverted by the doctrine of hereditary membership, introduced by the principle on which infant baptism is supported. % A striking illustration of the result of the admission "of the doctrine of hereditary membership is seen in the history of the Friends, or Quakers. They had arrived at remarkably clear ideas of the religion of the New Testament, and of the obligations which it imposed. They, however, rejected ordinances altogether, observ- ing that they had become merely a matter of form. Yet they adopted the principle of hereditary member- ship. In a few generations, the societies of these disci- ples, who, at the first, proclaimed the truth of the spirituality of the church, were rilled with hereditary members destitute of the grace of God. Then ensued a division, by which the formal and the spiritual were separated from each other. But the spiritual, adhering to the doctrine of hereditary membership, were soon again overwhelmed by merely worldly professors. Other divisions ensued. Thus, in spite of the purity and beauty of their original principles, they have been con- tinually diminishing ; and, it is to be* feared, will before long cease to be a distinct denomination of Christians. We can not but believe that a high honor has been BAPTISTS! DOES NOT REGENERATE. 129 conferred on us by the- Master, in that we have been taught to bear testimony at all times, against what we believe to be an error so subrersive of the doctrine of the spirituality of the church of Christ.. But take the other grounds on which the baptism of infants is enforced. It is said by some that baptism purines the child from original sin. If it be thus puri- fied, and its nature made holy, why should it not at once be admitted to a holy church ? Or, is the doctrine of baptismal regeneration entertained, and is it said before baptism that " none can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerated and born anew ;" and after baptism, ■*' thanks are rendered to God that he has been pleased to regenerate this infant with his Holy Spirit, to Teceive him for his own child by adoption, and incorporate him into his holy church," why should he. not be admitted to all the privileges of the church of Christ ? But it is practically found that no moral change follows this ordinance, and hence the church is filled with worldly men, and the doctrine of the spiritu- ality of the kingdom of Christ is virtually ignored. ' Or* is it said, that setting aside all these views, we found the obligation of infant baptism on the traditions of , the church, and its practice in the latter part of the second,' and the beginning of the third centuries ? We then concede the principle, that the acts of men of that period had power to bind the conscience, and we are obliged to receive as truth whatever they taught, and. to follow* their example in whatever they put in prac- tice. Here, then, we abandon Protestantism, and adopt almost all the errors of the church of Borne. Agai isl these errors, as we conceive them, and the 6* 130 CONSISTENCY OF BAPTIST >VIEWS. principles on which they are founded, we have had the honor of ever hearing our earnest and decided testimony. XXIII. •OTHER TRUTHS TO WHICH BAPTISTS HATE BORNE TESTIMONY. — THE SPIR- ITUALITY OF THE CHURCH OP CHRIST. — THE RIGHT OP PRIVATE JUDG- MENT. — THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AS OUR RULE OP - PAITH AND PRACTICE. — THE SEPARATION OP THE CHURCH FROM THE STATE. In my last paper I took occasion to ohserve that while the Baptists, with other evangelical denomina- tions, held the doctrine of the exclusive spirituality of the church of Christ, to them belonged the honor of holding this fundamental truth in its purity and sim- plicity, and of rejecting every principle and practice at variance with it. I also alluded to the fact that infant baptism can not ^ e maintained without involving some belief opposed to this fundamental article of vital Christianity. We may at various times have become lax in our discipline, and have failed to carry out in practice the principles which we believe. In such cases,, all we need is to seek out the old paths and walk there* in, to act, in a word, according to our established b&- lief, and " we are ourselves again." On the contrary, those who hold to practices founded on beliefs at vari- ance with this doctrine, can not be thus rectified. Their principles are contradictory, and to carry them all out to their legitimate results, must lead either to inextric- able confusion, or else to the subversion, of some funda- mental doctrine of the gospel. PBIESTHOOD* OF BELIEVEBS. 131 But this is not the only tenet by which oftr denom- ination has been always distinguished. 1. As a natural and inspired consequence of the doc- trine of the spirituality of the church, we have ever held to that of the universal priesthood of believers. We have always proclaimed that every child of God has the right, in his own person, of drawing near to God through the intercession of the one -only Mediator and High Priest. Hence we reject all notions of the neces- sity of human mediators, and with it, all belief in the holiness of a priesthood, and in general of an ecclesias- tical caste. While we believe that men are to be set .apart for the duties- of the ministry in whom we see the evidence of ministerial gifts, yet, that it is the church itself — by which I mean not the clergy, but the whole body of Christians — which sets them apart ; and that when thus appointed to this work, they are, by this act, t rendered no better or holier than their brethren. They are not thus made lords over God's heritage, but serv- ants of the church, appointed to minister in spiritual . •things. They have no authority, either individually or collectively, to legislate for .their brethren, but are, in all respects, just as any other believers, subject to the law of Christ. , This, in a country like our own, where , the press is free and the church can not wield the arm of the state, may seem a matter of secondary moment. But let any one cast his eyes over the*past history of Christianity, and observe the universal tendency of ..teachers of religion to constitute ' themselves into a priesthood, to assert dominion over the conscience, and to use the power which they have usurped for their own advantage, and to the extinction of piety, and he will, I 132 RIGHT OF PRIVATE JUDGMENT. think, come to a very different conclusion. No more fatal error has, in all ages, dogged the footsteps of the church of Christ, than the belief in the official holiness of the teacher of religion, and the necessity of a human mediator, in some sort, to appear on our behalf before God. From this belief have been developed those various forms of ecclesiastical hierarchy, which now, with their appalling weight, press down the masses of Europe, and hold them bound in the fetters of spiritual ignorance and sin. Another truth which has always been inscribed on our banner is, the absolute right of private judgment in all matters of religion. We have always believed that the New Testament was not given by God to a priesthood, to be by them diluted, compounded, and adulterated, and then retailed by the pennyworth to the people ; but, on the contrary, that the whole revelation in its totality, in all its abundance of blessing, with all its solemn, warnings, and its exceeding great and precious promises, is a communication from God to every indi- vidual of the human race. It is given to the minister in no higher, or better, or different sense, than it is given to every one who reads it. Every one to whom it comes is bound to study it for himself, and govern his life by it. The wisdom of Omniscience has tasked itself to render this communication plain, so that he that runs may*read, and that a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. The Holy Spirit has, moreover, been sent to assist every one who will, with an humble and devout heart, seek to understand it. With such a revelation, and such spiritual aid, every man is required to determine for himself what is the THE NEW TESTAMENT OUR STANDARD. 133 will of God. Seeking to know his duty in this manner, he will not fail to discern it. He has, therefore, no excuse for disobedience. He can not plead before God that he could not know his will. He can not excuse himself before his Judge on the ground that his minis- ters deceived him. The revelation was made to the man himself, and the means were provided for his understanding of it. "Every one of us must give accodnt for himself unto God." Such are the views which we have always entertained. Allied to this is another like unto it. As I have before remarked, we have, always held to the perfect sufficiency of the Scriptures to teach us in all matters pertaining to religion. We, moreover, believe, that the New Testament, the word spoken by the Son of God from heaven, and- by . the apostles whom he himself inspired, was given not to one nation, but to the whole human race for all coming time, and that by this word we are to decide upon the obligatoriness of every part of the^ older revelation. It is, therefore, in this sense, our only rule of faith and practice. To < every precept of it we bow implicitly as God's last, best, and final revelation of his will to mankind. We judge the Fathers, as they are called, by the New Testament. We judge tradition and the rites and usages of men by the same law. We appeal "to the Word and the testimony, and. if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Hence we are delivered from the yoke of antiquity, tradition, ' and ecclesiastical usurpation, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.- We hear much at present, which indicates the dis- 134 INDEPENDENCE OP THE OHUKCH. satisfaction of honest and able, men with the Christian church as it now exists in Europe, and *to some extent in this country. • It is surely not without foundation. We hear of various projects for a reformation of Christi- anity. None of these projects qan, however, reach the evil. It will never he reached, and the world will never he reformed, until Christians prune off all the beliefs and usages which have been ingrafted on the church, as it was left by the apostles, and in simplicity and truth adopt for their only and sufficient rule, the New Testa- ment, as it was committed to them by our Lord and Saviour. Another article of our belief, and the last that I will mention, is that the church of Christ is distinct from every other association of men, and is wholly and abso- lutely independent of the civil power. The authority we plead for this belief is found in the reply of Peter and John to the Jewish Sanhedrim: "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye, for we can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard." We accord- ingly have ever believed that the state has no author- ity to legislate in matters pertaining to the conscience. When man violates the rights of man, the state may interfere, and prevent or punish -the wrong. But, in matters which concern our relations to God, the state has no jurisdiction. It has no right to take cognizance of our duties to God. Hence it is guilty of wrong, if it prohibit or annoy any form of religion, if it favor one more than another, if it restrict the exercise of any form of devotion, either public or private, or in any manner whatever interfere in the matter of religious "soul liberty." 135 belief or practice. Such was the view taken of this subject by Eoger Williams, and hence, when he estab- lished a commonwealth, its fundamental principle was perfect freedom in religious concernments .; or, as he so well designated it, "soul libekty."- No man of his age had so clear conceptions of the rights of conscience as the founder of Ehode Island, and no one had ever carried them so honestly to their legitimate conclusions. I go further : no one has yet been able eitherto take from or add to the principles of religious liberty which he so simply and powerfully set forth. They stand as imperishable monuments to his fame, like the obelisks ' of Luxor, on which the chiseling of every figure is now just as sharply defined as when, three thousand years since, they were left by the handjof their designer. These sentiments we have held, as I have said, unalloyed by any opinions or practices at variance with them. Hence it is evident that we must, on various occasions, have differed in practice from those who, though agreeing with us in the main, have adopted practices and usages derived from other sources than the Scriptures. It is to our honor that we have borne testimony to these great truths through evil . and^ through good report, amid obloquy, scorn, contumely, and persecution even unto death. That the Protestant leaders, at the time, of the. Reformation, did not perceive the evil and the wrong of the alliance between the Church and the State, is one of the most inscrutable of the hidden things of the Almighty. They rejected many of the errors of Roman- ism, but retained this, which, gave to them their power over the nations. They claimed for themselves the 136 CHARACTER OF THE PURITANS. right of private judgment, but as soon as they obtained the power, they denied it to those who with themselves had been fellow-sufferers for conscience' sake. Hence their anxiety everywhere to gain the adherence to their sentiments of Electors, Princes, Counts, Barons, and civil rulers of every rank and description. And hence, as in various countries, Protestants of different names came into power, Baptists suffered from them all in- tolerance and persecution, Nor was tbis persecution a matter of ephemeral passion. It has been continued even to the present day in most of the countries of Europe. The sufferings of our brethren under the house of Stuart can not be read without a shudder. Even at the present day, though they are favored with gracious toleration, yet the unrepealed laws of England, if put into execution, would sadly interfere with the acknowledged rights of conscience. In Germany, our brother Oncken has suffered months of imprisonment for preaching Christ, and the members of our churches are now subjected to punishment by the civil magis- trate for not bringing their children to the Lutheran priest for baptism. In our own country, under the Puritans, the case was no better. The Puritans were noble men. The world owes them a debt which can never be canceled. I would not detract from the honor which they deserve. I respect a man who will suffer the loss of all things rather than submit to injustice, and confess himself to be a slave. The Puritans were ready to die, rather than bow their consciences to the will of man. But they sought for liberty of conscience only for themselves. They failed to generalize their principles, and yield to SENTIMENTS OF KOGEB WILLIAMS. 137 t others what they claimed as their own inalienable birth- right. Hence persecution was soon as rife on this- side of the Atlantic as on the other. Every one knows the treatment received at their hands by Eoger Williams. Several of our brethren from Khode Island were fined and whipped for preaching the gospel at Lynn. And this spirit has not been allayed until within the memory of men now living. I have myself conversed with men who, in two of the New England States, have suffered the loss of goods and even imprisonment, because they would not pay taxes for the support of Congregational- ism, or, as it was then called, " the standing order." Here, then, is the peculiar glory of the Baptists. While they have suffered persecution at the hands of almost all the dominant sects that emerged from the Beformation, their garments have never been defiled by any violation of the rights of conscience. What Eoger Williams claimed for himself, he as freely granted to others. He tells us : " I desire not that liberty to my- self which I would not freely and impartially weigh out to all the consciences of the world beside." " Ah\ these consciences, yea, the very consciences of the Papists, Jews, etc.,- ought freely and impartially to be permitted their several worships, their ministers of worships, and what way of maintaining them they freely choose." And this, be it remembered, was saidj and a govern- ment was established in conformity to it, at a time when, out of the little colony of Ehode Island and Providence Plantations, there was not a foot of the habitable earth where a Baptist could, without moles- tation, worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. And at a later day, when there was not a 138 IMPORTANCE OF THE PBINO.IPLEB colony in America in which the charter of a Baptist college could have been obtained, Brown University was incorporated. True to their principles, our fathers in 7 serted a provision in the charter of this institution,, by which the various sects in Rhode Island; Baptists, Epis- copalians, Congregationalists and Quakers, in propor- tion to their then population, should forever constitute the government of the college. Such has ever been the constitution of this seat of learning. Of the unspeakable importance of the principles to which I have thus alluded, there can now be no contro.- versy The doctrines of the spirituality of the church, the right of private judgment, the perfect sufficiency of the Scriptures as a rule of faith and practice, apd the absolute separation of Church and State, are admitted to be the articles by which the ,chureh of Christ must either stand or fall. The truths which Roger Williams . first exemplified in his own little colony, are now the .glory of this great republic ; and they are at this mo- ment agitating the millions of every nation of Europe. They must ere long make the circuit of the earth. And these other doctrines are now disturbing the repose of ritual and formal Christianity everywhere, and the churches can never " shake themselves from the dust, and put on their beautiful garments," until they are universally adopted. ,The Baptists may then lay claim, to say the least, to as high moral distinction as can be awarded to any sect in Christendom. They have borne testimony to the most important doctrines of revelation, in their unadul- terated purity and simplicity. From each sect in turn, they lia^e, for bearing this testimony, suffered scorn, MAINTAINED BY BAPTISTS. 139 contumely, reproach, and persecution. When they have obtained the power to persecute in turn, they used that power only to return good for evil, hy granting to their persecutors every, right which they dawned fop themselves. . When any sect can lay claim to higher or more- honorable distinction, we will bow before them, and cheerfully yield them Christian precedence. Such being the facts known to all the world, have we any reason to be ashamed of our fathers ? When the very principles for which they suffered are now acknowl- edged to lie at the foundation, not only of pure Chris- tianity, .but of all civil and religious liberty, shall we hide our light under a bushel, and Mush to bear testi- mony to eternal truth ? After having so long stood in the vanguard of that noble host who have contended for apostolic Christianity- and the inalienable rights of .conspience, now that the victory is half achieved, and our principles are arousing the nations, shall we lay down our arms, furl our banners, and retire ingloriously from the combat ? I know not what may be your answer, but I know what would have been the answer of Roger Williams. XXIV. APPROXIMATION OP OTHER SECTS TO THE PRINCIPLES HELD BY BAPTISTS. — THE SPIRITUALITY OP THE CHURCH. — THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE NE"W TESTAMENT AS OUR RULE OF PAITH. — LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE. In my last number, I referred to some of the princi- ples always "held by the Baptists, and for our testimony to which, we had suffered persecution from almost all 140 VIEWS OF PEDOBAPTISTS of the dominant sects in Christendom. I also stated the fact, that when the power had been in our hands we had never abused it, but advocated in its widest ex- tent,, soul liberty; we had always accorded to our brethren — nay, to all men of what* belief soever — the same privileges which we have ever claimed for our- selves. We acknowledge with thankfulness the grace that was thus bestowed on our fathers. We consider it an honor to walk in their footsteps. They have done nothing for which we should blush, and much in which we may glory. We stand in need of no patronage. We ask the loan of no old and worn-out garments to hide their mantle which has fallen- upon us. Without arro- gance we may take our place in the front rank of those who. have exemplified and suffered for the truth as it is in Jesus. A correspondent of The Examiner, in Illinois, has requested me to exhibit the relative positions of the Baptists and Pedobaptists,. and the reciprocal influence which they have exerted upon each other. The subject is important, and this is, perhaps, the proper place in which to consider it. I will, therefore, in compliance with the request of my brother, offer a few suggestions which have occurred to me since the reading of his communi- cation. In matters of minor detail I may sometimes err, for I have not at hand the means of verifying all my opinions. As to " the general scope and tenor," as the old ministers used to have it, I think my views may be relied on. I shall offer them without much attempt at arrangement, as they may present them- selves to me on brief reflection.' I remark, in the first plaqe, that in many of the most UNDERGOING MODIFICATION. 141 essential points of Christian belief, our brethren of other denominations havej within the last fifty yeare approx- imated more nearly to the views which we have alwayB entertained. For instance, the doctrine of the spiritual- ity of the church of Christ, that is, that every member of the church of Christ must be "regenerated" or "re- newed in the spirit. of his mind/' is much more distinctly understood, and/more firmly believed, than it was half a century ago. This is very apparent in Great Britain, and it would be so to a much greater extent, were it not for the con- nection between the church and the state. The laws of the realm oblige a minister of the establishment to admit to the ordinances of the church, every British subject who has been baptized in infancy, and who is not of publicly immoral life. This is, however, felt by a daily increasing number, to be an intolerable grievance. It is not defended as right, but mourned over as a necessity imposed by law, for which there is no relief. The better portion of the evangelical clergy, at the present day, hold forth the doctrine of the necessity of regeneration with as much plainness and power as any preachers living. There are daily issued from the press volumes of sermons on the most vital doctrines of Chris- tianity, which in the days of Toplady and Bomaine would have subjected their authors to unmihgled* and almost universal -scorn. Thest volumes are read and appreciated by thousands in "the establishment, who, though they do not cooperate with other denomina- tions, are laboring and praying for a reformation in their own, Such men were the Thorntons, Wilberforce, and the saints who, within the present century, taber- 142 EFFECT PROd*UCED BY THE nacled on Clapham Common. I do not, however, sup- pose that this change in the religious character of Great Britain is in any appreciable degree to be ascribed to the testimony of Baptists. It was owing, no doubt, mainly to the rise of Whitfield and Wesley, Scott and Simeon, and some other excellent men within the pale of the establishment. In our own country the change has ^also been mani- fest. The Puritans held that every voter, or freeman, as he was called, must be a member of the church. The result was, as might have been anticipated, every voter, and especially every candidate for office, became a church member. President Edwards's sermons on Justification, and his treatise on the Affections created a great sensation in his time, because they insisted on qualifications for admission to the church which were at variance with the common belief of New England. But few of the leading ministers in our large towns would admit Whitfield into their pulpits. At the present day, Edwards is the standard authoT among all evangelical Congregationalists, and he would now be a rare man who did not number Whitfield among the most wonderful pulpit orators that any age has pre*- duced. Contemporary with Edwards, and in the gen- eration preceding him, there were clergymen of decided talent, who were considered as belonging to the lights of their age. Who, h&Vever, now reads their sermons except the antiquarian^* Who quotes them as au- thority ? The inaccuracy and mistiness of their views on the subject to which we are now referring, have done much to consign them to oblivion, while the works of the great American metaphysician have steadily in- WRITINGS OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 143 creased in the estimation of theologians, until, at the present day, if a clergyman has twenty religious books, you may be sure that one of them will be a volume of Edwards. The effect of Edwards's Writings was deep and widely extended, though it failed to reach the mass of Congre- gationalists. A large portion still continued to hold the sentiments of the older divines. Hence, every church, in the course of time, was divided against it- self, a part holding to the great doctrine's of spiritual religion, and the others, commonly the larger party, believing in an almost hereditary membership. At last, the great Unitarian disruption ensued ; the churches throughout . Massachusetts were divided, the Orthodox party forming churches by themselves^ and the others professing Unitarianism. The Orthodox boldly affirmed the spirituality of the chureh, and the necessity of regeneration j and the others^ merely changing their belief concerning the personal nature of the Deity^ retained their former sentiments. The Orthodox Con- gregational church then shook herself from the dust. Eevivals were multiplied throughout New England', and the foundations Were laid of those benevolent en- terprises which are now the glory of our country. In this change of sentiment in the churches of our NeW England brethren, the influence of the Baptists may be distinctly observed. Our preachers went every- where, and in barns, in school-houses, and- in private dwellings, preached with simplicity and godly sincerity the great truths' of spiritual religittii. They were gen- erally opposed as interlopers, who were interfering with the privileges of the " standing order." The more they ' 144 BEVIVAL IN BOSTON. were preached against, the greater' numbers attended their ministry. In some cases, good men who at first opposed, were led subsequently to imitate them, and preaching more fervently the doctrines of the cross, their own churches were revived. In other cases, mem- ' bers of" churches who attended a formal ministry were converted and formed a little band of earnest, prayerful men, by whom the surrounding mass was to a greater or less extent leavened. The city of Boston presents an illustration of this in- fluence which it is well to remember. Early in the present century, the great doctrines of grace had there been almost wholly supplanted by what may, for the sake of distinction, be denominated hereditary Chris- tianity. At this time a glorious revival commenced under the preaching of Dr. Baldwin, and extended to the neighboring church of Dr. Stillman. It continued for between one and two years. The meeting-houses of these excellent men were thronged, multitudes were converted, and among them many members of the Con- gregational churches. These men became, of course, dissatisfied with the ministry on which they had regu- larly attended,^but as a kind Providence ordered it, they did not become Baptists. . In a few years they united and formed Park-street church, which was, for a while, the only Orthodox Congregational church in Boston. To this beginning may be traced the present prosperous condition of Orthodox opinions in that city. In referring to the'se facts, Lam only repeating what has often been minutely related to me by men wbo were themselves parties to all the transactions. The same DECLINE OF INFANT BAPTISM. 145 influence, under other forms, has been exerted in many of the towns and villages of New England. The doctrine of the absolute sufficiency of- the New Testament, as our only rule of faith and practice, has also been much more widely and d e fmrt e ly maintained thai! formerly. This has been, doubtless, a result of the greater mental independence of the age, though it may in part, also, be owing to the uniform testimony of Baptists on the subject* From whatever cause it has arisen, the fact must, I think, be apparent, that in . all religious controversy, the parties (Puseyites except- ed) refer much more exclusively to the teachings of the New Testament than formerly.- We hear much less about the fathers than we once did: It has been found that the opinions of the best of them were, in many re- spects, radically erroneous ; that many of them were weak and puerile in intellect ; that they were, in fact, just like the men of this or any other age, and that their teachings are utterly valueless, only in so far as they are in harmony with the Scriptures. Men are be- ginning to find out that an opinion gains nothing, either in truth or power, by being- buried. for one or even two thousand years, and that like the opinions of our contemporaries, it is to be judged solely by its con- formity to the word of God. From the combined action of these two beliefs, it has come to pass that the practice of infant baptism is growing into desuetude. It is now the universal com- plaint of our Congregational and Presbyterian brethren, that their members do not bring their children for bap- tism. This would . naturally arise from the facts to which I have alluded. The more prominent our belief 1 146 .. LIBEETT OF CONSCIENCE. in the spirituality of tlie church, the greater must be our difficulty in reconciling it with infant baptism ; and the more decided the impression .that nothing is bind- ing on the conscience which is not found in -the Scrip- tures, the more readily would men doubt the authority of an ordinance for which the Bible furnishes, neither precept nor example. The right of private judgment has been so generally advocated by Protestants, that it does not require any special notice. The doctrine of perfect liberty of con- science, and the entire separation of church from state may, however, deserve a passing remark. It is too well known that in no country of Europe is this doctrine practically acknowledged. In our own country its prog- ress was steady and irresistible, though it is only with- in a few years that its last vestiges have been erased from the soil of New England. It is strange to ob- serve how deeply the notion becomes engraved on the mind of a dominant sect that religion can not be sup- ported unless it be sustained by the civil arm. When this question was agitated in the Convention that formed the present Constitution of Massachusetts, as late, I think, as 1820, almost all the Orthodox clergy were in favor of the provision by which every citizen was obliged to support Congregationalism, unless he could produce a certificate that he paid taxes to some other sect. In the most distinguished seat of theologi-r cal learning in New England, e rery professor but one favored this opinion. The effect of Baptist theory and practice in correct- ing the opinions of the public on this most important question, can not, I think, be doubted. They, in Vir- PROGBESS OP BAPTIST SENTIMENTS. 147 ginia, in Massachusetts, in Connecticut, protested against all civil differences on account of religious belief, and boldly asserted that this was a subject which did not cojne. under the jurisdiction of the mag- istrate. They have at last prevailed, and the principles of Roger Williams now. bear undisputed sway from the St, Lawrence to the Crulf of Mexico, and from the At- lantic to the Pacific. These are some' of the points in which the progress of opinion, in other .denominations, has tended to, the belief's which we have always held. In how far our pre- cept and practice- has tended to this result, we are will- ing to leave to the judgment of others. If any one desires to see this whole subject treated with great full- ness of research, and with singular fairness and ability, I would refer him to Professor Ourtis's work on the « Progress of Baptist Sentiments," lately published by Gould & Lincoln, of Boston. XXV. POINTS in WHICH WE hate erred bz imitation of others. — CHURCH » MUSIC. Fbom several of the previous numbers it will be perceived that I believe the Baptists to hold a distinct position among other Protestant sects ; that they en- tertain sentiments, which, if carried into practice, must render them somewhat peculiar, and that they are per- fectly capable of establishing their own usages, and of adapting their modes of worship and rules of discipline to the principles which they believe; ' They need borr 148 CONFORMITY TO OTHER CHURCHES. row from no one. They have no occasion to hide their sentiments, or blush for the results to which they lead. Their very peculiarities are their titles to distinction, because they are founded on principles which are essen- tial to the permanent spirituality of the church -of Christ. It must, therefore, be a great-error to obscure the distinctness of our testimony, by adopting usages which spring from principles directly at variance with those which we have always cherished. In my last paper I referred to several important respects in which our brethren of other denominations have approximated more nearly to us. "Whether we have had any agency in the production of these changes is a matter of inferior moment. We rejoice in the fact, as an indication of important progress in the whole body of Christian disciples. On the other hand, however, within the last fifty years, we have, hv various particulars, conformed to our brethren of other denominations. Whether these changes have been for good or for evil, there may be a difference of opinion. In many cases it must, I thjnk, be observed that we have fallen into practices by no means in harmony with the doctrines which we hold. Some of these I will here take occasion to state. How general the usages are, to which I will refer, I am un- able to say. From a somewhat singular disposition to adopt the practices of those around us, it must follow that we are, in various respects, not only inconsistent with our principles, but also at variance with each other. I shall mention only such as have either come under my own observation, or been stated to me as facts, by my brethren, in the course of ordinary conversation. SINGING AN ACT OF WORSHIP. 149 One of our essential beliefs is that of the spirituality of the church, that is, that the church of Christ is composed exclusively of spiritual or regenerated per- sons. As God is a spirit, and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, we have al- ways believed that the real worship of God was per- formed only by believers. To us, worship, either in public or private, is the offering Up to God of holy and devout affections. Hence we believe that no one can be a minister of the sanctuary, unless he be a devout and regenerate man. Hence we believe that to sing the praises of God without really lifting up the heart, to him, is in no sense Christian worship, and is„ in fact, no acceptable service. Hence our belief always has been that singing is a part of worship which belongs, in a peculiar manner, to the disciples of the Saviour. In this service they, with one voice, utter the confessions of penitence, the triumphs of faith, the confidence of hope, and bow down together with one feeling of holy adoration. Hence our singing was a service of the church, in which others united with them only in so far as they could sympathize with them in the sentiments which they uttered. These are, if I mistake not, our beliefs on this subject, and to it our practice, until lately, conformed. A member of the church selected the tunes, led the singing, and the whole church, and the devout portion of the congre- gation, united with him in this, part of religious, wor- ship. Their design was to make melody in their hearts to the Lord, For these, reasons, Baptists formerly were universally opposed to the introduction of musical instruments into 150 FORME B PRACTICE OF BAPTISTS. the house of God. They, asked, How can senseless things speak the praises of God P In this, they may or may not have erred. I do not deny that something of this sort may he useful to harmonize the voices of a congregation. I leave the decision of this question to the judgment of others, yet I can not hut remark, in passing, that I have rarely met a Christian person who did not prefer the singing in a vestry-room helow, where nothing was heard but the voices of the congre- gation, to the music of the choir, aided by the organ in the meeting-house above. Hence the singing in Bap- . tist churches was formerly what is now denominated congregational. We had neither choirs nor oTgans. Jtfothing but the voices of worshipers was heard in ' hymning the praises of God, and in this service every devout worshiper was expected to unite. I do not pretend that in this singing there was any artistic excellence. This is never needed in popular music, or that music which is intended to move a multitude of people. All national airs are simple, and they strike upon those chords which vibrate equally in the bosom of the common man and the amateur. When you hear a thousand Englishmen unite in the chorus of " Rule Britannia," or as many Americans join in singing "Hail Columbia," you forget every thing about chords and discords, but you are deeply moved by the common feeling, and can hardly refrain from leaping and shouting from deep emotion. So in re- ligious music. The tunes employed were perfectly adapted to religious sentiment, and blended the whole audience in one consciousness of solemn worship. To PROFESSIONAL SINGING. 151 use the language of Bums — surely a competent au- thority — " They chant their artless notes in simple guise, They tune their hearts, by far the noblest aim: Perhaps Dundee's wild warbling notes arise* Or plaintive Martyrs, worthy of the name ; Or noble Elgin fans the heavenward flame, The sweetest far of Scotia's holy lays. Compared with these, Italian iirills are tame ; The ticUed ears no heartfelt raptwes raise, No imison, have they with ov/r Creator's praise." ' But a change has come over us. The Episcopal church always have approved of organs, and the music of choirs. The Congregationalists imitated the Episco- palians, and we, of bourse, imitate the Congregational- ists. We have organs in all our city churches at the ' North, and they are now deemed essential in our small towns and villages, and even in the country. The organ requires an organist. The organist requires a leader and several other professional singers to con- stitute an appropriate choir. This involves a heavy expense. These singers have a professional character at stake. They must perform in such a manner as to promote their own reputation. They select their own music — music in which the congregation can not unite. The congregation- listens in silence to a mere musical performance, precisely as the audience at a concert or an opera. The performers ar to religion. Suppose, still nioxej that, the: professors of religion are as greedy of gain, aa tortuous in trade> as, other men, and that. iin the? eyes of the.- community many of them hold: a. place decidedly inferaou to? that of some of their fellow- worshipers who cherish no hope of salva* tion. Suppose: the; minister to< know that if he urged sinners to he renewed in the spirit of their minds, it' would at- once awaken the.: response, " We should: he.' very, sorry to be renewed aflercthe.! model of those: whom: you set before us. asj examples." What condrtionton. earth can he; mora trying than', that of such a minister ?. Whatshallhe.do ? How shall he;preach ? Are: there any such congregationaand. ministers' among: us ? < Do not such facts as thes© explain the:reason why we som&- times fail to hear, from orthodox: pulpits; the ..doctrines of- human; depravity, the certain condemnation of the wicked^ tha necessity of regeneration; its: nature; and. evidences^ and the broad moral distinctions, so fre* quently repeated in the Scriptures, between the charac- ters of the righteousiand.the wicked? XXIX. PREACHING TO BUILD UP A SOCIETY. — VESTBY SERVICES. — CHURCH DIS- CIPLINE. — AMUSEMENTS. — HONESTY IN MERCANTILE DEALING. In my last paper I stated: briefly, some of the tempt-r- ations-- which beset the path of the minister of a fashionable congregation;.. What human virtue: can be expeatea. to. resist such msidiaua. and continued press- 172 TRIALS OF A CITY MINISTER. ure ? We complain that ministers are not faithful, and yet we surround them with conditions that would render faithfulness almost a miracle. I hesitate not to say, that a man 'who would welcome the fagot or the scaffold rather than deny his Lord, might succumh under the moral trials of many a city pastorate. When I say succumh, I heg to be understood. I do not mean that a good man, under such circumstances, would deny the faith, or become -vicious in character, cjr preach any thing which he did not believe to be true. It would, however, be strange if his life did not witness a ceaseless struggle between his conscience and his practice. He knows that if he should preach the gos- pel in its simplicity, and. tell men their duty and their danger with all plainness, the congregation would be amazed, and either he would, by the grace of God, change them, or they would very soon change their minister. He would generally resort to a middle course, and preach, not. to convert souls, but to build up his society. He would preach religious truth, but preach it in so general a manner, unfolding the doctrine, but ap- plying it to no one, that the whole congregation would believe it, but scarcely an individual would ever turn it to any practical moral purpose. His sermons would be addressed, in reality, to neither saints nor sinners, but to some imaginary class of moral agents, belonging neither to the one class nor the other. No one is con- verted by his preaching ; in fact, it 4s not to be ex- pected that any one will be. The additions to the church are made from the Sabbath-school and the Bible- class, where a few men and women, unknown to the world, and, it may be, unknown to the leading members THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 173 of the church and society, in simplicity and godly sin- cerity prayerfully press home the claims of the gospel upon the minds of the young. So far as his Sabbath services are concerned, the minister sinks down into settled hopelessness, and consoles himself with reflec- tions upon the importance of the pulpit to the general condition of the community, its conservative influence in politics, its value in the support of our liberties, and in the preservation of our republican institutions. He believes that he is doing good in this way, and this seems all that he can expect to accomplish. But beset as is the pastor by these discouragements, there is yet one place toward which he looks with hope. It is the plain, humble vestry, where, on the evening of some week day, he meets his brethren and sisters, who are praying and waiting for the salvation of Israel. Here no organ distracts the attention, nor performs for the congregation the worship of God. Here no archi- tectural magnificence frowns down upon the humble and poor disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. Hither, while their fellow Sabbath worshipers are preparing for the concert, ■ the assembly, the opera, or the theater, the saints resort to hold communion with their Saviour. Here' the minister of Christ can breathe freely. Here he can pour out his heart in supplications with which he knows that every hearer sympathizes. Here he can speak the language of Canaan, and he feels that every hearer understands it. Here, with his whole soul, in •the exercise of a lively faith, he can urge men to re- pent and believe, for he knows, that those still unregen- erate, who come within tlis circle, are inquiring what they must do to be saved. Here, then, is real worship. 174 CHiiNGE IN DISCIPLINE. This is the real Sabbath of the soul. 'Here the piety of saints is fed with manna from above. Here the lamp etf Christian ifiety w fed -with the oil from the sanctuary. It is thus that religion is kept alive in oar magnificent churches. Were it not for this, they would all -sink, and be (engulfed in formalism and worldliness. Owhy could not the vestry be removed to theiaudienee- room above ? There has been also, as might be supposed, a great change in our discipline, while these other changes have been in progress. Holding firmly to the doctrine sceTtaih for them- selves that he had been guilty of no dishonesty. I once knew a case of this kind. A most exemplary man, a deacon of a Baptist church, failed in business, in a time of extreme financial pressure. He did not act as an officer of the church, and I am not sure that he partook of the communion, until a .committee had investigated his affairs, and the church was satisfied that his conduct had been unexce^ptioh'ahle. The ptirity and honor of his character were soon made manifest to the world. His estate paid every creditor, with interest, met all the expenses of insolvency, and left him a handsome amount as a remainder. A failure of this kind was no 'dishonor to the cause of Christ, but it is spoken of, even to this day, as a memorable example of Christian integrity. In these respects, there has a change come over us. I fear that in attendance upon places of amusement, ■and in participation in social luxury, our practice is different from that of out fathers. In the matter of mercantile 'integrity, I do hot know that there is any thing now to distinguish us from others. The church •discipline, which was formerly universal, could not now be carried inta effect. The tide of worldliness, the love 1 176 A LAX DISCIPLINE LOWEBS of gain, and the ambition of expense, which has been, for some years, flowing over the Christian world, has^ overwhelmed us also. %kln how far, in these respects, we have suffered by fol- lomag the example of others, need hot here be consid- ered?* J Wh atever be the amount of our blameworthiness, it rests,. aftefeqiL. exclusively on ourselves. Nay, more, it is evident that rntSftaaatter, if we have sinned, we are exceedingly sinful. When a denomination does not hold distinctly and clearly the doctrine of the spirituality of the church, it is especially liable to the irruption of. worldliness. Those who were admitted to communion for the sake of making them better, only make the others worse, and thus the standard of piety in a church is reduced. The worldly example of one professor of religion is taken as a rule for others who desire an ex- cuse for seeking pleasure rather than seeking God. Thus the infection spreads from member to member, from church to church, and from denomination to de- nomination, because there is no recognized and estab- lished principle to resist it. We, however, have no such excuse. It has pleased God to reveal to us clearly the doctrine of the spirituality of the church, and he has taught us to avoid all beliefs and rites at variance with it. On us there was devolved the momentous duty of ■ exemplifying this doctrine, in all its moral beauty, to the whole Christian world. Had we been true to our Master and to our own principles, what blessings might we not have conferred • upon the church of Christ ? The wave of worldliness that has been rising so fear- fully, would have beat harmlessly at our feet, and our example might have strengthened our brethren of THE STANDABD OF PIETY. 177 other denominations to check its destructive progress. Is it yet too late ? May we not yet arise from the dust, and put' on our beautiful garments ? Is it too much to hope that God will yet honor us as the har- bingers of an era of more elevated piety in the history of the church. G-ood men of all denominations are be- coming greatly alarmed at the present tendencies. The vast discrepancy between Christianity as it now ap- pears, and the Christianity taught and exemplified by Christ and his apostles, is mournfully apparent. Poets, satirists, and journalists, scoff at it, and jeer at it, and hold it up to stinging and universal ridicule. Mer- chants declare that they consider an account .against a professor of religion worth no more than that against any other man. Ought not every denomination, of Christians, then, to awake out of sleep, and does it not become us to be the first to set them the example ? XXX. INDEPENDENCE OF THE CHURCHES. — CAN A CHURCH PROPERLY BE REP- RESENTED ? Before closing my remarks on the dangers to which, we are exposed from following the examples of other denominations, I desire to offer a few remarks on our ecclesiastical organization. We are liable in this re- spect to swerve from our principles, and of this liability it is well to be aware. The Baptists have ever believed in the entire and absolute independence of the churches. By this, we mean that every church of Christ, that is, every com- 8* 178 ©F THE. INDEPENDENCE pany of believers united together according to the laws of Christ, is wholly independent of every other ; that every church is perfectly capable of self-government ; and that, therefore, no one acknowledges any higher authority, under Christ, than itself ; that with the church all ecclesiastical action commences, and with it it terminates, and hence, that the ecclesiastical relations, proper, of every member, are limited to the church to which he belongs. If. it be said that a member may thus be exposed to the tyranny of a majority, and suffer censure when it is undeserved, without hope of redress j to this I reply, the principles of independence, carried consistently to their results, furnish a remedy for this form of injustice. A church owes courtesy to every other church, but is under no obligation to take part with it in wrong-doing. The injured person may, there- fore,' apply to any other church for admission. It is perfectly competent for them to examine the case for themselves, and if, in their opinion, the member has been guilty of no wrong, they may rightfully receive him. In such a case, however, it would probably be the preferable course to call a council of disinterested brethren who might examine the facts, ^and give the aggrieved members, and the church with which they proposed to unite, the benefit of their advice. This seems to provide "a sufficient remedy against ecclesias* tical tyranny, and this is the result to which the doctrine of the independence of the churches necessarily leads. .The doctrine of the independence of the churches rests upon a few plain and well-established principles. Some of these I take to be the" following : 1. Eeligion is a matter which concerns exclusively OF THE CHUB:CH'ES. 1^9 the relations between an individual man and his Maker. It teaches us how we may so serve God as to secure his favor, both here and hereafter. 2. The manner in which we may acceptably serve God must be made known to us by God himself. The moral history of man teaches us that we are wholly in- capable of determining this question. 3. In the New Testament, God has therefore in mercy furnished us with a perfect rtile . of duty. From this source we may learn our obligations to God, to our fellow-men in general, and to our Christian brethren in "particular. 4. This revelation being a communication from God to every individual, every individual is under obligation to understand it for himself. Aid, sufficient to guide every candid inquirer, is promised to all who will ask for it. -By the light thus obtained, every man is under the highest conceivable ■ obligations to govern his con- duct, though it be in opposition to every created au- thority. 5. Men who, by such an examination of the New Testament, arrive at the same conclusions respecting its requirements, unite together in churches for the sake of promoting holiness in each other, and subduing the world to obedience to Christ. In doing this, however, they neither assume on the one hapd, nor concede on •the other, any power of original legislation over each other. Christ is the head of the church in general, and of every individual church in particular. The members all profess obedience to his laws, and by his laws they submit, at all times, to be judged. Whatever the New Testament teaches, either by precept or through ex- 180 OF THE BEPBESENTATION ample, the church may require of its members ; . and the individual members may require of the church, ' Whatever passes beyond this rule, must be left to the judgment and conscience of the individual, it being without the limit of church authority. 6. Such being the nature of a Christian church, I do not see how it can possibly be represented. Kepresen- tation always supposes that .there are certain rights, duties, obligations, etc., in which the individual agrees to be governed by the majority. The various con- stituencies unite in sending certain persons of their own number, who represent their sentiments in these respects, and they agree to obey such laws as these representatives, when assembled together, shall enact. Thus, in this country, we agree to submit to the decision of Congress all questions relating *fco peace and war, imports, currency, etc. There are, however, other questions, as for instance, those relating to the rights of conscience, which we have never submitted to. their authority. Whatever laws they enact, there- fore, in respect to all matters which we have placed under their jurisdiction, we adopt as rules of our con- duct, unless they be in violation of our duties to God. 7. Such being the nature of representation, I ask how can a church of Christ be represented ? The mat- ters which could be committed to representatives are , clearly but two : First, those which Christ has not com-, manded, but which are properly left to the decision of individual conscience ; and secondly, those which have been commanded by Christ or his apostles. Concerning the first class, these, not being commanded, but being left to the decision of individual conscience, are already OP THE _ OHUBCH. 181 without the jurisdiction of the church, and, of course, the church can commit jurisdiction concerning them to no representation. It can not transfer to another^ a power which by concession it does not possess. But take the other class of duties, or obligations', those commanded by Christ. Can it commit the com- mands of Christ to any human tribunal ? Can a church, or can churches commit the precepts of Jesus to a representation, thus acknowledging their power to add to, to abolish, or to modify what the Master has enacted ? Or again : can it concede to any representa- tion the right to interpret for us the precepts of Christ ? This would be to abolish the right of private judgment, and convert us into Komanists. Nor, lastly, can we commit the execution of these laws to representatives, since the power to enforce the laws of Christ' rests with each church itself. It would seem, from these simple principles; impossi- ble that a church of Christ can be in any proper and legitimate sense represented. We have nothing to sub- mit to representatives. We have no representatives to whom any thing is to be submitted. I will go further, and add, that what can not be done properly and legiti- mately must not be done improperly and illegitimately. It is as truly a violation of the independence of the churches, and the right of private judgment, when several hundred brethren meet in some public conven- tion, and manufacture public opinion, and adopt courses which their brethren are called upon to follow, on pain of the displeasure of the majority, as when they estab- lish a formal representation, to whose decisions all the constituency must submit. 182 OBJECT OF THE CHtTBOH. These have always been favorite ideas with our Bap- tist churches. In this we differ essentially from our Presbyterian . brethren. With them, every church is represented formally, and legally, in its Presbytery, by which its acts may be Teviewed and reversed. The Presbytery is, in like manner, represented in the Synod; and also in the court of final ecclesiastical appeal, the General Assembly. This form of church government, as it is called, appears well enough, if we look upon a church of Christ as a civil organization. We, how- ever, take very different views of the theory of the church of Christ, and in practice, we have, never seen ■any thing in the representative form to recommend it. If any of our Christian brethren like it, we are glad to have them adopt it. We, however, have ever looked with great disfavor upon any practice which, in the remotest degree, violates the great principle of the in- dependence of the churches. Jesus Christ left his church without any general 'organization. Throughout the New Testament we can discover not a trace of organization beyond the estab- lishment of individual churches. Their bond of union was sympathy with him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each individual. Is it not probable that as he left it, so he intended that it should continue to the end of time ? The pbject of the church of Christ on earth is very Bimple : it is the conversion of souls. This object, it seems to me, can be accomplished with- out the use of the complicated, cumbrous, and fre- quently soul-destroying machinery, with which his dis- ciples have for so Juany ages been burdened. Under the old dispensation there was an established and formal ATTEMPTS AT REPRESENTATION. 183 organization, and every thing respecting it was definitely prescribed, even to the minutest particular. As, in the. New Testament, no trace of this kind can be discov- ered, is it not reasonable to suppose that nothing of this kind was intended, but that the Master chose that it should remain just as he left it ? Moses was com- manded, saying, " See that thou make all things according to the pattern showed thee in the mount." As Jesus Christ has showed us no " pattern," is it de- sirable for us to make one for ourselves ? XXXI. ATTEMPTS TO POEM A BAPTIST REPRESENTATION HATE FAILED.' — BAPTIST GENERAL CONTENTION. — MISSIONARY UNION. — NO ONE OF ALL OUR BENETOLENT ASSOCIATIONS REPRESENT THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION. I have referred to the doctrine of the independence of the churches; and the grounds on which we suppose it to rest. It is a belief to which the vast majority of our brethren have adhered with a most commendable and consistent tenacity. Notwithstanding this, attempts have been made, at sundry times, among us, to establish some kind of in- formal representation. They have never met with favor, and have obtained influence among us only through ignorance of their real character. To some of these I will briefly allude. When State Conventions were first proposed, it was by many believed— and of these I freely confess myself to have been one — that through, them we might estab- lish a general Baptist organization. If the churches 184 THE TRIENNIAL CONVENTION sent delegates to the Association., the Association sent delegates to the State Convention, and the State Con- vention sent delegates to the General Convention of the Baptists in the United States, or to the Triennial Con- vention then existing, it would seem that all this might easily have been accomplished. I now rejoice exceeding- ly that the whole plan failed, and that it failed through the sturdy common sense of the masses of our brethren. The churches, were from the first unwilling to confer this power on the Associations. The Associations took very little interest in it, and frequently sent no delegates to the State-Conventions. The churches did not greatly favor them, and hence they never seemed to take root naturally among us. They are now, in fact, merely Domestic Missionary Associations, and as such have been very useful. But I believe that their usefulness . would be increased, and that they would associate them- selves more intimately with our churches, by adopting a name more strictly indicative of their character, and calling themselves what they are — Home Mission So- cieties of the States to which they belong. The Triennial Convention was really a representative - assembly, composed, however, not of representatives of chwches as such, but of representatives chosen by the contributors to Foreign Missions. These contributors were sometimes individuals, sometimes Mission Socie- ties, sometimes churches, sometimes Associations, and sometimes State Conventions. Any Baptist organiza- tion whatever, which contributed a given amount annu- ally to the funds of the Convention, had a right to send its representative. Hence it was a very common thing, at its meetings, to -hear members tell about their con- A EEPBESENTATIVE BODY. 185 stituents. An attempt was made, pretty early in the history of this organization, to give it the control over all our benevolent efforts. It was proposed to merge in it our Education. Societies, Tract Societies, Home Mission Societies, and our Foreign Mission Societies, so that one central Board should have the management of all our churches, so far as their efforts to extend the kingdom of. Christ were concerned. After a protracted debate, this measure was negatived by so decided a majority that the attempt was never repeated, and this danger was averted. We look back, at the present day, with astonishment that such an idea was ever entertained. Though the Triennial Convention was thus restricted to its appropriate object, the work of Foreign Missions, its representative character remained. It was, by the community at large, considered to be the grand meeting of the Baptist denomination in the United States, a sort of Gteneral Assembly, to which all our affairs were brought for decision. Hence, if for any cause it was deemed desirable to commit the whole Baptist member- ship to any course of action^ this was considered the proper place in which to make the attempt. I well re- member that on one occasion, a series of resolutions was introduced, of which the only object was to express our approbation of General Jackson's measures for the re- moval of the Cherokees. Hence, though missions were the ostensible^ object for which we assembled, missions were frequently the last thing thought of. Propositions for amendments to the Constitution, of course, occupied a considerable part of the session. Then the attempts of brethren from the East or West, the North or the South, to procure an expression of the denomination in 186 'PE'BVEESrON "OF THE OBJECT favor of this matter or that, totally unconnected with missions, must he disposed of. When any of these ex- citing questions were discussed, the house would be filled to overflowing; but when nothing out missions was under consideration there "Was room enough, and to spare. A large part of the time of the meeting was thus wasted in angry altercation. Hence this attempt at representation^ intended to unite us all as one denom- ination, proved the source Of manifold alienation, and, I "fear, injured the "very Cause of missions which it was its avowed object to promote. I shall not soon forget the remarks made by a beloved brother from Ohio, at one df the last meetings of the TrieiiniarConvention which I ever attended. After the meeting had been for several days in session, he ob- tained an opportunity to address it, and spoke to the following ; effect : " My 'brethren, 1 have ever been deeply interested in the cause of missions, and once hoped that I might myself be permitted to labor in the foreign field. My health, however, failed, and the providence of God forbade me to prosecute my purpose. I have never before attended a meeting of the Convention, much as I have desired it. For some time I have denied myself many conveniences, that I might secure the means for making this journey. I expected here to meet the fathers and brethren of the Baptist denomin- ation, and hear from them much concerning the progress of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the plans which were to be adopted for its further increase. In a word, I ex- pected to hear about missions, but we have been now in session for several days, and the subject of missions has hardly been introduced. "I have thus for heard OF TBI! lEI'EttlAL CONVENTION. 187 nothing but the contentions of 'brethren. There seems really less interest in missions here, among brethren Who ate considered leaders in the missionary enterprise, than in the forests of the West. Brethren, I shall re- turn home sad at heart." The words thrilled through the assembly, and there was hot a man there who did hot confess that every "word was true, and that the. re- proof was richly merited. Things had arrived at that point, that every member who loved the cause of missions, or even the peace of wir Zibn, looted forward to the meetings of the Con- vention with fear and apprehension. Our best men were ^becoming glad of an opportunity to be ahsent 'from ; its meeting's. When the 'separation between the North and the South toot place, every :OHe saw that^a totally different organisation had become absolutely indispensa- ble. The Constitution of the present -Missionary Union, which is formed on entirely different principles, was unanimously adopted. This was the end of the only representative organization ever attempted among us. The result showed it to be utterly alien from aH our 'principles, and calculated to work nothing but division and dissension among us. The Constitution of the " Union" excluded all sem- blance of representation. It was originally composed entirely of life-members, who hecame such by the pay- ment of $100, though this feature has "since been slightly modified. The life-members elect a Board, who hold -office for three years, one third being elected every year. The Board elect ah Executive Committee for the special management of the boncerns of missions. Here, then, every man speaks for himself, and for himself alone. 188 OUE PEE SENT BENEVOLENT He can throw the blame of his actions on no constitu- ents, but must stand up and answer to the public for himself. This has been a great advantage, and has tended to save us from many'a useless, angry, and par- tisan discussion. The membership is also much more permanent, and so much time is not occupied by breth- ren, who, for the - first time,, have attended a general missionary meeting, and are wholly ignorant of the subject of missions. Still it is ever to be borne in mind that the Mission- ary Union, together with the various Associations that frequently meet at the same place, and nearly at the same time^ is no representation of the Baptist denomin- ation, that is, of the Baptist churches, which are in truth the denomination. This is. so important a fact, that it deserves a word or two in explanation. In point of numbers, the members of our Societies, meeting at any one time, are a very inconsiderable fragment of the denomination. Or take the whole membership of these Societies together — and they are, in fact, generally the same persons over again — and they would amount not to a twentieth, probably not to a fiftieth, of our whole number. But whether many or few, they come not as representatives of churches, for the churches have never sent them nor commissioned them ; they come together on their own motion, merely as members of the Union, or of the Home Mission, or Bible, or any other Society. The limits of their action are fixed by the Constitution of the Society to which they belong. When they have cared for its interests, they have nothing further to do, and have no more right, at such a timo, to act for the denomination, than they SOCIETIES NONBEP.BESENTATIVE. 189 would have, if by chance they happened, each one in the pursuit of his own business, to meet at the central terminus of several railroads. They are members of these Societies, and nothing more, and directly, or in- directly, to assume to be any thing else, is by just sc much to violate the principle of the independence of the churches. But suppose, it may be said, that every member of a Baptist church was a member qf these Societies for Christian benevolence, would not the delegations sent by the churches to the meetings of these Societies, represent the churches' ? I reply, by no means. The constitution and laws of the church are found in the New Testament. What we find there enjoined, we may enforce, and nothing more. Much remains, how- ever, which the church may not enforce, but which is left to individual duty. What is thus done, though done by every member of the church, is not done by the church, and _ the church has no right to exercise any control over it ; nor have those who do it any right to enforce it upon the church. I will take the plain and obvious case of foreign missions. No church has any right to oblige any member to give to foreign missions, any more than to go upon a foreign mission. The same may be said of a Bible Society, a Home Mission, or any other Society. A church may demand of every member the consecration of himself and his property to Christ, and may very properly exclude him for covetousness, just as it would for lying, profanity, lewdness, or any other sin. - But as to the manner in which the individual shall exercise his liberality, the church can not direct. He may give his money and his labor to missions, home 190! Jj,QVE TO- THE 8.AVI0UB or fojseign, or to thfi-dJ8feribixti,on of tracts or Bibles, or. to the assistance and improvement of the poor, in-hia. own vicinity, and it is all out of their jurisdiction,. This is, done out of the. church, on the. individual's, responsi- bility to his Master. Suppose individuals engaged,, ia these various good designs unite, together in advancing them, they form their own laws, adopt their own ar- rangements, but they are not the church, they can not control or represent the church, nor can the church rep*, resent them, pr control them, unless they: violate, the precepts of Jesus. XXXII. LOVE TO THE SAVIOUR THE BOOT WHICH MUST UNITE BAPTISTS TO EACH OTHER- — EBBORS TO BE AVOIDED IN CONDUCTING BENEVOLENT ASSO- CIATIONS. — THE SPECIAL OBJECT OP A CHUBCH MUST NOT BE TRANS- CENDED. — INFANT DEDICATION. — CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS. Those who agree with me in the suggestions which occupy some of my last numbers, will readily see that the representation of churches, in any legitimate sense, is at variance with the first principles to which we have, always adhered, that all the attempts to establish any thing of this kind have been, eminently unsuccessful, and that they have been, and ever must be, productive of dissension and strife^ instead of unity and peace* The more steadfastly we hold to the independence of the churches, and abjure every thing in the form of a denominational corporation, the more truly, shall we he upited, and the greater will be our prosperity. If it be asked, What is there then to unite ug ? I answer,, THE BOND OF UNION,. 191 < f love tp Christ and, adherence to principle.. When, these fail, we shall sink with, them. Destitute) of these, we ought to sink. If we dje, r why should we not, be buried ?■ If the piety and. zeal, of the Baptist churches become extinct,, the denomination, will be.absprhed into other sects and be np njo^e 0nown. Thwus tp, me one. of the; strongest, evidences that we are on the, true. foundation.. A, church organized after the. manner of a civil com- monwealth may retain, its form long after the last ves- tige of piety hag vanished, and continue for. agps an. enemy to Christ and, a, persecutor, of the. saints. The soil of Christendom,, at the present day,, ig^coverpd with., the festering carcasses of churches, from which the Spirit has for generations departed.. The moral atmos- phere is rendered pestilential by their presence, and neither piety nor humfrni|ty can breathe, it and: survive. Let us,, then, ever bear it, in, mind* that the Baptist, denomination, that is, the. Baptist, churches, is, one thing, and the benevolent associations formed or sus- tained by individual Baptists are another and a very different thing. Individual members of our churches, have a right to form, such associations, not. at. variance with the, precepts, of the Master;, as they choose.. All. who wish. to unite in the promotion, of such on object, of course join, with them. This,, however,, imposes no obligation on those who are not like-minded,. They are just as, ftee. tp le,t it ak>ne, as.tp unite in it. They may be as good Baptists in letting, it alone as in joining, it. " A brother, or sister is not, under., bondage in suph cas.es." W.e giye and receive freely, in .s^ch, matters , the. . right .of private judgment. It. pertains, to the church to., which I belongj to. see that I. am not wanting in,. 19£ EEROBS TO BE AVOIDED IK Christian benevolence, and to exclude me if need be for, covetousness, but the direction which my benevolence shall take must be left to myself. , And where such associations are formed, they have each one its appropriate office, whether it be foreign or domestic missions, the circulation W Bibles, or tracts, or any other good design. This object is exclusive. It may not properly be transcended or mingled with any other. No one, not of this Society, has any right to in- terfere with its management, nor has it a right to in- terfere in the management of any other Society. There are two ways in which this important rule may he vio^ lated. In the first place, we may use one Society to advance the interests of another. • For instance, I am a member of a Mission Society. I am bound in this relation to consider simply the interests of missions. My brother is a member of a Bible Society ; he is, in this relation', to consider simply the circulation of the Scriptures. But I am also a member of the Bible Society. ' I have no right to enter that Society and seek to make it sub- servient to the Mission Society, nor has any brother a right to render the Mission Society subservient to the Bible Society. I have no right to elect officers of the Bible Society who favor my missionary views, nor he to elect officers of the Mission Society who favor his Bible views. Neither has he a right to take measures in another Society for the purpose, as it would seem, of committing the denomination to the. Society which he considers it his duty especially to favor. Let each siand separately on its own merits, and gain the favor of the whole, not by partisan management, but by good works. CONDUCTING BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. 1,93 The latter course leads to harmony, independence, and mutual love ; the other to intrigue, dissension, tyranny, and disaffection. Unless these principles be observed, our general associations will prove a curse rather than a blessing, and a voluntary association which is found to be a curse, will sot instance, I have known a church form itself into a Temperance Society, and oblige every member on entering it to take the Temperance pledge. Now, God forbid that I should say a word against temperance, but still, a church is not a Temperance Society. A church may very properly, nay, it must of necessity, require of every member that whether he eat or drink, he must do it to the glory of God. It may enforce the direct precepts of the New Testament, and the indirect precept of the apostle Paul, in respect to causing a brother to offend ; and it may inform every member that this is required of him, and will be enforced accordingly. Nay, further, if a brother has ever been liable to this sin, it may require of him specifically total abstinence on account of his peculiar temptation. But I think that it can go no far- ther. The difference here is important. In the one case, it is a promise of a moral duty made to man ; in the other, it is submission to the revealed will of God. The value^f this difference must be evident to every one. So I have known churches to take the Sabbath-school under their care, as it is called, and constitute them- selves, in fact, a Sunday-school Society. I do not see how this can be, unless every member is required to teach in a Sabbath-school. No one, however, would be- lieve this to be correct. Under this view, the Sabbath- echool scholars are sometimes called " children of the Or THE CHUECH. 195 church." I always supposed that the church had none but regenerate children ; for if she have unregenerate children of one age, why not of another ? Would it not be more in accordance with our principles to con- sider the Sabbath-school an association of Christians uniting for this purpose under their own laws, and sub- ject to their own arrangements ? These may seem matters of small moment. They may not be great in themselves, but they are of im- portance if we consider the principles which they in- volve. If brethren united in church fellowship have the right to take matters not strictly belonging to the church under their legislation, what is there that may not be taken under the cognizance of the church ? Where shall the line be drawn ? and when a member joins a Baptist church how shall he know to how many things, not commanded by Christ, he commits himself ? Many of the worst corruptions of the Catholic church were introduced by requiring as a universal duty, what was properly left to individual conscience. It may be very suitable for a burdened conscience to unbosom it- self to a minister or Christian friend before coming to the, table of the Lord? Left precisely in this form, as a matter to be decided by the individual himself, noth- ing could.be more innocent. Eequire it to be. done' as a command of Christ, and we have the practice of au- ricular confession; one of the most terrific engines ever devised by Satan for enslaving the conscience, and bringing the soul of man under the unlimited power of the priesthood. This is not fancy, but fact. It was thus 1 that auricular confession was introduced into the Romish church. 196 INFANT DEDICATION. A Welsh Baptist desires me to say a word on the Bubject of Infant Dedication. In complying with his request, I would remark, that I never before heard that such a practice obtained in the Principality. I see no allusion to it in Christmas Evans's Sermons, nor in any other Welsh writers with whom I am acquainted. In my youth, I knew several able and eminent Welsh Bap- tist ministers, such as John Williams, John Stevens, and others; but never did I hear from them a word of any such practice. They certainly never introduced it into this country. I never have heard of the practice of infant dedica- tion until within a few years.. I learned, some time since, that some of our missionaries at the East were in the habit of holding a prayer-meeting shortly after the birth of a child, to ask for it the blessing of the Saviour, and in a special manner to consecrate it to God. It was purely a voluntary service, and was merely a meeting of the particular friends of the family for prayer for a particular object. The missionaries, however, found tbat it was liable to be mistaken, by the converts from hea- thenism, for an appointment of Christ, and they wisely, on their own motion, abandoned it. It is, I perceive, asserted that a practice of this sort is in use among some of the churches in Germany. - Of this I know no more than I have seen in the news- papers. I never heard Mr. Oncken allude to it. ^, The above exhaifsts my knowledge on the subject. To my Welsh brother I would, therefore, reply, " We have no such custom, neither the churches of God." In concluding this part of my subject, I would remark, that our position is, in one respect, ,remarkablei The SPIRITUAL DECAY. 197 unexampled facilities for the acquisition of wealth have stimulated the love of gain and the passion of expense, beyond all former precedent. The love of sensual pleas- ure is sweeping away the barriers which once separated the church from the world, and drowning men in de- struction and perdition. ' The principles of men profess- ing godliness are exerting less and less effect on their practice. To arrest this progress of worldliness must be especially difficult in churches which, theoretically or practically, directly or indirectly, admit the doctrine of hereditary membership. We profess to have escaped this error. It becomes us, therefore, when the enemy is coming in like a flood, to lift up a standard against him. Let us, then, review our principles. Let us assure ourselves of their truth. Let us, at all hazards, carry them out into practice. By so doing, rather than by following the example of others, shall we please the Master, and confer the greatest benefit upon our breth- ren of other denominations. Devout men of all persua- sions are alarmed at the condition of religion through-, out our country, and they would hail with joy the opening of a brighter day, from what quarter soever it might arise. Wherever the standard of the cross is erected, the sons of God, by whatever name they may be called, will gather around it. Let us arise and lift up that stand- ard, for this matter belongeth unto us. I would ask my brethren who ftive been allured from the simplicity that is in Christ, and have yielded them- selves to the maxims, the fashions, the luxury, and sen- suality of a world that perisheth, What, fruit have, yo in the things of which ye were once ashamed ? Is not 198 NEED OE BELT-DENIAL. the end of these things death ? What scriptural evi- dence do you possess that you are heirs of eternal life ? Are your affections on things below, or on things above ? Can you turn your eyes to the Saviour, and say to him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee ? Jesus Christ has said, Except a man deny him- self, and take up his cross daily and follow rne, he can not be my disciple. Are you conscious of either, one of these evidences of diseipleship ? Christ has said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the king- dom of heaven ; and yet, is it not your all-absorbing desire to be rich ? Are you not robbing God by using what he has lent to you, in the gratification of worldly desires ? An apostle has told us that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are not of- the Father, but of the world ; and for these lusts are you not sacrificira^your souls ? Are not your children eagerly drinking m the poison with which you so liberally supply them ? Suppose that you, at their age, had been .where your children are now, where would you have been at the present moment ? Where, then, will they be, when they shall be of your age ? What hope can you have of their salvation ? You must meet them at the judgment day, and can you abide that meeting ? But I forbear. The subject is too painful to be con- tinued. It is not too late to return. Let us do again our first works. God is yet waiting to be gracious unto us. Let us humble iurselves in the dust before him. *Let us once more take up the forgotten cross, and walk in the footsteps of the lowly, self-denying Saviour, L§t us bring our tithes into the storehouse, and see if God will not pour out upon us a blessing that there IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC WORSHIP. 199 shall not be room enough to receive it. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. XXXIII. • IMPORTANCE OP PUBLIC WORSHIP. — THE DUTY OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST TO MAINTAIN IT. — WITH US, THIS DUTY REQUIRES A UNIVER- SAL EFFORT. — DIFFICULTIES PECULIAR TO OUR CONDITION. Some months since, a correspondent of The Exam- iner requested me to discuss, more at large than I had already done, the subject of the Christian ministry in the Baptist denomination. I promised, perhaps in- cautiously, that if no one else would perform this service I would untertake it myself. It is in fulfill- ment of this promise that the following papers are written. It is too obvious, to need illustration, that one of the great objects for which churches of Christ are estab- lished, is to maintain the public •worship of God., Hence, also, one of the first duties devolving on those who profess Christianity, is to provide the means by which this object shall be • accomplished. Under the former dispensation, those that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was kept. Our blessed Lord, as his custom was, was seen every Sab- bath day in the synagogue, to read and explain to the people the Law and the Prophets. An apostle has * cautioned us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, Indeed, were there neither precept nor ex- ample to enforce this duty, the experience of eveny 200 DUTY OTMAIHIAIN1NO Christian soul must bear witness to its vital import- ance. It is thus that we, once in the week at least, publicly testify to the world that we are looking for the Sabbath which remains for the people of God. It is thus that we strive the better to understand the word of God. It is in the sanctuary that we offer up, with one heart and voice, our prayers to him who is tha giver of every good and perfect gift. Here we render public thanks for public as well as for individual, mer- cies. It is to the sanctuary that we invite the thought- less and impenitent, to hear the words by which they f t * may, by the blessing of God, be saved. And we do all this, encouraged by the blessed assurance of the Sav- iour, "Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The importance of this subject can hardly be exag- gerated. Every one knows that the Christian who has begun to think lightly of the ordinances of the sanctu- ary, is already treading in the path of the backslider. Who that, by slbkness, or other providential hinder- ance, has been kept for a time from the meeting of the saints, has not uttered the plaint of the Psalmist, " My flesh longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord." In a village or settlement in our own country, where the Sabbath is not honored by the public wor- ship of God, how soon do parents and children relapse into almost heathenism ! Suppose that any denomina- tion should adopt the view, that as religion was a per- sonal matter, the assembling for public worship was needless, and should sell off its churches and close* its meetings for prayer, who does dot see that it would be- come extinct within a single generation ? And, on tha PUBLIC WOESHIP. 201 contrary, those denominations are most rapidly expend- ing, which furnish the most abundantly, to a'll classes of the community,* the means of hearing the preaching of • the pure word of God. Hence it is not remarkable that the making provision for public worship has been a leading object with all sects of Christians. Where religion is established by law, the State assumes this responsibility. The people are taxed to ' support religious worship, and they have an equitable claim on" the State for the maintenance of teachers of religion. In the Episcopal form of church government, the' oversight of a particular district called a diocese, is devolved on a single individual. He has the power of admitting to the ministry— r he has the whole field under his eye, and to him the people look for direction in their efforts to extend the kingdom of Christ. A Presbytery frequently exercises a similar in- fluence within its limits. With us, however ; there is no such organization. Every church with us is inde- pendent, and is not of necessity associated with any other. Every pastor is a Bishop, and holds the highest ecclesiastical rank which we acknowledge. Hence it is manifest that the responsibility for sustaining the wor- ship of God, in our case, rests upon every church, and every individual member of a church. We have neither State, nor Bishop, nor Presbytery, nor Synod to fall back upon. We have assumed this responsibility as churches and individuals, and we must abide by the choice which — agreeably to the New Testament, as I conceive — we have made. Our progress — nay, our very existence — depends upon the vitality which pervades the whole mass. If every individual disciple would de- 202 INCBEASB CF BAPTISTS vote himself to tbe.work o£ extending the kingdom of Christ, relying on the promised aid of the Holy Spirit, we should need no more organisation than existed in apostolic times, when they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word, and , when, within a single lifetime, the civilized world was filled withlhe knowledge of Christ. If we rely on any thing else, it is evident that we must be covered .with con- fusion. If, instead of putting forth our own power, in simple reliance on^Christ, we are looking for aid in any other direction, we shall find that we have mistaken our principles, we have leaned on a broken reed which can yield us no adequate support, but will pierce the hand which presses upon it. So- long as, universally vital, each disciple relies on himself, trusting only in Grod, we shall be irresistible. So soon as individual ef- fort relaxes, and we trust to means of our own devising, we shall inevitably fail. It is, besides, worthy of remark, that with us there are peculiar difficulties in maintaining throughout our whole country the public worship of God. Our people belong, in general, not to the class of capitalists. The- capital of our members commonly consists in skill and enterprise, and not in houses, lands, ships, and bank securities. Hence, in the mighty exodus now going on from the East to the West, a large portion of the em- igrants belong to our communion. The wealthy citizen, whose gains have been invested in real estate, yielding a rich rent, and doubling in value every five or ten years, or who holds his hundreds of thousands in secu- rities paying eight or ten per cent, per annum/has no , desire to leave his home in the metropolis. The rich IN TUJ5 W Hi a X . 203 agriculturist, whose well-tilled land is producing a fair income, and who sees yearly a new farm added to his noble domain, has no inducement to leave the place of his fathers' sepulchres, and the region where his single influence frequently decides the election for his town or county. It is the man of cultivated capacities, who knows how to do something well, but is destitute of the qapita^which can render his skill available, who is tempterF to remove to the West. Such v are the men wanted in the new States, and there, with the blessing of God, they are sure not only of competence, but abundance, both for themselves and for their children. Accordingly, if I have been correctly informed, you will rar%ly find a settlement of twenty families any- where on our western frontier, which is not composed, in a marked proportion, of Baptists. These are the men who, with faculties developed by the exigencies of their new residence, will give character to the West, and in afew«years find themselves equal to any thing they have left behind. They are everywhere manifest- - ing power, of which they never supposed themselves possessed, and are laying broad and deep the founda- tions of society far beyond the mountains. Hence it is, that the field which we are called upon to supply with the public worship of God, is vast in extent, and of a very diversified character. ' For in- stance, we have our great cities, in which are to be found numerous, and wealthy churches. These are fully able to maintain public worship at large expense. The same may be said of our small cities, and large towns, in each of which may be found one or two Baptist churches of ample means. Besides these may 204 PBACTICE OF CITT CHURCHES. be counted numerous large villages, where the Baptist community is fully accommodated by a single house of worship. In all these localities the worship of God is maintained in the, regular manner, and our churches in general follow the examples of those around them. But even here, are these churches doing their duty ? They secure the services of an able and acceptable preacher. Their houses of 'worship are as tasteful, and the religious services as expensive as those of oraer de- nominations. They maintain themselves at a point of what is called high respectability. But let us look a little further. Ascertain the population of that city or town, and ask how large a portion of it attend any religious worship at all ? Inquire for the statistics of preceding years, and you will probably find that the proportion of church-goers is relatively diminishing. A large missionary field is spreading abroad on every side, in the immediate vicinity of our very churches. What are we doing to supply these perishing souls with the word of life ? The houses of worship have no room for them, and the cost of attendance is beyond their means. No man cares for their souls any more than for souls in the Center of Africa. Have believers any right to settle down at their ease, enjoying the priv T ileges of the sanctuary, while their fellow-men are per- ishing around them in heathenish darkness ? Suppose that converts on missionary ground pursued a similar course ; how would then the kingdom of Christ be extend- ed ? The Karens take a different view of this subject, and are subduing Burmah to Christ. But what difference does the Saviour make between a church in Toungoo and a church in New York, Philadelphia, or Boston ? DESTITUTION AT VABIOTJS POINTS. 205 But leaving these classes, which after all, form but a moderate portion of our population, we come to churches of thirty or»forty members, ' in the older set- tlements and in the vast regions of the mighty West. These churches are numbered by hundreds, I might say by thousands. They are* wholly unable to support a pastor who shall devote his whole time to preaching, and were they able, they could not employ his whole time in labors among themselves. How shall the wor- ship of God be maintained in such localities ? These villages are rapidly increasing, and parents and children are growing up destitute of the means of grace so far as we are concerned. But besides these, there is a still larger region of destitution. Our brethren and sisters are emigrating by thousands. In every town and village the members of Baptist churches are found in fives, and tens, and twenties, who have formed themselves into no organiza- tion^ who are dreds of thousands of idolaters. What can we do to re- form a nation ? We will therefore never meet to wor- ship God ; we will not care to have it known that we are the disciples of Christ. What should we think of such converts ? What would, they be worth to the cause of Christ ? Their light, hidden under a bushel, would soon expire. Yielding no seed, they would soon perish, and the hea.then world would be none the better for their existence. Now, I ask, in what respect do thp disciples of Christ on one side of the globe differ from those on the other ? What would be treachery to the cause of. Christ in Burmah, is ' reachery in the United States. We can not -answer it ' ,o the M ; aster if we hide our light under a bushel. We can not answer it to th^ souls of our . perishing fellow-men, if we do not, by ou:f precept and practice, hold forth to them thfi word 61 life, and point *them to the Lamb of Grod y;ho taketb away the sins of the world. Again, how was it in the times of the apostles ? • When the ministers of Christ went at first a,Jiong the heathen, had they hearkened to such objectic/~: is yours, where would now have been the church of Christ ? Had the^)ne hundred and twenty in the up- per chamber looked abroad upon the world, and con- sidered the power, and wealth, and. learning, and preju- dice, and avarice, and nice which were arrayed against them, much more reasonably than any of us, they might have concluded that any attempt to convert the world was useless. They might have resolved to enjoy jtheir religion by themselves, not meeting together nor .exposing themselves tp remark for the singularity of 11 242 EFFECT OF PERSECUTION. their behavior. But did they do this ? Nc, they held to the prayer and conference-meeting. " They continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, instead of scattering abroad and going up with the multitude to the temple to unite in the Jewish festival, they were found all, with one accord, in one place. It was then that the Holy G-host descended, and before the sun of that day had Bet,' " there were added unto them about three thousand souls." This was worth coming to- gether for. And were there more such gatherings, there would be more similar outpourings of the Holy Spirit. > And when those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word, into whatsoever city or town they entered, they were at first the only dis- ciples of Christ within it. They, however, at once pro- claimed their message. G-od gave it success. A few were converted. No sooner were men converted than the wrath of Jew and Gentile was aroused, and the ministers were obliged to flee for their lives to another city. They left, in every place where they ministered, a little band of disciples, perhaps eight or ten m num- ber, as sheep among wolves. But what course was pur- sued by these few converts among hundreds ofc thou- sands of idolaters ? They held forth the word of life. Amid persecution even unto «leath, they proclaimed Christ and the resurrection, and the Lord added to them daily of such as should be saved. From these 'small beginnings arose the churches by whom the gospel was carried to every part of the then known world. In the great marts of trade, the centers THE WOBK OF THE SPIRIT. 243 of influence, on the shores of the Mediterranean, the apostle Paul continued longer. He abode for a year and a half at Corinth, and two years at Ephesus, be- cause from these great cities the word of God could be carried to every town in the interior. So far, however, was this from Tiis usual custom, that a vision from tke Lord was necessary to induce him to tarry at Corinth. Such was the manner in which the gospel gained its wonderful triumphs at first. It was by the labors, and preaching, and example of little bands of two or three, or ten or twelve, planted in the midst of the heathen, from whom the word of God sounded out into all the surrounding country, How could it be otherwise ? This was the way which Christ has chosen, and it was, as it ever must be, mighty. But it is still said, What can we, a poor feeble band, do amid the multitude who fear not God ? This question seems to savor of humility, but it is, in fact, the offspring of most-unchristian pride. He who makes it must suppose that the work is his own, that man can accomplish it, and therefore the greater the number of men engaged, the more easily will the work be effected. Were this true, there would be force in the objection; I ask, theh, How many men does it take to convert & single soul ? If ten can not do it, can twenty, or a hundred, or a hundred thousand ? You reply, No ; it is the work of the Spirit of "God exclusively. Christ alone by his Spirit can convert, renew, and sanctify the soul, and make it meet to be an inheritor with the Saints in light. The work of converting souls, and of casting down the strongholds, does not therefore de- pend on the number of disciples meeting together, but 244 PBO0RESS OF THE TBUTH upon the presence of Christ. And how many must meet together in prefer to expect the presence of Christ ? He himself has specified the precise number. Wher- ever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Two believers, then, , met in the name of Christ, may plead the promise as effectually as two 'thousand. If only two meet together and. Christ is there, all power in heaven and on earth is present, and in such a company where is there place fof unbelief, despondency, or despair ? All this has been practically exemplified in every age of the history of the church, One of the latest, as well as one of the most remarkably is the case of our breth- ren in Germany, The"y numbered at first precisely seven souls. They were in a great city given over to the love of wealth, as most great cities are, and in a nation of formalists sternly opposed to evangelical religion, especially that form of evangelical religion which we profess. They, nevertheless, were consti- tuted into a church, and as true disciples, undertook the work of converting Germany to vital and spiritual • religion. They gave themselves to the work They met together for prayer en week days, and for the wor-- »hip of God on the Sabbath. They called in their ' neighbors and friends to hear the word of God. The I^ord began to add to their number. When men were converted, for fear of the authorities they were obliged to perform the ordinance of baptism in retired places, in the darkness of the night. The work needed more laborers ; they prayed to the I^ord of the harvest, and ministerial gifts were poured out upon them. The church a,t Hamburg was soon able to send laborers into IN GERMANY. 245 the neighboring towns. In these> also, churches were established, partaking in rich measure of the spirit of the church from which they sprang. No sooner was a little band of believers gathered together, than they, at once, commenced the work of evangelizing not only their own town, but the towns in their vicinity. Gath- ering strength in their progress, they have already ad- vanced to the borders of Bussia ; and it may be alniOBt said that they are filling Germany with their doctrine. But, in the mean time, the enemy was not -idle. Persecution at an early date arose in Hamburg. The pastor was thrown into prison, their place of Worship was closed, and their enemies believed that thUB the movement was permanently quashed. But it was not so ; ' for God was in the midst of it. The pastor preached from the grated windows of the prison, and -the brethren, driven from their sanctuary, met in pri- vate houses, so that instead of one, sixteen places of wor- ship were established. The pastor was at length released. Soon after occurred the great fire at Hamburg^ and then the self-denying charity of these poor disciples so com- pletely disarmed their oppressors, that persecution died of very shame, and they have not since been molested. Not so, however, in other places. Wherever these brethren went preaching the Word> they were met by the envenomed opposition of the priesthood, and, I regret to say, of a Protestant priesthood. They were imprisoned, fined, maltreated, and driven from place to place, but they went everywhere preaching the •Word. Every church, in addition to its pastor, had its little band of licentiates^ whom it sent ou% Sab- bath after Sabbath, to carry the Word / to neighboring 246 THE EIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE. towns. Thelittle one has become a thousand. From these seven disciples in Hamburg, there have sprang up a multitude of churches, and thousands of disciples of Jesus. Thousands have emigrated to this country, and have established flourishing churches in the West. And, in all this work, the church has always supplied its own wants. The gifts which were needed were found to exist in the midst of her, and these gifts were for the most part, bestowed upon men in common life, mechanics, journeymen, brethren whose power consisted in the spirit that resided in them, and not in any culture which could be bestowed by the schools. Nor is this alL The question that was continually presented in these cases of persecution, was this-: What are the inalienable rights of conscience, and what right has civil government to interfere with religious belief ? This question has been pressed upon the attention of- thoughtful men in every part of Germany. The personal *iews of the King of Prussia are understood to have become favorable to freedom. At length the Chevalier Bunsen, one of the ablest and most enlight- ened statesmen in Europe, has pleaded with irresistible power the cause of religious liberty, and has spread before the world the injustice suffered by our defense- less brethren. Behold, how great a' matter a little fire kindleth I But it must be fire from the altar, fanned by the breath of the Spirit. The seed planted by the Master can never die. Here, then, is the result of the Christian labors of seven poor disciples of Jesus — the result only up to the present time. To what -it will spread in the future, God only knows. Had they lived as hundreds of sevens METHODIST CLASS-MEETINGS. 247 of our brethren are living, where, had been the evan- gelical churches and the religious liberty of Germany ? The game men, acting on the same principles, settled in any city of the West, would have made every village beyond the mountains vocal with the name of the Eedeemer. Brethren, who of us will follow their example ? We can do what others are doing. The Methodist class-meeting is an institution specially designed to gather together the scattered members of that com- munion into an organization that shall be the nucleus of a church. It is an admirable system, and has been of infinite service in developing ministerial talent, and in extending the cause of Methodism in our country. It has done much more than this. In ten thousand instances it has kept alive the flame of piety, where it would otherwise . have been extinguished, and trained up thousands and tens of thousands for the heavenly Jerusalem. We do not need the name, or the form, but may we not have the essential thing with all its attendant benefits ? XL. CHURCHES IN CITIES. — THEIR SPECIAL NEED OP OPPORTUNITY TO LABOR FOR CHRIST. — ITS EFFECT UPON INDIVIDUAL PLBTT. I come now to the case of churches in cities, and would respectfully present v the application of the law of Christ to them. They are, in comparison with the churches in the country, few in number^ and they eon- tain but a small portion of our entire membership. 248 city churches: They are, however, of an importance which is hut imperfectly indicated hy their numher of communi- cants. They are composed, in a considerable degree, of the wealthy and the more highly educated. They have in their pbwer vast means of doing good, means which, if improperly used, must work extensive evil. The manners, the maxims, the opinions, the practico of cities, are always rapidly carried into the surround- ing country. They are the centers of influence, hy which the character of the circumference is determined. The condition of such churches is peculiar-, and worthy of special consideration. Wealth is accumu- lated in cities with great rapidity. Temptation here assumes every variety of form, and clothes itself in its most alluring dress. Secresy in wrong-doing may he secured much more successfully than in the country. Where human beings are collected in so large masses, the power of public opinion becomes vastly more in- tense and omnipresent. The fact that other men do bo, beeomes a justification for almost any moral ob- liquity. The natural love of wealth is inflamed by emulation, and the apparent necessity of following the example of others. Expensive habits can be indulged only by excessive gains, and when large gains are in- dispensable, the means by which they must be secured are not apt to be scrutinized, if they can only find shelter under the customs of the trade. The lust for political power is here most rampant, as here there are dispensed its most coveted prizes. In every department of life, in every grade of society, the whisper of the Arch Tempter is unceasingly heard, " All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." TEEIR NECESSITIES. 249 In such a moral condition as this, the .most active antagonistic moral, and religious |prces are absolutely necessary, in order to gtard the soul from that sen- suality and worldlinesB which tends directly to final apostacy. The most direct and pungent appeals to the conscience, the clearest scriptural exhibition of the evidences of piety, the most discriminating delineatiofis of unconscious hypocrisy, the plainest setting forth of easy besetting sins, the most fearless exposure of the various forms of prevailing vice, the loftiest views of Christian attainment, the glorious hopes which animate the pure in heart, the crown of righteousness which, the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to all who love km appearing— these truths, and truths like themi, need- to be held up before the eye of the believer, if we would guard him from the moral perils by which he is here environed. That the circumstances which surroftnd a city pulpit are peculiarly favorable for the earnest exhibition of these momentous realities', I will neither affirm nor deny. But, in order to insure our spiritual progress, it is necessary- not only that these truths be believed, but that they be acted upon 5 and that, in fact, they form the basis of our practical, every-day character. It is not enough that we believe that there is a world of ineffable glory, to be secured only by strenuous moral effort — we must, individually, make that effort. It is not enough to believe that we must take up the cross and follow Christ — we must feel the pressure of that cross upon our own shoulders, and plant our own feet in the footprints made by the Son of God. If we act 11* 250 WANTS OF CITY CHBISTIANS, not thus, our belief is liable to work our undoing. Nothing conduces more to insensibility of conscience, than the distinct knowledge of duty, while we neglect to perform it. Hence, evidently, a Christian in a city requires, above all men, the means of carrying out to their practical results the truths which he believes. Without this his principles will become absolutely in- operative, and believing all the solemn revelations of the New Testament, he will be living without God in the world, and worse than all, he will become contented to live thus. He. needs to retire to his closet for prayer ; but he needs also to meet his brethren for prayer j he needs the opportunity in public to avow himself a follower of Christ, and to call on other men to follow his example. It is absolutely necessary to his growth in grace, nay, to the preservation of his piety, that he be seen, on all possible occasions, testifying for Christ, and doing those very things, despised and scorned though they be, which Christ has made the duty of all his disciples. His character must be formed, and his life must be governed by the principle of direct, positive, and unyielding antagonism to a world which lieth in wickedness. The ice must -be broken, the barrier must be passed. He must be crucified to the world, and the world unto him. The line of separation • between the man that feareth God and the man that feareth him not must be broad and visible, or the disciple of Christ, borne down by the incessant pressure of worldliness, will be swept away by the current, and find himself, in fact, in the com- pany of those who deny his Master,. and it is well if he bo not in sympathy with them also. PBAOTIC-E OF CITY CHKISTIANS. 251 All this every one sees. But as our churches are now constituted, what opportunities are presented for this practical manifestation of Christianity ? Every religious service is devolved upon the minister, and he is hourly sinking under it. The merchant rises early on Monday morning, and hurries to his counting-room, the mechanic to his place of business, the lawyer- to his office. He hears through the day not a word on any subject except gain and politics. He returns home in the evening wearied and harassed, but must participate in the round of amusement which the customs of society impose upon his family. He arises in the morning from unquiet sleep, to spend another day in the same manner. On Sunday he attends the worship of the sanctuary, his mind recovers a little from the. intense pressure of world- liness, and it may be that in the evening a beam of light breaks through the cloud, and discovers to him for a moment the nature of the. life that he is leading. On Monday morning the impression is, however, to a con- siderable degreej obliterated, and he plunges headlong into the current of trade, with the same heedlessness as before. The arrangements of the household hardly allow of family devotion. The demands of business sadly interfere with private prayer. The disciple of Christ gives occasionally a little money to the cause of religion, regretting that the expensiveness of his family renders it impossibie for. him to do more. Such is his life from year to year, unless sickness or other calamity arouses him from this- stupor. He awakes, calls upon G-od, disentangles himself for awhile from the world, but soon again he yields to the pressure, and things go on as they were wont. I ask, Does piety such as this 252 A EEMEDT SUGGESTED. possess the vitality necessary to resist the moral con-, tagion of a great city ? What, then, is the remedy ? Is it not evident that it must be found in .furnishing, for private members, the ■opportunity for laboring more actively for Grod, and in rendering our. churches earnest and zealous associations for the promotion of Christianity ? Our meetings for prayer must be multiplied, and these should be con- ducted mainly by private members of the church. Our dwellings should be frequently opened for such meet- ings, rather than for routs and fashionable entertain- ments. Every brother should be encouraged to speak at such meetings in exhortation^ in encouragement, in warning, or in exposition and application of the word of God. The church itself should earnestly inquire for places in the city where the destitution is the sorest, and where those are to be found in the greatest num- . bers, who, in their homely garb, would be ashamed to appear in the temples commonly erected for the worship of Jesus of Nazareth. These places the church should supply with Sabbath-schools and religious services, not by employing here and there a city missionary, but from its own members. It should be the primary object of every church to cultivate all the talent for this service which it possesses, and employ it systematically in the work of evangelization. There is scarcelya city church among us, which could not furnish" a large number of intelligent Christian men, abundantly competent to this work. Many of them would labor without a license. Others should receive a license, and they might, with great profit both to themselves and others, fsequently occupy any of our pulpits on the Sabbath, while, on the DR. BUAllf, 253 'other idays of the week, they devoted themselves to secu- lar avocations. From these would arise a large body of efficient pastors, men whose talents were manifestly designed for extensive usefulness, and to whom the min- istry became Bo attractive as to disengage them from every other pursuit. Such a man was the late Dr. Sharp, whose praise is in all the churches. While engaged in mercantile business, he believed that he might be use ful in preaching Christ, without charge, to the destitute in the suburbs of New York. He was licensed by the ■church to which lie belonged, and for some time labored successfully in this manner. It soon became evident that the pulpit, and hot the counting-room, was the place in which he could most effectually serve the Mas- ter, and after spending- some time under the instruction of the late Dr. Staughton, he commenced that career of usefulness which has endeared his name to the whole church of God. The effect of such a -cour.se upon the religious char- acter of individual members, need not be here spoken of. The man who had spent his Sabbaths' in calling men to repentance, could hardly fail to testify for Christ bit the other days of the week. By a large and more "thoughtful reading of the Scriptures, his mind would be more deeply imbued- with divine truth. Communion with God would render the pursuits of worldly men dis- tasteful. , He would Walk through the midst of tempta- tion unharmed, protected by an invisible arm, for he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Could these ideas prevail, it is manifest that a new «ra would open upon our churches. Every church would 254 ENTIRE DBT0TI0/t0 CHRIST. become a living fountain, diffusing on every side the waters of salvation. Instead of looking to organizations polluted by political ambition— instead of relying on policemen and material force, the disciples of Christ, trusting to his aid, would go forth to regenerate the world around them. And they would do it. The wil- derness and the solitary place would be glad for ,them, and the desert would rejoice # and blossom like the rose. But it will be said that there is and must be a division of labor in this work ; some must accumulate wealth to support those who give up themselves to the ministra- tion of the gospel. I ask, Is this so ? Is one man to give up himself, and another his wealth, and another his love of pleasure to Christ, while each withholds the remainder ? Is this the piety of the gospel ? Christ gave himself wholly for us, and should not we give up our whole selves to him ? So Saul was very jealous for the Lord of Hosts, but the bleating of the sheep and oxen revealed his hypocrisy. We may be sure that the man who gives up but a part to Christ, always reserves for himself all that he loves best, and yields to the Saviour only the remainder But you say, We are ac- quiring property for Christ. Can you, my brother, say that to him ? Does he not know better ? If you are accumulating for him, you are spending for yourselves and leave him only the fragments. My dear brother the word of God is quick and powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. But it may be said, men will not do as you recom- mend. It may be so, but what then ? What becomes of the cause- of Christ ? Who. is prepared to suffer the punishments of disobed ence ? Indications are not IMPROVEMENT OF THE MINISTRY. 255 few, that judgments for our sins are rapidly approach- ing. • Who of us shall stand when God riseth up, and who shall answer when he appeareth ? If this is the way to obey Christ, the only way in«which Christianity can exert its legitimate effect on the* minds of men, and we say we can not and will not pursue it, we surrendej Christ to his enemies, we give up the contest, and yield the victory to the powers of darlmess. Sinner, redeem- ed by the blood of Christ, are you prepared to do this ? .XII. MEANS TO BE USED TO IMPROVE THE WHOLE MINISTRY. — THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES. — COLLEGES. — ACADEMIES. In my preceding papers I have endeavored to show the manner in which the ministry may be increased in number. It seems to me to have been the way devised by the Master. It has always proved eminently suc- cessful. The evil which we complain of is universal. It must arise from some universal error, either in our theory or practice, or both. It can not be removed but by a change in that theory or practice. I have en- deavored to point out the change which seems to be required. We must return to the theory and practice which prevailed when we had more minis'ters than churches. In no other manner can we hope to make progress, or to perform that part in the conversion of the world which the Master has assigned to us. I hope it will be admitted, that by the use of the means which I have suggested, the number of ministers would be greatly increased, may I not say, so much 256 MATERIAL FOB THE MINISTRY increased as to be adequate to the supply of our wants. It will be a ministry composed of men of different ages, coming from various occupations in life, and of great diversity of intellectual culture. They will all agree, however^ in' many particulars. They will have entered the ministry because they believe that the Holy Spirit has called them to this office, and then- brethren will have conle to the same conclusion respect- ing them. Most of them will have given themselves to the work at* the cost of personal sacrifice, and a large portion of them will, by early labor, have attained to vigor of constitution, firmness of nerve, and a. power of overcoming difficulties, which hot-house cultivation never confers. I ask, What better material for a min- istry could be jfound than a body of just such men ? I come now to the second part of- my work. I pro- posed to show, first, how the number of our ministers could be increased ; and secondly, how their efficiency «ould be promoted. I proceed to the second considera- tion. SuppbBe that annually six or eight hundred of such ministers are given to us ; how shall we, so far as we can, make them able ministers of the New Testament ? Before answering this question, let us determine what is the object to be aimed at Let us look at this question calmly, as reasonable men, capable of fonniag an opinion for ourselves, and without turning to the precedents set before us by other denominations. Is it our object merely to carry to a higher point of educa- tion, one in twenty of these brethren, leaving all the remainder without sympathy or aid? Shall we say to brethren who pant for knowledge, but who are unable to devote more than one, two, or three years to prepar- AIDING THOSE WHO ARE CALLED. 257 atim, " Go and study for five or six years, and then we will aid you ;" and by this decision shut them out from all aid whatsoever? Or shall we say to brethren "whose time is thus limited by the providence of God, " If you will promise to go to an academy, and study two years With boys, and then go through college, and add to this a three years' course at a seminary; we will assist you ; but if you will not or can nbt do this, we have hbthihg to say*to you ?" Is this light, is it wise, is it kind, can it be acceptable to the Master ? Is this really zeal for educating the Baptist ministry ? We take a different view of this subject. We urge the necessity of giving to 'every brother whom God has called to the ministry, as large an amount of culture as the. circumstances in -which he* is placed render ex- pedient or practicable. We should look upon the farmer or mechanic, who gives evidence that he has been called of God to the ministry, with just the same respect, and extend to him the hand of fellowship as cor- dially as if he had spent his whole life in study, and bore in his hand a dozen diplomas. We should more cheer- fully aid him than the other, for the simple reason that his need is more pressing. . I will not, however, pursue this question any further. I do not c'oneeive that there can exist, among brethren at large, more than one opinion Concerning it. The question before us, then, is, In what manner shall we proceed, so as best to increase the usefulness of "the Whole mass of ministerial talent ? I naed say but' little of Theological Seminaries. They have their utility ; but they educate so few that they can affect, but in a small degree, the multitude 258 NEED OF INCBEASED EFFICIENCY whom we wish to benefit. Besides, they are under the special guardianship of learned and able brethren, who are thoroughly acquainted with the subject of educa- tion — who have made theological education their pe- culiar study, and have arranged their courses of in- struction with special reference to their view of the wants of our own denomination. Of such institutions, so conducted, it becomes us to speak with becoming reverence. If, -however, a suggestion in respect to them might be made without presumption, I would ask, Could . they not be rendered more efficient? By the tables already referred to, they graduate annually about one student and a half to each officer of in- struction. Could not this proportion be somewhat ex- ceeded ? The labor* of teaching such classes can not be oppressive ; might not other courses, adapted to other classes of students, be introduced ? So long as our seminaries admit none but those who have pursued a collegiate- course, or its equivalent, their number of students must be small, and the labor of instructors not burdensome. Might they not add something to their courses of instruction ? If it might be done without offense, I would ask, Might not more direct effort be exerted to make preachers — I. say preachers, in distinction from philol- ogists, translators, professors, teachers, and writers on theology ? Other professional schools aim to render men able in the practice of their several professions. The law school is satisfied if it makes good lawyers. The medical school is satisfied if it makes good phy- sicians. Why should not the theological school aim more simply at making good and effective preach- • IN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES. 259 ers ? Men need instruction and practice in the every- day duties of the ministry. They should acquire the power — and it is a great power — of unwritten, earnest, effective speech. I rejoice to perceive that all the changes in' our seminaries are in the right direction. In the cata- logue of Newton Seminary it is said that the course is designed for those who have passed through a collegiate course, or what is equivalent to it ; they nevertheless add that other students are welcomed to their instruc- tions, and arrangements are made for their especial improvement. I have not the catalogue at hand, but this is, I think, the substance , of the announcement. In the Institution at Fairmountj Cincinnati, as it has been stated in the public papers, the -course of instruc- tion, in the main, coincides with the suggestions which I have offered. Students are made to acquire practice in preaching, and candidates of a much greater diver- sity of acquisition than usual, are admitted to the Institution. All these are hopeful indications: Let the principles on which these changes proceed be car- ried out to their results, and the usefulness of these institutions will be indefinitely increased. But besides theological schools, we have a large number of colleges and academies endowed by our brethren, which ought to render efficient aid in the im- provement of the ministry. By following the example of others in founding schools of learning, while our in- tention has been to benefit the ministry, we have con- trived to render them, in the least possible degree, capable of accomplishing our object. We have, with one exception, adopted in all its strictness, the old 260 MODIFICATION OF STUDIKS academic course, which prescribes a fixed succession of certain studies for four years, and unless a man pursues the preparatory routine, and enters for the whole course, he can derive from them hut little advantage. Thus 5 a person who wishes to study such branches as would be of service to him in preaching, and has neither time nor means for doing more, is effectually excluded from their benefits. Now it is manifest that a college intended to benefit the ministry, should conform its arrangements to the actual condition of the ministry. Our colleges should be so constituted that licentiates, to say noth- ing of any others^ should be enabled to pursue such studies as they need, and under the same advantages as any other students. To. many who are unable to pursue the languages and mathematics, a course em- bracing physical science, rhetoric, history, intellectual and moral .philosophy, would be invaluable ; or, if the Student could not pursue all these courses, he might take only such of them as he most needed. The same remark applies, in substance, to our high schools. Ar- rangements in thesfr seminaries should be made, which shall facilitate the education of young men somewhat advanced in life. It is not necessary that such men be obliged to sit in the school-room and recite with boys and children. A young man, who, in obedience to the call of G-odj leaves his occupation for the ministry, has trials enough to meet, without being called on to bear any that are superfluous. But we might, wijth great reason, go further than this. It would be very desirable even to have a course of instruction for licentiates especially. Many of our institutions have courses arranged especially for teach- IN OOHEGES. 261 ers; and lectures are delivered for their exclusive benefit. Why should not the same plan he adopted in behalf of licentiates ? Why should not courses of lectures be, delivered in our colleges on the evidences of religion, on the principles of interpretation common to all languages, on the essential doctrines of revelation, on the rhetoric of the pulpit, and on pastoral duty ? I rejoice to see that at Waterville College, arrangements are in progress for accomplishing this object. I do not know how a col- lege could more effectually serve the cause of ministerial education, than by devising some such plan. Professors who would undertake such a service, would be abund- antly rewarded in their own souls. They need some effort of this kind for their own spiritual edification. Were this course pursued by all our colleges, it would add greatly to our ministerial power. ILll. OUR GREAT RELIANCE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT QF THE MINISTRY .IS ON " ,THE MINISTRY ITSELF. — WHAT A MINISTER MAY BO IN THIS WORK. — THE BLESSING THAT WILL FOLLOW SUCH LABOR. In my last paper, I attempted to show what could be done by the colleges and schools endowed and supported by Baptists, for the improvement of the Baptist minis- try. It 'will, of course, be said, in the first place, this would Binder our colleges peculiar. Be it so. Are we not able to determine what is best for ourselves ? Are we so bound to other examples that we must follow them to our own destruction ? A great deal is written and" spoken on the subject of ministerial education 262 RELIANCE ON THE MINISTRY anjoiig us. Platforms thunder with the eloquence aroused by the -exciting theme, and the. agent repeats for the hundredth time his narrative of the wants of the denomination. It has all resulted in leaving us more imperfectly supplied with ministers than before. Let us now take up the subject in earnest. Let .us make a serious, universal effort to accomplish something, and then something will be accomplished. But it may be said, that if we made these provisions, no one would avail himself of them. I do not know on what authority this should be said, until the experiment has been fairly made. I say fairly made. Let the instruction be valuable, and adapted to the wants of licentiates; let them be treated, not as outsiders who should be thankful even for the crumbs that fall from the table of science, but as men respectable and re- spected ; and let the churches encourage every promis- ing young man to improve himself, as far as the provi- dence of God renders it practicable, and the experiment will not fail. If neither of these things can be done, it must fail, and it will deserve to fail. But it is manifest that if the door of the ministry is opened as widely as I have suggested, a part, indeed the greater part, of those who enter it, will be composed of men so bound by prior engagements that they can not leave home at all ; much less can they leave it for a prolonged and expensive residence in some distant part of the country. . What shall be done to" aid this large portion of our brethren, the very men who most of all need our aid ? Here, as every one must anticipate, I turn at once to the ministry. We look to you, brethren, for we have FOB MINISTERIAL IMPROVEMENT. 263 nowhere else to look. You, above all other men, can aid in giving efficiency to the ministry 'of the gospel. The work to be done is great. The laborers must be many, and they must labor in-earnest. The wall must be built, and it can never be built, unless every man builds over against his own house. I say, then, let every minister of Christ, in the first place, seek out and bring forward all the talent tor the ministry which exists in his church, and let him pray, and encourage hie brethren to pray, that such talent may be bestowed in abundant measure. We have the promise of Christ that such prayer shall be answered. Let* us go to him freely, asking in faith, nothing doubting. Suppose, now, your prayers to be answered, and a number of your brethren come forward desiring to labor in the work of the jniriistry. You and your church need great wisdom in this matter. See that you act wisely, in the fear of God. If you think a brother has misjudged his calling, and you obtain no evidence from his communications that he is designed by the Master for public usefulness, tell him so, kindly and plainly. If he is not satisfied, give him longer time for trial, but do not place him in a work to which you do not believe he has been called. You are acting for Christ in this matter, and you have no right to please either yourselves or any other men. But having acted according to your best judgment, you find, to your joy and rejoicing, that there are sev- eral of your brethren whom you believe Christ has called to labor in the ministry. You "find them exceedingly dissimilar in character and circumstances. Can the 264 VARIETIES OF TALENT.' Bame rule reasonably be applied tq ihem all ? Can we wisely advise them all to pursue the game Gourse ? They range from the age of fifteen to that of twenty-five or thirty years. They are of great variety of education and culture. Some are under no previous engage- ments, others have entered into contracts, and are en- gaged in business which can not now be honestly brought to a close. It will be a question whether some had not better become preachers without giving up the business in which they are engaged. Others may appear prom- ising, but. it is evident that they had better preach for a time as licentiates, and wait for the openings of Prov- idence to determine the future. Others- are young, and can devote some years to education. But here a ques- tion arises : Have they the kind of talent which will be benefited by the ordinary course of education ? Many good men go through college without acquiring any ad- ditional mental power. They are essentially the same men after ten years' study as they were before, with greater accuracy, more fearful of making a mistake, but with no greater vigor and no higher promise of useful- ness than when they coinmenc«d. Aw& yet such men may be useful. in no common degree — they arje made for action and effort, rather than for investigation and solitary study. There may be some, again, who exhibit talents which point them out as young men whom the Master has chosen for labor in which extensive educa- tion is manifestly required, It is in the highest degree desirable that such brethren should be encouraged to pursue a liberal course of education. • They may hot be any more useful than others of fheir brethren, but the Master seems to have designated them for a pecu- ENCOURAGING SE1.F- EFFORT. 265 liar field of labor, and they should be prepared to enter, it. Still, if such be the case, it does not follow that the church should assume the whole responsibility of their education. If they possess unusual talent,- they are the better able to educate themselves. This they, should be encouraged to do. They should proceed upon the principle that it is a work to be done by themselves, and that they will do it as far as they are able, When they are in straits, let them always be assisted. Let every kind thing be done to aid them in their merit- orious undertaking. But let not the responsibility be taken from the men themselves. If a young man of promise, in this country, desires an education, he will be educated. He may not complete his course in the same time as another, but he will do it, and do it mainly by his own exertions. And this very ex- ertion will, in the end, prove the most valuable part of his whole, education. ,Yet, let me . not be misunder- stood. Never let a promising young brother be' left to sink into despondency. Let him know that if he does all he can for himself, he will not be left to fall to the ground. And beyond question, the members of his own church, those who know him and have an opportunity to observe his walk and conversation, are the proper persons to aid him. Why should they contribute their money to strangers, who shall give it to him, instead of giving it to. him themselves ? But we pass these cases to consider those that remain. There will probably be a portion of those who manifest talent adapted to usefulness, who may grow into the successful pastor, or the earnest evangelist, or the faith- ful licentiate, but who are chained at home for the 12 266 OPPORTUNITIES FOB present, by the providence of God. They may have relinquished their studies at boyhood, and have since 'enjoyed small means of improvement. They do not know where to begin, or what course to pursue. Thoy feel their need of intellectual cultivation, while the space between their present position and that which they would attain, seems veiled in thick darkness. Now, to such persons, a judicious pastor would be of the greatest advantage. By free conversation, he could learn the bias of each individual, and ascertain his precise intellectual position. He might then mark out for him the course which he could most profitably pursue. In most cases, he could easily refer a brother to such teachers in the vicinity as would give him the needful assistance. Where this was impossible, he might undertake the work himself. This, however, would rarely be necessary. There are few districts in our country, except the newest .settlements, where the ordinary branches of a solid English education may not be pursued Under a competent instructor. A teacher by profession, or any other person of generous senti- ments, would cheerfully give assistance to a pious man, struggling to obtain that knowledge which would render him more useful in the work of the ministry. But suppose this done, the licentiate requires im- portant aid in the special work to which he has given himself. Here the older ministering brother may be of essential service. He may direct the reading of the licentiate, set before him in a connected view the doc- trines of the gospel, point out to him the proof-texts, show him "the objections to them which he has himself met, and the best way of answering them, exhibit to PURSUING STUDY. 267 him the various subterfuges of the heart, explain to him the mode of interpreting the word of God, remove the -false views which he may have derived from an in- cautious reading of the Scriptures, and thus add much to his efficiency as a preacher of the gospel. He may also teach him to form the plan of a sermon, show him the errors of the plans which he presents, hear him preach, point out his awkwardness in language and de- livery, encourage him in all that is good and acceptable, and prune away all that is the reverse. - In this way a pastor may he of invaluable advantage to his younger brother in the ministry. Nor need this be done in the form of stiff and formal lectures. It may nearly all be accomplished in the way of pleasant fraternal conversa- tion, while riding to visit the sick, or while walking to- gether to attend a meeting, or working together in the garden- or the field. Older brethren in the ministry have little idea how greatly they might improve their juniors by conversation of this kind. Gne of our most distinguished and most eloquent ministers, on whose lips the first men in the nation have hung with solemn attention, once told me that all the instruction which he had ever received in preaching, was contained in a single remark addressed to him by an aged father in the gospel. " Tell the people,"'said he, " precisely what they tell you." He had the good sense to understand the precept, and reduce it to practice. In visiting his people, he remarked the various forms of religious ex- perience, in affliction, in joy, in conversion, remorse, repentance, faith, doubt, trust, in sickness and health, and in the hour of death. He told the people what they told him, and hence his preaching was distin- 268 BENEFIT OF AIDING STUDENTS. guished for vivacity, knowledge of the human heart, and richness of religious experience, which has been rarely excelled. Probably in.no six months of his life did that old minister ever do so much to advance the cause of Christ, as by uttering these few words of ad- vice to a younger brother. Do not say, brethren, you have not time for this la- bor. I know you are pressed with care ; but how could you spend your time more profitably to the cause of Christ, than in- just this manner ? Could you not de- vote to it one afternoon in the week ? This, probably, would suffice for all that would be demanded. "While teaching others, you would greatly improve yourself. And besides, your younger brother would soon abund- antly repay you, by the aid he would render in the dis-_ charge of your duties. What could be more delightful than for a minister to have three or four brethren unit- ing with him in carrying forward the work of Cod, all animated by the same spirit, all aiming at the same ob- ject, and filling the whole district in which they live with the preaching of the word. Under such a state of things, how rapidly would converts be multiplied, and how many new ties would bind ministering brethren to- gether. I may add, how greatly would the power of the elder ministry be increased. He that watereth would here in a special manner be watered himself. MINISTERS -CAN DO THIS WORK. 269 XLIII MINISTERS COMPETENT TD THIS WORK. — WITHOUT THEM IT CAN NOT BE DONE. — SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE THAT HAVE THE MINISTRY IN VIEW. To the remarks in the preceding paper I know it will be said, "We are not competent to this work." It must he left to the professors of theological seminaries. To this I reply, that one of the most popular objections made against theological professors is, that they have not precisely what you have, practical acquaintance with the working of the ministry. Not to mention ministers abroad, Dr. Stillman, Dr. Baldwin, Dr. Ohapin, and more than either, Dr. Staughton, while engaged in the work of a laborious ministry, were thus instrumental in introducing to the pulpit a host of our most eminent preachers. But consider for a moment. Can you not always teach another what he does not know so well as you ? You can surely impart to another all the knowl- edge you' have yourself. This is all that is required. If every minister would do this, he would confer an in- valuable benefit on those who are coming forward into the ministry. But I know, from my own observation, that brethren who make this objection underrate them- selves. I could enumerate scores and hundreds, who, by devoting a portion of their time to this object, might not only greatly increase' the number, but add vastly to the efficacy of brethren who have no other means of im- provement. But this is not all. It by no means follows that the licentiate will go no further than you can find the time to carry him. Set a man of sound mind aci earnest 270 NEED OF INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. purpose upon the right track, and he will go on by himself. Some of those whom you have thus cultivated, may, after feeling their own biases, pursue wider and more extended courses of study. Others, bent on self- improvement, will go on in a rapid course of self-de- velopment. The seed which you sow, though as a grain of mustard-seed, yet falling into good soil, may become a great tree. Tou may have the pleasure of seeing your pupils advancing in knowledge, piety, and influ- ence, until they are much abler ministers than yourself. What higher reward than this can an, instructor either expect or desire ? You see then, brethren, the object which is upper- most in my mind. It has seemed to many who have thought on this subject, that the Baptists in this coun- try fail to accomplish one half of what is obviously and imperatively demanded of them by the Saviour. One of the reasons of our failure is, that we have not felt the importance of universal, individual effort. We have relied on voluntary associations to do what each one should do himself. The individual church mem- bers stand still, and yet expect the church to go for- ward. The church sees a great work before it, and in- stead of doing it, looks to the Home Missionary Society, or the Convention to do it. The minister sees the ne- cessity of greater numbers and greater efficiency in the ministry, but instead of doing the work himself, he turns it over to the Education Society. The Societies turn over the work to their Boards. The Boards turn it over to their Executive Committees. The Executive Committees turn it over to the Secretaries. Thus, in fact, the work of extending the cause of Christ among APPEAL TO THE MINISTRY. 271 us, which belongs essentially to every disciple, is de- volved on some fifteen or twenty men, who, overbur- dened with business, do all" they possibly can ; but what does this amount to, in comparison with the universal effort of six or- eight hundred thousand communicants, each laboring in his own sphere, each building over against his own house, all animated with the same spirit, each determined to do with his whole heart the whole service which the Master has appointed to him individually, and casting loose from all entanglements, resolved, whether.jninister or private brother, to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. In the work specially of enlarging and strengthening the ministry, the ministry must, of course, take a prom- inent part. To them it especially appertains. With- out their whole-hearted aid, we mayj by Associations and Societies, do here and there a little good, but noth- ing far-reaching, universal, and effective can be accom- plished. Tou, my brethren, see our condition. Does it not call for a universal effort ? Will you make it ? Will you put forth your hands, and uniting as one man, labor under God to place us in the position to which we should aspire, that of the foremost denomination on earth, in extending the kingdom of the Lord Jesus ? We have among us no delegated authority ; we have no central power ; we are all independent . churches. Does not every one see that our efficiency must de- pend, not on organization, but on individuality ? If every one labors, and if all labor for the same object, and all labor in the same spirit, we shall possess a unity and efficiency of action which no form of organi- zation can possibly confer. Love to the Eedeemer binds 272 SUGGESTIONS TO LICENTIATES. every individual to Christ and to each other, and all live, not to themselves hut to Him who died for them. Shall we not make one universal effort to he such a church — to he such representatives of our Lord ? But it may very likely be said, Physician, heal thy- self.' You are urging us to undertake the instruction of our younger brethren, Why do you not undertake it yourself ? Set us an example, and we will follow it. I acknowledge the obligation, and am willing to perform the duty. If my observation or experience is of the least value to a brother in the ministry, he is welcome to it. I will, therefore, in the remainder of this series, offer a few suggestions for the benefit of just such licen- tiates as I have alluded to. I propose to present no systematic treatise, but shall throw together, in a famil- iar manner, precisely such thoughts as would have been useful to me, when I was at the age and in the con- dition of my younger brethren. These remarks, then, are not designed for those who have spent several years in passing through the " regular course." My remarks are intended for persons, who, from secular avocations, have entered, or are thinking of entering, the ministry ; and who are of maturer age than is common for stu- dents. The path before them seems dark and almost impassable. My object is to throw a Ijttle light upon it, and rejieve them, if possible, of some of that burden under which they now bo painfully labor. There are, however, a few preliminary considerations to which "I would refer, before I enter upon the subject of preaching. One of the most common sources of deep and anxious disquietude in the minds of men who, under the circum- BENSE OF INCAPACITY. 273 stances supposed, have' thought of devoting themselves either wholly or in part to the work of the ministry, is a feeling of mental and moral incapacity for the work,- Of the moral incapacity I need not here write ; for though it exists, it is common to all stations and all conditions. The feeling of mental incapacity is not merely absolute, it is also relative ; the man not only feels his want of intellectual power to grasp the mighty truths of revelation, but also his inferiority in these respects to those who have spent many years in the study of books, in acquiring familiarity with several languages, and who have been subjected from youth to all the dis- cipline of the schools. Now, in so far as this feeling is absolutej that is, so far as it relates to the inability of man to comprehend the ways of God> it is true and salutary, and in harmony with the teachings of "the Spirit. It is this feeling, when it is founded on a com- parison of ourselves with others, that I would here con- sider. The notion to which I refer may be expressed somewhat in words like these : " How can I, who have received nothing more than an English education, and that perhaps imperfect and nearly forgotten, open my mouth in the presence of men, some of whom have spent half their lives in, study, and who have been trained, in all the discipline of colleges and seminaries ?" Now, to such a brother, I would say in the first jplace, Who was it that marked out the bounds of your habi- tation, who placed you in the very course of life which you have thus far pursued? Was it not a Being of omniscient wisdom and infinite love ? t)\d he not, from the beginning, know the precise work which he wished you to perform, and did he not direct your past life 12* 274 , ENCOUKAGEJIENT TO KELT with special reference to it ? Has lie called you, or will he call you to any service for which he will not qualify you ? He will not send you into this warfare without furnishing you with the armor which he wishes you to wear. The history of the world has not shown, moreover, that Grod has always employed human learn- ing in carrying out his most important purposes. Crom- well was a man of no more than a plain English educa- tion. Milton was learned in all the knowledge of his age. The life of the former was certainly as important to mankind as the life of the latter. Burke was a man of acquisitions which astonished his contemporaries. Washington spent his early life as a surveyor, and had enjoyed no other advantages than those common to every respectable Virginia farmer. "Which of them was chosen to confer the greatest blessing on humanity ? The age of Cromwell and Charles II. was fruitful in theologians of great learning, but where among them all can> we find a name that shines so brightly as that of John Bunyan, Who, according to MaGaulay, could not spell correctly, and did not understand the grammar of his own language ? I mention not these instances to depreciate learning. This would be absurd. All I wish to affirm is, that the field of usefulness is open to all who wish to enter it, and that God assigns to us places in his, vineyard according to his will, and that he quali- fies his servants for the place which he intends them to occupy. But again, it may be observed, that this feeling of unpreparedness'for any new duties is almost universal. You will scarcely ever converse with a man respecting his early education, who does not wish that it had been ON DIVINE ASSISTANCE. 275 different, and who will not tell you that under different training he would have been much more successful. The son of a man of wealth repines over the fact that he had not, by early poverty, been compelled to rely upon him- self. The son of a poor man regrets that he was obliged in youth to contend with difficulties and to suffer hard- ships while the other was enjoying all the advantages of the most expensive culture. If you take men who have been through the same course of education, the com- plaint is the same. One wishes that he had entered college earlier, another that he had not entered it so early ; one that he had pursued the languages more extensively, another that he had neglected them entirely for mathematics, and another, that he had thrown them both a,Jde, and devoted himself to philosophy and physical cience. The feeling of our own insufficiency for any new and important undertaking is thus very common, and every man naturally refers his deficiency to the circumstances of his youth. This feeling, then, the licentiate shares with humanity. Were he to con- verse with men whom he considers the most favored, he would find that they look upon their previous training, if they are thoughtful men, with a feeling similar to his own. The conclusion from all this seems to me'evident. Let us all set ourselves earnestly to the work which God has placed before us, trusting that he will give us all the aid necessary to do his will, if we humbly and faith- fully rely upon his assistance. If we work, he will wort in us 276 OBJECT OF EDUCATION. XLIV. OBJECT OF EDUCATION. — EDUCATION NOT CONFINED TO THE STUDY Of BOOKS. — DIFFICULTY OF ACQUIRING THE HABIT OF CONTINUOUS THOUGHT. — AIDS IN ACQUIRING IT. On the subject of the last paper, allow me to add another remark. The object of education is, I appre- hend, very generally misunderstood. It is commonly believed that there is some magical power emanating from the knowledge of Latin^ and Greek, and mathe- matics, just as, in the dark ages, it was believed that evil spirits might be summoned or exorcised by drawing triangles on the floor, or by addressing them in scraps of the ancient languages. There is no magic whatever in this matter. The Latin word for a horse, expresses precisely the same idea as the English word. The fact is, that this knowledge, unless in exceptional cases, is, to all practical purposes, very soon forgotten, and all that remains is the mental power gained by acquiring it. If young persons are accustomed to daily intellec- tual tasks, which they are obliged to perform, it is nat- ural to suppose that they will acquire the power of continuous thought, and the ability to direct their attention at will to any particular subject. If, together with this, the knowledge which they acquire is living and vital, if it be remembered through life, and serves to form the basis of sound opinions, and thus guide a man wisely through- untried vicissitudes, the great ob- ject of education is accomplished. But it is not to be supposed, because a man has had no opportunity of studying books, that his life has been EDUCATION TTAKIOUSL X ACQUIBEW. 277 of necessity a blank. God, in mercy, has not left the means of mental cultivation so much to the sport of accident. . He has endowed every man with senses, the inlets of knowledge, and has given him the power of elaborating this knowledge into general facts and prin- ciples. Every man who is capable of thinking, and who has the gift to believe that there is something in his own thoughts, is thus educating himself every day, or rather, I might say, is receiving his education from his Creator. But besides, and above this, if he have his own fortune to make, and is obliged to decide upon actions by his own unaided intellect and conscience, tie . is acquiring a discipline of the very best character. Being obliged to think for himself in matters which deeply concern himself, he learns to govern his conduct by principles, to- examine every condition of an -action with caution, to observe and remember the results of different decisions, and thus he forms for himself a char- acter, in which strength of common sense essentially preponderates. The conclusion at which we arrive from these facts is this. There is not, by any necessity, such a difference as is commonly supposed between one thoughtful man, who has had the Opportunity for acquiring the learning of books, and another thoughtful man, who has been deprived of this opportunity. Between a thoughtful man, under any circumstances, and a frivolous man, no comparistm need be instituted. A man who has arrived at the age of intellectual development, if he has cul- tivated the habit of thinking for himself, need, by no means, suppose that he has passed his life without any education. He has no need of deferring, on all subjects. 278 FIKST ATTEMPTS DIFFICULT. to men of supposed learned culture. With modesty, and yet with confidence, he may advance his well-con- sidered opinions, and he will find that 1 men of sense will hear him with attention. Such a man, while he feels his deficiencies, will labor strenuously to remove them He will seek for knowledge from every quarter, and he will seek the more earnestly, because he is both aware of his want of it, and he knows how to use it. So far as preaching is concerned, however, there is one deficiency which such a man frequently feels : it is the difficulty of continuous thought, the power of arranging a series of ideas, so that each one individually, and all collectively, may bear upon the point which he wishes to enforce. He can give an opinion on a particular subject of discussion — he can exhort on the instant to a particular duty, but to construct a connected dis- , course of half an hour long, in order to exhibit 01 prove a particular truth, he finds almost impossible. That there is here a real difficulty, it would be useless to deny ; but there is in it nothing whateve: peculiar. It is precisely the same difficulty which meets us every hoar of the day, when we attempt to do any thing to which we are not accustomed. It meets us when we first begin to handle a saw, to wield an axe, to guide a plow, or to sing a tune. The body has not become accustomed to this kind of action, and it moves awkwardly, sometimes so awkwardly that we fear lest we should never learn to do what we see other men doing with ease. The second and third trial, however, show some signs of improvement, and if we make the effort frequently, and at short intervals, we look back with wonder that any difficulty ever seemed MODES OF SELF-IMPKOVEMENT. 279 to exist. It is the same with any mental effort. When we are required to do what we have never heen in the hahit of doing, our minds act awkwardly, or seem to refuse to act at all. The remedy is the same ; make the effort, make it again and again, and we shall soon perceive that we have made some progress. Let a man continue in the same course, determined to secure for himself this hahit of mind, and he will, hefore long, find that in any important matter, it is just as natura^ for him to. think consecutively, as it is to think at all. There are several modes of. improvement' which a man, desiring thus to educate himself, may pursue with advantage. One of these is to study carefully any science that is presented in a well-arranged form, carry- ing in his mind the leading and Jihe subordinate divis- ions, until he can go through all the principal topics without -looking at the book. Suppose him to study English Grammar, using Green's Analysis, the best book on this subject with which I am acquainted. Let him take the first section, and make himself so familiar with it, that he can think it out for himself. He then proceeds to the next section in the same manner, and, atone view, connects. them both together. As he ad- vances, let him always connect his present with his past acquisition, and hold in his recollection the thread which binds the whole together, until he has completed the subject. Let him study every thing in this manner. If he reads a sermon, let him take it to pieces, write down for himself the divisions and subdivisions, and then criti- cize it, observing its excellences and its defects. If he read, or hear, a plea at the bar, let him take the same 280 STUDY OP THE SCBIPTUKES. couise. He who will take this trouble, in order to render himself a more useful laborer in the vineyard of the Master, -will find himself abundantly rewarded. ' A most excellent means for cultivating this habit of mind is, to take up a book of Scripture, and proceed with it in the manner I have described.' At the begin- ning, he may take an historical book, say, for instance, Genesis, and note down, as he proceeds, the several important points of the narrative. Let him fix them in his "mind, in a consecutive series, . so, that he can recall them at will. After taking a few books of the Old Testament, he may proceed to the Acts of the Apostles, and treat it in the same manner. He may then take up the Harmony of the Gospels. If he does not read Greek, the English Harmony of Dr. Robinson for this purpose, is just as good. Let him study this in the order of the events, until he is able by himself to go over the whole narrative of the life of the blessed Saviour. When he comes to an extended discourse of our Lord, he should treasure up, not merely the senti- ments, but the thread of thought which binds them together. Last of all, he may take up the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, and study out its entire analysis. It is by far the most thoughtfully and systematically composed of any of the apostle's writings. By the time he has done this, he will have no difficulty in making out a train of thought for himself on any sub- ject connected with revealed truth. Of the advantages of such a mode of study, I surely need not speak. It must be seen that it will cultivate, in a remarkable degree, that power of consecutive thought which is so indispensable to a public speaker. EESULTS OF TflfS STUDY. 281 This, however, is but its smallest benefit. We readily perceive ■ that any one who will study the Scriptures in fhis manner, will very soon be a scribe well instructed, able to bring from the treasury, things both new and old. The various relations of revealed truth to each other will spontaneously manifest themselves to him. Illustrations will crowd upon him from every part, of the Scriptures, whatever subject may be under discus- sion. Objections, as they rise from any quarter, will find their ready reply from the, word of Grod itself. His mind will thus be, enriched with the very thoughts and wor4s of God, and he will be accustomed to consider them in the very relations, and with th0 very connec- tions, established by Omniscience itself. All this a thoughjtful and earnest man may do for himself* by the study of the English Bible, in the received ver- sion. But this is not all. This habit can never be ac- quired, without putting it further into . practice. A man who intends to become a preacher, must devote ,his attention to the construction of plans of sermons. He should at once make a book, which must be ever at hand, in which he may write down any verse, which seems like a good text, as it occurs to him in his read- ing of the Scriptures ; writing out any thought, or plan, or division, that presents itself to him concerning it. These notes will be of great advantage to him when he is looking for a subject, and will frequently save him many hours of valuable .time. And besides, in thisj as in other cases, our first thoughts are fre- quently our best thoughts, and a division or a plan suggested, as i 4 seems, by accident, may be much 282 PLANNING SEEMONS. Letter thai; he could have elaborated by long-continued effort. But, besides this, he must acquire the habit of form- ing plans of sermons on all occasions, when walking, when riding, when at labor or exercise. These let him write down in another bbok prepared for this purpose, giving the divisions and subdivisions as much in detail as possible. Having made a plan, let it lie a few days, and then he may subject it to a second examination. If there be a minister in his neighborhood, it would be very desirable to secure his aid. Let him criticize your plan, and point out its defects. Take it and try again, and do not leave it until you have made it as perfect as possible. When this is done, however, the work is in a great measure completed. When you have such a plan in your mind, you will have no difficulty in speaking from your text. Words will flow readily when you know what you have to say, or if, at first, you have difficulty in this respect, it will easily be overcome by a little perseverance and practice. "Whether you use written or oral delivery, the case is the same. Knowing what you have to say, and having the natural order in which to say it, all the rest is easy. You have broken the back of. the difficulty, and it can not hereafter trouble you. Belying on the grace of God, you may go forward confidently in your work. PULPIT ASSISTANTS. 283 XLV. PULPIT ASSISTANTS. — DIFFERENT GLASSES OF SERMONS. — DOCTRINAL SER- MONS. — PRACTICAL SERMONS. I closed ray last paper with some remarks on the necessity of forming the habit of making plans, or skeletons of sermons. It will he understood, that by this I do not mean the mere putting together such thoughts as may occur to us, until we have enough to occupy the appointed time of a discourse ;. but. thoughts arranged in a natural order, sp that one introduces another, each one strengthening all that have gone before it, and all bearing upon the point to which we desire to bring the mind of the audience. This process is exceedingly improving to the mind and heart, and is one of the most delightful of all intellectual efforts. Here, however, let me offer a caution. A strong temptation frequently assails a man, when preparing a sermon, to look around for helps. He can easily find a book of skeletons made to his hand, and it seems to him very convenient to make use of it. Let me urge every brother, as he values his self-respect, his honesty, his ministerial usefulness, as he values his own soul and the souls of others, to resist this temptation at the out- set. If he have any of these crutches, let him commit them at once to the flames, or he will never learn to walk. The habit is absolutely fatal. If commenced, it will increase until the power of original thought is lost. The man who begins to borrow from others will borrow more and more, and he will at last be a preachei ' of other men's sermons, acting a lie every time he goes 284 CLASSES OF SEEMONS. into the pulpit. I never knew a man addicted to this habit whom it did not ruin. Fear of discovery drives him from place to place, and at last drives him into some secular office, or some agency, in which one ser- mon will last him for a year. Whatever you have, then, be it little or much, let it be your own. If you draw from your own fountain the waters will con- tinually arise cleaner, sweeter, and more abundant. If you neglect it for other men's cisterns, it wiH rapidly • dry up, or its sluggish water will breed slime and filth, so that you yourself will turn away from it with dis- gust. I say this to. the licentiate who is just com- mencing his work, and whose advantages for improve- ment have been limited. I fear, however, that these are not the only persons who are in danger from this habit. Men of thorough training, as it is called, sometimes fall into it. Is it not sad, that a man who has spent nine or ten years in preparation for the pulpit, must thus confess his inability to make a sermon, but is obliged to ( buy sermons ready made for him ? Such a man must certainly have mistaken his calling. I hope that in these remarks I do not seem censorious. I should not have made them if booksellers had not informed me that no books were more saleable than these various forms of " pulpit assistants." Sermons have been divided into several classes. What the divisions commonly made are, I do not re- member ; it will, however, readily occur to every one that they may be Doctrinal, Practical, Experimental, Expository, or Hortative. The object of the doctrinal sermon is to explain and prove some truth of revelation. DOCTBINAL SERMONS. 285 In this .Vind of discoursej two things are specially to be observed. First, the exposition of 'the truth, and secondly, the proof of it. The exposition of the doctrine is, of course, a mat- ter of the utmost importance. If we attempt to prove any thing, the first matter demanding attention is, to know for ourselves, and to exhibit clearly to others what it is that we desire to prove. From the neglect of this caution, men frequently announce the doctrine to he proved, and then prove something else> or really prove nothing at all. It is, therefore, not sufficient that we recite some expression of the doctrine derived from books, we must think it out for ourselves, and be sure that we understand it clearly. This will enahle us to separate the truth from all extraneous matter, and pre- sent the simple statement distinctly to the minds of others. We shall thus guard the doctrine from abuse, and answer heforehand many objections which lie, not against the truth itself, but against the conceptions which men have erroneously associated with it.-s. The 'proof of any truth of revelation must he essen- tially revelation itself. God has not made a revelation of that which has been already made known by natural religion. The highest authority for our belief of any truth, is that God has said it. Why, then, should we go to the weaker evidence to support the stronger ? We may present the texts in the Bible which affirm the truth directly, showing by a brief exposition that this is their exact and legitimate meaning. We may ad- duce other truths from Scripture which harmonize with what we affirm, or which take it for granted. We may appeal to"the experience of inspired men, who have re- 286 PROVING REVEALED TRUTH. lied on this truth as the foundation of their trust and hope, and thus, from every inspired source, derive con- firmation* and proof of what we affirm to he true. If we wish to answer objections, we may show that this truth is in analogy with the truths of natural religion, hut we should not, I think, appeal to this latter and feebler light, to prove any thing which we believe God to have spoken. I beg leave to call attention to these last remarks. There has seemed to me a growing disposition to omit the proof of a revealed truth from revelation, and attempt the proof from every other source than the Bible. Why should this be ? If the Bible be true, why should we ignore its evidence ? To do thus may seem more philosophical, and may be more pleasing to unre- generate men, but is it really according to the mind of the Spirit ? Do we not thus practically lead men to the conclusion that there is a higher authority than the word of God, by which it is to be judged, and to which its teachings are to be subjected ? When we have done this, what is left to us but natural religion ? We take such portions of the Scriptures as natural religion can prove, and the remainder is laid aside as unproved, and therefore valueless. In doctrinal discourses, it is important to remember that it is useless to prove what is self-evident ; and what, of course, all men acknowledge. When we at- tempt to prove a self-evident truth, we must, of course, fail ; for there is nothing more evident which can be brought forward as proof. I have frequently heard men deliver discourses of this character, and the result has been that those who fully believed the doctrine at the PEACTIC-AL SERMONS. 287 commencement of the sermon, doubted the. truth of it at the close. They said to themselves, If this is all the evidence on which it rests, we may, after all, have been in error. Such must always be the consequence of at- tempting to prove what is self-evident. But though the establishment of a doctrine be, formally, the object of a doctrinal discourse, it is not the preacher's whole, vt even his principal object. He wishes this truth to have its moral effect on the minds of men. Hence he should never fail to apply it to men's consciences, and show the manner in which such a truth must affect our eternal interests. It is possible to prove a doctrine very clearly, and leave an audience as much unmoved, as if we were discussing a mathe- matical proposition. Paul did not thus exhibit the doctrines of revelation. The Epistle to the Komans is the most logical of all his treatises. It is -a systemat- ical view of the plan of salvation. All the latter part of it, however, is niade up of earnest practical exhort- ation. Nor is this enough. The apostle frequently suspends his argument, to introduce some practical or experimental truth flowing from the doctrine which he had established. The same remark applies with equal force to the Epistle to the Hebrews. * I find, however, that I am in danger of going more into detail than I intended, and of making a treatise, instead of offering a few desultory suggestions. I there- fore hasten to offer a few thoughts respecting practical sermons. A practical sermon is a sermon intended directly to influence our conduct, and conform it to the word, of God. Here, I presume/ we should endeavor to under- 288 HEADS OF A PRACTICAL SERMON. stand clearly what the word of God commands or for- bids, and then fearlessly' apply the rule to the conduct of men who hear us. 'Unless we do the first, we shall not be sure that we are uttering the commands of the Most High. Unless we do the second, our hearers will go away wholly unaffected, or applying the truth liber- ally to other men, but never seeing its bearing upon themselves. Take, for instance, the commandment, Thou shalt not steal. To .steal is to take the property of another without his knowledge or consent. But, according to our Saviour's interpretation of the commandments, it forbids not only this form of transgression, but any mode of appropriating the property of another inconsist- ent with the precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Having clearly shown this meaning, and the broadness of the law of God, we should apply it to the audience directly before us. If we are preaching in a city, we should apply the command to the frauds of commerce, and show the manner in which they violate the precept of God. We should analyze these transac- tions, and exhibit precisely the point of the transgres- sion. Under this would be included frauds on the revenue, and other similar sins. We should show that customs of trade do not alter the law of God, or our obligation to obey it. Were we preaching on the same text in a manufacturing or an agricultural district, our application would be different, as it would refer to the forms of violation of the command to which our hearers were most likely -to be tempted. A sermon was preached ■ on th's text, some years since, in one of the most moral and e templary towns in New England. The manner in CENS0BI.0USNES8 TO BE AVOIDED. 289 ■which the subject was treated, may be learned from the results. On the next morning, the streets were alive with men and women, carrying books, household uten- sils, and a multitude of articles -which they had long since borrowed, but had neglected to return. How would the light of the church shine, if practical sermons were preached in every pulpit of our country, with pre- cisely the same results ? Here, however^ we must guard against censoriousness. We must apply the command to the evil practice, avoid- ing all personality, and above all, taking care that we do not fall into the sin of rebuking sin for the gratifica- tion of oUr own evil passions. There is no occasion in which* we need to be so deeply imbued with love, as when we are exposing sin. In no other manner can we render our reproofs effectual. Here, emphatically, we need wisdom from on high. We must be plain, simple, scriptural, fearless, and yet affectionate. There is abun- dant need of this sort of preaching. Many men have sat for years under the sound of the gospel, continuing in the practice of some common form of dishonesty, or prevarication, because they have never been taught the simple principles of honesty and truthfulness. XLVI. EXPERIMENTAL, EXPOSITORY^ AND HORTATORT SERMONS. In my last paper, I offered a few suggestions respect- ing doctrinal and practical sermons. I proceed to con- sider those denominated experimental. This class of subjects occupies far less attention, as it 13 290 , EXPERIMENTAL SE3M0NS seems to me, than, its importance deserves. A soul is dead in sin, its affections are fixed on the things that perish, and it is surrendered up to the dominion of its lusts and passions. By the Spirit of God it is made sensible of its condition, it repents, believes,, and a new principle of spiritual life is created within it. Its affec- tions are changed. It is henceforth in antagonism with the world which it once loved. It is now living for heaven, but it is sanctified only in part. The remains of sin within^ it create a continual warfare with that which is spiritual. Faint, yet pursuing, it still main- tains the conflict, surrounded with doubts and fears, yet upheld by an invisible arm. It is under the, -discipline of a kind and indulgent parent, who chastises it lor its good, that it may be made partaker of bis holiness. It struggles on, looking for the recompense of reward, until it arrives at that blessed consummation where the pure in heart see God. Now every one must see that there is here revealed an internal history of most absorbing interest, which the world knows not of. It is, in short, the narrative of the working of the new nature, in opposition to sin within us and without us, the life-struggle of an imper- fectly sanctified soul after perfect holiness. The exhi- bition of divine truth on these subjects is always intense- ly interesting to the true believer. He thus learns, that in all his internal trials, he. is following in the path of those who have fought the good fight, and have entered into rest. ' When he has mistaken the true moral char- acter of his exercises, he is thankful to he corrected. He learns to examine his own heart more closely, and gains confidence as he discovers that his spot is the spot of LIABLE TO BE PERVEKTED. 291 God's children. I can not but believe that the piety of the church would be. much more vigorous and consistent, and that mistakes for eternity would be much less com- mon, if experimental religion were much more frequent- ly the subject of our discourses. The common error of discourses from experimental texts is, that they are prone to become doctrinal. Thus, if a minister should take as a text, " My soul thirsteth for God, the living God ; when shall I arise and appear before God ?" he would be very likely to go into an wgument to prove that- the devout soul longed after God, and show the reason for it, closing with a string of miscellaneous inferences. How much better, after explaining distinctly what was meant, to illustrate the fact from the experience of David, as given in the Psalms and elsewhere, from the experience of Paul and other eminent saints, whose lives have been recorded by the pen of inspiration, and from the experience of pious men of a later age, closing with the blessed assurance of our Saviour, that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall certainly be filled. It may be said this is not logical, it is merely declamatory. Good, but it is just»such declamation- as the Holy Spirit has used abundantly. It is such declamation as strengthens and confirms the soul of the saint, and marks the line of separation between the saint and the sinner. Can logical preaching do more than this ? The source from which we are to derive experimental as well as all other religious truth, is, of course, the Holy Scriptures. If we would read the lives of holy men as the Spirit has "given them, meditating on them devoutly, placing ourselves in their condition, and com- 292 EXPERIMENTAL TOPICS. paring and contrasting our sentiments with theirs, we should hoth improve ourselves in piety^ and find much matter for preaching. The lives of Christians under trial, in sickness, bereavement, discouragement, and joy, especially in times of persecution and martyrdom, afford a rich field for the illustration of experimental religion. Another source from which the experimental preacher will draw an ahundant supply of truth and illustration, is found in the examination and observation of his own heart, and the observation of the working of religion in the hearts of others. Why should a man hesitate to exhibit the dealings of God with his own soul, the struggles against indwelling sin, and the best modes of resisting it, his doubts and fears, and the means of their removal ? He need not, of course, mention his own name, nor obtrude himself on his people, but by thus unfolding what he has himself felt, he will find that he is binding himself to them by a tie that nothing but death can sever. And then he will learn much by visit- - ing his people, and conversing from house to house on their religious condition and progress. If they become familiar with him, they will love to unbosom their whole souls to him. In sickness -and affliction, hs will ' be their dearest friend, their chosen spiritual counselor. It is thus that the pastor acquires a rich fund of exper- imental knowledge which he returns to his people with interest, from the pulpit, or in the conference room. It is from want of this intercourse between pastor and people, from the neglect of pastoral visiting, that ser- mons are so frequently dry, abstract, and general ; all true, and all well expressed, but they lack the vitality that carries them to the heart. They may be "success- EXPOSITOBT SEBMONS. 293 ful efforts," bat they awaken ho moral emotion, and they make no one any better.* The expository sermon is employed in illustrating and enforcing, not a particular sentence, but a chapter, or what is better, a paragraph of the word of God. This is a most instructive and profitable exercise - for both preacher and hearer. It .teaches us to read the Scrip- tures with greater attention, and to observe not only the meaning of single sentences, but the connection which binds the several sentences together, limiting or expand- ing the sense, and giving point and meaning to them col- lectively, which *they lose when considered individually. The preacher, in an expository discourse, should take great pains to ascertain the circumstances under which the passage selected was spoken, its relatione to what has preceded and what follows it, so that "he may ;place himself as much as possible in the condition of the writer. He must meditate on each sentence, and recall similar sentiments in other parts of Holy Writ, and 4hus forrn a distinct conception, which he can convey in his own language, of the meaning of the writer. But these sentences were neveri delivered as isolated and dis- connected truths. Kb man in his senses, unless he writes or speaks proverbs, ever writes or speaks in this manner. While each, sentence is the announcement of a particular truth, every sentence is closely connected with what precedes and what follows, and all have a distinct bearing upon the leading idea which it is the design of the writer to enforce or illustrate* Now it is this idea which the expositor should seize upon, and thus exhibit in the clearest manner the thread which binds all these gems together. It is frequently surpris- 294 APPLICATION TO T H^! CONSCIENCE. ing to observe what unexpected richness of meaning flows from a passage when it is thus skillfully analyzed, and how firmly it fixes itself in the memory, recurring to us ever afterward, whenever we read that portion of God's word. But it will occur to every one that a minister's duty is not performed when he has done all this. He may have done it, and yet have gone through with an inter- pretation as a simply intellectual exercise, with all the indifference of a German neologist. He must go further than this. As he proceeds, he must enforce every suc- cessive portion on the conscience of his hearers, and bring the truth home to their business and bosoms. He must interweave these divine sentiments with their whole course of thought, and the whole practice of their lives. One verse is doctrinal, another is practical, an- other devotional ; one arouses to energy, another agi- tates us with fear, and another enkindles Christian hope and encourages doubtful faith -All these uses should be made in the progress of the discourse. Nothing is more profitable than an exposition thus carried out. Some Protestant churches require that one of the ser- vices of the Sabbath shall always be of this character. Nor is this without reason. When the Scriptures, in their connection, are thus explained from Sabbath to Sabbath, the people will become familiar with the word of G-od, and false doctrine can rarely find an entrance among them. The late Df. Mason, of New York, was» peculiarly happy in this mode of preaching. He enjoyed it. himself more than any other, and he be- lieved that it had, more than any other, been blessed to bis people. HORTATORY PREAQHING. 295 Hortatory preaching consists in an exhortation to the performance of some particular' duty, as, for in- stance, faith, repentance, etc., or to avoid some special evil, as lyingj Sabbath-breaking, hypocrisy, impurity^ etc. Hortatory preaching is liable to a fault which greatly detracts from its usefulness : it is sameness. Hence, it is sometimes said, disparagingly, of a sermon, it was nothing but an exhortation which we have heard a hun- dred times before. Now, I think the proper remedy for this evil is to "present the exhortation precisely as we .find it in the Scriptures, confining ourselves strictly to the text. Thus the exhortation to repentance, if urged on general principles, will be all exhausted by one dis- course. If we take the Scripture reasons as they are presented, each one makes a discourse, as, for instance, Eepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, or the new dispensation has now appeared .; repent, for God 'has appointed a day in which he will judge the world ; repent, on account of the mercy of God ; the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, etc. Bach idea fur- nishes a different reason, and the ground-work of a dif- ferent discourse. While I thus refer to these several forms of dis- course, I do not suppose that a sermon need to be, or .ought to be, either the one or the other exclusively. Nevertheless, eithe'r one or the other form will com- monly predominate. A doctrinal sermon would be im- perfect without exhortation, a hortative sermon fre- quently requires both doctrine and exposition. While this, however, is true, the main object of the discourse will be different, and by this its character may be desig- nated. 296 texts: Of what kind soever a sermon may be, it should never terminate in abstract discussion. Its object is to move men. to faith, repentance, and reconciliation to G-dd. We must not suppose that it is enough to con- vince the understanding ; and that men will make the application themselves. This is, in fact, the last thing they are disposed to do. We must do it for'them. We must make them feel that they, individually, aTe the persons addressed, and that their own personal salva- tion is involved in the truth which we set before them. That is the best sermon which leads the hearer to think the least about the preacher, and the most about him- self and his relations to God and eternity. XLVII. TEXTS. — WHY SHOTJLD A TEXT BE TAXES AT ALLf — HOW MA^T IT BE USED? I proceed to add a few thoughts on the subject of texts. I will in the first place inquire, What is the use of taking a text at all ? Is it to indicate that the man who addresses us is a minister ? This is, I believe, quite a common notion. It is by many persons believed that no one has a right to address his fellow-men from a passage of Scripture, unless he be of the clerical order. Hence, when a minister wanted a lay brother or a student for the ministry to speak from the pulpit in a revival, or on some missionary subject, I have often heard him com- bine with his request the remark, " You know, you WHY TAKEN. 297 need not take a text." I think that few of my readers will, upon reflection, consider this' a sufficient reason for placing a sentence from the word of' God at the com- mencement of our discourses, when we speak to. men as the ambassadors of Christ. Again, do we use a text as a kind of motto to indi- cate thaAre are to discourse on some religious topic ■? If this be soyit»is not without its uses ; it would dis- tinguish a sermon from a'lyceum lecture, .or a speech at a 'public meeting. To take a text for. this purpose, -would 'certainly have its advantages, but they might easily prove illusory. A -text might still be used to usher in, and give additional weight to a political ha- rangue ; or, to save a minister the labor of pulpit prep- aration, it might be prefixed to a Jyceum lecture, so that the same discourse would answer either .purpose, according to circumstances. The taking of a text by a Christian minister is justified by far higher reasons than these. It proceeds upon the supposition that. the Bible is the word of the living God ; the only, manifestation that has been made >to us of the will of our Creator and our Judge,. th& only ! record of what he has done for our salvation ; the only volume on whose pages are inscribed the conditions on which we may escape eternal wrath, and enter into the rest which remaineth for the people of God. This is " the truth which the minister of the gospel is. sent forth to utter. This is the beginning, and middle, and end of his teaching. He comes to us with a message from on high. He daiins to be an ambassador. It is meet, therefore, that he should take for his subject, not merely as his motto, some part of the revelation from God, so 13 s 298 , use or texts , that when he speaks to us, we may know that he keeps within the limits of his commission. It is this truth alone which God has promised to accompany with that energy of the Holy Spirit, without which we know that no soul is ever made wise unto «alvation. But suppose a text taken from the volume of in- spiration, What use shall we make of it ? JChere are several ways in which it may be treated. We may draw an inference from it, and make the inference, instead of the text, the subject of our discourse. Thus, suppose we take the text, " I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear, but now mine eyes seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself,, and repent in dust and ashes." From this we may infer, that we are more af- fected by the sense of sight than of hearing, and hence the superiority of the former sense to the latter. We may make this fact the subject, of discourse, and amuse our hearers with a description of the nature of both these senses, then a comparison of them with each other, "and then with a dissertation on the various points of the superiority of sight. Or we may generalize a truth into some general law, and discuss the general law, instead of the particular case of it presented in the Scriptures. Thus we might take the text, " Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation," and generalize it into the law, that a per- manent change of action is always preceded by a per- manent change of character. This is no doubt true, and is a general law, under which the case in the text is comprehended. We might take this as our subject, and enter into a metaphysical examination of motives, and their effect on the will, and illustrate our truth .SOMETIMES PERVEKTED. '299 from history, sacred and profane, from our own con- sciousness, and a hundred other sources. Sometimes a -text is taken, and the object of the preacher is not to exhibit the meaning of the writer, but to show how much meaning he can get out of it. Thus a narrative, or a parable, is sometimes taken, and it is allegdMzed, or spiritualized, as it is called, and the whole plan of redemption, or any particular view of it which pleases the preacher,. is evolved from it. Thus the beautiful parable of the good Samaritan has been allegorized, and people have wondered at the skill of the preacher who found in the wounded man the sinner under condemnation, in the priest and Levite the cere- monial and the moral' law, in the good Samaritan the Saviour, and in the inn the church of Christ. Now, who does not see that thus treating the Scrip- tures we can make them teach any thing, natural phi- losophy,' metaphysics, political economy, social philos- ophy, or whatever you please. The Bible ceases to be to us a revelation from God, for we can make it, at the pleasure of the speaker, teach wisdom or .nonsense, solemn truth or flippant frivolity. If we may take such liberties with the Scriptures, we might take any other book as a repository of texts, as well as the word of God ; and we might derive from it just as good a •meaning. Such can not, surely, be the way in which we should use the truth revealed to us by God himself for our eternal salvation. In what manner, then, having taken a text, are we, as disciples of Christ, permitted to use it ? I answer, we profess to believe that the revelation of God is pure truth from heaven ; that the teaching found in that 300" ASCERTAINING THE MIND revelation is dictated By the Spirit of God, and contains within it the mind of ike Spirit. We are bound, then, first of all, to ascertain, as far as we are able, what is the mind of the Spirit in that . particular text^ and having found this, to explain and enforce it Tipon our hearers. What else can we do if we are, as we claim to be, ambassadors of Christ ? What should we think of an ambassador, who, instead of governing himself by his instructions, and diligently seeking for the mean- ing attached to them by his government, should deduce from them his own inferences, and propose terms de- rived from these inferences, or from the principles which he might generalize from them, or the views which he might obtain by considering them merely as allegories ? We should certainly consider such a man wonderfully unfit for an ambassador. If we are ambassadors for Christ, why should we not be governed by the same principles ? How else can we be ambassadors at all ? What right have we to take the words of inspiration, and drawing our own inferences, cover them ostensibly with the 'authority of God himself? This is surely to handle the word of God deceitfully. If, on the other hand, we ascertain the mind of the Spirit, and enforce this upon our hearers, we know that we are delivering to them the message which God has committed to us. We preach the preaching which he has bidden us, and He has promised to accompany this, and this only, with the saving influences of the Holy Spirit. Observe, also, the effect of this habit on both minister and people. The minister will soon acquire au extensive and accurate knowledge of the word of God, and while he is doing this for himself, his people will OF THE S.PIRIT. 301 be nourished with the pure word of life. They will be indoctrinated neither into this or that ism, but will be sober, sound, whole-hearted, Bible Christians, well in- structed in what God has spoken, knowing little and caring less for the opinions and ddctrines of men. A large portion of "the dissension and disagreement of Christians, proceeds from our teaching the doctrines of men as a part of that which God has revealed as his own truth. Should we not all come nearer to each other, if. we all" endeavored to learn precisely what the Spirit has taught,>nd nothing but what he has taught.. The nearer we all come to the truth, the nearer, assur- edly, shall we be to each other. Nor is- this all. If we ascertain the precise oneaning of the Spirit, and make this the theme of our discourse, we shall attain to endless variety. We can scarcely find two texts of Scripture which, if attentively considered, give us .exactly the same idea. Sometimes a truth is presented under one aspect, and sometimes under an- other. In different places, the same duty is enforced by different considerations. By observing these differ- ent 'phases of the same truth, we shall be able to pre- sent it continually in different aspects, and thus avoid the necessity of ever repeating ourselves. If, on the ' other hand, we pay no attention to the variety. of cir- cumstances with which ih6 Spirit of God has associated it, we shall fall into abstract views of truth, and say all we have to say on a particular doctrine in one sermon. Hence, we shall, if we preach on the same subject again, repeat essentially what we have said before, or, as we frequently are tempted to • do, preach again the old sermon. 802 INTIMACY WITH THE BIBLE. I know it will be objected to what I have here sug- 1 * gested, that to preach in this manner, will require an accurate knowledge of the word of God. I grant it, but is it- not desirable that a minister should have an accurate knowledge of the word of God ? . Is not this a far better and higher acquisition than a knowledge of the words of men ? Why should we attempt to teach men out of the Scriptures, if we do not seek to know more of the Scriptures than they ? I know that the tendency is in the other direction. We have all man- ner of contrivances for obviating the necessity .to minis- ters^ of a familiar acquaintance with the word of God. We have sermons made for them, and Scripture selections for different occasions and services, so that a man may perform 'ministerial duty, with no more knowledge of the Scriptures than might be expected from any in- telligent layman. .While, however, we do this, we cease not to speak of the solemn responsibility of ministers, and the great amount of preparation necessary in order to explain to others the word of God. If preaching and the work of the ministry can be thus made, easy, a very small amount of preparation will surely be requisite fpr the satisfactory discharge of its duties. We believe* that the best preparation for preaching is a familiar ac- quaintance with the true meaning of the word of God, and that any thing which renders such an acquaintance unnecessary, will weaken the power of the ambassador of Christ. MOHAL PREPARATION. 303 XLVIII. MORAL REQUISITES FOB UNDERSTANDING- THE SCRIPTURES. — INTELLECTUAL PREPARATION. — A KNOWLEDGE OF THE MEANING OF THE WORDS, OF THE CONTEXT, AND OF THE' MANNERS AND USAGES OF THE TIME. I have referred, in my last paper, to the mind of the Spirit, and have said, that to ascertain this, was the first work to be done in preparing a sermon. It may he well for us to ask, How can we ascertain the mind of the Spirit ? On this subject, it may be worth while to offer a few suggestions. It is obvious, that in our present condition of moral and intellectual darkness, we are incapable of knowing the things of God, unless the Spirit of God enlighten us. The presence of that Spirit has been promised to us whenever we seek it. If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and up- braideth not, and it shall be given him. If ye, being" evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Belying on these promises, we may then ask in faith, nothing doubting, and con- fidently expect that the Spirit will lead us into all necessary truth, if we ask for it in an humble and childlike temper. We. may ask for the aid of^the Spirit with special confidence in this particular case. We are obeying the command of Christ, and he has promised to be with- us. We are laboring to convert and sanctify the souls for whom he died. We are doing his work, and not our own, and if we go to him for the aid we need, he assuredly will not disappoint us. If we desire Missing Page INDWELLING OF T,H E SPIRIT. 305 make a sermon. Let now, the same man, bowed down with penitential' sorrow, read the same Psalm, and every verse will overflow with meaning, every sentiment will find a response in his inmost spirit, and he would be able, from any verse, taken at random, to pour out the feelings of a contrite soul, and call others to the ex- ercise of godly sorrow. Take another instance. Let a man, with but low ideas of the work of redemption, read the parting words of the Saviour from the 14th to the 17th chapters of the Gospel of John, and they will probably seem to him figurative, abstract, and almost enigmatical. But let him read them when the love of God is shed abroad in his heart, so that he is able, in some humble manner, to appreciate the love of Christ in offering up himself Tor his Boul, and how deeply touching, how intensely affecting does every word ap- pear 1 The heart of the Christian holds, as it were, direct intercourse with the heart of the Saviour, and the redeemed sinner seems with the beloved apostle at the Supper, to recline his head on the "bosom of the Redeemer. It would seem, then, that if we would in any case arrive at the mind of the Spirit, we must cultivate the indwelling of the Spirit in our own hearts. We see the effect of this habit of mind in the case of Payson. ' You could not, in con versation, mention a passage of Scripture to him but you found his soul in harmony with it— the most apt illustrations would flow from his lips, the fire of devotion would beam from his eye, and you saw at once that not only could he deliver a ser- mon from itj but that the ordinary time allotted to a sermon would be exhausted before he could pour out 306 INTELLECTUAL PBEPAElTIOS. the fullness of meaning which a sentence from the word of- God presented to his mind. The above suggestions refer specially to the moral • preparations required, in order to arrive at the mind of the Spirit. Those which follow have respect mainly to what may be called intellectual preparation. It is obvious that, no matter in what language a sen- timent is written, we can never understand it, unless we understand with sufficient accuracy the meaning of the words of which it is composed. If we attach to .them no meaning whatever, or an inaccurate, vague, exaggerated, or insufficient, meaning, the simplest sen- tence may seem to us involved in the deepest obscurity. This then, is our first business, to ascertain, as accu- rately as possible, the meaning of the words which the Spirit has chosen as the medium by which the thoughts , of God shall be revealed to man. A sufficient degree of attention to this simple direction will render many a passage luminous, which now seems hopelessly beyond 'the reach of -our understanding. Having donethis, we must next examine the' course of thought of the writer, as seen in the context. This is a matter of the very greatest importance. Without it, we can never know the meaning of any thing which we either read or hear. Every sentence in a connected discourse is closely associated with what goes before and what follows after it. Its abstract meaning is modified by that of its immediate adjuncts, and by the general scope of thought of which it is an integral part. It is. on this account that proverbs are so frequently either incorrectly understood, or not understood at all. When they appear as isolated propositions, they stand out ARABIAN PROVERB. 307 alone, with neither antecedent nor subsequent matter to furnish us with a clew to their meaning, and though we may acknowledge the general truth, we see not its particular application. We grow weary of this discon- nected thought, and never read a large portion of it at the same time, with any particular advantage. To illus- trate what I mean by an example. The Arabs use the following proverb, " When the Pasha's horses went to be shod, the beetle stretched but his leg." Now, taken abstracted from all associations, this proverb might have several meanings*. It might intend to say of some mean Pasha,! that the beetle mistook his horses for beetles; or that the beetle was,>of all insects, the most given to imitation ; or that shoeing was so universally useful, that even beetles felt the necessity of submitting to it. But suppose the speaker had been discoursing upon the character of a feeble-minded, pompous, vain-glorious man, who was always arrogating to himself the reputa- tion due to others, and placing Hmself where no one else would ever place him, among the men most conspicuous for wisdom of counsel and energy of action, and should close his description with the proverb I have quoted, " When the Pasha's horses went to be shod, the beetle stretched i>ut his leg,"who then could doubt the mean- ing it was*. intended to convey ? From illustrations of this kind, and every one can multiply them at will, we readily see the absolute necessity of studying the scope of thought in the whole passage from which the text is taken, if we would learn the mind of the Spirit in any particular passage. Unless we do this, we shall be led into inevitable error. I may perhaps remark in passing, that the division ABBITBABY DIVISION OF THE BIBLE. of the Scriptures into chapters and verses has greatly increased the liability to error in this respect. We read no other book where the sense is broken up in this man- ner. A chapter in some cases divides a sentence. There are no paragraphs, a form of division so important to the understanding of the course of an author's thought. We have no minor division but verses, and they chop up the meaning at random, so that the most continu- ous narrative is printed like a book of disconnected sen- tences. We soon form the habit of considering every verse as an isolated proposition, separate 'from every thing else in the book When the Bible is read in schools, it is commonly read by apportioning a verse to each schol- ar. To the childj each verse S the announcement of a distinct proposition. The habit grows up with us. We cease to follow the train of thought, and look upon it as so many broken and independent fragments. The effect of all this is most unfortunate, and we must deliver ourselves from it if we would understand the Scriptures. Many of the most absurd and heretical views of the Scriptures are maintained by this mode of treating the word of God. A. distinguished theo- logical teacher used to caution his pupils, never to allow the use of any text as proof, unless the person quoting it gave; chapter and verse, so that the passage might be examined in its place, and the meaning of it definitely ascertained. The young minister will save himself from many an embarrassment, by adhering strictly to this rule. Besides this, the sense is frequently illustrated, modi- fied, limited, extended, or adorned by the circumstances of the speaker, his age, country, and previous culture, by the habits and manners of the time, the course of hbbee'w; ous^ojia. ?09 thought/ and the progress in cMUzation of the people. A knowledge of these not only-throws light upon the sense, hut gives great variety and vivacity to the dis- course, provided it he not carried too far. We w§n,t Christianity, not Christian antiquities, and the latter only as they may subserve the illustration of the former. Thus the question of our Lord, " If David in spirit call him Lord, how is he his son ?" loses ah 1 its point unless we remember the boundless, precedence which the Ori- entals, and especially the Jews, awarded to parents and remoter ancestors. __ The reason why the Jews heard Paul in silence until he spoke of being sent to the Gen- tiles, when they drowned his voice by a tumultuous out- break of popular indignation, would not be*, apparent, did we not know that the Jews held themselves to be the special favorites, of God, while all other nations were unclean outcasts, and that, to offer the blessings of sal- ■ vation to others besides themselves, was to insult the national character by sinking it to the level of the hated and despised Gentiles. - XLIX CONSTRUCTION OF. A SERMON. — WHAT IS A SERMON? — ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE ' HUMAN HEART, HOW ACQUIRED; — NECESSITY OF UNFLINCHING MENTAL EFFORT. In my last paper, I supposed the minister to have attained a clear view of the teaching of the Spirit in any particular text. The foundation is laid, the first important work is done. • He knows what the truth is, which he intends to enforce, and if he have arrived at it 310 CONSTRUCTION OF A SEKMON. in the way I have proposed, his soul is moved with the thought which he is about to set before others. What is the next step ? This truth he is to use for the purpose of producing a particular effect upon his fellow-men. He wishes, by means of it, to create in them conviction, repentance, faith, hatred, gf sin, striv- ing after holiness, deadness> to the world, trust in God, endurance of hardness for the cause of Christ, or any other. Christian grace: He wants so to exhibit the truth before him, as to produce this particular result. I say this truth now before him, not any, or every, or all truth. He is not to take a text and aim at a partic- ular result, and then bring all the truth in the Bible to accomplish -it. He would then use himself up in a single sermon. He succeeds in making a sermon, as he renders this particular truth subservient to his particu- lar purpose. His sermon is to be his text expanded, his text his sermon contracted. Keeping within these limits, as I have said, he will enrich and invigorate hia own mind, and he will present an endless variety to his hearers. We see then his position, what he intends to do, and the means by which he intends to do it. Here is an audience before him of immortal souls, on whom h^e hopes to make a given impression ; here is a particular, truth revealed by God hims*elf, by means of which this • impression is to be made. A train of thought, evolving this truth, is to be presented in such a manner as te lead to this result. This train of thought is the sermon, and it is successful or not, as it accomplishes this pur- pose. Here, then, we have the text on the one hand, and the audience on the other, and the sermon is to be KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN NATURE. 311 so constructed as to bring this text to bear on the hearts and consciences of these immortal souls. It would seem evident from this statement of the case, that the next business of the preacher was to be acquainted with the human heart. He should know its different moral, biases, its epdless subtlety, the vari- ous forms in which the love of honor, pleasure, indo- lence, human esteem, social position, wealth, sensual gratification, etc., oppose the entrance of truth. He should, understand, on the other hand, the nature and office of conscience, its power, its authority, and the character of those teachings, which, as the voice of God, it utters even in the tumult of passion, as well as in the hour of solitude. When I say this, however, I do not refer to the study of books, though these may render him assistance. I do not propose that a man in prepar- ing a sermon should go to his books for the purpose of learning how this motive would excite men, or how that other would depress them. What I urge is, that he acquire such an habitual acquaintance with his own heart, by constant reflection on these subjects, that the right motives and vi^ws will suggest themselves sponta- neously and without effort, as the very views which most naturally suggest themselves to his mind. But how shall a man acquire this knowledge* of- the human heart, which shall enable him most effectually to address men ? It is, I suppose, greatly a gift of God. It is one of the talents which God gives to him whom he designs for a preacher of the gospel. Without it, a man may preach correctly, logically, and beautifully, but it is all abstract discussion, which leaves the heart untouched, and shows that God did not design the man 312 IMPORTANCE OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE. for a preacher, and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. : Yet, granting that this particular bias of mind is a gift of God, it is bestowed in different degrees, and like every other talent, is capable of cultivation. Much may be done by the study of the Scriptures, and bring- ing our hearts into daily communion withYhem. Much may be done by self-examination, turning our thoughts inward, and observing honestly the effect of truth upon ourselves. If a man wants to know the human heart, he has the means always at hand — let him look into his own. I know of no preacher who manifests a deeper insight into human nature than Massillon, who secluded himself from the world and lived almost entirely in his ' cell. When he was asked how he, who saw so little of men, should be so intimately acquainted with 'the most retired recesses of the human heart, he replied that he learned it all from the study of him self We all are guilty of a twofold fault in this respect. In the first place we do not retire within ourselves to observe the workings of passion and conscience, and in the next place, we do hot think the knowledge that we thus obtain of any value, or we are ashamed to. use it, lest it should reveal our own imperfection. That man would be an unusual, as well as a most effective preacher, wTio, if endowed wjth any intensity of feeling, should, with- out of course the most remote allusion to himself; pre- sent his own experiences, the workings of indwelling sin, the conflict between sin and holiness, the ineffectual • struggles to grow better, the humblings of the soul after backsliding from God, the doubts and fears which daily beset him, the victory over temptation and the means KNOWL.EDGE OF THE N GBEG AT 10 N. 313 of deliverance, the glimpses of the -better land, and the joy of the soul when she holds intimate communion with the Kedaemer. He who will do this with entire simplicity and devout earnestness of purpose, may be sure that he will he designated as a man of intimate acquaintance with the human heart. But the preacher has to do not only with men in general, hut with particular men, the men of his own congregation, the men now before him. They have their own peculiar biases, temptations, and trials. He needs to become intimately acquainted with their pecu- liar state of mind, that he may bring forth from the treasury things suited to their wants, and adapted to their individual necessities. Hence the , need of pas- toral visitation, and religious conversation with all the members of his flock. It is from neglect of this special duty that our sermons are apt to be abstract discus- sions, addressed neither to men as men, nor to any man in particular. He who will cultivate the habit of intimate acquaintance with the religious condition of his own people, will never be in want of subjects nor of the most effective means of bringing them before an audience. He will find in the conversation of the sick, the afflicted, the sorrowing, and the bereaved, end- less illustrations of the truth of the Scriptures, and will be enabled to bring the word of God home to the bdsoms of men in a way of which the abstract, general preacher can form no conception. I have heard a min- ister of the gospel relate the following incident. He had occasion to 'visit a pious member of his church who had lost a daughter, the only child of her mother, and she was a widow. The bereaved parent gave him a 14 314 HOW TO APPLY THE TBTTTH. narrative of the child's life, how, for so many years, she bad been her only earthly solace, and specially with great simplicity described her feelings when the daugh- ter, who had from infancy laid in her bosom, was for tbe first time separated from her for a single nighte Soon after, the minister had occasion to use the paren- tal relation in order to illustrate some scriptaral truth, and he described the feelings of a mother as nearly as possible in the words he had so lately heard. The ap» peal went to the heart of every mother in the house, and touched sensibilities that were not often aroused;, The wonder did not soon subside that a young man should know any thing about the inmost feelings of the heart of a mother. So much then for a knowledge of the audience. Suppose now this to be acquired, the two things are distinctly before the mind of the preacher — the truth of revelation on the one hand, and this particular peo- ple in their present state on the other. He desires to bring this truth into contact with these hearts. How shall he do it ?, It is an original effort of mind, and can not be simplified or explained. Some suggestions, however, may lead us more readily to the exercise of it. In the first place, much depends on the resolute de- termination of the mind itself. Here is a work for tho mind tc do, and the mind must do it. It can not and shall not be let off from its work. It can not be al- lowed to play with it. It can not be permitted to think for a few minutes and then take up a novel, or a newspaper, or run over to the neighbors to make a call, or turn away to write a letter, or run into the other room to play with the children, or make a kite for the , BENEFIT Or PERSEVERANCE. 315' older boy. The mind must be kept down to this . par- ticular work. The door must be shut and bolted. Every districting occupation must be laid aside. The man must put himself to the work, and determine that it must be done. He must then fix his mind upon the truth, and the object to be accomplished by it, and think, thinkj think, until he sees his way through the sub- ject, and the train of thought is plain to his own mind, This may seem a hard lesson. It is so at first. It will take time and self-denial, and severe mental labor. But having been done once, the second time it will be less difficult, and soon the formation of a train of thought will become almost a matter of amusement. There is no mental exercise which yields a richer re- ward than this, none which more surely cultivates vigor, acuteness, and alertness of mind. Any man who will resolutely determine to train himself in this manner, will not be disappointed. One thing here deserves to be remembered. A man who has taken a text and commenced this sort of labor is strongly tempted, if he does not readily develop a train of thought, to leave it and take another, which seems ^to him much more manageable. He turns from the first to the second. When he attempts to con- struct a sermon from the Becond, he finds the same difficulty, and more readily turns to a third. Thus, after repeated trials, he consumes more than the time which would have been sufficient to complete the first, and has not yet accomplished any thing. His labor then, thus far, has been entirely thrown away. Nor is this all. His mind has lost confidence in itself. It has been overcome by difficulties, and is by so much, less able 316 self-reliance: in future to overcome them. The habit of mental quiddling has been strengthened, and the man is much less fit than at the beginning to 'do any intel- lectual labor. Let me then advise the young preach- er, having taken a text and fixed his mind upon it, never to leave it. Go through with it at all hazards. If you can not make what you wish of it, at least make something. You may, it is true, do badly. You may spoil a sermon, but you will have rendered yourself less liable to spoil a sermon in future. Never yield to the devices and tricks to which the mind naturally resorts for the sake of shirking labor. Keep your mind steadily at work, and it will soon love work. L. IMPORTANCE OF SELF-RELIANCE. — SAVING FRAGMENTS OF THOUGHT. — INTRODUCTION AND CLOSE OF SERMONS. — STYLE PROPER FOR SERMONS. — MISTAKES ON THIS SUBJECT. In my last paper, I endeavored Jo set before my brethren what was necessary, when we have before us a text, and an object to be accomplished by it, and no train of thought is apparent. We must then set our- selves deliberately at work, and think it through. I will add, do not, in such a case, "run to books to aid you. • Go not down to Egypt for help. Your help is in yourself, under the direction of the Spirit of God. The more you rely on yourself the stronger will you become, and you will use your strength with greater skill. Let A and B be two preachers of equal talents and advan- tages. A relies on himself, and whether it be much or ITS ADVANTAGES. 317 little .which he produces, it is all his own. B dares not rely upon himself, hut always goes to the hest authors for ideas when he attempts to make a sermon. For the first year B may be esteemed by far the best,. most ac- curate, and the most finished preacher. Look at them, again in ten years. B has remained where he was ; he struck twelve the first time, and he can not go beyond it. A has steadily advanced in power and skill, and has already passed his companion. People have found out that there is in him something original, and out of the beaten track. It has been ' ascertained that he thinks for himself, and hence, in other matters besides preaching, men think his opinion worth having. He is on an ascending path, the other is on a level plain, with a gradual descent at the further extremity. 'The. case of A and B is a very common one. But I hope that none of my readers will be led to the belief that a sermon can not be prepared without a process such as I have described. The fact is far other- wise. I have mentioned .a strong case, to show what we are to do when we have a certain text in our minds, and feel it to be a duty to preach from it, and yet the train of thought does not present itself. If, however, our minds are' earnestly fixed upon our business, if the condition of our people is ever in our recollection, and especially if a part of every day is employed in pastoral visitation, and that visitation is employed in personally religious conversation, subjects and modes of treating them will be rising before us daily. Texts, with the proper points of discourse derived from them, will sug- gest themselves in walking, in riding, at the bedside of the sick ; or if we are employed in secular occupations, 318 FRAGMENTS OF THOUGHT. while we are holding the plow or gathering in the har- vest, in the shop or in the factory, in the mart of business or the counting-room. If our hearts are fixed upon the subject, nothing will more readily spring up •in our minds than sermons. But, it is evident that while this is the general fact, it may frequently happen that the right sermon may not occur to *us in the right place. Hence the import- * ance of husbanding our resources, and having always on hand a supply for the time of need. We may ac- - fcomplish this, as I have said before, by keeping near us a blank book, in which to record any text that occurs to us in reading the Scriptures, or in our pastoral vis- its. Sometimes we may write down only the text and the subject to which it refers, at other times the divisions of the subject as they at the moment occur to us, and sometimes a full plan of a sermon, if the sub- ject seems to spread itself out before us. A book of this kind will be found a great help, to us, and will frequently save us from fruitlessly employing half a day in looking up a text. Besides this, it is well for a min- ister to have always on his table a few sheets of paper sewed together for the purpose of noting down any thought which occurs to. him that may be used in preaching. Three or four sheets of common foolscap folded lengthwise is the best for this purpose, and I am persuaded that a man who will once make the trial of using so simple an aid, will not readily be without it. It is told of the first President Edwards, that he was extremely careful to allow no thought to escape him which he supposed might be useful in the course of his studies. He found that valuable suggestions, infer- INTRODUCTION OF A 6 EH M ON. .319 ences, and inquiries frequently occurred to him in his daily walks. To rescue them from forgetfulness he adopted the following expedient : he never went to walk without taking rwith him blank paper, a pencil, end some pins. If a thought occurred to him which he considered worth preserving, he would tear off a bit of paper, write down the thought, and pin the paper on his sleeve. It is 'said that he would sometimes return from a walk with both sleeves, from shoulder to wristband, covered with these bits of paper. He then retired to his study to examine -and arrange ' them, and record them in & common-place book which . he appropriated to this purpose. In 'preparing a sermon, we should beware of too long an introduction. A minister sometimes fears that he shall not be able 1 to find material for a sermon of the ordinary ; length, and hence he prolongs ' the first part by long discussions on the context, or any other mis- cellaneous matter which happens, to occur, to him. This is dry and uninteresting to his audience, and they be- come weary before he really, begins his work. A preacher of this kind was once asked by Dr. Stillman to preach for him. The brother declined on account of his inability to meet the expectations of Dr. Still- man's congregation. " 0," said the Doctor, " you will do well enough, if you are only willing to say your best things first." He took the advice and suc- ceeded. ■