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THE RELATIVE POSITIONS AND DUTIES OF 
 
 THE CLERGY AND LAITY; 
 
 A 
 
 CHARGE 
 
 sin @iyiai£(g'^r 
 
 OF THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA, 
 
 AT THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION, 
 In St* James's Church, \Vilmington, 
 MAY 9th, 1841. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE CONVENTION. 
 
 FAYETTE VII. LE : 
 
 PRINTED BY EDWARD J. HALE, 
 
 1841. 
 
0 
 
 > 
 
As YOUR WATCHMAN IN CHIEF, AND CHARGED WITH ALL THE 
 INTEREST OF THE CHURCH, I HAVE TO KEEP MY EYE UPON REMOTE 
 AS WELL AS UPON IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES, AND TO GIVE THE 
 WARNING FROM THE QUARTER WHENCE DANGER THREATENS. 
 
 Bp. Ravenscroft* 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/relativeposition01ives 
 
My Brethren of the Clergy: 
 
 The success of our Ministry depends 
 much upon our having, and acting upon, right views of the 
 relation which we bear to our spiritual charge. This 
 would be true, under almost any circumstances of the 
 Church of Christ. But it is especially so in a country like 
 our own, where the ministrations of this Church are kept 
 up and extended, mainly by means of what is termed "The 
 voluntary system." Where mutual dependence exists, 
 there must be of necessity, in order to any mutual advan- 
 tage, a strict regard to relative positions and duties. To 
 the relative positions and duties of the Clergy and Laity, 
 therefore, I design, on the present occasion, to direct your 
 minds. 
 
 I. First, neither Clergy nor Laity are the source of any 
 authority in the Church. All the powers which they may 
 severally and legitimately exeercise, come from above. 
 "AH is of God." 66 The Gospel is "the Gospel of the bless- 
 ed God;" 6 the Church is "the Church of the living God;" c its 
 Ministers, "the embassadors of God incarnate;"** its mem- 
 bers, "the members of Christ, and children of God;" e its 
 support, "the ability which God giveth," "that God in 
 all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,"/ "the 
 Head over all things unto His Church.";? Both the lavs 
 of Christ's Kingdom, and the power to administer thmi, 
 come from God. The government of this Kingdom in 
 truth, a pure Theocracy. "God, manifest in the ilesh," 
 not only ransomed His people, called them unto Himself, 
 
 a 2 Cor. v. 18. b 1 Tim. i. 11. c 1 Tim. iii. 15. d% Cor. v. 20. e See Church 
 Catechism. /I Peter, iv. 11. #Eph. i. 22. 
 
 p / 7 b G I 
 
6 
 
 and "knit them together in one communion and fellow- 
 ship,'" but also became their actual "Ruler and Head." 
 And now, that He hath ascended up on high, He fulfils 
 His gracious promise, that "He will be with them to the 
 end of the world," a in the appointment of sinful men to act 
 in His place and stead; under His authority to proclaim 
 His will, administer His laws, dispense the pledges of His 
 love, open the channels of His Grace, and always and in 
 everything to co-operate with Him, in extending His King- 
 dom, and accomplishing His purposes of grace for the sal- 
 vation of sinners. While the whole body of Christ is, ei- 
 ther directly or indirectly, thus employed, no member of 
 it can lawfully act beyond the authority with which he is 
 invested by the divine Head. A strict and universal re- 
 gard to this truth, as a first principle, — a truth vitally es- 
 sential to the peace, good order, and successful action of 
 the Church, — cannot be too strenuously insisted on. Be 
 it then our endeavor, at the outset, beloved Brethren, (and 
 here I address both Clergy and Laity,) to fix in our minds 
 this fundamental truth, that whatever may be our several 
 spheres and duties in the Church, all is of God s appointment . 
 For the moment we depart from this truth, either in main- 
 taining the one or discharging the other, we enter a laby- 
 rinth of interminable dissension. 
 
 II. Another consideration, no less important, is, that 
 whatever powers may have been entrusted, or gifts im- 
 parted to any orders of men, all were given for one and 
 the selfsame purpose, viz: the salvation of men according to 
 the commandment of God. The means of this salvation, 
 enjoined by God's commandment, are indeed divers, but 
 they all harmonize, all concentre upon one great object. 
 And the different orders in the Church are appointed and 
 
 a Matt, xx via. 20.. 
 
7 
 
 arranged for the simple purpose of applying, under Gods 
 Spirit, these His instituted means. Unity, therefore, in all 
 essential points of faith and discipline, is indispensable. 
 We find it so considered and set forth by the revelation of 
 God. Believers are constantly reminded, that "there is 
 one body and one spirit, even as they are called, in one 
 hope of their calling;"** that, although they "are many mem- 
 bers, not having the same office," yet "they are one body 
 in Christ;" 6 and, as a consequence, they are earnestly ex- 
 horted to "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving: 
 together for the faith of the Gospel;" c to move forward in 
 the accomplishment of their one object, under the influ- 
 ence of "that one spirit, by which they were all baptised 
 into one body;"^ and "to mark those who cause divisions 
 and offences, and avoid them." 6 Whatever, then, may be 
 our individual notions as to the best means of advancing 
 the Gospel of peace, we are to be governed in our efforts 
 by the institutions of God, and the great principle of union 
 and co-operation with one another. Every exertion made 
 in disregard of these, is worse than lost to- the Church — it 
 endangers her peace and safety. It becomes us, then, to 
 be ever mindful, that while our respective spheres are the 
 appointment of God, we are not to act in them separately, 
 but unitedly; as the several parts of a perfect whole — the 
 different members of one body — the divers and well or- 
 dered ranks of the united host of God, advancing together 
 in "the good fight of faith;" and also that, as we belong V 
 the same fellowship, are pursuing the same object, and a e 
 to be partakers, if triumphant, of the same glory, no gro^d 
 can exist for jealousies, envies or repinings. Bat. asm 
 every host there is a leader, we are not surprised to learn, 
 that in the Church, by God's appointment, a class of men 
 are set apart to instruct, admonish, and guide. 
 
 a Eph. iv. 4. b 1 Cor. xii. 12. c Phil. i. 27. d 1 Cor. xii. 13. e Rom. xvi. 17, 
 
8 
 
 III. The next point, then, to be observed, is that of due 
 subordination among the different classes of men in the Church. 
 Each one has his distinct place assigned him by infinite 
 wisdom, and the point of duty is to keep his place. The 
 principle here involved, pervades every sound and well- 
 governed association of men. Without it, indeed, no as- 
 sociation can long exist. Let subordination be banished 
 from our families, our work shops, and farms, and count- 
 ing houses, and seats of learning and courts of justice, and 
 what but their immediate and total destruction will ensue? 
 We see the force, therefore, of those repeated and earnest 
 exhortations of the Apostle to the Churches, to "be quiet, 
 to do their own business,"" to "submit one to another," — 
 "submit to those who are over them in the Lord;" 6 and of 
 the requirements of the holy Catholic Church, founded 
 upon these exhortations — that, in doing our duty to our 
 neighbor, we are "to honor and obey the civil authority; 
 to submit ourselves to all our governors, teachers, spiritual 
 pastors and masters." c Every member, then, of the chris- 
 tian Church, from the highest to the lowest grade, is bound 
 to act in his appropriate sphere, to confine himself to the 
 duties of his particular station, and to treat with .proper 
 respect and consideration, all orders and degrees of men, 
 either above or below him, — remembering that each has 
 his place, not by self-promotion, nor by any human au- 
 thority, but by the appointment of Almighty God. 
 
 IV. In view of these cardinal truths, let us examine 
 some of the high trusts which God has committed to "the 
 divers orders in His Church." 
 
 i. And first, those trusts committed by the incarnate 
 Son, possessed of all power in heaven and earth, to the 
 special embassadors of His will. 
 
 a 1 Thcss. iv. 11. h \ Thess. v. 12. c Church Catrchhm. 
 
9 
 
 The words of tlic great commission are — "Go ye, disci- 
 ple' 4 all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to 
 observe all things whatsoever I have commanded. you" b No 
 one can listen to this commission without feeling that an 
 awful charge Avas placed in the hands of the Apostles; that 
 they were put in trust with the Gospel, and from that mo- 
 ment became responsible to Christ, in a high sense, for the 
 efficacy of the Gospel in saving men. Again, we have a 
 somewhat altered form of the same commission: "As my 
 Father sent me, even so send I you. And when He had 
 said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive 
 ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are 
 remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they 
 are retained." 0 Not to enter upon a discussion of the full 
 meaning of this passage, I shall insist upon its plainly teach- 
 ing the authority of the Apostles to administer, for the ben- 
 efit of men's souls, "the Sacraments and discipline of Christ." 
 From the two passages we have, at least, this essential 
 truth, — That prior to His ascension, the divine Head and 
 Saviour of the Church set apart an order of men to act in 
 His place, and by His authority, in publishing and carry- 
 ing out the provisions of His Gospel; that He solemnly 
 commissioned them to proclaim the words of eternal life, 
 to bring men into a state of salvation, through His blood, 
 by holy baptism, to dispense to them the manifold bless 
 inos of His covenant, and to withhold these blessings wh^ 1 
 sufficient cause should exist; and also, to transmit to cutt- 
 ing ages, the authority with which He had thus invested 
 them. The first ministers of Christ, then, having tfte en- 
 tire charge, or oversight, of the Gospel, upon then' being 
 
 a "Disciple" This rendering is supported by the best authorities. The original 
 word never means "To teach" b Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. c John, xx. £1, 23. 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 sustained was made to depend the success of this stupend- 
 ous scheme of life and salvation in a crucified Redeemer. 
 
 1. But the question arises, did this oversight of the Gos- 
 pel, in its essential particulars, continue with the ministry 
 of the Church! Did not the Apostles, in their peculiar 
 character as Apostles, as the first propagators of the whole 
 truth as it is in Jesus, possess peculiar powers? It is true, 
 they were inspired to teach this truth, and empowered to 
 work miracles in its support. But neither of these endow- 
 ments belonged to the Apostolic or ministerial commission, 
 which we are considering. They belonged rather to a 
 special dispensation, granted for a special purpose, and 
 were shared more or less by all orders of men who lived 
 at the time; by Apostles, elders, deacons and laymen, — by 
 those who were commanded to be in subjection to the A- 
 postles. Hence the authority of the Apostles could not 
 have been derived from this source, but from their minis- 
 terial commission. An important distinction, therefore, 
 must be kept in view, if we would rightly settle the ques- 
 tion before us, between the ministerial or pastoral charac- 
 ter of the Apostles, and their character as inspired men; 
 this latter not having been restricted to their order. We 
 are not disposed to conceal, that the Apostles had a dif- 
 ferent, and, in some respects, a higher security against er- 
 ror in their teaching, than is granted to their successors of the 
 present day. They were guided and guarded by the im- 
 mediate witness of the Spirit; while we are dependent up- 
 on Holy Writ and the Holy Catholic Church. This cir- 
 cumstance, however, has nothing to do with the question 
 of ministerial authority c It can only affect the business, not 
 the office, of teaching; — the business, by the change of dis- 
 pensation, being rendered more difficult now than it was 
 at the period of inspiration. The authorized teachers of 
 
11 
 
 religion, however, have always been bound to teach the 
 truth, by whatever means instructed in it; and in case of 
 their failure to do so, full provision has been made for the 
 correction of the error.* Their authority of the Apostles, 
 therefore, as the ministers of Christ, did not grow out of 
 any peculiar or supernatural qualifications^ they happened 
 to possess, but solely out of the fact of their being His min- 
 isters, entrusted with His Gospel, and commissioned to act 
 in His stead. If, then, the ministerial commission of the 
 Apostles is perpetuated in the Church, the responsibility 
 and authority involved in it, must likewise be perpetuated. 
 Now, that this commission is perpetuated, may be argued, 
 First, from its own language, which makes provision to this 
 end, "Lo 1 am with you always, even unto the end of the 
 world," which promise could be fulfilled to the Apostles 
 only through their successors in office. Secondly, from the 
 object of the commission, which is a perpetual object, — the 
 dispensation of the Gospel to the end of time. "God hath 
 given to us," declares >5t. Paul, "the ministry of reconcilia- 
 tion." 0 So long, therefore, as any of our redeemed race 
 are in a state of alienation from God, so lono- are the em- 
 bassadors of Christ entrusted with the office of "beseech- 
 ing them, in Christ's stead, to be reconciled to God."* 7 A- 
 gain, he gave some Apostles, some prophets, some evange- 
 lists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the 
 saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
 
 a By an appeal to the ecclesiastical authority of a diocese, or to a Council ot Bish- 
 ops; as in the case or" the rirst Council at Jerusalem. 
 
 b it is not here meant to undervalue the -personal qual'jicatinvs of Christ's minis- 
 ters. Such qualifications we regard as indispensable to a proper exercise of ministerial 
 authority; — hut they cannot confer this authority. A man may have the holiness and 
 devotion of an angel, and still not he authorized to preach the Gospel, jior administer 
 the Holy Sacraments. Many Laymen are as holy anil devoted to God in their lives as 
 the most spiritual of the Cleigy; hut they are nevertheless Laymen, and must remain 
 60, and not attempt any sacred functions tili they are ordained to the Ministry hy those 
 who have power to ordain. Qual Jications, then, although important to usefulness, 
 are not essential to uxithoriiy, or the vuhddy of ministeiial acts. See Articles of Re- 
 ligion, ArL x.wi. c 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. d Ibid. 20. 
 
12 
 
 body of Christ."" Now, till the saints are made perfect, in 
 number and graces; till the work of the ministry be finally 
 accomplished; till the body of Christ, the Church, be built 
 up in ail lands and throughout all time; the purpose of the 
 pastoral office, as here set forth, will be unfulfilled, and 
 hence the office be in force. But the office, in its duties 
 and responsibilities, cannot be in force while its authority 
 is taken away. Besides, suppose we admit that the Apos- 
 tles, from their position as founders of the Church, and per- 
 fecters of the sacred Canon, were entitled to a peculiar 
 submission; this surely could not be said of their succes- 
 sors, who performed their office where the Church was 
 already founded, and performed it with no supernatural 
 safeguard against error. And yet St. Paul exhorts the 
 Hebrew christians, in a country where the Government of 
 the Church had passed into the hands of the successors of 
 the Apostles, "to obey those who had the rule oyer them, 
 and submit themselves;" 6 and not for the temporary reason 
 that these ministers were inspired men, but for the abiding- 
 reason that they were commissioned watchifien, — "for the}' 
 match for your souls as they that must give account." 0 Tim- 
 othy, invested with the office of a bishop by St. Paul, re- 
 ceived from him this charge, "Before God and the Lord 
 Jesus Christ," "Preach the word: be instant in season, out 
 of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffer- 
 ing and doctrine."^ But Timothy was not put in posses- 
 sion of the truth, nor secured in it, by the inspiration of 
 Gad; but received it and kept it, as we of the present age 
 receive and keep it, "By giving attention to reading, and 
 by holding fast the form of sound words committed to 
 him." e Titus, also, raised by the Apostle to the same of- 
 
 a Eph. iv. 1 1, 12. b Heb. xiii. 17. c The same may be said of the admonitions of 
 St. Paul, recoided 1 Then*, v. 12. d2 Tim. iv. 1, 2. el Tim. iv. 13; 2 Tim. i. 13. 
 
13 
 
 ficc, was empowered to set in order all things that were; 
 wanting in the Church over which he was placed;" to speak 
 the things which became sound doctrine, and to exhort and 
 rebuke with all authority} and to reject heretics after suit- 
 able admonition: And still Titus was a man subject to like 
 errors with ourselves. Not being shielded by any mira- 
 culous communications, he was instructed, as we are, "to 
 hold fast the faithful word as he had been taught." c Hence 
 we see, that ministerial authority was imparted where the 
 gifts of inspiration were wanting; and that the Apostles, at 
 their departure, left in the ministry of the Church the 
 commission, with all that pertained to it, which they had 
 received from Christ, its divine Head. 
 
 That the same authority was claimed by the ministry, 
 and universally acknowledged in the Church, immediately 
 subsequent to the age of the Apostles/ 7 is a fact too gene- 
 rally admitted to require proof, even were its establish- 
 ment necessary to my present purpose. For this, howev- 
 er, it will be enough to state the views, on the question, of 
 that branch of the Catholic Church to which we belong. 
 The Liturgy will furnish the proper information. Those 
 solemn forms by which we introduce men to the sacred 
 office, first claim our attention. 6 To the candidate for the 
 Episcopacy, the Church addresses this language: "Are you 
 ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away 
 from the Church all erroneous and strange doctrine, con- 
 trary to God's word; and both privately and openly to call 
 upon and encourage others to the samel" "Will you dil- 
 igently exercise such discipline as, by the authority of 
 God's word, and by the order of this Church, is committed 
 to you?" The candidate, showing his willingness to do 
 
 a Tit. i. 5. b ii. 15. c i. 19. d Bing. Orig. Ecci. B. i. C. v. sec. iv.; also Sinclair's 
 Dissertations on Episcopacy, chap. ii. and Hicks on Christian Piiesthood. 
 t Form of consecrating Bishops and ordering Priests and Deacons. 
 
3 4 
 
 these tiling's in the answer, "I am ready; I will so do, the 
 Lord being my helper/' is consecrated to his holy work by 
 imposition of hands, with these weighty and emphatic 
 words: ''Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office and work 
 of a Bishop in the Church of God, now committed unto 
 thee." Prayers follow for grace that the newly consecrat- 
 ed Bishop, with all others, "may diligently preach God's 
 word, and duly administer the Godly discipline thereof, 
 and that the people may obediently follow the same;" that 
 '•he may be earnest to reprove, beseech, and rebuke, with 
 all patience and doctrine," — "using the authority given 
 him, not to destruction, but to salvation; not to hurt, but to 
 help;" and that the people may so receive the word of life, 
 that "all may obtain the crown of everlasting glory." In 
 regard to the candidate for the Priesthood, the Church is 
 no less explicit. £>he meets him, on his approach to her 
 sacred allar, with this thrilling appeal: "We exhort } 7 ou, 
 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you have in 
 remembrance into how high a dignity, and to how weighty 
 an office and charge, you are called; that is to say, to be a 
 messenger, watchman, and steward of the Lord; to teach and 
 to premonish, to feed and provide for the Lord's family." — 
 She then demands of him an answer, before God, to the 
 following question: "Will you give your faithful diligence 
 .so to minister the doctrine and sacraments, and the disci- 
 pline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this 
 Church hath received the same, according to the com- 
 mandments of God; so that you may teach the people com- 
 mitted to your cure and charge, with all diligence to keep 
 and observe the same!" "Will you be ready, with all 
 faithful diligence, to banish and drive away from the Church 
 all erroneous and strange doctrine, contrary to God's word; 
 and to use both public and private monitions and exhorta- 
 
15 
 
 tions, as well to the sick as the whole, within your cure*, 
 as need shall require, and occasion shall be given!" A 
 ready answer being returned, the candidate is invested by his 
 Bishop with the holy office of Priesthood. The language 
 used on the occasion is remarkable: "Take thou authority 
 to execute the office of a Priest in the Church of God;" or, 
 "Receive the Holy Ghost for the office and work of a 
 Priest in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by 
 the imposition of our hands: Whose sins thou dost forgive, 
 they are forgiven, and whose sins thou dost retain, they 
 are retained; and be thou a faithful dispenser of the word 
 of God and of His holy sacraments." In the case of Dea- 
 cons, the words employed are, "Take thou authority to 
 execute the office of a Deacon in the Church of God, 
 committed unto thee." In addition to this lanoiinoe, the 
 
 ~ O 7 
 
 Church employs, as applicable to the Ministry now, all 
 those passages of Holy A Vrit, which set forth the divine 
 commission and authority of the Apostles themselves. Her 
 view, therefore, undoubtedly is, that whatever ministerial 
 powers may have been imparted under the first commis- 
 sion, they are still continued to "the ministers of Apostolic 
 succession." 
 
 2. Another qucre, however, arises: Are not these powers 
 defined and limited! Our answer is unhesitatingly in the 
 affirmative. All essential points of faith and discipline are 
 definitely settled by the authority which Christ reposed in 
 the Church. Hence her ministers promise at the altar, 
 that "thev will oive all faithful diligence, always so to min- 
 ister the doctrine and sacraments and discipline of CimisT 
 as the Lord hath commanded, and as this Church hath re- 
 ceived the same!' The creeds, and offices, and catechism, 
 and rubrics, and articles of the liturgy, show how the doc- 
 trine, the sacraments, and discipline of Cuk::t, have been 
 
16 
 
 received by the Church; 0 and hence what the standards 
 are, by which each minister is to be governed in the exer- 
 cise of his functions. But as a few general principles on- 
 ly are set forth in these standards, and as the cases requir- 
 ing their application are exceedingly numerous and diver- 
 sified, considerable latitude of judgment must necessarily 
 be allowed to the minister in the discharge of his duties. 
 In the case of discipline for what the Church regards 
 scandalous offences, his discretion must be limited to a fair 
 interpretation of the strict letter of the law; but in his in- 
 structions, and warnings, and admonitions, he is to have 
 respect to its general tone and sjnritp And here he is au- 
 thorized to expect deference, although he may have no 
 right to enforce it. This view is fully borne out by the 
 requirements of the Church. One of her Canons 0 obliges 
 the minister of every parish "not only to be diligent in in- 
 structing the children in the Catechism, but also, by stated 
 Catechetical lectures and instruction, to be diligent in in- 
 forming the youth and others in the doctrine, constitution, 
 and liturgy of the Church." Under this Canon, "the youth 
 and others" are to look to their minister, and to no one 
 else in the parish, for an authorized explanation, among o- 
 ther matters, of the three tilings set forth in the Catechism, 
 as promised and vowed in their name at their bastism: — 
 For he, and he only, is authorized to give such explana- 
 tion, or has responsibility in the case. "Youth and others," 
 therefore, are to attach to his judgment peculiar weight, — 
 
 a Hook's Sermon, "The Gospel and the Gospel only the basis of Education;" Bp. 
 Doane, "The Faith once delivered to the Saints;" Manning, "The rule of Faith:" — pro- 
 ductions which speak the language of the best days of the English Reformation, and 
 which can he resisted only at the hazard of destruction to the sacred Canon. 
 
 b In ascertaining whether an action is malum in se, or malum prohibitum, the 
 enlightened christian looks deeper than the mere body of the action, into its sou/, and its 
 tendency. He feels that in obeying the law of God, he is "to do all to the glory of 
 God;" that, like the young man in the Gospel, he may be faultless in the outward 
 observance of the commandments, while a want of the true spirit of obedience may 
 be fatal to his hopes of eternal life. c Canon xxviii. 1832. 
 
17 
 
 are to "submit themselves to their spiritual pastor ," a Two 
 petitions in the liturgy tend to illustrate the Church's view 
 of this matter. In the first, we beseech Almighty God "to 
 illuminate all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with true 
 knowledge and understanding of His word: that both by 
 their preaching and living, they may set it forth, and show 
 it accordingly:" and in the second, we beseech Him "to 
 give to all His people increase of grace, to hear meekly His 
 word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring 
 forth the fruits of the spirit." This difference in the peti- 
 tions for ministers and people, while it runs through all 
 those prayers which refer to their relative spheres, points 
 to the one as instructors, and to the other as learners, in 
 the school of Christ. 
 
 3. You ask, perhaps, is there no check to this discre- 
 tionary power lodged with the teachers of Christ's people? 
 I answer, there clearly is. At his ordination, the Deacon 
 or Priest, as the case may be, is required to promise, that 
 "he will reverently obey his bishop, and other chief minis- 
 ters, who, according to the Canons of the Church, may 
 have the charge and government over him; following, with 
 a glad mind, their Godly admonitions, and submitting him- 
 self to their Godly judgments." In this promise, provision 
 is made for all necessary restraint upon ministerial author- 
 ed This is noi to be regarded as a submission to the private opinions of the pastor, 
 for he is bound, we have seen, to be governed in his interpretations by the public stan- 
 dards of the Church. In case, however, of a disagreement between the pastor and 
 parishioner, the latter is not to go about proclaiming his views in opposition to his pas- 
 tor, but is, if the matter of difference be essentia/, to appeal in the manner hereafter 
 pointed out. If, however, the matter be not essential, he can silently entertain his pri- 
 vate judgment. In opposition to this view, the question is sometimes asked, "It the 
 Laity are not to judge for themselves in matters of Faith, why are they required to 
 search the Scriptures? I answer, the positions of both Clergy and Laity, in respect to 
 the truth, are essentially different from what they were when this exhortation was 
 penned. Then, the foundations of truth were not fully discovered; now, the truth it- 
 self is settled; and hence the force of the Gospel exhortation at the present time must bo 
 determined by the condition of Christians at the present time. In the case of an intel- 
 ligent Churchman, nothingremains, in searching the Scriptures, but "growth in grace." 
 The Scriptures are the proper food of the soul, and he is to search them, that he may 
 imbibe more and more of the spirit of Christ, and be nourished up into everlasting life. 
 3 
 
18 
 
 ity in a parish; while the Canons of the Church distinctly 
 prescribe the proper means for the adjustment of all paro- 
 chial differences by an appeal to the Ordinary ! L Where 
 these differences are diocesan, recourse may be had to a 
 National Council; and thence, if need be, to a General 
 Council} Ample, therefore, are the securities in the 
 Church, — securities which the Laity themselves assisted 
 in providing, — against the undue exercise of Priestly au- 
 thority. So that such authority need never be feared in 
 our country, so long as the ministers of the Church are 
 excluded, as they rightly are, from all participation in civil 
 offices, and hence, from the chief temptation to lend their 
 spiritual influence to build up an undue secular importance. 6 
 
 ii. But you inquire, if such be the divine commission of 
 the Clergy, what are the duties of the Laity? Have they 
 nothing to do or say in a matter so vitally connected with 
 their present and eternal well-being? I answer, "much," 
 almost "every way." The ministry of Christ is theirs — 
 the blessing of God to them. "We preach not ourselves, but 
 Christ Jesus, the Lord; and ourselves your servants for 
 Jesus' sake. ,,d We are to "glory only in the cross of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ;" 6 "are to know nothing among you, save 
 Jesus Christ, and Him CRUCIFIED."/ Ministerial au- 
 thority, therefore, was conferred, not to elevate and digni- 
 fy the ministry, — to create and j:>rovide for "a privileged 
 class:" but to be a savour of life to condemned sinners; to 
 bear the tidings and terms of salvation, through a crucified 
 Redeemer, to our perishing race; to call them up from the 
 depths of a vile bondage to Satan, receive their submis- 
 
 a Canon xxxiv. b Palmer's Treatise on the Church, chap. General Coun- 
 
 cils. This invaluahle work is about to be re-published by Appleton & Co., N. York. 
 
 c An examination into the causes which led to the enormous power of the Clergy 
 in the middle ages will more than justify these remarks; — See Poole's Cyprian, p. 45, 
 &c. — where it is made clear that the early Church entertained a salutary dread of the 
 intermeddling of the Clergy in secular things. 
 
 d 2 Cor. iv. 5. e Gal vi. 11. / 1 Cor. ii. 2. 
 
19 
 
 sion to Christ, and gather them into His glorious fellow- 
 ship: Yea, as an instrument in God's hands, "to raise them 
 up together, and make them sit together in heavenly pla- 
 ces in Christ Jesus."^ The appointment of the holy min- 
 istry, therefore, was not for the mere temporal advantage 
 of any one; but for the mutual benefit of both ministers and 
 people, as sumers before God. It is emphatically "the min- 
 istry of reconciliation," — the chosen instrument of God "in 
 reconciling the world unto Himself." 6 When the first con- 
 verts to Christ are represented as "continuing in the Apos- 
 tles' doctrine and fellowship," 6 ' it was not that they were 
 contributing to the honor of the Apostles; but that they 
 were pursuing the way of life for themselves. The min- 
 istry, then, is the blessing of God to the people; and the 
 people are called upon, for their own sakes, to sustain the 
 ministry. This is the sum of their duty in sustaining the 
 Gospel; as the ministry "is put in trust with the Gos- 
 pel."^ In the New Testament, therefore, the people are 
 never spoken of as having any department of duty distinct 
 and separate from the Clergy. St. Paul styles them fel- 
 low laborers. "Greet Priscilla and Aqmla, my helpers in 
 Christ Jesus." 6 "Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour 
 on us"/ "Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ."- And he 
 gives commendation "to every one that helpeth with "its, 
 and laboureth;"^ and he no where intimates, that either in- 
 dividual or associated effort for saving men, can lawfully 
 be made, except in co-operation or concurrence with the 
 ministry of Christ. The lesson is, that the Laity have the 
 deepest concern in the progress of the Gospel, — the hea- 
 viest responsibility in promoting its interests; that they are 
 bound to be co-workers with God— fellow laborers with the 
 ministry of His Son. 
 
 aEph. ii. 6. b 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. c Acts, ii. 42. d 1 Tim. i. 1 1. e Rom. xvi. 3. 
 /Ibid. 6. g Ibid. 9. h 1 Cor. xvi, 16,— See also Phil. iv. 3; 3 John, 8; 2 Cor. i. 11; 1 
 Cor. iii. 9. 
 
20 
 
 1. Their first duty is to establish among them this min- 
 istry; — to provide the means for its proper support. Not 
 a support to feed luxury, or pamper pride, — this would be 
 highly injurious; but such a support as may be needful to 
 shield the mind of a minister from worldly anxiety, supply 
 him with the means of charity, and leave him free to de- 
 vote his time and energies to the sacred work assigned 
 him by the Lord of the harvest. This will be required, 
 and may be reasonably claimed, under the command of 
 Almighty God. a The support of the ministry, I know, is 
 sometimes considered a burden, — but not by minds ac- 
 quainted with the subject; for, let the ministry be viewed 
 in its bearing either upon our temporal or eternal interests, 
 and nothing can be more unwarrantable than the feeling, 
 that it is burdensome. Remove it, with all its temporal 
 advantages to the community; take away its wisdom, its 
 literature, its moral power; put out its sacred lights; over- 
 turn its altars; and lay its temples in the dust; and you may 
 form some notion of your indebtedness to it as an instru- 
 ment of mere worldly prosperity. It is the deepest in- 
 gratitude to God, even for the man who has chosen his 
 portion in this life, to complain of the support of the min- 
 istry, as burdensome; for there is nothing under heaven con- 
 tributing to his temporal good, for which he pays so mean 
 and inadequate a price. Well would it be for men to 
 consider, whether, in this thing, they are not guilty of 
 "robbing God." The pecuniary support of the ministry, 
 however, is to be viewed in its influence upon our spiritu- 
 al and eternal interests. I refer here, not to the blessing 
 of this ministry as an appointed means for our salvation, 
 but to the saving influence, which our being called upon 
 to maintain it with our worldly goods, is calculated to ex- 
 
 ""flLuka, x. 11; I Tim. v. 18; 2 Tim. ii. fr, 1 Cor. ix. 7, 11, 13, U; Gal. 6, 7. 
 
21 
 
 ercise upon our affections and fives* The main obstacle 
 to the love of God in our hearts, is the love of the world, 
 which has in them so firm a lodgement; so that whatever 
 tends to weaken this, must be cherished as a blessing. 
 Now, giving largely of our worldly substance has this ten- 
 dency; and hence is enjoined as among our first and high- 
 est duties, on our becoming followers of Christ. Our spir- 
 itual welfare, then, is deeply concerned in these calls upon 
 us to maintain the ministrations of the Divine Word. To 
 break down the dreadful power of the world in the heart 
 of the rich young man in the parable, our Lord enjoined, 
 that he should give up all his goods. And so fully in a- 
 greement with the spirit of this injunction was the influ- 
 ence of the Gospel upon the primitive saints, that "none a- 
 mong them lacked;'' — "none calling aught that he possess- 
 ed his own;" a "each looking not only on his own things, 
 but on the things of others also/'^ The pecuniary support 
 of the Gospel, therefore, is to be regarded by a people, as 
 a means of grace. And no people evince that they have 
 greater need for a liberal use of this means, than they who 
 complain of its burdens. 
 
 2. The people have a further duty in this matter. It 
 can afford little comfort to the faithful embassador of Christ, 
 that his temporal wants are supplied, his person honored 
 and cherished, while his message is set at naught, or in 
 any way hindered. Incumbent is it, therefore, upon his 
 spiritual charge, to receive his message, and to promote its 
 reception, in all its fullness, "according to their several a- 
 bility." Much of a pastor's success depends upon the ex- 
 ample and influence of the leading members of his Church; 
 upon parents, communicants, and those in a position to give 
 tone to the young and more dependent of the flock. When 
 
 a Acts, ii. 44, 45. b Phil. ii. 4. 
 
22 
 
 parents co-operate with their. pastor, in imparting to their 
 children deep- and solemn views of the baptismal covenant; 
 of their obligation to God for its gifts, and their accounta- 
 bility to God for the use they make of them: When com- 
 municants realize, that "they are not their own, but are 
 bought with the precious blood of Christ, and bound to 
 glorify Him in their bodies and their spirits which are 
 His;"" when they realize the high privilege they enjoy, of 
 being allowed "to continue in the Apostles' doctrine and 
 fellowship; and in breaking of bread, and in prayers;" the 
 high privilege of belonging to "the communion of saints;" 
 of being admitted "to Mount Zion, to the city of the living 
 God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable com- 
 pany of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the 
 first-born, which arc written in heaven, and to God the 
 Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
 and to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to 
 the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than 
 the blood of Abel:" 6 When communicants realize these 
 glorious things; when those, whose example and spirit bear 
 sway in the community, understand and feel the awfulness 
 of their responsibility, and the weight of their obligation 
 to God, to cast all their influence into the scale of his ser- 
 vice; when, in short, the members of Christ's mystical bo- 
 dy shall be animated by His spirit, and earnest in the in- 
 quiry, "What more can I do for His glory, who has died 
 to save my souir — Then will appear the divine excellency 
 of the ministerial office; then will the word of God, spoken 
 by His commissioned servants, "have free course and be 
 glorified;" then will their hands be made strong to labour, 
 and their hearts glad to endure, and valiant to contend 
 and to achieve. On the other hand, let parents be indif- 
 
 u 1 Cor. vi. 20, b Heb, xii. %% t 23, 24. 
 
23 
 
 ferent to the holy state of their children by baptism; let 
 them, in spirit, and conversation, and example, go counter 
 to the authorized instructions of their minister; let baptized 
 adults and communicants be anxious, rather to get low 
 views of their obligations, than make high advances in the 
 christian life; let them lose sight of their commanding atti- 
 tude as "God's peculiar people,"* and live as those who 
 have "no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of 
 God;" 6 let the few in a parish, to whom God hath given 
 power to control the man}*, employ that power against the 
 teaching of Christ's embassadors; let them encourage the 
 young and dependent in doctrines or in ways against which 
 they are warned by those commissioned to warn them; c and 
 how surely, except as God may interpose his mighty hand, 
 will the ministry of Christ, as regards its rightful influence, 
 become of none effect unto the people. Tremendous is 
 the responsibility which he assumes, who utters a word, or 
 puts forth a linger, to impede the progress of the work of 
 salvation committed to the embassadors of Christ; while 
 but little less is his responsibility, who exerts not every en- 
 ergy for its advance! Beloved Brethren, consider, I pray 
 you, the true character and weight of your christian voca- 
 tion; how it obliges you; to live only for Christ; how it con- 
 secrates your talents, your time, your substance, your in- 
 fluence, to his cause; consider, if ye were bound together 
 in love, and made to strive tooether for the faith of the 
 Gospel, by that heavenly charity, which united, and ani- 
 mated, and emboldened, and bore onward, through suffer- 
 ing and death, the first believers in Christ, — what glorious 
 
 a Tit. ii. 14; 1 Pet. ii. 9. b Eph. v. 5. 
 
 c A Layman may have a right to think for himself, in matters which he regard* 
 ind-ffcrent;'w\\\\e lie" has no right to think for others. A large portion of every parish 
 is made up of persons who, from ignorance or infirmity, depend for guidance upon their 
 minister. If, however, his influence here may be lawfully counteracted by Lay-teaching, 
 his olhce is vain, and this class of persons have no security. 
 
24 
 
 raid rapid achievements ye might now make for His King- 
 dom! 
 
 3. But there are other ways in which the Laity may 
 co-operate with the Clergy in advancing Christ's kingdom. 
 When a Clergyman is called to a parish, he is too com- 
 monly expected to give his personal oversight to every in- 
 terest connected with his charge. Hence his time is often 
 consumed and his strength exhausted in attention to small 
 matters, — perhaps the mere temporalities of the Church, — 
 while he needs both his time and strength, in their fullest 
 measure, for the discharge of his peculiar functions — his 
 high spiritual duties. These things, Brethren of the Laity, 
 ought not so to be. To you, as "our helpers in Christ," 
 belong a variety of matters pertaining to the ministrations 
 of the Gospel, but comparatively secular, and intolerably 
 burdensome, when allowed to rest upon the hands of your 
 minister; — such, for example, as attention to Church build- 
 ings; the preservation of order in time of public worship; 
 the raising of funds, and the collecting of charities; aiding 
 in the support and instruction of the poor; supplying to the 
 parish almoners and catechists, tracts and books. 
 
 To secure this co-operation, the Church has placed in 
 each parish an organized body, styled Wardens and Ves- 
 trymen, a whose duty it is to give their active agency for 
 the accomplishment of the things I have named, with o- 
 thers of like character. Besides, the Laity are associated 
 with the Clergy in all the important interests and councils 
 of the Church; — in our Diocesan Committees and Conven- 
 tions; in our general boards of Missions and Theological 
 Education, and Sunday School instruction; and in our 
 great National Synod, "the General Convention." Here 
 the Laity have a right to be heard. Here the Church ha* 
 
 a See Charge of Bp. Raveii5croft on duties of Wardens and Vestrymen. 
 
a right to look for their counsel and support. And If, at 
 any time, through their neglect of the duties here involved, 
 too much power should seem to centre in the hands of the 
 Clergy, the fault surely is not with them. The true rem- 
 edy against any encroachment upon .our rights from o- 
 thers, is faithfully to exercise them ourselves. Let each 
 order be animated with the love of Christ; then each, in 
 Ins proper sphere, will vie with the other in promoting the 
 kingdom of Christ, and all will be harmony and peace. 
 
 4. A further, and still more pressing duty, remains to 
 the Laity, — the duty of praying for God's blessing upon 
 the persons and labours of the Clergy. "Brethren, pray 
 for us,"« is the earnest request of St. Paul; and a more im- 
 portant one cannot be made by ministers of the Gospel in 
 any age; — important, in respect both to themselves and to 
 their people. To themselves, as sinful, erring, and depend- 
 ent creatures, "not worthy that God should come under 
 their roof,"^ but put in charge with the Gospel of His 
 grace, and made accountable for the souls of men. 
 To their people, as receiving the overtures of pardon and 
 salvation, amid a thousand distractions and deceits, calcu- 
 lated to blind their understandings, and betray them into 
 error and sin. Prayer is here heaven's own appointed 
 remedy. Let our congregations be habituated fervently 
 to supplicate for God's guidance to their minister, and God's 
 spirit upon his ministrations; and with what altered feel- 
 ings — what increased preparation of heart for hearing the 
 word, will they take their place under his instructions. 
 Yea, let them enter the house of God as miserable sinners, 
 desirous of being taught more perfectly the way of life; of 
 being enlightened, and strengthened, and sanctified, by "the 
 truth as it is in Jesus;" c and when listening to the blessed 
 
 a 1 The;43. v. 25. b Minister';} prayer at his institution, c Eph, iv, 21. 
 4 
 
26 
 
 words of that truth, let their hearts be raised in prayer to 
 God, that these words may come with saving power to 
 their own souls, and to the souls of their fellow-worship- 
 pers; — and with what a different spirit and changed as- 
 pect, they would leave the sanctuary of the Most High! 
 The smile of incredulity, the jest of profanity, the display 
 of thoughtless criticism, would at once give place to the in- 
 quiry, on the one hand, "what shall I do to be saved?" 0 on 
 the other, "what shall I render unto the Lord for all his 
 benefits'!" 6 For your own sakes, then, dear Brethren of the 
 Laity, and for our sakes, "pray for us!" 
 
 My reverend Brethren, fellow laborers with me in the 
 dispensation of the Gospel, ours is a holy and divine office; 
 it becomes us to magnify it before God. Its powers are 
 peculiar and well defined, bestowed for the salvation of 
 men. As a holy trust, then, committed to us by God, we 
 are firmly and boldly to exercise them. Necessity is laid 
 upon us; we have no choice. Clothed with authority from 
 God to advance His Gospel, we must not, as we value His 
 favour, as we value the souls of men, yea, and our own 
 souls also, yield this authority, whatever may be the de- 
 mand. "A dispensation of the Gospel is committed to us, 
 and wo be unto us if we j) reach not the Gospel!" 0 Preach 
 it, "whether men will hear, or whether they will for- 
 bear;"^ preach it, "through evil report and good re- 
 port;" e preach it, if need be, in privation, and suffering, and 
 the face of death; and we must preach it in its integrity 
 and fullness; "declare the whole counsel of God;"/ keep 
 back nothing that is profitable, nothing that- is revealed, at 
 whatever cost. Misconstruction, reproach, and ingrati- 
 tude, must not deter us. "The disciple is not above his 
 master, nor the servant above his Lord."» If they derided, 
 
 a Acta, xvi. CO. b Ps. cxvi. 12. c 1 Cor. ix. 16, 17. dEzk. iii. 11. i% Cor. vi. 
 8, /Acts. xx. 27. g Mat. x. 24. 
 
27 
 
 set at naught, and persecuted unto death, the holy Jesus; 
 if opposition, and suffering, and blood, marked the foot- 
 steps of the blessed Apostles; if the foundations of the holv 
 Catholic Church were laid amid the fires and groans of 
 martyrdom; — what is there in our day of general peace 
 and good fellowship, to make us shun "to declare all the 
 counsel of God?" Our efforts may be feeble, our success 
 small; still, if they be faithful efforts, put forth in the strenth 
 of God, and with an honest and steadfast desire to advance 
 His glory, — our hearts need not be troubled; "we shall reap 
 in due time, if we faint not." a We now enjoy the prayers 
 of the faithful, the succour of angels, the deep sympathy of 
 departed saints, and the smiles of an approving God; and 
 when our labours and trials are past, heaven will be our 
 eternal reward. 
 
 But, my reverend Brethren, it becomes us to act with 
 prudence, as well as boldness; to remember that the infir- 
 mities of a corrupt and erring nature still hang around us, 
 and endanger the success of oar holy mission. It will not 
 be enough, that we can prove the validity of our orders — 
 can claim regard on the ground of our divine commission; 
 we must go forth in the spirit and with the bearing of messen- 
 gers from God; must learn of our holy master, who, though 
 clothed with "all power in heaven and earth," was meek 
 and lowly in heart. b Meekness and humility, and Godly 
 sincerity, will do far more to ensure submission to the Gos- 
 pel, than the most fiery zeal, or authoritative tone and 
 manner. Let us take heed unto ourselves. Our danger 
 is great; is enhanced by the very position we occupy. "We 
 are embassadors for Christ;" 0 and yet are associated with 
 the Laitv in our work, and stand, in some respects, on the 
 same ground with them. They are our friends and com- 
 
 a Gal. vi. 9. b Mat. si. 29. c 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 
28 
 
 panions in society —interchanging with us the courtesies 
 and kindnesses of life. In a laudable anxiety not to merge 
 the sacredness of our calling in oar friendly intercourse, 
 we are liable to confound our rights, as ministers of Christ, 
 with those which we hold in common with the Laity, as 
 members of society. Our commission to speak with au- 
 thority in the Church of God, and to exhort and reprove, 
 if necessary, in the concerns of the soul, may beget in us 
 a spirit of dictation, in all places, and in all the matters of 
 life; and also, such a sensitiveness to opposition as may lead 
 us 10 imagine, that whenever our opinions are called in 
 question, our ministerial prerogatives are lightly esteemed. 
 These are misjudgments, against which we must guard, or 
 they will help to bring about the very resistance we so 
 much dread. Besides, in respect to many things in a par- 
 ish or diocese, essential to the success of our priestly of- 
 fice, the Laity have a deep concern, and should not be 
 expected to yield a blind acquiescence to our judgments. 
 In all cases where duties are distinctly assigned them, they 
 should be left unembarrassed in their action. And in 
 those cases in which they are called to bear a part with 
 us, their views should be patiently considered; their coun- 
 sel respectfully listened to, and, if sound, most gladly fol- 
 lowed. It becomes us to bear in mind a former proposi- 
 tion — that our efforts, although put forth under different 
 degrees of authority, are in a common cause, and, if law- 
 ful, tend to the same result; and hence that everything 
 should be characterized by mutual confidence, meekness 
 and love; that from the host of God, all jealousy, suspicion, 
 and hasty judgment, should be banished forever; and, "each 
 esteeming others better than themselves," yield to the sway 
 of that heavenly charity which suftercth long and is kind, 
 — to the constraint cf those holv bonds "which knit toge- 
 
29 
 
 ther the elect of Cod in one communion arid fellowship." 
 
 Finally, my brethren in the sacred ministry, we are not 
 exempt from the influence of selfish and corrupt passion. 
 Love of power, mortified pride, feelings of revenge, and 
 the like, may prompt us in the assertion of even lawful au- 
 thority. O, let us humble ourselves before God, and pray 
 mightily for His saving strength, that we be not chargeable 
 with so dreadful a desecration of our office; with the guilt 
 of using our authority 4i to destruction, and not to salva- 
 tion!" a Our only safety, beloved, is at the foot of the Cross. 
 At the foot of the Cross, in humility of heart, for our great 
 unworthiness of so holy a trust; in contrition of heart, for 
 our manifold unfaithfulness in fulfilling it. At. the foot of 
 the Cross, in continual and earnest contemplation of the 
 awful sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, there made for 
 sinners; of the precious blood of the Son of God there pour- 
 ed out to quench the burning wrath that was kindled by 
 their sins. At the foot of the Cross, in humble and unceas- 
 ing prayer for ourselves, and intercession for our spiritual 
 charge. At the foot of the Cross, learning of Him, whose 
 place we occupy, and whose message we bear; that His 
 all-powerful love may constrain us in every act, and his di- 
 vine energy nerve us for every difficulty and every trial, and 
 keep us steadfast and immovable even unto the end. Come , 
 my young brethren, about to assume vows, — too holy, too 
 great, for all but Omnipotence, — come, and let us cast our- 
 selves together at the foot of the Cross! There, let us take 
 refuge, and abide; for there, we shall be safe: there, find wis- 
 dom and strength; there, rest under the blessing of God, in 
 the sanctuarv of his endless favour, — his ineffable love. 
 
 a OtRce fur consecraiing Bishops, 
 
30 
 
 O Christ, hear us*. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Most merciful Father, we beseech Thee, send upon the 
 ministers of the sanctuary thy heavenly blessing; that they 
 may be clothed with righteousness, and that Thy word, 
 spoken by their mout hs, may have such success that it may 
 never be spoken in vain. Grant also, that we may have 
 grace to hear and receive what they shall deliver out of Thy 
 most Holy Word, or agreeably to the same, as the means of 
 our salvation; that in all our words and deeds, we may seek 
 Thy glory, and the increase of Thy kingdom, through Je- 
 sus Christ our Lord. Amen.