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DEVOTED TO RELIGION, MORALITY, LITERATURE, AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE,
-T. MEREDITH, EDITOR.
BERN, N. C. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1830.
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WHOLE NO. 91
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VOL. II. NO. p. A ' , - - .y . : NEW
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saints a burthen rather than a privilege. Accord
ing! y, when a lady of rank, after a spiritual change
hud been jvronght in her by divine grace, once
met the sainted Wilberforce at Barley-Wood, she
was suddenly so muclraffected as to sped many
tears, and that at the, painful recollection of hav
ing once abhorred his very name. Wlien, there
fore, she loved and honoured it, was! not that
change of feeling at least a presumptive, proof of a
corresponding change of character andeondition
before God? j.
That such a test as I am now considering will
ipvariably be applied by Christians to the reliel
and consolation of their spirits, 1 am far from in
tending to affirm! There are cases of spiritual
distress in which all arguments are insufficient to
those who are denied such knowledge have no
ground whatever to conclude that they are not his
children. This, I trust, hasnow been sufficiently
established by a fair appeal to Scripture. "Com
fort ye, comfort ye my peonje," is-therefore the
language in which all who look unto Jesus, whe
ther trembling or confidently, should be address
ed, and more particularly by their ministers. 1 he
heart of the righteous should bo made .sad, neither
by withholding fiom him those texts which speak
of our completeness ond joyful affiance in the Sa
viour Christ; nor, on the other hand, by' conceal
ing those which pronounce a blessing on the con
trite, the timid, and the poor in spirit. Let your
readers bear with me, as far as 1 may apjioar to
them to have erred, either in my conception or
remove, or even to diminish its intolerable pros- representation ol the subject. Truth is my ob
Fiom the (London) Christian Observer. '
.ON T1IE TEST OF SPIRITUAL SAFETY.
Tpknow that Vvvehave peace with God thro' i
our Lord Jesus Chri," .and that our "names are
written in heaven," is aprivilege not to be valued
b)any ordinary standard. Thousands are mis
erable for. want of it; and daily confirm their mise
ry by persevering in hat "oroad way' which,
-whether swept by. in'orality or defined by vice,,
siuelyv.vleadeth to destruction.'' i.Even the, fol--lowers.of
the Lamb are not.dn alf instances, pos
sessed of that precious knowledge to which, I
liayp now referred hey liaveoccasionally, like
the poet Cow per,- wanted' the consblations, while
they have manil'ested tho spirit of the Gospel :
and they have Written bitter things against ihem
elv'es notwithstanding it has been evident to their
'brethren that they were "made accepted in the Be-
Ln-eik" . " ' - .r . . :
As tlfeassu ranee of spiritual safety.'is of feuch
inestimable value, 'so it is a subject on which the
most devoted Christians are not entirely agreed.
' Witness the conflicting sentiments of John Wes
ley and some of his contemporaries.; he is insist
ing on assuranceas the indispensabie evidence of
conversion, and they confidently denying it while
each party respectively appealed to Scripture. In
the present day similar Jiscrepancies are found
among the saints of God.' Ch'safr Malan, for in
sure. ; 1 tie utmost ingenuity ol the sulterer is
perhaps exercised for the purpose of defeating the
eflort to .console him. lie is riot to be reasoned,
even on scriptural grounds, out of the dreary ap
apprehension that he has no part nor lot in Christ.
Yi't even here the verse in question has been
known to shed a ray of hope on the despairing
soul. I mvselfonce met with a verv ncouramnor
ject; and the Lord, by his Spirit, lead us all into
truth, till at length be lodge us jn a region where
the perception of divine'things" will be forever
clear, the judgment forever sound, and the soul
forever happ . in "the excellency of the: knowl
edge of Ciirist Jesus our Lord."
When. I speak, as I have now done, of tl.ose
proofs of ourreconciiiation to Hod in Jesus Christ
on some of our machinations. But as they could
not do without my money in the support of the
ministry; (at least thev thought so,) thev were
prudent enough, to keep still. Many were the
church meetings, which we called, in the hope
o getting that majority, but in vain, for all the
church except ourselves were, decidedly in his
lavor and particularly opposed to me, because I
world that iheir uselulness is almost entirely, de
stroyed. Sometimes they are to be blamed. They
love the world form many plans of acquiring
its wealth employ many hands devote the
whole week to the management ofthtir worldly
matters. So that when the sabbath arrives they
are entirely unprepared tor its sacred and respon
sible duties unprepared both in heart and mat
ter for the instruction of the people. Sometimes !. had dismissed the two former
eyum aim uic ,,,u..,umiy reMS ou uiv pcojuc. , many oilier similar thinirs. I never wns.so mm.
I hey live in ease and allluence "clothed in pur- pletely defeated in my life. I had exhausted all
pie and fine linen and faring sumptuously every my means, and .va at my wit's ends. And vet
day ' whilst he that weeps, and prays.ani toils, .Mr. Steadfast, astonishing as it was, attended all
for their good wants tne necessarivs of life. Ilq the social meeting fafthfully and preached on
must have food and raiment. It must come from f the Sabbath as inching had happened. Wc
hispeop.e.or he must resort to something else contrived to find fault with every sermon, and
He knows little about the world succeeds badly spread our objections far and wide, to that We
is pitieu, but notreiievea y those who ought; knew that he must hear of them but still bo
ministers: besides
instance of the kind, and' am therefore. strenUir which our spiritual character may supply, I
ened in the persuasion thai the love of the bi eth- would not overlook those deeply affect iniT CUA'S,
in which .nothing but "looking unto Jesus, tx
to sustain hjm and who are the occasion of his
difficulties. The same man cannot be devoted
tothe world and devoted to his work as a minister.
One must be neglected.
' A rwitliir nnnnrl'int roicnn r T inin'utnrQ nt !
A..v.... .iiirwikiiiab iiiow.Jri mill IC.V I C llJil
pursued the
me and
well.
I the same course, and always treated
all the disaffected members, remarkably.
I was in fact almost entirely dtscoura"---
Lut now con.rsihe secret: it ur. Ml- :r,n..
the prime inventions of the present day. I le-
iri(iiiriir iTii'e.ii tii.t i . i .
"s jovii nun i was me ireasurcr oi lueso-
ren, uowerer imperiect, or, even interrupted in
its course (as in the case of Paul and BUrnabas,
Acts xv. 20,) is still, asi dominant principle, an
evidence of the Lord's mercy to our oWn souls
and ol their spiritual acceptance in Christ. And
I would the rather' pfess the point, s-iheej it is far
more easy to determine whether we love the
brethren, thao whether we are contrite, like Ala
ry, or pray like the converted Saul, orjpossess
those gracious dispositions which form the" sub
stance of the beatitudes. .
Not, however, that any one scriptural evidence
of our interest in Christ is either to beoverlooked
or undervalued Vhat God has t night, in an"
must implicitly receive : what the Lord values,
man must in no wise disregard. Prayer1, there
fore, when proceeding from the heart, and direct
ed to the great objects of reconciliation to God
through file blood of Jesus, of conversion by his
Holy Spirit, and of a consistent Christian life,
mustjoe. his immediate work, and on that account
elusive of all such proofs, can uphold the despon-
dihg-Christian. Such a one is want to argu needful for the success of the truth in winning
If 1 look into myself 1 despair. Let him then souls to Christ.
being more successful, is the loir standard of re
union in lltciroirn hvarts. Thev shnnhl ivnm.
I -' - - . V . . .
i.r.. t . .1.. .: i . i i -. .i i
iui iu iiil-ii K-upie uie iruius u men mey iireacn. r ..... ,;,iIf c a . i , . 1
They should continually have the iov of God's ! . . ? ":. ' ,l S0 ,iaPPened at that time that, ,t
. . ,, . i ery inconvenient to coWt mnni- in
pay the minister; so that instead of paying him
at the end of the quarter, I paid him nothing for
six months. It seemed to be a hard case but it
i operated like a charm. In addition to all theoth-
salvation." Above all they should have strong
faith in prayer. Of all things prayer is most
i- i . pi- i r . i - - ... i. . . ..i i i r- .r.i . r..i.. i: ...
nn ' t. r-T iiiiiil.- i. mil u- r i ii'.io "nn ri-if-rr. r mil' t i i 1111 rii'i .'nil I I ii . r i ' iiiuiui vur.
tuu n u;n ui iiMii.n n, v viiuiio , iiu u(-1- .1 k. n ui iuv. n.u.-jiw i.i mi. v 1 y i tin n . u on, 'erciliicujtics w hie li we had r d ed "11
less, and urtdefiled and who havinn-obeyed tin cess of the ministry are here briefly and hastily : -..'i. .. r ' 1 .1 e , a. . Pro.. UC 11 .
1 r '1 r 1 - 11 111 .1 n J i i V 11 1 i -11 ''eci on me ntina 01 .ir. oteaurjst, tliat
awfor ustis therefoieemPhat.catly call Tii r. presented. Ilappv w,uld it be for all u..'j he asked his dismission, so Unexpectedly that no
Lord oun Hiuiitkocnkss. .o Lhm. should preach the gospel, if the inquiry were generil y otK. 1.new ( t u xh,- momcn It was Jik--1
every inquiry respecting the evidences our ac- made II hy a,n I not Mnre useful V I'j case of the most obstinate dyspepsia, and ihwsirn
ceptance ead the fallen creature, the m.serablej wmrld is ever to be converted through a preacued j ,e rcmeJ rcni0vcd lh di,uV.r And nftW l,
nval.e,it the very test of cbnverstoiulhat wc
' know we have eternal life, and that in a perso
'nal sense, so as to have no do ibt . v hatever of our
interest in Christ, ror will the divine in ques
tiou, and the advocatespf liis system of theology,
admit that any (k'AeW of oyr Christian securi
ty should be instiliiite than oiir simply: believing
tl.e jrecord God ka!s'given us of hip Sxhi, (1 John
. ID)- ...-:;' ; .-
. ..-The present subject being one,-of unquestiona-
a'eviimportance,-may .1 be enabled by the Spirit of
tiutli to treat it agreeably to his owii revealed
v.-in To begin with our simply believing the
divine- record. Where sucli a'. faith is implanted
(vy the Holy Spirit, it -may safely be admitted as
a proof that the Lord has had mercy on our souls,
and "called til with a holy calling; yet it sup
plies a test of his acceptance to' the individual
aloiie. Who is so intimately acquainted with the
li;'art of man as txr pronounce that, "i'ridn iuiial"
MucereOii'the mere ground of his profession?
Though thet? jiivi't itselfmay bear witness to his
spirit tliUt lie 4a chihl'of ( !od, still nay he not,
ii .t;4e; co-ntrar deceive his own heart on this
i.i'.ir.V.el 'f iuojnentous point? Jesus Christ accord-
irvjls, teUs'us in his wonl.J.Ai.tt. vii. 2.2,) that it
.s one tiling to be confident. of.6u? acceptance,
and another to be really accepted onfhe great
lftheh-; it be insisted ori, by t nose 1$ whom
'ri. .... . 1 1 . i . 1 .1 1 :.. .1 r:
" ",7' 1 ,U,L wc u y gpe, urmo iiiuoi ue a rw p.u. 1.. u.e n : ..j.. d j, - similar-lrou-
1n.11nnf.1V1 .1 ff-i.-. iiii. . . . I T. I.. n rt( ..... i ... I A . ... i . . il . 1 14 1 1 .1 I II Vu
iijov. uuiuuiv, liuiil v- 11 I C-MlilUcll SiUtlV. We'llV. t f III U. ii-l Yf l I . I" Ul llll'll CIJl I It I U.-U- .
. I - . ...:. j .. i r... i.i 1 ... ...! UKS, tO lliak
sinnc
as
'.must still make
them subservient to a simple ted to God men w ho fear nothing but ( od.
e the experiment, and thev will nr,t
reliance upori Hi,,,, who i. himtclf "all our sal- Men who seek only 10 know and do their duty, Z " UT ZT'
n o . i... i:r. .!'. -. i . .v..,ir,u..;..i ' v. r."r t uuiva
in u huiu, .vm;ic ine uie puivt'a lilt: iiu uiuuci iiuw jjica. uic siiruviuiii.
stance, in his 'well-known religious publications, j is anlndex ofonr participation of the rich bless
mgs of the Cosnel covenant. As such it was
clearly recognized b'y God himself in the instance
of the great apostle, Acts ix. 11. And the. more
this grace is "e excised, especially in the season
of temptation, or in thehour of sorrow, the more
cause have we'io rest satisfied that the Lord has
mercifully taught us how to pray. 1 speak not
of our devotional frames or feelings. Thcjy vary
even in the- best. Yet however dull ourf a five,
tjbns at a throne of grace, if still we pray lile Da
yjd, (Ps.cxix. 2.",) "Aly soul cleaveth utito' the
dust ; 'quicken lliou me according to thy vvord,"
is not this petition an evidence that we are taught
of God, and adopted of his dear children ? Never
does a man of this world mourn secretly before
God over such failures in devotion nor injiplofe
such spiritual recovery as a blessing of thejhigh
est ostler. .
- flow closely the .beatitudes, are connected with
that spiritual safety T have noticed, is, I conceive,
sufficiently -clear to all who impartially regard
them. I have indeed heard i it asked, "Did the
dying thief possess these evidences of his safety ?:
Admit that he did not visibly or confessedly pos
sess.them; yet who will deny that they were im
planted in him by the Holy Spirit, and that -they
did. exist, however feebly or imperceptibly, in his
then contrite breast? His, however, was a.case
of no ordinary occurrence. After all, the beati
tudes are unmeaning, if we are not permitted,
and even required, to ask, in order to decide the
question of o'ur own individual interest iii the
blood of Christ Am I-meek, poor in spirit, and
especially pure in heart, &c.&..c. Notwithstand
ing that impurity which cleaves to the most ex
alted earthly saint, there is a comparative purity
imputed to him by the Spirit, as appears by cer
tain' passages in the Holy Scripture. Ileb. iii 1 1 :
tion in the case of young religionistsand indeed ; vi.ii. 10; Phil. ii. 5. If, therefore, it is the fixed
a an wno may auopi u raiuer suuueny.inan se- j .anu iiuenseuesirc oi our nearis mat uou wouiu
t:av.
L have'-alludeij, in, order to proVe our title to "glo
ry aiid iliunohality . inChnst ; we have simply
jto ask, lido I believe God's promise .?" and also to
Examine ourselves "whether we be in the. faith;
undto prove our own sel-vcs, 1 would submit it
to. the imparti.il reader, if this fonner test, yv hen
nholly severed from the latter, be not uncertain,
pris-atisfactory, and above all unscriptiirarr"?
What, 1 woiild ask,, will he its probable opera-
vat ion
reality of our faith in Jesiib-, it is of course unne
cessary to press the application of the tea in question.-
.
' ; , ' From the S. II. Teloginj.h.
'fruiNGs wnieii hinder tuk ukful
. ni:ss or MINISTERS. I
I have poinfed - out briefly the duties of mins
ters, and how they are to be di charged. iWt
notwithstanding the worth of souls the incalcs
lahle interests involved in the minister's success
-p-and the promise of Christ to be with his min
isters to the end of the world, wese.c their wor
advance very slowly. It should be a point of
much interest to all who love the cause of Christ'
to know why the ministry accomplishes so little
It will be our business at present to point ou
sdme of the reasons w hy so little is done by the!
many ministers in our land. j
!l." Iove of jiersonal case, is one great reason
of so little being done in the vineyard of the
Lord. If any thing is accomplished, it must be
by effort. The farmer who is idle during sum-!
.:jyT, cannot expect a crop. So the minister who !
attempts nothing, will accomplish nothing.
Alany never visiutheir people. Some visit the
wealthy and -pious, families, but pass by those
who havethe greatest need of their attention.
"The whole need not a physician, but they that
are sick." Some are entirely contented with
preaching a dry, didactic sermon on Sabbath.
That man whose chief concern is his own ease
wil never accomplish much for Christ. We
must deny ourselves "take up the cross'' fol
low the Saviour in his untiring toils for perish
ing men. We must be"insiant in season " " In
the morning sow thy seed, and
withhold not thy hand."
snccess be expected.
I more powerful effect.
Now, Air. Editor, wc will admit, that some bo
; dy must rule : and why should not men of wealth
; and influence have tins authority ? Air. Stcac
: fast oflen used tn ir.sinnntp nrimtoli. it.it im!.
Air, Editor, It is a duty to administer con- i tors were the appointed Rulers of the churclA
From the Watcliiunn. ;
CONSOLATION FOR THE AFFLICTED
solation to those in aliiiction; and as I perceive
by your paper, that ur. 'Simon has sorrow upon
sorrow, because he cannot manage his minister:
and as I have had considerable experience in
according to the liible: but I al
such passages to be a "mere rhetorical flourish,"
like the declaration, that "all men arc born free
and equal." I know the IJible says so: and so
1 l l- I.I. . w, w . v.
I u-cn ninttire nun nn vi :i I vv;i vs 1 it 'mi Slirt'l'Ssflll I I if coi- tlmi . r . .. i
w.v ...v...., - -j . ; ,k oll,o, njji hih j uiui ue oueuient to tiieir iiu-
am prepared not only to sympathise with him in ; band's, yet my wife never thought that she was
histroubles.butto administersucli solace, as may under obligation to obey : and wives Generally
be the means of his relief. Let him not be dis-j think lhat "belongs to ancient times. C Besides
couraged. I we have the example of the apostolic church in
1 am a Deacon of a certain church, and have' ourfavoi. "Ih-Ltrephcs loveth to have the pre-cm
been from its commencement. God has bWssed j inenre." Such things existed then and why ne t
mc with a considerable share of wealth, and ena-i no.w.? And alihou;h a laigc proportion of our
bled mc to do a great deal for thechurch and so- nnsters are dismissed by a few influential men,
r r . -'n .i . who arc tietcrmineu to rule : vet it is areenbh tn
cietv. In fact it was owing to my ifiuence that t . r ' ec-m- 10
11 ,1 ; '" an.- s.iiu iu nave no conunuinrr
nty nor alnding place."' And even the apotllcs
theuistlvcs removed Irrnucnllv from rAro i, rJ-
the church was established : the meeting-house
obtained, and the ministry supported, I low evi
dent it is that God has given me this influence:
and that I ought to use it. . . j
Our first minister disagreed with mc about
some thincrs, and I soon got rid of him. The'
the evening
and never remained but a few years in one church
Is it reasonable that ministers should rule the
church 7 When they come into a place they are
strangers there :md tlwv hiv t'..:.- f,.
, second was no more disposed to submit; but I oarn as ,i,c child does his alphabet 'Whc1
j made his place so uneasy, that his health was ..tlj Maudards" know every inch of ti e
j afR-cted, and he was dismissed. At last by my ground, and every step.to lake. Now if all our
! influence we invited Itev. Air. Steadfast; anu churches would'but just arec to "ive their
my wile and 1 useJ to call urn our minister : wc-a!thv brethren the power to dismiss the tnin-
tiuu e imu evei v ii-ujuii iu Jiujre, ni.ii ui- nuiuu
be ruled by our counsel. Hut we soon found
that we were sadly disappointed. When every
method had been tried without success, we con
cluded that he must be dismissed. And in order
to do this effectually, and give a good appear
ance to the world, wo determined to get up a
tiousl v I lieiecting as legal and pharisaical, and
h principle akin to bondage, all inquiry whatever,
either as'to our conduct or disposition, as eviden
ces of-our spiritual safety, they - ihaihtainrtUat he.
who! fiath the.SpjjHt hath.the witness in himself.
What follows"? Wanting, as I have ventured to
suppose, Ch'iistiari seriousness of m ind, and being
l-l' away 'by str9ng feeling, they will scarcely
"commune- with 'their heart," and prove the cha
racter of their actions by the only infallible rule
H laiih rind lift.. Never :can they stop and ask,
cleanse their very thoughts by the inspirrtion of
his Holy Spirit (prayer before the communion
In this way alone can
istcrs, (and I think they ought to have the now.
cr to settle them likewise,) then the minister
would submit; and there would be ho more diffi
culty: and our influential brethren who are
weighed down with a load of sorrow, would be
j delivered from all their troubles ; and thus minis
; ters would be. according to the Scrintnri-s
disaffected party in the church. A lew oi the .servants of all
service,) have we not an abundanf proof that we j in the conduct of Christ and his Apostles. Their
afe,jViade "nev creatures," and consequently are 1 great concern, was to please God by declarin"
in Christ Jesus? . I the message which he had cominit:V.d to them.
brethren, including the other Deacon, held some
nlfrn fnli-initic mitiiiiiC tvliirli niir 1 'n'stnr
Too great a dtsi'cfor th cood onlonof ! nnt vl0i:ovn :,, . nr,,l ... rnntriv.-d tn srt ih,-m
men. A minister is sometimes afraid to tell the a lin,t ,lim bccaiISl. 10 did not preach the whV.e
truth, lest -it should s.ve ofle'nce to some of the lruth Thrntas I Iiad it in my power to be bene-
m uueuiiai auu ueaitny aniongst his people.-- vok.nlf t assistoa certain brethren in the church
,rr x , i t i ne;,cr Ulcas- 1 ,luI by lending money and endorsing notes ; in con-
"-"Ji 11 L im u, i aiiuuiu I1UL no lue fcer-
van.t of Christ." James says, "Whosoever- will
be a friend of the world is an enemy to God."
we scetne meaning oi.ihese passages illustrated
npturt's, "the
Barxadap.
sequence of which, out of gratitude to me, they
:ousLstclntly with their views of assurance, if they
possess those marks of 'acceptance which (as I !
In the third chapter of the first epistle of j St
John and third verse, the question now under tlis
cussioh is very simply a'nd. practically decided.
"Every man that hath his hope in him, purifieth
himself, even as he is pure." "He that commit-
teth sin is of the devil,' V- On that love of the
brethren which is next insisted on by the apostle.
.possess those marus oi 'acceptance wmcn (as i l jiaveaireauy dwelt. .1 ne wnoie chapter ouht
vhall presently demonstrate) are specially pointed i indeed, to be seriously studied both bythose who
out in Scripture. - On the fContrary, they lookjjiave hitherto been distressed from want of some
abo"e them, vhen consideruig'the all-importatif sufficient evidence of their saving union with
question. Am I a child ofGod? I do nut af-4phrist, aqd bythose who would confine such evi-
lirm that this, theory necessarily leads to such j uence witnm the lnni.s of that inward testimony
AntinomianisiTi'in' practice; but I verily think j whieh the Spirit generally bearsKo the safety of
'hat such is its probable result. For if we, arc at the true believer.
liberty to1 conclude "we are in Christ Jesus," s Nor is it unimportant to rerryirk with whatten
v. ithout any .direct reference to the spirituality of j derness the Lord speaks to tJio3c whom he has
our life and conversation, (IloiVt. vin. 1, 5, 8,) ! not vet enriched with the fun assurance of faith".
lie does not, like some pious, but, alas ! misjudg
ing men, charge such persons with the unbelief,
(though undoubtedly, in some sense chargeable
with it ;) but he says to them "fear not," Isaiah
xxxv. 4; "O man greatly beloved," Dan', x. 1 1, lf;
xiv. '4f. And tn
in the spirit of h!is
is weak in the laiih
I nass on. then, to some other tests of our snir- receive ye." ; '
i-ual safety, yhich are of a plainer, a more practi- Is it then a fair inference from the foregoing
-41. and Lconceive, of a more spiritual kind ; pre- j observaiions.uhat we are not to seek and cherish
uiMng nowever, mai mey are wnoiiy and essen-,'the inward testimony of the Holy Ghost tq oiir
cominit:cd to ihem.
regardless of whatever might be said, thought or
done, by the multitudes who heard them.
; o.j Another hindrance is an u-iduc rcgardfor
the feelings of the people. There are some iflcn
of dispositions uaturally so very affectionate that
even when they see their fellovy men sinkitig to
From Rot.iL's Pastoral Cautions.
DIVINE INFLUENCE.
Take heed that you pay an habitual regard to
divine influence, as that without which You can-
' not enjoy a holy liberty in vour work, or have anv
. ............ . . '1T 1.1 . . ."
at once entered into my views, and assisted mc. reason to export success. Wc have heard, with
in this time of trouble. Aly wife, too, who is a . pleasure, that the necessity of such an iofluencc.
iu cniignicn. 10 coaiion, anu to sanctity the hu
man mind, makes one article in your theological
creed, an article, doubtless, of great importance;
foi as well might the material system havesprun'T
out of nonentity without the almighty fiat, a an
assembl.e of holy qualities arise io a depraved
neari wiinoui. supernatural agencj. As well might
the order, harmony and beauty oflhe visible world
very shrewd woman, (though 1 say it myself,) j
prejudiced the minds of a number ol the sisters
against the minister, so that they could not be
edified by his preaching; and persuaded them to
go and tell him so She had also many oppor
tunities to perplex the minister's wife. The dis
uffected brethren of course could not be edified.
Wo had now cot six or seven brethren out of
more than forty ; and as many sisters, and called
i mi reiil vnr4lir n irirrmvn il nn rl v Anil mmivn limn
hell, they cannot bear the the thought of wound-, did we sit in secret conclave to consider what
be continued, without the perpetual exertion ct
that wisdom, power, and goodness which cavo
cnthough "such spirituality be wanting, may j
'enot still . imagine, we "abide in him i . Let a
ipicritbc told by his physician, "if you arc fully
i persuaded of your recovery you need not regard
I any tjhef evidence of the fact; the patient might
possibly be right; fycr were it not probable he "It is I, be not afraid, Alalt.
ould be deceived?; 'The application may safely 1 Horn. xiv. 1, St. Paul exhorts,
J left to the judicious reader. ' . "' heavenly Alaster, "llim that
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1,
-ially different from the. grounds of our accep-
inguisheilrora them. Ope of the most satisfac
ory, because of the most tangible of these tests.
is that love of the, brethren which is mentioned
ytfie ApostU johh, (I lohri iuV 14.) "We know
aat we have passed from death unto life, because
'.e love the brethren." ' Mere, if anv where, we
aay reach the point of certainty. For by nature,
i enemies to VjOU: wyfeare "aliens tiom the enm-
,4niritual acceptance and security? Surely not.
' . . . i ii - - : i " ..
In attempting to nanuie a very difiicuit as well as
important point in Christian experience, I have
chiefly designed to show that we are notio be re
stricted to that one branch of evidence; and that
those who. advocate such restriction are thernii
selves liable to serious delusion on the subjeci'
Happy arc they who are mercifully taught by
God to know in whomi they have believed to
know that they have passed from death unto life,
on wealth of Israel andV count the soc:?ty of !toUnow that they havo cternallifc in 'Christ. Ye'
ins their feelings b tellinq; them their condition
A physician sometimes finds il necessary to give
great pain, to save the life of his patient. " So the
feelings of a sinner must not be regarded, if his
soul is at stake. 1
4. Ministers often .do not like to condemn
tic;;?.sofC5.They havetheir faults their imper
fections. To preach the truth would condemn
themselves. -The truth is therefore often with
held, j Such a minister cannot expect to be useful.
God requircs.him first to obey the truth, and then
to preach it.
5. Too great a regard for temporal interests
Often prevents ministers from the discharge of
their duty. Fidelity in renrovincr sin, mijrht
give offence to some, and thereby diminish their
support. So little4faith Jiave some men in the
promises and protecting care of God, that they
had rather depend on the support of men had
rather offend God by nnfaitlifulmsf, than to of
fend ?ic4 by fidelity.
G. Some ministers allow themselves to be too
viwch perplexed abou t unkind remarks made con
cerning the tn. Grout pains are taken to vindi
cate their characters and every thin: must be ex
plained to every enemy of God and the gospel
who may choose to be offended, and wishes to
vent his spleen by slandering the herald of the
cross. The more concern a minister manifests
about such things, the more ready the world will
be to harrass him in that way. Let him treat
such things with the neglect which theydescrve
and they will soon die
7.
was to be done. We well knew, that during
the few years of his ministry, the society had
more than loublcd,and the church nearly thre-
( pled in numbers; a new house of worship had
been erected becausethe old one was fur too small.
We had also enjoyed two revivals of religion
but we did not consider that God had Vicssed his
labors, but other ministers who 'liarj occasionally
preached with us. And when any of the con
verts, in relating ihvir experience, alluded to their
IVstOr as the instrument in their conversion, a
case which frequently occurred, we advised them
not to mention it. And though the society had in
creased so much, we considered that it was be
cause our minister was just calculated to please
the world.
After long consultation, I and the other Dea-
cpnt were appointed a committee to wait on the
Uev. AT r.v Steadfast, and represent to him affec
tionately that many of the church were not edi
fied by his preaching, and that it would be well
for him to ask a dismission. He received us kind
ly; but he looked and spoke as if he knew all
our secret plans; at least we feJt so He was very
decided ; and was not disposed to ask a dismis
sion while the majority of the church wished
him to remain. This answer came upon us like
a thunder clap;, for wo had no reason to suppose
that we could obtain such a majority. It was
truly a trying case; and wo were in a saddilem
ma.
iThe society, which was now larjrc and flour
isuing, were well satisfied with the labors ofthc
:l cy
Ministers .arc often .? trammelled with the) pU7. yir Stcadfaf.t: and looked with an
tliein birth, as the holy qualities of a regenerate
soul le maintaiiiQd and flourish, independent of
the iviuc Sp'rit.
Now, my brother, as the knowledge of any
truth is no farther usefuUo us than we are influ
enced by it. and act upori it; as doctrinal scnti-1
rr.cnts are not beneficial, except in proportion as
they become practical principles, or produce cor
respondent feelings ond affections in our own
heart; so you should endeavour to live continu
ally under the operation- of the sacred maxim,
"Without sik ye can do nothing." With hu
mility, with prayer, with expectation, the assis
tance of the Holy Spirit should be daily regard
ed. In all your private studies, and in all jour
public administrations, the aids of that ?acred
Agent should be sought. Consisfencyof con
duct, peace in your own Brfnsts, andSuccess in
your own labors, all require it; surely you do
nui iiu-.ui merely io COmpnraeuivut: iiuty opini,
by giving his work a conspicuous place in your
creed. Were you habitually to study and preach
your discourses, without ecret previous prayer
for divine assistance, the criminality of your neg
lect would equal tbejnconsistency of our charac
ter. If Christianity be the religion of sinner?,
and adapted to tlieir apostate state, it must pro
vide, as wellfor our depravity, by enligtcmn
and sanctifying influence, as for our'guilr, by
atoning Jbfood.
Npf ran you pray over your Bible in a prop-
crmanncr, wncn meditattn? on the snrrrd text.
. ithout feeling a solemnity in vour ministerial
employment. That solemnity should always at-,
tend you in the pulpit: for a preacher who trifles
1 there, not only affronts the understanding of ere.
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