DISCOURSE III.

REV. III. 22.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

I TRUST I shall be forgiven, if, on this occasion, I take the liberty to deviate in a slight degree from the course most commonly adopted, and which seems indeed to be prescribed by the very nature and design of such solemnities,―by directing my remarks, not merely to the situation and duties of the particular church which has this day received its first pastor, and with which, in common with my brethren, I most cordially unite in rendering thanks to God for the great blessing he has bestowed upon it, in giving to it at length a minister whom we all respect and love, but to those also of the churches of Christ generally, in so far as they are discoverable in the character of the times wherein we live, or of the place where our lot is cast-and in which this society is very deeply interested;-reserving myself, at the close of my address, to direct my observations more exclusively to the members of this church and congregation, and to those obligations which they have now publicly incurred, both by the relation into

which they have entered, and the privileges they are anticipating from henceforth to enjoy.

I should esteem it a cause of the sincerest regret, if, in doing this, I were supposed by any present to be assuming the character of a reprover or a judge; -much more, if I should be suspected of a disposition to become an accuser of others, without a deep and humbling sense of my personal deficiencies.

I could not have persuaded myself to enter upon such a design, had I apprehended that in its prosecution I should be led to dwell alone on matters of censure or reproof. That were indeed a sad and melancholy conclusion of one of the most delightful and animating of all solemnities, and of a day consecrated to services the most sublime and sacred which can ever be witnessed in the whole history of this church. But the review we are now called to take of the present state of piety amongst us, and the duties it appears to enforce, is one to exhilarate and to stimulate to action, as well as to humble and to correct, for it is not alone in accents of terror or of reproach,—not even in those only of warning or cautionary exhortation,-but in those also of congratulation and encouragement, that the voice of the Spirit, in all the circumstances that surround us, and in all the prospects that open to our view, is now addressing the churches.

There are some principles which cannot but suggest themselves to every serious hearer, as at such seasons peculiarly worthy to be remembered, and mutual obligations resulting from the newly-formed connection between the pastor and his flock,—the

same in all ages,—and such as no man can be so infatuated or thoughtless as not instantly to perceive. These it would be unpardonable wholly to omit;-but we shall confine ourselves chiefly to the consideration of others, that arise more immediately from the aspect of the times and the operation of existing causes upon social and personal religion, which it is obvious that, at a period like this, and amidst such transactions as those we have now delighted to behold, we ought to bear seriously in mind, and are more than at any other concerned to understand and to apply.

At such a season, it is evidently most important to consider, what a church of Christ is intended to effect and to become;-what is the purpose of that sacred compact into which his followers are permitted thus to enter,-and how they may best discharge, towards their minister, and towards each other,towards the church at large, and towards their common Lord,—those great and sacred duties which result from its formation. For it ought never to be forgotten, that the origin of this holy institution is not in the arbitrary choice of the disciples of Jesus themselves, but in the special appointment of their Master,—and that its design is something infinitely more extensive and momentous than the mere gratification of their social feelings, or the indulgence of their kindly and fraternal sympathies; -that it transcends immeasurably the simple improvement of the members, or the honourable maintenance and successful ministrations of the pastor, within the narrow limits of an individual society;—

that it is connected with the general administration and affairs of that great spiritual empire which, as it is destined to extend through all time, embraces at once the interests of the universe and the wellbeing of eternity;-that all the laws and regulations by which it is to be controlled are such as arise from no authority inferior to his who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron,—dashing in pieces those that shall oppose him, even as a potter's vessel, while he sways over the willing subjects of his government the sceptre of mercy and peace ;-that there is, therefore, in such a society, however constituted, or whatever be its numbers or its profession, no place for the operation of interest, or opinion, or partiality, or caprice;-that all is beneath the command of the great King of Zion;—that all is meant for the promotion of his glory;-that besides his statutes there is no appeal, and besides his ordinances no other code of legislation nor rule of judgment;-that therefore with its orders, its functions, its terms of admission or exclusion, its modes of service or principles of discipline, the preferences of some, or the compliance even of all, have no right of interference or control;-and hence, that every individual enrolled amongst its members, and seeking to enjoy its privileges, is bound by ties he cannot loose nor alter, and which it is at his peril in anywise to violate,-to conform to all its regulations, and to follow out all its designs, to the last possible extent, whether in his personal or his official capacity. The church, it is true, is a voluntary association; but only in so far as it respects the selection

of those with whom we enter into the connection it involves,—whether in the choice of the pastor or the first aggregation of its individual members:but, like other relations subsisting amongst men, which, though spontaneously and freely formed, are in themselves definite and immutable, and in their consequences and duties dependent, not on the will of those who sustain them, but on the nature of their subjects or the mandate of the Creator,-this, while it is established only by the mutual consent of the several parties amongst which it had its place, is yet, when established, susceptible of no variation or diversity, but must be determined in all things by the revealed will of the Saviour, and the unalterable decisions of the New Testament. Upon this topic I will not further enlarge; and indeed it is rendered more than unnecessary by the luminous and convincing statements you have already heard in the preceding parts of the present service. But I may be allowed to show, in a few words, how it should practically operate upon the discharge of those reciprocal engagements into which the several members of the church now convened, together with their pastor, have this day solemnly entered. The duties of the minister have been already described; and to them, therefore, it is not my province to allude. It might seem sufficient to say, in describing those of the flock, that they are in all things correspondent to them;-that if it be his to instruct in the name of his Master, it is theirs equally to receive those instructions, as coming not from a frail and fallible man, but from the fountain of all