GOSPEL MINISTER'S
C|aracter anil flatform.
J9L SS3R.MOM •
PREACHED IN THE
THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
NEW ORLEANS, APRIL 16, 1854,
AT THE
INSTALLATION OF
Rev. JAMES RICHARDS, D. D., as Pastor,
BY
REV. W. A. SCOTT, D. D.
ALSO,
THE CHARGES TO THE PASTOR AID PEOPLE,
BY
REV. MESSRS. WOODBRIDGE & HENDERSON.
(Published by request of the Trustees and Elders of the said Church.)
NEW ORLEANS:
PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF " THE CREOLE," 94 CAMP STREET,
1 854.
New Orleans, April 17,1854.
To W. A. Scott, D.D.:
Redd and Dear Sir: By the direction of the Session and Trustees of the Third
Presbyterian Church, I take this method to request for publication, a copy of your
Sermon delivered last evening at my installation. As the subject is specially im¬
portant at the present day; as there is reason to believe that the publication of it
will result in immediate good; and as your life is devoted to the welfare of the
churches in this city and the church of God; it is hoped you will not decline this
urgent request. Yours, sincerely,
JAMES RICHARDS.
New Orleans, April 17,1854.
Rev. Dr. Richards :
Dear Sir: I have a very strong conviction that you, and the Elders and Trustees
of your church, in asking as by letter of this day, a copy of my discourse at your
installment for publication, have put far too favorable an estimate on its merits;
nevertheless, under all the circumstances, and just on the eve of a long journey, I
submit it to you, as fully as it exists in my notes, to do with it as you like, praying
that Christ may be honored and souls saved, and that you, and all the people of
your choice, over whom you are placed as a bishop by the Holy Ghost, may receive
the fullness of the Gospel of Peace now and forevermore.
Yours affectionately,
For Christ's sake,
W. A. SCOTT.
GOSPEL MINISTER'S CHARACTER AND PLATFORM.
"For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him
crucified. 1 Corinthians n: 2.
When Jesus Christ, the one, only, sole and supreme- Head of the
Church, ascended up on high, after his resurrection from the dead, " He
led captivity captive," and for a legacy to his people, " gave gifts to
men." Among the chief of these gifts are the influences of the Holy
Spirit and the written word, teaching us the will of God for our salva¬
tion. " And he gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and, of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the statute of the fullness of Christ; that we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc¬
trine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into
Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."—Eph. iv: 11—15.
1st. It is obvious from this passage of holy scripture that living teach¬
ers of the way of salvation are set in the church by Divine appoint¬
ment. At one time they were patriarchs and prophets; at another,
apostles and evangelists; and now, they are bishops or pastors and
teachers. While the Revelation of the Divine will was in progress, and
while the Gospel was being gradually revealed to mankind, prophets
and apostles of the highest order were necessary; but when the canon of
the Revealed will was complete—when the Gospel dispensation was
fully introduced, prophets and apostles gave place to pastors and teach¬
ers, who are bishops or overseers of the people. 2dly. It is equally pal¬
pable that the object of the Divine appointment of a class of men from
time to time to be servants of the Most High God, showing unto us the
way of salvation, is eminently for the instruction of mankind,—for the
4
edifying and comforting of believers. The Church is God's great teach¬
ing Institution. Her ministers are missionaries of light, and heralds of
His good will to menr They are sent to teach all nations for the per¬
fecting of the saints, fordhe edifying of the body of Christ.
I. In the Scriptures of our God various significant names are given
to religious teachers, expressive of their character.
We find bishop, overseer, pastor, ambassador, angel or messenger ap¬
plied to one and the same person. These names are expressive not of
different orders or ranks in the Gospel ministry, but significant of vari¬
ous duties performed by the ministers of the church. They are for the
same reason called rulers, governors, watchmen, soldiers, builders, and
laborers. These titles are highly expressive of their character and ap¬
propriate work. Are they laborers ? Then it is their duty to sow, plant,
water and cultivate God's vineyard. They are sent to toil with pains
and diligence, and wait for the harvest. Soldiers ? Then they are engaged
in war against the powers of darkness. As soldiers they are required to
endure fatigue, and to persevere through dangers and difficulties, follow¬
ing their glorious leader unto death and victory. Watchmen? Then
are they set on the high places, to give due warning by night and day
of the dangers that threaten. They are set to watch for souls, as men
that must give an account. They must keep awake themselves, and
arouse the sleeping, and cry aloud to those that are dead in sin, lest the
blood of those that peirsh, should fall upon their heads as unfaithful
watchmen. They are commanded to utter all God's judgments, wheth¬
er the people will hear or forbear. And as stewards of the manifold
mysteries of the household of God, they are to give to every one his
portion in season. Milk to babes and meat to such as are strong. Are
they ambassadors ? Then they are the accredited ministers of heaven,
to treat of peace between God and man. To them is given the word of
Reconciliation. They are sent by Christ, and speak in God's name, as
though God did beseech us by them to be reconciled to Him. As am¬
bassadors their mission is one of the highest dignity and of most tre¬
mendous responsibilities. They are to maintain the dignity and honor
of their government, and so manage their mission, that the sovereign
clemency, wisdom, glory and majesty of the king of kings may be seen
in the salvation of sinners reconciled to Him and saved from sin by the
death and mediation of His own well beloved son. Are they called
angels or messengers ? This is the title given to those pure and sublime na¬
tures who surround the eternal throne—ever doing the will of God—
and are sent forth to minister to those that are heirs of salvation. Min-
6
isters who are the angels of the churches, which are the glory of Christ,
should be like these holy spirits, in elevation of thought and devotion,
and in the consecration of themselves to the study of the works, the
word and the glory of God; and as the angels above, ever be found
doing the will of their Lord, especially in ministering to the souls for
whom the " angel of the covenant" made himself a propitiatory sacri¬
fice The most common appellation by which religious teachers are
known, is that of minister or pastor, both of which terms are expressive
of the duties of their office. As ministers, they are servants of the
church for Christ's sake. As bishops or overseers or pastors, which
terms mean the same thing, they are to overlook and feed the flock.
A pastor or shepherd is one who takes care of sheep, not only that they
feed in good pastures, but also that they be not torn by wild beasts, or
hurt in any other way.* In the favorite twenty-third psalm, God is
called a shepherd, by which we are to understand, that He leads, feeds,
preserves and heals his people, as a shepherd does his flock. Our
Blessed Saviour calls himself the good shepherd, who not only exposes
his own life, but does actually and willingly lay it down for his own
sheep, and takes charge, oversight and care of them, dispensing to them
such things as they have need of. In a few places of Scripture civil
and political rulers are called pastors. In the Bible, ministers of the
Gospel are called shepherds, bishops or pastors, signifying that their
office was like that of a shepherd to feed, lead, guard, heal, and watch
over their charges. The prophet Jeremiah, in the name of the Lord,
promised the ten tribes, if they would return to Him, by repentance, that
He would give them pastors after his own heart, who should feed them
with knowledge and with understanding—that is, instruct and save
them. But the true Israel are the same in every age, and that which
was the richest promise to the church in~prophetic times, is the richest
gift that God has bestowed upon his people, in these last days—pastors
after his own heart who have an open vision from Him, to reveal unto
the people the riches of His Grace.
1. As then the pastoral office is one of divine appointment, the
churches are to love their pastors, and tenderly cherish them, and honor
them very highly for their work's sake, and encourage and sustain them
in their many arduous labors.
2. Pastors being called of God to their holy office—being set apart
for the edification of the church, should devote tl^mselves wholly and
*See Cruden.
6
faithfully to their work. They should love the truth and preach it
faithfully and affectionately, and so conduct themselves as to magnify
their office by glorifying God in the salvation of the souls of men. " Our
excellent" book sums up the matter in hand most happily, in the fol¬
lowing style : " As it is the minister's duty to be grave and prudent,
and an example of the flock, and to govern well in the house and king¬
dom of Christ, he is termed Presbyter or elder. As he is the mes^tn-
ger of God, he is termed the angel of the church. As he is sent to de¬
clare the will of God to sinners, and to beseech them to be reconciled
to God through Christ, he is termed Ambassador. And as he dispenses
the manifold grace of God, and the ordinances instituted by Christ, he is
termed steward of the mysteries of God."
[Form of Government, Chap, iv., p. 408, 9.
Again, Chap, vi., directory for Public worship: " The preaching of
the Word being an institution of God for the salvation of men, great
attention should be paid to the manner of performing it. Every mini¬
ster ought to give diligent application to it; and endeavor to prove him¬
self a workman that needeth not to be ashamed; rightly dividing the
word of truth. The method of preaching requires much study, medita¬
tion and prayer. Ministers ought, in general, to prepare their sermons
with care; and not to indulge themselves in loose, extemporary
harangues; nor to serve God with that which costs them nought. They
ought, however, to keep to the simplicity of the Gospel; expressing
themselves in language agreeable to scripture, and level to the under¬
standing of the meanest of their hearers; carefully avoiding ostenta¬
tion, either of parts or learning. They ought also to adorn, by their
lives, the doctrine which they teach; and to be examples to the be¬
lievers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
Whatever be the minister's method in presenting Christ and Him
crucified, he must preach "Painfully, not doing the work of the Lord
negligently,—Plainly, that the weakest may understand; delivering the
truth not in the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the SPIRIT and of power, lest the*cross of Christ should be made of
none effect;—
Faithfully, looking at the honor of Christ, the conversion, edifica¬
tion, and salvation of the people, not as his own gain or glory; keeping
nothing back which may promote those holy ends; giving to every one
his own portion, ancj^bearing indifferent respect unto all, without ne¬
glecting the meanest, or sparing the greatest in their sins.
Wisely, framing all his doctrines, exhortations, and especially his re-
1
proofs, in sucli a manner as may be most likely to prevail: showing all
due respect to each man's person and place, and not mixing therein his
own passion or bitterness.
" Gravely, as becoineth the word of God," and the Ambassador of
heaven; shunning every thing that might give occasion to ungodly "men
to despise him and his ministry.
" With loving affection, that the people may see all coming from his
godly zeal, and hearty desire to do them good. And, as taught of God,
and persuaded in his own heart that all that he teacheth is the truth of
Christ; and walking before his flock as an example to them in it;
earnestly, both in private and public, recommending his labors to the
blessing of GOD, and watchfully looking to himself, and the flock
whereof the LORD hath made him overseer : so shall the doctrine of
truth be preserved uncorrupt, and many souls be converted and built up,
and himself receive manifold comforts of his labors even in this life, and
afterward the crown of glory laid up for him in the world to come."
II. Thus we see that by whatever titles ministers of the Gospel are known
in the Scriptures, and in our most " excellent" standards; still the pro
minent idea is that they are men of God, servants of the Most High,
converted by His grace, called by His spirit, and set apart to His work.
And the nature of their office, and their place in the world's history, not
now understood, and their bearing on the cycles of a rapidly coming
eternity in regard to the happiness or misery of immortal souls that are
passing through time on our globe to future immensity, may be farther
seen by considering briefly the great platform, on which they are set
forth as a spectacle to men and angels. Their character, titles and
work have passed rapidly before us. The text was the platform of the
great apostle before Jew and Gentile, in Arabia and in Athens, in Jeru¬
salem and in Corinth.
The Cross of Christ was his favorite topic. The chosen subject
of his discourse, the grand theme of all his writings. He gloried not in
his Abrahamic descent, not in his Hebrew lore, not in his classic attain¬
ments, not in his mighty intellect, but in the cross of Christ. Though a
Hebrew of the Hebrews, and as touching the law blameless, and though
brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, we do not hear him speak of his
genealogy or of his learning. Nor does he boast of his miraculous gifts
or visions, or eminent usefulness, although he had been caught up to the
third heavens and had visions unutterable, and had planted churches and
built churches not on another man's foundation, and had been honored
as the very chiefest of the apostles. All these things he considered as
8
nothing. " God forbid that I should glory," says he, " save in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1st. To Tcnow Christ and Him crucified is to know the whole Gos¬
pel, and to preach from this platform is to preach Christ crucified as the
whole Gospel. The cross of Christ is put for His humiliation and suffer¬
ing. It is the representative of His death, its manner and ignominy.
To preach Christ and Him crucified, therefore, is to preach salvation
through the satisfaction which He rendered unto the -divine and immu¬
table law—to explain the method by which sin is pardoned, and how •
the forgiveness of the penitent sinner is reconciled with the Justice and
holiness of God. To preach Christ and Him crucified, then, is to de¬
clare the miraculous conception of the Son of God—His true human
nature, and yet His proper Divinity—to reveal His holy and benevolent
character—how He laid down His life as an expiation for our sins—how
He was wounded for our transgressions—bruised for our iniquities, and
the chastisement of our peace being laid upon Him—a lamb slain from
the foundation of the world—the Lamb that was slain still standing
bleeding before the throne in the midst of the elders and angels that
are round about the throne. Hence, to know Christ and Him crucified,
is to set forth the death of Christ as the great central point of the Chris¬
tian system—that the great purpose for which He came into the world
was to die under the law, in the room and stead of his people—that by
this great vicarious sacrifice of Himself, in behalf of His people, God
can be just and yet the justifier of all who believe in Jesus. To know
Christ and Him crucified is to know the glorious method of Free Grace
revealed in the Gospel—a method honorable to God, because, while He
receives the transgressor into favor, He expresses his aversion to sin in
the strongest manner, and requires that the demand of His holy law be
perfectly fulfilled ; and yet all this is done in a method suited to man,
coming down to His weakness and wretchedness, and offering him just
as he is in this sin-smitten world, in which he is born, and out of which
he is to die and appear before his Creator, a finished, gratuitous, honor¬
able and glorious salvation. To preach Christ and Him crucified is to
preach the being and glorious perfection of Jehovah as the one, only,
living and true God, the Creator of all things ; the future judgment
and eternal state of righteous retribution; the lost state of man, and his
recovery through the One great Mediation; the necessity of regenera¬
tion, repentance, conversion and personal holiness through the Spirit;
the duties and precepts of the Gospel.
0
" THE WORD OF GOD ONLY ;
THE GRACE OF CHRIST ONLY;
THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT ONLY."
2dly. The minister of the Gospel loho stands on the apostle's great
platform must know Christ experimentally as his Saviour. He must
be truly a pious man. He must know by experience what it is to re¬
pent and believe, and have a sweet experience in his own soul of the
preciousuess of the Savior's love. How can lie point others to the Lamb
of God, if he has not seen Him for himself? How can he teach
others, who has not himself been taught ? There is something fearful in
the idea of an unconverted and ungodly minister. Terrible is the thought
that his own doctrines and preaching shall come up as a swift witness
against himself in the great day of eternity—that having preached
Christ to others, and thereby been the instrument of saving others, he
should himself be a castaway. But such things have occurred. There
were wicked prophets and fals > apostles, and there are doubtless uncon¬
verted ministers. It becomes us all to watch and pray.
Pjdly. The minister's platform is to believe and preach the same truths
that Jesus Christ believed and precahed. There is no irreverence in
speaking of the Creed and worship of our Lord. He was an example
in all righteousness. His inner life as the God-man—mediator, as to
the truth which he believed, the precepts he honored and the devotions
he poured out to his God, is the highest model for the piety of every
one that believes in Him. As his ministers, we are to believe and preach
what the Son of God believed and preached, concerning God his father,
himself and the Eternal Spirit, and the whole economy of Free grace.
The Divine Word, therefore, which is the utterance of Christ's Spirit
to us by prophets and apostles, is the sum total of all we arc to believe
and preach. It is our armament, arsenal, fleet, artillery and land forces,
with which we are to lead his sacramental hosts in our great aggressive
movements upon the kingdom of darkness. We must enforce and
explain the Scriptures, because they testify of Jesus, and therefore it is
that in them, we have eternal life. The Scriptures set forth Christ
crucified in promises, prophecies and types. They give an account of
his birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and intercession. They
represent from beginning to end a suffering, atoning, dying, yet living
and reigning Messiah as the only hope of mankind. The sacred oracles
arc our " only Rule of Faith and manners." It is by the truth through
the sanctification of the Spirit, that men are to be saved—sanctified
through the truth—begotten by (he truth. The Scriptures are able to
2
10
make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is
then great amplitude as well as emphasis in the Apostle's injunction—
Preach The Word. If insulated texts are used, however eloquently
and skilfully it may be done, there is danger that the minister's discourses
will be substituted for the Divine Word, and that his discourses will
become mere dry rhetorical flourishes, or essays, and sentiments,
opinions, and fancies be regarded as the teachings of eternal truth.
Holy Scripture must be explained by holy Scripture, and not wrested
out of its proper connection. The customs of the country of their
several writers, and the idioms and meaning of the words in which the
mind of the spirit has been communicated, must be understood by the
interpreter of the sacred text. This expository method of preaching
is sometimes called lecturing. It is more difficult, if it be well done,
than the topical essay kind of preaching; but I doubt not far more
agreeable to God, who hath placed the chief honor on his word as his
instrument for converting men from error. Earnest, pointed, practical
exposition was without doubt the primitive mode of preaching. It was
thus Ezra preached. He read the law and then caused the people to
know its meaning. The blessed Saviour stood up and read out of the
Jewish Scriptures, and then sat down and taught the people the true
meaning of what lie«had read. It was.thus Philip preached to the
Eunuch, and in like manner we find that Paul and the other apostles
were daily engaged in expounding the Scriptures to the people in the
synagogues. The Reformers and the most eminent and useful ministers
of Christ in past ages have been able doctrinal, expository preachers of
the Word. This mode of preaching has this advantage, that the minis¬
ter always has his subject before him, and in going through a book by
chapter and verse, all sorts of characters are spread out before him, and
all manner of opinions, so that he has an opportunity of striking home
every kind of errour, without seeming to aim his discourses at particular
personB ih his congregation. It may be best, sometimes, for a pastor to
use but a single text as the theme of his discourse; but the fullness and
the righness, the profitableness and the mellowness of his ministrations
will depend upon his acquaintance with, fondness for, and ability in
expounding the whole volume of God's truth. Its promises, threat-
enings, doctrines and precepts, rewards and punishments are set forth
best when preached in the order of the spirit of God. If a minister of
the Gospel, through ignorance or indolence, or for the want of courage,
smother up the light that is given him—if he do not preach and cause
his hearers to understand the great truths of Revelation, he is a traitor
11
to his sovereign or totally unfit for his mission. The burden of the
Lord on the minister, who stands on the Apostle's platform, will always
be " Repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ." " Christ the
wisdom of God and the power of God." " Of God Christ is made unto
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and complete redemption."
4thly. On the Apostle's platform Christ is set forth as the minister's
model in the manner as well as the matter of preaching. The minister
of the Gospel, who knows nothing but Christ and Him crucified will
strive to imitate the Son of God in his humility, piety and zeal. Our
Lord had all wisdom and power, yet never was there one so /neek and
unassuming. He never exerted his omnipotence for display, nor for
His own personal comfort. He who was in the form of God, and
thought it not robbery to be equal with God took upon himself, the form
of a servant—humbled himself—emptied himself of his ineffable glory—
and became a man—a man of sorrows and of sufferings, obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. The minister of Christ, therefore, is
not to preach himself, but Christ Jesus the Saviour of sinners. He is not
to preach his own fancies or sentiments, but the words of eternal life.
"We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, the unsearchable
riches of Christ." There may be—there will be differences and diver¬
sities as to the form and manner in which Divine truths are presented
by preachers of the Word ; yet Christ must ever be the centre in which
all the lines of Truth meet. The preacher of the word may command
the wealth of history, the powers of eloquence and the charms of
rhetoric—splendid talents, varied and profound attainments, great
learning and untiring research, and the more knowledge of men and
things, of learning sacred and profane he can lay under tribute, the
better able is he to be useful, but like the wise men from the East, he
must lay all his talents and attainments at the feet of Jesus. If he
speak in " thoughts that breathe and words that burn," let it be of
Christ, the brightness of His Father's glory, and the express image of
His person—the Lord Jehovah, our strength and Righteousness.
The Apostle Paul, 011 the great platform laid down by himself, is an
example to be Well studied and followed. He had talents to shine in
the Senate, or to rule in the Sanhedrim—genius and position to have
been among the first men in his nation; but, the only pre-eminence he
desired after his conversion, was a pre-eminence in suffering and in
devotion to the glory of His Divine master. See Acts xx: 1*7, 27. Paul
was a preacher of free grace—a doctrinal, argumentative, earnest, prac¬
tical preacher. He brought logic and rhetoric and philosophy and the
12
heathen classics, and a well trained and powerful mind to the cross of
Christ, and baptized them all into his blood. The prominent, the chief
topic in all his discourses and in all "his epistles, .is free grace. How
often do we hear him acknowledge his indebtedness to redeeming love.
He seems never to weary of the theme, nor to have been ashamed of
his obligations. By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of
yourselves ; it is the gift of God, was with hhn, a sort of stereotyped
address. He exulted in the obligations laid upon him as a sinner saved
by free grace. He speaks of i as undeserved, unexpected, and when
first revealed to him undesired. He says it came to him from the
highest Heavens, arrested him in his career of impiety' and persecution,
and made known to him a saviour. Free, sovereign grace is the
affecting theme that melts his heart, elevates his powers, and tunes his
tongue to praise—which dissolves his whole soul in tenderness and pours
out the deep emotions which heaved his bosom. He could say by experi¬
ence : It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. The
grandeur of his mind ; the amplitude and strength of his intellect; his
moral courage ; his heroic devotion, his patience in suffering; his powerful
genius; his decision of character ; his fixedness of purpose ; his elo¬
quence and zeal—all give him a prominence in the ministry of God's
dear Son, that well entitle him to the study and careful imitation of all
Christ's preaching servants. Who more powerful, massive, clear and
overwhelming in argument than Paul with the subtle and vain philoso¬
pher ? Who more terrible in dealing out the thunders of Jehovah and
sounding forth the trumpe -tongued curses of Sinai against gainsayers
and all the ungodly tribe, who refuse free grace ? And yet never was
there a more tender and affectionate son of consolation in his discourses
to the timid disciple. He knew better than any other man how to wind
his way into the human soul—44 how to coil around its most sacred
affections—how to explore the secret place of tears, and to putin motion
all its kindest sympathies." But, it is when he speaks of the fulness,
depth, length and breadth of free grace, whereof he was a minister,
and an Apostle both to Jew and Gentile, that he looms higher and
shines more gloriously than on any other subject. Here all his powers
of intellect, and all his feelings are concentrated. He declares unhesi¬
tatingly that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was exceeding abun¬
dant—and that he had obtained it for this end,, that in him, first the
Saviour might show forth, all long suffering to them, who should believe
on Him, to life everlasting. He regarded himself as a monument in-
18
scribed with: There is forgiveness with God. He tells us, moreover,
that his ministry was marked with many tears. I have often thought
of the Apostle in tears. I have tried to imagine how he must have
looked when preaching free grace in tears. There is something peculi¬
arly affecting, tender and sublime in the tears of an Apostle. But
wherefore, O thou man of God, these "many tears?" Did he weep
before the Jewish Sanhedrim, or before the Roman Governor? Did he
weep when he was shipwrecked—when he was put in prison—when he
was scourged—when he was stoned and taken up half dead—or when
he was in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, or in perils of
false brethren, or when he was carried to Rome and appeared before
Nero, and under sentence of death, or when taken to the block to be
beheaded ? No, my brethren, there is no record of any tears from Paul
on any of these occasions. But he does tell us expressly, that none of
these things move me; nor do I count my life any thing, only that I
may finish with joy the ministry of the Lord Jesus. For I am now
ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith :
henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.
The fountain of his tears was sealed up too deep to flow on his own
account. But the great deeps of his heart were broken up, when he
saw his countrymen rejecting the only Messiah—when he saw his fel¬
low-men rejecting free grace—putting away from them the only words
of eternal life. Having a full view of the completeness and glory of the
Gospel, and of the terrors of the Lord, and the awful destruction that
awaits the finally impenitent from the presence of the Lord, he could
not refrain from tears. Now the eyes that knew no tears while he stood
in chains before a Roman governor, nor when he was sentenced to death
by the bloody Nero, are suffused and overflowing. Brethren, my heart1 s
desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. He
was willing to be accursed after the manner of Christ, for his brethren's
saffes. Like the prophet, he Avas ready to exclaim, " Oh that my head
were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day
and night for the slain of the daughter of my people." Whitfield and
many other eminent servants of God have not been able to refrain from
rears when pleading with sinners to be reconciled to God.
5thly. For a minister of the Gospel to stand on the platform of know¬
ing nothing but Christ and Him crucified, is, as the dying Rutherford
said to his felloAv presbyters: " To do all for Christ; to pray for Christ,
study and preach for Christ; feed the flock committed to your charge
14
for Christ; to visit and catechise for God, and out of love to the souls
of men, and to beware of men-pleasing." In a word, it is to make
Christ the all in all of his ministry—the soul of all Christian graces,
ordinances and sacraments. Psalms and hymns, spiritual songs, prayers
and sermons, baptism and the holy supper are nothing without Christ.
He gives them all their value. Christ, my brethren, is the subject of
all our preaching—the ground of argument, the magazine of arms, and
the great motive of persuasion. He is all that we want to give peace
to the conscience, strength to the feeble, patience and courage to the
suffering. He is all that is wanted to purify the affections, and loosen
us from earth, and lift us up to Heaven. Christ formed within us the
hope of glory; will be followed by the setting of our affections on
things that are above. If we preach the law, it is that it may be a school¬
master to bring our fellow-men to Christ, the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth. If we preach repentance, it
is because Christ is exalted to the right hand of God, to be a Prince
and a Savior to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins—
that repentance should be preached everywhere in his name. Do we
preach faith ? It is because Christ is the author, object, and finisher
of faith. And if as faithful men, who cannot shun to declare the whole
counsel of God, we preach the torments of Hell, it is to warn men of
the wrath to come, and induce them to flee to Christ as a glorious
refuge. And when we preach the joys of heaven, it is to allure to that
bright world—to encourage sinners to fly to Christ, who is the way to
the inheritance of the Saints in glory. As ministers we are Avithout
occupation, commission, authority, subject or hope of succsss, except as
we realize the presence and authority of Christ. One is our master,
even Christ. It is his commandment to " go into all the world, and
preach the Gospel to every creature." " Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
friut, and that your fruit should remain." All our strength as ministers
of the Gospel is from Christ. Paul and Apollos, Calvin and Edwards,
are nothing without him. He giveth the increase. As the clouds from
which the rain descends have not that rain in themselves, but derive it
from the sea and various moist places of the earth, and then disperse it
abroad ; so all the efficacy of the Gospel which is preached, is derived
from Jesus Christ, who is the overflowing fountain of all that is good
and holy. The treasure is committed to earthen vessels that the ex¬
cellence of the power may be of God.
With two remarks, I close this discourse.
15
And the First is this, that to be a minister of the Gospel of the
the Lord Jesus Christ is to bear an awful and fearful responsibility. No
man should take this office upon himself unless he is called of God to it.
And then he should ever bear in mind that he is set to watch for souls
as one that must give an account to the judge of quick and dead in the
light of eternity. Christ's ascension gift is not nuncios, popes and car¬
dinals ; nor clergymen, nor assemblies, nor vicar generals, nor rabbis,
nor Ulemans, nor reverend, nor right reverends, but bishops or pastors
to feed the people with knowledge and understanding. Of all things
clerical, pride and pomp and hypocrisy are the most contemptible.
What can be more melancholy than to see a man who is set between
the living and the dead—a mouth for God—himself a poor sinful man,
converted and saved by free grace, and honored with the ministry of re¬
conciliation, so far forgetting his high calling as to compliment himself
in the pulpit, and be far more anxious to show himself off, than to win
souls to heaven by preaching Christ and Him crucified ?
The second remark is, that in proportion to the divine authority at¬
tached to the living ministry of the Word, is the responsibility on the
part of the hearers of preachers of the Gospel, to take heed how and
what they hear. As men sent of God to preach the Gospel of His
grace, their authority is from heaven. In preaching Christ and Him
crucified, they speak not their own words, but the words of God. If you
receive their message, you shall inherit eternal life; if you reject it, you
reject the offer of pardoning mercy from your eternal Judge. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; and he that believeth not shall
be damned.
May the ever blessed head of the Church multiply grace upon
grace to you, my ^eloved brethren, and enable him, whom you
have called to be your pastor, and who is now set over you in the Lord,
so to live and labor and preach from the glorious platform of the prophets
and apostles, and of the noble army of martyrs, and of saints, that he
may both save himself and those that hear him. May he be a burning
and a shining light among you many years. May he be full of faith
and of the Holy Ghost—mighty in the Scriptures—showing unto you
the way of salvation—and when he stands before you at the judgment
seat of Christ, may his sentence be : Well done, thou good and faithful
servant, enter thou vrith this thy flock into the joy of thy Lord.'
Amen, and Amen,
16
CHARGE TO THE PASTOR BY REV. S. WOODBRIDGE.
In addressing tb you, by the appointment of Presbytery, the custom¬
ary charge on this occasion, permit me, first of all, to greet you on these
heights of Zion as a brother beloved.
The Christian ministry, like the Sabbath and the Christian sacraments,
is a divine institution. The Saviour of mankind, having consummated
by his death on the cross the expiatory sacrifice necessary to render the
forgiveness of sin practicable, -without infringement upon the moral per¬
fections and government of God, before re-ascending to the glory which
he had with the Father antecedently to his humiliation in the flesh,
assigned the promulgation of the glad tidings of salvation to the eleven
apostles and their successors in office through all time. " Go ye into
all the world," said he, " and preach the Gospel to every creature ; he
that believetli and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not
shall be damned; and lo ! I am with you always till the end of the
world." In this commission, neither the work designated, nor conse¬
quently the promise annexed, is restricted to a favored portion of the
clergy invested with special prelatical powers, but appertains alike to
all authorized ambassadors of Christ, to all who preach and baptize.
As a minister of Christ, entering upon a new and important field of
effort, we solemnly charge you—
To take heed uiito thyself. Although the treasure of the Gospel is
committed to earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of God and not of men; still the usefulness and success of a minister de¬
pend in no small degree upon his personal qualifications and deport¬
ment. A clear head and a good heart are essential. When Jeroboam,
the son of Nebat, the king known to fame as he who " made Israel to
sin," was desirous of introducing a spurious idolatrous worship among
his subjects, the worship of golden calves, it is said by the sacred his¬
torian that he made priests of the lowest of the people—thus enlisting
ignorance and vulgarity as co-adjutors in his unholy enterprize. His
moral turpitude did not prevent his discerning the connection between
cause and effect in'this matter—like priest like people.
Give yourself to reading and meditation. LSt the Bible be your text¬
book; and, through the medium of its revelations, as a glass to
strengthen and clarify your vision, contemplate all other objects. In
the light derived from this source, God appears in all his works—crea-
17
tioo beaming with his glory—Providence the development of his pur¬
poses and attributes. Let the morning and the noonday sun—the even¬
ing and the midnight lamp—shine upon :hose hallowed pages, while
with unwearied assiduity you cull the diamonds, the precious gems of
truth which lie scattered in inexhaustible profusion through this El
Dorado of wealth unknown.
Knowledge, however, without charity, can profit little; therefore
guard your hearty for out of it are the issues of life. Know thyself
is a proverb of antiquity never stale, never to be forgotten. Impartially
examine your desires and affections bv the Word of God. The study
of your own heart will inevitably lead to a full conviction of the neces¬
sity of a divine influence to insure the purity of your purposes and mo¬
tives. No worldly adversity will so soon drive the Christian to the
throne of grace, as a simple recognition of the innumerable spiritual
foes which lurk amidst the windings of his own depraved nature. " 0
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death." Meanwhile, the spirit of self-justification lies at the foundation
of nearly all false systems of theology. Assuming their own heart to
be the standard of rectitude, the law of God is qualified by self righteous
errorists to suit the palate of human pride. Intoxication is the result,
and the inebriate fancies he is every inch a king. Is he not perfect ?
In your walk and conversation, as a disciple and servant of Christ,
imitate Christ. Live above the world, not below it. Ever bear in mind
that you occupy an elevation far in advance of all that the world calls
great or honorable. To you the riches, honors, pomp of earth are chil¬
dren's toys, or rockets that explode in smoke. The men of this world
walk in their transient, flickering light—you in the light of eternity—
they wander and trifle, among graves concealed from their sight—to you
the stone is rolled away from the sepulchre, the door is open ; their hopes
terminate here, yours above.
In your official capacity, as a prominent duty you are to -preach the
Word. By the foolishness of preaching, it pleases God to save them
that believe. To fill acceptably and profitably this department of your
commission, strict attention is required both to the matter and the
manner.
The burden of an evangelical preacher's message is "Christ and Him
crucified." It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! With the plan of
salvation, however, by Christ, are connected numerous topics for illus¬
tration—man's need of a Saviour, which is shown by comparing the
3
18
human heart with the precepts of the moral law in their spirituality and
extent—the sufficiency of Christ to meet the claims of that violated law,
which is developed in the analysis of his character, and his various
offices as prophet, priest, and king—the entire circle of the divine per¬
fections—the justice, benevolence, mercy and truth of God, which are
portrayed and confirmed in the plan of redemption ; the duties connec¬
ted with discipleship, and the endless reivards awaiting the righteous, to¬
gether with the fearful consequence of unbelief—these open a field so ex¬
tensive and fruitful that, without encumbering the pulpit by the intro¬
duction of foreign themes, our only difficulty consists not in finding,
but in selecting subjects for presentation. " The wide, the unbounded
prospect lies before you."
Both the glory of Christ, and the safety of souls, require in all your
ministrations an unshrinking adherence to the doctrine of justification
by faith alone. Every other system allows to man a portion of the merit
which secures salvation to the believer. That merit is all Christ's. He
bore onr sins in his own body on the tree. The Jews stumbled at that
stumbling stone, and to the Greeks it was foolishness; and in modern
days, the doctrine is confounded with anti-nomianism, as if being in
Christ and born of the spirit did not constitute a new creature. The
believer loves to obey his divine master. As Christ's freeman he serves
God, not because the service is meritorious, but because lye loves God.
The world has troops of Saviours—morality, sincerity, zeal, bodily ex¬
ercise, nervous spasms, intercourse with familiar rapping spirits—even
ignorance is supposed by many to be an adequate remedy for the ruin
of the apostacy—all physicians of no value. Christ is a safe substitute
for sinners who repose their trust in him, but substitutes for Christ are
damnable. Other 'foundation can no man lay than that which is laid.
As to the manner of exhibiting truth, you are to seek out acceptable
words—you are to be ardent, affectionate, in meekness instructing such
as oppose themselves. Be sincere, and speak as if you were so. Think,
and write and preach to be understood. Sharpen the nail in your study ;
in the pulpit drive it home upon the hearer's conscience.
The apostle Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, utters a warn¬
ing against admitting to Christian communion and' fellowship, individu¬
als by him designated metaphorically as wood, hay and stubble. In
seasons of special religious excitement many delusive hopes are enter¬
tained, which with the excitement pass away like bubbles, occasioned
by the agitation of waters—vanishing with the cause that produced
them, A public profession of religion in such cases must terminate
19
either in ex-communication, or the party will retain a standing among
the followers of Christ,, having a name to live when spiritually dead.
Sad dilemma! amputation of the limb or mortification of the body.
It may indeed be urged that if we do not receive these persons, other
denominations will. So be it. Such additions are a lifeless incumbrance
to any church; and such accessions furnish no evidence of the useful¬
ness or success of a minister. Every plant, says Christ, which my
heavenly father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
Pastoral visitation—going from house to house after the manner of
the apostles—is owned of Grod in frequent instances of conviction, and
conversion among the careless and unconcerned, and in the increase of
holiness and zeal in believers. Personal appeal reaches the heart with
a force scarcely to be expected from public addresses. What is said to
us as individuals is felt to apply directly to ourselves, while truth thrown
broadcast over a congregation is too often like the seed by the wayside,
which the birds of the air picked up. In the performance of this duty,
moreover, the pastor becomes acquainted with the circumstances and
states of mind, and necessities of his flock, and is thus enabled in his
sermons to furnish to each of his hearers a portion of milk or of meat in
due season.
The painful duty, alas! often devolves on the minister of Christ, to
enter the chambers of Bickness and of death, houses of mourning and
lamentation. The death bed of a believer, indeed, is not unfrequently
bright with the divine presence, enriched with an illumination from para¬
dise, rendering the scene anything but depressing; it exhilarates, it
quickens faith, it animates hope. It is good to be there ; and we feel
that it is a privilege to wear out life and all our energies in diffusing a
religion whose influence can thus dissipate the heavy fogs that over¬
hang and enshroud the grave. But ah! the gasp of agonised impeni¬
tence on the verge of eternity ! The harvest past, and the summer
ended, and the soul not saved—a sou!, too, my brother, committed to
your care. The moveless features of the corpse, typifying the fixed con¬
dition of the departed soul in the other world, are enough to set in
motion all the whips and stings of conscience, and to drive the madden¬
ed spirit of an unfaithful minister to the depths of remorse, if not of de¬
spair. Assuredly by your fidelity you will save yourself from such
wretchedness! No; if sinners perish, let it not be through your ne¬
glect.
In your intercourse with your brethren of the ministry, and in all
transactions where their interests are involved, you will uniformly labor
20
to strengthen and increase their influence; to the extent of your ability
will cheerfully assist them in their work; and as you are one with them
in profession and employment, will be one with them in feeling and in
effort.
Give yourself wholly to the work. However justifiable and even
praise-worthy it may have been, through the necessity existing in their
times, for the apostles to engage in secular pursuits among the heathen,
that necessity, in a Christian country, when established churches are
able to sustain their pastors, can hardly be supposed to remain. A
faithful minister has enough to do and to occupy his mind without dab¬
bling in temporalities; and a wise people will prefer supplying their
spiritual purveyor with the bread that perisheth, to being fed, on the
Sabbath, with the mouldy refuse of old trains of thought, whose unction,
if indeed they ever had any, has long since been absorbed in the lust of
pecuniary gain. Love of fame—a desire to be known and talked about,
literature, politics, and other kindred worldly concernments, may and
often do divert the servants of Christ from their legitimate employ¬
ments.
While general encyclopedic knowledge is necessary to extensive use¬
fulness, great care must be observed lest the servant become the master.
We need indeed ever to be on our guard, lest at unawares we fall into
the snare of the tempter. We are not " to entangle ourselves with the
affairs of this life, if we would please Him who has called us to be
soldiers."
The trials incident to the ministry are many and various ; trials of
the heart, of the closet, of the study, of the pulpit; trials from false
brethren; from ignorant brethren ; from heretical brethren; from breth¬
ren of one idea, and that idea not Christ and Him crucified ; from sedi¬
tious, self-willed, disorderly brethren; from assuming ambitious brethren;
from anonymous brethren, " who bray among bushestrials from the
heedlessness, the stupidity, the recklessness of impenitinent sinners,
who set at nought the counsel of God, and, by thus exposing their
souls to endless death, assail the. faith, provoke the patience, and ag-
ravate the feelings of their religious instructor. But let none of these
things move you. Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord ; in due tine you shall reap, if you faint not.
Corresponding to the arduous and self-denying duties of the mini¬
stry, are its motives, encouragements, and consolations. If you ascend
into heaven they are there, where God is and where Christ is, at his
right hand, and where the redeemed from among men, saved by the
21
foolishness of preaching, have entered into the joy ol their Lord; if you
descend into hell they are there, where lost souls, in an unceasing, end¬
less moan, bewail their mis-improvement of the Gospel message, and
curse the memory of the temporising worldly ambassador of Christ;
if you take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the earth, they are there for all the priceless souls of all the millions
of the human race in all climes, in one universal chorus of death
groans—groans of moral spiritual death—implore, command the herald
of the cross to " cry aloud and spare not," while yet the door of mercy
is open. Meanwhile the trumpet of eternity from the other side of
Jordan, with its deep unvarying tone, sounds from morn to night, and
from night to morn, through successive weeks and months and years
and ages, summoning mortals to their great account—forever telling
the consequences (yet untold) connected with the Christian ministry.
Amid these stirring scenes and incitements, there comes a voice from
the throne : " Lo I am with you; my grace is sufficient for you; I
will never leave nor forsake you; you can do all things through, Christ,
who strengtheneth you; they that turn many to righteousness, shall
shine as the brightness of the firmament and as the stars, forever and
ever."
What can you ask more ? If the Lord be for us, who shall be
against us. In a little while you will meet the people of your charge in
other circumstances in another world. What you now sow, you will
then reap. What a rich harvest! How invitingly it waves and bends
to welcome the inheritor to the reward. O my brother, work while
the day lasteth ; the season of toil will soon be over, and then comes
the harvest home.
CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE.
My Christian Brethren :
The relation you have now formed, involves on your part important
duties.
Their nature you are supposed to have considered solemnly and ma*
turely.
Yet our excellent form of government enjoins that, on this occasion,
you should be reminded of them.
22
Your Pastor is to be regarded in two lights—as a spiritual ruler and
as a teacher.
In the former character, he has a right to expect a conscientious
and cheerful respect. Upon the nature of the submission which you
owe him in the Lord, there will not be time to dwell.
For the sake of brevity, the present remarks are confined to the
duties on your part, which grow out of his relation as a teacher.
Let me then, in the outset-, call your attention to the fact, that he is
a public teacher.
It is not only true that, if he is a Pastor after God's own heart, he
will feed the people with knowledge and understanding, but it is equally
evident that the chief sphere of his instructions is the sanctuary.
It is in the great congregation that he can scatter light upon the
largest scale. A failure there, is a failure pre-eminently disastrous.
No social habits, no colloquial powers, 110 vivacity of spirit, no parlor
preaching, can compensate a congregation for the loss which it sustains
from a jejune, uninstructive, monotonous pulpit.
Next to personal piety in your Bishop, nothing is so important as
thorough preparation for instructing in the public services of God's
house.
Therefore, he must foregfythe pleasure of seeing his friends at their
homes, as often as he and they desire.
Hundreds, for their spiritual nourishment during the whole week,
depend on the food which they receive from him on the Sabbath. All
these he must not neglect, for the sake of calling upon a few families.
Then, be not exorbitant in your demands for visits.
Pastoral visitation is delightful and indispensable, in its place and
season. But how frequently it should be performed, must be decided
in view of the minister's talents, and the circumstances of his charge.
By the former alone, the decision can properly be made. Complaint or
dictation by the latter are shortsighted and annoying.
Again, though a shepherd must attend to the whole flock, some
members of it may require more care than others.
In one household, he may discover a secret inquirer; in another, a
Christian prone to declension; in a third, a heart bleeding with wounds
which are disclosed to none but a spiritual physician. On these, and
other accounts, the best interests of the church may demand that he
should make a distinction. His reasons for doing so must not at all
times be blazed abroad. Consequently, his friends should honor him
with a degree of confidence sufficient to prevent words or feelings of
jealousy and envy.
Yet again, it should be remembered by all that the apostolic injunc¬
tion to every religious teacher is, "give thyself wholly to these things."
In order to his opportunity for obeying this injunction, his congregation
should relieve him from pecuniary care. The world and his own con¬
science require him to be honest; nay, to avoid the appearance of dis¬
honesty. But he cannot meet his engagements, unless his salary be
paid on the very day when due. His comfort and usefulness can be
28
greatly promoted by an energetic, systematic treasurer, and punctual
subscribers.
To no man is it so indispensable that he should live within his in¬
come. Then if time should prove his income to be inadequate, let it be
generously increased. In estimating it, keep in view the fact that he is
not in the market. His position renders it impossible to watch the
prices, and consequently he is unable to live as economically as others.
As far as your obligation is concerned, he merits not only a living, but
a liberal competency. By no man is it more fully earned. His is the
most laborious profession in the world. Hot only the week, but the
very Sabbath (which gives others a respite) is spent in unrelnxed and
solicitous exertion. Therefore, his people should blush at a calculation
of his mere necessary expenses. They should so furnish him, as to
exempt his heart from worldly anxiety, and enable him to pursue his
studies with au unincumbered mind—to increase his library, so as to
keep pace with the progress of the age—and to extend that hospitality
which is enjoined on every Bishop.
That he may give himself wholly to these things, it is also advisable
to relieve him from all services which are not essential to his office.
The Presbytery have been exceedingly gratified by the zeal recently
manifested in this congregation. We hope it will abound more and more.
The field has peculiarities which suggest the necessity for much foundation
work—much gathering together of material. Let not this burden fall
entirely on your Pastor.
His great employment should be the acquiring of knowledge by study
and prayer, and the dispensing of it by preaching and pastoral visita¬
tion. These are sufficient to absorb his whole attention, and his whole
time and his whole heart. Append not those executive details, which
others can perform as effectually as himself. Allow him not to shrink
from the proposing of important measures, because he is unable to de¬
vote his own time and energies to their accomplishment. Let your for¬
wardness in every labor of love authorize him to start any enterprize,
with the full confidence that co-workers will achieve it, without re¬
quiring him to leave his appropriate sphere.
The Scriptures inform us that a Bishop mu9t have a good report of
them that are without.
That good report is in the hands of his church. Unfortunately, it
is often destroyed by the thoughtless remarks of his best friends.
No man is faultless. Nor can the least foible be made a topic of
frequent remark, without assuming an exaggerated importance. If you
would not lower your pastor, in the respect and confidence of your
children and friends—if you would not neutralize his sermons—beware,
both in domestic and social intercourse, of unnecessary allusion to his
real or fancied, his public or private foibles. Be as careful of his repu¬
tation, as you would if he were a relative in your own sacred family
circle.
Finally, permit me to suggest the importance of keeping constantly
in view tne duty of encouraging your spiritual guide.
24
The incessant draught upon his mental resources and his sympathies,
creates a liability to nervous depression. His sense of responsibility is
sometimes overwhelming; the perception of the evidence that those
whom he addresses are spiritually deaf, is often disheartening. I admit
he ought to find, in his direct communion with God. sufficient to sustain
and cheer him, independently of social influences. But God has not
formed us thus independent. Ordinarily, the depressed are, to a cer¬
tain extent, thrown upon their fellow-men for animation. Nor can a
Pastor dispense with the cordials which his people can impart.
You can do much to cheer him. Without uttering a word, you
can convince him that his labors are appreciated. This can be done
partly by regularity in attending upon his instructions. Leave not your
own minister for any other, who may be preaching elsewhere at the same
hour. Let no inadequate excuse of weather, business, visiting engage¬
ments, or bodily indisposition, detain you from the Sabbath services.
the weekly lecture or prayer meeting.
Your absence will render your compliments valueless and disgusting;
Your uninterrupted presence will animate him more than the highest
eulogy.
The cheering effect will be increased by showing that you profit by
his teaching.
Then hear not with indifference, but with earnest attention; not with
fastidious criticism and cavilling pride, but " receive with meekness the
engrafted word." Be not forgetful hearers, but doers of the Word.
So live that he can perceive your growth in grace, and can point to
you as "living epistles" of his ministry. Such visible evidence, that
he has not labored in vain nor spent his strength for nought, will
stimulate his diligence, and cause him to rejoice with joy unspeakable.
And permit me to add, this course will be pleasing not only to your
earthly shepherd, but to the Great Shepherd and Bishop of souls.
Only a few years can elapse before the link of connection formed
this night shall be severed.
Pastor and people shall be separated by death. They must part, to
meet no more till they confront each other at the bar of final judgment.
If he shall have been faithful, he shall then give his account with
joy, and not with grief.
Shall it then appear that he has been to all of you a savor of life unto
life?
Can it be, that to any of you this beloved pastor shall prove a savor
of death unto death !
God forbid ?
May he so preach, and may you so hear, that at the sound of the
Archangel's trump, you and lie may rise with the dead in Christ, to
lift your voices on Mount Zion, with the General Assembly of the
church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven.
Amkx.