•T. THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST PREACHER,I OR, SERMONS BY LIVING BAPTIST MINISTERS IN THE SOUTH. No. 12. ( , EDITED BY WILLIAM H. STOKES PENFIELD, GA. PRINTED BY BENJAMIN BRANTLY. NOVEMBER, 1841. m l A DISCOURSE BEFORE THE AMERICAN BAPTIST HOME MISSION SOCIETY DELIVERED AT THEIR ANNUAL MEETING, HELD IN THE CAL VERT-STREET BAPTIST CHURCH, IX THE CITY OF BALTIMORE, APRIL 27, 1841. BY STEPHEN CHAPIN, D. B. President of Columbian College, D. C, PUBLISHED BY REQUEST 07 THE SOCIETY. ADVERTISEMENT It fs due to the Author to say, that the text was selected, and the plan of the following Sermon was settled, before he ever heard of the Essay fentitled, *« God's Hand in America," by the Rev. George B. Chepver, of New-York, ,and that nearly every p%e of it was written out as it was delivered, before lie had the pleasure of reading that work. DISCOURSE. "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."—Romans 10: 1. Paul was a great man. In nothing did he discover his greatness more fully than in taking comprehensive views of moral causes, of the influence which individuals, or bodies of men, may have upon the rest of their species. As a patriot, he loved his own na¬ tion ; but as a christian philanthropist, he loved them still more.— He rejoiced that God had given them the best means for religious improvement; but he rejoiced still more in knowing that these means were bestowed upon them, that they might become blessings to all the other families of the earth. He knew it was not on account of their superior merit or numbers, that God had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt; had revealed to them the oracles of truth; had settled them in the land of promise; had established among them his throne and his worship; but that he might perform the oath which he sware unto their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the substance of which was, that true religion should be preserved among them, and by their agency be ultimately commu¬ nicated to all other nations. And his sorrow in view of their rejection, was mitigated by the belief that it was not universal, nor yet final, and that even their fall was to be the riches of the Gen¬ tiles, while their future restoration was to be as life from the dead. It was under the influence of these benevolent feelings, and these enlarged conceptions, that he was led to say, " I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren; my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and •the promises." He could hardly endure the thought that a nation, .bearing this most honorable name—Princes of God, long favored •with the symbolical presence of Jehovah, chosen and qualified to be benefactors to the human race, and from whom the Saviour of the world descended, should be cut off" from the benefits of the new dispensation, and to save them from so heavy a doom, he was willing to endure any personal sufferings, even death itself, in its most painful and ignominious form. No wonder, then, that he prayed so fervently for their salvation. We, too, have weighty and peculiar reasons, why it should be our heart's desire and prayer to God, that our beloved iw i i • >n should be saved. We know that the conversion of one nation i hristianity, idependently considered, is as desirable as that of anomer of the same population; but still the results of the change might be far more important in one case, than in the other. Suppose that the empire of Burmah, and our SERMON. 159 own country, each containing about seventeen millions of inhab¬ itants, should both become truly christian, would the church look to each with the same high anticipations of aid in her present labors to enlighten and save the world that lieth in wickedness?— No, surely: Whilst the wise and the good in other parts of Christen¬ dom would not look to the former for any signal help, they would turn their eyes to the American Church, in the belief that she is destined to be the chief instrument in bringing every anti-christian nation under the power of the cross. We have, then, important motives to adopt our text, as a prayer for our own nation. I. Because there are strong intimations in Divine Providence, that they are designed to be eminently instrumental in accomplish¬ ing the purposes of mercy. These are seen 1. In their geographical position. The time and the place of the existence of nations, are not left to chance, but they are both fixed in providence, and out of a regard to their spiritual good.— In proof of this we read, " God hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath deter¬ mined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habita¬ tion; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him." Far removed from other civilized nations, we commenced a new order of things, and formed both a civil and an ecclesiastical polity, wholly different from any thing which then existed in Europe. We undertook to found a democratic govern¬ ment, independent of the support of any religious establishment, believing that both the church and the state will flourish best when kept entirely separate. But there are many distinguished states¬ men, especially in countries where the doctrine of legitimacy has long been established, who honestly believe that free institutions can not long be sustained, and that they are not so friendly to the good of man, as hereditary governments. There are others, too, who, however ardently they may desire our success, fear that we shall fail, and that the sun of our Republic will set ingloriously, as has that of her predecessors. There are yet others again, who, from the mere love of power, which they have long enjoyed by prescription, would exult in our defeat, and are watching to improve the first chance to bring it about. Had then the Ameri¬ can colonies, at the time they achieved their independence, been as near the parent country as the provinces of the Netherlands were to Germany and France, when they threw off the Catholic yoke, and formed themselves into a republic, would they long have been able to maintain their liberties ? In such a condition they would have been subdued as rebels, and brought again under the yoke of their old master, or neighboring soverigns would have combined to demolish this new form of government, which threatened the peace of their own kingdoms. But placed far away from the eastern continent, and protected, as we were in our infancy, by the broad Atlantic, we enjoy the most favored situation to prove, by exam¬ ple, that the condition of man is best, both in relation to the present and future state, where civil and religious freedom are the most DH. CHAPIN's fully enjoyed. Now this exhibition had long been the grand de¬ sideratum among the friends of humanity. But where was it to be made ? Not in countries, where princes and prelates were in¬ terested to hush the faintest whisper about the capacity of man for self-direction, and to quench the first stirrings of the spirit of liberty. Hence, all attempts in the old world to sustain republi¬ can governments have proved abortive, disheartening the friends of human rights, and emboldening the advocates of despotism to denounce the principles of free institutions, as utterly inconsistent with human nature. How desirable, then, that every citizen of these United States, should be delivered from the bondage of sin, and imbued with the spirit of Christ. For then they would pre¬ serve with increasing fullness, the blessings of freedom and reli¬ gion, and transmit them to the latest period of time. 2. In the character and extent of our domain. No nation can become numerous and poweiful without adequate means and ample room for expansion. Had the first settlers in this western country found it to be an island, not larger than Belgium or Denmark, they never would have dreamed of independence, or of growing up to rank among the first nations of the earth. Our territory contains about two million two hundred thousand square miles, capable of sustaining a very numerous population. The face of a country, soil, climate and productions, all have influence on national character. With us it is roominess, magnificence in natural scenery, and boundless resources for building up a vast empire, which, together with moral causes, still more efficient, have made our citizens so energetic and aspiring. The abundance and value of our staples, the enterprising character of our citizens, and our facilities for internal and foreign intercourse, shew that we are destined to become a highly commercial people. Nor why should God have assigned us a country so extensive, so fertile, and occu¬ pying the most favorable position for inter-communication with every other quarter of the globe, unless it be his design to make us eminently instrumental in accomplishing his purposes of mercy. In support of this argument we may refer to the history of the Ancient Jews. It was, evidently, the design of God, in making them the subjects of revealed religion, to prepare them to become his agents in propagating it over the Roman empire. Accordingly, he marked out the land of Canaan for them, nearly a thousand years before they entered it, and made its boundaries to embrace a large domain, with reference to their future population, and to the part they were to act in diffusing the blessings of Christianity. In proof of this, we quote the following passage: " When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." When in after time they took possession of this promised inheritance, Jerusalem, their capital, was built not far from the Mediterranean, about midway between Europe and India, and was nearly central, as the earth was then peopled. It was, therefore, from that city, as from a common SERMON. 161 radiating point, that the first heralds of the cross went forth to preach the gospel to every creature. II. We should desire their salvation on account of their religious character. This trait in the Hebrew nation,you will recollect, was one reason why Paul prayed for their conversion. " For," said he, "I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." This zeal he wished to enlist in build¬ ing up the primitive church. For he knew that religious senti¬ ment is the mightiest principle in man. Nor was he singular in this belief. D'Alembert, a celebrated infidel of France, says:— " The new doctrines of the Reformers were defended on one side, and attacked on the other, with that ardor which the cause of God, well or ill understood, is alone able to inspire." Indeed, this be¬ lief is common to the most distinguished heroes, statesmen, and di¬ vines. When they wish to fortify men for the highest sufferings, or to excite them to the most perilous deeds, they never fail to make their last appeal to this passion. The argument now before us was one reason, perhaps, why the Apostle himself was converted. He needed nothing but grace to make him a mighty champion of the cross. He was full of zeal for God, and his native powers, and his resources in learning, were great. When Annanias object¬ ed to him, as a persecuting foe, the Lord said to him, "Go thy way; for he is a chosen vessel unto me." Chosen here expresses per¬ sonal quality, and not the act of election. Christ meant to say to this trembling disciple, "You may dismiss your fears, for the man, whom you so much dread, is, in my sight, an excellent instrument to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." I am aware that we are accused of being an irreligious people, and that in our country the forms and spirit of religion are on the wane. But this accusation rests, I believe, mainly on the fact, that we have no national creed, and that we do not deny political honors, or privileges, either to Deists, Mohammedans, or Jews. But admitting the painful evidence, that infidelity and its native vices exist among us, and that in our midst there are some mistaken politicians, and even divines, too, who are zealously propagating sentiments, which if once generally embraced, would upheave the foundations of our social compact, and scatter them to the winds; still it will be found to be true, that, as a nation, we are distinguished for our zeal and constancy in supporting our religious belief. In no other community is the religious spirit so vigorous and uniform, as in ours. Compare the manner in which the christian Sabbath is here kept, with the observance of it in protestant, or papal Europe; compare the old world, and the new, in reference to the proportionate number of churches, the assem¬ blies they contain, and the character and zeal of the ministers of the altar, and you will find the comparison much in our favor. A foreigner of distinction, De Tocqueville, who spent some time in America, for the sole purpose of becoming acquainted with our institutions, says: " In the United States, on the seventh day of every week, the trading and working life of the nation seems sus- 162 DR. CHAPIN'S pended; all noises cease; a deep tranquillity, say rather the solemn calm of meditation succeeds the turmoil of the week, and the soul resumes possession and contemplation of itself. Upon this day the marts of traffic are deserted; every member of the community, accompanied by his children goes to church, where he listens to strange language which would seem unsuited to his ear. He is told of the countless evils caused by pride and covetousness; he is reminded of the necessity of checking his desires, the finer plea¬ sures which belong to virtue alone, and of the true happiness which attends it. On his return home, he does not turn to the ledgers of his calling, but he opens the book of the Holy Scripture. There he meets with sublime or affecting descriptions of the great¬ ness and goodness of the Creator; of the infinite magnificence of the handiwork of God; of the lofty destinies of man; of his duties; and of his immortal privileges." " Thus it is that the American, at times, steals an hour for him¬ self, and laying aside for a while the petty passions which agitate his life, and the ephemeral interests which engross it, he strays at once into an ideal world, where all is great, eternal and pure."— Another distinguished foreigner, M. Sainte Foi, says: "In the United States, every man must have a religion—we do not say he must have piety—but he must have a name—he must attach him¬ self to some religious association. Every one must have a creed. The very men who push their love of industry, and their fondness for trade to a sort of passion, carry their devotion to their religious opinions to enthusiasm. In the opinion of almost all who have visited America, their zeal for religion is owing to the perfect separa¬ tion which there prevails between church and state." In this hon¬ orable testimony of strangers, to be received with some abatement, there is nothing mysterious. The fact they state may be accounted for by referring to the genius of our government, and to the prin¬ ciples which we have ever cherished as essential to our prosperity, and the preservation of our liberty. Our statesmen, our divines, and our teachers of every grade, from those in the primary school, to those in the highest seat of learning, have ever been teaching us, that the freedom purchased by the blood of our fathers, can be pre¬ served only by the general diffusion of knowledge, and the preva¬ lence of virtue, supported on the doctrines of Christianity. Yea, these doctrines have been so frequently inculcated as essential to our political well being, that we have been accused of making reli¬ gion a mere handmaid to government, rather than using it, as a hallowed power to detach us from earth, and to1 lead us to the contemplation of those things, which concern us as responsible and immortal beings. Now is it not of infinite moment, that the nation embracing these sentiments, and thus recognizing religion as the only ground on which they can rest their hope, should be saved by its vital power? For, then, their learning, their activity and their zeal for the external forms of religion, would be made subservient to nobler ends, and they would feel themselves constrainedly the love of Christ, to publish to the world the design of his death, that he might see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. SERMON. 163 III. Another motive to pray for the salvation of Americans, is found in the peculiar dangers to which they are exposed. They are reached by temptations, more powerful and dangerous than assail any other people. In the breast of man there is a native desire to improve his condition,and thisdesire expands and becomes more ardent and efficient, as he finds himself growing in power to gratify it. In a country, then, where the means of worldly enjoy¬ ment are abundant, where an equality of rights is enjoyed, where science and the useful arts are generally diffused, where hereditary wealth and honors are unknown, where great distinctions in point of property are rare, and where the avenues to pleasure, to wealth, and to national honors, are open to all, there we may expect to find an ambitious and wordly people. This is our condition. Here all may enter the arena of strife for pleasure, or riches, or fame, and the greater number are successful. Here fortunes are easily made, and here, too, individuals from the lowest point of poverty, are daily elevating themselves by their efforts and personal merit to the highest honors in the gift of the nation. These things are continually acting upon us, and their influence is widely prevalent. Hence we have been stigmatized as a money-making, a sordid and boasting nation, almost lost to the finer and nobler feelings of, hu¬ manity. Now, my brethren, what shall be done to render thfese powerful temptations comparatively harmless? They must exist among us in all their strength, for their annihilation would, in truth be the annihilation of our whole political fabric; for they attend the blessings of equality, and the right of self-government. What, again, we ask, can save us from the deadly fascinations of objects of sense ? Will the light of science, the enchantment of letters, or the study of Plato, or of any of the various theories in morals, break the spell of material enjoyments, and make the spirit free to begin its upward flight, for that infinte good which alone can give it final rest? No, surely. It is the preaching of the cross of Christ, that crucifies the world, that makes all the deceptive splendors of earth fade from the view, and captivates the soul with the glories of heaven. We have, then, something to do, besides desiring and praying for the salvation of our American Israel. To effect this, labors, and Sacrifices, are required. But you need not be told what kind of labor is demanded. Would you be instrumental in saving your country, you must do what you can to bring them under the power of the truth as it is in Jesus. Much, to be sure, may be done by primary and high schools, to elevate the character and morals of this people. But mere knowledge, education, however perfect, will never renovate the heart, and redeem man, from the love and guilt of sin. Besides; the process of public education is con¬ tinued for a small part only of the term of life. The child and the youth pass through the course of instruction, and leave the public seats of learning, long before their characters are formed, and habits settled. Who, at this period, are to take up and con¬ tinue the work of moral culture? We must rest our hopes here 164 DR. CHAPIN'S on the spirits of pure Christianity. This, and this alone, as dissem¬ inated by its devoted teachers, will bring about and preserve that state of society, which, in fact, is the greatest of human instru¬ mentalities to educute men, and fit them to answer the end of their existence. You have many motives, my brethren, to animate you in your efforts to diffuse through this country the means of re¬ ligious knowledge, and especially, to impart the consolations of the gospel to the destitute and most suffering portions of society. 1. In doing this, you imitate your Divine Master. He was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, and sent to heal the broken-hearted. And he has taught you, that this object of his mission, is the highest proof that he is the true Messiah. Before his coming, many sages and philosophers had appeared, many celebrated schools had been founded, to instruct mankind. But they had no reference to the multitude, sunk in guilt and misery.— They did not deem it possible to shed one cheering ray of hope on their darkness, or infuse one drop of consolation into their cup.— Age after age rolled away, and nothing was done to raise them from their degradation—nothing to fit them for rational enjoyment, or to fortify them against the ills and temptations of life. And no redeeming power would ever have reached them, had not the Son of God been sent from heaven, to preach to them glad tidings—that gospel which only can give them life and consolation. 2. You will best promote foreign missions. To spread the gospel where idolatry and superstition have long prevailed, is a perilous and costly enterprise. And no one should engage in it without ap¬ propriate and eminent qualifications. The Saviour, therefore, en¬ dowed the primitive church at Jerusalem with miraculous powers, and large measures of the spirit, and promised that, while she was engaged in this work, he would ever be present, with all the pow¬ ers of heaven and earth at his command, to shield and prosper her. As there is a necessary connection between a lively state of religion in the church, and her zeal in spreading it on every hand, the spirit of inspiration prompts her to pray, " God be merciful unto us, and bless us ; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations/' knowing that the church cannot give, what she does not possess, and that she will never labor to spread among others, what she herself does not enjoy. The truth of this is confirmed by the entire history of missions. Why was the word of the Lord sound¬ ed out from the church at Thessalonica, not only to Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place ? It was because the gospel came to them, not in word only, but also in power, in much assurance, and with joy in the Holy Ghost. Look abroad over Christendom at the present day, and you will find that those churches which are most frequently blessed with powerful revivals, and which exhibit the best evidence of eternal life and purity, uniformly give, other things being equal, the most money, and supply the greatest num¬ ber of men for the missionary service. Christ was a missionary, and he constituted a missionary -church, and charged her, as he SERMON, 165 ascended into heaven, to publish to every creature the good news, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, might not perish, but have ever¬ lasting life. No one, then, can be a true disciple of his, who does not possess a missionary spirit. While, therefore, my brethren, you labor to evangelize our own people, and while by your fer¬ vent prayers, you call down divine influences to revive all the churches in this country, you are, in fact, taking the best course to obtain missionaries for pagan lands. For every soul converted by your agency, will, in some way aid this cause. Redeeming love shed abroad in his heart, binds him to the whole human family. In his spirit, there is now nothing excluive; nothing sectional. He knows that Christ, in making his soul an offering for sin, had equal respect to every race of man, of every climate and of every color. Disregarding all differences of language, of manners, and of character, he feels himself constrained by the love of Christ, to embrace men of all nations as his brethren and neighbors. For he thus judges, that if Christ died for ail, then were all dead, and all equally need the gift of life. Instead of the narrow spirit of patriot¬ ism, or sect, he is now animated by love to Christ, and to the hea¬ then in the uttermost parts of the earth, as his purchased inheritance —a sentiment more noble and inspiring than any other that agitates the human heart—the sentiment which actuated Brainard, and Swartz, Carey, and Martyn. Yes! if protestant ministers now possessed the zeal and the spirit of the Catholic Xavier, the king¬ doms of this world would soon become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ. 3. Your labors to supply the feeble churches, and to form new ones among us, is the surest way to increase and perpetuate all our national blessings. As our institutions are based on virtue and knowledge, they must ilnless they are constantly nourished by these elements, go to decay, and terminate in anarchy, or despot¬ ism. What if we, after the example of England, neglect to preach the gospel to the poor, and to furnish the great mass of the com¬ munity with the means of knowledge, must we not ere long be brought into a peril, which now threatens that ancient kingdom? The common people there know that they are oppressed, and that they have been neglected in religious and moral instruction. And this neglect on the part of those who have the key of knowledge, and the means of relief, is the true cause of their present troubles. Yes, it is emphatically.the origin of Chartism—that vast and stor¬ my ocean, which will continue to rage until it sweeps away both the established church and the government, unless it be hushed by that Almighty power, which stilleth the noise of the seas, and the tumult of the people. This spirit has long existed there, and it is now gathering strength from year to year, and no far-reaching * politician can tell what will be its result. Even now, the failure of a single crop, or that revulsion in the commercial world, which should shut up their shops and their factories, would cause it to break forth, like the long pent fires of a volcano, and overwhelm, VOL. I. 2 166 DH. CHAPIN?S the government in ruin. Nor is the state of things there to be won¬ dered at. For, as a British writer says: "Tens of thousands are living in England, in what it is no exaggeration to call pure heath¬ enism. We speak on the authority of persons well acquainted with the actual condition of our large towns, when we state that enormous masses of our countrymen have not only no spiritual teachers, or no places of worship, but positively know nothing of the faith which they nominally profess; in fact they have afar less positive belief than the generality of the Mohammedans. We will not dwell here on the fearful guilt which as christians, we have hereby incurred; but we ask, can a people, thus unconnect¬ ed by any of the creeds and positive sentiments which bind men together in society, be otherwise than a store-house of crime, impie¬ ty, and rebellion? Is this society? Has the mechanical genius of our age shamed all the generations of the past, by inventing an art of society, which shall have the benefit of all man's animal and me¬ chanical powers, without troubling itself about its moral nature? Is not such heathenism, and worse than heathenism, (for civilized na¬ tions of old would have repudiated such a disgrace,) a reproach that covers England with the deepest shame? This dreadful guilt concerns all." Let us, my brethren, by these portentous facts take warning. By and by our population will be more than five hundred million. Our territory is wide enough, and fruitful enough to sustain them, and in our rapid growth, we shall soon fill it with that number. Now, under God, it lies with our minis¬ ters and churches to say, what shall be the character of this im¬ mense mass of immortal beings, whether it shall be enlightened or ignorant, selfish or benevolent, earthly or spiritual. It°is to these men and communities, that we must look for the salvation of our country. And what proportion of this work belongs to the Bap¬ tists ? "Our denomination comprises more than eio-ht thousand churches, whose communion numbers not less than six hundred and fifty thousand professed christians; and more than three millions five hundred thousand of the citizens of the U. States." If our coun¬ try should be filled with the devotees of a cruel and polluting super¬ stition, or with philosophic and well trained infidels, who can es¬ timate its deadly influence upon the rest of the world, and who would be accountable for such a fatal result ? My brethren I tremble in view of the responsibility resting upon the American churches. What shall we do in the case ? Shall we rely on mere human learning to regenerate our citizens, and make them what they ought to be ? If we cultivate the intellect, and neglect the heart, we shall only train a "set of clever devils," instead of useful members of the community. What if the light of life which God in mercy has put into our hands, be quenched, and in lieu of it we diffuse through our science and literature the poison of pantheism, that spiritual torpedo of the soul, which makes life an illusion, and death the end of personal existence. 4. We should labor to make our country distinguished for the prevalence of evangelical religion, that we may not disappoint SERMON. 167 general expectation. An opinion prevails about as widely as our history is known, that we are to exert a mighty influence upon society. Every where, there are philosophers, philanthropists, and statesmen, and men of letters, who are now gazing with intense interest on our experiment, and view it as the rising hope of the world. Yes; wherever our star-spangled banner is seen floating in the breeze, it is hailed by the subjects of misrule and oppres¬ sion, as the signal of approaching relief. Villers says: "Who can tell what may happen to both worlds from the seducing example of that independence, which the Americans obtained by conquest ? What new position would the world acquire, if that example were followed ? And without doubt, in the end, it will be so."* Says another distinguished writer, Bishop Watson, "America will become the greatest naval power on the globe, and be replenished by migrations of oppressed and discontented people from every part of Europe." Berkely predicted, more than a hundred years ago, the rising greatness of this country, in his celebrated stanzas, on the prospect of planting in it the blessings of Arts and Learning. This impression is deeply fixed in the American breast; and may be justly viewed as an instance of a general truth—That when God raises up an individual, or a people, to be his chief instruments in executing a benevolent purpose, he so orders their circum¬ stances, as that they naturally conceive that its accomplishment is to be their glory and honor; yea, that they feel themselves bound to see it executed by a responsibility'which they cannot shake off. It is characteristic of great men and of great agents, to make a just estimate of their powers and influence, and to be zealous and confident in achieving the work assigned to them. Paul though a modest man, was conscious that he was chief among the apostles, that the care of all the churches rested upon him, and that for their furtherance and joy of faith, it was needful that he should still abide in the flesh. That God should employ our nation to be a distinguished benefactor to the other kingdoms of the earth, is not a groundless opinion. It had its origin in reasoning from anal¬ ogy. The Lord annointed Cyrus, directing all his way before him, breaking in pieces the gates of brass, and cutting in sunder the bars of iron, to enable him to subdue nations, and gain the treasures of darkness and the riches of secret places, becaus e he had charged him to rebuild his house_and city, and let go his cap¬ tive people, without price or reward. He made the Greek and the Roman empires signal instruments in meliorating the state of man, and in subserving the work of redemption. Yea, in the whole history of the world, he so governs human affairs as to give proof, that nations no more than individuals, are to live, or to die, for themselves. They are so linked together in providence, that they mutually act 011 each other; like the different members in the domestic circle. But there are special reasons why this expecta¬ tion should be cherished in relation to the American people. They *"Viller's Reformation of Luther," page 244. 168 DK. CIXAPIN'S have grown up in this new world, a world discovered, too, at a peculiar juncture-'—when religious intolerance raged on the eastern continent, and the oppressed needed a distant asylum, where they might be safe from the hand of oppression, and where they might enjoy what they prized above every earthly good—the right to worship God in their own way. And the empire they here estab¬ lished had not its origin in the love of gain, or of worldly glory; nor yet in civil oppression. It was not the burden of a light tax upon a few pounds of tea, which roused our pilgrim fathers to re¬ sist British power; but the principle upon which it was imposed. We here undertook to establish a government on the basis of hu¬ man right, and to settle the question that man is capable of being ruled by truth and justice, and to refute the old calumny that he can be controlled only by fraud and physical force. Now, must not all who are watching our experiment, be ready to say, that our success or failure will deeply affect the , dearest interest of man, and that, too, in all coming time ? For if we fail to sustain the question, when and where will it again be renewed, with any hope of success? Indeed, our confederacy is a new chapter in the science of government, and forms a distinguished era in the history of the civilized world; for it was founded in a new application of the great mechanical power in politics—free representation. Its rapid growth in every thing that indicates future greatness, is beyond example. The principles which actuated the leaders in our mem¬ orable struggle for the right to tax and govern ourselves, have been imbibed by patriots in other lands, and have produced great changes in government and political relations. They, more, perhaps, than any thing else, occasioned the Revolution in France, and broke up the federative policy of Europe, as settled by the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. Their influence has not yet ceased, but is still vigorous and onward. Indeed, the time since the Declaration of our independence, is chiefly marked as the period of the rise of constitutional governments. Now is it strange, that a system of polity, thus founded, and of this novel character, and one which has already sent out a wide spreading power, though yet in its infancy, should be looked to with intense interest and hope, as the agent destined, in the providence of God, to diffuse those senti¬ ments on the nature and design of government, which shall ■ultimately bring all the powers of the earth into one well balanced and peaceful community of nations? There is yet, also, another class of expectants, different from those who look to our govern¬ ment forpolitical blessings. There are many eminent divines, who believe that on this continent, not only a new world of policy is to grow up, involving in its combinations all the countries of the other regions of the earth, but that here, too, the church will be construc¬ ted according to its primitive model, and be the honored instrument in the hand of God, of returning Christianity to the eastern continent in its full purity and splendor. Says President Edwards: " God has made, as it were, two worlds here below, two great habitable Continents, far separated one from the other. America has received SEHMON. If! 9 a16^1-116 re^^on ^je continent, and Christ was from thence : And it is probable that, in some measure to balance these things, the most glorious renovation ot the world shall have its first seat in, and take its rise from the new continent." But both the church and the world must fail to realize from us what they now anticipate, unless we, as a people, are brought under the abiding power of Christianity. "May we be saved'from the shame and the guilt of blasting such hopes, to a bitter and inglorious disappointment." 5. Another encouragement to labor for the spiritual good of our nation, is found in the tact that in the enterprise of evangelizing the world, we have some peculiar advantages. We have no con¬ stitutional religion. Here every man has perfect liberty to settle his own belief and form of worship. Among us the voluntary system to support the christian ministry is in full play; and its hap¬ py results have disappointed its enemies, and far exceeded the hopes of its warmest friends. Here, the gospel, no longer shack¬ led by civil enactments, lives of herself, and imparts Increasing health to the body politic, thus shewing that, all attempts to aid her in her onwaid march, by human laws, are as absurd as it would be to compel men with sound limbs to use crutches. But in other portions of Christendom, things in this respect, are quite different, especially in Europe. There each government has its own eccle¬ siastical establishment; and the church and the state are so inter¬ woven, that, like the warp and the Aveft, they make but one tex¬ ture. Says the judicious Hooker, "With us, the church and the commonwealth are made up of one and the self-same multitude." Now such a church must in its very nature, be anti-missionary, un¬ less we give up the doctrine that no nation has aright to interfere in the internal regulations of another. Hence many distinguished men in England, both church and laymen, have vigorously oppo¬ sed all attempts to introduce Christianity among the Hindoos.— They have maintained that it was neither right nor politic for gov¬ ernment to do anything that, should interfere with the usages of India, and that as their missionaries were producing this effect, they were pledged to call them home immediately, that they might restore to the natives the fullest confidence, that they were not to be disturbed in their religion, laws, or customs. But our mis¬ sionaries are in no such danger. Free from all state dictation, they go forth preaching the gospel to every creature in obedience to their Master. He intended Christianity to be the religion of the world, and, therefore, gave it a form in which it may be spread without giving offence to any government, as it leaves it to them to modify their form, just as much as they feel themselves bound to do by force of argument. Besides; we, as a nation, are free from the reproach of being guilty of the blood of the martyrs—a stain fixed in the escutcheon of the leading powers of the eastern continent. Protestant Europe have not forgot the bloody scenes in the Netherlands, and the valleys of Piedmont, nor St. Bartholo¬ mew's day, noj the massaere in Ireland, nor the revocation of the edict of Nantzynor the fires of Smithfield. Neither has Japan 170 DR, CHAPIN's forgotten the project of Catholic missions, to overturn their gov¬ ernment. nor the fatal catastrophe, which alone prevented their ambitious triumph. These facts form, and no wonder, quite an impenetrable wall between many idolatrous nations and the chris¬ tian world. But oar chinches are, to a great extent, free from the prejudice which such deeds must excite against all even remotely connected with them. Hence, our mi ^ionaries are more favora¬ bly received, and are more successful than those of any other coonfry. How weighty then themolive to pray that our land might become a mountain of holiness, for then the great Lord of the harvest would multiply, a thousand fold, the most acceptable and influential agents to make known his saving health among all nations. 6. In laboring to spread the spirit of the gospel throughout our highly favored nation, we shall best promote the honor of Christ. His great work on earth is to build up, out of the ruins of the fall, a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom is designed to make known to .principalities and powers in heavenly places, the manifold wisdom of God, and when completed, it will stand as the brightest mani¬ festation of the divine perfections, and will thus forever swell the tide of glory and blessedness through all the ranks of heaven.— Hence it is dear to him, and its extension over the earth is its first ob¬ ject in governing this world. But hitherto it has made but slow pro- g: ess. Individuals only have joined it from time to time. Christ has not yet been honored by receiving the spiritual homage of any whole kingdom. True, many nations have been nominally chris¬ tian, and by law have maintained his worship. But the courts of kings and emperors have generally been the farthest removed from evangelical piety. Yea, the nations bearing this name, have been prominent for their love of worldly splendor, and of war and con¬ quest; but this, not because they professed Christianity, but because they were strangers to its real spirit. But the time is to come, and soon, too, when all kings shall fall down before him, and all na¬ tions shall call Him blessed. When this shall come to pass, there will be great voices in heaven, saying, "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." That these accessions of the na¬ tions of the earth to the Redeemer's kingdom will greatly honor Him, is evident, from the unusual movement in heaven, attending them. "Then the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, we give thee thanks, 0 Lord, God, Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." Now, my brethren, what have we to do in bringing about this event? Who can say but that it is reserved to our country, to be the first national gem in the Redeemer's crown? What rnotivss then, have we to desire that our American people may lead the way in giving to Christ this highest honor. But let us remember, that if, through the neglect of the people of God, our nation shall become an infidel power, and forfeit the blessings of SERMON. 171 freedom, the spirits of darkness would shout for joy, while the mends of human rights would mourn in the deepest despair. JNay, more, it they refuse to aid iu building up the church of Christ they must sink under his displeasure. For he says to Zion, "the' nation and kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." But we have no reason for despair. Let all our churches and ministers do what they can to bring our whole nation as a living sacrifice to Christ, and they will certainly succeed. God will bless their labors to this end. You have the best means to accomplish your object. To aid you in gain¬ ing it, you have the wisdom, and the power, and the spirit of God; for you have the gospel, and that is all this. It was designed to act upon the soul of man, and of all agencies it has the mightiest sway over his understanding and heart. When in your ministry, you manifest its leading doctrines and sentiments, you will com¬ mend yourself to every man's conscience, in the sight of God, and your hearers will be constrained to bear witness to the truth.— When you tell the sinner that he is guilty—that he needs a new heart, and to be washed in the blood of atonement, that he is bound'to do to others as he would be done by, and to worship and obey God, he knows that what you say is true, not simply on the ground of your affirmation, but from the testimony of his own con¬ science; just as the student knows that twelve times eight are nine¬ ty-six, not from his having learned it in his multiplication table, but because he is conscious that he sees it with his own intellectu¬ al eye. The gospel thus sustained by this inward witness, will wield a power at once universal, and paramount to all other mo¬ tives. Let, then, all our ministers take the Bible in their hand, and go forth preaching Christ in all cities, towns, districts, and counties, and every pious senator, governor, magistrate, and citi¬ zen, co-operate with them m thair prayers, and labors, and chari¬ ties, and we should soon become a holy nation, and our fame would be in all lands. The late Jeremiah Evarts, once, secretary of the A. B. C. F. M., stated in one of his annual reports, (for 1830, I believe,) that on the safest position, there would be in a hundred and seventy years from that date, ten hundred million of inhabitants in the United States. Now if all these millions should be wholly devoted to Christ, honoring him in all their ways, breath¬ ing his spirit in their foreign intercourse, who can tell what would be the effect of such a spectacle on all other nations? When the heart of Jehoshaphat was lifted up in the ways of the Lord, he sent out his princes and Levites, and priests, with the book of the law of the Lord in their hands, to teach in Judah, and to preach to the people in all her cities, it was then that the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Ju¬ dah, and inclined them to bring presents to her king. So it would be again, for God hath said "they that honor me, I will hon r." Seeing, brethren, we have received this ministry for a work so god¬ like, and so momentous 111 its effects, let us not faint, but go for¬ ward with renewed zeal and confidence. The Lord has already m SERMON. ■owned your labors, and given you an earnest of what you may yet expect. During the past year only, "4,665 persons attendant on the ministry of your missionaries, have been hopefully convert¬ ed; 59 churches have been constituted; 27 ministers have been ordained; 7,083 pupils have been instructed in Sabbath Schools and Bible Classes; several thousand pages of tracts, and many co¬ pies of the scriptures have been distributed; 902 subscribers to the temperance pledge have been obtained; 12 houses of worship have been erected, and three others have been commenced, some of them in places of great importance. Several churches have been much strengthened, and confidently anticipate sufficient ability soon to sustain the cause without our aid; while three of those which we have heretofore aided, already enjoy that blessing. In¬ deed, the number and extent of revivals at our mission stations, may be mentioned among the most remarkable events in the mis¬ sionary year, 1840-1. In reviewing these results, we may de¬ voutly exclaim, "What hath God wrought?" Surely, then, the v A. B. H. M. S. deserves our encouragement and liberal support. As well might we expect the pulse to beat strong at the extremi¬ ties, while the heart is feeble, as to expect flourishing churches abroad, while the church is languishing at home. Let us then im¬ bibe the expansive spirit of the Apostle, and imitate his example; He was not swayed simply by patriotism, but by a regard to the well being of his race. He confined his views to no party or sec¬ tion. He did not pray exclusively for the North, or for the South, or for those who dwelt by the sea in the West, or for those beyond Jordan in the East, but he embraced the entire Jewish community, . and with them the whole world. We, too, have a people endear¬ ed to us by a thousand recollections, descended from the same an¬ cestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion* corrtyanions in the same hardships and perils in subduing a new world—having fought side by side in achieving our liberties and independence, having framed by our joint councils, the happiest form of government, and together enjoying the blessing of unex^ ampled prosperity, and the special effusions of the divine spirit- Yes, my friends, we have a union, glorious in its character and purposes; one which has hitherto been our pride and our defence; and one which promises too much in time to come to be surren¬ dered. Ah, yes! it cost us too much blood and treasure to be sac^ rificed on the altar of party strife and sectional jealousy. Shall our country, then, be dismembered at a crisis, like the present, when, by the preservation of our union, every thing that .as dear to us and to man, may be promoted? No, surely; for item the moment that the bond which now holds us together is brpken, from that moment our glory is forever departed—forever. Let us, then, confine ourselves to the work that God has given' us to do—to save our country, and to hasten on the glories of the millennial day, and all the warring elements that now threaten our peace, will be hushed to rest, and our union will remain as long as the sun and the moon shall endure. i ; - , TERMS OF THE PREACHER: Twelve numbers for One Dollar, payable in advance. The ob- ject of this work is to encourage a Southern Literature, and to pre-1 serve Memorials of our Fathers and Brethren in the Ministry. The present number completes the first series. The work will ' be continued if the prospect of support should seem to author-1 ize it. In the event of its continuance, the first number will be Richard Fuller's Sermon before the Triennial Convention, which we think is well worth the subscription price of the whole, i w HHP* We shall see what our brethren will do. It is quite pro- i/! bable now, that we should be able to get manuscripts regularly, so , as to issue the numbers monthly. Brethren, shall we go on, or | shall we stop? I kl HHp™ Those subscribers who have not paid, are requested to do so, we must pay our bills and the printer. i N * This pamphlet is a periodical, the postage on which is 1 1-2 cent ( per sheet, when the distance is not over 100 miles, 2 1-2 cents | when the distance is over 100 miles. Each number will be print-; ed on one sheet. . * I Pamphlets, Circulars, Cards, Hand-bills, and JLaw Blanks, NEATLY PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE "CHRISTIAN INDEX." N